Thurgood Marshall graduation 2012
Badin vs. Versailles
Law Enforcement Memorial Day
Home > Blogs > Sir Critic on Cinema > Archives > 2008 > January
January 2008
What’s Opening Friday, Feb. 1?
The short answer to the headline’s question is, “Not much, unless you’re a Hannah Montana Fan.”
The long answer to the question follows. This week’s slate of new releases is so blah that 27 Dresses just might end up topping the list - in its third week of release.
Blade Runner: This just came out in an ultra-deluxe DVD package, but the Drexel Gateway theater in Columbus begins playing the new “Final Cut” tonight. It’s one of those movies that must be seen in theaters for maximum impact.
Cassandra’s Dream: Woody Allen’s latest film, opening in Cincinnati this weekend, has attracted mixed reviews, with many calling it a Match Point retread. Still, I’m always up for one of Allen’s film’s no matter what the buzz, so this earns my Top Picture designation for the week.
The Eye: Jessica Alba gets an eye transplant and suddenly has supernatural vision. Apparently, her newfound abilities still do not include convincing screen acting.
Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: The Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour: It’s a Hannah Montana concert movie in 3D. What else do you need to know? What else you need to know is the movie has been selling advance tickets like there’s no tomorrow, and in a way, there is no tomorrow for this movie - it is scheduled to play for one week only.
Over Her Dead Body: If Eva Longoria wants to be a movie star, she’s going to have to do better than this Ghost/Always/Just Like Heaven retread, by all accounts. Choice critical quote: “… so bland, lifeless and unimaginative I wanted to poke the screen to make sure it was really there.” - John Larsen, Sun Publications.
The Savages: Receiving Oscar nominations for Laura Linney and for its screenplay, the movie features Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman playing a brother and sister trying to place their ailing father into a rest home. It opens today at the Neon Movies.
Strange Wilderness: A few weeks ago, I wondered if this movie could be that bad considering Steve Zahn was in it. Having seen the trailers of this Adam Sandler/Happy Madison production, I’m thinking, um … yeah, it probably can.
Permalink | | Categories: Coming Attractions
What movies have you not seen, to your shame?
My GO! Editor Mandy Gambrell recently regaled me with an amusing story that she had admitted she hadn’t seen …
… well, I’ll let her tell the story if she wants to, but let’s just say the fact that she hadn’t seen a certain movie from the 80s about the need for speed with a lot of jet planes caused quite a bit of consternation.
So I thought it would be fun to ask: What movie or movies are you ashamed to admit you have never seen?
Every one of us has at least a few examples of films that, if we admit we’ve never seen then, will prompt lots of bulging eyes, dropped jaws and incredulous exclamations. Why, everyone in the free world has seen (Movie X) except for us, it seems.
As incredible as it may sound, contrary to popular belief, I have not seen every movie known to man. In fact, I sheepishly admit there’s quite a few missed titles on my list that might cost me my film critics’ badge, if there were such a thing.
So I began to scour some lists to remind myself of what I have missed. Since the Oscars are coming up, I thought I’d start with the list of Best Picture winners. Here are the ones I haven’t laid eyes on yet.
Wings
Broadway Melody
All Quiet on the Western Front
Cimarron
Grand Hotel
Cavalcade
The Great Zeigfeld
The Life of Emile Zola
You Can’t Take it With You
Marty
Tom Jones
A Man for All Seasons
In the Heat of the Night
Midnight Cowboy
The Sting
Ordinary People
Out of Africa
And, just to embarrass myself even more, here are a few other notable titles I’ve never managed to catch.
Intolerance
Wild Strawberries
8 1/2
Repulsion
Cool Hand Luke
Enter the Dragon
Serpico
Suspiria
Day for Night
Breathless
Now, allow me to explain myself after the jump:
Now, before you get all riled up in cries of “You call yourself a film critic,” let me state that I actually consider all these absences an advantage, not a disadvantage. Sure, I wish I could be like so many critics I admire who’ve seen every classic multiple times.
On the other hand, not seeing these films means I have a lot to discover - and a lot to look forward to. I bet there are a lot of critics out there who would love to be able to see Midnight Cowboy or 8 1/2 for the first time.
Sometimes I’m awaiting a good opportunity to see these movies in theaters. For some ungodly reason, I never managed to see Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs when I was a child, so I never got around to the movie until its last theatrical issue in 1993. At that time, I didn’t have a choice - the movie wasn’t available on video for years.
Another factor at play here is that I actually have a lot of these titles in my collection, like Ordinary People and All Quiet on the Western Front and You Can’t Take It With You. One of the quirks of being a movie buff is that we’re so busy collecting and recording movies is that we never get around to - you know, actually watching the darn things.
But I’ve done my part, so now it’s your turn to fess up. What movies have you not seen that seemingly everyone else on the planet has? And help me out a little - which of the movies that I’ve not seen should I prioritize?
Permalink | Comments (10) | Categories: Ask the Audience
What are You Watching in 2008?
Once again, the DVD release schedule brings us an extremely lackluster slate. The current crop of new releases, including The Game Plan and Saw IV, need no input from me. The only titles that look worthwhile to mine eyes are the Donkey Kong documentary (No, really) The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters and a new edition of Monty Python’s The Life of Brian, cheekily subtitled, “The Immaculate Edition.”
So instead, I shall offer a new round of What Are You Watching, now that I’ve finally caught up on seeing movies outside of the purposes of this blog.
On the Big Screen
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: This extraordinary film hasn’t made it to the Dayton area yet, but when it does get here, I cannot recommend highly enough that you see it as soon as humanly possible. It’s the true story of French Elle Editor Jean-Dominique Bauby, who suffered a stroke and was completely paralyzed, except for one eyelid; he could only communicate by blinking. Via some truly striking visuals by director Julian Schnabel and cinematographer Janusz Kaminski (both of whom earned well-deserved Oscar nominations), the film boldly puts us inside Bauby’s head so we can feel what it is like to be him. Remarkably, the movie even finds mordant humor in an awful situation. This year may have only just begun, but I will guarantee this will be on my best-of list in 11 months. GRADE: A+
Romance and Cigarettes: I caught John Turturro’s boldly weird musical during its brief run in Columbus recently, and I’m sorry to report that the film is not a lost masterpiece that a clueless studio let sit on a shelf for years. Early on, it offers some truly inventive outlandish musical numbers that are like nothing else out there, but when it turns serious in the second half and asks us to care about these strange goings-on, it falls apart because it hasn’t laid the foundation for that. Still, it’s at least worth a look for the way Turturro and a cast that includes James Gandolfini, Kate Winslet, Christopher Walken and Mandy Moore, throw caution to the wind. It’s on DVD Feb. 12. GRADE: B-
There Will Be Blood: Proof positive that no filmmaker is more daring than Paul Thomas Anderson, and that no actor is quite so magnetic as Daniel Day-Lewis in this spellbinding story of an oil man, Daniel Plainview, who is charismatic yet soulless. The film prompts many responses, but one thing is for sure: You will never - ever - hear the words “milkshake” and “drainage” in the same way again after seeing this film. GRADE: A+
27 Dresses: The filmmakers weave one chick-flick standby after another throughout this movie, but they do so skillfully, thanks in no small part to Katherine Heigl, who definitively proves her worth as a romantic comedy lead. Color me happily unsurprised. Also worth mentioning though is James Marsden, who matches Heigl nicely as her romantic foil. Between this, Enchanted and Hairspray, Marsden has had a good, strong run. GRADE: B
Small-screen films after the jump…
On the Small Screen
Badlands: Terrence Malick’s breakout film about a couple (Martin Sheen, Sissy Spacek) on a killing spree set the template for his work: beautifully shot, well-acted, fascinating in concept, but rather distant and remote in execution. GRADE: B
No Direction Home: I know Todd Haynes wasn’t really trying to tell the Bob Dylan story in I’m Not There, but still, why make a big deal out of faux Bob Dylans when the real one, as portrayed by Martin Scorsese, was so fascinating? GRADE: A
La Vie en Rose: This biopic of legendary chanteuse Edith Piaf got the Oscar nominations it deserved; the costumes are beautiful, the makeup does a remarkable job of aging actress Marion Cotillard, and Cotillard herself is outstanding as Piaf. She helps alleviate the fact that as far as musical biographies go, this isn’t much more inventive than, say, Ray. GRADE: B
Val Lewton: Man in the Shadows/I Walked with a Zombie: Scorsese pops up again, this time as the narrator and producer of a documentary on Lewton, who made such chilling low-budget shockers as Cat People, Curse of the Cat People and Zombie, getting maximum impact out of minimal effects. Zombie in particular oozes eerie atmosphere, making its voodoo trappings unnerving when they could very easily have been very silly. BOTH: A
Your serve; Tell me what you’ve been watching, whether the screen is big or small, or whether you’ve seen the movie once or 100 times.
Permalink | Comments (4) | Categories: Reviews
SAG Awards, Spartans, Hobbits n’ such
I’ve got a lot on my mind this morning, so this will be a miscellaneous Monday post.
First thing’s first (or maybe last):
**Meet the Spartans is the number 1 movie in America!
(whimper)
I’d pull out all my hair and scream out “Oh, the humanity!” but I already got my hair cut this weekend, so I haven’t got enough hair left. I could also scream and shout about how this spoof series’ confounding success hastens the freefall of the average young moviegoer’ s IQ - but then, this comment from “Smurf” on Hollywood Elsewhere put it in perspective.
“12-14-yr-olds have NEVER seen Airplane, Hot Shots or Naked Gun, so when they see new ads featuring goofy references to 2007 blockbusters, they are momentarily smitten like rats to a Pied Piper - they aren’t old enough to recognize a crapper from a lazy film team notorious for crappers - simply kids out for a good time with buddies, naively generous, willing to give such modern spoofs a $10 chance in hopes of a fun comedy classic their gen can call their own.”
Reasonable enough, I guess, but then that means that people will go back and see the planned next film from these geniuses, entitled Raunchy Movie.
(whimper)
I’d better get my mind on higher-quality movies before my brain implodes, so … **How about the SAG Awards?
The show itself was fairly dull - if this is the kind of material the writers are cranking out, they must be rusty - but I applaud the choices of Day-Lewis, Christie, Bardem and Dee. Dee struck some people as a surprise; most forecasters had predicted Cate Blanchett’s much flashier turn as a “Bob Dylan” in I’m Not There. However, SAG was in a career-award mood, the Academy might be too, so I wouldn’t be surprised, or displeased, to see her repeat her feat for the Oscars.
