In Contention

Tag: I Love You Phillip Morris

  • Jim Carrey on the rise?

    I’ve been pulling for Jim Carrey the whole way, I tell you.  I was a massive fan in the 90s, starting with “the white guy on ‘In Living Color’” days, through the silly comedies critics loathed and the eventual Oscar-baiting (some of it actually worthy).

    The last decade has seen ups and downs for the actor.  Things started nicely with box office smashes like “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and “Bruce Almighty,” but things really wore thin on “Fun with Dick and Jane” and “Yes Man,” to say nothing of the abysmal “The Number 23.”

    There was the peculiar pre-break-up breakdown earlier this year to cause concern, but then there are the career-topping performances in “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and this 2010’s “I Love You Phillip Morris” to consider as well.  The latter, I think, might be his best work to date.

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  • WGA gives leg up to ‘Please Give,’ ‘Phillip Morris’

    Well, we all knew the WGA would have a unique slate of nominations, given the list of ineligibilities this year (which included “Another Year,” “Blue Valentine,” “Biutiful,” “The Ghost Writer,” “The King’s Speech,” “Love & Other Drugs,” “Made in Dagenham,” “Never Let Me Go,” “The Way Back” and “Winter’s Bone,” among others).

    I was expecting to see “The Fighter” slide onto the list in the wake of that purge, as well as “The Town” (which adds to SAG and PGA recognition with this nomination).  But I didn’t think Nicole Holofcener’s “Please Give” would make the cut (though Anne mentioned it as a possibility in Friday’s Oscar Talk), and I definitely didn’t see “I Love You Phillip Morris” coming (which is one of my favorite adaptations of the year).  Interesting that it was another Roadside Attractions released that filled in for “Winter’s Bone.”

    We’ve still got the USC Scripter finalists on the way later today. (NOTE: I’ve just been notified that the Scripter finalists will be revealed tomorrow.) Tomorrow, the Art Directors Guild will announce nominees, followed by the Cinema Audio Society on Wednesday.  Check out the full list of WGA screen nominees at The Circuit.

    [Photo: Roadside Attractions]

  • If I had a ballot

    The year is winding down.  Today, as part of the week’s on-going year-in-review specials, I’m offering up my annual “if I had a ballot” post.

    In years past I’ve tended to defer to studio campaigns for category placement, but this year I figured, “Screw it.”  After all, if I actually had a ballot I could call the shots.  So I have.

    You’re familiar with my Best Picture line-up by now.  I’ve opted out of the Best Foreign Language Film and Best Documentary categories because there are a few films I’d rather have seen before making that call, but otherwise, it’s the usual Oscar fields with an ensemble category tacked on.

    Feel free to post up your own selections, if you have them, in the comments section below.  And remember to check back Friday as I close up shop on 2010 with my list of superlatives.  For now, check out my personal ballot after the jump.

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  • Likability: the best films of 2010

    I don’t quite know how to peg 2010.

    On one hand it has felt like a weak year. On the other hand, I’ve enjoyed quite a few films. Maybe the story lies in that sentence: “enjoyed.” There were precious few films that really rocked me, but plenty that were a nice enough experience.

    If you listened to Friday’s Oscar Talk, then you know my top 10. But before publishing it in this space, allow me to walk through the many films that fell short, starting at the top with Derek Cianfrance’s “Blue Valentine.” Here is an honest depiction of a relationship in crisis with performances that hit the mark. It wears its soul on its sleeve.

    The Coen brothers’ dip into the western genre, “True Grit,” was a straight-forward piece of flavorful filmmaking much appreciated for its restraint, while similarly, Ben Affleck’s “The Town” didn’t attempt reinvention of the wheel while forging a resonant character study in a genre film’s clothing.

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  • Carrey speaks out against homophobic bullying

    I admit I haven’t yet got round to seeing the fact-inspired, gay-themed comedy “I Love You, Phillip Morris,” despite it having opened in the UK way back in the youthful glory days of March. (US audiences still have to wait another three weeks.) Reaction from my fellow Brit critics was politely tepid, and I largely forgot about the film until Kris’s highly enthusiastic response re-piqued my interest last month.

    Whether “Phillip Morris” — in which Jim Carrey plays a closeted con man who falls for his prison cellmate — works or not, its long-delayed (the film bowed at Sundance 2009, remember) US presence is welcome.

