Golden Globe Nominations! "Banshees" and "Abbott" lead

The nominations for the 80th annual Golden Globes have been announced with Banshees of Inisherin leading the pack (with an incredible 8 nominations - that's a lot for the Globes!) and Abbott Elementary leading for television (5 nominations). The Globes will return to NBC (and Peacock) on January 10th. The HFPA's (Hollywood Foreign Press Association) show was off the air for a year while doing internal reforms included adding 124 members in various capacities (including US journalists working for non-US outlets) and making their voting pool 52% female and 51.5% racially or ethnically diverse, and also becoming a for-profit institution under new ownership. The January event will be hosted by comedian Jerrod Carmichael who has had an amazing 2022, hosting Saturday Night Live in April and winning the Emmy for his brilliant special "Rothaniel" in September. Full list of nominations (comments in progress - refresh your screen periodically) after the jump...

Click to read more ...

Which young male actors will factor into awards season?

by Nathaniel R

Gabriel Labelle in "The Fabelmans"

While rising stars are a semi-annual event in the female acting categories, Oscar voters have long been resistant to young male actors. The statistics bear this out. For whatever reason (cough *the patriarchy*) voters prefer their women young / full of potential and their men older / with lots of achievements already under their belt. Yes, those stats are beginning to change. For example, Oscar voters have been much kinder to 40something to 60something actresses in the past couple of decades than they previously were. With the men, though, things have stayed much the same. 

Once men enter their 30s, awards bodies tend to take them seriously but before the 30something years it definitely takes a very special combination of the right role in the right film in the right year and with the right co-stars. Do you think any of these men will make it this year? Here are eight actors, thirty or younger, that are in the conversation or adjacent to it this season...

Click to read more ...

TIFF Diary #4 - 'My Policeman' and 'Banshees of Inisherin'

by Baby Clyde

7 hours of glorious sleep at a festival! Knowing that nothing could compare to my Tanya T adventure the day before, I sensibly hadn’t booked any further films for the evening, so I was home in bed by midnight. I know it sounds ridiculous when some people work in mines and on 16-hour shifts of emergency wards, but film festivals are exhausting! Not proper, real-world exhausting but certainly no-time-to-do-anything-else or call your mum exhausting. I also of course have to find time every day to send these lightweight bulletins for the millions of you eagerly awaiting my next update. All refreshed at 7am I was ready for the days entertainment. As you will discover that early start came back to bite me by the end of the day. 

I started my viewing in style, Harry Styles in point of fact. After dabbling in acting the last few years, he’s been handed actual leading-man status. By the evidence of this offering, it may be a bit too soon...

Click to read more ...

Yes, No, Maybe So? "The Banshees of Inisherin"

by Nathaniel R

You can tell that it's August since more and more 'prestige' projects are revealing themselves and the fall film season is looking mighty tasty. Today the first poster and trailer to Martin McDonagh's The Banshees of Inisherin. We don't know how Martin McDonagh keeps getting away with memorable film titles when Hollywood loves nothing more than to rename projects something utterly generic the title alone works wonders. What does it mean exactly in this context? It's so evocative and Irish, too. This is McDonagh's first film since his mainstream breakthrough with Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) though he was of course already an Oscar winner before that film via his short film Six Shooter (2004). Curiously he has yet to win a Tony despite five of his projects being nominated for Best Play (The Beauty Queen of Lenane, The Lonesome West, TThe Lieutenant of Inishmore, Hangmen, and our favourite of his work The Pillowman).

After the jump the poster and trailer...

Click to read more ...

April Foolish Pt 4 - Who might be in the 'Best Supporting Actor' discussion?

by Nathaniel R

Barry Keoghan announcing a wrap on Banshees of Inisherin via his social media

We all agree that Best Supporting Actor is the dullest of Oscar's Big Six, right? But it doesn't have to be! Too often the final lineup leaves a lot to be desired. But for the first Oscar predictions of the year, before much is known about the movies themselves, let alone their supporting* characters we can imagine all sorts of possibilities. Whose role are you most intrigued about? I'm most curious which never-nominated actor will join the club this year. Here's to hoping that Barry Keoghan, Brian Tyree Henry, Glynn Turman, Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, Harry Melling, Idris Elba, Colin Farrell, and even Chris Rock (no, really) MIGHT have the kind of roles that could get them there. They also might not (of course) but these are the April Foolish Predictions so you have to guess while essentially blindfolded.

Check out the new chart / predictions

You may have noticed that neither Leonardo DiCaprio or Jesse Plemons are on this chart. As far as we can tell  Killers of the Flower Moon is a two-lead film. Obviously films don't campaign two leads in the same category anymore (sigh) but we're not about to encourage the powers that be to commit category fraud so until campaigns tell us otherwise our new policy is to put them in the correct category.

Previously
Pt 1 Animated Feature Preview
Pt 2 Screenplays and Music Categories 
Pt 3 Visual Category Discussion