93RD OSCARS® ALL-STAR CAST REVEALED
Show producers Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher, and Steven Soderbergh today announced the ensemble cast to present at the 93rd Oscars®, which airs live on ABC on Sunday, April 25, 2021, at 8 p.m. EDT/5 p.m. PDT.
Starring, in alphabetical order, are Angela Bassett, Halle Berry, Bong Joon Ho, Don Cheadle, Bryan Cranston, Laura Dern, Harrison Ford, Regina King, Marlee Matlin, Rita Moreno, Joaquin Phoenix, Brad Pitt, Reese Witherspoon, Renée Zellweger, and Zendaya.
“In keeping with our awards-show-as-a-movie approach, we’ve assembled a truly stellar cast of stars,” said Collins, Sher and Soderbergh. “There’s so much wattage here, sunglasses may be required.”
Additional talent joining the show to be announced.
The 93rd Oscars will be held on Sunday, April 25, 2021, at Union Station Los Angeles and the Dolby® Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and international locations via satellite, and will be televised live on ABC at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The Oscars also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
###
ABOUT THE ACADEMY:
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a global community of more than 10,000 of the most accomplished artists, filmmakers and executives working in film. In addition to celebrating and recognizing excellence in filmmaking through the Oscars, the Academy supports a wide range of initiatives to promote the art and science of the movies, including public programming, educational outreach and the upcoming Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
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Saturday, April 17, 2021
All-Star Presenters Announced for 93rd Academy Awards
Thursday, April 8, 2021
Review: "MONSTER HUNTER" Offers Great Subterranean Monsters... Nothing Else
TRASH IN MY EYE No. 26 of 2021 (No. 1764) by Leroy Douresseaux
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
FANTASY/ACTION
Starring: Milla Jovovich, Tony Jaa, Ron Perlman, Tip “T.I.” Harris, Diego Boneta, Meagan Good, Josh Helman, Jin Au-Yeung, Hirona Yamazaki, Jannick Schümann, Nanda Costa, Nic Rasenti, and Aaron Beelner (voice)
Monster Hunter is a 2020 fantasy action film from director Paul W. S. Anderson. The film is based on Monster Hunter, the Capcom video game for the PlayStation 2. Monster Hunter the film follows an Army Ranger transported to another world where she must fight monsters in order to survive.
Monster Hunter opens in “our world,” the world of humans, and introduces Captain Artemis (Milla Jovovich), who leads a U.S. Army Rangers unit that is working for the United Nations Joint Security Operations. Artemis and her team: Lincoln (Tip “T.I.” Harris), Marshall (Diego Boneta), Dash (Meagan Good), Steeler (Josh Helman), and Axe (Jin Au-Yeung) are searching for another U.N. security team that is missing. A strange and sudden storm pulls the team into a portal that drops them into a desert-like region of the “New World.” In this New World, humans share the world with a variety of large and savage monsters and strange beasts.
Once in the New World, Artemis and her team are attacked by “Diablos,” a horned subterranean monster that can not only walk on sand, but can also swim through the sand like it was water. Soon, Artemis finds herself alone with a New World human, whom she names “Hunter” (Tony Jaa). Artemis and Hunter grudgingly agree to cooperate in order to defeat the seemingly unbeatable Diablos. But if they escape this monster, what else awaits them and how can Artemis get back to our world?
I had never heard of the Monster Hunter video game until I read a volume of the Monster Hunter manga adaptation that is published in English in North America by VIZ Media. The main reason that I watched this Monster Hunter film is because of the husband-wife team of filmmaker Paul W.S. Anderson and actress Milla Jovovich. Jovovich was the star of the Resident Evil film series, and Anderson wrote and produced all six films in the series and directed four of them. I am a fan of the Resident Evil series (which is also based on a videogame) overall, and I hoped that Anderson and Jovovich could create another fantasy-action movie series that I could enjoy. I hoped...
I have mixed feelings about this Monster Hunter movie. The visual effects, especially the CGI used to create the monsters and creatures of the New World are fantastic. Diablos is a monster both fearsome and beautiful, and it could be the star of its own movie. The spider-like Nerscyllas had my heart racing; they are creepy and bloodcurdling. The dragon-like Rathalos is another great beast in the film and reminds me of the film version of the dragon, Smaug, that appeared in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit films. Rathalos is also a CGI creation of exceptional beauty and awesomeness.
The action sequences are good, but they all seem to run a little long. Killing the Monster Hunter monsters is like killing horror film villains, Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees. Every time, you knock them down, they pop up less than half a minute later. I get that the monsters of Monster Hunter are supposed to be hard to destroy, but sometimes it seems as if the filmmakers are stretching it all past the point of credulity.
What really hurts Monster Hunter is the awful acting and crappy characters. I can deal with bad acting in this kind of movie, but not characters this bad. All the characters, even Artemis, are little more than props to be tossed around and chewed up by monsters. I think that the reason I like Monster Hunter's monsters so much is because I prefer time with them rather than screen time with these wooden, personality-absent characters. Making Milla Jovovich's Artemis and Tony Jaa's Hunter the center of this film was a mistake. They don't have screen chemistry, and every moment that they are together screams that they are a mismatched pair.
The rating and grade that I am giving Monster Hunter is for the visual effects and production design. It's too bad. I wanted this to be the start of a film series, and should there be a sequel, the film studios and production companies involved will have to do a major overhaul of the characters and cast.
5 of 10
C+
Sunday, March 7, 2021
The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
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Monday, March 29, 2021
Seven Disney Releases Earn a Combined 15 Nominations at the 93rd Oscars
The Walt Disney Company Earns 15 Academy Award Nominations
Nominations for the 93rd Oscars® were recently announced, and films from across The Walt Disney Company combined to earn 15 Academy Award® nominations for 2021.
Searchlight Pictures’ critically acclaimed Nomadland received six nominations, including Best Motion Picture. The film’s star, Frances McDormand, is nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role, and Chloé Zhao received nods for Best Achievement in Directing, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Achievement in Editing. With Nomadland, Searchlight Pictures has now garnered 19 Best Picture Oscar Nominations and a grand total of 164 Academy Award nominations. The studio has won 40 Academy Awards since 1994, including four Best Picture winners since 2009: Slumdog Millionaire, 12 Years a Slave, Birdman and The Shape of Water.
Disney+ received its first Oscar nominations since launching in 2019. The service is home to a variety of nominated content including Onward, Soul, and the animated short Burrow, all from Disney and Pixar; Disney’s Mulan and Disney’s The One and Only Ivan. Soul and Onward are both nominated for Best Animated Feature, and Soul received two additional nominations this morning for Best Original Score and Best Sound. Disney’s Mulan received nominations for Best Costume Design and Best Visual Effects; Disney’s The One and Only Ivan is nominated for Best Visual Effects; and Disney and Pixar’s Burrow is among this year’s nominees for Best Animated Short Film.
The Hulu Original film The United States vs. Billie Holiday garnered a nomination for its star, Andra Day, who is among the nominees for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Hulu is also the exclusive streaming home to Searchlight Pictures’ Nomadland.
Here is the complete list of nominations from across The Walt Disney Company:
Nomadland (Searchlight Pictures): 6 Nominations
Best Motion Picture—Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, Dan Janvey, Mollye Asher, Chloé Zhao
Best Actress in a Leading Role—Frances McDormand
Best Achievement in Directing—Chloé Zhao
Best Adapted Screenplay—Chloé Zhao
Best Achievement in Editing—Chloé Zhao
Best Achievement in Cinematography—Joshua James Richards
Soul (Pixar Animation Studios / Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Disney+ / Disney Music Group): 3 Nominations
Best Animated Feature
Best Original Score—Jon Batiste, Atticus Ross, Trent Reznor
Best Achievement in Sound
Mulan (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Disney+): 2 Nominations
Best Costume Design
Best Visual Effects
Onward (Pixar Animation Studios / Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures): 1 Nomination
Best Animated Feature
The One and Only Ivan (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Disney+): 1 Nomination
Best Visual Effects
Burrow (Pixar Animation Studios / Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Disney+): 1 Nomination
Best Animated Short Film
The United States vs. Billie Holiday (Hulu): 1 Nomination
Best Actress in a Leading Role—Andra Day
Soul director Pete Docter, producer Dana Murray and co-director Kemp Powers said, “Thank you to the Academy for this incredible honor, we are truly humbled. Soul represents several years of research, intense work, self-doubt and also a good deal of fun. Our journey on the film was similar to that of Joe Gardner’s—well, except the part where he falls down a manhole. As we struggled with story clarity and tried out who-knows-how-many different endings, we began to realize how important it was to savor what may have felt like minor moments along the way: the satisfaction of jotting down a preliminary sketch on a scrap of paper; hearing the first chords from the earliest music demos; laughing with the crew. Though we might not have known it at the time, moments like these helped inspire us and fed back into the film in innumerable ways. Though we are living through challenging times, being recognized by the Academy gives us hope that the joy we found and put into our film was shared by audiences, and nothing could be more meaningful than that.”
