In Contention

Tag: Russell Crowe

  • SUNDAY CENTS: Zac attack

    17 AgainFor the second weekend in a row, a product of the Disney Channel has headlined the top film at the box office. This week it’s Zac Efron in the Warner Bros. comedy “17 Again.” Sure, this plot has been done before multiple times (three in 1988 alone), but not with that distinct new millennium flavor. What’s that? “13 Going on 30?” Okay, so no movie this millennium has done it with a boy as the lead.

    And that’s why this film needed to be made. Conceptual gripes aside, I actually like Zac Efron and if the trailers are any indication, his timing and charm are the only things this film have going for it. A $24.1 million opening weekend is virtually identical to the aforementioned Jennifer Garner vehicle, which helped her establish an identity outside of “Alias.” Her next film was “Electra” so hopefully Efron is paying attention.

    “State of Play” investigates second place with $14.1 million and a handful of decent reviews. In previous years this kind of film would have done better (Affleck’s 2002 April thriller “Changing Lanes” debuted with $21.2 million), but in 2009, Universal will take that result. Direct competition comes from “The Soloist” next week but the word of mouth among adults should be strong enough that this sticks around until Memorial Day.

    After the demanding “Master and Commander” shoot, Russell Crowe said he wasn’t interested in doing movies where he was in every shot any more and that explains his last four films pitting him against an equally famous co-star. With the exception of “American Gangster,” all of them have debuted with $13-$14 million.

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  • Wells stumps for Bateman

    Jason Bateman in State of PlaySo far, the reviews for Kevin Macdonald’s “State of Play” seem uniformly warm — which comes as a relief to me after the rather indifferent vibe I got from the film’s entire marketing strategy.

    Todd McCarthy describes it as an “efficient, admirably coherent thriller” — welcome adjectives considering the level of condensation required from the original six-hour miniseries — and casts praise in multiple directions, from Russell Crowe’s lead turn (“a brilliant character actor hiding inside a leading man’s body”) to Mark Friedberg’s production design (“won’t likely be matched anytime soon”). Screen International’s Fionnula Halligan sings a similar tune, commending the film for its “edgy bristle” and “surgical” adaptation.

    Both critics also take time to single out the supporting contribution of Jason Bateman for praise, but it’s Jeff Wells who is most impressed by the “Arrested Development” star, going so far as to advocate:

    Hollywood Elsewhere hereby submits Jason Bateman’s performance in State of Play — a performance I admittedly didn’t mention in my review posted earlier today — as the first supporting performance of 2009 deserving of award consideration. He plays a sleazy Washington, D.C. publicist named Dominic Foy, and is quite good in a sort-of sweaty and grotesque way.

    Wells, meanwhile, is also a fan of the film as a whole. Good news all round, then — I’m looking forward to the weekend just a little bit more.

  • SUNDAY CENTS: Whoa, Montana!

    Hannah Montana: The MovieMiley Cyrus proved to be just as popular in two dimensions as she was in three as “Hannah Montana: The Movie” opened at the top of the Easter box office chart with $34 million.  Given that $17 million of that came from Friday alone, one could assume that this will be a one-week wonder.  However, most kids were out of school for Good Friday so you have to cut it a little bit of slack.

    The debut couldn’t quite match the $40 million of “High School Musical 3” but it far outpaces the $20.6 million debut of the last Disney Channel princess to get her own movie (anybody remember Lizzie McGuire?)

    Seth Rogen tested his appeal by appearing in a pitch black comedy from the creators of HBO’s “Eastbound & Down” and the result was a relatively soft $11.1 million for “Observe and Report.”  The women who make up more than 50% of the audience for films like “I Love You, Man” and “Knocked Up” just weren’t interested in a film that includes possible date rape in its trailers.  Go figure.  Warm reviews and a long life on DVD will have to be the rewards for making something unique and interesting.

    Way back in seventh place is Fox’s third disaster of the year, “Dragonball Evolution,” with a limp $4.7 million.  Missing the boat by a good 10 years in terms of this property’s appeal, the existence of the film in 2009 is completely baffling.  I’m gonna go out on a limb and declare its Oscar prospects to be minimal.  Maybe if Fox Searchlight had released it instead.

    Even with no school on Friday, “Fast & Furious” dropped a hefty 59% from last weekend.  Apparently the title refers to how the film will exit the theaters.  “Adventureland” had a better decline of 40%, but still too high for a film relying on word of mouth to get somewhere.  It’s partly my fault since I thought about seeing it this week but ultimately saw “Duplicity” instead.  Probably a mistake, since that film was mildly amusing at best.

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  • Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood film begins production

    Fingers crossed for this one.  Sue me, I still love “Prince of Thieves.”

