It’s the eve of the 88th Academy Awards, which means we’re up to our necks in Oscar prognostication. Will Leo finally nab that Best Actor award? Is Mad Max: Fury Road getting any recognition? And what will host Chris Rock say about another year of whitewashed nominees? Awards predictions are a dime a dozen, yet the far …
Today Leonardo DiCaprio ranks indisputably as one of the most famous individuals on the planet. His acting career, launched when he was just 13, granted him early access to the exclusive world of Hollywood glamour and overindulgence. With the face of a mischievous angel, Leo has long played the part of the playboy rogue, but …
I was honestly surprised when George Miller’s critically lauded Mad Max: Fury Road received a whopping ten Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. Not because I didn’t think the film didn’t deserve it, but because Fury Road seeminly had “snub of the year” written all over it. A high-octane action flick based on an 80s genre franchise? That doesn’t …
In anticipation of the Academy Awards this weekend, Nintendo has come up with its own strange twist on the event. In order to celebrate the 2015 Oscar nominees, they’ve decide to address who they believe should walk away with one of the statuettes – that is for imaginary categories. This latest PR effort from Nintendo …
Why should I care about the Oscars? No, that’s a serious question. Because as much as I hate to admit it, I do. At their very best, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gets it right by tripping and falling into a “Market Irglova & Glen Hansard” here or a “12 minute standing …
The shallow deep talk of True Detective by Emily Nussbaum: “Judged purely on style, HBO’s “True Detective” is a great show. Every week, it offers up shiver-inducing cable intoxicants, from an over-the-top action sequence so liquid it rivals a Scorsese flick to piquant scenes of rural degradation, filmed on location in Louisiana, a setting that …
Every year, when awards nominations are announced, the word “snub” tends to be thrown around a lot. However, I think this happens because people want every great movie to be rewarded for their work without thinking of who should be cut. Thus I get treated to Huffington Post headlines like “OPRAH MOVIE SNUBBED” and “OPRAH …
85th Academy Awards Hosted by Seth MacFarlane Produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron Directed by Don Mischer Aired Sunday, Feb. 24th at 8:30pm (ET) on ABC It’s fairly well-established tradition at this point that viewers love to trash the Oscars: the nominees, the winners, the speeches, the ceremony. It’s an easy target, especially for …
Studios often spend a tremendous amount of money promoting films that are nominated for an Oscar, in hopes of swaying Academy members to vote for their film. There has been quite a few interesting campaigns throughout the years, but all too often, they do little to impress. Here is a perfect a example of how …
Beauty Written and directed by Oliver Hermanus France/South Africa, 2011 From across the room, François (Deon Lotz) witnesses a paragon of unequivocal beauty. With a painstaking allure and an irresistible smile, François is immediately, and unmistakably, enamored beyond all control. To him, this is love at first sight. Already married, François approaches his extramarital muse …
In 1997, I was a high school student when James Cameron’s blockbuster Titanic was released. As I was in an all-girls school, Leomania was off the charts. For a good six months, everyone was talking about how good the film was and how hot Leonardo DiCaprio looked. Now, a good 15 years later, Titanic is …
With the Oscars finally concluded and cleared up for another year, with familiar lessons learned and perturbing trends set for the rest of the year, time comes for evaluation and discussion, thoughtful or otherwise. And one thing is clear: if there was predictability to be had in 2012, it came in the acting categories. Although …
“When I was a child,” film reviewer Stephen Whitty wrote in “What Happened to Grown-Up Films?” for New Jersey’s state paper, The Star-Ledger, on the day of the Oscars, “most of the big hits in movie theaters were aimed at adults. Now that I’m an adult, most of the big hits in movie theaters are …
This past Sunday I took part in my yearly Oscar poll carefully selecting who I thought would win in each category. While I usually come away the big winner I’ve never once been able to correctly guess the winners of all three categories for short films (documentary, live action and animation). That all changed this …
Throughout February, the Sound On Sight staff will take a look at the Academy Awards. In 2008, there was one film out of all the Oscar nominees that had a birthright claim to what film critics love to call “inventing a new cinematic language” or “creating a universe of its own”, and this was not …
The saying goes: If Hollywood is really the movie capital of the world, then Oscar night is the world’s biggest wrap party, and like all parties, each event comes with unwelcome guests, embarrassing situations, strange fashions and controversial moments. In fact, controversy and the Oscars seem to go hand in hand and despite the fact …
With the Academy Awards now just a week away, large doses of scrutiny are being shoved down the collective throats of the twinkling stars standing in line and hoping for their very own statuette. Odds are that when the nominations are announced every year, there will be at least one somewhat surprising contender, whether he/she …
Throughout the first half of February, the Sound On Sight staff will take a look at the Academy Awards. Ask any film score buff and he or she will attest that the Academy has always had a contentious history with film composers. Over the last few years, the AMPAS has made a few publicly egregious …
Throughout the first half of February, the Sound On Sight staff will take a look at the Academy Awards. Human beings are social animals. We need to feel another human’s touch, hear another’s voice, and despite what many “rebels” might admit, we need their acceptance. But one place we should not look for social validation …
Throughout the first half of February, the Sound On Sight staff will take a look at the Academy Awards. By any reckoning, 1980 was an extraordinary year for film. From the sublime to the ridiculous, this was the year that gave the world both Jean Luc Godard’s Sauve Qui Peut and Alan Parker’s …
Throughout the first half of February, the Sound On Sight staff will take a look at the Academy Awards. With the biggest night of the cinematic year coming up on the 26th February, the nominations are all set and confirmed, and the potential recipients are on a presidential-like campaign trail which is one part professional …
Throughout the first half of February, the Sound On Sight staff will take a look at the Academy Awards. Whether one of the major studios takes the top prize at the Academy Awards or not, they have no squawk this year. Several years ago, as you might recall, the Big Guys were getting fed up …
The BAFTAs is one of those award ceremonies you can count on the go against the norm. Always the one to celebrate more independent films and the actors, actresses and directors snubbed by the Academy Awards have a chance of a nomination. In light of the forthcoming awards ceremony on Sunday 12 February, here are …