AWARDS 2011: The "Bad" in the Golden Globe nods!

I'm not often praising the Golden Globe nominations at all, as most year's they're just the afterthought of the season. Nobody should care, and yet we do. Why? Because the split of the Drama and Musical/Comedy branches makes room for the films and actors that would have been left behind otherwise. For the most part anyway, as there are things I still don't quite get. The Globe nods made it clear that it was a light field this year, as most of the "Drama" films nominated weren't really dramas. Doesn't it make sense that "The Descendants", "Hugo", and "The Help" would fall more kindly under Comedy?

It makes it all the more odd that "The Artist" IS nominated for Best Comedy/Musical, a category it is destined to win of course. But while we're talking about things that don't belong, somebody explain to me how "My Week with Marilyn" is a comedy. If that qualifies as a comedy, then throw "W.E." up there by all means! The lead drama acting nods were typical enough of what you'll see on Oscar nominations morning, with the only exceptions being Ryan Gosling in "Ides of March" and Rooney Mara in "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". The lead comedy acting nods were so much more interesting, as they offer space for Brendan Gleeson ("The Guard"), Ryan Gosling again ("Crazy, Stupid, Love."), and Kristen Wiig in the underrated performance of the year for "Bridesmaids".

The supporting performance branches seem just as lost as usual, aside from Albert Brooks and Christopher Plummer of course. And that's more or less it aside from noting how depressing the Original Song category is. Nary a worthy song in sight. As for the television branch, there nothing I really can say. Well, aside from the bogus omissions of "Cougar Town", "Community", and most shockingly of all, "Breaking Bad"! Color me red! So yeah, this is why nobody SHOULD care about the Golden Globes.

Film Review: "The Ides of March"

"I'm not going away."

It took far too long for me to finally get to seeing George Clooney's fourth directorial effort. It's difficult to believe that he's already had that many films under his belt as a director. And the fact of the matter is that he still has no real identity as a director. Between this, "Good Night and Good Luck", "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind", and the odd move of "Leatherheads", we can't really say what his style is. Even two films in, Ben Affleck has a known stylistic mind about him, as well as an integrity that keeps getting stronger. We've yet to see that from Clooney, but he seems to be getting there. It's a testimony to how much he knows the industry he's in that "The Ides of March" doesn't fall apart.

The film opens unassumingly, with Ryan Gosling heading up to a microphone and speaking things that would seemingly condemn him in a debate. It's not just that there's no context to it, but there's no real passion in it, because these words don't belong to him. They may have been written by him, but they belong to his employer, democratic presidential candidate Mike Morris, played with a practice sense of entitlement by Clooney. Gosling's Stephen Meyers is working on Morris' campaign under senior manager Paul Zara, played very much like Phillip Seymour Hoffman by Phillip Seymour Hoffman. This isn't so much about political goings-on as it is about tentative politics. Everything's up in the air, and anybody is expendable without a second thought.

For Your Anticipation: Make it Mandatory

I don't mean to wage war against anything and everything that others are likely to clamor for, but I've had doubts against "The Ides of March" from the beginning. However, those doubts are that it's anything that goes above and beyond towards Oscar recognition. With positive, though not ecstatic, reviews, I think we can rule out its chances at getting that 5% passion plea from the Academy. Not going to happen. All the same, if this seems so overtly self-evident, I still have expectations that it'll fly well with audiences, and with me as well. I'm not out for Clooney's destruction. I'm just trying to keep things in a generally level-headed area.

Carpet-Bagging: Men of Lowered Confidence

If I'm going to be perfectly audience, I think this is one of the weakest years in recent memory for the Best Actor race. That might be because my standards just recently were raised, but I'm having trouble finding any of the supposed frontrunners in this race really that fascinating. There's a similar problem in the Supp. Actor race, but that's more to do with the fact that it's really anyone's game. In the lead category, I'm just having trouble putting much faith behind even one candidate. Of course, there is plenty of room for debate here, and we'll get a better idea of the race when the critics awards start hitting, but for now it's hard to figure this one out.

The nominees seem like the most easily assembled bunch, and yet when you look a little deeper below the surface, there's going to be a tussle for the nominations this year. Brad Pitt has had a ton of buzz recently for "Moneyball", but I'm having strong doubts that will last through till year's end. It's a charming performance, but I don't think that will be enough to eek out a nod. One thing that's important to remember is how elite these races are supposed to be, and Pitt just might be the odd person out in this race. I think it's more likely for him to get passion for "The Tree of Life" than for this, as well he should.

