Iron Man: The First Hit Movie of 2008?

Box office success is already a given for "Iron Man," but looking at the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes (93%!), and glossing over all the press its been getting (thank you, Gwyneth's legs/shoes), makes me wonder just how big this movie will actually be.


What do you guys think: Will "Iron Man" be one of the highest grossing flicks of the year, or are we in for another disappointing weekend?

Reader's Choice: #2

Kate Winslet as Clementine Kruczynski in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"
Nominated: Best Actress (2004)
And the Oscar Went to...: Hilary Swank as Maggie Fitzgerald in "Million Dollar Baby."

Clip:




I think this nomination is a testament to Kate Winslet's talent and popularity.

If you think about it, the odds of getting nominated were initially against her. The movie opened in March of 2004, a month where movies usually come and go in the blink of an eye (case and point: 10,000 B.C., College Road Trip, and Horton Hears a Who all opened in March of 2008).

But Winslet perservered. In retrospect, I think some of it had to do with the sheer popularity of Charlie Kaufman's script, but to give Kaufman full credit would undermine just how strong Winslet was here. Clementine Kruczynski is a complicated character to master. She's abrasive. She's bratty. She's temperamental, and at times, she's down right annoying. Winslet captured these layers effectively, but she did it in a way that was, of all things, endearing. By the end of the film, you never want this performance to erase from your memory.

Unfortunately, Winslet was up against an insurmountable frontrunner that year (Mizz Swank), which has become the perennial story of her Oscar career. But in this case, the nomination was a reward in itself; a great performance that voters - and readers! - remembered.

Nicole Kidman to Play Dusty Springfield?

Screenwriter Michael Cunningham says yes:

Writer Michael Cunningham knows from brilliant, troubled women. In The Hours, he fleshed out the knotty interior region of two of the greats, one fictional (Mrs. Dalloway) and one real (Mrs. Dalloway's creator, bipolar writer Virginia Woolf). No wonder we were delighted when he told us last night, at the 2008 PEN gala at the Museum of Natural History, that he's writing the screenplay for a Fox 2000 biopic of brilliant, troubled sixties chanteuse Dusty Springfield, to be played by Nicole Kidman (who, natch, played his Virginia Woolf!). So what was the essence of Dusty he was trying to get across? "She was a great artist who no one knew what to do with," he said. "She was coming into her full powers at the same time the Beatles were," he said, adding that she suddenly found herself the purveyor of a dying torchy genre. "But she is clearly going into history with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones."


So would the biopic include the lonely years in exile from the U.K. in Hollywood, the drinking and the drugging, and the tortured bisexual/lesbian feelings that wove through her checkered career, which ended when she died of cancer in 1999? "Yeah," he promised. "It's the real Dusty." Plus, he told us, he was working on a new novel, but he'd divulge nothing save that he was 74 pages in. —Tim Murphy

SOURCE.

---

Hmmm. Could this be the role that brings her back into the Oscar spotlight? The whole thing sounds very intriguing.

2008 Predix Begin: Best Picture

As promised, tonight marks the official launch of my 2008 predix, starting with BEST PICTURE.
I can't say I'm 100% confident with my selections, but right now there are about two or three unavoidable contenders.

The first is The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. It could be slightly too kooky for voters, but after "Zodiac", I'm guessing that David Fincher will be a much more prominent figure in voters' minds.

Next is Milk. I almost left it off my Best Picture predix in exchange for a lone directing nod, but I just feel like there will be no way to avoid it if it's any good. Yes, the Academy has been unkind to gay-themed films in the past, but I think Sean Penn, an Academy favorite, will calm their nerves, especially if he's a threat for the win.

Another highly buzzed movie is Revolutionary Road. I read the novel last summer and thought it was incredible, but it might be a trickier adaptation than I initially thought. Still, the Kate/Leo reunion factor is going to generate a lot of buzz, and if RR is a return to form for Sam Mendes, look for it to make the final five.

Doubt is next on the list. I'm worried about how well the Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning play will adapt to the screen, and I already think Philip Seymour Hoffman is miscast, but if Meryl really is going to win a third Oscar, maybe her buzz can push the film into the top 5.

