In Contention

Tag: Meryl Streep

  • Meryl Streep starts the season with a Kennedy Center honor

    Last week Larry King said he had it on good authority that Meryl Streep would be honored by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Today, it turns out he was right.

    Streep will be feted alongside musicians Neil Diamond and Yo-Yo Ma, saxophonist Sonny Rollins and singer/actress Barbara Cook. The announcement is a great way to launch her into the awards season as she looks to be a good bet for Oscar recognition for her role as Margaret Thatcher in “The Iron Lady,” especially seeing as Glenn Close is dominating that conversation this week with “Albert Nobbs” bowing in Telluride before moving on to Toronto.

    The Kennedy Center Honors will take place on December 4, the week the National Board of Review really gets the awards circuit going and just under two weeks before the release of “The Iron Lady.” But the won’t be broadcast on CBS until December 27.

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  • 9/2 OSCARWEB ROUND-UP: ‘Diary’ a TFF surprise?, Cronenberg talks ‘Method,’ Cody’s most anticipated

    • Word is one of the big Telluride surprises is the Johnny Depp starrer “The Rum Diary.” [Hollywood Elsewhere]

    • At Venice, is “Contagion” following “The Town”‘s awards playbook? (Uh…yeah.) [24 Frames]

    • Sticking with the Lido, Nick Vivarelli talks to “A Dangerous Method” director David Cronenberg. [Variety]

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  • OSCAR TALK: Ep. 57 — SPECIAL EDITION! — Oscar’s rule change, prospects at the mid-way point, Spielberg hitting the zeitgeist, lead actress race already looking contentious

    Oscar TalkWelcome to Oscar Talk.

    In case you’re new to the site and/or the podcast, Oscar Talk is a weekly kudocast, your one-stop awards chat shop between yours truly and Anne Thompson of Thompson on Hollywood. The podcast is weekly, every Friday throughout the season, charting the ups and downs of contenders along the way. Plenty of things change en route to Oscar’s stage and we’re here to address it all as it unfolds.

    A month and a half since the last off-season podcast, we take the temperature one more time this summer, right at the year’s mid-way point. There have been some Academy rule changes and some news and notes in the interim, so let’s see what’s on the docket today…

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  • ‘The Iron Lady’ international teaser trailer

    The Weinstein Company has a handful of possibilities in this year’s Oscar season. As usual, we can expect the boys to sit back and wait for a contender to survive Darwin-style before doubling down, but one element of “The Iron Lady” everyone expects to have no trouble finding a nomination is Meryl Streep’s performance as Margaret Thatcher. The recent teaser trailer (launched at The Guardian) builds on the expectation that it’s a transformative turn. Check it out by clicking the image below or watch an embed after the jump. (And note to The Guardian: You’re a giant corporation. Get an embed code and/or find a more handsome way to publish these exclusive trailers you get. Seriously)

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  • Weinstein acquires ‘The Iron Lady’ for 2011 release

    When I get around to updating Oscar predictions in a couple of weeks, I will, as usual, refrain from including any films that don’t yet have domestic distribution. But one title can be taken off of that list, and may have just thrust Meryl Streep to the top of the lead actress race (though she’ll certainly find competition from Tilda Swinton when “We Need to Talk About Kevin” inevitably finds a home).

    The Weinstein Company has stolen a little thunder from the Cannes whirlwind, announcing today its acquisition of Phyllida Lloyd’s Margaret Thatcher biopic “The Iron Lady.” In the wake of “The King’s Speech,” it seems Harvey is sticking to proven material, and Brit biopics are still a solid play in the awards season. Jim Broadbent could also be someone to watch for in supporting as Thatcher’s husband.

    For a number of years now, the cult of Streep has demanded further awardage for the undeniably prolific actress. Two Oscars over 20 years ago just aren’t enough. In my opinion, nothing she’s done since last winning in 1982, save for maybe 2002’s “Adaptation,” has warranted a win over her competition. But 16 nominations is nothing to sneeze at, and it seems a 17th could be on the way, further extending her record.

