In Contention

Category: Daily

  • Not recommended

    Christian Bale in The Dark KnightWatching “The Dark Knight” — a two-and-a-half-hour dense piece of textured, cinematic professionalism — twice in the same 24-hour stretch with only two hours’ worth of sleep in your tank I thought I was gonna fall out at the 9:30 last night.

    The film holds up, though like any film packed with such ambition, there are some scars that poke through once you know what is coming. I’ve decided my issues with length have little to do with the length and everything to do with the structure of what was clearly a complicated, but necessary, string of events.

    And of course, Ledger’s performance settles in more and more, proving to be, probably, one of the most controlled portrayals I think I’ve ever seen. Watch his eyes in the mafia meeting.

    Gamble: “You’re crazy.”

    Joker: “I’m not. No…I’m not.”

    Chilling.

    Meanwhile, the debate rages for me and my friends. But I don’t want to spoil it here, so see my comment in the geek review.

  • Rounding up the big day’s Bat news

    Warner Bros. Pictures' The Dark KnightToday’s the big day. I’ve embarrassed myself for over a month with consistent “Dark Knight” coverage, and now, I guess everyone gets to see what the fuss was all about. You can find my review here.

    But before we fade off into the good night of Bat overload (save for whatever box office news is coming in the next three days), I figured it best to offer up a nice primer of the net’s news and views on the subject.

    I guess it’s best to revert to the ole’ Oscar Round-up format (which I swear I’ll be implementing again soon enough as a regular feature):

    • Christopher Nolan talks us through the IMAX process in an audio slideshow. [New York Times]
    • Manohla Dargis gives the film a thumbs up, draws a parallel to David Fincher’s “Zodiac.” [New York Times]
    • MSN grasps at straws for coverage, offers a photo gallery of Bat mantle-donning thespians. [MSN]
    • Veronica Schmidt has coverage of the Black Carpet premiere in New York. [The Times of London]
    • Michael Moran corners visual effects supervisor Nick Davis. [Blockbuster Buzz]
    • Wally Pfister gets a nice write-up for his troubles behind those cumbersome IMAX cameras. [American Cinematographer]
    • Fellow Bat-enthusiast Ryan Adams makes some fan space for the day of the ‘Dark.’ [Awards Daily]
    • Jeffrey Wells stays up past his bedtime to hammer out a few thoughts. His verdict: Ledger’s portrayal belongs in the pantheon of great screen villainy. [Hollywood Elsewhere]
    • David Poland can’t let it go, striving to be the only one with “perspective” in this whole pre-sales records media frenzy. [The Hot Blog]
    • Tom O’Neil douses the awards hopes of Heath Ledger. (I still don’t understand why people actually think he’ll win…and the bulk of his Oscar nod talk began right here, so…). [Gold Derby]
    • Amid tons of Bat coverage (and typical bullshit “exclusives”), Nikki Finke reports shattered midnight show records for the film. [Deadline Hollywood Daily]
    • Christopher Campbell offers 10 lam excuses for not seeing the film this weekend. [Spout Blog]
    • And at the time of this writing, she’s holding steady at 94%. [Rotten Tomatoes]

  • Do we finally have a Bond singer?

    The Independent says we do… and it’s Duffy.

    I wrote last week about the seemingly endless parade of names that had been tipped to sing the theme for “Quantum of Solace,” which had most recently stopped at Alicia Keys. Now a “reliable mole” at Pinewood Studios says the 22 year-old Welsh soul revivalist is “almost certain” to be handed the gig.

    There have been so many rumours about this over the months that I remain guarded, but the bookies are certainly believing this one – Ladbrokes have slashed Duffy’s odds to even money. (Yes, the Brits bet on everything.)

    If so, I have no complaints about the choice. “Mercy” is a pretty fantastic pop record, and I wouldn’t mind if the “Quantum of Solace” theme turned out sounding something like it, with a few added strings, perhaps. (I only hope they aren’t planning to work that godawful title into the song.)