The talented musicians who created the score for Soul—Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste—had this reaction to their Oscar nominations: “We are astounded and incredibly grateful to be considered for the Academy Award for Best Original Score on behalf of Soul. This was a profoundly rewarding creative collaboration filled with so much love, light and lineage. The warm reception of the film continues to humble us. We will be celebrating this tremendous honor in anticipation of the ceremony to come.”
Onward director Dan Scanlon and producer Kori Rae shared, “Thank you to the Academy for honoring our film. We share this nomination with the entire cast and the crew at Pixar who were essential in bringing the magic and wonder of Ian and Barley’s journey to life. Onward was a very personal story, exploring the idea of what one would do if they had more time with a loved one they’d lost. It’s incredibly meaningful to see how this has resonated with audiences, and we couldn’t be more thankful to the Academy for their recognition.”
“We are incredibly honored to receive this nomination and be celebrated alongside such an inspiring collection of shorts—it means the world to us and the entire Burrow crew. Burrow is a short that encourages people not be afraid to open themselves up to others—and to be recognized in a year when maybe a lot of people have been feeling isolated, really means the world to us,” said Burrow director Madeline Sharafian and producer Michael Capbarat. “A sincere thank you to the Academy for this recognition.”
Mulan’s nominees for Best Visual Effects—Sean Faden, Anders Langlands, Seth Maury and Steve Ingram—said, “The VFX team of Mulan is so thrilled and deeply honored to be recognized by our branch! Thanks to our VFX producer Di Giorgiutti, our production family and our actual families! Thanks to our SFX team and all of the VFX companies (Weta, Imageworks, Framestore, Image Engine and Crafty Apes) for their stellar work and friendship. A special thanks to the amazing team at Disney including producer Jason Reed and our wonderful executive Mimi Steele, our fearless director Niki Caro and incredibly supportive DP Mandy Walker and amazing production designer and costume designer Grant Major and Bina Daigeler for giving us such rich textures to work with. It was fun bringing this world to life and I hope people will get a chance to see the work again.”
The film’s costume designer, Bina Daigeler, said, “I am over the moon and so thrilled to be nominated. It’s such a great honor and thank you to the Academy for my nomination. I am so happy to see my name alongside my amazing costume designer colleagues. Mulan was such a great and important experience. I am full of gratitude to get this recognition, especially during this rough time, and am sharing my happiness with my friends around the world.
“This nomination is a testament to the passion and talent of the visual effects artists at MPC Film,” said The One and Only Ivan’s Production VFX Supervisor Nick Davis. “We are honored to receive an Oscar nomination for the visual effects of The One and Only Ivan. I’d also like to thank our friends at Disney and our director, Thea Sharrock.”
The 93rd Oscars will be held on Sunday, April 25, 2021, and will be televised live on ABC at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The Oscars also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
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Monday, February 22, 2021
93 Nations Submitted Entries for the "International Film" Oscar at 93rd Academy Awards
INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILMS ELIGIBLE FOR 93RD OSCARS® ANNOUNCED
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced feature films eligible for consideration in the International Feature Film category for the 93rd Academy Awards®. Eligibility lists by category can be viewed at Oscars.org/93rdFeatureEligibility. Complete 93rd Academy Awards rules can be found at Oscars.org/rules.
INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
Ninety-three countries have submitted films that are eligible for consideration in the International Feature Film category for the 93rd Academy Awards. An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (more than 40 minutes) produced outside the United States with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track. Lesotho, Sudan and Suriname are first-time entrants.
Earlier this year, the Academy’s Board of Governors voted to expand the shortlist from 10 to 15 films. Academy members from all branches are invited to participate in the preliminary round of voting and must meet a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category. The shortlist of 15 films was announced on Tuesday, February 9, 2021.
93RD ACADEMY AWARDS® ELIGIBLE FOR CONSIDERATION IN THE INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM CATEGORY:
Listed in alphabetical order by country:
Albania, “Open Door”
Argentina, “The Sleepwalkers”
Armenia, “Songs of Solomon”
Austria, “What We Wanted”
Bangladesh, “Sincerely Yours, Dhaka”
Belgium, “Working Girls”
Bolivia, “Chaco”
Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Quo Vadis, Aida?”
Brazil, “Babenco - Tell Me When I Die”
Bulgaria, “The Father”
Cambodia, “Fathers”
Cameroon, “The Fisherman’s Diary”
Canada, “14 Days, 12 Nights”
Chile, “The Mole Agent”
China, “Leap”
Colombia, “El Olvido Que Seremos (Memories of My Father)”
Costa Rica, “Land of Ashes”
Croatia, “Extracurricular”
Cuba, “Buscando a Casal”
Czech Republic, “Charlatan”
Denmark, “Another Round”
Dominican Republic, “A State of Madness”
Ecuador, “Emptiness”
Egypt, “When We’re Born”
Estonia, “The Last Ones”
Finland, “Tove”
France, “Two of Us”
Georgia, “Beginning”
Germany, “And Tomorrow the Entire World”
Greece, “Apples”
Guatemala, “La Llorona”
Honduras, “Days of Light”
Hong Kong, “Better Days”
Hungary, “Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time”
Iceland, “Agnes Joy”
India, “Jallikattu”
Indonesia, “Impetigore”
Iran, “Sun Children”
Ireland, “Arracht”
Israel, “Asia”
Italy, “Notturno”
Ivory Coast, “Night of the Kings”
Japan, “True Mothers”
Jordan, “200 Meters”
Kazakhstan, “The Crying Steppe”
Kenya, “The Letter”
Kosovo, “Exile”
Kyrgyzstan, “Running to the Sky”
Latvia, “Blizzard of Souls”
Lebanon, “Broken Keys”
Lesotho, “This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection”
Lithuania, “Nova Lituania”
Luxembourg, “River Tales”
Malaysia, “Roh”
Mexico, “I’m No Longer Here”
Mongolia, “Veins of the World”
Montenegro, “Breasts”
Morocco, “The Unknown Saint”
Netherlands, “Buladó”
Nigeria, “The Milkmaid”
North Macedonia, “Willow”
Norway, “Hope”
Pakistan, “Circus of Life”
Palestine, “Gaza Mon Amour”
Panama, “Operation Just Cause”
Paraguay, “Killing the Dead”
Peru, “Song without a Name”
Philippines, “Mindanao”
Poland, “Never Gonna Snow Again”
Portugal, “Vitalina Varela”
Romania, “Collective”
Russia, “Dear Comrades!”
Saudi Arabia, “Scales”
Senegal, “Nafi’s Father”
Serbia, “Dara of Jasenovac”
Singapore, “Wet Season”
Slovakia, “The Auschwitz Report”
Slovenia, “Stories from the Chestnut Woods”
South Africa, “Toorbos”
South Korea, “The Man Standing Next”
Spain, “The Endless Trench”
Sudan, “You Will Die at Twenty”
Suriname, “Wiren”
Sweden, “Charter”
Switzerland, “My Little Sister”
Taiwan, “A Sun”
Thailand, “Happy Old Year”
Tunisia, “The Man Who Sold His Skin”
Turkey, “Miracle in Cell No. 7”
Ukraine, “Atlantis”
Uruguay, “Aleli”
Venezuela, “Once upon a Time in Venezuela”
Vietnam, “Dreamy Eyes”
All dates and rules for the 93rd Academy Awards are subject to change based on national guidelines, state-mandated government orders and Academy-determined best practices.
