Month: November 2018

YouTube guy: “Everyone remembers that scene from The Lion King when Simba is cornered by hyenas, and then Mufasa appears out of nowhere and comes to the rescue. This is almost exactly the same!”

The clip (posted on 11.27.18) has atrocious camerawork, but it’s heartening to see those two or three lions charging in and chasing the hyenas away. More thrilling, I’ll bet, than anything I’m likely to see in Jon Favreau‘s Lion King remake.

“You’re never alone / You’re never disconnected! / You’re home with your own / When company’s expected / You’re well protected!” — from “Jet Song,” music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.

Woman producer friend to HE: “That quote is jaw-dropping-level offensive. If I was at NPR, I would have cut him loose. It’s a ‘no going back’ quote. And if I were Tamara Jenkins, I would have cancelled the q & a unless he was out. Should he be put out to pasture at New York? Minimally a time-out to mull the insensitive fucking idiocy of his quote. Should he be let go permanently? Maybe. Probably won’t save his misogynist soul, but it would make a good point. Rape jokes aren’t funny. I’m not part of the twitter mob, and this is not just about one quote either. It’s about the institutionalization of misogyny. This was a line crossed. Caning is not enough.”

HE to producer friend: “Was there something in what I wrote that suggested people should automatically give rape-jokers a pass? Or that Edelstein wasn’t or isn’t an idiot for having posted what he posted?

Do we really have to kill people when they say something callous or hurtful or grievously misjudged?

Your attitude is exactly that of the ’50s commie haters and the witch-burners of Salem. Fire them, burn them, wipe them out, firing squad, zero tolerance. The Bolsheviks had the same thought about the Czar’s family. Do you honestly think that urban lefty culture is 100% behind the idea of instantly lopping off heads whenever someone says something thoughtless or stupid? The applicable terms are (a) ‘purist political hysteria’ and (b) ‘excess of zeal.'”

Producer friend responds: “You’ve missed the point. Then again I just read a good quote: ‘Maybe getting fired is better with butter.'”

Listening-in friend (also a woman): “Ugh…I just can’t. My eardrums are bleeding from having been shrieked at by people like this. I swear to God. It was a stupid joke. Gross, dumb, icky…but it was on Facebook. If it’s on NPR, sure, it’s a problem. But Facebook? They’re going to police everything people think, say and do in their private time? Really?”

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Hollywood Elsewhere attended two good-time Manhattan soirees last night. First up was the Fox Searchlight holiday party at the Nomad Hotel (B’way and 28th) where I spoke with Can You Ever Forgive Me? director Marielle Heller and “cat killer” Richard E. Grant. The second stage was the Roma after-party at The Pool, or the former location of The Four Seasons (99 East 52nd). Thanks to Fox Searchlight reps and Netflix’s Lisa Taback and Albert Tello for the invites. A splendid time, excellent food and drink, superb coatrooms, etc.

Six or seven old typewriters, dating back to the 20s and 30s, were available for the Fox Searchlight guests at the Nomad. It’s not easy typing on these things.

Gold Derby hotshot and all-around Manhattan gadfly Bill McCuddy (r.) and wife Sue.

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I’m not going to offer any sweeping judgments about the just-announced 2018 Sundance Film Festival slate, except to suggest that with a competition slate that is 53% female (i.e., nine of the 17 directors eligible for the festival’s top prize are women) it would appear that 2018 Sundance is going to be just as progressive-minded (i.e., “socialist summer camp in the snow”) as last year’s festival, if not more so.

I’m going to take it two or three sections at a time. Today I’m pasting Premieres (feature and documentary), Midnight & Spotlight. I’ve bold-faced the titles that I have a special interest in seeing, but I’d appreciate thoughts about anything I might be unfairly dismissing. I’l consider the other sections tomorrow.

Premieres (18):

After The Wedding (Director and screenwriter: Bart Freundlich, Producers: Joel B. Michaels, Harry Finkel) — Seeking funds for her orphanage in India, Isabelle travels to New York to meet Theresa, a wealthy benefactor. An invitation to attend a wedding ignites a series of events in which the past collides with the present while mysteries unravel. Based on the Academy Award-nominated film by Susanne Bier. Cast: Julianne Moore, Michelle Williams, Billy Crudup, Abby Quinn.

