In Contention

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  • Last minute thoughts

    Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting MarriedLike I said, I’m on the record.  I’ve given some left-field choices (as have you).  But here are some lingering thoughts bouncing around inside my tired old head this evening:

    1) I think we’re going to see tomorrow, finally, that “Rachel Getting Married” is nothing more than a critical fave.  Personally, I liked it enough, but all the “one of the year’s best” talk was dubious to say the least.  A SAG ensemble nod would have kept me quiet.  Talk about a place it could have made a stand.  And that WGA snub was just one more smack by the industry, in my view.  Maybe it’s just like one voter told me: “I couldn’t stand these people.”  Anne Hathaway, step up for the film’s consolation nod.

    2) “Gran Torino,” “Gran Torino,” “Gran Torino.”  I can’t say it enough…this film is creeping up.  It’s possible it came on too late and Clint missed the timing this time out, but, like I’ve said…watch it.  Personally I think it’s a bigger threat than “The Reader.”  A bad-ass white guy kicking kids off his lawn or a porno about a sympathetic Nazi.  Which film is going to resonate more with the Academy?  You tell me.

    3) Everyone says, in varying degrees, that everything from “The Dark Knight” to “Frost/Nixon” to “Milk” are on the bubble.  But here’s a radical idea: what if the weak link is the film many have called cold and removed?  “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” sure does have a lot of guild support…but so did “Dreamgirls.”

    4) Could one of the biggest stories tomorrow be the snubbing of Brangelina?  Some think he’s out, some think she’s out…but what if they’re both out?  Eesh.

    5) Better yet, might the biggest shock of the day be a “Man on Wire” snub in the documentary feature category?  All I’m saying is films dominated by preexisting footage can struggle here sometimes.

    Then again…maybe I’m off my rocker.  But there you have it.

    I’ve only made one prediction alteration, FYI, and that’s swapping “Slumdog Millionaire” for “Quantum of Solace” in the sound editing field.  The latter was just an arbitrary choice to reflect the mixers’ feelings, but I’m thinking of a sweeper possibility there and I like the advenurous choice of “Slumdog” more than “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”  But really, that category lately?  Flip a coin.

    Enjoy the morning.

  • It’s the second movie

    When Sid Ganis and Forest Whitaker step up to the podium tomorrow morning to read the list of this year’s Best Picture nominees, I think we’re all going to be listening hard to the second movie announced.  Assuming “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” is locked in (which some might argue that point believe it or not), the next film announced will be either “The Dark Knight,” “Doubt” or “Frost/Nixon.”  And if the latter happens to slide out of contention, the second movie called will be “Gran Torino.”

  • TECH SUPPORT: Final preview special, part two

    Tech Support at In ContentionThis is part two of my last glance at the year’s tech category contenders.  For part one, click here.

    Best Music (Original Score)
    Now here is a category where there are no locks. Nonetheless, considering the success of their films and scores in awards season to date, A.R. Rahmen (for “Slumdog Millionaire”) and Alexandre Desplat (for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) seem solid bets.

    Thomas Newman, despite only having a BAFTA nomination to his credit so far in the awards season, often scores when the precursors don’t coming calling so I think he’s in for “WALL-E.” Alternatively, he could get in for “Revolutionary Road.”

    The rest of the Golden Globe nominees strike me as facing challenges. Clint Eastwood has performed well this season with “Changeling” but I am doubtful he will ever be embraced by the music branch. James Newton Howard’s compositions for “Defiance” may be lost with his film while Hans Zimmer’s Globe citation for “Frost/Nixon” seems more like a tribute to the composer, a Globe favorite.

    I would actually wager that Zimmer and Howard have a better opportunity with their fantastic “The Dark Knight” collaboration. Zimmer has been campaigning hard. Even so, I’m skeptical the duo will score. Co-composers receiving Oscar nominations is extremely rare. (Though, in all fairness, so is co-composing.)

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  • ‘Love Guru’ not so loved

    I must admit I feel pretty proud of myself: the Razzie nominations have been revealed, and I have not seen a single one of their Worst Picture nominees. Not one.

    Not Paris Hilton vehicle “The Hottie and the Nottie” — uh, did anyone? Not the latest nail in Shyamalan’s career coffin, “The Happening,” though I admit I came close. Not “In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale,” which I must confess I haven’t heard of here in the UK. And certainly not Mike Myers’ “The Love Guru,” which leads the field with 7 nods. (The film’s “American Idol” promo spots were traumatic enough.)

