The Long Shot: Vehicle trouble

Posted by · 5:11 pm · December 7th, 2011

Many Oscar-watchers are describing this year’s Best Actress race as “weak,” a pejorative that has less to do with the fine performances in play than the iffy films many of them happen to find themselves in. But does it have to be that way?

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Camerimage honors DPs of 'In Darkness,' 'A Separation,' 'Wuthering Heights'

Posted by · 1:44 pm · December 5th, 2011

The Polish festival honors the year’s finest in feature film cinematography, but this year’s jury awards saw major lensing showcases like “The Tree of Life” lose out to less showy foreign fare.

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Lars von Trier maintains his silence at European Film Awards

Posted by · 10:40 am · December 5th, 2011

As predicted, Lars von Trier’s “Melancholia” won top honors at the European Film Awards on Saturday, but received some karmic payback when fellow Dane Susanne Bier, whom he insulted in his now-famous Cannes press conference, beat him to the Best Director award.

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'Tyrannosaur' wins top prize as British Independent Film Awards spread the love

Posted by · 9:47 am · December 4th, 2011

Paddy Considine’s gritty directorial debut upset the likes of “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” and “Shame” to win top honors at the UK’s answer to the Spirit Awards, and took three awards overall — though there was something for everyone at tonight’s ceremony in London.

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'Artist,' 'Tinker,' 'Shame' and 'Marilyn' among contenders not eligible for WGA

Posted by · 3:52 pm · December 2nd, 2011

As happens every year, a list of potential Oscar nominees is ineligible for WGA consideration due to a number of issues (signatory concerns, paperwork avoidance, etc.). This year, though, the list seems particularly long.

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'Hugo' leaps into the Best Picture race with National Board of Review win

Posted by · 11:17 am · December 1st, 2011

Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo” has been tapped as the best film of the year by the National Board of Review. George Clooney took Best Actor honors for “The Descendants” and Tilda Swinton walked away with Best Actress for “We Need to Talk About Kevin.”

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'Tree of Life' easily tops Sight & Sound's Best of 2011 poll

Posted by · 1:45 pm · November 28th, 2011

Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life” was named the year’s best film by a comfortable majority in Sight & Sound magazine’s poll of 100 international critics. Does this bode well for upcoming critics’ awards?

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Off the Carpet: Critical condition

Posted by · 12:29 pm · November 28th, 2011

The Gotham Awards this evening and the NYFCC vote tomorrow signal the start of the precursor awards season. What needs a boost?

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Off the Carpet: Deep breath before the critics have their say

Posted by · 12:09 pm · November 21st, 2011

It’s getting to be crunch time for many studios looking to bring their product back around for awards voting bodies. Generally most critics groups and the like have just about everything, save for the really late-breaking films, by Thanksgiving. But the NYFCC changed that course a bit this year.

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'Melancholia' rules European Film Award nods

Posted by · 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.

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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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'Shame,' 'Tinker, Tailor' and 'Tyrannosaur' lead BIFA nods

Posted by · 7:36 am · October 31st, 2011

Oscar hopefuls ‘Shame’ and ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” — as well as the less starry indie “Tyrannosaur” — lead the British Independent Film Award nominations with seven nods apiece. “We Need to Talk About Kevin” and “Kill List,” each with six, are close behind.

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Oscarweb Round-up: Huh-huh, huh, huh-huh

Posted by · 8:34 am · October 27th, 2011

In today’s round-up, Beavis and Butt-Head are back, Anton Yelchin is inspired by his participation in “Like Crazy” and Steven Spielberg talks smack about “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.”

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'We Need To Talk About Kevin' takes gold at London fest

Posted by · 7:47 am · October 27th, 2011

On the penultimate night of the BFI London Film Festival, Lynne Ramsay’s “We Need to Talk About Kevin” became the first British winner of the fest’s Best Film award. Other winners included “Las Acacias” and Werner Herzog’s “Into the Abyss.”

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Oscarweb Round-up: Altair and Ezio find a home at Sony

Posted by · 7:07 am · October 21st, 2011

In today’s round-up, the film rights for “Assassin’s Creed” land at Sony, the “Martha Marcy May Marlene” crew makes the press rounds and Jude Law sticks up for investigative journalists — despite playing the worst of their kind in “Contagion.”

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Previewing the best of the London fest

Posted by · 6:16 pm · October 11th, 2011

Tomorrow marks the beginning of the BFI London Film Festival, which opens with Fernando Meirelles’s tepidly reviewed “360.” But I’m beginning on a positive note, with a list of the 15 best already-seen films of the fest.

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London Film Festival announces awards shortlists, honors Cronenberg and Fiennes

Posted by · 9:10 am · October 5th, 2011

After last year’s jury opted for lower-profile works, this year’s shortlist for the Best Film award at the BFI London Film Festival is picked with big names and proven festival hits. Meanwhile, David Cronenberg and Ralph Fiennes, both presenting new films at the festival, join the illustrious list of BFI Fellows.

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Off the Carpet: Wide open supporting actor race could be headlined by vets

Posted by · 9:39 am · October 3rd, 2011

The Best Supporting Actor race is beginning to slowly take shape as a wide array of veteran actors, from Christopher Plummer to Nick Nolte, are leading the conversation. Nevertheless, it’s still a wide open race with a lot of room for movement.

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