Blog
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9/18 Oscarweb Round-up
• Nathaniel Rogers just can’t seem to get excited about “Appaloosa.” [The Film Experience]• Dave Karger, meanwhile, sits down with Ed Harris to talk about the film. GREAT interview. [Entertainment Weekly]
• With westerns on the mind, Kyle Rupprecht recounts the best modern entries in the genre. [Moviemaker Magazine]
• Sasha Stone cherry-picks some of Nancy Kriparos’s wonderful Toronto coverage in case you missed the finer points. [Awards Daily]
• Is Val Kilmer going to be the next Governor of New Mexico?? I just like how the piece constantly reminds you that he played Batman, both in the headline and through a quote from Bill Richardson. [The Independent]
• Sam Adams talks to “Duchess” star Ralph Fiennes. [Los Angeles Times]
• Patrick Goldstein, meanwhile, talks to director Gary Fielder about how Jim Brown made “The Express” work. [The Big Picture]
• Want a bleacher seat for the Oscar arrivals? [Oscars.org]
• Scott Bowles gets Stacey Snider and our old pal Chad Hartigan on the record regarding the “Titanic” reunion set to unfold in “Revolutionary Road.” [USA Today]
• Kevin Kelly gets a nce sit-down with “Hurt Locker” director Kathryn Bigelow. [Spout Blog]
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‘Synecdoche, New York’ trailer…
…is here. I think I’m going to avoid it because I’m seeing the film Friday. It’d be more interesting. But tell me what you think of it.
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Another poster — ‘Revolutionary Road’
I’ll reserve my opinion and turn it over to the readership for the verdict, though I’m pretty sure I know the answer:
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‘Frost/Nixon’ poster
I guess it’s alright. Sort of reminds us of the stage production’s materials. Sadly there isn’t a larger version available yet.
Remember to check the latest on “Frost/Nixon” here.
(Courtesy: Entertainment Weekly)
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‘Defiance’ set for AFI Fest
We’ve been hinting at a big bow for this year’s American Film Institute Festival for some time now. We haven’t been able to come clean on it, but the news is official today: Edward Zwick’s World War II drama “Defiance” will drop on November 9 as the closing night gala.From the press release:
This will mark Zwick’s second appearance at AFI FEST, having previewed scenes and discussed his work on BLOOD DIAMOND, prior to the film’s opening in 2006.
“As part of the AFI family, I am deeply honored they have chosen DEFIANCE, a ten year labor of love, as their closing night film,” stated Zwick. “As a student at the AFI, I was encouraged to tell stories with meaning and purpose and I have tried to hold onto that belief in my career.”
“AFI FEST is honored to host the World Premiere of DEFIANCE at AFI FEST. The event symbolizes the very heart of the American Film Institute – to train the next generation of filmmakers and then have them come home to premiere a film of the highest artistic ideals,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI’s President and CEO.
I’ll be covering AFI Fest here in Los Angeles for the full stretch. And also a reminder, Guy Lodge will be covering the London fest for us here next month. We’re in the thick of festival season now!
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More foreign film submissions trickle in
With the deadline for submissions for Best Foreign Language Film coming at the end of the month, these are virtually being announced on a daily basis. The latest:
Canada, whose “The Barbarian Invasions” took the gold in 2004, has selected French-Inuit period drama “The Necessities of Life.” The film, a period piece about the relationship between a hunter (played by Natar Ungalaaq from “Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner”), dying in a Quebec City hospital, and a young Inuit orphan, premiered at the recent Montreal Film Festival, where it won the audience award.
Variety describes it as “a finely wrought drama” and “a model of emotional restraint.” Hopefully my fellow contributor John can offer a local perspective on the selection.
Elsewhere, Finland has chosen “Home of Dark Butterflies,” another Montreal entry. The film is centred on a group of teen boys at an isolated reform school, got only a middling Variety review — they criticise it for “veering into melodramatic excess.”
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Hardest…video game…ever.
