In Contention

Tag: Quantum of Solace

  • Last minute jitters

    Waltz with BashirI’ll have a post up later today running a comb through my final predictions.  Tomorrow we’ll showcase all contributor picks (as well as the “Who deserves it?” poll results), but for now, I thought I’d share my pain with the readership.

    By pain, I mean last minute jitters, those creepy, crawling, gut-twisting thoughts that leave you in a haze over what to pick in this category or that, even if a frontrunner is staring you in the face.  There are a number of categories doing this to me this year.

    First and foremost, I’ve been on the precipice of picking a “Slumdog” sweep for nearly two weeks now.  Nathaniel Rogers has been bold enough to go there, but I haven’t allowed myself (yet) to think the Academy will vote for the film in the Best Sound Editing field.  However, as a multi-nominated sound mixer friend told me, members generally just vote for their favorite film throughout the crafts categories (much to his own chagrin many times over).

    I also found out last night that the only films that reached the Cinema Audio Society in screener form were “Quantum of Solace” and…”Slumdog Millionaire,” which makes their vote a bit difficult to chalk up as comprehensive.  Maybe “The Dark Knight” and “WALL-E” are still very much in the mixing race and the Best Picture frontrunner will lose both statues.  But this is just one example of the insanity that flows through my mind this time of year.

    Another thought is all the bad “Reader” press lately and how that may or may not affect Kate Winslet’s chances of a win in the lead actress category.  Many have chalked Meryl Streep up as the competition, but there have been murmurs for some time that Melissa Leo is a prized commodity in this field.  Sasha Stone is spit-balling the possibility today as well.  She’s got people like Dustin Hoffman out there singing her praises.  And her film is a welcome point of variety in a slate of expected nominees (both here and in the original screenplay category).

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  • Art Directors Guild Nominees

    The Curious Case of Benjamin ButtonPeriod Films
    “Changeling”
    “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
    “Doubt”
    “Frost/Nixon”
    “Milk”

    Fantasy Films
    “The Dark Knight”
    “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”
    “Iron Man”
    “The Spiderwick Chronicles”
    “WALL-E”

    Contemporary Films
    “Burn After Reading”
    “Gran Torino”
    “Quantum of Solace”
    “Slumdog Millionaire”
    “The Wrestler”

    Alright, so more surprising guild love for “The Wrestler.”  Very interesting.  But I’m rather shocked at the “Hellboy II” Snub in fantasy.  On the whole, though, does this clear anything up in this category?  I’ve been confused all year long.

    I’d say “Button,” “Skull” and “Slumdog” for the wins.

  • Cinema Audio Society nominees

    Cinema Audio Society awardThe 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.

  • 11/3 Oscarweb Round-up

    Richard Dreyfus• Probably running out of things to talk about, Peter Bart reviews the New York Times’ Holiday Movies section. [Peter Bart]

    • Monika Bartyzel aggregates reactions to Richard Dreyfus’s poo-pooing of “W.” on “The View.”  Damn it must be cool to do and say whatever the fuck you want to. [Cinematical]

    • Jason Solomons talks to “Quantum of Solace” director Marc Forster. [The Guardian]

    • Boyd van Hoeij files from the last gasps of the Rome fest. [indieWIRE]

    • John Horn goes deep on “Frost/Nixon.” [Los Angeles Times]

    • Jeremy McCarter goes first person with Charlie Kaufman. [Newsweek]

  • Bond bows, UK critics shrug

    It was probably inevitable. After “Casino Royale,” the first entry in the retooled, Daniel Craig-led James Bond franchise, garnered unprecedented critical acclaim (and even awards attention, on this side of the Atlantic at least) for a 007 pic, the follow-up, “Quantum of Solace,” is having a more muted reaction. The reviews are in, and they’re respectable at best.

    Peter Bradshaw at The Guardian has the best line (“Bond has gone rogue — like Sarah Palin, only with less expensive clothes”), but his three-star review is pretty typical of the mood:

    I have to confess that this second Bond adventure disappointed me a little: it’s not nearly as smart as Craig’s debut. There is not much storyline or romance … (but) what Quantum of Solace does have is Daniel Craig. No one could deny Craig’s charisma, and the effortless way he has inhabited the role … Quantum of Solace isn’t bad, but from now on, Craig’s Bond has to be a real character with something real at stake, however absurd. Otherwise we’re going to return to the franchise production line. That would be an awful shame.

