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Thursday
Feb172011

This & That: Win Wins, Pettyfer Double, Black Swan $100

I apologize for my absence today, I'm so far behind on awardage I know. Argh. While you wait for that, some articles of mine at my other two haunts.

In my weekly Oscar column at Tribeca Film, I'm considering the win-win of being a nominated actor. If you think you're going to win, you're probably racked with nerves. If you know you're not, you're free to enjoy the adulation without much stress. Either way, it's a win-win since you're Oscar nominated, you know?

Over at Towleroad, I'm blabbing about Alex Pettyfer aka I Am Number Four, the latest product Hollywood is trying to sell me.

 


It's like Hollywood is smiling under flourescent lighting at the grocery store. "Free sample? Free sample?"

Other things to check out:
Inside Movies great piece on Banksy and why the Academy doesn't understand entertainment on Oscar night.
Meryl Streep Forum has some on the set peaks at Meryl Streep in Thatcher.
Awards Daily Ballot Sasha is simulating the Oscar voting. I voted today. Wheeee
My New Plaid Pants Do Dump or Marry with the Lincoln Lawyer lads.
Gold Derby Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark getting rewrites from a different writer after three months in previews? My God. Please just put this thing down.
Alt Film Guide fun list of longest gap between acting Oscar nods.

Finally, congratulations to Darren Aronofsky. He has his first $100 million domestic grosser with Black Swan which just crossed the big mark. It feels great that the public is finally catching up with all of us, right? Aronofsky's been making awesome movies for a whole decade. In case you missed the big Aronofsky Favorite Actors post, check it out.

Thursday
Feb172011

Distant Relatives: Raging Bull and The Social Network

Robert here, with my series Distant Relatives, where we look at two films, (one classic, one modern) related through theme and ask what their similarities/differences can tell us about the evolution of cinema.

At what price greatness?

You may think, at first glance, that the 2010 film that has the most in common with 1980’s masterpiece Raging Bull is The Fighter. Yes they’re both about boxing and boxers, but that’s practically where the similarities end. As far as stories about misanthropes striving to do something great while sabotaging their own relationships, few come closer to Jake LaMotta than The Social Network’s Mark Zuckerberg. One immediate similarity is that they’re both real people, but for our sake here we will forget that and approach them simply as characters within their respective movies.
 
Raging Bull is the story of boxer Jake LaMotta (Robert DeNiro), his relationship with brother Joey (Joe Pesci) and wife Vicki (Cathy Moriarty) over whom his protectiveness manifests itself in more and more aggressive ways as he rises and falls from the grace of the boxing world.
 
The Social Network is the story of Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) the creation of Facebook, and how the process dissolved his relationship with his best friend and was fueled, in part, by his contempt for rowers Tyler and Cameron Winklefoss (but really everyone).

Did you poke my wife?


We start off with two socially awkward characters though their awkwardness manifests itself in different ways. LaMotta seems unable to do anything without the assistance of his brother, not score matches, not find the favor of women. Zuckerberg meanwhile is very capable, but his non-existant social graces don’t allow him any awareness of anyone in the room but himself. Added to this awkwardness is a good helping of narcissism, though LaMotta might wait until you know him better before aggressively insisting on his own greatness. Zuckerberg would probably tell you up front. And topping all of this is a strong dose of jealousy.
 
In an odd way, perhaps it's that jealousy that helps buoy both to the top. LaMotta's jealousy manifests itself in the constant suspicion that his wife is sleeping around. The thought of his opponents with his wife certainly doesn’t hurt him (though it does them) in the boxing ring. Would the world championship LaMotta wins be possible without this factor motivating him to throw punches? In the case of Zuckerberg, we can be pretty sure that his disdain for the Winklevii and rowers in general isn’t the only reason he starts Facebook, but notice how he doesn’t commit to (with the intention of stealing?) their project until they reveal that they row crew. In fact the entire quest against crew begins in the film’s opening scene where a casual remark by his soon-to-be ex-girlfriend Erica about liking guys who row crew should be easily dismissed, but Zuckerberg carries it well into the argument, eventually sarcastically spewing “and I’m sorry I don’t own a rowboat.” How much does this anti-crew bias, perhaps a feeling of inadequacy compared to his girlfriends preference of world class Olympic athletes, fuel Zuckerberg? And how much is he fueled by jealousy toward his best friend Eduardo’s impending acceptance into one of Harvard’s Final Clubs?
 
Eventually it destroys his relationships, another thing he shares with Jake LaMotta. LaMotta’s raging jealousy destroys his ties with his brother and his wife. The self-centeredness that pushes both of these men toward greatness also burdens them with a set of blinders, unable to care for their relationships with the people they care for.

