For Hollywood, December is the month of the Oscar. Last week the National Board of Review officially kick-started the award season by calling \Finding Neverland"" the best film of the year, and other films such as ""Closer,"" ""Sideways"" and ""Kinsey"" are already generating Oscar buzz. Still, the real contenders for Oscar nominations will come later on this month. Here's a run down of some of the potential heavy hitters.
""The Aviator"" could land Martin Scorsese the best director Oscar he has been ashamedly denied over the years. Given his clout in the industry and the early good buzz of the film, ""The Aviator"" has pretty decent chances at automatic nominations for major Oscar categories. The notion of Leonardo DiCaprio getting a nod for his portrayal of millionaire Howard Hughes is not too far-fetched either.
Given that Adam Sandler has proven he can tackle serious fare (""Punch-Drunk Love""), the idea of him in an Oscar-winning film (or role for that matter) isn't as laughable as it was 10 years ago. This film also has a few actresses who might make the Oscar nomination list, especially Cloris Leachman. But perhaps the best reason this film has the chance to grab some Oscar nominations is writer/director James L. Brooks, whose films ""Terms of Endearment"" and ""As Good as it Gets"" produced a total of seven Oscar wins and 18 nominations.
Given the recent revival of the motion picture musical, the idea of a film adaptation of ""Phantom of the Opera"" garnering some Academy Award nominations isn't beyond reason. It will surely pick up a few nods for categories such as costumes or adapted musical score, but the real question is if it can nail the bigger categories. Many purists of the staged version have voiced disdain for the casting choices, so leads Gerald Butler and Emmy Rossum have a lot to live up to. On top of that, something about the term ""best director Joel Schumacher"" (Batman Forever) doesn't quite sound right.
It's unlikely that Wes Anderson's new comedy about a Cousteau-like deep-sea diver will earn a best picture nomination, but it's entirely probable it could get Anderson another nod for best original screenplay. There's also more than a good chance Bill Murray could secure another best actor nomination.
In a year filled with biographical films, Kevin Spacey's directorial debut about crooner Bobby Darin (Spacey also stars as Darin) will really have to distinguish itself to be noticed by the Academy. There's already been one bio-pic of a musician this year, and early reviews of ""Beyond the Sea"" aren't exactly fanatical. Spacey will have to show he's as good behind the camera as he is in front of it to get a best director nomination. Spacey does sing all his own songs and has a striking resemblance to Darin, so that may get him another best actor nomination.