My favorite line of the night, from Josh Brolin, speaking for the winning cast of No Country for Old Men: “The Coen brothers are freaky little people, and we did a freaky little movie - whether you liked the ending or not.”
Oh, and speaking of the Coens, the brothers also picked up the Directors Guild trophy this weekend. Is this a cool picture or what?
More after the jump …
**More tributes to Heath Ledger:
I was also moved by Daniel Day-Lewis’ heartfelt dedication of his SAG award to Heath Ledger. Two of my other favorite tributes are this one, made by Warner Bros. for their Dark Knight Web site, and this one, penned by Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan for Newsweek. Key quote: “He once told me that he liked to wait between jobs until he was creatively hungry. Until he needed it again. He brought that attitude to our set every day. There aren’t many actors who can make you feel ashamed of how often you complain about doing the best job in the world. Heath was one of them.”
*And finally … Del Toro to direct The Hobbit(s)?
The Hollywood Reporter states that Guillermo Del Toro, the brilliant director of Pan’s Labyrinth and the Hellboy movies is in talks to direct the films that will be made out of The Hobbit, and that makes me feel a little better about the project. I remain dubious about the notion of padding it to make two movies, but if anyone can make it work, it’s Del Toro.
So what do you guys have to say about the SAG Awards, the Spartans, the Hobbits, or anything else?
Permalink | Comments (4) | Categories: Sir Critic muses
Watch me kill ‘Untraceable’
I flirted with the idea of calling Untraceable something like Unremarkable. Then I realized that title would be inaccurate. By the time this would-be techno-thriller ends, it is remarkable - remarkably stupid.
It didn’t start out that way, though. In its early stretches, the film seemed imaginative and suspenseful with a great concept: what if a serial killer would broadcast his murders on the Internet and rig his killing machines in such a way that the more hits his Web site got, the faster a victim would die? Such is the dilemma faced by an FBI team with Diane Lane front and center, as they grapple with increasingly grisly killings.
It’s a clever idea that not only presents chilling ways to die; it also turns that concept on its head by daring to hold the audience accountable for being morbid enough to look. Such is the age we live in when “news crews” camp out around Michelle Williams’ apartment, just waiting to get that first picture of her face that is anguished over the death of Heath Ledger.
Are we guilty too if we watch? It’s an issue worth debating, so it’s too bad the movie fails to address it in any substantial way, then squanders its promise by turning its smart characters into dunces so we can have our big action climax.
The screenplay by Robert Fyvolent, Mark R. Brinker and Allison Burnett establishes that Lane is a pretty smart FBI agent. Then, she’s driving down the road one day, when suddenly, she hears the killer’s voice. She realizes he’s hacked into her vehicle’s computer and is shutting it down. So, of course, she gets out of the vehicle, weapon drawn. After she gets some distance away, she looks back and sees her vehicle has turned on again.
Now - would you be stupid enough to get back inside?
To make matters worse, the killer goes on to commit an even bigger blunder that makes the finale feel rushed. So much for being an evil genius.
Lane has always been an eminently watchable and welcome presence, but Untraceable saddles her with an indistinct character that could have been played by almost any actress worth her salt. Other members of the cast, including Colin Hanks and Mary Beth Hurt, fare no better.
Director Gregory Hoblit, who has made solidly entertaining crime dramas like Primal Fear and Fracture, may be able to shoot a murder scene with flair, but he can’t save this film’s story from suffering a miserable execution.
GRADE: C
Permalink | | Categories: Reviews
What’s opening Friday, Jan. 25?
Tomorrow’s new releases give you a lot to choose from, and not much to choose from at the same time - meaning there are a lot of movies to choose from, but very few of them are actually worthwhile.
How She Move: Means to be this year’s Stomp the Yard.
Meet the Spartans: Meet my middle finger.
Michael Clayton/No Country for Old Men: Two major Oscar contenders go back into wide release after being nominated for multiple Oscars Tuesday. Both are very deserving.
Rambo: The last paragraph of James Berardinelli’s review says it all.
Untraceable: Diane Lane plays an FBI agent trying to track down a killer who uses the Internet diabolically. Directed by Gregory Hoblit (Primal Fear, Fracture). Watch for my review Friday.
My picks: No Country/Michael Clayton, or any of the other Best Picture nominees, Atonement, Juno and There Will Be Blood, all of which are still playing. Pretty typical for January - the older movies are the best ones out there.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Coming Attractions
More on Ledger’s last (?) film/The new Bond title
Couple of items of interest around the web this morning:
First, EW has come up with a very interesting Q&A with Christopher Plummer, who was co-starring with Heath Ledger in the uncompleted The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Lots of interesting detail here, which makes it sound like the project cannot be salvaged, unfortunately. Kudos to EW for getting this.
Second, the upcoming Bond film has a title: Quantum of Solace, which will continue the storyline established in Casino Royale. It opens Nov. 7.
When I heard the title, I thought, “Hmm. Sounds really Fleming-esque … have I heard it before?”
Turns out I had - and the title isn’t just Fleming-esque, it’s directly from Bond creator Ian Fleming. The title comes from one of the short stories in the omnibus book For Your Eyes Only, which lent its title to the 1981 film, Roger Moore’s best entry. Another story from that book, “Risico,” formed much of the basis for the Eyes Only film. And still another story, “From a View to a Kill,” lent (most of) its title to Roger Moore’s worst entry.
Back later with a preview of this weekend’s movies.
Permalink | | Categories: Coming Attractions
A fuller tribute to Heath Ledger
“He was this generation’s James Dean …” “…Marlon Brando” “… Kurt Cobain…” I’ve heard various pundits say about the late Heath Ledger - but, as has been the case with so much of the coverage of the actor’s untimely death, none of these comparisons are quite right.
No one can say for sure yet what today’s autopsy will reveal, but the point of this post is not to dwell on the facts of his death. I’ll leave that to the news outlets, the morbid celebrity bloggers and the soulless trolls who think that just because you’re a celebrity and you have lots of money, that should solve all your problems.
I’m here to focus on his work. This is how I saw Heath Ledger and his movies.
10 Things I Hate About You: It took me awhile to catch up to Ledger’s breakout role. I think I actually first saw Ledger in The Patriot. Still, when I finally did see this movie, I understood what people meant when they said it was immediately apparent that a star was on the rise in this smarter than average teen film.
The Patriot: Of course, this Revolutionary War drama is Mel Gibson’s show, but Ledger lends strong support in the key role of Gibson’s rebellious son who sets the plot in motion. He helped Roland Emmerich make, to date, his only film with any real dramatic weight.
A Knight’s Tale: Brian Helgeland’s anachronistic mash-up of Renaissance Festival-type action and pro sports didn’t quite work, but that wasn’t on Ledger’s shoulders, which carried the film much farther than it should have gone.
Monster’s Ball: I thought this pungent drama was a mite overrated, but Ledger turned in very fine work as the deeply troubled son.
The Four Feathers: This misbegotten historical drama fell flat, but Ledger came out of it unscathed, unlike Wes Bentley or Kate Hudson.
Lords of Dogtown: I thought Catherine Hardwicke’s skateboarding drama was underrated, maybe because I didn’t see the documentary on which it was based. Still, Ledger’s strong work as the leader of the clan was the best thing about the film.
The Brothers Grimm: As has too often happened to a Terry Gilliam film, this movie was marred by studio interference, but Ledger and Matt Damon brought a good sense of fun to the proceedings. Ledger was working with Gilliam again on the The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus at the time of his death, which has probably derailed the project, and that’s a shame. I would have loved to have seen what these two would have created under better circumstances. For Gilliam, who has seen one film after another fall apart, often for reasons beyond his control, this must be the unkindest cut of all.
Brokeback Mountain: What is there left to say, really, except that Ledger’s performance will go down as one of the very greatest of this decade?
I’m Not There: Ledger’s part as one of the “Bob Dylans” was smallish but stood out in a very strong group of actors. Since he’s playing a troubled family man, the part seems especially poignant now.
The Dark Knight: I saw an extended preview of this in front of an IMAX screening of I am Legend, because sequences of this Batman sequel were filmed using IMAX cameras. The sequence was a kick to the gut, not only because of the IMAX, but because of Ledger’s performance as the Joker. Unlike the Jokers of the past, Ledger was not only comical, but truly eerie and frightening. According to Ain’t It Cool News, Ledger had completed his work on the film, and by all accounts, it will be another performance to be remembered for years to come. It’s due out July 18.
More after the jump …
In the rush to memorialize Ledger, people have compared him to that list of performers I mentioned at the beginning of this post, but none of them fit all that well. James Dean made only three films, all of them stellar, and his career was too short to aptly compare to Ledger’s. Brando? i think that comparison comes from the fact that Ledger mumbled a lot of his lines in Brokeback, and Brando was known for that trait. Again, not very apt in the grand scheme of things. Cobain? Now there’s a stretch.
No, the star of the past Ledger most reminds me of is Montgomery Clift, whose hallmark was bringing a brooding intensity to movies like A Place in the Sun, From Here to Eternity, and Judgment at Nuremberg. I could easily picture Ledger in any one of those roles. And like Clift, Ledger was all about the work, wincing at the limelight that came with it. To one extent or another, fame wounded the souls of both men.
What elevated Ledger was that, as best I could tell, he never took a job just for the money. Sure, one project or another may not work out, but even something like The Order, which has a lousy reputation, was understandable because Ledger was reteaming with Helgeland, to less than great effect, apparently.
But whether Ledger’s films hit the mark or not, Ledger himself always hit his. With any luck, his legacy won’t be as this generation’s Dean or Brando or Clift, but as this generation’s Ledger. A commenter, ROTC on Hollywood Elsewhere, offered perhaps the simplest and truest tribute: “Rest in Peace, Heath. You were the real deal, and you will be missed.”
Tell me your impression of Ledger’s performances, films, and legacy.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Categories: Tributes
Heath Ledger, 1979-2008
It made me sick and sad to write that headline.
This is the most complete story I’ve seen on this very harsh bolt from the blue. We don’t have all the facts yet, so I will not add to the speculation swirling through the air right now.
