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As Ganis prepares to exit, AMPAS searches for a new president

As you know, Sid Ganis will close out his fourth-straight one-year stint as president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in a matter of months (he’ll be packing up his stuff in August). “If history is any guide,” Michael Cieply writes in this Carpetbagger item, “some deeply internal glad-handing and politicking will be underway in a month or so, as the world’s most glamorous deliberative body decides who will next sit in the big seat.”

As Cieply notes, the Academy president is decided by and from its board of governors. He offers up his own best guesses for who might win those “several seconds of annual face time” on the yearly Oscarcast. After rattling off a list of names like Tom Hanks (could move the ratings meter with the right PR), Kathy Bates (ditto, to a lesser degree), Kathleen Kennedy (producer extraordinaire), Robert Rehme (a former president with lots of fans, Cieply says), Hawk Koch (another producer), he comes to this somewhat more plausible scenario (as I see it):

Another wild card might be Ed Begley Jr., whose face is not quite as familiar as that of Mr. Hanks, but who would bring a little star power to a post that has lately been occupied by off-screen types like Mr. Ganis, who is a producer, or Mr. Rehme, who is the same, or Frank Pierson, who has done his share of producing, but is probably better known as a writer of films like “Cool Hand Luke” and “Dog Day Afternoon.”

Whatever happens, you can bet the decision will take some level of publicity into consideration. How could it not? I’m sure 99% of the viewing audience has stopped and wondered aloud, “Who the heck is that Guy?” when Ganis graced Oscar’s stage to give the usual AMPAS spiel the last four years. We’re not all obssessed with this nonsense, after all.

May 27, 2009
5/27 Web Round-up

• Todd Leopold talks to the guys behind “Anvil!: The Story of Anvil.” [CNN]

• The complete list of tired movie cliches. [Empire]

• Mark Harris profiles Woody Allen and Larry David. [New York Magazine]

• Ethan Coen takes to the stage with “Offices,” a cycle of three short plays in the Big Apple. [The Guardian]

• Anne Thompson sums up the Cannes winners and losers, including her own list of the fest’s best films. [Thompson on Hollywood]

• Kyle Smith slams Sam Mendes’s “Away We Go” as likely appealing to the “German-army-surplus-jacket-wearing slacker demographic.” Ouch. [Lumenick on Film]

• The 60 greatest American war films. [Premiere]

• Is “man vs. machine” no longer a terrifying concept? [/Film]

• Nikki Finke points out the breaking of the 43rd seal: Shawn Levy has now directed six-straight #1 or #2 opening weekend box office champs. [Deadline Hollywood Daily]

• Top seven pre-“Jaws” summer movies. [Cinematical]

• McG discusses the alternate “Termiantor Salvation” ending that would have apparently made for amuch better film. [Entertainment Weekly]

May 27, 2009
Have you seen this?

In case it doesn’t get said often enough, the internet is a weird thing. One week ago, I had never heard of “Mega Shark Vs. Giant Octopus,” which was recently released straight to DVD. (A technicality that sadly bars it from Oscar consideration.) Since then, however, I’ve seen references to this marvel pop up on any number of my favorite blogs, while at least ten unconnected friends have emailed me the trailer, usually accompanied by a heavily capitalised and punctuated “HAVE YOU SEEN THIS??!!”

Of course, it’s the same kind of marketing genius that propelled “Snakes on a Plane,” except this looks sincerely craptastic rather than wrapping itself in joyless quotation marks. Plus, Lorenzo Lamas + Debbie Gibson > Samuel L. Jackson. Duh. So have you seen this? Not the trailer, I mean, but the actual movie. Is it as good as it looks? Is that even possible? Your thoughts, please.

May 27, 2009
THE LISTS: Ranking 14 years of Pixar

This weekend, Pixar Animation Studios will be releasing its 10th feature film, “Up.” For many, with the film having successfully opened this year’s Cannes International Film Festival, the occasion has marked another milestone in the studio’s continued maturation.

