The Watchers' Feelgood Films (Part 7) - Documentary Special (Part 2)

Well, we're still in lockdown... in Wales, at least .So here's a seventh instalment of The Watchers' Feelgood Films, where we'll give you some suggestions or recommendation for films that might cheer you up if you're locked down. 

Today, it's a Matt-Tez sandwich (ooer, missus!) with three more documentary films that'll make you feel good. 

Man on Wire (2008)

Dir: James Marsh
Starring: Philippe Petit, Jean-François Heckel, and Jean-Louis Blondeau 

Man on Wire is a real-life heist film. It’s not money the robbers are after, but “the artistic crime of the century”.

In 1974, Philippe Petit broke into and tightrope walked between New York’s Twin Towers with no safety net, nothing to break his fall, just a 1,780-foot drop. James Marsh’s film is the story of how Petit accomplished this literally death-defying feat.

Everything – the set ups, the pacing, the music – makes Man on Wire feel like a primetime TV thriller. You know Petit achieves what he set out to do, but Marsh creates a real tension throughout. Time and again, Petit and his gang are nearly caught, their plans foiled, but miraculously dodge security.

Man on Wire is emotional as well as thrilling. Several members of Petit’s group bow out because, as one puts it, “I don’t want to be responsible for the death of a friend”. As Petit and his cohorts reminisce, there is the knowing that, tragically, this is a feat that can never be repeated.

While Nixon, Watergate, and the seedy workings of the White House were exposed to the world, here was a man who literally rose above it all to accomplish his dream. It’s no understatement to say that Man on Wire is a film you must see.

Matt

* * *

The Aristocrats (2005)

Dir: Penn Jillette and Paul Provenza
Starring: George Carlin, Whoopi Goldberg, Robin Williams, Bob Saget, and Gilbert Gottfried

What's the filthiest joke you know? I think mine involves a cheating husband and a parrot who used to live in a brothel... but whatever it is, I can guarantee you, it won't be as filthy as 'The Aristocrats'.

A joke that's been told from the early days of vaudeville up to the present day (and apparently Johnny Carson's favourite joke), the set-up and punchline are set. A guy goes into a talent agent's office and says to the agent "Have I got an act for you!". He proceeds to describe an act full of the most vulgar, deviant, disgusting acts known to man or beast (sometimes even involving man and beast, depending on who is telling the joke). When he finishes, the agent- either shellshocked and utterly appalled, or massively intrigued- says "what do you call an act like that?" The punchline is... "The Aristocrats".  

It's the middle section (discussing the content of the act) where comedians can get inventive, creative, and just downright obscene. In this jawdropping documentary, one hundred comedians- including such comic luminaries as George Carlin, Whoopi Goldberg, Robin Williams, and Phyllis Diller- discuss, analyse, deconstruct and deliver their own versions of the world's dirtiest joke. 

The very definition of a one-joke film, the documentary is certainly not for the fainthearted, prudish, conservative, or easily outraged. Some of the acts described are beyond the bounds of acceptable human decency. Some of the topics raised would definitely fall under the category of "things you shouldn't joke about";  as Gilbert Gottfried says "You can put people to death for what goes on in the best versions of this joke!"

But the point is this: this was never meant to be a joke told to an audience as part of a set (audiences would be rightly offended and probably walk out  if even five percent of some of the renditions ended up on stage); instead, it was used as a warm-up exercise and an inside joke among comedians, a playful competition to try and outdo one another. And the variations of the joke between each comic sheds a fascinating light on how comedy works, when and how to push the boundaries, what's acceptable... and what's not. 

Gottfried is, as you'd expect, an exception to the "don't-tell-it-in-public" rule: in fact, the joke became well-known in the mainstream when he delivered a masterclass rendition of it at a Comedy Central/New York Friars' Club roast of Hugh Hefner recorded just weeks after the 9/11 attacks, to win back an audience he'd lost by making a crass joke about the World Trade Center (to boos and cries of "toon soon" from the audience). Of course, when the Roast was broadcast on television, this section was almost entirely censored: as Gottfried himself said "They might have to clean this up". Watching The Aristocrats, you'll see why...

Of course, whilst a lot of the film is fairly base in its relentless litany of bodily fluids, incest, bestiality, and murder (which will be wearying for some), there's some interesting variations- one told by a mime artist, for instance, another by a ventriloquist, and there's an interesting subversion of the joke when Wendy Liebman and T. Sean Shannon describe very genteel acts with very offensive names. There's also some fascinating discussions about the art of crafting a joke. 

This won't be for everyone. You need to have a firm stomach and a fairly lax sense of humour for this to be enjoyable. But for fans of comedy and fans of how comedy works (even for people interested in the psychology of comedians), this is one of the rare occasions where comparing examining a joke to dissecting a frog- i.e. you find out how it works but the frog dies- doesn't come into play. 

