Showing posts with label Ken Adams. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ken Adams. Show all posts

Thursday, December 22, 2011

FD and Ken Adams tweets

FilmDistrict
Watch Angelina Jolie & the cast of on 's Charlie Rose tonight at 11:30 PM EST (repeat tomorrow @ 1:30 PM EST)

Ken Adams
Watched The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo for the third time now. It's not that I didn't like it, more that I was left feeling disappointed.
It's a shocker that the script was written by Steven Zaillian, which is the weak point of the film, but then again, this was how Larsons
 .....book originally was written. What Fincher should've done though, is keep the main plot, but completely reinvent it dialogue-wise.
But still, Fincher's a genius and has created something that the Swedish version never was. The haunting cinematography is breathtaking

Not only did I not like EL&IC, but was offended in the way they use 9/11 as a sentimental gimmick. Hanks' character REALLY had to die like


On the other hand, I thought Jolie's directorial debut In the Land of Blood and Honey was a masterpiece. You wouldn't even know that that....was a debut film. Marjanovic gives an electrifying performance.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

NYFCC and Indie Spirit


Matt Mazur 
And Team Higher Ground. :p And Team Angelina. Even Team Pariah. haha.
1 hour ago

Matt Mazur
Hopefully these edgier, more interesting teams get some luv at the Independent Spirits today. I can live w that!

Film Fatale NYC
RT : Margin Call's fine. But better than Martha Marcy, Pariah, Submarine, Tyrannosaur and Attack The Block? Absolutely not.
Matt Mazur 
yeah, that choice is kind of suspect. Also, Higher Ground & Angelina Jolie's film In the Land of Blood & Honey are deserving

NYFCC2011
Best Actor: Brad Pitt for "Moneyball," and "Tree of Life"

snubs: Descendants, Hugo, War Horse, Dragon, Midnight, Marilyn, MMMM, Shame, J. Edgar, Young Adult, Melancolia, Tinker,Tin Tin

I can't believe they forced the Dragon Tattoo to screen only to shut it out. It's like, "I shaved my legs for this?" This is but the beginning of awards season my friends. It's a long and exhausting slog towards the finish, with minor joys here and there.
For me, I only get through it when the impossible becomes possible. Otherwise, I die inside. Every year.

Sasha Stone
The Artist poised to sweep the critics awards. Paging gravitas. Anyone have any gravitas?

***

Brad Pitt, Meryl Streep, Albert Brooks, Jessica Chastain Win NY Film Critics

The Critics organization had planned to vote yesterday but had to put it off so they could see David Fincher’s “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” a late entry. One movie for this season, Stephen Daldry’s “Extremely Close and Incredibly Loud,” was skipped entirely because it wasn’t ready. Even so, not all the critics in the group had a chance to see Angelina Jolie’s debut as a director, “In the Land of Blood and Honey,” set in Bosnia.

Thelma Adams 
yes they did show Land of Blood & Honey. I saw it. Not all did I think

Lou Lumenick (Re Blood & Honey)
This was screened for NYFF and got less than a handful of votes in all categories, including first film

****

Ken Adams offers his take:

 
Ken Adams
Bob Berney ain't no Harvey Weinstein.. it's a small studio, so what do you expect? and it's a tough movie to watch that won't appeal to many of the critics, AND it's in a foreign language.. 1 hour ago

*****

So my conclusion from all of the above is:

The first and most obvious is Brad is a lock for an Oscar nod.  It was never really in doubt as he has been among the frontrunners from the start. 

The bigger question and the one of greater interest is how it reflects upon B&H's Oscar chances. FilmDistrict's efficiency in managing the screenings and the effectiveness of their awards strategy has been called into question since apparently not all NYFCC members had a chance to see it.  Given Jeff Wells' and Sasha Stone's recent comments about how slowly the screening invites were being parceled out, that isn't a surprise.  It is notable that both Roger Friedman and Thelma Adams made a point of mentioning that it was not seen by all members -- suggesting that they believed that could have had an impact on the result.  Of course even if all the critics had seen it, it's possible B&H wouldn't have won any awards or nominations anyway.  But at least it would have competed in a level playing field instead of being handicapped right off the bat. 

