News

The Oscar nominations for the 92nd Academy Awards were announced live on Monday by “Star Trek” actor John Cho and “Insecure” star Issa Rae.

The Academy this year produced nine nominees for Best Picture, those being “Ford v. Ferrari,” “The Irishman,” “Jojo Rabbit,” “Joker,” “Little Women,” “Marriage Story,” “1917,” “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” and “Parasite.”

“Joker” led all films with 11 nominations, including for Best Actor Joaquin Phoenix and Best Director Todd Phillips. It was followed by “The Irishman,” “1917” and “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywoood.”

This year’s Oscars ceremony, which takes place the earliest ever in awards season, is on Sunday, Feb. 9. And for the second year in a row, the ceremony will have no host.

Below is the full list of nominees in all 24 categories.

Also Read: 8 Biggest Changes to the Oscars in the 2010s, From #OscarsSoWhite to Envelopegate

Best Picture

“Ford v Ferrari”

“The Irishman...

Joker, Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood, 1917 and The Irishman lead the way.

The nominations for the 92nd Academy Awards have been revealed.

Joker, Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood, 1917 and The Irishman lead the way.

The 2020 Academy Awards will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on February 9. For the second year in a row, there will be no host.

Full list of nominations

Best Motion Picture of the year

Ford v Ferrari The Irishman Jojo Rabbit Joker Little Women Marriage Story 1917 Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood Parasite

Best Director

Martin Scorsese, The Irishman Todd Phillips, Joker Sam Mendes,...

With the shortened awards timeline, ceremonies hit hard and fast. Sunday night marks the 25th annual Critics’ Choice Awards, airing on The CW beginning at 7pm Est/7pm Pst. Taye Diggs returns as host the proceedings, which take place in the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, presented by the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association. On the film side, this year’s nominations are led by Netflix’s “The Irishman,” with 14 nods. However, Martin Scorsese’s film came home empty-handed at the Golden Globes last Sunday. Netflix also leads on the television side, with six nominations for Ava DuVernay’s true-crime miniseries “When They See Us.”

Follow along below for IndieWire’s live and updating winners list, and stay tuned for further analysis. See the nominations below, with winners bolded.

Best Picture

“1917”

“Ford v Ferrari”

“The Irishman”

“Jojo Rabbit”

“Joker”

“Little Women”

“Marriage Story”

“Once Upon a Time…...

“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” will be the top film when Oscar nominations are announced on Monday morning, January 13. We’re predicting a leading 10 nominations for the nostalgic showbiz movie. and we think it’ll win four of those, including Best Picture. Scroll down to see our complete nominations forecasts arranged by film, with our projected winners highlighted in gold.

These predictions are based on the combined forecasts of more than 10,000 Gold Derby users who have placed their bets in our predictions center — more than ever before. And “Once Upon a Time” only recently jumped to the top of our odds in the race for Best Picture following its windfall at the Golden Globes, where it was the leading winner with three prizes including Best Film Comedy/Musical.

Sign UPfor Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions

It would be the first Quentin Tarantino movie to win Best Picture,...

Beyonce, Regina Spektor and Mary Steenburgen are among the songwriters who have been nominated by the Guild of Music Supervisors, which announced its annual awards for film, television and videogame music and music supervision on Thursday.

N0minees in the Best Song Written for a Film category are Beyonce, Ilya Salmanzadeh and Timothy Mckenzie for “Spirit” from “The Lion King”; Regina Spektor for “One Little Soldier” from “Bombshell”; Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez for “Into the Unknown” from “Frozen II”; Caityln Smith, Kate York and Mary Steenburgen for “Glasgow (No Place Like Home)” from “Wild Rose”; and Alma-Sofia Miettinen, Ariana Grande, Ilya Salmanzadeh, Elizabeth Grant, Max Martin, Miley Cyrus and Savan Kotecha for “Don’t Call Me Angel” from “Charlie’s Angels.”

Neither “One Little Soldier” nor “Don’t Call Me Angel” were on the Academy’s list of the 75 songs eligible for the Best Original Song Oscar. The other three...

