Category: Daily

I finally got around to “Anvil! The Story of Anvil” this week and seem to have found myself in an instant minority. Where so many see a moving tale of friendship, brotherhood and dedication, I saw a somewhat derivative and at times even inauthentic portrait that didn’t elicit the proper interest in the subjects.

Sue me. I’ll give it another look at some point.

Anyway, that’s neither here nor there. What is of interest is that, as Pete Hammond reports, the film has the designation of being 2009’s first screener sent to the 6,000-strong membership of the Academy. “The Hurt Locker” was primed to be the first out of the gate but it never happened.

In recent years films such as “Once,” “The Namesake,” “Waitress,” “Junebug” and “Frozen River” have been the first to hit members’ doorsteps. They landed four nominations between them, so jumping ahead early doesn’t guarantee big awards success, but it doesn’t hurt to hop onto people’s radars early. Regardless, “Anvil” isn’t likely to show up anywhere outside of the documentary feature category.

And here we go…

New ‘Me and Orson Welles’ trailer

10/9 Oscarweb Round-up

• Digital marketing consultant Chris Dorr points out missed online opportunities with “Bright Star.” [Thompson on Hollywood]

• Steve Pond jumps on the “Up in the Air” train, says it renders the expectations irrelevant. [The Odds]

• Lying about seeing “The Godfather.” [The Guardian]

Guy Ritchie on ‘esoteric marmalade’

Cheers to my friend Paul for pointing me to the quote of the week from Guy Ritchie, featured in a recent Esquire interview. It’s the same piece that has already attained a measure of press attention for his description of Madonna as “retarded,” but this metaphor for his filmmaking oeuvre (handily condensed by the Guardian) is the real keeper:

“What you’ve got with marmalade is fucking bitter and sweet,” Guy explains. “Now, the marmalade at [the place they had breakfast], that’s an accessible marmalade. And my sensibility is accessible. My nature is, I like accessible shit. The first two accessible movies I made, Lock, Stock and Snatch, they are accessible.

The next two aren’t accessible. First there’s Swept Away, which, well, everyone gets confused on, because of Madonna. And the next one [Revolver] is just conceptual. That one – that’s just pure esoteric marmalade. You can tell a lot by a person’s marmalade. My palate is really a fine shred, it’s accessible. I’m not saying I won’t test you. Because all marmalade tests you.”

No word yet on what type of marmalade “Sherlock Holmes” will be. Maybe he’s switched to jam.

‘Seagull’ film going ahead with Mulligan and Scott Thomas

Carey Mulligan as Nina in the Broadway production of The Seagull In Carey Mulligan’s entry on Tuesday’s “best actors under 30” list, I mentioned her stunning turn on stage in the recent revival of Chekhov’s “The Seagull,” writing that “if/when anyone commits that to film, Mulligan will be unbeatable for Best Supporting Actress.”

What I didn’t know is that “if” has definitely become a “when” in this case. I wrote when rumors of a “Seagull” movie surfaced in January, but the project was actually confirmed a month ago. (I was in Venice and missed the news; thanks to a helpful but nameless reader for pointing me to the news.)

Anyway, with news as good as this, better late than never. The production is being brought to the screen with the cast and creative team largely unchanged.

Spike Jonze’s next children’s book adaptation

(Courtesy: LandlineTV via Film School Rejects)

Martin and Fey: the obvious choice

Tina Fey and Steve Martin at the 81st Annual Academy Awards It seems the annual spitballing over who will/should host next year’s Academy Awards ceremony has already started.

Sasha Stone has compiled a list of her own preferred men (and women) for the job, while Kris has other ideas. (More seriously, his Kevin Spacey suggestion last year remains one I’m completely on board with.) Meanwhile, Kris and Anne will spotlight the issue in tomorrow’s edition of Oscar Talk.

For my part, I can’t see a Hugh Jackman repeat working as effectively without Bill Condon and Laurence Mark’s creative steering. (Besides, as game as he was, I missed the comedy a little.) And for all the championing of vogueish names from Neil Patrick Harris to Justin Timberlake — and as much as I actually appreciated Jon Stewart’s efforts — I always find the night feels more comfortable with a genuine movie figure on stage.

