I’m off to the airport now for a trip back east, where I’ll (thankfully) be out of La-La-Land’s grip for a solid two weeks. Guy will keep things going here on the ground while I’m in the air (I just noticed “WALL-E” and “The Wrestler” landed Best Picture nominations with the London film critics while Heath Ledger was nominated as a lead — more on that to come). But in the meantime, a question: Is the “featured content” gallery more trouble than it’s worth? I’m quite aware of the slow load, the pictures cascading down the page for a bit before snapping into place. Some have said it’s not a big deal, others have an issue with it. I’m working on something that will keep that from happening, maybe something simpler, but as is, is it a hindrance to the site? I’d love your feedback on that.
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Chicago crix join the ‘WALL-E’ wagon
I know we issued a moratorium on regional critics’ awards the other day, but the Chicago Film Critics Association is semi-significant, and we did report on their nominations, so in the interests of closure, here are the winners.
I must say, I’m starting to feel the heat for a “WALL-E” Best Picture nomination — could it displace “The Dark Knight” for the populist vote? I think so. Meanwhile, I’m really getting the feeling that Anne Hathaway could emerge as the Best Actress winner at the end of the day. I have no idea what would justify such an outcome, but that’s my hunch.
Of course, I had these inklings before I saw these winners — which aren”t that relevant anyway — but it chimes in neatly enough, so I thought I’d throw ’em out there.
Best Picture: “WALL-E”
Best Director: Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”
Best Actor: Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”
Best Actress: Anne Hathaway, “Rachel Getting Married”
Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”
Best Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet, “The Reader”
Best Original Screenplay: Andrew Stanton and Jim Reardon, “WALL-E”
Best Adapted Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy, “Slumdog Millionaire”
Best Foreign Language Film: “Let the Right One In”
Best Documentary: “Man On Wire”
Best Animated Feature: “WALL-E”
Best Cinematography: Wally Pfister, “The Dark Knight”
Best Original Score: Thomas Newman, “WALL-E”
Most Promising Performer: Dev Patel, “Slumdog Millionaire”
Most Promising Director: Tomas Alfredson, “Let the Right One In” -
The costume design of ‘Benjamin Button’
Paramount Pictures has put together a brilliant little FYC site for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” that I’m just now getting around to, fit with the usual bells and whistles: downloadable screenplay, score samples (God Alexandre Desplat’s work is gorgeous), clips and interviews, etc. You can enter the site by clicking on the ad at the top of the page here.I always look for proper care and consideration for the crafts of this film or that each season. It’s our mandate, as long-time readers know, that those names get the same exposure as the biggest of stars. Paramount Vantage always does a nice job of that with its Vantage Guilds website, but more and more, other studios are following Vantage’s example.
For instance, on the “Button” site, there is a nice little gallery of costume design sketches from Jacqueline West’s portfolio, with screen test photos to go along with the ultimate look of the apparel in the film. It gives you a nice cross section of the work and a look at its journey from the hypothetical to the tangible.
And indeed, West’s work on the film is quite lovely, a much more thorough and certainly more varried array of threads than you might expect. Cate Blanchett’s red dress from a key scene in the film has popped up in at least one Q&A. Director David Fincher used some CGI nit-picking to amp up the red and add to the experience of the scene’s emotional beats. But that’s not to take away from what West has done, which is outfit a hell of an epic with a beautiful wardrobe that walks the line between reality and fantasy nicely and understands that dichotomy, one that lies at the heart of the film.
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‘Doubt’ leads with five SAG noms
(Apologies for the delay getting these up this morning. I had technical difficulties signing in and had to scoot shortly after the announcement. Here are the belated nominees with commentary.)The Screen Actors Guild didn’t have much up its sleeve this morning for its heavily anticipated nominations announcement. No left-field zingers, no “3:10 to Yuma” or “Station Agent” surprises, just a slick rundown of the season’s favorites so far.
Looking deeper into the categories, we can point to a number of things. The fact that “Doubt” leads the way is no surprise, since all four principles from the cast were nominated and, therefore, the film landed a nod for Best Ensemble. But praise for the acting, even if that represents the biggest branch of the Academy, isn’t necessarily enough. Will the other branches be on board for this as a “film,” or will they simply see it for what it is: a photographed play with no creative bridge to the screen?
