Sunday, November 18, 2012

Awards Season Mishmash

Awards season is now underway and with it the onslaught of overwrought Oscar-bait - some of which isn't half bad. Among the contenders, I consider Joe Wright's semi-successful take on Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. Also of note among the below links, a profile of Variety's annual Power of Comedy benefit event.

Anna Karenina (Slant)
Barrymore (Slant)
A Royal Affair (Slant)
Burn (Village Voice)
First Winter (Village Voice)
Turning (Village Voice)
La Rafle (Time Out New York)
28 Hotel Rooms (Indiewire)

Comedy Impact Report 2012: The Power of Comedy (Variety)

4 comments:

Maverick Nguyen said...

Hi Andrew. I have read your review of Joe Wright's take on Anna Karenina (which is, surprisingly more positive than most other reviews). Unfortunately, the film is not available in my country yet, so I guess I will have to wait for a while before I can watch it.
I am assuming that you are a fan of Tolstoy and I'm guessing that you might have watched previous adaptations of the brilliant novel. Just want to ask you: what do you think are the most successful adaptations of Anna Karenina so far? I hope they are available in my place and they will serve as useful points of reference before I have a chance to look into Joe Wright's work. Thank you.

andrew schenker said...

Hi Maverick,

Thanks for your comment.

I am definitely a fan of Tolstoy, but unfortunately I haven't seen any of the previous adaptations, though there certainly are a number of them, from the 1935 Hollywood adaptation with Greta Garbo to the 1967 Russian version. I'd be curious to see how each of these adaptations deals with the Levin character; I suspect, as in the Wright film, he becomes more or less marginalized.

Anyway, sorry I couldn't be more helpful. Hope you get to the see the Joe Wright version soon.

Unknown said...

About 28 Hotel Rooms A memorable film, a visual treat, so skillfully shot, and emotionally real with outstanding performances by two people caught up in doing the wrong thing when unable to resist the pull of forces many of us might succumb to or at least feel.
Matt Ross has built this work around two characters that are flawed and perhaps not adequate in substance for his prodigious talent but what he has created flashes with real insight into what happens when passion and love arise and grow within the confined space outside marital vows. We know from the start that we are on a journey where anything might happen and Ross's management of that wild ride is handled with an impressive intelligence while avoiding the predictable outcomes. psicologo online Viewer response could understandably be driven by whether he/she can empathize with the wrong doers or the off screen victims.
I can't wait to see what is next from Mr. Ross.

Unknown said...
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