Kathryn Bigelow Wins DGA Award
A few days late, but in case you haven’t heard Kathryn Bigelow received this year’s top honor from the Director’s Guild of America over the weekend for directing The Hurt Locker. Interestingly, she is the first woman to be awarded the prize. These were the 62nd Annual DGA Awards. If you do the math, that’s 61 years they’ve been giving out this award without recognizing a woman. Shameful, really.
Anyways, this gives an interesting twist to the Oscar race. Avatar won Best Picture and James Cameron won Best Director at the Golden Globes. Now, The Hurt Locker seems to be gathering steam with this win. It’ll be an interesting few weeks until the Academy Awards.
On another note, I wasn’t aware that Kathryn Bigelow and James Cameron used to be married. I know he has been married (and divorced) several times — to the likes of Terminator star Linda Hamilton and Terminator producer Gale Anne Hurd — and to current wife and Titanic cast member Suzy Amis — but being divorced from his main competitor during this awards season certainly adds a little flavor to the discussion.
First 8 Minutes: The Hurt Locker
The first 8 minutes from The Hurt Locker are now online at MovieWeb. There seems to be some sort of confusion as to whether this clip is supposed to be online — so watch it while you can. Here’s the summary:
The Hurt Locker is an intense portrayal of elite soldiers who have one of the most dangerous jobs in the world: disarming bombs in the heat of combat. When a new sergeant, James (Jeremy Renner), takes over a highly trained bomb disposal team amidst violent conflict, he surprises his two subordinates, Sanborn and Eldridge (Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty), by recklessly plunging them into a deadly game of urban combat. James behaves as if he’s indifferent to death. As the men struggle to control their wild new leader, the city explodes into chaos, and James’ true character reveals itself in a way that will change each man forever.
The movie, directed by Kathryn Bigelow, is currently in theaters in select cities — none of them anywhere near me. It played last year at the Toronto Film Festival, but I missed it an have been kicking myself in the ass about it ever since. Check out the video below:
Movie Review: The Hurt Locker
While doing some research on The Hurt Locker I was surprised to see that Kathryn Bigelow also directed Strange Days – I did not know that. I remember seeing that movie back in 1995 and really liking it. It was disappointing that the movie didn’t have a better box office at the time. Bigelow also directed Point Break and K-19: The Widowmaker. And she was married to James Cameron for a short time. She also seems to take a long time between movies – since 1995, The Hurt Locker is only her fourth major motion picture but it is without a doubt her best.
The Hurt Locker is the story of an elite U.S. Army bomb squad unit that is stationed in Iraq and presented with one of the most dangerous jobs in the war – disarming bombs before they kill. The main players in the movie are Staff Sergeant William James (Jeremy Renner), Sergeant JT Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty). James is the man who can work a bomb like a surgeon operating on a heart. He has disarmed hundreds of bombs and, from what we see, he usually does it with reckless abandon. Sanborn approaches his work in a more serious manner and tries to follow protocol. Not surprisingly Sanborn and James often butt heads. He and Eldridge are part of the support team that provides the cover for James as he throws on his protective gear and goes in to dismantle a bomb or ten. It is undoubtedly a thankless job and, as we see from the movie, requires a particular personality. Sgt. James certainly has that special personality to perform this precarious operation.
I’ll start by saying I really, really liked The Hurt Locker. I found all the scenes where bombs were being defused were brutally intense. A scene in the desert with the bomb squad and a group of British bounty hunters was equally powerful. But all the intensity and suspense could not have been made possible had it not been for the fabulous performance by Jeremy Renner. It is without a doubt one of the finest performances of the year and, at this point, should be considered for an Oscar contender come January. I really think that this performance is going to put Renner in high demand in Hollywood.
The Hurt Locker is as good a movie about the war in Iraq as I have ever seen. As I said before, Renner is spectacular. The story is filled with intensity and emotion. It will certainly make you appreciate what the men and women overseas are doing. Whether or not you agree with the war, this movie is not about the politics of it all. It is about the people who are risking their lives everyday. I think we’ve all seen and heard enough of the “what are we doing over there” commentary. If you want to know all about that, just watch a Michael Moore movie. The fact of the matter is that there are troops in the Middle East and they aren’t going to be coming home anytime soon. Watching The Hurt Locker will make you appreciate what the men and women are faced with when they put on a uniform everyday in Iraq or Afghanistan or wherever they are stationed. Those are the real heroes in this world. This movie should give you some recognition of that fact. (9 out of 10)
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