Oscar Volley: Best Editing is Now Best Picture-lite

Team Experience is discussing each Oscar category as we head into the precursors. Here's Ben and Abe to talk Film Editing...

The Trinity Explosion editing from Oppenheimer

BEN: Abe, it's time for another talk about one of the most confounding categories at the Oscars...Best Editing!

Last year, I talked about this category with Nick Taylor and we talked specifically about how non-Best Picture nominees don't show up in this category, no matter how special their editing might be. Last year, they went 5/5 again. They even went with a nominee (The Banshees of Inisherin) with relatively unremarkable editing.

Why do you think the Academy is so apprehensive to care about the craft of the actual editing process?...

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Oscar Volley: Best Makeup is the Battle of the Biopics

Team Experience will be discussing each Oscar category as we head into the precursors. Here's Nathaniel and Cláudio to discuss Makeup & Hairstyling...

At the moment, MAESTRO looks like our undisputed frontrunner.

NATHANIEL: Dearest Cláudio, it falls on you and I to kick off this year's pre-nomination Oscar volleys. Best Makeup and Hairstyling is up first. So please picture me in heavy old age makeup with some crazy wig atop my bald head. Also, I have green skin (I'm covering as many films as possible in my look). The dark circles under my eyes are not a makeup effect in honor of Lily Gladstone's suffering Mollie Burkhardt -- that's unfortunately just my face! I'm doing too much in my look because like many other craft categories, Makeup is often a race for "Most" rather than "Best"; when we get phenomenal winners it's usually because they are accidentally both of those things at once! I always wish the "Hairstyling" part would get more attention since that would complicate predictions. 

I want to start with an unexpected question before we get to things we're rooting for (however unlikely) and actual predictions…

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Team Experience Oscar Predictions - Post 1 - Initial Thoughts

by Christopher James

Oppenheimer and Killers of the Flower Moon are obvious frontrunners, but who is the leader among The Film Experience writers as of now?

With the Gotham Awards and New York Film Critics Awards having announced their winners, the Oscars race is officially afoot! We have surveyed The Film Experience writers and asked them to make predictions in the main eight categories - Picture, Directing, Actress, Actor, Supporting Actress, Supporting Actor, Adapted Screenplay and Original Screenplay. Every other week, we will check in with the team to see who has risen or fallen in the rankings.

Martin Scorsese’s epic drama, Killers of the Flower Moon, had the strongest showing of the week, awards-wise. It took home Best Picture at the New York Film Critics Awards and stars Lily Gladstone and Robert De Niro had the most high profile moments of the Gotham Awards. Does that mean it is out in front, or does Oppenheimer still have the distinction of frontrunner status? See what the Film Experience Team thinks after the jump...

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Actor-Actress Joint Wins and Nominations: An Oscar History

by Cláudio Alves

Since it premiered in Venice, Maestro has had critics and awards pundits abuzz. After its screenings at NYFF, BFI London, and the AFI Fest, the movie's status as one of the season's major contenders only grew. Right now, some are even speculating that with their double act as Leonard and Felicia Bernstein, Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan may be about to accomplish an Oscar feat unrepeated since 1997, when Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt took home the two lead acting prizes for As Good As It Gets. Before that, the only other instances occurred in 1934, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1981, and 1991. Let's dig deeper into this history…

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Venice 2023: Musica, Maestro!

by Elisa Giudici

Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein in "Maestro"

In this entry of the Venice Diary, we delve into the world of music, exploring two titles that defy expectations by focusing on the personal lives of musicians rather than just their artistic endeavors.

MAESTRO by Bradley Cooper
Bradley Cooper, it's clear, isn't content with being just a good director. He aspires to be a legitimate auteur, a distinct voice in American cinema. Maestro boasts numerous scenes seemingly crafted to showcase his directorial prowess. However, what truly defines Cooper as an artist to date is his ability to captivate audiences, to touch their hearts and create a seamless cinematic experience...

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