Features
Since word spread out of Venice of Michelle Williams’s strong performance in Kelly Reichardt’s superb Oregon Trail western “Meek’s Cutoff,” some of our more excitable commenters have been projecting a kind of two-pronged awards attack for the actress, who has another excellent showcase in December release “Blue Valentine.” We warned you all along that “Meek’s […]
Oscilloscope nabs ‘Meek’s Cutoff’ for 2011 release
Posted by Guy Lodge · 6:30 pm · September 17th, 2010
Filed in: Daily
OFF THE CARPET: The year of the woman, take two?
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:11 am · September 13th, 2010
It wasn’t by coincidence that the three photos decorating the season’s introductory installment of this column two weeks ago represented lead actress contenders in the 2010 Oscar race. After all the talk of 2009 being “the year of the woman,” owing much to the number of female directors who found themselves in the mix (and […]
Filed in: Off the Carpet
VENICE: Jury duty – award predictions and preferences
Posted by Guy Lodge · 11:51 am · September 10th, 2010
The Venice Competition lineup officially wrapped today with one of its lightest and most mainstream selections, “Barney’s Version” (reviewed this morning). With only the out-of-competition closing film “The Tempest” left to screen before I head back to London tomorrow evening, allow me a moment to sift through the runners and riders for the festival prizes […]
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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: “Meek’s Cutoff” (****)
Posted by Guy Lodge · 1:56 am · September 5th, 2010
Venice Film Festival “But nothing happens,” complained several friends to whom I had (perhaps a little too zealously) recommended Kelly Reichardt’s previous feature “Wendy and Lucy,” her pocket masterpiece about the mental unravelling of a stalled drifter in the great American nowhere. It’s hard to say whether such viewers will be appeased or even further […]
Filed in: Reviews
Coppola, Schnabel, Reichardt in Venice competition lineup
Posted by Guy Lodge · 3:50 am · July 29th, 2010
UPDATE: The festival website has a list of out-of-competition selections, which include two directorial efforts from the Brothers Affleck: Ben’s “The Town” and Casey’s Joaquin Phoenix doc “I’m Still Here.” EARLIER: Before you ask: no, “The Tree of Life” is nowhere to be seen. Not that that’s a surprise by this point. There is a […]
Filed in: Daily
OFF THE CARPET: Taking the temperature
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 8:28 pm · May 23rd, 2010
Now that we’re on the other side of Cannes, I felt it was a good time to put a finger to the wind, stare into the tea leaves, shake the magic 8-ball and basically just take stock of where we’re at roughly three months away from the start of the 2010-2011 film awards season. The […]
Filed in: Off the Carpet
CANNES: ‘Blue Valentine,’ ‘Tamara Drewe,’ ‘Film Socialisme’
Posted by Guy Lodge · 5:19 am · May 19th, 2010
Sadly, this is looking like a second consecutive day of minimal film viewing — thanks to the scheduling of my morning roundtable interview with the “Blue Valentine” team of Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams and director Derek Cianfrance, I had to forgo this morning’s screening of Lee Chang-dong’s “Poetry,” of which I have rather high expectations […]
REVIEW: “Shutter Island” (**1/2)
Posted by Guy Lodge · 8:54 pm · February 13th, 2010
Berlin International Film Festival (EDIT: Star rating adjusted upon consideration.) To filch an aphorism from Mike Skinner, “Shutter Island” represents of continuation of Martin Scorsese’s decade-long quest to find the hardest way to make an easy living. If that sounds like a jab, it’s not. Since the self-amusing personal statements of “Kundun” and “Bringing Out […]
Filed in: Reviews
The Great Performances: 2005
Posted by John Foote · 5:07 pm · December 18th, 2009
2005 was the year of Heath Ledger’s beautiful, moving performance in “Brokeback Mountain,” which I saw for the first time in Toronto. It instantly became the talk of the festival, and the film became the one to beat for the Academy Award. Ledger was astonishing as the taciturn cowboy who is more surprised than anybody […]
Filed in: Daily
Ones to watch at Sundance 2010… maybe
Posted by Guy Lodge · 3:11 pm · December 2nd, 2009
I always get a curious thrill from looking down the list of films selected to compete at the Sundance Film Festival — the 2010 batch of which has just been announced by festival directors John Cooper and Trevor Grath. You know there are at least one or two titles there that we’ll all be talking […]
Filed in: Daily
THE LONG SHOT: Post early for Christmas
Posted by Guy Lodge · 1:35 pm · October 7th, 2009
London is in the midst of a postal strike. No mail, be it far-flung postcard or electricity bill, has popped through my front door for over a month. I recently had to stroll into Soho to pick up my London Film Festival accreditation pack by hand. And rather discouragingly, my local post office today put […]
Filed in: The Long Shot
THE LISTS: Top 10 actors under 30
Posted by Guy Lodge · 10:39 am · October 6th, 2009
I wrote recently about how this year’s Best Actress race seems to ushering in a striking new wave of young talent, from the elfin throwback charm of Carey Mulligan to the rawer screen presence of Gabourey Sidibe, while a range of youthful names, from the long-hyped Abbie Cornish to the out-of-nowhere Katie Jarvis, have been […]
Filed in: The Lists
PAGE TO SCREEN: “Shutter Island” by Dennis Lehane
Posted by Guy Lodge · 1:20 pm · July 9th, 2009
Deep into Dennis Lehane’s 2003 novel noir “Shutter Island,” there’s a wonderfully telling exchange between the two central characters. Reflecting on the gothic heights to which their situation has spiralled, one observes, “It’s all a bit Grand Guignol, don’t you think?” His partner’s reply: “I don’t know what the fuck that means.” Ostensibly a nod […]
Filed in: Page to Screen
Year-in-advance winner predictions
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 11:26 am · February 27th, 2009
Yes, I’m insane, but before I leave off this year’s year-in-advance week, by request, I thought I’d throw up a random set of winner predictions and see if I was close to the target next February. Last year I managed three correct guesses (four if you count Winslet for the wrong movie), two of them […]
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‘Mammoth,’ ‘Rage’ land with a thud at Berlin
Posted by Guy Lodge · 6:42 am · February 9th, 2009
Oh dear. Colour me very disappointed indeed. “Mammoth,” Lukas Moodysson’s would-be entry into the mainstream, had me so hopeful — not least because it features Gael Garcia Barnal and Michelle Williams, arguably the two most exciting actors of their generation. But judging from a hostile crowd reception and cool-to-icy reviews, it appears the film isn’t […]
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Berlin fest gets under way
Posted by Guy Lodge · 6:25 am · February 6th, 2009
As far as press coverage goes, the Berlin Film Festival tends to get a bit drowned in the flurry of Oscar season, so you could be forgiven for failing to notice that it actually kicked off last night, with the world premiere of Tom Tykwer’s corporate thriller “The International.” Sadly, as I suspected, the film […]
Filed in: Daily
A word of advice
Posted by Guy Lodge · 4:14 pm · January 22nd, 2009
To any actors who might find themselves in the hunt for an Oscar nod next year: don’t let me interview you. Seriously. It appears that the mere act of shaking my hand, or even greeting me over the phone, placed an immediate hex on the Oscar chances of several deserving thesps this season. If your […]
Filed in: Daily
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