The Review Rack

Here are some of the reviews of note that have been coming up at various festivals recently.
These are mainly mentioned because they single out a performance or two, which I like to do as it makes the acting races not seen like they are from such a small pool (as the choices usually are).

'Another Year'

So far the new Mike Leigh film is by and far the best reviewed film coming out of Cannes at the moment.
He is already a Cannes legend, but still continues to make movies that people are passionate about, even if his films are always the simplest premise (at first thought that is).
The film features wonderful performances from Jim Broadbent, Ruth Sheen, David Bradley, Philip Davis and Imelda Staunton, however the person with the biggest buzz is Leigh regular Lesley Manville. People are going ga ga for her performance and she is already being buzzed for the Actress prize at Cannes.


'Frankie & Alice'

Halle Berry's multiple personality movie got a decent review from 'The Hollywood Reporter'. Duane Byrge called Berry "Spellbinding" and also singled out Phylicia Rashad as her enabling mother. But before you mark you ballots remember that this same magazine gave 'Amelia' a rave last year.


'Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps'

Getting pretty decent reviews, but on an acting front, it seems to be the Michael Douglas show with great support from Frank Langella. However it seems the whole cast seems to do well in the film with Josh Brolin and Carey Mulligan getting some fine notices as well.


'Meet Monica Velour'

And finally a big ole surprise.
This comedy about a teenage boy meeting and becoming obsessed with a former 80's porn star got a lot of buzz from the Tribeca Film Festival. It is supposed to be a surprisingly warm and tender comedy that is extremely well written and acted.
The majority of the acting buzz goes to Kim Cattrall - Yes people, Samantha Jones is getting raves.

"The effectively deglamorized Cattrall is terrific, investing her portrayal with a complex mixture of vulnerability, toughness and still-powerful sexuality." - Frank Scheck - The Hollywood Reporter

"Of course, after thirty years of professional wear and tear and marital and substance abuse, Ms. Velour is nothing more than a decaying façade of the glimmering beauty she once was. Spiteful and world-weary, Cattrall shines through the runny make-up and cheap outfits her character has become accustomed to and delivers an authentic portrayal of a woman who walked on the wild side and came through a marvelous mess. Her performance, along with the nostalgic reminiscence of porno’s home-video heyday, offers a loving nod to the skin-flick industry while poking fun at its ludicrous, unnecessary plot lines and C-rate production values." - Daniel Hubschman - Hollywood.com

"Thesping is excellent throughout. Cattrall kills as the cynically foul-mouthed ex-sex queen desperately trying to keep her head above water" - Ronnie Scheib - Variety

It would be a wonderful miracle to see her as a major award contender, but stranger things have happened. I for one will be routing for her. Out of all the SATC women she is the one most people would have never thought of being called a thespian.

Keeping an eye on Sundance - Updated.

Every year the Sundance film festival comes along and delivers what is sure to be a future Oscar nominated film/performance/documentary.

'The Cove', 'Precious', 'The Messenger', 'An Education', 'The Maid', '(500) Days of Summer' and a few more all were shown at the festival. Who could be the film or performance that gets the most buzz and awards traction this year?

Things of note (Performances, Films, blah-di-blah) that could translate into the 2010 Awards race.

Australian crime drama 'Animal Kingdom' is getting rather splendid reviews out of Sundance. From Variety's Todd McCarthy:

"An ambitious and powerful study of the disintegration of an Australian crime family, "Animal Kingdom" is orchestrated with a grandiosity that invokes operatic and Greek dimensions. Writer-director David Michod's unusually accomplished feature debut unfolds with a confident, almost antiquated sense of deliberation as the family incrementally implodes, taking others down with it."

And for the performers:

"Performances are rich, led by Jacki Weaver in the unusual role of the blond ringleader with iron under her pert veneer and Ben Mendelsohn as her unnerving, mentally ill-equipped eldest son. Joel Edgerton dominates the action in the early going, while Guy Pearce, wearing a mustache, takes up the baton in the latter stages."

Australian films do not usually make it to the Oscars, but with the right distribution and critical response this could be a surprise hit.


Shari Springer Berman directs 'The Extra Man' which has premiered at Sundance to very strong reviews, especially for its actors Paul Dano and Kevin Kline. The film is about a man who escorts wealthy widows in New York's Upper East Side takes a young aspiring playwright under his wing.
From Todd McCarthy at Variety:

"The same holds true for the viewer, given the mesmerizing allure of Kline's outsized but impeccably calibrated performance. Perhaps no contemporary American actor can carry off the sort of classical stage enunciation he can, and here he applies it to a character who uses it both for the effect he knows it creates but, even moreso, out of personal affinity. Henry has a tremendous sense of style, only it's a style of 80 years ago, which is what makes him so funny, an effect compounded by Kline's exceptional sense of timing.
By contrast, Dano soft-pedals his characterization to excellent effect; Louis seems like a rather calculated sort of misfit on paper, but Dano's underplaying and innate physical oddness make him not only palatable but oddly sympathetic. The actresses playing the women in the men's social orbit, including Marian Seldes, Celia Weston, Patti D'Arbanville and Lynn Cohen, are all delights."

This seems like a very particular film, but with Celia Weston in it I am so there.


'The Romantics' is an angsty film about college friends meeting right before a marriage. What is interesting is when Screen International says of it's star:

"As the deeply wounded Laura, Katie Holmes does some of her strongest acting in years. Her tabloid-friendly marriage to Tom Cruise may have obscured the fact that she was once considered an actress of some promise, but withThe Romantics she returns to the direct, honest performances of her early career."


