In Contention

Category: Daily

  • Inevitable

  • New ‘Green Lantern’ trailer

    Summer movie season is just heating up. We’ve already seen “Thor” delight and annoy with equal measure. “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” stinks up cinemas this weekend. I’m beginning to get nervous about “X-Men: First Class,” right around the corner, but mainly I’m holding out hope for “Green Lantern,” which could go either way at this point. Yahoo! Movies has debuted a trailer that got a lot of people excited. I’m trying to keep my hopes in check. Give it a look by clicking the image below or watch an embed after the jump.

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  • Bane

    Since a reader already tried to veer off-topic in another thread with this, I might as well get it out of the way. A shot of Tom Hardy as Bane from “The Dark Knight Rises,” revealed through viral marketing that will no doubt be as annoying (if not more so) as it was during the run-up to “The Dark Knight.” The official press release announcing the beginning of shooting went out yesterday, cuing hit-grabbing on every morsel of “information” that will find its way out of the set. Hope you’re all geared up for iPhone videos of production and blurry shots of Gotham police department logos out the Yin Yang!

  • Tell us what you thought of ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides’

    I’ve already warned you to stay away. Guy spared himself in Cannes. But plenty of you will nevertheless take in “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” (I’m so sick of these gigantic titles) this weekend. So, if you can stomach thinking about it afterward, please come back and let us know what you thought. Need a prompt? I’ll kick off the discussion. How about that awful 3D (as indicated in the above still), eh?

  • ‘Take Shelter’ takes first award at Cannes

    Nine days in, the Cannes Film Festival is winding down. Many of the US journos are flying home, and with Pedro Almodóvar’s “The Skin I Live In” having premiered this morning — review coming tomorrow — the superstar auteurs have all shown their hand. (That’s not to say Nuri Bilge Ceylan or Paolo Sorrentino can’t alter the shape of the festival, however.)

    But with the drop in energy comes the scent of gold, as we prepare for the annual Cannes parlor game of loudly criticizing the jury’s decisions. We’re still three days away from the Competition awards — though Aki Kaurismäki’s broadly liked comedy “Le Havre” (which I frustratingly still haven’t seen after three attempts) has emerged as the sizeable Palme d’Or favorite, while I hear rumors that Olivier Assayas is the lone “Tree of Life” fan on the jury — but the trophy run began tonight with the winners of the Critics’ Week sidebar.

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  • How do you solve a problem like Von Trier?

    It couldn’t last. As the closing credits began rolling on Wednesday morning’s 8.30am Cannes press screening of “Melancholia,” Lars Von Trier’s elegant rumination on anxiety, the apocalypse and all those other swell things, I was stunned by how civil the atmosphere in the vast Lumiere theater was.

    Enthusiastic applause greeted the film — more surprisingly, so did a distinct absence of boos. Soaking up the post-screening chatter in the foyer, I didn’t once hear the words “misogynist,” “perverted” or “clitoridectomy,” but I did pick up a bushel apiece of “moving” and “beautiful.” A number of critics disliked it, of course, but it rather seemed as if Lars Von Trier had pulled off the (for him) impossible: a film that touched many and upset no one.

    And then came this.

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  • Persona non whateva

    Guy is on his way to a screening of Nicolas Winding Refn’s “Drive” at Cannes right now, but he will eventually get around to addressing Lars Von Trier’s spanking by the festival, which now considers him persona non grata.

    In the meantime, however, I’ll align myself with this statement from David Poland’s assessment:

    Is von Trier an ass at times? Absolutely. Aggressive provocateur? Absolutely.

    But he is one of the few high profile filmmakers who pushes audiences to Think. You can hate what he makes, but you can’t deny that he is skilled and alive with ideas. Who will stand for this in a homogenized, instant-news-cycle culture if Film Critics and Festivals will not?

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  • Harris is McCain

    I had to stop and take a second to point this out. The Julianne-Moore-as-Sarah-Palin production still from in Jay Roach’s “Game Change” seemed about right, nothing to write home about, etc. But this still, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly, stopped me in my tracks. THAT’s Ed Harris? I saw McCain straight away and had to search for the actor in there. Brilliant transformation.

