What They're Up To Next

With the Oscars now well and truly behind us, and some analysts looking forward to next year's race (Reservation Road is my tip), MyFilmVault are looking at where are lucky Oscar winners are headed next. Obviously we expect all readers to ensure they've seen their Oscar winning work first...

The Coens (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay)

Burn After Reading

On my top 10 Most anticipated for 2008, this sees the Coens back in the comedy game with George Clooney cast alongside Brad Pitt. Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormund and John Malkovich complete an impressive cast. Critics will be worried that this sees the Coens return the lighter and not altogether successful fare of the likes of Intolerable Cruelty and The Ladykillers. I happen to be a big fan of the former though and Clooney is of course a living legend so I can't see any potential pitfalls. Now watch it bomb.

Daniel Day Lewis (Best Actor)

Ruining my column (selfish) Daniel Day Lewis is rather choosy about his projects having made just 3 films since the turn of the millennium. He is well known for other, often quirky, interests and may well put his feet up at least in the acting sense for a while before committing to another picture.

Marion Cotillard (Best Actress)

Public Enemies

Rather excitingly, Cotillard has been cast in this Michael Mann's project. Unsurprisingly (for Mann), Public Enemies is listed on IMDb as a crime/drama which tells us little, but costars Christian Bale and Johnny Depp tell us quite a lot more. Both have a pretty good track record with their choices (the horrible Pirates of the Caribbean sequels notwithstanding) and, although Mann can be hit and miss, his films are always ones to keep an eye on.


Javier Bardem (Best Supporting Actor)

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

This looks a little dicey. Not only does it have the worst title in recent memory, it's a Woody Allen film which these days can mean anything from brilliant (Match Point), to distinctly average (Scoop) although I think it is fair to say his latest films are more the latter. Bardem stars alongside Scarlett Johansson and Penelope Cruz so all may not be lost but I fear this one may be one to avoid.


Tilda Swinton (Best Supporting Actress)

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and The Limits of Control

We'll gloss over the Narnia sequel (zzzzzzzzzzzz) and ignore what seems to be a supporting turn that she's set to deliver in the aforementioned Burn After Reading and focus on two very exciting looking projects. The first is The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - another film on my 2008 preview. It's David Fincher's new one and stars Brad Pitt as a man who ages backwards. Fincher rarely puts a foot wrong and this is being talked up as one to look out for. Her other project is The Limits of Control which perhaps sounds even more exciting. Slated as a 2009 release, Jim Jarmusch tackles a (according to IMDb) crime/drama/thriller. I loved Jarmusch's Broken Flowers and it'll be really interesting to see him take on a completely different genre. It also features an unvbelievably great cast as well, with Bill Murray, John Hurt and Gael Garcia Bernal joining Swinton, which I dare say is even more exciting than the pant-wettingly exciting ensembles listed above.