    Anyway, Universal rolls out the red carpet with a big ole’ announcement today:

    Joining Crowe and Blanchett for the film are Oscar® winner Vanessa Redgrave (Julia, Atonement) as John and Richard’s mother, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine; Mark Strong (Body of Lies, Stardust) as King John’s vicious henchman, Sir Godfrey; Oscar Isaac (Che, Body of Lies) as King John; and Léa Seydoux (13 French Street, upcoming Inglourious Basterds) as the woman who will become queen, French Princess Isabella. Playing key members of Robin’s band of men are Scott Grimes (television’s ER, American Dad) as Welshman Will Scarlet; Kevin Durand (upcoming X-Men Origins: Wolverine, 3:10 to Yuma) as Robin’s right-hand, Scotsman Little John; and newcomer Alan Doyle as their troubadour, Irishman Allan Adayle.

    (Full press release after the jump.)

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  • Who almost starred in the season’s Oscar nominated films?

    Linus Roache in Batman BeginsThe folks at notstarring.com have put together a list of the year’s Oscar contenders and the stars who turned down opportunities to star in them.  There is, of course, Nicolas Cage in “The Wrestler” and Russell Crowe in “Australia.”  Heath Ledger is also mentioned for the latter (somehow I didn’t know that).

    “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” given its lengthy gestation period in Hollywood, had a slew of names attached: Steven Spielberg, Spike Jonze and Ron Howard in the director’s chair, Tom Cruise, John Travolta and Rachel Weisz in front of the camera.

    Those of us who follow Batman casting decisions closely know all the names that pop up in the “Dark Knight” section, though somehow I never realized Linus Roache was going to reprise his role of Thomas Wayne in flashbacks.  I feel like that would have worked and been a nice element to tie the film more closely to “Batman Begins.”

    There are plenty others to read through, including Matt Damon and Chris Evans being considered for the roles that eventually went to Josh Brolin and James Franco respectively in “Milk.”  There’s even a beefy section on “Wanted.”  Go have a look.

  • The new millennium Oscars?

    Viggo Mortensen in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingLooking back over the previous Oscar winners for Best Picture since 2000, the start of a new century (and a new millennium), I find myself wondering sometimes what the hell the Academy was thinking.  It’s no secret I disagree with the Academy a lot, but I can also admit that when they get it right, they get it right.

    But since 2000, their Best Pic choices have run the gamut from incredibly ridiculous, “Gladiator” and “A Beautiful Mind” being just goofy, to bang on, with “The Departed” and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.”  I am told the Academy is moving in a more progressive direction, willing to take more risks, and I suppose some of these winners do just that.  But they could have gone further.

    Year by year, here’s a quick look, with some thoughts about who might have won, and who should have at least been nominated…

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  • THE LISTS: Top 10 ‘right actor, wrong film’ Oscars

    As we head into the thick of awards season, one of the biggest “will-they-won’t-they” questions about this year’s Academy Awards concerns one of their most favored sons, Clint Eastwood. Specifically: despite wildly polarized responses to the film, and a widespread perception that he has already been amply rewarded in other categories, can Eastwood ride the wave of sentiment to a first acting victory for “Gran Torino?”

    That sneaky National Board of Review award last week suggests it’s still very much a possibility, whether or not people believe that it’s a performance for the ages — and, more to the point, whether or not it ranks with the best of Eastwood’s own onscreen work.

    It’s no secret that, in the acting races, the Academy frequently bases their vote less on the performance at hand than the actor delivering it — one can point to any number of Oscar victories determined less by merit than by personal affection for an already rewarded star (let’s say Michael Caine in “The Cider House Rules”) or industry guilt over an under-rewarded one (most recently, Alan Arkin in “Little Miss Sunshine”).

    Meanwhile, recent victories by the likes of Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett point to the familiar “deferred-Oscar” syndrome, where an actor widely believed to have been snubbed in the recent past is hastily handed a statuette as a kind of cumulative acknowledgment of their recent strong work, frequently for a performance that doesn’t represent any particular breakthrough. (Kate Winslet might be vying for one of those this year.)

    All are variations of the oft-lamented “right actor, wrong film” Oscars that are peppered throughout Academy history — a solution generally deemed more credible (though I’m not sure why) than the honorary “quick, before they die” lifetime achievement gongs doled out to the likes of Peter O’Toole and Kirk Douglas, actors who continually slip through the cracks in Oscar voting.

    Age isn’t always the determining factor, though.  The Academy has shown in recent years by passing over Lauren Bacall and Ruby Dee — both of whom would have been exemplary “right actor, wrong film” honorees — they’re not always in a sentimental mood.  As the following list shows, reasons for rewarding actors for lesser work are many and varied: genre bias on the Academy’s part, mainstream emergence on the actor’s, or simply the voters’ collective nostalgia for a familiar face at the podium.

    The one thing all these names have in common is that they’re distinguished, even great actors who deserve to have “Academy Award winner” forever attached to their monikers — just not necessarily for that performance. Will Clint Eastwood be the latest name to join their ranks? The jury is out.