In my recent review of the film, I wrote, “Watching Pixar Animation grow and develop as a studio has become almost more fascinating than experiencing one of the company’s many creative films unfold on screen. Beginning with an industry leap in 1995’s ‘Toy Story’ and eventually moving into its daring own with 2008’s ‘WALL-E,’ the studio has, at the very least, shown a desire for creative progression.”

So it seemed as good a time as any to look back on the last 14 years of Pixar product and dedicate an installment of The Lists to the studio’s esteemed portfolio. Of course, unlike other editions of this feature, there are only 10 entries to fill the collective. But the order will be different for everyone.

“WALL-E,” for example, was a major high point for many last year. Not as much for me. “Monsters, Inc.,” on the other hand, isn’t considered top tier Pixar to some, but as you’ll note below, I beg to differ.

In addition to the features, I thought it might be fun to rattle off a ranked list of the 16 shorts the studio has produced, going all the way back to 1984’s “The Adventures of Andre and Wally B.” Some of them appeared in theaters alongside feature films, others might have popped up on home video as bonus features. You can see nearly all of them on the recently released “Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 1” on DVD and Blu-ray. The most recent addition to this collective is “Partly Cloudy,” which plays along with “Up” in theaters.

On to the list. Be sure to give us yours in the comments section below.

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May 26, 2009
Kevin Smith on the “collapse” of ‘Zack and Miri’

This Vulture interview with Kevin Smith is two weeks old now — so, ancient by Internet standards — but because I only recently caught “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” and found it surprisingly endearing, perhaps the director’s best film yet, I figured I’d link to the piece. It features a typically candid Smith opening up about how the film’s fiscal failure affected him and, whether you think it’s whining or not, makes for the kind of straight-forwardness that a number of Hollywood types could certainly take note of.

I really feel like I grew up in the last year, and it wouldn’t have been possible if Zack and Miri hadn’t done what it did. Which wasn’t, like, a colossal failure, but it underperformed severely. We were all expecting double of what it did — not even 100 million bucks, but everything was pointing to an easy 60. And after being told that by, like, everybody, and then seeing what it did, it was just so fucking disillusioning. And I know it sounds like, “Oh, rich man’s problems. Oh, poor baby, you got paid a shit-ton of money to make your dopey little dream of yours come true, and now you’re gonna complain that it didn’t make enough money.” But you know, I’m sorry, but it bugs you. It’s just about, especially when you write and direct, it’s about like, fuck, what you have to say isn’t important to me, amusing to me, or relevant to me.

I just had a thought: Smith should do a remake of Fellini’s “8 1/2.” I know that would make film snobs the world over pass out from the audacity, but as much as he talks about how reaction to his work affects him, he should put it into the work and see what comes out. Just sayin’.

May 26, 2009
More on Rocco

Almost three weeks ago we reported the sad death of director Marc Rocco. The news has finally made its way to the Associated Press, republished by Variety here. Nothing new to add other than an addendum at the end concerning a planned memorial for Rocco. For more info on that or to make a donation to the memorial fund, e-mail info@marcrocco.com.

May 26, 2009
5/25 Web Round-up

• Tom O’Neil chats up the actors of Broadways’ “God of Carnage.” [Gold Derby]

• Noah Forrest gets wrapped up in the excitement of seeing “Drag Me to Hell” with an audience (a week or so after decrying the public movie-going experience). [Movie City News]

• Indie filmmaker and noted script doctor John Sayles is trying to sell a work of historical fiction. [Los Angeles Times]

• Vicki Reid talks “Last Chance Harvey” with Dustin Hoffman across the pond. [Daily Telegraph]

• Anthony Breznican wraps up Cannes with a look at the convergence of light and dark subject matter. [USA Today]

• Quentin Tarantino talks about potential trims to “Inglourious Basterds” with Anne Thompson. [The Daily Beast]

• Tony Scott talks John Travolta’s villain and scripting a remake of “The Taking of Pelham 123.” [Empire]

• On the road with the boys from “Spinal Tap.” [New York Times]

May 26, 2009
OFF THE CARPET: Taking the temperature

It’s somewhat surprising that our year-in-advance Oscar coverage is only three months old. That now ancient list of predictions seems so long ago, and yet, even with Cannes behind us and this or that indication of a few of the contenders, I have no idea how to offer an educated update beyond general housekeeping. The season, it seems, will remain elusive for just a little while longer.

