In Contention

Tag: Liam Neeson

  • The Great Performances: 2004

    Paul Giamatti in SidewaysIn Alexander Payne’s “Sideways,” Paul Giamatti gave the best performance by an actor in 2004, so said the New York Film Critics Circle, and how right they were.  So why, why, why was the actor denied an Oscar nomination?  Granted, it was a strong year, but his work was at the top of that heap and that snub was one of the biggest shocks of the year.

    Here was a man giving perhaps the finest performance in a comedic film since Dustin Hoffman in “Tootsie.” His co-stars go were recognized, save for the equally deserving Sandra Oh, but the leading man, around whose performance the film stands, is snubbed.  All I can remember saying is: “Wow.”

    Certainly Jamie Foxx deserved the attention he received for “Ray” and Leonardo DiCaprio was astonishing in “The Aviator,” even though he drew some criticism for before too youthful in the role. Rubbish, I thought.  He was superb, inhabiting Howard Hughes as he must have been in those days, brash, cocky, wealthy and willing to do anything that interested him.

    Clint Eastwood was terrific in “Million Dollar Baby,” while Jim Carrey gave a wonderful performance in “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” — a marvelous piece of acting, in fact.  Equally fine, and dark, was Kevin Bacon as a pedophile struggling to start anew in “The Woodsman,” which was one of the most daring American films in a long time.

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  • LONDON: ‘Chloe,’ ‘Leaving’

    Julianne Moore in ChloeI realize I’ve dropped the ball somewhat with my festival updates — between the to-and-fro of festival business, other writing tasks and the occasional impulse to have a personal life, a backlog longer than I care to count has accumulated of films yet to be discussed. Expect that to be partially rectified over a quieter weekend … even if I resort to “100 words or less” games.

    However, once more a pair of films seen in relatively close succession demand to be reviewed together. Atom Egoyan’s “Chloe” and Catherine Corsini’s French-language “Leaving” overlap in a number of ways.

    Both are slickly accessible thrillers revolving around marital infidelity, both use that as cover for a less mainstream investigation of middle-aged female sexuality, and both are anchored by formidable actresses — Julianne Moore and Kristin Scott Thomas, respectively — in full possession of their powers.

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  • The Great Performances: 1996

    Robert Carlyle in Trainspotting1996 was an odd year, a year when the independent cinema dominated the weak product emerging out of Hollywood. I am going to confess right off the top of this article (as I have numerous times before) that I was not a fan of “The English Patient,” which for me remains one of the most vastly over-appreciated films ever made.  I couldn’t stand Kristin Scott Thomas’s work, though I did enjoy the Dafoe/Binoche storyline.

    So with that out of the way, and firmly in mind, let’s go…

    The Best Actress race was clouded with the notion that Madonna was hell-bent on being nominated for her performance in “Evita,” which finally made it to the screen after years of starts and stops. Her performance split critics, but for me lacked the depth and edge that it was given on stage by Patti Lupone, and that Meryl Streep or Michelle Pfeiffer would have given the role. Her performance proved that Madonna should stop acting as she has little or no acting talent, and should stop making movies and trying to conquer Hollywood as she did the music industry.

    Honestly, the performance rarely rises above a really good community theater performance. Mercifully she was not nominated, but she did win the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical over the eventual Oscar winner, Frances McDormand in “Fargo.” The nominees for Best Actress included, McDormand, Kristin Scott-Thomas for the aforementionend “The English Patient,” Diane Keaton for “Marvin’s Room,” Brenda Blythyn in “Secrets and Lies,” and best of all, perhaps, Emily Watson in “Breaking the Waves.”

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  • TORONTO: ‘The Road,’ ‘Bad Lieutenant,’ ‘Chloe’

    Chloe(Please note, as opposed to Kris and Guy, I tend to grade films on a 5-star scale.)

    Loads to catch up on today and some interviews still to write up. First off, I have to confess that I disagree with Kris’s review of “The Road,” respectfully of course, and I think I have a reason why I might have viewed and appreciated the film in a very different light than he.  I also saw Werner Herzog’s “The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans,” which features a hugely entertaining performance from Nicolas Cage, and the latest from Atom Egoyan, “Chloe,” which features a splendid performance from Amanda Seyfreid.

    Let’s dig in…

    “The Road” (****)

    This was a dark and unsettling film based on the brilliant book by Cormac McCarthy about a father (Viggo Mortensen) and son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) journeying to the south after the world has essentially seen its end of days. We are never really given a clear explanation as to what happened, but the vague description we do get sounds like nuclear war finally came, and the planet is dying a slow death.  Trees are dead, there is nothing alive or growing anymore, the world is a gray and dreary place, as though hell had suddenly burst forth from the bowels of the earth.  The south brings warmer weather, which is what the man and his son need, he believes, to survive, and survivial is what the film is about.

