To one degree or another, the Oscars are always somewhat of a slog. There’s simply no way to make a three-and-a-half-hour award show enjoyable from start to finish. But this year’s telecast was a bit more of a slog than usual thanks to scripted presenter bits that fell flat (reaching a nadir, arguably, with the … Read more
Every awards season returns with the same deceptive ritualism that promises the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will once again identify the single film that best represents the year in cinema from across the world. The sheer imperiousness of the declaration still carries an aura of cultural authority even as the ceremony itself … Read more
So what’s it going to be: the father trying save his daughter’s life, or the twin brothers trying save each other’s souls? The revolutionary mother on the run, or the spiritual healer who stays and fights? The martial arts sensei, or the harmonica-playing mentor? Those who battle Neo-nazis, or those taking on literal bloodsuckers? Often, the Oscars tend to … Read more