A Baz Luhrmann travel commercial for Australia called “Come Walkabout” starring Brandon Walters. The spots aired last year but I never saw one until I did on a plane this afternoon. My first reaction (when I realized it was a commercial), was that it was a shame to see the single best part of Luhrmann’s indigestible film “Australia” relegated to this. But I guess with Luhrmann behind things, that makes it kind of okay.
Anyway, this is SO 2008, but here:
I was tickled by — and completely related to — this piece by Cinematical’s Elisabeth Rappe in which she expounds the joys of embarrassing bargain-bin DVDs.
You know, the movies you know you shouldn’t own (and in some cases, don’t even like that much) but can’t resist picking up when you’re in the store and spy a mark-down sale sticker slapped on the cover. The ones you bury at the back of your bookshelf lest your cineaste friends see that you actually spent money on “13 Going on 30.” (Yeah, I did … and a well-spent pound it was too. Anyway, “Legally Blonde” needed company.)
Here’s Rappe on her latest red-faced purchase:
This week’s guilty grab was Australia, a film I was very disappointed in, and planned never to see again unless I stumbled on it while flipping through cable channels. But there it was on half.com, “watched once, brand new” for $5.00 … It’s really the perfect movie for knitting to, because I can just concentrate on turning my sock heel, and look at the pretty cinematography.
My DVD shelf is chock full of such films. Kate and Leopold, The Long Kiss Goodnight (worth far more than whatever I paid), my entire Mel Gibson collection, Marie Antoinette, The Wedding Singer, and so on. The list is long and not very illustrious (Vanishing Point remake, anyone?), but at least I can say I didn’t go out of my way for most of them.
The folks at notstarring.com have put together a list of the year’s Oscar contenders and the stars who turned down opportunities to star in them. There is, of course, Nicolas Cage in “The Wrestler” and Russell Crowe in “Australia.” Heath Ledger is also mentioned for the latter (somehow I didn’t know that).
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” given its lengthy gestation period in Hollywood, had a slew of names attached: Steven Spielberg, Spike Jonze and Ron Howard in the director’s chair, Tom Cruise, John Travolta and Rachel Weisz in front of the camera.
Those of us who follow Batman casting decisions closely know all the names that pop up in the “Dark Knight” section, though somehow I never realized Linus Roache was going to reprise his role of Thomas Wayne in flashbacks. I feel like that would have worked and been a nice element to tie the film more closely to “Batman Begins.”
There are plenty others to read through, including Matt Damon and Chris Evans being considered for the roles that eventually went to Josh Brolin and James Franco respectively in “Milk.” There’s even a beefy section on “Wanted.” Go have a look.
Five months of Tech Support reach their climax on Thursday morning.
This Canuck is, like the rest of the world, celebrating a new American President today. The fact remains, however, that a new set of Oscar nominees will greet us tomorrow and I can’t help but share my final thoughts on the categories.
This is the first part of my review, including the categories of best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing and best Makeup. We’ll chart the final five fields later today, so be sure to check back.
Best Art Direction
Starting with the most difficult category, there is only one film I would give the title “lock,” and it’s “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” I’d be stunned if Donald Graham Burt’s exquisite sets failed to make the cut.
I suspect that Michael Corenblith is a solid bet for his detailed and realistic sets for “Frost/Nixon.” If “American Gangster” could get in last year, I would surprised if Corenblith did not score, especially considering his past success when working with Howard. James Murakami also seems a solid bet for “Changeling” for what were detailed and memorable designs of 1920s Los Angeles. His guild and BAFTA nominations suggest people remember the work.
Back in December, Kris offered his take on how he would fill out his nominee ballot if he were an Academy member (affording himself the luxury, obviously, of voting in all categories). Of course, playing voter is a popular sport in the blog world, with Nathaniel Rogers’ annual Film Bitch Awards as thorough and intelligent a rundown as you could ask for. Would that the Academy displayed such passion and imagination in their choices.
For my part, finalising my predictions was a dispiriting procedure, as I realized the range and depth of work that will inevitably go unrecognized as the AMPAS gravitates towards the favoured and the familiar. And so it is that, as the nominations loom over us, I decided to chalk up my own ballot, acknowledging those who I feel most deserve to hear names called on Thursday morning, whether or they’re deemed possible — or even eligible.
