Meryl Streep Rocks Out in 'Ricki and the Flash' Trailer

Meryl Streep continues to wow us all with each new role she takes; after breaking her own incredible record for the most Oscar nominations by an actor/actress last year with her memorable performance in "Into the Woods", she's back again. This time, she's teaming up with "Juno" screenwriter Diablo Cody and director Jonathan Demme ("Rachel Getting Married" and "Silence of the Lambs"). 

It's Never too Early to Look Ahead

After playing a witch in last year's "Into the Woods", Meryl is looking to break her own record as a rock star mom in "Ricki and the Flash" 

Last year's Oscar season just barely ended, and it's already time to start looking ahead at the race that's already starting to form for this year. Though none of the actual contenders have actually premiered to the public yet (unless you count the gorgeous costumes from "Cinderella") there's a slew of buzzy titles with huge names that have people talking.

With nothing at the theaters really holding our attention at the moment, it's never too early to look ahead at what's to come.

Oscars Recap: "Birdman" and Lady Gaga Soar

Neil Patrick Harris and Anna Kendrick started the show off with a huge bang last night. 

This past Oscar season has been so weird, that it's sort of relieving to be able to put a cap on the entire thing. After going on for months bouncing back between "Boyhood", "The Theory of Everything" and "The Imitation Game" as the frontrunner, "Birdman" surged late in the game and eventually ended up on top. Though the film is, at its very core, about actors, it's such a strange, unconventional choice for a Best Picture winner, but an inspired, deserving one, the kind that doesn't usually win because it's too weird. It is a film after all where Michael Keaton levitates in his underwear and flies through New York City… or does he? Is it all in his mind? It’s basically a more actor friendly, less ballet focused “Black Swan”, though starring Michael Keaton and not Natalie Portman. 

Oscar Winners

I will be live-blogging throughout the ceremony. Refresh and sick with me through the night for updates and commentary on winners as they are announced.

Final Oscar Predictions: All the Categories

In just a few short hours, we’ll be able to finally put a cap on one of the most confusing Oscar races in recent history. After going months without a presumed frontrunner, “Boyhood” took the slot after winning the lion’s share of the critics’ prizes and critical acclaim. But despite its critical endorsement, something seemed off; no one seemed truly enthused about anointing Boyhood as the winner. For all of its revelatory scope (being filmed over a period of 12 years with the same actors), it’s a story we have heard dozens of times before. 

That feeling proved true, because as we moved into phase 2 (post-Oscar nominations/guild winners), it was Birdman that jumped in the driver’s seat, winning top honors from the Director’s, Actor’s and Producer’s Guilds. The only major guild award it has lost has been the British Academy Award (BAFTA) which went to Boyhood. Statistics will tell you that it’s between these two for the Best Picture win. 

But will it be a clean sweep? Will these two films dominate the ceremony? Hardly. It’s a competitive year, with a number of strong films threatening to spoil these two dog race. So, let’s a look through each category; Who will emerge the night’s biggest winner? 

Inside the Mind of an Academy Member: Resented 'Selma' filmmakers wearing "I can't breathe" T-Shirts

Every year Scott Feinberg of The Hollywood Reporter does anonymous interviews with Academy members about how they voted on each category. This is done largely in part to create hype around the upcoming ceremony and distract from the inevitable winners and create some excitement. The Oscars use a preferential ballot so everyone has their favorites; it's nice to see a shout out for someone who may not have won anything all season.

But usually what this does is point out how out of touch, and ignorant Academy voters are. Remember last year when several voters admitted to not even watching "12 Years A Slave"? Though the film ended up winning Best Picture, it points out how flawed the system is; Voters aren't watching the films, which points out what a farce the Oscars themselves are.

This year is no different, as an interview conducted with a female voter is choosing Patricia Arquette for "having no work done in 12 years" and believes "there is no artistry in 'Selma'".

