• The biggest news of this busy week may well have been the announcement of James Franco and Anne Hathaway as this year’s Oscarcast hosts.
• Unless you count “The Social Network” dominating the National Board of Review as bigger news, that is.
• Or, for that matter, our first look at the Coen brothers’ “True Grit.”
• Speaking of which, Kris reported on the current eligibility status of Carter Burwell’s score (still up in the air).
Welcome 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.
Given the indie film announcements of the week, it seemed a good time to bring indieWIRE‘s Peter Knegt back on to discuss those events and add perspective to the usual topics, of which there are plenty. Let’s dive in and see what’s on the docket today…
Anne Thompson is reporting in her “True Grit” review that Carter Burwell’s score from the film is ineligible for Academy consideration due to elements being based on hymns of the period. However, this is not official, first and foremost because the score hasn’t even been submitted to the Academy’s music branch yet.
I’m told there are 22 minutes of original score in the film and that the score submitted to AMPAS will have 29 tracks on it. There are six hymns on the commercial soundtrack release, but those obviously won’t be included in the submission.
Also worth pointing out is there are no rules regarding length of original material. In 2006 “Babel” had about 20 minutes of original score from composer Gustavo Santaolalla and it won the Oscar.
I say over 150 because I honestly lost count. In any case, the International Press Academy has announced it’s slate of nominees for the 15th Annual Satellite Awards, and as usual, every film under the sun seems to have been nominated for SOMETHING.
Actually, not every film. Obviously the organization didn’t see “True Grit” before the voting deadline, as the film wasn’t nominated for a single thing. Nor was “The Way Back,” though I don’t know whether they saw it or not. But “Dinner for Schmucks” and “The Other Guys” are well-represented! As best I can tell, “Inception” leads the way with 11 nominations.
I think I may have forgotten to post this announcement last year. I don’t know what kind of stock you might put into the Satellites, but it’s an annual film award announcement nevertheless. Check out the full slate of nominees at The Circuit.
[Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures]
I’ve seen the Coen brothers’ “True Grit” twice now, and it’s not because the film is some “Inception”-like, mind-bending narrative maze. Quite the opposite, actually. I saddled up to it a second time yesterday morning because I wasn’t quite anticipating what I got the first time around and I wanted to consider it further knowing what it was.
You see, this isn’t really “a Coen brothers film” to me. Outside of an opening act bathed in their usual trappings, the film feels almost anonymous, lacking the fingerprint stirringly present in each and every one of their efforts. And it’s all very much by design, by the way.
“True Grit,” in its second screen iteration, is a classic western cut from traditional cloth. With its wide vistas, simple narrative and focus on character dynamics (as well as a handful of unrefined horse-back riding effects shots), it’s fair to say it bears more of a resemblance to the work of Anthony Mann, John Ford and Budd Boetticher than it does that of the Coens. The film isn’t focused on being as tight and complete as most of their films, and indeed, inchoate was very much a goal here.
I haven’t bothered taking a stab at predicting this year’s Oscar winners yet. Now seems like the right time, given that everything has been seen (save for two Sony entries with comedy stylings that look to be commercial enterprises more than awards plays).
I’m long on the record as thinking “The King’s Speech” is the one to beat in this year’s Best Picture race, and little — if anything — has given me reason to think otherwise. But as I’ve already warned, being out in front so early can be a handicap ultimately, so we’ll see if it pans out accordingly.
I’m not putting a ton of stock into these predictions yet, so you shouldn’t either. After all, one of my picks isn’t even present in the sidebar predictions at the moment (though that will change in a week’s time). So just look at this as a chance to spitball some possibilities. And feel free to offer up your guesses in the comments section below. My predictions after the jump.
On the precipice of December, the season feels at once stale and fresh. We’re in the post-Thanksgiving food coma paradox that hits every year. But things are going to start heating up real soon.
The last two films out of the gate, “TRON Legacy” and “True Grit” (both ironically starring Jeff Bridges), have already started screening. SAG ballots are already in the hands of nominating committee members and voting deadlines are approaching for various organizations.
The circuit “officially” begins Thursday with the always arbitrary National Board of Review announcement. The Washington, D.C. Area Film Critics Association will get a jump on the critics awards once again when they announce one week from today, while the Los Angeles (12/12) and New York online (12/12) and print (12/13) critics will have their say the following week, as well as the BFCA (12/13) and HFPA (12/14).
