In Contention

Tag: Defiance

  • TECH SUPPORT: Final predictions

    Tech Support at In ContentionAfter six months of Tech Support previews and interviews, the films have arrived, the nominations have been announced and the guilds, the critics and BAFTA have all announced their preferences.  Today we take a final look at the races before the envelopes are opened on Sunday.

    BEST ART DIRECTION
    After guild and BAFTA wins, I would say “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” has cemented its frontrunner status in this category. Spanning decades of the 20th Century, Donald Graham Burt’s production design was impossible not to notice and gave us gorgeous backdrops for its character’s predicaments.

    The other nominees all have the odds stacked against them, whether similar work has been seen before (Michael Carlin’s “The Duchess” and Kristi Zea’s “Revolutionary Road”), is just not showy enough (Nathan Crowley’s “The Dark Knight”) or the nominee is otherwise along for the ride (James Murakami’s “Changeling”).

    Will win: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
    Could win: “The Duchess”
    Should win: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

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  • Is ‘Slumdog’ score too pop?

    Thanks to Nat Rogers at The Film Experience for pointing out a really worthwhile article in the Wall Street Journal, in which music critic Jim Fusilli takes a close look at this year’s nominees for Best Original Score. It’s not a category which tends to inspire much intelligent coverage in mainstream outlets, so it’s great to see someone giving the race the attention it deserves.

    Fusilli starts by commending the Academy for dodging the iffy qualification issues that have plagued previous races — principally the weirdly flexible criteria that allowed “Babel” in, but not “There Will Be Blood” — though I would still venture that “The Dark Knight”‘s initial disqualification scuppered its chances in the category. In any case, this year’s five nominated scores are all clearly original works, and Fusilli is generally impressed by the calibre of the competition. He is, however, not entirely convinced by frontrunner A.R. Rahman’s work on “Slumdog Millionaire”:

    This year, voters will have to decide whether to recognize music that’s most memorable as catchy pop or symphonic music that illuminates story and character. Mr. Rahman’s ebullient work for “Slumdog Millionaire,” a film about a poor boy who may win a fortune on a game show, is likely the early favorite — last week, I stopped in a theater in Boston to see it again and members of the audience cheered when his name appeared in the end credits. That may not be what a film-score composer is looking for. As Mr. Elfman told me last week, “If I’m going for any reaction, the best I could possibly hope for is that they see my name and go, ‘Oh really?’ Writing a score that gets people to jump out of the chairs is a whole other ballgame.”

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  • January winner predictions

    WALL-EOnward. I bet Fox Searchlight wants this phase two to go by as fast as possible.

    Best Picture: “Slumdog Millionaire”
    Best Director: Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”
    Best Actor: Sean Penn, “Milk”
    Best Actress: Kate Winslet, “The Reader”
    Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”
    Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
    Best Adapted Screenplay: “Slumdog Millionaire”
    Best Original Screenplay: “WALL-E”
    Best Art Direction: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
    Best Cinematography: “The Dark Knight”
    Best Costume Design: “The Duchess”
    Best Film Editing: “Slumdog Millionaire”
    Best Makeup: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
    Best Music (Original Score): “Slumdog Millionaire”
    Best Music (Original Song): “WALL-E”
    Best Sound Editing: “WALL-E”
    Best Sound Mixing: “WALL-E”
    Best Visual Effects: “The Cuious Case of Benjamin Button”
    Best Animated Feature Film: “WALL-E”
    Best Foreign Language Film: “Waltz with Bashir”
    Best Documentary (Feature): “Man on Wire”
    Best Documentary (Short Subject): “The Witness — From the Balcony of Room 306”
    Best Short FIlm (Animated): “Presto”
    Best Short Film (Live Action): “New Boy”

    Tally:
    “Slumdog Millionaire” — 5
    “WALL-E” — 5
    “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” — 3
    “The Dark Knight” — 2
    “Defiance” — 1
    “The Duchess” — 1
    “The Reader” — 1
    “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” — 1

    (Those are all probably dead wrong, but eh, we’ll see how the season develops from here.)

