A Look Back at My Oscar Predictions: How Did I Do?

Scene from Parasite (2019)

Now that the dust has settled and everyone knows what the results for this year's Oscars are, it's time to look back at one of the most fun/embarrassing things that we all do. Every year it's fun to predict the winners, and some years are clearly better than others when it comes to results. For me, this was a terrible year where almost everything was undone by the unexpected success of Parasite. Then again, I have yet to get 0%, so I'm doing something right. So... how did I do otherwise? The answer is just ahead and presents an interesting side to the Oscar season that is often overlooked. How did you do? Did Parasite get you too? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Ranking the Acting Nominees of Oscars 2020

Scene from Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood

Next to Best Picture, there are few fields as scrutinized annually at The Oscars as much as the four acting fields. Every year there is a constant buzz over who should've been nominated and what the final group represents to the industry. While there are hundreds of movies and thousands of performances to pull from, these are the 20 that were deemed worthy to make it to Hollywood's biggest night. What follows isn't meant to be a prediction of who should win, but how I feel the 20 nominations rate against each other, finding the best and worst in a group of talent that is now part of film history forever. Who deserved the cut, who didn't? Read on to find out.

Review: "Bombshell" Lands With a Dud

Scene from Bombshell (2019)

With a better director (nay, a better script), Bombshell would've been a film brimming with such an urgency, defining the current Me Too Movement with its cross-section of topics ranging from journalism to presidencies to sexual harassment. The story of Fox News anchors bringing their boss to task for his bad behavior should be something that strikes a chord with viewers so much that they leave the theater vindicated that the bad guy got his due. Instead, it's an impersonal slog of a movie and one that lacks any urgency at all. What is found here is director Jay Roach's attempt at mattering by telling the story in the most boring, clinical way possible while still missing the point. It isn't about how well you know the story, but what it means to the people most being impacted by it. In some ways, it's the perfect embodiment of trend-hopping filmmaking that quickly exposes who hasn't seen it. Those who haven't will think it's important for what it's about, those who see it know better. It should be important, but alas... it's just desperate. 

Last-Minute Predictions for This Year's Oscar Nominations

Scene from Joker (2019)

The big moment is here! After a year of prognosticating, this year's Oscar nominations will be upon us and put to rest a lot of complicated questions. Which actors will make the cut? Will this be one of the best years for Best Picture ever? How big does Parasite or Joker show up? So many questions will finally be resolved, leaving only the biggest one (who wins?) to be resolved. With time ticking away until this moment comes, it feels like a good time to announce my predictions for what will get nominated this year. Like every time, it's difficult to narrow it down, but if half of these end up on the list, then we should be happy.

The Trailer for "Bombshell" Shows Things Going Up for Oscar Potential

Scene from Bombshell (2019)

For those who follow modern politics very closely, there's a good chance that you have an opinion about Fox News - for better or worse. They remain one of the most influential resources in modern news, constantly being discussed as much for what they say as what their personal ethics are. With director Jay Roach's Bombshell, he decides to tackle one of the more notorious things that the news network was scrutinized for: the treatment of their female employees. The news itself was shocking when it was real, but with an all-star cast and a minimalist trailer, there's a tenseness that this new film will be a defining work not only for the ongoing Me Too movement but also an exploration of concepts like Fake News. If nothing else, it will help to add a human element to the story.