Hunter McCracken and Elizabeth Olsen give amazing performances in “The Tree of Life” and “Martha Marcy May Marlene” respectively this year. And in each case, it was their first at-bat. We use the occasion to look at the best debut performances, including work from Tatum O’Neal, Edward Norton and Natalie Portman.
The Lists: Top 10 debut performances of all time
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 11:14 am · October 18th, 2011
Filed in: HitFix · In Contention
Oscarweb Round-up: How about cutting the double-dippers a break?
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 7:04 am · October 18th, 2011
In today’s round-up, Mark Harris points out a few ridiculous stipulations in Oscar’s rulebook that are frequently singled out, David Fincher talks about Scarlett Johansson’s audition for “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and why he didn’t cast her and Beck is remixing…Philip Glass?
Filed in: HitFix · In Contention
Redgrave and the ladies of 'The Help' lead the conversation on Best Supporting Actress
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:51 am · October 17th, 2011
Rounding out four weeks of performance analysis this week, we turn to Best Adapted Screenplay. Contenders include Vanessa Redgrave, Octavia Spencer, the ubiquitous Jessica Chastain and Shailene Woodley, among others.
Filed in: HitFix · In Contention
Oscarweb Round-up: Will Czech entry 'Alois Nebel' qualify as animated and boost the field?
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 7:08 am · October 13th, 2011
In today’s round-up, Czech foreign film entry “Alois Nebel” declares intentions to submit for animated feature consideration, “Martha Marcy May Marlene” star Elizabeth Olsen is ready for her close-up and Alexander Payne sets out to cast the HELL out of his latest film, “Nebraska.”
Filed in: HitFix · In Contention
Douglas Trumbull feted by Visual Effects Society
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 4:44 pm · October 11th, 2011
Visual effects wizard Douglas Trumbull’s work on “The Tree of Life” has sparked warranted respect and consideration this year. He has been tapped by the Visual Effects Society for this year’s Georges Méliès Award.
Filed in: HitFix · In Contention
Interview: Bill Pohlad reflects on 'The Tree of Life' as the film heads to DVD/Blu-ray
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:09 am · October 10th, 2011
Over lunch some 10 years ago, producer Bill Pohlad witnessed something few of us will ever have the luxury of witnessing: a Terrence Malick pitch. At the time, Pohlad and Malick were moving forward on a Che Guevera project that never came to fruition, and over the course of three hours, Malick laid out the plan for his epic tale of of micro/macrocosmic meditation, “The Tree of Life.”
Filed in: HitFix · In Contention · Interviews
Tech Support: 'Tree of Life,' 'The Artist' lead a field of 'pretty' pictures in Best Cinematography
Posted by gerardkennedy · 9:55 am · October 6th, 2011
This year’s Best Cinematography category is lively already. Great work from Emmanuel Lubezi (“The Tree of Life”) and Lawrence Bennett (“The Artist”) has already been seen, while still-to-come entries in “J. Edgar” and “War Horse” could easily enter the conversation. We dive into the field in this week’s edition of Tech Support.
Filed in: HitFix · In Contention
Jessica Chastain explains the audition process for Terrence Malick and 'The Tree of Life'
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:31 am · October 4th, 2011
With the DVD/Blu-ray release of “The Tree of Life” a week away, Fox Searchlight has dropped a new video to build a little interest. In it, Jessica Chastain talks about first meeting with and auditioning for director Terrence Malick.
Filed in: HitFix · In Contention
Off the Carpet: Wide open supporting actor race could be headlined by vets
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:39 am · October 3rd, 2011
The Best Supporting Actor race is beginning to slowly take shape as a wide array of veteran actors, from Christopher Plummer to Nick Nolte, are leading the conversation. Nevertheless, it’s still a wide open race with a lot of room for movement.
Filed in: HitFix · In Contention
Tech Support: 'Apes' and 'Deathly Hallows' lead the way for Best Visual Effects
Posted by gerardkennedy · 7:19 am · September 29th, 2011
This week in Tech Support we survey the Best Visual Effects category, from typical blockbuster fare like “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” to unusual possibilities like “The Tree of Life” and “The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn.”
Filed in: HitFix · In Contention
Interview: Michael Shannon on 'Take Shelter,' director Jeff Nichols and 'it' girl Jessica Chastain
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 1:54 pm · September 27th, 2011
We sit down with “Take Shelter” star Michael Shannon, who delivers one of the year’s powerhouse performances in the film. He discusses his developing creative bond with director Jeff Nichols and how impressed he was with co-star Jessica Chastain.
Filed in: HitFix · In Contention · Interviews
Plummer, Gordon-Levitt, Chastain and Jones tapped for Hollywood Fest honors
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 11:13 am · September 26th, 2011
The Hollywood Film Awards has announced four new honorees for this year’s gala. Christopher Plummer will win a supporting actor prize for “Beginners,” Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Jessica Chastain will receive breakthrough actor awards, while Felicity Jones’s work in “Like Crazy” earns her the New Hollywood Award.
Filed in: HitFix · In Contention
Tech Support: A new year of crafts coverage
Posted by gerardkennedy · 11:37 am · September 22nd, 2011
Welcome back. Today marks the beginning of the sixth year of Tech Support here at In Contention. I am delighted about the new collaboration with HitFix, which will doubtless result in even more comprehensive awards coverage. Over the next 10 weeks, we will analyze each of the “technical” category races in this space: Art Direction, Cinematography, Costume Design, Film Editing, Makeup, Original Score, Original Song, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing and Visual Effects.
Filed in: HitFix · In Contention
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