In Contention

Tag: In the Loop

  • Michael Moore on ‘Hurt Locker’ politics

    Michael MooreOne of the most common lines (usually used in praise) on our newly-crowned Best Picture winner is that it’s deliberately apolitical, taking no sides in the Iraq conflict as it aims simply to present the soldier’s experience on the ground. Kathryn Bigelow herself dismissed that as something of a misconception in a recent interview with Steve Pond:

    I guess my feeling is that graphic portrayals of innocent children killed by bombs, and soldiers incapable of surviving catastrophic explosions … I think that’s pretty clear. And then also, to add to that, the movie opens with a quote, “The rush to battle is often a potent and lethal addiction, for war is a drug.” So it’s definitely taking a very specific position.

    Blogging last night on the Oscar race, Michael Moore says much the same thing — less tacitly, of course, than Bigelow:

    The truth is “The Hurt Locker” is very political. It says the war is stupid and senseless and insane. It makes us consider why we have an army where people actually volunteer to do this. That’s why the right wing has attacked the movie. They’re not stupid — they know what Kathryn Bigelow is up to. No one leaves this movie thinking, “Whoopee! Let’s keep these wars going another 7 years!”

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  • Ranking the categories

    The Hurt LockerAh, Oscar lists — the gift that keeps giving. I’m not going to ape Kris’s impressive ranking of all the nominated features: we’d have the same #1, for starters, and we’re agreeing on far too many things these days. So here’s something else to play with.

    I’ve had a number of emails asking me how I would rank the 10 Best Picture nominees, were I filling out the preferential ballot. I was happy to oblige, but then went a little crazy and applied the same process to all the other races. Hey, Oscar day comes but once a year: get your geek on. With that, my personal Oscar ballot, in full preferential order:

    Best Picture
    1. “The Hurt Locker”
    2. “A Serious Man”
    3. “An Education”
    4. “District 9”
    5. “Inglourious Basterds”
    6. “Up in the Air”
    7. “The Blind Side”
    8. “Up”
    9. “Avatar”
    10. “Precious”

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  • OSCAR GUIDE: Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

    Peter Capaldi in In the LoopIn most cases, the adapted screenplay category of a given Oscar race is packed with Best Picture nominees or contenders. This year, however, there was a nice balance of adapted and original screenplays in the Best Picture category, and in fact, of the “top five” films that trickled down throughout the season, three were original and two were adapted, a rarity.

    Regarding the adaptations, things seemed to firm up for a while, but with the various WGA ineligibilities, one couldn’t shake the feeling that a surprise was in the works. At the end of the day, Scott Cooper’s run on “Crazy Heart” came to an unfortunate end, while a fan-fave British comedy found support.

    The nominees are:

    “District 9” (Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell)
    “An Education” (Nick Hornby)
    “In the Loop” (Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche)
    “Precious” (Geoffrey Fletcher)
    “Up in the Air” (Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner)

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  • WEEKLY WRAP: ‘Hurt Locker’ BAFTA sweep, minor fracas

    Best Actress winner Carey Mulligan at the 2009 BAFTA Awards• “The Hurt Locker” continued its cruise through the precursors, taking six awards at the BAFTAS.

    • The pile of guild awards grew as the writers, costume designers and sound editors all picked their winners.

    • In our ongoing Oscar Guide series, we broke down the lead actress, documentary feature, documentary short, original score and original song races.

    • Off the Carpet took stock of a quiet season, mainly just counting down the days.

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  • INTERVIEW: Armando Iannucci

    Armando IannucciHe may currently be basking in the glow of a surprise Oscar nomination, but when I call him up at his London home, “In the Loop” writer-director Armando Iannucci is boasting about another achievement entirely.

    “Our family dog just gave birth to three puppies this afternoon,” he audibly beams, our opening pleasantries barely cooled. “They’re cavoodles, a poodle-spaniel hybrid. You know the Hairy Maclary books?” As a matter of fact, I do, though he’s too excited to wait for a response. “They look just like Hairy Maclary. They’re lovely.”

    As I extend my congratulations to the proud mother – on top of those to Iannucci himself – it occurs to me that the topic of hybrid puppies is as appropriate a place as any to start a conversation with this nimble giant of British TV comedy, a man whose writing trades in everyday absurdities and non-sequiturs, whether in the dead-end Norwich media scene (“I’m Alan Partridge”) or the considerably more high-powered world of Downing Street politics (“The Thick of It”).

    It is, of course, the latter – a scabrous satire of the alternately petty and ruthless antics of British government spin doctors – that provides the jumping-off point for Iannucci’s first feature film, “In the Loop.” Linked to the TV series by the presence of Peter Capaldi’s perma-scowling, cyanide-tongued political advisor Malcolm Tucker, the film broadens the canvas by taking on Washington as well as Westminster.

