list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around Frozen River on Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 http://www.spout.com/films/Frozen_River/358655/default.aspx Title: Frozen River
Year: 2008
Director: Courtney Hunt
Plot: A desperate single mother living in upstate New York resorts to smuggling illegal immigrants into the United States as a means of making ends meet in first-time feature director/screenwriter Courtney Hunt's emotionally wrenching drama, winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Best Dramatic Feature at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. Ray Eddy is in an impossible position; it's two days before Christmas and her husband has suddenly disappeared with all of the family savings. Now, as the newly single mother of two realizes the futility of attempting to cover the house payments on her meager Yankee One Dollar Store wages, her children are forced to exist on a nutritionally devoid diet of popcorn and Tang. Deciding that her only hope for survival is to find a man who will support her and her children, Ray sets out to find a husband but instead makes the acquaintance of street-smart Mohawk Lila Littlewolf. Lila, too, has been struggling to keep her head above water amidst economic despair, and has recently stumbled across a rather unconventional solution to her dire financial situation. Lately, Lila has been earning a living by smuggling illegal immigrants into the U.S., but her tribal elders vehemently disapprove of the scheme and have recently attempted to stop it by forbidding the local auto dealers from selling her a car. As fate would have it, Ray's Dodge Spirit may just be the only thing the destitute mother can count on anymore, and as this unlikely pair gas up the tank for a daring dash across the iced-over St. Lawrence River, their fates become forever intertwined in ways that neither could have ever anticipated. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 40
Number of Lists: 13
Number of blog posts: 11
Number of discussion threads: 4
SpoutRating: 4
]]>Fri, 22 May 2009 03:07:44 GMTFrozen River2008Courtney HuntA desperate single mother living in upstate New York resorts to smuggling illegal immigrants into the United States as a means of making ends meet in first-time feature director/screenwriter Courtney Hunt's emotionally wrenching drama, winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Best Dramatic Feature at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. Ray Eddy is in an impossible position; it's two days before Christmas and her husband has suddenly disappeared with all of the family savings. Now, as the newly single mother of two realizes the futility of attempting to cover the house payments on her meager Yankee One Dollar Store wages, her children are forced to exist on a nutritionally devoid diet of popcorn and Tang. Deciding that her only hope for survival is to find a man who will support her and her children, Ray sets out to find a husband but instead makes the acquaintance of street-smart Mohawk Lila Littlewolf. Lila, too, has been struggling to keep her head above water amidst economic despair, and has recently stumbled across a rather unconventional solution to her dire financial situation. Lately, Lila has been earning a living by smuggling illegal immigrants into the U.S., but her tribal elders vehemently disapprove of the scheme and have recently attempted to stop it by forbidding the local auto dealers from selling her a car. As fate would have it, Ray's Dodge Spirit may just be the only thing the destitute mother can count on anymore, and as this unlikely pair gas up the tank for a daring dash across the iced-over St. Lawrence River, their fates become forever intertwined in ways that neither could have ever anticipated. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide40Tag Target (>10)131144http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/s358655.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Frozen_River/358655/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/blogs/apulrang/archive/2009/5/21/42376.aspx Post By: apulrang
Post To: apulrang Blog
Post Date: 5/21/2009 11:07:44 PM
Body: I wrote this email to a friend, about Frozen River, filmed in my backyard ... "I finally watched it. Wow. This is a really great film!I can understand why some local Native Americans don't like it. The depiction of reservation life is not flattering. This is especially true, I think, if the Native Americans who were at the screening really buy into or want to believe that reservation society is really quite noble. The movie depicts aspects of official reservation power structure as being fairly corrupt ... the bingo parlors, and the fact that they condone families stealing babies from disfavored family members. The smugglers are the closest things to good guys, yet they are the bad guys of the reservation ... or at least they are looked down upon.Then there's the fact that the white woman who upped the ante on the smuggling ... arguably getting the native woman in worse trouble ... ended up a selfless hero. That's gotta be a bit irritating to Native sensibilities.On the ot her side ...The movie beautifully depicts that poor is poor. The white woman's troubles weren't all that different from the natives' troubles. Family problems and money pretty much accounts for all of it. That's what made these two women such good partners and friends, even though they started out as adversaries.Other observations:- I'm not sure, but I think the actor who played Lila was fantastic. Its hard to tell, since the character is so low-key, but I think she did a great job.- Ray's older son was great, too.- I really wanted to know more about why Lila's mother-in-law took her child. But I'm glad they left that vague.- One thing they didn't do very well was sell the idea that Lila was anti-white. Though, I do think it was very significant when she said several times that they wouldn't be stopped ... and if stopped, it would be alright ... because Ray was white. "Remember, you're white!" I wanted to say, "Yeah, but you aren't!"- Another group that could be offended by this movie ... French Canadians! I mean, their contacts on the other side were pretty sleazy, no?- I love the local authenticity ... Route 37, "the Moira Road", Tom Messner doing the weather on Channel 5.Anyway, the whole thing was pretty damned awesome!"