Nominations for the 93rd Academy Awards will be announced on Monday, March 15, 2021.
The 93rd Oscars® will be held on Sunday, April 25, 2021, and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
###
ABOUT THE ACADEMY:
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a global community of more than 10,000 of the most accomplished artists, filmmakers and executives working in film. In addition to celebrating and recognizing excellence in filmmaking through the Oscars, the Academy supports a wide range of initiatives to promote the art and science of the movies, including public programming, educational outreach and the upcoming Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
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Sunday, February 14, 2021
238 Films Were Eligible for "Documentary Feature Film" Category at 93rd Oscars
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILMS ELIGIBLE FOR 93RD OSCARS® ANNOUNCED
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced feature films eligible for consideration in the Documentary Feature Film category for the 93rd Academy Awards®. Eligibility lists by category can be viewed at Oscars.org/93rdFeatureEligibility. Complete 93rd Academy Awards rules can be found at Oscars.org/rules.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Two hundred thirty-eight features are eligible for consideration in the Documentary Feature category for the 93rd Academy Awards. Some of the films have not yet had their required qualifying release and must fulfill that requirement and comply with all the category’s other qualifying rules to advance in the voting process.
Documentary features that have won a qualifying award or have been programmed at qualifying film festivals or have been submitted in the International Feature Film category as their country’s official selection are also eligible in the category. Films submitted in the Documentary Feature category may also qualify for Academy Awards in other categories, including Best Picture. Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees. A shortlist of 15 films was announced on Tuesday, February 9, 2021.
93RD ACADEMY AWARDS® ELIGIBLE FOR CONSIDERATION IN THE DOCUMENTARY FEATURE CATEGORY:
“Acasa, My Home”
“Addicted to Ralphie”
“Aggie”
“All I Can Say”
“All In: The Fight for Democracy”
“The American Sector”
“American Selfie: One Nation Shoots Itself”
“America’s Forgotten”
“The Antidote”
“Apocalypse ’45”
“The Art of Living in Danger”
“The Art of Political Murder”
“Assassins”
“Aswang”
“Athlete A”
“Babenco - Tell Me When I Die”
“Be Water”
“Beastie Boys Story”
“Beautiful Something Left Behind”
“Becoming”
“Bedlam”
“Belly of the Beast”
“Belushi”
“Beyond the Visible: Hilma af Klint”
“The Big Scary “S” Word”
“Billie”
“Black Boys”
“Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets”
“The Booksellers”
“Born to Be”
“Boys State”
“Bulletproof”
“Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn”
“Capital in the Twenty-First Century”
“Chicago: America’s Hidden War”
“Childhood 2.0”
“Chuck Berry”
“Circus of Books”
“City Dream”
“City Hall”
“Coded Bias”
“Collective”
“Colombia in My Arms”
“Coming Clean”
“Coronation”
“Coup 53”
“Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words”
“Creem: America’s Only Rock ’n’ Roll Magazine”
“Crip Camp”
“Crock of Gold - A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan”
“The Curve”
“Dads”
“Dave Grusin: Not Enough Time”
“David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet”
“Days of Cannibalism”
“Dear Santa”
“Death Protocol”
“Descent”
“Desert One”
“Diana Kennedy: Nothing Fancy”
“Dick Johnson Is Dead”
“Disclosure”
“The Dissident”
“The Dog Doc”
“The Donut King”
“Dope Is Death”
“Down a Dark Stairwell”
“Downstream to Kinshasa”
“The Earth Is Blue as an Orange”
“Elementa”
“Ending Disease”
“Epicentro”
“Erased,___Ascent of the Invisible”
“Escape from Extinction”
“Everybody Flies”
“F11 and Be There”
“Fandango at the Wall”
“Father Soldier Son”
“Feels Good Man”
“The Fight”
“Find Your Groove”
“Finding Yingying”
“Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds”
“First Vote”
“First We Eat”
“Flannery”
“For They Know Not What They Do”
“The Forbidden Reel”
“40 Years a Prisoner”
“Freak Power: The Ballot or the Bomb”
“Freedia Got a Gun”
“The Ghost of Peter Sellers”
“Giving Voice”
“A Glitch in the Matrix”
“The Go-Go’s”
“Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind”
“Gunda”
“Harry Chapin: When in Doubt, Do Something”
“He Dreams of Giants”
“House of Cardin”
“The Human Factor”
“Human Nature”
“I Am Greta”
“I Am Not Alone”
“I Owe You a Letter about Brazil”
“iHuman”
“In My Skin”
“Indian Space Dreams”
“The Infiltrators”
“Influence”
“(In)Visible Portraits”
“Irmi”
“Irradiés (Irradiated)”
“Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President”
“John Lewis: Good Trouble”
“Journey to Royal: A World War II Rescue Mission”
“Kate Nash: Underestimate the Girl”
“A Kid from Coney Island”
“Kingdom of Silence”
“Kings of Capitol Hill”
“Kiss the Ground”
“La Madrina: The Savage Life of Lorine Padilla”
“Lance”
“Landfall”
“The Last Blockbuster”
“Last Call for Tomorrow”
“Lennox: The Untold Story”
“Lessons of Love”
“The Letter”
“Libelu - Down with the Dictatorship”
“Life Is Deadly”
“Lift Like a Girl”
“Lost Course”
“Lost in Face”
“Love Child”
“MLK/FBI”
“Made You Look: A True Story about Fake Art”
“Man in the Arena”
“Martin Margiela: In His Own Words”
“Mayor”
“Mighty Ira”
“Miss Americana”
“Mr. Soul!”
“The Mole Agent”
“The Monster inside Me”
“A Most Beautiful Thing”
“Mother to Earth: The Untold Story of Earth Bound”
“Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado”
“My Darling Supermarket”
“My Darling Vivian”
“My Octopus Teacher”
“My People: The Jews of Greece”
“My Psychedelic Love Story”
“My Rembrandt”
“Napoli Eden”
“Narciso Em Férias”
“Nasrin”
“The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel”
“9/11 Kids”
“915”
“9to5: The Story of a Movement”
“Notturno”
“Oliver Sacks: His Own Life”
“Olympia”
“On the Record”
“Once upon a Time in Venezuela”
“Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band”
“Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles”
“Our Time Machine”
“Pahokee”
“The Painter and the Thief”
“A Pandemic: Away from the Motherland”
“The Phenomenon”
“Planet of the Humans”
“The Plot against the President”
“The Pollinators”
“The Power of Movement”
“Pray: The Story of Patrick Peyton”
“Public Trust”
“Queen of Hearts: Audrey Flack”
“The Reason I Jump”
“Rebuilding Paradise”
“Red Penguins”
“Reunited”
“Rewind”
“The Right Girls”
“Ringside”
“Rising Phoenix”
“River City Drumbeat”
“River Tales”
“Runner”
“Searching for Mr. Rugoff”
“Self Portrait”
“17 Blocks The Final Cut”
“76 Days”
“Sky Blossom”
“Slay the Dragon”
“The Social Dilemma”
“Softie”
“Some Kind of Heaven”
“Songs of Repression”
“Soros”
“Spaceship Earth”
“Stars and Strife”
“The State of Texas vs. Melissa”
“Stray”
“Strip Down, Rise Up”
“System K”
“They Call Me Babu”
“This Is Not a Movie”
“This Is Paris”
“A Thousand Cuts”
“Through the Night”
“Time”
“The Times of Bill Cunningham”
“Totally under Control”
“Transhood”
“The Truffle Hunters”
“Trust Me”
“Uncle Tom”
“#Unfit: The Psychology of Donald Trump”
“Us Kids”
“WBCN and the American Revolution”
“The Walrus and the Whistleblower”
“The Way I See It”
“We Are the Radical Monarchs”
“We Don’t Deserve Dogs”
“Welcome to Chechnya”
“White Noise”
“Who Is Gatsby Randolph”
“Wild Daze”
“Wim Wenders: Desperado”
“With Drawn Arms”
“A Woman’s Work: The NFL’s Cheerleader Problem”
“Women in Blue”
“You Cannot Kill David Arquette”
“Yusuf Hawkins: Storm over Brooklyn”
“Zappa”
All dates and rules for the 93rd Academy Awards are subject to change based on national guidelines, state-mandated government orders and Academy-determined best practices.
