The FilmJabber Movie Blog

The Signal is now out in limited theaters, and here are some new film clips for the movie:

Film Clip: Laura

Film Clip: You Have the Crazy

Interview Featurette

The Signal Synopsis

Imagine every cell phone, radio, and television in your city suddenly broadcasting the same mysterious signal over and over. Now imagine these “terminus” transmissions evoking violent, uncontrollable, psychotic chaos from everyone who comes in contact with them. More…

Who will win the Oscar for Best Actor at 2008′s Academy Awards? Normally, I would go into an analysis of each actor’s chances and strengths, such as my articles on Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor, but that really isn’t necessary.

I haven’t seen In the Valley of Elah, but I’m sure Tommy Lee Jones is good – but has anyone seen that movie? It’s not in theaters and it’s not out on DVD.

Viggo Mortensen was good in Eastern Promises, but was it an Award-winning performance? No.

Johnny Depp for Sweeney Todd? Puh-lease. The only reason he was nominated was because people love Johnny Depp. There were better performances out there in 2007.

George Clooney was spectacular in Michael Clayton, but…

Daniel Day Lewis is just phenomenal. The man wins praise for nearly every performance he does, but his performance in There Will Be Blood is the best of his career. Even people who didn’t like the movie recognize just how amazing he is in the film. If he doesn’t win, I will be shocked and utterly disappointed.

Five movies are being released today, Friday, February 21, 2008, all vying for the top spot at the box office. The movies are:

Be Kind Rewind, a quirky, indie-style comedy starring Jack Black and directed by Michel Gondry, the director of Eternal Sunshine for the Spotless Mind. Fans of that weird film will certainly turn out in storm, but rumor has it that Be Kind Rewind is a much more normal film, which means it will appeal to a larger audience. The movie looks good, but can its concept support an entire film?

Vantage Point, starring a wide range of people from William Hurt to Forest Whitaker, is about a political assassination attempt and a massive conspiracy. The film looks pretty good, but there are some concerns. Nevertheless, action fans, thirsty for something fresh, will flock to this one, and for good reason.

Charlie Bartlett, the highly anticipated comedy starring Anton Yelcin and Robert Downey Jr., finally arrives in theaters after months of delays. Those delays have to be troubling to the faithful; they could spell something disastrous hidden behind the quality trailers. Still, the movie looks pretty good, though don’t expect a lot of box office glory for this one.

Witless Protection is about… oh, who the hell cares? This piece of crap stars Larry the Cable Guy, which means you know it’s going to suck, and Jenny McCarthy doesn’t add much sense of quality, either. Hopefully this one fades quickly.

The Signal opens in limited theaters, and will appeal to horror fans if they are “lucky” enough to get a chance to see it. The limited release is concerning, and the plot screams Japanese horror rip-off, a genre that has all but died (thankfully).

View more movies currently playing in theaters.

By now, everyone and their mother has seen the previews for Vantage Point, the new political thriller starring Dennis Quaid, William Hurt, Matthew Fox, Sigourney Weaver and Forest Whitaker. The cast is huge, the explosions are excessive and the action guaranteed… so why am I hesitant?

First, realize that I am looking forward to seeing Vantage Point. The trailers are exciting and well done, at least in terms of establishing what could be a smart, edgy story filled with lots of action. There are assassination attempts, kidnappings, car chases, shoot outs and more. At the same, you get the sense that there is going to be a more methodical approach to the delivery; the entire movie isn’t going to rely on action. That’s a good thing.

Still…

• The movie trailer shows way too much. Why are studios willing to give away so many plot twists in the previews? The previews for Vantage Point show so much that some people may assume (perhaps rightfully so) that they’ve seen all they need to see. Honestly, did we need to know that the President isn’t actually assassinated? Why not leave that twist for the film? Or that he’s kidnapped later on? Come on, what the f**k!
• The movie trailer has been really overplayed. Vantage Point was originally going to come to theaters in Fall 2007; and now it’s arriving at the end of February 2008. I’ve seen the previews so many times now that I’m actually quite sick of it.
• The release date begs the question of quality. Action films that come out this time of year often are lacking something.