    I find myself a little bored with the Razzies lately… it’s not much fun to pick on films that, for the most part, nobody saw. Also, singling out films like “The Hottie and the Nottie” seems like a futile exercise when they never had any intention of being good in the first place. Far more rewarding, I think, is when they celebrate (so to speak) high-profile, high-stakes projects that failed miserably. “Striptease,” for example. “Catwoman.” “The Postman.”

    But does anyone really care whether Jenny McCarthy is deemed marginally worse than Carmen Electra? If you do, feast your eyes on the nomination list below. (But hey, good call on Pierce Brosnan, guys.)

    Worst Picture
    “Disaster Movie” and “Meet the Spartans”
    “The Happening”
    “The Hottie & the Nottie”
    “In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale”
    “The Love Guru”

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  • My dream ballot: part two

    OK, I explained the deal with this yesterday, when I covered the technical categories. What follows are the names and films that I, in a perfect world, would like to hear announced by Sid Ganis and Forest Whitaker bright and early tomorrow morning. (Or tomorrow afternoon, in my case … living across the Atlantic does have occasional advantages.)

    Once more, my personal ballot takes no notice of Academy rules, eligibility squabbles, or whether or not anyone believes they have a shot in hell. For me, they simply represent the finest achievements I saw in 2008, with all the subjectivity that entails. Feel free to argue, or share your own distant hopes for tomorrow — however faint — in the comments.

    Best Picture
    “The Class”
    “Gomorrah”
    “I’ve Loved You So Long”
    “Synecdoche, New York”
    “Wendy and Lucy”

    OK, so this won’t comes a surprise to anyone who read my Best of 2008 list, but these remain for me the year’s five most clear-cut masterworks. I’ve already made the case for each of these nominees at greater length, but for now, let me say that they are all notably linked by their startling humanity and strength of characterisation. The Academy will inevitably focus on works more formally elaborate than most of those listed here, but from where I’m standing, none were more emotionally rewarding. (As it happens, my honourable mentions here get their due in the next category.)

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  • All eyes on left field

    Josh Brolin in WThe nominations announcement is, oh, 18 hours away (yeah, we count minutes at this stage).  Even though I’m well on the record as being a prognosticative pussy this year, I can’t shake the feeling that we’re in for our share of surprises.  I doubt I’m alone.

    You can go back over Oscar history and write a whole book on the nominations that blind-sided everyone.  Sometimes the contender in question might have popped up briefly during the season, though they were forgotten in due time.  Other times, they simply manifested from thin air and smacked Oscar watchers in the face.  But they’re always there, lingering, waiting to plant that seed of doubt in the viewer the next year.  And the year after that.

    It’s enough to pull your hair out.

    Earlier today, John posted an interesting thought about Benicio Del Toro’s chances in the lead actor category, which followed a recent musing on Woody Allen’s chances as a lone director nominee.  This is the kind of stuff I’m talking about.

    So with that in mind, I’ve collected a brief list of four contenders that I legitimately think could pop up tomorrow and join that lineage.  Some of them are certainly more plausible than others, but none of them, I feel, are terribly out of bounds.  I don’t have the cojones to predict them, of course.  But this is what I’m thinking.

    (By the way, if I DO happen to change any of my predictions at the last minute tonight, I’ll be sure to offer a post indicating as much.)

    My thoughts on the left field…

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  • TECH SUPPORT: Final preview special, part one

    Tech Support at In ContentionFive months of Tech Support reach their climax on Thursday morning.

    This Canuck is, like the rest of the world, celebrating a new American President today. The fact remains, however, that a new set of Oscar nominees will greet us tomorrow and I can’t help but share my final thoughts on the categories.

    This is the first part of my review, including the categories of best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing and best Makeup.  We’ll chart the final five fields later today, so be sure to check back.

    Best Art Direction
    Starting with the most difficult category, there is only one film I would give the title “lock,” and it’s “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” I’d be stunned if Donald Graham Burt’s exquisite sets failed to make the cut.

