Early in the season the lead actress category appeared to be more competitive than ever. An easy list of 10 contenders could be drawn up, many of them admittedly sight unseen, and it was anyone’s guess as to which lady could insinuate herself as the odds-on favorite to win. Then the critics began narrowing things […]
OSCAR GUIDE: Best Actress
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:46 am · February 24th, 2011
Filed in: Oscar Guide
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
OSCAR TALK: Ep. 46 — The “frontrunner,” guilds on the way, latter-year releases, Portman preggers and a Happy New Year!
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:00 am · December 31st, 2010
Welcome to Oscar Talk. In case you’re new to the site and/or the podcast, Oscar Talk is a weekly kudocast, your one-stop awards chat shop between yours truly and Anne Thompson of Thompson on Hollywood. The podcast is weekly, every Friday throughout the season, charting the ups and downs of contenders along the way. Plenty […]
Filed in: Oscar Talk
12/14 OSCARWEB ROUND-UP: critics’ awards scoop and outrage, the year in posters, Steinfeld’s ‘Grit’
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 8:19 am · December 14th, 2010
• Tim Appelo gets the inside scoop of yesterday’s NYFCC vote. [The Race] • David Poland, meanwhile, is outraged that critics so far, in their dwindling numbers, have failed to resonate by missing the fertile ground between obscure and obvious. [The Hot Blog] • Jenelle Riley sits down with “True Grit” young’un Hailee Steinfeld. [Backstage]
Filed in: Daily
‘Black Swan’ leads BFCA field with a record 12 nominations
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 2:56 am · December 13th, 2010
The most striking thing about this year’s slate of BFCA nominations is that, to go by the films listed in the various categories, apparently there were only 30 or so movies released this year. And most categories were dominated by the same five films, which is disappointing, if a bit predictable. When the organization added […]
Filed in: Daily
OFF THE CARPET: Giving thanks
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:41 am · November 22nd, 2010
As we move into turkey (or tofurkey, if that happens to be your speed) week 2010, it seems proper, if a tad bit obvious, to take a moment and give thanks. So in lieu of a proper analysis of the season’s progression this week, allow me to express my boundless, breathless appreciation for the following: […]
Filed in: Off the Carpet
Kidman to receive Santa Barbara’s Cinema Vanguard Award
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 11:24 am · November 21st, 2010
The press release, in part: The Santa Barbara International Film Festival will honor Academy Award winner Nicole Kidman with the Cinema Vanguard Award at the 26th edition of the Fest, which runs January 27 -February 6, 2011, it was announced today by SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling. The Tribute will take place on Saturday, February […]
Filed in: Daily
The (new) Hollywood Reporter’s actress roundtable
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 8:22 am · November 4th, 2010
Featuring Annette Bening, Helena Bonham Carter, Natalie POrtman, Nicole Kidman, Hilary Swank and Amy Adams:
Filed in: Daily
10/28 OSCARWEB ROUND-UP: Youngest Best Actresses, seeking Oscar journos, Cameron readies ‘Avatar’ sequels
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:37 am · October 28th, 2010
• AMPAS and mtvU launch the third annual “Oscars Correspondent Contest” for college journalists. [Oscars.org] • Across the pond, Stuart Heritage counts down the ways “Rabbit Hole” could be an Oscar bet for Nicole Kidman. [The Guardian] • The Durst family predictably threatens to sue over “All Good Things.” [Deadline]
Filed in: Daily
OSCAR TALK: Ep. 35 — ‘Secretariat’ hopes, ‘The Way Back’ enters the race, ‘Nowhere Boy,’ ‘Hereafter’ and listener questions
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 8:23 am · October 8th, 2010
Welcome to Oscar Talk. In case you’re new to the site and/or the podcast, Oscar Talk is a weekly kudocast, your one-stop awards chat shop between yours truly and Anne Thompson of Thompson on Hollywood. The podcast is weekly, every Friday throughout the season, charting the ups and downs of contenders along the way. Plenty […]
Filed in: Oscar Talk
‘Blue Valentine’ and ‘Rabbit Hole’ depict tortured souls with authentic ease
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:56 am · October 6th, 2010
Watching Derek Cianfrance’s “Blue Valentine” and John Cameron Mitchell’s “Rabbit Hole” in the same 24-hour span is a brutal exercise. There are plenty of raw, realistic, dreary emotions flying through these narratives, but the experiences were very rewarding. Starting with Cianfrance’s film, which has been making the festival rounds since a healthy Sundance reception, I […]
Filed in: Reviews
WEEKLY WRAP: Venice winners, Toronto bites, ‘Network’ raves
Posted by Guy Lodge · 7:05 pm · September 17th, 2010
• Sofia Coppola’s “Somewhere” surprised many by taking top honors at the Venice Film Festival; we took a closer look at the Lido winners. • Meanwhile, we were considerably less than wowed by the festival closer, Julie Taymor’s “The Tempest.” • This week’s Off the Carpet column reflected on the unusual depth of this year’s […]
Filed in: Daily
9/17 Oscarweb Round-up
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:48 am · September 17th, 2010
• The Chateau Marmont, setting of Sofia Coppola’s “Somewhere,” is ready for its close-up across the pond. [The Independent] • Jay Fernandez reports from the Washington premiere of “Waiting for Superman,” which received a “monumental stamp” when Secretary of Education Arne Duncan called it a “Rosa Parks moment.” [Hollywood Reporter] • Trent Reznor releases five […]
Filed in: Daily
TIFF: Lionsgate picks up ‘Rabbit Hole’ for 2010 Oscar season
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 11:59 am · September 16th, 2010
Man, Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions are getting ON IT this year. First Roadside rolled out the early buzz on “Winter’s Bone,” then it picked up Alejandro González Iñárritu’s “Biutiful.” Soon after, Lionsgate announced a fall release for Tyler Perry’s “For Colored Girls” and grabbed Robert Redford’s “The Conspirator” through Roadside for a 2011 release. Well, […]
Filed in: Daily
9/16 Oscarweb Round-up
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:46 am · September 16th, 2010
• Jacki Weaver talks “Animal Kingdom” downunder. [New Zealand Herald] • Rowan Joffe on how he conceived “The American” as “an almost parodic contemporary Western.” [Movieline] • Mark Romanek on music videos vs. movies. [Wall Street Journal]
Filed in: Daily
TIFF: ‘Brighton,’ ‘Rabbit,’ ‘Debt,’ ‘Whistleblower,’ ‘Boating’ reactions
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:15 am · September 14th, 2010
A quick round-up this morning. First, we already offered some reactions to Rowan Joffe’s “Brighton Rock,” which is still looking for a distributor. But things aren’t looking great for awards prospects should it land a buyer, as Movieline’s Michelle Orange says the film “extends the Graham Green adaptation curse.” Meanwhile, John Madden’s “The Debt” could […]
Filed in: Daily
INTERVIEW: Jane Campion
Posted by Guy Lodge · 12:46 pm · December 17th, 2009
Jane Campion’s laugh comes as a rather lovely surprise: full, throaty and often directed at herself, it betrays a personality more robust, mischievous even, than one might surmise from her fragile, often solemn films. It’s a disconnect she cheerfully acknowledges, and credits in part to her collaborators. “As a filmmaker, it helps me to be […]
Filed in: Interviews
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