Welcome to Oscar Talk.
In case you’re new to the site and/or the podcast, Oscar Talk is a weekly kudocast, your one-stop awards chat shop between yours truly and Anne Thompson of Thompson on Hollywood. The podcast is weekly, every Friday throughout the season, charting the ups and downs of contenders along the way. Plenty of things change en route to Oscar’s stage and we’re here to address it all as it unfolds.
Going into the holidays and with the critics’ awards in full swing, we’ve brought In Contention’s own Guy Lodge on to discuss the goings-on of the season so far. After taking a break from the usual last week, the last 14 days have given us plenty to chew on. Let’s see what’s on the docket today…
• The critics’ awards circuit has revealed a clear, predictable frontrunner in “The Social Network.” We discuss what that really means for the Oscar race.
• The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced nominees for this year’s Golden Globes ceremony, a number of them more embarrassing than normal. We discuss those, because I guess we have to.
• The awards that matter in an Oscar race, given crossover membership, are those on the guild circuit. The Screen Actors Guild kicked that wave off yesterday with a list of nominated actors. We dig into that.
• This promises to be the week of The Dude as “TRON Legacy” opens today, “True Grit” opens next week and Jeff Bridges hosts Saturday Night Live this weekend. We use that as an opportunity to talk about those two films.
• And finally, after a week away from them, reader questions! We address queries about the “zeitgeist” classification of “The Social Network,” the awards potential of “Burlesque” and and personal faves with no chance at Oscar recognition.
Have a listen to the new podcast below, with a tip of the hat to the late Blake Edwards, who passed away yesterday, leading the way. If the file cuts off for you at any time, try the back-up download link at the bottom of this post. And as always, remember to subscribe to Oscar Talk via iTunes here.
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Back-up download: Oscar Talk Episode 45
Comments
58 responses to “OSCAR TALK: Ep. 45 — Critics’ pick their frontrunner, HFPA speaks up with doosies, the guild circuit kicks off and the week of The Dude”
@Graysmith – I also find it disappointing with Blue Valentine missing out with the actors for SAG but it is a limited sampling of the full membership. Gosling and Williams have been nominated for Oscar before so I still think they have a good chance of being included on nomination day. My fingers are crossed because those are the two most raw performances I’ve seen all year. Their chemistry is incredible and at times I almost felt like I was watching a documentary. Fantastic and I hope they are not forgotten as the AMPAS actors watch them on screener.
DylanS, the sound design criticism was only because of the impaired screener, apparently. Not the film we all saw in theaters (where the sound is exceptional).
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If you go back and check, DylanS, you’ll see that Kris actually has The Social Network on his ballot for Best Sound Mixing.
Okay, I saw The Kids Are All Right last night and Exit Through the Gift Shop this afternoon. Little by little, I’m trying to see all the noteworthy films I missed from earlier in the year. Enjoyed TKAAR, but feel it’s been overrated. Of course, I’m someone who firmly believes that 2010 was a weak year for American film, so that could help explain all the awards buzz for it (along with Winter’s Bone).
To me, TKAAR is a fantastic acting showcase. Realistic or not, I found the narrative (where it goes) irritating. But I respect the ensemble work completely.
And yes, Exit Through the Gift Shop was fascinating; this coming from someone who could give a rat’s ass about Street Art.
I was unaware of the screener situation. Thank you Speaking English and Guy as well.
I went and saw “How Do You Know” yesterday and enjoyed it. I mean of course I did – it’s a very good film.
It’s yet another reminded of how, well poor of a judge of quality Anne Thompson and the like really are. Yes, “How Do You Know” has problems and they are all very very obvious. But not to be able to look past them? Shameful.
Worth saying that unlike what some critics Nicholson is really not one film’s drawbacks – yes it takes a while to get used to the way he plays the character who is annoying in the beginning but then it just clicks and works.
It’s an overlong but ultimately rewarding film. And the smarts you’d expect from a Brooks film? They are still very much there. In a fairer world, Resee, whom I am not a fan of would be up for a Golden Globe or an Oscar even. She is a fantastic presence.
See it!