Another film directed by a woman (was 2009 the start of a wave?) we have another buzz worthy film called 'The Kids Are All Right'.
It stars Julianne Moore and Annette Bening as lesbian moms who are thrown off kilter by the arrival of their hippie sperm donor (Mark Ruffalo) who their children (Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson) have sought out.
The performances are all supposed to be delightful.
From The Hollywood Reporter:

"Despite some key character-motivation omissions, Moore, Bening and Ruffalo all deliver endearingly quirky comic performances, with Wasikowska also particularly effective as the confused and resentful Joni. "

And from Screen International:

"Moore and Bening have been guilty in the past of producing overly studied performances, but they make Jules and Nic thoroughly convincing as an ordinary, devoted long-term couple. Ruffalo is superb as a free spirit who has gotten through life on his carnal appeal. And Wasikowska and Hutcherson do great work as siblings facing questions of identity and maturity, which, like the film’s final moments, are extremely touching without being heavy-handed."


Owen Gleiberman have given a rave for 'Blue Valentine'. The film is told in fractured timelines and follows the falling apart of a relationship.
It stars Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling who are supposed to give amazing performances.

"No one, including me, doubts that Blue Valentine will land a distributor. With stars like Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams giving performances that sear, delight, and break your heart, it would be sheer madness if this movie languished — and, frankly, it won’t happen. "

Would love to see Williams get some more recognition as she is one of the best young actresses working today.

'Buried'
The movies told entirely from the perspective of Ryan Reynolds buried underground has had a feeding frenzy of interest from distributors. The reviews have been good as have the notices for Reynolds, but not good enough for major awards talk (that could change if box office is great - ahem * Sandra Bullock * ahem)

'Exit Through the Gift Shop'
An art documentary focusing on Banksy but then turning itself around to look at the film makers. This doc is getting good notices, and as per usual, the biggest buzz and best reviews are focused on the documentaries. Variety loved it

'Sympathy for Delicious'

Mark Ruffalo directs this story about wheelchair bound DJ who discovers he has miraculous healing powers. The response is mixed, but there have been some rather good notices for Juliette Lewis who really needs to be cast in something she can really her her teeth around. She is supposed to be a scene stealer which can work, but the film needs critical support to carry her. From Variety:

"But it's a hilariously zonked-out Lewis who steals every scene she's in.."

As much as I love the woman, I do think that she is not really the taste of the Academy. The film also stars Laura Linney, Orlando Bloom (who is supposed to be a ton of fun), and Mark Ruffalo

'The Tillman Story'
When pro football star turned post-9/11 Army enlistee Pat Tillman was killed in the course of duty, the embarrassing actual circumstances were covered up and turned into a flag-waving story of heroism that the Bush administration happily -- and knowingly -- used for propaganda purposes. The documentary looks at this to apparently brilliant results.

'Countdown to Zero'
Nuclear security. That is the premise in a nut shell. This doc is supposed to be terrifying.

'Cyrus'

If the cast is not interesting enough (John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill, Marisa Tomei, Catherine Keener, Matt Walsh) or the premise (a woman and her unusual - read icky -relationship with her son) then the fact that it is directed by The Duplass Brothers and Variety just gave it a very positive review saying about on the of actors:

"Still, it's Hill's movie to steal. With his sad-sack posture and chilly glare, Cyrus looks like one of those Aardman creations whose every blink earns a chuckle. The film's semi-scripted approach may deprive the character of catchphrases, but auds won't be forgetting him anytime soon."

Should get you at least curious enough to watch it closely with the other critics. Never really loved Hill, but an slightly curious about how this performance will translate, especially if and when the film is picked up and distributed.


'Winters Bone'
Directed by Debra Granik whose first film, 'Down to the Bone' got Vera Farmiga a lot of buzz, is also getting rather shining notices, especially for star Jennifer Lawrence. From Variety's Justin Chang:

"The film's atmosphere of suspicion, foreboding and everyday misery would be too much to bear if not for the rich emotional anchor supplied by Lawrence. Emphasizing Ree's patience, maturity and love for her siblings as much as her tenacity and courage, Lawrence delivers a striking portrait of someone who, though looked down upon by many for her youth and gender, alone seems to possess the guts and smarts necessary to survive and possibly even escape her surroundings."

Not that this will translate to major awards, but perhaps a Spirit nom, and who know what can happen if handled correctly by whatever studio picks it up.


'The Company Men'

Another downsizing movie. After 'Up in the Air' will people even really notice this one, or want to see it? Regardless the film has gotten some good notices, especially from Owen Gleiberman over at Entertainment Weekly.

Although this seems like the type of film that could do well with critics, Variety was less kind in its review, which will likely be a hurdle.
Perhaps this is where some of the supporting actors can shine, especially since the cast is very '"Oscar" friendly.


'The Runaways'

I am so excited about this movie after reading this review.
Sure the film is called formulaic, but it is also called electrifying. We will have to wait to see what the more high brow critics think, but this made me nearly wet myself:

"Indeed, "The Runaways" is owned and just about swallowed up by Fanning's riveting portrayal of the singer (not too dissimilar from the way Currie overwhelmed the group). First glimpsed as a teen literally transforming into a woman, this is the performance that seems sure to launch Fanning into a new thrilling phase of her career. From a sulking broodish David Bowie enthusiast to a howling rock goddess Fanning sells sells sells.....Stewart as Joan Jett physically embodies the role and curses and growls as the part demands. It's Jett of course who first launches the band under the manic watchful eye of Michael Shannon's Kim Fowley. But the film find's its legs and central mesmerizing performance when Fanning's Cherie auditions for the band in a crappy trailer."

Now tell me you are not a little bit excited.


'Get Low'
But we all know about this one. Robert Duvall looks for get another Oscar nomination in 2011.

