In Contention

Category: Daily

  • 9/14 Oscarweb Round-up

    Danny Biyle• Anne Thompson wraps up this year’s Toronto/Telluride corridor. [Thompson on Hollywood]

    • Jeffrey Wells, meanwhile, recaps the Toronto fest. [Hollywood Elsewhere]

    • David Poland thinks Toronto’s “car wreck for expectations” might be a good thing. [The Hot Blog]

    • Peter Scieretta reports on a release date for “The Wrestler”: December 19. [/Film]

    • James Rocchi chats it up with David Poland via podcast in Toronto. [Cinematical]

    • Oscar-winner Kevin Costner defends his Hollywood legacy — and he damn well should. [The Times]

    • Patrick Goldstein spends some time with Toronto “smart shoppers” Tom Bernard and Michael Barker, co-chiefs of Sony Pictures Classics. [The Big Picture]

    • Kevin Kelly talks to filmmaker Danny Boyle, fresh off his People’s Choice win in Toronto for “Slumdog Millionaire. [Spout Blog]

    • Geoffrey Macnabb welcomes Mickey Rourke back to the top with open arms. [The Independent]

  • ‘Disgrace,’ ‘Hunger’ among other Toronto winners

    If you were remotely surprised that “Slumdog Millionaire” took the People’s Choice Award at Toronto, you’ve clearly been living under a rock for the past month. The  award is an auspicious one, having previously annointed such international Best Picture contenders as “Chariots of Fire,” “Shine,” “Life is Beautiful” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.”

    Whether or not the widely-predicted Best Picture nom for “Slumdog” materialises, we’re clearly going to hear the title a lot this awards season. (Not that the audience award is a guarantee of success — remember 2006’s winner “Bella?” No? Didn’t think so.)

    Looking further down the list of winners, however, I’m pleased to see recognition for two “difficult” films that I’ve been interested in for some time.

    As a devotee of South African author J.M. Coetzee, I’ve been eagerly tracking the film adaptation of his seminal novel “Disgrace,” which won the FIPRESCI (International Critics’) Prize for Special Presentations. By all accounts a measured, intelligent take on a very challenging work, the film, and leading man John Malkovich, have attracted very warm notices, including this Variety rave:

    Anchored by another marvelously quirky yet deadly serious performance from John Malkovich, and likely to be relished by the fan base of J.M. Coetzee’s Booker Prize-winning novel, this is a strong, perceptive, old-school arthouse pic with solid legs in all media … Malkovich is a living symphony of tics and mannerisms in service of a profoundly self-absorbed character.

    Screen Daily was similarly enthusiastic, commending the film for its “intelligent restraint,” and going so far as to draw a comparison between Malkovich’s portrayal and Burt Lancaster’s monumental turn in “The Leopard.” David Poland loved it too, emphasising Malkovich’s “fearless, unshowy, brilliant” performance.

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  • Catching up…

    Not much going on today, so I’ve added a few new buzz pages to the collection: “Blindness,” “Gran Torino,” “I’ve Loved You So Long,” “Synecdoche, New York,” and “The Wrestler.”

    As always, you can take a look at all pages by checking out the Contenders page, or by clicking on various links in the predictions sidebar.  Still a little ways to go, but we’re almost complete.

  • ‘Doubt’ trailer hits the net

    Check it out in Quicktime here.

    Streep looks intense, of course.  She probably remains the film’s strongest shot at Oscar glory.  We can’t be sure whether Viola Davis’s role was expanded enough from the brief stage presence to grab a supporting nomination, while Philip Seymour Hoffman seems a little out of place to me.  But it could be a stellar performance edited awkwardly for the trailer and result in some major notices at the end of the day.

    Your thoughts?

  • De Niro and Pacino: “Top 10 reasons I like being an actor”

    From last night’s “Late Night with David Letterman.”  These are all keepers, but I especially like #3 and #1:

  • Shore steps in for Glass on ‘Doubt’

    Howard ShoreI came across a post recently at Film Score Monthly that indicates Howard Shore has taken up scoring duties on John Patrick Shanley’s “Doubt.”

    So I checked over at the film’s IMDb page, and sure enough, Philip Glass has been stricken from the record there.  But no mention of Shore either.

    Alright, so I shot producer Scott Rudin an email and he tells me yes, Howard Shore has been brought on to work on the film’s score.  Glass’s schedule unfortunately did not fit with Shanley’s Manhattan Theater Club rehearsal dates, so the production had to make a change.

