It's been a hell of a ride, folks. Between wildfires, delayed nominations, the myriad controversies surrounding the leading candidate, and the recent tragic passing of Gene Hackman that won't make the In Memoriam montage because there's not enough time to recut the whole thing, this has been one of the most tumultuous run-ups to the … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2025 – Best Picture (VIDEO)
It truly boggles my mind how the Music Branch operates, at least as it relates to the Original Song category. I'm not just talking about the annual chicanery that is the customary Diane Warren nomination, though that's a rant I could go on for days. I'm talking about the category as a whole. It seems … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2025 – Original Song
The Supporting categories have been in an odd sort of flux for the past few years, mostly because we seem to be unclear on what "supporting" actually means. In theory and literal title, this is an award for a performance in a supporting role. They supplement the leading characters and complement the story without taking … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2025 – Supporting Actress
With just over a week to go until the Oscars, the picture of who will actually win the hardware is starting to unfold. I could probably take an educated guess on the winners right now and get at least half of them correct. It's a bit annoying, because it takes so much suspense out of … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2025 – Best Actress
I like to keep things simple. It's not that I can't do complicated stuff, it's just that I choose not to, at least in my free time. My actual work is detailed and heavily complex at times, and thankfully I love it, because it makes it so I barely notice just how hard it can … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2025 – Makeup and Hairstyling (VIDEO)
I hadn't intended to use the preamble for these category breakdowns as a pretense for personal anecdotes, but sometimes it just works out that way. The annual Oscar Blitz always has a lot of ground to cover, and as I go on, I find myself getting into certain grooves where I'm just able to type … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2025 – Adapted Screenplay
For years now the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has been attempting to find ways to improve their annual awards ceremony to draw in more viewers. They've tried adding pandering categories, removing categories from the telecast, emphasizing musical numbers (even for songs that aren't nominated), expanding the Best Picture field to 10 films, … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2025 – International Feature
I may have mentioned this before, but when I worked as an editor, especially my time at ESPN, there were a few areas where I was, shall we say, less than expert. One was color correction, adjusting various hues and lights in a shot to make them look as natural as possible. It was a … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2025 – Sound
Usually, the Best Director contest is an easy one to parse and predict. Essentially, all we're asking is who had the best cinematic eye, who did the best job getting great performances out of their cast, and most importantly, who best executed the creative vision of the overall film? I normally get a bit of … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2025 – Best Director
One of the most common rebuttals to film criticism is for the people being critiqued to haughtily write off those giving their opinion by saying they should just do it themselves. This has gone on for years, but it's resurfaced in recent days thanks to the blowback against Emilia Pérez, particularly its regressive and stereotypical … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2025 – Cinematography
I Actually Paid To See This 