62 responses so far

• 1 11-14-2009 at 7:00 pm
  
  James D. said...

  I think Avatar is going to underwhelm. I am not buying it as an awards contender, what with the seemingly weak story. I also see it underwhelming at the box office. Sure, the visuals are revolutionary, but so was Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.

• 2 11-14-2009 at 7:00 pm
  
  James D. said...

  Also, after the cold reception of Changeling and Gran Torino, I don’t know if Invictus is the lock everyone thinks.

• 3 11-14-2009 at 7:01 pm
  
  Beau said...

  I hope the best for three of them. I’d like Marshall to strike harder and deeper than he did with ‘Chicago’, I’d love for Jackson to walk through dark domestic terrain again and succeed, and I’d ADORE IT if Cameron kept batting 1000.

  I could care less for ‘Invictus’.

• 4 11-14-2009 at 7:01 pm
  
  Kristopher Tapley said...

  “[S]eemingly weak story” begins to describe many an awards contender. Just saying…

• 5 11-14-2009 at 7:03 pm
  
  kid said...

  Are journalists not allowed to say anything what so ever about nine? if so until when?

• 6 11-14-2009 at 7:06 pm
  
  Kristopher Tapley said...

  December. The 14th is the trade review date. Someone always jumps the gun, though. Egos. Complexes. Etc.

• 7 11-14-2009 at 7:07 pm
  
  JJ (formerly John) said...

  I don’t know which one of the 4 (if any) won’t cut it.

  For me, I’m least looking forward to ‘Invictus’.

• 8 11-14-2009 at 7:09 pm
  
  SHAAAARK said...

  “Seemingly weak story” is too nice. Trite, cliche, seen-it-a-thousand-times-and-didn’t-like-it-any-of-those-times. South Park’s most recent episode effectively skewered Avatar in a gag. Dances With Smurfs indeed.

• 9 11-14-2009 at 7:19 pm
  
  James D. said...

  Kris, I think a lot of Oscar contenders are weak, but from what I understand of Avatar, it is a bare-bones story with amazing 3D visuals. Can you be nominated without an acting or screenplay nod to propel you?

• 10 11-14-2009 at 7:23 pm
  
  Morgan said...

  I just watched “The Lives of Others” for the first time. Suddenly everything from this year’s crop of award hopefuls seems underwhelming…

• 11 11-14-2009 at 7:28 pm
  
  Speaking English said...

  ***Can you be nominated without an acting or screenplay nod to propel you?***

  Yes, and it’s happened many times when there were only five nominees.

• 12 11-14-2009 at 7:34 pm
  
  head_wizard said...

  I think both Invictus and Avator will underwhelm me but Invictus will still get nominated

• 13 11-14-2009 at 7:36 pm
  
  kid said...

  Are you not aloud to even say like a sentence about the films quality?

  Personally I’m most excited for the Lovely Bones, I love Peter Jackson’s work and I think he could make something great out of the source material. I’m also excited for Avatar due to the “ground breaking special effects” and I can’t to see cameron return to filmmaking, I’ve never seen a film of his I’ve disliked so far. Invictus looks okay from the trailer and i usually like Eastwood, but I absolutely hated Gran Torino I hope he can come back strong after that mess. I’m most hesitant about Nine, I’m not a huge fan of Chicago and this looks somewhat similar, i hope its an improvement.

• 14 11-14-2009 at 7:39 pm
  
  James D. said...

  Speaking English, I only found two for the decade: Master and Commander and the Two Towers. Russell Crowe was on the bubble, so really The Two Towers is really the only example.

• 15 11-14-2009 at 7:48 pm
  
  Marlowe said...

  I’d have to say Nine, simply because as a potential contender for Picture, Director, Adapted, Actor, Actress and Supporting Actress(es) it seems like it’s got the most to lose.

• 16 11-14-2009 at 7:51 pm
  
  Joel said...

  I don’t like to think such things.

• 17 11-14-2009 at 8:05 pm
  
  david said...

  I’m most excited about The Lovely Bones because I find the subject matter the most intriguing. Also, it’s nice to see a film that boasts a little originality, and imagination, so count me in to check out Avatar.

  Up in the Air is at the top of my list however.

  Kris…did you like Parnassus at all?? Whose performance impressed you the most in the film??

• 18 11-14-2009 at 8:16 pm
  
  Jim said...

