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January 2007
Same-old Screen Actors awards, but with one surprise
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There wasn’t much doubt before Sunday’s Screen Actors Guild Awards as to who are the leading contenders for acting Oscars. There’s even less doubt now.
Helen Mirren (“The Queen”), Forest Whitaker (“The Last King of Scotland”), Eddie Murphy (“Dreamgirls”) and Jennifer Hudson (“Dreamgirls”) all won movie awards. Their consistent steamroll through the recent awards shows makes them the people to beat at the Oscars.
But the SAG awards did have one nice surprise. “Little Miss Sunshine,” which earlier was named best movie of 2006 by the Producers Guild of America, won the SAG award for best cast, which confirms it has a viable fan base among Hollywood industry awards voters and has a chance at winning Oscar’s best picture.
With its preponderance of predictability, the SAG awards were a virtual bore. Pretty much everyone who won a Golden Globe in the television and movie categories ended up winning a SAG.
A few random observations from the night:
1. Who in Hollywood isn’t in the cast of “Grey’s Anatomy”? They seemed to be everywhere - especially during E!’s red-carpet coverage.
2. Marg Helgenberger (“CSI”) and movie actress Marcia Gay Harden would have tied if there’d been a category for most extreme front headlights.
3. With Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie not at these awards, the camera was left to fall occasionally on mega celebrity replacements like Ashton Kutcher.
4. Here’s the ultimate SAG message to the Oscars and the Golden Globes: If one really really tries, one can have an awards show in two hours AND end on time.
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If you’re seeking greatness, you’re on the right track
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Dear Mr. Smithee,
I thoroughly enjoy reading your column every Friday. Since you are the expert on movies and I go to high school, I was wondering what do you think it takes to be a great director or talented actor? What movies can I watch to learn from the best directors and actors?
KRISTIAN KING, Fayetteville
Dear Go to the Head of the Class,
It is always right, as smart young people do, to ask questions.
Such as: “In which cases can velocity selection be more efficient than other cooling techniques for the preparation of ultracold atom clouds in one dimension?”
Or: “For the love of Godard, Mother Smithee, why are you hitting me?”
Over the years, my fine young Kristian, I have interviewed many a noble actor. (Note: Be sure to place the proper emphasis on the second syllable). Know what skill they have told me is important?
No, not lying about how good their movie is when they all know it’s bad - though, that is a big part of being a celebrity.
In reality, the key is listening. As in … making sure one is attuned to what the other actors are doing and saying so that one might react in an appropriate manner.
As in … Al Pacino listens to his fellow actors so he will be aware when they are doing a really good job and, therefore, precisely when he should begin shouting and waving his arms and screeching his dialogue in such a manner as to fully gobble the scene, rendering his co-stars into mere props.
I have also, my fine Kristian, over the years listed many, many wonderful movies that people should watch.
Instead of looking again to the distant past, I would like to point you toward some of the best examples from the past year. Some of these directors and actors got Oscar nominations this week. Some didn’t.
Listen up.
First, since I don’t know your age, ask your parents whether any or all of these films are appropriate for you to view.
Then …
First watch Sean Penn in “All the King’s Men,” followed within the next 24 hours by seeing Forest Whitaker in “The Last King of Scotland.”
Notice how the roles are somewhat similar, how the two actors deliver similar speeches to a large crowd during the film. Note, especially, how Mr. Penn consistently seems to be acting (his movements appear pre-planned) while Mr. Whitaker seems to make his character flesh-and-blood real.
Watch Ryan Gosling and Shareeka Epps in “Half Nelson.” See how they seem to convey the feelings and thoughts of their characters without speaking. Ditto Maggie Gyllenhaal in “Sherrybaby.”
Watch Mark Wahlberg in “The Departed,” and savor how he’s confronted with actors with much higher reputations than his, yet how he is so in command of his character. Boston is Wahlberg’s hometown. And he owns the role he is playing.
Watch Judi Dench in “Notes on a Scandal” and Jennifer Hudson in “Dreamgirls,” and feel the power the former interjects into words and the latter transforms into song.
Note the emotion Bill Nighy infuses into Davy Jones in “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.”
To better understand directing, I’d suggest you watch three films.
