In Contention

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  • Favre for Oscarcast host

    Brett FavreOkay, here’s my idea.

    He seems to be some sort of immortal modern deity, albeit a tractor-steering, dip-chewing sports monolith, but what else to people really worship?  Anyway, he commands a pretty big audience at this time in his career.  He can single-handedly turn something into the most watched cable program in history, apparently.  And maybe the Farrelly brothers can have fun with the opening short film.

    What, no good?  Not “movie-star” enough?  How about a well-publicized presentation gig?  Of Best Picture, no less.  Since seeing Brett Favre hand an Oscar to Oprah Winfrey or Tyler Perry would — oh my, can you just hear the cash register of ratings “cha-chings” now?  And hey, Favre/Eastwood wouldn’t be too shabby either.  Whichever way the needle goes, you’re covered.

    Still no good?  Alright, let’s stick with the 10.  Of course.  What was I thinking?

  • Briefly, on ‘Pirate Radio’

    I don’t know why, but this “Pirate Radio” trailer (which has been around a while) is really doing it for me.  I saw it yesterday before a screening of “Zombieland.” And how long before Philip Seymour Hoffman completes his trilogy of rock types?  He knocked Lester Bangs out of the park in “Almost Famous” and his character The Count here is inspired by Radio One’s Emperor Rosko.  Come on.  Just one more.

  • THE LISTS: Top 10 actors under 30

    Abbie Cornish in CandyI wrote recently about how this year’s Best Actress race seems to ushering in a striking new wave of young talent, from the elfin throwback charm of Carey Mulligan to the rawer screen presence of Gabourey Sidibe, while a range of youthful names, from the long-hyped Abbie Cornish to the out-of-nowhere Katie Jarvis, have been racking up critical plaudits all year.

    Whether Academy voters comply or not, it’s hard to disagree that it’s a good year to be a fresh face.

    Meanwhile, the industry’s male twentysomethings may have enjoyed less frenzied acclaim than their fairer counterparts, but the likes of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ben Whishaw and – yes – Shia LaBeouf have kept things ticking over for the generation quite respectably.

    So, with the teen-driven narratives of “An Education” and “Precious” heading for theaters soon, and with the youth romance of “Bright Star” currently pleasing older arthouse audiences, it seemed an apt moment to celebrate the new guard by ranking the finest talent that the born-after-1980 generation has to offer.

    And believe me when I tell you it was one of the trickiest lists I’ve ever compiled on this site. The more I contemplated recent successes and breakthroughs, the longer the shortlist of candidates grew, spanning Academy-endorsed names already on the A-list (Natalie Portman, Jake Gyllenhaal) to quirkier talents from the indie and foreign sectors (Sam Riley, Emilie Dequenne). I like to think that the fact that I struggled as much as I did to narrow the list down to 10 names bodes very well for the future.

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  • ‘Education’ on the march

    (from left) Peter Sarsgaard and Carey Mulligan in An EducationI didn’t really talk too much about Lone Sherfig’s “An Education” when I saw it a few months ago beyond starting the drum circle on Alfred Molina’s wonderfully warm, authentic performance.  But I find the film on my mind more and more with an October 9 limited release right around the corner.

    The film is sublime and in perhaps (for me) the best movie year of the decade, it continues to stand out as one of the 2009’s most refined films on nearly every level.  The acting, of course, is impeccable.  I couldn’t possibly write anything new about Carey Mulligan’s work, and Peter Sarsgaard, who will hopefully be in the awards conversation but could be unfortunately forgotten in the clutter, delivers his finest work since “Shattered Glass” (and probably ever).  The entire cast, in fact (and as noted in this space) is likely to get a well-deserved SAG ensemble nod.

    Back in June I wrote that “An Education” was an example of “that rare occasion when a filmmaker taps into profound truths with the help of a cast that gets it, the themes surging through every vein, a driven vehicle of purpose.”  I don’t feel any different today.

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  • Rodrigo Garcia talks ‘Mother and Child’

    The Annette Bening starrer “Mother and Child” stirred the awards conversation in Toronto, mostly for Bening but with plenty offering wonderful notices for the performances of Samuel L. Jackson and Naomi Watts.  Guy even made a pretty good case for the film cornering the female vote (in the year of the woman, no less).  But, no distributors have come calling yet, so it’s looking more and more like it could be a 2010 (or later) holdover.  In the meantime, here’s director Rodrigo Garcia talking about his work on the film:

    (Courtesy: MakingOf)

  • De Niro to be honored by Hollywood fest

    Robert De Niro in Everybody's FineWe’ve brought you up to speed on the list of Hollywood Film Festival award honorees the last few weeks (full list after the jump).  But today we get the news that Robert De Niro has been tapped to receive the Hollywood Actor Award, adding some steam to his bid for a lead actor Oscar nomination for “Everybody’s Fine.”

