UPDATE: It gets worse: Joshua Newton quotes Variety president Neil Stiles as saying “No one takes these reviews seriously,” and that the paper plans to cease reviewing altogether this year. EARLIER: After firing most of their chief critical staff, just one week after it came to light that they’d suppressed a negative review in order […]

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Fresh off their first Oscar win (Best Costume Design for “The Young Victoria”), fledgling distributor Apparition has picked up a well-regarded Sundance indie that could end up buttressing their 2010 awards campaign for Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life.” “Welcome to the Rileys,” a domestic drama starring James Gandolfini and Melissa Leo as bereaved parents […]

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This trailer for Nicole Holofcener’s latest breezy ensemble dramedy lets slip the film’s biggest laugh upfront, but it gives you a pretty good idea of what to expect. As I said in my Berlin review last month, the film is bright, slight and intelligently acted, but I must confess I haven’t given it a moment’s […]

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I heard word last year that Larry Clark was remaking Neil Jordan’s “Mona Lisa,” but had no idea whether it was really going ahead or not. This promotional one-sheet design from All City Media, found on their spiffy new website, suggests that it might be. However the film turns out — if at all — […]

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Thanks to the concerned (or hopeful?) couple of readers who emailed to ask if I had “retired,” but I’m still around, and will chime in this weekend. After a season of nearly six months, you’ll have to forgive me for feeling a little like Faye Dunaway here, in my favorite Oscar-related photo of all time. […]

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*All historical figures cited are adjusted to today’s dollars. Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass return to the screen this week with their third collaboration and first outside of the Jason Bourne series. That particular franchise has done wonders for the careers of both men, particularly Greengrass, who won an Oscar nomination for “United 93,” but […]

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Is everybody over their post-mortem depression? Come to grips with your favorite movie winning or not winning? Boned up on your newest bits of Oscar trivia, such as “The Hurt Locker” and “Slumdog Millionaire” premiering a day apart at the 2008 Toronto Film Festival? I certainly hope so, because the world has continued to spin […]

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Uncle. I told myself I wasn’t going to write this column this year, let alone make predictions, but some of you were just too cute in your emails and Twitter DMs asking for something akin to my annual year-in-advance take on the race, so I struck a balance: a column and contenders list, but no […]

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Just … wow. From The Wrap: Todd McCarthy, who has been writing at Daily Variety for 31 years, was fired on Monday along with two other critics, as the trade elected to cut costs and move to freelance reviews. [McCarthy says,] “Everyone’s going to speculate, and all I can say, It’s the end of something. […]

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One of the most common lines (usually used in praise) on our newly-crowned Best Picture winner is that it’s deliberately apolitical, taking no sides in the Iraq conflict as it aims simply to present the soldier’s experience on the ground. Kathryn Bigelow herself dismissed that as something of a misconception in a recent interview with […]

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Like a Tiffany engagement ring presented in a Happy Meal box, sometimes the most beautiful gifts come in really cruddy wrapping. And such was the case with last night’s Academy Awards ceremony. On the one hand, the show managed to delight (if not surprise) me with one of the unlikeliest sweeps in Oscar history, making […]

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Welcome to Oscar Talk, a weekly kudocast between yours truly and Anne Thompson of Thompson on Hollywood. This is the final installment of the 2009-2010 Oscar season, with nothing left to discuss but Hollywood’s biggest night. On the docket today: • Anne was on the red carpet and in the press area at the show […]

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Before we close the book on 2009, here’s one last rundown of our interviews with this year’s Oscar recipients.  It was lovely to meet with them all as this was truly, for the most part, a season of camaraderie. “The Cove” Louie Psihoyos (Best Documentary Feature) “Crazy Heart” Jeff Bridges (Best Actor) Ryan Bingham and […]

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And now for something completely different…

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I stumbled across this at YouTube this morning and thought I’d share.  “The Hurt Locker” producer, as you know, was locked out of the Kodak by the Academy, punishment for EmailGate.  He attended a private viewing party for the film last night with friends and someone was shrewd enough to take a video, so if […]

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I don’t know if anyone else felt the same way, but the “In Memoriam” segment last night felt extremely flat to me.  It’s not to say that it should be full of flavor and pizzazz.   Quite the contrary.  But there was just something sterile about the whole James Taylor sing-over same-old that didn’t sit well. […]

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Despite concern over how the telecast might be perceived, it turns out ratings got a boost this year, according to this Rick Kissell Variety story.  Much of that is being attributed to the presence of popular films like “Avatar,” but I think it’s also worth pointing out the role of hosts Steve Martin and Alec […]

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Rogelio Tec was the big winner in our Oscar pool, correctly guessing 20 of the 24 categories and dominating the tie-breaker by guessing the show’s length within two minutes. Dillon Green and Kevin Manganaro are the runners-up, also guessing 20 each, so I’ll offer up a prize for you guys, too.  If you’re reading, please […]

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