(This message has been brought to you by Nathaniel's recent screening of Black Book) Can someone please find some more work for Michiel Huisman, pronto? Thanks for listening.
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Saturday, January 5, 2008
Filmmakers, please don't kill off sexy characters mere minutes after you've introduced them
It's just not right.
(This message has been brought to you by Nathaniel's recent screening of Black Book)
Can someone please find some more work for Michiel Huisman, pronto? Thanks for listening.
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(This message has been brought to you by Nathaniel's recent screening of Black Book) Can someone please find some more work for Michiel Huisman, pronto? Thanks for listening.
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Year in Review "It's a Gusher"
The story is familiar. The calendar year begins and there's dross in the movie theaters apart from a few platforming highlights from the previous year. Minor pleasures follow in the spring and summer. They valiantly struggle to catch public attention amidst cacophonous 8 figure ad budgets of vapid blockbusters. The weather cools and then, as suddenly as people stop going to the theater in droves, real cinematic triumphs arrive. (Funny how that's so backwards. Like leaving a party as soon as the A list guests show). And then a curious but predictable thing happens: the holidays hit and all the remaining movies are viewed sight unseen as "the best" of the year. Until they open that is. Inevitably, November and December feel a little flat. All buildup and no delivery; Christmas morning with so-so gifts.But not 2007. This year the movies Hollywood stingily withheld actually delivered. Well, most of them at any rate. As a result, the year kept getting better as it went, gathering speed as it barrelled towards its rather cataclysmic end. December had three major offerings emblematic of this tendency: Sweeney Todd's bloodbath, Atonement's guilty backwards glance and There Will Be Blood's implosion were all shocking and rather final finales in their own ways.
"You Can't Stop What's Coming"
...continue reading for more on the emotional disintegrations and mass destruction of this just-wrapped film year. Next up: underappreciated, honorable mentions and the ten best pictures of 2007 according to Nathaniel.
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Friday, January 4, 2008
Oh Lord I Am Sick of Hopping Between Two Computers Apple Leopard Pie
...hold the Leopard.That's the first and last reference /homage to Waitress's twee comic motif you'll find on this blog. But seriously... this is no time (film bitch time) for me to be having such problems with my brand spanking new computer --for whatever reason, it won't upload my film experience dreamweaver files to the internet. I have to go back to my old computer to do it. so I'm totally confused as to what I'm doing at any given moment and unplugging and replugging back up systems and whatnot. I know Apple people --I've been one for 10 years-- are supposed to love all things Apple without question. But hold the kool-aid, too. I'm not so sure about this Leopard system.
F/Xtra F/Xtra...
As many readers already know some less publicized Oscar categories have what’s referred to as “bake offs” in which the field of potential nominees is whittled down by committee. In some cases the remaining candidates show ‘vote for me!’ best-of clip reels before nominating members of the AMPAS vote for the official Oscar Nominee shortlist. Varying methods of this winnowing process happen in categories such as makeup and effects. Recently the always hotly debated foreign film category adopted the semi-finals game.
This year in Visual Effects (the one category that annually rewards the biggest blockbusters) seven finalists have survived the bakeoffs. Three of the following will be named nominees by the end of January.
300
The Bourne Ultimatum
Evan Almighty
<---The Golden Compass
I Am Legend
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
Transformers
Did you just doze off? Are you nodding your head with sleepy eyes in awards fatigue induced apathy.
This year in Visual Effects (the one category that annually rewards the biggest blockbusters) seven finalists have survived the bakeoffs. Three of the following will be named nominees by the end of January.300
The Bourne Ultimatum
Evan Almighty
<---The Golden Compass
I Am Legend
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
Transformers
Did you just doze off? Are you nodding your head with sleepy eyes in awards fatigue induced apathy.
A little context might help wake you up. It’s far more interesting to view these finalists through the prism of what's already been vetoed. AMPAS voters wisely ignored the tacky CGI fests that were The Rise of the Silver Surfer and Stardust (neither of which made the semi-finals) . But among the semi-finalists that did not make the finals what is it that Spider-Man 3, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Ratatouille, Beowulf, Sunshine, Live Free or Die Hard and National Treasure: Book of Secrets and The Waterhorse: Legend or the Deep are lacking in relation to um... Evan Almighty?