Vantage Point will be entertaining, and I’m hoping it will be smart, too, but I’m going in with moderate expectations.

Vantage Point movie details | Vantage Point pictures

Who will win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor at this year’s Academy Awards? All I can say is… Holy shit, what a battle!

Here are some excerpts from my movie reviews in 2007:

“While there are several actors who turn in Oscar worthy performances in the film, it is Javier Bardem who blows everyone else away.” – No Country for Old Men review

“Come Oscar time, though, it is unlikely we’ll be hearing Clooney’s name, but I pray to God that the talk of the town will be about Tom Wilkinson. Wilkinson has found the dream role here, and I will be shocked if a supporting actor nod doesn’t come his way.” – Michael Clayton review

“The show stealer, however, is Hoffman. Hoffman, who plays CIA agent Gust Avrakotos, is absolutely incredible, and one of my picks for Best Supporting Actor.” – Charlie Wilson’s War review

“Sadly, due to the box office performance of the movie, I would be a bit surprised to see either of these men [Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck] nominated, but both truly deliver Oscar-worthy performances.” – The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford review

The only actor I didn’t give props to in my reviews was Hal Holbrook, but even he did a stellar job in a rather small and understated role. Compared to the other actors, however, the only thing going for him is his age. Simply put:

• Javier Bardem will win, and he’s my choice to win. Why? Bardem plays an absolute bad ass, seriously one of the most disturbing and psychotic characters in cinema history. Beyond that, he is the one actor who’s coming out of a successful movie: both audiences and critics alike have given the film praise, and it has the box office dollars to back that praise up. It also doesn’t help that No Country for Old Men is one of the front runners to win it all. I’m not as confident about this victory as I am with other categories as the competition is so fierce, but I’m betting low odds that Bardem will win Best Supporting Actor at 2008′s Academy Awards.
• Tom Wilkinson is phenomenal in Michael Clayton, but there is one big problem: the movie tanked at the box office because no one saw it. His performance is truly Oscar worthy, but I just haven’t heard his name discussed. The acting has taken a back seat to the overall delivery of the film, and Wilkinson is an unfortunate victim of a variety of circumstances.
• Philip Seymour Hoffman is the best part about Charlie Wilson’s War, but unfortunately the movie received only so-so kudos from critics and audiences largely ignored the comedy-drama. I just never pictured Charlie Wilson’s War to be a major contender, and it also hurts Hoffman that he recently won an Oscar for Best Actor just a little while back. His character is also supplied more for comic relief, and that won’t go over as well with voters.
• Casey Affleck probably delivered the best performance in 2007 that no one saw. I mean, most people haven’t even heard of Assassination… Ford (I get sick of writing the title out), let alone seen it. Both Affleck and Pitt are great in the movie, though their performances are rather subtle. I think this movie showed that Affleck is truly capable of great performances when given the right material, but voters will look at his age and assume he’ll have more chances on down the line. Oh, and Affleck is the main character in the movie… but I won’t go on about how he shouldn’t be allowed in the Best Supporting Actor category.
• The only way that this award will disappoint me is if Hal Holbrook wins. He is very good in his role, but his role is neither as big or as grand as his competitors. What he does have going for him – and this worries me – is that he is old, so voters may suspect he may die before he turns in another great performance, and that voters may try to make up for the fact that Into the Wild was largely ignored at the Oscars by giving him a medal.

The Best Supporting Actor Oscar category is an extremely competitive category and every actor involved deserves recognition, but No Country for Old Men will rightfully carry Javier Bardem to the podium.

The Academy Awards are only a week away, which means I better get cranking on my Oscar predictions. Having just watched La Vie en Rose, I have now seen four of the five movies with Oscar-nominated actresses. I have yet to see Laura Linney in The Savages, but I’d be quite surprised if she is considered a real contender; I haven’t heard much buzz about her and the movie, and may have been nominated simply because Oscar voters like her work and they needed someone for that fifth spot.

In 2007, there was a real lack of stiff competition among the women, and this tends to be a trend from year to year. What does that mean? It simply goes to prove that men generally get more and meatier roles than the women. If you ever want to make the argument that men and women get an equal chance when it comes to movie stardom, think again: almost every year, there are several lead actors who don’t get nominated simply because there can be only five; with the women, there are usually two or three strong performances and a couple more who were included because five nominations are needed.

