Among the many things I liked about yesterday’s NBR champ “Her” is the sleek, subtle futurism of its design elements — Casey Storm’s costumes, in particular, are among my favorites of the year, and while I wouldn’t expect the Academy to spring for them, I really hope the Guild takes notice of Storm’s cleverly evolved silhouettes and punchy color palette. After all, it’s the only film this year to inspire a range from a high-end fashion house: with Spike Jonze’s collaboration, Opening Ceremony is introducing the technology-minded line this month. Says Storm of his designs: “The idea was to create a world that looks a lot like the world we live in, but just different enough to tell you that you are not 100 percent in the present.” [New York Times]
Mark Harris weighs in on the first wave of critics’ awards and believes, despite its limited showing thus far, that “12 Years a Slave” is still in the driver’s seat. [Grantland]
An apt list considering the crowded nature of the Best Actor race: the 10 best performances to have lost that award. [The Film Experience]
Which of these are real films headed to Sundance, and which are made-up indies? I admit this quiz totally foxed me. [The Wire]
Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill and Terence Winter sit down for a lengthy “Wolf of Wall Street” chat. [Hollywood Reporter]
The husband-and-wife songwriting duo of “Frozen” discuss the process and inspirations that went into their compositions. (Aimee Mann? Who’d have thought?) [LA Times]
R. Kurt Osenlund reads the tea-leaves for “Saving Mr. Banks,” the film he predicts will be the most-nominated contender not to win a thing. [Slant]
With the British Independent Film Awards this weekend, local critics are bullish about the year in UK cinema. [Variety]