Lastly, I'm doing something I never do this early in the game, which is to take a chance. That chance is on Austraila. I know next to nothing about the movie except that it stars Kidman & Jackman, it's directed by Baz Luhrmann, and it looks absolutely beautiful. But what about the rest? Will the story live up to the high quality production, or is this a disaster waiting to happen?

You decide!

And as far as other contenders are concerned: I've listed five films below my predictions, but the list could be extended to twenty or thirty, with films like Body of Lies and Defiance and Happy Go Lucky and The Soloist (cringe). So don't fret if you don't see something listed. I'm considering just about everything at this point.

Feel free to discuss my predix in the comments section below, and post your own as well. I'd love to see how they compare!

One question to kick things off: what the hell do we make of Steven Soderbergh's Che?

Rest Up!

Tomorrow night marks the official launch of my 2008 predix, beginning with BEST PICTURE. Right now, they're looking pretty sound, albeit very, very boring.



And on that note, who's excited?!

Reader's Choice: #3

Heath Ledger as Ennis Del Mar in "Brokeback Mountain"
Nominated: 2005 (Best Actor)
And the Oscar Went to...: Philip Seymour Hoffman as Truman Capote in "Capote."

Clip:



Now don't hate me for picking the most obvious clip, because I really do think it was the best moment in the film. I say this not beacuse of Jake Gyllenhaal's now famous line "I wish I knew how to quit you," but because of Heath's immediate reaction. This 30 second moment - "Then why don't you!" - contains every brilliant part of Ledger's performance: the wanting to love, the difficulty to express said feelings, the anger, and ultimately the heartbreak; everything that should have won him the Oscar.

In fact, having rewatched the clip, I'm a little surprised to see Ledger ranked so low on our list. Not that #3 is a low position, but given the love for "Brokeback Mountain," the snub, and Ledger's untimely death, I was expecting him to make it to the top.

Or maybe it's just because he'd be #1 on my list, if I actually sat down and wrote one. Ledger did something truly amazing in this film, something we haven't seen on film in a long time, and probably won't see for a long time, either. It belongs up there with the greats: the Brandos, the Pacinos, and the Deans. Whether or not it's up there now remains to be seen, but since his death has already immortalized this performance, I think it will be one of the few people still buzz about in 20 years, and the one most people agree should have won the Oscar.

Luckily, there's still Oscar talk in Heath's immediate future. I know many people are predicting a nomination for "The Dark Knight" already. I'm a little hesitant to follow, but it it means one last chance to nominate a great actor who probably would've had an even greater career, I'm game.

But what do you think? Am I right in high praising Ledger's performance, or is there a reason why he's #3, and not #1? Discuss below.

YouTube Clip of the Week: Kramer vs. Kramer

spoiler warning

Here's a clip from Meryl's first Oscar-winning perforamnce in "Kramer vs. Kramer." Many people, including myself, think she'll win a third for "Doubt," which would mark her first Oscar win in 26 years. Amazing.

Weekend Screening Schedule

I'm a day behind, but was anyone brave enough to see Baby Mama last night? Was it funny, or should I just save my money for Iron Man?

Reader's Choice: #4

Long week, but let's move on.


Nicole Kidman as Satine in "Moulin Rouge!"
Nominated: Best Actress (2001)
And the Oscar Went to...": Halle Berry in "Monster's Ball"

Clip:


It's interesting to follow the trajectory of Nicole Kidman's career post-Moulin Rouge!

Prior to, Nicole Kidman had established herself as a serious actress. She won a Golden Globe in 1995 for "To Die For," and then wowed many in 1999's "Eyes Wide Shut." Yet for whatever reason, she never quite reached the level of fame that her talent promise. My guess is that it had something to do with being Mrs. Tom Cruise, but let's not go there.

2001 changed everything. The moment she descended on the swing in Moulin Rouge's "Sparking Diamonds" number, it was as though a star had been born. I don't know if it was the makeup, her voice, or the pretty blue lighting, but it was like seeing an entirely new Nicole Kidman, the one we would grow to love (and sometimes hate) in the 2000s.

This is why I sometimes wonder if she should've just won the Oscar for this. I was a Sissy Spacek supporter in 2001, while being a Halle Hater, but looking back on it now, this might have been a missed opportunity for the Academy. Hate "Moulin Rouge!" all you want, but it's hard to deny how good Kidman is here. Plus: it would've saved them the headache of having to give her the Oscar one year later for the divisive "The Hours."

