Oscar Volley - Adapted Screenplay

For today's Oscar Volley, Lynn and Elisa discuss the Oscar race for Adapted Screenplay.

LYNN LEE: Let’s start with the elephant giant doll not in the room: Barbie is out!  Assuming, that is, the Academy agrees it’s properly competing for Original rather than Adapted Screenplay.  Personally, I think Barbie does belong in Original even if it is technically based on an existing “property.”  And whatever the calculus behind the decision to compete in that category, I’m not convinced it has an easier path to victory than if it had opted for Adapted.  Be that as it may, its absence means that in stark contrast to last year, this year’s Adapted Screenplay slate may be composed entirely of adaptations of books, glorious books!

But which ones?  Oppenheimer and Killers of the Flower Moon are the two obvious frontrunners, and I’m bullish on American Fiction getting a nod based on how enthusiastically it’s been received by early audiences.  Poor Things is probably also in, even if the film proves too outré for the more conservative segment of the Academy. The last slot is hard to predict, but it’s still most likely to be something derived from a book – whether it’s The Zone of Interest, All of Us Strangers, or Priscilla. (Though I feel like Priscilla has faded from the conversation.)  Or The Color Purple, which is adapted from the musical but still derived from the Alice Walker novel...

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Hello, Gorgeous: Best Actress of 2020

A new series by Juan Carlos Ojano

Women are at the center of the Oscars conversation*. Two female nominees for Best Director. Chloé Zhao making Oscar history. Highest number of female-directed films nominated at the Oscars as well as highest number of eligible films at the Oscars in total. Maybe it’s too early to say, but this year is looking like the bellwether of a significant change that is about to happen in the cinematic experience and landscape in the years to come. In a time when cinema as we know it was changing right in front of our collective eyes, this year in film has shown that the future is female indeed.

As for Best Actress - save for one co-lead situation - women are also the center of their respective films’ narratives (longtime Oscar fans know that’s not always the case). The roles nominated during this time exemplify the complex emotions of the year. Social unrest and grief are big forces that confronted us that year. And look at what we have: their nominees’ character introductions are reflective of that.

Are you ready? *The year is 2020...

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Friday Awards Wrap-Up: Critics, Documentaries and Top Ten Fever!

by Cláudio Alves

Lily Gladstone started strong, but Emma Stone takes the lead in Best Actress this week.
Another week, another slew of critics awards and top 10s from some of the world's most prestigious film publications. Though Killers of the Flower Moon continues to lead the Best Picture race, it's not a consensus pick. Indeed, a wide variety of titles have taken top honors, making for an exciting season. Well, at least it's like that in the most important category. Da'Vine Joy Randolph continues to sweep the Supporting Actress prizes, having won every single one in the season so far, while Emma Stone has taken the lead in Best Actress over Lily Gladstone. The men's categories are more chaotic, while Nolan is ahead among directors. All in all, it's been a busy week…

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94 Songs vie for the Oscar

by Cláudio Alves

ORLANDO: MY POLITICAL BIOGRAPHY is an unlikely contender but you gotta love its boldness.

The Academy has released a couple of eligibility lists, including one for the Best Original Song race. Ninety-four different tunes have been submitted for the Oscar. It's three maximum for each movie, from which only two can be nominated for the same title. Barbie, The Face of the Faceless, A Good Person, The Little Mermaid, State of the Unity, and Wish have submitted three, while many other projects went for double trouble. There are no significant surprises in terms of omitted contenders, but some submission choices delight with their boldness, and others shock because their origin is so obscure. For example, I quibble with the one song chosen from Dicks: The Musical and Carmen. I'm also delighted that Orlando: My Political Biography threw its hat in the race and just found out some of these movies even exist.

From American Symphony to Wonka, come discover the complete list of submissions…

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Critics Choice Awards: "Barbie" Scores the Most Nominations EVER!

by Cláudio Alves

The Critics Choice Association, formerly the Broadcast Film Critics Association, has announced its nominees for 2023. As always, rather than reflecting the critical consensus, they're little more than an attempt at predicting the Oscars. One wonders how an organization like this can feel so divorced from what critics are actually celebrating. In any case, it's time to analyze their choices as precursors in the race for gold and point to whatever idiosyncrasy can be found amid the boredom. Barbie is the big champion here, having scored 18 nominations, the most of any film in the organization's history...

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