'Welcome to the Rileys'

The story of a couple (Melissa Leo, James Gandolfini) who adopt a stripper )Kristen Stewart). The film is bagged down with some narrative problems, but the performances are said to be extremely strong.
From Variety:

"Hiding behind raccoon-eye mascara and electrical-tape pasties, Stewart is the perfect wretch, utterly convincing as a lost girl leveraging her sexuality to compensate for her complete powerlessness.......(Gandolfini and Leo) are downright dynamite in the pic's more confrontational scenes, as well as quiet moments, such as Gandolfini sobbing alone in his garage, or Leo enjoying her first night in years under the stars."

More praise is heaped on the actresses over at the MTV review

'Teenage Paparazzo'
'Entourage' actor Adrian Grenier follows a 13 year old paparazzo for a year. The results apparently make for an excellent film.

'The Oath'
Another documentary which follows Osama bin Laden's former bodyguard. Sundance is always the festival where the documentaries come from, and this year looks like it could be an embarrassment of riches.

'Waiting for Superman'
A documentary on the US school system that Variety just gave a bloody rave to.


'HOWL'
The Allen Ginsberg film with James Franco. The film got slightly mixed reviews but there was praise for James Franco. Highly doubt it is translatable to awards, but you never know.

'Please Give'
Nicole Holofcener delivers another one of her gems, and again with the ever amazing Catherine Keener. However this time the praise falls on Rebecca Hall - From Variety:

"But it's the ever-winsome Hall whose fine-grained performance impresses the most, largely because her Rebecca is the one least defined by a set of traits as she moves from social withdrawal to a more open appreciation of life's unexpected little gifts."

'Catfish'
This documentary has gotten great reviews, even if the premise is a little hard to understand (facebook, 8 year old painting, yadda yadda).

'Invictus' reviewed

David Ansen over at Newsweek has chimed in:

"We witness a politician at the top of his game: Freeman's wily Mandela is a master of charm and soft-spoken gravitas. Anthony Peckham's sturdy, functional screenplay, based on John Carlin's book Playing the Enemy, can be a bit on the nose (and the message songs Eastwood adds are overkill). Yet the lapses fade in the face of such a soul-stirring story—one that would be hard to believe if it were fiction."

I could not really tell if the review was great or good.
I am very curious about this film. I normally find Clints films rather dull or lacking in something to make them great, but sometimes spotted with wonderful performances (Meryl Streep, Marcia Gay Harden to name a few) that lift the material up. I mean Meryl in 'Bridges' makes that film ten times better that it was.

Also on TMRzoo I read this review by Bruce Owens (no idea who the guy is or about the site, just came up in a Google search and I went to it):
In it he says the following (which made me smile a little):

"Invictus is a poem by British poet William Ernest Henley. The title is Latin for “unconquered”. This movie title has been chosen for the new Clint Eastwood film about South Africa’s triumph in the 1995 Rugby World Cup. He should have titled the movie “Somni” which is Latin for sleep. Clint’s 34th outing as a Director looks like he has gone down the Changeling and Bridges of Madison County road again. No one can bore an audience like Clint can."

Ouch. But obviously this review does not matter, what matters is that if one person feels it, then others will as well, just how many is beyond me.

The film will no doubt 'stir the soul' for some, but it will definitely have it's cracks. Will it make the final 10? More than likely. The question we have to ask, will the movie be a big enough hit to get nominations for its director and actors? I say this because the field is tightening up and you have to ask who you can drop to make room.

'The Princess and the Frog' screens

Well it seems the fate of the Best Animated Film category at the Oscars is going to be pretty much sewn up soonish.

With 'Up' as a lock, and 'Coraline' looking really good we can now most likely add 'The Princess and the Frog' to the lock/likely list.

Although Justin Change of Variety was not blown away:

"Disney goes back to the drawing board with results more diverting than captivating in "The Princess and the Frog." Conspicuously outfitted with an African-American heroine and a vibrant 1920s New Orleans setting, this cheeky update of a classic fairy tale boasts almost as many talking points as merchandising opportunities, and should enjoy jazzy holiday biz starting with its Thanksgiving weekend bicoastal engagement and extending well past its Dec. 11 wide release. But whatever it accomplishes for Disney's reputation or bottom line, this long-anticipated throwback to a venerable house style never comes within kissing distance of the studio's former glory."

This would usually usher in a whole bunch of people immediately dismissing the film (me included - for some reason I think of Variety as holy) but Kirk Honeycutt at The Hollywood Reporter loved the film saying:

"This is the best Disney animated film in years. Audiences -- who don't care whether it's cel animation, CGI, stop motion, claymation or motion capture as long as it's a good story -- will respond in large numbers. A joyous holiday season is about to begin for Disney."

And over at Entertainment Weekly, Lisa Schwarzbaum echos that statement in her grade 'A' review saying

"Young viewers of The Princess and the Frogwon't give a croak that the marvelous new 
 adventure from Walt Disney Animation Studios has been created using the same hand-drawn, 2-D techniques that entertained those viewers'Bambi-loving grandparents more than 65 years ago. But adults should: This old-fashioned charmer holds its own beside the motion-capture elegance of Disney's A Christmas Carol, the engrossing stop-motion universes ofCoraline and Fantastic Mr. Fox, the CG-enhanced genius of Up, the wonder of 3-D technology, and, indeed, the unique, hand-drawn Japanese artistry of Hayao Miyazaki's Ponyo as the year's deepest, most affecting, and most inventive movies"

Glad to see they are back. I for one cannot wait to see if it lives up for the gloriousness of its hey day. My childhood demands it.

'The Lovely Bones' hits (misses)

So I take a much needed mental health break (drinking all weekend) and now I am back to bore you to death with my incessant droning.