A Condensed Year for Contenders

It may seem insignificant, but moving up the Academy Awards two weeks has caused a ripple effect in the industry that makes this year’s nominees more difficult than ever to predict. With the exception of the PGA and SAG awards, usually held in late January, most of the major precursors — WGA, DGA and BAFTA — have all moved up at least a week.

What this means is earlier deadlines and that translates to less time to see films — and sometimes an uphill battle for pics released later in the year. Even when a movie screens for voters long before its release, there’s something to be said for easy access and a head start. December releases including “1917,” “Little Women” and “Richard Jewell” were shut out of SAG nominations, while “Just Mercy” landed only a nom for supporting actor Jamie Foxx.

Best Picture Possibles

No...

Oscars voting begins on Thursday and runs through Tuesday, Jan. 7, a six-day voting period that is the shortest ever for members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. And with the start of voting, that means it’s time for another annual tradition: I’ll explain how Oscar voting really works. This time around, I’m going to use the Oscar process — which the Academy calls preferential voting but is more widely known as ranked-choice voting — to re-count the critics’ Top 10 lists compiled on the Metacritic website. At the point that I did my count, the site included 215 lists that indicated the critic’s top 10 films in order of preference. Note: While many of the critics’ favorites will also probably be Academy faves, I’m not doing this to predict what will be actually get a Best Picture nomination. Critics and Oscar voters are completely different beasts, with different agendas and different tastes.

Spies In Disguise crosses $25m internationally heading into second weekend.

Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker remains on course to cross the $1bn barrier at the global box office following a mighty New Year’s Day performance that boosted the global running total to $815.4m.

The sci-fi saga brought in $30.4m globally on Wednesday, adding $13.5m internationally for a $407.9m running total and $16.9m in North America for $407.5m. It crossed $800m in its 15th day of worldwide release, and $400m on its 13th day of release in North America.

Heading into its third weekend, The Rise Of...

Welcome to the last day of the decade. As we move from 2019 to 2020, it’s time for my annual look at year’s best and brightest. Yes, today I’ll be giving out some personal awards, revealing my top ten list, and basically just putting a final bow on the year. 2019 is about to end, so why don’t we go out with a bang? Let’s get started with the end of the year rundown folks! As always, below you will be able to see both my picks for the very best movies of 2019 as well as the best performances of the year. In terms of the films, I’ll be doing a top 30 list again, with a dozen honorable mentions, just because (I like including as much as possible on these lists…we know this by now). The same will go for the performances I’m keenest on,...

If you’re going to make a movie about a woman psychologically unraveling, then casting Amy Adams is a no-brainer. From “American Hustle” to “Sharp Objects,” Adams’ has shown a fearless range when it comes to diving into the skin of women on the edge of breakdowns. Based on the first trailer below, “The Woman in the Window” should be another powerful Amy Adams acting showcase.

Directed by Joe Wright, “The Woman in the Window” is based on the novel of the same name written by A.J. Finn. Adams stars as Dr. Anna Fox, an agoraphobic developmental psychologist who ends up in the middle of a crime scene while spying on her new neighbors. The film’s supporting cast includes Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gary Oldman, Brian Tyree Henry, Wyatt Russell, and Anthony Mackie. Tracy Letts adapted Finn’s novel for the big screen and also stars in a supporting role.

Hot on the heels of the Academy revealing the shortlists for nine of their categories, a predictions update is in order, now isn’t it? Especially considering the time of year, it’s hard not to have changes to the lineup to make on a near weekly basis. I actually play around with them almost every single day, but I try not to overwhelm you all with them. Today, however, is a perfect day to release them. With Star Wars about to dominate the rest of the week, let us think about Oscar for the moment. Most of the changes here are related to the shortlist announcement, though there are adjustments throughout. Frankly, not a whole lot changed due to the shortlists, except for Cats going from arguably the frontrunner in Best Original Song to being left out in the cold. You can compare predictions from earlier in the month...

Nominations to be announced on January 13, 2020.