Tez

* * *

Searching for Sugar Man (2012)

Dir: Malik Bendjelloul
Starring: Sixto Rodriguez, Stephen 'Sugar' Segerman, Ilse Assmann, Craig Bartholomew-Strydom, and Malik Bendjelloul

Malik Bendjelloul’s documentary is about a musician, but it’s not exclusively for music buffs. Searching for Sugar Man is a mystery, a tale of second chances and redemption.

Back in the sixties, Detroit singer-songwriter Sixto Rodriguez began a promising music career only to vanish, never seen nor heard from again. Rodriguez became a riddle, a puzzle to solve; there were rumours that he killed himself on stage, but there was never any proof. During its 90 minutes, Bendjelloul investigates what happened to this enigmatic artist. Bendjelloul’s journey, where he ends up, is genuinely moving and uplifting. I have seen Searching for Sugar Man several times and have yet to watch it from beginning to end without crying.

Bendjelloul discovers that Rodriguez, the man and his music, became a figurehead, the soundtrack for those in South Africa fighting against apartheid. He was the voice of a generation; loved and understood by people thousands of miles from Detroit.

Searching for Sugar Man would be a brilliant film if it stopped there. What happens next is something that would play out in a soaring, classic Oscar winner.

As well as the film, you need to give the soundtrack a go; Rodriguez’s music is gorgeously laidback and uplifting.

If you have never seen Searching for Sugar Man, avoid the internet and watch it being blissfully unaware of its subject. There is a reason why this film ends up in top ten documentary lists, when the credits roll you will be left beaming and drying your eyes.

Matt

The Watchers Film Show: Lockdown Special 5

Lockdown Special #5 is here! 

This time, we're talking about our cinematic guilty pleasures (or, more accurately, those films which we enjoy that others might not expect us to like!)

An eclectic mix of films get mentioned, from sci-fi spoofs to supernatural romances and all-out actioners, but which of us has a not-so-secret delight in Three Men And A Baby? 

Who cited Air Force One as one of their guilty pleasures? 

And who would defend Steven Spielberg's Hook to the hilt in a crowded pub if someone said it was shit?

The answers may surprise you...

If you have any cinematic guilty pleasures, please let us know below. And remember- there's no judgement here!

Note (and slight spoiler): We recorded this episode last week, before Joel Schumacher's passing. Our enthusiasm and love for Batman & Robin is a genuine tribute to an unfairly-maligned film (whilst also recognising its shortcomings). RIP Joel, and thank you.  

Joel Schumacher (1939-2020)

We at the Watchers are saddened to hear about the death of Joel Schumacher. The filmmaker passed away on Monday (June 22nd) at the age of 80.

It's almost inevitable that he will be remembered for his Batman movies, but there was so much more to him as a director, and as a filmmaker, than Bat-nipples and neon-splashed cityscapes. In an eclectic career spanning over five decades, Schumacher helmed coming-of-age dramas, legal thrillers, big screen musicals, biopics, and vampire features, in addition to comic-book movies, and also took several other production roles. 

Born in Queens, New York, in 1939, Schumacher initially attended the Parsons School of Design and the Fashion Institute of Technology, and designed clothing and packaging for Revlon. He was also a window dresser at Bendel's department store in New York, coming up with "shocking, interesting, exciting windows" (including a display which made it look like the store had been broken into). In 1972, he made his way to Los Angeles to start working in the film business. The first film Schumacher had ever seen was David Lean's atmospheric and haunting version of Great Expectations (1946) and it made a big impression on him, sparking his desire to become a filmmaker.

Schumacher initially worked as a costume designer, working on films including Play It As It Lays (1972), Blume In Love (1973), and Woody Allen's Sleeper (also 1973). He credits Allen as the first person to encourage him to become a director, later saying: "The dream seemed so far away, and for someone like that to say, 'You've got it, you're going to do it,' it meant the world to me." He would work with Allen again, designing costumes for Interiors (1978), and was also costume designer for the big screen adaptation of Neil Simon's The Prisoner Of Second Avenue (1975). 

In 1974, Schumacher both wrote and directed his first TV movie, Virginia Hill, starring 
Dyan Cannon as the eponymous girlfriend of gangster Bugsy Siegel. He wrote (or co-wrote) the screenplays for several of his own films, but is also credited as screenwriter for several others, including musical drama Sparkle (1976, remade in 2012, for which Schumacher received a story credit); comedy-drama Car Wash (1976), starring Richard Pryor; and The Wiz (1978)- an adaptation of The Wizard Of Oz- starring Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, and Lena Horne. 

After a second well-received TV movie- Amateur Night At The Dixie Bar And Grill (1979), starring Candy Clark, Louise Latham, Don Johnson, and Dennis Quaid- which he also wrote and directed, Schumacher made the step to cinema and directed his first feature film in 1981: The Incredible Shrinking Woman, a sci-fi comedy starring Lily Tomlin in the title role as a regular suburban housewife who is exposed to a series of chemicals and begins to shrink. His second film as director was the action comedy Street Fleet [originally known as D.C. Cab] (1983) which was a vehicle (excuse the pun) for Mr. T. 