I think it still has a shot at an Oscar nomination following in the shoes of Letters from Iwo Jima, but a Million $ Baby analogy is now obviously out of the question.  A strong chorus of critical acclaim would still give it a shot at getting in -- along the lines of a 90% on RT, 85% on Metacritic -- no different from what it was before.  The FilmDistrict insider who told Dave Karger that B&H wasn't really an Academy film may in part have been lowering expectations but there is undoubtedly also some truth to it given the subject matter and the level of brutality onscreen.  Academy voters may be inclined to give Angelina some recognition out of respect and appreciation for her efforts, her idealism and the film's inherent quality, but she is not the Academy darling that Clint was when he made Letters

Of course it's a bit deflating when expectation have been raised by the raves the film has received so far. I thought it would have been at least acknowledged by the Indie Spirit.  They gave Angelina an acting nod for A Mighty Heart and they've voted for edgier films and performances in the past.  Dave Karger said only a small group votes on the Indie Spirit nominations and it's not known if there were also some within that small group that failed to see the film. Matt Mazur obviously thought the film had a shot with both groups.  A NYFCC win or a Spirit nom would have catapulted the film into the collective consciousness of the Gurus of Gold and other Oscar oddsmakers.  The absence of either hasn't really hurt its chances but that is 2 less accolades that it could have received. 

Her best bet was and remains the Golden Globes.   Echoing what Scott Feinberg said, anything beyond that would depend on the reviews it receives and there is a strict embargo in place right now.  Given the problems they've encountered screening the film in a timely manner for everyone, it appears FilmDistrict may have erred in advising Angelina to totally skip the awards circuit and in choosing to start screening the film so late in the game.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

More tweets from Ken, other bits

A critics' screening was scheduled for today and based on Ken Adams' tweets, it probably took place in the early afternoon.  Adams saw the English version back in Sept and probably went back to see the Bosnian version today -- hence his Oscars and  Blood & Honey tweets:

Ken Adams

Imagine what a great best director line-up we can have this year with Malick, Scorsese (crossing me fingers), Fincher, and Woody Allen.
If only we can somehow remove Spielberg...
..and instead, Angelina Jolie could sneak in, and In the Land of Blood + Honey could pull off a Letters From Iwo Jima
I don't see that happening, unfortunately, but let's just pray that this miracle DOES take place.
3:28 PM, Nov 22

Just two hours earlier -- enough time to watch the movie -- he tweeted:
Rampart tomorrow, Hugo on Wednesday and I'm still jetlagged..
1:08 PM, Nov 22

Previously, Adams had compared B&H to an even more honored Eastwood film than Letters - Million Dollar Baby:

In Yo Face, Spielberg and Daldry...

Well, it certainly seems that the Million Dollar Baby comparison made earlier here wasn't no joke. Right now, I'm betting my money on Jolie's Blood and Honey to be one of the frontrunners for Best Picture (director too, perhaps?), but the main fact is that AJ is dead-on serious here about cementing her actor-filmmaker position.

Scott Mendelson also recalled The Million $ Baby's ride to Oscar glory:
We had the same situation in 2004, if you recall.  The field was so lacking a pure frontrunner that David Poland famously stated that Joel Schumacher's yet unscreened) Phantom of the Opera had a good shot at taking the prize.  Of course, once everyone saw the film, it was an absurd notion, but without any real consensus about which of the various year-end critical darlings (Sideways, Kinsey, The Aviator, Ray, Finding Neverland, The Incredibles, Hotel Rwanda, etc) would actually take the top prize.  But then, right over Thanksgiving weekend, Clint Eastwood and Warner Bros. dropped a bombshell on the Oscar race.  Written off by many as 'that Clint Eastwood movie about girl-fighting', Million Dollar Baby debuted to rapturous reviews, immediately becoming the presumptive front runner and never looking back.  While there was some possibility that Martin Scorsese's The Aviator might take home the two big prizes as a 'career award' for Scorsese, it was never really a contest.  Just like John Kerry unexpectedly winning the Iowa primary in January 2004, the critics and pundits who were so desperate for a front-runner clung to Eastwood's unexpectedly fantastic drama and kept the momentum going for the next four months.

