Features







2007-08 Oscar Calendar



[Monday, December 3, 2007]

Official Screen Credits
Forms Due.


[Wednesday, December 26, 2007]

Nominations ballots mailed.


[Saturday, January 12, 2008]

Nominations polls close
5 p.m. PST.


[Tuesday, January 22, 2008]

Nominations announced
5:30 a.m. PST
Samuel Goldwyn Theater


[Wednesday, January 30, 2008]

Final ballots mailed.


[Monday, February 4, 2008]

Nominees Luncheon


[Saturday, February 9, 2008]

Scientific and Technical
Awards Dinner


[Tuesday, February 19, 2008]

Final polls close 5 p.m. PST.


[Sunday, February 24, 2008]

79th Annual
Academy Awards Presentation
Kodak Theatre

Powered by
Movable Type 3.2


« Putting It Into The Work… | Main | "Tech Support": REFLECTIN… »

Changing of the Guard

queenpiece4.jpg


In a Best Picture field as wide open as 2006’s crop has proven itself to be, a film like Stephen Frears’s “The Queen” seems to have as much going for it as the next entry. It is an effort with appeal on a number of levels, one that could certainly be deemed a healthy “consensus” victor on Oscar night. Truly, who DOESN’T like this movie?


Presented with the idea that his film has as much of a chance as the rest of the lineup, Frears’s instinct is to keep such expectations muted in his periphery. “Don’t say that,” he told me in a telephone interview from London. “It’s bad for my heart!”


Regardless, of the nominated films, “The Queen” has positioned itself as the most critically acclaimed of the lot. Near universal appraise and approval has accompanied the effort since its October domestic release. And the awards season has followed suit; “The Queen” is second only to “Babel” in total nominations amongst the Best Picture nominees.

queenflowers.jpg


Actress Helen Mirren, who portrays Queen Elizabeth II during the week of Princess Diana’s tragic death in the film, is herself a frontrunner to take home an award on Oscar night. That slowly agreed upon “fact” hasn’t changed her perspective of pleasant surprise regarding the film’s reception, however.


“When the idea of making ‘The Queen’ was first mooted,” she said in a statement following the nominations announcement, “we had no idea that the result would have quite the impact it has had. It is astounding the way that audiences have responded by taking the film to their hearts.”


Tasked with portraying one of the most elusive public figures of the modern era, Mirren’s Oscar nomianted performance didn’t come without its challenges.


“It is one of the hardest roles to play not just a living person but one who is part of our everyday lives in Britain,” her statement continues. “Whilst her presence is with us from her image on the letters that come through our door and on the money we spend, we know so little of the woman behind the image. I hope that my performance has conveyed a sense of Elizabeth the woman as well as the Queen.”


queencar.jpg


The actress also made it a point to convey how indebted she was to the work of screenwriter Peter Morgan. Morgan put a lot into the investigative research that ultimately yielded an inside look at the English monarchy, speaking to a number of individuals with ties to the Royal Family. Like any good writer or journalist, he isn’t about to discuss who his sources were. Suffice it to say, they included former employees as well as people from different palaces – and therefore, different slants of rhetoric.


“There are three different palaces,” Morgan told me in an interview at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, “St. James’s palace, which is Charles’s court, Kensington Palace which is Diana and Buckingham Palace which is the Queen. They each have their own sets of employees, and they all spin like crazy against the other guys. So you have to be pretty rigorous to see people from each, otherwise you end up with a very partisan view.”


“The Queen” actually exists as the second part of a potential trilogy involving British Prime Minister Tony Blair; Frears directed Morgan’s Blair-centric screenplay “The Deal,” which aired on television in 2004. Actor Michael Sheen portrays Blair in each and, should the final chapter come to fruition, will surely step into the role once more.


queenpiece1.jpg


During the process of making “The Deal,” Morgan found himself facing a lot of walls in his research. But when the film finally hit the small screen, he felt that people must have been quite shocked by it tonally, having taken Blair and Chancellor Gordon Brown seriously as adults. He crafted the tale as a sort of Cain and Abel story and explored that relationship appealingly enough that it granted artistic capital his way when he went about piecing together “The Queen.” Things were much easier the second time around, and perhaps sources saw it as a chance for their own voices to be heard through the work of the filmmakers.


