Tis the Season: Broadcast Film Critics Association

According to their website, the Broadcast Film Critics Association is the largest of its kind in the U.S.A. and Canada. It consists of 199 critics who contribute regularly to television, radio and the internet. I always thought they were exclusively TV and radio but now that I know better, I think I'll be applying for membership as soon as I'm done with this post. Regardless of whether they want me or not, the BFCA are good people with equally good taste. The association issues a list of nominees now and follow up with winners in each category on the 8th of January. They call it the Critic's Choice Awards. Leading the nominations this year are Gus Van Sant's MILK and David Fincher's THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON. Each took in eight nominations, including nods in the Best Picture category and the director category, as well as the Best Actor category, where Brad Pitt finally sees some love with Sean Penn continues to soak it up. MILK seems to be a solid performer thus far and BENJAMIN BUTTON is gaining momentum it lost before things even got started. Next up, tied with six nominations a piece were THE DARK KNIGHT, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE and DOUBT (which I am very excited to be seeing tomorrow). FROZEN RIVER's Melissa Leo continues her surprising journey toward potential Oscar gold while yet another obscure title sees some unexpected love. NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH. from director Rod Lurie, earned some love for actresses, Kate Beckinsale and Vera Farmiga. Finally, a new category was added this year that will definitely have no bearing on the Oscars, Best Action Movie. We all know how much the Oscars love action movies ... as long as they know their place and keep to the sound and special effects categories.

Here are the nominees in the major categories.

BEST PICTURE
CHANGELING
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
DOUBT
FROST/NIXON
MILK
THE READER
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
WALL-E
THE WRESTLER

BEST ACTOR
Clint Eastwood, "Gran Turino"
Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor"
Frank Langella, "Frost/Nixon"
Sean Penn, "Milk"
Brad Pitt, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"

BEST ACTRESS
Kate Beckinsale, "Nothing but the Truth"
Cate Blanchett, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"
Angelina Jolie, "Changeling"
Melissa Leo, "Frozen River"
Meryl Streep, "Doubt"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Josh Brolin, "Milk"
Robert Downey Jr., "Tropic Thunder"
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Doubt"
Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"
James Franco, "Milk"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Viola Davis, "Doubt"
Vera Farmiga, "Nothing but the Truth"
Taraji P. Henson, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Marisa Tomei, "The Wrestler"
Kate Winslet, "The Reader"

DIRECTOR
Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire"
David Fincher, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Ron Howard, "Frost/Nixon"
Christopher Nolan, "The Dark Knight"
Gus Van Sant, "Milk"

SCREENPLAY
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
MILK
FROST/NIXON
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
DOUBT

ANIMATED FEATURE
BOLT
KUNG FU PANDA
MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA
WALL-E
WALTZ WITH BASHIR

ACTION MOVIE
THE DARK KNIGHT
INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL
IRON MAN
QUANTUM OF SOLACE
WANTED

COMEDY
BURN AFTER READING
FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL
ROLE MODELS
TROPIC THUNDER
VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA

You gotta love a category where the Coen Brothers and Woody Allen end nominated alongside a movie where a guy flops his penis around on screen countless times (that's you, Sarah Marshall!). For a full list of nominess, visit the Broadcast Film Critic Association website.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Leftover's Anyone?

Typically, the weekend after Thanksgiving is not a busy one at the box office. This year proved to be no exception to that rule. The only major wide release was almost completely ignored and the rest of the Top 10 dropped off on average by 56%. I guess everyone is still full after last weekend.


If they are full, it is of Christmas cheer. Sorry, cheesiness is unavoidable when it comes to the holidays. I’m sure its likely fairly avoidable in FOUR CHRISTMASES as well. The Vince Vaughan/Reese Witherspoon holiday comedy has earned over $70 million in 12 days and had one of the strongest holds in the Top 10. The film will certainly see strong holds as the happy day grows nearer. As for the rest of the holdovers, it was a matter of watching to see who would fall off the most. The biggest losers were BOLT, QUANTUM OF SOLACE and MADAGASCAR 2, all dropping off over 60%. Meanwhile, AUSTRALIA held the fourth narrowest decline overall but 52% is probably still a great deal lower than Fox had hoped for. So far, AUSTRALIA has made $30 million domestically. That’s only about $100 million off from the production cost. G’day, mate!


The Top 10 saw two debuts this week. One was a modest success and one was an embarrassment. PUNISHER: WAR ZONE pulled in one third of what its 2004 predecessor, THE PUNISHER. No other new title came close to 2500 screen count and yet, right below it on the chart, a title playing in three times less screens, made nearly as much coin. CADILLAC RECORDS, a film that is more likely to earn Golden Globe nominations rather than Oscars, stars Adrian Brody and Beyonce Knowles as the legendary Etta James. The film finished with the second highest average in the Top 10 but with the onslaught of more prestigious prestige pictures coming in the weeks ahead, the music will fade pretty quick.


As per usual, all the art house love happened below the Top 10. With awards season now in full swing, limited runs will be the hottest tickets around as they test the waters in different markets in hopes of a healthy expansion. Two titles with no such worries thus far are National Board of Review winner for Best Picture, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE and six-time Satellite Award nominee, MILK. The two have certainly started strong and each earned on average around $18K per screen. These numbers are incredibly high for holdover art titles. They aren’t the only game in town though. Opening on just three screens in New York, L.A. and Toronto this weekend was Ron Howard’s FROST/NIXON. The film took in the second highest per screen average of the year with $60K. It too has received some very promising early award nods and Frank Langella’s performance is sure to drive more audiences to see the successful stage translation in the weeks to come.

NEXT WEEK: The art house gets crowded with Stephen Daldry’s THE READER, WENDY AND LUCY, starring Michelle Williams in a much buzzed about performance, Clint Eastwood’s grumpy old man movie, GRAN TURINO and another stage translation, DOUBT. On the heavier side of the scale, Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly attempt to toy with sci-fi gold with the remake of THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL.