]]>Fri, 22 May 2009 03:07:44 GMTapulrangapulrang Blog5/21/2009 11:07:44 PMI wrote this email to a friend, about Frozen River, filmed in my backyard ... "I finally watched it. Wow. This is a really great film!I can understand why some local Native Americans don't like it. The depiction of reservation life is not flattering. This is especially true, I think, if the Native Americans who were at the screening really buy into or want to believe that reservation society is really quite noble. The movie depicts aspects of official reservation power structure as being fairly corrupt ... the bingo parlors, and the fact that they condone families stealing babies from disfavored family members. The smugglers are the closest things to good guys, yet they are the bad guys of the reservation ... or at least they are looked down upon.Then there's the fact that the white woman who upped the ante on the smuggling ... arguably getting the native woman in worse trouble ... ended up a selfless hero. That's gotta be a bit irritating to Native sensibilities.On the ot her side ...The movie beautifully depicts that poor is poor. The white woman's troubles weren't all that different from the natives' troubles. Family problems and money pretty much accounts for all of it. That's what made these two women such good partners and friends, even though they started out as adversaries.Other observations:- I'm not sure, but I think the actor who played Lila was fantastic. Its hard to tell, since the character is so low-key, but I think she did a great job.- Ray's older son was great, too.- I really wanted to know more about why Lila's mother-in-law took her child. But I'm glad they left that vague.- One thing they didn't do very well was sell the idea that Lila was anti-white. Though, I do think it was very significant when she said several times that they wouldn't be stopped ... and if stopped, it would be alright ... because Ray was white. "Remember, you're white!" I wanted to say, "Yeah, but you aren't!"- Another group that could be offended by this movie ... French Canadians! I mean, their contacts on the other side were pretty sleazy, no?- I love the local authenticity ... Route 37, "the Moira Road", Tom Messner doing the weather on Channel 5.Anyway, the whole thing was pretty damned awesome!" http://www.spout.com/blogs/jimbell/archive/2009/4/12/41566.aspx Post By: JimBell
Post To: JimBell Blog
Post Date: 4/12/2009 2:55:22 PM
Body: Frozen River (2008) is such a good movie because of Courtney Hunt, its writer and director. Although Courtney was born and raised in Tennessee, she can relate to the characters of up-state New York. She was raised by a single-mom from age 3 on, and this no doubt gives her empathy with the two main characters and moms in Frozen River. The principal, Ray (Melissa Leo), is a poverty-stricken mom of two boys, whose husband runs off with the money to go gambling. Through a circuitous route, Ray teams up with a young Mohawk single mom, Lila (Misty Upham), to smuggle illegal immigrants across the Canada-US border, the frozen St. Lawrence River. Courtney Hunt also spent 10 years getting to know the people she was writing about. No, not ten days. Thus, if you know anything about North American reserve cultures, you’ll appreciate the realistic tid-bits such as the band won’t allow Lila to buy a big car because they know she wants to use it to smuggle. The word has come down, and the young used car salesman on the Mohawk reserve has to point her to the compacts which would never make it across the frozen river. Courtney Hunt brings a serious, academic brain to movie making. I love to read a script or see a movie by someone who thinks like a good novelist. While it may be trendy to have the latest pyrotechnics from rock videos, it only means that you can make a movie that looks good, but is probably full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. While it may be commendable to learn your craft on day-time television, it can easily mean that you learn how to make the puerile more palatable but still unsatisfying. Ms Hunt has a B. A., Sarah Lawrence College, a law degree from Northeastern University, and then an MFA from Columbia. Courtney Hunt also has a good movie pedigree. Her favourites are movies from the mid-70s to the early 80s. Her favourites include Alice Doesn’t Live Here Any More, Paper Moon, and The 400 Blows, and let’s throw in one from a few years earlier, Dr. Zhivago.. She likes directors such as Bogdanovich, Scorcese, Paul Schrader, and Sidney Polllack. These guys are not on the current trendy list, and they are great directors. Courtney Hunt is smart, confident, and tactful. If you want to see all of these traits at work, read her interview with a woman at the intellectual The Huffington Review: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/melissa-silverstein/interview-with-courtney-h_b_116411.html Hunt absolutely refuses to bite at the simplistic feminist line thrown out time and time again. Sure, she wrote and directed a movie about two women with feminist issues involved, but that does not mean that she is not well beyond knee-jerk feminism. I particularly welcomed her comments as to why men like the movie: “If suspense keeps me viable then that's good. The next generation of men are totally comfortable seeing a woman protagonist as long as she's doing something. These relationship movies won't appeal to them . . . Everything doesn't have to be va va voom in order to keep the male viewer watching. A woman engaged in fascinating action is just as interesting as a guy, in fact more so since we've seen guys pretty much do everything.“ The suspense works because we care about Ray and her kids. One of the most moving scenes for me was when her 15 year old son ( a captivating performance by Charlie McDermott) has to look after things on Christmas eve. He doesn’t know where his mother really is—she says she’s working late. As usual he’s taking care of his little 5-year old brother, the water pipes under the trailer freeze, there are no presents under the Christmas tree, and he tries to shoulder the burden. What if the ubiquitous cops catch Ray and Lila? Courtney Hunt knows exactly what the themes of her movie are (how refreshing!): Doing the right thing even though you are disadvantaged, and moving beyond your racial biases. Right on! This doesn’t mean the movie is perfect. There are a few awkward scenes. And at the crucial turning point in the movie, I was not sure why Ray made the decision she did—until I thought about it for a day. This might be a bit too subtle for the average viewer, and one sentence of dialogue such as “It was my idea” would solve the issue. The film was shot in 24 days in mid-winter around Plattsburgh, NY, for under 1 million dollars. Hunt is not afraid of the cold, and her husband, the executive produceer, showed major support by rtaising money from every fellow lawyer, every business person, every donor he could find, even while the shooting was going on. The entire crew and cast should be proud of the product. The movie is certinaly worth seeing!