Anyway, on with the Oscar analysis for Best Actress in a Leading Role:

• Away From Her - Julie Christie
  This movie sat on my shelf for months literally collecting dust before I realized that it featured a performance that had been nominated for an Oscar. Julie Christie is oustanding as a woman who is descending into the grips of Alzheimer’s, though I would argue that her role is more of a supporting one than a lead. Christie has turned in what is probably a performance of a life time, and has a good chance at winning Oscar Gold; after all, she already won a Golden Globe for the performance. That being said, the movie itself, while it has been out on DVD for months, is not very well known at all, and not particularly memorable in spite of Christie’s involvement. I would also argue that Gordon Pinsent upstages her as her troubled husband.
  All that being said, Julie Christie will likely win the Oscar for Best Actress.
• Elizabeth: The Golden Age - Cate Blanchett
  It seems like every time Cate Blanchett takes on a new movie, she gets nominated for her performance. While that probably won’t hold true for the upcoming Indiana Jones movie, she is the very definition of a golden child: an Oscar winner with multiple nominations and the talent to back it up. There is no denying that she is very skilled and can take on any role (including playing a man in I’m Not There), but this performance has several things going against her:
  • She already was nominated for an Oscar for the same role several years back, in a movie that received much higher praise than this sequel.
  • This sequel didn’t get very good reviews, was essentially a box office thud and really wasn’t all that spectacular.
  • She is nominated for and likely to win for Best Supporting Actress for her role in I’m Not There, which is a thousand times more amazing and memorable.
  • She’s already won, so why give her another award?
• Juno - Ellen Page
  In my opinion the best runner-up of the group, Ellen Page already showed that she could headline a film in Hard Candy, but few people saw or remember that movie. Juno, however, is one of the biggest box office successes; it has made over $100 million on a budget of only $7.5 million, and has been in the Top 10 for nine straight weeks. Page is incredible in the movie, playing off Diablo Cody’s Oscar-nominated screenplay with ease. The only things she has going against her: she’s young, and Oscar voters may view that she is far from peaking, and there is at least one even stronger performer in the bunch, in a more serious movie.
• La Vie en Rose - Marion Cotillard
  I just watched this movie, and Marion Cotillard blew me away. When I looked her name up after the end of the film, I realized that she had played the beautiful love interest in A Good Year; I didn’t even recognize her in La Vie en Rose. Her performance and transformation into a hunchbacked, hobbling, high pitched singer is simply stunning, and on merit alone, she definitely deserves the Oscar. The fact that La Vie en Rose is a foreign film is a strike against her simply because fewer voters will have seen the movie, but she is my pick and black horse prediction to win.
• Savages, The - Laura Linney
  I haven’t seen Linney in The Savages, but I’m sure she’s very good. That being said, I’ve never found Linney to be dominating in her performances, and while I respect that is a very talented actress, I don’t quite get why everyone likes her so much. This is her third Oscar nomination, but I haven’t heard any discussions about her chances to win, which pretty much means that she has no chance to win.

You can see all of the Oscar nominees, my picks and predictions on my 2008 Oscar nominations page. You can also read other Oscar analysis in my Oscar blog.

American Gangster, the well-received cop/gangster movie starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe, is now out on DVD. The movie is pretty good, though I’d say it’s a bit overrated. The pacing could have been a little better, and American Gangster definitely doesn’t compare to any Scorcese gangster flick (and it has been compared to those films). Still, American Gangster is a pretty good film with two really great actors squaring off against one another, and so if you haven’t seen it, you definitely need to check it out.

You can read my full American Gangster movie review here.

I just watched the bonus features on the 2-disc unrated extended edition DVD of American Gangster, and its value will largely depend on what you value as extra features. The DVD set comes with both the theatrical version and an unrated extended version which includes an extra 18 minutes. Considering that the regular American Gangster was long enough, I can’t say that an extended version is an improvement. Still, it’s great that Universal includes both versions in the release.