MILK

Written by Dustin Lance Black
Directed by Gus Van Sant
Starring Sean Penn, James Franco, Emile Hirsch, Diego Luna and Josh Brolin


Harvey Milk: How do you teach homosexuality? Is it like French?

It was difficult for me to stand up after seeing Gus Van Sant’s masterful MILK. The lights had already come on so my puffy eyes could be hid no longer but I had forgotten how to move. I was too engulfed with sadness and dismay. All I could think about was how far we think we’ve come as a supposed progressive people. Harvey Milk, the man whose story Van Sant is telling, was elected into public office in the late ‘70’s in San Francisco. He was the first openly gay man to be elected to any significant level of government in American history. He was also shot and killed after being in office for less than a year. His last major political accomplishment was successfully campaigning to defeat a bill called Proposition 6. This bill would call for the dismissal of all openly gay school teachers and any persons who supported them. The bill had already passed in a number of other states and fear was mounting that even the country’s most gay-friendly city might follow suit. Harvey wouldn’t have it and ultimately, neither would San Francisco, or all of California for that matter. Why then are gay men and women still struggling to be treated like human beings to this day?


MILK picks up Harvey Milk’s life in the eight years preceeding his assassination. In that time, he meets a man who would become his lover for many years; he moves from New York to San Francisco to find new challenges; and he runs a number of times for public office as an out and proud gay man. He also loses a number of times but Milk was not a man who could easily be deterred from his very important goal. It was Milk’s mission to represent his people; to show the city he loved that the gay population was one of the reasons that the city itself was so well loved by all who visited and that they too had a powerful and reasonable voice. Milk was committed to making sure that voice was heard. Van Sant, an openly gay man himself, is just as committed to the cause but his part is very different. Even today, the image of the gay man is still being sold to mainstream, or straight if you will, audiences in a delicate way. Van Sant’s Milk is an ambitious entrepreneur. He has a strong character, funny and flighty one moment, romantic and intimate the next and always dedicated to the bigger picture outside of himself. Apparently, painting the gay man as human is still necessary because many still haven’t figured it out for themselves.


Of course, Van Sant can’t get all the credit as he is only as strong as his parts. In this case, his parts are all perfect. “Big Love” staff writer, Dustin Lance Black’s sensitive screenplay is heartbreaking and genuine. Director of photography, Harris Savides, who has brought a dreamlike lucidity to Van Sant twice before on GERRY and ELEPHANT, goes back and forth between archival and new footage seamlessly planting the viewer in both the historical context and the surrounding human drama. Danny Elfman fills the soft space with a score so layered, it can easily be described as his most original work in recent memory. And then of course, there are the men. I will never describe a straight man playing a gay role as an act of bravery. I will, however, always applaud an actor’s ability to shed their entire ego and transform into another being so fearlessly. The caliber of the mostly male ensemble cast of MILK seems raised by a desire to do justice to this important man and the difference he made. James Franco as Milk’s longtime lover continues to show versatility that I never expected by embodying support and strength. Josh Brolin, as the fellow city supervisor who ultimately kills Milk, gives a ferociously internal performance that is in constant turmoil. And though I have never been as huge a Sean Penn fan as most would appear to be, I am a devout admirer now. Penn’s performance is a rarely achieved transformation – one so believable and so gripping that it lifts the entire film to new levels of excellence and inspiration.


MILK is not only a Gus Van Sant career high but also an instant American film classic and a contemporary gay film masterpiece that, like the revelatory BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, transcends the gay experience and steps firmly into the human experience. If only for that reason alone, MILK has the potential to be more than a film and be part of a movement. After all, if there is one thing that Harvey Milk fought so hard for for so long, it was to be seen as a man who deserves the same human rights as his neighbours. Thirty years after his death, the fight he fought is still ongoing and thanks to Van Sant, Harvey Milk is back to help make sure it finally gets won.

Tis the Season: The National Board of Review

Most film critics and pundits consider the official kick-off of awards season with the National Board of Review. The NBR is a century old not-for-profit organization dedicated to film as both art and entertainment around the world. They do not go the route of nominations and subsequent winners but cut right to the chase and give the love direct and right away. This year, their love has been spread among many gracious recipients.

It is official. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE is the hot ticket Best Picture possibility this year. The NBR named it the best film of the year and also gave it props for its screenplay and the breakthrough performance of its lead, Dev Patel. Don't discount THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON yet though. David Fincher earns directing honours and the screenplay shares the honours in the adapted category with SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE. It seems to me that both of these films will be mentioned quite a bit in the coming weeks. The only other films to score two nods with the NBR are Clint Eastwood's GRAN TURINO and the soon-to-be-released DOUBT. Eastwood's second film this year, and incidentally second film alongside CHANGELING to make the NBR's Top 10 list, earned Eastwood himself top acting honours and recognition for the film's original screenplay. DOUBT picks up awards for its ensemble cast and a breakthrough nod for Viola Davis. While SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE only solidifies its buzz with this announcement, BENJAMIN BUTTON and GRAN TURINO throw their hats into the official race. Meanwhile, the remaining acting awards went to this year's darling, Anne Hathaway for RACHEL GETTING MARRIED, Josh Brolin for his supporting role in MILK and the breathtaking Penelope Cruz for her unforgettable performance in Woody Allen's VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA. We cannot discount Richard Jenkins in THE VISITOR or Melissa Leo in that pesky little FROZEN RIVER quite yet as they both were featured in the Spotlight Award category. Now, I don't know what this means at all but I'm fairly positive that if you're looking to get noticed, a spotlight could probably help you out with that.

The NBR also lists a Top 10 film list and Top 10 independent film list and both of these lists will be listed below. List, list, list.

