Results tagged “mysticriver”

On Sundays, Gothamist runs opinion pieces on issues relevant to life in New York. The views expressed below belong entirely to the author.

Pico Iyer's essay about how Hollywood has been slowly steering away from Hollywood endings mentions recent films like Cold Mountain, Lost in Translation, House of Sand and Fog, and Mystic River as having darker or less resolved endings. But, as Iyer acknowledges, the tradition can be seen with Gone with the Wind or Casablanca. Which made Gothamist wonder what are the endings that linger more: Seeing Vincent Vega walk end Pulp Fiction alive (versus dead, had the film run sequentially) or James Stewart, left alone, the woman he loves dying twice, at the end of Vertigo? Hannibal Lecter getting away at the end of The Silence of the Lambs or Thelma and Louise getting away but not quite? Dorothy back at the farm in the Wizard of Oz or most anything Ingmar Bergman makes? For what it's worth, Gothamist loves seeing Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant get together in a romantic comedy as much as we love seeing Woody Allen and Diane Keaton fall apart.

If it involves movies or television, Gothamist is interested. And if it's the tiniest bit related to the Oscars, then we're all over it. That's why Gothamist has produced a Golden Globes commentary similar to our Oscar commentary from last year. Yes, awards shows are self-congratulatory and ridiculous, and the Golden Globes are not a reliable predictor of the Oscars (which aren't that great anyway but their usefulness as a marketing tool cannot be denied), but it's just become a part of our DNA to enjoy an evening of watching, wondering, and whining.

Will third time be a charm for Peter Jackson? Jackson's work for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, along with Sofia Coppola for Lost in Translation, Clint Eastwood for Mystic River, Gary Ross for Seabiscuit, and Peter Weir for Master and Commander, is nominated for the Directors' Guild Award. The DGA nominees are very similar to the Golden Globe nominees, except Anthony Minghella was nominated instead of Ross. Guess the Cold Mountain machine doesn't fly with the directors, huh, Miramax (the Daily News is shocked that Minghella was not nominated). What this year's DGA nominees tell us is that Sofia Coppola and the momentum behind Lost in Translation are no joke and that Hollywood loves a well made studio movie like Seabiscuit, even if it's 40 minutes too long.

At this point, Gothamist will speculate about the Best Picture Oscar nominations. We expect to see "Seabiscuit" to fall out; technically excellent but less than full blooded. "Mystic River" might be too dark, but Clint is Hollywood royalty. The 8 nominations gives "Cold Mountain" some momentum, but if audiences don't respond, it's unlikely that it will be nominated for as many. It seems a given that "Lord of the Rings" will be the top nomination getter, as it will be nominated for pretty much every single technical category. So for Best Picture come Oscar time, we expect to see "Lord of the Rings," "Master and Commander," most likely "Cold Mountain," probably "Mystic River," and fifth slot is a wild card: "Lost in Translation" is a possibility (could be too precious for some), as is "Finding Nemo" even though it's a cartoon (it's one of the few consensus good films of the year). Gothamist will continue to look at different categories leading up to the Globes and Oscars. Stay tuned.

Opening night at the New York Film Festival is always fun in the grandeur of Avery Fisher Hall and stars in tow, and this past year was no different. Clint Eastwood began his introduction of his cast and crew (Mystic River author Dennis Lehane, screenwriter Brian Helgeland, and stars Marcia Gay Harden, Laura Linney, Tim Robbins, and Sean Penn) with what seems like the joke du mois - the California gubernatorial race joke: "I'm not running for governor."

If it's fall, it must be time for the New York Film Festival. This year, the opening night film is Mystic River, the ensemble drama directed by Clint Eastwood. The cast is ridiculously loaded with great actors: Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon, Tim Robbins, Laura Linney, Marcia Gay Harden, and Laurence Fishburne. The story is dark, eliciting comparisons to Eastwood's tour de force western, Unforgiven, but its present day setting makes it more wrenching. Sean Penn also stands a good chance of being nominated come Oscar time, based on the buzz of his performance as a father whose daughter is murdered.

Last week...

Someday, Gothamist will go to the Cannes Film Festival. But until then, we will continue to get excited about films that premiere there and eagerly await for them to come Stateside. Like Mystic River, Clint Eastwood's adaptation of Dennis Lehane's bestselling novel. Gothamist had heard how wonderful a book Mystic River was ("Don't mind the 'New York Times Bestseller' and mass-market paperback size, Jen."), both in terms of the thrill and emotional story telling. It is a solidly written, haunting book about three friends whose "lives change forever" when one is kidnapped but returned a few days later; the friends reunite when one's daughter is found murdered.