Can 'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull' win over the Oscars?
The first reviews are in for "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" and they are good if not great. Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times is relatively enthusiastic, calling this fourth film in the series "one of the better ones." However, some of his colleagues who attended the Cannes screening Sunday were less kind. For the full review recap, CLICK HERE.
Regardless of the reviews, the film, opening worldwide this week, is sure to be one of the top moneymakers of the year. While it may earn lots of green, how will it do in the gold department? Popcorn movies like "Kingdom" used to do well at the Oscars but their presence has waned in recent years. Could current Oscar darling Cate Blanchett land a sixth nod for her over-the-top performance in "Kingdom" as a Soviet spy?
The original "Raiders of the Lost Ark" was both the top-grossing movie of 1981 ($210 million domestic) and one of the best reviewed. It reaped 8 Oscar noms and won four –- editing, art direction, visual effects and sound. "Raiders" lost the best picture race to "Chariots of Fire." Steven Spielberg lost his second nom for helming to Warren Beatty ("Reds"), who had already beaten him at the Golden Globes and DGA. Cinematographer Douglas Slocombe lost to Vittorio Storaro for "Reds." For Slocombe, the "Raiders" trilogy capped off a 50-year career in film.
Still going strong is composer John Williams, who lost the Oscar to Vangelis ("Chariots of Fire") but won a Grammy for his "Raiders" score. With 45 Oscar nominations, Williams is tied with composer Alfred Newman for second place (Walt Disney is first with 59 nods). As he has won 3 of his 5 Oscars for Spielberg films ("Jaws," "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial," and "Schindler's List") how fitting it would be if Williams broke that tie with his score for "Kingdom."
While longtime Spielberg collaborator, Michael Kahn, who won the first of his three Oscars for editing "Raiders" (his other wins: "Schindler's List," "Saving Private Ryan"), also cut "Kingdom," the other 1981 competitive Oscar winners did not work on this new movie. However, Ben Burtt who shared a special Oscar with Richard Anderson for sound effects editing on "Raiders," did handle that same job on "Kingdom."
Though "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" was not as well thought of critically as "Raiders," a domestic haul of $180 million made it the No. 3 movie of the year. While it won the Oscar for visual effects, Williams' score lost to Maurice Jarre's for "A Passage to India."
The much-better received "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" was the No. 2 movie of 1989 with a domestic gross of $197 million. Burtt and his "Kingdom" collaborator Richard Hymns won a competitive sound effects editing Oscar. However, the sound mixing team lost to "Glory" and Williams lost to Alan Menken for "The Little Mermaid." And at the Golden Globes, Sean Connery lost the supporting actor race to Denzel Washington ("Glory").
Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski won his first Oscar for his first collaboration with Spielberg ("Schindler's List"). He picked up a second for "Saving Private Ryan" and handles the same duties on "Kingdom." While the art direction and costume teams who worked on ""Kingdom" have yet to be recognized by the Oscars, perhaps this film can be their breakthrough.
(Paramount Pictures)