Of course, Morgan paints Blair in the good guy position in “The Queen,” only to potentially send him, too, to the dog house in a third installment that will have Blair supporting an unpopular war far longer than anticipated. He hopes to have that conversation with Frears back home before commenting on the final film further, but even though he has received letters of encouragement from Blair, he understands things could be much different should he and Frears embark on the closing chapter.


“I think he’d be less than thrilled with part three,” he said with a smile. But, as Frears puts it, “People like me are very disappointed (in Blair). It was a real opportunity to make changes.”


queensheen.jpg


Neither Frears nor Morgan is altogether familiar with the interpretation of “The Queen” as a very current, in some ways American piece of filmmaking. When asked about the parallels that could certainly be drawn to a leader out of touch with his OWN people here in the States, Frears claims he “can’t pretend it was primary.” Morgan, meanwhile, asserts that his intention was the “polar opposite.” He thought maybe curiosity would beget an international audience – a look into the heart of British government for voyeur’s sake. But the widespread appeal it has generated leaves him at a bit of a loss.


That doesn’t deter him, however, from drawing yet another parallel to current political climate when speaking about the film’s themes.


“It is about two leaders peering through blinds at a country out in the streets,” he said, “and them thinking ‘What the fuck to we do now?’ Ultimately all leaders are in the survival business, and if this film shows anything, it shows they will change – if enough of us are screaming for them to change.”


“Our leaders. Ourselves.” One can only hope.



Previously:
“E Pluribus Unum” (“Little Miss Sunshine”)

Comments

i seriously don't get how this two-star flick gets a best pic nomination. yes, helen mirren did a quite immitation, but this is a movie that just plays it safe and takes no chances, doesn't depict its characters in any detail or provide any imagination.

how this gets in over "pan's labyrinth", "children of men" or "little children" is beyond me.

reuven, I don't think you understand the difference between Drama and Fantasy.

And just becuase a movie doesn't have flashy costumes and mosters doesn't mean it lacks imagination.

I don't DISLIKE The Queen, but it's hardly a great film. It's competently made, and, yes, Mirren is spectacular, but "competent" is about as far as it goes.

Oh, and it got in over Little Children because Little Children is a horrible, stupid, condescending piece of shit. In my opinion.

Roman--

I'm a student filmmaker at NYU. I've just sold a screenplay. I only write drama. If anything I don't have such a great understanding of fantasy. "Mystic River", "Babel", "Requien for a Dream", "A Beautiful Mind", "In The Bedroom", "Amores Perros", "Far From Heaven" -- these are in my opinion the great dramas of recent years.

If "The Queen" was not a British film, it would not have nearly the critical support.

Reuven,

First of all, congratuations on selling your screenplay. As a beginning screenwriter myself, I know how important this is.

You didn't really have to list your credentials to me. And, in my opinion, the movies you listed are mostly very good though I felt "Far From Heaven" was vastly overrated.

I also disagree that "The Queen" is only acclaimed because it's British. When a movie receives a nearly universal acclaim from all kinds of critics, you know there's more to it than just that. I agree that Mirren's perfromance is the best thing the movie has going for it but it's not the only thing.

Reuven,

First of all, congratuations on selling your screenplay. As a beginning screenwriter myself, I know how important this is.

You didn't really have to list your credentials to me. And, in my opinion, the movies you listed are mostly very good though I felt "Far From Heaven" was vastly overrated.

I also disagree that "The Queen" is only acclaimed because it's British. When a movie receives a nearly universal acclaim from all kinds of critics, you know there's more to it than just that. I agree that Mirren's perfromance is the best thing the movie has going for it but it's not the only thing.

If The Queen wasn't British it wouldn't have been "The Queen."