]]>Sun, 12 Apr 2009 18:55:22 GMTJimBellJimBell Blog4/12/2009 2:55:22 PMFrozen River (2008) is such a good movie because of Courtney Hunt, its writer and director. Although Courtney was born and raised in Tennessee, she can relate to the characters of up-state New York. She was raised by a single-mom from age 3 on, and this no doubt gives her empathy with the two main characters and moms in Frozen River. The principal, Ray (Melissa Leo), is a poverty-stricken mom of two boys, whose husband runs off with the money to go gambling. Through a circuitous route, Ray teams up with a young Mohawk single mom, Lila (Misty Upham), to smuggle illegal immigrants across the Canada-US border, the frozen St. Lawrence River. Courtney Hunt also spent 10 years getting to know the people she was writing about. No, not ten days. Thus, if you know anything about North American reserve cultures, you’ll appreciate the realistic tid-bits such as the band won’t allow Lila to buy a big car because they know she wants to use it to smuggle. The word has come down, and the young used car salesman on the Mohawk reserve has to point her to the compacts which would never make it across the frozen river. Courtney Hunt brings a serious, academic brain to movie making. I love to read a script or see a movie by someone who thinks like a good novelist. While it may be trendy to have the latest pyrotechnics from rock videos, it only means that you can make a movie that looks good, but is probably full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. While it may be commendable to learn your craft on day-time television, it can easily mean that you learn how to make the puerile more palatable but still unsatisfying. Ms Hunt has a B. A., Sarah Lawrence College, a law degree from Northeastern University, and then an MFA from Columbia. Courtney Hunt also has a good movie pedigree. Her favourites are movies from the mid-70s to the early 80s. Her favourites include Alice Doesn’t Live Here Any More, Paper Moon, and The 400 Blows, and let’s throw in one from a few years earlier, Dr. Zhivago.. She likes directors such as Bogdanovich, Scorcese, Paul Schrader, and Sidney Polllack. These guys are not on the current trendy list, and they are great directors. Courtney Hunt is smart, confident, and tactful. If you want to see all of these traits at work, read her interview with a woman at the intellectual The Huffington Review: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/melissa-silverstein/interview-with-courtney-h_b_116411.html Hunt absolutely refuses to bite at the simplistic feminist line thrown out time and time again. Sure, she wrote and directed a movie about two women with feminist issues involved, but that does not mean that she is not well beyond knee-jerk feminism. I particularly welcomed her comments as to why men like the movie: “If suspense keeps me viable then that's good. The next generation of men are totally comfortable seeing a woman protagonist as long as she's doing something. These relationship movies won't appeal to them . . . Everything doesn't have to be va va voom in order to keep the male viewer watching. A woman engaged in fascinating action is just as interesting as a guy, in fact more so since we've seen guys pretty much do everything.“ The suspense works because we care about Ray and her kids. One of the most moving scenes for me was when her 15 year old son ( a captivating performance by Charlie McDermott) has to look after things on Christmas eve. He doesn’t know where his mother really is—she says she’s working late. As usual he’s taking care of his little 5-year old brother, the water pipes under the trailer freeze, there are no presents under the Christmas tree, and he tries to shoulder the burden. What if the ubiquitous cops catch Ray and Lila? Courtney Hunt knows exactly what the themes of her movie are (how refreshing!): Doing the right thing even though you are disadvantaged, and moving beyond your racial biases. Right on! This doesn’t mean the movie is perfect. There are a few awkward scenes. And at the crucial turning point in the movie, I was not sure why Ray made the decision she did—until I thought about it for a day. This might be a bit too subtle for the average viewer, and one sentence of dialogue such as “It was my idea” would solve the issue. The film was shot in 24 days in mid-winter around Plattsburgh, NY, for under 1 million dollars. Hunt is not afraid of the cold, and her husband, the executive produceer, showed major support by rtaising money from every fellow lawyer, every business person, every donor he could find, even while the shooting was going on. The entire crew and cast should be proud of the product. The movie is certinaly worth seeing! http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2009/3/20/41149.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 3/20/2009 4:01:19 PM
Body: In honor of the 75th anniversary of the New York Film Critics Circle, this year’s New Directors/New Films festival will devote a week of matinees to previous NYFCC Best Director winners, selected and presented by current members of the critics group. The can’t-miss of the lineup looks to be the infamously contrarian Armond White’s presentation of Whit Stillman’s Metropolitan, which takes place on April 1. The other critics are David Fear, Marshall Fine, Lisa Schwarzbaum and Peter Travers; the other films are Half Nelson, Big Night, Frozen River and In the Company of Men. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Fri, 20 Mar 2009 20:01:19 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com3/20/2009 4:01:19 PMIn honor of the 75th anniversary of the New York Film Critics Circle, this year’s New Directors/New Films festival will devote a week of matinees to previous NYFCC Best Director winners, selected and presented by current members of the critics group. The can’t-miss of the lineup looks to be the infamously contrarian Armond White’s presentation of Whit Stillman’s Metropolitan, which takes place on April 1. The other critics are David Fear, Marshall Fine, Lisa Schwarzbaum and Peter Travers; the other films are Half Nelson, Big Night, Frozen River and In the Company of Men. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/karina/archive/2009/3/20/41148.aspx Post By: Karina