So 'The Lovely Bones' has been seen and the over all opinion is the film is good, but not great.
Todd McCarthy of Variety says:

"Peter Jackson's infatuation with fancy visual effects mortally wounds "The Lovely Bones." Alice Sebold's cheerily melancholy bestseller, centered upon a 14-year-old girl who narrates the story from heaven after having been brutally murdered, provides almost ready-made bigscreen material. But Jackson undermines solid work from a good cast with show-offy celestial evocations that severely disrupt the emotional connections with the characters."

but he does have some good things to say about the film, especially for Saoirse Ronan performance:

"With reddish hair, brilliantly alive eyes and a seemingly irrepressible impulse for movement and activity, Ronan represents a heavenly creature indeed, a figure of surging, eager, anticipatory life cut off just as it is budding."

Surprisingly Tucci, who most have thought would be a front runner, did not get a rave from McCarthy.

Time magazine was less harsh, but still pointed to a few problems within the film:

"The plot has a few pitfalls. Jack, who fingers dozens of men as Susie's potential abductor, takes ages to notice the strange guy across the street. And Abigail departs and reappears with little organic reason. But the movie is packed with privileged moments..."

This seems to be a recurring theme. from reading the reviews at Variety and Time, then going over to AICN I read Harry Knowels swooning review, but you take him with a pinch of salt, he is always going to love Jackson. However his review seemed to lack his usual passion.
Screen Daily felt it was "exquisitely realised, sometimes frustratingly uneven."
Even Total Film doesn't sound overly excited, but does give the biggest thumbs up.

I think The Hollywood Reporter says what I feel will be what many others feel:

"This was never going to be an easy story to film. Using the same characters and many events, Jackson and his team tell a fundamentally different story. It's one that is not without its tension, humor and compelling details. But it's also a simpler, more button-pushing tale that misses the joy and heartbreak of the original."

With ten nominees the film could very well make it into the cut, but as it stands now, this is very very shaky. Perhaps Ronan and Tucci will make it, but its Oscar prospects have somewhat dipped.

How do you solve a problem like Amelia

When it comes to predicting the film and its players.
I say go with your gut.
Mine said it would not amount to much in the end.
However, The Hollywood Reporter has given ‘Amelia’ a rave, and the word from the London Film Fest is very positive. It is supposed to be a great old school bio pic, however as the Academy gets younger will they be impressed.

Apparently Swank is great says Ray Bennett:

”Freckle-faced, prairie-voiced and fiercely independent, Hilary Swank's depiction of aviator Amelia Earhart in Mira Nair's biographical film "Amelia" is of a high order. It ranks with recent real-life portrayals of Ray Charles by Jamie Foxx and Truman Capote by Philip Seymour Hoffman and could be similarly awards-bound.”

However one review can not a front runner make.

Things could still go horribly wrong.

Justin Chang of Variety says:

”To say that "Amelia" never gets off the ground would be an understatement; it barely makes it out of the hangar. Handsomely mounted yet dismayingly superficial, Mira Nair's film offers snazzy aerial photography and inspirational platitudes in lieu of insight into Amelia Earhart's storied life and high-flying career. Prestigious packaging, led by Hilary Swank's gussied-up performance as the iconic aviatrix, portends friendly commercial skies for the Fox Searchlight release, at least initially. But critical disdain is unlikely to be countered by much audience enthusiasm, even among admirers of this kind of old-fashioned, star-powered bio-mush.”

he he. Bad reviews are fun to read.
He goes on to say of Swank:”

But it's Swank who must shoulder the heaviest thesping burden, and her Amelia remains earthbound. An actress who does her best work in plain-spoken, contempo working-class roles, Swank is a decent physical match for her subject, and her slightly androgynous appearance here underscores Earhart's standing as a woman among men. But the character's passion hasn't been sufficiently dramatized (this Amelia likes to fly planes because the script says so), and every effort to transform Swank -- the close-cropped blonde hair, the '30s costumes designed by Kasia Walicka Maimone, the actress' wobbly Kansas accent -- ends up feeling like one fussy affectation on top of another.

”We will have to wait in see what the rest of the pack say before dismissing, however it does not look promising - although best actress is famous for nominating ok roles is not loved films.

The main shame is for Mira Nair who would be a wonderful addition to the women vying for a Best Director Oscar nom. One day her day will come. She seems to have difficulty tackling large ambitious projects stateside and aside from ‘Hysterical Blindness’, I like her better doing home grown projects.

For Your Consideration

Best Actress - Catalina Saaveda

Well the raves have been pouring in for some time, but no one is noticing.

Perhaps is has to do with her being an unknown.
Perhaps is has to do with the fact she is not a Glamazon.
Perhaps it has to do with the fact it is a foreign language performance.
Or, perhaps, it is a combination of all of the above.

Whatever the reason, one should not ignore a performance that has been garnering so many raves.

Catalina Saavedra, ever since Sundance (where Carey Mulligan and, to a lesser extent, Gabby Sibide hogged lead actress buzz) has been getting the type of reviews that would make most Hollywood actress salivate.

“As Raquel, the housekeeper for an affluent Chilean family for 23 of her drab 41 years, Catalina Saavedra conjures a performance of such unflinching intensity and naked bravery in The Maid that at times it's painful to watch.” Lisa Schwarzbaum – Entertainment Weekly.

“Saavedra's brave, unrestrained performance as the strange and self-destructively territorial Raquel (which earned her a well-deserved best actress special jury prize at Sundance) is both understated and forceful, combining incrementally revealing facial expressions and increasingly hostile body language to reveal an intensely lonely and conflicted character.” Justin Lowe – the Hollywood Reporter.

