New Benjamin Button International Trailer
November 23, 2008 by Sherry
A new international trailer for The Curious Case of Benjamin Bottun has been released, just in time for the one-month countdown until it’s released on December 25th. It’s also good timing considering that oscar buzz is everywhere these days.
Some of the trailer will be familiar to you, but there’s a different voiceover and some new footage as well. The more I see of this movie, the more I find myself eager to see it.
Awards Daily also has a great “Benjamin Button Screening Q&A”. One thing of note is this paragraph:
The first and probably most important reason is that this is a film that works on every level. It is an authentic bit of writing, straight from the heart of Eric Roth, who admitted during the Q&A that he’d lost his parents while writing the script. That kind of sentiment and heartbreak cannot be faked. That kind of inspiration is rare. Unfortunately for him it came at a great cost. Perhaps this is why the truth here, bare as it is, cuts as deeply.
It sounds heavy and deep and I can not wait for it to come out.
They also describe Brad Pitt’s portrayal of Benjamin as “a soul-shattering creation”. Wow.
Thanks to Ligaya for the heads’ up!
No comments?! OK, CAN’T WAIT!!!!
Awards Daily Reader Spotlight
Newsflash: I just saw a movie that finally knocks The Dark Knight off of my Best Picture of the Year pedestal. This movie is so heartbreaking, so lyrical, so big, beautiful and irresistible and its lead actor gives an unexpected performance that has given me new respect for his work.
…It’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, a film that is going to be adored by so many people who post here at AD and/or love New Orleans/Cate Blanchett/Tilda Swinton/David Fincher.
…I haven’t felt this way since I’m Not There, except that this time there is nothing inaccessible about the material. (Fincher, Boyle and Van Sant tugging at the heartstrings–what’s the world coming to?)
A-ma-zing movie.
— Paul Outlaw
I am definitely looking forward to this movie!
Can’t wait for this. Love the new trailer, thanks for posting it Sherry!
Looks like a great movie. Will be a classic. Can’t wait to see it. Hope Brad get at least a oscar nom.
I hope the Academy gives it a nomination
You know where I’ll be Christmas Day with my husband. Great movie trailer, great acting from Brad, Cate, etal.
I really hope Brad gets an oscar nod…it looks like a very good movie!
could bad press influence oscar or other award nominations? does anybody know? i hope it has nothing to do with it!
Thanks, Sherry and Ligaya for the new trailer. I too am really looking forward to see this movie.
Offtopic – as expected, being gone for a week meant I would miss quite a bit of JP news, but my, I see that there was quite a controversy about the NY Times article. I’m quite disappointed the NYT ran that article, it seemed like it belonged somewhere else. That said, I guess my only take on it is that the person who wrote it unfortunately likely had a anti JP, specifically, anti-Angie bias. I decided to just not read it.
i so cannot wait for this movie. theaters here have this huge board of brad’s and cate’s face already.
Yes, Marissa. I think that’s why Angelina was snubbed by Oscar last year – when her performance and her movie were even stronger than this year’s. I’m re-posting this so peope won’t have to go back and forth between threads:
Pittwatchers, I think you’ll enjoy this post by Ryan Adams and his ripostes to some X’ fans comments at Awards Daily. He’s got it pegged right. Insightful.
http://www.awardsdaily.com/?p=4108
NYTimes, Seeking Page Hits, Finds Backlash
Excerpts:
If the NYTimes wants to dredge up vague slurs just as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have two major Oscar contenders riding in large part on the strength of their image in the media, then I think it’s entirely appropriate that we do what we feel is right to speak out and slap down disparaging innuendos.
Like I said in the update above, it’s downright spooky how misfortune and fate conspire.
Creepy indeed, how the NYTimes smear job on Angelina to magically aligns with their weekend magazine cover featuring Aniston. Gee, it’s almost as if the Times people made some sort of People magazine deal with Aniston. One can imagine the press-manipulating demands behind the scenes:
“There’s a precondition of course: We do the interview, but first you agree to set the stage by publishing something really nasty about That Other Woman.”
Yeah, because that’s who you want for the cover of your annual Fall Hollywood* issue: The star of this year’s critically acclaimed masterpiece, “Management.” What? Not critically acclaimed because it was never released? Must be because the studios didn’t want Aniston competing with herself for Oscar consideration in Marley and Me.
