FYC: Leonardo Island

One of the smartest FYC moves I've seen in terms of a screener making full use of its identity as an Oscar campaign is for Shutter Island. The disc didn't come with the typical eyebrow raising desperation of "please nominate us for every category that exists!", but narrowed its focus. The cover only suggests Picture, Director & Actor.

In fact, one might say that the packaging squints so hard to focus that it grows a the great crease of a worry line right before your eyes. All the better to remind you of its identical twin that Leonardo DiCaprio has grown between his eyes over the years. That worry line serves him so well in this anguished performance.

But, there's more. As you open it up -- remember this is a Shutter Island ad -- it becomes an orgy of Leos. Brilliant move, that. By charting his growth as an acclaimed child actor to massive adult star, all the way from that critically acclaimed leading debut This Boy's Life (1993) to 2010's Inception (sneakily swallowing up the vote splitting competition, in order to better serve Shutter Island) it basically uses the visual language of FYC: Career Tribute Nomination.

Given that Shutter Island came out very early in the year and that the Best Actor category still looks to be in flux, this could actually work. Unlikely sure but not out of the realm of possibility.

And hasn't 2010 actually been quite a year for him. Isn't he having a year comparable to Sandra Bullock's in 2009? The comparison doesn't spring up naturally, exactly. Leo's big year didn't feel like a breakthrough year since he had no career valley to bounce back from. Nor did he really have something to prove in terms of acting prowess. But consider the strange popularity correlations between Sandy's 2009 and Leo's 2010. For this exercize we have to forget all about All About Steve (2009)  but who would object to doing so?

1. Big Beloved Headliner Star
2. First movie of year  that's right in star's wheelhouse (romantic comedy The Proposal | Scorsese drama Shutter Island) opens and becomes big domestic hit in the 100+ range.
3. Riskier followup opens just five months later (Sandra's The Blind Side | Leo's Inception) and becomes a massive blockbuster in the $250+ range.

Isn't that... odd? Box office and timing between releases is pure coincidence you could say as devil's advocate. But how's this for an eery detail: If you compare Sandra's twin blockbuster 2009 grosses with Leo's 2010 double your difference of (domestic) bank is a miniscule $182,000. Isn't that crazy?

I'm not suggesting that Leo will suddenly become the golden boy who wins a surprise Oscar in February or that his marriage will fall apart in scandal directly afterwards (he's not even married!) so the comparison is strained. Furthermore, nobody expected Sandy to become an Oscar winner (until the happening was under way) and everyone has expected that about King Leo from day one. But beloved massive careers do have unifying elements no matter who the stars are; the industry and the public root for said star to succeed ...and to eventually win the most coveted movie prize of them all.

FWIW, Leo's best performances imho.

1. What's Eating Gilbert Grape? (1993)
2. The Aviator (2004)
3. The Departed (2006)
4. This Boy's Life (1993) 
5. Romeo + Juliet (1996)
6. Catch Me If You Can (2002)
7. Shutter Island (2010)
8. Titanic (1997)
9. Revolutionary Road (2008)
10. (Everything else blends together qualitatively for me, as something like charismatic coasting at regular best and callow confidence at irregular worst. So I eagerly await a full top ten. He's only 36. Decades of movie triumphs presumably await.)
    *

Annette Bening, Queen of Santa Barbara

My loyal subjects,

Since I know each and every last one of you will want to stand and wave to our procession as we receive the "American Riviera Prize" for our invaluable contributions to the cinema, we wanted to give you ample warning. [We're told you don't have private jets (?) and will need to plan ahead?] The blessed event will happen on January 28th. It's a fitting prize since the American Riviera has long been known as the work and playground of Movie Royalty like ourselves.

Last year the Festival gave this honor to a woman who once worked for the mass transit system! Incredible but true: buses and trains. Now, I was both Queen of England and the American First Lady at the time, essentially ruling over the entire globe, but no matter; it's unkind to compare !

She makes us laugh, bless her!

The year before the delightful Ms. Bullock's win, the Santa Barbara Festival gave this prize to ... well, we'd rather not discuss that. It did not end well for that man at the final ball.

Signed,

Her Majesty Annette.

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Streep Nom #15 & #16: Sister Aloysius Beauvier & Julia Child

In an off blog e-mail correspondence earlier this week, one of my fellow movie bloggers said to me "The best thing about this year's Best Actress race is that Streep isn't in it." That's funny. It's true that her ubiquity can be exhausting. It must especially feel like a relief for other Tinseltown goddesses in those rare years when she isn't in play. More room for them. But since Streep at 60, a web series we started over a year ago, needs to wrap up, let's discuss her final (to date) nominations.

"Streep @ 60" Previous Nominations Discussed
78, 79, 81, 82, 83, 85, 87, 88, 90, 95, 98, 99, 02 and 06

In the past two years Streep put yet more distance between herself and her nearest competitors. Her two closest Oscar rivals, Bette Davis and Katharine Hepburn, are long gone from planet earth. Streep's similarly aged / Oscar friendly peers (Lange, Close, Weaver, Sarandon, Spacek & Field) have faded from the movie spotlight, comparatively speaking, robbing them of Meryl's abundant Oscar-tallying opportunities.

