All of the tea leaves on my 2018 Awards Tracker have been read. The analysis and breakdown. My seven editorial columns of detailed picks are complete using my head more than my heart. These aren't my personal choices of what "should" win. It's what I think "will" win because you and I have got Oscar pools to dominate! Here's my complete and master list of predictions for the 90th Academy Awards.
Read MoreThroughout the awards season, I’ve been tallying the minor and lead-up award winners in all of the Oscar categories on the 2018 Awards Tracker as a big source of my prognostication data. In this second post, we look at the minor film categories of foreign film, documentaries, animated films, and short films.
Read MoreOne of the perks of becoming a regular blogging contributor on a podcast site is getting the occasional chance to appear on the actual podcast. Aaron White, one of the hosts of "Feelin' Film," connected time zones to bring myself and Popcorn Confessional critic Steve Clifton together for an extended post-Oscar wrap-up show. Listen to our reactions, rants, loves, and heartbreaks to both the 89th Academy Awards and the website's first annual "Feeler's Choice Awards."
Read MoreBetween the prestigious Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday and the Academy Awards on Sunday, here are the final tallies for the 2017 Awards Tracker and my overall Oscar reactions in each category. Enjoy and see you this November when we fire all of this up again for the 90th Academy Awards!
Read MoreThe 2017 Awards Tracker is full, the teas leaves have been read, the races have been broken down, and every category has been analyzed. I've made my detailed picks in seven columns and editorials over the past week. Here's my complete and master list. I've said it all along. Stick with me and I will win you that Oscar pool at home or at work! Use this as your checklist and cheat sheet of choice!
Read MoreRenowned Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar seizes our attention and lights the fires of intrigue with human simplicity in “Julieta,” his 20th feature film and Spain’s entry this year for the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award. Concocting a brew of passion coupled with remorse across personal history young and old, Almodovar unspools the tangled threads of a guilt-ridden woman’s heart. Adapted from three Alice Munro short stories, “Julieta” is a strong return to the female-focused storyscapes that have made him a legend.
Read MoreWhat you're watching on TV on Sunday night is a party thrown by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association hosted by Jimmy Fallon in an effort to be loved and share some love. It’s a popularity contest more than a true Oscar precursor. The winners do get a pretty positive rub and the marketers gain a few more "Winner of..." graphics to put in the newspapers next to their films and we get Brendan Fraser GIFs.
Read MoreCapping off their inaugural year, the members of newly-formed Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle, of which I am a director and co-founder, have announced their nominees for their first annual CIFCC Awards. Their voting membership of 28 members strong completed ballots over the holidays with the goal of three final nominees in 25 categories. They will commence a final round of voting ending on January 1, 2017 and host an invitation-only awards banquet at Transistor Chicago on January 8, 2017.
Read MoreThe award-winning Juliette Binoche is one of those actresses who can captivate an audience in complete silence. Binoche has long been a reflective master of inflection and nuance. She doesn’t have to say a word to convey the waterfall of thoughts an end emotions going on within her characters. She is a true artist for performance and the latest proof of that is her staggering dramatic role in “The Wait,” the directorial debut of Italian filmmaker Piero Messina.
Read MoreLast night, I correctly predicted 16 of the 24 winners, tied with last year for my lowest total. To conclude the awards season with a final update of the Awards Tracker data, here are the finishing tallies, Oscar winners, and my reactions to the winners and losers.
Read MoreThe teas leaves have been read, the races have been broken down, and every category has been analyzed. I've made my detailed picks in seven columns and editorials over the past week. Here's my complete and master list. Stick with me and I will win you that Oscar pool at home or at work! Use this as your checklist and cheat sheet of choice!
Read MoreMore and more each year, the Golden Globes have become more an a popularity contest than a true precursor to the Academy Awards. What you're watching on TV is a party thrown by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and hosted by Ricky Gervais in an effort to be loved and share some love. To its credit, the awards show still garners legitimate attention and ratings. The winners do get a pretty positive rub and the marketers gain a few more "Winner of..." graphics to put in the newspapers next to their films.
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