Breaking and Entering, the Jude Law/Juliette Binoche/Robin Wright Penn drama from Oscar winner Anthony Minghella (The English Patient) is set for an Oscar qualifying run starting Friday, December 15th. But guess what? According to Coming Soon that's only in Los Angeles. Technically you only have to open there for Oscar eligibility but if you can't be bothered to open in NYC. grrrrrr And me such a big Jude Law supporter, too! Stupid movie studios.These haphazard one week qualifiers! They aren't as common as they used to be thank God. Nowadays when a movie tries this approach it gives off the distinct whiff of 'we're sure no one will like this but what the hell --contractual obligations!' Breaking and Entering = Dead to me!
Posts
13 comments:
Wow, I have the opportunity to see a film before Nate. And I won't even be able to see it. Oh, well, at least I'll be in ... Jamaica!!!
(jealous much? jk)
Nate, I can see why they're trying to sneak this dog with fleas in before the end of the year. It's not enough to make an impact if it's released in the first quarter. It would likely be forgotten, then. Not Minghella's finest moment. He should stick with adaptations. But I did like Juliette Binoche and Vera Farmiga in a small part. Otherwise, it's one of those well meaning films where everyone disperate character from different classes and parts of society intersect, giving the audience a chance to reflect on the state of the modern world. It's been done better with Traffic, and to my opinion, even in Babel and Syrianna. But I don't love Jude as much as you.
In fact since I found his performance neither here nor there, I just had wished that I had the control of wardrobe so that I could get those fucking Mandarin collar shirts off of him. He certainly deserved a better wardrobe than what they gave him.
Arghh damn damn damn it! Fucking stupid studio.
I'm with jbnyc on this; Binoche and Farmiga are superb, but the film around them (particularly the final act) isn't worthy. However, I found that I enjoyed Law in it more than I have done in any movie since AI. But the performance isn't enough for any serious awards traction, so I find the one week qualifier laughable.
A worthy failure, but I'd recommend you give it a go when you get chance purely for Binoche and Farmiga.
Rob
I found the film "hard to believe" that these people meet and meet again "by accident" and again in such a big place like Kings cross... There are some other flaws also.
The actors are "ok" - Law, Wright Penn, Binoche - all ok, but far from oscar performances. Vera Farmiga's hooker character is so small that it really doesn't qualify as supporting - just a little colour in the mix...
The movie itself is Minghella's weakest. He has raised his bar too high with English Patient, Talented mr Ripley and Cold Mountain...
And despite all of that I felt for the characters and liked the movie. It raised a discussion between the bunch of us who saw it, weather we are able to forgive the adultry or not.
Hey guys, I think you're all being a bit too harsh on this movie. I can see why: its earnest liberalism will inevitably make it vulnerable to such criticism - but we wouldn't throw criticisms of unbelievability at other less 'realist' films, so why here?
I always think unbelievability is as shoddy a criticism towards any art, as the idea that something is bad because it is unsympathetic.
Personally, I really liked this movie - that would've read "loved" if it wasn't for those final 5 minutes, dammit! But I've never seen so natural a Jude Law performance on screen before - and in this empty year for Best Actor is is sure to make my final 5. Juliette Binoche was also amazing - hope to make room for her in my Best Actress list but, alas, I don't think there will be come the end of the year - which is annoying as this performance would rank among her very best.
The screenplay, despite the histrionics of the final scene, is witty, sharp and has symbolic without being overly self-conscious. Gabriel Yared and Underworld's collaborative score is inventive and beautiful - again sure to make my final 5. And the film is gorgeously lensed, beautifully lit and shot with precision and intuition for this area of London that I know so well.
Oh yeah, Vera Farmiga was a lot better and more subtle in The Departed - she'll probably make my Supoorting Actress final 5.
At the moment, I'd rank Breaking and Entering 6th on my Best Picture list, behind (best first) Babel, Volver, Marie Antoinette, The Queen and The Departed. Gabrielle follows close behind.
But I've yet to see Little Children, Dreamgirls, Flags, Iwo Jima, United 93, Prairie Home, Borat, Red Road, Blood Diamond, Notes, Fountain, Good Shepherd/German, Half Nelson, amongst other less baity films, so it may all change!
Other one-week qualifiers - Factory Girl, Miss Potter.
All three are Weinstein Company releases. Ugh.
of course they are. the one week qualifier is always Weinstein related. they're such cheaters.
i really think the one week qualifier should be outlawed. It's not the same playing field if you can arrive and then vanish and not have to suffer possible failure at the box office or any of the myriad other things that happen to movies once they're out and about
Thing is though, unless you're actually really good, they don't seem to even work. Right?
But then, the only one I can remember is Iris which scooped three acting nominations.
dude, you guys have the david hare production with the lovely julianne moore and the excellent bill nighy.
and broadway in general.
and 'inland empire'.
WE'RE (or at least I) am the one who's jealous.
But Nathaniel, don't let the release schedule put you off this film. I urge you to consider Jude Law in your Film Bitch Best Actor line-up...
the thing is that's my rule. If it doesn't open in my city, where about 98% of movies open --which makes this especially perverse -- than it's out. period.
I know a lot of regional critics have this rule from their papers: top ten lists cannot contain movies that haven't played in their city. And I believe in that. If a movie is released for one week and then pulled and then released again the next year, it is essentially a film of the next year.
This is what they did with Cronenberg's Spider too so it was eligible the next year in the FB awards where Richardson made it...
Post a Comment