The Academy on Monday (16) announced shortlisted films in the documentary feature, music, VFX, make-up and hairstyling, and shorts categories.

All shortlists appear below. Click here to read the international feature film shortlist, which was also announced on Monday.

Documentary feature

Fifteen films will advance in the category after 159 films were submitted. Members of the documentary branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees, to be announced on January 13, 2020. The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

Advocate

American Factory

The Apollo

Apollo 11

Aquarela

The Biggest Little Farm

The Cave

The Edge Of Democracy...

“Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” and “Joker” led all films in nominations for the 67th annual Mpse Golden Reel Awards, the Motion Picture Sound Editors announced on Monday.

Those two films each received three nominations in the Golden Reel’s seven film categories, including Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Effects/Foley, the category that most closely corresponds to the Oscars Best Sound Editing category.

Other nominees in that category were “Ford v Ferrari,” “1917,” “Avengers: Endgame,” “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum,” “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” and “A Hidden Life.”

Also Read: Cinema Audio Society Likes the Sound of 'Ford v Ferrari,' 'Joker,' 'The Irishman'

“Ford v Ferrari,” “Jojo Rabbit,” “1917,” “Rocketman,” “Avengers: Endgame,” “Frozen II” and “Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese” received two nominations each.

In the television categories, “Game of Thrones” and “Vikings” each received three nominations,...

All five of our predicted Oscar nominees for Best Sound Editing number among the contenders for the Golden Reel Awards bestowed by the Motion Picture Sound Editors (Mpse). Oscar frontrunner “1917” reaped two bids across the seven film categories as did two of its closest Oscar rivals — “Avengers: Endgame” and “Ford v Ferrari.” The other two expected Oscar nominees — “Ad Astra” and and “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” — are single nominees.

However, we might be underestimating “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” and “Joker,” which we have in eighth and nine place respectively at the Academy Awards; they earned a leading three nominations from these precursor prizes. Winners of the 67th annual Golden Reel Awards will be revealed on January 17, 2020

Last year, all five of the Oscar nominees for Best Sound Editing numbered among the Mpse contenders. Eventual Oscar winner “Bohemian Rhapsody” did not contend in the category equivalent — Sound Effects and Foley.

Joker and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood earned three nominations apiece, the most in the feature categories, for the annual Motion Picture Sound Editors' (Mpse) Golden Reel Awards, it was announced Monday.

The pics were both nominated for dialogue/Adr, effects/Foley and music underscore.

Close behind with two noms each are 1917, Ford v Ferrari, Jojo Rabbit, Rocketman and Avengers: Endgame, as well as Frozen 2, which was nominated in the categories of animated feature and musical.

Jon Favreau's photoreal CG retelling of Disney's The Lion King also earned a mention in the animated feature category. It will compete against Frozen ...

Joker and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood earned three nominations apiece, the most in the feature categories, for the annual Motion Picture Sound Editors' (Mpse) Golden Reel Awards, it was announced Monday.

The pics were both nominated for dialogue/Adr, effects/Foley and music underscore.

Close behind with two noms each are 1917, Ford v Ferrari, Jojo Rabbit, Rocketman and Avengers: Endgame, as well as Frozen 2, which was nominated in the categories of animated feature and musical.

Jon Favreau's photoreal CG retelling of Disney's The Lion King also earned a mention in the animated feature category. It will compete against Frozen ...

Universal/Blumhouse slasher reboot Black Christmas heads into UK, Australia, Germany, Spain.

Disney’s Frozen 2 will become the studio’s sixth film in 2019 to cross $1bn worldwide this weekend, although it may not hold on to its international box office crown as Sony’s Jumanji: The Next Level bulks up with a handful of debuts in major markets.

The adventure sequel starring Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Jack Black and Awkwafina has mustered $66m following its first wave last weekend. On that occasion it took an impressive $52.8m from a cluster of markets in which France was the sole established major,...

The most important predictor of the Oscars race has now weighed in. The SAG nominations are decided by actors, which make up the biggest voting body at the Academy Awards. While there are many more SAG voters than Oscar voters, the winners and nominees of the ceremony, held on Jan. 19, usually most closely mirror what happens at the Academy Awards.

