twenty ten in film

inception in real-time

yes, the kids are all right

In an effort to get a review up of all the Oscar contenders on my list I am going to put up my thoughts on the films from this past summer (The Kids Are All Right, Toy Story 3 & Inception) before diving into the more recent releases. They won’t be full reviews, they won’t be long and wordy and they won’t detail the storyline. Just my quick thoughts on the film. Why I liked it. Why I think it’s a contender. First Up:


Marriage is hard work. J would disagree with me on that, but sometimes when I’m difficult and unreasonable and there are horns coming out of my head (for no reason), he has to remind himself why I’m his wife. Sometimes I have to force myself to tune into what he is saying because, frankly, sometimes what he’s saying is so boring (and my Command & Conquer knowledge is extremely limited). To say nothing of the fact that we have two small people we are responsible for and often find ourselves trying to find that middle ground between our parenting styles. It’s hard.

And it’ll probably get harder. But we’re still here. Because I really like that moment when he steps though the door in the evenings. Because we can still find things to laugh about every day. Because all these years later he still thinks I’m more interesting than any girl he’s ever met. And because when I went total bitch this past weekend at IKEA because “I can’t believe you didn’t measure the room before we came” and I stormed away in frustration he quietly ate it while I stewed. And those things make up for the times when we make each other feel small, or forget to appreciate, or just don’t bother.

Not too long ago I overheard two older ladies talking about movies they had seen recently. “How about that lesbian movie?” one asked. I’ve heard it called that a lot. I would contend that it’s not A Lesbian Movie though; calling it such is selling it way short. It’s a Marriage Movie. It’s a Relationship Movie. It’s a Parenting Movie. It’s a Communication Movie. It’s a really, really great movie about two people stuck in a rut, and how that rut can eat away at all the things you love, and how all the things you love can also be all the things that hold you back. The Kids Are All Right is a bright and beautifully acted look at what it means to be part of a family. The ups, the downs, the relationship with your partner and kids.

In a season known for explosions, CGI overload, superheros and blockbuster sequels The Kids Are All Right proved that something different can be (really) good. A film dealing in human emotions, raw truths, and real life; it just may be the most honest film of the summer.

As wonderfully written and directed as the film is the real power is in the acting. All five actors are present and invested in every scene. The chemistry between Annette Bening, Julianne Moore & Mark Ruffalo is excellent, and the younger set (Mia Wasikawska and Josh Hutcherson) are able to hold their own against 3 powerhouse actors and give very believable performances. However, as good (excellent even) as everyone is the performance of note belongs to Annette Bening. A certain dinner table scene is a masterclass in itself in the art of acting. I walked out of the cinema and one of the first things I said was “Annette Bening is getting an Oscar nomination out of that.”

I only wish that the studio (Focus Features) had made the decision to campaign for Bening & Moore as Lead Actress and Supporting actress, respectively. I understand the reasoning behind putting them both up for Lead (they are, after all, the leads of the movie and share equal screen time) but Bening’s performance is the performance that makes this film. She is the standout. She is the one that will get a nomination and it’s going to be a shame when Moore is overlooked. Maybe I’m wrong and they’ll both get a nomination? The last time two actresses were nominated for lead from the same movie was 19 years ago with Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon in Thelma & Louise. In fact in over 80 years two lead actresses from the same film have only been nominated 5 times. Maybe it’s time to add a sixth.


The Kids Are All Right - 4.5 Stars

the heart makes dreams seem like ideas

Here’s the thing: I’ve been hesitant to write a review of this film. I’ve been talked into finally doing so, but it is with some trepidation. While I’ve never been to the Ozark Mountains in Missouri, I was born and raised in a town that feels/looks eerily similar (minus the mass meth consumption/production – at least according to my childhood memories).

About halfway though watching I had to take a smoke break, not because I wasn’t enjoying the film, but because I felt like I was about to crawl out of my skin. I was stranding outside and said to J “Something about this film is……weird. No, that’s not the right word…….” “Familiar” he proposed. Yep, that’s it. Right before my self imposed break the main character had just called out for her little sister. Her little sister’s name is my little sister’s name – exactly. I don’t know. I guess it might have just cut a little too close to home?

Anyway, that’s the reason it’s taken so long to get this all out. Months later after viewing my thoughts are still a bit jumbled, but I’ll try my best to do the film justice. Onward and upward.

Adapted from Daniel Woodrell’s excellent novel by the same name, Debra Granik (also the director) and Anne Rosellini’s screenplay is beautiful. The story revolves around 17-year-old Ree Dolly’s search for her father, who has gone missing after using their home as collateral to get out of jail (meth is the new moonshine?). Her quest to find her father immediately runs into serious resistance, first from fearsome Uncle Teardrop, then the neighbors who warn that her questioning is “a real good way to end up eat by hogs”, and finally from Merab, the psycho-scary wife of the local boss of meth operations, Thump, advertised as the baddest mofo in the land. But evidently Merab does Thump’s dirty work (at least when it comes to the fairer gender) because it is she (along with her female cohorts) who beats Ree to an inch of her life and warn her to stop snopping around. And Merab has good reason to stop Ree. Turns out that daddy ratted out the other meth dealers and paid for it with his life. This is bad news for Ree because if daddy doesn’t show up in court the family will lose their house.

This story is 100% Ree’s story and we slowly find out she is a genuine anomaly among all the crazies, druggies and killers. A figure of grace, beauty, intelligence and resourcefulness who, despite not benefitting from any parental guidance herself (dad has been in and out of jail for years and mom is mentally ill and cationic), has assumed the role of family matriarch and taken responsibility for the upbringing of her younger brother and sister.

While the majority of the movie is very moody, there are nice periods of lightness to break-up the gloom; a wonderfully shot scene of folk music singing with banjo playing and the exceptional scene in which Ree is teaching her brother and sister to spell, count, and perhaps most important for survival, how to shoot a rifle. My favorite moment in the entire film comes during this scene when Ree tells her brother about the culture in which they live and says “Never ask for what ought to be offered.”

Director Debra Granik is a big emerging talent. The film has a wonderful authenticity that is derived from using local residents as actors, but most importantly from having the director immerse herself in the culture for two years before shooting the film. Her directing is just crazy good and I’m of the opinion that all young actress should with her if they can. They most certainly can learn a lot. Michael McDonough’s cinematography is also worth mention as he was able to effectively and beautifully capture the bleakness of the environment.

On to the pinnacle of the film – the strength of it’s actors. Simply put, Jennifer Lawrence is a revelation as Ree. Jennifer Lawrence became Ree Dolly. She buried herself in this role. And the amount of conviction and gumption that girl brought to her character just blew me away. John Hawke’s Teardrop is incredible. When he is on screen he is only one you are watching, even if he’s doing nothing. And finally, Dale Dickey’s Merab is sublime. Her performance is seeped in an aura of violence that invests every scene she’s in with a sickening expectation that things could turn ugly very very quickly. (This feeling is never more powerful immediately upon Ree’s return to speak to Merab – I was watching the scene though the slits in my fingers.)

Make no mistake: Winter’s Bone is a film about poverty and desperation but it never exploits its characters or engages in manipulation or sentimentality. It most assuredly can be tough to watch at times, it however, is not as some critics have said “poverty porn.”

And ultimately, it is a reminder how astonishing the things people are capable of when their survival or way of life is threatened.


------

Winter’s Bone is a rich, satisfying film that more than deserves the accolades it has been receiving. Back in January at Sundance it walked away with the Jury Prize for dramatic competition as well as the screenwriting award. The film, it’s director and it’s actors are on most of the critics lists to garner some Oscar nominations and it’s more recent awards seem to support that as well. Last month it was the big winner at the Sprit Awards with 7 nominations including Best Feature, Best Director, Best Screen Play, Best Cinematography, Best Lead Actress (Jennifer Lawrence), Best Supporting Actor (John Hawke), and Best Supporting Actress (Dale Dickey). It’s also won at the Gotham Awards (Best Ensemble Cast, Best Film, and Breakthrough - Jennifer Lawrence) and the Seattle International Film Festival (Best Actress – Jennifer Lawrence and Best Director) and as the awards season progresses should rake in numerous other nominations/wins.


