Cinema and Popcorn

We (re)start with the sound categories: Best Original Score, Best Original Song and Best Sound. These fields are often associated with bigger productions and (in Best Original Song, specially) animated features. So, there's no surprise to predict Top Gun: Maverick as the top contender in two categories: the box-office smash hit features the best sound work of the year so far, with exquisite editing and mixing of all the sounds in the action flick. Plus, it also features the super balad " Hold My Hand " by Lady Gaga , who seems to be determined to become a two-times Oscar winner. But there are also other big names here: John Williams is back scoring another Spielberg flick ( The Fabelmans ) and reviews praise his work (as always); Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connor (both fresh from their Oscar win for " No Time to Die " song) are back with two tunes for Pixar's Turning Red ; Taylor Swift wrote and sang " Carolina " for Where the Crawdads Sin...

The non-visual craft categories are out! And I'm still predicting a music-themed study about being alive like Soul to do very well in this field. A note to The United States vs. Billie Holiday , which is scored by Kris Bowers (the talented composer responsible for the amazing When They See Us TV series' score) - if the movie keeps a qualifying release, I believe it can pop-up somewhere here. Plus, I'm expecting Andra Day to sing some original new song in the end credits or something... something beautiful and Oscar-worthy. Just to remind you Minari 's composer ( Mosseri ) is a star on the rise and he's the author of The Last Man in San Francisco 's (2019) beautiful (underrated) original score - and maybe he'll enter the Oscar talk since Minari is going to be campaigned as A24's champion!  In the Best Original Song category, you might ask why I've Mulan 's "Loyal Brave True" so low in my predictions, but the fact is AMPAS didn't f...

As we know, there are some categories the Academy releases a shortlist after excluding some submissions or eligible contenders and this year is no exception. So, have a look at each category's finalists for your Oscar consideration: DOCUMENTARY FEATURE IMAGE 1 -  Honeyland From the 159 eligible films, the Academy released the shorltist of 15 that made the final step before the noms: Advocate American Factory The Apollo Apollo 11 Aquarela The Biggest Little Farm The Cave The Edge of Democracy For Sama The Great Hack Honeyland Knock Down the House Maiden Midnight Family One Child Nation BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM IMAGE 2 -  The Painted Bird There were 91 official submissions considered "eligible". The Academy has now released the 10 movies that made the final shortlist so members can now vote for the nominations: Czech Republic, The Painted Bird Estonia, Truth and Justice France, Les Misérables Hungary, Those Who Remaine...