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.

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.

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.

We compiled an aggregated Playlist Best Films Of 2015 which you can find here. However, regular contributors were also given the chance to submit personal lists.

I think we can all agree that 2016 has been a dumpster fire on top of a pile of burning kittens and puppies kind of a year. We lost some of the greatest artists and immeasurably important pop culture icons, and got rewarded with a last minute kick in the nuts after one of the ugliest and enraging election campaigns the U.S.

Continue reading Oktay Ege Kozak’s Top 10 Films 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.

The Producers Guild of America announced the documentary nominations for the 2017 PGA Awards this morning, and there was a bit of a surprise. The nominated documentaries are as follows:

“Dancer”

“The Eagle Huntress”

“Life, Animated”

“O.J.: Made in America”

“Tower”

Not making the cut are “Weiner” (politically relevant and Sundance Jury Prize winner), Ava DuVernay‘s timely “13th,” “Cameraperson,” “I Am Not Your Negro” and “Miss Sharon Jones!” It’s unclear if “Fire at Sea” qualified.

Continue reading ‘O.J. Made In America’ Leads Documentary Nods For 2017 PGA Awards at The Playlist.

In 1966, University of Texas engineering student Charles Whitman shot and killed over a dozen people, wounding over 30 more, from the large clock tower on campus. His story has been told in movies before, but the new documentary “Tower” uses animation to chronicle of the events of that day like never before.

READ MORE: Why We Have To Separate The Art From The Artist, And Why We Can’t

The first thing that jumps out at the viewer when they see the newly released trailer for “Tower” is the animation.

Continue reading Trailer For SXSW Documentary Winner ‘Tower’ Uses Animation To Chronicle A Tragedy at The Playlist.