Green Book wins the PGA. Is Oscar next?

by Nathaniel R

Peter Farrelly accepting the Outstanding Producer for Theatrical Motion Pictures award for "Green Book"

The weekend before the Oscar nominations, Green Book gets another feather in its divisive cap. It took the top PGA prize last night. It was nominated against Black Panther, BlacKkKlansman, Bohemian Rhapsody, Crazy Rich Asians, The Favourite, A Quiet Place, Roma, A Star is Born, and Vice... most but not all of which will transfer to Oscar Best Picture nominations if past statistics hold. In the nine years of the modern Best Picture era (by which we mean 2009 and onward when the field expanded) only three movies have won the PGA that did not repeat at the Oscars: Gravity (2013), The Big Short  (2015), and La La Land  (2016). But it's really only two since Gravity tied at the PGA with 12 Years a Slave (the latter of which did not have to share the Oscar for Best Picture). This year's race will give us an even ten years of statistics in this new era. So by the end of the season, future PGA winners will feel like they have either a 70% or an 80% of winning the Oscar. Either way it's something to worry about if you don't like Green Book, and something to cheer for, if you do...

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What did you see this weekend?

Weekend Box Office Estimates January 18th-20th (ESTIMATES) 🔺 = New or Expanded Theater Count /  ★= Recommended
W I D E 800+ screens	PLATFORM / LIMITED excluding prev. wide
1. 🔺 Glass $40.5 on 3841 screens *NEW* Review	1.🔺 Stan & Ollie $391k on 84 screens (cum. $789k) Review ★
2. The Upside  $15.6 on 3320 screens  (cum. $43.9)	2. 🔺 Cold War $355k on 39 screens (cum. $748k)  Review, Podcast, Oscar FINALIST ★
3. 🔺 Dragon Ball Super: Broly  $10.6 on 1233 screens (cum. $21) *NEW*	3. Free Solo  $264k on 98 screens (cum. $13.1) Review  ★
4. Aquaman  $10.3 on 3475 screens (cum. $304.3)  Review, Podcast	4. Perfect Strangers  $185k on 132 screens (cum. $737k)
3. Into the Spider-Verse  $7.2 on 2712 screens (cum. $158.2)  Review ★	5.🔺 Destroyer $150k on 50 screens (cum. $636k)  Review, FYC Best Actress ★

Other than the big openings for M Night Shyamalan's Glass and the anime film Dragon Ball Super: Broly the story of the weekend was surely Cold War jumping up 264% percent. If it gets an Oscar nomination (or two? three?) on Tuesday its timing for a significant expansion (provided that that's next weekend) will be perfect.  

What did you see this weekend?  I spent the weekend announcing Film Bitch Awards so that was movie-madness enough for me. Instead I hit Broadway to see Choir Boy from Moonlight writer Tarrel Alvin McCraney. Recommended.

"Where are my lesbians?"

(A question fit for any occasion.)

Beauty Break: Here's to Cinematic Eye Candy!

The visual categories for the 2018 Film Bitch Awards are now fully announced. Click on over to peruse the nominations for Costume Design, Cinematography, and Production Design aka the best cinematic eye candy of the year. Cinematic eye candy is more than just delicious for the eyes. These crafts also strengthen characterization, theme, mood, storytelling, and emotional impact when the artisans are really inspired. After the jump, because five little poster doesn't feel like enough images from the 12 most beautifully shot movies this year that we called out in Cinematography (though only five can be nominees).

A BAKER'S DOZEN OF THE MOST BEAUTIFULLY SHOT MOVIES OF 2018. 
Presented in alpha order after the jump...

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Film Bitch Awards: The Best Screenplays

by Nathaniel R

We just called to tell you you have amazing screenplays.

Movies are much more than their screenplays. There's a reason they call them motion pictures. But no matter what a filmmaker has up their sleeve in terms of visuals or sound, a sturdy platform from which to lift off is crucial. These ten films (and some finalists, too) were already starting at a significant advantage before the first day of shooting due to the calibre of their words, plots, themes, ideas, and structure. Herewith Nathaniel's ballot in both screenplay categories. We don't expect the bulk of these to be Oscar-nominated on Tuesday (let us not weep for Diablo Cody's Tully, for example, because history will be kind to it) but here's hoping that Eighth Grade, The Favourite, First Reformed, BlacKkKlansman, and Can You Ever Forgive Me? (at least) make their respective Oscar shortlists since they appear to have good shots at doing so. 

P.S. in case you missed them, the visual categories are half done, and the sound categories are complete. You can also see an ongoing nomination tally as we announce at the bottom of the sound page.