Friday, 10 December 1999

WEEKEND PREVIEW

Well kids, this is the weekend that may well define the Oscar race. No, not because some award that has no relevance other than being first has been announced. (More on that later.) But because this is the weekend of the arrival of The Green Mile and as much sour milk as some want to throw on this film, it is still, clearly, the film to beat for Oscar. Nothing wrong with the Calvinist thriller American Beauty, but this is the best example of the kind of movie the Academy goes for in a big way. (My review appears as "The Good" in THB 11/22)

Also arriving is Miramax's Oscar hopeful, The Cider House Rules. The simple answer to "how is the movie?" is that it is less than the sum of its parts. I have to tell you, John Irving connects with me more than virtually any other living writer. I love Garp. I forgive The Hotel New Hampshire. I know John Irving, sir, and Simon Birch is no John Irving. And The Cider House Rules knows all too well who is the biggest ticket seller in the cast. And it isn't Michael Caine. In any case, Miramax will do everything they can to shove this movie down our throats and I suspect that they will fail for a change and that everyone will write about the Miramax backlash. Don't believe it. (My Toronto review is here)

Disney offers up what they are calling "The Anti-Oscar Movie," Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo. Because of my rather insane schedule, I have not seen this one yet. But everyone who I've talked to who has seen it said it was stupid and funny. Rob Schneider isn't quite Adam Sandler, though the movie is produced by him and his partners. But counter-programming is not the worst commercial idea I've heard of this month. (P.S. A drunk was shouting "You can do it!!!! You can do it all night long!!!" at the Lakers game the other night. So, I already had a Rob Schneider-live experience this week.)

Already open in limited release as of Wednesday is Cradle Will Rock, a movie that continues to grow on me each time I think about it. But my earliest thoughts are here. Also opening for Oscar consideration is Sweet and Lowdown, which hit NY last weekend. Plus, Diamonds aims Kirk Douglas at the Oscar. I haven't seen the thing. And last, but first, is The War Zone, a film that I saw at Sundance last January and has stayed close to the top of my Top Ten for 1999 month after month after month. This is absolutely not for the kids and it will overwhelm some of you. But nothing will make you feel more intensely, short of having Brad Pitt hit you in the mouth himself. (The review from Sundance is here)

To see how I expect these films to stack up against the hits from last week and for all the screen counts, check out Box Office Extra after noon et.

THE GOOD: I finally caught Almodovar's All About My Mother. Pretty much everything you've heard is true. I don't think it's the best movie of the year. And it certainly is not as much of a crowd-pleaser as Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown. It is, simply put, the greatest women's movie ever made. And by that I don't mean a chick flick or an emotional movie. There are a total of zero fully heterosexual males in this movie. The leads are all women. The supporting characters are either female, gay, transsexual or bi-sexual. Of the two men who might be seen as "traditional," one is so disabled by Alzheimer's Disease as to completely emasculate him in the eyes of everyone around him and the other is seen in the throes of his adolescence. This movie is planet estrogen. And the truth is, that probably disqualifies me from having enough empathy to fully connect with all the facets of this wonderful tragic comedic drama.

The story is a remarkably complex cascade of pain and kindness and cruelty and fate raining down on the lives of three women in particular: one a mother, one a sister and one lover of women. Each person and the women and near-women around them search for peace in a world they can never quite understand. Cecilia Roth is the titular lead and is every bit as good as those who are touting her for awards claim. It will be hard to get her nominated, but she deserves the accolades. Perhaps the most fun and fascinating to watch is Antonia San Juan, complete with silicone breasts and a big penis (so she claims) as La Agrado. To watch this movie just a few days after seeing Flawless was an experience of comparing the sublime to the ridiculous. (And again, I love Phillip Seymour Hoffman as an actor, even if I thought he was completely unbelievable in Flawless)

This is a very special movie that throws simplistic moral judgements out the window. It's not a picture of the whole world, but it is a powerful picture of people trying to survive their lives and the lives of others. And it is funny, too.