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  • 8/12 Web Round-up

    Cover of The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger• Kevin Kelly digs into the J.J. Abrams “Dark Tower” project. [Cinematical]

    • In honor of “Julie & Julia,” 10 blogs that could be movies. [Film School Rejects]

    • Liam Neeson walks his first red carpet since the death of wife Natasha Richardson. [Associated Press]

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  • Bad things come to those who wait

    It’s so often these days that we see poorly cut trailers for otherwise high-pedigree films that we tend to brush them aside. “Well, it has to be better than that,” we say.

    Refreshingly, however, this trailer for Richard Eyre’s romantic thriller “The Other Man,” due for a late-September release after gathering dust since last year’s rocky Toronto debut, does a fine job of suggesting just how abysmal the film really is. (Not particularly accurately, mind you: it’s cute that in the wake of “Taken,” they’re trying to sell this as another “Neeson kicks ass” effort, but I can assure you that the chess match is about as physical as things get here.)

    You may recall that I gave the film a rather generous 1.5 stars last October (I figured the presence of Laura Linney alone merits an extra half-star, even if she has nothing to do), and went on to name it the year’s worst. But hey, at least it gave “The Reader” the chance to slap “Only the second-dreariest Bernhard Schlink adaptation of 2008!” on its DVD cover. Always a silver lining.

  • ‘Five Minutes of Heaven’ trailer

    I offered some very brief notes a while back on Oliver Hirschbiegel’s excellent “Five Minutes of Heaven,” which premiered on television here in the UK, but will thankfully get the theatrical release (along with VOD) it deserves Stateside in August. Thank God for IFC. (More thoughts after the cut.)

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  • Neeson, Connelly headline Dustin Lance Black’s directing debut

    Liam NeesonThe Liam Neeson career revival continues apace. Variety reports that the 56 year-old thesp will star opposite Jennifer Connelly in “What’s Wrong With Virginia,” the first directorial effort from “Milk” scribe Dustin Lance Black. The film, which has Gus Van Sant involved as an executive producer, which begins shooting this summer. The pitch goes as follows:

    Connelly will play the charming but psychologically disturbed mother of a 16-year-old son. Her 20-year clandestine love with a sheriff (Neeson), who is running for the state senate, is tested when her son begins a relationship with his daughter.

    Sounds to me like a return for Black to the quirky domestic territory of “Big Love.” Is this a comedy of sorts? Certain details (that title, for starters) imply that to me, though it isn’t made clear in the report. Either way, Neeson and Connelly aren’t exactly the first pairing I’d think of for an onscreen romance — so, well, interesting.

    We’re also reminded that Black and Van Sant are collaborating once more on an adaptation of Tom Wolfe’s “The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test,” which is an ambitious undertaking to say the least. You may remember that I wasn’t exactly sold on Black’s Oscar-winning efforts on “Milk,” but good on him for using his post-win momentum to get as many irons in the fire as possible.

  • IFC nabs Sundance winner ‘Five Minutes of Heaven’

    Liam Neeson in Five Minutes of HeavenFor whatever reason, it completely slipped my mind to mention Oliver Hirschbiegel’s superb “Five Minutes of Heaven” when it premiered on UK television last month. The film, which won directing and writing honours at Sundance in January, is an exemplary return to form for the “Downfall” director, a grim but riveting account of two men seeking closure 30 years after one murdered the other’s brother in the darkest days of the Irish Troubles.

    As the reformed killer, Liam Neeson offers up his most nuanced, affecting work in several years, but it’s really British TV regular James Nesbitt who breaks the heart as a man stuck in agonised limbo between release and revenge. It’s taut, impeccably written and realised drama, comparable in many ways to Paul Greengrass’s similarly disquieting “Bloody Sunday” — between this and the “Red Riding” trilogy, it’s an odd truth that the best filmmaking of the year so far has only appeared on the small screen on this side of the pond.

    Happily, Screen International reports that the film will get the theatrical platform it deserves Stateside. IFC Films has acquired US rights to the film, and is planning a multi-format August release:

    IFC’s Arianna Bocco negotiated the deal with Pathe International and UTA and the distributor will release the film through its IFC In Theatres VOD day-and-date platform.

    Five Minutes Of Heaven, which premiered in Sundance, will also go through the company’s exclusive deal with Blockbuster in stores, by mail subscription and digital downloading at Blockbuster.com.