Some of the rejected are givens. Few probably want to hear Waterhorse with a preface like "The Oscar Nominated..." But among the booted eight are some eye-popping wonders. What, pray tell, is lacking in Sunshine's visuals? Nothing I'd argue. Animated films never fare well here but my guess is Pixar's annual advancements in the CG Animation medium are statue worthy. It's nice to see old school effects like Bourne Ultimatum in the running but given the complete Casino Royale shut out last year, Bourne enthusiasts shouldn't get their hopes up.
And while we're on the subject of bake-offs, wouldn't it be great to have "best of" clip reels for all the categories for voters to ponder. Or, since 2007 cinema has been so retrograde about gender politics, how about a literal bake off for Best Actress. Angelina Jolie is an awesome movie star and humanitarian but can she bake a cherry pie?
Nominations ~ Bookish and Interwebby
USC Scripter Nominations are announced. In otherwords: Best Screenplays based on books.
The Online Film Critics Society have also spoken. Their Best Picture list, quite sturdy, comes down to these (nearly identical) five...
Antagony & Ecstacy has the complete roster of their nominees. The Lovely Laura Linney (FINALLY!) is in for The Savages and Jennifer Garner also gets her first real awards notice for her somewhat sneaky and well handled turn as a baby hungry would be mom in Juno.
Points to the OFCS for their "breakthrough performer" list, too: Blonsky -Hairspray, Hansard -Once, Riley -Control, Van Houten -Black Book, Wei -Lust, Caution; not a single one of those performances isn't worth applauding and putting on your "to see" list right now. Seriously, load up that Netflix queue. The big disappointment for me in their nominated lineups: looks like I'll still be the only one to deny the lie of Casey Affleck as a "supporting" actor. [seriously people... if he's that good --just boot somebody out of Best Actor and make room for him -ed.]
- Atonement ~Hampton does McEwan
- Into the Wild ~Penn wanders with Krakauer
- No Country For Old Men ~The Coen Bros worship at the pen of Cormac McCarthy
- There Will Be Blood ~ P.T.A from Upton Sinclair
- Zodiac ~Vanderbilt dissects Graysmith
The Online Film Critics Society have also spoken. Their Best Picture list, quite sturdy, comes down to these (nearly identical) five...
- Atonement ~directed by Joe Wright
- Juno ~ directed by Jason Reitman
- No Country For Old Men ~ directed by the Coen Bros
- There Will Be Blood ~ directed by Paul Genius Anderson
- Zodiac ~ directed by David Fincher
Antagony & Ecstacy has the complete roster of their nominees. The Lovely Laura Linney (FINALLY!) is in for The Savages and Jennifer Garner also gets her first real awards notice for her somewhat sneaky and well handled turn as a baby hungry would be mom in Juno. Points to the OFCS for their "breakthrough performer" list, too: Blonsky -Hairspray, Hansard -Once, Riley -Control, Van Houten -Black Book, Wei -Lust, Caution; not a single one of those performances isn't worth applauding and putting on your "to see" list right now. Seriously, load up that Netflix queue. The big disappointment for me in their nominated lineups: looks like I'll still be the only one to deny the lie of Casey Affleck as a "supporting" actor. [seriously people... if he's that good --just boot somebody out of Best Actor and make room for him -ed.]
Thursday, January 3, 2008
One While You're Out. One at Home.
Over @ Zoom-In I've written a brief piece on DVD rental suggestions to pair up with movies you may have just seen in the theaters. In this case: There Will Be Blood (even better the second time!), Sweeney Todd and The Bucket List. But I'd love to hear other suggestions.Which rentals would you suggest for a makeshift interesting conversation with, say, Atonement, I Am Legend or Charlie Wilson's War?
An Actressy Distraction. What's Next?
More than once I've thought of renaming my whole site "Best Actress" on account of my, um, alternate lifestyle of actress worship. Since you'll have to wait (im)patiently a couple more days for my top ten list and massive awards orgy --I'm going to a There Will Be Blood event tonight that I can't really pass up-- so, to keep you engaged I thought I'd throw up a quartet of distracting images of next year's possible Oscar contenders...
