18 Thoughts About the AFI Nominations

In honour of the record breaking nomination haul by David Michôd's Animal Kingdom at today's Australian Film Institute Award nominations, here are 18 thoughts/musings/reflections/etc. The entire list of contenders can be found at the AFI website, so please head over there and save me the effort of copying and pasting like a lazy git typing them all out.

1. 18 Nominations for Animal Kingdom?
As if its status as one of the most acclaimed and important films in Australian history, today it had to go out of its way and nab itself 18 nominations! That's a record as far as I can tell (nobody seems to have corrected me yet). Of course, it helps to get three out of four Best Supporting Actor nominations (Guy Pearce, Joel Edgerton and Sullivan Stapleton) and two Best Lead Actor nominations (Ben Mendelsohn and James Frencheville). Throw in some (shall we say) curious technical nominations like Cappi Ireland's for Best Costume Design and Best Production Design for Jo Ford and that means Animal Kingdom received a nomination in every single category that it was eligible for!

2. The Waiting City is this year's Disgrace
Eyebrows were certainly raised last year when Steve Jacobs' critically acclaimed Disgrace, starring a career best John Malkovich, failed to receive a single nomination and it looks like that honour has been bestowed upon Claire McCarthy's The Waiting City in 2010. Oh sure, Denson Baker received a well-deserved Best Cinematography nomination, but that's it. I didn't expect it to get nominations across the board, but the exemplary work by Joel Edgerton and Radha Mitchell (giving perhaps their best ever performances in my eyes) seems like good solid Best Lead Actor and Actress nominees. Not the case. I wasn't as anti-James Frencheville as some, but his nomination over Edgerton (or Peter Marshall in The Horseman for that matter) is baffling.

3. Bright Star was remembered.
I am so happy that not only was Bright Star remembered in the Best Film category, but Jane Campion and Abbie Cornish, too, in their respective fields. Campion's stunning film about poet John Keats was released late last year (along with The Boys are Back, which also had a solid nomination tally) and could have easily been passed over for more recent fare. Note, Campion is nominated for Best Original Screenplay, not Adapted like the Academy tried to make out that Bright Star was (pish posh, obviously!)

4. Women make up half the Best Direction category
It's true. And it's interesting that they went with Julie Bertuccelli, a foreigner.

5. Don't feel sorry for Kodi Smit-McPhee
Sure, he's the lone representative for any movie that is not Animal Kingdom in the Best Supporting Actor category, but since he is nominated for a film that was a flop and an awards day dud (that'd be Matching Jack), not to mention his second nomination for The Road in the International category, let's not get too sad for the kid. He's already won an AFI and another nomination in his brief time plus he's making critically acclaimed films overseas, so he's going all right!


6. Speaking of those International Awards...
You have to just accept Sam Worthington being nominated for Avatar, but Mia Wasikowska for Alice in Wonderland? When she gave a great performance in The Kids are All Right? That's crazy talk! Meanwhile, Naomi Watts received what will probably be her only nomination for Mother & Child and she should probably win the category, unless voters are feeling partial to Toni Collette in The United States of Tara for a second year in a row.

7. Favouritism
Yeah, Jacki Weaver was great and all and seeing her nominated (and surely win) was great (although I'm more excited about her Oscar prospects right now), the top nomination of the day for me was that left field, but oh so rockin' nomination for Daybreakers in Best Original Screenplay. You can't say that isn't an interesting citation. I'd say a deserved one, too.

8. Tomorrow when Ashleigh Cummings is a star
I was happy to see Ashleigh Cummings got a nomination in the Best Young Actor category for her work as "Robyn" in Tomorrow When the War Began. As I get further away from seeing that film, a good one and one that got several major nominations including Best Film, it is without a doubt she and Deniz Akdeniz that linger as the standouts. That shot of Cummings walking towards the camera as she fires her rifle is one of the finest individual moments from any of the AFI contenders.

9. No The Horseman
I know it was a very longshot, but it would have been great to see Steven Kastrissios' intense revenge horror film The Horseman get something. Peter Marshall's performance is the best male performance of the year, too.


10. Ben Mendelsohn will finally win a Lead statue
He's like Meryl Streep. He won way back 1987 for Best Supporting Actor in The Year My Voice Broke, but despite six nominations in the Lead categories (one was for Lead Actor in a TV Drama for Love My Way) it appears he will finally get that Lead Actor AFI award. I thought he deserved it last year for Beautiful Kate over the eventual winner, Anthony LaPaglia for Balibo, but who can deny him this year? James Frencheville is the Queen Latifah to Mendelsohn's Catherine Zeta-Jones, if you know what I mean.