This much, however, is clear, whatever the cause of death turns out to be:
We have lost a great talent who had much more to give.
It is beyond tragic that he leaves behind a 2-year-old daughter who will never know him.
That’s all … for now. I will leave the commenting to you.
Permalink | Comments (9) | Categories: Tributes
The Oscar noms: Who was deserving/robbed?
Well, the nominations are in, and there were actually a few surprises this morning, both in who managed to get in, and how well I did, above the line at least. Below the line is another story … more on that later.
In the major categories:
BEST PICTURE: Atonement,” “Juno,” “Michael Clayton,” “No Country for Old Men,” “There Will Be Blood.”
I went 4 for 5 here; the Academy went for “Atonement” instead of “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” and I can live with that. “Atonement” is a great film, and I was pleased to see it tapped when most people, myself included, said it was out. “No Country” is the favorite to win, though I would not rule out “Juno.”
BEST DIRECTOR: Julian Schnabel, “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”; Jason Reitman, “Juno”; Tony Gilroy, “Michael Clayton”; Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, “No Country for Old Men”; Paul Thomas Anderson, “There Will Be Blood.”
Reitman was the real surprise here; most everyone had written him off. Since he’s in, that means “Juno” could pull an upset in Best Picture. The Coens are the easy pick in this race.
BEST ACTOR: George Clooney, “Michael Clayton”; Daniel Day-Lewis, “There Will Be Blood”; Johnny Depp, “Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street”; Tommy Lee Jones, “In the Valley of Elah”; Viggo Mortensen, “Eastern Promises.”
The biggest WHOA of the morning was Jones’ nomination for “Elah”; since the film tanked, I and many others thought his chances were dead. I had predicted Emile Hirsch of “Into the WIld” instead. Still, I am very pleased to see both him and Mortensen here. Last year I had predicted both would miss the boat, and I’m happy to be wrong. In the end, though, Day-Lewis is a prohibitive favorite to win this one - and deservingly so.
BEST ACTRESS: Cate Blanchett, “Elizabeth: The Golden Age”; Julie Christie, “Away From Her”; Marion Cotillard, “La Vie en Rose”; Laura Linney, “The Savages”; Ellen Page, “Juno.”
I have to say it: Amy, dear - you were ROBBED! To the acting branch: You are a bunch of lazy sloths for nominating Cate Blanchett’s reprise of Queen Elizabeth instead of Amy Adams’ sublime work in “Enchanted.” SHAME on you!
I was also somewhat surprised to see Linney make it in instead of Angelina Jolie, but I like Linney better as an actress, so even though I haven’t seen her film yet, I’ll take it on faith that’s correct. Christie is probably the favorite, but again, with “Juno” coming on stronger than expected, I will not rule out Page.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Supporting Actor: Casey Affleck, “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”; Javier Bardem, “No Country for Old Men”; Hal Holbrook, “Into the Wild”; Philip Seymour Hoffman, “Charlie Wilson’s War”; Tom Wilkinson, “Michael Clayton.”
Aced this bunch. Bardem is the safest bet of the night, friend-o.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Cate Blanchett, “I’m Not There”; Ruby Dee, “American Gangster”; Saoirse Ronan, “Atonement”; Amy Ryan, “Gone Baby Gone”; Tilda Swinton, “Michael Clayton.”
Aced this lot as well, but is the toughest race to call. My instinct says Blanchett, because she has the showiest part, but I wouldn’t be surprised by Ryan, a heavy critical fave, or by Dee, for a career award. Since the voters love flashy parts, I’m going with Blanchett for now; I may change my mind later.
The full list of nominees is here. Commentary on other categories after the jump.
BEST SONG: My consolation for Amy’s snubbing is that she sings two of the three nominated songs from “Enchanted,” so I want that strike settled DOUBLE quick in the hope that she’ll perform on the show. However, the award would not go to Amy, but to writers Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz, who already have Oscars. So my pick here is the heart-swelling “Falling Slowly” from “Once.”
BEST SCORE: As suspected, “There Will Be Blood” was ruled ineligible, which is a shame. Were it not for those pesky technicalities, I would vote for it. Kudos, however, to the branch for nominating Michael Giacchino’s sterling score for “Ratatouille” after unjustly snubbing him for “The Incredibles.” I think “Atonement” will win, though - that typewriter is awfully hard to ignore.
BEST ANIMATED FILM: “Surf’s Up”? Really??
BEST EDITING: I stupidly left out “No Country for Old Men” of my picks after I started writing titles down, so I’m kicking myself hardest over that. Funny thing, though - I had meant to sub out “Into the Wild” for “No Country.” So whadaya know - they BOTH made it in. I’m rooting for “Bourne Ultimatum,” but I will be fine with a “No Country” win.
BEST MAKEUP: Yes, folks, it is possible for a film to be Golden Razzie nominated and Oscar nominated, with “Norbit’s” various grotesques making the cut.
‘300’ GOES 0-FER: I shot myself in the foot on the technicals by predicting “300” in effects, and both sound categories and it got none. I know some people had problems with that movie, but anyone who tries to say the film isn’t technically excellent is kidding themselves.
One final note: Many of the nominated films are, or will be, playing in theaters. “No Country” and “Michael Clayton” both go wide again this Friday, and all the other Best Picture nominees are still in their first runs. Don’t cheat yourself and wait for DVD to see these very fine films.
So who are you glad to see make the cut? Who was snubbed? What are you predicting/rooting for? Comment away!
Permalink | Comments (5) | Categories: Oscars Sunday Night
And the Oscar nominations will (may) go to …
The Oscar nominations are at hand, and I’m about as nervous as the Academy right now.
The Academy is concerned about whether their show will go on at all, with the writers’ strike still dogging Hollywood. I’m concerned about these predictions. So if I were you, I’d hesitate to use these in an office pool.
Most years, there are a number of major categories in which I’m pretty confident that I’ve correctly predicted at least four out of the five nominees. This year, few, if any categories inspire such confidence. There are not as many locks as usual. Many of the races have only two or three solid choices, followed by two or three turkey-shoot slots.
Still, I’ve done my best to sort them all out and give you my best guesses for the nomination announcement Tuesday morning. If you hear a loud scream during the Best Actress spot, that will be me cheering on Amy Adams. If you don’t, pass the tissues.
And, as always, remember two sayings. In the words of William Goldman, “Nobody knows anything.” And in the words of William Munny, “Deserve’s got nuthin’ to do with it.”
A * denotes a lock.
BEST PICTURE
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Juno*
Michael Clayton*
No Country for Old Men*
There Will Be Blood
Alternates: Atonement, Into the Wild, Sweeney Todd
Pretty much everyone agrees that No Country, Juno and Clayton are the safe bets, leaving two open slots. Atonement, the onetime front-runner, has faded badly in the stretch, with almost no mentions from groups with members that overlap with the Academy. Focus Features screwed up by going wide too late. I won’t rule it out, but it’s on very, very shaky ground. But Diving Bell and There Will be Blood have both been on an upswing of late, with both popping up in award list after award list. Not far behind, Sean Penn’s Into the Wild, which has a lot of passionate support, but is it enough? I think it will just miss.
BEST DIRECTOR
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will be Blood*
Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men*
Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
Sean Penn, Into the Wild
Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Alternates: Tim Burton, Sweeney Todd; Sidney Lumet, Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead; Joe Wright, Atonement
The Coens are gimmes here, and although Anderson hasn’t received a director’s nom before, his auterist style appeals strongly to directors, and his film has a lot of heat. Gilroy’s work may not be flashy, but he captured a filmmaking style that was popular in the 70s, so he’s a safe bet. I think this branch will also respond well to Schnabel’s bold use of subjective camera in his movie about a paralysis victim, and to Penn’s passion for Into the Wild. Potential Spoiler: The revered Lumet, although I’m guessing Penn’s film has much more heat. Juno is seen as more of a writer’s film than a director’s film, so Jason Reitman gets left out.
BEST ACTOR
George Clooney, Michael Clayton*
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will be Blood*
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
Emile Hirsch, Into the Wild
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises
Alternates: Ryan Gosling, Lars and the Real Girl; James McAvoy, Atonement, Denzel Washington, American Gangster
Day-Lewis and Clooney are your locks here. The former will almost certainly win, the latter almost certainly will not. Hirsch, I believe will sweep in on a wave of support for Into the Wild. I had earlier predicted Mortensen would not be Oscar nominated, but I will be happy if/when his brilliant, one-of-a-kind performance, proves me wrong. It’s been strong enough to keep him alive. Depp I’m least sure about, but he is well liked, and the performance has gusto that I think will push him in over Gosling, the much more subtle choice - although Gosling is the most likely spoiler.
BEST ACTRESS
Amy Adams, Enchanted
Julie Christie, Away from Her*
Marion Cottillard, La Vie en Rose*
Angelina Jolie, A Mighty Heart
Ellen Page, Juno*
Alternates: Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age; Keira Knightley, Atonement; Laura Linney, The Savages
OK, I’m sure some of you are crying bias over my choice of Adams, but let me explain. Christie, Cotillard and Page are your sure bets. I had been shaky on Jolie, since her film did not do well, but she’s shown up in too many precursor races to be ignored. That leaves three candidates fighting for the last slot. Blanchett is always highly watchable, but her film didn’t do well either, so she’ll get in only if the voters are lazy and nominate her by default, just as SAG did. I’m betting/hoping AMPAS won’t make the same mistake. Knightley is not the major player in Atonement, so her fortunes are falling with the film. Linney hasn’t built enough of a groundswell. Adams, on the other hand, has been in a widely seen film, and everyone who sees it loves her in it. And affection counts for a lot in these races, so I think she’s in. She’d better be.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James …
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men*
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson’s War
Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton*
Alternates: Paul Dano; There Will be Blood; Tommy Lee Jones, No Country for Old Men; John Travolta, Hairspray
Bardem is the absolute surest nomination in the whole pack. If he somehow fails to make it in, surgeons will make a mint reattaching jaws everywhere. Wilkinson is another very safe bet with his showy role. From there it gets much cloudier. I think Holbrook has an excellent chance at the “How come we never nominated this vet?” slot with his brief but touching work. The well-respected Hoffman steals scenes left and right in Charlie Wilson’s War, so I like his chances. I’m shakiest on Affleck, since opinion is divided on his film, but he has more across the board support than Jones, so he gets the slot, though I wouldn’t be shocked if Jones sneaks in.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, I’m Not There*
Ruby Dee, American Gangster
Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone*
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton
Alternates: Catherine Keener; Into the Wild; Jennifer Garner, Juno; Kelly McDonald, No Country for Old Men; Vanessa Redgrave, Atonement
Blanchett and Ryan are mortal locks, Swinton less so, but still quite likely. Dee’s scenes in Gangster are brief but very memorable, so she stands out, and she, like Holbrook, is another vet who is long overdue for recognition. Many people seem to be going for Keener, but she doesn’t stand out in her film nearly as well as the other candidates do. So for the fifth slot, I’m going to bet that young Ronan is Atonement’s lone above the line nomination. The film belongs to her character, and she has much more attention than the other women who play her, Vanessa Redgrave and Romola Garai. Personally, I’m rooting for the underappreciated Garner to grab a surprise nom.
