In Contention

Tag: Will Smith

  • SUNDAY CENTS: ‘Karate’ top

    *All historical figures cited are adjusted to today’s dollars.

    After weeks of disappointing returns and underperforming titles, the box office was saved once again by Will Smith. Only this time he did it not by putting out a new film, but by having unprotected sex with his wife twelve years ago. His fairy dust box office genes have passed on to son Jaden, who stars in our number one movie this weekend, “The Karate Kid.”

    The groans were loud and plentiful when this remake was announced and even more so when Smith was cast. At some point, the groans must have turned into quiet, shameful anticipation as Sony saw a debut just a little shy of what major titles like “The Incredible Hulk” and “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” have done on this same weekend. $56 million to be exact, proving that audiences aren’t exactly tired of Hollywood’s unoriginality after all.

    But let’s focus on the positive. Summer 2010 was saved by a mid-budget film with all three main roles filled by minorities. Now that’s original.

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  • The Great Performances: 2001

    Gene Hackman in The Royal TenenbaumsIn one of the weakest years in memory, not just for performances but for great films, 2001 saw Denzel Washington and Halle Berry knock “two birds out with one stone,” as the former declared on Oscar night, as two African Americans won the top acting prizes for the first time ever.  And it was difficult to argue with either.

    Washington was superb in “Training Day,” clearly loving his role as crooked cop Alonzo, walking the line without ever going over the top, blowing everyone off the screen. In many ways it was a make-up award for his having lost for “Malcolm X” in 1992 to Al Pacino’s ranting work in “Scent of a Woman” and perhaps, though lesser so, for his loss for “The Hurricane.”

    Berry gave a raw, sexually charged performance in “Monster’s Ball,” one of such searing truth and rage you could never look away from the screen. Robert Duvall called her performance the finest by an American actress he had ever seen and was not the least bit surprised when she won the Oscar for Best Actress.

    My question remains: Should Denzel Washington have won over the non-nominated performances of Gene Hackman in “The Royal Tanebaums” or the vastly under-appreciated Jack Nicholson in “The Pledge,” one of his finest recent performances? Don’t think so.

    There was a lot of love shown to Tom Wilkinson for his heartbreaking work in “In the Bedroom” as well as Russell Crowe (again) for his performance in “A Beautiful Mind,” which eventually won the Best Picture Oscar. I was very surprised that Sean Penn was nominated for his performance in “I Am Sam” because though I consider Penn one of the greatest actors in the history of the cinema, his work in that film represents one of the very few times I could “see” him acting.

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  • THE LISTS: Top 10 performances from Michael Mann films

    Russell Crowe in The InsiderWith the forthcoming release of Michael Mann’s “Public Enemies” (review) dominating — quite impressively, I might add — the publicity circuit this week, all eyes are on Johnny Depp.  An Ulmer Scale X factor for this character study posing as a summer blockbuster, Depp’s performance is sure to draw champions and detractors alike for its delicate, internalized particulars.  But of one thing we can be certain: the work is of a piece with Mann’s typically detailed approach to character.

    Mann’s collaborative process with his actors typically involves something called “character acquisition,” a tightly-conceived regimen, of sorts, that gives his films’ characters the authentic touch that makes his work so novel.  Many times these details won’t even be discussed in the overall narrative, but their background impact on the performer is unmistakable.  Take, for instance, the photos of the childhood home of Tom Cruise’s hitman Vincent in “Collateral” that Mann brought to the actor’s attention, merely by way of more fully developing the character’s clearly complicated formidable years.

    The result of this hard work has been a slew of captivating, at times career-best performances from some of the most accomplished actors working today.  A Michael Mann production represents the opportunity to go deeper with a performance and perhaps even learn more about the craft.  Will Smith has frequently discussed his collaboration with Mann as the most rewarding experience of his professional life.  And, as Javier Bardem once told me, “When Michael Mann invites you to his party, you don’t turn him down.”

