Category: News

  • Venice and TIFF Recap: “Nomadland” Wins People’s Choice Award

    Venice and TIFF Recap: “Nomadland” Wins People’s Choice Award

    Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland was named the winner of the Grolsch’s People Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. Regina King’s One Night in Miami and Tracey Deer’s Beans came in second and third place respectively.

    As I’ve shown in previous posts, the TIFF People’s Choice Award is one of the most important precursors of Best Picture at this stage in the race. In the last 5 years, 11 of the 15 chosen films for the People’s Choice Award went on to be nominated for Best Picture and 3 of those films ended up winning Best Picture. In the last 10 years, 6 Best Picture winners have been selected in one of the three places of the People’s Choice Award.

    Based on these statistics, two of the three winners will likely be nominated for Best Picture. My bets are on Nomadland and One Night in Miami as they are directed by known filmmakers (Chloe Zhao and Regina King), distributed by powerful studios (Searchlight and Amazon), and feature known names in front of the camera. However, if Beans gets picked up by a major distributor, the film’s Oscar chances will significantly rise.

    Also, it is important to mention that this year’s festival had a much smaller slate than it usually does and that might affect many of the trends seen with the winners of this award.

    In other TIFF news, Florian Zeller’s The Father starring Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman continues to get great reviews and while I expected it to get some recognition by the TIFF audience, I still think that it is the race. The trailer looked especially amazing and I am excited for the film to come out.

    Ammonite, however, does not seem to be getting as great reviews and while Kate Winslet likely still will be nominated for Best Actress, the film seems to be barely a Top 15 Best Picture contender at this point.

    In Venice news, Nomadland also won the Venice Golden Lion, which is the op prize at that film festival. While historically, the award ha snot been very predictive of Oscar success, the last 3 winners (The Shape of Water, Roma, and Joker) have been nominated for Best Picture. While Golden Lion winners have been runner-ups for the TIFF People’s Choice Award (Monsoon Wedding, Brokeback Mountain), this is the first time that the winner of the Golden Lion has also won the TIFF People’s Choice Award. While this is likely due to the slimmed slate at these festivals, it is a fact that solidifies Nomadland’s place as a top 5 Best Picture contender.

  • ‘One Night in Miami’ emerges as the first legitimate Best Picture contender

    ‘One Night in Miami’ emerges as the first legitimate Best Picture contender

    The film that has created the biggest noise at the Venice International Film Festival so far has been Regina King’s directorial debut, One Night in Miami and, based on the reviews released so far, it will likely be a Top 5 Best Picture contender.

    Regina King’s directorial debut starring Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, Leslie Odom Jr. is “set on the night of February 25, 1964… [and] follows a young, brash Cassius Clay (Eli Goree) as he emerges from the Miami Beach Convention Center the new Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World. Against all odds, he defeated Sonny Liston (Aaron D. Alexander) and shocked the sports world. While crowds of people swarm Miami Beach to celebrate the match, Clay – unable to stay on the island because of Jim Crow-era segregation laws – spends the evening at the Hampton House Motel in Miami’s African American Overtown neighborhood celebrating with three of his closest friends: Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.), and Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge). During this historic evening, these icons, who each were the very representation of the Pre-Black Power Movement and felt the social pressure their cross-over celebrity brought, shared their thoughts with each other about their responsibilities as influencers, standing up, defending their rights and moving the country forward to equality and empowerment for all black people. The next morning, the four men emerge determined to define a new world for themselves and their community.” (From IMDb).

    The film seems perfectly timed for the current moment in America and the Academy has been leaning toward relevant (or what they think is relevant) films in years past as shown by their picks for (2015’s Spotlight, 2016’s Moonlight, 2018’s Green Book, 2019’s Parasite) Best Picture. The Academy also leans toward films that are set in the past (in the last 3 years, six of the Best Picture nominees each year were not set in current day), which is another box that King’s film checks. Another prerequisite that a film must pass before reaching Oscar glory is being accessible to wide audiences and according to Jonathan Romney’s review for the Guardian, the film is “immensely watchable”, which is exactly what a film needs to be to win Best Picture.

    From this information the film is definitely a top 5 Best Picture contender, the question is, where else will it be nominated? As the film starts from Cassius Clay’s perspective, it is likely that Eli Goree will be submitted for Best Actor, while the rest of the ensemble will probably be entered in for Best Supporting Actor. From the reviews I have read, it seems that while all the performances are great, Kingsley Ben-Adir’s portrayal of Malcolm X is the standout. He is a relative newcomer so this will likely be his breakout role.

    Kemp Powers’ screenplay (adapted from his own play) has also been praised and he could receive two writing nominations this year as he also co-wrote (and co-directed) the screenplay for Pixar’s Soul. The last person to be nominated in both Adapted and Original Screenplay in the same year was Francis Ford Coppola in 1974 for the Godfather Part II and The Conversation (he won for the Godfather sequel).

    In the below-the-line categories critics have lauded Tariq Anwar’s editing (he is a two-time Oscar nominee for American Beauty and The King’s Speech), Tami Reiker’s cinematography, Page Buckner’s production design, and Terence Blanchard’s jazz-infused score (he is a one-time Oscar nominee for BlacKkKlansman and also created the score for this year’s Da 5 Bloods).

    While this news came out after I published my September predictions, check those out here!

  • PARASITE WINS BEST PICTURE!

    PARASITE WINS BEST PICTURE!

    It has been a great Oscar season and the show was great with Parasite pulling a Moonliht-like upset over 1917.

