Netflix and the idea of what is a “real movie” has been at the forefront of the cinematic conversation from Cannes to this past year’s Oscars. The answer is not that complicated. Of course a Netflix original should be deemed a movie, it’s an unequivocal non-dilemma. The reason why this question is even being asked to begin with is because a monetary loss is involved for Hollywood bigwigs, they are too scared Netflix will take over and empty their bank accounts.
Read moreFinal Oscar Predictions: “Green Book” Will Win Best Picture.
Cue in the outrage police. Peter Farrelly’s “Green Book” might set back the Oscars by a few years when and if it wins Best Picture at the 91st Academy Awards tonight. All the “progress” that happened with “Moonlight",” “12 Years A Slave,” and “Shape of Water” winning might be destroyed, according to wokers, of course. No diss intended to Farrelly’s lovely film, but the amount of hate it has garnered throughout awards season is enough to send Twitter into outrage-overdrive when Peter “I flashed Cameron Diaz" Farrelly and Nick “Muslims celebrated on 9/11” Vallelonga get on-stage to accept their award at around midnight EST (Yes, that’s when the Oscars will likely finish broadcast).
Read more“Roma” Oscar Frontrunner? Does That Mean the Oscar-Bait movie dead?
I wrote a little entry for IndieWire concerning the best and most pleasant surprise of this Oscar season:
“The silver lining for me is the fact that an artful and completely plotless film such as Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma” is the Best Picture frontrunner. A film that, if it wins the top prize on February 24th, will have most mainstream moviegoers scratching their heads in total and utter confusion. This would have surely never happened in any other decade. You can feel the influence of the great neorealist filmmakers like Vittorio de Sica and Roberto Rossellini all over this film, which justifiably leads me to believe that a win by “Roma” would be akin to an “Umberto D” or “La Strada” winning a Best Picture Oscar back in the ’50s. Unthinkable! Has the “Oscar-bait” film finally died? Can a “Roma” win finally put to rest the idea of what an “Oscar movie” should be? Maybe, just maybe, the academy’s tastes in film are being refined with each passing year. Of course, this theory could be completely sabotaged by a “Green Book” win, and we’re right back at square one.”
Oscars: “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 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.”
Alfonso Cuaron wins the DGA for “Roma”; Well-Positioned to Win Second Best Director Oscar.
Alfonso Cuaron has won the DGA for “Roma.” This doesn’t necessarily mean his film is now the one to beat in terms of Best Picture odds, but it does position it quite well in the grander scheme of things, and as a natural adversary of current frontrunner “Green Book.” Cuaron beat out "A Star Is Born‘s Bradley Cooper, Green Book‘s Peter Farrelly, BlacKkKlansman‘s Spike Lee and Vice‘s Adam McKay. The latter is a film that has been unfairly shunned by critics, despite the industry’s liking of it. I believe McKay’s film will age like fine wine. McKay did get the award for Television directing for his excellent work in one of last year’s very best shows HBO’s “Succession.”
In other news, Bo Burnham won best first feature for “Eighth Grade” actually beating out Bradley Cooper and “A Star is Born.” INSANE.
‘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 moreGuillermo del Toro Writes About The Brilliant Simplicities of ‘Roma’
Alfonso Cuaron's “Roma” is the undisputed champ of 2018 when it comes to critics awards. It won the Critics' Choice Awards best picture prize last night, adding to its tally which included theNew York Film Critics Circle, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the Chicago Film Critics Association. Cuaron's fellow Mexican filmmaker, Guillermo del Toro, has called "Roma" one of his top five favorite movies of all time and took to Twitter last night to further expand on his love for the film by launching his 10 personal observations about “Roma.”
Read moreASC Cinematography Nominations for ‘Roma’ ‘A Star is Born,’ ‘First Man,’ ‘The Favourite’ and ‘Cold War’
I always look forward to the ASC cinematography nominations because, much like any legitimate cinephile, why wouldn't I? This marks the 100th year anniversary of the prestigious group, which decided to nominate two foreign-language films this year.
Read moreSight and Sound names ‘Roma' Best Film of 2018
I abide by Sight & Sound's newly unveiled list of the the best films of 2018. The annual film poll, unsurprisingly, came to the conclusion that Alfonso Cuaron's “Roma” was the best film of the year. The awards-season dominance of Cuaron's film has been unsurpassed, it has won the top prize with seven different critics groups thus far, including the prestigious New York Film Critics Circle and Los Angeles Film Critics Association.
Read moreLos Angeles Film Critics Association Names ‘Roma’ Best Picture of 2018
Another week and another Best Picture prize for Alfonso Cuaron's "Roma." What can I say, the most deserving film is sweeping awards season, it has now won the top prize with critics groups inNew York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Washington, and Philadelphia. However, don't expect it to also win the Oscar, no siree. "Roma" is too artsy, too slow and ponder-some for Academy members to jump on that bandwagon. It is still very much a race between "Green Book" and "A Star is Born" as far as I'm concerned.
Read moreAlfonso Cuaron Explains Why DP Emmanuel Lubezski Passed On ‘Roma’
Speaking on the “Director’s Cut” podcast, Alfonso Cuaron finally explained why his longtime friend and DP Emmanuel Lubezski wasn’t the cinematographer for “Roma”:
Read moreThe Beautiful, Delicately Rendered Frames of Alfonso Cuaron's 'Roma'
Alfonso Cuarón Was Binge-Watching ‘Twin Peaks: The Return’ As He Was Making ‘Roma’: ‘I Wish More Shows Were Like That’
All the superlatives in the world cannot cover how great Alfonso Cuarón's "Roma" truly is. You've heard it all before, it's the best movie of the year. A stunning achievement. However, I was rather delighted to find this tidbit of Cuarón news. The writer-director recently praised David Lynch's "Twin Peaks: The Return" in an interview with IndieWire.
Read more'Star is Born' is our Best Picture front-runner, but watch out for 'Green Book'
Before I tackle the Best Picture Oscar race, here are a few important takeaways when it comes to this weekend's box-office totals:
The slasher genre has most definitely been reignited with "Halloween." David Gordon Green's sequel to the 1978 classic topped the box-office yet again, in its second week of action, with a strong $32M weekend. That puts its 2-week total at a whopping $132M. Watch out for a major bump this week as it seems to be the only Halloween-centered movie currently in theaters and many will want a fright night at the cinema on the 31st.
Read more'Roma' is a singular, meditative poem from director Alfonso Cuaron
Alfonso Cuaron's "Roma" was shot on 65mm, it is comprised of a series of richly detailed episodic moments, always lensed in deep-focus, in which we are asked to glance around and look for carefully detailed signs of life, these moments are meant to string the film together and pack a wallop by the very final frame.
Read moreAlfonso Cuarón's 'Roma' Will Most Probably Land Netflix Its First Ever Best Picture Oscar Nomination, But It's Only the Beginning of a New Era at the Movies
Netflix and Alfonso Cuarón’s “Roma” will be nominated for Best Picture come next year's Oscars. You can put it in the bank. Nothing is going to stop this film on its tracks to nabbing a nomination. It's the only film so far this fall festival season (Venice and Telluride) that feels like it has earned the distinction of being called a "masterpiece."
Read more