[*Or wait, maybe it’s the Hollywood Fall issue. Now that makes more sense.]
Can´t wait for this movie. Hope that both Brad and Angie get Oscar nominations (Brad for this movie and Angie for Changeling).
UNDER MOD:
Yes, Marissa. Of course, I don’t KNOW for sure, but I think (and others in the movie industry do too) that’s why Angelina was snubbed by Oscar last year. . .
(if you want to see the rest of this post, go to the the “NY Times” thread and see my post @ Nov 23, 2008 at 12:25 am.)
I gotta say that I like this trailer much more so than the earlier ones I’ve seen before, seems more”complete.” I feel like I get a better grasp of what’s the movie going to be all about. Ca’t wait to see it too!
I hope and pray that they will be judged by their performances and not by how some people feel about them. I for one love the Jolie-Pitts–all eight of them:)
Thanks Sherry, and I am in agreement with all that say that bad press could affect the nominations. I hope I am wrong and that both Pitt and Jolie will get the nominations they both deserve. I saw the trailor in the movies yesterday when I went to Changeling. I totally forgot that Angelina was playing the part. All I saw was Christine Collins. After going home and talking about it with my husband, who thought the movie was great, I thought back on her performance and I found it to be amazing. The shaking of the hands, hands to the face and head, all things we women do when we are afraid or upset.
But how about when Angelina received an oscar for Girl Interrupted. Did she not have any bad press then? I mean she is so much better now, it is ridiculous people don’t appreciate that!
it’s so unfair! it’s not like they are doing something horrible to deserve all this bad press! They are not lindsey lohan or paris hilton. People are such hypocrates …
WOW!!!! I can not wait. It looks like perfection. What an amazing story line. We must also give kudos to F.Scott fitzgerald and Brad pulled it off.
When Angelina won for Girl, Interrupted, yes she had a Bad Girl rep. Separate, she and Brad were Super-Stars. Together, they were a Super-Nova. But add in the X-factor and tabloids, and they became Super-Xploitable! Bad Press to the Xponential!
And in more pleasant news, Page 6:
BRAD Pitt and Angelina Jolie are just as annoyingly amazing in real life as they always say they are. Pitt caught some flak after going on “Oprah” and claiming to be very hands on with his children. But a source at the Ocean Club in the Bahamas, who saw the Brangelina clan on vacation recently, told Page Six, “They were so adorable with their kids.” The hotel guest added, “Brad and Angelina spent a lot of time in their private villa but would take the four kids out of the room to play.” Our spy didn’t see them with their new twins, “but they spent lots of time with the older kids doing arts-and-crafts projects and playing on the playground. It was a great picture.”
Oh, and Christiane Amanpour thinks Angelina is amazing – full quote in “NY Times” thread.
I wonder how they vacationed in the Bahamas w/o anyone spotting them. I guess when we thought they have flown back to Europe they took a side trip.They are good at staying below the radar
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/you/article-1087028/Angelina-Jolie-I-think-looks-getting-better-age.html
Excerpts:
Dispelling rumours of postnatal depression and marital rifts, Angelina Jolie is back on form with an Oscar-worthy performance in a gripping period thriller. But as a parent herself, she found that portraying a traumatised mother put her through the wringer -
‘It was a crazy amount of money,’ she agrees, referring to the baby pictures deal. ‘But look, we’re using the money for our charitable foundation and in that way it does some good.’
This is typical of Angelina, a woman who is prepared to wield her celebrity like a club if she believes it will help. Her work as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR ) has taken her into some of the most dangerous parts of the world. And the Jolie-Pitt Foundation has bankrolled projects as diverse as providing legal aid for refugee children, a $2 million donation for a clinic in Ethiopia and backing for a wildlife conservation project in Cambodia (the birth place of Maddox).
‘You should never help somebody out of pity, or to get Brownie points in heaven,’ she says. ‘You should genuinely find joy in making somebody else’s life better.’
The charity work and her travels around the world have changed Angelina from an unsettled, often wild young woman into a conscience-driven mother determined to use her fame – and money – for humanitarian causes. . .
‘You know what is beautiful? My mom. . .She was beautiful to me, and I look more like my mom as I get older. Something else comes out of you when you become a parent and, as you get older, you start to see more character in your face.
