Wednesday, April 08, 2009

Julie & Julia, Twin Teases

Today, just as I was hard boiling eggs both brown and white this poster arrived (thx Ziyad) in my inbox. I'm not making this up! Is it coincidence or a cosmic sign to pay attention to this movie? [Meryl Streep's third massive summer hit and 16th Oscar nomination coming your way]. For what it's worth, I've just talked to somebody who has seen the movie and he says 'Two leads. Meryl might even be in the movie more than Amy' so I guess my early Oscar predictions were unsound and they really did alter the book as significantly as previously suspected. And I guess that's why the tagline is "Based on Two True Stories" and I guess that's why they're crediting the source material as not just the book that shares the film's title (Julie & Julia) but Julia Child's autobiography My Life in France. And I guess that's why I'm saying "Mea culpa".

There's nothing better in the world of movie marketing than the teaser poster. 89% of the time the teaser is better than the eventual, and eventually generic, official poster. This poster is too/two adorable. Julia Child taught me how to make omelettes so it's touching, too. Soon these tiny delicious ovals of joy will be replaced by the giant floating heads of Amy & Meryl . Dairy products can't sell movie tickets but those ladies can.
*

46 comments:

Peter Chan said...

initially, i thought this was a book cover for self improvement. "do you have what it takes?" maybe it's just talking to me during this economic slump. :)

daddy licious said...

Meryl's lead.. what a surprise...

NOT !

palle said...

As a major Streepfan:
Love ya Nathaniel. Keep the news coming!

Alex Constantin said...

it's still too early to be sure that they'll have a Leading campaign for Meryl.

IF
IF
IF the Nancy Meyers film is a huuuuge succes just like Something's Gotta Give was, you just know that she'll go supporting for Julie & Julia.

Alex Constantin said...

I consider the Kate Winslet category happening with The Reader to be an exception. :)

just to go on record.
just think how they like to try for both & often make it happen: julianne is obvious for the hours.

cal roth said...

I like Meryl Streep so much that I really don't wanna see her win her third Oscar next year. A third Oscar must be somthing glorious - not anything related to shitty directors like Nancy Meyers or Nora Ephron.

But I blame it on Meryl! Why can't she write a letter to Lars von Trier telling the guy she wants to work with him? Why can't she take a complex leading role in a Jane Campion movie? I like her very much, but her latest work are all about brilliant but external characterization - she owns voice, look and things like that but her parts are not deep enough. It's all about outside, and I doubt I'll see somthing different in a Nora Ephron movie.

Anonymous said...

This is from the writer/director of "Bewitched"

No Oscars, just Razzies

NATHANIEL R said...

daddy licious ... be snarky all you want but if you'd read JULIE & JULIA, you 'd know that Meryl as lead was a silly notion.

Anonymous said...

No! This isn't good for my actress psychic predictions. I'm in the same boat as you, Nathaniel: I predicted Amy for lead and figured Streep would go supporting.

-DJ

A. de Barajas said...

I don't understand why people want so much a 3rd win for Meryl Streep when actrsses like Julianne Moore, Glenn Close, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sigourney Weaver, Naomi Watts, Patricia Clarkson, Uma Thurman, Kristin Scott Thomas and Emily Watson have NONE.

C'mon guys the woman has 2 Oscars already. Why give her a third? Unless she is really the best of a year I don't see the point.

adelutza said...

I was scared at first by this poster, then i actually started to like it - brought some smiles into an otherwise shitty day ;)

Yes I thought Meryl is supporting in this as well . Oh well, it's always a pleasure to see her so keep the roles coming.

Anonymous said...

there's nothing smile inducing about this poster just cringe inducing

paulo said...

cal roth

I don't think Streep would write a letter to a director.. does she have a pen and paper with her on her pedestal ?

I know that Kidman does mention directors in order to attract their attention. Hey, it worked for her when it comes to Von Trier (and frankly Dogville is easily his masterpiece)

cal roth said...

Meryl Streep shouldn't win another Oscar until the grabs a difficult role like Erika in The Piano Teacher, or something really groundbreaking. I love her in Prada and Prairie and even Doubt, but I don't feel she had a lot of work to do. She just creates the outside, but there is nothing inside these characters. It's like she is always impersonating somebody that doesn't really exist, not acting. It's the same mimicry Jamie Foxx gave us in Ray, with the difference Ray was real.

I want more, Meryl. Think about The Bridges of Madison County (perfect job outside and inside the part) or Sophia's Choice.

Jack said...

