The Gold Digger : Best Picture

A Contender, For Sure

Ramin Setoodeh — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 05:53:33 GMT

"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" is the best movie I've seen (so far) this year. I just came back from the premiere at New York's Ziegfeld theater, and there wasn't a dry eye in the house. It's the true story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, the Elle editor who was left paralyzed after a stroke, and yet he devises a system to communicate by blinking his one good eye. Although it sounds grim, it's also uplifting--in a way that the Academy won't be able to resist, even if it's in French (and not eligible for best foreign film, because France submitted "Persepolis" instead). Actually, I think "Diving Bell" will be this year's "Letters From Iwo Jima," the movie that took everyone by surprise last year, only with more nominations.

Let me count the ways. Best picture, for sure. Best actor, probably, for Mathieu Amalric. Best supporting actor, maybe, for Max von Sydow. Best screenplay, definitely, for Ronald Harwood who adapts an unadaptable book. And best director, hopefully, for Julian Schnabel. Throw in a cinematography nomination, and that's six categories. I'm right about this, I promise.

And the Best Picture Nominees Are ...

Ramin Setoodeh — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 23:38:05 GMT

The GoldDigger is taking a moment to reflect. I spent Sunday watching three films--"Zodiac," "American Gangster" and "Year of the Dog." Two of them were entertaining enough. The third features Molly Shannon talking to dogs. (But to be fair, it's a Mike White movie and an odd meditation on loneliness, sort of a bookend to "Lars and the Real Girl.") All this got me thinking about best picture, a race in which everyone is throwing their hands up in the air about this year.

Except, not really.

There are two locks so far. "Atonement" and "No Country for Old Men," which opened to an impressive $42,928 per screen average ($1.2 million) this weekend. If nothing else remarkable comes along, it could be a rematch of 1999 when "Shakespeare in Love" fought off "Saving Private Ryan." This year, I think the edge is in the Coen brother's corner. "No Country" is violent, yes, but not in a way that will alienate female voters. It's as adrenaline packed as last year's winner, "The Departed," with a more literary back story.

That leaves three slots. If you believe the buzz, "American Gangster" is almost a lock. It's the movie that both critics and audiences seem to love--with a 10-day box office tally of (whoa) $80 million. But I dunno. I think it might be on everyone's radar now, as a placeholder for better things to come. I saw it 24 hours ago and it's already fading from memory--especially the sappy third act where (spoiler! spoiler!) Denzel and Russell become BFFs after Denzel apologizes for stealing Russell's Oscar for "A Beautiful Mind."

I think "Juno" will sneak in there. It's this year's "Little Miss Sunshine," the kind of movie that leaves you smitten like a teenager.

And the last two movies are ... really up in the air. The wild cards are "Charlie Wilson's War" and "Sweeney Todd." If "Sweeney" is a hit and it's better than "Hairspray," I think it has a shot. If not, then maybe "Gangster," after all.

The last spot will be a toss up between: "There Will Be Blood" (which I haven't seen yet, because Paramount Vantage is being weird with screenings), "Michael Clayton" (which is fading), "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" (the underdog) and "The Kite Runner." I don't think "Into the Wild," "Gone Baby Gone" or "3:10 to Yuma" have a chance at best picture. Neither does "Zodiac," though I thought it was wonderfully creepy.

'No Country' Gets a C+

Ramin Setoodeh — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 11:06:33 GMT

Do not adjust your screens. That's the food plate from last night's New York premiere of "No Country For Old Men." This blog is becoming so schizophrenic (sorry), I thought I'd try to become the Zagat (eew) of the awards-going crowd, too. But that was until I had to photograph my dish in a crowded room of Hollywood's best, and it took nine flashes from my blackberry to produce the Ansel Adams before you. Hmm. Maybe this will be a one-time shtick. The food is (from top right corner, counterclockwise): salty red meat, yellow vegetable, one shrimp, more yellow food, chicken and a bread roll. It gets a C+.

What about the movie? Didn't you hear? It's terrific. Javier Bardem steals the picture. I can't help but wonder, though, why he's not being campaigned in the lead acting category. "He's going to win best supporting actor," a movie insider explained. Right. But he'd probably win best actor, too. Javier was there at the screening, with a bit of scruff that made him look more like Clive Owen than a sociopathic killer. Stars who go ugly always look extra primped on the red carpet--and why shouldn't they? It's a lesson from the America Ferrera School of Dude, I'm Not Really Ugly Like Ugly Betty! I also saw Josh Brolin and Frances McDormand in front of the popcorn stand. No, she's not in the movie. She's just a Coen groupie, like the rest of us.

EW on the frontrunners

Ramin Setoodeh — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 16:27:12 GMT

Entertainment Weekly has a photo gallery of Oscar frontrunners. The magazine's Oscar pundit Dave Karger thinks "American Gangster" and "Charlie Wilson's War" (which no one has seen) are both good bets for best picture. I still don't know about "Gangster." I went to "Lars and the Real Girl" this weekend instead. (I loved it.) In the best actress category, he thinks Cate Blanchett will be crowned with a nomination for "Elizabeth: The Golden Age." I'm not so sure. The movie tanked at the box office and one Blanchett nod (in the supporting category for "I'm Not There") should be enough.

Gangster's Paradise

Ramin Setoodeh — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 11:45:40 GMT

I haven't seen "American Gangster" yet—the trailer looks kind of bleh. But Lou Lumenick's review in the New York Post is full of big blurbage. He compares "American Gangster" to "The Godfather" and "Scarface." He says Denzel Washington gives his best performance yet. (Yet?! Really???) He ends with big Oscar talk: "... one of the year's best movies—and surely a major Oscar contender."

