In Contention

Blog

  • Ledger drew inspiration from the work of Grant Morrison

    Cover of Batman #663So it turns out, as a way of uber-preparation for his performance in “The Dark Knight,” actor Heath Ledger kept a “Joker diary” during the month leading up to production. And some of its contents seem to have given Bat-scribe Grant Morrison the willies.

    The writer recently sat down with MTV’s Jennifer Vineyard to discuss the parallels between Ledger’s performance and the Joker he’s envisioned in works such as “Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth” and “The Clown at Midnight” (“Batman” #663). Here’s a taste:

    In [the diary], there’s a list of what would make the Joker laugh – including AIDS, landmines, geniuses suffering irreversible brain damage, brunch, and sombreros. “It gave me this chill,” Grant Morrison said, because it was word-for-word what Morrison had written in one of his Batman stories…

    …As a response to his own “Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth,” Morrison had continued his themes of the duality of Joker and the Batman in “The Clown at Midnight.” Having established with “Arkham” that the Joker had a sort of “super-sanity” and that he shifted between personalities,” Morrison explored the idea further in “The Clown at Midnight,” by showing that each time the Joker escaped, one of those new personalities would emerge.

    “It’s a really good story,” Morrison said, “but because it was prose, people didn’t want to read it.”

    Except, apparently, Heath, who saw Morrison’s list and put it in his Joker diary. “He actually had a whole list — blind babies, doctors, accidents — really horrible stuff,” Morrison said. “Heath wrote it all down. So yeah, I can see there’s a lot of [‘Arkham’ and ‘Midnight’] in his Joker.”

    Very cool and savvy move on Ledger’s part. I’m one of the readers who doesn’t engage too well with Morrison’s work, but on a purely conceptual, off-the-page level, I’ve always felt his vision of the character was something of a definitive.

    Furthermore, I think Ledger hammered it out on the big screen in a big, exciting way. He carried across that “super-sanity” with striking clarity. In my review, I noted that Ledger’s “inflections, maniacal throughout the film until…fade into the background as he spews sincere, borderline reasonable philosophy.” You recall the mob meeting: “You’re insane.” “No I’m not. I’m not.”

    It just goes to show that this is a performance working on more levels than even the most triumphant reviews seemed to suggest. And with every record-breaking dollar it seems the Oscar moves closer to his posthumous grasp.

  • Tom Cruise “isn’t that funny?” What???

    Tom Cruise on the set of Tropic ThunderI have to say, I think Vulture is off the mark with their insistence that Tom Cruise “isn’t that funny” in Ben Stiller’s upcoming “Tropic Thunder.” I was holding my side in laughter for much of the extended cameo, less due to Cruise’s efforts than what the script called for, admittedly, but it’s real yuk-yuk value.

    Earlier this month I wrote:

    Cruise’s first moments on screen — a video conference call sequence — leads one to believe he’ll be reaching throughout the performance, trying too hard to connect the dots of Stiller’s absurdist comedy. But somewhere along the line, it becomes clear that Stiller knows how to best capture the performance: taking it over the top isn’t nearly enough. You have to keep doing it over and over until it’s funny again, and that is where the director’s choice to linger on Cruise’s antics provides a showcase that demands side-splitting laughter.

    And bravo to Cruise for going there. It’s probably the smartest thing he could do at this dicey time in his career. And when he slowly dictates his opinion of action star Tugg Speedman’s career, it’s difficult to imagine he wasn’t thinking of himself in some small part.

    I still feel pretty good about that.

    Meanwhile, that New York Times story is really irritating for some reason.  Sure, Stiller’s stint starring as a mentally disabled stable boy is played up for comedic value in the film, but it’s dead on in its clearly hyperbolic joshing of actors who “go there” to get awards.  Bravo to the studio for sticking to its guns on this one.  You can’t please everyone, nor should you strive to do so.

    Anyway, I’ll be looking forward to everyone else’s thoughts when the film lands next weekend.

  • Is Paul Greengrass taking up the reins of ‘Chicago 7?’

