Sonic the Hedgehog Review (Updated)

Sonic the Hedgehog

Release Date: 13th February 2020 - Australia

Production Companies

Paramount Pictures (presents)

Sega Sammy Group (in association with)

Original Film

Marza Animation Planet

Blur Studio

Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit (with the participation of)

Sega (based on the video game from)

DJ2 Entertainment

Paramount Animation (uncredited)

Distribution

Paramount Pictures Australia

Genre: Family/Action/

Adventure/Comedy

Rating: PG

Runtime: 99 minutes

Budget: $95,000,000

Box Office Gross: $319,715,683 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary

Sonic is the fastest hedgehog and has lived peacefully and undiscovered on Earth for ten years. But one day, he accidentally causes a power outage in a small town that catches the attention of Dr. Robotnik, a mad scientist working for the government. With his newfound friend, a local human sheriff named Tom, Sonic needs to stop the evil doctor from capturing him and using his powers for his nefarious purposes.

Cast

Ben Schwartz - Sonic the

Hedgehog (Voice)

James Marsden - Tom
Wachowski

Jim Carrey - Dr. Ivo Robotnik

Tika Sumpter - Maddie Wachowski

Natasha Rothwell - Rachel

Adam Pally - Wade

Lee Majdoub - Agent Stone

Neal McDonough - Major Berrington

Tom Butler - Vice Chairman Walters

Frank C. Turner - Crazy Carl

Melody Nosipho Niemann -

JoJo

Shannon Chan-Kent -

Roadhouse Waitress

Brad Kelly - Roadhouse Thug

Elfina Luk - Secretary of

Homeland Security

Garry Chalk - Navy Chief of
Staff (Cameo)

Michael Hogan - Air Force Chief of Staff

Peter Bryant - Army Chief of Staff

Jeremy Arnold - Businessman

Jeanie Cloutier - Businesswoman

Emma Oliver - Parisian Little Kid

Bailey Skodje - Minivan Kid

Dean Petriw - Minivan Kid

Jeff Sanca - Minivan Dad

Lisa Chandler - Minivan Mom

Chris Gailus - News Anchor

Bethel Lee - Receptionist

Anthony Santiago - Senior Glass Installer

Jeremiah Oh - Junior Glass Installer

Charles Heffernan - Mime

Terence Kelly - Farmer Zimmer

Sean Campbell - Bartender

Scott Patey - Bar Patron/On-Set Sonic

Sandy Robson - Bar Patron

Andrea Marcum - Yoga Instructor

Benjamin Vilac - Baby Sonic
(Voice)

Donna Jay Fulks - Longclaw
(Voice)

Colleen O'Shaughnessey - Miles "Tails"

Prower (Voice) (Cameo)

Crew

Executive Producer/Director - Jeff Fowler

Based on Characters - Yuji Naka,
Naoto Ohshima and Hirokazu Yasuhara

Writers - Patrick Casey and Josh Miller

Associate Producers - Mie Onishi

and Chuck Williams

Executive Producers - Masanao Maeda,

Tim Miller and Hajime & Haruki Satomi

Executive Producer/Unit Production Manager -

Nan Morales

Producers - Toby Ascher, Takeshi Ito,
Neal H. Moritz and Toru Nakahara

Co-Producers - Dan Jevons,
Dmitri M. Johnson and Karina Rahardja

Production Designer - Sean Harworth

Sonic Character Supervisor: SEGA -

Takashi Iizuka

Lead Sonic Designer: Blur Studios -

Tyson Hesse

Graphic Designers - Shannon Courte,
Erin Sinclair and Morgan McConnell

Supervising Art Director - Grant Van Der Slagt

Set Decorator - Shannon Gottlieb

Costume Designer - Debra McGuire

Digital Makeup Designer - Bill Corso

Director of Photography - Stephen F. Windon

Second Unit Director/Director of Photography:

