I stumbled upon an article in The Los Angeles Times that I thought I'd share with you. Its five highly respected film directors - including Quentin Tarantino of "Inglourious Basterds", James Cameron of "Avatar", Jason Reitman of "Up In The Air", Kathryn Bigelow of "The Hurt Locker", and Lee Daniels of "Precious" - in a roundtable discussion about being a director in today's filmmaking industry. You can find that link here. I encourage you to give it a read. It's not everyday you get five filmmakers of this caliber at one table.
P.S. I decided to throw out this week's edition of "What They're Saying" for the new release "Legion" simply due to lack of time and the fact that no one - fans and critics alike - seems to have liked it. Oh well, they can't all be winners. Rest assured, "What They're Saying" will return next Monday with the new thriller "Edge of Darkness" starring Mel Gibson and Ray Winstone, which hits theaters nationwide this Friday. 'Til then, I'm out. Peace.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Reaction To Golden Globes
The 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards have come and gone and I have to admit that I have mixed feelings about the winners and losers. I was left fairly disappointed by the categories of Best Picture for Drama and Musical or Comedy but I thought the voters of the Hollywood Foreign Press Assocation hit the nail on the proverbial head with the individual performance awards. Below, I have divided the evening up into the good and the bad in an attempt to explain what I liked and disliked about the 2010 Golden Globe Awards. Read on at your own peril.
THE GOOD
Christoph Waltz ("Inglourious Basterds") - Everyone in the Beverly Hilton Hotel - as well as those members of the viewing audience watching from home - knew Christoph Waltz would be going home tonight with the Best Supporting Actor In A Motion Picture Drama tucked nicely under his arm but, nonetheless, it was still nice to see an award go to an actor who truly earned it. His performance as Colonel Hans Landa in "Inglourious Basterds" was one of the best supporting performances in recent memory and he deserves every bit of the recognition he has gotten for his critically-acclaimed role. I look forward to seeing more of Waltz in the future and hope that everyone who has yet to see "Inglourious Basterds" will be sure to check it out if for no other reason but to at least watch Waltz work his magic.
Robert Downey Jr. ("Sherlock Holmes") - One of the hottest actors in Hollywood right now, Robert Downey Jr. completed his return to the spotlight with a much-deserved yet surprising award for Best Actor In A Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his turn as the famed title character in "Sherlock Holmes." Truly one of the most talented actors of our generation, Downey Jr. is wildly entertaining as literature's most famous detective brought to life and succeeds in almost carrying the film with his wit and undeniable charm. In fact, the only thing more entertaining than his performance as the intrepid sleuth was his acceptance speech, mixing biting sarcasm with an underlying sentiment in a way only Robert Downey Jr. can.
"Up In The Air" - Taking home the award for Best Screenplay, and deservedly so, "Up In The Air" got little of the recognition I felt it had earned, getting shut out in the Best Motion Picture Drama, Best Director, and Best Actor In A Motion Picture Drama categories. Nevertheless, I was glad to see that the screenplay adapted by Jason Reitman and Shelton Turner from the novel by Walter Kirn got the attention it deserved. Lacking the spectacle of visual effects, "Up In The Air" instead relied upon its story and characters to convey its message on human relationships and interactions. "Up In The Air" deserved more but I'll take what I can get.
James Cameron ("Avatar") - Some of you may find yourself scratching your heads as to why I put this under The Good after reading what I have to say about "Avatar" under The Bad but understand this - James Cameron is a master director. There is no denying the inherent talent he possesses in creating stunning visuals on the silver screen and James Cameran more than deserved the award for Best Director. While his ability as a screenwriter may be lacking - which is where most of my criticisms of "Avatar" lie - Cameron is a true visionary who seems to re-define the art of visual filmmaking every time he comes out with a new movie. He poured the last twelve years of his life into bringing "Avatar" to fruition and I believe his efforts were rightfully rewarded by the voters at the Golden Globe Awards.
THE BAD
"The Hangover" - Make no mistake, I loved "The Hangover." But Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy of 2009? I find that hard to stomach. In my opinion, "(500) Days of Summer" was the much more deserving candidate in this category. "(500) Days of Summer" was a heartbreaking look at the nature of modern relationships and how we grow as people through situations like break-ups and unrequited love. "The Hangover" was laugh-out-loud funny but I'm not so sure it fits the profile of Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. Maybe the Golden Globes are attempting to become more mainstream to attract more viewers, I don't know, but I would hope that the Hollywood Foreign Press Assocation wouldn't sacrifice integrity for the sake of viewership.
"Avatar" - This is by far my biggest disappointment in the 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards. "Inglourious Basterds," "Up In The Air," and maybe even "The Hurt Locker" were all more deserving of the award for Best Motion Picture Drama. Outside of its big-name director and groundbreaking visual effects, "Avatar" is a popcorn film and nothing more. Its story, as I've said before, is all too familiar and too many of the characters in the film never grow beyond being two-dimensional. Again, maybe this is the Golden Globes attempting to become mainstream by playing into the widespread box-office success of "Avatar" but I can't help but think this is the second coming of "Titanic." I really hope that the Academy Awards makes up for this egregious oversight and gives the title of Best Picture to the rightful film.