‘Now, when I look at myself, I just see somebody at peace, and I see a mom, and I see my own relatives in my face – and that’s a kind of beauty that exists for everybody and doesn’t disappear.’ . . .
Eastwood’s powerful, moving film reminds us that Angelina really can act, and could well earn her another Oscar (she won Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Girl, Interrupted in 2000).
‘It’s harrowing to watch and, yes, it was harrowing to make,’ she says. ‘During this film I was much more paranoid about my own children – where they were, what they were doing.
‘I remember one weekend I’d taken a nap and Shiloh was asleep in her cradle, and when I woke up she was gone. I was freaking out. And nothing had happened – Brad had taken her and the rest of the kids to the park. . .
There are things about me that are useful for people to read, and then there’s stuff that’s just silly. There are mistakes I’ve made, lessons I’ve learnt – which I’m happy to talk about – and I’d love to talk to other mothers about things I don’t know how to do.’ . .
She tries to embrace a green lifestyle, but admits that it’s difficult. ‘I would love it for every car to be greener. . . I would love them to recycle better, and I would love it if there were laws against packaging and too much plastic and stuff: you know, you buy a kid’s toy and I think it’s something like 80 per cent [of what] you buy
is packaging. . .But I’m not as good about it as Brad. He teaches me a lot. And if we fly private, we buy carbon credits wherever we go.’ . .
Pregnancy and the birth of the twins mean she hasn’t worked since making Changeling, more than a year ago. ‘I’m going to make a film in February, and after that I won’t work again for another year.
‘But it was hard even to decide that. I had a lot of discussions at home – can we balance things? Can Mommy go to work? Can it be all right? Maybe I’ll do a few months’ work every year or so.
‘Brad and I are trying to balance our lives so that we raise our kids properly, and we are also trying to make sure we are fulfilled – as artists, as people. When we get film offers, we have to ask ourselves, “Will it be a good thing for the family?”
‘Fortunately [Brad’s] such a great father, and when he goes to work, I’m home, and vice versa. And any mother knows that sometimes just a little time for yourself makes you a better mom. You get that one night’s good sleep and you’re so much better the next day.’ . .
‘And Madd was there while we were filming [MMS], so he was a part of it. It’s pretty extraordinary.’
DON’T READ THIS IF DON’T WANT TO KNOW A THING ABOUT CCBB. If you want to know a little bit, like me, read and listen to audio of Q&A at website:
http://www.incontention.com/?p=3096#more-3096
‘Button’ drops (UPDATED with audio)
Excerpts:
Let me just say I can’t imagine less than 10 nominations. Oh, and Alexandre Desplat’s score: a haunting piece of work, something that sticks with you forever. Enchanting, really, perhaps his greatest achievement.
UPDATED (5:30 p.m.): Judging by the mood of the room — mostly guild members and industry types — the verdict is a big thumbs up. Lots of positive thoughts dished about all around.
I spoke briefly with Kathleen Kennedy, who has seen this project go up and down, back and forth for 18 years. We talked about the visual effects in the film and how refreshing it is that this innovative work came within such a cerebral and affecting story.
I also chatted with Eric Roth for a good while, screenwriter-to-screenwriter type stuff. He really did work wonders with this story, and picking his brain for the reasons behind this decision or that can be a lot of fun. One of the odd reactions I took away from the film, however, was that the work felt strangely cold. I wasn’t sure whether I meant that in a good way or a bad way, and surely, people were crying their eyes out over this thing, so I might be in a minority. Perhaps it’s my youthful cynicism, who knows, but I thought Fincher brought an arm’s length approach to the emotions in the film and I wanted Roth’s reaction to that.
Of course, Roth doesn’t particularly agree with my take. Indeed, he was right in the middle of telling me how the bathroom was filled with sobbers after the screening when a beautiful young lady walked up to us and told him how much the movie had affected her.
Nominations for Picture, Director, Actress, Adapted Screenplay, Art Direction, Cinematography, Film Editing, Makeup, Original Score and Visual Effects are virtually assured. That’s 10 you can take to the bank.
Meanwhile, Jacqueline West’s costumes are certainly good enough (and varied enough) to demand a spot, while Taraji P. Henson really is the heart of the piece in many ways and could find herself in the running for Best Supporting Actress — no news there. And the sound design, from interesting voice manipulation to a riveting wartime sequence, could easily slip in.
