LAFCA have been great at championing lost causes in best actress the last few years.
Yolande Moreau, Séraphine
Kim Hye-ja, Mother
Yoon Jeong-hee, Poetry
Sorry, I meant to say they’ve been great at championing the best actresses in best actress the last few years.
same thing.
The Sl4nt list is a good one! Coming in a few days...
SF Critics a mix of yay (Certified Copy, Redgrave) dull (Oldman), and ugh (Swinton):
I think now that this weekend’s done, we’re definitely past the point where “open race” can be used anymore.
Think we reached this point a little later than last year, tho.
if you’re assigning Oscar Inevitability to The Artist, well, this is not the Oscar thread.
OK, you can have this thread.
are we going to have to do Sandbox Oscars?
That I’ve seen better silent-film pastiches than The Artist on network variety shows.... it just.... a different nadir for the AAs.
we’re definitely past the point where “open race” can be used anymore.
But all we know is who gets nominated, not who’s a lock to win.
also, critics groups not as significant as industry guilds on such things.
I’ll keep Oscar chatter to a minimum, but these people look like mortal locks for noms: Clooney, Redgrave, Brooks, Streep, Dujardin, maybe Shannon and Fassbender.
also, I’m not sure how the Best Picture race is still not somewhat “open” when The Descendants won the LA crix award.
AFI top 10 is about what you’d expect:
Meh, Oscar’s never really embraced Payne up to this point. Unless Hugo can turn it around at the BO, it’s The Artist’s to lose.
I agree, tho, that we haven’t really settled on any acting win frontrunners outside of Christopher Plummer.
I’ll keep Oscar chatter to a minimum, but these people look like mortal locks for noms: Clooney, Redgrave, Brooks, Streep, Dujardin, maybe Shannon and Fassbender.
In terms of locks, I’d go with Clooney, Pitt, and Dujardin for actor, Davis and Streep for actress, and Plummer and Brooks for supporting actor. Supporting actress has a few probables but no locks yet, IMO.
Yup — forgot to include Pitt and Davis, nomination frontrunners for months.
I think Spencer is basically a lock by this point. Redgrave very probable too. That said, they ought to just donate some of those slots to the best actor drag this year; it’s too crowded for both Clooney and Pitt to hog up 2/5.
And as for the main contest, I bet Indiana : Oscars :: Missouri : Presidential Elections
Winner: The Artist
Runner-up: The Descendants
Who’s Spencer?
oh right! In that hateful movie.
That movie had only love in its heart you monster.
It can put that award where its heart should be.
Why do all those maids look like sad little rabbits?
*unhappy* rabbits, oops
Eric, you sly puss.
One good burp and you’ll be rid of that Miss Plummer.
should not have expressed fear that this would turn into the Fucking Oscar Thread.
I don’t get why you’re so opposed to talking about Oscars in this thread. It’s all detrius, no?
no. The Oscars are the glittery shart which follows lists/honors — admittedly fewer of them every year — that are done by some people with half a clue.
I guess my point is it’s the only one ppl handicap months in advance, and it’s the Worst. (except maybe the Golden Globs)
Critics awards are pretty idiotic too, for the record.
Critics
awardsare pretty idiotic too, for the record.
Fixed. (I kid, I kid)
Anyhoo, lets segue into something completely the same:
Sight and Sound Ballot
Armond White
New York Post, USA
Incendies
Denis Villeneuve, Canada/France
A moving post-9/11 vision of our utter connectivity that simultaneously recalls Greek tragedy and the epic-intimate miracles of 70s American films.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Rupert Wyatt, USA/Hungary/UK/Australia/Canada
A spirited re-think of the 1968 original captures the vengeful madness of our times – confirmation that movies can be pop and still be art.
Attack the Block
Joe Cornish, UK/France
A ghetto action flick yet amazingly prescient about London’s long hot summer and perfect antidote to what Morrissey called “the Royal Dredding”.
Paul
Greg Mottola, USA/UK/Japan
Nick Frost and Simon Pegg come to America and find more fun and depth than ever before in our pop culture/sci-fi heritage.
Film Socialisme
Jean-Luc Godard, Switzerland/France
Visionary as ever, titled to note the passing of outmoded technology and philosophy.
Reflections:
You’d expect a major publishing boom about a film critic to be a heartening occasion. Think again: this year’s biography of Pauline Kael and a high-toned collection of her writing has, instead, revealed the sorry, fractious state of contemporary film commentary as critics bash her and her legacy. Yes, the Age of Movies has passed, as the title of Godard’s Film Socialisme slyly jests.
Kael’s way of taking movies personally as a part of a humanist tradition is no longer apparent in the current stumbling into nihilism that pervades the festival circuit and passes for contemporary film culture. Movies that sustain humane values are ignored for political fads and negativity. When Cannes crowned Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life, it was apparent that aesthetics judgment is over, too. It’s more difficult than ever to defend a personal view of cinema, as Godard surely knows. That’s why Kael’s bio has a Once Upon a Time aspect.
posted last week
I see now, but the comments weren’t.
