In Contention

Category: Daily

  • 10/16 Oscarweb Round-up

    Tim Burton• Patrick Kevin Day gets some choice words from costumer Jacqueline Durran about the shoot-from-the-hip nature of working with Mike Leigh. [Los Angeles Times]

    • Tim Burton is too busy to see “The Dark Knight.” [Hero Complex]

    • Josh Brolin was initially insulted at the offer to play George W. Bush. [USA Today]

    • Shock of shocks: the kooks depicted in “Religulous” are pissed. [CNN]

    • Erik Lundegaard charts Presdential depictions through cinematic history. [MSNBC]

    • Even though they were staying at the Hilton across the street from the Ziegfeld, John McCain and Sarah Palin declined Oliver Stone’s invitation to the Gotham premiere of “W.” [New York Daily News]

    • Michael Cieply writes up a nice preview of Gus Van Sant’s “Milk.” [New York Times]

    • In honor of Don Cheadle stepping in for Terrence Howard on “Iron Man 2,” the top 13 character switcheroos.  Word up on #2. [Premiere]

  • ‘The Road’ potentially bumped to 2009

    Viggo Mortensen in The RoadI had heard earlier this week that John Hillcoat’s “The Road” might be pushed to 2009, but was sworn to secrecy.  Well, Dave Karger is talking about it now, so I guess it’s fair game.

    The film isn’t finished (not that that has stopped The Weinstein Company from releasing a film in 2008), but Karger nails it: Viggo Mortensen is the real loser here.  A few weeks back, he seemed to be a formidable contender with three big films in the pipeline.  With lukewarm receptions for “Appaloosa” and “Good” dousing spirits for those poerformances, a shove to 2009 for “The Road” would likely eliminate him altogether.

    Ah, the ever-shifting nature of an Oscar season.

  • Boy, David Poland sure is pissed he wasn’t FIRST!

    Dealing with babies in public really isn’t worth it so I’m yanking the post.  My sole intention was to defend Guy, who did not deserve to be disrespected in this manner.

    Earlier:

    Movie City News

  • More bad news for ‘The Reader,’ new pics

    Kate Winslet in The ReaderBrad Brevet over at Rope of Silicon has received some second-hand information from post-production of Stephen Daldry’s already controversial “The Reader.”  He’s also posted a couple of new images from the film, bu here’s the grist for the rumor mill:

    I got a tip from someone claiming to be close to the production saying “editing is not even half-finished” but the biggest problem is apparently the score. Our tipster says, “Although Alberto Iglesias will probably do the score, the other two finalists are still in the game – Ozren K. Glaser, a brilliant young Croatian composer and Nico Muhly, a dark-styled Peter Glass assistant.”

    Shocking?  Not at all, since this film was never going to be finished in time for Harvey Weinstein’s preferred release date and filmmakers involved have said as much.  But composers are the most expendable aspects of a film’s creative process, fired more often than any other element because sometimes it just isn’t working.  Igelsias has long been marked as the composer for “The Reader,” so I’m not sure why there are other “finalists” in the running.

    Whatever the case, more bad news for a film that will likely be preceeded by all of this negativity.  But at least we have new pics!

    Check out the rest at Rope of Silicon.

  • CONTEST: Win a DVD of Errol Morris’ ‘Standard Operating Procedure’

    Alright, we have two copies of Errol Morris’s controversial Abu Ghraib documentary “Standard Operating Procedure,” so I thought we’d have a little contest.  But the creative part of my brain shut off when I set about figuring out what that contest would BE, so I decided to lean back on ole’ faithful: a caption contest!

    Poking around the net, I found the following shot of Mr. Morris to be the best fodder for the proceedings, so have at it.  Give us your best caption for the photo below.  The two best zingers get a nice, shiny copy of the film.

