October 2009

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October is here! The major festivals are behind us and now we really are in the thick of Oscar season. There are tons of titles out this month (though, sadly, no Shutter Island) that have me on the edge of my seat in anticipation.
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Tomorrow the Coen Brothers have A Serious Man, a film lauded by just about everyone in Toronto. At the very least we'll be looking for an Original Screenplay nomination, possibly more. You never know with those 10 Best Picture slots up for grabs. Drew Barrymore's Whip It, another film that got some love at Toronto, is out tomorrow too. This is one I will definitly be catching, even though I think it's safe to say it won't be getting much Oscar attention.
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I also have some interest in the Ricky Gervais movie The Invention of Lying, and Zombieland, the zombie-comedy starring Woody Harrelson.
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The most exciting release of tomorrow, for me anyway, is the Toy Story/Toy Story 2 double feature in 3D. It's only in theaters for two weeks, so get your tickets while you can!
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Next week will see the limited release of An Education, the film I've been beyond excited about since it stole the hearts of audiences at Sundance back in January. I don't happen to live in an area where limited releases are accessible, so I'll probably be making a four-hour drive to see this movie on opening day. Not kidding.
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The 16th brings Where the Wild Things Are, Spike Jonze's film adaptation of the classic children's book by Maurice Sendak. This is probably the biggest fanboy title apart from Avatar, and will likely draw lots of families to the theater. I'm expecting this to be October's moneymaker.
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Amelia and Antichrist hit theaters on the 23rd. Both have been buzzy projects this year. Amelia hasn't been seen yet, so we don't really know how much of a player it will be this awards season, but I'm hoping Hilary Swank will hit yet another performance out of the park and land her third Academy Award nomination this year. I'm a sucker for a biopic, just like every member of AMPAS. Antichrist will likely be too controversial to garner much acclaim from the largely-conservative Academy, though.
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Lots of contenders to keep an eye on this month! This is the best time of the year to visit the cinemas. What are your must-sees this month, and what are you planning to skip??

Antichrist Marketing

As I admitted back in August, Lars von Trier's Antichrist is a film I have no intention of seeing. Ever.

Reviews are pouring in from Toronto and while plenty of people seem to admire the genius and daring of the film, there are plenty saying that the film contains the most horrible and disturbing images ever seen in cinema. That's not something I feel comfortable puting myself through, quite frankly.

But for those who are interested, I have some more marketing for you. First, there's this as-yet-unapproved poster, which I've heard is very appropriate, and I have to concede it's intriguing:

And then there's this trailer:

If the film is well-received after its release on October 23rd, we could see a surge of support for Charlotte Gainsbourg, who took home the Best Actress prize from Cannes last May. Somehow I think this is one film that AMPAS will be holding at arms length, however well-liked.

Not My Cup Of Tea

In case you can't read that rating strip underneath the title, Lars von Trier's Antichrist contains real sex, bloody violence and self-mutilation.

Clearly the makers of this sad excuse for a poster are aiming to sell the film on its shock value, a tactic that seems to be working, as bloggers and critics everywhere write about their anticipation for its release.

This all in spite of the fact that it caused complete outrage at the Cannes film festival back in May, where its female lead, Charlotte Gainsbourg, took home the Best Actress prize.

Since Oscar tries to make itself as much a stranger to controversy as is possible, I doubt it will receive the same attention from AMPAS next year, and so I plan to skip it. I have to draw the line somewhere.