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  • ‘Nine’ leads Golden Satellites with 11 nods

    Shohreh Aghdashloo in The Stoning of Soraya M.(UPDATE: Full list of categories and special awards added, including a random Best Ensemble prize for “Nine.” Also, a pointless Ten Best Films of 2009 list that leaves out some of their very own Best Picture nominees. Don’t even try to make sense of it. Thanks to Ziyad for the info.)

    It isn’t really worth spending too much time talking about the Golden Satellites — after all, this is the group who last year thought “Elegy” was an original screenplay written by Philip Roth.

    Still, while their nominations are typically meaningless, they are, as usual, fun to consider. At the very least, unlike many other awards bodies on the precursor track, they don’t slavishly try to anticipate the Academy’s choices. When they throw in a Best Picture nod for “The Stoning of Soraya M.,” or a Best Actress mention for Catalina Saavedra, Oscar is the furthest thing from their minds. I salute them for that.

    Anyway, enjoy the list and its assorted quirks and surprises — from the exclusion of Gabourey Sidibe in Best Actress to the female triple-header in Best Director to their curious classification of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” as “animated or mixed-media.” Just don’t take it too seriously.

    Best Motion Picture (Drama)
    “Bright Star”
    “An Education”
    “The Hurt Locker”
    “The Messenger”
    “Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire”
    “The Stoning of Soraya M.”

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  • That Federico neorealism?

    Marcello Mastroianni in La Dolce VitaOK, forgive the idle question that follows, but it’s a Sunday. Something has been bothering me about the lyrics to Kate Hudson’s “Cinema Italiano” number from “Nine”:

    I feel my body chill
    Gives me a special thrill
    Each time I see that Guido neorealism
    I love the dark handsome guys
    With the skinny little ties
    Dressed mod, looking out of sight…

    And so on and so forth, as Hudson sings the praises of “shades in the middle of the night,” “the essence of Italian style” and Rome nightlife. You don’t need a PhD in film studies to gather that Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita” is the key reference point here.

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  • OSCAR TALK: Ep. 12 — Holiday screeners, ‘Invictus’ and ‘The Lovely Bones’ land, thoughts on ‘Nine’ and more

    Oscar TalkWelcome to Oscar Talk, your weekly kudocast featuring yours truly and Anne Thompson of Thompson on Hollywood.

    On the docket today:

    • We lead off talking holiday screeners, including further talk of “Inglourious Basterds” slipping into the 10 in the wake of fading heavies.

    • Speaking of which, fresh off a screening of “The Lovely Bones,” a film that isn’t caught in the embargo tug of war, we touch briefly on our thoughts, to certainly be expanded at another time.

    • As trade and magazine reviews pop up while others are still told to hold off, we get into Clint Eastwood’s “Invictus.”

    • And with screenings of “Nine” already two weeks old, we finally add our perspective on the musical adaptation and certain category placements.

    • Finally, with no revelations left save for James Cameron’s “Avatar,” we look at the film’s marketing strategy and the rumor mill on secret screenings.

    Have a listen to this week’s podcast below, with Kate Hudson and “Cinema Italiano” leading the way. As always, you can subscribe to Oscar Talk via iTunes here.

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  • Two original songs from ‘Invictus’ join the race

    Morgan Freeman in InvictusEven though trade reviews have popped up and there are enough little dutch boys around to seal off the steadily breaking dam, certain parties are still not permitted to discuss “Invictus” in a review capacity.  However, I would like to offer up some thoughts on two original songs from the film that should be added to that category’s on-going conversation in this space.

    “9,000 Days” and “Colorblind” are a pair of sentimental tracks peppered throughout the film.  Both songs, as well as most of the soundtrack, can be chalked up to the South Africa vocal group Overtone.  “9,000 Days,” using William Earnest Henley’s poem “Invictus” as a framing device, sounds curiously like Jamie Callum’s title track for “Gran Torino” last year.  It’s a breezy, jazzy tune that also features Yollandi Nortjie.

    “Colorblind,” meanwhile, from Overtone on their own, is a little more difficult to defend.  From the schlock, faux-emotive melody of the thing to the trite lyrics (which could probably be determined from the nail-on-the-head title), it’s a fairly miserable song.  And its usage in the film is swift, manipulative and frankly distracting.

    Suffice it to say, I don’t expect these tracks to play a major role in this year’s race for Best Original Song, but they’re worth mentioning in this robust year for the category regardless.

