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SUMMER BLOCKBUSTERS: THE OSCARS THEY'LL NEVER GET...

The mediocre Spider-Man 3 could still land nominations for its stunning visual and sound effects

FEATURES

By Tom Houseman

Summer movie season is here, a fact that elicits joy in some and groans in others, but a reality that all of us must face. The studios are preparing their biggest blockbusters for the public, hoping to rake in the dough. At the same time, critics around the country cry into their pillows, bemoaning the sorry state of the cinema and dreaming of winter, when the good movies will come out. Already three movies have opened to opening weekends in excess of $100 million despite being lambasted by critics. But while the mega box-office results of all of the big summer films are guaranteed, there is still one question that leaves all of us scratching our heads: how will these movies do at the Academy Awards?

While an occasional hit like Moulin Rouge! or Gladiator might ride summer success to Oscar glory, these films are very rare. If a summer blockbuster is going to take home any Oscars, the best shot most of them will have is in three categories: Best Sound, Best Sound Editing and Best Visual Effects. Why these categories? Because they are all about big explosions and chases; the big summer extravaganzas always have lots of sound work, and of course lots of special effects. These categories have become the Academy’s way of rewarding the summer movies.

This summer, there are two obvious films that seem to have Sound, Sound Editing and Visual Effects sewn up: Michael Bay has had success with Armageddon and Pearl Harbor, and his newest film, Transformers could continue this trend. Meanwhile, Spiderman was nominated for Sound and Visual Effects, and Spiderman 2 topped the original with an additional Sound Editing nomination, and a win for Effects. There is no reason why the third installment shouldn’t get these three nominations, and it looks to be the frontrunner to win Visual Effects again.

Pirates of the Caribbean: at World’s End and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix are also contenders for the sound and effects categories with Pirates as Spiderman’s main challenger to take home Visual Effects. The difference with these films is that they have a much better shot at other categories, most notable Art Direction, Makeup, and Costumes. Both of the first Pirates films have received at least one nomination in addition to the obvious three, but with each successive film, it’s possible that the shine could wear off. Still, At World’s End could get nominated for Makeup or Art Direction.

The Harry Potter films have had significantly less success than the Pirates franchise, with Chamber of Secrets shut out entirely, but The Order of the Phoenix must still be seen as a contender for Art Direction, with an outside shot at Costumes. Without John Williams, a Score nomination is out of the question, especially since composer Nicholas Cooper has done almost exclusively television work.

Every summer sees the big animated blockbuster released, and at least one of them usually translates their success into an Animated Feature nomination. Previous summer nominees include Cars, Shrek 2, Finding Nemo, Lilo and Stitch, and Shrek. With the exception of Lilo and Stitch, all of them were either made by Pixar or have the word "Shrek" in the title, and this summer we get one of each. Pixar's newest is Ratatouille, about a rat living in a French restaurant. Pixar's record with the Oscars is superb, scoring nominations with every film since the categories inception, and winning twice. Ratatouille is the early frontrunner for Animated Feature, mostly based on name recognition, but also because its competition so far looks almost nonexistent.

Shrek won the first Animated Feature award, and Shrek 2 was nominated but did not win. Assuming there are only three nominees this year, expect Shrek the Third to continue this trend by missing out completely. Terrible reviews mixed with a box-office plummet after an incredible opening weekend are a sign that the Academy will not enjoy Dreamworks' newest offer.

The Simpsons Movie seems to have arrived about five years too late, as the series has fallen in terms of popularity. However, it may be the dark horse candidate in the Animated Feature race, as it is difficult right now to figure out its chances. They will certainly depend largely on the film's critical reception and box-office results, both of which could range from tepid to outstanding. The Simpsons Movie could easily score a nomination, or it could be forgotten long before the Oscar race heats up.

There are only two big summer movies that seem to have any chance in the major categories (there are other, low-profile summer releases like Evening, Goya’s Ghosts, and Becoming Jane that are contenders), and both of those two have to be deemed long shots at best. In the latest Broadway-to-big screen adaptation, Hairspray the movie-musical will be released in July. It seems to have buzz for a few supporting nominations, most notably for Michelle Pfeiffer and John Travolta, but best picture seems out of reach. For more information on Hairspray, you can read my 2007 Movie-Musicals article here.

No documentary has ever been nominated for Best Picture, but two have come close, and one man is responsible for both of them. Bowling for Columbine won Best Documentary and Fahrenheit 9/11 was ineligible due to an early DVD release, but was considered a contender for Best Picture. Now, Michael Moore, the paradigm of the angry liberal, has a new film coming out, an attack on the nation’s healthcare system titled Sicko. The film has already garnered publicity due to a Treasury Department investigation on Moore, and if the film is as well received as his previous efforts, it could sneak in with a best picture nomination. Still, the sentiment might be that Moore’s shtick has gotten old, and Sicko could be ignored entirely by the Academy. More likely it will get a Documentary nod, but miss Best Picture by a wide margin.

Other Summer Blockbusters with Awards Potential:

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer- looks league better than its predecessor, and could come away with a Sound or Effects nomination.

Evan Almighty- the special effects are said to be amazing, but the Academy has shied away from comedies, i.e. Night at the Museum.

The Bourne Ultimatum- now that Greengrass has been noticed, his latest Bourne film could sneak in with an Editing nomination.

Sunshine and Stardust don’t qualify as blockbusters, but sci-fi/fantasy films tend to do well in the technical categories assuming they’re better than Eragon. Either could score a nomination or two.

What summer films could become Oscar nominees? Discuss it here!

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