Tag / Diane Warren

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And The Nominees Are…

Next Sunday, it will be time to play the music and to light the lights for the 98th Academy Awards.  Once again, my woeful predictions are back, despite not having seen, let alone heard of the majority of the nominated films.  But I’m not going to let that stop me, so, with less basis in fact than most years, here’s my uneducated predictions for the non-acting awards.

Best Original Screenplay

Robert Kaplow, Blue Moon
Jafar Panahi; in collaboration with Nader Saïvar, Shadmehr Rastin, and Mehdi Mahmoudian, It Was Just an Accident
Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme
Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value
Ryan Coogler, Sinners

I’ve heard of a whopping two of these films but only seen one, so I will go with Ryan Coogler and Sinners.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Will Tracy, Bugonia
Guillermo del Toro, Frankenstein
Chloé Zhao and Maggie O’Farrell, Hamnet
Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar, Train Dreams

I’ve actually seen two of these films and heard of one other, so I’ll go with Bugonia.

Best Animated Feature

Arco
Elio
KPop Demon Hunters
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
Zootopia 2

Taking a shot in the dark as I haven’t seen any of these and have only heard of two of them.

Best Cinematography

Dan Laustsen, Frankenstein
Darius Khondji, Marty Supreme
Michael Bauman, One Battle After Another
Autumn Durald Arkapaw, Sinners
Adolpho Veloso, Train Dreams

Of the two of these that I’ve seen, I’m going with the more classic one.

Best Costume Design

Deborah L. Scott, Avatar: Fire and Ash
Kate Hawley, Frankenstein
Malgosia Turzanska, Hamnet
Miyako Bellizzi, Marty Supreme
Ruth E. Carter, Sinners

This seems like another win for Sinners.

Continue reading →

by admin

The Nominees Are…

It’s nearly time to play the music and to light the lights.  The 97th Academy Awards are going down next Sunday night, and my woeful predictions are back.  I don’t know that I’ve heard of many of these movies let alone seen them, so, with less basis in fact than most years, here’s my uneducated predictions for the non-acting awards.

Best Original Screenplay

Sean Baker, Anora
Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold, The Brutalist
Jesse Eisenberg, A Real Pain
Moritz Binder and Tim Fehlbaum; co-written by Alex David, September 5
Coralie Fargeat, The Substance

I’ve heard of a whopping two of these films, so I’m going to flip a coin and end up with The Substance.

Best Adapted Screenplay

James Mangold and Jay Cocks, A Complete Unknown
Peter Straughan, Conclave
Jacques Audiard in collaboration with Thomas Bidegain, Léa Mysius, and Nicolas Livecchi, Emilia Pérez
RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes, Nickel Boys
Screenplay by Greg Kwedar and Clint Bentley; story by Greg Kwedar, Clint Bentley, Clarence Maclin, and John “Divine G” Whitfield, Sing Sing

This is a complete guest, as I’ve seen only one of these films.

Best Animated Feature

Flow
Inside Out 2
Memoir of a Snail
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
The Wild Robot

Once again, I’ll take a shot in the dark.

Best Cinematography

Lol Crawley, The Brutalist
Greig Fraser, Dune: Part Two
Paul Guilhaume, Emilia Pérez
Ed Lachman, Maria
Jarin Blaschke, Nosferatu

Sand seems like the way to go for this award.

Best Costume Design

Arianne Phillips, A Complete Unknown
Lisy Christl, Conclave
Janty Yates and Dave Crossman, Gladiator II
Linda Muir, Nosferatu
Paul Tazewell, Wicked

This seems like as good a place as any for Wicked to get on the board.

Continue reading →

by admin

Fifty Years Of Music – 1993

Fifty years ago, I made my first appeared on the Earth.  In celebration, we are going to take a look at the year-end Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for each year of my life and see what songs resonated with me at the time and if they continue to do so to this day.

