Besides Heath Ledger's, what other Oscars could 'The Dark Knight' win?
With all of the frenzied Oscar talk about Heath Ledger being nominated for best lead or supporting actor (see HERE and HERE and HERE), where is the buzz for "The Dark Knight" in other categories, eh?
Of course, Warner Bros. would like us all to believe that "The Dark Knight" is a shoo-in for best-picture and director noms, but those may be a bit of a s-t-r-e-t-c-h, even for mighty Batman. However, director/co-writer Christopher Nolan might be nominated along with his brother Jonathan for crafting such words as these growled by the Joker (Heath Ledger) to Batman (Christian Bale): "You're just a freak . . . like me!"
Popcorn pix like "The Dark Knight" aren't often appreciated by the academy for writing, but sometimes voters nominate the screenplays of animated pix ("Ratatouille," "The Incredibles," "Finding Nemo"), blockbusters ("Gladiator"), comedies ("Big"), even fantasies ("Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" won).
Besides, the Nolans are past nominees for best screenplay — for "Memento." Sadly, they got robbed by the overrated script to "Gosford Park," so the academy owes 'em. That's how I look at it.
And considering the Oscar pedigree of many other members of its creative team, "The Dark Knight" could be a major player in many top races.
ART DIRECTION —Nathan Crowley scored a bid for "The Prestige."
CINEMATOGRAPHY — Wally Pfister was nominated for "The Prestige" and "Batman Begins."
COSTUMES — Lindy Hemming won for "Topsy-Turvy."
EDITING — Lee Smith was nommed for "Master and Commander."
MAKEUP — Messing up the gook on Heath Ledger's face like that was brilliant. This Joker looks crazier than ever . . . and he IS, natch. The academy may want to thank Peter Robb-King, who was nommed for "Legend."
MUSIC — James Newton Howard (seven nominations, including "Michael Clayton," "My Best Friend's Wedding," "The Prince of Tides") and Hans Zimmer (seven noms; he won for "The Lion King").
SOUND EDITING — Richard King won for "Master and Commander" and was nominated for "War of the Worlds."
SOUND MIXING —Ed Novick was up for "Spider-Man."
VISUAL EFFECTS — Ian Hunter is long overdue for Oscar recognition, having three previous noms from the Visual Effects Society for socko work on the likes of "Spider-Man 3" and "Live Free or Die Hard."
But what about Heath Ledger's shot at an Oscar in the acting categories? First, the studio must decide if he should compete in lead or supporting — READ MORE about that hot debate.
Many Oscarologists believe that Heath Ledger's ghost holds an I.O.U. after having lost the best-actor award for for "Brokeback Mountain" — CLICK HERE to read more! Other Oscar gurus believe Heath Ledger is doomed and can't win — READ MORE, CLICK HERE!
Has Christian Bale nixed his future Oscar hopes because of his recent clash with his family? At the Oscars, bad boys pay a high price for their off-screen antics: READ MORE
(Warner Bros.)
"Will" you don't understand that Heath's Joker redefined the role. Jim Carrey and Danny DeVito played their roles as expected (they didn't redefine the roles). Jack Nickolson's Joker was fun, but no where near the revolutionary character that Heath took the Joker to.
Posted by: Lexington Steele | July 22, 2008 at 01:07 PM
acting (to take one to another time ,place ,person ,or event through actions potrayed on stage film or real life. how many of you could honestly after seeing the dark knight say for sure who played the joker if you did not already know who it was I was taken to the person who was an obvious drug riddled sociopathic murderer for hire who was as demented as he was creativly destructive. still cant believe that was Ledger.
Posted by: wade p | July 22, 2008 at 01:05 PM
Scott L, drugs should have nothing to do with whether Heath gets an Oscar. An actor's character is different from what they play on screen then in their personal life. He would be rewarded for what he's done and made of his career through The Dark Knight....not from what he does in his personal life. This issue is very small, if an issue at all, because there are tons of other things that send bad messages to kids concerning drugs.
I believe he deserves an Oscar.
Posted by: Heather | July 22, 2008 at 01:04 PM
I would also like to see Gary Oldman up for best supporting actor,(in addition to Heath Ledger) he did an amazing job in every scene he was in! Especially one of the ending scenes with Harvey Dent and his family... he's a great actor and he really bring emotion to the big screen!! Way to go Gary!!
Posted by: Amazing Grace | July 22, 2008 at 01:02 PM
By definition, no "editor" of a film longer than 120 minutes has worked hard enough to win the award.
