The Death of the Movie Theatre

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/75-abandoned-theaters-from-around-the-usa

Oscar Predictions 2011

It's less than 12 hours to the Oscars, and this is the late-est I have been with my predictions. So, without much further ado here's my list. I am not adding much by the way of comments as I am going to publish another post in a few days about what I feel was the best in each category. But I need to see a few more movies to do that.

This, on the other hand, is my predictions of who will win, based on my experience as an Oscar-watcher over the years, and also my extremely questionable inside knowledge of the industry!

And the Oscar goes to...

Best Motion Picture of the Year
The Social Network

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Colin Firth for The King's Speech

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Natalie Portman for Black Swan

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Christian Bale for The Fighter

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Melissa Leo for The Fighter

Best Achievement in Directing
David Fincher for The Social Network

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
The King's Speech: David Seidler

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
The Social Network: Aaron Sorkin

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
Toy Story 3: Lee Unkrich

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
Hævnen: Susanne Bier (Denmark)

Best Achievement in Cinematography
True Grit: Roger Deakins

Best Achievement in Editing
127 Hours: Jon Harris

Best Achievement in Art Direction
Inception: Guy Hendrix Dyas, Larry Dias, Douglas A. Mowat

Best Achievement in Costume Design
Alice in Wonderland: Colleen Atwood

Best Achievement in Makeup
The Wolfman: Rick Baker, Dave Elsey

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
The Social Network: Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song
Tangled: Alan Menken, Glenn Slater("I See the Light")

Best Achievement in Sound Mixing
Inception: Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo, Ed Novick

Best Achievement in Sound Editing
Inception: Richard King

Best Achievement in Visual Effects
Inception: Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley, Pete Bebb, Paul J. Franklin

Best Documentary, Features
Exit Through the Gift Shop: Banksy, Jaimie D'Cruz

Best Documentary, Short Subjects
Poster Girl: Sara Nesson, Mitchell Block

Best Short Film, Animated
Day & Night: Teddy Newton

Best Short Film, Live Action
Wish 143: Ian Barnes, Samantha Waite

Golden Globes 2011 - My Pics

The silly season has already begun. Tom, Dick and Harry and their mistresses have started handing out accolades in the hope of getting a few inches of spotlight. David Fincher and Co have started graciously accepting them as part of a well-oiled (but not perfected) lobbying procedure. Destination: Oscar.

The Golden Globes have the second-biggest coverage. Not because of any artistic merit, but as a result of a carefully thought-out nomination procedure that ensures star wattage. And the Golden Globes are where we begin the prediction game. A few of us take part in an two-part annual exercise wherein we predict the winners at the Golden Balls and Golden Nude awards. We battle it out for doughnuts. Or virtual doughnuts, if you may; as the losers don't always pay up!

I go on a limb and offer my first predictions.

Best Motion Picture - Drama

The Social Network

Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

Alice in Wonderland

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama

Colin Firth for The King's Speech

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama

Natalie Portman for Black Swan

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

Johnny Depp for Alice in Wonderland

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

Annette Bening for The Kids Are All Right

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Christian Bale for The Fighter

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Jacki Weaver for Animal Kingdom

Best Director - Motion Picture

David Fincher for The Social Network

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture

Aaron Sorkin for The Social Network

Best Original Song - Motion Picture

Burlesque : Diane Warren ("You Haven't Seen The Last of Me")

Best Original Score - Motion Picture

The Social Network: Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross

Best Animated Film

Toy Story 3

Best Foreign Language Film

Biutiful: (Mexico/Spain)

Best Television Series - Drama

The Walking Dead

Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy

Glee

Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Temple Grandin

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television

Idris Elba for "Luther"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
Claire Danes for Temple Grandin

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy

Matthew Morrison for "Glee"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy

Edie Falco for "Nurse Jackie"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama

Steve Buscemi for "Boardwalk Empire"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama

Elisabeth Moss for "Mad Men"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

David Strathairn for Temple Grandin

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Jane Lynch for "Glee"

Changing the Perception of Entertainment

Film: Inception
Cast: Leonardo Di Caprio, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Lewitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy
Director: Christopher Nolan

Words are the cornerstones of human communication. Words define feelings, release emotions and convey thoughts. Words can sometimes be the definition of human intelligence. The history of words can very well be the history of the civilisation that begat them. Most words in languages we speak were created aeons ago. But there are also words that are coined everyday. We will discuss one of them.