I also think it's this performance that formed my contentious relationship with Kidman. She's made some stupid decisions in the past couple of years, but as we saw in 2001, given the right director, she can be absolutely brilliant. Perhaps Baz can bring her back to form in "Australia"? Time will tell.

Full Cannes Schedule

Looks like Soderbergh's "Che" will premiere after all. I was thinking about putting it in my Best Pic predix for next week. I guess maybe I should. What do you think?

From AwardsDaily:

CANNES FILM FESTIVAL

IN COMPETITION
“24 City,” China, Jia Zhangke
“Adoration,” Canada, Atom Egoyan
“Changeling,” U.S., Clint Eastwood
“Che” (”The Argentine,” “Guerrilla,”) Spain, Steven Soderbergh
“Un Conte de noel,” France, Arnaud Desplechin
“Daydreams,” Turkey, Nuri Bilge Ceylan
“Delta,” Germany-Hungary, Kornel Mundruczo
“Il Divo,” Paolo Sorrentino, Italy
“Gomorra,” Italy, Matteo Garrone
“La Frontiere de l’aube,” France, Philippe Garrel
“Leonera,” Argentina-South Korea, Pablo Trapero
“Linha de Passe,” Brazil, Walter Salles, Daniela Thomas
“La Mujer sin cabeza,” Argentina, Lucrecia Martel
“My Magic,” Singapore, Eric Khoo
“The Palermo Shooting,” Germany, Wim Wenders
“Serbis,” Philippines, Brillante Mendoza
“The Silence of Lorna,” U.K.-France, Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
“Synecdoche, New York,” U.S., Charlie Kaufman
“Waltz With Bashir,” Israel, Ari Folma

OUT OF COMPETITION
“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” U.S., Steven Spielberg
“Kung Fu Panda,” U.S., Mark Osborne, John Stevenson
“The Good, the Bad, the Weird,” South Korea, Kim Jee-woon
“Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” U.S.-Spain, Woody Allen

More after the cut.


MIDNIGHT SCREENINGS
“Maradona,” Spain-France, Emir Kusturica
“Surveillance,” U.S., Jennifer Lynch
“The Chaser,” South Korea, Na Hong-jin

SPECIAL SCREENNGS
“Ashes of Time Redux,” China, Wong Kar Wai
“Of Time and the City,” U.K., Terence Davies
“Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired,” U.S.-U.K., Marina Zenovich
“Sangue Pazzo” (Crazy Blood), Italy-France, Marco Tullio Giordana

SCREENING OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE JURY
“The Third Wave,” U.S., Alison Thompson

UN CERTAIN REGARD
“A festa da menina morta,” Brazil, Matheus Nachtergaele
“Afterschool,” U.S., Antonio Campos
“De Ofrivilliga,” Sweden, Ruben Ostlund
“Je veux voir,” France, Joana Hadjithomas, Khalil Joreige
“Johnny Mad Dog,” France, Jean-Stephane Sauvaire
“La vie moderne (profiles paysans)”, France, Raymond Depardon
“Los Bastardos,” Mexico, Amat Escalante
“Milh handha al-bahr,” (Salt of This Sea), Palestine, Annemarie Jacir
“O’ Horten,” Norway-Germany, Bent Hamer
“Soi Cowboy,” U.K., Thomas Clay
“Tin Che,” (Parking), Taiwan, Chung Mong-Hong
“Tokyo!,” France-Japan, Bong Joon-ho, Michel Gondry, Leos Carax
“Tokyo Sonata,” Japan, Kiyoshi Kurosawa
“Tulpan,” Germany, Sergey Dvortsevoy
“Tyson,” U.S., James Toback
“Versailles,” France, Pierre Schoeller
“Wendy and Lucy,” U.S., Kelly Reichardt
“Wolke 9” (Cloud Nine), Germany, Andreas Dresen
“Yi ban haishui, yi ban huoyan,” China, Fendou Liu

