In Contention

Category: Daily

  • Freeman’s Mandela “less impersonation than incarnation”

    Morgan Freeman in InvictusIt goes without saying that New York Times executive editor Bill Keller has a more informed perspective on Nelson Mandela than most of the critics currently assessing Clint Eastwood’s “Invictus.” Keller was, after all, the NYT’s Johannesburg bureau chief in the time that Mandela came to power.

    So it’s interesting — if not particularly meaningful — that he, of all people, is thoroughly persuaded by Morgan Freeman’s portrayal of the former South African president, gushing in a profile of the film that Freeman’s work is “uncanny — less an impersonation than an incarnation.”

    Keller acknowledges, as have several critics, that Freeman hasn’t mastered specifics such as the accent (he rather diplomatically says that Mendela’s voice is “less about accent than cadence”), but excuses this on the grounds that Freeman has more abstractly captured Mandela’s spirit.

    (more…)

  • Grammy nods for ‘Basterds,’ Giacchino… and Steve Martin

    UpI’m always interested to see what cinematic musical achievements the Grammy Awards single out for recognition each year, largely because their pop sensibilities are so different (and their eligibility criteria so much looser) from those of the Oscars that they may as well exist on different planets.

    Last year, for example, they selected “The Dark Knight” as the year’s best score, though it didn’t manage a nomination from the Academy. A similar shaming shows up this year, as the Grammys show the respect for Bruce Springsteen’s “The Wrestler” theme that the Academy’s music branch did not.

    An earlier cut-off date means a few late-2008 titles show up here, including “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Milk,” “Slumdog Millionaire” and “Cadillac Records” — a song from the latter counting for one of Beyonce’s field-leading 10 nominations, incidentally. (I won’t even say anything about the non film-related categories.)

    (more…)

  • Obligatory “guess the NBR” post

    I don’t really have the energy to predict this thing another year.  I mean, we can all take a million different stabs at the top 10, take a gander at the actors who have multiple roles, which the NBR likes to recognize (I mean seriously, who ISN’T going to pick Stanley Tucci for supporting actor), make the requisite calls in favor of the obvious “breakthrough” possibilities, etc., etc.  If I had to pick a Best Picture winner, I guess I’d lean toward “Precious” or “The Hurt Locker,” but seriously…whatever.

    Some of you would probably like some space to predict, however, so consider this your opportunity.  Thoughts on tomorrow’s announcement?

  • Do the Coens have their eyes set on a singing cowboy?

    singing cowboyA few hours ago I sat down with T Bone Burnett and Ryan Bingham to talk about the songs from “Crazy Heart.” I’ll be cooking up that piece as the introductory installment of our Tech Support interview series with below-the-line and craft personnel tomorrow, but Burnett mentioned something that totally caught my attention about a potential Coen brothers film..

    Of course, the Coens have had a number of projects stall out over the years, or more to the point, they’ve managed to leave some things on the back burner.  Everyone is still waiting for stuff like “To the White Sea” and “Hail Caesar,” after all.  But Burnett told me that it was actually the Coens who told him about Ryan Bingham, the singer/co-writer of “The Weary Kind,” who they were exposed to while filming “No Country for Old Men” in Marfa, Texas a few years back.

    “One of the things they have on the horizon includes a singing cowboy and they were thinking Ryan Bingham would be good,” Burnett said.

    (more…)

  • Ones to watch at Sundance 2010… maybe

    Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling in Blue ValentineI always get a curious thrill from looking down the list of films selected to compete at the Sundance Film Festival — the 2010 batch of which has just been announced by festival directors John Cooper and Trevor Grath.

    You know there are at least one or two titles there that we’ll all be talking about in precisely one year’s time, just as “Precious,” “An Education” and “The Cove” have blossomed from festival darlings to surefire awards contenders in the space of 11 months. What’s far harder to tell is which of the 58 titles listed here might be “the one.”

