Wednesday Oscar Watch with Abe

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Wednesday Oscar Watch with Abe. It’s a bit early to be able to accurately predict the eventual Oscar nominees, but around this time, plenty of likely contenders are being released. I’ll be looking every Wednesday at the awards chances for all of the films released the previous week. Until I begin my official predictions, I’ll be adding and removing contenders as their popularity, buzz, or reviews rise and fall. Chime in with your thoughts on the Oscar chances for these films in the comments section.

Precious
This harrowing film is sure to attract Oscar attention; the only question is whether backlash will hurt it. The frank answer is probably not, and even if some voters are turned off by hype from Oprah and Tyler Perry that they feel isn’t deserved, the stars of the film are still likely to make it into their respective categories. The expansion of the Best Picture category to ten nominees makes this film a very strong contender to make it onto that list. Mo’Nique is probably a slam dunk in the Best Supporting Actress category, but buzz I’ve heard (and read in Entertainment Weekly) about Mariah Carey and Paula Patton is going too far. I realize that Best Supporting Actress is currently very up in the air, with Mo’Nique as the only solid contender, so I suppose anything is possible, but I still don’t think either of them can make it in. Gabourey Sidibe will probably make the cut, though she’ll have to beat out other breakout actresses like Abbie Cornish and Carey Mulligan and veterans like Helen Mirren and Meryl Streep (unless these five actresses make up the list). First-time actress Jennifer Hudson beat out Cate Blanchett for “Dreamgirls” a few years ago even when support for her film dwindled, and this performance probably has just as much enthusiastic support, even if people aren’t wowed by the film.

That Evening Sun
This tiny indie with an extraordinarily limited theatrical release isn’t going to place in any category except perhaps one. Hal Holbrook earned his first Oscar nomination two years ago at age 82 for his brief performance in “Into the Wild.” That film didn’t do well at the Oscars, earning only one other nomination, and clearly the seasoned Holbrook is respected and well-liked. Therefore, he should be considered a legitimate contender for this film, and if he can manage to edge out some of the younger, more popular actors in the lead actor category. Melissa Leo did it last year for “Frozen River,” so maybe Holbrook’s got a shot. Also, in 2007, young actor Emile Hirsch was headed for an Oscar nomination for “Into the Wild,” but lost out to veteran Tommy Lee Jones on announcement day. “In the Valley of Elah” was a more well-known film, but they’re still something about rewarding an actor who’s been working in the industry for a while (see also: Richard Jenkins for “The Visitor”).

A Christmas Carol
Disney’s latest animated adventure isn’t receiving terribly positive reviews, and its early release date doesn’t give it much buzz to coast on for the Oscars. This might have a decent shot at the Best Animated Feature race if there weren’t so many other big films this year (“Up,” “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,” “The Princess and the Frog,” “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” “Coraline,” to name a few). In 2004, the similarly imaginative “The Polar Express” received 3 Oscar nods for didn’t make it in to the Best Animated Feature category. The November release, despite its confusing nature given the Christmas subject of the film, may not hurt it since early-in-the-year films have made it in before, but what’s troubling is that often smaller films eclipse larger ones (“Surf’s Up” over “The Simpsons Movie,” for instance). Even so, I don’t think this film has the support to take it very far, and maybe a technical nomination or a song nod, if there is one, is all that this movie should expect.

The Men Who Stare At Goats
This wacked-out film isn’t really Oscar material, but voters do love George Clooney, and past four-time nominee Jeff Bridges and two-time winner Kevin Spacey are also in the cast. Clooney’s Oscar buzz will be for “Up in the Air,” though if he’s considered a supporting actor in this movie, despite the fact that he’s not really, he might have a chance. I suspect his flashback haircut will do him in, and other performances will beat him out. Neither Bridges nor Spacey have the material to make it in, and this won’t be Ewan McGregor’s first shot at the Oscar race. It’s possible that voters may feel like laughing and nominate this in the Best Adapted Screenplay category, but I doubt it.

Supernatural thrillers The Box and The Fourth Kind haven’t been treated kindly by reviewers. Also out in theatres this week are non-starter indies like Collapse, Endgame, and Splinterheads.

Be sure to come back next Wednesday for a look at this Friday’s theatrical releases and their Oscar chances. And remember to offer your thoughts on the chances for these films in the comments!

