Finally, fall is here! We all know fall is the hot spot for films pulling for that Oscar nomination, and I wanted to do a discussion and semi-tracking thread for this year's biggest contenders.

I plan on doing some major stories, reviews, interviews, and box office tracking for atleast these:

**NOTE - im having problems with the media for each film.... bear with me***

The Phantom of the Opera



Theatrical Release Date:
Dec 25, 2004 (Limited)

Cast:
Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum,

Director:
Joel Schumacher

Synopsis:
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera tells the story of a disfigured musical genius (Gerard Butler) who haunts the catacombs beneath the Paris Opera, waging a reign of terror over its occupants. When he falls fatally in love with the lovely Christine (Emmy Rossum), the Phantom devotes himself to creating a new star for the Opera, exerting a strange sense of control over the young soprano as he nurtures her extraordinary talents...

Finding Neverland



First Reviews:

[Positive] "Simply gorgeous to look at, and it packs an undeniable punch--strange, silly, inventive, devastating, inspiring."
-- Rich Cline, SHADOWS ON THE WALL

[Positive] "Take all the really good parts of Shakespeare in Love and Big Fish, put it in a blender, and the end result is Finding Neverland."

THEATRICAL RELEASE
Nov 12, 2004 Wide

CAST & CREW
Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, Radha Mitchell
Directed by Marc Forster

SYNOPSIS
Director Marc Forster's follow-up to "Monster's Ball" is FINDING NEVERLAND, a tale of magic and fantasy inspired by the life of James Barrie, the real-life author of the children's classic Peter Pan
Alexander



Theatrical Release Date:
Nov 5, 2004 (Wide)

Cast:
Colin Farrell, Jared Leto, Anthony Hopkins, Rosario Dawson, Angelina Jolie

Director:
Oliver Stone

Synopsis:
The story is an epic that is as daring, bold and ambitious as its subject, a relentless conqueror who by the age of 32 had amassed the greatest empire the world had ever seen. Past and present collide to form the puzzle of the protagonist, a tapestry of triumphs and tragedies in which childhood memories and Alexander's rise to power unfold side by side with the later day expansion of his empire, its gradual decline and ultimate downfall. From his youth, fueled by dreams of glory and adventure, to his lonely and mysterious death as a ruler of a vast state, from the tumultuous relationship with his parents-a powerful king and a queen determined to put her child on the throne at any cost, including murder-to the rousing "band of brothers" bond with his closest companions and vast army, as they fought from the sun-scorched battlefields of the Persian Empire across the snow-peaked mountains of India, the film chronicles Alexander's journey to become a living legend...

*note - I will leave the major tracking of Alexander to another thread, its a huge film, after all.


Closer



Theatrical Release Date:
Dec 3, 2004 (Limited)

Cast:
Natalie Portman, Jude Law, Clive Owen,

Director:
Mike Nichols

The Aviator



Theatrical Release Date:
Dec 17, 2004 (Wide)

Cast:
Leonardo Di Caprio, Kate Beckinsale, Cate Blanchett, Alec Baldwin,

Director:
Martin Scorsese

Synopsis:
The Aviator, directed by Martin Scorsese and written by John Logan, tells the story of aviation pioneer Howard Hughes (Leonardo DiCaprio), the eccentric billionaire industrialist and Hollywood film mogul, famous for romancing some of the world’s most beautiful women. The drama recounts the years of his life from the late 1920s through the 1940s, an epoch when Hughes was directing and producing Hollywood movies and test flying innovative aircrafts he designed and created. The film is produced by Michael Mann, Sandy Climan, Graham King, and Charles Evans Jr. and also stars Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale, John C. Reilly, Alec Baldwin, Jude Law, Alan Alda, Matt Ross (Down with Love, American Psycho), Frances Conroy (TV’s Six Feet Under), Adam Scott (TV’s Six Feet Under), Danny Huston (Birth), Ian Holm (The Lord of the Rings, The Sweet Hereafter), Kelli Garner (Confessions of a Dangerous Mind) and No Doubt’s Gwen Stefani...


Other Contenders

~Your list of films comming out you think may have a shot at a nod. I also thought about doing Ray but I haven't made up my mind. I will get up more on Closer soon as well.

Arch, if you read this, I need your help with Phantom!

So, feel free to discuss these pictures, their potential, and which you look foward to the most. Which do you think have the best shot?[/img][/b]

Out of those 4, The Aviator wil most likely win.

I don't think you should leave out Finding Neverland though, that has a great chance of being nominated.

For now I say either Aviator or Phatmon.

@zach


Here is the The Phantom of the Opera poster:

http://phantomthemovie.warnerbros.com/_ ... esheet.jpg



Oh and I believe that The Phantom of the Opera will win at the box-office.

Damn, I meant to put it and was rushed out the door! Thanks for reminding me

Thanks Lectey

I think Alexander wins the box office matchup.

KJ

You're welcome Zach and congrats at 400 posts!

Thanks Lector

KJ, I think its a toss up between Phantom and Alexander. I think Alex is a lock for 100m. Phantom could go either way. Right now, I will stay safe and go with Phantom

Great new review of Finding Neverland:

The sources for magical fantasy are far and wide but director Marc Forster ("Monster's Ball") gave himself a good head start by suggesting what processes might have been behind Scottish author James Matthew Barrie's creation of "Peter Pan." You may not believe a word of it in a literal sense, but fantasies never were much good with reality.