Winter's Bone - 4 Stars

yes and please

yes and please

13 halloween costumes you'll see at every party

comedy thunder

all children have to be deceived if they are to grow up without trauma

Ok, let’s get something out of the way right from the beginning: a movie is never better than the book it’s based on. With that said I think Alex Garland’s screenplay is a valiant effort. A two hour movie is a 120-page screenplay, which means that a 300 page novel either gets cut down a lot or becomes a 6-hour miniseries on HBO. Since the latter happened with this film, some of the book is “missing”. Certain scenes are cut way down and in some cases all together erased from the storyline. Having read the book prior to seeing the film I feel like I had a better grasp on what was happening in front of me. That’s not to say that I believe you need to read the book before seeing the movie, all of the important elements of the story are present in the film, but a lot of the commentary that I loved so much is missing.

In general, adaptations of prestigious or well-loved books are hard to pull off. Not only do film-makers feel the pressure to uphold their source’s reputation, but they must also instill the movie version with their own vision, their own style and personal touch. For director Mark Romanek (and Alex Garland), Never Let Me Go must have been as daunting a challenge as any. Much of the story is revealed though narration and it is a coming of age drama that features the sort of quiet, intimate characters that rarely translates well to the screen. However, Romanek and Garland face these obstacles head-on and defy the odds by making a film that – in spirit, at least – stays true to the original source and still succeeds on its own merit.

The film opens in 1978 and we are introduced to Kathy (Carey Mulligan), Tommy (Andrew Garfield) and Ruth (Kiera Knightley); three friends who are being raised at Halisham, an idyllic looking English boarding school. At first sight the setting appears normal enough, but we quickly discover these are not normal children. (I’m not giving away major spoilers here, you find out this information right upfront and there is no “twist” to protect. However, if you want to remain completely blind to the premise of the film before viewing – stop reading now.)

The running current through the film is that science has found a way to extend human life and to eliminate disease by creating clones, whose only purpose is to live until their early adulthood, then donate their organs. Kathy, Tommy and Ruth are three such clones.

The movie presents an alternative version of our world where cloning technology was created in the 50s and by the late 70s, when the film begins, has been perfected. An entire generation of clones is being raised for spare parts for a world that has made the collective decision to treat these walking organ farms with the illusion of freedom, while never actually acknowledging their humanity. You can’t, after all, because if you do think of them as human, then what right does anyone have to their organs or tissue or blood or bone? If they are more than the sum of their spare parts, then they aren’t spare parts at all.

They go through the motions with them: we see Kathy, Tommy and Ruth grow up at “school”, where they are monitored around the clock to keep them in peak physical health and kept happy and stress-free. They are cut off from the outside world; a life without a choice, but a life with a designated focus. The story spans almost three decades, following them from childhood to adulthood.

If you interpret your films literally, you may not like this film. If you need action, a fast pace, explosions and special effects to enjoy what you are watching, you will not like this film. Furthermore, if your looking for a “feel good movie” this isn’t it. The last 10 minutes of the film are not easy, but if you stick it out you are rewarded with one of the most extraordinary and beautiful endings of a film I’ve ever seen. This movie will not hold your hand and it is not interested in simply handing the audience its ideas. Whatever reactions you have to it will be earned, not spoon-fed.

A film as personal as this relies heavily on its actors; and without their strong performances the film would have fallen flat. Carey Mulligan shows a wisdom and weariness far beyond her years and handles difficult emotional material with sublime restraint that makes the whole thing work. She brilliantly manages to simultaneously convey childlike innocence and graceful maturity. There is a scene about halfway though the film where she is sitting in bed and Ruth comes to have a talk with her. She has no lines in the scene, Keira Knightley does all the talking, but the range of emotions that Carey is able to show on her face in that brief minute and a half is breathtaking and the reason that she is already an Oscar nominated actress at such a young age. And if this was a weaker year for Leading Actress, Carey would most assuredly be getting another nomination. Andrew Garfield once again delivers another stellar performance and makes it completely obvious why he is getting so much buzz. This guy is going to blow up huge. Andrew’s performance is understated, but still emotionally heart wrenching. The highlight of his performance is near the end when he finally realizes that he can’t change his fate; as he stood in the middle of a street screaming his heart out, you could almost hear the collective heartbreak in my theater. Keira Knightley does a decent job and is able to embody Ruth with her crass selfishness and longing. Sometimes her scenes felt a little phoned in though.

At the end of the day this film is not going to make any huge amount of money, and it isn’t likely to win any awards. The film opened in super limited release (4 theaters to start) and has very slowly expanded – at its widest the film was only showing at 232 theaters. It’s having a hard time finding an audience because it is “slow and depressing”. However, it is a film worth your time. It is not often that I come home from a film feeling both defeated and genuinely happy. Never Let Me Go is both beautiful and emotionally devastating at the same time. Many films tug at the heart strings, manipulating the audience into feeling sadness. This film does not manipulate, nor does it try to trick us into feeling for the characters. As I said earlier there is no twist to the film, it ends exactly how we know it will, and that is where the sadness and devastation comes from. Just as Kathy, Tommy and Ruth struggle to accept their fate, so do we. And despite the numerous opportunities for moral and philosophical statements the film does a commendable job of staying true to the novel and avoiding the soapbox.

Ultimately this film serves as a great reminder: that life is precious, your time here is short, in spite of all the medical and technological advances humanity throws at it death still comes to everyone, your choices have consequences, and at the end many of us may feel we’ve not had enough time to love or just get things right.


Never Let Me Go - 4 Stars

my prada’s at the cleaners along with my hoodie and my fuck you flip-flops you pretentious douchbag

The Social Network opens in 2003 with Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) sitting in a noisy bar with girlfriend Erica (Rooney Mara – the new Lisbeth Salander). Mark, a Harvard undergrad, is trying to explain to Erica, a lowly (according to Zuckerberg) Boston University student, how important it is for him to get into one of Harvard’s prestigious clubs. The more Erica tries to assuage his fears of not getting in, the more aggressively and, absent-mindedly, he tears her down. “Dating you is like dating a StairMaster,” she tells him. But eventually Zuckerberg’s clueless cruelty wears her down (among other things, he tells her she doesn’t need to study. Why? “Because you go to B.U.”). She leaves the table and she leaves him prompting him to go back to his room and talk trash about her on his blog (“Erica Albright is a bitch…”). His frustration grows throughout the night (and the beers keep going down) and he has an idea that will change the course of his life. With his best friends’ help – Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield- the new Spiderman) – he creates Facemash; a website that matches up pictures of all the Harvard girls and asks visitors to vote on who is the hottest. Facemash brings Zuckerberg a bit of notoriety and three upperclassmen recruit him to write the code for their website; Harvard Connections. What follows is three different stories about how Facebook came to be.

Director David Fincher cuts back and forth between the creation of Facebook and the depositions of two lawsuits against Zuckerberg. One is from those upperclassmen – twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss (Armie Hammer) and Divya Narendra (Max Minghella), who say Zuckerberg agreed to help them establish their own on-campus social network, then stole their idea and formed his own. The other is from his former business partner and only close friend back then, Facebook co-founder Eduardo, who says he was cheated out of millions after providing the earliest financial backing.

I went into this film looking to find fault. The hype was so big and loud and I have often found that that kind of hype can’t live up. In this case it does. However, the problem with hype is people start trying to carve the film into what it isn’t. The Social Network is not a documentary, nor is it about the internet or social networking in general. It is a character study about a guy who craves acceptance from his peers, but is lacking in all the social graces needed to advance in life. The fact that it has been called “the Facebook movie” from Day One has really made it easy to misunderstand it; look deeper than the surface and you find a tale of friendship, revenge, betrayal, fame and fortune.

Here is where I would normally do a “good & bad” list, but I really don’t have any bad to list, so I’ve instead broken it down into 3 groups to talk about. It’s rare, but in this film the three most important parts of a film – the actors, the director & the script – all came together perfectly.

The Actors

Jesse Eisenberg – I first “met” Jesse in The Squid and the Whale back in 2005 (if you haven’t seen this tiny indie film, do yourself a favor and rectify that) where he played a teenager torn in the middle of his parents divorce. His performance was so subtle yet hit home so profoundly. I knew he would be someone to look out for in the future. In 2009 he stared with one of my absolute favorites, Kristen Stewart, in Adventureland and I fell in love. I am happy to report that my love affair with him did not wane at all while watching The Social Network.
Eisenberg gives a tour de force performance as he takes Zuckerberg from an unlikable, condescending, cocky, arrogant and snobby asshole to someone who you almost feel bad for. This is a role that Eisenberg seems to have been made for. The way that Jesse plays Zuckerberg with equal parts arrogance, innocence and vulnerability make him one of the most compelling on screen characters I’ve seen all year. He is blunt, selfish, funny and believes himself to be smarter than everyone in the room, which in some ways, he often is. It isn’t the kind of showy role that usually wins Oscars, but I hope the academy voters will be able to recognize what a precise and controlled performance this is. I can’t even imagine a scenario where he is not nominated.
Eisenberg really is fantastic throughout the entire film – and make no doubt about it, it is his film – but there is one scene that while watching left me at the edge of my seat and days later I’m still consumed by. During a deposition scene with the twins & Div a lawyer is questioning him and not getting an appropriate response and asks Mark “Do I have your full attention?” The next few minutes following that question might be the very best in the entire film. The way that Eisenberg delivers his lines, the facial expressions he uses, the pauses in speech he makes are simply, for lack of a better word, breathtaking.

