Screening Gotham: Vera Farmiga, Point-Counterpoint

Some of today's movie news of note from around New York:

--What's all this about the "bump in the road for the Vera Farmiga bandwagon"? After all the rhapsodizing on this site from her directors and my premiere correspondents, here comes Reverse Shot with a full-strength reality check regarding her implosion in George Ratliff's NYC-to-Sundance sensation Joshua. "Normally I far prefer the professional, vainless investment of a Farmiga to a mannered, half-serious Rockwell, but with this kind of material it's hard to begrudge an act of survival," writes periodic RS contributor "eshman," and with the exception of a fabricated adjective in there, I can't say I totally disagree. Insert sound of heart breaking here -- at least for now.

--I totally sympathize with David Carr's critic fatigue, but between his impatience with yours truly, Peter Travers and most of the upshifting Oscar apparatus, I hope the guy is getting a nap here or there. And I hope Academy president Sid Ganis was a little straighter with him this year than he was in '06.

--God, I hope I'm lucky enough to have Charlize Theron's problems someday: The woman was just sued in NY State Supreme Court for wearing the wrong fucking watch. Not to oversimplify, but couldn't this have been handled with a phone call? Maybe an e-mail? Or is an affidavit on The Smoking Gun the new full-page ad in Vanity Fair?

Posted at February 7, 2007 10:39 AM