So. They say the Oscar race is already underway and will only heat up this Fall.

What are your early predictions? What fall films are you dying to see? Do you even care about the Academy Awards?

-- Anonymous, September 04, 2001

Answers

I don't care about the Academy Awards, at all. Because I'm a rebel like that. All the good movies I've seen lately were up for Oscars last year, I think: Oh Brother, Where Art Thou, You Can Count On Me, The Contender, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Billy Elliot.

Actually, I don't watch many movies, at all. My VCR once made some family proud, as they were the first on their block to own the new- fangled thing.

We saw that Jay and Silent Bob movie last week, and Chris and I were definitely standing out in a theater packed with guys who bore a striking resemblance to the Comic Book Guy in the Simpson's. I hope we stood out, at least. Daymn. The row of guys behind us were having a heated debate: "Non-technical People - Are They Worth Anything?" The movie was funny as all get out, though.

Anyway. The Oscars. Does anyone pay attention to them, other than "Us" magazine? Or am I just a big Snobby McCulturalelitist?

-- Anonymous, September 04, 2001

Oh, T, being Snobby McCulturalelitist is better than what I've become, which is Snooty McForeignfilmviewer.

I honestly have no idea what's coming out this fall, other than Denzel Washington playing a bad guy and Brad Pitt in something. Oh, yeah, From Hell, which I don't want to see until I've read the book.

I do want to see Tobey Maguire as Spiderman -- in certain moods I would pay money to see Tobey Maguire read tax law -- but I don't think that's supposed to be out this fall.

-- Anonymous, September 04, 2001

I'm still really excited about seeing Planet of the Apes. Umm...yeah.

No idea on what is coming out this fall, but I'm sure I'll see it all in a few years when it makes it to the 50 cent rack at Mike's Video.

-- Anonymous, September 04, 2001

I care passionately about the Academy Awards, mainly because I always win the office pool.

But whoever said the Oscar race is already underway is LYING. I work in the film industry and I can't think of a single film this year that is worthy of an Oscar. Oh, wait, I can think of some in various categories but nothing for Best Picture. Most of the Oscar noms will come from the Oct to Dec time slot this year.

Best Costuming - Moulin Rouge y'all; also best Song (any of them really but they'll probably push for that Come What May duet), possibly Best Actor and Actress Lead noms, Best Supporting Actor for the guy that played Zigler. And actually if the fall films suck as bad as what we've already seen it might even get a Best Picture nod.

Best Cinematography - Others. Huh, it's all about Nicole Kidman this year. Possibly also Best Script (original I believe, not adapted), possibly a Best Actress push from Miramax though I doubt she'll get the nom.

Pearl Harbor may ride the Disney wave of publicity to get noms but even the insiders now how badly it sucked.

Shrek may be a serious contender for Best Picture if the fall is weak.

Going forward, contenders with good buzz:

Hearts in Atlantis - Anthony Hopkins, some kid, Stephen King adaptation but more Stand by Me than Carrie. Good acting, decent script that falls apart at the end. I think it's a law that Hopkins gets nominated though.

Bandits - Billy Bob Thornton & Bruce Willis as bank robbers who spend the night at the bank manager's house (hostage/kidnapping) then take his family in with him to work in the morning, rob the place and leave before it opens. Along the way they are saddled with a mentally unstable Cate Blanchett. The trailer is hilarious, the cast is solid and it's got great buzz. Possible script nom and they've all got solid reps that might make this their year.

Last Castle - Robert Redford is a military general wrongly convicted in the deaths of his men and sent to a miltary prison where James Gandolfini is the warden. Redford leads a prison riot to get rid of Gandolfini. Redford, still hot, seems like a good role for him; Gandolfini seems to have a role that is different enough from Sopranos to make him a film name. With the Dreamworks marketing machine behind it expect at least one nom, probably scads unless it sucks.

From Hell - Johnny Depp tries to catch Jack the Ripper before he kills Heather Graham, that fucking ho. (No, really, she plays a prostitute.) Definite Best Costuming if nothing else and Depp always gives a good performance. Graham may ruin the whole thing though.