Film Review: "Drive" (****)

"I used to produce movies, in the 80s. Kind of like action films. Sexy stuff. One critic called them European. I thought they were shit."

Nicolas Winding Refn doesn't make any illusions about his being a specific taste, and the negative reactions to his films only reinforce that resolve he's created. To that note, "Drive" works so exceptionally as a title to his latest film, which sees him crafting his festishizations to peak effect. Some could, and many probably are, talking about how this is a film about what people live for and what spurs them on, or to be a bit more direct, what drives them. In more than a few ways, it absolutely is. You don't have to be an esteemed critic to figure that out. However, Refn hasn't ever really been about philosophical exercises on the purpose of humanity, and he doesn't pretend to this time either.

"Drive" is a full-blooded narrative film, from that gut-in-throat opening scene on. That opening sets the stage in a way that almost counter-productively puts the audiences expecting an action film with the wrong impression. Then they're stuck with another 90 minutes they'll slap with the label of "boring", completely ignoring the craft at work. There isn't anything that's drastically original here. Ryan Gosling plays a movie stuntman who works as a getaway driver for the criminal underworld. He gets involved in a job that goes wrong, and it endangers the recently found love of his life. It's a general genre exercise, to put it in blunt and diminishing terms.

For Your Anticipation: Do You Wanna See Something?

And we finally get to "Drive", and the fever pitch of my autumn anticipation is finally allowed to level out. The problem with being fanatically obsessed over a film you're looking for is making sure your expectations aren't too wildly out of control. So there's some conditioning to do there, but for the most part I'm still crazy excited. Ever since Cannes, I've heard how great a film this is, and the marketing for the piece has only added to that insane, punch-drunk feeling.It's not the action either. It's moments like these, when the form of the film takes hold.

VENICE: "The Ides of March" Reactions

I knew waking up this morning that I'd have to squeeze in a few reactions on "The Ides of March" before heading off to another class. I only got to a few, but the immediate feeling was that my gut-response to the trailer was right. Solid, but unabsorbing, political thriller that doesn't quite know what cynicism is. Then I sat down to my theater class, went for some breakfast, and two hours later I came back to the net to find the rest of the reviews. I had expected the brief bout of disappointment to drift away in later reviews, with the optimistic masses rising in acclaim of the film. Not the case.

I don't want to get too far ahead of myself, because most of these reviews are positive enough. There's a lot of *** and B's being passed out, but not insane adoration. It's funny, because I expected that it wouldn't live up to the hype, but I thought it would still be a Best Picture play. Has that ship already sailed? Not necessarily. It's always a good idea to wait to for the full release, but word from the premiere will be a hard enemy to overcome. Here are a few of the reviews fresh from Venice. If nothing else, the festival is finally underway!

David Gritten (The Telegraph; **** out of 5): "...Despite Clooney’s multi-tasking presence, Gosling takes the on-screen honours. There is a stillness and certainty about his acting, a commanding ability to convey complex emotions in the flicker of an eye. No surprise, then, that he is currently Hollywood’s most sought after young lead. If there’s one problem with 'The Ides of March', it’s that its ending feels too neat, ingenious and labyrinthine for the essentially realistic story that precedes it. Still, the film has laid down an early marker for this festival, and will do nothing to dent the two-way love affair between George Clooney and Venice."

"Drive" Poster

From a birthday standpoint, which I won't get into any further than that, today is somewhat melancholy, but this honestly worked to make my day so much more enjoyable. Yes, it's a simple one-sheet, but I think it looks wonderful, and I want nothing more than to see this film. It's about a month away, but well worth the wait.

Film Review: "Crazy, Stupid, Love" (**)

In a summer where I'm simply begging for a romantic-comedy that takes things seriously, Crazy, Stupid, Love was the biggest opportunity I could have wished for. I often wonder how things that seem so clearly easy to make wonderful take a turn for the worst for no reason. Earlier this week I spoke of how Friends with Benefits managed to be about more than just its title, and that's made it so worthwhile. The problem with this film is that it's entirely too much about its title, and sadly not just the "Love" part.

