Interview: Fran Kranz on His Directorial Debut, ‘Mass’

By Abe Friedtanzer

In the middle of this second virtual Sundance, I was fortunate to be able to revisit one of the highlights of the first virtual edition which is now eligible for awards consideration: Mass. It’s been troubling to see that, despite initial early buzz for the film and for its cast, particularly Ann Dowd, it’s missed out at a number of important precursors, including that SAG Cast nomination that should have been... 

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A conversation with a secret SAG voter

by Nathaniel R

A special treat for you today, dear readers. Yesterday I spoke to a SAG voter I've known for awhile now about their ballot choices.  I can't reveal their identity, of course, since they're not allowed to speak publicly about their votes. But we can share that they are actively working in the industry, and they do read The Film Experience from time to time (hence how we are acquainted).

We hope this conversation offers some incites into what it's like to get a ton of screeners at the end of the year and have to make these choices for your ballot.

NATHANIEL: Hello! Thanks for agreeing to do this. I know you've been a member of the Screen Actors Guild for some years but is this your first time serving on the actual Nominating Committee?

SAG VOTER: Yes. I  got an email in the summer that I had been randomly selected and whether I could meet the requirements. I was excited to influence the awards in a small way. But honestly, I think I saw visions of advance screenings dancing in my head.

And, now you're probably just sitting at home watching screener after screener. So glamorous! 

I haven’t left my couch (thanks, COVID) and I could open a DVD store. (But of course, SAG legal team, I will not. I will destroy them all as required by law.)

Before the avalanche of screeners hit, what had you seen that you were already a fan of?

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Critics Round 5: 'Dog' still has the power but 'CODA' and 'Mass' pick up a little love

UPDATED 3:55 PM For those who've been playing along with the seemingly neverending critics awards, in the Best Picture battle so far we've got:

11 for Power of the Dog (Philadelphia, NY Online, Boston Online, Chicago, SEFCA, which just more than doubled its total this week via Florida, OAFCC, Utah, Phoenix, Dublin, and Dallas)
3 for Drive My Car (NYFCC, LAFCA, Boston)
3 for Licorice Pizza (Atlanta, St Louis, NBR)
2 for Belfast (DC, Las Vegas)
1 each for: Cyrano (Detroit), Dune (Sunset Circle), The Green Night (Portland), The Lost Daughter (Gothams), Belfast (DC)

...and now King Richard (BFCC), Mass (IFJA) and CODA (Nevada)

Despite three first-time wins this week, we've hit the Power of the Dog coasting wave -- this happens each season. If one film hasn't thoroughly dominated in the early rounds something will by the midway point. There's another dozen or so orgs left (it's so hard to keep track these days with 30+...or are we at 40+ orgs now?) groups. So it's unlikely that Power of the Dog will be dethroned. Until the televised awards that is which are annual reminders that critics awards only tell about a third of the story, half at max.

The complete awards from the 9 latest critics groups to announce (Black Film Critics Circle, Nevada, Florida, Online Association For Female Critics, Utah, Indiana, Dallas/Ft Worth, Phoenix, and Dublin) are after the jump... 

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Regional Critics Round 4: "The Green Knight" joins the 'Best Film' fray

by Nathaniel R

Previously in the overcrowded circus that is precursor awards, we've had three wins for Power of the Dog (Philadelphia, NY Online, and Boston Online), three for Japan's Drive My Car (NYFCC, LAFCA, and Boston). two wins for Licorice Pizza (Atlanta and NBR), and one each for Cyrano (Detroit), Dune (Sunset Circle), The Lost Daughter (Gothams) and Belfast (DC). 

We got only one "new" Best Picture winner (The Green Knight!) from the latest batch of six critips groups: Chicago, Portland, St Louis, Las Vegas, Southeastern Film Critics, Las Vegas, and the Women Film Critics Circle. You can see the selections from all of those groups after the jump...

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"Passing" and "The Lost Daughter" lead Gotham Awards nominations

by Nathaniel R

It was a good year for forthcoming Netflix content helmed by actresses turned directors with the juries of the Gotham Awards. Rebecca Hall's artful black and white drama Passing and Maggie Gyllenhaal's artful thorny adaptation of the novel The Lost Daughter led the nominations. They'll hit Netflix on November 10th and December 31st respectively. With both the Gotham Awards and the often slighlty more mainstream Spirit Awards it can be hard to know exactly what is eligible. Usually budgets make all the difference in film (for example Power of the Dog was ineligible) which creates a fuzzymath accounting line between mainstream and 'indie. But how do they decide with television? Did they not like Mare of Easttown (which scored zero nominations) or was it just not eligible though its chief Emmy rival The Queens Gambit obviously was since Anya Taylor Joy was nominated. 

Nominations and commentary are after the jump...

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