What the hell is he on about? I’m sure Rex Reed has a Personal View of Cinema.
A spirited re-think of the 1968 original captures the vengeful madness of our times
do you WANT a latter-day prophet inveighing against the hypocrisies of our times?
Yeah, I think I’d like to be an angry prophet inveighing against the bloodhounds snappin’ at her rear end.
let me show you a picture of my Pride and Joy
Camaraderie once again successfully avoided.
Don’t cry. Just score it as an incomplete forward pass.
you can always put your failed camaraderie where your heart should be.
Our unspoken rule, Morbs, is never use the same line twice.
Next to a tenor, people who quote All About Eve are the touchiest thing in show business.
Inside a tenor, it’s too dark to touch.
If the BFCA is any indication, the supporting acting awards are still pretty kinda sorta open, but maybe not as much as I’d hoped...
Best Supporting Actor
Kenneth Branagh, “My Week with Marilyn”
Albert Brooks, “Drive”
Nick Nolte, “Warrior”
Patton Oswalt, “Young Adult”
Christopher Plummer, “Beginners”
Andy Serkis, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
Best Supporting Actress
Bérénice Bejo, “The Artist”
Jessica Chastain, “The Help”
Melissa McCarthy, “Bridesmaids”
Carey Mulligan, “Shame”
Octavia Spencer, “The Help”
Shailene Woodley, “The Descendants”
Grady Hendrix recommends 10 unseen films (well, I saw Kaboom, and it wasn’t much). Jackie Chan made a good one??
Stake Land is the only one I saw. Worth a look for the denizens of “let’s all shit our pants to something new.”
Yeah, Kaboom was kind of a big nothing. Araki should have called it a day after Mysterious Skin
or do adaptations.
I’ve already repped for A Lonely Place to Die, but Super boasts a hysterical Ellen Page (easily the most notable thing in the movie) and Stake Land has a few nice moments.
Meanwhile, these are all opening about 90 seconds from my house this Friday:
Tuesday, After Christmas
Elite Squad: The Enemy Within
The Eye of the Storm
Anyone seen any of ’em?
yes, Tuesday is primo
How’s Le Quattro Volte?
Scott and Dargis’ lists are out.
Woody gets a shot in the arm, our tastes get shot in the head.
Clooney, Pitt, Davis, Streep, Brooks, Spencer, Chastain reaffirm their nomination frontrunner status.
I don’t know that any of Woody’s nominations were unexpected. The real shot in the arm goes to The Ides of March.
The Tree of Life was shut out, but that doesn’t surprise me from the GGs, and I don’t think it necessarily affects its Oscar chances. I do start to worry for Gary Oldman, Patton Oswalt, Ben Kingsley, and Vanessa Redgrave — each of whom failed to receive either a SAG or GG nom.
Extremely Loud seems like it’s crashing before takeoff, but I imagine the momentum could change once the film is actually released.
reaffirm their nomination frontrunner status.
Frontrunner FOR WHAT, EXACTLY?
I rrrreally prefer to put the Slant list on regular detrius, not sandbox. So I think stet has about 3 hours.
Don’t be coy, you sly puss.
I’m not coy; I’d rather talk about Poetry than Oscarshit.
btw Extremely Loud poster looks like Home Alone IV: My Dad Died in 9/11.
The Ides of March love ends with the Globes. If Gosling’s getting in at all (and he’s not), it’ll be for Drive.
still think he should ride the sabermetrics wave and do The Bill James Story next
I haven’t seem all of those GG honorees, thank God, but I think my favorite is Viggo as Freud.
Love how not nominating something that’s only got huge amounts of pre-release publicity going for it constitutes “snubbing.” It’s entitled, just like Obama is to liberals’ votes.
The Ides of March love ends with the Globes.
Yeah, on reflection, that’s probably true.
OK, let me get in on the Osc*r blogging: Eric, did you ever get to A Serbian Tale?
Worthwhile list except for the inclusion of Beginners.
Glad to see Of Gods and Men made the cut (good blurb, Morbs).
Frankly, I could’ve put my top 4 in any order, but decided to go with the one that was most imposing, and had 99% of its verbiage untranslated. (I wonder if the DVD will have full subtitles?)
Most of the staff 25 that I didn’t pick would’ve been in my #21–30 too.
I found Certified Copy deeply irritating
I think that’s partly intentional, and I wouldn’t argue too violently either way. And I’m glad The Tree of Life is on there even if I was one of 2 holdouts.
Brighter Summer Day is on my list too – saw it for the first time that wasn’t on a grainy VHS and respect/love it so, so much more.
I saw it less than 3 weeks ago, but zipped through it on Google Video the other night as a refresher. (not recommended for a first viewing)
props, slant, for your #1 (mine also) and for listing el sicario
the post office did not deliver El Sicario to me in time.
re the GGs, kinda shocked at Foster’s one-note Carnage role. Michael Sicinski described her character accurately as “a fascist Amy Goodman.”
