list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around Happy-Go-Lucky 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/Happy_Go_Lucky/361481/default.aspx Title: Happy-Go-Lucky
Year: 2008
Director: Mike Leigh
Plot: Sally Hawkins and Eddie Marsan star in director Mike Leigh's lighthearted comedy concerning an eternally optimistic teacher living and working in North London. Thirty-year-old teacher Poppy (Hawkins) always has a smile on her face, and does her best to brighten the days of those around her by making small talk and cracking jokes. For the past ten years, Poppy has lived with her best friend, Zoe (Alexis Zegerman), a fellow teacher whose wry outlook on life serves as the perfect counterbalance to Poppy's effervescent charm. One day, after her bike is stolen, Poppy decides that it's time to take driving lessons and enrolls in the Axle School of Motoring. Almost instantly, Poppy and her stressed-out instructor, Scott (Eddie Marsan), clash. Still, it seems that there's more to this relationship than surface appearances would suggest. After accompanying her colleague Heather (Sylvestra Le Touzel) to a tango class taught by a particularly passionate instructor (Karina Fernandaz), Poppy connects with kindly school social worker Tim (Samuel Roukin). Of course, Tim can't help but fall for a woman of such boundless compassion, but how will Poppy's increasingly jealous driving instructor react to the news of her most recent romance? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 36
Number of Lists: 22
Number of blog posts: 16
Number of discussion threads: 3
SpoutRating: 3
]]>Thu, 07 May 2009 01:44:13 GMTHappy-Go-Lucky2008Mike Leigh<a href="http://www.spout.com/players/P___319906/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Sally Hawkins</a> and <a href="http://www.spout.com/players/P___296367/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Eddie Marsan</a> star in director <a href="http://www.spout.com/players/P____99264/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Mike Leigh</a>'s lighthearted comedy concerning an eternally optimistic teacher living and working in North London. Thirty-year-old teacher Poppy (Hawkins) always has a smile on her face, and does her best to brighten the days of those around her by making small talk and cracking jokes. For the past ten years, Poppy has lived with her best friend, Zoe (Alexis Zegerman), a fellow teacher whose wry outlook on life serves as the perfect counterbalance to Poppy's effervescent charm. One day, after her bike is stolen, Poppy decides that it's time to take driving lessons and enrolls in the Axle School of Motoring. Almost instantly, Poppy and her stressed-out instructor, Scott (<a href="http://www.spout.com/players/P___296367/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Eddie Marsan</a>), clash. Still, it seems that there's more to this relationship than surface appearances would suggest. After accompanying her colleague Heather (Sylvestra Le Touzel) to a tango class taught by a particularly passionate instructor (Karina Fernandaz), Poppy connects with kindly school social worker Tim (Samuel Roukin). Of course, Tim can't help but fall for a woman of such boundless compassion, but how will Poppy's increasingly jealous driving instructor react to the news of her most recent romance? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide36Tag Target (>10)221633http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/s361481.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Happy_Go_Lucky/361481/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/blogs/apulrang/archive/2009/3/22/41188.aspx Post By: apulrang
Post To: apulrang Blog
Post Date: 3/22/2009 6:12:42 PM
Body: I'd like to know a Poppy. As Director Mike Leigh says in the DVD commentary, "I wish that I'd been taught in elementary school by teachers like Poppy. I think I'd be a better person for it if I had been. And I'm sure you feel the same."
]]>Sun, 22 Mar 2009 22:12:42 GMTapulrangapulrang Blog3/22/2009 6:12:42 PM I'd like to know a Poppy. As Director Mike Leigh says in the DVD commentary, "I wish that I'd been taught in elementary school by teachers like Poppy. I think I'd be a better person for it if I had been. And I'm sure you feel the same." http://www.spout.com/groups/Coming_Soon/3_13_New_movies_Oscar_nominees_hit_DVD_plus_t/216/40910/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: spout
Post To: Coming Soon
Post Date: 3/9/2009 3:04:31 PM
Body: HITTING THEATERS 3/13 Disney's latest leading man: Dwayne Johnson in Race to Witch Mountain Race to Witch Mountain -- Watch trailer. This has Brendan Fraser's name written all over it, but it's starring Fraser's remake, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Of course, Brendan Fraser is a remake of Kurt Russell, and I bet that if the original Escape to Witch Mountain (1975) had starred a young, sexy hero (not the older Eddie Albert), it would've been Disney favorite Kurt Rusell (remember The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes and The Strongest Man in the World?). PS - I'm mostly joking; I like Dwayne Johnson. Standing on the shoulders of Swedes: The Last House on the Left The Last House on the Left -- Watch trailer. Produced by Wes Craven, this is a remake of the Craven-directed The Last House on the Left (1972), which was kind of like Sam Peckinpah's Straw Dogs (1971), which is loosely based on a novel (The Siege of Trencher's Farm) but reminiscent of Ingmar Bergman's The Virgin Spring (1959), which was inspired by the Swedish ballad "Torres dotter i Wange," which is purportedly based on true events... The Whitest Boys U'Know: Miss March Miss March -- Watch trailer. A young guy wakes from a 4-year coma to find that his high school sweetheart gave up waiting for him to become a pin-up for Playboy. Needless to say, the guy sets out for the Playboy mansion to reclaim his old girlfriend; also needless to say, he's joined by a sex-crazed friend. LIMITED RELEASE Dirty movie: Sunshine Cleaning Sunshine Cleaning -- Watch trailer. Amy Adams plays a short-on-cash mother who's determined to send her son to a quality private school. Adams reluctantly enlists the help of her sister (Emily Blunt) to start a cleaning service that specializes in crime scene clean-up and bio-hazard removal. Is it just me, or do you pick up on an indie cash-cow vibe? I mean, could it really only be a coincidence that it's called "Sunshine" Cleaning when it's being billed as the next movie from the producers of Little Miss "Sunshine"? But ultimately, any pandering to the audience may not matter if Sunshine Cleaning is actually good. And with actors like Blunt and Adams, Alan Arkin and Steve Zahn, I've got high hopes. They ain't heavy, they's my brothers: Brothers at War Brothers at War -- Watch trailer. Documentary filmmaker Jake Rademacher's two brothers are soldiers. Jake spent three and a half years on this film, staying with four army units over two trips to Iraq, exploring his brothers' service and motivation. This very personal film appears to reveal a lot that's universal, as Rademacher seeks to understand what the soldiers in Iraq continue to experience. Dennis Quaid takes the bait: The Horsemen The Horsemen -- Watch trailer. Dennis Quaid, widowed detective, finds chilling connections between himself and the victims of a serial killer who's obsessed with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. To me, this still sounds like Se7en, Part Two. I guess whether that's a good or bad thing depends on your point of view. ________________________________________ NEW TO DVD 3/10 -- Oscar films hit the shelves Oscar alumni 1. Milk -- Watch trailer. The one Best Picture nominee that probably could've taken the laurel leaves from Slumdog Millionaire. I haven't seen it yet--I was too busy watching The Wrestler three times. 2. Der Baader Meinhof Complex -- Watch trailer. This Oscar-nominated foreign film looks really good, even considering I don't know what's happening in that intense trailer! Check it out! 3. Happy-Go-Lucky -- Watch trailer. It's considered one of the biggest snubs of the Oscars that charming star Sally Hawkins wasn't nominated for Best Actress. 4. Rachel Getting Married -- Watch trailer. FilmCouch's Kevin Buist says Anne Hathaway is great in an otherwise grating, tiring, "annoying" movie about...you guessed it: family conflicts. Huh, I guess content equals form after all. Blockbusters (and wannabes) 5. Role Models -- Watch trailer. Paul Rudd and Sean William Scott are funny together, but the film coasts way too long during the scenes of LARPing (live action role playing). 6. Transporter 3 -- Watch trailer. I haven't seen any of these yet, would you guys recommend them? I do always like Jason Statham, even when he's in bad movies. 7. Max Payne -- Watch trailer. Mark Wahlberg. Video game movie. Much stylized violence. 8. Repo! The Genetic Opera -- Watch trailer. Interesting-sounding shocker set in a future where a mysterious epidemic of organ failures turns healthy organs into a precious commodity. When organ buyers fail to make good on their payment plans, their organs must be re-possessed... 9. Saw V and Saw Goreology: Movies 1 - 5 -- Watch trailer to Saw V. It's a Saw movie, you know the drill. Hey, was that a pun? Lil' nuggets 10. Let the Right One In -- Watch trailer. Best vampire movie ever? Looks like it to me. 11. Synechdoche, New York -- Watch trailer. The Charlie Kaufman-penned film stars Philip Seymour Hoffman. I've heard the film is intellectually demanding, but I've never felt like I've wasted my time watching something written by Kaufman. 12. Battle in Seattle -- Watch trailer. This feature recounts the events of the 1999 World Trade Organization and the ensuing riots. 13. Rocker -- Watch trailer. The Office's Rainn Wilson stars as a one-time promising rocker who now, 20 years later, gets a second chance. 14. Cadillac Records -- Watch trailer. The word: good actors, good music, so-so film.