    So with that, a collective representing the best performances to come from Mann’s 10 feature films to date seemed the best way into this week’s installment of The Lists.  It’s a very personal list, of course, as yours would be.  There are three performances from one film, none from two, and a pair of unconventional supporting turns to shake things up.  After going back through the director’s work last week in preparation for the list, even I was surprised my #1 choice was left standing, but regardless of order, see this as a way to compliment a true actor’s director.

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  • Mo’ money, mo’ problems

    Harrison FordPower and money don’t go hand in hand, it would seem.

    If Forbes’ recent list of the world’s most powerful celebrities — you remember, the one that informed us that Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Aniston wield more power than Barack Obama — was quite amusing, their new ranking of Hollywood’s 20 biggest earners is simply depressing.

    The list is headlined “Hollywood’s Top-Earning Actors,” but Forbes never makes clear whether the term “actor” is being applied in the currently PC gender-neutral sense, or whether an accompanying list of “Top-Earning Actresses” is on the way.

    It’s an interesting question, because while the aforementioned Jolie may apparently be the world’s most powerful celebrity, she evidently doesn’t have the clout to rank among the industry’s most well-paid. More to the point, nor does any other woman, with the top 20 a boys-only club — an unhealthy, if sadly unsurprising, state of affairs. Is this represantive of the industry’s gender divide, or has the list been segregated? Anyone?

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  • Did…someone…miss an opportunity at the Oscarcast?

    Will Smith at the 81st annual Acadmey AwardsBy now, the 81st annual Academy Awards telecast is more than three weeks old and many of the interesting tid-bits on the behind-the-scenes production would prefer to die a natural death.  And indeed, none of the stories, hardly important or interesting outside of our little community, mattered on February 23, let alone March 16.  But one detail keeps bouncing around in my head as something I’d love to have seen.

    One of the chief complaints about the show I read, perhaps in the comments section here, regarded Will Smith’s presentation of all the post-production awards (Best Film Editing, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing and Visual Effects).  It seemed Smith was on the stage (after rising dramatically from within it) for nearly 15 minutes.  He even cracked a joke about it at one point: “I’m still here.”

    As it turns out, Smith wasn’t originally slated to appear alone for that segment of the show.  His partner, very much at the last minute, sent producers a note indicating that he was nervous about being upstaged by Smith (the biggest box office draw on the planet, of course, and with that squeaky-clean/magnetic personality to boot).  But I can’t help but think this guy didn’t miss a hell of an opportunity to stand alongside one of the planet’s popular icons and announce both a return to the spotlight and a capacity to be the guy next to him if he wants to be.  And I’d place a bet on his personality versus (and certainly in tandem with) Smith any day.

    I won’t bother dropping a name like this, since it’s old news and kind of bitchy to bring it up (like I said, it’s stuck in my head).  But it should be kind of obvious from the description.  Underneath it all, it boggles my mind the divas you apparently have to contend with when you put this show together.  Many of the disagreements are oddly understandable, but even with that in mind, it’s something of a shock anyone is ever able to get in and out without an absolute calamity.

    Obviously the Academy is stingy with it’s video content, so I can’t post up the full clip.  But here’s Smith’s off-the-cuff “boom goes the dynamite” reference:

  • 1/15 Oscarweb Round-up

    Will Smith• Kim Voynar responds to the foreign shortlist. [Movie City News]

    • Pete Hammond wonders if “The Dark Knight” in dicey waters with the “Reader” surge coming on strong. [Notes on a Season]

    • Tom O’Neil thinks keeping the Oscar presenters a secret until the big night is a mistake.  Eh, I dig it. [Gold Derby]

    • Paula Schwartz catches up with Clint Eastwood at the National Board of Review awards. [The Carpetbagger]

    • Nirpal Dahliwal on why “Slumdog Millionaire” could have only been made by a westerner. [The Guardian]

    • The Press Association gets some Obama inauguration comments from Will Smith at the “Seven Pounds” red carpet across the pond. [The Independent]

    • The only nomination “The Dark Knight” will share with “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” all year long: the Publicist Awards. [Variety]

  • 12/23 Oscarweb Round-up

    Jim Carrey• Julian Sancton samples and gives some commentary on his top 11 film scores of the year. [Vanity Fair]

