In Contention

Tag: An Education

  • THE LISTS: Top 10 actors under 30

    Abbie Cornish in CandyI wrote recently about how this year’s Best Actress race seems to ushering in a striking new wave of young talent, from the elfin throwback charm of Carey Mulligan to the rawer screen presence of Gabourey Sidibe, while a range of youthful names, from the long-hyped Abbie Cornish to the out-of-nowhere Katie Jarvis, have been racking up critical plaudits all year.

    Whether Academy voters comply or not, it’s hard to disagree that it’s a good year to be a fresh face.

    Meanwhile, the industry’s male twentysomethings may have enjoyed less frenzied acclaim than their fairer counterparts, but the likes of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ben Whishaw and – yes – Shia LaBeouf have kept things ticking over for the generation quite respectably.

    So, with the teen-driven narratives of “An Education” and “Precious” heading for theaters soon, and with the youth romance of “Bright Star” currently pleasing older arthouse audiences, it seemed an apt moment to celebrate the new guard by ranking the finest talent that the born-after-1980 generation has to offer.

    And believe me when I tell you it was one of the trickiest lists I’ve ever compiled on this site. The more I contemplated recent successes and breakthroughs, the longer the shortlist of candidates grew, spanning Academy-endorsed names already on the A-list (Natalie Portman, Jake Gyllenhaal) to quirkier talents from the indie and foreign sectors (Sam Riley, Emilie Dequenne). I like to think that the fact that I struggled as much as I did to narrow the list down to 10 names bodes very well for the future.

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  • ‘Education’ on the march

    (from left) Peter Sarsgaard and Carey Mulligan in An EducationI didn’t really talk too much about Lone Sherfig’s “An Education” when I saw it a few months ago beyond starting the drum circle on Alfred Molina’s wonderfully warm, authentic performance.  But I find the film on my mind more and more with an October 9 limited release right around the corner.

    The film is sublime and in perhaps (for me) the best movie year of the decade, it continues to stand out as one of the 2009’s most refined films on nearly every level.  The acting, of course, is impeccable.  I couldn’t possibly write anything new about Carey Mulligan’s work, and Peter Sarsgaard, who will hopefully be in the awards conversation but could be unfortunately forgotten in the clutter, delivers his finest work since “Shattered Glass” (and probably ever).  The entire cast, in fact (and as noted in this space) is likely to get a well-deserved SAG ensemble nod.

    Back in June I wrote that “An Education” was an example of “that rare occasion when a filmmaker taps into profound truths with the help of a cast that gets it, the themes surging through every vein, a driven vehicle of purpose.”  I don’t feel any different today.

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  • Carey Mulligan: “I was always jealous of the ingenues”

    This NYT chat with “An Education” star Carey Mulligan is weeks old, but for some reason I hadn’t seen it before. I love the conversational looseness of these Screen Test videos: topics on the menu include the demise of the one-liner, dressing as a hooker for “Public Enemies,” and her earliest movie memory of “The Land Before Time.” (Jeez, I’m old.)

    All the while, her quest to be the most adorable person on the planet is chugging along nicely. As for that voice … well, I’m not going to get tired of hearing her speak this awards season. (Just as well, really, since we’ll be hearing her a lot.)

  • Nick Hornby on writing ‘An Education’

    Nick HornbyAmid the swirl of hype for “An Education” that’s been building for eight months now, there’s been surprisingly little mention of the man who is easily the biggest name involved with the film: superstar novelist Nick Hornby, whose free adaptation of Lynn Barber’s memoir looks certain to land him in the Best Adapted Screenplay pack.

    The film is only Hornby’s second successful stab at writing for film, 12 years after he adapted his own novel “Fever Pitch” for the screen. However, as he states in this Wall Street Journal interview, the gap between screen credits wasn’t for lack of trying:

    While several of his novels have been successfully adapted into movies, including “High Fidelity” and “About a Boy,” the 52-year-old Mr. Hornby has seen most of his screenplays fizzle in development, including a collaboration with actress Emma Thompson that “we just couldn’t get right.”

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  • Supporting actors, step forward

    Christoph Waltz in Inglourious BasterdsA while back, certain folks were (rather unfairly) dredging up the routine annual complaint about the supposed scarcity of viable Best Actress contenders. Dave Karger, however, has located the real weak spot of this year’s awards race, and it concerns the opposite sex for a change: where, he asks, are the Best Supporting Actor standouts?

