Poster for David Fincher’s “The Social Network”
I am beyond excited for this movie. David Fincher is one of my favorite directors and Jesse Eisenberg is one of the top up and coming actors working today. This poster is so fabulous. I cannot wait for the trailer to break.
Tony Goldwyn’s “Conviction” Trailer
This film was originally titled “Betty Anne Waters” but I guess Fox Searchlight decided to steer away from the “a person’s name” film title route. Hilary Swank is hit or miss, but when she’s good she’s really good (hence the two Oscars). Sam Rockwell is one of the most under-rated actors working in Hollywood today. I still think he should have gotten an Oscar nom for Moon last year. Maybe this will be his golden ticket.
Trailer and synopsis after the cut.
The Thin Red Line to be released on Criterion DVD and Blu-Ray
This is so exciting! Terrence Malick is my favorite director and The Thin Red Line is one of my Top Ten Favorite movies of all time. The news leaked a few weeks ago, but I was waiting for the cover artwork to get released before writing about it. I actually thought Fox or someone would release a ten-year anniversary edition in 2008 but that never happened. I may already own the crap Fox War Classics version of this film on DVD, but I also own two versions of Malick’s The New World. so I have no qualms about buying this again.
DVD/Blu-Ray specs after the cut.
“Somewhere”, “Never Let Me Go” trailers
Rewatching the trailer for The American reminded me that in the last two days trailers have gone online for two other films I’m looking forward to this year: Sofia Coppola’s Somewhere and Mark Romanek’s Never Let Me Go.
Poster for Anton Corbijn’s ‘The American’
This is one of my most anticipated films of the year. Anton Corbijn’s debut film, 2007’s Ian Curtis biopic Control is one of my favorite films of all time. I think Corbijn’s background as a photographer and music video director gives him a really great point of view when it comes to his films. Add to the mix George Clooney, who has pretty much, aside from one or two not-so-great films, been on fire for the last ten years and you’ve really got something. Look for the trailer after the cut.
Oscar Vault Monday – The Cider House Rules, 1999 (dir. Lasse Hallström)
I first saw this film on an airplane on my way back from London in 2000 and I loved it immediately. I didn’t see it again for a few years, but when I finally did watch it again I still loved it as much as I did then. At the time of its release it was up for seven Oscars – Best Score, Best Editing, Best Art Direction, Best Director, Best Picture and won two: Best Adapted Screenplay John Irving and Best Supporting Actor Michael Caine. Best Picture-wise it was up against The Insider, The Green Mile, The Sixth Sense and winner American Beauty.
Oscar Vault Monday – Gosford Park, 2001 (dir. Robert Altman)
This is one of those movies I remember really love when I first saw and then didn’t watch again for years only to rediscover it all over again. It features a stellar ensemble cast consisting of pretty much every British person ever. The cast went on to win the Best Ensemble at the SAG awards. I remember when Sir Ian McKellan won the SAG for his role in the first Lord of the Rings movie, he quipped something about being the only British actor not in Gosford Park. The film was nominated for 7 Academy Awards – Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress Dame Helen Mirren, Best Supporting Actress Dame Maggie Smith, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design and won Best Original Screenplay – Julian Fellowes. The curious thing about Julian Fellowes is that, at least for me, I loved this film to death and was absolutely bored by two of his latest efforts – Vanity Fair and The Young Victoria. It makes me wonder if perhaps those screenplays would have been fine if he’d had the same calibre director as Altman, or if this screenplay was a one hit wonder?
Oscar Vault Monday – The Thin Red Line, 1998 (dir. Terrence Malick)
Malick was one of the most acclaimed directors in the 1970s, with two highly acclaimed dramas – 1973’s Badlands and 1978’s Days of Heaven. He then disappeared for nearly twenty years before production of The Thin Red Line started. The result is an astounding WWII ensemble based on the novel of the same name by James Jones (who’s other book, From Here To Eternity was turned into a film in 1953 and won 8 Oscars). There is a version of The Thin Red Line from 1964 that I’m told is more true to the book; I’ve yet to see it. I also don’t really care if it’s more true to the book because I love what Malick did with this story. This film is one of my Top Ten Films of All Time. It was nominated for 7 Oscars in 1998 although it didn’t win a single award. It was up against Saving Private Ryan, Shakespeare In Love, Elizabeth and Life Is Beautiful.
1967: The Year Cinema Changed Forever
I know there is at least one book on this subject and I haven’t had a chance to read it yet, but thanks to TCM showing several movies from that year, I have to agree completely. What I mean by Cinema, is Hollywood and American Cinema, because a lot of how it changed was based on things French New Wave directors had already been doing for almost ten years.
One way to see this change is by looking at the five films that were nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars that year. Four of the films are harbingers of the new Hollywood. One is old guard and because of that in addition I want to talk about another film that, although nominated for four Oscars, was not up for Best Picture.
The five films up for Best Picture were Bonnie & Clyde, Doctor Dolittle, The Graduate, Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner and In The Heat of the Night. The film sixth film I’m going to discuss is In Cold Blood.
Oscar Vault Monday – The Goodbye Girl, 1977 (dir. Herbert Ross)
This film was up for five Oscars, including Best Picture, ultimately losing to Woody Allen’s Annie Hall. Richard Dreyfuss did, however, win Best Actor – at 29 he was the youngest winner until Adrien Brody won for 2002’s The Pianist. Dreyfuss also won Best Actor at the BAFTAs, the Golden Globes, the Kansas City Film Critics and the LA Film Critics for his portrayal of some-time Shakespearean actor Elliot Garfield. Marsha Mason was also up for Best Actress, Quinn Cummings for Best Supporting Actress and Neil Simon for Best Original Screenplay – his only nomination in that category (he was nominated in the Adapted Screenplay category 3 times).
the diary of a film history fanatic 