The older I get, the more the Academy confounds me. When this has happened in the past, I’ve generally been pleased with most of the surprises that arose. This year, however, I was dumbstruck when the winners were announced in a few of the categories, and not necessarily in a good way.
It’s that time of year again – time for my predictions of the winners at the upcoming annual Academy Awards. While several of the likely winners have come into view, a few are still up for grabs. So, with that said, here are my picks for who will take home statues in the top six categories this year...
You may not have heard of Nasrin Sotoudeh, but she has had quite an impact. As one of the most courageous and outspoken human rights advocates in Iran, she has fought to defend those without a voice against a harsh authoritarian regime,
John Guillerman is probably one of the most prolific yet least known filmmakers of the 20th Century, though if you've ever seen or heard of movies like "The Towering Inferno," "The Blue Max," "Death on the Nile" and "King Kong" (1976), you obviously know of his work.
My list of the year’s best and worst in cinema might be coming a little late “this year,” but, then, this was unlike any other “year” that preceded it
Recently, a terrific 2018 article from Popular Mechanics magazine has been circulating social media telling the back story about a little-known and often-overlooked sci-fi classic from 1983, “Brainstorm” (web site, trailer). The film, which almost didn’t make it to the big screen, became somewhat infamous before its release, having earned the somewhat dubious distinction as being known as actress Natalie Woods’s last film (she died during a mysterious drowning incident off Catalina Island during a break from shooting shortly before the picture’s completion). Were it not for the persevering efforts of director Douglas Trumbull to see the project through, “Brainstorm” never would have seen the light of day. And, even at that, the film was a box office flop, despite [...]
At a time when it seems coverage of the global pandemic is virtually everywhere (and inescapable), it’s hard to believe that there are those out there who can’t get enough about the subject, even when it comes to entertainment. Some – myself included – might find the notion somewhat maudlin or ghoulish, but each of us has our reasons, perhaps an interest in knowing more about the topic or simply just having a morbid curiosity. In any event, for those who possess such an insatiable appetite for the material, there are three films available for home viewing that could help to shed new light on the subject. Those interested in a film that examines the concept of a pandemic from [...]
A review of "The Father," as well as movie recommendations for home confinement viewing, are all in the latest Movies with Meaning post on the web site of The Good Media Network, available by clicking here.
With this year’s Academy Awards ceremony behind us, it’s time to take a look at how I did on my predictions for the winners in this annual competition, as first outlined in my previous blog, “Who Will Win This Year’s Oscars?”, first published on January 24. This was a mixed season for handicapping, some easy, some not. But I was generally pleased with the results, even when I was wrong in my predictions. So how did I do? Four out of six correct calls, with two misses (and qualified ones at that). Here are the details: Best Picture The Field: “Ford v Ferrari,” “The Irishman,” “Jojo Rabbit,” “Joker,” “Little Women,” “Marriage Story,” “1917,” “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood,” “Parasite” [...]
Don't miss the next episode of the Positively Joieful podcast, when four special guests and yours truly will join host Joie Lamar to talk about the movies! Join me, TV host Antoine Elhashem, writer Joey Viola, filmmaker Kate Johnston and writer/actor/director Chrysanthi Zora Michaelides when we talk about the movies -- what we love, what Hollywood is doing right and the Oscar nominations! Tune in starting tomorrow, Saturday February 8, by clicking here.
