Ranking the 2015 Best Picture Nominees
It occurred to me the other day that, despite seeing every film nominated for the 2015 Best Picture Oscar, I’ve only formally reviewed one. What?!? And it was a dud of a film—The Theory of Everything. Maybe that speaks to my general indifference toward this crop of nominees; after all, it’s easier and way more […]
My 2015 Indie Spirits Ballot
I’m voting in Film Independent’s Spirit Awards for the first time this year, and it’s been fun to catch up with some titles I might not have otherwise sought out had they not been nominated, like The Guest and Kumiko The Treasure Hunter and this lovely little flick called Selma. Anyway, Film Independent asks us […]
So, About Those 2015 Oscar Nominations…
What in the name of Dick Poop just happened?!?!?!? It was a wild morning that saw the announcement of the 2015 Oscar nominees, and I just can’t get past Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs’ all-time great mispronunciation of a name. Congratulations to Mr. Turner cinematographer Dick Pope on your Oscar nomination. I’m sorry you’ll live […]
2015 Oscar Predictions: Nominations Eve
I’m not going to say too much up front because this post should speak for itself. I’ll have more to say when we know something tomorrow. Some people are super down about awards this year, but I’m excited! Here goes nothing: Best Picture American Sniper Birdman Boyhood Gone Girl The Grand Budapest Hotel The Imitation […]
Why Do We Take Awards So Seriously Anyway?
Like clockwork, the Directors Guild of America announced its five nominees for Best Director of 2014, and the internet exploded in anger. Two years ago, it was Tom Hooper and the nerve he had, I don’t know, using too many Dutch angles in his adaptation of Les Miserables. Last year was relatively quiet on the […]
2015 Oscar Predictions: The Calm Before ‘Unbroken’
One of the things I’m thankful for this year is a relatively pleasant Oscar season. Granted, it’s only Thanksgiving, and we haven’t yet gotten into the guilds and critics groups. We don’t yet know what awful narratives will be made up to drag down competing films. We don’t yet know who will win the second-annual […]
2015 Best Supporting Actor and Actress Predictions: Simmons, Arquette, and…
Since my last 2015 Oscar predictions update, Interstellar landed…interestingly. I actually haven’t seen the film yet, so I can’t say too much, but it’s discouraging to see how much Nolan-related baggage—both positive and negative—writers are bringing into their reviews of the guy’s movie. But that’s neither here nor there for the purpose of this post […]
2015 Oscar Predictions: Riddle, Mystery, Enigma, Etc.
It feels like I’ve been gone a long time. Since my last 2015 Oscar predictions post, a bunch of potential awards films screened and opened. (I also visited three other countries. That was fun.) Some of those films have exited the Oscar conversation before I even had a chance to contemplate their chances. (I’m looking […]
Post-TIFF Best Picture Power Rankings
Now that the fall festivals have come and gone, it’s time to start thinking seriously (and in a guilt-free way) about the 2015 Oscars. Pundits everywhere have been sharing their 2015 Oscar predictions for weeks, sometimes months, and I’m no different (check out my first set of 2015 Oscar predictions, published about a month ago). […]
Don’t Sleep on These Early 2015 Oscar Contenders
With Venice and Telluride in the books—not to mention TIFF on the horizon—2015 Oscar talk has ratcheted up in a big way. (Incidentally, so has the annual anti-Oscar talk, to which I say “Chill out and be nice.”.) Birdman, The Imitation Game, and Foxcatcher are the contenders du jour, but it’s way too early to […]
2014 TIFF Preview
The 2014 Toronto International Film Festival is fast approach, and as I usually do, I’ve combed through every lineup and pulled out the 50 most exciting films for my 2014 TIFF preview. I won’t be attending the fest, but I’ll be waiting with bated breath for news about the quality of these and other great […]
2015 Oscar Predictions: First Guesses Before Fall Fests
It’s 2015 Oscar predictions time, so let’s dig the prognosticator’s hat out of the attic, dust it off, and take a look at the landscape of the 2015 Oscar race. If I’m being honest, though, I almost didn’t want to get involved with 2015 Oscar predictions at all. Last year’s Oscar season and the nonsense […]
