Why “Blackkklansman” and “The Favourite” Should Win the Screenplay Oscars
At the Writers Guild Awards this past weekend, the winners threw the Academy Awards race into even more of a tizzy. The WGA honored underdogs Eighth Grade by Bo Burnham as its pick for Best Original Screenplay, while Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty took the prize for Best Adapted Screenplay. Green Book and Blackkklansman were […]
The Dog Poop in “Roma,” Chief Brody’s Glasses, and Symbolism on Film
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, as Sigmund Freud said, yet often in the movies, a cigar means much, much more. It can symbolize power, stand in for the male phallus, or be representative of a lie, i.e. a smokescreen. Groucho Marx used his stogie to represent all three attributes in the characters he […]
The Academy Takes Two Steps Forward and One Step Back with the 2019 Oscar Nominations
Any batch of Oscar nominations can both delight and confound. Those this year were no exception. For every milestone like Black Panther that became the first superhero movie to receive a Best Picture nomination, there are the failures of the Academy to recognize smaller, indie fare like the heralded Eighth Grade, women directors, or actors […]
“The Favourite” Vamps the World of Politics, Power and Feminine Wiles
The Favourite would be an exceptional, noteworthy film in any year. It’s whip-smart, raucous, and daring, a pungent black comedy that’s expertly produced and provides a rare showcase for three actresses at the top of their game. But in the era of Trump, Brexit, and burgeoning autocracy worldwide, it is impossible not to read The […]