  • Listen to Kate Hudson’s ‘Cinema Italiano’ from ‘Nine’

    Kate Hudson in NineWednesday we featured the original song “Take It All” from Rob Marshall’s “Nine.” Today we’re happy to feature the other tune conceived by Maury Yeston specifically for the film: “Cinema Italiano,” performed by Kate Hudson.

    Hudson’s Vogue journalist Stephanie was expanded considerably for the film, a lustful young thing who announces, “Style is the new substance.  It’s what my readers want.”  Her song kicks in during an attempt at seducing Daniel Day-Lewis’s crisis-stricken filmmaker Guido Contini and is meant to reflect the flashbulb-popping chic and panache of the entertainment industry, and certainly, Stephanie’s place in that shallow world.

    I would say it stands out as the most catching tune of the piece, but it’s also the most out of place and has some fairly trite lyrics (and some odd rhythm shifts), but it’s a sure bet for a nod, along with the aforementioned “Take It All.”  Give it a listen below and tell us what you think.

    [audio:http://www.incontention.com/audio/cinemaitaliano.mp3]

  • FRIDAY FORECAST: ‘Old Dogs,’ new pics

    (from left) Seth Green, John Travolta and Robin Williams in Old Dogs*All historical figures cited are adjusted to today’s dollars.

    Happy Thanksgiving everyone. If you are like most of America, then you vaguely had an idea that some movies opened on Wednesday, you stuffed your face on Thursday and you will flock to the multiplex today. This five-day period is extremely lucrative for the box office in general but not always new releases, which will most certainly be the case this year as “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” should continue its dominance over the marketplace.

    The one studio who likes this frame more than any other is Walt Disney and it will be unleashing “Old Dogs” on unsuspecting audiences. Seven of the top 10 Thanksgiving weekend openers of all time belong to the Mouse House, including all-time champ “Toy Story 2,” which walked away with $81.1 million over just the three-day weekend in 1999. Most recently, the studio tipped its hat to the past and came away with $35.9 million for the three days in 2007 with “Enchanted.” Early word has “Old Dogs” earning around $3 million on Wednesday, which is surprisingly soft and could put it on course for an $18 million weekend and $25 million for the five days.

    Warner Bros. opens the mandatory action film for Dads in “Ninja Assassin” and early word had it making $3 million on Wednesday as well. The multiplier won’t be as good as it is for “Old Dogs” but it still could translate to $15 million for the three days and $22 million for five. That’s right in line with “Transporter 3” and “Hitman” and all the other terrible action films that have opened during Thanksgiving.

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  • The Great Performances: 2002

    Chris Cooper in Adaptation2002 was probably one of the greatest years for performance excellence in film history, from leading actor right through all the supporting players. They could have easily nominated 10 actors in each of the four acting categories, and still missed some.

    Though Adrien Brody won the Oscar for “The Pianist,” which was a huge shock, I have always felt that Jack Nicholson gave one of his finest performances in “About Schmidt.” I suspect he and Daniel Day-Lewis in “Gangs of New York” may have split the vote in some way, allowing for Brody’s win.

    Michael Caine was up for “The Quiet American” after that film scored with critics at many precursor fests, and Nicolas Cage was the fifth nominee in “Adaptation.” Great performances all, deserving performances all, but there were so many other noteworthy turns.  Like Robin Williams’s chilling performance in “One Hour Photo” as a deranged photo lab worker obsessed with a family. Equally brilliant was Leonardo DiCaprio as the young fraudster in “Catch Me If You Can” while Tom Cruise gave one of his very best performances in Steven Spielberg’s “Minority Report.”

    One of the year’s very best films, “Road to Perdition,” contained one of the year’s best leading performances from Tom Hanks, as a lethal killer on the run from his own mob.  And though I loathe the work of Richard Gere, I must confess he did some of his finest work in “Chicago,” winning a Golden Globe for his performance, but no Oscar nod.

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  • 11/27 Osarweb Round-up

    (from left) Penelope Cruz, Daniel Day-Lewis and Marion Cotillard in Nine• The significance of “Nine” for Anthony Minghella’s legacy. [The Guardian]

    • Steven Zeitchik catches on to the year’s thin original screenplay race and bangs the drum for “Sugar.” [Risky Business]

    • Lauren Shucker talks “Up in the Air” with director Jason Reitman. [Wall Street Journal]

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  • Reel Geezers on ‘Precious’

    I’m featuring this review for one reason: if anybody had concerns that the older white majority of the Academy would be resistant to “Precious” … well, worry no more. (The Geezers are on indieWIRE these days, by the way.)