    • David Poland spends 30 minutes with “Nerakhoon” director Ellen Kuras. [The Hot Blog]

    • Tom O’Neil and Dave Karger fight over the Best Actress frontrunners. [Gold Derby]

    • Karger, meanwhile, spends some more time with the cast of “Doubt.” [Entertainment Weekly]

    • David Carr’s “Marley and Me” mea culpa. [The Carpetbagger]

    • Kim Voynar goes deep this holiday season with a look at sex with teenagers on the big screen, and she has a hell of a point. [Movie City News]

    • Patrick Goldstein spotlight’s the year’s worst. [The Big Picture]

    • A trio of films go into production depicting the epic Battle of Hastings. [Daily Telegraph]

    • Paralleling the careers of big screen heartthrobs Tom Cruise and Leonardo DiCaprio. [MSNBC]

    • Michael Cieply digs into the clash of movie moneymakers Jom Carrey and Will Smith this weekend. [New York Times]

    • Brad Brevet lists the top 10 assassination movies with an inspired #1 and a #6 that has no business on any top 10 list. [Rope of Silicon]

    • Speaking of lists, how about the top 10 balliest singing performances? [Premiere]

    • Andrew O’Hehir on how indie film thrived in 2008. [Beyond the Multiplex]

  • 12/15 Oscarweb Round-up

    Will Smith• Nathaniel Rogers goes back to the well with some updated Oscar predictions. [The Film Experience]

    • Charles McGrath writes up the upcoming “Revolutionary Road” release. [New York Times]

    • Philip French remembers a bleak year in cinema. [The Guardian]

    • Similarly, John Horn notes the box office success of some challenging films this holiday season. [Los Angeles Times]

    • Speaking of challenging films, Andrew O’Hehir talks to Steven Soderbergh about “Che.” [Beyond the Multiplex]

    • Susan King, meanwhile, talks to Brian Goodman about his life-turned-movie in “What Doesn’t Kill You.” [Los Angeles Times]

    • Andy Serkis comes out from behind the CGI masks of his most famous performances into acceptance as a fine actor. [The Times]

    • Donna Freydkin chats it up with “Seven Pounds” star Will Smith. [USA Today]

    • Glenn Kenny on Hollywood finally turning classics into digital masterpieces. [Popular Mechanics]

  • Lumenick dive-bombs ‘Seven Pounds’

    Will Smith in Seven PoundsJeez…this might get ugly:

    This diabetes-inducing reunion with director Gabriele Muccino (“The Pursuit of Happyness”) also didn’t score any nods from the easily persuaded Broadcast Film Critics Association, not to mention any awards from the L.A. or New York film critics (there were lots of snickers when somebody jokingly nominated Smith at yesterday’s NYFCC meeting, which gives you an idea of the critical reception “Seven Pounds” is likely to receive when it opens, wide, a week from tomorrow). Sony has reportedly embargoed all reviews, even those in the trades, until opening day, supposedly to protect the “mystery” of the fractured narrative. I received some criticism on other blogs for supposedly revealing “spoilers” in our year-end wrap-up in The Post on Sunday, but really, as some commenters on those same blogs pointed out, I wasn’t giving away anything that couldn’t be deduced from looking at the trailers or a careful consideration of what the title “Seven Pounds” is actually referring to. Even with the world’s biggest star, “Seven Pounds” is going to be a very tough sell without nominations or good reviews — it didn’t even make uber quote-whore Shawn Edwards’ 10-best list, which includes “The Express,” “Miracle at St. Anna” and “The Secret Life of Bees” — and an ending … well, I’ll let you figure it out for yourself.

  • Rousing Best Actor race shaping up

    Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin ButtonIn a year I maintain to be disappointing, I must confess that the sprint to the finish is looking more and more exciting all the time, with an exceptional crop of actors vying for Best Actor nominations. This could very well be the year that Clint Eastwood wins an acting Oscar, or that the previously washed-up Mickey Rourke wins for “The Wrestler.”

