By John H. Foote (***) John Huston was a great film director, among the giants in the film history, an excellent screen writer, a lover of literature and poetry, friend to Hemingway and an adventurer who sought to do what other men had never done. He also proved to be a very good actor later…
By John H. Foote This is the first of a five part series in which I will explore 15 snubs in the following categories: Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress. Going back through the history of the Academy, it is remarkable how many truly great performances and directorial…
By John H. Foote No one expected Jaws (1975) to be what it became, the highest grossing film of all time (at that time), a critical sensation, the launching of a gifted new director, and an instant classic. Overnight, and I mean literally overnight, the film was the most talked about cinematic event in North…
By Alan Hurst A couple of weeks ago we focused on the Best Actress category in the forties, this week it’s Best Actor. Not surprisingly, with World War II in full swing and many actors serving in the army, navy or air force, the Best Actor races were not always as competitive as the distaff…
By Alan Hurst I think I first heard about the Academy Awards via a cover story on a 1972 edition of LIFE Magazine. It featured an article about the 1971 Oscars, which were to be awarded the following week. There was a picture of an Oscar statue, with photos of all the nominees for Best…
By John H. Foote (****) There is, in Warren Beatty’s remarkable film Reds, a moment that defines journalist John Reed. While covering Pancho Villa in Mexico, he rises during a battle and chases a horse drawn wagon, reaching out to touch it, but does not quite do so. That was John Reed, forever chasing history, forever wanting to…
By Alan Hurst A great era for performances by some of Hollywood’s best and brightest, the forties were the dream decade with dozens of films headlined by women, many of which found their way into the annual competition for the Best Actress Oscar. I think the Oscars got it right on more than a few…
By John H. Foote So often through the history of the cinema, and the connection to the Academy of Arts and Sciences, wildly over appreciated films are nominated for and often win the Best Picture award, in addition to many other prizes. If you study closely the nominees and winners of each year right back…
By Alan Hurst A few weeks ago I looked at the Best Actress Oscar races from 1950-59 and now it’s time for the actors. This time I find myself disagreeing with the Academy’s selection’s a little more often. While none of the performances honoured are bad – far from it – I just think there…
By John H. Foote He has been nominated for the Academy Award as Best Director seven times, winning twice. Over at the Directors Guild Awards, he is their top award winner with three, and has more nominations with eleven than any filmmaker in their history. Let’s be clear, Spielberg should have at least twelve nominations…