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BFI London Film Festival (LFF coverage will begin in earnest when the fest itself kicks off next Wednesday. However, given that this film is opening Stateside on Friday, it made sense to yank the review forward.) Hitherto a pair of the brightest lights on the American indie-film scene, writing-directing duo Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck [...]
SHORT TAKE: “It’s Kind of a Funny Story” (**)
Posted by Guy Lodge · 4:13 pm · October 5th, 2010
Filed in: Reviews
Michael Moore on ‘Hurt Locker’ politics
Posted by Guy Lodge · 5:37 pm · March 8th, 2010
One of the most common lines (usually used in praise) on our newly-crowned Best Picture winner is that it’s deliberately apolitical, taking no sides in the Iraq conflict as it aims simply to present the soldier’s experience on the ground. Kathryn Bigelow herself dismissed that as something of a misconception in a recent interview with [...]
Filed in: Daily
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 [...]
Filed in: Daily
Buried treasures: Chad’s best of 2009 (list and ballot)
Posted by Chad Hartigan · 5:32 pm · January 8th, 2010
Unlike Kris, I can’t quite come to the conclusion that 2009 was the best year of the decade. Nor can I call it the “year of the woman,” the “best year for animation” or “the year James Cameron brought a sense of wonder back to the cinema.” The only thing I can personally label 2009 [...]
Filed in: Daily
Things of beauty: Guy’s best of 2009
Posted by Guy Lodge · 6:01 am · December 23rd, 2009
The year of the woman. The year of animation. The year of science-fiction. Depending on who you read (and believe), the final year of the decade has been an awful lot of things. If you’re with Kris, it’s also the best cinematic year of the last ten. If you’re with an awful lot of others, [...]
Filed in: Daily
If I had a ballot
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 12:04 pm · December 16th, 2009
Every year I like to keep track of personal favorites throughout the Academy’s designated categories (plus one of my own addition, Best Ensemble). At the end of the year, my “if I had a ballot” post is the result. Of course, for the most part, I follow Academy designations here. If something is ruled ineligible, [...]
Filed in: Daily
Going out with a bang: the best films of 2009
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 12:35 pm · December 14th, 2009
I’ve often been asked throughout the latter part of 2009 why I should have the gall to consider it the best year of film product in a decade. It’s such a subjective circumstance that, of course, the only answer is, “I liked a lot of movies.” That’s not enough for most. Hard and fast evidence [...]
Filed in: Daily
AFI announce Top 10 American films of 2009
Posted by Guy Lodge · 4:32 pm · December 13th, 2009
Jeez, give us some breathing room. Anyway, the American Film Institute has revealed their annual selection of the year’s best U.S. titles, and as usual, it’s a pleasingly diverse, idiosyncratic list. My heart sings to see Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck’s marvelous “Sugar” make the cut, at the expense of heavily-hyped titles like “Invictus” and [...]
Filed in: Daily
11/27 Osarweb Round-up
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:35 am · November 27th, 2009
• The significance of “Nine” for Anthony Minghella’s legacy. [The Guardian] • Steven Zeitchik catches on to the year’s thin original screenplay race and bangs the drum for “Sugar.” [Risky Business] • Lauren Shucker talks “Up in the Air” with director Jason Reitman. [Wall Street Journal]
Filed in: Daily
THE LONG SHOT: Consider this
Posted by Guy Lodge · 2:34 pm · November 18th, 2009
There’s nothing like an Oscar season to prove what a small number five (or even ten) is. We may only be in November, but already, months of conversation, covering a broad canvas of Oscar sure-shots and long-shots alike, have devolved into a ruthless mathematical elimination process, as previously five-wide categories fill up with safe bets. [...]
Filed in: The Long Shot
OFF THE CARPET: Original players
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 2:44 pm · November 16th, 2009
When I had the unmitigated gall last week to project a set of winners for this year’s Oscar race, I was a bit startled at how easy Mark Boal’s script for “The Hurt Locker” slid into the Best Original Screenplay slot. Looking over the landscape of contenders in the category, it’s a little obvious why [...]
Filed in: Off the Carpet
Nominees announced for 19th annual Gotham Awards
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:13 am · October 19th, 2009
And here…we…go! I’m on my way out the door and so I can’t fully comment on the just announced list of Gotham Award nominees (which, along with the trickling-in list of Hollywood Film Fest winners, really is making this seem like an Oscar season all of a sudden, no?) But here they are. A handful [...]
Filed in: Daily
THE LISTS: Top 10 first-half releases that deserved better
Posted by Guy Lodge · 10:58 am · July 7th, 2009
Around this time last year, we did a mid-year stocktake of sorts, wherein the site’s various contributors named the best (and worst) of what the cinematic year had presented thus far. You may have noticed that we haven’t offered up a similar piece for 2009. Time constraints may have had something to do with it, [...]
Filed in: The Lists
2009′s Oscar drought…same old song and dance
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 3:53 pm · June 23rd, 2009
Over at Variety, newly minted editor-in-chief Tim Gray writes what we’ve been mentioning around these parts for a while: the first half of the 2009 film year is decidedly bereft of anything that might be deemed “Oscar-worthy” come January 2010. Aside from “Star Trek” and “Up,” the recognized critical faves of the year thus far, [...]
Filed in: Daily
Two sugars
Posted by Guy Lodge · 9:52 am · June 5th, 2009
As you know, we really love Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck’s “Sugar” here at InContention. The film opens today here in the UK, and I sincerely hope discerning Brit audiences can get past the unfamiliar baseball angle and see this for the lovely, universal character piece it is. Anyway, I thought I’d share this beautiful [...]
Filed in: Daily
5/18 Web Round-up
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 8:20 am · May 18th, 2009
• “Star Trek” looks to be a hit off-world. [The Carpetbagger] • It looks like Kenneth Branagh and Marvel have found their Thor: Chris Hemsworth from “Star Trek.” [Deadline Hollywood Daily] • Jeff Sneider takes a long, hard look at the MTV Movie Awards. [Examiner.com] • Tom O’Neil poses the obvious question: Will “Angels & [...]
Filed in: Daily
“My life”
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:52 am · April 14th, 2009
Faith in mankind restored. SUGAR doubled this weekend ($125K) what it made last weekend ($60K). And Indiewire reports: “What’s more, its $6,389 average was up near $1,000 from last weekend.” Now if only this continues. From family & friends who were at Q&As at 4/3 & 4/4 , 4/10 Boston plus I was at 4/11 [...]
Filed in: Daily
‘Sugar’ deserves a look
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 11:22 am · April 6th, 2009
Chad didn’t bring up Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck’s “Sugar” in this weekend’s Sunday Cents column because, on 11 theaters, the film brought in a modest $71,000. And it probably won’t move the needle much throughout its run where box office is concerned. But I felt a need to put it back up on the [...]
Filed in: Daily