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  • 11/11 Oscarweb Round-up

    Marisa Tomei in The Wrestler• 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]

  • 10/4 Oscarweb Round-up

    (from left) Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe• Dave Karger “rounds up” the best bets for Oscars hitting cinemas this week. [Oscar Watch]

    • Off the cuff with Mike Leigh across the pond. [Los Angeles Times]

    • Tom O’Neil wonders whether Kristin Scott Thomas can grab an Oscar and a Tony in the same year… [Gold Derby]

    • …and thinks Clint Eastwood might be able to pull Angelina Jolie out of her Oscar funk. [Gold Derby]

    • On the heels of Rotten Tomatoes’ list of 50, John Campea runs down the 10 best animated films of all time amid a spiffy new layout for his site. [The Movie Blog]

    • Errol Morris to screen “Standard Operating Procedure” at 27 medical schools around the country.  Talk about grass roots. [Thompson on Hollywood]

    • Scott Bowles kicks off a DiCaprio/Crowe interview piece with one hell of an interesting lede. [USA Today]

  • George Clooney as ‘The Lone Ranger’ alongside Johnny Depp’s Tonto?

    George Clooney to star as The Lone Ranger?Okay, it’s The Sun.  I know.  But a fun rumor nonetheless.  Here’s the juicy aside, via Lumenick On Film:

    George is very keen — he’s been trying to do a movie with Johnny for a long time.  He thinks they’ll make the perfect on-screen partnership.

    Well, personally, I would find it difficult not to laugh hysterically if this came to pass.  I don’t want to say I’d hate it, because let’s face it, a Clooney/Depp team-up would be fun.  And a movie with their names above the title would make boatloads of money — BOATLOADS.  And maybe that’s the ultimate edict of Disney, steering more and more toward the tent pole route like Warner Bros. up the street.

    Anyway, here’s Lumenick’s opinion:

    …it sounds like a truly terrible idea to me. The 75-year-old radio character’s last iteration was in 1981, when Michael Horse played Tonto in one of that decade’s worst movies, “The Legend of the Lone Ranger.” The title role was the first and last film appearance of Klinton Spilsbury, who won Razzies for worst actor and worst newcomer. Let’s just pray Hollywood is celebrating April 1 a few months early.

    There’s also a bit about the Russell Crowe dual “nottingham” casting that was reported over the weekend and, to my mind, remains a bizarre idea to say the least.

  • ‘L.A. Confidential’ gets a deluxe DVD release

    L.A. Confidential Special Edition DVDOne of the greatest experiences I have ever had at a Toronto festival was the North American premiere of Curtis Hanson’s “L.A. Confidential,” which was instantly declared a masterpiece and one of the great film noirs in movie history.

    Dark and entertaining with a twisting and turning narrative that keep viewers guessing throughout, the film was embraced by the critical community in a huge way, topping most of the 10-best lists that year and winning best-of-the-year prizes from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the National Society of Film Critics and the New York Film Critics Circle.

    The film is receiving a shiny new DVD release this year and I couldn’t be more excited.  The package offers a slew of special features: commentaries from film critic Andrew Sarries, author James Ellroy , nearly the entire cast, director of photography Dante Spinotti and production designer Jeannine Oppewall; a new making-of documentary with updated interviews with the players; detailed examination of the look of the film; “From Book to Screen” with Hansen, Brian Helgeland and Ellroy; and a focus on the film’s ensemble.

    As always the star of any re-issue is the film itself,  and “L.A. Confidential” remains one of the great films of the 1990s — a sublime work of art.

    Superbly acted by Guy Pearce, James Cromwell, Kevin Spacey, Danny Devito, David Strathairn, Kim Basinger and Russell Crowe (in a star-making turn), the picture was a tight ensemble piece.  It fired on all cylinders: direction, cinematography, design elements, and a film score that effortlessly zapped us back to 1950s Los Angeles.

    Kevin Spacey, two years after winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for “The Usual Suspects,” portrayed Jack Vincennes with a Dean Martin sort of cool, an honest cop who had sold his soul to television where he worked as an adviser on a popular series. Spacey was the anchor for the film, giving a marvelous performance that the other actors bounced off of nicely. His swift and shocking end remains one of the most startling moments I have witnessed in a film. I remember gasping out loud when the tables turned so quickly.

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  • New ‘Body of Lies’ trailer drops

    The latest trailer for Ridley Scott’s “Body of Lies” is a giant step up from the first crack Warner marketing took at it.  It simultaneously injects complexity and amplifies the scale of the pic.  The concentration on the DiCaprio/Crowe dynamic is certainly front and center here, showing us more of the material Crowe has to chew on.

  • So I guess that’s ‘Body’ not ‘House’

    The new trailer for “Body of Lies” has dropped, and it seems they’ve stuck with the original David Ignatius title rather than the switch to “House of Lies.” It looks like a nice mix of Ridley Scott’s work and his brother’s brand of cinema as well. Russell Crowe looks to have a solid role.

    I’ve had this script for months now but have never found the time to give it a read. Soon, I guess.

    Have a look (kudos to Awards Daily):

    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUkk9MsWrFA

    And in Quicktime here.