As for the bonus features, there are a couple of relatively uninteresting deleted scenes, including an alternate opening. Things get better when you move onto the making-of featurette, an over-hour-long look at several aspects from the film, including the elaborate Frazier v. Ali fight. There are segments that aren’t that interesting, but other segments are quite the opposite. What I liked most were the interviews with the real Frank Lucas, who speaks pretty candidly about his experiences. I would have liked to see a full featurette on the real Frank Lucas, however, or a feature commentary with Lucas and the real Richie Roberts.

The only other bonus feature on the disc is a collection of “case files”, which are some behind-the-scene looks at how the filmmakers prepared for the movie. It’s was fun to see Ridley Scott discussing minute details with the real Roberts, and also meeting with police officers to find out the best and most realistic way to show drug tests.

Overall, there’s really not much here, but there are some very nice nuggets to feast your eyes on. If you’re thinking of purchasing American Gangster, you should buy this 2-disc version, since you get two separate versions of the film and some unique insights into the making of the production.

Heath Ledger’s final film, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, has been in a state of limbo ever since the actor’s death, but things are back on track with the announcement that three actors will be used to play Heath Ledger’s character.

Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell will replace Ledger as the character is transported into three separate dimensions. Terry Gilliam will continue to direct the film, which is now slated for 2009. There is no word on when production will resume.

I woke up this morning to see this YouTube video featured on the Yahoo! homepage… announcing Kyle Kendrick had been traded to Japan. Of course, he hadn’t actually been traded to Japan, just that prankster Brett Meyers had collaborated with manager Charlie Manuel, several other players on the team and even the press to put him into a state of shock. Kyle Kendrick’s expression throughout most of the video tells you that he fell for this hook, line and sinker, but the involvement of everyone involved (and a fake press conference) is sure to make even the most suspicious people believe.

Here’s the video of this great baseball prank:

Is there any question that Cate Blanchett is going to win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress at the 2008 Academy Awards? The actress is by far and away the most powerful person in the category, and her performance the most memorable.

Hell, Cate Blanchett is the only reason people went to go see I’m Not There, the officially weird but surprising excellent metaphor to Bob Dylan’s life. After all, Blanchett plays one of six versions of Dylan in the film, and if it’s hard to play the opposite sex, Blanchett doesn’t sweat a drop. The movie noticeably picks up its pace when she arrives on camera, and turns in one of the most dazzling performances ever captured on film.

As for the others, there’s not much competition. Ruby Dee in American Gangster? Seriously? That film lost its Oscar steam a long way back, and the only thing going for her is that the Denzel Washington/Russell Crowe film is about to arrive on DVD (but when are votes due?). I don’t remember a single thing about Dee’s performance, and there doesn’t seem to be much of a reason for her nomination other than a lack of good supporting female leads this year.

I was not a huge fan of Saoirse Ronan in Atonement. I absolutely loved the movie, but Ronan seemed a bit out of her element. OK, she still does a pretty good job (I noticed more the second time I saw the movie), but an Oscar-winning job? I don’t think so. [Correction: I completely confused Ronan with Romala Garai - two odd names, you know. I wasn't a huge fan of Garai, but in fact thought Ronan was terrific as the young Briony. Behind Cate Blanchett, Ronan would be my pick]

Gone Baby Gone was another very good film, and Amy Ryan did a very good job portraying a loser of a mother. That being said, when I was watching the movie, I was never blown away by her performance. I’m not too surprised she was nominated, but she sure as hell isn’t going to win.

The best competition for Cate Blanchett is Tilda Swinton, who plays a stone cold corporate executive in Michael Clayton, starring George Clooney. She has a relatively small role, but she is commanding in every scene; way back in October or whenever I saw this film, I thought at the time that she could be a front runner for an Oscar. Still, compared to Blanchett, Swinton isn’t nearly as memorable; and I haven’t heard any buzz about her, either.

Overall, these nominations don’t surprise me too much; there was a lack of good supporting actresses in 2007, and these are probably the best of the bunch. Allison Janney in Juno is the only other person I can think of off the top of my head who could have been up for the award.

