Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson in a scene from Robert Eggers’s The Lighthouse
The Lighthouse — Review
BLOG: 2020 Oscar Nomination Predictions
by Ken Bakely
Off we go into another awards season. It seems like many of the categories at this year’s Oscars are defined by a set of heavy frontrunners, followed by one or two wild card positions, where any one of many contenders could sneak their way in on Monday morning. This makes it both fun and challenging to predict, as we try to read both the tea leaves offered to us by guild precursors, and intuition about where Academy voters’ tastes might lie, to make (at least somewhat) informed predictions of what this year’s nominations will look like. There are ample opportunities for excitement and surprise.
As always, I will be offering my nomination predictions in some of the top categories. For each category, I will rank the top contenders based on my perceived likelihood of the nomination, with one potential spoiler (or two for Best Picture, since there can be up to twice as many nominees there as in other categories).
After the nominees are announced, I will go back and edit this column, tallying my scores and offering my thoughts. These additional notes will be listed in blue.
And with that, here we go.
UPDATE (January 13): My scores and reactions have now been added in blue.
Ready or Not — Review
Samara Weaving in a scene from Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s Ready or Not
“This is an efficiently self-contained movie that takes us on a brisk, intelligent, and immensely enjoyable ride.”
The Year in Review – 2019
by Ken Bakely
Another year has gone by, as has another decade. While other, more seasoned critics can surely offer far more meaningful and detailed evaluations of the last ten years, it’s certainly apparent to me that the 2010s have ushered in wide transformations in how movies are made and viewed, and I will comment on one particular portion of that change in this column. But this isn’t a decade-best countdown – making a list for just one year provides me enough overthinking as it is – just a place to single out the movies of the past 12 months that have moved and impacted me the most.
Parasite — Review
Song Kang-ho and Chang Hyae-jin in a scene from Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite
“A spectacularly skillful accomplishment as well as deeply enthralling and enrapturing viewing.”
Marriage Story — Review
Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver in a scene from Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story
“It takes the time to examine its characters with the deep and critical attention to place it with the best of movies about families.”
The Irishman — Review
Joe Pesci and Robert De Niro in a scene from Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman
“Perhaps the most devastating quality of The Irishman is the sheer intensity of its ability to observe and reflect amidst every place it goes, and do so in all-encompassing ways that only an artist as seasoned and experienced as Martin Scorsese could achieve.”
Recorder: The Marion Stokes Project — Review
Wild Rose — Review
Jessie Buckley in a scene from Tom Harper’s Wild Rose
“More grounded and perceptive than many other narratives of its ilk.”
Arctic — Review
Mads Mikkelsen in a scene from Joe Penna’s Arctic