Animals (U.K.-Ireland-Australia – Director: Sophie Hyde, Screenwriter: Emma Jane Unsworth, Producers: Sarah Brocklehurst, Rebecca Summerton, Cormac Fox, Sophie Hyde) — After a decade of partying, Laura and Tyler’s friendship is strained by Laura’s new love and her focus on her novel. A snapshot of a modern woman with competing desires, at once a celebration of female friendship and an examination of the choices we make when facing a crossroads. Cast: Holliday Grainger, Alia Shawkat.

Blinded by the Light (U.K. – Director: Gurinder Chadha, Screenwriters: Sarfraz Manzoor, Gurinder Chadha, Paul Mayeda Berges, Producers: Gurinder Chadha, Jane Barclay, Jamal Daniel) — In 1987 during the austere days of Thatcher’s Britain, a teenager learns to live life, understand his family and find his own voice through the music of Bruce Springsteen. Cast: Viveik Kalra, Hayley Atwell, Rob Brydon, Kulvinder Ghir, Nell Williams, Aaron Phagura.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (United Kingdom – Director and screenwriter: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Producers: Andrea Calderwood, Gail Egan) — Against all the odds, a thirteen year old boy in Malawi invents an unconventional way to save his family and village from famine. Based on the true story of William Kamkwamba. Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Maxwell Simba, Lily Banda, Noma Dumezweni, Aissa Maiga, Joseph Marcell.

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (Director: Joe Berlinger, Screenwriter: Michael Werwie, Producers: Michael Costigan, Nicolas Chartier, Ara Keshishian, Michael Simkin) — A chronicle of the crimes of Ted Bundy from the perspective of Liz, his longtime girlfriend, who refused to believe the truth about him for years. Cast: Zac Efron, Lily Collins, Haley Joel Osment, Kaya Scodelario, John Malkovich, Jim Parsons.

I Am Mother (Australia – Director: Grant Sputore, Screenwriter: Michael Lloyd Green, Producers: Timothy White, Kelvin Munro) — In the wake of humanity’s extinction, a teenage girl is raised by a robot designed to repopulate the earth. But their unique bond is threatened when an inexplicable stranger arrives with alarming news. Cast: Clara Rugaard, Rose Byrne, Hilary Swank.

Late Night (Director: Nisha Ganatra, Screenwriter: Mindy Kaling, Producers: Ben Browning, Howard Klein, Jillian Apfelbaum, Mindy Kaling) — Legendary late-night talk show host’s world is turned upside down when she hires her only female staff writer. Originally intended to smooth over diversity concerns, her decision has unexpectedly hilarious consequences as the two women separated by culture and generation are united by their love of a biting punchline. Cast: Emma Thompson, Mindy Kaling, John Lithgow, Paul Walter Hauser, Reid Scott, Amy Ryan.

The Mustang (Director: Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, Screenwriters: Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, Mona Fastvold, Brock Norman Brock, Producer: Alain Goldman) — While participating in a rehabilitation program training wild mustangs, a convict at first struggles to connect with the horses and his fellow inmates, but learns to confront his violent past as he soothes an especially feisty horse. Cast: Matthias Schoenaerts, Connie Britton, Bruce Dern, Jason Mitchell, Gideon Adlon, Josh Stewart.

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No way in hell will the New York Film Critics Circle give Green Book their Best Picture prize. No way. The membership includes too many arch-backed p.c. zealots who believe that a gentle humanistic buddy film that could have been made in 1987…there are too many who feel such a film should be mule-kicked to death.

I’m presuming that Roma will take the top prize, along with Alfonso Cuaron for Best Director. And if not that, possibly The Favourite. They can’t go for A Star Is Born….not the NYFCC. It’s the kind of warm-emotional-bath film that popcorn-eaters like and therefore not a fit. And no Best Actress trophy for Lady Gaga either! I’m thinking it’ll be Olivia Colman or Mellissa McCarthy.

Maybe Bradley Cooper for Best Actor, although it should go to Christian Bale. HE’s personal favorite is Ethan Hawke, of course. I’m saying this under the presumption that the NYFCC won’t touch Viggo Mortensen with a ten-foot pole.

Richard E. Grant (the “cat-killer” from Can You Ever Forgive Me?) for Best Supporting Actor!

I’m also betting on Cold War taking the Best Foreign Language Feature prize, and RBG for the Best Documentary award.

