While the Oscar Blitz has been going on, the other major ceremonies of this year's Awards Season have been having their say on the final outcome. Over the last couple of weeks, we've gotten results from the BAFTAs, SAG, and the DGA. The Writers Guild and the Independent Spirit Awards are still to come, but … Continue reading I’m Giving Out Wings! – Awards Circuit Catch-Up
This has been the quickest Oscar Blitz in the short history of me trying to pull this off. I'll almost certainly never complete the entire ceremony before nominations come out, but this year was about as close as you can get. Apart from the three short film categories, which were released as bloc screenings on … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts: The Good and the Bad in the Blitzing
It's been a long time since Best Actor was a competitive race of any kind. Last year, Gary Oldman was anointed beforeĀ Darkest Hour even came out, practically. It was the same the year before with Casey Affleck, even though Denzel Washington's performance inĀ Fences was beyond belief. The year before, Leonardo DiCaprio was given his "Lifetime … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2019 – Best Actor
This year the Academy has been all about pleasing the audience, for better or worse. On the plus side, more crowd favorites are up for major awards, includingĀ Black Panther andĀ Bohemian Rhapsody, which makes the ceremony more accessible to the audience at large, even if it's something of a stopgap measure to stave off the possibility … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2019 – Documentary Feature
Film Editing is arguably the most personal category to me, as I've got about a decade of experience as a TV editor under my belt, the vast majority of it in cable sports (thoseĀ SportsCenter highlights don't cut themselves). As such, I know the incredible amount of hard work that the post-production staff puts in on … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2019 – Film Editing
By its very nature, the Visual Effects category is the most fluid of the entire ceremony. Not only do the artists and editors constantly put in some insane hours trying to one-up each other, but as technology evolves, so does the collective taste of the audience and the Academy voters. It's amazing to look back … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2019 – Visual Effects
In recent history, the Supporting Actress category has unfortunately been treated as a foregone conclusion. Part of it is a side effect of trying to make the Best Actress category less competitive (see: Vikander, Alicia), and part of it is recognizing great actresses who you'd never see on the cover ofĀ Cosmopolitan magazine. It's become a … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2019 – Best Supporting Actress
There's a building visible from the 405 freeway in Los Angeles, as you're heading south towards LAX airport. It's the tallest building in the area, as heights are limited due to air traffic. The north facing side of the building is always draped in giant billboards for movies. Typically, it's for movies that aren't particularly … Continue reading Tween Knights Reign Over an Undeserved Flop – The Kid Who Would Be King
I'm always a bit conflicted on this category. Traditionally, this is the most glamorous award handed out on Oscar Night, as the anticipation is almost as high to see what the winner is wearing as it is to learn who the winner will actually be. It's kind of sexist in a way, because the dress … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2019 – Best Actress
Ah, my favorite of the major categories, Original Screenplay. The world's best writers vie for supremacy with these weird things called original thoughts, stories, and dialogue. Or, at least, that's what it should be. These days it's more of a consolation prize for a Best Picture nominee that doesn't really have a chance to win … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2019 – Original Screenplay
I Actually Paid To See This 