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Immersed in Movies: Assessing the Production Design Oscar Race

Awards

If there is one word that best describes the five Oscar nominees for production design, it's upheaval. In "Anna Karenina," it's about the crumbling 19th-century Russian aristocracy. In "The Hobbit," Bilbo's comfortable life is turned upside down when Gandalf recruits him to help the dwarves take back their homeland. In "Les Misérables," the gritty adaptation of the celebrated musical evokes more of the political struggle to rid the inequality of 19th century France. In "Life of Pi," a boy endures a perilous spiritual journey alone on the ocean with a mysterious tiger. And in "Lincoln," the legendary 16th President struggles to end slavery and the Civil War and find peace of mind and his place in history.

By Bill Desowitz
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February 8, 2013 4:03 PM
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Awards

On this week's Oscar Talk Podcast, Kris Tapley and I discuss the state of the race post-DGA win for "Argo," the Academy Nominees Luncheon, rank the animated shorts, and more. Kris is gung-ho all the way on "Argo," while I argue that in many categories including Best Picture and Director, this race is too close to call.

By Anne Thompson
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February 8, 2013 12:00 PM
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News

On the heels of the release of his Netflix series "House of Cards," folks are wondering if Fincher will return to Sony's lower-budget "The Girl Who Played with Fire," with or without Daniel Craig, or do big-scale "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." Fincher hints that he wants to go small and direct more music videos. He's aiming to team up with Justin Timberlake for his song "Suit and Tie." The director got his start with music videos for Madonna, Billy Idol, Aerosmith, and Nine Inch Nails.

By Maggie Lange
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February 4, 2013 1:36 PM
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Awards

The 17th annual Art Directors Guild Awards, presented at a lively if long ceremony at the Beverly Hilton, honored "Anna Karenina," "Life of Pi" and "Skyfall" in the period, fantasy and contemporary feature film categories, respectively.

By Beth Hanna
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February 3, 2013 2:47 AM
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Awards

On this week's Oscar Talk podcast, Kris Tapley and I discuss where we are right now with Oscar nominations ballots due January 4 and the impact of this week's Producers Guild and Art Directors Guild nominations. Which films will be on the Best Picture list-will it be seven, eight or even ten? We assess what's sure of a spot, what's not, and long-shot possibilities.

By Anne Thompson
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January 4, 2013 11:43 AM
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Awards

The Art Directors Guild nominations in nine categories of production design for theatrical motion pictures, television, commercials and music videos include: period film nominees "Anna Karenina," "Argo," "Django Unchained," "Les Miserables," and "Lincoln," while the fantasy film category recognizes such diverse selections as "Life of Pi" and "The Dark Knight Rises." Contemporary entry "Skyfall" is also looking strong after Wednesday's PGA nominations. Will a Bond film actually land in he Best Picture race?