88th Academy Awards VFX Shortlist

Today AMPAS announced the shortlist with 10 films that remain in the running in the Visual Effect category.

The Academy’s Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee determined the shortlist. All members of the Visual Effects Branch will now be invited to view 10-minute excerpts from each of the shortlisted films on Saturday, January 9, 2016. Following the screenings, the members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.

As a few days back the preliminary list was announced I'm identifying the films still in the competition with *BLUE.

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88th Academy Awards Foreign-Language Film Shortlist

Today AMPAS announced the shortlist of nine (9) films that advance to the next round of voting in the Foreign-Language Film Category. Eighty (80) films originally been considered in the category.

Foreign Language Film nominations are being determined in two phases. The Phase I committee, consisting of several hundred Los Angeles-based Academy members, screened the original submissions in the category between mid-October and December 14. The group’s top six choices, augmented by three additional selections voted by the Academy’s Foreign Language Film Award Executive Committee, constitute the shortlist.

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88th Academy Awards Music Original Score Longlist

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 112 scores from eligible feature-length motion pictures released in 2015 are in contention for nominations in the Original Score category for the 88th Academy Awards.

A Reminder List of works submitted in the Original Score category will be made available with a nominations ballot to all members of the Music Branch, who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five achievements. The five achievements receiving the highest number of votes will become the nominations for final voting for the award.

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30th Teddy Award Anniversary

TEDDY becomes 30…..and looks back to a past full of funny, tragic, embarrassing, happy and moving moments. Short facts: the first TEDDY got awarded in 1987 by Wieland Speck, director of Panorama nowadays. Back then, he sent a plush-teddy from the department store to the first award winners Gus van Sant and Pedro Almodóvar, who received the prize by post and with great pleasure.

Attention for queer movies and visibility of queer life was lacking and founding an award seemed a good way to get some.

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88th Academy Awards Makeup and Hairstyling Shortlist

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced yesterday that seven (7) films remain in competition for the category.

On Saturday, January 9, 2016, all members of the Academy's Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch will be invited to view 10-minute excerpts from each of the seven shortlisted films. Following the screenings, members will vote to nominate three (3) films for final Oscar consideration.

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28th European Film Awards Winners

So wasn't able to watch the awards ceremony but I'm able to catch the last awards, YAY!!!

Just watched three awards and was alright but I'm sorry that wasn't able to watch the complete show. Maybe later will find the video and will watch the serious nonsense darkish jokes of European (and more German) humor.

Talking about humor I agree that Roy Anderson "Pigeon" can be a comedy but definitively is a very dark comedy; still I'm glad won the Best Comedy award but to be completely honest, I liked better You, the Living than the Pigeon installment. Sigh.

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88th Academy Awards Original Song Longlist

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that seventy-four (74) songs from eligible feature-length motion pictures released in 2015 are in contention for nominations in the Original Song category for the 88th Academy Awards.

The original songs, along with the motion picture in which each song is featured, are listed below in alphabetical order by film title and song title:

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2016 Golden Globes Foreign Language Film Submissions

Next Thursday, December 10th,  we will learn the Golden Globe nominations but just yesterday HFPA organizers released the list of films that were submitted for consideration to get a nomination.

Part of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s mission is to foster greater understanding through cinema. It is in that spirit that a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language film is awarded each year. This year 71 films were submitted for consideration in this category representing 46 countries. Multiple films from any one country may be submitted.

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41th Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards Winners

Sunday afternoon is becoming crowded with film critics and independent cinema announcing their winners. One of the film critics major groups, LAFCA, is currently in the process of voting to select their winners that usually takes quite a long time to reach the Best Picture category, so while waiting I'm keeping in draft this post.

Perhaps the most surprising news is a tweet by an Angelino film critic mentioning that Jennifer Lawrence in Joy got NO votes at all!  Think is time to remind everyone that Academy members are NOT film critics, so maybe she will pop-up later on in the race after many watch Joy as not many have seen film that will premiere on December 25.

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2015 British Independent Film Awards Winners

The awards ceremony is currently live streamed and you can watch it here! Winners are being updated as announced.

Have to admit that this year I'm very pleased with the results of 2015 BIFA as I was simply mesmerized with Ex Machina, the film that became the big winner of the evening as won the top award but also won Best Director, Best Screenplay and Outstanding Achievement in Craft.  Unfortunately there was no award for magnificent Alicia Vikander in Ex Machina but then she was NOT nominated (LOL).

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2015 New York Film Critics Circle Award Winners

Truly wish that what every one says, the NYFCC awards winners predicting the Oscars, could be true this one time as the so-called "harbingers of the Oscar nominations" group gave us some very interesting possibilities including Carol sweeping away most categories and Kristen Stewart winning the Best Supporting Actress for her role in Olivier Assayas' Clouds of Sils Maria.

Unfortunately we know that what critics say is NOT necessarily what Academics say; still what these winners can tell is that the American awards season is just starting and there is much to say, perhaps more than what many anticipated.

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88th Academy Awards Documentary Feature Shortlist

Yesterday the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that fifteen (15) films in the Documentary Feature category will advance in the voting process for #Oscars2016. One hundred twenty-four (124) films were originally submitted in the category,

The Academy’s Documentary Branch determined the shortlist in a preliminary round of voting. Documentary Branch members will now select the five nominees from among the 15 titles.

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2015 National Board of Review Award Winners

A few minutes ago the NBR announce their award winners and can't deny my very positive surprise that the group selected as their Best Film none other than the winner of the FIPRESCI Film of the Year award, Mad Max: Fury Road.

In general got the impression that their winners are surprisingly very mainstream cinema and yes, even NBR's president admits it in the following statement.

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2015 Film Critics' Awards

As really enjoy when I guess right almost all Oscar winners and knowing that guessing is done best by following awards buzz and not considering how good movies are, then this year have to do again the critics' post and today is a good day to start post that will be a work in progress until the last group announces their winner which will happen in early February 2016.


Most critics' groups are American but you will also find groups from Canada, Ireland and UK. This year will include for again the FIPRESCI Grand Prix, an award that is voted by 553 film critics from all over the world.

As in previous years' posts will publish link to read all winners and will list winners in the following categories: Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor and Best Documentary. Before the list, and to have ALL critics in one post, is the summary for the major film critics' groups (each has an individual post in blog).

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25th IFP Gotham Awards Winners

Last night was the awards ceremony and wanted to watch it but unfortunately have an unpleasant cold that put me to sleep early, sigh. Nevertheless had to check who won and so I did last night but when saw the winner went back to sleep, lol. Know Gotham Awards only represent the taste of a few people in few committees but honestly, wanted a different result as we know that "everything" influences voters in other awards.

Spotlight by Tom McCarthy became the big winner of the night as not only had already win the Ensemble Award but now also has the Best Feature and Best Screenplay. So, as someone said, Spotlight probably will become the "darling" of the press and IF happens then we will see groups of film critics honoring the film. Hope doesn't happen, but well, soon enough will start to learn film critics winners.

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