]]>Mon, 09 Mar 2009 19:04:31 GMTspoutComing Soon3/9/2009 3:04:31 PMHITTING THEATERS 3/13 Disney's latest leading man: Dwayne Johnson in Race to Witch Mountain Race to Witch Mountain -- Watch trailer. This has Brendan Fraser's name written all over it, but it's starring Fraser's remake, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Of course, Brendan Fraser is a remake of Kurt Russell, and I bet that if the original Escape to Witch Mountain (1975) had starred a young, sexy hero (not the older Eddie Albert), it would've been Disney favorite Kurt Rusell (remember The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes and The Strongest Man in the World?). PS - I'm mostly joking; I like Dwayne Johnson. Standing on the shoulders of Swedes: The Last House on the Left The Last House on the Left -- Watch trailer. Produced by Wes Craven, this is a remake of the Craven-directed The Last House on the Left (1972), which was kind of like Sam Peckinpah's Straw Dogs (1971), which is loosely based on a novel (The Siege of Trencher's Farm) but reminiscent of Ingmar Bergman's The Virgin Spring (1959), which was inspired by the Swedish ballad "Torres dotter i Wange," which is purportedly based on true events... The Whitest Boys U'Know: Miss March Miss March -- Watch trailer. A young guy wakes from a 4-year coma to find that his high school sweetheart gave up waiting for him to become a pin-up for Playboy. Needless to say, the guy sets out for the Playboy mansion to reclaim his old girlfriend; also needless to say, he's joined by a sex-crazed friend. LIMITED RELEASE Dirty movie: Sunshine Cleaning Sunshine Cleaning -- Watch trailer. Amy Adams plays a short-on-cash mother who's determined to send her son to a quality private school. Adams reluctantly enlists the help of her sister (Emily Blunt) to start a cleaning service that specializes in crime scene clean-up and bio-hazard removal. Is it just me, or do you pick up on an indie cash-cow vibe? I mean, could it really only be a coincidence that it's called "Sunshine" Cleaning when it's being billed as the next movie from the producers of Little Miss "Sunshine"? But ultimately, any pandering to the audience may not matter if Sunshine Cleaning is actually good. And with actors like Blunt and Adams, Alan Arkin and Steve Zahn, I've got high hopes. They ain't heavy, they's my brothers: Brothers at War Brothers at War -- Watch trailer. Documentary filmmaker Jake Rademacher's two brothers are soldiers. Jake spent three and a half years on this film, staying with four army units over two trips to Iraq, exploring his brothers' service and motivation. This very personal film appears to reveal a lot that's universal, as Rademacher seeks to understand what the soldiers in Iraq continue to experience. Dennis Quaid takes the bait: The Horsemen The Horsemen -- Watch trailer. Dennis Quaid, widowed detective, finds chilling connections between himself and the victims of a serial killer who's obsessed with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. To me, this still sounds like Se7en, Part Two. I guess whether that's a good or bad thing depends on your point of view. ________________________________________ NEW TO DVD 3/10 -- Oscar films hit the shelves Oscar alumni 1. Milk -- Watch trailer. The one Best Picture nominee that probably could've taken the laurel leaves from Slumdog Millionaire. I haven't seen it yet--I was too busy watching The Wrestler three times. 2. Der Baader Meinhof Complex -- Watch trailer. This Oscar-nominated foreign film looks really good, even considering I don't know what's happening in that intense trailer! Check it out! 3. Happy-Go-Lucky -- Watch trailer. It's considered one of the biggest snubs of the Oscars that charming star Sally Hawkins wasn't nominated for Best Actress. 4. Rachel Getting Married -- Watch trailer. FilmCouch's Kevin Buist says Anne Hathaway is great in an otherwise grating, tiring, "annoying" movie about...you guessed it: family conflicts. Huh, I guess content equals form after all. Blockbusters (and wannabes) 5. Role Models -- Watch trailer. Paul Rudd and Sean William Scott are funny together, but the film coasts way too long during the scenes of LARPing (live action role playing). 6. Transporter 3 -- Watch trailer. I haven't seen any of these yet, would you guys recommend them? I do always like Jason Statham, even when he's in bad movies. 7. Max Payne -- Watch trailer. Mark Wahlberg. Video game movie. Much stylized violence. 8. Repo! The Genetic Opera -- Watch trailer. Interesting-sounding shocker set in a future where a mysterious epidemic of organ failures turns healthy organs into a precious commodity. When organ buyers fail to make good on their payment plans, their organs must be re-possessed... 9. Saw V and Saw Goreology: Movies 1 - 5 -- Watch trailer to Saw V. It's a Saw movie, you know the drill. Hey, was that a pun? Lil' nuggets 10. Let the Right One In -- Watch trailer. Best vampire movie ever? Looks like it to me. 11. Synechdoche, New York -- Watch trailer. The Charlie Kaufman-penned film stars Philip Seymour Hoffman. I've heard the film is intellectually demanding, but I've never felt like I've wasted my time watching something written by Kaufman. 12. Battle in Seattle -- Watch trailer. This feature recounts the events of the 1999 World Trade Organization and the ensuing riots. 13. Rocker -- Watch trailer. The Office's Rainn Wilson stars as a one-time promising rocker who now, 20 years later, gets a second chance. 14. Cadillac Records -- Watch trailer. The word: good actors, good music, so-so film. http://www.spout.com/blogs/jimbell/archive/2009/2/10/40381.aspx Post By: JimBell
Post To: JimBell Blog
Post Date: 2/10/2009 2:23:26 PM
Body: I’m not sure why I like Happy-Go-Lucky (2008) so much. For one reason, I was worried when I heard it was a portrait of a relentlessly happy person, but Poppy’s (Sally Hawkins) happiness is far from mono-dimensional. While she is bubbly most of the time, she has her down times when she recharges her batteries by walking for miles through London. While she is genuinely happy a lot of the time, at other times she forces herself to appear happy, as if believing she will become what she acts. Beneath the varieties of happiness we see a person of genuine compassion, giving our bon vivant a depth of character that makes getting to know her interesting. I think I like Poppy because she is so unlike me. Freud’s old rival, Carl Jung, gives a convincing explanation of this phenomenon. The human personality has a few core characteristics which everyone has on a continuum--for example, introverted-to-extroverted. In early adulthood we latch onto one end of the continuum much more than the other. For the next quarter century, people down-play one end of the continuum, maybe rigorously denying it, maybe letting it peak through once in awhile. But after a 20-30 years, the side we de-emphasized wants to come out, leading to what is popularly known as “mid-life crisis.” Anyway, I am serious, and I find the happy-go-lucky a wonderful change. I think I like the movie because it manifests the truism that how we look at things is more important than what happens. As Thich Nhat Hanh, the Buddhist monk, says in Peace is Every Step, our daily activities can be done mechanically or grudgingly or joyously—how