Rosamund Pike in An Education

An Education, a favorite film of mine from 2009, has an incredible cast of great characters and performances. If you watch the film it is not surprising that Carey Mulligan receives the bulk of the praise. She does an incredible job and is the film's protagonist.

But it's all the other characters who intermix on screen with Mulligan's character Jenny that give Carey Mulligan the chance to respond in subtly (or not so subtly in a few scenes) in the mix of these various characters.

In a film scene that often lacks great female performances, this film has a variety of female parts that are all praise worthy, particularly those of Olivia Williams, Cara Seymore, and Emma Thompson. But one other female role really sticks out in this film and that is the role of Helen played by Rosamund Pike.

Helen's character is in my mind a very challenging performance, because it takes extreme balance to be convincing. Helen is the ditsy blond trying to be sophisticated in a world of extravagance she wants to fit in. Her character despite her lack of intellect and desire to impress is not to rude to treat the intellectual school girl Jenny with scorn. No, instead Helen becomes Jenny's mother-of-worldly-things, helping her know how to fit in to a new world she has fallen into.

Every line that Pike delivers and every scene is incredibly convincing despite the unique character she plays. This could have easily been played like Reese Witherspoon played Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, but instead Pike brings a level of sophistication to the role that is not only impressive in it's own right, but also sets Carey Mulligan up for some fantastic scenes.

Rosamund Pike's accolades are relatively limited for this film on the award season scene (part of the Screen Actor Guild's Best Ensemble list, London critics circle nomination, and British Independent Film nomination) but I think that Pike, at 30 years old, certainly deserves a shot at more great roles. This role convinces me that she's an actress to watch.

This post is part of Stinky Lulu's annual supporting actress blog-a-thon. See the complete list of participants of the 4th annual blog-a-thon here.

Here are my previous contributions for this blog-a-thon include:
Class of 2008: Frances McDormand in Burn After Reading
Class of 2007: Allison Janney in Juno & Hairspray
Class of 2006: Adriana Barazza in Babel

Prepping For the Globes

The Golden Globes are 32 hours away as this post goes up, and I'm pretty excited.

What I'm excited about is seeing all the stars of this years season all in one place. Photo shoots that will have Jeff Bridges alongside Morgan Freeman and George Clooney.

I want to see Carey Mulligan and Gabby Sidibe walk the red carpet.

And I'm excited to see who actually wins in some of these races. The globes often chases different winners than the Academy so it could easily be new speeches by different stars.

Not to mention, the jovial and relaxed atmosphere (mixed with a little intoxication) can often make these speeches some of the best of the season.

So, needless to say, I'm excited for the Sunday night ceremony.

Do you have anything you do to prepare for the ceremony? Any movies your rushing out to see this weekend in preparation, or perhaps a DVD your going to be watching?

We'll be watching the Hurt Locker in our house tonight. How about you?

Most Disappointing Actor of the Decade

Disappointing means that there was hope. That there was promise. And then...there was nothing.

After Good Morning Vietnam and Dead Poet's Society at the end of the 1980s Robin Williams presented himself as a unique actor with the ability to play characters who mix comedy and the serious of subject matters.

This repeated itself in a very active and varied career in the 90s with enough success stories to forgive some of the less than praise-worthy performances.

From a memorable performance in Mrs. Doubtfire to Good Will Hunting, even as the genie in Aladdin, Williams was worthy of praise.

What happened in this past decade? The bright spots were his respectable creepy performance in One Hour Photo and Teddy Roosevelt in Night at the Museum.

Hardly the bright shining resume that previously included roles in The Fisher King, Hamlet & Hook.

I have a lot of favorite Robin William's roles, but not a single one from this past decade.

Up In The Air: "Wish You Were Here"

I write this on the road. Sitting on a hotel bed after a long day of work and a late business flight last night.

And as I walk in the airport lines...all the different lines, checking baggage, security, boarding the plane, and so forth I continually think of George Clooney and Jason Reitman's film, Up in the Air.

A variety of things along the way remind me of this, including hotel reward status, and even the robe in the hotel closet.

I travel independently very infrequently, but I can't imagine what it's like for people like Clooney's character Ryan Bingham who do spend a good portion of their time "Up in the Air."

It's interesting because even if you put in a super full day of work on the road, you feel kind of alone.

