• Rumors fly concerning Heath Ledger’s Joker making an appearance in “The Dark Knight Rises” via unused footage from “The Dark Knight.” (Not gonna happen.) [Stuff.co.nz]
• Does Natalie Portman’s “Black Swan” weight loss mean Oscar gold? [Movieline]
• David Poland sits down with “Get Low” screenwriters Chris Provenzano and C. Gaby Mitchell. [The Hot Blog]
It’s an Oscar complaint as unfailingly annual as telecast overlength and foreign-language category blunders: with the season so geared towards the glut of prestige titles released in the year’s final quarter, standout contenders from the mist-shrouded months of spring and the previous winter have to fight that much harder to be heard – that is, if anyone is listening at all.
Year after year, numerous early-seen gems slip through the cracks as critics and voters alike rush to crown never, shinier attractions. With that in mind, welcome to First-Half FYC: a new weekly feature at InContention, wherein I’ll shine a light on the worthiest Oscar possibilities (or impossibilities) from the first six months of the 2010 release calendar.
Each week, a different major category will be covered with alternative ballot of five potential nominees – some serious, others playful, some widely celebrated, others largely buried. All, however, are films or individuals that would breathe some fresh air into their respective races.
John Cameron Mitchell’s “Rabbit Hole” landed Independent Spirit nominations for Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Screenplay earlier this morning, but was left off of the Best Picture list. Go figure that one out. This afternoon, via Cinematical, Lionsgate has revealed a striking new poster for the film, one that differs considerably from the more high key art released last month. Check out the full image after the jump.
Via AMPAS press release, the 10 live action shorts shortlisted this year are:
“Ana’s Playground”
“The Confession”
“The Crush”
“God of Love”
“Na Wewe”
“Seeds of the Fall”
“Shoe”
“The Six Dollar Fifty Man”
“Sma Barn, Stora Ord (Little Children, Big Words)”
“Wish 143”
Animated shorts after the jump.
Well, quelle surprise. I’ve been saying for months now that Debra Granik’s solemn Ozark thriller is — even more so than the sunnier, starrier “The Kids Are All Right” — this year’s annointed indie cause in the Oscar race, and this only cements that belief. The film’s impressive showing this morning, coming on the heels of last night’s Gotham Awards triumph, has me more confident than ever that the tiny pic is set to repeat the trajectory “Precious” made last year from Sundance champ to Best Picture nominee.
A number of its companions in the Best Feature race could join in there too, as the Spirits largely favored big-name fare in the top categories: “The Kids Are All Right” took second place in the nomination count, with five, while “Black Swan” and “Rabbit Hole” (which clearly just missed the cut in the feature race) are just behind with four apiece.
• Composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross and sound mixer Ren Klyce talk “The Social Network. [SoundWorks Collection]
• Patrick Goldstein catches up with the idea that the new Disney is pushing hard for “Toy Story 3,” deems it “crazy,” but smartly warns against chafing. [The Big Picture]
• Christopher Nolan circles back around as “Inception” readies for home video release. [Wired]
If you were able to catch the live stream of the 20th anniversary Gotham Awards tonight (nominees here), then you saw the usual slap-dash, boozed up shenanigans.
Debra Granik’s “Winter’s Bone” was carrying the big stick coming in with three nominations and it walked away with two awards, including Best Feature. Most surprising was the film’s hot young thing actress Jennifer Lawrence being upset in the Breakthrough Actor category by “Daddy Longlegs” star Ronald Bronstein. Did signing on to “X-Men: First Class” put a bad taste in voters’ mouths? Hmm…
Speaking of which, Natalie Portman went there in her cheeky intro for Darren Aronofsky’s tribute, mentioning his upcoming “The Wolverine” and “Machine Man.” His tribute reel, with just five films to pull from, looked killer. Talk about the beginnings of a brilliant career.
I’ve already stated my qualified admiration for Steven Antin’s “Burlesque,” likely the only live-action musical angling for a spot in this year’s Best Original Song race. Or two spots, given that we already featured Cher’s deliriously kitsch Diane Warren power ballad “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me” a couple of weeks ago.
Today, it’s Christina Aguilera’s turn to bust her lungs with a nine-octave belter from the film that she herself co-wrote — so while we’re unlikely to be mentioning her name much in the Best Actress race, Xtina could yet add “Academy Award nominee” to her résumé.
The song is something of an anomaly in the gaudy, thrust-heavy production: a stately, classically arranged torch ballad that sounds rather like an offcut from Aguilera’s retro-styled 2006 album “Back to Basics.” (It’s more likely, however, to be an offshoot of her 2010 release “Bionic,” in which the song’s co-writers Sia Furler and Samuel Dixon had a heavy hand.)
I’ve been wondering lately about the below-the-line aspects of “Black Swan” and whether they could find the proper respect even if the film doesn’t take off in the major races. Specifically I’m thinking about Matthew Libatique’s cinematography, Andrew Weisblum’s film editing, Craig Henighan and company’s sound design and Thérèse DePrez’s production design.