My beloved H0u$+0n Film Critics Society sent this out today (ceremony in January)
2011 Best Picture—The Descendants
2011 Best Director—Nicholas Winding Refn, Drive
2011 Best Actor—Michael Fassbender, Shame
2011 Best Actress—Tilda Swinton, We Need To Talk About Kevin
2011 Best Supporting Actor—Albert Brooks, Drive
2011 Best Supporting Actress—Shailene Woodley, The Descendants
2011 Best Screenplay—Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash, The Descendants
2011 Best Animated Film—Rango
2011 Best Cinematography—Emmanuel Lubezki, The Tree of Life
2011 Best Documentary—Project Nim
2011 Best Foreign Film—I Saw The Devil
2011 Best Original Score—Ludovic Bource, The Artist
2011 Best Original Song—“Life’s A Happy Song” from
The Muppets, music & lyrics by Bret McKenzie
2011 Technical Achievement – Rise of the Planet of the Apes
2011 Worst Film of the Year – Your Highness
2011 Best Actor—Michael Fassbender, Shame
congrats on looking passive & moody & then at one point emotional
There were flashes of his, ahem, gifts.... the restaurant date w/ the coworker and listening to sis murder ‘nyny’.
but it’s hard to top that pair as worst films for a best actor/actress. ever. by anyone.
so he’s basically in a 110-minute Romanek video
also, I’m starting to hate The Descendants almost as much as Alfred & Armond do.
I didn’t get The Descendants love at all. What did I miss?
Take Shelter was pretty A+ though.
B/B+
I recommend the Sl4nt comments for our editor’s response to the gadfly who wants us to champion films that have never played in the US.
TS would’ve drifted into A territory if it weren’t for the disastrous (har har) ending.
I wasn’t really grading it an A+ but yeah, I see what you mean. The ending didn’t bother me though.
i feel bad for criticising TS as being heavy handed, given that the signposting (why this job’s timely provision of comprehensive insurance coverage is just what I need!) is part of what made it tense, but it was a lil straightforward i thought. & yeah, freewheeling at the end, it coulda/should stopped (vaguely-)ambiguously in the shelter at the end.
There were flashes of his, ahem, gifts.... the restaurant date w/ the coworker and listening to sis murder ‘nyny’.
― Dr Morbius, Friday, 16 December 2011 01:32 (8 hours ago) Bookmark Permalink
ehh maybe. the part of the story following the restaurant scene exemplified so much of what i disliked about it in general—the utterly vapid (but not intentionally, knowingly vapid, afaict) characterisation, with them talking about the 60s/time travel; the preceding actually-a-sincere-‘montage-scene’ montage scene, in which he THROWS OUT ALL HIS PORN to be a BETTER MAN. i thought CM was v good throughout, too much of MF was just him seeming brooding, and it was hard to read his ‘inemote grief face’ as anything too complex with mcqueen’s weird moralistic perspective attached.
moralistic indeed. empty, compulsive sex so much more fun, at least in my exp
the preceding actually-a-sincere-‘montage-scene’ montage scene, in which he THROWS OUT ALL HIS PORN to be a BETTER MAN
I was afraid of this.
xpost Then why are you so miserable?
moralistic indeed. empty, compulsive sex so much more fun, at least in my exp
― Dr Morbius, Friday, 16 December 2011 17:18 (8 minutes ago) Bookmark Permalink
otm/yeah i just didn’t understand why we were meant to attach our concern to his promiscuity; it could have been explored wrt the sex workers involved but that distinction wasn’t pursued
the preceding actually-a-sincere-‘montage-scene’ montage scene, in which he THROWS OUT ALL HIS PORN to be a BETTER MAN
there are two long passages in which the dramaturgy seems familiar from like ’90s shitty studio john hughes movies—the above, & a long overhearing-a-couple-in-the-next-room scene followed by an aimless BUT HAUNTINGLY SCORED shot of fassbender going for a run. i just couldn’t understand how SM could make a film so light, unchallenging & unchallenged
yeah now i remember it the haunting string score w/intended greek-tragic gravitas was another frustrating element ROGER EBERT DO YOU SEE
Malick wins FC poll; Joe 2nd! Am I alone in thinking Boonmee was merely good? Kiarostami all the way down at 7th.
http://www.filmlinc.com/blog/entry/film-comment-announces-2011-best-of-year-list
Unreleased films — I’ve seen #1 and look fwd to #51.
http://www.filmlinc.com/blog/entry/film-comments-best-unreleased-movies-of-2011
Boonmee left me pleasantly defeated.
It let me tick ‘watching a catfish fuck a person’ off my bucket list.
would like to watch an Apichatpong film without having to pause and take a nap halfway through. he’s 3 for 3 with me on that count. i like him a lot, but they seriously just put me away completely.
The best part of Mysterious Object for me was when I fell asleep.
anticipating you guys vs Mysteries of Lisbon
personally my next test is going to be Extraordinary Stories.
neither of those last 2 are boring, even in a good way
I like that Film Comment list, pretty close to my own. for some reason I found Boonmee kind of riveting.