In Contention

Tag: Sex and the City

  • PAGE TO SCREEN: “Eat, Pray, Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert

    (Apologies for the delay in posting this column. Page to Screen will return to its regular Tuesday spot next week.)

    Chick-lit, the unflatteringly named brand of light confessional writing intended to universalize the problems of modern professional women, has been a beast of a publishing phenomenon since the near-simultaneous arrival on the scene of Helen Fielding’s “Bridget Jones’s Diary” and Candace Bushnell’s “Sex and the City” in the late 1990s.

    Marked by clear Transatlantic cultural differences, those volumes were nonetheless linked by their semi-autobiographical nature, their urban media milieu, a similar issue slate of sex, career, mild vice and the ongoing hunt for Mr. Right/Darcy/Big and a tone of chatty journalese – both, after all, were spinoffs of popular newspaper columns.

    They also have one other crucial thing in common: massively successful screen translations that continue to bear fruit. A third big-screen Bridget Jones outing is currently in the works, and you may have heard something about a film called “Sex and the City 2” this summer.

    In Fielding and Bushnell’s wake, then, have come a legion of female writers and journalists converting their personal experiences into bestseller status and swift deals with Hollywood: the success of such titles as “The Devil Wears Prada,” “Julie & Julia,” “Confessions of a Shopaholic,” and the male co-authored “He’s Just Not That Into You” hardly discourage the trend. (You could even argue for last year’s “An Education” as an arthouse twist on the formula.)

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  • CDG nominees

    I’ve been out and about, so apologies for getting to the Costume Designers Guild nominees late:

    Contemporary Film
    “Iron Man” (Laura Jean Shannon and Rebecca Bentjen)
    “Mamma Mia!” (Ann Roth)
    “Sex and the City” (Patricia Field)
    “Slumdog Millionaire” (Suttirat Larlarb)
    “The Wrestler” (Amy Westcott)

    Period Film
    “Changeling” (Deborah Hopper)
    “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Jacqueline West)
    “The Duchess” (Michael O’Connor)
    “Milk” (Danny Glicker)
    “Revolutionary Road” (Albert Wolsky)

    Fantasy Film
    “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” (Isis Mussenden)
    “The Dark Knight” (Lindy Hemming)
    “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” (Sanja Milkovic Hays)

    I have to say, while I could understand the classification for, say, the Tim Burton films, I’m increasingly agitated by the “fantasy” classification of Christopher Nolan’s Batman franchise.  And “The Dark Knight” is 10 times more “contemporary” than “Iron Man,” but whatever.  If the false classification means the films find some guild love in the fields of art direction and costume design, so be it, I guess.

    More frankly surprising guild support for “The Wrestler,” while “Slumdog” and “Button” remain the guild champs.  I’m happy “Prince Caspian” finally popped up somewhere.

    I see no real reason to change my Oscar predicitons here based on these results, but we’ll keep an eye on it as always.

  • My picks for the 10 WORST films of the year

    Emile Hirsch in Speed RacerAs always, this list was no trouble to write.  There is always an abundance of bad films in a given year.  I tend to go for the films that should have been stronger, that had a good director or fine actors, but still came out smelling like sewage.  There’s no excuse for that.

    1. “88 MINUTES”
    It only felt like 88 weeks.

    2. “10,000 BC”
    What really needs to be said?

    3. “THE LOVE GURU”
    And again…is there anything I can say?

    4. “THE HAPPENING”
    Shyamalan continues to disappoint.

    5. “SEX AND THE CITY”
    Great looking girls with money bitching about their poor lives…awwww.

    6. “MIRACLE AT ST. ANNA”
    Spike Lee’s war epic, horribly acted by a central character with an annoying child…stupid and boring. Worse, Lee’s own racism was never more evident.

    7. “THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL”
    Just bloody awful.

    8. “MEET DAVE”
    More from Eddie Murphy as his career spins round and round the toilet bowl.

    9. “SPEED RACER”
    ???

    10. “BANGKOK DANGEROUS”
    Cage can act…so why doesn’t he??

    (Check out my list of the year’s best here.)

  • Academy shortlists 49 original songs

    High School Musical 3… and 11 of them (count ’em) are from “High School Musical 3: Senior Year.” That’s over a fifth of the contenders, so I’m guessing the folks at Disney will be pretty mortified if at least one of them doesn’t make the final five.

    And hell, one of them should. I’m not too snobbish to admit that “HSM3” is an immaculately produced entertainment that succeeds squarely on its own terms, and the same goes for its song score. Those songs are certainly a lot more integral to the film than, say, Peter Gabriel’s track for “WALL-E.” Credit where it’s due.

