Pollock (2000) directed by Ed Harris
Marcia Gay Harden as Lee Krasner and Ed Harris as Jackson Pollock
Lee: What’s this? I see the head, the body. This isn’t cubism Jackson because you’re not really breaking down the figure into multiple views. You’re just showing us one side. And what is this? Free Association? Automatism? Jackson: I’m just painting, Lee. Lee: But what are doing Jackson? And don’t tell me you don’t know what you’re doing. Are you experimenting with surrealism? Is this a dream? Even if it’s a dream, it’s still what you see. It’s life. You’re not just randomly putting paint on the canvas. You’re painting something. You can’t abstract from nothing. You can only abstract from life, from nature. Jackson: I am nature. Lee: But if you only work from beside yourself, you’ll repeat yourself. Jackson: Why don’t you paint the fuckin’ thing?
The Directors Guild of America are handing out their awards tomorrow night over dinner. Here are the nominees followed by my rationale and my picks for who should win and who will win Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures: Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris David Fincher, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Michel Hazanavicius, The (read…)
Wherein the Screen Actors Guild rewards its own (Sunday night) and I think about it much more than I ever planned to. Note that I’m only looking at the movie awards. I have no idea who should or will win in the television categories. Outstanding Performance By a Male Actor in a Leading Role: Demian (read…)
By Craig Kennedy - January 27th, 2012; 1:53 pm | Comment
Jeremie Elkaim and Valerie Donzelli in Declaration of War, your LiC pick of the week
If you live in New York or Los Angeles, go see Declaration of War this weekend. If you’re in the mood for cheap January action thrills, go see Liam Neeson in The Grey. If you’re intrigued by the Oscar nominations, note that The Artist , The Descendants , Hugo and Pina are all getting significant expansions this weekend to capitalize on their recent recognition. If none of the above or below tickle your fancy, check out the Now Playing page for a full list of what’s good and/or popular including links to reviews, showtimes and trailers.
Declaration of War Based on the real-life experiences of the film’s French co-stars and co-writers (Valerie Donzelli who also directs and Jeremie Elkaim), Declaration of War tells the story of a young married couple whose lives are forever changed when their baby son is diagnosed with a life threatening illness. Surprisingly entertaining and upbeat, the film is much more a celebration of life and all its slings and arrows than it is a dirge on mortality. (Limited)
The Grey. When Liam Neeson’s plane crashes in the Alaskan wilderness, a nasty pack of rogue wolves stand between him and the bank where he’ll cash the paycheck he gets from this movie. Joe Carnahan (Narc, Smoking Aces) directs. Frank Grillo, Dermot Mulroney and James Badge Dale co-star. (Wide)
By Craig Kennedy - January 27th, 2012; 9:36 am | Comment
Right around the time you were getting tired of the overuse of the orange/bluecomplimentarycolorscheme in movie posters, some dope had they bright idea: “Hey, let’s make a whole movie in orange and blue!” et voila: Lockout.
Sadly, the chief effect is to emphasize that the movie itself looks about as cliched and tired as an actual movie poster.
Alice in Wonderland (1951) directed by Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson and Hamilton Lusk from the novels Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
Alice voiced by Kathryn Beaumont and Caterpillar voiced by Richard Haydn
Caterpillar: Who… are… you? Alice: Why, I.. I.. I hardly know, sir. I’ve changed so many times since this morning, you see and… Caterpillar: I do not see. Explain yourself. Alice: I’m afraid I cant explain myself, sir, because I’m not myself, you know. Caterpillar: I do not know. Alice: Well, I can’t put it any more clearly for it isn’t clear to me. Caterpillar: You? Who are you?
