By John H. Foote (***) Three-time Academy Award nominated actor Viggo Mortensen both acts and directs in this strong film, his directorial debut. The actor is among the greatest of his generation, nominated for Academy Awards as Best Actor for Eastern Promises (2007), Captain Fantastic (2016) and most recently in Green Book (2018). Mortensen was deserving of further nominations…
By John H. Foote It could indeed. Spike Lee’s fine film about a group of African American Vietnam veterans returning to the site of their greatest tragedies 40 to 50 years later is a powering study of how the war never left those who fought it. The film marks the first time the treatment of…
By John H. Foote To be clear, with my choices a Best Picture nomination comes automatically with a Best Director nomination, it just makes sense. The best directed film must be the years best film, how else can it go I ask? So here we go, my nominees for Best Director since 1970 with my…
By John H. Foote A notoriously difficult category for many reasons, but like supporting actor, stars are born from this one. Many of the winners or nominees go on to Best Actress nominations or wins, yet just as many are nominated once, even win once and then never are in the Oscar race again. The…
By John H. Foote In the 10 years of Oscar winning Best Pictures, since the beginning of the second decade of this New Millennium, I have agreed with the Academy’s choice for Best Film just … ONCE. Going through the years, I took a look at what stronger choices might have won, and why the…
By John H. Foote Part III and again, same drill, no group doing the choosing just me. This is among my favourite categories because so many stars have been born out of it, just as so many one-win wonders have come and gone. I have no trouble nominating multiple actors from the same film, and…
By John H. Foote Again, no Academy, just me. What gives me the audacity and background to make these decisions? Thirty years as a critic and historian, hundreds on interviews with actors learning about their craft, I studied and taught Method Acting, and have directed 40 plus plays using the Method in each one. I…
By John H. Foote No Academy, just me. In some cases there were six deserving performances, so I broke protocol and nominated all six. I have seen all the films for each given year, so without further ado, here are my nominees for Best Actor. My winner is marked with an *. Part II will…
By John H. Foote Crazy to be even talking about next year’s Oscars, right? Not really. I promise you the studios are already in full swing setting up release dates, marketing campaigns, festival screenings and for your consideration campaigns for when the films are screened. Next year’s Oscar race is already in motion, the wheels…
By John H. Foote I am watching the Oscars this year in a seething rage. A great injustice will take place tonight when Martin Scorsese, the greatest living film director, and his magnificent film The Irishman will be ignored for Best Director and Best Picture. Yes, great films are often overlooked, but a film so…