In Contention

Category: Daily

  • Is Alfred Hitchcock — gasp! — over-appreciated?

    Alfred HitchcockRandom thoughts…and writing this I risk having my head taken off by angry fans and film buffs, but I have always had some issues believing Alfred Hitchcock to be the great filmmaker artists and historians have claimed him to be. In many ways, despite having personally lectured the man and his work to film school classes, I feel he may be the most overrated filmmaker of all time.

    Aim your weapons and open fire on me, as I have placed a target on my back and surely know it, but there must be some folks out there who share my opinion?

    Admittedly, “Psycho” is a powerful film.  It was responsible for ushering in a new form of horror movie, and “Vertigo” is beautifully made, but is there anyone else out there (again) who finds the characters in his films a little…cool, remote, ah, hell…cold? Never have I felt anything for a Hitchcock character.  Never have I invested myself emotionally with a single one of them, not even when portrayed by the great James Stewart or Cary Grant.

    It bothers me that “Hitch” had the film finished in his head by the time he started shooting, leaving nothing for chance and removing any sense of creativity from the actors. He  spoke, they listened and moved and that was that. No where can I find any reference to any collaboration between the director and his actors, which to me is essential in filmmaking and strengthens the characters, giving the actors something to attach themselves to. If an actor is shown how to do it all, how to move, how to speak, how to play the role, when and where are they permitted to be creative?? Look at the dreadful acting in “The Birds” and you get an idea of what I mean.

    “Frenzy” turned out to be a very powerful film, truly frightening, and his last good picture.  However, if you ask me, his best film was “Lifeboat.”

    OK, have a go…my secret is out.  I’m not a Hitchcock fan. My God the shame, the shame…the horror.  Tell me why I should think otherwise.

  • More than just happy

    I’ve already discussed how many critics seem to be misinterpreting Mike Leigh’s “Happy-Go-Lucky” and its protagonist, Poppy, by interpreting it as a sheer feelgood work — and in doing so, missing much of the film’s complex, subtle social observation.

    So I’m glad to see that Mike Leigh has addressed the issue at a NYFF press conference. In this video courtesy of IFC.com, Leigh and the film’s star, Sally Hawkins, discuss with Lisa Schwarzbaum the issue of Poppy’s optimism, with Leigh stressing that there is a lot more to her character than simple cheeriness. First saying that “to desribe her as being unadulteratedly happy is not really to understand her at all,” her goes on to draw an interesting parallel between Poppy and the title character in the very differently-toned “Vera Drake.”

    Finally, with a grin, he insists that while “Happy-Go-Lucky” is indeed “anti-miserablist,” it’s not necessarily the start of a trend in his work: “Wait until you see how depressing the next film might be!”

    More from the conference here.

  • ‘Changeling’ provokes dissent in the blogosphere

    Uh-oh. Since its premiere at Cannes, “Changeling” has provoked both breathless raves and withering putdowns, but after its NYFF screening, a number of prominent bloggers are falling into the latter camp, expressing disappointment over both the film and Angelina Jolie’s much-hyped performance.

    The most articulate view expressed so far is by the ever-readable Nathaniel Rogers, who, despite high hopes for the film, thinks it is “overlong, overwrought” and suffers from an identity crisis:

    Somewhere buried in “Changeling” is an interesting story about a woman finding her strength against significant odds … Unfortunately the movie as directed and scripted works against this potentially thrilling internal drama. The plotting and direction can’t decide which kind of movie this is: melodrama, courtroom, serial killer picture, procedural, period epic?

    “Changeling“‘s title accurately reflects its early creepy child switch and its relentlessly mediocre shift from melodrama to true crime story. A better more disciplined film would have earned that title in a more ambitious way. It’s a shame that there’s so little real fluidity, few emotional surprises and no transformative character arcs within the sprawling story.

    As for Jolie, Rogers doesn’t doubt her Oscar chances, but he finds her fatally miscast:

    Angelina Jolie’s screen presence is, as everyone knowns, competent and forceful which is usually a good thing. Unfortunately her largeness somewhat robs Mrs. Collins of the journey from socially conditioned feminine weakness to lioness strength that we need to watch her stumble through. Jolie is technically proficient enough in these “womanly confusion” scenes but they don’t feel organic to the actress and there’s no surprise or reveal once she starts fighting back.

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  • Paul Cantelon’s beautiful ‘W.’ score

    Cover of W. Original Motion Picture SoundtrackA huge thank you to commenter Markku who points us to emusic.com’s sampling of Paul Cantelon’s original score for Oliver Stone’s “W.”

    I have to say, it’s a beautiful piece of work on the whole.  Lots of haunting melodies, plenty of southern flavor here and there, a nice waltz thrown in to emphasize the bumbling nature of the “protagonist.”  I’m loving this stuff!