    Paul GreengrassFilmmaker Paul Greengrass has been drawn to the sphere of politics since day one in his career as a filmmaker. He launched into the fray with 2002’s blisteringly realistic “Bloddy Sunday” (an account of the Derry massacre of 1972) and followed it up with a “Bourne” installment, putting his unique knowledge of covert military operations to use.

    2005’s “United 93” was a tightrope walk that managed to land him a Best Director nomination, while 2007’s “The Bourne Ultimatum” was easily one of the best films of last year. He has been a director on an upward curve, settling quite comfortably in his role as an artist to watch, if not the artist to watch.

    One of my most anticipated productions of 2009 is Greengrass’s “Green Zone,” an adaptation of Rajiv Chandrasekaran’s “Imperial Life in the Emerald City” that could be a hell of a windfall for the Iraq stalemate when it finds its way to screen. Matt Damon will star and Greengrass will have yet another stage for his brand of cinema.

    Finally, though I’m excited for the visual splendor and dedication to source material of Zack Snyder’s upcoming “Watchmen,” I think we all would have been interested in Greengrass’s spin on the material had it come to fruition when the project was at Paramount Pictures a few years ago. The “‘Citizen Kane’ of comic books” certainly knows from the beast of politics.

    Now word is circulating that the director may be attached to direct DreamWorks SKG’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” a film originally stuck in Steven Spielberg’s ever-rotating wheel house of ideas. If it’s true, count this viewer excited.

    Here’s what Neil Miller of Film School Rejects has uncovered:

    Then this evening, out of almost pure chance, I was skimming through the pages of Production Weekly, checkout which productions are currently in active development when I ran across an updated listing the The Trial of the Chicago 7. After cross checking some other participants, including writer Aaron Sorkin and Producers Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald, I deduced that this was the same production. The only odd part was that instead of listing Steven Spielberg or no director at all, the production listed a different director: Paul Greengrass.

    Well…that’s a development, to say the least.

    Greengrass has shown in all the aforementioned films an adeptness to the even keel when dealing in hot button issues of war and policy. He spends a considerable amount of time focusing on character rather than the situation.

    I remember interviewing Kevin Macdonald in early 2006 about his then upcoming “The Last King of Scotland,” and he made it a point of mentioning that he was more interested in the way politics affects the individual, rather than the statement of the politics themselves. I think that characteristic is applicable to Greengrass’s work ethic as well.

    So count me in on this one.  I’ve never seen Brett Morgan’s “Chicago 10” documentary, but I’ve always thought this story could be a hell of a showcase in narrative form on screen.  Greengrass would be a great fit.

  • Thrilling Oscar nominees…when the Academy took a chance

    Willem Dafoe in The Last Temptation of ChristI love it when the Academy steps out and provides us with a genuine shock that is so richly deserved you feel like weeping for joy that they got it…they really got it.

    For all the ranting I do about the Academy’s lack of vision, every so often they pull something out of the air that so defies the odds, so stuns the critics and Oscar forecasters, it is a hearty reminder that these people do love film.

    I think the first time I really stood and cheered a shocking inclusion was Martin Scorsese’s directing nomination for “The Last Temptation of Christ,” a powerful film that it took a great deal of courage to make, and an equal amount for the Academy to acknowledge given the storm of controversy the film faced upon release.

    I remember going to see “Last Temptation” on opening day and asking one of the men picketing the film what he had thought. “Oh I haven’t seen it,” he stated, “my church warned me against it.” It was a clear indication of the power of religion over the masses.

    Two years earlier I championed David Lynch’s being nominated for “Blue Velvet,” a dark and frightening film that Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel dissed at every turn. What would have made the year complete would have been a nomination for Dennis Hopper in the film as opposed to his supporting nod for “Hoosiers.”

    In 1998 as I cheered when Canada’s Atom Egoyan found his way to the Best Director list for his haunting “The Sweet Hereafter.”  The film had been named the year’s best by the Los Angeles Times and finished runner-up for Best Picture and Best Director in the New York Film Critics Circle voting. Not only was this a huge accomplishment for Egoyan, a uniquely gifted director, but for Canadian cinema.

    Just last year, Sarah Polley was nominated for her screenplay “Away From Her,” which also earned Julie Christie a nod for best actress. In my opinion Polley should have been a nominee for Best Director as well.

