For Your Consideration Tagged Articles at Cinematical

It is inevitable -- any form of art will, at some point, turn inwards. Instead of focusing on other forms of life, the form will attempt to reveal itself -- whether exploratory and serious or sarcastic and mocking. In Hollywood, the camera has spun inwards countless times. Sometimes it's earnest, but most often it's a great serving of satire and irony.

There are a ton of great examples of this, from Boogie Nights to Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, Strange Brew to The Big Lebowski. If I had 50 slots, I could make this comprehensive, but I only have seven. So you're getting the best mock-filled flicks of this century -- films ranging from the year 2000 all the way to 2008. Check them out after the jump, and weigh in with your picks below.

WARNING: The following videos are NSFW. They contain, among other things, violence and foul language. Watch at your own risk.

According to Deadline Hollywood, this Walk Hard For Your Consideration poster appeared on the cover of The Hollywood Reporter today. The one on the left, not on the right. And boy do I dig it. Although the buzz on this film hasn't been all that great (could it be Apatow's first major disappointment?), I've been a ridiculous John C. Reilly fan for many years now and so, to me, the man can do no wrong. (And as I say that, images of him and Mark Wahlberg "feel, feel, feel ... feel my heat" dance through my head ... )They don't look exactly the same, but aside from being very clever and funny, this For Your Consideration poster (I believe) is supposed to parody the infamous Johnny Cash middle finger ad which thanked "the Nashville music establishment and country raidio" for their support. That's the poster to the right. Of course, the chances of Walk Hard being nominated in any of the bigger categories is slim to none, although, as DH claims, the studio will attempt to pimp it out for music, writing and comedy awards. Personally, I think it's one of the finest For Your Consideration ads I've ever seen, and if more folks got creative and took chances with their ads, I wouldn't mind seeing them splattered across every other page in Variety and HR. Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story hits theaters on December 21.

Another week, another Best Picture Oscar nominee arrives on DVD just in time to sway Academy voters. Last Tuesday, it was Martin Scorsese's masterful crime drama The Departed; today, it's Babel, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's sprawling multilingual, multicultural, multi-everything meditation on the simultaneous interconnectedness and disconnectedness that plagues intercultural relationships. Wow, that was a mouthful. On the less heavy end we have a flick in which Hollywood spoofs itself (always good times) and another in which Scarlett Johansson shows off the twins (also always good times). So let's get to it: Here are my top DVD picks for the week.

Babel
Be warned: This most assuredly is not a light romantic comedy to watch on a Friday night as you prepare a romantic dinner at home with your significant other. But it is a must-see for its unflinching depiction of the devastating ramifications of miscommunication on both the personal and global levels. And it showcases phenomenal performances by a graying Brad Pitt, an ailing Cate Blanchett and a Full-Monty-flaunting Rinko Kikuchi.
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Fun Fact: Originally slated for one of the leading roles in a certain Martin Scorsese drama, Brad Pitt departed The Departed so that he could appear in Babel. Crafty guy that he is, Pitt retains a producer credit on The Departed, so he'll be happy if either flick wins Best Picture.

The Prestige
Christopher Nolan's slick thriller didn't get the love it deserved when it hit theaters this fall, thanks in part to that other 2006 magician mystery The Illusionist -- and also in part to Scarlett Johansson/Hugh Jackman overload. While Scarlett in a cleavage-sculpting bodice doesn't sound bad to me, apparently not everyone is of the same opinion. Regardless, The Prestige's strengths lie (primarily) elsewhere. Like the two dueling turn-of-the-century magicians whose tale it tells, The Prestige pulls one hell of a trick on the audience. On the surface, it appears to be the simple tale of two egomaniacs trying to one-up each other, but in reality it's a subtle meditation on the existence of God. If you didn't catch that the first time, go back and take a gander at the film's opening sequence in which Michael Caine asks, "Are you watching closely?" Apparently, you weren't.
Rent, buy or get more on The Prestige

Fun Fact: Jackman and Johansson appeared opposite each other in another 2006 flick, Wooy Allen's Scoop. Alas, there was no magician around to make that one disappear.

Note: This review originally ran during the Toronto International Film Festival. It is being run again in conjunction with the film's limited release this weekend. For Your Consideration opens in wider release November 22. - ed.

With his films Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, and A Mighty Wind, director Christopher Guest took the mockumentary approach he used in This Is Spinal Tap and brought it to a whole new generation. Guest assembled a cast of remarkable talent in Guffman, including Michael McKean (with whom Guest has worked for some 40 years), Eugene Levy, Fred Willard, Catherine O'Hara, Bob Balaban and Parker Posey, and worked with the same cast (adding some new talent along the way, including the spectacularly funny Jennifer Coolidge and perfectly deadpan Jane Lynch, building an almost unbeatable ensemble of comedy.

Guffman, Best in Show and A Mighty Wind all took the mockumentary approach, dealing, respectively, with a play in a small town, an eclectic group of characters taking part in a national dog show, and the reunion of 1960s folk singers for a concert. Guest's previous three films with this ensemble worked, not just because of their mockumentary style, but because of the brilliance and energy of the cast, who worked improvisationally, with very little script. With his latest effort, For Your Consideration, Guest and co-writer Levy break away from the mockumentary mold to take a narrative approach, while still retaining the improvisational freedom that give the cast the room to make their characters their own.

The latest in the vdubrocks campaign ads features one of my fave directors, Christopher Guest, reprising his This is Spinal Tap character, Nigel Tufnel. You can check out Nigel rocking it out in his highly fashionable kilt, black tshirt, tube socks and sneakers, while standing on (and falling off of) the roof of a white Jetta rising up from the stage, while white Rabbits mark the four corners of the stage. The first ad in the campaign featured U2s Slash** rocking the casbah with black GTIs set up like amp stacks. Personally, I think its hilarious that they've brought Nigel, a fake musician, out of the vaults for this campaign.