    Check out the full press release after the jump.

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  • Hope for Meryl

    I didn’t post this still of Meryl Streep in “The Iron Lady” that did the web rounds two days ago, largely because I didn’t have much to say about it — for all the “uncanny resemblance” claims being made by some excitable bloggers, she looks rather a lot like Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher. (Which is fine, by the way.) But this amended still from reader/blogger Bradley Porter gave me a chuckle, so here they both are.

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  • Streep elected to American Academy of Arts and Letters

    Any Meryl Streep fans still sulking over over her twelfth consecutive Oscar loss last month should dry their eyes right about now. This morning brings the news that the actress has just been honored by a rather tonier Academy, as the American Academy of Arts and Letters has appointed Streep to their ranks.

    Streep joins former honorees like Martin Scorsese and Woody Allen in the American Honorary class of membership, reserved for individuals whose work fall outside the institution’s traditional remit of music, art and literature. She is, however, the first person to be named solely for her achievements in acting.

    If that’s not better than a little gold statue, I don’t know what is.

    A quick glance through the list of the Academy’s living members (ranging from Philip Glass to Frank Gehry, Toni Morrison to Stephen Sondheim, Sam Shepard to Philip Roth) drives home the stunning scale of this honor.

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  • If YOU had a ballot

    Colin FirthTonight’s the big night, and as we close in on the final hours of the 2009-2010 film awards season, I thought I’d offer up this list (another one!), which reflects how you, the readership, would like the night’s festivities to go.  These are the results of the daily polls that accompanied our Oscar Guide series during the second phase of the season.  Thanks for participating.

    Best Picture: “The Hurt Locker”
    Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow, “The Hurt Locker”
    Best Actor: Colin Firth, “A Single Man”
    Best Actress: Meryl Streep, “Julie & Julia”
    Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, “Inglourious Basterds”
    Best Supporting Actress: Mo’Nique, “Precious”
    Best Adapted Screenplay: “Up in the Air”
    Best Original Screenplay: “Inglourious Basterds”

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  • 3/3 Oscarweb Round-up

    (from left) Meryl Streep and Sandra Bullock at the 15th annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards• Claude Brodesser-Akner reports that a Sacha Baron Cohen Oscarcast sketch has been nixed to spare James Cameron’s feelings.  It was a dumb idea anyway. [Vulture]

    • Steven Zeitchik on what I’ve been saying until I’m blue in the face: Meryl Streep’s silence has done her no favors during phase two, while Team Bullock continues to steamroll. [The Envelope]

    • Steve Pond tells us what happens to the ballots now that the deadline has come and gone. [The Odds]

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  • Siding with Sandy

    Sandra Bullock at the 2009 SAG AwardsNathaniel Rogers’s annual Oscar Symposium wrapped last night over at the Film Experience, and I must say I had a great time taking part. The final day’s conversation wandered all over the map, taking in the original score race (I’m not alone in my love for “The Hurt Locker” there), the merits of The Ten and visions of Mo’Nique in “Nine.”

    But it had to end with this year’s most discussed Oscar duel: Bullock versus Streep. And between us, support was fairly evenly split. As a taster, here’s Tim Robey’s reluctant case for the “Blind Side” star:

    Don’t we want Meryl to win her third for a truly epochal performance? … (Make no mistake — I’d happily watch Meryl take the garbage out daily, I love her so, but I really want her to win this thing for absolute top-drawer work.) I don’t think Carey Mulligan is ready to be crowned just yet, and I don’t think it would actually do her career any favours if she was. Sandy, on the other hand, has just the one shot at this, and I say why the hell not. I’ve always liked her. I’d have nominated her for The Lake House! (I’m not joking.) And I agree that her Blind Side performance, while entire skyscrapers away from the Brockovich league her spin-meisters would have us believe, is pretty nimble and watchable, and the only thing that got me through that numbskull movie alive.