Riding in Cars with Boys - Drew Barrymore as a single mom in the 60s. I've heard excellent things about this and possible nom for her as best lead.

K-Pax - Kevin Spacy thinks he is from outer space; Jeff Daniels tries to fix him. Spacy is a given nom for either this or Shipping News if SN gets released in time.

Monsters Inc - next big BV/Pixar release; great buzz, usual Disney animated noms

My First Mister - art house, LeeLee Hunt-Sobewhatever as a surlier than normal teen girl who becomes friend with a surlier than normal Albert Brooks. Supposed to be a great script and performances and may be a best directing nom for first time director Christine Lahti.

Windtalkes - Nic Cage, WWII, code talkers, shit blows up, blah blah blah. Supposed to be good and WWII is always a sentimental Oscar favorite.

Harry Potter - going to walk away with 80 trillion noms unless it bombs HUGELY which is highly unlikely. Also said to be about 142 minutes which is good for the story telling but could be the death knell because kids don't like to sit still that long.

Spy Game - Robert Redford teaches Brad Pitt how to be a CIA agent. Great trailer, yummy cast, good buzz.

Vanilla Sky - Cruise, Cruz, and Crowe. At the VERY least a script nom, possibly a directing again, lead for Tom, Cruz may ride his coat tails to one.

Ali - unless this movie sucks ass Will Smith may actually get a best actor nom on this. The sentimentality and the chance to have Ali at the awards alone would do it even if he doesn't turn in a great performance which all rumors say is beyond great.

Gangs of New York - personally, I think DiCaprio looks like a fat Brad Pitt in the trailer and Day Lewis is doing a Brooklyn accent years before they actually had a Brooklyn accent but it's a great cast, it's Scorcese, it's got the Miramax marketing team, they'll buy the noms just like they always do.

Shipping News - more Spacy and Blanchett plus Julianne Moore. How could it not get noms?

Fellowship of the Rings - fucking a man, I'm going to say right now that this will be the Star Wars of this year. Insane box office, everyone and their mother will love it, and it'll get a ton of noms. I think it may actually win Best Picture. Also, could Cate Blanchett be in more movies this fall?

Time Machine - Guy Pearce (Momento) has a great buzz going, Dreamworks has a great marketing team, it's got a Christmas release. No footage in a trailer yet though which does not bode well. Probably at least some effects/editing/sound/techy noms.

There are some art films that may get noms too - the Cohen Brother's new film, all in black and white with Billy Bob as a barber who goes to jail for an unspecified crime. I'm totally blanking on the name. Maybe Hedwig for costuming and songs. Memento could ride good publicity for a lot of noms, at the very least it deserves a Best Screenplay (adapted).

-- Anonymous, September 06, 2001

See, this is why I love Slickery.

Riding in Cars with Boys - Drew Barrymore as a single mom in the 60s. I've heard excellent things about this and possible nom for her as best lead.

I can not WAIT to see this film.

I heard that it was already underway on Extra, so you know, grain of salt and all that.

But they mentioned Will Smith and Crowe for Best Actor noms.

-- Anonymous, September 06, 2001

From Hell - Johnny Depp tries to catch Jack the Ripper before he kills Heather Graham, that fucking ho. (No, really, she plays a prostitute.)

If she plays Mary Kelly, I will shoot someone. If she plays Mary Kelly and lives, I will shoot multiple people.

This is a good site about the actual case, if anyone cares.

-- Anonymous, September 06, 2001

Okay. The whole Shipping News/Julianne Moore thing. She's playing his ex-wife, right? Now, if I recall, the ex-wife really doesn't appear in person in the book very often at all. So, why is JM being in the movie a huge deal? Ooh - she plays the accordion. Big whoop. Why is JM playing "Lady of Spain" suddenly Oscar-worthy?

And furthermore, if they're going to turn something by E.A. Proulx into a movie, they should go ahead and do "Brokeback Mountain." You know, gay cowboys eating pudding, and all.

-- Anonymous, September 06, 2001

There are some art films that may get noms too - the Cohen Brother's new film, all in black and white with Billy Bob as a barber who goes to jail for an unspecified crime.

