Catch up with the idea behind this series here. After being overlooked in 1995, Ron Howard finally got a pat on the back from Oscar in 2001 for “A Beautiful Mind,” which was Russell Crowe’s second Best Picture winner in a row. If that wasn’t bad enough, the inaugural Best Animated Feature award went to […]
LIFE WITHOUT OSCAR: 2001 and 2002
Posted by Chad Hartigan · 7:19 pm · December 21st, 2010
Filed in: Life Without Oscar
FIRST-HALF FYC: Best Actor
Posted by Guy Lodge · 1:57 pm · December 21st, 2010
After a sidestep into the writing races last week, we return to the performance categories in our rundown of notable work from the first half of the year’s release slate. And so we land upon the category that perhaps needs this feature most of all: where the Best Actress conversation still includes some names from […]
Filed in: Daily
THE LONG SHOT: Categorical denial
Posted by Guy Lodge · 7:25 pm · October 20th, 2010
Wild-eyed, table-banging outbursts — sometimes of enthusiasm, more often of outrage — are an essential part of the floor show at any Oscar viewing party, but I’ve rarely seen one more unhinged than a friend’s reaction to Angelina Jolie’s (widely expected) Best Supporting Actress victory at the 1999 ceremony. “Who the hell was she supporting?” […]
Filed in: The Long Shot
9/23 OSCARWEB ROUND-UP: Brolin on Stone and Allen, remembering ‘Goodfellas’ and a ‘Boonmee’ how-to
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:06 am · September 23rd, 2010
• In a joint venture with Interview magazine, Roger Ebert corners Casey Affleck on “I’m Still Here.” [Chicago Sun-Times] • Kevin Gray talks “Wall Street” and Woody Allen with Josh Brolin. [Vulture] • Steve Pond runs a comb through the contenders so far to gauge strengths and weaknesses. [The Odds]
Filed in: Daily
9/22 OSCARWEB ROUND-UP: Carrey’s Oscar potential, ‘Inception’ with a joystick, demanding to see ‘Beaver’
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:12 am · September 22nd, 2010
• Sasha Stone ponders Oscar possibilities for Jim Carrey in “I Love You Phillip Morris” as the hate-mongering right looks to block the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. [Awards Daily] • Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy reunite to celebrate 25 years of “The Breakfast Club.” Come on, Emilio. Too […]
Filed in: Daily
Casey Affleck: “Gotcha!”
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 3:02 pm · September 16th, 2010
Obviously “Catfish” isn’t the only documentary leaving people wondering whether everything we see is legitimate. Casey Affleck’s “I’m Still Here,” a chronicle of Joaquin Phoenix’s abandonment of his acting career in favor of a passion for, hip-hop has had many puzzled since Phoenix’s awkward appearance on The Late Show over a year ago. I’ve always […]
Filed in: Daily
9/13 Oscarweb Round-up
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 7:51 am · September 13th, 2010
• Richard Corliss, clearly irritated by early Oscar buzz, comes down hard on “The King’s Speech” and seems to think it is “bad enough” to win the Oscar for Best Picture. [Time] • Colin Firth, meanwhile, responds to said Oscar buzz. [The Hollywood Reporter] • Regarding “Let Me In,” Stephanie Zacharek contends “like a piece […]
Filed in: Daily
9/8 Oscarweb Round-up
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:22 am · September 8th, 2010
• Jean-Luc Godard tells the Academy in a “cordial letter” that he may attend the Governor’s Awards if his schedule permits. AMPAS feels need to convey this to you via press release (because no one wants to look like a stood-up date). [Oscars.org] • Launching a new season’s coverage, Steve Pond tries to make his […]
Filed in: Daily
SHORT TAKE: “I’m Still Here” (**1/2)
Posted by Guy Lodge · 9:11 am · September 6th, 2010
Venice Film Festival “This is the moment where the fucking good guy wins,” yells an evidently kite-high Joaquin Phoenix at a hapless member of his entourage, midway through his brother-in-law Casey Affleck’s debatable documentary portrait of the star’s much-publicized career meltdown. It’s a little difficult to spot the victory – or, indeed, the good guy […]
Filed in: Reviews
‘I’m Still Here’ trailer
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 11:14 am · August 17th, 2010
In case you’re interested in the Casey Affleck documentary about his brother-in-law Joaquin Phoenix’s attempt at a rap career and either serious-as-cancer or totally put-on downward spiral, the trailer for “I’m Still Here” has landed at Yaho0! Movies. But is it just me or is this whole thing all a bit stale already? How long […]
Filed in: Daily
‘I’m Still Here’ poster
Posted by Guy Lodge · 7:27 pm · August 6th, 2010
I’m not entirely sure what manner of beast Casey Affleck’s upcoming documentary about his friend Joaquin Phoenix’s 2008 retirement/reinvention/stunt/freakout is: it claims to be a sincere portrait underpinned by mutual understanding between artists, but it could just as well be the latest archly ironic act in this most slow-burning of celebrity pranks. Whether it answers […]
Filed in: Daily
UK trailer for ‘The Killer Inside Me’
Posted by Guy Lodge · 2:35 pm · May 5th, 2010
Sorry for the second lazy embed in a row, but the day serves up what the day serves up. I already offered my thoughts on Michael Winterbottom’s controversial Jim Thompson adaptation from Berlin — it’s a bit of a mixed bag, with Casey Affleck’s riveting lead turn slightly overwhelming the structurally uncertain film. (And yes, […]
Filed in: Daily
BERLIN: ‘The Killer Inside Me,’ final notes
Posted by Guy Lodge · 6:02 pm · February 21st, 2010
Having named its prizewinners yesterday, the Berlinale officially wraps today. I meant to file my last post on the festival once I arrived home on Friday night, but assorted tasks and distractions kept it on the back burner. Too many things, too many things, as Amber Waves would say. My last day in Berlin served […]
Filed in: Daily
The Academy opens the doors to 134 new members
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:56 am · June 30th, 2009
The headline says it all. After bringing in 105 new members last year, the Academy has just announced a new list of 134 names to join their ranks. Actors include Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Jeffrey Wright (woo-hoo!), James McAvoy, Casey Affleck (who should have been brought in after his 2007 nomination), James Franco, Michael Cera […]
Filed in: Daily
Fresh face
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 11:24 am · May 15th, 2008
Snapped in the Bank Street tube station on the Central Line. I like the Region 2 cover art.
Filed in: Daily
REVIEW: “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” (****)
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 12:04 pm · September 17th, 2007
In 1983, author Ron Hansen crafted a novel that ought to be considered mandatory reading for anyone fancying himself or herself attracted to the western as a genre and as a conveyor of essential truth. A Shakespearean account of betrayal in the old west, Hansen’s masterful sketches revealed deep and vibrant characters that transcended the […]
Filed in: Reviews