Post To: Karina on SpoutBlog
Post Date: 3/20/2009 3:01:03 PM
Body: In honor of the 75th anniversary of the New York Film Critics Circle, this year’s New Directors/New Films festival will devote a week of matinees to previous NYFCC Best Director winners, selected and presented by current members of the critics group. The can’t-miss of the lineup looks to be the infamously contrarian Armond White’s presentation of Whit Stillman’s Metropolitan, which takes place on April 1. The other critics are David Fear, Marshall Fine, Lisa Schwarzbaum and Peter Travers; the other films are Half Nelson, Big Night, Frozen River and In the Company of Men. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » Karina Longworth
]]>Fri, 20 Mar 2009 19:01:03 GMTKarinaKarina on SpoutBlog3/20/2009 3:01:03 PMIn honor of the 75th anniversary of the New York Film Critics Circle, this year’s New Directors/New Films festival will devote a week of matinees to previous NYFCC Best Director winners, selected and presented by current members of the critics group. The can’t-miss of the lineup looks to be the infamously contrarian Armond White’s presentation of Whit Stillman’s Metropolitan, which takes place on April 1. The other critics are David Fear, Marshall Fine, Lisa Schwarzbaum and Peter Travers; the other films are Half Nelson, Big Night, Frozen River and In the Company of Men. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » Karina Longworth http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2009/2/27/40699.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 2/27/2009 6:01:44 PM
Body: Two more days until we find out who wins this year’s Academy Awards! Okay, so the exclamation point is more than forced. It’s been quite awhile since we’ve had even an ounce of excitement about the Oscars. But we mustn’t let predictability get us down. Sure, even the still-uncertain races (Penn vs. Rourke; Winslet vs. Streep; Man on Wire vs. Trouble the Water) are anything but interesting, because the everyman of 2009 couldn’t care less about who gave the year’s better performance and would probably be fine shrugging his shoulders at the TV screen in the event of a tie (or, better yet, irresolution). However, there’s one thing people keep forgetting about the Academy: they’re full of surprises. So, rather than just go with the easy, “predictable” predictions, we attempted to guess who and what will Crash the Oscars this year with a surprise victory — preferably the kind that adds an “ing” to “upset.” And once again, we’d like to extend the forecasting fun to you. What surprises do you expect and/or hope for? Or, if you’re down with the boring route, what “certain” winners do you truly believe in? And why? The most accurate comments will be reprinted in our final Oscar column on Monday. Best Picture: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button If the Academy didn’t continually cause controversial commotion with Best Picture picks like Shakespeare in Love and Crash, we wouldn’t have very much to talk about the morning after, or years later. So, in a way it’s exciting and somewhat necessary to have the occasional baffling or infuriating upsets in the top category. The one film that would piss off more people this year than any other, even more than The Reader, is Benjamin Button, especially since it pretty much already had the (dis)honor of being an undeserving Best Picture winner 15 years ago. Best Director: Stephen Daldry (The Reader) If Benjamin Button is to win Best Picture, then Danny Boyle should probably still win Best Director, because often in the years of controversial Best Picture upsets the director’s prize still goes to the (critical) favorite. Think of Steven Spielberg in ’99 and Ang Lee in ’06. But just to prove the Oscars are completely out of touch, we have to go with the Academy favorites of Daldry and the Holocaust. Both Fincher and Boyle are Oscar newbies and may have their turn with some future, more lackluster effort. Best Actress: Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married) For this category, we’re looking to the 2008 presidential election. Let’s consider Meryl Streep to be the older, more experienced, and typically well-respected candidate, who will lose to the young novice in her very first bid. Where that puts thought-to-be-a-lock Kate Winslet in the analogy is not important. As long as people keep mentioning Obama in their reasoning for why Slumdog Millionaire will win Best Picture, it’s just as fair to recognize Hathaway as the most Obama-like choice for Best Actress. Best Actor: undetermined As much as a tie in this category would be a surprising and slightly satisfying turn of events (even though it would be more appropriate in the Best Actress race, since Streep will forever be compared to Katherine Hepburn, who tied with Barbara Streisand 30 years ago), we’re looking to another political race of last year for the Best Actor decision. All we’ll know Sunday night is that it’s still down to Sean Penn and Mickey Rourke. But don’t worry, we’ll find out who actually wins in a few months. Best Supporting Actress: Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler) Just as Judy Davis probably deserved the Supporting Actress Oscar more for her performance in a Woody Allen film 16 years ago, Penelope Cruz probably deserves it more this year, also for a Woody Allen film. But Tomei is the champion of Oscar surprises, and we could very well see a repeat of 1993. At least this time she’s a little more worthy. Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight) Okay, there’s no chance of a surprise here. Because if the Oscar goes to anyone but Ledger, a crazed fan will likely blow up the Kodak. And the Academy must presume that Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister won’t conveniently have access to the detonator this time. Best Adapted Screenplay:  Eric Roth and Robin Swicord (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) Never mind the tremendous amount of work Roth put into expanding a very short story into a very, very long film. His and Swicord’s true triumph is in how they were able to rewrite Forrest Gump and repackage it well enough to fool $242 million-worth of moviegoers. Hollywood is surely obligated to reward the duo for pulling off such a double-tiered adaptation and such a well-played moneymaking scheme. Best Original Screenplay: Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon and Pete Docter (WALL-E) Yes, a lot of people are predicting this to win the Oscar, and so it won’t be quite as much a surprise as a win for Frozen River would be. But the real shocker is going to be when Kung Fu Panda wins Best Animated Feature, a repeat of its glory at the Annies, and Academy logic once again goes completely out the window. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Fri, 27 Feb 2009 23:01:44 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com2/27/2009 6:01:44 PMTwo more days until we find out who wins this year’s Academy Awards! Okay, so the exclamation point is more than forced. It’s been quite awhile since we’ve had even an ounce of excitement about the Oscars. But we mustn’t let predictability get us down. Sure, even the still-uncertain races (Penn vs. Rourke; Winslet vs. Streep; Man on Wire vs. Trouble the Water) are anything but interesting, because the everyman of 2009 couldn’t care less about who gave the year’s better performance and would probably be fine shrugging his shoulders at the TV screen in the event of a tie (or, better yet, irresolution). However, there’s one thing people keep forgetting about the Academy: they’re full of surprises. So, rather than just go with the easy, “predictable” predictions, we attempted to guess who and what will Crash the Oscars this year with a surprise victory — preferably the kind that adds an “ing” to “upset.” And once again, we’d like to extend the forecasting fun to you. What surprises do you expect and/or hope for? Or, if you’re down with the boring route, what “certain” winners do you truly believe in? And why? The most accurate comments will be reprinted in our final Oscar column on Monday. Best Picture: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button If the Academy didn’t continually cause controversial commotion with Best Picture picks like Shakespeare in Love and Crash, we wouldn’t have very much to talk about the morning after, or years later. So, in a way it’s exciting and somewhat necessary to have the occasional baffling or infuriating upsets in the top category. The one film that would piss off more people this year than any other, even more than The Reader, is Benjamin Button, especially since it pretty much already had the (dis)honor of being an undeserving Best Picture winner 15 years ago. Best Director: Stephen Daldry (The Reader) If Benjamin Button is to win Best Picture, then Danny Boyle should probably still win Best Director, because often in the years of controversial Best Picture upsets the director’s prize still goes to the (critical) favorite. Think of Steven Spielberg in ’99 and Ang Lee in ’06. But just to prove the Oscars are completely out of touch, we have to go with the Academy favorites of Daldry and the Holocaust. Both Fincher and Boyle are Oscar newbies and may have their turn with some future, more lackluster effort. Best Actress: Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married) For this category, we’re looking to the 2008 presidential election. Let’s consider Meryl Streep to be the older, more experienced, and typically well-respected candidate, who will lose to the young novice in her very first bid. Where that puts thought-to-be-a-lock Kate Winslet in the analogy is not important. As long as people keep mentioning Obama in their reasoning for why Slumdog Millionaire will win Best Picture, it’s just as fair to recognize Hathaway as the most Obama-like choice for Best Actress. Best Actor: undetermined As much as a tie in this category would be a surprising and slightly satisfying turn of events (even though it would be more appropriate in the Best Actress race, since Streep will forever be compared to Katherine Hepburn, who tied with Barbara Streisand 30 years ago), we’re looking to another political race of last year for the Best Actor decision. All we’ll know Sunday night is that it’s still down to Sean Penn and Mickey Rourke. But don’t worry, we’ll find out who actually wins in a few months. Best Supporting Actress: Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler) Just as Judy Davis probably deserved the Supporting Actress Oscar more for her performance in a Woody Allen film 16 years ago, Penelope Cruz probably deserves it more this year, also for a Woody Allen film. But Tomei is the champion of Oscar surprises, and we could very well see a repeat of 1993. At least this time she’s a little more worthy. Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight) Okay, there’s no chance of a surprise here. Because if the Oscar goes to anyone but Ledger, a crazed fan will likely blow up the Kodak. And the Academy must presume that Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister won’t conveniently have access to the detonator this time. Best Adapted Screenplay:  Eric Roth and Robin Swicord (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) Never mind the tremendous amount of work Roth put into expanding a very short story into a very, very long film. His and Swicord’s true triumph is in how they were able to rewrite Forrest Gump and repackage it well enough to fool $242 million-worth of moviegoers. Hollywood is surely obligated to reward the duo for pulling off such a double-tiered adaptation and such a well-played moneymaking scheme. Best Original Screenplay: Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon and Pete Docter (WALL-E) Yes, a lot of people are predicting this to win the Oscar, and so it won’t be quite as much a surprise as a win for Frozen River would be. But the real shocker is going to be when Kung Fu Panda wins Best Animated Feature, a repeat of its glory at the Annies, and Academy logic once again goes completely out the window. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/groups/Coming_Soon/New_Movies_2_13_Get_your_date_movie_on/216/40390/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: spout
