It’s that Oscar 12 Short list time again… we’re up to 10..
Blindsight
Deliver Us from Evil
The Ground Truth
An Inconvenient Truth
Iraq In Fragments
Jesus Camp
Shut Up & Sing
An Unreasonable Man
The War Tapes
Added 9:44p – The Trials Of Daryl Hunt
Wednesday Morning Adds – Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore?
Jonestown: The Life and Death of People
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movieman on: Review: Marriage Story (spoilers only in the broadest sense)
movieman on: BYOB Fall Back, Film Forward
movieman on: Review: Frozen 2 (spoiler-free)
YancySkancy on: Review: Little Women (no spoilers)
Hcat on: Why You Should Be Afraid Of The End Of The Paramount Decree
movieman on: BYOB Fall Back, Film Forward
movieman on: I Should Be Doing Box Office
Review: Little Women (no spoilers)
Why You Should Be Afraid Of The End Of The Paramount Decree
Review: Frozen 2 (spoiler-free)
Review: Marriage Story (spoilers only in the broadest sense)
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It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” — some novel, you know?
So I decided on three writers that I might be able to option their material and get some producer, or myself as producer, and then get some writer to do a screenplay on it, and maybe make a movie.
And so the three projects were “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Naked Lunch” and a collection of Bukowski. Which, in 1975, forget it — I mean, that was nuts. Hollywood would not touch any of that, but I was looking for something commercial, and I thought that all of these things were coming.
There would be no Blade Runner if there was no Ray Bradbury. I couldn’t find Philip K. Dick. His agent didn’t even know where he was. And so I gave up.
I was walking down the street and I ran into Bradbury — he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” — and I’d forgot who he was.
So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging — I was with her at that moment — she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.
But then I did, and then I realized who it was, and I thought, “Wait, he’s in that realm, maybe he knows Philip K. Dick.” I said, “You know a guy named—” “Yeah, sure — you want his phone number?”
My friend paid my rent for a year while I wrote, because it turned out we couldn’t get a writer. My friends kept on me about, well, if you can’t get a writer, then you write.”
~ Hampton Fancher
“That was the most disappointing thing to me in how this thing was played. Is that I’m on the phone with you now, after all that’s been said, and the fundamental distinction between what James is dealing with in these other cases is not actually brought to the fore. The fundamental difference is that James Franco didn’t seek to use his position to have sex with anyone. There’s not a case of that. He wasn’t using his position or status to try to solicit a sexual favor from anyone. If he had — if that were what the accusation involved — the show would not have gone on. We would have folded up shop and we would have not completed the show. Because then it would have been the same as Harvey Weinstein, or Les Moonves, or any of these cases that are fundamental to this new paradigm. Did you not notice that? Why did you not notice that? Is that not something notable to say, journalistically? Because nobody could find the voice to say it. I’m not just being rhetorical. Why is it that you and the other critics, none of you could find the voice to say, “You know, it’s not this, it’s that”? Because — let me go on and speak further to this. If you go back to the L.A. Times piece, that’s what it lacked. That’s what they were not able to deliver. The one example in the five that involved an issue of a sexual act was between James and a woman he was dating, who he was not working with. There was no professional dynamic in any capacity.
~ David Simon
Add:
The Trials of Darryl Hunt.
What about WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR ? I thought that along with United 93 and The Departed, I thought that it was a top three movie of the year. FYI…It is now out on DVD, now you don’t have any excuse not to see it.
I hope that they don’t just “give’ it to Al Gore. Though a good message, I thought that An Inconvenient Truth was quite a lazy doc. How difficult was it to film an Al Gore Speech. But I would like to see him run in 2008.
Bennett
Is there any doubt that “An Inconvenient Truth” is going to win? “A vote for this is a vote against global warming!”
I’d say it’s a 2-way race at this point (Inconvenient Truth vs. Deliver Us from Evil).
Seems like this was a slow year for hot docs. Would Wordplay and/or 49 Up be eligible?
I wouldn’t count out JESUS CAMP. Not at all.
The first crickets’ award item I got this year, weeks ago, was an email with the MP3 of the end credit song to An Inconvenient Truth by Melissa Etheridge.
Why was WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR nominated? It was one of my favorite films of the year. Even though I agree with the message, I thought that An Inconvenient Truth was a lazy doc. It was basically just a staging of his speech. But I do hope that Al runs in 2008.
The only reason Jesus Camp can’t really be counted out is because of Ted Haggard’s recent problems. But it still seems like JC and Deliver Us from Evil would split the anti-religion vote and allow Inconvenient Truth to sweep in.
My favorite doc this year, though, was Dave Chapelle’s Block Party.
interesting point
would Block Party be considered eligible for this category? i realize it’s a doc, but i’m not sure if there are any minor technicalities that would disqualify it…
meanwhile, i’m just waiting for the next Errol Morris film.
Somebody should try to make the case for “Borat.” After all, its box office got compared to “Fahrenheit 9/11” as a “non-fiction” film.
Blecch.
I really liked The Ground Truth and LOVED The War Tapes, so I hope that one of the other get in. The War Tapes is a stronger film in my mind because it follows a journey of these soldiers from before going to Iraq until after while The Ground Truth is very much a lot of soldiers revealing the nightmarish things that happened in Iraq. I would guess Ground Truth has the better chance, though… haven’t seen the Ralph Nader film (An Unreasonable Man) but it’s funny that the title is so much like “An Inconvenient Truth”
Deliver Us From Evil and Jesus Camp are both in my top five for the year at this point. But I agree with jeffmcm – is there room for two films about the dangers of blind religious faith?