So if you’re keeping count, that’s 13.
Brad Pitt does not blow the role of Benjamin Button out of the water [some disagree with this in the comments] and perhaps he underplays it a bit too much. But it is great to see him happy to get out from underneath his star persona, and with the right level of support, he could make it 14. We’re talking the year’s tech giant here.
I’m including the audio of today’s Q&A (with Fincher, Roth and the tech crew), moderated by The Envelope’s Pete Hammond, for your listening pleasure. I don’t believe anything realy spoilery pops up throughout the 40 minutes or so. I made sure to keep my ears open for that kind of thing, but the questions remained safely general in that way. But those wanting to know absolutely nothing will probably want to shy away. For the rest, enjoy:
UNDER MOD:
10-14 noms predicted
DON’T READ THIS IF DON’T WANT TO KNOW A THING ABOUT CCBB. If you want to know a little bit, like me, read and listen to audio of Q&A at website:
http://www.incontention.com/?p=3096#more-3096
AwardsDaily.com has links to where to listen to CCBB score:
Listen to the Button Score
Nov. 24
Slashfilm points us to the FYC site for Benjamin Button where you can listen to the score. Here are the track listings:
1. Postcards
2. Mr. Gateau
3. Meeting Daisy
4. A New Life
5. Love in Mourmansk
6. Meeting Again
7. Mr. Button
8. Little Man Oti
9. Alone At Night
10. It Was Nice to Have Met You
11. Children Games
12. Submarine Attack
13. The Hummingbird
14. Love Returns
15. Sunrise On Lake Pontchartrain
16. Daisy’s Ballet Career
17. The Accident
18. Stay Out of My Life
19. Nothing Lasts
20. Some Things You Never Forget
21. Growing Younger
22. Dying Away
23. Benjamin and Daisy
I like this quote: ‘You should never help somebody out of pity, or to get Brownie points in heaven,’ she says. ‘You should genuinely find joy in making somebody else’s life better.’
I like this one better.
http://www.awardsdaily.com/?p=4163#more-4163
BENJAMIN BUTTON SCREENING AND Q&A
Author: Sasha Stone, 22 NOV
Excerpts:
Today’s screening was held in the swanky Paramount theater. In attendance for the Q&A was director David Fincher, screenwriter Eric Roth and most of the heads of the tech departments.
I don’t want to jinx the movie by going overboard and I don’t want to have the next few words haunt me for the next decade, nonetheless – if I had to name the film that would probably have the best shot at winning Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Costumes, Art Direction it would be this one.
The first and probably most important reason is that this is a film that works on every level. It is an authentic bit of writing, straight from the heart of Eric Roth, who admitted during the Q&A that he’d lost his parents while writing the script. That kind of sentiment and heartbreak cannot be faked. That kind of inspiration is rare. Unfortunately for him it came at a great cost. Perhaps this is why the truth here, bare as it is, cuts as deeply.
Combine Roth’s emotional output with David Fincher’s exactitude and you have something nearly perfect. With so many limbs, emotions and ideas the film shouldn’t work at all, but somehow it does. Much credit is due to Brad Pitt, whose Benjamin Button is a soul-shattering creation. Cate Blanchett, who bursts forth like her own hurricane. Taraji P. Henson as Queenie is the heart of the film.
Benjamin Button is about the beauty and privilege of aging. We think of it, especially in our culture, as something wicked, a disease that we must fight tooth and nail and disguise. Youth is the be all, end all. But Benjamin Button, who ages backwards, doesn’t get the benefit of having such a disease. Because he can’t have the same experience as everyone else he is destined to be alone. Loneliness from death is one of the strongest themes. If you’ve had someone die that you treasured beyond words this film will slice right through your exterior. If you’ve ever held a baby and watched a child grow up, this movie will devastate you.
I don’t want to say much more before the film opens because too much hype can kill any movie; although it must be mentioned that Benjamin Button had a lot of hype going in and managed to withstand it so perhaps hype is beside the point.
The film is a visual delight — though it’s oddly cold in its scenery. A warmer, cozier world wouldn’t have made it a Fincher movie. The truth is that it works with Fincher as the director. It is stranger than it would have been if, say, Spielberg had directed it. Nonetheless, with Spielberg it might have tipped too far into sentiment and been mush as a result, no offense.
