In Contention

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  • Toasting the ‘Social Network’ DVD release

    Sony pulled out all the stops last night with a big to-do soiree on behalf of the DVD/Blu-ray release of “The Social Network.” You go to these things, you expect a certain level of restraint, and then I’m pulling up to Spago and they’ve got the red carpet rolled out and the flashbulbs are popping and, well — it wasn’t an intimate Il Cielo thing, that’s for sure.  It was a great time, though.

    Tons of cast and crew were on hand.  I finally got some face time with Jesse Eisenberg, who made me totally nervous, to be quite honest.  He has a flustered (but endearing) way about him, and is a true gentleman.  Nevertheless, it seemed to me he wanted out of there.  Hey, it’s a lot to deal with for a young, unassuming actor like him.  He’s right at the front of a massive Oscar campaign for a highly successful film.  What can you say?  Good luck to him.

    I’ve of course already spoken to composer Atticus Ross and film editor Kirk Baxter, but it was nice to put faces to the names.  Trent Reznor couldn’t attend.  Also from the crew was cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth, a great guy.  His first film was Fincher’s “Fight Club” back in 1999.  And Fincher was there.  Didn’t get a chance to speak with him.  Aaron Sorkin and Armie Hammer as well.  A brief exchange with Andrew Garfield.  Most everyone turned out.

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  • 1/7 OSCARWEB ROUND-UP: ‘Exit’ credit complaint, Rudin’s PGA record, tequila and that ‘Black Swan’ lesbian scene

    • Does a complaint about uncredited art used in “Exit Through the Gift Shop” lend credence to the veracity of the film? [The Carpetbagger]

    • Tim Appello on “Black Swan”‘s supposedly tequila-laced lesbian scene. [The Race]

    • The narrative on Peter Weir this year continues to be about the unfortunate fact that he’s part of a dying (if not dead) breed. [The Wrap]

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  • BAFTA announce foreign-language nomineezzzzz

    Along with my annual bewilderment as to the reasoning for BAFTA’s longlist announcement, I’ve never really got why they announce their Best Foreign Language Film nominations separately, 11 days ahead of the other categories. To me, it seems merely an additional way to marginalize an already marginalized category, but what else is new?

    The official line, I believe, is that the head start gives voters extra time to catch up with the nominated films, but when their selections are as obvious and ubiquitous as the five films listed after the jump, is that really necessary? I mean, who isn’t aware of “I Am Love” or “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” by now?

    The continued appearance of the latter film — a sloppy potboiler that may have made bank, but has no business beating, say, “Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives” to a nod — in this category has been one of my biggest bugbears of the season, by the way. (Moreover, its grim appearance on BAFTA’s Best Film longlist, where it is the only foreign-language title to place, suggests it’ll probably win this race in a walk.)

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  • ‘Black Swan,’ ‘King’s Speech’ lead BAFTA longlists

    I’ve never really been sure why BAFTA bothers to announce this stage in their voting process — the 15 names in each category from which the final nominees will be plucked — unless it’s to reveal the extraordinarily narrow range of titles they’re willing to consider for awards in any one field. (Ellen Page for Best Supporting Actress? Seriously, BAFTA? And let’s not even get into those Director and Actor mentions for “Alice in Wonderland.”)

    “Black Swan” and “The King’s Speech” lead the way with 15 longlist mentions apiece. Don’t place too much stock in those numbers (uh, the latter film for visual effects?), but expect robust nomination hauls on 18 January. One can largely anticipate that announcement by noting the five contenders in each category marked with an asterisk — those indicate the relevant voting branch’s top selections, and the eventual nominees usually differ only by one or two names, if at all.

    It’s mostly predictable stuff, but there are a few interesting developments, particularly concerning two category placements that have been hotly debated all season.

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  • “What’s in the box?!”

    The guys who put this together should start a series. The end of “The Usual Suspects,” please?

  • Suddenly I want to watch ‘Ghostbusters’ RIGHT NOW

    Courtesy of /Film:

  • TECH SUPPORT INTERVIEW: The construction of ‘The Social Network’

    One of the immediately striking things about Aaron Sorkin’s screenplay for “The Social Network” is its assemblage, the manner in which he chose to tell the story with cascading elements of the narrative. And when you bring on a meticulous craftsman like David Fincher to direct a film already detailed in its larval stage, you can bet that the attention to each moving part and how it fits into the whole will be amplified.