amazing to eat that food, how great to wash those dishes, how joyful to help our friends. In Happy-Go-Lucky, nothing much happens, and that is the point. Poppy goes to work as a teacher and enjoys herself (when she could complain about yet another boring crafts project for little children). Poppy goes out on the town with her girl friends and has a blast on the dance floor (when she could complain about being an old maid at 30, about no good men, about . . .). She works at making everyday activities the stuff of a happy life. I think I like the movie because the supporting characters/actors are so good. As we have come to expect from Mike Leigh movies where the characters and dialogue are “workshopped” instead of written ahead of time, the characters ring true. Eddie Marsan, who plays Poppy’s driving instructor, is riveting, and he gets my vote (along with K. Ledger in The Dark Knight) as best supporting actor of 2008. It is crucial for the movie that Poppy come head to head with someone as unhappy and serious as she is carefree. Alexis Zegerman, who plays Poppy’s roommate of 10 years, slowly emerges as another crucial character as we see that she and Poppy do love one another. I am pleased to note that both Marsan and Zegerman were nominated for best supporting by the London Critics Circle, and that both won best supporting at the British Independent Film Awards. It’s one of those rare movies I’d watch again.
]]>Tue, 10 Feb 2009 19:23:26 GMTJimBellJimBell Blog2/10/2009 2:23:26 PMI&rsquo;m not sure why I like Happy-Go-Lucky (2008) so much. For one reason, I was worried when I heard it was a portrait of a relentlessly happy person, but Poppy&rsquo;s (Sally Hawkins) happiness is far from mono-dimensional. While she is bubbly most of the time, she has her down times when she recharges her batteries by walking for miles through London. While she is genuinely happy a lot of the time, at other times she forces herself to appear happy, as if believing she will become what she acts. Beneath the varieties of happiness we see a person of genuine compassion, giving our bon vivant a depth of character that makes getting to know her interesting. I think I like Poppy because she is so unlike me. Freud&rsquo;s old rival, Carl Jung, gives a convincing explanation of this phenomenon. The human personality has a few core characteristics which everyone has on a continuum--for example, introverted-to-extroverted. In early adulthood we latch onto one end of the continuum much more than the other. For the next quarter century, people down-play one end of the continuum, maybe rigorously denying it, maybe letting it peak through once in awhile. But after a 20-30 years, the side we de-emphasized wants to come out, leading to what is popularly known as &ldquo;mid-life crisis.&rdquo; Anyway, I am serious, and I find the happy-go-lucky a wonderful change. I think I like the movie because it manifests the truism that how we look at things is more important than what happens. As Thich Nhat Hanh, the Buddhist monk, says in Peace is Every Step, our daily activities can be done mechanically or grudgingly or joyously&mdash;how amazing to eat that food, how great to wash those dishes, how joyful to help our friends. In Happy-Go-Lucky, nothing much happens, and that is the point. Poppy goes to work as a teacher and enjoys herself (when she could complain about yet another boring crafts project for little children). Poppy goes out on the town with her girl friends and has a blast on the dance floor (when she could complain about being an old maid at 30, about no good men, about . . .). She works at making everyday activities the stuff of a happy life. I think I like the movie because the supporting characters/actors are so good. As we have come to expect from Mike Leigh movies where the characters and dialogue are &ldquo;workshopped&rdquo; instead of written ahead of time, the characters ring true. Eddie Marsan, who plays Poppy&rsquo;s driving instructor, is riveting, and he gets my vote (along with K. Ledger in The Dark Knight) as best supporting actor of 2008. It is crucial for the movie that Poppy come head to head with someone as unhappy and serious as she is carefree. Alexis Zegerman, who plays Poppy&rsquo;s roommate of 10 years, slowly emerges as another crucial character as we see that she and Poppy do love one another. I am pleased to note that both Marsan and Zegerman were nominated for best supporting by the London Critics Circle, and that both won best supporting at the British Independent Film Awards. It&rsquo;s one of those rare movies I&rsquo;d watch again. http://www.spout.com/blogs/mconrad3/archive/2009/2/3/40220.aspx Post By: mconrad3
Post To: mconrad3 Blog
Post Date: 2/3/2009 8:59:56 PM
Body: I'll admit I'm not the happiest person around. In fact, it's not even on the top ten words you'd use to describe me. So you can imagine my sentiments when one of my friends suggested I see a film called Happy-Go-Lucky. It took some pushing, but I finally got around to checking it out for myself. I'm surprised to say I ended up liking it, if not wondering why the last couple of movies I've seen have one hour expositions. Poppy, a young grammar school teacher living in London, seems to be eternally happy. I'll admit for the first thirty minutes or so I thought she may have been mentally damaged. This may have been due to my disbelief at her lighthearted attitude toward everything, but somehow discovering she was an elementary school teacher cleared a lot of that up. As the film continues on we learn more about her life bit by bit and her philosophies as she takes driving lessons from her disgruntled teacher, Scott, and visits her family and friends. The story never really lost me, but I couldn't help but feel it required some cutting. It seems as if the first hour of the film wanders randomly without too much of a singular driving force and only really serves as exposition. The last forty minutes is where the heart of the story is, but it takes a little too long to get there. Sure there needs to be an exposition, I just don't think it should continue without any real conflict for too long. The over all pacing suffers as a result and it seems as if there are really only two acts in the entire pictures. That being said, I tought the whole thing was still an entertaining and compelling movie. The characters hold your interest the whole way through and the performances are generally pretty good. I just wish some of them show up more than two times. The flamenco teacher, for example, appears briefly only in two scenes where I thought she could have been balanced out throughout the course of the film. Driving instructor Scott acts as a good foil for Poppy, but his conflicts aren't quite resolved by the end and it leaves you wondering what is going to become of him. I was apprehensive when I approached this film. I didn't want it to be ahamfisted portrayal of how people "just need to be happy more". Thankfully, Poppy's attitude merely turned out to be her way of nonconforming and not being as wound up as her pregnant and married younger sister. The overall message was to be more laid back about things and roll with the punches when they come. You don't have to greet everyone with a smile, but if that's what keeps you going, then go for it.
