2019 ANNUAL MOVIE AWARDS, Golden Globes to Oscars

[Chris Knipp]

The Golden Globes (6 Jan. 2019)

http://www.chrisknipp.com/images/bX2.jpg
Sandra Oh, a Golden Globe nominee,
and Andy Samberg are this year’s hosts.

Source: click (https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2018/12/218051/golden-globe-nominations-2019-list).

Nominations - Winners

They're on tonight. Typically, they're known as the bellwether of the awards circuit. The "story of the year" of Vice with six nominations is a disaster. It's a monochromatic, poorly structured, extended SNL skit. There are some other mediocre, disappointing movies getting overemphasized. But the awards aren't announced till tonight! The Best Motion Picture, Foreign Language list isn't half bad. But there are big issues with the categories. Too many, wrong ones, and inclusions in the wrong ones.



Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Movie or Limited Series

Antonio Banderas, Genius: Picasso
Daniel Brühl, The Alienist
Darren Criss, ACS: The Assassination of Gianni Versace
Benedict Cumberbatch, Patrick Melrose
Hugh Grant, A Very English Scandal

Best TV Movie or Limited Series

The Alienist, TNT
ACS: The Assassination of Gianni Versace, FX
Escape at Dannemora, Showtime
Sharp Objects, HBO
A Very English Scandal, Amazon

Best Original Score

Marco Beltrami, A Quiet Place
Justin Hurwitz, First Man
Marc Shaiman, Mary Poppins Returns
Alexandre Desplat, Isle of Dogs
Ludwig Göransson, Black Panther

Best Comedy Series

Kidding, Showtime
The Kominsky Method, Netflix
The Good Place, NBC
Barry, HBO
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Amazon

Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Movie or Limited Series

Amy Adams, Sharp Objects
Patricia Arquette, Escape at Dannemora
Connie Britton, Dirty John
Laura Dern, The Tale
Regina King, Seven Seconds

Best Motion Picture, Foreign Language

Girl, Belgium
Never Look Away, Germany
Roma, Mexico
Shoplifters, Japan
Capernaum, Lebanon

Best Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Series, TV Movie or Limited Series

Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Penélope Cruz, ACS: The Assassination of Gianni Versace
Thandie Newton, Westworld
Patricia Clarkson, Sharp Objects
Yvonne Strahovski, The Handmaid's Tale

Best Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Series, TV Movie or Limited Series

Alan Arkin, The Kominsky Method
Kieran Culkin, Succession
Édgar Ramírez, ACS: The Assassination of Gianni Versace
Ben Whishaw, A Very English Scandal
Henry Winkler, Barry

Best Performance by an Actress in a TV series, Musical or Comedy

Kristen Bell, The Good Place
Candice Bergen, Murphy Brown
Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Debra Messing, Will & Grace
Alison Brie, GLOW

Best Performance by an Actor in a TV series, Musical or Comedy

Sacha Baron Cohen, Who Is America?
Jim Carrey, Kidding
Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method
Donald Glover, Atlanta
Bill Hader, Barry

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Drama

Caitriona Balfe, Outlander
Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid's Tale
Sandra Oh, Killing Eve
Julia Roberts, Homecoming
Keri Russell, The Americans

Best Television Series, Musical or Comedy

Barry
The Good Place
Kidding
The Kominsky Method
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Best Screenplay

Alfonso Cuarón, Roma
Tony McNamara, Deborah Davis, The Favourite
Barry Jenkins, If Beale Street Could Talk
Adam McKay, Vice
Peter Farrelly, Brian Currie, Nick Vallelonga, Green Book

Best Performance By an Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture

Mahershala Ali, Green Book
Timothée Chalamet, Beautiful Boy
Adam Driver, BlacKkKlansman
Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Sam Rockwell, Vice

Best Performance By an Actress in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture

Amy Adams, Vice
Claire Foy, First Man
Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk
Emma Stone, The Favourite
Rachel Weisz, The Favourite

Best Performance By An Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama

Glenn Close, The Wife
Lady Gaga, A Star is Born
Nicole Kidman, Destroyer
Melissa McCarthy, Can You Ever Forgive Me
Rosamund Pike, A Private War

