Features
If you can’t fix it, you’ve got to stand it. And so it is, apparently, with me and 3D. As I’ve written before, I’m not a big fan of Hollywood’s favorite rediscovered gimmick. As a gee-whiz novelty — expertly embellishing the odd genuine event film like “Avatar” — it works a treat. As a now-regular […]
Scorsese and Herzog venture into 3D
Posted by Guy Lodge · 7:52 am · April 14th, 2010
Filed in: Daily
THE LISTS: Top 10 Oscar nominee fields
Posted by Guy Lodge · 12:47 pm · January 26th, 2010
In exactly one week’s time, we’ll have a brand new list of Oscar nominations to pore over, pick apart and eventually file away in our subconscious with the other 81 editions of this annual collective. For Oscar geeks, nomination day is in many ways more exciting than the ceremony itself, celebrating a broader spectrum of […]
Filed in: The Lists
The Great Performances: 2003
Posted by John Foote · 9:14 am · December 4th, 2009
There is little doubt in my mind I am going to take some heat this week, so let’s kick it off right away with my belief that Sean Penn deserved his Best Actor Oscar for “Mystic River,” a performance of overwhelming ferocity and staggering emotional power. Yes, I too loved Bill Murray in “Lost in […]
Filed in: Daily
The Great Performances: 2001
Posted by John Foote · 6:23 pm · November 20th, 2009
In one of the weakest years in memory, not just for performances but for great films, 2001 saw Denzel Washington and Halle Berry knock “two birds out with one stone,” as the former declared on Oscar night, as two African Americans won the top acting prizes for the first time ever. And it was difficult […]
Filed in: Daily
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
SANTA BARBARA: Writers talk writing, Cruz walks the red carpet
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 11:38 am · January 25th, 2009
Yesterday was another busy event day for the Santa Barbara fest. It was a shame the Director’s Panel was canceled, but participant Andrew Stanton switched gears to join Robert Knott (“Appaloosa”), Tom McCarthy (“The Visitor”) and Dustin Lance Black (“Milk”) for an Anne Thompson-moderated discussion on their work at the keyboard this year. It was […]
Filed in: Daily
12/3 Oscarweb Round-up
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 5:52 am · December 3rd, 2008
• Jeff Wells senses the “push back” against certain contenders, steps up to bat for “Revolutionary Road.” [Hollywood Elsewhere] • Yours truly chats it up podcast style with John Campea to dish on how early favorites are shaping up. [The Movie Blog] • David Poland reports on the BFCA’s newest category: Best Action Film. [The […]
Filed in: Daily
Looking for comedy in the awards world
Posted by Guy Lodge · 4:12 pm · November 16th, 2008
Over at his OscarWatch column, Dave Karger recently asked a question that has been bothering me for some time regarding this year’s awards race. Namely, how the hell are the Golden Globes going to fill out the ballot in the Comedy/Musical races? Best Actress looks solid enough. So far, we have two clear-cut frontrunners — […]
Filed in: Daily
INTERVIEW: Dennis Hopper
Posted by John Foote · 10:39 am · November 6th, 2008
The voice on other end of the line sounds nothing like the many wild and somewhat insane characters Dennis Hopper has portrayed throughout his career, which now spans more than 50 years. This is a man who has walked with James Dean (his mentor), John Wayne (who affectionately labeled him a “pinko”) and Francis Ford […]
Filed in: Featured · Interviews
Adapting Philip Roth
Posted by Blake Rutherford · 10:05 am · October 7th, 2008
The author’s novels have suffered a tough road to the screen.
‘Elegy’ the second film to go out to AMPAS
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 2:05 pm · October 1st, 2008
Screeners of Isabel Coixet’s “Elegy” are set to go out to Academy members this week, fresh on the heels of Sony Pictures Classics’ “Frozen River,” which went out over the weekend. Key pushes for the film are Best Actor (Ben Kingsley), Penélope Cruz (Best Actress), Dennis Hopper (Best Supporting Actor), Patricia Clarkson (Best Supporting Actress) […]
Filed in: Daily
Beyond the biopic
Posted by Guy Lodge · 6:10 pm · August 24th, 2008
Halfway through watching the recently uncovered trailer for Ron Howard’s “Frost/Nixon,” I felt my stomach sinking with involuntary dread, and it took me a beat or two to figure out why. The problem didn’t appear to be the film itself; in fact, the relatively zippy trailer promises something somewhat tighter and wittier than I’ve been […]
Filed in: Daily
TIFF adds Canadian titles
Posted by John Foote · 11:51 am · July 16th, 2008
If there is a single aspect to the Toronto International Film Festival I enjoy most, it is the fact that the programmers have never lost sight of the event’s original mandate: showcasing homegrown talent in this country. Alongside the films that will no doubt be in the thick of this year’s Oscar season, a number […]
Filed in: Daily
‘The Road’ on page and screen
Posted by Blake Rutherford · 7:55 am · July 15th, 2008
This weekend I opened Cormac McCarthy’s Pulitzer-Prize winning novel “The Road.” For whatever reason –- fright perhaps -– I’d hadn’t read it before now despite accolades from critics and friends. In June, Guy Lodge wrote a thoughtful entry about Dennis Lehane and how his books have easily transitioned to the screen. He likened him to […]
Filed in: Daily
OFF THE CARPET: 2008, a year in advance
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 3:20 pm · February 26th, 2008
Another year, another set of wins…and another look ahead at what’s in store NEXT year. It’s never too late to take a long gander at what we might see dominating the film awards landscape in 365 days, and with that in mind, I’ve been doing my usual mulling over the possibilities for a few weeks […]
Filed in: Off the Carpet
REVIEW: “The Departed” (****)
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 1:53 am · September 20th, 2006
One of the most artistically ruthless films to be produced in decades, “The Departed” is a spike of adrenaline straight to the heart of an audience desperately in need of such rambunctious filmmaking. A loose but paradoxically loyal remake of the Hong Kong thriller “Infernal Affairs,” the film is doused with a cast of familiar […]
Filed in: Reviews
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