The Oscar Project
We seem to be hitting the busy part of the summer here in August after a number of sparse weeks in June and July. At the same time, we are starting to see some potential Oscar nominees hit theaters.
This week's wide releases may not show up at the Oscars, but Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman will surely secure at least a few nominations. After much buzz from the festival circuit, it finally arrives in limited release, but will likely be available in a theater near you.
Blindspotting
This is actually a wide release expansion of a film I touched on a few weeks back. Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casel play friends in Oakland, California one of whom is almost done with his probation after finishing a prison term. It is clearly a statement on the current state of affairs in the country and how certain people feel like they are persecuted in their own neighborhoods. If the name Daveed Diggs sounds familiar, you may recognize him from his most famous roles of Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson in the hit Broadway show Hamilton. Once you know that connection, it's hard to not hear the voice from the stage as you watch the trailer for this film.
Because of the important messages being expressed in this film, I think it may have a chance at the Oscars next year. There may be some strong acting performances that surprise people and find their way to nominations in a few months.
Dog Days
Chances are, if you're a dog lover, you're going to check this film out and you'll love it. I think it may be better when films with a large cast of animals are either animated (see The Secret Life of Pets) or have the animals talk (see Cats & Dogs) but I'm open to seeing what this might bring to the table. There also seems to be too big a cast (of humans and dogs) in this film which may end up being ultimately confusing. I fear that viewers will not be able to truly relate to any one human/canine relationship because it will be jumping all over, trying desperately to connect the various story lines throughout.
The Meg
What do you get when you cross Jaws with Godzilla? You get The Meg! We're only a few weeks removed from The Discovery Channel's annual Shark Week celebration and have arrived at the latest man-eating shark movie. The history here goes back over 40 years, starting with Spielberg's Jaws in 1975. This was the shark movie genre for over 20 years as the shark came back for several sequels in the late 70s and into the 80s. 1999 brought us the next big shark movie with Deep Blue Sea and the genre has been filled with films ever since. The Meg follows on two of the most recent films, 2016's The Shallows and 2017's 47 Meters Down.
In terms of the Oscars, in my brief research, the only shark film to ever win an Oscar or even be nominated was the original Jaws. As evidenced by series like Sharknado, this genre doesn't get too much love from The Academy. Jason Statham films typically do not do well with The Academy either which leads me to believe this will be a summer blockbuster only, and not receive any nominations, except perhaps for visual effects. Even with the recent addition of the Oscar for Popular Film, I don't think this one will land in that category.
Slender Man
It's been a few weeks since we had a proper horror film opening in wide release, but this week that blows open again with Slender Man. With a tagline like "he gets in your head like a virus," there is sure to be some grotesque imagery in this film and the trailer supports that idea. I had no idea what Slender Man was until I read up a bit online. It intrigues me that this film is based on something that was originally created and posted on the internet. It demonstrates the sort of connect social media world we live in when something posted in an online forum serves as the basis for a major feature film.
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AuthorI'm just a film buff who wants to watch great movies. Where else to find the best, than the list of those nominated by the Academy each year? Archives
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