Happy Birthday to
Robert Duvall
80 today
Is Robert going to receive his 7th Academy Award nomination later this month for Get Low (pictured)? If so he'll be joining a list of less than 20 actors/actresses who've maaged that feat. He's often linked to movies that I want to see but there's nothing on the horizon for this year, yet.
Wednesday, 5 January 2011
Robert Duvall
Tuesday, 4 January 2011
Tuesday Trailers - My Soul To Take
I was hoping to have a horror trailer double bill today as we complete the long list of January 21st releases, but it seems that John Carpenter's The Ward is still a long way off from releasing any publicity - I won't be at all surprised if the release date ends up falling back. I will have to concentrate on Wes Craven's comeback film that isn't Scream 4, released in the US back in October it grossed just $14.7m domestically less than 60% of it's production budget - whilst horror generally makes it's money on DVD that figure for a known director is appalling. It's not hard to see from the trailer why, but I'm prepared to give it a chance.
My Soul to Take is released on 21 January 2011.
2010 in Review: Best Supporting Actor
Supporting actors were difficult to assess this year, on the one hand you have a very recent film that I could have easily put three of the men into here, on the other there were huge swathes of the year where nothing was standing out. Here are my final picks:
1. Bill Camp as Glen McCreavy in 'Tamara Drewe'. The film didn't really hold together but Camp's performance as a Hardy obsessed writer slowly falling for his hostess was a priceless mix of observatory comedy and nervous affection. A missed gem of a performance.
2. Pierce Brosnan as Adam Lang in The Ghost. How do you perform a character clearly based on a real person, whilst evoking that person but not doing an impression? Just look at Pierce not doing Tony Blair and you'll know what I mean. Utterly convincing as a man proud but haunted by his place in history.
3. Colin Farrel as Valka in The Way Back. Any one of the supporting cast of The Way Back could have taken this spot but it's thoroughly deserved by Colin as a Russian criminal you can't take your eyes off. The film literally diminishes in energy when he leaves.
4. Christopher Plummer as Leo Tolstoy in The Last Station. You could argue this is a lead performance, in that the whole story is about other peoples relationship to the venerable author and philosopher, but given most of the film involves him being swept along by stronger characters I'm going for supporting. And few actors are able to support a story in the way Plummer does here.
5. Jeremy Renner as James Coughlin in The Town. Renner continues to prove he's a superb versatile actor with this on edge performance in Ben Affleck's latest crime movie. You really can believe Renner may explode at any moment with a palpable sense of menace.
Dyan Cannon
Happy Birthday to
Dyan Cannon
74 today
Dyan is now virtually retired, just doing the occasional TV movie to keep her hand in. She best known for having two major commitments in her life. Firstly to the LA Lakers and more significantly to her Church - she was even known to hold Bible study meetings on the CBS lot.
Monday, 3 January 2011
2010 in Review - Best Supporting Actress
Of the categories this will, I expect, bring the most comments. Last year when I excluded a particular performance (because it hadn't come out yet) I got a number of comments asking me why. This year I have seen that performance and she wasn't my favourite - can't wait to hear what you have to say.
1. Vera Farmiga as Alex Goran in Up in the Air. Vera walks a tightrope in Jason Reitman's corporate satire, projecting an yearning behind the held together exterior and her final scene on the telephone shows an awareness of the characters strengths and weaknesses few others have matched.
2. Olivia Williams as Ruth Lang in The Ghost. There's a cat-like intensity to the role as portrayed by Olivia Williams, alternately preening over her husband an purring to induce sympathy from Ewan MacGregor's hapless ghost writer. When the final act reveal comes about you can see the tension in every movement. 
3. Mo'Nique as Mary in Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire. She's the villain of the year, certainly, a performance that over powers the film with dread and menace as well as a knock out monologue explaining her own private fears at the end. 
4. Julianne Moore as Charley in A Single Man. It's wildly over the top, but I think that's what makes Moore's Charley so likeable, a prototype fag-hag unable to break away from her reliance on Colin Firth's George and gripped by an unbreakable desire to win him back.
5. Marion Cotillard as Mal in Inception. It's hard to imagine a year when Marion fails to achieve a nod from me for her performances. Given she's purely a construct of Leonardo DiCaprio's fevered mind she manages to give the most consistent performance in the film, always deadly. I really want to see her as a proper femme fatale.
Sunday, 2 January 2011
2010 in Review and Top 20 for 2011
Can you believe we've come stumbling into the light at the end of 2010? It's been a long year with plenty of positive and negative surprises, there were some films that I was really looking forward to that came as a terrible disappointment (hello Robin Hood and Whatever Works) and some that came out of nowhere to steal my heart (neither of my top two films were on the radar when they were beign made).
As I said on Friday I've not seen as many films this year as usual, in particular I only saw one foreign language film (the Swedish one everyone saw) and that's something I plan to work on in 2011. I must remember that 60% of movies released are made outside of America where just 16% of the films I saw were, which includes British films. I need to be more open to different cultures and new experiences.
