In the eleventh installment of Oscar Talk, In Contention‘s Kris Tapley and I have a go at last weekend’s Governors Awards, Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds, the documentary short list and Hal Holbrook’s performance in That Evening Sun. Over at Awards Daily, Sasha Stone assembles a bigger group to grapple with some of these and other questions.
On the jump, I’ve pasted Stone’s useful breakdown of the different branches of the Academy. You can see how dramatically the actors branch dominates. Want to predict the Oscars correctly? Figure out how each of those branches will vote for the contenders. The producers, executives and publicists tend to be more mainstream, while the writers and directors are more upscale, and the different crafts appreciate the art of moviemaking in a different way. Then add up the numbers.
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by Anne Thompson, posted to Awards, Oscars, Directors, Quentin Tarantino on November 20, 2009 at 1:31pm PST | Permalink | Comments (3)
Based on the torrid rate of Fandango and MovieTickets.com advance online ticket sales, it’s not a huge surprise that The Twilight Saga: New Moon broke the midnight ticket sales record set last summer by Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince , reports the LAT:
According to four people close to the movie, “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” sold more than $22.2 million worth of tickets in midnight shows last night, the all-time record set this summer by Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
by Anne Thompson, posted to Box Office, Fall, Franchises, Twilight, Headliners, Rob Pattinson, Independents, Summit on November 20, 2009 at 9:59am PST | Permalink | Comments (0)
Ex-Gucci designer Tom Ford, 49, has David Geffen to thank not only for his old office complex on Sunset, but for advising him to invest in himself. That he did, with his remarkably assured $7-million film debut, A Single Man. It’s not surprising that the film has style to spare. But it also boasts the strongest performance of Colin Firth’s career. His role as a 1962 college professor grieving the loss of his lover of 16 years won him best actor at Venice and has pushed the British veteran into the Oscar race for the first time. The hottest acquisition title on the fall festival circuit, A Single Man was scooped up by The Weinstein Co., which opens the film December 11.
1. Have you always been a movie obsessive?
Tom Ford: Oh yes. I have been since I was a kid. Let’s start with The Wizard of Oz, which I saw when I was three years old. As a young gay man growing up, I watched every movie that you’d see on The Late Show. Then living in New York in the late seventies and early eighties, there was a certain culture to knowing every old Hollywood film. And that just continued to expand when I was in architecture school. I remember being blown away by Fritz Lang’s Metropolis for the first time. And I’ve been film obsessed ever since.
Read Moreby Anne Thompson, posted to on November 20, 2009 at 6:14am PST | Permalink | Comments (1)
Screenwriter Jessica Bendinger (Bring it On) is going interactive to promote the November 24 release of her Simon & Schuster novel The Seven Rays. She’s inviting aspiring screenwriters to adapt any portion of the book into a 2-5 page screenplay in order to win an in-depth consultation with her.
One catch: the contest is also a promo for Final Draft, so the writers have to use that software (a free demo is available for download). The contest opened on November 15, 2009 and closes on February 15, 2010 at 12:00 am PST. The Grand Prize winner gets a one-on-one script consultation for their screenplay with Bendinger. Five second-place winners can pitch an original piece to a producer, agent, development exec and Bendinger via iChat or Skype. And ten third-place runners-up win a copy of Final Draft scriptwriting software. The contest rules are here.
Read Moreby Anne Thompson, posted to Marketing, Writers, Screenwriters on November 19, 2009 at 7:58pm PST | Permalink | Comments (0)
This Avatar international featurette invites viewers to engage with the exotic planet Pandora and the human hardware that James Cameron and Co. designed for this movie. We see Sam Worthington arriving on the hostile planet where scientist Sigourney Weaver and pilot Michelle Rodriguez do their rounds, under the watchful eye of tough-talking macho-security chief Stephen Lang.