    Pound for pound, I tend to find Best Supporting Actor the least compelling of the acting races, a haven for affectionately regarded stalwarts in bit parts that are frequently less than challenging. The last two years have raised the bar considerably, but recent wins for Morgan Freeman, Alan Arkin and Michael Caine are typical of the laziness with which the Academy often treats the category.

    Even by the category’s usual standards, however, this year’s pickings look unusually lean, as Karger narrows the serious contenders so far to a scant three.

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  • Here come the girls

    Saoirse Ronan in The Lovely BonesI know I’m hardly the first person to mention it, but as I was fiddling around with my predictions recently, I was struck once more by just how young the Best Actress category is skewing.

    At present, 15 year-old Saoirse Ronan is the only teenager being talked up for a nomination, but with three other solid contenders — Carey Mulligan, Gabourey Sidibe and Abbie Cornish — all playing teens in their respective vehicles, you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise. (As if that weren’t enough, in a perfect world, 18 year-old Katie Jarvis would be leading the field for “Fish Tank.” We can but dream.)

    Meanwhile, you can bet that a sizable number of Academy members are under the impression that waif-like 24 year-old it-girl Mulligan (the current frontrunner for “An Education,” in case you need reminding), and especially 26 year-old non-pro Sidibe (whose buzz for “Precious” has rocketed since Toronto), are even younger than they are.

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  • Mulligan, Renner, Daniels, Sidibe, Neustadter, Webb to receive Hollywood film fest awards

    Jeremy Renner in The Hurt LockerThe Hollywood Film Festival has become just another stop on the awards campaign trail these days, various publicists getting in the ears of festival directors to make sure their clients get their (in most cases deserved) props as the season takes hold, amping up the exposure, etc.  So with that in mind, the list of award recipients for this year’s Hollywood Film Festival have been announced.

    Carey Mulligan and Jeremy Renner will receive the Breakthrough Actress and Breakthrough Actor awards, having made an impact in “An Education” and “The Hurt Locker” respectively.  Mulligan seems a cinch for a lead actress Oscar nomination, while Renner, in the typically more competitive lead actor category, may be somewhat on the bubble.

    Lee Daniels will receive the Breakthrough Director Award for “Precious,” while the film’s star, Gabourey Sidibe, will received the New Hollywood Award.  Both deserve any and every awards notice they will get this season.

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  • London fest adds awards, goes heavy on Clooney

    George Clooney in Up in the AirWhile still ensconced in Venice, I must admit that the thought of diving into another festival makes me slightly dizzy — but the London Film Festival doesn’t care about that. LFF artistic director Sandra Hebron unveiled a strong lineup this morning, but the real news is that they have added a bevy of awards to their trophy cabinet.

    In addition to their existing honors, including the Sutherland Trophy for best debut feature and the Grierson Award for best documentary, the festival will, for the first time, hand out an overall Best Film award, as well as an honor for Best British Newcomer. Meanwhile, the British Film Institute will award writing and directing fellowships. Compounding these changes, the festival will, for the first time, hold a formal awards ceremony on the final day.

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  • TELLURIDE: ‘An Education,’ ‘Bright Star,’ ‘London River’

    London RiverThis year’s Telluride fest is slowly gearing up.  There are a handful of press screenings this afternoon and the opener, Marco Bellochio’s “Vincere,” is set to play at 5:00pm.  I’ll probably miss that in order to take in “The Last Station,” which if it picks up a buyer, could make good on awards potential for Christopher Plummer and James McAvoy.

    Before things get going, though, I though it best to clear the slate with a few reactions to films playing here which I’ve already seen.  More to come later this evening, I’m sure.

    “An Education” (****)

    Few films are likely to have the refined air of artistry that Lone Scherfig’s “An Education” offers.  Based on a memoir by Lynn Barber, the story is, in a nutshell, that of a young girl eager to grow up but unprepared for the disappointments of adulthood.  But the film is, of course, so much more than that.

