Supporting Actress Re-Up

First of all, apologies for not being able to update the blog last week. I had an unexpected family emergency that prevented me from being able to post here and at South Dakota Dark. Nobody died or anything, but it's something I never want to go through again.

Unfortunately, I'm a little behind on my updates now, but I did manage to make a few changes in Supporting Actress today. I decided you guys were right about Kelly MacDonald, so I threw in Helena Bonham Carter for the hell of it. Maybe Sweeney Todd will be a hit after all.



In the meantime, I'll be sure to post updates more frequently all week. I need to get the pages updated by Friday. This means I'll have to postpone the Everything Oscar! Movie Club discussion one more week, but this is the last time you'll ever hear me delay it. I'm really looking forward to discussing "The Age of Innocence" with you all in the coming days.

Anyway, enough of my problems: how have your Supporting Actress predix changed from last week? Do you think Sweeney Todd will be a hit? And is Blanchett really going to win for playing another famous American figure?

J.Hud Takes Manhattan

Sorry for the pause in the predix updates, but you have to check out the first exclusive look at Jennifer Hudson on the set of the "Sex and the Ciy" movie, due in theaters in May 2008.

Are we looking at next year's Best Costume Design winner? It's about time a contemporary designer took home the gold.

DVD Tuesday: Knocked Up

I'm guessing you've already seen Judd Apatow's box office/critical smash "Knocked Up," but just in case you haven't, run to your nearest Blockbuster or Best Buy and watch it today. After nearly 9 months of movie watching, "Knocked Up" is still sitting pretty atop my Best Films of 2007 list. It probably won't last forever, so I'll cherish the moment while I can.



More predix updates continue tomorrow!

Fall Updates: Best Supporting Actress

Fall Predix Updates continue with BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS.

I didn't want to go too "Atonement" crazy but seeing that it's already 100% fresh at RottenTomatoes - after 20 reviews, no less - I figured now would be a good time to add Redgrave and Ronan.

In the meantime, I'm sticking with Cate Blanchett, whose standout reviews in "I'm Not There" pretty much assure her a nomination, and Kelly MacDonald. I still haven't heard anything substantial about MacDonald's "No Country for Old Men" but since the movie doesn't open for another couple of weeks, I don't see the harm in keeping her around.



As for Jennfer Jason Leigh, while "Margot at the Wedding" seems to be dividing critics left and right, I think her performance will be strong enough to override the negative buzz that might come her way. Of all the actors in the running this year, she's probably the most due for a nomination.

What do you think? What are YOUR predictions for Best Supporting Actress?

YouTube Clip of the Week: A History of Violence

To celebrate the release of "Eastern Promises," here's a clip from David Cronenberg's "A History of Violence." Hopefully the combination will lead Viggo to a Best Actor nomination this year.

Enjoy!



(predix updates continue tomorrow)

Weekend Screening Schedule

More Oscar contenders push out of the gate this week, including the Brad Pitt vehicle "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" and the Oprah-endorsed "Into the Wild."

Also opening in wide release is "Eastern Promises," David Cronenberg's critically received mob drama that deserves more Oscar recognition than it'll probably get.

If none of these titles interest you, be sure to check out the Everything Oscar! Movie Club selection for September: "The Age of Innocence" starring Daniel Day-Lewis, and Michelle Pfeiffer, directed by Oscar-winner Martin Scorsese (ah, it still feels good to say that). Screening discussion will be held on SEPTEMBER 30TH, not September 23rd as originally planned.

Enjoy.

Fall Predix Continue: Best Actress

My 2007 predix updates continue today, this time with BEST ACTRESS.

Don't be alarmed by the lack of changes. I decided at the last second to keep my original lineup from June. Part of me wanted to get rid of Cate Blanchett, but the fact that reviews of "The Golden Age" were so divisive at Toronto left me thining I should wait and see when it opens nationwide. Then I'll make an official decision.

But I don't have too much faith in Blanchett right now - at least in this category. In fact, I don't really have faith in any of the contenders this year, save Keira Knightley and to a lesser extent Marion Cotillard.

Could we be in for another light year in the Best Actress race, or will things pick up in the coming months? Also: who am I forgetting?

"I'm Not There": Final Poster

Cate gets the spotlight (again):

More predix updates tomorrow.

Fall Predix Begin

I'd recap the Emmys, but it's time to focus on other awards show, like the one we're all here for.

