2008 Oscar contenders
Okay, so we all know no one watched the Oscars Sunday because no one cared for the films nominated in the Best Picture category. Don’t worry — I think next year is going to be a much different story. That’s because 2008 has a lot of potential blockbusters that include A-list actors.
It’s time to look ahead and check out the heavy favorites for next year’s Oscars:
“Valkyrie”
Tom Cruise plays a Nazi in this film. It’s based on a plot of German army officers to assassinate Adolf Hitler during the height of World War II. Cruise portrays the leader of the plot.
Release date: October 3
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett star in this film about a man who ages backwards with bizarre consequences. It is adapted from a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It is directed by David Fincher, who also directed Fight Club.
Release date: December 19
“The Changeling”
Angelina Jolie stars in this film directed by Clint Eastwood. Jolie plays a woman whose son is abducted, and found, but the returned child is not her kid. She must then confront corruption in the LAPD. The story is based on true events in 1920s Los Angeles.
Release date: November 7
“Revolutionary Road”
Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet are reunited for the first time since Titanic. The movie is set in 1950s Connecticut and is directed by Winslet’s hubby, Sam Mendes, who won an Oscar for “American Beauty.” The film is about a young couple who struggle to come to terms with their personal problems while trying to raise two children. It’s based on a Richard Yates novel.
Release date: December 19
“Doubt”
Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams star in the adaptation of the Broadway hit “Doubt.” Streep plays a nun and principal of a New York Catholic school who accuses a priest (Hoffman) of sexually abusing a student, leading to a debate over his guilt or innocence. It’s set in 1964.
Release date: December 5
“Australia”
This film is an epic World War II romance starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. It centers around Kidman’s character, who inherits a cattle station the size of Maryland. She joins forces with a stock-man (Jackman) when English cattle barons plot to take her land. They drive 2,000 head of cattle hundreds of miles of rough land, only to still face the bombing of Darwin, Australia, by the Japanese forces that had attacked Pearl Harbor months earlier.
Release date: November 14
“Guerilla” and “The Argentine”
Benicio Del Toro portrays Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara in one or possibly two films. “Guerilla” is set in 1964 New York City, where Guevara travels to address the United Nations. ”The Argentine” is a companion piece set in 1956 Cuba which also stars Del Toro as Guevara.
Release dates: TBD but both films are in post-production
“Mamma Mia!”
This musical romance comedy stars Meryl Streep. As most of you know, the story is of a bride-to-be trying to find her real father while singing songs by the 1970s group ABBA.
Release date: July 18