Should’ve Been a Contender: Myrna Loy for “Best Years of Our Lives”

 The recent Oscar buzz around Sam Mendes’ “1917” prompted a reviewing of one of the more famous war films of the 1940’s, “Best Years of Our Lives” (1946). Myrna Loy deserved a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in this male dominated film as a much-needed representative of the women who welcomed their men home from WWII. To a lesser extent, Teresa Wright also deserved recognition, but it is Loy who helps tie the stories of three servicemen just returning home together into one powerfully moving story. Continue reading Should’ve Been a Contender: Myrna Loy for “Best Years of Our Lives”

BAFTA The Party’s Over

The British Academy Film Awards are somewhat of a black sheep in the trinity of lavish, self-indulgent film awards ceremonies in the early months of each new year. Their bizarre practice of pre-recording the ceremony – so the winners end up announced before it’s even televised – then editing out a bunch of the technical and ‘smaller’ awards, makes it a very lacklustre viewing experience. Though that being said, there’s a lot to say about the awards and the ceremony itself.

First, and most obvious, is the sweep of “1917”. Seven wins out of nine nominations, only losing Makeup and Hair to “Bombshell” and Original Score to “Joker”. Not unexpected given the film’s staggering momentum this awards season, plus the film being British which the BAFTAs highly favour. But it’s still telling. Expect “1917” to make a similar sweep of the upcoming Academy Awards, with a near-guaranteed shot at Best Picture and Best Director, winning both of its equivalents here. Continue reading BAFTA The Party’s Over

Should’ve Been a Contender: Gugu Mbatha-Raw for “Belle” (2013)

Looking back on the past decade, one of the best and most overlooked leading actress performances is Gugu Mbatha-Raw in “Belle” (2013). It was a strong year for leading ladies at the Oscars, with Amy Adams, Sandra Bullock, Judi Dench, and Meryl Streep nominated and Cate Blanchett taking home the award. And yet, Mbatha-Raw’s performance is one of those that sticks out to me the most when reflecting on the past decade in film. She certainly deserved to be a contender, but unfortunately, though the film garnered mostly positive reviews, it simply wasn’t widely seen.  Continue reading Should’ve Been a Contender: Gugu Mbatha-Raw for “Belle” (2013)

ITOL Top 50 Films of the Decade, Entry No.6: Can You Ever Forgive Me?

With awards season in full swing and director Marielle Heller’s newest film “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” being a big name in all the awards buzz, it’s the perfect time to look back to last year when she brought the story of author Lee Israel to life with “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”.

There wasn’t a film that I backed as hard last year to win any and every award possible as much as this film because I truly think it’s perfect. It tells the fascinating and true story of Israel (Melissa McCarthy) falling out of touch with the modern world of literature and turning her talent for being factual into a forgery. Continue reading ITOL Top 50 Films of the Decade, Entry No.6: Can You Ever Forgive Me?

The 2019 Women’s Film Critic Circle (WFCC) awards winners

If you’re feeling disheartened by the latest Golden Globe nominations ignoring fantastic female filmmakers just take a look at the WFCC awards. Hopefully, you can find comfort in their celebration of women in film.

The Women’s Film Critic Circle is a group of 75 female critics and scholars. It was established 15 years ago in the belief that women’s perspectives in criticism need to be fully recognised. Continue reading The 2019 Women’s Film Critic Circle (WFCC) awards winners

Recap: Golden Globes Nominations

Awards season is upon us! Many nominees and winners from multiple critics organizations have already been decided and on December 9th the nominees for the 77th Golden Globe Awards were announced. No huge surprises, maybe a few snubs, and a huge presence of films and tv shows from streaming services. Netflix received an impressive 35 nominations across 21 categories, including two prime contenders for Best Motion Picture – Drama. Unfortunately, something that seems to be an ongoing trend with the Golden Globes is their inability to recognize female filmmakers. Continue reading Recap: Golden Globes Nominations

Gems, Hustlers and Keepers: 2020 Independent Spirit Awards nominations

The 2020 Independent Spirit Awards nominations have recently been announced with Roger Eggers “The Lighthouse” and Benny Safdie and  Josh Safdie‘s “Uncut Gems” being nominated for five awards including Best Director. The other big films to receive multiple nominations also include Alma Har’el‘s “Honey Boy” and Music Box’s comedy “Give Me Liberty”. Out of the six directors nominated for best director, two of the nominees … Continue reading Gems, Hustlers and Keepers: 2020 Independent Spirit Awards nominations

The Women Of The 2019 British Independent Film Awards

On 30th October the nominations for the 2019 British Independent Film Awards were announced. In total 38 British feature films were nominated and the results will be announced on Sunday 1st December in a ceremony hosted by Aisling Bea. 40% of the nominations were for women and 60% for men – if you count a nomination for a film as a nomination for the director. Continue reading The Women Of The 2019 British Independent Film Awards