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Catch up with the idea behind this series here. We’ve all heard that 1999 is the best year in movies since 1939 or possibly ever, but it’s hard to defend that statement if you actually believe “American Beauty” is the cream of the crop like the Academy did. Yet another “you had to be there” […]
LIFE WITHOUT OSCAR: 1999 and 2000
Posted by Chad Hartigan · 7:19 pm · December 14th, 2010
Filed in: Life Without Oscar
THE LONG SHOT: Bait, switch
Posted by Guy Lodge · 8:39 pm · September 29th, 2010
Whether you choose to believe them or not – and speaking for myself, I don’t quite – the media powers that be have currently reduced the 2010 Best Picture race to just two titles: “The Social Network” and “The King’s Speech.” That’s entirely (and hopefully, lest things get too dull too soon) subject to change […]
Filed in: The Long Shot
‘Amelie’ tops list of decade’s best cinematography
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:00 am · June 29th, 2010
The folks at Movieline got their hands on a list of the top 50 films of the decade, from a cinematography standpoint, as laid out by voters at American Cinematographer magazine. Topping the list: Bruno Delbonnel’s work on “Amelie.” Delbonnel is a favorite among DPs. After all, “A Very Long Engagement” won him the ASC […]
Filed in: Daily
The kids are NOT all right (or alright, for that matter)
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:02 am · June 14th, 2010
This post is so unnecessary because it is an obvious lost cause. It really shouldn’t even be enough to get a rise, but in me, it just…does. You know, once upon a time the MTV Movie Awards (which are voted on publicly) actually seemed to reflect an edge in America’s youth. Think about it. “Terminator […]
Filed in: Daily
THE LONG SHOT: What is an “Oscar movie” these days?
Posted by Guy Lodge · 5:14 pm · October 21st, 2009
“God, that thing’s just going to shit Academy Awards out of its ass next year, isn’t it?,” I overheard a journo behind me remark to his companion, as I made my way out of the “Up in the Air” press screening on Sunday. “It’s such an Oscar movie.” Two things struck me as interesting about […]
Filed in: The Long Shot
THE LONG SHOT: What are precursors for, anyway?
Posted by Guy Lodge · 11:00 am · September 30th, 2009
I didn’t time my holiday to coincide with the sleepiest week of awards season, but that’s how it panned out anyway. While I spent 10 days drinking my way along the canals of France’s Burgundy region, divorced from my computer screen and, I admit, any thoughts of Oscar whatsoever, the industry, too, took a collective […]
Filed in: The Long Shot
Happy Ides of March
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 12:20 pm · March 15th, 2009
Two days before you get your drink on, raise a cup to dear departed Caesar. By the way, it’s been 56 years since Joe Mankiewicz’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s play and nine years since the facts of Marcus Aurelius’s reign were twisted for drama’s sake (in a film I quite like, regardless). When are we going […]
Filed in: Daily
The new millennium Oscars?
Posted by John Foote · 9:53 am · January 18th, 2009
Looking back over the previous Oscar winners for Best Picture since 2000, the start of a new century (and a new millennium), I find myself wondering sometimes what the hell the Academy was thinking. It’s no secret I disagree with the Academy a lot, but I can also admit that when they get it right, […]
Filed in: Daily
The Guardian dashes Ledger’s Oscar hopes
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 4:05 am · July 2nd, 2008
Not particularly new or earth-shattering perspective, but worth a link nontheless. From a Xan Brooks item this morning in The Guardian: History…is not on [Ledger’s] side. James Dean was twice nominated in the wake of his death and yet still finished up as a posthumous loser on the night. More recently, Oliver Reed (for Gladiator) […]
Filed in: Daily
Best actor contenders join an eclectic list of recent winners
Posted by John Foote · 7:16 am · May 6th, 2008
Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro and Frank Langella seem to be the names bandied about for Oscar consideration this year, which would place them in some impressive company of nominees and winners these last 20 years. Of course, that said, there have also been some bizarre choices for the Best Actor award, which has often […]
Filed in: Daily
