In Contention

Category: Daily

  • Eastwood aims for realism with unknown Hmong ensemble in ‘Gran Torino’

    Clint EastwoodNews America Media writer Louisa Schein has begun a two-part report on the Hmong actors cast in Clint Eastwood’s upcoming “Gran Torino,” and I have to say, it’s a real coup considering how little we’ve learned of the film so far.

    The article sheds light on Eastwood’s decision to cast a string of unknown in key roles throughout the film, making dreams come true for a large number of Hmong actors.  What’s more, it seems Eastwood chose a number of Hmong extras and production assistants for the production, putting what Schein calls a “mountain of faith” in Hmong talent.

    Here’s a bit from Schein’s lede:

    After open casting calls were held in Fresno, Detroit and Minnesota, interested Hmong Americans waited with baited breath to see who would be cast. As days turned into weeks, fear spread that Hmong would be passed over for more experienced Asian actors. But then, in early July, people who least expected it started getting the calls. Elation spread with the news that ten key roles had gone to mostly first-time Hmong actors, and that Hmong extras, production assistants and others were also going to be on set. Eastwood seems to be putting a mountain of faith in Hmong talent, and it looks like he will be well rewarded for it. Working on Gran Torino is stretching the actors – many of whom have backgrounds in other art forms like music – to reach potentials they didn’t know they had.

    She goes on to profile a number of the actors involved, then drops this bit of news about improvisation on the set:

    (more…)

  • New ‘Benjamin Button’ TV spot

    The folks at TheMovieBox.net are being douche bags and disabling the embedding on the new TV spot for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” but you can check it out on YouTube and feast your eyes on their glorious watermark if you like.  The unnecessary exclusivity ought to evaporate soon enough.

  • Russia, Argentina, Slovenia enter the derby

    This morning brings three more entries in the Best Foreign Language Film race. KIcking things off, Russia has selected Anna Melikyan’s “The Mermaid,” which won the Directing Award in the World Cinema section at Sundance, before going on to scoop a FIPRESCI prize at the Berlin fest.

    A modern-day fairytale about a teenage girl’s coming of age in Moscow, the film has inspired comparisons to “Amelie” from a number of critics. Variety praises it for its “abundant charm,” “bravura visuals” and “a winning personality all its own.” I’ve been intrigued by this one for a while.

    Meanwhile, Argentina has also gone with a success from the festival circuit: Pablo Trapero’s “Lion’s Den,” a story of a young woman’s imprisonment for accidental murder. The film played in competition at Cannes this year to enthusiastic reviews, including this rave from Andrew O’Hehir:

    “Lion’s Den” is marvelously shot and acted, constantly surprising, and completely focused on Julia’s struggle to get from one moment, or one day, to the next one rather than through some formulaic story arc … Martina Gusman (Trapero’s wife in real life) gives a vivid, ferocious, almost animalistic performance.

    Finally, Slovenia’s selection is “Rooster’s Breakfast,” a gentle study of small-town life that has been wildly popular in its home country but has virtually no international profile to speak of.

    Once again, feel free to share any further information or perspective on these (or other) foreign-language entries in the comments below.

  • Still speechless on this one a week later…

    …but here’s a nice new poster in the meantime:

    Sony Pictures Classics' Synecdoche, New York

  • Two from The Film Experience

    Nathaniel Rogers is having a bit of fun with marketers in charge of Angelina Jolie’s mug this year.  He’s also cooked up a Google map for your foreign film Oscar-watching pleasure.

  • 9/26 Oscarweb Round-up

    John Wayne• David Poland takes stock 22 weeks out, and somehow thinks early buzz on Sean Penn’s “Milk” performance is “soft.” [Movie City News]

    • Warner Bros. sends out a mailer offering Academy members the choice of a Blu-ray “Dark Knight” awards screener.  Wally Pfister’s nomination moves further into place. [The Hollywood Reporter]

    • In a nutshell, “Little Children” author Tom Perrotta wonders whether John Hughes was full of shit. [The Guardian]

    • An A.O. Scott overview of the New York Film Festival. [New York Times]

    • Susan King digs into the legacy of John Wayne. [Los Angeles Times]

    • Alright, this is getting out of hand — and just stupid.  Reporting on an alleged bet on the test screening score of “The Reader” for its release prospects? [The Big Picture]

    • Top 10 tear-jerkers. [Premiere]

  • New ‘Valkyrie’ trailer

    And a new behind-the-scenes featurette has landed at Yahoo!

