Features







2007-08 Oscar Calendar



[Monday, December 3, 2007]

Official Screen Credits
Forms Due.


[Wednesday, December 26, 2007]

Nominations ballots mailed.


[Saturday, January 12, 2008]

Nominations polls close
5 p.m. PST.


[Tuesday, January 22, 2008]

Nominations announced
5:30 a.m. PST
Samuel Goldwyn Theater


[Wednesday, January 30, 2008]

Final ballots mailed.


[Monday, February 4, 2008]

Nominees Luncheon


[Saturday, February 9, 2008]

Scientific and Technical
Awards Dinner


[Tuesday, February 19, 2008]

Final polls close 5 p.m. PST.


[Sunday, February 24, 2008]

79th Annual
Academy Awards Presentation
Kodak Theatre

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December 29, 2007

"Tech Support" Special: 2007 Film Score Review

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Well here we are at the last Tech Support column of 2007. As I reflect on the past year, I thought I’d do something I almost never do at her at In Contention – review. I’ve decided to focus on the most acclaimed scores of 2007.


Before proceeding, I should note that I have not yet heard the acclaimed scores of Clint Eastwood on “Grace is Gone” or Olivier Bernet for “Persepolis.” I’d also like to preface this by saying that I consider Glen Hansard’s song score to “Once” to be the most film-serving and original musical accomplishment of 2007. Being such an unconventional “score,” however, and relying almost entirely on songs, I personally feel that a column dedicated to reviewing scores is not the best place to discuss it.


I was very much looking forward to the return of Alan Menken to Disney movies in 2007 with “Enchanted.” His score and songs have received much acclaim. Though I enjoyed the film, and “That’s How You Know” was a fun number, I was ultimately disappointed with the work. I found the other songs to be lacking and the work to be on the whole formulaic, absent of the majesty of Menken’s past memorable efforts on “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Little Mermaid.”


CONTINUE READING "TECH SUPPORT"

December 24, 2007

12/24 Chart Update

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A little late getting this up today, but chalk it up to holiday craziness. I'd like to first take a moment to wish everyone a happy holiday season before offering up the last chart update of the year. This will be the last update, as I don't expect anything to affect change in the next week, so we'll reassess on January 7 with a fresh look. And, of course, the yearly "most anticipated" column on the 1st.


I think I'll just let the charts speak for themselves, rather than offer any supporting commentary. Suffice it to say, I think the SAG announcement means a lot more than any other precursor of the season, but there are still troubling areas that have me less than confident. But like I said, we'll reassess in the New Year. Enjoy the charts, and be safe.


Main Category Charts
Technical Category Charts

The Contenders (by category)
2007 Films-by-Studio Rundown
Oscar Predictions Archive




Previous Oscar Columns:
12/12/07 - "12/12 Chart Update"
12/10/07 - "12/10 Chart Update"
12/03/07 - "12/3 Chart Update"
11/27/07 - "11/27 Chart Update"
11/12/07 - "11/5 Chart Update"
11/05/07 - "11/5 Chart Update"
10/29/07 - "10/29 Chart Update"
10/15/07 - "The Oil Man vs. the Demon Barber?"
10/08/07 - "Clean-up on Aisle September"
10/01/07 - "Still Anybody's Game"
09/17/07 - "Post-Toronto Update"
09/10/07 - "Notes from the Eye of a Storm"
09/03/07 - "Launching the New Season"
08/03/07 - "August Update"
07/01/07 - "The Silence is Deafening"
02/26/07 - "Forging Ahead: In Contention's Year in Advance Oscar Speculation"


2006 Predictions Archive

December 21, 2007

2007 Wrap-up: THE IN CONTENTION AWARDS

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Alright, time to put the year to bed. Another list of awards never hurt anyone, right? So let’s get on with it. Be sure to check out Monday’s top ten list and column, and Wednesday’s personal ballot announcement. Otherwise, have a happy holiday and I’ll definitely see you January 1st with the annual “Most Anticipated Films of the Year” column.


Perhaps I’ll pop up here and there in the interim, though at some point, either in the next two weeks or the first week of the New Year, be on the lookout for a huge cinematographers piece. 2007 has been one of the best lensing years in quite a while, I feel, and I’ve already got Deakins, Ruhe, Kaminski, Papamichael, Lachman, Delbonnel, Reed, Rousselot, Adefarasin, Malaimaire, Fong and Savides on the record. And I’m looking to fill in a few more cracks before hammering out the story, which has been enlightening so far, I must say.


Anyway, like I said, let’s get on with it. The “In Contention Awards” (what a dumb name):



Best Picture
“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”


Best Director
Andrew Dominik, “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”


Best Actor
Phillip Seymour Hoffman, “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead”


Best Actress
Tang Wei, “Lust, Caution”


(more after the jump)

Best Supporting Actor
Casey Affleck, “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”


Best Supporting Actress
Samantha Morton, “Control”


Best Adapted Screenplay
“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”
Written by Andrew Dominik
Based on the novel by Ron Hansen


Best Original Screenplay
“Juno”
Written by Diablo Cody


Best Art Direction
“Across the Universe”
Mark Friedberg; Ellen Christiansen


Best Cinematography
“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”
Roger Deakins


Best Costume Design
“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”
Patricia Norris


Best Film Editing
“The Bourne Ultimatum”
Christopher Rouse


Best Makeup
“La Vie en Rose”
Didier Lavergne


Best Music – Original Score
“There Will Be Blood”
Jonny Greenwood


Best Music – Original Song
“Society” from “Into the Wild”


Best Sound
“There Will Be Blood”


Best Sound Editing
“The Bourne Ultimatum”


Best Visual Effects
“Transformers”


Best Animated Feature
“Persepolis”


Best Foreign Language Film
“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”


Best Ensemble Performance
“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”


Most Underrated Film of the Year
“Feast of Love”


Most Overrated Film of the Year
“No Country for Old Men”


Best Directorial Debut
Tony Gilroy, “Michael Clayton”


Breakthrough Performance (Male)
Glen Hansard, “Once”


Breakthrough Performance (Female)
Tang Wei, “Lust, Caution”


Best Cameo Performance (Male)
Sacha Baron Cohen, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”


Best Cameo Performance (Female)
Vanessa Redgrave, “Atonement”


Best Performance in a Bad Film
Homayon Ershadi, “The Kite Runner”


Worst Performance in a Good Film
Josh Harnett, “Resurrecting the Champ”


Best Poster
“I’m Not There” (this one)


Best Trailer
“Grindhouse” (teaser)


Most Surprising Film of the Year
“Quiet City”


Most Disappointing Film of the Year
“Elizabeth: The Golden Age”/“Spider-Man 3”


5 Worst Films of the Year
“Captivity”
“Ghost Rider”
“Live Free or Die Hard”
“Margot at the Wedding”
“Mr. Brooks”


Best Action Sequence
“The Host”
The creature reveals itself and terrorizes citizens on the river bank. The movie is all downhill from there, but there are some creative and horrific visual ideas going on in this scene.


Best Opening Titles Sequence
“Juno”


Entertainer of the Year
Phillip Seymour Hoffman
I almost went with Kathleen Kennedy, who’s putting out two of the year’s very best and intriguing films in “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” and “Persepolis,” but Hoffman gave his three greatest portrayals to date in ONE YEAR, showcasing his potential as a leading man, his talents as a character actor and the sheer depth of his range when he chooses to go there. That’s a hell of an accomplishment and really, the choice was simple in the end.