Second Unit - Peter Lyons Collister

Stunt Coordinator - Garvin Cross

Special Effects Coordinator - Alex Burdett

Visual Effects Supervisors - Chris Uyede
and Ged Wright

Visual Effects Supervisor: Marza Animation -
David Nelson

Visual Effects Producer - Denise Davis

Animation Supervisor: MPC - Clement Yip

Visualisation Supervisor - Scott Meadows

Editors - Debra Neil-Fisher and
Stacey Schroeder

Supervising Sound Editors/Sound Designers -

Ethan Van Der Ryn and Erik Aadahl

Sound Designer - Tim Walston

Additional Sound Designers - Brandon Jones,

Matt Cavanaugh, Chris Diebold, John Marquis,

Jason W. Jennings and Goeun Lee

Production Sound Mixer - David Husby

Re-Recording Mixers - Anna Behlmer and

Mark Paterson

Foley Artists - Alicia Stevenson and

Dawn Lunsford

Music - Tom Holkenborg

Review

Remember what I said in my review of Wreck-It Ralph about wishing for a movie adaptation of Sonic the Hedgehog? It has finally come true, but not the way you would expect. I've already reviewed one film based on the video game character that happened to be a two-episode anime miniseries. I was sceptical about the new SONIC THE HEDGEHOG movie, which I thought would not work in live-action. Because I looked at the teaser that featured an unsettling CGI design of Sonic, which was too bizarrely realistic, many other fans felt the same way I did. Fortunately, the films did respond to their criticism and re-designed the character, and fans were much happier with his new design.

An energetic and (no pun intended) fast-paced movie has gotten the character right onto the big screen. Unlike several video game movies, except a few like Detective Pikachu, this movie does justice to the source material. One drawback of SONIC is the simplistic and predictable storyline, which feels like a cut and paste from the other live-action cartoon adaptations.

The best aspect of this movie, other than the re-design of Sonic, was Jim Carrey's performance as Dr. Robotnik (a.k.a. Dr. Eggman). Carrey was back in over-the-top comedic form as the evil genius. It reminded me of his early roles when he had the frantic energy to do so. Ben Schwartz was funny as the voice of the titular protagonist. He played well against James Marsden's straight-arrow performance of Tom, which held the otherwise chaotic film together.

You should go and see SONIC THE HEDGEHOG. Some fans may not like it, but that shouldn't stop the rest of you from watching it. For this, it is a good video game movie.

Star rating: (7/10) Good Movie

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The Goonies Review

The Goonies

Release Date: 12th December 1985 - Australia

Production Companies

Warner Bros. Pictures (presents)

Amblin Entertainment

Distribution
Roadshow Films

Genre: Family/Adventure

Rating: PG

Runtime: 114 minutes


Budget: $19,000,000

Box Office Gross: $128,109,590 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary
Threatened by the development plans, which would tear down their neighbourhood and replace it with a golf course, a group of young misfits called The Goonies stumbled upon an ancient map leading to an old pirate's treasure that would save their homes from being torn down. They go out on an adventure to look for treasure and encounter obstacles. They must find it before a family of criminals can get their hands on the doubloons.

Cast

Sean Astin - Mikey

Josh Brolin - Brand

Jeff Cohen - Chunk

Corey Feldman - Mouth

Kerri Green - Andy

Martha Plimpton - Stef

Jonathan Ke Huy Quan - Data

John Matuszak - Sloth

Anne Ramsey - Mama Fratelli

Robert Davi - Jake

Joe Pantoliano - Francis

Lupe Ontiveros - Rosalita

Mary Ellen Trainor - Mrs. Walsh

Keith Walker - Mr. Walsh

Curt Hanson - Mr. Perkins

Steve Antin - Troy
Paul Tuerpe - Sheriff
Bill Bradley - Bill
Michael Paul Chan - Data's Father
Charles McDaniel - Chunk's Father
Elaine Cohen McMahon - Chunk's Mother
Nick McLean - Mouth's Father (Cameo)
Richard Donner - Policeman (Cameo) (Uncredited)
Cyndi Lauper - Herself (Cameo) (Uncredited)

Crew

Producer/Director - Richard Donner

Story/Executive Producer/Second Unit Director/
Film Editor (Uncredited) - Steven Spielberg

Screenplay - Chris Columbus
Executive Producers - Frank Marshall
and Kathleen Kennedy
Producer - Harvey Bernhard
Casting Directors - Jane Feinberg,
Mike Fenton and Judy Taylor
Production Designer - J. Michael Riva
Art Director - Rick Carter