    Win a copy of Standard Operating Procedure

  • 10/15 Oscarweb Round-up

    Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married• Tom O’Neil mulls over the Hollywood Film Festival honorees. [Gold Derby]

    • Peter Bart is paralyzed in front of his absentee ballot after watching two Presdential fuck-ups in “W.” and “Frost/Nixon.”  WTF? [Peter Bart]

    • Jeffrey Wells ponders the glut of Best Actress contenders at Sony Pictures Classics. [Hollywood Elsewhere]

    • David Frost makes it clear that he wasn’t the underdog when he went toe-to-toe with Richard Nixon. [The Times]

    • Kim Voynar goes from Voynaristic to The Oscar Outsider in a new schtick at MCN. [Movie City News]

  • Spam issue

    Just a note, if you’ve posted comments and noticed they didn’t pop up, I’ve discovered that the spam filter has been working overtime.  Some of our own Gerard Kennedy’s posts were in there.  So don’t think we’re censoring here, it just happens that we’ve got an over-zealous filter.  Keep trying and eventually it’ll recognize the IP.

  • ‘Last Chance Harvey’ added to AFI Fest line-up

    Overture is getting serious about this film’s Oscar prospects.  Here’s the press release, in part:

    The director, [Joel] Hopkins, as well as [Dustin] Hoffman and [Emma] Thompson, are confirmed to attend.
    “AFI holds a standard of excellence for all things film and beyond.  We are honored that LAST CHANCE HARVEY was chosen for the festival this year.  It’s a film that Overture is proud to share with audiences worldwide and we’re delighted AFI will be its premiere destination”, commented Overture Films’ CEO Chris McGurk.

    “We consider ourselves very fortunate to have the opportunity to add LAST CHANCE HARVEY as a Centerpiece Screening. This is a classic romantic film with two of the most beloved stars, Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson, who make a wonderful screen pairing. We held a few places in our schedule just in case a film like this would become available after we had locked our programming and in this particular case our strategy paid off very well,” said AFI FEST Artistic Director, Rose Kuo.

  • London Film Festival: six to watch

    So the 52nd annual London Film Festival begins tomorrow, bringing with it a feast of cinema cherry-picked from the rest of the fests, with a couple of new titles thrown into the mix too.

    As promised, I will be keeping you updated with proceedings, starting with tomorrow’s world premiere of “Frost/Nixon.” I’m seeing the film bright and early in the morning, and will have a review for you before the day is out.

    As I’ve said before, this year’s London lineup is a little more low-key than usual, but that’s the kind of year it’s been for movies. All the major festivals have struggled a bit this year, but London at least has the advantage of filtering their best bits, meaning plenty of hot films will appear, from “Slumdog Millionaire” to “Che.”

    But those tickets are hard to come by, and when one moves beyond the big, sexy drawcards, the waters get a bit murkier. With almost 200 films (not counting shorts) screening from every corner of the globe, there’s a lot to explore. I’ve been immersed in festival press screenings for the last fortnight, and have still seen only a fraction of what the festival has to offer.

    In the interest of providing alternatives then, let me offer up a handful of lesser-hyped titles that are really worth catching. More detailed reviews will be provided as the festival progresses, but for now:

    1234 (dir. Giles Borg)

    Lots of buzz circling around this under-the-radar crowdpleaser. A sweet-natured character comedy (with an ace soundtrack) about a lovelorn geek struggling to start up an indie band in boho East London, “1234” had the most packed press screening of the festival so far, and is bound to be a Brit hit. Ditch “Nick and Norah,” and catch this instead.

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  • Pixar’s ‘Up’

    Thoughts on the new poster?

    Pixar's Up

  • More on “Gran Torino”

    When I was writing up today’s poll, I realized I had completely forgot about that Louisa Schein piece from a few weeks back that was focused on the Hmong actors Clint Eastwood has cast in “Gran Torino.”  It was the first of a two-part study and I never came back to it.

    Part two was published on October 4 and, well, here it is.  Better late than never.  Schein digs into more cast members this time, mainly those cast as the Hmong family that lives next to Eastwood’s Walt Kowalski character.  But she winds the story down with this bit of insight into how “Gran Torino” might have lit a fuse for prospective Hmong filmmakers:

    Once Gran Torino is in theaters, the wait will be on for a film that not only tells the Hmong story, but does so from a Hmong point of view. As longtime actress, and production assistant for the Minnesota casting call, Sandy Ci Moua, puts it: “I see this as a catalyst for more Hmong to get into filmmaking.” During casting Sandy was a major advocate for the hiring of Hmong actors. Now she wants something more. “Not just acting in someone else’s movie, but writing, casting and producing – the things that make the story go.”

    Read the rest here.