Today’s post focuses on the technical categories; tomorrow’s will run through the main ones. (Before I begin, let me add the caveat that, much to my chagrin, I haven’t yet seen “Let the Right One In.”)
Best Cinematography
Wally Pfister, “The Dark Knight”
Sean Bobbitt, “Hunger”
Luca Bigazzi, “Il Divo”
Darius Khondji, “My Blueberry Nights”
Maryse Alberti, “The Wrestler”
After last year’s banner year for the art of cinematography, this was a year of subtler accomplishments in the field. I must admit that much of the year’s most celebrated work in the field didn’t particularly dazzle me, with several revered names only working at (or below) par. Pfister’s muscular, burnished lensing of “The Dark Knight,” however, did not disappoint, while Bigazzi’s hyper-stylised work on “Il Divo” was no less kinetic.
In something of a breakthrough year for female DPs, Alberti effortlessly captured the rhythms of human movement, while Khondji conjured up the year’s dreamiest palette for Wong Kar-Wai’s otherwise muddled “My Blueberry Nights.” The year’s crowning achievement, however, came from Sean Bobbitt, whose breathtaking compositions for “Hunger” took equal inspiration from the art gallery and the newsroom. Just missing the cut were “The Fall,” “Gomorrah” and “The Good, The Bad, The Weird.”
The five contenders for the 2009 Cinema Audio Society (CAS) Awards are:
“The Dark Knight”
“Iron Man”
“Quantum of Solace”
“Slumdog Millionaire”
“WALL-E”
So this is the second “Defiance” snub that has surprised me so far, following Eduardo Serra coming up short with the lensers earlier today.
“The Dark Knight,” “Iron Man” and especially “WALL-E” were certainly expected, but the show of support for “Slumdog Millionaire” indicates the deep industry love this film has going for it. I wouldn’t necessarily expect this to translate to a Best Sound Oscar nomination, given the fates of films like “Finding Neverland,” “Crash,” “Babel” and “Into the Wild,” Best Picture frontrunners that scored with CAS but missed with AMPAS (though “Wild” is something of an anomaly there).
Then again, “Slumdog” is a much more craftily conceived piece of filmmaking than those efforts. I thought the sound was amazing, personally. So perhaps this could be the first year since 2003 that the guild matches the Academy’s picks 5/5.
The inclusion of “Quantum of Solace” is particularly interesting, though. “Casino Royale” had a solid showing in the 2006 guild circuit, scoring with the art directors, costume designers, sound editors and even the visual effects artists. But the mixers in the CAS gave it the cold shoulder where a lot of us thought the film had its best shot. That the Society would tip its hat to the sequel is somewhat telling, I’d say.
With that in mind, I’d be tempted to predict this quintet for Oscar as well. The only Edward Zwick movie to miss a CAS nomination and turn up in the Academy’s tally was “Legends of the Fall” in 1994. So there is still hope for mixing legends (and branch favorites) Anna Behlmer and Andy Nelson. But the duo also have two other contenders in play: “Australia” and “Cloverfield,” which might be leaving their colleagues with too many choices.
There are a number of other possible surprise nominees in the mix, all of them featuring respected sound mixing talent. Add to the aforementioned “Australia,” “Defiance” and “Cloverfield” (my pick for the best work here in 2008) “Body of Lies” and “Valkyrie,” and you’re still looking at a number of possibilities. And let’s not forget another Best Picture frontrunner, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” strong in this arena in a number of sequences. But I would have expected a mention here if it was in the cards for Oscar.
Like I said, this is a smart list to bet on, with “Defiance” as the spoiler.
Last month, the Academy whittled the contenders for Best Visual Effects down to 15 hopefuls. Today, the branch has chipped away at it further.
And then there were seven:
“Australia”
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“The Dark Knight”
“Hellboy II: The Golden Army”
“Iron Man”
“Journey to the Center of the Earth”
“The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor”
And from the press release:
On Thursday, January 15, all members of the Academy’s Visual Effects Branch will be invited to view 15-minute excerpts from each of the seven shortlisted films. Following the screenings, the members will vote to nominate three films for final Oscar consideration.
The most surprising omissions are probably “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” and “The Incredible Hulk.” Maybe “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” if you want to go there, but I don’t. I can’t believe it made the list of 15, frankly. And after watching “Hancock” again over the holiday, as well as the visual effects featurette, I was beginning to think it might have a decent shot. But my guess is that we’re still looking at “Button” and “Iron Man” as sure bets with “The Dark Knight” likely filling in the third and final slot.
