I’ll make this brief. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” hits this weekend. It will be massive. The devoted will turn out and love it. The sense of grand closure will settle for many. But I’ll just have to cop here at the beginning to the fact that I cannot connect the dots […]
My only friend, the end
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:41 am · July 12th, 2011
OSCAR GUIDE: Best Art Direction
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:30 am · February 9th, 2011
The art directors settled on a wonderful quintet to represent their form in 2010. Each of these films (okay, I haven’t seen one of them) manages to showcase art direction in organic ways, even when it comes to the contender with the most robust and vibrant design to offer. When it comes to the design […]
Filed in: Oscar Guide
TECH SUPPORT: Final analysis, part two
Posted by gerardkennedy · 9:48 am · January 21st, 2011
Yesterday I began a final look at the crafts categories. Today, a look at the four remaining fields: Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design and Best Film Editing. BEST ART DIRECTION The precursors of the BFCA, BAFTA and Art Directors Guild have been fairly consistent in citing four titles in this category. Last […]
Filed in: Tech Support
TECH SUPPORT: Best Art Direction — Volume II
Posted by gerardkennedy · 10:56 am · October 7th, 2010
Oh how things have changed since I last wrote in this space. In the past four weeks, Tech Support has taken a break, allowing the dust from the festival circuit to settle, and other titles to open. Over the next 10 weeks, we’ll take a second look at each of the crafts categories, finishing in […]
Filed in: Tech Support
TECH SUPPORT: Best Art Direction — Volume II
Posted by gerardkennedy · 11:01 am · November 5th, 2009
When I first addressed the race for Best Art Direction in August, I spoke of how the branch tends to favor period pieces and fantasy films. Considering the research involved in the former and the often showy creativity on display in the latter, this is hardly surprising. That said, I often feel badly for exceptional […]
Filed in: Tech Support
TECH SUPPORT: Best Art Direction — Volume I
Posted by gerardkennedy · 12:30 pm · August 20th, 2009
Sets and props can create a time period, an era or simply the feel of a scene. And the individuals involved in this process are awarded by the Academy in the category of Best Art Direction. Ironically, the art director of a film is not recognized here. Rather, the production designer – the art department […]
Filed in: Tech Support
Warm reviews for latest ‘Potter’
Posted by Guy Lodge · 9:58 am · July 6th, 2009
I must admit upfront that I don’t really get the Harry Potter franchise. I don’t dislike it — not having exposed myself enough to its components to justify such a response — but I’ve never felt remotely compelled to deepen my acquaintance with the material. I’ve tackled one of my J.K. Rowling’s novels, but the […]
Filed in: Daily