The Oscars 2017

OKAY, WOAH. HOLD UP. WHAT JUST HAPPENED. Let’s start at the end because that’s the only place to begin on an Oscar night that was quite historic, and not just for good reasons. So…the Best Picture winner was Moonlight, but due to an envelope mix-up, La La Land was announced as the recipient of the award.…

Oscars 2017: Predictions and Opinions

Film’s biggest night is finally here; it’s the Oscars. We’ve had awards ceremonies galore leaving certain locks and open races in the various categories here tonight. Will La La Land sweep the board? Who will be named Best Actor? What upsets or shocks might there be? With Jimmy Kimmel as the host, the night should…

‘Oscar bait’ – does it exist?

Often the term ‘Oscar bait’ is thrown around in reference to films that fit within a certain criteria, created by observations of past Oscar winners and nominees. It’s frequently used as an insult to attack a film as opposed to the Academy, used in an attempt to delegitimise success. It presents the idea that films…

More Nominations = More Backlash?

As we reach the final stretch of Awards’ Season, it’s interesting to examine whose reputation has lasted the battering of the race…surprisingly its often those in first place that suffer the most. After gaining traction early on with critical acclaim, followed by audience love, followed by awards nominations, films often start to pick up increasing…

BAFTAs 2017: Predictions and Opinions

One of the last big awards in the lead up to the Oscars, and the biggest night in the British Cinema Calendar. It can sometimes be tricky to predict the winners here; sometimes the BAFTAs like to go in a different direction to other awards, and can tend to favour the Brits. They can be…

#Oscarsnotsowhite? Yet still so male…

After controversy surround the Oscars over the past two years, 2017 seems to have turned things around. In both 2015 and 2016, all 20 of the acting nominees were white, prompting cries of racism and discrimination to be directed at the Academy. This, in turn, prompted a serious examination of the make-up of the voting…

Oscar nominations 2017: Initial Thoughts

It’s that exciting time in the film calendar again; the Oscar nominations have been announced (in a new, interesting way), and a select group of people can now add the permanent prefix of ‘Academy-Award Nominee’ to their name. As expected, La La Land leads the pack with a whopping 14 nominations; tying with Titanic and…