I did not feel a detachment to it at all and I fully expected to. I didn’t think that Fincher could pull off something overly sentimental. I thought it would be a few steps removed and all about the effects and the gimmick. It turns out, though, that this film is about the human experience. It’s about, as Roth and Fincher said, the people who make dents in you, who impact your life. Most of those who teach Benjamin about life are women, older women who have the benefit of wisdom. His life is shaped by them, which is probably the reason I fell so hard for the film. Too often women get the short shrift in films. They aren’t given the credit they’re due as whole human beings. I was touched by the female presence in this film, quite moved by it, I must say.
So far, for me, this year is about three movies: The Dark Knight, Revolutionary Road and Benjamin Button. Wall-E in animated, Captain Abu Raed in foreign. I have yet to see many films: Milk, Slumdog, The Reader, Defiance, Australia, Rachel Getting Married, The Wrestler, The Visitor. So take it for what it’s worth.
UNDER MOD:
I like this one better.
http://www.awardsdaily.com/?p=4163#more-4163
BENJAMIN BUTTON SCREENING AND Q&A
It turns out, though, that this film is about the human experience. It’s about, as Roth and Fincher said, the people who make dents in you, who impact your life. Most of those who teach Benjamin about life are women, older women who have the benefit of wisdom. His life is shaped by them, which is probably the reason I fell so hard for the film. Too often women get the short shrift in films. They aren’t given the credit they’re due as whole human beings. I was touched by the female presence in this film, quite moved by it, I must say.
This will get you directly to the music score/soundtrack (haven’t checked if it’s already available for sale) for free listening and downloading (I think):
http://warnerbros2008.warnerbros.com/bafta/#/movies/thecuriouscaseofbenjaminbutton/score/score1
click on the music button at the top
click on “score” to the left of the poster
click on the song you want to play
voila!
I printed out the entire story of TCCOBB on my computer and read it in one sitting. Great read. Looking forward to the movie.
This new trailer is better than the original shorter trailer. I have read the F. Scott Fitzgerald´s short story in which the movie is based on and recommend it to everyone. I really hope that Brad gets an Oscar nod for this role and that Angie gets hers for Changeling. If they don´t win – so what? They have much more important things in their lives than movie awards:their precious little children. I can´t wait cutie pie Shi´s cameo role in TCCOBB.
UPDATED: I’ve added the all-important critics groups’ awards which influence the other awards. And for Awards 101 – Commentary: Where are the Oscar contenders? http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/features/columns/filmmaker-focus/e3i60b39c4b57a9d7759511e3110e2414d8
I checked the official websites and the combined timeline for the Oscars, Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Independent Spirit Awards is:
Tues. Dec. 2, 2008 – Independent Spirit Awards Nominations announced.
Dec. 4, 2008- National Board of Review (announcing),
Dec. 8, 2008 – Washington Critics
Dec. 9, 2008 – Broadcast Film Critics Assn. (nominating),
Dec. 9, 2008 – Los Angeles Film Critics Assn. (voting)
Dec. 10, 2008 – New York Film Critics Circle (voting
December 11, 2008, Thursday, 5:00 a.m. – GOLDEN GLOBES Nominations announcement of “The 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards”
Dec. 14, 2008 – Boston Critics
Dec. 15, 2008 – San Francisco Critics
Dec. 15, 2008 –Toronto Critics
Thursday, December 18, 2008 – Screen Actors Guild Awards Nominations Announced at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood.
January 11, 2009, Sunday – Presentation of “The 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards” Live telecast on NBC Television at 8 p.m. EST
Thursday, January 22, 2009: Oscar nominations announced 5:30 a.m. PT, Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
Sunday, January 25, 2009 – 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®
Monday, February 2, 2009: Oscar Nominees Luncheon
Saturday, February 7, 2009: Scientific and Technical Achievement Oscar Awards presentation
Sat. Feb. 21, 2009 – Film Independent`s Spirit Awards ceremony. Broadcast live on IFC with an edited re-broadcast on AMC.
Sunday, February 22, 2009: 81st Annual Academy Awards presentation.