    I suspect that Michael Corenblith is a solid bet for his detailed and realistic sets for “Frost/Nixon.” If “American Gangster” could get in last year, I would surprised if Corenblith did not score, especially considering his past success when working with Howard. James Murakami also seems a solid bet for “Changeling” for what were detailed and memorable designs of 1920s Los Angeles. His guild and BAFTA nominations suggest people remember the work.

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  • Could Benicio Del Toro sneak into the Best Actor race?

    Benicio Del Toro in CheThe first time I saw “Che” back in September at the Toronto International Film Festival I believed the performance of Benicio Del Toro was extraordinary and the film was one of the most exceptional achievements in modern cinema. For me, “Che” works as a massive work at more than four hours and exists because of Del Toro’s mesmerizing performance which is almost wholly internal. I have seen the film again on DVD twice and actually have come to admire the work even more than I did that first time.

    Here we are in January, the Oscar nominations one day away, and I have a sneaking feeling Del Toro could end up with a lead actor nomination, which would thrill me. No idea why I think this, and I am likely dead wrong, but something in the air I guess tells me it might happen. The film and the director have no chance, I have resigned myself to that (and I understand it), but Del Toro is a revered actor and the actors’ branch just might nominate him because they, more than anyone else, will understand the depth and quality of his superb performance.

    I do not mean for a moment that others do not get his performance, but I have had discussions with other critics who have stated that the work has no great moment, no arc, no major speeches. Perhaps not, but rarely have I seen an actor so totally own the role.  Del Toro inhabits the character with an extraordinary authority.

    Why does a performance have to have some “huge moment” to slide in?  Look at Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thomson in “The Remains of the Day”.”  Emotions stifled, performances were internal.  Sometimes the acting, the greatness of it, is not in what’s being shown but what’s being felt.

    Del Toro felt Che throughout and is deserving of attention, certainly much more than he is getting.  The Academy likes him enough.  There is no doubt in anyone’s mind he is a great actor and every once in a while they smile on a performance that deserves it, catching us off guard.

    If it doesn’t happen, well, them’s the breaks, but I will always champion the film and his work.  It is not a perfect film by any means, but may it be a perfect performance.

  • 1/21 Oscarweb Round-up

    • Sasha Stone chimes in with her final predictions. [Awards Daily]

    • As do the guys at Vulture, who are remaining loyal to “WALL-E” to the end. [Vulture]

    • Meanwhile, T.L. Stanley finally gives up on “Doubt.” [Gold Rush]

    • The venerable David Thomson plays the “will be/should be” game, with some curiously disconnected predictions. (Lena Olin? Really?) [The Guardian]

    • Moving away from punditry, James Hansen just doesn’t think much of Canada’s foreign-language entry. [The Film Experience]

    • Still at Sundance, Jeff Wells kinda likes the new film from the insanely prolific Steven Soderbergh. [Hollywood Elsewhere]

    • Tarantino is apparently rushing to finish “Inglourious Basterds” (sic). Take your time, QT. [Thompson on Hollywood]

    • David Carr wonders whether Mickey Rourke’s imminent Oscar nomination will be enough to rescue the long-delayed “Killshot.” [The Carpetbagger]

    • Finally, EW continues their “Worst Snubs” countdown, and their picks are uniformly great. (Hell yes to Spacek, Murray and Leaud.) [Entertainment Weekly]

  • Hot property

    Yesterday I mentioned how Lone Scherfig’s British period romance “An Education,” starring much-buzzed ingenue Carey Mulligan, had become the talk of Sundance, with Fox Searchlight zeroing in on the film.

    Now Anne Thompson reports that Searchlight, and several others, have been beaten to the punch by Sony Pictures Classics, who have acquired the North American rights for $3 million:

    Fox Searchlight came back into the negotiation on a second round but was unable to close … Also bidding on An Education were The Weinstein Co., Focus Features, Lionsgate and Overture. SPC will launch the film in the fall with an eye on an awards campaign.

    Wow, that some hefty interest there. SPC sounds like an appropriate fit for the film, given that they’ve had some success lately with female-skewing arthouse titles like “Rachel Getting Married,” “I’ve Loved You So Long” and their canny acquisition from last year’s festival, “Frozen River” — even if those films’ campaigns have lost some steam over the course of the season.

    The news of an awards-oriented release is certainly interesting … could Mulligan be this year’s Ellen Page? Stu Van Airsdale thinks she’s rather better than that, saying that Page’s “Juno” turn comes off looking like “a Lifetime reject” by comparison.