Below the line pics are after the jump. Do comment and tell me how you think the race is shaping up.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Juno*
Michael Clayton*
Lars and the Real Girl
Ratatouille
The Savages
Alternates: Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, Knocked Up, Once
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Atonement
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Into the Wild
No Country for Old Men*
There Will Be Blood*
Alternates: Charlie Wilson’s War, The Kite Runner, Zodiac
ANIMATED FILM
Persepolis
Ratatouille
The Simpsons Movie
ORIGINAL SCORE
Atonement
Beowulf
Lust, Caution
Ratatouille
There Will be Blood
LATE BREAKING NEWS: The LA Times is reporting that the scores for Enchanted and There Will be Blood may be disqualified because they’re not “original” enough. (Whatever. This seems like the kind of self-serving claptrap this branch has pulled in the past. If that is indeed the case, I’ll sub out Blood for 3:10 to Yuma.
SONG
“Come So Far, Got So Far to Go,” Hairspray
“Do You Feel Me,” American Gangster
“Falling Slowly,” Once
“Guaranteed,” Into the Wild
“That’s How You Know,” Enchanted
ART DIRECTION
Atonement
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
The Golden Compass
Sweeney Todd
There Will Be Blood
COSTUMES
Atonement
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Hairspray
La Vie En Rose
Sweeney Todd
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Atonement
The Assassination of Jesse James …
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
EDITING
The Bourne Ultimatum
Into the Wild
Michael Clayton
Sweeney Todd
There Will Be Blood
MAKEUP
La Vie En Rose
Sweeney Todd
300
VISUAL EFFECTS
I Am Legend
Transformers
300
SOUND MIXING
The Bourne Ultimatum
No Country for Old Men
Sweeney Todd
Transformers
300
SOUND EDITING
Beowulf
The Bourne Ultimatum
Ratatouille
Transformers
300
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Oscars Sunday Night
‘Cloverfield’ delivers
I’m not going to tell you what the Cloverfield monster looks like. I’m going to tell you exactly what it is.
It’s Frankenstein’s monster.
No, I don’t mean that the latest creature laying waste to New York City is the big lug with the bolts sticking out of its neck. I mean that this movie is made up of bits and pieces of other movies. It’s part Godzilla, part War of the Worlds (the Spielberg version), and part Blair Witch Project.
However, by seeming a lot like other movies, it ends up feeling not quite like any other movie out there. Cloverfield isn’t a great film, and it’s not exactly original, but it is exciting.
There is one movie it’s not like, however, and that’s Snakes on a Plane. Internet buzz fueled both movies, yes, but SoaP, as it was amusingly abbreviated, didn’t live up to the hype because the hype was more fun than the very low-grade thrills of the actual movie. Cloverfield trumps it by being much more imaginative.
However, I won’t tell you much about the plot. The less you know about Cloverfield going in, the better off you are. It’s teasing, vague ad campaign wasn’t a mask of low quality - it was a necessity.
All you need to know is that a big monster attacks Manhattan, and as in Spielberg’s War of the Worlds, the calamity is shown entirely from the limited viewpoint of the victims, who can’t always see and don’t always know what’s going on, which only adds to the film’s intrigue. Then, Cloverfield takes that viewpoint one step further, telling the entire story from the “eye” of a hand-held digital camera, as it follows a group of friends trying to deal with the chaos.
That means that if the shaky-cam style of movies like Blair Witch or the Bourne sequels doesn’t sit well with you, you should stay far, far, far, far, far away from Cloverfield. By comparison, the camera technique here makes those other movies look like models of restraint.
Still, for those who can stomach the lack of a tripod, the film has many delights - and horrors too, but it’s not thanks directly to JJ Abrams, whose name is most often mentioned in tandem with this film. Abrams produced, but he did not write or direct Cloverfield; those duties were handled by Drew Goddard and Matt Reeves, respectively, and they deserve full credit.
Goddard comes up with some imaginative ideas, which make up for some thin writing in the non-action scenes. The characters, played by largely unknown actors, are never fully drawn. That might not have been a flaw in the movie’s shoot-and-run style, but when some of the characters go back in harm’s way to save one of their own, the emotion didn’t register as much as the filmmakers wanted it to because I didn’t know these people very well. More detail would have been appropriate in that case.
Some people at my screening groused about how the movie didn’t tell us much about the monster, or that they couldn’t always tell what was happening. They missed the point. Reeves understands that the less you see of something, the scarier it is, so even though the camera rarely gets a good look at what’s wreaking havoc, that makes it all the more effective. And the camera technique puts the viewer in the midst of it the action, rather than having us look at it from afar, as most movies of this ilk do.
We don’t see the monster attack the Statue of Liberty, but we do see its head careening down the street, and that’s scarier. Even more effective is a scene in a subway tunnel that vividly demonstrates why it’s a good idea to run in the same direction as the rats, lest you are attacked by …
Well, you’ll just have to see for yourself.
GRADE: B+
Permalink | Comments (3) | Categories: Reviews
April Movies: To shower at a theater near you
Here is the final installment of the winter/spring movie preview. For January/February’s movies, including what comes out on Friday, click here. March’s movies are previewed here. Meanwhile, April actually holds some promise. No fooling.
APRIL 4
Henry Poole is Here: Luke Wilson abandons his fiancée and family business to spend what he believes are his remaining days alone until The discovery of a “miracle” by a nosy neighbor. Hard to know what to make of that premise, but the director is Mark Pellington, who’s shown good visual flare in The Mothman Prophecies and Arlington Road.
Leatherheads: George Clooney stars in directs a sports story/screwball comedy about the good ol’ days of football. Renee Zellweger is the female lead; John Krasinski the comic foil. Here’s one project delayed from last year I’m actually looking forward to.
Nim’s Island: Abigail Breslin and Jodie Foster star in an adventure movie geared towards girls. Sounds fun.
The Ruins: a group of Americans when they head into the jungle to look for the missing brother of a fellow traveler. Jena Malone starring in an adaptation of a story by the author of A Simple Plan has me intrigued.
Shine a Light: I’ve never been a big Rolling Stones fan, but I’m still hot to see this documentary, because Martin Scorsese directed it and appears on camera to hilarious effect, particularly when he’s trying to explain his plans to use cameras.
APRIL 11
College: A wild weekend is in store for three high school seniors who visit a local college campus. One of them is Kevin Covais, the non-singer from season five of American Idol. Ack.
Prom Night: A murderous psycho chases Brittany Snow around. She showed talent in Hairspray, has she nothing better to do?
Smart People: A new love comes Into the life of a widowed professor - and so does a visit from an adopted brother. Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Thomas Haden Chruch and Ellen Page lead a promising cast.
APRIL 18
88 Minutes: A college professor (Al Pacino) receives a death threat telling him that he has only 88 minutes to live, causing him to scramble to stay alive while he tries to learn his potential assailant’s identity. Wasn’t this kind of already done in DOA and Crank? I hope this works, but these real-time gimmicks can be hit or miss, and I wish it had a better director than Jon Avnet, who makes bland fare like Up Close and Personal.
Forbidden Kingdom: Jet Li and Jackie Chan team up in a movie centering around a kung-fu obsessed teen. Rob Minkoff (the Stuart Little movies) directs. I like the idea of seeing these two martial arts masters together, but such movies aimed at kids tend to be less than inspired, like, say, any of the Three Ninjas movies.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall: Yet another entry from the Judd Apatow stable of friends, this one stars Jason Segel as a man trying to get over the breakup of his girlfriend, played by Kristen Bell, not knowing she’s headed to Hawaii, where he had fled - with her new boyfriend in tow. Maybe this will be the film that makes Bell into a viable movie star?
The Rocker: A failed drummer is given a second chance at fame in a movie from the director of The Full Monty. The cast includes Rainn Wilson, Christina Applegate and Emma Stone (Superbad). File this one under “Could be …. who knows?”
APRIL 25
Amusement: Three women are stalked by a predator …. psssh, forget it.
Baby Mama: A n single woman hires a surrogate mother to carry her child to term. The single woman is Tina Fey, the surrogate mom is Amy Poheler. Good enough for me! I would have preferred it if Fey had written, but you cant’ have everything.
Big Stan: Rob Schneider directs. As Charlie Brown would say: AAAUUUUUUGGHH!
Harold and Kumar Escape Guantanamo Bay: Can I escape Harold and Kumar instead?
The List: An accountant (Ewan McGregor) dsicvers to a mysterious sex club run by his lawyer friend (Hugh Jackman). But McGregor becomes the prime suspect in a woman’s disappearance and a multi-million dollar heist. Good leads head a cast that also includes Michelle Williams and Maggie Q.
Coming in May: Iron Man! Indiana Jones! And more! But you’ll have to wait until April itself arrives for that preview.
Permalink | | Categories: Coming Attractions
Movies come MARCH-ing in: A preview
And now I continue our preview of winter/spring movies (such as they are). Check back here for January and February’s movies; I tackle March today.
MARCH 7
The Accidental Husband: Radio talk show host Uma Thurman advises one of her listeners to break up with her boyfriend (Morgan), the jilted ex sets about getting his revenge. Hmm. Seems like Uma’s on a vengeful mate kick these days, what with My Super Ex-Girlfriend under her belt. Directed by Griffin Dunne. who seems to specialize in light, indistinct movies like Addicted to Love and Practical Magic.