Over the holidays my wife and I traveled with a toddler which included a lot of coordination, luggage carrying, and general exhaustion.

But even though it's probably easier to travel by yourself, it's hardly better.

Good night friends and family, wish you were here.

Scott Cooper & Me (& Bobby)

So I don't really know Scott Cooper, and I can't even say I 'met him' but I did see him and listen to a question and answer time at a local press screening for the film Crazy Heart where Cooper, the films writer/director showed up at the end to answer some questions.

Cooper is pictured above with Jeff Bridges and Robert Duvall...Scott Cooper looks pretty happy in the picture. He seemed pretty happy at the screening too.

Talk about a dream come true for a debut film. Sure, no box-office explosion (especially with it's hyper-limited-release schedule) but Oscar buzz and general praise, what more could this non-household-name-Actor want?

Cooper loved talking about Robert Duvall. He said him and Duvall are close "buds" more or less in 20,000 different ways:

• Duvall produced Crazy Heart.
• Duvall and Cooper have been in films together (most notably the award winning mini-series Broken Trail, as well as Gods and Generals, and the upcoming Duvall film Get Low).
• Cooper was married at Duvall's house
• Apparently they like the same sports and music.
• Cooper and Duvall talk on the phone two or three times a day.
• Cooper wrote Duvall's film role with him in mind, even applying his cadence of speech to the words in the script.
• Cooper calls Robert Duvall, "Bobby."

You could tell this all was a point of pride for Cooper.

Honestly, Scott Cooper seems like a nice enough guy, who's humble in praising his performers (Duvall and Bridges primarily) as well as his behind the scenes talent (T Bone Burnett primarily).

Scott Cooper also seems to value a different type of aesthetic, perhaps that what leads him to make a film with more of a country-western slant? Who knows how the book Crazy Heart got in his hands, and why this was the project he chose to adapt for the screen?

In the question and answer time most people seemed curious in knowing what Jeff Bridges was like on the set, and how he was acquired to work in this film. Everyone, had curiosity in the mystique of "The Dude." Scott Cooper admitted he had never seen The Big Lebowski. I suppose the Coen's may not be voting for Cooper on their Academy Award ballots.

Scott Cooper for whatever reason mentioned two or three times that his dad studied under William Faulkner. It usually didn't seem to have relevance to what was being discussed, so this must be meaningful to him.

Cooper seemed to view himself as a culture and art sponge who had in childhood absorbed a variety of music, books, and other culturally relevant pieces of America.

He's reading Charlotte's Web to his daughter.

I for one, am really glad that Scott Cooper made this film. It's a creation, and I think for some people in the creative field this film will truly be an inspiration to create. Out of art springs art, I suppose...and I sense if that is the case Scott Cooper will be honored.

I'm interested in seeing where he goes next. Will he write more? Direct more? Star in minor roles along Duvall (or shall we say, Bobby) more?

I imagine if he wants to make a film and align his cast it might be easier a second time around, although he said the script for Crazy Heart took three to four years, so if he's going to write at that pace, we might not see his name for awhile.

I suppose we'll see. It was good to spend some time with you Scott Cooper.

Does District 9 Have A Date with Oscar?

One of the surprises of our current award season is that in the process of expanding the Oscar best picture race to 10 films there are far more films that find themselves of the fringe of possibility for Oscar best picture contention.

Another more specific surprise to me is how many times I'm seeing District 9, the successful summer sci-fi film, show up in precursor list.

This past week the Producers Guild of America released their nominations, which included a now expanded 10 nominations for best picture (instead of their previous 5). On this list they went "sci-fi-crazy" with 10 science fiction films, Star Trek, Districk 9, and Avatar.

This is not usual.

Other than the important PGA award, few awards are choosing District 9 in it's Best Picture line-up, but it does show up in the adapted film category regularly as a nomination (Broadcast Film Critics Association, Golden Globes, and Satellite Awards).

Interesting note, the Golden Globes choose 5 best dramas, and 5 best comedy musicals, and only 5 screenplays. District 9 showed up in the screenplay category with "tougher" competition, but not in the picture categories?

All that to say, I feel like as more award bodies nominate this film, the film is being legitimized, and the buzz behind it is growing.

There is some certainty about some of the films that will be showing up at the Oscars, but District 9's chances are a mystery. It has a good chance is some of the technical categories, like sound effects, but what about bigger categories? It could be an Oscar morning surprise, or not show up at all.

