As we inch closer to the Oscar ceremony that will signal the true end of the 2011 film year, we reflect on the best single images captured on film (or digital drive, if you will). Today we wrap things up in the second part of this annual piece, offering up the five best shots of the year.
The top 10 shots of 2011: part two
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 6:58 am · February 15th, 2012
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MCN's Gurus make their final calls
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:26 am · February 11th, 2012
The Gurus o’ Gold collective of Oscar dorks (yours truly included) at Movie City News have offered up final-ish predictions. I imagine David Poland will give us all an opportunity to change this or that, and certainly, my own picks aren’t final until the Friday or Saturday before the show, but for the most part, these are where the chips lie.
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Oscar Guide 2011: Best Sound Mixing
Posted by Guy Lodge · 6:30 am · February 8th, 2012
This is one of the year’s hardest technical categories to predict, largely because the Academy’s sound branch agreed with the Cinema Audio Society on only two nominees. We size up who might win, and who should.
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Oscar Guide 2011: Best Supporting Actor
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:29 am · February 6th, 2012
This year’s Best Supporting Actor race seemed to settle in rather early on. The eventual five nominees were all considered formidable as far back as September and nothing really came along to significantly alter the landscape. The one “surprise” came in the form of a contender popping up who had been expected to fall the way of his film. Well, ultimately he did.
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Could this be Brad Pitt’s year after all?
Posted by Roth Cornet · 10:52 am · February 4th, 2012
Brad Pitt’s “Moneyball” stumping this week amid an air of uncertainty around the Best Actor race makes you wonder: could he pull off a big surprise.
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Oscar Guide 2011: Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
Posted by gerardkennedy · 9:19 am · February 1st, 2012
A script is a film’s blueprint, making it unsurprising that most of the nominees in this category have historically also been nominated for Best Picture. This year was no exception, with three of the final five adapted screenplay contenders also chalked up as the year’s best films. Room was also made for a particularly challenging adaptation of a classic novel and a star-studded film with no other nominations.
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Breaking Oscar's biopic addiction
Posted by Guy Lodge · 4:15 pm · January 31st, 2012
If the results of Sunday’s SAG Awards are repeated at the Oscars, it’ll be the first time since 1997 that all four acting awards go to actors playing fictitious characters. Are voters slowly getting more resistant to biopics?
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Tech Support: 'The Artist,' 'Hugo,' 'Dragon Tattoo' and 'War Horse' feature heavily in Oscar's crafts categories
Posted by gerardkennedy · 1:12 pm · January 24th, 2012
This morning, many crafts artists in Hollywood (and elsewhere in the world) found out that they are heading to the Kodak Theatre for the 84th Annual Academy Awards. The thrill they are experiencing must be difficult to describe.
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Oscar Talk: Ep. 79 — Special Edition! — Thoughts on the the 2011 Oscar nominations
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 12:14 pm · January 24th, 2012
In this week’s podcast Kris and Anne are joined by Guy Lodge to discuss this morning’s Oscar nominations and offer up predictions in each category.
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Iowa critics dig 'Descendants'
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 4:51 pm · January 19th, 2012
The Iowa Film Critics have joined and drowned in the on-going chorus of year-end kudos-dishers. Drowned-in because it’s all just a blur now. “The Descendants” came out on top, winning both Best Picture and Best Director. And there’s Melissa McCarthy, yet again.
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Tech Support: Wrapping up guesses throughout the Academy's craft categories
Posted by gerardkennedy · 1:31 pm · January 19th, 2012
Rounding out my picks in the Academy’s crafts branches, from Best Music to Best Visual Effects.
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Tech Support: Guessing the nominees throughout the Academy's craft categories
Posted by gerardkennedy · 7:49 am · January 19th, 2012
In five days, the nominations for the 84th annual Academy Awards will be announced. It seems extraordinary that another season has nearly passed. And with a silent film and a somewhat fantastical (not-so-) children’s film poised to dominate the major categories, one realizes how quickly trends can change in Hollywood. But now it’s time to make our final picks across the crafts categories.
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'Hanna,' 'Pirates' among Cinema Audio Society surprises, 'Transformers' snubbed
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 4:30 am · January 19th, 2012
And now, as they say, for something completely different. The guild nominations these last few weeks have been rank and file, the usual mish-mash of the same titles reflecting a bit of group think and perfunctory nominations. That ends today, though, as the Cinema Audio Society’s crop of nominees included some eyebrow-raising titles.
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Georgia critics opt for 'Tree of Life,' Binoche and (twice) Pitt
Posted by Guy Lodge · 3:57 pm · January 17th, 2012
The Georgia Film Critics’ Association distinguished themselves from the back with a fresh and considered list of nominees — and their winners, announced earlier today, are no less intriguing
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'The Artist' wins 4 Critics' Choice Awards, including Best Picture and Director
Posted by Guy Lodge · 1:51 am · January 13th, 2012
There were few surprises in last night’s BFCA Critics’ Choice Awards, as ‘The Artist’ took home the top two prizes — but there was disappointment for nomination co-leader ‘Hugo,’ which won only a single technical prize.
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'Tinker, Tailor,' 'Jane Eyre' nominated for USC Scripter Award
Posted by Guy Lodge · 7:50 am · January 12th, 2012
The USC Libraries Scripter nominees have been announced, honoring the written word by screenrwriters and authors alike.
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The Lists: Top 10 bubble contenders to consider for Oscar
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 4:07 pm · January 10th, 2012
Ballots are in hand and the last push to this Friday’s poll deadline is tight and spirited. Now is the time when you cross your fingers for completely left-field picks from the Academy’s membership (most of which has likely already turned in its ballot by now), but mainly hope for some bubble contenders that are highly deserving to fall on the right side of the line come Tuesday, January 24.
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'Descendants,' Malick, Clooney and Dunst win with Kansas City critics
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 5:10 pm · January 8th, 2012
The Kansas City Film Critics Circle held its vote this evening and “The Descendants” was named the year’s best. I was somewhat confused that “Hugo” won an award designated for sci-fi/fantasy/horror films, though. How does that perception even happen?
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