BEST FILM
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

BEST ACTOR
Clint Eastwood, GRAN TURINO

BEST ACTRESS
Anne Hathaway, RACHEL GETTING MARRIED

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Josh Brolin, MILK

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Penelope Cruz, VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST
DOUBT

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR
Dev Patel, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS
Viola Davis, DOUBT

BEST DIRECTOR
David Fincher, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
and
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
GRANT TURINO

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
WALL-E

THE TOP 10 FILMS OF 2008
(listed alphabetically and not including SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE)
BURN AFTER READING
CHANGELING
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
DEFIANCE
FROST/NIXON
GRAN TURINO
MILK
WALL-E
THE WRESTLER

THE TOP 10 INDEPENDENT FILMS OF 2008
FROZEN RIVER
IN BRUGES
IN SEARCH OF A MIDNIGHT KISS
MR. FOE
RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
SNOW ANGELS
SON OF RAMBOW
WENDY AND LUCY
VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
THE VISITOR

For a complete list of the winners, visit the National Board of Review website. That is it for the awards season coverage this week, far as I know. Next week, its time for the critics to have their say, as the New York, Boston and L.A. film critics make their pics for the year. And of course of Thursday, its time for the Golden Globe nominations. And be sure to check back this weekend for my full length review of Gus Van Sant's MILK.

Holiday Movie Preview

There is no time like the holidays to kick back, throw on a fuzzy reindeer sweater and catch a flick at the multiplex. You’ve got movies about pedophile priests and overbearing nuns, aliens landing to end the earth, washed up wrestlers clinging to fame, married couple crumbling underneath the pressure and fantastical tales of men who grow young instead of old. Yes, all this strife is what the holidays are all about and Hollywood is there for you. Join Black Sheep as we look ahead the 2008 Holiday Movie Preview.

DOUBT
Written and Directed by John Patrick Shanley
Starring Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffmann and Amy Adams
(December 12)

Shanley brings his Pulitzer-prize winning play to the big screen with a remarkable cast. He may not have a movie since 1990’s JOE VS THE VOLCANO but the source material is so solid here that its hard to imagine him missing the mark entirely. It has Oscar buzz written all over it and Streep’s biting ferocity in the trailer has got me practically peeing in my pants.

RANDOM TIDBIT: Natalie Portman was originally considered for the Amy Adams role but she could not connect with the celibate plight of a nun.


THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL
Written by David Scarpa
Directed by Scott Derrickson
Starring Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly and Kathy Bates
(December 12)

Derrickson remakes the 1951 classic which most consider to be pretty darn near already perfect. Well, nothing guarantees the integrity of a film like casting Keanu Reeves. No, but seriously, the trailers are intriguing and 20th Century Fox is certainly to catch the same audience that made I AM LEGEND into a $256 million domestic smash.

RANDOM TIDBIT: The original film was directed by Robert Wise, director of the first STAR TREK film as well as WEST SIDE STORY and THE SOUND OF MUSIC.


THE WRESTLER
Written by Robert D. Siegal
Directed by Darren Aronofsky
Starring Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood
(December 17)

After his last film, THE FOUNTAIN, tanked loudly, Aronofsky needed some seclusion and rest. He’s coming back fighting though with this unlikely crowd pleaser. The film was bought by Fox Searchlight at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival and Rourke is considered a front-runner in the Best Actor category at this year’s Oscars.

RANDOM TIDBIT: Nicolas Cage was originally considered for the Rourke character. He had even started his research phase but was eventually replaced by Rourke for undisclosed reasons.


REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
Written by Justin Haythe
Directed by Sam Mendes
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet and Kathy Bates
(December 26)

Who hasn’t wanted to see DiCaprio and Winslet get back together on screen since they last paired in TITANIC? Ok, it may not be as desperate a scenario as I make it out to be but people are definitely excited to see them together again. Only this time, they’re not falling in love, they’re falling into monotony. Honestly, I’m more excited to see Mendes deal with some of the same issues he did in AMERICAN BEAUTY.

RANDOM TIDBIT: I got two for you here. This is actually the first time that Winslet and Mendes, who have been married for years now, have worked together. Also, Todd Field was originally attached to direct this but he chose to do LITTLE CHILDREN instead, also starring Winslet.


THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Written by Eric Roth
Directed by David Fincher
Starring Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton
(December 25)

Here’s an interesting one. Pitt plays Benjamin Button, a man who is aging backwards while the rest of the worlds ages as per the norm. You can imagine how difficult this makes dealing with humanity. Fincher, the mman behind such contemporary classics as SE7EN, FIGHT CLUB and last year’s ZODIAC, is a front runner in the Best Director category and the picture is being tipped as the film to beat this year. I know where I will be on Christmas day.

RANDOM TIDBIT: Pitt’s daughter, Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, makes a cameo appearance in the film. She was 10 months old when the footage was shot.

Also in December: Beyonce channels Etta James in CADILLAC RECORDS. Ron Howard brings the wildly successful play, FROST/NIXON to the screen and hopefully the Oscars. Stephen Daldry follows us THE HOURS with another literary adaptation, THE READER, starring Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes. Client Eastwood tries for another Oscar with GRAN TURINO, in which he plays what seems like a grumpy old man … with a gun! Michelle Williams turns in an incredibly understated performance as a vagrant looking for her dog in WENDY & LUCY. Box office golden boy, Will Smith reteams with THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS director, Gabrele Muccino in SEVEN POUNDS. Say yes to Jim Carrey in THE YES MAN. Graphic novel king, Frank Miller, tries his hand at directing by himself with THE SPIRIT. Tom Cruise tries for prestige with VALKYRIE but I don’t hear anyone caring. And Owen Wilson returns to film after his suicide attempt last year with MARLEY & ME, a movie about a man and the world’s worst dog. Apparently now, he wants to kill his career instead of himself. Hmmm, too soon? Oh well, Happy Holidays!!

Tis the Season: The Independent Spirit Awards

We are already two days in to awards season and things are already looking up for a couple of standout titles. Now, yes, the Independent Spirit Awards, which are voted for by the members of Film Independent, are not exactly clear indicators for the Oscars. In fact, they're much more like the anti-Oscars. Oddly, they are one of the first to announce their nominations but one of the latest to announce their winners. As always, the ceremony will be held the day before the Oscar telecast, so in this case on February 21, on a beach in Santa Monica under a big tent. I think you can even wear jeans if you feel like it. The horror.

