More on one of my pet peeves: the star system. Hey, that's my film-critic teacher (Josh) in there!
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123265679206407369.html
Friday, January 23, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Oscar Talk (or Musings for Amy)
First - where is my 10 best list? Where are reviews of the year-end prestige picks? Why am I slacking on my blog again? It's not like summer: This time, I have quality product to view.
Answer: I had a race in Florida, and I'm working weekends. This curtails both my movie-watching time and review-writing opportunities. (I write on bus and train rides to and from Boston.) I haven't see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Revolutionary Road or Frozen River (or, for that matter, Gran Torino or Wendy and Lucy), so I don't want to make a Best of 2008 list until I catch at least some of those. (Right now, though, Frost/Nixon is tops.) I'm pledging that I'll have reviews of all five Best Picture nominees by Oscar night, one month from today. I already published one for The Reader, and I've been working on a combined Milk and Frost/Nixon critique for a couple of weeks.
Now to the nominees ... I thought the five Best Picture pics were supposed to be a slamdunk, so I'm shocked that The Reader somehow beat out The Dark Knight ... or Wall-E ... or even Doubt ... to make it to the top 5. During the week between Christmas and New Year's, I read Top 10 movie lists from around the country, an average of 100 or so. Wall-E appeared on 81 of those lists, The Dark Knight on 63, Slumdog Millionaire on 58, Milk on 56, Frost/Nixon on 40.
The Reader was on five.
This may be the most ridiculous Best Picture nominee since Chocolat - which, come to think of it, is also a Harvey Weinstein marketing production. Groan.
Actor: This is a tough, tough category. The Richard Jenkins nomination made me squeal with delight, but I also thought Frank Langella, Sean Penn, and Mickey Rourke were masterful. They're all winners so far, with a slight edge to Penn, although I THINK it's Rourke's to lose.
Actress: Keep in mind I haven't Melissa Leo in Frozen River. I'm very disappointed, although not surprised, Kristin Scott Thomas was ignored for I've Loved You So Long (buzz peaked too early). Given that I actively loathed Angelina Jolie in Changeling and disliked the Meryl and Kate Oscar Grab, for me Anne Hathaway wins by default. Fortunately, I also liked her in Rachel Getting Married. That said, I suspect this will be the Meryl/Kate race. Ugh. At least Winslet's Reader role is in the right category.
Supporting Actor: I actually prefer Emile Hirsch from Milk over Josh Brolin or the non-nominated James Franco. Since the Oscar is supposed to be for a particular performance and not a body of work (Al Pacino, Renee Zellweger, cough, cough), I'll join the Heath Ledger/Dark Knight masses. But can't we just give Robert Downey Jr. a statue for Performer of the Year?
Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz. Unless Taraji P. Henson blows me away in Benjamin Button, this category isn't up for discussion.
Original Screenplay: Um, Rachel Getting Married? Vicky Cristina Barcelona? Gran Torino? Where are they??? I can't even remember what's nominated. ... (checking) ... Oh, gosh, I don't care, and that's sad for an editor. All of these fell apart for me at one point or another. I guess In Bruges?
Adapted Screenplay: Because I don't know the source material in most cases, I find this category tough to judge. This time, I DO know source material in two cases. Go, Frost/Nixon!
Other categories: Why do we have only three Best Song options, and where's the one from Bruce Springsteen and The Wrestler? I've seen only one Best Documentary nominee, way off from the four I watched last year pre-Oscar night. Waltz with Bashir should have been nominated for Best Animated Flick. Persepolis was last year, so it's not as if the Academy can't be bold.
That's enough babbling from me. Your turn!
Answer: I had a race in Florida, and I'm working weekends. This curtails both my movie-watching time and review-writing opportunities. (I write on bus and train rides to and from Boston.) I haven't see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Revolutionary Road or Frozen River (or, for that matter, Gran Torino or Wendy and Lucy), so I don't want to make a Best of 2008 list until I catch at least some of those. (Right now, though, Frost/Nixon is tops.) I'm pledging that I'll have reviews of all five Best Picture nominees by Oscar night, one month from today. I already published one for The Reader, and I've been working on a combined Milk and Frost/Nixon critique for a couple of weeks.
