Oscar Predictions 2021

Happy Oscar weekend movie friends—we made it! This awards season and this year has been so different, and I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve had some trouble keeping up, from the lack of theatrical releases to virtual film festivals to the extended eligibility for this awards season to the postponement of the 93rd […]

Cinema Classics: “Mrs. Miniver” (1942)

Winston Churchill once claimed that the film “Mrs. Miniver” did more for the war effort than a “flotilla of destroyers.” It is certainly a wonderful film as well as a bit of a historical relic, an American-made movie giving a glimpse into what the citizens of Great Britain were up against, right before the U.S. […]

Cinema Classics: “Gentleman’s Agreement” (1947)

“Gentlemen’s Agreement” is not a favorite of mine. At times, it drags. Few of the characters are very likeable. Even director Elia Kazan later said that he didn’t care for this movie, despite winning an Oscar for it—the relationships, he believed, felt forced, and the film overall lacked passion. That much is true, but “Gentleman’s […]

Cinema Classics: “La Strada” (1954)

Italian director Federico Fellini considered “La Strada” (“The Road”) to be his most personal film. The story of two people who stay together without really knowing why came to him first in the form of vague, somber feelings, with the lead female character ultimately being inspired by his wife Giulietta Masina. Masina ending up playing that […]

Cinema Classics: “Roman Holiday” (1953)

William Wyler’s “Roman Holiday” is more than a romantic comedy; to watch it is to see a real-life fairytale unfold onscreen. The Cinderella-like plot involves Princess Ann (Audrey Hepburn), the ruler of an unknown country, who embarks on a European tour. While in Rome, stifled by her sheltered life, Ann escapes the embassy for one […]

Cinema Classics: “Gigi” (1958)

From the advent of talking pictures, MGM Studios became known for producing lavish musicals. Their credits include such landmark films as “The Wizard of Oz”, “Singin’ in the Rain”, and “Gigi”, the latter being the one that many consider the last great MGM musical. “Gigi” is so French it almost parodies the lavish culture and people […]

From “1917” to “Parasite”: My Predictions for the 2020 Academy Awards

Awards season is already coming to end, thanks to the Academy Awards moving up the ceremony to the second Sunday in February. With some categories seeming like shoe-ins and others still up in the air, it’s going to be interesting to see how the shorter campaign season shakes out at the Oscars on February 9th. […]

Final Oscar Predictions

I’m not going to lie: this year’s Oscar race hasn’t been pretty. From controversial manner in which the actual ceremony is being conducted to controversy surrounding the somewhat surprising batch of nominees, the 91st Academy Awards is shaping up to be one interesting evening. And that’s partly because this awards season as a whole has […]

2019 Oscar Nominee Predictions

The 2019 awards season is now in full swing, and while there are plenty of movies gathering accolades and generating conversation, so much regarding this year’s Oscar race is still up in the air. Many categories that a month ago seemed set have been thrown into confusion thanks to recent awards ceremonies like the Golden […]

Countdown to the Oscars: Final Predictions

The 90th Academy Awards are this Sunday, and I can’t remember a year in which the awards were harder to predict. But with the Golden Globes, Critic’s Choice, BAFTAs, and various guild awards now behind us, a pattern has emerged giving us more of a concrete idea of who will take home an Oscar. Still, […]