The Best Picture Race In Review: The 1920s

Posted on April 25, 2021 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Oscars started out as an afterthought.

When Louis B. Mayer first proposed setting up what would become the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1927, he wasn’t really that interested in giving out awards. Instead, he saw the Academy as an organization that would mediate labor disputes between the studios and the unions. He also felt that the Academy could basically be used to improve the film industry’s image, which had taken a hit from the rape trial of Fatty Arbuckle, the overdose of Wallace Reid, and the murder of William Desmond Taylor. When he and the other 35 founders of the Academy met to draw up the organization’s charter, the idea of giving out awards was mentioned only in passing. A committee would be set up to give out yearly awards to honor the best that Hollywood had to offer.

The first Academy Awards ceremony was held in a hotel ballroom in 1928. It occurred at the end of a private dinner and the awards were handed out in 15 minutes. The 2nd ceremony was the first to be broadcast on the radio. It was only when the Academy got around to the third ceremony that the Oscars started to transform into the spectacle that we know today. It was only then that people started to really pay attention to what was and was not nominated for Best Picture.

Today, for Oscar Sunday, we’re taking a a decade-by-decade look at the Best Picture races of the past. We start with those first three ceremonies.

1927–1928

Uniquely, the very first Academy Awards saw the presentation for two best picture trophies. Best Production went to the most entertaining film. Unique and Artistic Production went to the most artistic film.

Production

The Racket

Seventh Heaven

Wings

Unique and Artistic Production

Chang

The Crowd

Sunrise

Won: Wings and Sunrise

Should Have Won: The first time out, the Oscars got it right. People tend to be a bit dismissive of Wings but it has that one amazing tracking shot and it also features the wonderful Clara Bow. Sunrise, meanwhile, is a triumph in every way. Among the eligible films not nominated: Buster Keaton’s The General and Fritz Lang’s Metropolis.

Sunrise (1927, dir by F.W. Murnau) Won Best Unique and Artistic Picture

1928–1929

Uniquely, only the winners were announced for the 2nd awards ceremony. The “nominees” listed below are taken from a list of notes that were taken while the judges were discussing who and what to honor.

Alibi

The Broadway Melody

The Hollywood Revue of 1929

In Old Arizona

The Patriot

Won: The Broadway Melody

Should Have Won: The Broadway Melody was the first musical to win but it’s aged terribly. I actually prefer The Hollywood Revue of 1929, which has no plot but which does feature a bunch of MGM stars singing, dancing, and showing off that they were having no problem transitioning for silent cinema to sound films. Or, at least, that was the idea. Poor John Gilbert.

1929–1930

All Quiet On The Western Front

Won: All Quiet On The Western Front

Should Have Won: All Quiet On The Western Front. Third time out, the Academy got it right.

Up next, the Stock Market crashes and we enter a scary new decade in American history. In about an hour, we’ll be taking a look at the 1930s!

My Final 2020 Oscar Predictions

Posted on April 25, 2021 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Since today is Oscar Sunday and all, I guess it’s time for me to make my final predictions for what will win tonight! Here we go! No guts, no glory!

Best Picture: Nomadland

Best Director: Chloe Zhao for Nomadland

Best Actor: Chadwick Boseman in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Best Actress: Carey Mulligan in Promising Young Woman

Best Supporting Actor: Daniel Kaluuya in Judas and the Black Messiah

Best Supporting Actress: Youn Yuh-jung in Minari

Best Original Screenplay: Promising Young Woman

Best Adapted Screenplay: Nomadland

Best Animated Film: Soul

Best International Feature Film: Another Round

Best Documentary Feature: Collective

Best Documentary Short: A Concerto is a Conversation

Best Live Action Short Film: Two Distant Strangers

Best Animated Short Film: If Anything Happens I Love You

Best Original Score: Soul

Best Original Song: Husavik from Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga

Best Sound: Sound of Metal

Best Production Design: Mank

Best Cinematography: Mank

Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Best Costume Design: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Best Editing: The Trial of the Chicago 7 (bleh)

Best Visual Effects: Tenet

If I score 100% accuracy on my predictions, here’s how the night will end in totals:

3 Oscars — Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Nomadland

2 Oscars — Mank, Promising Young Woman, Soul

1 Oscar — Another Round, Collective, A Concerto is A Conversation, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, If Anything Happens I Love You, Judas and the Black Messiah, Minari, Sound of Metal, Tenet, The Trial of the Chicago 7, Two Distant Strangers

In another few hours, we shall discover how good I am at guessing.