Anyhow, three films tied for the most nominations with six a piece. I'm happy to say that one of the leaders is one of my favorites from this year, RACHEL GETTING MARRIED. The Jonathan Demme pic earned nominations for Best Feature, Director, Actress (Anne Hathaway), Supporting Actress (Rosemarie DeWitt and Debra Winger), as well as Best First Screenplay (Jenny Lumet). Hopefully the love for this film will continue to spread past its actors as, although they are excellent, the film itself deserves recognition. RACHEL GETTING MARRIED will be going head to head in each of those categories with none other than FROZEN RIVER. Now, if you read my post yesterday about the Satellite Awards, you would know that I have never even heard of this movie but yet here it is again. It is still too early to call this film a dark horse for Oscar noms but I am still surprised to see it start so quickly out of the gate. The third film to catch six noms is surprisingly another film I've never heard of, BALLAST. Maybe I am just not doing my job that well. Anyway, the Best Feature category is rounded out by THE WRESTLER and WENDY AND LUCY. These two films each earned their lead actors (Mickey Rourke and Michelle Williams, respectively) nominations in the lead acting categories as well, which gives each of them great street cred going forward. Rourke is considered a lock for an Oscar nomination but Williams needs all the support she can get and this is a great place to start. I must say I was surprised not to see MILK and THE VISITOR in the top category as each film picked up four nominations each but missed on the main prize. The day after his 73rd birthday, Woody Allen saw some awards love for VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA, as his critical darling picked up noms for Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz and Mr. Allen himself earned a screenplay nod. Meanwhile, Charlie Kaufman saw some strong support for his ill-received first feature, SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK. The film will receive the Robert Altman Award, which goes to the best ensemble cast, including the casting director, and Kaufman himself picked up nods for the screenplay and for directing in the First Feature category. It will need a lot more than this to come up come Oscar time though. And finally, Montreal's own, Yung Chang, grabbed a nomination in the Best Documentary category for his beautiful film, UP THE YANGTZE.

Quick side note, voting for the Independent Spirit Awards is onle available online, to make things as green as possible. Here is a partial list of the nominees:

FEATURE
BALLAST
FROZEN RIVER
RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
WENDY AND LUCY
THE WRESTLER

DIRECTOR
Ramin Bahrani, "Chop Shop"
Jonathan Demme, "Rachel Getting Married"
Lance Hammer, "Ballast"
Courtney Hunt, "Frozen River"
Thomas McCarthy, "The Visitor"

FIRST FEATURE
AFTERSCHOOL
MEDICINE FOR MELANCHOLY
SANGRE DE MI SANGRE
SLEEP DEALER
SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK

MALE LEAD
Javier Bardem, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor"
Sean Penn, "Milk"
Jeremy Renner, "The Hurt Locker"
Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"

FEMALE LEAD
Summer Bishil, "Towelhead"
Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"
Melissa Leo, "Frozen River"
Tarra Riggs, "Ballast"
Michelle Williams, "Wendy and Lucy"

SUPPORTING MALE
James Franco, "Milk"
Anthonie Mackie, "The Hurt Locker"
Charlie McDermott, "Frozen River"
Jim Myron Ross, "Ballast"
Haaz Sleiman, "The Visitor"

SUPPORTING FEMALE
Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Rosemarie DeWirr, "Rachel Getting Married"
Rosie Perez, "The Take"
Misty Upham, "Frozen River"
Debra Winger, "Rachel Getting Married"

SCREENPLAY
Woody Allen, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck, "Sugar"
Charlie Kaufmann, "Synecdoche, New York"
Howard A. Rodman, "Savage Grace"
Christopher Zalla, "Sangre de me Sangre"

FIRST SCREENPLAY
Dustin Lance Black, "Milk"
Lance Hammer, "Ballast"
Courtney Hunt, "Frozen River"
Jonathan Levine, "The Wackness"
Jenny Lumet, "Rachel Getting Married"

For a full list of the nominees in all of the categories, please visit the Film Independent website. Next up, the National Board of Review.

Tis the Season: The Satellite Awards

Yes, 'tis the season ... awards season, that is! Sure the holidays are coming fast and sure there isn't enough money to pay the rent, let alone gifts, but Hollywood doesn't care. No matter what crisis the world is facing, Hollywood will always make time to pat itself on the back. Awards season may be entirely trivial to some (or maybe most) but as far as I'm concerned, it's the most wonderful time of the year! For the next month and a half, a multitude of different critics' associations and press and film associations will announce their 2008 favorites. And though they'd all like to think that their nominations are the final word on the subject, they are all just contributing factors to the mother of all awards, the Oscar.

In the meantime, awards season kicks off with this weekend's announcement of the 13th Annual Satellite Awards. Albeit too early to suggest that these nominations will have a direct impact on the Academy nominations but please allow me some early observations. First of all, call me ignorant, but what on earth is FROZEN RIVER? How can a movie I've never heard off find its way into the Best Actress (Drama), Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture (Drama) categories? It will need a lot more support than this to become a serious contender. I'm very happy to see the love being thrown at THE VISITOR, which scored nominations for actor (Richard Jenkins), director and writing (both Thomas McCarthy). Meanwhile, two serious contenders - SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE and MILK - tied for the most nominations with six a piece, including Best Picture (Drama). That category is rounded out by THE READER, REVOLUTIONARY ROAD, and FROST/NIXON. This presents some early concern for a few films that seemed poised for the ultimate greatness. THE DARK KNIGHT earned Christopher Nolan a directing nomination and Heath Ledger a Supporting Actor nomination but failed to capture the big prize. And supposed front runner, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON came up empty in the picture, director and actor category for Brad Pitt. WALL-E's dreams of scoring a picture nomination seem to be fading fast but Pixar can celebrate their nomination in the Animated Feature category, where KUNG FU PANDA was shut out despite scoring 17 nominations at the Annie awards. And lastly but not the least bit surprising, Meryl Streep is a big winner here as she earns not one but two nominations in the Best Actress categories - one for DOUBT (Drama) and one for MAMMA MIA! (Comedy).

