Variety has confirmed that Hidden Figures will have a limited, Oscar-qualifying release on Christmas Day before going wide on January 6.
Distributor Fox originally had the film slated for release on January 13th, but bumped up the release date so the film could be considered for awards attention this year.
The Best Actress race refuses to slow down.
Just last week, we got a glimpse of Viola Davis in Fences and Annette Bening in 20th Century Women. Emma Stone won Best Actress at Venice and has been topping a lot of Oscar pundits lists for the final five, but one contender that has managed to astound everyone is Natalie Portman. The actress’ buzzy Jackie Kennedy biopic has been the talk of the town since it premiered to critical acclaim at Venice and Toronto last month.
For the last few weeks, Natalie Portman and Emma Stone have asserted themselves as the frontrunners in the Best Actress race after splashy debuts at both the Venice and Toronto film festivals. Though many people have been quick to make this a two way race, I’ve quietly maintained that the unseen contenders, Viola Davis (especially) and Annette Bening, were waiting in the wings. Today these two ladies have officially joined the conversation, and if I were Stone and Portman, I wouldn’t get too comfortable with being in the lead.
I’ve already talked at length at how both Davis’ and Bening’s status as “also rans” in previous races benefit their chances this year. That being said, both of their projects look like slam dunks and shouldn’t find difficulty finding awards consideration when its time to cast ballots.
Let’s take a look.
It’s that time of the year; Sundance, Cannes, Telluride and Venice are behind us while the Toronto Film Festival has just begun, and so has Oscar season. The contenders are beginning to emerge and narratives are starting to take shape. There are some films that have gotten a head start thanks to some critical raves (Jackie, La La Land, Moonlight, Loving, Sully) and some that are playing catch up (The Birth of A Nation) while others are giant question marks in the race right now (Arrival,
One race that’s particularly interesting, as it stands right now, is Best Actress. With so much left of the race left to go there are a number of exciting possibilities that, if played right, could make this one of the best years for Best Actress in awhile. Continue reading
It’s never been easy to love Cersei Lannister. From the very first episode of Game of Thrones, Cersei has established herself as one of the show’s driving antagonists. Whether it was playing a part in the injuring of Bran Stark, torturing his sister Sansa, being insufferable to her brother Tyrion or her role in the ascension of the High Sparrow and the murder of Margaery Tyrell, to say she’s been awful would be an understatement. But one thing Cersei has always been is compelling to watch, and no matter how many reasons she gives us to hate her we can’t completely write her off as a villain. This is largely in part to actress Lena Headey’s exceptional work, which has been getting better and better each season the show goes on. It’s time that the Emmy’s reward her.
In the three years since Ariana Grande burst onto the scene with “The Way” in 2013, she’s become one of the most exciting up and coming talents. It’s hard to remember the last time someone who went from pop ingenue to one of the genre’s fixtures in such a short amount of time. Having already scored two #1 albums and a long line of hit singles (“Problem,” “Break Free,” “Love Me Harder…” the list goes on), while breaking (and making) new Billboard records in the process and being compared to Mariah Carey, it’s a no brainer that Grande has attained such a large level of success in such a short period of time.
That being said, Dangerous Woman, the pint-sized chanteuse’s third album marks a new stage in her career. Where Yours Truly introduced “the voice,” and My Everything skyrocketed her to superstardom, this album cements Grande’s place as pop’s reigning princess.
Trust me, I know we’re all still recovering from last year’s dreadful slate of Academy Award winners/nominees (I’m of course not talking about Mad Max Fury Road winning several trophies, but of course another crop of all white acting nominees and the inclusion of films like JOY and The Revenant). That being said, any news on the Best Actress category, in my opinion, is worth discussing. Especially when it concerns Viola Davis.
That’s right. The beloved actress could not only score her third career nomination (and the second in this particular category) but maybe even her first win.
What can I say about last night’s Oscars? Well, at least The Revenant didn’t win Best Picture, right?
Though it’ll face more competition tomorrow night at the Oscars, Spotlight won big at tonight’s Film Independent Spirit Awards.
The film beat out nomination count leaders Carol and Beasts of No Nation for Best Film, Screenplay and Director.
Carol, however, did pick up a Best Cinematography trophy, while newcomer Abraham Attah and Idris Elba won in their respective categories.
Tangerine actress Mya Taylor made history by being the first trans actress to win an award. After being ignored all season, it was great to see her get up on stage and accept her win. Someone cast this woman in more movies please! She has screen presence for days.
Room actress Brie Larson completed her major awards collection by winning Best Female Lead. An Oscar tomorrow night will complete her SAG-BAFTA-Globe-Indie Spirit combination.
See the full list of winners below.
After a wild ride of an awards season that started out with so much hope and promise, only to end with major disappointment, Oscar night is just about here. Yes, Leonardo DiCaprio is assured his elusive first trophy, and unfortunately it’s come down to The Revenant and Mad Max with some heat from Spotlight.
Yes, the races have solidified pretty quickly; there’s a general consensus of who’s winning. But that doesn’t mean were in for a total snooze fest, right? (I can hold out some hope).
So, let’s get on with putting a cap on this season already by looking at the major races. Who will, could and should win? And who got snubbed?
Jon On Film 