Certain strong contenders would not have been eligible a few years ago.
This year's foreign Oscar race reflects a growingly global medium
Posted by Guy Lodge · 6:15 am · September 20th, 2012
Filed in: HitFix · In Contention
'The Artist' (what else?) takes top honors at César Awards
Posted by Guy Lodge · 3:08 pm · February 24th, 2012
“The Artist,” unsurprisingly enough, was the big winner at the César Awards, France’s answer to the Oscars — but not everything went the Oscar frontrunner’s way, as Jean Dujardin was upset in the Best Actor race.
Filed in: HitFix · In Contention
'The Artist' isn't top dog in César Award noms
Posted by Guy Lodge · 6:25 am · January 27th, 2012
It may be the first French frontrunner in the history of the Academy Awards, but on home turf, “The Artist” had to settle for third place in the César Award nominations. Another Cannes prizewinner, law-enforcement drama “Polisse,” leads with 13 nods.
Filed in: HitFix · In Contention
Round-up: The dogs have their day
Posted by Guy Lodge · 8:00 am · January 20th, 2012
Also: Defending Channing Tatum, and remembering failed Oscar grabs
Filed in: HitFix · In Contention
Predicting the foreign-language Oscar shortlist
Posted by Guy Lodge · 6:42 pm · January 17th, 2012
Tomorrow, the Academy announces a shortlist of nine contenders for the Best Foreign Language Oscar — we take a look at what they might be.
Filed in: HitFix · In Contention
Bottled up: the best films of 2011
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 7:28 am · December 12th, 2011
With the year winding to a close, it’s time to showcase the 10 best films of 2011. If you heard Friday’s podcast, you know. If you didn’t, dig in.
Filed in: HitFix · In Contention
'The Artist' among contenders for Louis Delluc Prize
Posted by Guy Lodge · 9:56 am · November 24th, 2011
It’s not often that the Louis Delluc Prize overlaps with the Best Picture Oscar race, but Michel Hazanavicius’s “The Artist” has been shortlisted for what is arguably the most prestigious trophy in French cinema.
Filed in: HitFix · In Contention
'Melancholia' rules European Film Award nods
Posted by Guy Lodge · 5:09 am · November 7th, 2011
Lars von Trier’s “Melancholia” is a sophisticated choice of film to lead Europe’s alternative to the Oscars — but a middlebrow mindset prevails elsewhere.
Filed in: HitFix · In Contention
Handicapping the foreign-language Oscar race
Posted by Guy Lodge · 4:18 pm · October 31st, 2011
We rank the films likeliest to show up in the ever-unpredictable Best Foreign Language Film race.
Filed in: HitFix · In Contention
More US festival awards for 'The Artist' and Olivia Colman
Posted by Guy Lodge · 10:55 am · October 17th, 2011
Buzzy Oscar contender “The Artist” added to its trophy cabinet with wins at both the Chicago and Hamptons International Film Festivals last year, while under-the-radar Best Actress hopeful Olivia Colman took a prize for “Tyrannosaur.”
Filed in: HitFix · In Contention
The Long Shot: Foreign exchange
Posted by Guy Lodge · 5:42 pm · October 13th, 2011
This year, however, the stage has been set for the Academy to make more relevant choices than usual in the often-derided Best Foreign Language Film category. The list of 63 contenders announced today includes many critically beloved festival hits, but will voters take the bait?
Filed in: HitFix · In Contention
Joshua Marston DQ'd (again) as foreign-language Oscar list hits 60
Posted by Guy Lodge · 2:07 am · October 10th, 2011
American director Joshua Marston’s film “The Forgiveness of Blood” has been disqualified as Albania’s Best Foreign Language Film Oscar submission for not being sufficiently homegrown — the same fate endured by Marston’s 2004 debut “Maria Full of Grace.”
Filed in: HitFix · In Contention
59 films vying for foreign-language Oscar
Posted by Guy Lodge · 2:40 pm · October 5th, 2011
With the deadline having passed two days ago, our list of submissions for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar is complete — and at 59 films, it’s down considerably from the last couple of years, when as many as 67 titles were put forward for consideration. Turkey’s entry, Cannes prizewinner “Once Upon a Time in Anatolia,” heads the list of late entries.
Filed in: HitFix · In Contention
Reviewing NYFF across space and time
Posted by Guy Lodge · 10:22 am · October 3rd, 2011
We may not be attending the New York Film Festival, here’s a round-up of the festival titles we’ve already seen and reviewed at In Contention, including such films as “The Artist,” “The Descendants,” “A Separation” and “Carnage.”
Filed in: HitFix · In Contention