We continue our look back at the music of my lifetime with 1993, the year I completed my first year of college, started my second year of college, moved out of my childhood home, and turned 19, in that order.  My musical landscape was continuing to change, as I navigated the different music I was exposed to between the middle of Indiana and the Chicagoland area.  A whopping 86 of the Hot 100 are familiar to me now, with 51 of them appearing in my collection in one way or another.

#100: Def Leppard – Two Steps Behind
iTunes stats: 24 plays

Featured on the soundtrack to Last Action Hero, the acoustic ballad peaked at #12 on the Hot 100.

#97: Tony! Toni! Toné! – Anniversary
iTunes stats: N/A

Reaching #10, it was the second single from the group’s third studio album.

#96: Sting – If I Ever Lost My Faith in You
iTunes stats: N/A

Topping out at #17, the track earned Sting a Grammy in 1994.

#95: Gin Blossoms – Hey Jealousy
iTunes stats: 28 plays

Written by the band’s former guitarist, who was fired before their breakthrough album was released, it went to #25 on the Hot 100.

#94: Aerosmith – Livin’ on the Edge
iTunes stats: 21 plays

The lead single from the group’s eleventh album, which I bought in a midnight release at the Musicland that would eventually become a bar off of Purdue’s campus, it peaked at #18

#93: Green Jelly – Three Little Pigs
iTunes stats: 27 plays

Spending 20 weeks on the chart, the sole hit from the band, originally called Green Jellö before a lawsuit forced them to change their name, reached #17 in June.

#92: Joey Lawrence – Nothing My Love Can’t Fix
iTunes stats: N/A

The first, and most successful, single from the Blossom star, it topped out at #19.

#91: Tears for Fears – Break It Down Again
iTunes stats: 23 plays

The group’s first hit since 1989, it peaked at #25 and became their final track to enter the Top 40.

#90: Rod Stewart – Reason to Believe
iTunes stats: N/A

Originally released by Stewart in 1971, this live version, from his Unplugged appearance, reached #18.

#87: Sting – Fields of Gold
iTunes stats: N/A

Released in June, it hit #23 on the Hot 100.

#83: Michael Bolton – To Love Somebody
iTunes stats: N/A

Originally released by the Bee Gees in 1967, Michael Bolton took his version to #11.

#82: Haddaway – What is Love
iTunes stats: N/A

The sole hit from the Trinidadian-German singer, it topped out at #11.

#81: Digable Planets – Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)
iTunes stats: 25 plays

Peaking at #15 in March, it remains the group’s lone Top 40 single.

#80: The Heights – How Do You Talk to an Angel
iTunes stats: 22 plays

Spending the two weeks at the top of the charts between the record-breaking runs of Boyz II Men and Whitney Houston, it also finished at #59 in 1992’s year-end chart.

#78: Ice Cube – It Was a Good Day
iTunes stats: 43 plays

Ice Cube’s highest charting single, it peaked at #15 on the Hot 100.

#77: Inner Circle – Sweat (A La La La La Long)
iTunes stats: 15 plays

Released in July of 1992, it eventually worked its way up to #16.

#76: Restless Heart – When She Cries
iTunes stats: N/A

A crossover hit for the country band, it reached #9 on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and #11 on the Hot 100.

#75: DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince – Boom! Shake the Room
iTunes stats: 24 plays

The final Top 40 hit before the duo split, it peaked at #13.

#74: Janet Jackson – Again
iTunes stats: N/A

Included in her film Poetic Justice, this third single from Jackson’s fifth studio album topped the charts for two weeks in December of 1993.

#69: Inner Circle – Bad Boys
iTunes stats: 20 plays

The theme song to the television show Cops, it was first recorded in 1987 and finally released as a single in 1993, reaching #8 and giving the group their only top ten hit.

#68: Jeremy Jordan – The Right Kind of Love
iTunes stats: N/A

The lead single from the Beverly Hills 90210 soundtrack, it topped out at #14.