Wait - is this the movie about BBT's uncle, and it also features Andy Griffith and the late Jim Varney, and John Prine did a lot of the music? And BBT's been putting the relase off FOREVER? I am dying to see this movie, if that's the case.

-- Anonymous, September 06, 2001

I just looked at the IMDb listing for From Hell. She is, indeed, playing Mary Kelly, who deserves far, far better than this. (Kate Winslet, for example. I'd even go with Julia Sawalha, but I know I have a far higher opinion of her than most.) And Johnny Depp is Abberline. And they fall in love.

AAAUUUUUUUGH.

Okay, I'm going to go run off to my journal now so that y'all don't have to listen to how very WRONG WRONG WRONG this is.

-- Anonymous, September 06, 2001

T - Uh, I dunno if it's about his uncle. The name is The Man Who Wasn't There. I know the Cohen's directed it and I can't remember who else is in the trailer. WAIT, I have the damn tape right here, I'll go look at it and get back to you. (Ah, it's good to be the trailer bitch.)

-- Anonymous, September 06, 2001

I did not see Andy Griffith or Jim Varney in the trailer. Frances McDormand, natch, Michael Balducco (Jimmy the Lump, Practice), Tony Shalhoub (um, 80 billion movies including Galaxy Quest and that bad tv show where he drove a taxi with a bad accent - his not the taxi's, it wasn't a talking taxi or anything), James Gandolifini (and I totally got a mob boss take on his character, hi, MOVE ON).

What the hell will Russell Crowe be nominated for? Is he in something this winter? I just went through my release schedule and I didn't see his name.

-- Anonymous, September 06, 2001

I don't know. They just mentioned Will Smith for the Ali movie and then Russell for something coming out this Fall.

-- Anonymous, September 06, 2001

The rant I spared you.

-- Anonymous, September 06, 2001

If kids will sit still long enough to read a 450+ Harry Potter book (and they *all* did) they'll sit still for 152 min. movie. That said, I can't see it winning any non-technical oscars. As for Shrek and Monsters, Inc. Isn't there supposed to be a "Best Animated Feature" category soon?

-- Anonymous, September 06, 2001

Ooo, WG, I'm all impressed with your historical knowledge of the case. Not to mention your proposals for other ways to make the movie. I'll probably still see it though because, well, it's Johnny Depp in period costuming, a girl has to give into hormones sometimes.

On another topic, kids who read Harry Potter didn't have to read it in one sitting, they could read, go hit their brother, read, eat 87 popsicles, read, pull the cat's tail, read, watch Spongebob Squarepants (or as my mother calls him Squarebob Spongepants), read, etc. With a movie in a theater (unlike video) you are stuck for over two hours with all of that cherry icee in your bladder.

I think I might have found the Russell Crowe movie. It's called A Beautiful Mind and stars Crowe and Ed Harris. The summary I have is: FROM THE HEIGHTS OF NOTORIETY TO THE DEPTS OF DEPRAVITY, JOHN FORBES NASH, JR. EXPERIENCED IT ALL. A MATHEMATICAL GENIUS, HE MADE AN ASTONISHING DISCOVERY EARLY IN HIS CAREER AND STOOD ON THE BRINK OF INTERNATIONAL ACCLAIM. BUT THE HANDSOME AND ARROGANT NASH SOON FOUND HIMSELF ON A PAINFUL AND HARROWING JOURNEY OF SELF-DISCOVERY. AFTER MANY YEARS OF STRUGGLE, HE EVENTUALLY TRIUMPED OVER THIS TRAGEDY, AND FINALLY - LATE IN LIFE - RECEIVED THE NOBEL PRIZE.

So, yeah, if it gets released in time I'm thinking automatic nomination ala Geoffrey Rush in Shine. It was originally a July 4 film and now is a "December not yet set" film so it might not get out in time unless they do a one week LA only Oscar qualifying run (which happens a lot but those films rarely win).

