TIFF: "Empire of Light"

by Matt St Clair

The trailer for Sam Mendes’ Empire of Light promises to capture, if you will, the spirit of the Nicole Kidman AMC ad. Something that depicts the escapist power of moviegoing and 'that indescribable feeling we get when the lights dim.' As Toby Jones’ projectionist character says at one point, there is something about the experience of that beam of light bursting from the projector when the previews start, the theater darkens, and we’re all huddled together to escape into another place or time. 

In the film’s entirety, are we treated to the ode to moviegoing that the trailer promises? The answer is... somewhat. As it turns out, Empire of Light serves as a meditation on both mental illness and race as well as the power of cinema...

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Can Reznor and Ross make Oscar history?

by Cláudio Alves

In 2008, the music branch of the Academy caused a stir when it announced that The Dark Knight was disqualified from the Best Original Score race. The reason for this had nothing to do with the use of non-original compositions as it's often the case. Instead, AMPAS had deemed that the picture had too many composers. In total, there were five credited artists – Hans Zimmer, James Newton Howard, Alex Gibson, Mel Wesson, and Lorne Balfe. Even though the first two did most of the soundtrack and the remaining three signed affidavits relinquishing their chance at a nod, the Academy didn't budge.

Since then, rules have changed and then changed back again. Still, the presence of collaborative teams on the Academy's lists of nominees remains rare. In the past decade, only The Social Network, Lion, and Her have earned nominations for featuring the credited work of multiple composers. The first example even won Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross the Oscar. The erstwhile Nine Inch Nails members are back in contention this year. Thanks to Mank and Soul, they might become the first such team to receive a double nomination, effectively competing against themselves…

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