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  • Previewing the 34th annual Toronto fest

    TorontoIn less than a week I will kiss my wife and kids goodbye and head into Toronto, about 50 miles away, for this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. Twelve years ago my wife and I found it makes no sense for me to attend the festival for 16 to 18 hours and then try to drive home; beyond the danger of driving exhausted, arriving home at three in the morning tends to wake them up because our stupid, stupid dog begins barking the moment anyone pulls into the driveway. So for 10 days I live in the Delta Chelsea Hotel on Gerrard Street.

    This year I am finding leaving for the festival easier. Last year my wife Sherri was diagnosed with brain cancer and dealt with the removal of part of a considerable brain tumor. We went through radiation last summer, the loss of her beautiful, lush red hair, and the constant exhaustion she had to deal with. Cancer, sadly, is a family affair, and not something anyone should go through alone.  But this year we are in a good place.  The monster seems to be at bay, for now.

    So what I am looking forward to seeing?  Well first let me state that I’m shocked “Where the Wild Things Are,” “Amelia” and a handful of other films are not here. They seemed like good fits for the festival, their filmmakers have been here before, etc.  That said, it looks like one of the best festivals in recent memory, though I am not sure anything will ever beat out 2007, which presented a bounty of great pictures.  I was leaving screening room after screening room giddy.

    This year looks like a challenge for even the toughest film fester. Choosing the films to see is the toughest part because there is no chance you’ll see everything you want to see. There are generally three of four press/industry screenings at the Varsity, Cumberland or new AMC Theatres, as well as the public screenings which the press have limited access to. Our press pass allows us access to six (I think) Gala performances in the evening, but they sell out quickly. There is also a DVD library where you can watch the films in the rooms provided on your own, but films are meant to be seen on the big screen.

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  • Did Michelle Monaghan just enter the Best Actress race?

    Michelle Monaghan in TruckerI haven’t seen James Mottern’s “Trucker,” which had a world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival and was praised in many quarters, most agreeing that Michelle Monaghan’s lead performance was awards caliber.

    Ironically, the press release (published in part after the jump) quotes The Hollywood Reporter’s Roger Friedman front and center just a few days after he bemoaned what he perceived as a weak year for Best Actress contenders.

    The strongest contenders right now look to be Meryl Streep in “Julie & Julia,” Carey Mulligan in “An Education” and, sight unseen, Hilary Swank in “Amelia.”  If enough voters see “The Burning Plain,” Charlize Theron certainly has a shot.  But the bubble is big on this race, I’ll give Friedman that.

    Monterey Media has decided to release the film up for an October 9 release, right in the middle of the awards season.  We all know surprise contenders show up sooner or later.  Maybe we’re looking at our first one right here.

    A snippet of the press release after the jump.

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  • Banging the drum for women

    Andrea ArnoldI’ve already mooted the possibility of 2009 being a history-making year for female filmmakers at the Oscars. Whether or not awards season plays along in a few months’ time, however, there’s no denying it’s been a banner year for women behind the camera — both in terms of quantity (for starters, Cannes had more female-helmed films in competition than ever before) and quality (my three favorite films of the year so far all fall under the category).

    The media is clearly sensing the trend, too. In a handy roundup, The Auteurs points to an unusual confluence of assorted female-focused coverage this last weekend alone, from The Observer’s excellent interview with Andrea Arnold, director of the terrific Brit drama “Fish Tank,” to a New York Times piece in which Michael Cieply digs into the numbers supporting the truth that Hollywood is still very much a man’s world:

    What the count shows is that Hollywood directors are pretty much what they have always been: a small brotherhood of highly skilled craftsmen — more than 90 percent this year are men — who could hit or miss with any given film, but who tend to have solid experience.

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  • 8/24 Web Round-up

    Carey Mulligan in An Education• Carey Mulligan praises “An Education” writer Nick Hornby for being objective with her character. [New York Magazine]

    • Gene Simmons tapped to vocalize Del Toro’s “Wolf Man.” [Contact Music]

    • Fear not, there’s hope for more “Beavis and Butt-Head” on the horizon. [Collider]

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  • Carey Mulligan becomes a Gekko, joins ‘Wall Street’ sequel cast

    Carey MulliganActress Carey Mulligan (she’s worth a double-dip today) will ignite the awards circuit this year.  Just you wait.  Most lead actress races will likely pit her against living legend Meryl Streep, giving her all the more clout as anyone who goes toe-to-toe with Streep enjoys the boost of simply being in her company.  I anticipate Mulligan could be so respected for her work in “An Education” that, with the right campaign, she could win an Oscar for her efforts.

