Yes, No, Maybe So: "Sucker Punch"

This goes out to anyone who caught the Sucker Punch trailer and anyone who cares about women as action heroes. Which, as you know, The Film Experience does. Unfortunately caring about something and enjoying it in practice are two different things. In practice there are so many things that can go wrong...

The trailer begins with an abused girl fights back set-up (a blouse ripped off and a  button flying in slo-mo. Suggested rape as your opening gambit? Distasteful). Emily Browning is playing the lead role of "Baby Doll" and reading the summaries, I see something about a lobotomy? Is that why the performance looks so sleepy/blank? Not promising. But soon enough Abbie Cornish and Jena Malone appear and seem to be channeling the kind of badass bitch energy that films like this need as life blood. They're both good actresses and I'm especially curious to see Abbie let loose given that I've mostly seen her in heavy dramas, corseted or otherwise.

There's some sort of Matrix like plot where reality is not reality... but we're in Baby Doll's imagination instead which, as it turns out, is like a parodic version of the imagination of a teenage boy: in her alternate reality, she's a master swordswoman / hooker who fights giant samurais, robots, zombies, aircraft, and dragons. She's backed up by a whole army of interchangeable blonde sex workers with machine guns.

Who knew that hookers were criminally insane, that their imaginations were so similar to teen boys, or that their favorite movies were Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Beowulf and 300?

On the other hand...

You wants us to watch the über watchable CARLA GUGINO doing a funky accent while ruling over a posse of criminally insane burlesque backup dancers? I mean... hells yeah. Count me in... as long as the movie is so bad it's good and knows how absolutely stoopid it is. (Past history suggests, unfortunately, that Zach Snyder is way too earnest a filmmaker to do justice to the ridiculous content of his movies. And Dawn of the Dead showed such promise, damnit.)

Summaries of Sucker Punch's confusing "girl retreats into imaginary universe to escape her wicked father" storyline, suggest that Carla is one of the villains. But in the trailer, she seems to be playing Laurence Fishburne's "Morpheus"" to Browning's idiot cousin version of "Neo." I have a loftier film icon in mind for Carla's gifts: Can't someone give her her own Cristal (Showgirls) level "Goddess" role soon. Time is running out.  'She's gettin a little old for that whorey look.'

Are you a yes, no or maybe so? 

I'm leaning hell no unless I hear that the lively cast of supporting actresses are fun enough to redeem the non-entity central role -- if this trailer is indication (let's hope it's not) Browning has only three expressions in her arsenal: scared, constipated, braindead. Can the fun cast make any kind of impression amongst the visual chaos/violent excess of Zach Snyder's sexual fantasies Baby Doll's imagination?

Related articles: Watchmen review
Action Heroine blog-a-thon
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Royal Shooting.

Jose here.

I've always wondered if Madonna shouts "Vogue!" instead of "action" when she's directing.

And you can't blame me!
<--This picture of hers, as she began shooting W.E last week in London, totally screams "strike a pose" huh?
We have discussed this movie before but in case you need a quick pick up, the film centers on the affair between American socialite Wallis Simpson and King Edward VIII.
Yet instead of going for a straightforward biopic thing, the Queen went for a Julie and Julia twist in which a modern woman (played by Abbie Cornish) looks for inspiration in the royal scandal to help her decide between two men in her life (one of them being the constantly interesting Oscar Isaac).

The biggest change in the movie was the news that Vera Farmiga, who was set to play Wallis, dropped out due to her pregnancy.
But never one to wait for anyone (time goes by so slowly for those who wait...) Madge went ahead and cast a practically unknown actress by the name of Andrea Riseborough.

After thinking how weird this casting was, I actually took a moment to look Andrea up and lo and behold,


Andrea and Wallis

At least we have the looks alright!
Andrea has won a BAFTA TV award, two Ian Charleson awards and has appeared in small parts in movies like Happy-Go-Lucky and Venus (where she played a character merely listed as "actress") this could be her big movie break. She will also appear in the film adaptation of Never Let Me Go later this year.

Whether you like her or not, it can't be said that Madonna doesn't have drive. The film will feature costumes by John Galliano, a screenplay by Alek Keshishian who directed Truth or Dare (Madge's best film) and who obviously has a keen eye for exploring the most intimate moments in a celebrity's life.
If anything in W.E. slightly recalls the magic between Madge and Warren Beatty for example, we're going to be onto something here...

Dear UK readers, should we be excited about Andrea in this movie? Is she a worthy replacement for Farmiga?
Is anyone else actually excited about this movie? Or am I alone in this?

"puff, smoke, dissolve"

Charles Brown: What have I done to you?
Fanny Brawne: You do nothing to me...or for me. And that's how I'd prefer to keep it.
Charles: What?
Fanny: Your offense is to my fashion, Mr. Brown. To which I'm so helplessly slavish.
Charles: I have been ill quoted.

Fanny: "Her obsession with flounce and cross stitch"...?
Charles: Cross stitch. Miss Brawne, I don't even know what that means.
Fanny: I feel the same way about your poems Mr. Brown. I know nothing of what they mean. They puff, smoke, dissolve... leaving nothing but irritation.