THE NOT BAD: It's hard to criticize people you like and at my second junket with Andy Tennant, like the first, I like the guy. But Tennant is the mayonnaise of film directors. You give him the ingredients. He blends them. It never tastes any better than the ingredients. It never tastes any worse. You get a forest no more impressive than any number of trees looked at from one view.

Jodie Foster is terrific. Chow Yun-Fat is terrific. Bai Ling is terrific. The sets are great. The music is luxurious. The story is fine.

And as you watch it, it feels like watching a 1950s film. It is innocuous. Stunningly. And as I'm watching this, I'm thinking, "I love Double Indemnity. If someone made exactly that movie today, people would laugh at it. Body Heat had to really push the sexual boundaries. The End of The Affair, which emulated a '30s film, offered simple, elegant sex that still had the modesty of the era, but the reality of today." Chow Yun-Fat's King is an attempt at a fuller character. But when we found out at the junket that the real man had been a Buddhist monk for decades, it was too late. Should have been in the movie. Chow's King is a kind of William Holden guy. Strong, willing to do what he must even when it hurts, macho without being overly muscled and able to avoid uncomfortable moments with deflating humor. And Chow played him that way. But Tennant didn't help him fill that out the way a director needs to. Even in the climactic clinch between Anna & The King, Chow is in shadow...you can't see his eyes!!! What the hell is up with that?

As I say, I like the people who are part of this movie. And no one is likely to leave Anna & The King angry that they spent their money...even if it's $10 in NYC. But no one is going to leave counting the days until the video hits, either. And I'm sorry about that. The Production Design should be nominated. Costumes, too. But that's it and that's all for this one. Sorry.

THE UGLY: When they speak of The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures as a 90-year-old group, they are also approximating the average age of their membership. Not that I have anything against old folks. But I do object to people taking these non-award awards seriously because they are first and can now be used as a marketing tool.

Of course, in the great tradition of marketing tools, NBR kisses every butt in the room so they can be sure to get a bit of credit when the time for the "real" awards comes. So, American Beauty took Best Picture. Good bet as an Oscar nominee in at least 6 categories. But they fear that The Insider will be "The One," so you get a Freedom of Expression Award for Michael Mann. Janet McTeer, best known in this country for her turn on the New York stage last year, took Best Actress, but the group hedged and gave Hilary Swank a Female Breakthrough Performance Award. They gave Anthony Minghella Best Director, but gave awards to Mann (as previously noted) and Tim Robbins for Special Achievement in Filmmaking. Can't take a chance at letting Magnolia sneak in, so they get Best Ensemble Acting (of course, the only other movie nearly as qualified was Cradle Will Rock or American Beauty). Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Julianne Moore got Supporting Actor awards for their body of work in 1999.

Just for the record, only one NBR winner from 1998 won an Oscar and that was Roberto Benigni, who was given the Special Achievement In Filmmaking Award that went to Tim Robbins this year. Both Shakespeare in Love and Saving Private Ryan were 100 percent shut-out. In 1997, they hit it with Nicholson and Kinnear from As Good As It Gets and as I look up the records, Special Achievement In Filmmaking went to Good Will Hunting, which is now credited to Matt Damon & Ben Affleck, not director Gus Van Sant. See, they won and he didn't, so NBR wouldn't look as important if they gave the filmmaker the filmmaker award.

RADIO RADIO: Michael Caine is George and my special guest this Saturday on KABC-790 AM in Los Angeles. You can find us on the 'Net at kabc.com. Saturday at 10 am pt.

BAD AD WATCH: The print ad for The Cider House Rules attempts to convey exactly what John Irving doesn't want the movie to be about, a romance between Charlize Theron and (oh, yeah) Tobey Maguire. In fact, Dr. Larch, the man who drives Homer Wells to his destiny, is nowhere to be seen on the ad. And yes, that is Michael Caine, who is being touted as the only thing in the film with a shot at Oscar gold and our guest on the radio this weekend. ARGH!

