The 2017 Academy Award Nominations (In An Ideal World)

•January 24, 2017 • 2 Comments

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Here are your 2017 Academy Award nominations… in an ideal world. (In my ideal world, anyhow.)

BEST PICTURE:

  • Fences
  • The Handmaiden
  • Kubo and the Two Strings
  • The Lobster
  • Manchester By The Sea
  • Silence
  • Sing Street

BEST DIRECTOR:

  • Robert Eggers, The Witch
  • Yorgos Lanthimos, The Lobster
  • Park Chan-Wook, The Handmaiden
  • Mira Nair, Queen of Katwe
  • Martin Scorsese, Silence

BEST ACTOR:

  • Casey Affleck, Manchester By The Sea
  • Julian Dennison, Hunt For The Wilderpeople
  • Colin Farrell, The Lobster
  • Logan Lerman, Indignation
  • Denzel Washington, Fences

BEST ACTRESS:

  • Annette Bening, 20th Century Women
  • Kim Tae-Ri, The Handmaiden
  • Blake Lively, The Shallows
  • Hailee Steinfeld, The Edge of Seventeen
  • Anya Taylor-Joy, The Witch

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

  • Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
  • Ralph Fiennes, A Bigger Splash
  • Lucas Hedges, Manchester By The Sea
  • Daniel Radcliffe, Swiss Army Man
  • Hayden Szeto, The Edge of Seventeen

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

  • Viola Davis, Fences
  • Greta Gerwig, 20th Century Women
  • Lupita Nyong’o, Queen of Katwe
  • Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures
  • Michelle Williams, Manchester By The Sea

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:

  • Fences
  • The Handmaiden
  • Indignation
  • Moonlight
  • Silence

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:

  • The Edge of Seventeen
  • Hell or High Water
  • The Lobster
  • Manchester By The Sea
  • The Witch

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:

  • Cafe Society
  • Doctor Strange
  • The Handmaiden
  • La La Land
  • Silence

BEST COSTUME DESIGN:

  • Cafe Society
  • The Handmaiden
  • Jackie
  • Queen of Katwe
  • Silence

BEST FILM EDITING:

  • Hacksaw Ridge
  • The Handmaiden
  • Hell or High Water
  • Manchester By The Sea
  • Silence

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING:

  • Hacksaw Ridge
  • The Handmaiden
  • Silence

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN:

  • The BFG
  • Doctor Strange
  • The Handmaiden
  • Silence
  • Warcraft

BEST SCORE:

  • The Fits
  • The Handmaiden
  • Hunt For The Wilderpeople
  • Kubo and the Two Strings
  • Swiss Army Man

BEST SONG:

  • “Equal Rights,” Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
  • “Finest Girl (Bin Laden Song),” Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
  • “No Dames,” Hail Caesar!
  • “Up,” Sing Street
  • “You’re Welcome,” Moana

BEST SOUND EDITING:

  • Doctor Strange
  • Hacksaw Ridge
  • The Handmaiden
  • Kubo and the Two Strings
  • Silence

BEST SOUND MIXING:

  • Hacksaw Ridge
  • The Handmaiden
  • Kubo and the Two Strings
  • Silence
  • Sing Street

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:

  • Arrival
  • The BFG
  • Doctor Strange
  • The Jungle Book
  • Warcraft

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE:

  • Kubo and the Two Strings
  • Moana
  • Zootopia

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE:

  • Into the Inferno
  • OJ: Made in America
  • The 13th
  • Tickled
  • Weiner

 

My Oscar Nomination Predictions, 2017

•January 24, 2017 • Leave a Comment

It’s time for me to dust off the ol’ blog and post some Oscar-related #content! Been too long, strangers!

Once again, if you’re reading this, and you don’t follow me on Twitter or on Letterboxd… um, well, please do so. It’d be cool. Instagram, too. Why not.

If I recall correctly, I did really poorly with Oscar Nomination predictions last year– I’ve never topped 75% (it’s those damned sound categories– every year with those things). Here’s hoping it’s this year!

Also, keep an eye out as I’ll likely also be posting shortly what the nominees would be in an ideal world– a fun exercise in futility for us to contemplate!

Here we go!