11. Doubling up
This doesn't happen to often. Not only are two actors from the same film represented together in Best Lead Actor (the aforementioned Mendelsohn and Frencheville from Animal Kingdom), but the Best Lead Actress category, too, as French actor Charlotte Gainsbourg joins her young The Tree co-star Morgana Davis. I was hoping for one, but didn't expect both!

I keep a running "ballot" document for each year as it goes by and I have Davies and Gainsbourg listed together under Best Actress purely because they feel so intertwined in that film that it feels impossible to separate them. No one is going to deny Jacki Weaver in that category at the AFIs, but I reckon Morgana Davies would've won this in a walk if Weaver had have been submitted in the Best Supporting Actress category, but that's not how the AFI Awards work.

12. International names on the list
We've already mentioned Julie Bertuccelli (Best Direction) and Charlotte Gainsbourg (Best Lead Actress), but Clive Owen too snuck in on goodwill for The Boys are Back, a likable if unremarkable film that still wormed its way to nominations.

13. Ernie Dingo?
Did this well known actor's recent string of bad publicity and alleged criminal activity cause him to be snubbed for Bran Nue Dae. I don't know anyone who doesn't say he gives the best performance of that indigenous road trip musical, a Best Film contender, and yet he was absent from the ballot. Was surprised to see Geoffrey Rush not nominated, either, in the Supporting Actor category since he is so revered.

14. John Edwards, but not the psychic one
Is John Edwards the most respected man in Aussie television right now? The AFI TV categories are filled with projects he is involved with. In fact, of the four Best Television Drama series nominees, only one (ONE!) does not list John Edwards as one of the producer nominees. Rush (Network Ten), Spirited (W) and Tangled (Showcase) have all been shepherded by the man, which is a remarkable achievement. That his three shows are all quite good is another matter entirely. How about Claudia Karvan and Jacquelin Perske, too? They have a new show? Nominate it!


15. Network Ten, for better or worse
Whether you like Network Ten's programming - and I wholeheartedly agree with piece by Clem Bastow at The Vine re James Packer's recent purchase of the channel - it's hard to deny, as I look over the TV nominations that without them the list would be... barren, for lack of a better word. Hell, the Best Telefeature/Mini-Series category wouldn't even exist! And I think we can all be thankful that Rush is there to save us from an embarrassing Packed to the Rafters/Rescue Special Ops situation.

16. Five outta six ain't bad!
Back to the films, I wasn't a fan of Beneath Hill 60, but the nominations are all pretty impressive. Sure, the Animal Kingdom love went a little bit overboard like Goldie Hawn, and The Waiting City's egregious snubbing is more than a little sad, but one bad movie out of a bunch (and, yes, I am admittedly in the minority in regards to my feelings about Jeremy Sims' WWI movie) is a good stat.

17. Struck out
Films to receive no nominations at all are Accidents Happen, The Horseman, I Love You Too, Lou, Mother Fish and Subdivision. Nothing too upsetting about those apart from The Horseman, which I've already spoken about.

18. Next year?
We've already seen several contenders in the form of The Loved Ones, which should be nominations across the board, but I'll be specifically cheering on nominations for Best Production Design, Best Costume Design and Robin McLeavy for Best Lead Actress, giving a performance that can instantly be regarded as one of the greatest horror performances of all time. Yes, I am being serious. We've also got Red Hill, which should do well in the technical categories, and - depending on eligibility issues - The King's Speech. That Oscar contender is an official UK/Australia co-production, but is it enough of one to qualify? Well, that's too far away to think about, so let's just stay with 2010, okay?

AFI Contenders for 2010

The Australian Film Institute, of which I am a member, released their 19 wide list of eligible films for this awards. It ranges from big budget action blockbusters to tiny, ultra low budget dramas and everything in between including horror, comedy and Charlotte Gainsbourg. Let's take a look.

Accidents Happen
Dir. Andrew Lancaster
Geena Davis stars in this Aussie made, American set dramady about a family besieged by tragedy and accidents. It flopped on release despite some nice marketing and don't see it having much success here.
Possible Nominations: Actress (Geena Davis), Young Actor (Harrison Gilbertson and/or Harry Cook) and maybe a tech nod or two.