First Thoughts on Crazy Heart

Crazy Heart. Where do I start.

I feel like there's a lot I can say about this film, but at the same time, I proceed with caution.

It's not like it's a "there's a big surprise, Jeff Bridges is really a ghost the whole time" type of film and I don't want to "spoil the twist." Because this film doesn't quiet have a twist, but instead lots of little surprises.

So, it's hard to talk about it with out taking away from what I think is a very pleasant film.

If you live in New York City, wear black, and have never seen a dirt road, I think this film might be a little hard to fully appreciate. On the other hand, if you've known so old men who wear cowboy hats, women who wear jade earrings, and have ever been to small town bowling alley then I think this film will carry an air of authenticity to it.

And a half dozen sentences in, and I've failed to mention the two things everyone who sees the film will talk about...Jeff Bridges and the music.

When this film popped up on the "2009 film radar" back in November, it became pretty clear Jeff Bridges was going to be an Oscar contender. But Oscars and awards aside, this isn't just an award-friendly role, it's one of the roles that I think will mark Jeff Bridges career. This is some fine, fine work he does in this role. He is always convincing.

When my wife and I were at the screening more than once my wife asked me if Jeff Bridges character, Bad Blake, was a real person. The film has an air of being a bio-pic, but Bad Blake is fictional, but seems like the story of a true washed up musician.

Comes the next part that makes this whole film, including Bad Blake, seem so real and interesting, the music. T-Bone Burnett, along with Stephen Bruton and Ryan Bingham, put together a fantastic collection of "Bad Blake" songs. These songs, along with Jeff Bridges performances, make this film.

The the soundtrack for Crazy Heart is great with many songs that I believe are worthy of standard radio play, Bridges vocals and all. The films theme-song "The Weary Kind" is good, but I am particularly fond of "Fallin' & Flyin'" as well as the ballad "Brand New Angel."

I saw this film the other night, and I'm still digesting it some, but it's easy to praise the songs & Jeff Bridges.

I could say more about Maggie Gyllenhaal, Robert Duvall, and "the surprise actor" who shows up in this film in an interesting way, or Scott Cooper (writer/director) and his debut with this film...but for now I will keep it simple, because that's how Bad Blake would probably keep it, and praise this film, it's lead actor & the music that I think people will find entering their homes.

Box Office: Where Will Avatar Land?

Avatar continues it's box office climb. I've heard a number of people say that they are going back for a second helping, maybe changing formats (such as upgrading their original viewing to IMAX or 3D). And of course nothing helps a box office more than repeat viewings. Just ask those crazy girls who saw Titanic over & over & over & over.

So somehow James Cameron is intriguing a fan base and is currently #2 movie of the year with a domestic box office of $367 million, behind Transformers 2 ($402 million). But of course, we can expect Avatar to pass up Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen soon...and if it does, Spider-Man's not far behind and so forth.

So it's hard to tell how far the fan love and dollars spent will go, but we can make a good guess that Avatar will hit the domestic top 10 shortly, and where it lands is anyone's guess.

I can't imagine Avatar would pass over The Dark Knight ($533 million) but it's possible, and imagine then if Cameron had the two top domestic pictures...ever! Not to mention two different films, different formats, and not a sequel or series by any stretch of the imagine.

Hum, kind of crazy. Nice work James Cameron on knowing "what people want."

Every Little Step

I think some people avoid reality television, not for their lack of interest, but because they know as soon as they start watching they will get roped in...and they don't want to dedicate months of Tuesdays or Thursdays to which guy is chosen for the girl, who will lose the most weight, who will win the dance-off, or whether that funny British lady with the beautiful voice will win the big prize.

So, if you are someone who likes those stories, you will love the real-life documentary Every Little Step.

Every Little Step is like one of these reality shows told in 93 minutes.

Needless to say, my wife loved it! Every Little Step tells the story of the Broadway revival of A Chorus Line. The story of singers and dancers looking for a break in New York City is an emotional tale.

The story has that reality show fun because the casting crew is interesting, intense, and in a few cases are the people who played the original part.

Where this story is different than a reality television show is that the time between casting calls is incredible. Four months! Are you serious! American Idol makes a handful of stars in 4 months, and in the real world these dancers have to wait four months between cuts to see if they make the next round.

