In Contention

Tag: James Franco

  • More buzz for Brolin

    The mixed notices for Oliver Stone’s “W.” — some of which seem to be simultaneously admiring and bewildered — make it quite clear that the film isn’t going to be a player in the top categories. But we pretty much knew that all along.

    Josh Brolin’s performance, however, is another story altogether. After the stunning breakthrough that he’s had in the past year, playing an incumbent president — and a widely-loathed one at that — in a film by an off-the-boil director might not have seemed the safest career move.

    But the gamble appears to have paid off: whatever the ultimate fate of the film, Brolin’s interpretation of Bush has been widely hailed as a courageous and accomplished addition to an increasingly interesting filmography. Naturally, Oscar talk is swirling, and Screen International’s review minces no words on the matter:

    A wonderfully brash and fearless performance … If the film itself fails to figure in the year-end awards shortlists, Brolin must surely be considered a likely best actor nominee. Wholly immersing himself in the part, he doesn’t imitate the president so much as breathe human complexity into him. Rudderless and restless as a young man, Brolin nonetheless plays him as a likeable enough fellow, a harmless jock, attractive to women and tortured by his father’s expectations. As a president, Brolin plays him as a man of some intelligence, even if his arrogance and machismo are on full ugly display.

    (more…)

  • James Franco profiled by Gus Van Sant in Interview Mag

    Cover of October 2008 issue of Interview MagazineI’ve been meaning to cancel my subscription to Interview Magazine for months upon months, probably years at this point.  I always forget until I get a new issue, then it gets tossed onto a stack on the shelf and I forget again.  But there’s always an interesting one-on-one and the closer we get the the awards season each year, the more pertinent the interviews become.

    Case in point, this month’s issue features the cover story: “James Franco by Gus Van Sant.”  It’s a solid Q&A between the star and director of “Milk” respectively, but I particularly liked the lede:

    Seven years ago he played James Dean in a television biopic, tinting his hair and squinting his eyes to Rebel Without a Cause-like perfection.  Ever since, the temptation has been to peg him as a good-looking young man felled by the moody blues.  While it’s a fact of life that no one can ever really know what lies beneath the surface of another, the Internet can help narrow the field of possibilities.  Lo and behold, Generalissimo James Edward Franco: a merry prankster, and the latest on-screen love interest of Sean Penn.

    The Oscar campaign begins.

    There are also interviews with Oliver Stone and Anna Paquin, by the way.  More at Interview’s website.

  • Breakthrough for Hawkins and Franco

    As regular readers may know, I’ve been yammering on about a Best Actress nomination for “Happy-Go-Lucky”‘s delightful Sally Hawkins since I reviewed the film back in April. So I’m pleased to see that Hawkins will receive the Breakthrough Actress award at next month’s Hollywood Film Awards.

    As I said when they named their crafts honorees earlier this month, I’m a bit mystified by these awards, which appear to honour as-yet-unseen films rather frequently. Still, it’s difficult to argue with this selection: in a crowded field of Best Actress contenders, Hawkins is the freshest face out there. It’s a good omen for her Oscar chances — last year’s honoree was Ellen Page.

    “Happy-Go-Lucky” didn’t emerge from the festival circuit with quite the amount of heat I hoped it might, but Hawkins remains a solid contender for awards consideration. As we know now, the performance has a major Marmite factor — people either love or hate Hawkins’ character — but it’s sure to stick in people’s minds.

    Elsewhere, the Breakthrough Actor award went to James Franco — another obvious choice, and a move that gives credence to the Best Supporting Actor buzz for his performance in “Milk,” something Kris just discussed.

    “Milk” scored twice with the awards, with newbie (not that you’d know it from the marketing) scripter Dustin Lance Black named Breakthrough Screenwriter. Meanwhile, “Doubt” helmer John Patrick Shanley picked up Breakthrough Director. The latter strikes me as something of a safe choice in a year that has given us stellar debuts from such talents as Martin McDonagh and Philippe Claudel, but we only have the trailer to go on.

    Finally, pointing to two Oscar inevitabilities, the Animation award will go to Andrew Stanton for “WALL-E” (well, duh), while “Iron Man” will be recognised for its visual effects.

  • THE LISTS: Top 10 performances you’re underestimating

    Every year it seems there are a number of performers in the thick of an Oscar hunt that don’t get the same attention as the expected heavy-hitters.

    It’s no surprise, of course, that Oscar prognostication would lean toward the anticipation of what lies ahead, unseen, unproven.  The mystery stays in tact, if for precious few moments.  But a number of nominated actors and actresses, year after year, tend to bank on the underestimation of the masses, allowing those heavy-hitters to fall by the wayside and provide just the opportunity they were waiting for all along.