Post To: Coming Soon
Post Date: 2/10/2009 10:29:01 PM
Body: NEW TO THEATERS 2/13 Friday the 13th -- Watch the trailer. Did you know that hospitals are busiest on full moons? Yeah, weird but true. Do you know what buildings are busiest on Friday the 13th? Tents and cabins in the wilderness. Weird, huh? The International -- Watch the trailer. I've heard some rumors that this is suprisingly good. I'm intrigued by the premise, that a large multi-national bank would use its (our) funds to support terrorists and other criminals. And hey, two winners heading the show: Naomi Watts and Clive Owen. Confessions of a Shopaholic -- Watch the trailer. Hmm. I haven't read the book, but I have bought it several times. Anyone looking forward to this? Two Lovers (limited) -- Watch the trailer. Did you know that Joaquin Phoenix has retired from acting? It's true. And now for something that's not true: Two Lovers is the first installment in a teen-fantasy-based trilogy, completed by I Beat Up the Bully In Front of Everyone and I Win The Talent Show With My Own Power Ballad. Gomorrah (limited) -- Watch the trailer. This mafia movie set in modern-day Naples won the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes, and its American release is sponsored by Martin Scorsese. This movie looks like it can boast authenticity from its head to its toes...three of the actors are tied to mob activity, and the author of Gomorrah (the book this is based on) has been living under 24-hour protection since the book's release. NEW TO DVD 2/10 Blindness -- Watch the trailer. Sort of like Children of Men, but is it as good? Listen to Filmcouch. Burn After Reading -- Watch the trailer. Foot Fist Way -- Watch the trailer. I liked this one a lot. Listen to the review. Frozen River -- Watch the trailer. Won Grand Jury Prize for Best Dramatic Feature at Sundance 2008. Miracle at St. Anna -- Watch the trailer. Just a heads-up, I haven't heard one good thing about this movie. Son of Rambow -- Watch the trailer. Soul Men -- Watch the trailer. The final film performances of Isaak Hayes and Bernie Mac. W. -- Watch the trailer. Eh, it was so-so.
]]>Wed, 11 Feb 2009 03:29:01 GMTspoutComing Soon2/10/2009 10:29:01 PMNEW TO THEATERS 2/13 Friday the 13th -- Watch the trailer. Did you know that hospitals are busiest on full moons? Yeah, weird but true. Do you know what buildings are busiest on Friday the 13th? Tents and cabins in the wilderness. Weird, huh? The International -- Watch the trailer. I've heard some rumors that this is suprisingly good. I'm intrigued by the premise, that a large multi-national bank would use its (our) funds to support terrorists and other criminals. And hey, two winners heading the show: Naomi Watts and Clive Owen. Confessions of a Shopaholic -- Watch the trailer. Hmm. I haven't read the book, but I have bought it several times. Anyone looking forward to this? Two Lovers (limited) -- Watch the trailer. Did you know that Joaquin Phoenix has retired from acting? It's true. And now for something that's not true: Two Lovers is the first installment in a teen-fantasy-based trilogy, completed by I Beat Up the Bully In Front of Everyone and I Win The Talent Show With My Own Power Ballad. Gomorrah (limited) -- Watch the trailer. This mafia movie set in modern-day Naples won the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes, and its American release is sponsored by Martin Scorsese. This movie looks like it can boast authenticity from its head to its toes...three of the actors are tied to mob activity, and the author of Gomorrah (the book this is based on) has been living under 24-hour protection since the book's release. NEW TO DVD 2/10 Blindness -- Watch the trailer. Sort of like Children of Men, but is it as good? Listen to Filmcouch. Burn After Reading -- Watch the trailer. Foot Fist Way -- Watch the trailer. I liked this one a lot. Listen to the review. Frozen River -- Watch the trailer. Won Grand Jury Prize for Best Dramatic Feature at Sundance 2008. Miracle at St. Anna -- Watch the trailer. Just a heads-up, I haven't heard one good thing about this movie. Son of Rambow -- Watch the trailer. Soul Men -- Watch the trailer. The final film performances of Isaak Hayes and Bernie Mac. W. -- Watch the trailer. Eh, it was so-so. http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2009/1/22/39777.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 1/22/2009 10:01:03 AM
Body: The nominations for the 81st Annual Academy Awards were announced this morning, and they likely have upset a large number of people in the comic book geek community. Yes, the most obvious snubs have to do with The Dark Knight, which failed to garner nods for Best Picture, Best Director or even Best Screenplay — yes, obviously Heath Ledger was at least nominated. And at least the comic book adaptation did get a few craft awards, including Best Cinematography. Could we blame the Academy’s usual penchant for Holocaust movies? Perhaps, since The Reader was a surprise nominee for Best Picture and Best Director. What else was overlooked and what else was shockingly present? My immediate thoughts after the jump: Kate Winslet will not be able to achieve the same kind of double-duty win she achieved at the Golden Globes, because despite the surprising noms for The Reader, the film did not recieve a Best Supporting Actress nod. Fortunately, she did at least acquire a nomination for Best Actress for Revolutionary Road. And maybe as a consolation for her lack of two nominations, the Academy will feel it’s their obligation to give her the Oscar. Winslet is joined in the lead actress category by expected nominees Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway and also by non-sure things Angelina Jolie and Melissa Leo. The glaring “snub” is of course Golden Globe winner Sally Hawkins, who is the most upsetting omission in the eyes of this blogger. I’d even expected Cate Blanchett over Jolie, who can now make the Oscars a family affair since the other half of Brangelina is also nominated, for Best Actor. Waltz