Mike Leigh has long bemoaned the fact that he gets more respect from American awards bodies than those in his homeland. He received further proof of that this morning, as his broadly acclaimed new feature, “Another Year,” was snubbed in the top category at the British Independent Film Awards in favor of, among others, Matthew […]
‘King’s Speech’ leads BIFA nods, ‘Another Year’ snubbed
Posted by Guy Lodge · 6:48 am · November 1st, 2010
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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 […]
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9/30 OSCARWEB ROUND-UP: Blind-siding Christians with ‘Secretariat,’ chatting up Gibney and Reznor, Armond strikes
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:02 am · September 30th, 2010
• David Poland sits down with “Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer” director Alex Gibney. [Movie City News] • On the innovative marketing strategy of “Freakonomics.” [New York Times] • Xan Brooks and Henry Barnes talk “Made in Dagenham” director Nigel Cole and actress Rosamund Pike. [The Guardian]
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TIFF: ‘Barney’s Version’ returns home, raves for Giamatti
Posted by Guy Lodge · 6:22 am · September 13th, 2010
Last night’s North American premiere of “Barney’s Version” in Toronto was something of a homecoming for the Canadian production — it was, of course, first unveiled on Friday at the Venice Film Festival, where its soft-centered middlebrow appeal rather stood out against the more rigorous auteurism of its fellow Competition titles. If Richard J. Lewis’s […]
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Underdog ‘Dagenham’ may have the AMPAS touch
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 12:30 pm · September 11th, 2010
In Friday’s Oscar Talk, Anne and I pondered the Oscar potential of Sony Pictures Classics’ typically robust stable of contenders. So far the best bet to have already hit theaters is Aaron Schneider’s “Get Low,” which could be a below-the-line play as well as a Best Actor possibility for Robert Duvall. Films from Rodrigo Garcia, […]
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SHORT TAKE: “Barney’s Version” (***)
Posted by Guy Lodge · 7:25 am · September 10th, 2010
Venice Film Festival Too few film reviews open with the wisdom of Feargal Sharkey, so it brings me great pleasure to begin this one by saying that a good heart these days is, indeed, hard to find. That’s the chief conclusion to be taken from not just the narrative but the execution of “Barney’s Version,” […]
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My dream ballot: part two
Posted by Guy Lodge · 3:21 pm · February 1st, 2010
Yesterday, I began my far-fetched wishlist of nominees for tomorrow’s announcement with a look at the technical categories. Today we move into the big races. And as much as I thought I had my favorites clearly mapped out in my head, a rundown of the eligible titles made for some very crowded races indeed. Once […]
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‘An Education’ leads London Critics’ award noms
Posted by Guy Lodge · 12:58 pm · December 22nd, 2009
The London Film Critics’ Circle awards have their cake and eat it by having separate British film categories, in addition to some general fields where the Brits also compete. So UK productions invariably lead the field. Allowing for that and other oddities, this is a very pleasing list for the most part. “An Education” seals […]
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David Poland’s Oscar underdogs … where are the ladies?
Posted by Guy Lodge · 1:50 pm · November 13th, 2009
For those of you bored of reading the same ever-narrowing list of names in the assorted Oscar-speculation pieces across the web, David Poland’s latest column is a slight breath of fresh air. Decrying the fact that many pundits are making ludicrous long-shot calls like “This Is It” for Best Picture, while ignoring more deserving contenders […]
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‘Fish Tank,’ ‘Moon,’ ‘Education’ lead BIFA noms, female directors rule
Posted by Guy Lodge · 2:23 pm · October 26th, 2009
You’ve heard me natter on enough for months about how “Fish Tank” is one of the year’s best films — now you don’t have to just hear it from me anymore. Andrea Arnold’s lyrical character study of an unhappy Essex teenager (now being dubbed ‘the British “Precious”‘ by some lazy wags) leads the nominations for […]
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OFF THE CARPET: Looking at the supporting ladies
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:37 am · October 26th, 2009
A few weeks ago in this space I took a dedicated look at the lead actress category. With little in the way of actual development (this season is curiously divided on the timeline as we’ve got maybe another month before more major titles begin screening), I figured it would be a good idea to keep […]
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‘An Education’: more than Mulligan
Posted by Guy Lodge · 9:31 am · October 20th, 2009
At this morning’s press screening for “An Education,” which has its UK premiere at the London Film Festival tonight, I was impressed afresh by what a layered, deceptively gentle and generally terrific little picture it is. Some have complained that it’s a little too soft, a little too easy — though only its overly pat […]
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Plumping for Pike in ‘An Education’
Posted by Guy Lodge · 5:30 am · July 12th, 2009
It seems that Lone Scherfig’s British period drama “An Education” continues to steal the heart of pretty much everyone who sees it — this has been near the top of my “most anticipated” list for some time now. You may remember a recent piece where Kris, while echoing the resounding praise for the film and […]
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Stumping for Molina in ‘An Education’
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:04 am · June 30th, 2009
I’m late to the table in some sense given that Lone Sherfig’s “An Education” dazzled audiences five months ago at the Sundance Film Festival. But after catching the film last night, I was left with one mission: spread the word on Alfred Molina. Most of the end-of-year awards talk will surely surround Carey Mulligan’s absolutely […]
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A taste of ‘An Education’
Posted by Guy Lodge · 5:14 am · June 8th, 2009
One of the more popular Oscar bets doing the rounds is that, along with rising star Carey Mulligan, writer Nick Hornby will find himself in the race for Sundance favorite “An Education.” (I have a hunch the film may do even better than that, but that’s me.) In contrast to the wealth of popular books […]
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