In Contention

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  • 9/10 Oscarweb Round-up

    Spike Lee• Journos continue to catch up with the two-week-old narrative: Toronto isn’t an Oscar playground this year.  [Entertainment Weekly]

    • Anthony Breznican, thankfully, tries to come at it from a slightly different perspective. [USA Today]

    • James Rocchi sits down with Darren Aronofsky for some choice words in Toronto. [Cinematical]

    • Jeffrey Wells is in the tank for Kathryn Bigelow’s “The Hurt Locker.” [Hollywood Elsewhere]

    • David Poland cranks out a beaming assessment of “The Hurt Locker” as well, with some great words for “Slumdog Millionaire” on the side. [The Hot Button]

    • Noah Forrest sits down with Neda Armian, producer of “Rachel Getting Married.” [Movie City News]

    • Gill Pringle kicks back with Seth Rogen across the pond. [The Independent]

    • Always looking for fresh angles, Michael Cieply comes at Toronto from the perspective of its music showcases this year. [New York Times]

    • In a poorly headlined (if you ask me) Oscar forecast, David Germain rounds up awards quotes from heavies such as Christian Bale, Tom Cruise and Leonardo DiCaprio. [Associated Press]

    • Spike Lee sets his aimless sights on the Duke, in case you don’t get the point the first time early on in “Miracle at St. Anna.” [New York Post]

    • Has James Franco signed on to an Oscar trajectory with the Gus Van Sant-produced “Howl?” [The Hollywood Reporter]

    • Who the hell honestly thinks Rod Lurie was attempting to tell the actual Valerie Plame story, and therefore, “distorted” anything?  Stupid… [Spout Blog]

    • Anne Thompson reports from party central in Toronto. [Thompson on Hollywood]

  • ‘Quantum’ trailer debuts

    Scoff if you must. But from where I’m standing, the new “Quantum of Solace” trailer pretty much ticks all the boxes. Chases. Pretty girls. Explosions. Hot cars. Hot cars exploding. Daniel Craig squinting moodily. Mathieu Amalric hamming it up in a tux. What’s not to like? Count me in.

    Or watch it here for a prettier picture.

  • “An Oscar-less Toronto” — but not for Searchlight

    Anybody who’s kept even half an eye on film news recently knows by now that, compared to previous years, the consecutive Venice and Toronto festivals have done little to illuminate the Oscar race. (Unless, I suppose, you were one of those predicting major glory for “Miracle at St. Anna.”)

    The Hollywood Reporter adds their verdict to the pile here, quoting an executive as declaring the fest “an Oscar-less Toronto.” There’s little new perspective in the article, but it’s a handy enough precis. They do think one race has benefited from the festival:

    But the festival might have helped clarify at least one category: the best actress race. The beneficiaries have been Anne Hathaway in Jonathan Demme’s dysfunctional-family drama “Rachel Getting Married”; Sally Hawkins in “Happy-Go-Lucky,” the Mike Leigh film about a chipper young schoolteacher; and, if Searchlight chooses to make an awards push for her, “The Secret Life of Bees” star Dakota Fanning.

    Hmmm. It’s not as if Hathaway and Hawkins weren’t deemed contenders before Toronto. (The Golden Globes may as well drop the other three slots for Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical, right?) And Dakota Fanning? With those reviews? Yeah, right.

    In any case, as they acknowledge, Searchlight has other priorities now, having nabbed the two hottest Toronto titles:

    The lone film that has emerged as a genuine standout is Darren Aronofsky’s “The Wrestler,” which went in as a question mark and will leave as a contender in pretty much every major awards category. To a lesser extent, Danny Boyle’s “Slumdog Millionaire” also is generating awards talk, though its cast is entirely unknown.

    (more…)

  • By the way…

    …we’re all going to die.

  • Fuck that

    Warner Bros. Pictures' The FountainThis Ben Child item at The Guardian has me steaming.  The quote, following a recounting of “The Fountain”‘s crash and burn at Venice two years ago, that pushed me over the edge:

    How would Aronofsky recover? Despite being heralded as one of Hollywood’s most hotly-tipped young film-makers, he was a little early in his career to be making such a horrendous, narcissistic error of judgement. But recover he has. Could it be that the epic failure of The Fountain was just the kick in the teeth Aronofsky needed to get him back on track? There’s nothing like wasting six years of your life on a project, only to see all the doubters that tried to stop you getting it made proved correct, to persuade you to keep it simple the next time.

    Ass.  There are some of us that actually liked the film, bub.  Enough to consider its ambition worth more than the shitstorm that ensued.  There’s never anything worse than critics that smell blood, but whatever.