Posted by: Just wp | July 22, 2008 at 12:43 PM
I think it's a very rude to say that Heath Ledger wouldn't even be considered for an Oscar nomination if he were alive. His portrayal and performance was absolutely brilliant and I don't think anybody else would've even come close to what he did in The Dark Knight. Dead or alive, the man was absolutely phenomenal in his part.
On the topic concerning the other possible noms, I say, why not give the Dark Knight an Oscar for its fantastic musical score?
Posted by: Evania | July 22, 2008 at 12:41 PM
Glad to see I'm not the only person who thinks there wouldn't be this much talk of an oscar nod for HL if he was still alive.
Posted by: Canuck | July 22, 2008 at 12:27 PM
I have never cared for the Batman movies, but came back totally blown away by The Dark Knight. It deserves a nod for Best Picture!
Posted by: Dani | July 22, 2008 at 12:27 PM
You guys are crazy.. The Dark Knight is the best thing to hit theaters in years and deserves every ounce of credit.. Heath Ledgers performance was outstanding he took a generally comic character and turned it into one of the most frightening villains to come onto a screen.. his ideals of anarchy and spontaneousness kept audiences pinned in there seats anyone who can sit there and say that the Dark Knight doesn't deserve an Oscar is outright dumb.. so tell me if Dark Knight doesn't deserve to win anything then what is going to win?? The Incredible Hulk?? i think not
Posted by: Ryan | July 22, 2008 at 12:14 PM
HEATH LEDGER = GOD!
Posted by: NANCYYY | July 22, 2008 at 12:10 PM
I just came back a day ago from seeing The Dark Knight and all I can say is , Id like to set the joker loose on every idget * short for idiots* who state that "just because Heath died, he will be nominated'. Obviously a couple of the above comments come from people with no brains or taste. Although I agree that alot of the movie would be nothing without Heath, the point is, he IS in this movie... and he IS the lead role character. Im wondering if the guy who commented the joker didnt show till the end, must have fallen asleep in his popcorn box? Heath IS the show stopper and its worth every penny to watch his performance. It will go down in history. Worthy of Johnny Depps caliber, Heaths work is truly that of a brilliant artist. Im going back to see it again just from an artistic point of view.
Posted by: Summer | July 22, 2008 at 12:10 PM
The Dark Knight is one of the best pictures i have ever seen....and Heath Ledger's performance is up there with the best performances in movie history.
Posted by: Joshua English | July 22, 2008 at 12:08 PM
Heath should not win the award because he was a prescription drug addict. He gave a phenomenal performance, but if you reward a drug user, then what message does that send to kids?? Hey look! Heath did drugs and he was cool as the Joker! Should win for best original screenplay and also sound design. Maybe give his performance a nod but not an Oscar. Academy needs to be careful on this one.
Posted by: Scott L | July 22, 2008 at 12:04 PM
Okay everyone, deep breaths, keep repeating "It's Only A Movie, It's Only A Movie,..."... That said - "The Dark Knight" is every bit as good as people are saying (although I would stop short of comparing it to the Bible, or the second coming as some have attempted to do). And yes, Heath Ledger was amazing as The Joker. Easy to see now why he had trouble shaking the character (which some have suggested may have led to his unfortunate demise). He is absolutely stunning and reveals something sinister in his own psyche... it's hard to describe if you haven't seen it. I will argue with anyone that would disagree that his performance wasn't Oscar worthy. It most certainly is. Alive or dead, Heath should be a contender. Prepare for a surprise come Awards time. An amazing, fun, cool, touching and dark movie for the masses. (And smart too!) Let's hope the summer blockbusters of the future will be more like this...
Posted by: Rev Greg | July 22, 2008 at 12:00 PM
Heath Ledger ? isn't this guy dead?
The film is great!
but who gets the trophy?
Posted by: ImMissingSomeThing? | July 22, 2008 at 11:54 AM
I love how the HL haters like to pounce upon the fact that he died as the "big reason" he's being nominated for an Oscar. Utter bull. Most dead people don't generally win Oscars anyway, if you idiots recall. It has everything to do with the fact that his performance was spectacular. Maybe you haters should go see the movie before speaking nonsense about it.
Posted by: Varun | July 22, 2008 at 11:52 AM
None. Shouldn't even get Heath Ledger's, honestly. Hype, hype, hype.
Posted by: Max | July 22, 2008 at 11:47 AM
Will, you are sadly mistaken in saying that Aaron Eckhart gave the best performance. I also loved Batman Begins and have seen Dark Knight twice, and will be seeing it again in a few days. Every person that I have spoken to about the film claims Ledger's Joker to be one of the, if not the greatest characters/performances ever portrayed. His death has no bearing, nor does it have any significance in the fact. The truth is, as Gordon put it, this film needs no Oscars. I don't know about you, but I don't base a movie/performance on what 6500 Academy members think. The people (who matter) have spoken and one of the most hyped movies ever made has lived up to, if not exceeded expectations.