Best Television Series, Drama

The Americans, FX
Bodyguard, Netflix
Homecoming, Amazon
Killing Eve, BBCAmerica
Pose, FX

Best Original Song

"All the Stars," Black Panther
"Girl in the Movies," Dumplin'
"Requiem for a Private War," A Private War
"Revelation," Boy Erased
"Shallow," A Star Is Born

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Drama

Jason Bateman, Ozark
Stephan James, Homecoming
Richard Madden, Bodyguard
Billy Porter, Pose
Matthew Rhys, The Americans

Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy

Crazy Rich Asians
The Favourite
Green Book
Mary Poppins Returns
Vice

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama

Bradley Cooper, A Star is Born
Willem Dafoe, At Eternity's Gate
Lucas Hedges, Boy Erased
Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody
John David Washington, BlackKlansmen

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy

Viggo Mortensen, Green Book
Robert Redford, The Old Man and the Gun
John C Reilly, Stan & Ollie
Lin Manuel Miranda, Mary Poppins Returns
Christian Bale, Vice

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy

Emily Blunt, Mary Poppins Returns
Olivia Colman, The Favourite
Elsie Fischer, Eighth Grade
Charlize Theron, Tully
Constance Wu, Crazy Rich Asians

Best Motion Picture, Animated

Incredibles 2
Isle of Dogs
Mirai
Ralph Breaks the Internet
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Best Director, Motion Picture

Alfonso Cuarón, Roma
Bradley Cooper, A Star is Born
Peter Farrelly, Green Book
Spike Lee, BlackKlansmen
Adam McKay, Vice

Best Motion Picture, Drama

Black Panther
BlackKlansmen
If Beale Street Could Talk
A Star Is Born
Bohemian Rhapsody

Cecil B. DeMille Award for Lifetime Achievement in Film
Jeff Bridges

Carol Burnett Award for Lifetime Achievement in Television
Carol Burnett


http://www.chrisknipp.com/images/Bs.jpg
REGINA KING, NOMINATED FOR BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN
IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK

[Chris Knipp]

Golden Globes - The Winners

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CAROL BURNETT WINS THE CAROL BURNETT AWARD - EARLOBE SIGNAL

Best Actor, TV Series, Musical or Comedy:
Michael Douglas, "The Kominsky Method"

Best Motion Picture, Animated
"Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse"

Best Actor in a Drama Series
Richard Madden, "Bodyguard"

Best TV Series, Drama
"The Americans"

Best Supporting Actor, Television
Ben Whishaw, "A Very English Scandal"

Best Actress, Television
Patricia Arquette, "Escape at Dannemora"

Cecil B. DeMille Award for Lifetime Achievement in Film
Jeff Bridges

Carol Burnett Award for Lifetime Achievement in Television
Carol Burnett

Best Original Score, Motion Picture
Justin Hurwitz, "First Man"

Best Original Song, Motion Picture
"Shallow," "A Star Is Born"

Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Regina King, "If Beale Street Could Talk"

Best Actress in a TV Series, Drama
Sandra Oh, "Killing Eve"

Best Supporting Actor, Motion Picture
Mahershala Ali, "Green Book"

Best Screenplay in a Major Motion Picture
Brian Currie, Pete Farrelly and Nick Vallelonga, "Green Book"

Best Supporting Actress, Television
Patricia Arquette, "Sharp Objects"

Best Actor, Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Christian Bale, "Vice"

Best Motion Picture, Foreign Language
"Roma," Mexico

Best Actor, Limited Series or TV Movie
Darren Criss, "American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace"

Best Performance in a TV Series - Musical or Comedy
Rachel Brosnahan - Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Olivia Colman, The Favourite

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
Glenn Close, The Wife

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama
Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody

Best Motion Picture, Drama
Bohemian Rhapsody

Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Green Book

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BEN WHISHAW, PATRICIA ARQUETTE, DAVID MADDEN WITH THEIR GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS

[Chris Knipp]

Academy Awards: Final Oscar Predictions (in Variety) in All Categories. (I'm copying just the main categories here.)

From an article by Kristopher Tapley in Variety HERE (https://variety.com/2019/film/in-contention/2019-oscars-predictions-academy-awards-1203065044/). (Click for the rest of the Variety choices.) The Academy nominations will be announced today, 22 Jan. 2019. These predictions are nearly all correct.

