In Contention

Category: Daily

  • Big changes with the USC Scripter Awards

    Everyone wants to compete.  This is the derby, the parade, the long, slow march to Oscar.  Simultaneously balancing a need for relevance with the inherent necessity to be distinguished can be a high-wire act this time of year, but with the various kudos being dished about, all eyes are turned, more and more, toward the awarding event at hand.

    With that in mind, the USC Scripter Awards will not be the foregone conclusion it has been in years past.  Generally, the winner would be announced and the big to-do would come later, the winning parties there to accept the award they knew they had coming to them.  Now, it seems, the show will have an air of competition about it, and perhaps (as I’m sure the USC Libraries are hoping), an array of nominees turning out as well.

    From the hot-off-the-presses release:

    For the first time in the 20-year history of the event, the USC Libraries will announce Scripter winners on the evening of the gala.

    “Announcing the winner at the ceremony makes for a much more dramatic evening,” said [USC Scripter chair Naomi] Foner Gyllenhaal. “And drama is at the center of any award presentation. This change also gives us a chance to really honor all the finalists among their peers at the event.”

    It looks like Jamie Lee Curtis will serve as this year’s emcee, following in the footsteps of Jason Alexander, who I thought did a nice job last year.  Additionally, there has been a minor rule change worth noting:

    English-language adaptations based on a series of books now qualify for Scripter consideration. Previously, only films based upon individual books, novellas, or short stories were eligible.

    Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!

  • Jerry Lewis to receive humanitarian award at this year’s Oscars

    It seems we have our first Oscar winner announcement for the year.  From the AP:

    Jerry Lewis has never been nominated for an Oscar, but he’s going to get one anyway. The 82-year-old will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Oscar ceremony in February.

    The governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced their selection Wednesday. The Hersholt Award — an actual Oscar statuette — recognizes humanitarian efforts that have brought credit to the film industry.

  • Winslet to be feted at Santa Barbara Fest

    Kate WinsletWell the consistent snubs for Kate Winslet’s performances this week (other than a brief mention by the BFCA for her work in “The Reader”) should go down a little easier for the actress as it seems she’ll be receiving an award at next month’s Santa Barbara Film Festival for her outstanding career so far.

    The press release, in part:

    “I have had a cinematic crush on Kate Winslet since her first movie,” gushed SBIFF Director Roger Durling.  “She’s my favorite actress of all time…and she will always have a home here at the festival!”

    Since her last visit to Santa Barbara, Winslet has been in numerous films including Little Children, for which she received her fifth Oscar nomination, All The King’s Men, Flushed Away and The Holiday.  Winslet continues her sterling career with two critically-acclaimed performances in Sam Mendes’ “Revolutionary Road,” marking a screen reunion with her Titanic co-star, Leonard DiCaprio, and Stephen Daldry’s post WWII drama, “The Reader,” opposite Ralph Fiennes.

    The Montecito Award was created in recognition of a performer who has given a series of classic and standout performances in his/her career.

  • Steve Coogan to host Indie Spirits, waiting on Oscar emcee

    It has been announced that “Hamlet 2” and “Tropic Thunder” star Steve Coogan will host this year’s Independent Spirit Awards, a considerable step up from Rainn Wilson and Sarah Silverman, if you ask me.  Last year’s show was mostly “meh” — well, generally the Indie Spirits are “meh.”  Then again, I spent most of the time in the press tent last year, so what do I know?

    But Coogan is a great get, someone I never even considered for something like this but a guy who’s clearly got the chops.  Now we’re just waiting to hear who the Oscar host will be, an announcement that should come any day.

  • POLL: ‘Dark Knight’ or ‘WALL-E?’ Take your stand.

    Okay, now that things are finally happening this awards season, I feel inspired to create another poll.  It’s been a while.  The last time around, the vast majority of you felt Heath Ledger was a lock to win Best Supporting Actor, and forgive, but this week we have “The Dark Knight” in the mix once again.

    I’m frankly fascinated by the lines being drawn in the sand on behalf of Christopher Nolan’s film and Pixar’s “WALL-E,” the second and first place finishers with yesterday’s LAFCA vote and two of the most popular, yet critically acclaimed films of the year.  The fights have certainly erupted here and here, and I’m all for the heated discourse.  But I thought I’d get a gauge on the overall opinion on which is the better film.