Kate Winslet who was absolutely terrific in the Charlie Kaufman-penned Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Catherine Keener who was nominated for an Oscar for Being John Malkovich (also written by Kaufman) have both signed up for Kaufman’s sophomore directorial effort Frank or Francis, the musical comedy about a successful director (Steve Carrell) who (read…)
Every time Hugh Bonneville comes on screen in Downton Abbey, I think “Damn, I wish that guy was Colin Firth.” Here’s hoping that doesn’t happen with this adaptation of Peter James’ crime novel Dead Simple the first in a popular series featuring Roy Grace (Bonneville), a detective with a taste for the supernatural whose own (read…)
Monty Python alum Terry Jones is directing the sci-fi farce mixing CGI and live action from a script he’s been developing for 20 years. Jones says it’s not a Monty Python picture but it “certainly has that sensibility.” Jones, Michael Palin, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam and Eric Idle would voice a group of aliens who (read…)
Paul Giamatti will play Friar Lawrence, pretty much the main guy to blame in the whole star-cross’d lovery mess. His intentions are good, but he’s the guy who sets up the marriage between Romeo and Juliet in the hope of ending the feud between the Montagues and the Capulets in the first place and he’s (read…)
It’s called Gods And Kings and it’s not your grandfather’s Ten Commandments. According to “insiders” this is envisioned as a “Braveheart-ish vrsion of the Moses story.” Less gloss than DeMille and more grit. Color me skeptical, but then I underestimated Spielberg’s horsey war movie too and it was a lovely surprise. I don’t need to (read…)
By Craig Kennedy - January 25th, 2012; 12:52 pm | Comment
Congratulations to the National Film Board of Canada and the filmmakers for yesterday’s two Animated Short Oscar nominations, one for Patrick Doyon’s Sunday (Dimanche) and another for Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby’s Wild Life.
The animated short category is reliably one of my favorites come Oscar time and this year promises to uphold the tradition.
Be sure to have a look at both films at the National Film Board website and then come back to read Jackson’s interviews with Mr. Doyon, Ms. Forbis and Ms. Tilby.
By Jackson Truax - January 25th, 2012; 10:44 am | Comment
[Editor's Note: This interview was conducted after Sunday was short-listed but before it was nominated for the Oscar]
The Oscar-nominated animated short Sunday (Dimanche) is a timeless and whimsical look at a child living in a small Canadian town during a period of hardship and how the child’s imagination helps color the world around him. I recently spoke with French-Canadian filmmaker Patrick Doyon who makes his professional directing debut with Sunday. Here’s what he had to say about working with the legendary National Film Board of Canada, how his childhood provided inspiration, and crafting Sunday. Check out our conversation below and go to http://www.nfb.ca/film/sunday to see the film
I’m less crazy about Excalibur than I was in high school, but it’s sad to learn that Nicol Williamson, best known to movie fans as Merlin in the 1981 John Boorman film, died back in December after a battle with cancer of the esophagus. The noted stage actor is also remembered by me for playing (read…)
The Hours (2002) directed by Stephen Daldry
Nicole Kidman as Virginia Woolf
Virginia: My life has been stolen from me. I’m living in a town I have no wish to live in. I’m living a life I have no wish to live. How did this happen? It is time for us to move back to London. I miss London. I miss London life.
Amid gossip reports that Demi Moore was hospitalized Monday evening for “exhaustion” and has, according to a statment “chosen to see professional assistance to treat her exhaustion and improve her overall health,” Moore has dropped out of Lovelace, the story of 70s porn star Linda Lovelace. Moore had signed up for what mostly amounted to (read…)
Though it’s been reported that billionairess Megan Ellison’s Anapurna Pictures has pulled out of the film, Traffic star Catherine Zeta-Jones has joined Contagion alum Jude Law and Haywire co-star Channing Tatum in Steven Soderbergh’s Side Effects. Written by Contagion screenwriter Scott Z. Burns, this is the pic that Soderbergh latched onto when his gig on (read…)
Hey, remember 5 minutes ago when The Blind Side star Lily Collins was in “final negotiations” for a Sam Raimi produced sorta-redo of Evil Dead? Yeah, forget about it… I mean to the extent you hadn’t already. via: Playlist (by way of Variety correspondent Twitter feed. Yes you read that correctly)
76-year-old Greek director Theo Angelopoulos, not a household name in the U.S. but widely appreciated in his home country and along the European festival circuit for more than 40 years, died earlier today after being hit by a motorcycle while crossing a road near Athens during the shooting of his latest film. Though Angelopoulos’ 1998 (read…)
