HERE LIES … Eiko Ishioka’s costume work for Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), which smothered the rest of the nominees with reams upon reams of flamboyant fabric to slither away with the statue that year. And it damn well deserved it, too.
JA from MNPP here. In the fall of 1992 I was fifteen years old and had found myself in the first blushes of cinemania, and as a budding horror enthusiast I was obsessed with Francis Ford Coppola’s film before it had even come out. It was more difficult way back then before the internet so we relied on things called “magazines” to keep us in the know, but I went one step further where this movie was concerned – I bought the “pictorial moviebook,” as it calls itself on the cover, and I studied it like the bible. And with its heavy focus on Ishioko’s work it was the first time I’d ever given much thought to a film’s costuming.
As Coppola had said, he wanted the costumes to be the set…
And are they ever. Ishioka was a visual artist and had done some memorable work for the stage version of M. Butterfly and Paul Schrader’s 1985 film Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters before this, and she brought with her an eccentric batch of influences, to put it mildly. From the human musculature that influenced Dracula’s armor in the opening scenes…
Another day, another "tribute" announcement as legions of luminaries ready themselves at the starting line waiting for that Oscar gun to sound. We've talked about this twice before (focusing on Streep & Spielberg) but "tributes" and "lifetime achievements" are as common during Oscar season as superheroes are during the summer. Even moreso! The Gotham Awards, which happen here in NYC in November, will be honoring four recipients: Director David Cronenberg, ActorGary Oldman, CEO Tom Rothman and Actress Charlize Theron.
Obviously Gary (never nominated) and Charlize (2 nominations, 1 win) are aiming for Lead Acting nominations for the spy thriller Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and the comedy Young Adult respectively. Rothman, announced previously, is an industry power and you have to bow down to those men/women once in awhile. Meanwhile Cronenberg has A Dangerous Method to push. Though awards traction will be hard to come by for such a subtle and talky film, it's still worth campaigning for because here's the thing: If you're still fighting for your first nomination (insanity given that filmography!) you've got to lay plentiful groundwork and build momentum so that eventually they (awards groups) catch up. I don't mean to be morbid as I hope this is a long time away but can the 68 year old Cronenberg at least get an Honorary Oscar before he dies? I mean... The Fly, Dead Ringers, A History of Violence, etcetera...
The Gotham Awards, which celebrated their 20th anniversary last season, have definitely been picking up steam as a valuable Oscar stop, regularly giving boosts to smaller films like Winter's Bone, The Hurt Locker and Frozen River.
The "career tribute" portion of their ceremony has included at least one future Oscar nominee every year since 2004. With so little information (i.e. clips or photos) on Charlize's work in Young Adult, we have to assume that Gary Oldman is in the best position currently to continue that trend. But it would be awfully sweet to see Charlize Theron work a role worthy of her gifts again... and work it all the way to the shortlist. She's one Oscar winner whose career, filmography, and popularity have never properly reflected her talent. I mean she even made the most of that way too standard role in North Country for which she received one of those disposable "after glow" nominations.
For now, we have to just enjoy Charlize in her glamour spokesmodel roles and hope she finds a signature screen role while she's still in the age range in which that happens. Yes, yes, I hear your screams of "Monster (2003)!" But however strong that work was... it doesn't properly reflect Charliziciousness (Charlizionomy?) now does it. THIS does...
COMMENT ASSIGNMENT: (What? I'm bossy!) If you were paying tribute to Cronenberg, Charlize, and Oldman and could only thank them for one thing, what would it be? Get as specific as such tributes should be!
[Editor's Note: Here's Manolis, a Greek reader who is covering Venice for The Film Experience. If you can read Greek, visit Cinema News for more of his festival coverage.]
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY The spy thriller was eagerly anticipated here in Venice and reaction was generally positive though some critics felt that something was missing. English is not my first language and with the heavy accents I did have a hard time following all of the twists of the intricate plot. But despite my difficult I was delighted that the film doesn’t underestimate your intelligence and demands your full attention throughout. The film's technical aspest are very impressive from sets to costumes to cinematography and Tomas Alfredson (Let the Right One In) directs with stylish gusto, creating magnificent shots and frames. Though the spy movie genre doesn't generally promise the slow pacing that Alfredson chooses, it's an interesting approach. The performances follow this same tone, all of them toned down. The triumph of the ensemble cast is that you can feel that underneath the icy surface of the British mentality of the period, there is an array of emotions ready to explode. A simple gesture is, for these characters, far more important than a whole sentence. In fact, Gary Oldman only raises his voice once in the lead role of George Smiley in a wonderful monologue towards the end. Colin Firth and John Hurt are also very good as is Tom Hardy in a small but memorable role.
The one thing I felt Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy lacked is a heart as it is a particularly cold experience. This not automatically a flaw for an intelligent espionage thriller but a small dose of warmth would have added to the whole a great deal considering that the film turns on loyalty, values and ideals.
Andy Lau at the Venice premiere of A Simple LifeTAO JIE (A SIMPLE LIFE) The second movie today was Tao Jie by Chinese filmmaker Ann Hui. The film takes place in Hong Kong and deals with the relationship between the thirtysomething Roger Lee (Andy Lau) and his elderly nanny Tao (Deannie Yip). The roles in this relationship are reversed when Tao gets seriously ill and can’t serve him anymore. It’s time for Roger Lee to rise to the occasion, learn to appreciate the things that he has taken granted and take care of this woman who was more than a mother to him all his life; she needs to know that someone will be there by her side in the last days.