    Tim Robey at the Telegraph is more enthusiastic, even if he also has some reservations about the narrative:

    Quantum of Solace may hurtle through its own (sketchy) plot as if it’s not quite the point – there have been more satisfying narrative pay-offs than we get here – but its best sequences bring you up short in the best way, adding up to the giddiest straight ride since The Living Daylights … It has the compensation of a rock-solid dramatic idea, and the intelligence to run and run with it.

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  • What might have been

    It’s James Bond day here in the UK, and to celebrate the opening of “Quantum of Solace,” The Guardian has a nice little feature: a round-up of several Bond themes that never were. Whether submitted on spec, or commissioned by the producers who then changed their minds, it makes for some fascinating listening.

    Can you believe that Ace of Base were the first choice to do a “GoldenEye” theme? That “For Your Eyes Only” was supposed to be sung by Blondie? (Oh, if only.) That Johnny Cash and Dionne Warwick both submitted brilliant tracks for “Thunderball” but were rejected in favour of Tom Jones?

    Suffice to say that this year’s rejected chanteuse, Amy Winehouse, is in some good company. My favourite, much as I love Nancy Sinatra’s theme, is this sharp little Northern Soul number that singer Lorraine Chandler submitted for “You Only Live Twice”:

  • TECH SUPPORT: Best Sound Editing — Volume One

    Tech Support at In Contention Swoosh.  Bang.  Grunt.  Clink.  Crash.

    These sorts of sounds can add a lot to a film’s mood and plot even though they are not recorded during filming and have to be created and mixed in later on.

    The individuals who create these effects are rewarded for their efforts in the category of Best Sound Editing.  The category used to be called Best Sound Effects Editing, which, in my opinion, is a better name.  Supervising sound editors and their teams are generally the individuals rewarded here.

    This category used to only have three nominees but was expanded to five two years ago.  This makes the category somewhat more difficult to predict, though there are five films this year that really strike me as frontrunners.

    Ever since “Monsters, Inc.” scored here in 2001, animated films, particularly those of Pixar, have fared very well.  I’d be very surprised if Andrew Stanton’s “WALL-E” failed to continue that trend.  Sound effects are key to any animated film so many of the sounds have to be created.  There is nothing to be captured while filming because, well…there is no filming!  For Stanton’s effort in particular, the sound effects were especially pivotal given the minimal dialogue.

    Jon Favreau’s “Iron Man” was another summer film where the sound effects were crucial to the film.  The explosions, clanks of armour and numerous experiments of Downey all required sound manifestation.  A huge hit and critically respected, the film in really depended on its sound editing and it flowed perfectly into the visual sights.  I’d be quite surprised if it didn’t get nominated here.

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  • 10/21 Oscarweb Round-up

    Daniel Craig in Quantum of Solace• Kim Voynar sets up Film Essent at MCN. [Movie City News]

    • Tom O’Neil collects some more guesses from Oscar prognosticators. [Gold Derby]

    • And he reports that “Slumdog Millionaire”‘s Dev Patel will be campaigned as a supporting actor. [Gold Derby]

    • John Campea explores the reasons why “The Dark Knight” will land a Best Picture nomination in the wake of delayed and underwhelming competition. [The Movie Blog]

    • Eugene Hernandez and Peter Knegt discuss the Gotham nods. [indieWIRE]

    • Brooks Barnes looks into Wall Street’s creative affect on Hollywood. [New York Times]

    • Brad Brevet sits down with “Happy-Go-Lucky” helmer Mike Leigh. [Rope of Silicon]

    • Lauren Schuker looks at Paramount’s two release date retreats as a sign of the economic crisis. [Wall Street Journal]

    • The meteoric downfall of Roberto Benigni. [Spout Blog]

    • Anne Thompson had a good time watching “Quantum of Solace.” [Thompson on Hollywood]

  • TECH SUPPORT: Best Visual Effects — Volume One

    Tech Support at In ContentionWhile cinematographers and film music composers may sometimes find themselves featured in the media more than many of their crafts artist colleagues, the one “tech” discipline awarded by the Academy that often brings people into the movie theaters on its own is visual effects.

    The category is whittled down to three nominees after the year’s content is narrowed to a list of seven “bake-off” contenders. The bake-off finalists consistently give insight into the branch’s thinking even if missing a prediction after their announcement isn’t unheard of. The makeup branch has a similar system.

    An expensive art form, which often involves hundreds of crew members working behind the scenes, the visual effects arena seems to be finding new ways to “wow” audiences every year. The Academy’s branch has tended in recent years to reward computer-generated imagery (CGI) as opposed to classic practical effects actually captured on camera. This category is also usually the home of blockbusters and moneymakers. “The Golden Compass,” last year’s surprising winner, was a very rare nominee considering its disappointing box office. For it to win was even rarer.

