Richard Gere in "Arbitrage."

Credit: Roadside Attractions

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Another day, another Palm Springs Film Festival honoree. (I totally missed the addition of Helen Mirren to the list last week, but I imagine even she can't keep up with the honorary awards she racks up these days.) The latest one is "Arbitrage" star Richard Gere, who'll receive the Chairman's Award -- following Bradley Cooper, he's the second actor tapped for a gong at this year's festival. After a slow start to the season that saw him miss out on an Indie Spirit nod, Gere has rallied a bit in the last week: this publicity-friendly Palm Springs honor consolidates a semi-unexpected Best Actor Golden Globe nod that saw his stock rise in a very crowded race -- where potential vote-splintering at the bottom end of the Oscar ballot, combined with distributor Roadside Attractions' campaign savvy, raises the possibility of a surprise entry. Could it be Gere? I'm increasingly tempted to go there. [PSIFF]

Joe Reid's list of the year's 12 best performances starts with the obvious (Daniel Day-Lewis) and gets increasingly inspired with the likes of Dane DeHaan, Kirsten Dunst and Channing Tatum. Hurrah. [Film.com] 

Jon Weisman asks the question close so many Oscar geeks have asked before him: why not release the full voting tallies. (Personally, I don't think my heart could stand knowing just how little support my favorites had.) [Variety]

Stephen Holden looks at the how the human body has had a rough time of it in many of 2012's standout films, from "Amour" to "Rust and Bone" to "The Sessions." [New York Times]

Amir Soltani speaks to Michel Franco, director of Mexico's Oscar entry "After Lucia" -- one of the trickiest, most intriguing entries in this year's high-calibre competition. [The Film Experience]

Continuing the foreign-language discussion, the directors of "A Royal Affair," "Lore," "The Deep" and "Lost Loves" talk to the Reporter -- though I'm not sure about the subhead claiming they "lead" this year's field. [THR] 

Kenneth Turan names "Amour" the best film of the year -- incidentally, he's a member of the LAFCA, who handed it their top prize. [LA Times]

"Wadjda" and "Ernest and Celestine" were among the big winners at the Dubao International Film Festival this weekend. I think they could feature in next year's foreign-language and animation Oscar races, respectively. [Screen]

Songwriter and producer Paul Epworth talks about the daunting recording sessions that led to his and Adele's Oscar-longlisted "Skyfall" theme. Could he get an Oscar for his pains? I'm beginning to think so -- though the song could just as easily not be nominated at all. [MTV] 

Didn't think there was anything noteworthy about the costume design in "Cabin in the Woods?" Think again. [Clothes on Film]

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.