• Jeffrey Wells posts a reader review of James L. Brooks’s “How Do You Know” that claims Paul Rudd is a sure-fire Best Supporting Actor nominee, but I’d expect a lead campaign for him and buzz for Jack Nicholson in support. [Hollywood Elsewhere]
• Steve Rose on the secret of the Winkelvi from David Fincher’s “The Social Network.” [The Guardian]
• Roger Ebert still high on “Secretariat,” sits down with the source material’s author, Bill Nack. [Chicago Sun-Times]
• David Poland talks with “Another Year” director Mike Leigh. [The Hot Blog]
• Patrick Goldstein on “Hereafter” and “Jackass 3D”‘s shared Metacritic score of 53. [The Big Picture]
• Pete Hammond pays lip service to a howler of a notion: “‘Alice in Wonderland’ made over a billion dollars, so it deserves a Best Picture nomination!” [Deadline]
• Is Mel Gibson going to make his comeback in a cameo spot in “The Hangover 2?” [New York Post]
[Photo: Columbia Pictures]
Comments
11 responses to “10/18 OSCARWEB ROUND-UP: Buzz for Rudd, Ebert chats up ‘Secretariat’ author, ‘Alice in Wonderland’ push for Best Pic”
I have been wondering if How Do You Know could be a player no one is predicting, after all three of the five previous Brooks films were nominated for best picture. And if it gets good reviews/box office (doesn’t have to be overwhelming acclaim IMO, maybe a high 60s or low 70s on metacritic) and Globes support, it seem like it could fill in as a safer, middlebrow choice in one of the last few slots.
My guess is Disney will just put a token Best Picture FYC on some of the Alice ads to appease the big names behind the film. I believe the campaign’s true goal will be to score a bunch of tech noms.
“Terms of Endearment” aside (since it’s not based on an original Brooks script), in what way have the other nominated BP films form James L. Brooks been “middlebrow”, or heck, even safe?
I, for one, would pay good money too see more “middlebrow” films like “As Good As It Gets” or “Broadcast News”. And even if they are not the most envelop pushing films ever made there is a difference between his films and stuff like “Blind Side” (and, dare I say it, “An Education”). I mean, give the man some credit. As his work on the Simpsons showed, he is more than capable of being subversive.
And I did find Spanglish perfectly compelling until the awful last five or some minutes. “How Do You Know” is, actually, very high on my list of the year’s most anticipated releases. BP nod or not.
Hey, the first Hangover worked for Mike Tyson, so why not?
Paul Rudd has always been a favorite of mine and would love to see him get some Oscar buzz. As good as it gets was a great movie and I would welcome other movies like that instead of the crap that gets put out there on a regular basis. http://onegeeksvoice.blogspot.com
Paul Rudd is one of the most likable actors in film. He just needs great material to display his acting chops. Rudd comes from a strong theatre background, so he can step up to the actor’s plate.
Gotta admit, this movie has completely fallen off my radar. Maybe it’s the generic title.. But then again, there’s still no trailer, no poster (as far as I know) and it’s mid-October. If it’s coming out this year they better get to it.
2 seconds after writing that I realized there is a trailer for How Do You Know. Ouch, I guess that title really was rather forgettable.
Looks good, but not really Oscar-y even if I have faith that a Brooks film will have more value and weight than most films of this kind.
I don’t know if this needs to be said, but if Alice in Wonderland is nominated for Best Picture, the Academy will lose all credibility.
I agree with Ben, I Think the reason why Disney will push Alice in Wonderland for Best Picture is because it’s a strategy to gain the most Tech noms it can get… Though I think it wasn’t that bad… I was entertained but not a BP contender..
Since I saw the trailer I’ve been hoping for news like this. Paul Rudd for Best Actor.
The problem facing “How Do You Know” is that is stars actual comedic actors.