In Contention

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  • Arthur Penn (1922-2010)

    I had a bad feeling that after Gloria Stuart and Sally Menke we were bound to get a third (as it always happens), and so we have.  Arthur Penn has passed away a day after his 88th birthday.  He’s obviously best known for helming 1968’s “Bonnie and Clyde,” which changed the face of American cinema at a time captured brilliantly in Mark Harris’s “Pictures at a Revolution,” but there were other gems along the way like “Mickey One,” “Little Big Man” and “The Missouri Breaks.” Not to mention trailblazing work on the small screen (specifically during the 1960 presidential debates) and on the stage.  He will be missed.

    After the break, John F. Kennedy’s closing statements from the October 21, 1960 presidential debate, which Penn directed.

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  • 9/29 OSCARWEB ROUND-UP: Franco’s poem picks, Bender remembers Menke, Reznor and Ross at a steal

    • James Franco, also starring in “Howl” this year, selects his favorite poems. [Vulture]

    • In remembering film editor Sally Menke, Lawrence Bender discusses the “Hi, Sally” Tarantino tradition. [Arts Beat]

    • Anne Thompson talks, well, a whole bunch of stuff with a busy Guillermo Del Toro. [Thompson on Hollywood]

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  • London fest honors Boyle, announces award shortlist

    The 2010 London Film Festival only kicks off in two weeks’ time, but with press screenings having started on Monday, I’m already feeling the festival spirit. (Those of you who follow my Twitter feed may have noticed some 140-character reviews trickling through.)

    Without a major world premiere like “Frost/Nixon” or “Fantastic Mr. Fox” in this year’s lineup, the LFF looks to be a more local affair than recent editions, but they’re still luring in big-name visitors — some of them with the promise of more awards hardware.

    Today, LFF organizers revealed the 11-film shortlist for the festival’s second annual Best Film award, which will be determined by the eminently classy jury of president Patricia Clarkson, Sandy Powell, Gabriel Byrne and Shekhar Kapur. (Should be a cushier judging assignment for Kapur than his Cannes juror stint earlier this year.)

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  • LIFE WITHOUT OSCAR: 1979 and 1980

    Catch up with the idea behind this series here.

    After I saw “Apocalypse Now,” I thought to myself that it was a much, much better movie than “Kramer vs. Kramer.” A quick glance at the internets revealed that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had already determined that “Kramer vs. Kramer” was in fact, the better film. How could I be so wrong? Oh well, can’t argue with those arts and sciences people.

    That same bunch nominated Edouard Molinaro as Best Director, for a foreign film about a gay couple no less. Who says the Academy isn’t progressive? They also awarded Meryl Streep her first Oscar on her second attempt, clearly worried that there may never be another chance to honor her.

    Family drama continued to dominate as the 1980’s rolled around when “Ordinary People” scooped the top prizes for Robert Redford. Poor old Marty Scorsese sentiment began right around then, but it should be noted that it was kind of his fault that the ceremony was delayed a day, after “Taxi Driver” obsessed John Hinckley Jr. tried to assassinate Ronald Reagan for Jodie Foster. Take it away, Johnny Carson!

    Miss Piggy: Jonathan, you saw “The Muppet Movie.” Can you stand there, in your rented tuxedo, and tell me that I am not Oscar material?
    Johnny Carson: Oscar Mayer maybe.

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  • Bardem on his role in González Iñárritu’s “masterpiece”

    Following Mexico’s submission of “Biutiful” to the Academy yesterday, I wrote that I’m sceptical about the film’s chances of nabbing a Best Foreign Language Film nod — but if Roadside Attractions really put some welly into their campaign, a Best Actor nomination for Javier Bardem is looking quite conceivable.

    As a contender, the performance comes with some obvious handicaps. The actors’ branch can be resistant to foreign-language work at the best of times — not least in the Best Actor category, where no non-English performance has been nominated since Roberto Benigni’s 1998 win — and the grim, oblique film won’t be to the taste of many voters.

    (It’s interesting that Roadside face a similar challenge, minus the language barrier, to secure a nod for their Best Actress hopeful Jennifer Lawrence. They certainly haven’t picked the cuddliest of ponies.)

