Oscar Volley: Best Original Score

For today's Oscar volley, Eurocheese and Nathaniel discuss Best Original Score. 

Editor's Note: This conversation began before the finalist list for Original Score was announced on December 21st but we thought we'd share as is, given what was said!

EUROCHEESE: Nathaniel, I'm excited to discuss this with you! I left theaters several times this year thinking, I need to look that music up when I get home. It's always fun to connect which previous films come from the same composers as well. I expect we'll see both familiar and new faces in the line up this year.

Oppenheimer's epic soundscape comes from Ludwig Göransson, recent Oscar winner for his work on Black Panther (and a nominee for its sequel), He will no doubt score his third nomination for the orchestral nuance he brings, especially standing out in the film's quieter scenes. If I had my say, though, this award would go to Robbie Robertson's ode to the Osage Nation in Killers of the Flower Moon. If I could only award the film a single Oscar, it would be in this category. Robertson has never been nominated, despite his long standing collaboration with Scorsese (including films like Gangs of New York, Shutter Island and Silence). Since he passed away earlier this year, this will be the Academy's last chance to honor him...

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Friday Awards Wrap-Up: Toronto, Dublin, and so much more

by Cláudio Alves

At long last, Danielle Brooks has won something for her performance in THE COLOR PURPLE.As the holiday break looms large on the horizon, a veritable tsunami of critics groups decided to announce their winners. It was a busy week, extending past the US regional prizes, and some consensus is forming. Killers of the Flower Moon has won almost a quarter of Best Picture honors, while Christopher Nolan is favored in Best Director. For the actors, Gladstone, Murphy, Randolph, and Downey Jr. are the critics' preferred quartet. However, one should note that, at long last, the Holdovers' hold on Best Supporting Actress has been broken. Both Danielle Brooks and Rachel McAdams managed some victories. Finally, some variety…

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Oscar Volley - Adapted Screenplay

For today's Oscar Volley, Lynn and Elisa discuss the Oscar race for Adapted Screenplay.

LYNN LEE: Let’s start with the elephant giant doll not in the room: Barbie is out!  Assuming, that is, the Academy agrees it’s properly competing for Original rather than Adapted Screenplay.  Personally, I think Barbie does belong in Original even if it is technically based on an existing “property.”  And whatever the calculus behind the decision to compete in that category, I’m not convinced it has an easier path to victory than if it had opted for Adapted.  Be that as it may, its absence means that in stark contrast to last year, this year’s Adapted Screenplay slate may be composed entirely of adaptations of books, glorious books!

But which ones?  Oppenheimer and Killers of the Flower Moon are the two obvious frontrunners, and I’m bullish on American Fiction getting a nod based on how enthusiastically it’s been received by early audiences.  Poor Things is probably also in, even if the film proves too outré for the more conservative segment of the Academy. The last slot is hard to predict, but it’s still most likely to be something derived from a book – whether it’s The Zone of Interest, All of Us Strangers, or Priscilla. (Though I feel like Priscilla has faded from the conversation.)  Or The Color Purple, which is adapted from the musical but still derived from the Alice Walker novel...

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Critics Choice Awards: "Barbie" Scores the Most Nominations EVER!

by Cláudio Alves

The Critics Choice Association, formerly the Broadcast Film Critics Association, has announced its nominees for 2023. As always, rather than reflecting the critical consensus, they're little more than an attempt at predicting the Oscars. One wonders how an organization like this can feel so divorced from what critics are actually celebrating. In any case, it's time to analyze their choices as precursors in the race for gold and point to whatever idiosyncrasy can be found amid the boredom. Barbie is the big champion here, having scored 18 nominations, the most of any film in the organization's history...

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For the LAFCA, the Future is Female

by Cláudio Alves

The Los Angeles Critics LOVE actresses, and Sandra Hüller most of all.

Many bristled (and still do) when some awards bodies started changing their acting awards to genderless categories. One of the principal complaints was that this would mean fewer artists awarded and that men would dominate. Or, in the LAFCA's case, a new name on the same system since having two winners each for Lead and Supporting meant they could go on giving prizes equivalent to the gendered divide of yore. That happened last year when Blanchett and Nighy took the Lead, Quan and de Leon Supporting. This year, however, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association decided to forego tradition altogether. Their four acting prizes went to women, making this their first edition without a single male actor among the honorees. 

Come discover the complete set of winners and a lot of statistics, after the jump…

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