Tag Archives: Mad Max: Fury Road

A Decade of Film in Review (Best Movies of the 2010s?)

December 31, 2019 Alex Brannan Leave a comment

Earlier this year, I toyed with the idea of writing the semi-obligatory “Best of the Decade” list. What films were the best in this arbitrary chunk of time we call the 2010s? The USA Today did it. The A.V. Club did it. The New Yorker did it. Wired did it. IndieWire did it early. CineFiles should at least attempt to do it, too.

I made a list on Letterboxd. It started at around 400 films. I winnowed it down to roughly 200. I could copy those films into a traditional list. Write a pithy blurb here and there. Attach some pictures. But I hesitated. And hesitated. Tweaked a ranking here or there. Again, hesitation. Ultimately, it just didn’t happen.

The question that kept catching me, preventing me from doing any real work toward a Best of the Decade list, was: “Why bother?” This list represents Continue reading A Decade of Film in Review (Best Movies of the 2010s?) →

2016 Academy Awards

Breaking Down the 2016 Oscar Best Picture Race

January 30, 2016 Alex Brannan Leave a comment

2016 is proving to be a hard year to predict the Academy Award Best Picture race. The seeming frontrunners going into the Golden Globes were Spotlight and The Revenant. The Revenant came out of the Globes on top, while also picking up awards for Best Director and Best Actor for Leonardo DiCaprio (this appears to finally be his year for the Oscar, barring something crazy happening at the SAG awards, but that is an entirely different article).

The first wrench thrown at the Oscar race came during the Producers Guild Awards, where Continue reading Breaking Down the 2016 Oscar Best Picture Race →

2016 Academy Awards, Award Ceremonies, Movie News

2016 Academy Award Predictions: All Categories

January 17, 2016 Alex Brannan Leave a comment

Below are my predictions for who I believe will win the Academy Award in each of the 24 Oscar categories.

Note: This list will be updated as articles for each category get published. Those articles also may be updated if the odds within the individual category change.

Continue reading 2016 Academy Award Predictions: All Categories →

2016 Academy Awards, Award Ceremonies

2016 Academy Awards Predictions – Best Production Design

January 17, 2016 Alex Brannan Leave a comment

For whatever reason, this appears to be the hardest category for me to settle on. You have Stockhausen nominated again after his win last year for The Grand Budapest Hotel. You have the nominee leaders The Revenant and Mad Max: Fury Road in the mix. But The Martian and The Danish Girl can’t be counted out, either.

If Mad Max: Fury Road sweeps the technical awards (which I have a strong feeling it will), then Continue reading 2016 Academy Awards Predictions – Best Production Design →

2016 Academy Awards, Award Ceremonies

2016 Academy Awards Predictions – Best Visual Effects

January 17, 2016 Alex Brannan Leave a comment

Star Wars vs. Mad Max. The action franchise duel of the year. Who will win? Do any other film stand a chance?

In response to the latter, probably not. Some are pulling for Ex Machina, and, although the film is beautiful, it is a long long shot that it will pick up the award in this category. And The Revenant may pull an upset, but the real battle remains between Continue reading 2016 Academy Awards Predictions – Best Visual Effects →

2016 Academy Awards, Award Ceremonies

2016 Academy Awards Predictions – Best Sound Mixing

January 17, 2016 Alex Brannan Leave a comment

Best Sound Mixing will fall the same way of Best Sound Editing in 2016. This knocks Bridge of Spies out of the running, I’m afraid. The remaining four are a mixed bag, and each one has its shot.

There is a stereotype that the biggest, loudest movie of the year is the shoe-in for the two sound categories. This isn’t always the case. But this year it might be.

The competition, I feel, is between Continue reading 2016 Academy Awards Predictions – Best Sound Mixing →

2016 Academy Awards, Award Ceremonies

2016 Academy Awards Predictions – Best Sound Editing

January 17, 2016 Alex Brannan Leave a comment

The two sound categories at the Oscars may appear synonymous. And, yes, the two categories often go to the same film. I think this year will end up going that route, as well. But, of course, anything is possible.

All five of the films in Best Sound Editing feature superior sound work. As a result, I feel that the award will go to Continue reading 2016 Academy Awards Predictions – Best Sound Editing →

2016 Academy Awards, Award Ceremonies

2016 Academy Awards Predictions – Best Costume Design

January 17, 2016 Alex Brannan Leave a comment

Often, the Best Costume Design category goes to the film that is a period piece with the most lush costume choice. This year is no different (most likely).

An argument can be made for why Mad Max is a frontrunner in this category, but I find it highly unlikely that such a film will win. And the furry 1800s chic of The Revenant is far from the gold here, as well.

What we are left with are three period pieces with decadent costuming. Between them, it appears to be a battle between Continue reading 2016 Academy Awards Predictions – Best Costume Design →

2016 Academy Awards, Award Ceremonies

2016 Academy Awards Predictions – Best Editing

January 16, 2016 Alex Brannan Leave a comment

Editing was crucial to the success of some of the films in this category. In others, it was less crucial, and I feel that hurts the chances of these films.

Mad Max: Fury Road is the Continue reading 2016 Academy Awards Predictions – Best Editing →

2016 Academy Awards, Award Ceremonies

2016 Academy Awards Predictions – Best Makeup & Hairstyling

January 16, 2016 Alex Brannan Leave a comment

Best Makeup & Hairstyling comes down to grit rather than elegance in 2016. The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared is a nomination that came out of nowhere, and it will likely be left behind in favor of the other two movies, which are both up for the biggest awards of the night.

Will it be the scalp-caps and wound makeup from The Revenant or the dirty or otherwise pale-faced warriors of Mad Max? That is the real question of this category. The Revenant makes a Continue reading 2016 Academy Awards Predictions – Best Makeup & Hairstyling →