-- Anonymous, September 07, 2001

And to add to an earlier theme, I'm Correy McAcademia-O'Driveinalot- de lac obabysitter. Wifey and I were stuck watching a lot of drive ins this summer due to a lack of childcare, but thank God we went out with a good one. "The Others" is by far the best thing I've seen all year. Writing is everything, and this certainly had it. And I DO care about the oscars because it's a lot of fun making fun of people's clothes.... isn't that awful? But there's nothing like seeing your 6 year old's face light up when laughing out loud at a dress made out of a swan.

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2001

oh come on! she's from Iceland, and an elf. i forgive her for the swan, i don't know why

-- Anonymous, October 10, 2001

You know, I have to agree with you on that one. She's Bjork. She can do amazing things with her voice - she especially did during the Sugarcubes days. She can wear whatevah she wants. At least she's not totally skanked out like that Lil Kim and her pasties.

-- Anonymous, October 10, 2001

Russell Crowe is in "A Beautiful Mind" which is coming out around Christmas. Sounds like a fantastic flick, and he definitely will be nominated again.

-- Anonymous, October 10, 2001

It's coming out in one theater in LA and one in NY at Christmas for AA consideration with expansion 1/4 though that will probably move back a bit, the first week of January being a totally dead week at the movies.

The trailer is great and Jennifer Connelly plays his wife. She looks amazing.

Just saw the trailer for Vanilla Sky. As much as I hate Penelope Cruz I just love Cameron Crowe and this looks great. Unlike his other films it's sort of a thriller/suspense film. It looks really great, I can not wait for it.

-- Anonymous, October 10, 2001

I had no idea Vanilla Sky was a Cameron Crowe flick. So I guess I WILL go see, as I love CC. I was going to boycott because Cruise/Cruz? Blech.

On another note, does anyone this the Oscar ceremony will go the way of the Emmys?

-- Anonymous, October 11, 2001

Has anyone heard any buzz about either Ocean's 11 or The Royal Tennenbaums?

I finally saw the trailers for those and they both look good, but the RT especially. I love me some Wilson brothers. (Even though I think the movie would be infinitely better without icky Gwennie.)

-- Anonymous, October 11, 2001

RT is supposed to be even better than Rushmore (same director/writer). Great, great buzz but it's going on a limited run, damn their eyes.

I heard bad stuff about Ocean's 11 from a test screening. Slow and boring. But it had no music which I think makes a big difference in the feel of a movie. And, please, Clooney, Pitt, Damon and Roberts? Who the fuck cares if it's good, it's pretty!

-- Anonymous, October 11, 2001

Y'ALL.

DO NOT SEE RIDING IN CARS WITH BOYS.

Seriously. C and I had read good things about the movie - even Ebert liked it.

Y'all. So bad.

We walked about of the theater, it was so god-awful. I can't think of one redeeming thing in the whole crappy movie, in fact. It is not a chick movie, it doesn't make you think about "doing the right thing," it doesn't make you sympathetic for any of the characters...

And the soundtrack. Oh, the soundtrack. Anytime there was a moment that could have been emotional or made you feel in the least for one of the characters, this sappy-ass music would start to play.

So, for the only time in my life since Willow, I walked out of the theater. It was the first movie C had walked out of since Flight of the Intruder.

-- Anonymous, October 22, 2001

See, I didn't think it was that bad.

Except, the main character is not a hero. In fact, she's not even all that likeable. But I did like her mother, and I did like the son.

-- Anonymous, October 22, 2001

I liked the mother, but I would have liked her a lot more if she had told her selfish, irresponsible brat of a daughter to suck it the hell up and deal with a minimum of Beverly's perpetual self-pity. I don't think that the Drew Barrymore character ever said "thank you" to any of the people who were trying to help her with her life.

-- Anonymous, October 22, 2001

Read the book, y'all. Beverly D'Onfrio shouldn't be and isn't a likable character. She doesn't start to become a good person and a good mom until the kid goes to college. But it's a fascinating story because you just see her doing dumb thing after dumb thing after dumb thing and blaming everyone else and feeling sorry for herself. It's the ultimate train wreck of a book and it's well written too. I do think it helps to know that Riding in Cars is a dark film about a girl you really shouldn't like rather than a Drew Barrymore cute cute film going into it.

