NBR, AFI, SPIRIT NOMS AND MORE
If you are a fan of Oscar precursors, you have to have been giddy with delight this week as a cascade of high profile organizations revealed their choices for the best films of this pandemic marred year. Herewith a breakdown of the major awards news of the week with emphasis, of course on films that were selected to play at the Telluride Film Festival.
NATIONAL BOARD OF REVIEW
The NBR list named Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods as film of the year. TFF #47's Nomadland was touted as having the Best Cinematography for the year. Nomadland also was named as one of the top ten films of the year in addition to TFF #46's First Cow. Other TFF #47 films making the NBR grade:
Apples on the list of five Best Foreign Language Films
All In: The Fight for Democracy and The Truffle Hunters on the list of five Best Documentaries
The Climb (from TFF #46) as one of the 10 Best Independent Films
Missing from the NBR lists: The Father, Ammonite, The Assistant, Notturno, The Way I See It, MLK/FBI, Charlatan and Never Going to Snow Again.
AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE
The AFI list of the ten best films for 2020 included Chloe Zhao's Nomadland. It was the only TFF film from either #47 or #46 to make the list.
Nomadland joined Da 5 Bloods, Judas and the Black Messiah, Minari, Soul and Sound of Metal as films honored by both NBR and AFI.
SPIRIT NOMINATIONS
Then there were the nominations this week for the Independent Spirit awards. Never rarely Sometimes Always lead all films with seven total nominations. TFF #47's Nomadland was well represented with five including Best Feature, Best Director (Zhao), Best Female Lead (McDormand) Best Cinematography and Best Editing.
TFF #46 films First Cow and The Assistant also landed Spirit nominations.
First Cow is nominated for Best Feature, Director (Reichardt) and Supporting Male (Lee)
The Assistant is nominated for Female Lead (Green), Best First Screenplay and Best Cinematography.
USC SCRIPTER
The USC Scripter nominees were also announced this week. The award goes to the best adaptation of existing material into a screenplay. The five nominees included: Nomadland (TFF #47) and First Cow (TFF #46). Other nominees were One Night in Miami, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and Bad Education.
NEW YORK FILM CRITICS ONLINE
Telluride films that were lauded by the NYFCO on their top ten list included The Assistant, First Cow and Nomadland. Also singled out for specific praise by the group were Nomadland's Chloe Zhao for Best Director. Nomaldand was also heralded for Best Cinematography.
The Way I See It was named Best Documentary Feature.
The organization named Minari as Best Film of the Year.
OSCAR UPDATES: MORE FRESH PREDIX
Last Monday I began adding Oscar categories to my ongoing listing of Oscar nomination predictions. Beyond the eight major categories that I have been tracking for months I added Documentary and International Features as well as Best Cinematography and Film Editing.
Today I'm going to add first time nomination predictions for Animated Feature, Production Design, Original Score and Original Song. Here goes nothin'!
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
1)Soul
2) Wolfwalkers
3) Over the Moon
4) Onward
5) A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
6) The Willoughbys
7) Trolls: World Tour
8) Earwig and the Witch
9) The Croods: A New Age
10) Demon Slayer
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
1) Mank
2) Mulan
3) News of the World
4) Emma
5) The Personal History of David Copperfield
6) Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
7) Tenet
8) The Trial of the Chicago 7
9) Midnight Sky
10) One Night in Miami
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
1) Soul
2) News of the World
3) Mank
4) Midnight Sky
5) Minari
6) Tenet
7) The Trial of the Chicago 7
8) Da 5 Bloods
9) The Little Things
10) One Night in Miami
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
1) Speak Now/One Night in Miami
2) Seen/The Life Ahead
3) Rocket to the Moon/Over the Moon
4) Wear Your Crown/The Prom
5) Hear My Voice/The Trial of the Chicago 7
6) Husavik/Eurovision Song Contest
7) Wuhan Flu/Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
8) Just Sing/Trolls World Tour
9) If Only You Could Save Me/Mank
10) Fight for You/Judas and the Black Messiah
THE GURUS ARE BACK
For the third straight year I've been invited to be a Guru of Gold for Movie City News. The first posting of that cumulative Oscar prognostication group went up yesterday morning. In addition to yours truly, the site includes such Oscar predicting luminaries as:
Awards Daily's Sasha Stone
TCM's Dave Karger
The Playlist's Gregory Ellwood
Collider's Jeff Sneider
The Wrap's Steve Pond
The Film Experience's Nathaniel R
The Toronto Star's Pete Howell
Awards Daily's Good as Gold's Mark Johnson
Black Film and TV's Wilson Morales
MCN's David Poland
and Oscar experts Thelma Adams and Robyn Bahr
Looking at the first pass from the Gurus...I land in agreement with collective at the #1 spot in all five categories that are included: Best Picture, Director, Actress, Actor and Animated Feature.
EMAIL: mpgort@gmail.com
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