The Envelope In Print: The Acting / SAG / Golden Globes Issue (January 7, 2009)

January 7, 2009

COVER STORY

Clint Eastwood shines up his 'Gran Torino'

In the afternoons, there's a hush and warm amber glow in Clint Eastwood's office, which, unlike other bungalows at the Warner Bros. studio lot, has a rustic feel and furniture that manages to be just as practical as it is stylish. All of that suits the 78-year-old Hollywood icon who started off his career as John Wayne but seems to be finishing it as John Ford.

January 7, 2009

CONTENDER Q & A

Seeing more of Josh Brolin

Who knows how these things happen? Josh Brolin made his film debut in "The Goonies" and subsequently appeared in films for such directors as Woody Allen, David O. Russell, Paul Verhoeven and Guillermo del Toro, well on his way to a respectable but low-key career. Then, within the last few years, giving off a vibe of authentic-Americana masculinity largely missing from the man-boys of the multiplex, he began appearing in films of a markedly higher profile. Last year, Brolin was seen in "In the Valley of Elah," "American Gangster," "Grindhouse" and the eventual best picture winner, the Coen brothers' "No Country for Old Men." This year he appeared as George W. Bush in Oliver Stone's controversial "W.," and in Gus Van Sant's "Milk" he plays Dan White, the former firefighter, police officer and city supervisor who shot and killed San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and activist and politician Harvey Milk.

January 7, 2009

THE ACTORS

Unlikely front-runners face a still-formidable Clint Eastwood

This year's lead actor and supporting actor categories offer no end of irony.

January 7, 2009

ACTRESSES

During award season it pays to be Kate -- or Cate

If you're an actress, keep in mind that when it comes to getting nominated for an Oscar it doesn't hurt if your name is Kate.

January 7, 2009

GOLDEN GLOBES

How to forecast the winners

Of all major showbiz awards, the Golden Globes can be the most befuddling to forecast: How to get inside the heads of 81 elusive, mysterious members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn.? Nonetheless, clear voting patterns emerge from studying past wins. Here are some handy-dandy tips:

January 7, 2009

THE ENVELOPE

'Mad Men' rages into award season

The numbers may be small, but they are fervent. The AMC series "Mad Men" does not have a huge fan base -- its audience topped out at 2 million for the second-season premiere -- but that apparently includes every critic in the world. Not to mention fellow actors, writers, directors and producers.

January 7, 2009

OSCAR CONFIDENTIAL

Are Oscar contenders over-exposed?

If "Slumdog Millionaire" doesn't snag the Oscar for best picture, then the academy might consider creating a new award for it this year: the only Oscar-buzzed film you didn't feel like you had already seen before you actually saw it.

January 7, 2009

RED CARPET REWIND

Grand designs in store for Penélope Cruz

Penélope Cruz has two contender films this season. Does that mean more red carpet gowns? Her adept portrayal of Javier Bardem's psychotically sexy ex in Woody Allen's "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" has already earned her a supporting actress Golden Globe nomination. And there's a smattering of buzz that her surprisingly layered turn as a student who becomes the erotic obsession of an infamous womanizer professor-literary critic ( Ben Kingsley) in "Elegy" may also earn her an Oscar nod.

January 7, 2009

CONTENDER Q & A

Michael Shannon's 'Revolutionary Road'

Michael Shannon is a big, imposing guy (whose head may weigh a whopping 15 pounds if one is to believe Internet biographies) who has played a lot of intense, imposing characters in such films as "Bug," "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" and "Shotgun Stories." In "Revolutionary Road," Sam Mendes' film about 1950s angst, Shannon cranks up the intensity to almost uncomfortable levels.

January 7, 2009

Here's to the casting directors

When casting director John Papsidera commenced work on Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight" in 2006, he knew that filling the role of the Joker would be among his biggest challenges. After all, no less an actor than Jack Nicholson had played the part in Tim Burton's 1989 " Batman," an indelible portrayal that could scare away big-name and up-and-coming thespians alike. But considering Nolan's distinctive vision for the role, it quickly became clear to Papsidera that he was not looking for an actor who could reinterpret Nicholson.

January 7, 2009

STYLE

Daniel Orlandi designs costumes for 'Frost/Nixon'

Times change. But classic menswear hasn't really changed that much in the last 30 years.

January 7, 2009

SAG AWARDS

This is James Earl Jones

James Earl Jones may be tempted, but he's been warned by his wife not to make fun of the lifetime achievement award he'll be receiving from the Screen Actors Guild during its 15th annual award ceremony on Jan. 25.

January 7, 2009

LIGHTS, CAMERA . . .

Researching 'Australia'

Baz Luhrmann is very exigent in his demand for factual research, so we needed to be clear and accurate about a lot of unusual details from the history of this particular period. We researched everything: the appropriate 1930s breed of cattle, the shorthorn, what the cattle was worth and how the prices rose during the war years. We learned how much a drover would get paid, how many stockmen and horses he would need to deliver the cattle and what a particular station's brand looked like.

January 7, 2009

LIGHTS, CAMERA . . .

Music for 'The Visitor'

"The Visitor" took me by surprise in how quickly and unexpectedly it took shape musically in my mind. In part, I think it was because at the core it is a musical film with a drum as its heartbeat. The drum sets the pace. It creates the basis that brings Walter Vale (played by Richard Jenkins) out of his empty life. His first tentative taps on the djembe were to me like his sputtering heart waking up again. So with the beat already strong, I simply followed it to its musical conclusion. I sought to evoke Walter's transformation from a man skirting the edges of everyday life to a man part of a community fighting for its survival.