[Great moments in screen bitchery #931]

Abbie Cornish (seamstress) and Paul Schneider (poet) butt heads in Bright Star (2009). And this is their first exchange! They'll be at each other's throats for the next 2 hours. [Bright Star, so horrifically snubbed in Oscar World, won 3 gold and 4 bronze medals at this site's 10th annual awards ceremony.]

Sticky & W.E.

Jose here.

I was watching the Sticky & Sweet Tour DVD the other day (it came out this week in almost every country and it's soooooo good, even the live album thing works this time, so go buy it!) and couldn't help but think how unfair we are to Madonna when it comes to movies.

For all I know, that tour is every bit as epic as Avatar, so bear with me and hold that thought as I enter the controversial thing that is W.E.

Madge's second try at the director's chair will have her tell the story of American socialite Wallis Simpson and her involvement with King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom, as we all know.

What the movie will be like is still unclear, first she was starring in it, then she handed Wallis to Vera Farmiga (causing an outrage about how the Oscar nominee would lose her "cred" if she worked with Madge), later she cast Abbie Cornish as well (as I understand it, Cornish will be the Julie to Farmiga's Julia), then Ewan McGregor came on board and now Madge has cast none other than her daughter Lourdes...



...(here in all her Taylor Momsen in Gossip Girl glory) who will be playing a mystery part. After taking her daughter everywhere and even have her appear in her latest music video, it's obvious that Madge is trying to take her daughter places.

This move made people react viciously again (how can you be so mean to those two?) who cried "nepotism" at the first mention of little Lola.

My question now is, why?

Being a Madonna fan and all I still have trouble understanding why did she get on people's bad graces so much? Like Nicole Kidman, she rarely can do good for the media. I am actually very critical of her but I don't think we're being fair to W.E.

Wisdom and Filth wasn't a tragedy, if not a masterpiece it showed us that Madge loves what she does and I wonder why have people began to wish this project bad from the beginning instead of at least wondering what Cornish, Farmiga and McGregor can bring to it.

Why is W.E. a joke and not an awards contender?

Abbie Cornish: Spinning Career Somersaults

Editor's note: This post is from Craig of Dark Eye Socket, which I've been enjoying a lot lately. I invited him because he wanted to talk about Abbie and I'm all ears! Next up for Abbie are two supporting roles in Zach Snyder's Alice in Wonderland inspired Sucker Punch and Madonna's period romantic drama W.E. Do you want more Abbie soon?

Abbie didn't look upset 'bout that snub at Vanity Fair's post-Oscar bash

Abbie Cornish was a Bright Star last year, but five years ago she shone bright enough, in her debut lead role in Somersault, to get noticed snagging three Australian acting awards. As Heidi, a girl who escapes the dullness of small-town Canberra for a ski resort in Jindabyne, she clapped and gleamed her way to a more eventful life and a near seduction of pre-Action Man Sam Worthington. Nice idea, Abs.

Since then, she’s steadily honed her talents in a handful of higher profile films which have all made great use of her ability to be both subtle and determined. Her bohemian defiance in Candy, followed by sterling support in Elizabeth: The Golden Age and A Good Year – then hooking up with Ryan Phillippe (much to the future chagrin of Reese Witherspoon) on Stop-Loss, and providing muse duties for Ben Whishaw on Bright Star – have given Cornish ample chance to re-ignite the screen in the years since her Somersaulting turn. That she’s only sparkled at half-brightness so far (in some folks’ eyes) merely points to the fact she’s in it for the long haul, not the quick trip: she’s eking out an enduring résumé; her future’s brighter.

The mid-‘00s saw a surplus of flighty females coax guys into their orbits: Zooey Deschanel in All the Real Girls, Julie Delpy in Before Sunset and – to the tune of an Oscar nod – Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine, to name three, all deservedly gained critical attention. But Cornish’s equally deserving Somersault role, despite the three awards, didn’t inspire quite as much universal adoration. Like that film’s landscapes, maybe she’s seen as a touch too frosty, too oblique for wider appeal. Maybe some folk don’t like that she hangs with the guys too much (most of her co-stars have been male) – something that got Heidi into hot water in Somersault. And she hasn’t exactly taken roles which have been too easy to warm to. But stick to your guns Abbie - more power to you, I say.

She gave one of ‘09’s best performances in Bright Star (couldn’t they have extended the acting categories to ten, too?), but is she still too much the newcomer to appear on Oscar’s radar yet? Recent nominations say otherwise: Carey Mulligan, another demure and elfin movie novice, got an early stab at Oscar; the Academy loved a quirky Ellen Page and a corseted Keira Knightley; and Hathaway and Portman got to make a grab for the bald man. Cornish will just have to wait her turn. Maybe in time she’ll prove herself a capable comedienne and do a Bullock, or take a left turn down the Jennifer Jason Leigh route. A role in a Kathryn Bigelow flick wouldn’t do any harm right now either.


