LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
Release Date: December 20th (limited)
MPAA Rating: not yet rated
Ten Words Or Less: Watanabe leads Clint's second shot at Oscar this season.
Reason For Existence: The flipside to Flags of our Fathers, told from the Japanese perspective. Think of Eastwood as Switzerland, and his movies as the Axis Powers and the Allies.
Mathematical Equation: Dirty Harry + Private Ryan - The Last Samurai (guns, no swords) divided by zero (box office stars).
Take A Look: Careful, it's in Japanese (and no translation)
Early Buzz (Good): "I'm predicting "Letters from Iwo Jima" to take the win for Best Picture of the year, what I think will be seen as a salute to Clint Eastwood's one-two punch." - Kris Tapley, In Contention
Early Buzz (Bad): We can't find any...although the box office for Flags of our Fathers isn't exactly encouraging.
Oscar Locks: None
In The Running: Best Film, Best Director (Clint Eastwood)
Long Shots: Best Actor (Ken Watanabe)
Completely Irrelevant Best Picture Odds: 15-1
Why It's Essential: Eastwood tries to pull off a two-fer, and generally people lose their ever-loving minds over Eastwood movies. (Except Nathaniel...I still try not to mention Million Dollar Baby in his presence.)
The Achilles Heel: Million Dollar Baby wasn't long ago. And Flags of our Fathers didn't do too well at the box office, despite good reviews, which is why we're seeing Iwo Jima suddenly pumped this early (it was supposed to be released in 2007).
The Verdict: Oscar loves an 11th-hour entry to mix it up. That's how Million Dollar Baby first came into the race, remember? But the marketing team is going to have to work overtime to get enough momentum rolling this late in the game.
A final note: I've had a ball this week sitting in for Nathaniel, who returns tomorrow. Thanks for welcoming a guest in the holy house, and please come visit us at ModFab whenever you can. Enjoy the NBRs! - Gabriel
[Modern Fabulousity]
