Nine films received honors at the 2017 Academy Awards for Best Picture. That means the Academy deems these films to be the best of the year. Hands down. Are they right about this distinction? An argument can be made to the opposite. But that is a conversation for a different day.
For now, let’s look at what they did pick as the best of 2016. More importantly, let’s rank the nine from worst to best. Continue reading Ranking the Academy Awards Best Picture Nominees
It is perhaps serendipitous that the second anniversary of the CineFiles website coincides with the Christmas of film nerds: the announcement day for the Academy Awards nominations. This is also, quite coincidentally, the site’s 500th post.
It is only fair then that I do my best to roll out predictions for who or what will win in every category.
Below are links to articles on who will win in each category.
Continue reading 2017 Academy Awards Predictions – All 24 Categories
Cinematography may be the most fundamental aspect of filmmaking, but editing is its complementary rudimentary component. The shot and the edit work together to create the feeling of dynamism and movement in film (aside, of course, from the physical projection that creates the actual “movement” in a film image).
Editing is great. It is important to create a seamless experience, and it can be an excruciating task depending on the footage given. An edit can be subtle and incredibly meaningful, or a scene can be expertly sliced to create a fast paced action scene. In the case of the 2017 Oscars, we have examples of both.
Continue reading Academy Awards Predictions 2017 – Best Film Editing
Honoring original stories is incredibly important in an industry dictated by formula and franchise. Which is why I have a personal affinity for this Oscar category, because almost every year five films are rewarded in this category for trying something different.
What will be the winner this February in Best Adapted Screenplay?
Continue reading Academy Awards Predictions 2017 – Best Original Screenplay
The highest film honor in Hollywood, the Best Picture Oscar, has ostensibly already been handed out. With a record-breaking number of Golden Globe wins and a record-tying number of Academy nominations, La La Land is an unstoppable force to be reckoned with.
Will anything be able to take the feel-good musical of 2016 down? Well…anything’s possible.
Continue reading Academy Awards Predictions 2017 – Best Picture
The 74th annual Golden Globes will air this Sunday, January 8 at 8:00 pm EST. CineFiles has already made a full list of predictions of who and what will win in the film categories. But here are some highlights from those articles in true tl;dr fashion.
After watching hours upon hours of backlogged RedLetterMedia videos over the holiday, I am well aware of the fatigued nature by which Hollywood shoves pre-sold intellectual properties down our throats year in and year out so folks can cash in on an easy payday. With this in mind, it is nice to look at the refreshingly new and original ideas that Hollywood has put out in 2016. Let’s talk Best Original Screenplay nominations.
Continue reading 2017 Academy Awards Nomination Predictions – Best Original Screenplay
With 2016 winding down—half of America wanting to forget the entire election cycle, most lamenting the year as the most trying in recent memory, everyone hoping no one influential dies in 2017—it is time to look at some things that were actually good during the last calendar year.
2016 felt like a typical, unsurprising year at the movies. The box office didn’t blow up with mega-hits like last year’s The Force Awakens or Jurassic Park. There were your standard issue blockbusters and flops. Some movies were great. Some movies were God awful. And most of them were woefully in-between in that grotesque nether-region that is mediocrity.
Here, I have outlined my top 15 movies of 2016. Keep in mind that this list does not include some key late-year releases that I have yet to see and review, including but not limited to Fences, Silence, and Jackie. It also does not include documentaries, even though the likes of Weiner, Tickled, O.J.: Made in America, and 13th would all be strong contenders.
If you wish, click on the green titles to read the full review.
Nicolas Winding Refn continues his divisive oeuvre with this Summer’s soft release The Neon Demon. While it might not feel it, the film is more Continue reading Top 15 Best Movies of 2016
Golden Globe nominations are out, and that can only mean one thing: extremely early predictions. We’re about a month out from the ceremony, so anything could happen between now and then. For now, though, let’s crack into these categories and see who will win, who could win, and who could come from behind and surprise everybody. Continue reading 2017 Golden Globe Awards Predictions
The five films nominated for Best Screenplay at the 2017 Golden Globes are all beautifully written pieces. Makes my job harder. But I think we can whittle this down to at least a three horse race, if not a head-to-head matchup.
Continue reading 2017 Golden Globes Predictions – Best Screenplay
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