Showing posts with label oscars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label oscars. Show all posts

Friday, March 26, 2021

7 Actors Who Should've Won The Oscar Instead (And Who Should Win at the 2021 Oscars)

Every year movie buffs root for their personal faves throughout the award show season. Though we might disagree on who should win, history and hindsight often reveals when other performances were worthier of recognition. In celebration of trying to figure out this year's Oscars odds, I thought it'd be fun to revisit several recent ceremonies and pin down who won versus who should've won.

Which Oscar winners in the past do you think should've won? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Thursday, February 6, 2020

The LAMB Devours The Oscars: Little Women As Best Picture Nominee

Little Women has a steady history of garnering recognition from the Academy Awards. Three of the four past mainstream Little Women films garnered a total of eight nominations – the 1933 version won for Best Writing Adaptation and the 1949 version won for Best Art Direction-Set Direction Color. With Alcott's material earning an 'updated' remix for a new generation, director Greta Gerwig's latest version adds to the nominations with six nods: Best Motion Picture, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Achievement in Costume Design, Best Achievement in Music.

To celebrate the Oscars this year, I'm participating in The Lamb's Oscar Fest to highlight the film's accomplishment for earning a Best Motion Picture of the Year nomination.


Friday, January 17, 2020

Top Nomination Picks for The 92nd Academy Awards

From epic war features to compelling dramas, Hollywood churns out quality films and performances worthy of recognition all year long. Out of the mass selection of potential nominees, only a sliver goes all the way to the Oscars. As nominations for the 92nd Academy Awards were announced this past January, the fervor of who will win at this year's award show became a traditional hot-topic debate between critics and movie goers. With the prestigious ceremony on its way February 9th, 2020, it's time to share my top picks of potential winners from Best Original Score to Best Picture.

Who do you hope will win at the 92nd Academy Awards? Feel free to share your thoughts and your picks in the comments below!


Tuesday, February 26, 2019

5 Changes The Oscars Can Take to Improve Next Year's Ceremony

Maya Rudolph, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler Oscars 2019 Craig Sjodin
photograph by Craig Sjodin / People Magazine
The road leading up to the 2019 Academy Awards ceremony has been anything less than unexciting. In an effort to limit its air time to three hours, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made a scroll's-worth of decisions that drew backlash and criticism from the movie-going community as well as the industry's biggest names. From difficulties landing a host to attempting to break tradition with presenting all of the categories, there are a lot of elements the show got wrong and right this year. Let's keep my unsolicited advice column going, and talk about which steps the Oscars can take to improve next year's ceremony. What did you think about this year's Oscars? Feel free to let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Friday, February 15, 2019

The LAMB Devours The Oscars: A Star Is Born As Best Picture

Warner Bros. Pictures
After eighty-four years, it might be time to let A Star Is Born die. The story of an ingenue rising to the top of the music (or film) industry while falling in love with a veteran spiraling out of control has been told since 1937 (and again in 1954, and then 1976). Now with the massive success of the latest version by director Bradley Cooper and co-star Lady Gaga, there's no doubt that the saga can go out on a high, if also bittersweet, note.

When the production of this musical-drama started coming together in 2016, most people were left scratching their heads: the remake of A Star Is Born had been circulating for years, rumored to star everyone from Beyonce to Leonardo DiCaprio, with director Clint Eastwood, until Bradley Cooper finally signed on to helm the project and Lady Gaga to make her debut in a leading role. Many suspected in the film's earlier days that it would garner the worst the industry has to offer known as the Razzies versus reaching the pinnacle of film-making at the Oscars. As possibly the only other rendition that rivals the most popular 1954 version starring Judy Garland and James Mason, everything that didn’t sound good through the grapevine managed to pull the film through to critical acclaim, memorable chemistry between its leads, and crowd-pleasing tunes.

The film follows aspiring singer Ally Campana (Lady Gaga) who falls in love with Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper), a country-rock musician plagued by substance abuse. While her career takes off with the help of his belief in her talent, his begins to fall apart. Out of their attempts to love each other in the midst of fame comes a movie where almost every production element is the star.

Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Top Nomination Picks for The 91st Academy Awards

For the past several ceremonies, the films and talent nominated for the Academy Awards have passed by without a hitch. Leading up to this year’s prestigious award show, multiple nominees have received praise and acclaim from critics and fans as well as harsh criticism and become the face of dangerous allegations. This has been one of the closest races for nominees so far. The growing anticipation and excitement have made us wonder who will win or walk away empty-handed this year. I thought it'd be fun to share my top picks of everything from Best Music to Best Picture. Who do you hope will win at the 91st Academy Awards? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!

