Okay, so I’m not really advocating it. But this has to be one of the best FYC ads I’ve seen so far this season. Whatever other failures “W.” can claim, marketing is not one of them:
Tag: Josh Brolin
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indieWIRE surveys the race, questions ‘Button’
Lots of conflicting soundbites have been bandied about this week regarding “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” but here’s the first one I’ve seen with a credibly named source. In an article on indieWIRE, the site’s editor, Eugene Hernandez, discusses the awards race with colleague Peter Knegt, and offers this carefully-worded take on the still-embargoed film:While I feel that “Benjamin Button” is, on first viewing, hardly a lock for best picture, the attention that will justifiably be paid to its considerable technological achievements could sweep it into the higher profile categories. (“Forrest Gump” was popular with the Academy and there are some parallel’s here). But, as I was telling a friend today, for a much more striking and beautiful marriage of technology and ideas, I’d encourage folks to watch “WALL-E” again.
Knegt, meanwhile, suggests that “Button” might follow a similar course to “Dreamgirls” two years ago, raking in the technical nods, but missing out in top categories.
Other topics of conversation include “Milk,” which they posit as a clear frontrunner for Best Picture, and a “lock” for acting and screenplay nods. (They also side with Kris in selecting Josh Brolin as the film’s strongest supporting contender.) Meanwhile, they pretty much write off “Doubt” as a Best Picture contender, and go on to suggest some underdogs on the rise. Like me, they think “Gomorrah” could be one to watch:
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11/11 Oscarweb Round-up
• Peter Bart worships at the alter of Brian Grazer and Ron Howard. [Peter Bart]• Tom O’Neil reports on the 14 animated features submitted for toon consideration this year… [Gold Derby]
• …and he interviews “Changeling” psycho Jason Butler Harner inside Hannibal Lecter’s prison cell deep in the bowels of the Hollywood Museum. [Gold Derby]
• Jeffrey Wells has his “Eureka” moment regarding “Frost/Nixon.” [Hollywood Elsewhere]
• Kim Voynar has the right idea about exploring issues of nudity in films, but picks the wrong example to kick it off. Uh…Marisa Tomei DOES play a stripper. [Movie City News]
• Russell Crowe talks his 50 lb. “Body of Lies” weight gain across the pond. [Daily Telegraph]
• Five picks for a black James Bond. [New York Daily News]
• Despite “W.” having come and gone, Christopher Campbell kicks around Josh Brolin’s Oscar chances. [Spout Blog]
• Lev Grossman talks to “Watchmen” artist Dave Gibbons. [Time]
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Rousing Best Actor race shaping up
In a year I maintain to be disappointing, I must confess that the sprint to the finish is looking more and more exciting all the time, with an exceptional crop of actors vying for Best Actor nominations. This could very well be the year that Clint Eastwood wins an acting Oscar, or that the previously washed-up Mickey Rourke wins for “The Wrestler.”At this writing I have 12 actors who could potentially land in the field of play, though in fairness, four of the films have not been widely seen and I am going on the buzz and speculation within the industry right now.
There seems to be a lot of belief that Richard Jenkins, a wonderful character actor who has been around forever, could land a nomination for “The Visitor.” He came back into the public eye as the dead father in HBO’s critically acclaimed “Six Feet Under” and has been working consistently ever since. This year he did a nice job as the heart and soul of the Coen brothers’ “Burn After Reading.” If the studio can mount a decent campaign and keep him in the minds of the voters, he may nab a nomination.
But he could easily be left out. Remember Michael Douglas in “Wonder Boys”? After the film’s November re-release for awards consideration helped him win the Los Angeles Film Critics Association award for Best Actor, everyone was stunned when he failed to land a nomination with the Academy.
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My back, my aching back…thoughts on ‘Milk’ and ‘Frost’
This 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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10/27 Oscarweb Round-up
• Nathaniel Rogers kick-starts an Oscar revamp, starting with the fellas. [The Film Experience]• Jeffrey Wells is nervous about Josh Brolin’s Oscar hopes in “W.” [Hollywood Elsewhere]
• I stopped when he didn’t clue into why it’s called what it’s called. Welcome to the Rex Reed Members Only lounge. [Peter Bart]
• Lou Lumenick gives good ink to the Oscar hopes of Angelina Jolie and Kristin Scott Thomas. [Lumenick on Film]
• “The French Connection” and “Serpico” top a readers’ poll of the best cop films. [New York Daily News]
• Peter Debruge looks at the year’s issue-focused Oscar hopefuls through the lens of precendence. [Variety]
• Adam Dawtrey, meanwhile, zeroes in on the obvious: this year’s Oscar product seems to have skipped the festival route. [Variety]
• And Justin Chang stands up for the performances of fanboy cinema. [Variety]
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LONDON: “W,” “Genova,” “Il Divo” and more
We’ve reached the midway point of the London Film Festival, and today’s big event is the European premiere of “W.” As I eavesdropped on assorted critics’ reactions coming out of the press screening this morning, the dominant feeling appeared to be one of pleasant surprise; I have a feeling the film may find a rather warmer reception here than in its home country.I’m still gathering my thoughts on the film, which I thought riveting in some respects and messy in others, though it’s clear Stone has transcended the limitations of Stanley Weiser’s script. Josh Brolin and Elizabeth Banks offer such persuasive, full-bodied characterisations that the Madame Tussaud’s quality of certain supporting players (Thandie Newton in particular) pales by contrast.