CINEFONDATION
“Ba Yue Shi Wu,” U.S., Jiang Xuan
“Blind Spot,” France, Johanna Bessiere, Cecile Dubois Herry, Simon Rouby, Nicolas Chauvelot, Olivier Clert, Yvon Jardel
“Et dans mon coeur, j’emporterai…,” Belgium, Yoon Sung-A
“Forbach,” France, Claire Burger
“Gata,” Russia, Diana Mkrtchyan
“Gestern in Eden,” Germany, Jan Speckenbach
“Himnon” (Anthem), Israel, Elad Keidan
“Illusion Dwellers,” U.K., Rob Ellender
“Interior. Scara de bloc,” Romania, Ciprian Alexandrescu
“Kestomerkitsijat,” Finland, Juho Kuosmanen
“The Maid,” U.S., Heidi Saman
“Naus,” Czech Republic, Lukas Glaser
“O Som E O Resto,” Brazil, Andre Lavaquial
“El Reloj,” Argentina, Marco Berger
“Shtika” (Silence), Israel, Hadar Morag
“Stop,” South Korea, Park Jae-ok
“This Is a Story About Ted and Alice,” U.S., Teressa Tunney

SHORTS IN COMPETITION
“411-Z,” Hungary, Daniel Erdelyi
“Buen Viaje” (Bon Voyage), Javier Palleiro, Guillermo Rocamora
“De Moins en Moins,” France, Melanie Laurent
“El Deseo” (The Desire), Mexico, Marie Benito
“Jerrycan,” Australia, Julius Avery
“Love You More,” U.K., Sam Taylor Wood
“Megatron,” Romania, Marian Crisan
“My Rabbit Hoppy,” Australia, Anthony Lucas
“Smafuglar,” Iceland, Runar Runarsson

One Week From Today

In exactly one week, I will start unveiling my official 2008 predix, beginning with Best Picture.

Stay tuned!

YouTube Clip of the Week: My Best Friend's Wedding

Because of a friend of mine recently pointed out that the upcoming "Made of Honor" looks like an exact copy of My Best Friend's Wedding.

Reader's Choice: #5

Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II in "The Queen."
Nominated: Best Actress (2006)
And the Oscar Went to...: Helen Mirren

Clip (spoiler warning):


I was going to post a hyperbole warning, but I decided against it because I really do love this performance, probably more so than any other Best Actress win this decade.

If you remember, Helen Mirren swept every award during the 2006 season, save one precursor which inexplicably went to Ellen Page for "Hard Candy." Each award was richly deserved, including the highest honor: a Best Actress Oscar win. But I would argue that there weren't enough awards to honor a performance of this calibre.

The role fit Mirren like a glove, and I don't think any other actress could have played it as effectively. She was poised, stoic, regal, and even funny throughout "The Queen"- everything we've grown to know and love about Helen Mirren, the actress and the celebrity. And to top it all off: she was a joy to watch as she accepted each and every one of her awards. She was so elegant up at the podium that it was if she were still in character. In fact, I'd love to see her back in the Oscar race again, if only for that.

But I know of a few people who weren't as impressed by Mirren, or the movie itself, so I'd like to hear from you before this blog shuts down from too much praise: What did you think of Mirren in The Queen? Are you with me, or do you feel that they should have spread the love a bit that year?

Reader's Choice: #6

Johnny Depp as Capt. Jack Sparrow in "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl."
Nominated: 2003 (Best Actor)
And the Oscar Went to...: Sean Penn in "Mystic River"

Clip:



Johnny Depp is an actor I just don't get. I think he's talented for sure, but there's something about the way he acts that bugs me, and the fact that people are so obsessed with him only makes it worse.

It also doesn't help that his past 2 Oscar nominations have been fillers. He was servicable in both "Finding Neverland" and "Sweeney Todd" but I could give you a list of 10 performances in 2004 and 2007 that deserved to take his spot. In fact, I still don't understand how he got nominated for "Sweeeney," and I don't think I ever will.

But - don't bail on me yet, readers! - I will admit to enjoying his performance in the first "Pirates of the Caribbean." In a movie that was both tiresome and overpraised, he infused it with life, energy and excitement - not to mention fun. Of all the nominated performances this decade, Depp's has the biggest "cool factor," because really: who gets nominated for Disney movies these days? (somewhere, Amy Adams is crying)

It's sad that all of this was ruined by two unnecessarily long sequels, both of which Depp virtually sleptwalked through, but I think in time this performance will still remain a treasure, again just because it was so fun and unique.

