Campaign Cocktails: Youth & Spotlight

oh it's just me and Jane. just an average Thursday night.More adventures from Oscar's holiday festive campaign trail. This time the Oscar frontrunner (Spotlight) and an Oscar possibility too many people are sleeping on (Youth)...

Should Jane Fonda ever tell you you have good tastes in movies, it'll get you drunker than whatever cocktail is in your hand. My personal guarantee to you! If, hypothetically speaking, you're a self-proclaimed actressexual cinephile Oscar pundit (ahem) and two of your favorite movies of all time happen to be They Shoot Horses Don't They (1969) and  Klute (1971), and Jane Fonda says this aloud to you, you might feel a little like you've peaked.  Is this real life...?

The 77 year-old American icon, along with her Youth co-stars Paul Dano and Michael Caine were the glitziest guests of Fox Searchlight's holiday party in New York City last week. (If the star's of the company's buzziest contender Brooklyn were at the sprawling extravaganty catered party at the Park Hyatt  -- truffle shavings? why not! --  I unfortunately didn't spot them).

True legends aren't often as accessible as Jane Fonda was at this particular party, gladly taking selfies with multiple fans and chatting about her movies and Youth, too. Many people have referred to Fonda's work in Youth as a "cameo" including probably myself at one point or another and while that might be factually true it's not spiritually true. You'll hear everything from 4 minutes to 9 minutes about her screentime depending on who you're talking to but screentime is rarely an accurate barometer of impact. Youth spends so much time obsessing on her character, the Fonda-like "Brenda Morel" (not coincidentally also a multiple Oscar winning bonafide legend who has recently made a new home in television) that when she arrives it's with the power of a rumbling fault line, tectonically shifting the movie's entire landscape. Youth as a film experience is basically pre-Fonda and post-Fonda in the telling. I fully expect her to be nominated and have for months now.

Paul Dano is the only actor in Youth that is not working some strange voodoo of their own persona fused with character work. He's playing a full fledged movie star best known for a franchise he despises... and though I expected Keitel to be winning the traction as Supporting Actor, it appears that some people are in Dano's corner. He was in good spirits at the party, and possibly filled with spirits from the open bar (sorry, that was me - I'm projecting)  Dano keeps being paired with estimable superstars or genuine acting powerhouses: Day-Lewis, Jackman, De Niro, Caine, Fonda (though he doesn't share scenes with the latter). I asked him if this trend was disconcerting or intimidating for him on set? 'Are you kidding me?' he answered, excited. 'I love it. I hope it'll make me better.' I won't spoil one of Youth's most disturbing surprises which involves Dano's actor character preparing for a new role but I asked him about that soon to be infamous scene. As it turns out he filmed it on his 30th birthday which is now, he admits,  'the weirdest birthday of my life.' 

Thomas McCarthy and Michael Keaton... (photo from the internet, not this particular event)

Less celebrity hobnobbing occurred at the last party I attended in Los Angeles which happened to be for  Spotlight (you know how sometimes you're shy and sometimes you're extroverted? Same) but the "light supper" event was well-attended and the town's love for the movie was palpable. Writer-director Thomas McCarthy was surrounded by well wishers, a nice mix of Academy members (former 80s Best Actress nominee spotted!) and journos the whole night. I did say a brief hello to Michael Keaton who I had met a couple of times during his Birdman run last season. "Welcome to Round Two!" I said stupidly. Was he ready for all this again, so soon? He assured me it felt much different this time -- the pressure was off since it wasn't so focused on him. It's too soon to say if the  "all supporting" Oscar campaign for Spotlight will pay off with the acting branch, but I personally think it was the right call. It's the very definition of an Ensemble Picture. Can anyone beat that team for SAG's upcoming top prize? 

Scene Work: 'JBJ' in "Win Win"

We kicked off this new informal mini-series about key scenes we love in this year's movies chatting with Demián Bichir from A Better Life. Let's move on to another early release that is fighting for year end "remember us?" honors as precursor season begins. If Thomas McCarthy's well liked Win Win will compete anywhere it's likely to be in Original Screenplay category which still appears to be a free-for-all. Precursor prizes will undoubtedly narrow Oscar's focus but right now several combinations of the year's well received originals seem possible there.  

I was stunned to hear directly from Amy Ryan at a party that my favorite scene in the movie, wasn't even in the first version of the script. McCarthy added it later knowing something was missing and his instincts were spot on. So when I received the screenplay in the mail this weekend (swag pictured to your left) I opened immediately  to see that it was there in the "official" screenplay.

Up until this point in the movie Jackie, the plain spoken wife of Mike (Paul Giamatti as a lawyer/high school wrestling coach) has been trying and failing to make a connection to the young wrestler (Alex Shaffer) who is staying in her basement. They finally bond over tattoos after she sees several of his at the wrestling match. The dialogue in the scene (which I'd already transcribed) is mostly the same as in the official screenplay though the actors were obviously encouraged to play it as naturally as they could so there are a couple of different beats on screen.

Jackie: Okay so I gotta ask. Those tattoos must have hurt, right?
Kyle: Not really.
Jackie: Don't lie to me. Look.

Jackie lifts her pant leg. She has a small tattoo on her ankle.

Jackie: I got it on Spring Break. Hurt like hell.
Kyle: What does it say?
Jackie: "JBJ". Jon Bon Jovi. I'm a fan.
Kyle: Really?
Jackie: Yes, really. I'm a Jersey girl. You got a problem with that?
Kyle: No. I do not.