Critic friend #1: “I think this is a Roma group, and that the other film that will figure in the most is First Reformed.” Critic friend #2: “I wouldn’t be surprised if The Favourite does something. Otherwise there’s no way to tell, particularly with the influx of younger members” — i.e., the New NYFCC Kidz. Critic friend #3: “It’s a very unpredictable year.”

Thoughts or notions about any of the NYFCC categories?

My insect antennae are telling me that four Best Actress Oscar nominations are locked down — A Star Is Born‘s Lady Gaga, Can You Ever Forgive Me‘s Melissa McCarthy, The Wife‘s Glenn Close and The Favourite‘s Olivia Colman.

I felt personally rocked only by McCarthy and Close. Colman is always strong and savory no matter the part, but if she’s playing a leading role in The Favourite I’m a monkey’s uncle. I genuinely respect Gaga’s performance and have no quarrel with her being nominated.

As for the THR round-table, Kidman’s gutted-zombie performance in Destroyer is mainly about the makeup, The Favorite‘s Rachel Weisz has been elbowed aside by Colman, and Kathryn Hahn‘s performance in Private Life has, due respect, never really been in the running.

HE to Gold Derby-ites: So are some of you guys feeling a little more supportive of Ethan Hawke‘s career-best performance in First Reformed? In the wake of his having won the Gotham Award prize for Best Actor, I mean.

For weeks ESPN’s Adnan Virk and I have been the only ones to predict Hawke as a Best Actor finalist in the Oscar race. The rest of you have been hanging back. I get that the four Best Actor locks are Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born), Viggo Mortensen (Green Book), Christian Bale (Vice) and Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody). But Hawke is absolutely the guy to fill that fifth slot. Wake up and smell the Schrader coffee.

Gold Derby-ites to HE: It doesn’t matter how good Hawke is in First Reformed. It doesn’t matter because A24 opened it last May, and that means we don’t give a shit. Period. Gold Derby hotshots will only support performances in films that have opened in the fall. We don’t care about quality or what the Movie Godz believe in. We live and breathe by our own code.

I’ve met Jason Clarke socially two or three times, and there’s no correlation between the dude he is at the dinner table — loose, casual, funny, kind-hearted — and the glum, dismissable guys he’s always being hired to play in films.

Clarke has had four interesting roles over the last decade — John “Red” Hamilton in Public Enemies, the CIA torturer guy in Zero Dark Thirty, Ted Kennedy in Chappaquiddick and “Malcom” in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Otherwise he’s always getting cast as cuckolds (in Mudbound, All I See Is You and the forthcoming The Aftermath) or guys who end up dead (First Man, Everest) or as villains.

The real-life Clarke is bathed in charm and alpha vibes, but put him before a movie camera and he turns into a downhearted gloomhead who’s always coping with the shitty end of the stick. Unfair, not right, reboot required.

I’m told that New York and Los Angeles chapters of the National Alliance of Politically Correct Scolds and Admonishers (NAPCSA) will be meeting in emergency session later today to discuss how to respond to the National Board of Review having given its Best Film of 2018 prize to Peter Farrelly’s Green Book.

Worse in their view, the NBR has given its Best Actor trophy to Viggo Mortensen, whose chances of winning any acting awards had been dismissed by NAPSCA reps after he mistakenly used a verboten term in a post-screening discussion.

In a joint statement, NAPSCA co-chairs Brooke Obie and Inkoo Kang have said that “the NBR is obviously entitled to hand out its top awards to any film or filmmaker or performer it chooses…we wouldn’t want to inject ourselves into any private voting dynamic. However, we would be derelict in our duties as moral and ethical arbiters if we didn’t express disappointment that they chose to honor Green Book, which, as we’ve patiently explained, fails to reflect the current politically correct values and conversations that we would prefer to see in commercial cinemas these days.

“Peter Farrelly‘s decision to tell a story set in 1962 obviously goes against the grain of current progressive thought, and we strongly disagree with this. We will be meeting later today to discuss measures that will hopefully nip this in the bud.”

The other NBR awards:

Best Director — Bradley Cooper, A Star Is Born
Best Actress — Lady Gaga, A Star Is Born
Best Supporting Actor — Sam Elliott, A Star Is Born
Best Supporting Actress — Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk
Best Original Screenplay — Paul Schrader, First Reformed (yes!)
Best Adapted Screenplay — Barry Jenkins, If Beale Street Could Talk (really?)

