News tidbits
Moderator: Germangirl
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fond-of-bond
- Posts: 2457
- Joined: Sat Jul 28, 2007 10:57 pm
- Location: United Kingdom
Do Blockbusters Deserve Oscars?
No sooner has the frenzied excitement of the summer blockbusters died down, and this summer we have been treated to some real corkers, then all the Oscar hopefuls come out of the woodwork. But my question is when is the blockbuster season ever recognised during Oscar season?
Just because it's big budget entertainment it doesn't mean that the movies are not clever or superior pieces of filmmaking that deserves recognition. And considering that this year's Best Picture nominees of Juno, Atonement, Michael Clayton, There Will Be Blood and No Country for Old Men had the lowest box office gross for two decades perhaps it's about time the Academy got with it and recognised movies popular with the general public.
And Benicio Del Toro, for his role in Che, and Mickey Rourke, for his role in The Wrestler, may be two of the front runners for Best Actor are they the performances that are most talked about this year? Well no as a matter of fact they are not that honour goes to a slightly sinister character that runs around with knives and covered in white make-up. Of course I'm talking about Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight.
Yes I appreciate that the hype surrounding his performance was further heightened by the unexpected and untimely death of the young actor but nobody can deny that it's an exceptional performance but will his performance be recognised come February? And what about Nolan himself who has delivered one of the most intelligent and exciting comic book movies of all time that, in my humble opinion, is worth of a Best Picture nomination.
But the tag 'big budget blockbuster' usually results in the film doing no better than bagging a few technical and visual effects nominations.
The Academy voters fail to see the stories told in these big budget flicks and if it's not arty farty or cutting edge starring Daniel Day Lewis then they do not want know. Take a look at Hellboy for example Ron Pearlman portrays him as a character whose future is uncertain as he looks to fit in and be accepted for who he is as well as dealing with a complicated relationship but Oscar voters will see is a big red suit backed up by a host of special effects.
Similarly Daniel Craig's performance as 007 has revitalised a flagging franchise taking Bond down a whole new line as he struggles to deal with the rage inside of him in Quantum of Solace as he comes to terms with the death of the woman that he loved but will he get a Best Actor nod? In a word no.
There was one movie that bucked that trend and that was of course The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King that scooped Best Picture along with ten other Oscars, including Best Director for Peter Jackson. But the Best Picture came only at the third time of asking after the first two instalments: The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers were, quite frankly, shockingly overlooked for the over-hyped A Beautiful Mind and Chicago.
You have also got to bear in mind that Johnny Depp bagged a Best Actor nomination for his hilarious role as Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl the films, which many claimed would be a box office disaster, has gone on become one of the most successful franchises of all time and that could give a little bit of hope to the likes of Robert Downey Jr and Christian Bale for their performances this summer.
Of all the blockbuster performances this summer perhaps Heath Ledger would be the most likely to gain some Oscar support but don't be surprised to see The Dark Knight there too. But will the likes of Robert Downey Jr be recognised for their superhero roles? Well with the Academy you never know what is going to happen they gave Titanic eleven Oscars!
http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/movies/Do+ ... page2.html
No sooner has the frenzied excitement of the summer blockbusters died down, and this summer we have been treated to some real corkers, then all the Oscar hopefuls come out of the woodwork. But my question is when is the blockbuster season ever recognised during Oscar season?
Just because it's big budget entertainment it doesn't mean that the movies are not clever or superior pieces of filmmaking that deserves recognition. And considering that this year's Best Picture nominees of Juno, Atonement, Michael Clayton, There Will Be Blood and No Country for Old Men had the lowest box office gross for two decades perhaps it's about time the Academy got with it and recognised movies popular with the general public.
And Benicio Del Toro, for his role in Che, and Mickey Rourke, for his role in The Wrestler, may be two of the front runners for Best Actor are they the performances that are most talked about this year? Well no as a matter of fact they are not that honour goes to a slightly sinister character that runs around with knives and covered in white make-up. Of course I'm talking about Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight.
Yes I appreciate that the hype surrounding his performance was further heightened by the unexpected and untimely death of the young actor but nobody can deny that it's an exceptional performance but will his performance be recognised come February? And what about Nolan himself who has delivered one of the most intelligent and exciting comic book movies of all time that, in my humble opinion, is worth of a Best Picture nomination.
But the tag 'big budget blockbuster' usually results in the film doing no better than bagging a few technical and visual effects nominations.