    I’ve already said I’d have preferred Amy Winehouse, but that was clearly not happening. Meanwhile, Duffy, with her throwback Springfield-esque voice, button-cute blonde looks and squeaky clean personal image, is essentially the Winehouse you can take home to mom. She’s a hot property right now – her (rather good) album “Rockferry” is the biggest seller of 2008 in the UK so far, and it’s gone gold Stateside too. It’s not hard to see why she would appeal to the 007 producers.

    Not betting the house on this yet, though.

  • Loving from a distance

    Well, “WALL-E” finally lands in the UK today, and this weekend I’ll be able to evaluate it for myself at last. (But hey, at least we got “Mamma Mia!” first. Score!)

    I am always a bit nervous about approaching something that’s been praised to the skies so far in advance of my own interpretation – but today’s very interesting Guardian review gave me some pause. I’d ignore it if it were by that wily contrarian Peter Bradshaw, but Xan Brooks is a genuinely thoughtful writer whose views I value more than most:

    What a rich, strange and intriguing picture this is; a wintry Cassandra in the guise of a pearl-bright summer blockbuster. There is something giddyingly impressive in the way in which its makers have cherry-picked a crop of antique ingredients and then forged them into something new. The plot is a meld of Silent Running, Metropolis and Robinson Crusoe. At times it is possible to catch the ghost of Charlie Chaplin behind Wall-E’s silent, stoic pursuit of his social better. At others the film’s central romance plays like the Genesis story with Woody Allen and Diane Keaton cast in the roles of Adam and Eve. That narrow neck and blinking binocular specs are a dead giveaway.

    For all that, faint doubts remain. Wall-E (the character) is eminently lovable, by far the film’s most human inhabitant. And yet Wall-E (the movie) actually has more in common with EVE. It is an exquisitely rendered piece of work; beautiful, flawless, serious in its intent and hermetically sealed. You can admire it to the skies and back. You can even learn to love it from a distance. But does Andrew Stanton’s film amount to much more than a brilliant aesthetic exercise? I’m not convinced it does.

    I understand that there are more than a few people who have been intensely moved by the film, and who would therefore not identify with this perspective at all. But in an environment where Metacritic scores are bandied about as if they’re some irrefutable artistic Solomon, it’s always healthy to read an alternative individual voice. I can’t wait to find my own on this film.

  • Oh, and putting a number to it…

    I’m gonna go with $153 million for the opening weekend haul of “The Dark Knight.” I could be grossly off the mark, but I also kind of feel like a lot of the big box office naysayers are part of some strange backlash against all the pre-sales story madness. It could just as easily land around $135 million, but I sense a record-breaker, so that’s my call.

    We’ll see. To those hitting up the late screenings, enjoy the show.

  • The top 10 Joker stories of all time

    Cover of Batman #251In a a few hours’ time, I’ll be loading up on a few Red Bulls and braving the wee hours of the morning to take in Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight,” as will thousands of other movie-goers who have apparently broken pre-sales records across the country.

    In the meantime, however, I thought I’d offer up a list of the all time greatest Joker stories, in honor of the late Heath Ledger and his portrayal in the film.

    Here’s my take (no time for explanations…I want to get a nap in at some point tonight):

    10. “Wildcard!”
    By Marv Wolfman and Jim Aparo (Batman #450-451)

    9. “Slayride”
    By Paul Dini and Don Kramer (Detective Comics #826)

    8. “Soft Targets”
    By Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka and Michael Lark (Gotham Central #12-15)

    7. “The Joker’s Five-Way Revenge”
    By Dennis O’Neil and Neal Adams (Batman #251)

    6. “Mad Love”
    By Paul Dini and Bruce Timm (One-Shot)

    (more…)

  • Four reasons why

    Billy Crudup in Watchmen

    Jackie Earle Haley in Watchmen

    Malin Ackerman and Billy Crudup in Watchmen

    Billy Crudup in Watchmen

  • Revisiting ‘Nemo’

    Pixar\'s Finding NemoI still haven’t made it out to see “WALL-E” since returning to the States, but today I thought I’d pop “Finding Nemo” into the player and soak up some of that old Andrew Stanton goodness in the meantime.  And it really does stand-up as the most sensational entry in Pixar’s steadily increasing portfolio.