For some reason, it took me a while to realise the pose that the two eggs were in. At first I thought it was just two standard eggs. I'm starting to like this poster a little more now.

Alex said...

Earlier today, I was thinking about "My Life in France." I turned to myself and said, "Alex, you know if 'Julie & Julia' were based on that book AND 'My Life in France', there would be no question that it were a two lead film. That's what they shoulda done."

I know there's a lot of Nora Eprhon bashers out there, and I realize she has completely deserved it with these past few years (obviously, "Bewitched" is the best example but I blame things other than her like Will Ferrell and Nicole Kidman who, like Julianne Moore in "Laws of Attraction", can't do silly comedies) but I really am optimistic that this project is a return to form for Ephron. "When Harry Met Sally..." and "Sleepless in Seattle" and even "You've Got Mail." Two of her best, "Silkwood" and "Heartburn," both starred Meryl (but then again, Mike Nichols directed both).

Oh, and just because I think everyone here would get a kick out of hearing this, in English class we're studying Macbeth and we all had to choose a scene from the play to do and set it in a new setting. Well, I'm doing the famous witch scene ("Double, double toil and trouble...") as an episode of the Julia Child show! :)

NATHANIEL R said...

alex... that's awesome.

wow i did not expect hate for this poster. it's so cute. And it's not like this is a heavy drama. Not all posters have to be serious or have to have giant movie star faces.

Antonio Cuesta said...

I don't know what to say, I don't care if they are good, I hope Meryl and Amy don't get nominations next January... please. give 'em a break, Amy will win for a supporting role as well written as 'Junebug' in the future, and Meryl Streep just needs another diva role as 'Sophie's Choice' or 'Doubt'.

Antonio Cuesta said...

and I agree: She mustn't win in a Nora Ephron / Nancy Meyers movie.

Golden Globe Nominations ok, but no Oscars.

Jordan said...

This poster is adorable. And Meryl is lead, hooray!!! But I wish I had put Abbie Cornish instead of Penelope....

Cinesnatch said...

i hate being wrong.

Cinesnatch said...

I'm hanging on Alex in Movieland's three "If's."

Cinesnatch said...

No one has answered my question yet why Julianne Moore got supporting nod for The Hours and yet the Academy decided Kate Winslet could not. That makes no sense. Someone please explain.

Cinesnatch said...

I don't care if Meryl wins, I just love her racking up nominations. I hope she gets 15 more.

Cinesnatch said...
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Cinesnatch said...
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Cinesnatch said...

I guess we'll see who is the better director ... Nora Ephron or Nancy Meyers! Talk about a race for last place. Haha.

Cinesnatch said...

And Amy Adams ... I'm sorry, folks. She's entering Swank territory on awards recognition overload. Yes, she deserved June Bug nom. That was a nice surprise. But Doubt? Puh-lease. She's in awards credit now. No nom for Amy Adams as Julie, regardless of supporting or lead.

And if her Doubt nom. was pay-back for 2007, she was enchanting in "Enchanted," but it was hardly a snub. Jolie in A Mighty Heart was more of snub (and I was rooting against her, because she wasn't on my Psychic Actress Ballot).

Fernando Moss said...

I think Amy Adams was better than Meryl in Doubt.

Alex said...

I noticed smebody brought up the Julianne Moore/Kate Winslet category confusion question again and it is still unanswered so I thought I'd say this:

I have no idea. I read somewhere that Moore had more (no pun intended) screentime than Streep or KIdman in "The Hours." Anyway, the only reason she went supporting was so they could recognize her career with two nominations.

If any actress in Hollywood is regarded as "underappreciated" it was Kate Winslet, so I don't know why they didn't do the same for her. And to deny category fraud for Winslet but still keep Philip Seymour Hoffman in supporting for "Doubt" confuses me...

NATHANIEL R said...

Alex... um, how on earth could Kate Winslet ever be considered "underappreciated"... even before the Oscar? I love her lots but she's been idolized and well loved and well paid and admired and you name it since she was like 17!

Alex said...

I guess I just mean "underappreciated" in terms of Oscar. I guess Julianne Moore fits the term better having been snubbed for "Vanya on 42nd Street," "Safe," and "Magnolia."

To quote Kate's "Extras" speech: "The whole world is wondering why hasn't Winslet won one yet?" I figured it was that kind of thinking that would get her two, the way Julianne got her two nominations in 2002.

NATHANIEL R said...

gotcha

Jordan said...