]]>Wed, 04 Feb 2009 01:59:56 GMTmconrad3mconrad3 Blog2/3/2009 8:59:56 PMI'll admit I'm not the happiest person around. In fact, it's not even on the top ten words you'd use to describe me. So you can imagine my sentiments when one of my friends suggested I see a film called Happy-Go-Lucky. It took some pushing, but I finally got around to checking it out for myself. I'm surprised to say I ended up liking it, if not wondering why the last couple of movies I've seen have one hour expositions. Poppy, a young grammar school teacher living in London, seems to be eternally happy. I'll admit for the first thirty minutes or so I thought she may have been mentally damaged. This may have been due to my disbelief at her lighthearted attitude toward everything, but somehow discovering she was an elementary school teacher cleared a lot of that up. As the film continues on we learn more about her life bit by bit and her philosophies as she takes driving lessons from her disgruntled teacher, Scott, and visits her family and friends. The story never really lost me, but I couldn't help but feel it required some cutting. It seems as if the first hour of the film wanders randomly without too much of a singular driving force and only really serves as exposition. The last forty minutes is where the heart of the story is, but it takes a little too long to get there. Sure there needs to be an exposition, I just don't think it should continue without any real conflict for too long. The over all pacing suffers as a result and it seems as if there are really only two acts in the entire pictures. That being said, I tought the whole thing was still an entertaining and compelling movie. The characters hold your interest the whole way through and the performances are generally pretty good. I just wish some of them show up more than two times. The flamenco teacher, for example, appears briefly only in two scenes where I thought she could have been balanced out throughout the course of the film. Driving instructor Scott acts as a good foil for Poppy, but his conflicts aren't quite resolved by the end and it leaves you wondering what is going to become of him. I was apprehensive when I approached this film. I didn't want it to be ahamfisted portrayal of how people "just need to be happy more". Thankfully, Poppy's attitude merely turned out to be her way of nonconforming and not being as wound up as her pregnant and married younger sister. The overall message was to be more laid back about things and roll with the punches when they come. You don't have to greet everyone with a smile, but if that's what keeps you going, then go for it. http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2009/1/9/39313.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 1/9/2009 1:00:40 PM
Body: We’re less than two weeks away from receiving this year’s Oscar nominations, and though none of the major categories are completely predictable just yet, each has at least three or four certain favorites. Meanwhile, the final slots for Best Picture, Best Director and the acting and screenwriting categories may be simply a random grab from small handfuls of rotating contenders. As of now, it doesn’t appear we’ll be seeing any huge surprises come the morning of January 22nd, when the Academy announces the nominees. The Dark Knight is sure to become the first comic book film up for Best Picture, and it won’t even be a shocker if animated feature Wall-E is listed alongside it in the same category. But the ballots don’t need to be mailed out until Monday, so I’m taking one last chance to reach out to the procrastinators within the Academy membership. If you still don’t know who and what to write in, and you’re unwilling to go the safe route and nominate the expected bunch of films and talent, then consider some of these underdogs, under-appreciated and pretty much unlikely possibilities: Best Picture: Rachel Getting Married There was a time when Jonathan Demme’s “Altmanesque” family drama was thought a frontrunner for the Academy’s top prize, but now it looks like it may not even garner a much-deserved Original Screenplay nod for Jenny Lumet, let alone Best Picture. Anne Hathaway is still a good bet in the Best Actress category, though she’s perhaps the least worthy element of the film. Demme deserves his first Best Director nomination in 17 years for reinventing and revitalizing his career with such a rich ensemble piece, while editor Tim Squyres needs to be recognized for piecing together the ingredients so perfectly. I could go on and on about more individual achievements that need be honored (I’ve already spotlighted Robyn Hitchcock’s worth), so let’s just sum it all up and say Rachel Getting Married is highly worthy of being nominated for Best Picture. Best Director: Mike Leigh, Happy-Go-Lucky Like Jonathan Demme, Mike Leigh is one of the finest living directors in terms of working with actors. They both constantly get Oscar-worthy (if not Academy-recognized) performances from otherwise serviceable thespians, yet Leigh is typically more regarded for his screenwriting, for which he’s received three Oscar nominations against two directorial nominations. With Happy-Go-Lucky, it’s more his directing skill that shines through, and if the Academy can’t find room to honor either Sally Hawkins or Eddie Marsan (respectively for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor) they might want to nominate Leigh, since neither would have been so remarkable without his leadership. Best Actress: Michelle Williams, Wendy and Lucy For the minimalist kind of films that Kelly Reichardt makes, most filmmakers would rather go with an unknown lead than with a familiar, gossip magazine-friendly actress, even one as talented as Michelle Williams. Yet the former Oscar nominee disappears into the role of Wendy in Wendy and Lucy, so much that it’s easy to forget that she’s a famous movie star. She seems as fresh and unknown as any actor in a De Sica or, more currently, a Ramin Bahrani film. The Academy will likely overlook Williams this year, not so much because the film was barely distributed, but because she doesn’t give a particularly flashy performance. Plus, although the actress appears relatively unfamiliar on screen, it isn’t the kind of “unrecognizable” transformation that Oscar prefers with beautiful young starlets. Best Supporting Actress: Bette Midler, Then She Found Me If a performance is great and nobody sees it, is it still Oscar-worthy? Of course, but it’s not likely to be nominated. I don’t foresee any Academy members scrambling to rent Helen Hunt’s terrific directorial debut, Then She Found Me, this weekend, which is too bad. Bette was back this past year and just as good as, if not better than, before. She was lively yet somewhat reserved compared to what we expect from her. The two-time Best Actress nominee will hopefully receive her due win one day, probably in the supporting category and as a career-honoring nod, but it may not be as deserving as this. Best Actor: Josh Brolin, W. I’ve already written a whole column about why Brolin should receive a Best Actor nomination for W., so I needn’t devote too much more space here. Apparently he’s gained more heat for his supporting role in Milk, though, and while that should be plenty recognition for him this year, I continue to hope for a double nomination. His two performances this year are equally amazing, and they couldn’t be more different, despite how they may both be deemed villainous roles. Best Supporting Actor: Mark Walton, Bolt Let me first acknowledge that I got this idea from Bolt’s biggest fan, Kristopher Tapley of In Contention, who called Mark Walton’s voice acting, “the closest I’ve ever come to considering a vocal performance Oscar-worthy since Ellen Degeneres in ‘Finding Nemo.’” I don’t necessarily agree with Tapley’s decision to put Bolt at #2 on his Best of 2008 list, but I would love to see a non-actor like Walton be recognized non-traditionally for vocal work, a form of acting that doesn’t garner enough consideration. Who needs big name casting in an animated film when a storyboard artist gives a more hilarious vocal performance than even Jack Black? Best Original Screenplay: Charlie Kaufman, Synecdoche, New York Kaufman may need some fine-tuning in the directorial department (though he did a pretty good job for a first-timer), but his latest screenplay, for Synecdoche, New York, is every bit as brilliant as his three Oscar-nominated scripts (one of which, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, was a winner). There’s not much originality in the attempt to put everything into a screenplay — in fact, it’s a common mistake for narcissistic novices — but Kaufman is quite original for having been the first to be successful at it. Best Adapted Screenplay: James Marsh and Philippe Petit, Man on Wire There is no screenwriter credited for Man on Wire, but there had to have been some sort of adaptation involved, even if it was simply a single-page treatment and some notes about how to turn Petit’s unexceptional (though