To set up the supposed events, we first see James Barrie (Johnny Depp) as a nervous playright on opening night of his latest play in a majestic London theatre run by producer- entrepreneur Charles Frohman (Dustin Hoffman). The play's a flop, his wife (Radha Mitchell) plays interference with a grossly unsatisfied audience, and they return to a mostly cold house so he can lick his creative wounds....

[Rest of this part at link below]

This is a strong cast which revolves around the Depp mystique. His is a restless talent, and there's no pirate or wild gypsy here. For Barrie, Depp is outfitted in a wardrobe of impeccable taste and a subtle manner to match. The key seems to be in the quietude of his expression, almost a study in laying back and allowing the words do the work. Watching Depp work is entertainment in a very pure form.

In a subject given to certain flamboyance, restrained emotive delivery is a welcome balance, and the rest of the very admirable cast falls into it, as well. The style is consistent enough to suspect a directorial choice. Kate Winslet portrays her role with a steady recognition of her need to maintain personal dignity while restraining the natural desire to more fully and physically experience the ardor of a man who operates on her wavelength.

Fantasy gives much opportunity for visual effects and they are here in seamless realization of a Peter Pannish imagery. The lush cinematography is by Roberto Schaefer and the score's "Peter's Song" is by Elton John. All said and done, the over-sentimental potentials of such a subject and scenario -- even as the title suggests -- don't quite get drowned in a miasma of bathos despite too many journeys to invented worlds. I suspect it's going to provoke considerable identification for the very young in the audience and give new meaning to Peter Pan for us adults in the crowd.

Read the rest:

The sources for magical fantasy are far and wide but director Marc Forster ("Monster's Ball") gave himself a good head start by suggesting what processes might have been behind Scottish author James Matthew Barrie's creation of "Peter Pan." You may not believe a word of it in a literal sense, but fantasies never were much good with reality.

To set up the supposed events, we first see James Barrie (Johnny Depp) as a nervous playright on opening night of his latest play in a majestic London theatre run by producer- entrepreneur Charles Frohman (Dustin Hoffman). The play's a flop, his wife (Radha Mitchell) plays interference with a grossly unsatisfied audience, and they return to a mostly cold house so he can lick his creative wounds.

The seed for his next project is discovered under a park bench where a little boy is imprisoned by his elder brother, anincident of play-acting and imagination that propels Barrie's interest in his family and starts his entry into a world of imagination. The recovering author is launched into a new direction. In this episode of his life, he meets the other two brothers and, inevitably, their mum and young widow Sylvia Llewelyn Davies (Kate Winslet) who all will now fill this new episode of his life and career. He becomes as an uncle, big brother and surrogate father to the boys as he creates all sorts of play worlds replete with props and costumery to inspire the formation of the play within him as well as deeper affections.

In short order, his absence from hearth and home invites chilliness from wife Mary (Radha Mitchell) who, while intelligent and quite beautiful, seems a cold fish to the fiery creative genius burning within the husband-artist's soul. His time-filling devotion to the struggling family becomes more than she, with no part in Barrie's creative process nor sympathetic to the price she's paying in loneliness, may be expected to carry on.

Barrie's attentions are evident to more than one household, as the upper crust of society is scandalized by the liason. No less than Sylvia's mom Mrs. du Maurier (Julie Christie) shows up to protect the interests and remaining reputation of her daughter who needs a man in a position to marry her and vindicate the family.

A sub-plot within the intrigue is the way Barrie handles the harsh realities and inner grief of Sylvia's son Peter (Freddie Highmore), an obviously precocious little boy who contests everything, including Barrie's motives and kindness. While rejecting him as "not his real father," he responds to his urgings to compose a play of his own.

This is a strong cast which revolves around the Depp mystique. His is a restless talent, and there's no pirate or wild gypsy here. For Barrie, Depp is outfitted in a wardrobe of impeccable taste and a subtle manner to match. The key seems to be in the quietude of his expression, almost a study in laying back and allowing the words do the work. Watching Depp work is entertainment in a very pure form.

In a subject given to certain flamboyance, restrained emotive delivery is a welcome balance, and the rest of the very admirable cast falls into it, as well. The style is consistent enough to suspect a directorial choice. Kate Winslet portrays her role with a steady recognition of her need to maintain personal dignity while restraining the natural desire to more fully and physically experience the ardor of a man who operates on her wavelength.

Fantasy gives much opportunity for visual effects and they are here in seamless realization of a Peter Pannish imagery. The lush cinematography is by Roberto Schaefer and the score's "Peter's Song" is by Elton John. All said and done, the over-sentimental potentials of such a subject and scenario -- even as the title suggests -- don't quite get drowned in a miasma of bathos despite too many journeys to invented worlds. I suspect it's going to provoke considerable identification for the very young in the audience and give new meaning to Peter Pan for us adults in the crowd.

Phantom has the most potential, since it can go the way of Chicago, but it all depends on if it clicks with audiences the same as Chicago did with people. This movie has the Joel Schumaker factor, which can only hurt.

However, Alexander is given to cross 100 mil, I just see no way this movie cannot be a hit. Everyone seems to be on their game in this movie.

Finding Neverland is the easy winner. It appeals to all demographics, young and old. I won't be surprised if it becomes the highest grossing Miramax movie of all time (beating Chicago).

Nothing against you two, we ll thought it, but how funny.

:?

Bringing up old threads are we.

I can update it later, I suppose..