The 2017 Awards Tracker is full, the teas leaves have been read, the races have been broken down, and every category has been analyzed. I've made my detailed picks in seven columns and editorials over the past week. Here's my complete and master list. I've said it all along. Stick with me and I will win you that Oscar pool at home or at work! Use this as your checklist and cheat sheet of choice!
Read MoreIn this seventh and final post, we have reached the top of the mountain: Best Picture. I've said this through this entire Oscar prediction series and season. Stick with me and I will win you your Oscar pool!
Read MoreIn this sixth post, we look at the races for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor. Stick with me and I will win you your Oscar pool!
Read Moren this fifth post, we look at the races for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. Stick with me and I will win you your Oscar pool!
Read MoreIn this fourth post, we look at the writing and directing awards covering Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Stick with me and I will win you your Oscar pool!
Read MoreIn this third post, we look at the visual and artistic categories which include Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Film Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Costume Design, and Best Makeup and Hair-Styling. Stick with me and I will win you your Oscar pool!
Read MoreYesterday, I threw down the gauntlet for the fourth year in a row to predict the eventual nominees in the "Big 8" categories (Best Picture, Best Director, the four acting categories, and the two screenplay awards) and, boy, did I nail it. In total, I predicted 38-of-44 correctly for 86% accuracy, with two perfect categories of 5-out-of-5 and all the Best Picture nominees. That’s my best year yet.
Read MoreThe 89th Academy Award nominations will be announced Tuesday morning, January 24, 2016 after a longer gap than usual between the Golden Globes that were given out back on January 8th. As always, I've been following the full awards season over on my Awards Tracker page. Using that data as the tea leaves and a truckload of hunches, I'm going to attempt to closely predict the Oscar nominations for the "Big 8" categories for the fourth year in a row.
Read MoreTwo founders and directors of the Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle felt the romantic power of "The Light Between Oceans" from director Derek Cianfrance and starring Oscar contenders Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, and Rachel Weisz. Enjoy the first impressions of myself andJim Alexander of The Movie Blog and The Young Folks!
Read MoreOne could say melodramas take preposterous human mistakes and play them for dramatic effect. They challenge the audience to interpret how you would act defiantly or morally differently in the same situation. These films do so while still compelling you watch in hope for any semblance of a happy ending. To understand “The Light Between Oceans” is to understand melodrama. The themes of melodramatic journeys are meant to be arduous. In the medium of film, the clinchers that aid in the ability to embrace and appreciate a melodrama are its tone and the acting performances. “The Light Between Oceans” flourishes to accomplish both benchmarks.
Read More