Help me help you

By Borys Kit

Peter Jackson had a strong hand in the making -- and even unmaking -- of New Line's upcoming fantasy epic "The Golden Compass." All because he was trying to lend a hand.

When Chris Weitz first signed on to adapt and direct "Compass" in 2004, Jackson, coming off the success of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy and in the middle of "King Kong," invited Weitz to his abode in New Zealand to offer advice.

"He had liked the books and knew I was going to direct them, and he knew that I didn't have any CGI experience," Weitz said after the movie's L.A. premiere Thursday. "He invited me to come to WETA and come see their facilities and to meet with the guys he's worked with for decades, from the propmakers and armorers to the guys who were doing motion caption ... and that's kindness that I'll always remember."

But by the end of the year, Weitz dropped out, saying the challenges were more than he was prepared to tackle. And it was Jackson's thoughtful gesture that made him flee.

A little less conversation

Call it the "Dreamgirls" effect.

Hollywood's hordes of publicists and awards consultants are playing their cards a little closer to the vest this year, hoping to avoid turning into the 2008 version of the overhyped, underdecorated musical.

THR's Steven Zeitchick looks at the phenom of limited exposure, restraint and "hiding a film," a counterintuitive move that could end up working out for some movies, especially the nonbloated non-A-list-heavy major studio fare.

Though the reasons are complicated (and have something to do with roving bands of hooligan bloggers and probably not with those wacky Scientology "silent births") mostly the understated approach is happening because studios realize people don't want to be told what to like, Zeitchick's sources say. Gee, that doesn't explain "Bee Movie." Focus Features has gone a little underground with "Atonement," (pictured) to see if it can sustain but not bleed dry its heralded coming-out at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.

Whatever the rationale, we're fascinated to see what a little noise reduction will do for the race.

Smile like you mean it

Is it funny strange or funny ha ha? Does it amuse you?

Tongues are a-waggin' about some possible Golden Globe choices for comedy or musical feature film (which, by its very definition, is just a goofy category). The official Globe nods, from the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn., aren't announced for another two weeks but this being speculation season, critics and bloggers are already on overdrive about this.

Here are some possibilities being bandied about: "Charlie Wilson's War," "The Savages," "Waitress, "Margot at the Wedding," "The Darjeeling Limited," "Juno" and "Lars and the Real Girl." The Envelope's Tom O'Neill runs down the king's-English-sounding "decrees made by the eligibility committee."

If true, it's a stew of dramedy all around. But just how funny (or musical) does a movie have to be to qualify?

Not as good as it gets

Good, but not great. Disappointing. Anti-climactic.

That's the chatter about a number of films that critics are just getting a peek at -- the very same movies that have been referred to for months as "much anticipated" and "anxiously awaited." It's a must-see --according to those who haven't seen it yet and, of course, studio publicists!

Evidence: "Charlie Wilson's War," which doesn't open for the riffraff until Christmas day but screened this week, has kept online critics busy writing some not-so-rosy reviews. They don't necessarily hate it, but they sure don't love it.

Awards Daily mainly just digs Aaron Sorkin, and Hollywood Elsewhere says the movie is a bit of a watered-down (dumbed-down?) version of the original script. Newsweek is more blunt, with the headline, "Charlie Wilson's War, best picture? Not so much."

On the plus side, THR's Kirk Honeycutt appreciates the "political drama played as comedy and true life as satire."

And in the hindsight category, after the dust has settled and the marketing blitz subsided, there's also been a lot less gushing over some puffed-up fall features that had been billed as Oscar shoe-ins. Some people are saying that "American Gangster" didn't really bring the goods and "No Country for Old Men" deflated in the third act.

It's tough to tell if these "new" assessments will hurt the movies' awards chances. After all, what would take their places? Uniformly loved but little seen art fare? Now that's just crazy talk.

Haynes his way: the touch, the feel of Dylan

By Rebecca Leffler

He's been spinning through awards season like a rolling stone, but director Todd Haynes left the Hollywood hoopla for Paris to present his critically acclaimed Dylan biopic "I'm Not There." The film, which recently nabbed four 2008 Spirit Award nominations (and one honorary award nod), will screen as part of a retrospective of Haynes' work during independent film festival Les Rencontres Cinematographiques
organized by the city's Forum des Images.

Haynes sat down with THR's Paris correspondent to talk about the film's break-through success (including the special jury award at Venice, pictured above), persuading an A-list cast to work for peanuts and plotting to get Bob Dylan drunk enough to finally sit down and watch his movie.

"I'm never reluctant to come to Paris," Haynes said, wearing a sweater and jeans and sipping un café in a boutique hotel in Paris' très chic Le Marais district. He looked very relaxed for a man whose film may quite possibly be in the running for every major prize as awards season goes into full swing.

But let's cut to the chase, the question we've all been waiting for...drum roll please...will the film's most buzzed about star Cate Blanchett be nominated in the "Best Actress" or "Best Supporting Actress" category should she be nominated for an Academy Award?

