Thursday, January 16, 2020 at 1:16PM 
In this hour long conversation Murtada and your TFE mastermind Nathaniel rant and rave on Oscar Nomination Morning (aka our Christmas). We try to stay positive but there are a lot of things worth ranting about so it's a mix.
You can listen to the podcast here at the bottom of the post or download from iTunes. Continue the conversations in the comments, won't you?
Wednesday, January 15, 2020 at 10:30AM 
Long takes are a constant subject of fascination for filmmakers and film lovers alike. The technical challenge inherent to them makes many directors salivate at the prospect of showing off their craft. At least, that's what, as an audience member, it sometimes feels like. Though, to characterize the long take as a mere tool of formalistic showmanship would be wrong. Depending on the case, this mechanism can be transformative, capable of bending the audience's perception of time, their attachment to what they're watching and sentimental engagement.
In 1917, Sam Mendes uses the long take as a key to sensorial immersion and ever-tightening tension. Each cut is a blink, a breath, a repositioning of the eye and recalibration of the senses. It's something that's a convention and brings comfort to the viewer. When you take it away, one feels as if the action never stops, like there's no time to breathe or to disengage with the narrative. A long take is a held breath and it can be a gloriously suffocating thing to experience…
Sunday, January 12, 2020 at 3:05PM The war drama 1917 moved into wide release in its third weekend, touting that big Globes victory, and scored with an amazing haul for a serious non-franchise film with no bankable stars. The civil rights drama Just Mercy also had a successful expansion to wide release in its third weekend but that one has three movie stars to help it (Michael B Jordan and Jamie Foxx in the main roles and Brie Larson in support)
| Weekend Box Office January 10th-12th (ESTIMATES) 🔺 = new or expanding / ★ = recommended |
|
| WIDE RELEASE (800+ screens) |
PLATFORM TITLES |
 |
 |
| 1 🔺 1917 $36.5 (cum. $39.2) GLOBE VICTORIES, TEASER ★ |
1 🔺 PARASITE $966k on 345 screens (cum. $25.3) PODCAST, CLASS, BONG, SAG CAST ★ |
Monday, January 6, 2020 at 11:00PM by Abe Fried-Tanzer
Sam Mendes had a great night on Sunday when he took home both Best Director and Best Motion Picture – Drama for his war epic 1917. That two-hander worked out very well for him exactly twenty years ago for his debut feature, American Beauty, since he went on to repeat at the Oscars. Winning both prizes at both ceremonies, however, doesn’t actually happen often.
Between Mendes’ two bookends, that feat has only occurred twice...
Monday, January 6, 2020 at 8:27PM This week is huge for precursor nominations (Visual Effects Society, DGA, PGA, and BAFTA all hit tomorrow) but today was the Writers Guild of America's turn.
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
A strongish lineup even if we wouldn't single out 1917's strength as its writing. Curiously, both The Two Popes and Hustlers were eligible for Original with the WGA (and missed) but they're both competing in Adapted for Oscar voters where they actually belong since they're based on a play and a magazine article respectively. Did the confusion cost them votes? This WGA lineup is bad news for critical darlings like Honey Boy, Uncut Gems, and Dolemite is My Name, any of which might have made headway in a weaker year for Originals. But the three strongest alternate threats for an Oscar nomination weren't eligible...
