December
3
Oscar Race Builds Heat
Movies that are building momentum in the Oscar race: Juno, which grabbed two raves from Richard Roeper and A.O. Scott this weekend; Sweeney Todd, which is gaining ground for Johnny Depp and many craft and technical categories; and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.
In the actors race, Frank Langella (Starting Out in the Evening) got a nice boost from Roeper and Scott, as did the Savages, which opened to rave reviews and strong per-screens. The cancellation of a Bill Clinton interview led Charlie Rose to run his interviews with Julian Schnabel (the brilliant and infuriating New York artist) and a charming round table with the articulate Sidney Lumet, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke. Hoffman is competing with himself in The Savages, which finally has more humor and heat than the hardboiled Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. But the 83-year-old Lumet is beloved.
Lumet raved about being able to return to multiple cameras thanks to shooting in HD. He will never return to film, he said. He caught things on two cameras that he never would have with one--it gives both actors in a scene the chance to equally focus on their performance. Ridley Scott said the same thing about shooting with multiple cameras during American Gangster, and needless to say it's the Paul Greengrass way, too.
Diving Bell is building heat. I think it has a shot at screenplay for Ronald Harwood, cinematography for Janusz Kaminski and supporting actor for Max Von Sydow. And let's not forget that while Schnabel and his producer, Jon Kilik, are based in New York, when it comes to best picture, producer Kathleen Kennedy is a beloved insider here in Hollywood.
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Johnny Depp's got Best Actor. End Of Story. If nothing else, with the gore and the gore and MORE gore, his performance is strong, powerful, and BRAVE! I mean, he SINGS! It's a "Degree of difficulty" the Academy can't deny and they won't...
Mistake is putting Helena Bonham-Carter in LEADING ACTRESS, which she won't win, instead of Supporting where the Awards-baity, rangey role of Mrs. Lovett could blow Cate Blanchett out of the running, and then, well Harvey Weinstein WILL have to shoot himself...
But no, they are running her in lead...Too Bad...Against Marion Cotillard, Laura Linney(overdue and beloved)and Amy Adams(brand new and beloved)she won't cut the mustard.And could even get left out...
I don't get the Juno love at all. The Academy won't understand or identify with that pipsqueak and her probs. It's a TEEN FLICK! It's like Superbad with chicks. I don't think they'll go for it...Remember how OLD they are...
To me, it's still "Atonement" for Best Picture..."Sweeney"...if only he had pulled back on the gore especially in the last sequence...Which STAYS with you, but when you put THAT final visual image up against "Atonement"s last visual image, which is a long-held close-up of Vanessa Redgrave's amazing face, giving one of the greatest performances of her career in five minutes or less...Well, you tell me which film the Academy will vote for...
Posted by: Stephen Holt | December 05, 2007 at 08:56 AM
PS:
If Johnny Depp wins Best Actor and Javier Bardem wins Best Supporting Actor, then the Academy will be honoring TWO serial killers, yes?
Posted by: Stephen Holt | December 05, 2007 at 09:24 AM
ATONEMENT HANDS DOWN and OSCAR to that great writer CHRISTOPHER HAMPTON! Check it out, the adapation, the amazing costumes, camerawork, the dunkirk scene.Go watch Kiera and Vanessa, and James McAlvoy from LAST KING OF SCOTLAND. He is so sexy, those searching eyes!
Posted by: Chau Minh Nguyen | December 08, 2007 at 01:40 PM