We suspect Streep's "most nominated" record will stand forever unless, and it's a longshot, Kate Winslet's career (she's only 35) has similar curves, reinventions and renewals: When Streep was 35 (circa Falling in Love) she had collected 5 nominations and 2 wins; Winslet has collected 6 Oscar nominations and 1 win.

2008.

• Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married *Nathaniel's vote*
  
• Angelina Jolie, Changeling
• Melissa Leo, Frozen River *Nathaniel's second choice*
• Meryl Streep, Doubt
• Kate Winslet, The Reader
  

Other women for context
Probably Came Close: Sally Hawkins (Happy Go Lucky) and Kristin Scott Thomas (I've Loved You So Long); Traction Trouble: Emma Thompson (Last Chance Harvey) and Cate Blanchett (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)... I suspect they just needed a break with the latter since they loved the film; Low Impact: Nicole Kidman (Australia -just discussed), Keira Knightley (The Duchess); Box Office Queens: Meryl Streep (Mamma Mia!), Kristen Stewart (Twilight), Sarah Jessica Parker (Sex & the City) and Reese Witherspoon (Four Christmases)

2009.

• Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
• Helen Mirren, The Last Station
• Carey Mulligan, An Education *Nathaniel's second choice*
• Gabourey Sidibe, Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire *Nathaniel's vote*
  
• Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
  

Other women for context
Probably Came Close: Emily Blunt (The Young Victoria) and Saoirse Ronan (The Lovely Bones); Traction Troubles: Abbie Cornish (Bright Star) and Tilda Swinton (Julia); Low Impact: Julia Roberts (Duplicity), Hilary Swank (Amelia); Box Office Queens: Sandra Bullock (The Proposal) and Meryl Streep (It's Complicated) a rare case of the main Oscar rivals also being big bank in separate films within the same year.

So...

IMPORTANT NOTE: These last two years of the Best Actress category have been very polarizing battles with the winners beloved & loathed in seemingly equal measure. Let's NOT discuss those divisive wins again but the fields in general. Stay Positive. It'll allow new discussions to unfold.

Answer me these questions, four

1. Which performance has grown on you?
2. Who do you think landed in the dread six-spot in both years?
3. Concerning the newbies (Mulligan, Sidibe, Hathaway, Leo, Bullock)... which do you think will return to the race and how soon/often? [Keep in mind that most don't. Approximately 67% of acting nominees are never recognized with a second nomination.]
   and...
4. Meryl Streep's Julia Child offers to cook you dinner. But only if you eat it at the table with Sister Aloysius icily judging you with every bite, chew and shallow. Do you accept the offer?
   

Kiss The Girl, Win an Oscar?

random Oscar thought of the day 

If the Best Actress race really narrows down to The Bening (The Kids Are All Right) vs. Natalie Portman (Black Swan) than we have a seriously sapphic situation going on this year.

"♪ I Kissed a Girl just to try it, I know Oscar won't mind it. ♫ "

Hey, it worked last year for the ladies in this category.

P.S. Does this mean that The Oscars are basically like frat parties with a stricter dress code? Maybe they will love The Social Network as much as critics do.
Annette Bening Meryl Streep Sandra Bullock

How Much Does Your Link Weigh?

Today's must read
Jinni Blog Christopher Korbel wrote a thinkpiece about a few of the Best Actor nominations from 2009 and what they're still telling us about today's men and their shared values.

The most unsettling of unanimously shared values is that they all reject their homes due to a strong desire for the Open Road. They all delight in living hermetically in the most estranged of environments.

Really interesting piece so go read it.

More?
Lazy Circles remembers Hitchcock star Farley Granger. We like Farley.
Natasha VC another Grace Zabriskie fan. Natasha speaks the truth.
I Need My Fix Lady Gaga leads the VMA nominations, and commandeers 40% of the Best Video category. As it should be.
All Things Fangirls Remember when we shared this hottie Disney princes in their undies. The tables are turned. The Disney girls have now been sufficiently sexed up.

The Film Doctor "Cinema and the Eye" These screenshots have blinded me! So spooky I had to look away.
Sunset Gun remembers Frances Farmer of Frances fame.
Tribeca Film Best in Show: Annette Bening.
NY Times "The Age of Laura Linney" I totally forgot to link to this over the weekend. I desperately want to see The C Word.

And totally random question of the day. Is David Boreanz getting younger every year? Or at least younger than he's been since he first left Buffy? Did he uncover some supernatural magics in all those Whedonverse years?

[photo src]

Halfway Mark 2010: Foreign Films

More halfway mark articles comin at'cha. Just about anywhere you look online you'll see reports about this or that blockbuster and the top ten of the year and how superheroes, franchise/brands and animated films are still all the rage blah blah. You'll hear about the same movies over and over again. Why not look a little deeper? How about the foreign language films? Here's how they've done so far Stateside (box office figures as of July 1st).