    Of course, who knows what the virtual dismantling of Miramax will do to planned Oscar campaigns, but this is a nice added boost as the actor heads into the season looking for his first Oscar nomination in 17 years.  Fest director Carlos de Abreu is quoted in the press release:

    Robert De Niro is an American icon. Not only is he highly regarded for his body of work as an actor, producer and director, but also for the passion, integrity and dedication he brings to his performances on camera, as well as his intense off-camera preparation and study of the characters he brings to life. His performance in the upcoming film “Everybody”s Fine” is outstanding and flawless.

    The ceremony will take place October 26.  We’re still waiting to hear about the Hollywood Actress Award winner, which will likely be Meryl Streep.

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  • 10/6 Oscarweb Round-up

    Tom Hardy in Bronson• Steve Pond asks five important questions about the expanded Best Picture category.  #1, #3 and #5 have been covered at length in this space.  #2 is philosophical and worth considering.  #4 is a practical issue at hand, I imagine. [The Odds]

    • On set with the Coens directing “A Serious Man.” [MakingOf]

    • Nicolas Winding Refn talks “Bronson”‘s Pet Shop Boys alterna-score, among other things. [The Playlist]

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  • Who the hell was that?

    Meryl Streep in Julie & JuliaCoincidentally enough, the same day that Kris spotlighted the Best Actress race, the category has been on my mind too — as a thought hit me that could factor in what is potentially one of the tightest duels of the season.

    Almost every Oscar prognosticator on record has already boiled the Best Actress contest down to Carey Mulligan versus Meryl Streep, and until the precursors arrive to shed some light on the matter, there’s almost nothing in it on paper.

    Advantage Mulligan for being in a probable Best Picture nominee. Advantage Streep for playing a prominent real-life figure. Advantage Mulligan for being this year’s hottest ingenue. Advantage Streep for being, well, Meryl Streep. And on it goes, back and forth.

    But if there’s one area where Mulligan holds a clear advantage over Streep, it’s with the so-called “BAFTA block” … the British contingent of voters who seemingly make their presence felt more in the Academy voting by the year. (Recent BAFTA-led surges for “The Reader,” Marion Cotillard and Tilda Swinton are a case in point.)

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  • Darren Aronofsky on directing

    Obviously this would have been more pertinent a year ago, but, alas:

    (Courtesy: MakingOf)

  • Mann and ‘Falling Soldier’

    Falling Soldier

    If Mann’s picture is a straight biographical drama it’ll be difficult to tackle this subject without taking a definitive stand on whether or not the photo was staged. I hope, then, that the film is less than standard from a biopic perspective, and tackles questions about the rigorous depiction of events versus creating propaganda for one group over another. Capa’s story is interesting, but seeing Mann get into deeper issues could make the movie really fascinating.

    A good point from Russ Fischer’s re-reporting of the news that Michael Mann will be tackling a biopic of war photographer Robert Capa.  Mann (and friend Eric Roth, actually) tends to go out of his way to make things a little more complex, so hopefully he doesn’t have a “standard” biopic in him.

  • Foreign film race slowly taking shape

    The White RibbonAs I said before, the October 1 “deadline” for Best Foreign Language Film submissions isn’t quite as rigid as it sounds: assorted additions and alterations tend to be made before the Academy officially announces the list.

    The first of these late developments comes from Colombia, with the late submission of Ciro Guerra’s “The Wind Journeys,” which bowed at Cannes and recently played at Toronto. A tale of an elderly accordion player travelling the country with the young musician he’s mentoring, it apparently combines gentle sentiment, generational themes with picturesque landscapes. Lots for the Academy to like there, perhaps.

    With the unveiling of a semi-solid list of contenders, you’ll notice that Kris has committed to some predictions in the category. Meanwhile, I’ve updated mine here. A stab in the dark really, particularly without having seen the vast majority of the films, though there is a level of reasoning here and there.

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  • OFF THE CARPET: Looking at the leading ladies

    Helen Mirren in The Last StationNow is the time when everyone begins assessing the race at its beginnings, and the gist I’m getting is that no one really knows what to write about.  Stabs at analysis end up being responses to other takes or rehashed arguments, and nothing really insightful is being brought to the table.

