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  • Guilds announce honorary awards

    Amy PascalWhen two guilds have already named certain people they plan to honor in 2010 — unlike the Academy, they don’t feel the need to relegate honorary award recipients to a separate ceremony in November — you know the season is upon us.

    The Producers Guild of America recently announced that their next annual Milestone Award will be jointly awarded in January to Sony Pictures chiefs Amy Pascal and Michael Lynton. Considering the studio currently holds the top two spots in the U.S. box office chart, it seems an apt week to make the announcement.

    Recent recipients of the award, the PGA’s highest career honor, include Jeffrey Katzenberg, Warren Beatty and Clint Eastwood, while last year’s winners were Ron Howard and Brian Grazer.

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  • WEEKLY WRAP: ‘Education’ lands, animation expands

    Carey Mulligan and Peter Sarsgaard in An Education• After a quiet week for awards news, this week’s Off the Carpet column contemplated the depth of the Best Actress race.

    • A topic that Kris and Anne also debated in this week’s episode of Oscar Talk.

    • Speaking of Best Actress, “An Education,” with its nomination-bound performance by Carey Mulligan, finally hit theaters this week.

    • And speaking of Mulligan, she placed highly in our list of the Top 10 actors under 30.

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  • New ‘Precious’ trailer

    Check it out over at Apple, with comments from Tyler Perry, Oprah Winfrey and Gabby Sidibe tossed in.

  • QUERY: Name an obscure film from the past decade I should see.

    I’ve been preparing for my obligatory best of the decade column, which will drop in December after we’ve assessed 2009’s offerings.  I’m covering bases on films that inevitably slipped through the cracks, but I’m looking to be as thorough as I can.  If there’s a film you can think of that blew you away between 2000 and now but know in your heart of hearts hasn’t hit my radar yet, chime in.

  • Short list for short docs revealed

    From AMPAS.  The nominees will be decided from this crop (films linked to respective IMDb pages or pertinent sites):

    “China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province”
    Downtown Community Television Center, Inc.

    “The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner”
    Just Media

    “The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant”
    Community Media Prods.

    “Lt. Watada”
    Chanlim Films

    “Music by Prudence”
    iThemba Prods.

    “Rabbit a la Berlin”
    MS Films

    “Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait of Maurice Sendak”
    Outside Prods.

    “Woman Rebel”
    Women Rebel Films

  • ‘Toy Story 3’ trailer

    (Courtesy: Movie-List)

  • REVIEW: “The Messenger” (***1/2)

    The MessengerThere is a film that succeeds as a cerebral drama, concerned with the impact of war on the individual, free of the genre’s typical tropes and remarkably fresh as a result.  And believe it or not, I’m not talking about “The Hurt Locker.”

    Of course, it is unfair to Oren Moverman’s “The Messenger” to so quickly evoke the name of one of the year’s most critically acclaimed films by way of comparison.  And Kathryn Bigelow’s sterling 2009 gem doesn’t deserve to be jerked down a peg by showcasing the merits of another, more under-the-radar film.

    But the fact remains, these two efforts are departures from the status quo in a dramatic subset that is perhaps more artistically important now than it has been in 60 years.  And Moverman’s film has settled, for this viewer, much more completely than Bigelow’s.  It instantly stands out as one of the year’s most powerful dramas.

    The nuts and bolts of the story concern a pair of military officers charged with the heavy burden of notifying next of kin in the event of a combat casualty.  Woody Harrelson’s Anthony “Tony” Stone has been wading through the waters of this “sacred” task for some time and has come to identify its importance with a strict regimen followed each time out.

    Ben Foster’s Will Montgomery, meanwhile, has been relegated to Tony’s charge in the wake of a heavy combat experience.  He is neither comfortable with the emotional workload of the job nor, seemingly, convinced of its importance over his battlefield duties.

    The narrative isn’t focused in any traditional manner.  It serves up what is, essentially, a series of vignettes, Tony and Will notifying next of kin in a variety of atmospheres.  These are powerfully acted by supporting, basically cameo players such as Peter Friedman, Halley Feiffer, Steve Buscemi and Angel Caban, among others.

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  • OSCAR TALK: Ep. 5 — Oscar hosts, leading ladies and category placement

    Oscar TalkWelcome to the fifth installment of Oscar Talk between yours truly and Anne Thompson of indieWIRE’s Thompson on Hollywood.

    A somewhat streamlined show today.  Here’s what’s on the docket:

    • Spit-balling host ideas for this year’s Oscarcast, which seems to be a popular topic these days.

    • Doing the same on a potential producer for the show.

    • Our first fight!  Anne and I debate the merits of the leading actresses of this year’s films.  Anne says it’s a weak season, I say there are plenty of fine performances to choose from (and more on the way).

    • With “An Education” opening in limited release today, we discuss Peter Sarsgaard’s potential category fraud/confusion and debate the philosophies of what makes a performance a lead.

    • A brief tease of a topic on next week’s episode, Oren Moverman’s “The Messenger,” which I saw this week and Anne will catch up on before we chat again.

    Have a listen to this week’s podcast below (with a lead-in from the trailer for “An Education”).  And as always, you can subscribe to Oscar Talk via iTunes here.

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  • “I don’t pretend to be a critic, but lord knows I have a gut, and my gut tells me it’s simply marvelous.”

  • ‘Anvil’ first Oscar screener

    Anvil! The Story of AnvilI finally got around to “Anvil! The Story of Anvil” this week and seem to have found myself in an instant minority.  Where so many see a moving tale of friendship, brotherhood and dedication, I saw a somewhat derivative and at times even inauthentic portrait that didn’t elicit the proper interest in the subjects.

    Sue me.  I’ll give it another look at some point.

