MikeQ

Last year's hostless ceremony worked really well because it had a great intro from Tina, Amy, and Maya, and then streamlined through the awards. And moments like Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga performing felt effortless, with no introduction and the performance speaking for itself. This year it feels like they chose a whole bunch of people to play host and introduce people, creating a ton of needless filler. And what was up with that random performance from Eminem? Bizarre, in my opinion. Peace, Mike

I felt Parasite was superbly edited, and would have given it the award, but unfortunately best editing = most editing, from my perspective. Peace, Mike

Pic of the night for those who were coveting a Jen & Brad "reunion" picture since the Globes, heh:

I was hoping we would see a Schitt's Creek win for Comedy Ensemble, or a win for Catherine O'Hara, but maybe it will win next year for its final season. I'm glad Eugene and Dan Levy got to open and close the awards. Peace, Mike

Parasite has now won ACE and SAG - if Bong Joon-ho pulls out a DGA win, I think it becomes the frontrunner for the Best Picture Oscar. Of course, it would be the first foreign language film to win, and maybe the Academy will instead keep it relegated to the International Feature Film category, but it did also become the first foreign language film to win Ensemble. Man, I'd really love to see it win! Peace, Mike

Heck yeah, Parasite! Awesome win. Peace, Mike

For what it's worth, I've watched the whole thing, and I felt the show did get better through the course of the season, with the last three episodes being the strongest and putting the rest of the season into focus. Peace, Mike

I agree that the PGA win now puts 1917 in a good spot for the Oscar win. But, from what I recall, DGA is actually a stronger predictor of the Best Picture Oscar. We haven't heard from DGA yet, so if Mendes does not win at the DGA, the race could still be open. 1917 is also not even nominated for SAG Ensemble, so if another film wins DGA and SAG Ensemble, that film will, in essence, have the support of the directors and actors. Or if the three guilds split entirely, we could have an open race that depends on how the preferential ballot plays out for the Best Picture Oscar. Peace, Mike

This film is technically and visually great (one remarkable scene is seared in my brain), but what really makes it work for me is that it resonates emotionally. Still thinking about it, but for now, it does feel to me that the choice of making it seem like one long take is in service of the story in at least a couple different ways. I have to unpack it, and I may post my larger thoughts on the film later. Peace, Mike

It still makes me cringe when box office sources say "screens" or "screen count" when they really mean theatres/theatre count. Peace, Mike

No foreign language film has ever won the Best Picture Oscar. Before Parasite, only ten foreign language films have been nominated for Best Picture; Parasite now makes 11 films. The Academy now calls them "International Feature Films", but still has the requirement that the film has to be in a language other than English. It makes for a confusing category, as this means it disqualifies international films that are in English (even if the country's official language, or one of their official languages, is English). Although "International Feature Films" is more accurate in the sense that the films in this category have to be from another country (i.e. non-American) in order to be nominated - so, a film in a foreign language but produced in America isn't eligible (for example, Letters from Iwo Jima). Peace, Mike

Every year I wonder if the Best Picture category will yield anything but 8 or 9 nominations, and each year yields the same 8 or 9 nominations (since the rule change). With the strength of this year, I thought these Oscars had the best chance of getting 10 nominees, but it obviously didn't happen. Similarly, there has been enough support for a range of films each year to never go below 8 nominees. I'm not sure we'd ever get only 5 nominees, but 7 nominees seems like a realistic possibility/outcome in the future, given the rules. Or maybe not. Peace, Mike

As far as nominations go, Netflix dominates this year and it is by far their biggest and broadest showing. Among all 24 categories, Netflix has scored 24 nominations (the most this year of any studio). They have several films represented in these nominations, with The Irishman (10 noms), Marriage Story (6 noms), and The Two Popes (3 noms), as well as American Factory and The Edge of Democracy (both in Best Documentary Feature), Klaus and I Lost My Body (both in Best Animated Feature), and Life Overtakes Me (Best Documentary Short Subject). They also have two nominations in the Best Picture category, one in the Best Director category, seven (!!) acting nominations, and three screenplay nominations. Last year, Netflix had 15 Oscar nominations, with 10 of those being for Roma and 3 for The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. This is a remarkable year for Netflix. Three years ago (2017), was the first time Netflix had ever won an Oscar (winning best Documentary Short Subject); two years ago (2018) was the first time Netflix had won a major Oscar (Best Documentary), and last year was the first time Netflix had a film nominated for Best Picture. Peace, Mike

This is the second year in a row that Meryl Streep hasn't been nominated, which would be the first time since before 2007 that she has gone more than a year without being nominated. Isn't that incredible? From 2007-2018, she scored 8 Oscar nominations, never going more than a year without one. It's from The Devil Wears Prada in 2007 onward, really, that Meryl became MERYL, culturally speaking. She did the same thing from her first Oscar nomination in 1979 (for The Deer Hunter) through to 1991 (Postcards from the Edge), with 9 Oscar nominations over a 13 year span, never going more than a year without one. Between those two periods was her "lull", relatively speaking, and yet she still scored another four Oscar nominations (in 1996, 1999, 2000, and 2003), which for anyone else, would not at all be considered a lull, lol. I'm not ready for Meryl to stop dominating the Oscars. I want her to win one more so she can be tied with Katharine Hepburn as most Oscar winning actor (at 4 wins each). A purist might say she should win 2 more (in the lead category), as Hepburn's 4 wins are all in the lead category (whereas Meryl's original Oscar win was for Kramer vs. Kramer in the supporting category). Please keep acting into your 80s and beyond Meryl! Peace, Mike