BEST PICTURE:

  • Arrival
  • Fences
  • Hacksaw Ridge
  • Hell or High Water
  • Hidden Figures
  • La La Land
  • Lion
  • Manchester By The Sea
  • Moonlight
  • DARK HORSE: Silence

BEST DIRECTOR:

  • Damien Chazelle, La La Land
  • Mel Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge
  • Barry Jenkins, Moonlight
  • Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester By The Sea
  • Denis Villeneuve, Arrival
  • DARK HORSE: Garth Davis, Lion

BEST ACTOR:

  • Casey Affleck, Manchester By The Sea
  • Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge
  • Ryan Gosling, La La Land
  • Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic
  • Denzel Washington, Fences
  • DARK HORSE: Tom Hanks, Sully

BEST ACTRESS:

  • Amy Adams, Arrival
  • Isabelle Huppert, Elle
  • Natalie Portman, Jackie
  • Emma Stone, La La Land
  • Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins
  • DARK HORSE: Annette Bening, 20th Century Women

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

  • Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
  • Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water
  • Hugh Grant, Florence Foster Jenkins
  • Lucas Hedges, Manchester By The Sea
  • Dev Patel, Lion
  • DARK HORSE: Ben Foster, Hell or High Water

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

  • Viola Davis, Fences
  • Naomie Harris, Moonlight
  • Nicole Kidman, Lion
  • Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures
  • Michelle Williams, Manchester By The Sea
  • DARK HORSE: Greta Gerwig, 20th Century Women

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:

  • Arrival
  • Fences
  • Hidden Figures
  • Lion
  • Moonlight
  • DARK HORSE: Hacksaw Ridge

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:

  • Hell or High Water
  • Jackie
  • La La Land
  • The Lobster
  • Manchester By The Sea
  • DARK HORSE: Captain Fantastic

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE:

  • Finding Dory
  • Kubo and the Two Strings
  • Moana
  • The Red Turtle
  • Zootopia
  • DARK HORSE: My Life As A Zucchini

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE:

  • Cameraperson
  • I Am Not Your Negro
  • OJ: Made In America
  • The 13th
  • Weiner
  • DARK HORSE: Fire at Sea

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:

  • Land of Mine
  • A Man Called Ove
  • My Life As A Zucchini
  • The Salesman
  • Toni Erdmann
  • DARK HORSE: Paradise

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:

  • Arrival
  • La La Land
  • Lion
  • Moonlight
  • Silence
  • DARK HORSE: Jackie

BEST COSTUME DESIGN:

  • Allied
  • Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them
  • Florence Foster Jenkins
  • Jackie
  • La La Land
  • DARK HORSE: Silence

BEST FILM EDITING:

  • Arrival
  • Hacksaw Ridge
  • La La Land
  • Manchester By The Sea
  • Moonlight
  • DARK HORSE: Hell or High Water

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING:

  • Deadpool
  • Florence Foster Jenkins
  • Suicide Squad
  • DARK HORSE: Hail Caesar!

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE:

  • Jackie
  • La La Land
  • Lion
  • Moonlight
  • Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
  • DARK HORSE: Hidden Figures

BEST ORIGINAL SONG:

  • “Audition,” La La Land
  • “Can’t Stop The Feeling,” Trolls
  • “City of Stars,” La La Land
  • “How Far I’ll Go,” Moana
  • “Runnin’,” Hidden Figures
  • DARK HORSE: “Try Everything,” Zootopia

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN:

  • Arrival
  • Doctor Strange
  • Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them
  • Hail Caesar!
  • La La Land
  • DARK HORSE: Nocturnal Animals

BEST SOUND EDITING:

  • Arrival
  • Deepwater Horizon
  • Hacksaw Ridge
  • La La Land
  • Rogue One
  • DARK HORSE: Sully

BEST SOUND DESIGN:

  • Arrival
  • Deepwater Horizon
  • Hacksaw Ridge
  • La La Land
  • Rogue One
  • DARK HORSE: Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:

  • Arrival
  • Doctor Strange
  • Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them
  • The Jungle Book
  • Rogue One
  • DARK HORSE: Captain America: Civil War

BEST ANIMATED SHORT:

  • Borrowed Time
  • The Head Vanishes
  • Inner Workings
  • Pearl
  • Piper

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT:

  • Extremis
  • 4.1 Miles
  • Joe’s Violin
  • The Mute’s House
  • The White Helmets

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT:

  • Nocturne In Black
  • The Rifle, The Jackal, the Wolf, and the Boy
  • Sing
  • Timecode
  • The Way of Tea

 

 

My Oscar Predictions, 2016

•February 26, 2016 • Leave a Comment

People usually ask me for advice on how to fill out their Oscar ballots. For them, I have crafted this cheat sheet. I will pick the person/film I believe is the favorite to win, along with a dark horse selection– that way, if you want to roll the dice on a few categories, you can do so.