“Saavedra is riveting as a servant whose unblinking focus on her routine masks a profound loneliness.” Justin Chang – Variety

“In a remarkable performance that won her a special award from the world cinema jury at this year's Sundance Film Festival (which also gave Silva's film its Grand Jury Prize), Chilean television vet Saavedra goes through one of the most uncanny psychophysical transformations I've ever seen in a movie without the benefit of obvious makeup or other prosthetics.” Scott Foundas – The Village Voice

“Saavedra, in an incredibly vanity-free performance, never shies away from Raquel’s darkest edges and still forces us to empathize with the frustrations and stunted loneliness of a life lived in servants’ quarters.” Time Out New York

I mean with raves like this, an Oscar Campaign should already be in motion, but alas I doubt there will be much of one.
Unless you are a sexy, well known actress, breaking the foreign language barrier can be a tough one.
Perhaps she can pull off a Fernanda Montenegro!

Let the wild rumpus start!

So the film has been seem, and the critics are all giving their two cents on what they think.

The over all verdict is it is beautiful, ambitions, and very serious for a children’s movie.
Some critics are loving the film while other greatly admire it, but have some reservations.

I am not surprised by this. ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ was not going to please everyone. Spike Jonze is one of those film makers where people either love him or admire him with a lot of like.

This could still find it’s way into the awards race, but that will become clearer once we hear from all the critics and see how the US public reacts to it (I predict decent box office with the film doing better critically overseas).

Not out of the race, but needs that rabid vocal fan base which I think it will find.

Four things Toronto is teaching me.

1 - 'Precious' is still a force to be reckoned with. The applause was even more rabid (according to various sources) at both the press and audience screening. Things are indeed looking very good for the movie.

2 - Never ever count out Robert DuVall and Sissy Spacek (EVER) who are getting very good notices (as is the film) for 'Get Low'. Could it be a late contender.

3 - Surprises keep coming every day.

'Solitary Man' sees Michael Douglas at the best he has been in years and also features 'sit up and notice' performances from Imogen Poots as well as Danny Devito, Susan Sarandon and Olivia Thurlby. How will this translate for end of year Kudos?

"Douglas tosses off every self-serving pronouncement and phony promise with silver-tongued relish without chewing the scenery, in a characterization that fits neatly into the actor's gallery of oily corporate rogues ("Wall Street," "Disclosure") even as it serves as something of an implicit rebuke. Although Douglas appears in every scene, he never overpowers his co-stars, and the script, gratifyingly, doesn't let him monopolize the good lines.
British actress Poots ("28 Weeks Later"), who resembles both Kate Winslet and Scarlett Johansson, is a knockout in every sense, and reps Douglas' most satisfying opponent here, with sterling pros DeVito and Sarandon running a close second. Fischer and Eisenberg movingly embody younger types who, because they see Ben as a father figure, are more susceptible to emotional wounds. Olivia Thirlby shines in a late-breaking role as Cheston's g.f."

Prospects look good.

4- I appear to be right thinking that Clive Owen will be a contender (yet another strong year for actors) as 'The Boys Are Back is getting very very good notices, especially for Owen.

Toronto

One message from the Toronto Film Festival that has come through loud and clear is that there may be a few more “Oscar locks” in terms of nominations and perhaps wins than Mo’Nique for ‘Precious’.

The reviews for ‘Up in the Air’ are so rabidly loved up that one has to wonder what can stop it? The film has hit a nerve with so many who have seen it that, as of now, it appears to be the film to beat.

Sure those are strong words at this early stage, and things could easily change once some of the other contenders get seen (‘The Lovely Bones’, ‘Nine’, ‘Avatar’, ‘Where the Wild Things Are’, ‘Invictus’) however the review from Vareity, Screen International and The Hollywood Reporter are anything to go by we are clearly looking at one of the top ten contenders for Best Picture, one of the five nominees for Best Director and the second lead acting nomination for George Clooney. This buzz is also likely to carry through to the end of the year where it should start racking up a pretty impressive showing in the top ten lists of the year as well as a few critic awards.

What will be interesting is if this film can translate this deafening hype to an Audience win at Toronto (seems likely unless ‘Precious’ sweeps in).
Funny thing about Toronto is that in the past 20 years, the winner of the Audience award has gone on to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar 20% of the time and win the Oscar 10% of the time. However 65% of the winners at Toronto do go on to take part in the Oscar race in some way and in some category so it is a good sign.
In the past ten years this has increased to 80% hence why it is one of the most watched of the early awards.

Then again, things could all go pear shaped late in the game. We could see an in flux of films that were on no-ones radar suddenly taking the critics and awards bodies by storm.

Now that would be cool!

More fest updates.

I know it is Music Tuesday, but it is also festival time.

May it be time to update my predictions already?

I just did them!

Well there are three more films which have emerged from the festival circuit as ones to watch. This, mind you, is all from my constantly reading Variety as my source. I trust the reviewers there, and do think it gives a good jumping off point to further investigate a films merits.

However they have singled out 3 films over the past few hours.

Firstly we have Samuel Maoz’s ‘Lebanon’ which could very easily be a serious foreign film nominee with reviews like this:

“Visceral, torn-from-the-memory filmmaking that packs every punch except one to the heart, "Lebanon" is the boldest and best of the recent mini-wave of Israeli pics ("Beaufort," "Waltz With Bashir") set during conflicts between the two countries. Ironically, writer-director Samuel Maoz's pic, 99.9% of which is set within an Israeli tank, actually has the least to do with Lebanon per se. The story could be set in any tank, any country, any war -- a cinematic Kammerspiel that's as much a formal challenge for its creator as it is a claustrophobic experience for audiences.”

War films do not usually do well with the Academy, unless they are in the foreign category.