Saturday, August 11, 2018

5 (Real) Ideas to Fix the Oscars

Award shows should be an exciting affair, and generally, they are for the people who they’re geared towards – Grammys ring in devoted music lovers, Tonys for the theatre crowd, Oscars for cinemaphiles, and so on. However, over the past several years  the Academy Awards has felt pressure to increase its ratings despite movie fans accepting the ceremony format (excluding the lack of diversity, of course) the way it is.

With making the Oscars more dynamic in mind, the Academy Awards's planned some big changes. Two, in particular, set fire to the film community: the show's running time will be limited to three hours period (by filming the technical winner's speeches during commercials and then aired as a montage). And, creating a new separate category for Popular Film instead of acknowledging blockbusters with other Best Picture nominees.

While their new ideas certainly had good intentions, it's not difficult to notice that the Oscars ceremony continues to gloss over its other mistakes. From forced comedy sketches to general pat-each-other-on-the-pack merriment, there's harmless flubs that makes it feel like we're watching the same ceremony over and over again; small reasons why the ratings continue to decline. So, how can the most anticipatory time of the year for movie buffs actually change for better? I have a few ideas. I'd love to know how you feel about the Oscars' announcements. Let me know in the comments!

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Top Nomination Picks for The 90th Academy Awards

90th Academy Award Nominations and Predictions to Win
It's the biggest time of the year for the film industry: the Academy Awards are just around the corner! Members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences are closing in on naming the chosen ones for best actors and productions over the past year. What are the odds this year's nominees will win? After aggregating the nominations from award shows so far and figuring out who might actually walk away with gold this year, I thought it'd be fun to share my top picks of everything from Best Music to Best Picture. Who do you hope will win at the 90th Academy Awards? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!

Friday, February 24, 2017

2017 Artwork Celebrating Oscar Best Picture Nominees

The Oscars are right around the corner. Arrival, Fences, Hacksaw Ridge, Hell or High Water, Hidden Figures, La La Land, Lion, Manchester by the Sea, and Moonlight are the latest cycle of films to be nominated for Best Picture. Only one nominee will go home with gold, but they've all generated inspiration for movie goers and artists. In celebration of coveting the big prize, here's another collection of artwork from around the web by very talented artists. Hope you enjoy!


Monday, February 20, 2017

Favorite Oscar Acceptance Speeches

Award show season is one of my favorite times of the year. Ever since I was a little girl, I've dragged my family into the living room to celebrate one of Hollywood's biggest events of the calendar: the Academy Awards. It's the one night where I rave about my favorite celebrities, gab about the fashion, and get inspired with the humbling Thank Yous.

With one acceptance speech, I'm reminded that all the greatest stars of the silver screen are still are people who had a dream and their hard work paid off. In celebration of film, here are some of my favorite acceptance speeches - What are your favorite acceptance speeches? Feel free to share below!
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Cuba Gooding Jr for Best Supporting Actor in Jerry Maguire

Not only one of my favorite movies of all time but one of my favorite performances too. A partner to Tom Cruise's Jerry Maguire, Gooding kills it at his only client; eccentric, family-oriented, bursting with frustration Rod Tidwell. A deserved award for a deserving performance in a cut-too-early standing ovation worthy speech.

Christian Bale for Best Supporting Actor in The Fighter

An actor with a stable amount of performances that were so worthy of nominations. A longtime fan since seeing him in Little Women when I was nine, I was so happy to witness the night he finally knicked one.

Marion Cotillard for Best Actress in La Vi En Rose

She could win an Oscar for a Crest toothpaste commercial. A bundle of stunning nerves and grace, Cotillard expresses what everyone must think of when they run out of peers and family to thank.

Tom Hanks for Best Actor in Philadelphia

Words so beautiful and spoken so sincerely, there might not be a truer heavenly speech that tops this one. An equally wonderful speech is worth a look as well for his award-winning work in Forrest Gump.

Matthew McConaughey for Best Actor in The Dallas Buyers Club

McConaughey accepts an award in the only way most would expect, giving some life lessons to just keep livin' as the underrated storyteller he really is.

Hattie McDaniel for Best Supporting Actress in Gone with the Wind

For a heartbreaking performance and an award that broke down barriers, Hattie McDaniels gives a beautiful thank-you speech so full of heart and class.

Audrey Hepburn for Best Actress in Roman Holiday

Roman Holiday is not a movie I've seen yet, but I trust by the love of her work that it is well deserved. Her speech is the gentlest one ever uttered. Who couldn't listen to her soft voice all the live long day

Saturday, September 10, 2016

My Way-Too-Early 2017 Oscars Predictions

Award show season is just around the corner. With film festivals underway, I thought it'd be fun to dabble in a round of early Oscar picks. This collection is a mix of movies I'm really excited for and ones that are already getting rave reviews. Who do you will be up for nominations next year? Feel free to share in the comments!