6 Directors Who I Hope Win An Oscar In The Next Ten Years

Posted on April 25, 2021 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Richard Linklater

Richard Linklater, the cinematic poet of Texas life, spent 12 years making one film. He took an enormous risk, starting an ambitious project with no guarantee of how it would end or that if would even end up being anything worth releasing. He assembled twelve years of footage and turned it into Boyhood, one of the best films of the century so far. For that, Linklater received the greatest acclaim of his career and, in 2015, he received his first Oscar nomination for Best Director.

Unfortunately, he then lost to a guy who made a gimmicky and pretentious movie about an actor producing a bad play.

My sincere hope is that Richard Linklater will get another chance. Though Last Flag Flying and Where’d You Go Bernadette? didn’t exactly live up to the hopes that some had for them as far as the Oscars were concerned, Linklater is a director who seems to have more than few great films ahead of him. Here’s hoping that, by 2031, the Oscars will have honored Richard Linklater.

Here are five more filmmakers who I hope will soon win their first directing Oscar.

The Safdie Brothers

Good Time and Uncut Gems are two of the most intense films ever made. In fact, they were probably too intense for the Academy, as neither one got the Oscar recognition that they deserved. Hopefully, the Safdies will continue to shock audiences while making great films and the Academy will eventually honor their efforts.

Joe Wright

Joe Wright is a veteran director, one who has directed two best picture nominees — Atonement and Darkest Hour — but who has yet to pick up a nomination for best director. (Personally, I would have nominated him for both Hanna and Anna Karenina.) Wright has two films coming out this year — the long-delayed Woman In The Window and the intriguing Cyrano. Of the two, Cyrano seems like the most likely Oscar contender. I can’t wait to see both of them!

Joanna Hogg

Joanna Hogg is a British director who was responsible for one of the best films of 2019, The Souvenir. She’s got a sequel on the way, The Souvenir Part II, and a murder mystery called The Eternal Daughter. With The Souvenir, she proved herself to be a sensitive director who has a great eye for detail and the ability to capture unforgettable performances. I can’t wait to see what she does in the future.

Debra Granik

Winter’s Bone and Leave No Trace are two films that get better each time that I watch them. Debra Granik was responsible for both. In Winter’s Bone, she directed Jennifer Lawrence in what is still Lawrence’s best performance. In Leave No Trace, she introduced the world to Thomasin McKeznie. Much as with Joanna Hogg, I look forward to seeing everything that she does in the future.

Kelly Reichardt

One of the most consistently interesting and challenging directors around, Kelly Reichardt deserved a nomination this year for her fantastic work on First Cow. Though Reichardt may have been snubbed this time, it’s hard not to feel that the Academy will get another opportunity to honor her.

Finally, I want to mention Emerald Fennell. I didn’t include her on this list because she’s nominated this year. Regardless of whether she wins tonight or not, Emerald Fennell is a filmmaker whose future work I will always make it a point to seek out.

Six Actresses Who I Hope Will Win Their First Oscar In The Next Ten Years

Posted on April 25, 2021 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Continuing the theme from my previous post, here are 6 actresses who I sincerely hope will have won their first Oscar by the time that the 2031 ceremony rolls around.

Saoirse Ronan

Admittedly, Saoirse Ronan is an obvious pick. She’s only 27 years old and she’s already been nominated for four Academy Awards and five BAFTAs and she’s got the type of filmography that most performers can only dream of. For a while there, it looked like she was running the risk of being typecast as everyone’s demure girlfriend but, ever since she starred in Brooklyn, she’s proven that she’s capable of playing a lot more and she’s established herself as one of the best and most consistently interesting actresses around.

Personally, I would have given her the Oscar for Brooklyn. I also would have given her an Oscar for Lady Bird. This upcoming year, she’s going to appear in Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch and in an as-of-yet untitled murder mystery, in which she’ll co-star with Sam Rockwell. It’s really not a question of whether Saoirse Ronan will win an Oscar. It’s a question of when. She’s already overdue.