You could say that if The Departed wasn't American it wouldn't be nominated. Or if Little Miss Sunshine was a small indie comedy from Australia it wouldn't be nominated. Or if... etc

As Kris said, The Queen is set in Britain, stars British people, is a British story, was made by the British and funded by the British. What's the problem? We're now meant to punish movies that aren't made in and by Americans?

On the topic of it winning though, I can very easily see it happening such as like the other four nominees. It will win Best Actress and could take Best Original Score and Best Original Screenplay too, which would make it at least have a bunch of awards and not just one or two.

I've decided not to predict BP until 2 days before the oscars.... Kris have you notice most people are predicting BABEL...

* Sasha Stone
* Tom O'Neal
* Jeff Wells
* Anne Thompson

Post a comment

(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)

Contact Us

Search


2008 Year in Advance Predictions


UPDATED: 2/25/2008





Main Charts | Tech Charts



[Motion Picture]

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

“Doubt”

“Frost/Nixon”

“Revolutionary Road”

“The Soloist”



[Directing]

David Fincher
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

Ron Howard
“Frost/Nixon”

Gus Van Sant
“Milk”

Sam Mendes
“Revolutionary Road”

Joe Wright
“The Soloist”



[Actor in a Leading Role]

Benicio Del Toro
“The Argentine”

Jamie Foxx
“The Soloist”

Frank Langella
“Frost/Nixon”

Sean Penn
“Milk”

Brad Pitt
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”



[Actress in a Leading Role]

Vera Farmiga
“Nothing But the Truth”

Angelina Jolie
“Changeling”

Julianne Moore
“Blindness”

Meryl Streep
“Doubt”

Kate Winslet
“Revolutionary Road”



[Actor in a Supporting Role]

Josh Brolin
“Milk”

Russell Crowe
“Body of Lies”

Robert Downey, Jr.
“The Soloist”

Heath Ledger
“The Dark Knight”

Michael Sheen
“Frost/Nixon”



[Actress in a Supporting Role]

Amy Adams
“Doubt”

Kathy Bates
“Revolutionary Road”

Cate Blanchett
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

Catherine Keener
“The Soloist”

Carice van Houten
“Body of Lies”



[Writing, Adapted Screenplay]

“Body of Lies”

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

“Doubt”

“Frost/Nixon”

“Revolutionary Road”



[Writing, Original Screenplay]

“Changeling”

“Hamlet 2”

“Milk”

“The Soloist”

“WALL·E”



[Art Direction]

“Australia”

“Defiance”

“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom
of the Crystal Skull”

“Red Cliff”

“Revolutionary Road”



[Cinematography]

“Australia”

“The Dark Knight”

“Defiance”

“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom
of the Crystal Skull”

“Revolutionary Road”



[Costume Design]

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

“Doubt”

“The Other Boleyn Girl”

“Red Cliff”

“Revolutionary Road”



[Film Editing]

“Body of Lies”

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

“Defiance”

“Frost/Nixon”

“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom
of the Crystal Skull”



[Makeup]

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

“The Dark Knight”

“Red Cliff”



[Music, Original Score]

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom
of the Crystal Skull”

“The Soloist”

“Revolutionary Road”

“WALL·E”



[Music, Original Song]

coming soon



[Sound Editing]

“Defiance”

“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom
of the Crystal Skull”

“Iron Man”

“Speed Racer”

“WALL·E”



[Sound Mixing]

“Defiance”

“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom
of the Crystal Skull”

“Cloverfield”

“The Chronicles of Narnia:
Prince Caspian”

“WALL·E”



[Visual Effects]

“The Chronicles of Narnia:
Prince Caspian”

“The Incredible Hulk”

“Iron Man”



[Animated Feature Film]

“9”

“Kung Fu Panda”

“WALL·E”



[Foreign Language Film]

coming soon



[Documentary, Features]

coming soon



[Documentary, Short Subjects]

coming soon



[Short Film, Animated]

coming soon



[Short Film, Live Action]

coming soon