Are these really what's up for 2019's most high-profile film awards? Many seem to me seriously wack.

I just do not think anything in this list but BLACKKKLANSMAN and ROMA is worthy of a Best Picture Oscar nomination.(Of course the others have emerged as popular, but should this be a record of popularity?) In Directing, Spike Lee ought to get the nod as he did at Cannes. I'd be happy to give it to Pawliwkowski (my personal favorite among the listed foreign directors here), or Cuaón, but aren't the Oscars American awards? And VICE is just a very disappointing movie and Bale's Dick Cheney a mere elaborate shtick. . Pretty unhappy with the Best Actor noms because none of those is a worthy movie, but those are all good actors. Dafoe or Malek would be acceptable. As for Best Actress, it would be insane to award Yalitza Aparicio, a non-actress, or Lady Gaga, ditto (though at least a pro). Obviously, Glenn Close. Picking non-actors for Best Actor or Actress or directorial debuts for Best Directing seems frivolous and a potential insult to hard-working pros.

Best Picture

BLACKKKLANSMAN
Sean McKittrick, Jason Blum, Raymond Mansfield, Shaun Redick, Jordan Peele, Spike Lee

BLACK PANTHER
Kevin Feige

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY
Graham King and Jim Beach

THE FAVOURITE
Ceci Dempsey, Ed Guiney, Yorgos Lanthimos, Lee Magiday

GREENBOOK
Jim Burke, Charles B. Wessler, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly, Nick Vallelonga

ROMA
Nicolás Celis, Alfonso Cuarón, Gabriela Rodriguez

A STAR IS BORN
Bill Gerber, Bradley Cooper, Lynette Howell Taylor

VICE
Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Kevin Messick
Directing

BLACKKKLANSMAN Spike Lee

COLD WARPawel Pawlikowski

ROMA Alfonso Cuarón

A STAR IS BORN Bradley Cooper

VICE Adam McKay
Actor in a Leading Role

Christian Bale in VICE

Bradley Cooper A STAR IS BORN

Willem Dafoe AT ETERNIT'S GATE

Rami Malek BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY

Viggo Mortensen GREEN BOOK

Actress in a Leading Role


Yalitza Aparicio ROMA

Glenn Close THE WIFE

Olivia Colman THE FAVOURITE

Lady Gaga A STAR IS BORN

Melissa McCarthy CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?

[Chris Knipp]

Łukasz Żal

http://www.chrisknipp.com/images/LZ.jpg

Oscar Nominee Lukasz Zal's nomination reaction statement. I was sent this. I just re-watched Cold War, a stunning film that just gets better with repeat viewings, and Zal's stark, classic black and white images are a big part of it. They could be Cartier Bresson (his Russian book) or André Kertesz, Josel Koudelka. . . the great candid still photographers of the mid-century. And he's Polish! - like the director.

Category - Achievement in cinematography
Lukasz Zal, Cold War T R A I L E R (http://matchandspark.com/talent/lukasz-zal/)
“Collaborating with director Paweł Pawlikowski on Cold War has been an incredible experience and honor. I am greatly humbled by this recognition from the Academy. Thank you to Amazon Studios for supporting this film and thank you to the audiences around the world that have seen and embraced Cold War.”

[Chris Knipp]

Variety list of all the 2019 Oscar nominations HERE (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/oscar-nominations-2019-complete-list-nominees-1172407/item/best-picture-1172473).

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams (Vice)
Marina de Tavira (Roma)
Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk)
Emma Stone (The Favourite)
Rachel Weisz (The Favourite)
Best Supporting Actor

Mahershala Ali (Green Book)
Adam Driver (BlacKkKlansman)
Sam Elliott (A Star Is Born)
Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)
Sam Rockwell (Vice)

Best Original Screenplay

The Favourite (Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara)
First Reformed (Paul Schrader)
Green Book (Nick Vallelonga, Brian Hayes Currie, Peter Farrelly)
Roma (Alfonso Cuaron)
Vice (Adam McKay)
Best Adapted Screenplay

A Star Is Born (Eric Roth, Will Fetters & Bradley Cooper)
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (Joel Coen & Ethan Coen)
BlacKkKlansman (Charlie Wachtel & David Rabinowitz and Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee)
If Beale Street Could Talk (Barry Jenkins)
Can You Ever Forgive Me? (Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty)
Best Makeup & Hairstyling

