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Tyler Perry, Potential Oscar Nominee?
Filed under: Drama, Awards, Lionsgate Films, RumorMonger, Distribution
Until a month or so ago, I didn't realize that Tyler Perry's next film, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf, was based on an acclaimed play. No, even with a cast that included Thandie Newton, Whoopi Goldberg, Kerry Washington, Loretta Devine, Macy Gray and Janet Jackson among others, I had just assumed that we were looking at another tone-deaf gospel-laced melodrama. (To date, I've seen all but one of his feature films, so believe me when I say that they're identical in both content and execution.)Colored Girls might be something to contend with, though. Left with little to push for awards this fall beyond maybe Ryan Reynolds in Buried (if they're feeling frisky, and I hope that they are), Lionsgate has moved the film's release up by two months, from January '11 to November 5 -- a vote of confidence if ever I saw one.
Then again, nobody's seen the thing yet, but maybe, just maybe, Perry leveled his direction out this time. If so, let's just hope that he doesn't let Madea accept any awards on his behalf...
Early Picks For The Best Screenplay Race
Filed under: Awards, Oscar Watch
The screenplay race is always the most fun to speculate upon. Mostly because it is the one category where one of your favorite films of the year has a real shot at getting its single nomination; a little toss off to the year's best comedy, indie or twisty genre entity. It is where Pixar has proven time and time again that animated screenplays can be well-thought out and respected rather than forming the trace of an idea through a bunch of poop culture jokes. (Yes, I meant to say "poop.")
Depending on what the Writer's Guild might disavow in their preemptive awards because the writer of one of the year's best doesn't pay membership dues, we see hope for films like Garden State, Mean Girls and both Judd Apatow's The 40 Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up. So which films have a shot of sneaking into the race this year? Will it be the standard respect for also being a Best Picture nominee or a little thanks-for-playing recognition while being passed over everywhere else?
Is 2010 The Best Year for Documentaries Ever?
Filed under: Documentary, Independent, Awards, Box Office, Cinematical Indie
I've had a feeling that this was the best year for documentaries ever. But I also thought the feeling had to do with the fact I'm seeing a whole lot more docs now that I'm the resident doc guy here at Cinematical. I also went to my first film festival devoted completely to the non-fiction format (Silverdocs). Meanwhile, though, I did notice that the docs selected for both Tribeca and Toronto fests were more noteworthy this year than normal.
And let's not forget the docs that came out of Sundance, many of which either blur the line between fiction and documentary (Exit Through the Gift Shop, Catfish) or at times feel more like great narrative features than documentaries (Restrepo, Last Train Home). Not to mention, 2010 is the year we've got an all-star documentarian anthology film (Freakonomics). You know non-fiction film has made it when five filmmakers can be considered "all stars."
The reason for my questioning if this is like non-fiction's 1939 (considered the best year for fiction film of all time, right?) is a claim by award season analyst Scott Feinberg that this is "the strongest - or, at the very least, the deepest - year yet in the history of documentary filmmaking." He lists 29 films on his radar. I think that means films he's seen and recommends, none of which is my very favorite film of 2010 so far, Last Train Home. The Chinese doc, which is also one of my favorite docs in years, made the front page of the New York Times yesterday with a profile in anticipation of its theatrical release this Friday.
Oscars Could Move to Mondays - Will That Screw Up Your Party Plans?
Filed under: Awards, Oscar Watch
For the last eleven years, we've gotten quite used to seeing the Oscar telecast on Sunday nights in March, as the air begins to warm and winter once again slips away. Parties are whipped up, hors d'oeuvres are put out, and people come together to cheer and mock the pomp and circumstance behind Hollywood's biggest night.But then word hit that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences were entertaining the notion of moving the ceremony to January, pushing it into the mid-winter rush instead of the end of winter slump. And now there's another change in the works ... although this one was bred out of necessity rather than change: The Oscars could end up moving back to Monday nights in 2013.
Cinematical Late Night: 'Biutiful,' 'Footloose,' Honorary Oscars
Filed under: Foreign Language, Independent, Awards, Casting, Images, Cinematical Indie, Trailers and Clips
- People are going crazy for these character posters for Never Let Me Go. I say meh. At least two of them fit nicely as a header image. You can see the Andrew Garfield one over here, along with larger versions.
- Jean-Luc Godard is finally getting an Oscar. If he wants it, which he might not. The Academy is honoring him and the shockingly never-nominated actor Eli Wallach, as well as film historian and preservationist Kevin Brownlow, with honorary Oscars this November. This year's Irving G. Thalberg award will go to Francis Ford Coppola for his producing work through American Zoetrope. It's a shame these honors aren't presented at the Academy Awards anymore, as this would be a good crop for the telecast, though Godard would not likely show up. And not just because he can't be found to even be informed of the honor.
- Have you been dying to see Biutiful, the new film from Babel director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu featuring Javier Bardem in a Cannes-honored performance? Finally someone has picked it up for U.S. distribution. Specifically Roadside Attractions and Liddell Entertainment. Hopefully it'll find its way into theaters this fall so Bardem can contend for the Oscar.
