At his Vanity Fair blog, Stu Van Airsdale predicts that Tony Gilroy, writer/director of Michael Clayton, has a decent shot at winning the Best Original Screenplay Oscar that most assume Diablo Cody has locked up, and in so doing, reminds us that Gilroy wrote “a figure-skating opus 16 years ago.” That opus, of course, was The Cutting Edge, that staple of staple of self-pitying sick days (oh, is that just me?), starring Moira Kelly as a prissy figure skater and D.B. Sweeney as the hockey player hired to be her partner.
Certainly, I agree with Stu that Gilroy deserves the career award. I’m not really much of a fan of Michael Clayton, but I think as far as hokey sports romances go, The Cutting Edge is pretty much perfect. Above: a fan-created montage of high-pressure skating scenes. That part where he makes Moira Kelly cry right before they skate by saying, “It can’t be any harder to stay together than it was to stay apart,” and then she wipes the tears from her eyes and is like, “I’m in the mood to kick a little ass,” and then they do their ridiculous made-up skating move, and then kiss right there on the ice? It kills me.
WGA reps and studio execs enter a second day of informal talks today, which should be more exciting that it feels to me. Maybe it’s because I just read this detail of how badly the writer’s strike is effecting the economy, and now my head hurts.
Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida are now considered a “husband-and-wife team” for writing an original screenplay that Oscar-winner Sam Mendes will direct as a low-budget comedy. Currently untitled, the movie will be about a young couple trying to decide where in the U.S. is best to raise a child. It could be a very short film if the couple just reads the latest issue of Fit Pregnancy magazine.
October 12 (Chicago Public Radio): Our kind of town, Chicago is… Filmspotting covers the 43rd Annual Chicago International Film Festival, including quick reviews of the new Tony Gilroy thriller “Michael Clayton” and the fest’s closing night film “The Savages.” Plus, Jake and Elwood… er, Adam and Matty… reveal their Top 5 (or 10) Chicago Movies — films set and shot in the Windy City … The show kicks off with your hosts on a spiritual quest to India via Wes Anderson’s “The Darjeeling Limited.”
Filmspotting #181 :21-11:41 - Review: “The Darjeeling Limited” Music: Deadstring Brothers, “Ain’t No Hidin’ Love” 14:18-20:01 - CIFF Review: “Michael Clayton,” Poll Results 20:02-24:56 - CIFF Review: “Control” 24:57-28:26 - CIFF Review: “The Savages” Music: Deadstring Brothers, “Silver Mountain” 29:05-31:17 - New DVDs, Donations 31:18-34:38 - Massacre Theatre (Winner: Lia Elder) 34:39-45:07 - Listener Feedback (Yuma, Jesse James, Brothers Movies) Music: Deadstring Brothers, “If You Want Me To” 46:06-57:23 - Top 5: Chicago Movies 57:24-59:01 - Close/Next Show
CORRECTIONS/NOTES
Have a comment or Top 5 list you’d like to share? Send an e-mail or short mp3 clip to feedback@filmspotting.net. Or give us a call at 206-203-CINE and leave a voice message.
Michael Clayton shows on Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. at AMC River East as part of the 2007 Chicago International Film Festival. This review was first published on HollywoodChicago.com.
CHICAGO – Don’t be fooled by its formulaic, Hollywoodspeak tagline.
“The truth can be adjusted” is the Michael Clayton way of saying this film has rammed in a whole hell of a lot more than you might first presume and is about to blindside you with everything a picture-perfect Hollywood product should be.
George Clooney in Michael Clayton.
Photo courtesy of IMDb
An opulent, all-star cast as in The Departed sometimes yields the film of the year. At other times, the failure of that resolve can make financiers suicidal.
In the case of Michael Clayton, writer/director Tony Gilroy weaves the commanding George Clooney, flawlessly fanatical (and sometimes streaking) Tom Wilkinson, tautly corporate Tilda Swinton and the always-on-top-of-his-game Sydney Pollack into a film that pays its weight in gold.
We’ve had a bit of trouble getting this episode to go through the iTunes feed, so we hope this re-post will fix the problem. The original post, with episode description and embedded player, is here.
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CHICAGO – Don’t be fooled by its formulaic, Hollywoodspeak tagline.