Border (Goran Lundstrom and Pamela Goldammer)
Mary Queen of Scots (Jenny Shircore, Marc Pilcher and Jessica Brooks)
Vice(Greg Cannom, Kate Biscoe and Patricia DeHaney)
Best Costume Design

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (Mary Zophres)
Black Panther (Ruth E. Carter)
The Favourite (Sandy Powell)
Mary Poppins Returns (Sandy Powell)
Mary Queen of Scots (Alexandra Byrne)
Best Cinematography

The Favourite (Robbie Ryan)
Never Look Away (Caleb Deschanel)
Roma (Alfonso Cuaron)
A Star Is Born (Matty Libatique)
Cold War (Lukasz Zal)
Best Original Song

"All the Stars" (Black Panther)
Music by Mark Spears, Kendrick Lamar Duckworth and Anthony Tiffith)
Lyric by Kendrick Lamar Duckworth, Anthony Tiffith and Solana Rowe

"I'll Fight" (RBG)
Music and Lyric by Diane Warren

"The Place Where Lost Things Go" (Mary Poppins Returns)
Music by Marc Shaiman; Lyric by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman

"Shallow" (A Star Is Born)
Music and Lyric by Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando and Andrew Wyatt

"When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings" (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs)
Music and Lyric by David Rawlings and Gillian Welch
Best Original Score

Black Panther (Ludwig Goransson)
BlacKkKlansman (Terence Blanchard)
If Beale Street Could Talk (Nicholas Britell)
Isle of Dogs (Alexandre Desplat)
Mary Poppins Returns (Marc Shaiman)

[Chris Knipp]

Other best feature categories. (Why these come after Best Hairstyling in the list eludes me.)

Best Documentary Feature

Free Solo (Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, Evan Hayes and Shannon Dill)
Hale County This Morning, This Evening (RaMell Ross, Joslyn Barnes and Su Kim)
Minding the Gap (Bing Liu and Diane Quon)
Of Fathers and Sons (Talal Derki, Ansgar Frerich, Eva Kemme and Tobias N. Siebert)
RBG (Betsy West and Julie Cohen)
Best Animated Feature

Incredibles 2 (Brad Bird, John Walker and Nicole Paradis Grindle)
Isle of Dogs (Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin, Steven Rales and Jeremy Dawson)
Mirai (Mamoru Hosoda and Yuichiro Saito)
Ralph Breaks the Internet (Rich Moore, Phil Johnston and Clark Spencer)
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller)
Best Foreign Language Film

Capernaum (Lebanon)
Cold War (Poland)
Never Look Away (Germany)
Roma (Mexico)
Shoplifters (Japan)

[Chris Knipp]

Outrage over a downgrading.

The Academy made public plans to announce the Oscars for some key but less sensational or popular categories during commercial breaks in the TV ceremony: cinematography, editing, makeup/hair and Live Action Short. This didn't fly and has been reversed. The following is dated Feb. 16, 2019:

The Motion Picture Academy officially reversed their plans to have four Oscars given out during commercial breaks late Friday. The categories in question were for Cinematography, Editing, Make-Up & Hairstyling, and Live Action Short. The first three categories brought out the heavyweights, such as Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, Guillermo Del Toro and many others, who declared that while all other categories were expendable, no one has ever made a movie without a camera or editing. The Hair and Make-Up crowd aired their grievances too. No one really stood up for the Live Action short, but that may only be because that category has come under much backlash itself, with Detainment, a short about the murder of a 2 year old boy, causing much controversy as the parents of the dead child demanded it be removed from the race. It wasn't.

-B Alan Orange in TV News, reprinted in Movieweb. (https://movieweb.com/oscars-academy-awards-reverse-decision-announce-winners/)
I described this year's Oscar Nominated Shorts, Live Action, Animated, and Documentary, on a separate thread (http://www.filmleaf.net/showthread.php?4604-Oscar-Nominated-Shorts-2019), including "Detainment." The English did not want "Detainment" to be highlighted, perhaps even honored, in the Live Action category, because it focuses on one of the most disturbing crimes in their country's history, the murder of a two-year-old boy by two ten-year-olds: reportedly some 100,000 people signed a petition against the Oscar nomination (though in these days of social media and online organization, that doesn't seem like such a huge turnout against it, or wouldn't be in the US).

