Well, this is mostly pure guessing at the moment, but I thought it'd be an interesting topic to predict as well. I'm talking about Oscar-oriented movies here that you expect to score the best at RT this year? Usually, each year, at least 3-4 BP nominees score 90+% at RT (last year: The Queen, LMS, The Departed and Letters from Iwo Jima all managed that).

What movies do you predict to score at least 90% at RT for the rest of the year. I see:

There Will Be Blood
Atonement
The Kite Runner
Eastern Primises
No Country for Old Men

I think The Golden Age, Sweeney Todd and one of the big political flicks will come close, but not quite make it.

Eastern Promises and No Country for sure

Atonement

Either CWW or American Gangster should be 90%+ but I don't think they'll be as high as the above mentioned 3 on enron or whatever his name was's list

Then maybe Margot at the Wedding or The Savages or something

I think Atonement will be right at that mark. Around 87-92%

Eastern Promises looks like a pretty sure one.

I don't think Margot at the Wedding or American Gangster will come anywhere near 90%

Other than that, maybe Charlie Wilson's War. Too many of the films are likely to divide critics (REndition, Sweeney Todd...)

One thing I agree with Rod is that American Gangster will be at 90+%. I'm pretty sure it won't be. I mean The Departed was a masterpiece by Scorsese who has perfected the genre and it got just over 90%...it is highly unlikely that we've got another 90+% gangster epic on our hands. I see maybe 80-85% for it actually and you know what? An RT score around 85% would be more than enough for it to snatch a BP/BD nom considering the pedigree and the likely $80+ million box-office.

Atonement looks to be getting very good, though rarely raving reviews, maybe similar to LMS' reviews last year...I see around 92-94%, but not an amazingly high average (maybe around 7.9)

The political flicks...I think they will divide the audiences. Charlie Wilson's War is the only one seems likely to get to 85+%, though even that is not certain.

Eastern Promises might oull a Capote or The Queen reviews-wise.

Reservation Road is a film that will very much depend on the critical response (i.e. the quality) as the box-office will unlikely be big. I feel it'll do prety well, maybe around 88-89%.

And I have this feeling that Sweeney Todd will do well with the critics, maybe getting 88% or so...either that, or it will be completely blasted with 30-40%...

American Gangster will NOT be a critical favorite. My gut is sooo against this movie. I think it will finish around 77-82%

Atonement has a great shot because it just seems, from what we've heard and seen, that it's just a beautiful film. But I wouldn't be surprised if it got stuck in the mid 80's. If I were to predict now, though, I guess I would go with you guys and say it could get up to 90-92%

The one film I really underestimated was Eastern Promises. I think it's at least destine for high 80's and could probably retain a 90%+ score

I think No Country for Old Men can do it

I think The diving Bell and the the butterfly has a chance.

And I also think Sleuth may be able to surprise us.

Right now I feel that everyone is sort of reserving their thoughts on Sweeney Todd (including myself). If there is to be a big surprise by year's end, Sweeney Todd seems to be a good candidate. The Academy might not award such a gory and dark story but I don't see why critics wouldn't embrace it if it turns out to be all that.

This would of course require it to actually be good, and in the hands of post-90s Burton, this is about as likely as Will Arnett turning down a project.

Your truthful words sting like so many bees.

But yeah, Atonement, Eastern Promises and No Country for Old Men look like good calls. Charlie Wilson's War strikes as the kind of film that finishs in the mid-80s at RT, so I don't think itll make it. Margot at the Wedding could if critics feels it livs up to The Squid and the Whale. And Id think There Will Be Blood stands a chance if lives up to the trailer. Otherwise, I dunno.

Hmm

Big Fish was amazing
Corpse Bride was ok, it was just too short and felt like Burton trying to recreate Nightmare
Charlie was ok, though mostly a remake of a film impossible to improve on
Apes was bad, though again, another remake. I think he was pushed too much to make a blockbuster out of it.

It's not like Burton is... Rob Reiner or something. I'm still pumped for Sweeney. I just hope they don't release it as Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. The academy would ignore it away from technicals for that name alone.

Atonement will be 90+

No Country for Old Men and Eastern Promises would be the other two I'd be confident on.

Anything above 80% would be enough to put it in the BP race for a nom. I mean Master and Commander is a decent comparison. It had "just" 84% at RT, but an overdue director at helm (Weir was already at three noms at that time) and a decent box-office to boot, though a tad disappiinting considering the budget. So I think a 80-85% RT score is very good for American Gangster.

I guess I disagree. I don't think 80-85% will cut it this time around. I"m hoping the rest of the competition doesn't flounder and so I'm expecting it go up against alot.

I really really think it will fall even lower than 70% for American Gangster.

Scott is pretty inconsistent. Yes he has Thelma and Louise and Alien and Blade Runner. But then there's Kingdom of Heaven and A Good Year and even Gladiator didn't do that great with major critics (64% Cream of the Crop...though I guess since we're talking overall scores that doesn't really matter.)

And judging from the trailer this does not look like his best work at all. I could be completely wrong but ...did anyone else think this looks like one of Russel Crowe's most unimpressive performances in a while? And in general I think it looks a lot like KOH in the sense that it's a good testosterone-driven film but not much else.

But at the same time it looks like Denzel's best work in a while and KoH's Director's Cut actually was loved by most and don't forget his rather recent Black Hawk Down (earned him a BD nom).

Well, each year there are movies that get in with less than even 80%...Crash, Munich, Babel, Gangs of New York... American Gangster can make up for the reviews with the pedigree and the success.

If you're the local musical whore, how come no Hairspray yet?

That's good for Denzel but not for the pic's Best Picture prospects.

I have a feeling Crow isn't going to give as a good a performance as he does in Yuma, so that might equally hurt the film.

Eastern Promises continues to drop at RT, now only 74% with a 7.0 average and 75%/6.4 COTC. Quite a different outlook from a week ago.

You may view Scott as inconsistent, but he's one of a handful of names that casual film fans will instantly recognize who hasn't won Best Director. Oh yeah, and he's made a film that won the top prize, so that has to count for something. Anyways, one could say Crowe looked just as bad in the trailer for 3:10 to Yuma as he does here, and either way Denzel Washington looks great. What really struck out though was the cinematography, production design, and overall look on display. The film at least looks beautiful, and should perfectly capture the era it takes place in. Honestly I think that right now there's some biased (duh) opinions here that are clouding people's judgement, and that goes both ways. The film could dissapoint like other Ridley Scott films have, but from where I'm standing it looks like an excellent return to form.

Eastern Promises is making a comeback as more reviews came in, kind of like Little Children, and I don't think I ever saw this many score of 90 (7) comparing to 100 (1) at MC, pretty interesting.