Category: Oscar Contenders
First Reformed: A question of faith
by Matt Ward
There’s an immense freedom in small, independent filmmaking that comes across on screen in high quality art-house cinema. Writer/director Paul Schrader has spent a lifetime fighting against modern Hollywood convention. His latest film, “First Reformed,” is a calculated, uncompromising examination of inner turmoil slowly churning in a stoic man of faith and represents the pinnacle of his directorial career. If you’ve never heard of … Read More First Reformed: A question of faith
Incredibles 2: The art of sequel-izing
by Matt Ward
Maybe we’ve forgotten what it takes to make a truly great sequel. In our lasting obsession with more, more, more and now, now, now, audiences have been demanding instant gratification and ever expanding cinematic universes. Money hungry studios are more than willing to oblige. It’s gotten to the point where the two-year average from box office hit to follow-up film feels like too long. … Read More Incredibles 2: The art of sequel-izing
Sign of the times: Artistic fantasy drama The Shape of Water wins Best Picture Oscar
by Matt Ward
It’s true. The reigning Academy Award winner for Best Picture and 13-time Oscar nominee features a scene of inter-species sex between a mute woman and a fish-man-god. That’s cinema in the modern era, a changing of the guard that began last year with the surprising upset win by gay coming-of-age story “Moonlight” that continues through genre films like “The Shape of Water,” “Get Out” … Read More Sign of the times: Artistic fantasy drama The Shape of Water wins Best Picture Oscar
Phantom Thread: Daniel Day-Lewis heads into retirement with fashion drama
by Matt Ward
Daniel Day-Lewis deserves to go out better than this. Almost by default, Day-Lewis has been earmarked for a sixth Oscar nomination ever since the iconic English actor announced his retirement last year. If in fact “Phantom Thread” truly marks the last on-screen appearance of one of cinema’s most accomplished actors, what audiences will expect to see in theaters is a far cry from what … Read More Phantom Thread: Daniel Day-Lewis heads into retirement with fashion drama
Call Me By Your Name: Love is love is love in Italian drama
by Matt Ward
“Call Me By Your Name”s Italian director Luca Guadagnino delivers one of the year’s most striking, eloquent films, a coming-of-age summer romance with a profound emotional impact. It just happens to be about a 17 year old boy who falls for a somewhat older man in his father’s employ. This shouldn’t be a relevant factor in 2018, but less progressive audiences will balk at … Read More Call Me By Your Name: Love is love is love in Italian drama
Oscar nods take ‘Shape’: Recapping 90th Academy Award nominations
by Matt Ward
So it’s Oscar nomination morning and I have some thoughts….. Let’s get into these picks and do super early winner predictions. Best Picture: Call Me By Your Name, Darkest Hour, Dunkirk, Get Out, Lady Bird, Phantom Thread, The Post, The Shape of Water, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri I had seven of these nine nominees yesterday when I made my final picks heading into … Read More Oscar nods take ‘Shape’: Recapping 90th Academy Award nominations
Predicting the 2018 Academy Award nominations
by Matt Ward
Offered without commentary, here’s how tomorrow’s Academy Award nominations should go (in alphabetical order): Best Picture: 1. Call Me By Your Name 2. Dunkirk 3. Get Out 4. I, Tonya 5. Lady Bird 6. The Florida Project 7. The Post 8. The Shape of Water 9. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Best Actor: 1. Daniel Day-Lewis, Phantom Thread 2. Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour 3. … Read More Predicting the 2018 Academy Award nominations
2017: A cinematic year in review
by Matt Ward
There’s little doubt that 2017 will go down in history books for far different reasons than its cinema. Films that changed the landscape of moviemaking as we know it were few and far between this year, but several – three to be exact – made game-changing impact on the possibilities big screen theatrical releases could become moving forward. Despite emerging sexual harassment and abuse … Read More 2017: A cinematic year in review
I, Tonya: Comedy in mild tragedy
by Matt Ward
Why make a shiny, glimmer-y sports redemption film about Olympic silver medalist Nancy Kerrigan when the source material is so much richer with the comedically tragic tale I’ve disgraced former figure skater Tonya Harding? Born from a pair of highly contradictory interviews, director Craig Gillespie’s outlandish tale from the wrong side of the tracks who just wants to figure skate has unsurprisingly become one … Read More I, Tonya: Comedy in mild tragedy
The Post: Defending a free press
by Matt Ward
Give the greatest filmmaker of our generation a pair of Oscar winners performing one of the year’s most topical scripts and you’ve got yourself a practically surefire recipe for success. For as much cavalcade and fanfare as Steven Spielberg’s “The Post” rightfully earns on paper, the end result is an above-average film that somehow doesn’t live up to all the promise. This is a … Read More The Post: Defending a free press
The Shape of Water: A fairytale love
by Matt Ward
It feels counterintuitive to suggest that a dark, melancholy monster movie could turn into a landmark piece of cinema. But in the hands of Mexican auteur Guillermo del Toro, “The Shape of Water” elevates beyond genre expectations and transforms hearts and minds of cynical moviegoers with an unexpected, deeply personal adventure that will captivate any audience willing to give it a chance. This avant … Read More The Shape of Water: A fairytale love
All The Money In The World: What’s the real cost?
by Matt Ward
Ten days and 10 million dollars was all it took to make cinematic history. Recasting parts during the production of a movie isn’t unheard of by any means, but completely starting from scratch after a picture is already locked never happens. Almost. When sexual misconduct allegations came out against Kevin Spacey during post-production for the new film “All The Money In The World,” director … Read More All The Money In The World: What’s the real cost?
Cinematic Considerations 