The Oscars were back in the Dolby Theater this year with social distancing and eight categories presented before the live show even began. While there was a joke about Samuel L. Jackson in hosts Regina Hall, Amy Schumer, and Wanda Sykes‘ opening bit, his Oscar moment presented by Denzel Washington, along with all the other Honorary Oscars were similarly not presented live. Despite containing one of the most WTF moments in Oscar history, the show oscillated between dragging and feeling weirdly chaotic.

Continue reading Oscars 2022: The Snubs & Surprises at The Playlist.

Every Tuesday, discriminating viewers are confronted with a flurry of choices: new releases on disc and on-demand, vintage and original movies on any number of streaming platforms, catalog titles making a splash on Blu-ray or 4K. This twice-monthly column sifts through all of those choices to pluck out the movies most worth your time, no matter how you’re watching.

Some of this month’s big Oscar contenders make their way to disc and streaming in this week’s round-up, alongside a couple of splashy fall star vehicles, a cornucopia of Romanian cinema, and some juicy genre cinema.

Continue reading The Best Movies To Buy Or Stream This Week: ‘Drive My Car,’ ‘House Of Gucci,’ ‘Belfast’ & More at The Playlist.

Awards season just loves drama, doesn’t it? After months of barely a peep of any real controversy, the past few weeks have seen both the Academy and – sorry, checking my notes – ah, yes, Sam Elliott come under fire. And, in the biggest surprise of all, the latter’s unexpected comments have a shot at affecting a seemingly tight Best Picture race (maybe). Let’s start with AMPAS, however, and an Oscar telecast that no amount of protesting is going to change.

Continue reading It Wouldn’t Be A Best Picture Race Without More Controversy [Contender Countdown] at The Playlist.

Was this a year of potential Oscar nominees attempting not to pay attention to the nominations’ announcement? We’ve already heard from Supporting Actress nominee Aunjanue Ellis, who didn’t turn her phone on until 11 PM that day out of fear of disappointing those closest to her. Now, speaking to Ciarán Hinds, we learn the “Belfast” star discovered he landed his first nod while going through security on his way home to Paris.

Continue reading Ciarán Hinds On Leaving Belfast 45 Years Ago To An Oscar Nomination [Interview] at The Playlist.

Perhaps the Best Picture race is truly over. When the 2022 Oscar nominations were announced Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog” landed 12 nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, Adapted Screenplay, four acting nominations, and Editing. The only contender with nods in the five key categories. It also earned Original Score, Sound, Cinematography, and Production Design nods. In fact, the only qualifying branches that didn’t recognize it were Costumes and Makeup and Hair.

Continue reading Is ‘Power Of The Dog’ Your Oscar Winner For Best Picture? at The Playlist.

Well, it’s certainly that timer again. The 94th Academy Award ceremony announces its Oscar picks for 2022. It’s been a long and winding Oscar season, but this phase of the campaign is about to be over. Will Netflix and “Don’t Look Up,” “The Power Of The Dog” dominate? Will Disney find some redemption in Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story”?

Continue reading 2022 Oscar Nominations: ‘Power Of The Dog’ Leads With 12 Noms, ‘Dune’ Nabs 10 [Full List] at The Playlist.

The Oscar nominations are finally here. AMPAS members are collectively ready to unveil some surprises, some snubs, and, most notably, make history. When the nominations are announced insanely early on Tuesday morning Netflix may become the first studio or distributor to land three Best Picture nominees in one year in over five decades. And even more potentially historic, Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s “Flee” could become the first film to earn International Film Film, Animated Feature, and Documentary Feature nominations (Spoiler: We’re predicting it).

Continue reading Oscar Nominations Predictions 2022: ‘Dune,’ ‘Power of The Dog’ & ‘Belfast’ Will Dominate at The Playlist.

The Oscar nominations are just a few days away, but early this morning BAFTA revealed their nominees for the 2022 British Academy Film Awards. And, as in recent years, they served as an indicator of where AMPAS members may throw their ballots. In something of a surprise, “Dune” lead all films with 11 nominations including Best Film.

