In Contention

Category: Daily

  • Wait…Queen Latifah to sing during ‘In Memoriam’ segment?

    Queen LatifahThis, I can’t go along with.  I’ve been one of the biggest supporters of whatever Bill Condon and Laurence Mark can cook up, but crooning during a segment like this?  And Queen Latifah of all people (who I love, mind you)?  I don’t like it.  Maybe it’ll work but I’m skeptical.

    From E!:

    I can exclusively reveal that Queen has signed on to sing during the awards show’s annual “In Memoriam” montage, paying tribute to Industry leaders who passed away in the last year.

    But what will she be singing?

    Easy: “I’ll Be Seeing You,” a song with a long run in Hollywood. Originally from the 1938 Broadway musical Right This Way, it became popular as the theme to Liberace’s 1950s TV show, and was used in Crimes and Misdemeanors, Misery and The Notebook and during the closing credits for the last episode of Beavis and Butt-head.

  • Best Actor race — shades of ’74 and ’02

    Richard Jenkins in The VisitorThe 1974 Academy Award nominees for Best Actor were Jack Nicholson in “Chinatown,” Al Pacino in “The Godfather, Part II,” Albert Finney in “Murder on the Orient Express,” Art Carney in “Harry and Tonto” and Dustin Hoffman in “Lenny.”  There had been some mild surprise that Gene Hackman had been passed over for his work in “The Conversation” and Richard Dreyfuss in”The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz,” but other than those minor quibbles, it was a strong field of contenders.

    Essentially it was a two-man race.  The frontrunners were clearly Nicholson and Pacino, both nominated the previous year for their work in “The Last Detail” and “Serpico,” respectively.  For his sly, slick portrayal of Los Angeles private detective JJ Gittes, Nicholson had again displayed his extraordinary range and ability to slip easily inside a character to the delight of audiences.  Pacino, meanwhle, again portrayed Michael Corleone in the sequel to “The Godfather,” moving farther down the path of power, corrupting himself totally, eventually ordering the execution of his own brother.

    Of the two actors, Nicholson had the inside track, having won the Golden Globe and the New York Film Critics Circle award, but there was a lot of Pacino love, too.

    On Oscar night, many jaws hit the ground when the winner was television veteran Art Carney for his performance in “Harry and Tonto,” a nice little film about an old man and his cat traveling across America looking for a home. Carney was terrific in the role, no argument, but it was hardly a performance for the ages. The likely scenario, some thought, was that Nicholson and Pacino split the vote.

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  • 2/10 Oscarweb Round-up

    Jeffrey Dean Morgan in Watchmen• At least Ron Rosenbaum kind of gets it.  Though he apparently thinks he’s the only one a bit miffed at the redemption angle.  Do some more Googling, Ron. [Slate]

    • Joining the “Reader” bash, Noah Forrest pleads with the Academy not to hand the Oscar to Kate Winslet. [Movie City News]

    • Jeff Wells gets word that Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln” could be in theaters by the end of the year. [Hollywood Elsewhere]

    • David Poland scatters “Watchmen” gossip while apparently indicating that Warner Bros. owes him and others a look at the film a month in advance. [The Hot Blog]

    • Patrick Goldstein is big on foreign film contender “The Class.” [The Big Picture]

    • Brits pick the most memorable movie quotes ever. [Daily Telegraph]

    • Sasha Stone talks to Oscar-nominated “Frozen River” scribe Courtney Hunt. [Awards Daily]

    • Thank God Michael Bay didn’t have his way with this year’s Oscar telecast. [Rope of Silicon]

    • Pete Hammond jumps on the “Mickey might win” bandwagon, becomes, like, the 10th person to draw a parallel to last year’s Best Actress race.  He also points to a potential Viola Davis upset in the supporting actress category. [Notes on a Season]

    • David Carr, meanwhile, comments on Rourke’s “whale of a speech” at the BAFTAs.  But he rather insultingly thinks voters would be “picking the speech over the performance.”  Hardly. [The Carpetbagger]

    • Xan Brooks prays for a little spice and surprising variety at this year’s Oscar ceremony. [The Guardian]

  • Defending the Berlin outcasts

    Several days into the Berlin Festival, it remains a rather quiet affair from the outside. A couple of starry titles have been thrown to the wolves, while we’re still awaiting news of a breakout film or performance along the lines of “Happy-Go-Lucky” last year.

