Oscar Volley: Best Actress. You can sit with us.

Team Experience is discussing the various Oscar categories. Here's Nathaniel, Ben Miller, Mark Brinkerhoff and special guest Nick Davis to discuss Best Actress.

NATHANIEL: I've been thinking a lot about what the characters and not the nominated actresses would make of all the competitive hoopla around the Best Actress Oscar this year. Photographer Janis (soulfully embodied by Penélope Cruz) wouldn't quite want all the eyes on her but she'd keep busy and turn her lens on her fellow nominees. She'd stick around for all the events.  Professor Leda (Oliva Colman in all her complexity) and Princess Diana (anxiously inhabited by Kristen Stewart), who I'd never otherwise pair in thought, would both surely acknowledge the honors while eyeing the nearest exit and counting the minutes until they could escape. They would skip anything non-mandatory.  Lucille Ball (surprisingly portrayed by Nicole Kidman) would be the consummate star and pull all the focus... but what would she actually be thinking about in the glow of all the lights? Only Tammy Faye (enthusiastically reincarnated by Jessica Chastain) might truly enjoy it. She would be very extra about campaigning and thoroughly enjoy the circus of it all.

Am I stalling due to utter suspense about who might win? Sure...

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Final Oscar Predictions: Will win? Could win? Should win?

by Nathaniel R

CODA and Power of the Dog face off on Oscar night this Sunday.

Y'all, I'm tired here at TFE HQ. It's been a bear of a couple of years with the pandemic and we pray never again to have Oscar seasons this long. Late April in 2021 and late March in 2022 were ROUGH and by the end of it everyone was exhausted and angry and combative about movies they previously loved. Early February when people are still really obsessed with their favourites (the Parasite year) was perfect! In the final weeks via BAFTA, CCA, SAG, DGA, PGA, and the others guilds we saw top prizes for CODA and for Power of the Dog but lots of mixed messaging. Will Best Actress (the only acting prize with any wiggle room) really go to Chastain? What the hell is going to win Best Editing since there's been absolutely no consensus there?!

Only four things are certain on Oscar night... 

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The PGA goes to 'CODA' but we still have a race and here's why...

by Nathaniel R

CODA is still riding high on that SAG wave but will cresting during Oscar voting give it the win? If it does a LOT of records will be broken. No film since the current slate of categories was in place (many decades now) has managed a Best Picture win with only 3 Oscar nominations. Most film with 12+ Oscar nominations (like The Power of the Dog has) have won more than three Oscars though sometimes they've lost Best Picture (examples include Mary Poppins, The Song of Bernadette, and La La Land) . No films without either a Directing or an Editing nomination (since all the current categories were in place), and CODA has neither has won Best Picture. Finally no film by a streaming company has won Best Picture though this last stat was bound to fall sooner or later and will next Sunday whether CODA or Power of the Dog wins. Unless of course something else entirely surprises. Winners are after the jump...

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Oscar Volley: Split predictions in Adapted and Original Screenplay!

Team Experience is discussing the various Oscar categories. Here's Matt St. Clair, Christopher James, Lynn Lee and Josh Bierman discussing the screenplays.

MATT ST. CLAIR: Hello all. So, in Best Adapted Screenplay, I think that it remains Jane Campion's to lose but Maggie Gyllenhaal could be The Lost Daughter's sole win here instead, given the clear passion it has. What do you guys think?

CHRISTOPHER JAMES: Thanks for kicking us off, Matt! As in Best Picture, The Power of the Dog is the one to beat. I still think it will ultimately be the big winner of the night, but it is vulnerable...

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'Power of the Dog' takes the top BAFTA but 'Dune' wins the most awards

by Nathaniel R

Ariana DeBose wins again

It was a spread the wealth kind of night at the BAFTAs with the score going like so The Power of the Dog (2), CODA (2), West Side Story (2), and Dune (4) all winning prizes though The Power of the Dog was able to cinch Best Film, despite only Best Director also falling in its column. Belfast had to make due with one prize, Best British Film. We'll never understand why BAFTA doesn't broadcast live. We almost never watch the full ceremony because there's just no suspense and drama when the winners are released ahead of time and we know they edit everything before hand (which rules out any quirks or accidents that make live viewing so fun). 

We'll add acceptance speeches to this post as they become available but for now the winners and a few comments...

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