    In addition to following “The Kids Are All Right” in edging homosexual romance into the mainstream, the film’s publicity run also employs Carrey’s to drive home social messages that, however obvious to most of us, still bear repeating.

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  • OFF THE CARPET: Leading men in the spotlight

    About a year ago I took to examining the 2009 Best Actor race.  The frontrunners for five slots seemed to be, in order, George Clooney, Colin Firth, Jeremy Renner, Morgan Freeman, Daniel Day-Lewis, Viggo Mortensen and Robert De Niro.

    A day later press members received their first invites to “Crazy Heart” screenings and were notified that the film would be released in 2009.  Jeff Bridges hit the ground running and never let off the gas until he was past the finish line.

    A year earlier we were looking at a pair of politico-biopic portrayals, either one of which would make a handsome winner: Frank Langella and Sean Penn.  But we were fairly sure the latter would be on his way to the podium one more time.

    But soon after, Mickey Rourke’s festival buzz caught serious fire and forged an atmosphere of doubt.  The season’s narrative seemed to be changing, and yet the early buzz carried through and brought Penn his Oscar.

    So that’s two drastically different directions – in as many years – that a lead actor race can take.  Given the mid-October fulcrum shared here, let’s consider our perspective on the Best Actor category right now.

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  • ‘I Love You Phillip Morris’ red band trailer

    I recently sang the praises of Glenn Ficcara and John Requa’s “I Love You Phillip Morris,” which is building up the publicity push as of late. We got a poster last week, and today, a red band trailer that, suffice it to say, is NSFW. Check it out after the jump.

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  • ‘Winter’s Bone’ leads the way with Gotham Award nominees

    The nominees for the 20th annual Gotham Independent Film Awards were announced this morning by Elvis Mitchell via live stream and we get a lot of what we’d expect.  Debra Granik’s “Winter’s Bone” received three nominations, including Best Feature, while Lisa Cholodenko’s “The Kids Are All Right” received two.  Those were the list-toppers.

    Darren Aronofsky’s “Black Swan” received one nomination, for Best Feature.  The director is also getting an honorary award, however, as previously announced.

    The biggest surprise for me is “Let Me In” nailing down a Best Feature nomination.  I was happy to see Glenn Ficarra and John Requa nail down a Breakthrough Director nomination for the delightful “I Love You Phillip Morris,” and I also caught “The Company Men” last week (the same day as Ficarra and Requa’s film, actually).  It’s a tight piece of work and it’s nice to see John Wells spotlighted in that category, too.

    Check out the full list of nominees after the jump.

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  • WEEKLY WRAP: Supporting ladies gather, London opens, Hardy goes to Gotham

    • Off the Carpet picked out the likeliest runners in a highly malleable Best Supporting Actress race.

    • We checked in on the Best Animated Feature race, where it seems we may be looking at a three-nominee field after all.

    • Away from the awards beat, the week’s big news was the casting of Tom Hardy in Christopher Nolan’s next Batman venture.

    • The Academy formally revealed the list of 65 contenders for Best Foreign Language Film.

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  • Carrey kills in ‘I Love You Phillip Morris’

    I really can’t sing the praises of Glenn Ficarra and John Requa’s “I Love You Phillip Morris” enough.  It’s a shame the elusive film, which has been sitting on a shelf waiting for a release for some time, has taken this long to see the light of day, because it’s a delightful romp with genuine dramatic hues.  And it probably features Jim Carrey’s finest performance to date.

    The thing about Carrey — who I’ve admired through thick and through thin — is that there has always been something self-aware about his work.  I think he has been magnificent in everything from “The Truman Show” to “Man on the Moon” to, certainly, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” And the latter is where he seemed to finally be settling into a groove as a thespian more than a performer.

    Nevertheless, in virtually all of his dramatic performances to date (especially his work in the ill-received “The Majestic”), he seemed to be watching himself with a third eye, which inevitably held him back.  In “I Love You Phillip Morris,” all of that is gone.  He’s never felt so organic and believable as a character and he legitimately deserves to be a part of this year’s awards discussion.

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  • ‘I Love You Phillip Morris’ poster

    Fancy this timing, I’ll finally be getting around to “I Live You Phillip Morris” later this afternoon.  Today, via Entertainment Weekly’s Pop Watch blog, we get our first look at the poster.  The film stars Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor and is set for release December 3.  Check out the full image after the jump.