    However, tonight’s screening will bring the first word on Stephen Frears’ eagerly anticipated “Chéri,” which has been prompting awards talk since mid-2008. (Nat Rogers, for one, idly muses on the Oscar chances of the film’s stars, Michelle Pfeiffer and Kathy Bates, here.)

    As for two of the films that have already been rather harshly received across the board, I was interested to hear a voice of positive dissent from one of my favourite critics, as Salon’s Stephanie Zacharek finds much to like in both Tom Tykwer’s “The International” and Lukas Moodysson’s “Mammoth.” In particular, she argues that the former, a “strange and beautifully made thriller,” may be a victim of an overt anti-Hollywood sentiment among festival critics:

    The movie I saw and loved felt “Hollywood” to me only in the best sense: Tykwer obviously had some money to work with here, and he spent some of it on the kind of elaborate, elegantly constructed set pieces that few mainstream directors know how to do anymore. (Wait until you see what he does with the Guggenheim Museum.) What’s more, “The International” is a leisurely thriller, which means it’s automatically a contradiction in terms: It can be called too slick, too boring, too “unlike anything else out there” and too “just like everything else out there” all at once. Those very conflicts are exactly what make it interesting.

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  • How can you say no to this guy?

    MIckey Rourke at the 2009 BAFTA Awards

  • Pretty brave

    Most people seem to be going along with the assumption Kate Winslet has this year’s lead actress Oscar in the bag for “The Reader.” But if anyone is nipping at her heels, it has to be Meryl Streep, whose performance in “Doubt” (however off the rails it went) has been right there, waiting to upset the whole year.

    In my daily Variety visit this afternoon, I came across the following Spartan advertisement for Streep’s performance. No words, no pomp, no circumstance. Just the face. Pretty brave in the face of what so many are chalking up as a sure thing. Maybe this kind of modesty is the right idea, the right level of, “Hey, that’s unique.” Or maybe not.

    Meryl Streep in Doubt

  • CONTEST: Win a Blu-ray copy of ‘Frozen River’

    We haven’t had a contest in a while but with Melissa Leo and Courtney Hunt nabbing nominations for “Frozen River” two weeks ago, and with the Blu-ray/DVD release set for tomorrow, it seems a good time to give a copy to one savvy trivia hound.

    Yeah, a trivia question.  I know.  I’m running out of creativity these days.

    Anyway, here’s the query: Melissa Leo is anything but the calculated, subdued character she plays in Hunt’s film.  She’s quite the bubbly type, full of life.  In order to taper some of that for the performance, Hunt suggested that Leo watch the work of what iconic actor in order to tap into something more subtle, but with every bit the pent-up emotion the character needed to exhibit?

    First to answer correctly wins.

    Cover of Frozen River Blu-ray

  • Oh, one more reason the Academy missed the boat this year…

    The Grammys saw fit to give Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard the award for best score soundtrack last night. The HFPA, as you know, gave The Boss a Golden Globe earlier this year. Did the Academy distinguish itself by snubbing these two works or just further prove that music branch to be off its rocker?

  • Technical issues

    Hey guys.  Sorry to the IE users out there who had trouble over the weekend.  We narrowed it down to one of the ads screwing things up.  Hopefully you can see the site properly now.  Apologies once again.

  • Pedro Almodovar starts the buzz on Penelope Cruz in 2009

    Pedro Almodovar at the 75th Annual Academy AwardsWriting in the weekend’s New York Times Magazine, filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar becomes one of the first to begin spitballing the efforts of an actress we’re likely to be talking about this time next year:

    Last year she finally came into her own in America, as she had already done in the rest of the world. Penélope is one of the most versatile actresses with whom I’ve worked. And this season she has proved it, with two performances in very different keys: the hysterical, very funny painter in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” and the young, neatly coiffed student in “Elegy.”

    What will 2009 bring? For starters, “Broken Embraces,” a hard-nosed drama with the feel of a thriller, and Rob Marshall’s “Nine,” a remake of Fellini’s “8½.” My film is finished, and I’ve seen images from “Nine,” and I can tell you that this year Penélope Cruz will continue to plumb depths we haven’t seen before.

    Check out the rest here.

