Doc Corner: Wiseman and McQueen's duelling 4-hour epics

By Glenn Charlie Dunks

Like any sane and rational person, I devoted eight precious hours of my festive season to watching the two (yes, two) four-hour documentaries that have been offered up by famous directors. Length notwithstanding, the very idea of new films by Frederick Wiseman and Steve McQueen should be hard to pass up most of the time and so we have Menus Plaisirs – Les Troisgros and Occupied City, two very different movies that use their epic lengths to differing effect. Some better than others.

Although Wiseman’s familiarity with such a runtime makes his film the perhaps more naturally more successful, McQueen at least has enough ideas to make his latest work of non-fiction to (somewhat) keep up with the pace set by the chefs of three supreme eateries in France. Although it becomes quite clear that length, in this case, is not equal.

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Hello, Gorgeous: Best Actress of 2018

A new series by Juan Carlos Ojano

Happy New Year, fellow actressexuals! To start 2024, we return to this series with a banger of a year. 

One thing noticeable in this lineup is that the majority of these actresses are in films with clear auteurial vision. Two of them (Aparicio, Colman) worked with established directors that, by this point, have signature sensibilities and visual choices that are now being associated with them. Two of them (Lady Gaga, McCarthy) are in films directed by (relatively) new filmmakers that are beginning to hone their technical and directorial inclinations by this point. One of them (Close) worked with a director that is well-known and recognized in his home country.

Another thing to note: Lady Gaga marked her feature film debut as a lead actor while Aparicio was nominated for her first acting role ever.

Are you ready? The year is 2018...

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Barbenheimmer and "Killers of the Flower Moon" are all over the BAFTA longlists

by Cláudio Alves

Even at the BAFTAs, these three are inescapable.

Since its 2020 overhaul, the British Academy has been changing its rules, aiming for more diversity within its ballot. So far, the effort's been relatively successful, though last year's choices were too Oscar-y for some people's tastes. I tend to prefer when BAFTA maintains a certain idiosyncratic identity, honoring less-seen national gems along the way. Judging by the just-released longlists, it seems we're heading down a similar path to last season's, with three Oscar frontrunners scoring in fifteen categories. That doesn't mean the Brits have lost their uniqueness. Look at the love for All of Us Strangers, including listings for all its principal cast…

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The CDG loves "Barbie" pink but doesn't care for "The Color Purple"

by Cláudio Alves

Don't be sad, Mr. WONKA. Better luck next time.

Once upon a time, the Costume Designers Guild differed from the Academy on the regular. It wasn't even that long ago when three of the Oscar nominees got nothing from their guild, including winner Jacqueline Durran for Little Women. However, since that year, every Academy lineup has been entirely made from CDG-honored titles. It's hard to tell if the trend will continue, but, at the very least, one can surmise that the absence of a film indicates a lack of broad industry support. So, it's bad news for Wonka and The Color Purple. In the former's case, it's especially galling when you notice it was beaten by such critically lambasted projects as Disney's Haunted Mansion and the first Rebel Moon movie.

From Barbie pink to Crown gold, let's explore the complete list of nominations…

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"Barbie" Gets Pushed to Adapted Screenplay

by Cláudio Alves

Shed a tear for Andrew Haigh's Oscar hopes.

What many believed was bound to happen finally did. Despite Warner Bros. campaigning Barbie's script as original, an Academy committee formed by members of the Writers branch - Howard A. Rodman and Dana Stevens took precedence as governors, while Eric Roth recused himself - and  chose to uphold the usual rules for IP-based material. That means Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach will have to compete in Best Adapted Screenplay, shaking up the race in a big way. The pink fantasy was the assumed frontrunner in the other category, facing off against The Holdovers as its biggest competition. Now, it's up against a veritable battalion of Best Picture contenders, including titles wrestling for the honor of nomination leader – Killers of the Flower Moon, Oppenheimer, and Poor Things…

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