This is a thread I made last year, although I posted it quite a bit later (August 31st). I thought I'd get it started a little earlier this year and maybe add as the months goes on.

If recent history is to be followed, many of the big players in the race will not be the early frontrunners we are talking about now, but rather, smaller films that exist to us presently as nothing more than entries on IMDB. So what better place to look for those potential surprises in the massive IMDB database for 2008. http://www.imdb.com/ReleasedInYear?year ... eleasedate

Last year, Michael Clayton, Juno, and Diving Bell were on this list! Granted so were movies that didn't register at all like Flawless, Rails and Ties, The Walker, Sleuth, or total disasters like Youth Without Youth and Silk, though that's the fun of it. It's amazing how our perceptions of these names will change as the race goes on.

Anyways, here's a couple I have so far. Keep in mind it is pretty early, so some of the entries simply names without details once you click on them, but there is a fair few that have popped up already.

Shanghai - A '40s period piece set shortly before Pearl Harbour about an expat who comes back to Shanghai after his friend dies, and discovers the details and mystery of his death. Stars John Cusack, Gong Li, Ken Watanabe.

The Reader - Postwar Germany, a man's decade spanning obsession over an older woman culminates when during the war trials, a truth is revealed. Stars Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, Bruno Ganz. Directed by Stephen Daldry, who did The Hours and Billy Elliott. Holy shit! Why aren't we going nuts over this? Potential surprise my ass, this is like the one to beat, lol. If Winslet is playing an aged role... surely a great chance to win.'

The Other Man - Mentioned this a couple times, but it's Richard Eyre's follow-up to Notes on a Scandal. A man discovers his wife's infedility and sets out to find the other man. Starring Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, Antonio Banderas. Should at least be good for 1-2 acting noms, one for the screenplay, and one for Philip Glass's score. Most likely that's all it'll end with, but I'm sure it's one that'll hang around the group awards in December and stuff.

Appaloosa - Two friends hired to police a small town suffering under the rule of a rancher find their lives complicated with the arrival of a young widow. Stars Viggo, Renee Zellwegger, Ed Harris, Jeremy Irons. Directed and co-written by Ed Harris, too. His first directorial effort since Pollock. Being a western might hurt, though.

Lake City - A mother and son reunite years after a family tragedy... Stars Sissy Spacek, Rebecca Romijn. Not too confident in this one, but might as well mention it.

The Duchess - Chronicles the life of 18th century aristocrat Georgina, Duchess of Devinshire, who was reviled for her extravagent life. Stars... yeah, you guessed it, Keira Knightley. Also Ralph Fiennes.

The Lucky Ones - 3 soldiers return from the Iraq war. Stars Rachel McAdams, Tim Robbins, Michael Pena. Directed by the guy who made The Illusionist. One of these days somebody's gonna make a good Iraq movie, it's just the law of odds. This is listed as a comedy/drama though... we'll see.

Brothers - A man comforts his brother's wife and their daughter when he gets lost in Afghanistan. Starring Natalie Portman, Jake Gylenhall, Tobey MacGuire. Directed by Jim Sheridan. Same reason as the Lucky Ones, one of these days someone's gonna make a Iraq/Afghanistan movie that works, and Sheridan's old and due.

Miracle at St. Anna - This one's been mentioned a couple times by PoJon, but it's Spike Lee's movie about a couple of black American soldiers who get stuck in Tuscan in WWII

Defiance - Polish soldiers escape from German hold during WWII and join the Russian Resistance. Stars Daniel Craig and Leiv Schrieber, directed by Ed Zwick. I don't like Zwick much, but Blood Diamond did pretty well for itself, so we'll see.

Rachel Getting Married - An ex-model who's been in and out of rehab for the last ten years, goes home to her sister's wedding. Stars Anne Hathaway, directed by Jonathan "oh yeah, I forgot he existed" Demme. Could be an ol fashion drug addiction nom, Hathaway's due for one.

Mei Lanfang - Biopic about China's greatest opera star, starring Ziyi Zhang. But it is foreign.

Grey Gardens - About the aunt and first cousins of Jackie Kennedy, both named Edith. Stars Drew Barrymore, Jessica Lange.

I'll maybe add more as we get closer to the season.

Miracle at St. Anna and The Reader would be anything, but surprises

What about this year's big indie comedy?

Defiance and The Duchess wouldn't be surprises, these were being pimped in trailers in front of the 2007 films as potential Oscar nominees.

I agree. The trite, "quirky", self-aware, indie comedy slot needs to go away.

The Reader may be bumped to 2009. But if it stays in this year, it could very well be the Weinstein Company's first Best Picture nominee.

Surprises might have not been the best word, it's more like movies to get on the brain other than the standard Changeling/Revolutionary Road/Benjamin Button/Australia, and so on. They're not the early season frontrunners.

Replacing it with the "high-quality blockbuster" this year, I hope.

WALL-E

Although I think the chances are outside, I wouldn't actually mind Wall-E or The Dark Knight or something else popular and good being nominated.

Juno *was* bad.

Eh, Sideways was very good.

And I haven't seen Lost in Translation (yet), but I doubt anyone would rag on that.

I wouldn't count Sideways or LIT. They aren't smugly self-aware, not to the extent of Juno or even the very good LMS.

LiT had much better cinematography and general directorial craft than something like Juno or LMS, too... it was Sofia's movie.

I'm also thinking Happy Go Lucky could be in. I'm doubtful about Doubt and Blindness looks to be out of big contention, so it looks like Miramax's movie to push.

Well all of these movies are children of films like Sideways and Lost in Translation to an extent, they can hardly be blamed. Garden State was the turning point of when it started to go too far.

LMS was great.

I doubt that Happy-Go-Lucky will make it, it's just too over-the-top.

It could get an actress nom, though.

Was reading at AD, they were talking about another one

The Young Victoria - Focuses on the first couple years of Queen Victoria's rule, with Emily Blunt playing Vic and Miranda Richardson as her bitch mum the Duchess of Kent. Director of C.R.A.Z.Y.

Cheri - A romantic drama set in the '20s between a young man and older woman. Starring Michelle Pfieffer, Kathy Bates, and the guy who played Mr. Wickham in Pride and Prejudice. The kicker, Stephen Frears is directing.

The Edge of Love - Two woman. One poet. British period Piece, starring... oh what a fucking surprise, jesus christ. Yep... Keira Knightley. Also Sienna Miller and Cillian Murphy.

Two Lovers - Brookyln based romantic drama between a man, the woman his family wants him to marry, and his neighbour. Got Joaquin Phoenix, Gwenyth Paltrow, Isabella Rosselini. Directed by James Grey of We Own the Night and The Yards.

Skin - Black girl born to white parents in Africa during the Apartheid reign. Cue "importance" buzz. Stars Sophie Okenedo and Sam Neil.

Nothing But the Truth - A female reporter faces jail time after outing a CIA agent, then not following up on her source. Stars Matt Dillon, Kate Beckinsale, Vera Farmiga, David Schwimmer ( ), Alan Alda. Looks generic to me, but then again, so did Michael Clayton and look how that turned out.

Oh we are going nuts over it.