THE EARL DITTMAN WATCH: No, not a rip. I caught Bicentennial Man the other night and was shocked when I saw Mr. Dittman of Houston acting opposite Robin Williams. Turned out that it was Oliver Platt in old age make-up, a knee brace and a cane. Dittman is not old at all. But the shape of the body, the face and the walk were startlingly similar.

READER OF THE DAY: From Big E: "Hello David, It's been awhile since I've written, so I may bring up a few points that are somewhat older, but it all ties into a theme based on recent comments. Much of yesterday's article was about the truly terrible Anti-Bond article in EW. I couldn't agree more with your opinions on the idiocy of Ben Svetkey's comments, but many of those comments mirror some of the same sentiments that you brought him (and other Entertainment Journalists) to task for.

To say, just because Sleepy Hollow was a truly enjoyable artistic achievement by Tim Burton, that WB should let him back on Superman Lives is a little short sighted. Burton (who I am a big fan of) is even more wrong for Superman than Tarantino could ever be for Bond. Burton's films are all about alienation and in the case of The Bat Films, duality. The first Batman worked because Burton was interested in the duality theme, which the Batman mythos were able to embrace, and Burton had no problems with bastardizing the characters when he needed to, in order to fit the themes he was exploring. It wouldn't be Superman, as his creators intended, it would be Burton's Superman, which would be even more unfortunate then a Scorsese Bond.

Also, and I might be overly sensitive here, but I'm somewhat offended that you needed to complement Harry Lennix's work in Titus by comparing his potential and talent to Laurence Fishburne's. Why does one black actor's talent need to be compared to another black actor? Why couldn't he be better than Alec Baldwin, or Chow Yun-Fat, or Angelina Jolie? Now I KNOW that you don't mean anything demeaning or racist by this comment, I know it in my heart, but it seems to be another short-sighted comment.

And to say that Kenneth Branagh should be pissing himself due to Titus is also narrow minded. Kenneth Branagh is opening a musical comedy, Julie Traynor is opening an epic war film. Woody Allen I'm sure didn't piss himself when he found out that Saving Private Ryan would follow Everyone Says I Love You. Of course they will both be pigeon holed as Shakespeare movies, but neither studio should sell it like one. In the same article, you say that Branagh is not a "master of film style" based on his work in Frankenstein, his least accomplished movie. In the (semi-ugly) Bond Rant, you criticize Ben Svetkey for judging Apted and other Bond directors on a limited amount of their work. I hope that you're just forgetting the great opening sequence in Dead Again and the countless beautiful scenes in Hamlet. Branagh may have had his lesser moments behind the camera, but he cannot be dismissed based on Frankenstein. I count Branagh among the great film outsiders, like Welles and Coppola, whose highs are downplayed, while lows are dwelled on, due to the fact that much of their work is done outside of the LA film community.

As you said, as an Entertainment Journalist, you do have an obligation to look at people's reaction to work. I do believe the Hot Button is getting better and better lately, but I wanted to bring up these points.

DAVID RESPONDS: I'll keep it short. Very interesting point about Burton and alienation, but isn't Superman the ultimate alien? The issue of Burton in general is about his ability to create new worlds and to make us feel for the people inside of them. I don't think a Scorsese Bond would be bad. I just don't think the franchise should be made into a stunt franchise. As for Lennix, it is a tough reality, but Hollywood sees in color and the color is black & white. I honor the man's gifts and he is as aware of anyone that no one is going to forget the color of his skin when casting him or voting an award to him. If another sexy anarchist actress comes along soon, I will, indeed, compare her to Angelina Jolie. And as for Branagh, he is good, but he is not a great director. Only Henry V was really great. Dead Again was a great script. Others could have directed it better. For some reason, a lot of people have written to defend Branagh as a director. Titus, for better or worse, is art that rises above traditional Shakespeare and is music driven, like Love's Labour's Lost. They will be compared. And I hope his is absolute genius. If it's not, he should be s**ting his pants.

E ME: You know how to e-mail, don't you. Just put your finger on the button...and push. (Feels good, don't it?)