Oscars: Best Original Score? “All Quiet on the Western Front” adds another Oscar

That’s more than a few Oscars for this marquee picture from Netflix. A career peak for composer Volker Bertelman, a gracious speech.

Is there a “trend” pointing towards a Best Picture upset? Maybe.

A lovely, ominous and weighty score. But this should have been the one Oscar “Babylon” should have taken. That’s a propulsive, unforgettable, jazz age epic sound.

Posted in Reviews, previews, profiles and movie news | Comments Off on Oscars: Best Original Score? “All Quiet on the Western Front” adds another Oscar

Next screening? “Spinning Gold,” the Casablanca Records Story

It opens March 31, and it could easily go either way.

But it’s got Michelle Monaghan, Jason Isaacs, Jay Pharoah, Dan Fogler, Peyton List, Lyndsey Fonseca and was made by the Nepo Baby son of the company founder. And they wouldn’t be showing it this early if they didn’t think Donna Summer/KISS fans would be chomping at the bit over an entertaining account of how this upstart record label made them famous.

Posted in Reviews, previews, profiles and movie news | Comments Off on Next screening? “Spinning Gold,” the Casablanca Records Story

Oscars: Best Animated Short? “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse”

Here’s a win for Apple!

“The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse,” based on a children’s book, a best seller, it was my favorite among the nominees that I saw.

The fact that it’s on Apple TV means it was the most widely seen competitor in this category.

Warm, sentimental, simple and sweet.

Brits give the wittiest acceptance speeches.

Posted in Reviews, previews, profiles and movie news | Comments Off on Oscars: Best Animated Short? “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse”

Oscars: Best International Feature? “All Quiet on the Western Front”

There was a whispering campaign underway a few weeks back that this was actually your Best Picture dark horse. But we’ll have to see about that.

Gorgeous film, unfortunate timing, coming so soon after the Oscar-winning epic “1917.”

But certainly the most widely seen Best International Feature in this field. Score another Big Win for Netflix. Magnificent film in its own right.

Posted in Reviews, previews, profiles and movie news | Comments Off on Oscars: Best International Feature? “All Quiet on the Western Front”

Oscars: Best Costume Design? “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”

Ruth Carter thanks her mother and praises the production for increasing representation and altering the world looks and the way we look at it.

She just lost her mother, at 101. Sweet speech.

Posted in Reviews, previews, profiles and movie news | Comments Off on Oscars: Best Costume Design? “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”

Oscars: Best Makeup? “The Whale,” of course

I mean, come on. That’s a transformation.

No, you shouldn’t play winners off. The show is unhurried, Kimmel wasted a bit too much time on the opening. Let it run as long as it runs. It’s the youtube snippets of Big Moments that’ll put it in the black.

Posted in Reviews, previews, profiles and movie news | Comments Off on Oscars: Best Makeup? “The Whale,” of course

Oscars: Best Cinematography? “All Quiet on the Western Front,” of course

James Friend wins for the most striking real world photography in the Oscar field this year. Not a good speech, not his thing. But the work speaks for itself.

Posted in Reviews, previews, profiles and movie news | Comments Off on Oscars: Best Cinematography? “All Quiet on the Western Front,” of course

Oscars: Best Doc? “Navalny”

“Fire of Love” was a lot of people’s favorite. Mine too, probably. Very “Grizzly Man.”

But “Navalny” was the most topical film in this field, although others were just as important, thanks to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the fact that Putin has this film’s subject, Alexi Navalny, in prison on trumped up charges, was poisoned on orders from Russia’s Nazi runt.

And the acceptance speech for the Oscar winning live action short short “An Irish Goodbye” made time for an emotional kick, too. Well done.

Posted in Reviews, previews, profiles and movie news | Comments Off on Oscars: Best Doc? “Navalny”

Oscars: Best Supporting Actress, an upset? Jamie Lee!

It seemed like Angela Bassett’s Oscar to lose. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” was one of the more middling films to earn nominations, but she’s regal in it.

Wonder if Jamie Lee’s lovely, loopy SAG acceptance speech and other Awards Season moments altered that trajectory? She has refused to take herself too seriously, and milked every appearance like it was Comic Con and they were coronating her. Again.

“WE just won an Oscar,” to an entire team. “To all of the people who have supported my genre films over the years, WE JUST WON AN OSCAR TOGETHER!”

Beautiful moment for Jamie Lee Curtis, scream queen, ’80s sex symbol and “Trading Places” heroine, as teary as Mr. Quan’s.

Now, somebody call Angela Bassett for a role that will get her nominated next year. She’s way past due.

Posted in Reviews, previews, profiles and movie news | Comments Off on Oscars: Best Supporting Actress, an upset? Jamie Lee!

Oscars: Best Supporting Actor? Ke Huy Quan

A stacked category, with Brendan and Brian Tyree Henry my faint hopes for long shot wins. Pity they put Gleeson in the same category as Barry Keoghan, but them’s the breaks.

Ke Huy Quan is the sentimental favorite, the fanboy darling and was the odds-on favorite. He wasn’t all in that film, didn’t disappear and come back to the cinema as a better actor 30 years after his kiddie heyday. But he did go to film school, got into stuntwork. And stick around.

The tears are real, and bless him. He has, as Oprah taught us, “a compelling (personal) story.” So there it is. The supporting categories have long tilted towards novelty nominations and wins.

Posted in Reviews, previews, profiles and movie news | Comments Off on Oscars: Best Supporting Actor? Ke Huy Quan