Foreign (Box Office) Top Ten

1. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Sweden) $8.8
   Scandinavia doesn't often claim the biggest hit, so good on them. Skål! In our modern marketplace, where more and more people wait for DVDs for anything other than films with 8 figure ad campaigns, 8 million is now a huge gross for a foreign film. The "hits" rarely make the kind of bank that they used to. Amélie's $33 back in 2001 seems like another era altogether. Even Pan's Labyrinth's $37 as recently as 2006 is a miracle. Especially when you stop to consider that Let The Right One In only managed $2 million in 2008 just two years later despite crazy passionate word of mouth.
   
   Incidentally I tried to read The Girl... recently and just couldn't get into it but even just reading a small portion of the bestseller made this Nora Ephron spoof laugh out loud funny to me.
   
2. The Secret in Their Eyes (Argentina) $5.4 Oscar winner
   
3. My Name is Khan (India) $4.0
4. A Prophet (France) $2.0 Oscar nominee
   
5. Kites (India) $1.6
   Interesting that this internationally-minded effort with American setting, Mexican and Indian stars, and even an American "remix" didn't do any better than more traditional Bollywood entries did.
   
   
   
6. Raajneeti (India) $1.4
   
7. Mic-Macs (France) $.7
   The latest from the visually gifted Jean Pierre-Jeunet (Amélie). Fun movie but also a bit exhausting. I suspect audiences will take to it in greater numbers on DVD where you can watch it in (set)pieces.
8. Vincere (Italy) $.6
   A decent gross I suppose but IFC waited way too long after this film's first explosion of buzz to open it. Especially since Italy didn't even submit it for Oscar consideration. There was no use waiting since it couldn't use Oscar as platform anyway. And some films with passionate fans do better if people know that they're not eligible for the foreign film Oscar. People like to be outraged. Why not September or October back in 2009 hot off its Cannes buzz with an attempt to generate faux 'look what Oscar's missing' outrage?
   
9. Ajami (Israel) $.6 Oscar nominee
   
10. Raavan (India) $.5
    Starring the married superstars Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai
    

South Korea's Mother just missed this top ten. Arthouse audiences and critics talked it up but Oscar passed. It waited and opened up shortly after the Oscar ceremony.

You'll notice that the top grossers are from Bollywood -- have they usurped France's spot as most reliable in the US market? -- or are Oscar holdovers. A few of these used the Oscars as a platform rather than risking regular release. Secret only showed itself in theaters once it could use the Oscar win as advertisement but that's a risky strategy since you can't guarantee a win. The two rather robust contenders it beat on Oscar night, France's A Prophet and Germany's The White Ribbon, had twin buzz trajectories: hot ticket Cannes debut, Cannes trophies, well regarded auteur at the helm, rave reviews. Ribbon opened with only those things to guide it last December. A Prophet, like Secret, banked on Oscar love for ticket sales, only opening after the expected but not guaranteed nomination. Box office result: Slightly smaller box office for Prophet than Ribbon.

What does it mean? Interpret as you will. I prefer to interpret things as "open when the film is ready" and stop making audiences wait! This is the age of gimme it now and film distribution is lagging compared to tv and music, which both seem to be (slowly) adapting to the instant gratification / 'on my terms' culture.

But then numbers are highly interpretable. It might simply indicate that Oscar means nothing unless you win.


FWIW: The Milk of Sorrow, Peru's first Oscar nominee, is the only 2009 Foreign Film nominee that never opened in the US. Such a shame. Sorrow's director Claudia Llosa was just invited to join AMPAS's directors branch.

My favorite foreign release of 2010?
Italy's I AM LOVE improved remarkably on second viewing and I was fond enough of it the first time. It's just ravishing and my only real concern about it the first time through was what seemed like a sexphobic denouement. On second viewing, I believe I misread the film initially, taking the narrative happenings too literally when the images were the key. Most of the film is shot, designed, scored and acted with a more symbolic, sensual, operatic mindset in mind. I suddenly have a lot of things to say about it but it feels like the kind of movie you only discuss once people have seen it. So I'll wait a bit more.


[box office note: It's currently grossed just under over half a million in limited release but it should end up as one of the top foreign grossers of the year when the year wraps.]

Oscar buzz for 2010?
Those Oscar nominees we've just discussed are ineligible for further honors -- they already had their Oscar year -- so we look to Cannes buzz to guide us in predicting the Best Foreign Language Film Submissions for 2010. As for I Am Love... I think it's probably not so Oscarable (despite exquisite craftsmanship) but if it catches on in theaters, you never know. Oscar likes an arthouse hit.
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Reader Request: THE ROAD

Let's just say this right up front. Watching John Hillcoat's The Road (2009) again in the midst of weeks of news reports about the BP oil spill is an entirely different experience than watching The Road during the mad holiday rush when it premiered or earlier still. It takes on a whole new coat of thick dread and sad relatability. This clings to the film as tenaciously as dirt clings to Viggo's weary face. I would add compassion to its new layers but the film always had a robust heart beating underneath the ash, toxic slush and malnourished skin.