    At this writing I have 12 actors who could potentially land in the field of play, though in fairness, four of the films have not been widely seen and I am going on the buzz and speculation within the industry right now.

    There seems to be a lot of belief that Richard Jenkins, a wonderful character actor who has been around forever, could land a nomination for “The Visitor.”  He came back into the public eye as the dead father in HBO’s critically acclaimed “Six Feet Under” and has been working consistently ever since.  This year he did a nice job as the heart and soul of the Coen brothers’ “Burn After Reading.”  If the studio can mount a decent campaign and keep him in the minds of the voters, he may nab a nomination.

    But he could easily be left out. Remember Michael Douglas in “Wonder Boys”? After the film’s November re-release for awards consideration helped him win the Los Angeles Film Critics Association award for Best Actor, everyone was stunned when he failed to land a nomination with the Academy.

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  • Who should host the Oscars?

    Kevin SpaceyThis morning I linked to our friend John Campea at The Movie Blog who offered up a list of 15 possibilities for host of this year’s Oscar festivities.  Producers Bill Condon and Larry Mark are hard at work putting the show’s particulars together (when Condon has a few moments away from that Richard Pryor biopic he’s been writing), and sooner or later, an announcement will be made.

    I agree with a few of Campea’s suggestions.  George Clooney, for instance, is an inspired pick, the charmer of Hollywood without an enmy in the world — well, except for McCain supporters, I guess.  I also like the choice of Robert Downey Jr., though in 2008, it’s almost TOO on the nose.  Rounding out the big names that make sense, I’d be on board for Tom Hanks as well, always adept at working a crowd.  But Steve Carrell seems to lack the right prestigious “umph,” while Denzel Washington would prove to be too cardboard-stiff, I’d wager.

    We’ve been there and done that with Steve Martin, Ellen Degeneres and Jon Stewart — new blood would be preferable.  And Steven Colbert would be a false echo of Stewart’s attempts.  Will Ferrell and Ben Stiller — too silly.  Tina Fey — too one-note.  Jerry Seinfeld — too snooty.  And Ricky Gervais was a manifested pipe-dream from the start.  But I’d absolutely be on board if Condon and Mark want to hand over emcee duties to Uwe Boll.  Who wouldn’t??  But you might as well toss in Kelsey Grammer in full-blown Beast make-up as a co-host at that point.

    So the question remains: Who should be the host?  Who has the right amount of showmanship to off-set his dramatic faculties and keep the even keel a show like this needs?  Who has the right comedic reserve to tap into when necessary and who would absolutely light up the stage with his consistent determination to perform?

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  • ‘Seven Pounds’ trailer

    Finally something from the upcoming Will Smith/Gabriele Muccino film:

  • So…does Michael Mann have a SAG card?

    Michael MannI dropped in to see “Hancock” tonight and was frankly taken out of the film for the five minutes or so filmmaker Michael Mann was on screen.

    I noticed him initially, figured hey, Peter Berg let his mentor slide into the film with an on-screen cameo (Berg’s offices are two or three doors down from Mann’s Forward Pass headquarters over at the Tribeca West compound on Olympic).  But it turns out it’s a speaking part.  Two whole lines!

    Anyway, as for the film, I’m kind of compelled to comment on it now.  It’s not a total wash.  I need to read through the initial draft of the screenplay that Jeffrey Wells posted recently because I’m sure there is some more depth, but even for what this film is, Berg milks it for the drama that it’s worth.  I love the way he’s filmed this thing, as I typically respect the effort he puts into visually depicting the ambitious scripts he chooses.

    I’m not as thrown off by the mid-film twist as some were, either.  It’s a smart way to go, actually, but it needed some more fleshing out, a little more finessing, to fully work.  It makes me wonder if indeed producer Akiva Goldsman (who pops up in that executive meeting sequence as well) got his paws on it and squeezed the life out of it, as he indeed did with “I Am Legend.”  Perhaps not, but whatever the case, this one could have used a few more re-writes.

