Tom Cruise Hits Oscar Trail For Japan’s ‘Kokuho’; Ryan Coogler, Spike Lee, ‘One Battle’ Women Light Up Black Cinema & TV Awards – Notes On The Season

A column chronicling conversations and events on the awards circuit.

There was a rarity last night on the awards season trail. None other than arguably the biggest movie star in the world turned up in Culver City to host an FYC screening, and it was for a movie he hadn’t even seen until just recently, but one he is justifiably instantly passionate about.

Tom Cruise came in specifically to introduce a special screening of Lee Sang-il’s Japanese International Film Oscar entry, Kokuho at the Culver Theatre in front of a packed house with many Academy voters present. The film has become the biggest boxoffice success for a live action film in Japan’s history, earning more than $112 million dollars, a word of mouth sensation in the country for the epic drama that spans 50 years in the life of a man who aspires the reach the heights in Japan’s rich tradition of Kabuki theatre, to ascend to the number one position in the art under the mentorship of the patriarch played magnificently by Ken Watanabe, who you will recall was Cruise’s co-star in 2003’s The Last Samurai. He had written a letter bringing the film to Cruise’s attention recently. The star saw the movie and immediately volunteered to host this special screening on, as it turns out, the eve of voting closing later today for inclusion on the Academy shortlist for several crafts categories, shorts, and documentary and International features.

The hope is Kokuho first makes the list of 15 finalists for International from which the final 5 nominees will be chosen. GKids, whose first live action film release this represents, qualified the movie for all categories with a one week run in NYC and L.A. in November (it will open its regular engagements in February), and the astounding beauty of this film which premiered originally in Cannes in May as part of Directors Fortnight and later in Toronto, would easily qualify it for such other categories as Cinematography , Production and Costume Design, Hair & Makeup, Music and more if enough voters actually see it. The 3 hour running time may be daunting but it doesn’t feel long at all, expertly adapted by Sang-il from Shuichi Yoshida’s 800 page 2 volume novel. Clearly its portrayal of these Kabuki actors pushing the limits for their art is something that also resonates with recent Honorary Oscar recipient Cruise who is no slouch when it comes to pushing limits. Take a look at video of Cruise’s introduction here:

After the film ended I took to the stage with Sang-il and his translator for a compelling conversation about the 15 year journey the filmmaker took to get this film, a true epic in the vein of something you might have seen David Lean make when Hollywood was interested in truly bringing stories of this ambition to the screen. In fact one notable director in the audience said it reminded him of Lean. In some ways I also thought of parallels to The Godfather, as it tells the story of this 14 year old who watched his gangster father killed by the Yakuza, later taken under the wing of Japan’s most famous Kabuki actor but then must compete with his son in his rise to the top. Cruise knows a good movie when he sees one and Kokuho is not to be missed.

STARS COME OUT ON THE FYC CIRCUIT

Although it has been a time-honored tradition for many years, the idea of bringing out big names to “host” FYC screenings and events, to lend their name to draw a big audience, seems more prevalent than ever this year. Cruise’s rare participation is one instance, but there are many more going back to September when Sean Penn and Julia Roberts joined hands to make an impassioned plea of support for the Brazilian film Manas at a screening before Brazil made their official International Film selection (it went instead to the buzzier Cannes-winnng The Secret Agent). Just last night at an AMPAS screening at CAA where I moderated a Q&A with Train Dreams star Joel Edgerton and director Clint Bentley, a huge fan of the film, Michael Keaton, turned up as advertised “host” to introduce the screening, heaping praise on it in front of a full house of voters. Demi Moore came out this season for her Charlie’s Angels co-star Lucy Liu to intro Rosemead for a SAG screening; Steven Spielberg was the first to interview Paul Thomas Anderson at the DGA after an early industry look at One Battle After Another in September.

The list goes on and on as stars who are just fans of the movies in this case, join with filmmakers and casts either before or after. Julianne Moore hosted Bugonia; Jeff Bridges did the same for Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere; Reba McEntire brought ’em in for a look at Song Sung Blue; Charlize Theron and Matt Damon did separate screenings hosting Smashing Machine, as did Mikey Madison, Sarah Paulson, and Hannah Einbinder all for various Weapons screenings with its Supporting Actress hopeful Amy Madigan; Judd Apatow and Sofia Coppola respectively moderated Sentimental Value FYC events, so did Kenneth Branagh for Sinners, which has also benefitted from hosts like Christopher Nolan and Ben Stiller at subsequent screenings. Jamie Lee Curtis talked up Rian Johnson’s Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. Baz Luhrmann lent his name to one of Universal’s big Wicked: For Good events conversing with Jon M. Chu. Well, you get the picture, and this list is just a drop in the bucket. LIterally, as a voter in many groups including Critics Choice, SAG, WGA my inbox is flooded with these FYC events, more than ever. Finding any way to entice voters out of their homes and digital screening rooms to come to theatres where all these movies should be seen can only be a good thing, and based on my conversations with the voters who show up it can make a difference in a close race.

CELEBRATION OF BLACK CINEMA & TV BRINGS OUT BIG NAMES

Tuesday night’s star studded 8th Annual Critics Choice Celebration Of Black Cinema & Television became one of the first big events this season to really bring out the stars – and contenders. It was also CCA’s 19th overall “celebration” that also include equally spirited annual events for AAPI, Latino, and LGBTQ communities in a time where diversity is under attack. Career Achievement Winner Spike Lee got lots of attention in the room at the Fairmont Century Plaza presented by Ryan Coogler, and then Coogler whose Sinners has been racking up huge totals at this week’s Critics Choice and Golden Globe awards nominations received the Best Director honor from four members of his cast including star Michael B. Jordan who doubled up later presenting the Actress award to his longtime Creed co-star Tessa Thompson for Hedda. Great speeches from everyone, and a real feeling as attendee Leonard Maltin noted, “I was struck by how meaningful these awards are to their recipients”.

Early in the evening director Paul Thomas Anderson – who has been cleaning up so far this season with Best Picture sweeps at NY LA & Chicago Film Critics (with a record 9 wins there yesterday) National Board Of Review Gothams plus all those Globes and Critics Choice nominations and more to come I am sure for his One Battle After Another – came to present the Ensemble awards to his three key female stars Teyana Taylor, Chase Infiniti, and Regina Hall.

Warner Bros. enjoying a banner year awards-wise has both Sinners and One Battle After Another, so Co-Chair and CEO Mike DeLuca sat at the Battle table where I also was, while his Co-Chair and CEO Pam Abdy sat with Coogler, Jordan and the Sinners crowd at an ajacent table.

Abdy told me the secret sauce to their success is simple: “you just bet on the filmmakers”, she said. I asked DeLuca how he was holding up amidst all the merger drama with Netflix and Paramount to which he laughed, “that is all way past my pay grade. We just continue to do what we do, ” he said which indicating it could still be two years before anything closes. Both CEOs stayed through the entire show and really seemed to be enjoying themselves, and why not? This was truly an evening of celebration as its title indicates. They both really seemed to get a laugh at the end of the night from Abbott Elementary star Janelle James‘ acceptance speech for the Comedy Award.

With all of the talk of mergers and studios coming together or apart she wanted to be sure to acknowledge everyone of them who may turn out to sign the paychecks. “I want to thank all the famous people in the room for sticking around. I am told this is going to be shown on TV so thank you ABC, Disney, WB, Hulu, Netflix, HBO Max, Paramount, maybe Tubi at some point. I don’t know what the f**k is going on. My overlords thank you all, I appreciate it. I made sure I covered everybody so I stay employed!”

I think Janelle James said it for us all.