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 of 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
Most of the time when I do these breakdowns it's with the intent of being as objective as possible without truly prognosticating on the result. But this year, the Original Song category is one where I just can't pretend. We all know what's going to happen. "Shallow," from A Star is Born, is almost certainly going … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2019 – Original Song
For some reason, this is still the only category that defaults to three nominees instead of five. I honestly don't get it. There are plenty of talented artists throughout the film industry who do incredible makeup work on a daily basis. I'd understand if once in a while there were only a few worthy films … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2019 – Makeup & Hairstyling
With the Screen Actors Guild Awards taking place last weekend, three of the four acting categories begin to take greater shape, including Supporting Actor. This year's field isn't as strong as it's been in previous years, and as such I think it's very possible that we've already got this one sewn up. Be that as … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2019 – Best Supporting Actor
Just like the Documentary branch of the Academy seems to have a seething vendetta against films that engage with mass audiences, so to do the Foreign Language voters seem to have an innate bias against one particular country. South Korea has been submitting off and on in this category since 1962, with 30 films put … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2019 – Foreign Language
As a writer who aspires one day to hear his name called by the Academy, I take special interest in the Screenplay categories. I prefer Original to Adapted, because if there's one thing Hollywood needs more than ever these days, it's original ideas. But the adaptation process is also fascinating in its own way, because … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2019 – Adapted Screenplay
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