The annual announcement of the new members invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences — the latest batch of industry pros we get to blame for next year’s Oscar results — is a moment that always prompts as much satisfied head-nodding as bewildered head-scratching. The latter action isn’t always in response […]
New AMPAS invitees include Sorkin, Hooper… and Beyoncé
Posted by Guy Lodge · 5:17 pm · June 17th, 2011
Filed in: Daily
OSCAR GUIDE: Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:05 am · February 7th, 2011
This year’s race for Best Adapted Screenplay has seemingly been the most predictable of the year. One script has dominated the precursor circuit and the name behind that script is as worthy as ever given his contributions to the medium over the years. I’m not particularly a fan of this slate. One script is an […]
Filed in: Oscar Guide
Kathryn Bigelow speaks up for ‘Winter’s Bone’
Posted by Guy Lodge · 8:15 am · January 6th, 2011
Given that it’s currently fighting tooth and nail for a place in the Academy’s tight Best Picture lineup, scrappy fringe darling “Winter’s Bone” could use some high-profile cheerleaders as we head into the home stretch of voting. And as Steve Pond reports, it just got one, in the shape of reigning Best Picture and Director […]
Filed in: Daily
FIRST-HALF FYC: Best Director
Posted by Guy Lodge · 3:59 pm · January 4th, 2011
With precisely three weeks to go until Oscar nomination morning, we continue to flag up worthy work from 2010’s first half, much of it lost (or, indeed, never present) amid the crush of more recent awards contenders. You know the January-to-June drill by now: beyond that, we can get as far-fetched as we like. I […]
Filed in: Daily
What came after “the year of the woman?”
Posted by Guy Lodge · 3:26 pm · December 27th, 2010
This time last year, we were still in the thick of a long-running “year of the woman” narrative, as female filmmakers enjoyed critical, festival and box-office success, plus an unprecedentedly high profile in the awards season –culminating in that history-making Best Director win for Kathryn Bigelow (as well as a Best Picture nod for Lone […]
Filed in: Daily
‘Social Network’ leads Chicago critics’ nods, wins in Detroit
Posted by Guy Lodge · 6:59 am · December 17th, 2010
I’ll give you a moment to recover from the shock. [Moment.] There, may I continue? Of the B-list critics’ awards, the Chicago Film Critics’ Association attracts more eyeballs than most, largely because it’s Roger Ebert’s stomping ground — though the list of nominees they announced this morning suggests a lot of autopilot voting with a […]
Filed in: Daily
12/3 OSCARWEB ROUND-UP: ‘Black Swan’ costumes, Tarantino roasted, ‘Harry Potter’ tries for Oscar one more time
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 8:52 am · December 3rd, 2010
• David Poland writes up the history of Oscar coverage. [Movie City News] • Costume designs from Darren Aronofsky’s “Black Swan.” [Daily Telegraph] • Paula Schwartz reports from the Friars Club Roast of Quentin Tarantino. [The Carpetbagger]
Filed in: Daily
10/14 OSCARWEB ROUND-UP: Eisenberg could bump Damon, Pike’s break-out year, assessing Best Actor
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 8:30 am · October 14th, 2010
• Nathaniel Rogers gets delightfully painstaking with Oscar trivia, notes that, should Jesse Eisenberg be nominated for Best Actor, he’ll boot Matt Damon from the list of top 10 youngest nominees in the category. [The Film Experience] • Speaking of which, Damon has the directing bug and continues to bone up on the ins and […]
Filed in: Daily
Cholodenko: Hollywood “lopsided” against female directors
Posted by Guy Lodge · 5:41 pm · October 4th, 2010
In Oscar-watching, causes can be seasonal things: there’s no guarantee that what the industry and the media jointly declare a crucial issue one year will last to the next. In 1991, “Beauty and the Beast” earned applause for breaking the animation ceiling in Best Picture, but it took 18 years (and a format change) for […]
Filed in: Daily
BERLIN: ‘Winter’s Bone,’ ‘Greenberg,’ ‘Exit Through the Gift Shop’
Posted by Guy Lodge · 1:58 am · February 15th, 2010
Yesterday’s viewing roster just about had me double-checking whether I was at the right festival, as I was treated to a pair of Sundance hits, in addition to a brand-new Amerindie feature from a Sundance alumnus. The copious snow still smothering the sidewalks of Berlin only aided the comparison. Perhaps it was Valentine’s Day spirit […]
Filed in: Reviews
‘Winter’s Bone’ takes Sundance gold
Posted by Guy Lodge · 6:03 am · January 31st, 2010
Talk about a good day for female filmmakers. Hours before Kathryn Bigelow’s history-making triumph at the DGA Awards, Debra Granik took the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance (in the U.S. Dramatic strand) for her critically lauded sophomore feature “Winter’s Bone.” Granik and co-writer Anne Rosselini also took screenwriting honors for the film. The film is […]
Filed in: Daily