Best production still of the week comes to us ironically from WorstPreviews. Angelina Jolie channels a hyper-idealized Coco Chanellian version of herself while Johnny Depp appears to be schooling Russell Crowe on how to refine that scholarly shaggy dogged look from State of Play. Julian Fellows and Christoper McQuarrie get IMDb credit for adapting the screenplay — and we could hardly ask for a better pair of literate polishers –but it’s odd to see so little mention being made of the source material, Anthony Zimmer written and directed by J√©r√¥me Salle in 2005. Maybe because there are twists so intrinsic to the structure the producers of the remake would rather keep the original stashed away. All the same, we’re in good hands with director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (The Lives of Others) and, oh yeah, the cosmic alignment of Angelina & Johnny!
Depp & Jolie in The Tourist
Featured
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Oscar Flashback: 1968 – Oliver, a Globes Musical Comedy Wins Big
3 Feb 2012
The last time a film won the Best Picture Musical Comedy at the Golden Globes then went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture and Best Director was in 1968. The film was Oliver! Despite it being 1968, one of the most tumultuous periods of history for the US, …
(54 Comments)
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The State of the Race: The Shakedown as Final Ballots Go Out
1 Feb 2012
It takes a lot to shake the tree of discontent where the Oscars are concerned. Most film critics and media writers feel it’s borderline irresponsible to even care about such a silly contest, let alone write about it. The Oscars are then left to the hardcore fans of the Oscars, …
(180 Comments)
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The Help, Viola Davis, Jean Dujardin triumph at 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards
29 Jan 2012
THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES Best Male Actor in a Leading Role ★ Jean Dujardin, The Artist Best Female Actor in a Leading Role ★ Viola Davis, The Help Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role ★ Christopher Plummer, Beginners Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role ★ Octavia Spencer, The Help …
(558 Comments)
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Oscar Flashback: A Tale of Two Harveys
29 Jan 2012
Right about now, Harvey Weinstein is looking like the King of the World. For the second year in a row, he’s carried a Best Picture winner through to victory. The first film required more work, as The Social Network was creaming The King’s Speech at every major critics award in …
(61 Comments)
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Oscars 2011: Oscar’s Closed System
28 Jan 2012
There were many different directions the Oscar race for 2011 could have gone but didn’t. They could have honored Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which is better than at least five of the current Best Picture nominees, and the darkest of its long and fruitful series. They could have …
(200 Comments)
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“The Show Must…” “Go On…” – SAG Preview
27 Jan 2012
The actors will chime in with their favorites this Sunday when the Screen Actors Guild awards unfurl. We can expect little surprises, I’m guessing, as the buzz for some contenders simply overwhelms the competition. It feels like a natural progression towards Oscar, this. And much will be decided. For …
(77 Comments)
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Oscar Flashback – Driving Miss Daisy and Do the Right Thing
26 Jan 2012
It’s really hard, isn’t it, to defend, spend time on, invest any emotion on an institution that could continually, and repeatedly, up to and including this year, make such ridiculous choices when the better films are staring them right in the face. Blame the public too, blame the critics especially, …
(179 Comments)
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The State of the Race – Don’t Look Back
25 Jan 2012
If I could call back All those days of yesteryear I would never grow old And I’d never be poor But darlin, those days are gone. Stop dreaming And live on in the future But darling, don’t look back And so it was with this that the 2011 Oscar race …
(210 Comments)
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Giving Props — When Being so Wrong is Being So Right
25 Jan 2012
Major props must go out to Anne Thompson for sticking hard to Tree of Life and never wavering. Thompson knew that the passionate support for the film (boomer nostalgia cum familial masterpiece) would drive it over when it was all about the number one votes. My biggest mistake was assuming …
(48 Comments)
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Oscar Predictions: You Don’t Need a Weatherman to Know Which Way the Wind Blows
22 Jan 2012
Back in 1999, when Oscarwatch.com first began, the highest of priorities was to correctly predict the Oscar race. There was only one other site, for the most part, that predicted the Oscars – Tom O’Neil’s GoldDerby.com. Tom’s site collected mostly film critics who lined up to give their Oscar …
(275 Comments)
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Oscar Flashback: 1968 – Oliver, a Globes Musical Comedy Wins Big
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