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  • 1/18 Oscarweb Round-up

    In the Loop(Your non-Harvey-influenced round-up for the morning…)

    • Is Armando Iannucci planning to take the world of “In the Loop” to HBO? [CHUD]

    • Bill Mechanic responds to criticism over move to eliminate original song performances. [The Odds]

    • Actors on an actorless “Avatar.” [Los Angeles Times]

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  • ‘Fish Tank’ tops at Evening Standard awards

    Katie Jarvis in Fish TankVoted on by a handful of London critics (including IC friend Tim Robey), the Evening Standard Film Awards aren’t the glitiziest of honors, but they always make admirably singular choices. Celebrating the best in British film and talent, they often highlight names and titles below the radar of even the British Independent Film Awards.

    As if that wasn’t commendable enough, they earned the distinction last year of being the sole awards body to give Tilda Swinton a Best Actress award for “Julia.”

    At tonight’s ceremony, meanwhile, they continued to earn my goodwill as their top prize went to Andrea Arnold’s “Fish Tank,” beating Jane Campion’s “Bright Star” in the process.

    In something of an upset, Carey Mulligan lost Best Actress to “Nowhere Boy” star Anne-Marie Duff, while BAFTA nominee Andy Serkis took Best Actor for the Ian Dury biopic “Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll.” The night’s winners also included two Oscar contenders: the screenwriting team behind “In the Loop,” and Barry Ackroyd for “The Hurt Locker.” Full list of winners and nominees after the cut.

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  • Calling the longshots

    Sharlto Copley in District 9So this Steve Pond piece, titled “How Oscar Could Surprise — and Scare — Us,” is what we like to call hedging our bets.  It’s a chance to address some bubble matters so that we have something to point to and say, “Look, I toldja!”

    (Is that officially trademarked by Nikki Finke yet?)

    Anyway, I do like the guessing game fun, and Pond touches on a couple of things that I would likely mention if I were to do a similar piece.  One we can all understand is his #10, the potential snub of “Invictus” in the Best Picture category.  It has kind of been in the water for a few weeks now that the film just isn’t as strong as it could be, likely lacking passionate top tier votes.  It is, frankly, in the #10 spot on my list of final predictions.

    I do like Pond’s mention of Sharlto Copley as a potential Best Actor spoiler, but failing to even make the longlist with BAFTA (a group that wasn’t shy on the “District 9” love) makes the actor (who gave the year’s best lead actor performance in my book) the darkest of dark horses.

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  • OFF THE CARPET: The time is nigh

    George Clooney in Up in the AirIn so many words, this is it.  The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences unveils it’s slate of nominees bright and early tomorrow morning, and this being the first year with a 10-film Best Picture field, all eyes will be on the top category to gauge which way the wind blew on this AMPAS experiment.

    Will populist entertainment reap the benefits of an extra five slots or will independent cinema finally get its foot in the door?  That’s been the question all year long.  The answers are around the corner, and less than 24 hours out, they still feel as elusive as ever.

    I learned long ago that to forecast “surprises” is folly.  They’re called surprises for a reason.  All you can do is try to find the pulse on the season and make your judgment calls, and in most cases, that means understanding what the Academy is high on, and when.

    For instance, is “The Messenger” poised to surprise in the supporting actress and original screenplay races, as well as Best Picture?  Or did the discussion stir up a bit late (which it did), too late, perhaps, to register?  The screener showed up earlier than most.  Did members find time in that lull to pop it into the player?

    Meanwhile, how will the BAFTA contingent affect the race?  We see it every year.  Contenders left dangling on the vine get their due from a membership that has considerable AMPAS cross-over.  Just ask Alan Alda.  With that in mind, could Alec Baldwin or Alfred Molina find themselves sliding into an incredibly fluid supporting actor category?

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  • ‘District 9,’ ‘In the Loop’ also ineligible for WGA

    District 9With all the WGA casualties popping up this morning I thought I’d track down the eligibility concerns of a handful of other films in the mix and, lo and behold, some other high-caliber work doesn’t make the cut with the guild.

    Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell’s “District 9,” for starters, is not eligible.  It was not written under the guild’s guidelines and contracts and the writers are not WGA signatories.

    Some people may have thought this mass clearing might have made way for “In the Loop” to show up, but, alas, it is not eligible either.  Ditto (as you might have guessed) “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” along with Pixar’s “Up.” Animation companies do not sign agreements with the guild and are not signatories, even if sometimes the writers of animated films ARE signatories.

    I’m still poking around to see what else might be ineligible, but at this rate, I’ll be damned if I know what the list of nominees will look like now.  I guess we’ll suss that out in a few days when we preview the announcement.

  • ‘Hurt Locker’ keeps it going with NYFCC

    The Hurt LockerThe New York Film Critics Circle decided not to announce its list of winners in real time this year, which is a shame because it has always been one of my favorite aspects of the season.  What we’re left with is scattered press release reveals, Twitterers scooping the group’s info as emails and phone calls circulated, and basically, the vibe that it’s just another cog in the wheel.

    And that’s before you get to the absolutely uninspired list of winners.