    So it is that the construction of “The Social Network” — and the contributions from its below-the-line crew toward those ends — could be the most defining aspect of a film dominating the precursor awards circuit to date.  I recently spoke to film editors Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter, sound mixers Ren Klyce and Michael Semanick and composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross to discuss those various moving parts, as well as their collaboration with a filmmaker who shows great respect for their art forms.

    Wall and Baxter don’t go back all that far with Fincher, believe it or not. They’re first pass on one of his films was 2007’s “Zodiac,” which was largely Wall’s film but Baxter was brought on to help out a bit. “Once I was in there I was difficult to move,” Baxter says.

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  • Oscar contenders as NFL playoff teams

    I just love this.  I can’t stand baseball, so I missed Movieline’s cute little item drawing parallels between MLB playoff teams and the year’s Oscar contending films back in October.  But you know I’m a pigskin fan, so the latest stab caught my eye.

    I guess you could go the contenders-as-food route if you want to, but, meh, this is more fun.  And it also reminds me that, with my beloved Redskins out of the mix, and with my #2 squad, the Dolphins, also watching from home (to say nothing of the lowly Panthers, third on my totem pole of NFL faves), I should probably pick a horse in this race to rally behind.

    I’ve been calling it Falcons vs. Patriots (ugh) for a few months now, and I’m sticking to that prediction.  Dad’s a Georgia boy and I have nothing against Matty Ice and his boys, so I’ll roll with Atlanta.

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  • Sean Penn to receive PGA’s Stanley Kramer Award

    The press release, in part:

    The Producers Guild of America (PGA), announced today that Sean Penn will be honored with the 2011 Stanley Kramer Award. The award will be presented to Penn at the 22nd Annual Producers Guild Awards ceremony on Saturday, January 22nd at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles.

    The Stanley Kramer Award was established in 2002 to honor a motion picture, producer or other individual, whose achievement or contribution illuminates provocative social issues in an accessible and elevating fashion. Kramer, considered within the film industry to have served as “Hollywood’s Conscience” during his career as a film producer and director, created some of the most respected and successful works in the annals of American motion pictures. He was the master behind such classics as The Caine Mutiny, High Noon, The Defiant Ones, and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.

    Previous recipients of the Kramer award include such films as The Great Debaters, An Inconvenient Truth, Hotel Rwanda, Innocent Voices, In America, Antwone Fisher, and the 2010 winner was PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL ‘PUSH’ BY SAPPHIRE. Sean Penn is the first individual to receive the Guild’s Stanley Kramer Award, and the first recipient of the award in 2002 was the film I AM SAM, which Penn starred in.

    [Photo: 42 West]

  • Kathryn Bigelow speaks up for ‘Winter’s Bone’

    Given that it’s currently fighting tooth and nail for a place in the Academy’s tight Best Picture lineup, scrappy fringe darling “Winter’s Bone” could use some high-profile cheerleaders as we head into the home stretch of voting. And as Steve Pond reports, it just got one, in the shape of reigning Best Picture and Director winner (and member of the Academy’s Board of Governors) Kathryn Bigelow.

    Bigelow, who has some idea how it feels to be the indie spoiler in the race, recently hosted two private screenings of the film — though she has no personal connection to it or to director Debra Granik. (This makes it slightly different to Julia Roberts’ recent Academy-targeted reception for former co-star Javier Bardem.) Speaking to The Wrap, she waxes lyrical on the film:

    I just think it’s a masterful film that deserves exposure – and if I can do anything to help it out, I’m happy to do it … I was fascinated to meet [Debra Granik], because the film is so perfectly crafted. The performances are extraordinary, Jennifer Lawrence is a star turn. And it’s got this prescient knowing, this confidence you feel watching a film that’s haunting and provocative. It’s just a magnificent film.

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  • Robert De Niro to head Cannes jury

    Sure, that Cecil B. DeMille Award at the upcoming Golden Globes is nice enough, but this is the greater honour. Robert De Niro has been selected as the president of the competition jury at this year’s Cannes Film Festival in May — the third time this most European of festivals has tapped an American for the job in four years. (Tim Burton did the honors last year, Sean Penn in 2008.)

    For the past two years, the eventual Palme d’Or winner has seemingly, if not necessarily, borne the fingerprints of the jury president. Isabelle Huppert handed the prize to her friend and collaborator Michael Haneke in 2009 (and took a lot less stick for it than Quentin Tarantino did for rewarding his ex at Venice last year).

    Burton’s reign, meanwhile, culminated in the unusual occurrence of a fantasy film (“Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives”) taking the gold. De Niro somehow seems likely to wield a less assertive stamp on the proceedings, though you never know until the post-fest gossip starts leaking out.