    Is that a fat suit or did Harris bulk up considerably? He’s a guy who loves to get way under the skin of a role, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he crammed some Twinkies and Ho-Hos and cupcakes and pizza and ice cream. Then again, last time we spoke (in January), he was as sinewy as ever, so I guess it’s doubtful. Then again…

    “Game Change” is scheduled to air on HBO later this year. Check out the full still after the jump.

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  • Thoughts on Malick’s ‘Tree of Life’

    I decided to sleep on Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life.” After a full day of jury duty, a few moments for dinner and then a trip to West Hollywood for the 7:30 screening — which let out near 10pm — it seemed foolish to jump right in to such a dense piece of work. I shutter at the thought of instant Tweet reactions from Cannes (and the one blogger who surely had little more than one-upmanship in mind when he decided to fill his brain with the film twice in Los Angeles yesterday).

    But I guess the unfortunate fact is, this is a film met with more inflated cinephile anticipation than any in recent memory. So clamoring to express thoughts on it is to be expected. Much of this is owed to Malick’s self-imposed aura of awe, retreating from the press experience in the wake of a tough “Days of Heaven” production over 30 years ago. It is seclusion as understandable as it is not. (I recall a frustrated New Line publicist in 2005: “Even Kubrick did phoners!”)

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  • ‘The Adventures of Tintin’ teaser trailer

    So, Steven Spielberg’s “The Adventures of Tintin” has a lot of people excited. I can’t summon that kind of enthusiasm for some reason. I’m not getting that event-of-the-year vibe others seem to be getting, but this just-released teaser trailer (courtesy of Apple) is enough to at least pique the interest. Check it out by clicking the image below or watch an embed after the jump.

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  • ‘Showrunners’ to explore the making of modern American TV

    I think it’s fair to say, with top name talent from Martin Scorsese to Michael Mann, Gus Van Sant to Neil Jordan rushing to the arms of the small screen, not to mention the general lift in quality programming of the past half a decade, television could be on the precipice of a new renaissance.

    This is before we really sit back and analyze and consider the impact, already felt, of On Demand services that will no doubt take off with the standardization of at-home delivery. Episodic entertainment may well spring to new, invigorating life. And those smart enough to see what’s coming are already testing those waters, like Netflix’s recent, potentially game-changing deal with Kevin Spacey to launch “House of Cards” (directed by David Fincher) exclusively on its streaming service.

    In a nutshell, it’s an exciting time for television, and with the rise of the showrunner in full swing, at what could be a bellwether moment for the industry, it’s the perfect time for a filmmaker to pull back those layers.

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  • Tell us what you thought of ‘Bridesmaids’

    The summer movie season keeps moving along this weekend with the release of Paul Feig’s “Bridesmaids,” looking to cash in on a little of that left over “Hangover” love before that film’s sequel comes along and devours what’s left in a few weeks. Honestly, though, by most accounts, this one’s a winner (I haven’t seen it). If you get around to it this weekend, feel free to speak up on your thoughts.

  • On painful ‘Tides’

    Guy was balancing two options in Cannes this morning: Take in the press screening of Rob Marshall’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” or catch up on some much-needed rest. Given that I had already suffered the experience, I suggested he spare himself the 130-odd minutes of anguish and, I don’t know, lie in a park and eat a baguette or something.

    Truly, this film is the embarrassing, excruciating fourth installment of a franchise that bottomed out somewhere in the middle of the second. I wanted it to end the minute it started, and knowing there were over two hours to come, it was a trying, trying experience. The only thing that kept my attention was the placement of Penélope Cruz’s crucifix necklace.

    But no one is pretending this is anything beyond a paycheck for talent and a conservative money-grabbing maneuver on the studio’s part. I guess you can’t blame them. Opening weekend will be huge. Nevertheless, I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to stand in the streets and scream, beg for consumers not to spend their money on a film so badly. Hopefully the final receipts will fall short of the marks reached by the other entries.

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  • ‘Straw Dogs’ trailer

    Some call the idea of remaking Sam Peckinpah’s “Straw Dogs” sacrilege. Others understand the film is hardly untouchable. Whatever your take, Rod Lurie’s re-imagining in the bayou (held up due to ratings issues, among other things) is finally on the way, dropping in September. Yahoo! Movies dropped the trailer recently. Check it out by clicking the image below or check out an embed after the jump.

