When I was a child, there were four things that fascinated me more than anything else: baseball, TV, video games, and camcorders. In my own little world, a bulky camera mounted on your shoulder with a VHS tape inside was the ticket to the whole universe of movies. My family couldn't afford one of our … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2026 – Cinematography
Well friends, it seems that the Best Picture race is all but sewn up. Paul Thomas Anderson has just taken top honors at the Directors Guild Awards, and One Battle After Another cleaned up at the BAFTAs, winning Best Picture, Best Director, Adapted Screenplay, Supporting Actor for Sean Penn, Cinematography, and Film Editing. The presumed … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2026 – Original Screenplay
The old adage is to dress for the job you want, not the job you have. Well, for me, that's fairly obvious. I dress in jeans and dark t-shirts, which is literally my wardrobe when I'm on set during taping. It's what we call "show blacks," so that we don't affect the lighting on the … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2026 – Costume Design (VIDEO)
Late in January, I had to take my computer in for service. It was the second trip to the Geek Squad in as many months. The problem was that my C drive was constantly filling up, causing my web browser to crash if I had more than one tab open, and frequently closing regular program … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2026 – Original Score
Every year when I do the Blitz, I try to think of new and fun ways to break down each category. Sometimes it's by doing some research and finding a few fun facts about the nominees themselves. Sometimes I dig into Oscars history for some juicy tidbits that might be relevant to the discussion. Sometimes … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2026 – Sound
Ladies and gentlemen and everyone in between, we are about to venture where have never gone before. For the first time since the advent of Animated Feature a quarter-century ago, we have a brand new category for the Academy Awards, and thus, for the Oscar Blitz. Welcome to the first ever breakdown of Best Casting! … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2026 – Casting (VIDEO)
If you've followed the Blitz over the years, you know this is NOT my favorite category. I love music, and I love how music is used in film, whether it's a full-blown production number, a nice diegetic catalog track, or even occasionally a thematically appropriate coda during the credits. Also, as I've never been successfully … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2026 – Original Song
Over the last several months, I learned more about interior design than I ever cared to know. Working in door-to-door sales, focusing on windows and entry doors, my job required me to knock on over 100 properties a day in an assigned neighborhood, and attempt to set up appointments for the actual salesmen. While it … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2026 – Production Design
Hello, everybody! Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, welcome to the 2026 Oscar Blitz! We have five weeks chock full of analysis as we count down to the 98th Academy Awards, and it's a labor of love every year. However, I do have to open on something of a down note, and admit that … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2026 – Best Director
Well, everyone, the day has come at last. This morning, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences trotted out Danielle Brooks and Lewis Pullman to announce its nominees for the 98th Oscars. A new category made its official debut, and a longstanding record was broken, perhaps permanently. There's a lot to get to, so … Continue reading A Hefty Blitz Package – 98th Academy Award Nominations
I Actually Paid To See This 