    Cantelon, by the way, is having a hell of a year way, WAY under the radar.  His work on Justin Chadwick’s “The Other Boleyn Girl” is still one of the better scores from 2008.  If he keeps this up, he’ll find himself on a fast-track to awards success just like Alexandre Desplat did after bursting onto the scene in 2004 and 2005.

    I should be seeing “W.” any day now.  The film has been screening for various journalists, I just haven’t been considered cream of that crop to date.  But we will definitely be covering all the “W.” goings on from the London International Film Festival as Guy brings us the daily latest.  So keep an eye out for that later this month.

  • Listen to the scores from ‘Changeling’ and ‘Frost/Nixon’

    Fresh on the heels of Paramount Vantage’s annual Vantage Guilds unveiling, Universal Pictures has launched its For Your Consideration site this season.  The five films featured are “Changeling,” “Flash of Genius,” “Frost/Nixon,” “Mamma Mia!” and “The Tale of Despereaux.”  Currently you can check out portions of the  scores from “Changeling” and “Frost/Nixon.”

    By the way, Vantage has added some more content since we first pointed toward Vantage Guilds on Thursday.  Stills and a screenplay for “Defiance” and “The Duchess,” as well as score samples for the latter to go along with a behind-the-scenes featurette.  Nothing much for “Revolutionary Road” yet, though this pic is new to me:

    Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in Revolutionary Road

    By the way, I’ve been told the poster for “Revolutionary Road” that dropped a few weeks back is indeed a teaser and that a final one-sheet is still to come.  Looking forward to that.

  • James Earl Jones and the SAG Lifetime Achievement Award

    James Earl JonesI’m two days behind in writing something up about this.  The press release landed Thursday but I haven’t been able to squeeze in two minutes to comment.  I’ll just link The Envelope for the story, which takes this quote from the release:

    “James Earl Jones’ distinguished career on stage, in film, on television, in commercials and as a vocal presence without peer commands our admiration and respect,” SAG President Alan Rosenberg said. “His long and quiet devotion to advancing literacy, the arts and humanities on a national and local scale deserves our appreciation. It is our honor to bestow the Guild’s highest tribute on this extraordinary actor.”

    Very cool news.  Jones always been an actors’ favorite, going back to his SAG nomination in the guild’s first awards year, 1995, for “Cry, the Beloved Country,” when almost all other awards-giving bodies ignored his work in the film.  The clip reel should be fun, everything from “The Great White Hope” to “Star Wars” to, fingers crossed, “The Sandlot.”

    Big congrats to Mr. Jones.  It’s been a long time coming.

  • 10/4 Oscarweb Round-up

    (from left) Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe• Dave Karger “rounds up” the best bets for Oscars hitting cinemas this week. [Oscar Watch]

    • Off the cuff with Mike Leigh across the pond. [Los Angeles Times]

    • Tom O’Neil wonders whether Kristin Scott Thomas can grab an Oscar and a Tony in the same year… [Gold Derby]

    • …and thinks Clint Eastwood might be able to pull Angelina Jolie out of her Oscar funk. [Gold Derby]

    • On the heels of Rotten Tomatoes’ list of 50, John Campea runs down the 10 best animated films of all time amid a spiffy new layout for his site. [The Movie Blog]

    • Errol Morris to screen “Standard Operating Procedure” at 27 medical schools around the country.  Talk about grass roots. [Thompson on Hollywood]

    • Scott Bowles kicks off a DiCaprio/Crowe interview piece with one hell of an interesting lede. [USA Today]

  • WEEKLY WRAP: Newman remembered, Rudin/Weinstein, Foreign film race

    Paul Newman in HudAs we head into the weekend, here’s a quick overview of what we (and you) have been talking about at In Contention this week:

    • Kris paid tribute to the incomparable Paul Newman, as well as rounding up some of the man’s greatest performances.

    • As the Scott Rudin-Harvey Weinstein soap opera continues, Kris wonders where this leaves “The Reader” in the race.

    • John Foote contemplated the screen’s greatest leading ladies, past and present.

    • Matteo Garrone presented his red-hot foreign-language contender “Gomorrah” in London. I was impressed with the film.

    • Speaking of which, all the submissions for Best Foreign Language Film are in.

    • In the wake of a sensational new trailer, Apple takes a mouthwatering look at the tech credits of “Australia.”

    • Continuing the technical conversation, Gerard previewed the runners and riders in the Best Sound Mixing race.

    • Clint Eastwood scooped the first in what could be yet another run of awards for him this season.

    • And finally, in case you weren’t aware awards season has started, the people behind “Frozen River” and “Elegy” would like to remind you otherwise.