    So, have your say in the sidebar poll!  It’s not to say one can’t be a fan of both, but tell us which film you think is the better achievement, “The Dark Knight” or “WALL-E.”

  • ‘Rachel,’ ‘The Wrestler’ were close; Cruz, Hawkins sit pretty

    Mickey Rourke in The WrestlerAs I suspected, “Rachel Getting Married” and “The Wrestler” were right in the thick of today’s NYFCC voting.  As he does annually, Tom O’Neil runs down the inside scoop on the particulars of the vote.  He gets his info from the New York Post’s Lou Lumenick.

    Apparently “Rachel” was nipping at the heels of “Milk” for Best Picture, while Mickey Rourke came in a relatively close second for Best Actor honors in “The Wrestler.”   Robert Seigel’s script for the latter was also in the conversation, landing in third place.  It’s nice to see Kate Winslet was also in the running for Best Actress (for “Revolutionary Road”), albeit in fourth place.

    The only mentions for “The Dark Knight” were a second place showing for Heath Ledger and a third place showing for Best Cinematography, while the only landslide win looks to have been “Man on Wire” for Best Documentary, 20 points ahead of “Waltz with Bashir.”

    Entertainment Weekly’s Dave Karger, meanwhile, shrewdly points out that “in the last seven years, 11 actors have been recognized by both organizations (LAFCA and NYFCC) and all 11 eleven went on to score Oscar nominations as well.”  The peculiarity bodes well for Penelope Cruz and Sally Hawkins, Karger says, and I’m inclined to agree.

  • ‘Milk,’ ‘Happy’ win big with NYFCC

    Sally Hawkins in Happy-Go-LuckyThe Best Picture victory for “Milk” is going to be the lede for most people as far as today’s New York Film Critics Circle awards is concerned, but the bigger story is “Happy-Go-Lucky,” which finds itself right back in the thick of the Oscar conversation.

    The group handed Mike Leigh and Sally Hawkins honors for Best Director and Best Actress respectively for the film.  This marks the second award in as many days for both.  Leigh won the screenplay award yesterday with the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and Hawkins was also singled out for her performance.

    But back to “Milk,” I was a little surprised to see the film do so well here, also taking honors for Best Actor (Sean Penn) and Best Supporting Actor (Josh Brolin).  It’s a slightly more populist opinion from a crowd that likes to be fringe, though Jenny Lumet’s screenplay win for “Rachel Getting Married” was anything but a shock.

    Penelope Cruz continued her expected steamroll through the Oscar season with yet another supporting actress win (she won with LAFCA as well), while “WALL-E” surprised no one with a victory as Best Animated Film.  Meanwhile, Anthony Dod Mantle, who came in as a runner-up with the L.A. critics for his work behind the camera on “Slumdog Millionaire,” happened to walk away with the honor today.

    “Man on Wire” took honors for Best Documentary, while “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days” won for Best Foreign Film.

    It was yet another day of snubs for “Revolutionary Road,” which turned up with zero nominations from the BFCA and no mentions from the L.A. critics.  And a film that has suddenly become a real threat as the first major precursors have begun to arrive, “The Dark Knight,” hit an expected roadblock with the Gotham crew, finding no love in any category.  Slightly more surprising, however, is the lack of recognition for Darren Aronofsky’s “The Wrestler.”  But I have a hunch it was in the hunt throughout, maybe just coming up short in this category or that.

    (Full list of winners after the jump.)

    (more…)

  • Waiting on the Gotham crowd

    NYFCCAlright, so last year, the NYFCC announcement came down close to 10:00 a.m. PST, so I expect in the next few hours we’ll have some answers.  You can check on the group’s official site to watch the winners clock in as announced (unless something changes this year), but for now, I’ll wager a couple of guesses.

    The way the New York critics vote, with various in-fighting and films left standing eventually crowned victor (which leads to weird Best Picture choices like “United 93” and “Out of Sight”), this group can be an erratic one to predict.  I’m not sensing a “Slumdog” victory or major love for “Milk,” but I think this is the place where, say, “Rachel Getting Married” or even “The Visitor” can claim a piece of the critics awards pie.

    That said, I’m going to guess way out on the fringe and say “The Wrestler,” with a win for Mickey Rourke to accompany it.  Maybe Aronofsky can even slide in for Best Director, or perhaps that’s where Jonathan Demme will get his precursor due.  For actress, I anticipate Anne Hathaway, but a win for Melissa Leo or Kristin Scott Thomas wouldn’t surprise me either.