    Good stuff all round. If you haven’t been keeping up with the Symposium, read the rest here.

  • A.O. Scott celebrates Meryl Streep

    Meryl Streep in Julie & JuliaJust when it seems as if pundits and critics alike have run out of fresh things to say in praise of Meryl Streep, A.O. Scott comes along with this beautifully written valentine to Oscar’s favorite actor.

    The piece essentially amounts to the longest, most eloquent For Your Consideration ad of the season, but even I — a relative agnostic on the merits of the master’s performance in “Julie & Julia” (more on that in the Film Experience’s Oscar Symposium later today) — was given pause by this very intelligent argument in its favor:

    [T]hese days impersonation is the province of every aspiring biopic star. Ms. Streep’s Julia Child is never anything other than a performance, a fusion of two strong personalities rather than the absorption by one into another. You never forget that you are watching Meryl Streep inhabiting a version of Julia Child, and instead of distracting you from the truth of Julia, this awareness is what enables you to understand her. It is our familiarity with Ms. Streep that makes her exploration of a more private Julia Child both credible and exhilarating. Similarly in her frequent forays into the world of cinematic statecraft, she can be an entirely convincing senator or cabinet secretary while still being, in every syllable and flourish, Meryl Streep.

    Plenty of other quotable passages in the article, but the actress’s legions of devotees will be better off reading and savoring every word. Enjoy.

  • OSCAR GUIDE: Best Actress

    Helen Mirren in The Last StationThis year’s Best Actress race is easily the most debated of the major categories. Though one can’t help but wonder why that is, as the writing has seemingly been on the wall for a number of weeks now, stretching back to before the nominations were announced.

    It was also one of the easiest fields to call, pre-nominations, as both lead acting categories had actually coagulated somewhat. The SAG slate was mirrored by the acting branch of the Academy, offering a nice mixture of young starlets and veteran standbys. The winner in the field, however, might be somewhere in the middle of that cross-section.

    The nominees are:

    Sandra Bullock, “The Blind Side”
    Helen Mirren, “The Last Station”
    Carey Mulligan, “An Education”
    Gabourey Sidibe, “Precious”
    Meryl Streep, “Julie & Julia”

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  • OFF THE CARPET: Are we there yet?

    Jeremy Renner in The Hurt LockerIt’s been three weeks since I took note of the season’s course in this space, and really, there has been no need to put our finger to the wind until last week. And frankly, an author making an ass out of himself in public and Harvey Weinstein sooth-saying anyone who would listen (while an array of fluff pieces on Quentin Tarantino buying the New Beverly hit, a year after it happened) made for little more than an opportunity to fill column inches as we all continue to tread water.

    Meanwhile, “The Hurt Locker” has taken the four guilds that truly count, putting it on course for the inevitable. Some are trying to spin the preferential ballot as a non-issue, but that’s just they’re own way of saying they have nothing to write about. And “Avatar” keeps making money.

    I’m frankly more interested in the fact that, as Martin Scorsese’s finest film since “Goodfellas” made its way to screens over the weekend, smart critics all over the country somehow turned off their analytical switch to complain about score volume and heavy-handed stylization, completely failing to realize the inherent necessity of the film’s construction and mise-en-scène in the participatory narrative Scorsese laid out.

    But I’ll save all that for roughly a year hence, when I’ll inevitably be swimming upstream for yet another misunderstood masterstroke from a popular filmmaker many think has received his share of passes. There is an Oscar season still to cover, after all.

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  • OSCAR TALK: Ep. 21 — The home stretch, Santa Barbara tributes, debating the few debatable categories

    Oscar TalkWelcome to Oscar Talk, a weekly kudocast between yours truly and Anne Thompson of Thompson on Hollywood.

    I’m in Santa Barbara this week while Anne is back in Los Angeles. Here’s what’s on the docket:

    • The Santa Barbara fest is in full swing, including tributes for James Cameron and Sandra Bullock, among others. We discuss.