This doesn't really make much sense, particularly in relation to The Irishman, which Scorsese couldn't get made anywhere else. Increasingly Netflix are making films that the studio industry won't make anymore, and Netflix's lure is not "your films will win awards" but rather that they provide the space for creative freedom and the ability to make their films. Besides, with Roma winning awards last year, and The Irishman and Marriage Story winning awards this year, Netflix is on a good trajectory thus far. None of the films may have won them a Best Picture Oscar (if neither The Irishman or Marriage Story win Best Picture at the Oscars), but only one film a year can win the award. Roma still won 3 Oscars, 2 Golden Globes, and major critics awards. Likewise, The Irishman and Marriage Story have won major critics awards, and look to score a wealth of Oscar and industry nominations for Netflix (with Laura Dern looking to score SAG/Oscar wins at this point), as they did Golden Globe nominations, even if they don't prove to be eventual winners. Peace, Mike

Yeah, I could see this week being the potential turning point for 1917 emerging as the new frontrunner, if it also does well when it opens wide and everyone gets a chance to see it. And 1917 seems like a choice BAFTA would go for. The only snag is that 1917 got no representation with SAG, but those nominations were released fairly early (on Dec 11 last year). The ranked ballot method for Best Picture at the Oscars makes things somewhat less straightforward. But Oscar nominations are not even out yet (nor are PGA/DGA noms) - I need to see how all of the films fare overall when it comes to nominations. And sometimes the Globes are siloed from the industry, when it comes to their picks. For example, - In 2015, Spotlight won zilch at the Globes, but won SAG ensemble and went on to win the Best Picture Oscar. - In 2010, The King's Speech didn't win Picture, Director or Screenplay at the Globes, but went on to win PGA, DGA and SAG Ensemble, and won the Best Picture Oscar. - In 2009, The Hurt Locker won zilch at the Globes, but went on to win PGA & DGA and the Best Picture Oscar. Peace, Mike

After winning Picture and Director here, could 1917 go on to become the frontrunner? It goes wide in a week, so presuming it is nominated at PGA/DGA/Oscars, it could really develop momentum for the Oscar win. Peace, Mike

Renee is terrific in Judy - she totally captures the spirit of Judy Garland. And whatever you think of the film, Joaquin is terrific in Joker. I'm pleased with both wins. Peace, Mike

Definitely a surprise win! Maybe, but not necessarily. For the last couple of years, the Globes have given Drama, Comedy/Musical, and Director to three different films. Peace, Mike

Like I said, I am not questioning that the reception of 'Us' was mixed. I am questioning your assertion that Us's box office performance is bad, and that it can be treated purely as your usual original horror film, given it was a highly anticipated follow-up to the director's previous horror film that became a cultural phenomenon. A large opening of $70M is relevant context in this situation, and your argument is too simplistic, IMO. Peace, Mike

Not when you're a horror movie that opened to over $70 million. 'Us' was Jordan Peele's highly anticipated follow up to his leggy hit 'Get Out', and it netted a lot of comparisons. We don't really have a lot of films that fall in this category, given only 5 horror movies have ever opened to over $70M: It (2017) — 123.4 million It: Chapter 2 (2019) — 91.1 million I Am Legend (2007) — 77.2 million Halloween (2018) — 76.2 million Us (2019) — 71.1 million All of the films above are in 2.X multiplier range, with the exception of I Am Legend that opened in December and benefited from the December holiday period. The reception of 'Us' may have been mixed, but its box office performance, with a 70M+ opening and 2.5 multiplier, while not amazing, is not bad, IMO. Peace, Mike

I was so impressed with season 3. It really felt like it established its own identity as a season, and grew with the now older kids. It weaved in anti-Russian hysteria, which was a staple of American cinema during the Cold War, and a changing economy and culture around malls, in ways that felt appropriate and timely for the show. The more humorous or exaggerated tone of this season felt totally appropriate to me given the anti-Russian narrative of the season, as exaggerated comedy/drama was characteristic of the Cold War films of the 80s. And the characters of the show continue to go on interesting journeys. And that bathroom scene - so, so good. Looking forward to season 4. Peace, Mike

Looks good. I like that the focus of the second film appears to be somewhat different from the first - with greater world building and new characters (love Cillian Murphy) - and that it isn't just going to be a continuation of the exact same. The audience has already been introduced to the central horror element (re: silence) in the first film - so what journey is the second film taking us on? The challenge, then, for this film will be finding that emotional narrative core, once again. The reason why the first film works so well is exactly because it doesn't rely exclusively on its horror premise, and focuses on a family and characters experiencing crisis. It is an affecting experience. The opening sequence of the trailer is awesome. And of course, for me, Emily Blunt at the centre of the story once again elevates this film for me. Looking forward to checking this out. Peace, Mike

To be specific, technically TLJ had a 2.82 multiplier. At a $177.38M opening weekend for TROS x 2.82 = 500.2M total. (The annoying statistician in me...) Peace, Mike

This seems a little hyperbolic to me, but to be fair, I am not a Star Wars fanboy, so I'm not familiar with the minutiae of concepts like The Force. If you're a fan very invested in the Star Wars universe, I can understand having strong opinions about what it should be. That being said, while I'm not totally familiar with what kind of world building mistakes the sequel trilogy has made from your perspective, I think the core of any good movie - and perhaps especially when it comes to a good sci-fi/fantasy movie - is a story with compelling themes about characters facing conflict, internal or external. I think many compelling stories could be told within the Star Wars universe moving forward - even if you believe this sequel trilogy was unsuccessful in this regard - as a science fiction/fantasy backdrop can be such a brilliant way of telling very human stories in an accessible and entertaining way. Sci-fi/fantasy represents not just escapism or world building, but a safe way to explore genuine human problems. Peace, Mike