The Bank Job: A group of criminals are tricked into a heist, thinking they are going to rip off the safety deposit boxes of wealthy citizens. Turns out they’re recruits on a mission to steal photos of a Royal princess who was snapped in some compromising situations. Intriguing premise, good cast (Jason Statham, Safron Burrows) hit-or-miss director Roger Donaldson (Species, No Way Out) - who knows?
College Road Trip: Martin Lawrence mugs his way though a slapstick comedy playing a doofus dad trying to escort his daughter on a (insert title of movie here). The trailer makes me cringe, and to make matters even worse, the director is Roger Kumble, who made The Sweetest Thing, one of the most dreadful excuses for a chick comedy ever to stain a strip of celluloid. Ptooey.
10,000 BC: Roland Emmerich (Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow) brings us another effects-filled spectacle, this time focusing on wooly mammoths n’ such. Personally, I’m disappointed it’s not an adaptation of the comic strip BC. I’d love to see how Emmerich would shoot a chase on one of those stone-wheel unicycles.
MARCH 14
DOOMSDAY: Neil Marshall, the director of the very nifty little chiller, The Descent, returns with a deadly virus movie starring Bob Hoskins and Rhona Mirtra. Deadly plague is a bit overdone these days (28 Days/Weeks Later, I Am Legend et al), but I’m curious to see what Marshall brings to it.
Horton Hears a Who: I have mixed emotions on this Dr. Seuss adaptation. The trailer has a decent amount of clever gags, but there’s also way too much modern dialogue that’s decidedly un-Seussian. Hollywood hasn’t had very good luck adapting Seuss, ranging from the passable but disappointing Grinch Who Stole Christmas, to the flat-out odious Cat in the Hat. The production company is Blue Sky Studios, which made the overrated Ice Age movies and the disappointing Robots. Hmmmmmmph … we’ll see. The Grinch (AKA Jim Carrey) leads the voice cast.
Never Back Down: A teen (Sean Faris) is lured into an underground fight club, where he finds a mentor in martial arts veteran Djimon Hounsou. I’ve no read on this one.
Pride and Glory: A police family’s moral compass spins when Edward Norton), investigates a case that reveals an police corruption scandal involving his own brother-in-law (Colin Farrell). Directed by Gavin O’Connor, who made Tumbleweeds and Miracle (cool), but co-written by Joe Carnahan, who last made the ugly Smokin’ Aces (uh-oh.)
MARCH 19
Inkheart: Brendan Fraser has the special talent to bring characters out of books. One night he brings out three characters from Inkheart, a medieval story with magical beings. It’s another entry in the increasingly crowded fantasy landscape, but this one boasts a decent cast including Andy Serkis, Paul Bettany and Jim Broadbent. The director is Iain Softley, who can be really good (The Wings of the Dove) and really bad (The Skeleton Key).
MARCH 21
Drillbit Taylor: The latest flick from the Judd Apatow factory stars Owen Wilson as a low-rent bodyguard, who tries to protect kids from an playground bully. The good news: The writers include Apatow fave Seth Rogen, working from a treatment by John Hughes. The bad news: the director is Steven Brill, who made Little Nicky and Mr. Deeds.
Shutter: A young couple (Joshua Jackson and Rachael Taylor) on their honeymoon first begin to see ghostly images in their photos. More Japanese/American horror, huh? Pardon while I yawn.
Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns: Madea returns. Say no more.
MARCH 28
21: A story of young gamblers starring Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, and Laurence Fishburne, directed by Robert Luketic. This is a reunion of sorts with Spacey and Bosworth teaming for the third time (after Under the Sea and Superman Returns) and Luketic and Bosworth hooking up after Win a Date with Tad Hamilton, which should have been a lot better than it was. I’m hopeful but cautious on this one.
Run Fatboy, Run: Simon Pegg (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead) stars in a comedy directed by David Schwimmer (yes, him) about a man who runs a marathon to win back his old flame, Thandie Newton. Promising cast, but as I recall, this was supposed to come out last year - not necessarily a good omen.
Stop Loss: One Iraq war drama after another has fallen on its face at the box office, and I seriously doubt this Ryan Phillippe movie will reverse the tide, even if it is directed by Kimberly Pierce of Boys Don’t Cry fame. It might well be a very good movie, but in the end, it might be better remembered as the movie that broke up Ryan and Reese than anything else.
Superhero!: A spoof on recent superhero films, from Spider-Man to Catwoman. Oyyy. Where’s kryptonite when you need it?
Overall, there’s very little here that rings my bell. Are you looking forward to any of these?
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Coming Attractions
Winter/Spring movie preview: January-February
Today would normally be the day I highlight the DVD releases, but when your choices are Good Luck Chuck with Jessica Alba and Dane Cook, and Mr. Woodcock, the 329th movie with Billy Bob Thornton playing an acid-tongued creep …. honestly, why bother?
So instead, starting today and running through Thursday, I am going to highlight the movies that are coming out between now and April. This ought to be a real adventure, since many films that come out in this time period, kinda, oh - what’s the word …?
Suck! Yeah, that’s it!
Still, since I’ve done previews of summer movies and fall/holiday movies, I guess it’s only fair that the January-April movies get their due. So let’s wade through the muck and see if we can’t find any pearls.
THIS FRIDAY
Cloverfield: What is it about New York City that make filmmakers want to destroy it all the time? Whatever it may be, the City That Never Sleeps gets knocked around some more, courtesy of a giant monster. The action is seen from a small group of people and filmed in hand-held shaky-cam style, a la The Blair Witch Project. Some reviews indicate the film actually lives up to the hype; some don’t.
Mad Money: Three employees of the Federal Reserve — Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah and Katie Holmes — scheme to steal money before it’s due to be destroyed. Does this remind anyone else of Set it Off, another heist movie starring Latifah? Directed, but not written by, Callie Khouri of Thelma & Louise fame.
There Will be Blood: Paul Thomas Anderson’s acclaimed adaptation of Upton Sinclair’s Oil opens locally Friday and is undoubtedly the highlight of the season for me. Daniel Day-Lewis just won a Golden Globe, and he and the overall movie are strong Oscar contenders.
27 Dresses: Always a bridesmaid but never a bride in 27 weddings, Katherine Heigl is aghast as her sister prepares to wed the man she’s secretly in love with (Edward Burns). James Marsden completes the rectangle. This has been going over like gangbusters in sneak previews, making it potentially the first hit of 2008 … and let’s just say I won’t complain if it is.
JANUARY 25
How She Move: Capitalizing on the success of last year’s Stomp the Yard, this movie tells the story of a girl who returns to her old neighborhood, where she eventually rediscovers her love of step dancing.
Meet the Spartans: I’ll just watch 300 again, thanks.
Michael Clayton/No Country for Old Men: Two major Oscar contenders go back into wide release to capitalize on next Tuesday’s hoped-for nominations. That means you have one more chance to see the movies where the filmmakers would prefer that you see them, rather than waiting for DVDs.
Rambo: Let me just ask right now - does Rambo hold the same affection as Rocky does? My guess is no.
Untraceable: Diane Lane plays an FBI agent trying to track down a killer who uses the Internet diabolically. Directed by Gregory Hoblit (Primal Fear, Fracture), who seems to be only as good as his scripts. We’ll see if this is one of the better ones, but it IS January.
February movies after the jump.
FEBRUARY 1
The Eye: Jessica Alba stars as a woman who gets an eye transplant that gives her supernatural vision. Alba must be getting the scripts Sandra Bullock and Ashley Judd are turning down.
Hannah Montana: Best of Both Worlds: Miley Cyrus is not only coming to a theater near you, she’ll look like she’s coming at you in this 3D release. Hey, it’s gotta be better than forking over a couple grand for real concert tix …
Over Hear Dead Body: Eva Longoria leads the cast in this supernatural romance, playing a ghost who tries to prevent her former boyfriend (Paul Rudd) from hooking up with a new girl. If Reese Witherspoon couldn’t turn this concept into giant hit with Just Like Heaven, I rather doubt Longoria can make it with this.
Strange Wilderness: Two stars of an animal show try to give their ratings a boost by scoring footage of Bigfoot in the wild. Well, at least Steve Zahn is in it, so it can’t be all bad … can it?
FEBRUARY 8
Fool’s Gold: Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey worked well together in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, so they give it another go, playing a bickering adventurer couple. The action-adventure elements make it look overblown to me, so I hope the stars redeem it. Directed by Andy Tenant, who can be hit (Hitch) or miss (Sweet Home Alabama),
Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins: A popular talk-show host (Martin Lawrence) leaves Los Angeles to reunite with his family in the Deep South. For once, Lawrence is working with a decent director, Malcolm Lee (Undercover Brother), but then again, he is also making the awful-looking College Road Trip, so I’m not sure if he’s learning or not.
FEBRUARY 14
Definitely, Maybe: A yonng girl, Abigail Breslin, tries to get her dad to reveal which girl was her real mom: Elizabeth Banks, Rachel Weisz or Isla Fisher. Great choices. Too bad the dad is Ryan Reynolds.
Jumper: Hayden Christensen plays a man who can teleport, drawing the ire of Samuel L. Jackson, who I guess wants revenge for having his hands sliced off in Revenge of the Sith. In all seriousness, this looks to be the action hit of the season, especially with Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity) directing.
The Spiderwick Chronicles: The endless train of fantasy movies chugs along, bringing us Freddie Highmore who reads a mysterious book that gets him and his friends attacked by all sorts of creepy things. We’ll see if this can succeed the way Bridge to Terabithia did last year. Paramount seems to have faith, as this will get an IMAX release. Mark Waters (Freaky Friday, Mean Girls) directs.
FEBRUARY 15
Step Up 2: More youthful dancing fun, with the movie supposedly going for the You Got Served vibe.
FEBRUARY 22
Charlie Bartlett: The titular character appoints himself as the therapist at a school. This was originally supposed to come out last fall before it got shifted here. Seems like the studio doesn’t know what to do with it.
Vantage Point: The trailer makes this one look intriguing, with its tale of a supposed presidential assassination witnessed by several different people. The movie devotes about 15 minutes to each viewpoint. The cast includes Dennis Quaid, Sigourney Weaver and Forest Whitaker.
Witless Protection: Why yes, I would like protection from the witlessness of Larry the Cable Guy, thank you for asking.
FEBRUARY 29
The Other Boleyn Girl: Eric Bana plays Henry VIII, choosing between Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman. I’m jealous.
