Venice Film Festival 2018: "Roma" is the Venice champion

GOLDEN LION: Roma, Alfonso Cuarón

He will now have to battle all the "Netflix tabu" in order to shine in front of the AMPAS' eyes! This prestige prize only feeds Cuarón's Oscar dreams and it might also be a right push for Netflix to release Roma in theatres and not only on streaming (fingers crossed!!!)

Grand Jury Prize: The Favourite, Yorgos Lanthimos

The movie is more of a film festival candy than "mainstream awards" cup of tea, but it seems Lanthimos brings his most "conventional" film yet without sacrificing his more grotesque pleasures. The movie is officially on the radar for the main award categories (Best Film/Picture and Best Director) now

Silver Lion for Best Director: Jacques Audiard, The Sisters Brothers

While The Sisters Brothers doesn't seem like Best Picture and Best Director material for the AMPAS tastes, maybe it can be good enough for Best Adapted Screenplay consolation prize. Audiard is brilliant as a director, but better Oscar nominated for screenwriting than not-Oscar nominated... we'll see! Some movies just fare better at film festivals...!

Volpi Cup for Best Actress: Olivia Colman, The Favourite
Volpi Cup for Best Actor: Willem Dafoe, At Eternity’s Gate

They start early award season as the Best Actor and Best Actress races' frontrunners! While there was some doubts about Colman's category placement in the award race, the Volpi Cup win let it crystal clear: she'll be campaigned for Best Leading Actress! It's amazing she's getting the recognition she deserves (she was mesmerizing in Tyrannossaur, Hyde Park On Hudson and The Lobster, remember?). As for Dafoe seems to benefit from last year's Oscar love for his performance in The Florida Project. Good news for Hollywood justice!

Best Screenplay: Joel and Ethan Coen, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

Hollywood royalty strikes again! After the underrated Hail, Caesar!, the Coens seem to have found major prestige recognition for their latest project. A well-reviewed western said to feature all the typical elements of a Coen bros' movie... it didn't catch the fire of the directors' previous westerns (No Country For Old Men and True Grit), but it seems to be another welcome addition to the Coens resumè.

Special Jury Prize: The Nightingale, Jennifer Kent
Marcello Mastroianni Award for for Best New Young Actor or Actress: Baykali Ganambarr, The Nightingale

After this big win, I guess I'll have to watch this one! Didn't heard much about this project, but I guess now it's time to have a look...

And now... out of the Golden Lion competition, there's the Horizons section (which often feature remarkable foreign productions). So, have a look and add some titles to your alternative/not mainstream list:

Best Film: Manta Ray, Phuttiphong Aroonpheng

Best Director: Ozen (The River), Emir Baigazin

Special Jury Prize: Anons (The Announcement), Mahmut Fazil Coskun

Best Actress: Natalya Kudryashova, The Man Who Surprised Everyone

Best Actor: Kais Nasif, Tel Aviv on Fire

Best Screenplay: Pema Tseden, Jinpa

Best Short Film: Kado, Aditya Ahmad

Lion of the Future — “Luigi De Laurentiis” Venice Award for a Debut Film: The Day I Lost My Shadow, Soudade Kaadan

TOP 35 Actors and Actresses Under 35 Working Today - 2017

The almost annual TOP 35 Actors and Actresses Under 35 Working Today is out, with me considering the performers' performances of 2016 also. We have a few changes since last year's list, with Greta Gerwig toping the list thanks to her last 3 great performances in Mistress America , Maggie's Plan and the Oscar buzzy acting turn in 20th Century Women . Scarlett Johansson comes second with her latest distinguished performance being in 2014 ( Under the Skin ), but she managed to be at the spotligh this year thanks to her fine turns in critically acclaimed movies: Hail, Caesar! , Captain America: Civil War , The Jungle Book (voice) and Sing (voice). Emily Blunt adds another great performance to her resume in The Girl on the Train and she comes third, while Elle Fanning 's turning into one of the finest actresses and she's getting to play more adult and complex parts like The Neon Demon and 20th Century Women 's (her two best performances since Super 8 ). Finall...

TOP 10 Most Promising Movie Actors (under 30)

Today I discussed about how awful some "teen icons" are and then we talked about some exceptions. So, I decided to make a little list, a TOP 10, with the male actors that I think that will become music in an ocean of noise somewhere in the future (I did one list before, but it was a little bit pathetic and I didn't justify my choices). Let's start... 1 - Ryan Gosling He may not have a huge list of movies in his body of work, but the few times he makes something, all the time he almost carries the movie. In fact, Gosling is a proof that talent does exist and that you don't need excentrical characters to receive raves. He rose to fame after the big screen adaptation of The Notebook (2004) and then received lots of critical praise for his performances in movies like Half Nelson (that gave him an Oscar, a SAG Award and other major awards nominations), Lars and the Real Girl (that gave him a Golden Globe, a SAG Award and other major awards nominations) and Fractur...

TOP 35 Actors and Actresses with or under 35 years old: 2018

I think it was my TOP 35 under 35 list I've ever done since I remember: so many great performers emerged last year with distinguished performances that elevated their previous works (I'm talking about Elizabeth Olsen , Lucas Hedges , Robert Pattinson , Gaspard Ulliel , Tessa Thompson or Jamie Bell , for example). I'm kinda sad I felt "forced" at letting Jonah Hill ( Moneyball and The Wolf of Wall Street ) and Emma Watson ( The Perks of Being a Wallflower , The Bling Ring and 2017's Beauty and the Beast ) out of the list. Congratulations to Kirsten Dunst , who turned 35 last year so she can not be included in this year's list - such an amazing child actress turned movie star, who delivered memorable performances in Interview with the Vampire (1994), The Virgin Suicides (1999), The Cat's Meow (2002) or Melancholia (2011). This year, Saoirse Ronan tops the list thanks to two great performances: On Chesil Beach and an iconic acting turn in Lad...

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