Thursday, November 23, 2017

The FAC Updates Best Pic and Director Predix / Independent Spirit Awards Nominations Announced / Film Stars Has a Trailer / Looking at The Post and Phantom Thread / Let's Talk Richard Jenkins

Happy Thanksgiving!  Nov. 23, 2017...I'm thankful that there are actual readers of this space.  Thank you!


THE FAC UPDATES BEST PIC AND DIRECTOR PREDICTIONS



For the third time this Oscar season, The Film Awards Clearinghouse takes a stab at predicting the nominees for Best Picture and Best Direction.  This coming just after this week's first screening of Steven Spielberg's The Post and the announcement of nominees for The Independent Spirit Awards (see below).

My last look at these two categories was Oct. 30th.  As always, TFF #44 films are in Bold.

BEST PICTURE

Here's where the Best Picture race seemed to stand three and a half weeks ago:

1) Dunkirk
2) The Shape of Water
3) Darkest Hour
4) Three Billboards
5) Call Me By Your Name
6) The Post
7) Get Out
8) The Florida Project

Others: Lady Bird, Mudbound, I Tonya

And here we are as of today:


1) Dunkirk
2) The Shape of Water
3) Three Billboards
4) Get Out
5) Darkest Hour
6) Call Me By Your Name
7) The Post
8) Lady Bird

Others: The Florida Project, Mudbound, I Tonya

Comments: Get Out, Three Billboards, The Post and Lady Bird seem to have some wind at their backs.  Darkest Hour and The Florida Project feel like they're losing some steam.


BEST DIRECTION

Here's the chart from Oct. 30th:

1) Christopher Nolan/Dunkirk
2) Guillermo Del Toro/The Shape of Water
3) Joe Wright/Darkest Hour
4) Martin McDonagh/Three Billboards
5) Steven Spielberg/The Post

Other Possibilities: Luca Guadagnino/Call Me By Your Name, Jordan Peele/Get Out, Dee Rees/Mudbound

And today's update:

1) Christopher Nolan/Dunkirk
2) Guillermo Del Toro/The Shape of Water
3) Martin McDonagh/Three Billboards
4) Steven Spielberg/The Post
5) Jordan Peele/Get Out

Others: Joe Wright/Darkest Hour, Luca Guadagnino/Call Me By Your Name, Dee Rees/Mudbound

Comments: Nolan, Del Toro and McDonagh all seem solid.  After them, though, it's a mess.



INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED



Telluride 2017 films accounted for 11 Independent Spirit nominations this week.  Both Lady Bird and The Rider nabbed four apiece.

Lady Bird: Best Feature, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Screenplay

The Rider: Best Feature, Best Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Editing

Faces Places: Best Documentary

A Fantastic Woman: Best International Film

Loveless: Best International Film

The complete nominations list is here.

Oscar analysis is here from Gold Derby and here from Indiewire.



FILM STARS HAS A TRAILER

Annette Bening stars as classic film icon Gloria Grahame in Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool which dropped a new trailer this last week.  The film also stars Jamie Bell.

Here's the trailer from YouTube:






LOOKING AT THE POST AND PHANTOM THREAD

They aren't TFF films but I am very interested in both Steven Spielberg's Pentagon Papers drama, The Post and the latest (and purportedly final) collaboration between Paul Thomas Anderson and Daniel Day Lewis-Phantom Thread.  Both films have new video out this week and so for those of you that share a curiosity about these two films I have posted the video here:

The first is a new television commercial for The Post (from YouTube):



And here's what is billed as Phantom Thread's Sneak Preview Announcement:








LET'S TALK RICHARD JENKINS FOR THE SHAPE OF WATER



Many of you know that I have been not so subtly banging the drum for a Best Actor nomination for Harry Dean Stanton's final performance in John Carroll Lynch's Lucky but I wanted to remind everyone that the "below-the-radar" performance from TFF #44 is for Richard Jenkins' killer supporting turn in Guillermo Del Toro's The Shape of Water.

I have been told that Michael Shannon as the villain of the piece has a better shot but I'm not so sure.  Jenkins has a previous nomination for Best Actor for 2009's The Visitor.

I do see Jenkins pop up here and there on some of the Oscar prediction websites, so I'm not alone in thinking that it's possible.

This week PrideSource.org features Jenkins in an interview as they discussed The Shape of Water and his career.  That interview is here.



That's your Thanksgiving Day MTFB.  Hope it's a great holiday for you.  I'll have more on Monday.

EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com OR michael_speech@hotmail.com

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