Not Oscar related at all (unless you drag Anton Furst into it), but I’ve been playing this again lately since I hooked up my old NES. And Jesus — it’s damn near impossible. Then I find a YouTube clip of some dude making it look easy. Ass:
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Best Actor race looking tight as always — expect surprises
The Best Actor category tends to be one of the more crowded categories come Oscar time, and 2008 looks to be no exception. To be sure, there are a handful of frontrunners as usual, but hovering behind them are another group, more than eight who could easily sneak in and nab a nomination. Last year Tommy Lee Jones was nominated for his powerful work in “The Valley of Elah,” a richly deserved nod, but completely unexpected by the majority of prognosticators. I remember smiling when I heard his name read, but it was a huge surprise.I would expect something similar this year, as we have some of the great actors and potentially stunning performances in contention.
The obvious frontrunner at this point is Mickey Rourke, basking in the attention being given to “The Wrestler.” His performance is nothing short of miraculous, an astounding piece of acting, and it is great to see him back in the fold. But when it comes to winning the award, I have to say: not a chance. Rourke is intensely disliked in Hollywood. He’s seen as someone who basically spit on the industry to walk away and become a boxer. As a friend close to Rourke said, “A lot of people were happy when he left and don’t want this guy back.”
Frank Langella looks to be terrific in the trailers for “Frost/ Nixon.” He has always been a great actor, better known for his stage work than film, though in the last few years he has become a formidable presence on the big screen. I remember seeing him as “Dracula” both on stage and on film in the late 1970s and hoped he would go far. He did, just not in the movies, until recently.
Kris has Michael Sheen down as a lead actor possibility as well, and I agree. It’s one of those “Amadeus” situations where one performance cannot exist without the other. There is a strong chance that if the film and the actors are terrific, both of them will be nominated, though Langella certainly has the showier role of the two.
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REVIEW: “I’ve Loved You So Long” (****)
A quietly extraordinary debut from French novelist and screenwriter Philippe Claudel, “I’ve Loved You So Long” interweaves so many narrative strands familiar from various other domestic dramas it’s hard to believe this particular story hasn’t been told on screen before.Yet these elements — sisterly estrangement, parental insecurity and the social rehabilitation of a chronic introvert among them — have been assembled here with such authorial dexterity, emotional immediacy and narrative audacity that the resulting film feels at once inventive and essential. This is that rarest of things in contemporary cinema: a story that needed to be told.
It seems perverse, then, that I am unable to furnish this review with anything more than the most fundamental aspects of said story. But to do otherwise would detract both from the delicacy and patience with which Claudel unfurls his narrative, and the visceral emotional response felt by the viewer upon each successive revelation. (In my opinion, some readers may indeed have learned too much already from reading certain gauche reviews.)
Claudel’s storytelling accumulates information on a strictly need-to-know basis, forming a structural house of cards in which each plot point fragilely supports the next — until, in the film’s very last reel, the intricate system of withheld knowledge can no longer sustain itself, and the protagonist’s staggering truth emerges.
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9/17 Oscarweb Round-up
• One night only…ABC wants to bump the Oscars to March. [Variety]• David Poland finally reviews some Toronto films. [The Hot Button]
• Breaking down a Wired cover story, starring Charlie Kaufman. [Wired]
• Aaron Eckhart is four-square against the idea of recasting the Joker in Christopher Nolan’s Batman franchise. James Franco and Michael C. Hall can stop holding their breaths. [MTV]
• More parsing of the “Burn After Reading” numbers. Why isn’t it obvious? Brad Pitt + George Clooney = $$$. [Risky Biz Blog]
• Patrick Goldstein mines this month’s issue of Esquire for clues about Paul Thomas Anderson’s childhood. [The Big Picture]
• Ten movies to watch when feeling the financial crunch. [Spout Blog]
• From the rumor mill: Rome’s mayor wants to ban “W.” from showing at the city’s upcoming film festival? Forced denial and all. [The Guardian]
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Nick Cave on film, music and committees
I can’t think offhand of an upcoming film score that I’m more eager to hear than Nick Cave and Warren Ellis’ work for “The Road.” Their dark, elegiac score for “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” which wove together a panoply of Americana with a smattering of modern influences, was one of the great overlooked achievements of last year.Of course, “The Road” reunites Cave and Ellis with director John Hillcoat, with whom they collaborated on “The Proposition” — the fascinating Outback “Western” that Cave himself also scripted. “The Proposition”‘s score was another sonically dense, richly atmospheric affair, and I expect them to repeat the feat on “The Road.”
