Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Oscar Contender: Invictus


All I have to say is: Clint is back. Sure he never really left, considering he directed two movies last year, but this project has so much more potential than either Changeling or Gran Torino. Just think about this, the last two movies that Morgan Freeman and Clint Eastwood did together, both won Best Picture.

This time Clint and Morgan return, and the story just screams Oscar. Morgan Freeman plays Nelson Mandela during his first term as President of South Africa, and its hosting of the 1995 Rugby World Cup, featuring Matt Damon as one of the athletes, all in an attempt to reunite his divided country. If that doesn’t sound like pure Oscar bait, I don’t know what is.

First, they love Clint Eastwood; they are lovingly referred to as, “The Cult of Clint”. Second, they love when actors play real people, especially and Academy Award winning legend like Morgan Freeman. Add to that one of the most popular and talented actors working today, Matt Damon and you have a winning combination.

The biggest cons are, first, they might have gotten tired of Clint Eastwood, there can easily be too much of a good thing. Second, the screenplay is written by a screenwriter whose most notable work is the crappy thriller, Don’t Say a Word. The final con is the usual one, frontrunners tend to fizzle, or not live up to their expectations, and this one is going to have the bar set very high.

Overall though, I think it will get some positive Oscar contention, especially since Clint Eastwood hasn’t really made a bad film in the last couple of years. Categories for possibilities include: Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Actor, Supporting Actor, Cinematography, Film Editing, Makeup, Costume Design, and Sound Mixing.

No comments:

Post a Comment