In Contention

Tag: Emile Hirsch

  • VENICE: ‘Killer Joe,’ ‘The Exchange,’ ‘4:44: Last Day on Earth’

    With two days to go until wrap-up, and a host of journalists having defected to Toronto, one can feel the air not-so-slowly hissing out of the Venice balloon. And while this certainly has its upsides — it no longer takes half an hour to get an espresso as the festival café, for example — it’s difficult to escape the sense that we’re drinking the dregs of the film programme. (If I had a euro for every time I’ve heard the term “front-loaded” uttered around the Lido…)

    Or perhaps not — the festival didn’t start to a tune of critical consensus, and it’s not ending that way, either. Last night, the last of the heavyweight Euro auteurs in competition, Aleksandr Sokurov, unveiled his take on Goethe’s “Faust” — and while I thought it a mostly agonizing misstep for the Russian formalist (with a bevy of walkouts suggesting others agreed), ecstatic applause all the way through the closing credits didn’t bode well for critical consensus. Sure enough, Sight & Sound’s Kieron Corless tweeted this morning that the film is “flawless,” and online bookies appear to be knocking down its Golden Lion odds. To each his own cinema, and all that — but I’ll happily let others have mine, in this case.

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  • Hirsch to join long line of movie Hamlets

    Emile HirschWith three major film adaptations in the latest two decades alone, I wouldn’t have thought “Hamlet” was crying out for another big-screen treatment, but apparently I was wrong. (What’s wrong with Shakespeare’s other plays? Not too shabby, some of ’em.)

    Anyway, news came yesterday that Catherine Hardwicke is to helm the latest outing for the Prince of Denmark, in a film being developed by the rapidly rising Overture Films. No word yet on whether the “Twilight” director’s involvement signals a tween-generation take on the Bard, though Overture has confirmed that the film will refashion as a “suspense thriller” set in contemporary America. (I guess because that 2000 thriller-ized American update with Ethan Hawke never happened? Help me out here.)

    Emile Hirsch will be the latest thesp to step into the role, with Oscar-winning producers Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen (“Milk,” “American Beauty”) boasting that he’ll be the first age-appropriate actor to play the role on film. Oscar nominee Ron Nyswaner (“Philadelphia,” “The Painted Veil”) is handling script duties.

    I can’t say the triple-H combo of Hardwicke, Hirsch and Hamlet has me salivating, but I’ll do my best to keep an open mind. Still, forgive me if I think this joins the mooted “Total Recall” remake as the week’s least necessary announcement. Press release extract after the jump.

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  • 12/1 Oscarweb Round-up

    Christian Bale in Public Enemies(Back from vacation and ready to roll.  Thanks to Guy for keeping the ship sailing during the holiday.)

    • A first peak at what will likely be one of next year’s serious contenders: Michael Mann’s “Public Enemies.” [Empire]

    • TV spotting “Gran Torino” with a little outside-the-beat commentary. [/Film]

    • Carl DiOrio reports on the surprisingly successful box office numbers of “Milk.” [The Hollywood Reporter]

    • Peter Knegt, meanwhile, talks with “The Times of Harvey Milk” helmer Rob Epstein about his 24-year-old documentary and Gus Van Sant’s take on the politician this year. [indieWIRE]

    • And Cristy Lytal catches up with the real-life Cleve Jones (played by Emile Hirsch in Van Sant’s film). [Los Angeles Times]

    • I almost feel this isn’t worth linking, but there isn’t a lot to choose from this morning: Marc Lee rounds up a couple of Oscar blog quotes to assess Kate Winslet’s Oscar hopes.  Are they paying him for this? [Daily Telegraph]

    • Scott Bowles tracks down Bryan Singer and Tom Cruise at the Burbank airport to discuss the risky business of “Valkyrie.” [USA Today]

  • “Yeah, you do, baby.”

    “I enjoy playing real-life people. I’ve always had a knack for taking on characteristics or mannerisms. And I was the most spoiled actor on the movie because I was able to spend every day with the real Cleve [Jones],” who was on set as a historical consultant. “Cleve would watch me and be like, ‘I don’t do that.’ And I’d say, ‘Yeah, you do, baby.’ People don’t always know how they act.”

    -Emile Hirsch talking about his “Milk” performace with New York Magazine’s Emma Rosenblum.  I’m beginning to think Hirsch might be a dark horse of sorts.  Despite his snub last year, something the Academy may (or may not) want to make up to him, the actor has probably the most “showy” supporting turn of the bunch.  And he does a fine job, one of very few performances I’ve been able to tolerate from him.  What’s more, he gets one of the real laugh-out-line zingers that’ll connect with Southern California crowds regarding “a couple Sundays in Orange fucking County.”  You’ll know it when you hear it.

  • My back, my aching back…thoughts on ‘Milk’ and ‘Frost’

    Sean Penn in MilkThis is why I don’t do the festival thing.  Multiple screenings back-to-back always plagues the faculties.

    Anyway, David Poland was eager to iPhone in his “First!” response on “Milk,” and while I agree with his assessment of Sean Penn’s phenomenal portrayal, I can’t share his overall enthusiasm for the film itself.

    On the whole, it’s a shame Gus Van Sant was working from such a by-the-book, greatest hits screenplay, but his creativity as a director allows the film to steer clear of some anticipated pitfalls.  I was more impressed by Josh Brolin’s work than I expected, stepping into what could have been a flat villain role and really bringing some subtlety and layers.  However brief the performance, I think it might be his best work to date.

    Additionally Emile Hirsch, who generally irritates me to know end, added a spark to the film that was pleasantly surprising.  And Harris Savides’s work on the camera, combined with the expected artistry of the editing, elevates Dustin Lance Black’s work to greater heights than it might have deserved.

    More in the way of a review later on.

    Following “Milk” up with “Frost/Nixon” was interesting to say the least.  It’s liberal rah-rahing of a different sort, and I confess I liked the film more than our own Guy Lodge did.  It lags in the first two and a half acts, struggling to find an element that could bring something more to Peter Morgan’s stage play.  When it finds the respect for Nixon that it needs, the film finally understands its own potential.

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  • Greatest non-nominated perfs: too many to count…

    …but I’ll try.  A sprint of sorts through deacades of deserving contenders (in my opinion, of course).

    I ask you this: How did those lovable characters from “The Wizard of Oz,” portrayed so brilliantly by Ray Bolger (Scarecrow), Jack Haley (Tin Man), Bert Lahr (Lion) and Margaret Hamilton (Wicked Witch), fail to be nominated in any of the supporting categories? Any one of them should have won the damned thing let alone be nominated, but in 1939, each and every one of them was snubbed.

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  • Poland calls ‘Speed Racer’ a “masterpiece”

    speedracer1.jpgWell, as usual, he doesn’t come right out and say it, but his implications are obvious.

    This film looks like an absolute headache to me, and considering the Wachowski brothers have not created something that caught my fancy since the first installment of “The Matrix” nine years ago, I’m not holding my breath here. Poland’s endorsement is also no shock given that he has gone into the well for the Wachowskis over and over and over again. I guess if you can find genius in “The Matrix Reloaded” and “V For Vendetta,” you’re bound to find it in what looks, on the surface, to be a bubble gum time warp and nothing more.

    But wait, there are family values!

    I doubt it’s that deep, but David likes what he likes. As do we all. See for yourself.