That does it. Oh, and one final note: yes, there will be a chart update Monday.


Happy Holidays!

December 20, 2007

"Tech Support": BEST MUSIC - ORIGINAL SONG - VOLUME I

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Now that a list of finalists has been announced, the time seems right to delve into analysis for the last “crafts” category – Best Original Song.


I should say that there are never any locks here, with seemingly sure bets often failing to make the cut. It is a rather odd category, in my opinion, as I often wonder if original song writing is such an important contribution to filmmaking that it deserves a category to itself whereas tasks like stunt co-ordination and casting are not currently awarded. However, the fact of the matter is that the category’s existence often results in many stars coming to the show who otherwise would not – so it’s not going anywhere any time soon.


An alteration in the rules two years ago changed the process of choosing the nominees slightly. Each song will be screened to the music branch in the context used in the film and then given a grade. If five films receive the minimum grade, the songs with the five highest averages become the nominees. Furthermore, if not enough songs receive high enough vote tallies, there could be less than five nominees, as we saw in 2005. I would not be surprised in the slightest if this happened again.


CONTINUE READING "TECH SUPPORT"

Stuff

SAG coverage is over at Red Carpet District. I guessed 16/25 right, including Emile Hirsch's bid (they like the kids) and figured on some oldie action in the supporting races, but I went with Bosco instead of Jones. 20/25 with alternates. I definitely didn't see the shaft coming for "Sweeney" and "Atonement."


Gerard's latest "Tech Support" column will be up later in the day.

December 19, 2007

Predicting the SAGs

Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Johnny Depp, "Sweeney Todd"
George Clooney, "Michael Clayton"
Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood"
Emile Hirsch, "Into the Wild"
Frank Langella, "Starting Out in the Evening"
(alt. Denzel Washington, "American Gangster")
(pleasant surprise: Sam Riley, "Control")


Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Amy Adams, "Enchanted"
Cate Blanchett, "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"
Julie Christie, "Away from Her"
Marion Cotillard, "La Vie en Rose"
Ellen Page, "Juno"
(alt. Laura Linney, "The Savages")
(pleasant surprise: Tang Wei, "Lust, Caution")


Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men"
Philip Bosco, "The Savages"
Phillip Seymour Hoffman, "Charlie Wilson's War"
Hal Holbrook, "Into the Wild"
Tom Wilkinson, "Michael Clayton"
(alt. Casey Affleck, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford")
(pleasant surprise: Max von Sydow, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly")


Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Catherine Keener, "Into the Wild"
Vanessa Redgrave, "Atonement"
Saoirse Ronan, "Atonement"
Amy Ryan, "Gone Baby Gone"
Tilda Swinton, "Michael Clayton"
(alt. Cate Blanchett, "I'm Not There")
(pleasant surprise: Jennifer Garner, "Juno")


Performance by a Cast
"Atonement"
"Into the Wild"
"Juno"
"Michael Clayton"
"No Country for Old Men"
(alt. "Charlie Wilson's War," "Hairspray," "Sweeney Todd")
(plesant surprise: "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead," "I'm Not There")

2007 Wrap-up: THE IN CONTENTION OSCAR BALLOT

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Per annual tradition around these parts, today I offer up my personal Oscar ballot – an “if I were an Academy member” sort of thing. Plus the usual addition of a category the AMPAS really needs to go ahead and add to their ceremony already: Best Ensemble Performance.


Stay tuned Friday for the denouement, a list of personal award winners in each of these categories and more. And check out the top ten list in case you missed it. Also, SAG predictions will hit later this evening.



Best Picture
“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”
“The Bourne Ultimatum”
“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”
“Juno”
“There Will Be Blood”


Best Director
Andrew Dominik, “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”
Paul Greengrass, “The Bourne Ultimatum”
Julian Schnabel, “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”
Paul Thomas Anderson, “There Will Be Blood”
Tony Kaye, “Lake of Fire”


(more after the jump)

Best Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis, “There Will Be Blood”
Benicio Del Toro, “Things We Lost in the Fire”
Phillip Seymour Hoffman, “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead”
Brad Pitt, “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”
Sam Riley, “Control”


Best Actress
Amy Adams, “Enchanted”
Marion Cotillard, “La Vie en Rose”
Sienna Miller, “Interview”
Ellen Page, “Juno”
Tang Wei, “Lust, Caution”


Best Supporting Actor
Casey Affleck, “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”
Javier Bardem, “No Country for Old Men”
Philip Bosco, “The Savages”
Phillip Seymour Hoffman, “Charlie Wilson’s War”
Samuel L. Jackson, “Resurrecting the Champ”


Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett, “I’m Not There”
Jennifer Garner, “Juno”
Taraji P. Henson, “Talk to Me”
Samantha Morton, “Control”
Marisa Tomei, “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead”


Best Adapted Screenplay
“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”
“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”
“Persepolis”
“There Will Be Blood”
“Lust, Caution”


Best Original Screenplay
“Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead”
“Juno”
“Michael Clayton”
“Quiet City”
“The Savages”


Best Art Direction
“Across the Universe”
“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”
“The Golden Compass”
“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”
“There Will Be Blood”


Best Cinematography
“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”
“Control”
“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”
“No Country for Old Men”
“There Will Be Blood”
(the best year for this category in ages)


Best Costume Design
“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”
“Elizabeth: The Golden Age”
“The Golden Compass”
“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”
“There Will Be Blood”


Best Film Editing
“The Bourne Ultimatum”
“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”
“I’m Not There”
“Lake of Fire”
“No Country for Old Men”


Best Makeup
“300”
“La Vie en Rose”
“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”


Best Music – Original Score
"3:10 to Yuma"
“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”
“Atonement”
“Lust, Caution”
“There Will Be Blood”


Best Music – Original Song
“Do You Feel Me” from “American Gangster”
“Le Festin” from “Ratatouille”
“Society” from “Into the Wild”


Best Sound
“Beowulf”
“Control”
“There Will Be Blood”
“Transformers”
“Sunshine”


Best Sound Editing
“3:10 to Yuma”
“Beowulf”
“The Bourne Ultimatum”
“Transformers”
“Sunshine”


Best Visual Effects
“300”
“The Host”
“Transformers”


Best Ensemble Performance
“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”
“Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead”
“I’m Not There”
“Juno”
“Zodiac”

December 17, 2007

2007 Wrap-up: THE BEST FILMS OF THE YEAR

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Some have called 2007 a year in cinema comparable to 1999’s impressive slate. Of course, it’s a subjective thing. As I mentioned in last year’s top ten column, 2006 was a great year for me, but for others, it was weak. 2005 was extremely lackluster for me. For others, it was stellar. And so it goes. Regardless, if we are, each of us, able to find a subset of pictures that appeal to our tastes and keep a smile on our face throughout a given year, the concept of movie-going reaches that level of wonder that reminds us why we bother in the first place.


For me, that notion seemed to lie in wait nearly every time the lights dimmed in screening rooms and cineplexes over the last twelve months. It was a wide swath of acceptability, rather than a large number of high marks. On the whole, I was simply content...a lot.


Usually I offer up a big column dedicated to the year’s particulars, but I’d much rather get to the business of qualifying things and showcasing what I thought was the crème de la crème. So let’s just dive in, shall we?

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Following today’s list of the year’s best, I’ll offer up a personal Oscar ballot on Wednesday and cap it off with a list of kudos specifications on Friday. Before we know it, it’ll be 2008 and the whole damn thing will start up again.


