In Contention

Tag: Revolutionary Road

  • Dave Karger says Obama’s win could help ‘The Dark Knight’ come Oscar time

    Heath Ledger in The Dark KnightFrom a recent post at EW’s Oscar Watch:

    I thought the sequence involving the two ferries (in which a group of commuters and a group of convicts have the power to blow up each others’ boats but don’t) was a bit too reality-show-ish for my taste. But I know most viewers loved it. Either way, that part of the film speaks to the innate goodness of human behavior. And let’s remember that Oscar ballots are due next January 12, just a week before Barack Obama is inaugurated. It’s safe to say most Hollywood types will also see that event as an example of innate human goodness. All of this only helps The Dark Knight‘s chances, don’t you think?

    Hm.  Nice point.  But the Best Picture chances of “The Dark Knight” are still extremely dependent, as David Poland noted today, on how films like “Revolutionary Road,” “Australia” and “The Reader” pan out.  If those films start to fall by the wayside, then we can REALLY start getting serious.

  • TECH SUPPORT: Best Film Editing — Volume One

    Tech Support at In ContentionNo matter how good the storyline, plot, acting, photography and other elements of a film may be, any poorly edited film will be difficult to watch, understand and enjoy.  An editor has the task of not only finding the appropriate length of a film but also putting together scenes so they flow coherently, both visually and story-wise.

    This is a category where I often feel “most” editing is confused with “best.”  I wholeheartedly agree that it is challenging to coherently put together a film with lots of action, musical scenes or a non-linear narrative – the sorts of films typically nominated in this category. Though I personally feel that often the most accomplished editing can be seen in the relaxed creation of appropriate pace and tone, stealth editing that goes unnoticed.

    This is also, happily, not a field that tends to bring back past nominees at the expense of newbies.  Few working editors have more than four career nominations and at least two to three newcomers seem to be nominated every year.

    Historically, this category has had an incredible crossover with Best Picture.  Though in recent years, that has changed, the last three years having had only a 2/5 crossover with the big category. Last year’s winner, “The Bourne Ultimatum,” is a very rare example of a winner that was not even nominated for Best Picture.

    (more…)

  • I’m SO ‘off the carpet’ this week

    After the online drama of the last couple of weeks, it’s been nice to settle in and get to the actual movies for a change.  The media at large has gotten a look at “Frost/Nixon,” “Milk” and “Doubt,” while features and long lead writers have had their peeks at “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” and “Revolutionary Road.”  A elect few have seen “Defiance.”  The only outstanding variables of the season remain “Australia” (tick-tock) and “The Reader” (with a grand trailer debut late last week).

    We’re getting there.

    An array of interviews and AFI Fest commitments have kept me from really digging into a column this week, but I have adjusted the charts for the time being.  There’s still a lot of guessing going on, even if a number of categories are coming into focus.  But tomorrow’s results really could have an effect on this thing.  We’ll see how it plays out…

    Main Category Charts
    Technical Category Charts
    The Contenders
    Oscar Prediction Archives

  • Michael Shannon among NYT’s breakthrough picks

    The New York Times has compiled a list of what they deem the five outstanding breakthrough performances of the season. It makes for interesting reading — sure enough, there are some performers from otherwise high-profile Oscar-bait films, but there are some surprises too.

    I’m pleased to see them singling out François Bégaudeau, the star and real-life subject of “The Class,” who projects remarkable warmth and gravitas on screen for someone who has never acted before. Meanwhile, their most under-the-radar selection is Freddy Rodriguez, apparently the standout of an ensemble pic I must confess I hadn’t heard of, called “Nothing Like the Holidays.” As a fan of Rodriguez’ low-key work in the much-missed “Six Feet Under,” I’m intrigued.