Animal Kingdom
Dir. David Michôd
In my year in preview column I called David Michôd's debut crime saga a "300lb gorilla of sorts from early word" and I was right. It's the most discussed Aussie film of the year here at Stale Popcorn (even if it's not my personal favourite) and is about to be released in America to, surely, much critical acclaim. I don't think anybody is under any illusion that Animal Kingdom won't win a tonne of AFI statues. My review.
Possible Nominations: Film, Direction (Michôd), Actor (Ben Mendelsohn), Actress (Jacki Weaver - the AFI have this thing where they upgrade the most prominent of each gender to lead roles. Weaver belongs in Supporting Actress, but she'll win Actress in a cake walk), Supporting Actor (Joel Edgerton and/or Guy Pearce and/or Sullivan Stapleton), Supporting Actress (Laura Wheelwright), Young Actor (James Frencheville), Original Screenplay (Michôd), Editing (Luke Doolan), Cinematography (Adam Arkapaw), Production Design (Jo Ford), Original Music (Antony Partos) and Sound.

Beneath Hill 60
Dir. Jeremy Sims
Australian filmmakers have finally cottoned on that local audiences might actually like to see movies about our history. Hence more war films arriving as of late such as this one, set during WWI when Australian diggers were responsible for a sneak attack underneath enemy forces.
Possible Nominations: Film, Direction (Sims), Actor (Brendan Cowell), Supporting Actor (Gyton Grantley), Young Actor (Harrison Gilbertson), Original Screenplay (David Roach), Editing (Dany Cooper), Cinematography (Toby Oliver), Production Design (Clayton Jauncy), Costume Design (Ian Sparke), Original Score (Cezary Skubiszewski) and Sound.

Blame
Dir. Michael Henry
A thriller starring Sophie Lowe, Kestie Morassi, Simon Stone, Damian de Montemas and Mark Leonard Winter, of whom I am a big fan right now, that has so far only screened at MIFF.
Possible Nominations: Could snag a Supporting Actress nod for Lowe, but other than that I wouldn't place any bets. If anybody saw this at MIFF and thinks it could snag something do pipe up in the comments.

The Boys are Back
Dir. Scott Hicks
I was surprised by this film about a man whose wife dies and who much now pick up his weight in the parenting department. I wasn't expecting to like it, but I did very much. Perhaps my aversion to deeply obvious sentimentality is weakening. It could make it into the top categories of Best Film and Best Direction, but I don't think there will be enough support for it when there's more exciting fare to be had.
Possible Nominations: Film, Direction (Hicks), Actor (Clive Owen), Supporting Actress (Julia Blake), Young Actor (Nicholas McAnulty), Adapted Screenplay (Alan Cubbitt) and Cinematography (Greig Fraser).

Bran Nue Dae
Dir. Rachel Perkins
This indigenous musical is, so far, the highest grossing local hit of the year (and I do mean hit) and I can't see why the the AFI wouldn't reward it accordingly with a swag of nominations. Is it too much to ask for a live performance on the night? My review.
Possible Nominations: Film, Direction (Perkins), Actor (Ernie Dingo), Supporting Actor (Geoffrey Rush), Young Actor (Rocky McKenzie), Adapted Screenplay (Reg Cribb, Rachel Perkins, Jimmy Chi), Editing (Rochelle Oshlack), Cinematography (Andrew Lesnie), Production Design (Felicity Abbott), Costume Design (Margot Wilson) and Sound.

Bright Star
Dir. Jane Campion
I hope the AFI organisation don't bestow a similar fate upon Jane Campion's gorgeous and beautiful Bright Star that almost every other awards body around the globe seems to have. I'm pulling for an Abbie Cornish win so she can stick it to those who don't take too kindly to tall poppies.
Possible Nominations: Film, Direction (Campion), Actress (Abbie Cornish), Actor (Ben Whishaw), Supporting Actor (Paul Shneider), Supporting Actress (Kerry Fox), Young Actor (Edie Martin) Editing (Alexandre de Franceschi), Cinematography (Grieg Fraser), Production Design (Janet Patterson), Costume Design (Janet Patterson) and Original Music (Mark Bradshaw).

Daybreakers
Dir. Michael & Peter Spierig
This locally produced vampire flick did decent business here and overseas, but being a horror flick (and being a horror flick without arthouse gloss) it won't get much attention from the AFI.
Possible Nominations: Production Design (George Liddle), Original Music (Christopher Gordon), Visual Effects and Sound.

The Horseman
Dir. Steven Kastrissios
I was surprised to see that this gripping revenge tale was eligible and am glad it's here. I doubt many of the AFI voters will actually go along to the special screenings of it since, let's face it, they know what they like, but if they do I hope, hope, hope they take notice of Peter Marshall's extraordinary performance. My Review.
Possible Nominations: Er... Actor (Peter Marshall)? Unlikely, but I'll hold out hope.