  • Peter Bart weighs in on ‘W.’

    Well, it isn’t really a review, but:

    Last week I saw Oliver Stone’s “W.,” an engrossing film which reminds us that the man who made “Platoon” hasn’t lost his edge. Part polemic, and part parody, “W.” explores the love-hate relationship between George Bush senior and junior.

    Alrighty.

  • Foreign film watch: all the contenders

    The race starts here. With the deadline having passed on Wednesday, 53 67 countries have submitted a candidate for the Best Foreign Language Film award.

    Now it’s all in the hands of the Academy’s notoriously obtuse foreign film committee. Under a new system aimed to avoid embarrassing exclusions like last year’s snub of “4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days” and “Persepolis,” the committee will vote on a six-film shortlist, while a smaller executive panel will add three extra titles afterwards.

    Looking down the list of titles, there aren’t any glaring omissions so far — and it’s nice to see left-field festival successes such as “Tony Manero” (Chile) and “Eldorado” (Belgium) in contention. There is still the problem of the ‘one film per country’ rule which means exceptional films such as “Il Divo” and “I’ve Loved You So Long” can’t compete. From a personal perspective, I’m also a little disappointed to see only two African entries: I fully expected Ethiopia to submit the much-acclaimed Venice success “Teza,” but it wasn’t to be.

    As I’ve said before, making predictions in this category is nigh-impossible, but for the hell of it (and so you can jeer at my foolishness come January), I’m hazarding a guess as to what the nine semi-finalists will be. My predictions, and a full list of the contenders, after the jump:

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  • SHORT TAKE: “Religulous” (***)

    Lionsgate Films\'s ReligulousI went into Bill Maher and Larry Charles’s “Religulous” expecting the usual close-minded schtick from Maher.  It seems the comedian is given to rational discourse on any topic except for religion where, indeed, it is the very notion of rationality that enjoys his full concentration.  He sticks his fingers in his ears and screams “La, la, la, la, I can’t hear you” and, for the most part, would prefer to relegate the subject to the extreme rather than see the gray area.

    To some extent, that is exactly what we get with “Religulous.”  Maher shoots fish in a barrel all across the globe, prejudice toward no specific faith; he runs the gamut.  Christianity, Judaism, Orthodox Judaism, Islam, all are accounted for.  But Maher does reach for a certain balance by kicking his journey off with a peek into his own religous background, which can go far toward explaining his detatchment from it all.  He was raised in a household that was 50 percent Jewish, 50 percent Catholic, and one that soon enough saw the error of organized religion.

    Maher finds a handful of level-headed practitioners of faith, from a kooky but understandably fatalistic priest outside the Vatican to a thoughtful, doctorate-holding Catholic who heads up an observatory and has plenty to say about the value of science.  But where Maher does his thesis of rationality a disservice is in his preference to go out and shoot those fish in a barrel rather than spend some more time exploring the thoughtfulness of these individuals .  It is clear their screen time serves only to buttress his account in some small way, but he has no interest in the idea that they, too, have a level of faith that deserves respect.

    It is, in many ways, the same frustration that played itself out on his program a few weeks ago, and here, it is prevalent throughout.

    But “Religulous” is a fun movie.  There are plenty of insane believers out there and for the most part, they have claimed a considerable ownership of this country’s progress.  As Maher said when he earnestly introduced the film to a modest crowd in Century City on Wednesday, we need to take our country back from these people.  There is something to that, even if he carries the reverse fire-and-brimstone over the top as his film concludes.  The attempt was noble, even if somewhat in the vein of expectation.

  • Eastwood talks ‘Changeling’ on The Daily Show

  • The evolution of the actress, part two

    Jessica Lange in King KongThis is the second of a two-part study of legendary screen actresses through the years.  Click here for part one.

    Diane Keaton and Sally Field emerged at the end of the 1970s with strong performances that defined them as actresses of the future. Keaton won an Oscar for her kooky “Annie Hall” and became a regular performer  for Woody Allen. But she was also taking risks with other filmmakers, giving a darkly brilliant performance, for instance, in “Looking for Mr. Goodbar” as a promiscuous young teacher.

    Keaton gave a sublime performance in “Shoot the Moon,” a critically acclaimed box office failure, and was excellent in “Crimes of the Heart,” “The Little Drummer Girl,” “Marvin’s Room” and most recently, “Something’s Gotta Give.” Equally at home in comedy or drama, Keaton never ceases to amaze.

    Sally Field’s career is a bit more bizarre.  A two-time Oscar winner for genuinely brilliant performances, she truly arrived with “Norma Rae,” claiming all major lead actress awards.  Five years later she won again for a wonderful performance in “Places in the Heart,” which yielded the infamous “you like me” speech.  In the years since, she should have been nominated for “Forrest Gump,” but was not, and now she’s an Emmy Award winner on television. Easily miscast, though, Field can come across as too earnest in some roles, as she was in “Murphy’s Romance.”  But in the right material, she is terrific.

