Picture, Director, Screenplays ~ April Foolish Oscar Predix

by Nathaniel R

I've been rubbing my crystal ball vigorously backstage to bring you the new Oscar charts. Everything is up but the acting now Let's discuss our way too early April guesswork in these categories: PICTURE and DIRECTOR and SCREENPLAYS. Thoughts? Objections? Applause?

Which 2017 releases will Oscar voters fall hard for?

Perfect on paper
Looks right on paper for major Oscar love doesn't always translate to the real thing but I've fallen for the chances of this year's World War II dramas from Chris Nolan (Dunkirk) and Joe Wright (Darkest Hour). Curiously, though both men have helmed Best Picture nominees in the past, neither have been nominated for Best Director yet. So strange but I'm predicting both of them to get in. I'm also predicting Get Out to score a Best Picture, Best Screenplay and Best Film Editing nods. That might sound crazy but I don't think it is. As I've often said genre pictures need time with awards bodies to cement their worth. Jump in your time machine and I'll bet you people are still talking in glowing terms about Get Out in December and everyone starts rooting for its Oscar nomination because they've accepted that it's special...

Click to read more ...

Box Office: "Get Out" Won't and "Fate of the Furious" Grows

Get Out, now in its 8th weekend, just refuses to enter the sunken place i.e. the lower echelons of the box office charts. That's a long run already with enormous returns ($183 million worldwide on a $4.5 million budget? It's what all scrappy films dream of!)

But the story of the weekend was the return of the Fast and Furious franchise with film #8 The Fate of the Furious. It grossed an estimated $100 million out of the gate which is significantly lower than its previous Paul Walker farewell entry. But don't cry for it. $100 is still a big big opening weekend and its foreign gross quadruples the American haul so it's already broke a half billion in that first weekend. If the estimates hold it will just barely edge out The Force Awakens as the biggest global opening ever.  I'll just be over hear pretending that that $100 million in the US is audience excitement about Charlize Theron wreaking havoc because we love that badass bitch. The charts are after the jump...

Click to read more ...

MTV Movie & TV Award Nominees!

Chris here. You may have missed awhile back but the MTV Movie Awards have added television into its ceremony. While that news may sound like a "Golden Globes for the Instagram set" proposition, the results are much more muddied. 

For starters, outside of the top categories movies and television are nominated alongside each other - which makes for some headspining lineups like "Tearjerker". As if the current murky waters of what defines cinema and television weren't frustrating enough already for those of us that follow awards, this awards show has just thrown caution to the wind. They've always fallen on the populist and occasionally silly side but this is essentially bonkers...

Click to read more ...

C O N S I D E R - Favorite Actresses of 2017, 1st Qtr

With the year's first quarter over, here's a listicle of noteworthy performances we'll eventually compare to what's to come. We've already listed fav male performances and favtechnical achievements thus far - from screenings and releases as of March 31st. Herewith the 17 best female performances from the year's first quarter, divvied up into three categories. Did these women speak to you?

Disclaimer: I missed The Last Word, United Kingdom, and Wilson  which all have prominent female roles for talented actors. If you've seen them give their MVPs a shout-out in the comments. 

6 LEADING ACTRESSES

Paula Beer as "Anna" in Frantz

16 more talented women after the jump...

Click to read more ...

C O N S I D E R - Favorite Actors of 2017, 1st Qtr

With the year's first quarter over, we're listing our favorites in multiple categories. Why? Well, each month of the year tends to contain good work so why pretend otherwise when Oscar season rolls around and only 3 months worth of releases are considered? (We already listed best technical achievements)

Here are the 17 male performances (divvied up into 3 categories) that I was most taken with in the first quarter of 2017. For your consideration...

7 FAVORITE LEAD PERFORMANCES

Paul Hamy as "Fernando / António" in The Ornithologist
(would also top a "sexiest" list were we doing one) 

16 more talented men after the jump...

Click to read more ...