Does the Academy’s new ‘Popular Film’ category put the Best Picture chances for Disney’s Black Panther in jeopardy? Black Panther’s fate hangs in the balance It’s impossible to discuss this month’s Best Picture predictions without first addressing the hugely controversial decision by the Academy’s Board of Governors last week to vote on and approve a new category that will take effect …
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Spike Lee, BlacKkKlansman (Focus Features) Spike Lee Still On Top Spike Lee remains at #1 with BlacKkKlansman, which just opened in theaters last weekend. It’s one of only two films in my top 10 this month that’s even been seen yet. The reviews are in for BlacKkKlansman and they’re overwhelmingly positive with many calling it the director’s best work to date. …
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Glenn Close in The Wife (Sony Classics) has her eyes locked on Oscar victory (photo credit: Roberto Filipe Terra @robertofilipeterra) Glenn is ready for her Close-up It’s time, isn’t it? Glenn Close has been nominated for SIX Academy Awards. She stands alone as the most-nominated living actor, male or female, to have never won. I hesitated in Spring and early …
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Lucas Hedges in Boy Erased (Focus Features) Lucas wedges into the top spot For the first time since my 2019 Oscar predictions began, Christian Bale has been relegated to, well, the Backseat. Lucas Hedges has emerged at the new frontrunner for Best Actor with his TIFF and Telluride-bound Boy Erased. This wasn’t an easy leap to make, putting a 21-year …
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Can You Ever Forgive Me? (Fox Searchlight) Not much change this month, just a few placement moves in the top 5. Can You Ever Forgive Me? (does anyone else hear the Pet Shop Boys’ “Can You Forgive Her?” when they see that title?) moves up to #2 on the strength of its Toronto and Telluride festival appearances. It should be Fox …
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Regina King rebounds; Marina de Tavira enters the top 10 It’s a locked in top 4 for now, even with the Venice and Toronto film festival announcements: Amy Adams (Backseat), Olivia Colman (The Favourite), Emma Stone (The Favourite), and Nicole Kidman (Boy Erased). Of those, only The Favourite has been announced for a festival run; world premiering at Venice. Backseat …
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Big moves and debuts for August but Timothée Chalamet remains at #1 With the announcement of the lineups of the Venice and Toronto film festivals, we start to push outside of the Oscar prediction guessing game and into more solid, definable territory. Plus, the information we have about those two fests give us clues as to what will show up …
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It’s a bit of a bloodbath in Best Actress this month and you’ll see pretty much a sea of red. As I lamented in Supporting Actress, the category placements for the women of Fox Searchlight’s The Favourite are still up in the air and the trailer and recent test screening didn’t help, it actually confused it more and wreaks havoc on …
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At just 21, Lucas Hedges is already an Oscar nominee (in Supporting Actor for 2016’s Manchester by the Sea) but he could be looking at his second nomination by the time he’s 22 and this time for Best Actor. Hedges has been a major contender all year for me but with the release of the trailer for Focus Features’ gay conversion …
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A crazy thing happened in the last week with regard to Supporting Actress. Well, two things. First; the Fox Searchlight costume drama The Favourite beat the other queen battle royale film Mary Queen of Scots from Focus Features to the punch by dropping its very well received trailer first. That trailer gave us A LOT of Olivia Colman’s Queen Anne, a …
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