Thursday
Dec222011
Open Thread
Thursday, December 22, 2011 at 3:44PM What's on your mind? I'm racing towards a couple of deadlines so let's hear from you!
Any movie thoughts that you just need to get out?
P.S. I know there's a couple of high profile trailers to discuss. Soon, my friends, soon.
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Reader Comments (27)
was just about to say - the fact that you haven't commented on The Hobbit or Prometheus trailer, but then i read your last sentence. But really Nathaniel get on it! I thought you of all bloggers would have commented on at least the hobbit by now ;)
I have been wondering how wide open the Best Supporting Actress race is this year. Jessica Chastain has been winning for Tree of Life but perpetually nominated for The Help. Could she pull off a surprise win for playing Celia Foote?
I want to say something that infuriates me about cinema. I love film. If I could, I would do nothing but watch, critique and watch more movies all day long. In the theater, on my computer, at my home, I want to watch movies.
Now the problem. I live in Amarillo, Texas. It's not that Amarillo is such a bad place. I love it here. But the problem is that there are only 200,000 people here and I can't get any movie that I need to see for the 2011 film year within 100 miles.
Amarillo has three movie theaters. One just got Young Adult (I saw it immediately), while the discount movie theater just got Margin Call (which I saw on PPV). Besides that, were am I left with?
If I want to see Shame, Tyrannosaur, The Artist, The Descendants, My Week with Marilyn, Coriolanus or Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, then I am just shit out of luck. I know the only thing that I could possibly do to remedy the situation is to become an accredited critic and receive screeners, but I have bills to pay and can't just live on my opinions in a city this size.
One day, I will open my own independent movie theater and let these films reach the little part of the world, but until then, what are my options? Piracy? Road trips? Waiting for the DVD release?
Okay, I'm done.
I'm sooo bummed I missed my local theater's screening of "Drive" yesterday...Your beautiful James White poster only reminded me of it again! Not to mention, I saw someone with a "Drive" jacket on last night on the way home from work! He did look good in it..
I only found out after reading a review this week that the IMF in Mission:Impossible is not the International Monetary Fund. I always thought it a bit weird that they needed superspies but I had just accepted it.
Anyway I'm trying to decide whether I should go see MI or Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. A few weeks ago I thought that would have been an easy decision but then I read the book and Ghostocol just looks like fun.
My biggest concern is Best Actress. I'd like Viola to win just because, the same for Glenn Close -- these two women in particular have the hardest battles to face in returning to Best Actress even with a worthy project. I'm a Michelle Williams fan but I would hate for her to win for this bio-pic crap. I want Streep to get a 3rd Oscar because it makes no sense for her to be nominated more than any other human being from the Academy and still have less Oscars than Jack Nicholson! I don't have much to say about the other ones who may or may not make it in.
THIS HAS BEEN BUGGING ME: was hugo ineligible for best animated feature for the golden globes???
@tak, I would assume yes, because it's not animated. It's a live action film.
I'm just excited that now that the holiday season is here and finals are over, I can get back on track with my movie watching. In the last three days I saw Shame, The Skin I Live In, Puss in Boots, and Rango, and within the next week, I'll get to We Bought a Zoo, War Horse, Tin Tin, Dragon Tattoo, and The Artist. This is easily my favorite time of year:)
I still need to see way too many films this year. Why is it that my two local multiplexes suddenly stopped getting the first week expansion of the baity films in December?
Still trying to figure out when I'll be seeing THE ARTIST. Too much stuff to do with the holidays and all.
I also love how most of the comments so far have been... "Need to watch... movies..."
I just need to rave about Margaret which I saw this afternoon. The movie has a lot of cautionary stuff to say about hyperbolic responses, but I can't help but respond hyperbolically to the BEST FILM OF THE DECADE (so far)!! I was just saying to my girlfriend that I cannot wait for Nathaniel to see it 'cos there's a truly spectacular array of actressing and not just from Paquin - Jeannie Berlin was especially thrilling. Love love LOVED this film so much - it's going to be a hard slog getting through this awards season if I have to watch it go totally unrewarded...
My heart is still breaking about Elizabeth Olsen's showing so far this season. I can't shut up about it.
Oh, you need to see the new trailer of Game Change. Julie 's so damn good in it. totally unrecognisable!
What has happened to the film careers of Cate Blanchett, Julia Roberts and Nicole Kidman? Is it simply out with the old in with the new?
I saw 'Shame' today and it's devastating. It's slow in some parts (some scene shots are too long, but maybe that's intentional?), but it is a truly profound film.
