92nd Oscars 2020

Another Oscar telecast ran over. A bouncy opening musical number and the song nominees added some zest. Steve Martin and Chris Rock need to actually cohost one day. The show boasted a healthy dose of nominee clips. Strongly favored awards did in fact go to Best Actress. Actor, and support. Nice to see Renee complete her comeback. Parasite overtook favored 1917. A first for foreign title as Best Pic. It was star studded and glitzy. Jane Fonda looked splendid. So did Regina King, Scarlett. and, and well, you get it. And so begins the filmwatch for next year's show.

Robert Conrad-Tough Hero

Actor Robert Conrad passed away at 84 and who made his mark in films and TV. His lead in Baa Baa Black Sheep was one of his best, but the role he will forever be remembered for is secret agent James West in The Wild Wild West in the sixties. Its combination of the spy craze in a western setting complete with diabolical villains, beautiful women, and a talented partner played by Ross Martin proved an exciting adventure. What stood out besides its imaginative plots and bizarre design was Conrad's ability to do most of his own stunts especially the hand to hand fights. No one did more. The show was cancelled only because it was caught up in the purge of violent shows.
I was fortunate to meet Conrad a few years ago at the MidAtlantic Nostalgia Convention and expressed my gratitude from days of youth watching a superbly entertaining show with my family.  What a tough dude.

2020 OSCAR PREDICTIONS FOR 2019 FILMS

OK, I have seen all best picture nominees and a few other titles but not all.  Some major categories are fairly certain but the tech categories should be interesting. There is usually a big surprise though so…. Enjoy

PICTURE-It comes down to 1917 with Parasite surging.

ACTOR-Joaquin Phoenix as Joker

ACTRESS-Renée Zellweger as Judy

SUPPORTING ACTOR-Brad Pitt for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

SUPPORTING ACTRESS-Laura Dern for Marriage Story. (Also noteworthy for Little Women)

DIRECTOR-Sam Mendes for 1917 unless Bong Joon-oh jumps ahead with Parasite

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY-Parasite leapfrogs over for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY-JoJo Rabbit hops over Little Women

ANIMATED FEATURE-Klaus stuns Toy Story 4

FILM EDITING-Ford vs Ferrari

CINEMATOGRAPHY-1917

PRODUCTION DESIGN-Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

ORIGINAL SCORE-Joker

ORIGINAL SONG-(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again for Rocketman

SOUND EDITING-1917                                           

SOUND MIXING-1917                                           

COSTUME DESIGN-Little Women

MAKEUP& HAIRSTYLING- Bombshell                                              

VISUAL EFFECTS- 1917 but Lion King could easily take this

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM-Parasite         

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE-American Factory

ANIMATED SHORT-Hair Love

DOCUMENTARY SHORT-Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone

LIVE ACTION SHORT-The Neighbor’s Window

All the Best Pic nominees will win something, but The Irishman may be shutout completely! The locks are Best Actor, Cinematography, and Foreign Language Film.

"I am Spartacus!"

Legendary actor Kirk Douglas has died at 103. He acted during Hollywood's Golden Age and was an iconic force with classic roles in films like Champion, Lust for Life, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Paths of Glory, Gunfight at OK Corral, Spartacus, Seven Days in May, and many more. He was awarded a special Oscar in 1996 after multiple noms. He was also a producer who hired a very young Stanley Kubrick and helped to break the Blacklist by giving screen credit to screenwriter Dalton Trumbo. He costarred with Burt Lancaster in seven films and was a productive author even after a debilitating stroke.  What a long career beginning in  the 1940s.

                    

Watchmen Redux

HBO's Watchmen concluded with a smashing finale that tied the major threads of this update of the classic graphic novel. Damon Lindelof, a major force in World War Z film and tv's Lost, had a great cast led by a wonderful Regina King, Jean Smart, and Jeremy Irons that reimagined sacred fiction into an fascinating, complex commentary on racial strife and the meaning of being a hero. Whether there is a sequel (ratings were strong), this was a joy to watch. Love that Lubeman.