An Oscar nomination has a tremendous effect on a film. A nomination means a prolonged theatrical run and a win means even more revenue. This year, the nominations, announced last Tuesday, have not only affected the films' theatrical lives, but also their DVD releases.
Last year, the critically-acclaimed "City of God" was selected by Brazil to represent them in the best foreign film category; however, the Academy overlooked it. Miramax, its U.S. distributor, held off on making it eligible for any other awards and waited until this year to do so, according to a Feb. 6 article in Entertainment Weekly.
This year "City of God" was up for consideration for all other nominations and the Academy had a second chance to honor it. The result was nominations for best director for Fernando Meirelles, best cinematography, best film editing and best adapted screenplay. Because it was under consideration for a best foreign film nomination last year, it could not be nominated for best foreign film this year.
The DVD release of "City of God" was intended to be Feb. 17, however Disney is delaying the release to June to make way for another theatrical run for the film, according to dvd.ign.com. Last year, the film ran a Loews Outer Circle, but there isn't any update yet on if or when it will be re-released in the District.
As quickly as the lack of a nomination can hurt a film, earning nominations can help sustain or raise the business of a movie. Two of the five films nominated for best picture this year, "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" and "Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World" continue their theatrical runs. "King" continues its box-office presence at Loews Uptown in Cleveland Park while "Master & Commander" is still playing at Loews Wisconsin Avenue and Loews Georgetown.
Other best picture nominees - "Seabiscuit," "Mystic River" and "Lost In Translation" - are also seeing a benefit from their nominations. The old-Hollywood style horse-that-could story "Seabiscuit" is well into its video rental phase, so it should see more business on both VHS and DVD sales and rentals.
Clint Eastwood's "Mystic River" is back in theaters, playing at AMC Mazza Gallery, while Sofia Coppola's critically acclaimed "Lost In Translation" stays lost in between its theatrical run and video release. The DVD, containing deleted scenes and a conversation with Coppola and star Bill Murray, is set for release on Tuesday while the film is still playing at both the Loews Outer Circle and the Landmark Bethesda Row theaters. Movie patrons can enjoy Coppola's Oscar-nominated directing style and Murray's Oscar-nominated performance in the theaters or on DVD, depending on their preference.
"Lost In Translation" shares its DVD release date with another Academy Award-nominated film, "American Splendor," which is up for best-adapted screenplay. The film is the story of comic book writer Harvey Pekar, and the film is an adaptation of the comic book of the same name that Pekar has been writing for decades.
Last Tuesday saw the DVD release of Andrew Jarecki's documentary "Capturing the Friedmans," about the life of a suburban American family whose father and son are charged with multiple cases of sodomizing young boys. Jarecki's film is nominated for best documentary feature along with Errol Morris's "The Fog of War" and Nathaniel Kahn's "My Architect." The former is currently playing at Landmark Bethesda while the latter is at the new Landmark E Street Theater.
Last Friday, the Landmark E Street theater has seen the D.C. release of another Oscar-nominated film, "The Triplets of Belleville," which stands as the only opposition to Pixar Animation Studio's powerhouse "Finding Nemo" for the best animated feature Oscar.
"Triplets" is a French-Canadian animated film combining unique animation with music to tell the story of a dog, a Tour-de-France biker, his devoted grandmother, the mafia and three elderly singing triplets. The film is also playing at Loews Georgetown, however the Landmark E Street Theater will exclusively run a Disney animated short "Destino" before "Triplets," nominated in the best short form animation category. "Destino" is a previously unfinished short abandoned in 1946 that marked a collaboration between Walt Disney and Salvador Dali. A talented team of French artists under the guidance of Roy E. Disney, producer Baker Bloodworth and director Dominique Monfery have completed the short, according to MovieNet.com.
The Academy Awards have already had an effect in the film world this year and after the winners are announced Feb. 29, it will determine even more impact. Until then, the theaters and DVD stores await the cash flow that the Oscars are known for influencing.