  • How we did

    I’ll let the other contributors’ picks speak for themselves, and they’re more than welcome to pipe in with notes if they like, but here’s my tally.

    Coming off probably my best year yet last year, I didn’t do great.  I only nailed one category 100 percent (Best Film Editing).  There were more 3/5s popping up this year than in years past, but so it goes.  We all hit speed bumps.

    I correctly guessed 73 of the 102 nominees I predicted, which is, what, I don’t know.  74 if you count Winslet, but for the wrong movie (which you shouldn’t…I wouldn’t).  Percentages escape me.

    The somewhat unexpected calls I made were “Slumdog Millionaire” showing up in Best Sound Editing and the “Defiance” nod for Best Original Score.  A lot of people seemed to jump of the Melissa Leo boat recently too, but I knew she was solid.  The acting branch was in love with that performance, and when you have someone like Dustin Hoffman out there pushing your cause, you’re in good shape.

    Also, I had a conversation last night with a sound mixer friend who told me “Wanted” was the best sound job of the year.  And it shows up in both categories.  Go figure.

    Who am I most happy for?  Michael Shannon.  One of the good guys.

    Anyway, those are my stats.  What about yours?

  • 1/19 Oscarweb Round-up

    (from left) Abigail Breslin and Paul Dano in Little Miss Sunshine(It’s kind of hard to find anything with meat on its bones amid all the boring, derivative Sundance coverage.)

    • David Poland spends 30 minutes with genius Charlie Kaufman. [The Hot Blog]

    • Patrick Goldstein comes to Edward Zwick’s defence over a wrong-headed, borderline moronic assessment of his recent film “Defiance.” [The Big Picture]

    • Nathaniel Rogers takes his final Oscar stabs. [The Film Experience]

    • Tom O’Neil catches up with “Reader” makeup head Ivana Primorac. [Gold Derby]

    • Speaking of which, in case you missed it over the weekend, Gerard Kennedy talked to Primorac and the rest of the film’s below-the-line crew in this week’s edition of “Tech Support.” [In Contention]

    • Dave Karger wonders if Meryl Streep’s precursor consistency will nab her a third Oscar.  If pressed to answer today, my money would be on her, too. [Entertainment Weekly]

    • Your chance to be interviewed about “The Dark Knight” and Oscar and a poll asking whether you’d be more inclined to watch the Oscars if the film is nominated for Best Picture. [USA Today]

    • Christopher Campbell takes a look at a Sundance story of yore: “Little Miss Sunshine.” [Spout Blog]

  • The top 10 shots of 2008: part one

    Slumdog MillionaireI’m hoping to make this an annual tradition here at In Contention.  It’s no secret we have a lot of respect for below-the-line talent around these parts, but it’s nice to have a visual way of showing that appreciation.  I sat down to write this piece for the first time last year, taken by the caliber of cinematography we had to bask in throughout the year and, indeed, the awards season.  The unusually high number of lensing achievements in 2007 left a slew of images to choose from and it was difficult whittling it down to 10.

    This year the challenge was of a different sort.  The field was curiously thin.  It wasn’t that the talent wasn’t on display.  God knows, a number of the greats were lining up behind the camera this year.  But the images weren’t as instantly iconic or as viscerally gripping as they were in 2007, which might have left me a bit disappointed on one hand.  Then again, it just made searching for my favorites all the more involved and interesting, and I’m happy to offer my findings to you in this space, even if it meant doubling up.

    Yes, in one instance (an undeniable one, really), a certain film found two shots popping up on the list, and nearly three.  Another film also found itself close to a second mention, but I tried to keep a balance of honesty and fairness in place as much as possible.  If a film has two of the year’s best shots, it has two of the year’s best shots, right?