A dear friend of mine saw a movie and declared that she had been satisfactorily mind-fucked. Smart-ass that I am, there was an immediate masochist retort. But then, I hadn’t seen Inception yet.

Inception is an idea. An idea that germinated in Christopher Nolan. One so personal he didn’t want his brother and regular co-writer, Jonathan, to share it. An idea so outrageous that you just cannot believe it. But one that’s compulsively addictive.

Within two minutes of the curtain raising, the main character has already declared that he can interfere with people’s dreams. Before that even sinks in you are dragged into a maze that never seems like unravelling. Like a video game with its many levels Inception takes you to dreams within dreams and then some more. And to keep track is not exactly the simplest thing in the world.

Which takes us back to our word. Inception is a total mindfuck. It messes with our dull minds. Dulled by years of manufactured movies, confected according to a formula that may have worked one time, served cold and bland like a Chicken Ham sandwich. It forces you to invest your 148 minutes in the Bank of Nolan and delivers a payday that dwarves the national lottery. It makes you think about the movie, while watching it and even afterwards. What a crime against popular cinema!

Do not look for deep messages and subtle nuances. Inception is entertainment. Period. Sure, it transcends what has been put out as entertainment. But to give it more credit is to take away credit away from the intentions of Christopher Nolan, who is a regular man of the masses. He just believes the masses have brains. And has been proving himself right, repeatedly.

The argument about what Inception is all about will rage for a while. I believe it is an elaborate con. Inception, in the movie, refers to placing an idea deep within someone’s subconscious in a way that it seems like an original thought for that person. Nolan is doing that with us. The first poster for the movie had the line: "the dream is real". I was not taken it. But did that lessen my enjoyment of the movie? Not a bit.

Placing the idea of the movie inside us, during the movie; making us agonise over it, while trying to keep pace; drawing us into a maze, after declaring it is a maze. Imagine the conceit of the man. Imagine the confidence of the man. Imagine his bloody grin when he sees we fell for it. And yet, we are grateful to him. That is the achievement called Inception.

It’s hard to believe that Leonardo Di Caprio was once a heartthrob. His roles show he wanted to sink that with Titanic. He may not possess Johnny Depp’s gift for the quirky, but he has enough ability to acquit himself quite creditably in whatever he chooses to do. But, unlike Depp, Leo makes you watch the movie, and not the histrionics. He inhabits the tortured soul that is Dom Cobb and makes you believe that even you would have made the choices Cobb makes, however wrong they may be. It is a powerful leading performance that never once feels so.

The supporting cast is a dream. (Sorry!) Marion Cotillard, arguably the most beautiful actress working in Hollywood now, simply excels. Hers is the role that, you will come out of the theatre saying, could be done by none other. Fanboy favourite Joseph Gordon-Lewitt abandons his indie cred to immerse himself in this massive studio undertaking. He makes himself at home. Plus he looks fabulous. Tom Hardy does not run away with the movie, as many expected. His is the steady, but not showy, performance. The lovely Ellen Page pretends to be the only ordinary person among the sea of stars. She succeeds.

We have an Indian presence that is not perfunctory. Dileep Rao has a meaty role and there’s nothing vegetarian about him. Where have you been all this while, my friend? Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy and Michael Caine hold up their ends with poise and confidence.

Inception is a visual extravaganza. It assaults your senses with such calculated precision that you see the extraordinary vision of a master aided by the best in the technical fields. Wally Pfister’s cinematography conveys grandeur in every frame. Hans Zimmer’s score is epic-sounding, but not very memorable to untrained ears. It serves the purpose but goes no further. The visual effects are many and varied. Believe me, once you see Paris in this movie, you never want to see it any other way.

As an action film Inception excels. The snow-bound fortress sequence is pure Bond, while the zero-gravity fight scene betters The Matrix. But these sequences never feel like set pieces. They are fluid and serve the larger purpose of all-round entertainment.

