Oscar Short Lists and TFF #45 / Indiewire's Critics' Poll for 2018 Says TFF #45 Was Gooood / First Man

How's your week going?


OSCAR SHORT LISTS AND TFF #45

As I mentioned in my last post, the Oscar peeps named their short lists in nine categories on Monday electing to do so all in one wave rather than separately.  Consequently, here's a snapshot of where films from TFF landed in the categories that were included among the nine:

Documentary (15 on the short list): Free Solo
Foreign Language  (9 on the list): Birds of Passage, Shoplifters, Roma and Cold War.  Missing from the list: Border and Girl.
Makeup/Hair (7 on the list): Border
Score (15 on the list): First Man
Song: (15 on the list): Revelation from Boy Erased
Visual Effects (10 on the list): First Man
Live Action Short (10 on the list): Caroline, Fauve

No TFF films were among the short listed films in the Documentary Shorts category or the Animated Shorts.

Variety has the complete rundown of all films short listed on Monday here.


INDIEWIRE'S CRITICS' POLL FOR 2018 SAYS TFF #45 WAS GOOOOD

The crew at Indiewire have done their annual compilation of critics' assessments for the year.  The massive undertaking included the responses of 232 critics and after the dust settled, films that played at Telluride in 2018 fared remarkably well.

Indiewire posted the top films and performances in a number if categories on Monday and here's where TFF films landed.

Best Film (of 10)

1. Roma
2. First Reformed (TFF #44)
4. The Favourite
5. Cold War
6. Shoplifters

Best Director

1. Alfonso Cuaron/Roma
4. Yorgos Lanthimos/The Favourite
5. Paul Schrader/First Reformed (TFF #44)

Best Actress

1. Olivia Colman/The Favourite
2. Yalitza Aparicio/Roma
4. Joanna Kulig/Cold War
5. Melissa McCarthy/Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Best Actor

1. Ethan Hawke/First Reformed (TFF #44)

Best Supporting Actress

1. Rachel Weisz/The Favourite
3. Emma Stone/The Favourite

Best Supporting Actor

2. Richard E. Grant/Can You Ever forgive Me?

Best Documentary

4. Free Solo

Best Screenplay

1. The Favourite
2. First Reformed (TFF #44)
3. Roma
4. Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Best Foreign Language Film

1. Roma
3. Shoplifters
4. Cold War

Best Cinematography

1. Roma
2. Cold War
4. First Man
5. The Favourite

The complete article is linked here.

In a separate piece, Imdiewire runs down the top 50 films as rated by the 232 critics that they surveyed and both TFF #45 and TFF #44 were well represented:

43) Birds of Passage
38) Lean on Pete***
35) Border
30) The Other Side of the Wind
25) Can You Ever Forgive Me?
21) First Man
11) The Rider***
6) Shoplifters
5) Cold War
4) The Favourite
2) First Reformed***
1) Roma

(*** designates films from TFF #44)

Indiewire's critics' top 50 is linked here.

FIRST MAN

Sasha Stone at Awards Daily posted a passionate endorsement of Damien Chazelle's First Man on her website this week.  By and large I agree with her assessment about the film and, frankly, were I a voting member of the Academy it would be at the top of my ballot.

It seems a little unusual to me that First Man hasn't performed better at the box office and during this awards season.   In part because there is a group of people that experienced the film at Telluride who all feel much the same way-people that write about films for a living and that I have come to know at least a little bit.  We,have all expressed our belief in the film's quality and if you follow specific media accounts, you can deduce some the people I'm referencing...Sasha being among that group.

It also seems weird that a film that scored so well on my post-festival collection of ratings from fest-goers and business insiders, hasn't connect with the wider public.

I have come to think of Telluride as a terrific bellwether for were the awards season is likely to go.  I have come to the conclusion that T-ride has become an excellent microcosm of film-goers that collectively react much like the Academy will.

But it doesn't seem that way this year with this film.

Maybe this is a disconnect between the Telluride crowd and the rapidly evolving membership of the Academy as it has tried to increase its diversity over the past few years.  Maybe the First Man reaction or lack thereof is an anomaly that won't repeat at TFF #46 and the track record of the last decade or so will reassert itself.

Maybe I'm just wrong.  Wouldn't be the first time.

And it's not that First Man is going to be a total miss come Oscar nomination morning.  It'll likely be nominated for Score, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing and Visual Effects. It may get in for Cinematography and Film Editing.  Claire Foy still seems to have a shot at a Supporting Actress nomination.  Even the costumes and production design could still be in the mix for nominations.

Additionally, the Broadcast Film Critics Association gave it 10 nominations last week including Best Picture and Best Direction.  Oscar predictor Kristopher Tapley of Variety/InContention posted his first set of predictions last week and First Man was in seven categories including Best Picture.

But the consensus right now is that the film isn't likely to a Best Picture or Directing nominee on Jan. 22nd and that, to me, seems wrong.

So...

The voting doesn't actually start until Jan. 7th.  Here's the link to Sasha's piece...

Maybe give it a read...she's a much better writer than I am.  And pass it on...

That's your MTFB for this Thursday...more headed your way on Monday.  Happy Holidays all!


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