Nominations for the 93rd Academy Awards will be announced on Monday, March 15, 2021.
The 93rd Oscars® will be held on Sunday, April 25, 2021, and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
###
ABOUT THE ACADEMY
:
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a global community of more than 10,000 of the most accomplished artists, filmmakers and executives working in film. In addition to celebrating and recognizing excellence in filmmaking through the Oscars, the Academy supports a wide range of initiatives to promote the art and science of the movies, including public programming, educational outreach and the upcoming Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
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Thursday, February 11, 2021
27 Animated Films Eligible for 93rd Academy Awards
ANIMATED, FEATURE FILMS ELIGIBLE FOR 93RD OSCARS® ANNOUNCED
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the feature films eligible for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category for the 93rd Academy Awards®. Eligibility lists by category can be viewed at Oscars.org/93rdFeatureEligibility. Complete 93rd Academy Awards rules can be found at Oscars.org/rules.
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM:
Twenty-seven features are eligible for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category for the 93rd Academy Awards. Some of the films have not yet had their required qualifying release and must fulfill that requirement and comply with all the category’s other qualifying rules to advance in the voting process.
To determine the five nominees, members of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch are automatically eligible to vote in the category. Academy members outside of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch are invited to opt in to participate and must meet a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category. Films submitted in the Animated Feature Film category also qualify for Academy Awards in other categories, including Best Picture.
93RD ACADEMY AWARDS®ELIGIBLE FOR CONSIDERATION IN THE ANIMATED FEATURE FILM CATEGORY:
“Accidental Luxuriance of the Translucent Watery Rebus”
“Bombay Rose”
“Calamity”
“The Croods: A New Age”
“Demon Slayer -Kimetsu No Yaiba-The Movie: Mugen Train”
“Dreambuilders”
“Earwig and the Witch”
“Kill It and Leave This Town”
“Lupin III: The First”
“Mosley”
“My Favorite War”
“Nos Ili Zagovor Ne Takikh”
“No.7 Cherry Lane”
“On-Gaku: Our Sound”
“Onward”
“Over the Moon”
“Red Shoes and theSeven Dwarfs”
“Ride Your Wave”
“Scoob!”
“A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon”
“Soul”
“The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run”
“Terra Willy”
“Trolls World Tour”
“A Whisker Away”
“The Willoughbys”
“Wolfwalkers”
All dates and rules for the 93rd Academy Awards are subject to change based on national guidelines, state-mandated government orders and Academy-determined best practices.
Nominations for the 93rd Academy Awards will be announced on Monday, March 15, 2021.
The 93rd Oscars® will be held on Sunday, April 25, 2021, and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
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Saturday, January 23, 2021
Tyler Perry and the MPTF to Receive the "Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award" from the Academy Awards
THE ACADEMY TO HONOR TYLER PERRY AND THE MOTION PICTURE & TELEVISION FUND WITH JEAN HERSHOLT HUMANITARIAN AWARDS
The Academy announced that its Board of Governors voted to present Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Awards to filmmaker Tyler Perry and to the Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF). The Oscar® statuettes will be presented at the 93rd Oscars®, which airs live on ABC and broadcast outlets worldwide on Sunday, April 25, 2021.
“There has been such widespread generosity in our industry that limiting the Hersholt Humanitarian Award to one recipient, this year in particular, was impossible. So, we are breaking with tradition and giving two awards to honor that spirit,” said Academy President David Rubin. “Tyler’s cultural influence extends far beyond his work as a filmmaker. He has quietly and steadily focused on humanitarian and social justice causes from the beginning of his career, caring for people who are most often ignored. The work of the MPTF is more vital than ever, and the organization has gone above and beyond to help our community. The sheer number of individuals and families—from every corner of our industry’s workforce—aided during the pandemic and over the last 100 years is nothing short of extraordinary.”
Perry is a prolific producer, director, actor, writer, entrepreneur and philanthropist, whose commitment to a wide spectrum of charitable and social justice causes has been particularly impactful during the challenges of the past year, addressing economic distress caused by the pandemic, racial reckoning and homelessness in his community. In 2019, he opened his privately owned motion picture studio on the site of a former Confederate Army base in Atlanta, Georgia. Tyler Perry Studios now occupies more than 330 acres and is home to a state-of-the-art production facility with 12 soundstages that provides hundreds of job opportunities in film and television production in the local area. Perry was instrumental in quickly creating a safe way to return to production during the worldwide health crisis. His credits as writer, director and/or producer include “A Fall from Grace,” “Acrimony,” “Madea Goes to Jail,” “Madea’s Family Reunion” and “Diary of a Mad Black Woman.” His television credits include such series as “Sistas,” “The Haves and the Have Nots,” “The Oval” and “House of Payne,” and he has written numerous stage plays.
Now in its 100th year, the Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF) offers a variety of services to provide emotional and financial relief to entertainment industry members and their families during times of need, including case management, financial assistance for basic living expenses, palliative care, and senior and childcare services. The organization’s contribution during the pandemic has made a significant impact on the entertainment community, providing social services support to nearly 9,000 industry members in 2020. MPTF also offers a wide range of housing accommodations from independent and assisted living to nursing and memory care. Jean Hersholt, for whom the Academy’s humanitarian award is named, served as president of the Fund for 18 years, from 1938 until his death in 1956.
The Board of Governors voted to amend the rules for the Governors Awards: “For this year only, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award may be given not just to an individual, but also to a group of individuals or an organization in the motion picture arts and sciences whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry. The Board may bestow up to two Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Awards.”
The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award is an Oscar statuette. This is the first time an organization will be recognized with this award.
The awards will be presented during the Oscars in lieu of the Academy’s Governors Awards, an annual ceremony in the fall, where the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award is customarily presented.
The 93rd Oscars will be held on Sunday, April 25, 2021, and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
# # #
ABOUT THE ACADEMY
:
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a global community of more than 10,000 of the most accomplished artists, filmmakers and executives working in film. In addition to celebrating and recognizing excellence in filmmaking through the Oscars, the Academy supports a wide range of initiatives to promote the art and science of the movies, including public programming, educational outreach and the upcoming Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
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Wednesday, December 9, 2020
Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher, and Steven Soderbergh Announced as Producers of 2020 Oscars Ceremony
JESSE COLLINS, STACEY SHER AND STEVEN SODERBERGH TO PRODUCE THE 93RD OSCARS®
Emmy®-nominated producer Jesse Collins, Oscar®-nominated producer Stacey Sher and Oscar-winning filmmaker Steven Soderbergh will produce the 93rd Oscars®, Academy President David Rubin announced today. It will be their first involvement with the Oscars, which airs live on ABC and broadcast outlets worldwide on Sunday, April 25, 2021.
“The upcoming Oscars is the perfect occasion for innovation and for re-envisioning the possibilities for the awards show. This is a dream team who will respond directly to these times,” said Academy President David Rubin and Academy CEO Dawn Hudson. “The Academy is excited to work with them to deliver an event that reflects the worldwide love of movies and how they connect us and entertain us when we need them the most.”
“We're thrilled and terrified in equal measure. Because of the extraordinary situation we're all in, there’s an opportunity to focus on the movies and the people who make them in a new way, and we hope to create a show that really FEELS like the movies we all love,” said Collins, Sher and Soderbergh.
“Jesse, Stacey and Steven are the ideal storytellers to harness the uniqueness of this moment and celebrate the artists who are dedicated to telling stories that stand the test of time,” said Craig Erwich, president of Hulu Originals and ABC Entertainment. “By enlisting this incredibly talented team of television and film producers, I’m confident we will deliver a prestigious event that will be remembered for years to come.”
