Tag: Oscars

Acting, Female Characters, Women in Film, World Cinema

Should’ve Been a Contender: Kim Hye-ja for “Mother”

his year as Bong Joon-ho’s widely praised film “Parasite” received six nominations from the Academy – including Best Picture and Best Director – but was snubbed entirely from the acting categories, despite the praise the ensemble has received from critics and audiences. Most of Bong Joon-ho’s films are driven by large, ensemble casts. But in this “Should’ve Been a Contender” series, I’d like to submit one of his few films carried by one, singular woman at its centre; Kim Hye-ja in the 2009 murder-mystery/drama, “Mother”. Continue reading Should’ve Been a Contender: Kim Hye-ja for “Mother”

Caelyn O'ReillyLeave a comment
Acting, Awards, Female Filmmaker, Female Filmmakers

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)

Nicole Ackman1 Comment
Acting, Best Actresses of The Decade, Female Characters, Women in Film

Best Actress of the Decade, Entry No. 12: Viola Davis

To celebrate the last decade 2010-2019 we are counting down the best actresses and discussing some of their most notable and memorable performances of the last decade. With the help of Film Twitter, the ITOL team have selected 30 actresses. Entry No. 12 is Viola Davis, and writer Georgia De Souza discusses Davis career over the last decade. Continue reading Best Actress of the Decade, Entry No. 12: Viola Davis

jmamenn1 Comment
Acting, Best Actresses of The Decade, Female Filmmakers, Women in Film

Best Actress of the Decade, Entry No. 17: Frances McDormand

To celebrate the last decade 2010-2019 we are counting down the best actresses and discussing some of their most notable and memorable performances of the last decade. With the help of Film Twitter, the ITOL team have selected 30 actresses. Entry No. 17 is Frances McDormand, and writer Akie Kutsunai discusses Frances McDormand Oscar Winning performance in “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”. Continue reading Best Actress of the Decade, Entry No. 17: Frances McDormand

jmamennLeave a comment
Awards, Female Characters, Female Filmmakers, Film Industry, Women in Film

Are There Any Women Here? – Diversity in the 2020 Oscar Nominations

It’s almost a cliché to write a thinkpiece about the lack of diversity in the latest set of Oscar nominations. Every year, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences congratulates the best films that English-speaking cis-het white men produced in the preceding year, and also some of the bad ones too. Oh, and they’ll also throw in a meagre handful of films made by women, people of color, etc. The slate of nominees for the upcoming 2020 Academy Awards is exceptionally representative of this feet-dragging approach to representation and inclusivity.  Continue reading Are There Any Women Here? – Diversity in the 2020 Oscar Nominations

Caelyn O'Reilly1 Comment
Female Filmmaker, Female Writer, Film Reviews, Reviews, World Cinema

Review: Queen of Hearts (Dronningen)

The filmmaking of May el-Toukhy teaches us quite a few things during the 2-hour runtime of her new Danish film “Queen of Hearts,” Denmark’s now non-shortlisted entry for the 2020 Academy Awards. A harrowing film that darkens with time, “Queen of Hearts” ranges from somewhat displeasurable family drama to sensual tale of power and manipulation. Continue reading Review: Queen of Hearts (Dronningen)

Michael FrankLeave a comment
Female Filmmakers, Film Reviews, Netflix, Top 50 of the Decade

ITOL Top 50 Films of the Decade, Entry No. 13: Mudbound

The greatest achievement of Netflix is giving creators a place to put their work. From Martin Scorsese to Ava DeVernay, Netflix has become a creative landing for directors and writers to display their work without the hassle of going through the tired Hollywood process. Dee Rees got to do just that with her second feature “Mudbound” as a Netflix original movie. After her debut “Pariah”, which also earned a spot on our Top 50 List, Rees proved her worth and had a much larger market to sell her idea in. It premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival and was released in November of 2017, which put it squarely in the Oscars award season. Not that it needed help being premiered at the end of the year, but it helped to gain it four nominations, including two for Mary J. Blige who created an original song for the film. Continue reading ITOL Top 50 Films of the Decade, Entry No. 13: Mudbound

jdricheson2 Comments
Film Industry, Spotlight, Women in Film

Spotlight: Hildur Guðnadóttir

Regardless of whether you’re a fan or not of Todd Phillips’ “Joker”, I think we can all agree that Hildur Guðnadóttir’s score is phenomenal. A classically trained cellist from Iceland, she has played and recorded with various bands such as Pan Sonic, Throbbing Gristle, Múm, and Stórsveit Nix Noltes. She experiments with sound and musical instruments, using cello, warped samples, and nuclear reactor metal as her tools to compose her music. And, the end result is stunning.

Her music has a way of invading your mind, the score for “Joker” has a rawness to it, full of menace and a foreboding sense of dread. The score for “Joker” is so far from the epic orchestral scores we usually associate with comic book adaptations, and as she explained in an interview with Film Music Mag this was a deliberate decision, “we went as far in the other direction with this score as possible. Continue reading Spotlight: Hildur Guðnadóttir

jmamennLeave a comment
Film Industry, Spotlight, Women in Film

Spotlight: Cinematographer Rachel Morrison, A.S.C.

In 2017, Rachel Morrison became the first woman in history to be nominated for an Oscar in Best Cinematography. It goes without to say that this is a major milestone for female filmmakers, especially since this is an area of filmmaking that is heavily dominated by her male counterparts. It only took nearly nine decades for us to achieve this breakthrough . Continue reading Spotlight: Cinematographer Rachel Morrison, A.S.C.

Paola Harvey1 Comment