Watch “The Queen” to take note of Stephen Frears’ pacing, how each scene constructively builds to the next and how he inserts additional drama with occasional archival footage. It’s remarkable how he underscores Princess Diana’s presence even in death.
Watch “Pan’s Labyrinth” to see the detail in Guillermo del Toro’s vision and how he precisely brings it to the screen.
And watch “United 93” to see how Paul Greengrass coaxes the worst of days back to life - not for exploitation, but for cathartic purposes.
ALAN
P.S. You get a “The Devil Wears Prada” bag and, essential for any stunning outfit, an “Ask Mr. Smithee” T-shirt.
PRACTICALLY PERFECT IN EVERY WAY: So how did I do in my Oscar nomination predictions from last week?
Mr. Smithee (that would be me) correctly predicted 25 of 30 Oscar nominations in the top categories (or 83.33 percent for you math whizzes).
The lowdown: best picture, 4 for 5; actor, 4 for 5; actress, 5 for 5; supporting actor, 4 for 5; supporting actress, 5 for 5; and director, 3 for 5.
HAVE A QUESTION FOR MR. SMITHEE?
E-mail him at alansmithee@ajc.com or go to accessAtlanta.com and click on Movies. Please include your name, city and daytime phone number. Mr. Smithee can’t reply to ever request, but inquiries chosen for publication will receive movie-related prizes.
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Just to get off Oscars for a sec…
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The 1964 historical epic, BECKET, starring Peter O’Toole and Richard Burton, is being re-released in theaters (Feb 9 at Landmark’s Midtown Art in Atl.), Shortly thereafter it comes out on DVD (it’s been around on VHS for years) The movie is about Henry II and his best friend, Thomas Becket, whom he made archbishop, hoping to thereby control England’s clergy and the Church. Things got messy. I’m wondering…
1) Has anyone seen BECKET?? If so, any comments, memories?
2) Fess up…how many of you rent the movie instead of reading the book/play for classroom assignments?
3)What titles would you like to see on DVD that currently aren’t? And why?
‘Dreamgirls’ Oscar nightmare
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Soooooo, “Dreamgirls” was supposed to be one of the front-runners for best picture and it didn’t even get nominated (or for best director either). Any theories as to what happened?
Oscars: The Good, The Bad and The Downright Ugly
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Often Oscar voters are smart, but they’re also often dumb. Here’s the fallout in the wake of today’s Oscar nominations announcement:
The Downright Ugly: Expected to be among the front-runners, “Dreamgirls” got left out of the major races, including best picture and best director. It’s a major omission for a popular, mainstream film. It’s as if the stodgy, old Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is saying to the paying public, “Hey, don’t watch our awards show.”
The Good: There is a stronger level of diversity among the acting nominations. Eight of the 20 nominated actors and actresses are African-American, Mexican, Spanish, Asian or African-born. It is quite possible that three of the four acting winners this year could be African-American: Forest Whitaker, Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson. That would be a first.
The Bad: As expected, Oscar voters went “Babel” crazy, nominating this overrated film over and over again.
The Good: The Golden Globes might need Brad Pitt for star power, but not the Oscars. Voters wisely left his puffy “Babel” performance off the final ballot.
The Bad: Wouldn’t you know it? Two words: Steven Spielberg. Last year, he bored us with “Munich” and got a best picture nomination. “Letters From Iwo Jima,” which he produced for director Clint Eastwood, nudged its way into the top spot at the expense of “Dreamgirls.”
The Good: Ryan Gosling (“Half Nelson”) for best actor, Mark Wahlberg (“The Departed”) for best supporting actor, Jackie Earle Haley (“Little Children”) for best supporting actor, Paul Greengrass (“United 93”) for best director, Abigail Breslin (“Little Miss Sunshine”) for best supporting actress, “Borat” for best adapted screenplay, “Little Miss Sunshine” for best picture and “Pan’s Labyrinth” not only for best foreign language film but also for best original screenplay, cinematography, makeup, original score and art direction. Most of these nominations had been in doubt.
The Bad: Alfonso Cuaron’s inventive “Children of Men” did get a few nominations, including a much-deserved one for best cinematography (it should win the award hands-down), but it should have fared better than “Babel.”