    Here, then, is an attempt to shine a light on 10 stealthy contenders that seem to be flying low on the radar so far this season:

    Richard Jenkins in The Visitor10. Richard Jenkins, “The Visitor”
    At the moment, “The Visitor” star Richard Jenkins might seem like the obvious bet for a list such as this.  But with Overture Films planning an Oscar campaign for the character-actor-turned-leading-man and a year increasingly giving credence to smaller films, this gem of a performance from way back in the first quarter of the year could find room to make a move.  A prime DVD release date will keep the film fresh in voters’ minds and perhaps divert some of the attention away from the Brad Pitts, Sean Penns and Frank Langellas for a spell.

    (more…)

  • 9/10 Oscarweb Round-up

    Spike Lee• Journos continue to catch up with the two-week-old narrative: Toronto isn’t an Oscar playground this year.  [Entertainment Weekly]

    • Anthony Breznican, thankfully, tries to come at it from a slightly different perspective. [USA Today]

    • James Rocchi sits down with Darren Aronofsky for some choice words in Toronto. [Cinematical]

    • Jeffrey Wells is in the tank for Kathryn Bigelow’s “The Hurt Locker.” [Hollywood Elsewhere]

    • David Poland cranks out a beaming assessment of “The Hurt Locker” as well, with some great words for “Slumdog Millionaire” on the side. [The Hot Button]

    • Noah Forrest sits down with Neda Armian, producer of “Rachel Getting Married.” [Movie City News]

    • Gill Pringle kicks back with Seth Rogen across the pond. [The Independent]

    • Always looking for fresh angles, Michael Cieply comes at Toronto from the perspective of its music showcases this year. [New York Times]

    • In a poorly headlined (if you ask me) Oscar forecast, David Germain rounds up awards quotes from heavies such as Christian Bale, Tom Cruise and Leonardo DiCaprio. [Associated Press]

    • Spike Lee sets his aimless sights on the Duke, in case you don’t get the point the first time early on in “Miracle at St. Anna.” [New York Post]

    • Has James Franco signed on to an Oscar trajectory with the Gus Van Sant-produced “Howl?” [The Hollywood Reporter]

    • Who the hell honestly thinks Rod Lurie was attempting to tell the actual Valerie Plame story, and therefore, “distorted” anything?  Stupid… [Spout Blog]

    • Anne Thompson reports from party central in Toronto. [Thompson on Hollywood]

  • James Franco in ‘Milk’

    James Franco in Milk

    (Thanks to Bryan)

  • NYT Mag chats it up with Seth Rogen and James Franco

    Lynn Hirschberg of The New York Times Magazine sat down with the two stars of David Gordon Green’s “Pineapple Express” recently for a couple of in-depth interviews.  They’re pretty insightful little chats, I have to say.

    Here’s Rogen, who talks about the desire to get laid being at the root of all comedy, his awkward status as a sex symbol and his experiences within the studio system as of late…some brief stuff on “The Green Hornet” as well:

    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02Jjayjmu_M

    And Franco, who, in addition to talking “Pineapple” specifics, reveals that “My Own Private Idaho” was a big impetus for his acting career and even gets into “Milk” a little bit, including what it’s like to kiss Sean Penn:

    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5Pupmdeang

    You can also watch the interviews here.

  • REVIEW: “Pineapple Express” (****)

    Columbia Pictures\' Pineapple ExpressThe dust will settle on a record-breaking summer movie season and much will be made of super heroes and unexpected, makeup-infested comedic portrayals. But an unassuming stoner comedy that breaks free of the mold and becomes something akin to sheer film-going bliss will be one of the few left standing.

    A truly side-splitting yarn that takes its lead from Cheech and Chong and the greatest (or worst) of 1980s action and comedy standards, the film carves its own spot as a new staple. And going into an Oscar season that looks a bit shallow from afar, “Pineapple Express” seems to be the best film 2008 has had to offer so far.

    Hell of a thing.

    Fresh, authentic, appreciative of its lineage and rife with absolute truths of the stoner way, this one was always guaranteed to leave your gut cramped from unyielding laughter. At the center, however, is a strange thread of realism that is incredibly intriguing. No matter the level of absurdity this sequence or that may reach, on some level, one can’t shake the sense that if these things were going to happen…this is exactly how it would go down.

    It’s an odd characteristic that I don’t believe I’ve ever seen out of a film such as this, and all the credit in the world seems to belong to filmmaker David Gordon Green. After making his way in the indie sector on his own terms, his marriage to this material becomes the most natural fit to date.

    (more…)