The Satellite Awards are hosted by the International Press Academy and the winners will be announced on December 14. A selected list of the film nominations are:

ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE (DRAMA)
Melissa Leo, "Frozen River"
Angelina Jolie, "Changeling"
Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"
Kristen Scott Thomas, "I've Loved You So Long"
Meryl Streep, "Doubt"
Kate Winslet, "The Reader"

ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE (DRAMA)
Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"
Mark Ruffalo, "What Doesn't Kill You"
Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor"
Frank Langella, "Frost/Nixon"
Leonardo DiCaprio, "Revolutionary Road"
Sean Penn, "Milk"

ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE (COMEDY OR MUSICAL)
Sally Hawkins, "Happy-Go-Lucky"
Meryl Streep, "Mamma Mia!"
Lisa Kudrow, "Kabluey"
Kat Dennings, "Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist"
Catherine Deneuve, "A Christmas Tale"
Debra Messing, "Nothing Like the Holidays"

ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE (COMEDY OR MUSICAL)
Ricky Gervais, "Ghost Town"
Sam Rockwell, "Choke"
Josh Brolin, "W."
Michael Cera, "Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist"
Brendan Gleeson, "In Bruges"
Mark Rufallo, "The Brothers Bloom"

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Rosemarie DeWitt, "Rachel Getting Married"
Penelope Cruz, "Elegy"
Anjelica Huston, "Choke"
Sophie Okonedo, "The Secret Life of Bees"
Emma Thompson, "Brideshead Revisited"
Beyonce Knowles, "Cadillac Records"

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Michael Shannon, "Revolutionary Road"
Robert Downey Jr., "Tropic Thunder"
Rade Sherbedgia, "Fugitive Pieces"
James Franco, "Milk"
Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Doubt"

MOTION PICTURE (DRAMA)
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire
Revolutionary Road
Frost/Nixon
Milk
Frozen River

MOTION PICTURE (COMEDY)
Happy-Go-Lucky
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Tropic Thunder
In Bruges
Choke

ANIMATED MOTION PICTURE
The Tale of Despereaux
Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!
WALL-E
Bolt
Waltz with Bashir
The Sky Crawlers

DIRECTOR
Thomas McCarthy, "The Visitor"
Ron Howard, "Frost/Nixon"
Gus Van Sant, "Milk"
Christopher Nolan, "The Dark Knight"
Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire"
Stephen Daldry, "The Reader"

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
ELEGY
THE VISITOR
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
AUSTRALIA
MILK

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
DOUBT
FROST/NIXON
THE READER
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

For a complete list of nominations, visit the International Press Academy website.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Four American Christmases and an Australian Turkey

Ah, Thanksgiving. You can always count on this special holiday, even in times of crushing economic woe, to reinvigorate the marketplace and get people spending again. It just makes me feel so warm inside. After all, there are now less than 30 days until the mother of all holidays. You can avoid putting up the lights or block out the holiday tunes at the mall but Christmas has hit the theatres. In fact, four Christmases have hit.


FOUR CHRISTMASES opened behind last week’s champ, TWILIGHT, on Wednesday, when it and a number of other releases entered the marketplace to capitalize on the holiday. It quickly took over on Thursday and led through the weekend for a $31 million debut and a $46 million five-day take. The critically-panned feature is Witherspoon’s return to comedy and a blatant attempt to recapture America’s hearts and it is Vince Vaughan’s second holiday feature in a row in his apparent course to be America’s family man. As obvious the choice is, FOUR CHRISTMASES has opened better than anything either has put out in ages so I’m sure the eggnog is flowing freely by the fire for these two this weekend – that is if they didn’t hate each other. I’m just telling you what I heard.


The next three positions in the Top 5 went to holdovers, which meant that the week’s two other wide releases had to settle for much less prestigious debuts. Baz Luhrmann returned to theatres for the first time since his 2001 Best Picture nominee, MOULIN ROUGE! with AUSTRALIA, a $120 million epic love story. Expensive epic disaster sounds more appropriate right now. This was considered to be a major box-office and award season contender and now it looks like it could end up being neither. Earning a modest but respectable $5,600 per screen average would ordinarily be a solid start but this costly mess needed a grand slam debut to recoup its costs. The fact that critics are split on it certainly didn’t help matters much and without award season kudos, Luhrmann won’t be getting any second helpings. Meanwhile, the TRANSPORTER series starring Jason Statham went back for thirds. The third and likely last installment brought in about $8 million less than its predecessor did in its opening frame. Even TRANSPORTER 3’s five-day take didn’t match the $20 million debut of TRANSPORTER 3. Still, the franchise is relatively cheap to produce so Jason Statham is still sitting pretty at the head of the B-list celebrity action stars table.


There was much to be thankful for if you almost any other movie in the Top 10. As expected (and desperately wished for by the Disney people), BOLT improved upon last week’s take and inched up a notch to the number two spot. Bond’s QUANTUM OF SOLACE saw a slight decline of just 27% as good working folk who had not had a chance to catch their favorite international spy finally made their way out to catch him. The cuddly if not irritating animals of MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA caught another wave of kids out of school for the break and only slipped off a scant 7%. And ROLE MODELS continued to make good on its strong word of mouth, dropping off just 28%. The most troubling stumble was also somewhat expected as the front heavy TWILIGHT plummeted over 62% in its second week. Still, $120 million is 10 days is a bloody mouthful.


Sure it’s great that a little film like THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS can spend two consecutive weeks in the Top 10, even improving in its second week. But it’s hard to take too much notice when two other even smaller releases are producing mind boggling numbers. Danny Boyle’s SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE is becoming a surprise Best Picture contender and is stuck just outside the Top 10 for a second week at number eleven. On just 49 screens, SLUMDOG pulled in an average of almost $28K for a grand total of $3.6 million. All this before it has even gone wide. One other film though shut it out from the Top 10 it is gunning for so badly and that film is MILK. The buzz on this one is almost deafening and considering the controversial vote on Proposition 8 earlier this month in California, MILK, a biography of the first openly gay American politician, Harvey Milk, could not be more topical. Gus Van Sant and Sean Penn will likely see many reasons to celebrate as the weeks ahead unravel but whether they can reach BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN numbers remains to be seen.

