Tag Archives: Academy Awards

2016 Academy Awards, Award Ceremonies

2016 Academy Award Predictions – Best Foreign Language Film

The foreign language feature category–as it often ends up being–is a two-horse race in 2016. Son of Saul is a clear favorite, its chances heightened from its Golden Globe win. But Mustang, the second most recognizable foreign film of the bunch, is a heavily praised Turkish language film from France that could steal the gold.

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The Nominees:

  • El abrazo de la serpiente (Embrace of the Serpent)
  • Krigen (A War)
  • Mustang
  • Saul fia (Son of Saul)
  • Theeb

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2016 Academy Awards, Movie News

Reactions to the 2016 Oscar Nominations

The Academy released their list of Oscar nominees this morning, and, as per usual, it is cause for many a reactionary blog post. This post is not unlike the rest.

Here are my reactions to some of the nominations (and notable absences from them).

 

Carol and The Hateful Eight Got Snubbed

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Action/Thriller, All Movie Reviews, Drama, Long Reviews (>400 Words), Love It

The Revenant (2015) Movie Review

The Revenant has the viscera of a Braveheart or a Gangs of New York, with the now familiar touch of director Alejandro G. Inarritu. His style shows through with an even stronger flourish than that of his previous film Birdman, as it links itself more naturally with the thematic elements that are in play in the film.

The film centers on Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio), a hunter on a fur trading expedition who seeks vengeance after becoming severely wounded and left for dead in the 19th century wilderness.

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The only true way to describe this film is to call it  Continue reading The Revenant (2015) Movie Review →

2016 Academy Awards, All Movie Reviews, Indie Films, Long Reviews (>400 Words), Love It, Romance, Short Films

Stutterer (2015) Short Film Review

The Oscar shortlisted short film Stutterer begins with a tight extreme close up of a man’s mouth as he attempts to speak on the phone about an issue with a bill. The man’s speech impediment is insufferable, but his thoughts are lush and elegant.

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The man, Greenwood (Matthew Needham), works–understandably–best with the written word. He has a flourishing Continue reading Stutterer (2015) Short Film Review →

2016 Academy Awards, Animation, Award Ceremonies

Academy Awards 2016: Best Animated Feature Nominee Predictions

The award season is beginning to ramp up as we head into the Holiday. As such, Oscar buzz is beginning to bubble up. Which animated films will get the nomination for best animated feature? Here are my predictions:

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Nominees:

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2016 Academy Awards, Award Ceremonies

Academy Awards 2016: Best Picture Nominee Predictions

It’s a long way to Academy Award night, but there are plenty of films already vying for Hollywood’s top honor. As it stands now, Spotlight might be the film to beat, but many films could make a viable run for the award in the coming months.

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Nominees: Continue reading Academy Awards 2016: Best Picture Nominee Predictions →

All Movie Reviews, Documentary, Long Reviews (>400 Words), Love It

Listen to Me Marlon (2015) Movie Review

 

Listen to Me Marlon opens on a digital rendering of Marlon Brando’s face as he laments that the process may signal the end of great acting as we know it. We cut back to this face intermittently throughout the film, it serving as a motif for the disparity between Brando and, really, the world.

 

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The film is a series of recorded audio tapes that Brando recorded himself. Tapes that have not been heard by the public until now. We also get Continue reading Listen to Me Marlon (2015) Movie Review →

All Movie Reviews, Drama, Indie Films, Long Reviews (>400 Words), Love It

White God (2014) Movie Review

 

In the Hungarian film White God, young Lili’s (Zsofia Psotta) mixed-breed dog Hagen (Body and Luke) is abandoned by her overbearing father (Sandor Zsoter) and left for dead. Now a stray, Hagen wanders the streets fruitlessly searching for his owner, only to find himself among a group of other strays who run about the city avoiding the human world that has rejected them.

 

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Large swathes of the first half of this film show Hagen walking through heavy-trafficked streets, moving in and out of the hands of various dog-hating lowlifes. At times, minutes go by without Continue reading White God (2014) Movie Review →

Award Ceremonies

Academy Awards 2015: Reaction & Surprises

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Best Makeup & Hair-styling

The Grand Budapest Hotel started racking up the wins early on with their shoo-in win for Best Costume Design and a more surprising win for Best Makeup and Hair-styling. The transformations in Budapest, were fine, sure, but it doesn’t quite live up to the other nominees in my opinion. Guardians of the Galaxy should have taken this one by a light year for the intricate makeup work.

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