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  • Bad…ass…

    (from left) Viggo Mortensen and Ed Harris

    From yesterday’s feature with Viggo Mortensen and Ed Harris at USA Today.  I think Ed is literally staring through my soul.

    Oh, and an FYI, keep an eye out later today for our interview with Jeff Beal, composer of “Appaloosa.”  Lots to chew on there from a nice 45-minute discussion last week.

  • 10/3 Oscarweb Round-up

    WALL-E• A clip from “Changeling.” [Oscar Watch]

    • And another. [The Envelope]

    • Or, if you prefer, the first five minutes of “Blindness.” [Yahoo! Movies]

    • David Poland breaks the news that “Che” will get its U.S. debut at AFI Fest here in Los Angeles — at the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. [The Hot Blog]

    • Tom O’Neil makes it clear that “Elegy” screeners only went to the AMPAS acting branch. [Gold Derby]

    • Rounding up the 50 greatest animated films of all time.  Further into the tank for “WALL-E.” [Rotten Tomatoes]

    • Famous cameos.  I heart the first one on the list. [The Independent]

    • David Thompson chats it up with “Burn After Reading” star Tilda Swinton. [The Guardian]

    • Has Dirty Harry become anti-cop? [The Big Picture]

    • Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen continue to make the rounds on “Appaloosa.” [USA Today]

    • Emily Parker goes head-to-head with a thoughtful Fernando Meirelles. [Wall Street Journal]

    • Glenn Kenny doesn’t care about what you don’t care about. [Some Came Running]

    • The Big Apple’s finest thespians. [New York Magazine]

  • Release date for ‘Nothing But the Truth’

    Yari Film Group has locked in the release date of December 19th for Rod Lurie’s “Nothing But the Truth,” hoping to cash in on the awards season on the heels of mainly positive reaction at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.  My thoughts are here.

    In my opinion, the film’s best chances at nominations are Kate Beckinsale for lead actress and Vera Farmiga for supporting.  The former will have to duke it out in a tight category while the latter has the luxury of an empty one.  But hopes are also high for Alan Alda’s prospects, who delivers the heart of the film in a quality monologue in the third act.

  • The evolution of the actress, part one

    Ellen Burstyn in Requiem for a DreamThis is the first of a two-part study of legendary screen actresses through the years.  Stay tuned tomorrow for part two.

    We often hear about the great actors in movie history: Brando, Nicholson, Duvall, Hoffman, Hackman, Washington, Freeman and DeNiro, men who advanced the craft into an art of the highest order.

    But what of the women? They have never really been taken seriously in Hollywood as trend-setters.  Historians have even documented the genuine shock by studio heads when they realized that a woman, Vivien Leigh, had carried “Gone with the Wind” for its more than three-hour running time.

    Leigh, Bette Davis and Katherine Hepburn were the greatest of classic Hollywood, and certainly Elizabeth Taylor’s astonishing performance as Martha in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” broke ground for women in terms of what they could portray on screen and get away with. A genuine movie star, Taylor gained a great deal of weight for the film and was willing to play down her stunning good looks in the name of her art.

    Brash and loud, vulgar and sexual, Martha was the greatest challenge of Taylor’s career, to which she responded with one of the cinema’s great performances. This was years before Robert De Niro in “Raging Bull,” which received substantially more attention. But all of the aforementioned actresses in one way or another broke ground for the fairer sex.

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  • Edward Zwick gets some ShowEast respect

    Edward Zwick on the set of The Last SamuraiThe press release, in part:

    Academy Award® winner Edward Zwick has been selected to receive “The Kodak Award for Excellence in Filmmaking” at the 2008 ShowEast convention in Orlando, it was announced by Mitch Neuhauser, Co-Managing Director of the convention. Zwick will be on hand to receive this honor at the ShowEast Final Night Banquet and Award Ceremony on Thursday, October 16th at the Orlando World Center Marriott in Orlando, Florida.

    “Edward Zwick is one of the most talented and respected multi-hyphenates working in the film industry today,” noted Neuhauser. “Not only is he an accomplished filmmaker in American cinema, but he is also a veteran of television, responsible for some of the most groundbreaking shows of our generation, and he frequently juggles movies with television as he works. From a film standpoint, Edward Zwick’s body of work is diverse, accomplished and acclaimed and to be able to honor him at ShowEast this year is truly a great privilege.”

    Zwick has been getting more and more press leading up to the fall release of “Defiance,” which was announced last month as the closing night gala of the AFI Fest here in Los Angeles.