NEXT WEEK: One needs at least one week to recover from this much consumption. This would explain why next week is pretty quiet. The widest release is the new PUNISHER movie (huh?). Aside from that, there are a couple of mid-size releases, CADILLAC RECORDS and NOBEL SON. At least the art house crowd can get excited over FROST / NIXON but it seems pickings will be slim so eat up now.

AUSTRALIA

Written by Stuart Beattie and Baz Luhrmann
Directed by Baz Luhrmann
Starring Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Brandon Walters and David Wenham


The Drover: Oh, crikey!

Australia, the land down under. A land grand in size and rich in scenery. A land where kangaroos jump spryly alongside cars and aboriginal children go on walkabout without warning. Yes, this is Australia or at the very least, this is the clichéd representation of the country as per Baz Luhrmann’s AUSTRALIA, a film that is part epic romance and part homage to the country he calls home. Luhrmann shot to fame in the early 90’s with his first feature, STRICTLY BALLROOM, a film that took place down under and for a tiny fraction of what AUSTRALIA cost, was a more genuine insight into the people who reside there. Nearly twenty years later, his magic seems to have turned into madness as I can think of no other justification for Luhrmann reducing his home and its history into stereotypical schlock ready to serve to unintentionally naïve American audiences.


AUSTRALIA takes place in 1939, just before the Japanese attacked the country during the Second World War. Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman, whose performance is uneven but still engaging), is a British aristocrat who has traveled far from home to find her husband and bring him back. Her husband’s business in Australia got the best of him though and he has passed away. It is now up to this displaced diva to finish the job. She must put aside her dainty nature to rough it in the outback, herding cattle with a group of misfits, in order to take down corruption and monopolistic authorities running the cattle show. Throw in a steamy romance between Ashley and her main cattle handler (Hugh Jackman, easily earning his recent “Sexiest Man Alive” title), and you got yourself a movie. Well, you would have yourself a regular sized movie but this is Luhrmann’s opus, one which he seems conscious of the entire time. To fill the 2 hour and 45 minute run time, Luhrmann definitely throws in the romance but also adds racial issues, family drama, gender prejudice and a great war. It is boiling over with potential but missing the great deal of passion necessary to sustain itself.


After completing his Red Curtain Trilogy (including his first feature as well as WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S ROMEO + JULIET and MOULIN ROUGE!), Luhrmann wanted to tackle historical accounts in his next films. The first was to be a biography of Alexander the Great but Oliver Stone beat him to that a few years back. Luhrmann then turned to his origins for inspiration instead and AUSTRALIA was born. The Red Curtain Trilogy was defined by style and theme. While Luhrmann hasn’t abandoned his dedication to love in AUSTRALIA, Luhrmann did set aside the signature schizophrenic style that made distinct lovers and haters of all who watched his works. Baz Luhrmann without everything that made him who he was is almost unrecognizable or unidentifiable even. You can almost feel him fighting with himself to tone down the extremities of the scenarios or slowing the speed of the story. The camera will move quickly all of a sudden but is reeled back in just as quickly. AUSTRALIA becomes a lesson in shame, one that I never expected from a man who so vehemently campaigned for truth and self in the past. By trying to be something he isn’t, Luhrmann only succeeded in losing his voice.


AUSTRALIA is a solid effort, sturdy on its feet but a slow and steady stride instead of the adventure it so clearly wants to be. It can be touching; it can be somewhat moving even; but it feels mostly as vague and meandering as the outback is vast. It is too theatrical and forced to be firmly historical and too unsure of itself to be genuinely effective. It is the most misguided mediocrity I’ve even seen go on for nearly three hours. I felt very little, learned even less; It was like being on an adventure where barely anything seemed to happen but you still appreciate the potential afforded by being there.. I just wish that the Baz I grew to know and love felt like he had come along for the ride because I feel like we didn’t spend any time together at all.

Director Series: BAZ LUHRMANN

Baz Luhrmann may not be a household name. Give it a second though to explain a little who the man is and anyone who has seen his films has an opinion on him and his intense sense of style. He incites more polarized reactions from film fanatics than most of his contemporaries and even his detractors will accord him the title of auteur. After all, what should incite that title other than a unique way of seeing things and a distinct way of getting those things across? In 1992, Luhrmann gave the world his first feature, STRICTLY BALLROOM. It cost barely anything to make and it grabbed the world by the waist and spun it around the dance floor so many times that it left the world in a dizzy haze. Sixteen years later, Luhrmann is one of the big boys, making movies that cost well over $100 million to produce. On the eve of his latest and first film in seven years, AUSTRALIA, Black Sheep Reviews takes a moment to catch its breath and take a look back at Luhrmann’s first three films that, when grouped together, are otherwise known as the Red Curtain Trilogy.


STRICTLY BALLROOM opens the Red Curtain Trilogy by literally opening with a red curtain. The curtain is pulled and we open on a near-full silhouette of two competitive dance couples. The men in black tuxedos stand tall and strong while the women in colorful ruffles bring fluidity to their opposing stiffness. The whole image is framed behind French doors and it is clear within the first few frames that Luhrmann is man with flare, style and both an eye and an appreciation for beauty. One of the men behind the door is Scott Hastings (Paul Mercurio), a young dancer who has worked his whole life to take home the Pan-Pacific trophy for Best Ballroom Dancer. Everything in his life and everyone that surrounds him has played a part in making this happen but Scott has come to an untimely realization. In order to wine the Pan-Pacific competition, he must dance the ballroom steps as strictly as they are meant to be but his feet can no longer adhere to such rigid expectations. They have a rhythm all their own and they can no longer stand still. And with this, Luhrmann lets us see the side of him that will guide us through the rest of this trilogy. Love, above all else, be that the love of another person or the love that lives inside of you that inspires the passion you must pursue, is the only thing in life that matters.


