Features
I’ve never been sure what purpose the Golden Satellite Awards serve. People are only dimly aware when they take place, nobody cares who wins — least of all the winners — and they manage to be irrelevant both as serious film awards and as Oscar bellwethers. Nevertheless, they roll around every year, and they’ve just […]
Entries from November 2008
Baffling Golden Satellite noms unveiled
Posted by Guy Lodge · 4:42 pm · November 30th, 2008
Filed in: Daily
‘Slumdog’ scores at BIFA Awards
Posted by Guy Lodge · 2:49 pm · November 30th, 2008
Thanks to bright-eyed, bushy-tailed commenter Silrone for pointing out that the winners of the British Independent Film Awards were announced while I was mired in technical problems. “Slumdog Millionaire” emerged as the evening’s big winner, taking Best British Film, Best Director and Best Newcomer for Dev Patel, though “Hunger” ran it close, also taking three […]
Filed in: Daily
Technical problems… please stand by
Posted by Guy Lodge · 1:54 pm · November 30th, 2008
UPDATED: Seems we’ve solved it. Something went technically awry with the last post … I blame the Golden Satellite Awards, personally. Anyway, we’ll get that information back up for you shortly. EARLIER: No, your computer isn’t playing tricks on you. Something weird has happened to the formatting on the site — we’re looking into it.
Filed in: Et Cetera
‘Reader’ draws praise, but is it too remote for Oscar?
Posted by Guy Lodge · 12:30 pm · November 30th, 2008
After a couple of days in post-screening limbo, the reviews for “The Reader” are in, and while there’s much praise for the film, I suspect the response may not be quite what Harvey Weinstein was hoping for. The general impression appears to be that it’s intelligent, well-crafted and delicately performed, but as Kris anticipated recently, […]
Filed in: Daily
BIFA Awards tonight
Posted by Guy Lodge · 11:15 am · November 30th, 2008
Just a reminder that the British Independent Film Awards take place tonight. A full list of nominations, and discussion thereof, can be found here. I’ll try and deliver the results as soon as they are available, but for now, I’ve ventured some predictions after the cut.
Filed in: Daily
11/30 Oscarweb Round-up
Posted by Guy Lodge · 10:55 am · November 30th, 2008
• Nathaniel Rogers muses on the Best Supporting Actor contest. [Film Experience] • Tom O’Neil ventures a tenuous (to me, at least) theory about gay roles and the Oscars. [Gold Derby] • Despite his fandom, Jeff Wells has some reservations about “Slumdog Millionaire.” [Hollywood Elsewhere] • A study of Hollywood’s ongoing fascination with the Holocaust. […]
Filed in: Daily
Day of rest
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:50 am · November 30th, 2008
Filed in: Et Cetera
NYT gets down with ‘The Wrestler’
Posted by Guy Lodge · 7:34 am · November 30th, 2008
The New York Times has been a veritable piñata of goodies these past few days. In addition to the return of the Carpetbagger, they are treating us with a double-shot of “Wrestler”-related interviews, one with relative newbie screenwriter Robert D. Siegel, and of course, a massive profile of man-of-the-hour Mickey Rourke. I’m not sure what […]
Filed in: Daily
All hail the Bagger
Posted by Guy Lodge · 5:38 am · November 30th, 2008
As anyone who follows the ever-growing, ever-working and ever-sniping world of Oscar blogging knows, no one does it with more wit, insight or eloquence than the New York Times’ David Carr — or, as he chooses to be known for the next couple of insane months, The Carpetbagger. Unlike the witless Harold Robbins novel for […]
Filed in: Daily
Thanks for waiting
Posted by Guy Lodge · 4:03 am · November 30th, 2008
Sorry for ducking out yesterday — it was a Saturday of multiple distractions. Normal service to resume shortly. In the meantime, for your listening pleasure, here’s “O… Saya,” the sensational A.R. Rahman/M.I.A. cut from the “Slumdog Millionaire” soundtrack. It won’t get anywhere near Oscar night, of course — though I’m brazenly predicting that the film’s […]
Filed in: Daily
11/29 Oscarweb Round-up
Posted by Guy Lodge · 6:00 am · November 29th, 2008
Slim pickings today, but then what did you expect? Think of this as your leftover turkey sandwich. • The estimable Michael Wilmington goes to bat for “Australia” in a big way. [Movie City News] • Meryl Streep discusses her “career renaissance.” Uh, when did her career ever fade? [Los Angeles Times] • Simon Hattenstone talks […]
Filed in: Daily
WEEKLY WRAP: ‘Button,’ ‘Reader’ screen… uncertainty reigns
Posted by Guy Lodge · 8:00 pm · November 28th, 2008
• After a false start, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” was finally unveiled, to considerable applause… but is it too chilly? • Maybe. In his gutsy early predictions, Kris names “Slumdog Millionaire” the one to beat. • InContention readers, however, are less sure. • In a week of revelations, “The Reader” also screened — […]
Filed in: Daily
Karger narrows it to eight
Posted by Guy Lodge · 7:00 pm · November 28th, 2008
For this week’s edition of Entertainment Weekly, Dave Karger has boiled down the Best Picture race to a mere eight horses. The no-surprises list reads as follows: 1. “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” 2. “Slumdog Millionaire” 3. “Frost/Nixon” 4. “Revolutionary Road” 5. “Doubt” 6. “Milk” 7. “The Dark Knight” 8. “Australia” Nothing much to […]
Filed in: Daily
‘The International’ to kick off Berlin
Posted by Guy Lodge · 4:41 pm · November 28th, 2008
Screen International reports that Tom Tykwer’s latest, “The International,” has been named the opening film of next year’s Berlin Film Festival. The thriller, starring Clive Owen and Naomi Watts (now there’s a good pairing), will have its word premiere at the fest, screening out of competition on February 5. The trailer’s been out for some […]
Filed in: Daily
“Is this your last, best chance? Are you gonna take it? Or are you going to the grave with unlived lives in your veins?”
Posted by Guy Lodge · 3:57 pm · November 28th, 2008
Filed in: Quoted
Early winner predictions, part 2: Yours and mine
Posted by Guy Lodge · 1:42 pm · November 28th, 2008
Well, Kris was brave enough to stick his neck out and venture some winner predictions, so I thought I’d follow up on that — with the strict caveat that, while nobody knows anything, I frequently know even less. So my own predictions are after the cut. I don’t think them informed enough to place on […]
Filed in: Daily
Goldstein singles out ‘Gran Torino’ scribe
Posted by Guy Lodge · 12:15 pm · November 28th, 2008
After being kept under wraps for so long, word is finally starting to emerge on Clint Eastwood’s presumed awards contender, “Gran Torino.” Dave Karger already expressed his approval of Eastwood’s performance a few days ago, and now Patrick Goldstein also gives the film a firm thumbs-up. Calling it “a heartfelt portrait of human redemption,” Goldstein […]
Filed in: Daily
The Streep question
Posted by John Foote · 10:53 am · November 28th, 2008
Will she be nominated for a performance Todd McCarthy and even our own Kris Tapley found underwhelming? Of course she will, because all due respect to both, they are wrong. I finally saw “Doubt” this week, and as other critics are making clear, Streep does some of her best work in the film. Whether or […]
Filed in: Daily
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