    Great plan. The film’s not the easiest sell in the world, so the more accessible they make it to the viewing public, the better. Keep an eye out — I can imagine this one landing on a few ten-best lists comes the year’s end.

  • Danny Huston to play Poseidon in ‘Clash of the Titans’

    Danny HUstonBoy, Danny Huston sure does seem to be going for the cash grab lately.  He’s a talented actor, so I sure wish he’d try to expand beyond the creative rut he’s in right now.  First “30 Days of Night,” then “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” now this?  We’re a long way from “The Proposition.”

    All that said, I’m strangely looking forward to the “Clash” remake, which has already landed Liam Neeson in the role of Zeus and Sam Worthington in the role of Perseus.  Ralph Fiennes is also set to star as Hades and one of my favorite young actresses, Alexa Davalos, has been cast as Andromeda.

    Here’s the Hollywood Reporter brief, fit with an unfortunate lede:

    Danny Huston is getting wet for Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures.

    Huston has been cast as Poseidon in “Clash of the Titans” opposite other Mount Olympus power players Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes. Sam Worthington, Mads Mikkelsen, Gemma Arterton, Jason Flemyng and Alexa Davalos also are in the cast.

    The retelling of the Perseus myth, directed by Louis Leterrier (“The Incredible Hulk”), began shooting Monday outside London.

    The question remains. Who’s gonna play Medusa!?

  • The professional

    Liam NeesonIt’s not as if we were short of reasons to admire Liam Neeson in the first place. The man is a remarkable actor, by all accounts an intelligent, decent human being, and even in the face of his wife’s untimely passing, has always managed to keep his private life laudably, well, private.

    But even by his own stand-up guy standards, Neeson went above and beyond the call by returning to the set of Atom Egoyan’s new thriller “Chloe” to complete his scenes, a mere week after Natasha Richardson’s death. A deeply impressed Egoyan says:

    “He was very committed to the film and finishing his role, and he didn’t need to come back that soon … But he really thought it would be best for the film, and it was just such an unspeakably generous thing for him to do. And he’s an extraordinary, extraordinary person.”

    As for the film itself, I must say I’m intrigued. Egoyan, Neeson (who co-stars with Julianne Moore and Amanda Seyfried) and ultra-left-field scripter Erin Cressida Wilson (“Secretary”) occupy very different artistic spheres in my mind — given the auteur’s patchy form of late, the combination could get messy. Still, together with Sundance winner “Five Minutes of Heaven” (in which he does sterling work), it indicates a move into the kind of gutsy arthouse territory Neeson hasn’t entered much in recent years.

    In any case, Neeson’s recent mini-comeback has been one of the more pleasantly surprising developments of the past year. “Taken,” for all its sleeper success, was a rote effort, while you may recall I was none too impressed with “The Other Man” — but it’s encouraging to see a 56 year-old thesp (and one who has always seemed more comfortable as an actor than a star) getting major leading-man roles. Meanwhile, “Lincoln” and “Clash of the Titans” await him. Score one for the good guys.

  • Liam Neeson = Hollywood’s go-to mentor

    Liam Neeson in Batman BeginsCan we just assume that whenever the Hollywood moguls in all their infinite, maniacl wisdom decide to actually film an unending epic based on the Bible, Liam Neeson is likely to get the role of God?

    We’re already talking about the guy who mentored both Batman and Obi Wan Kenobi, who starred as the magical authority figure of “Chronicles of Narnia” series, who brought inspiration in the early 20th century to those seeking a free Irish state and, of course, saved a bunch of Jews.  Let’s not forget he’s also set to play probably the country’s most universally praised president of all time whenever the filmmakers decide to light that fire.

    Now, naturally, Neeson has been cast as Zeus in Louis Letterier’s “Clash of the Titans” remake.  The role was originally played by Laurence Olivier, which surprised many filmgoers back in 1981, that the celebrated film and theatre actor would stoop to genre depictions.  Ralph Fiennes is reportedly in talks to play Hades, making for an irresistible showdown of good versus evil.

    But back to Neeson, Hollywood’s go-to guy for mentor types and overall heroic displays, I’m very happy to see him hit the ground running and keep his chin up after the awful tragedy he and his family endured last month.  Keep working.  It’s all you can do.

    And regarding the “Clash” remake: part of me wishes it wouldn’t happen, because I love the original so much.  But part of me REALLY wants to see this thing, too.

  • R.I.P. Natasha Richardson

    Natasha RichardsonAfter two days of conflicting reports, Time Out New York falling over itself to proclaim the actress dead, then brain dead, neither case properly verified, and general anxiety over her condition, Natasha Richardson has finally succumbed to the injuries she sustained during a tragic ski accident in Montreal Monday.  She was 45 years old.

