Oscar buzz is a strange, unscientific and totally intangible thing — even contenders being left out of the precursor can generate their own conversation with some assistance from the blogosphere. Nathaniel Rogers calls it The Noise, and right now he’s hearing it for Nicole Kidman, whose Oscar chances for a brilliant out-of-character turn in Lee Daniels’ “The Paperboy” initially seemed to be shot down with the film’s critical savaging. But Kidman’s doing a stealth campaign, calling up sympathetic interviewers (including our own Greg Ellwood) herself, and it’s paying off with some press at just the right time. Could she crack a still-thin Best Supporting Actress category? Though I think she’s really a lead in “The Paperboy,” I hope so, and so does Rogers: “You’d have to bring Daniel Day-Lewis’s Honest Abe into the room to give her a worthy opponent for impossible commitment to the role,” he writes. [The Film Experience]
Canada’s Oscar submission, “War Witch” took top honors at the Camerimage Festival, which honors outstanding achievements in cinematography. “Holy Motors” was runner-up. [Screen]
The initial Twitter response to “Django Unchained” is encouraging, though an embargo is supposedly still in place. [The Guardian]
Here’s a comparison I didn’t expect: Devin Faraci on the parallels between “Life of Pi” and John Ford’s “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.” (Spoilerphobes should stay away.) [Badass Digest]
With Mike Newell’s new version of “Great Expectations” having just been released in the UK to a muted response, Charles Moore considers the challenges of adapting Dickens for the screen. [The Telegraph]
Speaking of which, David Lean’s version of “Great Expectations” cracks Jason Solomons’ list of the screen’s 10 best literary adaptations, alongside “Stand By Me” and “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.” [The Observer]
Michael Cieply on an Oscar race seemingly being reclaimed by the major studios after several straight years of indies ruling the roost. [New York Times]
Costume designer Ann Maskrey on dressing “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.” It’s more challenging designing for dwarves than for Cate Blanchett, apparently. Who knew? [LA Times]
Paul Harris reports from last night’s Kennedy Center Honors, at which two-time Oscar champ Dustin Hoffman (and director of this year’s awards hopeful “Quartet”) was among the individuals celebrated. [Variety]
The Academy has posted full videos of the acceptance speeches from Saturday’s Governors’ Awards. I still miss having such moments at the Oscar ceremony itself. [AMPAS]