Focusing again on the Oscar nominations, Warner Bros. and Heath Ledger's team had done extensive PR work and finally secured a nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
However, actually winning the award was far from easy.
After all, Heath Ledger hadn't died, so there was no sympathy factor to consider at the Oscars.
Besides that, The Dark Knight received several technical nominations, including Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Editing, Best Art Direction, Best Makeup, and Best Sound Mixing.
The number of nominations was considerable, so the film was expected to win one or two awards.
There were no nominations for Best Picture or Best Director, which left many feeling regretful for Gilbert.
Yet Gilbert didn't seem too concerned: "The Oscars are just trying to balance things out."
"You deserve a Best Director nomination," Charles Roven said indignantly.
Gilbert shrugged. "Charles, don't get so worked up. The Academy has long had a bias against superhero films—it's not something that will change overnight.
Unless… I die."
Charles Roven paused, then laughed heartily.
"Indeed, if you died, the Academy would surely nominate you out of sympathy."
Then he added, "But you mustn't die—you're still very young."
The Dark Knight had sparked massive social discussion, and the conversation extended beyond the film itself into society at large.
For such an influential film, if it didn't receive a few nominations, public outcry could overwhelm the Academy.
Yet, when it came to nominating it for heavyweight awards, the Academy was reluctant.
According to Scarlett, if she were presenting, Best Picture and Best Director nominations would be mandatory.
But unfortunately, the Oscars aren't decided by Scarlett.
Pixar productions like Kung Fu Panda and WALL-E were nominated for Best Animated Feature.
Another nomination related to Gilbert was Anne Hathaway, who was nominated for Best Actress for Rachel Getting Married.
Anne Hathaway personally called Gilbert to rally support for her bid to win the Oscar.
However, to be honest, Anne Hathaway's chances weren't particularly high, as the other competitors were extremely strong.
From another perspective, being nominated without winning this time greatly increased the odds for the next opportunity.
A blessing in disguise!
Starting in January 2009, the entire film market seemed to enter a hot streak. The films released achieved solid results, and theater attendance continued to rise.
Most notably, the overall box office in January rose from $891 million to $1.035 billion, breaking the North American market record.
Despite the lingering effects of the financial crisis, the cultural and entertainment industries flourished.
It seemed people were using movies as a way to escape the troubles of the real world.
Entering February, films targeting the summer season began releasing trailers, while Gilbert's Knives Out, scheduled for March 14, avoided direct competition with the summer blockbusters.
Perhaps the studios hadn't anticipated Gilbert's film occupying this slot. The previously announced Street Fighter:The Legend of Chun-Li was caught off guard.
Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li couldn't adjust its release date and had to face Gilbert and Tom Cruise's lineup head-on.
The film was distributed by 20th Century Fox, and its production company was a game company called Capcom.
Capcom, revered by gamers as a master of action, produced highly popular fighting games. Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li was adapted from one of these games.
Notably, the film featured an actress named He Chaoyi. She was the daughter of casino tycoon Stanley Ho, and her brother invested in the film to ensure she had a role.
If she didn't mind being shameless, He Chaoyi could even call herself an international superstar.
After all, just walking a red carpet abroad was enough to claim that title, and she had already starred in a film.
For her first Hollywood film, He Chaoyi naturally paid close attention.
When she learned that this film would release in the same slot as Knives Out and that the director was Gilbert, she was very surprised—she hadn't expected this day to come.
He Chaoyi wasn't exactly a fan of Gilbert, but through her family, she was acquainted with many Hong Kong film stars, including Jackie Chan.
As a child, she often visited Jackie Chan's home and was very familiar with him.
After learning that her film would compete with Gilbert's, He Chaoyi immediately went to ask Jackie Chan for advice.
Jackie Chan said, "Defeating Gilbert? Don't even think about it. The number of directors who can go head-to-head with him is few enough to count on one hand."
Curious, He Chaoyi asked Jackie Chan, "You're familiar with Director Gilbert—what kind of person is he?"
"What kind of person?" Jackie Chan thought for a moment before answering, "A brilliantly talented director with countless ideas, often unusual and eccentric."
"And in private?"
"In private, he's warm and cheerful. Knowledgeable, cultured, eloquent, and well-mannered."
"Really?" He Chaoyi pondered thoughtfully.
She earnestly pleaded with Jackie Chan, "Could you take me to meet him sometime? I'd love to get his autograph and a photo."
Jackie Chan didn't think much and said, "Sure, no problem. When Gilbert's birthday comes around, I'll take you to meet him."
Gilbert had no idea that He Chaoyi, the daughter of the casino tycoon, far across the ocean, had developed an interest in him. If he knew, he would probably have quipped: You're too ugly; I'm not interested.
Gilbert only had interest in beauties, and if he were in China to sleep with someone, it had to be an attractive woman.
Back when he had filmed the Lord of the Rings dormitory scenes in China, he nearly ended up with Xu Qing. By a twist of fate, it didn't happen; otherwise, perhaps Gilbert's "collection" adventures would have already begun.
On February 22, 2009, the awards ceremony was held at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.
The event was hosted by Australian actor Hugh Jackman and broadcast live on ABC.
As expected, Heath Ledger missed out on Best Supporting Actor, which was awarded to Philip Seymour Hoffman for Doubt.
Slumdog Millionaire won Best Picture, and Danny Boyle received Best Director for the film.
Sean Penn won Best Actor for Milk, and Kate Winslet won Best Actress for The Reader.
The Dark Knight dominated the technical categories, winning Best Cinematography, with John Schwartzman earning this award for the third time.
Selena received Best Art Direction. As Gilbert's go-to art director, this marked her fifth time winning in this category.
The film also won Best Editing, Best Visual Effects, and Best Sound Editing, bringing home a total of five awards.
The Academy seemed to use this "cake-slicing" approach to demonstrate that they harbored no prejudice against The Dark Knight.
However, after the ceremony, fans still felt that The Dark Knight deserved more recognition.
Some even argued that The Dark Knight should have been last year's Best Picture and that Gilbert deserved Best Director.
Of course, since the film wasn't even nominated for those awards, it was futile to argue.
But the fact that Heath Ledger's Joker was so extraordinary yet only received a nomination without winning left fans very dissatisfied. They voiced their frustration loudly.
...
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