Andrew Garfield – Andrew’s Eduardo Saverin was my favorite character throughout the film, and I suspect that for many he is the walk away favorite as well. Eduardo is the conscience of the film. Where Mark Zuckerberg is cold and unemotional, Eudardo is the opposite – he provides the emotional pull for the film. Garfield’s heartbreaking betrayal when he learns that Zuckerberg has allowed him to be cut out of Facebook at the end is some of the best stuff of the film. Those last few lines he delivers are so emotionally powerful that the viewing audience at my showing actually gasped out loud. Garfield plays Saverin as such a likeable guy that you can’t help but root for him; so much so that when he tells Mark “You better lawyer-up asshole. Cause I’m not coming for my 30%, I’m coming back for everything.” you want to stand up and cheer.
In addition to his acting, I have to make a comment on his accent. Andrew has a natural British accent and, unlike many actors covering up their accent with an American one, I could not hear a trace of it. But more impressive than just covering up his accent with an American one is the subtle Brazilian inflection he gave to all of his lines. It’s just what I would expect from a wealthy Brazilian kid (Saverin) who’s most likely been speaking English (that he learned from the best teachers – in the most exclusive of Rio’s schools) from the time he was in 1st grade. A subtle accent like Garfield pulled off must be incredibly more difficult to handle and keep consistent from scene to scene. So much harder than laying it on thick and I thought it was brilliant. If I had academy voting privileges his name would most assuredly be on my ballot for Best Supporting Actor.

Justin Timberlake – He wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t a knock-out performance either. The Oscar talk for him seems, to me, absurd. The best I can say is that he didn’t detract from his scenes and Eisenberg and Garfield are so capable that he comes off quite good in his scenes with them. Not buying into all the hype just yet. There’s potential there though...

Armie Hammer – I would be remiss not to include Hammer’s performance of the Winklevoss twins. He played Tyler and Cameron. (Thanks to lots of technology and body double Josh Pence who stood in for Tyler’s body.) When Hammer played Cameron he was uptight and more formal. The formality also came out in his dialogue – his diction was more precise. When he played Tyler he was more laid back, his speech pattern was more fluid. In interviews, Hammer gives a good amount of credit to Pence, who not only contributed to the physical performance of the character but was also someone to act opposite. Upon viewing however, it’s completely obvious that it’s Hammer’s expressions and voice that define the physically identical twins as separate characters, personality-wise. The Social Network is not a special effects movie; and yet the fact that the special effects are utilized solely to service the narrative and isn’t gratuitous makes it more of an admirable achievement.

The Director

David Fincher – Many first met David Fincher in 1995 with his directorial feature length debut Se7en, and if not then, surely in 1999 with Fight Club. There has sense been Panic Room (2002), Zodiac (2007) and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008). All that to say; Fincher is more than capable of making a good film – great even. So I was excepting some of that greatness with The Social Network. And he knocked it out of the ball park. Fincher is the kind of director who will take as many takes as he needs until he is completely satisfied with the shot; not the standard 3-5 and then move on and “use what you got”. (You know, time is money and all of that.) I don’t think he is someone who is willing to compromise at all. The opening scene that I talked about at the beginning of this post that I was so taken with was shot 99 times! And not because his actors (Eisenberg & Mara) couldn’t get their lines right or were constantly making mistakes. Eisenberg has commented that he was asked to play that scene at least 15 different ways – sympathetic, more compassionate, cruel, broken, indifferent. He talked fast, he talked slow. He smiled and laughed. He didn’t. And then afterward David Fincher sat down in an editing suite and found the take that he liked best, told the story best and fit his character best. And then he did this for every other scene in the movie. That takes dedication to your craft and commitment to producing your very best work. Why settle for anything less?
I also want to quickly mention another one of my favorite scenes - the rowing scene during the depiction the 2004 Grand Challenge Cup. What a visually stunning little detour. The cinematography and editing in that scene is just jaw-dropping. The way the actors moved into and out of focus and the tilt-shit camera shot was sublime.
January 25th the Oscar nominations are announced. Expect to see David Fincher’s name on the list of nominees for Best Director. Beyond excited for Fincher’s newest project The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo which is currently filming.

The Writer

Aaron Sorkin – The man is no stranger to writing a great script; one quick glance at his CV will tell you. So, of course great things were expected; and thankfully delivered. The script is so well written and sharp with lightening-speed dialog that is brilliant in an almost mesmerizing fashion. The characters spit out the lines in such a way that you are captivated in every scene. There is great humor in there; and excellent come-backs. One-line “quotables” that we’ll be hearing for, I expect, years to come.
Sorkin has talked about how there were three different groups of people that went into depositions (Zuckerberg, Saverin & Winklevoss twins/Div) and three different stories that came out. Those three points of view and those three stories are expertly written. And the most important thing he does is not force you, as the viewer, to pick who is right and wrong. (David Fincher gets some credit for this as well.) Sorkin (and Fincher) are careful to never take a definitive position; they never pick a side. They give you a look at the story from everyone’s perspective and they let you decide. And when I did decide? I realized that I could understand and empathize with every side. That’s a sign of great story telling.
At this point I’m sure it sounds like a broken record; but expect a nod for Best Adapted Screenplay to be among the long list of nominations for this film come awards time.


The Social Network - 5 Stars

fyc pt. 5

A little (or a lot) behind on the weekly update. Last week was a whirlwind. First the news from my current In Contention picks:

The Social Network
Columbia Pictures great big hope The Social Network passed two crucial hurdles this past weekend. The first was opening number one at the domestic box office. The other was a smaller but no less telling test: playing well to a packed house of Academy voters.
How a movie plays at official Academy screenings is crucial—although not entirely predictive. Even if members like a Bond movie, that doesn’t mean they’ll wind up voting for it. They watch each movie with a fierce intensity. They’re checking out every aspect—production design, acting, writing, costumes, cinematography, editing, score, sound, etc. And they ALWAYS sit through all the credits. Source
As I said, the film opened at number 1 and met (but did not exceed) expectations with a 22.4 million opening weekend. (As of Thursday 10/7 the film has a total box office of 30.5 M.) This film looks like it will be more tortoise than hare. Figures show that the film opened incredibly strong in large cites on both the East & West coasts, however it failed to impress the middle of the country. To stay in the game and at the top of the charts the film is going to have to get the heartland out to the theater. I don’t foresee this being a problem. This film is the type that will get large word of mouth and will continue to attract a new audience for weeks to come. It’s going to be a slow build, but slow and steady wins the race right?


Secretariat
Moving right along from a film that failed to impress the heartland to one that most likely will have the red states standing up and cheering. The reviews for Secretariat have been good, but not amazing (Rotten Tomatoes currently scores the movie with a 66% rating, but it did get the Seal of Approval from the BFCA with a score of 85). The opening weekend projections aren’t great. Life As We Know It (that Kathryn Heigl movie with the baby) is also opening this weekend and the two films will be duking it out for the number one spot. Projections place Secretariat at an opening of around 15-16M, if it opens any lower than that (or horror of horrors opens in third behind Life and The Social Network) there could be a problem. Disney, however, is bringing out the big guns. A recent ad blurb declared “This is the Blind Side of 2010!” And last weekend, in addition to holding hundreds of sneak previews across the county, Disney screened Secretariat more than 250 times nationwide at military bases and large churches. There was even a recent screening for the polo-playing set in the Hamptons. Disney knows where the majority of their audience is likely to come from and is catering right to them.
While the critics have been split on their reviews of the film one thing they almost all have in common is their praise for Diane Lane. Disney desperately wants nominations for their movie and they will campaign fiercely for it. At this point I don’t see the movie pulling off a Best Picture nomination, but Diane Lane certainly is in contention for a nod.

Edit to add: right before I went to publish this report from Deadline hit the wire. And so it begins........