Schumacher was behind the lens for two iconic 1980s movies. The first was St. Elmo's Fire (1985), which he also co-wrote with Carl Kurlander. A romantic drama about the lives of seven friends- played by Judd Nelson, Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Andrew McCarthy, Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy, and Mare Winningham- who have just graduated from Georgetown University and start to negotiate the complexities of life after college. It's a smart look at that odd period when you leave the relative security of university and have to go... now what? The film is also famous for John Parr's equally iconic song 'St. Elmo's Fire (Man In Motion)', which gets played to evoke the mid-Eighties zeitgeist even now. 

The second was The Lost Boys (1987), a riproaring comedy-horror about two brothers (Jason Patric and Corey Haim) who move to a new town and find out that the area is swarming with vampires. A wonderfully twisted take on Peter Pan, Schumacher stepped in to direct when original director (and eventual executive producer) Richard Donner moved on to direct Lethal Weapon. This is the first time that Kiefer Sutherland (who plays David, leader of the vampires) worked with Schumacher; Schumacher would cast him several times throughout his filmography. Along with Kathryn Bigelow's Near Dark (1987), The Lost Boys has influenced how vampires look and act on screen and made a massive cultural impact. 

A cross between a medical thriller and a sci-fi horror, Flatliners (1990) defies easy categorisation but is- even 30 years later- a damn good watch. Five medical students- played by Kiefer Sutherland, Julia Roberts, Kevin Bacon, William Baldwin, and Oliver Platt- conduct experiments into near death experiences; what lies beyond? Anything? Nothing? Each of them has their heart stopped and then are revived. But what they bring back with them is the stuff of nightmares... An interesting meditation on forgiveness, and a cautionary tale about the pitfalls of playing God, it's one of Schumacher's strongest films. 

After reuniting with Roberts for the soapy, melodramatic romance Dying Young (1991), Schumacher pulls another interesting turn with the critically-acclaimed Falling Down (1993), for which he was nominated for the Palme d'Or at that year's Cannes film festival.  Described by The New York Times as " glitzy, casually cruel, hip and grim", Falling Down is an urban thriller chronicling the breakdown of Bill 'D-Fens' Foster- an ordinary man whose everyday frustrations with society spill over into psychotic violence- with a powerhouse performance by Michael Douglas as 'D-Fens'.

Schumacher's next film was The Client (1994), an adaptation of the John Grisham legal thriller of the same name. Starring Susan Sarandon, Tommy Lee Jones, and Brad Renfro, he directed Sarandon to an Oscar nomination for Best Actress as the lawyer tasked with helping out a child witness who has seen and heard too much. This is the only time Schumacher directed an actor to an Oscar nomination.

In between the Batman films, he returned for A Time To Kill (1996)- seemingly at John Grisham's behest- and was instrumental in casting Matthew McConaughey (who had been in several key supporting roles in other films such as Dazed And Confused and Boys On The Side up til then) as Jake Brigance, the lawyer who has to defend a black man (played by Samuel L. Jackson) accused of murdering two white men who raped his daughter. This would be the part to catapult McConaughey into starring roles. Schumacher was originally attached to direct Runaway Jury (2003) which was directed by Gary Fleder instead. 

In 1995, Schumacher released the first of his Batman films: Batman Forever. Starring Val Kilmer as the Caped Crusader, with Chris O'Donnell introduced as Robin, Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones as villains The Riddler and Two-Face, and Nicole Kidman as love interest Dr. Chase Meridian, the film scored the highest-grossing opening weekend of 1995. It finished as the second-highest-grossing film of the year in North America, and sixth-highest worldwide. With one foot still in the Burton-esque style of Batman Returns (Burton remained onboard as producer), Batman Forever doesn't tip all the way into the camptastic excesses of Batman & Robin, although there are hints of it (mostly in The Riddler's garb and lair). 

Having done the business with Batman Forever, Schumacher was invited back to direct Batman & Robin (1997). With Val Kilmer dropping out at the eleventh hour to film The Island Of Dr. Moreau (citing the chance to work with Marlon Brando), the search was on for a new Batman. Enter George Clooney. With Chris O'Donnell back as Robin, and introducing Batgirl (Alicia Silverstone), the trio of crimefighters face the cold-hearted Mr. Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and the alluring Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman). Universally derided by critics and fans alike, the film bombed and put the kibosh on a planned fifth instalment to the series.  

Schumacher has taken the criticism of Batman & Robin on the chin, saying in 2017: “I want to apologize to every fan that was disappointed because I think I owe them that.” He's made it clear that the studio pressured him to make it more "toyetic" (essentially making a 90-minute commercial) and undermining a lot of the film. Despite Schumacher's Razzie nomination for Worst Director [which he lost to Kevin Costner for The Postman], there's still a lot of fun to be had in Batman & Robin: George Clooney is suave as Bruce Wayne (although his Batman is lacking), Uma Thurman camps it up to eleven and is clearly having a ball as Poison Ivy, and some of Schwarzenegger's one-liners (as cheesy as they are) can't help but raise a smile. 