    (Winners are indicated in bold)

    BEST PICTURE

    1917

    Parasite

    Jojo Rabbit

    Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

    Joker

    The Irishman

    Little Women

    Marriage Story

    Ford v Ferrari

    BEST DIRECTOR

    Sam Mendes – 1917

    Bong Joon-Ho – Parasite

    Quentin Tarantino – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

    Martin Scorsese – The Irishman

    Todd Phillips – Joker

    BEST ACTOR

    Joaquin Phoenix – Joker

    Adam Driver – Marriage Story\

    Antonio Banderas – Pain and Glory

    Leonardo DiCaprio – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

    Jonathan Pryce – The Two Popes

    BEST ACTRESS

    Renee Zellweger – Judy

    Scarlett Johansson – Marriage Story

    Charlize Theron – Bombshell

    Cynthia Erivo – Harriet

    Saoirse Ronan – Little Women

    BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

    Brad Pitt – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

    Joe Pesci – The Irishman

    Tom Hanks – A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

    Anthony Hopkins – The Two Popes

    Al Pacino – The Irishman

    BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

    Laura Dern – Marriage Story

    Scarlett Johansson – Jojo Rabbit

    Florence Pugh – Little Women

    Margot Robbie – Jojo Rabbit

    Kathy Bates – Richard Jewell

    BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

    Parasite

    Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

    Marriage Story

    1917

    Knives Out

    BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

    Jojo Rabbit

    Little Women

    The Irishman

    Joker

    The Two Popes

    BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

    1917

    Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

    The Irishman

    Joker

    The Lighthouse

    BEST COSTUME DESIGN

    Little Women

    Jojo Rabbit

    Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

    The Irishman

    Joker

    BEST FILM EDITING

    Ford v Ferrari

    Parasite

    Joker

    Jojo Rabbit

    The Irishman

    BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

    Bombshell

    Joker

    Judy

    1917

    Maleficent: Mistress of Evil

    BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

    Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

    1917

    Parasite

    Jojo Rabbit

    The Irishman

    BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

    Joker

    1917

    Little Women

    Marriage Story

    Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

    BEST ORIGINAL SONG

    Rocketman

    Harriet

    Frozen 2

    Breakthrough

    Toy Story 4

    BEST SOUND EDITING

    1917

    Ford v Ferrari

    Joker

    Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

    Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

    BEST SOUND MIXING

    1917

    Ford v Ferrari

    Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

    Joker

    Ad Astra

    BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

    1917

    The Lion King

    Avenegers: Endgame

    The Irishman

    Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

    BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

    Klaus

    Toy Story 4

    Missing Link

    I Lost My Body

    How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

    BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

    American Factory

    For Sama

    Honeyland

    The Cave

    The Edge of Democracy

    BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM

    Parasite

    Pain and Glory

    Les Miserables

    Corpus Christi

    Honeyland

    BEST ANIMATED SHORT

    Hair Love

    Kitbull

    Memorable

    Sister

    Dcera (Daughter)

    BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

    Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl)

    St. Louis Superman

    Walk Run Cha-Cha

    In the Absence

    Life Overtakes Me

    BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT

    The Neighbor’s Window

    Brotherhood

    Nefta Football Club

    Saria

    A Sister

  • 1917 Wins BAFTA’s Top Prize

    1917 Wins BAFTA’s Top Prize

    1917 won Best Film at the BAFTAs, which further proves that it has wide support.

    Here are the BAFTA winners from today.

    BEST FILM
    1917 – Pippa Harris, Callum McDougall, Sam Mendes, Jayne-Ann Tenggren
    THE IRISHMAN – Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, Martin Scorsese, Emma Tillinger Koskoff
    JOKER – Bradley Cooper, Todd Phillips, Emma Tillinger Koskoff
    ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD – David Heyman, Shannon McIntosh, Quentin Tarantino
    PARASITE – Bong Joon-ho, Kwak Sin-ae

    DIRECTOR
    1917 – Sam Mendes
    THE IRISHMAN – Martin Scorsese
    JOKER – Todd Phillips
    ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD – Quentin Tarantino
    PARASITE – Bong Joon-ho

    OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
    1917 – Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris, Callum McDougall, Jayne-Ann Tenggren, Krysty Wilson-Cairns
    BAIT – Mark Jenkin, Kate Byers, Linn Waite
    FOR SAMA – Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
    ROCKETMAN – Dexter Fletcher, Adam Bohling, David Furnish, David Reid, Matthew Vaughn, Lee Hall
    SORRY WE MISSED YOU – Ken Loach, Rebecca O’Brien, Paul Laverty
    THE TWO POPES – Fernando Meirelles, Jonathan Eirich, Dan Lin, Tracey Seaward, Anthony McCarten

    OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
    BAIT – Mark Jenkin (Writer/Director), Kate Byers, Linn Waite (Producers)
    FOR SAMA – Waad al-Kateab (Director/Producer), Edward Watts (Director)
    MAIDEN – Alex Holmes (Director)
    ONLY YOU – Harry Wootliff (Writer/Director)
    RETABLO – Álvaro Delgado-Aparicio (Writer/Director)

    LEADING ACTRESS
    JESSIE BUCKLEY – Wild Rose
    SCARLETT JOHANSSON – Marriage Story
    SAOIRSE RONAN – Little Women
    CHARLIZE THERON – Bombshell
    RENÉE ZELLWEGER – Judy

    LEADING ACTOR
    LEONARDO DICAPRIO – Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood
    ADAM DRIVER – Marriage Story
    TARON EGERTON – Rocketman
    JOAQUIN PHOENIX – Joker
    JONATHAN PRYCE – The Two Popes