Somersault gave Cornish her best role yet. She was awkwardly, intimately indefinable; viewers, like the film’s characters, skirted around her, curious to see what she'd do next. It was a subtly immersive performance, one that’s perhaps characterised Cornish’s career so far. To paraphrase Bright Star’s strapline: First Roles Burn Brightest.
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Top Ten: Actresses For the New Decade

Tuesday Top Ten: for the list maker in me and the list lover in you

We spend a lot of time with the older ladies here at TFE -- the working legends as the case may be. So for a change of pace, some quality time with the young and still-rising. What follows is a list of the ten whose next decade on screen we're most intrigued to watch develop. The cut off for this list was 33 years of age because starting right about there... well, that's a HUGE time for actresses (many win Oscars or give career defining performances at 33/34). Let's look at the actresses who haven't reached that important time yet.

10 Actresses (Under 33) Whose Next Decade We Eagerly Await

disclaimer: This list includes English language actresses only since American distribution of foreign films is so problematic. It can be hard to follow full careers but we could definitely use more Ludivine Sagnier (30), Tang Wei (30) and Ok-bin Kim (23) in our lives.

runners up: Abbie Cornish (27) must prove that Bright Star wasn't a fluke; Anna Kendrick (24) needs to do a musical comedy; Saoirse Ronan (15) we actually expect she'll be more crucial to the decade after this; Zooey Deschanel (30) needs to branch out from or subvert that Whimsical Love Interest rut; Kerry Washington (32) it's not too late Hollywood -- CAST HER NOW!; Zoe Saldana (31) will that double blockbuster year lead to anything substantial?; Maggie Gyllenhaal (32) if and only if she recaptures that Happy Endings/Secretary edge; Keira Knightley (25) but only if she wows in a modern piece soon; Mia Wasikowska (20) a flavor of the year or in the for the long haul?; Romola Garai (27) did we see the depth we thought we saw in Atonement? It's hard to tell; Perversely, we're excluding An Education's Carey Mulligan (24) from the following list because we laid it on a little thick about her future the other day. *backing away slowly*


10 AMANDA SEYFRIED (24)
Gets more beautiful every year. How is this possible? And she's still a few years away from the age of "canonical beauty" and still a decade away from the peak years of Actressing.
Trouble spot: Coasting on beauty. With her beauty that'll be tempting. (See: Mamma Mia!)
What we'd love to see: The return of her Mean Girls comedic timing. But until then, an erotic thriller Chloe sounds like a smart diversion.

9 ARI GRAYNOR (27)
After stealing Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist out from under its adorable leads with the power of pure hilarity, she wowed from the sidelines of Whip It and then stole entire chunks of Holy Rollers, too. With all this Grand Theft Movie, someone really ought to hand her a lead role and let her fight off hungry supporting players instead of the other way around.
Trouble spot: They haven't really made movies about funny girls in quite a long while. Hollywood wants its Romantic Comedy leads more Cute than Gut-Busting and the girls in male driven comedy are just window dressing rather than comediennes in their own right. She needs her own What's Up, Doc? But they don't make those!
What we'd love to see: A lead role, period. Or a killer "funny" supporting role in a serious movie, like the one Anna Kendrick landed for Up in the Air.

8 ELLEN PAGE (23)
People are fond of hating on Juno so if you're one of those types, direct your hate her way. See, if she hadn't been so damn good in it, nobody but nobody would've cared. Whip It proved again that she's more than capable of carrying and elevating a film. We worry about Inception ...by which we mean her part in it (Chris Nolan is great at many things... but hasn't shown any particular skill with actresses) and we worry that Page won't have the fortitude to be herself (if you don't like dresses don't girlie it up for the red carpet... pants never hurt the stardom of Hepburn or Dietrich) and being yourself is really the only way to make a concrete and lasting mark.
Trouble spot: Ubiquitous endorsement deal. Those are great for bank but bad for acting careers (see: Catherine Zeta-Jones and Scarlett Johansson)
What we'd love to see: An auteur using her as muse.



7 NATALIE PORTMAN (28)
I almost left Queen Amidala off of this list on the grounds that we might have seen it all already. She's already been in our lives for 15 years. But then, taking a look at her upcoming filmography which includes Darren Aronofsky's cool-sounding ballet thriller Black Swan and the potentially awesome / potentially disastrous Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2011) Natalie looks to be taking her share of risks. She may be ruling the screen far better than she ever ruled her tiny corner of the Empire.
Trouble spot: Tends to bore in f/x epics. Keeps doing them. Thor is also on the way.
What we'd love to see: Black Swan. Right. Now.

6 DAKOTA FANNING (16)
In truth there aren't a lot of good roles out there for teenagers. Plus, Dakota doesn't seem all that likely as a candidate for high school comedies. But even at 6 she seemed preternaturally wise so was there ever any danger that she couldn't transition from child to adult star? That said, is she trying to transition too soon with her work in The Runaways (sex scenes, drug use, etcetera)? Whatever, she's completely watchable in it. And you have to be completely watchable for long-term stardom.
Trouble spot: Natural ability isn't everything and if she coasts on it rather than pushes herself to mature as an actor...
What we'd love to see: A mother/daughter drama with a formidable actress as co-star.