fairly enjoyable) book To Reach the Clouds into one of the most riveting documentaries of all time. Unfortunately, the lack of credit means that the Academy will certainly overlook this, the greatest cinematic storytelling of the year. And now, some extra-long shots in two of the non-major categories: Best Cinematography: Jeremy Lasky, Martin Rosenberg, Danielle Feinberg, Roger Deakins, Wall-E I almost chose Wall-E, which I don’t think should be given a Best Picture nod, for the Best Director slot, for Andrew Stanton. But if any animation filmmaker is going to break such ground, I’d rather first see Brad Bird recognized in that category. Besides, much of the innovative camera work in Wall-E is courtesy of new concepts in cinematographic technique for animation. Even if the Academy blew our minds and nominated Wall-E for Best Cinematography, Deakins, whom Pixar hired for some uncredited consultation, wouldn’t be named as one of the nominees. But since the guy is so deserving of an Oscar, why not just name him in some additional slots this year (a repeat of his double duty from 2007, he’s expected to receive two nods, for Doubt and Revolutionary Road)? Best Foreign Language Film: Tony Manero Pablo Larrain’s Tony Manero, which is Chile’s official submission to the foreign language category, is currently without a distributor in the U.S. How might that change? An Oscar nomination. Sure, not every Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Language film is guaranteed distribution, but it could help a film as highly praised as this one — recently it placed third on indieWIRE’s Critic’s Poll of the best undistributed films of the year. Currently, it’s a strong contender, though it may be just on the outside of the Academy’s top choices (it’s up against either Sweden’s Everlasting Moments or Germany’s The Baader Meinhof Complex for that last spot). Personally, I haven’t actually seen Tony Manero, but I’d really like to, and that is why I wish for it to be recognized. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Fri, 09 Jan 2009 18:00:40 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com1/9/2009 1:00:40 PMWe’re less than two weeks away from receiving this year’s Oscar nominations, and though none of the major categories are completely predictable just yet, each has at least three or four certain favorites. Meanwhile, the final slots for Best Picture, Best Director and the acting and screenwriting categories may be simply a random grab from small handfuls of rotating contenders. As of now, it doesn’t appear we’ll be seeing any huge surprises come the morning of January 22nd, when the Academy announces the nominees. The Dark Knight is sure to become the first comic book film up for Best Picture, and it won’t even be a shocker if animated feature Wall-E is listed alongside it in the same category. But the ballots don’t need to be mailed out until Monday, so I’m taking one last chance to reach out to the procrastinators within the Academy membership. If you still don’t know who and what to write in, and you’re unwilling to go the safe route and nominate the expected bunch of films and talent, then consider some of these underdogs, under-appreciated and pretty much unlikely possibilities: Best Picture: Rachel Getting Married There was a time when Jonathan Demme’s “Altmanesque” family drama was thought a frontrunner for the Academy’s top prize, but now it looks like it may not even garner a much-deserved Original Screenplay nod for Jenny Lumet, let alone Best Picture. Anne Hathaway is still a good bet in the Best Actress category, though she’s perhaps the least worthy element of the film. Demme deserves his first Best Director nomination in 17 years for reinventing and revitalizing his career with such a rich ensemble piece, while editor Tim Squyres needs to be recognized for piecing together the ingredients so perfectly. I could go on and on about more individual achievements that need be honored (I’ve already spotlighted Robyn Hitchcock’s worth), so let’s just sum it all up and say Rachel Getting Married is highly worthy of being nominated for Best Picture. Best Director: Mike Leigh, Happy-Go-Lucky Like Jonathan Demme, Mike Leigh is one of the finest living directors in terms of working with actors. They both constantly get Oscar-worthy (if not Academy-recognized) performances from otherwise serviceable thespians, yet Leigh is typically more regarded for his screenwriting, for which he’s received three Oscar nominations against two directorial nominations. With Happy-Go-Lucky, it’s more his directing skill that shines through, and if the Academy can’t find room to honor either Sally Hawkins or Eddie Marsan (respectively for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor) they might want to nominate Leigh, since neither would have been so remarkable without his leadership. Best Actress: Michelle Williams, Wendy and Lucy For the minimalist kind of films that Kelly Reichardt makes, most filmmakers would rather go with an unknown lead than with a familiar, gossip magazine-friendly actress, even one as talented as Michelle Williams. Yet the former Oscar nominee disappears into the role of Wendy in Wendy and Lucy, so much that it’s easy to forget that she’s a famous movie star. She seems as fresh and unknown as any actor in a De Sica or, more currently, a Ramin Bahrani film. The Academy will likely overlook Williams this year, not so much because the film was barely distributed, but because she doesn’t give a particularly flashy performance. Plus, although the actress appears relatively unfamiliar on screen, it isn’t the kind of “unrecognizable” transformation that Oscar prefers with beautiful young starlets. Best Supporting Actress: Bette Midler, Then She Found Me If a performance is great and nobody sees it, is it still Oscar-worthy? Of course, but it’s not likely to be nominated. I don’t foresee any Academy members scrambling to rent Helen Hunt’s terrific directorial debut, Then She Found Me, this weekend, which is too bad. Bette was back this past year and just as good as, if not better than, before. She was lively yet somewhat reserved compared to what we expect from her. The two-time Best Actress nominee will hopefully receive her due win one day, probably in the supporting category and as a career-honoring nod, but it may not be as deserving as this. Best Actor: Josh Brolin, W. I’ve already written a whole column about why Brolin should receive a Best Actor nomination for W., so I needn’t devote too much more space here. Apparently he’s gained more heat for his supporting role in Milk, though, and while that should be plenty recognition for him this year, I continue to hope for a double nomination. His two performances this year are equally amazing, and they couldn’t be more different, despite how they may both be deemed villainous roles. Best Supporting Actor: Mark Walton, Bolt Let me first acknowledge that I got this idea from Bolt’s biggest fan, Kristopher Tapley of In Contention, who called Mark Walton’s voice acting, “the closest I’ve ever come to considering a vocal performance Oscar-worthy since Ellen Degeneres in ‘Finding Nemo.’” I don’t necessarily agree with Tapley’s decision to put Bolt at #2 on his Best of 2008 list, but I would love to see a non-actor like Walton be recognized non-traditionally for vocal work, a form of acting that doesn’t garner enough consideration. Who needs big name casting in an animated film when a storyboard artist gives a more hilarious vocal performance than even Jack Black? Best Original Screenplay: Charlie Kaufman, Synecdoche, New York Kaufman may need some fine-tuning in the directorial department (though he did a pretty good job for a first-timer), but his latest screenplay, for Synecdoche, New York, is every bit as brilliant as his three Oscar-nominated scripts (one of which, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, was a winner). There’s not much originality in the attempt to put everything into a screenplay — in fact, it’s a common mistake for narcissistic novices — but Kaufman is quite original for having been the first to be successful at it. Best Adapted Screenplay: James Marsh and Philippe Petit, Man on Wire There is no screenwriter credited for Man on Wire, but there had to have been some sort of adaptation involved, even if it was simply a single-page treatment and some notes about how to turn Petit’s unexceptional (though fairly enjoyable) book To Reach the Clouds into one of the most riveting documentaries of all time. Unfortunately, the lack of credit means that the Academy will certainly overlook this, the greatest cinematic storytelling of the year. And now, some extra-long shots in two of the non-major categories: Best Cinematography: Jeremy Lasky, Martin Rosenberg, Danielle Feinberg, Roger Deakins, Wall-E I almost chose Wall-E, which I don’t think should be given a Best Picture nod, for the Best Director slot, for Andrew Stanton. But if any animation filmmaker is going to break such ground, I’d rather first see Brad Bird recognized in that category. Besides, much of the innovative camera work in Wall-E is courtesy of new concepts in cinematographic technique for animation. Even if the Academy blew our minds and nominated Wall-E for Best Cinematography, Deakins, whom Pixar hired for some uncredited consultation, wouldn’t be named as one of the nominees. But since the guy is so deserving of an Oscar, why not just name him in some additional slots this year (a repeat of his double duty from 2007, he’s expected to receive two nods, for Doubt and Revolutionary Road)? Best Foreign Language Film: Tony Manero Pablo Larrain’s Tony Manero, which is Chile’s official submission to the foreign language category, is currently without a distributor in the U.S. How might that change? An Oscar nomination. Sure, not every Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Language film is guaranteed distribution, but it could help a film as highly praised as this one — recently it placed third on indieWIRE’s Critic’s Poll of the best undistributed films of the year. Currently, it’s a strong contender, though it may be just on the outside of the Academy’s top choices (it’s up against either Sweden’s Everlasting Moments or Germany’s The Baader Meinhof Complex for that last spot). Personally, I haven’t actually seen Tony Manero, but I’d really like to, and that is why I wish for it to be recognized. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2009/1/2/39035.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 1/2/2009 9:00:46 AM
Body: 2008 was not the banner year that ‘07 turned out to be, but there were still plenty of movies worth watching. Sometimes end-of-year lists look like straight Oscar predictions, with little deviance from critic to critic, not so this year. Some of our favorite stuff was not playing in a theatre near you, some of it was. For the record, our complete lists are after the jump. But first! Wholphin 7 is out now! The geniuses over at McSweeny’s have once again curated a delightful collection of rare and unseen short films. We share our thoughts about a few favorites. One film we both loved, Glory at Sea, is available for free here.   (Subscribe to FilmCouch–Spout’s weekly movie podcast–in the iTunes store or to our RSS feed and an episode will download each Friday) 0:00 - Intro, listener e-mail 2:59 - Wholphin 7 16:18 - Kevin’s list, Paul’s “soup” filmcouch-102 Paul’s unranked list: Tulpan Be Kind Rewind I Love Sarah Jane (entire film viewable) August Evening Shotgun Stories Revanche The Dark Knight Glory at Sea Kevin’s ranked list: 1. The Dark Knight 2. Let the Right One In 3. The Good, The Bad, and The Weird 4. Wall-E 5. Wellness 6. Happy-Go-Lucky 7. Glory at Sea 8. Waltz With Bashir 9. Medicine for Melancholy 10. Encounters at the End of the World Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:00:46 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com1/2/2009 9:00:46 AM 2008 was not the banner year that ‘07 turned out to be, but there were still plenty of movies worth watching. Sometimes end-of-year lists look like straight Oscar predictions, with little deviance from critic to critic, not so this year. Some of our favorite stuff was not playing in a theatre near you, some of it was. For the record, our complete lists are after the jump. But first! Wholphin 7 is out now! The geniuses over at McSweeny’s have once again curated a delightful collection of rare and unseen short films. We share our thoughts about a few favorites. One film we both loved, Glory at Sea, is available for free here.   (Subscribe to FilmCouch–Spout’s weekly movie podcast–in the iTunes store or to our RSS feed and an episode will download each Friday) 0:00 - Intro, listener e-mail 2:59 - Wholphin 7 16:18 - Kevin’s list, Paul’s “soup” filmcouch-102 Paul’s unranked list: Tulpan Be Kind Rewind I Love Sarah Jane (entire film viewable) August Evening Shotgun Stories Revanche The Dark Knight Glory at Sea Kevin’s ranked list: 1. The Dark Knight 2. Let the Right One In 3. The Good, The Bad, and The Weird 4. Wall-E 5. Wellness 6. Happy-Go-Lucky 7. Glory at Sea 8. Waltz With Bashir 9. Medicine for Melancholy 10. Encounters at the End of the World Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/lewisbostock/archive/2008/12/11/38283.aspx Post By: lewisbostock
Post To: Lewis Bostock
Post Date: 12/11/2008 11:01:16 PM
Body: Here's some spontaneous reactions to the '09 Golden Globe Nominations.Inspired by Josh Hall a.k.a skishua and his latest blog post, each reaction comfortably fits Twitter's 140 character limit, more or less.I recommended Nathaniel Rogers at The Film Experience, for exuberant Oscar coverage and accurate Oscar Predictions.In general: This wasn't good news for Rachel Getting Married, The Dark Knight and Milk. Each film earned one acting nom. Despite four potential nominations.Best Drama: An incredible snub for The Dark Knight and Milk but a big PUSH for my predicted win The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.Best Musical or Comedy: Will the Hollywood Foreign Press make the right decision and reward Happy-Go-Lucky's charm with the top prize?Best Performance by an Actress in Drama: A rough competition here, all five vaginas best beware of Sally Hawkins come Oscar time. Seriously.Best Performance by an Actor in a Drama: All five GG choices will be the five Oscar choices. Sean Penn's locked. Mickey Rourke's pockmarked.Best Performance by an Actor in Drama: Don't care for anyone here. Everyone's painfully average. And that's enough, In Bruges.Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical or Comedy: Sally Hawkins Sally Hawkins Sally Hawkins Sally Hawkins. For the love of God, Sally Hawkins. X.xBest Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role: He's worthy of a posthumous Oscar. Reward Heath Ledger for the role that KILLED him.Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role: Finally Viola Davis receives some media attention. Pity she'll loose to Penelope Cruz.Best Director - Motion Picture: Perhaps the most conventional category? This will be David Fincher's year. But watch out for Danny Boyle.Best Animated Film: Now, let's call the whole thing off. And award everything on offer to that incredibly cute robot WALL-E. Originally posted on:Lewis Bostock
]]>Fri, 12 Dec 2008 04:01:16 GMTlewisbostockLewis Bostock12/11/2008 11:01:16 PMHere's some spontaneous reactions to the '09 Golden Globe Nominations.Inspired by Josh Hall a.k.a skishua and his latest blog post, each reaction comfortably fits Twitter's 140 character limit, more or less.I recommended Nathaniel Rogers at The Film Experience, for exuberant Oscar coverage and accurate Oscar Predictions.In general: This wasn't good news for Rachel Getting Married, The Dark Knight and Milk. Each film earned one acting nom. Despite four potential nominations.Best Drama: An incredible snub for The Dark Knight and Milk but a big PUSH for my predicted win The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.Best Musical or Comedy: Will the Hollywood Foreign Press make the right decision and reward Happy-Go-Lucky's charm with the top prize?Best Performance by an Actress in Drama: A rough competition here, all five vaginas best beware of Sally Hawkins come Oscar time. Seriously.Best Performance by an Actor in a Drama: All five GG choices will be the five Oscar choices. Sean Penn's locked. Mickey Rourke's pockmarked.Best Performance by an Actor in Drama: Don't care for anyone here. Everyone's painfully average. And that's enough, In Bruges.Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical or Comedy: Sally Hawkins Sally Hawkins Sally Hawkins Sally Hawkins. For the love of God, Sally Hawkins. X.xBest Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role: He's worthy of a posthumous Oscar. Reward Heath Ledger for the role that KILLED him.Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role: Finally Viola Davis receives some media attention. Pity she'll loose to Penelope Cruz.Best Director - Motion Picture: Perhaps the most conventional category? This will be David Fincher's year. But watch out for Danny Boyle.Best Animated Film: Now, let's call the whole thing off. And award everything on offer to that incredibly cute robot WALL-E. Originally posted on:Lewis Bostock http://www.spout.com/groups/Movie_Games/Re_The_meeting/598/37807/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: csprague
Post To: Movie Games
Post Date: 12/1/2008 4:21:02 PM
Body: [quote user="Ravie13"] Sid and Nancy were sitting in a delicatessen looking rather dazed and confused. Walking the Line between the good, the bad and the ugly they sipped on ther cocktails. It was the point of no return between them. They knew what they wanted and this meeting was the last resort. Nancy looked at him. She was a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown but she kept up the charade of a happy-go-lucky valley girl. But, nervously, she pushed the drink away and looked into his tired eyes. "Sid, I want a divorce." [/quote] wow. that was impressive :) I want a divorce. lol. I can't believe that's a movie title.