Next we have ‘I Am Love’ or ‘Lo sono l’amore’ from Italian helmer Luca Guadagnino. What has interested me most about the reviews for this is that they all single out Tilda Swinton (natuarally):

”Swinton (who first collaborated with Guadagnino in his 1999 debut, "The Protagonists") does more than mechanically master the Russian-inflected Italian dialogue; she brings the full weight of her creative physical force to bear on Emma.”

Could she win the Actress award at Venice? This is possible but Oscar chaces are probably not so likely unless the reviews for her performance become rabid.

Over at Telluride, we have the premier of ‘The Last Station’ which has been one of those films of the season where no one knows if it will ever be released or if it is any good.
It has shown now, and the film is good, if not great, but what it has going for it is two very good lead performances from Christopher Plummer (over due for a nomination from Oscar) and Helen Mirren, which could be enough to get it a late release date:

“in Plummer's seductive, appealingly naturalistic performance, instantly emerges as a real man, not as a self-important legend……There is, impressively, virtually no ham in Plummer's work here, just stature and humanity.”

And for Mirren:

“She's a lusty, mercurial, demonstrative and intelligent woman, a perfect fit for Mirren, who fleshes out those traits and more with judicious abandon.”

These seem the most likely to transfer into Oscar at the moment. I never ever try and guess the foreign film category as they constantly screw it up. If ‘The Last Station’ get distribution, I will put these two in the running.

"The Road" less travelled

Just as I begin to do my predictions, this goes and happens.

Todd McCarthy posted his review of ‘The Road’ today and it is not pretty at all. Perhaps this should have been seen from the beginning with all the release dates changing and the such, or perhaps these things are never predictable.
Anyway McCarthy really doesn't like the film, but this is not the first time he has slagged off something that has gone on to be a Best Picture nominee.

“This "Road" leads nowhere. If you're going to adapt a book like Cormac McCarthy's 2006 bestseller, you're pretty much obliged to make a terrific film or it's not worth doing -- first because expectations are high, and second, because the picture needs to make it worth people's while to sit through something so grim. Except for the physical aspects of this bleak odyssey by a father and son through a post-apocalyptic landscape, this long-delayed production falls dispiritingly short on every front. Showing clear signs of being test-screened and futzed with to death, the Dimension release may receive a measure of respect in some quarters but is very, very far from the film it should have been”

The notices for Mortensen and the other actors also spell trouble ahead come awards season:

“Unfortunately, Mortensen lacks the gravitas to carry the picture; suddenly resembling Gabby Hayes with his whiskers and wayward hair, the actor has no bottom to him, and his interactions with Smit-McPhee, whom one can believe as Theron's son but not Mortensen's, never come alive. Tellingly, both thesps are better in their individual scenes with other actors; Mortensen gets into it with Robert Duvall, who plays an old coot met along the road, while Smit-McPhee registers a degree of rapport with Guy Pearce, practically unrecognizable at first as another wanderer. Generally, the boy's readings are blandly on the nose.”

And so it begins, although not devastating, it does smell trouble and reviews like this will make it that much harder to get nominated……like every year one by one big contenders are picked off leaving the way for films not many people were expecting. I just wonder if there is a 'Slumdog Millionaire' in the bunch?

Sundance Watch – ‘I Love You Philip Morris’

Although this film was on my radar (mainly due to Carrey's and *swoon* Ewan's involvement), the prospects of a gay centred film written by the ‘Bad Santa’ people filled me with dread.

I figured we would be getting another ‘laugh at the gays’ movie.

Apparently I may be a little wrong.

John Anderson from Variety has this to say:

“Less of a comedy than a hilarious tragedy, "I Love You Phillip Morris" stars Jim Carrey in his most complicated comedic role since "The Cable Guy" and as a character so criminal and gay it will leave auds both laughing and stunned. The rawness of the script by helmers Glenn Ficarra and John Requa and sexual bluntness of Carrey and Ewan McGregor's onscreen romance could limit the film's exposure, but curiosity about Carrey's "conversion" will be a big draw. And no one can say that all involved weren't swinging for the fences.”

So now I am VERY curious as I really like Carrey as an actor and I love Ewan….oh my Ewan I do love you.

And it is about time we had some sexual bluntness….you would think people were a bunch of nuns.

How big will this be though? I can smell a Golden Globe for Carrey, but what will the overall critical response be?

Oscar Prospects:
Best Screenplay

Mini Review – ‘Slumdog Millionaire’

Not so much a review as a very brief summary.

What could have been a typical triumph over adversary movie is greatly helped by a non explanative direction, stunningly vibrant cinematography and a smart un-sappy screenplay.

This is the film that has been sweeping the precursor awards this season and currently looks like the picture to beat come Oscar time, and with good reason. IT is one of the most uplifting films to garner this much critical praise since, well, ‘Little Miss Sunshine’, but this is not a comedy.

Dev Patel makes an impressive (not necessarily 'Oscar' impressive) debut as the older hero, as is Anil Kapoor as the game show host, but it is the kids in the pic that really shine (and Iffran Khan - but doesn't he always)

This is the story of how love and honesty can drive you to do great things, no matter who you are.

For me, this film did not blow me away, but I can understand how the critics have gone gaga over this. In a year of dark dark film making, this is a beacon of hope and reminds us of all things good and pure while not shying away from life's seedy underbelly
Grade: B

A Shadow of a 'Doubt'

The first review is in.

Todd McCarthy at Variety has reviewed the movie and things are not quiet as expected they would be (athough the trailer did lay some Doubts with me.)

Firstly we now know Viola Davis is most likely on her way to a nomination. He says of her performance:

"...and Davis’ performance is devastatingly great as a troubled mother forced to voice her own uncomfortable views about her lonely, ostracized son. The scene as a whole constitutes a 12-minute emotional demolition job."