    The Times’ other three picks are all in rather more baity titles: Alison Pill in “Milk,” an actress who has been bubbling under for a while now; French ingenue Alexa Davalos in “Defiance,” whom they liken to a young Liz Taylor; and finally, an actor who has long been in my Best Supporting Actor predictions list, Michael Shannon in “Revolutionary Road.”

    In Richard Yates’ novel, the character of John Givings is small but absolutely incendiary: a supposed paranoid schizophrenic who refuses to comply with the rigidly defined etiquette of 1950’s suburbia. Shannon has been an exciting, imposing presence in such films as “Bug” and “Shotgun Stories,” and I always thought his brooding intensity would make him ideal casting here. According to the Times, he makes good on the promise:

    (Shannon) provides some of the movie’s most thrilling fireworks … Playing a man who is mentally ill is an opportunity to chew the scenery, but Mr. Shannon does something else, infusing John with such tormented authority that the character becomes classical: he’s the movie’s Cassandra and Greek chorus at once.

    Well, that’s got my attention. In a lean category seriously wanting for contenders — beyond the slamdunk nomination for Heath Ledger — Shannon looks more and more like a surefire nominee. Read the rest here.

  • 10/29 Oscarweb Round-up

    Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in Revolutionary Road• Steven Zeitchik thinks “Frost/Nixon” will get a pass for journalist worship. [Rizky Biz Blog]

    • Bill Horberg captures the San Francisco debut of “Milk” in pics. [William Horberg]

    • Eugene Hernandez, meanwhile, reports from the scene. [indieWIRE]

    • Ditto Brad Brevet, with some nice video interviews tossed in for good measure. [Rope of Silicon]

    • Jeffrey Wells draws a correlation between Nixon’s apology in “Frost/Nixon” and the painful knowledge that we’ll probably never get the same out of our current Commander-in-Chief. [Hollywood Elsewhere]

    • Anne Thompson gets a big thumbs up from the first long-lead screening of “Revolutionary Road.” [Thompson on Hollywood]

    • Susan King runs down the upcoming AFI Fest honorees. [The Envelope]

    • Xan Brooks runs down his six favorite Bond openings. [The Guardian]

    • Patrick Kevin Day reveals the secrets of makeup wizardry on “Synecdoche, New York.” [Los Angeles Times]

    • Mike Jones reports on “Adam Resurrected”‘s resurrection as an Oscar hopeful. [The Circuit]

    • Dave Karger and Missy Schwartz talk the year’s two remaining “mystery” films. [Entertainment Weekly]

    • Translation: “Blah, blah, blah…WHY WON’T YOU LINK TO ME?!…blah, blah, blah.” [And the Winner is]

  • Sneak peek?

    A few weeks ago I mentioned that the first poster for “Revolutionary Road” was a teaser and that there would be another one-sheet on down the line.  Well today I was looking at that cover of Variety, the first FYC cover of the year, and I wonder if we’re not looking at a sneak peek of the next poster art work for the film.  After all, the “Duchess” and “Defiance” images were taken from one-sheets.  The image of Leo and Kate looks like something that might be on a poster more than it does a melding of stills.

    I dunno, just thinking out loud (because — hello! — there’s SO nothing to talk about this week).  Here’s the image I’m going on about:

    Revolutionary Road

  • 10/28 Oscarweb Round-up

    Philip Seymour Hoffman in Doubt• Michael Cieply says “Welcome to the pop Oscars” regarding the big budget Oscar pushes this year. [New York Times]

    • Tom O’Neil reports that the two biggest stars in “Doubt” won’t be at the AFI world premiere on Thursday. [Gold Derby]

    • Patrick Goldstein wonders why Oscar consistently shies away from the funny bone. [The Big Picture]

    • A chat with “Dear Zachary” director Kurt Kuenne. [indieWIRE]

    • Nicholas Lezard comments on Gus Van Sant’s potential adaptation of Tom Wolfe’s “The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.” [The Guardian]

    • Anthony Breznican profiles Elizabeth Banks and her star-making year. [USA Today]

  • TECH SUPPORT: Best Art Direction — Volume One

    Tech Support at In ContentionThe Academy Award for Best Art Direction is somewhat of an odd category in that the art director does not actually receive a nomination or statuette.  Rather, the award is given to two individuals with unique roles in the crafting of a film’s sets.  The production designer heads up the entire art department, specifically in charge of set creation and design. The award also recognizes the set decorator, responsible for filling in the sets with details and dressing to bring them to life.

