FYC: The Network Sitcom Makes a Comeback

By Christopher James

ABC's breakout hit "Abbott Elementary" isn't the only network success this season.

When was the last time anxiously awaited new weekly episodes of a network TV comedy? It’s been nearly a generation since comedies like Roseanne, Friends and Seinfeld ruled the airways. It’s even been a decade since critical darlings like The Office, 30 Rock and Parks and Recreation amassed their devout followings. Ratings for network TV comedies have continued to dwindle while critics and the Television Academy lost interest. In the past 10 years, only five shows have been nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series at the Emmys: 30 Rock, The Big Bang Theory, Modern Family, black-ish and The Good Place. In short, the writing was on the wall that the network sitcom was dead.

Everybody loves a comeback, though...

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Support Original Filmmaking - See 'Everything Everywhere All At Once' on the Big Screen

by Eurocheese

If you haven’t already experienced the cinematic joy of seeing Everything Everywhere All at Once with an audience yet, you’re missing out. This creative powerhouse is adding back IMAX theaters this week and may become A24’s biggest box office hit to date. Anyone who believes Hollywood doesn’t bring original content to our screens anymore owes it to themselves to see this as soon as possible. Just in case you weren’t convinced by the critical raves and audience support, here are a few reasons this film needs to be seen on the big screen.

Daniels’ (writer/director duo Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert) latest film is a visual feast, incredibly made for just $25 million and a tiny vfx team. As it pairs elements of action with comedy and family drama, the action sequences dazzle with varying tones, ranging from images you might see in a Scott Pilgrim vs. the World battle to scenes that the cast of Jackass would applaud...

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Film Bitch Award Medalists (aka If I magically chose all the Oscars)

by Nathaniel R

The Gold Medalists for acting this year: Colman, Cumberbatch, Negga, Domingo

The Film Bitch Awards are now in their 22nd year (gulp). While I don't normally track the stats of my own awards the way we all delight in tracking Oscar stats, I did notice that for the first time in all of those years the Picture/Director fields were an exact match. The nomination portion is more fun than the virtual medal ceremony since I've always believed that nominations are wins and spreading the wealth is more artistically accurate! The Power of the Dog emerged as the big winner (no surprise) with 5 Gold Medals. Dune and Zola were the only other films that picked up multiple gold medals in the Oscar parallel categories. (NOTE: The "extra" categories are not yet complete but we'll try to wrap them up before Oscar night).

See the Oscar parallel winners
Page 1  Picture, Director, Screenplay, Animated Feature
Page 2  Lead and Support Acting.
(Half of the 12 medalists -- gold, silver, and medal -- were not Oscar-nominated which is fairly typical. If I could choose only one "Performance of the Year" across all categories, it would be Ruth Negga for Passing. )
Page 3  Visual Categories
Page 4  Sound Categories

FYC: Gaby Hoffmann in "C'mon C'mon"

by Lynn Lee

Gaby Hoffmann doesn’t make it look easy.  Motherhood, that is.  Neither is she a drama queen about it.  As down-to-earth Viv – sister to thoughtful, sad-eyed journalist Johnny (Joaquin Phoenix) and mother of Jesse (Woody Norman), the precocious 9-year-old Johnny looks after for a time – she just shows and tells it like it is, with an honesty, humility, and humor that’s as refreshing as it is rare to see on screen.  And that, precisely, is why she’s the secret weapon of C’mon C’mon, and why she should be in the running for Best Supporting Actress Oscar.

That she isn’t even in the conversation is due as much to the nature of C’mon C’mon as Hoffmann’s performance...

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FYC: Ruth Negga in "Passing"

by Cláudio Alves

Earlier in the awards season, I became discouraged at the thought that the year's best performance was doomed. Critics didn't rally behind Ruth Negga as I had hoped, and her film, no matter how spellbinding, looked likely to be ignored. Despite such worries the arrival of prominent Oscar precursors and industry awards has revitalized hope. After Globe and SAG nominations, Negga is poised to earn a second Academy Award nomination for her supporting turn as Clare Bellew in Rebecca Hall's cinematic adaptation of Nella Larsen's novel Passing. But of course, even when a nod feels secure, it's never a bad idea to gild the lily and remind folks of an actress's genius…

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