Oscar Whisperer: Have we seen any nominees yet?

Though we all know that the bulk of Oscar nominations come from the last quarter of each and every year, have we seen any awards players yet? Here's a tricky thing about punditry -- if you start too early people say you're part of the problem in "narrowing" the field but if you don't start early how are you going to be of service in keeping the entire year in play and offering perspective on which film should be watched so that it's not all about "cramming" at the end of the year which leads to all that last quarter focus. So we start early.  Here are first quarter possibilities if the Academy has longer memories than usual this year and if they surprisingly generate excitement later in the year by way of top ten lists or second wave releases (Bluray, streamin, etc...)

January
Kung Fu Panda 3 (Animated Feature)
Both of the previous films about the round warrior "Po" (Jack Black) were nominated for Best Animated Feature. Will Dreamworks go 3 for 3 with this series? The reviews are right in line with those of the previous films but franchises often outstay their welcome when it comes to "Best of Year" accolades.

The costumes in Hail Caesar (courtesy of Mary Zophres) are great fun

February
Deadpool (Visual FX, Makeup and Hairstyling)
Hail Caesar! (Original Song "No Dames" and Any Category, really) 
The WWitch (Sound, Supporting, and Any Category, really) 

Deadpool will surely surface for the Saturn Awards but good luck with the standard awards bodies considering that superhero films don't fare well even in VFX nominations... and Deadpool is a bit bargain bin aesthetically, however popular it may be with audiences.  An extreme longshot but it will surely attempt Oscar recognition in both VFX and Makeup bakeoffs.

As for Hail, Caesar! and The VVitch, they're the most prestigious of the year's mainstream releases thus far by way of being from beloved filmmakers or inspiring critical fervor, respectively. But will any voters remember them or take them seriously enough given traditional resistance to comedy and horror? The first step in taking any film seriously is to actually watch it; conscientous voters should watch these two films. 

March
April and the Extraordinary World (Animated Feature)
Batman v Superman (Visual FX)
Krisha (Best Actress)
Zootopia (Animated Feature) 
Hello My Name is Doris (Best Actress) 

Zootopia is by far your best bet for early bird Oscar glory given the outstanding reviews and audience love and Disney being a power player in the animated feature category. Can Sally Field's Doris generate good Golden Globe will? Will Krisha develop a following (it won the Cassavettes at the Spirit Awards for 2015 but the Spirit Awards have different eligibility rules -- festival showings sometimes count for them).

Of the two attempts at reviving the Superman franchise (Superman Returns in 2006 and Man of Steel in 2013) only Returns won Oscar favor (Visual FX nomination). Will Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice be ignored or embraced for its effects? It all depends on its future competition but it's worth noting that, for whatever reason, Batman is the favorite superhero of groups that traditionally resist superheroes. Batman films have won 3 Oscars from 15 nominations. 

What will you hope for or count on from the first quarter?

Krisha Deliriously Dares You Not To Spill The Turkey

Nothing just moves in Trey Edward Shults’ disorienting debut Krisha; it sloshes, slips, tackles, and caws. A dizzying symphony of brain-clattering sound, feverishly unhinged camerawork, and a tightknit, ink-blotter ensemble led by the ferocious Krisha Fairchild, Shults’ get the family together for Thanksgiving drama shoots you right off your seat and holds you hostage over the darkest edge of the human id. Red onions notoriously make you weep but under Shults’ rack-focus eye, they make you want to hurl too. Such portent may lead one to expect a draining, inhumane slog through the mud.

But that alone would be far too easy. This is an exhilarating hostage situation, not just by witnessing a filmmaker’s virtuosic warp over cinematic language but also by the hot cohesion of its richly observed and highly specific setting, and the barbed black comedy that comes along with it. It feels like home, which is to say, Krisha is the waking nightmare of reckoning yourself against the eyes and ears that know you best, a big hug from your aunt that just may choke you from the inside out.

More...

Click to read more ...

Tweetweek: "I'm not one of your fans!"

You know what's weird? I kind of miss Amy Adams. I was so exhausted by her in recent years with all the Hollywood Report roundtables and the easy awards track even for minor work that was forgotten instantly (Big Eyes anyone?). But the year off as well at that recent David O. Russell confessional has made the heart grow fond again. Funny how that can happen. See also Cate Blanchett's short break some years ago.

Which is why we'll start with Amy for this week's collection of a dozen favorite tweets. Tweets featuring A History of Violence, Carol, Vertigo, political hilarity, Joan Crawford and drag queens are after the jump... 

It's such a shame that we didn't make a Tonya Harding biopic when Amy Adams was young enough to play her. pic.twitter.com/LFKnF52HGk

— Kacey Bange (@kaceybange) March 13, 2016

Click to read more ...

I Pledge Allegiance to the Red Carpet

Have any plans for moviegoing this weekend? I regret to inform that there isn't much new of note to choose from unless you hit the theaters that show limited releases. Though the Divergent Series has performed respectably at the box office it never remotely reached what it was going for: being the new Hunger Games in terms of loot and broad cultural reach. And interest does seem to be dwindling. The super unwieldy title of the third effort is The Divergent Series: Allegiant and it's sometimes called Allegiant - Part 1 (2016) -- at least according to IMDb. Strangely the fourth film is not called Part 2 but The Divergent Series: Ascendance. So perhaps even the studio has lost enough interest that no one is in charge of the details.

Anyway this is just an excuse to show photos from the handsome red carpet. The headliners Shailene Woodley and Theo James dressed like they were attending a funeral (perhaps they're in mourning that they still have to film another one?) so it was up to the supporting cast to bring the glitz.  

Naomi Watts (top left) provided some mature razzle dazzle (she loves silver, huh?) and here's how the young men looked: 

From left to right: Miles Teller (Whiplash), Keiynan Lonsdale (The Flash), Jonny Weston (Chasing Mavericks), Ansel Elgort (The Fault in Our Stars) and Joseph David-Jones (Legends of Tomorrow). Just as I was thinking "this cast looks very CW generic" I realized that it was no coincidence since two of them are currently in CW superhero shows. 

Which suit do you like best and what is happening with Ansel's collar? It's like he's wearing a mini towel after doing some cardio.

"Hell's Kitchen is about to explode" ...again.

Daredevil Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix. Don't forget to pick a Best Shot from the episode of your choice when you're binging this weekend for Tuesday's HMWYBS episode. Here's the schedule ICYMI