All of which brings me to this interesting little interview with Cave, taken while he was recording for “The Road” in London. He’s long been one of the most articulate, intelligent guys in rock music, and he offers quite generous insight here into his deliciously strange creative process. There’s also this rather matter-of-fact perspective on working for film:
The whole film business, everything is done by committee, it would seem. So what you feel about what you’ve created is highly irrelevant in the process of making a film. You hand something in and the worth of it is judged by people you’ve never even seen, so it’s mentally frustrating in that way, but at times it’s hugely enjoyable because the kind of agony of original creation, of having to think of the actual idea and the theme and what you’re going to write about and all that kind of stuff, which is really very difficult, the toughest part of songwriting for me, is not there. You’re simply supplied everything by what’s on the screen.
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Top 10 Downey perfs?
Our friend John Campea over at The Movie Blog recently posted a list of the top 10 performances Robert Downey Jr. has given us over his roller-coaster career. A nice idea for a post given the career resurgence Downy is enjoying this year, and perhaps one more portrayal will be taken into consideration in a few months when “The Soloist” drops.Anyway, John’s list got my wheels turning to say the least. I object with plenty of it, from choice of performances to the ranking order, but a few of the omissions really sting.
So I figured I’d just toss up my own list (keeping in mind I haven’t yet seen “A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints”):
1. “Natural Born Killers”
2. “Chaplin”
3. “Less Than Zero”
4. “Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus”
5. “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang”
6. “Two Girls and a Guy”
7. “Iron Man”
8. “Zodiac”
9. “Tropic Thunder”
10. “Restoration”
What say you?
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Breakthrough for Hawkins and Franco
As regular readers may know, I’ve been yammering on about a Best Actress nomination for “Happy-Go-Lucky”‘s delightful Sally Hawkins since I reviewed the film back in April. So I’m pleased to see that Hawkins will receive the Breakthrough Actress award at next month’s Hollywood Film Awards.As I said when they named their crafts honorees earlier this month, I’m a bit mystified by these awards, which appear to honour as-yet-unseen films rather frequently. Still, it’s difficult to argue with this selection: in a crowded field of Best Actress contenders, Hawkins is the freshest face out there. It’s a good omen for her Oscar chances — last year’s honoree was Ellen Page.
“Happy-Go-Lucky” didn’t emerge from the festival circuit with quite the amount of heat I hoped it might, but Hawkins remains a solid contender for awards consideration. As we know now, the performance has a major Marmite factor — people either love or hate Hawkins’ character — but it’s sure to stick in people’s minds.
Elsewhere, the Breakthrough Actor award went to James Franco — another obvious choice, and a move that gives credence to the Best Supporting Actor buzz for his performance in “Milk,” something Kris just discussed.
“Milk” scored twice with the awards, with newbie (not that you’d know it from the marketing) scripter Dustin Lance Black named Breakthrough Screenwriter. Meanwhile, “Doubt” helmer John Patrick Shanley picked up Breakthrough Director. The latter strikes me as something of a safe choice in a year that has given us stellar debuts from such talents as Martin McDonagh and Philippe Claudel, but we only have the trailer to go on.
Finally, pointing to two Oscar inevitabilities, the Animation award will go to Andrew Stanton for “WALL-E” (well, duh), while “Iron Man” will be recognised for its visual effects.
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Sweden and Germany loom large in Oscar race
As anyone who follows the arcane workings of the Best Foreign Language Film award knows, there is no such thing as a sure thing in the category. However, it’s fair to say that Sweden and Germany have emerged as strong contenders in the race after both countries selected high-profile films as their official entries.Unsurprisingly, Sweden has chosen “Everlasting Moments,” a highly personal biopic from veteran filmmaker Jan Troell — a Best Director nominee back in 1973 for “The Emigrants.” The film is a portrait of Maria Larsson, Sweden’s first female photographer, who also happens to be the grandmother of Troell’s wife (and co-scripter) Agnes. The film bowed at Toronto last week to warm reviews, including this rave from Screen International:
Discreet, old fashioned, traditional and altogether admirable, this is Jan Troell in what he does best … Paying minute attention to the smallest details, taking its time but never appearing to drag its feet, immensely sympathetic to its heroes and villains alike, this is an intimate family portrait and at the same time a rich canvas of working class life … This picture has quality stamped all over it, awards are likely to come its way whether for direction, photography or the performances of Maria Heiskanen and Mikael Persbrandt.
