The Studio

Has anyone seen the movie The Ten? Confession here – I feel a bit little guilty about liking this movie as much as I did. Some of it definitely pushes the limits of poor taste or politically incorrect humor. Certain sketches work better than others. But I was hooked, wondering what outrageous interpretation of the Ten Commandments was next. I can see how people could get offended by this movie.

If you are interested in an earlier collaboration between Paul Rudd and Ken Marino (writer for both movies & acted in both), check out the movie Diggers - totally different from The Ten. It is a drama about friends & family relationships, set in the 1970s about Long Island clam diggers experiencing many changes in their personal and professional lives.

Despite all the hand-wringing about how the Oscar nominations and awards should be judged on quality alone, there is a certain political element to the way prizes are doled out. One example of this is the “Whoops, Sorry” award, where someone receives an Oscar for their work this year, but everyone knows it was really for something they had done (and been snubbed for) in the past. Martin Scorcese’s trophy last year for The Departed is arguably one of these.

Who’s this year’s candidate for the “Whoops” award? Tony Gilroy, the man behind Michael Clayton.

While this is Gilroy’s directorial debut, he’s been hard at work as a screenwriter for many years, penning all three Bourne films, the Al Pacino ham-fest Devil’s Advocate, and Dolores Claiborne, among others.

But he was overlooked for his first effort as a screenwriter, and I’m glad to see that the Academy is finally making amends.

The film? The Cutting Edge.

Forget about Joe Wright and Ian McEwan. The real atonement is going on right here.