It’s the middle of August and the movie studios are gearing up for their award season movies. Through the end of the year, the movie studios will be putting out the movies they want everyone to see before the Academy Awards, oh and the crap movies they knew wasn’t good enough to break the bank promoting during the Summer, but that usually lasts until March anyways. And will probably be the subject of another week.

So this week I wanted to take a look at the films so far this year that have already been released and are garnering some major buzz, in preparation of the slew of films that will be released for the Oscars in March.

Here we go.

Dana’s pre-Oscar season Oscar buzz

Cinderella Man-This movie bombed in the theaters last spring, but that doesn’t seem to be deterring anyone from suggesting that the movie may be nominated for a Best Film Academy Award along with Russell Crowe for his portrayal of Jimmy Braddock, the underdog and over aged boxer who raised the hopes and aspirations of an entire nation during the depression, Paul Giammatti, as his manager Joe Gould, Renee Zellwegger as his wife, and Ron Howard as Best Director.

Crash-The story of racial intolerance as it applies to urban and suburban Los Angeles is garnering a lot of Oscar buzz as a nominee for Best Film, best director for Paul Haggis, and nominations for Matt Dillon, Sandra Bullock, Thandie Newton, and Terrence Dashon Howard, (but watch for that list of nominations to be whittled down as more films are released only because you normally won’t see one film dominate more than one category, the nominees tend to cancel each other out).

Bill Murray and Terrence Dashon Howard are both creating Oscar buzz for their leading role in Broken Flowers and Hustle and Flow respectively. Joan Allen may be up for best Actress in The Upside of Anger, and Radha Mitchell for Melinda and Melindada.

Other categories of note:
Original Screenplay/Original:
Cinderella Man: Akiva Goldsman, Cliff Hollingsworth
JuneBug: Angus MacLaughlin
Crash: Paul Haggis, Robert Morasco
Melinda and Melinda: Woody Allen
Millions: Frank Cottrell Boyce

Animated Feature:
Madagascar
Howl’s Moving Castle

Best Documentary:
Grizzly Man
Murderball
Mad, Hot Ballroom
March of the Penguins
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room

Art Direction:
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
War of the Worlds
Batman Begins
Cinderella Man
Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith

Here is a list (I am sure I am missing a few) of movies that have been released since the beginning of January that you will be hearing about as the Oscars gets closer. At the beginning of next year I will take a look at the movies that will come out in the next few months.

And as always, if you have any questions, problems, or are just looking for a little enlightenment, please shoot me an email at DPlace76@yahoo.com

If you want to take a gander and even comment on some of my inane ramblings, check me out at www.livejournal.com/users/bigdpimpin

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Til next time,

Dana Place
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