Category: Oscar Contenders
Revisiting the Oscars: In defense of La La Land
by Matt Ward
Heading into last night’s Academy Awards ceremony, I was fully prepared to write another glowing column about “La La Land,” raving about the film’s actual merits on a night that felt like Damien Chazelle’s masterpiece was going to be picked apart by fans of other nominated films and later derided as “not a good Best Picture winner” by those who actively dislike the movie. … Read More Revisiting the Oscars: In defense of La La Land
Academy Awards stunner: Surprise winner Moonlight steals Oscars stage
by Matt Ward
“Moonlight” deserved to win Best Picture. “La La Land” deserved to win Best Picture. Watch them both. Enjoy them both.
Loving: Implied intimacy
by Matt Ward
Richard and Mildred Loving’s inspirational tale of overcoming the odds to keep their love alive was bound for cinema. The couple living in rural Virginia during the 1950s made waves with their arrests violating then-Virginia law against interracial relationships and later with Loving v. Virginia, the 1967 U.S. Supreme Court decision invalidating laws banning interracial marriage nationwide. In “Loving,” writer/director Jeff Nichols opts to … Read More Loving: Implied intimacy
Manchester By The Sea: Affleck shines in family drama
by Matt Ward
Convincing someone that watching a two-hour long family drama about melancholy and loss is a worth-while cinematic experience can be quite the feat. But writer/director Kenneth Lonergan’s rural Massachusetts tale turned Oscar contender “Manchester By The Sea” is well worth the effort. The film follows Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck), a 40-something Boston janitor forced back to his childhood home in Manchester to take care … Read More Manchester By The Sea: Affleck shines in family drama
Oscar Nominations Reaction: La La Land and then everything else
by Matt Ward
So did “La La Land” get nominated for anything? I’m sure I didn’t hear their name called more than 14 times early this morning, tying a record for most nominations in Academy Awards history. It’s a City of Stars and we’re all just living in it. If you haven’t already seen “La La Land,” you’re going to want to go and watch Damien Chazelle’s … Read More Oscar Nominations Reaction: La La Land and then everything else
Academy Award Nominations: How they should go
by Matt Ward
Offered without commentary, here’s how tomorrow’s Academy Award nominations should go (in alphabetical order): Best Picture 1. Arrival 2. Fences 3. Hell or High Water 4. La La Land 5. Lion 6. Manchester By The Sea 7. Moonlight 8. Nocturnal Animals 9. Silence Best Actor 1. Casey Affleck – Manchester By The Sea 2. Andrew Garfield – Silence 3. Ryan Gosling – La La … Read More Academy Award Nominations: How they should go
Lion: Young boy’s tale of loss turns into journey of hope
by Matt Ward
Labelling Golden Globe and Academy Award nominee “Lion” something reductive like “the Google Earth movie” is unnecessarily unfair to the emotional, inspirational film from director Garth Davis. “Lion” is a family story about loss and hope, searching for a sense of place and identity. The poignant, touching tale is adapted from Saroo Brierley’s autobiographical book “A Long Way Home” by writer Luke Davies and … Read More Lion: Young boy’s tale of loss turns into journey of hope
Patriots Day: Extraordinary acts of heroism
by Matt Ward
It’s been less than four years since two radicals planted homemade bombs near the finish line at the 2013 Boston Marathon, and already, filmmakers are racing to dramatize one of the most senseless acts of violence in our nation’s history. The first of two films on the subject slated to come out in 2017, Peter Berg’s “Patriots Day” is a flag-waving, symbolic memorial to … Read More Patriots Day: Extraordinary acts of heroism
Moonlight: Golden Globe winner a wonderfully affecting drama
by Matt Ward
Three hours in, it seemed pretty safe to assume Barry Jenkins’ subtle and powerful independent character drama would go home empty handed Sunday. Things changed drastically, though, when “Moonlight” ended the night with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s biggest prize: the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Drama. “Moonlight” was an unexpected winner after coming up just short in Best Supporting Actor (Mahershala … Read More Moonlight: Golden Globe winner a wonderfully affecting drama
La La Land: City of stars
by Matt Ward
Believe the hype. Unless you’ve been hiding under the proverbial rock, chances are you’ve seen the trailer for Damien Chazelle’s musical love letter to Los Angeles, the Academy Award frontrunner “La La Land” starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. This modern take on vintage Hollywood storytelling leaps off the screen and pulls viewers in for a classy, adventurous ride about struggling artists falling in … Read More La La Land: City of stars
2016: A Cinematic Year In Review
by Matt Ward
It’s been a tough year. Just saying the word “2016” induces cringes from a vast majority of people, offering up painful thoughts of a highly divisive political campaign that may or may not have gone your way to general malaise about the state of the world to the seemingly endless rash of celebrity deaths that robbed us of talent far too soon. In the … Read More 2016: A Cinematic Year In Review
Fences: It’s all about the acting
by Matt Ward
Broadway doesn’t usually translate to the silver screen all that well. Oscar winner Denzel Washington’s film adaptation of August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning play “Fences” might just be the truest, most authentic stage to screen transformation in cinematic history. “Fences” might not be the year’s best movie, nor a game changer in Hollywood for years to come. However for nearly two-and-a-half … Read More Fences: It’s all about the acting
Cinematic Considerations 