The excitement will build to the usual pre-holiday stall and pick right back up on January 4 when the writers and producers guilds announce nominees, followed the same week by the art directors and sound mixers. And the date most will have their eyes on — January 10 — will bring the DGA’s list of contenders. Before you know it we’ll be on a collision course with the January 25 Oscar nominations announcement and things will be mercifully nearing an end.
This is borderline lazy filler and distraction for the time being as the old poll was uber stale, but it’s worth it to put a query like this out there since the Coens will be fodder for plenty of column inches by week’s end.
But it’s worth pointing out that the brothers are more prolific than ever. “True Grit,” opening nationwide December 22, is the duo’s fourth film in as many years, a record streak (though if they had muscled something out in 2002, they would have had a fiver between 2000 and 2004).
The great thing about Coen cinema is that, as identifiable as it is, each film is wildly different from the last. Though they have a signature, their work never stagnates and always remains fresh, vital and progressive. That kind of thing lends itself to favorites so let’s just put the question out there: what is your favorite Coen brothers film to date? Have your say in the left sidebar poll and come on back to the comments section here to debate and discuss your picks.
[Photo: Paramount Pictures]
Sound mixing has a lot in common with sound editing, but the distinctions are still critical. While both clearly relate to what we hear in the theater, sound editing specifically relates to the creation of artificial sounds (“sound effects”) while sound mixing brings everything together — from effects to music to dialogue (recorded on set or during post-production) to music – into the overall soundscape of a film.
Many of the same kinds of films that are nominated for Best Sound Editing are also frequently cited here – blockbusters, action films and war films. But musicals often pop up here, too. And as in most categories, being a Best Picture contender certainly helps titles that otherwise would not come close to this category. Though it is hardly determinative.
I said before and will say it again – I believe that Christopher Nolan’s “Inception” is leading the way here, at least in terms of likelihood of a nomination. I honestly expect a good half-dozen crafts category nominations for this title and this will be among them. And I expect the crew, including past nominee Gary Rizzo, to be firmly in the hunt for the statuette.
Catch up with the idea behind these weekend posts here.
The photo to the right represents the early haul on screeners this year. Usually this time of year I find myself delighting in second and sometimes third viewings of this or that, but oddly enough, I still have some catch-up to do.
I’m glad the documentary field has been narrowed down, so I can focus on a smaller group, but there are even a number of films from earlier in the year that I haven’t bothered to put in the player yet. What is it? Laziness? Lack of interest? Too busy? I don’t know. My mind is gone.
It’s a weirdly sluggish year on the whole as advertising has held off until late November/early December for the most part. This time last year we still had three films to see. With “TRON Legacy” going before junket press in the last few days, we’re left with just one film to bow: “True Grit.” So Jeff Bridges gets to crash the Oscar party two years in a row.
Last week we discussed how a movie’s soundtrack can be immeasurably improved by music. This week, we turn to the sound technicians. While next week will concentrate on sound mixing (the overall mix of effects, recorded sounds, dialogue and music), this week we look at sound editing, the creation of artificial sound effects to enhance a film’s aural impact.
Despite the difference between the two sound categories, the fact remains that usually no more than one or two of the nominees in the Best Sound Editing field are generally snubbed for mixing. And as always, Best Picture contenders do well, suggesting that the branch isn’t the most novel when seeking out nominees.
However, the category has shown a tendency to reward films that do not necessarily score in the major categories; blockbusters, fantasy films and animated films usually do very well here, likely because of the fact that so many sounds in these movies have to be manifested. So let’s start with animated titles.
A few weeks back, we debuted the official teaser poster for the Coen brothers’ “True Grit.” Today, IMDb has dibs on a batch of character banners, including the film’s international poster. We’re expecting to finally see the film some time after thanksgiving, so two, three weeks tops. Unfortunately for the film, anticipation is at a fever pitch. Check out the full image after the jump.
• Jennifer Boulden writes a singular piece on Fort Smith, Arkansas, her home and the setting of “True Grit.” [Awards Daily]
• Jeffrey M. Anderson stumps for “Buried” over “127 Hours.” [Cinematical]
• The HFPA gets grabby over a revenue dispute with Dick Clark Productions, vis a vis the Golden Globe awards telecast. [Entertainment Weekly]
It looks to be a pretty good year for producer Scott Rudin. “The Social Network” has already opened and done quite well for a fall drama (not to mention the awards buzz that keeps piling on). “The Way Back,” which he executively produced, is another great collaboration with Peter Weir, and the Coens’ “True Grit” is still to come.
