In Contention

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  • 10/14 Oscarweb Round-up

    John Cusak (voice) as Igor in Igor• Tom O’Neil covers the landscape of double-dipping performers this year. [Gold Derby]

    • It looks like Don Cheadle will be replacing Terrence Howard in “Iron Man 2.”  Fucking lame. [The Hollywood Reporter]

    • How Kyle Buchanan missed the boat on some obviously awkward moments in “Rachel Getting Married.”  Seriously, what’s with the critical love-fest on this thing? [Defamer]

    • Christopher Campbell, meanwhile, thinks Anne Hathaway will be nominated for an Oscar but doesn’t deserve it. [Spout Blog]

    • David Poland spends 30 minutes with Greg Kinnear and Marc Abraham, star and director of “Flash of Genius” respectively. [The Hot Blog]

    • Tim Moore goes behind the scenes of “Igor.” [Daily Telegraph]

    • Is now time for a “Wall Street” sequel? [The Guardian]

    • Anthony Kaufman thinks this year’s Best Foreign Language Film race might be the most predictable in years. [indieWIRE]

    • Dave Karger wonders where the Best Picture nominees are this season. [Oscar Watch]

    • And finally, our hearts go out to Gerard Depardieu, who lost his son Guillaume yesterday, far too soon. [Associated Press]

  • Sorry for the posting drought…

    Lots going on today and over the weekend.  Hopefully we’ll get a new poll up tonight and ease into the rest of the week.

  • Updated predictions, but…

    …no column this week.  Seriously, what’s there to discuss?  The expected box office miss for “Body of Lies?”  The expected critical approval of “Happy-Go-Lucky” (which makes some strides this week)?  But I know people get ancy if the predictions aren’t updated, so I am here to be your savior.  Not a lot of shifting and sliding but some notable indications here and there.

    A quick note, however, regarding the “up” and “down” arrows you see on the charts each week.  It seems a few folks have been confused about their actual meaning, so let me reiterate that here.  Just because a contender has an arrow next to his or her name does not mean he or she has positive or negative buzz.  The arrows simply indicate that an entry has risen or fallen on the chart since the last update, and a rise or fall can be the result of any number of factors on the chart that might have nothing to do with the contender in question.  Keep that in mind.

    Here are this week’s updated predictions:

    Main Category Charts
    Technical Category Charts
    The Contenders
    Oscar Prediction Archives

  • Making Dr. Manhattan

    Yahoo! Movies has a nice new featurette up about creating Dr. Manhattan in Zack Snyder’s “Watchmen.”  There are also a few production journals from production designer Alex McDowell, costume designer Michael Wilkinson, illustrator Dave Gibbons, director of photography Larry Fong, Snyder, etc.  Very interesting stuff.  Check it out here.

    These kinds of in-depth craft features are becoming a staple.  Two weeks ago we told you about the Apple exclusive on those Set to Screen “Australia” featurettes, which could go a long way toward directing attention to the work of these folks.  Kind of like DVD special features let loose on the net.  I’m betting you see more and more of this during the awards season as studios get wise to the value of peeling back the curtain and embossing the craft particulars of their films.

  • 10/13 Oscarweb Round-up

    Marc Forster• Robert Abele gets Josh Brolin to reveal his inner ‘W.’ [The Envelope]

    • Tom O’Neil gnaws on the Oscar potential of Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married.” [Gold Derby]

    • Peter bart makes a lot of presumptions and assumptions about the craven mentality of duel performers in a given Oscar season. [Peter Bart]

    • Vulture kicks off this year’s Oscar Futures with pro on “Milk,” con on “W.” [Vulture]

    • Alonso Duralde studies the work of Leonardo DiCaprio as “Body of Lies” releases into cinemas. [MSNBC]

    • Brad Brevet does the same, but draws the conclusion that DiCaprio has never quite hit it out of the park. [Rope of Silicon]

    • Scott Bowles, meanwhile, draws up an obit on the box office performance of “Body of Lies.” [USA Today]

    • Jeff Dawson goes in depth with “Quantum of Solace” helmer Marc Forster. [The Times]

    • Lauren Schuker digs into the global investments on Oliver Stone’s “W.” [Wall Street Journal]

    • Larry Charles chooses his 28 most subversive comedians. [Entertainment Weekly]

  • South Africa among the foreign-language stragglers

    Despite the deadline for submissions for the Best Foreign Language Film race ostensibly being October 1st, a further four dawdling countries have been added to the list of contenders that I discussed recently. They are Thailand, Lithuania, Uruguay and my home country, South Africa. I’m guessing none of them will really trouble the race, but as we know, this category moves in mysterious ways.

    Great South African films are few and far between — and none of them have yet come within touching distance of an Oscar. No “Tsotsi” fan am I. But in picking Ralph Ziman’s “Jerusalema” this year, the South African selectors are clearly hoping it will strike a similar chord to Gavid Hood’s 2005 Oscar-winner — like that film, it’s another Johannesburg-set crime story, though evidently a less sentimental one.

