We're six days away from the Academy Awards, and at this point, the prep work is just about complete. With the exception of the Independent Spirit Awards, which take place this Saturday and due to their nature can only have a mild effect on the outcome, Awards Season is essentially in the books. All that's … Continue reading Getting Ready for the Main Event – BAFTA and Guild Awards Results!
I mentioned this earlier in the Blitz, but I would absolutely love to attend a "Bake-Off" presentation for the Academy, mostly because I just want to get inside the heads of both the Academy voters (in any number of branches), and the marketing teams of the various films and studios making their cases for nomination. … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2020 – Visual Effects
One of the unfortunate side effects of the Academy's accelerated schedule this year is the fact that the short film categories weren't released until yesterday. Less than a week to go in our Blitz, and only now am I able to even crack three of the best categories in the entire ceremony. Animated Feature is … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2020 – Animated Short
Last year at the Oscars, we saw one of the few legitimate upsets that just elated me. Going in, it was all but a certainty that Glenn Close would finally get her award after six nominations. She had won a Golden Globe, the SAG award, and the Independent Spirit for her role in The Wife. … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2020 – Best Actress
One of the first categories I broke down in this year's Blitz was Sound Mixing. So why, you may ask, did I then wait until the final week to do its counterpart, Sound Editing? Simple, really. I wanted to truly get some separation between the two fields - which as usual are 80% identical - … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2020 – Sound Editing
Strictly speaking, the award for Production Design is meant to be limited to the interior design of a film, namely the sets, props, and overall decoration. But in the case of our nominees this year, it has to be said that "interior" doesn't quite cover it. Each of the five films selected here have a … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2020 – Production Design
Every year I strive to see all nominees in all categories. This year, that lofty goal was long in doubt, due to the one category that does not require films to be screened locally at all, the newly renamed International Feature. Most films submitted to the Academy have a fairly standard keystone eligibility rule, and … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2020 – International Feature
The internet is a double-edged sword in many respects. For my purposes here, it is both essential, because it provides me a platform for talking about my favorite thing in the world (movies), and annoying, because part of the fun of Oscar season is seeing all the films and rating/prognosticating about the awards themselves. The … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2020 – Best Supporting Actor
In many a year at the Oscars, the Screenplay categories tend to act as consolation prizes to films that will be left in the cold when it comes to Best Director or Best Picture. But sometimes, the Academy doesn't even get the chance to apologize that far. This was the case two years ago. Both … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2020 – Adapted Screenplay
One of the guiding principles of the Academy process for movie music is a bit of a double-edged sword. For both Original Score and Original Song, the Music Branch never actually has to watch the movies for which the music has been submitted. Strictly speaking, they only have to hear snippets of the score and … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2020 – Original Song
I Actually Paid To See This 