My Insanely Early Oscar Pick For Best Picture Is…

Carol

Release Date: November 20th (limited)

Cast: Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Kyle Chandler, Sarah Paulson

Directed by: Todd Haynes (I’m Not There., Far From Heaven)

It was between this and The Revenant. The Revenant seems destined to win a lot of technical achievements, and the “Inarritu just won” factor has to be taken into consideration. This has such an Oscar vibe though, I had to pick it. Based on the novel, The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith, set in 1950’s New York about a simple woman who falls in love with a married woman. We only got a short trailer so far, but just look at it! Listen to the damn music! Within ten seconds, you just feel it. We always talk about Meryl Streep as the Queen of Oscars, but we could very well see Cate Blanchett win her third statue, although it’s Rooney Mara who’s getting the early praise. This didn’t make my top ten because I just don’t know much about it yet, but the trailer itself was enough to sway me on my Best Picture call.

Other Quick Oscar Potentials To Be Aware Of:

Bridge of Spies (October 16th): It’s Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, so we obviously have to pay attention. The trailer looks completely vanilla and going through the motions, which is par for the course for Spielberg lately (Lincoln, War Horse). I have a feeling Spielberg doesn’t get the “I’m Steven Spielberg” treatment this time though. This movie will come and go pretty quickly.

Suffragette (October 23rd, limited): Women’s rights period piece. Subject matter is there, but looks completely forgettable. Meryl Streep is in this, so obviously keep an eye on that.

Youth (December 4th, limited): Could be a sneaky underdog. Centers on two aging icons, Michael Caine (a composer), and Harvey Keitel (fading film director). Will probably be up for a lot of acting accolades. Watch for a scene stealing Jane Fonda.

The Hateful Eight (December 25th, limited): It’s Quentin Tarantino, who’s always a sneaky Oscar hopeful, so we certainly got to watch. I’m sure this is considered the biggest “WHAT THE HELL, DAN!” omission from my top ten most anticipated. I love Quentin Tarantino like everyone else, and I’m sure this will be a good movie. The trailer was very “been there, done that” though. I’m a little worried about this coming so close on the heels of Django Unchained. I know people don’t want to hear this, but this could be a potential “meh” reaction for Tarantino.

The Movie I’m Not Getting Suckered Into:

The Martian

Release Date: October 2nd

Cast: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kate Mara, Donald Glover, Michael Pena, Kristen Wiig

Directed by: Ridley Scott (Gladiator)

I had this same category last year, and I chose Ridley Scott’s Exodus. I was right. Here I am again choosing another Ridley Scott film. The trailer looks great, Matt Damon looks great, but again, I’m not allowing Ridley to suck me into his web of hope. I pray it’s great. I would love nothing more. But I’ve been around the bend too many times with Ridley. I’ll go in expecting the worst, and will hopefully be pleasantly surprised.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwSg_XFCE64

The Worst Movie Of The Fall Will Be…

The Night Before

Release Date: November 25th

Cast: Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anthony Mackie, Mindy Kaling, Lizzy Caplan

Directed by: Jonathan Levine (Warm Bodies, 50/50)

Seth Rogen (wearing a blue Star of David sweater) throws up in a church and screams “We did not kill Jesus!”