My picks:

BEST PICTURE:

The Revenant

Dark horse: The Big Short

BEST DIRECTOR:

Alejandro Inarritu

Dark horse: George Miller

BEST ACTOR:

Leonardo DiCaprio

Dark horse*: Bryan Cranston

*- this is a super super dark horse, Leo is basically a lock, but if you’re in Vegas, I’d drop 10 bucks on Cranston’s 80:1 odds. 

BEST ACTRESS:

Brie Larson

Dark horse: None

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

Sylvester Stallone

Dark horse: Mark Rylance

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

Alicia Vikander

Dark horse: Kate Winslet

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:

Spotlight

Dark horse: None

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:

The Big Short

Dark horse: None

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:

The Revenant

Dark horse: none

BEST COSTUME DESIGN:

Carol

Dark horse: Cinderella

BEST EDITING:

Mad Max: Fury Road

Dark horse: The Big Short

BEST MAKEUP/HAIR:

Mad Max: Fury Road

Dark horse: The Revenant

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN:

Mad Max: Fury Road

Dark horse: The Revenant

BEST SCORE:

The Hateful Eight

Dark horse: Star Wars: The Force Awakens

BEST SONG:

“Til It Happens To You,” The Hunting Ground

Dark horse: “Earned It,” Fifty Shades of Grey

BEST SOUND EDITING:

The Revenant

Dark horse: Mad Max: Fury Road

BEST SOUND MIXING:

The Revenant

Dark horse: Mad Max: Fury Road

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Dark horse: Mad Max: Fury Road

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE:

Inside Out

Dark horse: Anomalisa

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE:

Amy

Dark horse: What Happened, Miss Simone?

BEST FOREIGN FILM:

Son of Saul

Dark horse: Mustang

BEST ANIMATED SHORT:

World of Tomorrow

Dark horse: Sanjay’s Super Team

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT:

Claude Lanzman: Spectres of the Shoah

Dark horse: Body Team 12

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT:

Ave Maria

Dark horse: Shok

The 2016 Academy Award Nominations (In an Ideal World)

•January 14, 2016 • Leave a Comment

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Here are your 2016 Academy Award nominations… in an ideal world. (In my ideal world, anyhow.)

BEST PICTURE:

  • Anomalisa
  • The Big Short
  • Carol
  • Creed
  • Mad Max: Fury Road
  • Shaun the Sheep Movie
  • Steve Jobs
  • Sicario
  • Spotlight

BEST DIRECTOR:

  • Ryan Coogler, Creed
  • Todd Haynes, Carol
  • Marielle Heller, The Diary of a Teenage Girl
  • George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road
  • Denis Villeneuve, Sicario

BEST ACTOR:

  • Paul Dano, Love & Mercy
  • Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
  • Michael B. Jordan, Creed
  • Josh Lucas, The Mend
  • Ben Mendelsohn, Mississippi Grind

BEST ACTRESS:

  • Emily Blunt, Sicario
  • Rooney Mara, Carol
  • Bel Powley, The Diary of a Teenage Girl
  • Sarah Snook, Predestination
  • Charlize Theron, Mad Max: Fury Road

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

  • Emory Cohen, Brooklyn
  • Oscar Isaac, Ex Machina
  • Alexander Skarsgård, The Diary of a Teenage Girl
  • Rick Springfield, Ricki and the Flash
  • Sylvester Stallone, Creed

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

  • Rebecca Ferguson, Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
  • Greta Gerwig, Mistress America
  • Kristen Stewart, Clouds of Sils Maria
  • Alicia Vikander, Ex Machine
  • Kristen Wiig, The Diary of a Teenage Girl

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:

  • The Big Short
  • Brooklyn
  • Creed
  • The Diary of a Teenage Girl
  • Steve Jobs

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:

  • Ex Machina
  • Mississippi Grind
  • Mistress America
  • Sicario
  • Spotlight

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:

  • Carol
  • Creed
  • Mad Max: Fury Road
  • The Revenant
  • Sicario

BEST COSTUME DESIGN:

  • Brooklyn
  • Carol
  • Crimson Peak
  • Jupiter Ascending
  • Mad Max: Fury Road

BEST EDITING:

  • The Big Short
  • Creed
  • Mad Max: Fury Road
  • Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation
  • Sicario

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIR:

  • Jupiter Ascending
  • Mad Max: Fury Road
  • Mr. Holmes

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN:

  • Carol
  • Crimson Peak
  • Ex Machina
  • Mad Max: Fury Road
  • Tomorrowland

BEST SCORE:

