Oscar bits and bites

Gravity’s tops the box office for the third consecutive week. What was that thing about women not being able to open movies? Seems to me we have a solid with Sandra Bullock.  12 Years a Slave also did very well in limited release. What was that thing about it being too brutal for people to want to see?

A revival of Jesse James and the Coward Robert Ford has been planned and will take place in December. In Contention’s Kris Tapley (and a few other sites, like this one) had a hand in helping it get off the ground.  , “No Eulogies: A Revival of ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford'” will take place at the Sumner M. Redstone Theater on Saturday, Dec. 7. Dominik will be on hand to participate in a Q&A after the screening, and who knows what the candid artist will have to say with six years removed from what was a troubling post-production process and a release that, quite frankly, could have been more delicately handled by the studio?” — Very cool indeed.

Jeff Wells flew all the way to London to catch a screening of Saving Mr. Banks.  He will be posting his review of it soon.

Gravity and 12 Years a Slave both hover at 96 over at Metacritic. That makes them the best reviewed films of the year so far – and both are headed smack into the center of the Best Picture race.

Nicole Kidman, Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce will make Stranger-land, a film about children disappearing into the outback.

AO Scott notices that many of the characters in the top films right now are “Facing a Pitiless Void.” Indeed.