In Contention

Category: Daily

  • Number nine, number nine…

    $9.99Many of you have already spotted an interesting trend in a number of 2009 films this year: the proliferation of the number nine.

    There is, of course, “District 9,” which is already in theaters.  Any good Oscarwatcher knows about the forthcoming musical adaptation “Nine” from The Weinstein Company and Rob Marshall, a film that could stir confusion when its released three months after Shane Acker’s animated feature “9.”

    Elsewhere, there’s “Cloud 9,” from Andres Dresen and about a golden years affair between a sexagenarian and a septuagenarian.  And one that tends to slip through the cracks in conversations about the trend: “$9.99,” which I saw at the Santa Barbara fest back in January and quite liked.

    With all these nines running around (hey, there’s another one — John August’s “The Nines,” though that released two years ago), some intrepid reporter was bound to cook up a piece.  And so Ari Karpel has in the pages of the Los Angeles Times.

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  • ‘Wizard of Oz’ sequel in the works?

    The Wizard of Oz“The Wizard of Oz” is celebrating the 70th anniversary of its US theatrical release on Tuesday.  Today, the UK’s Sunday Express is reporting that a sequel set in the present day starring Dakota Fanning as Dorothy’s granddaughter could start filming as early as next year and quotes a Warner exec as saying the film will be “darker and more action packed.”

    Basil Iwanyk is apparently on as a producer.  And this, for me, is the money quote, from co-producer Todd McFarlane (yes, that Todd McFarlane):

    You’ve still got Dorothy trapped in an odd place, but she’s much closer to the Ripley character from Alien [Sigourney Weaver] than a helpless singing girl.

    Everything’s getting re-imagined these days.  Your thoughts?

  • It’s not so dire, Mr. Friedman

    Shohreh Aghdashloo in The Stoning of Soraya MObviously Hollywood Reporter gossip hound Roger Friedman hasn’t been reading our Contenders section, or else he’d know there are plenty of lead actress hopefuls out there, not the dearth he apparently perceives.

    Friedman rattles off 12 contenders in a recent piece titled Shortage of “Best Actresses in the Coming Oscar Season,” but he misses some key possibilities.  Abbie Cornish in “Bright Star,” for one, who didn’t necessarily impress me much, but could certainly be in the hunt.  “Precious,” meanwhile, is considered a ripe opportunity for supporting contender Mo’Nique, but lead Gabourey Sidibe could certainly find her share of notices.

    Gwyneth Paltrow in “Two Lovers” and Zooey Deschanel in “(500) Days of Summer” are two extreme longshot contenders whose films have already been released, but Penelope Cruz deserves to be in the discussion for “Broken Embraces,” surely, as does Tilda Swinton in “Julia.”

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  • Hanks was AMPAS’s first choice for President, search is on for telecast talent

    Tom HanksI stumbled onto this item over at Deadline Hollywood Daily earlier this afternoon.  Apparently Tom Hanks, who was elected First Vice-President of the Academy earlier this week, was the group’s first choice for the top spot.  In fact, Tom Sherak, who was ultimately elected president, is the one who nominated Hanks in the first place.

    Here’s what Nikki Finke dug up:

    Sherak…thought Hanks could be a “Gregory Peck-type” AMPAS leader. But insiders tell me Hanks declined, saying he “didn’t feel he could put the time in”. So his name was withdrawn, and that’s when Sherak got the gig. At least it’s comforting to know that AMPAS’ and Sherak’s heads were in the right place by wanting an actor instead of two back-to-back studio shills.

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  • ‘Inception’ official site

    Nothing there yet, but have a look.  The trailer is attached to some prints of “Inglourious Basterds” and I’ve heard it looks “Matrix”-like in the action.  But it looks that way for a reason, plot-wise, so if you see it, don’t start thinking Nolan lost his marbles and went full blown Wachowski.

  • Paramount moves ‘Shutter Island’ to 2010

    (from left) Mark Ruffalo and Leonardo DiCaprio in Shutter IslandThis is a stunning development.  It seems Paramount has decided to move the release date of Martin Scrosese’s “Shutter Island” from October 2009, a mere two months away, to February 2010.  The move reflects a similar last minute decision to move “The Soloist” out of last year’s fall slate to the Spring 2009 frame.  Nikki Finke has the scoop.

    The obvious answer here is money.  An awards campaign was certainly in the cards for “Shutter Island,” and those aren’t cheap.  But while “The Soloist” ultimately opened and was revealed as less than Oscar-caliber, Scorsese’s film has been testing really well and was expected to be a big 2009 awards player.

    Still, these are tough times.  Everyone’s looking for ways to cut back and deal with the here and now and obviously, an Oscar campaign just didn’t seem fiscally responsible for a studio that will already have two major hopefuls in Jason Reitman’s “Up in the Air” and Peter Jackson’s “The Lovely Bones.”

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  • Tell us what you thought of ‘Inglourious Basterds’

    (from left) Eli Roth and Brad Pitt in Inglourious Basterds

    Believe it or not, there are things going on this weekend that don’t involve “Avatar.”  Namely, Quentin Tarantino’s seventh film to date, “Inglourious Basterds,” hits theaters nationwide.  I’ve offered my considerably negative thoughts already, but be sure to let us know what you thought once you see it this weekend.  I expect it’ll do pretty decent business and will likely find an audience, but reactions have certainly been divided so far.

