Features
(A day later than usual — apologies.) After the London Film Festival raised its curtain last night with a typically flashy European premiere for Mark Romanek’s “Never Let Me Go,” this morning’s papers and breakfast TV reports have been busy with chatter about what Britfilm’s two it-girls, Carey Mulligan and Keira Knightley, were wearing; how […]
THE LONG SHOT: What becomes of the broken-hearted?
Posted by Guy Lodge · 2:19 pm · October 14th, 2010
Filed in: The Long Shot
OSCAR GUIDE: Best Supporting Actor
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:30 am · February 17th, 2010
In a slight rarity, the year’s Best Supporting Actor category reflected the Screen Actors Guild nominees 100% this season. Nominations for Alfred Molina and Alec Baldwin at the BAFTA Awards weren’t enough to generate enough cross-over support, while Christian McKay’s late surge couldn’t get him there, either. What we’re left with is a sleepwalking performance […]
Filed in: Daily
2/17 Oscarweb Round-up
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:29 am · February 17th, 2010
• David Poland sits down with Mark Boal and, separately, Paul Ottosson and Ray Beckett to talk “The Hurt Locker.” [The Hot Blog] • Saoirse Ronan talks “The Lovely Bones” across the pond. [Daily Telegraph] • Chris Jones profiles Roger Ebert, the man and his thumbs. [Esquire]
Filed in: Daily
The top 10 shots of 2009: part one
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 12:49 pm · February 16th, 2010
Assembling the assets for my annual take on the best single shots of the year was more of a chore this time around than ever. Perhaps one need only look to a lackluster list of Oscar nominees in the Best Cinematography category to gauge just how underwhelming much of the work behind the camera was […]
Filed in: The Lists
SANTA BARBARA: Four Vanguards and a Virtuoso
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 8:52 am · February 13th, 2010
“Precious” star Gabourey Sidibe couldn’t be here last weekend for the Virtuosos presentation, which recognized her, Carey Mulligan, Saoirse Ronan, Emily Blunt and Michael Stuhlbarg, so she was in town this evening as part of the Vanguard presentation. Stanley Tucci, meanwhile, couldn’t be here this week to accept his Vanguard prize, so he was here […]
Filed in: Daily
THE LONG SHOT: The pre-nomination shuffle
Posted by Guy Lodge · 6:53 pm · January 27th, 2010
This, ladies and gentlemen, will be the last Long Shot column I write before the 2009 Academy Award nominations are announced, and it’s not just because it’s the column’s 17th week that the well of subject matter is looking rather dry. I have followed longer awards seasons than this one (the awards used to take […]
Filed in: The Long Shot
SUNDAY CENTS: ‘Fairy’ bust
Posted by Chad Hartigan · 10:55 am · January 24th, 2010
*All historical figures cited are adjusted to today’s dollars. Blah blah blah blah “Avatar” blah blah number one blah blah blah $36 million. Second biggest sixth weekend ever, behind “Titanic.” $550 million+ in the bank, passing “The Dark Knight” and entering the top 10 highest grossing films of the modern era (1980 onward). The drop […]
Filed in: Box Office · Sunday Cents
SUNDAY CENTS: ‘Book’ report
Posted by Chad Hartigan · 10:23 am · January 17th, 2010
*All historical figures cited are adjusted to today’s dollars. First off, I should apologize for neglecting to write a Friday Forecast column this week. Fridays are my day off from work so while I have plenty of time to cook up an article, it’s also the one day where the box office is farthest from […]
Filed in: Box Office · Sunday Cents
An evening at the CCMAs
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:46 am · January 16th, 2010
Alright, now that the booze and the hangover have worn off, let’s talk last night’s Critics’ Choice Movie Awards. It was a decently produced evening, the venue having shifted from the Santa Monica Civic Center to the Hollywood Palladium, right in the middle of Tinseltown. The scheme of having 10 tables rounding the stage representing […]
Filed in: Daily
1/14 Oscarweb Round-up
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 8:03 am · January 14th, 2010
• Buzz Aldrin, Willie Nelson and more comment on the accuracy of a number of the season’s contenders. [Variety] • Peter Jackson and Stanley Tucci talk “The Lovely Bones.” [FearNet] • Brooks Barnes Q&As “The Hurt Locker” writer Mark Boal. [The Carpetbagger]
Filed in: Daily
1/11 Oscarweb Round-up
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 8:02 am · January 11th, 2010
• Dave McNary catches up with the thin WGA field story. (Nominees will be announced later this morning.) [Variety] • The local rag continues to step up its crafts coverage, spotlights “The Hurt Locker” sound mixer (and sound editor) Paul Ottosson. [Los Angeles Times] • On the non-actor terminated from Jason Reitman’s “Up in the […]
Filed in: Daily
Art Directors Guild nominees
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:32 am · January 8th, 2010
I’ve had my eye on these because I’ve always felt that, if “Avatar” could slide in here, it might be able to get over any weird bias against the way it was designed (largely in computer, etc.). But after sitting down with Robert Stromberg yesterday, and with these nominations in mind, I feel better about […]
Filed in: Daily
‘Wild Things,’ ‘Crazy Heart’ ineligible for score Oscar
Posted by Guy Lodge · 12:43 pm · January 4th, 2010
Steve Pond reports that Karen O and Carter Burwell’s wonderful, Golden Globe-nominated score for “Where the Wild Things Are” has been disqualified for Best Original Score by the Academy’s music branch. T-Bone Burnett and Stephen Bruton’s “Crazy Heart” score, which has taken several critics’ prizes, will not compete either. It’s hardly a surprise, given that […]
Filed in: Daily
1/1 Oscarweb Round-up
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:04 am · January 1st, 2010
Happy New Year! • Jeffrey Wells wants a Best Actress nomination for “Avatar” star Zoe Saldana. [Hollywood Elsewhere] • David Poland calls for the same, amid a number of other history-making Oscar moments that could be in the cards this season. [Movie City News] • Steve Pond finds a nifty way of revealing his top […]
Filed in: Daily
Karger goes out on a limb for ‘The Messenger’
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:52 am · December 31st, 2009
In the last week or two, the buzz for Rob Marshall’s “Nine” has, undeniably, plummeted. It took a while for it to get to that point. The first screening was held nearly a month and a half ago in New York, after all. But enough goodwill and a certain lazy expectation that the below-the-line elements […]
Filed in: Daily
THE LONG SHOT: Four to the floor
Posted by Guy Lodge · 4:13 pm · December 30th, 2009
“It might as well rain until September,” wrote Carole King in her jaunty 1960s ditty of that title, an ode to summertime breakup blues that may as well have been composed for the autumnally-activated awards season. Swap September for December, and you have an apt description of the approach many studios and Oscar-watchers alike take […]
Filed in: The Long Shot
OFF THE CARPET: A spade is a spade
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 11:10 am · December 28th, 2009
Oscar ballots are being mailed to AMPAS members today. So now is the time to pay attention to the buzz, as most ballots are returned within the first couple of weeks (which says everything you need to know about how much time and care is put into the process by voters). However, it’s somewhat amazing […]
Filed in: Off the Carpet
SUNDAY CENTS: Pandora’s tops
Posted by Chad Hartigan · 12:03 pm · December 20th, 2009
*All historical figures cited are adjusted to today’s dollars. Alright, let’s get down to brass tacks. “Avatar” is the number one movie of the weekend with a $73 million gross. This is an enormous figure, there’s no two ways about it. It’s the fourth-biggest December debut of all time. It’s the 26th-biggest debut of all […]
Filed in: Box Office · Sunday Cents
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