    I suspect that Jon Favreau’s “Iron Man” is leading the way this year. Immensely critically respected and with fantastic box office to back it up, I’d be quite surprised and taken aback if it failed to get a nomination here. The creation of the title character alone put it in contention. This is not to mention Jeff Bridges’s transformation and the war zone explosions.

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  • 10/13 Oscarweb Round-up

    Marc Forster• Robert Abele gets Josh Brolin to reveal his inner ‘W.’ [The Envelope]

    • Tom O’Neil gnaws on the Oscar potential of Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married.” [Gold Derby]

    • Peter bart makes a lot of presumptions and assumptions about the craven mentality of duel performers in a given Oscar season. [Peter Bart]

    • Vulture kicks off this year’s Oscar Futures with pro on “Milk,” con on “W.” [Vulture]

    • Alonso Duralde studies the work of Leonardo DiCaprio as “Body of Lies” releases into cinemas. [MSNBC]

    • Brad Brevet does the same, but draws the conclusion that DiCaprio has never quite hit it out of the park. [Rope of Silicon]

    • Scott Bowles, meanwhile, draws up an obit on the box office performance of “Body of Lies.” [USA Today]

    • Jeff Dawson goes in depth with “Quantum of Solace” helmer Marc Forster. [The Times]

    • Lauren Schuker digs into the global investments on Oliver Stone’s “W.” [Wall Street Journal]

    • Larry Charles chooses his 28 most subversive comedians. [Entertainment Weekly]

  • EXCLUSIVE: New ‘Defiance’ poster

    We just acquired the sweet new one-sheet for Edward Zwick’s “Defiance.”  Maybe cashing in on a little of that Bond love for Daniel Craig this season, this poster is certainly more appealing than the previous art work:

    Paramount Vantage's Defiance

  • TECH SUPPORT: Best Sound Mixing — Volume One

    Tech Support at In Contention“Wait a minute, wait a minute.  You ain’t heard nothing yet!”

    Those words from Al Jolson forever changed filmmaking in 1927, ushering in “talkies” and bringing about the beginning of the end of the silent film era.

    The Academy Award for sound mixing recognizes the artists who fashion a film’s audio side.  It must be distinguished from Best Sound Editing, which is the integration of artificially created sound effects into the mix.  Mixing is the blending of those effects, along with dialogue, music and any other noise captured during filming.  The Oscar awards the sound re-recording mixers in this category, who do the blending, as well as the production sound mixer, who captures the sounds on the set.

    Blockbusters, action flicks, war films and musicals usually do particularly well in this category, given the extent to which the sound tends to draw attention to itself in these sorts of films.  It’s somewhat difficult to project the category this far in advance, however, as the sound mixers for many of the films are difficult to pinpoint; mixing is one of the last tasks done on a film.  But that’s not going to stop me from trying to handicap potential contenders!

    Jon Favreau’s “Iron Man” is the sort of film that has virtually everything this branch normally goes for.  The film is filled with action and high-profile sound work.  Plus, it kicked off the summer blockbuster season with not only lots of dough for producers, but also lots of raves from critics.  Veteran Oscar winner Christopher Boyes is in charge of this crew.  I’d say a nomination is quite likely.

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  • Stop the presses: random, anonymous people say it’s ‘Button’ vs. ‘Nixon’

    The Curious Case of Benjamin ButtonIn this otherwise solid piece from the New York Times’s Michael Cieply, I was taken aback by the following aside, taken anonymously from a publicist (or publicists) that obviously has a stake in this year’s Oscar race:

    Some publicists who specialize in Oscar campaigns are privately predicting a year-end shootout between “Button” and “Frost/Nixon,” a planned December release from Universal Pictures, directed by Ron Howard and with Michael Sheen and Frank Langella in the title roles. The films have been seen by few, but the campaign machinery is already lining up behind them.

    Huh?  What?  Says who?  Well, let it be so, as far as those associated with the true frontrunner are concerned, but this is a foundtationless aside to be just tossed out there in a major Times piece if you ask me.  Three graphs later, “Quantum of Solace” is slid into a list of expected Oscar heavies like it’s one of the boys.  What’s that all about?

    Anyway, Cieply’s story goes on to discuss Paramount honcho Brad Grey’s Oscar successes, drops Oscar consultant Lisa Taback’s name and details the bumpy road for “Button” to the screen.  Check it all out here.