It's very early, obviously. But Disney sources already are admitting that Secretariat is underperforming today and this weekend. For No. 1, my box office gurus say it should come down to the wire between Warner Bros' Life As We Know It and Sony's holdover The Social Network. Source

127 Hours
Yesterday (10/7) the first full trailer for 127 Hours made its debut along with a new poster. The previous teaser trailer was enough to get me interested, but after watching the full thing? I.Can’t.Wait.To.See. If this doesn’t give you chills………




True Grit
Finally! Something from this film! A teaser trailer was released over a week ago (9/27), then last Friday (10/1) an awesome looking poster made it’s way onto the web and finally this Monday (9/4) the full length trailer was released. I am so excited for this film. Just looking at the footage alone and I think we’re talking serious Oscar nominations – in multiple categories. Combine Bridges, Damon, Brolin & The Coens? Please.
Teaser Trailer

Full Length Trailer




Blue Valentine
Early this afternoon surprising news broke that the MPAA ratings board slapped an NC-17 on the film. Immediately bloggers and critics sounded off on how ridiculous they think the rating is. I have to think that the Weinstein Co. will fight the rating; and if they fail in the appeals process will then be forced to cut the film to secure an R rating. Leaving it as is kills its chances of awards recognition. The reason for the rating according to Mike Fleming at Deadline who broke the story:

I'm told the rating was given for a scene in which the characters played by Gosling and Williams try to save their crumbling marriage by spending a night away in a hotel. They get drunk and their problems intensify when he wants to have sex and she doesn't, but will to get him off her back. That hurts his pride and the result is an upsetting scene that makes you squirm, but is an honest one that establishes clearly that this couple has nothing left and isn't going to make it because love has turned into contempt. There is barely any nudity in the scene and there is no violence. It was hardly a moment that would make you think, well here comes an NC-17.

Guy Lodge at In Contention goes on to say “I must profess to being absolutely stumped as to what content in the film could have provoked this decision. It’s a harsh, adult-oriented drama, make no mistake, but it doesn’t even feature explicit nudity, much less any beyond-the-pale activity.”
A few hours after that news broke the first trailer for the film was released. Capitalizing on the controversy? Smart play Mr. Weinstein.



Now, onto 2 new films. Made In Dagenham is a film that I have had in my notes to talk about for a few weeks now, especially after its very warm reception in Toronto. And The Way Back which was picked up at the Tulluride Film Festival and will in fact have a qualifying Oscar run.


Made In Dagenham
November 19
Made In Dagenham is a dramatization of the 1968 strike at the Ford Dagenham car plant, where female workers walked out in protest against sexual discrimination and their ensuing fight for equal pay. The film stars the award winning Sally Hawkins and many are singling out her performance as Oscar nomination worthy. I expect the film to get some nice buzz as its release date nears and then some excellent word of mouth to help push it along.
The international trailer is below:



The Way Back
December 29
The Way Back is a fact-based story of the escape of 7 soldiers from a Siberian prison in 1940. It is based on several sources, most notably the Slavomir Rawicz book The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom. The book is Rawicz's account of being captured by the Red Army in 1939 and his journey to freedom with other inmates. The group crossed the Siberian arctic, the Gobi desert and the Himalayas, finally settling in Tibet and India.
The film made its world premiere in Telluride and saw Newmarket Films pick it up for distribution on opening day of the Film Festival. It was immediately slated for a January 21, 2011 wide release date, but there was no indication that it would have a presence in the Oscar season.
On Tuesday (10/5) a press release went out and The Way Back will get its Oscar run this year with an opening on Dec. 29 in L.A. before expanding to theaters in January.

After the positive reception and critical acclaim we received at Telluride, it was clear that THE WAY BACK should have an Oscar qualifying run. It was incredibly gratifying that audiences and critics responded so favorably to Peter Weir’s vision, the actors’ outstanding performances, and the stunning craftwork.
- Nigel Sinclair, CEO of Newmarket Films in Tuesday’s press release

Not only is this film boasting (6-time Oscar nominated) Peter Weir as its director, but the cast is stellar: Ed Harris, Colin Farrell, Jim Sturgess and Saoirse Ronan. (Both Harris and Farrell’s performances have been singled out by critics as awards worthy.) The cinematography looks absolutely gorgeous, so I could possibly see some nominations there as well.
And before we get to the trailer, fun little tidbit: Scott Rudin is listed as executive producer on this film, and is also a producer on two rival films – The Social Network and True Grit. Not a bad year for him, eh?

i’m puttin’ this whole town in ma reahview

(This movie has been out for just a bit over 2 weeks, and I realize I am incredibly late with my review. Sorry. Real life got in the way.)

After his directorial debut in 2007 with Gone Baby Gone Ben Affleck goes behind the camera again with The Town. For those living under a rock the movie tells the story of Doug MacRay (Affleck) and his group of friends/low-rent thieves living in Charlestown, Boston – a town responsible for producing more bank and armored truck robbers than any other place in the United States – and their bank robbery gone awry. Doug’s bestie Jem (Jeremy Renner) decides to change up the game and takes the bank’s assistant manager, Claire (Rebecca Hall) hostage. Upon her release Doug realizes that he needs to keep tabs on her to make sure that she doesn’t know any information that could get him and the gang caught. Of course she falls for him. He falls for her. The gang robs again. A shoot-out occurs. There is a car chase. The FBI is on their tail. The gang robs again – at Fenway Park. Another shoot-out. And one of the most contrived and cheesy endings I’ve seen in a while.

That makes it sound like I didn’t enjoy the movie, which would be incorrect. I enjoyed it. It kept me entertained. There was plenty of suspense. I just expected it to be more than it was. I thought it would live up to the hype. For me, it just didn’t. The following is a list of the things that, in my opinion, worked and the things that didn’t:

The Good
• Ben Affleck The Director – He should think about staying behind the camera more often. His promise as a director is exciting to think about. After this movie I have to think he’s got some pretty nice offers coming his way.
• Jeremy Renner – Simply outstanding. He was the only actor that was consistently good throughout the entire film. I’ve said it numerous times before, but if any award nominations are going to be thrown The Town’s way, you’ve gotta think that Renner figures into that mix for Supporting.
• The Heists – The multiple bank robbery set pieces were handled well, along with some nice effective car chases. (Affleck also made good use of the aerial shots.) There was an underlying tension to every one of those scenes and the consistently brisk pace was used well to pull the viewer on to the next event just before things began to drag.
• James McKittrick – Don’t know that name? He’s the guy who played the cop who looked the other way during the car chase/shoot out. I loved that little scene. It was beautiful and comedic all at the same time. Such an awesome scene with so much truth and meaning underlying it.
• Chris Cooper –I have always maintained that Chris Cooper is allergic to bullshit, so it’s almost always a given that his performance is going to be good. And in The Town it was. He played the “tough-as-nails criminal on death row” dad perfectly. I just can’t figure out why you would cast an actor that is the caliber of Chris Cooper and just woefully under use him?


The Bad
• Ben Affleck The Actor – It was completely narcissistic of him to cast himself in the lead. I imagine him looking at himself in a mirror and saying “I’m going to write this role about the baddest/smartest dude and then I am going to star as him. He jumps over roof tops, all the girls in the movie want him, he is the hero, the villan, and he gets away without a scratch. And oh yeah, he looks like the toughest motherfucker while doing chin-ups for 15 entire seconds in the middle of the film for no real reason other then I want to show off my ripped abs." I felt like Ben was just stroking himself throughout the whole movie. There are plenty of better actors out there (As Renner proves, he stepped all over Affleck in their scenes together). Affleck’s character really doesn’t go though any sort of development either; he’s the same guy he was at the beginning of the movie and remains that way in the end.
• The Meet-Cute – Let’s say, just for the sake of argument, that you were an assistant manager at a bank that was held up and you were taken hostage and you knew the men who stole your license did so on purpose, and could come and kill you at any moment. Would you really trust some random guy hanging out at the laundromat if he asked you out for drinks the next night?! Would you really get into this stranger’s car in the dark and let him drive you to the restaurant?
• Blake Lively – She sucks. And she must suck really well too, because for the life of me I can not figure out why Affleck decided to cast her in his movie otherwise. Yep, she’s gorgeous and she's got great boobs and legs. But what else did she bring to the roll? Answer: nothing.
• Song Choice – That horrific song that plays during the first bar scene made me turn to J and say outloud “I can not believe that Ben put Jason fucking Derulo in his movie.” Yes, it was that bad. Took me right out of the scene.
• The Ending – The script was adapted from Chuck Hogan’s Prince of Theives and while I have not read the book I was curious as to how the book handled the ending (because the movie’s ending? It was for shit.). In the original ending Doug gets shot in the neck in the florist’s shop by one of his guys and barely makes it to Claire’s apartment and dies sitting in her chair, holding her hand. FBI Agent Frawley (played by Jon Hamm in the movie) is in the room, too, but lets them have their last moment. Now, THAT is the ending I wanted to see. Not that contrived bullshit where the bad guy gets away with it all and goes on to live happily ever after in Tangerine, Florida waiting for his true-love to show up. I mean there were just so many contrivances’ made to tie up the film with a nice bow that were just over the top ridiculous. Doug calls up Claire and she tips him off not to come meet her (even though he is watching her from across the street and can see the feds in her apartment) hangs up and then walks though the streets, gets on a bus and escapes? What the fuck? No way would the feds be so careless, that they are just going to sit and wait for him to show up. A cop killer? Are you fucking kidding me? His picture would have been up everywhere, every bus station, train station and airport would be locked down with agents on the lookout. Furthermore can you even buy a train ticket without an ID anymore? His ID wasn’t flagged? If Affleck wanted to play out the escape ending, fine. But I find it hard to believe that that was the best he could come up with. There was no suspense; the moment he walks out we know he is going to get away with it all. It’s just seemed like lazy writing to me. The escape should have been half the thrill, and instead of making it one Affleck turned it into a Nicholas Sparks novel complete with Doug standing out on his front porch watching the sun set over the ocean.

