Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Photos from the set of "Great Hope Springs"

Filming is definitely underway in Stonington Borough, CT. The web is abuzz with pics (some good, some really not so good) of Meryl and Tommy Lee Jones on the set of Great Hope Springs. The best I found can be perused at this link: http://stonington.patch.com/articles/patch-reader-photos-meryl-streep-and-tommy-lee-jones#photo-7943305

I'm still at a loss for why the hell this film isn't going to be released until December 2012. Steve Carell has already finished filming his scenes, and it doesn't seem to be a particularly complex shooting schedule. The Iron Lady started filming this January and is being released in December of this year. Springs is supposed to wrap next month already. A bunch of special effects editing? I think not. Maybe they want to wait a bit and release it along with a film for which Meryl has a bit meatier role, a la It's Complicated / Julie & Julia two years ago. One can only hope that the other role is Violet in August: Osage County. I've blogged about this before but I just loved the play so much that I'm holding out that it will actually happen. I probably shouldn't get my "great hopes" up! That was awful.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Meryl leads Gold Derby predictions

I was excited and pleasantly surprised to open goldderby.com to see a new post that indicates Meryl being the front-runner according to their "experts." Nine out of thirteen have predicted Meryl to come away with her third Oscar overall and first in 29 years for The Iron Lady. Nothing would make me happier of course, but we know how soon it is, and I'm always skeptical of the word "experts." Most of the listed editors also pick Meryl and she leads overwhelmingly with users. Things could change so quickly once the movie is actually (ahem) seen, but for now, I'll revel in her standing.

Check it out: http://www.goldderby.com/films/news/1977/gold-derby-oscarologists-bet-on-meryl-streep-to-win-her-third-oscar.html

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Film review: "Doubt" (2008)

I thought I'd review this film tonight because I'm very cyclical with films depending on the season, and since the autumnal equinox took place about 66 hours ago, I'm reviewing a film that very much reminds me of fall. Doubt, written (and ultimately directed) by John Patrick Shanley, was originally scripted for the stage, as are so many films. Meryl plays Sr. Aloysious Beauvier, a principal and nun at a Catholic parish in the Bronx, New York in 1964. This setting is rather familiar to me, as I was raised in a predominately Catholic town, went to Catholic school from first to twelfth grade, was an altar boy and in fact had a couple of nuns as teachers in high school.

Of course things were certainly different in 1964 compared to the mid 1990's, but for the most part, the teachings and expectation in regard to the religion as it relates to one's actions remain the same. I feel Meryl's sensitive understanding of this helped her to portray a woman who, although initially a bit unlikeable and perhaps intimidating, manages to keep us (me) in her corner. I know from interviews that she spent a good amount of time with the Sisters of Charity developing an authentic persona. Yes, she pulls off the Bronx accent with near perfection, but far more interesting is her character's struggle to balance the tendency to always be in control with having to be subordinate at times to the parish priest.

Sr. Aloysius learns from Sr. James (played by Amy Adams in an Oscar nominated performance) that Fr. Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman, also nominated) may have made sexual advances toward a young boy in the school. We never really get any concrete evidence of this, hence the name of the play/film, but the movie essentially continues with Sr. Aloysius on a witch hunt to bring down Fr. Flynn.

I watched parts of this film this morning and remarked to Joe that I just still can't get over how different the characters Meryl plays are and how convincing she continues to be. She becomes a different person, which seems so clichè and repetitive, but I don't know how else to describe it. Completely entertaining and very impressive. Viola Davis plays the mother of the boy in question (yes, that Viola Davis). She too was nominated for an Academy Award, deservedly, and shined in a couple of very compelling scenes alongside Meryl.

The climax of the film comes when Fr. Flynn decides to confront Sr. Aloysius on her accusations. The following scene was a big factor in why Meryl came close to winning her third Oscar:



Great stuff. She's strong and tragic at the same time. Trying to hold on so tightly to a way of life she sees slowly slipping away, hoping to find some control of the oncoming chaos. I like the bit of sarcastic humor she provides particularly at the end of this scene. Meryl of course received her 15h Academy Award nomination and won the Screen Actor's Guild award for actress in a leading role. Interestingly, the winner of the Oscar that year, Kate Winslet, won for The Reader, a film that she won the Golden Globe and SAG award for actress in a supporting role. Her production company was content with campaigning her role in Revolutionary Road as lead. Why not, as she won the Golden Globe for it (and for Reader in supporting). She eventually was nominated as lead in The Reader and won the Oscar. So political.

Regardless, a great role and a great movie. Brava, Meryl.