Countdown's Begun (Part 1)

Ah, it is almost that time again. This year's summer blockbusters have come and gone, with a few major releases still to be had before the September slowdown. With the end of the blockbuster season, it means only one thing - it is time to gear up for the annual Oscar hype that surrounds Hollywood from September until mid February the following year. Of course, it is always a good thing for a movie to receive critical praise but those that are released in the September-to-December window and do so are almost certainly put on the shortlist of Oscar favourites by movie fans and AMPAS voting members alike. After all, since 2001's A Beautiful Mind, only one movie released outside of that time frame (Crash, released in May 2005) has won the top prize. With these things in mind, why don't we play the role of speculator and have a look at some of the favourites for the 82nd Academy Awards in Hollywood? Remember, this year the fun doubles as there will be ten Best Picture nominations (an incredibly stupid move, I know). I'll list the ten movies that I think will get the call for the March 7th showdown, and then in a series of three posts I'll explain why.

THE LIST:

Nine
Shutter Island
Invictus
Avatar
Up
The Lovely Bones
The Hurt Locker
The Informant!
Amelia
Precious

Best Picture Candidates

Nine (directed by Rob Marshall, in theatres November 25th, 2009)

Nine is a clear favourite for many reasons. Rob Marshall, the man behind the helm, is no stranger to Academy success. His last two films, 2005's Memoirs of a Geisha and 2002's Chicago have a combined total of 19 award nominations and nine wins, including Chicago's win for Best Picture. Marshall himself was nominated for Best Director for Chicago, and his chances of grabbing a nomination for the March 7th, 2010 ceremony look good. What else? Six of the eight principal cast members have won an Acting award, including the 2007's Best Actor and Best Actress winners, Daniel Day-Lewis and Marion Cotillard. Nicole Kidman (Best Actress in 2002), Penelope Cruz (Best Supporting Actress in 2008), Sophia Loren (Best Actress in 1960), Judi Dench (Best Supporting Actress in 1998), Kate Hudson and Stacy Ferguson (aka the Black Eyed Peas' Fergie) also star in this musical based on the 1982 Tony Award-winning musical production of the same name. The story focuses on Italian film director Guido Contini (Day-Lewis) as he struggles with a midlife crisis while interacting with the various women in his life, including wife Luisa (Cotillard), his mistress Carla (Cruz), and his protege Claudia (Kidman). Nine is set for wide release on November 25th, 2008.

Shutter Island (directed by Martin Scoresese, in theatres October 2nd, 2009)

Martin Scorsese, like Marshall, is no stranger to the Oscars. While Scorsese was finally honoured with long-deserved Best Director award for 2006's The Departed, Scorsese has directed six films that have been given an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture (The Departed, The Aviator, Gangs of New York, Goodfellas, Raging Bull and Taxi Driver), with both The Departed and Raging Bull taking the top prize. So with his 21st feature-length film debuting on the same weekend as The Departed did three years ago, its easy to see why the film is garnering Oscar buzz. Taking a slight detour from his favoured crime sagas, Scorsese turns to frequent collaborator and friend Leonardo DiCaprio in this adaptation of Dennis Lehane's 2003 novel of the same name. Set in 1954, DiCaprio plays US Marshal Teddy Daniels who, along with his partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), is investigating the strange disappearance of Rachel Solando (Emily Mortimer) from the Ashecliffe Psychiatric Hospital on Shutter Island in Massachusetts. Once they arrive, they begin to discover that the hospital along with its director, Dr. John Caldwell (Ben Kingsley) have some sinister motives lurking beneath the surface. Michelle Williams and Jackie Earle Haley also star in this dark and suspenseful thriller that calls back to 1991's Cape Fear, and looks to be one of Scorsese's finest achievements yet.

Invictus (directed by Clint Eastwood, in theatres December 11th, 2009)

Clint Eastwood looks to be at it again. Age showing no ill effects, the two-time Best Director winner is taking on a horse of a different colour this time around, as Eastwood climbs the saddle to direct what can be considered his first true biopic, one that is no small task either. Set for release in mid-December, Invictus is the final resting name of the Nelson Mandela feature that will revolve around the fall of apartheid and Mandela's efforts to unite South Africa by hosting the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Matt Damon also stars as South Africa captain Francois Pienaar. The film has been in development for some time and is highly anticipated after Eastwood was left disappointed at the 81st Academy Awards, as both of his 2008 films Changeling and Gran Torino went empty handed. The film is said to be especially compelling and while focused on a limited time frame, accurately reflects the emotions and feelings that were about in South Africa at the time. For playing the Human Rights champion, Freeman has earned comparisons to Ben Kingsley's portrayal of Gandhi in 1982, a film which dominated the 55th Academy Awards. While the movie may suffer from Constant Gardener-syndrome in thanks to its peculiar name (it is Latin for "unconquered"), Invictus is sure to be recognized by the Academy in some form or another.