That's Meryl Streep in the adaptation of the Pulitzer and TONY winning Doubt (thx, Modfab), Angelina Jolie in the new Clint Eastwood film The Changeling, Kate Winslet (reteaming with DiCaprio) in the 50s marital drama Revolutionary Road and Julianne Moore as seeing eye person in Fernando Meirelles adaptation of Blindness (a lot more on the latter very soon). And this is, I'm sure you know, only the tip of the iceberg. We always hear about the A List projects first. Who knows what lower lights will be going supernova next year (witness what this past calendar year did for Ellen Page and Amy Adams among others) All of these delicious actressy edibles can be devoured in less than a year... or rather in a year. If I know Hollywood they'll jam all of them into Christmas '08. [grumble, grumble]
Other lead actresses that might be coming at'cha in 2008 include: Drew Barrymore (Grey Gardens), Cate Blanchett (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Emily Blunt (The Young Victoria), Sarah Michelle Gellar (Alice), Anne Hathaway (Dancing with Shiva), Nicole Kidman (Australia / The Reader), Keira Knightley (The Duchess), Jessica Lange (Grey Gardens), Rachel McAdams (The Time Traveller’s Wife), Julianne Moore (Savage Grace), Meg Ryan (The Women) and Renee Zellweger (Leatherheads)
But back on topic. i.e. this is nothing but a distraction --a beautiful one but still... You can take these upcoming "dates" with a grain of salt. It's a one man show here people. Be kind. I will do my best to stay on this self-imposed schedule (which means that by January 8th carpel tunnel syndrome will set in, my shoulder will be experience sharp pangs from all the sitting at my desk monotony and I'll also need a massage or three, with or without hot stones, body scrubs and other spa amenities ...if you are a certified massage therapist in the NYC area and you read the film experience, why haven't you called me yet to offer a donation to the site in the form of a freebie or permanent discount? It would possibly be the kindest thing you have ever done. Think of the karmic value!
Fri, Jan 4th: Year in Review Intro
Sat Jan 5th: 2007 Top Ten List plus: Undistributed, Underloved, Honorable Mentions
Sun, Jan 6th: Oscar Predictions updated, my contribution to the Supporting Actress Blog-a-Thon (hosted by StinkyLulu) and the launch of the 8th annual massive undertaking known as the FiLM BiTCH Awards.
Also in Jan & Feb: The launch of the podcast (episode #1 is finished -whew, it'll be up soon), Total Oscar Mania, FB Nominees and Medalists in all categories, and the 3rd Annual Oscar Symposium (prev symposiums: Feb 2006 & Feb 2007), a new series premieres and you'll also see the return of the blog's regularly scheduled programming --it's not a matter of over promising as the "regular series" go [see: side bar] it just genuinely helps me to have channels of inspiration and deadlines ... even if I don't always meet them.
March: More exciting unexpected blog goodies and the launch of the next big 'year in advance' Oscar contest for your repetitive amusement
April-Dec: The Film Experience conquers the world with its best year ever. Reviews each and every week. Fundraising requests granted without any procrastination whatsoever. Great movies become massive blockbusters, Michelle Pfeiffer grants me an audience, and I become wildly rich and mildly famous. You'll be here in record numbers to celebrate with me and watch it all unfold...
I'm going for total unfettered delusional optimism this year. Why the hell not?
That's Meryl Streep in the adaptation of the Pulitzer and TONY winning Doubt (thx, Modfab), Angelina Jolie in the new Clint Eastwood film The Changeling, Kate Winslet (reteaming with DiCaprio) in the 50s marital drama Revolutionary Road and Julianne Moore as seeing eye person in Fernando Meirelles adaptation of Blindness (a lot more on the latter very soon). And this is, I'm sure you know, only the tip of the iceberg. We always hear about the A List projects first. Who knows what lower lights will be going supernova next year (witness what this past calendar year did for Ellen Page and Amy Adams among others) All of these delicious actressy edibles can be devoured in less than a year... or rather in a year. If I know Hollywood they'll jam all of them into Christmas '08. [grumble, grumble]
Other lead actresses that might be coming at'cha in 2008 include: Drew Barrymore (Grey Gardens), Cate Blanchett (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Emily Blunt (The Young Victoria), Sarah Michelle Gellar (Alice), Anne Hathaway (Dancing with Shiva), Nicole Kidman (Australia / The Reader), Keira Knightley (The Duchess), Jessica Lange (Grey Gardens), Rachel McAdams (The Time Traveller’s Wife), Julianne Moore (Savage Grace), Meg Ryan (The Women) and Renee Zellweger (Leatherheads)But back on topic. i.e. this is nothing but a distraction --a beautiful one but still... You can take these upcoming "dates" with a grain of salt. It's a one man show here people. Be kind. I will do my best to stay on this self-imposed schedule (which means that by January 8th carpel tunnel syndrome will set in, my shoulder will be experience sharp pangs from all the sitting at my desk monotony and I'll also need a massage or three, with or without hot stones, body scrubs and other spa amenities ...if you are a certified massage therapist in the NYC area and you read the film experience, why haven't you called me yet to offer a donation to the site in the form of a freebie or permanent discount? It would possibly be the kindest thing you have ever done. Think of the karmic value!
