By John H. Foote 91-year old Lina Wertmuller, the first woman ever nominated for an Academy Award as Best Director, will receive an Honorary Oscar next month as well as be awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Wertmuller, an Italian filmmaker dominated her country’s cinema in the seventies, especially Swept Away (1975)…
By John H. Foote Based on a study of the history of the Academy Awards, inside knowledge and buzz, my own guy instincts and who I hope will be in the Oscar race, the Foote Forecast will appear every two weeks with updates in the categories listed. Understand Best Animated, Documentary and Live Action Shorts…
By John H. Foote The Fox/ Roger Aisles sex scandal film Bombshell premiered in Hollywood last night, and as expected has given the major acting races a shake up. The explosive film, directed by HBO wunderkind and Emmy winner Jay Roach, explores the horrific scandal that rocked the Fox News Network. Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman)…
By John H. Foote The current group of actors leading the pack for nominations for Best Supporting Actor have a total of 33 nominations between them, both leading and supporting nominations. Of those 33, six resulted in wins, five in the Best Actor category. This year’s race for Best Supporting Actor already has 11 actors…
By John H. Foote First some housekeeping: SPOILERS AHEAD. HUGE SPOILERS AHEAD! That said, this film has grossed more than a billion dollars and if you are a movie fan, comic book fan or super hero film nut who has not seen it, shame on you. Now, could and should Avengers: Endgame be a Best…
By John H. Foote It is often forgotten that comic Eddie Murphy won the prestigious National Society Of Film Critics Best Actor Award for his brilliant performance(s) in The Nutty Professor (1996), though no Oscar love came his way. It was his superb supporting performance in Dreamgirls (2006) that earned the actor his first and…
By John H. Foote The two major acting categories will be over crowded with potential nominees this year, offering the Academy to answer the call for diversity. As with the two supporting categories, previous winners and nominees will be there, as well as some first timers. Looking like an acting year. BEST ACTOR Adam Driver…
By John H. Foote ‘The big three festivals that end the summer and kick off the fall always have a staggering impact on Oscar season. Films and performances are like race horses, moving ahead, falling back, disappearing altogether then surging to the finish, we pretty much have the race outlined with a few exceptions. The…
By John H. Foote In the last eight years, the winner of Best Director did not go on to win Best Picture five times. Between 1970 and 2010, only seven times did the winning director not celebrate a Best Picture triumph. To say the times are a-changin’ is an understatement. In many ways this has…
By John H. Foote Once again, as in the previous three, this category will be packed with potential nominees and is likely the most diverse of the major categories. Veterans, newcomers alike will compete for one of the five spots for Best Actress. What is thrilling is the diversity among the contenders, not only are…