Fall predix have begun today, beginning with BEST ACTOR, and will continue to roll out over the next week or two. So far I haven't made too many changes, but I had to make room for Tommy Lee Jones, whose performance in "In the Valley of Elah" has garnered rave after rave after rave. A nomination seems like a sure thing at this point.

What do you think? What does YOUR Best Actor lineup look like?

Open Ended Emmy Thread

I won't be live blogging the Emmys this year. Instead I'll just be a casual viewer. But I will post periodically in the comments section in case the winners suck or something, which is likely. This is the Emmys after all.

Discuss away!

Weekend Screening Schedule

Brace yourselves, kiddies. This is the weekend that will change the Oscar race as we know it.

Why? Well, three films, Eastern Promises, The Brave One and In the Valley of Elah, are the first fall releases to generate massive Oscar buzz. I actually went to a screening of the former last night. Unfortunately, the projector broke 30 minutes in, but I can say that the beginning was rather promising, pun intended.

The Brave One seems to be more of a love it/hate it picture but Jodie Foster has been universally praised, which should put her at the forefront of the Best Actress race. The same can be said for Tommy Lee Jones, who had a graet run at the Toronto Film Festival.

What are you watching this weekend?

"The Bucket List" Trailer

I remember this getting some buzz for Nicholson awhile back. Here's the trailer: http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809812665/video/4070964/standardformat/

What do you think? Is Nicholson on his way to another nomination or will the movie be too schmaltzy for its own good?

Jon Stewart: Take 2?

According to the NY Times, Jon Stewart is expected to host the 80th Annual Academy Awards in March of 2008.

Full story:

The Academy Awards haven’t exactly turned into a yearly show with Jon Stewart. But Mr. Stewart, the political satirist and star of “The Daily Show,” is getting another shot at the Oscar podium.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which bestows the Oscars, is expected to bring back Mr. Stewart, who was host of the ceremony in 2006. An announcement is scheduled for Wednesday, according to two people involved with the plan who spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to talk to the news media.

A spokesman for the academy declined to comment.

And a publicist for Mr. Stewart declined to comment. The show, scheduled for Feb. 24 on ABC, will be produced by Gil Cates, who was also the producer when Mr. Stewart made his appearance in 2006.

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I was personally hoping for Ellen DeGeneres, but part of me wants to give Stewart a second chance just to see if he can finally live up to the enormous expectations set in 2005.

What do you think? Who would you like to see host the Oscars this year?

Dave Karger on Toronto

Of all the Oscar pundits out there, Entertainment Weekly's Dave Karger is probably the best. Not only is he good at what he does, he also has this calm, "everything's going to be ok" demeanor whenever he's on TV, which helps when the rest of us are busy freaking out.

Here is his take on the Toronto Film Festival so far, done Oscar style:

Dave Karger presents...the Tor-Oscars

Sep 11, 2007, 01:46 PM by Dave Karger
Categories: Film

The Toronto International Film Festival doesn't really give out awards (except an audience prize). But now that I'm back from five days up north, I'd like to create my own prizes for this year's crop of films. Let's call them the Tor-Oscars. And the winners are:

BEST PICTURE: Michael Clayton (pictured) With amazing performances by George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, and Tom Wilkinson; a tightly-coiled script by writer-director Tony Gilroy; and a humdinger of an ending, this isn't just the movie of the festival, in my opinion. It's the movie of the year.

BEST DIRECTOR: Joe Wright, Atonement Before Pride & Prejudice, no one had really heard of this young Brit. But after his masterful work on Atonement, including a mind-blowing 5-minute tracking shot, no one will forget him.

BEST ACTOR: Tommy Lee Jones, In the Valley of Elah As the father of a missing soldier, the tough guy shows a hidden softer side — and delivers the performance of his career.
BEST ACTRESS: Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age Yes, we've seen her play this character before. But Blanchett is a screaming, scheming force of nature in this sequel, which she simply owns.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild The veteran actor doesn't show up in Sean Penn's film until the 2-hour mark, but thanks to his gutsy, heartbreaking performance, his sequence is by far the most moving.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Jennifer Garner, Juno The star of Alias and The Kingdom does no butt-kicking in this sweet comedy. Instead, as a young wife desperately hoping to adopt, she's funny, a bit tough, and unbelievably touching.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Steve Knight, Eastern Promises A past Oscar nominee for Dirty Pretty Things, Knight fashions a vivid story of gangsters, midwives, and second chances in seedy London...and lays the groundwork for a career-high performance by Viggo Mortensen.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY, Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men As they did with Fargo, the brilliant brothers use violence (and dashes of humor) to make us think about the way we, as individuals and a nation, live — and fight.