Watching Nigel rock it out in the ad, I couldn't help but think ... wouldn't it be cool for Guest to bring Spinal Tap back for a new mockuementary about the aging rock-and-rollers getting together for a reunion show for VH1? I can't be the only person out there who would love to see Tufnel, David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean), and Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) bringing it on again, right? The "band" reunited a couple of times in the past, in 1992 for the album Break Like the Wind, for which they did a promo tour and "videos", in 1998 for a short film called Spinal Tap: The Final Tour, in 2000 when they launched a mock website called "Tapster," and in 2001 for a "Back From the Dead" tour that spanned nine cities. Oh, and there was a 2004 documentary about the band as well.

But seriously -- we've had Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind and For Your Consideration. Isn't it about time we saw Spinal Tap back on the big screen -- utilizing the rest of the of Guest's fab ensemble cast? Picture Catherine O'Hara and Jennifer Coolidge as aging groupies! Parker Posey as, say, Nigel's daughter -- or better yet, as a younger groupie competing against O'Hara for the band's attention. And while we're at it, how about Guest in duel roles? He could reprise Corky St. Clair as the director of the reunion show! Oh, the possibilities are endless. Who else out there would love to see Guest bring back Spinal Tap?

[ via our sister site, Autoblog ]

**SIncerest apologies to both Slash (who, as our readers pointed out, is from Guns 'n Roses, NOT U2, and to The Edge, who IS from U2, for my error there. And thanks to our readers for pointing it out. And yes, I grew up on both bands, and yes, I know better. Shame, shame on me. I guess I have to give back my cool 1980s jean jacket covered with safety pins and rock band buttons now, along with my hip collection of U2 and GNR cassette tapes. Darn. -KV

With his films Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, and A Mighty Wind, director Christopher Guest took the mockumentary approach he used in This Is Spinal Tap and brought it to a whole new generation. Guest assembled a cast of remarkable talent in Guffman, including Michael McKean (with whom Guest has worked for some 40 years), Eugene Levy, Fred Willard, Catherine O'Hara, Bob Balaban and Parker Posey, and worked with the same cast (adding some new talent along the way, including the spectacularly funny Jennifer Coolidge and perfectly deadpan Jane Lynch, building an almost unbeatable ensemble of comedy.

Guffman, Best in Show and A Mighty Wind all took the mockumentary approach, dealing, respectively, with a play in a small town, an eclectic group of characters taking part in a national dog show, and the reunion of 1960s folk singers for a concert. Guest's previous three films with this ensemble worked, not just because of their mockumentary style, but because of the brilliance and energy of the cast, who worked improvisationally, with very little script. With his latest effort, For Your Consideration, Guest and co-writer Levy break away from the mockumentary mold to take a narrative approach, while still retaining the improvisational freedom that give the cast the room to make their characters their own.

Are you ready to check out some brand new movie pics? C'mon now, don't sound too excited. On this edition of Movie Pics, we ask you to consider some images from Christopher Guest's new film, Jet Li and Jason Statham prepare to kick your ass right out of the theater and -- wait -- so that's what Kurt Russell will be driving in Grind House. Read on my fellow picture freaks:

• This fall, Christopher Guest returns to his mockumentary ways with For Your Consideration, a film that appears to poke fun at the way certain actors handle the tremendous burden that is Oscar buzz. As far as cast goes, Guest has assembled a few of his regulars (Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara and Fred Willard, among others), as well as some new blood (ahem, Ricky Gervais). While I haven't been crazy about the last couple Guest flicks, the plot, the cast and these new pics have certainly kicked my anticipation meter up a few notches. [via JoBlo]
• Before he calls it quits as a martial arts action star, Jet Li will make sure he kicks as much on-screen ass as possible, what with his role as a mysterious assassin in the upcoming film Rogue. Pic revolves around an FBI agent (Jason Statham) who, after his partner and family are killed, sets out to avenge his buddy's death by targeting the man (is Jet Li a man or a machine?) responsible. Cinema Blend has the first images from Rogue, which also stars Luiz Guzmán (I take it we won't get to see a fantastic jump-kick from Mr. Guzmán) and Devon Aoki.
• Word on the street is that Quentin Tarantino has officially taken over the city of Austin (Jette, I want you on set, STAT!), while shooting Death Proof -- his half of next years double feature masterpiece, Grind House. Tarantino describes Death Proof as "sort of a slasher film, but instead of a knife, it's a car." Well, thanks to the good folks over at AICN, we now have pics of said car, which will be driven by Kurt Russell -- who I'm hoping brings a little old school awesome to the role.

So far, the titles that have been announced as appearing at the Toronto International Film Festival have been primarily independent, often foreign films. And while their presence at the Festival is incredibly exciting to film nerds like yours truly, it's hard to deny that anticipation for any festival ratchets up a notch when the high-profile premieres are revealed. For TIFF, some of those titles were announced yesterday.

The most widely anticipated debut is undoubtedly that of Darren Aronofsky's loooooong-await The Fountain, which is now set to have its North American premiere in Toronto. In addition, Christopher Guest's For Your Consideration (in which he finally turns his skewering on Hollywood itself), Tony Goldwyn's remake The Last Kiss (yawn), the tantalizing Stranger Than Fiction, which stars Will Ferrell as a man who suddenly finds his life narrated by Emma Thompson, and El Cantante, the JLo-Marc Anthony movie, will all have their world premieres at the Fest.

And yes, TIFF still runs from September 7 until the 16th.