As I type this out, the Independent Spirit Awards are taking place. Normally held the night before the Oscars, this year it was moved up a couple of days to give us a little bit of breathing room between the last major ceremony of Awards Season and the Main Event that is the Academy Awards. … Continue reading A Short Circuit – 2021 Awards Season Update
We made it, everyone! After 22 categories, it's finally time to tackle the big one. In a year that I think we can all agree was utter shit, the movie-going experience changed dramatically, and not for the better. I think we can also agree that, as years go, the overall quality of movies was lower … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2021 – Best Picture
Year in and year out, this is one of the most difficult categories to judge, which I guess is befitting the largest individual achievement category of the entire Oscars ceremony. More often than not, the eventual winner is pretty well determined in advance, as hype typically sweeps up in favor of one particular filmmaker. Over … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2021 – Best Director
We're in the home stretch, folks! Just three categories remain to break down before I officially make my predictions. And before you know it, Sunday will be here, and it'll be showtime! But before we get to the two biggest awards of the ceremony, there's still one more specialty subject to tackle. Live Action Short … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2021 – Live Action Short
When I reviewed the remake of Rebecca last year for my friends at Behind the Rabbit Productions, I mentioned that director Ben Wheatley was known for having an eye for horror, but that it certainly wasn't realized with that toothless retelling of an all-time cinematic classic. However, his follow-up, In The Earth, promised to be … Continue reading Brute by the Foot – In the Earth
About 90% of the time I can say with certainty that I am not a fan of so-called "cringe" comedy. The major problem with the concept is that oftentimes a writer or actor will decide that the state of simply being or feeling awkward is enough to generate laughs, and they are quite sadly mistaken. … Continue reading The Rainbow Conniption – Shiva Baby
I mentioned this briefly last year when discussing this category - specifically the abomination that was the Lion King remake. I think the eligibility rules for Visual Effects need to be updated. Currently, the Academy's rules simply state that the criteria for the category are quote, "consideration of the contribution the visual effects make to … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2021 – Visual Effects
The first time I watched this category, I made a new friend and I nearly peed mysel. See, the limit for a short subject film is 40 minutes, and occasionally an allowance can be made if the credit roll puts it slightly over that time. When I first saw this category in 2015, basically every … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2021 – Documentary Short
God it's been a while since this category was truly competitive. I know Olivia Colman pulled the upset two years ago, but that's exactly what it was, an upset (though she was the truly deserving winner). Apart from her BAFTA win, which you could argue was home field advantage, Glenn Close won every Best Actress … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2021 – Best Actress
I say this every year, but it remains 100% true. The Short Film categories are my favorite part of Awards Season. The ability to watch an entire category in one go is an absolute thrill, because the nominees run the gamut of themes, subject matter, and artistic style. Just about anything can get a nod, … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2021 – Animated Short
