In Contention

Category: Daily

  • SANTA BARBARA: Directors on directing, Virtuosos, ‘Provinces of Night,’ Bigelow

    Jamie Lee Curtis in Blue SteelThe fest feels incredibly easy-going this year.  More than last.  Maybe that’s because there aren’t as many films I’m interested in seeing.  After “The Secret of Kells” last week and Atom Egoyan’s “Chloe” later this week, nothing really strikes my fancy.

    Yesterday before darting back down the 101 for a Super Bowl party in LA, I caught about an hour or so of the directors panel, “Directors on Directing.”  It was an engaging discussion between Kathryn Bigelow, James Cameron, Lee Daniels, Pete Docter, Todd Phillips and Quentin Tarantino, and absolutely packed house.  Jason Reitman couldn’t make it.

    The most interesting bit that I saw was Tarantino discussing the immersive experience of “Avatar,” how when filming “Kill Bill,” he was very interested in the experience of a movie and making the audience feel participatory in some way.  He said he thinks he failed to do that, though some sequences, namely the House of Blue Leaves sequence, were close, but when he saw “Avatar,” he said, “That’s it.  That’s the ride I was thinking about.”

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  • No Oscar column today

    I’m bogged down in Santa Barbara and have nothing to add at the moment, frankly, so the column will have to wait until next week.  In the meantime, keep checking out the Oscar Guide specials and having your say in our category polls.

  • ‘Fish Tank’ tops at Evening Standard awards

    Katie Jarvis in Fish TankVoted on by a handful of London critics (including IC friend Tim Robey), the Evening Standard Film Awards aren’t the glitiziest of honors, but they always make admirably singular choices. Celebrating the best in British film and talent, they often highlight names and titles below the radar of even the British Independent Film Awards.

    As if that wasn’t commendable enough, they earned the distinction last year of being the sole awards body to give Tilda Swinton a Best Actress award for “Julia.”

    At tonight’s ceremony, meanwhile, they continued to earn my goodwill as their top prize went to Andrea Arnold’s “Fish Tank,” beating Jane Campion’s “Bright Star” in the process.

    In something of an upset, Carey Mulligan lost Best Actress to “Nowhere Boy” star Anne-Marie Duff, while BAFTA nominee Andy Serkis took Best Actor for the Ian Dury biopic “Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll.” The night’s winners also included two Oscar contenders: the screenwriting team behind “In the Loop,” and Barry Ackroyd for “The Hurt Locker.” Full list of winners and nominees after the cut.

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  • All about Bridges

    Jeff Bridges in StarmanI was happy to contribute this top 10 list of Jeff Bridges performances to Fandango’s Awards Watch section.  Those who follow me on Twitter may have noticed many a Tweet aboutt his Bridges film or that over the last few weeks, and that’s because I’ve been burying myself in his work once more while preparing for the piece.

    My number one will never budge, but my number two and three are at times interchangeable.  But they’re all great, pitch-perfect performances.  Along the way, I realized what I kind of always knew.  You can always count on him to deliver, whatever the material might be.

    Also, across the pond, The Times of London catches up with the actor (actually, they caught up with him in Santa Monica, but you get the picture).  It’s a great observation of the man and opens with a humorous account of a “celebrity-etiquette Mexican standoff” regarding an undelivered birthday party invite.  Good stuff.

    More on Bridges and his fellow lead actor nominees in Wednesday’s edition of the Oscar Guide.  Meanwhile, spinning off my Fandango list, feel free to chime in with your list of favorite Bridges performances.

  • OSCAR GUIDE: Best Animated Feature Film

    The Secret of KellsThis year’s Best Animated Feature Film race featured five nominees for just the second time in the category’s existence.  It was the result of a robust slate of qualifying contenders that reached the magic number of 16, and yet there was still quality work left lying in the also-rans pile.

    There was a wide open fifth slot throughout most of the season as a generally agreed-upon four slowly coagulated.  Come nomination morning, the field therefore offered one of the many exciting surprises as a foreign independent project from a first-time filmmaker one-upped films both critically (“Ponyo”) and commercially (“Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”) successful.

    The nominees are:

    “Coraline” (Henry Selick)
    “Fantastic Mr. Fox” (Wes Anderson)
    “The Princess and the Frog” (John Musker and Ron Clements)
    “The Secret of Kells” (Tomm Moore)
    “Up” (Pete Docter)

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  • Gleiberman’s mea culpa

    Ralph Fiennes in The Hurt LockerA few weeks ago we directed you to an Owen Gleiberman piece focusing on the perceived Best Picture battle of “Avatar” vs. “Up in the Air,” that it was a battle of film culture significance.  Obviously, as Gleiberman notes in his recent “my bad” post, that doesn’t appear to be the race anymore, and I’m as guilty for boiling it down at that time as anyone.

    If one is still inclined to boil things down to a “race,” then it appears more likely that it is “The Hurt Locker” and “Avatar,” and as I noted following the former’s PGA victory, that makes for an incredibly compelling clash of filmmaking values.