What we don’t see so much: the nine-foot blue aliens that have freaked some folks. This is a soft walk-up—which, by the way, the movie itself will do, pulling the viewers into this new world. The L.A. press won’t get to see the final product before December 10, the same date as the London premiere.
by Anne Thompson, posted to Directors, James Cameron, Genres, Sci-fi, Studios, Twentieth Century Fox, Video on November 19, 2009 at 6:49pm PST | Permalink | Comments (0)
It’s been a long haul for the film adaptation of the 2006 Cormac McCarthy bestseller The Road, which producer Nick Wechsler acquired before it was published. With backing from 2929 Entertainment and distributor The Weinstein Co., he approached Australian director John Hillcoat after he had made the much-admired 2005 western The Proposition, a stylishly gritty take on the genre written by Nick Cave and starring Guy Pearce and Danny Huston as estranged brothers.
For his part, actor Viggo Mortensen was anxious about the naked exposure the movie would require: the man and his boy are on their own in a world stripped of all life but for roaming bands of violent human scavengers many of whom resort to cannibalism to survive. Mortensen was also worried about finding a child actor capable of carrying it off. But Kodi Smit-McPhee fit the bill. (Here’s my video Mortensen interview.)
After a rigorous shoot which was delayed by weather around Mt. St. Helens, the movie went through a lengthy edit. Hillcoat reluctantly submitted himself to the preview process, showed the film to many filmmakers and friends, took input and notes from the Weinsteins, and finally worked his way through to something everyone was reasonably happy with, including McCarthy. While certain things wound up on the cutting room floor—deemed too tough for audiences to handle on the big screen—the novelist said he liked the film and asked only that four lines from the novel be reinstated.
The two parts of my Hillcoat interview from Telluride are on the jump:
Read Moreby Anne Thompson, posted to Genres, Drama, Independents, Weinsteins, Video, Interviews on November 19, 2009 at 1:23pm PST | Permalink | Comments (0)
Kevin Smith has been open about his difficulties directing Bruce Willis on the set of his new comedy co-starring Tracy Morgan, A Couple of Cops. “He’s undirectable,” he said. At the New Moon premiere Smith kidded producer James Jacks, saying, “Dude, why didn’t you tell me!” The movie may have turned out okay (here’s an early AICN review), but point is, Smith and I agreed, the glory days for stars are over.
With Hollywood in recession and the star system on the decline, fewer big-budget live-action movies are getting made and most stars can’t get their price anymore. Most are just searching for a good part. The golden era when stars can misbehave, throw their weight around, demand perks and make lives miserable is finally coming to an end. “He’s the lion in winter,” Smith said of Willis.
Smith does a Bruce Willis riff here—point is, he eventually came up with a part for the guy.
by Anne Thompson, posted to Genres, Comedy, Video on November 19, 2009 at 11:44am PST | Permalink | Comments (0)
The Academy documentary branch has named their short list of fifteen films (full list on jump), which will be narrowed down to five on Oscar nominations morning February 2.
Winning the Oscar would seem to have been a disqualifier this year, as the doc committee snubbed this year’s highest-profile documentary, Michael Moore’s Capitalism: A Love Story as well as It Might Get Loud, whose director David Guggenheim won the Oscar for An Inconvenient Truth. This group tends to lean toward social activism like The Cove or Food Inc. (the only film to score top noms at the Gotham, Cinema Eye, and IDA Documentary Awards) more than music movies. Showbiz doc Every Little Step did score a slot, along with the Civil Rights era Soundtrack for a Revolution, but Anvil! The Story of Anvil did not. There was room for one fashion world portrait (Matt Tyrnaur’s Valentino the Last Emperor) but not two (R. J. Cutler’s The September Issue). And ex-heavyweight champion Mike Tyson’s recent news appearances, telling Oprah he wanted to “sock” Robin Givens, or his brawl with airport paparazzi, did not help the cause of James Toback’s Tyson. Instead, Facing Ali, a tribute to another champion, made the list.
Check out the latest Gurus ‘O Gold Oscar poll.