So, what do you do as a film-maker coming off the back of a high-camp comic-book extravaganza? Well, if you're Schumacher, you make a lower-budget thriller about a private detective investigating a potential snuff film. 8mm (1999), starring Nicolas Cage, Joaquin Phoenix, James Gandolfini, and Peter Stormare, is light years away from Batman & Robin. It was nominated for the Golden Bear (ie. Best Picture) at the 1999 Berlin Film Festival. Schumacher later said that "8mm would never get made today. I think it's a really bold, really controversial film".

And after making a dark thriller about snuff movies, what do you do next? Well, how about an odd-couple comedy-drama about a homophobic security guard who ends up taking singing lessons from a drag queen after having a stroke? Because that's what Schumacher did with Flawless (1999), which he also wrote. Whilst the plot isn't particularly original, the performances by Robert De Niro and Philip Seymour Hoffman as the security guard and the drag queen respectively are excellent. In another shift of gear, Tigerland (2000) sees a bunch of young recruits- one of them played by Colin Farrell- preparing to go off to Vietnam by doing Advanced Infantry Training at Fort Polk, Louisiana (home to the titular 'Tigerland'). This was the first collaboration between Schumacher and Farrell, but not the last.  

Farrell would take the lead in Phone Booth (2002), a claustrophobic thriller which mostly takes place within the confines of the titular booth. Smarmy publicist Stu Shepard finds himself trapped in the booth by a man (voiced by Kiefer Sutherland) with a sniper rifle who demands Stu comes clean about his many lies. It's a tense ride, which plays out in real-time, and has a lot of stellar performances (including Forest Whitaker, Radha Mitchell, and Katie Holmes). Schumacher then went on to direct Veronica Guerin (2003), a biopic of the Irish journalist who was murdered in 1996 for her exposés on Dublin's drug trade, with Cate Blanchett in the lead role and Ciarán Hinds as her informant. 

From Irish journalists to a bastion of musical theatre, Schumacher went on to direct The Phantom Of The Opera (2004) next. He was the first and only choice to direct- and had been ever since the film version had been mooted; Andrew Lloyd Webber had chosen Schumacher based on his use of music in The Lost Boys. Working with Lloyd Webber on the screenplay, as well as acting as executive music producer, Schumacher brings the opulence of the Paris opera house and the labyrinths beneath to shimmering life. 

Honestly, the film is a bit of a mixed bag: Gerard Butler's singing is fairly painful (a problem when he's playing the Phantom) and there's very little in the way of disfigurement when you see under the mask; crucially, there's also a lack of chemistry between the leads which undercuts the emotion of the end. That said, there's several great supporting turns- by Simon Callow and Ciarán Hinds as the new owners of the opera, Miranda Richardson as the enigmatic ballet mistress Madame Giry, and Minnie Driver as diva Carlotta- and Emmy Rossum is a convincing Christine. 

For The Number 23 (2007), Schumacher reunited with Batman Forever star Jim Carrey. In this mystery thriller, Carrey plays a mild-mannered animal control officer who becomes obsessed with a mysterious red-covered book which seems to resemble his life. Schumacher's next films were 2009 occult horror Blood Creek- starring Henry Cavill, Dominic Purcell, and Michael Fassbender in a twisted revenge tale that takes in everything from zombie horses to the Third Reich; crime drama Twelve (2010), starring Chace Crawford, 50 Cent, and Kiefer Sutherland; and- what would be his final film- the 2011 thriller Trespass, which has Nicolas Cage and Nicole Kidman as a rich couple dealing with a home invasion. Schumacher's last official credit is directing two episodes of the TV series House Of Cards in 2013.

As well as directing for TV and film, Schumacher was also known as a music video director, directing videos for INXS ('Devil Inside'), Lenny Kravitz ('Heaven Help'), Seal ('Kiss From A Rose'), The Smashing Pumpkins ('The End Is The Beginning Is The End'), Bush ('Letting The Cables Sleep'),  and The Killing Floor ('Star Baby'). Along with his co-directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, Schumacher was nominated for an MTV Video Music Award for Best Direction for "The End Is The Beginning Is The End" (which had been used in Batman & Robin).  

When asked  if he had any advice for first-time directors, Schumacher gave this response: "Be bold, take risks, follow your own instincts, listen to other people only when you really believe in your gut that they're right. Get a great cast. Get a cinematographer that isn't jealous that you're the director. Get an editor that's not jealous you're the director. You can do it."

In addition to screenwriting and costume design work, Schumacher took on many different genres of films as a director and always delivered what was required of him. I hope this tribute has gone to show he's so much more than just the man that stuck nipples on the Batsuit, and deserves to be remembered as a man of many talents. At a 2017 retrospective, Schumacher reflected on his career, stating: “I think I’m one of the luckiest people that ever lived. I got my dream. I got it so much bigger than even I could have dreamed it”

Our thoughts are with his friends and family at this time. 

