Sunday, December 3, 2017 at 5:23PM by Nathaniel R
Another day, another set of precursor awards. We heard from the New York Film Critics Circle a few days ago where Lady Bird and The Florida Project were the big winners with two prizes each. Over on the West Coast Call Me By Your Name and The Shape of Water both took three prizes. Commentary, stats, and winners list are all after the jump...
Saturday, December 2, 2017 at 10:02AM Three truths.
We were grossly misusing the phrase “Our long national nightmare is over” before this
— Chase Mitchell (@ChaseMit) December 1, 2017
Thinking about movies right now feels terribly frivolous and also one of the few things keeping me sane.
— Scott Renshaw (@scottrenshaw) December 2, 2017
This Tiffany Haddish backlash is weird proof that people love Oscar bait more than they want to admit.
— Sam Coffey (@SamCoffey72) December 1, 2017
so sad but all true observations. The latter I've noticed in social discussions so many times. Okay on to funnier or at least less depressing things after the jump including more Tiffany Haddish, Captain America's beard, Lady Bird, Ava DuVernay being inspiring (what else is new), and so on...
Friday, December 1, 2017 at 5:28PM by Tim Brayton
If you've been following the Best Animated Feature Oscar for the past few years, perhaps you remember the 2013 nominee Ernest & Celestine, a gentle and generous children's movie from France, about the adventures of a bear and a mouse becoming best friends while on the run from the law. This year, two of that film's producers and one of its directors are back in the hunt with The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales, an anthology of stories about the inhabitants of a rural farmyard in France.
The film took a roundabout path to theaters. Based on comic books by Benjamin Renner – the Ernest & Celestine director, back to help usher his material to the screen, with co-director Patrick Imbert and co-writer Jean Regnaud – the three stories were initially intended to be episodes in a TV series. Somewhere along the way, they got promoted to feature film status, with the help of a framework narrative presenting the stories as plays put on by an enthusiastic, barely-competent theater troupe of farm animals.
Thursday, November 30, 2017 at 7:00PM 
Oscar voters don't begin voting for quite some time still but precursors season is off like a shot: we've already had the Gotham Awards, the Spirit nominations, the NBR and NYFCC announcements and the Directors Guild of America got their nomination ballots this week, too. They generally come close to matching Oscar's eventual list and in ye olden times of 5 wide categories they were considered the single best predictor for the eventual Best Picture nominees. We pray they choose wisely this year. It'd be so great to have a female director in the shortlist this year, wouldn't it? (hint hint)
In case you've missed various posts like Adapted Screenplay confusion, the diverse director field, and the deep best actress & supporting actress bench, please to know that every Oscar prediction chart has been revamped. Some new text, some fresh images, and definite shifts in ranking. Read them and weep or rejoice depending on whether your favorites are predicted or not.
PICTURE | DIRECTOR | ACTRESS | ACTOR | SUPPORTING ACTRESS | SUPPORTING ACTOR | SCREENPLAYS | FOREIGN FILM | VISUAL CATEGORIES | AURAL CATEGORIES | ANIMATED AND DOCUMENTARY CATEGORIES
Oscars (17), Punditry Thursday, November 30, 2017 at 12:45PM by Nathaniel R
Founded in 1935 the New York Film Critics Circle remains one of the two most important film critics organizations in the country (the other being the Los Angeles Film Critics Association). They might not have the influencing power they once had when there weren't 30+ similar organizations but people still hear them out each year before the "critics named this the best" accolades start sounding like ambient noise. Last year they were heavy on Oscar frontrunners or presumed runners up in virtually every single category. Will their winners be such Oscar favorites this year. Time will tell.
It was quite a day for A24 with two of their films being the only multiple winners: Lady Bird (Best Picture and Best Actress) and The Florida Project (Best Director and Best Supporting Actor). Complete list of winners including interesting statistics follow after the jump...
