Roundup: Making the case for Nicole Kidman

Also: 'War Witch' wins at Camerimage, and Ang Lee's 'Life of Liberty Valance'

By Guy LodgeMonday, Dec 3, 2012 8:28 AM

Nicole Kidman in "The Paperboy."

Credit: Millennium Entertainment

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Oscar buzz is a strange, unscientific and totally intangible thing -- even contenders being left out of the precursor can generate their own conversation with some assistance from the blogosphere. Nathaniel Rogers calls it The Noise, and right now he's hearing it for Nicole Kidman, whose Oscar chances for a brilliant out-of-character turn in Lee Daniels' "The Paperboy" initially seemed to be shot down with the film's critical savaging. But Kidman's doing a stealth campaign, calling up sympathetic interviewers (including our own Greg Ellwood) herself, and it's paying off with some press at just the right time. Could she crack a still-thin Best Supporting Actress category? Though I think she's really a lead in "The Paperboy," I hope so, and so does Rogers: "You'd have to bring Daniel Day-Lewis's Honest Abe into the room to give her a worthy opponent for impossible commitment to the role," he writes. [The Film Experience]

Canada's Oscar submission, "War Witch" took top honors at the Camerimage Festival, which honors outstanding achievements in cinematography. "Holy Motors" was runner-up. [Screen]

The initial Twitter response to "Django Unchained" is encouraging, though an embargo is supposedly still in place. [The Guardian]

Here's a comparison I didn't expect: Devin Faraci on the parallels between "Life of Pi" and John Ford's "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance." (Spoilerphobes should stay away.) [Badass Digest]

With Mike Newell's new version of "Great Expectations" having just been released in the UK to a muted response, Charles Moore considers the challenges of adapting Dickens for the screen. [The Telegraph]

Speaking of which, David Lean's version of "Great Expectations" cracks Jason Solomons' list of the screen's 10 best literary adaptations, alongside "Stand By Me" and "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy." [The Observer]

Michael Cieply on an Oscar race seemingly being reclaimed by the major studios after several straight years of indies ruling the roost. [New York Times]

Costume designer Ann Maskrey on dressing "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey." It's more challenging designing for dwarves than for Cate Blanchett, apparently. Who knew? [LA Times]

Paul Harris reports from last night's Kennedy Center Honors, at which two-time Oscar champ Dustin Hoffman (and director of this year's awards hopeful "Quartet") was among the individuals celebrated. [Variety]

The Academy has posted full videos of the acceptance speeches from Saturday's Governors' Awards. I still miss having such moments at the Oscar ceremony itself. [AMPAS]

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Guy Lodge
Critic

Guy Lodge is a South African-born critic and sometime screenwriter. In addition to his work at In Contention, he is a freelance contributor to Variety, Time Out, Empire and The Guardian. He lives well beyond his means in London.

Jacob

I haven't heard any 'noise' for The Paperboy. Actually the film was a box office flop. I think it's really sad & desperate that Nicole Kidman is phoning around. It goes to show how rock bottom her career is at the moment. Normally with a successful film the 'noise' happens by public word of mouth.
December 3, 2012 at 4:16PM EST Reply to Comment
- Jimmy Nicole Kidman is certainly not the only actress "phoning around" these days. I don't understand why you say her career is "rock bottom". She got an Oscar nomination a year and a half ago, she got an Emmy nomination this year for "Hemingway and Gellhorn", she has a film directed by Chan Wook Park coming up and one with Colin Firth in 2013 ("The Railway Man"). And the reviews for her performance in "The Paperboy" were fantastic (she actually got better reviews than Sally Field, Helen Hunt or Amy Adams). It's weird that you would blame her for the film's failure. She was the best thing about it and she would totally deserve an Oscar nomination (in a fair world). Why don't you blame the director Lee Daniels or Zac Efron?
  December 3, 2012 at 4:38PM EST
- Paul Outlaw Nicole Kidman's career is at rock bottom? Is that you, Mr. Rove?
  December 3, 2012 at 5:17PM EST
Jeff

Actually, Jacob, there is nothing "desperate" about what Kidman is doing. She's far from the only one who does interviews or attends Guild screenings for their films to possibly remind people of any film that isn't named Les Miserables, Zero Dark Thirty, Lincoln, Argo, etc.

Kidman's film is very art-house and ridiculously divisive to boot (except for her performance, which has basically been universally praised) so of course "campaigning" is what anyone is going to have to do so people give her performance a chance. It doesn't matter WHO you are. That goes for anyone starring in a film that isn't a perceived frontrunner. Journalists and voters tend to focus on those films and forget about anything else that isn't in that very small circle because those are the ones that are constantly brought up. If you've ever followed an Oscar race in your life, I shouldn't have to tell you this.Perhaps you just have an ulterior motive with your Kidman shit talking?

You know, I could just call you an idiot and move on. I think I'll do that.
December 3, 2012 at 4:28PM EST Reply to Comment
Jacob

Wow! The defensiveness of these replies are astounding! Did Nicole call you guys up? Who's blaming Nicole Kidman? I'm just saying that The Paperboy bombed at the box office. What's the point of a great performance if nobody is going to see it?
December 3, 2012 at 5:04PM EST Reply to Comment
- Jef What's the point of a great performance if nobody is going to see it?
  
  LOL, seriously? What is wrong with you?
  December 3, 2012 at 5:17PM EST
- GlennAU That really is an incredibly dumb thing to say. Maybe Kidman is trying to get a nomination so people WILL see it? Christ, some people are idiots.
  December 3, 2012 at 10:49PM EST