Moving into the acting categories, tell us in the sidebar poll.
Category: Daily
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Penn and Rourke thank Boston critics for their “indecisiveness”
I saw this over at Awards Daily and just had to post it:
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Sorry, Josh
I like Josh Brolin a great deal, and I particularly like his performance in “Milk” — a courageous display of against-type delicacy and ambiguity that would be a worthy winner of Best Supporting Actor honours in most years.Unfortunately for him, most years don’t have the perfect storm of industry sentiment, audience popularity and landmark performing represented by Heath Ledger this year. Not to put too fine a point on it or anything, but I don’t think Brolin — or anyone else, for that matter — stands a snowball’s chance in hell of beating the late Australian. In a chat with the NYT’s Baguette, however, it appears that Brolin himself feels differently:
“After what happened to Tilda Swinton last year, I think pretty (much) anything can happen… That was a surprise. It was. But again. Is it most deserving? Not necessarily.”
Mr. Brolin said that as an Academy member who had voted for the first time last year he gained some insight into the whole voting process. “I think it’s an important film and I think that goes into people deciding what they’re going to vote for … It’s a very strange process. It’s very unlike what I thought it would be because suddenly you personalize it. You look at the body of work of the nominee. Lots of stuff goes through your mind.”
For one thing, Tilda Swinton’s victory last year wasn’t entirely unanticipated, so saying “anything can happen” is a bit of a stretch. Upsets can happen, for sure, but there has to be some semblance of a crack in the frontrunner’s armour, and I don’t see one in Ledger’s case. For me, this is as much a foregone conclusion as Daniel Day-Lewis last year, or Helen Mirren in 2006, but I give Brolin credit for not completely surrendering.
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WEEKLY WRAP: BAFTAs, Berlin, pre-Oscar jitters
Aside from two major precursors, it’s been a slow week for news — which leads to a lot of prediction second-guessing.• “Slumdog” swept at the BAFTAs, which also put new wind in Mickey Rourke’s sails. We live-blogged it here.
• The “Slumdog” streak inevitably continued at the WGA Awards, where “Milk” picked up some hardware too.
• This week’s Off the Carpet column was just eager to move on already.
• Taking a closer look at the often inscrutable Best Documentary Short race.
• Speaking of documentaries, we wondered if a win for “Man on Wire” is the foregone conclusion that people think it is.
• On a similar tack, do we have a real race in the Best Foreign Language Film category?
• In a bit of a blow to next week’s Oscarcast, Peter Gabriel has nixed his participation.
• A survey of some of the industry’s top DPs suggests that “Slumdog” looks like the one to beat for Best Cinematography too.
• Should we be mindful of a third possibility in the Best Actor race?
• Perhaps another underdog, “Frozen River,” has hidden strengths in the competition.
• Away from the Oscar beat, the Berlinale continued its quiet progress, with Stephen Frears’ “Chéri” possibly one to watch.
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‘The nightclub of your dreams’
Hugh Jackman talks Academy Awards here, admitting he’s a little biased towards Heath Ledger in this year’s race (though frankly, who isn’t?), and dropping more hints about the more intimate atmosphere promised at this year’s Academy Awards:Obviously I’m not a standup comedian and generally there’s been comedians who are actors as well (who) have been doing it for the last however many years. So there’s not the same pressure. I don’t think people expect me to come out and do seven minutes of bang-bang-bang jokes. … They really just encourage me to do what I feel I do best. It’s a night to have a feeling of celebration, of community.
The look of the theater is very different. It’s more like the nightclub of your dreams. It’s very intimate. … It’s got to be a lot closer. It’s been a little austere in the past. You know, there’s that stage, the host being up above the stalls, looking down at everybody. … But this is a lot more intimate. It’s still spectacular, being in the Kodak Theatre. But it’s a real difference in the way things are laid out.
It sounds like a lovely set-up for the guests. I just hope they’ve given enough thought to how it plays on TV — what feels “clubby” to people in the room could feel remote to those watching at home. I do trust Bill Condon and Laurence Mark, of all people, to retain a sense of glamour and spectacle. And I still believe Jackman has the star magnetism to bring it home. But the sheer amount of changes proposed this year gives me the feeling this is either going to be a roaring success or a crashing failure. Fingers crossed.
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Penn to Rourke: “It’s your time, brother.”
Not to be all Rourke all the time, but I’ve been sitting here watching/listening to the Charlie Rose interview finally and around the 35:00 mark, Rose pops the big question about the year’s Oscar season: “How does it feel to be in this competition with Sean Penn?”Rourke took it right along in stride, like everything else in the interview (it really is a grand slam one-on-one). I don’t know if this tid-bit has popped up elsewhere this season — it very well may have. But apparently Penn talked to Rourke when “The Wrestler” was making the rounds in Toronto and he sensed a major awards circuit on the horizon, so he sat him down and essentially coached him through what was sure to be a heady process for the formerly disgraced actor.
