Oscar and the City

"Milk" Trailer

2008-09-03T14:43:00.003-04:00

Well, the poster had to be taken down, but here is the official trailer.

What do you think?

ETA: I still can't get the trailer to load on Apple's website. If you're struggling, too, watch the trailer on YouTube here:

Hollywood Reporter Raves "Rachel"; Calls Anne Hathawy "award-worthy"

2008-09-03T14:35:00.001-04:00

Read it here:

VENICE -- Jonathan Demme, last in Venice with "The Manchurian Candidate," breathes a breath of honest cinema into a lackluster competition with "Rachel Getting Married," a film whose lightness of touch rides a wave of family conflict to perfectly balance smiles and tears. Playing the spitfire sister of the bride, an award-worthy Anne Hathaway gives the story a clear central focus and offers Jenny Lumet's subtle script some wiggle room to set aside a lot of the usual genre conventions without losing the audience's attention. Though hardly a blockbuster comedy, the Sony Pictures Classics release should gather steam as the awards roll in and word-of-mouth spreads.

Full review.

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Exciting!!

Best Actor Updates: Taking Pre-Toronto Updates

2008-09-02T00:26:00.004-04:00

One of the rules in Oscar predicting is that no matter how strong your year-in-advance lineup may look, odds are you're not going to go 5/5.

I had to keep telling myself that when I went to update Best Actor over the weekend. I couldn't help thinking otherwise, because any way you write it, Del Toro/DiCaprio/Langella/Pitt/Penn looks right on paper.

But...it's not going to happen. And with Toronto just days away, I've decided to take a couple of chances before the Oscar buzz really picks up.

Most of the usual suspects remain: I'm keeping Sean Penn, Leo DiCaprio and Frank Langella in the mix, and I've added Viggo Mortensen for The Road.

In fact, come to think of it, the only real chance I'm taking is on Liam Neeson for The Other Man, who I've wanted to predict all season long. Will it happen? Probably not, but the film is premiereing at Toronto, and Richard Eyre's films have done pretty well in the acting categories this decade, so why not?

I feel odd leaving Pitt and Del Toro off the lineup, but I'm starting to feel weird about "Curious Case" and, really, am I the only one who thinks Soderbergh's 4 hour Che epic sounds like pulling teeth?

Discuss in the comments section below.

YouTube Clip of the Week: The Bridges of Madison County

2008-08-31T19:30:00.001-04:00

Best Supporting Actor Updates

2008-08-31T19:09:00.003-04:00

More end of summer predix updates continue with Best Supporting Actor.

Tonight's updates were considerably less stressful than Supporting Actress was, and certainly less than Best Actor will be week.

This mostly has to do how quiet the Supporting Actor race has been. We've already seen Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, and after all of the money and good reviews it's earned, we know he's in for a nomination.

Josh Brolin still looks good for a nomination as well, even if Milk isn't the Best Picture contender many think it is. The same goes for Michael Sheen in Frost/Nixon.

Then we have Kodi Smit-McPhee for The Road. He would have been added to my predix a lot sooner if this hadn't been such a busy summer for me. His role is so crucial to the story, and I think his performance is going to have the same kind of effect as it did in the book. I mean, how can audiences watch a father and son walk through hell and not want to cry? So I think he's in.

Finally, I had a bit of trouble figuring out who to put in for the 5th spot. I decided on John Malkovich at the last second just to kind of test the waters on Changeling. I'm still not sure if it will be an Angelina-or-bust type deal, but let's see where this goes. If he gets the nod, fine. If Butler Hartner gets the nod instead, that's fine too. I have my fingers crossed for Charlize in The Road, anyway. If she gets nominated, I will do a crazy happy dance. ;)

What do you guys think of my predix? Are they looking good or did I forget someone? Discuss below!

Weekend Screening Schedule: Disaster Movie Lineup

2008-08-29T16:00:00.003-04:00

According to Rotten Tomatoes, this is the opening lineup for this weekend:

60% Hamlet 2
52% Traitor
06% Babylon A.D.
00% Disaster Movie
-- College

Looks like I will finally be seeing Pineapple Express this weekend.

