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
Over the last few years, we've begun to see a bit of a sea change when it comes to the Costume Design category. Traditionally, this has been a group where period dress and flowing gowns have dominated. But as Academy membership has expanded recently, so too has the variety of designs getting recognition. The most … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2021 – Costume Design
Let me tell you about a fun little aspect of my existence. As a lifelong Trekkie/Trekker, part of my fandom includes belonging to a Facebook group called "Star Trek Shitposting." It is exactly what it sounds like. We (there's about 95,000 of us currently) fuck about, posting memes and jokes related to Star Trek and … Continue reading Bonk! Go to Horny Brig! – Voyagers
The superhero parody is nothing new. Pretty much ever since comic books hit the mainstream there's been a subset of the genre that pokes fun at the concepts and tropes. For every Superman there's a Deadpool, for every Batman a Kick-Ass. Now, writer/director Ben Falcone, in his fifth collaboration with his wife Melissa McCarthy, brings … Continue reading This Movie Will Give You Crabs – Thunder Force
Every year there are a few categories at the Oscars where the result basically goes without saying. A lot of those times, we're talking about the Acting categories. Over the last decade, a minimum of two of the four winners were decided well in advance of Oscar Night, and even among the ones that weren't … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2021 – Best Actor
It's somewhat appropriate that I'm handling this category tonight. Part of the focus is on set design, and today I started on set with my latest job, mostly watching the technicians and builders put the set together so we can start shooting tomorrow. It's what we call "synergy," folks. Anyway, as I am not a … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2021 – Production Design
It's arguably harder to write a great adapted screenplay than it is to write an original one. With an original script, you can pretty much do anything. You come up with the story, the characters, everything. The sky is the limit. However, with adapted scripts, there can sometimes seem like there's a sense of obligation … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2021 – Adapted Screenplay
This is often a tricky category year-to-year for a variety of reasons. For one thing, it's one of the few that can still have fewer than five nominees. In 2011, only two songs were nominated, and two years later one was disqualified, giving us four. The current rules state that the category will have either … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2021 – Original Song
If there's any one category that gives me fits and anxiety attacks year in and year out, it's this one. It's not that the entrants are bad by any means, it's simply a matter of access. The eligibility calendar for International Feature submissions shifts back a couple of months before the general ballot, so as … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2021 – International Feature
I Actually Paid To See This 