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A few weeks ago I posted a preview of some of the films that were drawing the most early interest at this years Toronto Film Festival. As the smoke cleared, a few underdog movies have emerged, hoping for Juno type success upon release.

Early critical favorite Slumdog Millionaire proved to be an audience pleaser as well, winning the People's Choice Award at the Festival. The award has been known to be a big Oscar-boost, which helped previous winners such as American Beauty, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and Whale Rider land in the public view. Director Danny Boyle has had previous success with Trainspotting and 28 Days Later, so his name attached to the movie could be a draw for the mainstream audience. The film's test may be the 15% of the dialogue that appears in Hindi with English subtitles. Subtitled films are historically harder to attract a mainstream audience to, but with a hopeful teen love story, Slumdog has a chance to make waves when it is released on November 28th.

The other movie that has people talking is Director Darren Aronofsky's new film, The Wrestler, starring Mickey Rourke in what many people are saying could be an Oscar-winning turn. Rourke plays a down on his luck, steroid abusing ex-wrestler hoping for one more shot in the ring. It seems like an interesting concept for the director of Requiem for a Dream, Pi and The Fountain, but its the character-aspect of the story that really drives the film. Rourke, who was a professional boxer and a famous Hollywood casualty story, seems the perfect fit for the role. After winning the top prize at the Venice festival and finally landing a studio for release (December), The Wrestler seems to be picking up a head of steam just in time.

Mickey Rourke isn't the only one above the border maybe some Oscar noise, Anne Hathaway's turn in Rachel Getting Married is creating a stir as well. Hathaway is on the verge of becoming a major star after turns in Devil Wears Prada and Get Smart, but she has never been launched so directly into the Oscar conversation.

While none of the other movies have garnered serious Oscar consideration, a few of the small films at the festival have been met with applause. Bill Maher's Religulous see's him traveling to various religious shrines and conversing with everyday people and religious figures alike using his usual shtick. JCVD gives us the return of Jean Claude Van Damme, in a hostage film (in French) in which Van Damme pokes fun at his own persona. $5 for a Day is also making some noise, with leads Christopher Walken and Alessandro Nivola on a father-son road trip intended to patch up their relationship. And the signature Iraq movie could be The Hurt Locker, which stars Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie as an American bomb-defusing team.

Just a few to keep an eye on.

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Posted By: Eric Samulski - Category: No Category

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Oscar Not Reaching Up North

September 4th 2008 03:19

As the Toronto Film Festival waits to open, there is a noticeable lack of Indie firepower in attendance. Gas prices, the writers strike and such have prevented the usually "Best Picture" winners that populate the Festival. Last year four of the five nominees were showed at the Toronto Film Festival, but early favorites like Oliver Stone's "W," Ridley Scott's "Body of Lies" and the epic "Australia" will not be shown.

However, there are a few movies that are creating a buzz and will be worth keeping an eye on when national release dates become available:

"Che"
Steven Soderbergh cast Benicio Del Toro as the Cuban Revolutionary in this four hour long movie. Four hours is a daunting proposition, but Soderbergh has proven he can hit it big and when Del Toro dives into his characters, as he reportedly has here, his work is nothing but engaging. Add that up with the subject matter and the draw that Che was as a person and you have a movie that must be seen. Think of a slightly more commercial "Assassination of Jesse James" (which was ridiculously under-seen).

"Happy-Go-Lucky"
Mike Leigh returns after success with "Vera Drake" and "Secrets and Lies" with this movie about a perpetually optimistic schoolteacher who smiles through the bitter and angry world. Plot summaries sound overly cutesy and optimistic, but early clips show a much less cheeky finished product. The movie doesn't figure to be preachy under Leigh's smart touch and should leave you feeing good after an enjoyable experience.

"The Lucky Ones"
An Iraq movie that may have made the smart choice to wait a year. Rachel McAdams, Michael Pena and Tim Robbins star as three wounded soldiers who return from Iraq and are forced to travel together, taking care of personal conflicts on their respective ways home. Focusing less on the actual war and more on the effects that it can have on soldiers is a smart decision theatrically. The cast can pull off the emotional depths and the country just might be entering the time where empathizing (or sympathizing) will be therapeutic.

"Me and Orson Welles"
While this movie is probably going to get national attention for its attempt to turn Zac Effron from a Disney musical actor into a legitimate silver screen star, its what goes on behind the scenes that is most interesting. The screenplay had a lot to work with considering the enigmatic and powerful persona that Welles was in real life. In addition, Richard Linklater helms the piece and he has proven to be philosophical and creative ("Waking Life") as well as respectable in taking cliche themes and turning them into solid screen efforts ("School of Rock).