Scarlett Johansson

Much like Saoirse Ronan, Scarlett Johansson feels a bit inevitable. She’s both a star and an artist and she’s shown good instincts when it comes to picking both commercial and challenging material. She can be just as credible in an MCU film as she is in films like Lost in Translation, Marriage Story, JoJo Rabbit, and Under the Skin. Admittedly, Black Widow doesn’t seem like an Oscar film but still, it seems like only a matter of time until she gets the right role.

Jessie Buckley

Buckley deserved to win an Oscar last year for her performance in Wild Rose. This year, she deserved a nomination for her performance in i’m thinking of ending things. She’s got the Maggie Gyllenhaal-directed The Lost Daughter coming up this year, in which she’ll be playing a younger version of a character played by Olivia Colman. Buckley seems to be destined to get her first nomination sometime soon.

Thomasin McKenzie

I was a bit surprised that Thomasin McKenzie wasn’t nominated for either Leave No Trace or JoJo Rabbit. Seriously, her performance in JoJo Rabbit held the entire film together and prevented it from just becoming another awkward comedy about Hitler. This year, McKenzie will be appearing in Edgar Wright’s Last Night In Soho, opposite Anya Taylor-Joy. Last Night in Soho has been described as being a “psychological horror film.” Horror is a genre that, the recent success of Get Out aside, traditionally struggles with getting Academy recognition but, still, anything is possible and McKenzie has proven herself to be one of the most talented actresses out there.

Zoe Kazan

Zoe Kanzan may not be as well-known as some of the actresses on this list but she’s given two of the best performances of the last ten years, in 2012’s Ruby Sparks and 2018’s The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. She may not appear in a lot of movies but the ones that she does appear in are always better due to her presence. If that’s not awards-worthy, then what is?

Aubrey Plaza

If this seems like a strange pick to you, you obviously haven’t seen Ingrid Goes West.

Agree? Disagree? Do you have a pick of your own you’d like to mention? Let us know in the comments!

6 Actors Who I Hope Win An Oscar In The Next Ten Years: 2021 Edition

Posted on April 25, 2021 by Lisa Marie Bowman

We talk a lot about which performers and directors have been snubbed at Oscar time. For movie lovers, that’s an important subject. We all know that great actors like Peter O’Toole, Cary Grant, Albert Finney, and others all went to their grave with several nominations but not a single competitive Oscar to their name. Just last year, Kirk Douglas died at the age of 103 without having ever won a competitive Oscar. And certainly, over the past few months, the pandemic has made us far more aware of the fact that everyone is going to die someday. We always talk about how certain actors are overdue for their first Oscar but sometimes we forget that being overdue doesn’t always translate into an eventual win.

With that in mind, here are 6 actors who I sincerely hope will have won their first Oscar by the time 2031 rolls around:

Bill Murray

Bill Murray is not only a beloved cultural icon. He has also, in later yeaes, developed into a really good actor. He was previously nominated for Lost In Translation and he probably should have won. (He lost to Sean Penn, who was good in Mystic River but who would also later receive a second Oscar for Milk so it’s not like Penn would have never won an Oscar if Murray had won in 2004.) There was a lot of talk that Murray would be nominated for On The Rocks and, if not for this year’s extended eligibility window (which allowed Judas and the Black Messiah to compete with 2020 films despite being released in 2021), he probably would have been.

Bill Murray probably would be a popular winner and I know everyone would look forward to seeing what type of speech he would give. Standing in Murray’s way is that he tends to be pretty mercurial when it comes to accepting roles and he often seems to be more content to do brief cameos than to play the lead or even a major supporting character. Still, hopefully, either Sofia Coppola or Wes Anderson will write a perfect role for him in the next few years and Murray will get his shot. (They’ve never worked together but I’ve always felt that Murray and Paul Thomas Anderson would be an interesting combination.) Murray is 70 years old and not getting any younger so let’s get this done.

