In Contention

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  • Nolan for Best Director?

    Christopher Nolan and Aaron Eckhart on the set of The Dark KnightAlways willing to be a bit brazen with his predictions (I like that), Nathaniel Rogers is busy updating his picks over at The Film Experience.  My favorite left-field notion is his choice of Christopher Nolan in the lone director slot for “The Dark Knight,” naturally.

    I had the same idea in mind three years ago, right up until the day before the nominations, even.  I caught some email flack for thumping the fanboy drum in the process, but it really felt like a possibility.  Well, I’ve learned my lesson (somewhat) and haven’t bothered bringing it up this year, despite a nagging feeling that this critically acclaimed effort could indeed surprise us along these lines in January.

    But let’s just say I’m glad Nat’s here to help carry the burden this time around.  As he shrewdly notes, “This isn’t as far-fetched as it sounds.”

    Elsewhere, Rogers is hanging onto his “Miracle at St. Anna” forecast in the Best Picture arena, allowing “Australia” to join the party, while he finally finds some room for a little “Revolutionary Road” love in the lead actor and actress categories.

    Read his expanded thoughts here.  The updates are on-going this week.

    And while I’m busy tossing up pics from the set of “The Dark Knight” — I’ve always loved this shot:

    Director Christopher Nolan (hands folded leaning on rail) watches as Christian Bale prepares for a scene in The Dark Knight

  • Uh…‘Good Shepherd’ was always part of something more

    Universal Pictures\' The Good ShepherdI’ve read three stories today indicating that Robert De Niro wants to spin “The Good Shepherd” into a trilogy.  This…is not news.  Not exactly.

    The first mention was an aside in this Variety story, which was simply a “by the way” kind of thing.  Then Cinematical got a hold of it and passed the news along, and now I see The Movie Blog is sourcing Rope of Silicon (should have sourced Variety, but there’s that whole boycott brouhaha), and suddenly a couple of comments have become a “news item” for the day.

    I’d like to, if I may, quote my own words from a New York Times story nearly two years old:

    But Mr. De Niro, who was developing a C.I.A. project of his own at Tribeca Productions, agreed to a deal that kept things moving: He would consider directing or starring in “The Good Shepherd,” if Mr. Roth would write the Tribeca film, which deals with the period from the Bay of Pigs invasion to the fall of the Berlin Wall.

    At least one other CIA film was always in the cards, though the reception of “The Good Shepherd” (for which I have great respect despite its flaws) may or may not have slowed that train a bit.  Eric Roth told me about the possibility of a trilogy in the above interview, but that didn’t make the edit.

    Anyway, looking back at the Roth piece, I’m reminded of two of his scripts that I desperately hope find traction: “Hatfields and McCoys” (with Brad Pitt chomping at the bit to make it a reality) and “Comanche” (pitting Roth with Michael Mann once again for a western that sounds like it could be out of the park).

    This year, of course, Roth will be pushing the envelope as always with “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” one of my most anticipated films of 2008.

  • Sigourney Weaver + who in ‘Alien 5?’

    Sigourney Weaver and Carrie Henn in AliensMeredith Woerner at io9 is wondering this week whether sci-fi/action writers will finally bone up and produce a sidekick to our modern cinema heroes and heroines worth the price of a ticket.

    She’s rightly spotlighting recent examples in “Live Free or Die Hard” and “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” as reason to change the tide in the wimpy second fiddle circuit.

    Woerner brings the scuttlebutt regarding Sigourney Weaver supposedly being game for a fifth “Alien” installment in to fuel the fire even more, adding that Newt (from “Aliens”) and Winona Ryder’s Annalee Call (“Alien: Resurrection”) didn’t exactly pan out as they should have for badass, woah-man E.T. brawler Ellen Ripley in the past.

    Personally — I liked Newt — but I dig this topic, so let’s discuss.

    Weaver managed the impossible in 1986 when she actually landed an Oscar nomiantion for her role in James Cameron’s “Aliens.”  Sure, people are talking up Heath Ledger for a supporting actor mention in this year’s “The Dark Knight,” but Weaver was banging alien heads and walking away with a LEAD actress nod over two decades prior (giving ammunition to many who had hoped for a similar trick to be turned by Uma Thurman in 2003’s “Kill Bill: Vol. 1”).

    We must protect the Ripley legacy!  And I actually think giving her one fiesty, ferocious co-star would do just that.  And if Ridley Scott is indeed “enthusiastic” about going there again, it could be (could be) something special.

    Anyway, I say put Ripley up there with someone able to take the throne.  Like Vera Farmiga.  Anything but another “AVP” massacre.  ANYTHING.