Collins has produced numerous awards shows and events including the Grammy Awards®, BET Awards, UNCF An Evening of Stars®, Black Girls Rock! and Soul Train® Awards, and such television series and specials as “John Lewis: Celebrating a Hero,” “Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices,” “Change Together: From the March on Washington to Today,” “Sunday Best,” “American Soul,” “Rhythm + Flow” and “The New Edition Story.” He earned an Emmy nomination for the 61st Grammy Awards in 2019. Collins also has been tapped to co-executive produce the upcoming Grammy Awards and executive produce the Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show, both in early 2021. He is the founder and CEO of Jesse Collins Entertainment, a full-service television and film entertainment production company.
Sher earned Best Picture Oscar nominations for “Django Unchained” (2012) and “Erin Brockovich” (2000). She has produced or executive produced more than two dozen major motion pictures, including such notable films as “Pulp Fiction,” “The Hateful Eight,” “Contagion,” “Garden State,” “Man on the Moon,” “Out of Sight,” “Gattaca,” “Get Shorty” and “Reality Bites.” Her television credits include such series as “Mrs. America,” which earned 10 Emmy nominations, “Reno 911!,” “Into the Badlands” and “Sweet/Vicious.” She also served as an executive producer on the Oscar-winning documentary short subject “Period. End of Sentence.” (2018). Sher is currently a producer on the Aretha Franklin biographical film “Respect,” starring Jennifer Hudson, set for release in August of 2021.
Soderbergh won a Directing Oscar for “Traffic” in 2000 and earned a nomination for directing “Erin Brockovich” that same year. He also earned a writing nomination for “sex, lies, and videotape” (1989), his feature film directorial debut. A prolific writer, director, producer, cinematographer and editor, he has directed more than 30 films in a three-decade career, including “Magic Mike,” “Contagion,” the “Ocean’s” trilogy, “Out of Sight” and, most recently, “Let Them All Talk,” premiering this month. He also has produced or executive produced a wide range of projects for both film and television, including “Bill & Ted Face the Music,” “The Report,” “Ocean’s Eight,” “Citizenfour,” “Michael Clayton,” “Good Night, and Good Luck.” and two seasons of his own series, “The Knick.”
The 93rd Oscars will be held on Sunday, April 25, 2021, and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
# # #
ABOUT THE ACADEMY:
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a global community of more than 10,000 of the most accomplished artists, filmmakers and executives working in film. In addition to celebrating and recognizing excellence in filmmaking through the Oscars, the Academy supports a wide range of initiatives to promote the art and science of the movies, including public programming, educational outreach and the upcoming Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
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Tuesday, December 8, 2020
Movie Review: "Bloodshot" Surprises
Bloodshot (2020)
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
Running time: 109 minutes (1 hour, 49 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, some suggestive material and language
DIRECTOR: David S.F. Wilson
WRITERS: Jeff Wadlow and Eric Heisserer; from a story by Jeff Wadlow (based on the Valiant Comics character)
PRODUCERS: Vin Diesel, Toby Jaffe, Neal H. Moritz, and Dinesh Shamdasani
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Jacques Jouffret (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Jim May
COMPOSER: Steve Jablonsky
SUPERHERO/FANTASY/SCI-FI/ACTION
Starring: Vin Diesel, Guy Pearce, Eiza González, Sam Heughan, Lamorne Morris, Alex Hernandez, Toby Kebbell, Talulah Riley, Siddharth Dhananjay, and Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson
Bloodshot is a 2020 superhero and science fiction film directed by David S.F. Wilson. The film features the Valiant Comics' character, Bloodshot, that was created by Kevin VanHook, Don Perlin, and Bob Layton. Blooshot focuses on a slain Marine brought back to life as a super-powered weapon.
Bloodshot introduces U.S. Marine Ray Garrison (Vin Diesel). After leading a successful rescue operation in Mombasa, Ray and his wife, Gina (Talulah Riley), travel to a beachside town on Italy's Amalfi Coast for a holiday. However, a notorious terrorist, Martin Axe (Toby Kebbell), kidnaps Ray and Gina and demands that Ray reveal the source of the information the Marines used for the Mombasa hostage operation. Then, things turn ugly.
Ray awakens in a lab at the headquarters of RST (Rising Spirit Tech), a company that specializes in developing cybernetic enhancements for disabled United States' military personnel. The company's CEO, Dr. Emil Harting (Guy Pearce), tells Ray that he is the first successful candidate that they have resurrected using a special “nanite technology.” As he embarks on his first kill-mission, Ray does not realize that very little of what he believes is true.
While watching Bloodshot, I realized that Vin Diesel has starred in a lot of science fiction and fantasy films. They are an odd lot of high concepts and box office misfires – for the most part. Bloodshot is one of those films that had its release truncated by the closure of most movie theaters in North America by the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. I am not sure if Bloodshot would have been much of a box office hit if it had had a full release...
...But it is a surprisingly enjoyable movie. The truth is that this is something I would enjoy watching on DVD (which is how I saw the film via DVD Netflix), but, because it is based on a comic book, there is a good chance that I would have made a trip to the movie theater to see it. Now, that I have seen it, I want to recommend it to fans of movies based on comic books and also to Vin Diesel fans. Bloodshot is not a “Fast & Furious” film, but its action is... fast and furious... coincidentally.
Bloodshot's revenge-fantasy-within-a-revenge-tale plot delivers a lot of good action sequences. This narrative's themes, built around the ideas of freedom, choice, control, and reality actually resonate. While watching this movie, I often found myself asking questions like, “How free am I really?” and “How much freedom of choice is actually of my choosing?” Bloodshot is like a story by the late author, Philip K. Dick, in which the lead character faces the truth that the reality in which he thinks he lives... is not real... or at least, it is not in his control.
Bloodshot is not a mindless action movie, and it is certainly a stronger take on the story of a military-type discovering that his body or part of it has been stolen than the 2019 Will Smith vehicle, Gemini Man. However, Bloodshot would be a much stronger film if Vin Diesel were a better actor. Diesel's acting range mostly runs from smooth guy to menacing guy to enraged guy. This film's script certainly gives him plenty of scenes when Diesel has to be angry or at least to seethe. Whenever Diesel's Ray Garrison has to be thoughtful, the film quickly moves on.
As for the supporting characters, the film's writing also doesn't offer anything more than familiar character types. Still, actor Lamorne Morris manages to make his character, the coding rebel-genius, Wilfred Wigans, excellent comic relief. Both actor and character are worth seeing again.
So I can honestly say that director David S.F. Wilson delivers a film that is more (at least, a little more) than it seems on the surface. Bloodshot does not have any of those awful dry moments that make me want to fall asleep when watching an alleged action movie (which happens a lot... the aforementioned Gemini Man). It is pretty much a fast-moving, highly-entertaining thrill machine. Bloodshot has an excellent last act featuring a eye-spinning epic battle in and around an elevator shaft, and remember: the writing is smart enough to take its themes and ideas seriously. In fact, Bloodshot is good enough to warrant a sequel – even if the box office... reality might keep that from happening.
6 of 10
B
Monday, September 28, 2020
The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.
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Thursday, July 2, 2020
Academy Invites 819 to Membership - Directors and Writers
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is extending invitations to join the organization to 819 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures. The 2020 class is 45% women, 36% underrepresented ethnic/racial communities, and 49% international from 68 countries. There are 75 Oscar® nominees, including 15 winners, and five recipients of Scientific and Technical Awards. Those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy’s membership in 2020.
“The Academy is delighted to welcome these distinguished fellow travelers in the motion picture arts and sciences. We have always embraced extraordinary talent that reflects the rich variety of our global film community, and never more so than now,” said Academy President David Rubin.
In 2016, the Academy set specific inclusion goals as part of its A2020 initiative to double the number of women and underrepresented ethnic/racial communities by 2020. Through dedicated and intentional work by the Board of Governors and members on the branch executive committees, the Academy has surpassed both these goals.
The Academy recently announced the next phase of its equity and inclusion initiative, Academy Aperture 2025, which will further the organization’s ongoing efforts to advance inclusion in the entertainment industry and increase representation within its membership and the greater film community. The initial phase of Academy Aperture 2025 outlined specific goals for the Oscars® and Academy governance, membership, and workplace culture.