I Love You Too
Dir. Daina Reed
Another movie that surprised me immensely. Yes, it's a standard romantic comedy with all the usual boxes checked along the way, but I really warmed to this movie. Brendan Cowell does not a romantic lead make, but those surrounding him (especially Peter Dinklage) are more than up to the challenge.
Possible Nominations: Actress (Yvonne Strahovski), Supporting Actor (Peter Dinklage), Original Screenplay (Peter Hellier) and Original Music (David Hirschfelder).

Lou
Dir. Belinda Chayko
Very small movie - what would you expect from Kojo? - about a family that takes in a elder family member with Alzheimer's Disease that didn't do well at the box office - what would you expect when it's up against movies like Animal Kingdom for arthouse dollars. I can't see it showing up anywhere apart from Young Actor, but you never know.
Possible Nominations: Actor (John Hurt), Young Actor (Lilly Bell-Tindley) and Cinematography (Hugh Miller).

The Loved Ones
Dir. Sean Byrne
Behind only Animal Kingdom in the buzz stakes, this violent, horrific twist on the teen romance genre is sick and twisted and, surprisingly, a lot of fun. It's grotesque and basically the final half hour of the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre dragged out to feature length and covered in a hot pink dress, but it's an experience that's for sure! Could surprise in the same way that Wolf Creek did in 2005, although this year has much stronger competition so perhaps the AFI members won't feel necessary to go down this path. If nothing else, I just hope Robin McLeavy can get a Best Actress nomination since she is absolutely phenomenal!
Possible Nominations: Film, Direction (Byrne), Actress (Robin McLeavy), Original Screenplay (Sean Byrne), Editing (Andy Canny), Cinematography (Simon Chapman), Production Design (Robert Webb), Costume Design (Xanthe Heubel) and Sound.

Matching Jack
Dir. Nadia Tass
This feels like it is going to be a chore to sit through, but sit through it I shall. Nadia Tass has provided some great Aussie cinema in her time (Malcolm, The Big Steal, Amy) but this tale of a mother trying to find a doner for her sick son feels laborious.
Possible Nominations: Actor (James Nesbitt), Actress (Jacinda Barrett), Supporting Actor/Young Actor (Kodi Smit-McPhee), Supporting Actor (Richard Roxburgh), Supporting Actress (Yvonne Strahovski), Original Screenplay (Lynn Renew and David Parker) and Original Music (Paul Grabowski).

Mother Fish
Dir. Khao Do
Oh no! Not another Khao Do film!! Save me now. Let me guess, this one deals with yet another part of Do's childhood? And let me guess again, this time he's filmed the entire thing through the slit between two planks of wood on a refugee boat?
Possible Nominations: I don't care.


Subdivision
Dir. Sue Brooks
We seem to have hit a rough patch here, haven't we? Sue Brooks made the fantastic Japanese Story, but this real estate comedy (yes, you read correctly - REAL ESTATE COMEDY) looks dire. It flopped upon initial release last year and is now being re-released, which is very rare, so good on 'em for sticking with it.
Possible Nominations: None. I can't see this going anywhere.

Tomorrow, When the War Began
Dir. Stuart Beattie
Director Stuart Beattie (screenwriter on Australia, Collateral and the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy amongst others) sure is diving into the deep end with his first film, an adaptation of the wildly popular Tomorrow series of books. It's like Red Dawn, but set in Australia. Cue explosions and pretty young local castmembers.
Possible Nominations: Film, Direction (Beattie), Actress (Caitlin Stasey), Adapted Screenplay (Beattie), Editing (Marcus D'Arcy), Cinematography (Ben Nott), Production Design (Robert Webb), Original Music (Reinhold Heil and Johnny Klimek), Visual Effects and Sound.

The Tree
Dir. Julie Bertucelli
This Australian/French co-production was the closing night film at Cannes - quite prestigious - and has played both Sydney and Melbourne film festivals. It stars Charlotte Gainsbourg in the Aussie countryside whose children think their dead father's spirit has taken up residency is the giant tree on their property. Naturally. I feel this could go the way of last year's Disgrace and get nothing. We shall see.
Possible Nominations: Film, Actress (Charlotte Gainsbourg), Supporting Actor (Marton Csokas), Young Actor (Morgana Davies), Adapted Screenplay (Julie Bertucelli), Cinematography (Nigel Bluck), Production Design (Steven Jones-Evans), Original Music (Gregoire Hetzel) and Sound.

The Tumbler
Dir. Marc Gracie
The one film in the lineup that I had never heard of before. Since it's production date on IMDb is 2008, I doubt it'll be very good. Every year there's one or two of these sort of unknown titles and they're almost always atrocious.
Possible Nominations: None.