-- But Mendelson thinks this year's M$B is Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close without, however, having seen the movie which has yet to screen for critics.  
 
Since I've already heard negative feedback re ELIC, I think Scott may be way off the mark and Adams may be right. I would be happy if B&H duplicated Letters' feat, but having been teased with the tantalizing possibility of M$B, I am hoping it goes all the way.


In other news:

Ed Douglas

"ComingSoon.net covered the New York junket for (Hugo) over the weekend.. First up, we have Graham King, a big burly British producer

CS: I really liked Bill Monaghan's first movie as a director, "London Boulevard," and you've also produced Angelina Jolie's new movie, which I haven't seen yet. I'm interested in that contrast between working with experienced visionaries and first-time directors.
King:
Well, as I say, every director is different. Some directors are producers; some directors just want to be behind the monitor directing a movie. Every movie is a different story. Sometimes if you're working with a first-time director, then you want to take as much of that producerial role as possible to help. It's all about being a team and being a family and helping each other out.

So Douglas was probably one of the critics attending today's screening.

 
Rebecca Prusinowski

Private screening of directorial debut, . Deliberate. Strong female + male war perspectives.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

B&H First Screening Feedback

Facebook Link
David Ehrenstein 
David Ehrenstein

Beyond Gobsmacked by the film I saw at a sneak preview yesterday afternoon.
In the Land of Blood and Honey is a stark and truly shocking drama of the Bosnian Civil War of the 1990's. This was genocide on a massive scale that was rigorously ignored by the west. At one point we hear Clinton's Secretary of State Madeline Albright saying the U.S. "didn't have a dog in this fight."

UGH!

What we see here is the story of what happened ot a particular woman, played by an actress I've never seen or heard of before --  Zana Marjanovic. She is absolutely world-class. So is her leading man Goran Kostic. He plays a Bosnian soldier who in the opening scene is romancing her at a dance. Then a bomb goes off. Months pass and a convoy arrives at our heroine's apartment block. Everyone is ordered out. All the men are executed. The belongings of all the women are confiscated. Anyone who balks is shot in the head. Several of the women are chosen to be raped (anally of course) in front of their friends. This is all about degradation and humiliation.

The soldier our heroine knew is now a commander. He discovers she's been rounded up and takes her aside to use her as his own personal servant. He renews their relationship on a romantic level -- which she seems to accept. But what she feels is in this situation beside the point as she's a prisoner. His father, played by the only name actor in the cast Rade Serbedzija (best recalled as the costume chop owner in Eyes Wide Shut) insists she's nothing more than a "Muslim Whore" and that his son "should finish with this." Needless to say it ends badly for all. But that's not the point of the film. The point is to expose MASS GENOCIDE that was DELIBERATELY IGNORED.

Kind of like the way Penn State ignored child rape.


And now the Big News. This film was written and directed by Angelina Jolie.

I always knew she had a lot on the ball, especially from what Don Bachardy has told me about her. But never to this extent. The most glamorous woman in the world is As Serious As A Heart Attack. She is a Major Filmmaker at the very start of what I expect will be a long career.

Not to be missed under any circumstances. 



Comments:


  • Matthew David Wilder Wow! That's great to hear. I had this weird feeling looking at the preview that Angie crushed it. Good for her.
    10 hours ago

  • Susan Oppenheim I loved A Mighty Heart-better prepare for this one-sounds heavy and vital
    10 hours ago

  • David Ehrenstein It really blew me away. I was shown this "blind." I had heard she was
    releasing a movie about the Bosnian war, but I had assumed it was a
    documentary shot by someone else that she was 'presenting." nstead it's
    this awe-inspiring debut. In no way is this a cutesy "vanity project"
    from a pampered star.

