Pic of the Day: ♫ “Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay / My, oh, my, what a wonderful day / Plenty of sunshine headin’ my way / Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay!” ♫ (75th Anniversary)
Pic of the Day: “I’d like to dedicate this to my grandpa, who showed me these moves.” “Aww, that is so sweet. Is he here? Where’s your grandpa right now?” “In the trunk of our car.” (15th Anniversary)
Mike’s Top Ten Movie Posters of 2020
What’s my refrain whenever this article comes up? The movie poster is a lost art. And there’s no better proof of that sentiment than this year. Theaters were closed for the majority of the year and films were either pushed until next year entirely or released on streaming services or on demand. As such, you didn’t get the prolonged media blitz that we usually get when things are ready to come out. Which usually means, for the bigger films, incessant commercials, banners on websites, corporate tie-ins, billboards – you know the drill. But since nothing came out the ‘normal’ way, things felt pretty low key. Maybe that’s just because we had much larger issues to deal with for the majority of the year, but I do feel as though, unless you were specifically paying attention to when stuff came out, you really weren’t that privy to when they did. It was more of a, “Oh, that came out?”
And because of that, I feel like even less effort was put into movie posters than has been in years past. Which is just another mound of dirt on top of the movie poster, which is already struggling because of the increasing amount of films getting released on streaming services, meaning at most those movies are getting a single (usually uninspired) poster designed to tell you it’s theirs and it’s coming out soon.
This year was difficult for a lot of reasons, but picking my favorite posters definitely was made a lot harder task than it has been in previous years. I still managed to get to 50, but that’s just because I love movie posters and not because I was necessarily thrilled about my options.
So, with hope for the future, here are my favorite movie posters of 2020: (more…)
Mike’s Favorite Movie Posters of 2020 (30-11)
What’s my refrain whenever this article comes up? The movie poster is a lost art. And there’s no better proof of that sentiment than this year. Theaters were closed for the majority of the year and films were either pushed until next year entirely or released on streaming services or on demand. As such, you didn’t get the prolonged media blitz that we usually get when things are ready to come out. Which usually means, for the bigger films, incessant commercials, banners on websites, corporate tie-ins, billboards – you know the drill. But since nothing came out the ‘normal’ way, things felt pretty low key. Maybe that’s just because we had much larger issues to deal with for the majority of the year, but I do feel as though, unless you were specifically paying attention to when stuff came out, you really weren’t that privy to when they did. It was more of a, “Oh, that came out?”
And because of that, I feel like even less effort was put into movie posters than has been in years past. Which is just another mound of dirt on top of the movie poster, which is already struggling because of the increasing amount of films getting released on streaming services, meaning at most those movies are getting a single (usually uninspired) poster designed to tell you it’s theirs and it’s coming out soon.
This year was difficult for a lot of reasons, but picking my favorite posters definitely was made a lot harder task than it has been in previous years. I still managed to get to 50, but that’s just because I love movie posters and not because I was necessarily thrilled about my options.
So, with hope for the future, here are my favorite movie posters of 2020: (more…)
Pic of the Day: “Now that I’ve had a taste of it I don’t wonder why you love boating.” (70th Anniversary)
Mike’s Favorite Movie Posters of 2020 (50-31)
What’s my refrain whenever this article comes up? The movie poster is a lost art. And there’s no better proof of that sentiment than this year. Theaters were closed for the majority of the year and films were either pushed until next year entirely or released on streaming services or on demand. As such, you didn’t get the prolonged media blitz that we usually get when things are ready to come out. Which usually means, for the bigger films, incessant commercials, banners on websites, corporate tie-ins, billboards – you know the drill. But since nothing came out the ‘normal’ way, things felt pretty low key. Maybe that’s just because we had much larger issues to deal with for the majority of the year, but I do feel as though, unless you were specifically paying attention to when stuff came out, you really weren’t that privy to when they did. It was more of a, “Oh, that came out?”
And because of that, I feel like even less effort was put into movie posters than has been in years past. Which is just another mound of dirt on top of the movie poster, which is already struggling because of the increasing amount of films getting released on streaming services, meaning at most those movies are getting a single (usually uninspired) poster designed to tell you it’s theirs and it’s coming out soon.
This year was difficult for a lot of reasons, but picking my favorite posters definitely was made a lot harder task than it has been in previous years. I still managed to get to 50, but that’s just because I love movie posters and not because I was necessarily thrilled about my options.
So, with hope for the future, here are my favorite movie posters of 2020: (more…)
Pic of the Day: “If a man is fool enough to get into business with a woman, she ain’t going to think much of him.” (50th Anniversary)
Oscars 2020: National Board of Review Winners
Doesn’t this feel nice? To finally be back in the warm confines of Oscar season? Of course, that is, before they rip out your heart when the wrong film wins and make it so you can never properly feel again. But, I mean, you can still not be able to feel real emotions from under a nice, comfy heated blanket. So it’s all relative.