    Otherwise everything that you’d expect to be on the list is there — including the tracks from “The Wrestler,” “Slumdog Millionaire” (nice to see “O Saya” listed as well as “Jai Ho”) and “Synecdoche, New York,” which I know has a lot of fans (myself included) on this site. Elsewhere, I’m happy to see Jenny Lewis’ cute ditty for “Bolt” contending alongside Miley Cyrus’s composition — though to be honest, I’m just happy to see Jenny Lewis in any context.

    Some will be surprised by the exclusion of Jennifer Hudson’s “Sex and the City” ballad “All Dressed in Love,” but it was closing credits filler, and godawful at that.

    As for predictions, one must bear in mind that the Academy has frequently gone its own way in this category over the last few years, nominating songs that weren’t on anyone’s radar, much less any precursor lists. (Think “Raise It Up” last year, or the French-language “Look to Your Path” in 2005.)

    I’m thinking Norah Jones’ pretty, easygoing “The Story” from the otherwise ill-fated “My Blueberry Nights” will be right up their alley: throwback sound, credible middle-of-the-road artist, story-serving song from a film with a strong musical theme. Bullseye.

    I’ve also been predicting for months that the rousing title song from “Trouble the Water” will surprise in this category, so I’m chuffed to see it crop up here. It’s a terrific hip-hop track with a great story behind it — it’s by Kimberly Rivers Roberts, the struggling rap artist whose remarkable personal narrative, overcoming the horrors of Hurricane Katrina, forms the heart of the film. It’d be pretty damn inspiring to see her perform on the Oscar stage come February, and I have a hunch the Academy’s music branch (who have become more receptive to hip-hop in recent years) will feel the same way.

    Full list after the cut.

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  • 12/12 Oscarweb Round-up

    (from left) Ben Stiller aand Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder• Sean Penn writes in support of dictators Hugo Chavez and Raul Castro. [The Nation]

    • James Kirchick skewers him as “a friend to gays and anti-gay dictators alike.” [The Advocate]

    • And Patrick Goldstien is right on top of it. [The Big Picture]

    • Earlier, Goldstein calls the Golden Globes “the ultimate Hollywood fantasy.” [The Big Picture]

    • Speaking of the Globes, Rachel Abramowitz sees the nominations for Tom Cruise, Robert Downey Jr. and James Franco as “recognition…of that Apatow brand of ribald comedy.” [The Envelope]

    • Susan King, meanwhile, talks to a couple of actors who’ve taken on the task of portraying Richard Nixon on the big and small screens. [The Envelope]

    • Simon Beaufoy recalls the inspiration for “Slumdog Millionaire” on the streets of Mumbai. [The Guardian]

    • Meanwhile, safely landed back east, David Carr gets Danny Boyle on the phone for reaction to the film’s HFPA acknowledgments. [The Carpetbagger]

    • British talent glitters at the Golden Globes. [The Independent]

    • Eugene Hernandez and Peter Knegt go back and forth on the week in critics kudos. [indieWIRE]

    • Brad Brevet chats with “Wrestler” director Darren Aronofsky. [Rope of Silicon]

    • Kevin Kelly talks to “Reader” screenwriter David Hare. [Spout Blog]

    • T.L. Stanley spotlights Sarah Jessica Parker’s “Sex and the City” Globe snub. [Gold Rush]

    • With “Doubt” releasing, Susan Wloszczyna looks at nuns on the big screen. [USA Today]

    • If Christopher Nolan won’t do a “Dark Knight’” DVD commentary, we’ll step up to the plate. [The Movie Blog]

  • Downey, Jenkins among EW’s Entertainers of the Year

    It’s interesting to note that, in addition to citations for the respective casts of “The Dark Knight” and “Sex and the City: The Movie,” only five film actors made EW’s recently unveiled list of the 25 Entertainers of the Year. (Six if you count their #2 pick, Tina Fey — which I don’t.)

    Perhaps it chimes in with the widespread feeling that 2008 isn’t a vintage year for cinema, perhaps the worlds of TV and music simply had more to offer, or perhaps I’m simply over-analysing. It’s curious to see arguably the year’s two most overexposed stars, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, absent from the list — make of that what you will.

    Nevertheless, the list was topped by a movie star: Robert Downey, Jr. Even with the bumping of “The Soloist” from the 2008 slate, it’s difficult to deny what a great year he’s had — between “Iron Man” and “Tropic Thunder,” he really found his popular touch, and even the most elitist critic had a kind word for him. Whether or not that unlikely Oscar campaign for the latter film takes flight, he has, as EW aptly puts it, “pulled off one of the smartest second acts in showbiz history.”

    Other names present on the list include Meryl Streep, James Franco and Elizabeth Banks — but the most surprising and delightful inclusion is Richard Jenkins. I can’t imagine that the humble 61 year-old character actor ever thought he’d appear on a list alongside the likes of Leona Lewis and The Jonas Brothers, but good for him. It’s an appropriate recognition for a year that saw him supplement a career performance in “The Visitor” with cunning appearances in two mainstream crowdpleasers. Here’s EW’s take:

    Richard Jenkins has had a colorful career, but he never seemed like an actor who’d get interrupted during dinner. After growing up in De Kalb, Ill., he became one of those ubiquitous character actors whom only a few know by name: the gay federal agent in Flirting With Disaster, the psychiatrist in There’s Something About Mary, the deceased patriarch in HBO’s Six Feet Under, and on and on. This year, Jenkins played Will Ferrell’s stepdad in Step Brothers and a gym manager in Burn After Reading. Though Jenkins has worked with just about every big-name filmmaker and actor in Hollywood, The Visitor writer-director Tom McCarthy was still considered brave for elevating him to leading man. ”There was never a question about whether he could do this,” he says. ”Richard has proven himself.’

    Indeed he has. That Best Actor nomination for “The Visitor” looks more and more likely to me.

  • Step right up…Best Original Song is there for the taking

    Steve Coogan in Hamlet 2Generally around this time of year I start to compile a list of original songs for consideration in our charts…but I have to say, I’m having a hell of a time coming up with a respectable roll call.

    What have we got so far this year?  Peter Gabriel’s “Down to Earth” from “WALL-E” seems to be the best shot at the moment.  That is, of course, unless the Academy isn’t keen on the closing credits usage (as mentioned here).

    The “Sex and the City” soundtrack has quite a few original numbers, right?  (I steered clear.)  I think the Jennifer Hudson track “All Dressed Up in Love” is the smart money.

    Focus Features is going to put some effort behind “Rock Me Sexy Jesus” from “Hamlet 2.”  It could make its way through a thin field or on the goodwill of being a laugh riot alone.

    What else?  “The Call” from “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian?”  Wasn’t there an original track from “My Blueberry Nights?”

    I know for a fact that Paramount Vantage won’t have anything to push for “Defiance” or “Revolutionary Road.”  It’s probably for the best since they were (unfairly) ignored for their efforts last year on behalf of Eddie Vedder.  I’m doing some more checking, but just based on what we’ve seen this year, is there ANYTHING worth considering?

    Studios take note: here’s your chance to dive into the fray in at least one category.  Talk about a wasteland…

    Any ideas?

  • Bart’s ‘non-Oscar’ list

    Variety’s Peter Bart is spinning his Oscar wheels at his new blog. The post is a efw days old at this point, but his “non-Oscar list” is a cute little aside worth a look. He chalks actors like Robert Downey Jr. and Sarah Jessica Parker up as being on the list by sheer fact that they’re in bona fide hits (to say nothing of bias against the former and quality of the latter, of course).  But the move toward the unpopular is the point he’s driving at, and a look at the Oscar telecast’s ratings the last few years tells that tale clear enough.

    Here’s a glimpse at his logic:

    A generation ago, Oscar voters were tolerant of success — witness such best picture winners as “The Godfather,” “The Sting,” and, god forbid, “The Sound of Music.” However, a curious bipolar behavior has set in lately. Members of the Academy serve dutifully as professionals in the industry throughout the year, going about their tasks of producing, acting, editing, composing, etc. Then Oscar time sets in and they all think they’re members of a festival jury. “Art” is in and “commerce” is out.

    Lately, several important studio executives have met with the Academy to review these trends and also propose possible changes in the Oscar show. They advocated a tighter show, fewer awards and a greater stress on entertainment value.

    They hit a stone wall. The bipolar Academy is sticking to its ways.

    Read the rest here.

  • Four Girls in New York

    Is there anything to say about this film “Sex and the City” that is driving women into movie houses all across the United States?

    According to box office reports this morning, the film made $55.7 million in 3,285 theaters. It generated a reputable $16,968 per screen average according to Nikki Finke. It dominated the Friday box office, but shriveled after that.

    Finke notes, “That’s exactly what Hollywood pros had been warning about: that ‘Sex And The City’ would be a one-day, and one-weekend, wonder with no legs.” Still, it remains the highest grossing R-rated comedy ever to open, and the fifth highest R-rated film ever to open. But as Finke notes, “The only female-driven movie to come close to SATC in box office was the “Hannah Montana” movie, but there’s no comparable R-rated chick flick.”

    There is something to this movie (just as there was with the HBO television program) that has to do with being true to yourself and true to your friends. No, I’m not about to defend “Sex and the City” as a timeless work of art; it’s not. And much to my twenty-three-year-old sister’s dismay, it’s not the finest film of 2008. Not even close.

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  • Waiting patiently…

    …for “Sex and the City” to just blow right the hell on over.