Over January I will be completing two annual events for the blog, which will also have the opportunity for your participation.
2010 in Review
Like most self-obsessed actors I dream of one day being accepted by the industry as one of their own, and eventually being invited to join the Academy. (I know, I know, but I can dream). Part of that dream would mean having my own ballot, my opportunity to give my opinion of the best performances and best films of the year.
Well, until AMPAS notice me I guess the only place I can say what I think is right here. So, starting tomorrow (Monday 3 Jan) I'll give you my votes. Of course they won't follow the Academy rules - I'm using the films I've seen and not just the ones eligible for this years which means many of the actual nominated movies from 2010's ceremony have the opportunity to appear on my ballot this year.
As I am an actor I will only be voting in the fields of which I would be able to vote if I were a member (acting and best film) there's no point in getting above my station.
At this point I would like to recommend a performance that is ineligible for the awards yet moved me to tears: 
No, not Richard Gere, but Hachi the Atika puppy from the film of the same name. This little dogs personality shone through in the film and it was nearly enough to make me go out and buy one.
20 for 2011
When I get to the end of my ballot we will kick off my top twenty most anticipated movies for 2011. This is always a contentious list of film programming that most people disagree with: which is pretty much why I like doing it. Between 9 and 30 January we will countdown those films that I am most looking forward to at this point. There are a number of criteria which potential films must meet in order to make it to the list:
1. It must be dated 2011 on imdb: This is tricky as there are a number of films coming out in the next couple of months here in the UK which are 2010 US releases some of which made it to my list in 2010 (Black Swan, Hereafter) but some did not (True Grit, Next Three Days) all of those would be in consideration if they were eligible. It also knocks out Darling Companion whcih is dated 2012 on imdb.
This first rule means the top 20 ends up being out of line with the year in review. From last years top 20 I have seen just 10, seven more have release dates between now and the end of March and one of the other three looks like it's going straight to DVD! I won't say which until it happens.
2. It must be filming or in post production according to imdb. So I'm sorry Kathryn Bigelow but Triple Frontier won't make it. This rule is mainly about trying to avoid films appearing in two lists, I simply don't believe you can get a project completed in such little time. This year there are no carry overs from last years list.
3. I have to be interested. Yes my choice is final. That's the way it is. I don't care how many people want to see Fast Five or Transformers: The Dark side of the Moon. I don't. Live with it.
Last year we had a readers competition for guessing the number one and I sent the joint winners some chocolates. This was a disaster as only one pack got through the post. (Sorry to Andrew and Alex - I still feel guilty about that). So this year there probably won't be a prize like that. However I will still have the competition so I want some ideas for prizes - it could be something as obvious as a voucher or maybe something cruel like making me review Fred: The movie. Whatever it is have a think and start posting ideas of what you would like when you're responding to the 20 films.
Cuba Gooding Jr.
Happy Birthday to
Cuba Gooding Jr.
43 today
Did you know that Cuba started off as a singer in an R&B group? The group - The Main Ingredients - had a minor hit with Everyone plays the fool. Which is semi-prophetic if you look at Gooding's career post his Oscar win for Jerry Maguire. I keep hoping he's going to make another break out hit and return to the a-list, but he's going to have to up his game based on the last couple of films he's made.
Saturday, 1 January 2011
A horrific chapter (Film News - 01/01/11)
This is it, the last piece of film news for 2010, altough we're publishing in 2011 (I hope everyone had a good night last night). Not much new going on, one resurrected project and a couple of casting rumours. I'll be posting later today about the schedule for January's events so keep your eye out for further info.
Pinkville
Oliver Stone's long planned movie about the My Lai massacre, for those of you who don't know this was the US's most disgraceful incident of the Vietnam conflict where anything up to 500 people were murdered by members of the 23rd Infantry Division. The film, which is said to focus on the cover up and subsequent investigation, was abandoned during the writers strike of 2007. Over the last week reports that Stone will be returning to Pinkville and will cast Shia LaBeouf in an as yet unnamed role have been proliferating.
I think this is a chapter in 20th century history that must be told, and oddly the firebrand Stone may just be the right director to make it.
Casting News
Onto less serious stuff Dame Judi Dench is in talks to join the cast of Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar and Javier Bardem has joined the long list of potential stars for The Dark Tower adaptation.
Sophie Okonedo
Happy Birthday to
Sophie Okonedo
42 today
You may remember Sophie for her Oscar nominated turn in Hotel Rwanda, or maybe even her vital supporting role in 2002's Dirty Pretty Things. What you probably don't know is when she recently was awarded by MBE (right) by The Prince of Wales it unfortunately fell off her and she had to pick it up off the floor. Luckily they both had a good laugh about it.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
I'd like to wish all the readers of RLAG all the very best for 2011, I very much hope to see you all in the new year.
Join us in January 2011 for a reminder of the best films of 2010 and the Runs Like A Gay top 20 to look out for in 2011.
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