    From the AP:

    Alan Nierob, the Los Angeles-based publicist for Richardson’s husband Liam Neeson, confirmed her death in a written statement.

    “Liam Neeson, his sons, and the entire family are shocked and devastated by the tragic death of their beloved Natasha,” the statement said. “They are profoundly grateful for the support, love and prayers of everyone, and ask for privacy during this very difficult time.”

    Of course, the story behind the story continues to grow: media missteps in reporting.  Patrick Goldstein, in a piece titled “Natasha Richardson’s media ghouls get their comeuppance,” let the readers of Time Out New York do the talking for him, specifically citing an comment from a reader calling himself (or herself) “Ghost of Edward Murrow,” who had the following to say:

    Time Out’s credibility was declared brain dead today. The site suffered a horrific fall when rushing to get the scoop on the personal tragedy of a fine actress and her family, and according to anyone with a clue, will not recover.

    Anne Thompson, meanwhile, showed considerable irritation over the LA Times’ lack of web swiftness when she couldn’t find a link to John Horn’s obituary:

    A.P. knows how to handle stories like this. The LAT sent me a news alert. I followed the link which led me to the front page of the LAT and a breaking news banner: “A spokesman for Natasha Richardson’s family says she has died,” with no live links to any story, old or new. I did a search on the site for Natasha Richardson and got nothing at all on her accident. That is inexcusable. Their job is to service their readers with online breaking news.

    Frustrated, I googled “Natasha Richardson dead” and got what looked like A.P.’s old story but when I clicked on it, got the updated one. They were ready to go with the new news as soon as it arrived.

    She is, however, linking to the CBC story, not the AP story, but the lesson is writ large regardless: get the news in order, especially on something like this.  The culture of now, now, now (which I’ve already written about in other terms this week) will certainly be the death of journalistic credibility if behavior like this continues to rule the trade.

    Shocking that in all of this, TMZ seemed to have more accurate information throughout.

    But the news is the news, and a gifted actress has left us and a beautiful family behind.  My heart goes out to Richardson’s husband, Liam Neeson, her two young sons and her mother, Vanessa Redgrave.  Awful and unspeakable.

  • Tragic news

    ANOTHER UPDATE: Here’s the latest, from the AP:

    A person close to the family of Natasha Richardson says the actress has arrived in New York.

    Richardson, the wife of Liam Neeson, was critically injured Monday during a skiing accident at Montreal‘s famed Mont Tremblant resort. She was treated at Sacre-Coeur hospital Monday night and left for the United States Tuesday.

    The person, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter, confirmed late Tuesday that Richardson was in New York. The person did not say if or where the actress was being treated.

    EARLIER: Thanks to Chad for pointing out that TMZ (I know) is reporting the following:

    The hospital tells TMZ Richardson is sedated and suffering from brain swelling — but, contrary to some reports, is not brain dead.

    Let’s hope she’s in a position to pull through.

    STILL EARLIER: I missed this when it happened yesterday, but my heart goes out to the family of actress Natasha Richardson (husband Liam Neeson and two young sons), who was involved in a terrible skiing accident yesterday in Montreal.  Today, Time Out New York is reporting this sobering news:

    Last night it was reported that the actor Natasha Richardson had critically injured her head in a skiing accident at the Mont Tremblant resort outside of Montreal, Canada. Although public reports have not yet confirmed it, sources close to Richardson’s family and friends say they have already been told the awful news: She will not survive the accident, and is currently brain dead.

    Sudden, shocking and awful.  What do you say to something like this?

  • ‘Push’ sweeps at Sundance

    It had become quite clear over the past few days that Lee Daniels’ sophomore feature “Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire” was one of the few titles raising pulses at a very quiet Sundance Film Festival. The film, a hard-hitting urban tale of an African-American teenager overcoming merciless parental abuse in 1980’s Harlem, has received breathless critical notices across the board, with Variety declaring it “a diamond – clear, bright, but oh so hard.”

    So hardly anyone is surprised that the film cleaned up at yesterday’s Sundance Awards, nabbing both the Grand Jury and Audience Prizes in the U.S. dramatic competition — only the third film ever to achieve that double. It also received a Special Jury Prize for the performance of Mo’Nique as the protagonist’s monstrously neglectful mother.

