Films with the Best Chance of Early Hype Ruination

I wrote a preview piece for the Oscars 2009 way back on February 9 for Variety. Here are the films that seem to have a great potential to be good, whether or not they trip the light fantastic at the Kodak or not. The names attached, the subject matter, the stars, the release date and the studio are the ingredients that often make a sight-unseen premature Oscar contender. The best candidates for these are here.

Nine – Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Nicole Kidman, Daniel Day Lewis, Sophia Loren
Directed by Rob Marshall, a Weinstein joint.

The Human Factor/Mandela/Untitled Nelson Mandela Project – Morgan Freeman
Directed by Clint Eastwood

Biutiful – Javier Bardem
Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

Taking Woodstock – Emile Hirsch
Directed by Ang Lee

A Serious Man – Alan Arkin
Written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen

Shutter Island – Leonardo DiCaprio
Directed by Martin Scorsese

Public Enemies – Johnny Depp, the notorious Christian Bale
Directed by Michael Mann

Green Zone – Matt Damon
Directed by Paul Greengrass

Brothers – Jake Gyllenhaal and Tobey Maguire
Directed by Jim Sheridan

Avatar
Directed by James Cameron

The Lovely Bones – Susan Sarandon, Mark Wahlberg, Saoirse Ronan
Directed by Peter Jackson

The Tempest – Helen Mirren
Directed by Julie Taymor

Tree of Life – Brad Pitt
Directed by Terrence Malick

So far, 2009 is looking like Return of the Divas with several female-driven projects, like Nine, but also Hilary Swank in Amelia, Meryl Streep in Julie and Julia, and Helen Mirren in The Tempest.