The 91st Academy Awards were held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on 24 February 2019. The show sought to move past pre-ceremony controversies and tensions and instead focused on a televised evening full of music, humor and the presentation of all 24 competitive awards during the broadcast. The ceremony included standout performances, memorable … Read more

There are only eight nominees for the Best Picture Academy Award at the 2019 Oscars (down from nine the previous year). The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences—the body responsible for nominating these films—faced heavy criticism over this year’s selections. From controversies surrounding the production of Bohemian Rhapsody to debates over the politics and … Read more

Every year the Oscars honor outstanding achievements in animated filmmaking, and the winner in this category often becomes a widely recognized classic. In 2019 five exceptional animated features competed for Best Animated Feature, representing a range of styles and storytelling approaches: the powerhouse studios Disney and Pixar, the singular vision of Wes Anderson, the elegant … Read more

It often feels like the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gets the Oscar nominations wrong. Ask anyone on social media, read the press or stop a passerby on the street and you’ll likely hear disagreement with at least one choice. The spotlight this year has focused as much on behind-the-scenes decisions — a … Read more

This review originally appeared on SSP Thinks Film and is by Sam Sewell-Peterson. Shoplifters (2018) Director: Hirokazu Koreeda Screenwriter: Hirokazu Koreeda Starring: Lily Franky, Sakura Andô, Kirin Kiki, Mayu Matsuoka, Jyo Kairi, Miyu Sasaki Hirokazu Koreeda’s Shoplifters is a quietly powerful portrait of an unconventional family surviving on the margins of contemporary Japan. At its … Read more

This article was originally published on SSP Thinks Film by Sam Sewell-Peterson. Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018/19) Director: Marielle Heller Screenwriters: Nicole Holofcener, Jeff Whitty Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Richard E. Grant, Dolly Wells, Ben Falcone Marielle Heller’s Can You Ever Forgive Me? skilfully tells a story so strange it feels like it must be … Read more

This article was originally published on SSP Thinks Film by Sam Sewell-Peterson. BlackKklansman (2018) Director: Spike Lee Screenwriters: Spike Lee, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott, Charlie Wachtel Starring: John David Washington, Adam Driver, Topher Grace, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Robert John Burke, Brian Tarantina, Michael Buscemi, Laura Harrier, Alec Baldwin Spike Lee’s BlackKklansman closes with one of … Read more

This article was originally published on SSP Thinks Film by Sam Sewell-Peterson. Black Panther (2018) Director: Ryan Coogler Screenwriters: Ryan Coogler, Joe Robert Cole Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Sterling K. Brown, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, Andy Serkis Watching Black Panther is … Read more

When I binge-watch Best Picture nominees, I’m trying to understand what elevates a film from good to great. Not every nominee must reinvent cinema, but each should offer something distinct or emotionally true. Green Book contains excellent performances from Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen, yet those strengths are often undermined by larger problems in the … Read more

Animal Behaviour (2018) Directors: David Fine, Alison Snowden Screenwriters: David Fine, Alison Snowden Starring: Ryan Biel, Taz Van Rassel, Leah Juel, Andrea Libman, Toby Berner, James Kirk, Alison Snowden David Fine and Alison Snowden’s Oscar-nominated animated short Animal Behaviour is a smart, warm, and consistently funny exploration of identity and social expectation, framed as a … Read more