  • A guy of simple tastes

    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiZ-e0k50yc

  • The Netflix Player by Roku

    The Netflix Player by RokuSo…is this the future?  That’s the debate, and part of the reason why I’ve stayed out of the HD-DVD/Blu-ray pissing match for the last three years.

    Indeed, it’s probably safe to say by now, what with the drastic changing of the tide in the music industry, that streaming and internet downloads for home delivery is the wave of the future.  And Roku’s Netflix Player is a big step in that direction.

    Wired (among other outlets) already shot its load over the player back in May, when the $100 equipment first hit the market:

    On the technical end, this small set top box is dead simple to configure and use with my existing Netflix account. Plug it in, hook it up to the HDTV with an HDMI cable, plug in an Ethernet cord, and then use a confirmation code to link it to your account. I was running within five minutes.

    And today, our friend John Campea has got his box up and running in Los Angeles, with a number of choice comments to add:

    The video quality is FAR better than I was expecting…I’m watching it on a 42′* plasma TV and it looked GREAT. Not HD, but fantastic nonetheless…The future is here…instant streaming movies right to your TV over the internet. This must be how my parents felt when man first walked on the moon!!!!

    Maybe so.  Apple has been tinkering with this kind of thing for a while now, though they have their head in the end game: owning flicks, not just renting them.  That is the real future — huge databases packed with movies and in HD quality.  Basically where music technology is now, no?  And some intrepid folks have already made steps toward those ends, loading up their iTunes libraries and pushing their Front Row program to the limit.

    As long as we get to the stuff in “Minority Report” before I die.  That’s all I’m asking.

    *If John’s TV is 42 feet long, I’ll eat my hat.  We’ll chalk it up to a typo.

  • New ‘Dark Knight’ trailer and Thompson blows a raspberry

    I remember when I first heard about the footage shown to fans at Wizard World in Chicago last year.  I was partially still feeling burned from not getting anything at Comic-Con in San Diego, but the description still had me tingling with excitement (especially the Two-Face scene, which closed the trailer and was released almost a month ago).

    Well /flash film points us today to the old footage, which has finally been released online.  There’s not really much dialogue, but there’s plenty of action (and some nice shots of Batsy beating the hell out of the Joker).

    Take a look:

    Meanwhile, Variety’s Anne Thompson has published her review of the film, but she apparently was “overwhelmed” and must have been expecting something akin to the leisurely pace of “Wild Strawberries” or something:

    Finally, I would have preferred to see The Dark Knight in 35 mm, not IMAX. (I will go see it again when it opens July 18.) While the sequences that were shot with giant cameras were stunning at the IMAX venue–especially the deep detailed helicopter shots over Gotham and the amazing car/truck chase filmed in Chicago’s freeway tunnels–I found the movie overwhelming. My brain starts to shut down when it gets over-pixillated, and this film goes on for two and a half hours.

    I guess a dissenting opinion was bound to come down the pike sooner or later.  Jeff Wells is certainly happy about that.  Thompson’s colleague, Justin Chang, meanwhile, begs to differ.

  • Coming May 2009

    Man I hope this doesn’t miss the mark:

    20th Century Fox\'s X-Men Origins: Wolverine

  • Most anticipated of part two

    MGM\'s Quantum of SolaceLooking ahead to the second half of the year, there are more than a few films floating to the top of my list of anticipations.  Here’s what I’d call the top 10:

    1. “The Dark Knight” (hasn’t budged in six months)
    2.“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
    3. “House of Lies”
    4. “Quantum of Solace”
    5. “Appaloosa”
    6; “The Brothers Bloom”
    7. “Milk”
    8. “Australia”
    9. “Pineapple Express”
    10. “Religulous”

    Anticipating with caution: “W”
    Movie I hope disappears before it releases the most: “Ace Ventura Jr.”

    How about you?

  • Speaking of ‘Dark Knight’

    I was reading through a schedule of upcoming TV appearances from the cast, and noticed one interesting pairing on “The View,” July 15: Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman.  What a treat to get that duo in one spot.  I think they shared, what, one scene in “Batman Begins?”

    Check out the week ahead for the Maggie and the boys here.  It’s interesting that Christian Bale only has one show lined up (The Today Show on 7/14).  Maggie Gyllenhaal seems to be lifting the most weight with four separate appearances.

  • How much will ‘The Dark Knight’ make on opening weekend?

