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I spent a good long time trying to think of some glib, pithy way to link the pair of titles served up on the first day of the Cannes Film Festival, but must admit defeat — they have no common points whatsoever, apart from the fact that they both, like, feature French people. In lieu [...]
CANNES: ‘Robin Hood,’ ‘On Tour’
Posted by Guy Lodge · 2:42 pm · May 12th, 2010
Filed in: Reviews
Call it ‘Robin Hood Begins’
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 2:45 pm · May 9th, 2010
Anne tips us off to the first wave of “Robin Hood” reviews, which were meant to be held until Wednesday, given the Cannes screening and all. Alas, no one seems to follow embargoes anymore, so the trades, as usual, spilled right after Empire did the same across the pond. For my part, I’ve been trying [...]
Filed in: Daily
The Great Performances: 2004
Posted by John Foote · 6:35 pm · December 11th, 2009
In Alexander Payne’s “Sideways,” Paul Giamatti gave the best performance by an actor in 2004, so said the New York Film Critics Circle, and how right they were. So why, why, why was the actor denied an Oscar nomination? Granted, it was a strong year, but his work was at the top of that heap [...]
Filed in: Daily
INTERVIEW: ‘Disgrace’ star Jessica Haines
Posted by Guy Lodge · 9:35 am · December 4th, 2009
When I begin my phone conversation with Jessica Haines by telling her how insistently I prodded her publicist to set up our interview – the reverse is so often the case – she responds with a bashful laugh. “I can believe that,” she says, in a warm South African drawl. “Not many journalists have bothered [...]
Filed in: Interviews
The Great Performances: 2002
Posted by John Foote · 9:45 am · November 27th, 2009
2002 was probably one of the greatest years for performance excellence in film history, from leading actor right through all the supporting players. They could have easily nominated 10 actors in each of the four acting categories, and still missed some. Though Adrien Brody won the Oscar for “The Pianist,” which was a huge shock, [...]
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
The Great Performances: 1998
Posted by John Foote · 2:03 pm · October 30th, 2009
For all my bitching about Roberto Benigni winning Best Actor in 1998 for his incessant mugging in “Life is Beautiful,” I was also thrilled the Academy watched enough films and paid enough attention to realize that Edward Norton was deserving for his magnetic turn as a neo-Nazi who sees the light in “American History X.” [...]
Filed in: Daily
THE LISTS: Top 10 memories from TIFF
Posted by John Foote · 8:01 am · September 8th, 2009
One of the joys of my life is the 10 days in September I spend at the Toronto International Film Festival, bringing the film world to our city, the world press, and enough stars to take over Hollywood. The little festival that could, as it was known in the 1970s and early-1980s, The Festival of [...]
Filed in: The Lists
Great performers at their best
Posted by John Foote · 7:50 am · August 21st, 2009
After spending some time this summer watching some excellent films on DVD, I was inspired to write this piece about the great actors’ (living, with one exception) greatest performances. Narrowing it down to one each (brutal, believe me), I think have come up with a list of actors, young and old, that represents some of [...]
Filed in: Daily
Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood film begins production
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 2:22 pm · March 24th, 2009
Fingers crossed for this one. Sue me, I still love “Prince of Thieves.” Anyway, Universal rolls out the red carpet with a big ole’ announcement today: Joining Crowe and Blanchett for the film are Oscar® winner Vanessa Redgrave (Julia, Atonement) as John and Richard’s mother, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine; Mark Strong (Body of Lies, Stardust) [...]
Filed in: Daily
OFF THE CARPET: Memo to the Academy
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:11 am · December 29th, 2008
–MEMO– TO: Members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences FROM: Kristopher Tapley RE: The ballot you recently received Ladies and gentleman, As you sit to ponder the year’s best in your various fields of professional expertise, you might find yourself strong-armed into the consensus view 2008′s film product has been whittled down [...]
Filed in: Off the Carpet
Things
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 4:35 am · December 19th, 2008
As soon as I make it to my destination (the journey has been an epic one…for me to poop on!), I’ll finally get the final post of my week in review up, a list of superlatives in a variety of categories. And Monday, the Oscar column will be back up and running with fresh charts. [...]
Filed in: Daily
Golden Globes: ‘Slumdog,’ ‘Button’ steady…whither ‘Milk?’
Posted by Guy Lodge · 6:20 am · December 11th, 2008
Well, I said yesterday one should always expect oddities with the Golden Globes … but even with that in mind, they never fail to pull out some genuine “WTF” moments. Tom Cruise’s goofy Best Supporting Actor nod for “Tropic Thunder” may have been the most eccentric revelation of the morning, but surely the most significant [...]
Filed in: Daily
THE LISTS: Top 10 ‘right actor, wrong film’ Oscars
Posted by Guy Lodge · 12:35 pm · December 9th, 2008
As we head into the thick of awards season, one of the biggest “will-they-won’t-they” questions about this year’s Academy Awards concerns one of their most favored sons, Clint Eastwood. Specifically: despite wildly polarized responses to the film, and a widespread perception that he has already been amply rewarded in other categories, can Eastwood ride the [...]
Filed in: Featured · The Lists
Early winner predictions, part 2: Yours and mine
Posted by Guy Lodge · 1:42 pm · November 28th, 2008
Well, Kris was brave enough to stick his neck out and venture some winner predictions, so I thought I’d follow up on that — with the strict caveat that, while nobody knows anything, I frequently know even less. So my own predictions are after the cut. I don’t think them informed enough to place on [...]
Filed in: Daily
11/27 Oscarweb Round-up — THANKSGIVING EDITION
Posted by Guy Lodge · 5:59 am · November 27th, 2008
• EW rounds up eight memorable Thanksgivings at the movies. “The Ice Storm” wins for me. No contest. [Entertainment Weekly] • Anne Thompson on the indies hoping to score in the acting races. [Variety] • Dave Karger lays out the Oscar prospects for “Milk” and “Australia.” [Entertainment Weekly] • Todd Martens reports on some alternative [...]
Filed in: Daily
First set of winner predictions
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 3:04 am · November 27th, 2008
Before the holiday I thought I’d make my first calls on the year’s Oscar winners. Bear in mind we don’t even have a list of nominees yet and anything can happen. I think around this time last year I was predicting “Into the Wild” for across-the-board wins and it only managed two nominations at the [...]
‘Button’ reviews run hot and, well, cold
Posted by Guy Lodge · 10:39 am · November 24th, 2008
UPDATED: Slow on the uptake again, the Hollywood Reporter finally offers the unqualified rave we’ve been awaiting. Gushing praise in all departments, including a big thumbs-up for Pitt (“his most impressive outing to date”). Blanchett, meanwhile, “illuminates the screen.” No issues with digital or emotional aloofness to be found. EARLIER: A couple of days ago, [...]
Filed in: Daily