Here’s what we know: Critics didn’t respond to Universal’s “The Boat That Rocked” across the pond. But the Brits hardly have a soft spot for Richard Curtis. Along similar lines, Stephen Frears’s “Chéri” hasn’t exactly inspired either. But both films, from awards savvy studios, could find a second wind when they eventually open Stateside.

The biggest Oscar hopeful to emerge from this year’s Cannes fest is, in my opinion, Jane Campion’s “Bright Star.” Heralded in some quarters as a return to form for the director, and snatched up by the intrepid Bob Berney (formerly of Picturehouse and now closing in on a name for his distribution company with partner Bill Polhad), the film could be a nominations hog, anywhere from six to 10 possibilities. You’ll note all of my ponderings in that regard in the latest chart update below.

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May 25, 2009
5/25 Web Round-up (MEMORIAL DAY EDITION)

• Tom O’Neil asks the question of the week: Will Cannes winners repeat at the Oscars? [Gold Derby]

• On the attraction to Amelia Earhart, featured in two films this year. [Los Angeles Times]

• Charles McGrath talks to director Sam Raim, whose “Drag Me to Hell” is more fun than it has any right to be. [New York Times]

• Arbitrary collective of the day: The top 15 movie boats of all time. [Premiere]

• Nathaniel Rogers stumbles onto a short film series, “Lady Dior,” starring Marion Cotillard from “La Vie en Rose” director Olivier Dahan. [The Film Experience]

• /Film gets a beautiful new layout. [/Film]

• William Goss on the latest vampire movie/TV trend, which could extend to…Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man 4?” [Cinematical]

May 25, 2009
We, the jury

It’s admittedly pretty low-rent, but one of the most enjoyable Cannes traditions is the annual gossip about what went down behind closed doors in the jury room — ranging from minor cultural disagreements to all-out bitter in-fighting. At yesterday’s press conference, juror Asia Argento insisted that their deliberations should remain a secret, but not everyone is so discreet: William Goldman, of course, dedicated half a book to covering his own experience as a juror at the 1988 fest, and most entertainingly too.

Last year’s Sean Penn-governed jury was reportedly one of the most placid in recent memory, agreeing unanimously on “The Class” for the Palme d’Or. This year’s panel, apparently … not so much.

Critic Shane Danielsen — who, as the former artistic director of the Edinburgh Film Festival, knows the ins and outs of such proceedings — has done some digging, to juicy effect. Writing in the comments section of the A.V. Club’s Cannes blog, he claims the jury was highly divided, with a notable rift between Isabelle Huppert and James Gray. Meanwhile, contrary to widespread assumption, it might not have been Michael Haneke that Huppert was pushing hardest for, but Lars Von Trier:

Unusually troubled, apparently, with president Isabelle Huppert riding roughshod over everyone, and James Grey (sic) reportedly calling her a “fascist bitch” in their final meeting … Huppert reportedly remained ‘Antichrist’s biggest champion on a bitterly divided and fractious jury. Who, as they came onstage, looked either funereal (Lee Chang-Dong, Hanif Kureishi), grimly determined (Nuri Bilge Ceylan) or just plain pissed-off (James Gray).

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May 25, 2009
SUNDAY CENTS: ‘Terminator’ frustration

Hollywood tried something it rarely does this Memorial Day weekend: it opened two huge sequels at the same time. The last time anything remotely similar happened was the same holiday weekend in 2005 with “The Longest Yard” and “Madagascar.” They were really just fighting for second place, though, as the second weekend of “Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith” was a safe bet for number one.

This year’s Memorial Day champ is Ben Stiller with “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.” The family comedy earned $53.5 million for the weekend and will have another solid day of business during the holiday tomorrow. That’s better than the $33.4 million debut of the original but that film opened during Christmas and had outstanding legs through early 2007. Its total gross of $266 million is completely out of the question for the sequel now.