This is the official kickoff of Oscar season for me. I don’t pay any attention to anything before this day. Granted, this is the first day stuff gets announced, so it works out. NBR day is one of my favorite days of the year. As I say every single year on here: I love NBR. I love their choices, and they are the one group who generally feels most aligned with my own feelings most of the time. And when we disagree, it’s usually because they have their own personal tastes. But you can telegraph it. They love auteurs (or people they consider to be auteurs). That’s their big vice. So whenever Clint Eastwood makes a movie, it’s gonna be on their list. That’s just how it works for them.
They’re also the only group that goes back as far as the Oscars do, which you probably don’t need to hear me say anymore, so I’ll spare you the history lesson. But the one thing I do like to stress — their voting group isn’t necessarily industry people. It’s people from all over whose only real common thread is a love of movies. So it’s critics, academics, all sorts of people. And I love that about them. There’s less of an agenda so much as it’s purely about what they liked the best. They’re not trying to get people to come to their party (looking at you, HFPA). (more…)
Pic of the Day: “What if this isn’t what I want? I mean what if I don’t wanna live the way you live?” Oh, don’t be ridiculous. Andrea. Everybody wants this. Everybody wants to be us.” (15th Anniversary)
Oscars 2020: Independent Spirit Award Nominations
As I wait for them to announce the NBR winners (which is really the only thing I care about today), they dropped the Independent Spirit Award nominations. So let’s go over those now.
Most people know I have a passive disinterest in these as they relate to the Oscars. On their own, they’re pretty great. They acknowledge films made in the true independent sense (most of the time. There were a few years there where it was clear the studios had gotten in there with their Oscar choices and even now a few questionable ones still get in) and do an awards show the way it’s supposed to be done — with everyone getting drunk in a tent on the beach. At this point, independent film is one of the only things keeping interesting movies going. So even though I dismiss these nominations as they relate to what the Oscars are gonna do (which reminds me of when Olivia Colman won Best Actress and said, “My kids are at home watching. Well, if you’re not then, well done.” It’s not like in the end that’s a good thing a lot of the time), I do love everything they’re about.
So anyway, here are the nominees this year: (more…)
Oscars 2020: AFI Awards
So the AFI Awards were announced today. They got the jump on NBR by a day. Usually I kick off my Oscar season with NBR, but apparently AFI just had to jump the gun. So let’s consider this the soft open. The dates article is already up, so it’s all fair game anyway.
Typically AFI is the most populist of this groups to announce, though they tend to get about half their list on the Best Picture list. Who the hell knows what the case is this year. I feel like I might have heard they were thinking of going back to a set ten, but maybe that was all just conjecture. So I’m just gonna look at this as a finger in the wind instead of a weather vane and just see where the winds are blowing before we start calculating it down to the exact direction and wind speed. (more…)
Oscars 2020: Important Dates
Here’s every date you need to know for this year’s Oscar season:
January 25th – AFI Awards
January 26th – National Board of Review Awards
Independent Spirit Nominations
February 3rd – Golden Globe Nominations
February 4th – SAG Nominations
February 8th – BFCA Nominations
February 9th – Best Documentary Feature Shortlist announced
Best International Feature Shortlist announced
Best Original Score Shortlist announced
Best Original Song Shortlist announced
Best Visual Effects Shortlist announced
Best Makeup & Hairstyling Shortlist announced
Best Animated Short Shortlist announced
Best Live Action Short Shortlist announced
Best Documentary Short Shortlist announced
February 16th – WGA Nominations
February 18th – Makeup & Hairstylist Guild Nominations
February 25th – ADG Nominations
February 28th – Golden Globes
March 1st – MPSE Nominations
March 2nd – CAS Nominations
March 3rd – Annie Award Nominations
March 4th – CDG Nominations
March 7th – BFCA Awards
March 8th – PGA Nominations
March 9th – BAFTA Nominations
March 10th – ASC Nominations
March 11th – ACE Nominations
March 13th – USC Scripter Award
March 15th – Oscar Nominations Announced
March 21st – WGA Awards
March 24th – PGA Awards
April 3rd – Makeup & Hairstylist Guild Awards
April 4th – SAG Awards
April 6th – VES Awards
April 10th – DGA Awards
April 11th – BAFTA Awards
April 13th – CDG Awards
April 16th – Annie Awards
April 17th – ACE Awards
April 18th – ASC Awards
April 24th – Independent Spirit Awards
April 25th – 93rd Academy Awards
– – – – – – – – – –
Also, reminder that my Oscar Trivia page is always available to view.
