20 Weeks To Oscar: Cinema, Trump, and Oscar

What smashed me hard across the face about 1917 was the simple earnestness about honor and, considering its time, manhood at a time when America is wallowing in a lack of honor and a dearth of what were once seen as the virtues of manhood.

1917 is just one of the 5 period movies that very specifically deal with the male engagement with power.

Do You Want To Build A Straw Man?

I like Mark Harris. I respect Mark Harris. I care what Mark Harris thinks.

Unfortunately, Mark Harris has become one of the media’s most aggressive spokeshammers for the “everything is a nail” coalition.

I read his most recent Vanity Fair piece, “Conventional Oscar Wisdom Has an Almost All-White Best-Actress Lineup—For No Reason” with real curiosity.

And The Spirit Nominations…

BEST FEATURE (Award given to the producer) A HIDDEN LIFE Producers: Elisabeth Bentley, Dario Bergesio, Grant Hill, Josh Jeter CLEMENCY Producers: Timur Bekbosunov, Julian Cautherley, Bronwyn Cornelius, Peter Wong THE FAREWELL Producers: Anita Gou, Daniele Melia, Andrew Miano, Peter Saraf, Marc Turtletaub, Lulu Wang, Chris Weitz, Jane Zheng MARRIAGE STORY Producers:  Noah Baumbach, David Heyman UNCUT GEMS Producers: Eli Bush,…

Gurus o’ Gold: Actress, Actor, Supporting Actress, Supporting Actor (Nov 19, 2019)

Now The Gurus take on the four acting categories. Netflix represents about a third of the nominations. Two people of color slot in the Top 5s. A surprise in the Supporting Actress Five.

Gurus o’ Gold: Best Picture (Nov 18, 2019)

The season has started at least a dozen times by now. But today is the day that The Gurus are back. A first look at Best Picture today, with Best Actor & Best Actress coming tomorrow.

And guess what? The #1 slot on the chart belongs to… 2 movies.

Lynette Howell Taylor And Stephanie Allain To Produce 92nd Oscars

LOS ANGELES, CA – Oscar®-nominated producer Lynette Howell Taylor and producer Stephanie Allain will produce the 92nd Oscars®, Academy President David Rubin announced today.  It will be their first involvement with the Oscars, which airs live on the ABC Television Network and broadcast outlets worldwide on Sunday, February 9, 2020. “The combined producing talents of…

159 Documentary Features Submitted For Oscar 2019

[pr] One hundred fifty-nine features have been submitted for consideration in the Documentary Feature category for the 92nd Academy Awards®. Several of the films have not yet had their required Los Angeles and New York qualifying releases.  Submitted features must fulfill the theatrical release requirements and comply with all of the category’s other qualifying rules…

Fourth Annual Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards Drop Five on Apollo 11

(Brooklyn, NY – November 10, 2019) – The Critics Choice Association (CCA) announced the winners of the fourth annual Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards tonight at a gala event, hosted by Jonathan Scott at BRIC in Brooklyn. Apollo 11 took home the evening’s most prestigious award for Best Documentary Feature as well as Best Editing for…

Oscar General Entry Submission Forms Due November 15

LOS ANGELES, CA — Friday, November 15 is the deadline to submit Oscars Submission Forms (OSF) in the general entry categories to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for 92nd Academy Awards consideration. Films will not be accepted for consideration after the deadline. For a feature film to be considered for the 2019 Awards,…

Review: Marriage Story (spoilers only in the broadest sense)

I feel like there is a giant hole in the middle of this work.

Why is this couple getting divorced?

Strategy Session: Getting Out Of The Way

Playing from ahead can be even more difficult than playing from behind, especially if your goal is a win and not just a participation trophy.

16 Weeks To Oscar: Best Picture

The thing about a season that seems as unsettled as this Oscar season seems… is that things usually lean towards the default positions, which is a bit boring and all too predictable.

Strategy Session: Eight Things (In No Particular Order) To Know About Oscar Season

Welcome to the first chapter of Strategy Session, you guide to how the Oscar season really works. To get things started, here are some general tips about how all this madness really works.

Fourth Annual Critics Choice Documentary Nominations Listed

LOS ANGELES, CA (OCTOBER 14, 2019) – The Critics Choice Association (CCA) has announced the nominees for the fourth annual Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards (CCDA). The winners will be presented their awards at a gala event, hosted by Property Brothers’ Jonathan Scott, on Sunday, November 10, at BRIC in Brooklyn, New York. The Biggest Little Farm leads this year with seven nominations, including Best…

Tallying Telluride 2019

Telluride, CO (August 29, 2019) – Telluride Film Festival, presented by the National Film Preserve, today announced its official program selections for the 46th edition of the Telluride Film Festival. TFF’s celebration of artistic excellence brings together cinema enthusiasts, filmmakers and artists to discover the best in world cinema in the beautiful mountain town of…

test sunday

By David Poland Monday, July 15, 2019 QUOTE OF THE DAY “If I ever woke up with a dead hooker in my hotel room, Matt would be the first person I’d call.” Ben Affleck, about his best buddy, Matt Damon. HEADER Friday at Sundance turned out not to be a big festival news day. No…

2019 Governors Awards: Geena Davis, David Lynch, Wes Studi, Lina Wertmüller

THE ACADEMY TO HONOR GEENA DAVIS, DAVID LYNCH, WES STUDI AND LINA WERTMÜLLER AT 2019 GOVERNORS AWARDS LOS ANGELES, CA – The Academy announced today that its Board of Governors voted (Saturday, June 1) to present Honorary Awards to David Lynch, Wes Studi and Lina Wertmüller, and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to Geena Davis….

The Gurus o’ Gold Oscar Blowout – Part 1

The Gurus make their final estimations of the field as seen by the Academy… no huge surprises, but Vice tumbled in almost all categories, with a few stray hopes for an editing nod.

The Gurus o’ Gold Oscar Blowout – Part 2

First (and final) surmises of the shorts categories, and a few familiar crafts staying about the same from recent weeks.

The Gurus: Ranking Acting, Singing, Writing, Best Picture-ing

Reflecting the Grammys and a few last guild votes before Oscar voting closes, consensus arrives in a few categories under the watching eyes of the Gurus, notably in the acting categories, and a sweep in Best Adapted Screenplay for BlacKkKlansman.