Paul Thomas Anderson May Have Rewritten Chunks of “KOTFM”

There may be something to the rumor about Paul Thomas Anderson having rewritten significant portions of Killers ot the Flower Moon, at least during the later stages. After reading a Charles Bramesco tweet that passed along the PTA rumor, I checked with a person with ties to the KOTFM show, and he didn’t pour water on it. He called Anderson “an artist” and said “anything he may have done [rewrite-wise] could have only helped.” That’s a little vague but it’s certainly not a blanket denial.

Jordan Ruimy update: “I don’t want to name names here, but two sources of mine, one of which worked extensively on Scorsese’s film, are confirming Bramesco’s claim — PTA did, in fact, take part in rewriting a good portion of the script. There might, or might not, be a few trades reporting on this soon. If I was able to corroborate it then it’ll be very easy for them to do the same.”

Read more

“Important” Films — An Academy Legacy

Posted this morning: “I need to create a list of noteworthy narrative films that were regarded as unmistakably ‘important’ in their day.

“Films whose advocates and defenders said to naysayers ‘no, no…you need to sink into this film and try to understand…the subject is really important…seeing and understanding this movie will be good for our souls…the fact that it’s simply been made has improved our standing in the eyes of God.. we are better people for it.'”

Off the top of my head: Killers of the Flower Moon (anti-Native American racism), The Public Enemy (prohibition-era gangsters), I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang (flawed justice system), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (governmental corruption), The Best Years of Our Lives (returning WWII veterans), Gentleman’s Agreement (anti-Semitism), Crossfire (anti-Semitism), Home of the Brave (racism), The Lost Weekend (alcoholism), Inherit The Wind (religious yokels), To Kill A Mockingbird (deep-yokel racism), Seven Days in May (rampant militarism, Curtis LeMay), Brokeback Mountain (homophobia)…what others?

Seven “Maestro” Noms!

Yesterday morning smarty-pants emcee and gabbermouth Bill McCuddy (NPR’s “Talking Pictures” plus “Sitting Around Talking Movies”) predicted that Tuesday morning’s Academy nominations “are going to lean into Maestro more than you think.”

Everyone knew Carey Mulligan would be nominated for Best Actress, of course, but above and beyond that…who knew?

This morning Bradley Cooper’s impressionistic Leonard Bernstein biopic tallied seven Academy Award nominations — Best Picture, Best Actor (Cooper), Best Actress, Best Screenplay (Cooper and Josh Singer), Best Makeup (Kazu Hiro), Best Sound and Best Cinematography. Seven!

Congrats to Cooper and colleagues, and congrats to McCuddy.

Late-Night Academy Phone Call to Cooper

Monday night, 1.22, 11:30 pm. Bradley Cooper‘s cell phone rings…

Cooper: Hullo?
Mysterious baritone voice: Bradley? This is Charles Melton.
Cooper: What?
Mysterious baritone voice: You know who this is, right?
Cooper: No.
Mysterious baritone voice: You don’t recognize my voice?
Cooper: No.
Mysterious baritone voice: I’m that upper-echelon Academy guy…you remember…and I’m calling to offer you a choice. We can fix or change the nominations any way we want until the very last minute, and a few of us really loved Maestro so we’re offering you a special deal.
Cooper: Yeah?
Mysterious baritone voice: The deal is you get to pick your category. Do you want to be nominated for Best Actor for playing croaky-voiced, chain-smoking Leonard Bernstein, or do you want a Best Director nomination for Maestro?
Cooper: You can fix this?
Mysterious baritone voice: Yes, we can.
Cooper: Obviously Best Director….Jesus.
Mysterious baritone voice: Okay, but now I have to put on my asshole hat. We decided before calling you that whatever category you chose, we’re putting you into the other category.
Cooper: What?
Mysterious baritone voice: We decided this in advance. No offense.
Cooper: You fucking prick. Fix it back. I want Best Director.
Mysterious baritone voice: That’s a no-go, Brad. Besides we’ve already blown off Alexander Payne and Greta Gerwig. And you know why? Because Justine Triet and Jonathan Glazer were voted in. Sorry, man, but there’s no room. Plus we decided. Be happy with Best Actor.
Cooper: I am happy with Best Actor but I told you I would’ve preferred Best Director, and then you pulled the rug out.
Mysterious baritone voice: Sorry, man. That was mean but not my call. I just work here.

Mystery Behind Blunt’s Nomination

A Best Supporting Actress nomination for The HoldoversDa’Vine Joy Randolph…naturally. And one for Barbie‘s America Ferrera…got it. (All about that rant.) And nominating Nyad‘s Jodie Foster is a good call. But I’m completely perplexed by Emily Blunt‘s nomination for her supporting performance in Oppenheimer. She played Oppie’s seething, pissed-off alchoholic wife…big deal. Congrats to The Color Purple‘s Danielle Brooks, who of course hasn’t a prayer.

They Blew Off Alexander Payne?

…partly in order to nominate Anatomy of a Fall ‘s Justine Triet? This really doesn’t feel right, man. C’mon! And when you boil down Jonathan Glazer’s direction of The Zone of Interest, it’s basically a one-trick thing — chillingly imply rather than show. A bit surprising that Barbie’s Greta Gerwig got the shaft but them’s the breaks.

Scott Feinberg, Clayton Davis Take Bows

…for standing by American Fiction through thick and thin. The enthusiasm for the respectable but not great Anatomy of a Fall has eluded me for months. I had resigned myself to a Past Lives nomination…fine. And Maestro got nominated along with Bradley Cooper!

Wait…Colman Domingo?

Another surprise nomination…no real enthusiasm for his Rustin performance…pretty much ignored by handicappers…doesn’t add up but fine. Congrats to all.

All-But-Guaranteed Oscar Nom Shortfall

Certain performances leap out and grab you, and you just know they’re keepers. Your follow-up thought, of course, is that everyone will recognize same and agree wholeheartedly.

This didn’t happen with Penelope Cruz’s hellcat performance as Laura Ferrari in Michael Mann’s Ferrari. It should have (the Movie Godz know this with absolute certainty…Cruz revives the spirit of Anna Magnani in The Rose Tattoo) but Ferrari was rejected by industry-centric Joe and Janes and that was that.

Cruz’s name won’t be announced this morning, and God, talk about pain in the heart.

Infuriating Photo

What do these characters have to smile about? I look at these bizarre expressions and I’m asking myself “why?…what for?…what the hell?”

DeNiro: “I’m here to even things out, so to speak…the Osage need to spread some of that oil money around, if you get my meaning, and I’m the one to make it happen.”

Leo: “I’m a dumb-as-a-fencepost greedy murderer, and ready to do whatever my scumbag uncle wants done…yeah!”

Gladstone: “Boy, he sure is one handsome devil…look at him! Except he’s kinda major-league stupid. Worse, I’m not smart enough to understand that he’s just as much of a ne’er-do-well as his conniving uncle.”