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• Nikki Finke says Oscarcast producers may be secretly considering a third host. [Deadline Hollywood Daily]
• Julian Sancton talks to the brilliant (and all but forgotten this season) Anthony Mackie. [Little Gold Men]
• Davis Guggenheim’s education crisis documentary “Waiting for Superman” is Sundance’s first pick-up. [The Wrap]
1/22 Oscarweb Round-up
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:46 am · January 22nd, 2010
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
THE LISTS: Top 10 movie-related moments of 2009
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 12:38 pm · December 29th, 2009
As the year (and decade) slowly winds down, I thought it would be a pretty good time to revive our long-slumbering Lists feature here at In Contention. And what better way to do so and salute the year at hand than to lay out the most significant movie-related moments of 2009?
The American Film Institute kind [...]
Filed in: The Lists
THE LONG SHOT: Popular mechanics
Posted by Guy Lodge · 6:19 pm · November 25th, 2009
“My God, they’ve thrown in everything but the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”
Quoted by writer Anthony Holden in his gossipy history “The Oscars,” this was one publicist’s dismayed response to the 1990 Academy Award nominations, which included such unusual concessions to popular (as opposed to critical) opinion as a Best Picture nomination for “Ghost” and a [...]
Filed in: The Long Shot
AMPAS chief Sherak promises “more fun” Oscars
Posted by Guy Lodge · 6:00 am · November 15th, 2009
As a former Fox chairman with a background in marketing, it’s unsurprising that Tom Sherak, who recently replaced Sid Ganis as president of the Academy, wants to bring a more populist approach to the Oscars.
In this LA Times interview, he makes it clear that the primary objective of the move to 10 Best Picture nominees [...]
Filed in: Daily
‘Basterds’ gets dolled up for Oscar as Tarantino receives Santa Barbara’s Kirk Douglas Award
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 11:09 am · October 24th, 2009
There was a moment last season where I gave up going against the grain on the notion that “The Dark Knight” would be nominated for Best Picture. I was called a fool, I was told I wasn’t with the program, I was told certain milestones related to the film would not be overlooked, etc. I [...]
Filed in: Daily
9/11 Web Round-up
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 7:41 am · September 11th, 2009
• If you’re dismissing the Oscar potential of “The Men Who Stare at Goats,” Gregory Ellwood says, “Not so fast.” [Awards Campaign]
• Meryl Streep on why Hollywood’s men don’t trust women. [The Times]
• Betsy Sharkey sits down with “Precious” director Lee Daniels. [The Envelope]
Filed in: Daily
Searching for Oscar meaning in IMDb’s top 15 of the millennium
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 8:02 am · August 19th, 2009
Over at IMDb there is a new feature called “The Power of Film” (lofty title, that), which has listed out the top 15 films of the millennium as voted on by IMDB users, i.e., fans, the public, regular folks.
The IMDb top 250 is an ever-changing mish-mash of high-,middle- and low-brow entertainment that always makes for [...]
Filed in: Daily
In praise of model and practical effects work in ‘Moon’
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:25 am · August 17th, 2009
The success of Neill Blomkamp’s “District 9,” (thoughts) and hopefully (eventually), Duncan Jones’s “Moon” (review) has fed into what I’ve been consistently calling a banner year for sci-fi cinema in 2009. That is, of course, assuming “Avatar” does come along and lay a giant egg in December.
One of the galvanizing aspects to, well, two of [...]
Filed in: Daily
TECH SUPPORT: Kicking the tires on a new season
Posted by Gerard Kennedy · 11:52 am · July 11th, 2009
Today marks the beginning of a fourth year of Tech Support here at In Contention. Over the past four years, we’ve sought to bring the otherwise under-reported crafts categories and crafts artists the attention they seldom receive, despite their enormous contributions to the art of cinema.
This year, we plan on looking at nine of [...]
Filed in: Tech Support
Nolan out for third Batman? Who could step in?
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 8:54 am · June 17th, 2009
Bill Ramey over at Batman on Film has posted a rather disconcerting report this morning regarding the status of Christopher Nolan’s involvement with a third film in the lucrative Batman franchise. The info, which is hardly concrete, comes from one of the numerous Bat-related sources Ramey has acquired over 12 years of focusing his site [...]
Filed in: Daily
HBO ‘Dark Knight’ promos featuring the Pixies
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 6:42 pm · June 8th, 2009
Last year’s box office hog (and Best Picture no-show) “The Dark Knight” premieres on HBO this Friday, June 13. There is nothing particularly creative about using the Pixies’ “Where is my Mind?” on these promo commercials of course, but I love the juxtaposition anyway.
(Courtesy: Superherpo Hype)
Filed in: Daily
THE LISTS: Top 10 action sequences of all time
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 12:52 pm · May 19th, 2009
The summer is here. Three weeks in and we’ve seen the first two action blockbusters of the season and the first adult-oriented thrill-ride, with fighting machines, historical actioners and high concept comedies still to come. But while the summer movie season has grown into an amalgamation of these separate examples of a given [...]
Filed in: The Lists
SUNDAY CENTS: ‘X’ marks the spot
Posted by Chad Hartigan · 2:53 pm · May 3rd, 2009
After all the hype, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” opened with a solid $87.0 million at the box office this weekend. Both “X2″ and “X-Men: The Last Stand” started with over $100 million* but “Wolverine” does better the $72.6 million of Bryan Singer’s original from 2000. When a film is received as poorly as Brett Ratner’s [...]
Filed in: Box Office · Sunday Cents
INTERVIEW: Michael Caine
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 12:30 pm · April 28th, 2009
So far 2008 hasn’t offered much for an Oscar shortlist beyond a few festival offerings that have yet to see a domestic release. Certainly nothing in the way of powerhouse awards-caliber performances has come down the pike, leaving some to talk up smaller, menial turns amid the lull. But one actor has certainly put forth [...]
Filed in: Interviews
