2024 Oscars: The Winners

Here's the full list of winners of the 2024 Oscars:

Best Supporting Actress: Da’Vine Joy Randolph, “The Holdovers”

Best Animated Short: “War Is Over!”

Best Animated Feature: “The Boy and the Heron”

Best Original Screenplay: “Anatomy of a Fall”

Best Adapted Screenplay: “American Fiction”

Best Makeup and Hairstyling: “Poor Things”

Best Production Design: “Poor Things”

Best Costume Design: “Poor Things”

Best International Feature: ”“The Zone of Interest”

Best Supporting Actor: Robert Downey Jr., “Oppenheimer”

Best Visual Effects: “Godzilla Minus One”

Best Film Editing: “Oppenheimer”

Best: Documentary (Short Subject): “The Last Repair Shop”

Best Documentary Feature: “20 Days in Mariupol”

Best Cinematography: “Oppenheimer”

Best Short Film (Live Action): “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar”

Best Sound: “The Zone of Interest”

Best Score: “Oppenheimer”

Best Song: “What Was I Made For?” from “Barbie”

Best Actor: Cillian Murphy, “Oppenheimer”

Best Director: Christopher Nolan, “Oppenheimer”

Best Actress: Emma Stone, “Poor Things”

Best Picture: “Oppenheimer”

I did pretty well, correctly predicting 17 of the 23 categories correctly, but 6 of the Top 8 in my "Will Win" predictions and 5 of 8 correct in my "Should Win" hopes. I thought that Lily Gladstone would win Best Actress, and I thought Barbie would win for Adapted Screenplay but I'm quite happy that American Fiction did instead, since that was what I hoped would happen.

I've made no secret of my love for Christopher Nolan movies so it is awesome he finally has Best Picture and  Best Director Oscars! Hopefully next year Denis Villeneuve will get some love for the Dune movies.

2018 OSCARS: The Winners

Here are the winners of the 90th Academy Awards. I correctly predicted 7 of 8 of the Top categories (hoped for the Lady Bird upset) and 17 of 24 overall.

Best Motion Picture of the Year
The Shape of Water

Achievement in Directing
The Shape of Water – Guillermo del Toro

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Gary Oldman – Darkest Hour

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Frances McDormand – Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Allison Janney – I, Tonya

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Sam Rockwell – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Achievement in Cinematography
Blade Runner 2049 – Roger A. Deakins

Original Screenplay
Get Out – Jordan Peele

Adapted Screenplay
Call Me By Your Name – James Ivory

Achievement in Film Editing
Dunkirk – Lee Smith

Achievement in Music (Original Score)
The Shape of Water – Alexandre Desplat

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
A Fantastic Woman – Chile

Best Documentary Feature
"Icarus" – Bryan Fogel and Dan Cogan

Achievement in Production Design
The Shape of Water Production Design: – Paul Denham Austerberry; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau and Jeff Melvin

Achievement in Costume Design
Phantom Thread – Mark Bridges

Achievement in Sound Editing
Dunkirk – Richard King and Alex Gibson

Achievement in Sound Mixing
Dunkirk – Mark Weingarten, Gregg Landaker and Gary A. Rizzo

Achievement in Visual Effects
Blade Runner 2049 – John Nelson, Gerd Nefzer, Paul Lambert and Richard R. Hoover

Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling
Darkest Hour – Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski and Lucy Sibbick

Achievement in Music (Original Song)
"Remember Me" from Coco
Music and Lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez

Best Documentary Short Subject
"Heaven Is a Traffic Jam on the 405" – Frank Stiefel

Best Live Action Short Film
"The Silent Child" – Chris Overton and Rachel Shenton

Best Animated Short Film
"Dear Basketball" – Glen Keane and Kobe Bryant

2017 #OSCARS: My Prediction in the Top 8 Categories

Below are my predictions for the Top 8 categories for the 89th annual Academy Awards. Last year I correctly predicted 6 of the Top 8 categories. Below I put in red the movie or person I want to win, and in blue the person I think actually will win.

Picture 

• “Arrival” 
• “Fences” 
• “Hacksaw Ridge”
• “Hell or High Water”
• “Hidden Figures”
• “La La Land”
• “Lion”
• “Manchester by the Sea”
• “Moonlight”

WILL WIN: La La Land.

SHOULD WIN: La La Land.

Directing

• Denis Villeneuve, “Arrival”
• Mel Gibson, "Hacksaw Ridge"
• Damien Chazelle, “La La Land”
• Kenneth Lonergan, “Manchester by the Sea”
• Barry Jenkins, “Moonlight”

WILL WIN: Damien Chazelle, “La La Land.”