Here’s Rourke:
I love him like a brother. I’ve known him for over 20 years. He’s definitely the best actor of his generation. He’s somebody that I respect because he works so hard at what he does and he does it really well and he’s smart. He’s his own man.
When we did this movie we didn’t have a distributor. We won an award in Venice and then we were in Toronto. Sean and I saw each other and he gave me a big smile. I went over to his table, we hugged and he told me, ‘Listen, this is what’s going to go down.’ I had no clue about this campaign thing. He said, ‘Do this, do this, don’t do that, don’t do that.’ He was supporting me and he says, ‘It’s your time, brother.’
Rourke also talks more in-depth about that letter he wrote to Bruce Springsteen, how he now had “access to change,” etc., which of course led The Boss to pen an amazing track that would ultimately get the AMPAS shaft. And I’m glad he got into “gigging,” too, which he told me about when we spoke a few months back and I’m sure he addressed elsewhere, too. But I haven’t seen him address it in a video format yet.
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That Mickey/Rose interview
In lieu of an embed to the full interview (which you can view here), I did stumble across this 50 second clip of the actor discussing his role in “The Wrestler” with Charlie Rose:
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POLL: Who deserves it? — BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Moving right along…tell us what you think in the sidebar poll.
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Oh Mickey, you’re so fine
I regretfully haven’t had time today to check out Mickey Rourke’s in-depth interview with Charlie Rose that aired last night, but I hear that it’s all kind of special. Jeff Wells, for one, was thoroughly melted by it:
I’ve felt admiration and grudging respect for Rourke before but I fell in love with him last night, as far as that’s feasible or possible from an electronic remove. I don’t care if it was an act, I loved it anyway … His calm determination that no matter what goes down there’s no stopping him, no quitting now. His saying that if Penn wins he’ll stand up and cheer because he’s great and a brother and maybe he’ll have his turn a year or two down the road. That quiet, settled, almost-dweeby quality he showed with those black horn-rim glasses…man!
Someone has to grab that interview and put it out there right away. It was important, landmark, for the ages…please.
More than anything, a win for Mickey Rourke is what I want to see next Sunday evening. I love Sean Penn, I truly do. He’s my favourite actor of this generation. But there’s something about Rourke’s performance in “The Wrestler” that makes me choke up a little every time I even think about it — and he sure knows how to carry that pathos into an interview context. I look forward to watching this. I don’t think it’s been uploaded yet, but it should appear soon here.
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2/13 Oscarweb Round-up
• Dave Karger posts his final predictions, is still on the Sean Penn express. [Entertainment Weekly]• The other David, in his non-Bagger persona, sings the praises of this year’s Oscar long shots. [New York Times]
• T.L. Stanley peeks at the entertainment on offer at next week’s Spirit Awards. (Teri Hatcher spoofing “Wendy and Lucy?” Interesting.) [Gold Rush]
• Gold Derby serves up their own award nominations, shaming the Academy in the process. (“TDK” and Sally Hawkins fans, rejoice.) [Gold Derby]
• The adorable Taraji P. Henson talks “Button,” dresses and her secret yearning to play Diana Ross. (Great idea. Make it happen.) [Vanity Fair]
• David Thomson ponders the puzzle that is Steven Soderbergh. [The Guardian]
• The Art Directors Guild offers an unusual list: from “Intolerance” to “LA Confidential,” the Top 100 Designed Films of all time. [Variety]
• Peter Bart reports that Danny Boyle is interested in filming a woman’s story for a change. [Variety]
• Gaynor Flynn talks to Sundance sensation and star-in-the-making Carey Mulligan. [The Independent]
• Kim Voynar pretends that it’s even worth considering the chances of four other Best Picture nominees. [Movie City News]
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Awwww…
Mickey goes all soft and mushy on us, if this soundbite from the BAFTA after-party is anything to go by:
“Sean Penn is a good friend of mine. When I was down and out he got hold of me and told me exactly what to do and what not to do. I owe him so much that I hope he wins the award.
“I wanted to be as big as Al Pacino. I thought my acting ability was enough so I didn’t play by the rules, I ignored all the politics, I upset people and in the end I lost everything. Now I am back and I am going to stay with this work ethic until I die.”
The thing is, I actually believe him when he says he’s backing Penn. I still think Rourke’s going to sneak the win, though.
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Is ‘The Class’ in a position to upset ‘Bashir?’
(UPDATE: I see Dave Karger is placing his money on “The Class” too. Interesting.)
