 After attending an early and advanced screening of the then-unfinished 2006 film “Bobby”, Clayton Davis, the respected and esteemed Awards Circuit editor was then a contributor to the website The Oscar Igloo. Clayton was so taken by the film that he immediately went to work on writing his thoughts and feelings and delivered to the site a comprehensive and richly detailed film review. Within days of posting his 4-star review, the film’s director, writer, and star, Emilio Estevez sent a direct message to Clayton thanking him for his review. Additionally, Estevez indicated that because of Clayton’s review, The Weinstein Company had changed their minds and decided to leave the performance of Estevez’s father, Martin Sheen, in the final cut of the film. It was that experience and at that precise moment that Clayton knew that a career in film was truly his calling.
Read more on Digging Into: Clayton Davis…
"50/50" (Summit Entertainment)
Stricken with a shocking, confounding, and life-threatening cancer diagnosis, 27-year old Adam Lerner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is forced to deal with realities he never could have anticipated in the brilliant “50/50″, a comedy/drama that takes a considerable amount of risk in conveying a story of this subject matter with a liberal mix of humor and drama. Adapted from screenwriter Will Reiser’s real life experiences in battling a dangerous and rare form of cancer, “50/50″ is a film of subtle power and effectiveness, one of the more dynamic surprises I have encountered in a long, long time.
Read more on 50/50 (****)…
Categories: Film Reviews Tags: 2011 releases, 50/50, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard, Comedy, Drama, Inspirational, Jonathan Levine, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Oscar hopefuls, Seth Rogen, Will Reiser
As we wave goodbye to September, the awards season just keeps heating up. A lot of interesting releases this weekend, both wide and limited, some of which could be serious Oscar contenders:
First up in wide release is the dramedy 50/50, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a young man who is diagnosed with cancer. Reviews have praised this film as an intelligent, sincere and surprisingly funny movie that rises far above and beyond your typical “Disease of the Week” Lifetime-esque melodramas. I’m starting to believe that it may actually be a serious threat for a Best Original Screenplay nomination. Box office-wise…eh, I don’t know. Despite support from critics, cancer isn’t exactly an audience-friendly subject. I’m thinking it’ll hit somewhere around the $8-13 million mark by Sunday. Read more on Weekend Openings (September 30-October 2)…
Categories: Weekend Openings Tags: 50/50, Anna Faris, Anna Paquin, Courageous, Daniel Craig, Dream House, Jeff Nichols, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Kenneth Lonergan, Margaret, Michael Shannon, Nick Broomfield, Rachel Weisz, Sarah Palin, Sarah Palin - You Betcha!, Take Shelter, Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, Weekend Openings, What’s Your Number?
 My Oscar Predictions are due this weekend and I’ve been playing with them quite a bit. I’ve even been having mini-pow-wow’s with some of my staff talking it up with them and what we think will or will not make it. It’s funny that this time of the year I foresee many possibilities as almost assured things but that’s just my ego talking. Ain’t no way, we’re close to sewn up in any category in October. This is wide open for many surprises and this makes this year very exciting.
In my next round of predictions I’ll likely be dropping the ten Best Picture nominees. I’ve known for a while that there would be anywhere between six and eight nominees with the new ruling but I’ve stayed with ten for percentage purposes. In the big category I’m definitely staying with Steven Spielberg’s War Horse for now. It’s the safest bet, the new images that hit are actually very beautiful and the story itself will have critics and audiences cheering. Many (and I am fully aware this to happen as well) think Spielberg’s film will crash and burn. In the likely event, what would jump out in front? I’m thoroughly feeling Michel Hazanvicius’ The Artist could be the big darling of the season leading all the way to Oscar love. Many pundits out there that have seen it including critics from Telluride, Toronto, and Cannes have championed the film. Hopefully it’ll be something that will age well with audiences overtime. Do we all still think Crash was the best of 2005? Could ever fathom the Academy choosing Braveheart again with the same lineup from 1995? Hell no.
Read more on Oscar Circuit: “I Wish”…
Categories: Editor, Oscar Circuit Tags: 2011 releases, academy awards, Clint Eastwood, Drive, Editor, extremely loud and incredibly close, J. Edgar, Leonardo DiCaprio, michel hazanvicius, Oscar Circuit, oscar predictions, predictions, the artist, war horse
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After attending an early and advanced screening of the then-unfinished 2006 film “Bobby”, Clayton Davis, the respected and esteemed Awards Circuit editor was then a contributor to the website The Oscar Igloo. Clayton was so taken by the film that he immediately went to work on writing his thoughts and feelings and delivered to the site a comprehensive and richly detailed film review. Within days of posting his 4-star review, the film’s director, writer, and star, Emilio Estevez sent a direct message to Clayton thanking him for his review. Additionally, Estevez indicated that because of Clayton’s review, The Weinstein Company had changed their minds and decided to leave the performance of Estevez’s father, Martin Sheen, in the final cut of the film. It was that experience and at that precise moment that Clayton knew that a career in film was truly his calling.
