The 2007 Academy Awards Part 1: Best Picture Hopefuls

The movie awards season is upon us. The Toronto Film Festival has just concluded and soon the critical awards will start flowing in. My goal here is to produce a series of columns giving thoughts, predictions, commentary and information on the movie awards season leading up to the Academy Awards in January. I'll start off with 10 films that are currently in the running to be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar:

Best Picture:

Flags of Our Fathers: Yet again, this year could EASILY be dominated by the combination of Clint Eastwood and Paul Haggis (director and screenwriter respectively). This story of the famous image of the flag being raised at Iwo Jima and the impact it had on society and the men involved is just the right kind of epic, patriotic, historic picture that the Academy loves. The trailer includes some intense, Saving Private Ryan-esque war sequences as Eastwood recreates the battle of Iwo Jima. Not only does it have all that going for it, but Spielberg is the producer. This might be looked at as an early front runner although the October release date could hurt it a little.

Marie-Antoinette: Sofia Coppola's new film drew wildly differing opinions at the Cannes film festival and apparently there's some serious (albeit deliberate) revisionist history going on but it's going to be a heavily-marketed movie with some ridiculously lavish production (Coppola was actually permitted to shoot in the Palace of Versailles for good portions of the film) along with some big talent involved (Daddy Francis is executive producer) this should get some decent attention.

The Departed: Scorsese is once again gunning for the big one and may once again be in direct competition with Clint Eastwood. The film is getting GREAT pre-press reviews and given the cast (Nicholson, DiCaprio, Damon and Wahlberg) it should make some good money especially with the low competition in October. I think it certainly gets a few nominations (Scorsese as director, and Nicholson with some kind of acting nod are pretty much locks) but the film is out in early October and apparently has some REALLY nasty violence throughout but it'll certainly get a push.

The Queen: I think the majority of attention will go towards the acting and the production but it's a big production about one of the biggest events in recent history (the death of Princess Diana) with a great filmmaker (Stephen Frears) and I think it certainly stands a chance at a nod.

Little Children: A very mysterious trailer and vague plot outline to Todd Fields second feature (The heavily nominated In the Bedroom) gives this film an interesting aura. From what I've read, there's some outstanding acting, deep social commentary and an interesting use of interlocking storylines.

Babel: Heavily hyped already and with an extremely good reception at Cannes (Alejandro González Iñárritu, whose first film was Y Tu Mama Tambien won Best Director at the festival), this Brad Pitt/Cate Blanchett starrer has both hype and controversy and delves into some serious issues involving violence, immigration and the ways in which unrelated people's lives intertwine. Can probably be pencilled in at this point.

Bobby: Emilio Estevez's directorial debut focuses on the assassination of Bobby Kennedy and the stories of the people in the Ambassador hotel as it took place. Incredible cast including Anthony Hopkins, Sharon Stone, Demi Moore, Laurence Fishburne, Helen Hunt, William H. Macy, Lindsay Lohan, Christian Slater, Elijah Wood and Ashton Kutcher and an extremely significant historical event should make this a strong contender.

The Good German: Academy Award Winning director Steven Soderbergh's new feature includes two recent Oscar winners in the leading roles (George Clooney and Cate Blanchett) set in the historical backdrop of postwar Berlin. It's going to be shot in black and white and the posters have deliberately paid homage to Casablanca. Throw in twice-nominated screenwriter Paul Attanasio to the mix and you've got all the talent, credentials and epic scope for a potential best picture nominee.

The Good Shepherd: Robert Deniro's second film as a director (his first was the highly under-appreciated A Bronx Tale) tells the story of the history and founding of the CIA through one of it's founding officers (played by Matt Damon). Trailer looks great, and with an awesome cast (Damon, Deniro, Angelina Jolie and Joe Pesci making his return to the screen for the first time in eight years) plus a huge, significant historical background this film should make a strong run at the big trophy.

Dreamgirls: Could easily be this year's Chicago. The story is a loosely veiled telling of the story of the Supremes has been a huge broadway success and should do some great box office around Christmas. With Oscar winning screenwriter, and nominated director Bill Condon at the helm (he scripted Chicago as well) and a cast that includes Beyonce, Jamie Foxx and Eddie Murphy this could be a huge hit and the lavish production should help it garner a ton of nominations.

Coming up in Part 2: Best Director and Best Actor.