"American Sniper" and "Selma": The Problem No One is Talking About

It seems all anyone has been talking about for the past week is Clint Eastwood's "American Sniper". I have to admit, I did not take it seriously as a contender until the very last minute, when it nabbed critical DGA and PGA nominations over "Selma". The film's late release date, and the middling reception kept it from truly registering on my radar. But the Academy had different ideas about the film; they bestowed it with 6 nominations, including surprising ones for Bradley Cooper and the film's screenplay.

I've already talked about how sickening it was on the Academy's part to not only heap such praise onto the film, but at the expense of other (better) films such as Selma, or even "Gone Girl" and "Nightcrawler". Even more disappointing, and sickening, is that not one person of color was nominated in a major category, and to make it worse, none of the nominees outside of the actress categories are women. But all that aside, what's truly the most problematic thing about this whole thing, is American Sniper's existence in the first place.

Producer's Guild and Screen Actor's Guild: The Race is Wide Open

Move aside "Boyhood", we have a new frontrunner on our hands. 

If you thought that this year's Oscar race was getting a little boring (like me), then this weekend was exactly what you needed. After winning nearly every critic's prize and the Golden Globe, it seemed "Boyhood" was getting ready to steamroll its way to the Oscars. But with announcements from the Producer's Guild and the Screen Actor's Guild, its path just got a little more obscure.

Academy Award Nominations: What to Expect Tomorrow

Frontrunner "Boyhood" has a lot of momentum going into nomination day. 

We've heard from the Globes, and we're still awaiting on final decisions from SAG, the DGA, the PGA and the Broadcast Film Critics, but we finally have a consensus, at least.

We're in for the Whitest, Male-ist Oscars Yet

Benedict Cumberbatch and Eddie Redmayne lead the several mediocre, white male-centric films destined for Oscar glory. 

After last year's Best Picture Oscar race, which including groundbreaking films such as "Gravity", "12 Years A Slave" and "Her", it's hard not to feel a sinking feeling of disappointment. 12 Years A Slave, on paper, fit into Oscar's wheelhouse, despite it's determination not to shy away from the atrocities of slavery, violence included. It was a period piece, and a biopic not to mention, it was an incredible achievement, one that Oscar couldn't look away from and still maintain it was the highest honor to receive in film.

In Gravity's case, a woman held the screen for the film's entire running time, going through her own character arc and overcoming hardship without the aid of a male character. Even "Philomela" found its way into the Best Picture race, which focused on an elderly woman grappling with being forced to give up her son by the Catholic Church. The film dealt with themes of faith, sexuality and love, and again was headlined by an 80 year old actress.

Sure, films focusing on white men overcoming hardship like "Nebraska" and "The Wolf of Wall Street" found their way into contention, but when you compare last year to this year, last year smells a little fresher. This year, you won't find films like Gravity or Philomena. Sure, there's Ava DuVernay's magnificent "Selma", but that film stands alone in a category filled with "The Theory of Everything", "The Imitation Game", "Foxcatcher", "American Sniper" and even "Boyhood". Gillian Flynn is the only woman screenwriter in contention for Best Adapted Screenplay, and of the acting contenders, Selma's David Oyelowo is the only person of color expected to receive a nomination.

Dear Oscar

Dear Oscar,

I know that awards season can get really crowded with so many high profile films and contenders vying for your attention. It must get tricky being able to remember films from the beginning of the year when several presumed juggernauts don't even premiere until the end of December. Yes, it must get hard when you have actors losing weight, or donning prosthetics in flashy biopics. Yes, I know it's hard, but before the endless onslaught of awards movies, I ask you to hear me out.

I'm sure you've heard how Rosamund Pike is fantastic in David Fincher's "Gone Girl", a film that has crossed $100 million in just 3 weeks since premiering, and I'm sure a Best Actress nomination would seem fitting as a reward for that film. I'm also sure you've heard Julianne Moore, Jessica Chastain, Reese Witherspoon, Felicity Jones, and Amy Adams are all great in their respective films. It must be hard to see past all of these flashy, very familiar names; some of these women are past winners, or multiple time past nominees. But I'm asking you to look past those names for a moment, to consider Marion Cotillard's groundbreaking work in James Gray's, "The Immigrant".