Though Joe Penhall's screenplay adaptation preferences more backstory than the masterful Cormac McCarthy novel, it still sidesteps the imagination-deficiency of Hollywood that usually leads to a distracting amount of exposition. Backstory can be useful in small doses but the complete terror at leaving anything to the audience's imagination has ruined too many modern films. It's a relief to see some corrective.

In the case of The Road, it's important for us to know that the apocalypse happened; The amazing art direction (which I probably should have nominated in my personal awards) and shots of a sickly yellow light outside a window, is enough to convey the end of the world. But it's equally crucial that we don't know why said apocalypse happened. This is more realistic (if the world as we know it is suddenly destroyed, chances are the survivors will be utterly confused) and leaves the movie open to complete immersion for any viewer, transcending all political biases.

I, for instance, imagine that any future apocalypse will occur due to either fanatic religious types who just can't swallow the "live and let live" concept or from our systemic political problems which always value corporate profits over the health of our fellow men and the planet (see also: BP oil spill and "drill baby drill" madness, An Inconvenient Truth, etcetera).

But if you were the opposite type of person, say someone who believes in the sanctity of an unregulated market or someone who is deeply religious, or someone who is Sarah Palin, your imagined apocalypse will probably come from other places. There are certainly people out there who think that the apocalypse will come from God because he's angry with people for loving the "wrong" gender, you know?

But no matter.

If or when the world ends, none of these distinctions will matter. The only thing that will matter to anyone is survival. And even that won't be an attractive option. Charlize Theron playing "woman" for example isn't too keen on it. I don't think I would be either, though it'd surely be awfully hard to drag yourself away from Viggo Mortensen. Especially if he was whimpering and begging for you to stay.

"Spend one more night with me. Why.. why do you have to go?"

Theron seems to be willing herself to become the female embodiment of misery with her film choices of late -- when do we ever see her smile? -- but she's good at it. Viggo Mortensen, on the other hand, is a straight up miracle worker.

Is there a famous actor alive who is this masculine yet utterly non-posturing about it? As an actor he can access incredibly soft places that lesser men could never approach without hedging or diluting self consciousness. Viggo's always front and center and as a result The Road becomes a unique animal, a tender apocalyptic drama. This genre tends to go for the jugular with manly brutality. That's kind of flattering machismo posturing itself, letting audiences know that only the strong survive and our hero happens to be THE STRONGEST.

"I won't let anything happen to you. I'll take care of you.
I'll kill anyone who touches you. Because that's my job."

Viggo and screen son Kodi Smit-McPhee are paired well and the papa/child emotions run deep enough that the movie ends up feeling far more brutal than most apocalypse-set films. For this time you can see the death of goodness, or softness, or "the light" if you will, in danger of being snuffed out forever. That's more brutal than any physical violence.

The best things about The Road when it first arrived such as the fine acting from all corners (though the film isn't exactly crowded), smart art direction and a judicious filling out of the novel for the big screen are still intact in the film's second life for home viewing. Unfortunately for all of The Road's rather significant strengths, it was doomed from the get go in measuring up to one of the best novels ever written. For instance, how could the film possibly match the book's final paragraph [SPOILER] which contains such a genius literary flourish, abandoning the characters for a poetic and nearly abstract memory of trout in a stream. [/SPOILER].

And oh, how I wish the movie hadn't had a score. Though the compositions by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis are fine on their own terms as musical elements, a score is the wrong choice for the movie, hobbling its otherwise disheartening emptiness. If ever a movie needed to go without music it was this one. The recurring reminder of "Papa"'s relationship to music, those painful shots of the family piano in a couple of scenes, would be a thousand percent more devastating if the piano and memory scenes were the only notes we heard, music dying along with the rest of the world. Think of that potent moment in Cast Away when the music finally returned to the film as Tom Hanks escaped his island prison? That would never have been as rousing and cathartic had we been hearing a score the whole time. That film stumbles more often than The Road does, so I don't mean to compare the latter unfavorably. But it's hard not to imagine that The Road could have been a truly stark miserabilist classic with more commitment to the withholding of traditional movie comforts.

B+ (up a notch from previous grade)
P.S. If you haven't read the novel, do so immediately. It's an all time great.
*

Meryl, Lit. Meryl En Français

Somehow I never saw this video interview with Meryl Streep from Oscar night parties and in case you didn't see it, I'm sharing it here. You might say it's old. But Meryl never gets old. Especially when she's drunk and singing acapella.



And here's one that I discovered a month back through film critic Mick LaSalle (who I follow on account of his Pfeiffer Pfandom). The video is of Streep winning her honorary Cesar (France's Oscar) seven years ago. I love watching various french goddesses (Huppert, Binoche, Ardant) watching her. Juliette Binoche is crying... but then y'all know she does that superbly.

If you examined all the great actressing in the world in the form of a pie chart, France's piece would be embarrassingly huge and tasty. Hollywood doesn't do as well because there's a lot of bad actresses dragging the general degree of awesomeness down. This is surely do to the delusion cherished American belief that you can be totally awesome at things you've never had any training in whatsoever ;)

Wildly unscientific/not meant to offend. Duh, it's for entertainment purposes only!