    Kathryn Bigelow’s “The Hurt Locker” took down the Best Picture prize, joining the ranks of “Brokeback Mountain,” “Sideways,” “Saving Private Ryan,” “L.A. Confidential,” “Leaving Las Vegas,” “Schindler’s List” and “Goodfellas” (just to go back 20 years) with the designation of coming out on top with both the Los Angeles and New York critics.

    The rest of the rundown is more of a snooze, other than George Clooney also being cited for “Fantastic Mr. Fox” along with “Up in the Air” for his Best Actor win.  “In the Loop” (a film with a popularity totally lost on me) nabbed the screenplay award, so I guess that’s something new.

    But honestly, the only award that made me say, “Nice,” was the Best First Feature prize for Steve McQueen’s “Hunger,” which was released in Los Angeles last December and landed on my top 10 list as a result, but didn’t make it to New York until 2009.

    The full list of winners after the jump…

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  • First wave of LAFCA winners

    I’ll offer some commentary when we have the full list of winners at 2.30, but for now I’ll just convey my astonishment at the competence of my predictions so far. And offer a hearty cheer for Agnes Varda.

    Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, “Inglourious Basterds”
    Runner-up: Peter Capaldi, “In the Loop”

    Best Supporting Actress: Mo’Nique, “Precious”
    Runner-up: Anna Kendrick, “Up in the Air”

    Best Screenplay: Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, “Up in the Air”
    Runner-up: Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Ianucci and Tony Roche, “In the Loop”

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  • David Poland’s Oscar underdogs … where are the ladies?

    Tilda Swinton in JuliaFor those of you bored of reading the same ever-narrowing list of names in the assorted Oscar-speculation pieces across the web, David Poland’s latest column is a slight breath of fresh air.

    Decrying the fact that many pundits are making ludicrous long-shot calls like “This Is It” for Best Picture, while ignoring more deserving contenders who could use the attention, Poland provides a list of less-hyped contenders in the top categories that he feels merit consideration.

    His definition of the term “underdog” ranges from genuinely fanciful contenders (Catherine O’Hara and James Gandolfini for “Where the Wild Things Are,” “In the Loop” for Best Picture) to names still very much in the race who  have lately lost a bit of steam (Matt Damon, Jeremy Renner and Viggo Mortensen, all in the Best Actor category).

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  • ‘Fish Tank,’ ‘Moon,’ ‘Education’ lead BIFA noms, female directors rule

    Katie Jarvis in Fish TankYou’ve heard me natter on enough for months about how “Fish Tank” is one of the year’s best films — now you don’t have to just hear it from me anymore.

    Andrea Arnold’s lyrical character study of an unhappy Essex teenager (now being dubbed ‘the British “Precious”‘ by some lazy wags) leads the nominations for the British Independent Film Awards, with mentions in a whopping eight categories, including two for 18 year-old sensation Katie Jarvis.

    Once a very niche Transatlantic equivalent to the Indie Spirits, the BIFA Awards are gaining in profile every year, painting a far more revealing picture of the state of the UK film industry than the Oscar-toadying BAFTAs.

    They’re also naming more contenders who go on to feature heavily in awards season: “Slumdog Millionaire” was the belle of last year’s BIFA ball, while this year’s major crossover nominee promises to be “An Education.”

    (More discussion, and a full list of nominees, after the cut.)

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  • 7/30 Web Round-up

    Vincent Cassel• Jeremy Piven would like to see an “Entourage” film.  Who wouldn’t? [CNN]

    • Vincent Cassel refuses to court Hollywood.  Who needs it when you’ve got Monica Bellucci at home? [Daily Telegraph]

    • Robert Levin sits down with “In the Loop” director Armando Iannucci. [Film School Rejects]

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  • Rare bird

    James Gandolfini in In the LoopRegular Guardian readers will know that Peter Bradshaw, the paper’s perma-grouch film critic, doesn’t dole out five-star ratings lightly — in the past half-year or so, only “The Class” has made the grade. So I’m interested to see Bradshaw going all out for “In the Loop,” a modest British political satire that had hitherto only been at the edge of my radar, despite some tasty ingredients.

    The film, which opens Friday in the UK and in July Stateside, carries more built-in appeal for followers of recent British TV comedy, principally cult series “The Thick of It” — of which “In the Loop” is a direct spinoff, sharing some characters and the creative team led by Armando Iannucci — here making his feature helming debut.

    Meanwhile, co-writer Jesse Armstrong also is one of the geniuses behind sitcom “Peep Show,” so I’m in regardless. And throwing James Gandolfini into the very limey-flavoured mix only makes things more interesting. Looks like a political weekend at the movies for me, then.

    Very funny trailer after the cut. Here’s Bradshaw’s take:

    Some movies have the knack of arriving at the most painfully right time. Just as Damian McBride’s blood is being Dysoned off the carpet at No 10 and Derek Draper’s fingerprints removed from the Chequers dining table, here comes Armando Iannucci’s horribly brilliant comedy about this government’s culture of spin and muddle … The acting is superb, and the writing is relentlessly funny — vicious and delicious. And refreshingly, there isn’t a sympathetic character in sight.

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