2006 was the year of George Clooney and the Oscar. He won for Supporting Actor for Syriana and grabbed nods for
Director and Screenplay for Goodnight and Good Luck. As we head into this year’s Oscar season, it looks like Clooney may be ready for a sequel of his own as the Academy king. This year he has two films in the race, and just like when he won, he’s the star of one and writes, directs and stars in another.
In The Descendants, Clooney plays a grieving father who tries to connect with his two daughters in a film by Oscar winner Alexander Payne (Sideways) and co-starring in her first big buzzworthy performance Shailene Woodley (The Secret Life of An American Teenager). Looking at the trailer and the people involved, it may be just the ticket to getting Clooney his first Best Actor award. (He was previously nominated in that race for Up in the Air and Michael Clayton). For more on The Descendants which hits theatres on November 23rd, click here and check out the trailer below.
The Descendants
Clooney’s other film is the adaptation of Beau Willimon’s award-winning play Farragut North. Now titled The Ides of March, the movie has a hefty Oscar pedigree with Clooney directing, co-starring and co-writing a cast including Oscar winners Marisa Tomei and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Oscar nominees Ryan Gosling and Paul Giamatti, Emmy winner Jeffrey Wright (Angels in America) and Emmy nominee Evan Rachel Wood (Mildred Pierce). This political thriller follows a principled staffer (Gosling) working on a political campaign for Clooney’s character and gets thrust into a world of dirty dealings and machinations on the campaign trail. This one looks like total Oscar bait after viewing its trailer and I can’t wait to see it when it hits theatres on October 7th. I’m betting the film will be a huge contender for Picture, Screenplay, Director, Actor (Gosling) and Supporting Actor (Hoffman, Giamatti, Clooney). For more on March, head here and check out the trailer below…. Will it be all Clooney all the time at this year’s Oscars? I think it’s a safe bet….
The Ides of March