In other words, the Cesar is an incredible prize for an actress and Streep is cool enough to do her whole acceptance speech en français.



Believe it or not, Streep @ 60 (the series) is about to resume... and since she's about to turn 61, think of the title as a ballpark. I only tell you this because I'm currently typing the next article so it's an actual probability more than a horrible tease. It should be up this week.

An Education on the Ensemble Class

In trying to keep up with DVD promises, I've given An Education (2009) a second look. First thing I noticed the second time through was a vaguely wary expression on Carey Mulligan's face the very first time you see her. Before she has anything to be worried about.


It's as if she knows that this is not a post about how great she is!

One of the chief and actually insightful digs at the movie, from certain unconvinced parties, is that director Lone Scherfig is so enamored of Mulligan's Jenny (and yes there's plenty to be enamored of) that she passes up numerous opportunities to complicate the movie. Our relationship to the youthful arrogance of the protagonist really does need a tougher investigation. Jenny really does need to be told. [Has she been told? Tell her. Oh snap!] This is the reason I love every tiny bitter morsel from Emma Thompson as the stern headmistress. More please.

But it wasn't just Scherfig that had trouble looking away from Mulligan's star-is-born turn. How else to explain the curious little attention the film received outside of its Actress and Best Picture bids. The film has amazing costume work, smart art direction and terrific original songs. Regarding this last bit, there's zero excuse for the Academy's music branch to pass up "You've Got Me Wrapped Around Your Little Finger".



The song even gets a showcase scene and is intertwined with the narrative, something they're actually supposed to be looking for when they vote. The characters even sing it in the car while driving.

But the best thing about the film is for sure the ensemble play. Scherfig makes some fine shot sequence choices to accentuate the interplay between her "clever" foursome of lovers: Jenny & David (Carey Mulligan & Peter Sarsgaard) and the highly flavorful duo of Danny & Helen (Dominic Cooper & Rosamund Pike). One early scene of the foursome in a bar offers audiences the rare opportunity to watch four actors acting simultaneously. I watched this scene four times in a row to look at each performance and they're all fully engaged. Oh the joy of medium shots!


Only after we're already made some observations about their group dynamic does the more generic cross cutting, shot / reverse shot pattern, take over (you know the pattern, it's the way 99% of movies film every single conversatzzzzzzz zzz zzz). I love how the scene begins with Helen holding bitchy court -- she theorizes that college girls might be born ugly -- but as soon as she's turned her attention's Jenny's way, "books?", Scherfig zeroes in and the blocking changes. The two men begin to flank Jenny, gradually pushing Helen right out of the frame. Scherfig sees what's happening to the group dynamic (fresh meat!) and illustrates accordingly.

One of the most interesting textural bits in the movie is how nearly every character -- not just Jenny -- swoons for any sort of flattering attention; They're all hungry flowers, leaning towards sunlight or water. Dominic Cooper excepted, as he seems very self contained.

I've already expressed my love for Pike with a Supporting Actress nomination but there are other magical things happening within the ensemble, too. Unfortunately the acting isn't always consistent. Alfred Molina and Cara Seymour, for example, both have smart moments as Jenny's eagerly gullible parents, but they swing a little too broadly at other times.

I don't know if it's that stinging late film appearance by Sally Hawkins in a pivotal role but the film makes me think of a Mike Leigh movie.

What?!? Yes, that's a bizarre reference point. Hear me out.

The character work in An Education doesn't have the depth or discipline of Leigh's standard six months worth of improv and rehearsals, and the movie absolutely doesn't have the same high art tone or deep insights. I know that. An Education just zips merrily along, charging through even its darkest moments without considering them too carefully. It's paced and styled for the multiplex, even if it never fully crossed over with mainstream audiences. But I think of Mike Leigh because his movies by their very design always feel a bit ephemeral. You're hyper aware that had his camera swung to the left or right, or left that scene earlier to follow an exiting character, a completely separate and equally interesting movie would be waiting for you on the other side.

An Education is strong enough during its best moments to make me believe or at least fantasize that there's a few movies just off to either side or behind it, should the writers, actors, and director have decided to go another way with it. On second viewing this is the order in which I'd like to see those movies.

• The Miseducation of Helen, a biopic, in which Rosamund Pike takes center stage. Was she always this dim and devilish? How hard does she have to work to keep Danny's (Cooper) attentions and keep herself swathed in the fur and finery he provides? (I'm guessing there's been a procession of Danny types.)
  
• The Art of the Steal a prequel, in which Danny (Cooper) and David (Sarsgaard) begin working together. An Education never looks closely at this relationship but if you stop to think about it for just a minute, it sure needs looking at. What is the power balance really like? Does it seesaw back and forth?
• The Prime of Miss Stubbs in which we follow this entire school year from the exhausted well meaning perspective of Jenny's teacher (Olivia Williams) and the headmistress (Emma Thompson) becomes the defacto secondary lead.
  
• Educating Graham in which we follow awkward Graham (the sympathetic Matthew Beard) as he grows into a fine writer and learns that Jenny wasn't everything. There are plenty of interesting girls in college and they're less pretentious about it.
  