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  • 9/22 OSCARWEB ROUND-UP: Carrey’s Oscar potential, ‘Inception’ with a joystick, demanding to see ‘Beaver’

    • Sasha Stone ponders Oscar possibilities for Jim Carrey in “I Love You Phillip Morris” as the hate-mongering right looks to block the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. [Awards Daily]

    • Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy reunite to celebrate 25 years of “The Breakfast Club.”  Come on, Emilio.  Too cool for school?  (See what I did there?) [People]

    • Christopher Nolan briefly mentions that he’d like to develop “Inception” as a video game (and if you have a film-related news feed then you’ve already seen plenty of webmasters climbing over themselves to re-report this). [Variety]

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  • Is Jim Carrey okay?

    I asked that, sincerely, via Twitter yesterday after seeing Tweet after Tweet packed with sentiments such as:

    ETERNITY IS NOT A MEASURE OF TIME!IT’S THE DEPTH OF THIS MOMENT!HEAVEN IS HERE,NOW!FIND IT!FEEL IT!BOING BOING, EVERYBODY!BOING BOING!!! ;^)

    Obviously a number of Carrey’s projects have crashed and burned as of late, most recently the indefinitely stalled release of “I Love You Phillip Morris,” but the guy also broke up with his lady, Jenny McCarthy (confession: all-time favorite Hollywood couple). On the whole, he just seems to be having some weird public breakdown.

    Well, in sizing up Carrey’s career crossroads in a recent Moviefone column, Anne Thompson pegs the star’s professional conundrum thusly…

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  • Yes, but you didn’t actually WIN

    There are several reasons I’m bothered by this one-sheet for gay rom-com “I Love You Phillip Morris,” which has built up a fair amount of goodwill from its appearances at Sundance and Cannes this year.

    I Love You Phillip Morris

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  • Coppola goes to Cannes after all

    Francis Ford CoppolaAfter turning down an out-of-competition slot at Cannes earlier this week, it seems Francis Ford Coppola has had a change of heart. Variety reports that his new film, “Tetro,” will open the festival’s Directors’ Fortnight on May 14, marking the much-awaited film’s world premiere.

    The addition of Coppola adds some welcome lustre to a sidebar that frequently gets unfairly neglected in favour of the Official Selection (where “Tetro” was previously offered a place). The Director’s Fortnight may also attract attention for showcasing significantly more US talent than the selection of competition films announced yesterday, which included a mere two American titles (and only one from a Yank filmmaker, at that).

    In contrast, five American features make the Fortnight lineup, including Sundance talking-points “Humpday” and “I Love You, Philip Morris.” (Meanwhile, Lee Daniels’ much-garlanded Sundance sensation “Precious” (AKA “Push”) will appear in the Un Certain Regard strand of competition.

    Though the media focus tends to remain on the 20-odd films up for the Palme d’Or, Cannes runs far deeper than that. Some have complained that yesterday’s competition lineup, with its high quotient of previous winners and established auteurs, feels a bit too safe and insular (though “safe” hardly seems an apt adjective when the likes of Gaspar Noe and Lars Von Trier are involved), but it’s not just new talent lurking in the sidebars.

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  • Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor do the nasty

    (from left) Ewan McGregor and Jim Carrey in I Love You Phillip MorrisThe first still for “I Love You Phillip Morris” has been released, and it’s an enticing shot for the two or three people in the world who’d like to see these guys bumping uglies…

    But seriously, I do think it’s hilarious that this film was pitched as “‘Catch Me If You Can’ meets “Brokeback Mountain.’”  Gotta give Hollywood one of those recipe pitches every now and then, assure the suits that they aren’t straying TOO far from the norm.

    I’ve never read Steve McVicker’s book, but it does sound interesting.  And no, it’s not about a man who falls in love with Big Tobacco.

    I also like Jim Carrey’s choice of material lately.  As “Liar Liar”-ish as “Yes Man” sounds, it could be a solid piece of work and “Morris,” of course, coming from the “Bad Santa” team, has a lot of potential.  I’m also looking forward to “The Christmas Carol,” which could be dazzling.

    The guy sure could use a boost after three stinkers in a row.