What do you think?

New Hilary Swank Pic Raises Brows

AwardsDaily (by way of JustJared) has a new pic of 2 time Oscar-winner Hilary Swank on the set of "Amelia":


Do shaved eyebrows count as deglam? We'll find out if/when Hil wins her 3rd Oscar.

Weekend Screening Schedule

The first [semi] decent movie might be opening this weekend.

That would be Forgetting Sarah Marshall, from Judd Apataow and his crew of merry funny men. It opens to a solid 85% fresh rating on Rotten Tomoatoes, but as much as I enjoyed Knocked Up, I'm gonna wait for the DVD.


Also opening is 88 Minutes. It stars Oscar-winner Al Pacino, but the real star of the movie (in my crazy head) is Benjamin McKenzie, whose Ryan Atwood will always and forever be better than Seth Cohen (you know it's true, OC fans!)

What are you watching this weekend?

Australia: The Set to Screen

From Apple.com.


Pretty. Pretty.

Someone tell me...

...why this movie is happening:


I don't get it.

Reader's Choice: #7

Philip Seymour Hoffman as Truman Capote in "Capote."
Nominated: 2005 (Best Actor)
And the Oscar Went to...: Philip Seymour Hoffman

Clip (the trailer was all that YouTube had available. sorry):



As much as I loved Heath Ledger's performance in "Brokeback Mountain," it's hard to disagree with the Academy's decision in 2005. Philip Seymour Hoffman was pratically iconic in "Capote," and his Oscar was awarded after years of being overlooked and flying under the radar.

Now, he can consider himself an Academy favorite, as evident in his nomination last year for "Charlie Wilson's War." He's also in two big films this year, including the very high profile "Doubt" opposite Meryl Streep, and his continued success post-Oscar pretty much justifies his win.

Yet, 2005 was a tricky year. It featured one of the strongest Best Actor lineups in years (similiar to 2006's Best Actress lineup), and I think you could make a case for all of the nominees save Joaquin Phoenix, who was still excellent in "Walk the Line." I personally would have been very happy with David Strathairn winning for "Good Night, and Good Luck", who would have won my award in any other year. And Terrence Howard's star is born turn in "Hustle & Flow" was nearly as impressive.

But again, you can't go wrong with Philip Seymour Hoffman. Although it will be interesting to see if Heath Ledger's untimely death changes the perspective of 2005 in the decades to come. My guess is that PSH's win will hold up, but we'll see.

YouTube Clip of the Week: The Color Purple

Oh shit.

Reader's Choice: #8

Ellen Burstyn as Sara Goldfarb in "Requiem for a Dream"
Nominated: Best Actress (2000)
And the Oscar went to...: Julia Roberts as Erin Brockovich in "Erin Brockovich."

Clip:



Ellen Burstyn was one of three strong nominees in a very bizarre Best Actress category. It was her first Oscar nomination in 20 years, and while she never stood a chance against Julia Roberts (nobody did), she still garnered legions of fans for this performance, as proven by her #8 spot on our list.

I'm a fan of this performance, too. In such a hypercrazy film, she really gave it a sense of terror and heartbreak. I can still remember being shocked to the core by her final handful of scenes. Yet, I've always been partial to other performances from that year, many of which weren't even nominated. I'm talking about Laura Linney in "You Can Count On Me" (my winner, and my #1 of the decade, if I had voted), Roberts, Bjork in "Dancer in the Dark" and Ole' Zelly in "Nurse Betty" (well, I'd rank Zelly 5th, but still). In fact - spoiler! - I'm a little surprised that none of these performances registered on your lists.

So tell me: What was it about Ellen Burstyn's performance that you loved so much? Why do you think she deserved to win the Oscar? What made her the best performance of that year?*

[*I'm not being bitchy, ps. I'm actually quite curious as a fan of her performance here!]

Coming tomorrow: #7 (vague hint: our first performance by an Actor!)

Amy Adams on the Set of "Julie & Julia"

Exciting!!:



More HERE.

