American Gangster looks like a promising Oscar contender

American Gangster – (November 2, 2007) Oscar winners Ridley Scott, Russell Crowe, Denzel Washington, Cuba Gooding Jr., producer Brian Grazer and writer Stephen Zaillian (I think that only the caterer didn’t win an Oscar already on this film’s crew) combine in Universal’s sure-fire Oscar bonanza about 1970’s heroin crime-lord Frank Lucas and the efforts to bring him to justice.

Lions for Lambs – (November 9, 2007) director Robert Redford (Oscar winner) stars alongside Meryl Streep, Tom Cruise, Derek Luke and talented newcomer Louise Linton in a powerful political and military drama written by Matthew Michael Carnahan (“The Kingdom”) This is the first contender film out from Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner’s United Artists label and features cinematography by Philippe Rousselot (Oscar for “A River Runs Through It” and 2 nominations) and music by Mark Isham (nominated for an Oscar for “A River Runs Through It.”) This film should be considered a contender until proven otherwise.

Justin Timberlake in Southland Tales from Richard Kelly

Southland Tales – (November 9, 2007) USC graduate and director Richard Kelly (also wrote “Domino”)- the brainchild behind Donnie Darko – was nominated for a Golden Palm in Cannes for this film that stars an eclectic cast that includes Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Cheri Oteri, Mandy Moore, Seann William Scott, Justin Timberlake and Sarah Michelle Gellar. The film is a three day tale set in Los Angeles following a nuclear attack in 2005 that wipes out the state of Texas and parts of California. While the film might get strong reviews for the courage of director Kelly, the off-the-wall plot line and apparently non-streamlined story structure might be too much for Academy voters to embrace. Nonetheless, the film will be released by Universal and an Academy push may be inevitable because of the film’s relative success in Cannes earlier in the year.

Tags: cannes, denzel washington, the rock, sarah michelle gellar, justin timberlake, richard kelly, mandy moore, robert redford, derek luke, lions for labs

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