    Much like he costume designers, this branch tends to favor period and fantasy work, surely because such sets naturally draw attention to themselves.  It does tend, however, to be more kind to fantasy than the branch’s costume designing colleagues. It also usually prefers grandiose work and large-scale set pieces.

    Just as I believe is the case in Best Costume Design, Catherine Martin might be leading the way for “Australia” here this year. Martin, who won this category for “Moulin Rouge!” in 2001 and was also nominated for “William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet” five years earlier, will have the opportunity to create the interiors – and exteriors – of a rugged Australian outback filled with hubby Baz Lurhmann’s distinct vision.

    Donald Graham Burt has fashioned numerous contemporary films, or films set in the relatively recent past, in his career to date. With “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” he has the opportunity to visually wow us through eight decades of 20th century. The film, at the least, should be visually spectacular so I suspect Burt is looking extremely good for a nomination.

    (more…)

  • International ‘Revolutionary Road’ trailer

    Can be found here.  Can’t embed it for some reason, though.  Lots of interesting composition in those images.

  • Scott Rudin takes his name off ‘The Reader,’ walks away

    Scott RudinUPDATE (9:58 p.m.): Thanks to one of our readers for pointing out that “The Reader” has been removed from The Weinstein Company’s official site.  Could it mean that Weinstein will fold after all?  Could the pain of getting a publicity team in place, dealing with Rudin’s all-in public play and general bad buzz make TWC see the light and move the film to 2009?  We’ll see…

    EARLIER: I love Scott Rudin.  All along, throughout this whole nasty affair, I have hoped he would prove his balls are bigger than Harvey’s and I think he’s done that now.

    Patrick Goldstein is reporting that the producer has taken his name off of Stephen Daldry’s “The Reader,” which was suddenly jerked into the 2008 Oscar season by Weinstein Company honcho Harvey Weinstein, a move read by most in the industry as a gluttonous attempt at securing some Oscar glory this year.  With “Revolutionary Road” and “Doubt” already at the center of the season’s buzz cycle, the last thing Rudin needed, or wanted, was to have to split his attention a third way — let alone a way that would have been abandoned by its own star as well.

    Yes, it’s true.  Kate Winslet would not have hawked “The Reader” against her husband, Sam Mendes’s “Revolutionary Road” (in which she also stars).  Director Stephen Daldry himself had to respond diplomatically to the entire charade of Rudin and Weinstein kissing and making up in public, only to have before-the-fact private emails spread across the net by an industrious blogger.

    I’ve made my opinion of this fiasco known, and I definitely don’t think I was alone.  In fact, I know I wasn’t.  Weinstein scrambled to put together a publicity team but likely found a lot of road blocks, and to Rudin, it had to have been a painful march toward the inevitable:

    “The Reader,” produced by Alan Smithee.

    Goldstein reports:

    In recent days, negotiations had apparently taken a turn for the worse. Upset with Weinstein and worried that many of his long-standing talent relationships would be harmed, Rudin decided to separate himself from the project. Daldry remains contractually obligated to complete the film, though it’s uncertain of how he will complete the film without Rudin, a longtime collaborator with both Daldry and David Hare, who were the creative team on “The Hours.”

    And the closer, which says it all:

    Whatever the root cause, this is another body blow to “The Reader,” which loses a strong producer who is always a major force during awards season. Rudin will continue as producer of two other year-end pictures, “Revolutionary Road” and “Doubt.”