Now to the nominees ... I thought the five Best Picture pics were supposed to be a slamdunk, so I'm shocked that The Reader somehow beat out The Dark Knight ... or Wall-E ... or even Doubt ... to make it to the top 5. During the week between Christmas and New Year's, I read Top 10 movie lists from around the country, an average of 100 or so. Wall-E appeared on 81 of those lists, The Dark Knight on 63, Slumdog Millionaire on 58, Milk on 56, Frost/Nixon on 40.
The Reader was on five.
This may be the most ridiculous Best Picture nominee since Chocolat - which, come to think of it, is also a Harvey Weinstein marketing production. Groan.
Actor: This is a tough, tough category. The Richard Jenkins nomination made me squeal with delight, but I also thought Frank Langella, Sean Penn, and Mickey Rourke were masterful. They're all winners so far, with a slight edge to Penn, although I THINK it's Rourke's to lose.
Actress: Keep in mind I haven't Melissa Leo in Frozen River. I'm very disappointed, although not surprised, Kristin Scott Thomas was ignored for I've Loved You So Long (buzz peaked too early). Given that I actively loathed Angelina Jolie in Changeling and disliked the Meryl and Kate Oscar Grab, for me Anne Hathaway wins by default. Fortunately, I also liked her in Rachel Getting Married. That said, I suspect this will be the Meryl/Kate race. Ugh. At least Winslet's Reader role is in the right category.
Supporting Actor: I actually prefer Emile Hirsch from Milk over Josh Brolin or the non-nominated James Franco. Since the Oscar is supposed to be for a particular performance and not a body of work (Al Pacino, Renee Zellweger, cough, cough), I'll join the Heath Ledger/Dark Knight masses. But can't we just give Robert Downey Jr. a statue for Performer of the Year?
Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz. Unless Taraji P. Henson blows me away in Benjamin Button, this category isn't up for discussion.
Original Screenplay: Um, Rachel Getting Married? Vicky Cristina Barcelona? Gran Torino? Where are they??? I can't even remember what's nominated. ... (checking) ... Oh, gosh, I don't care, and that's sad for an editor. All of these fell apart for me at one point or another. I guess In Bruges?
Adapted Screenplay: Because I don't know the source material in most cases, I find this category tough to judge. This time, I DO know source material in two cases. Go, Frost/Nixon!
Other categories: Why do we have only three Best Song options, and where's the one from Bruce Springsteen and The Wrestler? I've seen only one Best Documentary nominee, way off from the four I watched last year pre-Oscar night. Waltz with Bashir should have been nominated for Best Animated Flick. Persepolis was last year, so it's not as if the Academy can't be bold.
That's enough babbling from me. Your turn!
The Oscars nominations, in brief
Yay to Richard Jenkins!!!
Thank you, Academy, for realizing that Kate Winslet's performance in The Reader is in fact a lead one.
However ... The Reader over The Dark Knight or Wall-E for Best Picture and Best Director??? The overbearing influence of Harvey Weinstein is back, it seems.
More grousing and musing to come tonight. ...
Thank you, Academy, for realizing that Kate Winslet's performance in The Reader is in fact a lead one.
However ... The Reader over The Dark Knight or Wall-E for Best Picture and Best Director??? The overbearing influence of Harvey Weinstein is back, it seems.
More grousing and musing to come tonight. ...
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Cary Grant
Last year, when I started to make a more conscious effort to watch old movies, I decided Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn were my favorite classic actors. Check out this Washington Post tribute to my man. The subhead says it all.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/09/AR2009010901212.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/09/AR2009010901212.html
Sunday, January 4, 2009
A Child and the Holocaust
I don't know what to say about The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Some critics on Metacritic gave it 100; others, such as the New York Times, despised it. The film inspired such passionate reactions that I had to see what the fuss was about. I understand both reactions. More than once, I nearly walked out in disgust, but then I reminded myself that if I sat through Life Is Beautiful twice, I could handle this Holocaust/child take for 90 or so minutes. Right? Would I recommend it, though? I think I'm in the "no" group.