"Slumdog Millionaire"
The movie thats getting most of the early buzz. Danny Boyle, the director of "Transspotting" and Simon Beaufoy, the writer of "The Full Monty" takes the reins of this film about an Indian teen orphan who wins the top prize on the Hindi version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. By all accounts it's a charming love story that takes well-known culture elements and blends them into another culture to create a worldly and relevant experience.

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Nick Cage's Journey to Nowhere

September 3rd 2008 23:08

As "Bangkok Dangerous" sets to open and millions of people could care less, I began to wonder what had happened to Nicholas Cage.

Granted, he was never a virtuoso talent that would draw people to almost any movie, like Johnny Depp or Tom Hanks do. But Cage was always good for entertainment. His skittishy behaviors and whacked out characters always made for an enjoyable two hours. He could do this perfectly for comedies like "Raising Arizona" or more dramatic turns, such as "Leaving Las Vegas."

Then he started doing action. At first it was all good. "The Rock" is still a favorite of many and "Con Air" was so enjoyable that its easy to overlook how bad the screenplay was. Cage's continued success in entertaining action fare like "Face/Off" and "Gone in 60 Seconds" made it acceptable that he try his hand (and fail) with dramatic turns in "City of Angels" and "Captain Corelli's Mandolin." He was still such a force that those movies drew acceptable numbers and still positioned Cage to make hits like "Adaptation."

But then something happened. His hair grew longer, his fare grew lighter and people started to see Nick Cage as more of a joke actor than the quirky, character actor he had been. He made "National Treasure" and never looked back. Cage went into full swing action hero mode and left his quirky characters in the dust. While the National Treasure movies are enjoyable, the lure of history and uncovering new facts about things we know is what carries Cage and the rest of the movie. He is not even the headliner in his own movie.

Yet Cage continues to stick with action and kiddie comedy and what troubles me is that there are no signs that he plans on giving up. He made "Ghost Rider" which was so bad that I almost turned it off even though it was free and I was flying countless hours from London back to NYC. But instead of learning, he has now decided to make a sequel. How the heck would want to see that? He also has a movie coming out called "The Ghost" where he plays a ghostwriter who finds out secrets about the former Prime Minister and gets wrapped up in a devious plot. He keeps replaying the same characters over and over. Either its a history enthusiast who gets caught in some crazy plot (like the upcoming "Knowing") or he's a bad boy who needs to change his ways to help others ("Con Air" and the upcoming "Scared Straight."

If it's not action, then its children's comedy. He teaches his daughter to be a superhero is the soon to be released "Kick-Ass." But it doesn't end there; he voices a specially trained Guinea Pig in "G-Force" and a robot scientist in "Astro Boy."

Now I know Cage as aged and he as a family and personal interests that he would like to put on film. He has said numerous times that he wants his filmmaking experience to be "organic" (whatever he means by that) if he is going to keep making movies. Personally, I think if Cage keeps making movies he should stay more honest to himself. Let the quirky, off-centered side of you come out. Go back to playing the characters with a screw loose. He would make a great villain in an action movie instead of always trying to be the hero. If he can find a way to bring his personality back to the screen, he may find another hit.

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Entourage Needs a 5th Season Pick Me Up

September 3rd 2008 16:20

Entourage premiers its 5th season this week, September 7th and will no undoubtedly attract the massive audience it's been pulling in since its inceptions. However, some of those eyes will be watching with far more skepticism.

As the seasons have progressed and Vinny Chase (Adrian Grenier) and his boys have seen his career trajectory start to plummet, the mood of the show has gone with it. The first few seasons were infectious, each episode filled with sunlight, a party vibe and a general feeling that this was a life most could only dream of. As the seasons have progressed and fortunes have turned whole episodes have gone by with nothing but anger and shadows. I understand the necessity of this for character arc and certain plot lines, so I will not questions the intent. However, I do think the show could do with a Vincent Chase rebound

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The Best of Summer

September 2nd 2008 04:19

As Labor Day Weekend draws to a close, we all brace ourselves for the changes that come with the end of summer. Students get ready for school, families pack up the beach house and movie enthusiasts wait patiently for the holiday blockbusters. In my time thinking back on the days I wasted this summer, I couldn't help remember some of the movies that really stood out to me. In the coming months, as the winter seeps in and your DVD player gets more action, keep a look out of the following films that really made a mark for me this summer.

Top Movies of the Summer (Starting June 1st)
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Posted By: Eric Samulski - Category: No Category

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Welcome

September 1st 2008 22:50

I am pretty voracious when it comes to watching movies, so I jumped at the chance to share my thoughts on everything I watch. I consider my opinion to be well-educated, but by no means final, and I am always up for a good debate.

I watch all kinds of films, whether they are big-budget, foreign, independent, etc. And I understand that films aren't just about sharing a message, but are about entertainment, so you won't see me dogging Michael Bay for being shallow or Will Ferrell for being stupid. Sometimes thats what you need

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September 2008

6 Posts

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6 Posts dating from September 2008

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