READ MORE: “Belfast,” “Only Murders In The Building” and “Succession” lead 2022 SAG Awards nominations

Other nominees for Best Film included “Belfast” (6 noms), “Don’t Look Up” (4 noms), “Licorice Pizza” (5 noms) and “The Power of the Dog” (8 noms).

Continue reading ‘Dune’ Leads 2022 BAFTA Awards With 11 Nominations at The Playlist.

It was a day when four Hollywood guild honors had their say and the editors cut themselves into the picture with the 2022 ACE Eddie Awards nominations. On the film side, 10 nominees were recognized in two categories. Those films are “Belfast,” “Dune,” “King Richard,” “No Time To Die,” “The Power of the Dog,” “Cruella,” “Don’t Look Up,” “The French Dispatch,” “Licorice Pizza” and “tick, tick…BOOM!”

READ MORE: “Belfast,” “Dune” and “Succession” among 2022 PGA Awards nominees

Surprising omissions in the film categories include “West Side Story,” “Licorice Pizza” and “Nightmare Alley.”

On the television side, “Euphoria,” “Lupin,” “Squid Game” and two editors of “Succession” earned nods in the Drama category while “Hacks,” two nods each for “Ted Lasso” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” made up the Comedy field.

Continue reading ‘No Time To Die,’ ‘French Dispatch’ & ‘Euphoria’ Among 2022 ACE Eddie Awards Nominees at The Playlist.

The Producers Guild of America announced the film and television nominees for the 2022 PGA Awards and it was a banner day for Netflix. Three of the streamer’s films earned nominations, “Don’t Look Up,” “tick, tick…BOOM!” and “The Power of the Dog.” The rest of the Theatrical Motion Picture category included “Belfast,” “CODA,” “Dune,” “King Richard,” “Licorice Pizza” and “West Side Story.”

READ MORE: “Summer of Soul,” “Flee” among 2022 PGA Awards nominees

This was disappointing news for “Nightmare Alley,” “No Time To Die” and “The Lost Daughter,” but all is not lost.

Continue reading ‘Belfast,’ ‘Dune,’ ‘Succession’ Among 2022 PGA Awards Nominees at The Playlist.

The American Society of Cinematographers announced their 2022 nominees this morning and it was good news for Sci-Fi fans. Over six categories projects such as “Dune,” “Foundation,” “Titans,” “Snowpiercer,” “Superman & Lois” and “The Nevers” earned nominations. Of course, it’s the film nods that will get the most attention.

READ MORE: “Belfast,” “Only Murders in the Building” and “Succession” lead 2022 SAG Awards nominations

Greig Fraser‘s work on “Dune” was nominated in the Feature Film category alongside Bruno Delbonnel for “Tragedy of Macbeth,” Dan Lausten for “Nightmare Alley,” Ari Wegner for “The Power of the Dog” and Haris Zambarloukos for “Belfast.” Additionally, the Spotlight category saw Ruben Impens recognized for “Titane,” Pat Scola for “Pig” and a very deserving Adolpho Velos for “Jockey.”

On the television side, other nominees included James Laxton for “The Underground Railroad,” Ben Richardson for “Mare of Easttown,” David Garbett for “Sweet Tooth” and Adam Bricker for “Hacks.”

Some of the snubbed film contenders that will be looking to crack the Oscar field include “The French Dispatch,” “West Side Story,” “Cyrano” and “No Time To Die,” among others.

Continue reading ‘Dune,’ Nightmare Alley,’ ‘Belfast’ Earn 2022 ASC Awards nominations at The Playlist.

If you’re looking for an indicator of potential Oscar nominations sometimes you need to look across the Atlantic to the Academy’s British counterparts, BAFTA. The U.K.-based organization features a large cross-section of AMPAS members so their nominations can tell along about where the Oscars may (or may not) go. This morning BAFTA released the first phase of its nominations, the Longlists, and what stood out the most was just how much Netflix dominated the proceedings.

Continue reading ‘West Side Story,’ ‘The Power Of The Dog’ & ‘Don’t Look Up’ Dominate The BAFTA Awards Longlists at The Playlist.

