Clik here to view.
OFF THE CARPET: Taking the temperature
Now that we’re on the other side of Cannes, I felt it was a good time to put a finger to the wind, stare into the tea leaves, shake the magic 8-ball and basically just take stock of where we’re at...
View ArticleClik here to view.
CANNES: Starfish and coffee
“Hey, that’s no way to say goodbye,” you might have thought (or even sang, in gravelly Leonard Cohen tones) after my rushed response to yesterday’s Cannes winners. But having recharged overnight with a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Telegraph predicts “global hit” for ‘Dagenham’
Two weeks ago, when I made my first Oscar predictions of the 2010 season, I went out on a bit of a limb for “Made in Dagenham,” the upcoming true-life Britcom that will have its world premiere at...
View ArticleClik here to view.
‘Another Year’ UK trailer
At Cannes, I was with the critical majority in admiring Mike Leigh’s latest, and the valentines will surely continue to roll in when the film plays Toronto next month ahead of an awards-season run. The...
View ArticleClik here to view.
TELLURIDE: ‘The Illusionist,’‘Another Year’
The final trio of films I caught at this year’s Telluride fest, which is slowly winding down this holiday, were a bit of Cannes catch-up. The first, Alejandro González Iñárritu’s “Biutiful,” I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
‘Another Year’ UK poster
Honestly, I’m not crazy about the execution in this case, but I’m always pleased to see poster designers trying illustrative concepts ahead of lazy photographic floating-head templates. I imagine Sony...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Leigh and Manville on their 30-year collaboration
As you probably know, I’m rooting hard for seasoned character actress Lesley Manville to get her first Oscar nod this year for Mike Leigh’s “Another Year” — and the quality of her piercing tragicomic...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mike Leigh celebrates “hidden city” of London
My attention was drawn to this article last week, but since the London Film Festival kicks off this week (and Mike Leigh’s “Another Year” will be competing for top honors there), now seems an...
View ArticleClik here to view.
10/18 OSCARWEB ROUND-UP: Buzz for Rudd, Ebert chats up ‘Secretariat’ author,...
• Jeffrey Wells posts a reader review of James L. Brooks’s “How Do You Know” that claims Paul Rudd is a sure-fire Best Supporting Actor nominee, but I’d expect a lead campaign for him and buzz for Jack...
View ArticleClik here to view.
10/20 OSCARWEB ROUND-UP: ‘Complete Metropolis’ coming to TCM, buzz for Leo,...
• Jeffrey Wells reminds of the forthcoming TCM airing of the restored “Metropolis” and one hour documentary “Metropolis Refound.” I’ll…be…there. [Hollywood Elsewhere] • Steve Pond conveys positive...
View ArticleClik here to view.
THE LONG SHOT: British reserve
“The British are coming!” crowed screenwriter Colin Welland from the Oscar stage in 1982, hoisting aloft his just-awarded awarded statuette for “Chariots of Fire” – and anticipating one of the bigger...
View ArticleClik here to view.
‘King’s Speech’ leads BIFA nods, ‘Another Year’ snubbed
Mike Leigh has long bemoaned the fact that he gets more respect from American awards bodies than those in his homeland. He received further proof of that this morning, as his broadly acclaimed new...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Dr. Leigh and the women
I often hear Mike Leigh described as a great “women’s director,” though that’s really only half the truth. Vivid, probing male characters abound in Leigh films, often as vital counterpoints to female...
View ArticleClik here to view.
11/5 OSCARWEB ROUND-UP: Boyle on ‘127 Hours’ faintings, best in animated...
• Steve Pond gets Danny Boyle’s thoughts on this rash of faintings at screenings of “127 Hours.” [The Odds] • Sasha Stone calls 2010 (so far) one of the best years for film in recent history. [Awards...
View ArticleClik here to view.
OFF THE CARPET: Giving thanks
As we move into turkey (or tofurkey, if that happens to be your speed) week 2010, it seems proper, if a tad bit obvious, to take a moment and give thanks. So in lieu of a proper analysis of the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
LIFE WITHOUT OSCAR: 1993 and 1994
Catch up with the idea behind this series here. 1993 was the year I first became interested in making movies and tracking box office. There are two words responsible for both and they rhyme with...
View ArticleClik here to view.
THE LONG SHOT: When you’re strange
(Updated predictions available here.) I shan’t often find room for Gaspar Noé’s name in a space ostensibly dedicated to the Oscar race, so bear with me if this seems an unlikely opening gambit, but...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Best in show 2010: the year in superlatives
The week, and with it, the bulk of my 2010 coverage, draws to a close today with a look at the best of the best. I’m offering up a personal list of superlatives, including most Oscar categories and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
12/22 OSCARWEB ROUND-UP: The reclusive Charles Portis, ‘Avatar’ most-pirated,...
• On the language, cult following and press-shyness of reclusive “True Grit” author Charles Portis. [Speakeasy] • Mike Leigh discusses “Another Year” and why he’ll never make a superhero movie....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Another word on ‘Another Year’
I’m linking to this Top 20 Films of 2010 list on In Review Online for several reasons. Because I really like the site. Because I really like the list. Because I’m one of the writers they polled to...
View Article