By all accounts, it’s a stately, beautifully crafted period piece with a degree of social gravitas — difficult to see the Academy resisting that one.
On a very different note, Germany has gone with Uli Edel’s terrorism thriller “The Baader Meinhof Complex” as its entry. The film, a chronicle of the infamous left-wing Red Army Faction group that terrorised the country through the late 60s and early 70s, has yet to open in its home country, but advance word is promising. (Jeff Wells gives some useful insight here.)
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Polish movie posters rock!
I came across this site showcasing a top 50 Polish movie posters via /Film and couldn’t stop scrolling. Some of them are positively terrifying for various reasons, but all of them are wonderfully creative.
My favorite has to be this “Eyes Wide Shut” art work. I would hang it on my wall in a heartbeat:
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THE LISTS: Top 10 performances you’re underestimating
Every year it seems there are a number of performers in the thick of an Oscar hunt that don’t get the same attention as the expected heavy-hitters.
It’s no surprise, of course, that Oscar prognostication would lean toward the anticipation of what lies ahead, unseen, unproven. The mystery stays in tact, if for precious few moments. But a number of nominated actors and actresses, year after year, tend to bank on the underestimation of the masses, allowing those heavy-hitters to fall by the wayside and provide just the opportunity they were waiting for all along.
Here, then, is an attempt to shine a light on 10 stealthy contenders that seem to be flying low on the radar so far this season:
10. Richard Jenkins, “The Visitor”
At the moment, “The Visitor” star Richard Jenkins might seem like the obvious bet for a list such as this. But with Overture Films planning an Oscar campaign for the character-actor-turned-leading-man and a year increasingly giving credence to smaller films, this gem of a performance from way back in the first quarter of the year could find room to make a move. A prime DVD release date will keep the film fresh in voters’ minds and perhaps divert some of the attention away from the Brad Pitts, Sean Penns and Frank Langellas for a spell. -
PAGE TO SCREEN: “Che” by Peter Buchman
“To the people of Santa Clara, this is Commandant Che Guevara. The enemy would have us live in fear. But it is they who should be afraid. Because the power of the people is irresistible. Blockade the streets. Open your homes to rebel soldiers. And if you have a gun, pick it up. If there was ever a time to fight for your liberty, that time is now.”
Consider myself a former believer in the church of Steven Soderbergh. When the director won his much deserved Oscar for “Traffic” I thought for sure we were seeing the emergence of one of the most important American directors in quite some time. And then what happened? The movies he was making — the “Ocean’s” trilogy, “Bubble,” “The Good German” and more — all sounded so interesting and promising on paper, and in the opinion of this writer, all ended up entirely soulless and lacking.
So I have been cautiously anticipating the Che Guevera one-two punch of “The Argentine” and “Guerrilla.” You’ll have to forgive me (but I’m sure you’ll understand) if I certainly wasn’t in anticipating Peter Buchman’s scripts. He debuted with “Jurassic Park III” (how the hell do you get to start your career with a “Jurassic Park” movie?!) and followed it up with the excruciating “Eragon.” Not exactly the man I’d select for this task, to be certain.
But thankfully, “The Argentine” and “Guerrilla” — collectively, “Che” — are far superior works than Buchman’s previous two scripts. What we have here are handsomely crafted pieces that are easily malleable for a director like Soderbergh to reconstruct the way he wants, which according to the reviews I’ve read, seems to be exactly what he’s done. Scenes from “Guerrilla” appear in the first half of the film (what I presume will be “The Argentine” section), predominately Guevera’s famous speech at the United Nations in New York City.