    This year, things are slightly different.  Last time around, I got a few arbitrary quotes from lensers throughout the season and plugged them into the piece where they fit best.  This year, I sought out the various directors of photography to get their opinions on the specific shots in question.  Their insight, as always, makes for a better story and, indeed, more context for the reader.  I hope you enjoy reading their thoughts as much as I did collecting them.

    So, I look forward to doing this each and every year I’m cranking out copy for your reading pleasure (or displeasure).  In my view, it is one of the best ways I can commemorate the technicians that so often find themselves overlooked this time of year.

    So let’s get on with the list…

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  • 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.

  • 1/7 Oscarweb Round-up

    Anne Hathaway• Noah Forrest talks with “Che” scribe Peter Buchman. [Movie City News]

    • David S. Cohen takes a deeper look at the visual effects bake-off. [Thompson on Hollywood]

    • Tom O’Neil chats with Dave Karger and Michael Musto about the seemingly Oscar-locked Heath Ledger. [Gold Derby]

    • Reed Johnson talks to the descendents of “Defiance”‘s Bielski brothers. [Los Angeles Times]

    • Yet another “what’s up with all the movie Nazs” piece. [The Independent]

    • Christopher Goodwin talks to Daniel Craig about his experimentalism. [The Times]

    • Anthony Breznican profiles “Rachel Getting Married” star Anne Hathaway. [USA Today]

  • Guessing the WGA: the adaptations

    Writers Guild of America Awards(Original screenplay predictions here.)

    The adapted field is a little easier to manage.  But I wouldn’t look to USC’s typically road-less-traveled nominees for much of a barometer for the adapted screenplay race, however.  That’s folly of a different sort.  So we’re left to our own devices.

    Once again, foreign and animated films are not eligible here.  This probably affects “The Class” and “Gomorrah” more than anything else.  I doubt “The Tale of Despereaux” has much in the way of screenplay hopes this season.  Ditto “Let the Right One In,” however vile the idea.

    As mentioned in the originals discussion, the WGA likes its comedies.  “Mean Girls,” “Bridget Jones’s Diary” and “High Fidelity” are a few examples of adaptations to make the cut here while missing with the Academy.  The only problem is…there isn’t really an applicable comedy adaptation in the mix.  Had, say, “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist” or “Yes Man” been somewhat more memorable, then maybe.  But that’s about all we have to pull from.  So maybe it isn’t a bad thing.  Anything that makes the guessing game a little easier is fine by me.

    I’d say the safest bets here are the two Best Picture frontrunners: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (written by Eric Roth) and “Slumdog Millionaire” (Simon Beaufoy).  And even though I just finished telling you the Scripter nominees shouldn’t matter, I nonetheless think David Hare’s adaptation of “The Reader” might have a strong foothold here, even if it misses with Oscar (which it might not).  Ditto Justin Haythe’s “Revolutionary Road.”

    That leaves a battle of the plays: “Doubt” versus “Frost/Nixon.”  As I said earlier, there is always at least one eventual Best Picture nominee left off the guild’s slate, even if it manages a nomination with AMPAS writers.  My bet is that’s going to be “Frost/Nixon” this year, so chalk one up for “Doubt.”  But I’m not solid on that either, because…

    …the big question mark is “The Dark Knight.”  I think the PGA nomination was a given and I don’t think a SAG ensemble nod should have really been expected.  The Scripter snub was odd, but meaningless in the face of the awards landscape, because it isn’t an industry organization.  So the first real, true, honest-to-God test for this film and its Oscar hopes comes with tomorrow’s announcement.  I’m strangely expecting a snub, one that might carry over to Oscar even if a Best Picture nomination stays in the cards.  But even so, that’s shaky ground to be on.  Only a DGA nomiantion Thursday could right the ship if WGA takes a pass.