Jackie: That was fun today. You're good. I'm glad you started wrestling, again.
Kyle: Yeah, me too.
Jackie: No quitting this time, got that?

(The actors must have added the endearingly sarcastic "Really. Yes, really" exchange since it's not in the screenplay.)

At this point in the scene Kyle explains that he didn't quit his old wrestling team but was kicked off after stealing a teacher's car.  After telling him how stupid that was Jackie registers that Kyle already knows this. She softens and you can see in Amy Ryan's terrific performance (ordinary people portrayed with this much verve is all too rare at the movies) that she knows that he's basically a decent kid and feels pride in finally connecting with him.  

Jackie: Hey, we all do stupid things. The good news is you got another chance. And you're kicking butt. That's the way to do it.
Kyle: Yeah, I guess.
Jackie: Oh it totally is. You know who would agree with me? 
Kyle: Mike?
Jackie: No. JBJ. 

That scene sure is a winner. The next cut is to a wrestling meet, and we see Jackie newly enthused about the team and cheering Kyle on (to the tune of Jon Bon Jovi's "Have a Nice Day"). It's a perfect coda that plays way less sappy than it sounds; you want to pump your fist right along with her and JBJ.

Box Office: "Limitless" Returns, Limited Hits

Yes, yes... we're irregular about box office reportage. It's a Battle New York staying regular-like about these things. Bear with us.  (Updated to reflect tiny adjustments of actual grosses)

WIDE TOP TEN
top hits of the 600+ screen count club.

01 Limitless $18.9 new
Most reports suggest that this is an "okay" debut in a weak frame despite hitting #1 and having a stronger per screen average by a couple thousand from its closest competitors. Does that mean that Bradley Cooper is only half-fuckable? That he's a walk-of-shame type that you'll feel guilty about afterwards? Or that there were just too many arrogant blonde leading men types fighting for your dollars (#1,#3,#4... it's a blonde multiplex invasion.)
02 Rango $15.0 (cumulative: $92.3)
This'll be the top grosser of 2011 any second now saving us the embarrassment of Just Go With It holding that honor.
03 Battle Los Angeles $14.5 (cumulative: $60.5)
04 The Lincoln Lawyer $13.2 new
05 Paul $13.0 new
06 Red Riding Hood $7.1 (cumulative: $25.8)
07 The Adjustment Bureau $5.7 (cumulative: 48.6)
08 Mars Needs Moms $5.3 (cumulative: $15.4)
09 Beastly $3.1 (cumulative: $22.1)
10 Hall Pass $2.5 (cumulative: $39.5) 

But the "Top o' the Charts" only tell such a small part of each week's stories. How about Jane Eyre and the like..

LIMITED TOP TEN
On less than 600 screens -- not including former wide releases that are on the fade. 

01. Cedar Rapids $.5 (cumulative $5.4 on 462 screens)
02. Jane Eyre $.4 (cumulative $.7 on 26 screens)
Jane and Mr. Rochester are still packing them in big city arthouses, tripling any per screen average within the actual top ten. But when you're playing at so few screens it's still hard to rack up a gross equal to your buzz. Will Focus wait a long time to expand this on lose the buzz? These things are always tricky and the men in capes and tights (i.e. summer season) are right around the corner, generally sucking up every last bit of media oxygen. If so many of last year's Oscar movies can huddle around the $100 million mark, there's no reason why this movie shouldn't be at least a minor hit. We shall see.
03. Of Gods and Men $.2 (cumulative $1.6 on 94 screens)
04. Win Win $.1 new on 5 screens
After The Station Agent and The Visitor, writer/director Thomas McCarthy may well be three for three, critically speaking. Will this drama with Paul Giamatti as a wrestling coach also be as popular as his other movies with specialty crowds. The Station Agent won $5.7 in its US run plus a SAG nomination and The Visitor managed $9.4 million and an Oscar nod for lead actor Richard Jenkins. Thomas McCarthy was Oscar-nominated for co-writing Pixar's Up, but he break out soon in a larger way with so much goodwill behind him?

poll by twiigs.com

McCarthy and Binoche in limited release

05. Barney's Version $.1 (cumulative $3.8 on 114 screens)
06. Kill the Irishman $.1 new on 21 screens 
07. Certified Copy $.1 (cumulative $.2 on 23 screens)
Abbas Kiarostami's engaging and provocative two-hander is opening and expanding like a French-language mirror of Jane Eyre though it isn't faring quite as well with only $237,000 so far. Hopefully it'll catch on with sophisticated moviegoers. Cross your fingers that this catches on at least as well as Michael Haneke's Caché which played for months in arthouses and racked up well over 3 million before hitting DVD. I bring up that film, also starring Juliette Binoche (what a filmography she's built) because though they're very very different films each is hugely rewarding: impressive filmmaking, hours of post-movie conversation fodder, and another chance to enjoy Juliette Binoche's mysterious magic and always moving tears. 
08. The Grace Card $.1 (cumulative $2.1 on 114 screens)
09. Biutiful $.09 (cumulative $4.6 on 89 screens)
10. The Music Never Stopped $.08 new on 32 screens

WHAT DID YOU SEE THIS WEEKEND?
In other words: Whose economy did you support?

I tried to give Kiarostami & Binoche some money but ended up throwing it Verbinski & Depp's way (like they needed it post Pirates) for Rango. Blame the clock.