Penelope: Normally I’d be excited about a movie that stars Christina Ricci and Reese Witherspoon, but this story of a girl born with a pig’s snout has been gathering dust for awhile. Let’s hope that’s because of bad marketing and not a bad film.
Semi Pro: Will Ferrell plays an athlete. I intend to exercise my athletic abilities and run as far from this movie as I can.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Coming Attractions
The Golden Globeszzzzzzzzzzzzz ….
Zzzzzzz …
Zzzzzzzzzz …
Zzzzzzzzzzzzz …
Oh, I’m sorry. I was writing this post during the Golden Globes “press conference” last night. Ye gods, was that boring or what? People have been talked before about how much better it would be if they simply announced the winners and were done with it, but if that means shows like this, I’ll take the ceremony, thank you very much.
I know NBC got put between a rock and a hard place with the writer’s strike, but did they HAVE to have Billy Bush be one of the “newscasters?” He makes my brain hurt. He wouldn’t notice that effect because he doesn’t have one.
And to add insult to injury, NBC axed some of the minor categories like Best Score and Song. I know a lot of people don’t care about the smaller prizes, but if they’re good enough for the big show, they ought to be good enough for the small one.
Still, awards were handed out, so it’s time for some commentary.
Best Screenplay
The Coens took on their first bona-fide adaptation with No Country for Old Men, faithfully adapting Cormac McCarthy’s novel, but still maintaining their singular voice. That’s the mark of a great adaptation.
Best Score
I wonder: would the score for Atonement have won were the typewriter not providing percussion? Maybe not, but no matter - it’s a fine choice
Best Song
One of Eddie Vedder’s tunes from Into the Wild, “Guaranteed,” wins. I’m not much of a Vedder fan, really - most of his songs sound the same to me. I would have preferred “That’s How You Know” from Enchanted - but I would have really preferred the non-nominated “Falling Slowly” from Once.
Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blachett wins for I’m Not There - no shock there. Gone Baby Gone’s Amy Ryan was thought to be a strong contender, since she’s already won several critics prizes. But Blanchett’s is the kind of very showy performance award-givers love. And it’s deserving to boot - although I thought the pseudo Bob Dylan bio as a whole has been considerably overrated. Blanchett is far and away the best thing about it.
Best Animated Film
Ratatouille won, as it jolly well should have.
Best Actress, Comedy/Musical
Anne Cotillard wins for La Vie en Rose. I would have preferred Amy Adams, as any regular reader of this blog knows, but I’m not at all surprised. Cotillard was playing famed French singer Edith Piaf, and this is the Hollywood FOREIGN press we’re talking about here. I still think when Oscar comes around, the race is between Juno’s Ellen Page or Away from Her’s Julie Christie.
Best Supporting Actor
And the land of no surprises continues - Javier Bardem is pretty much everyone’s choice in this category for his work in No Country for Old Men.
Best Director/Foreign Language Film
Wow, something of a surprise by picking the lesser known Julian Schnabel would get it, but he’s fully deserving - his work on The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is nothing short of extraordinary in the way it puts us inside the mind of mind who is almost completely paralyzed. I also wholeheartedly applaud its win in the foreign film category.
Best Actor, Comedy or Musical
They go for Depp, which is fairly well expected and warranted - I had reservations about the overall film, but not Depp’s performance.
Best Picture, Musical or Comedy
Sweeney Todd winning is a little bit of a surprise - I thought maybe Juno might have a shot here, but Sweeney Todd has bigger names, and the Globes have always been star-happy. Still, I have a hard time seeing Todd as one of the Oscar nominees. The buzz simply isn’t there.
Best Actress, Drama
Julie Christie’s win makes complete sense, especially since she hadn’t won a Globe before, but she has won an Oscar, for Darling. Will that make a difference in Oscar? Maybe, maybe not. I still say the race is her or Page
Best Actor, Drama
Daniel Day-Lewis’ win only solidifies my belief that he’s the man to beat for Oscar. There Will be Blood opens here Friday.
Best Picture, Drama
Well, Atonement got a much-needed boost, after missing some recent award percursors. I think the film is fully deserving, but whether the Globe win means much of anything remains to be seen.
Indeed, even before this year’s fiasco, the Globes were fairly insignificant in the grand scheme of things, and this year they were more meaningless than ever. One can only hope some sort of deal can be worked out so the Oscars can go on. I say again to the writers: People are on your side, but if you do to the Oscars what you did to the Globes, people will turn on you, and history will look poorly on you.
So what did you think of the winners? Or of the telecast? What will happen to the Oscars?
Permalink | Comments (6) | Categories: Movie awards
Nicholson, Freeman sell rusty ‘Bucket List’
Watching the dopey but affecting The Bucket List reminded me of the scene in Enchanted when Patrick Dempsey marvels at Amy Adams’ unflagging optimism and says “It’s like you escaped from a Hallmark card or something.” She asks innocently, “Is that a bad thing?”
The Bucket List feels very much like it escaped from a Hallmark card, with all the good and bad that comes with that. The movie is so sweet it’s almost nauseating at times, yet so sincere and endearing in its sentiment that I ultimately bought into it.
That’s primarily due to Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. The Bucket List is a prime example of a so-so story elevated by considerable star power.
Nicholson and Freeman play terminal cancer patients. Carter Chambers (Freeman) is an eminently decent, hard-working, intelligent man grappling with an uncertain family life. Edward Cole (Nicholson) is the endlessly wealthy owner of the hospital at which he is quite indignant to find himself a patient. Edward fancies himself a wild man who says he likes being married so much he tried It four times, which means his family life is practically non-existent.
So when Carter comes up with the “bucket list” - a roster of last wish-type things to do before you meet your maker - Edward seizes on the idea, taking Carter for the ride of his life - several rides, actually. Do Nicholson and Freeman learn valuable lessons from each other? Does Nicholson act with his eyebrows?
In my preview of films coming out today, I asked if Rob Reiner, who directed this movie, would turn in something as good as When Harry Met Sally… or something as lame as Alex and Emma. For much of The Bucket List, it seems as though the untalented Reiner is at the helm, considering the dull sitcom look of the movie and the ungainly attempts at comedy.
The movie teeters dangerously close to becoming distasteful. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a movie that tries to show us the trials of cancer in one scene, then asks us to find endless vomiting funny in the next scene. Who knew chemotherapy could be hilarious? I’ve heard of laughter through tears, but this is a bit much.
And yet, even though I could predict every scene, forecast every line, and correctly guess the punchline of almost every joke in Justin Zackham’s script, one good quality of Reiner’s does take hold in The Bucket List, and luckily, it’s his greatest gift: he works extremely well with actors.
Granted, it’s no tremendous feat to get good performances out of Nicholson or Freeman. Still, both performers radiate warmth and charisma that put all of their scenes across, even when the scenes are hackneyed and unbelievable. And that is a tremendous feat. I enjoyed seeing these great actors together, even if their material is less than great.
I have a feeling that The Bucket List will end up being rather like another medical comedy, Patch Adams, in that many critics will hold their noses at the movie while many audiences will laugh and wipe away tears. For both films, I fall somewhere in the middle. I recognize the considerable flaws, but if I’m being honest, I have to admit that I liked The Bucket List enough that I don’t feel inclined to kick it or scratch it too hard.
GRADE: B-
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Reviews
Opening this week: ‘The Bucket List’ and uhhh…
Starting today, I’m resurrecting a feature I used to write here, previewing what opens in movie theaters each Friday. I began to think such a feature really wouldn’t be well read, but it dawned on me that not everyone is as plugged into movie release dates as we film nuts are.
Some of my friends also noted recently that with the writer’s strike sucking away TV shows, they don’t watch TV anymore, so they never know what’s coming out - reason number two to revive this feature.
And I remain surprised by the number of people who show up at theaters apparently having no idea what they want to see and just picking out what looks good from the list of titles. I do NOT want you to end up like the folks I encountered who saw the title Boogie Nights, then angrily demanded their money back because they thought it was a movie about disco dancing. (See, this is why you should read reviews, folks!)
And just a reminder: I do this same sort of thing for DVD releases on Tuesday.
Film title links go to IMDB.
The Bucket List: Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, both terminal cancer patients, try to live it up before they kick the proverbial you-know-what. Rob Reiner directs, but will it be the Reiner who directed such hits as When Harry Met Sally … and A Few Good Men or the Reiner of latter-day treacle like North and Alex and Emma? Read my review Friday.
First Sunday: Criminals played by Ice Cube and Tracy Morgan try to rip off a church. The fact that this is out in the dumping ground of January isn’t a good sign, but apparently it at least tries not to always go for the obvious gags.
In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale: Let’s not bother with a plot summary for this one. All you need to know is that it was directed by Uwe Boll, a.k.a the worst hack alive. I’ve seen only one film of his all the way through - Bloodrayne - but that’s about all I can stand. It is staggeringly inept. Some YouTube videos put together by high schoolers slap scenes together better than Boll does.
The Orphanage: A woman returns to the house where she was raised, and decides to turn it into an orphanage. But then her son makes an invisible friend … if you think this sounds like a ghost story along the lines of Pan’s Labyrinth or The Devil’s Backbone, you’d be sort of correct. The film is produced, but not directed by, Guillermo del Toro, who made those films.
The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything: No, it’s not a Pirates of the Caribbean sequel in which everyone is worn out by all that swordfighting. It’s a VeggieTales movie. Make of that what you will.
27 Dresses: This Katherine Heigl vehicle was originally supposed to come out this week, but public sneak previews went over so well, they delayed the release a week to have another round of sneaks to build buzz. The screening is Sunday afternoon; check your local listings. This looks to be the first hit of the year.
And in case you missed my post about reassessing Titanic, click here - that seems to have struck a nerve.
Permalink | Comments (4) | Categories: In Area Theaters
Did the love for ‘Titanic’ sink?
Titanic came out a little more than 10 years ago, won a record-tying 11 Oscars and grossed $600 million here and hauled in another $1.2 billion in foreign box office.
That makes it the top-grossing movie of all time. Even when you adjust for inflation, it’s still at number 6, just behind The Ten Commandments. Gone with the Wind has the lead at $3.4 billion.
So why is it surprisingly hard to get people to admit they like Titanic? Or at least once loved it?
