Alicia Vikander in "Anna Karenina."

Credit: Focus Features

Are you a fan of In Contention?

Sign up to get the latest updates instantly.

Sign Up ► More Instant Alert Options ►

Never miss a post - sign up now to get an e-mail alert whenever
In Contention is updated

Close

Or

SIGN UP with Facebook

Sign Up ►

More Instant Alert Options ►

The Hamptons International Film Festival wrapped this weekend, delivering another Audience Award to Toronto favorite "Silver Linings Playbook" -- more ammo the Weinsteins to campaign it as the crowdpleasing Oscar choice -- and a hat-trick of prizes for Australia's foreign Oscar contender "Lore." Meanwhile, the festival hosted the official celebrations for Variety's 10 Actors to Watch, a well-chosen bunch that includes Scoot McNairy ("Monsters"; "Killing Them Softly"), Nate Parker ("Arbitrage") and the film-stealing "Anna Karenina" duo of Alicia Vikander and Domnhall Gleeson. (Yep, son of Brendan.) Cheers all round. [Hamptons Film Fest] 

More good news for "Playbook," as Bradley Cooper takes the Hollywood Actor honor at the Hollywood Film Awards -- they may invite much sneering, but a prize is a prize. [The Race]

Harvey Weinstein will deliver the keynote address at the upcoming London Film Festival, where his company's films "Quartet" and "The Sapphires" are playing. [Variety]

Love this idea for a Halloween-month series: Oscar Horrors looks at rare Academy Award nominations for films in and around the horror genre, beginning with "Addams Family Values." [The Film Experience]

Oli Lyttelton considers the Best Supporting Actor race, describing Philip Seymour Hoffman's co-lead turn in "The Master" as the category's only lock. [The Playlist]

Nick Davis, meanwhile, serves up a far tastier roster of candidates in the same category -- only one of whom has a shot in hell at an Oscar nod, sadly. [Nick's Flick Picks]

Sasha Stone is high on Sundance prizewinner "Middle of Nowhere," which she believes could make Ava DuVernay the first female African-American filmmaker to land an Oscar nod. [Awards Daily]

Remember when "Battleship" came out, and we all joked about adapting "Monopoly" and "Hungry Hungry Hippos" for the screen? Well, Hollywood knows not the meaning of "joke." [The Guardian]

Elizabeth Olsen talks "Liberal Arts," Spike Lee's upcoming "Oldboy" remake and why she likes Cillian Murphy. [GQ]

Looking at how Bond films have fared in the past with the music branch, Paul Grein wonders if "Skyfall" composer Thomas Newman -- and, of course, the ubiquitous Adele -- can snag Oscar nods. [Yahoo!]

Guy Lodge
Critic

• Follow

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.