Along with this week's edition of The New Yorker I received a "Movies that Rock" supplemental magazine. As I flipped through the pages something caught my eye -- a photo of a melancholic-looking Marion Cotillard and beside it the heading "The Tour de Force." After Esquire Magazine's missed opportunity (when they singled out the top six performances of the year, Ms. Cotillard was conspicuously absent), this was something to behold. In any case, I've scanned it (crappily) and it's only a black & white version, but hey, I'll do anything for you guys!
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
NewYorker
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12 comments:
That Esquire list is a joke. Only one female performance was amazing?
And what on Earth is Jake Gyllenhaal there for?
Glad to see Cotillard getting some much deserved love elsewhere at a more prestigious and credible publication.
Word, k. I had it in my hands this past Saturday but when I didn't see Cotillard even mentioned as one of the "top six" performance of the year, I put the mag right back on the rack.
I like Cate Blanchett (don't get the hero worship, but whatever), but there's no way she can be there for The Golden Age and I'm Not There hasn't even been released yet. There's a lot of premature buzz; how does IMT qualify for a spot as one of the top 6 performances?
RDJ is obviously there for Zodiac (which I never saw but I hear he completely hijacks the picture); Bardem is there for No Country, because Cholera isn't doing too well with critics and I hear he's stiff in the film; Hirsch is there for Into the Wild; Washington is there for...American Gangster? The Great Debaters? I don't know...He hasn't really had a stand-out performance this year, in my opinion; and Gyllenhaal is there for...Rendition? Zodiac? What?
Maybe I'm being overly critical, but I'm skeptical at the lack of women on the list, Washington and Gyllenhaal's placements (for what film?), and Blanchett's obligatory spot because she's Cate Blanchett and they clearly needed a female.
I'll go on the buzz for Blanchett when predicting for the Oscars, but as far as I know I'm Not There has only been seen by very few people. People are going purely on her Venice win.
Whatever, though, right?
The whole thing just struck me as PR coups. And yes, that's really what it comes down to this time of year, but to have the gall to name the top performances of the year and not have Cotillard near that list is simply laughable. And I love me some Jake G., but his performances this year were hardly what I'd call "genius."
I think another issue is Cotillard's relative anonymity here in the States. Esquire can't sell a magazine with Cotillard on the cover; but Gyllenhaal, Blanchett, RDJ, Bardem, and Hirsch? Of course they can.
It's stupid, but that's the truth.
And Washington, as well. Forgot about him.
Not surprised though...AG was forgettable.
I'm debating whether or not to check out AG. Do you think it's worth checking out?
My friends who have seen it say it is forgettable. Washington is getting all of the buzz, but it's really Crowe's film, I hear. And apparently, it drags on way too long...my friend said it felt like the story wasn't very cohesive, like Ridley Scott didn't really know what kind of movie he wanted to make.
A lot of people are trying to compare it to The Departed, which is dumb, I think. The Departed is one of the best movies to come out in a long time; it's certainly, IMO, one of the better Best Picture winners in years.
I agree on "The Departed." Certainly one of Scorsese's best (and possibly DiCaprio's finest hour on film so far).
Re the length of AG, I'd sit through a three-hour film if it's good (most of my favorite films clock at over 2 1/2 hours), but if it drags...boy, does that blow. In any case, I might just wait for it to come out on DVD.
I have no problem with long films, but if it FEELS like a long film then yeah, it's not a good one.
And yeah, The Departed is seriously one of Scorsese's top 5 films, and is certainly DiCaprio's best performance. Matt Damon was really under appreciated though, I think.
Word about Damon. The man can play slimeball better than anyone out there -- he was terrific in "The Talented Mr. Ripley" and "School Ties." I'll take a "mean" Damon over his "nice guy" performances any day!
He's a very humble, good-natured guy...he tends to get snubbed a lot though, which is a shame, because he's VERY talented.
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