Watercooler: Precious
Throw a stick on (in?) the internet and the Oscar prognosticator you hit is likely predicting that Precious is a sure thing for multiple Oscar nominations. The film has been on everyone’s lips since it won the Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and the clamor only grew louder when it took the People’s Choice Award at Toronto. I have to admit I was skeptical about how the film about an illiterate, abused, pregnant black teenager growing up in Harlem in the 1980s would play to audiences outside the festival circuit and by extension how it would play to Oscar voters.
Well, Precious grabbed an estimated $1.8 million in a mere 18 theaters between Friday and Sunday. For you math challenged, that’s an eye-popping $100,000 per theater – a record opening weekend feat for the year by a long shot. It remains to be seen how the film plays to audiences outside of major cities when it expands next weekend and goes wide the weekend after that, but at this point I’m forced to concede my skepticism about the film’s Oscar prospects might have been misplaced.
Having said all that, I still haven’t seen it. How about you?
Filed under: Watercooler
Congratulations to the New York Yankees for winning their 27th World Championship, and to clutch DH Hideki Matsui for being named MVP.
In New Jersey, we elected a new Governor, Republican Chris Christie. As a liberal Democrat I backed Jon Corzine, but let’s see if the new resident of the state house can do something for the dire economy and taxes here in the Garden State.
I managed to channel some deep emotional (and physical scars) into some torrid movie going, which began on the evening of Election Day – Tuesday – with a screening of the new Peter Greenaway documentary at the Film Forum. I went into high gear over the weekend.
Here is what I saw in theatres this past week:
Rembrandt’s J’Accuse **** 1/2 (Tuesday night; Film Forum)
That Evening Sun **** (Friday night; Cinema 1)
A Christmas Carol *** (Friday afternoon; Paramus multiplex)
The Men Who Stare at Goats * (Friday afternoon; Paramus multiplex)
The Fourth Kind * (Saturday morning; Edgewater multiplex)
Precious *** 1/2 (Saturday night; Union Square Cinemas)
La Danse **** 1/2 (Sunday afternoon; Film Forum)
Metropolitan Opera HD simulcast of ‘Turandot’ (Saturday afternoon, Edgewater multiplex)
The year’s two best documentaries (by luminaries Peter Greenaway and Frederick Wiseman) played in the same week at the Film Forum, and I was thrilled to immerse myself in the artsitic sensibilities of art history and dance on the highest level of sophistication and appreciation. Greenaway’s film calls for an open investigation of Rembrandt’s famed cryptic painting (the fourth most famous of all-time, as he says at the outset, behind Mona Lisa, The Last Supper and The Sistine Chapel. The film will appeal to far more than art lovers, as hopefully will Mr. Wiseman’s stunning look behind the scenes at the Paris Opera Ballet, and some of the most sublime moments the form can ever yield. Wiseman, perhaps the country’s greatest documentarian has crafted one of his greatest works here.
A Sordid study of a grossly obese Harlem teenager, who is sexually and physically abused, and bears two children by her father (one with down syndrome) Precious is often a harrowing film, even if it rather overplays its cards at times. As the girl’s mother, the actress Monique is extraordinary. The film really impressed Lucille and Broadway Bob, but my reaction, while favorable, is a bit more measured.
Lucille and I hit the jackpot on Friday night when we got to chat with actor Hal Holbrook after the screening of That Evening Sun, in which Holbrook gave a superlative performance as an uncompromising old man who refuses to give up his property and his past in a rural setting. The film is often beautiful to look at, but the burst of compassion at the end rings false, and some of his psychological insights are rather predictable. Still a reasonably affecting independent film. I won’t soon forget Jenny Bee Boulten’s superlative review of this films weeks back.
Jim Carrey, fine CGI effects and better-than-average 3 D digital work elevate A Christmas Carol to passable status, but I don’t think I’ll need to see it a second time. The kids seemed to like it well enough.
Both The Men Who Stare at Goats and The Fourth Kind were a waste of time and rank among the worst films of the year, easily. The Clooney film was largely imbecillic, a poorly-written and conceived intended farce which is set (in large measure) in Iraq, while The Fourth Kind, which attempts to cash in on the success of Paranormal Activity is amateurish, preposterous and most unconvincing. My son Danny thought it was pretty good though! Ha!
The HD broadcast of Puccini’s Turandot was riddled with serious pixel and audio problems throughout, yet this final opera from the most popular of all opera composers is always for so many reasons an electrifying experience. I plan to have a review up this week.
