Congratulations On The Oscar, Godzilla!

Posted on March 10, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Godzilla is an Oscar winner!

Seriously, can you believe that it took 70 years for Godzilla to finally not only be nominated for an Oscar but also to win one? Godzilla Minus One was the first Godzilla film to receive an Oscar nomination and it more than deserved to win for Best Visual Effects. Godzilla Minus One was a reminder that, when you have imagination and ingenuity, you don’t always need a huge budget. I’m happy that, in a year dominated by expensive movies and CGI, the Academy finally gave Godzilla the attention and the respect that he deserves!

Way to go, Godzilla! Enjoy the rest of your career!

Here’s What Won At The 96th Oscars

Posted on March 10, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Best Picture: Oppenheimer

Best Director: Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer

Best Actress: Emma Stone, Poor Things.

Best Actor: Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer

Best Supporting Actress: Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers

Best Supporting Actor: Robert Downey, Jr., Oppenheimer

Best Adapted Screenplay: American Fiction

Best Original Screenplay: Anatomy of a Fall

Best Cinematography: Oppenheimer

Best Costume Design: Poor Things

Best Film Editing: Oppenheimer

Best Make-Up and Hair-Styling: Poor Things

Best Production Design: Poor Things

Best Score: Oppenheimer

Best Song: “What Was I Made For?” from Barbie

Best Sound: The Zone of Interest

Best Visual Effects: Godzilla Minus One

Best Animated Feature: The Boy and the Heron

Best Documentary Feature: 20 Days In Mariupol

Best International Film: The Zone of Interest

Best Animated Short: War Is Over: Inspired By The Music of John and Yoko

Best Documentary Short: The Last Repair Shop

Best Live Action Short: The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar

(As far as my predictions were concerned, my final sore was 14 for 22!)

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

Posted on March 10, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Richard Linklater

How did Richard Linklater not win the Oscar for Boyhood?

Seriously, Boyhood’s loss to Birdman and Linklater’s loss to Alejandro González Iñárritu were two of the biggest mistakes that the Academy has made since the start of the new century. Linklater spent twelve years filming a movie, with no idea of what the eventual story would be, and he somehow made one of the best and more cohesive films of the 2010s. And somehow, that was not good enough for the Academy.

And while that may not bother the independent-minded Linklater, it does bother me. Here’s hoping the Academy will make it up to Linklater soon. His upcoming film, Hitman, has been critically acclaimed but it doesn’t necessarily sound like Oscar fare. Well, no matter! Linklater will hopefully get his Oscar soon.

Here are five other directors who I hope will be honored in the next ten years.

2. Jeff Nichols

Speaking of directors with possible contenders set to be released, Jeff Nichols could be a contender at the next ceremony for his work on The Bikeriders. Originally, The Bikeriders was set to be released in 2023 but it was delayed by the SAG strike. Ever since Take Shelter, Nichols has been a consistently interesting and intelligent director. I can’t wait to see The Bikeriders!

3. Sofia Coppola

Sofia is a perennial on these lists and I’ll keep including her until she finally wins her Oscar. No one captures the beauty of ennui with quite the skill and visual flair of Sofia Coppola.

4. Celine Song

Past Lives is a film that deserved a lot more love than it received from the Academy. I can’t wait to see what Song does next!

5. Denis Villeneuve

Villeneuve, as of right now, seems like he’ll definitely be a contender next year for his work on the Dune sequel. Even if he’s not remembered at next year’s ceremony, he still seems to be one of those directors who is destined to win sooner than later.

6. Paul Schrader

Seriously, can you imagine the speech he’d give?

6 Actresses Who I Hope Win An Oscar In The Next 10 Years

Posted on March 10, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Continuing the theme from my previous post, here are 6 actresses who I sincerely hope will have won their first competitive Oscar by the time that the 2033 ceremony rolls around.

Greta Lee

Greta Lee, regardless of what the Academy might claim later tonight, gave the best performance of 2023 in Past Lives and it’s a shame that she wasn’t even nominated for her work. Fortunately, her work in Past Lives will undoubtedly lead to more roles. She will be appearing in the new Tron film, which …. doesn’t sound like an Oscar contender. But no worries! Hopefully, she’ll get another award-worthy role soon.

