'Argo' takes top honors from San Diego Film Critics, 'Perks' gets some love

Posted by · 6:20 pm · December 11th, 2012

Critics go their own way with awards for Michelle Williams and Emma Watson.

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The Long Shot: Independent women

Posted by · 5:30 pm · November 7th, 2012

The Best Actress race is only as weak as voters choose to make it.

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A belated appreciation of 'Take This Waltz'

Posted by · 11:42 am · July 13th, 2012

One of the year’s best films, Sarah Polley’s follow-up to ‘Away From Her,’ has already been out for two weeks.

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The Long Shot: Searching for sleepers in the Oscar guessing game

Posted by · 9:34 am · June 11th, 2012

As early Oscar charts hype up juggernauts like “Lincoln” and “Les Misérables,” what’s this year’s little engine that could?

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Oscar Guide 2011: Best Actress

Posted by · 1:05 pm · February 23rd, 2012

This year’s Best Actress category pitches one ingenue on her first nomination against four actresses who’ve been to the dance before — one of them a record 16 times. We examine who will win, and who should.

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Round-up: Streep saluted at the Berlinale

Posted by · 6:30 am · February 17th, 2012

Also: Missing 2D ‘Titanic,’ and why isn’t Williams the Best Actress frontrunner?

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Round-up: Does Weinstein's Streep ad toe the line… or cross it?

Posted by · 6:00 am · February 8th, 2012

Also: Daniel Radcliffe on Oscar snobbery, and the case for Viola Davis

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Breaking Oscar's biopic addiction

Posted by · 4:15 pm · January 31st, 2012

If the results of Sunday’s SAG Awards are repeated at the Oscars, it’ll be the first time since 1997 that all four acting awards go to actors playing fictitious characters. Are voters slowly getting more resistant to biopics?

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Round-up: Williams takes her Marilyn Monroe impression to GQ

Posted by · 8:15 am · January 18th, 2012

Also: Mourning Colman’s BAFTA snub, and Gervais steps down

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'The Artist,' 'The Descendants' win big with Golden Globes (plus live blog)

Posted by · 12:27 pm · January 15th, 2012

Join us as we note the hits, misses and surprises of tonight’s Golden Globes ceremony.

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First-Half FYC: Best Actress and Actor

Posted by · 7:21 pm · January 10th, 2012

In the third column in this series, we consider 10 outstanding lead performances from films released in early 2011 that deserve more Oscar buzz than they’re getting: names discussed include Kristen Wiig, Michael Fassbender and Juliette Binoche.

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'The Artist,' Malick come out on top with Vancouver film critics

Posted by · 8:55 am · January 10th, 2012

After leading with four nominations from the Vancouver Film Critics Circle, Michel Hazanavicius’s “The Artist” has won Best Picture and Best Screenplay from the group. Meanwhile, David Cronenberg’s “A Dangerous Method” got some love in Canadian spotlight categories.

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George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Michelle Williams and more turn out for Palm Springs awards gala

Posted by · 1:05 am · January 8th, 2012

I’ve never attended the Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala. It’s a key stop along the Oscar trail his time of year, very competitive with the Santa Barbara Film Festival. The two duke it out for honorees, one reticent to honor talent that the other has chalked up for an award. Which is obviously silly. But it seemed time to give it a go.

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Oklahoma critics march in step, spring for 'The Artist,' Clooney and Williams

Posted by · 3:11 pm · December 23rd, 2011

The Oklahoma Film Critics Circle has spoken up and added nothing to the precursor conversation, going with a slate of typical winners. Most annoying, they totally got their “Obviously Worst Film” and “Not-So-Obviously-Worst-Film” awards mixed, but whatever.

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Utah critics award 'Drive,' '50/50'

Posted by · 10:02 am · December 21st, 2011

The Utah Film Critics Association has chosen “Drive” as the Best Picture of the year. The film also won Best Supporting Actor for Albert Brooks and Best Cinematography. The group handed two awards to Jonathan Levine’s “50/50,” Best Actor for Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Best Original Screenplay.

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Women critics like 'The Help,' 'The Iron Lady' and 'The Whistleblower'

Posted by · 5:31 pm · December 20th, 2011

The Women Film Critic Circle has come out in strong favor of “The Help,” “The Iron Lady” and “The Whistleblower.” The association has made selections that feel generally in line with the films and performances one would imagine ought to be be highlighted in this year’s landscape. Though I will confess their choices are seasoned with one or two surprises.

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Interview: Kenneth Branagh on his 'dangerously obvious' casting in 'My Week with Marilyn'

Posted by · 10:43 pm · December 19th, 2011

Kenneth Branagh embraced what he describes as potentially “dangerously obvious” casting with his portrayal of Sir Laurence Olivier in “My Week with Marilyn.” Now with Golden Globe, SAG and BFCA nominations under his belt it would be somehow poetic if the actor/director were to take home the Best Supporting Actor statue for his depiction of the man who paved the road for much of the trajectory of his own career.

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Off the Carpet: Setting the field with the precursors so far

Posted by · 11:41 am · December 19th, 2011

In just three weeks we’ve gone from zero to a hundred on the circuit as the film awards landscape has been sculpted into a bit of a consensus in these waning moments of 2011. Let’s see what that consensus appears to be.

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