Pocket Roundup: The Oscars
The 2013-2014 awards season came to a peak on Sunday evening with the ultimate finale in film: The Oscars.
It’s a night to celebrate beautiful storytelling, which all of us can be inspired by. So, we rounded up some of the most saved and shared articles surrounding this year’s Awards, Hollywood’s favorite actors and actresses, and even a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into creating an Oscar-worthy flick.
Note: These are best read with popcorn.
Predicting the Oscars: Best Director & the Three-Way Race for Best Picture
Mark Harris, Grantland
Yes, yes, by now we know who won. But isn’t it fun to look back and see if what we thought would happen, was indeed, correct? Mark Harris knows movies better than anyone, and gives us his picks for Best Picture and Best Director.
Jennifer Lawrence and the History of Cool Girls
Anne Helen Petersen, BuzzFeed
“What’s your favorite Jennifer Lawrence moment? When she tripped on the way to accept her Academy Award, or when the paparazzi snapped photos of her drinking Veuve Cliquot straight out of the bottle?”
Saying Thank You in 45 Seconds: Speechmaking Lessons From the Oscars
Bruce Feiler, The New York Times
“Oscar nominees this year have been told they have 45 seconds. That’s about 65 words, or two tweets. What do they need to know?”
How “Breaking Bad” and “House of Cards” Killed the Oscars
Anne Thompson, Salon
It’s not that Hollywood can’t make great movies — but all the talent and energy is migrating to HBO and Netflix.
Side Road to Success Wins Matthew McConaughey Admiration
Brooks Barnes, The New York Times
“The new Mr. McConaughey, 44, has improbably become a serious performer and the guy a lot of would-be actors want to emulate. A catchphrase has even popped up in the film world: The McConaughey Model.”
An Interview with Geoff McFetridge on the Interfaces from Her
Alissa Walker, Gizmodo
“Credited as Her’s ‘graphical futurist designer,’ McFetridge was charged with imagining how we might interact with our devices in that near-future (which he estimates is anywhere from next week to 15 years from now).”
The Gender Gap in Screen Time
Kevin B. Lee, The New York Times
“Chopping up a performance into numbers can reveal a multitude of hidden factors that may influence how it affects you. The minutes an actress is seen in close-up can point to the power of cinematography in generating feelings of empathy with her.”
How to Engineer a Best Picture (Theoretical Spoiler Alert)
Michael V. Copeland, Re/Code
In an attempt to engineer the perfect Best Picture, at least by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences standards, Benn Stancil, the chief data analyst at Mode Analytics, sifted through mountains of data collected from entertainment information outfit Rovi and the Academy Awards database.
The Biggest Losers in Oscar History and Other Things You Didn’t Know
Ashley Mateo, Digg
New to the Academy Awards? Digg put together a handy guide of weird Oscars trivia. Start quizzing yourself in anticipation of next year’s show.
What’s Your Least Favorite Best Picture Winner?
A.V. Club Staff, A.V. Club
Inspired by the Oscars, the A.V. Club gathered its staff and readers to answer the question – What’s your least favorite Best Picture winner?