Assistant Art Directors - Joseph C. Nemec III

and Dale Allen Pelton
Set Decorator - Linda DeScenna

Property Master - Erik L. Nelson
Costume Designer - Richard LaMotte
Makeup Creator: Sloth - Craig Reardon
Makeup Creators/Executors: Sloth -

Ellis Burman Jr., Thomas R. Burman and

Bari Dreiband-Burman

Director of Photography - Nick McLean

Director of Photography: Second Unit -

Robert M. Stevens

Camera Operator - Michael D. O'Shea
Stunt Coordinator - George Robotham
Special Effects Coordinator - Matt Sweeney
Visual Effects Supervisor - Michael J. Allister
Visual Effects Art Director: ILM - Dave Carson

Assistant Cameramen: ILM - Martin Rosenberg

and Bess Wiley
Chief Model Maker: ILM - Bill George

Matte Camera Supervisor: ILM - Craig Barron

Film Editor - Michael Kahn

Supervising Sound Editor - Richard L. Anderson

Production Sound Mixer - Willie D. Burton

Re-Recording Mixers - B. Tennyson Sebastian II,

Robert Thirlwell and Bill Varney
Music Score - Dave Grusin

Review

I remembered seeing THE GOONIES a long time ago. It's incredible how well the film has aged 35 years. It took me a long time to re-watch this nostalgic family adventure that I grew up with and has cemented itself as an all-time classic.

THE GOONIES is not your typical childhood movie. It is an entertaining thrill ride that's good enough to excite anyone. While other films from this era don't have the contemporary appeal as THE GOONIES, it attracted a new age of youngsters who've never seen the movie. It also inspired Super 8, Stranger Things and many other works in the last thirty years. Featuring the combined creative forces of director Richard Donner, writer Chris Columbus and collaborator Steven Spielberg, they've created something that could be considered one of the best family movies for young and old viewers.

It was a launching pad for a few young actors, such as Sean Astin and Josh Brolin, who went on to have successful careers in the entertainment business as adults. Particularly Brolin, who is an integral part of the MCU playing Thanos? Despite the actors being so young, several of these players did a fantastic job and gave performances of a lifetime. These standouts include Astin, Brolin, Corey Feldman and Jeff Cohen. The adult actors, including Anne Ramsey, Robert Davi and Joe Pantoliano, have acted very well against the child stars.

I would give THE GOONIES a 10 out of 10 for the best movie. In recommendation, it's a must-see film for everyone.

Star rating: (10/10) Best Movie Ever

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Birds of Prey Review

Birds of Prey

Release Date: 6th February 2020 - Australia

Production Companies

Warner Bros. Pictures

DC Entertainment

Clubhouse Pictures
Kroll & Co. Entertainment
LuckyChap Entertainment

Distribution

Roadshow Films

Genre: Action

Rating: MA15+ (Not Suitable for Young Children)

Runtime: 109 minutes

Budget: $100,000,000

Box Office Gross: $205,522,941 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary

Harley Quinn's break-up with the Joker has a price on her head. She must protect a young girl from a crime lord, Black Mask, who is after her, and his henchman, Victor Zsasz. She finds herself allied with three women with different goals to stop the crime boss from killing the child.

Cast

Margot Robbie - Harley Quinn

Rosie Perez - Renee Montoya

Mary Elizabeth Winstead - Helena Bertinelli/The Huntress

Jurnee Smollett-Bell - Dinah Lance/Black Canary

Ewan McGregor - Roman Sionis

Ella Jay Basco - Cassandra Cain

Chris Messina - Victor Zsasz

Ali Wong - Ellen Yee

Daniel Beinhardt - Sioins' Chauffeur

Derek Wilson - Tim Evans

Joe Bucaro III - Carlos Rossi

François Chau - Mr. Keo

Miyuki Matsunaga - Mrs. Keo

Anna Mikami - Miss Keo (16 years)

Bruno Olivier - Bodega Cook (Sal)

