There’s an excellent chance Jacki Weaver will earn an Oscar nomination Jan. 25 for her role in the Aussie mob thriller “Animal Kingdom” – but how many people saw it?
That should change starting today with the Blu-ray/DVD release of the 2010 film.
“Kingdom” casts Weaver as “Smurf,” the matriarch of a minor crime family consistently running afoul of the law. This isn’t “The Sopranos” or “The Godfather,” films that showed the more glamorous side of crime in between the whackings.
These punks barely have time to enjoy the fruits of their dishonest labor.
WWTW chatted with director David Michod and star Ben Mendelsohn last year for Boxoffice.com, and the duo discussed the real-life crime that influenced their film.
Weaver deserves all the acclaim coming her way, but I thought Mendelsohn’s performance was just as good. He’s evil in a way we don’t normally see on screen. He’s internalized his hate, and when a drop of it spills out it’s mesmerizing to behold.
The Oscar disconnect between the audience and the films and performances nominated remains a problem, although the rise of Video on Demand services may chisel away at it in the coming months.
For now, Blu-ray and DVD remain the best way to catch up on hidden gems like “Animal Kingdom.’
(Photo: Jacki Weaver, right, chats up a local cop (Guy Pearce) during the gripping crime drama “Animal Kingdom.” Sony Pictures Classics)
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Sleeper Spotlight: ‘Animal Kingdom’
There’s an excellent chance Jacki Weaver will earn an Oscar nomination Jan. 25 for her role in the Aussie mob thriller “Animal Kingdom” – but how many people saw it?
That should change starting today with the Blu-ray/DVD release of the 2010 film.
“Kingdom” casts Weaver as “Smurf,” the matriarch of a minor crime family consistently running afoul of the law. This isn’t “The Sopranos” or “The Godfather,” films that showed the more glamorous side of crime in between the whackings.
These punks barely have time to enjoy the fruits of their dishonest labor.
WWTW chatted with director David Michod and star Ben Mendelsohn last year for Boxoffice.com, and the duo discussed the real-life crime that influenced their film.
Weaver deserves all the acclaim coming her way, but I thought Mendelsohn’s performance was just as good. He’s evil in a way we don’t normally see on screen. He’s internalized his hate, and when a drop of it spills out it’s mesmerizing to behold.
The Oscar disconnect between the audience and the films and performances nominated remains a problem, although the rise of Video on Demand services may chisel away at it in the coming months.
For now, Blu-ray and DVD remain the best way to catch up on hidden gems like “Animal Kingdom.’
(Photo: Jacki Weaver, right, chats up a local cop (Guy Pearce) during the gripping crime drama “Animal Kingdom.” Sony Pictures Classics)
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