  • Mood swings

    I’m having a hard time deciphering Peter Bart’s point in his cryptic new blog post, in which he reflects on the Academy’s malleable taste, and how quickly it can shift.

    As his primary case study, he cites the bizarre contrast between two back-to-back Best Picture winners, wholesome musical “Oliver!” and X-rated, gay-tinged drama “Midnight Cowboy” in 1968-9, a turnabout which Bart feels reflected significant social change at the time. True enough. But he goes on to imply obliquely that we may be in the midst of a similar situation:

    It’s hard to recall a more dramatic example of a professional organization displaying such a dramatic mood swing. But this was 1969, the year of Woodstock, Charlie Manson, Altamont, the Chicago Seven – a year of turmoil when just about everyone changed their attitudes toward just about everything.

    Sounds a bit like 2009, doesn’t it? Well, not really. The country is opening up to new ideas and new leaders, but even today “Midnight Cowboy” would provide a measure of culture shock.

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  • My dream ballot: part one

    Back in December, Kris offered his take on how he would fill out his nominee ballot if he were an Academy member (affording himself the luxury, obviously, of voting in all categories). Of course, playing voter is a popular sport in the blog world, with Nathaniel Rogers’ annual Film Bitch Awards as thorough and intelligent a rundown as you could ask for. Would that the Academy displayed such passion and imagination in their choices.

    For my part, finalising my predictions was a dispiriting procedure, as I realized the range and depth of work that will inevitably go unrecognized as the AMPAS gravitates towards the favoured and the familiar. And so it is that, as the nominations loom over us, I decided to chalk up my own ballot, acknowledging those who I feel most deserve to hear names called on Thursday morning, whether or they’re deemed possible — or even eligible.

    Today’s post focuses on the technical categories; tomorrow’s will run through the main ones. (Before I begin, let me add the caveat that, much to my chagrin, I haven’t yet seen “Let the Right One In.”)

    Best Cinematography
    Wally Pfister, “The Dark Knight”
    Sean Bobbitt, “Hunger”
    Luca Bigazzi, “Il Divo”
    Darius Khondji, “My Blueberry Nights”
    Maryse Alberti, “The Wrestler”

    After last year’s banner year for the art of cinematography, this was a year of subtler accomplishments in the field. I must admit that much of the year’s most celebrated work in the field didn’t particularly dazzle me, with several revered names only working at (or below) par. Pfister’s muscular, burnished lensing of “The Dark Knight,” however, did not disappoint, while Bigazzi’s hyper-stylised work on “Il Divo” was no less kinetic.

    In something of a breakthrough year for female DPs, Alberti effortlessly captured the rhythms of human movement, while Khondji conjured up the year’s dreamiest palette for Wong Kar-Wai’s otherwise muddled “My Blueberry Nights.” The year’s crowning achievement, however, came from Sean Bobbitt, whose breathtaking compositions for “Hunger” took equal inspiration from the art gallery and the newsroom. Just missing the cut were “The Fall,” “Gomorrah” and “The Good, The Bad, The Weird.”

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  • Happy.

    That’s all I could possibly be. Right here. Right now. Here’s to tomorrow.

  • 1/20 Oscarweb Round-up — INAUGURATION EDITION

    “Inauguration Edition,” of course, is code for “there’s precious little movie-related talk out there right now, so forgive the slim pickings.” Here goes:

    • Yet another take on “how to fix the Oscar telecast.” Hey, I like Jack Nicholson. [Hollywood Reporter]

    • Patrick Goldstein wonders how the Obama presidency may impact on Hollywood. [The Big Picture]

    • An in-depth interview with the fascinating Gus van Sant. [The Guardian]

    • EW launches a countdown of the Top 100 Worst Oscar Snubs. Good idea, but can we please ditch the fussy multi-page format? [Entertainment Weekly]

    • Nat Rogers and his posse offer up some hilarious pre-nomination thoughts. [The Film Experience]

    • Nick Davis, member of said posse, continues his intelligent (and exhaustive) rundown of the year’s best.  [Nick’s Flick Picks]

    • Meryl Streep thinks “Mamma Mia!” owes its success to Hollywood’s neglect of the female audience. Ladies, you have other choices. [Daily Telegraph]

    • Finally, Tom O’Neil wonders if Mariah Carey is Oscar-bound. Uh… right. (Like I said, slim pickings, people.) [Gold Derby]

  • Mulligan makes her move

    Don’t say I didn’t give you the heads-up on this one. Looking over the Sundance lineup last month, I singled out Lone Scherfig’s “An Education” as a title about which I was particularly excited — not least because it stars Carey Mulligan, a lovely young Brit for whom I’ve been predicting big things for some time.