Best Animated Feature: Incredibles 2 (give me a break!)
Breakthrough Performance: Thomasin McKenzie, Leave No Trace
Best Directorial Debut: Bo Burnham, Eighth Grade
Best Foreign Language Film: Cold War
Best Documentary: RBG

In the view of Vulture‘s Mark Harris, Green Book’s Oscar campaign hasn’t necessarily derailed. Which is another way of saying it may be on track. Harris actually allows that the film’s A+ CinemaScore “suggests that the audience (at least the primarily older, largely white audience that showed up) is loving what it sees.”

HE to Harris #1: That’s been obvious from the get-go, bruh. I was there for the first big Toronto Film Festival screening, and people were levitating when it ended. I was told yesterday that a paying audience somewhere in the Hartford area clapped when it ended. Last month my 30 year-old son and his 29 year-old wife told me they “LOVED” it. And look at what just happened with the National Board of Review! But you know what I love? The way you indicate that the film’s admirers are behind the curve…on the slightly doddering, fuddy-dud side.

Harris says that Universal is hoping to ape the award-season success of last year’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, “which made more than half its money after its ninth week of release and earned Academy Awards for Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell. There were loud critical complaints that in Three Billboards, the black characters were plot devices, abstractions designed to facilitate the growth curve of the white protagonists. That didn’t matter to Academy voters, nor will it matter to some of them that Green Book is a movie that could have been made 30 years ago.”

HE to Harris #2: That was one of the first things out of my mouth last September, Mark. That except for the material dealing with Don Shirley being gay, Green Book could have been made in 1987. But — hello? — it’s still a really good film. It walks softly and uses a deft touch, applying just the right English and timing to make this kind of story deliver just so. And it doesn’t harm anyone. And it believes in mutual respect and compassion. And it isn’t selling a “white savior” or a “magic negro” story. It’s just about a couple of 1962 guys, one of them being a blustery old-school racist and the other being on the priggish, constipated side. It delivers in low-key fashion from start to finish, and it believes in modesty and hugs and the taking of small steps.

“But Academy voters themselves, almost 30 percent of whom have joined only in the last four years, are changing, too, so who knows?,” Harris writes with a note of hope and optimism. He means that the New Academy Kidz might push back against Green Book while embracing, say, Barry Jenkins‘ If Beale Street Could Talk, a movie that muses along and winds up flatlining toward the end, like a Wong Kar Wai flick that’s run out of gas.

“It used to be a certainty that you’d never go broke selling white people stories of their own redemption, and that may still be true,” Harris allows. “But in 2018, it suddenly seems possible that you’ll never get rich that way either.”

The concern of the moment is that recently opened critical and film-festival favorites (Widows, Green Book, Boy Erased, The Front Runner, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Beautiful Boy) are underperforming or limping along while generic family-friendly sludge movies (Ralph Breaks the Internet, Creed II, Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Bohemian Rhapsody, Instant Family, A Star Is Born) are making all the dough.

The general social-pledge attitude of the moviegoing audience used to be that (a) they would pay to see low-rent, mass-appeal popcorn fare (horror, CG-driven, superheroes, stupid comedies) all through the winter, spring, summer and early fall, but that (b) they’d willingly shift gears and pay to see prestigious, well-reviewed, award-contending movies in November and December.

The new general attitude seems to be “fuck the prestige human-drama movies…we’ll watch them on Netflix or Amazon when they come around in three or four months.” Even in the case of a feel-good flick like Green Book, which audiences are completely in love with (I heard yesterday that it got a standing ovation in Hartford from a regular paying audience)…even with Green Book they seem to be going “ehh, well, maybe not…I can wait.”

What’s happening here? What’s happened to the good old “okay, we’ll pay to see well-made, adult-friendly movies during the year-end holidays” contract? The willingness to engage with adult, semi-complex, reality-reflecting movies seems to be dwindling.

Question: Imagine if Sidney Lumet‘s The Verdict had never been made and released in ’82, but had been made by, say, Steve McQueen or David Fincher or David Gordon Green and released over the Thanksgiving holiday. If the McQueen-Fincher-Green version has been just as good as the Lumet, would it also be getting the bum’s rush from audiences? Or would it prove the exception to the rule?

The Verdict opened on 12.10.82, and wound up making $53,977,250, or $140,340,850 in 2018 dollars.