    My predictions:

    “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Eric Roth; based on the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald)
    “Doubt” (John Patrick Shanley; based on his play)
    “The Reader” (David Hare; based on the nivel by Bernhard Schlink)
    “Revolutionary Road” (Justin Haythe; based on the novel by Richard Yates)
    “Slumdog Millionaire” (Simon Beaufoy; based on the novel “Q&A” by Vikas Swarup)

    Other possibilities:
    “The Dark Knight” (Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan; based on characters appearing in DC Comics)
    “Defiance” (Clay Frohman, Edward Zwick; based on the book by Nechama Tec)
    “Frost/Nixon” (Peter Morgan; based on his play)

    What about you?

  • 1/2 Oscarweb Round-up

    David Fincher• David Poland looks at the race nine weeks out from the angle of release marketing and strategy. [Movie City News]

    • Nathaniel Rogers is knee deep in his annual (extensive) year in review features.  Read it.  Now. [The Film Exerience]

    • Jeffrey Wells passes on some notes from a friend making some dubious comparisons between “Milk” and “Braveheart.” [Hollywood Elsewhere]

    • Old news you’ve probably read by now, but Tina Brown’s latest foray into the world of journalism proves just how much of a disreputable rag it can be. [The Daily Beast]

    • David Usborne is quick to dive in the mud with the hacks and bring a respectable UK outlet down there with him. [The Independent]

    • Joe Queenan chats with Mickey Rourke across the pond. [The Guardian]

    • Anne Thompson seems to think a Christmas release hurt “Revolutionary Road”‘s Oscar chances. [Thompson on Hollywood]

    Dave Karger takes a stand with some late-December Oscar predictions. [Entertainment Weekly]

    • David Carr speaks up for “Iron Man” over “The Dark Knight,” calls the latter’s third act a “mess.”  Oy. [The Carpetbagger]

    • Tom Roston sits down with “Defiance” and “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” star Liev Schreiber. [Los Angeles Times]

    • As a David Fincher retrospective cranks up in the Big Apple, Dennis Lim looks back over the director’s career to date. [New York Times]

    • Patty Rhuke spotlights the similarities between “Forrest Gump” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” comparisons certain parties involved would probably rather go away. [USA Today]

  • December winner predictions

    Kate Winslet in Revolutionary RoadBefore we get to the end of the month here I thought I’d go ahead and toss up another set of winner predictions.  This’ll be the last pre-nom set.  I’ll go back to them next month, probably the day of the nominations announcement.  But for now, it’s really all blind guessing, as always.

    For last month’s set, click here.

    Best Picture: “Slumdog Millionaire”
    Best Director: Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”
    Best Actor: Clint Eastwood, “Gran Torino”
    Best Actress: Kate Winslet, “Revolutionary Road”
    Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”
    Best Supporting Actress: Penélope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
    Best Adapted Screenplay: “Slumdog Millionaire”
    Best Original Screenplay: “Milk”
    Best Art Direction: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
    Best Cinematography: “Defiance”
    Best Costume Design: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
    Best Film Editing: “Slumdog Millionaire”
    Best Makeup: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
    Best Music – Original Score: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button””
    Best Music – Original Song: “The Wrestler”
    Best Sound Editing: “The Dark Knight”
    Best Sound Mixing: “The Dark Knight”
    Best Visual Effects: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
    Best Animated Feature Film: “WALL-E”
    Best Documentary Feature: “Man on Wire”
    Best Foreign Language Film: “Waltz with Bashir”

  • 12/26 Oscarweb Round-up

    (from left) Jamie Bell and Daniel Craig in Defiance• Bob Tourtellotte spends a minute with Sam Mendes. [Reuters]

    • David Poland responds to the week’s “Watchmen” wowser. [The Hot Blog]

    • Jeffrey Wells re-runs his thoughts on “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” [Hollywood Elsewhere]

    • Joel Stein wants it understood that Jews still run Hollywood, m’kay? [Los Angeles Times]

    • Lisa Marks responds. [The Guardian]

    • Kim Voynar considers the adapting of a dramatic work from an inherently undramatic source with Edward Zwick’s “Defiance” in mind. [Movie City News]