  • POLL: What do you make of “Gran Torino”‘s Oscar prospects?

    Sorry we let the sidebar poll go stale.  But it was a nice round-up of opinion.  After two weeks, 28% of our readers think “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” is the frontrunner heading into the fall months, with “Milk” nipping at its heels.  But it’s time for a new query, no?

    I thought about using the question in the post below as fodder for this week’s poll, regarding Heath Ledger’s likelihood of a nomination in the lead category for “The Dark Knight.”  But I thought I would take an element from that post and concentrate on it here: the mysterious “Gran Torino.”

    Clint Eastwood’s film has been way back on the back burner for many prognosticators who aren’t able to let him pull a fast one and catch them off guard once again.  We’ve reviewed the screenplay here at In Contention and some scattered reports have circulated about the on-the-set particulars of the production, but for the most part, we’re in the dark.  Lots of potential, but nothing tangible to chew on.

    So I leave it to a vague poll: what do you think of the film’s Oscar prospects, given what little we have to go on?  I’ve narrowed it to four equally vague answers, and for that I apologize, but I thought I’d get a read on what you all were thinking on this lurking awards hopeful.  Tell us in the sidebar poll!

  • Will Heath Ledger muscle into a crowded lead actor field?

    Heath Ledger in The Dark KnightAdd another one to the list.  It looks like Thelma Adams has joined Pete Howell in predicting Heath Ledger for a lead actor nomination in WB’s “The Dark Knight.”  We first mentioned this idea in back in June, before the film landed in cinemas, and it has slowly snowballed into a possibility for a couple of pundits.

    It really depends on what Warner Bros. decides to do with the performance, however.  But if the studio tries its hand in the lead category, I really don’t think it will matter.  The guy is getting a nomination.

    I hate to “go there” with the first concentrated Bat-talk in a month or so (you know, since some of our more bizarre readers can’t handle talking about comic books in a serious discussion).  But it’s worth talking about at this point.  WB hasn’t declared a strategy, hasn’t launched an awards site, hasn’t shown its cards at all really, other than to announce a January re-release for the film aimed at securing last minue Oscar goodwill.  And, of course, the Academy will decide for themselves which category Ledger belongs in.

    Conventional wisdom dictates that Ledger would have a much less turbulent ride to a nod in the supporting category, with a traditionally weaker field and less opportunity for Academy members to balk at the notion of a comic book portrayal sliding in.  But if you ask me, this is the performance of the year — and not just because I say so, of course.  Ledger’s Joker has inched toward infamy, become a pop culture staple and earned its place alongside the greatest of screen villainy.  You’ll see his guise all over the country in 17 days.  His chances at a lead nomination are as good as they are in supporting, because at the end of the day, whatever the campaign, his is the most talked-about portrayal of 2008.

    I don’t think there are too many people who would questiont that.  The only variable has been where Ledger can win the award, and you’ll get no argument here that the supporting category is an easier path.  But then again, is it?  The supporting actor hopefuls have slowly congealed into five solid contenders, at least two of them sporting the scenery-chewing chops that could dilute Ledger’s work ever-so-slightly in the field.  Maybe it isn’t a walk-away there, any more than it would be in lead.  So why not go for the gusto?

    It’s all very timely at the moment, seeing as Warner Bros. has lost a dog in the race as of this weekend.  Until “Gran Torino” suddenly sneaks up on all of us, “The Dark Knight” is the studio’s awards season hopeful.  But we’re just spit-balling for now.  More than likely we will come across an FYC ad or an awards site and Ledger will be listed in the supporting category as expected.

    But don’t be surprised.  Don’t be surprised.

    Have your say.  Should Heath Ledger be campaigned as a lead or supporting actor for “The Dark Knight?”