5 ROSAMUND PIKE (31)
"Books?" Pike was doing so much for An Education's decadent trajectory as the dim adoptive sister type "Helen" and she was doing it so very differently than she did the lovely sister act in Pride & Prejudice that we want to see how far her versatility goes.
Trouble spot: People who do great work in thankless roles, don't always get thanked (hence the adjective).
What we'd love to see: Joe Wright dump Keira Knightley as muse and focus on Rosamund. (Are they ever getting married or are they kaput? I can't keep up with these things)

4 MICHELLE WILLIAMS (29)
She's made such a potent dramatic mark in cinema that people barely mention Dawson's Creek anymore. Which is quite a feat if you think about it. She's terrific in the upcoming marital disintegration drama Blue Valentine (2010) she but that probably doesn't surprise you to hear after the tears she wrung as an emotionally paralyzed wife in Brokeback Mountain (2005) and a lost drifter in Wendy & Lucy (2008).
Trouble spot: Being seen as relentlessly dour and one-note given the heavy filmography.
What we'd love to see: A spiky comedy as palate cleanser. We know she can do it (see Dick, 1999)

3 EMILY BLUNT (27)
Is she a great work-in-progress or a limited beauty? She can play earnest period (The Young Victoria), brutal comedy (The Devil Wears Prada) and dangerous sexuality (Summer of Love) with nearly equal aplomb. But can she do more than one thing at once? All the greats can and that's exactly what's missing in her filmography: the signature role that brings all her parts together with a big starry ka-boom!
Trouble spot: Potential overexposure. She survived The Wolfman just fine (no really, she did) but did she need to do it in the first place? Not every role is right for the hot actress of the moment and you don't want to end up like Scarlett Johansson (renowned for beauty and suddenly not respected much as an actress despite some early displays of skill)
What we'd love to see: Her turn as The Black Widow in Iron... oh, damn!

2 REBECCA HALL (27)
A lot of the actresses on this list have been hot for some time. At least of few of them will have peaked by now, dashing our hopes at a richer decade to come. Not so with Rebecca who was so sympathetic in The Prestige, so humorously put-out in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, so arm candy in Frost/Nixon and so self-effacing in Please Give. In short, we literally can't imagine that she's already peaked.
Trouble spot: No defined persona. That can be an asset but sometimes casting directors want you to stay in your box.
What we'd love to see: Anything.


1 ANNE HATHAWAY (27)
We love. Simple as that. And more every year, too.
Trouble spots: As if.
What we'd love to see: Everything she'd like to show us. And definitely another performance as masterful as that Rachel Getting Married turn.
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What's your list look like? Loving actresses is for everyone so share it and comment on this one. You know what to do.
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Best Actress, Oscars Ballot and My Own

I love actresses too much.

It makes life complicated for me emotionally. I fuss and fuss and fuss and refuse to fill out my Best Actress ballot each year because I don't want to leave any of my favorite ladies out. I don't want to hurt any of their (imaginary) feelings. Oscar, on the other hand, doesn't mind leaving my favorites out. They do it all the time.

The Oscar Nominees

• Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
• Helen Mirren, The Last Station
  
• Carey Mulligan, An Education
  
• Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe, Precious
  
• Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia

In truth, I like all five of those performances. I think they're all good and better than the films that house them and they all strike me as very "right"... at least in terms of the idea that the Oscar lists are essentially an industry stamp, a group pronouncement of "This is what we do and value!". You've got the big stars in biopics (Meryl & Sandra), the breakout sensation (Mulligan), the old pro who could do this in her sleep but does it very very very well you have to admit (Mirren) and the magical debut (Sidibe).

I want Meryl Streep to win.

I've made no secret about that. I'm tired of waiting for that third Oscar to come and she's just delightful in Julie & Julia even if it's no patch on something like The Devil Wears Prada which she should have won for (I'm sorry but what she accomplished there was far beyond what Helen Mirren was doing in The Queen). But she didn't make my list (just barely). See what I mean about complicated emotions?

Whatever the outcome of Oscar's race -- and I can feel myself checking out on Best Actress in particular (my favorite category) -- because if Streep isn't going to win I'm so not interested. (I think Bullock's nomination is cute in a Big Hollywood way. But all the wins make me nauseous. That's taking it way too far. I see Roberto Benigni dancing on chairs again and everybody being embarrassed about their gigantor-obsession almost immediately after the house lights go up.)

My Favorite
But it's all beside the point anyway. I knew the Oscar year would be ruined for me the minute I saw Tilda Swinton in Julia some months ago.


I knew she'd barely be in the conversation come awards season but not only do I think it's the best performance of 2009, I think it's the best performance of 2008 AND 2009... (and maybe 2007, too). That's how great it is. Gold medal! Sorry to give the game away. And though I knew my favorite iconoclastic actress would barely be in the conversation I was and still am shocked that not one critics group could give it up for her. That's forty(proof) kinds of crazy. That's as crazy, reckless, incompetent and dumb as Julia herself! It's even dumber than Julia once you add in the widespread inexplicable shunning of Abbie Cornish in Bright Star. Look, I love Emily Blunt so don't take this the wrong way. She's done more for me than Abbie Cornish (in general) but no way was she more deserving of year-end attention for her costume parade than Cornish was for hers.

MY BALLOT

a drunk criminal, an illiterate victim, a precocious schoolgirl,
a barefoot psycho and a lovestruck seamstress

And yours?

P.S. You can now vote for your favorite among the Oscar nominees on the Best Actress page.

