In Contention

Blog

  • Jason Reitman’s first kiss…in ‘Kindergarten Cop’

    Jason Reitman in Kindergarten CopJason Reitman has obviously come into his own as a filmmaker ever since his 2006 debut “Thank You for Smoking.” But once upon a time, he was a star of a different sort: the busted middle-schooler caught smooching in Ivan Reitman’s 1990 comedy “Kindergarten Cop.”

    You remember the scene.  The Governator is stalking the hallways looking for that adorable little blond-haired, blue-eyed kid, Dominic.  The school has been set on fire by the creepy long-haired heel of the piece, Dominic’s psycho father.  Detective John Kimble turns a corner into an abandoned room and there they are, two youngsters slipping in a little make-out action during the chaos of the fire alarm.

    “We thought it was another drill,” a young Reitman exclaims, voice breaking, shiny braces — the typical cues of preadolescent youth.  He must have been about 12 or 13 at the time.  But even if you were aware of that bit of casting trivia, you might not realize it was actually Reitman’s first kiss.

    (more…)

  • 11/25 Oscarweb Round-up

    Viggo Mortensen in The Road• “The Road” takes desolate journey from page to screen. [Wired]

    • Andrew O’Hehir talks “Bad Lieutenant” with Werner Herzog. [Beyond the Multiplex]

    • Anne Thompson says “Avatar” could debut at AICN’s Butt-Numb-A-Thon, of all places. [Thompson on Hollywood]

    (more…)

  • ‘District 9’ an adapted screenplay after all

    When I surveyed the rather weak field of original screenplay contenders two weeks ago, one of the contenders I mentioned was Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell’s “District 9,” my assumption being that the vast departures from the original short film “Alive in Joburg” would be enough to warrant such a classification.

    I guess I was wrong.

    Screeners of the film have hit the doorsteps of awards voters this week and one of the categories listed is — yep, Best Adapted Screenplay.  Which means not only is the original field even thinner, but the adapted field just got a little tighter.  Some have scoffed at the idea of “Star Trek” being a player here, but what about “District 9,” one of the biggest surprise hits of the year?

  • ‘Lovely Bones’ reviews begin to trickle in

    Saoirse Ronan in The Lovely BonesSpeaking of Peter Jackson’s latest, the film screened for the Royals tonight across the pond.  The Guardian has doused it:

    The screen version, by contrast, is so infuriatingly coy, and so desperate to preserve the modesty of its soulful victim that it amounts to an ongoing clean-up operation…Jackson turns up with his eyes averted, spraying cloying perfume to the left and right.

    The Sun, in a clunky example of “writing,” has raved it:

    [Jackson] creates something even more amazing than his Middle-earth fantasy. The effects are breathtaking.

    Total Film has a rave up:

    It deals with loss, grief, rage, familial breakdown and love, most of all love. But it’s also energetic and entertaining, the camera already moving whenever Jackson cuts into a scene and the horror/thriller elements given just enough fizz to recall the director’s early genre forays (minus the splatter) but not so comic book as to undercut the drama.

    (more…)

  • New ‘Lovely Bones’ poster

    Why is everything being dumped out there this week?  Jeez, space yourself out, folks:

    The Lovely Bones

    (Courtesy: MySpace)

  • EW’s ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’ roundtable

    Guy’s coverage from London here, but from Dave Karger’s Oscar Watch:

  • ‘Avatar’: the interactive trailer experience

    AvatarYou really have to hand it to Fox marketing as it pertains to James Cameron’s highly anticipated “Avatar.” Three weeks out from release and it seems like the film is everywhere.

    Full blown 90 second TV spots all day is one thing, though.  Innovative online marketing is another, and it looks like the studio has chosen Nikki Finke’s Deadline Hollywood Daily to launch the latest interactive ploy.

    Essentially it’s an interface that you have to download.  While watching the trailer, you can interrupt things and play character profiles throughout, with interviews and perspective from Sam Worthington, Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi, Stephen Lang, etc.  These are called “hotspots” that you can engage throughout which load the mini-featurettes we’ve seen pop up over the last few days and weeks.