  • 10/14 Oscarweb Round-up

    John Cusak (voice) as Igor in Igor• Tom O’Neil covers the landscape of double-dipping performers this year. [Gold Derby]

    • It looks like Don Cheadle will be replacing Terrence Howard in “Iron Man 2.”  Fucking lame. [The Hollywood Reporter]

    • How Kyle Buchanan missed the boat on some obviously awkward moments in “Rachel Getting Married.”  Seriously, what’s with the critical love-fest on this thing? [Defamer]

    • Christopher Campbell, meanwhile, thinks Anne Hathaway will be nominated for an Oscar but doesn’t deserve it. [Spout Blog]

    • David Poland spends 30 minutes with Greg Kinnear and Marc Abraham, star and director of “Flash of Genius” respectively. [The Hot Blog]

    • Tim Moore goes behind the scenes of “Igor.” [Daily Telegraph]

    • Is now time for a “Wall Street” sequel? [The Guardian]

    • Anthony Kaufman thinks this year’s Best Foreign Language Film race might be the most predictable in years. [indieWIRE]

    • Dave Karger wonders where the Best Picture nominees are this season. [Oscar Watch]

    • And finally, our hearts go out to Gerard Depardieu, who lost his son Guillaume yesterday, far too soon. [Associated Press]

  • Sorry for the posting drought…

    Lots going on today and over the weekend.  Hopefully we’ll get a new poll up tonight and ease into the rest of the week.

  • Making Dr. Manhattan

    Yahoo! Movies has a nice new featurette up about creating Dr. Manhattan in Zack Snyder’s “Watchmen.”  There are also a few production journals from production designer Alex McDowell, costume designer Michael Wilkinson, illustrator Dave Gibbons, director of photography Larry Fong, Snyder, etc.  Very interesting stuff.  Check it out here.

    These kinds of in-depth craft features are becoming a staple.  Two weeks ago we told you about the Apple exclusive on those Set to Screen “Australia” featurettes, which could go a long way toward directing attention to the work of these folks.  Kind of like DVD special features let loose on the net.  I’m betting you see more and more of this during the awards season as studios get wise to the value of peeling back the curtain and embossing the craft particulars of their films.

  • 10/13 Oscarweb Round-up

    Marc Forster• Robert Abele gets Josh Brolin to reveal his inner ‘W.’ [The Envelope]

    • Tom O’Neil gnaws on the Oscar potential of Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married.” [Gold Derby]

    • Peter bart makes a lot of presumptions and assumptions about the craven mentality of duel performers in a given Oscar season. [Peter Bart]

    • Vulture kicks off this year’s Oscar Futures with pro on “Milk,” con on “W.” [Vulture]

    • Alonso Duralde studies the work of Leonardo DiCaprio as “Body of Lies” releases into cinemas. [MSNBC]

    • Brad Brevet does the same, but draws the conclusion that DiCaprio has never quite hit it out of the park. [Rope of Silicon]

    • Scott Bowles, meanwhile, draws up an obit on the box office performance of “Body of Lies.” [USA Today]

    • Jeff Dawson goes in depth with “Quantum of Solace” helmer Marc Forster. [The Times]

    • Lauren Schuker digs into the global investments on Oliver Stone’s “W.” [Wall Street Journal]

    • Larry Charles chooses his 28 most subversive comedians. [Entertainment Weekly]

  • South Africa among the foreign-language stragglers

    Despite the deadline for submissions for the Best Foreign Language Film race ostensibly being October 1st, a further four dawdling countries have been added to the list of contenders that I discussed recently. They are Thailand, Lithuania, Uruguay and my home country, South Africa. I’m guessing none of them will really trouble the race, but as we know, this category moves in mysterious ways.

    Great South African films are few and far between — and none of them have yet come within touching distance of an Oscar. No “Tsotsi” fan am I. But in picking Ralph Ziman’s “Jerusalema” this year, the South African selectors are clearly hoping it will strike a similar chord to Gavid Hood’s 2005 Oscar-winner — like that film, it’s another Johannesburg-set crime story, though evidently a less sentimental one.

    Following its appearance at Berlin in February, Variety was moderately impressed:

    A propulsive, glossy, Johannesburg-set actioner charting the rise of an ambitious ne’er-do-well a la “Scarface,” “City of God” and virtually every other rags-to-riches-to-ruins underworld epic, “Jerusalema” overcomes derivative genre cliches and daunting length to punch home its crime-doesn’t-pay message on chutzpah alone.

    To offer a local perspective, our South African friend Nick Plowman has some reservations, but ultimately gives it the thumbs-up:

    “Jerusalema” is a first rate thriller, bursting at the seams with energy. Its vivid ambition is unlike anything I have seen come out of South Africa in ages … It’s too long at times, it drags here and there, (but) it’s gritty, real and ambiguous.

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