AFI & NBR Top 10 Films of 2020

The American Film Institute (AFI) and National Board of Review (NBR) have announced their Top 10 films of the year, giving us our first sneak peek into the industry’s thoughts on the movies we’ll see this coming awards season. What do the lists say about the current state of the race? What are the big winners and losers from these two institutions?

‘The White Tiger’ Film Review: A Farewell to Fairy Tale Endings

The White Tiger (2021) is an American drama film written and directed by Ramin Bahrani. Based on a 2008 novel of the same name, it tells the story of a poor Indian man who overcomes his upbringing to become a ruthless entrepreneur. Adarsh Gourav, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and Rajkummar Rao star. The film dropped this weekend on Netflix to mostly-positive reviews. Can this have crossover appeal in the Western world?

‘Palm Springs’ Script Analysis: A Fresh Spin on a Tired Genre

The time-loop genre has been seemingly done to death already, and no one would’ve argued with you if you declared it a dead genre at the start of 2020. But Max Barbakow and Andy Siara proved us wrong with Palm Springs, which on the surface looks like your run-of-the-mill time loop comedy despite being anything but. The genius of the script comes in the way it infuses the time loop mechanic into a romantic comedy formula – funny enough, another genre that has been done to death many times by now. But what results is something greater than the sum of its parts, and today we’re diving deeper into the screenplay to see what makes this clever little sci-fi rom-com tick!

Best Picture Power Rankings: January 2021 Edition

Welcome back to my monthly power rankings, where I take periodic snapshots of the Best Picture race and gauge how films have jostled for position with one another in the Oscars’ biggest category. We’re in uncharted territory now, as a new year is upon us yet new releases are still set to come out and shake up the race thanks to the extended eligibility window. What new films have jumped up (or fallen out of) the rankings? What prior releases have sustained their momentum or failed to keep the conversation going? Let’s take a look at where we are today!

‘News of the World’ Film Review: A Studio Success Story

News of the World (2020) is a Western drama from writer-director Paul Greengrass. Based on a novel of the same name, it stars Tom Hanks as a traveling newsman who is tasked with transporting a kidnapped girl (Helena Zengel) back to her family. The film received solid reviews from critics ahead of its theatrical debut on Christmas Day and eventual PVOD release. Is this the big late-breaking Oscar contender of the year, or will it fail to find an audience with the Academy?

2021 Golden Globes Nomination Predictions

The 78th Golden Globe Awards are right around the corner, with nominations announced in just a few short weeks. Now that we’ve seen (or at least heard about) just about everything competing in this awards season, what films and performances do I expect to be present at this year’s ceremony?

‘The Father’ Film Review: Madness in Perspective

The Father (2021) is the directorial debut feature of playwright Florian Zeller, adapted from his play of the same name. It stars Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman in the story of a man suffering from dementia and losing his grip on reality. The film debuted way back at Sundance last year and has somehow sustained momentum all this time, threatening to earn big Oscar nominations. Is this truly one of the best films of the season?

‘Pieces of a Woman’ Film Review: A Meditation on Mourning

Pieces of a Woman (2020) is a family drama from Hungarian director Kornél Mundruczó in his English-language debut, based on the play of the same name by Mundruczó and Kata Wéber. It stars Vanessa Kirby and Shia Labeouf as a young couple in grieving after an at-home birth goes wrong. Ellen Burstyn, Molly Parker, Sarah Snook and Iliza Shlesinger also star. The film debuted way back at Venice Film Festival last year, where Kirby won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress, catapulting her into the Oscar conversation. Will this film have legs at the upcoming 93rd Academy Awards?

Analyzing the Best Adapted Screenplay Category at the Oscars

Every year, dozens upon dozens of films are released that were based on existing source material in a different medium. An entire Oscar category is even dedicated to it: Best Adapted Screenplay. Case in point, 2020 has seen a lot of different theatrical film adaptations that will be vying for the biggest categories of the Academy Awards (One Night in Miami, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, The Father, and more). Today I will be examining what kinds of adaptations perform better than others with the Academy, and what we can take away from such stats moving forward.