Oscar Volley It's Back
Oscar Charts Updated!
Thursday, May 25, 2017 at 10:40PM By Dancin' Dan
Ten years ago right about now, William Friedkin's adaptation of Tracy Letts's play Bug opened in theaters, introducing most of America to Michael Shannon and gifting Ashley Judd with the best part of her career. Unfortunately, though, Bug was marketed as a body horror movie from the director of The Exorcist, which is... not what it is. At all...
Monday, April 17, 2017 at 12:31PM By Nathaniel R
It's only 321 days until the next Oscar ceremony. That may seem like a good long time but we rarely go days without thinking about it so it'll be here before we know it. The latest chart to go up is BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR. The Supporting categories are always tricky to suss out before the films are seen because supporting players generally need some fire from their films to make a dent, no matter how good the actual performance is. What's more we rarely know the full extent of what a supporting role entails this early as only the leads generally factor into early synopses. Nevertheless we forge a chart of possibility...
Tuesday, February 21, 2017 at 5:05PM 
Katey (with her little Charlie in tow) rejoins Nathaniel and Nick to discuss our hopes for Oscar night and various mini conversations on Moana, Moonlight, Arrival, La La Land, Suicide Squad, and many more...
Index (43 minutes)
00:01 Animated, Screenplays
08:30 Cinematography, Costumes
16:11 Production Design, Editing
21:00 VFX, Makeup, Score, Song, Sound
30:00 Actor, Supporting Acting
38:00 Documentaries, Actress
41:08 Musical sign-off silliness!
With of course much name dropping and detours including Hacksaw Ridge, JK Rowling, Annette Bening, Viola Davis, Weiner, Janelle Monae, and Michael Shannon.
You can listen to the podcast here at the bottom of the post or download from iTunes. Continue the conversations in the comments, won't you?
Wednesday, November 16, 2016 at 12:45PM The Kinsey Report looks back at the troubled history of early 80s sensation Gene Anthony Ray (aka "Leroy" from Fame)
Variety Director Fred Schepisi (Six Degrees of Separation, Roxanne, Plenty) is lining up an all star cast for his new dramatic thriller Andorra: Vanessa Redgrave, Guy Pearce, Toni Collette, Clive Owen and more. Can he regain some of his 80s/90s heat? None of his films have had much impact in the last 20 or so years
/Film Lin-Manuel Miranda is working on a secret Disney project with Zootopia's director. Guess he liked that Moana experience
Towleroad an interview with Martha Plimpton on The Real O'Neals and becoming a new gay icon
Metro Michael Shannon is not afraid to speak his mind on the current political climate. Also he has a bajillion movies coming out
AV Club why Moana will be named Oceania in Italy
AV Club Beauty & The Beast (1991) remains Disney's best modern movie
Pajiba Carrie Fisher & Harrison Ford were totally doing it on the set of Star Wars in 1976
Coming Soon Robert Heinlein's classic Stranger in a Strange Land is being adapted to series on the Syfy network
LAist Multi-hyphenate talent Rob Reiner, like Michael Shannon, is not holding his tongue about our new US nightmare
Stage
Theater Mania Philippa Soo of Hamilton fame takes on Audrey Tatou's famous role in the musicalization of movie favorite Amelie beginning in LA next month before a Broadway transfer. If you're in LA let us know how it is, won't you?!
Playbill Molly Ringwald is back on stage, taking on Shirley Maclaine's role in a stage version of Terms of Endearment. It opens tonight.
Playbill If you've never seen Sweeney Todd on stage you have another chance early next year at the Barrow Street theater. The British cast of a new production is transferring over but when they leave in early April, Norm Lewis and Carolee Carmello (both of whom have sensational vocal instruments) will replace them. I guess we've got to see it twice!
Today's Watch: A new "Billy on the Street"
Would you have a threesome with Billy and Jon Hamm?
The Only Magically Great News in Weeks
Hayao Miyazaki wants to come out of retirement for one last film. The 75 year old director has pitched a feature (sprung from a short Boro the Caterpillar) that he wants made by 2020.
Friday, November 4, 2016 at 5:11PM With the romantic civil rights drama Loving opening in limited release today let's survey the short career (thus far) of writer/director Jeff Nichols. He turns 38 in a month but he's already made 5 pictures. With each subsequent effort pictures he seems to edge a wee bit closer to mainstream awareness and already has critics in his corner. The Oscar attention that will likely hit Loving, which focuses on Richard (Joel Edgerton) and Mildred Loving (Ruth Negga) and their battles with Virginia's anti-miscegenation laws, will be a major step in that direction. None of his films to date have received an Oscar nomination of any kind though they've been in the "best of year" conversations.
How many of his films have you seen?
Shotgun Stories (2007) - Spirit Award John Cassavettes Nominee
Take Shelter (2011) -5 Spirit Award nominations with 1 win, Gotham Nominations for Feature & Ensemble
Mud (2013) - Spirit Award Best Direction Nomination, Robert Altman Award Win
Midnight Special (2016)
Loving (2016) - Gotham Nominations for Best Actor and Best Actress
Fun Trivia Note: Michael Shannon has appeared in every single one of the director's films. In Loving though he only has a bit role as a magazine photographer who takes famous photos of the couple at home which raises their profile nationally.