But for now…the best films of 2007:



“3:10 TO YUMA”


One of the bearers of the western’s return to the cinema, James Mangold’s re-adaptation of the Elmore Leonard short story hit all the right emotional notes on the way to becoming a modern entry in the genre. Close-ups and dramatic tension rule over sweeping vistas and landscape worship, making the film a shining example of the western’s technical progression. Christian Bale presents another unique performance in a resume that couldn’t be accused of derivation, while Russell Crowe offers one of two portrayals this year that announce that the actor is still capable of nuance.



“AMERICAN GANGSTER”


Ridley Scott’s Frank Lucas biopic is perhaps the most “New York” film the cinema has seen since Martin Scorsese’s “Mean Streets.” Every frame of the effort oozes the grime and grit of 1970s Manhattan, that sort of thorough representation that leaves you almost catching a whiff of sewer exhaust or feeling the bite of a northeasterly rain. And yet, there is an intriguing sense of European observation to it all. It is that curious disconnect which makes “American Gangster” somewhat unique in this generally agreed upon sub-genre of hard-boiled cinema.



“ATONEMENT”


A much smaller film than it’s being depicted as, Joe Wright’s “Pride & Prejudice” follow-up is very tight and a huge step up for the director, who already had a legion of fans in the wake of his last effort. Most impressive was the structure and craft of the film, with high marks going to performers James McAvoy and Romola Garai, not to mention textured, beautiful cinematography from Seamus Mcgarvey and a Dario Marianelli score that raises the bar for the trade.



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“BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU’RE DEAD”


Sydney Lumet’s latest can indeed be deemed that simplest of dramatic terms: tragedy. But there is something to be said about a work of drama – whatever the medium – that settles so deep inside of you and is so deliberate in its downward spiral of emotional distress that you can’t really feel anything when the credits roll or the curtain drops. The numbing effect has transcended empathy and compassion, personal discomfort and outright sadness. There’s just…nothing. That is what this film does. Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke give career best performances.



“FEAST OF LOVE”


One that slipped through the cracks, Robert Benton’s adaptation of the Charles Baxter novel proved a playing ground for lived-in and penetrating performances from Greg Kinnear and Alexa Davalos, among others. A Portland backdrop settles the viewer into the film’s deliberate and strangely comforting tone on the march toward difficult truths. Always unique in the face of convention, Benton proved to be another veteran still getting it done while everyone was busy praising Sidney Lumet for the same reasons.



“IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON”


A clever take on the country’s lunar travels, David Sington’s documentary took the obvious step of letting those who embarked on the journeys tell the tales. The result was a mish-mash of intrigue, old-coot hilarity and insightful commentary from each of the surviving Apollo astronauts. Unfairly elbowed out of the AMPAS’ documentary line-up (perhaps due to its talking head nature), the documentary world would be serviced by more efforts such as this, which leave technique at the door in favor of good ole’ fashioned campfire storytelling.



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“MICHAEL CLAYTON”


Positioned as a thriller, wrapped in the wool of an ethical statement and yet something more personal and residual at its heart, Tony Gilroy’s directorial debut harkened back to Paddy Chayefsky in a year held on high as a throwback to the greatest of 1970s cinema. George Clooney gives a fine, internalized performance, while Tom Wilkinson is magnetic fuel for the embittered soul. Gilroy’s directorial panache is a penetrating breed that will be fun to watch as he tackles more and more material.



“NO END IN SIGHT”


The war in Iraq has been the focus of untold numbers of documentary endeavors, themes and angles stretching as far as the eye can see. What has so long been ignored is an intensive study of the United States’ foreign policy there, and that is what long-time public diplomacy official and, now, first-time filmmaker Charles Ferguson has afforded. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a more thorough and balanced assessment of the war as Ferguson lays it out from start to…now? “Finish” is too optimistic a term.



“RATATOUILLE”


How can you not enjoy a Pixar film in this day and age? The studio seems to crank out acceptability as if it was part of a mission statement, and of course, most often, the quality of work goes leaps and bounds beyond that. Brad Bird’s latest foray into the animated world is a culinary and cultural delight, proving the director capable of conveying the most human of emotional context at the flick of his wrist. Michael Giacchino, as usual, is at the top of his musical game and all in the service of one of the most beautifully animated films of all time.



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“THE SAVAGES”


Tamara Jenkins’ measured look at dealing with an aging parent is a delicate thing, perhaps not as emotionally sweeping as it might have been, but ferociously honest as a result. The effort gave actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman the stage to offer one of his best portrayals to date, while co-star Laura Linney cranked out a typically brilliant turn alongside. It was Philip Bosco, however, who matched Tang Wei (“Lust, Caution”) for one of the bravest performances of 2007.



Before getting into the top ten, I felt compelled to spotlight two films that haven’t quite materialized in my mind and will likely take some years to do so. Every once in a while you come across an effort or two that you appreciate and respect from here to eternity, but struggle to qualify in any acceptable light, both for yourself and for a given readership. I cherish such occasions, but they demand to be singled out rather than grouped with in. So, with that…



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“I’M NOT THERE”/“ZODIAC”
Directed by Todd Haynes/David Fincher


Todd Haynes’ “I’m Not There” is a definitive work of art, but it didn’t settle with me in a way that fully allowed me to assess what I’d seen. Instead it splintered inside my mind, becoming something I would ruminate on for weeks upon weeks. Immediately following the first screening I attended, I was not willing to speak with Haynes at the reception because I frankly didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know what I felt. I knew I’d just seen the work of a committed artist but I needed time to get my head around it. I still haven’t, and to me, the best of filmmaking does that. I just don’t know where I would place such an effort on a list of the year’s ten “best” films.


On the other hand, David Fincher’s “Zodiac” isn’t a film at all. It is “All the President’s Men” on steroids. It’s one thing happening after another. There is no structure to speak of, no dramatic adherence, which is fine. It was nonetheless a complete and total immersion into a world recreated, a living, breathing study in tension and obsession, and I don’t think we’ve seen anything along those lines in quite some time. One of the best ensembles of the year has sadly been ignored this Oscar season, but I was personally quite taken with Jake Gyllenhaal’s portrayal of a man from passivity to obsession to paranoia. Harris Savides’ cinematography is as gripping in its heightened realism as Ed Lachman’s work on “I’m Not There” is in its expressionistic representations.



And now, the top ten films of 2007:



#10


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“QUIET CITY”

Directed by Aaron Katz


I don’t often respond to films like “Quiet City.” A typical reaction is to recoil or roll my eyes at something that generally rings as pseudo-faux-intelligentsia…so to speak. But director Aaron Katz got me with this, his second feature filmmaking endeavor to date. Producing a work often compared to “Before Sunrise” (I would say “Quiet City” is better), Katz depicts a Brooklyn landscape here that reads like a visual lullaby for anyone respectful of a gorgeous image.


Katz’s little-seen mumblecore installment is a serene effort, one that balances the line between realism and fantasy breathlessly, on the way to becoming a subtextual commentary on connection, comfort and desire. Perhaps leaving itself wide open to criticisms of solipsism, both artistic and philosophical, it nonetheless manages to set an unbroken tone of humanity from start to finish – and all for a budget that never reached $2,000. This is independent cinema at its finest.