Anyway, the Brits and the Academy didn't withdraw "Detainment" from awards consideration - fortunately for all concerned, it seems unlikely to win.

Champions of the essential categories of cinematography and editing can be relieved that the honors awarded in those and the other two categories won't be hidden from public recognition. Let's mention the nominees again - and admit, I omitted the Editing category above):

Best Cinematography

The Favourite (Robbie Ryan)
Never Look Away (Caleb Deschanel)
Roma (Alfonso Cuaron)
A Star Is Born (Matty Libatique)
Cold War (Lukasz Zal)

Best Film Editing

(Vice) Hank Corwin
(Green Book) Patrick J. Don Vito
(BlacKkKlansman) Barry Alexander Brown
(The Favourite) Yorgos Mavropsaridis

Best Makeup & Hairstyling

Border (Goran Lundstrom and Pamela Goldammer)
Mary Queen of Scots (Jenny Shircore, Marc Pilcher and Jessica Brooks)
Vice(Greg Cannom, Kate Biscoe and Patricia DeHaney)
Best Live Action Short

(Detainment) Vincent Lambe and Darren Mahon
(Fauve) Jérémy Comte and Maria Gracia Turgeon
(Marguerite) Marianne Farley and Marie-Hélène Panisset
(Mother) Rodrigo Sorogoyen and María del Puy Alvarado
(Skin) Guy Nattiv and Jaime Ray Newman

[cinemabon]

Cuaron can't take all the Oscars... or can he? Roma certainly the strong favorite, at least telling by the DGI. However, your fave - Lukasz Zal - did take home the ASC prize, a certain indicator he'll also take home Oscar gold. If you'd asked me three months ago, I'd have said A Star is Born would sweep. Now, it's not so clear. Glenn Close is in that Peter O'Toole space where she's been nominated too many times. I'd say yes, but something inside says no. Marina de Tavira is the current favorite and Roma should take best pix and best director. Whether Cuaron will also take writer and photog would be an Oscar first. Imagine if he stood there on stage with FIVE Oscars in his arms! Impressive and Jedi material.

[Chris Knipp]

I have other Best Foreign list faves, Lee Chang-dong's BURNING (shortlisted but eliminated) and Zia Zhang-ke's ASH IS PSUREST WHITE (ditto, I believe). ROMA is an impressive film; it just didn't move or grab me that much. I can see it getting Best Foreign, but Best Picture? That's weird, isn't it? And then what gets Best Foreign? ROMA for that too? That makes it look like a foreign invasion. Russian manipulation? Trump undermining those Jewish commie Hollywood people? But yeah, of the present list I do personally prefer COLD WAR. It might win Best Cinematography? If he wins five Oscars, Cuaron will be the Mark Spitz or, to be more up to date, the Michael Phelps of movies. I am really in favor of spreading around the gold.

[Chris Knipp]

The New York Times Oscar predictions.

The New York Times has predictions (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/21/movies/oscars-2019-nominations-predictions.html) today. And they have comments about what it might mean if one of the others actually won. I have some comments in the next entry on the nominations and the Times predictions. I'm not listing all the "Carpetbagger's
selections and lists. You can find the rest on the Times HERE (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/21/movies/oscars-2019-nominations-predictions.html). By the way: I hope is predictions for the three Best Short Oscar categories are wrong, and his earlier suggestion that this category "could and should be cut" from the ceremony is annoying.


