The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Returns for Season 2!

By Spencer Coile  

It feels like an eternity has passed since The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel premiered on Amazon Prime last year. Its first season was celebrated, dissected, and rewarded by most major awards bodies – sweeping up two Golden Globes and eight Emmys. In particular, the show’s leading lady, Rachel Brosnahan was lauded for her portrayal as Miriam “Midge” Maisel, a 1950’s housewife who pursues stand-up comedy when her husband unexpectedly leaves her.

Season two, which is available to stream on Prime, picks up shortly where the first season left off...

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Beauty vs Beast: Saving Private Shakespeare

Jason Adams from MNPP here, serenading us "Beauty vs Beast" style - tomorrow marks the 20th anniversary of John Madden's Best Picture winner Shakespeare in Love, aka the Oscar win that broke every straight boy's heart. Don't believe me? Go find one and mention how Saving Private Ryan was robbed and watch the fire and fury rise in their pupils. (I really shouldn't make fun, seeing as they got their revenge in 2005.) But the contest of 1998 films is always a good one to stir up arguments excuse me conversation, and since that's what we're here for...

bike tracks

PREVIOUSLY Although of Saoirse love is strong it wasn't enough to tackle the one-two punch of The Green Dress and Briony being a little snitch-monster, and so Keira Knightley's Cecelia took top honors in our Atonement poll last week, with about 3/4s of the vote. Said par:

"In fairness to Briony, i'd do a lot worse if somebody got between me and the housekeeper's son. But I voted for Cecilia cause, damn, that girl had some bad luck."

"The Favourite" Leads the Critics Choice Nominations

by Nathaniel R

me giving my fellow BFCA members the side-eye for some of their choices

Yorgos Lanthimos' pitch black comedy The Favourite led the Critic's Choice Nominations with a staggering 14 nods. Black Panther wasn't far behind with 12. The morning's biggest (and best) surprise is surely the resurgence of First Man, which had been struggling with precursors but has a very healthy 10 nominations with the BFCA. One wonders if it can rocket to a Best Picture nomination despite its box office troubles? In other very good news Toni Collette is nominated (though we aren't surprised in this case) and the foreign film list is aces. Well done.

Not that it's all good news but we're starting with the positives.

In the television categories (which are worth a read because they're quite different than the Globe nominations) Escape at Dannemora, The Americans, and The Assassination of Gianna Versace led all shows with 5 nominations a piece.  The complete list of nominees is after the jump along with a few comments...

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All Oscar Charts Updated

Remarkably, despite two weeks where a lot happened with critics awards and Globe nominations we still feel fairly confident about our Thanksgiving predictions. Perhaps we were extra prophetic during that previous holiday weekend? While not a lot of the actual predicted shortlists have changed (If Beale Street Could Talk, Green Book, and Vice all added one nomination to their predicted tally and Animation and Visual Effects have changed a little - unthinkably Annihilation was already eliminated from visual effects!), the rankings within the charts are significantly altered with a lot of races looking more firmed up. But perhaps SAG nominations next week will make us rethink? Have a look!

INDEX |  PICTURE | DIRECTOR | ACTOR  | ACTRESS | SUPPORTING ACTOR| SUPPORTING ACTRESS | SCREENPLAYS | FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM | VISUALS | SOUNDS | ANIMATION & DOCUMENTARY 

LAFCA Winners (and other critics organizations)

The Los Angeles Film Critics Organization is presumably the most crucial in terms of Academy Awards influence since they're the hometown critics of Hollywood and the industry actually hears what they think on a regular basis. This year, like virtually every organization, they threw their weight behind Alfonso Cuarón's Mexican memoir drama Roma. They got idiosyncratic (but smart) in only one category this year, Supporting actor, where they honored Steven Yeun who is remarkable in Burning. Otherwise they underlined actors who are already in the thick of the Oscar discussion. Sadly, two women who really needed their endorsement (Toni Collette and Elizabeth Debicki) were left in "runner up" position, a nice nod in their direction, but not helpful to their causes. 

The full list of winners and lists from LAFCA and three other critics orgs who voted today are after the jump. It was a very good day for Olivia Colman, Steven Yeun and Burning, and Roma...

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