To close I'd just like to share this Graham-related dialogue exchange that I love but had completely forgotten about. Jenny's dad has already fallen for David's con artist charm, however age inappropriate he may be, and takes the opportunity to disparage Jenny's young friend.

Jack, Jenny's Father: Better than that young man you brought home for tea.

Marjorie, her mother: [thinks the comparison is unfair] David's a lot older than Graham.


Jack: Graham could live to be 200 years old and you'll never see him swanning around with famous authors.

Jenny: Graham might become a famous author for all you know!

Jack: Becoming one isn't the same as knowing one. That shows you're well connected.

Some people's fathers...

I love this tiny crumb of a suggestion that Jenny does like the age appropriate but unsophisticated Graham. She's just not into him in that way. That said she doesn't seem to enjoy the ribbing he gets from both her parents and friends. Perhaps she knows somewhere deep inside that she's not that much more extraordinary than him... she's just a little further along in her Education.
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Overheard: The Blind Side

I am terrible about eavesdropping when I hear a movie mentioned. Overheard in midtown Manhattan yesterday between two co-workers.

woman: Did you see The Blind Side? We rented it last night. Sandra Bullock was so good in it. Because of that accent.

Honestly, I had a lump in my throat from the beginning to the very end.

man: [earnestly] It really puts things into perspective.

Puts what into perspective!?! Jesus. That super rich people have easier lives than poor people?

I wouldn't hate that movie half as much if it would leave me alone but people are still talking about it. For this I suppose we must blame the Academy slightly and Jesse James most of all.
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An Education Giveaway

I have one DVD copy of Best Picture nominee An Education (2009) to hand out to a reader. The film, set in 60s London, is about a teenage student Jenny (Oscar nominated Carey Mulligan) and the older man (Peter Sarsgaard) who seduces her away from her college preparations. His glamourous friends aid in the seduction (Dominic Cooper and Rosamund Pike are the movie's secret weapons), her parents (Cara Seymour, Alfred Molina) get confused and her educators (Olivia Williams, Emma Thompson) worry and fume.


Pretty soon all the Best Actress nominees will be out on DVD (Helen Mirren in The Last Station is the lone holdout) and the debate about who was really deserving in that Meryl vs. Sandra vs. Gabby vs. Carey vs. Helen cluster can start up all over again. Joy!

This giveaway is open to all readers -- just bear in mind that the DVD will be in the American format so you'll need an all region player if you're watching it elsewhere. To enter, send an email by Friday April 2nd with "EDUCATION" in the subject line. Include:

1. Your name
2. Your shipping address
3. And the answer to this question: Which movie actor or actress could easily derail your education should they turn their bedroom eyes your way?
   

The winner will be drawn randomly but I might share a few answers to #3 as long as y'all keep it PG-13!
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Mexican Wrap (Up).

Jose here (and <=== there for those of you who've never seen me). I got back from the Guadalajara International Film Festival on Sunday and I'm still recovering from the ten most excitingly chaotic days I've ever had. Nat asked me to do a small wrap up of the whole festival experience and first I have to take my hat off to all the journalists, critics and reporters who year after year go through all the screenings, parties, conferences, interviews and venue to venue races of festivals, yet still have the stamina to deliver daily reports, reviews and news about what's going on. I wasn't one of the energetic ones and, on an average sleep of three hours a day, I never could summon enough energy to type everything I wanted to share with you. Therefore I'll give you a quick rundown of my favorite moments right here.



First of all here's a picture of Diego Luna to go with what I wrote last week and for all you girls and guys who think he's dreamy.

Next my recommendations from the festival (seek them out whenever they open near you!)
1. Zona Sur (Bolivia, 2009): think Godardian formalism meets The Maid.
2. Lebanon (Israel, 2009): really I don't know what's wrong with Israel! This movie would've been a lock for the foreign language win in the year of The Hurt Locker.
3. Kinatay (Philippines, 2009): not as shocking and perverted as Ebert would have you think but still superb, taut cinema from a remote land.
4. Garapa (Brazil, 2009): if Michael Haneke and Roberto Rossellini had a child and he made a documentary...
5. Tu (A)mor (Spain, 2009): the most heartbreaking film since Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind...and it's ten minutes long!

Pictured to your left is screenwriter Michael Tolkin (The Player, Deep Impact and Nine) who gave one of the most debatable lectures during which he declared new Latin American cinema was like "Fassbinder in the 70's" and declared the end of the Hollywood empire was imminent in artistic terms.

The "next important cinema belongs to you" he said addressing a room full of future filmmakers for whom this was sort of a blessing until he decided to let us know of the actual cruelty in Tinseltown (but honestly what can you expect from the guy who wrote The Player in its book and screenplay incarnations?)

My favorite moment of his conference was when he proved his passion for Latin cinema by showing us his iPhone wallpaper, which featured none other than Magaly Solier from The Milk of Sorrow next to one of those giant Oscars AMPAS uses in all its events.



