Focus Features has one of the better slates for their upcoming Oscar campaigns. The company is showcasing five films for their campaign, two which have garnered tremendous critical reception.
Paranorman is currently the favorite to win the Best Animated Picture category. It currently has a tremendous 86 percent approval on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics raved about the film's creative use of stop motion animation and its mature treatment of the material that appeals to both children and adults. Focus Features is only campaigning for Best Animated Feature for this film. Back in 2009, Focus Feature's Coraline was nominated for the category and was similar in style to Paranorman.
Prediction: This film should be a lock for the Best Animated Feature. A surprise could keep it out, but its originality should help it in the long run.
Moonrise Kingdom is one of the best reviewed films of the year with 94 percent approval on Rotten Tomatoes. The film is directed by Academy Favorite Wes Anderson who has had two of his films nominated for major categories (Fantastic Mr. Fox, Royal Tenenbaums). Focus Features is postulating the film for 15 awards and it should be a lock for original screenplay. The feel-good coming of age story should play well with conservative members' sensibilities and its recent victory at the Gotham Awards should make it a major contender.
Prediction: Screenplay and Original Score are highly likely nominations while Best Picture is a major possibility. The Best Director field is very crowded with major studio directors like Steven Spielberg, Robert Zemekis, Ang Lee, and Ben Affleck likely to get nods over Wes Anderson. This film will likely garner no more than three or four nominations.
Anna Karenina is the first of two wild cards for Focus Features. Joe Wright's Atonement was nominated for Best Picture back in 2008. Focus is postulating Karenina for 15 categories including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress for Keira Knightley. The film is a period piece (one of the more popular genres among the Academy), but many critics lambasted the film's concept of setting the story in a theater. This is the main reason for the film's insecure position; if the Academy embraces director Joe Wright's concept, then it could score a lot of nominations. However if they find his ideas too pretentious, then it could come away with little else than technical awards. The film is in desperate need of some help from other Award nominations such as the BAFTAs and Golden Globes, which were both a major reasons behind Atonement's Oscar success.
Prediction: Production Design, Costume Design, Cinematography, and Score are not only locks for nominations, but favorites to win in each respective category. Jude Law is also a huge possibility in Best Supporting Actor category, but whether Knightley and Wright get nominations really comes down to the Academy's reception of the film. Four to five if they hate it; seven to nine nominations if they like it.
Read Latinospost's review for Anna Karenina HERE.
Hyde Park on Hudson was originally supposed to be Focus Features' big Oscar film. Many thought that Laura Linney and Bill Murray were locks as Eleanor Roosevelt and FDR respectively. However, the film has garnered negative buzz from early critics and has seen its momentum deteriorate tremendously. There is still time left as its December 7 release could showcase more positive press. Focus Features seems to have confidence in the film and postulated it for 15 categories.
Prediction: It must regain its momentum if it has any hope of making an Oscar run. Still too early to tell.
Promised Land is Focus' major wild card. They are considering it for 16 categories, more than any of their other films. Director Gus Van Sandt and actor Matt Damon are Oscar darlings and that could bode well for the film. However, it has not been seen by anyone and if reviews are not good, this film could find itself ignored by the Academy. If reviews are solid, it could be Focus' best chance at winning Best Picture.
Predictions: A lot of pundits are talking about potential Screenplay and Acting nominations. It could wind up like Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close of 2012. That film was released late in the year and shocked everyone when it got nominated for Best Picture.
Other Oscar Campaigns
Dark Knight Rises, Argo, The Hobbit Lead Warner Bros
The Avengers Ignored; Wreck-It Ralph, Frankenweenie, Brave Lead Disney's Oscar Bid
Lincoln Leads the way for Dreamworks
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