They Shoot Oscar Prognosticators, Don't They?
New York Film Festival, Part 2
By J. Don Birnam
October 8, 2015
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Jobs and Spielberg: Two Solid Contenders
If ever there is a challenger to the current front-runner status of Spotlight, it has to be Danny Boyle's biopic of the Apple genius, Steve Jobs. Third time's the charm it seems, because after two failed attempts at chronicling the life of the troubled man, the overall consensus is that the director of Slumdog Millionaire pulled it off.
Steve Jobs first made headlines last year when the Sony leak exposed emails of executive producers Scott Rudin and Amy Pascal, vowing not to work with David Fincher for the film, and asking who Michael Fassbender was. Both of them likely now regret their ignorance. While Jobs is a great movie and a solid Best Picture contender, Boyle's superhero/comic-book-like direction is probably its weakest element. At the same time, Fassbender knocked it out of the park again, making the unlikable guy somehow more unlikable than you thought possible, while somehow a sort of demi-God you want to root for.
Undoubtedly, the strongest link in the chain is Aaron Sorkin's reliably punchy and witty script. It fires off at miles a minute and captures and challenges the viewer to pay attention, or else. The movie has very little in terms of action; it's mostly talking, but the talking is fast-paced, inter-connected, non-linear, and at times purposefully frustratingly difficult to follow. The movie demands repeat viewings. But the payout is worth it, as Sorkin brilliantly captures the anxieties that drive Jobs, from the personal to the professional. Overall, it is a delightful insight into Jobs' life and genius, and will do very well at the Academy Awards.
Not to be overlooked, of course, is the strong role the cast plays. Both Kate Winslet as Jobs' life-long assistant and confidante and Jeff Daniels as a former Apple CEO provide key supporting roles that balance Jobs' ego and also explain a lot of his motivations.
I also had a chance to attend the second screening of Steven Spielberg's Cold War spy-thriller Bridge of Spies. In a few words: the master proves that he's still got it. The story is classic Spielberg: told linearly and with few frills in the narrative, with the expected emotional ups and downs. As you could expect, there is amazing artistry in the movie, with loving and detailed recreations of the 1950s and 1960s, both in the New York and the East Berlin sets, and yet another amazing and pointed photography by Spielberg-collaborator Janusz Kaminski. In addition, the good and the bad guys are always clearly defined, even if they don't fall into the neat categories of us vs. them.
So, a formulaic Spielberg film will do well? Well, yes. As I mentioned the last time, his last three movies have gone on to Best Picture nominations. Bridge of Spies won't win but it also should have a better than even chance at a nod. The movie is gripping if you're into that subject matter, the slow build-up and exposition, and the emotional and moral choices that his characters face. Tom Hanks is also a strong contender for a Best Actor nomination (although I expect Fassbender may become a runaway train in that category soon).
Bridge of Spies is simply a delight of filmmaking, a master act from the master himself. The movie will keep you interested and thinking - it will not challenge you with deep questions and it wears the allegories and metaphors on its sleeves. But, in that sense, it is precisely what one wants from the movies: a well-thought out, consistent and solid piece of entertainment. I'm also expecting this movie to receive several Oscar nominations, including a Best Supporting Actor nod for Mark Rylance, who plays the Soviet spy. It would be interesting to see where this ranks among the list of Spielberg's best in years to come, which I have chronicled here.
Two Enjoyable Documentaries
After making a splash at TIFF, Michael Moore brought his latest documentary, Where to Invade Next, to the Lincoln Center stage. And it is a delight. The documentary follows Moore's usual style of inserting himself in the narrative and making commentary that resembles, to be fair, the ideological views of shows you would find on Fox or MSNBC. If Michael Moore's politics are your cup of tea, you'll love the documentary. If they are not, at the very least I'd imagine they'd have you thinking.
The premise is simple: rather than invade countries by force, Moore suggests that he will invade and find great ideas that he can “steal” to make America a better place. From the expected (higher salaries, better benefits, free education), to the more arcane (no homework for children, better lunchtime cafeteria foods), Moore offers a hodge-podge of social policies that have worked well across select European countries. Moore is upfront about the fact that he's picking and choosing, and purposefully not focusing on the problems that those countries have on their own. Despite this, the documentary is thought-provoking and even more hopeful than has been his wont in past years. A Q&A at the end where he shared his view that progress for America is still possible if we set our minds to it (and using the stunning success of the gay marriage movement in the past 12 years) was a good overall way to close.
Finally, I had a chance to see Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words, a documentary about the Swedish superstar in commemoration of the 100th year of her birth this year. The documentary makes stunning use of a large amount of footage that Bergman herself made throughout her life (as early as the 1930s), as well as interviews of her and her four children. The documentary is frankly a fascinating inspection of a fascinating woman who was years and years ahead of her time - the flak that she took for some of her personal decisions in life was stunning to see. At the same time, her love for film, the camera, and different types of stories are lost on most artists today. If you're a fan of Bergman and her body of work, the documentary will be a delight. Overall, it's nice to see the NYFF committee make space for works from the international movies we discussed last week, to anticipated awards fare like Jobs or Bridge, to perhaps obscure, niche documentaries.
Next week we close out the New York Film Festival with screenings of Brooklyn and Carol, Sundance and Cannes favorites respectively, as well as with a view into Best Foreign Language Film contenders Son of Saul (Hungary) and The Assassin (Taiwan).