He told us he's a member of the maligned Foreign Language Film committee and revealed how pleased he was with the inclusion of two Hispanic nominees in the running and as much as he'd liked The Secret in Their Eyes (a film he said could NEVER be made under the current Hollywood studio system which he called Nazi) his vote had gone to Perú.

About Nine he said he was as disappointed by it as most of the world was ( his purpose was to "turn 8 1/2 into a musical not the Broadways show into a movie") and even if he had nothing but great things to say about Rob Marshall's committal to the movie he didn't mention Anthony Minghella once.

Another significant moment was a panel held by four notable Latin American film critics and theorists (all of you who know Portuguese read José Carlos Avellar's work ASAP!) who pledged for the necessity to save film criticism in the age of Twitter and the death of print media. Unlike most people who assume film analysis will die with the disappearance of print outlets, these critics actually were thrilled with the possibility of interactive dialogue with audiences.

As they reminded me, we're not here to destroy or worship movies, our work is to enhance and prolong the viewing experience. We're the ones who remind you why you loved that film so much when you're back home or the ones you wish to punch in the face for not sharing your deep love of the latest gross comedy. And just like you we love going to the movies.

(All photo credits courtesy of Anna Cosenza, I'm the laziest tourist ever so she was my unofficial photographer XOXO)

Sorry I Cannot Link You, I'm Kinda Busy. Ki-Kinda Busy. Ki-Kinda Busy

Guardian Hugh Jackman dancing for Lipton Iced Tea. I love it
/Film Abbie Cornish's next two projects (one for Madonna!)
Movie|Line on the Best Actress Curse. Win one, get divorced
My New Plaid Pants gets it right from the creator's mouth. Bryan Fuller of Pushing Daisies fame is now participating in the MNPP "ways not to die" series. Awesome
Allure Heidi Klum is ALWAYS pregnant on Project Runway. This is her just 3 months after giving birth for the umpteenth time. I suspect she's actually a mutant

Boy Culture Why did they remake Death at a Funeral anyway? I must agree with every word of this post
Deadline New York Tim Burton doing an 3D stop motion Addams Family movie? Hmmm. I'd rather see Wes Anderson take a crack at that personally, since Fantastic Mr Fox came out so fine. The gothic feel might stretch him a bit but he's already great with large family tableaus
The Critical Condition rejects our spoiler-filled culture. I agree. But unfortunately that preference means I hardly ever get to enjoy reviews any more (I can't read them unless I've seen the movie Too few reviewers care about telling you an entire plot even if they aren't doing "spoilers" per se) and I've had to drop some spoiler heavy sites from my reading list so I'm sometimes slow to read movie news
Blog Talk Radio (podcast) Kathryn Bigelow's Oscar win and an interview with Floria Sigismondi (The Runaways)

Finally, have you seen this bizarre but funny faux interview between Zach Galifianikis and Charlize Theron?

"Susie" & "Jack"

A photo I hadn't seen from Oscar night.

Michelle Pfeiffer & Jeff Bridges _______ [photo src]

Look where her left hand is. Ha ha. Oh 'chelle. We want to see you holding one way worse than you probably do.

Podcast: Post-Oscar Season 2 Finale

For the final podcast, the original gang is back together: Nick, Joe, Katey and yours truly, Nathaniel. We'll be back soon for a new season but this time we close out the film year with the final discussion of Oscar's 2009/10 hoedown throwdown. You can download the podcast through Mediafire or Rapidshare. We're quite gabby this time (72 minutes) so bear with us as we pick apart the Oscar ceremony in our usual train-of-thought manner. Among the topics:

• Neil Patrick Harris's opening number. Did it really happen?
• George Clooney escape from his famous attractiveness
• Secret love for Hope Floats
• Smug and sour bitches
  
• Up in the Air's shutout and Jason Reitman's Oscar future
  
• Barbra Streisand's diva shit
• Can loving Gabourey Sidibe be wrong when it feels so right?
  
• Avatar in 20 years. Did the Academy dodge a bullet?
• Shouldn't all of the acting presentations have been famous duos rather than current co-stars (like Pfeiffer & Bridges)?
• Hidden satirical messages
  
• Nick's competing Precious allegiances
• Navigating the difficult post-Oscar period
  

Once you're done listening, continue the conversation right here. Are you glad "the ten" is booked for at least three years?

Previous Oscar Night Reviews: Fashion | Party Fashions | Tribeca Review | Best Moments | Worst Moments | Lingering Questions | Lingering (Gay) Questions | Hug it Out With Jeremy Renner | 'The Money Shot'

Lingering Golden Questions (Oscar Night Recedes)

I guarantee that this is the last post about Oscar night! Or wait. No. Second to last.

What was Meryl taking pictures of with her iPhone? And why can't we see them? Meryl e-mail them to the film experience immediately! (Include your phone number. Plz and thx).

Is Sean Penn really not an official Academy member? He said so in his incoherent speech. So does this mean Guy With Opinions has never been able to share them on an Oscar ballot box? Weirdness.

Do you think Claudia Rose and David E Kelley are pissed that it's never been "Pfeiffer's Turn"? Pfeiffer's daughter and husband (who weirdly has no hit television series on the air at the moment) accompanied her to the big show.