The Academy voters fail to see the stories told in these big budget flicks and if it's not arty farty or cutting edge starring Daniel Day Lewis then they do not want know. Take a look at Hellboy for example Ron Pearlman portrays him as a character whose future is uncertain as he looks to fit in and be accepted for who he is as well as dealing with a complicated relationship but Oscar voters will see is a big red suit backed up by a host of special effects.
Similarly Daniel Craig's performance as 007 has revitalised a flagging franchise taking Bond down a whole new line as he struggles to deal with the rage inside of him in Quantum of Solace as he comes to terms with the death of the woman that he loved but will he get a Best Actor nod? In a word no.
There was one movie that bucked that trend and that was of course The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King that scooped Best Picture along with ten other Oscars, including Best Director for Peter Jackson. But the Best Picture came only at the third time of asking after the first two instalments: The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers were, quite frankly, shockingly overlooked for the over-hyped A Beautiful Mind and Chicago.
You have also got to bear in mind that Johnny Depp bagged a Best Actor nomination for his hilarious role as Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl the films, which many claimed would be a box office disaster, has gone on become one of the most successful franchises of all time and that could give a little bit of hope to the likes of Robert Downey Jr and Christian Bale for their performances this summer.
Of all the blockbuster performances this summer perhaps Heath Ledger would be the most likely to gain some Oscar support but don't be surprised to see The Dark Knight there too. But will the likes of Robert Downey Jr be recognised for their superhero roles? Well with the Academy you never know what is going to happen they gave Titanic eleven Oscars!
http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/movies/Do+ ... page2.html
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BondBabe2008
- Posts: 7153
- Joined: Fri Apr 27, 2007 4:55 pm
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Daskedusken
- Posts: 14137
- Joined: Thu May 31, 2007 8:14 pm
- Location: Always heading somewhere
Heartthrobs in Rome for elections
Di Caprio and Craig to follow U. S. results from Italy
Hollywood heartthrobs Leonardo Di Caprio and Daniel Craig were both set to follow the results of the United States' presidential elections from Rome on Tuesday night after arriving in the capital ahead of the Italian premieres of their latest movies.
Both Di Caprio and British actor Craig, whose companion is the American film producer Satsuki Mitchell, told their PR officers that their priority was to watch the elections rather than visit Rome's ancient sites during their visits.
Di Caprio and director Ridley Scott are set to attend the Italian premiere for terrorism thriller Body of Lies on Tuesday night.
Di Caprio plays a CIA operative trying to track down a terrorist in Jordan in the film, which also stars Australian actor Russell Crowe and was released in the U.S. last month to mixed reviews.
Craig is expected to arrive in Rome later on Tuesday night ahead of Wednesday's premiere of the 22nd James Bond film, Quantum of Solace.
The latest Bond girl, Ukranian actress Olga Kurylenko, and German-Swiss director Marc Forster are also expected to tread the red carpet at the gala.
Several sections of the film were shot in Italy, including a chase across the rooftops and through the narrow cobbled streets of the medieval town of Siena.
In another sequence, Bond tears around Lake Garda at breakneck speed in his classic Aston Martin - an episode that left two stuntmen seriously injured during shooting.
The film premiered in London last week to largely positive reviews, with The Guardian describing it as a ''crash-bang Bond, high on action'' and ''long on location glamour''.
http://www.ansa.it/site/notizie/awnplus ... 86175.html
Di Caprio and Craig to follow U. S. results from Italy
Hollywood heartthrobs Leonardo Di Caprio and Daniel Craig were both set to follow the results of the United States' presidential elections from Rome on Tuesday night after arriving in the capital ahead of the Italian premieres of their latest movies.
Both Di Caprio and British actor Craig, whose companion is the American film producer Satsuki Mitchell, told their PR officers that their priority was to watch the elections rather than visit Rome's ancient sites during their visits.
Di Caprio and director Ridley Scott are set to attend the Italian premiere for terrorism thriller Body of Lies on Tuesday night.
Di Caprio plays a CIA operative trying to track down a terrorist in Jordan in the film, which also stars Australian actor Russell Crowe and was released in the U.S. last month to mixed reviews.
Craig is expected to arrive in Rome later on Tuesday night ahead of Wednesday's premiere of the 22nd James Bond film, Quantum of Solace.
The latest Bond girl, Ukranian actress Olga Kurylenko, and German-Swiss director Marc Forster are also expected to tread the red carpet at the gala.
