Holiday Weekend Update and Oscar Outlook

To tell you the truth right now, I think one of the big contenders may end up being CastAway, Robert Zemeckis's new film coming out on December 22, starring Tom Hanks and Helen Hunt. Remember Hanks and Zemeckis? Last time they worked together was the 1994 Best Picture winner Forrest Gump, which received 13 nominations. The advance buzz and previews look great, and it may come out just at the time where Academy voters find it hard pressed to find great films to nominate, and this one, depending on if it delivers on its promise, could be a serious contender. 2000 has been such a disappointing year for film, and I hope the Academy can find a worthy group of films among so much schlock to nominate for their coveted prizes.

In other Oscar news this week, the Academy reported that a record 46 countries have submitted films for Oscar consideration in the foreign language film category for 2000 consideration, including a first entry from Ecuador. The previous record of 45 submissions was set in 1994 and tied in 1999, the academy said.

Awards coordinator Patrick Stockstill, who has been with the academy for nearly 19 years, said the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 sparked an increase in the number of films submitted, and that number has continued to rise since.

"I wouldn't be surprised if any time soon we get 50-plus films," Stockstill said. Each country is permitted to submit one film for consideration.

That's it for this week ... for those that celebrate it, I hope everyone has a good long holiday weekend, and very soon, perhaps next week, I'll take a stab at updating my predictions for nominations in the top six categories.

Go To Page: 1 2 3