In Contention

Category: Daily

  • ‘The King’s Speech’ heading to the stage?

    At Telluride in September, Geoffrey Rush revealed to me that the script for “The King’s Speech” originally came to him in play format.  Writer David Seidler had penned the story of King George VI overcoming a speech impediment in broad theatrical strokes.  But it was too vast and, the actor thought, the central idea would be better suited to film.  Soon enough a film was underway and Rush was called upon to take a role.

    It still has that contained vibe.  Guy noted in his London Film Festival take on the film that “if I came to the film cold, I would immediately, but incorrectly, peg it as an adaptation of a stage work.”  So it’s interesting to note that the story may come back full circle.

    Arts Beat’s Patrick Healy reports today that Broadway producer Michael Alden has acquired the stage rights to the film.  The piece also notes that Seidler wrote it originally as a screenplay and later as a stage work in order to work out various relationships but the news is you might see the film transition to Broadway or London’s West End very soon (depending on how it does on screens, of course).

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  • 2010 IDA nominations announced

    The International Documentary Association has revealed it’s list of nominees for documentary filmmaking in four categories.  From the press release:

    Winners will be feted on December 3rd at the Directors Guild Theater in Los Angeles in a ceremony hosted by award-winning documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock.

    “This has been another banner year for documentary films,” said IDA Executive Director Michael Lumpkin, “and that is reflected in our list of nominees. Entries to the Awards increased by nearly 20% this year, and the quality of the films vying for recognition is unprecedented.”

    Lumpkin also announced that for the first time two of the awards – for Distinguished Feature and Short Documentary – will be selected by IDA’s members through an innovative process in which members who wish to participate will view all of the nominated films in these categories through a secure, password-protected online system. After viewing all of the films in their entirety, these IDA member judges will cast their votes to determine the winners.

    Nominees after the jump.

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  • ‘The Way Back’ again

    I took in a second screening of Peter Weir’s “The Way Back” last night after seeing and loving it at the Telluride Film Festival last month (enough to write about it a second time while I was there, in fact).  What was confirmed for me was that the majesty of the film and the overall sense of atmosphere Weir establishes and maintains makes it one of the very best films of the year.

    A few other things stuck out, too.  I was always taken by Ed Harris’s “Mr. Smith” character and his fatherly relationship with Saoirse Ronan, but it’s a defining arc within the piece that is transcendent and could help make a solid case for Harris in the supporting actor race.

    I was also struck by the makeup, which feels authentic and adds a notch of intrigue when this wound or that is revealed.  You’ll recall “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World” was nominated in the field seven years ago for similar work.  Both of these aspects were touched on in the post-screening Q&A with Harris, producer/co-writer Keith Clarke, producer Joni Levin and executive producer (and longtime agent for Weir), John Ptak.

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  • Nolan’s new Batman film gets a title and eliminates a villain possibility

    Christopher Nolan is hard at work on his third foray into the world of the Caped Crusader.  Recently Tom Hardy was cast in an unspecified role.  The latest word is that he’s busy trying to nail down the female lead in the film (we don’t know who the character is yet).  And today, two more nuggets.

    First, the film has a title, as reported by Geoff Boucher at the LA Times’ Hero Complex blog: “The Dark Knight Rises.” I am…not digging it.  At all.  It’s so dry.  It feels pedestrian, incidental, something.  But what’s in a title, right?  “Batman Begins” was kinda lame for a title, I thought.  But then “The Dark Knight” worked off of the potent thematic mojo going on in the script.  This is just the usual “He’s baaaaack” kind of thing.  Meh.

    Next up, Nolan revealed to Boucher that the villain in the film is NOT the Riddler.  Most have just assumed Hardy was cast in that role, but now it looks like the character isn’t even in the film.  And part of me is really happy about that.  I’d have loved to see Nolan’s take on the Riddler, don’t get me wrong.  But I think the series desperately needs to go its own way character-wise in this third installment, so I’ll be very excited to see who’s who.

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  • 10/27 OSCARWEB ROUND-UP: Sticking up for Swinton, AMPAS joins Twitter, 15 years of Fox Searchlight

    • Jeffrey Wells does his part to re-inject Tilda Swinton’s performance in “I Am Love” back into the Oscar conversation. [Hollywood Elsewhere]

    • The Academy is ready for its close-up — on Twitter! [Twitter]

    • Celebrating 15 years of Fox Searchlight Pictures. [/Film]

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  • ‘Harry Potter’ designer accused of fashion plagiarism

    Way back in the mists of 2001, the very first “Harry Potter” screen outing (don’t ask me to distinguish the titles) received an Oscar nomination for Best Costume Design. It even managed to win the Costume Designers’ Guild award — and that was before they created a separate category for fantasy film.

    No subsequent entry in the series has managed to repeat either feat, and if the current accusations of sartorial stealing being levelled at Jany Temime, costume designer for “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1,” are anything to go by, we shouldn’t hold our breath for a change in that pattern. It seems Temime has aggravated many in the fashion industry by claiming as her own concept a wedding dress, crucial to a climactic scene in the film, that looks irrefutably similar to a revered 2008 design by the late Alexander McQueen:

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  • Jeff Bridges to host SNL in December?