“We take great pride in the strides we have made in exceeding our initial inclusion goals set back in 2016, but acknowledge the road ahead is a long one. We are committed to staying the course. I cannot give enough thanks to all our members and staff who worked on the A2020 initiative and to our head of Member Relations and Awards, Lorenza Muñoz, for her leadership and passion in guiding us through to this point and helping to set the path going forward. We look forward to continuing to foster an Academy that reflects the world around us in our membership, our programs, our new Museum, and in our awards,” said Academy CEO Dawn Hudson.
Eight individuals (noted by an asterisk) have been invited to join the Academy by multiple branches. These individuals must select one branch upon accepting membership.
Additionally, the membership status of all Artists’ Representatives (agents) will change from Associates to Members-at-Large. As Members-at-Large, agents will now have Oscars voting privileges.
The 2020 invitees are:
Directors:
Ali Abbasi – “Border,” “Shelley”
Levan Akin – “And Then We Danced,” “The Circle”
Francesca Archibugi – “A Question of the Heart,” “Tomorrow”
Ari Aster – “Midsommar,” “Hereditary”
Icíar Bolláin – “Even the Rain,” “Take My Eyes”
Kat Candler – “Hellion,” “Jumping off Bridges”
Felipe Cazals – “El Año de la Peste,” “Canoa: A Shameful Memory”
Cristina Comencini – “Latin Lover,” “Don’t Tell”
Sebastián Cordero – “Europa Report,” “Crónicas”
Terence Davies – “The House of Mirth,” “The Long Day Closes”
Sophie Deraspe – “Antigone,” “A Gay Girl in Damascus: The Amina Profile”
Mati Diop* – “Atlantics,” “A Thousand Suns”
Robert Eggers – “The Lighthouse,” “The Witch”
Luis Estrada – “The Perfect Dictatorship,” “Herod’s Law”
Sydney Freeland – “Deidra & Laney Rob a Train,” “Drunktown’s Finest”
Bette Gordon – “Handsome Harry,” “Variety”
Maggie Greenwald – “Sophie and the Rising Sun,” “The Ballad of Little Jo”
Megan Griffiths – “Sadie,” “The Night Stalker”
Alma Har’el – “Honey Boy,” “Bombay Beach”
Sterlin Harjo – “Mekko,” “Barking Water”
Kathleen Hepburn – “The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open,” “Never Steady, Never Still”
Jan Komasa – “Corpus Christi,” “Warsaw ’44”
Tamara Kotevska* – “Honeyland”
Alejandro Landes – “Monos,” “Porfirio”
John H. Lee – “Operation Chromite,” “71: Into the Fire”
Ladj Ly* – “Les Misérables”
Victoria Mahoney – “Yelling to the Sky”
Samira Makhmalbaf – “At Five in the Afternoon,” “The Apple”
Mai Masri – “3000 Nights,” “33 Days”
Akin Omotoso – “Vaya,” “Tell Me Sweet Something”
Matt Reeves – “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” “Cloverfield”
Ljubo Stefanov* – “Honeyland”
Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers – “The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open,” “ćəsnaʔəm, the city before the city”
Maria Tognazzi – “Me, Myself & Her,” “A Five Star Life”
Jorge Alí Triana – “Bolívar Soy Yo,” “A Time to Die”
Matthew Vaughn – “Kick-Ass,” “Layer Cake”
Lulu Wang* – “The Farewell,” “Posthumous”
Wash Westmoreland – “Still Alice,” “Quinceañera”
Andrés Wood – “Araña,” “Violeta Went to Heaven”
Writers:
Narges Abyar – “Breath,” “Track 143”
Lucy Alibar – “Troop Zero,” “Beasts of the Southern Wild”
David Berenbaum – “The Spiderwick Chronicles,” “Elf”
Jez Butterworth – “Ford v Ferrari,” “Edge of Tomorrow”
John-Henry Butterworth – “Ford v Ferrari,” “Edge of Tomorrow”
Shane Carruth – “Upstream Color,” “Primer”
Jérémy Clapin* – “I Lost My Body”
Sabrina Dhawan – “Kaminey,” “Monsoon Wedding”
Mati Diop* – “Atlantics,” “A Thousand Suns”
Susanna Fogel – “Booksmart,” “The Spy Who Dumped Me”
Michel Franco – “Chronic,” “After Lucia”
Giordano Gederlini – “Les Misérables,” “The Invader”
Han Jin Won – “Parasite”
Julia Hart – “Fast Color,” “Miss Stevens”
Gregory Allen Howard – “Harriet,” “Ali”
Amy Jump – “A Field in England,” “Sightseers”
Ladj Ly* – “Les Misérables”
Alexis Manenti – “Les Misérables”
Stella Meghie – “The Photograph,” “Jean of the Joneses”
Najwa Najjar – “Between Heaven and Earth,” “Eyes of a Thief”
Tyler Nilson – “The Peanut Butter Falcon”
Mateusz Pacewicz – “Suicide Room: Hater,” “Corpus Christi”
Pamela Pettler – “Monster House,” “Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride”
Michael Schwartz – “The Peanut Butter Falcon”
Lulu Wang* – “The Farewell,” “Posthumous”
Krysty Wilson-Cairns – “1917”
Wally Wolodarsky – “Trolls World Tour,” “Monsters vs Aliens”
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Tuesday, June 30, 2020
Academy Invites 819 to Membership - Actors
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is extending invitations to join the organization to 819 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures. The 2020 class is 45% women, 36% underrepresented ethnic/racial communities, and 49% international from 68 countries. There are 75 Oscar® nominees, including 15 winners, and five recipients of Scientific and Technical Awards. Those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy’s membership in 2020.
“The Academy is delighted to welcome these distinguished fellow travelers in the motion picture arts and sciences. We have always embraced extraordinary talent that reflects the rich variety of our global film community, and never more so than now,” said Academy President David Rubin.
In 2016, the Academy set specific inclusion goals as part of its A2020 initiative to double the number of women and underrepresented ethnic/racial communities by 2020. Through dedicated and intentional work by the Board of Governors and members on the branch executive committees, the Academy has surpassed both these goals.
The Academy recently announced the next phase of its equity and inclusion initiative, Academy Aperture 2025, which will further the organization’s ongoing efforts to advance inclusion in the entertainment industry and increase representation within its membership and the greater film community. The initial phase of Academy Aperture 2025 outlined specific goals for the Oscars® and Academy governance, membership, and workplace culture.
“We take great pride in the strides we have made in exceeding our initial inclusion goals set back in 2016, but acknowledge the road ahead is a long one. We are committed to staying the course. I cannot give enough thanks to all our members and staff who worked on the A2020 initiative and to our head of Member Relations and Awards, Lorenza Muñoz, for her leadership and passion in guiding us through to this point and helping to set the path going forward. We look forward to continuing to foster an Academy that reflects the world around us in our membership, our programs, our new Museum, and in our awards,” said Academy CEO Dawn Hudson.
Eight individuals (noted by an asterisk) have been invited to join the Academy by multiple branches. These individuals must select one branch upon accepting membership.
Additionally, the membership status of all Artists’ Representatives (agents) will change from Associates to Members-at-Large. As Members-at-Large, agents will now have Oscars voting privileges.