#67: Madonna – Rain
iTunes stats: 18 plays

Released in July, it hit #14 on the Hot 100.

#65: Cypress Hill – Insane in the Brain
iTunes stats: 15 plays

The lead single from the group’s sophomore album, it topped the Rap charts while peaking at #19 on the Hot 100.

#64: Zhané – Hey Mr. D.J.
iTunes stats: N/A

The debut single from the group became their first top ten hit, reaching #6.

#63: Positive K – I Got a Man
iTunes stats: 22 plays

The lone Top 40 hit of the rapper’s career, it hit #14 in March.

#62: TLC – What About Your Friends
iTunes stats: 27 plays

The third straight top ten single from their debut album, it topped out at #7.

#61: Ugly Kid Joe – Cats in the Cradle
iTunes stats: 16 plays

The highest charting single of the band’s career, this cover of the Harry Chapin classic peaked at #6.

#60: Aerosmith – Cryin’
iTunes stats: 22 plays

Released in June, the first single of their Alicia Silverstone trilogy reached #12.

#58: Mary J. Blige – Real Love
iTunes stats: N/A

The first top ten hit for the singer, it topped out at #7 on the Hot 100.

#57: Bon Jovi – Bed of Roses
iTunes stats: 20 plays

Hitting #10 on the Hot 100, the single was released in January.

#53: Dr. Dre – Dre Day
iTunes stats: 31 plays

The second single from Dr. Dre’s debut solo album, this Eazy-E diss track peaked at #8 in June.

#52: Prince and the New Power Generation – 7
iTunes stats: 16 plays

Released in late 1992, the song reached, of course, #7.

#51: Ace of Base – All That She Wants
iTunes stats: 20 plays

The first single released from their North American debut; it went all the way to #2.

#50: 4 Non Blondes – What’s Up?
iTunes stats: 28 plays

The band’s lone single to crack the Hot 100, it hit #14.

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Fifty Years Of Music – 1990

Fifty years ago, I made my first appeared on the Earth.  In celebration, we are going to take a look at the year-end Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for each year of my life and see what songs resonated with me at the time and if they continue to do so to this day.

We continue our look back at the music of my lifetime with 1990, the year I finished my sophomore year of high school, started my junior year, turned 16 and got my driver’s license, and, oh yeah, found myself with my first girlfriend.  These songs formed the soundtrack of my high school years and continue to be some of my favorites.  A full 70 of the Hot 100 are still familiar to me now, with a whopping 50 of them appearing in my collection in one way or another.

#99: Mellow Man Ace – Mentirosa
iTunes stats: 17 plays

The lone single from the Cuban rapper, it spent 24 weeks on the chart, peaking at #14.

#96: Mötley Crüe – Without You
iTunes stats: 24 plays

Reaching #8 on the Hot 100, the song is said to be about drummer Tommy Lee’s relationship with Heather Locklear.

#94: Biz Markie – Just A Friend
iTunes stats: 39 plays

Markie’s highest charting single, it topped out at #9.

#91: Aerosmith – What It Takes
iTunes stats: 18 plays

Written with Desmond Child, it peaked at #9.

#88: Michael Bolton – When I’m Back on My Feet Again
iTunes stats: N/A

Reaching #7 in August, the song was Bolton’s third top ten hit.

#86: Paula Abdul – (It’s Just) The Way That You Love Me
iTunes stats: 15 plays

Originally released as the second single from Abdul’s debut album in 1988 to little success, it was re-released in the fall of 1989 and rose to #3.

#85: D Mob with Cathy Dennis – C’mon and Get My Love
iTunes stats: 21 plays

The song that introduced Cathy Dennis to the public, it just cracked the top ten.

