Saturday, September 24, 2005
(10:30 AM) | Old - Doug Johnson:
Fall Movie Buzz
A month ago I saw the first signs of fall in Michigan's changing leaves. Today there is a chill in Toronto's breezy air. The calendar has officially sent us into Autumn. That means an especially ill received summer blockbuster movie season is over (I liked March of the Penguins and the short shrifted War of the Worlds - Freud/Iragaray themes are all over the place, it's all about death of the mother) and its time for Oscar contenders to begin making appearances. I have not seen the movies discussed below and probably never will see some of them. However, a few of them have been reviewed in my local newspaper since a certain film festival in this town, touted as the kickoff for Oscar season, completed its business less than a week ago. So here's the buzz from the city that everyone seems to love, that is everyone except other Canadians and John Steinbeck.Tsosti, a South African film about gang life in Johannesburg won the top prize (audience voted) at the Toronto Film Fest and will thus certainly receive at least a handful of Oscar nominations. However, a best picture nomination is not guaranteed as the Academy last year inexplicably failed to nominate what was almost certainly the most important movie of 2004. Hotel Rwanda was completely left out in favor of movies such as Ray and The Aviator (movies which certainly would have been fine winning picks) and the very good, but definitely not best picture worthy Million Dollar Baby. As I see it, Academy voters vented their rage against America's heartland politics by picking a movie that is something of a middle finger to hard line Terri Schiavo Republicans. If that sentiment lingers, Ang Lee's gay cowboys flick should be a favorite with Academy voters this year. Brokeback Mountain, starring Heath Ledger won the top prize at Cannes, and was considered a favorite going into the final weekend in Toronto. It would have been Lee's second top prize at Toronto. Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon won it all a few years back in Toronto. If the cinematogrophy in this year's offering is anything like Crouching Tigers' long, Western picture influenced shots in the Gobi Desert, than this may be an astoundingly beautiful movie in spite of the romance.
The movie Jodie and I would have gone to see, if we had anyone to ask to babysit for us would, received a mixed review from the Toronto Star. Walk the Line is said to revolve around the courtship story of Johnny and June Carter Cash. While the Star was pleasanly surprised and gave high, high marks to Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoons acting, the review faulted the script for too much love and not enough legend. Plus the movie was faulted for stopping just short of the what, in my not-so-humble opinion, is the greatest Cash concert: Live at San Quentin.
Of movies currently playing, Roger Ebert has called The Constant Gardner Oscar worthy and the best picture this year. Flatbroke, Jodie and I also missed out on seeing the North American premier Bill Murray's latest, Broken Flowers which screened for $23 a pop at Michael Moore's inagural film fest in Jodie's home county (Traverse City, MI). Anyone seen these films yet?
Finally, the piece I am by far and away most anticipating begins tomorrow, but won't show on the silver screen. As such, Martin Scorcese's Bob Dylan documentary No Direction Home (PBS Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday) won't have any chance at Oscar. Another year with no top award for our greatest living director (at least he's in good company with Kubrick). If we can manage to obtain a good set of rabbit ears, we should be able to pick up the Buffalo PBS station.