The debut is pretty much exactly the same as the second place debut of “Madagascar” from the aforementioned 2005 time frame and that film wasn’t even a sequel. With no other family films in the market, this has to be considered a little soft for Fox.

Second place goes to “Terminator Salvation” with $43 million for the weekend and $56.4 million since opening on Thursday. Again, Warner Bros. has to see this as a little soft as after four days in 2003, “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines” was already at $70.4 million. Terrible reviews, as well as competition from “Star Trek,” helped seal McG’s fate and I can’t see word of mouth getting this anywhere higher than $135 million. International grosses will decide whether his planned trilogy comes to fruition or not.

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May 24, 2009
Haneke lands Palme d’Or, Gainsbourg takes Best Actress

As it turned out, the most logical on-paper prediction turned out the be the right one. After emerging as the bridesmaid from several festivals past — winning the Grand Prix in 2001, Best Director in 2005 — the venerable Austrian auteur Michael Haneke has finally won the Palme d’Or for his stark moral drama “The White Ribbon.”

Whether or not jury president Isabelle Huppert, a two-time Haneke leading lady in the past, wielded much influence on this decision — or indeed, whether she even needed to — is something for the pundits to debate. (I personally doubt it, though there was no mistaking the sly smile on her face as she announced his name at the podium.) Either way, there’s little denying that Haneke was overdue for world cinema’s highest honor; perhaps there was a career-achievement angle to the award, but the critical acclaim for “The White Ribbon” has been extensive.

From watching the ceremony, it was clear that Haneke wasn’t the most popular winner of the night; that designation clearly goes to hometown favorite Jacques Audiard, whose “A Prophet” — like “Gomorrah” last year — was by and large deemed the favorite for the Palme, but ultimately had to be content with the silver-medal Grand Prix. The rousing standing ovation he received, however, spoke for itself. (I should add that a second-place finish for Audiard was, embarrassingly, the only correct call I made the whole night.)

The real talking point of the awards, however, will likely remain Charlotte Gainsbourg’s Best Actress prize for her evidently courageous work in “Antichrist” — a clear gesture of support by the jury for a film that has provoked prolonged media outrage since its unveiling, and a blatant slap in the face of Cannes’ alternative ‘ecumenical’ jury who went out of their way to condemn it. The irony of handing a female performance award to a film that has been repeatedly pelted with accusations of misogyny is rather delicious; at the very least, it’s an indication that this is a film to be taken seriously.

(More commentary, and a full list of winners, after the cut.)

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May 24, 2009
‘Dogtooth,’ ‘Adjective’ top Un Certain Regard winners

It’s been a while since a Greek production made any impact on the world cinema scene — arguably not since Theodouros Angelopoulos claimed the Palme d’Or in 1998 — so it’s interesting to see that Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Dogtooth,” a dark family drama about three siblings disconnected from the outside world by their parents, pushed past more fancied contenders to take the top prize in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard strand last night.

In doing so, it beat out the likes of “Precious” and “Samson and Delilah,” both of which enjoyed substantial attention and acclaim on the Croisette but went home empty-handed. (NOTE: “Samson and Delilah” later won the Camera d’Or award at the final awards ceremony.) Not that the former needed any more of a boost after its Sundance sweep, really.

The runner-up Jury Prize went to “Police, Adjective,” a comic Romanian policier about on a policeman wrestling with his conscience, which also took a FIPRESCI critics’ award yesterday. Raves have been coming thick and fast for this film, with the Guardian’s Mark Cousins one of several critics I’ve heard declaring it the best of the festival, in any section of competition. (Coming on the heels of “The Death of Mr Lazarescu” and “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days,” one must wonder: what are they teaching in Romanian film schools?)

