For the record, the fact that two of the four categories that were temporarily relegated to commercial breaks were saved until the last week should in no way be interpreted as me endorsing such a stupid move. You could have made a case for Cinematography, but that's only because it's very likely Alfonso Cuarón will win, and … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2019 – Live Action Short
With a name like "Production Design," it would sound like this would be a catch-all category for all the technical elements of a film production. But really, that's what Best Picture is supposed to be for. The producers get that award for the best overall production, ostensibly. Production Design, on the other hand, is a … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2019 – Production Design
Up until about a couple days ago, my breakdown of this category had been rendered superfluous. In the never-ending shit show that this year's ceremony has become, the Academy originally decided to relegate Cinematography, Film Editing, Live Action Short, and Makeup & Hairstyling to commercial breaks at Sunday's Oscars. Never once anticipating that people watching … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2019 – Cinematography
When I went over the Documentary Shorts a few days ago, I mentioned that with each of the three Short categories this year, there's a striking similarity, in that with each list four of the five nominees have a common thread. With the Documentaries, it was the fact that all but Period. End of Sentence. were … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2019 – Animated Short
For those who don't get the headline reference, a bit of film trivia. In 1948, a movie musical was released called Isn't it Romantic? It's fairly unremarkable, but it has one major bit of notoriety. In the 1980s, renowned film critic Leonard Maltin gave the film what is considered by the Guinness Book of World Records … Continue reading Still No, But That’s the Point – Isn’t it Romantic
Robert Rodriguez hardly ever misfires. He's a master of genre, with hits like Sin City, Planet Terror, and Machete. He's a frequent collaborator with Quentin Tarantino, and has a visual eye many filmmakers would kill for. That said, his latest film, Alita: Battle Angel, just flat out sucks. The film languished in Development Hell for over a decade because … Continue reading Throw it Back in the Scrap Heap – Alita: Battle Angel
The first Lego Movie was one of the most unique moments in modern cinema history. It was an absolutely shameless bit of corporate synergy that at the same time was a visual marvel filled with laughs, amazing animation, and an emotional gut punch of an ending that was surprisingly profound, taking us out of the animated … Continue reading Everything is Not Quite Awesome, But Still Pretty Fun – The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part
Last year, Natalie Portman made a political statement by calling out the fact that all five nominees for Best Director at the Golden Globes were men. It was a bit annoying, because it didn't matter whether or not a woman actually did a directing job worthy of consideration (Patty Jenkins, perhaps?), what mattered in her … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2019 – Best Director
The Short categories are always my favorite part of Oscar season, because you get to see the whole set all at once, and immediately judge them against each other. And as it turns out, each of the three lists have four films that are all thematically similar in some way, with one oddball that doesn't … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2019 – Documentary Short
The Original Song category carries the suggested caveat that the nominated numbers be considered within the contexts of their respective films. The Original Score category, however, outright requires it. Because, you know, that's the point. One of the cool bits about this category is the way it's evolved over the years. It actually currently sits … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2019 – Original Score
I Actually Paid To See This 