Spider-Man: While I really enjoyed this film, I do not think it deserves any nods but being this was a bit of a phenomenon not to mention this will end up beating the once thought invinsible Attack of the Clones, by over $100M domestically. Look for this to rack up Sound and Sound Editing nod, as an FX nod is a vague possibility.

About a Boy: Hugh Grant got rave reviews for his role in this genuinely sweet romantic comedy. While there is a good chance the Academy will snub him, I think if he can secure a Golden Globe nod he may have an outside shot for an Oscar nod. He could squeeze into the annual Spring acting nod.

Attack of the Horrid Dialouge…er Clones: Despite its slightly disappointing box office run, George Lucas' special effects heavy film is pretty much a lock for a FX nod, a Sound Editing and a Sound nomination. John Williams' wasn't eligible for a mention for The Phantom Menace, so I'm assuming he won't be eligible here either for Best Score (which is unfortunate because his score here is great, which is more than I can say for the film itself).

Unfaithful: Although this Adrian Lyne erotic thriller got decidedly mixed reviews, critics unanimously praised actress Diane Lane for her performance and the film's studio is a bit Oscar savvy. Is a nod for Lane likely? No! Is it possible? Very!

Insomnia: Christopher Nolan's heavily anticipated follow-up to his (woefully over-rated) cult hit, Memento, came in the form of the superb cop thriller, Insomnia (which was tied for my favorite film of the year, w/ Minority Report, until just a couple days ago), which I thought Al Pacino
gave his best performance in nearly three decades. Critics generally liked this remake of the 1999 Norwegian film of the same name and if the academy wants to recognize this film, look for a nod for Best Actor (Pacino) and/or Best Supporting Actor (Williams), but I think the academy will more likely give them more support for this fall's People I Know (Pacino) and next month's One Hour Photo (Williams).

Minority Report: Steven Spielberg's second consecutive sci-fi masterpiece (though I felt this was a notch below his Kubrickian hybrid A.I.) was the action packed, Minority Report. This film is so far the best-reviewed film of the year and some may blow this off as an Oscar contender, but the fact is ever since his 1991 travesty Hook, all of his films has landed him a Best Director nod in some type of awards show (excluding the Jurassic Park films). Not to mention this film was amazing on the technical front. Look for the film to secure a nomination for FX, Sound Editing, Sound, Art Direction, Cinematography, and maybe even Score. And if the fall slate of Oscar contenders turns out to be stale, don't be surprised if Spielberg secures a best director mention.

Road to Perdition: Sam Mendes' proved that his Oscar winning directorial debut, American Beauty, wasn't a one hit wonder (an all time favorite of mine by the way) in this cinematic masterpiece. This is by far my favorite film of the year, and the Oscar buzz on this one is incredible. Look for this masterpiece of modern cinema to rack up nods for Picture, Director (Sam Mendes has a chance to become the first director to win Oscars for his first two films), Actor, Supporting Actor (Newman), Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography (if Conrad L. Hall doesn't win here, it'll be the biggest travesty for the academy since Kevin Costner stole Martin Scorsese's Best director Oscar in 1990), and a slew of other nominations.

(Note I've seen all of the films listed above besides Unfaithful and About a Boy)

Look for another "Oscar Watch" column later this fall, but until then keep a lookout for these potentials Oscar contenders:

Alan Parker's "Life of David Gale" (which is my most anticipated film for the remainder of the year), Martin Scorsese's "Gangs of New York", Stephen Daldry's "The Hours", Spielberg's "Catch Me if You Can", Roman Polaski's "The Pianist", and Atom Egoyan's "Ararat" among others.

But of course a good deal of potential Oscar contenders will come out stale (last year Darabont's The Majestic and Michael Mann's Ali, and Hallestrom's Shipping News, which I by the way found to be great but fell under this category) or be too odd for the academy (Vanilla Sky is a great example. I, however, thought it was one of the best films of 2001), or some may get pushed back to 2003.

Until my next column, take care.