BEST PICTURE
✓ Roma
A Star Is Born
BlacKkKlansman
Black Panther
Bohemian Rhapsody
The Favourite
Green Book
Vice

BEST ACTRESS
✓ Glenn Close - The Wife
Yalitza Aparicio - Roma
Olivia Colman - The Favourite
Lady Gaga - A Star Is Born
Melissa McCarthy - Can You Ever Forgive Me

BEST ACTOR
✓ Rami Malek - Bohemian Rhapsody
Christian Bale - Vice
Bradley Cooper - A Star Is Born
Willem Dafoe At Eternity’s Gate
Viggo Mortensen Green Book

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
✓ Regina King If Beale Street Could Talk
Amy Adams Vice
Emma Stone The Favourite
Marina de Tavira Roma
Rachel Weisz The Favourite

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
✓Mahershala Ali - Green Book
Adam Driver - BlacKkKlansman
Sam Elliott - A Star Is Born
Richard E. Grant - Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Sam Rockwell - Vice

BEST DIRECTOR
✓ Alfonso Cuarón - Roma
Yorgos Lanthimos - The Favourite
Spike Lee - BlacKkKlansman
Adam McKay - Vice
Pawel Pawlikowski - Cold War

BEST DOCUMENTARY
✓ RBG
Free Solo
Hale County This Morning, This Evening
Minding the Gap
Of Fathers and Sons

BEST SCREENPLAY
✓ The Favourite
First Reformed
Green BooK
Roma
Vice

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
✓ BlacKkKlansman
A Star Is Born
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
If Beale Street Could Talk

ANIMATED FEATURE
✓ Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Incredibles 2
Isle of Dogs
Mirai
Ralph Breaks the internet

BEST FOREIGN PICTURE
✓ Roma Mexico
Capernaum Lebanon
Cold War Poland
Never Look Away Germany
Shoplifters Japan

BEST FILM EDITING
✓ Bohemian Rhapsody
BlacKkKlansman
The Favourite
Green Book
Vice

CINEMATOGRAPHY
✓ Roma
Cold War
The Favourite
Never Look Away
A Star Is Born

[Chris Knipp]

My new comments on the Times predictions, and the nominations.

ROMA is crazy, because isn't it in the Best Foreign list? So I'd give it to BLACKKKLANSMAN.

Glenn Close would be nice to win, after seven nominations and no wins.

Rami Malek would be touching too, a first generation son of immigrants. I heard a revealing interview with Terry Gross on NYP that showed how humble his origins were as an actor, and how little he even expected to get jobs at first. To get the Best Actor Oscar after only one other good role, and on a TV series, would be a bit much. But there is something riveting about him. And like a good first generation kid, he works really, really hard, and it pays off. His physical performance in the last scene of BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY is amazing. He is better than Freddie Mercury at Mercury's own moves!

VICE is a leaden, boring movie and for it to win for anything would be depressing.

A STAR IS BORN is overrated. It has magic in the early scenes, and Lady Gaga has great presence, Bradley Cooper charisma, but that doesn't make it a great or even good movie.

THE FAVOURITE is another un-fave of mine: it is a tasteless, crude effort at historical parody without historical sense. It was good looking, just bad when it opened its mouth. Not as bad as VICE though but not deserving of all those nominations. In this respect ROMA stands out in a good way: it is at least a classy picture - though I personally prefer, in the foreign list, COLD WAR and BURNING.

MAHERSHALA ALI - It's funny: GREEN BOOK is a very, very unsubtle movie, but he delivers a subtle performance. It seems more subtle because Viggo Mortensen's is so broad. The Academy tricked themselves there. Give it to somebody else, though, how about, since he just got one last year? I'd pick Richard E. Grant, a great character actor, but he's so damn happy just being nominated, he doesn't need to win. Sam Elliott does, and he's 74 - but does anybody really remember him in this movie? Remember my rule: don't give a prize to anything to do with VICE, please!

BEST DIRECTOR - Anyone on this list would be an excellent choice, except Lanthimos or McKay. Hint: the homeboy is Spike, though.

DOCUMENTARY - No, RBG is just a feel-good choice, I know she is a wonderful lady, but this is not a great documentary. FREE SOLO is an awesome documentary. HALE COUNTY and MIND THE GAP are just lucky to have been nominated. I missed the one about "radical Islamists" so can't comment on its worthiness, but it sounds a tad too depressing for the Oscar. I was impressed they gave it to CITIZEN FOUR in that year, though. That gave the Academy radical political cred for years.

BEST SCREENPLAY - This is where the Academy starts really showing how tired they are. Isn't it funny how they keep coming up with the same titles over and over? You can see why of this list, they'd think THE FAVOURITE was the brilliantly written one. I'd give it to FIRST REFORMED, because however derivative here, at least Paul Schrader is a writer and a thinker who writes actual screenplays.

