After a crazy year impacted by a pandemic and following a long extended awards season, we finally get to put 2020 to rest with the Academy Awards. Much like the 2020 movie year, Oscar night was unusual – really weird actually. It was a hodgepodge of highs, lows, and downright bewilderment. There were some major surprises, a couple of expected bummers, and some of most baffling production decisions in Oscar broadcast history. As you can probability tell, Hollywood’s big show left us with plenty to talk about. So as I do every year, here are a few random thoughts on this year’s Academy Awards.

• First off, I do appreciate the effort of everyone who made sure an Oscar ceremony happened. It wasn’t easy and it was never going to be “normal”. Still I gotta say, this entire show was unbelievably dry and lacked some much needed energy. I can’t imagine anyone sticking with it other than us die-hards.
• This year’s Oscars was produced by Steven Soderbergh and let’s just say his ‘big’ ideas blew up in his face. The most baffling was the decision to move Best Picture from the final award of the night and stick it ahead of Lead Actor and Lead Actress. I get that there was a vague theme spotlighting individual achievement, but this isn’t a made-for-TV movie. Best Picture is last for a reason (aside from being BEST FREAKING PICTURE). It acknowledges the MANY people (many who don’t have an individual Oscar category) who come together to make a movie great. Moving it not only lessened the buzz around the winner, it also opened the door for a MUCH bigger fail (more on that later).
• “Nomadland” continued its incredible awards season run by taking home Best Picture. It was the clear frontrunner and a deserving winner. Sadly it’s big moment was undercut by its nutty placement in the show which is a shame.
• Speaking of weird placement, there was really no rhyme or reason to Soderbergh and company’s order of things. Was he just shaking things up for the heck of it? Take Best Director that just randomly came up early in the show. Chloé Zhao won for “Nomadland” which was great moment.

• Zhao is only the second woman to win Best Director in 93 years. Let that sink in for a minute.
• The night’s biggest and best surprise coincided with the show’s biggest flub up. The producers made the misguided choice to end the show with Best Actor, clearly anticipating a Chadwick Boseman win and shamelessly hoping to tap into the emotions of that moment. One problem with that – Anthony Hopkins won and the 83-year-old Welshman wasn’t able to be there. So it ended with Joaquin Phoenix accepting on his behalf and then show over! A major face-plant for the show and a disservice to everyone involved including the viewers.
• As for the actual winner, I let out a jubilant scream when Hopkins’ name was announced. Not a knock on Boseman who was quite good in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”. But Hopkins gives one of the best performances of the last ten years. And when you look past the emotions, the greatness of that Hopkins performance becomes clearer. Boseman wasn’t “snubbed” as some outlets are already crying. This is the case of a worthy performance winning over a ‘moment’ the show runners were banking on.
• Anthony Hopkins becomes the oldest person to ever win an Academy Award.
• This show made me realize how much I missed those super weird YouTube destined Oscar moments. You know, like John Travolta introducing “Idell Dazeem” (whoever that is).
• Best Actress gave us yet another surprise – Frances McDormand won for “Nomadland”. It’s such a well-deserved win and one of my favorite performances of the year. But I had written her off considering how little buzz she had been getting. This category could have went several ways – Carey Mulligan or Viola Davis. The Academy got it right.
• I (and many others) were astonished by the lack of clips from nominated movies or individual performances. A couple of seemingly arbitrary categories had them, but overall they were rare and the show could have really used them.
• Up until last night I had never heard of “Da Butt”. With all due respect to the great Glenn Close, after last night I really don’t care if I ever hear of it again.
• Speaking of Glenn Close, she has now been nominated for an Academy Award eight times without a win. No, that doesn’t make her the Oscar’s Susan Lucci but eight is a lot.
• Instead Youn Yuh-jung wins Best Supporting Actress for “Minari”. Not only did she deserve the win but she gave us the second best speech of the night. She was happy to win the award and even happier to have it presented by none other than Brad Pitt. It was both sweet and hilarious.

