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 […]
The top 10 shots of 2010: part one
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 11:06 am · February 22nd, 2011
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Likability: the best films of 2010
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 11:51 am · December 13th, 2010
I don’t quite know how to peg 2010. On one hand it has felt like a weak year. On the other hand, I’ve enjoyed quite a few films. Maybe the story lies in that sentence: “enjoyed.” There were precious few films that really rocked me, but plenty that were a nice enough experience. If you […]
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LONDON: Five foreign Oscar contenders
Posted by Guy Lodge · 7:31 pm · October 17th, 2010
(Please note that one of the films reviewed here, “Aftershock,” was not screened as part of the London Film Festival programme — but since I saw it this week, it made sense to include it in this discussion.) Admittedly, 11 out of 65 is a figure that is only impressive if you’re counting the listenable […]
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10/7 OSCARWEB ROUND-UP: O’Neil relaunches Gold Derby, sticking up for ‘Let Me In,’ remaking ‘The Secret in Their Eyes’
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:08 am · October 7th, 2010
• Tom O’Neil takes back Gold Derby, prepares re-launch of GoldDerby.com on November 1. [Gold Derby] • Grilling a Harvard grad on the accuracy of final club depictions in “The Social Network.” [Vulture] • Cole Abaius chats with Armie Hammer about his performance(s) in the film. [Film School Rejects]
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SUNDAY CENTS: New releases ‘Dragon’ behind
Posted by Chad Hartigan · 12:21 pm · April 18th, 2010
*All historical figures cited are adjusted to today’s dollars. Internet nerds once again failed to make their presence known at the multiplex as “Kick Ass” surrendered to the runner-up spot on a relatively weak frame. As significant as online and fanboy buzz can be, time and again it has led to disappointing debuts more than […]
Filed in: Box Office · Sunday Cents
FRIDAY FORECAST: ‘Ass’ vs. crass
Posted by Chad Hartigan · 12:12 pm · April 16th, 2010
*All historical figures cited are adjusted to today’s dollars. Ever since it unveiled footage at Comic-Con last year, fanboys and internet hounds have been frothing at the mouth for Matthew Vaughn’s “Kick Ass” and now it has finally arrived. Internet buzz is deafening, but also misleading as it’s never quite clear whether we are looking […]
Filed in: Box Office · Friday Forecast
Nut up or shut up: final predictions
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 11:36 am · March 6th, 2010
As I look over my final predictions for tomorrow night’s Oscar ceremony, I notice that I’ve made only one change — in the Best Live Action Short category — since taking my initial stab the day of the nominations. And I haven’t made a single change since I started the Oscar Guide series. Am I […]
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Stunning fluid master
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 11:16 am · February 25th, 2010
I was reading through this Awards Daily post concerning the foreign language film race (wherein Sasha Stone is quite flattering) and a link in one of the comments caught my attention. I love fluid master shots. “Touch of Evil,” “The Player,” “Boogie Nights,” I love them. Sometimes they’re thematically relevant, other times they’re just a […]
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OSCAR GUIDE: Best Foreign Language Film
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 11:06 am · February 18th, 2010
The foreign Language film category has been marred in controversy for the last few years. When films like “4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days” and “Persepolis” were unceremoniously nixed from the field a few years ago, a special new “executive committee” was established to have final say on the fallen, hopefully saving the committee […]
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“I’m rooting for the ex-wives here.”
Posted by Guy Lodge · 7:00 pm · February 4th, 2010
With the “exes” angle seemingly set to run and run in this year’s Oscar media coverage, The Guardian at least took a slightly sideways approach in their weekly podcast by roping in a third ex — “Terminator” star and James Cameron’s fourth wife Linda Hamilton — for her thoughts on the matter. (She has a […]
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February winner predictions
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:18 am · February 3rd, 2010
These appeared at Movie City News’s Gurus o’ Gold page this morning, so you probably already saw them. Here they are in any case, since, you know, I guess it’s about that time: Best Picture: “The Hurt Locker” Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow, “The Hurt Locker” Best Actor: Jeff Bridges, “Crazy Heart” Best Actress: Sandra Bullock, […]
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January winner predictions
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:59 am · January 27th, 2010
It’s time for me to go to the well one more time before next week’s big announcement. That’s right, six days and the mystery of the 10 will finally be answered. But first, some blind (since there are no nominations yet) guesses. Just trying to find the right balance here: Best Picture: “The Hurt Locker” […]
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Foreign notes
Posted by Guy Lodge · 12:08 pm · January 20th, 2010
Well, as I suspected, my predictions for the Academy’s foreign film shortlist were mainly off the mark, though I maintained my 4-from-9 strike rate from last year … so, yay for consistency. That said, I’m not terribly surprised by the films that did make the cut. As I wrote earlier today, I knew one of […]
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Academy’s foreign shortlist unveiled
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:18 am · January 20th, 2010
Well, Guy nailed down four of them. But you just never know what this controversial branch is going to do. I’d love to know what the secondary committee had to re-institute (probably “A Prophet”), but nevertheless, we have our nine. The only films I was predicting that didn’t make the cut are “Backyard” from Mexico […]
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