#82: Billy Joel – I Go to Extremes
iTunes stats: N/A

The second single from Joel’s eleventh studio album, the song just missed the top five, peaking at #6

#81: Black Box – Everybody Everybody
iTunes stats: N/A

Featuring uncredited vocals by Martha Wash, the song reached #8 on the Hot 100.

#78: The B-52’s – Love Shack
iTunes stats: 22 plays

Making the year-end charts for the second consecutive year, the 47th biggest hit of 1989 spent 27 total weeks on the chart.

#76: Mariah Carey – Love Takes Time
iTunes stats: N/A

Spending three weeks at #1 in November, the second single from Carey was her second straight chart topper.

#75: Faith No More – Epic
iTunes stats: 26 plays

Ranked as the 30th greatest metal song of all time by VH1, it was the band’s breakthrough hit, reaching #9.

#73: Technotronic featuring Ya Kid K – Get Up! (Before the Night Is Over)
iTunes stats: 16 plays

Released in January of 1990, it rose to #7.

#72: Skid Row – I Remember You
iTunes stats: 19 plays

The New Jersey band’s second and final top ten hits, peaking at #6.

#70: Go West – King of Wishful Thinking
iTunes stats: 17 plays

Featured on the Pretty Woman soundtrack, the track reached #8 on the Hot 100.

#66: Depeche Mode – Enjoy the Silence
iTunes stats: 22 plays

Released in February, the song became the group’s highest charting single in the US, topping out at #8 in July.

#64: Tom Petty – Free Fallin’
iTunes stats: 34 plays

The highest and longest charting hit of Petty’s career, it peaked at #7, becoming his third and final top ten hit.

#63: Taylor Dayne – I’ll Be Your Shelter
iTunes stats: 6 plays

Reaching #4 on the Hot 100, the song, released in March, was written by Diane Warren and remains Dayne’s final top ten hit.

#62: Digital Underground – The Humpty Dance
iTunes stats: 43 plays

The group’s first Top 40 hit, it topped out at #11.

#61: Aerosmith – Janie’s Got a Gun
iTunes stats: 37 plays

Hitting #4 on the Hot 100, the song earned the group a Grammy award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

#59: Janet Jackson – Black Cat
iTunes stats: 12 plays

The sixth single from Jackson’s fourth studio album spent a single week atop the Hot 100 at the end of October.

#56: Phil Collins – I Wish It Would Rain Down
iTunes stats: N/A

Featuring guitar work from Eric Clapton, Collins reached #3 on the Hot 100 with this track.

#55: MC Hammer – U Can’t Touch This
iTunes stats: 18 plays

The first rap song to be nominated for Record of the Year at the Grammys, it peaked at #8 on the Hot 100.

#52: Michael Bolton – How Can We Be Lovers
iTunes stats: N/A

Reaching #3, Bolton co-wrote this tune with both Diane Warren and Desmond Child.

Continue reading →

by admin

Fifty Years Of Music – 1988

Fifty years ago, I made my first appeared on the Earth.  In celebration, we are going to take a look at the year-end Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for each year of my life and see what songs resonated with me at the time and if they continue to do so to this day.

We continue our look back at the music of my lifetime with 1988, the year I graduated from junior high, first really became interested in pop music, and moved on to high school.  Z95 and B96 were the hit stations in Chicago at the time and would provide the soundtrack of that year.  At 62 songs, over 60% of the Hot 100 remain familiar to me now, with 29 of them appearing in my collection in one way or another.

#99: White Lion – Wait
iTunes stats: 21 plays

Released in June of 1987, it didn’t crack the charts until February of 1988 before eventually cracking the top ten and peaking at #8 in May.

#98: Poison – Nothin’ but a Good Time
iTunes stats: 28 plays

The lead single from the band’s second album, it reached #6 on the Hot 100.

#89: Whitney Houston – One Moment in Time
iTunes stats: N/A

Hitting #5, the song was produced for the 1988 Summer Olympics held in Seoul, South Korea.