Matthew Willig - Happy

Michael Masini - Officer Drago

Steven Williams - Captain Patrick Erickson

Charlene Amola - Maria Bertinelli

Ella Mika - Young Helena

Robert Catrini - Stefani Galante

K.K. Barrett - Dr. Aguilar

Dana Lee - Doc

Bojana Novakovic - Erika

Paul Lisa - Helena's Father

Crew

Director - Cathy Yan

Writer/Co-Producer - Christina Hodson

Harley Quinn Creators - Paul Dini and Bruce Timm

Executive Producers - David Ayer,

Walter Hamada, Geoff Johns,

Hans Ritter and Galen Vaisman

Producers - Sue Kroll, Margot Robbie

and Bryan Unkeless

Co-Producer/First Assistant Director - Donald Sparks
Production Designer - K.K. Barrett
Supervising Art Director - Kasra Farahani

Set Designers - Luis G. Hoyos

and Rich Romig
Set Decorator - Florencia Martin

Property Master: Additional Photography -

Guillaume DeLouche
Costume Designer - Erin Bernach
Director of Photography - Matthew Libatique

"A" Camera/Steadicam Operator - P. Scott Sakamoto

Location Manager - Ilt Jones

First Assistant Directors: Second Unit -

Dieter Busch and Jayson Merrill
Second Unit Director/Stunt Coordinator -

Jonathan Eusebio

Stunt Coordinators - Jon Valera,

Rockey Dickey Jr. and Scott Rogers

Picture Car Coordinator - Dennis McCarthy

Special Effects Supervisor - Matt Hawker

Special Effects Coordinator - Andrew Weder

Visual Effects Supervisor - Greg Steele

Visual Effects Producer - Annemarie Griggs

Visual Effects Producers: Method Studios -

Julie M. Osborn and Georgina Street

Editors - Jay Cassidy and Evan Schiff

Additional Editor - Matt Evens

Supervising Sound Editors - Katy Wood

and Alan Robert Murray

Production Sound Mixer - Steven Morrow

Re-Recording Mixers - Onnalee Blank

and Brandon Proctor
Music - Daniel Pemberton

Music Supervisors - Season Kent

and Gabe Hilfer

Review

I didn't know about the Birds of Prey comic when I first heard about the movie. When walking to the cinema, I had no idea what walked to it. After Margot Robbie was praised for her scene-stealing performance as Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad, her character was so popular that she reprised her role in the follow-up BIRDS OF PREY. While regarded as a typical DC movie with nothing else added, it doesn't keep BIRDS OF PREY from being ultra-violent and over-the-top.

The film was something of a cash-grab to profit off Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn, but it had clever action sequences and colourful humour, which are its highlights. On the negative, the plot is scattershot. The narrative feels disjointed, with less depth and focus on characters that need development. Alongside Margot Robbie's performance, Ewan McGregor creates an impression of a bad guy from roles as a Jedi Knight and other good characters, resulting in Black Mask showing true colours.

While campy, fun and all-too-feminine, BIRDS OF PREY is an above-average DC flick that is playful but comes across as a missed opportunity and could have been better.

Star rating: (6/10) Fair Movie

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Kill Switch Review

Kill Switch

Release Date: 16th June 2017 - USA

Production Companies 

FilmNation Entertainment (presents)

Square One Entertainment (presents)

Rainmaker Films (presents)

CTM Productions BV

Genre: Sci-Fi

Rating: M

Runtime: 92 minutes

Plot Summary (Retrieved from DVD Cover of Release)

In a terrifying future where a parallel Earth has been created to act as an energy resource for our dying planet. Trying to harness the power of this unstable universe will result in a global cataclysm... and only one man can try and prevent it - ex-NASA

pilot and physicist Will

Porter. But Alterplex, the

corrupt and secretive

mega-corporation that

controls this 'new world',

will stop at nothing to

ensure his mission fails.

