Get Used to the Phrase: 'Oscar Nominee Channing Tatum' (Feat. New Trailer)

There are still so many people who aren't aware of actor Channing Tatum's unusually talented gifts as an actor. Mistakenly labeled as simply "a meathead", "pretty face", etc, Tatum receives a lot of unwarranted flack despite consistently turning in very nuanced and unshowy work; in "21 Jump Street" (and its sequel), Tatum delivers the laughs and intricate character work. He's proven time and again he's capable of carrying films, and who remembers the surprising quality of "Magic Mike" (which Tatum helped produce)? 

Given his healthy box office receipts and the position of his career, one could certainly agree that an Oscar nomination is on the way. Good thing "Foxcatcher" is on its way then. And what's better? Distributor Sony Pictures Classics is focusing much of the marketing campaign on Tatum.Now, Tatum is arguably the biggest draw in the cast, however, Steve Carrell's performance has been the subject of a large amount of buzz (he is the frontrunner for the Best Actor Oscar at this point in time), especially after the film's debut at the Cannes Film Festival. So why then, is Sony Pictures Classics gearing up a Tatum focused campaign, instead of paving the road for Carrell's steamroll through awards season? 

Logic tells me that there's not a worry that Carrell will be nominated, or even lose. Foxcatcher is going to be an Oscar heavyweight, and you bet that dual Best Actor nods are something they're aiming for; Carrell and Tatum will be hand in hand in that category if they get their way. Carrell will have an easier time getting nominated (prosthetic nose, playing against the type, "it's his time [he should have been nominated for "Little Miss Sunshine]", etc. Tatum, however, as successful as he is, will have to get over those hurdles of preconceived notions to get to his first nomination, and I think Sony knows that (hence the Tatum focus of the marketing campaign). 

Though it'll be hard, it's going to happen; Tatum will be an Oscar nominee come next year, and even a threat to steal the statue away from co-star Carrell. The early reviews alone indicate the odds are in his favor.

In Variety's take on the film, critic Justin Chang writes that:

"Tatum delivers what is easily the most emotionally complex performance of his career, hulking through much of the picture exuding rage, surliness and disappointment..." 

The Hollywood Reporter's Todd McCarthy calls Tatum a, "smoldering, festering piece of emotional raw meat, able to be manipulated this way and that by his benefactor [Carrell]. You feel his pain."

Watch the new Tatum dominated trailer for Foxcatcher here. The film will be released on November 14th.