#85: Joan Jett and the Blackhearts – I Hate Myself for Loving You
iTunes stats: 27 plays

Jett’s third and final top ten single, it peaked at #8 and spent 26 weeks on the chart.

#82: Van Halen – When It’s Love
iTunes stats: 9 plays

The group’s third and final top ten single, it topped out at #5 on the Hot 100 and reached the top of the Mainstream Rock chart.

#79: Bobby Brown – Don’t Be Cruel
iTunes stats: N/A

Topping the R&B chart for two weeks, the single from Brown’s second solo album hit #8 in October.

#76: Tracy Chapman – Fast Car
iTunes stats: 3 plays

Nominated for three Grammys and winning one, Chapman’s biggest pop hit peaked at #6.

#75: Natalie Cole – Pink Cadillac
iTunes stats: N/A

This cover of a Bruce Springsteen song reached #5 on the Hot 100, giving Cole her first top ten hit since 1978.

#71: Elton John – Candle in the Wind
iTunes stats: N/A

Originally written in honor of Marilyn Monroe in 1973, this live version hit #6.

#70: Cheap Trick – Don’t Be Cruel
iTunes stats: 31 plays

The Rockford band spent two weeks at #4 In October of 1988 with this cover of the old Elvis hit.

#66: Pretty Poison – Catch Me (I’m Falling)
iTunes stats: N/A

The lone hit from the group, it reached #8 late in 1987.

#65: INXS – New Sensation
iTunes stats: 18 plays

Peaking at #3, this was the third single from the Australian group’s sixth studio album.

#63: Pebbles – Mercedes Boy
iTunes stats: 17 plays

The second, and biggest, single from her debut album, the track went all the way to #2 on the Hot 100.

#62: Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine – 1-2-3
iTunes stats: N/A

The seventh and final top ten hit for the group, it reached #3 in July of 1988.

#61: Michael Jackson – Dirty Diana
iTunes stats: N/A

Jackson returned to the top of the charts with the fifth single from his Bad album.

#57: Belinda Carlisle – I Get Weak
iTunes stats: N/A

Carlisle hit #2 with this second single from her second solo album, written by Diane Warren.

#56: U2 – Desire
iTunes stats: N/A

The first single from the band’s Rattle and Hum album, it peaked at #3 on the Hot 100 while winning a Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

#54: Debbie Gibson – Out of the Blue
iTunes stats: N/A

The title track from Gibson’s debut album, it reached #3, becoming Gibson’s highest charting single at the time.

#53: Taylor Dayne – Tell It to My Heart
iTunes stats: N/A

Taylor’s debut single, the song spent 25 weeks in the Hot 100, peaking at #7, and earned Dayne a Grammy nomination.

#52: Information Society – What’s On Your Mind (Pure Energy)
iTunes stats: 15 plays

Featuring vocal samples of Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley from episodes of Star Trek, the group’s sole hit reached #3 in October of 1988.

Continue reading →

by admin

Fifty Years Of Music – 1987

Fifty years ago, I made my first appeared on the Earth.  In celebration, we are going to take a look at the year-end Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for each year of my life and see what songs resonated with me at the time and if they continue to do so to this day.

We continue our look back at the music of my lifetime with 1987, the year I wrapped up seventh grade, moved to eighth grade, and turned 13.  I started to have some awareness of the pop music of the day, but still have many blind spots, even to this day.  35 of the Hot 100 are familiar to me now, with only 13 of them appearing in my collection in one way or another.

#98: Beastie Boys – (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)
iTunes stats: 16 plays

Named one of the 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, it peaked at #7 the first week of March in 1987.

#93: Huey Lewis and the News – Doing It All for My Baby
iTunes stats: N/A

The song of choice for my eighth-grade music class critic report, it reached #6, making the band the first group to have five top ten singles from one album.