I still do and I say that without shame or fear of spiteful comments. It topped my 10 best list in 1997, and I saw the film somewhere around 7 or 8 times - in the theater. I watched it again recently, and I think that the movie still works wonders.
Is it the best film of all time? Oh, no. Not by a long shot. Wouldn’t make a top 50 of mine. Might make a top 100. I can say this with certainty, however. If you pit Titanic against, say, Gone with the Wind, I’ll take Titanic any day of the week and twice on Sundays - even if that does take up one-fourth of the day.
Yet looking around on the Net and other places, it seems like a lot of people disagree with me. It’s IMDB entry rates it at 7.1 out of 10, good but surprisingly low for the highest grosser of all time. The Zagat Movie Guide scores it at 19, the top of the “good to very good” range (30 is “perfect”). Its entry in that book, based on surveys, says that “some torpedo the ‘shallow’ ‘cardboard characters’ ‘soap-opera-esque script’ and ‘weak acting’ as all wet.”
OK, stop right there. I call BS on the weak acting - not in a cast that includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Kathy Bates and Gloria Stuart. And yeah, the script is rather soapy, but I challenge the idea that the writing is bad.
The dialogue is certainly tinny and silly. That’s why, when radio played a mix of “My Heart Will Go On” with dialogue interspersed through it, it sounded lame, because dialogue is not Titanic’s strong suit. You could get away with Jerry Maguire soundbites in Bruce Springsteen’s “Secret Garden” because Cameron Crowe is an ace dialogue writer. James Cameron is not.
But people forget, a screenplay is more than just the dialogue. Titanic has a very smart story structure, in that Cameron explains how the ship sinks early in the film, so we can understand exactly what happens later when the actual sinking occurs. That’s screenplay, not direction.
Titanic haters may also scoff, “Oh, that made all its money because teenage girls wanted to see Leo over and over again.” It’s true that teen girls made up a big chunk of the audience. I vividly remember seeing the film at the Dayton Mall and spotting a half-dozen girls just absolutely sobbing and clutching each other at the end.
But let’s get some perspective here, folks. You don’t make $600 million, or $875 million in today’s dollars, solely on the strength of teen crushes. You make that kind of money because a LOT of people in both sexes and all age groups liked it.
So why do people seem lukewarm to the film today? A think a lot of it has to do with people wanting to show how “hip” they are by slamming the popular choice, never mind that these people are often the biggest posers of all. More than anything else, I think people got tired of Titanic more than they actively disliked it.
Titanic is most certainly a flawed film. The popular choice for the film that “really should have gotten all the attention” is LA Confidential. And yes, it’s probably a “better” film in that it’s not so melodramatic and the dialogue is much sharper. I put it in my 10 best list too.
But Titanic still topped the list because it’s greater than the sum of its parts. No matter what its flaws, no film lingered in my memory more than Titanic did. I wasn’t just watching a movie. I was participating in an experience.
Jeff Wells of Hollywood Elsewhere put it very well when he recently wrote (emphasis his):
“It’s hard to find anyone in the intelligentsia who will admit to even liking it. It’s a deeply despised film.
“And yet the negative feelings about it — almost all of this coming from know-it-all film snobs — over the last ten years have convinced me with more certainty than almost anything else that I’ve seen and felt over my 27 years of writing about movies that the smarty-pants crowd is sometimes deeply full of it …
“Titanic didn’t make more money than any film in the history of motion pictures because it provided cheap emotional junk-food highs to teenage girls swooning over Leonardo DiCaprio. It did this because it touched people (including my cranky, emotionally shut-off father) in a way that, like it or not, was extremely primal and shattering.”
I agree. But where do you stand on Titanic?
Permalink | Comments (6) | Categories: Sir Critic muses
Directors, cinematographers pick their best
The Directors Guild of America has announced their best-of nominees, and it is an admirable list indeed.
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will be Blood - I haven’t seen the film yet (it opens in Dayton Jan. 18), but I have loved or at least greatly admired every film Anderson has made thus far. Magnolia was my number one pick for its year, and I confounded many a reader by daring to include Punch-Drunk Love in my year-end kudos. So I take it on faith this nom is deserved.
Joel & Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men: They were mortal locks for a nomination and heavy favorites to win. As far as the Oscars go, the Coens already have a writing Oscar for Fargo; I think people are anxious to give them a directing trophy. More than fine by me. I call them as the winners, for both DGA and the Oscars.
Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton: I applaud this pick; I was afraid Gilroy might be passed over because his style is not particularly “visible,” but Gilroy directed his actors faultlessly, and successfully captured the 70s-style filmmaking that heavily influenced the film.
Sean Penn, Into the Wild: I can’t quite laud Penn that highly; I greatly admired but did not absolutely love his film. However, this is without question the best directing he has done.
Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: Another movie that hasn’t arrived here yet, this title has been drawing many plaudits, so I’m not too surprised by its pick.
Snubbed: Joe Wright for Atonement, which, after being anointed with front-runner status (too) early, seems to be fading in the home stretch. A real shame, as I did love that film and would have preferred Wright over Penn.
My favorite techie category, is cinematography, and the nominations by American Society of Cinematographers are after the jump. For those of you who aren’t big credits people, the cinematographer is responsible for the lighting and camerawork, under the guidance of the director.
Roger Deakins, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford: As as story the film is a muddle, but the photography is dazzling. If the ASC goes for “pretty outdoor pictures”, this wins, but …
Deakins also shot, and is also nominated for, the heavy best picture favorite, No Country for Old Men, so I’m guessing he’ll win for that. Deakins’ other credits include every Coen film from Barton Fink forward, plus Kundun and The Shawshank Redemption.
Robert Elswit, There WIll be Blood: Another DP overdue for recognition, Elswit has done amazing work for Anderson. He will get his due someday, but this is Deakins’ year. Elswit’s other credits include Good Night and Good Luck and Michael Clayton.
Janusz Kaminksi, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: Steven Spielberg’s regular lenser earns a nom for working with Julian Schabel. Rather amazingly, he has not won an ASC award yet (he has two Oscars, for Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan), but I doubt this will get him the prize.
Seamus McGarvey, Atonement: Well, at least there’s some good news for Atonement; this is a well-deserved nomination for the wartime tracking shot alone. But with the film’s momentum slowing, a win looks unlikely. He also shot World Trade Center and Charlotte’s Web, among others.
So what, in your eyes, were the best directed/best looking films of the year? Anyone get snubbed?
Permalink | | Categories: Movie awards
Home (Re)Viewing: 3:10 to Yuma leads slow train
The DVD releases haven’t quite awoken from the New Year’s slumber, but there are still some choice titles out today.
3:10 to Yuma: This Russell Crowe/Christian Bale western wasn’t a giant hit, but it had good, solid legs at the box office, because, well … it was a very good, solid movie. Though he occasionally lets the pace slow too much, James Mangold (Walk the Line) directs the action with gusto, and Bale and Crowe play off each other well as a rancher and notorious outlaw, respectively, although if Crowe’s character had been allowed to be a true menace, the film could have been even better. Full review. GRADE: B+
Sunshine: This sci-fi film by Danny Boyle (28 Days Later) is three-fourths fantastic, one-fourth just OK. After setting up a fascinating story of a crew trying to re-energize the sun, and shooting some truly spectacular scenes, Boyle lets the movie go south in the last act with a climax that’s too literal and conventional. Even so, the bulk of the movie is well worth watching for its visual splendor alone. GRADE: B+
Also out now
Death Sentence: Kevin Bacon pulls a Charles Bronson, vowing to kill the thugs who killed his son. The bad guys will want to stay much more than six degrees from Kevin in this one, I’d wager.
Dragon Wars: A bunch of dragons breathe fire on each other and stuff. What, you were expecting Tolstoy?
Shoot Em Up: There aren’t many movies out there that dare to put a newborn baby in the middle of a hail of gunfire - and there certainly aren’t many movies that make you feel guilty for enjoying such audacious shamelessness. Even while I was cringing at some of the scenes in this Clive Owen flick, I got a kick out of it because Michael Davis directs it with such demented abandon. I’d really like to see what Davis can do with a script that wasn’t written after downing a couple hits of speed chased by a bottle of Jack Daniels. GRADE: B+
Zodiac - Director’s Cut: For those who lamented the bare-bones edition of the movie, here’s your salvation - a new set with commentaries, a feature-length documentary on the real Zodiac case, and a cut of the movie that I understand really ins’t all that different from what was in theaters. I may yet pick this up, even though I wasn’t quite as high on the film as most critics. And it just may boast the coolest DVD cover art ever:
Permalink | | Categories: On Video/DVD
UPDATE: Golden Globes show canceled!
Well, it’s confirmed: It’s a smaller Globes after all.
As I noted earlier today, the full awards ceremony fell victim to the writers’ strike, with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association planning instead to announce the awards in sort of a news conference, per the LA Times.
There had been talk of stringing several “news” casts together to make up for the lost time, but that idea has been scuttled, and even most Globe parties have been scrapped, making this year a very low-key affair indeed,
This reminds me of one of the Oscar ceremonies from a few years ago. I could be wrong, but I think it was Steve Martin who said something to the effect of: “We have decided to streamline the show this year. We have a list here. When you hear your name, come up and get your Oscar.”
So it looks like we really will get something like that this year for the Globes.
I’m of two minds on this. On the one hand, I’m grateful to have some kind of awards broadcast without all the overheated puffery. On the other hand, I’ll miss the loopiness the Globes and its liquor-filled tables usually bring us.
I will say this, though. They can get away with this for the Globes, but NOT the Oscars. Granted, the Oscars need some serious slimming down of their own. But even if the writers are as right as rain,history will not look upon them kindly if the Oscars become a casualty of the strike. As Warren Beatty once said, “The Golden Globes are fun. The Oscars are business.”
So I suggest the producers and writers get back to the table, hunker down and don’t come out until this mess is settled once and for all, even if they have to pause for the occasional fist fight.
What say you? Will you still watch a scaled back show, or is the fun gone?
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Movie awards
UPDATE: Golden Globes canceled?
Hollywood’s Awards show season was supposed to begin in earnest this week, but with the ongoing writer’s strike casting an ever-darkening shadow over Hollywood, the Golden Globes might be seriously tarnished this year.
Indeed, the latest buzz is that the show will simply be completely scrapped this year, although the winners will be announced.
The awards are supposed to be broadcast Sunday on NBC. Problem: NBC is one of the big media companies with whom the writers are at odds. That means no writers for the show.
