In Contention

The toughest choices the Academy ever had to make for Oscars

Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 8:00 am · February 16th, 2015

Over the years, the Academy has dealt with its share of Sophie’s choices. What were some of the toughest decisions they ever had to make?

Filed in: HitFix · In Contention

Bradley Cooper makes out with Betty White as Oscar nominees pop up on #SNL40 special

Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 11:55 pm · February 15th, 2015

If you caught “Saturday Night Live’s” 40th anniversary special Sunday night, you saw some of this year’s Oscar nominees capitalizing on the massive exposure opportunity with final Oscar ballots due Tuesday.

Filed in: HitFix · In Contention

Off the Carpet: Less than a week to go, it's 'Birdman's' Oscar to lose

Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 11:00 pm · February 15th, 2015

With less than a week to go before the 87th annual Oscars, it seems like “Birdman” is the film the industry is behind. Big wins from a number of guilds signify a wave of support and betting any other way really requires ignoring a deafening industry hum at this point.

Filed in: HitFix · In Contention

'American Sniper,' 'Birdman,' 'Unbroken' win 2015 MPSE Golden Reel Awards

Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:04 pm · February 15th, 2015

The Motion Picture Sound Editors’ (MPSE) 62nd annual Golden Reel Awards honored a full spread of films Sunday night. “American Sniper,” “Birdman,” “Unbroken,” “Get On Up” and “Big Hero 6” all walked away with hardware.

Filed in: HitFix · In Contention

Emmanuel Lubezki wins second-straight ASC cinematography award for 'Birdman'

Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 8:46 pm · February 15th, 2015

The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) has awarded “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” top honors for cinematography. Emmanuel Lubezki also won the award last year, making him the first back-to-back recipient to date.

Filed in: HitFix · In Contention

'Birdman' wins sound mixing award from Cinema Audio Society

Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:30 pm · February 14th, 2015

Capping off a busy night for awards in the run-up to the 87th annual Oscars, the Cinema Audio Society (CAS) awarded the sound mixing team of “Birdman” top honors Saturday night.

Filed in: HitFix · In Contention

'Guardians,' 'Grand Budapest' big winners with Makeup and Hairstylists Guild

Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 8:34 pm · February 14th, 2015

The Makeup and Hairstylists Guild Awards saw wins for “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Birdman” and “American Horror Story: Freak Show” Saturday night, among others.

Filed in: HitFix · In Contention

'The Grand Budapest Hotel' edges out 'Boyhood' at 2015 Writers Guild Awards

Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 6:44 pm · February 14th, 2015

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) handed out top film honors to the screenplays of “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and “The Imitation Game” Saturday night. On the television side, “Louie” and “True Detective” were favorites, winning two prizes each.

Filed in: HitFix · In Contention

Watch: Filmmakers discuss their Oscar-nominated short films

Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 12:07 pm · February 14th, 2015

The Shorts HD theatrical package of Oscar-nominated short films is now in theaters. Meanwhile, you can watch the filmmakers discuss their work.

Filed in: HitFix · In Contention

Jafar Panahi's 'Taxi' wins Golden Bear at 2015 Berlin Film Festival

Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:31 am · February 14th, 2015

The 65th annual Berlin International Film Festival has drawn to a close with Darren Aronofsky’s jury settling on awards for films in competition. Jafar Panahi’s “Taxi” walked away with top honors, while the “45 Years” duo of Tom Courtenay and Charlotte Rampling won acting honors.

Filed in: HitFix · In Contention

Michael Keaton stops by Antonio Sanchez's live performance of his 'Birdman' score

Posted by Gregory Ellwood · 5:40 pm · February 13th, 2015

Michael Keaton introduced a very special event in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday night, a live performance of the “Birdman” score by composer and drummer Antonio Sanchez.

Filed in: HitFix · In Contention

Contender Countdown: The tough Best Picture call between 'Boyhood' and 'Birdman'

Posted by Gregory Ellwood · 11:30 pm · February 12th, 2015

Is it “Boyhood” or “Birdman” for Best Picture? Some thoughts in this week’s countdown on whether “analytics” really matter with Oscar’s biggest prize.

Filed in: HitFix · In Contention

'Birdman,' 'Gone Girl' win Final Draft Screenwriters' Choice Awards

Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 11:26 pm · February 12th, 2015

Winners have been unveiled for the 2015 Final Draft Screenwriters’ Choice Awards (basically voted on by anyone who — legally — owns Final Draft). “Birdman” and “Gone Girl” came out on top in the film categories, while “True Detective” and “The Big Bang Theory” were the TV winners.

Filed in: HitFix · In Contention

Alexandre Desplat on winning a Grammy and the lesson of masters like John Williams

Posted by gerardkennedy · 2:48 pm · February 12th, 2015

HitFix talks to newly minted Grammy and BAFTA winner Alexandre Desplat to discuss his Oscar-nominated work in Wes Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel.” He is also nominated this year for “The Imitation Game.”

Filed in: HitFix · In Contention · Interviews

Exclusive: Dig a little deeper into 'Birdman' with the Oscars on the horizon

Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 1:34 pm · February 12th, 2015

A new “Birdman” featurette takes you a little further into its thematic ideas. Will it pull off the Oscar win in 10 days? We’ll know soon enough.

Filed in: HitFix · In Contention

2015 Oscars presenters: Kevin Hart, Dakota Johnson, Jennifer Aniston, Chris Pratt

Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 12:41 pm · February 12th, 2015

The Academy has announced a slew of presenters for the upcoming 87th annual Academy awards. It’s a cross-section of the industry, hot topics like Dakota Johnson and Chris Pratt roped in alongside legends like Meryl Streep and John Travolta.

Filed in: HitFix · In Contention

'SNL' documentary 'Live from New York!' to open 2015 Tribeca Film Festival

Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:00 am · February 12th, 2015

The Tribeca Film Festival has announced that the “Saturday Night Live”-centric documentary “Live from New York!” will open the 14th edition of the fest on April 15.

Filed in: HitFix · In Contention