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Well, did anyone expect otherwise? FIPRESCI, the international association of film critics that routinely hands out its own award at film festivals, has named Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life” the winner of its annual Grand Prix award — for the film voted the year’s finest in a poll of their 200-plus membership. (Before anyone […]
FIPRESCI names ‘The Tree of Life’ film of the year
Posted by Guy Lodge · 10:38 am · August 19th, 2011
Filed in: Daily
Césars for Polanski, ‘Gods,’ ‘Illusionist’… and Fincher
Posted by Guy Lodge · 4:35 pm · February 25th, 2011
When the nominations for the César Awards — known in glib terms as the French Oscars — were announced last month, I wrote that I anticipated a tight race between Roman Polanski’s widely acclaimed Euro thriller “The Ghost Writer” and Xavier Beauvois’s lofty Cannes prizewinner “Of Gods and Men,” with the latter just winning out. […]
Filed in: Daily
The top 10 shots of 2010: part one
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 11:06 am · February 22nd, 2011
I have to admit, I procrastinated this column quite a bit this year. It has become a favorite staple for me, and, I’m happy to see, for our readers. But something was holding me back from pulling the trigger on getting the list together this time around. It’s a lot of work, of course. So […]
Filed in: Daily
Desplat leads International Film Music Critics nods
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:18 am · February 11th, 2011
Alexandre Desplat has enjoyed a brilliant career in U.S. features as of late (on the back of immense talent, naturally). 2010 was a grand year for the composer as he, once again, balanced scoring duties on a number of notable films. Today, the final announcement from the critics awards circuit has landed in the form […]
Filed in: Daily
‘Of Gods and Men,’ ‘Ghost Writer’ lead César nominations
Posted by Guy Lodge · 2:34 pm · January 21st, 2011
The film may be smarting from its widely (if not, ahem, entirely) unexpected omission from the Oscar foreign-language shortlist earlier this week, but Xavier Beauvois’s sombre religious drama “Of Gods and Men” found more love in its home country, where it scooped a leading 11 nominations for the César Awards. The so-called “French Oscars” also […]
Filed in: Daily
TECH SUPPORT: Final analysis, part one
Posted by gerardkennedy · 8:57 am · January 20th, 2011
It seems hard to believe that it’s been more than six months since I wrote this year’s introductory Tech Support column ( a dissection of the art direction race). Much has changed since then, naturally, as we are less than a week away from the big day when we find out the nominees for the […]
Filed in: Tech Support
In praise of Reznor/Ross
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 8:44 am · January 19th, 2011
This year’s Best Original Score race really has me at a loss. I freely admit that I have no idea what will happen there. Some days I think we’ll get a small surprise like Alexandre Desplat sliding in for his best work this year in “The Ghost Writer,” others I think we could just get […]
Filed in: Daily
FIRST-HALF FYC: Below-the-line standouts
Posted by Guy Lodge · 11:45 am · January 11th, 2011
For the penultimate installment in our reflection on the most Oscar-worthy achievements from the largely forgotten first half of 2010’s release calendar, I’m backtracking away from the major categories to the place I should perhaps have started: the technical sphere. Had I thought to start this column 20-odd weeks in advance of nomination day, I […]
Filed in: Daily
‘Ghost Writer’ surprises as one of five USC Scripter finalists
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 5:00 pm · January 5th, 2011
The USC Libraries Scripter Award is an annual honor (now in its 23rd year) in recognition of “the best adaptation of the printed word into film.” It is one of the more unique awards along the circuit as it is not only awarded to the screenwriter but the source material’s author, as well. Past winners […]
Filed in: Daily
THE LONG SHOT: A new year wishlist
Posted by Guy Lodge · 6:55 pm · December 30th, 2010
[Guy’s updated predictions here.] Okay, I won’t lie to you: I initially conceived this column in my head last week as a Christmas Eve wishlist, but then got too busy mulling wine and Christmas shopping in Dublin snowdrifts to actually write it. So a New Year’s Eve wishlist it is, then. Under either name, with […]
Filed in: The Long Shot
Inevitable list of WGA ineligibilities surfaces
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 7:42 pm · December 28th, 2010
Steve Pond is on the news today that a number of this year’s screenplays will be ineligible for WGA consideration (and therefore should be kept in mind when nominations are revealed next week). First and foremost, we all know Pixar films never fall under WGA signatory regulations, so Michael Arndt’s work on “Toy Story 3” […]
Filed in: Daily
FIRST HALF FYC: Best Screenplay (Original and Adapted)
Posted by Guy Lodge · 1:17 pm · December 14th, 2010
For the third episode in our new Oscar-season feature, we take a recess from the acting races and look instead to the screenplays that roped the actors in to begin with. If you’re new to the feature (or even if you aren’t), the game is simple: railing against awards voters’ usual bias towards late-year releases, […]
Filed in: Daily
WEEKLY WRAP: The circuit takes hold, chatting up DiCaprio and Harris, top 10 lists
Posted by In Contention Staff · 7:09 pm · December 10th, 2010
• The week started off with “How to Train Your Dragon” predictably dominating the slate of Annie Award nominations. • Kris sat down with Leonardo DiCaprio and got Martin Scorsese on the phone for a large two–part piece on the actor and his impressive year. • He also caught up with actor Ed Harris to […]
Filed in: Daily
‘King’s Speech’ rules BIFAs, ‘Ghost Writer’ sweeps EFAs
Posted by Guy Lodge · 5:03 pm · December 6th, 2010
Apologies for getting to both these announcement so late: my laptop is currently (perhaps terminally) hospitalized, so posting is rather spotty on my end. The timing is particularly bad, since this past weekend’s awards activity included two major European ceremonies that I should have been all over. That said, if you paid even vague attention […]
Filed in: Daily
FIRST-HALF FYC: Best Supporting Actress
Posted by Guy Lodge · 12:46 pm · November 30th, 2010
It’s an Oscar complaint as unfailingly annual as telecast overlength and foreign-language category blunders: with the season so geared towards the glut of prestige titles released in the year’s final quarter, standout contenders from the mist-shrouded months of spring and the previous winter have to fight that much harder to be heard – that is, […]
Filed in: Daily
OSCAR TALK: Ep. 41 — Governors Awards, animated and doc feature shortlists, circuit festivities and remembering Ronni Chasen
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 11:20 am · November 19th, 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
Summit toasts ‘Ghost Writer,’ ‘Fair Game,’ ‘Red,’ ‘Twilight’
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 12:27 pm · November 17th, 2010
Holiday parties sure are getting earlier, as the team at Summit Entertainment held theirs last night at BOA Steakhouse on Sunset. The event was held to toast the efforts of cast and crew on the studio’s 2010 films — “Fair Game,” “The Ghost Writer,” “Red” and “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.” I ended up chatting with […]
Filed in: Daily
WEEKLY WRAP: ‘Fighter’ bows, Jackman bows out, Best Picture questions
Posted by In Contention Staff · 4:40 am · November 13th, 2010
• David O. Russell’s “The Fighter” unspooled at the AFI Fest. Kris was impressed and later reported from a Q&A with the film’s stars. • This week’s Off the Carpet column pondered the presence of money-spinners in this year’s Best Picture race. • The Long Shot, meanwhile, wondered if that very race is currently looking […]
Filed in: Daily