That’s good news for Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman,” Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” and “Bombshell,” a drama about the sexual harassment scandal at Fox News, which allreceived four SAG nominations. “Marriage Story,” a drama centered on a divorcing New York couple, also had strong showing, with three nominations.

In the television categories, Amazon Prime Video’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” topped the ballot with four nominations. Following closely behind are Amazon’s “Fleabag,” Apple TV Plus’ “The Morning Show,” HBO’s “Game of Thrones...

The American Cinema Editors nominations for the Eddie Awards announced on Wednesday (December 11) include our Oscar frontrunner for Best Film Editing, “The Irishman,” along with three of the other four films we’re predicting to reap bids in that race: “Ford v Ferrari,” “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” and “Parasite.” While the WWI epic “1917,” which is made to look like one continuous shot, was snubbed by the guild we expect it to be the fifth Academy Awards contender.

The Ace Eddie Awards divide their prizes for editing between dramas and comedies/musicals. “Ford v Ferrari,” “The Irishman” and “Parasite” contend here in the drama race, which is rounded out by “Joker” and “Marriage Story.” Facing off against “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” on the comedy side are “Dolemite is My Name,” “The Farewell,” “Jojo Rabbit” and “Knives Out.”

In 1992, the Eddies went from three to five nominees...

Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations will be announced Wednesday morning, and streaming services are expected to dominate the conversation .

This year’s SAG Awards contenders include Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story,” Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” and Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” on the film side.

On the TV front, shows like “The Crown” with Olivia Colman and Helena Bonham Carter, and “Game of Thrones” starring Peter Dinklage are expected to nab nominations. “Killing Eve” with Jodie Comer, “Fleabag” starring Phoebe Waller-Bridge and “Big Little Lies” toplined by Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep and Reese Witherspoon are also in the running.

“Superstore” star America Ferrera and “Black Panther’s” Danai Gurira were on hand Wednesday morning at the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles to announce nominees for the SAG Awards, the Screen Actors Guild‐American Federation of Television and Radio Artists’ annual celebration of the year’s best TV and film.

This week has seen a number of awards groups kick start awards season with Martin Scorsese’s ‘The Irishman’ and Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Once Upon A Time in Hollywood’ coming out on top. Finally, one of the big hitters, the Golden Globes have announced their nominations for 2020.

Noah Baumbach’s ‘Marriage Story’, which stars both Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson, has a tally of 6 nominations, whilst the inevitable and aforementioned ‘The Irishman’ and ‘Once Upon A Time in Hollywood’ follows closely on its heels with 5 each. Other notable nominations come in the form of ‘Joker’, ‘1917’ and ‘Knives Out’.

Also in news – ‘Honey I Shrunk The Kids’ director in talks to return for the reboot; Josh Gad to star

Whilst film is the more prominent section, the Globes also cover TV and there have been some television productions that have easily outclassed the silver screen this year. The likes of ‘Chernobyl,...

The editors of Ford v Ferrari, The Irishman, Joker, Marriage Story and Parasite are nominated in the best edited dramatic feature category of the 70th annual American Cinema Editors Eddie Awards, which will be handed out Jan. 17 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

For the best edited feature film, comedy, Ace nominated the editors of Dolemite is My Name, The Farewell, Jojo Rabbit, Knives Out and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

The nominated editors are Michael McCusker and Andrew Buckland for Ford v Ferrari, Thelma Schoonmaker for The Irishman, Jeff Groth for Joker, Jennifer Lame for Marriage Story, ...

The Cinema Audio Society Awards nominees for Best Sound Mixing are “Ford v Ferrari,” “Joker,” “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” “Rocketman” and “The Irishman.” Historically, about two-thirds of the Csa nominees go on to contend at the Academy Awards.

Last year, “Bohemian Rhapsody” won over the Cas before claiming the Oscar. It contended in both races against “Black Panther,””First Man” and “A Star is Born.” While “A Quiet Place” reaped a Cas bid, it was replaced at the Oscars by “Roma.”

