Emmy Review: Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes

by Cláudio Alves

Compared to other Emmy awards, the Best Costumes tryptic of Contemporary, Period, and Fantasy/Sci-Fi represents a fairly recent addition. For decades, there was no distinction between genres. Contemporary, period and fantasy competed together, to the obvious disadvantage of the more modern-set series. Later on, fantasy and period designs were joined in a single award, leaving space for contemporary fashions to win. As of 2018, all three got their own category.

We'll be starting our analysis of the Best Costumes contenders with the Fantasy/Sci-Fi race which has been dominated by Game of Thrones in previous years. As that series' reign has ended, a new champion will emerge…

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TCA obsesses over "Watchmen" and "Mrs America"

by Nathaniel R

We have mixed, even contradictory, feelings about the Television Critics Association. On the one hand they've exhibited good taste over the years. Their limited categories mean that their awards are focused and precise and uniquely theirs (always a good thing to have your own voice). As a bonus history shows that they value female actors more than male actors. Same, TCA, same.

On the other their narrow focus can also feel like a curse, or even sometimes read as misanthropic stinginess. Consider that not only do they only have two acting categories but they don't divvy up between female and male actors. This means that even in the Golden Age of Television (are we still calling it that?) only 13 actors get name-checked. 13 from hundreds and hundreds of shows (and dozens of them reportedly great)...

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Emmy Watch: Contenders for "Limited Series"

by Abe Fried-Tanzer

We’re turning today to a new category of Emmy races: limited series and TV movies. Limited series is an entirely different ballgame, though changing rules and eligibility make this category just as fascinating as any. For instance, Big Little Lies, which won this prize three years ago, is now a potential contender for Best Drama Series. A number of shows featuring different storylines and characters each season, including American Crime Story, Fargo, and Genius, continue to be nominated, though all three of their latest iterations won’t premiere until after this season ends as a result of delays in filming and postproduction. American Horror Story earned four bids here before its eighth season got reclassified as a regular series with overarching threads. With no high-profile returning shows eligible this year, we have a whole slew of new contenders… 

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Emmy Watch: Regina King in "Watchmen"

by Eric Blume

We here at TFE are big fans of Regina King, as you know.  She’s been performing in the business for over 35 years, and has weathered career ups and downs as all good working actors do. She's risen to the top of the field in the last few years with three Emmys for very interesting and strong roles in TV. 

Personally, I had split feelings about her Oscar win for Best Supporting Actress last year for If Beale Street Could Talk.  As a fan of her and her work, I was thrilled to see Regina King get an Oscar.  But I found Beale Street to be heavy-handed and unconvincing, and the movie gave her too few notes to play.  She brought everything she could to the role and the film, but it would have been more thrilling to see her win for a juicy, complex role.

Which makes what Regina King does on Watchmen so exciting...

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Sam Mendes wins DGA again, 20 years later

by Nathaniel R

Sam Mendes was an acclaimed theater director when American Beauty hit the scene in 1999 asking audiences to "look closer" in its promotional material. They did. The film went on to become a sleeper hit and then a very big one and eventually win the Oscar for Best Picture and Best Director among others. Mendes is likely to repeat that trick at this year's Oscars 20 years later even though his film career in the interim hasn't been noteworthy enough to scream "2 time director winner!" But then Hilary Swank has two Oscars and Renee Zellweger is likely to join her while Close, Bening, Pfeiffer, Weaver, Garland, Stanwyck, Dunne, and many other genius actresses from Hollywood history have none so this is the way it goes sometimes...

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