The Very Good: Helen Mirren (“The Queen”) is expected to run away with the best actress trophy, but she and her competitors - Penelope Cruz (“Volver”), Judi Dench (“Notes on a Scandal”), Meryl Streep (“The Devil Wears Prada”) and Kate Winslet (“Little Children”) - comprise a category with extreme depth. In other years, each could have been a victor.
The Best Races: Forest Whitaker (“The Last King of Scotland”) vs. Peter O’Toole (“Venus”) for best actor and the best picture race which could be a tossup between the blah “Babel,” the blah-er “Letters from Iwo Jima,” the funny “Little Miss Sunshine,” the violent “The Departed” (maybe Martin Scorsese will finally win a best director trophy) and the movie from this bunch that most deserves to win, “The Queen.”
The Sure Thing: Jennifer Hudson’s movie might have been left out of the top race, but her “Dreamgirls” performance is a shoe-in for best supporting actress.
What did you think of the Oscar nominations?
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You don’t have to wait for scoop on Oscar’s faves
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Dear Readers (Hint: That, my friends, would be you),
Oscar nomination ballots were due last Saturday, which means all those grand Golden Globules dispersed on Monday were of high but limited marketing value.
Academy Award contenders will be unveiled on Tuesday, but I see no reason not to spill what the bulk of them will be. Or should be.
BEST PICTURE: This is the Oscar race, the one in question, the one most up in the air. Why? Because there’s not a real worthy winner.
Oscar predictions: “Dreamgirls” (aka “Big Studios Get a Lot of Oscar Votes”), “The Greatest Show on Earth” (aka “Babel”), “The Departed,” “Little Miss Sunshine” and “The Queen” (aka “The One That Should Win By Default”).
Mr. Smithee’s alternatives: Keep “Sunshine” and “Queen,” toss out the rest and ad “Pan’s Labyrinth,” “United 93” and, I am serious about this, “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.”
BEST ACTOR: The ultimate winner would be a foregone conclusion if not for the late entry of Peter O’Toole playing an aging and near-death actor.
Oscar predictions: Forest Whitaker in “The Last King of Scotland,” O’Toole in “Venus,” Lenoardo DiCaprio in “The Departed,” Ryan Gosling in “Half Nelson” and Will Smith in “The Pursuit of Happyness.”
Mr. Smithee’s alternatives: Keep Whitaker, O’Toole and Gosling, toss the rest and add Daniel Craig in “Casino Royale” and Sacha Baron Cohen in “Borat.” (I mean, don’t they want the public to actually watch the awards?)
BEST ACTRESS: The eventual winner is a foregone conclusion. (Hint: Helen Mirren).
Oscar predictions: Mirren in “The Queen,” Meryl Streep in “The Devil Wears Prada,” Judi Dench in “Notes on a Scandal,” Penelope Cruz in “Volver” and Kate Winslet in “Little Children.”
Mr. Smithee’s alternatives: I wouldn’t change a thing.
BEST DIRECTOR: If Martin Scorsese doesn’t win now, he will never ever ever win.
Oscar predictions: Bill Condon for “Dreamgirls,” Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris for “Little Miss Sunshine,” Stephen Frears for “The Queen,” Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu for “The Greatest Show on Earth” (aka “Babel”) and Scorsese for “The Departed.”
Mr. Smithee’s alternatives: Take out Condon and Inarritu and add Paul Greengrass for “United 93” and Guillermo del Toro for “Pan’s Labyrinth.”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: If they nominate Ben Affleck for “Hollywoodland,” then Oscar voters are dumber than I thought.
Oscar predictions: Eddie Murphy in “Dreamgirls,” Djimon Hounsou in “Blood Diamond,” Jackie Earle Haley in “Little Children,” Alan Arkin in “Little Miss Sunshine” and Jack Nicholson in “The Departed.”
Mr. Smithee’s alternatives: Let’s get rid of Hounsou and Nicholson and add in Mark Wahlberg in “The Departed” and most certainly Bill Nighy in “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Can we just not cut to the chase? Eventual Oscar winner: Jennifer Hudson in “Dreamgirls.”
