The beauty of Linus Sandgren's cinema

by Cláudio Alves

There's been much ado about Saltburn, Emerald Fennell's sophomore feature and follow-up to Promising Young Woman. However, most coverage tends to focus on the narrative's sudsy details, the picture's eagerness to shock and provoke. There's also a lot to lust over, of course, from Barry Keoghan's middle-class interloper to Jacob Elordi's aristocratic wet dream. And then there’s Rosamund Pike, exuding ice queen glamour on the side. Yet, judging by trailers and stills, one aspect of Saltburn's spell seems underreported – it looks gorgeous, crisp and colorful, all shiny and new, images so ripe you want to sink your teeth into them.

Though one shouldn't dismiss Fennell's contribution to this aesthetic – some would argue the poppy aesthetic of her debut was its best element – much credit must go to Linus Sandgren, cinematographer mirabilis…

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Poster and Clip from "Nyad"

by Nathaniel R

Netflix has released the poster and the first clip from Nyad, the true story of open water swimmer Diana Nyad's attempt to swim from Cuba to Florida at 60 years of age. The film is the first narrative feature from Oscar-winning documentarians Elisabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin and it's based on the memoir "Find a Way". The film hits theaters on October 20th for two weeks before landing on Netflix. As for myself, I'll see it on the big screen not just for the always amazing Annette Bening but also because the cinematographer is Oscar winner Claudio Miranda so maybe there are gorgeous images of the open water? 

See the poster and the clip after the jump...

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The beauty of Hoyte Van Hoytema's cinema

by Cláudio Alves

Oppenheimer approaches on July 21st! Christopher Nolan's latest promises a great deal, from the historical examination of a man that changed the world to an ambitious test of how far the director's practical-over-digital effects philosophy can hold in the face of such a challenge. I'm more skeptical about it than some, though some things seem sure. Chief among them is that the picture will look great, another feather in the cap of Dutch-Swedish cinematographer genius Hoyte Van Hoytema. In his honor, let's revisit the Oscar nominees' biggest hits, from vampirical hauntings to 'Jean Jacket'…

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Ranking Roger Deakins' Oscar Nominations

by Cláudio Alves

Roger Deakins on the set of EMPIRE OF LIGHT | © Searchlight Pictures

Since two categories merged into one, no director of photography has amassed as many Oscar nominations as Roger Deakins. The British cinematographer earned his 16th nod this year for Sam Mendes' Empire of Light, having previously won for 1917 and Blade Runner 2049. His career spans continents and six decades, encompassing projects as varied as a Marvin Gaye video clip and pioneering work in animated cinema. What started as an early interest in the possibilities of digital filmmaking has turned into a veritable pursuit of innovation, bringing classic technique to virtual spaces. A visionary, a pioneer, a living legend, Roger Deakins is one of a kind.

To celebrate the master, let's look back at his many Oscar nominations, ranking them along the way. After all, in times of awards fever, everyone loves a good list…

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Oscar Volley: Oscar's Choice for "Best Cinematography" (and more)

The team is pairing off to discuss each Oscar race. Here's Glenn Dunks and Eric Blume...

ELVIS Cinematography by Mandy Walker OSCAR NOMINATED

GLENN: Hi Eric, let's talk all things camera and light—it's Best Cinematography. Can I just start by asking one big question regarding this particular category. What happened to Top Gun: Maverick here? Claudio Miranda, previous Oscar winner for Life of Pi, was supposed to be our runaway favorite and yet on nomination morning, Lydia Tár claimed one final scalp amid her reign of terror. And a second question, I suppose. Did that Top Gun miss just hand this trophy to All Quiet on the Western Front? As much as I am craving a win for Mandy Walker (for many reasons including how historic it would be), I just can't see anything but the German war movie coming out on top here.

ERIC:  Glenn, two excellent questions.  Let's tackle the first...

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