Yesterday, Kris took a look at the Best Documentary Feature category, and wondered whether the winner there is quite the foregone conclusion that most people think. Supporting his argument was the category’s unusual rule that voters have to have seen all five contenders before casting their ballots –- a rule which can make the category less susceptible to consensus thinking than elsewhere, as voters are forced to make aesthetic decisions for themselves rather than letting the campaigns decide for them.
It’s a situation that can either consolidate a frontrunner’s appeal, or throw up a surprise as voters lose their hearts to a less-publicised gem. And while I agree with Kris that the latter is a possibility in the doc race, I’ve been wondering lately whether a similar upset could be brewing in the Best Foreign Language Film race –- which also requires voters to view all the nominees.
For some time, “Waltz With Bashir” has been installed as the de facto frontrunner in this race –- and with good reason. It’s vastly acclaimed (remember the National Society of Film Critics named it the year’s best film, period), wildly inventive, won a number of significant precursors (though it recently stumbled at the BAFTAs) and, crucially, has a cache of political currency that could seal the deal for the frequently high-minded voters in this category.
But it has a number of strikes against it too. It’s the first animated film ever to be nominated in this category, as well as the first documentary –- and the Academy isn’t exactly known for embracing the new. Given that voters in this field tend to be older Academy members, are we sure that they will take an animated effort seriously here? And are we sure that they won’t be put off by the film’s challenging, oblique structure? I’m not.
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Join the In Contention Oscar pool!
The diligent folks at AwardsPicks.com have come up with a slick Oscar pool system that was just too good to pass up, so I went ahead and started a group for the IC readership and staff. Go register now (which is seriously a painless process) and join our little group, then start making your picks. The pool is called “In Contention Oscar Pool — 2009 Academy Awards Game.”
There is a nifty interface to alter the point values for each category, so based on how predictable a category seems to be at this stage, a value between 1 and 10 has been allotted. All the points add up to 100. No idea what I was doing, but whatever, it should work out. Most points for correctly guessing Best Documentary Short. Least for Best Animated Feature and Best Supporting Actor — duh.
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Peter Gabriel pulls out of performing at the Oscars
Hmm, I totally agree with him on principle but at the same time, it’ll be a shame for him to not grace Oscar’s stage. Especially since he’s likely to win the award:I was delighted when Down to Earth was nominated for an Oscar. I was also pleased to have been asked to perform the song in the Oscar ceremony. However, in recent discussions with the Producers, it became clear that despite there being only three nominees, only 60-65 seconds was being offered, and that was also in a medley of the three songs. I don’t feel that is sufficient time to do the song justice, and have decided to withdraw from performing.
I fully respect and look forward to the Producers’ right to revamp the show. Even though song writers are small players in the film making process, they are just as committed and work just as hard as the rest of the team and I regret that this new version of the ceremony is being created, in part, at their expense.
I still very much look forward to attending the ceremony.
The news first dropped at Peter Gabriel’s official website via video message, though Nikki Finke apparently thinks she had it as an exclusive.
Somebody call up Phil Collins…
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POLL: Who deserves it? — BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Moving into the major categories, tell us in the siebar poll who deserves the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
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Pixar’s latest a “tearjerker” and a “gamble?”
That’s what this Anthony Breznican USA Today story suggests of Pete Docter’s upcoming “Up.” Just reading through the brief recap of a footage screening, it seems to me “WALL-E” might not be the Pixar high-mark after all (not that it is for me to begin with, mind you, but it certainly is for the great majority of film fans). I have to say, it seems to be a story that could have a lot of resonance within the zeitgeist. After all, who doesn’t want to get the hell away from everything after the last eight years?
Here’s a taste:
Instead of Clint Eastwood clashing with street gangs, the old-timer in this story (voiced by Ed Asner) decides to get off his own lawn, tying thousands of balloons to his little wooden house to float away from his troubles.
Up opens May 29, and early footage reveals a gamble from the makers of Cars and Toy Story: a plunge into tearjerker territory. The first third of the movie establishes the main character, Carl, as a lost and angry soul after a happy, mostly quiet life with his childhood sweetheart, Ellie.
The montage of their marriage touches on themes rarely seen in bedtime storybooks: romance, financial hardship, a lost pregnancy, loneliness and the blink-of-an-eye passage from childhood to wrinkles.
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Worldly wise
“I was intimidated by how worldly wise he seemed to be and how much he understood himself,” said Jason Isaacs, who played the sadistic Col. Tavington in “Patriot.” “He took a house in the forest while we all lived together in a condo. Like many in my profession, I seem to need company and to fill the silence with noise; he didn’t need that, and he was very happy in his house in the forest. I know 21-year-olds; I’d never met a 21-year-old like him.”
One of my favorite insights from Michael Ordoña’s LA Times appreciation of Heath Ledger, with quotes from friends and colleagues through. Entertainment Weekly published a similar story last month.