    And let’s face it.  As we dip into what looks to be the longest early-season lull in some time, there really is nothing insightful to offer.  So let’s just spit-ball…

    I think the Sony Classics acquisition of “The Last Station” is more significant than most seem to be aware right now.  There are only a handful who have seen it (Telluride being the film’s only festival stop so far), so that’s understandable.  And the film isn’t a knock-out, one that will be damned as merely efficient in some circles.  But with Helen Mirren in the lead actress race, it’s worth noting that suddenly that category is further framed as the old guard versus the new.

    And I may be wrong in my conviction, but I have to say it again: Mirren is VERY much in this race.  As the fiery Countess wife of a literary titan, she brings equal parts passion and delicacy to a complicated, certainly flawed character.  She’s afforded a number of moments that give her room to chew the scenery, and if Christopher Plummer happens to ride a wave of sentiment to a nomination as well, part of me feels that he will owe something to Mirren’s coattails.

    My predictions for the leading ladies this week are Mirren, Meryl Streep, Carey Mulligan, Gabourey Sidibe and, my weak link, Marion Cotillard (who is expected to be a lead actress push for “Nine,” but things could change).  In that collective we have three former winners, two legends of the form, two newbies and one performer shifting into the second gear of her career.  I think that’s a pretty good balance.

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  • “What is it to be an adult?”

    I stumbled across David Poland’s video review of the Coens’ “A Serious Man” last night and just had to share.  I think it’s the most insightful of these yet and taps into a number of the rhythms of the season by revealing the Coen film’s place within it.  He calls it one of the duo’s greatest films, with which I’m of course inclined to agree:

  • ‘Red Cliff’ trailer

  • 10/5 Oscarweb Round-up

    Wes Anderson• Lee Daniels and his cast and crew had a blast making “Precious,” despite the gut-wrenching display on screen. [Movieline]

    • Hugo Rifkind sits down with Wes Anderson to talk “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” which is set to open the London Film Festival. [The Times]

    • Dennis Lim talks to Nicolas Winding Refn about his film “Bronson,” one of the year’s best. [New York Times]

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  • Mann subs Robert Capa for Robert Jordan

    Robert CapaDirector Michael Mann has been trying to get an adaptation of “For Whom the Bell Tolls” off the ground for a while now.  As far back as October 2006 (when I interviewed Mann for an Eric Roth profile), the film was mere days from being announced.

    I’m not a sleuth like the Anne Thompsons or the Sharon Waxmans, so I don’t know the specifics of why it hasn’t happened.  I imagine it’s budgeting concerns on some levely.

    Anyway, it’s been a shame not to see things come together on that front, but I’m glad Mann has found a nice outlet to get his Spanish Civil War groove on, and perhaps a better opportunity overall, with Columbia’s acquisition of “Waiting for Robert Capa,” a biography of the war photographer and Mann’s next gig.

    It seems almost too easy to cast Leonardo DiCaprio here, no?  (The actor’s Appian Way offices are in the same Santa Monica complex as Mann’s Forward Pass, and Mann, of course, produced and was once set to direct “The Aviator.”)  Maybe he’ll go a different route (though DiCaprio would be a no-brainer for “Bell”‘s Robert Jordan).

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  • SUNDAY CENTS: ‘Zombie’ lands at the top

    ZombielandFox may not be able to get teens excited about horror comedy but Sony sure can as “Zombieland” debuted with an impressive $25 million and the number one spot.The studio  makes a killing off these types of relatively low budget genre titles (“Obsessed”, “Lakeview Terrace”) and you have to hand it to the marketing department for turning yet another one into a winner. I mean, this is the studio that can get a film like “21” a $24 million opening weekend and that’s pretty amazing.

    Sony holds the runner-up spot as well with the animated hit “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.” Another slim drop, this time 33%, gave the film a $16.7 million weekend and $82.4 million in the books already. In a few weeks it’ll become only the fifth film released in September this decade to cross $100 million joining illustrious company like “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Remember the Titans.”

    “Meatballs” was served a healthy dose of competition by Disney’s 3D double feature of the first two “Toy Story” films. $12.5 million is pretty exceptional for films that are widely available on DVD and were never meant to be seen in 3D in the first place, so Disney can laugh all the way to the John Ratzenberg-voiced piggy bank.

    Warner Bros. and Ricky Gervais exceeded mild expectations with “The Invention of Lying” by grossing $7.4 million and stealing fourth place. That’s an improvement over the $5 million of “Ghost Town” and makes Greg Kinnear look like the box office poison in this equation. Gervais is crafting a pretty strange big screen career for himself and this result will help get his next milquetoast idea past the pitch stage.

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  • No more “Day of Rest” posts

    Consider me a superstitious man.  The two days I’ve neglected it, my guys have won.  Here’s to a good season.