The Post-Festival Landscape

Post by **rolotomasi99** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 2:55 pm

part 1
http://www.avclub.com/content/feature/oscar_o_meter_the_a_v_clubs

part 2
http://www.avclub.com/content/feature/oscar_o_meter_the_a_v_clubs_0

i found the avclub's wrap up on the upcoming oscar "worthy" films funny and informative. interesting to hear MIRACLE AT ST. ANNA has been deemed a failure by some. no matter how bad the reviews, i bet spike lee will blame his lack of oscar nominations on clint eastwood.

Edited By rolotomasi99 on 1222271284

danfrank · Post by **danfrank** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 5:28 pm

Thanks Mr. Tee for keeping us abreast of the festival buzz and for your insights. Your posts help me anticipate the films to look forward to.

As for Penelope Cruz, I thought she was a knockout in VCB. The film itself is slight and a bit rough around the edges, though entertaining enough. About 95% of the entertainment value comes from Penelope. When she comes on screen she has a star quality that you rarely see these days. It's a big performance but very natural and fluid (unlike the film itself). And she just looks gorgeous on film! I like that she makes you laugh and cringe at the same time. In fact, I love the many dualities of her character: dangerous/approachable, sensitive/thickheaded, funny/tragic, sexy/revolting, smart/idiotic. This duality was nicely mirrored by the dual/dueling languages used by Cruz and Bardem. After Volver and now this, I'm becoming a big fan.

barrybrooks8 · Post by **barrybrooks8** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 11:38 am

I'm glad you understood it, newfound BFF.

Post by **rolotomasi99** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 10:54 am

barrybrooks8 wrote:It just seems that sometimes in life, and here, I can't win. I can't have an opinion, nor can I defend myself. It's not your fault rolo, it's me.

i was totally going to be offended by that comment...but then i saw the smiley face and realized we should be best of friends.

barrybrooks8 · Post by **barrybrooks8** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 5:49 pm

It just seems that sometimes in life, and here, I can't win. I can't have an opinion, nor can I defend myself. It's not your fault rolo, it's me.

Post by **rolotomasi99** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 11:34 am

barrybrooks8 wrote:I don't think telling me I have bad taste in movies is necessary, when I said that "Scoop wasn't THAT bad," meaning it wasn't the disaster that every critic said it was. Just when a film's reviews are all across the board good and then you finally see it it's disappointing, it can happen the other way around, as it did, with me, with Scoop.

i was told by people on this board if i wanted to jokingly say something i had to use a smiley face so people would not take it seriously. i put the required smiley face and then told a humiliating story about how my friends got angry at me for dragging them to SCOOP...yet you still felt i was actually insulting you with the bad taste remark.

it was not like i said something truly demeaning and then just randomly included a smiley face to cover my ass. how the heck did you read my post and take it as anything but gentle ribbing? you yourself admit your opinion is contrary to what many, many others felt about SCOOP, yet you thought i was taking the time to denigrate you for your taste in films.

we are a big family here, and while we may get into arguments we still support each other and are united by our love of the oscars and movies in general. you are going to have to learn quickly to recognize when someone is teasing and when someone is attacking.

then again, maybe your reply was a joke, but since there was no smiley i can only read your comments in a serious tone.

Post by **Damien** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 1:54 am

barrybrooks8 wrote:I don't think telling me I have bad taste in movies is necessary, when I said that "Scoop wasn't THAT bad," meaning it wasn't the disaster that every critic said it was. Just when a film's reviews are all across the board good and then you finally see it it's disappointing, it can happen the other way around, as it did, with me, with Scoop.

I like Scoop. I think it was Woody Allen's best film in years, maybe since Crimes and Misdemeanors.

It’s actually very, very funny, abut also has a seriousness and moral depth to it, and all these elements blend in nicely. And how nice to see him not getting the young girl, but playing a father figure. There’s a slight sloppiness to the narrative and Ian McShane's character is an arbitrary device – but the characterizations and interactions and themes are woven together terrifically, and it's beautifully shot by Remi Adefarasin. I find Scoop to be a genuine – albeit admittedly small – pleasure.

barrybrooks8 · Post by **barrybrooks8** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 11:20 pm

I don't think telling me I have bad taste in movies is necessary, when I said that "Scoop wasn't THAT bad," meaning it wasn't the disaster that every critic said it was. Just when a film's reviews are all across the board good and then you finally see it it's disappointing, it can happen the other way around, as it did, with me, with Scoop.