I saw A CHRISTMAS CAROL this weekend, which, while not terrible, is still pretty damn weak. I hated the needless action sequences and inappropriate comedic moments. It’s gorgeous to look at, but it seems to me Zemeckis is no longer interested in storytelling so much as technical gimmicks.
I saw An Education and The Damned United in the theaters this weekend. I liked both, especially for the performances in each. I had a little difficulty with the second half of An Education, where things take a turn that felt a bit predictable and moralistic to me, but I enjoyed the performances enough to get past that. I found The Damned United very entertaining and because it was based on a true story, I can’t really fault the narrative, but I sort of wish it might have ended a bit different.
On DVD I finally saw George Romero’s The Crazies, which turned out to be wholly different than I expected. I’m sure the Hollywood remake that is coming will take the title literally and heavily play up the threat of the psychotic “crazies” but Romero’s version is barely concerned with them. Like his zombie movies, the threat posed is secondary to the breakdown of society and the terror that ensues when the authorities are turned on the folks they’re pledged to protect. Interesting film.
Glad to see you back in the saddle again, Sam. That’s great you had an opportunity to meet with Hal Holbrook. Are there any anecdotes to tell? It seems likely he’ll be an Oscar contender.
With many non-film matters distracting me, I haven’t had an opportunity to see anything recently, though Precious is near the top of my list so I can see for myself — in light of the preliminary skepticism I share with Craig — what the fuss is all about.
The only thing I saw worth mentioning — on cable last night — is a nifty little modern western, “Pocket Money,” starring Paul Newman and Lee Marvin. Although it seems like a bit of a ripoff of “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” Pocket Money predates that film by a few years. Interesting, the screenplay was written by “Terry” Malick, and there are lots of unpredictable little moments. Not a great film, but interesting as hell.
I’m with you on An Education, Joel. It was good enough in terms of acting and production, but all I could think at the end was, “Really, that was it?”. Didn’t seem like all that special or even unique of a story, but then I guess it was supposed to be about England at the time, not the characters. In which case it should have been more about England and less about the characters, if that makes any sense.
Waiting intently for Precious next weekend…
I’m thrilled you liked That Evening Sun, Sam. I had some quibbles with the ending (one that the writer/director had to manufacture since the source material ended abruptly–and non-cinematically–several beats earlier). To make the ending of the short story work on screen, you’d have to be a real master already (ala the Coens in NCfOM), and I can’t really blame Teems for making a more movie-friendly ending, but I do think there are choices that would have worked better. Holbrook was amazing, and I’m glad Lucille and you got to meet him. That’s neat. What did you think of Ray McKinnon?
I’m at a conference in San Diego now. I thought I might have a chance to see some films, but there hasn’t been a good opportunity and now I’m coming down with brochitis or ebola or something. I did sojourn to the world-renowned San Diego Zoo over the weekend to visit the pandas (my favorite), and saw a panda named Zhen-Zhen, whose name translates as “Precious”–does that count?
Hey Pierre! No special anecdote on the short chat with Holbrook, as it was more along the lines of effusive compliments from Lucille and I. (Lucille let him know how much she admired him). Apparently he had some friends from NYC who were eager to engage him. I believe I heard one saying he knew of an excellent restaurant in the area.
SPOILERS*****
Jenny: Your summation and insight into THAT EVENING SUN is exceptional, methinks, and I couldn’t agree with you more. Ray Mc Kinnon was bone chilling, hence he delivered a great performance that comes close to Holbrook’s (the hanging of the dog was a heinous act). The final show of kindness, which you explain off quite well, of course was not believable at all.
But the film is most impressive for the most part, and the acting by the two men is extraordinary.
LOL on that PRECIOUS simile!
There are so few Pandas left, so what a treat there. Enjoy San Diego!
HEADS UP, LIC READERS: The doc “The Way We Get By” is being featured tonight on PBS’ POV program. They’ve also got Patti Smith: Dream of Life and Food Inc coming up in the next few months.
You can even watch The Way We Get By online this week via their site.
And some further news, this time on the DVD front.
For the second time this year, Barnes & Noble will be offering 50% off on ALL Criterion and Eclipse releases starting tomorrow, November 12th, and continuing through the last day of the year or until supplies last.
Omce again, this is an offer that can’t be refused. I’m already scheming.
That deal started yesterday actually, online and in stores, so stop scheming Sam and start buying.
Indeed Joel, I just noted that error at my place, and to boot, I was wrong with the final day, which isn’t Dec. 31st, but Nove. 24th. But yes, I better put my money where my mouth is. The two most recent Eclipse sets (Nikkatsu Noir and Makavejev) are first up!