    Anyway, take a crack at it and give us your NYFCC predictions below.

  • Getting carried away with ‘WALL-E’ and the LAFCA

    BrazilI have been griping about the state of the movie year since after the Toronto International Film Festival, and frankly I took some heat for bitching about it. So yes, I feel some vindication about the way the season is shaping up: 2008 is a hugely disappointing year at the movies, with only a handful of really brilliant films. After the bounty of last year, obviously our hopes were high, which is a mistake, but it seems we have endured one failure after another this year.

    So the Los Angeles Film Critics Association voted “WALL-E” best film of the year.  Does this increase the film’s Oscar chances for a Best Picture nod? It will certainly draw some more attention but at the end of the day the film will land in the feature animation category, which is where it belongs.

    I agree with Kris that “WALL-E” is over-appreciated and hugely overrated. Yes, it was a good film, a beautiful picture that was a stunning visual experience, but it’s not the masterpiece it is being hailed as. In my opinion it is indicative of the weak movie year we are suffering through.  I have three more films to see to wrap up my 2008 coverage, and at this writing, “The Dark Knight” is my choice as best film of the year, with Nolan my best director.  So I have to say it was cool to see both slide in as runner-ups.

    But let’s be realistic about the L.A. Film Critics.  They like to make a statement. They did it in 1985 with “Brazil,” an unreleased film from Terry Gilliam that somehow won their Best Picture prize and forced Universal to finally put it in theaters.

    (more…)

  • 12/10 Oscarweb Round-up

    Penelope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona• The Gurus settle on a predicted five that seems to be becoming “the knowledge.” [Movie City News]

    • David Poland, meanwhile, takes the opportunity to spotlight 10 under-the-radar contenders. [Movie City News]

    • Always eager for a “look, we said something about it first” story, Steve Weintraub calls an exclusive (seriously, we need to define this term already) on a story Eric Roth has been talking about here and there for a while now…his desire to pen a space film, among other scripts the writer is working on, all reported elsewhere long ago.  Can’t wait to read about the bitching once Variety breaks the ACTUAL story when (and if) it comes to pass.  (Sorry, got carried away there.) [Collider]

    • Getting back on track, Tom O’Neill chats it up with Penelope Cruz. [Gold Derby]

    • Erica Abeel sits down with “Reader” director Stephen Daldry. [indieWIRE]

    • Having already released, “Australia” still isn’t finished?  Wait…what? [The Independent]

    • Do the European Film Awards matter? [The Guardian]

    • Anita Chabria catches up with the female cinematographers story. [The Envelope]

    • Patrick Goldstein reports on the inner strife of yesterday’s LAFCA vote.  Apparently “Slumdog Millionaire” was “a close third in the best picture race.” [The Big Picture]

    • The most vanilla Oscar preview yet. [Associated Press]

    • 12 rules of Christmas movies. [New York Daily News]

    • Anthony Breznican profiles Ron Howard’s career behind the camera. [USA Today]

    • Anne Thompson reports from the Monday night premiere of “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” with some video to boot. [Thompson on Hollywood]

  • New ‘Terminator Salvation’ trailer kicks…well, you know

  • Zimmer speaks out on the ‘Dark Knight’ score controversy

    Hans ZimmerThe diligence Los Angeles Times columnist Patrick Goldstein has been doing on this back-and-forth on the eligibility of Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard’s score for “The Dark Knight” is, I think, exceptional.  Goldstein got Zimmer on the phone last night to discuss how the reversal of the decision came to pass.

    It seems Zimmer went, in person, to the music branch’s executive committee meeting Friday night to plead his case:

    “My basic argument was–composers are honest human beings…If we’re telling you that we, and we alone, wrote the score, why don’t you believe us? We were very candid. We said, ‘Why would we lie? And if you don’t believe us, go ask Chris Nolan, the film’s director. He saw who did the work.’”

    That’s fair enough and I’m glad he got everything across to the branch that needed to be, but even with that in mind, I think the rules should extend to whatever number of composers are necessary.  Why put a limit on it?  That’s irritated me on many fronts for years.  The three producer thing for Best Picture nominees in particular.  But Zimmer had some stinging things to say about all of that as well:

    I think the value of the Oscars is being erased by the narrowness and nitpicking of all the academy rules and regulations. The executive committee shouldn’t be excluding people’s work because of technicalities. Especially today, with all the new work methods and new technology, the academy needs to change–they have to keep pace if they want to stay relevant.