Honestly, I did enjoy the film. No, really, I did. Promise. I would recommend it to other people. But if it gets a Best Picture nod? I will weep.

And lastly I just want to point out something that was talked about on the way home from the theater. It has no real relevance to The Town, but it’s something to think about. Ben has made 3 movies now that have Boston as a main character (Good Will Hunting, Gone Baby Gone & The Town), and I keep hearing that it is his way of paying tribute because he really loves his hometown. I submit that Ben in actuality hates Boston. I mean at this point he has made Boston look like the most dangerous, horrible place to live with its crime-ridden streets. The city council is probably calling up Ben and begging him to please massacre another American city.

The Town - 3.5 Stars

fyc pt. 4

Time again for the weekly news round-up on my Oscar Contenders. Last week I made a point to talk about each film on my list, this week I am only mentioning films that had any new news within the past week. Still in order of release:

Never Let Me Go
After opening on the 15th Never Let Me Go had a weekend best (9/17-19) $30,250 per theater average. As of 9/23 the film boasts a cumulative total of $196,592. The film has been playing in only 4 theaters since its opening; however it expands to 26 screens this weekend.
And oh, yeah. Ebert threw a 4-star review its way.

The Social Network
Buzz on this movie is through the roof. Besides the overwhelmingly amazing/glorious/magnificent/majestic/resplendent/ marvelous/splendid/superb/triumphant reviews coming out (no, seriously, I have yet to read a review where the critic is not falling over him/herself over how good this movie is) it is getting ready for more buzz by opening tonight (9/24) at the New York Film Festival. And the Broadcast Film Critics score is in and not only did the film earn a Seal of Approval, but it scored an amazing 92. (Plus, check out the Rotten Tomatoes score – 100% so far!) And Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook founder) is scheduled to appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show today to announce a $100 million donation to the Newark public schools system. I first heard this news when it broke Wednesday night and immediately said out loud “that’s convenient.” It’s no secret that The Social Network doesn’t exactly show Zukerberg in the best of light. (At best he is being called an “asshole”.) Guy Lodge from In Contention gives voice to my thoughts:

“Of course, the news has nothing ostensibly to do with The Social Network, but it’s a handy coincidence that Zuckerberg should choose to make this highly public act of charity one week ahead of the release of a film that may not cast him in the most generous light (and the day it opens the New York Film Festival). He gets to preemptively defend his character, the film gets a bump from its subject’s exposure on America’s highest-rated talk show, and public education gets a big fat check. If that isn’t the very definition of “win-win,” I don’t know what is.”

In the end, I guess the most important thing is that a school system with some of the worst public schools in the country is going to get the help they need to improve. I just can’t help being a bit cynical about the motivation behind it though.

The Town
With the box office numbers The Town put up this past weekend, it seems like overnight Oscar talk started surrounding the film. The numbers are impressive. They are much larger than predicted. $8 million more than predicted to be exact (advance tracking predicted a $15 million opener – the film made $23.8.) And the reviews are great (an impressive 94% at rotten tomatoes). And last Saturday (9/18) there was a wildly enthusiastic reception at the film’s Academy screening. But a Best Picture contender? I still don’t think so.
There is no doubt that the film has gained some major traction and momentum that could possibly carry it into Oscar season; but that is a far cry from it being an actual contender. The film had a terrific week at the box office (a cumulative total of $33,086,901 as of 9/23); but we have yet to see how it really holds. I fell The Town will need to become a smash hit, as opposed to a mere success, to remain in the Best Picture conversation for the next four months. If next month it’s still hanging out around the top, we might have something to talk about.
Outside of the Best Picture talk other nominations make a bit more sense to me. I said long before the movie opened, if any awards come The Town’s way I think it will be in the form of a supporting nod for Jeremy Renner, and quite possibly for Best Adapted Screenplay (Affleck knows a little something about that last one – after all he did bring home a golden statue for Best Original Screenplay with Matt Damon for Good Will Hunting.)

Hereafter
Last week the first theatrical trailer for Hereafter was released, and this week we get a first look at the poster for the film. And I have to say that I hate it. This movie is killing me. I wanted it to be much better than what it’s turning out to be. The poster is just pure cheese. With Matt Damon as your star lead and Clint Eastwood as your director I just expected more. Hereafter is closing out the New York Film Festival October 10th, here’s hoping it gets a better reception than it did in Toronto.

Love and Other Drugs
Finally some news about this one! On Thursday (9/23) it was announced that Love and Other Drugs will make its world premiere on November 5th when it opens the AFI Festival. Can’t wait for more word on this one.

The King’s Speech
Well, in case you weren’t already convinced, you can pretty much write a Best Picture nod for The King’s Speech in ink now. The attendees of the 2010 Toronto Film Festival have awarded the film the People’s Choice Award, the festival’s highest honor – confirming that the film plays well across the board. Previous People’s Choice winners include a slew of Academy Award Best Picture winners or nominees including, Brokeback Mountain, Slumdog Millionaire, and Precious. So, yes, place your money on The King’s Speech at least garnering a nomination.
The Weinstein Co. is set to release The King's Speech in limited release on November 26 and it appears it will be keeping a low profile until then so as not to wear out its welcome following big buzz out of Telluride and Toronto.
And finally, this past week the trailer was released:


Black Swan
On Thursday (9/23) it was announced that Black Swan will close out the AFI Fest. Just one more festival in its string of many along a road in which Fox Searchlight hopes will end at the Oscars.

Rabbit Hole
As stated last week - this film entered TIFF without distribution, but by the time it left was sitting pretty thanks to an acquisition by Lionsgate. The purchase surely came with a certain commitment (money wise) for an Oscar campaign. With positive buzz on the performances of the cast (Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart, Dianne Wiest) it’s easy to see why. Late Thursday night the first step in that campaign came in the form of a release date - a limited release on December 17th with a wide release on January 14th.

The Kids Are All Right
I have been calling for a Lead Actress nod for Annette Bening for months now, and was almost positive that to secure that Focus Features would go the Dreamgirls route and “demote” Julianne Moore for Supporting. So I was surprised when Focus Features announced this week that they will be campaigning for both Bening and Moore as Lead Actress. Both actresses were superb in the film, so I’m not trying to take anything away from them by stating that I think this is a mistake. I understand the position the distributor has taken, as both roles are large and have complete character arcs, I just think this could quite possibly ruin both of their chances at even getting a nomination. If voters have to split their vote between the two The Kids are All Right costars I have a feeling they might just cancel each other out. Or Moore finds herself on the outside looking in.

stink bugs...

"it's the takeover... the mutha fuckin breaks over"

fyc pt. 3

I’m kind of a wordy person. I know this. I tried really hard to make this update post as concise as possible, but even still it is way long. And yes, wordy. Sorry?