]]>Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:21:02 GMTcspragueMovie Games12/1/2008 4:21:02 PM[quote user="Ravie13"] Sid and Nancy were sitting in a delicatessen looking rather dazed and confused. Walking the Line between the good, the bad and the ugly they sipped on ther cocktails. It was the point of no return between them. They knew what they wanted and this meeting was the last resort. Nancy looked at him. She was a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown but she kept up the charade of a happy-go-lucky valley girl. But, nervously, she pushed the drink away and looked into his tired eyes. "Sid, I want a divorce." [/quote] wow. that was impressive :) I want a divorce. lol. I can't believe that's a movie title. http://www.spout.com/groups/Movie_Games/The_meeting/598/37562/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: Ravie13
Post To: Movie Games
Post Date: 11/23/2008 4:54:31 AM
Body: Sid and Nancy were sitting in a delicatessen looking rather dazed and confused. Walking the Line between the good, the bad and the ugly they sipped on ther cocktails. It was the point of no return between them. They knew what they wanted and this meeting was the last resort. Nancy looked at him. She was a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown but she kept up the charade of a happy-go-lucky valley girl. But, nervously, she pushed the drink away and looked into his tired eyes. "Sid, I want a divorce."
]]>Sun, 23 Nov 2008 09:54:31 GMTRavie13Movie Games11/23/2008 4:54:31 AMSid and Nancy were sitting in a delicatessen looking rather dazed and confused. Walking the Line between the good, the bad and the ugly they sipped on ther cocktails. It was the point of no return between them. They knew what they wanted and this meeting was the last resort. Nancy looked at him. She was a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown but she kept up the charade of a happy-go-lucky valley girl. But, nervously, she pushed the drink away and looked into his tired eyes. "Sid, I want a divorce." http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/10/13/36265.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 10/13/2008 4:00:59 PM
Body: In a crowded year for Best Actress contention, Anne Hathaway could be the only first-timer to receive an Oscar nomination in the lead category, possibly going up against mainstays such as her Devil Wears Prada costar Meryl Streep and Kate Winslet, as well as the less-nominated vets Nicole Kidman and Kristen Scott Thomas. Her main competition for the outsider, dark horse position is Frozen River’s Melissa Leo (who may benefit from her film’s initiatory screener campaign even though River’s theatrical release was early and hardly noticed), and Happy-Go-Lucky’s Sally Hawkins, whose film just debuted to favorable reviews citing her brilliant (as in talented and bright) performance. But Hathaway is sure to be the victor –– even though her performance in Rachel Getting Married is hardly deserving of such an honor. The Oscar buzz for Hathaway has been high for weeks now, enough that the actress apparently joked about it in her Saturday Night Live monologue earlier this month (I thought of it as less a current-year expectation than a general career goal, but it’s made Risky Biz Blog’s Steven Zeitchik compare Hathaway to Catherine O’Hara’s buzz-afflicted character in For Your Consideration). The fact that she’s a well-known movie star should make Hathaway’s buzz continually more reportable by the press and more noticeable by both the public and the voters, which gives her some advantage over Leo and Hawkins in terms of cultural consciousness. As much as the Academy loves Streep and Winslet (and Kidman and Cate Blanchett), and as much as voters like an Oscar comeback from a relatively M.I.A. past nominee like Scott Thomas (see Julie Christie, Sissy Spacek, Ellen Burstyn, etc.), the Academy really seems to have a thing for young, pretty, popular actresses who suddenly find their (probably once-in-a-lifetime) Oscar-worthy role. Hathaway will follow the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, Winona Ryder, Elizabeth Shue, Helen Hunt, Renee Zellweger, Reese Witherspoon, Ellen Page, Charlize Theron and Keira Knightley (not to mention all of those in the Supporting Actress category), some of who have actually gone on to more nominations and therefore proven themselves deserving of their original transition into Oscar territory. However, for Hathaway it isn’t simply about box office beauties who take a pay cut and/or go bad (or at least more adult), as Tom O’Neill claims. If it were that easy, Hathaway should have been nominated for Havoc or Brokeback Mountain. Instead it’s more to do with the Oscar-favored tradition of recognizing the serious turn from the beauty-stripped Hollywood princess. And it helps Hathaway that Rachel Getting Married is additionally a strong film with countless strong performances, among which she stands out the most. But does she stand out because she’s that much better or because she’s that much more famous? To call Hathaway’s costars in Rachel comparative unknowns is a bit of an understatement. Plus, there’s the matter of Hathaway standing out because her character selfishly butts her way into attention-seeking situations. Yet despite this trait in her character and the basic plot of the film, a less-celebrated actress might have seemed more a part of the ensemble while still being the focal point of the story. It’s easy to notice Hathaway’s performance when you’re constantly reminded, thanks to star status, that it’s Hathaway as you’ve never seen her before. The sudden display of Oscar-worthy talent is what needs to be questioned, because oftentimes a surprisingly great turn by an otherwise fine actress is more the handiwork of the director than the actor or actress. Rachel helmer Jonathan Demme has a long history of nudging merely decent actors toward a nomination. Some of his one-hit-wonders include Mary Steenburgen (Melvin and Howard), Christine Lahti (Swing Shift) and Dean Stockwell (Married to the Mob), and, of course, he’s the guy who first really convinced us that Tom Hanks could be a serious actor with Philadelphia. Demme shows his talent as an actor’s director best with Rachel, as the majority of the film’s cast could just as well receive Oscar buzz if only they had more familiar names or faces. Even Oscar vet Debra Winger might have had a better shot at another nomination if she were more recognizable (seeing Rachel at a matinee filled with old folks had me hearing the “is that…?” question almost as much as I heard it during Tropic Thunder). It’s actually a bit of a shock that relative newcomer Rosemarie DeWitt, who plays the film’s titular role, appears to be gaining heat in the Supporting Actress race, though that category’s major contenders include a number of unfamiliar names, according to In Contention’s Oscar Prediction Chart. Without Demme’s direction, Hathaway might not have delivered the goods, as possibly evidenced in her lack of Oscar notice for Brokeback Mountain. Ang Lee is hardly an actor’s director, and yet Hathaway’s three main costars in that film (Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal and Michelle Williams) were each nominated by the Academy. Hathaway also stood out in that film, mostly as miscast and out-of-her-element, but she was extremely overshadowed performance-wise. A year later, she was upstaged in Prada by Streep, who went on to receive her 14th nomination. Now, with Rachel, she’s the upstager, but it’ll only be enough to get her into the pool of nominees.  