    Back in 2003 the film landed in my top three for the year, and I’ve only given it two or three looks since.  But every time I do, the reward is considerable.  This is a sincerely affecting study, one packed with vivid and dynamic characters, the most gorgeous animation of the genre and applicable, resilient themes that work on various levels.  It fires on all cylinders.

    Not to mention, the film contains the only vocal performance I’ve personally ever deemed worthy of major awards consideration.  “When I look at you I remember.  When I look at you I’m home.  I don’t want to lose that.  I don’t want to forget.”  Absolutely beautiful.

    It also looks damn spectacular on an HDTV.  I don’t have a Blu-ray copy of the flick, but on a simple upconvert the image is crystal clear, sparkling.  Especially with the new 120Hz technology (which is dodgy with live action films).

    So with that, I’ll probably stumble into the El Capitan over the weekend and finally take in Stanton’s latest.  His is a creative mind and I’m truly happy he’s out there generating content such as this.  Few compare.

  • ‘Watchmen’ trailer makes editor soil himself

    httpv://youtube.com/watch?v=R3orQKBxiEg

    And in Quicktime here.  Also, it just occurred to me the Smashing Pumpkins song on the trailer is a remix of a tune which originally showed up on the “Batman & Robin” soundtrack.  Ha.

  • TIFF keeps ’em coming

    Viggo Mortensen in AppaloosaMore announcements out of the press office from Toronto today.

    Great to hear that the first of the potential Oscar films is coming, Ed Harris’s “Appaloosa,” with Viggo Mortensen, Renee Zellweger and Harris starring. Harris’s last directorial effort “Pollock” opened here and went all the way to Oscar night, winning Best Supporting Actress for Marcia Gay Harden.

    Jonathan Demme returns with “Rachel Getting Married” featuring Anne Hathaway as a crisis-prone sister returning home for her sister’s wedding bringing her acid tongue with her to unleash hell.

    From England comes “The Other Man” from director Richard Eyre.  Liam Neeson stars as a husband who discovers his wife (played by Laura Linney) has been receiving emails and messages from another man, portrayed by Antonio Banderas. Enraged and deeply hurt that she would violate the trust he thought they had, he seeks out an encounter with the man.

    The titles have started emerging and we’re look forward to more in the coming weeks. Festival fever is starting!

  • So I guess that’s ‘Body’ not ‘House’

    The new trailer for “Body of Lies” has dropped, and it seems they’ve stuck with the original David Ignatius title rather than the switch to “House of Lies.” It looks like a nice mix of Ridley Scott’s work and his brother’s brand of cinema as well. Russell Crowe looks to have a solid role.

    I’ve had this script for months now but have never found the time to give it a read. Soon, I guess.

    Have a look (kudos to Awards Daily):

    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUkk9MsWrFA

    And in Quicktime here.

  • Deakins on the web

    OK, it seems to have been around for a few years, so a lot of you are probably aware of it already, but I’ve only just discovered the great Roger Deakins’ website.

    It’s a pretty bare-bones affair, but there’s some fascinating stuff on it nonetheless. I for one am gobsmacked at how this prolific man, between shooting some of the most significant films of the past few years, somehow finds time to answer so many queries in the forums section. You have to wade through a lot of drivel there, as does Deakins – there are a depressing number of people out there who see fit to ask one of the most gifted DPs alive such probing gems as, ‘How is Leo and Kate’s acting in “Revolutionary Road?”‘ (Only without the correct spelling and capitalisation.)

    Dig around, however, and there’s a wealth of technical information and insight for fans and filmmakers alike. As if that weren’t enough, he’s posted some of his lighting diagrams too, including ones for “No Country for Old Men” and “The Man Who Wasn’t There.”

