“Green Book” is a major frontrunner to win the Oscar for Best Picture, but the amount of controversy surrounding the film seems to not be stopping.
Read moreOf Course, Backlash Occurs Over Oscar's Editing and Cinematography axing
Of all the categories that could be put on the commercial-break back burner, you would think the Academy would have the decency to air the winner of the Cinematography award, an important part of the visual creative process, maybe only second to the director, and a technical aspect of film which has become more popular in recent years due to the emergence into the mainstream of such stalwarts as Emmanuel Lubezski and Roger Deakins. Blasphemy.
Read moreOscar Poker: Sundance 2019
“I had a discussion with Hollywood-Elsewhere’s Jeffrey Wells about the continuing Best Picture puzzlement, the fact that only two out of 25 Gold Derby know-it-alls are picking Green Book to win at this stage, the mysterious disappearance of Vox Lux, the coming importance of Lulu Wang‘s The Farewell, the inescapable impact of the forthcoming Leaving Neverland when it plays on HBO in early March, the fact that Nicole Kidman‘s raspy-voiced Destroyerperformance never made it into the Oscar conversation and other pressing matters.”
[Note: This conversation has no musical intro, no bells and whistles….just straight talk.]
Are You F****ng Serious?! Academy's Commercial Break Oscar Categories will include Best Cinematography.
It’s no secret that the academy are trying to produce the best, most commercial-friendly Oscar telecast imaginable. After all, that’s why they tried to nab Chris Rock and Dwayne Johnson as hosts of the whole megilah, which turned out to be a total fail due to backlash, of the former’s past tweets. Ditto the failed Best Popular Oscar category which was quickly axed this past September and was, admit it, a rating-grabbing attempt.
Read moreOscars: “Green Book" or “Roma" for Best Picture?
Pete Hammond and Tom O’Neil, two considerably reliable Oscar pundits, seem to be split on whether to choose “Green Book” or “Roma” as their Best Picture front-runner.
Read moreThe Rock turned down Oscars hosting gig...
With a hostless 91st Academy Awards about to be unveiled to us on February 24th, here comes the news that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, was approached to host the gig. Which only amplifies the obvious fact that the Academy is trying to turn the Oscars into the MTV movie awards, what with Kevin Hart/The Rock touted as hosts, the technical categories being announced during commercial break and the pathetic Best Popular Oscar category trying to adhere to the fanboy contingent of viewers.
Read moreBret Easton Ellis Says ‘Black Panther' Doesn't Deserve Oscar Love, Says No One Thinks It’s ‘That Good’
“American Psycho” author Bret Easton Ellis is sharing my exact sentiments about “Black Panther” not deserving its Oscar nomination for Best Picture. In fact, he actually, shock., claims that Oscar voters are supporting it just for diversity, not because it’s good. Which is true.
Read more“Roma" Cannot Win Best Picture Because It Is Way Too Arthouse For Academy Tastes
I still predict “Green Book” will take Best Picture. I do not believe Sasha Stone’s assessment that “Roma” will win due to preferential balloting. Fact of the matter is this; Many in the industry aren’t actually as smitten-ed by “Roma” as film critics are. They respect it, believe it to be a beautifully realized tone-poem about memory and despair, but, otherwise, the film that will win is the film that can strike a chord with the majority. An arthouse, almost plotless, movie about a Mexican Nanny rummaging in an existential crisis in Mexico cannot. Sorry.
Sasha Stone says: “I disagree with Zack Sharf‘s assessment. I think Roma creeps up the ballot out of guilt and obligation and appreciation for craft, even if people don’t love it. I think Roma‘s best chance of winning is actually on a preferential ballot, and yet the Best Picture race remains wide open at this point. The only movies that have won anything so far are Bohemian Rhapsody, Green Book and Black Panther, and none of them have Oscar nominations for Best Director. It’s a really crazy and unpredictable year.”
Patty Jenkins Criticizes the Academy as ‘Very Limited’ After Women Directors Snubbed
We all knew it was going to happen. The Best director race this year was not going to be female-centric. Yes, Chloé Zhao’s “The Rider,” Debra Granik’s “Leave No Trace,” Lynne Ramsay’s “You Were Never Really Here,” Marielle Heller’s “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” and Tamara Jenkins’ “Private Life,” to name just a few.
Read moreSam Elliott on his Oscar nod: “It’s about fucking time”
Yesterday, mustachioed cowboy-man, and actor, Sam Elliott received his first ever Oscar nomination for his supporting turn in “A Star is Born.” However, it’s his reaction to the nomination that I need to point out, feelings which I share about his finally being recognized, “It’s about fucking time” Elliot told Deadline.