This year’s Cas nominees for sound mixing in an animated feature are: “Abominable,” “Frozen II,” “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World,” “The Lion King” and “Toy Story 4.”

And the documentary feature contenders are: “Apollo 11,” “Echo in the Canyon,” “Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound,” “Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool” and “Woodstock: 3 Days That Changed Everything.”

Discuss All the Oscar contenders...

So much for “The Lion King” avoiding the animation label. Despite Disney’s best efforts to position Jon Favreau’s all-cg, photo-realistic game changer as a “live-action” awards contender, it grabbed Golden Globe and Art Directors Guild nominations on Monday for Best Animated Feature and Animation Film Production Design. And Disney had nothing to do with it.

That’s because the Hollywood Foreign Press Association chose to switch “The Lion King” from Best Motion Picture — Comedy or Musical (as submitted by Disney) to the animation category, while production designer James Chinlund submitted his own work to the Adg as an animated feature. (Disney encourages its craft artists to self-submit to guilds and professional organizations.)

Likewise, IndieWire has learned that “The Lion King” editors Adam Gerstel and Mark Livolsi submitted their work to the American Cinema Editors for Ace Eddie Awards consideration in animation.

Less surprising, though, was “The Lion King...

We know the 90-member Hollywood Foreign Press — an old, white, and hopelessly coddled bunch — are idiosyncratic at best. The Golden Globes voters lean mainstream with their nominations, love to welcome their favorite celebs at the Beverly Hilton, and provide extra slots to play with in the Comedy or Musical categories. That’s why they always throw a few curves, like Cate Blanchett for Best Comedy Actress for long-forgotten “Where’d You Go Bernadette?,” one of several surprises from this morning’s nominations.

And distributors can seek advantages by pushing films into categories they are more likely to win, slotting dramedy “Marriage Story,” musical “Judy” and comedy “Uncut Gems” into drama while leaving room in the comedy/musical categories for “Jojo Rabbit,” “Rocketman,” and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.”

Last year, Queen bio-musical “Bohemian Rhapsody” took home Globes for Best Motion Picture Drama and Drama Actor (which repeated at the...

The films, filmmakers and actors who earned Golden Globe nominations on December 9 can celebrate their recognition today, but what about the contenders that missed the cut? In a year as crowded with strong films as this one has been — most of the top contenders have lived up to their expectations — there were bound to be movies the Globes wouldn’t have room for. Scroll down for our list of some of the hopefuls whose hopes were dashed, and check out the full list of Golden Globe film nominees here.

The Globes are decided by the 90 or so international journalists who make up the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, and perhaps most surprisingly of all they didn’t make space for Robert De Niro. He plays the title role in “The Irishman,” which earned five total nominations including Best Film Drama, and yet he didn’t earn a nom for Best Film Drama Actor.

The Art Directors Guild (Iatse Local 800) on Monday announced its award nominations with two ties, resulting in six nominees in both the period and fantasy film categories. The results also garnered a nomination for Disney’s photoreal CG retelling of The Lion King in the animated film category.

In the category for a period film, the guild nominated Ford v Ferrari, The Irishman, Jojo Rabbit, Joker, 1917 and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The fantasy film nominees are Ad Astra, Aladdin, Avengers: End Game, Dumbo, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil and — though it hasn't been screened yet and is set to ...

The Art Directors Guild (Iatse Local 800) on Monday announced its award nominations with two ties, resulting in six nominees in both the period and fantasy film categories. The results also garnered a nomination for Disney’s photoreal CG retelling of The Lion King in the animated film category.

In the category for a period film, the guild nominated Ford v Ferrari, The Irishman, Jojo Rabbit, Joker, 1917 and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The fantasy film nominees are Ad Astra, Aladdin, Avengers: End Game, Dumbo, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil and — though it hasn't been screened yet and is set to ...

Noah Jupe had no idea who Shia Labeouf was before playing him in the new drama movie Honey Boy. “I thought he had a cool name but I’d never really seen him in anything,” said the 14-year-old English actor — who is known for his roles in the films Ford vs. Ferrari, Wonder and A Quiet Place — […]

The post Video Exclusive: Noah Jupe On Playing Shia Labeouf In ‘Honey Boy:’ ‘I Didn’t Know Who He Was!’ appeared first on uInterview.