  • Carol
  • Creed
  • The Hateful Eight
  • Sicario
  • Steve Jobs

BEST SONG:

  • “Cold One,” Ricki and the Flash
  • “Don’t Look Down,” Danny Collins
  • “Feels Like Summer,” Shaun the Sheep Movie
  • “Love Me Like You Do,” Fifty Shades of Gray
  • “Squeeze Me,” The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water

BEST SOUND EDITING:

  • Creed
  • Jupiter Ascending
  • Mad Max: Fury Road
  • Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation
  • Sicario

BEST SOUND MIXING:

  • Creed
  • Jupiter Ascending
  • Mad Max: Fury Road
  • Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation
  • Sicario

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:

  • Avengers: Age of Ultron
  • Ex Machina
  • Jupiter Ascending
  • Mad Max: Fury Road
  • The Walk

My Oscar Nomination Predictions, 2016

•January 13, 2016 • Leave a Comment

Greetings, world! It has been a very long time since I posted– since last year’s Oscars, as a matter a fact. For those of you who don’t know me, I stopped maintaining this blog when I moved to Los Angeles, because writing all day long for work and simultaneously keeping this blog up-to-date would be impossible (if you check the dates on some of the older reviews, it was becoming quite difficult for me even before I began writing full-time).

However, as I’m an apt consumer of the joy and pain of awards season, I figured I would continue to dispense my predictions for the Academy Awards, both for the nominations and then later for the awards themselves. (Maybe I’ll also do what I did last year and post my ideal-world Oscar nominations tomorrow.)

If you’re interested in my very brief thoughts on the 110+ movies I saw in 2015, I strongly encourage you to follow my film-going diary, or at bare minimum to follow my Twitter, where I frequently post my insta-thoughts about films and/or anything else under the sun.

Without further ado, my picks for tomorrow’s Oscar nominations (with a dark horse that could sneak in for each category). Last year, I got 72.6% of my picks right (the sound categories always kill me). Here’s hoping I top that mark this time!

BEST PICTURE:

  • The Big Short
  • Bridge of Spies
  • Brooklyn
  • Carol
  • Mad Max: Fury Road
  • The Martian
  • The Revenant
  • Room
  • Spotlight
  • DARK HORSE: Straight Outta Compton

BEST DIRECTOR:

  • Todd Haynes, Carol
  • Alejandro Inarritu, The Revenant
  • Tom McCarthy, Spotlight
  • Adam McKay, The Big Short
  • Ridley Scott, The Martian
  • DARK HORSE: George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road

BEST ACTOR:

  • Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
  • Matt Damon, The Martian
  • Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
  • Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
  • Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl
  • DARK HORSE: Johnny Depp, Black Mass

BEST ACTRESS:

  • Cate Blanchett, Carol
  • Brie Larson, Room
  • Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
  • Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years
  • Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn
  • DARK HORSE: Lily Tomlin, Grandma

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

  • Christian Bale, The Big Short
  • Idris Elba, Beasts of No Nation
  • Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight
  • Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
  • Sylvester Stallone, Creed
  • DARK HORSE: Michael Shannon, 99 Homes

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

  • Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
  • Rooney Mara, Carol
  • Rachel McAdams, Spotlight
  • Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
  • Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs
  • DARK HORSE: Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:

  • The Big Short
  • Brooklyn
  • Carol
  • Room
  • Steve Jobs
  • DARK HORSE: The Martian

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:

  • Bridge of Spies
  • Ex Machina
  • The Hateful Eight
  • Inside Out
  • Spotlight
  • DARK HORSE: Straight Outta Compton

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE:

  • Anomalisa
  • The Good Dinosaur
  • Inside Out
  • The Peanuts Movie
  • Shaun the Sheep Movie
  • DARK HORSE: The Prophet

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE:

  • Amy
  • Cartel Land
  • The Hunting Ground
  • Listen to Me Marlon
  • The Look of Silence
  • DARK HORSE: The Best of Enemies

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FEATURE:

  • The Brand New Testament
  • Labyrinth of Lies
  • Mustang
  • Son of Saul
  • Theeb
  • DARK HORSE: A War

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:

  • Carol
  • The Hateful Eight
  • Mad Max: Fury Road
  • The Revenant
  • Sicario
  • DARK HORSE: Bridge of Spies

BEST COSTUME DESIGN:

  • Brooklyn
  • Carol
  • Cinderella
  • Crimson Peak
  • The Danish Girl
  • DARK HORSE: Mad Max: Fury Road

BEST EDITING:

