Tag: Oscar

The 10 contenders for the best picture Oscar

By Andrew MARSZAL LOS ANGELES, March 5, 2024 (AFP) – From dramas about the atomic bomb and Auschwitz, to comedies about dolls and sex-mad reanimated corpses, the lineup of best picture contenders at Sunday’s Oscars is the most varied in years. Here are the 10 movies from 2023 that will go head-to-head for Hollywood’s most prestigious prize: – ‘American Fiction’ – “American Fiction” achieves a remarkable feat. It highlights systemic racism and bigoted hypocrisy — […]

For each best picture Oscar hopeful, film editors are key

By Romain FONSEGRIVES, with François BECKER in Paris Whether they are snipping an actor’s lengthy stare, obliging the viewer to process rapid-fire images or creating tension with a pause, film editors who work in sync with directors play a vital role in giving life to a movie — and its Oscar chances. “You can’t have a good movie with bad editing,” Kevin Tent, who is nominated for an Academy Award for his work with director […]

‘Top Gun’ among blockbuster sequels targeting Oscar noms

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) – The Oscar nominations for a year in which the big-screen box office finally bounced back from the pandemic will be unveiled Tuesday, with Academy voters expected to reward blockbusters such as “Top Gun: Maverick” for helping to save movie theaters. Tom Cruise’s long-awaited sequel to his huge 1986 hit is the most likely crowd-pleaser to make the cut for best picture — Hollywood’s most coveted prize — but other popular […]

Oscar nominees ‘grateful’ to be back in the ballroom

by Andrew MARSZAL LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Oscar nominees from Steven Spielberg and Will Smith to first-time Bhutanese director Pawo Choyning Dorji gathered at a Los Angeles ballroom Monday, as Hollywood’s award season enters its final stretch. The Academy’s glitzy annual luncheon for nominated A-listers and indie auteurs did not take place last year because of the pandemic, but returned with a starry in-person crowd of those who made the best films released […]

Oscar-winning composer Ennio Morricone dead at 91

ROME, Italy (AFP) — Ennio Morricone, one of the world’s best-known and most prolific film composers, died in Rome on Monday. Morricone, who was 91, died in hospital where he was being treated for a fractured femur following a fall, media reports said, quoting a statement from a lawyer. He composed the music for about 500 films, including his old schoolfriend Sergio Leone’s 1966 spaghetti western “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” and Quentin […]

‘Parasite’: South Korea’s barrier-breaking satire

by Claire LEE SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korean thriller “Parasite” — a dark comedy about modern poverty and wealth that has brought down language barriers to open new audiences to foreign film — can now call itself a history-making Oscar winner. The movie’s Academy Award for the best original screenplay was the first Asian win in that category and the first for a Korean in any category. It comes after the 100th anniversary […]

Brad Pitt back on top with Oscar win

by Jocelyne ZABLIT HOLLYWOOD, United States (AFP) — Brad Pitt’s Oscar win on Sunday marks a fitting comeback for the veteran actor whose personal life, rather than his on-screen roles, has dominated headlines in recent years. Pitt won the golden statuette for his role as a laid-back fading stuntman in Quentin Tarantino’s ode to 1960s Tinseltown, “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood.” “This is incredible, really incredible,” the 56-year-old said as he accepted the […]

‘Parasite’ invades Oscars race with stunning SAG award win

by Andrew MARSZAL LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — “Parasite” shocked the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday by landing the night’s top prize, a historic win which thrusts the South Korean black comedy into Oscars contention. The critical smash hit film overcame the language barrier to win an outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture, the SAG equivalent of a best film Academy Award. “I’m a little embarrassed feeling like we’re the […]

NBA star Kobe Bryant wins Oscar for best animated short

HOLLYWOOD, United States (AFP) — Retired basketball superstar Kobe Bryant — once the toast of Los Angeles for the Lakers — is now a Hollywood A-lister with an Oscar. Yes, you read that correctly. Nearly two years after leaving the NBA, the 39-year-old Bryant won the Academy Award for best animated short on Sunday for “Dear Basketball,” a collaboration with artist Glen Keane and legendary composer John Williams. “Thank you, Academy, for this amazing honor. […]

Sam Rockwell wins best supporting actor Oscar for ‘Three Billboards’

HOLLYWOOD, United States (AFP) — Sam Rockwell on Sunday won the Oscar for best-supporting actor for “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” with one of the night’s top films picking up the first award. Rockwell took the Academy Award for his role as racist, foul-mouthed police officer Jason Dixon in the movie, a dark crime comedy. He bested his co-star Woody Harrelson, Willem Dafoe (“The Florida Project”), Richard Jenkins (“The Shape of Water”) and Christopher Plummer […]

Meryl Streep joins HBO’s ‘Big Little Lies’ season two

NEW YORK, United States (AFP0 — Meryl Streep will join the cast of “Big Little Lies” season two, US cable network HBO announced Wednesday, generating another boost for a hit drama already basking in awards glory. The triple Oscar winner will star opposite Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman in the second edition of a show that won plaudits for tackling domestic violence at a time when US society is increasingly focused on its treatment of […]

Emma Stone wins best actress Oscar for ‘La La Land’

HOLLYWOOD, United States (AFP) — Emma Stone won the Oscar for best actress on Sunday for the whimsical musical “La La Land,” the most honored film of the night. The 28-year-old won her first Oscar in a field that included former winners Meryl Streep and Natalie Portman, as well as Ruth Negga for interracial historical drama “Loving” and French actress Isabelle Huppert for rape-revenge thriller “Elle.” © Agence France-Presse