  • 9/29 Oscarweb Round-up

    Michael Cera• A happy ending of sorts for Matilda Rose in the wake of Heath Ledger’s death. [Agence France-Presse]

    • Kenneth Branagh is in talks to direct “Thor.”  Weird, but badass. [Variety]

    • Tom O’Neil traces Paul Newman’s frustrating quest for Oscars. [Gold Derby]

    • James Rocchi talks to “Miracle at St. Anna” director Spike Lee. [Cinematical]

    • The Los Angeles Times have hired an east coast outsider and called it awards coverage.  Well, we wish him well. [The Envelope]

    • Nikki Finke primises to report all the “juicy backstory” on the Rudin/Weinstein situation — because she’s a journalistic disgrace. [Deadline Hollywood Daily]

    • “Quantum of Solace” will have more product placement than any Bond film before it. [The Independent]

    • Mark Olson grills Jonathan Demme on “Rachel Getting Married.” [Los Angeles Times]

    • Meanwhile, Susan King takes on “Rachel” screenwriting Jenny Lumet. [Los Angeles Times]

    • Chris Lee gets some quality time in with Leonardo DiCaprio re: “Body of Lies.” [Los Angeles Times]

    • Michael Cera: heart throb. [Newsweek]

    • Or, Michael Cera: almost famous. [New York Times]

    • Greg Kinnear dishes on his roles in “Flash of Genius” and “Ghost Town.” [Associated Press]

    • Bill Maher Q&A’s it up on “Religulous.” [New York Post]

    • And again, with director Larry Charles in tow. [New York Times]

    …okay, I gotta cut it off there.  Tons of items out there today.

  • Naming and shaming

    I think it’s fair to say that Jack White and Alicia Keys’ Bond theme (which so disappointed yours truly) is not going down all that well.

    So much so that Popjustice, one of my personal favourite websites, is seeking retribution.

  • POLL: How do you feel about Bond’s missing catch phrases in ‘Quantum of Solace?’

    In this morning’s Oscarweb round-up, we linked to a story in London’s Independent newspaper about the upcoming 22nd installment of the James Bond franchise, “Quantum of Solace.”  It appears director Marc Forster and company have opted to exclude the infamous catch phrase, “Bond. James Bond.” from the film’s script.  Also getting the cut is the “shaken, not stirred” aside that we all know and love.  It’s an unexpected departure that could have a few fans up-in-arms…or not.

    So in this week’s poll, I thought I’d ask the readership: is this a travesty or no big deal at all?  Tell us in the sidebar poll!

  • 9/22 Oscarweb Round-up

    Quantum of Solace• “Real” men of the screen are a dying breed, according to Peter Bart. [Peter Bart]

    • Journos keep beating a dead horse about the new “At the Movies” failure. [eFilmCritic]

    • And again. [The Hot Blog]

    • Anne Thompson salutes Telluride and New York for steering clear of high profile American cinema, but as she notes, was there really a choice this year? [Thompson on Hollywood]

    • Erik Davis talks Bond with Daniel Craig and Marc Forster. [Cinematical]

    • Speaking of Bond, apparently the character won’t be uttering a few of his infamous lines in the latest installment. [The Independent]

    • John Horn sits down with Diablo Cody on the set of “Jennifer’s Body.” [Los Angeles Times]

    • Dennis Lim, meanwhile, chats it up with “Class” director Laurent Canet in the wake of his film landing the official French foreign film selection for this year’s Academy Awards. [New York Times]

    • Giles Hattersly gets some quality time with “I’ve Loved You So Long” star Kristin Scott Thomas. [The Times]

    • Kevin Kelly talks to “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” director Kevin Smith at Fantastic Fest. [Spout Blog]

  • ‘Quantum of Solace’ theme is out

    It’s finally landed. “Another Way to Die,” the theme song recorded by Jack White and Alicia Keys for the latest installment of the Bond franchise, made its radio debut earlier today — listen to it here and see what you think.

    I must say, on first listen, I’m a little disappointed. Perhaps it’s a grower. But for all the gutsy guitar riffs and atmospheric build-up, I found any clear melody — the bedrock of all the best Bond compositions from “You Only Live Twice” to “Nobody Does It Better” — distinctly lacking. And Keys’ presence is so muted, I’m not sure what the point of the duet was.

    I have a feeling we won’t be seeing this performed on Oscar night. Your thoughts?

    (EDIT: Thanks to Bradley Porter for sending me the full song, sans DJ intrusion. I will try and amend the post to include the song, but technical issues fail me at the moment.)