Sony Classics picks up Peter Jackson and Amy Berg's 'West of Memphis'

Posted by · 3:03 pm · February 29th, 2012

Sony Pictures Classics has announced today that it has acquired US rights to Amy Berg’s “West of Memphis,” which could yet pop up in the film awards season and extend the much-need spotlight for this miscarriage of justice.

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Oscar Guide 2011: Best Documentary Feature

Posted by · 8:08 am · February 16th, 2012

I have no idea what’s going to win the Best Documentary Feature category. Zero. Zilch. Nada. I might as well get that out of the way right at the top. And I’ve even seen each film twice. It’s a rare year that sees such solid arguments in favor of each and every nominee of the bunch. That’s not to say that, personally speaking, each nominee is award-worthy, but I could just see the Academy’s doc voters falling for any of them.

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Round-up: Goodbye, Whitney

Posted by · 7:07 am · February 13th, 2012

In today’s round-up, saying goodbye to Whitney Houston, Douglas Trumbull’s plan to save movies and the Academy’s annual Sci-Tech Awards.

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MCN's Gurus make their final calls

Posted by · 9:26 am · February 11th, 2012

The Gurus o’ Gold collective of Oscar dorks (yours truly included) at Movie City News have offered up final-ish predictions. I imagine David Poland will give us all an opportunity to change this or that, and certainly, my own picks aren’t final until the Friday or Saturday before the show, but for the most part, these are where the chips lie.

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Round-up: The underperforming Sundance class of 2011

Posted by · 7:24 am · January 17th, 2012

Also: Luhrmann on ‘Gatsby’ in 3D, and Elton vs. Madonna

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Scorsese scoops second DGA nod of the year as doc nominees announced

Posted by · 1:17 pm · January 12th, 2012

Martin Scorsese received his second DGA nomination of the week — and his first ever in the documentary category — for “George Harrison: Living in the Material World,” while “The Interrupters” director Steve James received further compensation for his Oscar snub.

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Oscarweb Round-up: Stumping for Serkis

Posted by · 7:03 am · December 2nd, 2011

In today’s round-up, the buzz on Andy Serkis’s Oscar campaign makes its way overseas, “Shame” is all over the blogosphere and parents of the victims in the Memphis Three case protest Oscar consideration of “Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory.”

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Academy advances 15 doc features, 'Senna,' 'Interrupters' stunningly snubbed

Posted by · 1:06 pm · November 18th, 2011

The Academy has announced its list of qualifying films for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar, and there were, as usual, some head-turning snubs. Poor, poor Werner Herzog and Errol Morris.

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Pondering America's insistence on capital punishment as the debate rages in theaters

Posted by · 8:05 am · September 22nd, 2011

With the capital punishment debate particularly punctuated this year by the cases of the West Memphis Three and Troy Davis, it’s interesting to note the issue raging on film in movies like “Into the Abyss: A Tale of Death, a Tale of Life” and “Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory.” Christopher Hitchens considers why America is obsessed with sticking with the death penalty.

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