    (more…)

  • Latest ‘Nine’ poster puts Daniel Day-Lewis on the couch

    We got three yesterday.  This morning we’re happy to present this new, exclusive one-sheet for Rob Marshall’s “Nine”:

    Nine

  • INTERVIEW: Woody Harrelson

    Woody HarrelsonWoody Harrelson is running behind…about a half an hour behind.  This after a number of delays and schedule changes throughout the week.  When he strolls nonchalantly out onto the rooftop spread of a posh West Hollywood hotel, you can see why.  It’s not irresponsibility.  It’s not eccentric nuisance.  The guy just marches to his own drummer, and certainly, to his own beat.

    Publicity handler in tow, Harrelson moves and speaks purposefully, casual, always relaxed (though one might have fun speculating why that is).  Some may get him to say sensational things, but that’s not the M.O. of the interviewer he’s chatting with this afternoon.  So the perching hawk to my left, giving him a sharp look when he offers harmless jokes that might be seen as tasteless, isn’t exactly necessary.

    “Why don’t you let us talk alone,” he finally says, half-way through — respectfully, but sincerely.  He’s a man who seems to enjoy a chat, no matter how much it might push the rest of his schedule back.  And he’d certainly prefer to engage in one without that kind of oversight.

    Ostensibly his press rounds as of late are for the Oren Moverman film “The Messenger.” Appearances on The Colbert Report and, immediately following our encounter, The Late Late Show are popping up left and right.  He’s on the cover of this month’s Venice magazine.  But he’s also given a pair of zany performances in genre films this year that are worth discussing for the versatility they illuminate in his work.

    (more…)

  • ‘Greenberg’ trailer

    The latest from writer/director Noah Baumbach:

  • New ‘Road’ poster

    So is this thing advertising a new film or Rolling Stone magazine?

    The Road

  • 11/24 Oscarweb Round-up

    Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side• Pete Hammond, with box office ammunition in hand, keeps banging the gong for Sandra Bullock in a bad movie.  And it just might happen. [Notes on a Season]

    • Speaking of “The Blind Side,” Patrick Goldstein dedicates a great many words to the film’s director, John Lee Hancock. [The Big Picture]

    • “Nine,” the film that seduced Hollywood’s stars. [Daily Telegraph]

    (more…)

  • ‘Nine’ posters

    Nine

    Two more, including Penelope Cruz getting my heart pressure up, after the jump.  (I’m told another is on the way tomorrow.)

    (more…)

  • OFF THE CARPET: Field of adaptations

    Amy Adams in Julie & JuliaAs always, the year’s adapted screenplay race is much more competitive than the original screenplay race. But what’s intriguing to note is that of the anticipated “big four” still to be widely screened, three of them are right in the thick of this discussion.

    In the case of “Nine,” there is a chance for Anthony Minghella to receive his second posthumous Oscar nomination in as many years, something I don’t think we’ve seen since James Dean. But sometimes the razzle-dazzle of a movie musical can overshadow what craft there might be on the page, so it’s no slam dunk. Michael Tolkin is co-writer on the script, and even though I’ve seen the film, I’m prohibited from offering my thoughts on the work.

    “The Lovely Bones,” meanwhile, is adapted from a beloved novel, looks to feature a more reserved and refined Peter Jackson than we’ve seen in recent years and could see the lovable trio (Jackson, Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh) back in Oscar’s good graces. We’ll know when we see it.

    The Royals and invited British press get their look on the 24th. Harry Knowles has received his typical peek (as Paramount continues to nurture the relationship as if it’s 2002 and AICN still moves the needle). The rest of the US press corps has to wait until the other side of the holiday on the 27th to judge. Hopefully we’ll still care by then. I heard some scathing criticisms out of an exhibitor screening last week.

    (more…)

  • ‘Avatar’ on ’60 Minutes’

    The first screenings of the film are said to happen December 10 (the same day as the London premiere). Maybe some will happen before that, maybe not. But with latter-year contenders underwhelming left and right, all eyes could be aimed toward James Cameron’s latest with something of an exasperated sense of hope. Soon enough…

  • Hillcoat on ‘The Road,’ Mortensen from Telluride, featurette

    (Courtesy: MakingOf)

    And while we’re at it, with the film hitting limited release this weekend, it seems only apt to point you to my interview with Viggo Mortensen out of Telluride in September.  Give that a listen here or via the player below.  Check out a featurette on the film after the jump.

    [display_podcast]

    (more…)