2. Jesse Plemons

It sometimes seems as if Jesse Plemons has come out of nowhere to suddenly become one of the busiest character actors around. Of course, that isn’t quite true. He started out on television, appearing in Friday Night Lights and Breaking Bad. (He was terrifying in Breaking Bad.) He’s gone on to become a very busy character actor, appearing in everything from Game Night to The Irishman. Over the past few months, he’s appeared in Judas and the Black Messiah and i’m thinking ending things, giving shockingly good performances in both. (Interestingly enough, both roles were the type of characters that Philip Seymour Hoffman used to specialize in playing.) It honestly feels like it’s less a case of whether Plemons will win an Oscar as much as it’s simply a case of when.

3. Oscar Isaac

Oscar Isaac is a perennial on this list. Again, he just seems like one of those actors who is destined to win eventually. Someone just needs to give him the right role.

4. Ben Foster

The fact that Ben Foster has not only never won an Oscar but that he hasn’t even been nominated is somewhat amazing, to be honest. He’s been giving good and unpredictable performances for so long that I think there’s probably a danger of people taking him and his talent for granted. He deserved a nomination for his fascinating villain in 2007’s 3:10 to Yuma. He deserved an Oscar for his turn in 2018’s Leave No Trace.

5. John Goodman

Again, this is another actor who I’m always surprised to be reminded that he has never received an Oscar nomination, despite appearing in important supporting roles in several acclaimed films. Goodman, like the before-mentioned Bill Murray, isn’t getting any younger so someone needs to write this actor an award-winning role and they need to do it now.

6. Michael B Jordan

I almost didn’t include Jordan on this list, just because it seems so obvious that the man is destined to win an Oscar someday. He may get his chance next year with his lead role in Denzel Washington’s Journal for Jordan.

Who would you put on the list? Who would you take off? Have an opinion? Let us know in the comments and have a wonderful Oscar Sunday!

Welcome to Another Oscar Sunday!

Posted on April 25, 2021 by Doc Bowman

It’s Oscar Sunday!

Can you tell how excited I am?

Yes, cats don’t really care about the Oscars or the movies. But some humans do! And if you’re one of those humans, the Shattered Lens has you covered today! Though the flame-haired one is up at her lakehouse lovenest right now, I know that she has several reviews and other bits of Oscar trivia that she’s planning on sharing throughout the day. Here at the TSL Bunker, I’ll be keeping a eye on all the humans to make sure that they’re ready for the Oscars tonight!

Happy Oscar Sunday to those who observe. If you watch the ceremony, don’t forget that the cat needs some attention too!

As for who I think is going to win this year …. meh. I haven’t seen any of the nominees but I’m sure they needed more scenes featuring hunting, stalking, and napping. Lots and lots of napping.

The Independent Spirit Awards Honor Carey Mulligan!

Posted on April 22, 2021 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Promising Young Woman

The Independent Spirit Awards were awarded tonight, honoring the best in independent film. Nomadland picked up Best Feature while Carey Mulligan won Best Female Lead for Promising Young Woman. It wouldn’t surprise me if this proved to be a preview of what will happen this Sunday at the Oscars!

Here are the Spirit winners:

BEST FEATURE
First Cow
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Minari
Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Nomadland

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Nicole Beharie – Miss Juneteenth
Viola Davis – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Sidney Flanigan – Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Julia Garner – The Assistant
Frances McDormand – Nomadland
Carey Mulligan – Promising Young Woman

SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD
The Someone to Watch Award, now in its 27th year, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition.
David Midell – Director of The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain
Ekwa Msangi – Director of Farewell Amor
Annie Silverstein – Director of Bull

BEST MALE LEAD
Riz Ahmed – Sound of Metal
Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Adarsh Gourav – The White Tiger
Rob Morgan – Bull
Steven Yeun – Minari

PRODUCERS AWARD
The Producers Award, now in its 24th year, honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality independent films.
Kara Durrett
Lucas Joaquin
Gerry Kim

BEST DIRECTOR
Lee Isaac Chung – Minari
Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman
Eliza Hittman – Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Kelly Reichardt – First Cow
Chloé Zhao – Nomadland

TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD
The Truer Than Fiction Award, now in its 26th year, is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition.
Cecilia Aldarondo – Director of Landfall
Elegance Bratton – Director of Pier Kids
Elizabeth Lo – Director of Stray