Arrival

Amy Adams plays a linguist recruited by the military to make contact with alien spacecrafts landing around the world. Both director Denis Villeneuve and Adams are longtime critic faves but have yet to earn top prizes. With the film becoming a smash-hit at this summer's festivals, Arrival will probably make contact with award show season for Best Picture and Best Actress. If Leonardo DiCaprio can finally snag the big one, so can Adams!


Bill Lynn's Long Halftime Walk

Upon returning home from an Iraq battle, a young soldier Billy Flynn recounts the horrors of what happened during a victory tour. From the visionary director of Life of Pi, director Ang Lee adapts the book which contrasts the reality of war, military members returning home, and a country's patriotic perception of sacrifice. This could easily put newcomer Joe Alwyn on the map and be worthy of another Best Picture nod for Lee.


Certain Women

Director Kelly Reichardt weaves the lives of three women played by Kristen Stewart, Michelle Williams, and Laura Dern in a small-town. Reichardt is touted as one of America's best yet quietest filmmakers but this could be the work-of-art that gains her 'mainstream' recognition.


Hidden Figures

Katherine G. Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle MonĂ¡e) star as the brains behind one of NASA's historical achievements of launching astronaut John Glenn into orbit. Hidden Figures echoes the warmth and liveliness of The Help by celebrating the women who broke through barriers of gender and race.


Jackie

Like icons Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn, first lady Jackie Kennedy Onassis is in a special league of historical figures that Hollywood has tried to create biopics of for decades. One of the biggest surprises has been director Pablo Larrain's first English film starring Natalie Portman as the titular character. Many are calling it truly visionary and a biopic worthy of Jackie's story exploring the before and after of her time in the White House. This biopic might actually do her justice.


La La Land

Lala Land is earning rave reviews for best picture and it's leading lady. Director Damien Chazelle of the ruthless Whiplash changes his tune with an old-fashioned musical a la Singing In The Rain to explore a romance between a jazz pianist (Ryan Gosling) and aspiring actress (Emma Stone). I love Classic Hollywood, and I'm eager to see Chazelle try to channel modern stars to Tinseltown's retro era.


The Lobster

Similar to Wes Anderson's slow-to-rise hit The Grand Budapest Hotel, director Yorgos Lanthimos' The Lobster is one of the most polarizing independent films this year. Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz play two of many singles who live at specialty residences and are given forty-five days to find a romantic partner or be turned into an animal. Called everything from artistic, boring, and a weird love story, the movie has been loved or hated across the board. While I was in the middle over The Lobster - didn't love or hate it, I'd just love to see Rachel Weisz nominated for anything, The Lobster, Complete Unknown or The Light Between Oceans.


Lion

Based on Saroo Brierley's memoir A Long Way Home, a young boy gets lost on the streets of Calcutta and adopted by an Australian couple, and grows up to find his lost family. The film looks beautifully directed, and I don't know - isn't it about time Dev Patel was shown more love in Hollywood?

A United Kingdom

Set in the 1940s, A United Kingdom recounts the interracial marriage that sparked international controversy when Prince Seretse Khama of Botswana married a white Londoner Ruth Williams. Uniting Oscar nominees David Orweylo and Rosamund Pike, director Amma Asanta brings her extraordinary touch to a political-fueled romantic story dealing with racism.

Friday, February 26, 2016

2016 Oscars Best Picture Nominated Posters

2016 Best Picture Oscar Movie Posters
It's that time of year again for the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences to award one of eight nominated films for Best Picture: The Big Short, Bridge of Spies, Brooklyn, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Martian, The Revenant, Room, Spotlight. The header above was inspired by the official theme of the ceremony this year: dreaming in gold. In continuing another collection of artwork from around the web, here's a selection of posters nominated for the coveted Best Picture.

Monday, February 23, 2015

2015 Red Carpet Looks + Moments

John Shearer/Invision/AP
The red carpet season has come and gone, my friends. There were plenty of great moments these past two months (and well into 2014 too). Instead of just going for the usual award show season fan fare, I've sprinkled moments from movie premieres, Met Gala, and the film award show season. Hope you enjoy my favorite red carpet looks, photographs, instagrams, and all that jazz.

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Reconsideration: Chicago (2002)

1920s. Jazz. Booze. Adultery. Murderesses on death row. Aspiring vaudevillian Roxie Hart (Renee Zellweger) guns down her lover Fred Casley (Dominic West) after he betrays her with phony show-business connections. When she is sent to jail on a hanging case, her faces off against chanteuse Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones) for the help of money-loving lawyer lawyer Billy Flynn (Richard Gere).

Winning six Academy Awards (out of its total thirteen nominations) in 2002, Chicago remains one of the most celebrated and hated musicals of all time. Premiere Magazine named it "one of the twenty most overrated movies of all time", a type of recognition echoed on other prestigious film lists. As one of my favorite musicals, I've tried to understand if the hate is the worth the hype.