    Following its appearance at Berlin in February, Variety was moderately impressed:

    A propulsive, glossy, Johannesburg-set actioner charting the rise of an ambitious ne’er-do-well a la “Scarface,” “City of God” and virtually every other rags-to-riches-to-ruins underworld epic, “Jerusalema” overcomes derivative genre cliches and daunting length to punch home its crime-doesn’t-pay message on chutzpah alone.

    To offer a local perspective, our South African friend Nick Plowman has some reservations, but ultimately gives it the thumbs-up:

    “Jerusalema” is a first rate thriller, bursting at the seams with energy. Its vivid ambition is unlike anything I have seen come out of South Africa in ages … It’s too long at times, it drags here and there, (but) it’s gritty, real and ambiguous.

    (more…)

  • Bonafide hustler makin’ my name…

    I really…REALLY want to see “Slumdog Millionaire” again.  But for now, I’ll settle for this:

  • Oliver Stone on Bill Maher

    Boy, Oliver Stone is a terrible television interview.  Don’t get me wrong, I could listen to him wax on all day long.  He’s usually at his best when he taps into that weird, oblivious monologue (listen to the director’s commentary of “JFK” for thorough evidence of this).  But anyway, it’s nice to see him out there peddling “W.” at the right places, namely, “Real Time with Bill Maher.”  The best bit is when he says Bush “probably would have died” if he went to Vietnam.

    Check it out:

  • U.S. critics wild for ‘Happy’

    Wow. I was expecting a warm Stateside reception for Mike Leigh’s “Happy-Go-Lucky,” but even so, this is exceptional. For those who place stock in such things, the film’s Metacritic score is sitting at 82, but more importantly, some top critics have fallen hard for this one.

    If the film’s awards hopes seemed to be slipping oh-so-slightly following a respectable but somewhat muted festival showing last month, these reviews should give it a second wind. Sally Hawkins, in particular, should gain traction in a crowded Best Actress field with amazing notices like this one from Stephanie Zacharek:

    Poppy’s cheerfulness isn’t a shield against reality … And that’s where both the boldness and the delicacy of Sally Hawkins’ performance come in. This is the finest performance of the year — though it’s only October, I can’t believe I’ll see anything better … Here, Leigh has given her the challenge of a lifetime — the kind of role an actress can play at just one point in her life — and she more than meets it.

    Zacharek is no less ecstatic on the film itself:

    It takes more than ambition, and more than money, to make an intimate masterpiece like Mike Leigh’s “Happy-Go-Lucky,” a picture so seemingly light that it might be hours (or even days) before you realize how deep and rich it really is … Leigh and his actors work mysterious magic in “Happy-Go-Lucky.” This is a movie about hitting the groove of everyday life and, nearly miraculously, getting music out of it.

    (more…)

  • WEEKLY WRAP: Rudin bails, Brolin buzz, original scores

    And this, as they say, is the week that was:

    • In the biggest news of the week, Scott Rudin has washed his hands of the whole “The Reader” fiasco by taking his name off the film. What now?

    • Lots happening on the music front this week, with Universal offering a taste of the scores for “Changeling” and “Frost/Nixon,” while elsewhere, the surprisingly rich score for “W.” was revealed.

    • Carrying on the musical theme, we nabbed an interview with “Appaloosa” composer Jeff Beal.

    • This week’s Off the Carpet column contemplated the marked social currency of this year’s contenders.

    • Following its NYFF screening, “Changeling” got a rough ride from the blogosphere.

    • Josh Brolin has been all over the place this week, speaking out about that Shreveport incident, while his “W.” performance gathers positive buzz. Meanwhile, rumor has it that he’s down for “Jonah Hex.”

    • EW looks to revisit history (i.e. gloat over the Academy’s mistakes) with its Oscar revote.

    • A look at the sometimes troubled relationship between Hollywood and Philip Roth.

    • Continuing Tech Support’s preview of the crafts categories, this week was the costume designers’ turn.

    • And finally, is Alfred Hitchcock overrated? Join the debate here.

  • International ‘Revolutionary Road’ trailer

    Can be found here.  Can’t embed it for some reason, though.  Lots of interesting composition in those images.

  • Studios can solicit with music CDs once again

    A press release from the Academy indicates new rules for the music branch.  It seems campaigners will be allowed to send CDs directly to voters, a change from recent regulations that forced members to vote based on their reaction to track usage in the context of a film.

    Last year, the AMPAS tried a “bake-off” scenario, where voters had to come view film clips showcasing the musical numbers in order to vote on the Best Original Song category.  But attendance was apparently too low and the Academy is buckling once again (Gold Derby’s Tom O’Neil points this out here).

    The real issue this raises is the typically lax sense of responsibility within the Academy.  These cpeople can’t even be bothered to view the content in its intended form, therefore, they don’t take their roles as Academy members seriously.  Quite frankly, it’s sickening, and hardly news, but it’s also a whole other can of worms.

    Here’s a bit from the release:

    For 2008, CDs of eligible scores may be distributed to voting members of the Music Branch anytime prior to the nominations announcement on Thursday, January 22, 2009. Following the announcement, the nominated scores may be distributed to all voting members of the Academy. In both cases, each music track must be titled, include the name of the composer(s) and be identical to the music used in the finished film. The CD may contain only music written by the eligible composer(s). Music written by other composers, licensed music or music that is otherwise ineligible for award consideration is not permitted.