  • Friendly competition

    I would put it on the Lennon-McCartney level. Look how healthy that competition was even when it was unhealthy. Look at the results of it. Different approaches and personalities and each makes the other better. There’s this dialogue right now and I would throw Spielberg into it too. There’s a dialogue among a generation of filmmakers. I would say Spielberg is out ahead of it at the forefront, I’d say, being older and with what he carved out with George Lucas and the creation of the summer blockbuster. But to answer your question, of course, between Zemeckis and Cameron, yes, there’s a tremendous awareness of what the other is doing. It’s like Beatles and the Stones. And I’m so pleased that they are doing this; to be in their 50s and forging new avenues, to be taking risks and putting this much work in to it — and to be taking a certain amount of flack. Both Cameron and Zemeckis have remained true to their visions and gone places that people would rather they not go…

    From this Geoff Boucher interview with production designer Rick Carter, one of the creative minds behind many of the most successful works from Spielberg, Zemeckis and now, with “Avatar,” James Cameron.

  • French masters vie for Louis Delluc Prize

    Wild GrassWhile I was away in Paris earlier this week, I was reminded there of the nominations for the Louis Delluc Prize. Awarded to a single title, it is arguably the most prestigious award in French cinema, having been won by such titans as Truffaut, Renoir, Chabrol, Malle, Bresson, Cocteau, Tati … well, you get the idea.

    Meanwhile, some formidable auteurs feature in this year’s shortlist, including past three-time winner Alain Resnais and, of course, current Oscar player Jacques Audiard. The eight nominees are:

    “Hadewijch” (Bruno Dumont)
    “I’m Glad That My Mother Is Alive” (Claude and Nathan Miller)
    “In the Beginning”     (Xavier Giannoli)
    “Irene” (Alain Cavalier)
    “Making Plans for Lena” (Christophe Honoré)
    “A Prophet” (Jacques Audiard)
    “Welcome” (Philippe Lioret)
    “Wild Grass” (Alain Resnais)

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  • Ansen gets first word on ‘Invictus’

    Morgan Freeman in InvictusApparently unfazed by embargos, Newsweek’s David Ansen has posted a short, mixed-to-positive review of “Invictus,” the meat of which is here:

    Invictus is not a biopic; nor does it take us deep inside any of its characters—Eastwood views Mandela from a respectful middle distance. It’s about strategic inspiration. We witness a politician at the top of his game: Freeman’s wily Mandela is a master of charm and soft-spoken gravitas. Anthony Peckham’s sturdy, functional screenplay, based on John Carlin’s book Playing the Enemy, can be a bit on the nose (and the message songs Eastwood adds are overkill). Yet the lapses fade in the face of such a soul-stirring story—one that would be hard to believe if it were fiction. The wonder of Invictus is that it actually went down this way.

    So far, the early word I’ve sourced on this one is all over the place. I’m still struggling to get excited. Are you?

  • Happy Thanksgiving

    (from left) Steve Martin and John Candy in Planes, Trains and AutomobilesIt’s that time of year.

    I’ve got about a dozen heads coming over for a Thanksgiving feast.  Parade.  Football.  Screeners (a LOT of ’em).  A full day of cheer.  But I’d like to, of course, take a moment to hand out my thank yous.

    At the top of that list are my fellow contributors here at In Contention; Guy, Gerard, Chad, John, you help me keep the ship afloat.  It’s a different place without you.

    Ditto the readership.  Each of you keeps things lively and in motion.  Without that we’re just crying out in a void.

    I’m thankful for those I deal with professionally on a daily basis.  Sometimes we butt heads, other times we serve separate, diametrically opposed masters, but I’d like to think we maintain our humanity, if sometimes not our sanity.  And I’m happy to call many of you my friends.

    Thanks, of course, to my family, who indulged the movie bug in me way back when.  And to my lady, April, for the consistent patience you seem to pull out of your hat day in and day out.  I’m a handful.

    Thank you.  And Happy Thanksgiving.  The floor is yours today.