SHOULD WIN: Denis Villeneuve, “Arrival.”

Actress in a Leading Role:

• Isabelle Huppert, “Elle”
• Ruth Negga, “Loving”
• Natalie Portman, “Jackie”
• Emma Stone, “La La Land”
• Meryl Streep, “Florence Foster Jenkins”

WILL WIN: Emma Stone, “La La Land.”

SHOULD WIN: Ruth Negga, “Loving.”

Actor in a Leading Role

• Casey Affleck, “Manchester by the Sea”
• Andrew Garfield, “Hackshaw Ridge”
• Ryan Gosling, “La La Land”
• Viggo Mortensen, “Captain Fantastic”
• Denzel Washington, “Fences”

WILL WIN: Denzel Washington, “Fences.”

SHOULD WIN: Ryan Gosling, “La La Land.”

Actress in a Supporting Role:

• Viola Davis, “Fences”
• Naomie Harris, “Moonlight”
• Nicole Kidman, “Lion”
• Octavia Spencer, “Hidden Figures”
• Michelle Williams, “Manchester by the Sea”

WILL WIN: Viola Davis, “Fences.”

SHOULD WIN: Viola Davis, “Fences.”

Actor in a Supporting Role

• Mahershala Ali, “Moonlight”
• Jeff Bridges, “Hell or High Water”
• Lucas Hedges, “Manchester by the Sea”
• Dev Patel, “Lion”
• Michael Shannon, “Nocturnal Animals”

WILL WIN: Michael Shannon, “Nocturnal Animals.”

SHOULD WIN: Mahershala Ali, “Moonlight.”

Adapted Screenplay

•  “Lion,” by Luke Davis
•  “Arrival,” by Eric Heisserer
•  “Moonlight,” by Barry Jenkins
•  “Hidden Figures,” by Theodore Melfi and Allison Schroeder
•  “Fences,” by August Wilson

WILL WIN: “Arrival”

SHOULD WIN: “Hidden Figures.”

Original Screenplay

•  “Manchester by the Sea,” by Kenneth Lonergan,
•  “Hell or High Water,” by Taylor Sheridan
•  “La La Land,” by Damien Chazelle
•  "20th Century Women," Mike Mills
•  “The Lobster,” by Efthymis Filippou and Yorgos Lanthimos

WILL WIN: “La La Land.”

SHOULD WIN: “Manchester by the Sea.”

Total Nominations

• La La Land - 14(!)
• Moonlight and Arrival (8)
• Hacksaw Ridge, Lion and Manchester by the Sea (6)

Total Wins

• La La Land - (9)
• Arrival (3)
• Moonlight, Fences (2)
• Star Wars: Rogue One, , Hacksaw Ridge, Lion and Manchester by the Sea, Hidden Figures (1)

2017 OSCARS: Nominations Announced! #OscarNotSoWhite

The 2017 Oscar nominations just came out! La La Land leads with 14 nominations (tying the record set by Titanic and All About Eve) but little movies like Hidde Figures, Moonlight and Manchester by the Sea did very well. There are NUMEROUS nominees of color this year.

NPR called it "Oscars Slightly Less White":

Call it Oscars Slightly Less White: Unlike last year, when no people of color managed to secure acting or directing nominations, the Academy nominated Denzel Washington for lead actor in Fences, Mahershala Ali and Dev Patel for supporting actor in Moonlight and Lion, respectively, Loving's Ruth Negga in the lead actress category, and Viola Davis (Fences), Naomie Harris (Moonlight) and Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures) were nominated for best supporting actress. Moonlight's Barry Jenkins was also nominated for best director.

The big nominations are:

Picture 

• “Arrival” 
• “Fences” 
• “Hacksaw Ridge”
• “Hell or High Water”
• “Hidden Figures”
• “La La Land”
• “Lion”
• “Manchester by the Sea”
• “Moonlight”

Directing

• Denis Villeneuve, “Arrival”
• Mel Gibsion, "Hacksaw Ridge"
• Damien Chazelle, “La La Land”
• Barry Jenkins, “Moonlight”
• Kenneth Lonergan, “Manchester by the Sea”

Adapted Screenplay

•  “Lion,” by Luke Davis
•  “Arrival,” by Eric Heisserer
•  “Moonlight,” by Barry Jenkins
•  “Hidden Figures,” by Theodore Melfi and Allison Schroeder
•  “Fences,” by August Wilson