I just watched Jumper early this afternoon, despite it being a fabulous day outside. Relatively warm with few clouds in the sky, it was a great day to play in the park, go for a jog, or at least watch beautiful women jogging. Instead, I opted to go and sit with my male roommate in a dark theater and watch Hayden Christensen jump around the globe while being pursued by Samuel L. Jackson.

The movie is okay. From an action and sci-fi perspective, it’s worth it. Jumper is consistently entertaining and has a great concept to build from; unfortunately, director Doug Liman and the screenwriters involved don’t take full advantage of the film’s potential, leaving several plot holes in its wake. If you can get over these, you’ll like Jumper, but if not… well, here’s hoping for a remake of sorts a few years down the line.

You can read my full Jumper movie review here.

IMP just posted the movie poster for the upcoming movie Arthur and the Vengeance of Maltazard, which is coming to theaters in 2009. I hadn’t heard of the film before today, but certainly found the movie poster to be intriguing.

Arthur and the Vengeance of Maltazard is written and directed by Luc Besson, and in IMDB is marked as an animated film. It’s country is listed as France, but it will be an English-language film.

Here’s the Arthur and the Vengeance of Maltazard movie poster:

I just watched The Bucket List, nearly two months after it was originally released in theaters. The Jack Nicholson/Morgan Freeman death comedy didn’t get very good reviews – only 42% fresh at Rotten Tomatoes – and as such as I had relegated to this to the rental pile. However, on a cold Saturday night, one of my friends and I visited the movie theater… and found that The Bucket List was actually pretty good.

The movie is funny and at times emotional. It’s not unique, and it’s not groundbreaking or award-winning, but its humor is genuine and heartwarming. It’s fun watching Nicholson and Freeman play off one another, and they really have great chemistry.

Read my full Bucket List movie review.

Which movie will win the Oscar for Best Animated Picture at 2008′s Academy Award show? The nominations are three:

• Persepolis
• Ratatouille
• Surf’s Up

As people have surmised from my other posts, Ratatouille is my easy pick for Best Animated Picture. The movie (temporarily) showed up on my Top Ten Movies of 2007, was one of my recommendations for Best Visual Effects, and is just an all around great movie. The movie is smart and witty, to the point where it’s actually been nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. How many animated films get that respect?

I have yet to see Persepolis, but it looks quite good and could certainly be a dark horse winner. The problem with this “animated” West Bank film taking home the Academy Award is that adult-only cartoons rarely win Oscars and that few of the voters have probably seen the movie. Ratatouille has been out on DVD for months, guaranteeing that nearly every voter has probably popped it in for a viewing. I would be very surprised if Persepolis beat out Ratatouille, Pixar’s best movie since The Incredibles.

As for Surf’s Up, this is the obligatory third wheel nomination. In actually, the movie, about surfing penguins, is much better than the previews made it out to be, but its documentary-style approach and lack of spectacular visuals won’t resonate as Best Animated Film material.

The Friday box office results for the February 15-17 weekend (or for the February 14 to February 18 Valentine’s Day to President’s Day weekend) are here, and they imply a pretty impressive turnout for several new and returning films.

The Hayden Christensen-starring sci-fi thriller Jumper benefited from a lack of action films and a slick-looking premise to win Friday, after finishing in a “near dead heat” with Step Up 2 the Streets on Thursday. Jumper earned $8.2 million on Friday, bringing its two-day cume to $14.84.

Step Up 2 the Streets earned $6.25 million, The Spiderwick Chronicles $4.75 million and Definitely, Maybe only $2.9 million, for a disappointing fifth place finish. On the other hand, last week’s winner Fool’s Gold earned $3.9 million.

Here are the five day predications from Slashfilm:

1. Jumper (Fox) – $34.47M
2. Step Up 2 the Streets (Disney) – $28.45M
3. The Spiderwick Chronicles (Paramount) – $25.35M
4. Fool’s Gold (Warner Bros) -$18.75M
5. Definitely Maybe (Universal) – $14.4M
6. Welcome Back, Roscoe Jenkins (Universal) – $11.29M
7. Juno (Fox Searchlight) – $5.56M
8. The Bucket List (Warner Bros) – $4.99M
9. Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds (Disney) – $4.58M
10. 27 Dresses (Fox) – $4.19M