Thompson on Hollywood

Oscar Predicts Chart 2010

Here's my list of predictions for Oscar wins (in italics) in all categories including shorts. (My nominations predictions are here.) Until February 27th!

By Anne Thompson
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February 26, 2011 12:51 AM
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Mark Your Ballots: Anne Thompson Predicts Oscar Winners

The Oscar polls closed on Tuesday at 5 PM. No more campaigning, lobbying or pitches for attention will make a difference now. It's all in the hands of the PriceWaterhousecooper counters, and will be revealed Sunday. Meanwhile the rest of us want to win our respective Oscar pools. This year, I must warn you, is tough to call. As Kris Tapley and I discuss in our latest Oscar Talk, there are plenty of sure-calls, but also several impossible-to-predict categories: documentary and foreign film, which are voted on by small groups who must prove that they've seen all the films, and supporting actress. The shorts are always a bit of a crap shoot too. Warning: I'm going out on a limb in a few categories, so when in doubt, choose the perceived frontrunner.

By Anne Thompson
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February 25, 2011 8:17 AM
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Cinematography: Best Shots of 2010, First Look at Malick's Untitled Film

Kris Tapley's Top Ten Shots of the year (parts one and two) is always something to look forward to. 2010's selection may not top the spectacular 2007 picks, but it's not always about the single image, Tapley explains: "...great cinematography isn’t (and shouldn’t be) dependent on singular frames or visual moments, but the overall canvas and mise-en-scene delivered from beginning to end. I have a lot of fun digging into the visual vocabulary of a year in film and, to say the least, discussing that vocabulary with the craftsmen and women involved, so who can complain? I hope you enjoy."

By Anne Thompson and Sophia Savage
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February 23, 2011 9:39 AM
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BAFTAs Go to King's Speech, Social Network, Inception, Black Swan, Alice, Dragon Tattoo UPDATED

The BAFTA Awards are under way at the Royal Opera House in London. Safe to say The King's Speech is winning many awards but is not sweeping; Inception and Alice in Wonderland are grabbing many of the technical categories. I predict that the Oscars will follow this trend.

By Anne Thompson
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February 13, 2011 7:48 AM
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Oscar Talk: Bening vs. Portman, Leo's Gaffe, Nominees Lunch, BAFTAs, Inception Surge

We're in the thick of the Oscar race now. In this week's Oscar Talk podcast, In Contention's Kris Tapley and Guy Lodge and I discuss the real contest between Annette Bening and Natalie Portman, whether Melissa Leo's glam ads are opening up the field in supporting actress, and how the Nominees Lunch and the upcoming BAFTAs on Sunday give us a sense of where the races are tipping.

By Anne Thompson
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February 11, 2011 4:59 AM
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Academy Nominees Luncheon: 2011 Class Photo, Meeting the Coens, Keeping It Short

What becomes a legend most? A diminutive best actress nominee sitting at the center of a group photo on last year's best actor winner's lap. At last year's nominees luncheon, Jeff Bridges was hanging with genuine affection with old pal Sandra Bullock.

By Anne Thompson
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February 7, 2011 11:52 AM
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Oscar Watch: Nominees Meet Press, Talk Awards Season, Dressing in Tutus, Butch Cassidy and Bells

This year's Academy Award-nominated actors took to the podium moments before today's annual Nominees Luncheon to answer media questions. Judging by applause and laughter, the interview room crowd favorites were Annette Bening, Helena Bonham Carter, Nicole Kidman, James Franco, Jesse Eisenberg and Javier Bardem, who kicked it all off.

By Sophia Savage
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February 7, 2011 10:11 AM
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SAG Awards Go to The King's Speech and Firth, Black Swan's Portman, The Fighter's Bale and Leo

The Screen Actors Guild's best ensemble award is the equivalent of the Oscar best picture. The King's Speech wins it, along with Colin Firth for best actor. The Fighter's Melissa Leo and Christian Bale win the supporting category. And best actress goes to Black Swan's Natalie Portman. It will probably be thus on Oscar night. But the races can shift over time. Firth and Bale can't lose. And The King's Speech is backed by the wily Harvey Weinstein.

By Anne Thompson
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January 31, 2011 3:11 AM
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Oscar Watch: True Grit vs. Social Network, Bening vs. Portman

How quickly momentum shifts in the Oscar race after nominations reveal the lay of the land. Every single one of the Gurus 'O Gold who was voting for The Social Network to win best picture switched to The King's Speech. Wow.

By Anne Thompson
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January 28, 2011 5:50 AM
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Oscar Nominations Led by King's Speech with 12; Winter's Bone Makes Top Ten, Bardem Lands Actor Nod

With the announcement of the Oscar nominations, momentum shifts toward The King's Speech, which led the fray with twelve nominations, including best picture, actor, supporting actor and actress, director and original screenplay. The Coen brothers western True Grit followed with ten nominations, including picture, actor, supporting actress, director and adapted screenplay. Producer Scott Rudin is grinning as he produced both True Grit and The Social Network, which earned eight nominations, including picture, actor, director, and original screenplay. Chris Nolan's Inception also earned eight, but while the writer-director landed a nomination for original screenplay (his second), he didn't get director, which is a sign that the film was not in the top five of the ten slots, and is unlikely to land best picture. Ben Affleck's The Town was shut out of contention except for Jeremy Renner, last year's discovery for The Hurt Locker, who nabbed his second nomination.