Oscar Talk: Ep. 72 — Gothams, Indie Spirits, NYFCC, NBR and 'We Bought a Zoo'

Posted by · 7:39 am · December 2nd, 2011

In this week’s podcast, Kris and Anne discuss a busy week for the awards circuit, from the Gotham Awards to the Indie Spirit award nominees to the New York film critics vote to the National Board of Review announcement. And somehow they find time to talk Cameron Crowe’s “We Bought a Zoo,” too.

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Filed in: HitFix · In Contention

Grammy nods highlight original song contenders

Posted by · 6:49 am · December 1st, 2011

The Grammy race for Best Song Written for Visual Media highlights three eligible compositions I hadn’t really thought to include in my predictions, including songs from “Footloose” and “Winnie the Pooh.”

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Tech Support: John Williams charges back to lead the field of Best Original Score hopefuls

Posted by · 8:07 am · November 24th, 2011

In this week’s installment of Tech Support, we turn our gaze toward Best Original Score. Those in the hunt include John Williams, Alexandre Desplat, Howard Shore and Alberto Iglesias.

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Tech Support: 'Hugo' and 'Harry Potter' set the scene for Best Art Direction

Posted by · 1:24 pm · November 17th, 2011

In this week’s installment of Tech Support, we transition over to Best Art Direction. Films in the thick of it include the period design of “Hugo,” “War Horse,” “J. Edgar” and “The Artist,” as well as the fantasy elements of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” “Thor” and “Captain America: The First Avenger.”

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Oscarweb Round-up: Ratner's remark

Posted by · 7:04 am · November 8th, 2011

In today’s round-up, Brett Ratner’s recent gay slur causes a stir, Charlotte Gainsbourg talks “Melancholia” and “The Muppets” catches Savannah Film Festival audiences off guard.

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Tech Support: Best Makeup could go its own way, from 'Green Lantern to 'The Iron Lady'

Posted by · 7:46 am · November 3rd, 2011

In this week’s edition of Tech Support, we round up the possibilities for Best Makeup. Contenders include summer blockbusters like “Green Lantern” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” as well as Best Picture hopefuls such as “J. Edgar” and “The Artist.”

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The Long Shot: Let England shake

Posted by · 11:38 am · November 2nd, 2011

In this week’s Oscar-themed column, I discuss the tricky outlook for Britain’s hard-edged Oscar hopefuls, and update my nomination predictions.

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'Harry Potter,' George Clooney, Michelle Williams honored with Hollywood Film Awards

Posted by · 4:02 pm · October 24th, 2011

The Hollywood Film awards were held tonight, marking the first awards ceremony of the season. All honorees were previously announced. George Clooney and Michelle Williams won top acting honors while the public-voted Hollywood Movie Award went to “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.”

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Oscarweb Round-up: The discreet charm of the writers' branch

Posted by · 10:32 am · October 24th, 2011

Today’s must-read piece comes from that most reliable source of must-read pieces, Mark Harris, who this time digs deep into the whats, hows and whys of Oscar’s screenplay awards. As he so snappily puts it, the Academy’s writers’ branch has “much the same taste as Academy members overall — only better.” It’s certainly the area where […]

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Alexandre Desplat tapped for 'Extremely Loud'

Posted by · 3:47 pm · October 21st, 2011

Alexandre Desplat is one of the hardest working quality composers in the industry. And he’s just been announced as “quietly” working on the score for one of the season’s most anticipated contenders: Stephen Daldry’s “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.”

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Tech Support: 'Apes' and 'Deathly Hallows' lead the way for Best Visual Effects

Posted by · 7:19 am · September 29th, 2011

This week in Tech Support we survey the Best Visual Effects category, from typical blockbuster fare like “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” to unusual possibilities like “The Tree of Life” and “The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn.”

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Tech Support: A new year of crafts coverage

Posted by · 11:37 am · September 22nd, 2011

Welcome back. Today marks the beginning of the sixth year of Tech Support here at In Contention. I am delighted about the new collaboration with HitFix, which will doubtless result in even more comprehensive awards coverage. Over the next 10 weeks, we will analyze each of the “technical” category races in this space: Art Direction, Cinematography, Costume Design, Film Editing, Makeup, Original Score, Original Song, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing and Visual Effects.

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Filed in: HitFix · In Contention