P.P.S. My 15 favorite lead actresses of the year (in alpha order) at this particular moment.


I didn't see everything obvs. And, oh crap, I know who I forgot already...

P.P.P.S. Have you O.D.ed on actressness just reading all of this?
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Off With Your Head!

Press play. It magically provides your soundtrack for this post.

Four hundred and twenty-three years ago this very day, Queen Elizabeth had the deed done.

Mary Queen of Scots' head would roll. Which in movie-land means that Cate Blanchett (at her most blustery) ordered Samantha Morton right out of her own movie, Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Such a shame since that movie really needed another actress capable of going head-to-head (I apologize!) with the diva at its center.

Lords knows Abbie Cornish wasn't doing it. I'm so pleased that she rocked Bright Star, thoroughly redeeming herself after that early "what's the fuss?" stage.

Anyway, my point is this: I l o v e Samantha Morton. Don't you?

And I hate it when people I love or people I'm totally curious about are suddenly written out of the movie I'm watching. Has that ever happened to you?

You may be asking yourself "Why the hell is Nathaniel talking about decapitations?" and that's a perfectly sensible question. But you'd be thinking gory thoughts too if you'd just watch The Wolfman (more on that Thursday) which loves to separate heads from bodies. Ewww.

P.S. I want Karen O to score more movies. Awesomeness

P.P.S. Even though I realize now that Helena Bonham-Carter is playing the Red Queen rather than the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland I'm glad she screams "Off with her head". You shouldn't mess with the classics.

P.P.P.S. I apologize for bringing up Elizabeth: The Golden Age. So uncalled for!
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Vanity Fair "Dolls"

It's that time of year again. Vanity Fair refers to these nine actresses as "dolls" and we're certainly not here to dispute their smooth porcelain loveliness (the median age here is 23 and they're all lily white). But when I hear "dolls" now I think of only the Dollhouse, and I'm wondering just what "imprints" we're dealing with here. Which one of these girls is actually a savage killer? Or skilled in all positions of the kama sutra? Or a hostage negotiator? Or a genius computer programmer?


But more importantly, which of them will seem like a big "duh" for the cover treatment seven or eight years from now and which will be like a, "who...what now?". If you click on the Vanity Fair label below you can see past investigations of this Hollywood Issue's covergirls (and boys).

Abbie Cornish. Kristen Stewart. Carey Mulligan. Amanda Seyfried. Rebecca Hall. Mia Wasikowska. Emma Stone. Evan Rachel Wood. Anna Kendrick. Where will they be in 2020: The A-List? In the land of obscurity? headlining a TV series? at the Kodak Theater? Uninsurable has-been? Box Office Queen?

I know I ask too many questions but which doll do you want for your own? And which invisible doll (in this age range) are you angry you can't see on this magazine cover?

Golden Globe Predictions & BFCA Fashions

I'm doubling up because aren't predictions and fashion rundowns fall on the same level of disposable fun. They're both instantly irrelevant pleasures: the reality of the winners will render predictions obsolete in mere hours, and tonight red carpet's will be totally "in the now" as opposed to 'soooooo two days ago!'. Plus, I'm scrubbing the apartment for a Golden Globes party tonight and time is short. Are you hosting a party or attending one?

Golden Globe Predictions
Drama: Up in the Air (?????)
Director: Kathryn Bigelow, The Sexy Locker
I know that people have stopped doubting The Hurt Locker as a potential Oscar Best Picture winner but for whatever reason I still can't buy it as a big winner there or especially here. Even though I love it. It's too small and tightly wound when awards bodies generally prefer big and roomy (i.e. bloated with hot air). Then again, nothing else really feels like a slam dunk. The only win that would surprise is Precious. I think Avatar, Basterds and The Sexy Locker -- yeah, I renamed it. Deal -- are all more than robust possibilities. If there's ever going to be another tie at the Globes wouldn't it be great fun, if it was tonight?

• BFCA Best Dressed
  Zoe Saldana reminded that she wasn't uptight Lt. Uhura in Star Trek or nature girl Neytiri in Avatar, but a rising movie starlet. She was one of the only stars to take a fashion risk. It's fun, flirty and just weird enough (is that plastic wrap?) to be memorable. Winning always looks good on people but at least Sandra Bullock's basic black had some fun detailing (patterns, fringe). Diane Kruger isn't exactly a movie star (yet) but she plays on on the movie screen. And almost played one on the red carpet, too. All this needed was better choices in hair and makeup to really sell the glamour.
  

Comedy: (500) Days of Summer
Animated Film: Up
Actress (Drama): Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Actress (Comedy): Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
I still think the Oscar will end the season in Meryl's hands on account of momentum (27 years of it... but especially the past 3) but the media will definitely try and tip the scales towards Bullock, because that's how they do. Once you're this far into the season the performances matter far less than the stardom and the campaign. The performances and films become abstractions. Essentially they're the limos which have driven to the curb of awards season, and dumped the star on the red carpet. The rest is up to them. This is a long way of saying that usually when the media gets too involved [sigh. Crash over Brokeback] they don't use their powers for good... they just use them to create drama where there doesn't need to be any. They have to sell papers, magazines and page views. I enjoy Sandra Bullock, I really do. But she doesn't need to be an Oscar winner, for a charming but inconsequential performance. The Blind Side has been more than rewarding enough for her at this point.