    On Sat, 12 Nov 2011 10:32:55 -0800, Facebook wrote:

    10 hours ago via · 1

  • David Ehrenstein It certainly is.

    "A Might Heart" was really good. But I'd thought that was about as far
    as she would go. Never knew there was a world-class filmmaker underneath
    that alluring exteriror.

    On Sat, 12 Nov 2011 10:34:42 -0800, Facebook wrote:

    10 hours ago via · 1

  • Susan Oppenheim and 6 kids and paparazzi at every turn-amazing woman
    10 hours ago

  • Jack Taggart I'm so happy to hear that. Angie was talking about that project way back during CHANGELING, and a lot of our Malpaso crew wound up producing it with her. She's got so much passion invested in it, I hope it gets the audience and reception it deserves.
    9 hours ago

  • David Ehrenstein I think it will. It's incredibly moving and bautifully made. And Zana Marjanovic is a major discovery. She sould easily have starred herself and Brad in this -- but that would have obstructed the view.
    9 hours ago

  • Jack Taggart I've seem pics of Zana , she's striking.
    9 hours ago

  • David Ehrenstein She certainly is. She looks a little like Debra Winger.
    9 hours ago

Ken has seen it too

Meanwhile, Ken Addams' earlier comments take on new significance in the wake of his revelation that he had seen Blood & Honey back in Sept.

Ken Adams said...
Haha, I saw it in september, just not allowed to say anything about it


Lara Durden

So when are you going to give your full review of In Blood & Honey now that we know you've had this on lock since September?

Lara Durden
GK & FilmDist must have threatened death to keep reviews on lock. Usually there's some leaks. D. Ehrenstein is talking though.


Ken Adams
I don't really wanna cause any form of havoc over at GK and FilmDistrict...
  with that said, if some other bloggers start posting reviews, I might as well go ahead..

  
Ken Adams
I'm just curious why you've completely ignored Blood and Honey..

Friday, October 21, 2011


In Yo Face, Spielberg and Daldry...

Well, it certainly seems that the Million Dollar Baby comparison made earlier here wasn't no joke. Right now, I'm betting my money on Jolie's Blood and Honey to be one of the frontrunners for Best Picture (director too, perhaps?), but the main fact is that AJ is dead-on serious here about cementing her actor-filmmaker position. Let's hope the film is as good as the trailer is indicating it to be.

For Your Consideration: Oscar Contenders 2012


 3. In the Land of Blood and Honey (December 23rd)
Well, a late addition to the Oscar race. Jolie's directorial debut looks very impressive and seems to handle the subject matter very well. With the Anthony Minghella meets Schindlers List tone set to it, I'm betting my money that this will be the big winner of next year, unless FilmDistrict once again fuck up on the marketing like they've done with Drive and The Rum Diary.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Oscar talk

Predicting and handicapping the Oscar race is a beloved pastime of cinephiles, a time when when an  already highly opinionated group becomes even more passionate championing their favorite films and filmmakers. While the rest of the world may find speculating about "contenders' that no one has yet seen absurd, it leaves the camp of the presumed nominees giddy with delight.   And so it is with Blood & Honey after its impressive trailer ignited speculation about its Awards prospects.  If the "experts" say it looks like a major contender,  who are we to argue?

All the feedback I've read so far points to it being a quality film.  Rich Cohen said it was impressive and beautiful but as brutal as early Scorcese.  Test audiences compared it Schindler's List and The English Patient.  Angelina herself said that she is very happy with the results and Graham King said he is extremely proud of the film.  I wouldn't expect them to lay their judgement on the line if they didn't believe strongly in it. 

Given that none of the early contenders are slam dunks in the eyes of critics (and I agree since I've seen most of them including The Descendants and The Artist), the door is wide open for B&H to nab a nom and quite possibly go for the win.  The only films that have impressed me based on their trailers and that I have not yet seen are Fincher's Dragon Tattoo and Tomas Alfredsson's remake of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.  B&H has the advantage over both in that it is a serious drama and hence is more Oscar-friendly material. 