The million-dollar question is how the film will fare against The Dark Knight. I have a definite answer. It trumps the earlier film in every way. One was an exploration of how much one could do in a genre that does not lend itself to serious filmmaking; the other is a master-class in transcending genres. Inception harks back to a time when movies were created, not assembly-lined. It takes entertainment to levels that are beyond the video game. Entertainment meant stoking the superficial senses. Inception fucks with your mind.

I dedicate this review to my friend. Here’s to the hope that we get our minds fucked again. Paraphrasing husbands everywhere, "We don’t get it often enough".

Alice, through Burton's Looking Glass

Film: Alice in Wonderland
Cast: Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway,
Director: Tim Burton

Among other things, Alice in Wonderland is often described by conspiracy theorists as the ultimate drug trip. Lewis Carroll definitely was "off" with his head somewhere else! Tim Burton is known for his distinctive visual style and his ability to tell any story as a fable. When he announced his take on Alice, with alter ego Johnny Depp in tow, many a geek the world over wet his pants in delight.

This is a slightly older Alice. On her engagement day, Alice (Wasikowska) follows a White Rabbit (Michael Sheen) and falls down a hole. She changes sizes, meets assorted weirdos and has curious adventures, all the while convinced she is dreaming. But there is a twist in the tale. Something is not quite right with Wonderland. The evil Red Queen (Bonham Carter) is the ruler, having exiled her sister, the White Queen (Hathaway). The poor subjects find their heads being offed at rather short notice.

To sort out matters and slay the terrible creature, the Jabberwocky (the great Christopher Lee in his shortest role), a champion must rise, a champion called Alice, or so the prophecy goes. While most people, including Alice, are not convinced, one man refuses to believe otherwise. He is the Mad Hatter (Depp). The saga begins.

Johnny Depp has precious little to do but add to his list of weird roles. Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham Carter are required to overact. The former falls flat, all flutter and floss The latter runs away with the movie, deadpanning to brilliant effect. Stephen Fry and Alan Rickman showcase their vocal talents as the Cheshire Cat and the Blue Caterpillar. Mia Wasikowska does have unusual looks, but her acting chops are not called to action here.

Alice is Burton at his most accessible – dazzling us with his visual imagery, while not bothering about subtexts or secondary meanings. The Burton of old may have gone AWOL, but the success of Alice may give him the freedom to return to his quirky roots.

All said and done, Alice in Wonderland should come with a warning. The heady mixture of Carroll and Burton may not awaken the grey cells, but it delights the eyes enough to make young minds reach out for those drugs!

Whatever Happened to the King of the Box Office?

Where is the Man?

Where did Big Willie disappear to? More importantly, why?

The 21st of December, 2008. Sounds a long time ago, right? That was day Seven Pounds released in the US . Almost one and a half years have passed and there is no concrete news of a Will Smith movie being shot. Which means, there won’t be a Will movie in 2010. That makes it over two calendar years without a Big Will movie. Something that hasn’t happened since our man acted in Bad Boys in 1995.

What is happening? Is the hot streak over? Has Smith joined the League of Was-Once Superstars Who Can’t Open a Movie Now? Has the magic gone? Is the Will Smith era well and truly behind us? The movielessness seems to show that.

Does it have its basis in any fact? Well, it has a basis in the general trend of the movie business. With megastar-starrers not starring well at the turnstiles, with downward-spiraling DVD sales pushing down profit margins, with studios trusting non-original content far more than anything.

Just like the studio system collapsed decades ago, the star system also collapsed recently. The signs were there for years, but with the recession the producers finally gathered courage to say it out aloud. Big names are still big names, but their box office clouts have drastically diminished. Stars no longer open a movie like they do. It’s applicable to all big movie stars. So, it should be applicable to Will Smith also.

Er, hold on to that. Three years ago, Newsweek, in a highly talked-about article (http://www.newsweek.com/id/35744), declare that Will Smith was Hollywood ’s most Powerful Actor. The word "Powerful’ was wisely used. They basically declared that only one man could guarantee an opening weekend and that was Smith. Three years have passed since that article. And three Will Smith movies came in – I am Legend, Hancock and Seven Pounds. Of this Seven Pounds was probably the only one that came after the recession (depending on when you think recession happened.). And Seven Pounds is the argument against Will.