    Anyway, that’s neither here nor there.  What is of interest is that, as Pete Hammond reports, the film has the designation of being 2009’s first screener sent to the 6,000-strong membership of the Academy.  “The Hurt Locker” was primed to be the first out of the gate but it never happened.

    In recent years films such as “Once,” “The Namesake,” “Waitress,” “Junebug” and “Frozen River” have been the first to hit members’ doorsteps.  They landed four nominations between them, so jumping ahead early doesn’t guarantee big awards success, but it doesn’t hurt to hop onto people’s radars early.  Regardless, “Anvil” isn’t likely to show up anywhere outside of the documentary feature category.

    And here we go…

  • New ‘Me and Orson Welles’ trailer

  • 10/9 Oscarweb Round-up

    Marlon Brando in The Godfather• Digital marketing consultant Chris Dorr points out missed online opportunities with “Bright Star.” [Thompson on Hollywood]

    • Steve Pond jumps on the “Up in the Air” train, says it renders the expectations irrelevant. [The Odds]

    • Lying about seeing “The Godfather.” [The Guardian]

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  • Guy Ritchie on ‘esoteric marmalade’

    Guy RitchieCheers to my friend Paul for pointing me to the quote of the week from Guy Ritchie, featured in a recent Esquire interview. It’s the same piece that has already attained a measure of press attention for his description of Madonna as “retarded,” but this metaphor for his filmmaking oeuvre (handily condensed by the Guardian) is the real keeper:

    “What you’ve got with marmalade is fucking bitter and sweet,” Guy explains. “Now, the marmalade at [the place they had breakfast], that’s an accessible marmalade. And my sensibility is accessible. My nature is, I like accessible shit. The first two accessible movies I made, Lock, Stock and Snatch, they are accessible.

    The next two aren’t accessible. First there’s Swept Away, which, well, everyone gets confused on, because of Madonna. And the next one [Revolver] is just conceptual. That one – that’s just pure esoteric marmalade. You can tell a lot by a person’s marmalade. My palate is really a fine shred, it’s accessible. I’m not saying I won’t test you. Because all marmalade tests you.”

    No word yet on what type of marmalade “Sherlock Holmes” will be. Maybe he’s switched to jam.

  • ‘Seagull’ film going ahead with Mulligan and Scott Thomas

    Carey Mulligan as Nina in the Broadway production of The SeagullIn Carey Mulligan’s entry on Tuesday’s “best actors under 30” list, I mentioned her stunning turn on stage in the recent revival of Chekhov’s “The Seagull,” writing that “if/when anyone commits that to film, Mulligan will be unbeatable for Best Supporting Actress.”

    What I didn’t know is that “if” has definitely become a “when” in this case. I wrote when rumors of a “Seagull” movie surfaced in January, but the project was actually confirmed a month ago. (I was in Venice and missed the news; thanks to a helpful but nameless reader for pointing me to the news.)

    Anyway, with news as good as this, better late than never. The production is being brought to the screen with the cast and creative team largely unchanged.

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  • TECH SUPPORT: Best Sound Editing — Volume II

    9Back in July, I took an initial stab at the “zaps,” “booms,” “clinks” and “bams” of the sound editing category.  Since then, several titles have been seen, moved on to 2010 or popped up as new comers.  Let’s take a look…

    With “Green Zone” and “The Wolf Man” delayed until next year, the category’s potential seems a touch depleted.  And also from that early crop, I think “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” and “Public Enemies” hardly made enough of an impression to be remembered come the end of the year.

    Then again, I thought the same about “Wanted” last year.

    I do believe a genuine new contender has joined the race in Neill Blomkamp’s “District 9.” While the film’s sound editors have not been recognized by the Academy to date, the film was a surprising hit and its soundscape seems the sort this branch would like to cite.

    Elsewhere, my early “Inglourious Basterds” hunch in this category seems to have worked out. The film did quite well for itself and artificial sounds were integral.  Wylie Stateman failed to get nominated for his work on the “Kill Bill” films, but he is a four-time nominee nevertheless.  And this is a (slightly) more Oscar-friendly film than that two-parter.

    I don’t think anything has changed the course of Michael Bay’s “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” in this field.  Regardless of quality, Bay’s films do well with the sound branch and Ethan Van der Ryn is a two-time winner. Only if the branch really can’t make it through the film would I expect him and his crew to miss.

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  • Spike Jonze’s next children’s book adaptation

    (Courtesy: LandlineTV via Film School Rejects)

  • Martin and Fey: the obvious choice

    Tina Fey and Steve Martin at the 81st Annual Academy AwardsIt seems the annual spitballing over who will/should host next year’s Academy Awards ceremony has already started.

    Sasha Stone has compiled a list of her own preferred men (and women) for the job, while Kris has other ideas. (More seriously, his Kevin Spacey suggestion last year remains one I’m completely on board with.) Meanwhile, Kris and Anne will spotlight the issue in tomorrow’s edition of Oscar Talk.

    For my part, I can’t see a Hugh Jackman repeat working as effectively without Bill Condon and Laurence Mark’s creative steering. (Besides, as game as he was, I missed the comedy a little.) And for all the championing of vogueish names from Neil Patrick Harris to Justin Timberlake — and as much as I actually appreciated Jon Stewart’s efforts — I always find the night feels more comfortable with a genuine movie figure on stage.

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  • Carey Mulligan on Letterman

    I love that Paul and the band played “Hot For Teacher” as she walked out.  She handled herself well, I thought.  But, let’s face it — it’s difficult not to think of Letterman’s scandal given the plot of the film.  Speaking of which, I think Letterman totally spoils the film toward the end (and a little in the beginning).  Tom O’Neil has just posted an assessment of the appearance and Mulligan’s place in the race.

    Anyway, here it is — Carey Mulligan’s first talk show appearance ever: