In Contention

Tag: Undertow

  • LIFE WITHOUT OSCAR: 2003 and 2004

    Catch up with the idea behind this series here.

    2003 belonged to “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” as it won every single award it was up for, tying the all time record haul of 11 trophies. Few could argue that Peter Jackson had accomplished something unique with the execution of this trilogy, but in my humble opinion, this is the most boring and bloated Best Picture winner since “Around the World in 80 Days.”

    Throw in the fact that Tim Robbins in “Mystic River” and Renee Zellweger in “Cold Mountain” are both embarrassingly bad performances and you can start to realize why Oscar and I have agreed to go our separate ways. At least “City of God” nabbed a few nominations, causing a stir in an otherwise sterile race.

    Clint Eastwood completed his transformation back into Oscar darling in 2004 with a Best Picture triumph for “Million Dollar Baby,” which also scooped up awards for Director, Actress and Supporting Actor, dooming Martin Scorsese to another year in the loser’s bracket.

    Billy Crystal hosted in 2003, mistakenly thinking that constant jokes about New Zealand were going to be entertaining. At least we had this though.

    Chris Rock took the reigns in 2004 and may have not won over Sean Penn, but I thought his bit interviewing moviegoers at the Magic Johnson theater about Oscar contenders was amazing. Anyway, hope you all watched “Pootie Tang” this week and are ready for some new suggestions.

    (more…)

  • David Gordon Green hearts Steven Seagal

    David Gordon Green took a strong dive into a typical post-film school career in 2000, and I’ve never been afraid to admit that his breed of cinema failed to speak to me on pretty much every level (despite us sharing an alma mater).  I found “George Washington” to be derivative, “All the Real Girls” to be unqualified (though it is my favorite of Green’s efforts and is certainly striving for something more) and “Undertow” to be an utter mess.  I’ve not yet seen “Snow Angels” (though I plan to).

    However, “Pineapple Express” has real promise.  Not because I want desperately to see something so anti-Green, but because a filmmaker who has so quickly identified himself within a certain milieu is willing to go there.  I have no doubt Green has a sense of humor (we’ve never met though we have countless mutual friends), but it says something when a guy is willing to stretch that part of his creativity and offer a different side of his persona to a fan base that, frankly, might be unnerved by it.

    With that in mind, I’ve been meaning to link to this Guardian item since I read it on the tube a week ago.  It’s a heart-felt appreciation for action star Steven Seagal and, apparently, is part of an introduction for the upcoming book “Seagalogy.”  Since I’ve got “Pineapple Express” on the brain these last few days (M.I.A. on the iPod, supporting actor updates bouncing around my head, etc.), now’s as good a time as any to give it some space:

    Who wants to see Jean-Claude Van Damme in Death Warrant or Cyborg when you could witness the brutal human elegance of Seagal’s Marked for Death or the astonishing Hard to Kill? His stretch of films that promoted themselves with three dramatic words was for me a trademark and a guarantee that I would be getting my money’s worth…

    …A strange tide turned as his fame and fortune grew. Perhaps it was the dazzling spotlight of Tinseltown that prompted a shift in his work. He was no longer studying linguistics and martial arts in the Orient and making intimate action movies. Suddenly, I found myself sitting in front of a slew of message films. Beginning with On Deadly Ground, Seagal began to slip environmental themes, spiritual quests and politics into his films. Perhaps he had lost touch with reality and was living in a vacuum. Where was the soft-spoken shitkicker I gravitated toward in my youth?

    Fortunately, as would any true movie fanatic, I was able to grow to appreciate his personal crusade. I chose to accept this curveball and take my own enjoyment and expectations to the next level.

    Check out the rest here.

    As for “Pineapple Express,” I’m glad to see James Franco popping up on people’s radars lately.  He landed on our charts back in May and two people who’ve seen the film have told me the performance is sensational.  One thought it was destined to make people sit up and finally take notice of the actor, offering that an Oscar nod was indeed possible.  The other guy is completely in the tank for both the film and the performance but thinks Oscar might be a stretch.

    Whatever.  I can’t wait.  Finally someone might be able to reel Judd Apatow in a touch.

    httpv://youtube.com/watch?v=3ryfqsLt6Y0