    So Tom O’Neil is reporting at Gold Derby that Jeff Bridges will be hosting Saturday Night Live on December 18.  I did some poking around and it looks like he was supposed to host some time next month, but I guess that’s been pushed closer to the Christmas release date of “True Grit” and, more fittingly, the day after the release of “TRON Legacy.” (Good on this guy for calling it.)

    Whatever the case, if true — AWESOME.  Obviously a hosting gig on SNL does plenty to boost the awareness of a big holiday or awards season film, but to the best of my knowledge, this would be the actor’s first time hosting solo.  He apparently co-hosted with brother Beau back in 1983.

    And really, who doesn’t want to see this?  Alright, let’s take bets.  There’s sure to be a silly “TRON” send-up.  Probably some Dude material (cast members dressed as The Dude in the stands during the monologue, perhaps).  Etc.  Anyway, can’t wait.

  • 10/26 OSCARWEB ROUND-UP: Ferrell talks ‘Megamind,’ SAG to simulcast kudocast, Coppola shoots with Kilmer

    • Drew McWeeney talks to “Megamind” star Will Ferrell. [Motion/Captured]

    • This year’s SAG Awards will be simulcast to all time zones at 5pm PST. [Variety]

    • Francis Ford Coppola has “quietly” begun shooting his next film, a thriller with Val Kilmer. [Deadline]

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  • “Miniature golf with Terrence Malick”

    If you read around sites like The Hot Blog or Hollywood Elsewhere, you’re sure to have read some colorful commentary from “LexG.”  And if you follow him on Twitter or catch his YouTube videos, you likely know it spills over.  Some hate him.  I love the guy.

    So naturally, “Oscar Chat” caught my eye.  I trust even the offended will at least get a chuckle or two.  I laughed my ass off:

  • UPDATED: Did Halle Berry just exit the Best Actress race?

    UPDATE (10/26): Kris here, following up on Guy’s report yesterday.  I’m told there is correspondence between reps from the film and AMPAS acknowledging that the film would not open in 2009 and that AMPAS has acknowledged the film will be eligible for 2010 consideration.  I’m also told this sort of hiccup is not uncommon.  Steve Pond has a report up quoting AMPAS publicity on the matter.  So Berry is very much in the race this year.

    EARLIER: A few hours ago, Kris mentioned the moves being made by Freestyle Releasing to launch an awards campaign for the long-delayed Halle Berry starrer “Frankie & Alice.” The distributor plans to give the film an Oscar-qualifying release on December 17, explicitly stating its award-oriented motives in the press release.

    So far, so good. But it seems to me there’s a slight snag: “Frankie & Alice,” although never formally released, actually qualified for the 2009 Oscars. As proved here, the film was on the Academy’s official list of 274 films eligible for last year’s awards:

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  • Emma Stone for Best Actress: making it look ‘Easy’

    Jeff Wells, high on Anne Hathaway’s work in “Love and Other Drugs,” recently wrote a piece bemoaning the lack of awards consideration usually granted to romantic comedy performances: “[There is a] belief,” he complains, “that to qualify for an acting award you have to solemnly suffer and pour your heart out in a somewhat doleful and non-pizazzy way.”

    Of course, this is a casual generalization. In the past decade, several women have broken through in the Best Actress for broad comedy (romantic and otherwise) vehicles, including Ellen Page, Diane Keaton, Judi Dench and Meryl Streep — twice. (Or more, depending on your take on “Doubt.”) Should “Love and Other Drugs,” with its big-name pedigree and dramatic overtones, take off with the smart adult audiences it’s being pitched to, a nomination for Hathaway is perfectly feasible.

    Unadulterated comic fluff, however, is another matter. While veterans like Streep and Keaton are given passes for lightweight fare, you have to go back to Renée Zellweger (“Bridget Jones Diary,” 2001) to find an example of a younger actress earning a nod for a purely comic film without Best Picture clout. In 2007, Amy Adams rode a wave of early buzz for “Enchanted,” but fell victim to the Academy’s faulty sense of humor. Still, she got further than, say, Reese Witherspoon in “Legally Blonde” or Jennifer Garner in “13 Going on 30” — both performances worthy of consideration that never got off the starting blocks due to their flighty commercial vehicles.

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  • Did Halle Berry just enter the Best Actress race?

    I feel like I’ve been hearing about Geoffrey Sax’s “Frankie & Alice” for over a year now.  The film was on our early charts last year as one of a million possibilities, but it never nailed down distribution.  This year I just kind of forgot about it, but here’s a press release landing this afternoon making sure we’re aware that Freestyle Releasing will be opening the film on December 17 for an Academy qualifying run.

    Now, this might mean there is awards potential for Halle Berry’s performance in the true story of Frankie Murdoch, a woman suffering with multiple personality disorder in early 1970s Los Angeles (the release tells me).  Or it might mean, simply, being in that discussion is worth a few more dollars at the box office, which would be seen as a win for an indie.  I can’t say.  I haven’t seen the film.  And this is a fiercely competitive lead actress line-up as it is.  But hey, there’s always room for one more…as long as you’ve got the goods.  (Of course, I wrote something similarly titled about Michelle Monaghan last year, so you never know.)