A Simple Life has humor, pathos and sensitive performances and provides an interesting window for Westerners of the way the Chinese view their elders. The tender story has broad appeal but breaks no new ground and begins to drag towards the end. Although comparisons to Yasujiro Ozu’s films would be unfair, they are inevitable and naturally not favorable for Hui’s film.
One more Yes, No, Maybe So to take you into the holiday weekend. This one is the espionage thriller Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy adapted from the bestseller of the same name by John LeCarre. The movie arrives in September. Let's break it down.
The trailer is quite riveting. I blame the intriguing imagery, the cold precision of the editing and those musical trills (not sure if that's the right word) in the score. (Though with scoring in trailers it's always a bad idea to get excited because chances are it's another score entirely in the film. Turns out this score is Danny Elfman from The Wolfman) The trailer is also smart about setting up the central dilemma 'there's a long term mole in our ranks and it's one of these five men!' without fussing too much over the details... or even which five cast members, exactly, that we're talking about. I understand from plot descriptions of the novel that the main character George Smiley (Gary Oldman) is pulled back from semi-retirement to uncover the mole so you've got your old hoary trope in there too. One Last Job!
It's 2011 and knowing the internet, we'll hear who the mole is any second now, let alone waiting for the big reveal within the film in September while we're watching it. Not the film's fault of course but it hasn't taken some of the electricity out of all genres that use mystery and twists for their thrills. Then there's a more personal thing: Two hours without any actressing to speak of though... in a genre I can take or leave. Speaking of personal pecularities: though it pains me to say it for fear of the virtual retribution, I've really never been one for Gary Oldman. No, I am secretly not a member of AMPAS but they've really never really been into him either: Note the "BAFTA Winner" above his name during the cast shuffle before the "Academy Award Winner" for Colin Firth; Oldman has never been nominated for an Oscar. Will this year be different? (Best Actor Predix - updating in a few days)
The director Tomas Alfredson made the remarkable Let The Right One In (which we were just reminded of) and he's brought back some of the same team for this one which means it will, at the very least, be strongly moody with sticky images. That's a big plus for any thriller. The cast is also sharp. Tom Hardy gets a lot of face time in the trailer but there's also Mark Strong, Toby Jones and John Hurt (among others). It'll be interesting, too, to see if Colin Firth can keep up the remarkable momentum he built from A Single Man and The King's Speech. Will that prove a two year peak or will he have another couple more years up top of the "must-cast pile"?
And finally: how the hell will this fare with Oscar? It's so hard to say since the genre and filmmaking team are not Oscar Bait in and of themselves. When you aren't carrying obvious bait, you've got to have strong golden hooks (excellent reviews, showy performances, surprise hit status) if you hope to catch Oscar.
The Trailer in Question...
Are you a yes, no, or maybe so? Break it down in the comments
It's that foolish time of year - April Foolish to be precise. I try and suss out what's going to happen nearly a whole year from now without having seen any of the films. I am actually better than most at the year-in-advance thing... it's only later when my skills and prediction ratios put me a bit further back in the Best Prognosticators pack. Must be letting my familiarity with the films cloud the actual buzz! (They do always say that people who don't follow the race closely win Oscar pools just by casually parroting the buzz.)
The big year in advance question that people are already talking about of course is whether Leonardo DiCaprio can finally win for J. Edgar (if the film is released this year as I firmly expect it will be.)
Whether or not Leo is truly overdue is another matter. I was a very early disciple (1993, baby) but I have been losing interest over the years. I may be the only one who thinks that he's actually kind of bad in Inception. That performance just gets clunkier on repeated views, and he's not nearly as successful at making the exposition sound natural and conversational as the other actors are. But then again. That may just be the problem of "The Dead Wives Club," previously discussed. When actors get in role-ruts, it sometimes dulls the range of their imagination.
Still and all, biopics may suit him. (And they definitely suit Oscar.) He was very good in The Aviator (2004) but here's the other odd thing about his "overdue" status. It comes more from the fact that he's his generation's biggest star than from "should've won!" issues. I personally don't think he's ever come close to winning (which is usually when overdue status sets in). In 1993 the race was between Fiennes & Jones, in 2004 there was no race at all with Jamie Foxx sweeping in one of those Helen Mirren/Colin Firth style inevitabilities. 2006 was a "just happy to be nominated" situation and for the wrong film to boot.
Though he has to be considered a contender for a multiplicity of reasons, the year has barely begun. Other major stars that may have roles tailor-made for their persona or skill set include George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Mel Gibson, Ryan Gosling and there's always the reliably strong actors like Gary Oldman, Ralph Fiennes, Woody Harrelson or the rising stars like Michael Fassbender who already seems to be staking claim on 2011 and His.
I have lots more to say about the actors but I'll save some of it for the supporting actor post.
Monday, October 24, 2011 at 4:17PM 
HERE LIES … Eiko Ishioka’s costume work for Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), which smothered the rest of the nominees with reams upon reams of flamboyant fabric to slither away with the statue that year. And it damn well deserved it, too.