Then again, this show of love for “Hellboy II” could translate to somewhat unexpected nominations both here and in the makeup field. And I feel like “Journey to the Center of the Earth” has more stroke with this group than many are assuming.
It’s a lovely thing when you realize, at least part of the way through adulthood, that we still possess the ability to surprise ourselves. When left to graze at leisure, the mind can stumble upon some unexpected notions, frequently overriding the conclusions we thought we had reached after twelve months of watching, writing and (occasionally over-) thinking. And more often than not, it knows best.
This is what I discovered when I sat myself down on a poolside lounger in the remote hills of Portugal’s Algarve region and set about finalizing this list, which had been eating away at me for the better part of the last six weeks. After various tortured drafts drawn from my scrappy 2008 diaries, notebooks and In Contention entries — none of which looked sufficiently reflective or, frankly, right to me — I decided to dispense with notes entirely and start from scratch, using my memory as my sole resource.
And so it was that when I asked myself, “What’s the best film you saw in 2008,” the answer that came was not only amazingly swift, immediately satisfying and ultimately inarguable, but it was not the answer I expected to receive. Of course, I knew the film would crop up somewhere prominent in the list — the mind is a filter, after all, not a magician’s hat — but it was one of several films this year (and indeed, on this list) that I would call “growers.” You see them, you like them, but it takes a few weeks, months even, of rumination and interpretation before you realize just how much you love them.
It’s something that should be borne in mind when it comes to awards voting, which work on a “survival of the fittest” basis: some films simply take longer than others to make a collective (or selective) impact. This may rule them out of competition time frames, but it doesn’t make them lesser achievements. Similarly, certain films that seem like huge, important deals at the time can leave us scratching our heads when removed from the flurry of the season. In a perfect world, Oscar voting would take place a year or two (or 10) after the release of the year-end glut — but it was ever thus.
One perception of mine that hasn’t changed through the compilation of this list, however, is that it’s been a year of bijou pleasures. As one talked-up Hollywood title after the other disappointed, dissipated or dared to be merely “good,” the films left standing for me were mostly on the intimate side: small but beautifully formed works bound by character rather than concept, often asking penetrating questions about society, family and the nature of the individual. As the Americans, by and large, treaded water, European cinema soared, with France enjoying a particularly golden streak — the likes of which we haven’t seen in well over a decade.
I may have complained often in these pages that it’s been a “bad year” for film, but as I look down the list of 20 titles that I finally arrived at, covering as it does a pretty rich variety of moods and forms, it now seems graceless to say so. When Hollywood flickers, different voices emerge, and for that we should be grateful. Perhaps it hasn’t been a bad year…just a smaller one.
• Anita Singh looks at the upcoming year of the dog for British movie-goers, including “Beverly Hills Chihuahua,” “Bolt,” “Marley and Me” and “Wendy and Lucy.” [Daily Telegraph]
• “A Christmas Tale” tops Andrew O’Hehir’s list of the 10 best indie films of 2008. [Beyond the Multiplex]
• Jonathan Miles talks to newly minted Oscar host Hugh Jackman about “Australia” down under in Sydney. [The Times]
• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” screenwriter Eric Roth sues his investment manager for “losing a bundle” in businessman Bernie Madoff’s ill-fated Ponzi scheme. [New York Daily News]
• Speaking of “Button,” Brad Brevet takes a deeper look at two negative assessments of the film. [Rope of Silicon]
• James Rocchi chats with “Reader” director Stephen Daldry. [Cinematical]
• Scarlett Johansson: the reluctant sex symbol. [The Times]
• Susan King chats with Zoe Kazan about her role in “Revolutionary Road.” [Los Angeles Times]
• The “Seven Pounds” dogpile continues. [/Film]
• Ditto Baz Luhrmann and “Australia.” [Hollywood Elsewhere]
• Regarding Luhrmann, Peter Bart warns the director away from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gasby.” [Peter Bart]
• David Gritten talks to Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy about critics’ favorite “Slumdog Millionaire.” [Daily Telegraph]
• Donna Freydkin spends some time with Marisa Tomei, makes this site’s editor insanely jealous. [USA Today]
• Reed Tucker looks into Brad Pitt’s love affair…with David Fincher. [New York Post]
• Mark Olsen spends some time with the Laurent Cantet regarding French Oscar entrant “The Class.” [Los Angeles Times]
• On the “disturbing tendency” to portray Nazis in a sympathetic light on the big screen as of late. [The Times]
• The Gurus settle on a predicted five that seems to be becoming “the knowledge.” [Movie City News]