Actor (Drama): Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
Actor (Comedy): Joseph Gordon-Levitt, (500) Days of Summer
Ever since they decided to release Crazy Heart, Bridges was finally going to win his Oscar. So why not all the other prizes, too? As for JGL. Why not? it's a weird category. Could be anyone and if any awards body is least resistant to young thespians, it's the Globes. I'm just going for broke.

Supporting Actor: Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique, Precious
I keep making this Harrelson prediction and it keeps biting me in the ass. Waltz may be a true sweeper but I keep thinking that somebody somewhere is going to tilt for Hollywood stardom and maybe it'll be the Globes who are far more likely to surprise in their acting categories than other awards shows are. In fact, I don't really think Mo'Nique is safe either. If the Globes want some of their rising starlet flashiness, they could easily crown Anna Kendrick.

• BFCA Boredom
  Why did everyone play it so safe fashion wise. It was a night of seeing stars wear things we've seen them wear before (Emily Blunt loves the silvery sleek, Marion Cotillard loves the mermaid dresses) or basic white, black and red (Heather Graham, lovely as always). Of these dresses, Julianne Moore's is the most risky but its sculptural beauty only worked from certain angles. Botched Opportunity: Kristen Bell was at a movie star event and should've been trying to look like a movie star rather than a TV star since she's trying to make the transition.
  

Foreign Film: A Prophet (France)
Screenplay: Up in the Air
Song: "Winter" Brothers
TV Drama: Mad Men; Actor: Jon Hamm, Mad Men; Actress: Anna Paquin, True Blood
TV Mini: Grey Gardens; Actor: Brendan Gleeson, Into the Storm; Actress: Drew Barrymore, Grey Gardens
TV Comedy: Glee; Actor: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock; Actress: Courtney Cox, Cougar Town
TV Supporting Actor: Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother; Supporting Actress: Jane Lynch, Glee

• BFCA - Worst Dressed
  Jena Malone & Carey Mulligan need several big meals before the Oscars. Slimming black when you need to eat might not be the best idea. The fussy flourishes don't help much. I still don't understand what Saoirse Ronan was wearing but at least she provided some of the only color of the evening (that wasn't red). Note to Abbie Cornish and her stylist: When someone is not nominated but they are invited anyway (presumably as "forgive us!", the best revenge is to look sensational and hit the best dressed list, not show up looking like you're attending a boring business event... even if that's exactly what it is.
  

The Golden Globe predictions above are not preferences though in several cases they overlap. On the TV front, since I rarely talk about it, I'm really hoping for a surprise win for January Jones in Mad Men (who doesn't get enough credit for that difficult-to-play character). And much as I delight in Glee I really think Modern Family absolutely deserves Best Comedy. I almost can't believe what an exquisite comic jewel it is week after week. It's got everything: brilliant writing, superb comic timing and great laughs per minute ratio.

Who are you rooting for tonight at the Golden Globes? What do you expect to see happen?

BIFA Nominees: Abbie Cornish, Michael Fassbender and More

Oh, agony! The British Independent Film Award nominations have arrived (in October? Damn that’s early) to serve up the dread reminder that there is no such thing as ‘day and date” releases outside of rare mega blockbusters. I suppose I should thank the celluloid cosmos. In a way the erratic nature of film distribution helps me to continue living my blissfully delusional life wherein I pretend that people would actually flock to more challenging higher quality international cinema if they only had access to it and could see it and talk about it at the same time. Isn’t this one reason that television is so popular? It’s communal. Movies are supposed to be communal but it doesn’t work out that way so much.

Michael Fassbender in Fish Tank

I have no idea when I’ll ever have a chance to see Fish Tank for example, which did very well with BIFA though I’d love to. Until it gets an itty bitty American release at two theaters and makes $270,000 instead of $27 million sometime in 2011 I can pretend that the whole world is looking forward to this gritty exceptionally well-reviewed drama. I can pretend that they’re in fact awaiting each new Michael Fassbender performance with an anticipation that borders on the sweaty and the feverish.

THE NOMINEES

Best British Independent Film: An Education (Lone Scherfig), Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold), In The Loop (Armando Iannucci), Moon (Duncan Jones) and Nowhere Boy (Sam Taylor-Wood)

Three of these films have received release in the states though In the Loop and Moon (video review) will have to wait for their DVD releases to catch on with the right audiences. An Education on the other hand is doing very well for itself as it slowly widens. The twinkly coming-of-age drama hasn’t lost any of its abundant Oscar buzz.

Best Director is the same lineup as this, minus Nowhere Boy’s Sam Taylor-Wood who is nominated for “Debut Director” instead. If you haven’t seen her short film Love You More about two teenagers, a new vinyl record, and their randy escalating sex romp and you get a chance, do! It was my vote for best short at the Nashville Film Festival this spring (Nick also loved it). Jane Campion nabbed the lone director spot from Wood with her exquisitely observed Bright Star. At times while watching Bright Star I worried that it was too insubstantial, not “too light” as in inconsequential but too delicate. But that very delicacy helps it to linger. I'm corrected. I keep feeling the film fluttering in the air beside me, like those butterflies Fanny collects. I already want to see it again.

