I’m realizing this year that the great costume designer, Mark Bridges, could likely receive his first Oscar nomination (finally) for Michel Hazanavicius’s “The Artist.” Of course, he had to do something expressly period to get there, but this just reminds how hard it is for period design to get a leg up at the Academy Awards. Bridges, you see, has made a career outfitting wonderful contemporary works with directors like Paul Thomas Anderson and David O. Russell. But no matter how quality the work may have been, there’s just a tough road ahead without tons of period or fantasy garb filling the frame. So with that in mind, I hope you’ll read through Simon Kinnear’s wonderful piece on the costumes of Nicolas Winding Refn’s “Drive,” linked in today’s round-up. It should give a nice appreciation of the thematic work that goes into this stuff. Let’s see what’s going on in the Oscarweb today…
Simon Kinnear on the clothing designs of “Drive.” [Clothes on Film]
The film’s soundtrack, meanwhile, rapidly climbs the iTunes charts on strong viral reviews. [The Hollywood Reporter]
Greg Ellwood ponders who got an Oscar bounce out of Toronto. [Awards Campaign]
Anne Thompson talks “Rampart” with writer/director Oren Moverman. [Thompson on Hollywood]
Paramount hangs hopes on Eddie Murphy’s Oscar gig, moves his film “A Thousand Words” to March 23. [Deadline]
On “Contagion” taking the number one spot at the box office last weekend, Patrick Goldstein observes, “When people are beset by anxiety, they often turn to movies that allow them a vicarious release.” [The Big Picture]
With “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” opening across the pond, Terrence Rafferty reflects on John le Carré adaptations through the years. [New York Times]
Meanwhile, William Boyd calls the novel le Carré’s “masterwork” and offers up a dense primer on the material. [The Guardian]
David Poland raises a glass to Sony Pictures Classics on the occasion of the studio’s 20th birthday. [The Hot Blog]