LOS ANGELES -- It'd been roughly two months since a sure-fire new Oscar hopeful hit the scene, and right on the heels of Interstellar come two more -- Selma and American Sniper, which landed on the same night Tuesday at AFI Fest.
On the night of Veteran's Day, Selma, the Dr. Martin Luther King biopic covering the 1965 voting-rights marches in Alabama, and Clint Eastwood's American Sniper, the story of Navy SEAL and "most lethal sniper in American military history" Christopher Kyle, debuted in back-to-back screenings at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.
Each seems to have earned its Oscar-hopeful stripes. Both used the element of surprise at the annual American Film Institute festival.
Paramount Pictures was only planning to show 30 minutes of Selma, but Oprah Winfrey, a producer with a small role in the film, and director Ava DuVernay let it be known in a Twitter back-and-forth on Sunday that the edit got done just in time -- they'd be showing the whole thing.
@AVAETC looks like you MADE IT! I know you were trying to get ready for AFI viewing this week. I'll be there with my SELMA dancin shoes on.— Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah) November 10, 2014
David Oyelowo stars as Dr. King and took part in the Q&A with Winfrey and DuVernay that followed a standing ovation.
Celebrating #SELMAfilm tonite @AFI A photo posted by Oprah (@oprah) on Nov 11, 2014 at 10:28pm PST
Moments later, Hollywood's awards-season bloggers were outdoing each other on Twitter:
Oyelowo as MLK in SELMA: one of the greatest performances you'll ever see.— Scott Feinberg (@ScottFeinberg) November 12, 2014
Prolonged standing ovation for. Ava DuVernay's 4elma tonight at AFI Fest! Beautiful film with great David Oyelowo turn as MLK jr. A winner!— Pete Hammond (@DeadlinePete) November 12, 2014
Ava DuVernay's SELMA is a triumph! Standing ovation. First that I've seen at #AFIFest. Oscar contender across the board. Typing thru tears.— Jeff Sneider (@TheInSneider) November 12, 2014
SELMA may be the best American film of the year because it does not simply show what Dr. King did for… http://t.co/nCJwPg7mf4— James Rocchi (@jamesrocchi) November 12, 2014
I don't know what the critics will think and I have no idea what Academy voters will do but holy shit Selma. What a great fucking movie.— Sasha Stone (@AwardsDaily) November 12, 2014
Selma's big wave had barely crested when it was time to clear the Egyptian's boxy room; the footage-peek-turned-screening had used up its time in front of American Sniper, AFI's "surprise" screening (annually one of the worst-kept secrets in Hollywood) that was introduced by Eastwood himself.
Reactions weren't as universally resounding for Sniper, which Warner Bros. is screening just in time for awards season but will hold until January for a wider audience. Still, it's clear that Eastwood has re-inserted himself into the awards conversation for the first time since 2011, when J. Edgar topped out with a Golden Globe nomination for best drama.
Harrowing and intimate, AMERICAN SNIPER is Clint Eastwood's strongest film in years. #afifest http://t.co/2gKBgSrmMp— Justin Chang (@JustinCChang) November 12, 2014
Eastwood at 84 shows he is at top of his game in the riveting American Sniper. Bradley Cooper may be headed for 3rd straight oscar nom.— Pete Hammond (@DeadlinePete) November 12, 2014
Shocked at a few peeps' tepid assessments of the prospects of AMERICAN SNIPER. Couldn’t disagree more. This puppy’s in it for the long haul.— Scott Feinberg (@ScottFeinberg) November 12, 2014
Eastwood's American Sniper is a familiar mainstream war pic w/ strong perf by Cooper. Maybe doesn't break on through to Oscar side.— Anne Thompson (@akstanwyck) November 12, 2014
AFI Fest is shaping up to be a critical awards-season showcase; because it comes several months after Telluride, the Venice Film Fest and Toronto, it gives late-entry films a high-profile showcase on the eve of hard-core campaigning time.
Also well-received here, though perhaps longer shots for big nominations, were Margin Call director J.C. Chandor's A Most Violent Year and The Gambler, starring Mark Wahlberg.
There Will Be Blood director Paul Thomas Anderson's Inherent Vice, starring Joaquin Phoenix, also screened Saturday night at the Egyptian, raising hopes for fans of Josh Brolin -- though its muddled storyline will likely keep it out of the bigger races.