I Coulda Be a Contender
My Life as Oscar Guru, 1986-present
Over the past 37 years, I have been designated “Oscar guru” due to the publication of book, And the Winner Is: History and Politics of the Academy Awards, 1986).
I am told it’s been the first serious and comprehensive chronicle of the Academy Awards; there have been dictionaries and accounts with annual listings of all the categories, such as Robert Osborne’s handsome catalogue book.
The latest edition of my books is All About Oscar: History and Politics of the Academy Awards.
I am “committed” to do two more updated editions prior to the 100th anniversary the Oscars, in 2027.
Anatomy of a Fall
Director Justine Triet’s compelling film, which is winning top awards all over the world, deconstructs the implosion of a marriage through a courtroom drama.
But rest assure that Anatomy is not your typical or conventional procedural movie. It is a smart, solidly crafted, thought-provoking, multi-layered feature that tackles the very notions and meanings of “Facts” and “Truth.”
German Sandra Hüller, the best European actress working today, is a standout as Sandra, a writer whose husband is found dead after a fall from their house in the French Alps.
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Theatrical release poster
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She’s arrested for murder, but there’s one problem–the only witness is their visually impaired son.
Sandra fights to prove her innocence as the couple’s battles and resentments are laid raw and bare.
Commercial hit
Sandra Hüller has already distinguished herself in the 2016 satire Toni Ardmann, contributing immeasurably to its critical and commercial success (unusual for a German film with a global haul of over $12 million),
Anatomy of a Fall had the best opening for a Palme d’Or winner since The Class (2008), which sold 358,000 tickets in France during its opening weekend.
Thus far, Anatomy of a Fall exceeded 1 million admissions in France one month after its theatrical release, becoming the seventh Palme d’Or winner – and the third French Palme d’Or winner – to cross the 1 million admissions mark in France since 2000.
Oscar Politics–French Style
Anatomy of a Fall was one of the five films pre-selected by France’s Oscar committee to represent the country in the Best International Feature Film category (March 2024)
But France chose to submit The Pot-au-Feu instead, which sparked controversy.
French insiders claimed that director Justine Triet was being “punished” for criticizing French President Emmanuel Macron’s repression of the pension reform protest movement during her acceptance speech at the 2023 Cannes Film Fest.
2024 Oscar Prospects (AMPAS)
With savvy promotion–and some luck–she should earned two Oscar nominations this year, lead for Anatomy of a Fall, and supporting actress for Jonathan Glazer’s Oscar frontrunner, Zone of Interest
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
See Our Essay on Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, one of 2023 “I Coulda Be a Contender”
From a screenplay by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller who both also produce, and David Callaham, the sequel to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) is set in a shared multiverse of alternate universes called the Spider-Verse.
While there have been Oscar winners directed by two helmers (West Side Story; No Country for Old Men). no Best Picture contender yet has claimed in its a trio of directors in its credits.
The film is co-directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson (Dos Santos and Thompson’s feature directorial debuts)