[Photo: Burma VJ]
Read Moreby Anne Thompson, posted to Awards, Oscars, Genres, Documentaries on November 18, 2009 at 4:14pm PST | Permalink | Comments (4)
When new distributor Summit left behind Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke in its rush to push through the second film in their windfall franchise, they took a calculated risk. Abandoning a silly Twilight script that had been passed on by Paramount, Hardwicke and writer Melissa Rosenberg went back to the heart-pounding first-person intensity of the Stephenie Meyer original, which wound up selling 70 million copies worldwide. The dream that inspired Meyer—chapter thirteen in the first book—is a scene in a rain forest between a lovelorn young girl and a sparkling 109-year-old vampire who is restraining himself from biting and killing her. That tension is the heart and soul of the Twilight series.
Meyer always knew that New Moon was an odd book, as Edward abandons Bella, who is depressed and bereft for much of the movie. While the book makes clear why Edward leaves Bella—to protect her—the movie leaves his motivation murky. Forlorn Bella, well-played by Stewart, turns for support to muscle-bound Jacob instead. There’s a reason that Summit is pushing Taylor Lautner as fresh bait for tweens. There isn’t enough of the central relationship between Stewart and Pattinson to hold this film together. The device of having Edward hover and disappear as a protective warning to Bella is risible. While young girl moviegoers gasp whenever Lautner removes his shirt (which is often), the film’s parallel vampire vs. werewolf structure also begs credulity.
[Clips of Stephenie Meyer on Oprah on the jump.]
Read Moreby Anne Thompson, posted to Headliners, Rob Pattinson, Independents, Summit, Reviews on November 18, 2009 at 12:37pm PST | Permalink | Comments (22)
At the start of the awards season, I had The Hurt Locker at the top of my top ten picks list. But right now quite a few other movies are getting more noise. That doesn’t matter in the end. Finally, the Academy voters will dig back to all the films they saw this year, especially when they don’t have time to see all the marginal indies in their DVD stack. It’s more likely that they will remember the movies that the critics pick for their top ten lists at the end of the year, or that other awards groups like the Gothams, Critics Choice or Golden Globes anoint as must-sees.
Finally, though, screeners are the best reminder. So where are those The Hurt Locker DVDs? At the New Moon party, I asked Summit’s Rob Friedman, who denied that director Kathryn Bigelow was refusing to send out screeners because she wanted people to see the film on the big screen. (Ideally, that’s where it should be seen; it’s still playing in NY and LA.) Summit will send Academy screeners soon; they’ve already gone to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
by Anne Thompson, posted to Awards, Golden Globes, Oscars, Independents, Summit on November 17, 2009 at 3:34pm PST | Permalink | Comments (11)
by Anne Thompson, posted to Media on November 17, 2009 at 11:51am PST | Permalink | Comments (1)
The hot ticket in Hollywood Monday night was the Twilight Saga: New Moon premiere in Westwood. While diehard fans camped out all weekend for the chance to win tickets to the event, Hollywood dads scored tickets to win points with their daughters. One father after another scratched his head over the movie, but their teenagers were all smiles. The Mann Village in Westwood was packed with young girls. Director Todd Field flew in from Maine with his daughter and a pal; also spotted with their kinder were Larry David, Jim Stern and Kevin Smith, who said, “Now I know how clueless my parents felt when they took me to see The Empire Strikes Back.”
Did I get close to Kristen Stewart, Rob Pattinson or Taylor Lautner? Nope. If I had been willing to push through the scrum at the Hammer Museum after party, maybe. But I wasn’t. Other cast members, from Anna Kendrick and Dakota Fanning to hunky Kellan Lutz, roamed the party freely, posing for photos with fans. (On the jump, in my impressionistic flip cam video, you can see Stewart and Pattinson from a distance or watch USA Today’s red carpet report and various Pattinson, Lautner and Stewart interviews.) I talked to Summit exec Rob Friedman, who typically, while the movie is expected to way exceed last year’s $69-million opening this weekend, is still not counting on anything. That’s what makes worrywarts like him successful. In these precarious times, Hollywood folks are grateful when a company like Summit scores a franchise like Twilight: it means maybe they can get a deal. (UPDATE: As of 2 p.m. ET Tuesday, MovieTickets.com reports over 2,150 sellouts for the film, with over 200 sellouts in LA and NY alone; New Moon accounts for 90 % of all MovieTickets.com ticket sales.)