Several sections of the film were shot in Italy, including a chase across the rooftops and through the narrow cobbled streets of the medieval town of Siena.
In another sequence, Bond tears around Lake Garda at breakneck speed in his classic Aston Martin - an episode that left two stuntmen seriously injured during shooting.
The film premiered in London last week to largely positive reviews, with The Guardian describing it as a ''crash-bang Bond, high on action'' and ''long on location glamour''.
http://www.ansa.it/site/notizie/awnplus ... 86175.html
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Birte
newspostonline
Quantum of Solace’ James Bond Daniel Craig thanks Pierce Brosnan!
Daniel Craig has credited former James Bond star Pierce Brosnan for making up his mind to take up the 007 role.
The 40-year-old revealed that it was the retiring Bond Brosnan who had urged him to ‘go for it’ following the film producers decision to cast him as the 007 Agent.
The Brit admitted that though he had never predicted the opportunity that had come his way, and would have regretted not accepting the offer.
Craig has revealed that he approached Brosnan at an awards show in Britain weeks before he landed the role and asked his fellow actor if he should proceed if he got the nod.
After dinner, after having enough to drink, I just went over and said, ‘Look, it’s not on the cards (but) it might be on the cards. If it were to be on the cards, what should I do?’ And he said, ‘Go for it. Just go for it. You’ve got to have a go at this,’” Contactmusic quoted Craig, as saying.
Craig, whose ‘Casino Royale’ had managed to break box-office records with the film collecting 600 million dollars and his latest Bond flick ‘Quantum of Solace’ is set to have a nationwide release on October 31. (ANI)
Quantum of Solace’ James Bond Daniel Craig thanks Pierce Brosnan!
Daniel Craig has credited former James Bond star Pierce Brosnan for making up his mind to take up the 007 role.
The 40-year-old revealed that it was the retiring Bond Brosnan who had urged him to ‘go for it’ following the film producers decision to cast him as the 007 Agent.
The Brit admitted that though he had never predicted the opportunity that had come his way, and would have regretted not accepting the offer.
Craig has revealed that he approached Brosnan at an awards show in Britain weeks before he landed the role and asked his fellow actor if he should proceed if he got the nod.
After dinner, after having enough to drink, I just went over and said, ‘Look, it’s not on the cards (but) it might be on the cards. If it were to be on the cards, what should I do?’ And he said, ‘Go for it. Just go for it. You’ve got to have a go at this,’” Contactmusic quoted Craig, as saying.
Craig, whose ‘Casino Royale’ had managed to break box-office records with the film collecting 600 million dollars and his latest Bond flick ‘Quantum of Solace’ is set to have a nationwide release on October 31. (ANI)
'The next James Bond star should be black,' says Daniel Craig as he salutes Barack Obama
On the day history was made with the election of the first U.S. black president, actor Daniel Craig has said the next James Bond star should also be black.
Speaking at the opening of Quantum of Solace at the International Film Festival in Rome, Craig sang the praises of America's president-elect, saying the moment has now arrived for a black 007 too.
Addressing reporters on the red carpet, the 40-year-old said: 'If we can have a black US president we can have a black James Bond.'
Clearly having being swept away by Obama mania, Craig added: 'This is as significant as when man landed on the moon.
'The Obama election is a wake up call for the whole world.
'I'm a real fan of Obama because I like his political ideas. And I think it's the right moment for a black James Bond.'
Craig attended the opening of his second 007 film alongside his stunning Bond girl co-star Olga Kurylenko.
It was also notable that Craig's complexion seemed somewhat more bronzed today compared to his rather pasty appearance at the Royal premiere of the film last week in London.
Perhaps the movie star had gone for a sneaky sunbed session or maybe he got his tan out of a bottle.
Maybe Olga had taught the actor a little 007 glamour. Trussed up in a stunning v-neck dress and vertiginous heels, she certainly had a licence to thrill.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/ar ... Obama.html
On the day history was made with the election of the first U.S. black president, actor Daniel Craig has said the next James Bond star should also be black.
Speaking at the opening of Quantum of Solace at the International Film Festival in Rome, Craig sang the praises of America's president-elect, saying the moment has now arrived for a black 007 too.
Addressing reporters on the red carpet, the 40-year-old said: 'If we can have a black US president we can have a black James Bond.'
Clearly having being swept away by Obama mania, Craig added: 'This is as significant as when man landed on the moon.
'The Obama election is a wake up call for the whole world.
