The "Wicked" workings of, you know who, the NBR!

by Nathaniel R 

Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba in "Wicked". © Universal Pictures 

The National Board of Review has spoken. Though they once fought tooth and nail to be "first" they long ago ceded that title to the Gotham Awards who now announce their nominees a full two months before year's end. Crazy. It's one reason, at least, that earlier releases aren't totally doomed come awards season. So there's that. This year their secret membership roster must be eagerly awaited the 'sing along' version of Wicked that's coming this month; they've bestowed three awards on the phenomenally successful Broadway juggernaut turned blockbuster two-part movie: Best Film, Best Director, and a special prize for the leading actresses Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. It's quite a tonal departure from their favourite film last year which was Killers of the Flower Moon. Or is it? Both films involve a smart woman who gets a little dumb when it comes to men with obviously shady intention who aren't half the person she is. A stretch, I know, but it's fun to amuse yourself with forced connections from one year to the next. 

The NBR winners with commentary and trivia after the jump...

Click to read more ...

Category Confusion '24: LEAD or SUPPORTING – Part Two

by Cláudio Alves

As promised, the debate about category placement shall continue to encompass new releases as we all head into the awards season proper. This year seems especially ripe with category fraud, so there's a lot for us to discuss – there's a world of possibility where no supporting performance gets nominated at the 97th Academy Awards. In any case, let's think back to the first round of voting. Last time, when deciding if a given performance was lead or supporting, you deliberated on various titles that have become more widely available since. So, feel free to go back and cast your vote if you have just now seen such pictures as Emilia Pérez, Blitz, and A Real Pain…

Click to read more ...

April Foolish Predictions: Eye Candy and Music

by Nathaniel R

The Dietzes are back in "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" and so is costume design goddess Collen Atwood. Photo © Parisa Taghizadeh for Warner Bros

Our April Foolish tradition continues with the visual and sound categories. For this installment we're just picking highlights from our crystal ball. Read on...

Click to read more ...

Links: JAffleck, The Buccaneers, and Bloodless Horror

• IndieWire on Ms Marvel's exploration of family trauma and India's Partition
• Broadway World The Wicked movie behind shooting this November...
• ...TFE as you may have heard it will be a (sigh) two-parter which is about as big of a red flag as you can get for this project
• AV Club Steven Spielberg has directed his first music video
• Cartoon Brew Reviews are in for Paws of Fury and they're... not good

More after the jump including Juno, Barbie, The Gray Man, Lady Gaga's "Chromatica Ball", and the Hunger Games prequel...

Click to read more ...

Everything's Coming Up Tweetweek

curated for you so you don't have to be on Twitter.

There’s still plenty of time 💅 https://t.co/xdkimtGfgz

— Susan Sarandon (@SusanSarandon) April 28, 2022

a tweet that was probably inspired by this one...

the most important 30 seconds in cinematic history pic.twitter.com/QgRObqzO4W

— giffy (@giffyonline) April 25, 2022

One of the few undeniably fun things about Twitter is celebrities responding to tweets about themselves and watching people riff on other tweets. It's a joy if they have a sense of humor! More tweets after the jump including Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin comparing awards stashes, slut eras, limo singing, awesome duos, funny truths, and ending with an absolutely hilarious letter from "Barbra Streisand" riffing on Jon M Chu's letter about Wicked...

Click to read more ...