Sabin · Post by **Sabin** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 8:32 pm

I think Cruz's buzz will fade but I wouldn't be surprised if she picked up a critic's award or held on. I find 'Vicky Christina Barcelona' to be incredibly slight, warmed over, and undeserving of any kind of praise and I think ultimately the impression she makes is strong but kind of generic. Comparisons to Amy Ryan are totally groundless.

Post by **The Original BJ** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 5:35 pm

I saw Vicky Cristina Barcelona I think the first weekend it opened in LA (at least the first week.) All I have to say is that I am a little surprised Penélope Cruz has gotten such strong buzz for this performance. Like Mister Tee (and others), I've heard her mentioned everywhere, but I never thought of her as a very strong contender while watching the film. Certainly her second-act introduction into the picture is a welcome one, and she brings the film some refreshing energy, but to me her role is pretty much a standard crazy harpee.

I sort of hope there are a lot more praised performances in the fall, because this is definitely not Volver-level work. (Though, certainly more minor films have reaped Supporting Actress nods...Pieces of April, anyone?)

Post by **FilmFan720** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 4:19 pm

Sorry, I must have mis-remembered.

Post by **rolotomasi99** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 4:15 pm

oh my god, boys! would you just whip them out and decide whose is bigger already! :p

Post by **OscarGuy** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 3:59 pm

Amy Ryan was in my nominations list in early October, so I'm positive none of my arguments were against her getting a nomination. No Country was the only film I steadfastly refused to believe would get a nomination. Of my final nomination predictions, Amy Ryan was the SECOND supporting actress on my list to get a spot there (after I cemented a nod for Cate Blanchett in August). I had Ryan predicted as a nominee before I did Ronan, Keener or Swinton.

Post by **FilmFan720** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 3:48 pm

OscarGuy wrote:
FilmFan720 wrote:
OscarGuy wrote:Well, you know what my response to that is: Amy Ryan.

Yeah, cause she for sure didn't get nominated last year.

You know what I meant (don't be disrespectful). I called long before she lost that she wouldn't win and countless people on this board and especially on other Oscar sites, kept saying she would win. It was proof that just because others say it's so doesn't make it so.

Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you, but from what I remember the bulk of the Amy Ryan debate was back before the nominations. You kept saying she wouldn't be nominated, when she seemed like a sure thing for a nomination.

We have all been on the wrong side of predicting at one time or another. We all have our great moments of prediction, and we have all had our time being last to jump on the bandwagon. I for one did not believe Brokeback was going to get a nomination until mid-December, when everyone else was declaring it the front-runner in the fall.

I don't think anyone here was saying that Cruz will or won't be nominated, only that she was garnering a lot of buzz. When I hear on CNN that she is the front-runner, I figure that must be a wide-spread feeling.

Post by **rolotomasi99** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 2:15 pm

barrybrooks8 wrote:Scarlet Johannsen has disappointed me greatly with some of her choices. She was refreshing in Ghost World...and even Scoop, which I didn't think was THAT bad.

well, then clearly you do not have good taste when it comes to movies. :laugh:

i was out with my friends, and they all wanted to go see PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 2 for the second or third time. however, i convinced them to take a chance on SCOOP. i was apologizing to all of them for my choice by the time the credits rolled.

i fell in love with johannsen with the one-two punch of GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING and LOST IN TRANSLATION. she could do drama, she could do comedy, she was beautiful! i thought she was going to be the next big thing. nothing she has done since then has lived up to my expectations, and SCOOP effectively killed any love i had for her.

i am siding with oscarguy on this cruz debate. some people may be predicting her for supporting, but her role and even the lightweight nature of the film does not strike me as oscar bait. there would have to be a void of supporting actress contenders for her to even register as a possibility. i certainly hope there are five better performances in the supporting actress category by the end of this year.

Edited By rolotomasi99 on 1221679062

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The Post-Festival Landscape