#9


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“CONTROL”

Directed by Anton Corbijn


The biopic is treacherous territory for any filmmaker to navigate. The potential is all too clear for derivation and absence of depth – especially when the “greatest hits” mentality of the genre makes its way to the creative surface. The caveat is doubly apparent when musicians are the focus, and the Ian Curtis biopic “Control” found itself poised to be run of the mill in this light. But first-time feature filmmaker Anton Corbijn lifted Matt Greenhaugh’s adaptation of Deborah Curtis’ “Touching from a Distance” off the page in such a way as to breathe new, invigorated life into the genre.


Actor Sam Riley tackles the role of Curtis with ease in what he frequently refers to as his “first job,” a revelation that would draw gasps from the most critical of viewers. He wraps himself in the emotional clothing of the singer with unsettling delicacy and plays off of co-star Samantha Morton with unexpected capability. Corbijn’s beautiful visual realization of the film dazzles (thanks especially to lenser Martin Ruhe) and seems to deviate from the artist’s expressionistic sensibilities, providing an intimate and ultimately heart-wrenching portrait of dreams, love, guilt and hopelessness.



#8


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“LUST, CAUTION”

Directed by Ang Lee


Many drew parallels to the work of Wong Kar-Wai when examining Ang Lee’s “Brokeback Mountain” follow-up, “Lust, Caution.” The creative strokes are certainly similar, but I don’t count myself in Wong’s legion of fans, so it was with a bit of a start that I wanted this film to keep going beyond its two and a half hour running time. In fact, the only criticism I had upon screening it earlier in the fall was that it could have used perhaps another half hour to flesh out the searing and emotionally resonant story. But I’m selfish.


Adapted from a short story by Ellen Chang, Lee and Jams Schamus’ screenplay has the courage to take it’s time in an industry devoted to the quick sell. The cast Lee assembled for the film produces daring work on the whole, but stunning new ingénue Tang Wei deserves the highest praise for offering one of the bravest, rawest and most convincing portrayals of innocence shattered the screen has ever seen. But just as captivating are the risks Lee was willing to take in this, his greatest film to date.



#7


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“PERSEPOLIS”

Directed by Vincent Paronnaud, Marjane Satrapi


Marjane Satrapi’s wonderfully creative “Persepolis” was lifted out of its graphic novel beginnings and onto the big screen in a major way this year. The finished product should be required viewing for children (and sadly, many adults) as it is a playful but sober depiction of tolerance and cultural acceptance. In years such as these, fewer films can exhibit a greater importance. Such a designation might be the effort’s greatest claim in yet another socially-conscious film awards season.


It is difficult to come across truly unique animated endeavors in today’s filmmaking environment. The Pixar offerings are always delightful, but never necessarily surprising (the pitfalls of consistent success, I assume). Technological innovations seen in films such as “Beowulf” are exciting, but not exactly encouraging for animators. So it should be seen as a light of inspiration for the industry that such grand and potent thematics can still be pulled out of the two dimensional tradition.



#6


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“LAKE OF FIRE”

Directed by Tony Kaye


Tony Kaye’s “Lake of Fire” is the result of a 15-year cinematic focus on the most divisive issue in America, perhaps in the world. The director painstakingly pieced together untold amounts of footage that provides one of the most balanced assessments one could hope to find in the world of documentary filmmaking. And no matter what your stance on abortion might be going into the film, you’re sure to have your convictions shaken to the very core as Kaye paints an at times gruesome picture that begs and, more often than not, insists that you take careful consideration of whatever it is that you believe.


The documentary is a troubling form of filmmaking for me. Too often it is used as a talk piece for agenda, but just as often it is overly-criticized for as much. There are far too few artists in the game and not enough patience with laying information and characterizations out in creative but challenging ways. Manipulation is rampant, of course, but I want to allow space to thank filmmakers like Kaye who have the guts to stick with an issue and study it with a form of filmmaking too easily given to propaganda.



#5


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“THERE WILL BE BLOOD”

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson


Paul Thomas Anderson is the most promising director of his generation. There is no question in my mind. “Hard Eight” was the perfect initiation, but the filmmaker really his stride with the brilliant “Boogie Nights” and “Magnolia,” large ensemble spreads with potent thematic virtue and substance. “Punch-Drunk Love” in 2002 was a blindsiding effort, perhaps his best to date, but altogether surprising in that it was a 90 minute romantic comedy starring Adam Sandler and Emma Watson, of all pairings. And now the filmmaker has surprised us yet again with “There Will Be Blood,” a certifiable menagerie of love and hate and the line that narrowly divides them.


Based upon Upton Sinclair’s novel “Oil!,” “There Will Be Blood” marks a departure for Anderson in that it is not an original work. What the writer/director gleaned from Sinclair’s pages was a portrait of turn-of-the-century capitalistic greed, but more intimately, the fear and hatred of family, love, religion, connectivity – the binding ties of comfort that inevitably leave us stranded along the way. Daniel Day-Lewis’ embodiment of these ideas in the character of Daniel Plainview is nothing short of arresting, a tour de force portrayal that will surely go down as one of the cinema’s greatest.



#4


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“JUNO”

Directed by Jason Reitman


“Quirky comedies” have become a self-multiplying breed unto themselves. Derivation is a disease that continues to eat away at filmmakers hell-bent on taking lead after lead from the greatest of Hal Ashby cinema, but there are moments of genuine creative harmony to be found. Not to put it in the simplest of terms, but Jason Reitman’s “Juno” is such a film, one completely taken with itself and more than willing to sweep the viewer along for the ride.


Already a proven talent with last year’s “Thank You for Smoking,” Reitman elevates his game by leaps and bounds here. Working from an electric script by newcomer Diablo Cody, the director shows profound ability in depicting honesty between the lines of irony, perhaps more capably than any helmer since…Hal Ashby. Every positive word written about Ellen Page is true as the actress makes good on promises made in last year’s “Hard Candy,” but the ensemble itself moves together with an organic and unexpected specificity. This is the real deal.



#3


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“THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM”

Directed by Paul Greengrass


There’s a moment in Paul Greengrass’ “The Bourne Ultimatum” that literally lifts me out of my seat every time I see the film. You know it. Jason Bourne sails through the air in a cat-like leap through a window, the camera trailing behind him the whole way. The sound goes down to zero just before the shattering effect of glass is heard and we feel like we’ve just made the leap with him. Greengrass is playing with a lot in this film, having plenty of fun, but that moment especially is indicative of how much fun he wants you, the viewer, to have when you’re watching. It’s the most apparent example of participatory cinema I think I’ve ever seen.


The final Bourne installment is by no means a study in measured storytelling. It certainly doesn’t follow the screenwriter’s workbook and at times it feels like Greengrass is using the franchise as practice for bigger and better things. But what he achieved here was summer popcorn entertainment concentrated to an almost illegal essence. There are still nuggets of expertise to be found on the page, I feel, as the entire trilogy has been crafted by screenwriter Tony Gilroy (and, no doubt, untold numbers of uncredited writers – Greengrass among them) into a well-oiled machine of purpose. It is a franchise that bettered itself with each new installment, showcasing a staggering leading portrayal from Matt Damon at every turn. I said it five months ago and I’ll say it again: this is why I go to the movies.



#2


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“THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY”

Directed by Julian Schnabel


True works of art are difficult to come by in the filmmaking form. The pressure of economical performance can all too easily blend with the caveat of a collaborative medium to make efficiency the general goal above all else. When the elements congeal in a manner that gives way to serviceability and genuine artistry, lightning is captured in a bottle. But in a year as stellar as 2007 was, such perfect storms were a surprisingly rare commodity, which made experiences like “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” a treat indeed.