The 2020 invitees are:
Actors:
Yalitza Aparicio – “Roma”
Awkwafina – “The Farewell,” “Crazy Rich Asians”
Zazie Beetz – “Joker,” “High Flying Bird”
Alia Bhatt – “Gully Boy,” “Raazi”
Bobby Cannavale – “The Irishman,” “The Station Agent”
Choi Woo-Shik – “Parasite,” “The Divine Fury”
Zendaya Coleman – “Spider-Man: Far from Home,” “The Greatest Showman”
Tyne Daly – “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” “Spider-Man: Homecoming”
Mackenzie Davis – “Terminator: Dark Fate,” “Tully”
Ana de Armas – “Knives Out,” “Blade Runner 2049”
Kaitlyn Dever – “Booksmart,” “Detroit”
Cynthia Erivo* – “Harriet,” “Widows”
Pierfrancesco Favino – “The Traitor,” “Rush”
Beanie Feldstein – “Booksmart,” “Lady Bird”
Zack Gottsagen – “The Peanut Butter Falcon”
David Gyasi – “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil,” “Interstellar”
Adèle Haenel – “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” “BPM (Beats Per Minute)”
Kelvin Harrison Jr. – “Waves,” “Luce”
Brian Tyree Henry – “If Beale Street Could Talk,” “Widows”
Huang Jue – “Long Day’s Journey into Night,” “The Lady in the Portrait”
Jang Hye-Jin – “Parasite,” “Poetry”
Jo Yeo-Jeong – “Parasite,” “The Target”
Udo Kier – “The Painted Bird,” “Shadow of the Vampire”
Lee Jung-Eun – “Parasite,” “Okja”
Eva Longoria – “Overboard,” “Harsh Times”
Natasha Lyonne – “Honey Boy,” “American Pie”
Tzi Ma – “The Farewell,” “Arrival”
George MacKay – “1917,” “Captain Fantastic”
Tim McGraw – “Country Strong,” “The Blind Side”
Thomasin McKenzie – “Jojo Rabbit,” “Leave No Trace”
Ben Mendelsohn – “Ready Player One,” “Animal Kingdom”
Rob Morgan – “Just Mercy,” “Mudbound”
Niecy Nash – “Downsizing,” “Selma”
Genevieve Nnaji – “Lionheart,” “Road to Yesterday”
Park So-Dam – “Parasite,” “The Priests”
Teyonah Parris – “If Beale Street Could Talk,” “Chi-Raq”
Florence Pugh – “Little Women,” “Lady Macbeth”
Hrithik Roshan – “Super 30,” “Jodhaa Akbar”
James Saito – “Always Be My Maybe,” “Big Eyes”
Alexander Siddig – “Cairo Time,” “Syriana”
Lakeith Stanfield – “Knives Out,” “Sorry to Bother You”
Yul Vazquez – “Gringo,” “Last Flag Flying”
John David Washington – “BlacKkKlansman,” “Monsters and Men”
Olivia Wilde – “Meadowland,” “Rush”
Constance Wu – “Hustlers,” “Crazy Rich Asians”
Wu Jing – “The Wandering Earth,” “Wolf Warrior”
Zhao Tao – “Ash Is Purest White,” “Mountains May Depart”
Tuesday, June 16, 2020
AMPAS Changes Dates for 2021 / 93rd Academy Awards
ACADEMY MUSEUM OF MOTION PICTURES OPENING DATE MOVES TO APRIL 30, 2021
MUSEUM GALA KICKS OFF OSCAR® WEEK CELEBRATIONS
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the ABC Television Network announced the 93rd Oscars® ceremony will move to Sunday, April 25, 2021, as a result of the global pandemic caused by COVID-19. The show, which will air live on ABC, was originally scheduled for February 28, 2021. Coinciding with the Oscars celebration, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, initially scheduled to open to the public on December 14, 2020, will now open on April 30, 2021, also as a result of the health crisis.
“For over a century, movies have played an important role in comforting, inspiring, and entertaining us during the darkest of times. They certainly have this year. Our hope, in extending the eligibility period and our Awards date, is to provide the flexibility filmmakers need to finish and release their films without being penalized for something beyond anyone’s control,” said Academy President David Rubin and Academy CEO Dawn Hudson. “This coming Oscars and the opening of our new museum will mark an historic moment, gathering movie fans around the world to unite through cinema."
“We find ourselves in uncharted territory this year and will continue to work with our partners at the Academy to ensure next year’s show is a safe and celebratory event that also captures the excitement of the opening of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures,” said Karey Burke, president, ABC Entertainment.
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano and featuring six floors of exhibition spaces, education and special event spaces, a conservation studio, a restaurant, a museum store, the 1,000-seat David Geffen Theater and the 288-seat Ted Mann Theater, will move its opening to April 30, 2021.
Bill Kramer, director of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, said, “I speak for all of us at the Museum when I say that we have been eagerly awaiting the moment when we can share the Academy Museum with movie lovers everywhere. With the unprecedented and devastating pandemic happening around the world and our commitment first and foremost to the health and safety of our visitors and staff, we have made the difficult decision to wait a few more months to open our doors. Thankfully, with COVID-19 safety protocols in place, exhibitions continue to be installed. We look forward to April 2021 when Los Angeles and the world will be able to join together as the Academy celebrates the Oscars and the opening of its long-dreamed-of Museum.”
Dates also have shifted for the Academy Awards® eligibility period, submission deadlines and related awards season events. The eligibility period for Academy Awards consideration has been extended beyond the standard December 31 deadline: a feature film must now have a qualifying release date between January 1, 2020 and February 28, 2021. The submission deadline for specialty categories (Animated Feature Film, Documentary Feature, Documentary Short Subject, International Feature Film, Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film) is December 1, 2020. The submission deadline for general entry categories, including Best Picture, Original Score and Original Song, is now January 15, 2021. Visit oscars.org/rules for the complete 93rd Academy Awards rules, revised with these dates and deadlines.
During this time, it has become necessary to make exceptional changes to the Academy’s standard annual awards schedule. The intent going forward is to ultimately return to awarding excellence for films released in the January-December calendar year. Future eligibility windows and the Oscar® show date for 2022 will be announced at a later date.
Academy key dates for the 2020/2021 Oscar season are as follows:
Preliminary voting begins: Monday, February 1, 2021
Preliminary voting ends: Friday, February 5, 2021
Oscar Shortlists Announcement: Tuesday, February 9, 2021
Nominations voting begins: Friday, March 5, 2021
Nominations voting ends: Wednesday, March 10, 2021
Oscar Nominations Announcement: Monday, March 15, 2021
Oscar Nominees Luncheon: Thursday April 15, 2021
Finals voting begins: Thursday April 15, 2021
Museum Gala: Saturday, April 17, 2021
Finals voting ends: Tuesday, April 20, 2021
Oscars: Oscar Sunday, April 25, 2021
Museum Public Opening: Friday, April 30, 2021
The Academy’s Scientific and Technical Awards presentation, which was scheduled for a June 20, 2020 ceremony in Beverly Hills, has been postponed to a later date still to be determined.
The Academy’s Governors Awards, an annual celebration held at the Ray Dolby Ballroom in Hollywood, will not take place this fall. Additional information about the ceremony and selection of honorees will be provided at a later date.
The 93rd Oscars will be held on Sunday, April 25, 2021, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network and in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
###
ABOUT THE ACADEMY
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a global community of more than 9,000 of the most accomplished artists, filmmakers and executives working in film. In addition to celebrating and recognizing excellence in filmmaking through the Oscars, the Academy supports a wide range of initiatives to promote the art and science of the movies, including public programming, educational outreach and the upcoming Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which is under construction in Los Angeles.
ABOUT THE ACADEMY MUSEUM OF MOTION PICTURES
The Academy Museum will be the world’s premier institution dedicated to the art and science of movies. Opening April 30, 2021, the museum will be simultaneously immersive, experimental, educational, and entertaining. More than a museum, this dynamic film center will offer unparalleled experiences and insights into movies and moviemaking. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano, the Museum is restoring and revitalizing the historic Saban Building, formerly known as the May Company building (1939), at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles. The Saban Building will feature six floors, including exhibition spaces, the 288-seat Ted Mann Theater, the Shirley Temple Education Studio, special event spaces, conservation areas, a café, and store. The new spherical addition will connect to the Saban Building via glass bridges and feature the state-of-the-art 1,000-seat David Geffen Theater and the rooftop Dolby Family Terrace, which will offer sweeping views of the Hollywood Hills.
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Tuesday, April 28, 2020
COVID-19 Pandemic Initiates Rules Changes for 93rd Oscars
For This Awards Year Only, Streamed Films To Be Eligible for Oscars®
Sound Mixing and Sound Editing Awards Combined into One Sound Category
The Academy’s Board of Governors has approved rules and campaign regulations for the 93rd Academy Awards®.
