Iron Man: Oscar Gold?

end related links End Article Nav leave following div in place for infusion "Judging by how often the Academy has nominated a performance in a fantasy epic or a superhero movie over the past 80 years, you'd think that wearing a cape and giving a decent performance were somehow mutually exclusive," writes Justin Chang in a provocative piece handicapping probable Oscar nominations in the Hollywood trade journal Variety. There are exceptions, as he notes. And it must be said that "The Incredibles," one of the best-ever superhero films (although famously cape-less), got nominated, but as it was computer-generated animation, not for acting.

Historically, in the year following an Oscar sweep by a modest-box-office indie (like last year's winner "No Country for Old Men,'), Academy members note the correlation between low box-office and low Oscarcast ratings and nominate more mainstream fare. In 1997, the year following best picture and director wins for "The English Patient," a little movie called "Titanic" rose to dominate the Oscars -- and the television ratings.

With this voting pattern in mind, the likely beneficiaries of this year's nominations will be the well-received blockbusters "The Dark Knight" and "Iron Man." The former boasts Heath Ledger's shattering performance as The Joker and Aaron Eckhardt's as Harvey Dent. Robert Downey's turn as "Iron Man," playboy arms manufacturer who turns into a terrorist-fighting machine, easily eclipsed the film's many special effects. Do you think such comic-book revisionism deserves Oscar notice? What are the Oscar-worthy performances and films you've seen this year? I'd nominate Ledger, Downey Jr. and Melissa Leo for "Frozen River."