I wouldn’t even know where to start writing an obituary for Claude Chabrol, the French nouvelle vague master who passed away yesterday at the age of 80. His filmography is so vast — spanning 52 years and 54 features, many of which I have yet to see — and his influence so extensive that formal […]
A note on Chabrol
Posted by Guy Lodge · 10:48 am · September 13th, 2010
Filed in: Daily
LIFE WITHOUT OSCAR: 1935 and 1936
Posted by Chad Hartigan · 6:08 pm · April 6th, 2010
Catch up with the idea behind this series here. Moving right along here, 1935 holds a place in Academy history as the year that MGM launched a press ad campaign for its film “Ah, Wilderness!,” the first of any kind of public baiting. Wouldn’t you know it, the campaign failed and the film was shut […]
Filed in: Life Without Oscar
LIFE WITHOUT OSCAR: 1929 and 1930
Posted by Chad Hartigan · 9:15 am · March 16th, 2010
Catch up with the idea behind this series here. A thousand apologies to everyone for the lack of a Sunday Cents column. With a respected actor/director duo putting in numbers as disappointing as “Green Zone,” there was definitely a lot to talk about but I just didn’t have the time or the access to my […]
Filed in: Life Without Oscar
INTERVIEW: ‘Terribly Happy’ director Henrik Ruben Genz
Posted by Guy Lodge · 4:10 pm · December 11th, 2009
Two striking films in this year’s Best Foreign Language Film Oscar race probe the theme of moral drift, both individual and communal, bred in a rural European community – the very opposite of what Hillary Clinton meant by “It takes a village.” One of them, Michael Haneke’s “The White Ribbon,” you’ve probably heard of. The […]
Filed in: Interviews
10/2 Oscarweb Round-up
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 8:04 am · October 2nd, 2009
• Maurice Sendak’s one nit-pick with the adaptation of his “Where the Wild Things Are.” I agree with him. [io9] • Capturing the miniature worlds of the film. [Los Angeles Times] • Adding a new dimension to Woody and Buzz Lightyear. [New York Times]
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PAGE TO SCREEN: “Shutter Island” by Dennis Lehane
Posted by Guy Lodge · 1:20 pm · July 9th, 2009
Deep into Dennis Lehane’s 2003 novel noir “Shutter Island,” there’s a wonderfully telling exchange between the two central characters. Reflecting on the gothic heights to which their situation has spiralled, one observes, “It’s all a bit Grand Guignol, don’t you think?” His partner’s reply: “I don’t know what the fuck that means.” Ostensibly a nod […]
Filed in: Page to Screen
6/23 Web Round-up
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:24 am · June 24th, 2009
• 10 things action movies teach us. [CNN] • And if you’re still in the mood for some learnin’, 10 insights on today’s film business. [indieWIRE] • Breezing through Alfred Hitchcock’s 36 film cameos. [Empire] • Coolest remake idea of the decade? [Associated Press] • Looking back through the works of Sam Mendes. [/Film] • […]
Filed in: Daily
6/15 Web Round-up
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 8:54 am · June 15th, 2009
• In case it wasn’t obvious, Paradise Falls from Pixar’s “Up” was inspired by Venezuela’s Angel Falls. [Associated Press via Chicago Sun-Times] • Today’s superhero movies have artistic roots in the UK. [BBC] • Speaking of which, here’s a girl’s guide to Comic Con 2009. [Los Angeles Times] • Anyone else tired of non-news items […]
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Looking down the nose from across the pond
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:19 am · June 12th, 2009
Boy, the Brits sure are down on Hollywood this afternoon. First and foremost, perhaps as an off-set to that “here come the franchises” piece linked in this morning’s round-up, David Thomson writes nearly 1,400 words before coming to his fairly reasoned thesis. If you get through the painful film school lesson (and really, I love […]
Filed in: Daily
5/22 Web Round-up
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:19 am · May 22nd, 2009
• Devin Faraci talks to “Terminator Salvation” star Moon Bloodgood, whose nude scene probably should have stayed in the film. No, I’m not a perv, but…well, you tell me if you believe the relationship that develops. [CHUD] • Ian Freer wishes a happy 10th birthday to “Star Wars: Episode I — The Phanom Menace.” [Empire] […]
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WEEKLY WRAP: Rudin bails, Brolin buzz, original scores
Posted by Guy Lodge · 8:00 pm · October 10th, 2008
And this, as they say, is the week that was: • In the biggest news of the week, Scott Rudin has washed his hands of the whole “The Reader” fiasco by taking his name off the film. What now? • Lots happening on the music front this week, with Universal offering a taste of the […]
Filed in: Daily
Is Alfred Hitchcock — gasp! — over-appreciated?
Posted by John Foote · 4:04 pm · October 5th, 2008
John Foote says: “Never have I felt anything for a Hitchcock character.”
Hitch reigns
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 2:29 am · June 17th, 2008
Well it seems Alfred Hitchcock won out in a squeaker against Stanely Kubrick in last week’s poll for the most deserving Oscarless director. After a heated 16-way competition, it seemed obvious these two would stand out from the fray, and in the end we shouldn’t be too surprised that the master of suspense was the […]
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Neck and neck
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:41 am · June 8th, 2008
After last week’s poll on Oscarless directors, it became clear pretty fast that two giants were way ahead of the pack: Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick. The closest pretender to the throne of snubbed helmers was Robert Altman, but it was a VERY distant third. So this week it seemed only fair to suss out […]
Filed in: Daily