Opening in Chicago, 01/18

Crisis averted here in Chicago.  We had been living under the threat of a public transportation “doomsday”, which was to happen starting on Sunday.  Basically, the deal was that the funding had been held up in the state legislature, and the CTA was going to cut service dramatically and raise fares (not to mention lay off about 2400 people) in response.  Well, a funding bill has cleared the legislature, so my ability to see movies will not be affected.  The only surprise is that it got done today instead of 10:00 tomorrow night.  Anyway…

Persepolis (trailer)
Directors: Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud
Animated film based on director Satrapi’s graphic novel about growing up in revolutionary Iran. I think this is the last movie I need to see before I compile my yearly best-of list for 2007, and I’ve actually begun to get a little bit excited about seeing it.
MC/RT: 90/97

Cloverfield (trailer)
Director: Matt Reeves (The Pallbearer)
So here’s the deal. The movie without a title turns out to be titled exactly what everyone thought it would be, a gambit that completely killed my want-to-see. Plus, it’s directed by a guy whose only credits are a (presumably) crappy David Schwimmer movie and some TV, and produced by a guy whose greatest contribution to cinema thus far was the semi-crappy Mission:Impossible III, whose involvement is nonetheless the subject of incredible hype. Yes, it’s fair to say that the readings on my bullshit meter were off the charts, and I anticipated skipping this one with all the dismissitude (yes, I made that word up) I could muster. But now the reviews are pretty solid (with the RT rating seeming more indicative of the general consensus in this case), and I’m convinced I need to go see it. But be forewarned – if it sucks, and I end up feeling like a chump for getting sucked in, my vengeance will be harsh.
MC/RT: 59/76

Note by Note: The Making of Steinway L1037 (trailer at official site)
Director: Ben Niles
Documentary that follows the construction of a Steinway piano from start to finish. I had never heard of this until this morning, but it sounds interesting.
MC/RT: not listed/91

Honeydripper (trailer)
Director: John Sayles (Matewan, The Secret of Roan Inish, Lone Star, Limbo)
John Sayles returns with his first film since 2004′s Silver City. I used to be a fan – Lone Star and Limbo were both outstanding, I thought – although I never caught up with his older pictures. After a brief period of prominence in the mid-to-late 1990s, though, he seems to fallen out of favor, as it were. The trailer for this movie feels like a typical Sayles piece – very specific to a time and place, large cast, dialogue-driven without calling attention to the dialogue.
MC/RT: 71/76

Cassandra’s Dream (trailer)
Director: Woody Allen (Annie Hall, Manhattan, Deconstructing Harry, Match Point)
Speaking of falling out of favor, Allen has now followed up the acclaimed Match Point with two movies that seem more or less loathed by critics. Not being a fan of his to begin with, and not thinking that the trailer looks at all interesting anyway, the poor reviews give me the perfect excuse to skip a movie with Colin Farrell. And I’ve got to say, I’m relieved.
MC/RT: 50/45

27 Dresses (trailer)
Director: Anne Fletcher (Step Up)
Why do so many romantic comedies have such idiotic, contrived plots? This time we get a woman who’s been a bridesmaid 27 times, but – wait for it – never a bride. Who comes up with this crap? It doesn’t matter how charming or funny the movie is with a plot like that. It’s automatically going to suck. Of course, if the rating below are any guide, “funny” and “charming” are not so much issues in this case.
MC/RT: 46/38

Mad Money (trailer)
Director: Callie Khouri (The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood)
I actually saw The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, God help me. And I think I’ve previously mentioned the intense dislike for Diane Keaton that I’ve developed over the past few years. They should have added Colin Farrell to the cast of this to make it a perfect storm of “Reasons Brian Will Not See the Movie”.
MC/RT: 41/21

Name Dropping

In my review of There Will Be Blood, I mentioned that I went to college with Mark Bridges, who is now the costume designer for P.T. Anderson’s films. Mark was a very good actor (he played Mercutio in a performance of Romeo and Juliet, I was Benvolio) and a very caustic wit, sort of our crowd’s version of Addison DeWitt in All About Eve.

Last night I was reminded that there are some other noteworthy people I went to school with (I matriculated in the theater department at the State University of New York at Stony Brook). I was watching the DVD of Interview, with Steve Buscemi and Sienna Miller, and while watching the extras realized that the one of the producers is Bruce Weiss, who way back when produced my very first one-act play. He is the president of Ironworks Productions, a New York City-based production company. He produced many of Hal Hartley’s films back in the 80s. I tracked down his email address this morning and he replied and let me know that the second of the Theo Van Gogh films (Interview is the American version of a Van Gogh film), called Blind Date, directed by Stanley Tucci, is premiering at Sundance tonight. So I hope it’s a big success!

Arguably the most successful former classmate I had is Colin Quinn, stand-up comedian and one-time cast member of Saturday Night Live, as well as the host of a couple of his own shows. The last time I saw Colin was a party in New York, and he threatened to beat me up because of a bad review I had given him for his lead performance in the play Liliom (I was the theater critic at the school paper). He was pretty drunk. A mutual friend ran into him some years later after a stand-up gig and reminded him of that incident, and all reports were that he was embarrassed and apologetic. I certainly bear him no ill will, and congratulate him on his success.

It’s neat that there are some of the people from those days who have managed to go on and become successful in the entertainment field. Now if I could only join them.

Oscar Predictions–Final

Now that the DGA has made a deal, the scuttlebutt is that the WGA will soon follow, which means we will have a garish, bloated, three-and-a-half hour pageant of ugly dresses and inane acceptance speeches. And to that I say–yeah! Nominations are announced on Tuesday, here’s one man’s woeful attempts to read the crystal ball.

BEST PICTURE

Into the Wild
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

The suspense here is for the fifth spot, which will go to Juno, Atonement, or The Diving Bell and the Buttefly. I’m betting on Juno since it would be the only light-hearted fare and has done good box office.

BEST DIRECTOR

Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
Sean Penn, Into the Wild
Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

These are the DGA nominees, I’m not showing much imagination. But I don’t see anyone else obvious. Maybe Tim Burton, maybe Sidney Lumet, but I’m not counting on it.

BEST ACTOR

George Clooney, Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
Emile Hirsch, Into the Wild
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises

Hirsch would be the youngest nominee in this category in 70 years, and I’m not positive about him. Ryan Gosling or Denzel Washington could get the fifth spot.

BEST ACTRESS

Julie Christie, Away From Her
Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose
Angeline Jolie, A Mighty Heart
Keira Knightley, Atonement
Ellen Page, Juno

I have no confidence in Knightley here, since Atonement’s stock has sunk and her character is not really the lead, but I don’t feel confident in anyone taking her place, although I wouldn’t be shocked if Jodie Foster gets in from The Brave One.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson’s War
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton

This is the acting category I’m most confident in.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Cate Blanchett, I’m Not There
Catherine Keener, Into the Wild
Saorsie Ronan, Atonement
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton

I regret that I can no longer be confident in Kelly MacDonald in No Country, but I would be pleasantly suprised. The big question here is whether they go with the kid (Ronan) or the old lady (Ruby Dee)

More after the jump.