  • ‘Avatar’ video game trailer

  • Comment of the day

    I’ll never cease to be astounded by the repeated attitude that films nominated for Oscars are all masterpieces. “It was great, but Oscars?…” is something that only makes sense coming out of the mouth of someone with no knowledge of Academy history.

    –BurmaShave in our “District 9” Oscar talk discussion.

  • Cruz looking to slow down?

    Penelope CruzI’ve always been aware that actress Penélope Cruz was somewhat ubiquitous and certainly a hard worker.  She’s also intensely focused on her craft, more so than you might naturally expect.  When I interviewed her for a Variety profile last year (she was in London shooting “Nine” at the time), she was incredibly centered, almost somberly so.  She did, however, seem to unwind a bit at a Santa Barbara Film Festival tribute back in January, though.

    Anyway, all that aside, I was nevertheless stunned to glance at her IMDb page and see that the woman has been in at least one film since 1993.  That’s 16 years without a break, ladies and gentlemen.  And this year, following an impressive one-two punch in 2008, she will be featured in no less than four films: “G-Force,” “The Cannibalistic Councilor” and Oscar hopefuls “Nine” and “Broken Embraces.”  She doesn’t have much on deck, however.

    What spurred the sudden interest in her busy career was this Times article, covering the imminent release of “Broken Embraces” in the UK next weekend.  Cruz addresses a burn-out factor that had to come sooner or later and, amid rumors of pregnancy with boyfriend Javier Bardem’s child (she’s guarded about her personal life), indicates a desire to wind things down a bit.  Pregnancy will do that, of course, but I imagine she’s earned a few years off after that streak.

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  • Visual effects: 100 years of Inspiration

    With all the “Avatar” talk lately, it seemed a fine time to point you to this interesting video covering a number of milestones in film visual effects throughout the years. Some irritating omissions, but they got most of it:

    Gerard’s recent Tech Support commentary on this year’s race for Best Visual Effects here.

    (Courtesy: Cinematical)

  • Tell us what you thought of “‘Avatar’ Day”

    Zoe Saldana in Avatar

    Okay, by now you’ve read my thoughts on extended footage unveiled at Comic-Con.  You’ve had a look at the trailer and offered some serious debate.  Now, those of you who weren’t defeated by a shoddy online RSVP process will get a look at 15 minutes from the film in IMAX 3D.  So I’m dying to hear your thoughts.   So head on back this way and give us your reaction once you take a look.

  • Great performers at their best

    Tom Cruise in MagnoliaAfter spending some time this summer watching some excellent films on DVD, I was inspired to write this piece about the great actors’ (living, with one exception) greatest performances.

    Narrowing it down to one each (brutal, believe me), I think have come up with a list of actors, young and old, that represents some of the finest talent working in film over the last 40 years, and selected the performance I believe each will be remembered for. This is obviously a subjective endeavor, so if you feel different, tell us why.

    Let’s dive in…

    Jack Nicholson
    Jack is not often given the credit for being the brilliant actor he is because we far too often expect him to be “just Jack.” But when he puts his actor’s hat on there simply may not be a greater actor in film history. For me he was never better than he was as Randall Patrick McMurphy in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” which is a breathtaking piece of work. Watch him when he’s not speaking and see the emotion he packs into this astonishing piece of acting.

    Meryl Streep
    There is no question here for me. As concentration camp survivor Sophie in “Sophie’s Choice,” Streep gave not only her best performance, but the single finest performance ever given by a woman, in my view. That terrifying silent scream paralyzes the viewer with heartache and dare I say, shame. Sophie may have survived the camp, but she walks through her life more dead than alive because her soul was left behind and somehow Streep conveys that to the audience.

    Robert Duvall
    This is a tough call because Duvall was so good in “Apocalypse Now,” but I think his best work was in “The Apostle” as a preacher challenged by his own flaws and forced to atone for his sins. A volcanic performance in which Duvall never seems to stop moving or speaking.

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  • ‘Antichrist’ poster

    Quite audacious:

    Antichrist

    (Courtesy: IMP Awards)

  • The history of Dr. Amadeus Arkham

    This one’s for the video game fans, which I understand might be a considerable minority, but this comes out in less than a week.  Color me stoked:

    (Courtesy: Cinema Blend)

  • 8/21 Web Round-up

    Bill Murray in Groundhog Day• How many days did Bill Murray re-live in “Groundhog Day?” [Chicago Tribune]

    • Screenwriter Roberto Orci to receive Imagen Awards’ Norman Lear Writer’s Award. [Variety]

    • David Poland sits down with three more Super Movie Friends to talk “Inglourious Basterds.” [The Hot Blog]

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  • New ‘Capitalism’ trailer

  • POLL: What did you think of the ‘Avatar’ trailer?

    This thing has created an intriguing division and a healthy debate, so I figured it was a good time to open a new poll to gauge an overall reaction.  Simple question: thumbs up or thumbs down?  Let us know in the sidebar poll.