The Calm Before the Storm: Where are we in the Oscar Race?

"Boyhood", "The Imitation Game", "The Theory of Everything", "Birdman", "Foxcatcher" and "Gone Girl" all look like Best Picture nominees, but who is leading?

The Oscar race is a fickle thing; the slightest bit of negative buzz can all but deter a film on the winning track to implosion. Your buzz can never peak too early, and your release date can't be too far away from the end of the year. Sure, you can skip the festivals (New York, Cannes, Venice, Telluride) but you better have a hell of a box office success story, or Meryl Streep playing a Holocaust victim in a film backed by Harvey Weinstein if you want to secure some major nominations.


At this point last year, we had "Gravity" breaking box office records, and "12 Years A Slave" had won the top prize at the Toronto Film Festival; these were undisputed frontrunners. It was going to come down to these 2 (and it did, with some heat from "American Hustle"). I can honestly say that as of right now, I have no idea what film will win Best Picture; we don't really have a front runner.

Meryl's Birthday! 5 Favorite Roles

There's not much to say about Meryl Streep that hasn't been said already... she is the Mariah Carey of the film industry, with a record breaking 18 Academy Award Nominations and 3 trophies (2 Leading Actress wins and 1 Supporting Actress win), it's easy to say she is the best actress working today. She has also been nominated for 28 Golden Globes, won 2 Emmys 2 BAFTA's and even 5 Grammy nominations. Not to mention, she is one of the rare actresses over the age of 40 that continues to land challenging roles (unlike her counterpart Glenn Close).

The last time you saw Streep, she was earning her 18th Oscar nomination for "August: Osage County" (not her best, but she gets nominated for everything it seems), and the next time you'll see her will be later this year in Tommy Lee Jones' "The Homesman", the film adaptation of the popular book "The Giver" (alongside Jeff Bridges, Katie Holmes and Taylor Swift) and the film adaptation of the popular musical "Into the Woods" (alongside Anna Kendrick, Emily Blunt and Chris Pine).

Today, Streep turns 65. In honor of the legendary queen of the film awards, lets count down her 5 best performances:

Academy Award Winners

Full list of winners (and commentary) below.

If I Had A Ballot: My Academy Award Nominees (Acting)

It's always disappointing during Oscar season to root for a contender all year, only to find they've been ignored, in favor of a flashier, less impressive contender. It happens every single year... 2011's Best Actress snub of Kirsten Dunst in Melancholia and Charlize Theron in Young Adult still stings a little too much... Alas, that's the fun in creating your own ballot; you get to include your favorite performances, maybe some that didn't make it in the real awards race.

Admittedly, I started this back in December and have revised it at least 5 times (too many performances to choose from!) It's been a very good year despite some of Oscar's less inspired choices, which tended to be drawn from the Best Picture nominees only (with some exceptions, but still should not have ultimately been in their respective lineups) or from Oscar's own favorite pool (Streep? Did she really need another nomination in the year of Adele Exarchopoulos?)

In any event, while the Academy tends to select their favorites, I consider a wider pool of nominees from films the Academy think they're too good to watch, though we do tend to overlap in some cases (in such a rich year, it's hard to ignore the truly great performances). 

So, without further adieu, I give you my Acting Ballot!!

Fandor Breaks Down Major Oscar Races: Who Really Deserves to Win?

Kevin B. Lee of Fandor.com has published his video essay on the major acting races. I've got to to say, watching Lee break down the performances, right down to the screen time, had me reevaluate my own choices for who deserves to win the Oscar... especially in the case of Supporting Actor. Even if you disagree with his preferences, you can't deny he presents very persuasive reasons for his case(s).

I would even recommend watching his entries from last year's race, which you can find on his Youtube channel.

Check out the analyzations below.

