New at BOP: Review: Matrix Resurrections Movie Review: Moonfall Movie Reviews: Scream The #1 Movie in America November Forecast The Many Saints of Newark October Forecast New Trivia Question All site updates Share & Save   Tweet Print this column

Think You Can Wait - Win Win

Indie songs by indie bands in indie movies have a long history at the Oscars. There was Elliot Smith's nomination for his song from Good Will Hunting, and... okay, so that's about it. This song, this band, and this film have a lot of very vocal supporters, but how much attention will it get from the Academy? I would wager not much. Remember, Elliot Smith was already pretty famous when he wrote Miss Misery, for a Best Picture nominee, before songs had to be heard over the same footage they were played over during the movie. That's a lot of advantages that The National's song doesn't have.
Shelter - Take Shelter

It's a bad sign that I don't remember the song from this indie darling, and that I've never heard of Ben Nichols, who wrote and performs it. But the people who love Take Shelter (and on the Internet there are quite a few of them) are plugging this song's chances, although their motives might be getting the film more attention rather than accurately assessing the song's chances. I suppose if there is a lot of support for Take Shelter it could help this song, but considering that lead Michael Shannon probably won't be nominated, I can't see this song being the film's only nomination.

Pop Songs:

Hello Hello - Gnomeo and Juliet

Which Gnomeo and Juliet song has a better chance of being nominated? Typically the ballads have an easier time getting in than the pop songs. However, this pop song playing over a montage bares a strong resemblance to “Accidentally in Love,” and Elton John's street cred will help him out here. This is the more memorable of the two songs, and the idea of Lady Gaga performing at the Oscars (she sang the song with John in the film) might be too much for anyone to resist.

So Long - Winnie the Pooh

Yes, this movie was a musical, but I don't see numbers like “The Backson Song” and “A Pooh Bear Takes Care of his Tummy” getting recognized by the Academy, no matter how adorable they are (by "they" I mean the songs, not the Academy members, who are not that adorable). The only song from this movie that is a contender is the credits song, which was written and performed by Zooey Deschanel. It does play over the credits, but those credits featured Winnie the Pooh and friends, which might ignite a flame of nostalgia in the hearts of voters. Still, it's a very slight, kiddy song, which probably will not play well with voters, especially since its unlikely that many of them saw the film.

The Greatest Song I've Ever Heard - Pom Wonderful Presents The Greatest Movie Ever Sold
I'm putting this song on here to point out the futility of trying to predict this category. This is a pretty fun song from a pretty fun movie, played during the film, by a successful band. And if I left this song off the list of legitimate contenders, nobody would bat an eyelash. It has an almost zero chance of getting nominated, which is not that much less than the chances of pretty much every other song in this category. This film was largely overlooked when it was released, but there is a precedent for songs from documentaries being nominated... although this is no I Need to Wake Up.

Continued:       1       2       3       4