I’d love to see Shut Up and Sing up for a nod.
An Inconvenient Truth has this locked up. None of these other documentaries came close to its box office, its scope, its reach and the affect it’s had on the issue of a topic that impacts the world. While there are a lot of good docs this year, none of them touch An Inconvenient Truth for the undeniable power of its message. And the song by Melissa Etheridge ROCKS.
Considering it’s Melissa Etheridge, I actually thought “I Need to Wake Up” was boring as bat shit. I mean, her last album had some of her best stuff on it (listen to “This Moment” and “Breathe” as testimony to that) but the Inconvenient Truth song was just nothing special.
49 up! yes! Have any of the Up documentaries ever been nominated? Although, it was shown on television in the UK. Isn’t there a rule against nominating a film that has appeared on television prior to NA theatrical release?
Like ITS HARD OUT THERE FOR A PIMP – The Inconvenient Truth song forces you to think of the film – thus, I feel pretty confident it will get nominated.
Another problem with 49 UP: how much of the film is new footage and how much recycled from the previous entries? Isn’t there some sort of limit on much old footage can be used apart from clips in biopics and the like?
49 UP is out because it premiered on UK television in 2005 and the Academy’s rules don’t allow Best Documentary contenders that aired on television prior to their theatrical release or NY/LA qualifying run.
Addendum: [url=http://www.ampas.org/79academyawards/rules/rule12.html]here’s[/url] those rules. Section V is the relevant part.
What about “This Film Is Not Yet Rated”?
If A LION IN THE HOUSE was eligible (and I’m thinking it probably wasn’t because it aired on PBS) and it didn’t get nominated, it’s a travesty. Best film I’ve seen this year.
Uh, has “An Inconvenient Truth” really changed any minds? Do you think anybody that thinks global warming isn’t real went to see it?
^^^I assume those people don’t see movies at all, they’re so busy home-schooling their kids and preparing for the End Times.
“…is there room for two films about the dangers of blind religious faith?”
Don’t you mean blind ‘Christian’ religious faith?
If it was just religious faith, we would see French director Pierre Rehov’s brilliant, Suicide Killers, about fundamentalist Islamic suicide bombers, up for a nomination in this category.
But we won’t. So let’s just all be honest about what we’re talking about.
Then again, ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ could also be deemed to be about blind religious faith of a sort now couldn’t it.
“Then again, ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ could also be deemed to be about blind religious faith of a sort now couldn’t it.”
No it couldn’t.
He He.
Remember back in the 1970’s when ‘science’ knew for sure that global cooling would destroy us by the year 2000; and that eating two much peanut butter could give you cancer. Yeah, ‘science’ had those two licked.
Then remember the ‘scientific study’ that came out a year ago, that had ‘science’ proving that children, in a perfect world, would be better raised by two gay men, then a man and a woman.
Or perhaps when Bob Hunter, founder of GreenPeace, said ‘science’ proved we needed to colonize Mars by 2020 because earth would be uninhabitable.
Yes, science is important and we should always be mindful of the environment. We should also be mindful of extremists who influence it on both sides. Whether it is Christians who blindly follow thier faith, or environmentalist extremists who influence science but really are no better than their religious extremist counter parts.
Al Gore is certainly, unequivocally, in this category. Fear mongering is just that, whether from the doomsday Christians or the Al Gore enviro types.
Believe either at your own risk.
“…that eating too much peanut butter…”
I think the best doc of the year was WHEN THE LEVEES BROKE but I don’t think it hit any theaters. plus, Spike Lee made it so that’s like 2 strikes in one swing.
THE TRIALS OF DARYYL HUNT is not a good doc. It’s frigging BORING and redundant. what happened to Hunt is totally screwed, but that doc just gets so repetitive and uninteresting after the one hour mark.
Nicol…where have you been! Mouring the right-wing ass whupping (err…sorry, not the dems win…the repub “loss”)Did you give up posting for lent or something? Wish I could say you were missed.
Nicol, are you saying we should not be afraid of global warming?
I think there’s a definite difference between some scientists saying outrageous things and the majority of the scientific community having a consensus about an issue. Doesn’t make one necessarily better than the other but it’s not nearly the same situation.
Screw silliness like “logis” and “evidence,” it’s all a ploy to keep us scared!! AHHHHhhh! Henny-penny, the sky is falling!
dammit! Snarkiness doesn’t work when you spell things wrong!
Nicol, it’s easy to make ‘science’ look stupid when you point out crazy fringe examples. I’m surprised you didn’t bring up Velikovsky or the Piltdown Man.
As usual, I wish you were interested in having a discussion on these topics instead of just tossing out rhetorical bombs.
Good work on not shortlisting the best documentary of the year, THE DEVIL AND DANIEL JOHNSTON… Oh well.
SISTERS IN LAW is great, though, kind of an African Judge Judy!
With all the talk in Borat about killing Jews, couldn’t Borat be sold as a holocaust documentary of some sort? It would at least be nominated then.
And if Melvin Gibson is chosen beforehand to hand out the Oscar for best documentary, I’d put all my money on Borat.
Regarding the release of Iwo Jima in December…I don’t like it. I don’t think it’ll make any difference in the awards season, but it will mean one more movie competing for theaters and my attention at the most cram-packed time of the year. Personally, I would rather have seen it in that March lull period.
Sorry…posted the above on the wrong UPDATED thread.
Goulet, I believe The Devil and Daniel Johnson was shortlisted for last years’ awards and didn’t make the cut.