  • The Big Short
  • Mad Max: Fury Road
  • The Martian
  • The Revenant
  • Spotlight
  • DARK HORSE: Bridge of Spies

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIR:

  • Mad Max: Fury Road
  • Mr. Holmes
  • The Revenant
  • DARK HORSE: Black Mass

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN:

  • Bridge of Spies
  • Carol
  • Crimson Peak
  • Mad Max: Fury Road
  • Star Wars: The Force Awakens
  • DARK HORSE: The Danish Girl

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE:

  • Bridge of Spies
  • Carol
  • The Hateful Eight
  • Inside Out
  • Star Wars: The Force Awakens
  • DARK HORSE: The Danish Girl

BEST ORIGINAL SONG:

  • “Love Me Like You Do,” Fifty Shades of Gray
  • “See You Again,” Furious 7
  • “Simple Song 3,” Youth
  • “Til It Happens To You,” The Hunting Ground
  • “Writing’s On The Wall,” Spectre
  • DARK HORSE: “Earned It,” Fifty Shades of Gray

BEST SOUND EDITING:

  • Mad Max: Fury: Road
  • The Martian
  • The Revenant
  • Sicario
  • Star Wars: The Force Awakens
  • DARK HORSE: The Hateful Eight

BEST SOUND MIXING:

  • Mad Max: Fury Road
  • The Martian
  • The Revenant
  • Star Wars: The Force Awakens
  • Straight Outta Compton
  • DARK HORSE: The Hateful Eight

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:

  • Jurassic World
  • Mad Max: Fury Road
  • The Martian
  • Star Wars: The Force Awakens
  • The Walk
  • DARK HORSE: The Revenant

My Oscar Predictions, 2015

•February 20, 2015 • Leave a Comment

People usually ask me for advice on how to fill out their Oscar ballots. For them, I have crafted this cheat sheet. I will pick the person/film I believe is the favorite to win, along with a dark horse selection– that way, if you want to roll the dice on a few categories, you can do so.

My picks:

BEST PICTURE:

Birdman

Dark horse: Boyhood

BEST DIRECTOR:

Richard Linklater

Dark horse*: Alejandro Inarritu

*- I think Pic/Director will split. If you feel so inclined, flip-flop the two, and pick Boyhood and Inarritu.

BEST ACTOR:

Michael Keaton

Dark horse*: Eddie Redmayne

*- this is a total coin flip.

BEST ACTRESS:

Julianne Moore

Dark horse: none

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

J.K. Simmons

Dark horse: none

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

Patricia Arquette

Dark horse: none

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Dark horse: Birdman

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:

Whiplash

Dark horse*: The Imitation Game

*- another coin flip, really. I’m hopeful for Whiplash.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:

Birdman

Dark horse: none

BEST COSTUME DESIGN:

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Dark horse: Into the Woods

BEST EDITING:

Boyhood

Dark horse: Whiplash

BEST MAKEUP/HAIR:

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Dark horse: Foxcatcher

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN:

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Dark horse: none

BEST SCORE:

The Theory of Everything

Dark horse: The Grand Budapest Hotel

BEST SONG:

“Glory,” Selma

Dark horse: “I’m Not Gonna Miss You,” Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me

BEST SOUND EDITING:

American Sniper

Dark horse: Interstellar

BEST SOUND MIXING:

American Sniper

Dark horse: Whiplash

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:

Interstellar

Dark horse: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE:

How to Train Your Dragon 2

Dark horse: Big Hero 6

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE:

Citizenfour

Dark horse: none

BEST FOREIGN FILM:

Ida

Dark horse: Wild Tales

BEST ANIMATED SHORT:

Feast

Dark horse: The Dam Keeper

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT:

Joanna

Dark horse: Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT:

The Phone Call

Dark horse: Parvaneh

The 2015 Academy Award Nominations (in an Ideal World)

•January 15, 2015 • 3 Comments

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Wasn’t this morning’s announcement of the 2015 Academy Award nominations exciting? The best part about the proceedings? Every single deserving nominee was given their due recognition! How terrific is that? We all *knew* that Essie Davis would be nominated for The Babadook, Gugu Mbatha-Raw would be nominated for Beyond the Lights, and Ava DuVernay would pick up a Best Director nomination for Selma… but even when we know it’s going to happen, it’s still intensely gratifying to see justice served and to see the Academy make their choices with the deep wisdom and sophisticated taste that we’ve come to expect from them year in and year out.