First, before I get into it, I have to correct an error. While writing this I went to make comments on a film that I thought I had previously listed. The film certainly wasn’t overlooked as I had it on my list, but somewhere between writing and posting the original “for you consideration” it got lost in the shuffle. Which just will not do. It’s a lovely film and it very justly has a good shot at a Best Picture nomination. So, without further ado I present:

Another Year
December 31
The film charts a single year in the life of happily married baby-boomers Tom (Jim Brodbent) and Gerri (Ruth Sheen) and their friends and family. From their devoted 30 year-old son Joe (Oliver Maltman), whose singledom concerns him more than he lets on, to Ken (Peter Wight), a rudderless, borderline-alcoholic college pal of Tom’s, and especially co-worker Mary (Lesley Manville) twice-divorced and desperate for companionship. Another Year had its world premier in Cannes back in May and since then has also shown at Telluride & Toronto and will also play at the New York & London festivals. Reviews out so far are overwhelmingly positive. Especially making note of Lesley Manville’s performance and director Mike Leigh (Happy-Go-Lucky).


Now, for the "quick" updates promised (in order of release)

Never Let Me Go
This one is losing a bit of steam. It’s seems to be dividing the audiences at TIFF and thus has garnered a lot of mixed reviews there. The majority of the not so favorable reviews seem to sight that the film is too emotionally dry and distant.
I think it’s worth nothing that The Reader had very similar reviews and went on to score 5 Oscar nominations in 2008 with Kate Winslet walking away with the Leading Actress statue. So, I wouldn't say Never Let Me Go is completely out of the mix just yet.
However, I can see Fox Searchlight putting all of their money towards 127 Hours & Black Swan for a campaign, which means Never Let Me Go is going to come up short. Unless Ebert throws a 4-star review its way and it gets some major traction upon release I think this one is going to be fighting an uphill battle.
* Wanted to note that the film opened in extremely limited release on Wednesday (9/15) only showing in 4 theaters and in just two days has made a pretty solid $44,501.


The Social Network
A few weeks back, in a ground-breaking move, director David Fincher handpicked a group of film bloggers and invited them to see an early screening of his film. While a full review is still under embargo, the embargo on initial thoughts of the movie lifted this week and the bloggers are jizzing themselves over this film.
To read what the bloggers are saying about this film go here. (Drew McWeeny’s of HitFix is an especially good read – here is the article in full)
They like it. A lot.
I'm thinking this one is a lock for breaking into the Top Ten.

Secretariat
It’s still holding the position of “possible contender for The Blind Side spot”. With such a strong year in film I can easily see this one getting pushed out of the way. However, if it makes a big splash and then goes on to make big box office green (not unlike The Blind Side) it’s got a shot. Everyone likes a feel good family movie right?


Hereafter
My heart broke a little bit this week when the reviews for Clint Eastwood’s Hereafter started coming out. The film screened for a small group of press at TIFF and despite an embargo, initial thoughts on the movie were put into the blogoshere. And they were decidedly negative. I mean, bloggers were practically shouting from the rooftops how much they hated it. Film critics, however, were mostly silent – instead of giving their initial thoughts they seem to be waiting until they can give a full review. A very choice few, namely Ebert & Variety, seemed to enjoy it. It seems this film will undoubtedly get mixed reviews, and while the Cult of Clint is strong, not sure it’s strong enough in a year with such a stacked list for possible Best Picture.
Incidentally, the trailer was released earlier this week as well:



127 Hours
This film came into TIFF with an incredible about of positive buzz and that hasn’t disappeared at all this week. As one critic put it “At this point the question is not if 127 Hours will be nominated for an Oscar but how many. Best Picture is a no-brainer. Consider one spot already taken with nine more spots to be fought for.” And another says, “Believe the hype: 127 Hours is tremendous. Might be my favorite TIFF film so far.” Source


Fair Game
No new news on this one, except for the release of a new poster.


Love and Other Drugs
Another one with no new news. And while it is supposed to be “great”, at this point in time it is sight unseen.


The King’s Speech
If I had to pick just one contender that was sure to be in the Top Ten, this is one I would choose. I mean, at this point, there is no way this film isn’t getting nominated. The film is just as beloved at TIFF as it was in Telluride. And unlike many other contenders that are splitting audiences, everyone seems to agree this one of the better films they are seeing, and this is an across-the-board reaction.


Black Swan
After a splashy premier in Venice the tide on this one seems to be turning a little bit too. It’s getting quite a few mixed reviews while at TIFF; and some are downright horrible - like this one from Michael Phillips at the Chicago Tribune “It’s The Red Shoes cast visually in severe tones of black, white and grim, determined gray… In this backstage snake pit, the venom flows well past Red Shoes territory and spills out, deliriously, somewhere near Showgirls.” I still think it’s got a pretty good shot for a Best Picture nomination and Portman seems like a lock for a Leading Actress nod; Aronofsky might pull one for director as well. It’s just got too much Oscar Bait involved for a straight up pass.


Miral
I think this one is officially out of the race.


The Fighter
This one is another one that remains “sight unseen”, but it’s got great buzz surrounding it. I think it has the possibly to really change things up. All indications point to it being a powerful piece of work and Christian Bale is supposedly outstanding (so much so that a lead actor push was considered at one point).
The trailer was released this past Wednesday:

* For a fun little bonus check out this article at Awards Daily - Oscar Loves Boxing.


Somewhere
Somewhere seemed to be on its way out of the race after the lukewarm reception it got in Venice, but then, seemed to get a bit of a reprieve by winning the Golden Lion for Best Picture at the Festival. The win shocked pretty much every critic/film blogger. And charges of favoritism by Jury President Quentin Tarantino isn’t going to help. It’s another one with nice Oscar Bait behind it, but I’m thinking a place in the Top Ten isn’t likely.


True Grit
Another “sight unseen” with big buzz. (And when I say sight unseen, I mean really unseen. No trailer yet and still only one still released.) But I’ve got a good feeling this one is going to be great.


Blue Valentine
Blue Valentine was at TIFF this week, and like Sundance and Cannes before it, audiences are loving it all over again. I’ve probably said it 5 times within this post already, but its stiff competition this year for Best Picture. Hopefully The Weinstein Co. is up for a major campaign. Word still continues to circle around Gossling for a Leading Actor nod.


All Good Things
Its not showing at any festivals because of its late acquisition so positive buzz and word of mouth just isn’t going to be as big. The festivals really kick off the awards season and it’s where most movies start their awards season campaign. Without the help of a festival and a major studio behind the film (to foot the bill for prints & advertising) this time of the year a small indie is going to get lost in the shuffle.


Winter’s Bone
The Fall Festivals have put the earlier releases far out of mind for the moment. Jennifer Lawrence has been doing a few interviews with the print media this past month, so maybe it won’t be completely lost in the mix. But, you know, stiff competition and all that. Still think Lawrence is in the running for a nod though.


Toy Story 3
It’s pretty much a lock. After "Up" was nominated in the big category last year do you really think a more critically acclaimed and bigger hit won't make the dance this time around?


Inception
Another one that I think is a lock. It’s one of the most imaginative studio films ever released, and a solid money maker. And two months after its release people are still talking about it. It’s a cultural phenomenon.


The Kids are All right
It’s still in the running. Like Winter’s Bone it was a Sundance darling and opened earlier this year. It drew nicely this summer, but not spectacularly – a better gross would have helped, but it has its fans around town.


Get Low
Early release problems again. It preformed admirably on the limited art house circuit and Robert Duval has many friends in the Academy, but it’s probably out for Best Picture. Duval is still on the list for Leading Actor.


The Tree of Life
This one is officially out of the race. Not because it’s not good enough though, Fox Searchlight bought the film and plans to distribute it in 2011. Back to waiting.


Now for some new additions to the contenders:

Rabbit Hole
Adapted for the screen from David Lindsay-Abaire’s 2007 Pulitzer-Prize winning play (which also won Cynthia Nixon a Tony), Rabbit Hole is the story of a couple’s (Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart) struggle to salvage their marriage in the wake of the death of their four-year-old son. Heading into TIFF the film did not have a distributer, Lionsgate has since snatched the film up and more importantly is releasing it before the end of the year. In addition to the Best Picture talk many critics are sighting both Kidman & Eckhart for Actor awards. No word yet on a release date, but I’m thinking sometime this December.
No trailer, but 2 released clips from the film are available:



The Town
It’s a huge long shot, but if the word around this film after its Venice/TIFF debut is any indication it deserves a look at. The Town is the story of Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck) the leader of a group of bank robbers and the bank manager, Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall) he took hostage on the gangs’ latest job. The buzz around this film and Affleck (it’s his sophomore directorial effort) is strong. Newsweek heaps on the praise with their review: “Affleck’s heist movie The Town is part of a career turnaround so amazing that he looks like the new Clint Eastwood. Seriously. Affleck directed, stars in, and co-wrote The Town, a suspenseful, fiercely paced movie about bank robbers that is also about love, brotherhood, and the desperate need to escape a crooked life. It proves that Gone Baby Gone, his accomplished directing debut, was no fluke.” Being compared to Eastwood? That’s some serious shit right there. Also, in its corner? The film is cleaning up with a Broadcast Film Critics score of 88. It’s pretty genre though, and the academy tends to shy away from that.
The film opened today (9/17).



