Oscar Charts: Will we have a "double" again in Best Supporting Actress?

by Nathaniel R

Ann Dowd and Martha Plimpton star in "Mass"

We may have gotten a little carried away with wishful thinking in (some) of our Supporting Actress chart building this time around. You see, so many actresses we love that have never or only once been in the Oscar race have what sound like amazing parts this year. But it's early enough in the year that optimistic guesses are as good as pessimistic guesses. At least that's true in the supporting categories where less is usually known this early about the roles themselves.

But what we found most interesting while thinking through the first predictions of the year was how many films have the potential for a double nomination in Best Supporting Actress...

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Chris Marker @ 100: Visionary, innovator, cat person

by Cláudio Alves

Christian François Bouche-Villeneuve was born 100 years ago, on July 29, 1921. Sources, including the man himself, differ on his place of birth. Whether it was in the capital of Mongolia or France, it doesn't matter. What does matter is that, before World War II, the man became a Philosophy student, later joining the French Resistance. Inspired by his teaching and experiences, he'd become a journalist during the war's aftermath and, eventually, a film critic. From there, he pursued photography and, finally, became a filmmaker during the 1950s. Instead of his given name, the artist preferred to be credited as Chris Marker. This polyvalent artist would become one of the essential names in cinema history, a crucial part of the Nouvelle Vague, and, in his words, the best-known author of unknown films…

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Category Analysis: Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series

by Juan Carlos Ojano

With no recurring guest nominee present, this should have been an exciting crop. And yet, if I am being completely honest, it's hard to get excited. Two nominations for The Mandalorian but none for its best submission (Bill Burr)?  The best "guest actor" from The Crown was not even submitted (Tom Brooke). An Emmy favorite gets in for a show already cancelled by its network on its first season. Meanwhile, Don Cheadle gets in for a cameo in a Marvel series? These are the men in this year's crop of contenders for this category.

Without further ado, the nominees and their episode submissions…

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Yes No Maybe So: "House of Gucci"

by Nathaniel R

"Father... Son.... and House of Gucci" If the trailer is any indication, people are going to be obsessing on or quoting House of Gucci frequently in the coming months. So let's go immediately to our Yes No Maybe So™ routine, but in the more expansive second-by-second way we do occassionally when we're really excited...

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We stand with Scarlett!

by Nathaniel R

As you may have heard, Scarlett Johansson has sued Disney for breach of contract. She may have lost up to $50 million in bonuses on Black Widow. The very simplest way to explain it is that expensive movie stars (and some key directors) tend to earn "points" based on box office performance. A-listers like Johansson can reap hefty sums each time a movie passes certain agreed-upon thresholds. Disney, eager to beef up their Disney+ service, didn't regenotiate with her about her Black Widow contract before opting to place it on their streaming service for $30, thereby undermining its traditional box office and cutting Scarlett out of the significant $ of Disney+ purchases...

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