    All this could be seen as an upper or a downer depending on how you felt about Glass and his minimalist approach being initially married to the film’s deeply serious subject matter.  But I think Shore has the goods, too.

    I like Shore.  I think he always does amazing work, but more often than not, it services the material rather than transcending or overpowering it, and that can certainly be considered a plus.  His most memorable work, of course, is also his only Oscar-nominated work: Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” franchise.  But he has always added something special to the tension and eeriness of David Cronenberg’s films, so perhaps he can bring something special to the table in “Doubt.”

    Keep an eye on this space for the new “Doubt” trailer, by the way.  It will debut sometime this afternoon and we’ll get it up ASAP.  And as always, catch up on all the latest at the film’s buzz page here.

  • First look at ‘Revolutionary Road’

    Thanks to Nick Plowman for pointing out this brief taster of “Revolutionary Road,” arguably the most prestigious-on-paper of the upcoming Oscar bait.

    I found the footage too haphazardly edited to get much of a feel for the film, but we can safely say that it looks lovely, with Roger Deakins offering his trademark burnished sheen, and that DiCaprio and Winslet seem to be on form. I’ve already expressed my hopes for the film; this keeps them afloat.

    And the use of Nina Simone’s version of “Wild is the Wind” in the background is unimpeachably classy.

  • A rebel we can believe in

    Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope

  • Heath Ledger’s ‘Dark’ performance inches closer to infamy

    Heath Ledger painting to be displayed in Newcastle, UKSaying that Heath Ledger gave an astonishing performance in “The Dark Knight” is bordering on the cliche these days.  There is little doubt the late actor — whether he had tragically passed in January or not — offered the most memorable portrayal of the year.

    Then today I found this bit of news from across the pound, and the inevitable crystallizes further.  It seems an up-and-coming painter has rendered a large oil painting of the actor’s performance in one of the film’s most electrifying moments, a shot that is steadily becoming the role’s signature image:

    The four foot high oil painting is part of an exhibition of White’s new works, that opens on Friday at the Opus Art gallery in Newcastle.

    Explaining why he decided to paint it, Mr White, 36, said: “I was just putting the finishing touches to my show when I saw Batman.

    “I was totally and utterly blown away. I saw the movie and just came into the studio straight away. I just had to make this image, to the best performance I had ever seen. It was teetering on insanity.”

    I think that says it all.

    The painting will accompany the exhibit to London in October, and man…I wish I was still there to see it.

  • 9/12 Oscarweb Round-up

    Meryl Streep in Doubt• Not that “Righteous Kill” is going to be an Oscar movie, but Brian Williams scoring a sit-down with Al Pacino and Robert De Niro for the first time is pretty sweet. [MSNBC]

    • Roger Ebert clears up the TIFF tiff that the New York Daily News was dying to report. [Chicago Sun-Times]

    • So far, Lou Lumenick has had nothing to say for himself. [Lumenick on Film]

    • David Poland takes Mike Leigh’s advice, catches Uros Stovanovic’s “Tears For Sale.” [Movie City News]

    • Recounting the decades-long journey of “On the Road” from page to screen. [The Independent]

    • A solid profile of 2008 “it” girl Elizabeth Banks with a hell of a lede. [Associated Press]

    • Peter Knegt, Brian Brooks and Jenny Sung chime in from Toronto. [indieWIRE]

    • Xan Brooks follows up yesterday’s Sodebergh/Douglas/Liberace news with a list of the 10 most eyebrow-raising casting decisions. [The Guardian]

    • Jeffrey Wells echoes our own John Foote’s sentiments that Christian McKay is a show-stopper in “Me and Orson Welles.” [Hollywood Elsewhere]

    • According to Anne Thompson, the “Doubt” trailer will land on Apple some time today. [Thompson on Hollywood]

    • And to whet your appetite, I found this interesting little trailer for a stage production of John Shanley’s drama in…Wisconsin. [YouTube]

  • “You can’t look away”

    I know there are a lot of “Crash” haters out there — I’m one of them. (Apologies to Kris — I know you’re a fan, and I respect that.)

    So it will either please or dismay you to learn that there is a longer, less well-acted and seemingly even more overwrought alternative to Paul Haggis’ didactic crowd-splitter.

    Ladies and gentlemen, I give you “Crash” — the TV series. (Thanks to Vulture for the heads-up.)

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  • Jeff Wells calls it for Scott Thomas

    There has been so much hype around Kristin Scott Thomas’ apparently devastating performance in Philippe Claudel’s “I’ve Loved You So Long” that a lot of the press I’ve read tends to sideline the film itself.