    • The Sandra Bullock thing leads to yet another Bullock vs. Streep debate. Anne is convinced the older members of the Academy will go for Streep and that the media has assumed the Oscar is Bullock’s at their own peril.

    • Anne was in Santa Barbara last week and discusses the writers panel she moderated.

    • Meanwhile, she was also back in LA for the USC Scripter awards, so she offers her perspective on the evening’s festivities.

    • Finally, we go back and forth on a few of the debatable categories, including Best Original Screenplay, which could see Quentin Tarantino win his second Oscar. Or will it?

    Have a listen below. Forgive me in advance for audio issues on my end. I’m in a hotel room without my handy external. As always, you can subscribe to Oscar Talk via iTunes here.

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  • 2/12 Oscarweb Round-up

    Rick Baker• Steve Weintraub sits down with likely the only major Oscar play for forthcoming flop “The Wolfman,” Rick Baker. [Collider]

    • Guy Adams on “Crazy Heart”‘s crazy trip to the screen. [The Independent]

    • Harvey Weinstein is pretty damn sure “Inglourious Basterds” is winning Best Picture. [Notes on a Season]

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  • 2/10 Oscarweb Round-up

    Cover of Crazy Heart by Thomas Cobb• “Gong Show” host Chuck Barris optioned Thomas Cobb’s “Crazy Heart” once upon a time, but decided to travel the world in his yacht instead.  I’m sure Scott Cooper thanks him. [The Carpetbagger]

    • Whatever happened to Wes Bentley?  And question: One film equals a career? [New York Times]

    • Steve Pond on yesterday’s AMPAS press release du jour, giving winners more incentive to attend the Governor’s Ball this year. [The Odds]

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  • THE LONG SHOT: Now what?

    Jeremy Renner in The Hurt LockerA whole 31 days ahead of the 82nd Academy Awards ceremony, the race already feels like it’s winding down.

    Of the precursors, only BAFTA and the lesser guilds (sorry, WGA, but you brought irrelevance upon yourself) lie in wait to distract us from a month of wafty speculation and idle editorializing. Trust me, you’re going to get very sick of the phrase “battle of the exes” before the month is out … if you aren’t already.

    For me, a trip to the Berlinale next week couldn’t be better timed – a few days of seeing and discussing some new films, including several of this year’s hot Sundance titles, will be a welcome vacation from the ever-dwindling pool of names and titles we’ve been talking about since the fall.

    But if you’re not one of the lucky few who can make it to a festival – or if you’re as uninspired as everyone else by the new releases of the last few weeks – fresh perspective needn’t come only from fresh films. I recently had the pleasure of rewatching “The Hurt Locker” and getting happily reacquainted with it as a movie, rather than as the industry story it has grown into over the months.

    Awards season can sometimes smother the movies it celebrates, turning them into representations of competing social and artistic ideals that they were never intended to be. As the competition narrows, these definitions get progressively more binary – and the side-taking more vicious. (You only have to look at Roger Ebert’s online opposition of “Avatar” to see what the season can make us do to movies we even like.)

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  • The nominees react

    Maggie Gyllenhaal in Crazy HeartThroughout the morning and early afternoon we took statements from or hopped on the phone with 44 of today’s Oscar nominees.  Their reactions…

    Maggie Gyllenhaal, supporting actress, “Crazy Heart”:

    The thing is, you know, I’m so proud of the movie and I always have been, more proud of it than any of the work I’ve done so far.  But because I wasn’t getting nominated for anything, I wasn’t expecting it.  My phone was ringing so early and I thought, “Wait, maybe!”   I was staying at my brother’s in LA.  He said to me, “Your phone is going to be ringing all day.”  He made me a cup of coffee and then we watched the sun rise.  It was pretty mellow.  But this wouldn’t be happening for Jeff [Bridges] or me if it wasn’t for Scott [Cooper].

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