    Still, last year I played something of a guessing game with the lineup, singling out one film from each of the competition’s four strands that seemed of particular interest to me: my faith in “An Education” was, obviously, handsomely repaid, while “Big Fan” (a winner at this week’s Gotham Awards), “Afghan Star” (the UK’s foreign Oscar entry) and Doors documentary “When You’re Strange” have done respectably for themselves.

    OK, I missed “Precious” — so as far as that particular game goes, I’m going to quit while I’m behind. Still, what follows is a selection of ten titles that I’m keeping an eye on.

    (more…)

  • Sight & Sound names ‘A Prophet’ best of 2009

    (left to right) Adel Bencherif and Tahar Rahim in A ProphetNo annual Top 10 list carries more weight with me than that compiled by Sight & Sound, the UK’s premier film magazine. One of the most thorough and prestigious collectives out there, it’s collated from the individual lists of over 60 international critics, including the likes of Kenneth Turan, Mark Kermode, Amy Taubin, Armond White and IC friend Tim Robey.

    The S&S list usually chimes in quite neatly with my own personal taste: last year’s edition (topped by Steve McQueen’s “Hunger”) featured six titles that ultimately landed on my own end-of-year rundown. This year’s is no different: regular readers will recognize a number of titles that I’ve been banging on about all year, including a most gratifying double-dip for the great Claire Denis. (Where was all this support for “White Material” when I needed it in Venice?)

    All in all, it’s a pretty impeccable selection of films, one that gives the lie to those saying 2009 is a weak year. I’d like to see the Academy even try to put together a Top Ten as strong as this…

    (more…)

  • A.O. and ‘Aguirre’

    This installment of New York Times critic A.O. Scott’s Critics’ Picks landed last week sometime, but I just now stumbled across an embed.  “Aguirre, the Wrath of God” has a firm place in my top 15 films of all time, so it goes without saying, I was interested.  I thought I’d pass along:

  • Listen to Overtone’s ‘Colorblind’ from ‘Invictus’

    Clint Eastwood and Matt Damon with OvertoneOn Wednesday we featured the original song “9,000 Days” from Clint Eastwood’s “Invictus” from South African boy band Overtone (featuring vocalist Yollandi Nortjie).  Today we’re happy to bring you the second track, “Colorblind.”

    Overtone was reportedly “talent-scouted” by Eastwood’s wife Dina when she attended the group’s tribute to Freddy Mercury.  Eastwood dug the melodies and asked for a few demos to be used in the film.  So on one hand, it’s nice that he’s giving a leg up to an up-and-coming group.

    The song is used in the film, quite suddenly, as the background music for a dramatic helicopter entrance by Morgan Freeman’s Nelson Mandela.  I say suddenly because the cue quite literally seems to come from nowhere and the scene would probably be better served without it.

    And that’s before we get to the song’s obvious downfall: lyrics and melody.  It sounds like some soft pop, radio-exhausted ballad, but the words hit everything so square on the nose that it’s almost embarrassing.  But that’s just my opinion.  Have a listen below and give us your thoughts.

    [audio:http://www.incontention.com/audio/colorblind.mp3]

  • 12/2 Oscarweb Round-up

    Paul McCartney• Edna Gundersen talks to Sir Paul McCartney about his musical addition to Kirk Jones’s “Everybody’s Fine.” [USA Today]

    • In praise of the opening sequence of Michael Mann’s “Ali.” [The Auteurs Notebook]

    • Pete Hammond reports from Monday night’s premiere of “Up in the Air.” [Notes on a Season]

    (more…)

  • Norman Jewison to receive career award from DGA

    Norman JewisonWow, what’s with all the big announcements today? Space yourselves out, folks.

    Anyway, this is one bit of news I’m very happy to pass on. 83 year-old filmmaker and producer Norman Jewison has been named the next recipient of the Directors Guild of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He will accept the honor at the DGA’s awards ceremony on 30 January.

    Jewison is the kind of artist for whom career achievement awards were invented — accomplished, versatile and hard-working across five decades in cinema, he’s rarely had the spotlight to himself. This despite having directed a Best Picture Oscar winner (“In the Heat of the Night,” 1967) and having amassed a career total of seven Oscar nods for such films as “Moonstruck,” “A Soldier’s Story,” “Fiddler on the Roof” and “The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming.”