BEST NEW NON-SCRIPTED OR DOCUMENTARY SERIES
Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children
City So Real
Immigration Nation
Love Fraud
We’re Here

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD (Given to the best feature made for under $500,000)
The Killing of Two Lovers
La Leyenda Negra
Lingua Franca
Residue
Saint Frances

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Jay Keitel – She Dies Tomorrow
Shabier Kirchner – Bull
Michael Latham – The Assistant
Hélène Louvart – Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Joshua James Richards – Nomadland

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM (Award given to the director)
Bacurau
The Disciple
Night of the Kings
Preparations to be Together for an Unknown Period of Time
Quo Vadis, Aida?

BEST EDITING
Andy Canny – The Invisible Man
Scott Cummings – Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Merawi Gerima – Residue
Enat Sidi – I Carry You With Me
Chloé Zhao – Nomadland

BEST MALE PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Conphidance – Little America
Adam Ali – Little America
Nicco Annan – P-Valley
Amit Rahav – Unorthodox
Harold Torres – Zero, Zero, Zero

BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Elle Fanning – The Great
Shira Haas – Unorthodox
Abby McEnany – Work in Progress
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan – Never Have I Ever
Jordan Kristine Seamón – We Are Who We Are

BEST NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
I May Destroy You
Little America
Small Axe
A Teacher
Unorthodox

BEST SCREENPLAY
Lee Isaac Chung – Minari
Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman
Eliza Hittman – Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Mike Makowsky – Bad Education
Alice Wu – The Half of It

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Collective
Crip Camp
Dick Johnson is Dead
The Mole Agent
Time

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Colman Domingo – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Orion Lee – First Cow
Paul Raci – Sound of Metal
Glynn Turman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Benedict Wong – Nine Days

BEST FIRST FEATURE
I Carry You With Me
The Forty-Year-Old Version
Miss Juneteenth
Nine Days
Sound of Metal

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Kitty Green – The Assistant
Noah Hutton – Lapsis
Channing Godfrey Peoples – Miss Juneteenth
Andy Siara – Palm Springs
James Sweeney – Straight Up

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Alexis Chikaeze – Miss Juneteenth
Yeri Han – Minari
Valerie Mahaffey – French Exit
Talia Ryder – Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Yuh-jung Youn – Minari

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD (Given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast)
One Night in Miami…
Director: Regina King
Casting Directors: Kimberly R. Hardin
Ensemble Cast: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge & Leslie Odom Jr.

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
I May Destroy You
Ensemble Cast: Michaela Coel, Paapa Essiedu, Weruche Opia & Stephen Wight

The Dorian Awards Honor Nomadland!

Posted on April 20, 2021 by Lisa Marie Bowman

GALECA, the Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, have announced the winners of 2020 Dorian Awards and, in doing so, they have become the latest critic group to name Nomadland the best film of the year. They may also be the last, unless there’s some regional group that’s planning on springing their awards the day before the Oscar ceremony.

Here are the winners:

Best Film
FIRST COW
MINARI
NOMADLAND
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
SOUND OF METAL

Best LGBTQ Film
AMMONITE
I CARRY YOU WITH ME
MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
SUPERNOVA
UNCLE FRANK

Best Foreign Language Film
ANOTHER ROUND
BACURAU
I CARRY YOU WITH ME
LA LLORONA
MINARI
TWO OF US

Best Director
CHLOÉ ZHAO – NOMADLAND
EMERALD FENNELL – PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
KELLY REICHARDT – FIRST COW
LEE ISAAC CHUNG – MINARI
REGINA KING – ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI

Best Screenplay (original or adapted)
CHLOE ZHAO – NOMADLAND
ELIZA HITTMAN – NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS
EMERALD FENNELL – PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
LEE ISAAC CHUNG – MINARI
RADHA BLANK – THE FORTY-YEAR-OLD VERSION

Best Unsung Film
DRIVEWAYS
FIRST COW
THE FORTY-YEAR-OLD VERSION
MISS JUNETEENTH
NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS
SHIRLEY
THE ASSISTANT

