Oscarweb Round-up: 'Shame' lands the expected NC-17
Also: Peter Jackson confirmed for a go at 'Tintin' and Alex Baldwin's new podcast
Michael Fassbender in "Shame"
So. We all knew this was coming, right? "Shame," Steve McQueen's raunchy, penetrative (no pun intended), sexually charged, psychologically intense character study staring Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan and their naughty bits has received an NC-17 rating. As we've already noted, Fox Searchlight has made the smart choice by getting out ahead of this and embracing it as a badge of honor. Take the MPAA to task if you must. Make the argument that we, as a society, are way too sensitive to images of sex while we are incredibly desensitized to images of violence. The fact of the matter is, the film won't play in a great many theaters as a result of the ruling. But it is no less a masterful piece of cinema from one of the most promising filmmakers of our age. [Box OFfice Mojo]
Peter Knegt chats with the film's screenwriter (who also penned "The Iron Lady"), Abi Morgan. [indieWIRE]
Steve Pond sits down with "Albert Nobbs" director Rodrigo Garcia. [The Odds]
Confirming what we already knew would happen (assuming the original made enough dough): Peter Jackson will direct "The Adventures of Tintin: Prisoners of the Sun." [Hollywood Reporter]
Sasha Stone takes the temperature in the calm before the storm. [Awards Daily]
Steven Zeitchik gets around to the idea of a number of this year's Oscar hopefuls being double-dippers. [The Envelope]
Jeff Wells comments on a challenge that could await Warner Bros. re: "J. Edgar": younger audiences who have no idea who J. Edgar Hoover was. [Hollywood Elsewhere]
What the stars were really thinking at Monday's Hollywood Film Awards. [HitFix]
Matt Zoller Seitz montages Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life." [Moving Image Source]
Alec Baldwin launches a new podcast: "Here's the Thing." [WNYC]
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Login or create a HitFix account Login SignupFrank Lee
October 26, 2011 at 12:39PM EST Reply to CommentSteven Zeitchik's piece didn't make much sense. Kris had made a valid point earlier about how he wants to see actors who have two great performances receive two nominations. But that's not Zeitchik's point. He suggests that actors with two (or more) notable performances are at a disadvantage. That might make sense for George Clooney since, as Zeitchik notes, some people who vote for him for director or supporting actor for "The Ides of March" might not vote for him for best actor for "The Descendants" because they feel the need to spread the love around. That's not what Kris was talking about at all. And, anyway, Zeitchik's point does not apply to Ryan Gosling, who has two possible best actor performances. If someone votes for him for "Drive" and then says, "I'm not voting for him a second time for 'The Ides of March'"--well, that doesn't matter. He's got his vote already. I just don't see how any of this works against Gosling or Fassbender or Chastain. Who's going to say, "I would have voted for Chastain for 'The Help,' but she was also very good in 'Take Shelter' and 'The Tree of Life,' so I'm just not going to vote for her at all"?
Mykill
October 26, 2011 at 12:43PM EST Reply to CommentSaw Shame at Philly film fest - I was surprised at how tame it was...until the end. I don't see how the film could receive anything else than an NC-17 rating without tremendously editing out much of the last "sex scene" - which I'm glad they've chosen NOT to do b/c that totally makes the whole film. This is a really tough sell of a movie, but I have faith that it will find a (small but faithful) audience. I know I am going to do my part to get the word out to anyone I know that it is definitely worth seeing, and I will definitely seek it out again myself in a non-festival setting if it ever plays again near me. Good on Fox Searchlight for having faith in this film and not demanding a re-edit.
Zack
October 26, 2011 at 12:44PM EST Reply to CommentThis may be apples and oranges, but I can't imagine a whole lot of Americans knew who George VI was either.
Kristopher Tapley Yeah but I guess there is something more archetypal about a monarch.
October 26, 2011 at 1:34PM ESTMatthew Starr Ha, valid point. If J Edgar is good it will do well, it really just boils down to the quality of the film.
October 26, 2011 at 1:38PM ESTDylanS I don't think the BO on "J. Edgar" is going to be great, but I don't think that will matter in terms of the oscars. I think the strongest comparison as a BP nominee is "Milk", considering the subject matter and the mutual screenwriter. That didn't do that well at the BO, but got major nominations and even won two.
October 26, 2011 at 4:32PM ESTEvan
October 26, 2011 at 1:11PM EST Reply to CommentQuestion: Do NC-17 movies end up in fewer theaters because the theaters don't want them or because local laws don't allow the theaters to show them?
Just wondering.
Kristopher Tapley Yes.
October 26, 2011 at 1:35PM ESTJoe S. I don't know very much about first amendment law, but wouldn't it be unconstitutional for local laws to ban NC-17 movies? Freedom of expression and all that.
October 26, 2011 at 1:39PM EST
October 26, 2011 at 1:47PM ESTDanny A lot of newspapers refuse to print ads for NC-17 films, making it hard for those films to be marketed to wider audiences. And some theater chains or theaters in malls (for example) have a policy about not showing NC-17 films. These two stances (which I find in both cases ridiculous - as if the NC-17 logo itself were not suitable for a general audience publication, or movie theaters in a mall can't monitor who is admitted into a screening any better than any other movie theater - and isn't it easier to keep minors out of an NC-17 film screening than monitor whether or not they have a guardian with which to enter an R rated screening?) guarantee that only a fraction of movie theaters will show an NC-17 films.
October 26, 2011 at 2:40PM ESTJohn G @Joe S: The first amendment only applies to laws passed by the federal government.
October 26, 2011 at 3:05PM ESTFrank Lee The problem is the newspapers, but it hardly matters with a small movie like "Shame" since the alternative weeklies will advertise it, and that's where the most members of the movie's audience will be getting their movie listing information.
October 26, 2011 at 6:14PM ESTCasey Fiore
October 26, 2011 at 2:48PM EST Reply to CommentI suspect the problem of younger audiences not knowing who Hoover is will be the least of their problems if the trailer is any indication of this film's quality
rentrobuff
October 26, 2011 at 4:51PM EST Reply to CommentKris and Guy, when do you get to see "J. Edgar"?
Matthew Starr
October 26, 2011 at 5:02PM EST Reply to CommentOff Topic: In Time is still coming out in two days right? I have not seen any screenings listed here in NYC and absolutely no reviews or talk about it. I think this film may be a stinker.