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Thursday, January 8, 2009
It’s starting to look like the Oscar nominees are …
The Directors Guild of America announced its nominees today, and they are:
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant, Milk
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
I have no problem with this group except for Van Sant, whose direction of Milk was surprisingly obvious and overstated for a filmmaker who’s normally much more inventive. This is a very likely final five for the Oscars - the Producers Guild, also a good predictor for Oscar, nominated the same five films last week.
Personally, I would prefer to see Doubt in the group; WALL-E would have been wonderful, but I didn’t expect voters to be gutsy enough to push it that far. Best Animated Film will have to do, it seems.
The Writers Guild nominated the following:
Original Screenplay
Burn After Reading, Joel and Ethan Coen
Milk, Dustin Lance Black
Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Woody Allen
The Visitor, Thomas McCarthy
The Wrestler, Robert Siegel
Again, a fine group (I’m taking The Wrestler on faith, as I’ve not seen it yet), but I’m not fond of Milk’s screenplay; WALL-E would have been a better choice, as would have Rachel Getting Married. Of this group, I’d actually vote for Burn After Reading, which is more complex than it seems.
Adapted Screenplay
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Eric Roth
The Dark Knight, Christopher and Jonathan Nolan
Doubt, John Patrick Shanley
Frost/Nixon, Peter Morgan
Slumdog Millionaire, Simon Beaufoy
No major complaints here, although I’m not quite as high on Button, I thought the lack of focus in the narrative was the movie’s Achilles Heel.
And my favorite technical guild, the cinematographers, have announced as well:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Claudio Miranda
The Dark Knight, Wally Pfister
The Reader, Chris Menges and Roger Deakins
Revolutionary Road, Roger Deakins
Slumdog Millionaire, Anthony Dod Mantle
Mostly deserving, although I didn’t see anything particularly special about the photography for The Reader. Two excellent DPs did solid but unexceptional work; Deakins’ canny lensing of Doubt would have been preferable. My favorite here is Slumdog, not only for how its lit, but for the great variety in the way the camera moves. Still, I would also like to see the unjustly unheralded Deakins finally get his due.
What do you think of these awards and the way the race is shaping up?
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April movies: What’s coming up?
Before our spring preview movies into April’s movies, I have to say I have been remiss by not pointing out that certain acclaimed indie titles will be showing locally in the first months of the year. They are:
January 23
The Wrestler
The lowdown: Randy “The Ram” Robinson (Mickey Rourke) makes his way through the independent circuit, trying to get back in the game for one final showdown with his former rival.
The forecast: This has been winning raves across the board, especially for Rourke. I’m always up for any film by director Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem for a Dream, the underrated The Fountain.)
The prospect: A
February 6
I’ve Loved You So Long
The lowdown: Confronted with the unexpected goodness of her younger sister , a woman who has been in prison for years begins to open up.
The forecast: The highlight here is the performance by Kristin Scott Thomas, which has earned raves, although awards buzz seems to have cooled somewhat. Still, I’m intrigued.
The prospect: B
February 13
Waltz with Bashir
The lowdown: A man who fought in the first Lebanon war of the early 80s tries to piece together his memories of that time.
The forecast: Somewhat similar to Persepolis, in that it uses striking animation techniques to illustrate real events, this just won the Best Picture award from the National Society of Film Critics - influenced, no doubt, by the current Gaza conflict.
The prospect: A
Now, on to April:
April 3
Fast and Furious
The lowdown: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Jordanna Brewster return to their fast cars and try to give their careers a jump in the process. Justin Lin, who helmed the third film minus the stars, directs.
The forecast: I have never cared for this franchise. I thought the first was vastly overrated, didn’t care for the second, and skipped the third. I must admit the trailer is kind of a grabber, but still .. Diesel and Walker turn me off. And one question: Why in the world is this being released in April instead of June? That doesn’t bode well.
The prospect: C
The Ugly Truth
The lowdown: Gerard Butler and Katherine Heigl spar in this romantic comedy, playing a snide TV host and his harried producer Gee, wonder if they’ll fall for each other.
The forecast: I like the two leads, but the trailer looks very standard issue. Director Robert Luketic can be hit (Legally Blonde) or miss (Monster in Law).
The prospect: C
April 10
Dragonball Evolution
The lowdown: Japanese anime goes live action, courtesy of the director of Final Destination.
The forecast: I just can’t muster up much excitement for this one, even if it does star Chow Yun-Fat.
The prospect: C
Hannah Montana the Movie
The lowdown: The title tells you all you need to know.
The forecast: I’ve not seen a single episode of the show, and I can’t say I’m intrigued enough to see it expanded on the big screen.
The prospect: C
Observe and Report
The lowdown: A bi-polar mall security guard (Seth Rogen) is called into action to stop a flasher from turning shopper’s paradise into his personal peep show.
The forecast: Well, the premise is certainly unusual. The director and writer is Jody Hill, who made inroads with the film The Foot Fist Way. Consider my curiosity piqued.
The prospect: B
April 17
Crank 2: High Voltage
The lowdown: Jason Statham and Amy Smart return to commit various acts of violence.
The forecast: I’ve heard the original described as a turn-off-your-brain guilty pleasure. Since sequels usually have diminishing returns, I think I’ll just check out the original and go from there.
The prospect: C
Seventeen Again
The lowdown: Matthew Perry reverts to his 17-year-old self and turns into Zac Efron. Sounds like a good career move to me.
The forecast: The body-switching plot has been beaten to death, but two things give me hope here: The presence of Leslie Mann, who usually enlivens her movies, and Efron, who is a genuine talent.
The prospect: B
State of Play
The lowdown: A congressman (Ben Affleck) becomes embroiled in controversy when his mistress is killed. Russell Crowe and Rachel McAdams investigate the cast.
The forecast: Excellent cast, and a strong director in Kevin MacDonald, who made Touching the Void and The Last King of Scotland. I’m in.
The prospect: A
April 24
Fighting
The lowdown: A young counterfeiter ( Channing Tatum) is introduced to the world of underground street fighting by a seasoned scam artist (Terrence Howard).
The forecast: Some say this holds promise because of the two leads and director Dito Montiel, who directing Tatum to good notices in A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints. I’ll reserve judgment until the reviews roll in.
The prospect: C
Obsessed
The lowdown: A successful business man (Idris Elba) with a beautiful wife (Beyonce Knowles) becomes the target of a female stalker (Ali Larter).
The forecast: Zzzzzzzzzzz … oh, sorry - reading that plot description put me to sleep. I can only imagine what the movie would do.
The prospect: F
The Soloist
The lowdown: Jamie Foxx plays a schizophrenic musician taken under the wing of a troubled reporter for the Los Angeles Times (Robert Downey Jr.) True story.
The forecast: This was touted as one of the better Oscar prospects before Paramount unceremoniously booted it to the spring. The trailer makes the story seem like fairly obvious feel-good material, but these stars, and a savvy director like Joe Wright (Atonement) could make it something special.
The prospect: B
May brings us Wolverine, Pixar’s Up and Star Trek, among others, - but we’ll worry about those when winter’s over! Meanwhile, tell me what you think of this crop.
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