  • Thompson on Smith action

    You know, I really like that Anne Thompson’s interview skills are enjoying the podcast/video treatment.  She always asks the right questions and can get a good quote with the best of them.  But this first person stuff is freaking me out.  Maybe this is what people want.  It gives the whole “Kevin Smith is talking to ME” vibe, which, there’s something to be said for that I guess.

    Anyway, I’m actually looking forward to “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” more than I was a few weeks ago.  But hearing Smith talk about his films can endear anyone, regardless of how terrible some of them have been.

    And hearing Anne say “dildos” and “erect penises” made me spit out my Dr. Pepper:

  • TORONTO: Martin Landau and Ellen Burstyn talk ‘Lovely, Still’

    Martin Landau and Ellen BurstynWhen Chris Cooper accepted his Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 2003, he pointed out that his co-star Meryl Streep had a great deal to do with his victory.  “We made great jazz together,” he said.

    “It’s easier when you like the person,” Martin Landau says, smiling.  “I’ve had to work with actors I could not stand, women I was not attracted to, and that is where the craft comes in.  But with Ellen, we know each other, we work the same way, we were trained in a similar manner and we both found a connection to the material. It was very easy, very enjoyable coming to work each day.”

    The chemistry between Burstyn and Landau in the Nik Fackler’s “Lovely, Still” is quite remarkable as we watch two lonely old souls looking for a connection, someone to love, to be with, to care for. The story veers off in an entirely different direction than the audience expects, however, which only adds to the stunning impact of both their performances and the picture itself.

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  • PAGE TO SCREEN: “Gran Torino” by Nick Schenk

    Page to Screen at In Contention“I didn’t buy all this stuff blockhead.  I’ve lived here for fifty years.  A man stays in one place long enough he tends to attract a decent set of tools.”

    There are a lot of admirable things about “Gran Torino,” a simple yarn precariously told by screenwriter Nick Schenk.  It wallows unforgiveably in the bigotry of its central character, Walt Kowalski (to be played by Clint Eastwood), pushing that boundry to laughable distances at times.  But thematically, it works.

    Walt hates gooks, chinks, slopes, call the Asians who’ve moved onto his block what you will.  He’s a Pabst-chugging, VFW-trolling, inner-child- and soft-undberlly-suffocating ex-military man with a chip on his shoulder for religion and a dysfunctional relationship with his children.  He’s pretty standard, by all indications.

    We come into Walt’s life at the funeral for his deceased wife, Dorothy, and we’re given the immediate indication that this won’t be a weeping widower.  Walt looks on as a fresh-faced preacher hangs a string of fancy words out over the crowd, and in ironic disgust he can only mutter, “Jesus.”

    When a Hmong family moves next door, it seems to be the last straw for Walt, who has watched the neighborhood’s decline for a number of years.  His house is pristine amid the rubble of homes unkempt by their Asian inhabitants, so it’s one more log for his racist fire.

    The thematic thread woven into the character from the start is Walt as the fixer.  A former Ford employee of 30 years, Walt’s prized posession is the 1972 Gran Torino sitting under a tarp in his garage.  He has a tool collection to rival a small construction outlet and is persistent with maintenance and upkeep.  The tendency drifts to the people in his life as well, always finding a solution to whatever he perceives as a problem.  It’s the workhorse in him — even if, ultimately, he won’t be able to fix himself.

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  • Yes, but what about the ladies?

    Marisa Tomei in The WrestlerMickey Rourke is on an unstoppable course toward a Best Actor nomination for his performance in “The Wrestler.”  Universal acclaim for the film has yet to hit a speed bump and by and large, folks are on board for this apparent tour de force.

    But there are at least two other performances in the film that aren’t getting their fair share of a spotlight dominated by Rourke’s comeback story.  So I thought I’d go through the reviews and cherry pick the copy that’s been dedicated to Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood, the former perhaps set up for a supporting actress run if the suits at Fox Searchlight decide to spread the campaign love.

    I’ll update this post as reviews land.  The ladies need their own space!

    Stephen Farber, The Hollywood Reporter:

    Tomei delivers one of her most arresting performances, again without any trace of vanity. Wood’s part is smaller, but she captures the scalding anger of a woman neglected for most of her life.

    Todd McCarthy, Variety:

    As vibrant — and as naked — as she was in last year’s “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead,” Tomei is in top, emotionally forthright form as she charts a life passage similar to Ram’s, if much less extreme. Once her character stops stonewalling her father and hears him out, Wood provides a fine foil for Rourke in their turbulent scenes together.

