In this morning’s roundup of movie news ‘n’ notes from around the web, Helena Bonham Carter wins a prize, and the Guardian asks a lot of questions.
The Guardian wants your help in compiling seven supplements that will list the 25 best horror films, action films, comedies and the like. So they pose a list of questions, and invite reader responses. For instance: “What’s the most inventive death in horror movies?” “What’s the most perfectly constructed sight gag in a comedy film?” “What’s the most quotable pay-off line in an action film?” (I’d give that last one to Samuel L. Jackson (below) for the outrageously profane line that the entire audience shouted in unison when I first saw “Snakes on a Plane,” though I certainly can’t reprint it in this space.) Seven burning questions, including “What’s the best arthouse film that makes no sense whatsoever?,”, await your input. (The Guardian)
The Hollywood Film Festival, the October event that has long been a rather dubious event on the awards-season calendar, has announced that four of this year’s Hollywood Awards will go to Helena Bonham Carter, Sam Rockwell, Andrew Garfield and Mia Wasikowska. All four are in movies that may figure in the awards race: Carter in “The King’s Speech,” Rockwell in “Conviction,” Wasikowska in “The Kids Are All Right” and Garfield in “The Social Network” and “Never Let Me Go.” The Hollywood Reporter has the news, and the HFF website has a list of the many awards that it’ll be handing out in an attempt to make the festival an Oscar campaign stop.
A hometown outlet looks back at the Toronto International Film Festival, and determines the best and worst things about it. It’s the TIFF Bell Lightbox theaters (best) vs. the Scotiabank (worst), Ryan Reynolds in “Buried” (best) vs. James Franco in “127 Hours” (worst, because we never feel trapped with him), Roger Ebert (best) vs. “Score: A Hockey Musical” (worst). Bromance, facial hair and Carey Mulligan’s ability to cry in “Never Let Me Go” also get props. (Torontoist)
One of the bests on Martin’s list, Roger Ebert, also looks back at Toronto, which he says was the precursor to “a very strong Autumn movie season” and a good sign for the movie business. Lest he hurt the sales chances of a film he didn’t like that may be looking for a distributor, Ebert sticks to his faves: “Another Year,” “Black Swan,” “Conviction” and “Stone.” (Roger Ebert’s Journal)
Peter Martin uses the occasion of Ben Affleck’s “The Town” to identify seven people who are better directors than they ever were actors. The honor roll: Ron Howard, Rob Reiner, Paul Berg, Ben Stiller, Jon Favreau, Woody Allen and Clint Eastwood. (Moviefone)