Movie with Abe: The Men Who Stare At Goats

The Men Who Stare At Goats
Directed by Grant Heslov
Released November 6, 2009

It’s an absolutely absurd premise – psychic spies who have the power to stop the beating heart of an animal with the mere power of their minds. “The Men Who Stare At Goats” is delightfully wacky in every possible way. It’s not a serious war movie, but it’s also not an overly slapstick comic parody. These soldiers are in a division of the United States Army, operating discreetly among the troops who use real physical weapons and actionable strategies to safeguard the people of their country. It’s a wondrous experiment that produces extraordinary results and works magnificently – in its first half.

George Clooney and Ewan McGregor are the perfect actors for the lead roles in this film. They’re both likeable, charming leading men capable of shifting smoothly from drama to comedy at a moment’s notice. This film requires more of the latter in its most subdued, deadpan sarcastic form. Clooney is effortlessly appealing and quite hilarious in the way that he utters ridiculous lines with such poised seriousness as Lyn Cassady, psychic spy. The “Star Wars” prequel trilogy star is a lot of fun, and all of Cassady’s loaded references to being Jedi warriors are entertaining and don’t feel too repetitive. McGregor manages his American accent quite well and serves as the film’s guiding heart, and his curiosity about the tales that Lyn has to spin serves as a way to incorporate the audience and voice their questions about the ridiculousness of everything Lyn says.

From the beginning, the film has a monstrously strong sense of humor which makes every scene, however far-fetched, immensely amusing and really funny. So many gimmicks and scenes work terrifically, and the film gets off to a great start. It’s when the screwball characters stop taking themselves seriously that the movie falters. Such a far-fetched premise is only sustainable if there’s at least one person who doesn’t think it’s too out-there. By the middle of the film, the troop of psychic spies, led by Bill Django (Jeff Bridges) and Larry Hooper (Kevin Spacey), operate far too goofily and can’t get anything done. The film quickly becomes uninteresting and spirals out of control.

The film’s initial highlights come from the interactions between Lyn and Bob (McGregor) and the recounting of the history of this inspired project by both of them. Flashbacks detail the development of the program and the bizarre methods it uses, and it’s fun for a while. It quickly get bogged down, however, by the young Lyn’s Anton Chigurh haircut and the need to outdo the previous scene by making each one more and more ridiculous. The duo is really having the greatest time when they’re wandering the desert trying to find their way, and sticking to the past and trying to incorporate it into the continuing storyline becomes problematic. The film gets off to a strong start that instills good feelings and positive attitudes toward the men who stare at goats, but by the film’s end, things have derailed too much to be put back together, and there’s no way that this psychic unit, or this film, can really function.

B-

Tuesday's Top Trailer: The Men Who Stare At Goats

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Tuesday's Top Trailer. One of my favorite parts about going to see movies is the series of trailers that airs beforehand and, more often than not, the trailer is far better than the actual film. Each week, I'll be sharing a trailer I've recently seen. Please chime in with comments on what you think of the trailer and how you think the movie is going to be.

The Men Who Stare At Goats - Opening November 6, 2009



This trailer caught my eye a few weeks ago, though with a title like that, it hardly even needs a compelling preview to make it sound intriguing. This looks like the offbeat comedy cousin of “Syriana,” with grizzled star George Clooney and a starkly similar poster but a much more peculiar premise. The trailer is notable for not really revealing exactly what the film is about while still showing quite a few scenes from the film which seem like they would be helpful in deciphering just exactly what is going on. Two scenes in particular stand out for their sheer preposterousness. Clooney’s description of himself as a Jedi warrior seems highly redundant and referential when he’s talking to Ewan McGregor, who himself starred as a Jedi warrior in the “Star Wars” prequels. It’s a reference that seems to be repeated throughout the movie since it appears twice in the short span of the trailer, and while it could become tiresome, it seems like it’s all in good fun. The scene that defines and explains the title is equally puzzling and mesmerizing. Clooney’s character concentrates hard as he stares down a goat, and the goat just tumbles right over, felled by the power of Clooney’s thought. Those sitting around him sport shocked expressions likely similar to those of the audience. I hear that this movie is great, but even if it’s a bust, it’s sure to be one hell of an experience.