The “soldiers trapped behind enemy lines” story has been a favorite since Xenophon followed Greeks home from deep in hostile Persia in “Anabasis,” in 400 B.C.
That’s the plot of “Centurion,” an old–fashioned quest epic set in Roman Britain. Beautifully filmed, given a lyrical lilt by virtue of a poetic voice over narration and featuring the brutal, personal and graphic violence that is today’s cinematic style, it’s a B-movie with a hint of history to it.
The mysterious disappearance of Rome’s IX Legion Hispana inspires yet another moderately rousing action picture in “The Eagle,” a film based on Rosemary Sutcliff’s popular 1950s novel about “The Eagle of the Ninth.” Eagle-eyed period piece fans will recall that last fall there was another B-movie, “Centurion,” that drew inspiration from the same piece of history.
That film, essentially a prolonged chase from B-movie vet Neill Marshall (“The Descent”), had a breathless momentum that “The Eagle” lacks. But “Eagle” director Kevin Macdonald (“State of Play,” “The Last King of Scotland”) manages to deliver a striking, nicely detailed, visceral thriller built on a corny, old-fashioned script.
Every year we gripe about how the Academy “snubbed” this director, film, actress or actor.
Fans use that as an excuse to tune out the Oscar telecast.
Every year, the Oscars grow less special, less novel, because the awards and awards shows preceding them steal their thunder. This year, people are STILL talking about Jodie Foster’s speech, Ben Affleck’s unrepeatable Globes wins — because he’s not up for the Oscar.
And they will be, all the way through Oscar night, when the audience will probably shrink yet again.
And nothing in that collective, committee-driven, popular vote selected process that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences uses can seem to combat that. Ideas, trends, groundswells of support, all washed away in groupthink and popular vote amongst the members.
The Academy doesn’t need a president so much as they need a commissioner, somebody empowered to act on behalf of the fans and “the good of the (movie) game.”
They need somebody who can look at the voted list of nominees, see that there’s an empty slot, and fill out the field — “Skyfall” could have qualified for best picture that way, “The Impossible,” maybe some other film with a more youthful bent — to reach out to a younger audience — “Perks of Being a Wallflower,” “Dark Knight Rises,” “The Avengers.”
They need someone who can take a list of nominees to executive committee to at least consider righting a wrong. I don’t know how that would work, but does anybody who saw “Silver Linings Playbook” really think all four actors deserved nominations in their respective categories? An arbitrary, “the role has to appear in X percentage of the film to qualify” might change that around.
They need to surprise, to go out and recognize films that they, as members of the industry, realize were better than some of those adored by critics’ groups.
A commissioner could jigger with the lineup, as well. More “special Oscars,” more lifetime achievement awards. Give viewers old and young something to tune in for — the unexpected. Surprises.
Producers of the show and members of the Academy have tried all manner of schemes, whims, etc., to make the show more relevant, more entertaining, a bigger draw. But they’re never ever going to be able to move the show in front of the Golden Globes. NBC won’t let that happen.
So they need to find a way to show different faces, do different tributes, and not be a repeat of The Globes. A commissioner would be a great place to start.
A trio of films go into wide release today — a ghost story getting decent reviews, a retro Arnold Schwarzenegger shoot’em up earning better reviews (not from me, the peasants) and a poorly reviewed Mark Wahlberg/Russell Crowe thriller that I figure is going to have a hard time doing big business in this environment.
Judging from feedback — traffic to my reviews — I’d say “Mama” should be the box office winner, come Sunday night. “The Last Stand” should keep it close. They’re kind of appealing to the same male fanboy base, so that makes it interesting.
Box Office Mojo calls it “Mama” around $17/”Zero Dark Thirty” just behind, “Last Stand” $14 million. That’s low. “Last Stand” could crack $20. It’s a real crowd pleaser.
Box Office Guru figures “Mama” will crack $20, with “Broken City” doing $18, “Last Stand” just behind it and “Zero Dark Thirty” in the middle of that second-third place race.
People seem to have forgiven Arnold Schwarzenegger, the movie star who probably taught Madonna all she knows about reinvention.
Every time I’ve interviewed the guy, I’ve been struck by how “on message” he is — a politician before he became a real politician. Refuses to talk about anything but his movie, occasional moments of reflection on his career, how great America and Hollywood have been to him. Upbeat, not hearing the criticism of the violence in his movies, his alleged steroid use in his earlier days, the creepy “real” Arnold who came through in that infamous “Pumping Iron” documentary that he tried to suppress. Publicists step in if there’s a question he doesn’t like. He manages his image/message like nobody I’ve ever seen.