Read Moreby Anne Thompson, posted to Franchises, Twilight, Genres, Sequel, Headliners, Rob Pattinson, Independents, Summit, Video on November 17, 2009 at 11:11am PST | Permalink | Comments (5)
With a lack of available distributors to handle the spate of indie films seeking theatrical release, some filmmakers are taking matters into their own hands. Doc director Mary Mazzio went directly to a theater chain. Now her movie is playing in eight cities.
Mazzio directed the indie doc Ten9Eight: Shoot for the Moon, backed by the Templeton Foundation, about 35 inner city kids-turned-entrepreneurs competing for a winning business plan in South Chicago and Harlem. After negotiations with Sony Pictures Classics fell apart after six months, Mazzio was stymied. There was no more Paramount Vantage or ThinkFilm to turn to. “Half the players were gone,” she says.
She knew that exhibitor AMC had new management on board: ex-Starbucks exec Gerry Lopez, CEO, and Village Roadshow veteran Bob Lenihan, programming president. She approached Lenihan, who asked to see the movie. He shocked her by calling back to make a deal for the AMC Select program, which fills at least one screen in about 80 theaters in the chain with specialty fare. AMC is stepping up its specialty programming with AMC Selects, which is similar to Landmark’s Truly Indie.
[The Ten9Eight trailer is on the jump.]
Read Moreby Anne Thompson, posted to Exhibition, Genres, Documentaries, Marketing on November 16, 2009 at 11:26am PST | Permalink | Comments (1)
Quentin Tarantino’s intro to Roger Corman was by far the high point of the Governors Awards, so I was delighted when Oscarcast producer Bill Mechanic told me that filmmakers Tarantino and Pedro Almodovar would be presenting on Oscar night. Sounds like the right direction to me.
[AP Photo]
by Anne Thompson, posted to Awards, Oscars, Directors, Quentin Tarantino on November 16, 2009 at 10:36am PST | Permalink | Comments (0)
When documentarian Alex Gibney (who won an Oscar for Taxi to the Dark Side) learned via his Jack Abramoff “Google Alert” that director George Hickenlooper (Factory Girl) had decided to name his fiction film starring Kevin Spacey as corrupt Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff Casino Jack, Gibney had his lawyer send a legal letter (dated November 10) asking Hickenlooper not to use the title, to which Gibney states he had prior claim, citing “violations of federal and state unfair competition laws”:
While there seems little reason to doubt that your mimicry of the Film’s title is knowing and intentional, there can be no doubt of the likelihood of confusion and resulting harm to the film-going public and to our clients if you do not immediately cease all use of the title “Casino Jack” in connection with your film.
Hickenlooper gave that letter to Movieline, which posted it along with this story. Gibney’s doc about money and politics (which the IMDb lists as Casino Jack and the United States of Money) is in post-production. Gibney says the movie is “funny, but the joke’s on us,” and hopes to take it to Sundance in January.
“It’s shameless,” says Gibney. “‘There’s another movie called Casino Jack.’ I guess they decided to steal it. I fired a shot across his bow. We’re coming out first and have a distributor, Magnolia/Participant. They don’t have a distributor. I hope they’ll back off. We were there first, we showed excerpts in Austin [at SXSW]. Why are they doing this? I don’t get it.”
Looks like a publicity grab to me.
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by Anne Thompson, posted to Genres, Documentaries on November 15, 2009 at 1:42pm PST | Permalink | Comments (13)
Updated 11/18/2009