Ian Holm (1931-2020)

We at The Watchers are saddened to hear of the passing of Sir Ian Holm. The veteran actor of stage and screen passed away today (June 19th 2020) at the age of 88. 

Holm was born in 1931 at the mental institution that his father ran. Inspired to become an actor by seeing a production of Les Misérables at the age of seven, he studied at RADA, graduating in 1953 after two pauses to his studies (one for National Service, the other for an acting tour of America). He found work in Stratford, and became a significant member of the Royal Shakespeare Company when it was founded in 1960. He played Richard III in a BBC adaptation of the RSC's Wars Of The Roses tetralogy to great acclaim. 

On stage, he originated the role of Lenny in Harold Pinter's The Homecoming in 1965, reprising his role in the Broadway production (and winning a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in A Play). He would reprise his role as Lenny for the 1973 film version, directed by Peter Hall. 

He made his first credited film appearance in 1968, playing Gunner Flynn in The Bofors Gun, a drama about the interaction between a squad of soldiers during a single night of guard duty of the titular weapon. Holm would win his first BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor for his role in this film. He went on to play Puck in Peter Hall's 1968 star-studded adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream (opposite David Warner, Helen Mirren, Diana Rigg, Judi Dench, and Ian Richardson) and played President Raymond Poincaré in Oh! What A Lovely War (1969)

Throughout the 1970s, Holm worked steadily in film and television with roles in Nicholas And Alexandra (1971), Mary Queen Of Scots (1971), Young Winston (1972) and Robin And Marian (1976). In 1976, he was playing Hickey in Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh when he developed crippling stage fright which meant he quickly withdrew from the production; describing the experience as "a breakdown", Holm stated the experience was "a scar on my memory that will never go away". As such, he only appeared intermittently on stage after that point. 

However, in 1979, Holm would take a film role that would become one of his best-known: Ash in Alien. Alien has a fantastic ensemble cast, but Holm is wonderfully cold as the treacherous crew-member, who is revealed to not only be an android but also to have been aware of the Corporation's plan from the very beginning. His assault on Ripley is difficult to watch, and his final line- "I can't lie to you about your chances, but... you have my sympathies"- is just chilling. Alien could have just been a schlocky B-movie, but its acting elevates it to something greater, and that's thanks in no small part to Holm's nuanced and creepy performance. 

Holm's next film role would see him receive his only Oscar nomination- for Best Supporting Actor- in Chariots Of Fire (1981). The story of the rivalry between Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross) and Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson) as they compete at the 1924 Paris Olympics is a well-beloved classic of British cinema. But it's Holm's performance as professional athletics coach Sam Mussabini (who helped to train Abrahams to win an Olympic gold medal for the 100m sprint) that gained the majority of the acting plaudits for the film; although it would win four Oscars- including Best Picture- Holm he didn't win the Oscar; that went to fellow Brit John Gielgud for Arthur. He did, however, win his second BAFTA for the role.

Other roles for Holm in the 1980s include Napoleon Bonaparte in Time Bandits (1981), Capitaine Phillippe D'Arnot in Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord Of The Apes (1984) [which gained him a third BAFTA Film Award nomination], Mr. Kurtzmann in Brazil (1985), Desmond Cussen in Dance With A Stranger (1985), and Captain Fluellen in Henry V (1989). In 1984, he was considered for the role of the villainous Morgus in the Doctor Who serial The Caves Of Androzani- Peter Davison's last story as The Doctor- which was eventually played by John Normington (with whom Holm co-starred in A Midsummer Night's Dream). He also played Frodo Baggins in the 1981 BBC radio adaptation of The Lord Of The Rings. 

Holm started the 1990s in another Shakespeare adaptation, playing the ill-fated Polonius in Franco Zeffirelli's Hamlet (1990) alongside Mel Gibson, Glenn Close, and Alan Bates. He also appeared in Naked Lunch (1991), The Hour Of The Pig (1993), Frankenstein (1994) as Victor's father, Dr. Willis in The Madness Of King George (1994), Father Vito Cornelius in The Fifth Element (1997), A Life Less Ordinary (1997) as Naville, and as Kiri Vinokur in eXistenZ (1999). 

He took a rare lead role in Atom Egoyan's 1997 drama The Sweet Hereafter, playing lawyer Mitchell Stephens who persuades the grieving parents of a small town to bring a class action lawsuit against the town and bus company which caused the death of 14 children. He was a last minute replacement for Donald Sutherland, who was originally cast but withdrew. 

In 1997, Holm made a rare return to the stage, playing the lead role in King Lear at the National Theatre in London. Winning the Olivier Award for Best Actor for his intense turn as Lear, a version of the play was recorded in 1998 and broadcast on the BBC and on PBS in America. He would also receive his first Primetime Emmy nomination for his performance. 

