Not everyone was expecting “Captain Phillips” writer Billy Ray to take the WGA Award last weekend — though Kris, I believe, called it. Anyway, it seems to have been a popular win, and while he seems unlikely to repeat that triumph on Oscar night, it’s nice to see one of the season’s most formidable also-ran films get a moment in the sun. Ray himself has now written a good piece about his experience of writing the film — in which he refuses to claim much credit: “I like the feeling I get when I’m working on a true story – a sense of authenticity, that I’m really reporting and not just writing … [Phillips], like the movie itself, is real and unvarnished, imperfect but thoroughly human. I always felt there was a real nobility in that; my job was simply to capture it. In that sense, it’s really Captain Phillips who wrote this movie – I just wrote it down.” [LA Times]
Channing Tatum and the Academy have named the six members of the public who will form this year’s “Team Oscar.” [Variety]
William Chang Suk Ping, a surprise Best Costume Design nominee this year, talks about hand-crafting 100 gowns and the multiple shades of black in “The Grandmaster.” [New York Times]
Nick Schager on why “Frozen” is the first Disney princess film that isn’t so much for girls as much as ity’s actively about them. [Village Voice]
The stars of “Nymphomaniac” discuss working with Lars von Trier, and explain why he’s not a misogynist. [The Guardian]
Noel Murray on why too many screenwriters are overly concerned with backstory. [The Dissolve]
Is Best Actor a done deal for Matthew McConaughey? Kyle Buhanan thinks there’s still some wiggle room. [Vulture]
Finally, not a huge surprise, but something we wanted to hear: Jonny Greenwood will be scoring “Inherent Vice.” [Film Music Reporter]