Cast

Dan Stevens - Will Porter

Bérénice Marlohe - Abigail Vos

Tygo Gernandt - Michael

Charity Wakefield - Mia

Bas Keijzer - Bektman

Mike Libanon - Hugo

Mike Reus - Dr Klintsen

Kasper van Groesen - Donny

Gijs Scholten van Aschat - Reynard

Crew

Producer/Visual Effects Supervisor/Director - Tim Smit

Screenplay - C. Kindinger and Omid Nooshin

Executive Producers - Clay Pecorin, Russell Geyser, Thibaut Niels, Aaron Ryder,

Milan Popelka and Al Munteanu

Producers - Denis Wigman,
Sander Verdonk and Patrick Chu

Co-Producer - Michael A. Jackman

Creative Consultant - Willem van de Geijn

Casting Director - Rose Wicksteed

Production Designer - Romke Faber

Costume Designer - Foster Douze

Director of Photography - Jacco van Ree

Stunt Coordinator - Simon van Lammeren

Visual Effects Producer/Supervisor -
Chris Wenting

Visual Effects Supervisor - Anthi Tsirouki

Editor - Wouter van Luijn

Music - Seven League Beats

Review

Having not heard of KILL SWITCH, it's no wonder the film was that obscure. I found it on a secondhand DVD store in Parramatta. However, its premise, which got convened by the DVD cover, made me think the movie might be worth-watching. Unfortunately, this B-grade film feels more like Halo because it's shot from a perspective of a first-shooter video game brought to life in cinematic vision. I can't get over how its weirdness is comparable to another film. This feature is called Doom, and although I haven't seen all of it, I have seen enough to know it uses the same point-of-view camera angle. The special effects are decent in KILL SWITCH, but they don't add to the film.

Dan Stevens is the only notable actor in the movie and tries to give a compelling performance in his leading role. Unfortunately, his faux American accent was terrible and had only limited screen time.

KILL SWITCH could have been so much more to become a great sci-fi film, but nope, it disappoints us. I would advise you not to come around and go looking for this movie as it is not worth watching.

Star rating: (3/10) Disappointing

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Winners of the 92nd Academy Awards

And The Oscar Goes To..... (92nd Academy Award Winners)

Now, here are the winners of the 92nd Academy Awards.

The only winner I predict in this year's ceremony is Renée Zellweger, who won the Best Actress award for her performance as Judy Garland in Judy. I expected Ford v Ferrari to win Best Picture, but I was disappointed that the award now goes to Parasite, the first non-English film to have this rare distinction. I was even amazed to discover that Joaquin Phoenix has won the Best Actor award for his performance as the Joker in the titular film.

Best Visual Effects

1917 - Guillaume Rocheron, Greg Butler and Dominic Tuohy

Best Film Editing
Ford v Ferrari - Andrew Buckland and Michael McCusker

Best Costume Design

Little Women - Jacqueline Durran

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Bombshell - Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan and Vivian Baker

Best Cinematography
1917 - Roger Deakins

Best Production Design

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood - Production Design: Barbara Ling; Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh

Best Sound Mixing

1917 - Mark Taylor and Stuart Wilson

Best Sound Editing
Ford v Ferrari - Donald Sylvester

Best Original Song

"(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" from Rocketman - Music by Elton John; Lyrics by Bernie Taupin

Best Original Score

Joker - Hildur Guonadottir

Best Animated Short Film
Hair Love - Matthew A. Cherry and Karen Rupert Toliver

Best Live Action Short Film

The Neighbors' Window - Marshall Curry

Best Documentary - Short Subject
Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You're a Girl) - Carol Dysinger and Elena Andreicheva

Best Documentary - Feature
American Factory - Steven Bognar and Julia & Jeff Reichert

Best International Feature Film

Parasite (South Korea) in Korean - Directed by Bong Joon-ho

Best Animated Feature Film
Toy Story 4 - Josh Cooley, Jonas Rivera and Mark Nielsen 

Best Writing - Adapted Screenplay

Jojo Rabbit - Taika Watiti based on the novel 'Caging Skies' by Christine Leunens

Best Writing - Original Screenplay
Parasite - Written by Bong Joon-Ho and Han Jin-won

Best Supporting Actress
Laura Dern - Marriage Story as Nora Fanshaw

Best Supporting Actor
Brad Pitt - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as Cliff Booth

