Tag: announcements

So, it came to my attention over the weekend that a number of Internet Explorer users were having trouble accessing the site.  It’s been difficult to dig into the matter since I’ve been knee deep in the Santa Barbara fest, but after a back and forth with the folks at my server company, I think I’ve tracked it down to a plugin we activated Thursday to help with traffic issues — which I’ve obliterated from the face of the earth with extreme prejudice.

But I have to say, I’m really sorry to those who haven’t been able to read the updates the last four days, perhaps the most important time frame of the season.  The bright side is, there are tons of updates here at your disposal, so kill a few hours reading Guy’s SAG live-blogging or my Santa Barbara Film Festival coverage.  And please accept my apologies.  A regrettable bummer.

I’ll be off to Santa Barbara this afternoon for the upcoming fest.  A nice trip up the coast will take my mind off the horror.  The horror.  But, just an FYI, the site might be stagnant over the next few hours.  Your dedication to reading at every turn is buckling the server.  Give yourselves a hand.  As a result, I may have to go to a static page, which would keep you all from commenting for a spell.  But if it happens, it won’t be that way for long.  I just wanted to give you all a heads up.

…post those last second jitters here if you like.  If you need some reading material, you can read David Carr finally coming around to the fact that the Academy actually dug “Defiance” more than most expected (I’m pretty sure I told you that weeks ago), Noah Forest’s personal Oscar ballot at Movie City News or Fandango’s 20 ways to improve the Oscars.  No energy for a proper round-up.

Coffee!

Kris has kindly pointed out a few times in addition to being a very busy film critic up here in Canada, I also have a seven-book (keeps growing) deal with Greenwood/Praeger in the United States.  The first, “Clint Eastwood: Evolution of a Filmmaker,” was released December 30, 2008.

I am currently working on “Spielberg: American Film Visionary,” due for release in December of 2009 and have signed to do “The Coppolas: Francis and Sofia” (release date to be announced).  But I’m also working on something as we speak called “The New Millennium American Cinema, 2000-2009,” the first in a series of decade-specific titles from the publisher.

Given the title, it’s self-explanatory: the mainstream hits and misses, the critically acclaimed films, and those cult pictures (say, “Donnie Darko”) that found an audience despite of the odds against them in the last decade. The format of the volume will be a chapter devoted to each year with sub-chapters within devoted to each film, and an end discussion of the major new directors and actors to emerge in that particular year.  In terms of size, we are looking at between 500-550 pages.

I was hoping to pick the brains of the good people that chime in on this site and see what they thought of this span of time in the cinema and the films they believe have made an impact, for better or worse, with critics or at the the box office (or both). In other words, which films do you think should be included in the book?  I’d love to hear from you.

I have an initial list, but I’d like to compare it with my fellow celluloid junkies who have your finger on the pulse of the film world.  Give me the titles and why they should be there.  Again pay attention to the title, “The Millenium American Cinema” — so just U.S. titles. This is strictly a study of cinema from the United States and the impact of those films.

Have at it!

There’s a reason I decided, three years ago, to post my weekly Oscar columns on Monday: the Oscar nominations are always announced on a Tuesday.  It was a preemptive strike on my part — get the last set of predictions up the day before the nods are announced to keep those last-minute jitters from eating away at my view of the race.

Well, this year all that changed as the Academy pushed the announcement to Thursday in order to steer clear of the inauguration.  And who can blame them?  But Tuesday and Wednesday are gonna be nail-biters for me because I’m keeping the final column on Monday.  You gotta hold strong.

So with that, my final set of Oscar nomination prediction charts will land in Monday’s Off the Carpet column.  I’ll also be linking to our contributors’ final sets of predictions and, as always, give the readership a space to make their final gutsy (or not-so-gutsy) calls.

Stay tuned.

The top 10 shots of the year kicks off with part one of two tomorrow afternoon.  Be on the lookout.

…the top 10 shots of 2008.  I know this piece has a lot of folks chomping at the bit, but all the interviews are just about complete.  I’m aiming for Wednesday, so be on the lookout.  And if you missed it, check out last year’s list here for an idea of what to expect.

Thanks everyone for participating in the contests.  We already have one winner declared in the “WALL-E” giveaway.  I’ll announce the winners in the “Dark Knight” and “Benjamin Button” contests over the weekend.

Thanks to some living, breathing piece of shit who thinks it’s somehow acceptable to break into people’s houses and help themselves, I have been relieved of my laptop. So I’m afraid I’m going to be pretty scarce around here for a little while. See y’all soon.

… Year, I suppose. But it’s more than that. Kris will weigh in with his own New Year hopes later, but on behalf of all of us, let me raise a glass to a 2009 that is happier, healthier and, well, just better than its predecessor. In Obama’s America, at least, it’s the start of something new — let’s hope that extends to a richer, deeper, more fully realized slate of American films than the less-than-vintage crop with which we were presented over the past twelve months.

Unbelievably, it’s just over a mere seven weeks until we can officially put 2008 to bed, when the Academy will decide for itself which were the fattest of the year’s slim pickings. Until then (and beyond, of course), we’ll keep writing, ruminating and generally kvetching round these parts — hope you continue to enjoy our company as much as we do yours.

Greetings from the Netherlands! Just a quick note to let you know that I haven’t vanished off the face of the earth — a combination of illness, Christmas and some very complicated travel arrangements have kept me out of action for the best part of the past two weeks.

I am now, however, back on the radar, so stay tuned for an interview later today with the wonderful Michelle Williams, while my own Best (and Worst) of 2008 honours should arrive any day now. Hope you all had a terrific festive season and are looking forward to one hell of a party tonight. I know I am.

That well has run dry for me lately.  Anyone intersted in what the readership might have to say about this or that?