Cracking some eggs


There is another tie here. Boxing and cyber enterepeneurship may be vastly different professions but they’re professions that neither LaMotta nor Zuckerberg can separate from their personal lives. LaMotta punches people for a living. It’s what he knows. And so at home, he can only express himself by punching people. Zuckerberg is a little more complicated but the connection is still present. In creating Facebook, Zuckerberg has invented a reality where the intimacy of friendship is a secondary thought and “friends” are treated more like an audience for one’s self-promotion. So it goes in Zuckerberg’s life. He’s less interested in mature relationships with actual friends than being surrounded by individuals who are in perpetual awe of his greatness.
 
Much like our discussion of Charles Kane and Daniel Plainview earier, the differences between these two men are found in the consequences or perceived consequences of their actions. LaMotta gets it worse, losing his title, becoming a fat joke, jailtime. Yet at the very end, we can’t know how triumphant he is in his own mind. When he says “I’m the boss, I’m the boss, I’m the boss,” is he just trying to convince himself? When Zuckerberg declares  “I'm the CEO... bitch” he may also be trying to convince himself of his own greatness, but he pays a far lesser price for his self-superiority. Lawsuits sure, a drop in the bucket (he doesn’t care about money) and the loss of his friends like LaMotta, but no jailtime, no scandalous encoutners with underage girls like LaMotta (that’s for another member of the Facebook team.)
 
As an audience we love tales of the rise to and fall from glory, a little abnormal psychology to remind us that greatness requires sacrifices too great (and of too many values) not to appreciate the mundanity of our lives. But why sets the modern film apart is how many people may in fact noting trading places with Zuckerberg, the world's youngest billionaire. Truth is, The Social Network is not a tale of rise and fall but just a tale of rise (with consequences of course). As an audience perhaps we no longer expect the fall or demand the fall or realize since the true story of Mr. Zuckerberg is still ongoing there may very well not be one.
 
In both cases, LaMotta and Zuckerberg, we can look at the success and ask according to our own standards "was it worth it?" In the twenty years between these films it may not have become easy to answer "yes" but it's gotten easier.

Thursday
Feb172011

Joseph Gordon-Levitt Doo Doos

Today in overachieving adorableness, Joseph Gordon-Levitt sang with his mommy over at hitRECord, to mark his birthday. He says:

it was 30 years ago today, my mom started cleaning up my doo doos

He hints that fans should remix their harmonized birthday doo-doo'ing. I imagine someone(s) will take him up on it, given the online devotion.

Up next for JGL: It's quite a full slate. There's Hesher, a Sundance 2010 drama offering that's finally getting a release this spring; September's Live With It, a comedy about cancer with a great cast including Anna Kendrick and Angelica Huston; Premium Rush an action movie about a bike messenger that's aiming for January 2012; Looper his sci-fi tinged reunion with his Brick director Rian Johnson; and then a micro-indie called The Dark Knight Rises. I believe there's a kickstarter campaign you can donate to somewhere.

On a scale of 1-10, where are you in JG-L fandom?

Hesher (still); on the set of Live With It; on the set of Premium Rush

What would you give JG-L for his big day?

Thursday
Feb172011

Academy Presenters & Our Annual Academy Nudging

Will Anne & Hugh sing together again this year?UPDATED WITH NEW PRESENTERS
We're getting so close to the big night. Here's who we know will be lighting up the Oscar stage on February 27th thus far for various reasons, mostly as presenters.

Alphabetically speaking...

  • Annette Bening
  • Halle Berry
  • Cate Blanchett NEW
  • Russell Brand NEW
  • Jeff Bridges
  • Sandra Bullock
  • Celine Dion (perforrming) NEW
  • Robert Downey Jr.
  • Florence and the Machine (performing)
  • James Franco (host)
  • Tom Hanks
  • Anne Hathaway (host)
  • Hugh Jackman
  • Nicole Kidman
  • Jude Law
  • Zachary Levi (performing)
  • Alan Menken (performing)
  • Helen Mirren NEW
  • Mandy Moore (performing)
  • Randy Newman (performing)
  • Gwyneth Paltrow (performing)
  • A.R. Rahman (performing)
  • Marisa Tomei
  • Oprah Winfrey
  • Reese Witherspoon NEW

Some of those names are gimmes of course. We all knew this time last year that Sandra Bullock and Jeff Bridges would be asked back and more power to them. They're fun celebrities and completely worthy of our collective eyeballs. The inclusion of both Marisa Tomei and Jude Law fills my heart with joy. Not only because I love them both but because they belong to that small class of celebrity that are far more famous and far more talented than people ever remember them to be. When people (i.e. Academy producers) think on the Household Name set, they don't often go to this unique group of perpetual surprises like... 'oh yeah, THEM, love!' As we've seen in several previous years, the Academy is loathe to have only mildly famous people on the stage unless there is a very very specific reason that they're there (usually performing or because they won an Oscar the previous year.) They'd rather have someone who has no business being equated with the movies who happens to be very famous than someone like Pedro Almodovar or who contributes so much to the cinema.