In summation:

Most Likely To Get a Nomination
The King’s Speech
The Social Network
Inception
Toy Story 3
127 Hours

Good Shot at a Nomination
The Kids are All Right
Black Swan
Another Year

The Maybe’s (Mixed Reactions with Oscar Bait Behind Them)
Hereafter
Somewhere

Possible Contenders (Sight Unseen)
True Grit
The Figher
Love and Other Drugs

Possible for The Blind Slide Spot
Secretariat

Wild Cards
Rabbit Hole
Blue Valentine
Never Let Me Go
Winter’s Bone
Fair Game
Get Low
The Town

Out
All Good Things
Miral
The Tree of Life

inception inception

i think it would've been cheaper...

inspiring final lines that douchebags will quote

fyc pt. 2

Over a week ago I made a list of the twenty-one films that I think have some sort of shot at being a contender come this awards season. The Academy only nominates 10 films for Best Picture, so obviously some films on my list will have to fall off to the way side. (While others not listed I’m sure will be added.)

It is now September. Summer is over. School is back in session. And the start of awards season is very quickly approaching. This month marks the end of the “Blockbuster Summer” and makes way for “Awards Season Winter.” All but 5 of the films on my list will open during the next 4 months which means that as each week draws to a close and more and more films are released we will start to get a very good idea of those films which are going to be the standouts of the season and have a major studio push behind them.


A True Festival Opener
Black Swan
Black Swan had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival Wednesday night, and not only did it score a standing ovation, but many top critics are leaping around in praise:

David Gritten, Daily Telegraph
Every film festival benefits hugely from a strong opening film, and they don’t come a lot stronger than Black Swan, Darren Aronofsky’s psychological thriller set in the world of New York ballet. Powerful, gripping and always intriguing, it also features a lead performance from Natalie Portman that elevates her from a substantial leading actress to major star likely to be lifting awards in the near future.

Mike Goodridege, Screen International
Darren Aronofsky soars to new heights with Black Swan, an enthralling drama set in the competitive world of ballet. Alternately disturbing and exhilarating, this dark study of a mentally fragile performer derailed by her obsession with perfection is one of the most exciting films to come out of the Hollywood system this year. Indeed it’s the perfect film to open the autumn season with its gala at Venice tonight, a bold display of cinematic fireworks that will leave audiences breathless… Black Swan will be warmly received in Venice, Toronto and beyond and it should pirouette all the way to the Oscars next Feb. If the film is ultimately too unsettling to snag main prizes, it has at least one nomination in the bag for lead actress Natalie Portman who gives one of “those” performances, transforming herself after ten months of training into an accomplished ballerina, almost uncomfortable to watch as she consumes her difficult role…

Peter DeBruge, Variety
A wicked, sexy and ultimately devastating study of a young dancer’s all-consuming ambition, Black Swan serves as a fascinating complement to Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler, trading the grungy world of a broken-down fighter for the more upscale but no less brutal sphere of professional ballet. Centerstage stands Natalie Portman, whose courageous turn lays bare the myriad insecurities genuinely dedicated performers face when testing their limits, revealing shades of the actress never before seen on film…

Peter Sciretta at SlashFilm puts it a little bit more blunt: “Black Swan is a brilliant mind fuck. It is one of the boldest films I’ve seen produced by a Hollywood studio in years.”



All Mixed Up for Sofia’s Latest
Somewhere
Friday night Sofia Coppola’s family drama Somewhere made its world premier at the Venice Film Festival and unfortunately hasn’t been greeted by what one would call stellar reviews. It is definitely a mixed bag so far with this film:

Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
Sofia Coppola returns to the daddy-daughter theme but audiences are likely to be left bemused or exasperated

Justin Chang, Variety
Sofia Coppola’s Somewhere is a quiet heartbreaker. Trading Lost in Translation’s Tokyo hotel for Beverly Hills’ Chateau Marmont, the ever-perceptive writer-director further hones her gifts for ruefully funny observation and understated melancholy with this low-key portrait of a burned-out screen actor. Steeped in morning-after regret and centered around a strong performance by Stephen Dorff, the result is sure to frustrate those who require their plots thick and their emotions underlined.

Derek Malcom, Evening Standard
This quiet and restrained portrait ... is not the noisy showbiz chronicle other directors might well have made it ... Anyone expecting fireworks from Coppola after the lavish and controversial Marie Antoinette will be disappointed with Somewhere ... But it may last in the memory a little more than Marie Antoinette, if not quite as long as Lost In Translation.



The First One to Fall?
Miral
The last high profile film to premier in Venice, and it’s seems many critics and audiences were largely underwhelmed and dare I say disappointed:

Anne Thompson, Indiewire
[The] story remains expositional and flat, filled with long debates … about alternative routes to a Middle East solution. [Director Julian Schnabel] and cinematographer Eric Gautier adopt an unusual blurry technique for the more intense scenes—but this movie, while filmed on authentic Jerusalem locations, too often devolves into dull talking heads.”

Deborah Young, The Hollywood Reporter
Miral dramatically but unevenly explores the lives of four Palestinian women during the years of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Although too schematic and unfocused to garner much critical support, it has the kind of direct simplicity that could reach out to historically challenged audiences.

Geoffrey Macnab, The Independent
Miral is plodding at times, choppily edited and unevenly performed. It has very little of the aesthetic polish of Schnabel's earlier work and the director is bound to be accused by his critics of political naivete. However, it's also a courageous and groundbreaking film... Some of the dialogue is portentous in the extreme. Characters deliver lines like "this is a very crucial moment for our country – our people can't take it any more" rather than speaking in anything that remotely resembles normal speech. There are distracting cameos from stars like Vanessa Redgrave and Willem Dafoe, who are on screen for a few moments and then disconcertingly disappear from the story without trace. Schnabel is covering three generations but his storytelling style is more cumbersome than nimble. At its most leaden, this is more like a school lecture in Middle Eastern history than it is a piece of drama.



Quick Stop in Colorado before Toronto
Never Let Me Go
The film made its world premier at the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado a few days before it heads to TIFF. I’ve said this before, but I loved the book and so I can’t wait to see the film. Definitely close to the top of my list. Plus, it stars Carry Mulligan & Andrew Garfield - two brit actors whom I adore. I was following Twitter closely Friday night into Saturday morning as the preliminary reviews started coming out in 140 characters or less:

@chhabs
Never Let Me Go is very, very beautiful, romantic sad & heartbreaking. Carey Mulligan is lovely. Another Oscar nomination for her.

@firstshowing
Never Let Me Go was wonderful. Beautiful film, fantastic performances, incredibly moving. Loved it, haven't been this emotional in a while.

@slashfilm
Loved @markromanek's Never Let Me Go, not exactly what you expect, emotionally powerful, fantastic performances, beautiful.

@NickFletch
Just saw Never Let Me Go. Heartbreaking. Old man next to me was losing it.

By Saturday night many full reports were out and it looks like this film is a hit:

Peter Debruge, Variety
Never Let Me Go is that rare find, a fragile little four-leaf clover of a movie that’s emotionally devastating, yet all too easily trampled by cynics. … Literary pedigree and near-certain critical swell should give this Fox Searchlight release serious traction with adults.

Alex Billington, First Showing
It’s a love triangle story, but with a conceptual twist, which I won’t dare spoil… There are many great elements to the film: Adam Kimmel’s very beautiful cinematography, Carey Mulligan’s phenomenal performance (she’s primarily the focus of the film), Rachel Portman’s mesmerizing score, Mark Romanek’s careful direction, even the concept and story overall... It admittedly takes quite a bit for me to get fully emotionally invested in a film and its characters, but Never Let Me Go achieved that. I was sucked into the story and couldn’t let go.

David Poland, MCN
… it’s not about the reveal. There are no Gotcha moments. What gets you is the lack of shock... The production is elegant. The performances are virtually perfect across the board. For me, Never Let Me Go is why I love cinema. It is smart and demanding and emotional and rigorous and profoundly artful. It is more than “a good story well told. It is humanity on a screen. And it trusts us, as thinking, feeling adults, to do the work.



