We could write something really meaningful about documentaries and how they impacted the decade, changed our lives, made us cry, made us angry, gave us a call to action, or shined a light on something we otherwise might not know about. We could talk about the portraits of people we adored, people we lost, or chronicles of injustice or venality or obscure spotlights on little-known subjects. And we’ll do that, eventually, but right now, it’s Friday, and we just want to sleep and drink and possibly never wake up, so please enjoy our Best Documentaries of The Decade feature, this placeholder we may or may not update when we’re feeling alive, and our genuine thanks and appreciation for all your reading, sharing, clicking, etc.

Continue reading The Best Documentaries Of The Decade [2010s] at The Playlist.

If you’re reading this article, odds are, you go the movies fairly often. And, if you live in a major city, perhaps you’re a fan of supporting smaller releases, when you’re able. But where films are projected was once dubbed the Picture Palace for a reason; big movies cost big money and they are a product of privilege. Streaming possibilities have changed this significantly, however, and for hard-working women, in particular.

Ava DuVernay, creator, co-writer and director of the new Netflix series, “When They See Us,” has spoken in the past about the lack of opportunity for female filmmakers to direct big-budget drama films, and in a new New York Times article – featuring over 20 other respected industry professionals – she also claims that her Netflix documentary “13th,” was seen by far more people than her theatrically released film, “Selma,” a holiday release that received a big Oscar campaign, yet arguably underperformed from both a box office and awards perspective.

Continue reading Ava DuVernay, Lena Waithe & Jessica Chastain Talk About The Benefits Of A Streaming Future at The Playlist.

As expected, “La La Land” danced its way to victory in almost every major category at the 2017 EE BAFTA Awards on Sunday. The blockbuster musical won five statues including Best Film, Director (Damien Chazelle), Lead Actress (Emma Stone), Cinematography (Linus Sandgren) and Original Music (Justin Hurwitz). That being said, it did miss out on some key honors where it was nominated.

Continue reading Analysis: BAFTA Awards Keeps The ‘La La Land’ Oscar Train Running With Few Surprises at The Playlist.

Prediction used on nominees [Feb. 5]

NOMINEES
1. “O.J.: Made in America”
2. “13th”
3. “I Am Not Your Negro”
4. “Life, Animated”
5. “Fire at Sea”

PREVIOUS CONTENDERS (for historical context)
“Cameraperson”
“Command and Control”
“Fire at Sea”
“Gleason”
“Hooligan Sparrow”
“The Ivory Game”
“Tower”
“Weiner”
“The Witness”
“Zero Days”

Gregory Ellwood’s Current Oscar Predictions:
Best Picture
Director
Best Actress
Best Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Original Screenplay
Adapted Screenplay
Editing
Cinematography 
Production Design
Animated Feature Film
Foreign Language Film
Documentary Feature
Original Score
Original Song
Costume Design
Makeup and Hairstyling
Visual Effects
Sound Mixing
Sound Editing

Continue reading 2017 Best Documentary Oscars Predictions at The Playlist.

I promised my editors that I’d ease off on the ‘2016 was awful’ intros to our year-end features. That said, fuck 2016, right in the eye. It’s been a crappy twelve months personally and politically (though happily not professionally), and for the first six months or so, cinematically too.

But fortunately, the movies came through, and the late summer and fall pulled things back to, if not a classic year of film, at least one with a variety and diversity of great movies of every kind.

Continue reading Oli Lyttelton’s Top 15 Films Of 2016 at The Playlist.

We’re deep into the week before Christmas and still cutting a swath through our Best/Worst/It’s Complicated Year-End coverage, most of which we hope you’ve all read and enjoyed, or at least been engaged by (it’s okay, you can disagree). This year, a few documentaries made it onto our collective 25 Best Films of the Year list; in 2016, it seems that many of the achievements in non-fiction cinema have rendered moot the notion of keeping narrative and documentary separate for evaluation.

Continue reading The 22 Best Documentaries Of 2016 at The Playlist.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the field of 15 for the 2017 Documentary Feature Academy Award and while there were some notable snubs the only one that is cringeworthy is the absence of “Miss Sharon Jones!”

“O.J.: Made In America,” which has taken almost every major critics prize so far, made the cut as did 2016 Sundance Grand Jury prize winner “Weiner.”  The notable omissions are actually mostly from Park City debuts and include “Newtown,” “Jim” (the Audience Award winner), “Trapped,”Tickled” and “Audrie & Daisy.”

Other docs that didn’t make the list include “Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds,” Werner Herzog’s “Into The Inferno” and “Amanda Knox.”

105 documentaries were submitted this year and the Academy’s Documentary branch will now pick the final five nominees from the following 15 films.

Continue reading ‘O.J.: Made In America’ And ‘Weiner’ Make The 2017 Documentary Feature Oscars Cut at The Playlist.