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I'm guessing a lot of his picks will show up at the Kodak this season. Although I should add this is the first time I've ever heard about Jennifer Garner's performance in "Juno." It's a movie that also has Ebert buzzing, which you can read about here.

What do you think?

J.Hud and the City

I kid you not.

Source: Variety.

"Dreamgirls" Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson has joined the cast of New Line's "Sex and the City: The Movie."

Hudson, who's in final negotiations, will portray the assistant to Sarah Jessica Parker's Carrie Bradshaw. Pic revolves around the lives of the four main "Sex and the City" characters, four years after the time frame of the finale of the HBO series, which wrapped its six-year run in 2004.

Hudson recently completed work on the drama "Winged Creatures."

Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon and Chris Noth have signed to reprise their roles, and Michael Patrick King, skein's longtime creative leader and exec producer, is set to write and direct.

The film will be produced by King with Parker, John Melfi and Darren Star, who created the series, based on autobiographical columns penned by Candace Bushnell.

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This is like, the craziest, most awesome news ever.

Gil Cates Returns as Oscar Producer

Coming Soon reports that Gil Cates will return to produce the Oscars for the 14th time in March of 2008.



Good news for him, sure, but the mistakes he made at the 2004 ceremony still linger. Let's just hope the 80th anniversary doesn't inspire him to do anything too outlandish (No Beyonce!)

What do you think?

Reviews from Toronto

Lots of reviews are already pouring in from Toronto, including first looks at such highly anticipated Oscar contenders as "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" and "Eastern Promises."

I'll have better coverage for you guys in the week ahead, but in the meantime be sure to check out AwardsDaily for the latest news and reviews.

From what I can tell already, Eastern Promises will be a hit with the critics, while The Golden Age won't.

I can't say I expected anything different (sorry, Caters!)

Blanchett, Pitt, Lust, Caution Win at Venice

The Venice Film Festival gave out top honors to some of Hollywood's biggest stars this afternoon. Among the winners were Brad Pitt for Best Actor ("The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford") and Cate Blanchett for Best Actress ("I'm Not There").

Ang Lee, meanwhile, took home the Golden Lion for "Lust, Caution," making it his 2nd win in 2 years.

More results HERE.

New "There Will Be Blood Trailer"

Give it a look here. (link fixed...hopefully)

I haven't seen it yet, but tell me: is it the Oscar contender everyone expects it to be?

The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All-Time (As Chosen by Time Magazine)

With the Emmys only a week or two away I thought this might be a good read for all you TV lovers.

Link HERE.

What do you think of the list? And what is your choice for the greatest TV show of all time?

Variety on "I'm Not There"

Here's a fresh take on Todd Haynes' "I'm Not There" courtesy of critic Todd McCarthy:

A densely idiosyncratic, cubist-like cinematic portrait of a man who often calls to mind Bob Dylan, Todd Haynes' "I'm Not There" resembles a film a precocious grad student in musicology might make about a creative hero. Stylistically audacious in the way it employs six different actors and assorted visual styles to depict various aspects of the troubadour's life and career, the film nevertheless lacks a narrative and a center, much like the "ghost" at its core. Dylan fans and '60s-era pop-culture mavens will constitute pic's most reliable audience, as mainstream interest will remain unstirred.

READ THE REST!


PS - Sorry for all the review posts lately, but that's what happens during festival season. In fact it's only going to get worse, what with Toronto just around the corner. Brace yourselves, bloggers! The race is about to change (predix will be updated accordingly)

YouTube Clip of the Week: The Devil Wears Prada

Because seeing "The Nanny Diaries" last night reminded me of how good (and better) "Prada" is.

Also, this being labor day, this clip should make you thankful for whatever job you currently have. ;)

Enjoy.

Everything Oscar! Movie Club Presents...: The Age of Innocence

This month, the Everything Oscar! Movie Club will be screening Martin Scorsese's "The Age of Innoncence," nominated for 4 Academy Awards including Best Supporting Actress (Winona Ryder). I actually haven't seen it before, so I'm interested in seeing how this will all go down.

In the meantime, start checking your local video stores or updating your Netflix queues. Then join us for another all day discussion thread on Sunday, September 23rd.

Enjoy, and happy viewing!