'I'm a real fan of Obama because I like his political ideas. And I think it's the right moment for a black James Bond.'
Craig attended the opening of his second 007 film alongside his stunning Bond girl co-star Olga Kurylenko.
It was also notable that Craig's complexion seemed somewhat more bronzed today compared to his rather pasty appearance at the Royal premiere of the film last week in London.
Perhaps the movie star had gone for a sneaky sunbed session or maybe he got his tan out of a bottle.
Maybe Olga had taught the actor a little 007 glamour. Trussed up in a stunning v-neck dress and vertiginous heels, she certainly had a licence to thrill.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/ar ... Obama.html
Yikes, the Daily Mail is really catty!advicky wrote:
It was also notable that Craig's complexion seemed somewhat more bronzed today compared to his rather pasty appearance at the Royal premiere of the film last week in London.
Perhaps the movie star had gone for a sneaky sunbed session or maybe he got his tan out of a bottle.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/ar ... Obama.html
In 'Defiance' of Nazi invaders
Zwick's film, starring Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell, recalls the World War II resistance of Jewish refugees in what's now Belarus.
By Michael Ordoña
November 2, 2008
In the freezing forests of Belarus, as the Nazis swept through Europe, handfuls of Jewish refugees banded together under the leadership of the Bielski brothers to survive the killing winter and beyond. But they didn't just survive; they struck back, attacking German soldiers and collaborators, performing acts of sabotage and supporting other partisan groups. All told, the Bielskis are said to have rescued about 1,200 Jews.
And you've probably never heard of them until now.
"So many things were injunctions to this piece of history," said Ed Zwick, director, co-producer and co-writer of “Defiance,” which chronicles the struggles of the community that sprang up in that forest.
"Surprisingly, many of the survivors are loath to talk about it. The Bielskis too -- I've gotten to know the family, and the [brothers'] sons say their parents had to be pushed; they didn't want to talk about it. People would come up and say, 'You know, your father saved my life.' Eventually, it all became revealed to them."
Daniel Craig,“Defiance,” Liev Schreiber“Defiance,” and Jamie Bell play the three adult brothers, farmers and sometime troublemakers reluctantly transformed into guardian -- and avenging -- angels. Zwick ("Blood Diamond," "Glory") describes the popular image of Jewish resistance as generally limited to the ill-fated Warsaw Ghetto uprising; he was presented with ample evidence to the contrary at a "Defiance" screening for families of survivors at New York's Museum of Jewish Heritage.
"They had a map that showed all the places in which there had been resistance," he said with some residual amazement. "It was ubiquitous. It was usually thwarted and futile. But in fact, there were thousands, many of whom joined the Russian partisans."
Zwick, bearded, slightly rumpled, looking and sounding like the cool professor, said in his Santa Monica offices that he and co-writer Clayton Frohman had spent 10 years on the project, knowing that to get a drama of this scale made, everyone -- the stars, the production team, the crew -- would have to take steep pay cuts and endure some rough weeks in ugly conditions. The film, which opens Dec. 31, convincingly re-creates the misery the refugees suffered through.
"I didn't have to try very hard! When it's snowing, when the wind is blowing off the steppe and coming in off the Baltic and you're down by the lowlands and rivers and it's that damp that penetrates and you're trying to load a Schmeisser [submachine gun] or dig a trench, you don't have to talk about Stanislavski a lot," Zwick says of the Lithuanian winter.
"The conditions were the same that stopped Hitler as he went toward Moscow in 1942 and 1943. And these people did it with newspapers wrapped around their feet. There we were in our Gore-Tex and down, so it was humbling to think about what they had done."
Two scenes in particular resonated deeply with the director, scenes quite divergent in tone.
In one, the crowd of refugees has beaten to death a soldier taken prisoner. "In this moment of group hysteria, as it swells, you come to understand the blood lust that is there, that is latent and becomes manifest in that moment.
"Similarly, the wedding [scene] was so beautiful and moving to all of us. It came around the midpoint and we had all gotten to know each other and here are these beautiful young people, Jamie [Bell] and Mia [Wasikowska], and weddings are emotional anyway. But in that circumstance, the idea that these people had fought so to have their humanity and that the wedding was as defiant as any killing, was very moving and exceeded what I imagined we could accomplish."
Apart from everything else, Zwick allowed that the project had "personal resonance." "It was my grandfather's family, many of whom were lost in the Holocaust. My grandfather had another brother who he described as having 'gone to the forest' and I never knew what that meant."