Oscar predictions (aka the losers): Cate Blanchett in “Notes on a Scandal,” Adriana Barraza in “The Greatest Show on Earth” (aka “Babel”), Rinko Kikuchi in “The Greatest Show on Earth” (aka “Babel”) and Abigail Breslin in “Little Miss Sunshine.”
Mr. Smithee’s alternatives: I don’t have any alternatives, but I do have a comment: If Blanchett can win an Oscar for “The Aviator” for being an inferior Katharine Hepburn, Hudson certainly ought to be able to take one home for being less than Jennifer Holliday.
I’m sure we can all take this last category to the bank.
ALAN
DIDN’T I TELL YOU SO? Why, yes, I did.
Joyce Daniel of Powder Springs recently voiced dismay over the limited access to “The Last King of Scotland.” I said that with awards season in swing, she could expect “Last King” with Forest Whitaker to show up eventually in “plenty of theaters.”
At the time, “Last King” was set to return to Atlanta today and play in two theaters. After Whitaker’s win at the Golden Globes, that’s been upped to at least a dozen: Discover Mills in Lawrenceville, Southlake Pavilion in Morrow, Barrett Commons in Kennesaw, North DeKalb in Decatur, Magic Johnson in Atlanta, Merchants Walk in Marietta, North Point in Alpharetta, Atlantic Station in Atlanta, Hollywood 24 in Chamblee, Regal 22 in Austell, Mall of Georgia in Buford and Medlock Crossing in Duluth.
I smell Oscar.
HAVE A QUESTION FOR MR. SMITHEE?
E-mail him at alansmithee@ajc.com or go to accessAtlanta.com and click on Movies. Please include your name, city and daytime phone number. Mr. Smithee can’t reply to every request, but inquiries chosen for publication will receive movie-related prizes.
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‘Perfume’ would stink if not for the naked ladies
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
So me and my new lady friend, LaTrea, had to compromise over what movie we wanted to see.
She liked the sound of “Perfume,” and I liked the sound of “The Story of a Murderer,” and since both parts were in the same title, that’s the movie we went to.
Now, I could make all kinds of jokes using words like “sweet” or “sour” or “stinky” or “scent-sational,” but I will leave that to the snooty professional critics. But if “weird” had a smell, that’s what this movie would smell like.
First off, there’s a whole LOT of talk about perfume in the flick — more than anybody that doesn’t work at Bloomingdale’s spritzing ladies’ wrists has any reason to know.
But the murderer part? It’s pretty ho-hum. I mean, Jason and Freddy won’t lose any sleep. The good news is, all the victims are beautiful girls, and the killer likes to strip them when he’s finished, so the movie’s got a whole boatload of ta-ta.
The killer’s name is Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, played by a skinny actor named Ben Whishaw, who’s so dirty, it looks like they gave him a farmer with a trowel and a barrel of mud instead of a makeup person.
He gets born in 18th-century Paris in the middle of the super-smelly fish market — and I thought LaTrea was gonna run outside to the lobby, because the movie shows all these close-ups of fish guts and maggots and [human regurgitation]. (LaTrea has a very refined nature due to her many years working as a stewardess, where she’s gotten to know a lot of high-roller types in Business Class.)
But things went OK, because soon the movie was all about flowers and ladies in silk gowns and men wearing wigs. So LaTrea was happy … but I started looking at my watch.
One ugly old guy in the movie has a wig and so much face powder and rouge, he’s a dead ringer for Glenn Close in that “Dangerous Liaisons” movie, only he’s prettier. Turns out it’s Dustin Hoffman as a master perfume-maker, who takes Jean-Baptiste on as an apprentice.
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention: Jean-Baptiste has an amazing sense of smell and can figure out the ingredients of any perfume just with one whiff of his dirty, runny nose.
He tells Dustin, “Teach me everything you know, and I’ll make you the best perfume in the whole world!”
But the REAL kind of perfume he wants to make is the natural smell of beautiful young ladies. And I guess you’re supposed to forget that nobody ever took a bath in 18th-century France, because I don’t think that’s a natural smell most people would want to dab behind their ears.
Oh yeah, and that reminds me. Halfway through the movie, Jean-Baptiste gets all worked up because he discovers that his own body doesn’t have any kind of smell. Like that’s a BAD thing? I mean, just think how much money he’d save on deodorant.