Carey Mulligan on Letterman

I love that Paul and the band played “Hot For Teacher” as she walked out. She handled herself well, I thought. But, let’s face it — it’s difficult not to think of Letterman’s scandal given the plot of the film. Speaking of which, I think Letterman totally spoils the film toward the end (and a little in the beginning). Tom O’Neil has just posted an assessment of the appearance and Mulligan’s place in the race.

Anyway, here it is — Carey Mulligan’s first talk show appearance ever:

We can officially add ‘A Christmas Carol’ to the animated list

Gary Oldman in A Christmas Carol Yesterday we covered the animated feature film race and the potential for the category to have five nominees this year, largely dependent on Robert Zemeckis’s “A Christmas Carol” being submitted as animation (a decision completely in his hands). As it turns out, the film will indeed be submitted for consideration.

That, along with “Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure” brings the tally up to 16 titles. Some are expressing doubts that “Tinker Bell” can qualify, but I’m told the film “looks great, is made professionally, and will receive a theatrical run in LA, so those are the criteria.” Still, being right on the edge, this thing could go either way.

I’m still waiting on confirmation that the French film “A Town Called Panic” had a qualifying run or will have one (mass confusion), and ditto Summit’s “Astro Boy,” but that would be 17 and the absolute ceiling (by my calculation) on the number of submitted titles.

Assuming five nominees, here’s what I’m thinking…

‘Nine’ to December

Brad Brevet at Rope of Silicon is reporting something I seriously thought had already happened. Maybe that says something about how predictable the move is, given that, ever since The Weinstein Company announced a November release for “The Road,” everyone has been expecting “Nine” to move further into the holiday season. And so it has.

‘The Lovely Bones’ poster

Not entirely appealing, I must say. And what’s up with the file Yahoo! is using? Seems a bit distorted or rough around the edges something. Anyway, here it is:

The Lovely Bones

I imagine this is a teaser and there will be another one-sheet later on down the line.

[Considers]

For my money, one of the single greatest line deliveries ever:

‘Three Kings,’ 10 years on

(from left) George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg and Ice Cube in Three Kings 2009 has been a bit of a nostalgia point all year long because it marks 10 years removed from one of the finest years of cinema ever. There has already been commentary regarding a number of 1999’s releases. We remembered the death of filmmaker Stanley Kubrick back in March and his final release, “Eyes Wide Shut,” a few months later in July.

There was also our introductory installment of The Lists: a remembrance of the films of 1999 from last year, in case you missed it. That covers a lot of my feelings of the movie year that was.

One film I look back on fondly is David O. Russell’s “Three Kings.” It was the beginning of the fall. The film was in theaters along with another film I and a number of my film school friends wanted to see, something called “American Beauty” with Kevin Spacey. We decided to make a double feature out of it and Russell was up first.

US ‘Imaginarium’ trailer

10/8 Oscarweb Round-up

Michael Stuhlbarg in A Serious Man • Jamie Foxx wants “Ray” director Taylor Hackford to tackle the actor’s planned Mike Tyson biopic. [MTV Movies Blog]

• Jeffrey M. Anderson talks to “A Serious Man” star Michael Stuhlbarg. [Green Cine Daily]

• Patrick Goldstein wants to know why Michael Moore got dolled up for Sean Hannity. [The Big Picture]

How the animated category could go to five

Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure Pete Hammond has gone ahead and written the column I was going to write today, but you snooze you lose.

Recently there was some discussion about the animated feature film category in our comments section. The number of potential submissions is right on the edge. By my count in the Contenders section, there are 16 films listed, which is the magic number that would yield a five-nominee slate.

The field was widened recently with a planned qualifying run from Disney for “Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure” at the El Capitan prior to DVD release. To me, that smells like a studio trying to inflate the number of qualifying titles in order to get a wider field of contenders, because “Tinker Bell?” Really? One would expect it to just hit shelves as an afterthought.

Anyway, there is one other title that could possibly be submitted: Zeitgeist Films’ “A Town Called Panic.” I called Zeitgeist yesterday to find out whether the company had run the film or would attempt to do so to qualify it, and the gist I got was that they just weren’t interested. I expect a phone call if things change on that front, but for now, it’s unlikely.