14 DAY TRIAL // Director James Cameron started thinking of making his boldest project to date about 15 years ago. Of these 15, 12 he spent actually working on it: that project is called “Avatar” and it is, as of now, considered the front-runner in the race for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, a source says for the Los Angeles Times.
It’s yet a while to go until nominations for the Oscars are to be announced but all signs seem to point to “Avatar” being one of the five movies that make the cut. Not only that, but inside sources are also saying that the film actually stands good chances of becoming a favorite with voters. This is only based on the initial reaction of the audiences at the AMPAS (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) screening, the aforementioned publication states.
“This e-mail after Sunday night’s official AMPAS unveiling of ‘Avatar’ complete with 3-D glasses (from an academy voter who often supplies us and other bloggers with instant reactions and analysis of member screenings) says it all: ‘Avatar wins. The environmental theme, ‘borrowed from Dances With Wolves,’ worked completely with a capacity AMPAS audience. Long applause for everything, except [James] Horner score, but who knows? Eight nominations, nine?” the LA Times says.
“Since attendance at most of these screenings has been averaging about 350 to 400 people, with the glaring exception being the capacity Sunday afternoon turnout on Nov. 1 for Michael Jackson’s ‘This Is It’ documentary, Oscar’s full house for ‘Avatar’ indicates intense industry interest and the apparent thumbs-way-up reaction should alert 20th Century Fox and James Cameron that perhaps they should start planning for a big night at the Kodak on March 7.” the publication goes on to say.
However, the issue here is not that “Avatar” is not good enough to warrant a few Oscar nominations, but rather if it can actually turn out to be a front-runner in the Best Picture category. Other films that should make the cut here include “Up in the Air,” “The Hurt Locker” and “Inglourious Basterds” – and that’s some tough competition that is not limited in any way by demographics, like with “Avatar,” the report concludes.