And, underlining a 2009 theme you'll keep hearing about, 60% of their best picture nominees are directed by women. Oscar will find it very difficult to ignore female directors this year with Bright Star, An Education and The Hurt Locker in the awards mix.

Best Screenplay is the exact same lineup of film as Best Feature.

Best Actress Emily Blunt in The Young Victoria, Abbie Cornish in Bright Star, Katie Jarvis in Fish Tank, Carey Mulligan in An Education and Sophie Okonedo in Skin

Not content to let Keira Knightley and Michelle Pfeiffer have all the fun,
Emily Blunt beds Rupert Friend in The Young Victoria. He's got a lot
of action this year, huh?

The first of many for Mulligan? The first of several for Cornish? The first and last for Blunt? I’m just guessing except for that first bit. That's a given.

Best Actor: Aaron Johnson in Nowhere Boy, Andy Serkis in Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, Peter Capaldi in In The Loop, Sam Rockwell in Moon and Tom Hardy in Bronson

Despite their love for Bright Star, none for Ben Whishaw? Tis a pity but it’s the kind of role that men aren’t rewarded for… no matter how good they are. Romantic films tend to secure nominations for only the female half of the equation. It's a blindspot with most awards groups. On a far more traditionally awardable scale is Tom Hardy's physical transformation for Bronson. It’ll be interesting to see if the once slim actor can pick up any more steam for suddenly looking like the hulk. Will any American awards bodies watch the picture? I suppose I should get on that myself.

Best Supporting Actress: Anne-Marie Duff and Kristin Scott Thomas in Nowhere Boy, Kerry Fox in Bright Star, Rosamund Pike in An Education and Kierston Wareing in Fish Tank
Best Supporting Actor: Alfred Molina in An Education, Jim Broadbent in The Damned United John Henshaw in Looking For Eric, Michael Fassbender in Fish Tank and Tom Hollander in In The Loop

Both lists look solid but did BIFA voters only see about 8 films this year? Two surprises here for me were Rosamund Pike in An Education and Kerry Fox in Bright Star both of whom I thought were subtly elevating or at least amply filling out what could have been thankless roles (thankless in terms of awards magnetizing I mean) so I'm quite happy to be wrong. I thought Pike was spiking almost every scene in An Education with unexpected sidebar notes (by the end of the movie I wanted a sequel starring her and Dominic Cooper!) and I loved watching Fox’s near-silent gradations of growing respect / understanding of her daughter’s love affair in Bright Star.

Best Technical Achievement: Bright Star's cinematography by Greig Fraser, Bunny & The Bull's production design by Gary Williamson, Fish Tank's cinematography by Robbie Ryan, Moon's original score by Clint Mansell and production design by Tony Noble

It’s interesting to see technical achievements grouped together, thus revealing which elements voters think are making or breaking particular films, but it’s also dismissively coarse, since actors get 5 categories. It's not like acting or technical elements alone ever perform in a vacuum.

Best Foreign Film: Il Divo (Italy), The Hurt Locker (USA) Let The Right One In (Sweden), Sin Nombre and The Wrestler (USA)

I’ve included this category to come full circle to the point that no matter where you live, it’s a different year of cinema. I so wish we could all experience the cinema in unison. I haven’t yet seen Sin Nombre (I know I must) and I’m continually hearing good things about Il Divo so this looks like quite a strong category. You already know how good the other three films are.

Complete List of Nominees

Thoughts? Or don't you care about the "BIFA" (It's fun to say it out loud. Try it)
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Cannes: Agora and Bright Star

<-- Rachel Weisz at the Agora premiere

Our reader / contributor in Cannes hasn't had much time for post-screening e-mails but she is quite fond of Agora, from director Alejandro Amenábar (The Others, The Sea Inside). That's rather a surprise since a lot of reports we've been reading have been decidedly less enthusiastic. But you know cinema: it divides whether or not it conquers.

Here she is...

Agora is unapologetically provocative. The Vatican has been wasting its time worrying about Angels and Demons with Amenábar's epic about the religious strife that destroyed Alexandria waiting in the wings. Rachel Weisz, reminding us that her Oscar win was no fluke, is dynamic as Hypatia, the philosopher and astronomer known for her outspoken questioning of God. She has a high-minded nature and has sworn off men and worldly pursuits completely. The first half of the movie follows the expulsion of the pagans from Alexandria and the Christian led destruction of the city's famed library. Many Alexandrians convert to Christianity in the wake of the seige, including Hypatia's former slave Davus (Max Minghella) and confidante Orestes (Oscar Isaac). Hypatia nonetheless remains steadfast in her beliefs, devoting her time to pursuing possible explanations for the heliocentric model. The movie focuses on the growing power of the Christians, as they turn their sights on the Jews and eventually the city's entire political organization. Agora outright accuses the film's Christian leaders of flagrantly manipulating the biblical text and indulging in the worst types of persecution (are there good types?). This is the most forthright challenge to the religion that I have personally seen committed to film.


