Does Having a Co-Star Nominated in the Same Category Help or Hurt a Frontrunner?

by Christopher James

"Judas and the Black Messiah" became the 19th film to earn two nominations in Best Supporting Actor. Both Lakeith Stanfield (left) and Daniel Kaluuya (right) were nominated.Daniel Kaluuya has won all the major televised awards of the season so far for his tour-de-force performance as Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah. This should clear an easy path for him in Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars. The one difference: he faces off against co-star Lakeith Stanfield in the same category for the first time this season at the Oscars. Is this a show of confidence in the film, further solidifying his imminent win? Or does this open up the possibility for vote-splitting?

Theoretically, having multiple nominees from a film in a single category should double a film’s chances at winning...

Click to read more ...

So ... um ... who is going to win Best Actress?

by Nathaniel R

This is the way all awards seasons should be. Well, not the Zoom breakout rooms... but the uncertainty. There's no godly reason why sweeps should ever exist in awards season given that art is subjective. If you poll any group of people on anything you will see a vast array of opinions. Yet season after season there are sweeps wherein one performer snaps up every award in sight. It is extremely rare that this happens because the performer is miles ahead of their competition (like, say, a Blanchett in Blue Jasmine effect) or because the performance is gorgeous and it's also the very last chance (like say Ledger in The Dark Knight or Boseman this year). It is more commonly an effect of a lack of imagination and groupthink. If we ran the world every acting category almost every year would be like Supporting Actress was for 2007 and Best Actress appears to be for 2020. Each awards show that arrives throws punditry into disarray again and a season can close with joy knowing several actors were honored for great work...

Click to read more ...

On the SAG winners: History making but will they prove Oscar & Emmy influential?

by Nathaniel R

Riz Ahmed was one of handful of stars hat operated as inadvertent hosts by having bits of an interview spliced in all throughout the show about their careers and such.

We watched the SAG awards last night with a mix of fascination and relief. Fascination at the winners chosen and relief that the ceremony accepted that it couldn't be a normal one and therefore became merely a swift presentation of wins with acceptance speeches on Zoom. Aside from swift "bits" where famous actors talked about their headshots or the "special skills" on their resumes, it was all just actors talking about the nominated actors and then the winners beaming from their homes on Zoom. It ran just a single hour long...

Click to read more ...

93rd Academy Awards: On the Best Animated Short nominees

by Nathaniel R

We'll be reviewing each of Oscar's categories before the ceremony. We've already explored the nominees in Best Animated Feature, Doc Shorts, Live Action Shorts, and Visual Effects.

For Best Animated Short it's a pity we can't honor Kapaemahu a beautifully evocative Hawaiian story of transgender spirits, with a spot near the top of this preference ranking but awards season can be cruel like that. Nevertheless you should stream it on Vimeo to see the one that got away. Otherwise, though, the voters chose fairly well. Here are thoughts on each nominee and where you can stream them...

Click to read more ...

How Often Does Best Actor Go to a Performance from a Film That Missed Best Picture?

 by Christopher James

After "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" missed Best Picture, is Chadwick Boseman's win still secure?Chadwick Boseman still stands as the frontrunner in Best Actor for his role in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. The actor gives the role of Levee, an ambitious horn player, his all and shows new sides to his towering star persona. In many ways, his win feels like the biggest slam dunk predictions heading into the Oscars on April 25th.  However, is there cause for concern now that Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom missed out on Best Picture?

Click to read more ...