    Personally, I’m just glad Goldstein got this scoop and not Nikki Finke.

  • TECH SUPPORT: Best Costume Design — Volume One

    Tech Support at In ContentionThe Academy Award for Best Costume Design recognizes, shock of shocks, the clothes and accessories worn by actors in a film.  Clothing can add to the story and express the nature and situation of the characters who wear them.

    If a single word could be used to describe this category, it would be “period.”  31 of the 40 nominees here this decade were period pieces.  This is not altogether surprising.  Period clothes automatically draw attention by not being the sort of fashion we see every day on the street and require the costume designer to accurately portray the time in which the film takes place.

    The nominations two years ago “The Queen” and “The Devil Wears Prada” were refreshing in my opinion but extremely rare, being the first contemporary nominees in a dozen years.  Admittedly, fantasy films occasionally find a home here as well.  Seven nominees this decade fit that mold.  But even so, there is usually only one –- and never more than two –- spots available for non-period films in this category.

    This is also an arena that tends to reward many familiar faces.  In a typical year, only one or two of the nominees are first-timers, while many designers are (usually deservedly) seen year after year.  This trend has occasionally resulted in some films one would never expect to find in the awards race landing the label “Oscar nominee.”

    Catherine Martin might be leading the way this year.  She won this category seven years ago, the last time both she –- and her husband/director Baz Lurhmann -– worked.  That film was “Moulin Rouge!” and its design elements were fantastic.  Again doubling as a production designer on “Australia” this year, Martin will fashion the world of a Briton coming to a strange historical land, filled, as always, with Lurhmann’s bordering-on-fantastical elements.  The design opportunities should once again be amazing and I’d be quite surprised if Martin failed to make the cut.

    (more…)

  • Adapting Philip Roth

    Cover of The Dying Animal by Philip RothPhilip Roth is author of 25 novels and other works of non-fiction.  Revered in America, he has won every major American literature prize, including the National Book Foundation’s Award for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters in 2002.  Despite his literary success, his films have had a difficult journey to the silver screen.

    I joined the long line of Roth fans that were disappointed with Robert Benton’s adaptation of “The Human Stain,” the 2000 novel that received the National Book Award for the best work of American fiction. It was an extraordinary book and perhaps Roth’s finest. And I believed that it would translate nicely onto the silver screen. While the novel weaved in and out of the past and present, the transitions weren’t so frequent that it would create a problem for the screenwriter, Nicholas Meyer (Oscar-nominated for “The Seven-Per-Cent Solution.”

    Benton was able to attach an exceptional cast that included Anthony Hopkins, Nicole Kidman, Ed Harris and Gary Sinise. But when the film bombed with critics and audiences alike, it was quickly pulled from mainstream movie houses and relegated to small boutique theaters, and for short periods of time. It made only $5.3 million against a production budget of $30 million.

    Mr. Roth’s work has been adapted again by Mr. Meyer this year. Taking the pages of “The Dying Animal” and turning them into the film “Elegy,” Mr. Meyer and the film’s director, Isabelle Coixet have managed to create a finer adaptation of the text, and a far better film.

    (more…)

  • OFF THE CARPET: Who we are, who we want to be

    (from left) Josh Brolin and Toby Jones in W.In the last few weeks, drama has persisted in the yet-to-be-heated Oscar season.  Producers are debating exhibitors in public and mid-summer opinions of awards-caliber product are being revisited — in some cases disavowed — as more and more viewers get their peeks.

    On the positive side, two studios have launched the screener circuit with indie films they hope can muster some remembrance, while the foreign film news bite barrage has come to a close with the qualification deadline.  But there isn’t much to go on in terms of assessing the season, not a lot in the way of tangible grist for the mill.

    Lots of smoke, very little fire.