#74: Bon Jovi – Wanted Dead or Alive
iTunes stats: 29 plays

Hitting #7 on the Hot 100 and #13 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, it made Slippery When Wet the first glam metal album to have three top ten hits.

#72: Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine – Rhythm Is Gonna Get You
iTunes stats: N/A

The lead single from the group’s tenth studio album, it topped out at #5.

#67: Ben E. King – Stand by Me
iTunes stats: 22 plays

Originally peaking at #4 in 1961, the song was re-released alongside the film of the same name in 1987, reaching #9 and giving King a top ten hit, either as part of a group or as a solo artist, in four decades.

#59: Michael Jackson – Bad
iTunes stats: N/A

Originally intended to be a duet with Prince, the song spent two weeks atop the Hot 100 and was Jackson’s eighth #1 hit.

#58: Madonna – La Isla Bonita
iTunes stats: N/A

The fifth and final single from the True Blue album, it peaked at #4, giving Madonna her eleventh top five single, trailing only Elvis Presley and the Beatles at the time.

#52: Suzanne Vega – Luka
iTunes stats: N/A

Vega’s highest charting US hit, it reached #3 and earned Vega multiple Grammy nominations in 1988. Continue reading →

by admin

The Nominees Are

side_oscarThe 96th Academy Awards are going down next Sunday night and that means it is time for another go-around of my woeful predictions.  I don’t know that I’ve heard of many of these movies let alone seen them, so, with less basis in fact than most years, here’s my uneducated predictions for the non-acting awards.

Best Original Screenplay

Justine Triet and Arthur Harari, Anatomy of a Fall
David Hemingson, The Holdovers
Bradley Cooper and Josh Singer, Maestro
Screenplay by Samy Burch; Story by Samy Burch and Alex Mechanik, May December
Celine Song, Past Lives

I’ve seen a whopping two of these films, so I’m going to pick my favorite of the two, The Holdovers.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Cord Jefferson, American Fiction
Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, Barbie
Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
Tony McNamara, Poor Things
Jonathan Glazer, The Zone of Interest

I’m assuming this will be the start of a big night for Nolan and Oppenheimer.

Best Animated Feature

The Boy and the Heron
Elemental
Nimona
Robot Dreams
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Once again, I’ll go with the one I’ve seen.

Best Cinematography

Edward Lachman, El Conde
Rodrigo Prieto, Killers of the Flower Moon
Matthew Libatique, Maestro
Hoyte van Hoytema, Oppenheimer
Robbie Ryan, Poor Things

Seems like I’m going all in with the atomic bomb movie.

Best Costume Design

Jacqueline Durran, Barbie
Jacqueline West, Killers of the Flower Moon
Janty Yates and Dave Crossman, Napoleon
Ellen Mirojnick, Oppenheimer
Holly Waddington, Poor Things

This seems like as good a place as any for Barbie to get on the board.

Continue reading →

by admin

And The Nominees Are

side_oscarThe 95th Academy Awards are going down Sunday night and, after a year break, my woeful predictions are back.  I don’t know that I’ve heard of many of these movies let alone seen them, so, with less basis in fact than most years, here’s my uneducated predictions for the non-acting awards.

Best Original Screenplay

Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Steven Spielberg and Tony Kusher, The Fablemans
Todd Field, Tár
Ruben Östlund, Triangle of Sadness

I’ve seen none of these films, but Everything Everywhere All at Once seems to be the hot property, so I’m going to go with that.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson, and Ian Stokell, All Quiet on the Western Front
Rian Johnson, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Kazuo Ishiguro, Living
Screenplay by Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, and Christopher McQuarrie; Story by Peter Craig and Justin Marks, Top Gun: Maverick
Sarah Polley, Women Talking

Who doesn’t love a good war movie?

Best Animated Feature

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio 
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
The Sea Beast
Turning Red

My best guess, having seen none of these fine films, is that Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio wins the day.