This film is also fun because the story of A Chorus Line mirrors the story of these performers as well. There's something slightly cruel and entertaining about watching people audition for a musical singing the song "I Hope I Get It."

Finally my favorite part of this film is learning about the creative process Michael Bennett used by interviewing people about dancing, and then working with Marvin Hamlisch to write lyrics out of these stories and interviews. It's a pretty impressive and inspiring creative process.

This film is a lot of fun, and wives across America will love husbands who watch it with them. Plus it's one of the 15 films contending for an Oscar nomination for documentary this year.

Yankee Doodle Dandy Thoughts

I've talked some over the past year about war related films, and that most war films seem to suggest a failure of logic in the concept of war.

My wife and I watched Yankee Doodle Dandy, the 1942 film about the life of musician/actor/song-writer George M. Cohan who wrote a number of patriotic songs and musicals, including songs like "Grand Old Flag" and "Over There."

It's interesting to watch this film almost 70 years after it was made, because I think America, critics, and the Academy Awards would have little tolerance for this film as a "modern film." I think in a time vault of "that's how people thought in the early 40s" people respect the film today, but I think to be patriotic is viewed as less artistic, cheap, and unintelligent.

And perhaps there was some of this in the 1940s too, and earlier.

In the film, some people scoff at Cohen's "vulgar flag-waving" but the thing is that Cohen's plays are generally successful...he says something to the effect that he's a regular guy who makes plays for regular guys.

I think there's something to that.

Anthony Hopkins: 4th Lead Actor Oscar in 2010?

I've recently discussed Johnny Depp, Russell Crowe, and Denzel Washington's chances of scoring their 4th lead actor nomination in 2010.

An Actor that owned the Oscar scene in the 90s that didn't make a dent this past decade was Anthony Hopkins. For some reason, his performances were limited, largely were supporting or genre films (Beowulf, Hannibal) and other films (Hearts in Atlantis, The World's Fastest Indian, Proof) never gained traction.

His awards were limited to lifetime achievement awards. Has Hopkins who has impressed audiences and critics with his three lead nominations (Nixon, The Remains of the Day, The Silence of the Lambs) departed the award scene?

The Wolfman
In 2010, the first time we will see Anthony Hopkins is in the remake of The Wolfman staring Benicio Del Toro (pictured above with Hopkins). The February release date makes me want to write off this role entirely, not to mention it's supporting (I should mention though, that Silence of The Lambs was a February release...but this seems like special effects gimmickry, not thrilling drama).

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger
Hopkins has another supporting role in Woody Allen's upcoming feature You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger, but in addition to the role being supporting, Woody Allen roles tend to win nominations for the women not the men. Hopkins will be acting alongside Antonio Bandera, Naomi Watts, Josh Brolin, and Freida Pinto of Slumdog Millionaire fame.

Hemingway & Fuentes
If there is a role that will bring Hopkins back into the Award spotlight, I am watching reception and release of the film Hemingway & Fuentes tentatively scheduled for a 2010 release date. This film feature Hopkins in the biopic role of Hemingway alongside Andy Garcia, who's directing the film.

Hemingway and Fuentes tells the story of Ernest Hemingway and his friendship with Gregorio Fuentes, a boat captain who inspires the story of The Old Man and The Sea.

I must say, Hopkins has the look (Hemingway pictured, right does not look too far off from Hopkins in The Wolfman pictured above), and the interest in Christopher Plummer's Leo Tolstoy role in The Last Station suggests that Hollywood is interested in honoring these types of performances.

Shoot the Messenger
Hopkins' final chances for 2010 lie in a rumored role in Ted Griffin's film Shoot The Messenger, based on the novel by Stanford Psychiatry professor Irvin D. Yalom called Lying on the Couch: A Novel.

This film tells the story a woman trying to kill the career of a psychologist who told her husband to file divorce. Hopkins is rumored to play the psychotherapist (Ernest Lash) while Emily Blunt is rumored to play the part of the woman (Carolyn).

Hopkins in 2010?

Hopkins in 2010? Maybe...I would limit his chances to Andy Garcia's Hemingway project though. I would certainly like to see Hopkins get the right roles to impress us again.

A Long Way Down - Johnny Depp's Movie?