• David Poland, meanwhile, takes the opportunity to spotlight 10 under-the-radar contenders. [Movie City News]
• Always eager for a “look, we said something about it first” story, Steve Weintraub calls an exclusive (seriously, we need to define this term already) on a story Eric Roth has been talking about here and there for a while now…his desire to pen a space film, among other scripts the writer is working on, all reported elsewhere long ago. Can’t wait to read about the bitching once Variety breaks the ACTUAL story when (and if) it comes to pass. (Sorry, got carried away there.) [Collider]
• Getting back on track, Tom O’Neill chats it up with Penelope Cruz. [Gold Derby]
• Erica Abeel sits down with “Reader” director Stephen Daldry. [indieWIRE]
• Having already released, “Australia” still isn’t finished? Wait…what? [The Independent]
• Do the European Film Awards matter? [The Guardian]
• Anita Chabria catches up with the female cinematographers story. [The Envelope]
• Patrick Goldstein reports on the inner strife of yesterday’s LAFCA vote. Apparently “Slumdog Millionaire” was “a close third in the best picture race.” [The Big Picture]
• The most vanilla Oscar preview yet. [Associated Press]
• 12 rules of Christmas movies. [New York Daily News]
• Anthony Breznican profiles Ron Howard’s career behind the camera. [USA Today]
• Anne Thompson reports from the Monday night premiere of “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” with some video to boot. [Thompson on Hollywood]
I’m reaching that sweet spot of the Oscar season. That moment right on the cusp of major precursor announcements when critics and audiences begin to join a conversation that’s been talked in circles by us pundits for a few months. The vacuum is slipping away and the clarity of perspective shines through.
Yeah, I can admit it. When it’s one or two guys out in front of Oscar contenders, bandying about their potential, it’s really just hot air until we come to this point of the year. I gave up the idea of “formula” long ago, even if there are a precious few who still cling to that “analyst” role as something of substance. It’s not, really, and we’re reminded of that each and every December.
That having been said, I certainly couldn’t sit here and tell you the announcements of the National Board of Review, the scattered critical kudos and a few top 10 lists have drastically altered the game. And when the Los Angeles and New York critics chime in later this week, I don’t anticipate much in the way of a revelation then either. It’s just the way this year has turned out, leaving me wondering what more I can say in this space as we wind the year down. So I thought I’d turn to the words of those of us who’ve been in the game longer than the rest, before the Oscar season became such an industry and when many of us had less of a clue than we do now, but paradoxically, had the perspective of removed innocence to show the way.
• Lou Lumenick runs down his 10-best list… [Lumenick on Film]
• …and calls “Mamma Mia!” the guilty pleasure of the year. [Lumenick on Film]
• Peter Sciretta gets a juicy tid-bit on the “Forrest Gump” sequel “Gump & Co.” from screenwriter Eric Roth: 9/11 killed the idea and all the principles decided it wasn’t relevant anymore. Interesting. [/Film]
• Christopher Nolan elaborates on his four favorite scenes from “The Dark Knight.” [USA Today]
• Anne Thompson goes deep on why “Australia” misses the mark. [Thompson on Hollywood]
• Mick Brown sits down with “Doubt” star Meryl Streep. [Daily Telegraph]
• As the ship sinks around him, Gregg Kilday reports on the box office muscle of this weekend’s Oscar contenders. [Hollywood Reporter]
• Ariel Kaminer tracks the road to the big screen for Bernhard Schlink’s “The Reader.” [New York Times]
• Eleanor Clift talks the parallels of “Frost/Nixon” to the current administration, parallels writer Peter Morgan certainly didn’t have in mind. [Newsweek]
• A refreshing list of the year’s superlatives. [New York Magazine]
• John Patterson on the legacy of Harvey Milk. [The Guardian]
• Robert Abele talks to “Frost/Nixon” star Michael Sheen. [Los Angeles Times]
• Rebeca Hall, meanwhile, discusses her involvement in the film with Jenni Miller. [Premiere]
• Peter Knegt chats with visionary “Hunger” director Steve McQueen. [indieWIRE]
• John Anderson profiles animation legend Bill Plympton. [New York Times]
• Jean Oppenheimer on the hopeful rise of recognized female directing talent. [Variety]
• As “Australia” leaps into the marketplace, Kevin Maher offers a how-to for making romantic epics. [The Times]
• David Carr gets some in-house, on-the-record defense for what has been considered an unfair Mickey Rourke profile in some quarters. [The Carpetbagger]
• Karina Longworth runs down the most disappointing films of the year. [Spout Blog]
• Anne Thompson files briefly regarding last week’s “Dark Knight” soiree. [Thompson on Hollywood]
• Jeff Wells, meanwhile, is hearing murmurs of a surge for the film among AMPAS ranks. [Hollywood Elsewhere]
• Peter Bart on the off-screen serendipity of “Slumdog Millionaire.” [Peter Bart]
Slim pickings today, but then what did you expect? Think of this as your leftover turkey sandwich.