Seven Pounds was a disappointment to Will-watchers. Note, I didn’t say Will-fans. Will-watchers. The guys following Will Smith’s career over the years. The guys who were waiting to see when the 100-million-dollar-man would fall. After eight consecutive movies that grossed over a 100 million dollars in the US domestic market, Seven Pounds bombed. And then the Kill Will daggers were out. Just like that. The fun part is, Seven Pounds didn’t bomb. Oh, no, not by a long shot. Unlike the other Will Smith blockbusters, Seven Pounds was made on a budget that was just a third of his usual movies. And it still grossed, in its worldwide run, three times its budget. What sort of a flop is that?

I haven’t seen Seven Pounds. But I have read about it, and nowhere does it even hint that it is going to be a blockbuster. It’s not even a happy scenario. But I have seen the Pursuit of Happyness and that was when I doffed my hat to the Will Smith effect. I fell asleep for a bit while watching Happyness. And I do not fall asleep watching movies on the big screen. Happyness may have been one of those rags-to-riches tales that make us feel good to be a part of the human race. But it was not a Disney movie. The pace was so slow that I am sure I was not the only one who dozed off. It was also a story about a minority (Black, not poor!). But made for the same budget as Seven Pounds, it grossed over six times that around the world. And there was only one explanation to it: Smith willed it there. Because he could. Period.

All of a sudden, Smith was the only man with the Midas Touch left in Hollywood . Comedy, Sci-fi, Animation, Romance, even Drama; he could take anything and cross the 100-million mark with ease. He did it again with the impressively special-effected (at least, until the zombies came) and with the critically-murdered Hancock. He was a man who could do know wrong in the box office. Then Seven Pounds came along. From the time it was released, the Net was rife with rumours that Will would hold back from his risk-taking movies (like the proposed Speilberg-film The Trial of Chicago 7) and fast-track Hancock 2 or Legend 2.

Unfortunately Will Smith did nothing to rectify the situation. He just chose to take a break. A long break. His IMDb page shows 28 projects in development. Including sequels to Independence Day, Men in Black, Bad Boys, Hancock, I, Robot and I am Legend. Has Will Smith fallen? "Aw, hell no!" Not on the basis of a movie that was still a decent hit. Not by a long shot. Which is why I hope to see a Will Smith movie in July 2011. One which is not a sequel. And one that is going to hit the ticket sales out of the park. Without any help from 3D/IMAX rates. Then all the naysayers will start talking about it being a fluke!

Bottom line is: There is one influential movie star still working in Hollywood and his name is not George Clooney, Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt. It was the case before the Newsweek report. It was the case for a few years after that. It still is the case, we just don’t have a proof in our hands.

“Don’t Make Yourself at Home”

Film: You, Me and Dupree
Cast: Owen Wilson, Matt Dillon, Kate Hudson
Director: Anthony and Joe Russo

We are the most hospitable nation on the planet, or so we like to think. But how long can our hospitality stretch? What if an uninvited guest comes to stay and doesn’t leave? How much can we adjust, even for our best friend?

Carl (Dillon) and Molly (Hudson) have just finished saying their wedding vows when Carl’s best friend Dupree (Wilson) gets kicked out of his job, house and car. They have to take him in and the marriage is off on the wrong note. Sure Dupree has a heart of gold, but he is also a bit too much, to say too little. "Make yourself at home" turn out to be the biggest mistake Carl ever said.

You, Me and Dupree has only a few flaws. In fact, I could find out only four: Ridiculous storyline, unimaginative screenplay, shoddy editing, non-existent direction. Owen Wilson has never been accused of being anything but over the top. He doesn’t disgrace his billing. Matt Dillon is there only for the money, and it shows. What Michael Douglas is doing in such a role is anyone’s guess. The only bright spot is the radiant Kate Hudson. Unfortunately she continues on her long list of bad career choices.

You, Me and Dupree is an acquaintance you neither want to visit nor invite unless you are desperate. Trust me, no one will find you inhospitable if you stay away.