All three of artist Julian Schnabel’s endeavors behind the camera have been interesting and unique if nothing else. But where “Diving Bell” leaves “Basquiat” and “Before Night Falls” is in its unabashed embracing of the filmmaking form. Taking leave from a Ronald Harwood adaptation that had already done a lot of the thematic hard work, Schnabel applied his singular vision with both clarity and emotional cogency. Max von Sydow is the cast’s tear-jerking standout, while Janusz Kaminski proves a level of versatility unheard of, jumping from intimacy such as this to the spectacle of Indiana Jones in one fell swope.



#1


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“THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD”

Directed by Andrew Dominik


I’ve waited a very long time for a film like “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.” Leaving aside my outright adoration of the western genre, I long for works of cinema supposedly inspired by the artistry of Terrence Malick that actually live up to the standard while steering clear of pretension. And yet, as the nature of opinion necessitates, Andrew Domink’s adaptation of Ron Hansen’s take on the outlaw Jesse James isn’t without its fair share of detractors who feel the film actually wallows in pretension. I couldn’t disagree with them more.


What Hansen created in 1983, when he penned the original novel, was a unique perspective within a genre too easily given to derivation. A focused examination of celebrity and idolatry, wrapped in the spirit of Shakespearean tragedy, the author’s efforts clearly inspired Dominik, who has pieced together the finest cinematic achievement in nearly a decade. Filmed with staggering splendor as only lenser Roger Deakins can manage, “Jesse James” is part-elegy in its visual representation of a wild west on the march toward domestication. Hugh Ross’ initially off-putting narration settles the viewer into a surreal lullaby as more-than-agreeable musical accompaniment allows the tale to wash over (courtesy of Nick Cave and Warren Ellis).


assassination6.jpg


A pitch-perfect ensemble includes marinated work from Sam Shepard, Paul Schneider, Garret Dillahunt, Jeremy Renner and Sam Rockwell. But at the film’s core is a set of powerful, painfully subdued performances by Casey Affleck and Brad Pitt, each of them giving career-best portrayals.


Pitt seems tailor made for the role of a celebrity culprit, yet his tabloid cover-boy looks never impede on a determined representation of a man sensing the end of his days. Affleck, meanwhile, offers a raspy and clumsy syntax from the mouth of a pasty, nubile face, steering the ship for the most part. His Robert Ford is despicable to a point, but genuine viewer sympathy takes hold here and there as the actor gifts the character with a magnetic quality that can’t be ignored. It is a definitive portrayal of youth misunderstood and, ultimately, regretfully reckless.


“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” split the critical community in half, which it seems only the best, most thought-provoking films tend to do. For many it was one of the year’s worst, but for me, it is not only the best film of 2007 but a primal scream to the heavens of what can be accomplished in a genre that seems to be on its way back to a certain level of prominence. Not sense Terrence Malick’s “The Thin Red Line” have I been so thoroughly entranced by a visual narrative’s perspective on human condition and interaction. It seems no words can capably say it, so I’ll abandon the search for those that might.



And there we are, another year in the books. Here’s hoping your year was as enjoyable as mine.



INCONTENTION.com’s TOP TEN FILMS OF 2007


01. “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”
02. “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”
03. “The Bourne Ultimatum”
04. “Juno”
05. “There Will Be Blood”
06. “Lake of Fire”
07. “Persepolis”
08. “Lust, Caution”
09. “Control”
10. “Quiet City”

December 15, 2007

A note on the week ahead...

Monday: "Best Of"/Year end Column (With Top 10 list in tow.)


Wednesday: Year End Ballot (All Oscar categories represented.)


Friday: List of Personal Winners (The "In Contention Awards" or some other such non-sensical name, you might call it.)

Jay Cassidy and John Gilroy: The "Tech Support" Interview

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With “Into the Wild” and “Michael Clayton” continuing to grab attention this awards season for writer-directors Sean Penn and Tony Gilroy, not to mention the film’s stars, it is easy to forget the tech artists who played an immensely important role in crafting the films. In particular, the pacing of the two films, created by their editing, was pivotal to the feel of each.


I recently spoke with the editors of both efforts, Jay Cassidy and John Gilroy.


CONTINUE READING "TECH SUPPORT"

December 13, 2007

MAN it's early...

Yeah, yeah, the HFPA announcement and everything (correctly guessed 46 of the nominees, 56 with alternates - who cares), but I'm just glad someone is getting into why "Charlie WIlson's War" is such a neutered, pointless mess. Lawyers and precious southern socialites righteously suck.

December 12, 2007

Golden Globe Predictions

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***made some last minute changes here***


Alright, the HFPA. They like what they like. They've marginalized themselves in the last two or three years as it pertains to "guessing" the Academy's tastes, but that's okay. It's better to have a different set than the same old, same old. That said, this group is still a blatant troupe of starf***ers. They like to fill the tables of the Beverly Hilton with Hollywood's finest, and I guess that's their preogative.


I've gone over the films in contention and come up with as good a set of predictions as any, I suppose. Tomorrow's announcement might not mean a lot in the spread of the Oscar season, but you better believe it'll be the jumpstart for a number of post-Globes parties!


The prdictions (with more after the jump):


Best Picture (Drama)
“Atonement”
“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”
“Into the Wild”
“Michael Clayton”
“No Country for Old Men”
(alt. “Eastern Promises,” “The Great Debaters”)


Best Picture (Comedy/Musical)
“Across the Universe”
“Charlie Wilson’s War”
“Hairspray”
“Juno”
“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”
(alt. “Once,” “The Savages”)

Best Actor (Drama)
George Clooney, “Michael Clayton”
Daniel Day-Lewis, “There Will Be Blood”
Brad Pitt, “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”
Viggo Mortensen, “Eastern Promises”
Denzel Washington, “The Great Debaters”
(alt. Russell Crowe, “”3:10 to Yuma,” Emile Hirsch, “”Into the Wild,”)


Best Actress (Drama)
Cate Blanchett, “Elizabeth: The Golden Age”
Julie Christie, “Away from Her”
Jodie Foster, “The Brave One”
Angelina Jolie, “A Might Heart”
Keira Knightly, “Atonement”
(alt. Halle Berry, “Things We Lost in the Fire,” Tang Wei, “Lust, Caution”)


Best Actor (Comedy/Musical)
Steve Carrell, “Dan in Real Life”
Johnny Depp, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”
Ryan Gosling, “Lars and the Real Girl”
Tom Hanks, “Charlie Wilson’s War”
John C. Reilly, “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story”
(alt. Morgan Freeman, “The Bucket List,” Jack Nicholson, “The Bucket List”)


Best Actress (Comedy/Musical)
Amy Adams, “Enchanted”
Helena Bonham Carter, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”
Marion Cotillard, “La Vie en Rose”
Laura Linney, “The Savages”
Ellen Page, “Juno”
(alt. Nikki Blonsky, “Hairspray,” Keri Russell, “Waitress”)


Best Supporting Actor
Javier Bardem, “No Country for Old Men”
Ben Foster, “3:10 to Yuma”
Phillip Seymour Hoffman, “Charlie Wilson’s War”
John Travolta, “Hairspray”
Tom Wilkinson, “Michael Clayton”
(alt. Sacha Baron Cohen, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” Hal Holbrook, “Into the Wild”)


Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett, “I’m Not There”
Julia Roberts, “Charlie Wilson's War”
Saoirse Ronan, “Atonement”
Amy Ryan, “Gone Baby Gone”
Tilda Swinton, “Michael Clayton”
(alt. Jennifer Garner, “Juno,” Catherine Keener, “Into the Wild”)


Best Director
Tim Burton, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”
Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, “No Country for Old Men”
Sean Penn, “Into the Wild”
Julian Schnabel, “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”
Joe Wright, “Atonement”
(alt. David Cronenberg, “Eastern Promises,” Denzel Washington, “The Great Debaters”)


Best Screenplay
“Charlie Wilson’s War”
“Into the Wild”
“Juno”
“Michael Clayton”
“No Country for Old Men”
(alt. “Atonement,” “Eastern Promises”)


Best Original Score
“3:10 to Yuma”
“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”
“Atonement”
“Grace is Gone”
“Lust, Caution”
(alt. “The Golden Compass,” “Beowulf”)


Best Original Song
“Enchanted”
“Hairspray”
“Into the Wild”
“Love in the Time of Cholera”
“Once”
(alt. “Enchanted,” “Into the Wild”)


Best Animated Film
“Bee Movie”
“Beowulf”
“Ratatouille”
(alt. “Persepolis,” “The Simpsons Movie”)


Best Foreign Language Film
“4 Months, 3 Weeks and Two Days”
“The Counterfeiters”
“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”
“The Kite Runner”
“Lust, Caution”
(alt. “The Orphanage,” “Persepolis”)

12/12 Chart Update (Haha)

enchanted1.jpg


After a clearly explained experiment on Monday, and the need to clarify yesterday, I've decided to go ahead and post a genuine set of predictions today. Frankly, I think the BFCA cleared some of the air yesterday, and I don't expect the HFPA to be of any consequence tomorrow. Their picks have increasingly been their own, and good on them for that, I guess. So consider this to be next week's update, and seeing as Monday kicks off the year end wrap up columns, it's just as well.


Looking back at the BFCA's accuracy over the years, they (we? -- gotta get used to that) tend to have a 4/5 ratio down pat in most instances. 3/5 here and there and, admittedly, the group is terrible at forecasting some categories (composer and song come to mind). But, for the most part, it's a decently accurate picture painted year in and year out. The "There Will Be Blood" love-fest calmed down, "American Gangster" proved itself even more vulnerable than we might have already expected and "Into the Wild" got the boost it needed to potentially make a play for major Oscar success (which I think it will do -- the plan is spelled out for Vantage at this point).


So I'll leave it at that. Enjoy the charts, enjoy the HFPA announcement tomorrow (with Gerard's latest column soon to follow) and it'll be Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year before you know it.


I'll toss up a set of Golden Globe predictions later tonight.


Main Category Charts
Technical Category Charts

The Contenders (by category)
2007 Films-by-Studio Rundown
Oscar Predictions Archive




Previous Oscar Columns:
12/10/07 - "12/10 Chart Update"
12/03/07 - "12/3 Chart Update"
11/27/07 - "11/27 Chart Update"
11/12/07 - "11/5 Chart Update"
11/05/07 - "11/5 Chart Update"
10/29/07 - "10/29 Chart Update"
10/15/07 - "The Oil Man vs. the Demon Barber?"
10/08/07 - "Clean-up on Aisle September"
10/01/07 - "Still Anybody's Game"
09/17/07 - "Post-Toronto Update"
09/10/07 - "Notes from the Eye of a Storm"
09/03/07 - "Launching the New Season"
08/03/07 - "August Update"
07/01/07 - "The Silence is Deafening"
02/26/07 - "Forging Ahead: In Contention's Year in Advance Oscar Speculation"


2006 Predictions Archive

December 11, 2007

Clarification and BFCA

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Someone at a party last night told me people are confused about my latest round of charts and how drastically different they are from the week before. Apparently in this town, people are quicker to simply read the predictions and too lazy to read through the column more often than not. In any case, let me say again that Monday's chart update was an experiement and nowhere near my actual predictions. The weekend's critics groups had me at a loss and rather than wait another week for an update, I figured I would offer a set of predictions that reflected the weekend's events. But, as well all know, the weekend's events do not account for as much as many would like to think, so don't get your panties in a twist.


All that said, I think the BFCA's announcement today was equally boring and clarifying. Three nods for "There Will Be Blood" makes more sense than the film becoming a giant Oscar juggernaut. I think the group has the final five or Best Pic list in our top ten and I think the acting races are much clearer now as well. Full discussion of that is going on at Red Carpet District.


Anyway, I just wanted to clarify all of that regarding the charts. There'll be a major shift again next week as we get back to business as usual - predicting, not reacting. If all we did was react, we would expect things like, oh, I don't know, "Into the Wild" leading the field of the most reliable prognosticative precursor?


I'm going back to bed. Enjoy the nominations (which are listed in full after the jump).

From the BFCA webstie:


Best Picture
American Gangster
Atonement
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Into the Wild
Juno
The Kite Runner
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
Sweeney Todd
There Will Be Blood


Best Actor
George Clooney - Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp - Sweeney Todd
Ryan Gosling - Lars and the Real Girl
Emile Hirsch - Into the Wild
Viggo Mortensen - Eastern Promises


Best Actress
Amy Adams - Enchanted
Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie - La Vie en Rose
Angelina Jolie - A Mighty Heart
Ellen Page - Juno


Best Supporting Actor
Casey Affleck - The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Charlie Wilson's War
Hal Holbrook - Into the Wild
Tom Wilkinson - Michael Clayton


Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett - I'm Not There
Catherine Keener - Into the Wild
Vanessa Redgrave - Atonement
Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton - Michael Clayton


Best Acting Ensemble
Hairspray
Juno
No Country for Old Men
Sweeney Todd
Gone Baby Gone
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead


Best Director
Tim Burton - Sweeney Todd
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen - No Country for Old Men
Sidney Lumet - Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Sean Penn - Into the Wild
Julian Schnabel - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Joe Wright - Atonement


Best Writer
Diablo Cody - Juno
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen - No Country for Old Men
Tony Gilroy - Michael Clayton
Nancy Oliver - Lars and the Real Girl
Sean Penn - Into the Wild
Aaron Sorkin - Charlie Wilson's War


Best Animated Feature
Bee Movie
Beowulf
Persepolis
Ratatouille
The Simpsons Movie


Best Young Actor
Michael Cera - Juno
Michael Cera - Superbad
Freddie Highmore - August Rush
Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada - The Kite Runner
Edward Sanders - Sweeney Todd


Best Young Actress
Nikki Blonsky - Hairspray
Dakota Blue Richards - The Golden Compass
AnnaSophia Robb - Bridge to Terabithia
Saoirse Ronan - Atonement


Best Comedy Movie
Dan in Real Life
Hairspray
Juno
Knocked Up
Superbad


Best Family Film
August Rush
Enchanted
The Golden Compass
Hairspray
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix


Best Picture Made for Television
The Company
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Tin Man
The War


Best Foreign Language Film
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days
La Vie en Rose
Lust, Caution
The Orphanage


Best Song
"Come So Far", Queen Latifah, Nikki Blonsky, Zac Efron, Elijah Kelley - Hairspray
"Do You Feel Me", Anthony Hamilton - American Gangster
"Falling Slowly", Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, Jesse L. Martin and Cast - Once
"That's How You Know", Amy Adams - Enchanted


Best Composer
Marco Beltrami - 3:10 to Yuma
Alexandre Desplat - Lust, Caution
Clint Eastwood - Grace Is Gone
Jonny Greenwood - There Will Be Blood
James Horner - The New World
Dario Marianelli - Atonement
Alan Menken - Enchanted


Best Documentary
Darfur Now
In the Shadow of the Moon
The King of Kong
No End In Sight
Sharkwater
Sicko

December 10, 2007

"No Country" wins NYFCC...