He is then less ecstatic about Hoffman:

"Hoffman’s performance is ambiguous enough to make the viewer continue to wonder about Father Flynn and, crucially, to fear Sister Aloysius might actually be right. Thesp is particularly effective in his sermons, delivering his thoughtful remarks with a clarity and intellectual pertinence that many pastors might envy."

He says about Amy Adams, what everyone who has seen the play has said, that the character is not a real winner when it comes to awards season accolades:

"Adams does all anyone could with the role of a nice young nun who must cope with the monster she unintentionally lets out of the box."

Now when I saw the trailer I was a little taken aback with Streeps performance. I wasn't sure if it was supposed to be so comical but figured it was edited that way in the trailer to get the punters in. McCarthy goes on to basically let me know my initial thoughts were correct:

"The film’s one iffy element, oddly enough, is Streep. This master screen actor, who applies a slight New Yawk accent to her phrasings, takes the vocal low road here as opposed to the more forceful approach of Cherry Jones in her riveting Broadway turn. By ostensibly underplaying the role’s villainy, however, Streep overdoes the melodrama, thereby turning Sister Aloysius into more of a stock figure than she ultimately seemed onstage. Every little tic, gesture and facial mannerism seems maximized by the effort expended to minimalize them, to diminished returns in the cause of creating a three-dimensional character. While the dramatic scenes still register with notable force, it’s a disconcerting, unsatisfying performance from a thesp who most of the time rings true."

Can she still get the nomination?

The Milky Way

Well it is official.

Sean Penn will be nominated for 'Milk'. We could all tell this from the trailer, but the review in Variety confirms this. Todd McCarthy praises the film and the supporting players but lets us know as plainly as he can that this is Penn's movie. What I found to be the most interesting part of the review is when he says this:

"The explosive anger and fury often summoned by Penn in his work is nowhere to be seen, replaced by a geniality that is as welcome as it is unexpected."

It will be notices like this that will ensure him a nomination. When established actors surprise, they are usually rewarded.

Can he win the movie? Well that is still yet to be seen. Sure he plays gay, but gay in a bio pic and that didn't hurt Philip Seymour Hoffman.

However in saying this, Hoffman was completely sexless in the film, but Penn will not be.
Oscar may be ready to reward portrayals of sexless gay men and women, but not portrayals of gay sex (see 'Brokeback Mountain').

Promises Broken

Yo Yo Yiggady Yo, here I am doing something I promised myself I wouldn't. I am going to talk about 'Quantum of Solace' although very briefly.

The BBC has posted an almost rave for the film (you know us Brits...never get too excited, especially the beeb).
They call the film bleaker, better, badder but not bigger. Whatever the hell that means.

I am not a Bond fan. I did not like 'Casino Royal' aside from naked Daniel Craig. And I do not care to see this. However what I found interesting is that another review, completely slandering the film has come out also.
How I love a great divide.

"The Changeling" is RAVED @ Cannes

Or is it "The Exchange"? I am confused. The former reminds me of the 80's ghost story (If I ever see that wheelchair I will run a mile) and the latter sounds like a drug runner movie. I think I prefer the former.

This is good news for Angelina who is getting career best notices for her lead role. She was wrongly left off the shortlist in 2007 and this should rectify that. Clint Eastwood is looking to gain his 2 millionth Oscar nod.

The man is gold for his actors though. Since "Unforgiven" he has knocked up seven nominations for his actors.
In fact two of those film managed to get three noms each ("Million Dollar Baby" and "Mystic River") so Jolie and possibly others will benefit come year end.

Check out the reviews here

Review - Madonna "Hard Candy"

So after much trepidation I have finally listened to and absorbed the new Madonna confection “Hard Candy”, her last album with Warner Music.

I have been vocal about my fears with this new album.
Ever since it was announced that she would be working with Timberland and Timberlake I was frightened, not because they are not talented, but because they are so over saturated on the radio that their sound merges into one big noise.

This is not the first time Madonna has r-n-b'ed herself. 1992's album 'Bedtime Stories' attempted to mix soul, r-n-b with electronica to mixed success. In fact when she first started, the music industry thought she was a black singer, for at the time no white female artists were making that type of music. So those who say she is jumping on a band wagon, do your history...she basically drives the band wagon.

However this is the first time she has teamed up with known, commercially big, hit makers. These boys are sure-fire hits makers whose sound, shall I say, is getting tiresome. So yes, I was scared.

This fear came close to being realized once the lead single “4 Minutes” was revealed. My initial reaction was “eh?” but it has grown on me….finding new life in the Junkie XL Remix.

Reviewing this is slightly bittersweet as it is uneven and only glimpses of Madonna shine through.

As I said this is her last record with the label she has been signed to for 25 years plus, and I see why she made the decisions on this album that she has. It may not hit the creative heights of “Music”, “Ray of Light” or even “Confessions on a Dancefloor” but it has radio air-play written all over it.

The opening track is the Neptunes produced “Candy Shop”. Many ageist people out there will gag at the thought of a nearly 50 year old singing about her ‘Turkish delight’ but I say, all the more power to you. It is a shame the track is not all that inspired. The minimalistic funk beats, the bleeps and back ground rapping all come off as just a little bit boring, as though you are listening to dance music while coming off your sleeping pill.

