'Grand Budapest,' 'Wolf of Wall Street' win awards from Casting Society of America

Posted by · 10:29 am · January 23rd, 2015

Winners were revealed Thursday night for the Casting Society of America’s 30th annual Artios Awards. Winners in the film categories included “The Wolf of Wall Street,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and “Dear White People.”

Continue reading »

Filed in: HitFix · In Contention

'Guardians,' 'Whiplash,' and… '12 Years a Slave' (throwback!) among Casting Society’s nominees

Posted by · 12:22 pm · January 6th, 2015

An awards ceremony date change means the Casting Society is inviting old and new contenders to the ring. Finally, a year where ‘Guardians of the Galaxy,’ ‘Birdman,’ and ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ rub shoulders!

Continue reading »

Filed in: HitFix · In Contention

Off the Carpet: Frontrunners try to maintain buzz while others aim to capitalize in phase two

Posted by · 12:18 pm · February 10th, 2014

The Oscar nominees are gathering for lunch this afternoon as the Winter Olympics forge ahead in Sochi, gobbling up two weeks and extending the phase two timeline of this year’s film awards season. The question is, how will that extension affect the race, if at all?

Continue reading »

Filed in: HitFix · In Contention

Solomon Northup wins his first award of the year for '12 Years a Slave' at USC Scripter Awards

Posted by · 10:52 pm · February 8th, 2014

Plenty of prizes have come “12 Years a Slave’s” way this season but Saturday night’s USC Scripter prize was the first to be shared by Solomon Northup himself.

Continue reading »

Filed in: HitFix · In Contention

London critics award '12 Years a Slave,' 'Gravity,' 'Selfish Giant'

Posted by · 11:52 am · February 2nd, 2014

“12 Years a Slave” won three awards for Best Film, Actor and Supporting Actress at the London Film Critics’ Circle Awards, while “Gravity,” “The Selfish Giant” and “Filth” also took multiple honors.

Continue reading »

Filed in: HitFix · In Contention

Roundup: Why historical accuracy isn't everything

Posted by · 5:01 am · January 31st, 2014

In today’s roundup of notable online news and views, a historian looks over this year’s fact-based Oscar contenders and declasres there’s more to a great movie than factual fidelity. Also: Annies honor anime vetran Otomo, and can Amy Adams upset?

Continue reading »

Filed in: HitFix · In Contention

Toronto and Telluride lock horns over festival premieres

Posted by · 6:30 pm · January 29th, 2014

The Toronto Film Festival has taken action against Telluride’s “sneak previews” of major prestige titles, extending the heated rivalry between the fall fests.

Continue reading »

Filed in: HitFix · In Contention

'12 Years a Slave' tops UK Regional Critics' vote

Posted by · 10:30 am · January 29th, 2014

“12 Years a Slave” won top honors at the UK Regional Critics’ Awards, a local British alternative to the London Critics’ Circle Awards. Chiwetel Ejiofor and Cate Blanchett were also rewarded.

Continue reading »

Filed in: HitFix · In Contention

Off the Carpet: How the BAFTA Awards could actually matter this year

Posted by · 1:21 pm · January 27th, 2014

After the industry events of the last few weeks, “Gravity” has to be considered the de facto frontrunner in this year’s Best Picture race. With a PGA award (albeit half of one) and a DGA honor in tow, it tends to be a done deal this time of year. But this isn’t a typical year by any stretch, and the BAFTA Awards could actually matter for a change.

Continue reading »

Filed in: HitFix · In Contention

Alfonso Cuarón wins DGA prize for 'Gravity,' is Oscar next?

Posted by · 9:57 pm · January 25th, 2014

Surely coming as a surprise to precious few, “Gravity” director Alfonso Cuarón has just won the Directors Guild of America (DGA) prize for theatrical motion pictures. He beat out fellow Oscar nominees Steve McQueen (“12 Years a Slave”), Martin Scorsese (“The Wolf of Wall Street”) and David O. Russell (“American Hustle”), as well as “Captain Phillips” helmer Paul Greengrass to land his first such honor from the guild.

Continue reading »

Filed in: HitFix · In Contention

Oscar Talk: Nominations postmortem (finally) and Sundance chatter

Posted by · 3:45 pm · January 24th, 2014

On this week’s podcast, Kris and Anne finally get around to assessing the 2014 Oscar nominations. There is also the 30th annual Sundance Film Festival to consider, players from which we might be discussing this time next year.

Continue reading »

Filed in: HitFix · In Contention

'12 Years a Slave' and 'Blue is the Warmest Color' win with Gay and Lesbian critics

Posted by · 12:44 pm · January 22nd, 2014

“12 Years a Slave” has picked up yet another Best Picture prize from a critics organization, as the Gay & Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association (GALECA) tapped it the year’s best for 2013. Oscar frontrunners Matthew McConaughey and Cate Blanchett won top acting honors, while “Blue is the Warmest Color” received a pair of prizes including LGBT Film of the Year. HBO’s “Behind the Candelabra” and Netflix’s “Orange is the New Black” picked up awards in the TV categories, including a tie for TV Drama of the Year.

Continue reading »

Filed in: HitFix · In Contention

Off the Carpet: The closest Best Picture Oscar race ever?

Posted by · 9:56 am · January 20th, 2014

It’s wonderful when an exemplary year of filmmaking yields an awards season as unpredictable and wide open as this one is. With three evenly dispersed films, it could be the Academy’s closest race to date.

Continue reading »

Filed in: HitFix · In Contention

'Gravity' and '12 Years a Slave' tie at the 2014 PGA Awards

Posted by · 9:01 pm · January 19th, 2014

“Gravity” and “12 Years a Slave” tied for the year’s top theatrical motion picture honor while “Behind the Candelabra,” “Breaking Bad” and “Modern Family” picked up TV honors Sunday night at the 25th annual Producers Guild of America (PGA) Awards.

Continue reading »

Filed in: HitFix · In Contention

Tech Support: Analyzing the 2014 craft category Oscar nominations

Posted by · 10:46 am · January 17th, 2014

A day after the Academy dropped its array of surprises throughout its 24 categories, and notably the 10 crafts fields, it’s time to reflect on what the months of build-up have left us with. A few trends come to mind…

Continue reading »

Filed in: HitFix · In Contention

DiCaprio beams and team 'Banks' lives it up at the Critics' Choice Movie Awards

Posted by · 8:26 pm · January 16th, 2014

The Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) has found a bit of a sweet spot for its annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards by holding them on the very night of the Oscar nominations. This evening marked the second such occasion after necessity forced the organization’s hand last year and ended up working out for them, and spirits were certainly high amongst the many Oscar nominees in attendance this time around.

Continue reading »

Filed in: HitFix · In Contention

'12 Years a Slave' wins Best Picture at Critics' Choice Movie Awards

Posted by · 4:08 pm · January 16th, 2014

Winners were announced for the 19th annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards this evening in Santa Monica, Calif. Largely considered a barometer for which way the Academy might vote, they recognize accomplishments in an array of genres and crafts. “12 Years a Slave” won Best Picture honors, as well as Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress.

Continue reading »

Filed in: HitFix · In Contention

Tom Hanks and Oprah Winfrey lead the list of shocking Oscar snubs

Posted by · 5:55 am · January 16th, 2014

This year’s Oscar nominations announcement brought more surprising omissions than usual, from Tom Hanks to Sarah Polley to Emma Thompson to Lana del Rey. We run through some of the most shock shut-outs.

Continue reading »

Filed in: HitFix · In Contention