The deep-voiced Elliott, with his iconic handlebar mustache, has been largely associated with westerns over his 4 decade career, with maybe his most famous role as Virgil Earp in 1993’s “Tombstone.” However, his most underrated performance must be in 1976’s “The Lifeguard” in which he played a thirtyish lifeguard whose glory days as a collegiate star athlete are a thing of the past. Other noteworthy films he’s starred in include his iconic narrating cowboy in “The Big Lebowski,” Cher’s motorcycle-riding lover in “Mask” and bouncer father-figure to Patrick Swayze’s hero in “Road House.”
[Deadline]
Paul Schrader Says He's Not Fixated on Winning Oscar Like Pal Martin Scorsese, “I told Marty, if an Oscar is your priority, you need some new priorities."
Paul Schrader’s “First Reformed” alongside “Roma” was the best-reviewed movie of 2018. However, don’t look for it to contend for the Best Picture prize because, well, it didn’t garner a nomination in that category. Schrader nabbed an Original Screenplay nomination, but that’s about it. Not even the film’s lead, Ethan Hawke, who has won every best actor awards with critics groups, got a nomination. Who cares, right? Oscars were never about rewarding the right movie. That’s what Schrader thinks as well, even going as far as saying he was the opposite of Martin Scorsese, who was “very fixated on winning an Oscar.” adding that he once told Scorsese, “Marty, look, if an Oscar is your priority, you need some new priorities.”
Read morePeople Outraged There Are No Women in Best Director Category, #OscarsSoMale Starts Trending
Here's an undisputed fact: The studio and independent system is white-male dominated, all of this hoopla that a bunch of black and female filmmakers deserve their fair share of 2018 awards is quite simply overreaching and a form of virtue signaling on the part of film critics. The odds are heavily stacked for white male directors making the best films of the year.
Read moreSpike Lee Scores His First Oscar Nomination Ever for Best Director
Spike Lee's “Do The Right Thing” was the most powerful cinematic experience I ever had in my lifetime. In fact, it still is socially relevant and shocking to this day. His take on race relations in America is as scathing as its ever been.
Read moreOscar 2019: Snubs and Surprises include Bradley Cooper, Ethan Hawke and Emily Blunt.
Alfonso Cuaron‘s “Roma” and Yorgos Lanthimos‘ “The Favourite” landed 10 Oscar nominations each and “A Star Is Born” received eight nominations, as did “Vice.”
Read more2019 Oscar Nominees
I will be posting a lengthy analysis of this morning’s Oscar nominations in a few minutes. Suffice to say, wow, Bradley Cooper SNUBBED for his work as director in “A Star Is Born.” He’s been Affleck-ed. I predicted all 8 nominees yesterday, what a stud I am. Pawel Pawlikowski Took Cooper’s spot for his beautiful work in “Cold War,” well earned.
More to come ….
Read more*Final Oscar Predictions*
Tomorrow the nominees for the 91st Academy Awards will be announced in Los Angeles. This has been a fairly unpredictable race that has had most pundits scratching their heads at all the twists and turns that have happened. Me? I'm fairly confident about the following predictions.
Read morePeter Farrelly’s Green Book Wins PGA; Back to Being Best Picture Front-runner.
Peter Farrelly's "Green Book" has won the Producers Guild of America award, all but sealing its fate as the Best Picture frontrunner for the upcoming 91st Academy Awards. Does that mean it's going to win the whole shebang? Of course not. But it does give us some kind of idea as to who should be favored come Oscar night, especially since this has been such an unpredictable awards season. At some point, during these last few months, more than 5 films have been touted as the frontrunner for the prize. I'm not kidding, "A Star is Born," "Black Panther," "Roma" and "BlackKklansman" have all had their turns. However, if you're an Oscar pundit, the PGA is the most legitimate precursor to adhere to, if you follow the odds of course.
Read more‘Roma’ Has Turned Into the De Facto Best Picture Frontrunner
"Roma" has escaped unscathed of backlash thus far this awards season. With the lack of any sort of controversy surrounding Alfonso Cuaron's Mexico-based tone poem, its momentum is now firmly in high gear, it looks like it will be the film to beat this Oscar season.
Read moreOscar Watch: Is it ‘Roma’ vs BlackKklansman?
Back to the Oscar race, with "Roma" having won big at the critics choice awards last night and with its lack of any sort of controversy this year, its momentum is now firmly confirmed. Is there any reason why this film can't the Best Picture prize at the Oscars? Despite my theory that it's just too artsy for a large and vast voting body whose tastes, quite frankly, tend to not veer towards the high-brow, there is a sense that a lot of people will be voting for "Roma" on a purely partisan basis. Accepting the award last night, its director Alfonso Cuaron said in his speech, "this bunch of Mexicans are not as bad as sometimes they are portrayed," clearly taking aim at the Trump administration and its militant stance at getting that border wall funding to prevent Mexicans from entering the country illegally.
Read moreEthan Hawke: There already is a Popular Film Oscar, it’s called the box office.
The Academy's decision to include the peculiarly titled “Outsanding Popular Film” category was a misbegotten one—so much so, that they ended up, not too soon after, axing the idea.
Read more