Popcorn and Cigarettes: Australia

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Why All the Hate?

I think by now, any reader of this blog will know that I am a huge fan of Nicole Kidman. Whatever she chooses to do, whatever projects she blesses with her presence, I will be there.

What I am having some trouble understanding is all of the hate and negativity directed toward this woman. What has she done to deserve any of it? Some label her as box-office poison, and others just like to call her a terrible actress on completely unfounded and unsupported grounds. Look at the hoopla surrounding Nicole's latest interview with 2day FM. A few select quotes were taken out of context and blasted around the internet, painting a pretty awful picture. Why all the hate?

I'm just going to say it right now. Nicole can act. Don't believe me? The Academy, BAFTAs, and the Golden Globes have all presented their trophies to her so she may place them on her mantle. Can she really be that terrible, and have somehow magically convinced all of these people that she is worthy of honoring? Maybe you're not convinced and think that I am just hiding behind these groups because I don't have a real example of Nicole Kidman doing some fantastic work. Well go put your copy of Moulin Rouge! back into your DVD player and go to the scene where Nicole is looking at the birdcage, or when she ascends from the heavens on a swing, or perhaps when she desperately calls for forgiveness from center stage. I am telling you Nicole can act. For those of you who don't own the DVD (for shame!) I am going to provide the scenes I am talking about after the jump.

I was just thinking about comparing Nicole to another one of my favourite actresses (who is having a banner year this year) - Kate Winslet. As far as I know, Kate Winslet is universally beloved by everyone in the whole world, and rightfully so. However, Kate has had her share of box office and critical bombs. Now I mean no disrespect, I love Kate with all my soul, but why haven't I heard websites going on and on about her box-office bombs, and critics smearing her with hatred. Now I will admit that Kate Winslet generally gives out performances that are always outstanding, whereas Nicole's performances can be a little shakey at times, but all the same, how come I find all the hate directed at Nicole? I hear people going on and on about how Australia was a huge bomb and whatnot, but I checked out Box Office Mojo, and I discovered that Australia has made a profit of $21 Million and counting. It may not sound like much, but I wouldn't consider it a bomb! Heading over to Rotten Tomatoes, Australia seems to be sitting at a luke-warm 54%, but Winslet's latest offering, The Reader, isn't doing that much better with a 60% approval rating.

How about we look at the box office receipts of The Golden Compass, Bewitched, The Interpreter, Birth, The Stepford Wives, and Dogville? All of these films, despite what critical reception they might have recieved, have all managed to turn a profit at the box office. Compared to the likes of Romance and Cigarettes, Little Children, All the King's Men, and Hideous Kinky, I think Nicole looks like a pretty good bet. Just to top off my point, Revolutionary Road and The Reader have yet to recoup their budgets (not to suggest that I don't want them too... I wish Kate all the success she can handle!) and if they don't receive any Academy Award nominations, I doubt the films will be able to recoup at the box office.

So why all the hate? Where has all the love gone? Both of these woman are fantastic actresses who have made fantastic films, and hopefully go on to make many more. So why does one side seem to bathe in praise, while the other is scorned and shamed by the public?! Can someone explain this to me?! Is it her personality? Her background? Her face? Can someone tell me why the whole world doesn't love Nicole Kidman? Because I do, and I think I will until the day I die.

Unfortunately I could not find the video for this, just the song, so I guess you will just have to hear the pain in her voice rather than see it.

Try to ignore the... Spanish?

Nicole is so lovely.

-Cigarettes

Popcorn & Cigarettes Hall of Fame - Nicole Kidman!

Welcome to the very first inductee to the Popcorn & Cigarettes Hall of Fame! We will be doing this every so often to highlight and honor some of the best and brightest actors, directors, writers, and anyone else who contributes to the film industry. Hopefully you guys will send in some suggestions for new ones, and comment on them as well!

So first up I, Cigarettes, have chosen Nicole Kidman. Mostly because she is one of my all time favorite actresses, but also because it was her birthday just recently (Happy Belated Nicole!) and she has a new movie coming out this year which looks all kinds of exciting.

Nicole Mary Kidman was born on June 20, 1967 in Honolulu, Hawaii to Dr. Anthony Kidman and Janelle Kidman. The family moved to Washington, D.C. soon after her birth and three years later they relocated to Sydney, Australia. While still a child she took up ballet, mime, and acting. Eventually she began to pursue acting over the other arts while attending high school (with fellow classmate and friend Naomi Watts). She began to study at the Phillip Street Theater in Sydney where she once received a letter of praise from an audience member Jane Campion (who was a film student at the time).

She went on to star in Dead Calm with Sam Neill and Billy Zane in 1989, which was her first major film in America. She continued to work in film, but it wasn't until Gus Van Sant's To Die For, that she garnered a Golden Globe for her work.

She was nominated for an Academy Award in 2002, for her work in Moulin Rouge!, but it was her work in The Hours in the following year that would claim the Best Actress Oscar.

She has continued to make some damn fine films over her career, which now spans almost twenty years on the American screen. Although her films might span from everything in between great and trash, I find that her characters are almost always compelling and interesting to watch. She is a brilliant actress and has some excellent work behind her, and hopefully more to come (which seems highly likely to me). Her future projects include Australia, Need, and Nine.

Australia, the next film from Baz Luhrmann (who collaborated with Nicole on Moulin Rouge!) is scheduled to hit theatres on November 14. The $120 Million project is centered around an aristocrat by the name of Lady Sarah Ashley (Kidman) who inherits a cattle ranch the size of Maryland. She hires a cattle driver named Drover (played by Hugh Jackman) when she discovers that cattle barons plan to take over her land. The film is set prior to, and during World War II, when Australia was still under the threat of attack by Japanese air fleets.

So the trailer hit the internet awhile back (for those of you who missed it, it can be seen here) and it just looks stunning. This film looks so beautiful, I don't think anyone will be skipping out on seeing this on the big screen. Promotion has already begun on this film (July's Vogue has our lady Nicole gracing the cover) and it also looks fantastic. (In case you're wondering some of those photos are littered all over this post.) I know I will be seeing this on the week it comes out, and hopefully it will be a certified hit, because both Kidman and Jackman certainly could use one (remember this and this?).

Need is the new film from director Ryan Murphy who wrote, produced, and directed 2006's Running With Scissors. What is special about this project is that it will be the first time Nicole Kidman and her good friend Naomi Watts will pair up together for a project onscreen. [SPOILERS] The film centers around a suicidal woman (Kidman) who is infatuated with her very successful psychiatrist (Watts). Little does the woman know that the psychiatrist's marriage is on the rocks due to her cold and controlling nature. She meets the psychiatrist's husband in a bar, and they begin an affair, and upon discovering the truth, the psychiatrist seeks revenge and disregards personal ethics. Sounds like something I want to watch. Watts vs. Kidman. [/SPOILERS]

And finally, the last of her upcoming projects (for now) is the film Nine directed by Rob Marshall, the guy who brought us Memoirs of a Geisha and Chicago. Nine is based on the stage musical of the same name, which is based on the Federico Fellini film 8½. The cast of the film is stunning and awe-inspiring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Nicole Kidman, Marion Cotillard, Sophia Loren, Penélope Cruz, and Dame Judi Dench.

With all of this news it looks like fans of Nicole Kidman will be having some pretty good times in the theatres in the upcoming year. Hooray for our first inductee into the Popcorn & Cigarettes Hall of Fame!