My Final 2020 Oscar Predictions


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


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.

The Independent Spirit Awards Honor Carey Mulligan!


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!


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

6 Shots From 6 Films: Special Larry Peerce Edition


4 (or more) Shots From 4 (or more) Films is just what it says it is, 4 (or more) shots from 4 (or more) of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 (or more) Shots From 4 (or more) Films lets the visuals do the talking.

Today, we wish a happy 91st birthday to Larry Peerce! Now, admittedly Larry Peerce may not be a household name. He got his start in television in the 60s and, after doing a few features and a lot of made-for-TV movies, he pretty much ended his career directing episodes of Touched By An Angel at the turn of the century. Some people might say that’s a comedown from directing movies but there’s a lot of aspiring filmmakers who would love to have an active career spanning three decades. You take your work where you can get it and you do the best that you can with the material that you’ve got available. Nothing will change the fact that, in 1964, Larry Peerce was one of the few directors with the guts to make a film that seriously dealt with racism and interracial marriage. The name of that film was One Potato, Two Potato.

That said, Larry Peerce directed some worthwhile films in his time and, for that reason, it’s time for….

6 Shots From 6 Larry Peerce Films

One Potato, Two Potato (1964, dir by Larry Peerce, DP: Andrew Laszlo)
The Big T.N.T. Show (1965, dir by Larry Peerce, DP: Bob Boatman)
The Incident (1967, dir by Larry Peerce, DP: Gerald Hirschfeld)
Goodbye Columbus (1969, dir by Larry Peerce, DP: Enrique Bravo and Gerald Hirschfeld)
A Separate Peace (1972, dir by Larry Peerce, DP: Frank Stanley)
Two-Minute Warning (1976, dir by Larry Peerce, DP: Gerald Hirschfeld)

The American Society of Cinematographers Honor Mank!


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


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”

The American Cinema Editors Honor The Trial of the Chicago 7


The American Cinema Editors (ACE) handed out their Eddie Awards yesterday, honoring the best editing of 2020.  In something of an upset, The Trial of the Chicago 7 beat out Nomadland.  Nomadland is considered to be the clear Oscar favorite but perhaps we’re being too quick to dismiss the possibility of a terrible movie like Chicago 7 pulling off a surprise best picture victory.

Two words: Green Book.

Anyway, here are the Eddie winners:

BEST EDITED FEATURE FILM (DRAMATIC)
“Mank” – Kirk Baxter, ACE
“Minari” – Harry Yoon, ACE
“Nomadland” – Chloé Zhao
“Sound of Metal” – Mikkel E. G. Nielsen
“The Trial of Chicago 7” – Alan Baumgarten, ACE

BEST EDITED FEATURE FILM (COMEDY)
“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” – James Thomas, Craig Alpert, ACE, Mike Giambra
“I Care a Lot” – Mark Eckersley, ACE
“On The Rocks” – Sarah Flack, ACE
“Palm Springs” – Matthew Friedman, ACE and Andrew Dickler
“Promising Young Woman” – Frédéric Thoraval

BEST EDITED ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
“The Croods: A New Age” – James Ryan, ACE
“Onward” – Catherine Apple
“Over the Moon” – Edie Ichioka, ACE
“Soul” – Kevin Nolting, ACE
“Wolfwalkers” – Darragh Byrne, Richie Cody, Darren Holmes, ACE

BEST EDITED DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE)
“All In: The Fight for Democracy” – Nancy Novack
“Dick Johnson is Dead” – Nels Bangerter
“The Dissident” – Scott D. Hanson, James Leche, Wyatt Rogowski, Avner Shiloah
“My Octopus Teacher” – Pippa Ehrlich, Dan Schwalm
“The Social Dilemma” – Davis Coombe

Here Are The Golden Reel Winners!


If you’re making out your Oscar predictions and you need a little help predicting which film will win Best Sound, fear not!  The Motion Picture Sound Editors have announced the winners of this year’s Golden Reel awards!

