The Envelope In Print: Awards Season Preview (Nov. 7)

November 7, 2007

MOVIES

A new passion, a busy life

NICOLE KIDMAN volunteers that she was in a funk as far as acting was concerned, but insists it had nothing to do with approaching a certain age. She derides such milestones as artificial foolishness and, after all, "We could all be dead tomorrow. What does 40 mean?"

November 7, 2007

LIGHTS, CAMERA . . .

Mapping out a 'Golden Age' war council scene

In Lights, Camera. . ., a below-the-line craftsperson answers a question about his or her current film. This week: Guy Hendrix Dyas, production designer on "Elizabeth: The Golden Age," talks about how painting the battle map on the war council floor contributed to that scene.

November 7, 2007

MOVIES

Don't mention the war

IN 2007, the early heavyweight contenders for Oscar are just that -- heavy.

November 7, 2007

THE BIG PICTURE CONVERSATION

For his consideration

JOHN LASSETER is in a classic no-win position. The chief creative officer at both Pixar and the Disney animation group is one of the most influential filmmakers of our era, both as a director (most recently of "Cars") and as the guiding force behind Pixar's unprecedented string of creative and commercial triumphs. (Pixar's latest success, "Ratatouille," made its DVD debut this week). And yet Lasseter is also a member of the Academy Board of Governors, the same Academy that is so dismissive of the artistry of today's animated films that it hasn't given a best picture nomination to an animated film since 1991's "Beauty and the Beast."

November 7, 2007

CONTENDER Q & A

Ready to climb any mountain

FOR nearly 50 years, Hal Holbrook has been entertaining theater audiences with his Tony Award-winning one-man show, "Mark Twain Tonight!" And even at 82, he's about to take his show out on the road yet again. For TV fans, he's the Emmy Award-winning actor of such landmark movies as "A Clear and Present Danger," "That Certain Summer" and "Pueblo." And for moviegoers, he'll forever be the shadowy figure of Deep Throat in "All the President's Men."

November 7, 2007

STYLE

Ruth Myers' not-so-dark materials for 'The Golden Compass'

TO design the costumes for "The Golden Compass," Ruth Myers "used everything I've ever learned in the last 35 years," says the Oscar-nominated costume designer ("Emma," "L.A. Confidential"). In acknowledgment of that career, Myers is slated to be given the Costume Designers Guild Career Achievement Award on Feb. 19."We really pushed all the boundaries to create a world that looks familiar, but unfamiliar," Myers says. "We mixed styles from different eras and cultures, and handmade over 2,000 costumes."

November 7, 2007

IN CONTENTION

Eyes on the prizes

When sizing up potential nominees, Oscar devotees should focus on films that generate the most passionate support. Whereas other awards employ a weighted ballot that dispenses points based upon how voters rank choices, one to five, in each category, the Oscars use a unique preferential ballot that mostly dismisses lower-rung choices. Therefore, nominees tend to be the films that have the most voters rooting for them to win over others that may have wider, less-concentrated support. Here's an early breakdown of how the top races appear now.

November 7, 2007

MOVIES

Making this 'Kite' fly

SCAN the list of films directed by Marc Forster and it quickly becomes evident that he has pulled off something of note in today's Hollywood: He has defied stereotyping.

November 7, 2007

CONTENDER Q & A

Amy Ryan is here baby here

BEN AFFLECK'S directorial debut, "Gone Baby Gone," is filled with Boston locals who anchor the soulful crime drama with homespun seediness.

October 6, 2007

MOVIES

Career crisis after Oscar?

When he won the Oscar for best actor in "The Pianist," Adrien Brody planted a passionate kiss on the lips of Halle Berry that seemed to shock everyone -- including Berry. It's been over four years now and the movie world is still waiting for Brody to find a role equal to "The Pianist."