By John C.

For the second week in a row, I’m talking Oscars.  But this time the focus is entirely on the upcoming contenders from indie power studio, Fox Searchlight.  Founded in 1994 as the independent branch of 20th Century Fox, they are one of those studios that – more often than not – offers intelligent films with a leg up over normal Hollywood fare.

To testify this, over the course of their sixteen year history, they have had five films nominated for Best Picture.  Four of which could be called dramadies, with Slumdog Millionaire taking home the gold in 2008.

They’ve also had several films unjustly denied Oscar attention, including Danny Boyle’s 2005 film Millions, and last year’s (500) Days of Summer.  On the flipside, they’ve had their name behind some downright awful films like Miss March and Gentlemen Broncos, as well as others that are just average.

They have four new films opening in the coming months, all of which will be premiering at TIFF – and all obvious contenders.  I have a disadvantage over some other critics as I haven’t yet gotten the chance to preview any of them, but I have a feeling that at least two of these titles are going to be nominated.

Opening on September 15th is Never Let Me Go.  If it’s as good as the source novel by Kazuo Ishaguro, then this film deserves a nomination.  On October 15th is Conviction, starring Hilary Swank.  The trailer looks good, so hopefully this one won’t be stigmatized by the disappointment of last year’s Fox Searchlight frontrunner, Amelia.

Next up, on November 5th, is 127 Hours.  The new film from Slumdog Millionaire’s Danny Boyle, the trailer alone is a brilliantly put together piece.  Finally, on December 1st is Black Swan.  From director Darren Aronofsky, this dramatic horror-thriller looks to tell a disturbing story centered on the National Ballet, with a performance by Natalie Portman that is already drawing raves.

Any of these films could be nominated, but I think the best bets are Never Let Me Go and 127 Hours.  Time Magazine named the source material for Never Let Me Go the best book of the last decade, a claim that isn’t at all far off.  127 Hours looks to boast brilliant editing and cinematography, as well as a performance by James Franco with the energy to match that of Danny Boyle.  Conviction might be a good bet in the acting categories, and I’m anxious to see how affecting Black Swan turns out to be.

It’s way too early to be trying to predict, but one thing’s for sure – the studio behind such Best Picture nominated titles as Slumdog Millionaire (2008), Juno (2007), Little Miss Sunshine (2006), Sideways (2004), and The Full Monty (1997), are sure to add at least one new title to that list.