Fri, Jan 4th: Year in Review Intro
Sat Jan 5th: 2007 Top Ten List plus: Undistributed, Underloved, Honorable Mentions
Sun, Jan 6th: Oscar Predictions updated, my contribution to the Supporting Actress Blog-a-Thon (hosted by StinkyLulu) and the launch of the 8th annual massive undertaking known as the FiLM BiTCH Awards.
Also in Jan & Feb: The launch of the podcast (episode #1 is finished -whew, it'll be up soon), Total Oscar Mania, FB Nominees and Medalists in all categories, and the 3rd Annual Oscar Symposium (prev symposiums: Feb 2006 & Feb 2007), a new series premieres and you'll also see the return of the blog's regularly scheduled programming --it's not a matter of over promising as the "regular series" go [see: side bar] it just genuinely helps me to have channels of inspiration and deadlines ... even if I don't always meet them.
March: More exciting unexpected blog goodies and the launch of the next big 'year in advance' Oscar contest for your repetitive amusement
April-Dec: The Film Experience conquers the world with its best year ever. Reviews each and every week. Fundraising requests granted without any procrastination whatsoever. Great movies become massive blockbusters, Michelle Pfeiffer grants me an audience, and I become wildly rich and mildly famous. You'll be here in record numbers to celebrate with me and watch it all unfold...
I'm going for total unfettered delusional optimism this year. Why the hell not?
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
The Beautiful Decay of Helena Bonham-Carter
It's the premiere of the 4th Season of "Hump Day Hottie" -Every Wednesday @ the Experience
So I was listening to Radio Allegro's very rowdy very funny and very long movie special and not too far into that queer beast, there was what sounded like an unplanned but communal dissing of Helena Bonham-Carter's star turn in Sweeney Todd. Typical of my gemini nature I found myself wanting to both join in and defend her. For you see, I also have issues with the performance but I have deep love for "Miss Lucy Honeychurch" in all phases of her career.
Mrs. Lovett, one of the musical theater's unquestionably great roles, is more flexible than Sweeney Todd's new naysayers will have you believe. I've only seen three incarnations but in just those three she's been played with the emphasis on outre comic lunacy (Angela Lansbury), a vampy desperation (Patti Lupone) and now she's like a practical reserved vampire (Helena). Whether the new approach works is a matter up to individual interpretation, of course. But rather than debate the merits of the performance here I want to focus on the woman in all her glory.
To quote her suitor in A Room With a View, the film which brought her international fame at the sparkling age of 19 "Beauuuuutttyyyyy"
She's been one of the screen's most striking women ever since. Consider that round impossibly delicate face, the huge haunting brown orbs we'll call eyes and, as Tim Burton and his cameramen are proud to point out, an ample and inviting bosom.
Helena was also the star attraction in not one but two of the greatest sex scenes of the past decade of film (Wings of the Dove and Fight Club) and yet filmmakers, even her real life love Tim Burton, don't often seem to capitalize on her eroticism. At least not in pleasurable ways. It's both fascinating and disturbing to me that so many of her films have taken care to either dismantle or desecrate the beauty. She meets a gruesome uglifying ending in more than one of her features: Frankenstein and Sweeney Todd are birds of a feather in this sick way and both were directed by men she was sleeping with. Hmmm....
Grafting death and decay onto her doll like prettiness have made her into something of a goth icon (Fight Club and the relationship with Tim Burton didn't hurt) but that came as a surprise to this early adopter. Who among us that fell in love with her royal prettiness in Lady Jane or her ornery loveliness in A Room With a View, knew that the darkness would eventually engulf her?
This is now the Helena movie equation...
related: Last season on Hump Day Hottie and my Sweeney Todd Review
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So I was listening to Radio Allegro's very rowdy very funny and very long movie special and not too far into that queer beast, there was what sounded like an unplanned but communal dissing of Helena Bonham-Carter's star turn in Sweeney Todd. Typical of my gemini nature I found myself wanting to both join in and defend her. For you see, I also have issues with the performance but I have deep love for "Miss Lucy Honeychurch" in all phases of her career.