Original Screenplay

•  “Manchester by the Sea,” by Kenneth Lonergan,
•  “Hell or High Water,” by Taylor Sheridan
•  “La La Land,” by Damien Chazelle
•  "20th Century Women," Mike Mills
•  “The Lobster,” by Efthymis Filippou and Yorgos Lanthimos

Actress in a leading role:

• Emma Stone, “La La Land”
• Natalie Portman, “Jackie”
• Amy Adams, “Arrival” Ruth Negga, “Loving”
• Meryl Streep, “Florence Foster Jenkins”
• Isabelle Huppert, “Elle”

Actor in a Leading Role

• Casey Affleck, “Manchester by the Sea”
• Andrew Garfield, “Hacksaw Ridge”
• Ryan Gosling, “La La Land”
• Viggo Mortensen, “Captain Fantastic”
• Denzel Washington, “Fences”

More analysis later. 

WATCH: Trailer for Bladerunner 2049

The trailer for the long-awaited sequel to Bladerunner, called Bladerunner 2049 and directed by (one of my favorites) director Denis Villeneuve (Arrival, Incendies, Sicario).

FILM REVIEW: Arrival

The movie Arrival was one of my most anticipated movies of this year, as the director Denis Villeneuve has previously helmed some of my favorite films: Incendies (2011), Prisoners (2013) and Sicario (2015).  I blogged about some of the trailers for the movie, which stars Forest Whitaker, Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner and is based on an award-winning short story by Ted Chiang called "The Story of Your Life."

I saw it with a friend at the AMC Tysons Corner 16 in Northern Virginia opening weekend. The fact that the movie's source material is a novella is not surprising because in some sense it feels like there are a limited number of characters in the story, almost like a play. The main character is obviously Amy Adams who plays Louise Banks, a Prius-driving, professor of linguistics who it appears has recently(?) suffered the loss of a child after a long illness (these events are told in a prologue).

The movie really begins with the sudden arrival of a dozen egg-like spaceships, suspended in mid-air in various locations around the world. It turns out that the ship in North America is somewhere in Montana. Forest Whitaker's Colonel GT Weber shows up in Professor Banks' office soon afterwards and on the helicopter we meet Renner's Ian Donnelly, a theoretical physicist. Eventually, the three principals don the world's bulkiest hazmat suits to enter the alien ships and try to find out a way to communicate with our alien visitors in order to discover why the aliens have come to our planet and whether their intentions are peaceful or violent.

One of the memorable aspects of Arrival is the design of the ship and the aliens, which do not look like anything we have seen before, i.e. they really appear to be extra-terrestrial. In particular, the language and the manner in which the aliens communicate is so mind-bendingly original that it sets Arrival apart from other first-contact movies like Contact and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Some people have issues with the ending of Arrival but I thought this was the key point which elevated the film into one of the more thought-provoking cinematic experiences of the year. Some aspects of it were a surprise but there were some hints dropped at earlier points in the film which led me to make some conclusions before they were revealed in the narrative. Even though I was not surprised by the eventual twist at the end this did not diminish its emotional resonance with me.

Overall, Arrival is a brilliant, well-crafted depiction of first contact between humans and aliens which gets resolved in a way that reveals an existential question that confronts the viewer.

Title: Arrival.
Director: Denis Villeneuve.
Running Time: 1 hour, 51 minutes.
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for brief strong language.
Release Date: November 11, 2016.
Viewing Date: November 13, 2016.

Writing: A+.
Acting: A.
Visuals: A+.
Impact: A.

Overall Grade: A/A+ (4.16/4.0).

WATCH: Final Trailer for Arrival (In Theaters 11/11)

Next week, Friday November 11th is when Arrival finally hits movie theaters! The other half and I will be in Arlington but I definitely intend to see it on opening day. The movie is helmed by one of my favorite directors Denis Villeneuve (Incendies, Prisoners, Sicario) and stars Oscar-nominated actors Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner and Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker. It's about the sudden arrival of aliens and the importance of communication.

WATCH: Trailer for Arrival Features Difficulty Of Intraspecies Communication

I"m very excited about the imminent arrival of Arrival, the new film by director Denis Villeneuve (Incendies, Prisoners, Sicario) starring Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker based (loosely) on an award-winning short story by Ted Chiang. Villeneuve has made some of my favorite films over the last decade (notwithstanding my constant fan-boy love for Christopher Nolan) and I'm thriller he is working in my favorite genre of science fiction for the first time.

In this "Common Ground" trailer, the difficulty of communicating with people who share common experiences but not a common language is depicted as a means of emphasizing the key point of the film which is about the arrival of aliens whom humanity needs to communicate with.