Anyway, he’s obsessed about trapping the smell of young ladies. So he clubs ‘em in the head like baby seals, strips ‘em down, slathers ‘em with animal fat, and boils down their essence. No, it doesn’t make sense, but the naked ladies kept me awake — even though they’re always laid out with one leg discreetly bent to cover up their [intimate parts].
Jean-Baptiste’s little cottage industry gets harder to do once a rich guy (Alan “Hans Gruber” Rickman) figures out that the unknown serial killer may have set his sights on his lovely teenage daughter (Rachel Hurd-Wood). So Rickman runs away with her into the countryside to keep her safe.
But since Jean-Baptiste has superpowers in his schnoz, that’s about the same thing as wrapping a leg of ham in Saran Wrap, dropping it on the kitchen floor and thinking it’s gonna be safe from your pet basset hound.
Yeah, it’s stupid. But that’s OK, because there’s this insane orgy near the end in the town’s main square. Now, I wish there hadn’t been so many fat and old people macking on each other and rolling naked on the cobblestones, but here’s a big thank you to director Tom Tykwer for the girl-on-girl action.
Oh, and speaking of Tykwer … I forgot to mention that Jean-Baptiste’s first and last victims both have crazy radioactive-red hair. And I remembered that Tykwer is the guy that directed “Run Lola Run.” It starred Franka Potente, who had the same type of DayGlo red dye job. And get this — Tykwer dated her for a few years.
Looks to me like he never got over being dumped by her. And when you learn about that relationship, it makes all those scenes of Jean-Baptiste stalking and killing girls with red hair even creepier — am I right?
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Golden Globes Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Hollywood
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Well, that small group of foreign journalists in Hollywood almost got its awards right.
The Helen Mirren Awards … and let’s be honest here, while you may call them the Golden Globes, I’ll refer to them by what they really were tonight because nobody has so commanded these honors since a guy named Jamie Foxx grabbed a show-stopping best movie actor trophy a couple of years ago for “Ray.”
So, the Helen Mirren Awards did bestow a twofer on the actress as Queen Elizabeth I on TV and Queen Elizabeth II on the big screen, but the Hollywood Foreign Press Association also named the paltry, globe-trotting, we-are-the-world “Babel” as best dramatic motion picture.
That’s so Hollywood. Celebrities patting themselves on the back for their humanity while underneath ultimately trying to sucker everybody into buying a movie ticket to see the great and powerful Brad Pitt stomp his foot in a bad case of puffy acting.
Yes, in his acceptance speech director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu paid homage to his fellow Mexican directors Alfonso Cuaron and Guillermo del Toro. But Inarritu needs to understand - his “Babel” isn’t half the film of Cuaron’s “Children of Men” or, especially, del Toro’s “Pan’s Labyrinth.”
But these Golden Globes did get so much right:
1. Mirren as best drama movie actress for “The Queen.” It’s her awards season. Like Foxx, she should coast to the Oscars and win big. She also won the TV acting award for “Elizabeth I.”
2. Forest Whitaker as best drama movie actor for “The Last King of Scotland.” After all the old-hat grandstanding of Warren and Clint and Jack and Tom (as in Hanks), it’s nice to see somebody emotionally overwhelmed by a big awards show moment. (By the way, no, I don’t know what gutter the disheveled Philip Seymour Hoffman crawled out of to come on stage and announce the award.)
3. Jennifer Hudson and Eddie Murphy as best movie supporting actress and supporting actor for “Dreamgirls.” They are easily the two best aspects of a fun, if irregular, film musical. “Dreamgirls” also won best comedy/musical movie. (Note to Jay-Z: it might be considered good form to at least look at Beyonce every now and then when you’re out together.)
4. Sacha Baron Cohen as best comedy/musical actor for “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.” His acceptance speech was hilariously disrespectful, referring to the film’s nude wrestling bout with his 300-pound male co-star. He talked of body orifices and small air pockets … and we’ll say no more now or we’ll get into trouble.
5. Martin Scorsese as best movie director for “The Departed.” The film’s not nearly as good as Scorsese’s “Goodfellas” or “Raging Bull” or even “Casino,” but it’s finally his year. A seven-time Oscar loser, his chances are looking very good for the Academy Awards.