Disney/Pixar Drops Out of Annie Awards Following Voting Controversy
Filed under: Awards, Disney, Dreamworks, Politics
Disney and Pixar have shaken up the animation community today with the announcement that they will no longer be participating in ASIFA's annual Annie Awards -- arguably one of the most prestigious awards for animated films. Citing concerns over how the event is judged, Disney has pulled out of not only presenting their films for consideration, but from the organization completely. The company has sponsored the event since its inception back in 1972."After more than a year of discussions with the ASIFA board, we have regretfully decided to withdraw from the organization and no longer participate in the annual Annie Awards," said Disney-Pixar president Ed Catmull. He continued, "We believe there is an issue with the way the Annies are judged, and have been seeking a mutually agreeable solution with the board. Although some initial steps have been taken, the board informed us that no further changes would be made to address our concerns."
Hit the jump to find out what has Disney so steamed.
Early Picks For The 2010 Best Actor Race
Filed under: Awards, Oscar Watch
This year's race for Best Actor is almost guaranteed to be formed in the final months of this year. Don't get me wrong there have been some terrific performances. But not the kind that are remembered by voters unless they appear late into the season. Besides, with one of the five slots possibly already reserved for the first appearance of Jeff Bridges as Marshall Rooster Cogburn, the very role that got John Wayne his Oscar. Did they give Bridges his lifetime achievement too soon? Or is he simply being setup to be the first guy since Tom Hanks to go back-to-back?
That's a long ways off though. We don't even have a trailer to look at. And per my own rules of prognostication, if we haven't seen the film nor a tiny glimpse of the performances in action, they are left off the list. For the moment. Not only is it unfair and disrespectful to some of the exceptional performers we have seen already but no scout is going to recommend a pitcher they haven't looked at. So who are the leaders in the race to date?
Facebook Execs Don't Like 'The Social Network,' but the First Review Does
Filed under: Drama, Awards, New Releases, Celebrities and Controversy, Newsstand
It's really tough to sue for libel in the United States if you're a public figure. There's a lot you gotta prove (including "actual malice" on the part of the person you're suing), and in most cases it's a non-starter. Which is good news for Sony, Scott Rudin, Aaron Sorkin, and David Fincher, since from the sound of things, Facebook probably has an itchy trigger finger regarding their Oscar front-runner The Social Network, which will premiere at the New York Film Festival before an October 1 release.Unsurprisingly, Facebook is unhappy about the movie's evidently tendentious depiction of its founding as being fueled by conflict and betrayal, with founder Mark Zuckerberg portrayed by Jesse Eisenberg as an ambiguous, conflicted, prickly visionary. The company's execs have been shown the film, and have apparently reacted by spitting on the ground and favoring Scott Rudin with an angry look before stalking off in silence. It's not surprising. This might actually be the rare instance where any publicity is not good publicity. Already ubiquitous among the target audience, Facebook has nothing to gain from the release of The Social Network except a tarnished public image. And of course, if they issue a response or rebuttal to the film, it will only generate more publicity. Their current strategy appears to be quietly insisting that the movie's fiction when asked, which is probably the right move.
Early Picks for the Best Actress Race
Filed under: Awards, Oscar Watch
If what we have seen so far in 2010, the Best Actress race could be the most exciting we have seen in some time. (Certainly more exciting than the actors at the moment, in a nice change of pace.) You can cut off the deadline right now and fill out a list of five that I believe most award watchers and movie lovers could not only live with but accept as an exemplary representation of the category. And it is only August. Which means at least two or three spots are practically destined to be taken over and we will once again bemoan the Academy's memory for pre-September cinema. Still, without finalizing our list at the moment, there are already two performances that are going to be difficult not to consider close-to-locks. But, mind you again, it is only August.
'Piranha 3D' Wants Your Votes This Awards Season
Filed under: Horror, Awards, New Releases, Movie Marketing, Remakes and Sequels, Trailers and Clips
It's a little early for awards season buzz to get under way, but I think we all realize that a serious Oscar contender is opening nationwide this Friday. Yes, I'm talking about Piranha 3D. The cast of Alexandre Aja's remake of the Joe Dante/Roger Corman cult classic have already begun lobbying for the film to be nominated in all the major categories and Funny or Die has the video to prove it.
Jerry O'Connell, Kelly Brook, Jessica Szohr, porn star Riley Steele, Adam Scott and Paul Scheer have all donned their finest evening wear to tell you and Academy voters why this film should win everyone involved an Oscar. As Scott points out, why stop at Best Picture? Why not present the film with an Oscar for "best penis being gobbled and spit out in 3D?" I admit, it's hard to argue with that logic. Plus, as the clip mentions, there are ten nominees for Best Picture now -- and it doesn't make sense to nominate Inception ten times.
Kelly Brook drops F-bombs and notes that Basinger and Theron both appeared in Playboy and won an Oscar -- and she's on the cover. Szohr says what all of us think -- pointing out that maybe if Piranha were nominated then someone under the age of 50 might actually care about the Academy Awards. Plus, you can't discount a phone call from the President telling Paul Scheer that Piranha 3D winning an Oscar would stimulate the economy. Come on, Academy -- help out the working folk!
The only downer to this clip is that Ving Rhames isn't in it -- but that's okay, because on Friday we'll all be able to see his finest hour: him fighting off killer fish with a boat propeller. If that doesn't get a Best Supporting Oscar, then the system is broken beyond repair.
Check out the clip after the jump.
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Early Picks For The Best Screenplay Race
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