Universal’s “let Munich speak for itself” campaign…which of course was Steven Spielberg‘s concept to begin with (and thereafter conveyed by his spokesperson Marvin Levy to Universal publicists and Uni’s Oscar consultant Tony Angellotti) was obviously a mistake. Munich doesn’t open until 12.23 and won’t have its Academy showing until this weekend, but the flatline reactions from critics groups and the failure to score a Best Picture (Drama) Golden Globe nomination means it’s all but dead as a Best Picture Oscar contender. And yet Munich could have fared better if Spielberg had agreed to make the rounds and spar in the ring. Oscar prognosticator and Maxim critic Pete Hammond says that “you really can’t just sit back any more…it’s a different world and a different game these days. It’s not your father’s Oscar campaign any more. Oscar runs are like Presidential campaigns, and if everyone’s taking a shot at you every five minutes and you don’t respond and if [contrary views] get out there and they hold, it’s going to hurt. Munich is a political film about a political situation, and you’ve gotta react. You don’t let those kind of things go unanswered.” Levy says “we don’t feel in any way that our not getting a Best Picture nomination from the Golden Globes makes it less likely that we could [succeed] with the Academy…we could still get that nod.” Is Spielberg going to come out of his shell and start campaigning and mixing it up? Levy says “we haven’t talked to him about that, and we’re now evaluating where we are.”