    CDs of nominated songs also may be distributed to all voting members, following the same guidelines as for nominated scores. Distribution of eligible songs prior to the nominations announcement is not permitted, though as a result of a rule change announced in June, the Academy itself will be sending DVDs containing film clips featuring the songs to Music Branch members during the nominations balloting phase. The DVDs will contain the same clips to be screened at the annual voting event at which branch members may cast their nominations ballot in person.

    More at the Academy’s official site.

  • ‘Batman Unmasked’ on The History Channel

    Christian Bale in The Dark KnightThis is exactly the kind of thing “The Dark Knight” needs to tap into a genuine conversation about the film’s — and Batman’s — relevance in the zeitgeist.  I’ve been watching The History Channel’s “Batman Unmasked: The Psychology of the Dark Knight” this afternoon, and for a Bat-nut like me, it’s the ultimate geek-out opportunity.

    The entire 60-minute program is available over at YouTube.  It’s aired on television twice today and I don’t know when it will run again, but it’s all kinds of fascinating.  It takes a look at the character’s progression from 70-year-old roots through expansion on the psychological nature of the character in the 1980s and how that history is commented upon in Christopher Nolan’s “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight.”

    The most intriguing part for me comes around the 08:15 mark of the clip below.  I didn’t know this, but apparently much of Nolan’s vision for Bruce Wayne stemmed from a comparison to Theodore Roosevelt.  Check it out:

    There are, of course, interviews with filmmakers, actors and DC higher-ups, but there are plenty of doctors, professors and psychologists thrown in for good measure.  Talk about a treat.  I just wish more footage from “The Dark Knight” was used in the program, though they do get around to discussing the Joker in great detail amid a summation of the Bat’s rogues gallery of villainy.

    Anyway, I’d love to see more stuff like this hit the tube.  Or more features digging for this kind of thing in print rather than soliciting general soundbytes about Ledger’s performance or the box office intake of the film.  “The Dark Knight” is an important movie event on many levels this year, and it goes pretty deep.

  • “This here’s the future. Videotape tells the truth.”

  • INTERVIEW: ‘Appaloosa’ composer Jeff Beal

    Jeff BealLike a number of film music composers, Jeff Beal makes his home north of Los Angeles in the rocky, canyoned city of Agoura Hills.  One feels a sense of the old west before even seeing the ranch-style houses in his neighborhood and the tail-flipping horses tied out back.  Questions about his work on “Appaloosa,” Ed Harris’s latest entry in the western genre, seem to manifest out of thin, dusty air by the time we make it downstairs to his efficient but Spartan studio.

    At the beginning of the process, Harris told Beal he was not interested in anything overly romantic or mythic.  The mandate was the relationships, the conflict they bring about and the intimate world the characters inhabit.  It was a unique vision for Beal, but one he was more than willing to explore.  He had his share of wells to draw upon, but his work in high-end television projects really stuck out.

    “The only thing I can think of that was sort of similar was [HBO’s] ‘Rome,’” Beal said.  “It was a similar approach creatively because you were dealing with a historical genre, a genre that’s been done a lot, sometimes with a lot more overt flare.  And this was more like the ground view of these people.”

    To that end, Beal set about constructing a theme with little harmonic movement, something that would carry the feeling of the audience being visitors in the world of Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch.  Spring-boarding off a life-long interest in folk music (American or otherwise), Beal wanted to make the music reflect the story-telling nature of the narrative.

    “There was actually a second half that became more of a traditional piece of music because at the end of the day we decided we don’t need that because it’s better to have just a clean, simple statement,” he said.  “These guys are men of action.  It’s all about a process, one step in front of the other.  It’s a journey.  One of the phrases Ed gave me when we were starting was ‘rough elegance,’ which I loved.  A lot of the music sprang from that inspiration.”

    (more…)

  • New ‘Defiance’ trailer lands at Variety

    On the heels of the new one-sheet for Edward Zwick’s “Defiance,” we see today that Variety has nabbed an exclusive look at the new trailer.  Check it out:

  • 10/10 Oscarweb Round-up

    Rob Brown in The Express• Peter Knegt talks to “Ashes of Time Redux” director Wong Kair-Wai. [indieWIRE]

    • Steven Zeitchick — who started a lot of the Rudin/Weinstein mess by printing gossip — writes up the “Rudin walks away” story with no mention of Patrick Goldstein’s breaking the news. [The Hollywood Reporter]

    • Goldstein, meanwhile, gets some quality time with Jim Brown about “The Express.” [The Big Picture]

    • Karina Longworth ponders the generational divide on “Che.” [Spout Blog]

  • EXCLUSIVE: New ‘Defiance’ poster

    We just acquired the sweet new one-sheet for Edward Zwick’s “Defiance.”  Maybe cashing in on a little of that Bond love for Daniel Craig this season, this poster is certainly more appealing than the previous art work:

    Paramount Vantage's Defiance