    The Academy paid their respects to Jewison in 1999, with an Irving G. Thalberg Award, so the DGA (who have nominated him thrice themselves) is playing catch-up here. Nice to see. Press release excerpt after the cut.

    (more…)

  • ‘Coraline’ leads the field of Annie nominees

    Coraline“Coraline” and “Up” both received nominations in eight categories.  “The Princess and the Frog” showed up in five while “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” showed up in four.

    “Fantastic Mr. Fox” (3),  “Monsters vs. Aliens” (3), “9” (2), “Astro Boy” (2) and “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” (2) brought up the rear with mentions in three and two categories respectively.  “Ponyo” also only landed two nods, for music and direction, so that’s probably worth noting.

    I’m listing per category, by the way, because it’s weird to me to have two separate “nominations” in fields like character design and production design, one per person.  Why not just one for the film with the artists listed as nominees?  It makes sense for vocal performance nods, but not really otherwise.  Anyway, to be fair, I guess “Coraline” leads the whole field with 10 total nominations, while “Up” has nine.  “The Princess and the Frog” has eight, with that in mind.

    Anyway, check out the full list of feature nominees after the jump (and the full list of all nominees at the Annie website).

    (more…)

  • Sandra Bullock to be honored at Santa Barbara fest

    Sandra Bullock in The Blind SideI’m told Santa Barbara Film Festival director Roger Durling “flipped’ for Sandra Bullock’s performance in “The Blind Side.” So with that in mind, here’s the press release, in part:

    It was announced today by SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling that Sandra Bullock will receive the American Riviera Award Presented By Chopin on Friday, February 5, at the 25th edition of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, which runs February 4-14, 2010.

    The American Riviera Award, sponsored by Chopin Vodka, was established to recognize an actor who has had a strong influence on American Cinema. Bullock will join an illustrious group of past recipients: Mickey Rourke (09), Tommy Lee Jones (08), Forrest Whitaker (07), Philip Seymour Hoffman (06), Kevin Bacon (05) and Diane Lane (04).

    “Bullock’s career-capping performance in The Blind Side encompasses everything we have loved about her since the early 90’s, from the deft physical comedy in While You Were Sleeping to the mettle of her role in the Academy Award-winning Crash,” commented Durling. “What a most perfect time to salute this enduring movie star’s lengthy career.”

  • 12/1 Oscarweb Round-up

    Roy Scheider in Iron Cross• Pete Hammond reports on a last minute surge to get “Iron Cross,” Roy Scheider’s final film, into Oscar contention. [Notes on a Season]

    • Gregory Ellwood takes note of the season’s box office champs so far: “Inglourious Basterds” and “Up.” [Awards Campaign]

    • Geoff Boucher talks to “Avatar” composer James Horner. [Hero Complex]

    (more…)

  • ‘Precious’ and ‘Last Station’ lead Spirit nominees

    Helen Mirren in The Last StationIt won’t come as a surprise to anyone to “Precious” landed atop the list of Independent Spirit Award nominations this morning. Lee Daniels’ indie smash earned 5 mentions including Best Feature, Director and Actress, and looks like the one to beat in every category where it features.

    Fewer people, however, might have expected Michael Hoffman’s “The Last Station” to tie that total, landing Best Feature and Director nods alongside more predictable citations for stars Helen Mirren and Christopher Plummer. Many pundits (myself included) have been suggesting that this placid, kindly regarded film could be a threat for a Best Picture Oscar nod — this lends further weight to the idea.

    Surprises include the comparatively low profile of “A Serious Man” on the list, which some thought a shoo-in for a Best Feature nod. It missed in the top category, as did Michael Stuhlbarg for Best Actor, though the film managed mentions in the Best Director and Best Cinematography races. Further compensation for the film arrives in the shape of the Robert Altman Award for ensemble work.

    (more…)

  • ‘Hurt Locker’ tops at Gothams

    Jeremy Renner in The Hurt LockerI had a Q&A to moderate this evening, so forgive the lateness here (though these and the Indie Spirits, for my money, stopped being about true independent cinema long ago, so there was really no haste to begin with).

