fountain Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Cinematical Seven: Boneheaded Academy Decisions -- 2007 Edition
Filed under: Awards », Cinematical Seven »
For me the most entertaining part of the annual Oscar schpiel is not seeing which films get awards and what actors earn the most respect; it's scratching my head through the boneheaded decisions that seem to come a) out of nowhere and b) from a bunch of people who really ought to know a little better. Here are my picks for the seven biggest pieces of silliness regarding this year's Oscar nominations:7. Borat for best adapted screenplay? Whaaaaat? Did we see the same movie? Don't get me wrong: I absolutely LOVED this movie -- I called it "one of the funniest movies ever made" and I stand by that opinion today -- but didn't most of the funniest bits come from moments best described as "off the cuff," "reaction-driven" and "semi-improvised"? I understand that more of the flick was scripted than one might expect, but c'mon. Unless all of Borat's interview subjects were given lines to read, I really don't see how this nomination makes any sense. I love seeing the movie get some respect, but what a silly way to do it.
6. Click gets nominated for best makeup ... but Pirates of the Caribbean 2 does not? What the hell? Did any of the Academy members see this movie? Yeah, I know that most of the more dazzling FX were full-bore CGI, but heck; the makeup used on Naomie Harris was more impressive than anything in freakin' Click! Fat suits and really lame "old man" makeup is all it takes to get an Oscar nom these days? Sheesh. Plus I just don't like living in a world that calls Click an Oscar nominee.
5. Nominating The Devil Wears Prada for Best Costume Design is like nominating Talladega Nights for Best Product Placement. Welcome to the world of Home Shopping Cinema.
Online Film Critics Make Their Year-End Picks
Filed under: Awards », Lists », Best/Worst »
The Online Film Critics Society (of which Cinematical's own Scott Weinberg is a member) have spoken, and named their picks for the best films, performances and more of 2006. A recent arrival to the critic's boards awards season, the OFCS has been known for slightly off-center picks that often speak to very different sensibility than print and broadcast critics. As if to demonstrate this very point, a brief persual of the nominees and winners (designated in bold) after the jump will reveal that the OFCS has recognized a broad and fascinating slate of films in 2006 -- including Best Picture honors for United 93, plus individual wins for Oscar dark-horses like Borat, The Fountain, A Scanner Darkly and Children of Men. ...The Fountain Trailer Moistened Me
Filed under: Drama », Romance », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Warner Brothers », Fantastic Fest »
Yes, I think I may have wet myself just a little. That's how eye-poppingly, brain-twistingly, Rachel-Weiszelly cool this all-new trailer for The Fountain is. If you're among the thousands of ravenous movie geeks who've been wondering "Hey, what the hell ever happened to Darren Aronofsky, director of the ice-water awesomeness that is Requiem for a Dream?" -- here's your answer.All I know about The Fountain is this: 1. It tells three interconnected stories that span 500 years in either direction of 2006. 2. It stars Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz. 3. It looks freaking amazing. 4. Aronofsky's been working on this thing for as long as it takes Adam Sandler to make nine movies.
The Fountain opens on October 13th. I'll call it right now: Flick maxes out at $35 million domestic (if that) and goes on to become a Dark City / Blade Runner cult classic. Or maybe it'll stink to high heaven. But as far as I'm concerned, Aronofsky's two for two so far (he also directed Pi), so we have good reason to expect quality. (Previous Fountain reports can be seen here, here and here.)
Semi-related trivia: Darren Aronofsky got a screenwriting credit on the 2002 "haunted sub" flick Below, which I happen to think is a pretty cool little chiller.
[Thanks, Rogue Pigeon]
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