Showing posts with label Darkest Hour. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Darkest Hour. Show all posts

Sunday, July 5, 2020

Every Best Picture Nominee of the 2010's Ranked: #80-88

Scene from Bohemian Rhapsody

As 2019 reached its end, another decade of cinema had passed. It's amazing to think about how things have evolved since 2010 when the biggest controversies were about recognizing genre movies. Things look different now, especially as genre films like The Shape of Water and Parasite are winning Best Picture and the voting body looks incredibly different with each passing year. With this period in the books, it feels like a good time to celebrate their accomplishments by ranking all 88 titles nominated for Best Picture from worst to best with the goal of seeing which films are more likely to stand the test of time. Join me every Saturday and Sunday as I count them down, five at a time. It's going to be a fun summer looking back on what was, especially as we prepare for the decade ahead and an even more interesting diversity that we haven't even begun to think of.

Wednesday, March 7, 2018

A Wrap-Up of This Year's Oscars Season

The winners of this year's acting categories
This is it for another awards season. It has been a fun past 13 months (since technically Get Out started the prestige talk early), and it only feels right to look back on the highs and lows of this season, specifically as it relates to the Oscars ceremony. To me, the biggest issue with the ceremony is that it was both an exciting year, but also one of rather predictable courses. All of the acting categories went to the blazing front runners who had been winning awards since December. However, it was still a period of change the likes of which The Academy is still surprising us with. In a conventional year, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri would've won Best Picture. Instead, it went to the first monster movie to win Best Picture: The Shape of Water. Say what you will, but this was one of the best Oscar seasons in recent years.

How'd I Do? A Look Back at My Oscar Predictions

Sam Rockwell
With The Academy Awards now in the books, it's time to look back at awards season. One of the best parts is looking at how well the predictions went. For me, it was a fairly obvious year - even if it overall wasn't my strongest year. But there's no use beating around the bush. The following is a rundown of the winners compared with what I predicted would win each category. Let's just say that some production design and documentary categories did me in, and that's pretty much the only real place where I had any issues. How well did you do? Feel free to leave your results in the comments.

Monday, March 5, 2018

Here's the Winners of the 90th Academy Awards

The Shape of Water winning Best Picture
With The Academy Awards now behind us, it's time to look back on the films that won and lost during the ceremony. It was an incredible year, with seven of the nine Best Picture nominees walking away with at least one statue. The even bigger surprise is that in a year where Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri had swept awards season, it was a prestige monster movie that ended up taking Best Picture, and thus continuing to prove that this is a new era of Oscars. It's a time of inclusion and an even bigger diversity. While I will be exploring different aspects of the ceremony and winners in the days to come, let's start with a quick rundown of who won, which is what I'm sure you're all most excited about.

Saturday, March 3, 2018

Here's My Official Predictions for this Year's Oscar Winners

Scene from Lady Bird
Well, this is it. Tomorrow is finally the day when all of the Oscar prognostication pays off and we all discover who are the winners at this year's Academy Awards. All of the coverage has been leading to this moment, and one can hope that this ends up being one of the most surprising and exciting years. Only time will tell on that one. For now, it feels like a great time to run down our predictions and determine what we expect to win. For me, this is a tough year, and I wouldn't be mad if some of these lost. Still, here's hoping that there's a few pleasant surprises, because that's what The Academy could really use to stand out.

Friday, March 2, 2018

A Round-Up of My Reviews for Oscar-Nominated Movies

With today being Friday, it would be a good enough reason to look forward to the weekend. However, most people are also looking forward to this Sunday for one reason. After a lot of speculation, the Academy Awards ceremony is finally upon us! Considering that you've likely seen all the movies and have your own thoughts, it's time to start finalizing predictions and placing bets. While I will be sharing my predictions tomorrow, I decided to dedicate this entry as a little primer, or a reminder, for those wanting to know my thoughts on the Oscar-nominated movies. This is mostly a place for me to share links from both The Oscar Buzz and Optigrab, where I wrote about the more pop culture-centered movies. Enjoy and good luck with your balloting. 

Saturday, February 3, 2018

A Ranking of the 2017 Best Picture Nominees

It has been over a week since The Academy announced the nominees for this year's Oscars. While there will be plenty to talk about in the interim, it feels right to kick things off by ranking the Best Picture nominees. This is by no means a prediction on what film will win, but is more of a look into my personal preference. All things considered, I believe that this is one of the best years in general, with eight of the nine being among my Top 20 of last year. This new class of Academy voters has definitely brought forth an interesting mix of the old and new, and I think it's going to produce a very interesting discussion going forward. If you're interested, feel free to rank the films in the comments section, if just to see how much we differ from each other.

Monday, January 29, 2018

Review: "Darkest Hour" is a Showcase for Gary Oldman's Acting, Not Much Else

Gary Oldman
In times of struggle, a leader is the most important thing to have. But what makes a good leader? Is it someone who can provide easy answers, or is it someone who takes the tough decisions that could lead to permanent fixes? In director Joe Wright's Darkest Hour, he explores this subject in relation to England in the midst of World War II during a time when the foe was among the most notorious dictators in history and the threat of bombs were constantly over their heads. It's a taught drama, but at the center is a compelling performance by Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill, the aging statesman who comes to shape the war's outcome in one definitive decision. Ironically, it's his first and one that will likely make or break his role as Prime Minister. It's a gripping drama, and one that finds that the best answers aren't always the easiest. 

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Oscar Predictions vs. Nominations: How Did I Do?

Scene from Dunkirk
This morning marked the announcement of this year's Oscar nominations. Like most years, it wasn't without its surprises. Like most people, I decided to make predictions for what would make the cut. It wasn't my best year, but there's a lot that I got right. So, let's look at how well I did at making my predictions in all of the major categories and determine whether or not I did a good job.

Check Out the Official List for the 2018 Oscar Nominations

Today was one of the biggest moments in every cinephile's year. This morning, hosts Tiffany Haddish and Andy Serkis presented the nominees for this year's Academy Awards. As with every year, it was full of surprises - good and bad - that will go on to be discussed in detail. With The Shape of Water and Dunkirk leading the nominations, this was an incredibly packed year full of interesting choices. The following is a rundown of those names. Come back throughout the week for further Oscar coverage, including pieces related to surprises, achievements, and how I'd personally rank the Best Picture category. Until then, here are the nominees for this year's Academy Awards.