In 2008, Angelina was widely expected to be nominated for A Mighty Heart.  Newsweek invited her to join its annual Oscar roundtable with other likely nominees and she was honored at the Santa Barbara Film Fest which chooses an outstanding performer from the previous year.  She had no problem garnering the first two legs of the awards trifecta: a Golden Globe and a SAG nomination.  But the Academy, dominated by old members who were obviously influenced by tabloid nonsense, snubbed her.  So when she gave another strong performance in Changeling the next year, Oscar pundits wondered if they would snub her again.  But whether it was because they were finally past the gossip or because she was shepherded and championed by one of their favorites, Clint Eastwood, she finally received her 2nd Oscar nomination.  As did Brad for Benjamin Button -- a rare feat of  matching lead actor nominations.

That year probably marked the turning point for the couple's relationship with old Hollywood.  Since then, respect and admiration for them has noticeably grown, influenced in no small measure by both their professional and philanthropic activities.  So when the Academy members vote come January, if the widespread critical consensus is that they are both deserving, they shouldn't have any problem getting nominated.  And this time around, they might both be favored to win.

Brad's turn as Billy Beane has received widespread praise, some say its a career best, and there is also growing sentiment that after over 20 years in the business and two previous nominations, he is due.  On the other hand, if B&H delivers what the trailer promises, Angelina's case may be even more compelling.

Unlike other trailers that are amped up by a thumping soundtrack, B & H's is backed by a very subtle piano score, relying on frequently silent images to sell the movie.  When she was choosing a title, she told Anthony Breznican that she was looking for one that would let people know what they were walking in to.  That was likely also the guiding principle when she cut the trailer so I fully expect that it is a very faithful representation of what we can expect from the movie.  It has evoked comparisons with the work of respected filmmakers like Anthony Minghella and if that view holds for the film,  it would be hard not to acknowledge.

Below is one blogger, Ken Adams, who seems particularly convinced that B&H can go all the way based on what he's been told by those who've seen the film and by his own assessment of the trailer. For the most part, I agree with his choices.

For Your Consideration: Oscar Contenders 2012

Oct 22, 2011 

Best Picture

1. The Tree of Life (Release Date: May 27th)
Now that the majority of the people have seen it, it's chances of a Best Picture nomination might have sunk, you would think, but as polarizing as Tree turned out to be, I'm keeping it here for many reasons. After all, if The Thin Red Line managed to get a nod, this makes Tree pretty much a given, I'd say...

2. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Release Date: December 21st)
Daniel Craig is pitch-perfectly cast as Mikael Blomqvist, but it's Rooney Mara's interpretation of Lisbeth Salander that can end up being one of the most electrifying performances of the year. What worries me the most though, are the Swedish accents that can sound very corny and over-the-top if everything goes wrong. And yes, I know a lot of people say that this doesn't even stand a chance of a nomination for being too dark and more Fincheresque than ever, but do you recall a film called No Country For Old Men, also pretty dark, that took home all the big awards back in 2008, that no one didn't think would sweep the awards that year either? Case closed.

3. In the Land of Blood and Honey
Well, a late addition to the Oscar race. Jolie's directorial debut looks very impressive and seems to handle the subject matter very well. With the Anthony Minghella meets Schindlers List tone set to it, I'm betting my money that this will be the big winner of next year, unless FilmDistrict once again fuck up on the marketing like they've done with Drive.

4. The Descendants (Release Date: November 23rd)
The reviews are in from Telluride, all being positive, with praise for Clooney's performance. But will the Academy go for such a downer?

5. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Release Date: November 18th)
I know Le Carre novels aren't big with the Academy, but my gutt says that Alfredsson & Co. will end up surprising everyone (those of you who have seen Let the Right One In probably know what I'm talking about), and Gary Oldman really needs that golden statue, even more than DiCaprio...

6. War Horse (Release Date: December 28th)
Steven Spelberg+war film=Awards darling!!

7. The Artist
It might be a silent black-and-white film, but it's been getting raves ever since it premiered in Cannes, and never ever underestimate the power of a certain Harvey Weinstein..

