By John H. Foote The anticipation surrounding this film has been huge, with audiences and fans of Queen wanting to see how Rami Malek manages in the role of rock star Freddie Mercury. Others will be wanting to see if Director Bryan Singer’s firing has had a negative impact on the film, though they were…
By John H. Foote Though there are six major films that remain unseen as they did not play any film festivals, nor have they had advance screenings, and yes, they could impact the Oscar race. That said it is becoming much trickier for December releases to make the race as they run the risk of…
By John H. Foote From the end of TIFF, Venice, and Telluride it is safe to say the awards season in the film business is in full swing. There will, of course, be those late arrivals that threaten to turn the season and the awards on its ear, with a close eye watching the changes…
By John H. Foote There are so many potential nominees in this category that it will be a fight to the finish and no doubt have some major surprises come nomination morning. It is ironic because thirty years ago the Academy might have had a tough time finding five nominees, but in a testament to…
By John H. Foote Just a little more than a month after TIFF, Viggo Mortensen remains the frontrunner for Best Actor for his sublime work as Tony in Green Book. Mortensen, nominated twice previously for Eastern Promises (2007) and Captain Fantastic (2016) is a much-admired actor in the business, and many could see this as…
By John H. Foote When I think of Melissa McCarthy, I smile because she is a fearless comedic actress who throws herself into her comedy with a courage that is admirable, remarkable even. A stout, but pretty woman, she is hardly the sort of person we think about when the words movie star come to…
By John H. Foote That all-important buzz for awards season begins at the major fall film festivals, and indeed First Man, Roma, Green Book and a handful of other films, and performances attracted attention. Yet strangely, the Best Supporting performance I have seen all year is being under-discussed. Last years breakout star, Daniel Kaluuya was…
By John H. Foote In a week that has seen Christian Bale and Clint Eastwood shake up the race for Best Actor, Rami Malek joins the race for his performance as rocker Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, the story of the rock band Queen. One week ago the major contenders for Best Actor were Viggo…
By John H. Foote In 1996, the coveted cover to Entertainment Weekly’s Fall Movie Preview went to The Crucible (1996) the highly anticipated, long-awaited film version of Arthur Miller’s astounding play about the Salem Witch Trials, which was written as an allegory to McCarthyism. There had been a French film made of the play in…
By John H. Foote There have been three versions of A Star is Born dating back to 1937, the first with Janet Gaynor and Fredric March. The concept is essentially the same, the man is a star on his way down, he discovers a young lady with extraordinary talent and helps her, in the process…