The Oscar nominations are officially out, and the annual Blitz is on! I'll determine my coverage schedule over the next few days, with the first breakdown coming on Monday, February 9. In the meantime, though, I have a TON of films still to review, 36 to be precise. Yeah, between stuff that got nominated, stuff … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – International Festivities
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
It's the most wonderful time of the year. Oh, not Christmas, but the we're getting ever so close to the next Oscar Blitz! We're just over a month away from the reveal of the nominees, and today the Academy released their shortlists for half the categories in the field, 12 of the now 24! It's … Continue reading Santa’s Got Nothing on This – 98th Academy Awards Shortlists!
If you've followed this process for any decent length of time, you know two things about me. One is that I go out of my way to see as many submissions for International Feature as I possibly can. The second is that I get extremely annoyed when any category at the Academy Awards is taken … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2024 – International Feature
It's time! It's here! It's... (cue Monty Python's Flying Circus theme) THE OSCAR BLITZ! Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and everyone in between, this is the moment we've all been waiting for. This morning, Zazie Beetz and Jack Quaid announced the nominees for the 96th Academy Awards. As the action unfolded, phones across the … Continue reading Atomic BLITZ! – 96th Academy Award Nominations Revealed!
The first major mile marker for next year's Oscars has finally been crossed. Today, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released their shortlists in 10 of the 23 categories. Participating branches and members have been viewing submissions, attending bake-offs, and voting for the past few weeks, and now the semifinalists have been revealed. … Continue reading Moving On to the Pre-Blitz – 96th Academy Awards Shortlists
The deadline for submissions for the Oscar for International Feature was a month ago. Various outlets and sources have been compiling the list since the first entries were announced back in August, and the official release of eligible candidates from the Academy is due out quite soon, followed by the shortlist of 15 semifinalists in … Continue reading DownStream – Global Survival
We've reached the final stage of the pre-Blitz with today's announcement of 10 shortlists for specialty categories for next year's Oscars. And as always, there are some truly baffling decisions made by the individual branches to go along with the more logical ones. From here on out it's nothing but hunting and viewing as I … Continue reading Your Dis is on My List – 94th Academy Award Shortlists!
Come on, how could I not preface the Independent Spirit Awards with a reference to quite possibly the greatest independent film of all time? The moment has come at last, and Awards Season is truly and officially underway with the first major announcement of nominees. Yes, technically the Golden Globe nods came out first with … Continue reading I’m 37?! – 37th Independent Spirit Nominees Announced
Through a combination of luck, increased distribution, and me just being an obsessive, I've been able to get an amazing head start on the International Feature category for next year's Oscars. Often the hardest category to finish, thanks to Academy rules that do not mandate domestic screening, this year I've been able to track down … Continue reading DownStream – Around the World, Part 1
I Actually Paid To See This 