Yeah, I think it's really weird that Nicole Kidman was in the leading category for The Hours and Julianne Moore was in supporting...all three were equal parts to me. But I get that they wanted to recognize her for that AND Far From Heaven and that was the only way. And since we're talking about Julianne Moore, I just saw [safe] and it was incredible. Do a post on it Nathaniel!! But back to Julie and Julia...with Amy Adams getting more and more famous I get this possessive feeling, like "I knew about her first!" Because her performance in Junebug was just right and then it was like she kept giving the same performance...and I loved her in Enchanted, I just want to see her branch out. It seems like she is now, a little. Wasn't her character in this described as "depressed"? But I ramble. I like seeing Meryl Streep rack up nominations as well but I'd be o.k. if she didn't win her 3rd for a little longer.....even if it's depriving us of Meryl acceptance speeches.

Alex said...

Nat,

I'm just curious but why would Oscar voters defy category fraud for Winslet, but keep Philip Seymour Hoffman in supporting for "Doubt" when that is obviously such a lead role. Doing that for Winslet is a much bolder move, so I don't understand why the Academy didn't do the same for Hoffman. Any thoughts?

palle said...

Nat, just a question:

Did your friend, the lucky bastard who got to see this ;) say something about the quality of the movie and the performances? What did he think of Streep´s Child?

palle said...

Alex regarding Winslet :

Maybe the academy and ohters in the industry really wanted Winslet to win the oscar so they united to rally behind what they saw as the stronger performance (The Reader) as to avoid votesplitting? Just a thought, and Winsletfans should be happy, she did win the oscar.

Another thing is that she was topbilled for The Reader which S-H weren´t for Doubt (that´s maybe pushing it a little but anyway), it could be a small factor. Either way the academy weren´t alone in placing Winslet in lead for The Reader. Several of the criticgroups placed Winslet in lead as did BAFTA, S-H did not face that. I think the precursormentions do help shape the race so that´s an important factor.

Styx said...

So Meryl's more likely to pull a "Prada" and go lead for a borderline lead/supporting role, and Amy Adams will kind of be edited out of the equation the way that Anne Hathaway was? I think that would be the case if Amy Adams had more screentime than Meryl or less. That's all interesting. I was one of those people that had Meryl in supporting too, and I'd agree that if Meryl must win a third Oscar, it needs to be for something huge. Winning for a Nora Ephron film isn't quite cutting it. Yeah, where is Meryl's "The Piano Teacher" type showcase and stretch? If she gets "August: Osage County", that could be it. And I think the teaser poster's very cute and engaging. The two colored eggs were a nice touch.

Adam M. said...

In the words of the great Nikki Finke...

...

...

TOLDJA!

arkan said...

On the contrary, that'd be more interesting should Meryl win for a comedic performance. She won her two Oscars for dramatic ones, so why not show her range by giving her a statuette for comedic work ?

Frankly I thought she deserved the supporting Oscar for Adaptation and A Praire Home Companion.

Let's face it, her comedic work has been stronger than her dramatic one this decade. The Oscar should reflect that.

NATHANIEL R said...

arkaan -- i totally agree. The 80s were her golden age for comedy but the 00s are all about her comedic prowess.

alex -- i know i've probably played into this too but i don't really think the Reader was NECESSARILY a rejection of category fraud. It could very well be that she just barely qualified for the lead nomination first and you can't be nominated in both categories anymore for the same film (they fixed that loophole after the one and only time it happened) that would have disqualified her nomination for supporting even if she did get more votes than, say, Taraji P Henson.

so who knows... i don't. And as some readers have suggested I don't "get" the category placement thing. I am too hardline about it for some people's taste.

RC said...

I think Child's story is so much more interesting that Powell's and obviously the stories based on Powell's book, experiment, friendship, relationship, and cooking, but as I've been learning more and more about Julia Child (especially in doing my Reel People series) I've really fallen quite fond of Julia and Paul Child.

I think Meryl will do fabulous in this role! Lead or supporting, I think there's a nod there.

mike said...

somehow i feel amy adams will not be nominated for this film. we'll have to wait and see...

Glenn said...

I still don't think Streep's getting nominated. She doesn't get nominated for every single performance she gives (only about half!)

Fernando Moss said...

Well Glenn... If she only gets nominated for half her performances, than she will end up with 1 nomination this year, since she hast 2 films (One is the half of Two).

Mike V. said...

Such a cute poster! I love it! Hopefully Meryl will be great in it. So will Amy. Can't wait to see this film! I also like the idea of Stanley Tucci playing Meryl's husband. They have a lot of chemistry. I smell a couple of Oscar nominations here!