Best Director
Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life
David Fincher, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Angelina Jolie, In the Land of Blood and Honey
Steven Spielberg, War Horse
Alexander Payne, The Descendants

(Just missed the cut: Tomas Alfredsson, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy; Martin Scorsese, Hugo; David Cronenberg, A Dangerous Method; Roman Polanski, Carnage; Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris; Clint Eastwood, J. Edgar; Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist)

Best Actor
Gary Oldman, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar
Brad Pitt, Moneyball
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
George Clooney, The Descendants

(Just missed the cut: Goran Kostic, In the Land of Blood and Honey; Woody Harrelson, Rampart; Johnny Depp, The Rum Diary; Michael Fassbender, A Dangerous Method or Shame; Christoph Waltz, Carnage; Ryan Gosling, The Ides of March; Matt Damon, We Bought A Zoo; Ryan Gosling, Drive; Paul Giamatti, Win Win; Owen Wilson, Midnight in Paris; Ewan McGregor, Beginners; Joseph-Gordon-Levitt, 50/50)

Best Actress
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Rooney Mara, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Tilda Swinton, We Need To Talk About Kevin
Keira Knightley, A Dangerous Method
Viola Davis, The Help

(Just missed the cut: Elisabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene; Zana Marjanovic, In the Land of Blood and Honey; Jodie Foster, Carnage;  Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn; Kirsten Dunst, Melancholia; Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs)

Best Supporting Actor
Albert Brooks, Drive
Max Von Sydow, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Viggo Mortensen, A Dangerous Method
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn

(Just missed the cut: Brad Pitt, The Tree of Life; Phillip Seymour Hoffman, The Ides of March; Ben Kingsley, Hugo; John C. Reilly, We Need To Talk About Kevin;  Jonah Hill, Moneyball; Giovanni Ribisi, The Rum Diary; Jeremy Irivine, War Horse; Paul Giamatti, The Ides of March; Armie Hammer, J. Edgar)

Best Supporting Actress
Octavia Spencer, The Help
Scarlett Johansson, We Bought A Zoo
Sandra Bullock, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Carey Mulligan, Shame
Viola Davis, The Help

(Just missed the cut: Evan Rachel Wood, The Ides of March; Vanessa Redgrave, Coriolanus; Kate Winslet, Carnage; Naomi Watts, J. Edgar; Jessica Chastain, The Tree of Life; Judi Dench, J. Edgar; Elle Faning, We Bought A Zoo; Chloe Moretz, Hugo)

Best Original Screenplay
The Tree of Life
In the Land of Blood and Honey
The Artist
Midnight in Paris
50/50

(Just missed the cut: Beginners, Win Win, Contagion, Super 8, Our Idiot Brother, Like Crazy, Melancholia, Meek's Cutoff, J. Edgar)

Best Adapted Screenplay
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
War Horse
The Descendants
Moneyball
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

(Just missed the cut: Carnage, A Dangerous Method, The Rum Diary, The Ides of March, Killer Joe, Hugo, We Bought A Zoo, The Skin I Live In, We Need To Talk About Kevin)

Best Animated Feature
Rango
The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn
Winnie the Pooh

Best Cinematography
The Tree of Life
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Tinker, Tailor Soldier, Spy 
Hugo
War Horse

Best Score
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part Two
The Artist
Hugo
War Horse


Best Visual Effects
The Tree of Life
Super 8
Hugo
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part Two
Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Best Film Editing
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
In the Land of Blood and Honey
Drive
Hugo
War Horse

Best Costume Design
J.Edgar
A Dangerous Method
The Rum Diary
Hugo
W.E

Best Art Direction
Hugo
A Dangerous Method
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part Two
In the Land of Blood and Honey
The Tree of Life

Best Makeup
J.Edgar
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part Two

Best Sound Editing
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part Two
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Hugo
War Horse
In the Land of Blood and Honey

Best Sound Mixing
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part Two
Hugo
Super 8
The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn
War Horse