He’s transforming himself back into a movie star, he hopes — saying the rights things about the police, gun control, etc. Having basked in his presence a few times, I don’t believe a word of it.
You see it in the reviews, too. Very forgiving.
Russell Crowe, though, cannot get a break. His diva years are perhaps behind him, but there’s a general distaste for him that transcends his acting. He’s good, time and again. But you see that in reviews, too. No slack for him.
Thus “Broken City” probably won’t bust out and be another Mark Wahlberg Martin Luther King weekend winner for him.
I also smell a little directorial favoritism at work here. The color palette of “Last Stand” is distinct, and despite the fact that there’s little novelty to what’s in those images — a striking car chase through, well, you’ll see — critics just LOVE Kim Jee-woon. I loved “I Saw the Devil” as much as anyone, but no cornball sidekick/catch-phrase shoot’em up can compare with the suspense and action of that.
Critics and fanboys (maybe critics pandering to fanboys) just love Guillermo del Toro. He produced and his handprints are all over “Mama.” A Good ghost story, and even with its shortcomings, it gets a Guillermo pass.
The opposite it true with Allen Hughes. Critically derided for years — “Book of Eli” was a recent credit — he does a decent job with “Broken City.” But the movie got beaten up.
Should be an intriguing box office race, thanks to all of that.
Call it an intimate history of an Israeli counter-terror campaign that failed. Or a necessary response to a massive internal threat to the Israeli state. The last six heads of Israel’s secret Shin Bet police force — the anti-terrorism unit– talk on camera about what they think worked, and didn’t work work in their endless campaign against terrorists and people they perhaps mislabeled as such. Fascinating stuff. No wonder it’s up for the best documentary feature Oscar.
Matthew Fox is the aide tasked with finding out to what degree Japan’s Emperor Hirohito was an active participant/knowing dupe in Japan’s war of aggression in the Pacific. Rape of Nanjing, attack on Pearl Harbor, savage treatment of POWs, civilians enslaved.
What did he know and when did he know it?
Tommy Lee Jones brings authority and ego, but none of the patrician majesty Big Mac had. But Gregory Peck’s MacArthur was a humorless stiff (more the script than Peck, I thought).
“Emperor” is a Roadside Attractions release.
Veteran producer Edward R. Pressman is no stranger to tragic scandal. He was the producer of “The Crowe,” and I recall him getting pretty choked up when we talked about the confluence of events that led to Brandon Lee’s accidental death on that Wilmington, N.C. set.
Now he’s producing a movie about the Penn State scandal. Set in “Happy Valley,” that’s going to be the title. And they’ve landed Oscar winner Al Pacino as the combative, diminutive Italian-American coach Joe Paterno, a hero for decades, Emperor of the University, untouchable. And when he got old and took his eyes off the ball, an assistant brought his whole world crashing down.
Pacino’s track record in recent years has been spotty. So has that of his director, “Dressed to Kill” maestro Brian DePalma. But that’s some major talent to throw at a true story that rocked the sports world, and the nation.
As he approaches his 60s, Liam Neeson is more in demand for action films than he’s ever been. “Run All Night” is a script he’s signed onto. Now Deadline.com reports that he may reunite with his “Unknown” director, Jaume Collet-Serra, for that project.
As I mentioned in my review of “Gangster Squad” last week, the screenplay was plainly built around classic Western conventions — one Western film in particular.
That would be “The Magnificent Seven,” which of course was based on “The Seven Samurai,” but was also a major benefactor/contributor to Old West film iconography.
Josh Brolin is the John Wayne/Yul Bryner gunman beyond corruption, Ryan Goslin is Steve McQueen, Michael Pena is oh, Horst Bucholtz.
The dead give away in “Gangster Squad” is the presence of a switchblade specialist on “the team” — James Coburn, then, Anthony Mackie, now.
“The Last Stand” similarly borrows from classic Westerns, at least in structure and character “types.” I see a lot of the Howard Hawks/John Wayne Westerns “Rio Bravo” and “Rio Lobo,” with a hint of “El Dorado” — though we’re missing the alcoholic (of the first and last films).
There’s the man alone, prepared to face his fate standing up to the bad guy by himself, but helped by assorted male and female sidekicks. The Duke, or The Terminator.
There’s “The Kid,” as in “You aren’t READY, kid” (Zach Gilford), the coward who turns out not to be (Luis Guzman).
And the grizzled gun nut. Jack Elam in “Rio Lobo,” Johnny Knoxville here.
Seen both films? Tell me I’ve got it wrong. 