To respond to a poster above, who asked how much a star’s negative press might affect a potential Oscar nom/win: well, nobody ever said the Oscars were scientific, and since they’re based on the votes of Academy members, anything could potentially influence how they vote. That includes how much a given movie grossed, critics’ reception of the movie, whether an actor’s “time has come” (Kate Winslet, for example, has been forever nominated and will surely win an Oscar before her career is done), buzz (some movies/stars just seem to generate momentum toward Oscar night), and yes, good/bad press relating to the stars. I mean, the Oscars are a sort of popularity contest, though some members are probably more rigorous than others in attempting to evaluate a film solely on its own merit.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/film/reviews/article_display.jsp?&rid=11986
Film Review: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Bottom Line: An intimate epic about love and loss that is pure cinema
By Kirk Honeycutt
Nov 24, 2008
The fantasy element in F. Scott Fitgerald’s 1922 short story, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” in which a man ages backwards, does not begin to suggest the urgent drama and romantic fatalism that director David Fincher and writers Eric Roth and Robin Swicord have so strikingly brought to the screen in the movie version. Fitzgerald’s story is little more than a plot gimmick. Yet the film transforms this gimmick into an epic tale that contemplates the wonders of life — of birth and death and, most of all, love.
Superbly made and winningly acted by Brad Pitt in his most impressive outing to date, the audience for this Paramount/Warner Bros. co-production is large. Strong boxoffice should ensue.
Although hard to pigeonhole, the picture comes closest to Latin American magic realism, which juxtaposes the fantastic with the realistic. The film shares elements with another Eric Roth-written film, “Forrest Gump,” wherein a most unusual man sets out on an odyssey through 20th century American history. But Fincher, an unusual but winning choice as director, makes certain that “Benjamin Button” has none of the whimsy or coy historical revisionism of “Forrest Gump.”
Even the framework for the story underscores that there are forces within nature that man cannot control. Daisy (Cate Blanchett), a dying woman in a New Orleans hospital, gives her daughter (Julia Ormond) a memoir to read as Hurricane Katrina bears down on the city. The memoirist is none other than Benjamin (Pitt), born on the day of victory in Europe in 1918.
He was, he writes, “born under unusual circumstances.” He’s a baby that looks like a failing man in his 80’s with poor eyesight, brittle bones and wrinkled flesh. His mother dies giving birth and his father (Jason Flemyng) abandons him, fittingly, at an old-age home. A maternal black woman, Queenie (Taraji P. Henson), who runs the place, takes him in and raises him in the one environment where he can pass unnoticed.
He truly fits in among African-Americans and people old and forgotten by time. Everyone is an outsider here. As a somewhat younger old man, he meets Daisy as a small girl (Elle Fanning) visiting an ancient relative. Their friendship will last both of their lifetimes — although ones moving in opposite directions — and will evolve into romance and passionate love.
Much keeps them apart though as Daisy pursues a career in ballet while Benjamin, once he gets a handle on what’s happening to him, is a man who will never feel comfortable in his own skin. The job on a tug boat with its hard-drinking pilot (Jared Harris) takes him to Russia and an affair with a British spy’s wife (Tilda Swinton) and then into naval action in World War II.
After the war, Daisy’s career takes off. Also she can’t quite make up her mind about involvement with a man growing younger each year. But when commitment comes, contentment, brief though it may be, ensues.
Benjamin’s story is preceded by Daisy’s recollection of a watch maker (Elias Koteas), who having lost his beloved son in World War I made a clock for the New Orleans train station that ran backwards so that time might move the same way and his boy would come back to him. Thus, narratively and thematically, the film positions time-running-backward as part of man’s enternal desire to cheat death and to clng to those closest to us.
Pitt’s Benjamin is a touching and poignant figure, a person often lost within his own life but with a comic spirit that allows him to accept his backward fate. Blanchett illuminates the screen with a beauty and intelligence that makes Benjami’s pursuit of Daisy as much a quest for life as for love. As the adoptive mother, Henson embodies the essence of a good woman who derives her strength from God and her instncts from common sense.
