Could Ledger Really Get the Oscar?
The Academy has never really taken a liking to superhero movies. And probably rightfully so. I have plenty of fun watching the likes of Batman Begins, Spider-Man, X-Men, and Hellboy, but never once have I thought to myself, “Ooooh, Tobey Maguire could get a Best Actor nod” or “Man, I think X2 might be Best Picture material.”
Yet, I’ve been convinced since seeing the first footage of Ledger as the The Joker that he was going to win himself a posthumous Oscar and I’ve stood by that ever since. Yeah, sure, so no other competition for the Best Supporting Actor award will come around until the Fall at the earliest, so it’s pretty silly even making such a prediction since it’s impossible to judge what his competition will be, but I stand by my statement - and it looks like those that are finally actually seeing the film are agreeing here.
Here’s just a few excerpts about Ledger’s performance from recent early reviews
Sara Stewart - The New York Post
“Ledger’s green-haired fiend overshadowed all of them [his co-stars], from the first moment he appeared onscreen … In this flick, Ledger showed us what a masterful actor he was - certainly deserving of a posthumous Oscar nomination. … [I]t’s Ledger’s performance that clearly completes the movie.”
Peter Travers - The Rolling Stone
“I can only speak superlatives of Ledger, who is mad-crazy-blazing brilliant as the Joker. Miles from Jack Nicholson’s broadly funny take on the role in Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman, Ledger takes the role to the shadows, where even what’s comic is hardly a relief. … If there’s a movement to get him the first posthumous Oscar since Peter Finch won for 1976’s Network, sign me up.”
Kevin Smith - Filmmaker
“Heath Ledger didn’t so much give a performance as he disappeared completely into the role; I know I’m not the first to suggest this, but he’ll likely get at least an Oscar nod (if not the win) for Best Supporting Actor.”
Todd Gilchrist - IGN
“Finally, there’s Ledger, whose performance I suspect will be the subject of many analyses of all sorts in the weeks and months to come. What he does with The Joker is, quite frankly, nothing short of transcendent. … [Y]ou realize that Ledger was a master of his craft, only in his final years finding roles that truly offered him the chance to explore that mastery. His is the definitive movie Joker, and he owns the role and achieves a level of abject insanity that is terrifying as it is irresistible.”
So, can his performance really live up to this hype? If not a win, does Ledger have a nomination locked? Only time will tell - and us less privileged only have a few more weeks until we can make up our own minds.
I think it’s entirely possible. I don’t see why not - if he really is as good as we’re hoping and that the people who’ve seen it are saying he is then he should at least get nominated. And at first this may come off as for sympathy etc but if the talent is on display he should be awarded; I sense that if he was still alive the compliments would still be the same.
Comment by Ross Miller — June 30, 2008 @ 3:27 pm
Since all really Oscar means these days is a career boost, the question of “Does it even matter” is one worth looking at. Are we just too sensitive to things these days that it will be a pity death Oscar. Gross.
Comment by Kurt — June 30, 2008 @ 3:32 pm
Like I said Kurt it won’t be a “pity Oscar” if the quality performance is there. Don’t you think he woud be just as praised if he were still alive too?
Comment by Ross Miller — June 30, 2008 @ 3:35 pm
I seriously doubt that there’d be a pity death Oscar here. And anyway, how would we ever know? If the performance looks as good as I’ve seen and is truly as fabulous as what I’ve read (several critics have agreed beyond what’s written above), then he probably will get nominated.
And I don’t think an Oscar is only for a career boost (in fact it tends to inexplicably harm a lot of people’s careers rather than help). It’s an award from your peers saying you accomplished something very few accomplished.
And just a to add some mustard, statistically speaking, film makers with an Oscar win tend to live about 15% longer lives than those who do not win.
Comment by Andrew James — June 30, 2008 @ 3:39 pm
“And I don’t think an Oscar is only for a career boost (in fact it tends to inexplicably harm a lot of people’s careers rather than help)”
It does happen. Just look at Cuba Gooding Jr - what the HELL happened to that guy? He was great in Jerry Maguire (an average movie in my opinion but a worthy performance from him) and from then on he’s done 90% shit. It’s also happened with Adrien Brody and Forest Whitaker to some extent; not that he’s awful now or anything but since The Last King of Scotland a couple of years ago he hasn’t done anything that’s even come close to how good he was in that. He seems to be just gathering the paychecks *cough* Vantage Point! *cough*…
Comment by Ross Miller — June 30, 2008 @ 3:43 pm
“No, I am not HOOTIE!”