Hm. Is this is like the time Roger Ebert called "The Cell" one of the best movies of the year? Wait. Maybe not. The rest of the nation's critics mostly love it, too. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone calls it a "major awards contender," though it's "long," "overstuffed" and "limited" (thanks, Peter). Joe Morgenstern of the WSJ is also reminded of "The Godfather." Manohla Dargis of the NYTimes seems mixed in her lead, though the rest of the review sort of collapses into a critique of simple hair-braiding.

What does this all mean?! I guess it's in the running for best picture, and I'm buying a ticket to see it this weekend.

'The Devil' (Sans Prada) Earns Praise

Ramin Setoodeh — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 11:32:22 GMT

The critics have spoken and they love "Before The Devil Knows You're Dead," which opens today in limited release. The soundbites:

Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly: "[Philip Seymour] Hoffman has become a cathartic actor, who taps his darkest sides without protection, as if to say: Admit it, you all know this pain too. Late in the movie, he has the quietest trashing-the-room tantrum I've ever seen, and it's one of the most memorable. He and Hawke, who makes Hank a jumble of duplicity and childlike trust, give seismic performances, and so does Albert Finney as the dad who towers over both of them. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead may be the only movie I've seen that earns comparison to both a great film noir and Long Day's Journey Into Night."

David Edelstein of New York: "[Sidney Lumet's] touch in Before the Devil is so sure, so perfectly weighted, that it’s hard to imagine him capable of making a bad movie. The thing is just enthralling."

J. Hoberman of The Village Voice: "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is less Sidney Lumet's comeback than his resurrection. Three years after being presented a Lifetime Achievement Oscar, the 83-year-old director comes forth with a violent family melodrama that is his strongest movie in at least two decades."

A.O. Scott of The New York Times: "... one of the least likable guys Mr. Hoffman, a specialist in acutely observed male unpleasantness, has ever played. Andy bullies Hank mercilessly, lies to his employers and seems to experience minimal remorse after his perfect crime goes horribly awry. And yet, while never for a moment soliciting our empathy, Mr. Hoffman makes us care about this man, the scale of whose ethical failures gives him a kind of negative grandeur."

Peter Travers of Rolling Stone: "So it's a kick that Lumet, 83, puts the younger mavericks to shame with a dynamite film that ranks with the year's best ... All the actors are first-rate: Hoffman continues to astonish, Hawke digs deep to create a haunting portrayal of loss. And Lumet's direction dazzles, notably in the robbery scene, when things go wrong and Hank hyperventilates in the getaway car. No way you won't be knocked for a loop."

Is Affleck's Comeback Gone Baby Gone?

Ramin Setoodeh — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 18:18:55 GMT

Ben Affleck's directorial debut "Gone Baby Gone" is full of many things--good performances, suspense, Boston accents. But a screening I attended last night was not full of people. In its first four days, the film has only grossed $6.5 million at the box office, better than "Rendition" but nowhere near "Michael Clayton" or that vampire movie. Casey is good, though the acting category is so crowded this year, watch for him to be rewarded for both performances with a best supporting nod for "The Assassination of Jesse James." Amy Ryan might slip in for best supporting actress.

Read this Article with Caution (and Maybe Lust)

Ramin Setoodeh — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 17:38:46 GMT

This just in ... Ang Lee's new movie "Lust, Caution" has been banned from the Oscars!?! Actually, it's just not eligible for Best Foreign Film, because too few of its crew is from Taiwan. If you're confused, you're not alone—the foreign press is wrongly reporting that the movie can't compete at all. (It's still eligible in other categories.) The Academy's process for nominating Best Foreign Film is so murky, the GoldDigger can't explain it to you here. But read this David Ansen article, with reporting from yours truly, about why some of the greatest foreign films are never nominated.

A Return to "Brokeback Mountain"

Ramin Setoodeh — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 11:38:07 GMT

...

Can Heath Ledger not quit "Brokeback Mountain"? OK Magazine is reporting that he's in negotiations to star in a sequel. But wait. Perez Hilton is reporting--if you count what Perez does as reporting--that OK's reporting is not OK, and that no sequel is planned. As much as we hate to admit it, we're siding with Perez. The GoldDigger interviewed Ledger about a rumored "Brokeback" sequel last spring, and this is what he said:

The GoldDigger: I read Annie Proulx is working on a "Brokeback Mountain" sequel.

Heath Ledger: Oh my god, that's hilarious.

Would you do a "Brokeback Mountain" sequel?

I don't think anyone would do the "Brokeback Mountain" sequel. I don't think there should be a sequel.

Jake could come back from the dead.
Or maybe he really didn't die.

That pretty much settles the debate, don't you think? Ledger then went on to tackle another timeless question. How do you pronounce the GoldDigger's real name? "I was thinking Ramen Noodles," he said. "But I didn't make that joke purposefully, because I figured you would have heard that a million times." In case you were wondering: Yes. We have.

Cancel This Reservation

Ramin Setoodeh — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 04:00:56 GMT

...

Opening in select theaters today is the Oscar-bait movie "Reservation Road." It stars perennial nominees Joaquin Phoenix and Jennifer Connelly, and it's directed by Terry George ("Hotel Rwanda"). The GoldDigger did well in math all the way up to linear algebra, so he likes formulas. The movie's "In the Bedroom" (dead kid, grieving parents) times "House of Sand and Fog" (strangers in the dark, exchanging glances) but it equals a big muddle of melodrama. The GoldDigger thinks it's out of the game and the critics agree. As they say on a certain dating show, "Next."