  • THE LONG SHOT: Popular mechanics

    Chris Pine in Star Trek“My God, they’ve thrown in everything but the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”

    Quoted by writer Anthony Holden in his gossipy history “The Oscars,” this was one publicist’s dismayed response to the 1990 Academy Award nominations, which included such unusual concessions to popular (as opposed to critical) opinion as a Best Picture nomination for “Ghost” and a Best Actress nod for Julia Roberts in “Pretty Woman.”

    I remember this year well – I was eight years old, and it was the first Oscar race I followed in detail from burbling Christmas hype to the ceremony itself, digging up and scrapbooking all the press and TV coverage I could find.

    And from what I recall of my fledgling research, the unnamed publicist above wasn’t alone in her discontent. In particular, the “Ghost” nomination attracted levels of critical scorn even higher than those usually reserved for the Oscars – the common line being that the Academy had sold out to commerce rather than art, and that the sky would be falling at any given moment.

    Does this situation sound at all familiar?

    It should do. Though it was a response to an outcome rather than a possibility, the kvetching over the 1990 nods more than slightly resembles the panic that set in among certain pundits and fans alike (including, admittedly, yours truly) when the switch to 10 Best Picture nominees was announced in June.

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  • TECH SUPPORT: Best Makeup — Volume II

    Lorna Raver in Drag Me to HellWithout any doubt, one of the most difficult Oscar categories to predict is Best Makeup. Like Best Visual Effects, the final three nominees are chosen from a previously announced shortlist of seven.

    Very frequently, films that would seem to be sure things fail to even make the bake-off. Even so, it is possible to gauge the general sort of films which are nominated, with considerable prosthetics and aging effects being among the most cited accomplishments in this category.

    This branch is one that regularly seems willing nominate dreadful films, or to eschew insularity (which is not to say they don’t have their favorites, such as Greg Cannom and Rick Baker).

    I think many of the films I spoke of in September remain firmly in the running, And perhaps leading the way is Neil Blomkamp’s “District 9.” While much of the work in this was CGI, the makeup was key, not only to the main character’s transformation but also to capturing the injuries of the characters in the slums of Johannesburg. The crew has not been nominated before, but I don’t think that will be a problem.

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  • BFCA adds categories

    Sean Penn at the 2009 Critics Choice AwardsHot off the presses:

    The Board of Directors of the Broadcast Film Critics Association has voted unanimously to expand the categories we will be voting on for this year’s 15th annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards. More fun for everybody!

    We believe it is appropriate and wise for the BFCA to model its categories more closely after those of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This means adding several “technical” categories, dividing Best Screenplay into Original and Adapted, and tweaking a music category from Best Composer to Best Score. We will not be voting on shorts and we will only be voting one Best Sound category. (And we most likely will not present any of the new categories on our live telecast as we still have only two hours on VH1.) We will still be voting in our unique categories, including Best Comedy, Best Action Movie, Best Young Actor and Best Acting Ensemble.

    Full list of categories after the jump.

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  • Listen to Marion Cotillard’s ‘Take It All’ from ‘Nine’

    Marion Cotillard in NineThis year’s big, bombastic musical “Nine” features two original song compositions from Maury Yeston.  We’re happy today to feature one of them: “Take It All,” performed in the film by actress Marion Cotillard.

    Of all the tracks in the film, both original and pre-existing, this one has the most impact if only because it comes during one of the film’s few truly emotional and affecting moments.  It would be spoiler territory to reveal the particulars of that scene, but the lyrics pretty much, uh, say it all, if you will.

    The tunes of “Nine” won’t have the same problem so many other original songs will have this year because, as movie musical numbers would, they are used within the context of the film.  Indeed, they push the story from point A to point B throughout, and “Take It All,” for my money, was the payoff culmination of all of that, partly due to the power of the track, but mostly due to what Cotillard does with it and how her performance resonates in the actual scene.

    Have a listen to the track below and tell us what you think.

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  • Bueller?

    The town has all but shuttered entirely since Monday.  Screeners are showing up constantly (the FedEx and UPS folks are getting their annual workout).  The bird is thawing.  There’s just not much going on.  Anne and I will be doing a podcast Friday rather than taking the week off, but look for it later in the day as we each have a screening earlier that afternoon.  Guy will be back in today with a new Long Shot column and Chad and John will have their Friday columns, but beyond that, you’ll understand the gearing down these next few days.  FYI.