Cue the theme from "Chariots of Fire" - the long and winding race for that gilded golden gentlemen called Oscar has officially begun this holiday season. With 1996 less than a month from being history, every film released this year that has any chance of Oscar consideration is sprinting to the finish line in hopes of getting the gold.
"The Birdcage" and "Fargo" have been steady marathon runners since their respective March release dates. "Trainspotting," "Emma," and "Lone Star," three summer dark horses, are still gaining steam. "Michael Collins" and "The English Patient" are casually taking steps as grand as their stories. "Big Night" and "Swingers" are refreshing underdog competitors who have recently joined in the hunt.
Leading the pack of unabashed Academy Award hopefuls is the much-anticipated, oft-delayed adaptation of Arthur Miller's classic "The Crucible." Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Winona Ryder and Joan Allen, this tale of lust, betrayal and witchcraft is the clearest favorite in a race with no clear favorites.
Also dead serious about staying alive in this sprint are towering achievements - including Kenneth Branagh's mercilessly complete, sleep-inducing, butt-cramping four-hour "Hamlet"; Madonna's death knell or big break "Evita"; Rob Reiner's harrowingly true civil rights drama "Ghosts of Mississippi," which is stirring buzz for Alec Baldwin, Whoopi Goldberg and James Woods; Shirley Maclaine's triumphant return to the Texas locales and syrupy sentimentality of "Terms Of Endearment" in "The Evening Star" (sequel to the former); and Sir Richard Attenborough's lush Hemingway biography, "In Love and War."
Smaller but no less serious contestants range from the dysfunctional family of "Marvin's Room," to the surreal strength of Jane Campion's "The Portrait of A Lady," to John Singleton's striking "Rosewood," to the witty take on the life of a porn publisher in "The People vs. Larry Flynt," which is creating talk of Oscars for Woody Harrelson and Courtney Love.
Smaller still are quirky competitors who want Oscar nods more than audiences, including Kevin Spacey's verbose hostage thriller, "Albino Alligator"; the Vietnam study "The War at Home," which is the directorial debut of Emilio Estevez; the Australian masterpiece "Shine," about the life of a composer; a black comedy about abortion called "Citizen Ruth"; and a direct-from-Broadway family struggle, "Substance of Fire," starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Timothy Hutton and Tony Goldwyn as troubled siblings.
Thankfully, not all of this month's releases are greedy for nominations and dead-set on winning the Oscar marathon - some are just plain greedy ... for cash, that is.
Also, thankfully, there is only one inane action film being released - Sylvester Stallone's unnecessary "Daylight," (otherwise known as "'Die Hard' in the Holland Tunnel") which will undoubtedly be a huge cash cow.
In the alternate, non-Oscar cash race, comedy seems to be king, which explains the need for 10 comedic releases between now and New Year's Eve.
Promising humor and heart, the leading blockbuster wannabes are Tim Burton's wonderfully campy response to "Independence Day," "Mars Attacks!"; Penny Marshall's (a.k.a. Laverne's) romantic remake, "The Preacher's Wife," which has Denzel Washington and Whitney Houston praising the Lord and praising the rewards of a capitalist system; the season's most romantic sports comedy, its only romantic sports comedy, "Jerry Maguire," which features an outstanding ensemble headed by Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., Bonnie Hunt and Kelly Preston (Mrs. John Travolta); and the winter's most effervescent piece of film fluff - the inspired pairing of Michelle Pfeiffer and George Clooney in "One Fine Day." Screwball antics will undoubtedly abound.
Despite intriguing concepts, several of the season's lesser-known comedies are less than sure things, as opposed to their well-publicized counterparts.
Such risky runners include "My Fellow Americans," starring James Garner and Jack Lemmon as grumpy old presidents on a wacky cross-country journey; "Beavis and Butthead Do America," starring MTV's resident idiots (no, not Simon Rex and John Sencio) who travel on a wacky cross-country journey; and "Michael," starring Andie MacDowell and William Hurt on a wacky cross-country journey to find fallen archangel John Travolta.
For all the confusion and uncertainty created by sure front-runners and risky rear-runners, the race for Oscar is most definitely under way this holiday season. And regardless of what triumphs and what is trampled underfoot, the race has been enjoyable. Who'll cross the '96 finish line triumphant and who'll be the victim of a '97 TKO? Go to the movies and see.
Martin Short has a close encounter in "Mars Attacks!"