Oscar Volley: Will “Best Cinematography” make history?

The Oscar Volleys continue. Today, ERIC BLUME and CLÁUDIO ALVES discuss the potentially historic race for Best Cinematography.

With SINNERS, Autumn Durald Arkapaw might become the first woman to win the Best Cinematography Oscar. | © Warner Bros.

ERIC: Hi Cláudio, I'm the lucky man who gets to talk to you about one of Oscar's most exciting categories, Best Cinematography.  Except, for me, it is not a very exciting category this year.  Usually, this branch has at least one or two truly inspired nominations that feel exclusive to their expertise.  This year, much like the Production Design category I just discussed with Ben, I feel like we broke more into the "default" films that popped up in every category. 

What's your initial impression of the five nominees:  Frankenstein, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, Sinners, and Train Dreams?

CLÁUDIO: My initial reaction is that the cinematographers branch should collectively see an optometrist, while the Academy at large needs to watch more movies than the twelve or so titles left contending for a Best Picture nod at the end of December. Alas, that is not the world we live in…

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Split Decision: “Train Dreams”

In the Split Decision series, two of our writers face off on an Oscar-nominated movie one loves and the other doesn't. Today, JUAN CARLOS OJANO and CLÁUDIO ALVES discuss Train Dreams...

JUAN CARLOS: So why don't you like Train Dreams?

CLÁUDIO: Seriously, that's how you start our convo?

I guess it's an appropriately blunt opening to argue over a blunt movie that wears the costume of subtlety and gentleness without quite pulling it off. Well, in my opinion, of course, since being the one organizing this series has made me well aware that everyone on the team likes Train Dreams. And, to be fair, the picture's grown on me to the point I'm actually rooting for it in the Best Cinematography race and wouldn't even be mad if it pulled off an unprecedented victory in Best Original Song. It's a picture full of great elements that ultimately falters under the weight of one or two major failures, some misbegotten choices that collapse the potential it might have had in different circumstances…

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The 14th Annual Team Experience Awards: "OBAA" and "Sinners" lead the nominations

by Cláudio Alves

SINNERS | © Warner Bros.

One Battle After Another and Sinners lead the 14th annual Team Experience Award nominations. Both films scored twelve nods each, a bit below their Oscar haul in the horror flick’s case, but still respectable. However, neither beat the Team Experience Awards record set by The Favourite, which scored 13 nominations in 2019. As ever, it’s worth reminding that these honors are voted on by The Film Experience writers, excluding Nathaniel, who does his own Film Bitch Awards, wholly separate from this list. He probably wouldn’t have allowed the tie that expands this year’s Best Director roster to six slots. Oh well, it’s more cinema to celebrate, more artistry to cheer and applaud. So, let’s get to it!

Discover the full list of nominees, in our 20 categories, after the jump…

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Oscar Volley: Is Best Adapted Screenplay in the Bag?

The Oscar Volleys continue. Today, EUROCHEESE and ABE FRIEDTANZER  discuss the Oscar race for Best Adapted Screenplay 

Why can't Park Chan Wook get any Oscar love?EUROCHEESE: Excited to chat with you again Abe, though I must admit, this doesn't feel like the most suspenseful category. There's a clear frontrunner, one arguable spoiler and then a few also-rans. It's too bad we get a snoozy 5/5 match with Best Picture when there were so many exciting options. I know you weren't as big a fan of this film, but I really wish we could have made room for No Other Choice here - Park Chan-wook can't seem to get Oscar love in any form. I've seen ads for Pillion leading up to its wide release - what a fresh, provocative script, which received far more love than I expected through the awards season. I was also surprised how charming I found Nouvelle Vague - if only Oscar voters loved it as much as the Globes! I could name several more, but don't want to steal your thunder - any outstanding "wish you were here" honors you'd like to bestow?

ABE: It's true this is a done deal and one of the categories I would be most surprised to see a different winner than the juggernaut we're all expecting. Pillion is a great call that maybe wasn't ever going to click with mainstream American audiences, but I loved it! I did like No Other Choice even if it wouldn't have made my list here, and it's a shame that it was the only NEON international title not to make the International Feature cut...

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"Peter Hujar's Day" Leads the Spirit Award Nominations

by Cláudio Alves

PETER HUJAR'S DAY, Ira Sachs | © Janus Films

In the past few years, the Film Independent Spirit Awards have come closer and closer to The Academy, taste-wise. For a while, it seemed like they were becoming another station of the cross on the long path to Oscar gold, a precursor like so many others. For those who loved these prizes for their independent spirit, such a state of affairs was… well, dispiriting. This year, there's been a notable course correction. In part, it's a change predicated on a season dominated by American big-budget studio fare and international productions – both ineligible here. Still, when Peter Hujar's Day by Ira Sachs is your nomination leader, you're clearly not trying to live in the shadow of Oscar. Instead, the Spirits are doing their own thing, and that's how it should be.

Come discover the full list of nominees, on both the film and TV front, plus some color commentary, after the jump…

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