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 […]
Foxcatcher Review
RATING: (3 STARS) In the winter of 1996, John du Pont—a wealthy ornithologist, philatelist, and philanthropist—shot and killed Olympic wrestling champion Dave Schultz. Most familiar with the case and the two men found the affair entirely uncharacteristic of du Pont. Schultz and du Pont were friendly. The latter employed the former as an assistant coach […]
2015 Golden Globes Nominations Predictions
The ultra-prestigious and never ridiculous Hollywood Foreign Press Association is on the cusp of announcing its nominees for the 2015 Golden Globes. We should take these nominations very seriously, as the many, many dedicated and serious-minded members of this fine organization consider only the artistic merits of each film, performance, and craft achievement in a […]
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). […]
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 […]
2014 Cannes Lineup Predictions
The recent (bizarre) series of announcements that led to Grace of Monaco being named the opening night film of the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, as well as the selection of Jane Campion to head the 2014 Cannes jury, caused my mind to drift toward the Croisette. It hasn’t left since, and it won’t until Cannes […]
14 Films for 2014
A yearly tradition continues. I don’t much enjoy these early-year looking-ahead lists; I’ll still be in 2013 mode until I catch up with everything that eluded me before the turn of the calendar. Nevertheless, on a day like today one can’t help survey the calendar and mark his or her most-anticipated movie days. And 2014 […]
2014 Oscar Predictions: Screenplays Original and Adapted
Click on over to my 2014 Oscar Predictions page to see everything I’m forecasting in the major categories. I’ve focused my 2014 Oscar predictions, until now, on Best Picture, Best Director, and the four acting categories. Today, I begin to unravel some of the secondary categories, starting with 2014 Best Adapted Screenplay and 2014 Best […]
2013 Fall Movie Preview
Want to know how good a movie season I think fall 2013 will be? Check out my list of honorable mentions: Blue Is the Warmest Color, Dallas Buyers Club, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Oldboy, Parkland, The Past, Prisoners, Rush. That’s a strong-ass crop of films if I ever saw one, yet none could even […]
The Deep Breath Before the 2014 Oscars Plunge
Click on over to my 2014 Oscar Predictions page to see everything I’m forecasting in the major categories. The signs of fall are all around us. Temperatures are dropping (from sweltering to comfortable). Darkness knocks earlier every night. Most importantly, fantasy football research consumes most of my time. We’ve received a glut of movie news […]
Early 2014 Oscar Predictions
We aren’t but 48 hours removed from one of the better Oscar ceremonies in recent memory, and my eye is already fixed on 2014. Sad, but true. To say these 2014 Oscar predictions should be taken with a grain of salt is the understatement of the year so far, but I’ll say this: Last year […]