-- Anonymous, October 22, 2001

Yeah, she wasn't likeable. At all. And poor Drew getting cast in that. Who thought she could pull off 15? Cause she can't. She can pull off her own age, and that's it. So the parts where she was supposed to be 20 to 23 were the best, I thought.

-- Anonymous, October 22, 2001

Suppose, hypothetically, that Steve Zahn were my secret boyfriend. Would I be better off seeing Riding in Cars With Boys, seeing that movie with Helen Hunt Jr., or renting Happy, Texas?

-- Anonymous, October 22, 2001

Slickery, that's it! It's a train wreck. And you know, for my $16, I'd rather read one of the thousands of train wreck journals out there, since they're free, and most of them don't have crappy midi sountracks to add to the horror.

-- Anonymous, October 22, 2001

Oh, rent Happy, Texas. That is a funny, funny movie. He's pretty funny in Saving Silverman too.

-- Anonymous, October 22, 2001

Who watched the Golden Globes?

Looks like A Beautiful Mind will be the film to beat. Has anyone seen it?

So happy Moulin Rouge got major kudos. Good to see them look at something different.

Sissy Spaceck also deserved to win. She is phenom in In The Bedroom. But Tom Wilkinson is even better, and was he even nominated?

-- Anonymous, January 21, 2002

I watched the Globes. Usually the Golden Globes movie winner wins the Oscar best picture. Nicole Kidman won the "haaaa take that Tom, I'm a better actor than you anyday" ahem . . . best actress in a musical award.

-- Anonymous, January 21, 2002

I saw Beautiful Mind and have only this to say.

If you know nothing about the book or the man and you have even a drop of romantic blood in you then you will love this movie.

If you hear about the big parts left out from the book or the real timeline of events and some of the controversy ahead of time you will probably react as I did: that was a fine little film but no big whoop. Because you really need to buy the movie as the story to enjoy it for what it is, I think.

Crowe is good although I will never stop repeating that the accent he is doing is Kennedy-esque Boston and not West Virginia. My dad is from West Virginia and that accent is crap. Is it Oscar-worthy? Maybe.

But I've also seen I Am Sam which has a similar theme (mentally handicapped father tries to keep custody of his daughter vs. mentally handicapped genuis tries to keep from losing his shit) and I think it's a better movie and a better performance.

Not for one second during Beautiful Mind did I stop seeing "Rusell Crow is crazy" and see John Nash. Maybe he's too famous, maybe I was jaded but I didn't lose myself in his performance.

But Sean Penn. People, I don't even like Sean Penn. Up till now everything he's done I've seen Spicoli does whatever. But five minutes into I Am Sam and I totally forgot it was him and saw only Sam. If you can watch this movie without crying multiple times you are a stronger person than I am. It is both uplifting and heartwrenching. It gets my personal Best of the Year nod, even above Moulin Rouge.

-- Anonymous, January 22, 2002

Even the trailer for I Am Sam makes me cry, so I'm hoping to love it.

I was glad Nicole Kidman won for Moulin Rouge, and I'm especially glad the film beat Shrek, Legally Blonde and Bridget Jones' Diary. Now, I love all three of those movies, but MR was by far the more exceptional film.

I have zero desire to see Beautiful Mind. Even though I like Jennifer Connelly and am glad to see her back in the game, I have a major aversion to genius movies. Especially ones dealing with math.

-- Anonymous, January 22, 2002

Gosford Park: slow but good. And Helen Mirren deserves whatever awards she gets.

By the way, if anyone sees a trailer for Shiri (Korean action flick) and wants to actually see the movie, apparently the thing to do is go deaf and blind during the trailer -- from what I've heard, it contains a big spoiler.

-- Anonymous, January 22, 2002

I have a major aversion to genius movies. Especially ones dealing with math.

Damn, Barbie. I actually just got mad at you when I read that. You must support all math movies, even if "Math is Hard!"

-- Anonymous, January 22, 2002

Okay, I'm going to say something that probably isn't very popular.

I hated Moulin Rouge. With a passion.

