You probably remember “Never Gonna Snow Again” from the Venice Film Festival last year, where it was met with much acclaim. Then Poland chose it as their Official Submission to the 93rd Academy Awards. “Close your eyes and imagine what Jonathan Glazer’s ‘Under the Skin‘ would evolve into if its tone were more uplifting than unsettling and its protagonist wasn’t preying on humans but trying to heal them,” our reviewer from Venice wrote.

Continue reading ‘Never Gonna Snow Again’: Watch An Exclusive Clip From Malgorzata Szumowska’s Lynchian Sci-Fi Mindbender at The Playlist.

To many Oscar observers, there are already a ton of questions about this year’s Best Picture race. How many films will actually get nominated? Can Netflix actually land three Best Picture nominees? Will any films be seen in theaters before voting begins? But, one individual category that is even more wide open and puzzling for even the most veteran awards season strategist is the battle for the International Film, formerly Foreign Language Film, Oscar.

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On pace for potentially a record number of submissions, the International Film Oscar has taken on greater significance in recent years with winners “Amour” and “Roma” also earning Best Picture nods, Asghar Farhadi‘s “The Salesman” 2017 triumph seen as a rebuke by AMPAS members of the Trump Administration’s “Muslim Ban,” Sebastián Lelio‘s “A Fantastic Woman” being a landmark moment for transgender representation in film and, of course, Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite” becoming the first non-English language film to win Best Picture.

Continue reading International Film Contenders Ready For A Wide Open Oscars Race at The Playlist.

Close your eyes and imagine what Jonathan Glazer’s “Under the Skin” would evolve into if its tone were more uplifting than unsettling and its protagonist wasn’t preying on humans but trying to heal them. That new material would remain a film about a mysterious entity coming into a foreign land, or planet, and peculiarly engaging with its inhabitants—who may never unearth the origin or exact motivations of their unannounced guest.

Continue reading ‘Never Gonna Snow Again’ Is A Hypnotic Sci-Fi Drama Centered On An Enigmatic Immigrant With Soothing Powers [Venice Review] at The Playlist.