19 December
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WOMEN TALKING Director: Sarah PolleyStarring: Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Sheila McCarthy, Judith Ivey, Ben Whishaw, Frances McDormand The power religion has over people can be hard to grapple. Some fear the unknown wrath of God which informs many of life’s decisions. Writer/director Sarah Polley’s new film Women Talking is loosely inspired on a true story and tackles some of these questions. Polley uses the voice of a young girl as the narrator of this story as she states, “It’s doomsday and a call to prayer.” The women are not given much in a community run by the power men have over them. They’veRead More →

22 December
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THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH Writer/Director: Joel CoenStarring: Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, Kathryn Hunter, Alex Hassel, Brendan Gleeson, Bertie Carvel, Corey Hawkins There is no shortage of Shakespeare adaptations out there, but Joel Coen has directed a sharp take on the Scottish play with The Tragedy of Macbeth. Denzel Washington leads the film as the title character, Macbeth. He’s visited by three witches, all played by the great Kathryn Hunter, who convince him he should be the king of Scotland. As they say, “Fair is foul and foul is fair” With the help of his wife, Lady Macbeth, he believes their prophecies and kills King DuncanRead More →

26 April
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THE 93rd ACADEMY AWARDS – THE WINNERS Best PictureNomadland Best DirectingChloe Zhao, Nomadland Best Actress in a Leading RoleFrances McDormand, Nomadland Best Actor in a Leading RoleAnthony Hopkins, The Father Best Actress in a Supporting RoleYuh-Jung Youn, Minari Best Actor in a Supporting RoleDaniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah Best Original ScreenplayEmerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman Best Adapted ScreenplayChristopher Hampton and Florian Zeller, The Father Best CinematographyErik Messerschmidt, Mank Best Film EditingMikkel E. G. Nielsen, Sound of Metal Best Animated Feature FilmSoul Best Animated Short FilmIf Anything Happens I Love You Best Live-Action Short FilmTwo Distant Strangers Best International Feature FilmAnother Round Best Documentary FeatureMy Octopus Teacher Best DocumentaryRead More →

18 February
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NOMADLAND Writer/Director: Chloé ZhaoStarring: Frances McDormand, David Strathairn, Linda May Frances McDormand could be headed for her third Oscar with Nomadland. As Fern, she finds her herself living out of her van after a slew of events left her homeless. Her husband passed away and the gypsum plant she worked at was shut down following the Great Recession. The recession killed the city of Empire, Nevada displacing many people. For Fern, it now means joining a group of van dwellers in the desert finding odd jobs here and there wherever she goes. Here’s my review And check out my interview with Chloé ZhaoRead More →

05 March
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THE 90th ACADEMY AWARDS – THE WINNERS And the WINNERS are… BEST PICTURE The Shape of Water BEST DIRECTOR Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water BEST ACTOR Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour BEST ACTRESS Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Allison Janney, I, Tonya BEST EDITING Dunkirk BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY Jordan Peele, Get Out BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY James Ivory, Call Me By Your Name BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM A Fantastic Woman BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY Roger Deakins, Blade Runner 2049 BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN The Shape of Water BEST SOUND MIXING Dunkirk BEST SOUNDRead More →

01 March
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PAUL PREDICTS (SOME OF) THE OSCARS WINNERS This year’s Oscar race will no doubt come with some surprises. The acting categories seem pretty locked in place given that the four frontrunners (Oldman, McDormand, Janney, and Rockwell) have won every other major award so far. It’s the Best Picture and Best Director races that seem a bit more ambiguous as you can make cases for a variety of the nominees. Here are my thoughts on the top six categories And the nominees are… BEST ACTOR 1. Timothee Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name 2. Daniel Day-Lewis, Phantom Thread 3. Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out 4. Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour 5. DenzelRead More →

21 January
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The 24th ANNUAL SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS – THE WINNERS OUSTANDING ENSEMBLE THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI Abbie Cornish Peter Dinklage Woody Harrelson John Hawkes Lucas Hedges Željo Ivanek Caleb Landry Jones Frances McDormand Clarke Peters Sam Rockwell Samara Weaving OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE Gary Oldman, The Darkest Hour OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE Alison Janney, I, Tonya OUTSTANDING ACTIONRead More →

11 January
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THE 23RD ANNUAL CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS – THE WINNERS And the winners are… BEST PICTURE The Shape of Water BEST ACTOR Gary Oldman – Darkest Hour BEST ACTRESS Frances McDormand – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Sam Rockwell – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Allison Janney – I, Tonya BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS Brooklynn Prince – The Florida Project BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri BEST DIRECTOR Guillermo del Toro – The Shape of Water BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY Jordan Peele – Get Out BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY James Ivory – Call Me by Your Name BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY Roger DeakinsRead More →

08 January
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THE 75th GOLDEN GLOBES AWARDS – THE WINNERS And the award goes to… Best Motion Picture – Drama Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Lady Bird Best Director Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird Best Actor in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy James Franco, The Disaster Artist Best Supporting Actor Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards OutsideRead More →

21 November
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THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI Writer/Director: Martin McDonagh Starring: Frances McDormand, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson, John Hawkes, Peter Dinklage, Lucas Hedges, Abbbie Cornish, Zeljko Ivanek In Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Frances McDormand gives the best performance of her career since the old Marge Gunderson days in Fargo. She plays Mildred Hayes who is still grieving after the murder of her daughter, Angela. She has driven by three billboards outside the town border countless times before but only now does the light bulb go off. They are old, rickety, and haven’t been touched in years with various panels hanging off. She pays $5,000 for theRead More →