Best Actress
Renee Zellweger - Judy as Judy Garland

Best Actor
Joaquin Phoenix - Joker as Arthur Fleck/The Joker

Best Director
Bong Joon-ho - Parasite 

Best Picture
Parasite - Kwak Sin-ae and Bong Joon-ho

Academy Honorary Awards

David Lynch

Wes Studi

Lina Wertmüller

Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award

Geena Davis

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92nd Academy Awards

92nd Academy Awards

Broadcast Date: 10th February 2020 - Australia

It's official, moviegoers. Nominations for this year's Oscar ceremony are announced, with Joker leading 11 award categories, including Best Picture. I'm disappointed that neither Matt Damon nor Christian Bale got nominated for the Best Actor award in Ford v Ferrari. I was surprised to discover that the Best Foreign Language Film category is now the Best International Feature Film award.

Here is the list of the contenders that are nominees for each category.

UPDATE: 10/2/20

Sorry guys! I forgot to include Parasite and Pain and Glory, as these films got nominated for Best International Feature Film.

Best Visual Effects

Avengers: Endgame - Dan DeLeeuw, Matt Aitken, Russell Earl and Dan Sudick

The Irishman - Pablo Helman, Leandro Estebecorena, Stephane Grabli and Nelson Sepulveda

The Lion King - Robert Legato, Adam Valdez, Andrew R. Jones and Eliot Newman

1917 - Guillaume Rocheron, Greg Butler and Dominic Tuohy

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - Roger Guyett, Neal Scanlan, Patrick Tubach and Dominic Tuohy

Best Film Editing

Ford v Ferrari - Andrew Buckland and Michael McCusker
The Irishman - Thelma Schoonmaker
Jojo Rabbit - Tom Eagles
Joker - Jeff Groth
Parasite - Yang Jin-mo


Best Costume Design

The Irishman - Sandy Powell and Christopher Peterson

Jojo Rabbit - Mayes C. Rubeo

Joker - Mark Bridges

Little Women - Jacqueline Durran

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood - Arianne Phillips

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Bombshell - Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan and Vivian Baker
Joker - Nicki Ledermann and Kay Georgiou
Judy - Jeremy Woodhead
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil - Paul Gooch, Arjen Tuiten and David White
1917 - Naomi Donne, Tristan Versluis and Rebecca Cole

Best Cinematography

The Irishman - Rodrigo Prieto
Joker - Lawrence Sher
The Lighthouse - Jarin Blaschke
1917 - Roger Deakins
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood - Robert Richardson

Best Production Design

The Irishman - Production Design: Bob Shaw; Set Decoration: Regina Graves

Jojo Rabbit - Production Design: Ra Vincent; Set Decoration: Nora Sopkova

1917 - Production Design: Dennis Gassner; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood - Production Design: Barbara Ling; Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh

Parasite - Production Design: Lee Ha-jun; Set Decoration: Cho Won-woo

Best Sound Mixing

Ad Astra - Gary Rydstrom, Tom Johnson and Mark Ulano

Ford v Ferrari - Paul Massey, David Giammarco and Steven A. Morrow

Joker - Tom Ozanich, Dean Zupancic and Tod Maitland

1917 - Mark Taylor and Stuart Wilson

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood - Michael & Christian P. Minkler and Mark Ulano

Best Sound Editing

Ford v Ferrari - Donald Sylvester

Joker - Alan Robert Murray

1917 - Oliver Tarney and Rachael Tate

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood - Wylie Stateman

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - Matthew Wood and David Acord

Best Original Song

"I Can't Let Yourself Throw Away" from Toy Story 4 - Music and Lyrics by Randy Newman
"(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" from Rocketman - Music by Elton John; Lyrics by Bernie Taupin
"I'm Standing with You" from Breakthrough - Music and Lyrics by Diane Warren
"Into the Unknown" from Frozen II - Music and Lyrics by Kristen Anderson & Robert Lopez
"Stand Up" from Harriet - Music and Lyrics by Joshuah Brian Campbell and Cynthia Erivo

Best Original Score

Joker - Hildur Guonadottir
Little Women - Alexandre Desplat
Marriage Story - Randy Newman
1917 - Thomas Newman
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - John Williams