    Finally, for those who can’t get enough pretty pictures, he’s put up some of his photography work too. (I’d pay good money for a print of that “Rain Begins” shot.) The man’s a true artist.

  • Alright…the 20 WORST endings of all time from The Times

    Olivia Newton John and John Travolta in GreaseSo The Times has followed up last week’s collective assessment of the 20 greatest movie endings of all time today with a list of the worst, and there are some reasonable choices here and there.

    Like “Grease” for starters, probably my favorite movie musical but with an undeniably wretched denouement. And then there’s the cheeky mirror of the “Planet of the Apes” saga (the original made the best list, while Tim Burton’s remake lands here), not to mention “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” which would definitely be near the top of my own list (ballsy to go so recent, too).

    I also like the shout out to the never ending ending of “The Lord of the Ring: The Return of the King.”

    But beyond those and perhaps a few others, the rest of the list is populated with terrible choices (many of which landed on my own best list). “There Will Be Blood” (which was deemed the #2 film of all time by The Times’ film critic James Christopher)? “Psycho?” “2001?” Fucking “Citizen Kane” at #1???

    Lots of eyebrow raisers. And from what I can gather, merely an attempt at being controversial.

    Their choices:

    1. “Citizen Kane”
    2. “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”
    3. “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”
    4. “2001: A Space Odyssey”
    5. “The Maltese Falcon”
    6. “Grease”
    7. “Brief Encounter”
    8. “The Great Dictator”
    9. “Saving Private Ryan”
    10. “The Great Escape”
    11. “Apocalypse Now”
    12. “Psycho”
    13. “There Will Be Blood”
    14. “Magnolia”
    15. “Blade Runner” (original release)
    16. “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”
    17. “Star Wars – Episode VI: Return of the Jedi”
    18. “Planet of the Apes” (2001)
    19. “Cast Away” (totally disagree here…I think it’s a beautiful ending)
    20. “Velvet Goldmine”

  • Terry Gilliam should be ashamed of himself

    Terry Gilliam and Heath LedgerTo say nothing of the fact that he has proven to be painfully irrelevant for over a decade, director Terry Gilliam has crossed the line with his recents comments chastizing Warner Bros. for what he feels is “tasteless” capitalization on the death of Heath Ledger.

    From Yahoo! News (via WENN and The Movie Blog):

    …the moviemaker fears that the producers of Ledger’s second to last picture, The Dark Knight, are shamelessly capitalising on rumours that the late star will be awarded a posthumous Oscar for his role as evil villain The Joker.

    He says, “That’s what Warner Brothers are saying, but they’ll do anything to publicise their film. That’s just what they do and you can’t get upset because it’s bulls**t.

    “They’re like a great white shark which devours whatever it can.”

    “Bullshit” doesn’t begin to say it, Mr. Gilliam.  Any time I hear someone go on about how the studio has disrespectfully gone out of its way to plaster Ledger’s image on the promotional materials for “The Dark Knight,” I immediately controlled the urge to wrap my fingers around a roll of quarters and smash a number of teeth entering the double digits out of their skull.

    What would you have them do?  The Joker was always going to be a focal point of marketing.  This is the “it” role of the film.  It is the character any marketing whiz would be a fool to ignore or even modestly exploit in the build-up to a release such as this.  And because poor Terry Gilliam has so many years of trouble with studios digging into his side, he goes and joins the chorus of ignorance with comments such as this.

    Give me a fucking break.

  • What the hell is ‘Twilight?’

    TwilightSeriously. Cover of Entertainment Weekly? Apparently breaking records in terms of trailer hits? What?

    I pride myself in being in the know with pop culture, but I’ve been oblivious to this series and soon-to-be adaptation until a few weeks ago. Is it really going to be the monster hit the rags are making it sound like?

    For once, I’m totally in the dark, dear readers. I’ll be picking up a copy from the local Burbank library this evening to see what all the fuss is about (naturally, the children’s bookstore I work in is sold out).

