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So here we are. For the most part, the crafts category nominations weren’t surprising, and there is not a single film that fared drastically better – or worse – than I expected.
As for comments on individual categories? In Best Cinematography, Bruno Delbonnel’s nomination for “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” has got to [...]
TECH SUPPORT: Post mortem
Posted by Gerard Kennedy · 12:17 pm · February 5th, 2010
Filed in: Tech Support
TECH SUPPORT: Final predictions, part two
Posted by Gerard Kennedy · 2:02 pm · January 31st, 2010
Continuing from where we left off yesterday, today we look at the fields of makeup, music, sound and visual effects.
BEST MAKEUP
The shortlist of seven makes predicting this category slightly easier. “District 9”’s realistic wounds, not to mention the practical elements of the central character’s transformation, likely make it the frontrunner. “Star Trek,” meanwhile, boasted an [...]
Filed in: Tech Support
Ed Helms stumps for ‘Stu’s Song’ on Conan
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:31 am · January 21st, 2010
Filed in: Daily
Steve Pond on Oscar’s “broken” song category
Posted by Guy Lodge · 4:42 pm · January 12th, 2010
The Best Original Song race gets an awful lot of stick for its wonky voting system and sometimes questionable musical judgment — problems that have lately converged to scupper the hopes of many well-regarded contenders, with last year’s snub of Bruce Springsteen’s “The Wrestler” raising particularly widespread ire.
I’ll start, however, by saying a few words [...]
Filed in: Daily
An underground push for ‘Depression Era’
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 12:45 pm · January 11th, 2010
Maybe three months back we told you about Patterson Hood’s “Depression Era” from Scott Teems’s “That Evening Sun,” a soulful, gritty southern ditty that, for my money, is one of the best original songs in a movie this year. We featured the track in our “listen to” series back in November.
Thankfully the song made the [...]
Filed in: Daily
WEEKLY WRAP: Precursor avalanche, best of 2009
Posted by Guy Lodge · 6:57 pm · December 18th, 2009
• Kris wrapped up 2009 with his take on the year’s best films, also offering his own preferred nominees and winners in a range of categories. (I’ll chime in next week.)
• “Up in the Air” led this year’s pack of Golden Globe nominees.
• It also joined “Precious” and “Inglourious Basterds” at the head of the [...]
Filed in: Daily
Listen to Jeff Bridges’s ‘Somebody Else’ from ‘Crazy Heart’
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 2:14 pm · December 18th, 2009
Today we’re wrapping up the “listen to” series of featured tracks in this year’s Best Original Song race. We spotlighted 17 contenders in total, not all of which made the eventual eligibility cut, of course. But it’s been a nice way of giving the field it’s proper due.
Surprisingly enough, only one other song from “Crazy [...]
Filed in: Daily
63 tracks compete for Best Original Song
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 6:37 pm · December 16th, 2009
It’s been fun bringing a great many of this year’s Best Original Song contenders to you every few days with the “listen to” posts, but today, the Academy offered up the full list of contenders, so things are beginning to settle in. There are a few surprises, however.
Firstly, only two tracks from “Crazy Heart” are [...]
Filed in: Daily
Listen to Duffy’s ‘Smoke Without Fire’ from ‘An Education’
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 1:44 pm · December 16th, 2009
Earlier today we featured “You’ve Got Me Wrapped Around Your Little Finger,” Beth Rowley’s original song contender from “An Education.” Now we’d like to bring a second track from the film to your attention: “Smoke Without Fire” from Welsh sensation Duffy.
This is a potent little ditty but it is the first cue on the opening [...]
Filed in: Daily
Listen to Beth Rowley’s ‘You’ve Got Me Wrapped Around Your Little Finger’ from ‘An Education’
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:11 am · December 16th, 2009
We skipped one of these on Monday so we’ll double up today with a pair of tunes from Lone Scherfig’s “An Education.”
“You’ve Got Me Wrapped Around Your Little Finger” from singer Beth Rowley featured prominently in the trailer for Scherfig’s film and, frankly, given the breezy, nostalgic flavor of the tune, most may not have [...]
Filed in: Daily
WEEKLY WRAP: ‘Avatar’ awe, ‘Bones’ defense, original songs
Posted by Guy Lodge · 7:36 pm · December 11th, 2009
• A little movie called “Avatar” premiered. This week’s Oscar Talk tucked into the film.
• As “The Lovely Bones” faces a frosty critical welcome, this week’s Off the Carpet column went to bat for the film.
• We interviewed a quartet of young actors making strides this year: Abbie Cornish, Saoirse Ronan, Ben Foster and Bryce [...]
Filed in: Daily
Listen to Anika Noni Rose’s ‘Almost There’ from ‘The Princess and the Frog’
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 7:14 pm · December 11th, 2009
Wednesday we featured Dr. John’s “Down in New Orleans” from Disney’s traditional animation entry “The Princess and the Frog,” which is expanding considerably this weekend. Today we’re happy to offer up what could be the second-best play at a nomination for the film in this category, “Almost There.”
Singing on the Randy Newman-penned track is Anika [...]
Filed in: Daily
TECH SUPPORT: Best Original Song
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 3:18 pm · December 10th, 2009
Over the last five months, Gerard has diligently canvassed and re-canvassed the various crafts categories here at In Contention. The one category we have held back on all this time, as contenders have slowly fallen into place, was Best Original Song. Today, it’s time to dig into the field.
This has turned into something of a [...]
Filed in: Tech Support
Listen to Dr. John’s ‘Down in New Orleans’ from ‘The Princess and the Frog’
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 1:14 pm · December 9th, 2009
If you take a gander at the Contenders section you’ll note that, by far, the film with the most stabs at this year’s Best Original Song category is Disney’s “The Princess and the Frog.” But interestingly enough (and perhaps a smart move), it seems only four of the tracks are receiving a substantial campaign. We’re [...]
Filed in: Daily
Listen to U2’s ‘Winter’ from ‘Brothers’
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:36 am · December 7th, 2009
A few weeks ago we told you about U2’s “Winter,” an original track from Jim Sheridan’s “Brothers.” Today we’re happy to feature the tune as we have a number of other contenders in the race for Best Original Song.
“Winter” was conceived originally for the film. Confusion has popped up as to whether that was the [...]
Filed in: Daily
