Almost There: Class of 2020

by Cláudio Alves

In this odd awards season, predicting the acting categories with accuracy was a difficult task. Many contenders seemed to vie for the limited spots and several actors garnered support from important precursors. The amount of legitimate "Almost There" cases is truly immense, especially when one considers such unexpected nods as that Supporting Actor citation for Lakeith Stanfield. In any case, with such a wealth of potential case studies, here goes an unusual entry in this series, one focused on multiple actors…

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Best Picture Nominees - Who's Up? Who's Down?

by Christopher James

Is Nomadland still looking like the clear winner for Best Picture?

Oscar nomination morning changes everything. What it takes to be nominated for an Oscar and win an Oscar are very different. As we enter this new phase for the Oscars, who is best set up for success on April 25th? The eight Best Picture nominees were all the most nominated movies of the year. Mank led with ten nominations. The rest of the nominees all had relatively good days, each earning six nominations except for Promising Young Woman, which received five nominations. Among non-Best Picture nominees, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom led with five nominations and News of the World with four nominations.

With the Oscar mainly coalescing around the eight Best Picture movies, which of them benefitted? Were any movies disappointments, despite a Best Picture nomination? Can anything beat current frontrunner Nomadland?

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Critics Choice Winners

The all virtual Critic's Choice Awards were held tonight. Eternally handsome Taye Diggs hosted direct to camera, which must have been one of the easiest gigs ever. No audience to play to, no flop sweat if jokes failed as thy often do for awards show hosts. Just an obedient laugh track (meant to be ironic or...?) and the camera. 

The Critics Choice voters often agreed with the Golden Globes including Best Picture for Nomadland which led the awards with 4 wins. But they went their own way in Best Comedy where Palm Springs took the prize. Sorry Borat but all was not lost because Best Supporting Actress went to  Maria Bakalova. The winners are after the jump...

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Streaming Roulette (March 1st-7th): It's a Sin, Nomadland, Billie Holiday...

by Nathaniel R

Chocolate ice cream. I want chocolate ice cream.

Golden Globe winner Andra Day stars in United States vs Billie Holiday (reviewed), currently streaming on Hulu. Have you seen it yet? That Best Actress nomination race sure is intense, isn't it?

We've decided to do our streaming roulette feature a bit differently and weekly. It's too overwelming to list everything that's going to be available for an entire month and who checks back three weeks later anyway? Instead we'll highlight 5-10 viewing recommendations and/or curiousities each week when they're fresh or about to leave. Naturally the first day of the month is always crazy with the movie dump so this might feel like a monthly roundup, anyways...

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Let's do Globe Predictions! Why not, right?

You guys. We know we're not supposed to take them seriously and people get offended when anyone dares to admit that they totally love them. BUT the Golden Globes are enjoyable -- it's a fact. So this year we pour one out for the continually scandal-laden problematic HFPA and what might have been in a non-pandemic-cursed world. The Globes shindig is easily one of the best showbiz nites of each year but it can't possibly hold its usual excitements without all those stars of screen and television milling around drunk both during and inbetween commercial breaks. We wish Amy Poehler and Tina Fey luck at trying to make it lively without a crowd to laugh along with them. It won't be the same without the open bar (on television that is. We're stocking ours up for  sad pandemic home viewing)

Christopher already handled the TV predictions so it's my turn for the movies. After the jump, foolish predictions in all categories for this Sunday night's virtual ceremony...

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