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY and ANIMATED FEATURE I'm happy with, except my heart is with ISLE OF DOGS, but INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE is a really sweet movie.

BEST FOREIGN: Look, voters who clicked for ROMA for both this and BEST PICTURE should have gotten an error message. Anyway, I am so happy NEVER LOOK AWAY made this list, which I had not expected. This is a good list, quality all the way. Even CAPERNAUM though corny is Labaki's best work yet, deeply relevant, and amazing in many ways. COLD WAR is superb. SHOPLIFTERS won at Cannes. But please, ROMA one best only. Or neither: Cuarón is already much celebrated.

BEST FILM EDITING - Here it is again, the same titles, over and over.

I don't have comments on all the categories.

SHORTS. As I said above, I disagree with the Times's "expert's" Oscar Shorts predictions of "Skin" for the Live Action category and "Period. End of Sentence" for the Doc one instead of "Fauve" or "Marguerite" for Live Action and "A Night at the Garden" or "Black Sheep" for Doc and hope they are wrong. "Bao" apparently is the favorite for Animated Short; none of the nominations in Animated Short grabbed me this year so I hardly care. (But I still do care, and I'd like it to go to a NON-PIxar film.) I like the Shorts category because there's not a lot of ballyhoo about them (except when there is - "Night at the Garden" has gotten publicity. Deserved, I would say.

[cinemabon]

I would love the Academy voters to break with the DGA and give it to Spike. The man's worked so hard and NEVER been nominated, not once. Cuaron has the potential tonight to make history with his name in so many categories. Just that alone makes it interesting... camera, story, directing, producing, foreign language... head spin. He's been very busy. We shall see. Will Sam Elliot be a sympathy vote? Many like him. It's the very first award. Bet those guys get bored waiting for the whole thing to end when your award is first. Will there be a trend? If Apraricio wins for Best Actress, the rest will fall like dominoes at the end.

[Chris Knipp]

Glad you agree in liking Spike Lee right now and BLACKKKLANSMAN.

I'm only not as heavily pushing for Spike because he already got a very big push by winning the Grand Prix at Cannes last year, which you could feel gave his career a new shot of energy, in itself, evident in the official Cannes press conference then.

The Academy isn't really "following" the DGA of course but reflecting the same trend. However the "trend" seems like it's often lately largely promotion. That is, it's the result of paid advertising. If you opened another Best Foreign nominee on IMDb lately, you might get an ad for ROMA plastered at the top of it. ROMA will win because it's the most heavily advertised, and also because Spanish is an easier foreign language for Americans to deal with than Polish, Korean, or Japanese.

[Chris Knipp]

It's time for the days of an Oscars "sweep" to end, because it's monopolistic, because it takes away chances from other deserving people and films. Since they started having more Best Picture nominees, they accordingly need more different movies to win awards. That's why I am fed up with the same little list getting repeated for each category. A different prize outside the Best Picture list ought to get a prize for Best Editing or Best Cinematography. A Best Picture isn't Best in everything. It's simply a wonderful movie that excels in many areas and they all fit together nicely.

These "technical" "Bests" should be opportunities to recognize other good films and workers in the industry.

[Chris Knipp]

Well, Spike Lee didn't win best picture, but he got his moment, and he seized it.

I'm disappointed that The Carpetbagger was right on those choices of Oscar shorts. I'm glad FREE SOLO won Best Documentary.

I'd rather not talk about Best Picture.

Frist Letterboxd comment on GREEN BOOK, by Josh Spiegel. He defines the picture thus:
'The story of how that racist guy who says “I’m not racist, I have a black friend” met his black friend.'
RICHARD BRODY'S conclusion about GREEN BOOK: "bullshit."

[cinemabon]

Should a movie produced by HBO/Showtime/Netflix etc, even though intended for its TV viewers, be considered for Academy Awards as long as it meets the obligation of being shown in a movie theater in LA for one week before the end of the year? This is a question that puzzles and even angers many in the film industry as they target their projects for theaters first versus the DVD/video/digital download release that follows for TV screens. Spielberg raises an important if not controversial point that it is unfair for Netflix to produce a film on a TV budget and have it considered for an Academy Award even though it only received a one week release in LA.