First Predictions: Best Actress is a Mystery!

by Nathaniel R

Will Julianne Moore finally be back in the mix via THE DEBUT

While it took me uncomfortably long to complete the first round of Oscar predictions of the year, I've finally done so ending with Best Actress, Best Picture, Best International Feature Film, Best Director and Best Casting as the final charts to go up. But what I want to talk about is, naturally Best Actress. Quelle surprise!  There are film years where one or two titans feel all but certain this early. There are years where it looks like an abundance of riches coming. And then there are years like 2026 that feel totally mysterious. In short I'm not at all confident about a single one of the women in this first wave of Oscar punditry. I tried many combinations and finally realized it's hardly a preordained year and anything might happen...

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Indie Spirit Revue: "Janet Planet"

by Nick Taylor

I was pleasantly surprised by Janet Planet after hearing months of ecstatic reviews following its festival premiere before it got wide distribution. So often, when we get films from lauded theatre directors or playwrights, there's usually a built-in leeway for those artists not playing with cinema as fully or successfully as they might. But Annie Baker has no such timidity, and the assurance behind Janet Planet's audiovisual richness would be extraordinary for any director. The fact that she translates her idiosyncrasies with dialogue and character is an added bonus - how often do we get so lucky?...

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POWER RANKING - The Many Faces of "Death on the Nile"

By Christopher James

Which member of the "Death on the Nile" is capable of murder? Only Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) can crack the case.

Who doesn’t love a good murder mystery? Kenneth Branagh returns to fill the shoes (and moustache) of the legendary Agatha Christie character Hercule Poirot in Death on the Nile, which opened in theaters this past weekend. Branagh’s stern detective finds himself aboard a glorious ship, S.S. Karnak, chartered to celebrate the nuptials of Linnet Ridgeway (Gal Gadot) and Simon Doyle (Armie Hammer). Their event is marred by death, and everyone is a suspect.

A murder mystery is only as good as its suspects, and Death on the Nile is bursting with persons celebrities of interest. So which suspects turned up the heat, and which others floundered about? Read for our power rankings of the cast (some spoilers ahead)...

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Category Analysis: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series

by Juan Carlos Ojano

Two recurring nominees in this category, two guest stars in their show that might just be elevated to regulars in their subsequent seasons, and a nominee returning to a role that gave her a win in lead. These are the contenders that compose this year’s crop of nominees for this category. With the exception of last year, The Handmaid’s Tale has had a strangleghold on this category with three consecutive wins and six nominations for its first three seasons. Meanwhile, The Crown is the nomination leader (overall) and the frontrunner to win Drama Series.

Without further ado, here are the nominees…

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Yes No Maybe So: Death on the Nile (2020)

Please welcome new contributor Josh Bierman...

The trailer for Death on the Nile, Kenneth Branagh’s latest Agatha Christie remake, arrived recently and we haven't discussed. Do we think this will be better than his previous venture Murder on the Orient Express or is it another vanity project? Let’s take a look...

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