  • Sweet new ‘Valkyrie’ poster

    United Artists' Valkyrie

    I’m loving it.  Though the film still gives me some hesitation.  A behind-the-scenes featurette will debut at Yahoo! in a few hours, FYI.

  • ‘Hunger’ trailer

    When I was in Belfast over the summer I went on a little tour guided by an ex-IRA guy who actually participated in the hunger strike with Bobby Sands.  In a thin year, Michael Fassbender is an Oscar contender.  Tight competition amongst the indies, though:

    By the way, why is Jeffrey Wells calling the First Showing post of the trailer “first anywhere” thing?  It’s been on YouTube for a few weeks now.  Anyway, very dynaminc looking film.

  • W. stars in ‘The Dark Bailout’

    This is brilliant:

    (Couresty: Overthinking It)

  • Foreign film watch: China picks Olympics doc

    Heading the latest round-up of Best Foreign Language Film entries, China has taken the unusual step of submitting a documentary in the race. As you may gather from the title, “Dream Weaver: Beijing 2008” is a study of the country’s seven years of preparation for last month’s Olympic Games, and was produced by a state-owned company.

    It’s certainly a distinctive and topical selection, though I really can’t imagine it making the lineup. “Mei Lanfang,” Chen Kaige’s lush, Ziyi Zhang-starring biopic of the eponymous opera star, would have been a more expected choice, though sources reveal the film isn’t finished yet.

    Staying in that part of the world, Hong Kong has submitted “Painted Skin,” a fantasy epic from Gordon Chan centred on the love affair between a scholar and a beautiful, man-eating demoness. Featuring production design from Oscar nominee Chung Man Yee (“Curse of the Golden Flower”), it all sounds rather wild and wonderful — though probably a bit too “out there” for the voters.

    Potentially more in their comfort zone is the Czech Republic’s entry, “The Karamazovs.” A portrait of a travelling Czech theatre troupe staging a production of the titular Dostoyevsky novel in a Polish steelworks, it was described by Variety as an “excellent but extremely highbrow pic that should enrapture festival-goers.” (The review also makes structural comparisons to Almodovar’s “Bad Education.”) The film will screen at next month’s London Film Festival.

    Finally, Bosnia-Herzegovina, the nation that scored an upset win in 2002 with “No Man’s Land,” has gone with “Snow,” a female-oriented debut film about rural village life in the wake of the Bosnian genocide. The film bowed at Cannes to respectable reviews, and went on to take the Critics’ Week Grand Prize.

  • New ‘Body of Lies’ stills

    Body of Lies

    Check out the rest over at the film’s buzz page.

  • That new ‘W.’ trailer

    Better quality, YouTubed:

  • 9/25 Oscarweb Round-up

    The Godfather• Jeffrey Wells talks with legendary Oscar-winning lenser Gordon Willis about “The Godfather Restoration.” [Hollywood Elsewhere]

    • Talia Shire discusses same with Alex Simon and Terry Keefe. [The Hollywood Interview]

    • Nikki Finke shits herself with weird fury over the Condon/Mark Oscar news from yesterday, finally admits she has testicles. [Deadline Hollywood Daily]

    • Patrick Goldstein responds to it all, giving that nut-bird credence as a result. [The Big Picture]

    • Tom O’Neil thinks Will Smith would be a fantastic Oscar host.  Naaahh. [Gold Derby]

    • Lynette Rice gets the rumors started with Ricky Gervais as a possibility. [Entertainment Weekly]

    • Roger Moore could care less about his Bond legacy. [The Independent]

    • Michael Moore’s election year freebie. [New York Times]

    • Three films that broke through the “chick flick” barrier. [Test Pattern]

    • Spike Lee and “Miracle at St. Anna” own the local paper this week, starting with a big overview/interview from Tom Roston… [Los Angeles Times]

    • …then a spotlight on hottie starlet Valentina Cervi… [Los Angeles Times]

    • …and finally, John Horn takes the opportunity to wonder whether audiences will care about WWII films this season, with four films yet to come. [Los Angeles Times]

    • Scott Bowles gets a first look at Ridley Scott’s “Body of Lies.” [USA Today]

    • 10 literary classics to turn into blockbusters. [Spout Blog]

  • ‘Slumdog’ extraordinaire

    I’d hate to say something cliched like “believe the hype on Danny Boyle’s ‘Slumdog Millionaire.’”  But believe it.  And to think I almost skipped out on tonight’s screening since I caught wind of it last minute…thank God I took the trip because this is a hell of an achievement from start to finish.  And Searchlight, Warners or somebody better figure out a way to market the hell out of that soundtrack like they did “Juno” last year, because it’s THUMPIN’.