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/ne ... 6272.story
Zwick's film, starring Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell, recalls the World War II resistance of Jewish refugees in what's now Belarus.
By Michael Ordoña
November 2, 2008
In the freezing forests of Belarus, as the Nazis swept through Europe, handfuls of Jewish refugees banded together under the leadership of the Bielski brothers to survive the killing winter and beyond. But they didn't just survive; they struck back, attacking German soldiers and collaborators, performing acts of sabotage and supporting other partisan groups. All told, the Bielskis are said to have rescued about 1,200 Jews.
And you've probably never heard of them until now.
"So many things were injunctions to this piece of history," said Ed Zwick, director, co-producer and co-writer of “Defiance,” which chronicles the struggles of the community that sprang up in that forest.
"Surprisingly, many of the survivors are loath to talk about it. The Bielskis too -- I've gotten to know the family, and the [brothers'] sons say their parents had to be pushed; they didn't want to talk about it. People would come up and say, 'You know, your father saved my life.' Eventually, it all became revealed to them."
Daniel Craig,“Defiance,” Liev Schreiber“Defiance,” and Jamie Bell play the three adult brothers, farmers and sometime troublemakers reluctantly transformed into guardian -- and avenging -- angels. Zwick ("Blood Diamond," "Glory") describes the popular image of Jewish resistance as generally limited to the ill-fated Warsaw Ghetto uprising; he was presented with ample evidence to the contrary at a "Defiance" screening for families of survivors at New York's Museum of Jewish Heritage.
"They had a map that showed all the places in which there had been resistance," he said with some residual amazement. "It was ubiquitous. It was usually thwarted and futile. But in fact, there were thousands, many of whom joined the Russian partisans."
Zwick, bearded, slightly rumpled, looking and sounding like the cool professor, said in his Santa Monica offices that he and co-writer Clayton Frohman had spent 10 years on the project, knowing that to get a drama of this scale made, everyone -- the stars, the production team, the crew -- would have to take steep pay cuts and endure some rough weeks in ugly conditions. The film, which opens Dec. 31, convincingly re-creates the misery the refugees suffered through.
"I didn't have to try very hard! When it's snowing, when the wind is blowing off the steppe and coming in off the Baltic and you're down by the lowlands and rivers and it's that damp that penetrates and you're trying to load a Schmeisser [submachine gun] or dig a trench, you don't have to talk about Stanislavski a lot," Zwick says of the Lithuanian winter.
"The conditions were the same that stopped Hitler as he went toward Moscow in 1942 and 1943. And these people did it with newspapers wrapped around their feet. There we were in our Gore-Tex and down, so it was humbling to think about what they had done."
Two scenes in particular resonated deeply with the director, scenes quite divergent in tone.
In one, the crowd of refugees has beaten to death a soldier taken prisoner. "In this moment of group hysteria, as it swells, you come to understand the blood lust that is there, that is latent and becomes manifest in that moment.
"Similarly, the wedding [scene] was so beautiful and moving to all of us. It came around the midpoint and we had all gotten to know each other and here are these beautiful young people, Jamie [Bell] and Mia [Wasikowska], and weddings are emotional anyway. But in that circumstance, the idea that these people had fought so to have their humanity and that the wedding was as defiant as any killing, was very moving and exceeded what I imagined we could accomplish."
Apart from everything else, Zwick allowed that the project had "personal resonance." "It was my grandfather's family, many of whom were lost in the Holocaust. My grandfather had another brother who he described as having 'gone to the forest' and I never knew what that meant."
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/ne ... 6272.story
Actually we adore jokes about russians (especially bad ones).Germangirl wrote: Elvenstar, I hope you take no offense of what I said. It was not directed towards Russians but to people in generell. If it is a joke, its all for the better
Armageddon is 1 of my fav films 
In fact all these jokes are true. We are evil
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007Mania
- Posts: 3165
- Joined: Fri Oct 19, 2007 1:57 pm
- Location: "Newtown at the Beetmountain" / Germany
- Contact:
Article from our daily newspaper (Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung)
You can find the interview and other stuff around Bond online (only in german):
http://www.haz.de/newsroom/kultur/zentr ... 180,712956
You can find the interview and other stuff around Bond online (only in german):
http://www.haz.de/newsroom/kultur/zentr ... 180,712956
Oh, Mr. Bond!
"Nur du und ich... und 400 Papageien."
"Nur du und ich... und 400 Papageien."