Voices By Other Voicesvoices@moviecitynews.com
The Oscar Tradition: Celebrating Mediocrity?
How good are Oscar-winning movies, artistically? More specifically, applying the dimensions of timeliness/timelessness to Oscar’s history, two issues are pertinent. First, how many of the Oscar winners were artistically decent when they were made and honored? And second, how many of the celebrated pictures have withstood the test of time, the ultimate criterion in any…
Read the full article »Oscar 2004: Flashback to Oscar’s Memorable Speeches
Suppose You won the Oscar! What would You say? How would you grab your 45 seconds–unless you are Warren Beatty or Julia Roberts and get to talk much longer–in the spotlight? The Oscar speeches are often the show’s most memorable–and most hilarious–moments, perhaps because they still maintain some aura of suspense and spontaneity, if not sensibility. Over…
Read the full article »Oscar 2004: The Critics vs. Clint
Or How Hollywood Taught Us to Stop Worrying and Love the Critics I don’t think Clint Eastwood has bloomed. I think the press has been Hornswoggled. “Unforgiven” was another Western in which you were pacifist until it’s necessary for you to start shooting. I always see Eastwood following the script slavishly; I never see him…
Read the full article »Sundance 2005: The Mainstreaming of Indies
Let’s assume that the only source of information about American indies is Sundance’s premier section, the Dramatic Competition – excluding world premieres, American Spectrum, Frontier and other series that exhibit new films. What kind of conclusions can be draw about prevalent trends in paradigms, themes, and styles? What’s the state of the art of American…
Read the full article »Oscar 2004: Is the Best Picture Race Over?
The Oscar nominations ballots have just been sent out, and the Guilds have not announced their nominees, and yet I feel as if the Oscar race is over. If my reading is correct, this year’s contest is going to be a most predictable one, like last year, which saw a clean sweep of The Lord…
Read the full article »Oscar 2004: Hilary Vs. Annette: Round Two
History tends to repeat itself. For example, as film historians we compare the Cold War mentality and movies of the 1950s to the 1980s, when Reagan brought back a wave of right-wing chauvinistic movies with that 1950s mentality. But who could have predicted that the fierce battle between Annette Bening and Hilary Swank for the 1999…
Read the full article »Oscar 2004: Scorsese’s Year?
Yes, No, Maybe With The Aviator, his extremely entertaining bio-picture about the young Howard Hughes, Martin Scorsese emerges as a frontrunner in this year’s Oscar race. Aviator raises a number of interesting questions regarding Scorsese’s Oscar prospects. Will Scorsese win the Oscar at his fifth nomination? And how high will Aviator fly with the Academy voters? Five nominations…
Read the full article »Oscar 2004: Supporting Actress–Anything Goes
To be (a lead) or not to be? Shakespeare will forgive me, but this endlessly disturbing question has plagued the Oscar race since 1936, when the Academy first established the Supporting Acting Oscars in an effort to distinguish between lead and secondary roles. This season, there are at least three controversies: Is Natalie Portman, who gives…
Read the full article »Oscar 2004: Women as Second Bananas?
It’s hard to recall a year in which women have featured so marginally in the Oscar race. It may be a random anomaly, but this season, most of the high-profile Oscar pictures are male-dominated, centering on strong lead roles with women mostly in secondary parts. Just two years ago, Chicago broke records not only for being…
Read the full article »A BRIEF FLASH OF TUSH
Finally we have Hope…and Crosby. Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson are the perfect match.Starsky & Hutch is a laugh riot. Since the first time they teamed up, that I can recall, in Meet The Parents the two have a great chemistry. Stiller the guy who is just trying to get things right and Wilson as the outgoing…
Read the full article »The MCN 100: The Oscars
What One Oscar Nominee Would You Most Like to See Win? Bill Murray for Best Actor (4) Keisha Castle Hughes for Best Actress (3) Peter Jackson for Director (3) American Splendor for Screenplay (3) Lost in Translation for Best Picture (3) Les Triplettes de Belleville for Animated Film (3) Charlize Theron for Best Actress(3) What…
Read the full article »Bill Tush: January 13, 2004
It was a movie about a Broadway play. It became a real Broadway play. And now it is going to be a movie again. Of course, I’m talking about Mel Brook‘s The Producers. Daily Variety reports that the two stars, Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane have signed to re-create the roles they re-created for Broadway for the movies. As…
Read the full article »Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
So it is finally here, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King the final installment. This is no review. All the reviews were great. It truly brings a brilliant spectacular ending to the biggest project and gamble in film history. Return of the King will kill at the box office and I’m sure make a fortune….
Read the full article »Bill Tush: December 12, 2003
It seems in the past few weeks I have been blasted with swashbuckling. Limb-lobbing battles in Master and Commander, gruesome, graphic carnage in the Civil War epic Cold Mountain and mythical, computer generated killing in The Return of the King the final installment of Lord of the Rings. Man if there was ever a time for Jack it was…
Read the full article »The MCN 100: The First Incarnation Part 5
Best Screenplay Votes Screenplay Writer(s) 17 Lost In Translation Sofia Coppola 15 Mystic River Brian Helgeland, from Dennis Lehane’s Book 13 American Splendor Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini 10 In America Jim, Naomi and Kirsten Sheridan 6 21 Grams Guillermo Arriaga 5 Finding Nemo Andrew Stanton & Bob Petersen & David Reynolds 5 The…
Read the full article »The MCN 100: The First Incarnation Part 4
Best Picture Votes Film 16 Mystic River 15 Lost In Translation 14 American Splendor 10 Finding Nemo 9 Master & Commander 9 21 Grams 6 In America 4 Big Fish 4 Seabiscuit 3 City of God 3 Elephant 3 Kill Bill 3 LOTR: Return Of The King 3 Whale Rider 2 Bus 174 2 Dirty…
Read the full article »The MCN 100: The First Incarnation Part 3
Actor Votes Actor 29 Bill Murray 29 Sean Penn Mystic River (18), 21 Grams (1), Both (7), Unspecified (3) 12 Paul Giamatti 10 Ben Kingsley 8 Jack Black 8 Russell Crowe 7 Johnny Depp 2 Javier Bardem 2 Bruce Campbell 2 Nicolas Cage 2 Tom Cruise 2 Tommy Lee Jones 2 Bill Nighy 2 Nick…
Read the full article »The MCN 100: The First Incarnation Part 2
Best Documentary Votes Film 32 Capturing The Friedmans 11 The Fog Of War 7 Spellbound 6 Winged Migration 6 My Architect 6 Bus 174 4 Stevie 4 My Flesh & Blood 4 To Be And To Have 4 American Splendor 3 Lost In La Mancha 3 Tupac: Ressurection 3 PASS 3 Rivers & Tides 3…
Read the full article »The MCN 100: The First Incarnation
Welcome To The First Incarnation Of The MCN 100. THE MCN 100 is a voting group of 100 film journalists from across the globe – representing print, television, radio and the internet. Members have been drawn from some of the best known and most obscure publications in the world in hopes of finding a balance that…
Read the full article »The MCN 100: Best of 2003
In an awards season fraught with new issues, Movie City News introduces the “MCN 100,” a voting group of 100 film journalists from across the globe, representing print, television, radio and the internet. Members have been drawn from some of the best known and the most obscure publications in the world in hopes of finding…
Read the full article »