  • UK press forgives Winslet

    Good. After weeks of mean-spirited mockery for her admittedly messy Golden Globe acceptance speeches, it appears that Winslet-baiting has finally gone out of style in the British press. UK media can demonstrate a weird tall-poppy syndrome when it comes to homegrown successes, but judging by this Independent article, they obviously approved of her restrained, clipped acceptance speech at last night’s BAFTAs:

    Rushing to the stage with a whoop, she started her speech with businesslike briskness, thanking her family and friends with just the faintest of quivers to her voice, adding that if she looked in the direction of her parents “I really will burst into tears”. “To be given this award at home really means a great deal to me. Thank you, Bafta,” Winslet added. She paid tribute to the producers of The Reader, Anthony Minghella and Sydney Pollack, who both died last year, saying: “I can’t believe they are no longer with us. You are much missed today and you will be much missed for many years to come.”

    The Guardian, meanwhile, deemed her “a model of composure,” while the Telegraph adds that “it was a relief Kate Winslet has finally put her acceptance speeches behind her.” As I said last night, though, I couldn’t help feeling that Winslet appeared a little too browbeaten on stage; I wouldn’t mind a little more sponteneity from her when she (almost) inevitably wins on Oscar night.

    It seems the Telegraph’s David Gritten was particularly pleased with the BAFTAs overall, calling them “by far more interesting” than the Oscars — a curious and somewhat premature conclusion, given that the Oscars look likely to unfold very similarly in a fortnight’s time.

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  • Solid proof Condon/Mark is the right call

    “Dreagirls” was on HBO last night and even though I’m long on the record for not being a fan, I still give it a look from time to time.  I caught the last act or so and the closing credits sequence, and I had forgotten how dazzling that sequence is.  You probably remember it: every single aspect of the production, form the costume design to the film editing, the coreography and sound to the art direction, each element was treated to its own bit of razzle dazzle over the credits.

    Multiple angles for the editor, sketches for production and costume design, appropriate visuals throughout.  It’s a really special sequence, I think, and one that exhibits Condon’s clear affinity for the medium.  I’m sure he’ll bring every ounce of that passion into the Oscar cast in just under two weeks’ time, and no matter how boring the eventual outcome (for those bored by things like, I don’t know, the best film of the year winning Best Picture), I think we’ll all be in for a treat.

    I tried to find a YouTube clip of that “Dreamgirls” credits sequence, by the way, but no luck.  Go check it out again if you have a chance, though.  Lots of heart in that bit.

  • ‘Mammoth,’ ‘Rage’ land with a thud at Berlin

    Oh dear. Colour me very disappointed indeed. “Mammoth,” Lukas Moodysson’s would-be entry into the mainstream, had me so hopeful — not least because it features Gael Garcia Barnal and Michelle Williams, arguably the two most exciting actors of their generation. But judging from a hostile crowd reception and cool-to-icy reviews, it appears the film isn’t likely to join Moodysson’s “Fucking Amal” or “Together” in the pantheon of greatness.

    IndieWire’s Eugene Hernandez reports that the film actually elicited boos at its screening — something that should always be taken with a pinch of salt, given the weird, unnecessarily cruel crowd mentality that often reigns at European festivals. (Just ask Sofia Coppola.) But Screen International’s trustworthy Jonathan Romney’s review isn’t much more merciful:

    Mammoth is an elephantine dud from a director who has plenty to say about the state of the world – and not a whit of new insight to offer nor artistic invention to express it … Moodysson’s humourless, finger-wagging script ticks every expected box, and he’s not averse to heavy visual underlining … The film’s title (alludes) – geddit? – to the capitalist global system, a wasteful titan doomed to extinction, though it applies equally well to the lumbering shaggy monster that Moodysson has created here.

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  • 2/9 Oscarweb Round-up

    Mickey Rourke in Diner• Thom Yorke and Gustavo Santaolalla to join forces on “Terminator Salvation” tunes?? [The Playlist]

    • Tom O’Neil spotlights the BAFTA voting process. [Gold Derby]

    • T.L. Stanley on the politics of Dustin Lance Black’s WGA acceptance speech. [Gold Rush]

    • David Poland says Universal dropped the ball on “Frost/Nixon,” as represented by its incredibly weak box office showing. [The Hot Blog]

    • Along a similar line of thought, and in an increasingly popular column idea the past week or so, Peter Sciretta comments on three of this year’s Best Picture nominees being among the lowest grossers in Academy history. [/Film]

    • Presumably out of ideas for the time being, Jeff Wells goes seeking advanced word on “The Road” at…IMDb. [Hollywood Elsewhere]