  Avatar

• 19 11-14-2009 at 8:19 pm
  
  geha714 said...

  I don’t want Nine to underwhelm. I want it to fail.

• 20 11-14-2009 at 8:24 pm
  
  James D. said...

  I think Nine could get scathing reviews and still get in. This is the Weinstein Company, after all.

• 21 11-14-2009 at 8:27 pm
  
  Chris said...

  Would it be too pessimistic to say that I predict that of the four only ‘The Lovely Bones’ will not underwhelm.

• 22 11-14-2009 at 8:32 pm
  
  Kristopher Tapley said...

  david: Parnassus didn’t really work at all, but the best performance was far and away Ledger’s. He’s actually quite amazing, I’d say.

• 23 11-14-2009 at 8:46 pm
  
  Matt T said...

  If I have to vote, I’m saying Nine. But I don’t think any of them will.

• 24 11-14-2009 at 8:48 pm
  
  Leocdc said...

  I love Eastwood’s movies… but I want to see Invictus failing.
  I’m loving the photos of Nine, but I want to fail too.
  I already want to see Avatar, but I’d rather prefer to see it out of the 10… and why is all that… ?
  Because I want to see District 9 being nominated as Best Picture.
  I already saw Inglorious Basterds and Up, and D9 is so much better than that 2 (for me, of score).
  In other aspects, yesterday I saw Lars and the real girl, and I was totally blown away by the performances and the terrific script. Later I found that Ryan Gosling wasn’t nominated and I just couldn’t believe that the Academmy make that horrible mistake…
  Kris, what were your top 5 leading actors on 2007??

• 25 11-14-2009 at 8:56 pm
  
  Andrew L. said...

  Invictus.
  Eastwood directing, Freeman playing an important real life figure–screamed Oscar-bait, more so than Amelia ever did.

  Speaking of failures, anyone else watching January Jones on SNL? Yikes (so far)…

• 26 11-14-2009 at 9:06 pm
  
  Dustin said...

  Im ready for the Clint/Oscar infatuation to stop so Id love to see Invictus fail.

  Nine I think will be a great lead performance by DDL and ofcourse a directors showcase. But I think all the actresses are going to get lost in the mix.

  The Lovely Bones actually looks great but the subject matter could turn people off… and this one seems to have the furthest to fall.

  Avatar is not going to dissapoint but quite possibly be the “Dark Knight” of the year.

  January Jones is beautiful but hope she doesnt try movies!

• 27 11-14-2009 at 9:29 pm
  
  Frank Lee said...

  The trailer for “The Lovely Bones” looks awful, so I’m betting that one underwhelms.

• 28 11-14-2009 at 9:31 pm
  
  "Julianstark" said...

  I’d say Invictus. I’m really looking forward to all four of these films, but I’m still thinking that Invictus could end up being a bit “meh”

• 29 11-14-2009 at 9:39 pm
  
  Pablo (Col) said...

  Whatever people say, I think The Lovely Bones is going to hit BIG when nominations are announced.

  Big miss? Invictus could only be a actors show and Avatar may be a bit too FX.

  Nine… It will be big in artistic categories and maybe even some tech. It will have at least that.

• 30 11-14-2009 at 9:45 pm
  
  peter said...

  Invictus
  matt damon+freeman

• 31 11-14-2009 at 10:18 pm
  
  James said...

  Nine…that is all…

• 32 11-14-2009 at 10:29 pm
  
  Maxim said...

  Probably Invictus.

• 33 11-14-2009 at 10:36 pm
  
  Justin said...

  I think Avatar. I don’t see it getting an acting, writing, or direction nomination which would kill it’s chances at being a serious BP contender.

• 34 11-14-2009 at 10:52 pm
  
  Matthew Starr said...

  I think all of the “big four” will underwhelm and then it will become a three horse race between Precious, Hurt Locker and Up In The Air.

• 35 11-14-2009 at 10:54 pm
  
  JFK said...

  NINE because I already saw it and was underwhelmed.

• 36 11-14-2009 at 11:05 pm
  
  Joey said...

  I feel that Invictus will be the one that is given a mostly indifferent reception upon its release, but with the power of Eastwood, Freeman, and Warner Bros it’ll probably overcome that.

