|
Awards Profile: The
Changeling/The Exchange
By Joey
Magidson
Is Clint on his way
to another Oscar podium?
We will certainly see if Mr. Eastwood is a cinematic untouchable with
the fall release of his new drama, starring Angelina Jolie. The film
tells the story of a mother who has her child kidnapped, only to have
him returned one day and begin to suspect that the boy is not actually
hers. This definitely sounds like Oscar material, and in the sure hands
of Clint Eastwood, we have no reason to doubt its quality as of
now. The only question seems to be how many nominations it will get.
We must first begin any discussion of The Exchange with
the direction of Clint Eastwood. He has become one of Hollywood’s best
filmmakers, receiving 4 nominations for Best Director, and winning 2
(for Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby). He is on an
amazing streak of high quality films and it is unlikely that the love of
Clint will stop anytime soon. Don’t expect the Academy to snub him for
Best Director if the film is any good.
Next up is the screenplay. Eastwood tends to get the best out of his
writers (whatever you may think of Paul Haggis, Million Dollar Baby
is a terrific script) and here he has employed the services of J.
Michael Straczynski, who is best known for his work on the show “Babylon
5” (though he has an excellent slate of upcoming projects, including the
Paul Greengrass film They Marched Into Sunlight, a Silver Surfer
spinoff movie, and the adaption of the bestseller “World War Z”). He is
somewhat unproven as a film writer, but when in doubt, trusts Clint. If
this screenplay works, the Academy will rush to reward him with a
nomination.
On the acting front, we basically start and end with Angelina Jolie.
While there are obviously other actors in the film (most notably John
Malkovich) she is the centerpiece of this project, and it will live and
die with her performance. She is coming off some excellent work in A
Mighty Heart and has already been honored by the Academy once for
Girl, Interrupted, so it’s not like she is a terrible actress or
anything. If she doesn’t bring too much bad buzz to the project by way
of the gossip columns, she should have a terrific chance at a nomination
here.
So what was the word from the crowd at Cannes? The early word is
tremendous. They say that the film is excellent, that Eastwood is still
at the peak of his powers, and Jolie is top notch and puts on an
incredibly powerful and emotional display. If it wins the Palme d’Or,
that can only help its cause. As it stands now, it seems like Eastwood
has crafted another fine film and it is at the forefront of the Oscar
race. While it is definitely premature to declare anything a given,
especially in this day and age, but if there’s one horse in Hollywood
that I would bet on above all else, it’s Clint Eastwood.
Potential Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Actress
Best Original Screenplay
Best Film Editing
Best Cinematography
Best Original Score
Email Us
|
