The thing about Oscar watching that’s hard to get across is that there are many invested parties everywhere prepared to give out information for a variety of reasons. This is why I remain always skeptical about what I hear until I have a better idea of the film and/or the film’s reception. While it can sometimes turn out to be right, I have found it is, more often than not, either planted intentionally or else flat out wrong. Roger Friedman has come in and claimed that the “early word” on the Lovely Bones is … what exactly? It doesn’t work as a thriller? It’s supposed to be a thriller? Wow, news to me. Of all of the words I would use to describe this film, “thriller”wouldn’t be one of them.
So this paragraph:
At the same time, early word on “The Lovely Bones” from Peter Jackson is that it doesn’t quite work as a thriller. A possible Best Picture player, “Bones” may have an audience thanks to its large built-in following. But awards may be more elusive.
Gets chewed up and digested and suddenly Peter Jackson is “down” on Vulture’s Oscar chart.
For one thing, Roger Friedman still says “a Best Picture Player.” He says “awards may be elusive,” meaning, he doesn’t see this as a winner. But we’re not in the winning business yet. We’re in the nominating business. As Kris Tapley always says, Phase II is a whole different game.¬†¬† It’s funny how these things work, isn’t it? There is no “there” there.
I don’t mean to pick on Vulture — but they have Invictus “up” on their chart based on a trailer and they have Avatar down based on the second trailer (yeah, should be up based on that second trailer, Vulture!). Also, notice how Invictus is up and The Lovely Bones though neither of them have even been seen yet? No harm, no foul as there is plenty of time to readjust the chart accordingly — but one must remember that this is kind of like talking about which two women are going to be your pre-arranged wife without having met or seen either of them.
Kathryn Bigelow is on there, Colin Firth and Gabby Sadibe. Supposedly Meryl Streep is down.