Cinema and Popcorn

March 15, 2021 - The AMPAS announces its nominees for its annual Academy Awards AKA The Oscars. The nominees? Surprising! I was not expecting the AMPAS to embrace diversity this openly. And what a beautiful thing to do. From the love across the board for Minari , to the feminist Promising Young Woman , Asian actors, 2 Black actresses competing for Best Actress and 3 (!!!) Black actors competing in Best Supporting Actor... And a shocking Lakeith Stanfield nomination for Judas and the Black Messiah (so, who's the lead?). Mank is the most nominated movie of this year's edition, but I believe it won't be able to suprass Nomadland , The Trial of the Chicago 7 , Judas and the Black Messiah or Promising Young Woman . Most nominations doesn't always translate to "most wins"... you know... last year's The Irishman ! Sad for a Mads Mikkelsen ( Another Round ) snub in Best Actor in a Leading Role, since he would be a worthier nominee than Gary Oldman ( Mank ). ...

Final countdown to the 93rd Academy Awards nominations' announcement and I couldn't be more excited about it. I know it has been a way (too) long awards season, but it also allowed a big couple of contenders to have its own momentum. Right now, there are categories I feel there's no clear frontrunner (Best Supporting Actress), a lot of spots to fill (Best Supporting Actor) or too many great contenders with a fair shot at a nom (Best Director, Best Original Screenplay or Best Original Score, for example). The clear frontrunners seem to be Nomadland and The Trial of the Chicago 7 , with Minari , Judas and the Black Messiah and Sound of Metal getting some last minute extra buzz (and I love it!). So let's have a look at my predictions: BEST PICTURE Chloé Zhao's Nomadland has been sweeping the awards season - after a Golden Lion win at Venice, a People's Choice Award at TIFF and multiple critics prizes, the movie still managed to go beyond the "critics darling...

1. SOUL It's not perfect, but it does have a soul! Disney's Soul is a mature and reflexive animated feature that deals with the "true meaning of life", always backed by a wonderful score, great voice work and beautiful visual effects. Soul is a delight for eyes, ears, mind and heart! 2. MINARI Tender, heartfelt and sweet, Minari' s biggest achievement is its ability to connect with the audience by portraying moments that easily might recall each viewer's own personal memories. It's a child's tale, the tale of a marriage on the rocks and a man's personal journey in search of the American dream while he tries to carry his family on his shoulders. Award worthy ensemble acting, a sensitive directing touch and some of the most emotional last acts of the year. 3. VITALINA VARELA It's a movie of great beauty and a lot of detail. Leonardo Simões' cinematography work is breathtaking, making Vitalina Varela almost "painting looking". Pedr...

No, I was not expecting  Nomadland  to win Best Motion Picture - Drama! My money was on  The Trial of the Chicago 7 , but Nomadland keeps its impressive awards run! But the night's big winner was Andra Day - who pulled an utterly unexpected win for her amazing performnace in The United States vs. Billie Holiday . The movie is a weak one itself, but Day ignites the screen with true star power and a graceful tribute to Billie Holiday's persona. Another win no one really saw it coming was Jodie Foster 's for her performance in The Mauritanian . Both Day and Foster - holding shaky #4 and #5 places in Oscar predictions (in Foster's case, she wasn't even being predicted by most predictions folks) before the Globes - seem to have secured a safe place in the Oscar predictions' shortlists for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. A note to Rosamund Pike 's late enthusiasm for her performance in I Care a Lot : she's a delight to watch as an evil woman, but w...

The last few months kept me busy both at work and trying to keep up with all the Oscar game news...! New category placements, some unexpected contenders emerging thanks to the critics' push or some delayed projects that won't be released in time for the Oscars 2021 game! Titles like Dune , The French Dispatch , Black Widow , West Side Story , In the Heights or No Time To Die are just some of the bigger titles that won't see the light of the day in order to compete for the major cinematic award. Addictionaly, some new titles took the lead after Venice Film Festival and TIFF ( Nomadland 's case), with some more being "revived" thanks to critics prizes - in the case of First Cow and Never Rarely Sometimes Always  - while others are getting a qualifying release and a major campaign as its studio's major push - Minari and Promising Young Woman. Other big buzzy titles like Judas and the Black Messiah and The United States Vs. Billie Holiday are waiting unti...