Best Documentary
COLLECTIVE
CRIP CAMP
DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD
DISCLOSURE: TRANS LIVES ON SCREEN (TIE)
TIME
WELCOME TO CHECHNYA (TIE)

Best LGBTQ Documentary
A SECRET LOVE
BORN TO BE
DISCLOSURE: TRANS LIVES ON SCREEN (TIE)
MUCHO MUCHO AMOR: THE LEGEND OF WALTER MERCADO
WELCOME TO CHECHNYA (TIE)

Best Film Performance — Actress
CAREY MULLIGAN – PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
FRANCES MCDORMAND – NOMADLAND
NICOLE BEHARIE – MISS JUNETEENTH
SIDNEY FLANIGAN – NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS
VIOLA DAVIS – MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM

Best Film Performance — Actor
ANTHONY HOPKINS – THE FATHER
CHADWICK BOSEMAN – MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
DELROY LINDO – DA 5 BLOODS
RIZ AHMED – SOUND OF METAL
STEVEN YEUN – MINARI

Best Film Performance — SUPPORTING Actress
AMANDA SEYFRIED – MANK
CANDICE BERGEN – LET THEM ALL TALK
MARIA BAKALOVA – BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM
OLIVIA COLMAN – THE FATHER
YUH-JUNG YOUN – MINARI

Best Film Performance — SUPPORTING Actor
CHADWICK BOSEMAN – DA 5 BLOODS
DANIEL KALUUYA – JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
LESLIE ODOM JR. – ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI
PAUL RACI – SOUND OF METAL
SACHA BARON COHEN – THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7

Most Visually Striking Film
BIRDS OF PREY: AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN
MANK
NOMADLAND
SOUL
WOLFWALKERS

Campiest Flick
BAD HAIR
BIRDS OF PREY: AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN
EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: THE STORY OF FIRE SAGA
THE PROM
WONDER WOMAN 1984

“We’re Wilde About You!” Rising Star Award
ALAN S. KIM
KINGSLEY BEN-ADIR
MARIA BAKALOVA
RADHA BLANK
SIDNEY FLANIGAN

Wilde Artist Award (to a truly groundbreaking force in entertainment)
CHADWICK BOSEMAN
CHLOE ZHAO
DOLLY PARTON
ELLIOT PAGE
REGINA KING

GALECA Trailblazer Award (For creating art that inspires empathy, truth and equity)
ISABEL SANDOVAL

Timeless Star (Honoring an actor or performer whose exemplary career has been marked by character, wisdom and wit)
LESLIE JORDAN

The American Society of Cinematographers Honor Mank!

Posted on April 18, 2021 by Lisa Marie Bowman

For those of you still making out your Oscar predictions, the American Society of Cinematographers handed out their awards earlier today and they honored Mank. I have feeling the Academy is going to do the same thing.

Here are the film nominees and winners from the ASC:

THEATRICAL RELEASE
Erik Messerschmidt – Mank
Phedon Papamichael – The Trial of the Chicago 7
Joshua James Richards – Nomadland
Newton Thomas Sigel – Cherry
Dariusz Wolski – News of the World

SPOTLIGHT
Katelin Arizmendi – Swallow
Aurélien Marra – Two of Us
Andrey Naydenov – Dear Comrades!

DOCUMENTARY
Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw – The Truffle Hunters
Viktor Kosakovskiy and Egil Håskjold Larsen – Gunda
Gianfranco Rosi – Notturno

The Cinema Audio Society Honors The Sound of Metal

Posted on April 18, 2021 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Yesterday, the Cinema Audio Society announced their picks for pick for the best sound mixing of 2020! They honored Sound of Metal, which sure as Hell better win the Oscar for Best Sound as well. Seriously, if it doesn’t, we demand a recount!

Here are the winners from the CAS:

Motion Pictures – Live Action
“Greyhound”
“Mank”
“News of the World”
“Sound of Metal”
“The Trial of the Chicago 7”

Motion Pictures – Animated
“A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon”
“Onward”
“Soul”
“The Croods: A New Age”
“Trolls World Tour”

Motion Pictures – Documentary
“David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet”
“My Octopus Teacher”
“The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend A Broken Heart”
“The Social Dilemma”
“Zappa”