Best Picture in Black-and-White: 2023 Edition

by Cláudio Alves

Re-releasing films in black-and-white, whether in theaters or through physical media, has become something of a trend. This year, Godzilla Minus One prompted a new edit with color stripped away, revealing a new way to consider its post-war twist on the kaiju mythos. I understand why audiences and filmmakers get carried away by these experiments. After all, for the past few seasons, it's a The Film Experience tradition to re-think the year's Best Picture Oscar nominees in silvery monochrome, pondering what each flick would look like transformed.

This is an exercise that can reveal qualities in composition and lighting, as well as provide a reference for the role of color in visual storytelling. Sometimes, its absence makes no difference. In other cases, a movie can't work in grayscale… 

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Split Decision: "Past Lives"

No two people feel the exact same way about any film. Thus, Team Experience is pairing up to debate the merits of this year’s Oscar movies. Here's Mark Brinkerhoff and Lynn Lee on Past Lives...

MARK: Past Lives, fresh off its big wins at the Independent Spirit Awards, is, I think it’s safe to say, the indie darling of this Oscar season. American Fiction aside, no 2023 indie film seems to endure with as much feeling in cinephile's imagination than Past Lives, more than a year after its premiere at Sundance. But maybe I’m projecting here, because I love, LOVE, love! Past Lives, the beautiful, heartfelt film debut of real-deal filmmaker Celine Song. What say you?

LYNN: Past Lives is absolutely this year’s indie movie that could – the one that premiered with relatively little fanfare at Sundance only to build a tidal wave of support over the course of 2023. Not just support: love like yours, and not just love from critics, but from regular moviegoers. I can’t tell you how many friends or even casual acquaintances have told me, unprompted, that Past Lives was the best film they’ve seen in a long time...

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39th Spirit Awards: My Personal Ballot

by Cláudio Alves

The Film Independent Spirit Awards are almost here! While one waits away the hours before the ceremony starts retrieving a tradition from the Film Experience past feels like a good idea. So, here goes my ballot as a Spirit Awards voter, but only in the film categories since I'm much more unsure in the TV categories – evaluating only from submitted episodes of shows I don't watch feels tricky, especially when it doesn't look like folks submitted their best option. Even in film, many of the nominees were unfamiliar to me, making the voting process an experience marked by discovery. 

There were a lot of beautiful surprises, resulting in a varied ballot. At least, I hope it reads that way, though my absolute favorite contender is easy to suss out…

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Last Minute FYCs from Team Experience

by Nathaniel R

Rachel McAdams in "Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret."

Oscar nomination voting began yesterday morning and will continue through Tuesday, January 16th at 5 PM. Word has it that the bulk of Academy members vote early in the time frame. For those holdouts who are still thinking about their ballots and screening a couple more films just to be sure, we asked members of Team Experience to share what they hope will be considered...

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Weekend Awards Wrap-Up: Just Before the Globes

by Cláudio Alves

Da'Vine Joy Randolph won the Big Four critics awards. Nothing can stop her now!

Hours away from the Golden Globes, it's time to consider the past two weeks of winners, runners-up, and the whole shebang. The new year started with a golden tsunami, as Randolph consolidated her favorite status even more than before, and Past Lives staked its claim as one of the season's major contenders. The NSFC was more conventional than expected, while the Astras were their usual self, regional critics groups did their thing, and the Alliance of Women Journalists continued to prove its un-seriousness. Also, a potentially fake critics group is making some noise.

Though the Oscar nominations are just a few weeks away, the season is far from over. If anything, the race is just now heating up…

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