    Well, once in a blue moon, I’m right.

    “An Education,” a 1960s-set coming-of-age drama penned by Nick Hornby, recently bowed at Sundance, and while the notices for the film itself are warm, the real buzz centers on 23 year-old Mulligan. A star, it appears, is born. Jeff Wells was first out the gate, and it’s fair to say that he’s besotted with both star and film — which he reckons we may still be talking about this time next year:

    The best film of the Sundance Film Festival, a finely tuned and deeply engaging film by regular popcorn-watching standards, an award-calibre drama that will definitely be in contention at the end of the year, and a movie that has launched a genuine movie star in an old-fashioned and yet very new-fashioned sense — 23 year-old Carey Mulligan. I know that special old-soul-mixed-with-youthful-effervescence quality that you see in very few actors and actresses over the years, and trust me, Mulligan has it.

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  • Here’s another question…

    Can anyone tell me why “Let the Right One In” and “A Christmas Tale” are not eligible for a nomination in any category at the Oscars?

    Sure, so the latter film was never going to score with them anyway. But I was considering “Let the Right One In” as a dark horse possibility for Best Adapted Screenplay — a category that frequently throws up surprise nominees — until I saw neither film is on the official AMPAS list. (You’ll be relieved to know, however, that “Disaster Movie” is securely in the running.)

    Both films had 2008 Stateside releases, as far as I know. Illuminate me, readers.

  • Life imitates art

    Well, not really — in this instance, life improves on art substantially. I’m referring to tomorrow’s opening film at the Rotterdam Film Festival, “The Hungry Ghosts,” the directorial debut of actor Michael Imperioli.

    Imperioli, as my fellow “Sopranos” junkies will immediately know, is best known for his role as Christopher (a.k.a. “Chris-to-fuh”) Moltisanti in the landmark HBO series. Fans will also remember that in addition to being a Mob lackey, dimit and all-purpose sleazebag, Christopher was also a spectacularly untalented screenwriter, so it warms my heart to see heart to see him make it on the festival circuit, even if it is in the guise of his more intelligent creator. “The Hungry Ghosts,” however, sounds like a proposition that may have gone a little over Chris-to-fuh’s head, to go by the festival programme blurb:

    In The Hungry Ghosts, Imperioli’s characters float like ghosts through life, looking for happiness, hoping to fulfil a desire. The film, set in New York and its surroundings in a period of 36 hours, contains several narrative lines. In one of these, late-night radio host Frank gambles and uses drugs at the expense of his teenage son. In another, philosophical seeker Gus, fresh out of a detox-program, searches for his ex-lover Nadia. It becomes clear and inevitable that initially independent narrative lines will come together in the end.

    The Rotterdam fest is an interesting one because it remains resolutely focused on up-and-coming auteurs. You won’t have heard of many of the films coming out of it (though they occasionally hit on something like “Persepolis” or “Old Joy”), but it’s worth keeping an eye on.

  • Another gong for ‘WALL-E’

    I must admit, I’m not really clear on what, or who, the Online Film Critics Society are — there are just so many critics’ awards these days, I can’t really keep up. I can say, however, that they have pretty commendable taste, as they became the latest group to give “WALL-E” their top honour, and handed four awards apiece to “The Dark Knight” and “Let the Right One In.”

    Their acting awards strike me as particularly on the money, with Mickey Rourke, Heath Ledger and Marisa Tomei all adding to their well-deserved hauls. Meanwhile, I’m pleased to see they looked beyond the usual Best Actress favourites and recognised the wonderful work of Michelle Williams in “Wendy and Lucy” — surely one of the most under-rewarded performances of the season.

    What do these mean? Nothing, of course, but it’s a fun list of winners nonetheless. (Full list below the cut.) I keep wanting to crawl back onto that “WALL-E” limb for the Oscars, but can’t quite go there.

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