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  • The Cain and Abel of ‘Social Network’

    As much as the film ticks certain prestige-film boxes — hell, it’s a socially conscious biopic from a respected, Oscar-nominated filmmaker — I still find myself doing something of a double-take when I hear “The Social Network” referred to as the Best Picture contender to beat. When was the last time a film so steeped in contemporary youth culture found itself in that position? (And no, “Slumdog Millionaire” does not count.)

    Complementing the film’s preoccupation with a relatively recent chapter of pop culture is a bold stroke of new-generation casting: its three male principals are all under 30, and not yet tapped by the wand of major movie stardom.

    The long-ubiquitous Justin Timberlake aside, it’s not hard to imagine some older Academy members puzzling over their screeners: “Who are these kids?” (Then again, those same folks might also be wondering what the hell Facebook is. It’s only mental scenes like this that give me pause when considering its awards prospects.)

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  • Malick’s ‘Thin Red Line’ shines on Criterion Blu

    If you’re sitting there right now, reading these words, killing time, nothing much to do this afternoon, do yourself a favor — go out and buy the new Criterion Blu-ray release of Terrence Malick’s “The Thin Red Line.”

    I’ve been delighting in this top 10 all-timer all week, probably my most anticipated home video release since, oh, “Batman” hit VHS during the holidays in 1989?  Naturally, there is no on-screen involvement from Malick, but there is plenty to explore.

    First, let’s start with the film itself.  John Toll’s gorgeous, mesmerizing photography pops with crystal clarity as, finally, his work on the film gets the treatment it deserves.  The sound is also striking (though let me know if I’m the only one who notices it pop in suddenly over the title screen), the mix of elements and Hans Zimmer’s score truly immersive.

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  • Richard Tillman does Bill Maher

    Brother of Pat Tillman, subject of the documentary “The Tillman Story.” From the September 24 episode of “Real Time,” a fantastic interview (and if I heard Maher correctly, his only appearance to promote the film):

    By the way, from the same episode (despite the error in plot description):

    New Rule: If they’re going to make a historical epic full of British actors in period costumes about Queen Elizabeth II helping her father get over his speech impediment, why bother having the Oscars at all? You win. Unless someone in America is making a movie where Meryl Streep teaches Anne Frank how to box, we give up.

  • Bye Sally

    This is just the most awful news to wake up to.  Truly tragic, a blow right from left field.

    Film editor Sally Menke, long-time friend and collaborator with Quentin Tarantino who helped craft his films into some of the most memorable pieces of cinema ever, has passed away today at the far-too-young age of 56.  Menke was hiking yesterday in Griffith Park.  Her body was found around 2:15 am this morning and though a cause of death has not been confirmed, it appears yesterday’s record-breaking heat wave (temperatures got up to 113 degrees in downtown) could be the culprit.

    This is just terrible, but (and again, the heat isn’t a confirmed factor yet), it raises a truly serious issue.  Take care of yourself in this kind of weather.  A talented contributor to the art form that makes everyone reading these words tick is gone and for what?

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  • 9/28 OSCARWEB ROUND-UP: Stuart passes, Zuckerberg gets a comic book, ‘Back to the Future’ celebrates an anniversary

    • Gloria Stuart dies at 100. [Associated Press]

    • Mark Zuckerberg: the comic book. [Hollywood Reporter]

    • AMC Theatres will take 40 cities across the U.S. “Back to the Future” for the film’s 25th anniversary. [Script to Screen]

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  • ‘Biutiful’ enters foreign Oscar race

    The list of submissions for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar has been fairly short on widely-known auteur names thus far, so expect a lot of awards-watchers to zero in on Alejandro González Iñárritu’s “Biutiful,” which has just been announced as Mexico’s official entry in the race.

    As with “Pan’s Labyrinth” four years ago, the country has opted for a high-profile Spanish co-production — set and filmed in Barcelona with a Spanish cast — with the Cannes seal of approval.

