In Contention

Tag: Splice

  • Stephen King’s top 10 films of 2010

    Entertainment Weekly columnist (and a dabbler in fiction) Stephen King is the first out of the gate this year with a top 10 list, beating the usual early likes of Peter Travers et al to the punch.

    King’s lists are always, shall we say, unique.  They generally lean toward the populist and make it rather obvious year in and year out that the author couldn’t possibly have seen everything there was to see in a film year.  And as you might imagine, genre fare is usually dominant.

    This year is no different.  Of COURSE this is his top 10 list.  Makes perfect sense.  And while his #1 couldn’t have been more predictable (given what he likes and what he’s written about the film), I wonder — was the original even on his radar?  (Answer: Nope.)  Anyway, check back Friday for Oscar Talk and an announcement regarding this year’s top 10 list (mine and Anne’s).  King’s full list (dug up courtesy of /Film) after the jump.

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  • TECH SUPPORT: Best Makeup — Volume II

    As I said last week (and have said several times before), no category is year-in and-year-out more perplexing than Best Makeup. Each year, this branch finds ways to turn otherwise dubious awards contenders into bona fide Oscar nominees — dubious because often nominees might be abysmal or relatively obscure.  The branch seems to have its favorites – like Greg Cannom and Rick Baker – but nevertheless manages to snub them sometimes when they seem sure bets.

    The category remains the sole remnant of the bake-off system, where the field is narrowed to seven and the nominees chosen from that collective.  Year after year, shocking omissions occur in both rounds.

    As I stated last time, despite the general weirdness of this category, we can put some traits as more likely to be embraced than others – aging, prosthetics and illness likely top the list. Also, while the category technically rewards both hairstyling and makeup, it rarely seems to concentrate on the former (“The Young Victoria” last year is a notable exception).  So all that having been established, what do I expect to see in contention this year?

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  • TECH SUPPORT: Best Makeup — Volume I

    Makeup and hairstyling builds characters by transforming actors with realism or imagination that would otherwise be lacking on the screen. With the announcement that the Best Visual Effects is expanding to include five nominees this year, Best Makeup now remains the sole category to have three nominees, chosen from a “bake-off” of seven finalists which are revealed in advance of the January nominations announcement.

    This award tends to cite so many different aspects that it is difficult to pin down exactly what the branch looks for. However, aging and illness are certainly well regarded, as are the creation of blood and injuries, disfigurement and turning actors into monsters and other fantastical beings.

    It should be remembered that this category awards both makeup and hairstyling. However, last year’s nomination for “The Young Victoria” is a rare example of where the hairstyling portion of the category apparently played a significant role. Traditionally, facial and body makeup is far more important.

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  • FRIDAY FORECAST: Hey, remember the 80s?

    *All historical figures cited are adjusted to today’s dollars.

    A thousand apologies for being off the grid for a little over a week. I was in Germany for a screening of my film and was happily without internet or phone for most of the trip. Sadly, I returned to the news that “Shrek Forever After” was still the number one movie in the States. Honestly, I can’t leave you people alone for a minute.

    Last week’s slate was always going to be a crop of modest performers but this week is a little different. Hollywood double dips into the 80s nostalgia well and at least one of the films carries a very high price tag that will need some juice to be recouped.

    But first let’s talk about “The Karate Kid.” Some ultra nerds have been complaining that it’s false advertising because Jackie Chan actually teaches Kung Fu this time, but if that was really an issue then the original would have been called “The Karate Man,” since I’m pretty sure Ralph Macchio was 35 when it came out. Regardless, Sony is hoping to gain kids with the PG rating and pre-teen protagonist, teens with the martial arts and Jackie Chan, and finally adults with nostalgia. Test screenings went extremely well (so says Sony) and I think the film could surprise with a $30 million weekend.

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