    All in all, a good flick.  Some genuinely hilarious moments blend with the pandering necessities that come with a summer tent pole like this and I’d call it another respectable miss from Berg.  I can’t help but thinking he’s practicing, gearing up for something truly exceptional, and having Mann take him under his wing has really made its mark as well.  It’ll come…sooner rather than later, I bet.

    And word up on The Roots over the closing credits!

    What did you guys think of “Hancock?”

  • Revamping Superman for 2011?

    Two posts at /film and Obssessed with Film have me spinning my wheels this morning, wondering just who in the heck has approached comic scribe Mark Millar to revamp Superman for the screen in three years.

    The whole story started with a Daily Record interview that quoted Millar as saying he “always wanted to reinvent Superman for the 21st century.”  He then went on to reveal that he had his “director and producer set up” and that there was even a target year in mind: 2011.

    This, of course, sent the Web geek community into a bit of a tizzy.  In response, Millar (creator of “Wanted” and author of “Superman: Red Son”) had this to say:

    PS: That Superman news is interesting, isn’t it? In the interests of clarity (because I’m sure this will be picked up somewhere) a very well known American action director heard about my love of Superman, approached my (sic) and asked me to team up with he and his producer to make a pitch for this. We’ve been talking for several weeks now and, if this is going to happen, we’ll know by Christmas. He has huge pull at WB so fingers crossed. But this is nothing more than a huge US name pulling me into his fold and making me part of a package.

    The first name that leaps to my mind is Wolfgang Petersen, but he’s obviously German.  However, you may recall Petersen was signed on to direct a Superman vs. Batman film for Warner Bros. way back in 2002.  That was, of course, way before Christopher Nolan unleashed his reboot of the Batman franchise on the marketplace.  Peterson might be construed as having “huge pull at WB” since he releases most of his films through the studio and has managed a few considerable hits there (“The Perfect Storm, “Troy”) despite the occasional clunker (“Poseidon”).

    The filmmaker was also quoted as recently as two years ago — during the build-up to Bryan Singer’s “Superman Returns” — expressing an interest in pitting the two superheroes on the screen together.  Sure seems like a possibility to me.

    Who else could Millar be hinting at?  The Wachowski Brothers have sure made a bundle of money for the studio in recent years.  “Watchmen” helmer Zack Snyder has also been welcomed with open arms in Burbank after delivering big on “300,” and he seems just the sort of person who’d be interested in reimagining the Superman character for a new franchse.

    Francis Lawrence?  “Constantine” didn’t really find its footing, but “I Am Legend” (thanks to Will Smith, of course) made a killing worldwide.

    McG?  The “Charlie’s Angels” films made bank at Sony, but he still convinced Warners to hand him the key to a massive franchise in the form of “Terminator Salvation.”  He’s also been here before and, according to rumor at the time, had one hell of a mind to revamp the franchise with casting speculation such as Beyoncé Knowles and Johnny Depp floating about.

    And surely Tim Burton — a WB staple through the years with “huge pull” indeed — isn’t treading these waters yet again.  Or is he?  He certainly had a unique vision of the character once upon a time.

    Thoughts?  As long as it isn’t Brett Ratner, I’m happy.

  • Brilliant

    How am I walking the streets of London and missing stuff like this?  Courtesy of The London Paper (via Cinematically Correct and Awards Daily):

    Truth be told, I am REALLY looking forward to “Hancock.”  Despite obvious flaws here and there, I have always found Peter Berg to be a fascinating filmmaker who seems restless, always looking for something new and never corning himself into a market or fitting himself for a label.  There’s a lot to be said for that, and he knows how to put some entertaining stuff on film (I’m big on “The Rundown” and am a longtime friend of “Very Bad Things”).

    Additionally — and sue me — but I continue to buy into Will Smith as the shining box office star/nice guy extraordinaire.  Until someone shows me a YouTube video of him calling some poor kid a mother fucker, I’m in his court.

    “Hancock” (with the “Han”) lands in theaters July 2.  They should just rename that weekend in Smith’s honor.

    (Props also to my man Mars Crain, the muscle-bound doorman of my local bar back home, who landed a role in the film.  And, despite his daunting size, another all around nice guy.)