    • David Carr gives you a chance to cast your vote. [The Carpetbagger]

  • Here’s why the BFCA snubbed ‘Revolutionary Road’

    I didn’t think about this at the time this morning, because of course, I do the diligence of going to the screenings.  But DVDs of “Revolutionary Road” and “Defiance” did not arrive on our doorsteps until late last week, in some cases, as late as Friday.  Even though the voting deadline was Sunday, I’m sure most of the members across the country had already voted without seeing the film.  It’s the only reason I can think of that the film would be ignored across the board.  I mean, at the very least Michael Shannon would have shown up.  His performance has been cherished by critics in many quarters.  So keep it in mind, these snubs only mean that a large portion of the group didn’t see the film.

  • ‘Slumdog,’ ‘Torino’ win big at NBR

    Clint Eastwood in Gran TorinoThe National Board of Review has announced its list of winners for the 2008 awards season and Fox Searchlight’s “Slumdog Millionaire” is the big champ, taking down three awards including Best Film and a tie for Best Adapted Screenplay with Eric Roth’s “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”  Dev Patel also won the award for Breakthrough Performance by an Actor.

    That tie for adapted screenplay does little to separate those two competitors at this point, both in that category and in the big race, which most concede is neck-and-neck at the moment.  David Fincher also took the NBR’s Best Director award.

    The immediate point of interest is the love for “Gran Torino.”  Clint Eastwood seized the Best Actor trophy, perhaps the first in an upcoming slew of awards for the actor’s swan song performance, perhaps simply indicative of the NBR’s affinity for Warner Bros. product.  Nick Schenk won the award for Best Original Screenplay, which will lead many to think this film is a major Oscar player.  Hmm…

    Another interesting tid-bit: Paramount Vantage was virtually shut out of the proceedings, with only a single mention for “Defiance” in the NBR top ten.  Nothing for “Revolutionary Road.”  But it is worth pointing out that “There Will Be Blood” was completely shut out of the group’s awards last year, and we all know how that turned out.

    I think calling Viola Davis’s admittedly stunning performance in “Doubt” a “breakthrough” is a bit of a stretch considering how long the actress has been in the game, but the definition of that award shifts from year to year it seems.

    And finally, after James Franco slipped into the Indie Spirit Award nominations for his supporting performance in “Milk,” Josh Brolin walks away with the win today in the same category.  Who knows how it will turn out for Oscar?  My bet is still on Brolin, who had a banner year with his performance here and in “W,” not to mention the left-over goodwill for his work in multiple films last year.

    (Full list of winners after the jump.)

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  • TECH SUPPORT: Best Original Score — Volume One

    Tech Support at In ContentionMusic is one of few of the “tech” awards cited by the Academy that tends to result in passionate discussions among moviegoers, including non-cinephiles. Awarded in the Best Original Score category, the film music composer has one of the most difficult and lonely jobs in filmmaking. Almost always arriving at the end of the editing stage, and typically the most expendable element of the mixture, he or she has to fashion music appropriate to the mood and, hopefully, serve as a nice commentary for the on-screen goings-on.

    AMPAS musicians tend to have their favorites, however. This is notoriously one of the most insular branches (though it has warmed up slightly in recent years). It also tends to award music that features prominently in the films. Subtle scores rarely find a home here.

    A cardinal rule of this category is “never bet against John Williams.” The 45-time nominee has been recognized for all but two eligible years since 1976! Having been ineligible for two consecutive years now, Williams would seem a good bet this year for “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” The music was notable and he was nominated for all the predecessors in the series. That having been said, for some reason I’m still not convinced of this. Perhaps that’s because of the strength of other contenders.

    Thomas Newman is another favorite – an eight-time nominee — though he is still awaiting this first statuette. He could very well double-dip this year with “Revolutionary Road” and “WALL-E.” The former seems like it could be a big player this year, while music was absolutely pivotal in the latter. Newman was a double nominee for “Little Women” and “The Shawshank Redemption.” (Newman is also credited as a songwriter on “Down to Earth” from “WALL-E,” so he could even be up thrice this year!)