Dev Patel’s nomination for Best Supporting Actor is the boost he needed for Oscar, though it should be noted that the SAG likes to nominate younger actors. Dakota Fanning, Jamie Bell, etc. Also, it’s worth noting that Taraji P. Henson received three nominations this morning, two for her performance in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (supporting actress and ensemble) and one as part of the “Boston Legal” ensemble on the TV side of things. Congratulations to one sweetheart of a girl.
The absence of Sally Hawkins is a bit distressing, however. Especially when you consider the fact that the actress categories tend to go five-for-five with the Academy. That could of course change this year as both fields are more competitive than usual, but seemingly a sure-thing after her critics awards bonanza, it seems the lovely Hawkins is back on the bubble.
“Revolutionary Road” is, sad to say, officially on life-support, if the night nurse hasn’t already tripped on the chord and yanked it from the wall entirely. One nomination for Kate Winslet, nothing for Leonardo DiCaprio, nothing for the brilliant Michael Shannon. The industry doesn’t seem to be responding to this film. So I think the likely five have finally slid into place, and “Doubt” remains the spoiler.
The nominees after the jump.
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12/18 Oscarweb Round-up
• Ken Turan proves how really out of touch he is. [Los Angeles Times]• David Poland defends “Seven Pounds” two years after being in the tank for Gabriele Muccino and “The Pursuit of Happyness.” [The Hot Blog]
• Wow. And it’s not even April Fool’s Day. [The Sun]
• David Carr responds to the uber-cool special edition “Dark Knight” soundtrack. [The Carpetbagger]
• Dave Karger sits down with the cast of “Doubt.” [Entertainment Weekly]
• Another list of the year’s worst. Mine tomorrow. [Daily Telegraph]
• What, no byline? Anyway, SOMEONE chatted it up with the lovely Rosario Dawson. [Los Angeles Times]
• Christopher Campbell runs down the worst 5 Oscar hosts. [Spout Blog]
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INTERVIEW: Matteo Garrone
In a year that hasn’t exactly wanted for strong European cinema, Matteo Garrone’s “Gomorrah” ranks as one of its most staggering offerings — as reflected by its well-deserved placing on Kris’s top 10 list yesterday.A brutal, multi-stranded portrait of daily life within Naples’s notorious Camorra crime syndicate, it brings a keen sociologist’s eye to the terrain of mafia cinema — thanks largely to the minutely detailed research of Roberto Saviano (whom Kris interviewed here), upon whose bestselling exposé the film is based, but also to the humanism and objectivity of Garrone himself.
The affable Italian, who recently turned 40, is still getting his head around his film’s success. When we speak, he has just arrived in New York after collecting a bushel of prizes in Copenhagen at the European Film Awards. Although he made his feature debut a decade ago, until now he hasn’t been the best-known name on the Italian cinema scene, and he admits to feeling considerable pressure in taking on the project.
“Domenico [Procacci, the film’s producer] got the rights to Roberto’s book before it was published and sent it to me,” he explains. “I was shocked, but found it very powerful, very unusual in the characterization. I saw an opportunity to make a very different kind of Mafia movie.”
However, once the book was actually published, the game changed for Garrone. “I didn’t know it was going to be such a huge bestseller,” he laughs. “Suddenly this movie became a much bigger deal, and there was much more box office pressure. I had made a couple of other movies that had done well with critics, but were disasters at the box office. I was worried that I was now the wrong person to make ‘Gomorrah,’ but it was too late!”
He needn’t have worried: in addition to the stream of awards talk the film has gathered since taking the Grand Prix at Cannes, “Gomorrah” has stormed the Italian box office and done healthy art house business elsewhere, while expectations are high for its limited U.S. release this Friday. Garrone describes the film’s commercial performance as “a miracle. It’s such a rigorous film, I was worried audiences might find it too harsh. But I think some people have gone in to see a gangster movie and come out surprised by what an emotional experience it is.”
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How about some SAG predictions?
