In Contention

Tag: Inception

  • Guard your secrets

    Yes, another “Inception” post — the wilting lettuce garnish and half-nibbled canapés that make up this year’s summer-movie buffet aren’t providing us with a wealth of conversation topics, you may have noticed.

    Brent Lang’s lengthy piece in The Wrap on the film’s marketing strategy covers a familiar angle: positioning the film as the Great White Hope for original material in rehash-crazy Hollywood, while noting the commercial risks posed by its cerebral subject matter in the current climate. (Less familiar is the description of “Public Enemies” as a “high-concept” blockbuster — huh? — but Lang gets his point across.)

    Two things in the article, however, struck me as worthy of mention. The first, which may or may not be significant, is that Lang relies largely on the internet community for quotes, tapping Drew McWeeny of HitFix, Mike Sampson of JoBlo, Steve Weintraub of Collider and Alex Billington of FirstShowing ahead of any print journos or industry representatives.

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  • Hollywood’s hunt for originality

    A few days after Anne Thompson and I spent a considerable amount of time discussing Hollywood’s current larger-than-normal blind spot for originality, two pieces have hit the web reporting on mass industry hysteria and a search for original work.  Behold our power!

    Just kidding.  Anyway, writing at NY Mag culture blog Vulture, Claude Brodesser-Akner writes, “Warner Bros., Paramount/DreamWorks, and Universal are now madly pinging agents and managers with an uncharacteristic, desperate, and welcome request: Send us your fresh material!”  Nikki Finke, meanwhile, quotes an agent as saying, “I have three heads of studios coming into my office. They’re completely at a loss about what to do.”

    Meanwhile, franchises, sequels and remakes aren’t reaching (however elevated) box office expectations.  And the one film everyone’s looking forward to?  The one we all expect to cash in?  Christopher Nolan’s “Inception.” Maybe there’s a change of tide, or maybe this is nothing more than a test string from studio heads.  Discuss.

  • Christopher Nolan speaks out on 3D

    Even with “Inception” still unseen, media and fans alike are hopefully positioning Christopher Nolan as both the artistic and commercial savior of the Hollywood blockbuster in this dreariest of summers. So his views on the lingering point of contention that is 3D strike me as more pertinent than most. And while lofty names from Scorsese to Herzog are boarding the bandwagon, it seems that Nolan — for the time being, at least — remains a sceptic.

    Writing for the LA Times, Geoff Boucher details a Q&A with Nolan that he hosted this weekend, in which the director dwelt on the industry’s current favorite fad, and indirectly alluded to pressure from certain quarters to make the next “Batman” instalment in 3D. At this stage, however, he finds the technology lacking:

    It’s all based on all the visual-effects technology, you know, that we’re currently most engaged in with match moving, so forth, and rendering 2-D imagery into a 3-D space. … On a technical level, it’s fascinating, but on an experiential level, I find the dimness of the image extremely alienating.

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  • OSCAR TALK: Ep. 27 — Special Edition! — Quick Cannes review, bleak summer season so far, counter-programming

    Oscar TalkWelcome to Oscar Talk, your one-stop kudocast between yours truly and Anne Thompson of Thompson on Hollywood.

    In the second of three off-season discussions, Anne and I address the following today:

    • Since we haven’t talked since Cannes, Anne talks about the stronger titles from the Croisette as well as various news and notes that came out of the fest.

    • We’re in the middle of the summer, and as far as we can tell, it’s bleak out there. We discuss the lackluster box office so far and the potential hope of what’s still to come.

    • One of those hopes is Pixar’s “Toy Story 3,” which Anne enjoyed. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen it yet.

    • Another hope would be counter-programming, like titles such as “Winter’s Bone” and “The Kids Are All Right.” Anne and I discuss our feelings on each.

    • Finally, we address the fact that all eyes seem to be on Christopher Nolan’s “Inception,” which will certainly dominate our next off-season podcast on July 16 (coincidentally the day of the film’s release).

    Have a listen to the latest podcast below. As always, remember to subscribe to Oscar Talk via iTunes here.

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  • ‘Inception’ featurette

    Have we featured this yet? My mind is Jello. Great looks at some of the sets put together for what will surely be a design spectacle:

  • AMPAS will vote on expanding visual effects category to five

    Expansion is the thing these days.  And after last year’s shift from five Best Picture nominees to 10, it’s looking like the wheels are in motion to finally cough up another two slots in the category of Best Visual Effects, a move I think many will agree is a long time coming.