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  • WEEKLY WRAP: ‘Dark Knight’ disqualified, Rourke interviewed, ‘Australia’ unwrapped

    Kind of an in-between week, this. Here’s how it went down:

    • In probably the most discussed Oscar news of the week, “The Dark Knight” was dodgily ruled ineligible in the Best Original Score category.

    • On a happier note, we sat down with surefire Best Actor nominee Mickey Rourke.

    • A shortlist of 14 films was announced for the Animated Feature race — not that it’s a “race” at all.

    • “Australia” was revealed to a besotted Oprah… but is it really the Oscar-bait some people think it is?

    • Ahead of “Slumdog Millionaire”‘s Stateside opening, we considered the contributions of DP Anthony Dod Mantle and composer A.R. Rahman.

    • Kris was appreciative of Edward Zwick’s “Defiance” … even if several critics weren’t.

    • The dynamic Italian duo of “Gomorrah” and “Il Divo” led the nominations for the European Film Awards.

    • “Gomorrah,” meanwhile, has designs on more than just the Foreign Film category at the Oscars.

    • Tech Support showcased the frequently surprising Best Makeup category.

    • Entertainment Weekly named Robert Downey Jr. their Entertainer of the Year, which Richard Jenkins among the also-rans.

    • We were charmed by “Last Chance Harvey,” a low-flying contender in the acting categories.

    • And finally, in another biopic-heavy season, we counted down the all-time best examples of the genre.

  • ‘Defiance’ strikes out with the trades

    Ed Zwick may just be one of those directors who will never be in critics’ good graces: a fine technical craftsman and a no-nonsense storyteller, even his best films remain as resolutely unfashionable in execution as they are noble in intention. Nothing wrong with that, of course — I’m no real fan, but films like “Legends of the Fall,” “The Last Samurai” and “Blood Diamond” entertained a lot of moviegoers, even as critics offered a collective shrug.

    Now, early reviews suggest that “Defiance” will continue that pattern. Though Kris had positive words for the film, the trade papers are significantly harsher, tossing out phrases like “dramatically flat” and “an overall lack of creative spark.”

    Todd McCarthy’s review praises the performances (particularly Liev Schreiber’s) and tech contributions, but overall, he is left unmoved:

    A potentially exceptional story is told in a flatly unexceptional manner… Zwick’s version of the grim but inspirational events becomes more conventional as it goes, topped by a climax straight out of countless war pics and Westerns.

    It all becomes pretty standard-issue stuff, filled with noble and tragic heroism, familiar battle images and last-second rescues. None of the suffering, sacrifices, anxieties or tests of heart and soul are rendered with any special dimension or heightened force, nor depicted with anything near the staggering, hallucinatory impact of the two great Russian films to have depicted events in wartime Belorussia, Larisa Shepitko’s 1977 “The Ascent” and her husband Elem Klimov’s 1985 “Come and See.”

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  • Oscar column? Ha.

    Nothing to show for myself yet again this week.  I swear, in seven days time, I’ll get my act in gear on that front.  But without something to push the passion, it’s kind of hard not to let other committments take hold.

    After AFI, some think “Doubt” has a Best Picture shot, others don’t.  I haven’t heard much from the peanut gallery on “Defiance,” which is odd — you’d expect the usual clawing over ourselves to be “first!”  I dug it.  I think it’s in the conversation.  But hey, there are still mysteries to behold.

    Which brings me to it: break out the films already.  This is the worst bout of Oscar foreplay we’ve suffered through in a LONG time.  “Revolutionary Road,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Australia” and “Seven Pounds” need to stop playing peek-a-boo and man up already.  Am I wrong here?

    Anyway, updated charts next time around.  Truthfully, they wouldn’t have changed much today if I did have a column in me.