Features
Today’s the big day. No more Oscar Guide, no more polls, just a few choice hours left in the season and then, the 83rd annual. (And not a moment too soon.) I appreciate everyone participating in the daily polls this month and last, which accompanied each of our Oscar Guide entries. It offers us a […]
The In Contention Readership Ballot
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:20 am · February 27th, 2011
Filed in: Daily
Oscar’s foreign race hasn’t found the fix
Posted by Guy Lodge · 12:51 pm · February 25th, 2011
How do you solve a problem like Best Foreign Language Film? I’m not sure you can, but in the Academy’s case, it’s certainly not for lack of trying. The voting process in this eternally dissatisfying ghetto category is now such a Frankenstein’s monster of stages, rules, committees, sub-committees, longlists, shortlists and more committees that it’s […]
Filed in: Daily
TECH SUPPORT: Final analysis, part one
Posted by gerardkennedy · 10:35 am · February 24th, 2011
So this is it. Over the last seven-plus months here at Tech Support, we have tried to illuminate and analyze the craft races as they unfolded. On Sunday, the winners will be revealed, ushering some new faces into Oscar’s club. And indeed, I expect the vast majority of the winners to make their first trip […]
Filed in: Tech Support
The top 10 shots of 2010: part two
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:49 am · February 23rd, 2011
In case you missed part one of this year’s top shots column, be sure to catch up before digging into the final five selections today. As I mentioned yesterday, it wasn’t exactly a banner year for singular images from films in 2010. And that’s certainly not a crime. But more to the point, what I […]
Filed in: Daily
OSCAR GUIDE: Best Costume Design
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:31 am · February 10th, 2011
This year’s race for Best Costume Design became mired in controversy later in the season as a dispute erupted over proper credit in “Black Swan.” Amy Westcott was listed as responsible for the threads, but fashion duo Rodarte had a significant hand in concocting the performance costumes on the film — and were denied credit, […]
Filed in: Oscar Guide
TECH SUPPORT: Analyzing the nominees
Posted by gerardkennedy · 11:53 am · January 28th, 2011
So the 83rd Annual Academy Award nominations were finally announced this week, and I did fairly well in handicapping the nominees. Outside of Best Sound Mixing, I never missed more than one nominee in a category. Unfortunately, there were no categories where I scored 100% (apart from Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay). Oh well. […]
Filed in: Tech Support
Oscar nominations: the good, the good and the good
Posted by Guy Lodge · 11:22 am · January 25th, 2011
Even when they aren’t being read out with gale-force enthusiasm by Mo’Nique, the Oscar nominations tend to attack you with breathless speed that you need at least half an hour to decide how you feel about them at all. As usual, this morning’s announcement found me bouncing from one split-second reaction to another: Yay! No! […]
Filed in: Daily
My dream Oscar ballot, part one
Posted by Guy Lodge · 1:22 pm · January 22nd, 2011
For the past two years running, I’ve celebrated Oscar Nomination Eve by assembling my own ideal (and, usually, incredibly far-fetched) ballot, so here we go again. As well as a kind of last-ditch prayer to the Oscar gods, I also look on it as a salute to the worthy contenders who haven’t a hope in […]
Filed in: Daily
Updates to The Circuit
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 8:13 am · January 19th, 2011
A couple of things this morning. First, the Gay & Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association has come out of clear, blue (fabulous) sky to dish out their honors — and “I Am Love,” therefore, joins the minimal chorus of Best Picture critics award winners. Meanwhile, “Exit Through the Gift Shop” won the top prize at last […]
Filed in: Daily
Foreign Oscar watch: Israel, Italy, Germany and Sweden
Posted by Guy Lodge · 4:11 pm · January 12th, 2011
A couple of months ago, I compiled some critical thoughts on five films in contention for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, ranging from the hotly fancied (France’s “Of Gods and Men”) to the longest of long shots (Estonia’s “The Temptation of St. Tony”). It was intended to be the first in a series of […]
Filed in: Daily
FIRST-HALF FYC: Below-the-line standouts
Posted by Guy Lodge · 11:45 am · January 11th, 2011
For the penultimate installment in our reflection on the most Oscar-worthy achievements from the largely forgotten first half of 2010’s release calendar, I’m backtracking away from the major categories to the place I should perhaps have started: the technical sphere. Had I thought to start this column 20-odd weeks in advance of nomination day, I […]
Filed in: Daily
BAFTA announce foreign-language nomineezzzzz
Posted by Guy Lodge · 7:22 am · January 7th, 2011
Along with my annual bewilderment as to the reasoning for BAFTA’s longlist announcement, I’ve never really got why they announce their Best Foreign Language Film nominations separately, 11 days ahead of the other categories. To me, it seems merely an additional way to marginalize an already marginalized category, but what else is new? The official […]
Filed in: Daily
1/5 OSCARWEB ROUND-UP: Paltrow and “singer-as-Oscar-bait,” 80 years of THR, questioning Bening’s, er, overdueness
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:07 am · January 5th, 2011
• Larry Getlen on Gwyneth Paltrow in “Country Strong” and the “singer-as-Oscar-bait phenomenon.” [New York Post] • The this year’s Oscar hopefuls who got their starts as child actors. [Variety] • In celebrating THR’s 80th anniversary, Todd McCarthy picks the 80 greatest Hollywood moments. [Hollywood Reporter]
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
FIRST-HALF FYC: Best Actress
Posted by Guy Lodge · 12:40 pm · December 29th, 2010
The fifth column in our new seasonal series — if you haven’t got the drill by now, we’re rounding up the most Oscar-worthy work from the oft-overlooked first half of the year — wraps up the performance categories with by far the most competitive race of all. Conventional wisdom has it that Best Actress is […]
Filed in: Daily
Predict the LA and NY critics’ awards
Posted by Guy Lodge · 7:58 am · December 11th, 2010
Tomorrow brings out the big guns in the critics’ awards derby, as the Los Angeles Film Critics’ Circle unveil their picks, with the New York Film Critics’ Circle following on Monday. (I believe the less prestigious but often interesting New York Online crix are announcing tomorrow too.) I offered some thoughts on the significance of […]
Filed in: Daily
11/4 OSCARWEB ROUND-UP: Sit-down with Swinton, ‘Megamind’ using social gaming, Elise on ‘For Colored Girls’
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 8:16 am · November 4th, 2010
• Pete Hammond talks “I Am Love” with dark horse Best Actress contender Tilda Swinton. [Deadline] • How DreamWorks Animation is using social gaming to boost “Megamind.” [Hollywood Reporter] • Meet the characters of “Morning Glory.” [MakingOf]
Filed in: Daily
10/27 OSCARWEB ROUND-UP: Sticking up for Swinton, AMPAS joins Twitter, 15 years of Fox Searchlight
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:11 am · October 27th, 2010
• Jeffrey Wells does his part to re-inject Tilda Swinton’s performance in “I Am Love” back into the Oscar conversation. [Hollywood Elsewhere] • The Academy is ready for its close-up — on Twitter! [Twitter] • Celebrating 15 years of Fox Searchlight Pictures. [/Film]
Filed in: Daily
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