It's official: two locks for Oscar wins just got unlocked. For the first phase of the awards season - a.k.a. Critics Groups - the Supporting Actor and Actress categories were dominated by Willem Dafoe (The Florida Project) and Laurie Metcalf (Lady Bird). They had become the safest bets of the entire Oscar season. Then the [...]
**1/2 out of **** Rated R (for pervasive language, violence, and some sexual content/nudity) Released: December 8, 2017 limited; January 12, 2018 wide Runtime: 120 minutes Director: Craig Gillespie Starring: Margot Robbie, Allison Janney, Sebastian Stan, Bobby Cannavale, Paul Walter Hauser, Julianne Nicholson Second-hand Scorsese by way of David O. Russell Oscar grabs (American Hustle, Joy), I, Tonya [...]
If history is any indication, the winner for Best Picture at the upcoming 90th Annual Academy Awards will be one of these three films: Get Out Lady Bird Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri They were among the five nominated by the Directors Guild of America for 2017's Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Feature Film. The [...]
The night's big winner now has more Globes than Billboards. Writer/Director Martin McDonagh's Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, about a mother in a rural town who stands up to local police for neglecting justice in her daughter's rape/murder case, was the big winner at the 75th Golden Globe Awards, winning 4 including Best Motion Picture [...]
Apropos of mostly hunches, here's my completely pointless list of predictions for who will win the film awards at the 75th Annual Golden Globes, handed out by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, and hosted by NBC Late Night host Seth Meyers. I'm remaining neutral on the TV categories. Below each prediction, I provide brief reasoning [...]
Put a bunch of film critics from across the nation into a New York room and what movie can they all agree on? Lady Bird, which took top honors from The National Society of Film Critics for 2017's Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay - all going to Greta Gerwig. Gerwig has long been [...]
***1/2 out of **** Rated R (for strong language, drug content, and some violence) Released: December 22, 2017 limited; January 5, 2018 wide Runtime: 140 minutes Director: Aaron Sorkin Starring: Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, Michael Cera, Jeremy Strong, Chris O’Dowd, Bill Camp, Samantha Isler Available to rent or purchase through Amazon Video or buy on Blu-ray and DVD. Proceeds from purchases made [...]
It may not be the final Best Picture Oscar list, but it's close. The nominations for the 29th Annual Producers Guild of America awards - honoring the best produced movies of 2017 - have been announced. An equivalent to the Academy Awards' Best Picture category, the PGA nominations are always a good sign of where [...]
***1/2 out of **** Rated TV-14 (for some language and adult themes, including sexual references, and smoking) Released: December 1, 2017 (exclusively on Netflix) Runtime: 120 minutes Directed by: Nana Ekvtimishvili, Simon Groß Starring: Ia Shugliashvili, Merab Ninidze, Berta Khapava, Tsisia Kumsishvili, Giorgi Khurtsilava, Giorgi, Tabidze, Mariam Bokeria, Lika Babluani, Dimitri Oragvelidze, Goven, Cheishvili Streaming exclusively on [...]
Of all the industry guilds, the Writers is the biggest wild card. Snubs aren't only normal; they're ingrained into the legalese of the org's eligibility rules. Due to arcane requirements in their "Minimum Basic Agreement", the Writers Guild of America annually overlooks some of the season's major Academy Award contenders. Those most often overlooked are [...]
I Can't Unsee That Movie: film news and reviews by Jeff Huston 