In any event, I did get to see Vicky Cristina Barcelona again yesterday, and I am loving Cruz's chances for a nomination even more. I hope she gets it.

Also, this marks the third movie I've seen twice this summer. The other two were Mamma Mia! and Wall-E, both with the same friend and both against my will. Oy.

Variety isn't

2008-08-29T15:58:00.003-04:00

I was hoping Kim Basinger or even Charlize (Go The Road!) could sneak in for this one, but it may not happen if reviews like this continue to roll out.

From Variety:

Many of the weaknesses and few of the strengths of Guillermo Arriaga as a scripter are evident in his directing debut, "The Burning Plain." Multicharacter head-scratcher, yo-yoing between New Mexico and Oregon, and back and forth in time, doesn't finally reveal much beneath the emperor's clothes to repay viewers' concentration during the first half. Despite an OK-to-good cast led by Charlize Theron and Kim Basinger, plus a handsome tech package, this remains an elaborate writing exercise with few emotional hooks. Upscale auds, drawn by Arriaga's name, may be curious.

Full review.

EW on Oscar Buzz at the TIFF

2008-08-29T04:15:00.001-04:00

Dave Karger and Missy Schwartz of EW sat down to talk about the upcoming TIFF schedule, and they both appeared to have really liked Anne Hathaway in "Rachel Getting Married."

Have a look here.

From Venice: The Trades on "Burn After Reading"

2008-08-27T23:12:00.002-04:00

Mixed words from the Trades...

Variety:

After their triumphant dramatic success with “No Country for Old Men,” the Coen brothers revert to sophomoric snarky mode in “Burn After Reading.” A dark goofball comedy about assorted doofuses in Washington, D.C., only some of whom work for the government, the short, snappy picture tries to mate sex farce with a satire of a paranoid political thriller, with arch and ungainly results. Major star names might stoke some mild B.O. heat with older upscale viewers upon U.S. release Sept. 12, but no one should expect this reunion of George Clooney and Brad Pitt to remotely resemble an “Ocean’s” film commercially.

Full review.

The Hollywood Reporter:

In "Burn After Reading," the Coen brothers have taken some of cinema's top and most expensive actors and chucked them into Looney Tunes roles in a thriller set in and about Washington.

It takes awhile to adjust to the rhythms and subversive humor of "Burn" because this is really an anti-spy thriller in which nothing is at stake, no one acts with intelligence and everything ends badly.

As a follow-up to last year's multiple-Oscar winner "No Country for Old Men," Joel and Ethan Coen clearly are in a prankish mood, knocking out a minor piece of silliness with all the trappings of an A-list studio movie. Those who relish this movie might treat it as the second coming of "The Big Lebowski"; those who don't might wonder at a story in which no character has a level head. Signs look good, though, for a solid North American opening Sept. 12 following Wednesday's opening-night debut at the Venice Film Festival.

Full Review.

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What do you think of the reviews? Will the Coen Bros. strike Oscar gold again, or will this one be too quirky for their tastes?

The Reader: 2008 After All?

2008-08-27T23:04:00.003-04:00

JUST when I update my Best Supporting Actress predix, I find this:

The last film produced by the late Anthony Minghella and Sydney Pollack is looking for a December date. After a successful screening in New York of "The Reader," the Weinstein Co. has decided to release the film for Oscar contention this year. The film stars Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes and was directed by Stephen Daldry.

Given the deaths earlier this year of Minghella and Pollack, there was speculation that the film might face a delay. Scott Rudin, the co-producer, already has two films coming out later this year -- "Revolutionary Road" and "Doubt."

Full story.

Back to the drawing board I go.

Shifting back into gear...

2008-08-27T23:01:00.001-04:00

The website's fully up and running again, so I've gone ahead and posted new Supporting Actress predix, a poll and a belated YouTube Clip of the week, all of which you find below. Enjoy!

Best Supporting Actress Updates: Cluster$*@!

2008-08-27T22:49:00.003-04:00

Once I got my website working again, I was so excited to get back to predicting...until I realized what a mess Best Supporting Actress was.