There was a time when I’d get up at 5am to hear these announced live, but I’m glad I slept in. Having said that, there were some very nice surprises in here that on balance outweigh the unexpected snubs. I’m thrilled and delighted that Tree of Life (3 nominations), War Horse (6 nominations) and Midnight (read…)
For those of you keeping score at home, I predict I’ll be the least accurate in the Actor and Supporting Actor categories. I threw in Michael Fassbender and Michael Shannon mostly as wishful thinking. For Supporting Actor I threw in Ben Kingsley because he made the movie in my opinion. As for Andy Serkis, it (read…)
By Jackson Truax - January 23rd, 2012; 10:46 am | Comment
Cuban filmmaker Ian Padron’s Habanastation was Cuba’s submission for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film this year. Although the film wasn not ultimately shortlisted by the Academy, Padron used the opportunity of being submitted to stage an independently-funded tour of the Los Angeles Film circuit, hosting screenings around town, including one hosted by Oscar-winner Michael Moore with two-time Oscar-winner Sean Penn (Mystic River, Milk) in attendance and participating in the Q&A. Habanastation is the story of a day in the life of two boys in Cuba, and what two children from different socio-economic classes teach each other when they find themselves spending the day together. Habanastation was a blockbuster in Cuba, selling over a million tickets, and is currently seeking U.S. distribution. I recently spoke with Padron over the phone from Cuba, and we discussed filmmaking in Cuba, how Sean Penn helped the film get made, and crafting Habanastation.
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002) directed by George Clooney
Sam Rockwell as Chuck Barris
Chuck Barris (in voiceover): When you’re young, your potential is infinite. You might do anything really. You might be Einstein. You might be DiMaggio. Then you get to an age when which you might be gives way to what you have been. You weren’t Einstein. You weren’t anything. That’s a bad moment.
By Craig Kennedy - January 22nd, 2012; 9:05 pm | 9 Comments
Once again, not much to report on the week in movies. Sundance is cooking along and the awards race is still steaming forward (with The Artist clearly in the lead), but things are still mostly quiet in theaters themselves.
One thing I had my eye on this weekend was how The Artist would do as it expanded for the first time from about a dozen theaters to around 600. The answer seems to be not all that well. It’s a critical darling and an awards favorite, but average audiences seem to have a hard time getting over the fact it’s a silent film. Interestingly, it was outgrossed this weekend by The Descendants which is currently on fewer screens, has been in theaters longer and has spent that time on more screens. Of course, The Artist doesn’t have the drawing power of Clooney and after The Hurt Locker it’s difficult to tie awards potential to box office success, so it probably won’t matter in the end. It’s just interesting.
And that’s all I’ve got this weekend. Now it’s your turn. Fill us in on what you’ve been up to at the movies in the last week.
The Hustler (1961) directed by Robert Rossen
Piper Laurie as Sarah Packard and Paul Newman as “Fast” Eddie Felson
Eddie: You talk kinda funny, but I like it. Sarah: I used to be an actress. Eddie: Oh yeah? What do you do now? Sarah: I’m a college girl. Two days a week. Tuesdays and Thursdays I go to college. Eddie: You don’t look like a college girl. Sarah: I’m the emancipated type. Real emancipated. Eddie: No, I didn’t mean that… whatever that means. I mean you just don’t look young enough. Sarah: I’m not. Eddie: So why go to college? Sarah: Got nothing else to do on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Eddie: What do you do on the other days? Sarah: I drink.
Here are your PGA winners. Movies Theatrical Feature: The Artist Animated Feature: The Adventures of Tintin Documentary Feature: Beats, Rhymes and Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest TV Drama: Boardwalk Empire Longform: Downton Abbey Comedy: Modern Family News: 60 Minutes Sports: ESPN’s 30 for 30 Variety: The Colbert Report Documentary: American Masters Reality: (read…)
The Train (1964) directed by John Frankenheimer
Paul Scofield as Colonel von Waldheim
Von Waldheim: Here’s your prize, Labiche. Some of the greatest paintings in the world. Does it please you, Labiche? Give you a sense of excitement in just being near them? A painting means as much to you as a string of pearls to an ape. You won by sheer luck. You stopped me without knowing what you were doing or why. You are nothing, Labiche. A lump of flesh. The paintings are mine. They always will be. Beauty belongs to the man who can appreciate it.
