What would an Academy Award campaign be without some kind of small black cloud of controversy, only visible to people living within the few ZIP codes of west Los Angeles? This year's tempest in an espresso cup involves the unavailability of screener copies of the films eligible for Oscar consideration.
Folks in Hollywood don't stand in line at the box office like everyone else, you might ask. Nope. The freeloaders who don't attend gala premieres and other industry previews simply wait until December, when the movies come to them in the form of VHS cassettes and DVDs, including titles that won't open in most markets until mid-January or later.
In the interest of furthering his anti-piracy initiative, Jack Valenti, president of the Motion Picture Association of America, has decreed that the issuance of screeners won't take place this year. Oscar and Golden Globe voters, along with critics making up their best-of lists, will have to see the movies the old-fashioned way: in theaters. Of course, the studios will make it easy for everyone to attend special screenings, and no one will have to shell out a cent, but half the fun of being an Academy member is getting free stuff.
The film makers and distributors most likely to be hurt by this ban are those who turn out the kind of small, personal movies that rely on word-of-mouth and mentions in critics' annual honors lists. One conspiracy theory making the rounds involves the possibility that Valenti, because he is employed as a lobbyist for the major studios, is using the ban to boost their chances for Oscar and Globe nominations. Sounds extreme, but stranger things happen in Hollywood every day.
Nick Caro's wonderfully complex and inspirational Whale Rider, out next week on video, is exactly the sort of low-budget drama that easily could get lost in the crowd, absent the type of campaign that helped raise the profile of The Pianist, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Far From Heaven, Monster's Ball, In the Bedroom and Shakespeare in Love. While the timing of the video release couldn't be more opportune, it isn't likely that such worthy fare as Lost in Translation, Thirteen, American Splendor, The Station Agent, The Magdalene Sisters and Dirty Pretty Things will get similar legs-up. Unless pressure from artists and critics convinces Valenti to relent, the Oscar ceremony could be a larger sham than usual.
Though Whale Rider grossed less than 10 percent of what Greek Wedding pulled in, it won infinitely more praise from critics and art-house audiences. The New Zealand export describes how a 12-year-old Maori girl fights to win the respect of her grandfather, a tribal leader whose prayers for a male heir went unanswered. The character Pai is a remarkable young woman, but nothing short of a miracle will clear the way for her destiny to be fulfilled. Guess what happens.
Apart from being a terrific coming-of-age picture, Whale Rider overflows with family and ecological drama, splendid acting and great story telling. It's a logical candidate for a Best Picture nomination, and the lead performance by Keisha Castle-Hughes won't easily be topped by another actress in the next two months. She's that good.
The DVD includes eight deleted scenes, writer-director Niki Caro's informative commentary, and features explaining how the movie was made and the various Maori rituals shown in it. There's something in Whale Rider for everyone, including Oscar voters.
INDIE!
This week's blockbuster release is Paramount's long-awaited, four-disc set, The Adventures of Indiana Jones, that includes Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Temple of Doom and The Last Crusade. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg supervised the creation of the fourth disc, that contains three hours' worth of in-depth looks at the stunts, music, sound and other special effects that went into the spectacularly entertaining adventure franchise. Harrison Ford is expected to star in a fourth Indiana Jones episode—directed by Spielberg and written by Frank Darabont (Young Indiana Jones series)—expected to be ready for a July 4, 2005, release.
TWO ENDS OF THE SPECTRUM
Brendan Fraser has had an interesting career, bouncing from such distinguished fare as Gods and Monsters and The Quiet American to crowd-pleasers like The Mummy, Dudley Do-Right and the upcoming Looney Tunes: Back in Action. Fans of the surprise 1997 hit George of the Jungle should know, however, that the only place Fraser will be found in the direct-to-video sequel is in an explanation of his absence by replacement, Christopher Showerman. Though nearly half the cast of George of the Jungle II is new, the original's goofy spirit is alive and well, and should hold younger viewers' attention.
Being a teenager in America is no walk in the park. Catherine Hardwicke's Thirteen was horrifying enough to be used as a birth-control device for prospective parents, while Karen Moncrieff's equally wrenching Blue Car demonstrates what happens when adults betray the trust of children. A hit at Sundance 2002, it examines the struggle of a troubled 18-year-old (Agnes Bruckner) who uses her writing talent to escape a life with a disturbed younger sister and emotionally distant mother. The always-terrific David Strathairn plays an English teacher who gives Bruckner the support she needs to make the transition to adulthood, but ultimately, he betrays her, too. Blue Car isn't the most uplifting movie out there, but it deserves to find an audience.
A MASTER'S BEGINNING
Speaking of cars, there's Peter Weir's intriguingly titled The Cars That Ate Paris. The Paris in question is in Australia, not France, and the movie probably has more in common with Mad Max than anything Weir would do in the next 10 years of his distinguished career. The DVD also includes Weir's creepy, made-for-TV thriller from 1979, The Plumber.