With tomorrow’s SAG announcement hovering, waiting to be the first true litmus test of what the industry thinks of the year’s product (being the first guild out of the gate), I thought I’d take a stab at predictions, fit with alternates for old times’ sake.I think this will be the first real trial for a film like “The Dark Knight,” virtually assured a nomination for Heath Ledger in supporting actor, but will the ensemble be taken seriously enough? Better yet, can another of the film’s cast, like, say, Gary Oldman, show up with a surprise mention?
Meanwhile, Kate Winslet has been coasting with critics’ nomiations for her performance in “The Reader,” but I’m not completely sold yet. It’s a great portrayal, but that’s a stacked category that could go a number of ways. Still, the SAG tends to correctly anticipated the Academy’s list of nominees in both actress categories, so when the names are called tomorrow morning, start locking them away and taking them to the bank.
Speaking of Winslet, “Revolutionary Road” could really use another shot in the arm. A nomination for Best Ensemble is somewhat crucial, I think, and would be indicative of deep support for the film from the actors, many of which share membership in AMPAS. I could see anywhere from five nods (including an ensemble bid and notices for Michael Shannon and Kathy Bates), to a mere two (for Winslet and co-star Leonardo DiCaprio).
One last note, I’m going out on a limb by predicting a Clint Eastwood snub. I’m probably wrong but the actor’s fellow thesps didn’t vouch for him in 2004 when the Academy did, so it could play out similarly this year. We’ll know in due time.
For now, here’s how I see things panning out:
Best Actor
Leonardo DiCaprio, “Revolutionary Road”
Richard Jenkins, “The Visitor”
Frank Langella, “Frost/Nixon”
Sean Penn, “Milk”
Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”
(alt.: Josh Brolin, “W.”) -
If I had a ballot
(Note: Because I’ve been getting some correspondence of confusion, let it be known that categories such as Best Foreign Language Film and Best Documentary contain films released in the U.S. in 2008 that I consider the best of those fields, regardless of Academy rules and regulations regarding country submissions and peripheral qualifications. This is more of an AMPAS/critics ballot hybrid. Hopefully that clears it up.)As the year continues to wind down, I’ve come to an annual post here at In Contention that proves to be a lot of fun, no matter the quality of the year’s product. If I were a member of the 6,000-strong, what would my Oscar ballot look like?
Of course, I’m cheating a bit here. The way AMPAS balloting works is each branch votes for nominees in their representative categories, while everyone gets a crack at nominating the Best Picture field. I’m acting as lord of all, super-duper Academy member extraordinaire with nominations in each of the categories we’ll see contended on February 22. I subtract the short film fields, because I just can’t comment with any expertise, and as always, I add the category I annually plead for acceptance in the Academy’s proceedings: Best Ensemble.
So with that, I give you my list of the year’s best in an array of categories. The first five you know. More after the jump. (Check back Friday for a year-end list of superlatives. And in case you missed it, my top 10 and “best of the year” column here).
Best Picture
“Bolt” (Walt Disney Pictures)
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
“Pineapple Express” (Columbia Pictures)
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
“Synecdoche, New York” (Sony Pictures Classics) -
By popular demand…kind of
Alright, I’ve buckled and kinda sorta updated the predictions since so many readers have been asking. The list in the sidebar has been updated, however, the charts have not. I’ll hold off on that until Monday’s column, but it made sense to go ahead and bring this stuff up to speed, so there we are.
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Moratorium on crix awards updates
Is it just me or has the amount of city critics awards announcements gotten way out of hand this year? Maybe it’s always been this way, but I can’t recall such a glut. It’s too much to keep up with, and really, it’s all just echo chamber revelations at this point. The good folks at Awards Daily are, as always, doing a great job of compiling, so keep up with them there if you want to stay in the know.