    I guess I wonder today, in this age of super Oscar campaigns, does the Academy really sit up and take notice of the daring work, or should most of the credit rest at the feet of savvy PR pushes?  I have to think, at least in a number of cases, it has to be the Academy.  The aforementioned films did not have the money to spend on any major campaign, of course.

    So that leaves me feeling good about the AMPAS and what they are doing, despite my moaning.  They are still watching and appreciating art in cinema, and the proof shines through form time to time.

    Any bold choices you can think of to celebrate?

  • R.I.P. Isaac Hayes

    I’ve been out and about all day.  Really sad news to come home to.  Keep on soothin’ — wherever you are.

  • Paul Newman will leave us a legacy of greatness

    Paul NewmanIt’s no secret that actor Paul Newman has been on the ropes for a few months, but with reports surfacing that the screen legend has left the hospital to return home and “die in peace” settle the issue in with a painful clarity.

    To me this is devastating news because Newman is truly one of the greats of cinema, a brilliantly gifted actor who grew into that role before our very eyes, and a movie star able to walk that precarious walk. I had the immense pleasure of meeting and interviewing him in 2000 during a junket trip to Los Angeles.

    There was a nightmare of some sort I had been asked not to write about, which gave me time with Newman quite by accident, and we were ablse to discuss his career and performances. What a thrill, talking to the man who gave us so many fine characters, summoning the courage to portray out and out bastards, somehow making them all too human.

    Like Brando before him, Newman made acting look effortless, and though he did not necessarily explode into the industry like so many others, he grew consistently as an actor through the 1950s and became an icon in the 1960s.

    (more…)

  • Yeah…

    Top 10 domestic box office grossers of all time

    (Courtesy: Box Office Mojo)

  • Bernie Mac is dead

    Bernie MacHoly…this is sudden to say the least.

    CNN is reporting that actor Bernie Mac died early this morning of complications of pneumonia. The guy was only 50 years old.

    What a cold bucket of water to the face. We could go at any time, any place, anywhere. We’re not in charge of punching our ticket.

    Rest in peace, friend. You gave us some laughs in your time. That goes a long way in the end.

  • A tale of two trailers

    Sally Hawkins in Happy-Go-LuckyA journo friend sent a note tonight asking my thoughts on the Miramax trailer sell of Mike Leigh’s “Happy-Go-Lucky,” given that I’ve had a chance to see the film over in the UK before the domestic marketing machine took hold.

    It’s really interesting, actually.  This trailer is completely different from the original trailer, of course, and is geared toward the populist sell.  The earlier package seemed increibly limited in scope, if packed with considerable amounts of indie charm.

    But only now do I sense Miramax almost wilfully gunning for the “‘Juno’ slot” (a slot that we all know doesn’t exist beyond the hypothetical, but bear with me).  Meanwhile, with some negative whispers on the Hollywood winds for John Shanley’s “Doubt,” one has to wonder what last year’s Best Picture victor is working with.

    “Happy” is headed to Toronto, where it is likely to find a niche of followers that the studio could spin into a bigger phenomenon if the money is there.  What’s more, the fest seems to be a forum for smaller content…”Appaloosa” is the biggest film announced so far, really.  If “Happy” can stand out in that crowd, it could walk away from Toronto as the indie champion of the season as early as mid-September.

    Ultimately, the new trailer is a step toward diversifying their available awards content in the eyes of voters and audiences alike.  If anything can be considered the “‘Juno’ spot” at this point, it has to be the film that sldies in on the charm of being unique.  It goes a long way.

  • If you missed tonight’s ‘Uncut’

    You can view the show here.  John and I discussed the potential “Superbad”/”Pineapple Express” sequel, Shane Black’s “Lethal Weapon 5” and the MPAA’s recent decision to grant a “R” rating for Kevin Smith’s “Zach and Mori Make a Porno.”  Check it all out at The Movie Blog.

  • What are the greatest taglines ever?

    In the “Appaloosa” post below, I mention how striking the tagline for the film was: “Feelings get you killed.”  So cold, so direct, so perfect in so many ways.