    “It’s low budget, efficient, muscular independent filmmaking versus blockbuster, groundbreaking, high octane studio entertainment,” I wrote at the time.  “It’s level-headed political realism versus archetypal political grandstanding.  It’s character versus idea.  It’s measured theatrical meditation versus visceral theatrical experience.”  And Gleiberman is now saying virtually the same thing.

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  • Running out of things to print?

    I’m sorry, but this excuse for journalism at the New York Times is embarrassingly thin and, in my opinion, incredibly irresponsible.  What are you going on, family disputes?  Where’s the beef?  Who the heck thought this was a story when there isn’t an ounce of actual news to be found?  Is the Gray Lady in the business of rumor mongering and hearsay?  Sad.

  • 2/8 Oscarweb Round-up

    Maggie Gyllenhaal at the Los Angeles premiere of Crazy Heart• Sandra Bullock says she’s “so not winning an Oscar.”  Alright, Sandie, enough of the modesty.  The writing is on the wall. [People]

    • Rosanna Greenstreet sits down with Oscar nominee Maggie Gyllenhaal. [The Guardian]

    • Soldiers reaction to “The Hurt Locker” and it’s awards success. [New York Times]

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  • Julian Fellowes on the rise of Carey Mulligan

    Carey MulliganRemember when Oscar pundits were calling this year’s Best Actress race a coin-toss between Carey Mulligan and Meryl Streep? It was a dispiritingly long time ago. With the unexpected explosion of “The Blind Side” arose an industry narrative about the unprecedented box-office muscle of middle-aged female stars, and awards season adjusted accordingly — making this one of the rare Oscars years where ingenues find themselves on the outside looking in.

    Not that Mulligan has too much to be upset about: an Oscar nod for one’s first leading role is nothing to sneeze at, and with prominent and/or prestige projects like “Never Let Me Go” and  “Wall Street 2” on her 2010 slate, the “next big thing” talk can continue unabated. (And without the pressure that accompanies an Oscar win, at that.)

    The latest contributor to this conversation is Oscar-winning screenwriter Julian Fellowes (“Gosford Park”), who cheers the actress’s Oscar nomination with a rather touching personal tribute in the Daily Telegraph. (If the near-miss of Emily Blunt for the Fellowes-scripted “The Young Victoria” dampened his mood, he doesn’t mention it.)

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  • Taking it to church

    Quinton Aaron and Sandra Bullock in The Blind SideIn the wake of last week’s semi-surprise Best Picture nomination, the New York Times has rather an interesting piece on the sly marketing strategies that propelled “The Blind Side” to phenomenon status in the first place — tactics a Hollywood marketing consultant likens to “the regional marketings approach of the 50s, 60s and 70s.”

    What I hadn’t realized is that, though the film was distributed by Warners, the film’s original production company, Alcon, maintained control over its marketing. (That Warners’ own similarly-themed Oscar baby, “Invictus,” was snubbed in favor of the same studio’s stepchild is a delicious irony.)

    The strategy therefore began as early as the casting stage. Country music superstar Tim McGraw was brought in for added appeal to Southern audiences, but more canny was the casting of several well-known college football coaches:

    Just like an old-fashioned publicity stunt, their presence helped “The Blind Side” connect with a male, sports-oriented audience that was roped in through blog reports and by screenings for college sports fans, some of them organized by the coaches themselves.

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  • ‘Up’ triumphs at Annie Awards

    UpLast year, the industry-voted Annie Awards appeared to have entered a peculiar grudge match with Pixar Studios, as eventual Oscar-winner “WALL-E” came away empty-handed, while “Kung Fu Panda” swept the board.

    Whether that curious outcome was the result of peer envy or professional preference, the Annies appear to be back on board with Pixar, as “Up” took Best Feature and Best Director honors at last night’s ceremony. (Ironic, given that in this banner year for animation, a deviation from the expected would have been arguably better-received than last year’s shocker.)

    Still, the Annie voters spread the wealth, with “Coraline” and “The Princess and the Frog” dominating the technical categories. Interestingly, “Coraline” composer Bruno Coulais beat out Oscar frontrunner Michael Giacchino — nice to see that undervalued score getting a moment in the sun.

    Finally, the many devotees of “Fantastic Mr. Fox” will be comforted that it took writing honors for Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach. Full list of feature winners after the cut.

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  • SANTA BARBARA: Cameron honored as Modern Master

    (from left) James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger at the 25th annual Santa Barbara International Film FestivalEarlier today Jeffrey Wells was waxing on about how Santa Barbara ought to change up the order of things, the natural flow of a given tribute.  Well, tonight he got his wish.

    The evening’s Modern Master tribute in honor of “Avatar” director James Cameron — the festival’s highest honor — began on the wrong foot.  Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was set to present the award to his friend and three-time collaborator, but given the obviously tight schedule of a public official, his bit was going to land during the middle of the two-hour presentation.

