Tag: Jennifer Ehle

She Said Box Office Prediction

The true life tale of the New York Times journalists who exposed the crimes of Harvey Weinstein, Maria Schrader’s She Said debuts November 18th. Zoe Kazan and Carey Mulligan play the investigative reporters with a supporting cast including Patricia Clarkson, Andre Braugher, Jennifer Ehle, Tom Pelphrey, and Samantha Morton.

Critical reaction skewed positive after its premiere at the New York Film Festival. With an 82% Rotten Tomatoes score, She could contend for nods in some Oscar races including Picture. The best reviews have compared it to 2015’s BP winner Spotlight.

The ripped from the fairly recent headlines story could assist in bringing in filmgoers. Universal is certainly banking on a female turnout. My hunch is that this struggles in its opening and hopes for sturdy legs in subsequent frames. Low to mid single digits might be the start.

She Said opening weekend prediction: $3.4 million

For my The Menu prediction, click here:

The Menu Box Office Prediction

Oscar Predictions: She Said

At the New York Film Festival this evening, the curtain went up on She Said. From director Maria Schrader, the film recounts The New York Times investigation in movie mogul Harvey Weinstein. Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan portray the two lead reporters with a supporting cast including Patricia Clarkson, Andre Braugher, Samantha Morton, Tom Pelphrey, and Jennifer Ehle.

Recent journalistic exposes such as 2015’s Spotlight went all the way to a Best Picture victory. On the other hand, 2019’s Bombshell managed acting nods but missed BP and screenplay. Based on the early reviews coming out of the Big Apple, She Said may land somewhere in the middle. The initial reactions indicate this could absolutely make the ten contenders in Picture. Winning appears highly unlikely (several write-ups are in the solid but not great realm). As for its script, Adapted Screenplay is pretty weak in 2022. There’s no reason to think this won’t get in. I’d continue to put it behind Women Talking and The Whale. 

One of this season’s mysteries has been speculating on which performers here might rise to contention. Much of this could come down to Universal’s category placement decisions. It would seem that Mulligan and Kazan are both leads and that should mean Best Actress campaigns for both. Yet that lead derby (as has been discussed many times on this blog) is packed. That doesn’t hold true for Supporting Actress which appears far more open to possibilities. Both are generating good ink with Mulligan said to perhaps have a more clip friendly role. If the call is made for both to go supporting, one or either could get in. I wouldn’t say the same in Actress. Both Morton and Ehle are scoring kudos for their brief roles, but they could be too brief for consideration.

Bottom line: Picture and Adapted Screenplay are in the mix for She Said. We have to hear the studio’s plans for the cast before that becomes clearer. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…

Vox Lux Movie Review

Brady Corbet’s Vox Lux portrays a star who is born out of tragedy and she manages to keep milking it for a seemingly infinite time. Natalie Portman is that star and her work here is certainly memorable. Unlike her Oscar-winning turn in 2010’s Black Swan (which also explored the highs and lows of notoriety), this movie never quite earns being blessed by her committed performance. It drew me in for a while before getting lost in its own pretentiousness and, eventually, a feeling of meaninglessness. Maybe that’s the point Corbet is going for with his script as he ruminates on the vapid nature of pop celebrity. However, when the message is that the main character isn’t ultimately worth paying attention to, it’s tricky to get invested.

We meet Celeste as a 14-year-old in 1999, as played by Raffey Cassidy. She and sister Ellie survive a school shooting, leaving Celeste with a gunshot wound to the spinal area. Her recovery inspires her to write a ballad that strikes a chord with the nation. When it’s time to cut a full album, it’s in the aftermath of 9/11 when her lightweight dance pop recordings (courtesy of Sia) are the kind of throwaway ditties that fit the airwaves. These horrific events turn Celeste into a superstar and ultimately a diva.

Forty minutes in, the story flashes forward to 2017. Now 31 years old and now in the diminutive but fierce form of Portman, Celeste is prepping a comeback tour while attempting to rid herself of certain baggage. There’s an at fault car accident from a few years back that caused injury. And there’s the breaking news of the day – a terrorist attack in Central Europe where the assailants dressed as characters from one of her old videos.

Celeste deals with all this as she’s an absentee mom to her own teen, also played by Cassidy. Her girl is raised primarily by Ellie (Stacy Martin) and that sister relationship is strained to its limit. Jude Law is the manager who puts up with the frequent tantrums and rock star behavior while indulging in it himself.

For a while, Vox Lux is unique enough with its subject matter to inspire hope. That’s for about an hour when it seems to be generating its thesis on stardom and tragedy. I will say I dug Willem Dafoe’s intermittent ironic narration. In the second half, it’s mostly about watching Celeste’s out of control behavior. In the realm of musical tales, this runs out of fresh notes to hit. What helps is that Portman is terrific. She just never quite elevates this above being an occasional fascinating misfire.

**1/2 (out of four)