Moving in to the 21st century, he would get a second Emmy nomination for his role as Patrick, the drummer in an all-girl swing band (he dressed as a woman to avoid having to go to war), in TV movie The Last Of The Blonde Bombshells. He also played Sir William Gull in From Hell (2001), the adaptation of Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell's graphic novel about the search for Jack The Ripper. He also had roles in The Day After Tomorrow (2004), The Aviator (2004) and Lord Of War (2005). In 2007, he provided the voice for Chef Skinner in the Pixar movie Ratatouille, and would win an Annie Award for Best Voice Acting. 

The role for which Holm will probably be most remembered for, though, comes in 2001 and continues to 2014 as he plays the role of Bilbo Baggins for Peter Jackson's The Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. He appears in four of the six films: The Fellowship Of The Ring- where his sudden possession by the One Ring provides an unexpected scare; The Return Of The King, where he takes his leave and heads into the west during one of the film's many endings; An Unexpected Journey, where he introduces the story to Frodo; and The Battle Of The Five Armies, which bookends his tale. His appearance in the latter film is Holm's final film credit. 

Holm was an incredibly capable and reliable character actor whose presence would give a scene some dignity and gravitas. He will be missed. Our thoughts are with his friends, family, and children at this difficult time. 

Awards Season 2021

I'm fairly certain I felt some of your blood run cold at the mention of "awards season".

What? You may be crying. Awards season stuff already? But it's only June! This festival of self-congratulation doesn't kick off til November, surely! What's going on?

Well... in these uncertain times we find ourselves in, the usual structures and strictures have been overturned and "mere anarchy is loosed upon the world". This news came out late last night here in the UK so I couldn't include it yesterday's State Of Play article. Probably for the best as there was a LOT of info in that!

Anyway, to my point (and I do have one)... 

Yesterday (June 15th), the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Scientists (AMPAS) voted on a new date for the 93rd Academy Awards. It will now take place on Sunday April 25th 2021, eight weeks from its original date of Sunday February 28th. 

The Oscar nominations will be announced on Monday March 15th 2021.

In a statement from the Academy, AMPAS president David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson noted the following: 

"For over a century, movies have played an important role in comforting, inspiring, and entertaining us during the darkest of times. They certainly have this year. Our hope, in extending the eligibility period and our Awards date, is to provide the flexibility filmmakers need to finish and release their films without being penalized for something beyond anyone’s control."

This isn't the first time that the Oscars have moved their broadcast date: in response to major events - such as severe flooding in Los Angeles in 1938, the assassination of Martin Luther King in 1968, and the attempted assassination of US President Ronald Reagan in 1981- the Academy made the decision to postpone the events in those respective years. So it was going to be a no-brainer for them to do it again due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In light of this, the Academy have also changed their qualifying release deadline. Usually, the deadline is 31st December, but for the 93rd Academy Awards it will be extended to Sunday 28th February 2021. So, any film that has had a qualifying run in that time (which currently means a film has to be shown in a commercial motion picture theater in Los Angeles County for a theatrical qualifying run of at least seven consecutive days, during which period screenings must occur at least three times daily) can be eligible for Best Picture. 

The Academy have also expanded their definition of "qualifying theaters" to include venues in other cities, including New York City, Chicago, Miami, and Atlanta. They're also waiving the demand that documentaries have both an L.A. and a New York run in order to be considered. 

They'd previously announced a big change in relation to films that would have had a theatrical release but can't due to cinemas being closed. Usually films that only appear on streaming services are ineligible for consideration, but- until further notice- streaming-only films can be eligible but "must be made available on the secure Academy Screening Room member-only streaming site within 60 days of the film’s streaming or VOD release". 

Other rmajor awards bodies, such as the Golden Globes, Directors Guild of America, Producers Guild of America, and BAFTA have all already adopted new guidelines which relax their rules regarding commercial streaming/VOD releases, so it makes sense. 

Speaking of BAFTA, this morning (16th June), the announcement was made that the 2021 BAFTA Film Awards will also move; they will now take place on Sunday April 11th 2021 (keeping with recent tradition that the BAFTAs predate the Oscars by two weeks). They're the first of the major awards bodies to announce a shift in date in light of the change in the Oscars, so expect the others to follow suit. 

Decisions have also been made to cancel the 2020 Governors Award gala in November (where the Academy Honorary Awards, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award are handed out), and postpone the 2020 Scientific and Technical Awards presentation (which was due to take place on Saturday June 20th). The flagshop Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will now open to the public on April 30th 2021 instead of December 14th this year. 

In other news, from 2021, the Academy will be merging its Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing awards to one award: Best Achievement in Sound. It's also going to be the last Oscars where physical DVD screeners and other hard-copy materials will be distributed, instead pressing for digital materials instead. 

As for how this will effect the Oscars going forwards? Who know? (And a lot of people might say: who cares?) 

The 94th Academy Awards were previously announced to take place on February 22nd 2022, but the Academy has opened the door for a new date. There's also been an announcement that- from 2022- the Academy will commit to 10 Best Picture nominees a year, rather than basing the number of nominees on the members' preferential voting. 