Saw Young Adult today, which I liked but didn't love. Thought the cast was terrific, with Charlize giving an excellent performance. However, given that YA is a dark comedy, which isn't generally AMPAS's cup of tea, I'm not sure Theron can get enough traction to get a nom for Best Actress.
On a sillier note, I think the pomerian Hummer that played "Dolce' in the movie should be getting some awards love, too. After all, Uggie and Cosmo can't be the only dogs getting all the alcolades! :)
I am just LOVING the Best Supporting Actor race this year. So far, it's between two of the best 2011 performances in two of the best 2011 films (Christopher Plummer in BEGINNERS, and Albert Brooks in DRIVE). But also (as I'm boldly/foolishly guessing at this early stage), they may split the vote and let another great performance through for the win i.e. Nick Nolte in WARRIOR (I'm not as sold on the movie itself, but the performance reminded me so much of my own father that I am rooting for it). Throw in a statistician Jonah Hill in an "unfairly maligned by recent discussion board comments" good performance in MONEYBALL (who is poised and ready to claim a spot in case Max von Sydow doesn't get any traction), and a wild-wild-wildcard unexpected nomination for John Hawkes in MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE (I doubt it will happen, but I would be ecstatic if it did), and this is easily my favourite category.
Gonna try to watch all of the Studio Ghibli (the Japanese animation studio responsible for such classics as My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away) over the weekend starting tomorrow. Looking forward to that
Downton Abbey!! I think I'm in love. Just can't get enough of the bitchery or the fabulous Lady Mary, not to mention the even fabulouser Dowager Countess. I'd actually love to hear your thoughts on the show, since I remember from Emmy season that you are a fan. Any personal favorites among the backstabbing British lot of them?
I'm thinking about how little competitive the acting categories feel. I mean, yes, there are a lot of contenders, but not one of them seem worthy of a win. I really liked Christopher Plummer in Beginners and Octavia Spencer in The Help, but are those really our frontrunners in the supporting race? The competition seems stronger in the acting categories, but all in all, the fields just look weak to me (at least out of the performances the Academy is likely to consider).
I just saw "Shame" last night, and though I'm still not certain about how I feel about the film overall, the performance I liked best was that of Nicole Beharie. I would love to see more of her.
I'm thinking that I really need to get down to Cinema Village next week to catch Margaret. For realz.
I'm also thinking that 2012 is looking ridiculously stacked. New PT Anderson, Wes Anderson, Alfonso Cuaron, Haneke, QT, Prometheus looks awsome, TDKR... I'm sure some of those movies will disappoint, but the whole year, lookin over what has been announced thus far, looks awesome. When there's two great looking movies coming out in JANUARY, of all things (that would be Haywire and The Grey) things are definitely looking up.
What if chastain knocked out Octavia's spot?
I had an awful dream last night that The Artist was actually showing on HBO before it came to a theater near me. AND I TURNED IT OFF, because I wanted to see it on the big screen and not have it spoiled. This whole end-of-year release situation is driving me insane. Especially since no one else I know wants to see a good number of the end-of-year releases, so I'm left to see them by myself, and I HATE going to the movies by myself.
Distribution for arthouse/indie/foreign films continues to disappoint. I might not get a chance to see three of my most anticipated (Tinker Tailor, Kevin, and A Separation) in theaters because of how delayed releases outside of NYC/LA are, especially regarding the first two. TTSS is hitting just about every major city in the country by year's end except mine (Houston; 4th largest in the US...wut), and Kevin isn't expanding until February, but mostly in Florida and Tennessee. I'm sure there's some aspect to the distribution process that I'm completely ignorant of, but as a movie lover, I really love the chance to see these films in a theater when I can, and the weird distribution patterns are disheartening. It's a film, guys, not a Broadway show. It stays exactly the same no matter what theater you put it in (unless it's managed by the priest from Cinema Paradiso...). That's the beauty of film as an art form. Duplicates don't diminish the quality of the product. Movie lovers shouldn't have to flock to NYC or LA just to see movies. We already have to do that for top tier Broadway shows...
Recast these Oscar winning roles with today's actresses. Reasons for your choices
Jean Brodie
Diana Scott (Darling)
Sophie (Sophie's Choice)
Norma Rae
-Or any of your own choices
I did a Jonathan Glazer movie marathon last night and "Sexy Beast" and "Birth" are both brilliant and both feature brilliant performances, but I'm a lit bit concern about Glazer's upcoming movie: "Under the Skin". I didn't read the book, but the plot sounds so like a B-movie and the first images of Scarlett make her look so like a prostitute from the 80's...
Any hopes for Glazer's next? Any hopes for Scarlett, who already was considered the best actess of her generation but now seems to be stuck on sexy?