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UPDATE: Well, it seems Tom has pulled the post down. Perhaps, as commenter Josh notes, he got his info a bit twisted. I’ll leave this here for now but check Josh’s explanation of the process. The waters were muddied there for a bit. EARLIER: Tom O’Neil writes the following over at Gold Derby: A few […]
More on ‘Departures’ and a potential foreign upset
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 4:35 pm · February 21st, 2009
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Could ‘Departures’ upset ‘Waltz with Bashir’ in the foreign language film category?
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:09 am · February 20th, 2009
Now that I’ve finally seen Japanese foreign film contender “Departures,” the last of the year’s nominees that had yet to cross my path, I thought it a good idea to go ahead and toss up a final look at the foreign language film category. Over the last few weeks I’ve dived into the short film […]
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Is ‘The Class’ in a position to upset ‘Bashir?’
Posted by Guy Lodge · 6:34 pm · February 12th, 2009
(UPDATE: I see Dave Karger is placing his money on “The Class” too. Interesting.) Yesterday, Kris took a look at the Best Documentary Feature category, and wondered whether the winner there is quite the foregone conclusion that most people think. Supporting his argument was the category’s unusual rule that voters have to have seen all […]
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‘Gomorrah’ doesn’t deliver, says AMPAS
Posted by Guy Lodge · 7:29 am · January 14th, 2009
Kris has already given the philistines on the Academy’s foreign-language film committee a deserved telling-off for sidelining Italy’s astonishing entry “Gomorrah,” but I feel compelled to add my voice to his — not least because, if I had my way, Matteo Garrone’s cinematic gut-punch about the Camorra crime syndicate would be in line for a Best […]
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Foreign film shortlist revealed, ‘Gomorrah’ snubbed
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 11:53 am · January 13th, 2009
This is the most vile of all Academy committees. They prove their disdain for truly great cinema year in and year out (let’s not forget last year’s snubs of “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days” and “Persepolis” early on), and they’ve done it again this year, skewering Matteo Garrone’s blistering “Gomorrah,” leaving it for […]
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Foreign film shortlist to drop soon
Posted by Guy Lodge · 4:36 am · January 13th, 2009
I believe the 9-title shortlist for Best Foreign Language Film is due today, but details on the announcement are oddly hard to come by, so I could be wrong. In any case, it’s one I’m having a tough time calling. The new voting system should ensure that some of the year’s most acclaimed contenders are […]
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BAFTA announces foreign-language nominees
Posted by Guy Lodge · 5:29 am · January 8th, 2009
I remain perplexed as to why they announce these separately from the main field of nominees (why further ghettoise a ghetto category?), but oh well. The BAFTA nominees for Best Film Not In The English Language are: “The Baader Meinhof Complex” “Gomorrah” “I’ve Loved You So Long” “Persepolis” “Waltz With Bashir” Hardly surprising, though you’d […]
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Poor UK reviews for ‘Baader Meinhof’
Posted by Guy Lodge · 6:21 pm · November 13th, 2008
With a higher international profile than most of the other submissions in the category, Germany’s controversial “The Baader Meinhof Complex” would appear to be headed for a Best Foreign Language Film nomination — and there is talk that film has screened well for Academy members. However, with nominees in this category generally receiving so much […]
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Still nobody knows anything
Posted by Guy Lodge · 6:23 pm · November 7th, 2008
At least, that’s the message I get from Pete Hammond’s latest column, in which he somewhat half-heartedly claims that the Best Picture frontrunners at this stage are “WALL-E,” “The Dark Knight” and “Changeling.” In that order, apparently — with “Slumdog Millionaire” creeping up behind. I realize Hammond has access to more Academy members than I […]
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SHORT TAKE: “The Baader Meinhof Complex” (***)
Posted by Guy Lodge · 6:54 am · October 29th, 2008
Germany has hit something of a sweet spot with the Academy of late, having won Best Foreign Language Film twice in seven years, and scoring two additional nominations — all with somber, rock-solid takes on aspects of the country’s fascinating 20th-century history. (Last year’s winner, “The Counterfeiters,” may have been from Germany’s neighbor Austria, but […]
Foreign film watch: all the contenders
Posted by Guy Lodge · 1:37 pm · October 3rd, 2008
The race starts here. With the deadline having passed on Wednesday, 53 67 countries have submitted a candidate for the Best Foreign Language Film award. Now it’s all in the hands of the Academy’s notoriously obtuse foreign film committee. Under a new system aimed to avoid embarrassing exclusions like last year’s snub of “4 Months, […]
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9/30 Oscarweb Round-up
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 5:40 am · September 30th, 2008
• Mark Olsen reports on the first U.S. screening of German foreign film Oscar entry “The Baader-Meinhof Complex.” [The Big Picture] • Jeffrey Wells passes along a note from an exhibitor acquaintance who thinks “Milk” is a home run, but “Frost/Nixon” is a bit stale. [Hollywood Elsewhere] • Then he picks the five likely Best […]
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Sweden and Germany loom large in Oscar race
Posted by Guy Lodge · 3:21 pm · September 16th, 2008
As anyone who follows the arcane workings of the Best Foreign Language Film award knows, there is no such thing as a sure thing in the category. However, it’s fair to say that Sweden and Germany have emerged as strong contenders in the race after both countries selected high-profile films as their official entries. Unsurprisingly, […]
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