“4 Minutes” is the track that has given Madonna her 13th UK number 1.
A lot of the success has to be given to Justin Timberlake as he almost has more vocal time that Madge. The beat is pure apocalyptic marching band and lyrics are sing-a-long catchy “If you want it, you’ve already got it” (what ever that means….I want to be a millionaire….however I just checked my bank statement and I am poor poor poor!) however, for all its over production and energy, the track seems weak, especially for a lead of single from a Madonna album. Then again this single was made to simply right US chart wrongs…and it has succeeded so fair play M!
Things improve completely with “Give It 2 Me”. Wow!!! This is the Madonna I love! She has gone all the way back to Holiday with this but revved it up to 400 mph. This is some of the best work Pharrell has done with another artist and this will be huge over in Europe…may be too dance orientated for the U.S.. This is the song you will remember from the album, and the producers she hires for remix duties are going to have a ball zooping this one up!

Some pre-reviews have said “Heartbeat” is the albums big ole dance number. I disgree. This is a total album track, and not a strong one. The song reminds me of her “Forbidden Love” off ‘Confessions’ with added urban beats, but the vocal work is uninspired and phoned in. It seems almost like a yawn and the song just does not go anywhere. It seems to be designed so you can push your fast forward button.
“Miles Away” introduces us to marriage counselling a la Madonna. Things are not good when your relationship only works while you are miles away from each other. “I guess we’re at our best when we’re miles away” she sings over a slowed down guitar driven urban groove. This over all effect is a feeling of melancholy and sadness. The biggest flaw has to be the opening line of “I just woke up from a fuzzy dream” …..Oh come back Patrick Leonard!!!!!!

“She's Not Me” sounds like “Thief of Hearts” reworked by Nile Rogers. It features bitchy lyrics directed at her man who has taken up with a new woman, and features a pure funk 70’s disco beat complete with hand claps and whistles.
Toot Toot, Beep Beep.
Not a standout track, but a fun catchy Madonna pop moment that strangely turns into a ‘Confessions’ track at the four in a half minute mark.

A stuttering beat, hand claps, electric guitar, key boards, and the sunniest vocals Madonna as produced since “Cherish” make up the craziness that is “Incredible”. This is the song that people have already hated. It actually ends up being one of the albums standouts. It is sweet in a skipping-down-the-street sort of way until it suddenly breaks into an electric guitar riff and ole M begins to shout “I need to go back there before it’s too late”, then it goes back to the skippy happy mode then it goes all dance floor with lots of “ooohs”, strings, hyperactive synths and the lady singing about “missing my best friend”. It is the musical equivalent of a relationship with a manic depressive, and oddly it works.


“The Beat Goes On” is the next track, and boy does it. It is a vast improvement of the leaked demo, and turns out to be one of the albums higher point. However the disco base line does not go anywhere and Kanye West offers nothing. The same could be said for “Dance 2night” which features one of the most funky soul beats Madonna has ever dared to put her name to. The vocals are sexy yet oddly cold. Justin duets on this as well but doesn’t add much. This is the only track that sounds like it should have been included on “Bedtime Stories” and possibly sounded all the better for it. Although the production is top notch, this just seems totally un-Madonna.
The less said about “Spanish Lessons” the better. It sounds like filler album music for Shakira. The woman is actually teaching us Spanish over a stuttering Spanish guitar driven beat. “Entiendo means I get it”. Thank you Madonna…..I will stick to Linguaphone. It sounds like having a migraine while riding a bull. This is not even b-side fodder.

Things improve with the end two tracks of the album. “The Devil Wouldn’t Recognise You” sounds musically like Timberlakes own “Cry Me a River” complete with thunder and rain. This is as close to a ballad as the album will allow.
“Over and over you’re pushing me onto the floor and I keep coming back for more” she sings over sad synths and hypnotizing bleeps and tweeks.

The album closer is how I like Madonna. Slightly deep and experimental. “Voices” features great orchestration, with philosophical musings over a driving beat that sounds like Massive Attack meets Twin Peaks. “Are you walking the dog cause the dog isn’t you? Are out of control? Is the dog walking you?” she muses before the track ends with dramatic orchestration and a repeated clanging bell of doom.

Overall the album is highly more successful that I was expecting. She throws some risks into the project, but it majority of the album is radio friendly with a glossy urban sheen.
I was hoping for something with depth and fresh sounding, but that would not allow Madonna to do what she wanted to. She wants to give her record company one last hit. She wants her 25 years with Warner to go out with a bang.
This is her thank you to a company that have stood by her and supported her through her ups and downs.
One could say this is her most selfless album.
Before the Live Earth deal the album was going to be over produced by Stuart Price, and would be marketed as “Confessions 2”, but that gave way to the opportunity to present Warner with a bonafide US hit. An album whose singles would actually be played on the radio and branch out to a bigger audience.
According to pre sales and the results of the first single, she has done just that.

In a nut shell this is not Madonna at her creative best, but ironically, by going with the flow and playing it safe she may have one of her biggest commercial hits. Coming 25 years into an amazing career, you can cut her some slack.


Over all grade: B-

Stand out tracks: "Give it 2 Me", "Incredible", "Voices"

Movies see and reviewed in 2007

A- 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
A- Atonement
A- Ratatouille
A- No Country for Old Men
A - A Mighty Heart
A- The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
A - There Will Be Blood
A- Into the Wild
A- Zodiac
A- Persepolis
A- Hairspray
A- Once
A- Michael Clayton
B+ Juno
B+ The Namesake
B The Savages
B 3:10 to Yuma
B The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
B Eastern Promises
B I'm Not There
B- Jindabyne
B- Away From Her
B- Hot Fuzz
B- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
B- 30 Days of Night
B- Control
B- Transformers
B- Enchanted
C+ I Am Legend
C+ American Gangster
C+ The Simpsons Movie
C Charlie Wilson's War
C Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
C Across the Universe
C Elizabeth: The Golden Age
C- La Vie En Rose
C- Gone, Baby Gone