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  • Weinstein acquires ‘The Iron Lady’ for 2011 release

    When I get around to updating Oscar predictions in a couple of weeks, I will, as usual, refrain from including any films that don’t yet have domestic distribution. But one title can be taken off of that list, and may have just thrust Meryl Streep to the top of the lead actress race (though she’ll certainly find competition from Tilda Swinton when “We Need to Talk About Kevin” inevitably finds a home).

    The Weinstein Company has stolen a little thunder from the Cannes whirlwind, announcing today its acquisition of Phyllida Lloyd’s Margaret Thatcher biopic “The Iron Lady.” In the wake of “The King’s Speech,” it seems Harvey is sticking to proven material, and Brit biopics are still a solid play in the awards season. Jim Broadbent could also be someone to watch for in supporting as Thatcher’s husband.

    For a number of years now, the cult of Streep has demanded further awardage for the undeniably prolific actress. Two Oscars over 20 years ago just aren’t enough. In my opinion, nothing she’s done since last winning in 1982, save for maybe 2002’s “Adaptation,” has warranted a win over her competition. But 16 nominations is nothing to sneeze at, and it seems a 17th could be on the way, further extending her record.

    Check out the full press release after the jump.

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  • “We’re grown men, right?”

    I didn’t realize there was a Michael Keaton retrospective at the American Cinemateque right around the corner — as in, this weekend — until I read about it in this Geoff Boucher profile of the actor at the LA Times.

    Reading the unique look back at Keaton’s career, in his own words, I was reminded how much I genuinely love every performance he’s given and wish we could see more from him than we do these days. Maybe it’s residual admiration from the “Batman” days, as that film is, after all, the first event film that had me (and I’m sure millions of others) obsessing over a release date that couldn’t come soon enough. But Keaton has a spark and a charm that is singular, regardless.

    Anyway, the best part for Bat nuts is his recount of the 1989 blockbuster, which saw the actor in a personal funk that he says may have been good for the character.

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  • Turning up the Malick

    Monday brings the Cannes reveal of the most anticipated movie of the festival, and for many, of the year: Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life.” Screenings will also be held throughout the day in LA (and, I assume, New York as well).

    We’ll know then whether the film measures up to perhaps the most inflated sense of expectation this side of — hell, I don’t know what film has held this sort of insular captivated pre-release awe, yet remained a bit of an unknown amongst general moviegoers.

    In the meantime, the atmosphere on both coasts is that of the second coming, as a Malick film is clearly an event. He’s a filmmaker entering his fourth decade of work but only has five (highly influential) films to show for himself. Tonight, The Elemental Cinema of Terrence Malick kicks off here in LA at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art with a screening of 1973’s “Badlands.” Actors Sissy Spacek and Jim Caviezel, production designer Jack Fisk and costume designer Jacquline West will be on hand at their respective screenings to add to the aura of Malick in Q&As.

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  • Cannes kicking off

    I’ve been in Cannes less than 12 hours and already I can feel the sleep deficit kicking in, so I’ll keep this post short. It’s been an administrative day, anyway: unpacking, registering, collecting my press badge (in the rigid Cannes class system, I’ve been upgraded from a yellow badge to a blue one, so I guess Thierry Frémaux received my muffin basket) and moving into the apartment (improbably named Villa Romance) that I’ll share for the next 12 days with US critics James Rocchi and Aaron Hillis. (Karina Longworth joins our household tomorrow. There’s a decidedly niche sitcom waiting to be made here, folks.)

    You may have noticed that this evening, and not a moment too soon, I completed my Cannes Check series breaking down the individual titles in Competition — you can catch up with all 20 entries here.

    One more plug, while I’m about it: I’m taking part in Ioncinema’s 2011 Cannes Critics’ Panel, in which a selection of 16 international critics will rate the festival’s major films on a daily basis. Like an expanded version of Screen Daily’s traditional poll, it’s a handy way to monitor the consensus hits and misses; check out the full panel here.

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