The 2017 Cinema Eye Honors were handed out in Astoria, Queens on Wednesday night and the top prize did not go to the doc that has dominated awards season so far, “O.J.: Made in America.” Instead, Kristen Johnson’s “Cameraperson” took the award for Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking. “Cameraperson” also won the Cinematography and Editing prizes. Ezra Edelman‘s “O.J.” took key awards in Direction and Outstanding Production which is awarded to the producers.

Continue reading ‘Cameraperson’ Beats ‘O.J.: Made In America’ For Top Award At 10th Annual Cinema Eye Honors 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.

“It’s definitely open. If there’s a story to tell, and we think people want to hear it, then who knows?” Matt Damon recently told Entertainment Weekly about the possibility of playing Jason Bourne again. And based on the opening-weekend numbers for his fourth time out playing the formerly amnesiac spy, audiences have been eager for more.

Universal‘s “Jason Bourne” opened strong, taking in $60 million.

Continue reading ‘Jason Bourne’ Is Back On Top, ‘Bad Moms’ Opens Strong [Box Office] at The Playlist.

To football fans, Steve Gleason is likely a familiar name. The former NFL player came to national fame for his bruising, all-out, and aggressive on-field nature and particularly for one spectacular play in 2006. As a safety for the New Orleans Saints, Gleason was a part of the post-Katrina team that helped buoy the spirits of a whole city. And, during their first game back in the Superdome (after it was made infamous by FEMA’s inability to get water to the thousands of people stranded inside) Gleason blocked a punt by the Atlanta Falcons that was recovered for a Saints’ touchdown.

Continue reading ‘Gleason’ Is An Emotionally Poignant Portrait Of A Man, A Family, And A Disease [Review] at The Playlist.