Without further ado… here is the complete list of this year’s Oscar Nominees:

BEST PICTURE:

  • The Babadook
  • Boyhood
  • The Grand Budapest Hotel
  • Inherent Vice
  • Nightcrawler
  • Selma
  • Under the Skin

BEST DIRECTOR:

  • Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
  • Ava DuVernay, Selma
  • Jonathan Glazer, Under the Skin
  • Jennifer Kent, The Babadook
  • Richard Linklater, Boyhood

BEST ACTOR:

  • Ralph Fiennes, The Grand Budapest Hotel
  • Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler
  • Tom Hardy, Locke
  • David Oyelowo, Selma
  • Joaquin Phoenix, Inherent Vice

BEST ACTRESS:

  • Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night
  • Essie Davis, The Babadook
  • Scarlett Johansson, Under the Skin
  • Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Beyond the Lights
  • Tessa Thompson, Dear White People

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

  • Josh Brolin, Inherent Vice
  • John Goodman, The Gambler
  • Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
  • Toby Kebbell, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
  • JK Simmons, Whiplash

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

  • Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
  • Jillian Bell, 22 Jump Street
  • Emily Blunt, Edge of Tomorrow
  • Minnie Driver, Beyond the Lights
  • Katherine Waterston, Inherent Vice

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:

  • The Double
  • Edge of Tomorrow
  • Inherent Vice
  • The Trip to Italy
  • Whiplash

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:

  • Boyhood
  • The Grand Budapest Hotel
  • The Lego Movie
  • Nightcrawler
  • Selma

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE:

  • The Boxtrolls
  • How to Train Your Dragon 2
  • The Lego Movie

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:

  • The Grand Budapest Hotel
  • The Homesman
  • Inherent Vice
  • Mr. Turner
  • Selma

BEST COSTUME DESIGN:

  • The Boxtrolls
  • Get On Up
  • The Grand Budapest Hotel
  • Inherent Vice
  • Mr. Turner

BEST EDITING:

  • The Babadook
  • Boyhood
  • The Grand Budapest Hotel
  • Inherent Vice
  • Whiplash

BEST MAKEUP/HAIR:

  • Beyond the Lights
  • The Grand Budapest Hotel
  • Guardians of the Galaxy

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN:

  • The Grand Budapest Hotel
  • Guardians of the Galaxy
  • Inherent Vice
  • John Wick
  • Snowpiercer

BEST SCORE:

  • Godzilla
  • The Grand Budapest Hotel
  • The Homesman
  • Nightcrawler
  • Under the Skin

BEST SONG:

  • “A Step You Can’t Take Back,” Begin Again
  • “Everything is Awesome,” The Lego Movie
  • “I’ll Get You What You Want,” Muppets Most Wanted
  • “Like a Fool,” Begin Again
  • “Something So Right,” Muppets Most Wanted

BEST SOUND EDITING:

  • The Babadook
  • Edge of Tomorrow
  • Guardians of the Galaxy
  • Lucy
  • Whiplash

BEST SOUND MIXING:

  • The Babadook
  • Edge of Tomorrow
  • Guardians of the Galaxy
  • Lucy
  • Whiplash

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:

  • Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
  • Godzilla
  • Guardians of the Galaxy
  • The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
  • Interstellar

Congratulations to everybody! Truly these are the best results imaginable!

My Oscar Nomination Predictions, 2015

•January 14, 2015 • Leave a Comment

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted (as you can see by my Recent Posts list on the right, nearly a year), but a lot of people ask me about the Oscars every year– who I think will get nominated, who I think will win– so I decided to come out of quasi-retirement to post up my predictions for tomorrow morning. These are who I think WILL be nominated, not who I think SHOULD be nominated (a future post, perhaps?).

Feel free to debate my picks with me on my Twitter, and for those of you interested in my reviews, I recommend you add my film-going diary to your bookmarks list. I don’t post reviews, but I post my thoughts on all the new releases I see. Thanks to everyone who continues to ask me about this blog.

Without further ado, my predictions for tomorrow morning. I’ve placed asterisks by any inclusion I consider a mortal lock. I’m also including a “dark horse” selection, someone who could sneak into the mix and bump one of my non-asterisked selections.