At the end of the day, it could be an even better showing that he had in 2007, when Paul Thomas Anderson’s “There Will Be Blood” and the Coen brothers’ “No Country for Old Men” were duking it out for the Best Picture win. The latter, of course, took the gold.
If you’ve been picking up The Hollywood Reporter’s big glossy issues, you probably saw in the latest a big spread with Stephen Galloway interviewing the producer. Today comes word that the PGA will honor Rudin at this year’s festivities. Check out the full press release after the jump.
A great score can take a film from memorable to unforgettable. Whether it be Vangelis’s synthesizer on the beach in “Chariots of Fire,” Nino Rota’s haunting waltz from “The Godfather” or John Williams’s blaring, adventurous march from “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” scores can elevate amazing images to bring the director’s vision to even greater fruition.
The last time I discussed this category, I noted how it is very hard to predict in advance without having heard the scores. Synopses and stills give clues in other categories to an extent frequently not seen here. That said, most contenders have screened, if not opened, now, so we can make safe assumptions.
But I still think this can be one of the most difficult categories to predict. But in the way of patterns, films that feature noticeable, loud, memorable and often exotic music are usually contenders. And being in a Best Picture frontrunner never hurts matters, as always.
This branch certainly has its favorites, and I expect to see past nominees and winners prominent in the race this year. The composers don’t frequently embrace new nominees. Usually only one newcomer is welcomed per year.
(From here on out, my nomination predictions will be updated weekly to coincide with this column. Check them out here.)
Tweed-coated and steam-breathed, winter formally arrived in my corner of the world this week, and with it the slightly grim realization that just over seven weeks remain of this year.
I say “grim” not so much because I’m unprepared for the rigors of Christmas shopping or because 90% of my year’s to-do list remains undone—though neither of those truths are helping—but because, from a film perspective, 2010 feels to me like it needs at least another couple of months to find itself.
Yesterday, I found myself battling with two lists of 10 films: the first, my own provisional best-of-year collective, the second, my revised predictions for the Best Picture Oscar nominees. Neither list, in my experience, has ever had much to do with the other (of course, I’ll take that back should the Academy reveal hidden depths of enthusiasm for, say, “White Material” on nomination morning), but both the rough drafts I wound up with had one thing in common: they’re badly in need of a late-breaking great film or two.
As I said last week (and have said several times before), no category is year-in and-year-out more perplexing than Best Makeup. Each year, this branch finds ways to turn otherwise dubious awards contenders into bona fide Oscar nominees — dubious because often nominees might be abysmal or relatively obscure. The branch seems to have its favorites – like Greg Cannom and Rick Baker – but nevertheless manages to snub them sometimes when they seem sure bets.
The category remains the sole remnant of the bake-off system, where the field is narrowed to seven and the nominees chosen from that collective. Year after year, shocking omissions occur in both rounds.
As I stated last time, despite the general weirdness of this category, we can put some traits as more likely to be embraced than others – aging, prosthetics and illness likely top the list. Also, while the category technically rewards both hairstyling and makeup, it rarely seems to concentrate on the former (“The Young Victoria” last year is a notable exception). So all that having been established, what do I expect to see in contention this year?
It seems like I’m desperate for any morsel on the Coen brothers’ upcoming “True Grit.” If you haven’t guessed by now, it’s the film I’m most looking forward to this season, and every time that trailer drops before a film, I perk up immediately. I’m in the tank and I haven’t even seen it.
I guess everyone involved is getting their patter down, because after a quick EW video interview with child star Hailee Steinfeld yesterday, I stumbled across this interview with Matt Damon from Empire. It’s actually just a snippet of the exchange. There’s more in the full issue, which hits stands tomorrow (the cover featuring that first glimpse of Steve Spielberg and Peter Jackson’s “The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn” that has so many all worked up).
Damon was asked about the role of Texas Ranger LaBeouf, who looks to offer some comedic balance to the dark retribution and vengeance-seeking air of the film. And the actor says he looked to a fellow actor for inspiration.