Tarantino's Latest

Quentin Tarantino has always been a puzzling film maker (if we were to be kind). He blasted onto the Oscar scene with his multi-nominated film "Pulp Fiction" and has since done little but indulge himself with pet projects and satire. He spends years apart between films, and when they are released they are usually a tough sell. His previous effort was the "Grindhouse" disaster that he collaborated on with fellow director Robert Rodrgieuz. When I heard he was making a WWII film I knew it was going to be unlike any WWII film we'd seen before. Well, now that we've got the trailer to that film...

...I'd have to say I was right. Right now I'm not sure whether this movie is supposed to be taken seriously or not. The preview both suggests a drama and comedy. The title though, curiously named "Inglorious Basterds," suggests a farce. After making "Burn After Reading" though I'm not sure if Brad Pitt would commit to a similar film so shortly afterwards. Who knows if this will be Oscar material, but one thing you can always count on with Tarentino is that you won't be bored with the final results.

WGA Nominations

And the Writers Guild of America have nominated their screenplays. Again, this is a big deal because the WGA are made of members of the Academy, and so the results come Oscar time could look similar to this list. For now though, the nominations are:

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Burn After Reading - Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, Focus Features
Milk - Written by Dustin Lance Black, Focus Features
Vicky Cristina Barcelona - Written by Woody Allen, The Weinstein Company
The Visitor - Written by Tom McCarthy, Overture Films
The Wrestler - Written by Robert Siegel, Fox Searchlight Pictures

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Screenplay by Eric Roth; Screen Story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord; Based on the Short Story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures

The Dark Knight - Screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan; Story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer; Based on Characters Appearing in Comic Books Published by DC Comics; Batman Created by Bob Kane, Warner Bros. Pictures

Doubt - Screenplay by John Patrick Shanley, Based on his Stage Play, Miramax Films

Frost/Nixon - Screenplay by Peter Morgan, Based on his Stage Play, Universal Pictures

Slumdog Millionaire - Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy, Based on the Novel Q and A by Vikas Swarup, Fox Searchlight Pictures


A pretty good list I must say (though the absence of "Rachael Getting Married" hurts, and the snub of "Wall-E's" great screenplay is just wrong). It looks like the adapted category is more competitive then the original category, but hey, that's how it goes sometimes. Oh, and "The Dark Knight" scores another one, and takes one more step towards Oscar glory.

"Do you wanna know how I got these scars?"

The Good, The Bad, & The Confusing (SAG 2008)

The Good

Richard Jenkins and Robert Downey Jr. scored Best Actor and Supporting Actor nods for their great work in "The Visitor" and "Tropic Thunder." "The Dark Knight" gets more then one nomination. Penelope Cruz is riding her way to a locked Oscar win.

The Bad

"The Dark Knight" is snubbed in the Best Ensemble Cast category (though it did get nominated in the Stunt Ensemble category). Rosemary Dewitt gets snubbed for "Rachael Getting Married." "Doubt" leads the nominations (though the acting is great, the movie is not, so hopefully the Academy will take that into consideration when looking at these noms). Sally Hawkins is robbed of a nomination. What? Don't the members of SAG like to laugh?

The Confusing

Basically, I don't get the whole "Slumdog Millionaire" nominations. For starters, that Best Ensemble nomination is very stupid. There are many films beyond "The Dark Knight" that have better ensembles that that movie ("Burn After Reading," "Tropic Thunder," even the virtually unseen "Mrs. Petigrew Lives For A Day"). Then, to add more confusion to the situation, Dev Patel was nominated in the Best Supporting Category, even though he's pretty much the main character. Look, I know people in Hollywood love this film, but even if they want this film to be godfather to their children they shouldn't be nominating it for things just to nominate it. Frankly, I think 'Slumdog,' good as it was, had no place being nominated here (though I wouldn't rule it out for Oscars).

Golden Globe Nominees

So here are the nominees for the Golden Globes:

Best Picture, Drama
Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
Revolutionary Road
Slumdog Millionaire

Best Picture Comedy/Musical
Burn After Reading
Happy Go Lucky
In Bruges
Mamma Mia
Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Director
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
Stephen Daldry, The Reader
David Fincher, Ben Button
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
Sam Mendes, Revolutionary Road

Actor, Drama
Leo DiCaprio, Revolutionary Road
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn, Milk
Brad Pitt, Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

Actress, Drama
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Joie, Changeling
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Kristin Scott Thomas, I’ve Loved you So Long
Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road

Supporting Actor
Tom Cruise, Tropic Thunder
Robert Downey Jr. Tropic Tunder
Ralph Fiennes, The Duchess
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, Doubt
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis, Doubt
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
Kate Winslet, The Reader

Actor, Comedy
Javier Bardem, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Colin Farrel, In Bruges
James Franco, Pineapple Express
Brendan Gleason, In Bruges
Dustin Hoffman Last Chance Harvey

Actress, Comedy
Rebecca Hall, Vicky Cristina
Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky
Frances McDormand, Burn After Reading
Meryl Streep, Mamma Mia
Emma Thompson, Last Chance Harvey

Foreign Language Film
The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany)
Everlasting Moments (Sweden)
Gomorrah (Italy)
I’ve Loved You So Long
Waltz with Bashir

Animated Feature
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
Wall-E

Screenplay
Slumdog Millionaire
The Reader
Frost/Nixon
Benjamin Button
Doubt

Score
Benjamin Button
Changeling
Defiance
Slumdog Millionaire
Frost/Nixon

Song
Down to Earth, Wall-E
Gran Torino
I thought I Lost You, Bolt
Once in a Lifetime, Cadillac Record
The Wrestler, The Wrestler

Interesting set of nominees I'd say. Looks like Benjiman Button and "Doubt" lead the nominees with five nominations each (though "Doubt" does so without a nomination for either Picture or Director). I know we're all surprised to see "The Dark Knight" and "Milk" get mostly shut out, but don't count these films out of the Oscar race. Keep in mind the last time the Globes and Oscars actually awarded the same film Best Picture was in 2003, when "The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" walked home with the top prizes. And 2004's Best Picture winner, "Crash," wasn't even nominated at the Globes. Plus they have two picture categories, so sometimes the vote gets split on those movies that fall somewhere in the middle. So in short, don't count Nolan and Van Sant out yet, with the critics and public choice awards going mostly in their favor, I think one of them will have the last laugh come Oscar night.