    That information was somehow lost in translation to Cameron, who thought he was being told the actual award acceptance would happen at the beginning of the tribute, so rather than strolling over to moderator Leonard Maltin and sitting down for the usual kiss-kiss, he stopped at the podium and began speaking.

    Uh-oh.

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  • ‘Up in the Air’ wins the Scripter

    Cover of Up in the AirI’m currently sitting in the back of the Arlington Theatre in Santa Barbara for James Cameron’s Modern Master tribute and word has trickled in that Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner and Walter Kirn have won the USC Scripter prize for “Up in the Air.”

    This was obviously somewhat anticipated and the WGA and Oscars will likely follow suit, but for now, a great moment for all involved as Kirn gets his moment in the circuit’s sun. The Scripters, of course, celebrate both the screenwriters of adapted screenplays and the authors of the source material that spawned them.

    Reitman and fellow Scripter nominee Geoffrey Fletcher were here in Santa Barbara this morning for a writers panel. Reitman will be coming right back tomorrow for the directors panel after heading down to LA to accept his award this evening.

    There’s no rest for the wicked during the season.

  • SANTA BARBARA: ‘Kells’ screens and the writers talk

    The Secret of KellsIt’s been a slow ramping up for me in Santa Barbara, coverage wise.  I’ve had some Wi-Fi difficulties that are being sorted and I’ve posted when I can from where I can, but a couple of notes on the last two days.

    Yesterday I took in a late afternoon screening of Tomm Moore’s “The Secret of Kells,” the film that probably served up the biggest surprise last Tuesday when it slid into the animated feature field over the populist, branch-respected “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” and the less-respected “Ponyo,” which nevertheless comes from a titan of the medium.

    The film is beautiful in so many ways, offering a rich, artistic palette of shapes and color to paint a portrait of a well-circulated Irish story revolving around the non-fictional Book of Kells.  The artwork ultimately mirrors, in some way, the Insular art featured in the book, and the narrative itself, abstract as it feels at times, seems to be about the persistence of art and history.

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  • S&S slams awards “xenophobia”

    Niels Arestrup in A ProphetBeing a fairly highbrow cineastes’ mag, Sight & Sound tends to keep a safe distance from awards season — which is probably just as well, if Nick James’s grim-faced editorial on the subject is anything to go by.

    Like many British journalists, James’s analysis of the Oscar race is a little wobbly: he states that “Avatar” is a certainty to win Best Picture based on its Golden Globe success, but makes no mention of the Guild awards. More vexing, however, is his airy dismissal of this year’s cinematic crop: claiming that 2009 was “the weakest year for American cinema since the 1980s,” and that “in terms of quality US films last year, “The Hurt Locker,” “Up in the Air,” “Precious,” “Inglourious Basterds” and “Up” are literally all there is.” (He then goes on to pick holes of most of those films anyway.)

    And I thought I was negative about this year’s race. Sure, I have problems with at least half this year’s Best Picture nominees, but neither am I claiming that the category contains all the standout American films of 2009.

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  • SANTA BARBARA: Bullock receives the American Riviera Award

    Sandra Bullock at the 25th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival“It” girl of the year, Sandra Bullock, was feted here in Santa Barbara last night.  The two-hour celebration of her career, a Q&A moderated by Pete Hammond with clips of her work thrown in here and there, was, to be perfectly honest, one of the better tributes I’ve seen, culminating with Forest Whitaker’s presentation of the American Riviera Award to the actress.

    The award is given to an actor or actress who has made an indelible mark on American cinema, and regardless of the prescience of festival director Roger Durling’s choice (the invitation was extended back in September, before anyone would have dreamed Bullock would be the frontrunner to win the Best Actress Oscar), it’s an undeniable pick given Bullock’s status in the industry.

    Hammond began his introduction by noting the annual Quigley poll, which charts the success of movie stars and “is usually dominated by male actors,” he said.  “Johnny Depp, Matt Damon, George Clooney, Robert Downey Jr.,” he said.  “But guess who’s at the top?”

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  • WEEKLY WRAP: Oscar nomination week

    Anne Hathaway and Tom Sherak announcing the 2009 Academy Award nominations• Did you hear? The 2009 Academy Award nominations were announced. “The Hurt Locker” and “Avatar” led the pack.

    • Days before, Kathryn Bigelow nabbed the Directors’ Guild Award — the first woman ever to do so.

    • Back to the Oscars, we collected reaction statements from 44 of this year’s nominees.

    • I rounded up some of the most pleasant surprises in the nominations, as well as the most unwelcome snubs.

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  • On the preferential voting system

    As Steve Pond says in his round-up of Oscar news and notes today, he is most certainly guilty of “over-considering preferential voting.”  And frankly, someone has to be, because as I mentioned yesterday, this new system could most cetainly shake the perceived two-horse race up something fierce.

    Pond has offered his expertise on the matter to USA Today, which has put together a very helpful animated graph that shows a possible scenario (using phantom nominees, mind you).  It demands your attention.

    Courtesy: USA Today