    How much will The Dark Knight be worth to audiences?In 2005, “Batman Begins” opened to just shy of $49 million. It’s fair to consider that a low number, because it came in behind the openings of such films as “2 Fast 2 Furious” and “8 Mile” of all things, even failing to best the $52 million mark of “Batman Forever” ten years prior.

    However, the film went on to gross over $200 million at the box office, displaying considerable legs built on word of mouth and repeat viewings.

    I think we all expect the film’s sequel, “The Dark Knight,” will open to larger numbers than that, but I’d like to get a gauge on just exactly where the readers expect this thing to drop.

    I’m on the record all over the place as thinking the film would be the biggest box office draw of the year, but I truly didn’t expect the $300 million ceiling to be crashed by “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” and especially “Iron Man.” Now I’m not as sure, but I also can’t shake the feeling that there is an incredibly unknown element at work here. This thing could obviously be MASSIVE.

    So tell us in this week’s poll: how much to you expect “The Dark Knight” to rake in when it opens in the U.S. on July 18?  And if you want to be a real smarty pants and offer a specific number, tell us in the comments below.  We’ll follow this up with a poll predicting the final box office tally for the film next week.

  • 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?”

  • I’m…still…here

    To the world, I am still alive.  I’ve been spending the last two+ months “studying” in England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Holland, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Portugal and Germany and as such have been MIA.  I am, however, now back in Canada and hope and expect to be contributing regularly over the months and weeks to come.  I’ll be back soon!

    (Kris has also now seen how Canadians in London celebrate Canada Day — I’m not sure if that was a good or bad thing.)

  • Sidebar updated

    FYI, I’ve updated the predictions in the sidebar in the wake of the news that Miramax’s “Chéri” will be released in 2009.  I’ll update the charts some time over the weekend to reflect this in the various races there.

    UPDATE: Done and done.

  • Best of the 90’s

    John Travolta and Uma Thurman in Quentin Tarantino\'s Pulp FictionTime is the enemy of all films as it erodes what was once exciting and original. Truly great movies are able to withstand the test of time, but I wonder if enough time has passed to take a look back at the 1990s cinema and make some decisions.

    There was a major breakthrough in the decade with filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, who did not so much open the door for indies as he did kick it in and stomp on it with his “Pulp Fiction,” a gloriously acted, directed and written masterpiece about criminals in Los Angeles.  When Godard spoke of making films with a guy, a girl and a gun, was this what he had in mind?

    Though Tarantino has strugled to follow up his legendary 1994 effort with an equally powerful offering, there is little doubt he will, or at least could if he wanted to. (Though he keeps stopping and starting on his latest ambitious project.)  After all, he is still growing as a director.  And just look at Steven Spielberg, who for my money has grown artistically through the last 15 years more so than any other major filmmaker. It was as though “Schindler’s List” and the release of winning the Oscar set him free.

    Anyway, for the record and argument, here are my ten best films of the 1990s:

    1. “Pulp Fiction”
    2. “Schindler’s List”
    3. “Goodfellas”
    4. “Unforgiven”
    5. “Saving Private Ryan”
    6. “The Sweet Hereafter”
    7. “Magnolia”
    8. “L.A. Confidential”
    9. “The Shawshank Redemption”
    10. “The Silence of the Lambs”

    You?

  • Defending Robin

    DC Comics\' RobinBatman scribe Jeph Loeb (“The Long Halloween, “Dark Victory”) has jumped into the recent Robin debate, defending the character’s potential in Christopher Nolan’s current trilogy.

    Hunter Stephenson at /film points us to this MTV story, which offers the following from Loeb:

    Take the time to tell the story properly…There is a story of Dick Grayson and how he becomes Robin that is extremely moving and very helpful. …[Grayson/Robin] doesn’t understand why it is that he needs to do this and Bruce doesn’t understand why he’s doing it either because he’s not a parent. He doesn’t know how to be a parent…together, they make each other better people…that for me would be the next step.

    Stephenson also mentions that the recent Star Pulse item quoting Christian Bale’s dismissal of the character may have been misattributed, indicating that the actor once noted one of his favorite Bat-stories was the very Robin-heavy “Dark Victory.”  I never commented on the dismissal, because it frankly didn’t sound like something he would have said.

    Anyway, you’ve all heard my side of this debate.  I think there is plenty of room to do this story maturely and powerfully, and unless the filmmakers prefer to lock in to what could be a very straight-line, three-film arch, a saga more epic than most could imagine is there for the taking.  And Loeb seems to understand that it would need to be something for the long haul, not a quick fix:

    I wouldn’t let him become Robin until the third act, if that. I think that’s the other problem when you tell that story is that there’s this rush to put him in a costume by the end of the first 20 minutes and in that case I think it’s a disaster…

    Read more of the Loeb interview here.

