September 16, 2003

It’s been a bit rough getting back to the rhythm of Hollywood life.

I managed to get through two sections of the Toronto wrap-up on Monday and will keep plugging away today (Tuesday) until it is complete.

As far as other news…. is there any? You don’t really want to read my opinion about Dick and Liz, do you? The recall in California may be on hold and no one cares, so long as it doesn’t effect the Oscar season. Amy Dawes is quoted in a Style.com piece, saying that she was dumped as a critic by Peter Bart after she was the only critic from a major outlet in this country to give a positive review to Gigli. Funny, we all thought she was brought out of reviewing retirement to give a positive review to Gigli… and Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle.

Boring…

The shift into high gear is coming… Oscar season is now officially underway. Don’t believe that The Human Stain is being repositioned because the response in Toronto was so good. It is being re-set as an 800 screen launch, I believe, because Toronto made it clear that it was not going to build via word-of-mouth. Ron Howard’s The Missing is moving into November, leaving a wider swath for the other December Sony releases, Big Fish, Something’s Gotta Give and Mona Lisa Smile.

But more on the Oscar push next week, when I do 22 Weeks To Oscar.

I can’t wait to be all the way back to L.A. time…

READER OF THE DAY: THE SOUP MAN writes: “Here in my patch of The Bluegrass there's only one theater that shows anything off the beaten path, despite it being a college town... they can't get themselves unstuck from "Seabiscuit", when I peeled it off my soles as quick as I could, blech. Plenty of screens in town, not much variety. On Friday I trekked to the plex and something happened to me that never had before- there was a title on the marquee that I had never heard of!!! "No Good Deed", the box-office placard informed me, starred Samuel L. Jackson and Mila Jackson. Before I caught OUATIM (which I, Dave, found a tasty trifle) I walked into the theater where this phantom was playing- not a soul. Looked it up when I got back home, it's a Bob Rafaelson genre pic from 2 years ago, and co-starts Mila Jovavich!! Appears to have already been released elsewhere, at some point. I know there's not much out there right now, but for the life of me I can't figure out why any theater would bother booking a movie that has had no press, and 2-odd years later???”

And as a special treat for AUNTIE EM, a note from the ever prolific TAIWAN STEVE: “I think Alison Homan really deserves some applause for her performance in "MATCHSTICK MEN". Think about it, she' more than 24 years old but played a 14 years old girl in the film. Amazing. You almost can feel her sadness and desperately needing of a father gifure, specially when she and Nicholas Cage suddenly realized that they could not have the opportunity to live the normal life like other fathers and daughters. Her tears really impress me.

We knew Nicolas Cage likes to do movies "trilogy" in row. He has done comedy "trilogy" : "Honeymoon in Vegas", "It could happen to you" and "Trapped in Paradise". Then he made action "trilogy" : "The Rock", "Con-Air" and "Face/Off". What's next? The weird stuff "trilogy" : "City of Angels", "Sneak Eyes" and "8MM". Here he came the it-didn't-work "trilogy" : "Bringing out the Dead", "The Family Man" and "Captain Corelli's Mandolin". Of course, you can call these Nicholas-starring-with-the-actress-that-you-never-knew "trilogy".

Sure, there're always something that totally surprised you, "Gone in 60 Seconds", "Windtalkers", and "Adaptation". The first one is OK, second one is not-so-good, but the third one is totally excellent.

After I saw "MATCHSTICK MEN", I think I should consider "Adaptation" and "MATCHSTICK MEN" are some parts of Nicholas Cage's new "trilogy"....bag of nerves. He's such hypertense in both films, but it makes you love his character! And he becomes charming again. You just can't help.

Now I really wonder what next role that He will play. It will be great if Hollywood put him and Jack Nicholson in one film, just think about it.”

E ME: Can I get a 7:30 wake-up call?