    John Foote, In Contention:

    Tomei is excellent, once again giving a fearless performance in and out of her clothing as she did last year in “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead” and Evan Rachel Wood is fantastic as Rourke’s estranged daughter who does not know if she’s ready to know her father again.

    Peter Sciretta, /Film:

    Mickey’s performance is worthy of all the Oscar buzz that has been floating around since the Venice premiere. Also, Tomei and Wood’s performances should not be discounted.

    Erin Cullen, Empire Movies:

    In her role as Cassidy, a stripper who develops a relationship with Randy, Marissa Tomei also offers a clear reminder of the caliber of acting that earned her two trips to the Oscars.

  • ‘Lovely, Still’ clips

    Variety’s Anne Thompson has scored a few clips from Nik Fackler’s “Lovely, Still,” already generating stellar notices at the Toronto Film Festival.  Could Martin Landau and/or Ellen Burstyn become formidable acting contenders int his year’s Oscar race?

  • 9/9 Oscarweb Round-up

    (from left) Larry Charles and Bill Maher on the set of Religulous• Jeffrey Wells digs “Nothing But the Truth” (again), but wasn’t so much for the Toronto debut’s after party. [Hollywood Elsewhere]

    • Lou Lumenick, meanwhile, calls the film “silly” and “an endless mopefest.” [Lumenick on Film]

    • Nancy Kriparos catches up with a few more flicks in Toronto, including the awards sneaker “Dean Spanley.” [Awards Daily]

    • Peter Bart talks to Bill Maher about the comedians new documentary “Religulous.” [Peter Bart]

    • James Rocchi is on board for “The Wrestler,” calling it a reflection of “poisonous” American entertainment culture. [Cinematical]

    • Peter Sciretta also reviews the film… [/Film]

    • …after fumbling to produce an incoherent initial reaction IMMEDIATELY after seeing the film. [/Film]

    • Bob Tourtellotte reports a toned-down, hype-controlled festival. [Reuters]

    • Stephanie Zacharek gets some face time with Ed Harris. [Salon]

    • Presumably trying to beat Variety’s list of 10 to the punch, Karen Durbin picks five actors to watch (including the overreaching “Miracle at St. Anna” star Omar Benson Miller). [New York Times]

    • Anne Thompson hands MTV’s credit over to /Film for yesterday’s Depp/Hoffman/Batman “news.”  Nothing confirmed yet on that, of course. [Thompson on Hollywood]

    • And about that…Devin Faraci is holier than thou. [CHUD]

  • “This town needs an enema!”

    Why can’t Hollywood just get along?

    Lots of lawsuits dropping in the film and entertainment buisness lately.  J.K. Rowling and the “Harry Potter” Lexicon, “Rear Window” vs. “Disturbia,” Watching the “Watchmen” tug of war, No Cash for Old Tommy Lee…and let’s not forget all the SAG drama, as studios fortify their ranks to do battle, be it now or in the future.

    Sometimes…I don’t know, it’s weird.  It’s like you can just TELL this blessed burg needs to chill out sometimes.

  • More LFF titles revealed

    The full lineup for next month’s London Film Festival is to be revealed tomorrow — but in the meantime, the latest issue of Sight and Sound reveals a couple more exciting inclusions.

    In addition to the already-announced opening and closing films (“Frost/Nixon” and “Slumdog Millionaire,” respectively), S&S confirms that the French Palme d’Or winner “The Class” will appear, with director Laurent Cantet in attendance.

    The magazine also reveals that there will be twelve international premieres at the festival, including “Sugar,” the baseball-oriented film from “Half Nelson” creators Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden, which bowed to warm reviews at Sundance in January. (By “international,” they mean outside the US, obviously.)

    More signs of a great festival to come. I await tomorrow’s announcement like a kid on Christmas Eve.

  • I wonder if Nicolas Cage is kicking himself right now.

    After all, he was supposed to take on the role that is making Mickey Rourke a star again.  “Bangkok Dangerous” or “The Wrestler” — which film would you rather be your stage at the moment?

  • TORONTO: ‘Che,’ ‘The Wrestler’

    Benicio Del Toro in CheTwo masterpieces, one right after the other.  This was the day I had been waiting for.  I caught Steven Soderbergh’s “Che” today, all four hours and 20 minutes of it.  It’s a glorious achievement from a brilliant mind, one of the few directors who seeks to challenge himself constantly.  “Che” is audacious and bold filmmaking because not everyone will like it or even understand it perhaps.  Soderbergh digs deep into the mind of a brilliant man and allows us a lucky glimpse.