Pic of the Day: “Not much of a crowd.” “Well, at least we have the home field advantage.” “The Alamo was the home field.” (30th Anniversary)
Pic of the Day: “I’m going to stay.” “That’s right. You’re in probably the wickedest, most corrupt city, most godless city in America. Sometimes it frightens me. I wonder what the end’s going to be. But nothing can harm you if you don’t allow it to because nothing in the world, no one in the world, is all bad.” (85th Anniversary)
My Favorite Directorial Efforts of 2020
I should stress that these are going to be slightly odd lists because this year, the Oscar season is split between two years. Typically a fair portion of what makes these lists are the late-year ‘awards’ type movies. But since we still have January and February for those to come out… I’m working with what I have. That being the 2020 calendar year. Which, as we all know, was a strange one. So while this list is normally my prep for what would be my own personal Oscar choices… it can’t be that this year. Which might be a blessing in disguise.
I’m just gonna shout out the stuff from this year that I liked. Not even gonna rank anything. I felt like trying to do things by my normal standards was keeping some stuff off the list, since I kept looking for things that weren’t there. This way, I’m just telling you what I liked. We’re not trying to say one is better than the other and this way I’m just telling you, “Hey I thought this was good.” It’s probably better. And honestly, it’s actually getting me, in some cases, to put more than the usual 15 that I try to get to for each category.
This one I thought about for a long time, because not a whole lot really jumped out at me like, “Oh wow. That was a great job.” Maybe it’s a byproduct of the year and my thoughts will change. But I got the 15 I at least felt best about.
So here are my favorite directorial efforts of 2020: (more…)
Pic of the Day: “I am gravely disappointed. Again you have made me unleash my dogs of war.” (40th Anniversary)
My Favorite Female Supporting Performances of 2020
I should stress that these are going to be slightly odd lists because this year, the Oscar season is split between two years. Typically a fair portion of what makes these lists are the late-year ‘awards’ type movies. But since we still have January and February for those to come out… I’m working with what I have. That being the 2020 calendar year. Which, as we all know, was a strange one. So while this list is normally my prep for what would be my own personal Oscar choices… it can’t be that this year. Which might be a blessing in disguise.
I’m just gonna shout out the stuff from this year that I liked. Not even gonna rank anything. I felt like trying to do things by my normal standards was keeping some stuff off the list, since I kept looking for things that weren’t there. This way, I’m just telling you what I liked. We’re not trying to say one is better than the other and this way I’m just telling you, “Hey I thought this was good.” It’s probably better. And honestly, it’s actually getting me, in some cases, to put more than the usual 15 that I try to get to for each category. (Slightly tough here, but I got to 15.)
Here are my favorite female supporting performances of 2020: (more…)
My Favorite Male Supporting Performances of 2020
I should stress that these are going to be slightly odd lists because this year, the Oscar season is split between two years. Typically a fair portion of what makes these lists are the late-year ‘awards’ type movies. But since we still have January and February for those to come out… I’m working with what I have. That being the 2020 calendar year. Which, as we all know, was a strange one. So while this list is normally my prep for what would be my own personal Oscar choices… it can’t be that this year. Which might be a blessing in disguise.
I’m just gonna shout out the stuff from this year that I liked. Not even gonna rank anything. I felt like trying to do things by my normal standards was keeping some stuff off the list, since I kept looking for things that weren’t there. This way, I’m just telling you what I liked. We’re not trying to say one is better than the other and this way I’m just telling you, “Hey I thought this was good.” It’s probably better. And honestly, it’s actually getting me, in some cases, to put more than the usual 15 that I try to get to for each category. (Not this one, though. This one I actually had trouble with.)
Here are my favorite male supporting performances of 2020: (more…)
Pic of the Day: “I’ve heard a lot about you, too, Doc. You left your mark around in Deadwood, Denver and places. In fact, a man could almost follow your trail goin’ from graveyard to graveyard.” “There’s one here, too… the biggest graveyard west of the Rockies. Marshals and I usually get along much better when we understand that right away.” (75th Anniversary)
My Favorite Female Lead Performances of 2020
I should stress that these are going to be slightly odd lists because this year, the Oscar season is split between two years. Typically a fair portion of what makes these lists are the late-year ‘awards’ type movies. But since we still have January and February for those to come out… I’m working with what I have. That being the 2020 calendar year. Which, as we all know, was a strange one. So while this list is normally my prep for what would be my own personal Oscar choices… it can’t be that this year. Which might be a blessing in disguise.
I’m just gonna shout out the stuff from this year that I liked. Not even gonna rank anything. I felt like trying to do things by my normal standards was keeping some stuff off the list, since I kept looking for things that weren’t there. This way, I’m just telling you what I liked. We’re not trying to say one is better than the other and this way I’m just telling you, “Hey I thought this was good.” It’s probably better. And honestly, it’s actually getting me, in some cases, to put more than the usual 15 that I try to get to for each category.
This list has 25 entries on it! Which I’m thrilled about. I feel like most years there aren’t enough female lead performances to go around, so this year I get to go extra hard and talk about all the great ones. This is the list I’m most excited about of all of them.
Here are my favorite female lead performances of 2020: (more…)