It was a good week for Netflix’s “The Irishman,” which notched big wins with the National Board of Review and New York Film Critics as well as 14 Critics’ Choice nods. “The Irishman” leads all films this year with 14 nominations including Best Picture, Robert De Niro for Best Actor, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci for Best Supporting Actor, Martin Scorsese for Best Director, Best Acting Ensemble, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Hair and Makeup, Best Visual Effects, and Best Score.

“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” (Sony) followed with 12 nominations, followed by “Little Women” (also Sony) with nine, “1917” (Universal) and “Marriage Story” (Netflix) with eight, and “Jojo Rabbit” (Fox Searchlight), “Joker” (Warner Bros.), and “Parasite” (Neon) with seven each. Notably, “Jojo Rabbit” landed four supporting acting nominations, for Scarlett Johansson plus Thomasin McKenzie, Roman Griffin Davis and Archie Yates in...

Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” led all films in nominations for the Critics’ Choice Awards, which will serve as a showcase for all things Netflix on both the film and television sides when it takes place on Jan. 12.

“The Irishman” received 14 nominations in the 23 film categories, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and acting nominations for Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Al Pacino. Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” was second with 12 nominations, followed by “Little Women” with nine, “1917” and “Marriage Story” with eight and “Jojo Rabbit,” “Joker” and “Parasite” with seven.

Netflix was the most-nominated studio, with 30 nominations spread among “The Irishman,” “Marriage Story,” “Dolemite Is My Name,” “The Two Popes,” “Atlantics” and “I Lost My Body.” Sony was second with 24 nominations, led by “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” but also including “Little Women” “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” and...

After London in October and Los Angeles in November, New York City is now ready for Deadline’s The Contenders. The all-day event is now underway at the DGA Theater in Manhattan, and like its London and L.A. counterparts features an impressive slate, with 27 films from 13 participating studios in the thick of movie-awards season. A total of 65 filmmakers and stars will hit the stage during the day to show clips and discuss their movies in front of a packed audience of Oscar and guild voting members who will get an up-close view of which films should be at the top of their screener pile.

This is our second consecutive year in New York after it proved as big a draw on the East Coast as it has been in Hollywood and the UK. Today kicked off with a breakfast sponsored by Amazon Studios, and panels began with Amazon’s slate.

The American Film Institute’s annual lists highlighting the top 10 movies and TV shows of the year include multiple awards frontrunners. The two juries — which are a mix of critics, academics, and film professionals — always celebrate the best of American cinema and television. Given their international provenance, Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite” and Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s “Fleabag” landed Special Awards from the American Film Institute film juries, as “Roma” did last year.

This year’s crop is diverse, with films from lauded veterans Clint Eastwood, Sam Mendes, Martin Scorsese, Noah Baumbach, and Quentin Tarantino alongside relative newcomers to the awards conversation like Todd Phillips, Taika Waititi, and Rian Johnson.

Eight of the ten films were directed by men, with two women, Greta Gerwig (“Little Women”) and Lulu Wang (“The Farewell”), also on deck for the honor. On the TV side, newcomers “Watchmen,” “Fosse/Verdon,” and “Chernobyl” joined returning shows like “The Crown.

Twenty films are in the running in the Oscars visual effects category after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released its longlist Tuesday. Among them are late entry “Cats” and frontrunners “Avengers: Endgame, “The Irishman,” “Gemini Man,” and “The Lion King”

The digital fur donned by Judi Dench, Taylor Swift, and James Corden in “Cats” spawned strong reactions after the trailer dropped earlier this year. But the film’s feline VFX transformations still haven’t been screened to awards voters. Questions arose last month whether the film would be finished in time for awards deadlines after members of the New York Film Critics Circle were told by the studio that it shouldn’t expect to see the film before mid-December, after the group votes this Wednesday, but the late-breaking movie is still in play in the Oscar race.

