Oscar Isaac, Ryan Gosling and THAT jacket in "Drive."

Credit: Film District

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I may have said this a few times before, but Clothes On Film is one of the smartest film blogs out there. Viewing and analyzing cinema from a sartorial perspective, Chris Laverty understands that there's more to great costume design than lavish corsets and hoop skirts, and his round-up of 2011's collected cinematic wardrobe is a case in point. Alongside appreciations of awards-bound threads from "Hugo" and "The Artist," Laverty is no less intrigued by the non-period work in such films as "Source Code" and "Drive": not only Ryan Gosling's already-iconic satin jacket, but his simple, dirty Henley tee, "reinvent[ing] the uniform of the protector." The Academy's costumers' branch could do worse than take a look at this piece for ideas. [Clothes on Film]

Get past the traffic-grabbing repetition of the words "Keira Knightley's vagina," and this is a thoughtful piece on the actress's "unwhitening" in "A Dangerous Method." [The New Inquiry]

On the parallels between four East Asian entries in the hunt for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. [The Carpetbagger]

Andrew O'Hehir champions "Pariah," "Pina" and (really?) "Albert Nobbs" as alternatives to "overwrought and overrated Oscar bait." [Salon]

Is Woody Allen America's answer to Chekhov? A lovely appreciation by Tim Robey. [The Telegraph]

Pete Hammond on the starriest (and sexiest) Best Actor race in memory. [Deadline]

Steve Pond talks to Ben Kingsley about "under-acting" in "Hugo." [Reuters]

The Berlinale has announced its curtain-raiser: French costume drama "Farewell My Queen," starring Diane Kruger. [Variety]

In case you were wondering, Jeff Wells still doesn't care for "The Artist," and calls this "an awards season to forget." (Unless, of course, you like "The Artist.") [Hollywood Elsewhere]

Guy Lodge
Critic

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Guy Lodge is a South African-born critic and sometime screenwriter. In addition to his work at In Contention, he is a freelance contributor to Variety, Time Out, Empire and The Guardian. He lives well beyond his means in London.