Mrs. Lovett, one of the musical theater's unquestionably great roles, is more flexible than Sweeney Todd's new naysayers will have you believe. I've only seen three incarnations but in just those three she's been played with the emphasis on outre comic lunacy (Angela Lansbury), a vampy desperation (Patti Lupone) and now she's like a practical reserved vampire (Helena). Whether the new approach works is a matter up to individual interpretation, of course. But rather than debate the merits of the performance here I want to focus on the woman in all her glory.To quote her suitor in A Room With a View, the film which brought her international fame at the sparkling age of 19 "Beauuuuutttyyyyy"
She's been one of the screen's most striking women ever since. Consider that round impossibly delicate face, the huge haunting brown orbs we'll call eyes and, as Tim Burton and his cameramen are proud to point out, an ample and inviting bosom.
Helena was also the star attraction in not one but two of the greatest sex scenes of the past decade of film (Wings of the Dove and Fight Club) and yet filmmakers, even her real life love Tim Burton, don't often seem to capitalize on her eroticism. At least not in pleasurable ways. It's both fascinating and disturbing to me that so many of her films have taken care to either dismantle or desecrate the beauty. She meets a gruesome uglifying ending in more than one of her features: Frankenstein and Sweeney Todd are birds of a feather in this sick way and both were directed by men she was sleeping with. Hmmm....Grafting death and decay onto her doll like prettiness have made her into something of a goth icon (Fight Club and the relationship with Tim Burton didn't hurt) but that came as a surprise to this early adopter. Who among us that fell in love with her royal prettiness in Lady Jane or her ornery loveliness in A Room With a View, knew that the darkness would eventually engulf her?
This is now the Helena movie equation...
...is it not?
related: Last season on Hump Day Hottie and my Sweeney Todd Review
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Better Get to Linking
It's no secret... I'm not much of a "new years" guy. I don't like the pressure. In most years the first few days of January make me panicky, as in 'ohmygodwhat canyoudo tomakethisyeargreat? whyarent youexercizingthis morning? youpromised tochange yourways do something----ohgod nathaniel get it together! dosomethingimportant timeiswasting! itsday2already and... whathaveyoudone? gah. Nothing' so while I attempt to work around this specific self sabotage quirk, enjoy these links...
Acidemic fascinating piece on the year of Apocalyptic Texas Cinema
In Contention Gerard Kennedy dissects the year's best film scores
Sunset Gun's top ten list
IMDB Tilda Swinton gets her polyamorous freak on
Radio Allegro has a new podcast up and it's all movies. I didn't guest this time but I'll be an enthusiastic listener
The Reeler liveblogs 699 minutes with the king of meandering greatness Paul Thomas Anderson. A worthy but surely destabilizing adventure
European Films Boyd has his top ten 2007 list up. You'll recognize some of the titles even if the movies themselves prove elusive in theaters
Joe's Movie Corner the "endings" blog-a-thon. Finis
The Rec Show, which professes a mysterious dislike of year in reviews, gives a shout out to Cyndi Lauper for a live music highlight from last year. Everybody I ever have known who's had the pleasure to see her live knows she's wondrous. It continues to be one of the top ten mysteries of my entertainment watching life that she's never had a mainstream comeback.
Acidemic fascinating piece on the year of Apocalyptic Texas CinemaIn Contention Gerard Kennedy dissects the year's best film scores
Sunset Gun's top ten list
IMDB Tilda Swinton gets her polyamorous freak on
Radio Allegro has a new podcast up and it's all movies. I didn't guest this time but I'll be an enthusiastic listener
The Reeler liveblogs 699 minutes with the king of meandering greatness Paul Thomas Anderson. A worthy but surely destabilizing adventure
European Films Boyd has his top ten 2007 list up. You'll recognize some of the titles even if the movies themselves prove elusive in theatersJoe's Movie Corner the "endings" blog-a-thon. Finis
The Rec Show, which professes a mysterious dislike of year in reviews, gives a shout out to Cyndi Lauper for a live music highlight from last year. Everybody I ever have known who's had the pleasure to see her live knows she's wondrous. It continues to be one of the top ten mysteries of my entertainment watching life that she's never had a mainstream comeback.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Happy New Year
Happy new calendar year that is. We all know that the film year doesn't end until the Best Picture Oscar is handed out. The movie year calendar is reset along with it. But happy new year anyway --there's more to life than movies.
or so I hear...
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