6. “Ugly Betty” as best TV comedy series and America Ferrera as TV comedy actress. It’s all real nice and sweet and the show is good and she’s good … but … doesn’t it seem a bit strange that all the beautiful people in Hollywood will give themselves a standing ovation and chest-swell with pride because they’ve uglied up a pretty actress and honored her so they can say, “See, world, we care about fat people with braces.”
I’ll believe that shameless blarney only when Miss Golden Globe is some 300-pound lovely pushed into a Dolce and Gabbana gown and laden with multimillion-dollar loaner jewelry.
But I also have questions about this year’s Golden Globes ….
Like, what does it mean that during E!’s red-carpet coverage one could spot Will Smith taking the time to sign autographs from fans in the bleachers, but a few moments later Brad Pitt was seen deflecting a similar fan request by pointing at his watch and seeming to mouth something about not having time?
Like, what is Sharon Stone doing sitting at a table with Donald Trump?
Like, how does it feel to be Jeremy Piven? I mean, he was being interviewed on the red carpet on E! when he was suddenly cut off in midsentence by the arrival at another microphone of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who seemed to warrant the kind of hallowed media attention usually bestowed upon the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Santa.
Am I the only one who notices these things?
What did you think of the awards?
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Is Leo nearly as good as Gable? Fiddle-dee-dee!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Dear Mr. Smithee (or do you prefer The Great and Powerful Oz?),
I have recently seen both “The Departed” and “Blood Diamond” and have gained suddenly increased respect for the talent of Leonardo DiCaprio.
Having progressed from sitcom cuteness on the TV to kid brother cuteness (“Titani””) and diligently floundering to depict Howard Hughes in “The Aviator,” it seems he is entering Clark Gable territory in his newest endeavors.
What is your opinion on this actor’s progress? And what other current stars might you think worthy to take a shine to Old Hollywood’s crown?
SUZANNE HUTTO, Woodstock
Dear Dorothy (or do you prefer The Small and Meek?),
Before I answer, which I undoubtedly will with great authority, I will presume I might be allowed to ask my own special query, which in this case would be the inevitable, “What?”
You seem to be acknowledging some sort of admiration for Mr. DiCaprio because, if I catch your drift, he has unexpectedly ascended, in your esteemed eyes, to the acting prowess of one Clark Gable.
Frankly, my dear, I don’t know what screen you’re looking at, but mine illustrates to me that young Leo isn’t all that.
I will admit the man has exhibited tremendous promise. I am thinking here of “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,” “This Boy’s Life” and “The Quick and the Dead.”
He’s quite good in those movies.
“Titanic,” my sweet, is a trifle - except for propeller guy (the unfortunate soul seen falling once the ship is upturned and whose rotation in descent is quickened after he comes in contact with the rather large propelling device known as a propeller).
I do think Leo was severely outdone by Daniel Day-Lewis when both appeared in the unfortunate “Gangs of New York,” but that Mr. DiCaprio showed immense promise in the fine film “Catch Me If You Can.”
I think what w’’ve noticed this year with this fine gentleman is that he, for the first time, actually looks like an adult onscreen instead of a little boy.
That is good news.
But he’s not Gable-esque. Certainly not yet.
I’m not sure there are many today who are Old Hollywood-like, unless you would consider esteemed personages such as Peter O’Toole, Vanessa Redgrave and others from the 1960s as stratospheric celebrities.
Among those I would consider: Meryl Streep, Denzel Washington, Judi Dench, Tom Hanks, Jack Nicholson, Harrison Ford and Warren Beatty.
And, in my humble opinion, someone who is well on her way: Dakota Fanning.
ALAN
P.S. You get a “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” T-shirt and an “Ask Alan Smithee” T-shirt.
Dear Mr. Smithee,
On the subject of worthy sequels, your recent failure to mention “French Connection II” was, at best, an unfortunate oversight.
R.C. HOOD, Duluth
Dear Presumptuous,
Trust me on this: It was no oversight.
Alan
P.S. You get a small container of “The Silence of the Lambs” “it rubs the lotion on its skin” hand and body lotion and an “Ask Alan Smithee” T-shirt.