    SUPPORTING ACTRESS
    LAURA DERN – Marriage Story
    SCARLETT JOHANSSON – Jojo Rabbit
    FLORENCE PUGH – Little Women
    MARGOT ROBBIE – Bombshell
    MARGOT ROBBIE – Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood

    SUPPORTING ACTOR
    TOM HANKS – A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
    ANTHONY HOPKINS – The Two Popes
    AL PACINO – The Irishman
    JOE PESCI – The Irishman
    BRAD PITT – Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood

    CASTING
    JOKER – Shayna Markowitz
    MARRIAGE STORY – Douglas Aibel, Francine Maisler
    ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD – Victoria Thomas
    THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD – Sarah Crowe
    THE TWO POPES – Nina Gold

    ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
    THE IRISHMAN – Steven Zaillian
    JOJO RABBIT – Taika Waititi
    JOKER – Todd Phillips, Scott Silver
    LITTLE WOMEN – Greta Gerwig
    THE TWO POPES – Anthony McCarten

    ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
    BOOKSMART – Susanna Fogel, Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Katie Silberman
    KNIVES OUT – Rian Johnson
    MARRIAGE STORY – Noah Baumbach
    ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD – Quentin Tarantino
    PARASITE – Han Jin Won, Bong Joon-ho,

    ORIGINAL SCORE
    1917 – Thomas Newman
    JOJO RABBIT – Michael Giacchino
    JOKER – Hildur Guđnadóttir
    LITTLE WOMEN – Alexandre Desplat
    STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER – John Williams

    CINEMATOGRAPHY
    1917 – Roger Deakins
    THE IRISHMAN – Rodrigo Prieto
    JOKER – Lawrence Sher
    LE MANS ’66 – Phedon Papamichael
    THE LIGHTHOUSE – Jarin Blaschke

    EDITING
    THE IRISHMAN – Thelma Schoonmaker
    JOJO RABBIT – Tom Eagles
    JOKER – Jeff Groth
    LE MANS ’66 – Andrew Buckland, Michael McCusker
    ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD – Fred Raskin

    PRODUCTION DESIGN
    1917 – Dennis Gassner, Lee Sandales
    THE IRISHMAN – Bob Shaw, Regina Graves
    JOJO RABBIT – Ra Vincent, Nora Sopková
    JOKER – Mark Friedberg, Kris Moran
    ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD – Barbara Ling, Nancy Haigh

    COSTUME DESIGN
    THE IRISHMAN – Christopher Peterson, Sandy Powell
    JOJO RABBIT – Mayes C. Rubeo
    JUDY – Jany Temime
    LITTLE WOMEN – Jacqueline Durran
    ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD – Arianne Phillips

    MAKEUP & HAIR
    1917 – Naomi Donne
    BOMBSHELL – Vivian Baker, Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan
    JOKER – Kay Georgiou, Nicki Ledermann
    JUDY – Jeremy Woodhead
    ROCKETMAN – Lizzie Yianni Georgiou

    SOUND
    1917 – Scott Millan, Oliver Tarney, Rachael Tate, Mark Taylor, Stuart Wilson
    JOKER – Tod Maitland, Alan Robert Murray, Tom Ozanich, Dean Zupancic
    LE MANS ’66 – David Giammarco, Paul Massey, Steven A. Morrow, Donald Sylvester
    ROCKETMAN – Matthew Collinge, John Hayes, Mike Prestwood Smith, Danny Sheehan
    STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER – David Acord, Andy Nelson, Christopher Scarabosio, Stuart Wilson, Matthew Wood

    SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
    1917 – Greg Butler, Guillaume Rocheron, Dominic Tuohy
    AVENGERS: ENDGAME – Dan Deleeuw, Dan Sudick
    THE IRISHMAN – Leandro Estebecorena, Stephane Grabli, Pablo Helman
    THE LION KING – Andrew R. Jones, Robert Legato, Elliot Newman, Adam Valdez
    STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER – Roger Guyett, Paul Kavanagh, Neal Scanlan, Dominic Tuohy

    FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
    THE FAREWELL – Lulu Wang, Daniele Melia
    FOR SAMA – Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
    PAIN AND GLORY – Pedro Almodóvar, Agustín Almodóvar
    PARASITE – Bong Joon-ho
    PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE – Céline Sciamma, Bénédicte Couvreur

    ANIMATED FILM
    FROZEN 2 – Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, Peter Del Vecho
    KLAUS – Sergio Pablos, Jinko Gotoh
    A SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE: FARMAGEDDON – Will Becher, Richard Phelan, Paul Kewley
    TOY STORY 4 – Josh Cooley, Mark Nielsen

    DOCUMENTARY
    AMERICAN FACTORY – Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert
    APOLLO 11 – Todd Douglas Miller
    DIEGO MARADONA – Asif Kapadia
    FOR SAMA – Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
    THE GREAT HACK – Karim Amer, Jehane Noujaim

    BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION
    GRANDAD WAS A ROMANTIC. – Maryam Mohajer
    IN HER BOOTS – Kathrin Steinbacher
    THE MAGIC BOAT – Naaman Azhari, Lilia Laurel

    BRITISH SHORT FILM
    AZAAR – Myriam Raja, Nathanael Baring
    GOLDFISH – Hector Dockrill, Harri Kamalanathan, Benedict Turnbull, Laura Dockrill
    KAMALI – Sasha Rainbow, Rosalind Croad
    LEARNING TO SKATEBOARD IN A WARZONE (IF YOU’RE A GIRL) – Carol Dysinger, Elena Andreicheva
    THE TRAP – Lena Headey, Anthony Fitzgerald

    EE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public)
    AWKWAFINA
    JACK LOWDEN
    KAITLYN DEVER
    KELVIN HARRISON JR.
    MICHEAL WARD

  • DGA pushes 1917 further towards Oscar glory

    DGA pushes 1917 further towards Oscar glory

    Sorry for posting so late, but late Saturday night the awards for the Directors’ Guild of America, American Society of Cinematographers, Cinema Audio Society, and USC Scripter were all announced. Here are some major takeaways:

    Sam Mendes won Best Director essentially locking himself for a Best Director win and pushing 1917 closer to Oscar gold.