    Amen.

  • LAFCA gives Best Picture to ‘WALL-E’

    WALL-EShocking.  “WALL-E” is officially the most overrated film of the year, but that having been said, this is one hell of a ballsy move on the part of the L.A. film critics (whose vote came down a lot earlier than I expected).

    I correctly anticipated a Sally Hawkins victory in the lead actress category, which will do wonders for her Oscar hopes.  The group also went with Mike Leigh for his “screenplay.”  It makes sense as “Happy-Go-Lucky” was a film dwindling on the Oscar landscape and this group, no matter how much a couple of blowhards within their ranks claim otherwise, like to shine their light in the direction of films they want to find the right traction this time of year.  Eddie Marsan also came in as a runner-up for Best Supporting Actor.

    I’m very excited to see Steve McQueen grab the group’s New Generation award.  I’m happy to see some outlets already calling “Hunger” the best of the year.  When I saw the film at this year’s AFI Fest, I knew I was in the hands of a new talent.  I’m glad the LAFCA agrees.

    I also have to tip my hate to the group for recognizing Mark Friedman’s brilliant design work in “Synecdoche, New York,” my personal choice for the year’s best in the category.  And I’m glad to see that lenser Anthony Dod Mantle was so close to a win for his wonderfully inventive work in “Slumdog Millionaire.”

    But back to “WALL-E.”  I just cannot understand the love-fest for this film, a position I’m sure plenty of movie-goers find themselves in regarding “The Dark Knight” (which came in as a runner-up for Best Picture, beating out contenders like “Slumdog Millionaire” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”).  But regardless of my taste, it’s worth pointing out that the only three films to win the LAFCA award for best Picture and fail to secure an Oscar nomination for same were “Leaving Las Vegas” in 1995, “About Schmidt” in 2002 and “American Splendor” in 2003.  You have to go all back to “Do the Right Thing” in 1989 for the last example and it’s only happened a total of six times in 32 years.

    Crazy.

    The winners (via Variety) after the jump.

    (more…)

  • Honored

    The Dark KnightEvery year I contribute to the Eye on the Oscars features issues at Variety, something I started long before my short-lived blogging stint at the trade last year.  We always come up with a list of contenders for each category to profile as the season pushes forward and sometimes the nature of longer leads makes some picks a bit out-of-date come publication time (i.e., James Cromwell on this year’s supporting actor list).

    One actor that was always going to be there was Heath Ledger, whose brilliant turn in “The Dark Knight” has become the stuff of legend.  I put a bug in my editor’s ear early on that, if it was in the cards, I really wanted the chance to tackle Ledger’s profile.  I generally do abot three or four of them every year, but I’ve never wanted an assignment, of any sort, as much as I wanted this one.

    Happily, I got it.  Heath is obviously no longer with us, so cranking out a profile with the right perspective was always going to be difficult.  But taking some insightful words from Aaron Eckhart and a nicely enlightening chat with producer Chuck Roven, I came up with something I’m proud of and that I hope does the actor some level of justice.

    Here’s a taste:

    “He was always part of a very short list of guys we had talked about, but so many things were wonderful surprises,” Roven says. “When we heard his voice, when we see his tongue flick, when he does that thing with his hair when he sees Rachel. The thing about this performance is it really pulls you in. You know this character is deeply disturbed, but you want to spend time with him.”

    Regarding that flick of the actor’s tongue, like some wicked clown serpent, Roven says Ledger researched what it would be like if someone had his mouth cut like the Joker’s horrific scarring suggests. In some cases, Ledger told Roven, a person might run the tongue along the wound. So the actor built that defining physical attribute into the character.

    Ledger was never able to see his finished performance, though Christopher Nolan did show him the film’s introductory scene, featuring a Joker-masterminded bank heist. For Roven, the portrayal lives on in the film’s popular and critical reception and, indeed, the awards chatter the late actor’s work has ignited throughout the year.

    Check out the rest here.

  • Here’s why the BFCA snubbed ‘Revolutionary Road’

    I didn’t think about this at the time this morning, because of course, I do the diligence of going to the screenings.  But DVDs of “Revolutionary Road” and “Defiance” did not arrive on our doorsteps until late last week, in some cases, as late as Friday.  Even though the voting deadline was Sunday, I’m sure most of the members across the country had already voted without seeing the film.  It’s the only reason I can think of that the film would be ignored across the board.  I mean, at the very least Michael Shannon would have shown up.  His performance has been cherished by critics in many quarters.  So keep it in mind, these snubs only mean that a large portion of the group didn’t see the film.