Comment by Andrew James — June 30, 2008 @ 3:44 pm
Sorry Andrew, jog my memory…what’s that from again(?):P…
Comment by Ross Miller — June 30, 2008 @ 3:50 pm
If Julia Roberts can win an Oscar why not give it to the re-animated corpse of the star of The Four Feathers.
Comment by Matt Gamble — June 30, 2008 @ 3:52 pm
:O
Comment by Ross Miller — June 30, 2008 @ 3:55 pm
Ouch. Was that a slam on “The Four Feathers”? Dude, it wasn’t fantastic but it was far from crap. Come to think of it, I’d say that none of Ledger’s films were truly awful - they all have their own charm and partly because of Ledger’s performances in them. Four Feathers included.
Comment by Marina Antunes — June 30, 2008 @ 4:05 pm
I wasn’t “:O”-ing at the fact he “slammed” that movie but what he said about Ledger [from the movie] - “give it to the reanimated corpse…”
Comment by Ross Miller — June 30, 2008 @ 4:08 pm
Cuba Gooding in Jerry Maguire. Cameron Crowe being the master that he is.
Comment by Andrew James — June 30, 2008 @ 4:12 pm
Elizabethtown…anyone?:P
Having said that Vanilla Sky is AWESOME (stuff all the haters!:P)
Comment by Ross Miller — June 30, 2008 @ 4:15 pm
It will certainly be interesting to see if he does get an Oscar nod. As for myself, I’ll be interested to see if his performance warrants the hype.
Comment by Mercurie — June 30, 2008 @ 5:14 pm
I love Vanilla Sky. I like it better than the original even. Still, Almost Famous is one of the films I hold very close to my heart. LOVE that film.
Comment by Andrew James — June 30, 2008 @ 5:36 pm
I have yet to see the original or Almost Famous. But there’s something so surreal about Cameron’s Vanilla Sky that has me in absolute heaven. That mask Cruise wears is as creepy as hell - that blank, nothingness of it.
Comment by Ross Miller — June 30, 2008 @ 5:42 pm
I really hope that when they give Ledger his Oscar they put him on ice and ship him on a cross country tour of the US so everyone can have the chance to lay their eyes on this once great man. He’s like Lenin, only way cooler.
Comment by Matt Gamble — June 30, 2008 @ 6:31 pm
Vanilla Sky gave me a headache when I saw it in the theatre… I walked in fine left with a headache. And to sully the brilliance of Kid A for a film like that.
Comment by rot — June 30, 2008 @ 8:13 pm
I felt the same way the first time rot. Having seen it a second and third and fourth time. I love that movie.
Comment by Andrew James — June 30, 2008 @ 10:29 pm
Devin at CHUD has some interesting thoughts on this:
http://chud.com/articles/articles/15353/1/THE-DEVIN039S-ADVOCATE-HOLY-HYPERBOLE-BATMAN/Page1.html
Comment by stump — June 30, 2008 @ 11:59 pm
I loved Vanilla Sky the first time I saw it, funnily enough. I guess it’s just that I’m a fan of weird and surreal cinema (hence my love for all things Lynchian) so pretty much anything in that style I can get someting out of.
Comment by Ross Miller — July 1, 2008 @ 6:27 am
I love Vanilla Sky, but I think the original Abre Les Ojos is equally as good (Eduardo Noriega is better than Cruise in the lead role) both have strengths and weaknesses and both get better on repeat viewings. Solid stuff, and the rare remake that can stand in the same room with the original and not feel embarrassed.
Comment by Kurt Halfyard — July 1, 2008 @ 7:55 am
Interesting article stump. While I completely believe everything written there. I kind of find it hard to believe that EVERYONE just wants to see a dead guy get an Oscar and therefore pimps the performance more than it deserves. But I’m sure a lot of critics praise a movie so that they get to go to the next press screening and get free shit.
I think I speak for everyone who writes at this site when I say I’ll analyze the film as I see it and not on whether one of the actors is now dead or if I see it before everyone else. If I don’t like it, I’ll say so. If I LOVE it, I’ll say so. Makes no difference to me what others think or if Heath Ledger is dead or not. I base my reviews on what I see on screen. Nothing on what goes on off-screen; and that includes an untimely death by the star.
Comment by Andrew James — July 1, 2008 @ 11:30 am
Justin at CHUD also had some interesting thoughts
Comment by Rusty James — July 1, 2008 @ 11:34 am