  I think its obvious that Avatar, while clearly a visual marvel, will have the uphill battle towards a BP nom. As others have said, its chances at acting, directing, and writing noms don’t look very promising, at least until we see more. Also, District 9 seems to being giving it quite a run for its money as the sci-fi pick of the year. If there is one, that is.

• 37 11-14-2009 at 11:37 pm
  
  The Dude said...

  They all have the potential to rock our socks off…and they all have the potential to crash and burn. I think the one that’s skating on thin ice is “Avatar,” as it had the most buzz a year ago but has lost a great deal of steam since then (which shouldn’t be happening as we get closer to the release date). Being a sci-fi movie also doesn’t help…especially when two other good sci-fi movies have come out this year (”Star Trek” and “District 9″). It’s gonna have to be damn-near brilliant to get back on the ground it had last year.

  “Invictus” is also treading on thin ice…we’ve been here before, where Eastwood was “guaranteed” a lock because he had a movie coming out in December…and it didn’t pan out too good last year. It also doesn’t help that “Invictus” looks to be the least interesting movie he’s done in the past few years.

  “Nine” could be disappointing, but not to the extent of the other two…the thing with musicals is that there ALWAYS seems to be someone championing them (ex: despite poor reviews for “The Phantom of the Opera,” there were some who were still predicting it could pull an upset). And while the movie itself might not be good in the long-run, I could see a lot of people happy just watching Penelope Cruz shakin’ what her momma gave her ;)

  “The Lovely Bones” seems like the safest of the 4, probably because the source material was a big hit and the Jackson team has already proven that they are adept at adapting popular material. It may not prove to be as epic as his other work from this decade, but it also looks like it’s the one with the least uphill battle.

• 38 11-15-2009 at 12:45 am
  
  AmericanRequiem said...

  i have the most faith in the lovely bones, i feel avatar has the most chance to make the biggest impact, didnt like chicago so im reserved on nine, and i trust Clint Eastwood

• 39 11-15-2009 at 1:29 am
  
  Glenn said...

  I reckon “Nine” will be the exact movie everyone suspects it will be. That means for some – you know the ones – it will be disappointing, for others – the ones who think “Chicago”’s BP win was worthy – will love it and everyone else will be “it was good, but not great.”

  “Invictus” will disappoint only to those who can’t quite there minds around Clint Eastwood. And even if it’s dirge like “Flags of Our Fathers” all the critics will somehow find a way of praising it to the high heavens.

  “The Lovely Bones” I think will surprise because expectations seem so low.

  “Avatar” will come out smelling the best, but 2009 is a much different time to 1998 and the nay-sayers will be far more vocal than they were with “Titanic” because, well, they can be.

• 40 11-15-2009 at 3:04 am
  
  Alex said...

  Avatar = king kong

• 41 11-15-2009 at 4:05 am
  
  mark said...

  INVICTUS looked like cry freedom all over again,I expect it tooo fail and freeman simply looked and sounded like freeman.

• 42 11-15-2009 at 4:11 am
  
  Duke said...

  One of Brazil’s most famous film critic saw NINE yesterday. She loved it and said it was a WONDERFUL FILM. She was surprised about DayLewis singing and dancing abilities, said women have never been more beautifully filmmed in recent years, and Fellini would be proud.

  But she can’t say more than that.

• 43 11-15-2009 at 4:21 am
  
  Alex said...

  Nine has been screening for a while so we would know by now if it is bad. From my estimations, it is at least a 7/10 but it is all a matter of how people react to it.

• 44 11-15-2009 at 7:03 am
  
  Simone said...

  I want ‘The Lovely Bones’ to be extremely successful. I could care less about ‘Nine’. I think that will underwhelm tremendously.

• 45 11-15-2009 at 7:53 am
  
  M.Harris said...

  I’m really looking forward to “The Lovely Bones.” The book was awesome – and I think that Peter Jackson is the right director for the movie.

• 46 11-15-2009 at 8:33 am
  
  JR said...

  I’m predicting that “The Lovely Bones” could break huge. Jackson/Walsh have a pretty damn good track record. The source material is amazing. Did the person who thinks the trailer sucks read the book? I’m trusting Jackson on Wahlberg, but the rest of the casting is effing brilliant, especially Sarandon and Imperioli. The Oscars may not be so Precious after all.

  Hate to say this but, should that happen? How long will it take before the race card is played? Two films involving tragic teens.

• 47 11-15-2009 at 8:36 am
  
  JR said...