Best Cinematography

James Friend, All Quiet on the Western Front
Darius Khondji, Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
Mandy Walker, Elvis
Roger Deakins, Empire of Light
Florian Hoffmeister, Tár

Seems like I’m going all in with the war movie.

Best Costume Design

Mary Zophres, Babylon
Ruth Carter, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Catherine Martin, Elvis
Shirley Kurata, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Jenny Beavan, Mrs. Hamm Goes to Paris

Well, I’ve seen one of these films, so let’s go with that one.

Continue reading →

by admin

And The (Socially Distanced) Nominees Are

side_oscarAfter a year like no other, the 93rd Academy Awards are going down Sunday night.  Given that movie theaters were closed for the majority of 2020 thanks to the corona virus, I don’t know that I’ve heard of many of these movies let alone seen them.  So, with less basis in fact than most years, here’s my uneducated predictions for the non-acting awards.

Best Original Screenplay

Will Berson and Shaka King, Judas and the Black Messiah
Lee Isaac Chung, Minari
Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman
Darius Marder and Abraham Marder, Sound of Metal
Aaron Sorkin, The Trial of the Chicago 7

I’ve seen none of these films, so this is a total shot in the dark, but I’ve at least heard of The Trial of the Chicago 7.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Dan Swimer, Peter Baynham, Erica Rivinoja, Dan Mazer, Jena Friedman, Lee Kern, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller, The Father
Chloe Zhao, Nomadland
Kemp Powers, One Night In Miami…
Ramin Bahrani, The White Tiger

I don’t want to live in a world where a Borat movie wins a writing Oscar, so I’ll go with Nomadland.

Best Animated Feature

Onward
Over The Moon
A Shaun The Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
Soul
Wolfwalkers

Soul is the only one I’ve heard of.

Best Cinematography

Sean Bobbitt, Judas and the Black Messiah
Erik Messerschmidt, Mank
Dariusz Wolski, News of the World
Joshua James Richards, Nomadland
Phedon Papamichael, The Trial of the Chicago 7

I’ve got no clue.

Best Costume Design

Alexandra Byrne, Emma
Ann Roth, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Trish Sumemrville, Mank
Bina Daigeler, Mulan
Massimo Cantini Parrini, Pinocchio

A tale of Hollywood’s past is my choice to win this particular prize.

Continue reading →

by admin

And The Nominees Are

side_oscarThe 92nd Academy Awards are going down Sunday night, so here’s my uneducated predictions for the non-acting awards. I have seen a couple of these movies, so I will still mostly be going on gut feel and word of mouth with just a little bit of personal experience.

Best Original Screenplay

Rian Johnson, Knives Out
Noah Baumbach, Marriage Story
Sam Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns, 1917
Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Bong Joon-ho and Han Jin-won, Parasite

I’ve seen none of these films, so this is a total shot in the dark, but I’ve heard lots of good things about Knives Out.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Steven Zaillian, The Irishman
Taika Waititi, Jojo Rabbit
Todd Phillips and Scott Silver, Joker
Greta Gerwig, Little Women
Anthony McCarten, The Two Popes

I’ve only seen one of these, but my guess is that Greta Gerwig takes home the prize.

Best Animated Feature

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
I Lost My Body
Klaus
Missing Link
Toy Story 4

I’m assuming the continuing adventures of the talking Mr. Potato Head and friends will be the winner.

Best Cinematography

Rodrigo Prieto, The Irishman
Lawrence Sher, Joker
Jarin Blaschke, The Lighthouse
Roger Deakins, 1917
Robert Richardson, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

Well, again, I’ve seen one of these, so I will go with the war effort 1917.

Best Costume Design

Sandy Powell and Christopher Peterson, The Irishman
Mayes C. Rubeo, Jojo Rabbit
Mark Bridges, Joker
Jacqueline Durran, Little Women
Arianne Phillips, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

Quentin Tarantino’s tale of 1960s Hollywood is my choice to win this particular prize.

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