    Now Jeff Wells has rectified that with a piece in which he declares it the best film of the year so far:

    The film itself is a landmark-level achievement. It’s remarkably tight, absorbing and affectng every step of the way — a genuinely profound growth journey taken with quiet and gentle steps. Whatever happens on the Oscar nomination front, this film has immediately shot to the top of my list of the year’s best films.

    Not that he neglects to discuss the film’s esteemed British star. Indeed, he thinks she’s a shoo-in for an Oscar nod — and possibly more:

    She’ll definitely land a Best Actress nomination, and she just might win, considering that she achieves so much in ILYSL with very little “acting” plus the fact that she’s been around for a couple of decades.

    (more…)

  • ‘Changeling’ trailer

    And more at the film’s buzz page here.

  • TORONTO: ‘Good,’ ‘Me and Orson Welles,’ ‘Every Little Step,’ ‘The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond,’ ‘The Hurt Locker’

    Christian McKay in Me and Orson WellesListening to the conversations of the other critics in the various theaters, it becomes very clear that this year’s fest has been something of a disappointment, the first in a long, long time.

    At least one critic pointed out to me that Oscar and TIFF divorced this year, which has been mentioned ad nauseum and is probably a pretty fair assessment of the situation. A lot of the press are heading home today and tomorrow as the festival begins that slow march toward the end, always exiting with a whimper and never a bang.

    These last couple of days I have screened some interesting films: a noble failure, a superb documentary, a fine war film that is still not the great film we need about Iraq.  I will get to them as I can, but for now, some quick catching up…

    (Reviews after the jump.)

    (more…)

  • 9/11 Oscarweb Round-up

    Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler• James Rocchi gets “Hurt Locker” director Kathryn Bigelow on the record. [Cinematical]

    • Ditto Anne Thompson. [Thompson on Hollywood]

    • David Poland has considerable praise for John Malkovich’s work in “Disgrace.” [The Hot Blog]

    • Anthony Kaufman reports Toronto as a shot in the industry’s arm. [Wall Street Journal]

    • A.O. Scott from that of sobering realism. [New York Times]

    • Patrick Goldstein gets some choice quotes out of Darren Aronofsky and Mickey Rourke.  [The Big Picture]

    • David Germain makes sure you’re aware that Rourke is in the midst of a career comeback. [Associated Press]

    • Danny Wood corners Javier Bardem in Madrid for a little “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” talk. [The Independent]

  • Each to their own

    As buzz grows about “The Dark Knight” aiming to eclipse “Titanic”‘s box office record, I thought this an opportune moment to point out at least one corner of the world where that’s not going to happen. Us wily Brits, eh?

    UK Box Office

  • ‘Soloist’ trailer drops

    Check out the film’s buzz page for the latest. It looks like that tip about Downey dominating the film may have panned out.

  • How ‘The Dark Knight’ beat ‘Titanic’…and scored big at the Oscars

    Warner Bros. Pictures' The Dark KnightI’ve been beating a loud drum around these parts for some time.  Backed with inarguable examples set by the Academy in the past and the knowledge that Warner Bros. isn’t one of the Oscar-grubbing studios in this town, I’ve maintained that Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” would disappoint the hordes in January when it fails to nab the big nods so many are expecting in the wake of boffo box office and critical success.

    Just yesterday I had a conversation with a publicist involved in some manner.  “So, what do you think of a major Oscar push for ‘The Dark Knight,’” I asked.  “What do you think,” she responded playfully, not offering much to go on.

    Well, here is what Warner Bros. thinks about it, and a clear show of awards-hungry support is all I really needed to jump on board here.

    Does a calculated move like this guarantee placement in major categories for the film?  Absolutely not.  But it does prove that the studio — which certainly doesn’t need the extra revenue that awards success would bring — is willing to play ball in order to ensure more than simple monetary milestones.

    Speaking of which, re-releasing the film into IMAX theaters for an exclusive run in January — “See it again, for the first time!” — could provide the right boost to push the film into truly historic territory.  About 80 million more bucks and this film surpasses “Titanic” after a decade of domestic box office reign from the James Cameron power romance.

    Here is Carl DiOrio’s mouth-watering lede:

    Batman wants an Oscar.

    To be precise, Warner Bros. wants a statuette — or 10 — for “The Dark Knight.” So the studio plans to re-release its blockbuster Batman sequel in January, the height of Academy Awards voting season.

    “It’s just a matter of bringing it back as a reminder for people,” a studio insider explained.

    Read the rest at Reuters.  And more on the chart updates next week.