Benicio as Che

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An all-but-certain Best Actor contender for the 2008 Oscar Awards for his work in The Argentine and Guerilla. This will happen in part as a makeup for everyone ignoring Mr. Del Toro's landmark performance in Things We Lost in the Fire. If I'm wrong I'll eat my Beatle boot next year at this time, Werner Herzog-style.

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on January 7, 2008 at 5:41 PM

comment #1

actionman says ...

"and who will be so categorized as a makeup for everyone ignoring his landmark performance in Things We Lost in the Fire"

I am in complete agreement with you Wells...people should be caned Michael Fay-style for not supporting Things We Lost in the Fire. Del Toro was spectacular in the film. One of the best performances I've ever seen.

Posted by actionman at January 7, 2008 5:49 PM

comment #2

p.Vice says ...

All those coots in the Academy, who actually lived through the Cuban missile crisis, are going to reward the glorification of more or less the biggest fucking Commie of all time? Let's not start sucking each other's dicks just yet there, Wells.

Posted by p.Vice at January 7, 2008 5:51 PM

comment #3

BurmaShave says ...

Hey it's David Johansen in THE STEVEN WRIGHT STORY!

Posted by BurmaShave at January 7, 2008 5:59 PM

comment #4

christian says ...

Yes, the coots killed Beatty for REDS.

Posted by christian at January 7, 2008 6:07 PM

comment #5

Aguirre says ...

wow, that caption says so much about how jeff approaches the films / topics he covers. i know that an A-caliber actor playing a historical figure in a hotly anticipated (duo) of biopics is the surest of oscar bait... but the saga of posts praising del toro that's inevitably coming this fall is just going to be the less aggravating flip-side of jeff's ego-driven personality doing the medium (and his readers) a massive series of wanton journalistic disservices... the other side of which will no doubt surface with the new indiana jones film or (even more egregiously) the next time sofia coppola steps to the plate.

Posted by Aguirre at January 7, 2008 6:08 PM

comment #6

BurmaShave says ...

But what if Sofia makes LAST DAYS OF ALLENDE starring Javier Bardem? Will his head explode?

Posted by BurmaShave at January 7, 2008 6:36 PM

comment #7

lazarus says ...

He'll be facing some stiff competition from Pitt in Benjamin Button, espnow that the latter is building homes in poor New Orleans. You know all the guilty liberals in the Academy are going to want to reward him, and unlike Del Toro he doesn't already have an Oscar on his mantle.

Are both Che films going to be released in 2008? Because if they save Guerilla for next year, they can award Del Toro for both the second time around.

Posted by lazarus at January 7, 2008 6:39 PM

comment #8

alynch says ...

Presumably, the studio will gauge reactions to the two respective films and then decide which one to give him the primary push for. There's no way that they'll try to snag him two separate nods for playing the same character is there?

Posted by alynch at January 7, 2008 7:07 PM

comment #9

p.Vice says ...

Christian -- I don't remember Warren Beatty winning a Best Actor Oscar for Reds.

Posted by p.Vice at January 7, 2008 7:16 PM

comment #10

lazarus says ...

He won for directing--didn't you read the other thread?

Posted by lazarus at January 7, 2008 7:23 PM

comment #11

TheJeff says ...

But what of the dreaded vote splitting?

Posted by TheJeff at January 7, 2008 8:00 PM

comment #12

rocco says ...

I'm more concerned with the effect these films will have on the output of Wells...you've got to figure we'll soon lose about 4 hours worth of output per day as he spends it yanking it to she-Dylan once he gets his hands on "I'm Not There"...figure another four hours per dvd for each of these Soderbergh/Del Toro Che lovefests...that leaves only 4 hours or so per day for hardcore posting. Come spring of '09, we may be saying goodbye to H-e as we know it.

Posted by rocco at January 7, 2008 8:08 PM

comment #13

le corbeau says ...

My guess is, two Che films will make Grindhouse look like a wise financial move.

Posted by le corbeau at January 7, 2008 8:18 PM

comment #14

corey3rd says ...

he's just not rockin' the beret. And the beard? He looks like Tim Curry as girl scout in that National Lampoon Lethal Weapon spoof.

Posted by corey3rd at January 7, 2008 8:29 PM

comment #15

K. Bowen says ...

What happens when these films bomb?

Posted by K. Bowen at January 7, 2008 8:31 PM

comment #16

Mikeb says ...

Beatle boot??

Posted by Mikeb at January 7, 2008 9:01 PM

comment #17

JoeGreenia says ...

I'm gonna hold you to that Beatle Boot thing. You better hope this doesn't implode a la The Good German. Seriously, I once made a guy eat a Swisher Sweet sandwich on a lost bet.

Posted by JoeGreenia at January 7, 2008 9:14 PM

comment #18

BurmaShave says ...

Isn't his stiffest competition from Frank Langella?

Posted by BurmaShave at January 7, 2008 10:00 PM

comment #19

gansibele says ...

"Contender" or "nominee"? Let's clarify. Just because Jeff is going to spend 2008 pumping a performance (that he hasn't seen) on two movies (again, that he hasn't seen) does not make Benicio a real contender. Nomination should be the bet.

As far as the coots: Let's not compare "Reds", which a)is a romantic story with a political background, b)has a strong subtext of disillusionment (remember the scene in which Reeds asks for permission to visit America and is denied). I suspect Sorderbergh's movies will be heavy on the romanticizing of Che and gloss over the murderer, ala "Motorcycle Diaries", which will be just fine with the coots. And with Jeff.

Posted by gansibele at January 8, 2008 7:50 AM

comment #20

le corbeau says ...

The more I think about this, the more wrong Jeffrey's original post seems to me.

Yes, del Toro is a good actor. Great? Not in anything I have seen, but I haven't seen Things We... Do in Denver When We... Talk About Love. Or whatever it's called. But let's grant that Del Toro has greatness in him.

Then we have Soderbergh, a VERY hit and miss director. Which is why, as I said the other day, I haven't even seen his last 4 or 5 movies. Though I look forward to The Good German Shepherd turning up on cable soon.

Finally, we have the subject. Which apparently he plans to softball in some fashion. Maybe that's an unfair thing to say. Let's wait for the movie(s) to see-- but let's also wait for the movie(s) before declaring this a great performance. Because that's what I find deeply wrongheaded about all this-- Jeffrey is assuming pedigree plus subject matter equals greatness. You know, like Spielberg + '72 Olympics, or Alan Parker and Kevin Spacey + death penalty, or Anthony Minghella + Civil War, or Marc Forster + Afghanistan... the fact is, pretty good or even great directors badly stumble all the time with heavy-duty historical subject matter like this, and Pauline Kael spent her life trying to beat out of people like Jeff the idea that subject matter gave you an automatic 50 point jump over the competition.

Posted by le corbeau at January 8, 2008 7:58 AM

comment #21