Yet AGAIN we're having server issues on the Variety blog, so here I am at old faithful.


"No Country for Old Men" just grabbed FOUR awards from the New York Film Critics Circle: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor and Best Screenplay. "There Will Be Blood" picked up two, for Best Actor and Best Cinematorgaphy. And these two brutal, cold films have lept to the forefront of everyone's frontrunner lists as a result.


There's nothing else to be said of the NYFCC other than Amy Ryan is scorching the earth. It's kind of a shock that she beat out Cate Blanchett in Gotham, but there we are.


The BFCA nominees will be announced tomorrow and then we can REALLY sit up and take note, as they seem hell bent on predicting Oscar year in and year out.

Psyche! -- 12/10 Chart Update

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I was going to leave the charts alone for another week, but with the top ten column coming in seven days, I figured I'd get something out there. And what I've decided to do is let the charts reflect what the race looks like NOW, with only critics groups and the NBR having spoken (none of which vote for Oscars), prior to the NYFCC's announcement later today, the BFCA tomorrow and the HFPA on Thursday.


What I've come up with here I frankly am not happy with. There are a few things kept afloat here and there at my own prognosticative behest. There are other factors afoot, things that those given to coverage with perspective take into account. It isn't just a precursor map painted for perfect predicting, but for some reason, a lot of people out there want to think that's the case. I'm not sure where that disconnect in logic happened along the way the last few years, but it has happened regardless.


I'm in line with what David Poland said in his blog yesterday, that this year the critics will be less influential than in any other year. It's something I said way back when, that the critical consensus will marginalize itself consideraby this season, and I think that's what we're seeing. But, to steer clear of empty proclamations that I'm "attempting to affect the race," I figured I'd lay out this set of predictions this week and then take my own council in seven days' time.


Enjoy:


Main Category Charts
Technical Category Charts

The Contenders (by category)
2007 Films-by-Studio Rundown
Oscar Predictions Archive




Previous Oscar Columns:
12/03/07 - "12/3 Chart Update"
11/27/07 - "11/27 Chart Update"
11/12/07 - "11/5 Chart Update"
11/05/07 - "11/5 Chart Update"
10/29/07 - "10/29 Chart Update"
10/15/07 - "The Oil Man vs. the Demon Barber?"
10/08/07 - "Clean-up on Aisle September"
10/01/07 - "Still Anybody's Game"
09/17/07 - "Post-Toronto Update"
09/10/07 - "Notes from the Eye of a Storm"
09/03/07 - "Launching the New Season"
08/03/07 - "August Update"
07/01/07 - "The Silence is Deafening"
02/26/07 - "Forging Ahead: In Contention's Year in Advance Oscar Speculation"


2006 Predictions Archive

December 09, 2007

Mark Isham and Dario Marianelli: The "Tech Support" Interview

lions1.jpg


Film musicians have given the cinema some of its most memorable achievements. There are the booming themes of John Williams, which make the “Indiana Jones” and “Star Wars” series instantly recognizable. There’s the pitch-perfect suspense of Bernard Herrmann on Hitchcock efforts such as “Vertigo” and “Psycho.” And there are the haunting contributions of Nino Rota on classics such as “8½” and “The Godfather.” I could go on forever.


I recently had a chance to speak to two composers who have contributed greatly to the world of film music in 2007: Mark Isham and Dario Marianelli.


CONTINUE READING "TECH SUPPORT"

I'm not even TOUCHING the Oscar charts tomorrow...

willbeblood10.jpg


Sorry. I think I need to sit back and watch what happens this week rather than update in the midst of chaos tomorrow. The LAFCA's decision to go head-over-heels for "There WIll Be Blood" and completely ignore "No Country for Old Men" has muddied the waters to no end. But stick around later tonight for Gerard's latest "Tech Support" column. THAT I can do.

Inevitable...(updated with LAFCA reactions)

EDITED (3:21 p.m.): Well the LAFCA just put a big damper on the expected critics awards overhaul for "No Country for Old Men." The Coen brothers film was snubbed everywhere, while Paul Thomas Anderson's "There Will be Blood" grabbed four -- FOUR wins. And the film nearly swept the whole damn thing, with three runner-up mentions. That's one hell of a show of solidarity, and gets me thinking -- could the Academy get behind this brutal, brutal film after all?


Anyway, Red Carpet District is still struggling to load. Lots of hits on the server, and ditto the AWard Central page. Sorry for the delays.


Earlier: This is the time of year when Oscar websites crash constantly due to consistent reloads. Sasha Stone is having trouble at Awards Daily. Hell, even the Variety blog is struggling. Today's announcements of the Boston and LA Film Critics's awards are triggering the overload today, and the only reason things haven't collapsed over here yet is because I'm not running the update-them-as-they-come game at IC this season.


In any case, The Envelope has the scoop on incoming LAFCA winners, and the Boston critics were kind enough to update their page as voting happened earlier today.


More to come...

December 07, 2007

Couple of things...

1) Gerard's latest "Tech Support" column will hit this weekend, an interview piece with compsers Dario Marianelli and Mark Isham.


2) With the massive amount of critics awards announcements coming this week, I've decided to hold the top 10/end of the year column until next Monday, Dec. 17. I have it ready to go now, but I'd prefer it not be buried underneath the week's activity.

Legendary Misstep

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Now that I see Variety's Todd McCarthy has offered up a review of WB's "I Am Legend," I'll go ahead and toss in my two cents -- it's a steaming pile of garbage.


I try not to be that forceful when I offer a negative opinion of a film, but the screenwriters raped and pillaged...creatively sodomized Richard Matheson's seminal work of science fiction. They clearly didn't understand the title, for starters, and director Francis Lawrence (who has good ideas as a director, I feel, even in the awful "Constantine") for some reason saw it fit to turn the "infected" into half-aborted Incredible Hulks running around like unrendereed visual effects prototypes. Simply awful.


The borderline laughable insistence on threading some Bob Marley logic into the thing, fit with "Three Little Birds" hitting the soundtrack ten times too many, kind of pales in comparison next to the fact that, of all the versions of this book the studio could have done, they ACTUALLY cooked up something worse than both "The Last Man on Earth" and "The Omega Man." Stunning.


I don't even have the energy to dissect this thing, but I will say that, while there was an opportunity to do something really special here, Will Smith still has a couple of good moments here and there. It's difficult to carry a film like this by yourself, and I think only a few actors in the business could have done it.

December 05, 2007

NBR Winners Announced...

The scoop is over at Red Carpet District.


Crazy year.


As for predictions, it looks like I nailed six of the top ten films and correctly guessed the breakthrough, documentary, animated feature and original screenplay categories. Probably one of my better years, frankly, because this group is impossible to pin down.


Also, it looks like Aguirre was off the money with that "Kite Runner" prediction, but he was right on acting love for "Jesse James" and documentary potential for "Body of War."

December 03, 2007

12/3 Chart Update

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As we update the charts once more before the National Board of Review kicks off the precursor circuit in earnest, we raise as many questions this week as we answer.