Dear Mr. Smithee,
I was telling my grown-up kids about a movie in which Yul Brynner played a scary robot (sort of a “Terminator”).
I believe it took place in a Western theme park. Did I dream it?
MARY ANN BLESSING, Atlanta
Dear Dreamcatcher,
Maybe during sleepy-time you did have some magical vision. I once dreamt I ran a 12-room motel with 12 vacancies and had a hobby of stuffing things - you know, taxidermy.
In 1973, way back before extremely important people like Leonardo DiCaprio were born, there was a sci-fi film called “Westworld.”
In it, Yul Brynner played a theme park robot who went haywire and started killing people. He tried to hunt down Richard Benjamin, which some people thought was horrific but a silent few viewed as an honorable act of profound public service.
Anyway, said film was so popular it was followed a couple of years later by a lesser sequel called “Futureworld.”
ALAN
P.S. You get a Turner Classic Movies “31 Days of Oscar” candy bowl, containing candy, of course, and an “Ask Alan Smithee” T-shirt.
HAVE A QUESTION FOR MR. SMITHEE?
E-mail him at alansmithee@ajc.com or go to accessAtlanta.com and click on Movies. Please include your name, city and daytime phone number. Mr. Smithee can’t reply to every request, but inquiries chosen for publication will receive movie-related prizes.
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Directors guild nominees might indicate frontrunners for Oscar’s best picture
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Martin Scorsese is in. Clint Eastwood is out.
The Directors Guild of America today announced its lineup for the best movie directors of 2006 and there’s a good chance its five nominees could end up being representatives from the five films that will compete for Oscar’s best picture.
DGA honors have a long history of matching up not only who will compete for the directing Oscar but being a good predictor of the eventual winner.
Those nominated this year: Bill Condon for “Dreamgirls,” Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris for “Little Miss Sunshine,” Stephen Frears for “The Queen,” Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu for “Babel” and Martin Scorsese for “The Departed.”
Each of their films are among the leading contenders to compete for Oscar’s top honor.
Besides Eastwood (“Flags of Our Fathers” and “Letters From Iwo Jima”), directors overlooked by the DGA include Alfonso Curaon (“Children of Men”) and Paul Greengrass (“United 93”).
The DGA will announce its winner on Feb. 3. Oscar nominations will be announced on Jan. 23 with the Academy Awards to be handed out Feb. 25.
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Mostly smart choices from critics’ group: ‘Pan’s Labyrinth,’ Whitaker, Mirren
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The smartest movie awards given out so far this year comes from the National Society of Film Critics, which on Saturday named the excellent, dark, Spanish-language fantasy “Pan’s Labyrinth” as the best picture of 2006. The 45-member Society consists of major film critics from across the country, including the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Eleanor Ringel Gillespie.
Here’s a rundown of the group’s honors with critical comments:
Best picture: “Pan’s Labyrinth” (director Guillermo del Toro’s fascinating, smartly made study of a young girl conjuring a fantasy life to cope with the cruelty of fascist Spain; think of it not as “Alice in Woderland,” but as “Alice In Hell”; debuts in metro Atlanta on Jan. 19); Actor: Forest Whitaker, “The Last King of Scotland” (he won in a tight race over Peter O’Toole for “Venus” which could mirror what might happen at the Oscars); Actress: Helen Mirren, “The Queen” (another great honor for a great performance); Director: Paul Greengrass, “United 93” (hopefully he’ll get the Oscar nomination he deserves); Supporting actor: Mark Wahlberg, “The Departed” (the choice is a little bit of a reach, but his performance is one of the best aspects of the film); Supporting actress: Meryl Streep in “The Devil Wears Prada” and “A Prairie Home Companion” (she likely won’t win an Oscar this year but that doesn’t mean her performances aren’t the best); Screenplay: “The Queen” (right-o); and Cinematography: “Children of Men” (as I stated in my review of the film — it’s easily the best cinematography of 2006).
So, where are Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson of “Dreamgirls”? Hudson is the biggest miss in the Society’s selections.
Do you agree with their choices? Upset that Hudson got left out?
