Please Vote

by Nathaniel R

Image Source: La Pfeiffer's Instagram

Early voting and mail-in voting have commenced in many states. Here in New York early voting starts today. After I vote this weekend, I'll be on the bus for some canvassing. If you are a US citizen and unable to vote early, make sure to be there on Tuesday November 5 at your polling place no matter how long the line. Most important election ever now that T**** and his constituents have long ago dropped pretenses and are saying the quiet part out loud. They want to turn America into a fascist racist Christian-Nationalist hellscape that aligns itself with oligarchs and dictators around the world and aren't even embarrassed about admitting they admire Hitler and Putin. Basically the movement is as anti-American and anti-Democracy as it gets. We were not designed to elect a king with immunity. That's not how it works and the founding fathers of all political persuasions would never stop throwing up if they could see what the GOP is currently backing. No excuses to sit this one out, people. Harris/Walz 2024. Let's go Blue Wave. 

Here are some picks of screen stars talking about voting and the election to tie this back into showbiz...

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Best Ibero-American Film?

by Nathaniel R

Kill the Jockey and I'm Still Here are hoping for both Oscar & Goya nominations

The Spanish Film Academy Goya Awards (essentially Spain's Oscars) aren't held until February 8, 2025 but they've released a list of the eligible titles for their "Best Ibero-American Film" category. This category has been around since the beginning of the Goyas with Argentina, Mexico, and Chile frequently favored among nominees and winners of the category.  Here are the 2024 entries they'll choose between for the Ibero-American nominations for the 39th annual Goya Awards...

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Golden Horse Nominations for 2024

by Nathaniel R

NOW UPDATED WITH THE WINNERS! Marked by a ⭐

Oops, we're late reporting this one. We love following the Golden Horse Awards which give us insight into both Asian cinema as viewed by Asian cineastes and the Oscar race since the nominees here are often a mix of Oscar submissions from the current Oscar race and the next one (given the different calendar requirements). For instance last year's Golden Horse Awards featured one 2023 Oscar submission: Marry My Dead Body (Thailand) and two current Oscar submissions: Abang Adik (Malaysia) and Old Fox (Taiwan). Here are the nominees and winners for the ceremony which was held on November 23rd, 2024. 

There is only one International Oscar submission among this year's Golden Horse nominees (Nepal's submission received one nomination here) but given the release dates of some of the titles on this list may be more predictive of next year's Oscar submissions in Best International Feature...

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10 Questions about the Oscar race

by Nathaniel R

Every Oscar chart has been updated. Late October is always a strange time in the awards race. It's a time when most of the major players have surfaced (at festivals or screenings) but nobody has yet seen everything and no awards groups (beyond festival juries) have sorted and sifted through the abundance. Which means anything is still possible until the critics groups and awards org begin to narrow the focus of Academy voters in ways that tend to be both interesting and disheartening. They'll boost a couple of unexpected but worthy contenders into the conversation but at the same time their hive mind choices will pour abundant love on too few titles and starve other beauties of sunlight and water.

So as you peruse the charts, answer these ten questions in the comments...

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Don't miss out on Dupieux's "Daaaaaalí!"

by Cláudio Alves

Earlier this year, for the Cannes at Home opener, I explored the filmography of one Quentin Dupieux, from his earliest shorts to the stage-bound satire of Yannick. At the time, only two of the French director's films were excluded from consideration since, sadly, they were unavailable. The Second Act marked the start of festivities at the Croisette while Daaaaaalí! was still making the rounds in more minor festivals before international distribution. Well, some months have passed, and the latter flick has enjoyed a limited run in American theaters and is now coming to VOD. It's as good an opportunity as any to reflect on its idiosyncratic director. And trust that if you're a Dupieux devotee, you won't want to miss Daaaaaalí!...

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