The Golden Globes are usually the marker most people use to gauge what movies will do well come Oscar time. Who do people look to for info on what will do well at the Golden Globes? Film festivals!
OK, film festival prizes are actually rarely a good indicator for movies that will make big at the Academy Awards. Film festival jurors actually watch the movies. Academy members seem to just look for who took out the biggest ad in the New York Times or which movie has been getting the most traffic on Steven Spielberg's Twitter account (witness that best picture nomination for The Reader last year). Although, in 2005 the Sundance audience did hand Hustle and Flow best dramatic film and it went on to win best original song for "It's Hard Out There For A Pimp".
Precious, a movie that took Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at this year’s Sundance Festival, has now also been given the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. That’s two big wins for the American indie film based on the book “Push” about a Harlem teenager struggling in an abusive household. Featuring two shocklingly raw performances by Mo’Nique and Mariah Carey, the film is clearly winning the hearts of more sophisticated cinephiles.
But will it catch the eye of the Academy? Last year Slumdog Millionaire won a major award at the TIFF and went on to be showered in Oscar gold. Now there’s speculation Precious could repeat that feat. No offense to supporters of Precious, but I say that’s a piss poor way to guess what those fickle Academy voters will do. I refer you back to 2005’s winner for best original song.
As far as American wide audiences are concerned, the movie has much bigger credentials. It received the “presented by” blessing of Oprah and Tyler Perry. With that kind of pedigree it’s bound to get attention in theaters if it ever makes it that far. As of now the movie is only slated for a very small release in early November.