• The estimable Michael Wilmington goes to bat for “Australia” in a big way. [Movie City News]
• Meryl Streep discusses her “career renaissance.” Uh, when did her career ever fade? [Los Angeles Times]
• Simon Hattenstone talks to Benicio Del Toro, concludes he’s “Hollywood’s finest mumbler since Brando.” [The Guardian]
• Here’s a refreshingly un-PC list: the top 10 movies (and TV series) that made us want to smoke. [Premiere]
• Jeff Wells looks into the mysterious disappearance of Sean Penn from Wayne Kramer’s “Crossing Over.” [Hollywood Elsewhere]
• David Poland chats to two extraordinary ladies: Michelle Williams and Kristin Scott Thomas. Our interview with the latter will appear next week, by the way. [The Hot Blog]
• John Campea digs into that old chestnut — the iffy movie careers of the “Friends” cast — but curiously fails to mention “The Opposite of Sex” or “The Good Girl.” C’mon, credit where it’s due. [The Movie Blog]
• Well, at least “In Bruges” has won something. [Irish Times]
• David Poland is still in two minds about “Benjamin Button,” but agrees with Kris that “Slumdog” is the one to beat. [The Hot Blog]
• Kim Voynar, meanwhile, surveys the Best Picture contenders, and is as confused as the rest of us. Interesting point about the potential impact of current events on “Slumdog,” though. [Movie City News]
• One Richard on another: with the adaptation of “Revolutionary Road” looming large, Richard Price offers his impressions of Yates. [The Guardian]
• William Friedkin on the shifting makeup of the movie cop. [The Guardian]
• Under the threat of the actors’ strike, Screen International calls for a meeting of minds. [Screen Daily]
• Amid the mixed reactions to “Australia,” Susan King concludes that we still need the epic. [Los Angeles Times]
• Al Pacino pips Dakota Fanning for the top gong in Lou Lumenick’s holiday-appropriate Turkey of the Year awards. [New York Post]
• And, keeping it seasonal, a selection of notable DVD releases, in time for your Christmas wishlist. [New York Times]
• Jeff Wells is beside himself because Oscar prognosticators understand “Che” has a snowball’s chance in hell at a best Picture nomination. [Hollywood Elsewhere]
• Noah Forrest podcasts “Changeling” screenwriter J. Michael Straczynski. [Movie City News]
• Anne Thompson gets the “Australia” goods from Hugh Jackman. [Thompson on Hollywood]
• Tom O’Neil, meanwhile, wonders if pundits are underestimating the film…nah. [Gold Derby]
• The economy takes a bite out of one of the season’s biggest Oscar bashes. [Vanity Fair]
• Pete Hammond is a party pooper, makes sure we all understand a SAG strike could put a damper on the season. [Notes on a Season]
• Nathaniel Rogers talks to “Rachel Getting Married” gals Rosemarie DeWitt and Jenny Lumet. [The Film Experience]
• Peter Bart joins my Brandon Walters bandwagon, says director Baz Luhrmann has created a star. [Peter Bart]
• Kevin Kelly talks to “WALL-E” and “Star Wars” sound whiz Ben Burtt. [Spout Blog]
• Patrick Goldstein digs into the emotional chill factor of “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” [The Big Picture]
• A Harvey Milk Cliff’s Notes for your “Milk” screening preparations. [USA Today]