    Given its name appeal, and the likely accompanying push for star Javier Bardem in the Best Actor category, many might see “Biutiful” as a slam-dunk for a nomination, but I remain less sure. (Even if Bardem does pull through, it could still miss in the foreign race — see “Volver” in 2006.) The film is a relentlessly downbeat and occasionally inscrutable slog that has so far inspired as much critical scorn as admiration — it won’t enjoy the same hip cache that helped Iñárritu to a nomination here 10 years ago for the more universally liked “Amores Perros.”

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  • No column today

    Five and a half hours in the car from San Francisco, DMV nightmares, a premiere I may or may not make it to this evening (oh, and a fantasy football weekend dependent on more than a few miracles tonight).  Suffice it to say, I don’t think I’ll be getting around to a column this afternoon, and even if I did, I’m not sure I’d have all that much to say (and certainly wouldn’t expect to change much on the charts; though note a few changes have been made throughout the week, which will be addressed in the sidebar soon).  We’ll let it marinate an extra week.  At least I had a stunning new “True Grit” trailer waiting for me when I got back to this 114 degree weather.  I’ll stand by that Roger Deakins prediction, thanks very much.

  • ‘True Grit’ teaser trailer

    Well, they held out on us for long enough, but we have finally been afforded a glimpse of the year’s last major awards hopeful. It’s short, sweet and pleasingly oblique — but you only need watch the first few seconds to know we’re in for something a bit more substantial than the creaky 1969 oater that won John Wayne his gold-watch Oscar. At this teaser stage, they’re still keeping Jeff Bridges’s expectation-laden performance under wraps, showcasing newcomer Hailee Steinfeld instead — and she evidently has a lot to chew on. Meanwhile, whatever the fate of the film, it looks like we can write DP Roger Deakins’s umpteenth nom down in ink. Click on the image to check out the trailer via Apple, or watch the embed after the jump.

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  • ‘Another Year’ UK poster

    Honestly, I’m not crazy about the execution in this case, but I’m always pleased to see poster designers trying illustrative concepts ahead of lazy photographic floating-head templates. I imagine Sony Pictures Classics will dream up something quite different for the US market. Incidentally, anybody looking to this poster for clues as to how the actors are being classified will come up empty — Jim Broadbent, Ruth Sheen and prime awards hopeful Lesley Manville are alphabetically billed as co-leads, which is arguably how it should be. If you need a refresher, here are my thoughts on the film from Cannes, and Kris’s from Telluride.

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  • ‘127 Hours,’ ‘Social Network’ up for Hollywood fest honors

    The press release, in part:

    The 14th Annual Hollywood Film Festival and Hollywood Awards, presented by Starz, are pleased to announce that producers Danny Boyle and Christian Colson will be honored with the “Hollywood Producer Award,” screenwriter Aaron Sorkin will get the “Hollywood Screenwriter Award,” and Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall will be honored with the “Hollywood Editor Award” at the festival’s Hollywood Awards Gala Ceremony…

    “We are honored to recognize these exceptionally talented artists for their outstanding work and creative vision at this year’s Hollywood Awards Gala,” said [founder Carlos] de Abreu.

    Full list of honorees announced thus far after the jump.

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  • 9/27 OSCARWEB ROUND-UP: ‘Wall Street’ timing, Oscar’s love affair with social relevance and a real-life ‘Whistleblower’

    • Does “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” have poor timing Oscar-wise? (Or, I don’t know, did it just kinda stink?) [The Guardian]

    • On Kathy Bolkovac, the real-life whistleblower of Toronto title “The Whistleblower.” [Lincoln Journal Star]

    • Andrew Garfield has played “Spider-Man” before, FYI. [Daily Telegraph]

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  • BOX OFFICE: ‘Money,’ baby

    Dropped some dollars on “Devil” Friday night. I didn’t hate it. That’s at least going in the right direction, right?

    [Courtesy: Exhibitor Relations]

  • ‘Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer’ trailer

    At this point, one of the films I’m most looking forward to is Alex Gibney’s “Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer.” In a year rife with Wall Street fiction and documentation on celluloid, this fits right in and, by all accounts, it’s a masterful piece of work.  The film releases on demand and iTunes October 1, then hits theaters on November 5.  Check out the trailer via Apple by clicking the image below or watch an embed after the jump.

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