The 97th Academy Awards (Cláudio's Version)

by Cláudio Alves

ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT | © Janus Films / Sideshow
It's been a week and change since the 97th Academy Awards. At this point, we have to start saying goodbye to the season that was and start looking ahead to a new cinematic year. And yet, there's still some business to take care of - some Fernanda Torres ruminations, the traditional Best Picture in black-and-white business, top tens and personal awards. Speaking of which, while Nathaniel is busy with the Film Bitch Awards, I thought about presenting my own ideal Oscar ballot. Those things led to great discussions in the past – remember my 1980s acting lineups? – so, let's bring that idea back. Following strict Oscar eligibility rules, my 97th Academy Awards are rather different from the real deal. Better, in my opinion, but maybe not in yours.

Across 20 feature film categories, I nominate 70 distinct projects. All We Imagine as Light is my big winner, but no single film won more than two prizes. I'm a big believer in spreading the wealth…

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Review: “Last Summer” will make you squirm

by Cláudio Alves

In 2019, May el-Toukhy's Queen of Hearts was a study about power imbalances and masterful manipulation. As a wealthy lawyer who starts an affair with her teenage stepson, Trine Dyrholm embodied a sickening conundrum - someone who defends the abused in the public eye but is an abuser in private. Chilly and sharp, the actress delivered a terrifying performance, opaque in ways we'd expect her to be transparent, a mystery whose actions precipitate a devastating end. Indeed, the Danish film could be described as a tragedy, and it made for a particularly unsettling entry in the season's Best International Film race.

Five years later, Catherine Breillat's French remake arrives in American theaters, offering a most perverse twist on the same premise. Rather than tragedy, Last Summer presents the affair as something closer to farce…

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Will "Anatomy of a Fall" sweep the Césars?

by Nathaniel R

a snapshot from "Anatomy of a Fall"

The nominations for the 49th annual César Awards came out nearly simultaneously to the Oscar nominations so we accidentally missed them. Je suis désolé. As you would surely expect, Justine Triet's Oscar nominated Anatomy of a Fall is also a big deal across the pond. But it didn't top the nominations. That honor went to Thomas Cailley's mutant adventure The Animal Kingdom. Perhaps the biggest surprise / disconnect for those of us viewing from overseas is that France's unfortunately not-nominated Oscar submission The Taste of Things shows up in only two craft categories; if it wasn't well-loved at home, why did they submit it? But also: why didn't they love it? It's exquisite.

The ceremony will be held on February 23rd this year in Paris. The nominations, some trivia, and a few comments are after the jump...

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