'Best Exotic Marigold Hotel 2' starts rolling, with Richard Gere on board

Posted by · 3:13 pm · January 10th, 2014

A sequel to the 2012 feelgood hit “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” has begun production in India, with Richard Gere among the new cast members joining Judi Dench, Maggie Smith and the original ensemble.

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'Skyfall,' 'Best Exotic,' 'Ted' join the usual in ACE Eddie nominations

Posted by · 5:00 am · January 11th, 2013

The American Cinema Editors (ACE) decided there was no rush and chose to hold its announcement for nominations honoring excellence in filmmaking until after the Oscar nominations landed. This despite being ready to announce on Tuesday. I applaud them for that. Just because the Academy says “jump” doesn’t mean you have to.

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The winners and losers from today's BAFTA nominations

Posted by · 2:43 am · January 9th, 2013

Affleck is celebrating, Hooper and Spielberg not so much

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What will BAFTA add to the conversation?

Posted by · 3:53 pm · January 8th, 2013

The British Academy announces its nominations tomorrow morning.

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'Anna Karenina,' 'Cloud Atlas,' 'Skyfall' among Art Directors Guild nominees

Posted by · 7:56 pm · January 2nd, 2013

The Art Directors Guild has announced nominees for excellence in production design. A wide cross-section of work was selected, though high-profile exclusions include “The Master,” “Django Unchained” and “Moonrise Kingdom.”

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'Zero Dark Thirty' fares well with Women Film Critics Circle

Posted by · 12:14 pm · December 22nd, 2012

The Women Film Critics Circle has announced its annual…unique…slate of award winners. “Zero Dark Thirty” won three awards while “Lincoln” won two. And they have a bone to pick with “Killer Joe” and “Think Like a Man.”

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Off the Carpet: Ballots are out

Posted by · 6:00 am · December 17th, 2012

Normally this column would begin with something like, “Ballots have been mailed to Oscar voters today,” but that begs reminding that for the first time ever, the Academy has adopted an electronic voting system in addition to paper ballots (for those who request them). How will that change the course of the season? Is chatter about glitches and lack of understanding just a facile talking point blown out of proportion? Maybe. But what is tangible in all of this is the landscape as a result of the first major nominations announcements of the season.

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Exclusive: 'Les Mis,' 'Django,' 'Beasts,' 'Amour' among 2012 scripts not eligible for WGA

Posted by · 5:05 pm · December 15th, 2012

Every year it’s worth noting that a number of the original and adapted screenplays in the hunt for Oscar consideration won’t get the extra bump of a nomination from the Writers Guild of America (WGA). Reasons for failing to qualify include the writer of the script not being a guild member or not retroactively handling the requisite process, among other things.

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Tech Support: 'Lincoln,' 'Life of Pi' and 'Anna Karenina' lead the race for Best Original Score

Posted by · 11:58 am · December 13th, 2012

As always, international flavor abounds.

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Golden Globe nominations breathe new life for 'The Master' stars, 'Django'

Posted by · 5:52 am · December 13th, 2012

The first thought that jumped to mind after today’s Golden Globe nominations announcement was, “Not too embarrassing.”

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Some SAG surprises indicate unexpected currents in the season

Posted by · 5:57 am · December 12th, 2012

The awards-obsessive corners of the web were all abuzz this morning with murmurs of a supposed “leak” of the 19th annual SAG nominees. Intrepid net hounds had apparently gone into the guild’s website and done some choice searching to turn out what ended up being, indeed, the full list of nominees. So what were they and what do they mean?

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Sacha Gervasi refutes 'Hitchcock' criticism at Fox Searchlight holiday soirée

Posted by · 7:10 pm · November 27th, 2012

Fox Searchlight Pictures had its annual east coast holiday party this evening at Andaz 5th Avenue in a nice second-floor spread with principals from the studio’s films — “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” “Hitchcock” and “The Sessions” — on hand. Spirits were particularly high after “Beasts” and “Sessions” combined for six Independent Spirit Award nominations (and one each for “Ruby Sparks” and “Sound of my Voice”).

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Roundup: Why Abe isn't gay (or straight) in 'Lincoln'

Posted by · 6:45 am · November 15th, 2012

Also: Women vying for foreign Oscar, and Channing Tatum’s first 2012 award

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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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Is 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' one to watch for the Brit vote?

Posted by · 6:30 pm · November 6th, 2012

Yesterday’s BIFA haul bodes well for multiple BAFTA nods.

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'Best Exotic,' 'The Imposter' among British Independent Film Award nominees

Posted by · 6:25 am · November 5th, 2012

Elle Fanning, Meryl Streep and Judi Dench nab acting nods.

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Roundup: The movies are dead, again

Posted by · 6:26 am · October 30th, 2012

Also: Dressing ‘Les Mis’ and the new, non-sexist Bond

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The Long Shot: Are the British coming?

Posted by · 10:50 am · October 17th, 2012

In a weak year for UK, ‘Les Mis’ carries the Limeys’ Oscar hopes.

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