    Anyway, I don’t want to dig into the review yet.  But Danny Boyle proved himself a visionary yet again this evening.  And Chris Dickens is my new favorite person.  What a treat.

  • Johnny Depp to star as Tonto in Bruckheimer’s ‘Lone Ranger’

    The Lone RangerUPDATE (11:36 p.m.): Big oops on my part.  It turns out Depp will be playing Tonto in “The Lone Ranger,” not the hero himself.  Which, frankly, strikes me as even odder.  But anyway, sorry for getting ahead of myself this afternoon.

    EARLIER: So…what do we think about this?  The news has broken out of the Kodak Theater during a Disney event this afternoon and is slowly trickling its way through the web.  Before long, it’ll likely be the biggest entertainment story of the week, maybe the month, because these things get inflated when a guy like Depp and a property like “The Lone Ranger” come together, so let’s dig into it now.

    A Bruckheimer/Verbinski/Rossio/Elliot collaboration on this material is a perfect conception and exactly what would make it work at a time when the western is struggling to make its way to relevance once again.  But I’m approaching this news with some measured reserve.  The likely reaction will be a gigantic: “That’s awesome!”  But I dunno…

    This is an exciting project regardless.  “The Lone Ranger” has quickly become one of my most anticipated films in the Hollywood pipeline and despite my ambivalence about today’s news, it still is.

    Also announced at the event, by the way, was that there will be a fourth installment of “Pirates of the Caribbean.”  Considering the dollars involved in that franchise, it’s certainly not a surprise, but I don’t think I’m alone when I say: “Ugh.”

    Additionally, Depp was “officially” announced as Tim Burton’s Mad Hatter in the upcoming “Alice in Wonderland.”

    Tell us what you think of Johnny Depp’s casting trifecta this afternoon.

  • Cates out Condon/Mark in as Oscar telecast producers

    Bill CondonWow. This is a left-field choice to say the least, but it seems “Dreamgirls” director and producer Bill Condon and Laurence Mark have been tapped to produce this year’s Oscar telecast. Mark will be the producer, Condon the executive producer. The Hollywood Reporter has the scoop.

    Despite the negative B.S. that was flying around my opinion of “Dreamgirls” two years ago (things get perpetuated too far in a business governed by publicity), I genuinely like Condon and have a friendly chat every time I see him. He’s a true Oscar geek like the rest of us, a bright and creative guy who will probably do wonders for some of the telecast’s typically boring sequences (music performances are at the top of that list). And Laurence Mark is no slouch when it comes to putting stuff like this together.

    Good things. Here’s an excerpt from Gregg Kilday’s story (which briefly mentions Condon’s upcoming Richard Pryor movie):

    The “Dreamgirls” team of producer Laurence Mark and writer-director Bill Condon have been tapped to produce the 81st Annual Academy Awards telecast. Mark will serve as producer with Condon on board as exec producer; it’s the first time either has produced the Oscar show.

    Announcing their selection Wednesday, Academy president Sid Ganis said, “Larry and Bill are fresh thinkers who will bring a unique perspective to the Oscar show. That fact, joined with their enormous collective talent and enthusiasm, will serve the 81st awards proceedings perfectly.”…

    “What a thrill to produce the Oscar show,” Mark said. “I’m excited about this opportunity and look forward to the challenge of a live television show that celebrates the very best in film.”

    “The Oscars are the ultimate recognition of excellent work in movies, and I’m so pleased to be part of putting the show together,” Condon said.

    It’ll be interesting to see if the duo will be able to turn things around for a show that is consistently losing viewers. I’m sure they see it as a challenge, but a welcome one regardless. Good luck, guys.

  • ‘L’echange’ poster

    UPDATE (3:59 p.m.): Turns out the same art work will be used for the domestic poster.  Cinematical has it up.  I guess that’s that.

    EARLIER: Yes, that’s the French title for “Changeling.” We need some domestic materials fast, but this will do for now:

    Universal Pictures' Changeling