And here they are:

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Feature Effects/Foley
“Cherry”
“Greyhound”
“The Midnight Sky”
“News of the World”
“Sound of Metal”
“Tenet”
“Wonder Woman 1984”

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Feature Animation
“The Croods: A New Age”
“Onward”
“Over the Moon”
“Soul”
“Wolfwalkers”

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Feature Documentary
“Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart”
“Crip Camp”
“John Lewis: Good Trouble”
“My Octopus Teacher”
“The Reason I Jump”
“Rebuilding Paradise”
“The Social Dilemma”
“Zappa”

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Foreign Language Feature
“Bacurau”
“The Eight Hundred”
“I’m No Longer Here”
“Jallikattu”
“The Life Ahead”

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Feature Musical
“Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of the Fire Saga”

“The High Note”
“I Am Woman”
“The Forty-Year-Old Version”
“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”
“The Prom”

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Feature Underscore
“The Invisible Man”
“The Midnight Sky”
“News of the World”
“Sound of Metal”
“Tenet”
“The Trial of the Chicago 7”
“Wonder Woman 1984”

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Feature Dialogue/ADR
“Emperor”
“Greyhound”
“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”
“Mank”
“News of the World”
“Nomadland”
“Sound of Metal”
“The Trial of the Chicago 7”

Sound Effects Editor: Lucas MillerOutstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Non-Theatrical Feature
“Bad Education”
“Bliss”
“Blow the Man Down”
“The Bygone”
“Christmas On the Square”
“Safety”
“Troop Zero”
“The Ultimate Playlist of Noise”

The Annie Awards Honor Soul


I think it’s pretty much a foregone conclusion that Soul is going to win the Oscar for Best Animated Film.  I’m not complaining because I really, really liked Soul.  (I also really liked Farmageddon but, sadly, there can only be one winner.)  That said, if Soul needed a boost, it certainly got one from the Annie Awards last night.

The Annie Awards reward the best in animation.  Here are their 2020 winners:

Best Feature
Onward
Soul
The Croods: A New Age
The Willoughbys
Trolls World Tour

Best Indie Feature
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
Calamity Jane
On-Gaku: Our Sound
Ride Your Wave
Wolfwalkers

Best FX for Feature
Over the Moon
Soul
The Croods: A New Age
Trolls World Tour
Wolfwalkers

Best Character Animation – Feature
Onward
Soul
The Croods: A New Age
The Willoughbys
Wolfwalkers

Best Character Design – Feature
Soul
The Croods: A New Age
The Willoughbys
Trolls World Tour
Wolfwalkers

Best Direction – Feature
Calamity Jane – Rémi Chayé
Over the Moon – Glen Keane
Ride Your Wave – Masaaki Yuasa
Soul – Pete Docter & Kemp Powers
Wolfwalkers – Tomm Moore & Ross Stewart

Best Music – Feature
Onward
Over the Moon
Soul
The Willoughbys
Wolfwalkers

Best Production Design – Feature
Onward
Soul
The Willoughbys
Trolls World Tour
Wolfwalkers

Best Storyboarding – Feature
Earwig and the Witch
Over the Moon
Soul
The Croods: A New Age
Wolfwalkers

Best Voice Acting – Feature
Earwig and the Witch – Vanessa Marshall (Bella Yaga)
Onward – Tom Holland (Ian Lightfoot)
Over the Moon – Robert G. Chiu (Chin)
The Croods: A New Age, – Nicolas Cage (Grug)
Wolfwalkers – Eva Whittaker (Mebh Óg MacTíre)

Best Writing – Feature
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon – Mark Burton & Jon Brown
Onward – Dan Scanlon, Jason Headley & Keith Bunin
Over the Moon – Audrey Wells
Soul – Pete Docter, Mike Jones & Kemp Powers
Wolfwalkers – Will Collins

Best Editorial – Feature
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
Calamity Jane
Onward
Soul
The Willoughbys