STRICTLY BALLROOM earned Luhrmann countless year-end accolades, including a Golden Globe nomination for Best Musical/Comedy (which it lost to MRS. DOUBTFIRE). Of course, this opened many a backstage door for Luhrmann and before long, his next project was announced. What does a man who values love above all else tackle as the second part in his homage to one of life’s greatest mysteries? Simple; he decided to tell the greatest love story ever told, WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S ROMEO + JULIET. Only Luhrmann can’t do simple. His take on the bard would be decidedly modern, moving the classic from fair Verona to Verona Beach in Southern California. The tale would be told in present day; swords would be traded for guns and kinsmen would become posses. And just when it seemed that Luhrmann could not disparage this masterpiece any further, he cast the young teen idols, Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes in the title roles. It could have been a huge disaster but it ends up being one of the most effective Shakespearean adaptations in recent history. Luhrmann’s insightful understanding of the brilliant source material pours out of his beautiful leads and allows for Shakespeare to be not only enjoyed but understood by the adolescent market. By successfully recontextualizing ROMEO + JULIET from the stage to the streets, Luhrmann reminded audiences why Shakespeare is timeless. It’s also innately and achingly romantic but that goes without saying when Luhrmann is involved.


The curtain returns for one last time with 2001’s Best Picture nominee, MOULIN ROUGE! This time, a musical conductor stands in front of it guides an orchestra through an overture that ushers in one of the most original musicals in history. It is Paris at the turn of the 20th century. The Moulin Rouge is more than just a name, it is a place where men and women find company in strangers’ arms and empty their pockets before they turn for home. It is home to extravagance, elegance and decadence. It is all so lavish and dramatic; it all so quintessentially Baz Luhrmann. While the film is certainly boisterous enough on its own, it comes alive all over again the moment Ewan McGregor opens his mouth to sing. Though he is singing the Elton John’s “Your Song” or the title track from “The Sound of Music”, it is as through the words that are coming out of his mouth have never been said before or never had this particular meaning and depth. Reappropriating modern lyrics we’ve all heard before grounds them tonally as though they are connected thoughts and not just catchy tunes. Ever the romantic, McGregor makes the error of falling in love with a courtesan (Nicole Kidman) and she in turn makes the mistake of falling for McGregor’s penniless writer. When love calls though, you cannot fight against its choices no matter how certain you are that it is wrong. MOULIN ROUGE! epitomizes the values that were introduced in the two previous installments of this trilogy – beauty, freedom, truth and love. These are the true bohemian ideals and Luhrmann is the modern day king of the true bohemians.


When we go for a show, we sit, we wait and we stare at the red curtain before it opens to show us all its secrets. Lurhmann grew up behind that curtain, having been raised by parents heavily involved in the arts and now he has also grown up as a director in the same place with these three films. It is as though his unique view were born by realizing that following your passion is the only path to happiness; that this passion went through a young and rebellious stage; and that it eventually settled in to its true nature and accepted all of its own transformative power. Lurhmann is an artist’s artist. He gave us dance, theatre and music and he did it all the way that only he could. And when the curtain closes, the audience is left with only one thing – love.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Twilight's Big Bite

Every now and then I am reminded that I am not a teenager anymore. I don’t have a favorite Jonas Brother; I couldn’t get through the first 20 minutes of the first HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL; and up until this past spring when I first saw posters appearing in the city, I had never heard of Stephanie Meyer or TWILIGHT. Little did I know, it was a phenomenon amongst the younger folks. Even going in to this weekend, I thought it was going to be that big. It was a crowded weekend and the trailers looked pretty flat. When I read that 2,000 advance screenings had already sold out though, I knew I was bloody wrong about the whole thing.


And so TWILIGHT flew out of the cave with midnight Thursday screenings tallying $7 million and rode that wave to a total of $35 million on Friday alone. That’s $8 million more than Bond brought in last Friday. TWILIGHT finished the weekend surpassing everyone’s expectations (and essentially annihilating mine) with a grand total of over $70 million, becoming the fourth biggest November opening of all time, behind three separate Harry Potter installments. I wonder if the Potter people regret the move out of this weekend now.


Meanwhile, Bond got banged by bad word of mouth and tumbled nearly 60% in its second week to just $27 million. This kind of fall means QUANTUM OF SOLACE will struggle to surpass CASINO ROYALE’s $165 million domestic total. Overseas, Bond has nothing to cry about as the film is seriously outpacing the last installment but this is definitely a different story on the home front. QUANTUM OF SOLACE barely came in second place, and may very likely end up in third after the final numbers come in tomorrow. Considering Sony over inflated last weekend’s gross to look as though QUANTUM OF SOLACE had done better numbers than THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM, it would not shock me if they did to save face for losing to an animated dog.


The dog in question is BOLT, Disney’s 3D animated film featuring the voices of John Travolta and Miley Cyrus. I’m sure the Disney peeps were hoping for a bigger haul this weekend than $27 million but BOLT’s bite was no match for that of TWILIGHT. With very little strict family fare coming in the weeks to follow though, BOLT could surprise with strong legs. The Thanksgiving holiday is certainly going to give BOLT a big boost.

Two particular arthouse films have much to celebrate this weekend. The first is THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS. The WWII drama debuted last week to strong numbers and expanded this week into 368 screens to see its haul increase by 252%. The even bigger success is hiding just below the Top 10 at number 11. One of this year’s biggest crowd pleasers, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, added 22 screens this weekend and saw another week averaging over $31K per screen. The Danny Boyle Oscar hopeful shot up over 176% and looks poised for the Top 10 next week.

Speaking of … NEXT WEEK: It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without holiday film fare. Enter Vince Vaughan and Reese Witherspoon in FOUR CHRISTMASES. Baz Luhrmann returns to cinemas after a seven-year absence with AUSTRALIA, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. And for those who think holidays are for guns and explosions, Jason Statham returns with TRANSPORTER 3. Mmmm, pass the turkey, please.