That’s not such a big problem since writing has never been the Globes’ strong suit anyway. The bigger problem is that the actors are in solidarity with the writers, who will set up a picket line around the Globes ceremony. The actors won’t cross the picket lines, so that means they won’t attend the Globes, whether they’re nominated or not. For an organization as celebrity-happy as the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, that’s a knife in the heart.
So this leaves a few options.
A) Broadcast a celeb-less Golden Globes. And really, what’s the point in that? The only non-actor of any fame getting an award is Steven Spielberg, who’s to receive the lifetime achievement Cecil B. DeMille award, and I doubt even Spielberg would show.
B) Delay the ceremony. But until when? The writers and producers are at a major impasse, with no new negotiations scheduled, so there’s no end in sight to the strike. The Globes are known as a bellwether for the Oscars, but if the delay goes on too long, the Globes, which already have a shaky artistic reputation, run the risk of becoming truly irrelevant this year.
C) Let the show go on, but without cameras. And what fun is that, for us, the public? I know I, for one, would miss the show, because the Globes are a bit looser than the often insufferably padded Oscars and are more fun to watch.
And option D) Just forget the whole thing. Ugh.
And what about the Oscars themselves, which are supposed to be broadcast Feb. 24? God only knows, but the Oscars are obviously a much bigger player than the Globes, so it’s hard to imagine that some sort of deal won’t be worked out in time for the big show.
I also think the writers may start to damage themselves in the eyes of the public. Polls have indicated that the public supports the writers, but if the awards shows are canned, that support may start to erode, and I think they’re already doing themselves damage by working out deals with some people but not others, e.g.yes to Letterman, no to Leno. Whether it’s true or not, the perception is that the writers are cherry-picking, and that’s dangerous.
For now, we’re all still in limbo. An announcement is expected today. So where do you stand? Would you watch a celeb-less Globes? What should be done with the show? What do you think of the stand the writers are taking?
Permalink | Comments (3) | Categories: Movie awards
Atonement: When the story of a lie is truly great
Rarely has the trauma of a lie - and the slippery nature of the truth - been so boldly dramatized as in Atonement, one of the very best period dramas I have ever seen.
In the past, I didn’t much care for costume dramas along the lines of Merchant/Ivory films like Howards End or A Room with a View - a friend of mine who shared my sentiments amusingly dubbed them “tea party movies.” Now, just as I want Paul Greengrass (the Bourne sequels) to direct every action film on the strength of his movies, I would like Joe Wright to direct as many costume dramas as possible. His Pride and Prejudice was the best Jane Austen film adaptation, and Atonement is an even greater achievement.
Too many period films try so strenuously to match the noble tone of their texts that the movies become pretty but static. Even Martin Scorsese, my favorite director, couldn’t completely escape this trap in The Age of Innocence, diminishing the power of his ravishing images with a stolid narration that made his movie feel like a book on tape.
Unburdened by the text, Wright moves his camera, making sure it not only records the drama but heightens it, without relying too heavily on dialogue to carry the film.
Atonement, based on the novel by Ian McEwan, tells the story of Briony (Saoirse Ronan) a precocious 13-year-old given to flights of fancy. She harbors a crush on Robbie (James McAvoy), the much older son of the family housekeeper, but he and Briony’s sister Cecila (Keira Knightley) have eyes for each other.
So when Briony witnesses Cecila and Robbie in a too-close encounter, her mind reels, compelling her to accuse Robbie of a horrid crime he did not commit. Robbie is sent to prison, then to the battlefields of World War II, Cecilia’s heart breaks and hardens, and shame pitilessly haunts Briony.
Since the story contrasts perception versus reality, Wright stages some scenes twice, first from Briony’s point of view, then from the perspective of those she is watching, with dramatically but not entirely different results. The director’s touch is so subtle, I didn’t even realize at first a scene was repeating. Wright doesn’t announce his flashbacks through visual trickery, but instead plays them straight, so that the scenes flow more naturally.
Even when the technique does become obvious, during a long battlefield tracking shot that is already justly famous, or when we hear the sound of typewriter keys as percussion in the musical score, it feels exciting rather than distracting.
Credit must also go to a faultless cast. McAvoy and Knightley do excellent work, but the true stars of this film are the three actresses who play Briony: Ronan, Romola Garai, who plays her at age 18, and Vanessa Redgrave, who plays her as a woman. All are superb, contributing to a poignant and devastating portrayal.
The story powerfully shows that “the truth” may be elusive and even uncertain, but this much is clear: Atonement is a great film - from where I sit, anyway.
GRADE: A+
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Reviews
No! No!! Get me AWAY from these 2008 movies!
Yesterday we looked at the promising coming attractions of 2008. Today we look at the dark side of the movies for the new year - the titles that could cause potential brain damage - or revulsion at the very least.
In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale: How on earth does the ragingly inept director Uwe Boll continue to get money for his movies? Heck, at least Ed Wood was sincerely, cheerfully incompetent. And to top it all off, Boll roped Leelee Sobieski into the cast. And to think she had a promising career … (Jan. 11)
Meet the Spartans: First Date Movie, then Epic Movie, now this. Strike Three! Yeeerrrr out! No, really, please - stop. This FAQ at the IMDB says it all. (Jan. 25)
Rambo: OK, Sly, Rocky Balboa exceeded most people’s expectations, including mine. But is this trip really necessary? (Jan. 25)
Big Stan: A con man hires a martial arts guru to transform him into a martial arts expert who can fight off inmates. But that’s not the scary part. Rob Schneider directs. I say again - Rob Schneider directs. (April 27)
You Don’t Mess with the Zohan: So Judd Apatow co-wrote this movie with Adam Sandler, about a Mossad agent fakes his death so he can re-emerge in New York City as a hair stylist. Election and Sideways writers Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor had a hand in I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, and that didn’t stop that movie from being typical Sandler. meaning comedy for perpetual 12-year-olds. (June 6)
Death Race: I’m not as critical of Paul W.S. Anderson as most of the geek crowd, but I do have one question. Joan Allen is in the cast? JOAN ALLEN? Anderson and Boll must share the same casting agent/hypnotist. (Sept. 26)
Madagascar: The Crate Escape: I wasn’t a great fan of Madagascar, and I know it made a lot of money, but honestly, did anyone really love the first movie enough to want more? Maybe if they had made a movie about the penguins, the only decent part of the first film, they might have something. (Nov. 7)
What films from this year are you dreading?
Permalink | Comments (3) | Categories: Coming Attractions
The 2008 movie forecast: Hopefully sunny
Last year was such a banner year for movies that at this point, I’m thinking 2008 can only pale in comparison. Still, looking across the calendar I found 15 films that will hopefully live up to their promise. They better. If the writers strike goes on much longer, this may be the last full schedule we’ll see for awhile.
Please note that, especially this early in the game, release dates are subject to change. In addition, my predictions are allowed to be fuzzy. After all, at this time last year, a lot of us movie types were looking forward to Francis Ford Coppola’s first film in 10 years, Youth Without Youth. Given its, um … less than enthusiastic reception, I’d say most people won’t want to look back it it.
So those caveats established, onward we roll. Title links go to IMDB.
Jan. 4
Atonement: I’ve seen it and will review it Friday. Let’s just say the Screen Actors Guild made a horrific mistake by not nominating it for anything.
Jan. 18
Cloverfield: This disaster flick has tantalizing trailers and tremendous Internet buzz. Then again, so did Snakes on a Plane.
There Will Be Blood: One of our most intense actors, Daniel Day-Lewis, teams up with one of our boldest, most fascinating directors, Paul Thomas Anderson. D-rool,
March 8
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day: I bet this comedy about a governess working for a flighty American actress. isn’t on anyone else’s radar, but Amy Adams is in it, so it’s on mine. And besides, she gets to act opposite Frances McDormand.
May 2
Iron Man: He was never quite at the top tieir of Marvel Comics characters, but the trailer makes this movie look like a blast. Jon Favreau (Elf, the underrated Zathura) has had a good run as a director; this should continue the streak.
May 9
Speed Racer: I was never into the cartoon, but the trailer, with its exploded lava lamp color scheme, looks intriguing. This will be either great fun or a car wreck. Is this the Wachowskis of the original Matrix or Matrix Revolutions?
May 22
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: I felt iffy about this project at first, but the more tidbits leak out, the more excited I get. Maybe it’s nostalgia more than anything else. Let’s hope the movie lives up to that.
June 27
WALL-E: Pixar does robots, in a movie done, so I’ve heard, with very little dialog. The film I am most looking forward to this year. Check out the very smart trailers, which have eked out only a little more information at a time. Very E.T.
July 18
The Dark Knight: Heath Ledger looks to be playing the joker as someone who could win a street fight and be diabolically clever. I’m stoked.
Aug. 8
Blindness: Fernando Meirelles, the director of City of God and The Constant Gardener, helms this tale about a doctor (Julianne Moore) becoming the only woman who can see after everyone in town is mysteriously stricken blind.
Sept. 5
Australia: Baz Luhrmann’s first film since Moulin Rouge once again stars Nicole Kidman in a World War II drama.
Nov. 7
Bond 22: Very little is known about this latest adventure, but all I know is I can’t wait to see Daniel Craig in the role again, after his smashing debut in Casino Royale.
Nov. 21
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince: I wasn’t quite so enthralled by the Order of the Phoenix as I was by the most recent Potter films, and the same director, David Yates, returns. However, this was a better book, and Jim Broadbent looks to be aces casting as the requisite new teacher, Professor Slughorn.
Nov. 26:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: David Fincher directs a fantasy film starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. Who cares what it’s about? I’m sold.
Dec. 19
Revolutionary Road: Titanic stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet and Kathy Bates reunite for a film by Sam Mendes, the director of American Beauty. I’m sold again.
Dec. 25
Star Trek: So, since JJ Abrams’ reinvention of the franchise is the 11th Trek film, does the odd-bad/even-good rule hoid, meaning the film will disappoint? Maybe not, since 10 (AKA Nemesis) did.
Coming tomorrow: The films of 2008 I’m dreading - and/or avoiding like the plague. Uwe Boll, I’m looking at you - but not at your movie.
For now, however, what movies are you most wanting to see this year?
Permalink | Comments (4) | Categories: Coming Attractions