Best Animated Short Film

Dcera (Daughter) - Daria Kashcheeva
Hair Love - Matthew A. Cherry and Karen Rupert Toliver
Kitbull - Rosana Sullivan and Kathryn Hendrickson
Memorable - Bruno Collet and Jean-Francois Le Corre
Sister - Siqi Song

Best Live Action Short Film

Brotherhood - Meryam Joobeur and Maria Gracia Turgeon
Nefta Football Club - Yves Piat and Damien Megherbi
The Neighbors' Window - Marshall Curry
Saria - Bryan Buckley and Matt Lefebvre
A Sister - Delphine Girard

Best Documentary - Short Subject

In the Absence - Yi Seung-Jin and Gary Byung-Seok Kam
Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You're a Girl) - Carol Dysinger and Elena Andreicheva
Life Overtakes Me - John Haptas and Kristine Samuelson
St. Louis Superman - Smriti Mundhra and Sami Khan
Walk Run Cha-Cha - Laura Nix and Colette Sandstedt

Best Documentary - Feature

American Factory - Steven Bognar and Julia & Jeff Reichert
The Cave - Feras Fayyad, Kirstine Barfod and Sigrid Dyekjaer
The Edge of Democracy - Petra Costa, Joanna Natasegara, Shane Boris and Tiago Pavan
For Sama - Waad Al-Kateab and Edward Watts
Honeyland - Ljubomir Stefanov, Tamara Kotevska and Atanas Georgiev

Best International Feature Film

Parasite (South Korea) in Korean - Directed by Bong Joon-ho

Corpus Christi (Poland) in Polish - Directed by Jan Komasa
Honeyland (North Macedonia) in Turkish - Directed by Tamara Koevska and Ljubomir Stefanov
Les Miserables (France) in French - Directed by Ladj Ly

Pain and Glory (Spain) in Spanish - Directed by Pedro Almodovar

Best Animated Feature Film

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World - Dean DeBlois, Bonnie Arnold and Brad Lewis
I Lost My Body - Jeremy Clapin and Marc du Pontavic
Klaus - Sergio Pablos, Jinko Gotoh and Marisa Roman
Missing Link - Chris Butler, Arianne Sutner and Travis Knight
Toy Story 4 - Josh Cooley, Jonas Rivera and Mark Nielsen

Best Writing - Adapted Screenplay

The Irishman - Steven Zaillian based on the book 'I Heard You Paint Houses' by Charles Brandt

Jojo Rabbit - Taika Watiti based on the novel 'Caging Skies' by Christine Leunens

Joker - Todd Philips and Scott Silver based on characters created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson

Little Women - Greta Gerwig based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott

The Two Popes - Anthony McCarten based on his play 'The Pope'

Best Writing - Original Screenplay

Knives Out - Written by Rian Johnson
Marriage Story - Written by Noah Baumbach
1917 - Written by Sam Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood - Written by Quentin Tarantino
Parasite - Written by Bong Joon-Ho and Han Jin-won

Best Supporting Actress

Kathy Bates - Richard Jewell as Barbara "Bobi" Jewell
Laura Dern - Marriage Story as Nora Fanshaw
Scarlett Johansson - Jojo Rabbit as Rosie Betzler
Florence Pugh - Little Women as Amy March
Margot Robbie - Bombshell as Kayla Pospisil

Best Supporting Actor

Tom Hanks - A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood as Fred Rogers
Anthony Hopkins - The Two Popes as Pope Benedict XVI
Al Pacino - The Irishman as Jimmy Hoffa
Joe Pesci - The Irishman as Russell Bufalino
Brad Pitt - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as Cliff Booth

Best Actress

Cynthia Erivo - Harriet as Harriet Tubman
Scarlett Johansson - Marriage Story as Nicole Barber
Saoirse Roman - Little Women as Josephine "Jo" March
Charlize Theron - Bombshell as Megyn Kelly
Renee Zellweger - Judy as Judy Garland

Best Actor

Antonio Banderas - Pain and Glory as Salvador Mallo
Leonardo DiCaprio - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as Rick Dalton
Adam Driver - Marriage Story as Charlie Barber
Joaquin Phoenix - Joker as Arthur Fleck/The Joker
Jonathan Pryce - The Two Popes as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio

Best Director

Martin Scorsese - The Irishman
Todd Phillips - The Joker
Sam Mendes - 1917
Quentin Tarantino - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Bong Joon-ho - Parasite

Best Picture

Ford v Ferrari - Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping and James Mangold
The Irishman - Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Emma Tillinger Koskoff
Jojo Rabbit - Carthew Neal and Taika Watiti
Joker - Todd Phillips, Bradley Cooper and Emma Tillinger Koskoff
Little Women - Amy Pascal
Marriage Story - Noah Baumbach and David Heyman
1917 - Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris, Jayne-Ann Tenggren and Callum McDougall
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood - David Heyman, Shannon McIntosh and Quentin Tarantino
Parasite - Kwak Sin-ae and Bong Joon-ho

Make sure you let me know who you think the winners will be. My predictions for the winners of the following categories are

Best Picture - Ford v Ferrari
Best Actress - Renee Zellweger for Judy
Best Animated Feature - Klaus
Best Visual Effects - Avengers: Endgame
Good luck!

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In Memory of Kirk Douglas (1916-2020)

Kirk Douglas (1916-2020)

Hollywood acting legend Kirk Douglas passed away from natural causes on 5 February 2020 at the ripe old age of 103 years. His legendary screen presence and indomitable spirit of acting were iconic, and he has starred in over a dozen feature films that maintained his charisma and celebrity status. Kirk was one of Hollywood's leading men but one of the last surviving actors that lived through the Golden Age. He was also the father of Michael Douglas, who still followed in his acting footsteps.

Born Izzy Demsky to Russian parents who emigrated to America, Kirk legally changed his name to Kirk Douglas before enlisting in the United States Navy during World War II. Before his acting career had begun, Kirk had worked on radio, theatre and commercials. He made his breakthrough on stage with "Kiss and Tell" when he took over a role originally portrayed by Richard Widmark. It led to other offers for Douglas, and his career blossomed and later transitioned to movie roles, starting with his debut in "The Strange Love of Martha Ivers" with Barbara Stanwyck.

Kirk's leading man persona and tough-guy image were established in 1949 when producer Stanley Kramer chose him to play the boxer in "Champion". This part brought him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Other early films soon followed, including "Young Man with a Horn", "Ace in the Hole" with Lauren Bacall, and "Detective Story", which brought him a Golden Globe nomination. Kirk then starred in "The Bad and the Beautiful" and received an Oscar nomination for his role as a movie producer. In 1954, the same year he played the titular character in "Ulysses", Douglas proved that he could handle parts with a comic edge in Walt Disney's big-budgeted adaptation of Jules Verne's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" in which he starred as the sailor Ned Land. In addition to starring in his movies, Kirk founded his own production company, Byrna Productions, which he named after his mother.

Kirk played Vincent Van Gogh in "Lust for Life", which grabbed him his third Oscar nomination and has collaborated with a young unknown film director named Stanley Kubrick for the two films, "Paths of Glory" and famously "Spartacus". The latter featured Kirk in a role that defined his career as the title character who leads a slave rebellion. He was also the executive producer of that movie and was the producer of "Lonely Are the Brave", in which he also starred. Throughout the decades, Kirk has continued to appear in more films like "Gunfight at the O.K. Caroll", "The Devil's Disciple", "Seven Days in May", "In Harm's Way", "Saturn 3", "The Final Countdown" (which was produced by his son Peter), "The Man from Snowy River", "Tough Guys", etc.

In 1963, Kirk starred in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", a stage version after buying the rights to the novel from its author, and was later made into a movie by his son Michael, who produced it and starred Jack Nicholson in Kirk's stead when he was considered too old for the part.

Before retiring from acting in 2004, Kirk survived a helicopter crash that nearly killed him in 1991 and suffered a stroke in 1996, which affected his speech. He received an Honorary Award for his lifetime achievement over 50 years in that same year. Kirk became a centenarian when he celebrated his 100th birthday and appeared in the 2018 Golden Globes at age 101 with his daughter-in-law Catherine Zeta-Jones to help present the Best Screenplay award while receiving a standing ovation.

I never saw many of Kirk Douglas' movies and would have respected him as an actor, and my condolences to his family and friends.

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