2. Glenn Close

For all of her nominations, Glenn Close has never won an Oscar, which is just shocking. She’s won almost every other award out there but the Oscar remains elusive. Hopefully, that will be corrected soon. Like Harrison Ford, who I mentioned in the previous post, Glenn Close isn’t getting any younger and one hope that she’ll soon get a role that the Academy can use to honor both her and her entire career.

3. Scarlett Johansson

I always mention Scarlett on these lists and I’ll keep doing so until she wins. She’s received two nominations (both in the same year and both very much overdue) but she has yet to win an Oscar to make up for the one that she should have won for Lost In Translation.

4. Amy Adams

My fellow redhead, the amazing Amy Adams, has been nominated a lot but she has yet to win. As she’s best when she’s allowed to be naturalistic, it seems that the Academy has taken her for granted. She should have won for Arrival and she should not have to make any more films like Hillbilly Elegy just to get the award she deserves.

5. Naomi Watts

Naomi Watts is, like Amy Adams, taken for granted. The Academy still owes her for Mulholland Drive, as far as I’m concerned.

6. Saoirse Ronan

With four nominations before she has even turned 30, Saoirse Ronan is destined to eventually win an Oscar. She should have already won for both Brooklyn and Lady Bird.

6 Actors Who I Hope Will Win An Oscar Soon

Posted on March 10, 2024 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 far too many others all went to their graves with several nominations but not a single competitive Oscar to their name. Just four years ago, Kirk Douglas died at the age of 103 without having ever won a competitive Oscar. 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. Sometimes, it translates into people watching a movie on TCM and saying, “How did that person never win an Oscar in their lifetime?”

With that in mind, here are 6 actors who I sincerely hope will have won their first Oscar by the time that 2034 rolls around:

Brendan Gleeson

Brendan Gleeson is a perennial on these lists but I going to keep including him until he gets the Oscar that he deserves. Last year, he finally received his first nomination but he didn’t win. Hopefully, right this minute, he’s considering the role that will finally bring him some Oscar glory.

2. Kevin Bacon

Kevin Bacon is another perennial on this list. He’s a good actor, he seems to be a likable guy, and I have never met a single person who doesn’t have some sort of affection for him. However, Kevin Bacon has never won an Oscar. In fact, he’s never even been nominated! Bacon is one of those actors who people tend to take for granted. Hopefully, over the next ten years, he’ll become the first Friday the 13th counselor to win an Oscar.

3. Paul Giamatti

I nearly didn’t include Giamatti on this list because he is nominated tonight and, though Cillian Murphy is currently the favorite, there’s still a chance that Giamatti could pull off an upset. But Giamatti is such a talent that, until he does actually win, there really wasn’t any way I couldn’t include him. Giamatti has the unique talent to be able to generate sympathy for otherwise extremely off-putting characters. He may not win tonight but he will win eventually.

4. Eric Roberts

Come on, you knew he was going to show up on this list. Eric Roberts has had a long career, one that has definitely had its ups-and-downs. However, he’s never stopped working and his willingness to appear in everything from major studio productions to cheap softcore thrillers to faith-based films has made him a bit of a beloved cultural institution. Roberts has always had the talent to earn an Oscar. He probably should have won for Star 80. Here’s hoping for a film that does for him what The Wrestler did for Mickey Rourke.

5. Harrison Ford

He’s not getting any younger and he only has ONE Oscar nomination to his name. Get on it, Hollywood!

6. Ryan Reynolds

You just know the acceptance speech would be one for the ages.

4 Shots From 4 Best Picture Winners: The 2020s

Posted on March 10, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

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

Today, I’m using this feature to take a look at the history of the Academy Award for Best Picture. Decade by decade, I’m going to highlight my picks for best of the winning films. To start with, here are 4 shots from 4 Films that won Best Picture during the 2020s! Here are….

4 Shots From 4 Best Picture Winners: The 2020s