Right now the only two contenders I feel confident predicting are Penelope Cruz and Viola Davis. Cruz, brilliant in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, already has the reviews to secure a nomination in January. She just needs to stay in the precursor mix come December, and I think she will. And Davis has that one scene in "Doubt" that is likely to be one of the most praised and talked about scenes of the season, assuming it packs the same kind of punch as it did in the play.

But beyond that, Best Supporting Actress has become almost impossible to predict. I'm keeping Kathy Bates in the mix for now because I think she's tailor made for the role, and she's popular enough to make the cut even if the film tanks.

Vera Farmiga is another contender to watch out for. The cast of Nothing But the Truth kind of makes my stomach cringe, but now I'm starting to wonder if she could maybe pull off an Amy Ryan/critical darling-type nomination. She has her fair share of fans, as her unexpected LAFCA win once proved.

And finally, since it's August, I've decided to take a chance, and that chance is on Charlize Theron. I could have gone with Debra Winger or Taraji P. Henson (not feeling her as much anymore) or Kim Basinger or Amy Ryan, but Theron's role in The Road was apparently expanded, and it was already powerful to begin with. Plus, with 2 nominations and an Oscar already, she seems to be somewhat of an Academy favorite already. This shall be the test.

But what do you guys think? Is Best Supporting Actress as hard to figure out as I think, or am I forgetting a bunch of contenders? Discuss and post your predix below!

Belated Tuesday Poll of the Week: Best Actress

2008-08-27T22:45:00.000-04:00

poll by twiigs.com

YouTube Clip of the Week: Birth

2008-08-27T22:44:00.001-04:00

In case you are wondering...

2008-08-24T17:42:00.002-04:00

My website has been down since Friday (I think) but I worked it out so that it SHOULD be up within the next couple of hours. I hope so, anyway.

So once it's up, I will get back to updating my predictions.

In the meantime, how was your weekend at the movies? Did ANYONE actually see The Rocker? Supposedly it made only 2.5 million (ouch!!)

Best Director Updates: New Faces

2008-08-20T20:47:00.003-04:00

I mentioned I would update Best Supporting Actress this evening, but I wanted to get Best Director updated first for one main reason: The Road.

I know you guys have been chatting it up all season long, but it finally dawned on me that The Road is going to be a lot bigger than I expected.

The biggest reason has to do with timing. I still hear people talking about the book, and I still see people reading it, so I think that will lead people to go see the movie in theaters. Obviously, it won't get Dark Knight numbers or anything, but if the reviews are good, I think it could go down as one of the most talked about films of the year.

Speaking of The Dark Knight, I'm also throwing Christopher Nolan into the mix. I know a lot of people are unsure about TDK's chances in Best Picture, but I think Nolan's nomination is almost a given considering all of the buzz and money the film has accumulated in the past month. They'll have to reward the movie somewhere, and I think this is their best opportunity to do so if the Best Picture buzz starts to fizzle out.

Beyond that, I'm keeping Fincher, Luhrmann and Van Sant in the mix for now. I'm not exactly sold on their nominations just yet, but their films haven't showed any signs of slowing down as we head into September. But expect things to get more interesting in the next month or two, especially with the Toronto Film Festival looming.

What do you guys think of my updated predictions? Are you with me on "The Road"? Is Nolan in for a nomination as well? Or am I underestimating other films in the running (Clint?) Discuss below.

Tuesday...er, Wednesday Poll

2008-08-20T01:07:00.000-04:00

I tried to update Best Supporting Actress this evening but my program kept freezing.

So I'll try to get that up for you tomorrow.

In the meantime, here's a daily poll to hold you over:

poll by twiigs.com

I love this category, but it's Mirren all the way.

YouTube Clip of the Week: In the Bedroom

2008-08-17T21:34:00.001-04:00

Long clip, but a goodie. Spacek and Wilkinson = robbed.

Weekend Screening Schedule

2008-08-15T19:04:00.002-04:00

Blogger has been giving me trouble lately, but I did manage to catch "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" this afternoon, and luckily it's letting me post again.