Do the Golden Globes even exist if there isn’t a ceremony televised to the world? Or a red carpet? Or those fabulous parties that were spread out around the Beverly Hilton Hotel? Do these awards mean anything if the winners are not promoted in FYC ads for weeks to come? Well, we’re about to find out.

READ MORE: “West Side Story” and “Belfast” top 2022 Critics Choice Awards nominations [Full List]

The 2022 Golden Globe Awards were handed out in a private ceremony that focused on the changes the organization has made since coming under fire for its lack of African American or Black members, among other issues, last year.

Continue reading ‘West Side Story,’ ‘Power of the Dog’ & ‘Succession’ Top 2022 Golden Globe Awards Winners at The Playlist.

It’s that time of year when friends, family, and AMPAS voters catch up on the deluge of year-end films they’ve missed out on over the previous few months. Last week, a friend sent me the following message out of context: “Caitriona Balfe!” I quickly recognized his exuberance was referencing Kenneth Branagh’s semi-autobiographical “Belfast,” which had just found itself available to rent on digital services. And while the film is full of Oscar nomination-worthy performances, it’s the “Outlander” star who is arguably most deserving of the Academy’s golden touch.

Continue reading Caitriona Balfe On ‘Belfast’ & That “Terrifying” ‘Everlasting Love’ Moment [Interview] at The Playlist.

Do you hear that noise? That’s the sigh of relief across Hollywood for the engineers, mixers, and artists behind the Sound Oscar contenders for 2022. This year’s shortlist included two musicals (“West Side Story,” “tick, tick…BOOM!”), two prestige dramas (“Belfast,” “The Power of the Dog”) and just one super-powered blockbuster (“Spider-Man: No Way Home”).

READ MORE: Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” dazzles [Review]

Surprising snubs in this always competitive category included “In The Heights,” “Respect,” “The French Dispatch,” “Nightmare Alley,” “Don’t Look Up,” “The Green Knight, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of 10 Rings” and “Godzilla vs.

Continue reading ‘Dune,’ ‘West Side Story’ Ring In Oscars’ 2022 Sound Category Shortlist at The Playlist.

The National Board of Review and the New York Film Critics Circle have had their say. Now, the American Film Institute’s jury of industry professionals and media members (who decides this group is always quizzical) has made their top 10 selections for 2021 for both film and television. The latter saw recent newcomers “West Side Story,” “Nightmare Alley” and, shockingly (considering the reviews), “Don’t Look Up” make the list.

READ MORE: “Licorice Pizza” named Best Film of 2021 by National Board of Review

In a statement, the always longwinded and “give me a spotlight” AFI President and CEO Bob Gazzale noted, “AFI is honored to shine a proper light upon the most outstanding screen stories of 2021 and those who worked collaboratively to bring them to screens large and small.

Continue reading ‘West Side Story’ ‘Nightmare Alley’ Make AFI’s Top 10 Films Of 2021 at The Playlist.

Almost every Oscar season there seems to be one young actor who charms the pants off everyone. Sometimes they win Oscars (“The Piano’s” Anna Paquin), sometimes they get nominated (“Beasts of the Southern Wild’s” Quvenzhané Wallis), sometimes they grow up to have established careers (“Billy Elliot’s” Jamie Bell, “About A Boy’s” Nicholas Hoult) and often they just have a grand ol’ time on the awards circuit (“Room’s” Jacob Tremblay, “Jojo Rabbit’s” Roman Griffin Davis).

Continue reading ‘Belfast’s’ Jude Hill Is Oscar Season’s Next Irresistible Child Actor [Interview] at The Playlist.

There is a common refrain being heard around Hollywood these days and it’s not one that will make the Academy happy (and, no, it’s not about an Academy Museum which has only three floors of exhibits). As more and more AMPAS members screen this year’s crop of Best Picture contenders – and, granted, they are barely getting started – many are verbalizing their concern over the Academy’s decision to stick with 10 nominees this year.

Continue reading The Great Hunt For 10 Best Picture Nominees Continues [Contender Countdown] at The Playlist.