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  • Godard to skip the Governors Awards

    First it was announced that legendary French auteur Jean-Luc Godard would be one of this year’s Honorary Oscar recipients at November’s Governors Awards.  Then the Academy was having a hard time finding him.  Then Godard’s girlfriend conveyed the sentiment that Godard might think the ceremony beneath him.  Now, the official news drops that — as if we didn’t see it coming — he’ll wait for the FedEx guy to bring it round.  Via AMPAS press release:

    The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today that, following a two-month-long cordial exchange of correspondence with Academy president Tom Sherak, Jean-Luc Godard has regretfully notified Sherak that he will not be able to attend the November 13th Governors Awards and receive his Honorary Award in person.

    “He reiterated his thanks for the award,” reported Sherak, “and also sent his good wishes to the other individuals being honored the same night – Kevin Brownlow, Francis Ford Coppola and Eli Wallach – who he refers to as ‘the three other musketeers.’”

    The November 13 dinner ceremony, which is being produced by Sid Ganis and Don Mischer, will pay tribute to Godard through film clips and commentary by his admirers. The award will be accepted on Godard’s behalf by the Academy and following the event, the Academy will arrange for the Oscar® statuette to be delivered to him in Switzerland.

    [Photo: mardecortesbaja]

  • Gibney talks Spitzer

    One of the items linked in this morning’s round-up was this David Carr interview with Alex Gibney, director of “Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer.”  Here’s a video excerpt:

  • Lynch picks Bergman, Kubrick, Tati, Hitchcock and Wilder for AFI Fest sidebar

    In case you didn’t know, director David Lynch was tapped as this year’s Guest Artistic Director at AFI Fest.  Part of his duties: to choose a special sidebar program at the festival.  Here’s the news, from the press release:

    AFI FEST 2010 presented by Audi announced today the five feature films selected by its first-ever Guest Artistic Director, David Lynch, for his special sidebar program at the festival. As part of the program, the festival will screen Lynch’s first feature film, ERASERHEAD, which was made while Lynch was a Fellow at AFI’s Center For Advanced Film Studies, now known as the AFI Conservatory. Lynch graduated from AFI in 1970.

    Lynch’s selections are: HOUR OF THE WOLF (DIR Ingmar Bergman), LOLITA (DIR Stanley Kubrick), MON ONCLE (DIR Jacques Tati), REAR WINDOW (DIR Alfred Hitchcock) and SUNSET BLVD (DIR Billy Wilder).

    “I picked these particular films because they are the ones that have inspired me most. I think each is a masterpiece,” said Lynch. “If people have already seen them, they are certainly worth being seen again. And if people haven’t seen them, here is an opportunity to see what I consider cinema at its best.”

    [Photo: Nerve]

  • DreamWorks’ ‘Megamind’ brings out the best in Will Ferrell

    Was I just in a really good mood Saturday night or did DreamWorks’ “Megamind” send me out of the theater with a legitimate smile on my face?  The 3D never gets in the way, the concept is sound and crisp, the voice talent is top notch and it doesn’t feel like everyone’s just going through the motions (probably because Will Ferrell was passionate about the story, which he had a hand in conceiving).

    Most importantly, it was a damn good time at the movies.

    I’m fairly high on animation in general this year.  Pixar’s “Toy Story 3,” of course, is one of the year’s best, as is DreamWorks’ own “How to Train Your Dragon.” Disney’s “Tangled” manages to stay fresh and progressive within the familiarity of the studio’s classic fairytale offerings and Sylvain Chomet’s “The Illusionist” is as touching as they come (with the year’s best score to boot — though a recently filed lawsuit over the copyright of the title could keep the film off the books this year).

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  • Listen to Jónsi’s ‘Sticks & Stones’ from ‘How to Train Your Dragon’

    As we did last year, we’re going to bring you as many of the Best Original Song contenders as we can this season in these “listen to” posts.  I’m going to aim for two or three per week, all leading up to the Best Original Song Tech Support column on December 9.  By then, we should have a clearer idea of the category.

    We kick things off with “Sticks & Stones,” a closing credits track from DreamWorks Animation’s “How to Train Your Dragon” by Sigur Rós front man Jónsi Birgisson.  As we know, the Academy’s music branch views the original song contenders in the context of the films these days, so tunes that play over the closing credits have their work cut out for them.

    Sometimes, if the credits are part of the story (i.e. “WALL-E” or “Waiting for Superman”), a song will have a fighting chance.  That will be tough for Jónsi’s track, which just plays over a traditional credit roll (albeit accompanied by handsome storybook sketches of the film’s winged serpents).

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  • We are here

    Stumbled across this at Thompson on Holllywood, via filmmaker David Fu, a moving assemblage of motion picture history cut to Carl Sagan’s reading of “You Are Here” from his 1994 book “The Pale Blue Dot” (and set to Mogwai’s “Stop Coming to My House.”)