Disney is well-represented on the list of contenders, led by “The Lion King,...

The National Board of Review named Martin Scorsese‘s epic crime drama “The Irishman” as the best picture of the year on Tuesday (Dec. 3). The director and the film’s two stars, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, share in the inaugural Icon Award from this group comprised of “knowledgeable film enthusiasts and professionals, academics, young filmmakers and students.” The Netflix film also picked up the adapted screenplay award (Steven Zaillian).

A trio of other films also took two competitive races apiece. “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” won Best Director (Quentin Tarantino) and Best Supporting Actor (Brad Pitt). Benny and Josh Safdie‘s “Uncut Gems” claimed Best Actor (Adam Sandler) and Best Original Screenplay (by the directors and Ronald Bronstein ). And Clint Eastwood‘s late entry “Richard Jewell” won Best Supporting Actress (Kathy Bates) and the breakthrough award for Paul Walter Hauser in the title role.

All three of...

Update, writethru: The Frozen 2 blizzard continued at the global and international box office this weekend with the Disney sequel now minting $738.6M worldwide, including $451M overseas through Sunday. The offshore hold was -38 for a $163.8M sophomore session, and Elsa maintained her No. 1 reign in 45 open markets.

This comes after a record-setting global debut last weekend and with new bows in Russia, Italy and Australia, including setting the highest animated weekend of all time in the former at $13.7M. Overall playing very well in Asia, F2 to date has become the highest grossing animated title ever in Indonesia and the Philippines.

Also of note, the sequel has already surpassed the lifetime cume of the first Frozen in 11 material markets including China. There, it is at $90.5M, despite local Friday competition from Vicky Zhao’s Two Tigers. There are still a handful of hubs to come before Brazil on January 2.

Elsewhere,...

Matt Damon as racing car builder Carroll Shelby and Christian Bale as driver Ken Miles in Ford V Ferra Ri. Photo courtesy of Fox Studios.

Ford V Ferrari tells the unlikely but true story of the Ford Motor Company, the American maker of family cars, challenging Ferrari, the legendary Italian sports car maker, in one of the most difficult races in Europe, the 24-hour Le Mans, in the golden era of racing cars. But you don’t have to be a racing fan or a gear-head to enjoy this thrilling tale, since it is really about the people behind (and in) the cars, bonds of friendship and the struggle of underdogs, a tale set in the era of American know-how and individualism, as two men set out to snatch glory from the reigning king of racing.

It isn’t really Henry Ford II, the head of Ford Motor Company and grandson of the founder,...

Will Michael Mann succeed where David Cronenberg and so many others have merely crashed and burned previously? We'll find out if he manages to cross the finish line (I'll stop now, I swear) with "Enzo Ferrari," a film that Michael Mann has been trying to make for almost twenty years now. There was a point where David Cronenberg spent several years trying to make a film called "Red Cars," which would have dealt with the life of Enzo Ferrari dung the 1961 racing season, and it was primarily meant to be told from the perspective of Phil Hill, a driver working for the millionaire and struggling to hold up against the demands of winning a championship.   Cronenberg eventually found himself at odds with the Ferrari family, with threats of legal action, and he took all of that research and energy and put it into a book that published some remarkable rare...

Our Deaths, in memoriam was the project title of Lav Diaz' Kagadanan sa Banwaan Ning mga Engkanto (2007). For the Ferroni Brigade, it became the motto of Venice 2011—specters of dear lives gone seemed to roam the event, the Mostra internazionale d’arte cinematografica as well as the Esposizione internazionale d'arte, and beyond.

We always commemorate the murder of Nika Bohinc and Alexis Tioseco on September 1st 2009, quietly, invariably in Venice; it was here that we heard about the crime; now, whenever we go to the press room to check our e-mails, deep down something inside us is afraid of getting another message like that one; fittingly, one of the last films we saw this year was Diaz' latest, Siglo ng Pagluluwal (Century of Birthing, 2011), which ends with a dedication to them, and talks about the way our loved ones, just like cherished ideas, notions and visions are essentially eternal,...