It IS nice to see both Tom Cruise and Robert Downey Jr. get Best Supporting Actor nods for their work in "Tropic Thunder," and so my prediction that Tom Cruise may get a nomination in this category is looking more likely. Ultimately though the big push is going to come when the Director's Guild and Critics Choice give out their awards. They're the big ones, and they usually award the films that get nominated. So enjoy the Globes, and don't feel too bad about your favorite film not getting a nomination. It ain't over til it's over.

'Slumdog' Wins NBR

The National Board of Review has given out it's awards to what the voters felt were the best films of the year. Below is the full list of the awards given by the NBR:

• Best Film: SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
• Best Director: DAVID FINCHER, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Best Actor: CLINT EASTWOOD, Gran Torino
• Best Actress: ANNE HATHAWAY, Rachel Getting Married
• Best Supporting Actor: JOSH BROLIN, Milk
• Best Supporting Actress: PENELOPE CRUZ, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
• Best Foreign Language Film: MONGOL
• Best Documentary: MAN ON WIRE
• Best Animated Feature: WALL-E
• Best Ensemble Cast: DOUBT

• Breakthrough Performance by an Actor: DEV PATEL, Slumdog Millionaire
• Breakthrough Performance by an Actress: VIOLA DAVIS, Doubt
• Best Directorial Debut: COURTNEY HUNT, Frozen River
• Best Original Screenplay: NICK SCHENK, Gran Torino
• Best Adapted Screenplay: SIMON BEAUFOY, Slumdog Millionaire and
ERIC ROTH, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Spotlight Award: MELISSA LEO, Frozen River and
RICHARD JENKINS, The Visitor
• The BVLGARI Award for NBR Freedom of Expression: TRUMBO

• Top Ten Films:
(In alphabetical order)
BURN AFTER READING
CHANGELING
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
DEFIANCE
FROST/NIXON
GRAN TORINO
MILK
WALL-E
THE WRESTLER

• Top Five Foreign Language Films:
(In alphabetical order)
EDGE OF HEAVEN
LET THE RIGHT ONE IN
ROMAN DE GUERRE
A SECRET
WALTZ WITH BASHIR

• Top Five Documentary Films
(In alphabetical order)
AMERICAN TEEN
THE BETRAYAL (NERAKHOON)
DEAR ZACHARY
ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD
ROMAN POLANSKI: WANTED AND DESIRED

• William K. Everson Film History Award: MOLLY HASKELL and ANDREW SARRIS

Now obviously the big deal for these results is that the independant film "Slumdog Millionaire" won the top prize, which should bode well for Fox Searchlight who released Oscar nominees "Little Miss Sunshine" and "Juno," and likely has similar Oscar hope with this film. Though I congradulate Fox on this win, this does not mean an Oscar win in the future (or even a nomination). The problem with this film is while it is critically acclaimed, unlike Sunshine and Juno, the audiences are ignoring this film completely at the box office, and so the word-of-mouth that drove the aforementioned films just isn't there. What is nice to know is that both "The Dark Knight" and "Wall•E" were among the top ten films of the year, which bodes well for their Oscar chances.

The Coen Brothers latest comedy "Burn After Reading" was also in this list, so we may see a screenplay nomination at the Oscars come yet. Of course "Wall•E" won the Best Animated Feature award, and Penelope Cruz won Best Supporting Actress for "Vicky Cristina Barcelon," proving what I suspected all along: That this performance would have legs and likely be remembered come awards season. Clint Eastwood won Best Actor for "Gran Torino," so this movie could be the big surprise at the Oscars. If there is an upset (and this can be considered so) is that Josh Brolin won Best Supporting Actor for "Milk." Which is all fine and good, seeing as how there are three potential Best Supporting Actor nominations coming from that movie. The thing that surprised people was that Heath Ledger was actually beat in this category.

It appears that while Heath may be considered a lock at the Oscars, he might not be a lock anywhere else. See folks, while I think we all agree he should win an Oscar for his role, there is a slight chance he'll lose. Now I post this list because it's interesting, but don't use these awards as a guide for how you should place your bets come Oscar night. The NBR and Academy rarely votes the same way, and the winners rarely match between the two. "No Country For Old Men" did but that was a rare exception. For now I'd like to congradulate "Slumdog Millionaire" for it's big win, and hoping it can go the distance come Oscar time.

McDormand Is In (As Far As I'm Concerned)

To those of you who've been wondering when it would be safe to go to the theater again I am glad to report that "Burn After Reading," the Coen brothers follow-up to their Best Picture winner "No Country For Old Men," is a fun movie. It's not great, and I wouldn't count on there being too many Oscar nominations for it, but it's one of the better movies in theaters right now (and it's certainly better then "The Women"). In fact, there is only one potential Oscar nomination I see on the horizon: Best Supporting Actress for Frances McDormand. The wife of one of the directors themselves, McDormand won an Oscar for Best Actress in the classic film "Fargo." Since then she's been greatly underappriciated, turning in great performances under her "plain" looking face. In this movie she shows a comic timing and ability that makes you wish women were allowed to be funny more often. We'll see how the race pans out, but for now she's in.