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.

----------------------------------

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.

'Films of 2010' Part 1 HD

yes and please