    It has me wondering, what are the greatest movie taglines of all time?  “Look closer” from “American Beauty” comes to mind.  I also always loved “The man with the barbed-wire soul” from “Hud.”  “Don’t go in the water?”  “In space, no one can hear you scream?”  “An adventure 65 million years in the making?”  “There’s something about your first piece?”

    I don’t know, you guys tell me…what’s the greatest film tagline of all time?

  • ‘Appaloosa’ gets a poster…and a hell of a tagline, too!

    The trailer debuted earlier this week, and now we get a spiffy new one-sheet:

    New Line Cinema's Appaloosa

    I like it.  It’s simple, not TOO cliche, has a sense of danger to it.  But I ADORE the tag line.  “Feelings get you killed.”  How cold-blooded badass is that?!

    Check out the “Appaloosa” buzz page here.

  • “If you can build an offense around a guy who throws like Edward Scissorhands we’re gonna be playing a hell of a lot of defense.”

  • About those buzz page things…

    All the films predicted in the sidebar have been updated with links to their respective buzz/film/individual pages. We’re slowly working through The Contenders pages to do the same, but it’s a process. By the end of the month every film should have it’s own place on the spot for updated information, Oscar buzz, external and internal stories, etc.

    If you come across a story you think would be a valuable addition to any buzz page, don’t hesitate to let us know. We’d like to be as comprehensive as possible.

  • Woody through the years

    Woody AllenHe may be the finest American screenwriter of the last 40 years, having redefined the romantic comedy, explored relationships with a biting audacity and authenticity, provided women with marvelous roles,  and like all great writers, exposed a portion of his soul on screen.

    Now in his 70s, Woody Allen seems poised to once again become an important and vital American director after more than a decade of weak efforts that seemed to signal his decline. His new film, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (reviewed by Kris here) is superb, a return to form for a master seemingly charged with renewed energy and vigor.  The film is funny, robust, and with an under-current of danger and nastiness that gives it an edge his previous work, “Match Point” excepted,  simply did not have.

    It was with “Annie Hall” that Allen broke through as a major filmmaker, winning the Academy Awards for Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Picture.  Another award came for actress Diane Keaton, while Woody himself was nominated for Best Actor. It was a case of the hard core New York artist being embraced by the Hollywood community he so despised.

    A ground-breaking romantic comedy,  “Annie Hall” took the tried and true “boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back” and created a fourth rule, being “boy loses girl forever,” pumping authenticity into the genre, reality, a reflective slice of life.

    In the immediate years that followed Allen directed and wrote his tribute to Ingmar Bergman, “Interiors,” and then gave us “Manhattan,” which many consider to be his masterpiece.  It was a breathtaking valentine to New York City, a superbly written and directed love story, with remarkable performances from the cast.

    (more…)

  • Wells on the Factor

    Not Oscar-related, but after that whole Jon Voight New York Times op-ed brou-ha-ha, Jeffrey Wells appeared on “The O’Reilly Factor” to speak up on his position (there’s a lot more to the story, so read here for more).

    Check it out…he holds his own pretty well but O’Reilly is expert at bullying, so even someone as steadfast as Wells looks to be on the defensive:

    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Arivh4sf7-Q

  • Standard DVD vs. BluRay

    A friend passed this along recently.  It’s probably old, you’ve all probably seen it, but the “300” bit at the end had me laughing my ass off:

  • NYT Mag chats it up with Seth Rogen and James Franco

    Lynn Hirschberg of The New York Times Magazine sat down with the two stars of David Gordon Green’s “Pineapple Express” recently for a couple of in-depth interviews.  They’re pretty insightful little chats, I have to say.

    Here’s Rogen, who talks about the desire to get laid being at the root of all comedy, his awkward status as a sex symbol and his experiences within the studio system as of late…some brief stuff on “The Green Hornet” as well:

    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02Jjayjmu_M

    And Franco, who, in addition to talking “Pineapple” specifics, reveals that “My Own Private Idaho” was a big impetus for his acting career and even gets into “Milk” a little bit, including what it’s like to kiss Sean Penn:

    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5Pupmdeang

    You can also watch the interviews here.