    I mostly just want to know if I should expect a return to form for Catherine Hardwicke, who I thought made a very promising debut with “Thirteen,” a very interesting follow-up with “Lords of Dogtown,” and then one of the worst movies I’ve ever had to sit through: “The Nativity Story”. She seems keen on telling stories about teens and their trials and tribulations, I’ll give her that.

    Anyone care to illuminate me? Is this really the next “Harry Potter?” Is Catherine Hardwicke going to live up to the promising start she had or continue to fizzle out in boring work-for-hire productions? Are the books even worth my time?

  • Amen

    Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight

    Personally I find it to be a complete lack of understanding for acting.  I also find it rude to try to create some kind of a sound byte for such a tragedy.  The man was a complex man, he was a good man, but you know what, I saw him having nothing but the best time playing the Joker.

    From Christian Bale’s interview with Matt Lauer on The Today Show, a very blunt, very serious and extremely direct response (given over and over at this point) to the continued ignorance displayed by those who want to paint the Joker as “the role that killed Heath Ledger.”

  • Alfred and Lucius on The View

    “The Dark Knight” old-timers Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman stopped by “The View” yesterday morning to chat with the gals.  Of all the scheduled TV appearances this week and last, I’d say this duo on the couch at once is the most interesting get.

    Here’s part one:

    httpv://youtube.com/watch?v=PT_crYfF9Ik

    And part two:

    httpv://youtube.com/watch?v=rwfXLR-WCb4

    They also dropped by The Today Show earlier in the day, which is also worth a look.  Christian Bale did the same a few days prior, his only TV appearance from what I can tell.

  • TIFF adds Canadian titles

    TorontoIf there is a single aspect to the Toronto International Film Festival I enjoy most, it is the fact that the programmers have never lost sight of the event’s original mandate: showcasing homegrown talent in this country.

    Alongside the films that will no doubt be in the thick of this year’s Oscar season, a number of wonderful Canadian films will also earn rave reviews, stun critics and the audiences that see them, and then quietly disappear, perhaps never to be released or heard from again. Such is the legacy of Canadian celluloid. And it is quite the maddening reality, since so many wonderful films are made here by directors other than Atom Egoyan, David Cronenberg and Deepa Mehta, which is not meant to be a slam on them.

    Already announced are the Canadian films “Adoration” — the latest from Atom Egoyan, previously an Oscar nominee for “The Sweet Hereafter” — and “Passchendale,” the opening night Gala film from director Paul Gross, which is shaping up to be the most aniticpated film of the festival thus far. Yesterday festival organizers announced a number of other titles thatw ill make their North American and world premieres in September during the ten days of TIFF.

    “Fifty Dead Men Walking” is the new film from Kari Skogland, who last helmed the adaptation of “The Stone Angel,” a premiere last year. Jim Sturgess of “Across the Universe” portrays a young man sent to infiltrate and spy on the IRA from within its ranks. Sir Ben Kingsley co-stars with Sturgess.

    Former “Dawson’s Creek” star Joshua Jackson will be seen in “One Week,” a new film from director Michael McGowan about a young man who impulsivlely buys a motorcycle and escapes his mundane life to become utterly reckless.

    Deepa Mehta, Oscar-nominated in 2005 for her seminal film “Water,” is back at the festival this year with “Heaven on Earth,” a study of a woman who travels from India to Canada and is hit with culture shock. Bollywood star Preity Zinta stars.

    Renegade director Bruce McDonald, here last year with Ellen Page and “The Tracey Fragments,” is back with his new zombie thriller “Pontypool” and we also have Canada’s first stop-motion animated feature “Edison and Leo,” which seems to have Oscar written all over it.

    From Quebec we will have “Lost Song,” a new film from the fine director Rodrigue Jean about a couiple dealing with the depression of the wife after a move to a summer cottage, and “Maman est chez le coiffeus” from Lea Pool, which explores a separation as seen through the eyes of a 12-year-old child.

    I keep looking for some major anouncements to come but as always the programmers save those for last. Keep reading for reactions to the announcements each Wednesday.