My latest MSN DVD column is up, featuring Jane Campion’s “Bright Star” — which comes to disc just in time to capitalize on this morning’s Oscar nomination for Abbie Cornish, who breaks out radiantly as Fanny Brawne, beloved of the doomed poet John Keats.
… I mean, she was nominated, right? I had to run down to do a CTV News Channel hit before the noms were announced, so I have no idea.
Since Abbie Cornish wasn’t nominated, I’ll draw a different connection between today’s DVD release of Bright Star and today’s Oscar nominations. Bright Star’s director, Jane Campion, was, in my opinion, the most likely of the three women previously nominated for best director (prior to today’s nomination of Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker) to actually win, if, of course, she hadn’t been up against Steven friggin Spielberg for Schindler’s friggin List. As much as I enjoyed Lost in Translation, I don’t think Sofia Coppola stood a chance, and although I liked Swept Away, I didn’t really care for Seven Beauties, for which Wertmuller was nominated. So, although Bigelow herself is downplaying the gender aspect of her nomination, yay Bigelow!
Aside from hoping that The Hurt Locker wins both best picture and best director…I am rooting for it to win best cinematography. I think it’s the only film other than Children of Men that wasn’t “beautiful” that I walked out of saying “That was beautiful!” I still remember shots like seeing flakes of rust separate from a rusted out car when a bomb went off. Admittedly, I don’t know the criteria by which other cinematographers make their decision, but I thought it was visually stunning.