BEST PICTURE:

  • Boyhood*
  • Birdman*
  • The Imitation Game*
  • Selma*
  • The Theory of Everything
  • The Grand Budapest Hotel
  • Whiplash
  • American Sniper
  • DARK HORSE: Nightcrawler

BEST DIRECTOR:

  • Richard Linklater*
  • Alejandro G. Inarritu*
  • Morten Tyldum
  • Ava DuVernay
  • Wes Anderson
  • DARK HORSE: Damien Chazelle

BEST ACTOR:

  • Michael Keaton*
  • Eddie Redmayne*
  • Benedict Cumberbatch
  • David Oyelowo
  • Jake Gyllenhaal
  • DARK HORSE: Ralph Fiennes

BEST ACTRESS:

  • Julianne Moore*
  • Reese Witherspoon*
  • Rosamund Pike*
  • Felicity Jones
  • Jennifer Aniston
  • DARK HORSE: Amy Adams

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

  • J.K. Simmons*
  • Edward Norton*
  • Ethan Hawke*
  • Mark Ruffalo
  • Robert Duvall
  • DARK HORSE: Miyavi

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

  • Patricia Arquette*
  • Emma Stone*
  • Keira Knightley*
  • Meryl Streep
  • Jessica Chastain
  • DARK HORSE: Rene Russo

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:

  • Boyhood*
  • Birdman*
  • The Grand Budapest Hotel*
  • Selma
  • Nightcrawler
  • DARK HORSE: Foxcatcher

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:

  • The Imitation Game*
  • Gone Girl*
  • The Theory of Everything
  • Whiplash
  • Wild
  • DARK HORSE: American Sniper

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE:

  • The Lego Movie*
  • How to Train Your Dragon 2*
  • The Boxtrolls
  • Big Hero 6
  • The Tale of the Princess Kayuga
  • DARK HORSE: The Book of Life

BEST FOREIGN FILM:

  • Leviathan*
  • Ida*
  • Force Majeure
  • Wild Tales
  • Timbuktu
  • DARK HORSE: Tangerines

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE:

  • Citizenfour*
  • Life Itself*
  • Last Days in Vietnam
  • Keep On Keepin On’
  • Virunga
  • DARK HORSE: The Case Against 8

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:

  • Birdman*
  • Unbroken
  • Interstellar
  • The Grand Budapest Hotel
  • Mr. Turner
  • DARK HORSE: Gone Girl

BEST COSTUME DESIGN:

  • Into the Woods*
  • Maleficent*
  • The Grand Budapest Hotel*
  • Mr. Turner
  • Belle
  • DARK HORSE: The Imitation Game

BEST EDITING:

  • Boyhood*
  • Birdman*
  • Whiplash
  • Interstellar
  • The Imitation Game
  • DARK HORSE: Gone Girl

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIR:

  • Foxcatcher
  • Maleficent
  • The Grand Budapest Hotel
  • DARK HORSE: Guardians of the Galaxy

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE:

  • The Theory of Everything
  • Gone Girl
  • The Imitation Game
  • Interstellar
  • Unbroken
  • DARK HORSE: The Homesman

BEST ORIGINAL SONG:

  • “Glory,” Selma*
  • “Lost Stars,” Begin Again*
  • “Everything is Awesome,” The Lego Movie*
  • “Big Eyes,” Big Eyes
  • “Yellow Flicker Beat,” Mockingjay Part 1
  • DARK HORSE: “Mercy Is,” Noah

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN:

  • The Grand Budapest Hotel*
  • Into the Woods*
  • Birdman*
  • Interstellar
  • The Imitation Game
  • DARK HORSE: Mr. Turner

BEST SOUND EDITING:

  • Interstellar*
  • Whiplash*
  • Guardians of the Galaxy
  • Unbroken
  • Fury
  • DARK HORSE: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

BEST SOUND MIXING:

  • Interstellar*
  • Into the Woods*
  • Guardians of the Galaxy
  • Unbroken
  • Whiplash
  • DARK HORSE: Fury

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:

  • Interstellar*
  • Dawn of the Planet of the Apes*
  • Guardians of the Galaxy*
  • The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
  • Godzilla
  • DARK HORSE: Transformers: Age of Extinction

Who To Root For In Sunday’s Academy Awards

•February 28, 2014 • 1 Comment

My hiatus from extended review writing sadly continues, but with the Academy Awards coming up, I wanted to reveal who I’ll be rooting for during the ceremony. These are not my predictions of who WILL win (which can be found right here, if you need to win your Oscar pool), these are ranked lists of my personal preferences. 1 is what will send me leaping from my seat and overflowing my champagne flute in celebration; the higher the number, however, the less I want it to win. Without further ado:

Best Picture:
1. The Wolf of Wall Street
2. Her
3. Captain Phillips
4. Gravity
5. Nebraska
6. 12 Years a Slave
7. Philomena
8. Dallas Buyers Club
9. American Hustle

