Japanese Academy Awards: 'Drive My Car' up for 9 prizes

by Nathaniel R

March is promising to be a big month for Japanese Best Picture nominee Drive My Car. It just became the second release from Janus Films to make more than one million at the US box office (their biggest hit remains Italy's Oscar winning  The Great Beauty) and despite its steady box office performance, it's moving to streaming on March 2nd on HBOMax. Then, two weeks before the Oscars on March 11th, it is competing at the 45th annual Japan Academy Awards. The nominees for that ceremony are after the jump including a description of the five films up for the big prizes...

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What did you see over the weekend?

by Nathaniel R

Weekend Box Office February 11th-13th 🔺 = new or expanding
OVER 800 SCREENS	UNDER 800 SCREENS
DEATH ON THE NILE	WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD
1 🔺 DEATH ON THE NILE  $12.8	1 🔺 WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD $255k (cum. $451k)

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Regina Hall, Amy Schumer, and Wanda Sykes are hosting the Oscars

by Nathaniel R

We'd already heard that the Academy was eyeing a "three-act" structure for the March 27th ceremony and now we know who is starring in those "acts". Fine actress Regina Hall, and two hilarious TV comediennes Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes. We'd hoped for Maya Rudolph or Kristen Wiig since they're always deeply hilarious when presenting Oscars but we like this trio. The past couple of years have proven that we really do need hosts for some kind of party throughline and the Academy could have chosen (and have chosen) much worse! 

What'cha think? 

Oscar can't quite let that "Popular Movie Oscar" idea go...

While the "Popular Movie" Oscar idea the Academy Awards floated a few years ago was met with immediate backlash, Oscar can't quite let the idea go. Their latest attempt at populism to increase ratings is to incorporate Twitter users into the ceremony via a "Twitter Fan Vote"... and that begins today. Whichever movie gets the most votes with the hashtag #OscarsFanFavoritee will be honored on the Broadcast, though it thankfully won't be getting an official statue. A fan favourite scene will also be played on Oscar night via the hashtag #OscarsCheerMoment. All of which seems like an excuse to show a clip of Andrew Garfield walking through a magical portal into Spider-Man No Way Home which they could do anyway since the movie is up for Best Visual Effects. Plus Oscar ceremonies would always be wise to include a montage of the past year in film.

The second part of this is ultra specific and odd. Three twitter users who vote this year will get an all-expense paid trip to Los Angeles to present an Oscar at the 95th Oscars in 2023. Why anyone but their family would want to watch three random civilians present an Oscar when we there are hundreds of bonafide celebrities in the room we could be watching instead is beyond us. 

Yes No Maybe So: 'Nope', 'Deep Water', and 'Multiverse of Madness'

by Nathaniel R

No sooner did we get caught up on trailers with Jurassic World and such than the Superbowl hits which brings with it a new wave of teasers and trailers, not all of them airing during the game (that's expensive!) but here are the latest via our Yes No Maybe So™ habit. Join in the trifurcated breakdwon in the comments...

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