TORONTO – Before “Belfast” won the Toronto International Film Festival’s prestigious People’s Choice Award, took audience awards at three other fall festivals or landed 11 British Independent Film Awards nominations, Kenneth Branagh and Jamie Dornan sat down with The Playlist to talk about the former’s autobiographical tear-jerker. Masked in a Toronto hotel suite the morning following its TIFF premiere, the conversation occurred during a calm before a growing awards season storm.

Continue reading Kenneth Branagh & Jamie Dornan On ‘Belfast’ And Judi Dench’s Immediate “Yes” [Interview] at The Playlist.

After taking a peek at what’s to come this November, there’s no denying that we’re fully in “the thick of it” when it comes to prestige film releases. Many festival darlings such as “Spencer” and “The Power of the Dog” are making their debut this month, while other slightly under the radar but still celebrated titles will be premiering as well.

Alongside the heavy lifting of some of these awards-friendly titles, there’s also plenty by way of blockbuster releases and easy escapism, from the latest Marvel release “Eternals” to the Netflix/Dwayne Johnson action film “Red Notice.” There will always be gems found in any month (and certainly films to almost always catch up on).

Continue reading 18 Films To See In November: ‘Eternals,’ ‘House Of Gucci,’ ‘Spencer’ & More at The Playlist.

Unlike Adapted Screenplay, the Original Screenplay category is not only more competitive but likely more settled with at least three nominees. Paul Thomas Anderson has four, yes, four Screenplay nominations to date (split in Original and Adapted), but has never won. Will “Licorice Pizza” deliver him a fifth nomination? It looks like it. Kenneth Branagh‘s autobiographical “Belfast” is pretty much a lock for a nomination (he earned an Adapted nod for “Hamlet” in 1998) and it’s likely Zach Baylin lands a nod for “King Richard.” As for the rest?

Continue reading Original Screenplay Oscars 2022 Predictions & Contenders at The Playlist.

Every year, there’s a film that seems to sneak up on everyone during film festival season and becomes a front-runner for the Best Picture Oscar race. This year, it seems like that film is “Belfast.”

READ MORE: Kenneth Branagh’s ‘Belfast’ Is A Stirring Coming-of-Age Portrait With Magnificent Performances [Telluride Review]

And as seen in the newest trailer for “Belfast,” writer-director Kenneth Branagh returns with a deeply personal black and white drama about one boy’s childhood in the 1960s.

Continue reading ‘Belfast’ Trailer: Kenneth Branagh’s Period Drama Is An Early Awards Season Favorite at The Playlist.

This year’s Best Picture race is all about the 10. There won’t be seven, eight or nine nominees this year. No, the Academy has guaranteed that there will be 10 selections for the first time since 2011. What that means in terms of recognizable trends remains to be seen, but the increasingly international membership means there could be at least two non-English language players announced on February 8. Then again, maybe not.

READ MORE: Kenneth Branagh’s ‘Belfast’ Is A Stirring Coming-of-Age Portrait With Magnificent Performances [Telluride Review]

The other major aspect of the race involves time.

Continue reading Best Picture Oscars 2022 Predictions & Contenders at The Playlist.

The last few years have found the “industry” buzzing over when Netflix will capture its first Best Picture win. Considering the considerable effort the streamer has put into its film awards publicity and marketing campaigns over the past four years this shouldn’t be a surprise. So far, Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma,” Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” and David Fincher’s “Mank,” among others, have earned the company massive critical acclaim and a bounty of statues.

Continue reading ‘Belfast’ Is Your Unexpected Best Picture Frontrunner…For Now [Contender Countdown] at The Playlist.

Kenneth Branagh‘s autographical period piece “Belfast” was already the toast of the 2021 Telluride Film Festival earlier this month. Now, its Oscar hopes for a Best Picture nomination now seem assured after capturing the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival People’s Choice Award. The Focus Features release took the prize over Shasha Nakhai and Rich Williamson’s “Scarborough,” and Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog,” which placed second and third respectfully.

Continue reading ‘Belfast’ Gets Oscar Boost With 2021 TIFF People’s Choice Award Win at The Playlist.