• “Another Round” wins Best International Film which I LOVED seeing. It’s a tremendous movie that also deserved a Best Picture nomination. But at least it wins something.
• Thomas Vinterberg, the director of “Another Round”, gave the speech of the night. He was happy, humble, and genuinely emotional, especially when talking about his late daughter who died just weeks into the film’s production. I’m not sure how many people knew about her connection to the movie, but Vinterberg’s words were from a thankful yet aching heart. And as a dad with a 16-year-old daughter, they really struck a chord.
• Daniel Kaluuya wins Best Supporting Actor for “Judas and the Black Messiah” which is no surprise considering he’s won everywhere. That doesn’t make this a particularly great performance. Kaluuya nails the moments of powerful intensity but is carried by Dominique Fishback in the quieter and more intimate scenes (where was her nomination?).
• The annual In Memoriam tribute is a pretty easy thing to get right. You honor those lost over the last year by showing a montage playing to soft heartfelt music. But my gosh the producers even botched it. They literally sped through segments so fast that it felt as if the video were randomly kicking into another speed. To make matters worse it was accompanied by an upbeat Stevie Wonder tune that only made matters worse.
• Maybe they thought if they sped through it people would miss the yearly omissions they’ve become notorious for. Still, names like Connery, Boseman, de Havilland, Von Sydow, Tyson, Morricone, and Plummer deserved better.
• In perhaps the most predictable win of the night, “Soul” takes home Best Animated Feature. Lots of online buzz for “Wolfwalkers” but Pixar had this one in the bag.
• “Mank” entered as the most nominated film of the night. I loved the movie but it’s chances of winning big never felt very high. It didn’t go home empty-handed, winning well-deserved awards for both Production Design and Cinematography.

• About cinematography, how on earth was “Tenet” not nominated? It did win for Best Visual Effects, but DP Hoyte van Hoytema at least deserved a mention.
• Ok, the odds of “Husavik” winning Best Original Song were slim but I still believe it to be the best of the nominated bunch.
• “My Octopus Teacher” wins the Best Documentary Oscar! Here’s a film with little buzz that I had heard practically nothing about until it was nominated. And then it surprises everyone with a big win. I’m actually ok with this. It’s a beautiful, weird, and moving story.
• In yet another of the night’s out-of-left-field choices, the show kicked off with the two Screenplay awards. Best adapted went to “The Father”, Best Original to “Promising Young Woman”. No problem with either, but to start off the show?
• The Academy really spread the wealth around with almost all of the major players winning something. The lone exception was “The Trial of the Chicago 7” which won nothing and didn’t really deserve most of the nominations it received.
• Netflix entered the evening with 36 total nominations and managed to take home 7 statues. Not bad for a studio once shunned by some of Hollywood’s biggest and most powerful names. I think everyone realizes now that the streaming giant is set to be a force in the industry (and on Oscar night) for years to come.

So with that comes the end of the 2020 movie year. What did you think of the show? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below!

David Oyelowo stars and makes his directorial debut in the upcoming family adventure drama “The Water Man”. Oyelowo’s personal love for these kinds of movies and a desire to share the types of films her grew up on with his own children inspired him to jump into screenwriter Emma Needell fantastical world. The first trailer shows a movie that has some cool fantasy elements but also a visible human pulse which could lead to a potentially fun and emotionally rich experience.

While “The Water Man” features a terrific adult cast including Oyelowo, Rosario Dawson, Alfred Molina, and Maria Bello, the movie is about a young boy named Gunner (Lonnie Chavis) who with the help of local girl named Jo (Amiah Miller) ventures into the mysterious forest in search of the Water Man. Gunner’s mother is sick and local legend says the Water Man knows the secret to immortality. So it becomes a heart-filled story of a son doing whatever he can to save his ailing mom. I like our first look at the movie which comes across as warm and thoughtful and as something that could resonate with all ages.