    • Barry Levinson writes a love letter to Mickey Rourke.  Did they kick the tires and light the fires in the nick of time for this campaign to push on ahead? [New York Times]

    • Bolt and the other characters who transformed cinema. [The Independent]

    • Roger Ebert predicts a handful of the categories, steps out on a limb for Viola Davis. [Chicago Sun-Times]

    • Across the pond, newly minted BAFTA winner Penelope Cruz explains why she can’t stop crying. [The Sunday Times]

    • Richard Brody spots a mole on the set of Martin Scorsese’s “Shutter Island.”  Well, not really — it’s actually a Cahiers du Cinema-sponsored Argentinian filmmaker/mentee. [The New Yorker]

  • “It’s such a pleasure to be here, back out of the darkness.”

    If you didn’t catch Mickey Rourke’s marvellous BAFTA acceptance speech, here it is in all its (bleeped) glory. For me, it’s moments like this that awards season is all about. (And I love the Richard Harris dedication — from one rebel talent to another.)

  • POLL: Who deserves it? — BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

    Tell us in the sidebar poll and, as usual, feel free to tell us why below.

  • ‘Slumdog’ takes 7 BAFTAs as Rourke, Winslet triumph

    For an awards body renowned for its frequently contrarian bent, the most surprising thing about this year’s BAFTA awards was, well, just how unsurprising they were.

    As the evening unfolded, not a single result emerged that could be classified as a major upset, even if the winners (“Man on Wire” helmer James Marsh in particular) occasionally looked more astonished than anyone else. Yours truly got 16 out of 21 predictions correct (a personal BAFTA record, I think) and even then, most of those errors came from trying to second-guess their usually far less predictable tech categories, and slightly underestimating the across-the-board love for “Slumdog Millionaire.”

    For love it they did, awarding it 7 trophies in the biggest BAFTA sweep since “Schindler’s List” matched that tally fifteen years ago. There really is very little to say about the “Slumdog” phenomenon at this stage, other than to admire the grace, modesty and genuinely endearing excitement that Danny Boyle, et al, still manage to convey at these ceremonies, all the while concealing the fact that they can no longer be surprised when their names are called.

    The other major story of the ceremony, however, was Mickey Rourke, whose outrageous but nonetheless slyly self-deprecating speech was the evening’s clear highlight. (His hilarious shout-out to his agent for “telling me who to fuck” is surely a soundbite for the ages.) I think it was clear to anyone in the UK that Rourke would win this – “The Wrestler” appears to be attaining cult status here, while the buzz around “Milk” has been eerily quiet – but it does nevertheless prove that he’s still very much in the Oscar race. Taking his wonderful performance aside for a moment, Rourke has now twice proved that he makes for great TV – and assuming they can handle some salty language, his knockout speech tonight may well win over some undecided AMPAS voters.

    (More thoughts, and a full list of winners, after the cut.)

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  • BAFTA Awards — live from London

    BEST FILM: “Slumdog Millionaire”

    I bow to no one in my love for the Rolling Stones, but even so, what the hell is Mick Jagger doing presenting this award? Anyway, as if you hadn’t guessed already, “Slumdog” inevitably takes the gold, completing what I think must be the largest BAFTA sweep in some years. (Or one of the largest ever? I’ll need to check the books on that.)

    BEST ACTOR: Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”

    I was confident Rourke would win here, given that “The Wrestler” has built such a surprisingly high profile on these shores. (“Milk,” on the other hand, couldn’t be less visible.) Even so, there’s always a little thrill of the unexpected about seeing Rourke in contexts like this.

    He rocks the house once again with another wonderful speech — funny, off-the-cuff, just the right side of lewd, and best of all, he’s comfortably, completely himself. And he squeezes in a few F-bombs in for good measure. Great, great stuff. I’m not a begging man, AMPAS, but please, for the sake of both art and entertainment, please give the man an Oscar.

    BEST ACTRESS: Kate Winslet, “The Reader”

    Daniel Craig barely bothered to enunciate which film she’d won for. I assume it was “The Reader,” since she’s thanking Minghella and Pollack. I feel a little bad for Winslet — she’s so obviously trying to rein it in here, she comes off a little stiff and over-rehearsed. This is the damage the merciless British press can do. But she’s clearly pleased, so … good job, I guess. (What was with that clip choice, though? Is “I’ll have what you have” really one of her best lines?)

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