The Observer, September 28, 2007
Volume XL, Issue 5
Oscar contenders and box office gold abound in week's movie offerings
This week, three big films make their debuts in theaters across the nation. All three look quite promising, in both Oscar nods and box office draws. From the Shakespeare-esque to the quite taboo, much is being offered this weekend to America's discriminating audiences.
The Kingdom
Directed by: Peter Berg
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner
Deaths, terrorists, and possibly unrealistic expectations. Are we talking about the war in Iraq? Close, but this all ties into Oscar contender The Kingdom. The buzz surrounding The Kingdom is certainly puzzling, especially with the selections of Jamie Foxx, who has made multiple missteps with Stealth and Miami Vice after his Best Actor performance in Ray, and Jennifer Garner, who has had no tangible big screen success. However, the work of director Peter Berg and screenwriter Michael Mann has enabled the film to resonate deeply with Universal Pictures and push it into Oscar season. Based on the real Saudi Arabia bombings of 2003, The Kingdom follows the FBI's decision to send in an elite team to capture those responsible. What the team realizes is that nothing is what it seems thousands of miles away from home.
Feast of Love
Directed by: Robert Benton
Starring: Morgan Freeman, Greg Kinnear, Selma Blair
Following in the footsteps of Love Actually, Feast of Love looks to be a wildly entertaining and well-done hit at the box office. The film offers multiple looks at love in a small town in Oregon, narrated boldly by the voice of God himself, Harry Scott (Morgan Freeman). Based on the classic outline of Shakespeare's comedy, A Midsummer Night's Dream, director Robert Benton hopes to resonate with a broad range of audiences and critics, just as he did with his 1979 Academy Award-winning piece, Kramer vs. Kramer.
Lust, Caution
Directed by: Ang Lee
Starring: Tony Yee, Tang Wei, Lee-Hom Wang
Based on Eileen Chang's 1950 short story set in Shanghai during the World War II era, Lust, Caution is easily the most scandalous film to come out this fall season. Director of the trailblazing Brokeback Mountain, about two male lovers in Wyoming, Ang Lee looks to push the artistic envelope a little bit further with an espionage/sex thriller romp, complete with purported claims of teenage sexual content that Ang Lee didn't even bother to edit down. Mexican cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto returns to add his beautiful touch to WWII Shanghai, and the trailer looks absolutely gorgeous. In light of Martin Scorsese finally being award Best Director last year, could this be the year that Ang Lee is rightfully given the honor of Best Picture? The trailer is magnificent and the film looks dynamite, but the severely taboo content (and English subtitles) could hamper the potential of Lust, Caution.