    Roger Deakins won Best Cinematography, which isn’t a surprise, he will win the Oscar.

    Ford v Ferrari won the most important Cinema Audio Society (Sound Mixing) award, but 1917, its biggest contender in the Best Sound Mixing race, was not nominated.

    Little Women won at USC Scripter further proving that it will win Best Adapted Screenplay, but this award still could be a question mark.

    Klaus won Best Animated Feature at the Annie awards adding another turn to the twisty ANimated Feature race.

    To see full Annie Awards’ winners, click here

    Directors’ Guild of America (DGA):

    Feature Film
    Bong Joon Ho, Parasite
    Sam Mendes, 1917
    Martin Scorsese, The Irishman
    Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
    Taika Waititi, Jojo Rabbit

    First Feature
    Mati Diop, Atlantics
    Alma Har’el, Honey Boy
    Melina Matsoukas, Queen & Slim
    Tyler Nilson & Michael Shwartz, The Peanut Butter Falcon
    Joe Talbot, The Last Black Man in San Francisco

    Documentary
    Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert, American Factory
    Feras Fayyad, The Cave
    Alex Holmes, Maiden
    Ljubomir Stefanov & Tamara Kotevska, Honeyland
    Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang, One Child Nation

    Comedy Series
    The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, “It’s the Sixties, Man!” (Prime Video)
    Bill Hader, Barry, “ronny/lily,” (HBO)
    Veep, “Veep,” (HBO)
    The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, “It’s Comedy or Cabbage,” (Prime Video)
    The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, “Marvelous Radio,” (Prime Video)

    Dramatic Series
    Nicole Kassell, Watchmen, “It’s Summer and We’re Running Out of Ice,” (HBO)
    Mark Mylod, Succession, “This Is Not For Tears,” (HBO)
    David Nutter, Game of Thrones, “The Last of the Starks,” (HBO)
    Miguel Sapochnik, Game of Thrones, “The Long Night,” (HBO)
    Stephen Williams, Watchmen, “This Extraordinary Being,” (HBO)

    Movies for Television, Limited Series
    Ava DuVernay, When They See Us
    Vince Gilligan, El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie
    Thomas Kail, Fosse/Verdon, “Nowadays”
    Johan Renck, Chernobyl
    Minkie Spiro, Fosse/Verdon, “All I Care About Is Love”
    Jessica Yu, Fosse/Verdon, “Glory”

    Commercials:
    Spike Jonze for Dream It, Squarespace

    Variety/Talk/News/Sports – Specials:
    James Burrows and Andy Fisher, Live in Front of a Studio Audience Norman Lear’s ‘All in the Family’ and ‘The Jeffersons’

    Variety/Talk/News/Sports – Regularly Scheduled
    Don Roy King, Saturday Night Live, “E. Murphy; Lizzo”

    USC Scripter:

    FILM

    Dark Waters, Matthew Carnahan and Mario Correa, “The Lawyer Who Became DuPont’s Worst Nightmare” by Nathaniel Rich
    The Irishman, Steven Zaillian, I Heard You Paint Houses by Charles Brandt
    Jojo Rabbit, Taika Waititi, Caging Skies by Christine Leunens
    Little Women, Greta Gerwig, Louisa May Alcott
    The Two Popes, Anthony McCarten, based on his play The Pope

    TELEVISION

    Fleabag, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, one-woman play of the same name
    Fosse/Verdon, Joel Fields and Steven Levenson, “Nowadays,” based on the biography Fosse by Sam Wasson
    Killing Eve, Emerald Fennell, “Nice and Neat,” based on the novel Codename Villanelle by Luke Jennings
    Unbelieveable, Susannah Grant, Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman, for the first episode, based on the article “An Unbelievable Story of Rape” by T. Christian Miller and Ken Armstrong
    Watchmen, Damon Lindelof and Cord Jefferson for the episode “This Extraordinary Being,” based on the comic book series by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons

    American Society of Cinematographers (ASC):

    Feature Film
    Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC for 1917
    Phedon Papamichael, ASC, GSC for Ford v Ferrari
    Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, AMC for The Irishman
    Robert Richardson, ASC for Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
    Lawrence Sher, ASC for Joker

    Documentary
    Fejmi Daut and Samir Ljuma for Honeyland
    Evangelia Kranioti for Obscuro Barroco
    Nicholas de Pencier for Anthropocene: The Human Epoch

    Motion Picture, Miniseries, or Pilot Made for Television
    John Conroy, ISC for The Terror: Infamy “A Sparrow in a Swallow’s Nest”
    P.J. Dillon, ISC for The Rook “Chapter 1”
    Chris Manley, ASC for Doom Patrol “Pilot”
    Martin Ruhe, ASC for Catch-22 “Episode 5”
    Craig Wrobleski, CSC for The Twilight Zone “Blurryman”

