Time to review "Letters"

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The trade review date for Clint Eastwood's Letters from Iwo Jima is supposed to be either this Friday (12.8) or Monday (12.11). I don't see how delaying reactions serves anyone's purpose. The time is now, we're right in the thick of it, Letters opens two weeks from today... gentlemen, start your engines.

After all, MCN's David Poland started his last Saturday, right? The the cat was 80% out of the bag as of that moment, and it was totally out yesterday when Poland made Letters his #2 choice for the Best Picture competish in the latest Gurus of Gold chart (which went up yesterday).

This made it clear he was speaking of Letters four days ago when he wrote that "there is a very real chance that one of the 'new' movies will grab one of the five Best Picture slots. I could be wrong. A second viewing will answer that question more clearly. But as with Dreamgirls, if you feed the Academy a movie that allows them to do what they really want to do, most of the time they will do it."

I don't know what that last statement means at all, but Letters From Iwo Jima, which I saw last weekend and also admire a good deal, is in no way analagous to Dreamgirls in terms of its Academy appeal and/or psychology. But I've got my review half-written and I'm ready to boogie. Others are too. Let's do it.

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on December 6, 2006 at 5:57 AM

comment #1

JD says ...

"But as with Dreamgirls, if you feed the Academy a movie that allows them to do what they really want to do, most of the time they will do it."

I think this quote is pretty clear. The Academy likes giving awards to musicals and war movies. If you release good musicals and/or war movies -- ie. Dreamgirls and Letters From Iwo Jima -- the Academy will nominate accordingly.

Posted by JD at December 6, 2006 7:08 AM

comment #2

Dave Polands Gut says ...

I think its saying the Academy loves Eastwood.

Posted by Dave Polands Gut at December 6, 2006 7:23 AM

comment #3

bipedalist says ...

Argh.

Posted by bipedalist at December 6, 2006 7:43 AM

comment #4

EDouglas says ...

So they'll nominate Eastwood as director and the screenplay. I don't think that Academy voters and American audiences will be able to relate to a WW2 movie told from the "bad guys"' viewpoint featuring mostly unknown Japanese actors (except Watanabe of course)). The two movies as a pair are quite an achievment, though the screenplay for Letters is much better. Still, it's a critics' movie, not a war movie with mass appeal ala Saving Private Ryan or even Life is Beautiful. We'll see if others agree with Poland's latest pet project.

Posted by EDouglas at December 6, 2006 7:54 AM

comment #5

dre says ...

I agree that they want to nominate Eastwood. He's very well respected obviously and i'm sure they want to root for him especially because Flags tanked. It's still dreamgirl's to lose.

Posted by dre at December 6, 2006 11:21 AM

comment #6