Well, there you have it. My opinion of the good and the bad from the 67th Annual Golden Globes laid out for all to see. Here's hoping that the Academy Awards - with its now-expanded group of ten Best Picture candidates - can deliver the goods when it comes to naming the top film of 2009. I'll probably be back on February 2nd to give you my take on the nominees for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards. Until then, I'm out. Peace.
THE GOOD
Christoph Waltz ("Inglourious Basterds") - Everyone in the Beverly Hilton Hotel - as well as those members of the viewing audience watching from home - knew Christoph Waltz would be going home tonight with the Best Supporting Actor In A Motion Picture Drama tucked nicely under his arm but, nonetheless, it was still nice to see an award go to an actor who truly earned it. His performance as Colonel Hans Landa in "Inglourious Basterds" was one of the best supporting performances in recent memory and he deserves every bit of the recognition he has gotten for his critically-acclaimed role. I look forward to seeing more of Waltz in the future and hope that everyone who has yet to see "Inglourious Basterds" will be sure to check it out if for no other reason but to at least watch Waltz work his magic.
Robert Downey Jr. ("Sherlock Holmes") - One of the hottest actors in Hollywood right now, Robert Downey Jr. completed his return to the spotlight with a much-deserved yet surprising award for Best Actor In A Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his turn as the famed title character in "Sherlock Holmes." Truly one of the most talented actors of our generation, Downey Jr. is wildly entertaining as literature's most famous detective brought to life and succeeds in almost carrying the film with his wit and undeniable charm. In fact, the only thing more entertaining than his performance as the intrepid sleuth was his acceptance speech, mixing biting sarcasm with an underlying sentiment in a way only Robert Downey Jr. can.
"Up In The Air" - Taking home the award for Best Screenplay, and deservedly so, "Up In The Air" got little of the recognition I felt it had earned, getting shut out in the Best Motion Picture Drama, Best Director, and Best Actor In A Motion Picture Drama categories. Nevertheless, I was glad to see that the screenplay adapted by Jason Reitman and Shelton Turner from the novel by Walter Kirn got the attention it deserved. Lacking the spectacle of visual effects, "Up In The Air" instead relied upon its story and characters to convey its message on human relationships and interactions. "Up In The Air" deserved more but I'll take what I can get.
James Cameron ("Avatar") - Some of you may find yourself scratching your heads as to why I put this under The Good after reading what I have to say about "Avatar" under The Bad but understand this - James Cameron is a master director. There is no denying the inherent talent he possesses in creating stunning visuals on the silver screen and James Cameran more than deserved the award for Best Director. While his ability as a screenwriter may be lacking - which is where most of my criticisms of "Avatar" lie - Cameron is a true visionary who seems to re-define the art of visual filmmaking every time he comes out with a new movie. He poured the last twelve years of his life into bringing "Avatar" to fruition and I believe his efforts were rightfully rewarded by the voters at the Golden Globe Awards.
THE BAD
"The Hangover" - Make no mistake, I loved "The Hangover." But Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy of 2009? I find that hard to stomach. In my opinion, "(500) Days of Summer" was the much more deserving candidate in this category. "(500) Days of Summer" was a heartbreaking look at the nature of modern relationships and how we grow as people through situations like break-ups and unrequited love. "The Hangover" was laugh-out-loud funny but I'm not so sure it fits the profile of Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. Maybe the Golden Globes are attempting to become more mainstream to attract more viewers, I don't know, but I would hope that the Hollywood Foreign Press Assocation wouldn't sacrifice integrity for the sake of viewership.
"Avatar" - This is by far my biggest disappointment in the 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards. "Inglourious Basterds," "Up In The Air," and maybe even "The Hurt Locker" were all more deserving of the award for Best Motion Picture Drama. Outside of its big-name director and groundbreaking visual effects, "Avatar" is a popcorn film and nothing more. Its story, as I've said before, is all too familiar and too many of the characters in the film never grow beyond being two-dimensional. Again, maybe this is the Golden Globes attempting to become mainstream by playing into the widespread box-office success of "Avatar" but I can't help but think this is the second coming of "Titanic." I really hope that the Academy Awards makes up for this egregious oversight and gives the title of Best Picture to the rightful film.
Well, there you have it. My opinion of the good and the bad from the 67th Annual Golden Globes laid out for all to see. Here's hoping that the Academy Awards - with its now-expanded group of ten Best Picture candidates - can deliver the goods when it comes to naming the top film of 2009. I'll probably be back on February 2nd to give you my take on the nominees for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards. Until then, I'm out. Peace.
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