That's it for this one. Stay tuned for Parts 2 and 3.

Weekend Updates

I was out and about this weekend, so Thursday & Friday were neglected some. I return however, with a couple of videos that any self-respecting filmgoer is going to want to see.

Last week, the visionary Peter Jackson, who everyone knows as the man who helmed the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, debuted his trailer for The Lovely Bones, which comes out December 11th of this year. An adaptation of the 2002 best-selling novel by Alice Sebold, The Lovely Bones stars Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Saiorse Ronan, Susan Sarandon and Stanley Tucci. It focuses on the story of 14 year-old Susie Salmon, played by Ronan, who on December 6th, 1973, is brutally murdered by her neighbor (Tucci) when she decides to take a shortcut home from school. From heaven, Ronan is able to watch down on her family and when she finds she is able to interact with the living world, she must make the choice between helping her parents (Wahlberg and Weisz) catch her killer and achieve vengeance, or help them heal from the entire ordeal. The trailer alone almost guarantees a Visual Effects nomination as the movie promises some truly dazzling sequences, and Jackson seems to have done a wonderful job of blending the contrasting genres such as drama, horror and fantasy into a focused whole. As well, this movie looks to be Mark Wahlberg's return to form, appearing in his best role since 2006's The Departed, where he earned a Best Supporting Actor nomination. Check out the trailer below:

The Lovely Bones - Trailer 1 (2009)


Next up is Terry Gilliam's latest work of art, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Premiering at the Cannes Film Festival this May, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was expecting a summer release but was well-received at Cannes, and thus the release for the film was pushed back (October for the UK and December for North America), as to appear as a legitimate contender for film awards. Even before this trailer came online, the movie had quite a bit of notoriety as it was a third of the way through filming when Heath Ledger, who had been cast in the role of Tony, passed away on January 22nd, 2008. As his parts were not completed, his role was recast and Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Ferrell stepped in to play the role of Tony, and Gilliam has covered this change by explaining that each actor plays a different physical incarnation of Tony as he and Dr. Parnassus' travelling theatre troupe travel through different worlds. As far as the trailer goes, it is visually spellbinding though a bit of a task to understand just what the movie's plot entails. The story features Dr. Parnassus, played by Christopher Plummer, who takes his travelling film troupe on an journey through dream worlds to rescue his daughter (Lily Cole), who has been taken by the Devil himself (played by musician Tom Waits), who is collecting on an deal that the immortal Parnassus made with him years ago. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus hits theatres on Christmas Day.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus - Trailer 1 (2009)


Both trailers courtesy of YouTube.

John Hughes: 1950-2009

I've just come across the sad news that John Hughes, the director of the 80's hit films The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles and Ferris Bueller's Day Off has passed away at the age of 59 from an apparent heart attack while taking a morning walk in New York City. John Hughes also penned the script to numerous successful kids movies, including Home Alone and its sequel, Beethoven, Dennis The Menace, the live-action 101 Dalmatians film, and most recently, 2008's Drillbit Taylor.

Home Alone and Beethoven were two of my favourite movies growing up to watch, and Ferris Bueller remains one of my all-time favourite comedies. Rest in peace, John.

Bettman vs Balsillie, Round 2

SO..

The stage is set. Exactly three weeks before the 2009-2010 NHL campaign is set to kick off, a potentially historic event could be underway. Judge Redfield T. Baum, the power that is presiding over the endless saga that began earlier this May when Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, has validated Jim Balsillie, the CEO of Research In Motion to participate in the September 10th auction for the team. This means that Balsillie's bid of $212.5 million, thus far the highest, will be put forward to buy the team. Considering that Jerry Reinsdorf, the owner of baseball's Chicago White Sox, is the next highest bidder with an amount of $148 million, it appears as if the Phoenix Coyotes are headed to Hamilton, right?

Not so fast.

