This week in DVD and Blu-ray brings one of Oscar’s biggest winners – albeit mostly in technical awards – with Martin Scorsese‘s Hugo, and Johnny English Reborn, which is best known for coming out in theaters and playing there for a while. It’s a weak week for releases, though Criterion has gifted us with one of Louis Malle’s best, and a classic from Fritz Lang. And Johnny English.
The process of Oscar predictions has changed completely over the last twenty years. Where there may have been favorites and hopes before that came with no sense of what could actually happen on Oscar night, blogging has turned the award ceremony into a stats game, where there are way fewer surprises than ever before. But, if you pay attention to the guilds, you have a great guide as to who is likely to win or lose. That doesn’t keep us from guessing, and our picks for Sunday’s Oscar ceremony are here. Hint: expect big wins for The Artist. Check it out…
The climax of award season is finally upon us–the Oscars have been announced and, for once, there are a few surprises in the mix (but that’s not exactly a good thing). The Artist is, rather shockingly, not leading the pack with the most reviews (see what film is after the jump), while the critically slammed Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close nabbed some major noms and, yes, 2012 is the year in which Bridesmaids was nominated for an Oscar.
For those who like playing Oscar pools, DGA nominations tend to be a good harbinger for the actual Oscar nominations. So it’s worth noting what made the cut: Michel Hazanavicius‘s The Artist, Woody Allen‘s Midnight in Paris, Martin Scorsese‘s Hugo, Alexander Payne‘s The Descendants, and David Fincher‘s The Girl With Dragon Tattoo all got nominated today.
The 69th annual Golden Globes nominees have been announced, and this year they’re big on definite articles. The Help, The Artist and The Descendents lead the pack of nominees. Which is interesting because – if the Globes have a weakness – it’s that they chase the famous names, and these noms aren’t that celeb-heavy. Then again, George Clooney has received three nominations directly (for actor, writing and directing) between The Ides of March and Descendents, and surely a fourth for producing March. Check out the full list…
Between limited releases and big studio launches, there are very few weekends where there isn’t something new out. But the weekend after Thanksgiving – much like the first weekend of a new year – is considered a dead spot. There’s already a vacuum created by the holiday weekend being over, people are likely recuperating from their families, and the only studio film being released (on nine screens) is Shame. The only possible benefit is to The Muppets, which may have enough goodwill to take the top spot from Breaking Dawn. Let’s get to it, shall we?
Oh… oh no. After declaring that holograms are the future of filmmaking, Martin Scorsese has apparently decided to kill time until then by making the rest of his films in 3-D. Seriously. Despite that 3-D seems to be, for the most part, a cheap marketing gimmick that results in dark, under-lit footage, and requires annoying glasses and random excuses to thrust things close to the movie screen, one of the greatest American filmmakers has decided to attach the maddening filmmaking technique to his films.
Last weekend Breaking Dawn made a ton of cash, which was a surprise to no one. But not everyone who wants to see the latest blockbuster sequel goes opening weekend, and so though the fall off should be heavy (over 50%, possibly over 60%, and just as likely near 70%) it may be able to fend off the newcomers, which will probably hurt each other and let Twilight win. What must have happened is that no one blinked about this weekend, as there’s three films aimed at parents and children hitting theaters: The Muppets, Arthur Christmas and Hugo. On top of a week-old Happy Feet Two. It’s a Children’s film blood bath is what it is.
One of the side effects of Martin Scorsese being one of America’s greatest living directors is that every new picture is viewed under the magnifying glass of greatness. Is Hugo another in a line of great movies, or is it a muddled attempt at trying to do something out of his reach? Is it an old man picture, with modest pleasures but a looser grasp? Those seem to be the categories the film’s critics slotted the film into, with many adults deciding that Scorsese failed at directing a film for children, to which the only evidence is anecdotal. But the film is good, possibly great (time will tell), and the most engaging and engaged picture Scorsese has made in a while.