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Mansell’s collaboration with Slash saw prescient beginnings
Every now and then I come across a great piece over at the L.A. Times’ Pop & Hiss blog (which I sadly forget to check more often than not). Today I came across this nice item, an interview with composer Clint Mansell (criminally robbed of an Oscar nomination for “The Fountain”) and his collaboration with guitarist Slash on the score for Darren Aronofsky’s “The Wrestler.”Here’s a bit about Mansell’s direction for the score as a reflection of the character and how the work of Bruce Springsteen, ironically, served as an early inspiration:
We knew there was no way we could judge the character,” Mansell says. “He sleeps in the back of a van after a wrestling match, and that might be a really horrendous way of living for some of us. But for him, he’s just doing what he wants to do. So we didn’t want to make the music maudlin or schmaltzy or anything that judges the character.”
Oddly enough, some of the music that inspired Mansell was by Springsteen, who composed the Golden Globe-nominated song in the film’s namesake — a cut that contrasts a plaintive melody with some street-tough imagery. Before the Springsteen song had been secured, Mansell had been trying to capture the stark, paired-down feel of the artist’s 1982 album “Nebraska.”
“I had talked to Darren [Aronofsky] about Springsteen’s ‘Nebraska’ album,” Mansell says referring to the film’s director. “It’s an emotional record, but it’s quite restrained — it keeps the emotion at a distance. I thought that this was the character that Randy Robinson was. That led me towards the guitar.”
Check out the rest here.
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12/17 Oscarweb Round-up
• Jeff Wells knows how to fix “Valkyrie” after the fact. [Hollywood Elsewhere]• John Campea suffers through the worst films of the year. [The Movie Blog]
• Scientists claim that real-life relationships can’t live up to those in the movies. [Daily Telegraph]
• Rob Turbovsky says biopics are hijacking real life for narrative gain. [Rope of Silicon]
• David Poland spends 30 minutes with “Che” star Benicio Del Toro. [The Hot Blog]
• Kelley L. Carter reports from Monday night’s rainy “Revolutionary Road” premiere. [USA Today]
• Roger Ebert gets lifetime honorary membership in the DGA. [Associated Press]
• Reed Johnson covers the making of “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” [The Envelope]
• Mark Olsen, meanwhile, catches up with David Kross and his coming of age in “The Reader.” [The Envelope]
• Tom O’Neil finally gets around to why Hugh Jackman is the perfect choice for Oscar host. [Gold Derby]
• Dave Karger makes a sound argument for the Best Picture exclusion of “Doubt” and “Revolutionary Road” with 42 West honcho Cynthia Swartz’s stretch for a counter argument based totally on things that…haven’t happened yet. [Entertainment Weekly]
• Karina Longworth lists the top 10 unreleased films of the year. [Spout Blog]
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Academy shortlists 49 original songs
… and 11 of them (count ’em) are from “High School Musical 3: Senior Year.” That’s over a fifth of the contenders, so I’m guessing the folks at Disney will be pretty mortified if at least one of them doesn’t make the final five.And hell, one of them should. I’m not too snobbish to admit that “HSM3” is an immaculately produced entertainment that succeeds squarely on its own terms, and the same goes for its song score. Those songs are certainly a lot more integral to the film than, say, Peter Gabriel’s track for “WALL-E.” Credit where it’s due.
Otherwise everything that you’d expect to be on the list is there — including the tracks from “The Wrestler,” “Slumdog Millionaire” (nice to see “O Saya” listed as well as “Jai Ho”) and “Synecdoche, New York,” which I know has a lot of fans (myself included) on this site. Elsewhere, I’m happy to see Jenny Lewis’ cute ditty for “Bolt” contending alongside Miley Cyrus’s composition — though to be honest, I’m just happy to see Jenny Lewis in any context.
Some will be surprised by the exclusion of Jennifer Hudson’s “Sex and the City” ballad “All Dressed in Love,” but it was closing credits filler, and godawful at that.
As for predictions, one must bear in mind that the Academy has frequently gone its own way in this category over the last few years, nominating songs that weren’t on anyone’s radar, much less any precursor lists. (Think “Raise It Up” last year, or the French-language “Look to Your Path” in 2005.)
I’m thinking Norah Jones’ pretty, easygoing “The Story” from the otherwise ill-fated “My Blueberry Nights” will be right up their alley: throwback sound, credible middle-of-the-road artist, story-serving song from a film with a strong musical theme. Bullseye.