    And now she’s filling out the next phase of her career nicely, joining the already impressive cast of Oliver Stone’s forthcoming “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.”  Entertainment Weekly’s Nicole Sperling reports (though Latino Review broke the story first back in June and, I’m sorry to say, I missed it) Mulligan has been picked to play the estranged daughter of Michael Douglas’s legenday Gordon Gekko character.

    Mulligan will share the screen with Shia LaBeouf, Josh Brolin and Frank Langella in what is turning into one of the must-see films of next year.  Her character will be romantically linked to LaBeouf’s, Sperling reports.

    Meanwhile, audiences await the release of “An Education,” which will no doubt mark Mulligan’s star-making moment and perhaps rack up a healthy kudo total along the way.  She deserves it.  Guy pointed to some nice notices on the web earlier this morning.

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  • Nathaniel Rogers boards the Mulligan express

    Carey Mulligan“An Education” and its breakout star Carey Mulligan continue to slay bloggers wherever they go. Chief cheerleader Jeff Wells hasn’t stopped talking about the film since its Sundance bow in January, and you’ll remember that Kris joined the fan club (with added props for Alfred Molina) in June.

    Sasha Stone was sufficiently dazzled by Mulligan’s work to place her at the top of a list of today’s finest young actresses. Now The Film Experience’s Nathaniel Rogers, the guy for whom Best Actress is the most holy of all award categories, has seen the film, and is rendered virtually speechless by Mulligan’s performance:

    just… WOW

    We’re still five plus months away from nominations but, for the moment, it looks like a Carey vs. Meryl showdown on March 7th, 2010.

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  • Better education

    Thanks to Glenn at Stale Popcorn for pointing out this Australian one-sheet for “An Education.” It’s not much more revealing of the film at hand than the rather vague American version, but for me, it’s a significant improvement in terms of design and composition.

    And expression, too: Carey Mulligan’s melancholy moue gives slightly more indication of the dramatic stakes here than her impassive face in the U.S. poster. (Plus, showing a bit of Paris will always earn bonus points from me.) Looking forward to seeing what the Brit designers conjure up in the quad format.

    An Education (Australian poster)

  • Say it isn’t so

    The ObserverSorry for veering away from movies for a minute, but no true friend of journalism can afford not to care about the likely imminent closure of The Observer.

    The world’s first Sunday newspaper, founded in 1791, and still one of the greatest weekly reads in circulation, looks headed for the chop as the Guardian Media Group (owners of The Observer and its daily sister paper The Guardian) begins some recession-induced downsizing.

    Among its numerous other journalistic virtues, the paper is currently home to Philip French, one of the UK’s most venerable film critics, and Lynn Barber, the interviewer par excellence whose life serves as the inspiration for the much-anticipated fall release “An Education.”

    It’d be sad to see such essential writers out on their ear. And my hungover Sunday breakfasts would be a lot less edifying without them and their paper.

  • TECH SUPPORT: Best Costume Design — Volume I

    (from left) Ben Wishaw and Abbie Cornish in Bright StarMovie stars are often given much attention for the fashion that they sport off-screen. Seldom does the on-screen attire garner as much publicity.

    Nevertheless, the Academy Award for Best Costume Design recognizes those talented men and women who design the threads actors wear on screen. Not only does this work add to the elegance and authenticity of the film, but it can also express the character and the period, mood and setting of the piece.

    For the last three years, this category has chosen films which have highlighted the extravagant attire of the upper class from centuries ago. Period films almost always triumph in this field and, in fact, garner the vast majority of nominations, though a spot or two is usually reserved every year for a fantasy effort.

    This is also a category which tends to reward designers who have been around a long time, with most nominees every year having been in the race before, although a spot or two is almost always reserved for a newcomer as well. And unlike many other crafts categories, the costume branch does not seem averse to nominating a film which scores in few if any other places.

    The most likely nominee this year, if not the most likely winner (sight unseen, of course), might be Janet Patterson for “Bright Star.” This Jane Campion effort was very well received at Cannes in May and the crafts look exquisite. Patterson, who landed two of her three previous nominations for Campion collaborations (“The Piano” and “Portrait of a Lady”), looks likely to return to the race after 12 years. I’d be surprised if she failed to be nominated.

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