“The Water Man” opens in theaters May 7th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

While the spin-off movies have been pretty hit-or-miss, the two main Conjuring films are among my favorite horror movies from the last decade. The third installment, the aptly titled “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It”, was set for release last September but was knocked back by COVID-19. Now it’s back on the schedule and the first trailer gives fans of the franchise plenty to look forward to. In an interview director Michael Chaves told IGN that producer James Wan pitched the sequel as “Se7en” set within the Conjuring universe. As if I needed more reasons to be excited.

“The Devil Made Me Do It” sees the return of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (the perfectly cast Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga). This is yet another ‘based on a true story’ story, more specifically the case of Arne Cheyenne Johnson who was convicted for killing of his landlord. During his trial Johnson claimed he was demon possessed, the first time it was ever used in American courts as a defense. Ed and Lorraine are called in to find the truth and (of course) chills and terror ensue. The trailer looks great and this could be another top-notch installment in what has turned into a stellar horror series.

“The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” releases June 4th in theaters and on HBO Max. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

There is a simple yet infectious charm all throughout the trailer for the upcoming road trip dramedy “The Man in the Hat”. The film opened last fall in the UK and marks the directorial debut for British composer Stephen Warbeck. It’s finally making its way to the States and there’s so much to love about the smile-inducing new trailer – good music, the gorgeous French countryside, the always dependable Ciarán Hinds. I’m in.

We don’t get a lot of information about the story other than a man (played by Hinds) quickly packing up a suitcase, grabbing a photo of an unnamed woman, and puttering off in his 70s-ish Fiat 500. What follows are clips of beautiful scenery, several encounters with a variety of interesting locals, and a mysterious woman who keeps popping up wherever he goes. There’s no dialogue, just Hinds seeing things with a wide-eyed sense of wonder. And I can’t shake the wonderful Jacques Tati/Monsieur Hulot vibe.

“The Man in the Hat” releases May 14th in select theaters and on VOD. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

I can’t remember the last time I had a reaction this mixed to a movie trailer. “Annette” has pieces that should put it near the tip-top of my ‘Most Anticipated’ list. Marion Cotillard and Adam Driver are among my very favorites and the idea of them together on screen is enough to sell almost any movie. On the other hand, the film is directed by Leos Carax whose last film was 2012’s “Holy Motors”. That film received near universal acclaim, but aside from a killer accordion jam, I found it to be eccentric to a fault and incredibly challenging to sit through.

The first trailer for “Annette” highlights the diverse acting chops of Cotillard and Driver as well as the wildly unconventional style of Carax. It leads to some cool images and shots of the two leads really going for it. The big question is how will it all come together? There’s no way I can pass it up, but I’ll be going in with fingers firmly crossed and hoping for something that connects with me much more than “Holy Motors” did.

“Annette” is opening the 2021 Cannes Film Festival on July 6th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

Marvel Studios has been making entertainment headlines with their second successful Disney+ streaming series. But now they’re ready to tease their return to the big screen (after “Black Widow” or course) by giving us our first look at “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”. This is an interesting character choice for the MCU and a chance to breathe some much-needed fresh air into the universe. Shang-Chi (aka The Master of King Fu) is a character with a rich history and the first trailer gives an exciting glimpse into that world.

Simu Liu plays the titular martial artist, trained as an assassin but now hoping to put his troubled past behind him. But when your father is none other than the Mandarin (Tony Leung), one of the greatest supervillains in Marvel history, living a normal life isn’t so easy. The movie is clearly going a different route with the father-son story by tossing out Fu Manchu and bringing in Mandarin. But if that helps erase the Ben Kingsley “Iron Man 3” debacle from my mind I’m all for it. From the peak we get, I love the action, the style, and the assortment of intriguing characters. This could be really good.

“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” hits theaters September 3rd. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.