Filed under: Kudos to You

Oscar Update: Wrestler, Slumdog Millionaire, Appaloosa and Burning Plain

A Best Actor and Best Picture contender are here

Two brand new looks as well as some updates today in my “The Contenders” section. Click on any of the titles in this article for the full update.

The pages for Appaloosa and The Burning Plain both now feature complete opinion pieces and the pages for Slumdog Millionaire and The Wrestler have been updated quite extensively as reviews have come out of Venice and Toronto.

In the case of Appaloosa and The Burning Plain it appears Burning Plain doesn’t stand much of a chance following mixed responses out of both Venice and Toronto despite a quick jolt of buzz after the early going in Venice. Appaloosa has received a couple of ho-hum reviews from a pair of bloggers, but Kirk Honeycutt at The Hollywood Reporter is sold on it calling it a “terrific Western that re-examines how things might have gone down in the Old West.” Complete recaps of both those films have been posted.

The big news comes from The Wrestler and Slumdog Millionaire.

First, The Wrestler took the top prize at the Venice Film Festival and came with several glowing reviews touting Mickey Rourke as the season’s first major Best Actor contender. Marisa Tomei is also getting early buzz as a supporting actor. Featured below is an AP feature for the film as well as an early clip. The Wrestler hasn’t been picked up yet, but early mumblings are saying we should expect a December release.

As for Slumdog Millionaire Tom O’Neill and Jeff Wells have posted the video you see just below as they both say Danny Boyle’s latest will be “one of Oscar’s five best-picture nominees.”

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Post #1
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Why Haven’t you Considered the Reader yet?

- roogerafd
( September 7th, 2008 | 11:00 am )
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Post #2
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Uhhhhh, because I am a moron. Damn, forgot all about it somehow and it is a serious contender. It’s in there now. Thanks for the reminder!

- bradbrevet
( September 7th, 2008 | 2:07 pm )
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Yeah, i agree with That… the Serious contender part of course… anxiously wainting on updates on that… and on the whole blog actually pretty damm good by the way!

- roogerafd
( September 8th, 2008 | 10:04 am )
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On the Best Supporting Actress why not Catherine Keener (The Soloist), Kathy Bates (Revolutionary Road) or Rachel Weisz (The Brothers Bloom)? No buzz yet? And what about best actress? Do you think Meryl Streep (Doubt), Angelina Jolie (Changeling) or Kate Winslet (The reader / Revolutionary Road) have any chances?

- roogerafd
( September 8th, 2008 | 10:13 am )
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Post #5
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roogerafd said: On the Best Supporting Actress why not Catherine Keener (The Soloist), Kathy Bates (Revolutionary Road) or Rachel Weisz (The Brothers Bloom)? No buzz yet? And what about best actress? Do you think Meryl Streep (Doubt), Angelina Jolie (Changeling) or Kate Winslet (The reader / Revolutionary Road) have any chances?

Well, no one has seen The Soloist, Revolutionary Road, Doubt or The Reader. Initial buzz on Brothers Bloom is so-so, but I am waiting on more and the talk around Jolie and Changeling was so long ago I am going to hold off on any predictions there.

I am trying to stay away from anything that hasn’t actually been seen in terms of making predictions.

- bradbrevet
( September 8th, 2008 | 2:34 pm )
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Do you think there’s any chance to Evan Rachel Wood to pick a supporting nomination? She Was close a while back but she never got it and i think she’s worth it..

- roogerafd
( September 9th, 2008 | 10:21 am )
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