More Oscar Buzz

Last night, MCB and I saw Jarhead. That in and of itself is noteworthy, since the two of us tend to have totally opposite movie tastes. But this was one we both loved. As per our discussion in the car (on the way to a disappointing dinner at Clyde's), here are my predictions for this movie come Oscar-time:

- Best Actor: Jake Gyllenhaal. I could see him scoring the Matt Damon/Edward Norton nomination, where the Academy decides to reward ayoung up-and-comer who is displaying a lot of talent in promising roles. He'd never win, but the nomination itself would validate his choices.
- Best Supporting Actor: Jamie Foxx. If the Academy continues on their "We love JAmie" track, this is certainly a worthy performance for them to honor. I'd need to check for sure, but I think this may have been the first role he signed on for after the successes of Ray. I think he did that Stealth movie before Ray even came out. So this is really the first role for people to see what he's going to do with his career after becoming an Oscar winner. He's really good in this. There was one scene, though, where I let out an unexpected snicker. He's in the middle of a very dramatic conversation with Jake/Swofford, and I just thought to myself "Damn! Wanda's done good!"
- Best Cinematography / Art Direction - I don't know if this falls into one or both of these categories, but the movie was really very visually striking. The desert really comes alive, with its bleak, barren openness. And the scenes with the oil fires are amazing - it really looks like they've stepped onto a Martian landscape.

Those are the predictions I feel most confident on, but I'll say I don't feel *as* confident on the acting categories as I do with Capote. And directing is a hard one to call. After years in working in theater, I do think I finally learned how to tell the signs of good direction, rather than just strong performances or technical accomplishments. But this movie was hard to call - maybe because I sort of agree with some of the reviews that have said the movie is remarkable for its neutrality -- in that it's really a character drama and not so much about action or any message. So that's why I'm more drawn to the performances rather than the direction as a whole. But I wouldn't be surprised if Sam Mendes did get a nod.

A brief comment on one of my favorite actors - Peter Sarsgaard. I love him (as does MCB) but we both agreed that this didn't really feel like his best role. He did a good job, of course, but my expectations of him are so high that I felt he could've gone even further. Again, I wouldn't be surprised if his name does get mentioned during Awards season cuz he has just a rock solid track record, but I feel like there's still a better role for him out there.