Today in Oscar History: Mrs Miniver, Shape of Water, John Garfield

On this day, March 4th, in Oscar history only...

1937 The 9th Academy Awards are held honoring the best of 1936. Historical epic Anthony Adverse wins the most Oscars (4) but showbiz biopic The Great Ziegfeld takes Best Picture. Some interesting things about this Oscar year: This was the first ceremony with the Supporting acting categories; My Man Godfrey became the first film nominated in all four acting categories and it remains the only film to achieve that without a parallel Best Picture nomination; The Story of Louis Pasteur earned the very weird now impossible distinction of being named both "Best Original Story" AND "Best Adaptation"... the "Best Original Screenplay" category was not yet invented and it did not technically replace "Best Story" as they ran parallel for the first 16 years of Best Original Screenplay...

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FYC: "Pinocchio" for Best Makeup & Hairstyling

by Cláudio Alves

Carlo Collodi's 1883 novel The Adventures of Pinocchio has been adapted countless times to the big screen, from the time of the silent shorts to today's world of streaming services and opulent CGI. However, it should be noted that, throughout the majority of film history, the most famous adaptations of this literary nightmare have been rather unfaithful to its source material, its sharper edges indiscriminately sanded off. A tale of cruel moralism full of ghoulish characters, Pinocchio's story is often mellowed until its hellish visions are more enchanting than terrifying. 

When it was time for Matteo Garrone to shoot his version of the narrative, the Italian director went back to Collodi's original tone…

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Minari: A tale of two (or more) grandmas

By Lynn Lee 

This is a story about grandmothers.

Having finally seen Minari, I’d originally intended to write about its place in the evolution of Asian American film over the last 20 years.  Or about Steven Yeun becoming the new face of Asian American masculinity in Hollywood.  But I couldn’t stop thinking about the Korean grandmother, Soon-ja, played by Youn Yuh-jung, because she reminded me so much of my own late grandmother.  Youn’s vibrant, hugely endearing performance—still Minari’s best shot at an Oscar acting nomination—and the cultural specificity of her character struck a chord of recognition that reverberated right to and through my core...

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Annie Award nominations: It's "Soul" vs "Wolfwalkers" again

by Nathaniel R

This just in: Soul and Wolfwalkers are tied for most nominations (10) for the 48th annual Annie Awards, honoring the best in animated entertainment. Onward is in a distant third place with 7 nominations. The Annie  ceremony will be virtual event this year, streamed live on April 16th at 7 PM PST. 

The full list of nominations and some commentary after the jump...

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The Human Voice... on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

You already know that we loooooved The Human Voice by way of its NYFF run last year and the Best of 2020 article. It's now one of the ten finalists for Best Live Action Short (a category we'll review as soon as we're able to track down the only two entries we haven't seen). Now we have word about its release plans. The Human Voice, based on the Jean Cocteau "monodrama" will be in theaters starting March 12th in the US, three days before Oscar nominations are due. Will it be nominated? Who knows! Some Academy members might resent a world class auteur infiltrating a category that generally rewards newbies but others, judging on the work alone, might easily go for it. Thirty minute films are generally a hard sell for standard movie ticket prices. So it will be paired with Pedro Almodóvar's international breakthrough feature, the Oscar nominated Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988) in theaters. If you've never seen the latter indisputable classic, here's a perfect excuse to rectify that gaping hole in your 80s cinematic knowledge, and get a great new 30 minute Tilda Swinton performance in the process. 

That is IF movie theaters are open where you are by March 12th and you feel comfortable going.