“We’re Gonna Win Best Picture”

Pete Hammond talks to The Weinstein Co’s Harvey about Inglourious Basterds’ Oscar hopes:

“We’re going to win best picture. This is the movie people love and it’s Quentin’s time. We are going for it and we are gonna get it,” Weinstein told me Tuesday night at carmaker¬†Audi’s celebration of the eight Oscar nominations for ‘Inglourious Basterds.” “Look, best director may be a question — and you can quote me on that — but we won the SAG award for best ensemble, actors are the biggest branch in the academy and they love the movie.” Perhaps he’s using “Crash” as an inspiration, which in 2004 was able to stop the tide of precursor awards for “Brokeback Mountain” by upsetting at SAG.

Weinstein told me he thinks the preferential balloting for best picture (discussed in detail in Tuesday’s ‘Notes’)¬†is a good thing and will benefit ‘Basterds’ in a big way. That’s why he’s confident he can pull this out and doesn’t believe pundit talk that the race has boiled down to just “Avatar” vs. “The Hurt Locker.” He¬†initially thought at this point Rob Marshall’s musical “Nine” would be his ace in the hole but that film’s best-picture dreams died with bad box office and some bad reviews. Although late-summer release “Basterds” was, with $300 million worldwide (Universal has international rights),¬†a huge, much needed hit for Weinstein Co., major Oscar hopes were not part of the initial plan. As things evolved a¬†campaign¬†was hatched and the movie continues to march through awards season with high hopes of the ultimate upset on March 7, despite losses at the PGA, DGA and Golden Globes.

Thanks to reader Michele for sending this in. Basterds is a dark horse pic – and it sits firmly in either third or second place, depending on where we view Avatar. Basterds isn’t missing anything – it has Picture, Director, Screenplay, Acting, Editing. It’s good to go. Precious and The Hurt Locker share the coveted position.