A week after Will Smith’s actions tarnished the 2022 Academy Awards, there were no new reports regarding the Best Actor winner and his eventual reprimand from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Oscars’ co-host Amy Schumer caused some rumblings over a stand-up set referring to the now-infamous night, but there wasn’t much else in the way of news related to The Slap. And considering the story was, as expected, a focus of “Saturday Night Live” and the Grammy Awards over the weekend, it was a welcome relief to not hear about it or be forced to talk about it for at least one day.

Continue reading Oscars’ New Rules: Social Media, Golden Globes, Original Song & More at The Playlist.

After the dismal ratings of last year’s Oscar broadcast, a lot was in the balance for this year’s edition, one less severely curtailed by Covid protocols but with its own share of new worries and controversy. The decision to have the awards from eight categories (documentary short, film editing, makeup/hairstyling, original score, production design, animated short, live-action short, and sound) handed out at the beginning of the ceremony, before the event actually went live on television, was met with strong resistance from all corners of the industry.

Continue reading Analyze This: Why ‘Coda’ Won The 2022 Best Picture Oscar at The Playlist.

Last year’s Academy Awards was scaled-back, and while the pandemic isn’t over yet, you wouldn’t know it from how this year’s Oscars ceremony was put together along with serving alcohol to maskless celebrities, which might have been a poor choice in the wake of the BAFTAs turning into a super-spreader event. Then again, COVID-19 won’t likely end up being the most talked-about aspect of the awards.

READ MORE: Oscars 2022: The Snubs & Surprises

Highlights from the winner speeches include Jessica Chastain taking the Best Actress statue for “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” and spending her acceptance speech calling out the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

Continue reading Oscars 2022: Watch All The Winner Acceptance Speeches at The Playlist.

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.

After a long and predictably fraught journey, Oscar season finally came to an end tonight in a wild ceremony hosted by Regina Hall, Wanda Sikes, and Amy Schumer. In an effort to attract more viewers and make more time for “entertainment,” as Oscar producer Will Packer put it, the show cut eight categories from the main broadcast. Jumbling things further, those eight categories and their speeches were then edited into the live broadcast in brief intervals, making one wonder what the point was, given the show actually ran longer than last year.

Continue reading Oscars 2022: ‘CODA’ Wins Best Picture, ‘Dune’ Takes 6 Awards [Full Winners List] at The Playlist.

A streamer has won the Oscar for Best Picture, but, surprisingly, it isn’t the industry’s leader, Netflix. Instead, Apple TV+ has made history, taking the Academy Award’s top honor for “CODA.” It’s a win that is historic on a number of levels.

READ MORE: Troy Kotsur Is Living The Dream Thanks To ‘CODA’ [Interview]

Launched in November 2019, Apple TV+ landed Hollywood’s biggest prize in less than three years of existence.

Continue reading ‘CODA’ Wins Best Picture & Makes Oscar & Apple TV+ History at The Playlist.

In one of the best stories of the entire awards season, Troy Kotsur has topped his remarkable run by winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. The “CODA” star became just the second deaf actor to win an Academy Award following his co-star Marlee Matlin who won Best Actress for “Children of a Lesser God” in 1987. Kotsur’s win also was the first Oscar for streaming service Apple TV+.

Continue reading ‘CODA’s’ Troy Kotsur Wins Best Supporting Actor & Becomes Second Deaf Actor To Win An Academy Award at The Playlist.

There is one thing we know for sure about the winners of the 94th Academy Awards. Many of them will have contributed to Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” (when do we start referring to it as “Dune: Part One”?). We’re predicting six Oscars will be awarded to the Warner Bros. release. Barring some gigantic surprise, Best Picture will not be one of them.

READ MORE: Oscars 2022: Everything We Now Know About The Telecast So Far

In any other year, the mantra for an Oscars consultant is “You win in phase one.” That is, most voters decide their Best Picture pick when they vote on the nominated field itself, not after the nominations are announced.

Continue reading Oscars Predictions 2022: ‘CODA,’ Jessica Chastain & Lots Of ‘Dune’ at The Playlist.

One of the few awards show to stick to a virtual presentation this year was the WGA Awards. Handed out during a ceremony on Sunday afternoon, the voting members of the Writers Guild rewarded a number of familiar television programs and were shockingly safe when it came to the film honorees. The top two prizes, Original Screenplay and Adapted Screenplay, went to the writing teams of “Don’t Look Up” and “CODA,” respectfully.

Continue reading ‘Don’t Look Up,’ ‘CODA,’ ‘Hacks’ & ‘Succession’ Top The 2022 WGA Awards at The Playlist.

Sian Heder made the right call. She could have stayed in Los Angeles to attend the Critics Choice Awards where she was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for “CODA,” but instead, she went with one of her nominated actors, Troy Kotsur, to London for the 2022 BAFTA Awards, where she was nominated in the same category. A few days later, both she and Kotsur hand-carried their new BAFTA Awards through Heathrow airport back to the United States.

Continue reading Sian Heder Is Ready For New Challenges After ‘CODA’ [Interview] at The Playlist.

The last few weeks have been life-changing for Troy Kotsur. His first Oscar nomination. A SAG Award for Best Supporting Actor. A Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male. And, this past weekend, a BAFTA Award for Supporting Actor. He is the first deaf actor to win all of these honors, all in recognition for his performance in Sian Heder‘s Best Picture nominee, “CODA.” And appreciation for a career on stage and screen that has lasted almost three decades.

Continue reading Troy Kotsur Is Living A Dream Thanks To ‘CODA’ [Interview] 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.

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.

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.

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.