Fincher ’s direction is sure handed over the entire 166 minutes, which never feels long or pretentious. The film takes Donald Graham Burt’s brilliant period design in stride, never overemphasizing it nor lingering on an artifact. Claudio Miranda’s cinematography wonderfully marries a palette of subdued earthern colors with the necessary CGI and other visual effects that place one in a magical past.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/film/reviews/article_display.jsp?&rid=11986
RAVE Film Review: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Bottom Line: An intimate epic about love and loss that is pure cinema
http://blogs.nypost.com/movies/archives/2008/11/oscar_watch_ben.html
Oscar Watch: ‘Benjamin Button,’ One Classy Movie, Takes the Lead
If you subscribe to the theory that the film with the most potential Oscar nominations is the frontrunner, which I usually do, then “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” which I saw last night at MOMA, is the clear-cut leader for Best Picture. There are 10 or more possible nods here, including Best Actor for Brad Pitt and Best Actress for Cate Blanchett. Director David Fincher and screenwriter Eric Roth’s very free and very long (167 minutes) adaptation of a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a sweeping, decades-spanning romantic fantasy that I got totally caught up in. I just couldn’t wait to see what happened next. Aided by some astounding digital effects, Pitt — or in some cases actors on whom Pitt’s face, appropriately aged or de-aged, was digitally pasted — plays a man who is born in 1919 New Orleans, looking like an 85-year-old and ages backwards to infancy (it’s actually most creepy to see Pitt as a teenager). Benjamin meets Daisy (mostly Blanchett), the great love of his life, when he is chronologically seven years old — about the same as her — but appears to be in his late ’70s. They drift tantalizingly in and out of each others’ lives except for a period in the early ’60s when both are in physical sync, but tragically they can never grow old together.
I was skeptical about the premise going in, but this four-hankie movie totally won me over, even though too much time is devoted to flash-forwards of Blanchett’s dying aged character telling Benjamin’s story during Hurricane Katrina, not to mention another framing story around that one. There are, as noted previously, some resemblances to Roth’s Best Picture Winner “Forrest Gump” in the movie’s challenged, basically passive main character and his globe-trotting adventures. But Fincher has held Roth’s tendency to schmaltz in check far more than Robert Zemeckis ever did and added more visual grace notes than can be absorbed in a single viewing. This is a really classy, old-school movie movie at heart. It will be interesting to see if the public at large, particularly the under-25 crowd, connects with this challenging idea for a very expensive-looking flick, a love story very much obsessed with physical decay and death.
Domestic distributor Paramount (Warners has foreign) is planning to open “Benjamin Button” wide on Christmas Day, but I wouldn’t at all be surprised if they announced a limited opening in New York and Los Angeles on Friday, December 19, to take advantage of early critical enthusiasm. It’s already locked up a spot on this professional cynic’s 10 Best List.
Posted by Lou Lumenick on November 26, 2008 6:00 AM
UNDER MOD:
RAVE REVIEW
http://blogs.nypost.com/movies/archives/2008/11/oscar_watch_ben.html
Oscar Watch: ‘Benjamin Button,’ One Classy Movie, Takes the Lead
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” represents a richly satisfying serving of deep-dish Hollywood storytelling. This odd, epic tale of a man who ages backwards is presented in an impeccable classical manner, every detail tended to with fastidious devotion. An example of the most advanced technology placed entirely at the service of story and character, this significant change-of-pace from director David Fincher poses some daunting marketing challenges, even with Brad Pitt atop the cast. Strong critical support will be needed to swell interest in this absorbing, even moving, but emotionally cool film, which is simultaneously accessible and distinctive enough to catch on with a large public if luck and the zeitgeist are with it. “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” represents a richly satisfying serving of deep-dish Hollywood storytelling. This odd, epic tale of a man who ages backwards is presented in an impeccable classical manner, every detail tended to with fastidious devotion. An example of the most advanced technology placed entirely at the service of story and character, this significant change-of-pace from director David Fincher poses some daunting marketing challenges, even with Brad Pitt atop the cast. Strong critical support will be needed to swell interest in this absorbing, even moving, but emotionally cool film, which is simultaneously accessible and distinctive enough to catch on with a large public if luck and the zeitgeist are with it.
Full review:
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117939098.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&nid=2854
UNDER MOD:
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” represents a richly satisfying serving of deep-dish Hollywood storytelling.
Full review:
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117939098.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&nid=2854
UNDER MOD x 2:
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” represents a richly satisfying serving of deep-dish Hollywood storytelling. . .