The 2010 and 2011 awards both had a fixed 10 Best Picture nominations (changed from the fixed five due, it is generally believed, to The Dark Knight's exclusion from the top prize in 2009), but from 2012- since the rules changed to allow anywhere between five and ten Best Pictures- it's fluctuated between eight and nine Best Picture nods a year. 

It's a brave new world, my friends, and we must adapt to survive. I'll leave you with this quote from an anonymous awards consultant which I think sums it up nicely: 

“Who knows what awards season is going to look like?” 

Who indeed. 

State Of Play: June 2020

Over the past week or so, there have been a lot of changes happening to release schedules and how filming can or might continue in the current climate, so I thought it might be worth doing a quick round-up of where things stand at the moment. 

Of course, given the nature of the world at the moment, this is accurate as of today (15th June) but could well change again.


Release Schedule Changes

This one has come as a bit of a surprise. Tenet, Christopher Nolan’s next mindbender, had- up until last week- been resolutely sticking to its release date of July 17th 2020. This has now changed, albeit only by a few weeks and not months like some other films. Tenet is now due to be released on July 31st 2020, two weeks later than expected. 

Wonder Woman 1984 has been shifted again and will now open on 2nd October 2020 (from its date of August 14th). This is the fifth release date that the film has been given; it was originally due for release in December 2019, then November 2019, then June 5th 2020 before its move to August 14th as the COVID-19 pandemic started to take hold. Hopefully it won’t need to be moved again. 

But with Wonder Woman 1984 being moved back, it has meant that Bill & Ted Face The Music has been brought forward a week, and will now be released- all being well- on August 14th 2020 instead.   

No Time To Die- the twenty-fifth Bond film- will be released slightly earlier than expected- November 12th 2020 in the UK (and November 20th in the US)


Looking forward to 2021, there’s been a little movement with several films changing release dates next year. 

Everybody's Talking About Jamie – the big-screen adaptation of the West End musical about a teenage drag queen- starring Max Harwood as Jamie, with Sarah Lancashire as Jamie’s mum Margaret, and Richard E. Grant as Jamie’s drag mentor Loco Chanelle- will now be released on January 22nd 2021 (instead of October 23rd 2020). Opening post-Christmas, in the traditionally bleak January, might provide "a little bit of glitter in the grey" (as one of the songs says)

Bios – This quirky Tom Hanks-starring sci-fi- about an ailing inventor in a post-apocalyptic Earth who builds an android to look after his beloved dog when he dies- which co-stars Caleb Landry Jones, Samira Wiley, and Skeet Ulrich, and is directed by Miguel Sapochnik will now be released on April 16th 2021 (moved from October 2020)

Godzilla Vs. Kong – The next instalment in what has been termed the Legendary MonsterVerse (after Godzilla, Kong: Skull Island, and Godzilla: King Of The Monsters) will now be in cinemas on May 21st 2021 (from November 2020). The cast includes Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Demián Bichir, and Zhang Ziyi and two giant CGI monsters knocking seven bells out of each other. 

In The Heights – Another big-screen adaptation of a stage musical, this one by Hamilton supremo Lin-Manuel Miranda, comes to screens on June 18th 2021 (a delay of just over a year). Anthony Ramos takes the lead role of bodega owner Usnavi, with Daphne Rubin-Vega, Stephanie Beatriz, and Jimmy Smits in supporting roles. 

The Beatles: Get Back – Peter Jackson’s documentary, about the making of Let It Be, is moving its release from September 4th 2020 to August 27th 2021. 

The Batman – Matt Reeves’ take on the Caped Crusader with Robert Pattinson under the cowl, aided and abetted by a veritable rogues gallery of actors- including Zoë Kravitz (Catwoman), Paul Dano (The Riddler), Jeffrey Wright (James Gordon), John Turturro (Carmine Falcone), Colin Farrell (The Penguin), and Andy Serkis (Alfred Pennyworth)- will now be released on October 1st 2021 (a shift of a couple of months, from June 25th 2021)

Looking even further forward, the as-yet-untitled fourth Matrix movie- which sees Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss joined by new cast members Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jessica Henwick, and Neil Patrick Harris- is now going to be released on April 1st 2022.

When announcing the change to the Matrix sequel, Warner Brothers also dropped Robert Zemeckis’ remake of Roald Dahl’s The Witches from their schedule. Originally due for release in October 2020, the film stars Octavia Spencer, Stanley Tucci and Chris Rock, with Anne Hathaway taking the role of the Grand High Witch (played memorably and terrifyingly by Anjelica Huston in the 1990 original). Whether the film will see the light of day via a streaming service or if it will get a release date somewhere along the line, who knows?

Streaming Premieres 

On the subject of streaming services, several movies have taken the route of Trolls World Tour, Artemis Fowl, and Scoob!, and are premiering online instead. 

You Should Have Left – this Universal Pictures/Blumhouse Productions supernatural thriller- starring Kevin Bacon and Amanda Seyfried – will launch via premium video-on-demand, starting June 19th (a.k.a. this coming Friday!)