The current lowdown on the Adapted Screenplay category will sound very familiar to a number of other races this awards season. There are just three or four likely locks for a nomination, Jane Campion‘s adaptation of Thomas Savage‘s novel, “The Power of the Dog,” Maggie Gyllenhaal’s adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s “The Lost Daughter,” Tony Kushner’s adaptation of the original stage play for “West Side Story” and, maybe, Sian Heder’s English adaptation of the French film “La Famille Bélier” for “CODA.

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

Just as things were seemingly returning to normal – albeit slowly for some – it would seem that we may be going back to studios possibly shifting release dates for their more prominent properties. Or maybe “Clifford the Big Red Dog” is simply an outlier. That said, for the time being, there’s plenty of films on the docket worth keeping an eye out for in a month full of original content and few titles (such as the well-regarded “The Suicide Squad“) based on existing properties.

Continue reading 13 Films To Watch In August: ‘Suicide Squad,’ ‘Candyman,’ ‘Coda’ & More at The Playlist.

Yes, it’s that time again. Before you can even take a moment (or two months) to smell the roses, it’s Oscar season again and the race for that elusive Best Picture win. Granted, in a “traditional” year we’d be in a post-Cannes period looking forward to the deluge of fall festival world premieres. However, this year the pandemic pushed the annual French cinematic lovefest to July. With the Venice, Telluride, and TIFF trifecta beginning just six weeks later, the 2022 season is in for a fast and furious start.

Continue reading Ultimate 2022 Oscars Best Picture Contenders Guide at The Playlist.

Apple TV+ has put out a bunch of high-profile original movies in the year-and-a-half since its launch.  “On the Rocks,” “Greyhound,” and “Cherry” were all made with veteran directors and big-name stars. But critics weren’t as enthusiastic about any of those projects as the streamer might have hoped.  “CODA,” on the other hand, has been piling up accolades without an A-lister in sight.  

Continue reading ‘CODA’ Trailer: The Deaf Culture-Focused Drama that Dominated Sundance Comes To Apple TV+ In August at The Playlist.

The streaming wars are fully upon us, and as summer goes into full swing, AppleTV+ is starting to flex its wares. Today, the streamer unveiled an exclusive preview of new series and films coming to Apple TV+ now through Fall 2021.  The clip features first looks at things like “The Morning Show” season two, “Ted Lasso” season two, more footage of their expensive sci-fi “Foundation” Isaac Asimov series adaptation, and, perhaps most interesting to us, the upcoming series “The Shrink Next Door.”

READ MORE: Summer
TV Preview: Over 40 Series To Watch

The series hails from director Michael Showalter (“The Big Sick,” “The Lovebirds”), writer Georgia Pritchett (“Succession,” “Veep”), but perhaps most importantly stars the lead trio of Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, and Kathryn Hahn (“WandaVision,” “Mrs.

Continue reading AppleTV+ Offers First Look Footage From ‘The Shrink Next Door’ Series Starring Will Ferrell & Paul Rudd, ‘Ted Lasso’ S2 & More at The Playlist.

So… I guess we’re back? If you’re an American, chances are you’ve been vaxxed to the max already and or are probably awaiting your second dose, which should come quickly.  As we already noted, folks like Marvel are already flexing, welcoming audiences back to theaters, and well, that means nature is healing, right? Cinema is healing too, and with New York vowing to reopen fully on June 1, that probably means the rest of the country isn’t far behind.

Continue reading Summer 2021 Preview: Over 50 Movies To Watch at The Playlist.

For the first time in recent memory, the Sundance Film Festival recruited just three members each for its competition juries. Even in the context of a virtual festival, that might have been a mistake after one film dominated the Dramatic category winning four awards. In very much a surprise, the crowd-pleasing “Coda” took the Grand Jury-Dramatic, Grand-Jury Audience, Directing (Siân Heder) and a special extra honor for its ensemble.

Continue reading ‘Coda’ Dominates 2021 Sundance Film Festival Awards at The Playlist.

Writer-director Siân Heder, whose unconventional family drama “Tallulah” premiered at the 2016 edition of Sundance, is excited to be back at the festival, even if the conditions are somewhat different this year with the event taking place virtually due to the ongoing pandemic. “Sundance sent us a package yesterday,” Heder says over a Zoom conversation before the opening night premiere of her film “CODA.” “[It] had a down coat, my festival badge, and a hat for Sundance.

Continue reading Siân Heder Talks Sundance Crowd-Pleasing Drama ‘CODA,’ Deaf Culture, Families & More [Interview] at The Playlist.

In this virtual era, it goes without saying that much of the communal aspect of a film festival has evaporated. Strangers don’t compare notes waiting inline or with their neighbor before a film begins. Reactions are confined to social media or you’re favorite message thread. And for Sundance, a festival that can launch a film into the stratosphere after one glorious world premiere, the loss of in-person screenings is even more painful. That being said, if there is any film that would elicit a buzzworthy standing ovation in both Park City’s gigantic Eccles Theater and in viewer’s living rooms it’s Sian Heder’s “CODA,” which was part of a slate of films to open the 2021 edition of the fest on Thursday.

Continue reading ‘CODA’ Transcends The Feel-Good Movie Genre Even When You See It Coming A Mile Away [Sundance Review] at The Playlist.

Every year is a good year to stan female directors, but 2021 has cooked us up a real feast. Acting veterans like Rebecca Hall, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Robin Wright, and Halle Berry are finally claiming their director’s chairs on feature films, while arthouse icon Jane Campion is returning to hers after 12 years. Foreign language directors like Lucile Hadžihalilović and Ildikó Enyedi are making their English-language debuts, and French juggernaut Mélanie Laurent is working on two releases back to back.

Continue reading 52 Films Directed By Women To Watch In 2021 at The Playlist.