    Moments after the film ended, with barely a moment to regroup, I saw Darren Aronofsky’s “The Wrestler” — and now I understand what all the fuss is about.  If Mickey Rourke is not nominated for Best Actor for an Academy Award, there really is no justice.  But Hollywood can be quite the unforgiving town…

    (Reviews after the jump.)

    (more…)

  • Attenborough: Oscar got it wrong

    As awards geeks, bitching about the Academy’s supposed mistakes is pretty much our favourite sport. The question of who should and shouldn’t have won provides endless material for discussion — frequently on these pages.

    One of the titles that comes up often in the “shouldn’t have won” category is Richard Attenborough’s “Gandhi,” that well-mounted, well-acted and thoroughly indigestible biopic that managed to beat such more-beloved nominees as “Tootsie” and “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.” It was an unpopular choice even at the time. After the ceremony, NYT critic Vincent Canby famously wrote: “”E.T.” and “Tootsie” are films. “Gandhi” is a laboriously illustrated textbook.”

    Interestingly, Lord Attenborough, of all people, agrees. In a recent interview with BBC Radio Five, he admits that “E.T.” was robbed, being “an infinitely more creative and fundamental piece of cinema” than his own winning film. Attenborough continues:

    [Business partner] Diana and I went to see “E.T.” in Los Angeles shortly before all the awards and we used language, when we came out, to the extent of saying ‘we have no chance – “E.T.” should and will walk away with it’.

    Without the initial premise of Mahatma Gandhi, the film (“Gandhi”) would be nothing. Therefore it’s a narrative film but it’s a piece of narration rather than a piece of cinema, as such. “E.T.” depended absolutely on the concept of cinema and I think that Steven Spielberg, who I’m very fond of, is a genius. I think “E.T.” is a quite extraordinary piece of cinema.

    I couldn’t have said it any better myself. I’ve never been a fan of Attenborough as a filmmaker (“Shadowlands” excepted), but he sure is a classy guy. There are a lot of undeserving Oscar winners out there who must know they got lucky, but few of them have the guts to come right out and say so.

    Anyone else want to come forward? Kevin Costner? Gwyneth Paltrow? John G. Avildsen? Anyone?

  • SHORT TAKE: “Nothing But the Truth” (***)

    (from left) Vera Farmiga and Kate Beckinsale in Nothing But the TruthI gave a brief reaction to Rod Lurie’s “Nothing But the Truth” a few weeks ago, but I thought now would be a good time to fully explore what the film has to offer.  Debuting tonight at the Toronto International Film Festival, “Truth” holds up on multiple viewings and, given the particulars of the narrative, one might be inclined to recommend a second look.

    Lurie has built a modest career efficiently telling stories on the screen.  He hasn’t knocked a critically acclaimed success out of the park, nor has he cranked out a considerably popular film that attracted the masses, but it is difficult to argue against even his lesser efforts.  The guy has a confident hand and knows how to put a solid film together.

    “Nothing But the Truth” isn’t quite the best film in his stable (stellar acting chops place “The Contender” in that position for me), but it is certainly close and will likely find a core of champions that appreciate how Lurie can work so assuredly in difficult terrain, tackling subject matter not easily simplified for the screen in a way that entertains and, above all, actually says something.

    Kate Beckinsale stars as Rachel Armstrong, a D.C. columnist who outs CIA agent Erica Van Doren (Vera Farmiga) in a piece that raises questions about a covert operation in retaliation for an attempted presdential assassination.  (The attempt, by the way, provides a gripping opening sequence for the film.)

    A shit-storm ensues for both women.  Van Doren can’t drop her kids off at school without the media hounding her every move, while Armstrong is ushered by federal agents to meet with a special counsel assigned as prosecuting attorney (played with slick southern panache by Matt Dillon).  The government wants the source of the information, of course, and being a good journalist, Rachel gladly tells them to screw off.  But with no shield laws to protect her decision, a swift court schedule ultimately finds her behind bars.

    (more…)

  • Uhh…did Michael Caine just confirm Depp and Hoffman for the ‘Dark Knight’ sequel?

    I was with [a Warner Bros.] executive and I said, ‘Are we going to make [a sequel to The Dark Knight]?’ They said yeah. I said, ‘How the hell are we going to top Heath? And he says ‘I’ll tell you how you top Heath — Johnny Depp as The Riddler and Philip Seymour Hoffman as The Penguin.’ I said, ‘Shit, they’ve done it again!’ [Laughs]

    (Courtesy: MTV, via /Film)