With that, here’s another roundup of notable films from the last few days, beginning with yesterday’s starry but rather under-the-radar Mayor of London gala selection:
GENOVA (**1/2)
There is much to engage the eye and ear in “Genova,” the new film from restless Brit auteur Michael Winterbottom. A return to his usual, more organic directorial style after the disappointingly conventional “A Mighty Heart,” the new film teems with activity: from the loose, jazzy rhythms of the editing to the fragmented, eclectic soundtrack overlaying busy dialogue, and above all, superb location work that turns the labyrinthine alleys of the eponymous Italian coastal city into a playground of threat and desire.
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‘The Soloist’ moves into 2009
Well, I made my calls (since that Nikki is a kook), and yep, it looks like “The Soloist” is being pushed to March of 2009. Opening the film there is “more fiscally sound” I’m told, but that’s to be expected. With “The Road” looking to move to 2009 as well, this has become the best week of news for Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Clint Eastwood, Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro, all fringe Best Actor hopefuls that have a fighting chance now that Robert Downey Jr. and Viggo Mortensen have exited stage left.It’s probably for the best on one hand, since Downey’s shooting schedule for “Sherlock Holmes” in London was going to interfere with the junket dates for “The Soloist” and he wasn’t expected to be here. Kind of hard to launch a Best Actor campaign if your lead actor can’t participate in the major press exercises. The possibility is still floating for an Oscar qualifying run, but it doesn’t look good.
Also reported, “Defiance” will get a shift into late December for an Oscar qualifying run with a wide bow held for January 2009. Makes sense. Lots of Christmas drama to contend with this year: Pitt, Will Smith, Keanu Reeves.
Both films will still play the AFI Fest next month.
Boy…the charts sure are gonna get a work-over on Monday.
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10/16 Oscarweb Round-up
• Patrick Kevin Day gets some choice words from costumer Jacqueline Durran about the shoot-from-the-hip nature of working with Mike Leigh. [Los Angeles Times]• Tim Burton is too busy to see “The Dark Knight.” [Hero Complex]
• Josh Brolin was initially insulted at the offer to play George W. Bush. [USA Today]
• Shock of shocks: the kooks depicted in “Religulous” are pissed. [CNN]
• Erik Lundegaard charts Presdential depictions through cinematic history. [MSNBC]
• Even though they were staying at the Hilton across the street from the Ziegfeld, John McCain and Sarah Palin declined Oliver Stone’s invitation to the Gotham premiere of “W.” [New York Daily News]
• Michael Cieply writes up a nice preview of Gus Van Sant’s “Milk.” [New York Times]
• In honor of Don Cheadle stepping in for Terrence Howard on “Iron Man 2,” the top 13 character switcheroos. Word up on #2. [Premiere]
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10/13 Oscarweb Round-up
• Robert Abele gets Josh Brolin to reveal his inner ‘W.’ [The Envelope]• Tom O’Neil gnaws on the Oscar potential of Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married.” [Gold Derby]
• Peter bart makes a lot of presumptions and assumptions about the craven mentality of duel performers in a given Oscar season. [Peter Bart]
• Vulture kicks off this year’s Oscar Futures with pro on “Milk,” con on “W.” [Vulture]
• Alonso Duralde studies the work of Leonardo DiCaprio as “Body of Lies” releases into cinemas. [MSNBC]
• Brad Brevet does the same, but draws the conclusion that DiCaprio has never quite hit it out of the park. [Rope of Silicon]
• Scott Bowles, meanwhile, draws up an obit on the box office performance of “Body of Lies.” [USA Today]
• Jeff Dawson goes in depth with “Quantum of Solace” helmer Marc Forster. [The Times]
• Lauren Schuker digs into the global investments on Oliver Stone’s “W.” [Wall Street Journal]
• Larry Charles chooses his 28 most subversive comedians. [Entertainment Weekly]
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WEEKLY WRAP: Rudin bails, Brolin buzz, original scores
And this, as they say, is the week that was:• In the biggest news of the week, Scott Rudin has washed his hands of the whole “The Reader” fiasco by taking his name off the film. What now?
• Lots happening on the music front this week, with Universal offering a taste of the scores for “Changeling” and “Frost/Nixon,” while elsewhere, the surprisingly rich score for “W.” was revealed.
• Carrying on the musical theme, we nabbed an interview with “Appaloosa” composer Jeff Beal.
• This week’s Off the Carpet column contemplated the marked social currency of this year’s contenders.
• Following its NYFF screening, “Changeling” got a rough ride from the blogosphere.