I'm still vacillating about The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Based on a young-adult novel, Pajamas views the Holocaust through 8-year-old Bruno (Asa Butterfield), son of a Nazi general (David Thewlis), who befriends a boy in a concentration camp. Vera Farmiga stands out as Bruno's mother, physically and mentally unraveling after discovering her husband's work. Director Mark Herman doesn't flinch at the horrifying end, though the impact would've been greater with silence rather than James Horner's intrusive score. But several points defy logic, from the British accents to the camp's lax security to the dropped angle of Bruno’s sister’s anti-Jewish rhetoric. Mostly, Pajamas wants one to accept a lot about innocence. Bruno is 8, not 4 - is he really supposed to be that naive?
I'm still vacillating about The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Based on a young-adult novel, Pajamas views the Holocaust through 8-year-old Bruno (Asa Butterfield), son of a Nazi general (David Thewlis), who befriends a boy in a concentration camp. Vera Farmiga stands out as Bruno's mother, physically and mentally unraveling after discovering her husband's work. Director Mark Herman doesn't flinch at the horrifying end, though the impact would've been greater with silence rather than James Horner's intrusive score. But several points defy logic, from the British accents to the camp's lax security to the dropped angle of Bruno’s sister’s anti-Jewish rhetoric. Mostly, Pajamas wants one to accept a lot about innocence. Bruno is 8, not 4 - is he really supposed to be that naive?
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Starting Off 2009 ...
with releases from 2008.
I'm a sucker for a good Brit flick and anything tinged with melancholy. I like Emma Thompson. This movie was going to be catnip for me. I knew it wasn't much, but for 10:30 a.m. on a U.K.-gray Friday, I thought it would be just right. And it was.
More deeply felt than one might expect, Last Chance Harvey pairs lonely souls Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson in a slight yet tender romance. Harvey Shine (Hoffman) comes to London for his somewhat estranged daughter's wedding, only to be let go from his jingle-writing gig and shunted to the side at the nuptials. His return to New York thwarted, Harvey strikes up conversation with greeter Kate (Thompson) in an airport bar, and they progress - OK, he pushes, she relents - to a day of exploration and reconciliation. That's it, save a third-act contrivance that pads the 99-minute film.
Last Chance Harvey has the feel of an extended Love, Actually segment; several typical London sights recur in both movies. While his filming style isn't much, writer/director Joel Hopkins has given us two real grown-ups and two talented actors to play them.
Hoffman tones down recent mannered performances (Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer) to portray a man of desperation and yearning, sad about being an embarrassment to his family. Although Kate doesn't have the same arc, Thompson grasps her character's pain in one image: On an awkward blind date in a pub, she escapes to a bathroom stall to dab her eyes and choke back sobs. Her closest companion is her cellphone and the codependent mother (Eileen Atkins) attached to it.
On these cold, raw days, grab tea and a scone and take a chance on the sweet poignancy of Harvey.
I'm a sucker for a good Brit flick and anything tinged with melancholy. I like Emma Thompson. This movie was going to be catnip for me. I knew it wasn't much, but for 10:30 a.m. on a U.K.-gray Friday, I thought it would be just right. And it was.
More deeply felt than one might expect, Last Chance Harvey pairs lonely souls Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson in a slight yet tender romance. Harvey Shine (Hoffman) comes to London for his somewhat estranged daughter's wedding, only to be let go from his jingle-writing gig and shunted to the side at the nuptials. His return to New York thwarted, Harvey strikes up conversation with greeter Kate (Thompson) in an airport bar, and they progress - OK, he pushes, she relents - to a day of exploration and reconciliation. That's it, save a third-act contrivance that pads the 99-minute film.
Last Chance Harvey has the feel of an extended Love, Actually segment; several typical London sights recur in both movies. While his filming style isn't much, writer/director Joel Hopkins has given us two real grown-ups and two talented actors to play them.
Hoffman tones down recent mannered performances (Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer) to portray a man of desperation and yearning, sad about being an embarrassment to his family. Although Kate doesn't have the same arc, Thompson grasps her character's pain in one image: On an awkward blind date in a pub, she escapes to a bathroom stall to dab her eyes and choke back sobs. Her closest companion is her cellphone and the codependent mother (Eileen Atkins) attached to it.
On these cold, raw days, grab tea and a scone and take a chance on the sweet poignancy of Harvey.
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