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Welcome to Oscar Talk. In case you’re new to the site and/or the podcast, Oscar Talk is a weekly kudocast, your one-stop awards chat shop between yours truly and Anne Thompson of Thompson on Hollywood. The podcast is weekly, every Friday throughout the season, charting the ups and downs of contenders along the way. Plenty […]
OSCAR TALK: Ep. 55 — Special Edition! — Oscars postmortem
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 1:03 pm · February 28th, 2011
Filed in: Oscar Talk
OFF THE CARPET: Sun came up
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:11 am · February 28th, 2011
Steven Spielberg couldn’t have put it more concisely during his presentation of the Best Picture category last night. To paraphrase, he noted that whichever films did not happen to win Best Picture this year would join the ranks of numerous classics of the medium. Was it preemptive damage control? I hope not. Why be apologetic? […]
Filed in: Off the Carpet
2/17 OSCARWEB ROUND-UP: Leo’s faux pas, Bagger chats up ‘Waste Land’ helmer, what to learn from Grammys
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:18 am · February 17th, 2011
• Nikki Finke chats with Relativity Media honcho Ryan Kavanaugh. [Deadline] • Gregory Ellwood thinks Melissa Leo flushed her chances at an Oscar down the drain. [Awards Campaign] • Melena Ryzik catches up with “Waste Land” director Lucy Walker. (Oscar Guide on documentary features coming tomorrow.) [The Carpetbagger]
Filed in: Daily
OSCAR GUIDE: Best Music (Original Score)
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:39 am · February 16th, 2011
Recently the International Film Music Critics Association were the last critics group to offer their (specialized) thoughts on the 2010 film year. The announcement made for an interesting counter to the year in score awardage. And the eventual nominees for Best Original Score reflected, if nothing else, a continued break with tradition. The music branch […]
Filed in: Oscar Guide
Desplat leads International Film Music Critics nods
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:18 am · February 11th, 2011
Alexandre Desplat has enjoyed a brilliant career in U.S. features as of late (on the back of immense talent, naturally). 2010 was a grand year for the composer as he, once again, balanced scoring duties on a number of notable films. Today, the final announcement from the critics awards circuit has landed in the form […]
Filed in: Daily
The Bagger in-studio with Reznor/Ross
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 11:53 am · February 3rd, 2011
A little difficult not to be totally envious of Melena Ryzik’s recent trip to Trent Reznor’s crib/studio to talk “The Social Network” with the Nine Inch Nails front man and his composing partner, Atticus Ross:
Filed in: Daily
TECH SUPPORT: Final analysis, part one
Posted by gerardkennedy · 8:57 am · January 20th, 2011
It seems hard to believe that it’s been more than six months since I wrote this year’s introductory Tech Support column ( a dissection of the art direction race). Much has changed since then, naturally, as we are less than a week away from the big day when we find out the nominees for the […]
Filed in: Tech Support
In praise of Reznor/Ross
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 8:44 am · January 19th, 2011
This year’s Best Original Score race really has me at a loss. I freely admit that I have no idea what will happen there. Some days I think we’ll get a small surprise like Alexandre Desplat sliding in for his best work this year in “The Ghost Writer,” others I think we could just get […]
Filed in: Daily
Toasting the ‘Social Network’ DVD release
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 8:32 am · January 7th, 2011
Sony pulled out all the stops last night with a big to-do soiree on behalf of the DVD/Blu-ray release of “The Social Network.” You go to these things, you expect a certain level of restraint, and then I’m pulling up to Spago and they’ve got the red carpet rolled out and the flashbulbs are popping […]
Filed in: Daily
TECH SUPPORT INTERVIEW: The construction of ‘The Social Network’
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 12:28 pm · January 6th, 2011
One of the immediately striking things about Aaron Sorkin’s screenplay for “The Social Network” is its assemblage, the manner in which he chose to tell the story with cascading elements of the narrative. And when you bring on a meticulous craftsman like David Fincher to direct a film already detailed in its larval stage, you […]
Filed in: Interviews · Tech Support
11/30 OSCARWEB ROUND-UP: Nolan circling back, Carpetbagger returns, debating Oscarcast hosts
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 7:34 am · November 30th, 2010
• Composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross and sound mixer Ren Klyce talk “The Social Network. [SoundWorks Collection] • Patrick Goldstein catches up with the idea that the new Disney is pushing hard for “Toy Story 3,” deems it “crazy,” but smartly warns against chafing. [The Big Picture] • Christopher Nolan circles back around as […]
Filed in: Daily
TECH SUPPORT: Best Original Score — Volume II
Posted by gerardkennedy · 12:35 pm · November 12th, 2010
A great score can take a film from memorable to unforgettable. Whether it be Vangelis’s synthesizer on the beach in “Chariots of Fire,” Nino Rota’s haunting waltz from “The Godfather” or John Williams’s blaring, adventurous march from “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” scores can elevate amazing images to bring the director’s vision to even greater […]
Filed in: Tech Support
9/29 OSCARWEB ROUND-UP: Franco’s poem picks, Bender remembers Menke, Reznor and Ross at a steal
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:03 am · September 29th, 2010
• James Franco, also starring in “Howl” this year, selects his favorite poems. [Vulture] • In remembering film editor Sally Menke, Lawrence Bender discusses the “Hi, Sally” Tarantino tradition. [Arts Beat] • Anne Thompson talks, well, a whole bunch of stuff with a busy Guillermo Del Toro. [Thompson on Hollywood]
Filed in: Daily
Fincher’s ‘Social Network’ nails human frailty
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:45 pm · September 13th, 2010
The best films are rarely about just one thing, but rather that one thing as reflected through a variety of narrative prisms. And there is something to be said about a film that manages to distill an era while profoundly conveying a character study within. David Fincher’s “The Social Network” may be the quintessential story […]
Filed in: Reviews
8/31 Oscarweb Round-up
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:34 am · August 31st, 2010
• Peter Sciretta rounds up early reactions to Mark Romanek’s “Never Let Me Go.” It’s across-the-board praise and admiration. [/Film] • Nathaniel Rogers takes note of one of the biggest Oscar sleepers: Jacki Weaver in “Animal Kingdom.” [The Film Experience] • Sasha Stone talks marketing in the age of cynicism, ending with a hope that […]
Filed in: Daily
