Acclaimed character actor Bill Nighy has earned his first Oscar nomination for his lead performance in Oliver Hermanus’ Living, a retelling of Akira Kurosawa’s Ikiru set in 1950s London. Nighy more than deserves the nomination. This isn’t a case of his peers tipping their hats to his legacy of work. The role of Williams, an intimidating yet reclusive boss who learns about a critical health diagnosis giving him six months to live, is a change…
Peter Farrelly’s Oscar-winning film Green Book has proven to be a divisive film for audiences, which is strange considering it fits the bill to be a general crowd-pleaser.
There are some things that Andrey Zvyagintsev is very good at, such as political commentary. There are some things that Zvyagintsev is awful at, such as portrayals (or occasionally even the inclusion) of women in his films. So, what happens when Zvyagintsev makes a political film with a female lead? You end up with a disappointing monstrosity; one that could have been a masterpiece if a good forty percent was discarded. You end up with…
I don’t know what type of Oscar nominations I prefer: a list of predictable winners, or names and films that are constantly in a status shift. Judging by all of the different winners in recent award ceremonies, it’s clear the 90th annual Oscars fall in the latter category. But, again, I’m stumped over if I actually enjoy this much variety.
Award season is a long road. It all starts out with hubbub about a film that sparked acclaim on the festival circuit, followed by increased word-of-mouth when the movie begins an “exclusive engagement” in a modest independent theatre. The season is in full-effect when those indies start receiving showtimes in larger chains.
By the end of the month, faithful viewers of the Academy Awards will see if Ciro Guerra’s Embrace of the Serpent is able to beat out the other pictures competing for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year. I can’t comment if Guerra’s film is better than the other contenders, but I think the Academy was very generous by nominating it in the first place.
By: Addison Wylie I’ve been selling Nebraska to people as “a charming version of Fargo without the violence”. That gets attention fairly quickly. Alexander Payne’s drama, however, is more quaint than quirky. Nebraska’s prominent road trip involving a distracted father Woody (played by Bruce Dern) and his patiently courteous son David (played by Will Forte) coasts along flat landscapes. The two converse about the past and the exciting current possibilities of million dollar winnings Woody…