The ASC winner is 'Dune' but will it repeat at the Oscars?

by Nathaniel R

With the PGA, WGA, and now the American Society of Cinematographers, we have our last clues going into Oscar night. Not that guilds always line up with Oscar wins mind you. They do share some members with the Academy but all the guilds have far more members than their parallel branches in the Academy. Here's what they chose this year...

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"Introducing" The film debuts of your Best Actress nominees

by Nathaniel R

Nicole Kidman's first dramatic closeup in a movie. Her mother has just told her no in Bush Christmas (1983)This season's best actress race is a quintet of considerable fame. We have three previous Oscar winners (Nicole Kidman, Olivia Colman, Penélope Cruz), a multiple nominee (Jessica Chastain) and a first timer though she's been globally famous for over a decade (Kristen Stewart). All five are in demand and oft-celebrated. We thought it would be fun to look at their very first movies long before superstardom happened which was the impetus for this four part "introducing" series (you've already witnessed Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress).

How were these now acclaimed actresses introduced to audiences? Let's take them in chronological order of their official debuts after the jump...

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Oscar Volley: Who will triumph in Best Documentary?

Team Experience is discussing the various Oscar categories. Here's Baby Clyde, Glenn Dunks, and Nick Taylor to discuss Best Documentary Feature.

Baby Clyde: Every December (Or more likely January) when I’m putting together my year end ‘Best of’ list, it’s always filled with docs and International Features. In recent years I’ve found them vastly more interesting than the prestige pics that get churned out by Hollywood and inevitably nominated for Best Picture (I’ll be coming to that soon). 2021 was no exception. Half of my Top 10 is made up of documentaries. Three of which have made it into this category.

The big, splashy, hit of the year Summer of Soul, cleared its biggest hurdle by making the list in the first place. (The sometimes snobby Doc branch is notorious for snubbing the crowd pleasers -- Remember the Won’t You Be My Neighbour? debacle).  Whilst I’m mostly delighted by the quality of the nominees it does leave me with a quandary... 

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WGA Winners: CODA, Don't Look Up, Succession, Hacks...

by Nathaniel R

The Writers Guild of America has revealed their winners for the 2021 film and television year and it's good news for Adapted CODA and Original Don't Look Up as they head towards Oscar night a week from now. But their competitive pool is different at the Oscars of course since different things are eligible at the WGA each year. Complete list of winners and a few comments after the jump...

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How Have International Features Fared in Oscar Screenplay Categories?

By: Christopher James

In a banner year for International cinema, can "The Worst Person in the World" or "Drive My Car" win a Screenplay Oscar?As was discussed in the recent Screenplay Oscar Volley, there is the potential for there to be two international feature winners in Adapted and Original Screenplay this year. Best Picture nominee Drive My Car had an incredibly strong showing on nomination morning, and Adapted Screenplay could be the place where the Oscars chooses to honor writer/director Ryusuke Hamaguchi. If it wins, it will be the first international feature to win Best Adapted Screenplay.

On the Original Screenplay front, Joaquim Trier’s The Worst Person in the World hopes to be a surprise upset. The comedy-drama from Norway may not be in Best Picture, but it has amassed a strong art house following and grown steadily since its opening last month.

Do these movies actually have a shot though? Let’s take a look at the track record for International Feature in the Screenplay categories.

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