‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ and superhero saga fatigue
Let me say this upfront: There is an admirable popcorn-movie craftsmanship in Avengers: Age of Ultron, much of it due to the efforts of director Joss Whedon and a cast … Continue reading
Broadway review: ‘An American in Paris’
Given the popularity of Dancing With the Stars and TV reality shows of its ilk, you’d think that Broadway would be teeming with dance-heavy productions. Alas, no. Thankfully, the void … Continue reading
OscarSauce: Going back to 5 Best Picture nominees won’t fix the Academy’s art-house bias
After a six-year experiment to broaden the Best Picture field that has proven about as popular as Seth MacFarlane’s hosting gig, The Hollywood Reporter indicates the Academy is now considering … Continue reading
OscarSauce: Why ‘Birdman’ won (hint: the Academy loves showbiz stories)
Shakespeare in Love. Chicago. The Artist. Argo. And now Birdman. The Academy loves to reward movies about showbiz. (Extending the argument just a smidge, even Crash‘s controversial victory over Brokeback … Continue reading
OscarSauce: A never-too-early look at next year’s race — Leo, JLaw, and Bradley Cooper (again)
An Oscarologist’s work is never done. Yes, the Oscarcast only just ended. And we’re only seven weeks into 2015. But it’s never too early to start forecasting next year’s big … Continue reading
OscarSauce: Who will win in all 24 categories
Last year, I scored a respectable 75 percent in predicting all 24 Oscar categories. But there are some much trickier races this year, including the tippy top category: Best Picture. … Continue reading
OscarSauce: Why ‘Boyhood’ may win Best Picture but not Best Director
I’m going out on a limb here, but I think that Alejandro González Iñárritu is going to win Best Director for Birdman — but that Boyhood will be named Best … Continue reading
David O. Russell’s disowned film is out. But whatever happened to Alan Smithee?
It seems that Stephen Greene is the new Alan Smithee. Greene is the credited director on a so-called comedy called Accidental Love starring Jessica Biel and Jake Gyllenhaal that’s available on … Continue reading
OscarSauce: Could front-runners Julianne Moore and Eddie Redmayne be felled by the ‘Norbit’ effect?
Exactly eight years ago, Eddie Murphy seemed like a shoo-in to win his first Academy Award for his spirited turn as a drug-addled R&B singer in Dreamgirls. He’d already picked … Continue reading
OscarSauce: Why predicting Best Animated Short is such a stumper
I admit it. I have no idea why the Academy honors the animated shorts that it does. In a decade of Oscar prognosticating, my track record in this category is … Continue reading
