Through Her Lens (Season Finale): The 83rd Oscars + 2010s RECAP

A series by Juan Carlos Ojano. Introduction / Explanation

After Kathryn Bigelow’s historic Director win at the previous Oscars for The Hurt Locker, the 2010 roster of nominees returned to the usual all-male lineup. The eventual five were pretty much unquestioned. David Fincher was the early frontrunner for Facebook drama The Social Network. Darren Aronofsky and David O. Russell received their first nominations in this category for the psychological horror Black Swan and the sports drama The Fighter, respectively. The inclusion of the Coen Brothers was considered a semi-surprise for the late-breaking Western True Grit. Ultimately, the winner was Tom Hooper for the Best Picture-winning historical drama The King’s Speech. 

Given that context, it is still a bit discouraging to see the return to normal especially with two female-directed films also up for Best Picture: Lisa Cholodenko’s dramedy The Kids are All Right and Debra Granik’s mystery drama Winter’s Bone. Both films received four nominations, though neither secured any wins. Women were also largely absent from the Best Director conversation. Out of the 248 films included in the Reminder List of Eligible Films in 2010 (83rd Academy Awards), only 24 (9.7%) were directed/co-directed by women...

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International Feature Race - Part 3: A Dozen Movie Stars

by Nathaniel R

Voting on the finalist list for the Oscar categories that use that system (including Best International Feature Film) concluded last week with the finalist lists to be announced on December 21st. As a final part of our general trivia overview (pt 1 stats & genres / pt 2 directors) we thought we'd look at the famous faces gracing the international contenders this year. Here are eleven of the most familiar movie stars in the mix that Academy voters (and you) might recognize from their own history of awardage not to mention previous classics. We'll take these famous actors alphabetically starting with a multilingual Spanish-German star and ending with a Chinese beauty, both of whom came to fame in the Aughts when they were fresh-faced twentysomethings...

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Interview: Sadie Sink on Her Powerhouse Performance in ‘The Whale’

By Abe Friedtanzer

Despite early buzz from fall festivals, The Whale has not turned out to be a slam-dunk awards season player. After being shut out by the Independent Spirit Awards, star Brendan Fraser has earned nominations from most other awards bodies, with supporting actress Hong Chau and playwright/screenwriter Samuel D. Hunter also picking up bids along the way. There are those who say that the film and Fraser’s performance are manipulative and highly overrated, but I’m firmly in the opposite camp;  I think The Whale is the best film of 2022.

Fraser and Chau aren’t the only ones who turn in tremendous performances. As Ellie, the daughter of Fraser’s Charlie, Sadie Sink bursts in with anger to confront a father who has never been there for her but, at this moment, seems deeply interested in her happiness. Sink was already the best thing about season four of Stranger Things, and it’s wonderful to see her deliver so well in a role like this...

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Best International Film Reviews: Lebanon, Montenegro, and Morocco

by Cláudio Alves

We're just a few days away from the Academy's announcement of the shortlists in various categories, including Best International Film. And yet, our travels through the 93 submissions for the 95th Academy Awards continue unabated. This time, let's look toward the Mediterranean, a great sea whose coastline encompasses three continents. Sadly, only one of those is guaranteed representation in the shortlist, AMPAS' European bias forever hurting whatever diversifying objectives the institution might have. Here, however, such biases will be put aside, with one film from each continent composing this Mediterranean face-off. Consider a Lebanese memory box, a Montenegrin elegy, and a Moroccan caftan…

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"Bardo" is a Gorgeously Shot Mixed Bag

by Eurocheese

Alejandro González Iñárritu’s latest film, Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths, is a film overflowing with powerful images, half-told stories and vignettes that delve into very personal material. The film is not always coherent, and not everything works, but it is a mixed bag that offers enough rewards to make it worth a recommendation. The viewer’s mileage will vary, and as one might expect based on the early review, it will definitely not be for everyone. 

Bardo sets its tone right off the bat with multiple disorienting sequences out of context, letting the audience know that accessibility will not be a top priority. One consistent throughline  though, is its visual splendor. Netflix has been delivering some of the most beautiful imagery onscreens this year (Glass Onion and Pinocchio jump to mind), and this film bathes us in oceanic blues and city lights. It also highlights the beauty of Mexico while simultaneously focusing on its shortcomings, an internal struggle for the protagonist, whose national identity is among his many crises. If you’re going to have an emotional breakdown, why not do it while you’re surrounded by lush landscapes?

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