  By the way, why in hell is Jackson not listed under potential Best Director??? That’s like suggesting a Scorsese flick as Best Picture but not nominating Marty. Jackson is one of the most individual artists around. Like it or not, his films looks like nobody else’s. Rob Marshall doesn’t hold a candle to Jackson.

• 48 11-15-2009 at 8:48 am
  
  Duke said...

  I hope The Lovely Bones or Nine save us from Precious.

• 49 11-15-2009 at 9:10 am
  
  m1 said...

  If financially, then NINE.
  If critically, then possibly AVATAR.
  If awards-wise, then THE LOVELY BONES.

• 50 11-15-2009 at 10:36 am
  
  Matt said...

  Avatar

• 51 11-15-2009 at 10:50 am
  
  Paul Outlaw said...

  I think all four will underwhelm artistically, but the Lovely Bones will be most satisfying and Avatar most underwhelming.

  Avatar (aargh) and Invictus will not underwhelm financially, but the other two? Hmm.

• 52 11-15-2009 at 12:47 pm
  
  El Rocho said...

  ‘Nine’ and ‘Avatar’ are gonna hit it big. Critically and financially.

  ‘The Lovely Bones’ and ‘Invictus’ are going to be very well recieved but will not do as well at the boxoffice.

• 53 11-15-2009 at 1:25 pm
  
  /3rtfu11 said...

  I suspect all will under whelm. Not thinking in terms of box office – or awards potential – more so in critical and audience responses.

• 54 11-15-2009 at 1:41 pm
  
  Fitz said...

  I hope they all do well just to keep Star Trek and District 9 out of Best Picture.

  Both were half-assedly written and depended on aint it cool to save them.

• 55 11-15-2009 at 3:41 pm
  
  SHAAAARK said...

  I’ve never heard a logical justification for the claim that District 9 is “badly written”. I would agree on Star Trek, but I think with District 9 you need to back up that claim with evidence.

• 56 11-15-2009 at 3:48 pm
  
  w said...

  Mark (#41) In what world does Invictus look like Cry Freedom…other than the completely superficial nature of the actors skin color. What an asinie thing to say.

  I think Nine will overwhelm…and I don’t think DDL will get nominated at the Oscars for his performance.

• 57 11-15-2009 at 5:48 pm
  
  Ben M. said...

  I’ve had some doubts about Nine for a while nom and thus it is not in any of my major category predictions, now it would be great if all four December releases deliver, but logically I would guess two will underwhelm to an extent.

• 58 11-15-2009 at 5:51 pm
  
  Sarah El said...

  Avatar, definitely. The Lovely Bones, Nine, and Invictus could all turn out to be less than the spectacular we’re predicting for them, but Avatar is supposed to be the technically immensely ground-breaking and amazing next step in filmmaking as well as an excellent sci-fi adventure romp. And when you put it like that, it’s hard to imagine it not disappointing in some way. And that’s not all the fans saying that, it’s coming down from the top as well. Not to mention how underwhelming the trailers seem, at least to me. Breath-taking and intriguing, yes, but not something that I see and think “oh well that’ll be effing amazing.”

  But then, The Lovely Bones, Invictus, and Nine all have spectacular trailers, and when movies have great trailers there’s always a fear that the movie won’t live up, so maybe it’s a good thing Avatar’s trailers haven’t got me hoping too high.

• 59 11-15-2009 at 9:27 pm
  
  Kevin said...

  nine- just cuz i wont see it, musicals arent my genre.
  just throwing this out there, is it just me or does Brothers actually look pretty good???

• 60 11-16-2009 at 12:16 am
  
  Paul Outlaw said...

  Brothers is not a bad movie. The directing and performances are strong, in fact. One of the standouts is Bailee Madison, who I believe was eight years old during principal photography.

• 61 11-16-2009 at 2:34 pm
  
  Fitz said...

  SHAAARK,

  Well for one the deus ex machina is used far too much.

  -The implausibility that the Aliens would be allowed to be in possession of their weapons.

  -The tiny shuttle that broke off would’ve been confiscated by the gov’t.

• 62 11-24-2009 at 11:07 am
  
  jake h. said...

  Brothers looked great in the trailer but the actual movie was somewhat dissapointing. Portman’s acting was brilliant but the daughter, Bailee Madison’s performance was forced and hard to watch.

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