Permalink | Comments (21) | Categories: Talk about movies
Art-house films are Hollywood’s lonely stepkids
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Dear Mr. Smithee,
“The Last King of Scotland” is still in only one theater in Atlanta. It looks like this film is being blackballed or something.
There is so much hype about how good this film is, but who can see it? I have no intention of finding that theater. I want it in my neighborhood theater like all other movies.
JOYCE DANIEL, Powder Springs
Dear Non-Movie Mogul,
And so it goes. Year after year. Indie film after indie film. Oscar campaign after Oscar campaign.
I am like a tree alone in the forest, falling … and no one hears me.
As I have cried, nay, shouted at the top of my lungs into the wilderness again and again and again … the good films, the really great ones from smaller studios (as in, ahem, “The Last King of Scotland”), always start out in just a few theaters. They rely on the building of word-of-mouth buzz and accolades from critics to be their cheap public relations campaign. Then they increase the number of theaters.
And when there is not only the possibility of an Oscar nomination but an actual Oscar win (as in, ahem, Forest Whitaker in “Last King”), the timing becomes crucial and the wider release trickier.
Odd as it may seem, as of today, “Last King” has left the Tara, where it had been playing exclusively here since October.
After the Jan. 15 Golden Globes, “Last King” will go wider in theaters nationwide and return to metro Atlanta. On Jan. 19, it is expected to be at the Barrett Commons 24 in Kennesaw and the North Point Market Cinema in Alpharetta.
Plans beyond that are not definitive, but it is likely that “Last King” will apear in more theaters after Oscar nominations are announced and before the awards themselves.
If Whitaker is nominated, and especially if he wins, you could expect “Last King” to be playing in plenty of theaters.
You think an art-house studio like Fox Searchlight is going to let an Oscar victory slip by and not take advantage?
But, Joyce, I do understand your frustration.
So far, “Last King” topped out in 113 theaters nationwide. That was in late October. Now, it’s playing in a mere handful of theaters nationwide.
In the meantime, most theaters have been bursting with junk. Like “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning,” “The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause” and “Deck the Halls.”
ALAN
P.S. You get a “Night at the Museum” T-shirt and an “Ask Alan Smithee” T-shirt.
Dear Mr. Smithee,
Yesterday, I saw “Dreamgirls.” I enjoyed the show and was impressed by Jennifer Hudson’s performance. She was truly the star of the show. Why is she nominated for a Golden Globe for best supporting actress when the show is so clearly centered around her? Aren’t there rules/guidelines (like screen time?) to qualify for different categories?
KENDRA COTTON, Atlanta
Dear Pssssst,
I am going to let you in on a little secret, my dear.
We’re talking about Hollywood here. And, oh yes, there are rules and guidelines and dos and don’ts.
Like Rule No. 1: Only fools miss an opportunity to exploit something or someone.
Rule No. 2: Golden Globes are worth nothing more than added buzz for Oscar votes.
Rule No. 3: If you don’t win an Oscar, you’re a complete waste of a human being.
To win a best actress Oscar, little ol’ almost nobody Jennifer Hudson would have to climb over Helen Mirren, Judi Dench, Meryl Streep, Kate Winslet, Penelope Cruz and a few more actual actresses.
To win a best supporting actress Oscar, all she probably will have to do is show up.
So … you’re the studio boss who makes the decision on whom to promote for which category. Go!
Which way do you lean, Kendra? Hurry, because millions and possibly hundreds of millions of dollars could be at stake.
That’s what I thought.
You chose the Hollywood route, didn’t you?
Now there are indeed Oscar rules. In the acting categories, it goes like this: “blah blah blah blah blah. A performance by an actor or actress in any role shall be eligible for nomination either for the leading role or supporting role categories. blah blah blah blah blah.”
Nothing’s more Hollywood than that.
ALAN
P.S. You get “Happy Feet” pajama bottoms and an “Ask Alan Smithee” T-shirt.
HAVE A QUESTION FOR MR. SMITHEE?
E-mail him at alansmithee@ajc.com or go to accessAtlanta.com and click on Movies. Please include your name, city and daytime phone number. Mr. Smithee can’t reply to every request, but inquiries chosen for publication will receive movie-related prizes.
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