with Bashir somehow didn’t make it into the Best Animated Film trio, although nobody should attack Bolt because of this snub (surely you didn’t see it, and it is indeed worthy). Bashir did at least receive recognition in the Best Foreign Film category, which it will most surely win. Many people thought Gran Torino came out just at the right time to garner Clint Eastwood an acting nomination and maybe even a Best Picture nod, as well. But what could have been this year’s Crash is nowhere to be found among the nominees. As if The Dark Knight snubs weren’t enough to get young audiences protesting this year’s Oscars, there were also no Best Original Song nods for High School Musical 3 or even expected nominee Miley Cyrus, who cowrote a song for Bolt with Jeffrey Steele. And speaking of this category, is there any reason that there are only three nominees, none of which are for predicted winner Bruce Springsteen? I almost always have at least one issue with the Best Original Screenplay category, but if Courtney Hunt’s script for Frozen River is one of the best of the year, then Jenny Lumet, Woody Allen and Charlie Kaufman should all just pack up and retire. Wait, nevermind, because it’s snubs like these that have us once again saying that the Oscars are a joke. For the full list of nominees, head to Oscar.com. Or, if you don’t like drop menus, Variety. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Thu, 22 Jan 2009 15:01:03 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com1/22/2009 10:01:03 AMThe nominations for the 81st Annual Academy Awards were announced this morning, and they likely have upset a large number of people in the comic book geek community. Yes, the most obvious snubs have to do with The Dark Knight, which failed to garner nods for Best Picture, Best Director or even Best Screenplay — yes, obviously Heath Ledger was at least nominated. And at least the comic book adaptation did get a few craft awards, including Best Cinematography. Could we blame the Academy’s usual penchant for Holocaust movies? Perhaps, since The Reader was a surprise nominee for Best Picture and Best Director. What else was overlooked and what else was shockingly present? My immediate thoughts after the jump: Kate Winslet will not be able to achieve the same kind of double-duty win she achieved at the Golden Globes, because despite the surprising noms for The Reader, the film did not recieve a Best Supporting Actress nod. Fortunately, she did at least acquire a nomination for Best Actress for Revolutionary Road. And maybe as a consolation for her lack of two nominations, the Academy will feel it’s their obligation to give her the Oscar. Winslet is joined in the lead actress category by expected nominees Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway and also by non-sure things Angelina Jolie and Melissa Leo. The glaring “snub” is of course Golden Globe winner Sally Hawkins, who is the most upsetting omission in the eyes of this blogger. I’d even expected Cate Blanchett over Jolie, who can now make the Oscars a family affair since the other half of Brangelina is also nominated, for Best Actor. Waltz with Bashir somehow didn’t make it into the Best Animated Film trio, although nobody should attack Bolt because of this snub (surely you didn’t see it, and it is indeed worthy). Bashir did at least receive recognition in the Best Foreign Film category, which it will most surely win. Many people thought Gran Torino came out just at the right time to garner Clint Eastwood an acting nomination and maybe even a Best Picture nod, as well. But what could have been this year’s Crash is nowhere to be found among the nominees. As if The Dark Knight snubs weren’t enough to get young audiences protesting this year’s Oscars, there were also no Best Original Song nods for High School Musical 3 or even expected nominee Miley Cyrus, who cowrote a song for Bolt with Jeffrey Steele. And speaking of this category, is there any reason that there are only three nominees, none of which are for predicted winner Bruce Springsteen? I almost always have at least one issue with the Best Original Screenplay category, but if Courtney Hunt’s script for Frozen River is one of the best of the year, then Jenny Lumet, Woody Allen and Charlie Kaufman should all just pack up and retire. Wait, nevermind, because it’s snubs like these that have us once again saying that the Oscars are a joke. For the full list of nominees, head to Oscar.com. Or, if you don’t like drop menus, Variety. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/groups/Community_Recommendations/Re_Collaboration_Best_Films_of_2008/643/38519/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: rjsprague
Post To: Community Recommendations
Post Date: 12/17/2008 11:48:42 PM
Body: [quote user="seely"] Maybe this is old news already, but AFI just release their Top 10 of 2008, which I've copied and linked-up below. I have a thread about it going over in Its a Wonderful Night for Oscar, but thought it might add some fuel to the discussion here too! [quote user="seely"] Just came across this page over on AFI's site... its their top 10 of 2008. AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR-OFFICIAL SELECTIONS THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON THE DARK KNIGHT FROST/NIXON FROZEN RIVER GRAN TORINO IRON MAN MILK WALL•E WENDY AND LUCY THE WRESTLER Theres a few rather obvious selections on there but a few I find rather baffling. AFI offers no explanation/rationale for the selections but Ironman and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button? I saw Iron Man, and thought it was good, but not exactly what I would consider to be a truly "great" film. I haven't seen Benjamin Button, but its gotten mixed reviews at best and not what I would consider a runaway pick for a best of list. Any thoughts? Maybe a few titles that should have been on here but arent?[/quote] [/quote] All I could think was "What the hell? Iron Man?" Who are these idiots? Iron Man was NOT a great film. It was a mediocre action film based on a marvel comic book series, which basically guarantees its mediocrity. Who is this AFI person anyway!? (=D)