I’ve also been predicting for months that the rousing title song from “Trouble the Water” will surprise in this category, so I’m chuffed to see it crop up here. It’s a terrific hip-hop track with a great story behind it — it’s by Kimberly Rivers Roberts, the struggling rap artist whose remarkable personal narrative, overcoming the horrors of Hurricane Katrina, forms the heart of the film. It’d be pretty damn inspiring to see her perform on the Oscar stage come February, and I have a hunch the Academy’s music branch (who have become more receptive to hip-hop in recent years) will feel the same way.
Full list after the cut.
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Toronto loves ‘Wendy and Lucy’
I’m not trying to keep up with the plethora of obscure critics’ awards anymore — with all due respect to the good people of Dallas or Tulsa or Albequerque or wherever, I don’t particularly care what their critics have to say. Harsh, but true.So from here on out, the only critics’ picks worth mentioning are the either the ones from a credible institution with at least some history, or the ones that highlight something interesting or under-appreciated. (As opposed to handing “Slumdog Millionaire” its 87th gong — great film, but seriously, to all the tiny critics’ groups out there trying to get noticed, why not veer from the herd?)
Happily, the Toronto Film Critics Association Awards fulfil both requirements. They’ve been around for ten years, but in that time they’ve built a reputation for unusual (and pretty great) choices, honouring the likes of “Magnolia,” “Memento” and “A History of Violence.” I think any group that has singled out Miranda Richardson for “Spider” and given Best Director to the Dardenne brothers deserves my attention.
And they’ve earned it again this year, handing Best Picture and Best Actress to the quietly stunning “Wendy and Lucy” — between this and its unexpected AFI list placing, Kelly Reichardt’s microbudget drifter tale is having a very good week indeed, while I’m glad some folks are acknowledging what a banner year Michelle Williams has had professionally.
Their full list, with runners-up, after the cut. Pretty interesting picks all round (Van Damme — ha), even if the love for “Rachel Getting Married” continues to elude me. Also, the fact that they love her film enough to give it their top prize, but Kelly Reichardt doesn’t even appear in their runners-up for Best Director, leaves a bit of a sour taste. I’m not saying sexism is at play here, but it doesn’t make a great impression.
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Terrible news
Those of you who dug through my “best of the year” column yesterday know that I was a supporter of Chris Bell’s creative, informative and, at times, sobering documentary “Bigger, Stronger, Faster.” In the piece, I wrote that Bell’s film succeeded by “cleverly combining the numbers with the priceless power of a family drama.”Well today, that family drama takes on a new shape. It seems Bell’s brother, Mike, a professionalk wrestler featured prominently in the film, was found dead yesterday at his California home. From Richard Gray of Wrestling News World:
Michael Bell, who was known as “Mad Dog” Mike Bell in the wrestling world, passed away yesterday from unknown causes. Michael was found dead by his roomates [sic] at 2:30 PM yesterday in a sober living place in Orange County, according to his brother Christopher in a prepared statement sent out to members of the media. Bell, who had a history of drug and alcohol problems, was only 37 years old.
The trailer for “Bigger, Stronger, Faster”:
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Six Virtuosos chosen for Santa Barbara Fest
The press release, in part (happy for Shannon, one of the good guys):The Santa Barbara International Film Festival continues its tradition of honoring the year’s standout performers by presenting The 2009 Virtuosos Award to Viola Davis, Rosemarie DeWitt, Sally Hawkins, Richard Jenkins, Melissa Leo and Michael Shannon. The Award presentation will take place Wednesday, January 28 at the 24th edition of the Fest, which runs January 22-February 1, 2009, it was announced today by SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling.
The Virtuosos Award was created last year to recognize a select group of actors who have distinguished themselves through performances in film this past year. Last year’s recipients of this inaugural award were Casey Affleck, Marion Cottilard, who went on to win the Best Actress Oscar, James McAvoy, Ellen Page and Amy Ryan.
“Each of these virtuosos have dazzled us with some of the most unexpected, scene-stealing, heart-breaking, uncompromising, fearless and startling performances of the year,” Durling commented.