The Oscar race just got a whole lot more Fergalicious

I can already hear the panic in your posts.

From EW:

'Sex and the City' movie soundtrack features Fergie, Jennifer Hudson
Apr 10, 2008, 10:30 AM | by Missy Schwartz
Categories: Movie Biz, Music Biz

The details of May 30’s Sex and the City: The Movie have been guarded as zealously as Carrie Bradshaw might seek out a private Manolo Blahnik sale. But director Michael Patrick King is starting to spill. He tells EW that Fergie just recorded the film’s opening number. “It’s called ‘Labels & Love,’?” he says. “It’s an entirely new song with lyrics, but it has the Sex and the City theme as the DNA — on steroids.”

According to King, the singer feared she’d be too busy with two new singles to record the tune. But when New Line (which is releasing Sex) showed her the film, she changed her mind. And since this is a film about mouthy divas, Jennifer Hudson, who plays Carrie’s assistant, will lend her pipes to the ballad “All Dressed Up in Love” — written by MC Jack Splash and Gnarls Barkley’s Cee-Lo — which plays during the end credits. “She sings it like nobody’s business,” says King. Just as we’d expect.

In Mourning: Michael Johns

I've kept my mouth shut about American Idol all season, but can I please stress how sad I am by tonight's elimination? Michael Johns was my favorite contestant from day one, and just when I was starting to love American Idol again, the show went and slapped me in the face.

Sigh.

More readers choice updates tomorrow. In the meantime...



:cry:

Reel Geezers

I'm probably late to the party here, but have you all seen the Reel Geezer reviews on YouTube?

The real Geezers are Marcia Nasatir and Lorenzo Semple. They're both Academy voters, and you should check out their reviews if only to see how real voters think. I imagine other voters think relatively the same way.

Their take on Leatherheads:

Variety: February, 2009

Ouch.

MGM delays 'Valkyrie' release again
By Carly Mayberry

April 7, 2008

MGM has once again delayed the release of United Artists' World War II thriller "Valkyrie," moving the film's scheduled release date from Oct. '08 to President's Day Weekend 2009.

"Valkyrie," which stars Tom Cruise and is being directed by Bryan Singer, was originally scheduled to be released June 27, 2008 before the studio opted to change it an October 2008 release date.

Full story HERE.

---

Well, most of us knew Vaklyrie was going to be bad, but this makes it sound even worse. What say you?

YouTube Clip of the Week: Cabaret

Readers' Choice Results: #9

Charlize Theron as Aileen Wuornos in "Monster"
Nominated: 2003 (Best Actress)
And the Oscar Went to...: Charlize Theron

Clip:



At #9 is Charlize Theron's Oscar-winning turn as Aileen Wurnous in "Monster."

Theron was part of Oscar's de-glam trend, which began and ended [for now] with Hilary Swank in 1999 and 2004. I would argue that Theron's performance represents the peak of the trend, because I think she was one of the few who fully transcended the whole "de-glam" label. The makeup and the weight gain were just a fraction of the performance. As you can tell from the clip, Theron threw herself into this movie, phsyically and emotionally, and came out with something so powerful that it made every jaw drop in Hollywood.

Reader Julia wonders if Charlize herself even knew what she was about to create:

"Frankly," she writes, "I don’t think even Charlize Theron knew she had this performance in her. It is truly transcendent in every sense of the word- all we can do is watch in amazement as Theron forces Aileen Wuornos into furious life onscreen."

If you were around for the 2003 season, you'll remember that Roger Ebert famously called Theron's performance in "Monster" "one of the greatest performances in the history of the cinema." I don't know about that yet. I think a few more years need to pass before we rank this performance among Diane Keaton in "Annie Hall," Bette Davis in "All About Eve," and Elizabeth Taylor in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"

But in terms of this decade, I think Theron ranks only 2nd behind Helen Mirren as the best Best Actress win so far. She really did something special here, and I think it had a legitimate lasting impression on voters, as evident in her 2005 Best Actress nomination for "North Country."

If anything, "Monster" proved that Charlize was more than just a pretty face, and the respect she earned in 2003 could result in even more nominations down the road (pun intended? we'll see!)

What did YOU think of Charlize Theron's Oscar-winning turn in "Monster"? Do you agree with Ebert, or should someone else have won that year?