I avoided the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes because I wanted to go into it clean. Woody's probably my favorite director (note: Annie Hall is my all-time favorite movie, in case you didn't know), and critics sometimes overhype his movies whenever they have a glimmer of good in them (see: Match Point).

But I'm happy to report that VCB is a good movie. It starts off a little odd, and I'm still not sure why Scar Jo is Woody's current muse (besides the obvious) but once Penelope Cruz shows up the film really takes off. Between this and Volver, Cruz really is as talented as she is stunningly beautiful.

I can't remember if it opens wide this weekend, but I do hope you get to see it when it hits your local theater. I'm still holding off on a grade, but for now I can give it a confident recommendation.

What are you watching this weekend?

NYFF Lineup

2008-08-12T20:11:00.001-04:00

From The Hollywood Reporter:

Opening night
"The Class," Laurent Cantet, France (Sony Pictures Classics)

Centerpiece
"Changeling," Clint Eastwood, U.S. (Universal)

Closing night
"The Wrestler," Darren Aronofsky, U.S.
"24 City," Jia Zhangke, China/Hong Kong/Japan
"Afterschool," Antonio Campos, U.S.
"Ashes of Time Redux," Wong Kar Wai, Hong Kong (Sony Pictures Classics)
"Bullet in the Head," Jaime Rosales, Spain/France
"Che," Steven Soderbergh, France/Spain
"Chouga," Darezhan Omirbaev, France/Kazakhstan
"A Christmas Tale," Arnaud Desplechin, France (IFC Films)
"Four Nights With Anna," Jerzy Skolimowski, Poland/France
"Gomorrah," Matteo Garrone, Italy (IFC Films)
"Happy-Go-Lucky," Mike Leigh, U.K. (Miramax)
"The Headless Woman," Lucrecia Martel, Argentina/France/Italy/Spain
"Hunger," Steve McQueen, U.K. (IFC Films)
"I'm Going to Explode," Gerardo Naranjo, Mexico
"Let It Rain," Agnes Jaoui, France, 2008

Retrospective
"Lola Montes," Max Ophuls, France/West Germany (Rialto Pictures)
"Night and Day," Hong Sang-soo, South Korea, 2008
"The Northern Land," Joao Botelho, Portugal
"Serbis," Brillante Mendoza, Philippines/France
"Summer Hours," Olivier Assayas, France (IFC Films)
"Tokyo Sonata," Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Japan/Netherlands
"Tony Manero," Pablo Larrain, Chile/Brazil
"Tulpan," Sergey Dvortsevoy, Germany/Kazakhstan/Poland/Russia/Switzerland
"Waltz With Bashir," Ari Folman, Israel/Germany/France (Sony Pictures Classics)
"Wendy and Lucy," Kelly Reichardt, U.S. (Oscilloscope Pictures)
"The Windmill Movie," Alexander Olch, U.S.

Tuesday Poll: Beijing Olympics

2008-08-12T20:07:00.001-04:00

It's still August, so I still have time to go off topic.

poll by twiigs.com

I'm personally loving the games so far, especially after last night's Mens Gymanstics final. How about you?

Tracking Vicky Cristina Barcelona

2008-08-11T17:49:00.002-04:00

Vicky Cristina Barcelona is one of the first movies to open this year with legitimate Oscar buzz.

Most of the buzz is for Penelope Cruz, who earned a number of raves from Cannes and looks to be a sure bet for a Best Supporting Actress nomination (updates this week).

But the pic itself is doing pretty well with critics, too, which makes me wonder: can it go anywhere besides a nod for Cruz? Will it slip in the Best Original Screenplay race? Or will the reviews settle down by the end of the week?

Discuss below!

YouTube Clip of the Week: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

2008-08-10T18:10:00.001-04:00

Acting master class:

Torture

2008-08-09T03:02:00.001-04:00

Discuss.

Weekend Screening Schedule

2008-08-08T16:15:00.003-04:00

The weekend got off to an early start on Wednesday thanks to the Olympics.

I'm still deciding whether to skip the theater for gymnastics, but I would still like to see Pineapple Express and, yes, Sisterhood 2, if only to support Gossip Girl's Blake Lively.

What are you watching this weekend?