Ladies and gentlemen, the post you’ve all been waiting for. My picks to win the 89th Academy Awards. This year’s nominees gives us hope that the Academy has at least made some effort to look across the wonderful diversity that makes up the filmmaking community. The Academy released a list of 683 new members last year, […]
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Tag Archives: Oscar
My 2016 Oscar Picks
February 28, 2016 
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The Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will will hold their 88th award ceremony Sunday, February 28th. I will not be discussing the over indexing of whiteness among the nominees, except to say it is something that certainly needs to be addressed. My interest here lies in the films, filmmakers and artists that were nominated by the Academy. 2015 brought us a raft […]
Continue readingMy Annual Oscar Picks – 2014
March 1, 2014 0 Comments
It’s that time again. The Academy hands out their picks for best of every category. They can select 10 films for best picture, but apparently could find only nine worthy of the crown. The pictures span history, deep drama, AIDS, hijacking, swindle and a celestial exploration of the human spirit, untethered in space. Observations. Although […]
Continue readingYour Favorite Film of 2013 – Poll
February 1, 2014 0 Comments
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has the ability to nominate ten films for best picture in any given year. In the 1930’s and 1940’s eight to twelve films were nominated, but in the 1950’s there was a conscious decision to limit it to five. In 2009 that rule changed, allowing ten films […]
Continue readingMy Oscar Picks for 2013
February 23, 2013 0 Comments
The 85th Academy Awards ceremony is only a day away. So many terrific films and excellent performances this past year has caused me lots of back and forth in filling out my ballot. In my opinion there are only two slam dunks; Daniel Day-Lewis for actor and Anne Hathaway for supporting actress. The rest are […]
Continue readingSilver Linings Playbook – Film Review
January 28, 2013 0 Comments
As with so many films that examine mental illness through the lens of their characters, Silver Linings Playbook ends up like most, with the crazies saner than the non-crazies. I was hoping David O. Russell would push the envelope a bit and give us a fresh look, but the film plays it safe. Bradley Cooper […]
Continue readingZero Dark Thirty – Film Review
January 14, 2013 1 Comment
2012 will be remembered as the year the movies took back their time slot. The year the industry remembered they have a super power; making big, ambitious, thought-provoking pictures and damn the running time or who might be protesting. Six major feature films released in the fall/winter season topped the two hour twenty minute mark. […]
Continue readingMy Oscar Picks for 2011
February 25, 2011 0 Comments
This Sunday, February 27, 2011 will be the 83rd annual Oscar awards presentation. An art form with a storied past, and I believe a bright future. Although India churns out many more pictures than the U.S. each year, the art of the film and the studio are uniquely American. I’m still getting used to having […]
Continue reading2010 Academy Awards – Vote Your Favorites
February 21, 2010 0 Comments
For years I ran an office pool on the Oscars and did very well. I’ve since dropped the gambling which was a smart move because over the last few years my predictions have not matched well with the Academy members. As we approach the March 7th awards show it’s worth noting a pretty big change. […]
Continue readingMy Oscar Picks – 2009
February 18, 2009 0 Comments
I used to be much better at picking the winners than I am these days. I would see every film, some more than once, then sit down and agonize over who would win. Frankly I was pretty good at it in the ’90’s. One year I only missed four or five, and I used to […]
Continue readingThe Reader – Film Review
February 15, 2009 0 Comments
The Reader is a grave, intellectual odyssey of shame and awakening set in post WWII Berlin. At the outset is the story of a young boy, Michael Berg (David Kross) who has a chance meeting with a much older woman, Hanna Schmitz (Kate Winslet). Michael is ill and Hanna comforts him and sees to it […]
Continue readingFrost/Nixon – Film Review
January 26, 2009 2 Comments
On the first day of government class as a freshman in college, my professor entered the room pushing a television on a small cart and carrying a stack of magazines. He introduced himself and said that if anyone had not yet purchased the textbook to save their money. For those that already bought it, take […]
Continue readingNo Country For Old Men – You Can’t Stop What’s Coming
April 12, 2008 5 Comments
A brief forewarning. Some people may find this post to be a little on the dark side. Just remember, I’m writing about the movies. None of these things really happened. On screen killings are nothing new. How many times have you seen someone get rubbed out in a movie? Probably too many to count. The […]
Continue readingAcademy Splits Oscar into 13 Pieces
February 25, 2008 0 Comments
Photo Credit: The New York Times The 80th annual Academy Awards ceremony aired last night, hosted for the second time by Jon Stewart. It was more informal and well down on the energy scale than in years past. Mr. Stewart did a great job at bringing his signature lines and delivery to the telecast, while […]
Continue readingMy Oscar Picks on My 50th Post
February 24, 2008 0 Comments
This my 50th post! I started this blog last October as an experiment in social computing. Since I work in the Internet space, I thought it would be good research as we look at launching community for our brand. I’m really into it now. It’s very early Sunday morning February 24th, 2008, and the Academy […]
Continue readingMichael Clayton – Film Review
February 23, 2008 0 Comments
What struck me most about Michael Clayton is how all the players on this project came together as an ensemble, and took this film to a much higher level than might otherwise have been achieved. This is an extreme example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. When you look at […]
Continue readingOscars Go Bleak – Love It
January 24, 2008 0 Comments
The best picture category nominations are as follows. No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood (eight each). Michael Clayton, Atonement (each with seven), and Juno (four). This list of serious and dark films is a reflection of what we have been living this past year. With the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan droning […]
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