  • Happy 4th

    It’s a bit odd celebrating it from London, but then again, Guy and I raised a drink to Canada Day on Tuesday with Gerard over in Covent Garden (the three of us lucked out and found ourselves in the same place at the same time this summer).

    Anyway, where our American readers may be, Happy 4th — and here’s to change.

  • Variety ponders the season at the mid-way point

    We’ve already been over what a thin year it’s been so far for Oscar candidates – or good films at all, for that matter. Now Variety has come to the same conclusion. In his mid-year awards-season study, Timothy M. Gray goes so far as to say that “the past six months have offered fewer potential contenders than any January-June period in memory,” and wonders if we’re seeing a return to the days when the Oscars were dominated by winter releases from the majors.

    Indeed, Gray only finds one title from the first-half of the year that he thinks has main category potential: Overture Films’ “The Visitor,” the prospects of which I discussed extensively yesterday. I’m not sure I’d boil down an entire half-year to a sole film (“In Bruges,” anyone?), but I agree that “The Visitor” has a real campaigning advantage:

    Keep an eye on Overture’s “The Visitor”: Lead actor Richard Jenkins has rightly earned awards buzz, but the film has many other virtues (Thomas McCarthy’s script and direction, the other performances, etc.). McCarthy, a talented actor in his own right, has crafted an actors’ movie — a character study with current-event concerns — that will play well on DVD, so late-year mailings could pay off.

    (Indeed, the more I think about the film’s position in the awards derby, the more it reminds me of a certain tiny spring release from last year: “Away From Her.”

    Looking forward into the rest of 2008, Gray ends up pondering most of the same questionmarks that we all are, including the following questions:

    Will the early buzz sustain for Disney-Pixar’s “Wall-E” and WB’s “The Dark Knight” and Heath Ledger?

    What effect will the Clint Eastwood double whammy — November’s “Changeling” and the December bow of Warner Bros.-Village Roadshow’s “Gran Torino,” in which he stars as well as directs — have on kudos? Similarly, Scott Rudin, who was in the winner’s circle with “No Country,” has two December openers — but will he have a third with “The Reader,” whose opening date is not yet set?

    Benicio Del Toro won Cannes’ actor award for Steven Soderbergh’s “Che,” but will it find a U.S. distrib this year and, if so, in what form will the two-part film be released?

    And then there are … other questions. In the last few years, the song category has been dominated by tunes that were production numbers (as opposed to those end-credit or background songs). So does this bode well for Disney’s “High School Musical 3” and Focus’ “Hamlet 2”? (If the song “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp” can win, there may be hope for the latter pic’s “Rock Me Sexy Jesus.”)

    (more…)

  • EW ‘Dark Knight’ cover story

    The Dark Knight cover story in the July 11 issue of Entertainment WeeklyBenjamin Svetkey has cranked out a thoughtful, compelling cover story study of Heath Ledger’s performance in “The Dark Knight” for next week’s Entertainment Weekly.

    The piece, titled “Tragedy and Triumph,” concerns itself with how Ledger’s death has affected expectation and perception in the lead-up to the film’s release in a little more than a week.  It’s tightly written, one of the better features out there on the film.

    There are money quotes all over the place and plenty of insight from Svetkey’s early set visit woven in here and there.

    However, there is a stupid, pointless graph at the top of the fourth page that is ridden with a few spoilers.  It’s totally unnecessary and evidence of a journalist strutting, if you ask me.  But the rest: top notch.

    On the casting of the Joker, here’s what Svetkey cranked out:

    With Bale contractually locked in for two more Bat movies, and Nolan on board for at least one more, the only thing needed was an actor to play the bad guy. There certainly wasn’t a shortage of options. Robin Williams, Sean Penn, and even Mark Hamill were rumored to be on Nolan’s short list (at least Hamill had practice, having voiced the Joker in various superhero cartoons). What nobody knew at the time, though, was just how short the director’s list was. ”Heath was the only one on it,” Nolan insists. “I knew he was it from the start.”

    And an interesting segment on the makeup of the character:

    Ledger also gave plenty of thought to the makeup that would be splattered across his face throughout the film. ”He started applying the makeup himself — just to see what it would look like if he put it on with his own hands,” Nolan says. ”We talked about how streaking the paint could get across the idea of corruption, of decay.”

    Check out the rest here.  But be wary of that first graph on the last page.  You can skip it totally and the article reads just fine.

    And finally, here’s a glimpse of Ledger’s work in the film:

    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4FZdsIDsKE