Live Academy Award Commentary

The final tally: 14 correct choices out of 21. That’s superb for a batting average, but poor for an Oscar prediction list.
As for the big winners: The Hurt Locker, 6 awards; Avatar 3; Precious, 2; Crazy Heart, 2; Up, 2.
If you hung in with us for the live show, thanks! Hope you all had a […]

Meet In the Lobby Academy Awards Picks

As an American-based site, we’ve always appreciated our UK fans and colleagues. Now, we’re jumping into the Oscar fray with them, as part of a contest from a pleasant British discount site called VoucherCodes. They’ve asked me to join fellow movie critics and bloggers in a contest, and log Oscar predictions for this Sunday’s self-congratulatory […]

IFFB Closing and Award Winners 2009

The 2009 Independent Film Festival of Boston wrapped last night with the official Closing Night film, Bobcat Goldthwait’s World’s Greatest Dad (below), a movie both Allison and I admire. It’s an unforgiving dark comedy with some real ideas about how our culture views death and fame, with a handful of hard-working performances (most notably, Daryl […]

Oscar Predictions, Thoughts

The Academy Awards are an unbelievable contradiction to movie fans. There’s conversation about thought-provoking films, exemplary acting and even movie history. And there’s near-equal attention to dresses, gowns and personal relationships.
It’s brain-frying: Some numbnuts on E! rambles on about Heidi Klum’s dress (in freeze-frame, no less), while a text scroll lists the fine screenwriters nominated for […]

MITL Live: 2009 Independent Spirit Awards

In a few minutes, Steve Coogan will take the stage at this year’s Indie Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, and we’ll hang in to crack wise (in terms of both ‘wisdom’ and ‘wise ass’) for the whole show.
First, thoughts on Coogan: You gotta love a guy who got his face punched by a key grip […]