Greyhound – this Tom Hanks war drama debuts on July 10th 2020 exclusively via Apple TV Plus. Set in the early days of World War II, an international convoy of 37 Allied ships, led by Ernest Krause (Hanks), crosses the treacherous North Atlantic while being hotly pursued by wolf packs of Nazi submarines. Stephen Graham, Rob Morgan and Elisabeth Shue co-star. 

The One And Only Ivan - directed by Thea Sharrock, this live-action/CGI hybrid about a special gorilla (voiced by Sam Rockwell) will debut exclusively on Disney+ on August 21st 2020. Other cast members include Angelina Jolie, Danny DeVito, Helen Mirren, Chaka Khan, and Bryan Cranston.



Restarting Film Production 

On June 1st, a 22-page "white paper" written by the Industry-Wide Labor-Management Safety Committee Task Force (comprising representatives from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, SAG-AFTRA, the Directors Guild, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, and the Teamsters labour union) was delivered to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and California Governor Gavin Newsom, detailing how studios could resume filming during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Their recommendations include: 

• Regular, periodic testing of cast and crew
• Physical distancing of cast and crew maintained (whenever possible)
• Make-up artists and hairstylists using personal protective equipment (PPE) and keeping people in close proximity to performers at a minimum 
• Daily symptom monitoring of all cast and crew
• Appointing a COVID-19 Compliance Officer (or officers) who have with specialised training, responsibility and authority for COVID-19 safety compliance and enforcement, available at all times during working hours
• No craft service buffets; instead, providing individually packaged meals and snacks, avoiding communal trays, bowls or utensils
• Eliminating paper scripts and sign-in sheets, using digital alternatives where possible

All of these suggestions sound reasonable and not too onerous. Whilst there’s no news as yet on whether New York is allowing filming to resume (and under what circumstances; although given that Governor Cuomo threatened today to close down Manhattan and the Hamptons due to people not observing social distancing advice, I wouldn’t hold your breath), California officials released state guidelines and announced film and TV productions could resume as early as Friday 12th June.

In addition to those above, the state guidelines also recommend:

• Limiting filming hours to between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.
• Holding remote auditions and discouraging open casting calls
• Hair and makeup services should only be provided for cast members who cannot do it themselves
• Scenes that require a large number of cast members are discouraged, and scenes where cast must be closer than six feet should be kept as brief and as silent as possible
• Before filming any scene, cast are required to wash their hands
• Cast are encouraged to use their own props, such as by using their own cell phones in scenes. 
• Scripts and contracts are recommended to be shared digitally
• During auditions, actors must receive single-use scripts if they are unable to hold remote auditions.
• Face coverings are required for cast and crew when they will be interacting with others, aside from when their work requires them to not have a mask on (e.g., an actor filming a scene)
• Cast and crew must also be regularly tested for COVID-19 and if a producer, director, showrunner or any other manager is aware of three or more COVID-19 cases on their production within a span of 14 days, they must notify the Department of Public Health.
• Shared items must be disinfected between use

Given that there would need to be a fair amount of prep to be done to ensure these guidelines can be followed, it’s unlikely that many studios and productions will be starting up again so soon. 

That said, several productions have restarted, or are preparing to restart in other countries. 

In Australia, Kurt Wimmer’s reimagining of Stephen King’s Children Of The Corn continued filming, using stringent health and safety protocols, and multiple insurance policies. Principal photography began in New South Wales in early March, when the COVID-19 outbreak forced the majority of productions around the world to shut down. The cast includes Elena Kampouris, Kate Moyer, Callan Mulvey, and Bruce Spence.

James Cameron and producer Jon Landau are preparing to resume filming on the Avatar sequels by returning to New Zealand at the start of June. This will be the first major film series to resume production after the industry-wide pause.

It’s also been reported today that Jurassic World: Dominion will be the first major U.K.-based studio production to start filming again, with cameras set to roll at Pinewood Studios on the second week of July. Universal have been working with the British Film Council and U.S. unions to ensure the production meets required safety standards and have imposed additional measures (to go beyond those standards).


Cinemas in the UK 

So with production tentatively starting again, and release schedules amended, the big question remains: when can we actually go back to the cinema and see a film on the big screen?

Well, it’s a little bit complicated. 

Whilst Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have yet to announce their provisional dates, indoor cinemas in England may be able to open from July 4th 2020 (subject to sufficient progress being made against COVID-19, allowing lockdown measures to be relaxed; a decision about this will not be made until closer to the time). Outdoor cinemas in England (of which there are around 20) are able to open from today.

Cineworld are preparing to open all of its UK cinemas (128 in total) on July 4th, and "have put in place procedures to ensure a safe and enjoyable cinema experience" although they haven't announced what these procedures are. Vue have already announced how the measures they will take if they are allowed to reopen, including "physically isolating family groups through our online booking systems, staggering film times to maintain social distancing and operate responsibly, and introducing enhanced cleaning and employee-protection protocols."

As with everything since lockdown began back in March, we just have to keep our heads down and wait and see what happens.