The cults surrounding “Twilight” and “Star Wars” may not look very similar, but what they do share is a near-evangelical belief in the cultural significance of their respective franchises. I wouldn’t want to get in a fight with either of them — let alone between them — yet that’s what UK critic Mark Kermode has done… and he’s on the side of the Twi-hards. With “Breaking Dawn: Part 2” hitting screens this week, he isn’t afraid to admit that he’s excited. Claiming that most critics’ dismissal of the series marks them as “out of touch,” he adds: “I’ve had a lot more fun watching and arguing about the Twilight movies than I ever had with the Star Wars saga, that lumbering, narratively hobbled space opera which, we now learn, is to return to our screens for yet more boring instalments in the not too distant future.” Hey, I’m just the messenger. [The Guardian]
Remember “Populaire,” the French romcom that briefly caught the attention of awards pundits when the Weinsteins snapped it up earlier this year? Sounds like it’s one to watch for 2013. [Screen]
Just in case we weren’t already sufficiently excited about “Zero Dark Thirty,” composer Alexandre Desplat liken it to a Kurosawa film. [Collider]
Amir Soltani talks to Steve James — the Academy-slighted director of “Hoop Dreams” and “The Interrupters” — about his new film “Head Games” and, yes, the Oscars. [The Film Experience]
Daniel Day-Lewis talks about finding Abraham Lincoln’s voice, among other challenges. [NPR]
“Les Mis” will hit the campaign trail hard with half a dozen screenings for assorted Academy and awards folk on November 24. [New York Times]
Sasha Stone looks at the scarcity of female-centred projects in Hollywood, and how that’s reflected in the Best Picture race. [Awards Daily]
Last month, the AV Club counted down the best films of the 90s — now, the Slant guys have got in on the act. Crowning their top Top 100: the film that should have won the 1998 Best Picture Oscar. [Slant]