    Sundance Awards have a spotty record of indicating future success: looking down the list of previous Grand Jury Prize winners, for every “You Can Count on Me” or “Frozen River” that rides its momentum all the way to Oscar night a whole year later, there’s a “Quinceanera” or “Forty Shades of Blue” that pretty much sinks without trace. “Push” certainly sounds like a tough sell for future awards attention, but if the critical championing continues, it’s hard to predict what might be in store.

    One winner we seem increasingly likely to hear more about as the year progresses is Lone Scherfig’s British charmer “An Education,” which inspired a heated bidding contest between specialty studios, and last night landed the Audience Award in the world dramatic competition, as well as a gong for cinematographer John De Borman. (Check out Todd McCarthy’s unabashed rave for the film here – we haven’t seen too many of those lately.)

    Meanwhile, the jury’s choice in the world dramatic section was Chilean class-themed comedy “The Maid,” while directing and screenwriting honours went to Oliver Hirschbiegel’s “Five Minutes of Heaven,” a study of political conflict in 1970’s Northen Ireland headlined by Liam Neeson. After the disaster that was Hirschbiegel’s first English-language effort, “The Invasion,” it’s nice to see the “Downfall” director getting back on track.

    A full list of the (many) feature awards dished out is below the cut. For more details, check out Variety’s report here.

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  • LONDON: ‘Tony Manero,’ ‘The Other Man,’ ‘Awaydays,’ ‘Seamstresses’

    Before I continue my roundup of films from the last few days of the London Film Festival, I received an email asking why I haven’t mentioned such major festival titles as “Rachel Getting Married” and “Religulous.”

    There is little point in me reviewing titles that have already opened in the States (and which Kris has already discussed, in my opinion rather accurately), with so much coverage already available. But to deal briefly with three such films, I enjoyed “Rachel Getting Married” (***) for Jonathan Demme’s loose, funky aesthetic, but found the script disappointingly glib beneath the flashy surface wit. “Religulous” (**1/2) is entertaining but not as penetrating as it imagines itself, with Bill Maher claiming to stand for doubt, but showing precious little thereof in his one-sided argument. Meanwhile, the less said (from me, at least) about the fatuous trifle that is “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist” (**), the better. Moving on:

    TONY MANERO (***)

    Chile’s official Academy Awards submission is a stark, studied and ultimately rather unsettling black comedy that provides a particularly bleak spin on the familiar character of the fame-crazed non-talent. Set in the late 70’s, against the ominous (and fascinating) political backdrop of the Pinochet dictatorship, the film centres on Raul (Alfredo Castro), a dour, dysfunctional middle-aged man whose chief pleasure in life is regular viewings of “Saturday Night Fever” at the local cinema.

    Obsessed with the John Travolta character for whom the film is named, Raul begins modelling himself on Manero, going so far as to enter a Manero lookalike contest on national TV, and leading a shabby dance troupe in meticulous pastiches of “Fever” dance numbers at a local bar. However, the startling lack of moral boundaries Raul shows in his quest to inhabit Manero leads him into a spiral of theft, lies and murder.

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  • Will Spielberg turn his attentions to ‘Lincoln’ after withdrawing from ‘Chicago 7?’

    Abraham LincolnSteven Spielberg announced quite some time ago, a year and a half at least, that he planned to make a biography of President Lincoln with Liam Neeson as the 16th American President. Excited about this right away, I sat and waited, and waited, and waited, while he did the latest Indiana Jones film (no argument, it was fun) and then moved on to “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” or so it seemed.

    Word is that he has not withdrawn from the Lincoln project.  I am hoping he goes at it with a vengeance.  Liam Neeson was announced as Lincoln with Sally Field as his wife Mary Todd. They seem like roles of a lifetime for each.

    When Spielberg throws himself into an important film, there is no stopping him, as we have seen with “Empire of the Sun,” “Schindler’s List,” “Saving Private Ryan,” “A.I.: Artificial Intelligence” and “Munich,”etc. “Lincoln” sounds to me the stuff of legend, a film that could be for the ages and might bring the man his third Oscar for directing. Hopefully this one is on the near horizon for him. The story is fascinating and deserves proper treatment. He was a great man who fought to unite the nation and treat all men as equals, with a tragic home life, and finally the victim of an assassin’s bullet.

    Please Mr. Spielberg, get to “Lincoln”.

  • Seven-minute ‘Other Man’ preview/trailer/thing

    Richard Eyre’s latest hasn’t landed domestic distribution yet, but it could be a great vehicle for stars Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, Antonio Banderas and Romola Garai.

    UPDATE (5:04 p.m.): As it turns out, the footage that was in this space was a promo reel meant for distributors, not for audiences.  It’s been yanked from YouTube, so if you saw it, consider yourselves lucky.