After the Gotham Awards and the Indie Spirit Nods and now this first top ten list I’ve seen –excuse me top fifty (geez, dudes. Calm down) it’s safe to say that the awards season has begun. Pretty soon we’re going to see top ten lists and statues passed out along with candies on Halloween.
Paste Magazine (the aforementioned top 50 culprits) are crazy for not a girl not yet a woman Juno and in truth she’s easy to get crazy about (provided your tolerance is very high for precocious fast talking wise cracking affect). I resisted Juno for the first hour but I finally gave up. I wish the film didn’t try as hard as it does --I swear I heard 5 cool songs before the ten minute mark so I was begging for a little less effort to charm me --but by the end it got to me. Love the end. And you really have to end well to be loved, don’t you think?
Thursday, November 29, 2007
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18 comments:
Totally Nate! I felt the same way. At first I was thinking the script felt too contrived and pushed itself on me to get me to laugh. But when it found heart, it stole mine. And how 'bout that seen in the parked car? That's all I'm gonna say ;)
little miss citizen ruth much?
-ryansumera
This mania for Juno makes me wish Once had been released later in 2007.
I don't get how there are already top ten lists and such when several films aren't even finished yet. It's only November, people. Sigh.
Ellen Page pretty much singlehandedly rescued Juno from the jaws of indie quirk. Imagine any other teen starlet in that role - like Hayden Whatshernuts. It would be intolerably sitcommy.
I have to big-up the rest of the cast too, especially Jennifer Garner, to whom I never paid a modicum of attention until now. Her performance was surprisingly affecting.
adam k: it's just another way the NYC people (who get to see everything early, or "on time" in their opinion) can display their snobbery. But they have to realize something: like the Yankees-Mets rivalry, the rest of the nation DOES NOT CARE.
Saw Juno last night (awesome dialogue, review here) and agree that it can at times reach dangerous levels of preciousness. But Wes Anderson does it all the time and few seem to complain.
And amen, john p. Garner may be a movie force yet.
Kidman's getting raves for The Golden Compass, is it the shiny/over-the-top performance the Academy will nominate in an otherwise weak category this year ? Besides Blanchett and Ronan, and possibly Leigh, I don't see any other valuable candidates :
Ruby Dee = too little screen time
Redgrave = too little screen time/Garai
Garai = Redgrave/Ronan
Amy Ryan = who ? Who remembers Gone baby gone?
Tilda Swinton = reviews not that great, Wilkinson might overshadow her
Roberts = good reviews, nothing more (accent a bit forced ?)
Dunkakis = they only care about Christie
Supporting actress is really unpredictable
Speaking of awards season, Marion Cotillard is apparently competing in comedy/musical. Sooooo... a lot of people won't make it into that race.
And now drama could look like...
Julie Christie
Angelina Jolie
Cate Blanchett (for Golden Age, I guess)
Jodie Foster
?????
I'm hoping Judd can surprise...
Oh wait, Knightley. Duh. So I guess the smart money's on:
Blanchett
Christie
Foster
Jolie
Knightley
But I hope one of the Blanchett or Foster finds herself dragged down by her film. The logical choice for a shut-out would be Blanchett, since...
a) Her film had even worse reviews than Jodie's
b) It made even less money.
c) She's already gonna be nommed in supporting.
Unless of course she really does go lead for I'm Not There, in which case, she'll be in for that. Interesting...
well the globes are totally into starf****ing AND double nods so i expect Blanchett will get two
But they prefer Kidman (7 noms so far and 3 wins) so they might want to double-nom her. I mean, just look at the reviews. Kidman's perf in TGC is the second best reviewed female perf behind.. Blanchett's I'm not there.
Really? How many reviews are there?
Adam, Sweeney Todd premiered last night so I'm pretty sure every movie has been "seen".
Re Juno: I too loved the ending. But that was about it. So strange for me to really like the ending of a film I didn't care about up until that point. It was too self-conscious - for all those reasons Nathaniel and others have pointed out. Euurgh, makes me a bit icky just thinking about it. Little Miss Sunshine had a similar effect on me, but at least that film had some moments of subtlety.
It's like with every year that goes by the 'indie' breakout hit has to be 'quirkier' (read: sicklier) than the last. I wish these 'manufactued indie' films would give it a rest.
Also that Paste list is all kinds of wrong with its ordering and so on. Too many damn lists!
Saw The Kite Runner tonight - surprised it's made it this high (no. 9) on a supposed 'indie cool' magazine's list. It's a well-made film, which tugs at the heartstrings at the right moments - but it flies through the novel at a pace that leaves you feeling a bit "was that it?" come the end.
I wasn't expecting any shortlist-worthy performances from the film, but found a SUPERB turn from Homayon Ershadi (who I've just discovered was the lead in Kiarostami's A Taste of Cherry) as the father. Has shades of Gregory Peck in To Kill a Mockingbird. It's a subtle, quietly moving performance - not sure if he'd be placed lead or supporting though. And can we start his (probably otherwise non-existent) campaign at thefilmexperience? Anyone else seen it?...
Marion Cotillard's going Musical/Comedy at the Globes. So is "Charlie Wilson's War" and "The Savages", among others.
Kidman is getting raves and she could be double nominated...And that Top Ten doesn't even include Atonement....
And here are some Kidman reviews:
"This is the very best sort of part for her: statuesque, elegant, seductive, with a hint of cold steel. In many ways, it's her juiciest character since the sociopathic meteorologist in To Die For."
"it certainly looks wonderful, with epic dash and a terrific central performance from Nicole Kidman, who may come to dominate our children's nightmares the way Robert Helpmann's Child Catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang once did ours."
- peter bradshaw (the guardian)
"Absolutely stunning in the role of Mrs. Coulter, Kidman shines immediately as the seductive beauty with obviously torn emotions. A woman with enough solid charm to win a staring match with the Master of Jordan College deserves, as she explains later, to have no one controlling what she does."
"Happily appearing on screen for an abundantly beautiful time, actress Nicole Kidman shrugged off early reports of owning a flop and demonstrated all that is charm in her portrayal of Mrs. Coulter."
- erica fetterman
"Nicole Kidman’s Mrs Coulter- beautifully sinister, she carries the role with the poise and inimitability of a master of her art. The sexual energy she radiates in her opening scene was subtly introduced, yet clearly apparent. The mood swings that are almost synonymous with Coulter’s character are perfectly implemented"
- david jones
"This injection of a greatly experienced actress into the fray is doubtless the icing of an excellent cake, her performance as the ruthless Marisa is nothing short of five-star. She has the steel and the sweetness of Mrs. Coulter, and she switches to the correct aura exactly on cue. "
- graham lord
"It's actually quite hard for me to tell whether or not I like the movie. Some bits of it were amazing. I had been quite happy when Kidman was cast as Mrs. Coulter; I was pleased as I felt she could play the role competently. I was wrong. Kidman's Mrs. Coulter was not just competent, she was just about perfect, far better than I thought possible. "
- edward miles
Why is Cotillard in that catergory when her film isn't a musical or a comedy? It's a drama about a singer. It's a dramatic performance. Period.
kate
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