Best Director:
1. Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity
2. Martin Scorsese, The Wolf of Wall Street
3. Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave
4. Alexander Payne, Nebraska
5. David O. Russell, American Hustle

Best Actor:
1. Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street
2. Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
3. Bruce Dern, Nebraska
4. Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
5. Christian Bale, American Hustle

Best Actress:
1. Sandra Bullock, Gravity
2. Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
3. Judi Dench, Philomena
4. Amy Adams, American Hustle
5. Meryl Streep, August: Osage County

Best Supporting Actor:
1. Jonah Hill, The Wolf of Wall Street
2. Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
3. Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave
4. Bradley Cooper, American Hustle
5. Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

Best Supporting Actress:
1. Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years a Slave
2. Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine
3. June Squibb, Nebraska
4. Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
5. Julia Roberts, August: Osage County

Best Original Screenplay:
1. Her
2. Nebraska
3. Blue Jasmine
4. American Hustle
5. Dallas Buyers Club

Best Adapted Screenplay:
1. Before Midnight
2. The Wolf of Wall Street
3. Captain Phillips
4. 12 Years a Slave
5. Philomena

Best Animated Feature:
1. The Wind Rises
2. Frozen
3. The Croods

Best Documentary Feature:
1. The Act of Killing
2. 20 Feet From Stardom

Best Score:
1. Gravity
2. Her
3. Philomena
4. Saving Mr. Banks

Best Song:
1. “Let It Go,” Frozen
2. “Happy,” Despicable Me 2
3. “The Moon Song,” Her
4. “Ordinary Love,” Mandela

Best Production Design:
1. Her
2. 12 Years a Slave
3. Gravity
4. The Great Gatsby
5. American Hustle

Best Cinematography:
1. Prisoners
2. Gravity
3. Inside Llewyn Davis
4. The Grandmaster
5. Nebraska

Best Makeup & Hairstyling:
1. The Lone Ranger
2. Bad Grandpa
3. Dallas Buyers Club

Best Costume Design:
1. The Grandmaster
2. 12 Years a Slave
3. The Great Gatsby
4. American Hustle

Best Editing:
1. Gravity
2. Captain Phillips
3. 12 Years a Slave
4. Dallas Buyers Club
5. American Hustle

Best Sound Editing:
1. Gravity
2. All Is Lost
3. Captain Phillips
4. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Best Sound Mixing:
1. Gravity
2. Inside Llewyn Davis
3. Captain Phillips
4. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Best Visual Effects:
1. Gravity
2. Iron Man 3
3. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
4. The Lone Ranger
5. Star Trek Into Darkness

Until I return full-time, please follow the following:
1. On Letterboxd, I briefly review every movie I see, even movies that aren’t new releases.
2. On Twitter, I tweet during nearly every work break I have.
3. On iTunes, I host a podcast called The Long and Late Movie Show, in which weekly we review all the new releases.
4. On Instagram, I post pictures of my dog and, on occasion, my own wacky hijinks.
5. Unrelated to cinema, I love college basketball and also take part in a weekly podcast called 2.1 Seconds to Madness, reviewing the previous week in NCAA hoops.

Thanks again for reading, everyone. I hope to be back very soon.

Russell

An Update With Good News, Reviews, and Apologies

•December 13, 2013 • 3 Comments

To my delightful readers,

Thanks to everyone who continues to check the site. As many of you know, I moved last year to Los Angeles to pursue a career writing for film. Within the last month or so, things have escalated here, momentum is in my favor, and I am aiming for shooting some of my own work in the spring. As exciting as that is, it means this blog has taken a backseat, and those who read it have gone without my recommendations.

Let me fill in the gaps of the last month or so of moviegoing with this: my Letterboxd diary. There, I update after every movie I see with some brief thoughts and a ranking on a 5-star system. No, it’s not the wonderful 4-kernel rating I’d perfected over the years… but until I get to update the blog, it will have to do. In a pinch, if you’re looking for my thoughts on new releases, please go there.

Also, rest easy: I shall hopefully update this blog with a slew of reviews very soon, including my usual list of Top Tens that I post at the end of every film calendar year. But if you were wondering where I’d disappeared to, and you were jonesing for some of my thoughts on film– now you know.

Please feel free to follow me on Twitter– http://twitter.com/russellhfilm— and ask me any questions on any recent film you may have. I’d be delighted to talk to you.

Thanks again for reading. I can’t believe I’ve had this blog for nearly five years. In all likelihood, I wouldn’t care nearly as much if I hadn’t gotten such generous feedback and donations over the course of the last year or so. I love you all.

Yours,

Russell Hainline