]]>Thu, 18 Dec 2008 04:48:42 GMTrjspragueCommunity Recommendations12/17/2008 11:48:42 PM[quote user="seely"] Maybe this is old news already, but AFI just release their Top 10 of 2008, which I've copied and linked-up below. I have a thread about it going over in Its a Wonderful Night for Oscar, but thought it might add some fuel to the discussion here too! [quote user="seely"] Just came across this page over on AFI's site... its their top 10 of 2008. AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR-OFFICIAL SELECTIONS THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON THE DARK KNIGHT FROST/NIXON FROZEN RIVER GRAN TORINO IRON MAN MILK WALL•E WENDY AND LUCY THE WRESTLER Theres a few rather obvious selections on there but a few I find rather baffling. AFI offers no explanation/rationale for the selections but Ironman and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button? I saw Iron Man, and thought it was good, but not exactly what I would consider to be a truly "great" film. I haven't seen Benjamin Button, but its gotten mixed reviews at best and not what I would consider a runaway pick for a best of list. Any thoughts? Maybe a few titles that should have been on here but arent?[/quote] [/quote] All I could think was "What the hell? Iron Man?" Who are these idiots? Iron Man was NOT a great film. It was a mediocre action film based on a marvel comic book series, which basically guarantees its mediocrity. Who is this AFI person anyway!? (=D) http://www.spout.com/groups/Community_Recommendations/Re_Collaboration_Best_Films_of_2008/643/38442/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: seely
Post To: Community Recommendations
Post Date: 12/16/2008 11:25:25 AM
Body: Maybe this is old news already, but AFI just release their Top 10 of 2008, which I've copied and linked-up below. I have a thread about it going over in Its a Wonderful Night for Oscar, but thought it might add some fuel to the discussion here too! [quote user="seely"] Just came across this page over on AFI's site... its their top 10 of 2008. AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR-OFFICIAL SELECTIONS THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON THE DARK KNIGHT FROST/NIXON FROZEN RIVER GRAN TORINO IRON MAN MILK WALL•E WENDY AND LUCY THE WRESTLER Theres a few rather obvious selections on there but a few I find rather baffling. AFI offers no explanation/rationale for the selections but Ironman and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button? I saw Iron Man, and thought it was good, but not exactly what I would consider to be a truly "great" film. I haven't seen Benjamin Button, but its gotten mixed reviews at best and not what I would consider a runaway pick for a best of list. Any thoughts? Maybe a few titles that should have been on here but arent?[/quote]
]]>Tue, 16 Dec 2008 16:25:25 GMTseelyCommunity Recommendations12/16/2008 11:25:25 AMMaybe this is old news already, but AFI just release their Top 10 of 2008, which I've copied and linked-up below. I have a thread about it going over in Its a Wonderful Night for Oscar, but thought it might add some fuel to the discussion here too! [quote user="seely"] Just came across this page over on AFI's site... its their top 10 of 2008. AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR-OFFICIAL SELECTIONS THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON THE DARK KNIGHT FROST/NIXON FROZEN RIVER GRAN TORINO IRON MAN MILK WALL•E WENDY AND LUCY THE WRESTLER Theres a few rather obvious selections on there but a few I find rather baffling. AFI offers no explanation/rationale for the selections but Ironman and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button? I saw Iron Man, and thought it was good, but not exactly what I would consider to be a truly "great" film. I haven't seen Benjamin Button, but its gotten mixed reviews at best and not what I would consider a runaway pick for a best of list. Any thoughts? Maybe a few titles that should have been on here but arent?[/quote] http://www.spout.com/groups/It_s_a_Wonderful_Night_for_Oscar/AFI_s_Top_10_of_2008/46/38400/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: seely
Post To: It's a Wonderful Night for Oscar!
Post Date: 12/15/2008 2:40:55 PM
Body: Just came across this page over on AFI's site... its their top 10 of 2008. AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR-OFFICIAL SELECTIONS THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON THE DARK KNIGHT FROST/NIXON FROZEN RIVER GRAN TORINO IRON MAN MILK WALL•E WENDY AND LUCY THE WRESTLER Theres a few rather obvious selections on there but a few I find rather baffling. AFI offers no explanation/rationale for the selections but Ironman and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button? I saw Iron Man, and thought it was good, but not exactly what I would consider to be a truly "great" film. I haven't seen Benjamin Button, but its gotten mixed reviews at best and not what I would consider a runaway pick for a best of list. Any thoughts? Maybe a few titles that should have been on here but arent?
]]>Mon, 15 Dec 2008 19:40:55 GMTseelyIt's a Wonderful Night for Oscar!12/15/2008 2:40:55 PMJust came across this page over on AFI's site... its their top 10 of 2008. AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR-OFFICIAL SELECTIONS THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON THE DARK KNIGHT FROST/NIXON FROZEN RIVER GRAN TORINO IRON MAN MILK WALL•E WENDY AND LUCY THE WRESTLER Theres a few rather obvious selections on there but a few I find rather baffling. AFI offers no explanation/rationale for the selections but Ironman and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button? I saw Iron Man, and thought it was good, but not exactly what I would consider to be a truly "great" film. I haven't seen Benjamin Button, but its gotten mixed reviews at best and not what I would consider a runaway pick for a best of list. Any thoughts? Maybe a few titles that should have been on here but arent? http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/drama/MemberTagFilms.aspxdrama
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