Some still think "Sweeney Todd" has a Best Picture shot. I do not, but I'm not foolish enough to take it out of the top ten until more opinions begin to filter in. The HFPA are fans (and will nominate it), but it lacked the certain something it needed to have for AMPAS Best Picture placement -- in my humble opinion, of course.


"Charlie Wilson's War" still has its sights set on a nod, despite comedy/musical placement at the globes (a designation some behind closed doors are quite happy about). Ad buys are all over the place across the net (if you pulled up Red Carpet District over the weekend, you were probably met with a martini glass with an American flag stuck in the olive). Some think it can fight it's way in, but then you have four comedies duking it out for what is typically one slot ("Hairspray" and "juno" being the other two).


I'm predicting "The Kite Runner" for a nod in the top five, and feeling better and better about it, actually. But you'll surely take note of the only other predicted category being Best Director. I know. But I can't really feel out the other areas for the film just yet, so for now, I'm leaving it wide open (I'll try to give the film another look this week with fresher eyes). We'll know a little more in the coming weeks, but in the acting races, the challenge for the studio will be getting voters to stop saying "I love the guy that played Baba" and start saying "Homayon Ershadi was great as Baba." They have to fill the guy's name in on the ballot, after all.

sweeneyedit.jpg


The (perceived) slippage of "Charlie Wilson's War" and "Sweeney Todd" is the best news of the year for films like "Into the Wild," "No Country for Old Men" (still not guaranteed, no matter what how badly the media wants it), "Michael Clayton" and even "Hairspray," all still hoping for a slice of the Best Picture pie. A collective sigh could be heard across town from publicists rooting for those two to fail, but the funny news is, they haven't really failed. They've just come in just under expectations, and now the perspective shifts and we'll see how they play through the last month of the year.


Two final notes before we get to the charts:


1) You'll notice in the sidebar that I've updated the documentary feature and foreign language film category predictions. These categories do not have charts but will be updated in the sidebar every week just the same.


2) Believe it or not, it's that time of year. So a week from today, Monday, December 10, I'll beegin wrapping up the year here at In Contention with the top ten list (coming a week earlier than last year, believe it or not). Wednesday, per tradition, I'll offer up a personal Oscar ballot, and Friday we'll conclude everything with a list of personal winners/awards for the year. Can't believe it's already here.


Now, the charts:


Main Category Charts
Technical Category Charts


The Contenders (by category)
2007 Films-by-Studio Rundown
Oscar Predictions Archive




Previous Oscar Columns:
11/27/07 - "11/5 Chart Update"
11/12/07 - "11/5 Chart Update"
11/05/07 - "11/5 Chart Update"
10/29/07 - "10/29 Chart Update"
10/15/07 - "The Oil Man vs. the Demon Barber?"
10/08/07 - "Clean-up on Aisle September"
10/01/07 - "Still Anybody's Game"
09/17/07 - "Post-Toronto Update"
09/10/07 - "Notes from the Eye of a Storm"
09/03/07 - "Launching the New Season"
08/03/07 - "August Update"
07/01/07 - "The Silence is Deafening"
02/26/07 - "Forging Ahead: In Contention's Year in Advance Oscar Speculation"


2006 Predictions Archive

December 02, 2007

Predicting the NBR

wild2.jpg


EDITED: Final predictions were altered slightly in the run-up to the announcement. We'll see how I do.


Already???


Well, let's give it a whirl:


Best Picture
"Into the Wild"


Top 10 Films of the Year
"Atonement"
"Before the Devil Knows You're Dead"
"In the Valley of Elah"
"Into the Wild"
"The Kite Runner"
"Juno"
"Lust, Caution"
"Michael Clayton"
"No Country for Old Men"
"The Savages"


Best Actor
Phillip Seymour Hoffman, "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead," "The Savages"


Best Actress
Amy Adams, "Enchanted"


(more predictions after the jump)

Best Supporting Actor
Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men"


Best Supporting Actress
Catherine Keener, "Into the Wild"


Best Director
Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, "No Country for Old Men"


Best Breakthrough Actor
Emile Hirsch, "Into the Wild"


Best Breakthrough Actress
Ellen Page, "Juno"


Best Adapted Screenplay
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"


Best Original Screenplay
"Juno"


Best Debut Director
Tony Gilroy, "Michael Clayton"


Best Documentary
"Body of War"


Best Foreign Language Film
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"


Best Acting by an Ensemble
"The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"


Best Animated Feature
"Ratatouille"

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2008 Year in Advance Predictions


UPDATED: 2/25/2008





Main Charts | Tech Charts



[Motion Picture]

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

“Doubt”

“Frost/Nixon”

“Revolutionary Road”

“The Soloist”



[Directing]

David Fincher
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

Ron Howard
“Frost/Nixon”

Gus Van Sant
“Milk”

Sam Mendes
“Revolutionary Road”

Joe Wright
“The Soloist”



[Actor in a Leading Role]

Benicio Del Toro
“The Argentine”

Jamie Foxx
“The Soloist”

Frank Langella
“Frost/Nixon”

Sean Penn
“Milk”

Brad Pitt
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”



[Actress in a Leading Role]

Vera Farmiga
“Nothing But the Truth”

Angelina Jolie
“Changeling”

Julianne Moore
“Blindness”

Meryl Streep
“Doubt”

Kate Winslet
“Revolutionary Road”



[Actor in a Supporting Role]

Josh Brolin
“Milk”

Russell Crowe
“Body of Lies”

Robert Downey, Jr.
“The Soloist”

Heath Ledger
“The Dark Knight”

Michael Sheen
“Frost/Nixon”



[Actress in a Supporting Role]

Amy Adams
“Doubt”

Kathy Bates
“Revolutionary Road”

Cate Blanchett
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

Catherine Keener
“The Soloist”

Carice van Houten
“Body of Lies”



[Writing, Adapted Screenplay]

“Body of Lies”

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

“Doubt”

“Frost/Nixon”

“Revolutionary Road”



[Writing, Original Screenplay]

“Changeling”

“Hamlet 2”

“Milk”

“The Soloist”

“WALL·E”



[Art Direction]

“Australia”

“Defiance”

“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom
of the Crystal Skull”

“Red Cliff”

“Revolutionary Road”



[Cinematography]

“Australia”

“The Dark Knight”

“Defiance”

“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom
of the Crystal Skull”

“Revolutionary Road”



[Costume Design]

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

“Doubt”

“The Other Boleyn Girl”

“Red Cliff”

“Revolutionary Road”



[Film Editing]

“Body of Lies”

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

“Defiance”

“Frost/Nixon”

“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom
of the Crystal Skull”



[Makeup]

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

“The Dark Knight”

“Red Cliff”



[Music, Original Score]

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom
of the Crystal Skull”

“The Soloist”

“Revolutionary Road”

“WALL·E”



[Music, Original Song]

coming soon



[Sound Editing]

“Defiance”

“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom
of the Crystal Skull”

“Iron Man”

“Speed Racer”

“WALL·E”



[Sound Mixing]

“Defiance”

“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom
of the Crystal Skull”

“Cloverfield”

“The Chronicles of Narnia:
Prince Caspian”

“WALL·E”



[Visual Effects]

“The Chronicles of Narnia:
Prince Caspian”

“The Incredible Hulk”

“Iron Man”



[Animated Feature Film]

“9”

“Kung Fu Panda”

“WALL·E”



[Foreign Language Film]

coming soon



[Documentary, Features]

coming soon



[Documentary, Short Subjects]

coming soon



[Short Film, Animated]

coming soon



[Short Film, Live Action]

coming soon