Features
Catch up with the idea behind this series here. 1955. The year my father was born and the year the Oscars threw the biggest curveball in their short history. A tiny, 91 minute romantic comedy that made no money at the box office and was initially just meant to be a TV movie won the […]
Entries from June 2010
LIFE WITHOUT OSCAR: 1955 and 1956
Posted by Chad Hartigan · 7:54 pm · June 30th, 2010
Filed in: Life Without Oscar
‘Tree of Life’ alone in Apparition stable
Posted by Guy Lodge · 1:53 pm · June 30th, 2010
Things looked so upbeat for fledgling distribution outfit Apparition when they started out last year. Masterminded by former Picturehouse head Bob Berney, the company was christened with the acquisition of one of 2009’s best films, Jane Campion’s “Bright Star.” A classy roster of titles followed, including “The Young Victoria,” “Fair Game,” “The Runaways” and, most […]
Filed in: Daily
‘Paranormal Activity 2’ trailer
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 11:01 pm · June 29th, 2010
If you go see “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” this summer, you’re likely to see the new trailer for “Paranormal Activity 2.” Last year’s DIY thriller scared up a healthy box office with an innovative approach to distribution, but the idea of a sequel is dubious to many. The trailer has been released at the film’s […]
Filed in: Daily
PAGE TO SCREEN: “Never Let Me Go” by Kazuo Ishiguro
Posted by Guy Lodge · 4:21 pm · June 29th, 2010
SPOILER ALERT: By necessity, this article must reveal some key plot developments of the novel, though no more than you might have gleaned from the film’s recent trailer. “(T)hough the tears rolled down my face, I wasn’t sobbing or out of control,” writes Kathy, the young female narrator of Kazuo Ishiguro’s 2005 novel “Never Let […]
Filed in: Page to Screen
‘Bagman’ trailer
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 12:30 pm · June 29th, 2010
Mike Fleming reported at Deadline yesterday that George Hickenlooper’s “Bagman” (formerly “Casino Jack,” or maybe it still is, who knows), which debuted at Sundance and could be a power play for lead actor Kevin Spacey if it’s ever picked up, is being shopped around town after a distribution deal with Metropolitan fell through. So I […]
Filed in: Daily
The first iPhone movie is here…almost
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:19 am · June 29th, 2010
Last year, when I erroneously thought the iPhone 3GS would include video editing software, I asked how long it would be before the first movie fully shot and edited on an iPhone would hit. Well the 3GS didn’t have editing software, but the newly released (and I hear buggy-as-hell) iPhone 4 does. Commenter Chuck says […]
Filed in: Daily
‘Amelie’ tops list of decade’s best cinematography
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:00 am · June 29th, 2010
The folks at Movieline got their hands on a list of the top 50 films of the decade, from a cinematography standpoint, as laid out by voters at American Cinematographer magazine. Topping the list: Bruno Delbonnel’s work on “Amelie.” Delbonnel is a favorite among DPs. After all, “A Very Long Engagement” won him the ASC […]
Filed in: Daily
‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ trailer
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 4:18 pm · June 28th, 2010
The “Harry Potter” franchise has been a nice cash cow for Warner Bros. So it was a stroke of genius to split the final novel, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” into two film adaptations, virtually assuring an extra $800 million or so. The “Twilight” series took note, too. The all-encompassing trailer for the two-parter […]
Filed in: Daily
Poland, Breznican on a January Oscars
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 12:56 am · June 28th, 2010
This issue has obviously been put to bed, but it’s still an idea in the ether many are thinking about these days. Around the 4:30 mark in this “Doubling Down” video chat between David Poland and USA Today’s Anthony Breznican the two discuss the lingering notion:
Filed in: Daily
‘Get Low,’ ‘Monsters,’ ‘Skeletons’ among Edinburgh winners
Posted by Guy Lodge · 4:57 pm · June 27th, 2010
I have an irritating habit of missing key prizewinners at film festivals, so it was with some astonishment that I perused the list of films honored at the close of the Edinburgh Film Festival — only to find that I’d seen most of them. Considering the brevity of my visit, and my mostly random selection […]
Filed in: Daily
SUNDAY CENTS: ‘Grown Ups’ and their toys
Posted by Chad Hartigan · 1:47 pm · June 27th, 2010
*All historical figures cited are adjusted to today’s dollars. Adam Sandler’s agent successfully convinced him that cancer was way less funny than Kevin James’s blubby body falling down repeatedly and that agent has his finger on America’s pulse. “Grown Ups” is not the number one movie this weekend, though, so we’ll come back to it […]
Filed in: Box Office · Sunday Cents
‘Four Lions,’ ‘Thunder Soul’ take audience awards at LAFF
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 12:27 pm · June 27th, 2010
The poor Los Angeles Film Festival has had to battle major sporting events at every pass this year. Beats being screwed by World Cup refs, I guess. The final press release, in part: Today Film Independent…announced its 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival audience award winners before the Closing Night film, Despicable Me. The Los Angeles […]
Filed in: Daily
EDINBURGH: ‘Monsters,’ ‘The Dry Land,’ ‘Mouth of the Wolf’
Posted by Guy Lodge · 4:25 am · June 27th, 2010
My brief trip to the Edinburgh Film Festival came to an end Friday evening, as I hopped on a bus to Glasgow for a weekend with friends — sadly, that means I missed Tilda Swinton’s flashmob dance event, but I’m waving my right hand in the air as I type. It’ll have to do. I […]
Filed in: Daily
On the sound of ‘Toy Story 3’
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:07 pm · June 26th, 2010
It’s been a while since I linked over to the guys at SoundWorks Collection, who consistently do a marvelous job of conveying the intricacies of sound design, editing and mixing with making-of vignettes. Most recently they turned their gaze to Pixar’s “Toy Story 3,” which boasts talents like Michael Semanick, Tom Meyers and Michael Silvers […]
Filed in: Daily
7,300 ‘Days of Thunder’ later
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 7:58 pm · June 26th, 2010
I grew up with a father who couldn’t be pried from the TV every Sunday, sometimes Saturdays for the Busch races, too. So, naturally, I hated NASCAR. Everything about it. The kneejerk taunts of redneck ridicule were easy for me to saddle up to as well. But really, the older I got the more boring […]
Filed in: Daily
Lawrence at your disposal
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 3:15 pm · June 26th, 2010
I meant to make mention of this earlier, but actress Jennifer Lawrence will be participating in a post-screening Q&A this evening after the 7:40pm screening of “Winter’s Bone” at the Arclight in Hollywood. She did the very same thing yesterday after a screening at the Landmark in West LA. If you’re a local and you’d […]
Filed in: Daily
Man with a fútbol
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 3:02 pm · June 26th, 2010
The whine of harmonica from my favorite piece of film music ever caught my attention on the television a moment ago. I looked up to see a short version of the following commercial, featuring Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Spain’s David Villa. Pretty neat. Though nothing will likely ever touch Michael Mann’s (American) football promo from […]
Filed in: Daily
‘A Family,’ ‘Make Believe’ win at LAFF
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 1:33 pm · June 26th, 2010
I haven’t been able to cover this year’s LA fest with the diligence I had hoped, given that I’ve had company for nearly two weeks. But today the jury winners were announced, so as a quick break from World Cup drama today, the press release, in part: Today Film Independent…announced its 2010 Los Angeles Film […]
Filed in: Daily
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