• Josh Brolin has been all over the place this week, speaking out about that Shreveport incident, while his “W.” performance gathers positive buzz. Meanwhile, rumor has it that he’s down for “Jonah Hex.”
• EW looks to revisit history (i.e. gloat over the Academy’s mistakes) with its Oscar revote.
• A look at the sometimes troubled relationship between Hollywood and Philip Roth.
• Continuing Tech Support’s preview of the crafts categories, this week was the costume designers’ turn.
• And finally, is Alfred Hitchcock overrated? Join the debate here.
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Josh Brolin and Jonah Hex
Jeffrey Wells conveys the sentiments of a single source, /Film marks it as reportage and suddenly it’s considered a done deal that Josh Brolin has signed on to star in “Jonah Hex.” It all may well be true, mind you It probably is. But this is the kind of thing that web masters don’t understand when high profile institutions like Variety hold off on linking to them until people are actually on the record.ANYWAY, I’m a step removed from Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor. Friends of a friend, so to speak. Watched a few UFC fights with the chaps. Good guys. But I’ve heard zip. If it’s true, it’s definitely a better choice than Thomas Jane would have been (gossip passed along in June). It would also be a ballsy play for Brolin to make a hard left turn out of prestige and into the realm of genre once more with the directors of “Crank” at the helm. But I like him for Hex.
It’s no secret that I’m game for just about any western at this stage. But “Jonah Hex” represents, along with “The Lone Ranger,” a branching out into typicality for the genre. Rather than the prestige pet project here or there, we’re starting to see pop culture reflexivity, and that means a lot for the future of spurs and saddles on the big screen. When (and if) these films start making money, studios will more and more loosen their resistance against making these films.
But back to “Hex,” if you don’t read the DC Comics book, I certainly recommend it. It was resurrected a few years back into a new series that is up to about #36 right now (I’ve got the full set), and rather than arcing major stories, it’s generally a one-story-per-issue kind of thing, self-contained, very pulpy, pure awesomeness. Give it a look.
Here is what Wells heard:
I’m told that the deal is sealed for Josh Brolin to star in Jonah Hex, based on the graphic novel and directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor (Crank, Game) and to be funded and released by Warner Bros. Brolin’s rep is not only denying this but claiming Brolin is “not attached,” but a voice is telling me to consider the word of a friend who tells me the deal was locked down last night.
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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.
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Josh Brolin goes on the record about the Shreveport arrest
This is the juiciest scoop Jeff Wells has had in a long time. While interviewing Josh Brolin at yesterday’s “W.” junket, he got the actor on the record regarding that arrest in Shreveport earlier in the summer. You remember, back when poor Jeffrey Wright got the business end of a taser and allegedly had to deal with some racist bullshit as a prologue?Anyway, here is what Brolin had to say:
Not to be too maudlin or morbid. But I’ve been around the police my whole life. I have so many policeman friends and police woman friends, and I’ve never never, ever, ever seen anything like it. All the time I was in jail I could think, the whole time…okay, they’ve arrested us knowing that their economy, part of their economy is based on the film industry. Okay, that’s one…knowing this is wrong. Secondly, they know we have some leverage. With the press, with this…they know we have some rebuttal, something, some reaction. They know that.
Then I thought every person that goes through here…they have nothing, they have nothing, they’re forgotten. So I wonder how many people have been abused by this system? So then I started researching . They had a kid who died from a taser, 21 year old kid. Almost 300 people have died in the last five years. From tasers? It’s unbelievable, man, and the fact that they resorted to that when there was no violence?
Heavy. Kudos to Jeff for getting the goods, though it seems Brolin was willing to hand it over on a silver platter to the first guy who dug a little. He also mentions that the supposed video phone recording of the incident does, in fact, exist, and that it will be released soon enough.
Word.
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“It’s okay son. Everyone screws up a country now and then.”
And plenty more new “W.” photos right here. I’m really getting excited for this film all of a sudden…
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OFF THE CARPET: When the movies play second fiddle
Short column this time around because there are just a few specific things on my mind.It’s been a relatively slow couple of weeks in the wake of the Toronto International Film Festival. At least on the surface.’
Behind the scenes, studios are circling their wagons, securing Oscar ad buys, prepping their fall product and gently waiting. “Hope you had fun at the fests,” they seem to be saying to the independent success stories of the year. “The main event is about to begin.”
And yet, the “main event” consistently disappoints. Downfall can as easily be attributed to hype as it can to poor quality, an idea our own John Foote pondered last week. Indeed, there are a few productions I expect to be rewarded for their discretion this year, lying in wait while the usual suspects empty their chambers in the loud march to Oscar.
But it seems like casualties are already presenting themselves. It pains me to see the Scott Rudin/Harvey Weinstein debate dragged through the mud every single day, right down to the manipulation of Nikki finke in order to make Weinstein look like an outright douche bag. Whatever the particulars, is there any question that the real loser at the end of all of this isn’t Weinstein, isn’t Rudin, but “The Reader” itself?
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‘W.’ TV spot