    Episode of a Series for Non-Commercial Television
    David Luther for Das Boot “Gegen die Zeit”
    M. David Mullen, ASC for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel “Simone”
    Chris Seager, BSC for Carnival Row “Grieve No More”
    Brendan Steacy, CSC for Titans “Dick Grayson”
    Colin Watkinson, ASC, BSC for The Handmaid’s Tale “Night”

    Episode of a Series for Commercial Television
    Dana Gonzales, ASC for Legion “Chapter 20”
    C. Kim Miles, CSC, MySC for Project Blue Book “The Flatwoods Monster”
    Polly Morgan, ASC, BSC for Legion “Chapter 23”
    Peter Robertson, ISC for Vikings “Hell”
    David Stockton, ASC for Gotham “Ace Chemicals”

    Spotlight Award
    Jarin Blaschke for The Lighthouse
    Natasha Braier, ASC, ADF for Honey Boy
    Jasper Wolf, NSC for Monos

    ASC International Award:
    Bruno Delbonnel, ASC, AFC

    ASC Lifetime Achievement Award
    Frederick Elmes, ASC

    Cinema Audio Society (CAS):

    Motion Picture — Live Action
    “Ford v Ferrari”
    “Joker”
    “Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood”
    “Rocketman”
    “The Irishman”

    Motion Picture — Animated
    “Abominable”
    “Frozen II”
    “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World”
    “The Lion King”
    “Toy Story 4”

    Motion Picture — Documentary
    “Apollo 11”
    “Echo in the Canyon”
    “Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound”
    “Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool”
    “Woodstock: 3 Days That Changed Everything”

    Television Series — 1 hour
    “Game of Thrones: The Bells”
    “Peaky Blinders: Mr. Jones”
    “Stranger Thing: Chapter Eight: The Battle of Starcourt”
    “The Handmaid’s Tale: Heroic”
    “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Persona Non Grata”

    Television Series — 1/2 hour
    “Barry: ronny/lily”
    “Fleabag: Episode #2.6”
    “Modern Family: A Year of Birthdays”
    “Russian Doll: The Way Out”
    “Veep: Veep Episode 707”

    Television Movie or Limited Series
    “Apollo: Missions to the Moon”
    “Chernobyl: 1:23:45” — Winner
    “Deadwood: The Movie”
    “El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie”
    “True Detective: The Great War and Modern Memory”

    Television Non-Fiction, Variety or Music Series or Specials
    “Country Music: Will the Circle Be Unbroken? (1968-1972)”
    “David Bowie: Finding Fame”
    “Deadliest Catch: Sixty Foot Monster Episode 1512”
    “Formula 1: Drive to Survive: The Next Generation”
    “Hitsville: The Making of Motown”

     

  • Parasite shocks (not entirely true) at SAG

    Parasite shocks (not entirely true) at SAG

    Parasite won the best ensemble castaward at the Screen Actors Guild awards over frontrunner Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

    (more…)

  • With PGA Win, 1917 Is The New #1 Best Picture Contender

    With PGA Win, 1917 Is The New #1 Best Picture Contender

    1917 has jumped ahead in the Oscar Best Picture race with a win here.

    (more…)

  • OSCAR NOMINATIONS ARE RELEASED!

    OSCAR NOMINATIONS ARE RELEASED!

    Joker leads with 11, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, 1917, The Irishman all had 10. (This year is actually the record for most films with over 10 nominations). Jojo Rabbit, Little Women, Marriage Story, and Parasite each got 6 nods as well.

    I’ll get into the specifics of these nominations and what they mean in a later post.

    But for now, here they are!

    BEST PICTURE

    “Ford v Ferrari” – Producers: Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping and James Mangold (Walt Disney)
    “The Irishman” – Producers: Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Emma Tillinger Koskoff (Netflix)
    “Jojo Rabbit” – Producers: Carthew Neal and Taika Waititi (Fox Searchlight)
    “Joker” – Producers: Todd Phillips, Bradley Cooper and Emma Tillinger Koskoff (Warner Bros.)
    “Little Women” – Producers: Amy Pascal (Sony Pictures)
    “Marriage Story” – Producers: Noah Baumbach and David Heyman (Netflix)
    “1917” – Producers: Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris, Jayne-Ann Tenggren and Callum McDougall (Universal/Amblin)
    “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood” – Producers: David Heyman, Shannon McIntosh and Quentin Tarantino (Sony Pictures)
    “Parasite” – Producers: Kwak Sin Ae and Bong Joon Ho (Neon)

    BEST DIRECTOR

    Martin Scorsese – “The Irishman”
    Todd Phillips – “Joker”
    Sam Mendes – “1917”
    Quentin Tarantino – “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
    Bong Joon Ho – “Parasite”

    BEST ACTOR

    Antonio Banderas  – “Pain and Glory”
    Leonardo DiCaprio – “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood”
    Adam Driver – “Marriage Story”
    Joaquin Phoenix – “Joker”
    Jonathan Pryce – “The Two Popes”

    BEST ACTRESS

    Cynthia Erivo – “Harriet”
    Scarlett Johansson – “Marriage Story”
    Saoirse Ronan – “Little Women”
    Charlize Theron – “Bombshell”
    Renée Zellweger – “Judy”

    BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

    Tom Hanks – “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”
    Anthony Hopkins – “The Two Popes”
    Al Pacino – “The Irishman”
    Joe Pesci – “The Irishman”
    Brad Pitt – “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood”

    BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

    Kathy Bates – “Richard Jewell”
    Laura Dern – “Marriage Story”
    Scarlett Johansson – “Jojo Rabbit”
    Florence Pugh – “Little Women”
    Margot Robbie – “Bombshell”

    BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

    “The Irishman” – Steven Zaillian
    “Jojo Rabbit” – Taika Waititi
    “Joker” – Todd Phillips & Scott Silver
    “Little Women” – Greta Gerwig
    “The Two Popes” – Anthony McCarten

    BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

    “Knives Out” – Rian Johnson
    “Marriage Story” – Noah Baumbach
    “1917” – Sam Mendes & Krysty Wilson-Cairns
    “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood” – Quentin Tarantino
    “Parasite” – Bong Joon Ho, Han Jin Won

    BEST FILM EDITING

    “Ford v Ferrari” – Michael McCusker and Andrew Buckland
    “The Irishman” – Thelma Schoonmaker
    “Jojo Rabbit” – Tom Eagles
    “Joker” – Jeff Groth
    “Parasite” – Yang Jinmo

    BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

    “The Irishman” – Rodrigo Prieto
    “Joker” – Lawrence Sher
    “The Lighthouse” – Jarin Blaschke
    “1917” – Roger Deakins
    “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood” – Robert Richardson

    BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

    “The Irishman” – Bob Shaw, Regina Graves
    “Jojo Rabbit” – Ra Vincent, Nora Sopková
    “1917” – Dennis Gassner, Lee Sandales
    “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood” – Barbara Ling, Nancy Haigh
    “Parasite” – Lee Ha Jun, Cho Won Woo

    BEST COSTUME DESIGN

    “The Irishman” – Sandy Powell and Christopher Peterson
    “Jojo Rabbit” – Mayes C. Rubeo
    “Joker” – Mark Bridges
    “Little Women” – Jacqueline Durran
    “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood” – Arianne Phillips

    BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

    “Joker” – Hildur Guðnadóttir
    “Little Women” – Alexandre Desplat
    “Marriage Story” – Randy Newman
    “1917” – Thomas Newman
    “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” – John Williams

    BEST ORIGINAL SONG

    “I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away” from “Toy Story 4” – Randy Newman (Walt Disney)
    “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from “Rocketman” – Elton John and Bernie Taupin (Paramount)
    “I’m Standing With You” from “Breakthrough” – Diane Warren (Disney)
    “Into The Unknown” from “Frozen II” Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez (Walt Disney)
    “Stand Up” from “Harriet” – Joshuah Brian Campbell and Cynthia Erivo (Focus Features)

    BEST SOUND EDITING

    “Ford v Ferrari” – Donald Sylvester
    “Joker” – Alan Robert Murray
    “1917” – Oliver Tarney and Rachael Tate
    “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood” – Wylie Stateman
    “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” – Matthew Wood and David Acord

    BEST SOUND MIXING

    “Ad Astra” – Gary Rydstrom, Tom Johnson and Mark Ulano
    “Ford v Ferrari” – Paul Massey, David Giammarco and Steven A. Morrow
    “Joker” – Tom Ozanich, Dean Zupancic and Tod Maitland
    “1917” – Mark Taylor and Stuart Wilson
    “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood” – Michael Minkler, Christian P. Minkler and Mark Ulano

    BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

    “Bombshell” – Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan and Vivian Baker
    “Joker” – Nicki Ledermann and Kay Georgiou
    “Judy” – Jeremy Woodhead
    “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” – Paul Gooch, Arjen Tuiten and David White
    “1917” – Naomi Donne, Tristan Versluis and Rebecca Cole

    BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

    “Avengers: Endgame” – Dan DeLeeuw, Russell Earl, Matt Aitken and Dan Sudick (Walt Disney)
    “The Irishman” – Pablo Helman, Leandro Estebecorena, Nelson Sepulveda-Fauser and Stephane Grabli (Netflix)
    “The Lion King” – Robert Legato, Adam Valdez, Andrew R. Jones and Elliot Newman (Walt Disney)
    “1917” – Guillaume Rocheron, Greg Butler and Dominic Tuohy (Universal/Amblin)
    “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” – Roger Guyett, Neal Scanlan, Patrick Tubach and Dominic Tuohy (Walt Disney)

    BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

    “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” – Dean DeBlois, Bradford Lewis and Bonnie Arnold (Universal)
    “I Lost My Body” – Jérémy Clapin and Marc du Pontavice (Netflix)
    “Klaus” – Sergio Pablos, Jinko Gotoh and Marisa Román (Netflix)
    “Missing Link” – Chris Butler, Arianne Sutner and Travis Knight (United Artists)

    “Toy Story 4” – Josh Cooley, Mark Nielsen and Jonas Rivera (Walt Disney)

    DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

    “American Factory” – Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert and Jeff Reichert (Netflix)
    “The Cave” – Feras Fayyad, Kirstine Barfod and Sigrid Dyekjær (National Geographic)
    “The Edge of Democracy” – Petra Costa, Joanna Natasegara, Shane Boris and Tia

    go Pavan (Netflix)
    “For Sama” – Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts (PBS/Channel 4/Frontline)
    “Honeyland” – Ljubo Stefan (Neon)

    BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM

    “Corpus Christi” – Poland
    “Honeyland” – North Macedonia
    “Les Misérables” – France
    “Pain and Glory” – Spain
    “Parasite” – South Korea

    BEST ANIMATED SHORT

    “Dcera (Daughter)” – Daria Kashcheeva
    “Hair Love” – Matthew A. Cherry and Karen Rupert Toliver
    “Kitbull” – Rosana Sullivan and Kathryn Hendrickson
    “Memorable” – Bruno Collet and Jean-François Le Corre
    “Sister” – Siqi Song

    DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT

    “In the Absence” – Yi Seung-Jun and Gary Byung-Seok Kam
    “Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl)” – Carol Dysinger and Elena Andreicheva
    “Life Overtakes Me” – John Haptas and Kristine Samuelson
    “St. Louis Superman” – Smriti Mundhra and Sami Khan
    “Walk Run Cha-Cha” – Laura Nix and Colette Sandstedt

    BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT

    “Brotherhood” – Meryam Joobeur and Maria Gracia Turgeon
    “Nefta Football Club” – Yves Piat and Damien Megherbi
    “The Neighbors’ Window” – Marshall Curry
    “Saria” – Bryan Buckley and Matt Lefebvre
    “A Sister” – Delphine Girard

  • Critics’ Choice Awards: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Wins Best Picture A Day Before Oscar Nominations Release

    Critics’ Choice Awards: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Wins Best Picture A Day Before Oscar Nominations Release

    BEST PICTURE
    “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” 
    “1917”
    “Ford v Ferrari”
    “The Irishman”
    “Jojo Rabbit”
    “Joker”
    “Little Women”
    “Marriage Story”
    “Parasite”
    “Uncut Gems”

    BEST ACTOR
    Joaquin Phoenix – “Joker” 
    Antonio Banderas – “Pain and Glory”
    Robert De Niro – “The Irishman”
    Leonardo DiCaprio – “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
    Adam Driver – “Marriage Story”
    Eddie Murphy – “Dolemite Is My Name”
    Adam Sandler – “Uncut Gems”

    BEST ACTRESS
    Renée Zellweger – “Judy” 
    Awkwafina – “The Farewell”
    Cynthia Erivo – “Harriet”
    Scarlett Johansson – “Marriage Story”
    Lupita Nyong’o – Us
    Saoirse Ronan – “Little Women”
    Charlize Theron – “Bombshell”

    BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
    Brad Pitt – “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
    Willem Dafoe – “The Lighthouse”
    Tom Hanks – A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”
    Anthony Hopkins – “The Two Popes”
    Al Pacino – “The Irishman”
    Joe Pesci – “The Irishman”

    BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
    Laura Dern – “Marriage Story” 
    Scarlett Johansson – “Jojo Rabbit”
    Jennifer Lopez – “Hustlers”
    Florence Pugh – “Little Women”
    Margot Robbie – “Bombshell”
    Zhao Shuzhen – “The Farewell”

    BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS
    Roman Griffin Davis – “Jojo Rabbit” 
    Julia Butters – “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
    Noah Jupe – “Honey Boy”
    Thomasin McKenzie – “Jojo Rabbit”
    Shahadi Wright Joseph – “Us”
    Archie Yates – “Jojo Rabbit”

    BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
    “The Irishman” 
    “Bombshell”
    “Knives Out”
    “Little Women”
    “Marriage Story”
    “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
    “Parasite”

    BEST DIRECTOR
    Sam Mendes – “1917” (TIE)
    Bong Joon Ho – “Parasite” (TIE)
    Noah Baumbach – “Marriage Story”
    Greta Gerwig – “Little Women”
    Josh Safdie and Benny Safdie – “Uncut Gems”
    Martin Scorsese – “The Irishman”
    Quentin Tarantino – “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

    BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
    Quentin Tarantino – “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” 
    Noah Baumbach – “Marriage Story”
    Rian Johnson – “Knives Out”
    Bong Joon Ho and Han Jin Won – “Parasite”
    Lulu Wang – “The Farewell”

    BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
    Greta Gerwig – “Little Women” 
    Noah Harpster and Micah Fitzerman-Blue – A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”
    Anthony McCarten – “The Two Popes”
    Todd Phillips & Scott Silver – “Joker”
    Taika Waititi – “Jojo Rabbit”
    Steven Zaillian – “The Irishman”

    BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
    Roger Deakins – “1917” 
    Jarin Blaschke – “The Lighthouse”
    Phedon Papamichael – “Ford v Ferrari”
    Rodrigo Prieto – “The Irishman”
    Robert Richardson – “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
    Lawrence Sher – “Joker”

    BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
    Barbara Ling, Nancy Haigh – “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” 
    Mark Friedberg, Kris Moran – “Joker”
    Dennis Gassner, Lee Sandales – “1917”
    Jess Gonchor, Claire Kaufman – “Little Women”
    Lee Ha Jun – “Parasite”
    Bob Shaw, Regina Graves – “The Irishman”
    Donal Woods, Gina Cromwell – “Downton Abbey”

    BEST EDITING
    Lee Smith – “1917” 
    Ronald Bronstein, Benny Safdie – “Uncut Gems”
    Andrew Buckland, Michael McCusker – “Ford v Ferrari”
    Yang Jinmo – “Parasite”
    Fred Raskin – “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
    Thelma Schoonmaker – “The Irishman”

    BEST COSTUME DESIGN
    Ruth E. Carter – “Dolemite Is My Name” 
    Julian Day – “Rocketman”
    Jacqueline Durran – “Little Women”
    Arianne Phillips – “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
    Sandy Powell, Christopher Peterson – “The Irishman”
    Anna Robbins – “Downton Abbey”

    BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP
    “Bombshell” 
    “Dolemite Is My Name”
    “The Irishman”
    “Joker”
    “Judy”
    “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood”
    “Rocketman”

    BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
    “Avengers: Endgame” 
    “1917”
    “Ad Astra”
    “The Aeronauts”
    “Ford v Ferrari”
    “The Irishman”
    “The Lion King”

    BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
    “Toy Story 4” 
    “Abominable”
    “Frozen II”
    “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World”
    “I Lost My Body”
    “Missing Link”

    BEST ACTION MOVIE
    “Avengers: Endgame” 
    “1917”
    “Ford v Ferrari”
    “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum”
    “Spider-Man: Far From Home”

    BEST COMEDY
    “Dolemite Is My Name” 
    “Booksmart”
    “The Farewell”
    “Jojo Rabbit”
    “Knives Out”

    BEST SCI-FI OR HORROR MOVIE
    “Us” 
    “Ad Astra”
    “Avengers: Endgame”
    “Midsommar”

    BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
    “Parasite” 
    “Atlantics”
    “Les Misérables”
    “Pain and Glory”
    “Portrait of a Lady on Fire”

    BEST SONG
    “Glasgow (No Place Like Home)” – “Wild Rose” (TIE)
    “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” – “Rocketman” (TIE)
    “I’m Standing With You” – “Breakthrough”
    “Into the Unknown” – “Frozen II”
    “Speechless” – “Aladdin”
    “Spirit” – “The Lion King”
    “Stand Up” – “Harriet”

    BEST SCORE
    Hildur Guðnadóttir – “Joker” 
    Michael Abels – “Us”
    Alexandre Desplat – “Little Women”
    Randy Newman – “Marriage Story”
    Thomas Newman – “1917”
    Robbie Robertson – “The Irishman”

  • DGA Nominations Hold Four Expected Picks And One Surprise

    DGA Nominations Hold Four Expected Picks And One Surprise

    The Directors Guild nominations gave nods to Bong Joon-Ho, Sam Mendes, Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, and Taika Waititi. Waititi’s, the director of Jojo Rabbit, nomination shows that there is a lot of love in the industry for Jojo Rabbit and that could help it get more nominations than what was initially expected of it. (Maybe nods in Supporting Actress, Production Design, Costume Design, Score, Editing, or even Director)

    Here are the DGA’s nominations:

    The nominees for OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN THEATRICAL FEATURE FILM FOR 2019 are (in alphabetical order):

    BONG JOON HO

    Parasite

    (Neon)

    Mr. Bong’s Directorial Team:

    Unit Production Manager: Park Min Chul

    First Assistant Director: Kim Seong Sik

    SAM MENDES

    1917

    (Universal Pictures)

    Mr. Mendes’s Directorial Team:

    Unit Production Managers: Callum McDougall, Hannah Godwin

    First Assistant Director: Michael Lerman

    Second Assistant Director: Joey Coughlin

    MARTIN SCORSESE

    The Irishman

    (Netflix)

    Mr. Scorsese’s Directorial Team:

    Unit Production Managers: John A. Machione, Carla Raij

    First Assistant Director: David Webb

    Second Assistant Director: Jeremy Marks

    Second Second Assistant Director: Trevor Tavares

    Additional Second Assistant Director: Ryan Robert Howard

    Location Manager: Kip Myers

    QUENTIN TARANTINO

    Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood

    (Columbia Pictures)

    Mr. Tarantino’s Directorial Team:

    Unit Production Managers: Georgia Kacandes, Nathan Kelly

    First Assistant Director: William Paul Clark

    Second Assistant Director: Christopher T. Sadler

    Second Second Assistant Director: Brendan “Bear” Lee

    Additional Second Assistant Directors: Debbie Chung, Katie Pruitt

    TAIKA WAITITI

    Jojo Rabbit

    (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

    Mr. Waititi’s Directorial Team:

    Unit Production Managers: Václav Mottl, Pavel Voráček

    First Assistant Director: Mark Taylor

    Second Assistant Director: Martina Götthansová

    Second Second Assistant Director: Martina Frimelová

    The nominees for OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT OF A FIRST-TIME FEATURE FILM DIRECTOR FOR 2019 are (in alphabetical order):

    MATI DIOP

    Atlantics

    (Netflix)

    Ms. Diop’s Directorial Team:

    First Assistant Director: Vincent Prades

    ALMA HAR’EL

    Honey Boy

    (Amazon Studios)

    Ms. Har’el’s Directorial Team:

    Unit Production Manager: David Grace

    First Assistant Director: Sean Vawter

    Second Assistant Director: Colin Flaherty

    Second Second Assistant Director: Sarah Balboa

    MELINA MATSOUKAS

    Queen & Slim

    (Universal Pictures)

    Ms. Matsoukas’s Directorial Team:

    Unit Production Managers: Pamela Hirsch, Max Berryhill (Los Angeles Unit)

    First Assistant Directors: HH Cooper, Joe Suarez (Los Angeles Unit)

    Second Assistant Directors: James Roque, Johnny Recher (Los Angeles Unit)

    Second Second Assistant Directors: Sumner Boissiere, Tami Kumin (Ohio Unit)

    TYLER NILSON &MICHAEL SCHWARTZ

    The Peanut Butter Falcon

    (Roadside Attractions)

    Directorial Team:

    Unit Production Manager: Manu Gargi

    First Assistant Director: James Grayford

    Second Assistant Director: Dee Jones

    Second Second Assistant Director: Michael McKay

    JOE TALBOT

    The Last Black Man in San Francisco

    (A24 Films)

    Mr. Talbot’s Directorial Team:

    Unit Production Manager: Natalie Teter

    First Assistant Director: Hilton J. Day

    Second Assistant Director: Dominic Martin

    Second Second Assistant Director: Jeremiah Kelleher

    Additional Second Second Assistant Director: Alex Gilbert