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  • ‘Shutter Island,’ ‘Social Network’ surprise with Cinema Audio Society, ‘TRON’ snubbed

    The immediately striking thing about this year’s slate of nominees from the Cinema Audio Society (which honors sound mixing) is the appearance of “Shutter Island.” This is the film’s second below-the-line guild citation in as many days (following an Art Directors Guild nomination yesterday).

    If it had managed a PGA nomination earlier this week, I’d be saying, “Watch out.”  But the crafts are what were going to help this film along, if anything.  Just remember, there’s a 10th Best Picture slot somewhat up for grabs and there is always the “steak eaters” theory (however overstressed) to consider.  People in the industry do like the film, though maybe for its parts more than their sum.

    The second thing that’s striking is “The Social Network” making it in.  Though that shouldn’t be too unexpected.  It’s an amazing mix from veteran craftsmen.  But could this be the “Finding Neverland” or “Babel” of this year’s slate?  It’s possible.  (Check back later this morning for more on that as today’s Tech Support interview includes sound mixers Ren Klyce and Michael Semanick.)

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  • Life versus art in ‘The Fighter’

    You know by now how much I love “The Fighter” for its odd, jangly fusion of heightened realism and rah-rah studio formula, so it’s never struck me as particularly important how fact-faithful it remains in striking the balance. Still, I rather liked this video, which breaks down not only the liberties the film takes with the truth — but the unexpected loyalties too. As someone who knows slightly less about boxing than I do about aeronautical engineering, I was impressed to note the attention to physical detail in Mark Wahlberg’s under-appreciated performance. (Thanks to Craig Skinner for the link.)

    Also worth passing along is the SoundWorks Collection profile of the film. Have a look at that after the jump.

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  • ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ contest winner(s)!

    First a big thank you to everyone who participated in Monday’s “How to Train Your Dragon” haiku contest. Moving right along here on clearing out my office of the season’s swag!

    There were a number of great entries, but I ultimately settled on Rob T.’s eloquent stab:

    Human and dragon–
    Pray tell, who is the trainer
    And who is the trained?

    However, I also had a soft spot in my heart for what forts cooked up, so I totally have to cough up a consolation prize for that one…

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  • 1/6 OSCARWEB ROUND-UP: Roberts stumps for Bardem, ‘Valentine’ as class commentary, Affleck’s ‘Town’ inspirations

    • Julia Roberts’s Oscar plea for”Biutiful” star Javier Bardem. [Inside Movies]

    • Patrick Goldstein on “Blue Valentine” as a meditation on the class divide. [The Big Picture]

    • Ben Affleck on “The Friends of Eddie Coyle,” “Amores Perros,” “Breaking Away” and “Heat” as inspirations for “The Town.” [The Envelope]

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  • Taking questions for Oscar Talk

    You know the drill.  Rifle off your query and we’ll try to address a few.  PLEASE KEEP IT TO ONE QUESTION, and as always, the fresher the better.  Anything already covered extensively will likely be avoided.

  • ‘Ghost Writer’ surprises as one of five USC Scripter finalists

    The USC Libraries Scripter Award is an annual honor (now in its 23rd year) in recognition of “the best adaptation of the printed word into film.” It is one of the more unique awards along the circuit as it is not only awarded to the screenwriter but the source material’s author, as well.

    Past winners have included “Schindler’s List,” “The Shawshank Redemption” and “No Country for Old Men,” obvious picks in their respective years. But the nature of the award has also generally allowed for some outside-the-box thinking, witnessed in nominations for “Get Shorty,” “The Bourne Supremacy” and “Iron Man,” among others over the years.

    A few years ago the rules for eligibility were extended to include screenplays based on pieces of journalism, comic books and even other screenplays. This is why, it should be noted, that “Toy Story 3” is not eligible for the honor this year: It is a screenplay based on separately created characters rather than the written word.  Also not eligible are foreign language films.

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  • ‘Scott Pilgrim,’ ‘Hereafter’ make visual effects bake-off

    As we await the USC Scripter finalists (which should drop any minute), I should pass along the Academy’s bake-off finalists in the Best Visual Effects category.

    Last month the field was narrowed down to 15 titles. Today, seven titles remain, from which five nominees will be selected in a bake-off (which is an odd extra step now, given that the ultimate nominations field was expanded to five this year). So take two off of the following list:

    “Alice in Wonderland”
    “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1”
    “Hereafter”
    “Inception”
    “Iron Man 2    ”
    “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”
    “TRON Legacy”

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