    Anyway, predictably, “The Hurt Locker” came out on top at tonight’s Gotham Awards.  The film won Best Feature and Best Ensemble, though lead actor Jeremy Renner was upset in the breakthrough actor race by Catalina Saavedra in “The Maid.” I’ve got that screener around here somewhere.

    Tomorrow the Indie Spirits announce their nominees, which, by the way, will not include “The Hurt Locker” because the film wasn’t eligible this year.  It was last year, when it received nods for Best Actor (Renner) and Best Supporting Actor (Anthony Mackie).  Looking for a leg up tomorrow are “Precious” and “Crazy Heart,” I’d say, though we can expect some surprises too, I guess (I hope).

    Full list of Gotham Winners after the jump.

    (more…)

  • Listen to Overtone and Yollandi Nortjie’s ‘9,000 Days’ from ‘Invictus’

    OvertoneWe reported Friday (and mentioned in this weekend’s Oscar Talk) that Clint Eastwood’s latest, “Invictus,” has two original songs from South Africa boy band Overtone.  Today we’re happy to feature one of them.

    “9,000 Days” (credited as “Invictus 9,000 Days” in the film) also features vocalist Yollandi Nortjie.  It’s used in the context of the film and is also called up as a reprise as the first closing credits cue.  I wouldn’t say it’s used organically in the film, as the presence of both this and “Colorblind” (which we’ll feature Wednesday) seem forced and somewhat random on the film’s soundtrack.

    The song has a jazzy, bluesy vibe, much like Jamie Callum’s “Gran Torino” last year.  It also uses the William Earnest Henley poem which lends its name to the film’s title as a framing device throughout (which could render it ineligible, who knows).  Like the film, it’s pretty simple, cut and dry, no frills.

    Have a listen below and tell us what you think of the tune:

    [audio:http://www.incontention.com/audio/9000days.mp3]

  • Risk addiction

    Nicole Kidman in DogvilleAfter some initial resistance, I’m getting chattier on Twitter lately. Yesterday, in a “best of 2000s” frame of mind, an enjoyable back-and-forth with some of you started after I idly asked which actor or actress has had the greatest decade on film.

    The suggestions came in thick and fast, some mathematically going by awards stats, others opting for more abstract criteria. Some names came up with particular frequency: it’s hard to argue with the choice of Kate Winslet, though with the peerless exception of “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” I wish she had more stone-cold masterworks under her belt.

    Johnny Depp was a popular choice, as was Sean Penn. I liked many more outré suggestions, including a shout-out for Patricia Clarkson, though will admit to scratching my head over two people’s advocation of Clint Eastwood. (If we’re counting people who only appeared four films this decade, I’ll stick with Daniel Day-Lewis.)

    But I was pleasantly surprised by the number of people who plumped for the same name I’d consider for the honor: Nicole Kidman. The actress has been at the receiving end of a lot of media snark lately, be it in a professional or personal capacity, but clearly she still commands respect for her adventurous script choices and rarefied taste in auteurs.

    (more…)

  • Only connect

    Jason ReitmanThe team behind “Up in the Air” have done a very sly job of making the film alternately ubiquitous and invisible this season, as paradoxical as that sounds.

    For us bloggers, the film seems to have been around for ages — indeed, it’s nearly three months since its Telluride premiere, an eternity in awards-campaign terms. Yet, conscious of the dangers of overhype, the film has been held back after that initial buzz-burst, garnering goodwill at select subsequent screenings, but largely ceding the publicity spotlight to the likes of “Precious.”

    Now, with the film finally opening to the public this Friday, the media assault begins afresh, with two extensive profiles of writer-director Jason Reitman appearing yesterday in the flagship papers of both coasts. David Carr’s NYT interview and Rachel Abramowitz’s LA Times piece overlap a fair amount, though Carr’s takes the cute route of meeting Reitman in an airport, allowing for a more pointed reflection on the film’s themes of physical and personal statelessness.

    (more…)