    But we’re not there yet, mind you.  Variety’s David Cohen reports that the VFX branch’s executive committee voted “yay” on the proposal and that it now must be approved by the Academy’s Awards Rules Committee.  If they’re on board, we get five.

    Cohen tries to use the old “move would help the Oscars’ efforts to bring popular pics to the show” line, but we all know Best Visual Effects is generally a haven for critically dismissed cotton candy.  Still, given the rise of effects wizardry over the years, a limited slate of three has left more than a few eyebrow-raising bridesmaids.  I’m fully in favor of this and hope it passes.  But cui bono?

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  • ‘Inception’ TV spots

    Something else I happened across while playing web catch-up this morning.  You’ve probably seen them on the tube plenty of times by now, but since it’s a hotly anticipated summer title, I thought I’d offer them up for commentary here.  Two more after the jump.

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  • New ‘Inception’ trailer hits

    I’m not the biggest fan of viral marketing, so the idea of playing a game in order to see the new “Inception” trailer just…rubs me wrong.  That’s just me.  But it was, along with the new “Super 8” trailer, the best part of “Iron Man 2,” so I wanted to pass it along.  UPDATE: It seems WB took the other link down and replaced it with the old trailer.  Here’s an embed:

  • Dancing on the ceiling

    The “Inception” marketing finally goes all Escher on us with this rather terrific poster. Is now as good a time as any to admit that, as much as I’m looking forward to Christopher Nolan’s latest, I wish it had another title?

    [Source: Yahoo! Movies]

  • Hurry, only 319 days until…

    We have less than a month left until Cannes likely triggers the first mass Oscar chatter of the year. (More so if Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life” is included in tomorrow’s Official Selection announcement.) These are precious days, then … enjoy them while they last.

    Of course, if my “precious” is your “miserable,” and you’ve spent the last five weeks suffering Oscar-talk withdrawal, the indefatigable Nathaniel Rogers over at The Film Experience has your fix. You’ll remember that Kris decided against doing year-in-advance nomination predictions this year, which makes this very thorough Oscar forecast the first of its kind I’ve seen this year.

    Needless to say, a hefty pinch of salt is required at this foetal stage in the competition — Nathaniel himself headlines his predictions with the caveat “for fun and discussion.” Still, his lists raise some interesting possibilities: most notably, a Best Picture slate with a very different populist-specialist balance to last year’s ten.

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  • New production photos further reveal Nolan’s ‘Inception’ as a design spectacle

    Production designer Guy Dyas has always associated himself with films that boast elaborate art direction.  Even during his early years as a concept artist, the films were design-heavy.  “Men in Black,” “Wild Wild West” and “Galaxy Quest” are examples.  Later: Tim Burton’s “Planet of the Apes” and elements of the Wachowski brothers’ “The Matrix Reloaded” benefited from his imagination.

    Dyas has only completed six films at the head of the art department, but they all carry a stamp of scale in their design — most notably in “Superman Returns” — that seem to indicate a first Oscar nomination is likely on the horizon.  (He has four guild nods, mind you.)  And as I slowly (keyword) begin to saddle up to the new season’s offerings across various categories, I must say, I am and have been intrigued with the design opportunity presented in Christopher Nolan’s “Inception.”

    Of course, most are looking forward to a mind-bending story with equally outrageous visual effects, but if we know anything about Nolan, it is that he is a monk when it comes to preserving practical filmmaking wizardry as much as possible.  So while “Inception” is sure to showcase innovative CGI, I imagine its set designs will be just as awe-inspiring — certainly if a recently released quartet of production stills and behind-the-scenes shots are any indication.

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  • Nolan on dreaming up ‘Inception’

    I’ve largely steered clear of the frantic speculation over Christopher Nolan’s “Inception” that has done the online rounds for several months now. For one thing, I’d like to spare the film the pressure of overhype — some fans appear to be expecting something between “Memento: Bigger, Longer and Uncut” and the second coming of Christ — but for another, if the film really is the remarkable crypto-puzzle we’re all hoping for, I’d rather remain as ignorant of its secrets as possible.