On the latter, we’re happy to bring an exclusive video clip spotlighting the design process of the film. These particulars are refined and thematically relevant throughout the film, but they really get vibrantly showcased in a final act that pulls together all of the various threads into one lengthy, jaw-dropping sequence that is no doubt what lingers long after you’ve left the theater.
In the clip, you’ll hear interviews with DePrez and director Darren Aronofsky, who says he has always wanted to work with the designer of films like “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” “American Splendor” and “The Door in the Floor.” It’s a great look behind the scenes of the process of outwardly displaying the inner workings of the piece. Have a look after the jump.
On the precipice of December, the season feels at once stale and fresh. We’re in the post-Thanksgiving food coma paradox that hits every year. But things are going to start heating up real soon.
The last two films out of the gate, “TRON Legacy” and “True Grit” (both ironically starring Jeff Bridges), have already started screening. SAG ballots are already in the hands of nominating committee members and voting deadlines are approaching for various organizations.
The circuit “officially” begins Thursday with the always arbitrary National Board of Review announcement. The Washington, D.C. Area Film Critics Association will get a jump on the critics awards once again when they announce one week from today, while the Los Angeles (12/12) and New York online (12/12) and print (12/13) critics will have their say the following week, as well as the BFCA (12/13) and HFPA (12/14).
The excitement will build to the usual pre-holiday stall and pick right back up on January 4 when the writers and producers guilds announce nominees, followed the same week by the art directors and sound mixers. And the date most will have their eyes on — January 10 — will bring the DGA’s list of contenders. Before you know it we’ll be on a collision course with the January 25 Oscar nominations announcement and things will be mercifully nearing an end.
(UPDATE: Yes, it’s official. Check out the full AMPAS press release after the cut.)
Nikki Finke is reporting over at Deadline that the Academy has asked actors James Franco and Anne Hathaway to host the 83rd annual Academy Awards, and that the pair has accepted the offer. No official word yet and Finke is tossing around “looks like” in quotes, so take it with a grain for the moment. (How does it “look like” someone has accepted something, by the way?)
If true, the duo will follow on the heels of another tandem, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin, who hosted for producers Bill Mechanic and Adam Shankman last year. Both Franco and Hathaway have films in the race this year (as Baldwin and Martin did last year with “It’s Complicated”), but in separate titles — “127 Hours” and “Love & Other Drugs.”
Franco is virtually a lock for a nomination this year. So that would be unique to say the least. Fittingly, Finke hedges her bets later in the report by noting, “That might be the main reason one or both of the stars decide to beg off.”
This is borderline lazy filler and distraction for the time being as the old poll was uber stale, but it’s worth it to put a query like this out there since the Coens will be fodder for plenty of column inches by week’s end.
But it’s worth pointing out that the brothers are more prolific than ever. “True Grit,” opening nationwide December 22, is the duo’s fourth film in as many years, a record streak (though if they had muscled something out in 2002, they would have had a fiver between 2000 and 2004).
The great thing about Coen cinema is that, as identifiable as it is, each film is wildly different from the last. Though they have a signature, their work never stagnates and always remains fresh, vital and progressive. That kind of thing lends itself to favorites so let’s just put the question out there: what is your favorite Coen brothers film to date? Have your say in the left sidebar poll and come on back to the comments section here to debate and discuss your picks.
[Photo: Paramount Pictures]
• Todd Gilchrist talks to the Oscar-winning composer of “The Last Emperor,” Ryûichi Sakamoto. [Cinematical]
• John Lopez, like everyone else, I imagine, is already forecasting a major Oscar presence for Steve Spielberg’s Abraham Lincoln film. [Little Gold Men]
• Exclusively revealing the 33 animated shorts qualifying for this year’s Oscar race. [Cartoon Brew]
“Megamind” held pretty well for a fourth weekend, though of course it would given the holiday. “The Social Network,” meanwhile, crossed $90 million, which ought to be considered a big deal for a talky fall drama with no movie stars. “127 Hours” added nearly 200 screens and almost pushed into the top 10, while “Love & Other Drugs” opened to a soft $14 million for the five-day. “Tangled” did close to $70 million for the five-day.
(Courtesy: Exhibitor Relations)
It’s been five years since an American film topped the annual poll of venerable British film mag Sight & Sound, and even longer since a major studio picture took the honor. So congratulations are in order to “The Social Network,” which received the most votes across the selection of 85 international critics invited to submit their top five films of 2010, following in the footsteps of “Brokeback Mountain,” “Hidden,” “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days,” “Hunger” and “A Prophet.” (The last-named film appears again in this year’s list, thanks to the votes of critics who came to it later.)
That David Fincher’s film should have won out in a poll traditionally dominated by world arthouse cinema suggests it could well be the most-favored title in next month’s avalanche of US critics’ awards, positioning it as the discerning voter’s alternative to more milquetoast bait in the Oscar race. “The King’s Speech,” of course, doesn’t even come near the magazine’s Top 12 (usually a Top 10, extended due to ties); indeed, of all films even remotely in the Oscar conversation, only “Another Year” and “Winter’s Bone” (surfacing in some interesting places, that one) feature.