Tears in Telluride
127 Hours
Two years ago, Danny Boyle went to Telluride for the surprise premiere of Slumdog Millionaire, a movie which was almost doomed to be a direct-to-dvd but was saved by Fox Searchlight at the last minute. The film played to a standing ovation and then went on to critical acclaim and 8 Academy Award wins. So it wasn’t much of a shock Saturday afternoon when Boyle showed up to premiere his follow-up, 127 Hours. And by all accounts it looks like, just 2 years later, he is ready for a repeat at the big awards show:

Pete Hammond, Deadline
…it has been expertly brought to the screen by the director who finds a way to put “urgency” in every frame despite the fact that the entire film is basically one man vs. the elements. It’s a tour-de-force for Franco, virtually never off screen … Franco's performance could put him in contention for a best actor Oscar nod.

Peter Sciretta, SlashFilm
127 Hours is a brilliant, gut-wrenching and moving cinematic experience. The film will have you in tears one moment, laughing the next, and will leave you on the edge of your seat, gripping the armrests and holding your breath. This is an uplifting story of perseverance with a stronger character arc than the best fictional films released this year.

Eugene Novikov, Cinematical
I suppose it's a testament to the supreme craft and professionalism of Danny Boyle and his crew that watching 127 Hours feels a bit like having surgery; the kind where you're asked to bite down on something. It's gut-wrenching in a queasy, horror-movie way – a shield-your-eyes-from-the-screen, chuckle-in-relieved-astonishment sort of experience, done incredibly well.

Reportedly Aron Ralston (the film is based on his real-life story), who was attending the screening with his wife, was visibly moved throughout the film and tears started flowing while he watched the reenactment of his primitive surgical procedure. Peter Hammond at Deadline noted “The relief in the theater was palpable—if there’s such a thing as quiet cheering, there it was.”



The Stand-Out Winner at Telluride
The King’s Speech
Closing out the 4-day Telluride Film Festival was The King’s Speech which earned a rare 5 minute standing ovation at the premier. To say the critics loved it would be an understatement:

Tim Appelo, Indiewire
Firth and Rush are geniuses who raise each other’s game… The King’s Speech is the true bromance of the year, as winning a film about royals as anything starring Helen Mirren. It has style to burn, and wit, and resonant emotion. Long may it reign.

Kristopher Tapley, In Contention
[Director] Tim Hooper knocks it right out of the park. He films his actors closely with a wide lens to affect a sort of intimacy with the narrative. Indeed, it’s rare to feel this close with the characters in a film, and much of that is owed to a pair of truly exceptional performances from Firth and Rush.

Peter Debruge, Variety
Americans love kings, so long as they needn’t answer to them, and no king of England had a more American success story than that admirable underdog George VI, Duke of York, who overcame a dreadful stammer to rally his people against Hitler. A stirring, handsomely mounted tale of unlikely friendship starring Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush, The King’s Speech explores the bond between the painfully shy thirtysomething prince and the just-this-side-of-common, yet anything-but-ordinary speech therapist who gave the man back his confidence. Weinstein-backed November release should tap into the same audience that made The Queen a prestige hit.

Aside from the great reviews for the film as a whole, many are also singling out Colin Firth’s performance. Firth was nominated for the first time last year (for his performance in A Single Man) and at this point it almost seems like it’s a given that he’ll be making a return trip down that same red carpet.

Kirk Honeycutt, The Hollywood Reporter
Firth doesn't just make a British king vulnerable and insecure, he shows the fierce courage and stamina beneath the insecurities that will see him through his kingship. It's not just marvelous acting, it's an actor who understands the flesh-and-blood reality of the moment and not its history. It's an actor who admires his character not in spite of his flaws but because of them.



To sum up the feel of the films that premiered at Venice and Telluride, it looks like
Very Positive: Black Swan, 127 Hours, The King's Speech
Positive: Never Let Me Go
Mixed: Somewhere
Negative: Miral

The next big festival is just days away – the Toronto Film Festival (TIFF) runs from September 9-19 and many past festival films will show up here again (Black Swan, The King’s Speech, 127 Hours, Blue Valentine, Never Let Me Go). However there is one film making its world premier at TIFF and I, for one, can’t wait to see the response. Clint Eastwood’s Hereafter will make its debut September 12th.

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In other, non-review/non-festival, news regarding the FYC films:

It’s Hypnotic!
(Said like John Travolta says “It’s electrifying” in Grease)
Tree of Life
Some dude at ‘The Film Stage’ was treated to an early screening of Terrence Malick’s long-awaited Tree of Life “at work.” I’d love to have his job. Here’s what he had to say:

“Saw TREE OF LIFE the other night at work and it really is amazing. Hypnotic, more like. I won’t give anything about it away here, but yes it is long and there has already been talk in the news about Malick releasing it, then re-cutting it, then re-releasing it, etc.
The main bulk of the film is about his childhood growing up in Texas (reels 3-7 out of 9!). The “creation” footage is outstanding, absolutely jawdropping, a lot of the effects are practical and your eyes can see that, which makes it really fascinating to watch.
The story is framed around the death of his middle brother and is a reflection on the circle of life, the evolution of life out of the mess of the Big Bang, but also about life itself (the strained relationship with his severe father, a stunning performance by Brad Pitt, just stunning), and the end of the Universe. I still haven’t given anything away that hasn’t already been said in the press. The film just has to be seen to be believed! One feels like a child again, seeing the world through young wide eyes.”

On possible release and runtime:
“Yes, it is finished! I believe it releases in October but it may be a limited release. And yes again it’s about 3 hours! There is talk of a cut down version, which Malick did for New World as well, but nothing confirmed.”

There you have it. Take it with a grain of salt, since it is just a forum post, but it is better than nothing for what is one of the most anticipated films of the year. If they do actually plan to release in October, I’m surprised we haven’t heard anything yet?



It’s A Sports Movie, Gosh Darnit
(I just can’t curse when talking about a Disney film. It feels wrong)
Secretariat
A new poster was just released and it looks a lot less Oscar-baity than I'd expect. Is it the Disney logo?

Right now Secretariat is looking something like The Blind Side, a sports movie with a lead female role big enough to draw women audiences in anyway. The story of the Triple Crown champion horse is your typical sports saga, full of colorful characters and nail biter races, but it also stars Diane Lane as the horse's owner Penny Chenery, going up against the male-dominated industry, defying the odds, yada yada yada.

Most of the imagery we've seen so far from Secretariat, including the first poster, emphasized Diane Lane pretty heavily, seemingly targeting the potential female audience. Now it's time for the men to be drawn in with the newest poster. No more pretty sunsets or goofy 70s period clothing - just a horse, running like hell, looking like a champion. Hey, fellas, this is a sports movie! Don't be afraid that it stars a woman! Hey, did we mention John Malkovich is in this?



Jennifer Lawrence is hot?
Winter’s Bone
I talked a little bit last FYC post about Jennifer Lawrence and how she has been (and is being) singled out for her “starmaking performance.” I was reading an article earlier in the week about the Film Festivals this year and came upon a picture of Lawrence and had to do a double take. The girl is gorgeous. Watch the trailer for Winter’s Bone again and then look at this:

Who knew?

She buried herself in this role. I was so stunned by this turn of events that I then had to do more research and lucky for me Jennifer has been doing more press recently as Winter’s Bone gets more attention. I happened upon this article from esquire.

You’ll note that the article makes mention of the fact that she almost didn’t get the part because she was “too attractive” and the director had to “cover up her pretty.” (Bonus: the BTS video shoot features The Black Key’s “Tighten Up”)

In addition to a slew of new roles she has since signed onto, she has two high profile gigs coming up: The Beaver expected sometime this year (with Jodie Foster directing it was at one point on the long list for possible awards contention. But Mel Gibson’s assaholicness put an abrupt end to that. Awards Season is all politics. No matter how great the film may be, no studio is going to throw money at a lost cause. And Mr. Gibson is a lost cause.) and as Mystique in X-Men: First Class due out June 2011. So, it looks like we’ll be seeing a lot more of Jennifer in the future.

And if that isn’t enough? Girl’s got taste. While in the UK she told The Herald:
“… I got hit by the Twilight train. I think it’s a female thing. There’s some sort of chemical there.” In truth it’s a Robert Pattinson thing, the actor who played Cedric Diggory in the Potter films before fronting Twilight. “I was immune to him until I saw Remember Me,” she says. “Now I’m daydreaming about him.” Crushing on the current holder to the number one spot of my F5? Yes ma’am. Jennifer Lawrence welcome to my girl crush list.