When they announced the Hallowed name of Hanks two weeks back my heart sank a little. Not only because it's so so predictable but because I immediately assumed that that meant "Best Picture" and as I've stated annually and will continue to state annually in the absurd hope that someone in the Academy will listen just once, they really and truly need to break out of their ruts when bestowing this particular honor. Other awards shows sometimes throw a curveball or allow a woman to do it but the Academy is notoriously samey-samey in regards to Best Picture, regularly choosing the same people year after year hoping perhaps that their dwindling viewing audience will be so comatose with boredom that they are physically unable to change the channel.

Herewith a completely sensible generous reminder /suggestion list of Household Names that have never had the honor so how the hell you gonna have Nicholson-Hanks-Streisand-Spielberg do it AGAIN? There's no excuse for such laziness when Hollywood has abundant glitterati available!

THEY'VE NEVER PRESENTED BEST PICTURE

Kidman, Cruise and Streep at the Oscars in the 1990s. None have ever presented Best Picture.

  • Meryl Streep
  • Jane Fonda
  • Michelle Pfeiffer 
  • Julia Roberts
  • Nicole Kidman
  • Tom Cruise
  • Kate Winslet & Leonardo DiCaprio
  • Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie
  • Dame Maggie Smith (give the Harry Potter fans, the anglophiles, the Oscar buffs and the cinephiles a thrill! You've covered a lot of audience base there.)
  • Goldie Hawn
  • Jodie Foster & Anthony Hopkins (20th reunion of Silence of the Lambs, why not?)
  • Will Smith
  • George Clooney
  • Liza Minnelli
  • Drew Barrymore
  • Johnny Depp
  • Susan Sarandon
  • Matt Damon with Ben Affleck

George & Julia have never presented Best Pic either.I could go on. But do I need to? The point is Step Away from the Nicholsons, Hanks, Spielbergs and Streisands who have all done it multiple times.

ENOUGH.

(P.S. My guess as to who it's going to be? I think Michael Douglas. He's done it before and they love the repeats. He'll be a sentimental favorite.)

 

Wednesday
Feb162011

Link in Sixty Seconds

Carpetbagger Oscar envelopes get a makeover. Er... it looks like McDonalds is handing out the prizes.
AV Club Michel Gondry is adapting Philip K Dick's Ubik. I predict that before the end of civilization every sentence Philip K Dick ever wrote will be put on the big screen.
The Wrap Adrianne Palicki will be TV's next Wonder Woman. I wish nothing but happiness and success for everyone who has ever been on Friday Night Lights. I do.
Just Jared another collaboration for Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio. They just won't stop!
i09 Zach Snyder's Superman may be in trouble.
fourfour "wagon wheel watusi" Oh, Burlesque.
My New Plaid Pants the moment I fell for.... Andrew Garfield
Scott Feinberg is still pushing Melissa Leo for the gold. Here are some statistics to consider.

Finally Empire Online is hosting a "Done in 60 Seconds" contest in which readers have submitted one minute films spoofing some of hte greatest movies of all time. There are 20 finalists, one is even made by a regular Film Experience reader (who alerted me to the contest -Congrats!). Quite a few of them show real ingenuity but my favorites are the ones that don't merely recreate but remold the film in some other image. There's a spoof of The Terminator that cleverly uses Toy Story characters. It obviously cost nothing but, then, neither did the original Terminator. Ghost is similarly lowfi with teddy bears but totally works and I loved the voicework even if it did seem to be taking its cue from those 30 second bunny films.  The Wizard of Oz short is really more of a redo of a trailer of a hugely popular 90s movie (I'll leave you to guess which one). And there's two Social Network films. One of them (contestant #9) is an amusing send up of Aaron Sorkin and David Fincher rather than the movie itself.

Did you like Benjamin Button? Do you wanna go back to that?

It totally had me giggling. The last musical cue is hilarious. So, that's the one I voted for. Are you going to vote?