Well, no great surprises from the Academy Awards in terms of winners, but I thought the show was pretty wonderful. Hugh Jackman did a great job of the opening number, and Anne Hathaway was a really nice surprise in terms of her belting ability.
I was really glad that Sean Penn won for MILK. Thought he was incredible in his performance; in fact, it was hard to find Sean Penn in there - really felt like we were watching Harvey Milk. I loved Penelope Cruz in Vicky Christina Barcelona so was pleased to see that result as well. And even though I had a hard time with THE READER, I did think Kate Winslet turned in a great performance, nuanced and complete.
I guess it was a foregone conclusion that SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE would win the best picture category, and I thought it should. It was so different than an American movie- fresh, bold and fun to watch. So, here's a funny story- yesterday afternoon I was at the Santa Monica Pier, which is a long pier that has amusement park type rides and crappy food. It was a weekday, so very quiet, and we went on the Ferris wheel. I looked down at the roller coaster, and what did I see? All of the child actors from SLUMDOG and the director Danny Boyle going round and round and having the times of their lives. This young actors, some of whom were plucked out the slums, were soaking in every minute of this carnival like park, and Danny Boyle seemed to be really enjoying watching the kids live it up. Made me smile.
Showing posts with label Slumdog Millionaire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Slumdog Millionaire. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
SAG awards
It was fun to watch the SAG awards last night, and my respect for Frieda Pinto grows as she was the ONLY actor to mention the Casting Director last night! She gave a shout out to Loveleen Tandan while her group was accepting the Feature ensemble award for Slumdog Millionaire.
It would have been nice for the casts of 30 Rock or Mad Men to acknowledge the original work of the Casting Director in bringing together these talented actors. But since they didn't, I will... the talented CDs are Jennifer McNamara (30 Rock) and Laura Schiff & Carrie Audino for Mad Men.
Casting Directors really are unsung heroes. We enter a project at the very beginning, work directly with the writer and director - often before any other department head is engaged. What would a film or television show be like without a Casting Director or with a different CD? The choices that ultimately end up on screen most always start with a Casting Directors idea. It's very frustrating to compile an ensemble and then not receive the credit for it, but Casting Directors have learned to live with that. (Do I sound like a martyr?).
Anyway - it was fun to watch the actors get together and celebrate themselves... it would just be nice if they remembered who was on their side in the beginning - who pushed for them to get the job - who stopped their auditions, whispered in their ear to make a subtle change that got them the job, etc.
Just a thought: does anyone else think it's weird that Slumdog Millionaire was eligible for a SAG award, even though none of it's cast are members of SAG? I certainly have no problem with their talent deserving the award, but aren't there rules about these kinds of things?
It would have been nice for the casts of 30 Rock or Mad Men to acknowledge the original work of the Casting Director in bringing together these talented actors. But since they didn't, I will... the talented CDs are Jennifer McNamara (30 Rock) and Laura Schiff & Carrie Audino for Mad Men.
Casting Directors really are unsung heroes. We enter a project at the very beginning, work directly with the writer and director - often before any other department head is engaged. What would a film or television show be like without a Casting Director or with a different CD? The choices that ultimately end up on screen most always start with a Casting Directors idea. It's very frustrating to compile an ensemble and then not receive the credit for it, but Casting Directors have learned to live with that. (Do I sound like a martyr?).
Anyway - it was fun to watch the actors get together and celebrate themselves... it would just be nice if they remembered who was on their side in the beginning - who pushed for them to get the job - who stopped their auditions, whispered in their ear to make a subtle change that got them the job, etc.
Just a thought: does anyone else think it's weird that Slumdog Millionaire was eligible for a SAG award, even though none of it's cast are members of SAG? I certainly have no problem with their talent deserving the award, but aren't there rules about these kinds of things?
Monday, January 12, 2009
Movies, movies, movies
It's been a great time for movies. While I haven't seen all of the winter offerings, I really enjoyed both Benjamin Buttons and Slumdog Millionaire. The casting in Slumdog Millionaire is remarkable, in fact, so much so, that the director Danny Boyle gave the Indian casting director, Loveleen Tandan a "co-director" credit! This is an extraordinary display of collaboration, certainly never before seen in an American film. In fact, the DGA keeps the Casting Director to be listed in the credits as Casting Director. In American films, you will only see "Casting by" or "Casting" in the credits, but never "Casting Director".
The other issue this brings up is the lack of an Academy Award for Casting Directors. We've been advocating for one for a long time. The success of any film is, of course, dependent on having a stellar cast, who elevate the material. And while directors can and should certainly take credit for many areas on a film, they are assisted in every department by experts. There is an Oscar for costume design and set design and makeup design, so why not one for "cast design". The old school academy hasn't yet been willing to open up to this idea, but the Casting Director members of the Academy are working on it diligently.
Anyone else looking forward to tomorrow's season opener of "American Idol"? I saw David Cook in the Apple store in Sherman Oaks a few days ago and I got all excited about the show starting. It will be interesting to see what the new judge adds to the panel.
Actress of the week: Frieda Pinto - this breathtakingly beautiful Indian actress radiates from the screen in Slumdog Millionaire, and is sure to become a huge star. Watch for her to take Hollywood by storm.
The other issue this brings up is the lack of an Academy Award for Casting Directors. We've been advocating for one for a long time. The success of any film is, of course, dependent on having a stellar cast, who elevate the material. And while directors can and should certainly take credit for many areas on a film, they are assisted in every department by experts. There is an Oscar for costume design and set design and makeup design, so why not one for "cast design". The old school academy hasn't yet been willing to open up to this idea, but the Casting Director members of the Academy are working on it diligently.
Anyone else looking forward to tomorrow's season opener of "American Idol"? I saw David Cook in the Apple store in Sherman Oaks a few days ago and I got all excited about the show starting. It will be interesting to see what the new judge adds to the panel.
Actress of the week: Frieda Pinto - this breathtakingly beautiful Indian actress radiates from the screen in Slumdog Millionaire, and is sure to become a huge star. Watch for her to take Hollywood by storm.
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