Up against Streep and the other more experienced contenders, her celebrity alone won’t help her actually win. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Mon, 13 Oct 2008 20:00:59 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com10/13/2008 4:00:59 PMIn a crowded year for Best Actress contention, Anne Hathaway could be the only first-timer to receive an Oscar nomination in the lead category, possibly going up against mainstays such as her Devil Wears Prada costar Meryl Streep and Kate Winslet, as well as the less-nominated vets Nicole Kidman and Kristen Scott Thomas. Her main competition for the outsider, dark horse position is Frozen River’s Melissa Leo (who may benefit from her film’s initiatory screener campaign even though River’s theatrical release was early and hardly noticed), and Happy-Go-Lucky’s Sally Hawkins, whose film just debuted to favorable reviews citing her brilliant (as in talented and bright) performance. But Hathaway is sure to be the victor –– even though her performance in Rachel Getting Married is hardly deserving of such an honor. The Oscar buzz for Hathaway has been high for weeks now, enough that the actress apparently joked about it in her Saturday Night Live monologue earlier this month (I thought of it as less a current-year expectation than a general career goal, but it’s made Risky Biz Blog’s Steven Zeitchik compare Hathaway to Catherine O’Hara’s buzz-afflicted character in For Your Consideration). The fact that she’s a well-known movie star should make Hathaway’s buzz continually more reportable by the press and more noticeable by both the public and the voters, which gives her some advantage over Leo and Hawkins in terms of cultural consciousness. As much as the Academy loves Streep and Winslet (and Kidman and Cate Blanchett), and as much as voters like an Oscar comeback from a relatively M.I.A. past nominee like Scott Thomas (see Julie Christie, Sissy Spacek, Ellen Burstyn, etc.), the Academy really seems to have a thing for young, pretty, popular actresses who suddenly find their (probably once-in-a-lifetime) Oscar-worthy role. Hathaway will follow the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, Winona Ryder, Elizabeth Shue, Helen Hunt, Renee Zellweger, Reese Witherspoon, Ellen Page, Charlize Theron and Keira Knightley (not to mention all of those in the Supporting Actress category), some of who have actually gone on to more nominations and therefore proven themselves deserving of their original transition into Oscar territory. However, for Hathaway it isn’t simply about box office beauties who take a pay cut and/or go bad (or at least more adult), as Tom O’Neill claims. If it were that easy, Hathaway should have been nominated for Havoc or Brokeback Mountain. Instead it’s more to do with the Oscar-favored tradition of recognizing the serious turn from the beauty-stripped Hollywood princess. And it helps Hathaway that Rachel Getting Married is additionally a strong film with countless strong performances, among which she stands out the most. But does she stand out because she’s that much better or because she’s that much more famous? To call Hathaway’s costars in Rachel comparative unknowns is a bit of an understatement. Plus, there’s the matter of Hathaway standing out because her character selfishly butts her way into attention-seeking situations. Yet despite this trait in her character and the basic plot of the film, a less-celebrated actress might have seemed more a part of the ensemble while still being the focal point of the story. It’s easy to notice Hathaway’s performance when you’re constantly reminded, thanks to star status, that it’s Hathaway as you’ve never seen her before. The sudden display of Oscar-worthy talent is what needs to be questioned, because oftentimes a surprisingly great turn by an otherwise fine actress is more the handiwork of the director than the actor or actress. Rachel helmer Jonathan Demme has a long history of nudging merely decent actors toward a nomination. Some of his one-hit-wonders include Mary Steenburgen (Melvin and Howard), Christine Lahti (Swing Shift) and Dean Stockwell (Married to the Mob), and, of course, he’s the guy who first really convinced us that Tom Hanks could be a serious actor with Philadelphia. Demme shows his talent as an actor’s director best with Rachel, as the majority of the film’s cast could just as well receive Oscar buzz if only they had more familiar names or faces. Even Oscar vet Debra Winger might have had a better shot at another nomination if she were more recognizable (seeing Rachel at a matinee filled with old folks had me hearing the “is that…?” question almost as much as I heard it during Tropic Thunder). It’s actually a bit of a shock that relative newcomer Rosemarie DeWitt, who plays the film’s titular role, appears to be gaining heat in the Supporting Actress race, though that category’s major contenders include a number of unfamiliar names, according to In Contention’s Oscar Prediction Chart. Without Demme’s direction, Hathaway might not have delivered the goods, as possibly evidenced in her lack of Oscar notice for Brokeback Mountain. Ang Lee is hardly an actor’s director, and yet Hathaway’s three main costars in that film (Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal and Michelle Williams) were each nominated by the Academy. Hathaway also stood out in that film, mostly as miscast and out-of-her-element, but she was extremely overshadowed performance-wise. A year later, she was upstaged in Prada by Streep, who went on to receive her 14th nomination. Now, with Rachel, she’s the upstager, but it’ll only be enough to get her into the pool of nominees.  Up against Streep and the other more experienced contenders, her celebrity alone won’t help her actually win. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/funny/MemberTagFilms.aspxfunny
Number of films tagged: 609

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]]>Wed, 16 Dec 2009 21:10:58 GMT609317942Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/hilarious/MemberTagFilms.aspxhilarious
Number of films tagged: 222

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Number of times used: 331

]]>Mon, 03 Aug 2009 18:39:04 GMT222165331Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/friendship/MemberTagFilms.aspxfriendship
Number of films tagged: 6791

Number of people who tagged: 154

Number of times used: 980

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]]>Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:25:47 GMT543168Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/student/MemberTagFilms.aspxstudent
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]]>Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:35:57 GMT14202463Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/stalking/MemberTagFilms.aspxstalking
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]]>Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:13:40 GMT4901835Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/drinking/MemberTagFilms.aspxdrinking
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]]>Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:57:51 GMT301533Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/happy/MemberTagFilms.aspxhappy
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]]>Tue, 17 Mar 2009 20:00:31 GMT121213Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/immature/MemberTagFilms.aspximmature
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]]>Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:54:53 GMT8810Tag