    Nonetheless, it’s hard to read this L.A. Times piece by Geoff Boucher — one of the blessed few to have read Nolan’s script and visited the set — and not get a little excited. I admit I skimmed over some of the specifics, but any summer blockbuster that inspires assorted references to Sigmund Freud, Ian Fleming, M.C. Escher and Haruki Murakami (the latter comparison courtesy of star Ellen Page) can only succeed or fail in interesting ways, right?

    Nolan himself describes the sci-fi film as an attempt to “[approach] dream and the dream life as another state of reality,” and brief that initially didn’t mess with the cool genre storytelling he’d devised. After the cut, he describes how things got darker, messier and more intimate.

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  • OFF THE CARPET: Handicapping 2010 a year in advance

    Hilary Swank in Betty Anne WatersUncle.

    I told myself I wasn’t going to write this column this year, let alone make predictions, but some of you were just too cute in your emails and Twitter DMs asking for something akin to my annual year-in-advance take on the race, so I struck a balance: a column and contenders list, but no charts and no predictions.  Fair enough?

    The 2010 Oscar season looks, from afar, to be a muted affair.  Most of the films that look like competitors on paper have a distinctly “small” vibe.  Of course, no one knows when a film like “The Blind Side” will decide to come along and sweep the heartland and the Academy at large off its feet.  Maybe Tony Goldwyn’s “Betty Anne Waters” will play that role this year.  Maybe not.

    There are a considerable amount of actors and actresses with multiple performances on the way, more than usual, I’d say.  And most encouraging, the original screenplay field seems to be much more robust than the adaptations.

    Last year the big dogs looked to be “Amelia,” “Invictus” and “Nine,” and we all know how that turned out.  In fact, it happens with some frequency.  So why bother getting too deep into all of this now?  And to say nothing of the fact that, perhaps mercifully, nothing on the horizon appears to have that level of awards-baiting appeal.  No major filmmakers looking to cozy up to Oscar.  No big stars that seem overdue and are going for it with an obvious role.  None of that, really.

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  • 1/14 Oscarweb Round-up

    Mark Boal• Buzz Aldrin, Willie Nelson and more comment on the accuracy of a number of the season’s contenders. [Variety]

    • Peter Jackson and Stanley Tucci talk “The Lovely Bones.” [FearNet]

    • Brooks Barnes Q&As “The Hurt Locker” writer Mark Boal. [The Carpetbagger]

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  • 1/13 Oscarweb Round-up

    Maggie Gyllenhaal• Nathaniel Rogers wraps up his “top 100 of the decade” series with a pair of unconventional musicals taking the top two spots. [The Film Experience]

    • Melena Ryzik chats with “Crazy Heart” star Maggie Gyllenhaal. [The Carpetbagger]

    • Why Quentin Tarantino wants to be the next Howard Hawks. [The Guardian]

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  • WEEKLY WRAP: ‘Avatar’ leads, ‘Nine’ falls, more lists

    Sam Worthington in AvatarThere was no wrap last Friday, what with Christmas capping a dead calm news week. So here are the highlights of the last fortnight:

    • Off the Carpet returned from its Christmas vacation to survey the current state of the race — advantage “Avatar.”

    • The Long Shot considered the varying fortunes of the quartet of December releases once labeled the Big Four.

    • After much deliberation, Kris laid out his ten favorite films of the decade that was.

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  • My most anticipated films of 2010

    InceptionAnnually I put together a hasty list of my most anticipated films of the New Year on January 1.  I got rid of the pomp and circumstance around the perennial post a while back and just stuck with the list.  But a couple of things…

    I’m not sure if Kevin Macdonald’s “The Eagle of the Ninth” will make it to theaters in 2010, but that would definitely be a consideration.  And it’s difficult not to be interested in product from major filmmakers like Martin Scorsese, David Fincher, Peter Weir and James L. Brooks, but, alas, they didn’t speak up for me when putting this together.

    Typically, the blockbusters will show up in numbers on something like this, because for me, that’s what I tend to anticipate.  When art seems to be skillfully married to commerce (like my #1 selection — which is most people’s #1 selection), all the better.  But it’s tough to really know what the art house product could have in store until we’re in the thick of the year.

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  • New ‘Inception’ trailer

    (Thanks to ThinkHero for the embed.)