Last week, the NHL board of governors rejected Balsillie's application for ownership, as they are adamant on keeping the team in the Jobing.com Arena in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, Arizona, and are willing to scavenge through a laundry list of buyers to do so. The problem is, Bettman and his group of cronies have not really stated as to why they don't want Balsillie as an owner in the NHL. Thus far, the Blackberry boss' plan to move the team to Hamilton has been rather solid. He has the financial backing, and the obvious fan and community commitment, as Balisillie has been given exclusive rights to Copps Coliseum in Hamilton until November. Now that Balsillie has been given the opportunity to bid, the only thing in his way is a blockade of angsty board members, who are really going to have to scramble for legit reasons to prevent him from moving the team to Hamilton.

If Bettman conjures up a way to keep the flailing Coyotes in Phoenix, it is going to come off as yet another move to further the Americanization of the league that he has been hell bent on doing since he became Commissioner in 1993. In that time frame, two Canadian NHL franchises have moved south of the 49th parallel. One was the Quebec Nordiques, who became the Colorado Avalanche, and they have obviously done well. The other was the Winnipeg Jets who are now a struggling Phoenix club on the verge of being bounced out of town, and for good reason. The Phoenix Coyotes, for a lack of a better word, suck. In 12 seasons, the Coyotes have never won a division title, and have made the playoffs in five, last in 2002, and have never advanced beyond the first round. You could argue that there are worse clubs out there by saying "Hey, the Lightning have only made the playoffs five times in 16 seasons!", but a Stanley Cup Banner in the St. Pete Times Forum tells you they have had more productivity.

So why have the Coyotes been so woe-begotten, when their predecessors, the Jets, were quite a respectable club? Being three-time WHA Champions and having a plethora of NHL postseason appearances, it was certainly not performance that felled the Jets. The answer is simple. No one gives a fuck about hockey in Phoenix. Since 2001, Phoenix's attendance has averaged out to being ranked 26th in the league. Sure, there are the diehards that have risen up to protest a potential move, but that's all they are. Diehards. Winnipeg had a strong core, but being relatively small at the time of the move to Phoenix, the city of Winnipeg just couldn't keep up with the demands of a growing league. In Phoenix, sports' fans have better things to care about. Even before 2001, when the Diamondbacks won a World Series, no one was crazy about the Coyotes, and back then, out of the four major sports, the Coyotes were the best team statistically. Both the Diamondbacks and Suns were having off-and-on years and the Cardinals were just all around terrible. Yet like in every other American city, hockey was at the bottom of the priority list as far as sports was concerned. With Arizona being in what the average Canadian would call a state of constant summer, the Coyotes have struggled even more. No one wants to go watch hockey when its always hot out. Now, the issues for the Coyotes have grown. Since the arrival of Steve Nash, the Phoenix Suns have become an NBA Powerhouse, and the Arizona Cardinals were 35 seconds away from a Super Bowl victory this past February, while the Coyotes continue to dwindle away in mediocrity.

So I think the answer is simple. Move the team to back to Canada, where the team will be cared about, and money will be as big of an issue as what to name the team. Hamilton is rabid for NHL hockey, I believe that much is obvious from attending an Bulldogs' game. With a huge market and more buying power, a Hamilton team would be able to attract star players in free agency to supplement top draft picks should they have seasons as dreadful as Phoenix has been having. This will then build Hamilton into a strong team, something Phoenix has no hope of doing. Since becoming the Coyotes in 1996, the franchise has done absolutely nothing as far as drafting goes. The only noteworthy player they picked up was Daniel Briere in 1996, and he is obviously not playing for Phoenix. Meanwhile, Winnipeg is responsible for such players as Dale Hawerchuk, Teemu Selanne, Stu Barnes, Keith Tkachuk, Nikolai Khabibulin, Kris Draper, and Shane Doan, who still remains with the team for reasons beyond me.

So, the choice is simple. Either the NHL comes around and lets something that is financially and strategically smarter for all parties involved and lets Balsillie move the team to Hamilton. Or, they can stay in Phoenix, and Bettman can sleep better at night knowing that America continues to apply a chokehold on a league they had virtually no part in creating. Oh well, at least in 20 years, we can watch a 53-year-old Shane Doan lead a group of promising young Coyotes into the year with hope that that will be the year things finally turn around.

Birth of a blog.

So this is my first post using Blogger/Blogspot, under the ever illustrious title of The Blogotron. I could of spent a few minutes trying to compose a better name, but I opted out in favour of laziness. Anyways, welcome. On this blog you will discover a friendly assortment of things, such as movie reviews, random news clippings and comments on happenings in the world today.