I didn't like the mix of popular music with the old setting. (I didn't like it in A Knight's Tale, either). And it seemed to me that Nicole Kidman's overacting just killed me, and I normally like her as an actress. Critics seemed to love it, the movie will win all sorts of awards, but for the life of me I can't figure out why.

-- Anonymous, January 22, 2002

I didn't like the mix of popular music with the old setting.

Very much with you. I think I would have liked it better if the songs had been original.

-- Anonymous, January 22, 2002

That's funny, because a friend loved the use of pop cult hits in the old setting. He hated the main song, Come What May, simply because it WAS original.

Also, for the record, I have an aversion to math movies because I think it's boring, not hard. But I don't think MATH is boring.

-- Anonymous, January 22, 2002

My mother's glad that there are fewer R-rated movies nominated this year than most. What do y'all think? Anyone get robbed?

-- Anonymous, February 12, 2002

Gene Hackman got robbed. Hedwig & the Angry Inch got totally robbed, especially in the song category.

-- Anonymous, February 12, 2002

Word on Gene Hackman. But at least RT got best screenplay and I'm so excited about Ben Kingsley's nom for best supporting. He was incredible in Sexy Beast. I'm also glad Tom Wilkinson got the nod for In the Bedroom. His performance was just as good, if not better, than Sissy Spacek's and he wasn't even nominated for a Golden Globe.

Surprised Moulin Rouge didn't get any song nominations either. And Ethan Hawke in Training Day? Was that out of left field or did I miss something?

-- Anonymous, February 12, 2002

Word on Hedwig. Robbed in so many ways, I may actually have to say it was the best film of 2001 that didn't involve hobbits.

Memento was robbed. Wait, Hewdig was the best movie that didn't involve hobbits or Guy Pearce.

I will not get into the practice of Miramax buying noms until I've watched In the Bedroom this weekend. But you will hear about it then.

Ewan McGregor was robbed! I'm fairly sure the old people in the academy marked Ethan when they meant Ewan.

Whoopi Goldberg was robbed! Seriously, someone stole her Oscar last week.

-- Anonymous, February 12, 2002

Slickery - I thought the same thing when I saw Ethan's name.

At least Memento got best editing (that's them throwing a bone) and screenplay. Although, why would it be considered original when it was based on a short story. Wouldn't that make it adapted?

-- Anonymous, February 12, 2002

The song from Moulin Rouge that COULD have been nominated ("Come What May") was ineligible because it was originaly written (but not used) for "Romeo + Juliet"

-- Anonymous, February 12, 2002

Ooo, good info Omar.

I thought the same thing regarding Memento. Maybe the short story was never published?

-- Anonymous, February 12, 2002

But wasn't it nominated for a Golden Globe? And besides, couldn't they movie have gotten nominated for best score?

-- Anonymous, February 12, 2002

I believe the screenwriter was also the short story's author, and therefore it can count as best screenplay from original material because it was the author's original material. It was published in Esquire, for sure. I'll double check.

-- Anonymous, February 12, 2002

Golden Globes have way different rules than Oscars. Plus, did MR even HAVE a score? I thought it was all patched together music and original songs, not necessarily an orchestral score.

But I've only seen it once. I could be wrong.

-- Anonymous, February 12, 2002

I'm not sure MR had a real score and I've seen it several times. But I thought for sure the Diamond Dogs song by Beck and the Moby can can song were original too. Plus didn't Witney Houston win for I Will Always Love You from Bodyguard? Because that was a cover.

The Memento screenplay was written by the director based on a short story idea of his brother. On a thread at Beth's forum someone said that the brother told him of his idea for a story, the director said it would make a great movie could he use it, got permission, and the short story was published right around when the film came out. So apparently they shared origins but the screenplay wasn't actually adapted.

-- Anonymous, February 13, 2002

Saw David Lynch's Mulholland Drive this weekend.

I was super proud of myself because I figured it out. Even so, this Salon article is very informative.

But warning, do NOT read it if you haven't seen the film. And if you haven't seen it? Do.

-- Anonymous, February 22, 2002