Could "Frankenweenie" take the Oscar for Disney?

Credit: Walt Disney Pictures

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Apologies for the very late roundup today: I've been having substantial technical problems. We kick off with a look at an Oscar category that few pundits claim to have a bead on: the Best Animated Feature category. In the second consecutive year that Pixar doesn't have it all wrapped up, Glenn Whipp surveys a highly flexible field, and wonders if venerable parent company Disney couldn't reclaim its dominance of the medium and score a trio of nods: with Tim Burton's well-received "Frankenweenie" (the one to beat, from where I'm standing) and "Wreck-It Ralph" bracketing Pixar's generally liked-but-not-loved "Brave." Wouldn't it be fun to have a race in this category for a change? [LA Times]

"Anna Karenina" costume designer Jacqueline Durran -- a racing favorite for the Oscar, surely -- talks about bringing contemporary couture influences to her Russian finery. [The Genteel]

Looking at the real Hollywood story behind Ben Affleck's festival favorite "Argo" -- how did some hack screenwriter not dream this up first? [The Hollywood Reporter] 

"Arbitrage" star Richard Gere talks to Wendy Mitchell about making films about that rarest of modern-day concepts -- real people. [Screen Daily]

With "Skyfall" less than a month away in the UK, the Guardian kicks off the perennial discussion about the greatest ever Bond film. (The answer, in case you didn't know, is "From Russia With Love.") [The Guardian]

Brad Brevet examines the two female acting Oscar races, and admits that he can't see anyone beating Jennifer Lawrence for Best Actress. [Rope of Silicon]

Speaking of which, Jeff Wells believes in "Silver Linings Playbook"'s Oscar chances so much that he allegedly broke down in a parking lot when Tom O'Neil averred. At least it wasn't over something unimportant. [Gold Derby]

Brian De Palma, whose "Passion" was just picked up by IFC, gets the video interview treatment from David Poland. [Hot Blog]

How much is an Academy Award worth these days? Well, if it's the one Joan Crawford won 65 years ago, a little over $400,000. Yes, that's less than what Bette Davis's statuette fetched. Ouch. [Vanity Fair]

Tracking and rating the screen masturbation history of the three stars of "The Master." Hey, why not? [Vulture]

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.