  • Onward…LAFCA coming up

    LAFCAAlright, the BFCA announcement has come and gone.  Little surprise other than some omissions.  So maybe the Los Angeles critics will feel the need to get behind a few ponies, as they do annually (Vera Farmiga in “Down to the Bone,” handing “There Will Be Blood” their Best Picture prize last year when Oscar buzz was dwindling, etc.)

    I’m actually expecting a “Slumdog” victory with maybe some surprises in Best Actress or Best Supporting Actress.  I have a hunch Christopher Nolan will nab the Best Director prize, giving him, and the film, some much-needed Oscar legitimacy.  And, as David Poland rightly noted last week, that “Dark Knight” soiree was indeed packed with LAFCA members.

    Sasha Stone over at Awards Daily corraled the predictions of a few of us prognosticative bozos.  She also gives a space for you to throw some things at the wall to see what sticks.  But for now, it’s all a waiting game.  Last year the announcement didn’t land until around 7:00 p.m. PST, so it’ll be a while.  But have at it in the comments section below if you want to guess at the winners.

  • FYC brilliance

    Robert Downey Jr. For Your Consideration ad

  • Getting around to the BFCAs

    Kate Beckinsale in Nothing But the TruthA late night premiere and after party kept me in bed most of the morning.  It happens.  So I’m just now coming around to today’s BFCA announcement.  First, some reactions (full disclosure, I am a member of the organization).

    First and foremost, the group subtracted one category (Best Family Film) and added another (Best Action Film).  I think we all know where the latter is headed.  Speaking of which, “The Dark Knight” actually had a hell of a showing, popping up in the expected areas but also grabbing a nomination for director Christopher Nolan and composers James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer (who find themselves back in the Oscar hunt as of yesterday).

    The group also combined the Best Young Actor and Best Young Actress categories to reflect both sexes in the same arena.  A good call, since I’m sure I’m not the only one who has felt like I was grasping at straws to list six names some years.

    The startling omission: “Revolutionary Road.”  I’m sure there are more than a few broken hearts at Paramount Vantage this morning, but chin up.  “Into the Wild” landed the most nominations with the BFCA last year and only managed two Oscar nominations.  So it all goes to show you these things aren’t set in stone.  That having been said, the BFCA is simply the best Oscar predictor around and I’m thinking it will prove itself a nice tip sheet going into January 22.

    A few quasi-surprises were in store.  I’m sure not too many people were expecting Kate Beckinsale and Vera Farmiga’s names to pop up for Rod Lurie’s “Nothing But the Truth.”  Lurie, it should be said, is a founding member of the BFCA, though in fairness, that was 15 years ago and he was in the group for two years.  He has friends in the organization, sure, but they represent a fraction of the 200-strong membership.  Regardless, I truthfully think both actresses deserve a spot at the table so it’s nice they could push their way through.

    But getting back to “Revolutionary Road,” this is an out-and-out shut-out, and that really hurts the film’s buzz potential.  It’s one thing to miss this category or that, but nothing for Leo (with six shots at it), nothing for Kate (ditto), not even a nod for Michael Shannon, who damn well deserves a mention.  I’m truthfully surprised.  I think our Best Picture line-up will be taken from the top 10 list, and like I said, it can’t be happy times for that hard-working crew.  Scott Rudin is still sitting pretty, though, as his “Doubt” popped up in a number of areas.  But “Button,” “Dark Knight,” “Frost,” “Milk,” “Slumdog” — you might as well take it to the bank.

    Oh, and one final note.  I’m actually quite happy to see Clint Eastwood’s name pop up in the composer category for “Changeling.”  I think the jazzy soundtrack is his best work as a film musician to date and, if the Academy’s music branch ever saw past their bias, would make a fine Oscar nominee.  Nice to see him show up here.

    The top 10 list, with a full list of nominations after the jump:

    Best Picture
    “Changeling”
    “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
    “The Dark Knight”
    “Doubt”
    “Frost/Nixon”
    “Milk”
    “The Reader”
    “Slumdog Millionaire”
    “WALL-E”
    “The Wrestler”

    (more…)