The other day I talked about the New Year's Eve themed book A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby. The book tells the story of 4 unlikely acquaintances who all meet, as they plan on committing suicide on New Year's Eve.

Well, even before the book was published in 2005 Johnny Depp had bought the rights to the book to be made into a feature length film. At the end of 2006, Depp has also hired D.V. DeVincentis (screenwriter of two films, Grosse Pointe Blank and High Fidelity), as the screenwriter for the film.

You have to wonder, what's holding up this project if this was initiated back in 2006? But the fact of the matter, I could see that this film could be a complete bust of a film if the characters are not written in an interesting and convincing way. But if done correctly there could be something magical on the screen that transcends the original text. It would be easy to see this become a modern Breakfast Club, mixing and matching a group of people who otherwise would never interact on normal conditions (except here they all share the common bond that they want to toss themselves off the top of a building in London).

In addition to strong story telling, casting of these four different characters opens up a world of possibilities.

Now, Johnny Depp is producing, but I don't think there is any way without significant re-writing that Depp could play a part as one of the four main characters. Age wise he might be able to play Martin Sharp, but Martin plays the part of a British morning talk show host.

To cast the part of Martin Sharp, there are endless possibilities, part of me pictures Martin Sharp being played by Michael Sheen (maybe it's the similar names, and maybe it's seeing Sheen play Tony Blair and David Frost). I think Sheen could shine in this role and provide a bit of diversity to his resume. My second choice is Ralph Fiennes, but he may be too sophisticated for this role.

The other character who thinks has a wide range of possibilities is the casting of the homely 51 year old mother of a disabled child named Maureen. Reading the book there is one person that I practically pictured as Maureen, and that is Imelda Staunton. Staunton seems to have the age, stature, and mastery of the subtle performance that would be important for this role. I picture her Vera Drake character brought to modern London.

There's also Jess, the crazy 18 year old her own baggage and impulsive nature, foul mouth, and straight-forward honesty. Depending on when (if) this film actually happens might change the eligibility of the character, but if I had to chose someone know I'd be interested in seeing what Evan Rachel Wood could do, particularly at playing British. I have a feeling she can bring the sassy, crazed, emotional, character that Jess brings, with finesse not as a comedic performance. Over the top takes skill.

Finally there is JJ, an American who's stuck in London delivering pizza's after a breakup with his British girlfriend and the break-up of his rock band. There's a variety of young American actors who I'm sure could fit the bill, but here's where I would want the casting director to also consider pulling from an American Idol finalist who didn't make the final cut. This role seems like the perfect role to find a young charismatic want-to-be rock star from American Idol and transition them into this role.

We'll see if A Long Way Down, like other Hornby books, get a finalized big screen treatment, but Johnny Depp, if you need some casting advise, please see above and let me know how it works out for you.

My top 20 Films Of the Decade (2000-2009)

In addition to posting my favorite films from the years that end in '0' I thought I would take the chance as one decade closes out and the other begins to share my favorite films of the decade.

Obviously, been a number of great films, and I was tempted to make it a top 50, but decided to keep it at a tight-20 films, although it's hard to leave some films off the list.

Below are my top 20 films of the aughts.

1. In America (2003)
2. City of God (2003)
3. Ratatouille (2007)
4. The Lord of the Rings:The Return of the King (2003)
5. Memento (2001)
6. Hotel Rwanda (2004)
7. Finding Neverland (2004)
8. The Motorcycles Diaries (2004)
9. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
10. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings (2001)
11. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
12. An Education (2009)
13. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Tours (2002)
14. Road to Perdition (2002)
15. The Painted Veil (2006)
16. United 93 (2006)
17. The Lives of Others (2006)
18. The Constant Gardner (2005)
19. The Passion of the Christ (2004)
20. Fantasia 2000 (2000)

Here's to the next decade...the tens? the teens?

Favorites Films of the Years that End in '0'

Happy 2010!

I thought I would kick off the year with my favorite films from the years that end in the number zero. We'll start at 1940.

We'll see what movie tops my personal list for 2010 come year end.

1940: The Philidelphia Story (George Cukor)

1950: Sunset Blvd. (Billy Wilder)

1960: Pyscho (Alfred Hitchcock)

1970: M*A*S*H (Robert Altman)

1980: Coal Miner's Daughter (Michael Apted)

1990: Avalon (Barry Levinson)

2000: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Ang Lee)