    In part, that should explain a lack of predictions updates here at In Contention, shifting and sliding for no reason.  And indeed, this week’s update isn’t a massive overhaul — or even an overhaul — beyond putting a few things into context here, trimming the fat there.  But as I set out to update our projections this week, I became more and more aware of 2008’s striking theme of self-reflection this Oscar season.  And hey, it seemed as good an idea for a column as any.

    (more…)

  • Listen to the scores from ‘Changeling’ and ‘Frost/Nixon’

    Fresh on the heels of Paramount Vantage’s annual Vantage Guilds unveiling, Universal Pictures has launched its For Your Consideration site this season.  The five films featured are “Changeling,” “Flash of Genius,” “Frost/Nixon,” “Mamma Mia!” and “The Tale of Despereaux.”  Currently you can check out portions of the  scores from “Changeling” and “Frost/Nixon.”

    By the way, Vantage has added some more content since we first pointed toward Vantage Guilds on Thursday.  Stills and a screenplay for “Defiance” and “The Duchess,” as well as score samples for the latter to go along with a behind-the-scenes featurette.  Nothing much for “Revolutionary Road” yet, though this pic is new to me:

    Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in Revolutionary Road

    By the way, I’ve been told the poster for “Revolutionary Road” that dropped a few weeks back is indeed a teaser and that a final one-sheet is still to come.  Looking forward to that.

  • Vantage Guilds goes live

    VantageGuilds.comParamount Vantage has proven year in and year out that it has a commitment to all of its Oscar hopefuls, from the most recognizeable of stars to the most obscure craftsmen, via the Vantage Guilds website.  This year’s rendition has finally goes live and it shows a lot of promise.

    At the moment it’s just trailers for the studio’s three contenders (and I bet three is a welcome reduction from the slates of recent years over on Melrose).  Soon enough there will be features on costume design, screenplays uploaded, scores to listen to, etc.

    Check out the early stages here.

  • The phone gods have spoken

    My cellphone just told me that Kate Winslet will win next year’s Best Actress Oscar.

    Who am I to argue? My phone is right about a lot of things — the time, my account balance, my friends’ numbers. It couldn’t tell me which film she would win for, but nobody’s perfect.

    Admittedly, the tip didn’t come unprompted, but courtesy of Any Question Answered (AQA), the eerily knowledgable text-message service that comes in mighty handy for settling drunken pub quiz disputes  when the internet is just too complicated for inebriated fingers. With no clear leads to go on in this year’s Oscar race so far, I thought I’d put it to their wisdom.

    According to AQA, “Revolutionary Road” will win Best Picture. I was prepared to believe them until, further into the text, they described it as a “depression-era romance.” So much for the phone gods, then.

    Nobody knows anything, indeed.

  • ‘Revolutionary’ trailer in beautiful HD

    Now we can all get a clean look at Roger Deakins’s work. Check it out at Yahoo! Movies.

  • Kate Winslet: the greatest actress of her generation?

    Kate WinsletAt nearly 33 years old (eight days and counting) and with five Academy Award nominations under her belt, Kate Winslet may just be the greatest actress of her generation. Her work has not yet revealed any limitations.  Like Meryl Streep, she offers an authenticity in her work, even the lesser films.  She seems incapable of uttering a false line.  She defines authenticity at every turn.

    Her work in “Titanic” transcended the material, a shoddy screenplay that saw her running about the doomed boat making decisions about what to do next, and I’ll be damned if Winslet did not make it work. In the hands of a lesser actress, the performance, and perhaps the role, would have come across as silly, but she made a character out of Rose we dared to care about.

    There was heat between Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio on the screen.  We believed the love, we believed the devotion, and she did this at a very young age. Earlier still she had gone toe-to-toe with Emma Thomson and Alan Rickman in “Sense & Sensibility,” earning an Oscar nod for Best Supporting Actress. Further back, you’ll witness chilling work in Peter Jackson’s “Heavenly Creatures” and one sees a major actress developing before our very eyes.

    (more…)