Peace in the valley

War -- what is it good for? Maybe not Sundance.

The entries for the annual winter film festival have been announced, and a definite trend has emerged. Seems as if we're a little past world viewing and we've returned to navel gazing, a mainstay of indie films.

Difficult to say if this year's poor performance by war-centric movies had anything to do with the entries or the selections for January's Park City, Utah-based fest. But there's a pronounced lack of war-torn features and documentaries on tap.

Not to say that there aren't Serious Subjects in the lineup. Among them: rape, poverty, segregation, drug dealing, corporate greed and malfeasance. But there's also an abundance of coming-of-age tales, sexual exploration, love affairs and family dynamics.

C'est cheese

By Gregg Kilday

A lot of entertainment writers out there would like to see Pixar's "Ratatouille" nominated for a best picture Oscar. Clearly, it's one of the best reviewed films of the year -- beating out most of the non-toons in the minds of lots of critics.

And so in today's New York Times, Michael Cieply suggests that Pixar and its parent company Disney might be wrestling with the question of whether to promote the food-besotted film, written and directed by Brad Bird, for best picture as well as best animated film.

The film's already qualified on the list of eligible animated films, and so it will be the voters in the Academy's short films and feature animation branch who will decide whether it gets a nomination. It's a safer than safe bet that they'll gift it with a nom. At the same time, the entire membership of the Academy, who all vote to determine the best picture noms, could also decide to nominate "Ratatouille" in the best picture category -- although that is an extreme long shot.

Movies a la carte

By Georg Szalai

You think you're the only one who's frustrated when Oscar nominees are announced, and some of your favorite films aren't on the short list?

Filmmaker James Ivory feels your pain and wishes he had a broader slate of films to choose from when Oscar voting time rolls around.

"You really have very little choice," he said at Manhattan's swanky Gotham Hall before getting honored in a black-tie dinner gala here Tuesday night. "It's kind of like a menu. You must order what's on it."

The left-behind effect is especially true for low-budget arthouse movies that he's partial to, he said. He'll have to wait to see if some of his big gold favorites from this year make the cut.

"That girl who played Edith Piaf was absolutely sensational," Ivory said about Marion Cotillard's turn as the famous chanteuse in "La Vie en Rose." (There's been some Oscar talk also for Cotillard). Ivory enjoyed "I'm Not There," which earlier in the day earned five Spirit Award nominations, and its supporting actress nominee Cate Blanchett has Oscar written all over her.

"I'd be happy to vote for her," he said.

Given my Wall Street and financial writing background, I couldn't resist asking Ivory if Oscars are really valuable, in dollars and cents. Ivory has yet to pick up one of the statuettes despite being half of the prolific Merchant/Ivory team that's given us stellar dramas like "Howard's End," "The Remains of the Day" and "A Room with a View."

"It's a great thing obviously and helps most people," he said without hesitation. "It moves them upward and onward."

So take that to the bank.

More indie than you

If you’re preggers, disaffected, conniving or chatty, you’re on top of the indie world today. Cute-as-a-button Canadian actress Ellen Page, Sean Penn’s “Into the Wild,” Sidney Lumet’s “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead,” and integration-minded “Talk to Me” cleaned up at last night’s Gotham Awards.

The indie-est of all indie awards shows, with trophies given out only in a few hand-picked categories, the Gothams also singled out “Sicko” as best documentary. An Oscar preview? The Michael Moore film is considered a front-runner for the big gold.

Best eye candy of the night: Josh Brolin giving a tribute to Javier Bardem. Swoon!

Most heart-tugging moment: Lumet introducing veteran film critic Roger Ebert, whose long battle with cancer, tracheotomy and malfunctioning voice synthesizer meant he had to speak of his love of movies through his wife. They made it work.

For more on the event, check out THR’s full report.

Attention from voters: priceless

These are desperate times, and desperate measures are called for.

That's not only a Johnny Depp line in the upcoming serial murderer musical "Sweeney Todd," but it's also a rallying cry from some low-low-budget filmmakers who are trying to get noticed by Academy voters in this year's sea of celluloid. Herculean task or Sisyphean challenge? Must feel like a lot of both.

One such case: Michael Schroeder, writer-director-producer of "Man in the Chair," a dramedy made on a $2.5 million shoestring that stars Christopher Plummer.

Number of screenings in L.A. and N.Y.: more than 40something already, with that number expected to triple by early next year.

Copies of the movie sent to BAFTA, SAG, Academy members and the Hollywood Foreign Press: 16,000.

Festivals where the movie's been shown: 17 in 10 months (it's won at seven).

Not so incidentally, number of movies Plummer's made: 88. Oscar nods: 0.

THR's Martin Grove talks with Schroeder about his Jerry Maguire moment, which involved selling the spoils of his big-studio work and committing to indie movies, specifically the multi-generational movie-within-a-movie "Man in the Chair." It opens in New York and San Francisco on Dec. 7, L.A. on Dec. 14.