7 Days Till Oscar: Rating the Best Picture Nominees' Trailers

That's right ladies and gentlemen, we're 7 days away from the biggest night in film: the 88th Academy Awards. Oscar season always seems like a never-ending circus, and it certainly feels like this season especially has been going on forever. Bur fret not! Soon I'll be able to officially move into the 2014 film season once this madness is over (and once 2014 delivers me a movie worth seeing, though admittedly I have not seen The Lego Movie yet, and probably should).

In any event, until that time comes, I've got to keep you interested in the dog and pony show currently coming to its much needed end: 2013's awards season. Next weekend, I'll be publishing my acting ballot, complete with my personal choices and winners if I were to have the ability to cast a vote. Today, however, I've decided I would rank the Best Picture nominees by their trailers (which in some cases are better than the actual movies themselves).

So, without further adieu, your 2013 Best Picture nominees ranked by yours truly!

Lupita Nyong'o vs. Jennifer Lawrence: Who Will Be This Year's Best Supporting Actress Winner?

Over the past few months, there's been talk of movement in the acting races. You'll recall that before last Sunday's BAFTA's, there was internet chatter over whether Amy Adams and Leonardo DiCaprio could overtake frontrunners Matthew McConaughey in the lead actor and actress categories. But now that Blanchett has collected yet another trophy (has she lost one this entire season?), and Chiwetel Ejiofor picked up one in McConaughey's absence, it seems a bit silly that we even considered for a second that anyone else could win in the year of Jasmine and Ron Woodroff, 2 critically acclaimed and very popular performances; one given by an actress returning from a bit of a hiatus and another given by an actor who continues to reinvent and push himself.

Looking back, however, it seems as if the true race to win was not between Blanchett and Adams, nor McConaughey and DiCaprio (with some heat from Ejiofor), but between Lupita Nyong'o and Jennifer Lawrence.

Dylan Farrow's Open Letter Specifically Names Cate Blanchett

I don't know if any of you have been keeping up with the recent explosion of bad press Woody Allen has been receiving lately, but it seems to be consuming the movie related news cycle as of late. An open later, penned by Allen's adopted daughter Dylan, was posted by The New York Times just the other day (you can read it here if you so choose).

For those of you who don't know, Dylan Farrow had accused her adoptive father of molesting her at some point. The allegations came shortly after a dramatic divorce between Mr. Allen and Mia Farrow. The allegations were explored shortly after they surfaced, with the courts ruling that (in a nutshell) Dylan Farrow had "difficulty determining fact from fantasy", and that no such molestation happened.

The open letter addresses (for the first time that I'm aware of) what happened from Dylan's point of view, in addition to her feelings and the repercussions of what transpired. It's a brave piece for someone in her position to publicize; Woody Allen is a revered public figure, and the backlash this situation received in the past has exploded ten fold with the publication of this letter. The fact we live in an internet age doesn't help at all.

In the letter, Farrow points a finger at actors and actresses who have worked with Woody, most notably, Cate Blanchett:

"What if it had been your child, Cate Blanchett? Louis C.K.? Alec Baldwin? What if it had been you, Emma Stone? Or you, Scarlett Johansson? You knew me when I was a little girl, Diane Keaton. Have you forgotten about me?"

In doing so, Farrow is not only asking the public not to support Allen, but she points the question to the people who help bring his work to life. She also addresses the fact that Blue Jasmine (the film in which Blanchett and Allen have collaborated on) is an Academy Award Nominee for Allen's writing.

So, what does this all mean for The Academy Awards? And more specifically, Cate Blanchett?

Worst Oscar Winners: Best Actress In A Leading Role

Hey everyone! So I was brainstorming for a new post series to keep me busy and to keep content flowin (I've gotta keep you all interested right?). Since we're coming towards the end of Oscar season, and we pretty much know who's going to win in the major categories, why not revisit some past years? In particular, the years in which we had some pretty terrible nominees and even worse winners.

The series will cover the acting categories and Best Picture. My favorite category, Best Actress, will kick it off. I'll be posting Supporting Actress sometime next month, but in the mean time, send me some winners you feel shouldn't have won and explain why! Maybe you'll find your choices on this list.

Without further adieu, I give you, the worst Best Actress winners.