Another common critical line doing the rounds is that the Un Certain Regard selection was, pound for pound, stronger than the Palme d’Or lineup. It’s hardly surprising, given that the strand has become more imposing with each year since it was introduced in 1998: UCR winners that have gone on to estimable arthouse success include “The Band’s Visit,” “Tyson” and the aforementioned “Lazarescu.” It’s a sign that, as I’ve said before, the selectors need to start taking more chances in the main competition.

More details on the rest of this year’s Un Certain Regard winners here.

May 24, 2009
The hidden depths of Sasha Grey

I absolutely love this. It would appear that porn star Sasha Grey and highbrow film critic Glenn Kenny have more in common than just their mutual appearances in Steven Soderbergh’s “The Girlfriend Experience.” As this Rotten Tomatoes interview proves, Grey’s own cinematic taste is discerning, to say the least.

Asked to name her five favorite films, she rattles off a decidedly impressive — not to mention catholic — array of titles: Werner Herzog’s “Stroszek,” Catherine Breillat’s “Fat Girl,” John Cassavetes’ “A Woman Under the Influence,” John Carpenter’s “Escape from New York” and Jean-Luc Godard’s “Pierrot le Fou.”

The latter auteur is apparently something of an inspiration; Grey almost adopted the name of Godard muse Anna Karina as her stage moniker. Who knew? Here’s Grey on “Pierrot le Fou”:

To me, it’s just a very romantic story. It’s the ultimate, “let’s just drop everything and run away together” movie; the way the story was told was so unique. There’s one scene in particular where Anna Karina is on the beach, and she rolls over and she just says, “F— me.” To put that in a film in that time period — you just didn’t expect that to come out of her mouth. It’s titillating, I guess you could say.

Interesting to hear that Grey has a very different idea of what is “titillating” onscreen than what she actually practices. The lady continues to surprise.

May 24, 2009
What will take the Palme d’Or?

It’s all over bar the voting. Tomorrow, Cannes jury president Isabelle Huppert will meet with her formidable, female-dominated team of eight – including the diverse likes of Robin Wright Penn, Asia Argento, James Gray and Hanif Kureishi – to pick over the 20 Competition titles they have seen over the last fortnight and select their collective favorites.

As I’ve said before, the most surprising thing a Cannes jury can do is not to surprise: to hand the Palme d’Or to the critical and/or popular favorite. It can happen, of course – critics and pundits alike called it for “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days” the day it screened in 2007, and were proved right – but the list of upsets is long and illustrious.

As you’ve probably heard by now, if the bookies have their way, French auteur Jacques Audiard will be brandishing the Palme this time tomorrow, his prison drama “A Prophet” having wowed critics and audiences across the Croisette. I’ll be delighted if he does, but I’ve questioned whether a French production can win two years running, after a two-decade drought to boot.

Of course, such streaks aren’t unheard of: the U.S. held onto the Palme for three years between 1989 and 1991. Other questions running through my mind are whether Frenchwoman Huppert might want to avoid making the festival too much of a local affair, and whether Audiard’s all-male film will resonate as strongly with a mostly female jury.

If not, there are a number of alternatives. By my count there are six titles seriously in the hunt for top honors. Michael Haneke’s “The White Ribbon” is fancied by many to finally land the director the top prize. Earlier today, the film made its presence felt by claiming the FIPRESCI critics’ prize for best in show, though it should be noted that the jury’s and FIPRESCI’s choices have only lined up three times this decade.

(More speculation, and my final predictions, after the cut.)

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May 23, 2009
Christian Cannes jury tells us what to think

UPDATE: I’m pleased at least to report that Cannes festival director Thierry Fremaux is as outraged by the situation as we are, denouncing it as a “ridiculous decision that borders on a call for censorship … scandalous coming from an ‘ecumenical’ jury which what is more is headed by a film-maker.” Well said, Monsieur.

EARLIER: I shouldn’t allow myself to get worked up over a petty gesture by a small-minded panel of people, but this can’t pass without comment.

You may or may not be aware that an annual “Prize of the Ecumenical Jury” has been handed out at the festival since 1974. Established and voted upon by a selected panel of Christian film professionals, it aims to honor “works of artistic quality which witnesses to the power of film to reveal the mysterious depths of human beings through what concerns them, their hurts and failings as well as their hopes.”