The film has many different branching subplots, but it starts out with Cal Weaver, a divorced man who is trying to establish himself after his marriage. He ends up forming an unlikely friendship with Jacob, a smooth-talking womanizer who tries to reform Cal to being a more functioning human being. In the meantime, Jacob is falling for beautiful and sassy red-head Hannah, which raises complications late in the game. Also, Cal's son Robbie has a crush on his babysitter Jessica, who coincidentally has a crush on Cal. If this all sounds so predictable and sad, that's because it is.

"The Ides of March" Trailer

I've got a slightly bad feeling about George Clooney's latest directorial feat, but not an overpoweringly bad one. I guess opening up the Venice Film Festival does leave very much to be desired, especially considering what premiered last year. It's a factor of crowd appeal and reliability, and at first sight The Ides of March looks like that. I'll admit to not entirely having an idea what the change of title was about, but this trailer makes that pretty clear. It's uncertain if this will be Gosling's major awards play, but it is certain that he's in leading actor territory once again. I'm interested, but cautious, which is usually not a good thing.

For Your Anticipation: Leading the Witness

I wouldn't have guessed that Crazy, Stupid, Love would be the film I'd be most looking forward to see at the end of the month. I guess you could chalk that up to expectations not being met elsewhere. Or you could attribute it to the presence of a nicely assembled cast, not to mention a stylistic integrity. In a year so entirely about place and setting, this one isn't so much about broad landscapes or cities as it is about rooms. It adds another layer of interpretation onto the film, and the fact that people are taking these things so seriously this year impresses me. Also, Ryan Gosling looks fantastic in everything.

"Drive" Red Band Trailer

This is quite possibly the only film that was on my radar after Cannes Film Festival, even if I was interested in some other films. Nicholas Winding Refn has a certain way about delivering something fantastic in an unexpected way. I didn't warm to Bronson as much as I wanted, but it still shook me in a way most films don't. Refn looks to be controlled as harshly as ever this time, with a film that rings of those old gritty action films of the past, as well as recent television hit Breaking Bad. I can't tell everything from this trailer, but when September rolls around, I'll be damned if I'm not in line to see Drive.

More Drive (2011) Videos

Cannes Coverage 2011: "Drive"

Cannes Film Festival is winding down, and the talk of the festival seems to have circulated mostly around Terrence Malick and Lars von Trier. Important names as they are, the standouts of the festival, from a non-attendant point of view, have been such unknown powers as We Need to Talk About Kevin and this latest debut, Drive. An action flick like this is usually seen as an afterthought, but it looks to be far more than just that. I knew there was something interesting behind it with a cast like Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, and Bryan Cranston, but reviews have been so outstanding, and it makes me want to see this film all the more.

Eric Kohn (indieWIRE), B+: "The tense pedal-to-the-medal routine begins in the opening minutes and continues, sporadically, all the way through the bloody finale. Gosling’s driver character—in vintage Clint Eastwood fashion, he remains unnamed—arrives on cue to pick up a couple of late night Los Angeles robbers and jet them away from police. A few swift turns and engine revs later, he nimbly avoids each cop on his tail and vanishes into a nearby crowd, while the beats of a cheesy synth score bring up the opening credits."

Theatrical Trailer: Crazy, Stupid, Love.

I'm really not sure how this could really be possible, but for the first time in five years, I might actually like a Steve Carell film. The man hasn't had anything interesting coming for so long, instead opting for simple dumb comedies like Dinner for Schmucks and Evan Almighty. A film called Crazy, Stupid, Love doesn't sound so promising, but this trailer just won over me so completely. Yes, it has Steve Carell in the lead role, but it also has Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Julianne Moore, and Marisa Tomei. I know a great supporting cast doesn't make a good film, as made painfully obvious by The Lincoln Lawyer. However, this film just looks better than your average comedy. Nothing about looks typical in the least. I can't wait for this one. I might be anticipating it more than Deathly Hallows: Part 2. It looks like a great film, and it gets extra points for the Twilight joke.

"Blue Valentine" Poster

Whenever I see any piece of publicity or marketing for this film, I find it difficult to believe that it's been minimalized in regards to the Oscar race. Things remain alive for Ryan Gosling in the Best Actor race, but it really will depend on the reception of the film when it comes out. It may reenter the race if it's successful, but it's very much in waiting right now. If it doesn't get the whole NC-17 rating worked out, it will have a tougher time getting recognized, but I still have faith in it. The new poster is very raw, passionate, and sensual, and that should work in favor of Blue Valentine if anything.