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Written by Simon Beaufoy
Directed by Danny Boyle
Starring Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Madhur Mittal and Irfan Khan


They say that every moment in our lives has led up to the one that we are experiencing right now; that it is written, predetermined or fated. I suppose this is true for me. I certainly wouldn’t be writing this review of Danny Boyle’s SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE had I not seen the film to begin with. And, according to Boyle, he would not have made the film if he didn’t need to dive into a project that was thoroughly grounded and connected to the earth after making his last sci-fi flick, SUNSHINE. So with fate appropriately in place and gently leading the way, Boyle has made a film that honours the concept itself and has a great time getting caught up in it instead of fighting against it. The trouble though is that by acknowledging every move in fate’s game plan, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE kills the mystery and makes fate into a trap instead of the comfort it could be.


The title, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, refers to a particular person, Jamal Malik (Dev Patel), as he grew up in the slums of Mumbai and is now in the unexpected position of being a finalist on India’s version of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” Doctors and lawyers, they haven’t made it this far in the game and yet here is this young kid who works in a call centre on the verge of taking the big prize. The kid doesn’t even answer the phones; he gets the coffee for the people who answer the phones. How could he know the answers to all these questions? He has no formal education; he doesn’t come from a well-respected background. The answer is simple. He must be cheating. And so when the show breaks for the day, Malik is secretly taken into custody and tortured by the police so that he can explain to them just how he’s done it. Not surprisingly, he doesn’t take too kindly to the torture and he also doesn’t believe that he has anything to hide. Malik simply sits down with the detective (an underused Irrfan Khan) and explains, question by question, how his life experiences taught him everything he needed to know.


Boyle likes to play with style in his movies and SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE is certainly no different than SUNSHINE or TRAINSPOTTING on this level. Thankfully, his style is never solely used to make up for a lack of substance but there is still something to be said about overdoing it. It is beautifully shot, full of life and colour, but it is often excessive and distracting. I mean, even the sub-titles are over-stylized, appearing anywhere on the screen and boxed by another bright colour to separate them from the image. I wish Boyle would learn to trust his natural instincts more and not feel he needs these embellishes to keep our attention. He just doesn’t do simple and all the while that he’s putting these flourishes on the image, he misses how the rigidity of Simon Beaufoy’s story is stifling the plausibility of Malik’s plight. Essentially, Malik must give us his entire life story as it relates to the game questions. The structure becomes deliberate and expected very quickly – question, explanation, question, explanation. There is no room for surprise and how boring is fate without that particular element?


SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE is still a crowd pleaser. It’s just of the contrived and conventional variety but cleverly disguised as topical and concerned. Boyle does expose us to an original love story between Malik and his childhood love, Latika (played as an adult by Freida Pinto), told in the unlikely setting of the dangerous Mumbai streets. Poverty and corruption frame what is a genuinely believable and moving love between these two young actors. They are not only both beautiful but they are both innocent and sincere. You will root for them and you will delight in their ultimate outcomes that culminate in a jubilant closing credit sequence (stay in your seat, trust me). But if whatever events in your life led you to seeing this movie and made you into the kind of person that can see past the flare to the formal, then you know that fate is not as specific nor as simple to spot as Boyle seems to believe.

JCVD

Written by Frederic Benudis, Marouk El Mechri and Christophe Turpin
Directed by Marouk El Mechri
Starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Francois Damiens and Zinedine Soualem


Jean-Claude Van Damme: I’m 47 years old and it is very difficult for me to do everything in one shot.
Director (in Japanese): He still thinks we’re making “Citizen Kane”.

My personal experience with Jean-Claude Van Damme is fairly specific. I may have seen BLOODSPORT more than a dozen times when I was teenager. This is not because I particularly enjoyed the film (although I must admit that image of Van Damme doing the splits in his underwear across the kitchen counter tops has never quite left my head); no, the reason I’ve seen the Van Damme classic so many times has a lot more to do with laziness than anything else. My younger brother, he was the one with the obsession. He’s seen that movie countless times and I was just too lazy to get off the couch sometimes when he would throw it on yet again. While the splits may have left their impression, I never saw Van Damme as anything more than an action star joke. After watching JCVD though, it would appear that the joke has been on me all along.


JCVD is an entirely unexpected experience. Quite frankly, I don’t see how it could be anything else. I mean, what would you be expecting if you found yourself paying to see the latest Van Damme movie? Explosions? Fighting? Poor pronunciation? What would you say if I told you that you got all of that and so much more? JCVD is a clever and engaging piece from director, Marouk El Mechri, that casts Van Damme as himself in a fictional scenario that rings so loud at times, you might think it to be hard truth. Van Damme, having fallen into obscurity, or at least fallen from Hollywood’s good graces, if those actually exist, and is now making quick and easy action pics for even quicker money. He is in the midst of a bitter custody dispute over his daughter and he has simply had enough. He decides to slow his life down and focus on what matters. He just has a few bills to settle first. He walks into a post office in Brussels (where the muscles originates from) and suddenly finds himself in a hostage situation. The police believe he is one of the robbers though and instantly, the world is watching. Inside though, this famous action star is just another person with a gun to his head. The hero has become the victim.


El Mechri’s playful direction takes us back and forth between both sides of the hostage situation while also taking us back and forth in time and place. Van Damme is either taking hit on the set, in court or even from taxi cab driver fans who consider him to be less forthcoming than they expected. The man is broken but trying. This would ordinarily be considered noble but Van Damme is a celebrity and that is simply not allowed for their kind. I’m not about to hand Van Damme an Oscar nomination (as though I have those in my pockets just waiting or something) but his vulnerability, his honesty and his candor are all so surprisingly genuine and effective. He still kicks some hard ass but who ever expected to laugh (with and not at) or think at a Van Damme movie? Certainly not I. After seeing JVCD though, all I want to do is give the man a hug