The Waiting City
Dir. Claire McCarthy
A couple are forced to re-evaluate their lives when political paper-pushing stalls their adoption. I really liked this movie, neck and neck with Animal Kingdom at the moment for favourite Aussie film of the year (after The Horseman though) and I hope it does well. My review.
Possible Nominations: Film, Direction (McCarthy), Actor (Joel Edgerton), Actress (Radha Mitchell), Original Screenplay (McCarthy), Editing (Veronika Jenet), Cinematography (Denson Baker), Costume Design (Justine Seymour) and Original Music (Michael Yezerski).

And that's that. Curiously, a couple of films that would have easily qualified - South Solitary and The Kings of Mykonos: The Wog Boy 2 - weren't entered. Particularly odd for the former because it probably could have picked up a Costume Design nomination and maybe even a Best Actress nomination if enough AFI members like it (I did not). Considering The Horseman qualified I can only imagine movies such as Triangle and Savages Crossing weren't entered. Meanwhile I'm sure My Tehran For Sale, Playing for Charlie, Girl Clock! and The Marriage of Figaro were kept out by not playing the required cities for eligibility, which is a shame because we've had no way of seeing some of those titles around here.

We'll find out who's nominated in October. I can't wait!

An Australian Movie's Poster in America

I always find it interesting to see how Australian movies get marketed overseas and vice versa. In fact, I'm always interested in how any film is marketed in different territories because I think it can say some fascinating things about a country. When I interviewed Jeremy Saunders recently I asked him why local distributors asked him - or anyone else for that matter - to make a new marketing look when they already have international pieces ready to go on the cheap and he, quite basically, said it came down to the distributor thinking there was a better way to sell a certain product to a specifically Australian audience - "international art tends to be designed for everyone and suitable for no-one".

Why did Abbie Cornish in a field of flowers work for Australian audiences (the film was a hit) when the romantic closeup didn't in America (the film was a flop)? Why did the local distributor not think a beautiful blonde would help sell tickets for The Kings of Mykonos: Wog Boy 2, but that it will in Greece? And it will very interesting to see if Sony Pictures Classics changes the Animal Kingdom poster for it's US release if they think it's Australian Gothic vibe won't work for American audiences. They could simply change the tagline to "An Australian Crime Story" and you'd have an intriguing "let's see how they do it" aura about it.

IMDb got the exclusive on the American poster for last year's biggest local hit Mao's Last Dancer. Being released by Samuel Goldwyn in early August I wonder how it will be received over there. Here in Australia it was marketed as a big blockbuster with a huge release and it debuted at #1. In America, however, it will receive a tiny arthouse release and hope for the best. In that respect I think they have gone to right route with the poster and made it a big ol' colour factory to capture as many eyes as possible.


Aus poster and then the American version
Obviously since the autobiography that Mao's Last Dancer is based on isn't as popular in America as it was in Australia - Li Cunxin, the film's protagonist, is now an Australian citizen - they have altered the "from the best selling autobiography..." line to a much broader "based on an inspirational and unforgettable true story". Accentuating films like Driving Miss Daisy and Shine is also a good move since half of the film's pull comes from its "uplifting" "prestige" aspects. Both posters keep an "exotic ethnic" vibe since that is still something that helps sell tickets, but the presence of American actors' names stops anybody from thinking, who isn't already aware, that this isn't an American movie (it helps, trust me).

Obviously, the more elegant Chinese-flag-against-black-background motif has been replaced by a swirling orange backdrop with small token shots of China and America, the film's two locations (luckily for American audiences, there are none of those crazy Aussie accents to yell "SUBTITLES!" at). I think it's quite gorgeous and definitely catches the eye. It's the sort of poster you want hanging out front and centre to get patrons' interest. I must say though that having stared at the original poster for months in the lead up to its local release (it was everywhere) last October I can't help but notice how his second arm has been erased out of this new poster. Where has it gone?!?

It will be interesting to see how this goes in America. This sort of graphic redesign gives me hope that it won't just be a three-cinema dump release. Being released in August could allow for it to accumulate a small, but noticeable, amount of box office and perhaps, just perhaps, Christopher Gordon could make a legitimate play for an Oscar nomination for his original score. It is a fantastic score and I can totally see it catching the music branch's eye... er, ear if the movie is out there enough. Mao's Last Dancer has already been released in Canada and has grossed #172,488 in three weeks. I'm not sure if that is good or not, but it's something!


I should mention that @mrpaulnelson on Twitter mentioned that he thought it looked like a Gone with the Wind poster. I believe he's talking about this one, which a case could definitely be made for. This is obviously nowhere near as good as that famous, iconic poster, but it's an interesting parallel nonetheless.