Features
So the 83rd Annual Academy Award nominations were finally announced this week, and I did fairly well in handicapping the nominees. Outside of Best Sound Mixing, I never missed more than one nominee in a category. Unfortunately, there were no categories where I scored 100% (apart from Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay). Oh well. […]
Entries from January 2011
TECH SUPPORT: Analyzing the nominees
Posted by gerardkennedy · 11:53 am · January 28th, 2011
Filed in: Tech Support
Predict the SAG winners
Posted by Guy Lodge · 10:43 am · January 28th, 2011
This weekend completes the trio of Guild awards with the most bearing on the Best Picture race, as the Directors’ Guild of America and the Screen Actors’ Guild dish out their prizes on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Following the Producers’ Guild’s surprise coronation of “The King’s Speech” last week, the next two days could help […]
Filed in: Daily
OSCAR GUIDE: Best Music (Original Song)
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:09 am · January 28th, 2011
The music branch’s process of nominating in the Best Original Song category changed a few years ago. Members now screen clips and view contenders as used within the context of their films. It generally means music used organically has a better shot than the usual closing credits fluff of yore. That rule change has also, […]
Filed in: Oscar Guide
1/28 OSCARWEB ROUND-UP: Puig hearts Bardem, eclectic slate of tune nominees, Bettany’s ‘Speech’ regret
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 8:51 am · January 28th, 2011
• Claudia Puig writes a love letter to “Biutiful” star (and Best Actor nominee) Javier Bardem. [USA Today] • Geoff Boucher and Rebecca Keegan note the eclectic flair of this year’s Best Original Score nominees. (More on those later). [The Envelope] • The Coen brothers: the cartographers of cinema. [The Guardian]
Filed in: Daily
Westcott opens up on ‘Black Swan’ costume controversy
Posted by Guy Lodge · 6:25 am · January 28th, 2011
For me, one of the most disappointing below-the-line Oscar snubs on Tuesday morning was that of “Black Swan” in Best Costume Design — not only because Amy Westcott’s intelligent contemporary design work was thoroughly deserving of notice (more so than “The Tempest,” on which the great Sandy Powell had something of an off-day), but because […]
Filed in: Daily
Not one pundit?
Posted by Guy Lodge · 5:28 am · January 28th, 2011
Thanks to reader Graysmith for pointing out this Hollywood Reporter piece, in which Tim Appelo poses the semi-annual small-beats-big argument about the Oscar nominees. To this end, he points to the Best Animated Feature category, where bijou art film “The Illusionist” beat out major money-spinners “Tangled” and “Despicable Me,” and gets this quote from understandably […]
Filed in: Daily
Catch up with Oscar nominee ‘Dogtooth’
Posted by Guy Lodge · 5:05 pm · January 27th, 2011
For those of us who like to make wholly informed decisions when entering our Oscar pools, the Best Foreign Language Film category can be a bit of a thorn in the side. Unless you’re a particularly well-travelled festivalgoer, it’s mighty difficult to see all five nominated films ahead of Oscar night. This year is no […]
Filed in: Daily
Young stars speak out on ‘The Social Network’
Posted by Guy Lodge · 11:51 am · January 27th, 2011
Newly minted Oscar nominee James Franco caused a bit of a ripple in the blogosphere the other day by casually slighting “The Social Network” — claiming the film fails to deal with the communication revolution that (to his mind) it’s supposed to be about, and further suggesting that its approach is too “classical” (read: conservative) […]
Filed in: Daily
Oscar hosts in training
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:49 am · January 27th, 2011
Filed in: Daily
OSCAR GUIDE: Best Animated Feature Film
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:36 am · January 27th, 2011
The animated feature field unfortunately fell one film short of the required 16 eligible contenders to expand the category to five nominees this year. As a result of this bewildering and arbitrary “rule,” some great work was left off the list in this, a pretty decent year for animation in general. Nevertheless, the animators proved […]
Filed in: Oscar Guide
‘The Conspirator’ trailer
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:30 am · January 27th, 2011
Robert Redford’s “The Conspirator” was kicking up some Oscar buzz before it bowed at Toronto this year. Lukewarm reactions and a March release sealed the deal that it wasn’t going to figure in the awards season. But it was picked up by Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions and could be groomed for a run later this […]
Filed in: Daily
1/27 OSCARWEB ROUND-UP: Franco on Gervais, Weinstein may cut ‘King’s Speech’ for PG-13, Gurus like it to win
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:19 am · January 27th, 2011
• Steve Pond offers up some random observations of the Oscar nominations announcement. [The Odds] • James Franco weighs in on Ricky Gervais’s hosting job at the Golden Globes. [MTV Movies Blog] • “Unusual number of Oscar nominees feature severed extremities, oral sex.” [The Race]
Filed in: Daily
Debating historical hiccups in ‘The King’s Speech’
Posted by Guy Lodge · 1:15 pm · January 26th, 2011
Unless you really haven’t been paying attention, you’ll have noticed by now that a few people have taken issue with the history lesson given by “The King’s Speech.” Or more specifically, with the one not given: that George VI supported British PM Neville Chamberlain’s policy of appeasement towards Adolf Hitler, while his brother Edward VIII […]
Filed in: Daily
Jon Stewart offers hosting advice to James Franco
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 11:17 am · January 26th, 2011
From last night’s “Daily Show.” He refused to skip poetry class at Yale to be available for interviews in New York. Love this guy: ABC’s promo pics of Franco and co-host Anne Hathaway after the jump.
Filed in: Daily
OSCAR GUIDE: Best Supporting Actress
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:12 am · January 26th, 2011
Like last year, this year’s Best Supporting Actress race was a free-for-all when it came to the last spot. Potential category confusion almost had two spots up for grabs. And there was absolutely no shortage of possible spoilers once the BAFTA had spoken up with a slate of formidable possibilities. And great work was still […]
Filed in: Oscar Guide
Ruffalo finally gets the nod
Posted by Guy Lodge · 9:54 am · January 26th, 2011
Amid the assorted geeky stat-studies I made in the wake of yesterday’s Oscar nominations, I noticed that it hasn’t been a vintage year for first-time nominees in the acting categories. Of the 20 actors selected, 12 are repeat nominees — the highest number since 2002. But among the eight thesps making their Oscar debut are […]
Filed in: Daily
Introducing the 2010 Oscar Guide
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:23 am · January 26th, 2011
You might recall last year’s Oscar Guide, a daily assessment of each of Oscar’s 24 categories leading up to the big night. Accompanying each post (which details each nominee and offers up predictions and preferences) is a poll asking for your own personal choice for the category of the day. The idea is at the […]
Filed in: Daily
1/26 OSCARWEB ROUND-UP: Facebook is over it, ‘Superman’ snub “myths,” an all-white acting class
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:11 am · January 26th, 2011
• Facebook on the film’s eight-nomination haul: “We’re over it, thanks. Trying to build the future here.” [Hollywood Reporter] • A.J. Schnack attempts to unravel the myths behind the “Waiting for Superman” snub. [All These Wonderful Things] • Patrick Goldstein notes the (anticipated) lack of color in this year’s acting categories. [The Big Picture]
Filed in: Daily
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