Readers Choice Results: #10

Julianne Moore as Cathy Whitaker in "Far From Heaven"
Nominated: 2002 (Best Actress)
And the Oscar Went to...: Nicole Kidman as Virginia Woolf in "The Hours"

Clip (ignore the subtitles):



Ahhh, the good old days.

Readers were smart to remember that before "Next" and "The Forgotten" and "Laws of Attraction", Julianne Moore was a really good actress. She was so good that the Academy nominated her twice in 2002, once for Best Actress ("Far From Heaven") and once for Best Supporting Actress ("The Hours"). She deservedly lost to Catherine Zeta-Jones in the latter category, but a case can still be made for "Far From Heaven," arguably her all-time best performance.

When reader Julia was prompted to comment on Moore's performance, this is what she had to say:

"What can I say about this performance that hasn’t already been said?
In
a career already rich with wonderful roles, Moore tops herself with her
tragic, beautiful, Cathy Whitaker. I really think Manohla Dargis said
it the best in her review of Far From Heaven: 'The film's three leads
are extraordinary, but what Moore does with her role is so beyond the
parameters of what we call great acting that it nearly defies
categorization'.

Reader Douglas Rasco has similar praise for Moore, even though he wasn't a big fan of "Far From Heaven":

I know you most of you will place her in higher position than this, But I have my reservations for the film which I thought was great but flawed. But that said, Julianne Moore was just heavenly perfect.

---

What do you guys think? Has Moore's performance in "Far From Heaven" stood the test of time, enough to erase the bad memories of her post-2002 career? Or do you feel this is one of those weird, overrated performances? Have at it in the comments section below!

Coming tomorrow: #9!*

*with more commentary. i'm pressed for time this evening.

Kidman, Dench In Talks for "Nine"

From Coming Soon:

Kidman and Dench in Talks for Nine
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
April 4, 2008

Nicole Kidman (Moulin Rouge!) and Judi Dench (Casino Royale) are in talks to join Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard and Sophia Loren in Chicago director Rob Marshall's adaptation of Tony-winning Broadway musical Nine.

The 1982 show, itself an adaptation of Federico Fellini's autobiographical opus 8 1/2, revolves around a film director (Bardem) juggling the demands of several women in his life.

The Weinstein Compnany project was slated to begin principal photography in March but was postponed when the late writer-director Anthony Minghella didn't have enough time to rework Michael Tolkin's screenplay before the WGA strike. Extra work was needed to coordinate the choreography and Maury Yeston's music and lyrics with a new draft.

The film is now tentatively scheduled for a September start.

---

Very exciting news. For awhile, I didn't even think this project was going to happen.

Go Bardem! He's gonna knock this one out of the park.

Weekend Screening Schedule

A good chunk of movies hit theaters this weekend.

If you're looking for a throwback to the Cary Grant/Katharine Hepburn days, then Leatherheads should be up your alley. It didn't get the strong reviews I had hoped for, but how wrong can you go with Clooney and Zellweger as leads? (shut up, Renee haters!)

Also opening is the horror flick The Ruins, based on Scott Smith's bestselling novel. It could give Leatherheads a run for its money at the box office, but the reviews all scream DVD rental to me.


Or if you have kids to deal with, try Nim's Island. I wouldn't be caught dead seeing it, but at least Jodie Foster is keeping busy.

Finally, for the selected few, there's Martin Scorsese's Rolling Stones doc "Shine a Light." Reviews were pretty good, but for some reason I'm doubtful of its Oscar chances. What say you?

And what are you watching this weekend?

Your Daily Matt Damon Fix

Thebadandugly.com has pics of Matt Damon on set of the upcoming Paul Greengrass flick "Green Zone":


Fingers crossed for Oscar.

Readers Choice Results Tomorrow

Any guesses as to what made the list?

Post them below!

Mama Mia!

I'm sure you are all excited about 30 Rock's big return next Thursday, but is anyone else slightly perturbed by Tina Fey's other project this month?

I'm talking about the upcoming comedy "Baby Mama", in theaters April 25th, and if you haven't seen the trailer yet, watch it here:


I'm at a loss for words. If this doesn't have bomb written all over it, then I don't know what does.