I can’t say I’ve ever really understood the point of the award. Still, it has gone to some fine films over time, and not ones necessarily with a spiritual agenda — from “Paris, Texas” to “Cache” — so I always thought it harmless enough. No more. This year, they’ve decided to mount their moral high horses by handing their first ever “anti-award” to Lars Von Trier’s “Antichrist”:

“We cannot be silent after what that movie does,” said Radu Mihaileanu, a French filmmaker and head of an international jury that announced the awards Saturday.

In a statement, Mihaileanu said Antichrist is “the most misogynist movie from the self-proclaimed biggest director in the world,” a reference to a statement by Danish filmmaker Lars Von Trier at a post-screening news conference. The movie, Mihaileanu added, says that the world has to burn women in order to save humanity.

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May 23, 2009
Mendes hiccup

I’ve been on board for most every Sam Mendes film since the director made his heralded debut in 1999. Even “Jarhead,” which was a big disappointment, had a lot of interesting ideas concerning the alienation of war and its effects on soldiers.

I still think last year’s “Revolutionary Road” (DVD coverage from John here) was a sublime work of art, but “Road to Perdition” probably remains his best work to date. It’s an intriguing portfolio. But “Away We Go” has been a troubling speed bump for me.

I saw the film weeks ago and wanted to give it another go before committing to an opinion, but I don’t know. The desire to wallow in its stereotypes and weirdly skewed view of the world just hasn’t been there.

Variety’s Dennis Harvey has written a review that kind of sums up my feelings, for the most part. I might not have been as harsh, but I understand feeling the need to do so:

…the protags are essentially blank slates, despite the skill and charm Krasinski and Rudolph bring to the roles. It’s their job simply to represent “normal” against so many illustrations of bad parenting, worse marriages and damaged adulthood. But given they’re such harmlessly pleasant folk, why don’t they have any non-messed-up friends?

Because that would un-stack the deck in a script that needs to paint them as two lonely souls in a hostile world. But in positing normal as special, the pic requires caricaturing almost everyone else.

While handled by resourceful actors, the foibles of the supporting characters are less funny than they are forced and unpleasant. Janney and Gyllenhaal in particular play figures venomously conceived.

Meant to amp up the pic’s indie-quirky cred, the soundtrack, papered with lyrically trite soundalike cuts by Scottish singer-songwriter Alexi Murdoch, instead makes progress seem more meandering and monotonous. Other design/tech contributions are solid. Still, this alternately condescending and hazy material doesn’t trigger the kind of sharp aesthetic choices Mendes and collaborators made in response to past projects from “American Beauty” to “Revolutionary Road.”

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May 23, 2009
Teen director rules Cannes Directors’ Fortnight

It’s news like this that reminds me to haul ass and finish another screenplay. 19 year-old Canadian filmmaker Xavier Dolan has swept three of the four feature-category Directors’ Fortnight prizes on offer at Cannes. Dolan landed the Art Cinema Award, the Regards Jeunes Prize and the SACD Award for his debut feature “I Killed My Mother.”

The film, which Dolan wrote, directed, produced and stars in, is a semi-autobiographical portrait of the dysfunctional relationship between a gay 16 year-old and his single mother, and has attracted substantial buzz since bowing on the Croisette. Screen Daily raves:

A stunning, semi-autobiographical tour de force from writer/director/producer/performer Xavier Dolan, it is a film with the sting of shrewdly observed truth … I Killed My Mother succeeds so well because it reflects a truth about human relationships that any viewer can recognise. The bond between Hubert and Chantale may be more extreme and exaggerated than most but in the pettiness, manipulations, reconciliations and heartache it expertly conveys the way we all have the ability to hurt the ones we love the most.

It’s at points like this that I prefer not to think about what I was doing when I was 19. Okay, so I was a university sophomore like a million other normal folks, so no shame in that, but it’s sobering all the same. Congratulations to Dolan — I look forward to checking out his film.

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May 23, 2009