Max Minghella starts out somewhat weak but grows increasingly impressive as he develops from a slave in love with Hypatia to a religious follower trying to mute his own unease with the tactics being used around him. I was most invested in the relationship between Orestes and Hypatia, and the former's clear respect and admiration for the latter. Watching Orestes negotiate the turning of public opinion against Hypatia gives the movie its most challenging emotional edge. Agora has some trouble connecting the drama of the personal stories with its larger tale of a pivotal moment in civilization, but its audacity, technical clarity, and relatability ultimately make it worthy of the effort.

I know several readers are hoping that we see Rachel Weisz on Oscar's red carpet again. The lack of consensus enthusiasm at Cannes doesn't always mean something in the larger marketplace (and thus the Oscars) but it can. Rosengje thinks that if it surmounts the obvious obstacle -- will anyone see it? will critics care to convince them to? -- it would find Oscar favor.

<-- Abbie Cornish and Jane Campion at the Bright Star premiere

I also had to ask her opinion on Jane Campion's Bright Star which is about the short passionate romance between the poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne. It's my most eagerly awaited picture from the festival on account of my deep love for Campion's The Piano (1993).

Rosengje is less enthusiastic then the consensus thus far.

I enjoyed and admired Jane Campion' competition entry Bright Star but could not fight the feeling that the movie frequently functions as a standard period romance. Abbie Cornish's direct manner and eventual tenderness toward her beloved are captivating. It is a testament to her performance that the poignancy of the relationship is actually more potent in Keats' absence. I felt the leads were lacking in chemistry, but the depth of Fanny's feeling as the film progresses is palpable and carries the film's last act as Keats journeys to Italy to treat his tuberculosis.

Ben Whishaw and Paul Schneider in Bright Star

I found Ben Whishaw to be Bright Star's biggest weakness. The actor effectively portrays the man's sensitivity and his poetic nature, but overall he seems too weak to warrant the affection of the headstrong Fanny. Paul Schneider, in the supporting role of Mr. Brown, gives the movie's most energetic and vital performance amidst the romantic and intellectual angst. He constantly challenges Fanny's motives while demonstrating a true devotion to Keats.

As expected, the technical credits are perfection, with costumes and cinematography standing out. Fanny starts Bright Star obsessed with design, and her frilled and pleated ensembles reveal more about her personality in the opening scenes than her initial interactions with Keats. Campion particularly captures the beauty of the couple's surroundings in a way that is more effective than the resulting poetry. One sequence involving butterflies left me breathless.

This is the same sequence that Roger Ebert referred to in his recent Cannes article, so I'm guessing it's a true standout and one that they'll eventually plaster on beautiful Oscar FYC ads... not that that is all that important at the moment. The real importance is that Jane Campion has finally made another picture. Rosengje wanted Campion's comeback movie to be a bit more "narratively audacious" but thinks it could be an arthouse hit.

Bob Berney, formerly of Picturehouse, has made a career of successfully drawing audiences to arthouse fare, and the young leads and romance should be accessible and enjoyable to a fairly broad audience.

Agora is currently expected on American screens on December 18th. Bright Star arrives on September 18th.

Red Rouge Carpet Lineup

More glitterati from Cannes.


No, that's not what Mariah Carey wore to the red carpet. That's her travel outfit on her flight over to attend the very successful Precious screening. This might be the first time I've ever understood one of Mariah's fashion choices. Comfort first when you're high in the sky... even if you're a diva. I included her in this red carpet lineup merely to get my bearings that somehow -- due to Precious -- I'll have to start talking about her now. There are so many singers I'd rather talk about if they'd only make movies (Gwen Stefani, Annie Lennox, Sufjan Stevens, P¡nk, Rufus Wainwright) or learn to act (Madonna).

Remember Bae Doona (waving to the camera) from that Korean monster movie The Host? -- or as the IMDB likes to call her Du-na Bae. Asian names are so confusing on that site -- she's now starring in Hirokazu Koreeda's latest called Air Doll, which is about a blow up doll who develops a soul. Great concept. How many hours until we hear about some American studio snatching up remake rights?

Ben Whishaw and Abbie Cornish got dolled up for the star-studded premiere of Jane Campion's Bright Star which seems to be divisive already. More on that when you scroll down. And finally American funny lady Elizabeth Banks & internationally renowned beauty Aishwarya Rai were photographed together at the Up premiere in different gowns a couple days ago. I guess they're not about to put the brakes on their red carpet chumminess. Here they in different gowns... and this event wasn't long after the other. Imagine how much luggage you'd have to bring to Cannes if you were a celebrity. Three outfits for each day... minimum.

More Cannes chatter
Manohla Dargis @ NY Times on the previously glutted art house market. Is there a silver indie lining in the economic downturn?
IFC Daily Bright Star reactions at Cannes. Is Jane Campion (The Piano) finally making a real comeback? The movie is now scheduled to open stateside on September 18th.
Mike D'Angelo lots of tweeting from Cannes. Hates everything. Or merely tolerates. Only a 50/100 for Jane Campion's Bright Star? Boo. Or "assumed 'Boo' " rather since I haven't seen it. Still, the tweet is funny.


I do support such legislation. Or, rather, a 5 year ban. Needless to say, this ban would not go into affect until after Jane Campion is done returning to us. The cinema needs her.
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