It's always somebody's "turn" in Hollywood (this year: Bullock & Bridges). Do you think that Hollywood types make peace with Their Turn never happening after the first several fuckover moments and that umpteenth ginormous paycheck? Or do you think it eats at them... or at least their loved ones?

Whose unlikely turn is next? People will pretend otherwise (hindsight being 20/20) but if you had told people in 2006 that Mickey Rourke had a near win in his future, they'd have laughed at you. If you had told people in 2007 (or, hell, even last summer) that Sandra Bullock would be a winner by 2010... same result. So what horrors and/or satisfying surprises await: Kathleen Turner, Jennifer Aniston, Molly Ringwald, Demi Moore, Keanu Reeves, Tom Cruise, Meg Ryan, Marsha Mason, a second Oscar for Cuba Gooding Jr? Impossible sounding things are always happening in Hollyweird.

Can Maggie and Jake make another movie together? They're not like Warren & Shirley. They like each other! It's been almost 10 years since Donnie Darko and they're infinitely bigger stars now. Pretty please?


Was anyone fired on Monday, March 8th? Because we think whoever played "I am Woman" as Kathryn Bigelow's exit music and "Thank Heaven For Little Girls" as Amanda Seyfried's entrance music, should've been.

Why do we feel like Carey Mulligan is already plotting her Oscar night revenge? She's taking business cards, still playing sweet sixteen (she's 24), working that innocent pixie. Just below the surface lies an impish schemer! (We're guessing). Surely she knows that she's the surest thing going in Young Hollywood in terms of the Oscar-Winner-To-Be mantle.

But will they make her wait as long as Dame Kate Winslet? Sorry... Dame-To-Be.

When Colin Farrell and Jeremy Renner were spooning did... okay okay, I'm stopping. I'm stopping. I get obsessive. Oscars over and out. There are no answers to these haunting questions anyway. If you beg to differ, please provide them in the comments.

Oscar Night in Review: The Fashions (Pt 2)

The Oscar night posts are almost over. I swear. Oh, you'll start missing the Oscars in a month. Shut up with your "will you stop, please?" griping.

also: worst & weirdest moments | wonderful moments | fashion review part 1 | all 09/10 Oscar posts

One of the crazy stressful things about Oscar night for the ladies must be the simple fact that the pictures taken of them that night go on for infinity. They get recycled each year for "best and worst" of video montages and magazine articles. But in the "viewing parties" and the after parties and such, there's no such museum effect. Without that pressure, the stars are more likely to let loose a little. But what's strange sometimes is that this is still how they're presenting themselves within industry circles when the industry has the biggest spotlight on. All of the following ensembles are from those types of parties. This is just a tiny sampling but you probably haven't seen these photos a million times like you have their Kodak theater counterparts.

yes please

from left to right: We all fell in love with Amy Adams when she was playing pregnant Ashley in Junebug. Now she doesn't need the foam padding and we fall in love with her all over again. Make some good movies once you're done with maternity leave Amy! Lea Michelle is going what you call "above and beyond". She already has a hit TV show (GLEE. I can't wait for April!) and now she apparently wants everyone to know she can do movie star glamour, too. Sometimes I wish I were a casting director just so I could give Maria Bello parts that are worthy of her. Catherine O'Hara!!! I had no idea that she actually went out to industry events. She looks great and I hope with all my heart that people in Hollywood get as much joy out of her For Your Consideration facelift expression as I do. But maybe it cuts too close?

er... Yes, well... maybe. Okay, no.

from left to right: I get in trouble every time I suggest that any particular actress is a bit too thin. But it's even more perplexing when it comes to Leslie Mann. I mean, she's a good actress and she automatically gets work because she stars in her husbands movies, so why doesn't she eat? I think I like the concept of this dress but on her it looks too much like she's starring in Alien V. The slimy Giger babydemon has just burst from her chest cavity. Salma Hayek is wearing something that reminds me of Ralph Fiennes tattoo in Red Dragon and I don't want to think about serial killers when I'm looking at beautiful honeys. Christina Hendricks is awesome. Can't wait for Mad Men 4. Maybe this is too tight and the poof shouldn't be there but... damn. Gabrielle Union can pull off yellow and not everyone can. But that doesn't mean she should.

EEEeeeeeek!

from left to right: I always forget where I know Kate Mara from (and then I have to remind myself "Brokeback Mountain, self. Why do you always forget this?") but this dress is not making a good case for her. If I have to look at Hilary Swank so do you! Jeezus... This is not a hooker convention, Hil, this is an Oscar party. Sometimes when I realize that she will always be employed --thanks to that one admittedly genius performance 11 years ago -- I weep. So many years we've had to put up with her already. So many more to come (she's only 35)! Can't think of one thing that is right with Suzanne Sommers and can't count the things that have gone wrong here. Rita Wilson plays only one role in movies -- sassy best friend to movie star of a certain age -- and does it reasonably well. But just because you're rich enough to buy all the black fabric in Malibu doesn't mean you should wear all of it to the same party.