Andrew Pulver 

Close up: Buried under a pile of statuettes

There's no denying it - awards season is finally upon us. Dust off that tux and/or tiara, and join the party
  
  

Uggie from The Artist
Who's a clever boy? ... Uggie from The Artist Photograph: Jeff Vespa/WireImage

The big story

You couldn't escape it: this was the week when the awards season (for so we must describe it) kicked into high gear. On Sunday night, we had the Golden Globes, which was monitored in a fantastically popular liveblog by Hadley Freeman and Joshua Alston. It was the first major red carpet splurge of the season, and – as was widely expected – French silent film The Artist walked off with the biggest haul of gongs. Ricky Gervais tried but failed to disgrace himself, Hollywood's finest graced the podium, and, if you still want to know, the full list of winners is here. Then 48 hours later it was back to London, as the nominations for the 2012 Baftas were announced. Again, The Artist did best, but Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy ran it a close second, after being completely shut out at the Globes. The Guardian film team promptly rushed into the studio to let you, the lucky viewer, know just what we thought.

In the news

Star Wars director George Lucas to abandon blockbusters after Red Tails

Twilight Saga may continue beyond Breaking Dawn, says studio boss

YouTube launches online short film festival

British film industry report's bark proves worse than its bite

The Road author Cormac McCarthy turns in first original screenplay

Filmgoers demand refunds after discovering The Artist is silent film

The Iron Lady's private secretary brands Thatcher biopic inauthentic

On the blog

When the world is too much: James Bond goes to Bognor Regis

Henry K Miller: The birth of film criticism – 100 years ago

UK box office: War Horse romps home, but is it a stayer?

David Cox: Margin Call's bankers are only human

Reel history: Margin Call - all the spills of high-level corporate finance, but few thrills

Flick teaser: LOL - Can ne1 c a storyline 4 Miley Cyrus here? WTF?

Hollywood report: Contraband seizes US box-office crown

Mychal Denzel Smith: Why the Oscars should cast out The Help and welcome in Pariah

After Hollywood: The Russians are coming - is 2012 the year of the bear in film?

Week in geek's 2012 preview: Sequels, reboots and an unexpected journey

Watch and listen

Gallery: Sundance 2012: the 20 films to look out for

Video: Ralph Fiennes on Coriolanus - 'A collision between leadership and people'

Film Weekly Podcast: James D'Arcy on Madonna's W.E.

Video: Terry Gilliam on making The Wholly Family - 'The most fun I've had in a very long time'

Reel review: War Horse - 'Canters stoically towards a happy ending'

Further reading

Carey Mulligan interview: 'I haven't seen myself naked in the mirror for a decade'

Woody Allen: cinema's great experimentalist by Michael Newton

Charlie Brooker: How to save the British film industry, David Cameron style

Interview: Alexander Payne - life after Sideways

Philip French on One From the Heart

Interview: The Guard's John Michael McDonagh on success, roadkill and good priests

In the paper

In the relaunched Film & Music section, we have Anne Billson writing about how WE has rehabilitated female ghosts, Catherine Shoard talks to Young Adult director Jason Reitman, and Xan Brooks explains why we love the new and hate the old. We also analyse the first picture from the new Bond film, Skyfall, plus Peter Bradshaw's verdict on J Edgar, Coriolanus and the rest of the week's films.

On Saturday, Weekend magazine has an interview with Juno and Young Adult writer Diablo Cody and in the Guide, John Patterson casts his eye over George Clooney's award-winning The Descendants.

Something to look forward to

Stand by for a forthcoming Terry Gilliam micro-season in which we gear up for the big fella's appearance at Guardian Q&A on 23 January, when he'll be presenting a screening of his new film, The Wholly Family, and answering questions from the audience and from readers online.

Want more?

Follow @guardianfilm on Twitter

• Like our Facebook page. You know you want to.

 

Leave a Comment

Required fields are marked *

*

*