Posted by: TJ | July 22, 2008 at 11:36 AM
It absolutely should be nominated for Best Picture and Best Director, considering that Titanic and LOTR were not that much better. These are all popcorn films. I suppose the film could be snubbed because of a backlash, and especially considering that Nolan is an outsider that respects the comic world more than the Hollywood elite. And have you ever actually seen Gosford Park? Memento was good...Gosford Park was an amazing writing experiment.
Posted by: The Late Mitchell Warren | July 22, 2008 at 11:29 AM
Heath Ledger's untimely death was the best thing that could have happened for promoting this mediocre movie.
While HL's performance is great, the portrayal of Harvey Dent is much more touching and will go largely unnoticed by media types.
The rest of the cast and movie are as predictable and drab as any 1 hour cop show on US network tv.
I would have preferred to see 'Batman Begins' on the big screen again.
There I said it.
Gary
Posted by: Gary Flame | July 22, 2008 at 11:11 AM
The Dark Knight should get many Oscar nominations come next January.
If The Lord of th Rings: The Return of the King can Win for Best Picture then The Dark Knight should be at least nominated for this category since in my opinion it's a far superior film. With the Best Picture win for The LOTR: Return of the King, I feel that that sent some precedent in how The Academy votes for the Best Picture category in that it was seen as a fantansy pic and a huge box office winner.
As far as Heath Ledger being nominated, YES, Absolutely he SHOULD be outright nominated as far as to which category, I personally feel that The Joker was more of a Lead role rather than Supporting. The Joker drove every aspect of the story. And what about that performance. OMG, he is the embodiement all of the villians performance that Denzel Washington, Anthony Hopkins, and Javier Barden encapsulated all in one! To suggest otherwise, is proposterous. I feel that if there was ever a time to honor Heath Ledger, it is NOW. The Academy has this opportunity to honor his body of work. I agree with you Tom, in that, Ledger should have already won one with his profound performance in Brokeback. But this isn't going to be another arguement with what happened that year with The Best Picture category.
I agree with your suggestions as to other categories that The Dark Knight should garner Oscar noms in.
Does The Dark Knight deserve Oscar nominations - YES!
Posted by: caresa | July 22, 2008 at 11:05 AM
Heath Ledger's untimely death was the best thing that could have happened for promoting this mediocre movie.
While HL's performance is great, the portrayal of Harvey Dent is much more touching and will go largely unnoticed by media types.
The rest of the cast and movie are as predictable and drab as any 1 hour cop show on US network tv.
I would have preferred to see 'Batman Begins' on the big screen again.
There I said it.
Gary
Posted by: Gary Flame | July 22, 2008 at 11:00 AM
joker stole the show. Heath should be nominated
One day after watching it i can not get the scene where he blows the hospital up out of my head, brilliant work mr. ledger
Posted by: matt | July 22, 2008 at 10:51 AM
Everyone needs to just stop, cool down, clear their minds and start thinking logically. Heath Ledger will not and probably should not win an Oscar for his portrayal of The Joker. He did a spectacular job and perhaps a nomination is in order, mainly for due respect, but not a win. An action, adventure, summer blockbuster, superhero movie actor is not likely to even be a candidate in the first place. His unfortunate death shouldn't be a factor in the performance or nomination. He did a great job as The Joker but as the movies central antagonist they hardly even featured him until the final act, in which they still didn't feature him a whole lot and didn't even give the character closure at the very end. In reality the movie was more based around Harvey Dent's evolution in which many characters, events, etc influenced and The Joker was only one of those fractions. Ledger was good but as much as it pains people to hear... this Oscar speculation wouldn't exist without his death.
Posted by: B Sheras | July 22, 2008 at 10:25 AM
Tom O'neil...sad to say that your bias precludes you from observing the reality of a superb film on par with other great crime dramas such as The Departed, God Father, and Heat.
Your press pass should be revoked and hopefully as the cast and crew from The Dark Knight Stands on the podium next March you will be at home pondering what to do with you career.
The thinly veiled comments such as "Holy Oscar Mania, Batman" and "Popcorn Pix" truly show the lack of thought you brought to a very human and extrodinarily deep film.
Watch it again without the blinders and you might get something that will help your own character.
Posted by: Sean Reyes | July 22, 2008 at 10:25 AM