The devastating COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of all Los Angeles County movie theaters as of Monday, March 16, 2020. Current Academy Awards rules (under Rule Two, Eligibility) require that a film be shown in a commercial motion picture theater in Los Angeles County for a theatrical qualifying run of at least seven consecutive days, during which period screenings must occur at least three times daily. Until further notice, and for the 93rd Awards year only, films that had a previously planned theatrical release but are initially made available on a commercial streaming or VOD service may qualify in the Best Picture, general entry and specialty categories for the 93rd Academy Awards under these provisions:
- The film must be made available on the secure Academy Screening Room member-only streaming site within 60 days of the film’s streaming or VOD release;
- The film must meet all other eligibility requirements.
On a date to be determined by the Academy, and when theaters reopen in accordance with federal, state and local specified guidelines and criteria, this rules exemption will no longer apply. All films released thereafter will be expected to comply with the standard Academy theatrical qualifying requirements.
“The Academy firmly believes there is no greater way to experience the magic of movies than to see them in a theater. Our commitment to that is unchanged and unwavering. Nonetheless, the historically tragic COVID-19 pandemic necessitates this temporary exception to our awards eligibility rules. The Academy supports our members and colleagues during this time of uncertainty. We recognize the importance of their work being seen and also celebrated, especially now, when audiences appreciate movies more than ever,” said Academy President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson.
For films to more easily meet theatrical exhibition requirements when theaters reopen, the Academy also will expand the number of qualifying theaters beyond Los Angeles County to include venues in additional U.S. metropolitan areas: the City of New York; the Bay Area; Chicago, Illinois; Miami, Florida; and Atlanta, Georgia. The Awards and Events Committee will evaluate all matters of rules and eligibility.
Film festivals that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic may provide films online through either a transactional pay wall or password-protected entry, which will not affect the films’ eligibility for future Academy Awards qualification. The Academy will allow an exemption for those films that are released online through an impacted festival’s online platform, provided that proof of inclusion in the festival is submitted. With these provisions, films will be expected to comply with all other eligibility requirements for the 93rd Academy Awards.
The Board of Governors also announced rules changes in the Sound, Music and International Feature Film categories.
- The two Sound categories, Sound Mixing and Sound Editing, have been combined into one award for best achievement in Sound that emphasizes the team effort. The number of Oscar® statuettes remains the same; up to six statuettes may be awarded. Eligible recipients may include one production sound mixer, two supervising sound editors and three rerecording mixers.
- In the Music (Original Score) category, for a score to be eligible, it must comprise a minimum of 60% original music. Additionally, for sequels and franchise films, a score must have a minimum of 80% new music.
In a procedural change in the International Feature Film category, all eligible Academy members will now be invited to participate in the preliminary round of voting. For the first time, film submissions will be made available through the Academy Screening Room streaming platform to those members who opt-in. These members of the International Feature Film Preliminary Voting committee must meet a minimum viewing requirement in order to be eligible to vote in the category.
The following campaign regulations were also approved:
- The regulation prohibiting quotes or comments by Academy members not directly associated with the film in any form of advertising in any medium, including online and social media, was eliminated. Academy governors and Awards and Events Committee members, however, are still prohibited from participating in such activity.
- All screeners will be required to include closed captioning.
- After nominations, film companies will be allowed to send mailings announcing the availability of song and bake-off materials on the Academy’s streaming platform.
- As part of the Academy’s sustainability effort, the 93rd Awards season will be the final year DVD screeners will be allowed to be distributed; these mailings will be discontinued starting in 2021 for the 94th Academy Awards. Access to the Academy Screening Room will continue to be made available for all eligible releases. The distribution of physical music CDs, screenplays and hardcopy mailings, including but not limited to paper invites and screening schedules, will also be discontinued next year. Digital links to materials will be permitted.
Due to the shifting landscape surrounding the global pandemic caused by COVID-19, all matters of rules and eligibility for the 93rd Academy Awards are subject to change based on national guidelines, state-mandated government orders and Academy-determined best practices.
Additional adjustments to Academy rules, eligibility requirements and scheduling may be required. As previously announced, the 93rd Oscars telecast is scheduled to air Sunday, February 28, 2021, on ABC. Any updated information about the show will be shared at a later time.
For the complete 93rd Academy Awards rules, visit oscars.org/rules.
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ABOUT THE ACADEMY :
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a global community of more than 9,000 of the most accomplished artists, filmmakers and executives working in film. In addition to celebrating and recognizing excellence in filmmaking through the Oscars, the Academy supports a wide range of initiatives to promote the art and science of the movies, including public programming, educational outreach and the upcoming Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which is under construction in Los Angeles.
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Tuesday, March 24, 2020
Review: "Birds of Prey" is Crazy, Sexy, Tarantino
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
Birds of Prey (2020)
Running time: 109 minutes (1 hour, 49 minutes)
MPAA – R strong violence and language throughout, and some sexual and drug material
DIRECTOR: Cathy Yan
WRITER: Christina Hodson (based on characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics)
PRODUCERS: Sue Kroll, Margot Robbie, and Bryan Unkeless
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Matthew Libatique (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: Jay Cassidy and Evan Schiff
COMPOSER: Daniel Pemberton
SUPERHERO/FANTASY/CRIME/COMEDY/ACTION
Starring: Margot Robbie, Rosie Perez, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Ewan McGregor, Ella Jay Basco, Chris Messina, Dana Lee, and Steven Williams
Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), or simply Birds of Prey, is a 2020 superhero fantasy film and crime comedy from director Cathy Yan. The movie is based on several characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Birds of Prey focuses on a group of women who find common cause in their struggle against a violent crime boss.
Birds of Prey opens after the events depicted in the film, Suicide Squad (2016). Psychiatrist turned crazed criminal, Dr. Harleen Quinzel a.k.a. Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), has returned to Gotham City with her criminal accomplice and boyfriend, The Joker. However, Joker breaks up with Harley and kicks her out of their house, so she moves into an apartment above a Chinese restaurant owned by a man named Doc (Dana Lee).
In Gotham City, Harley Quinn was virtually untouchable... because she was the Joker's girlfriend... which she isn't anymore. Now, it's open season on Harley, The man who most wants her dead is Roman Sionis (Ewan McGregor), a sadistic gangster who masquerades as a suave nightclub owner, but Harley earns a reprieve from Sionis. He covets something called “the Bertinelli diamond,” which is currently in the possession of a young pickpocket named Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco).
However, the quest for Cain and the diamond will force Harley to unite with three other women: Dinah Lance a.k.a. “the Black Canary” (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), a burlesque singer who works for Roman; Renee Montoya (Rose Perez), a police detective in the GCPD; and Helena Bertinelli a.k.a. “the Huntress” (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a vigilante that criminals call the “crossbow killer.” Now, Harley and these women will show Gotham's underworld that it is the criminal class that should be afraid... of these birds of prey.
Birds of Prey's paper-thin plot: retrieving a diamond; next, protecting a teen girl; and then, battling Roman Sionis, is not important. This is a movie about “bad girls” having fun at the expense of really bad men, and Birds of Prey is quite good at that. Director Cathy Yan makes the best of her ingredients: a zany mix of actors, fantastic costumes, and eclectic sets and delivers an inspired, madcap movie of brutal, comic violence. Birds of Prey is the kind of violent comedy that finds the wicked side of comic book stories and characters, the way the Deadpool films did.
Like the best comic books, Birds of Prey is over-the-top. Why have a pet dog when you can have a pet hyena? Why wear merely flashy costumes when you can wear the most fantabulous fashions? Why hit an adversary when you can maim the mutha? And what is a car chase without a chick on roller skates? The women of Birds of Prey: Margot Robbie, Rosie Perez, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, and Ella Jay Basco take their performances seriously without taking their roles too seriously. Even Ewan McGregor adds just a touch of camp to his gleefully cruel creation, Roman Sionis.
I won't pretend that Birds of Prey is a great film, but it is the kind of inspired, R-rated comic book film that I wish we saw more. And besides the soundtrack is pretty damn good. So I am heartily recommending Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) to moviegoers who enjoy comic book films.
7 of 10
B+
Saturday, February 8, 2020
The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
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