Here’s what happened today in Oscar History.
Born
Died
Released
Poll: Now That You’ve Seen “The Lion King”
Loading ...Trailer Watch: Good Boys (2019) Updated
New Trailer (#3)
Good Boys, updated
Preview Link: CLICK HERE for all of the new content as well as the original.
Trailer Watch: The Kitchen (2019) Updated
New Trailer (#2) / New Posters (#2-#4)
The Kitchen, updated
Preview Link: CLICK HERE for all of the new content as well as the original.
Oscar Preview: Weekend of Jul. 19-21, 2019
We had one film release this past weekend with the potential for Oscar nominations.
The Lion King
At the time of its release in 1994, The Lion King nabbed four Oscar nominations, three of which were Original Song. It was the second film in Oscar history to earn three nominations in that category (after Beauty and the Beast). It was a box office juggernaut, earning $312 million at the box office and becoming the highest grossing animated film of all-time and, without adjusting for inflation, only two films made before it rank higher on the all-time list. Adjusting for inflation, that film sits at number three on the all-time animated list behind Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and 101 Dalmatians, with a staggering $803 million.
What a difference 25 years can make. The “live-action” remake has already taken in $185 million at the domestic box office. While it’s unlikely to overtake the original in terms of adjusted grosses, it should easily pass its predecessor on the all-time domestic list. On the live-action reimaginings list, it is already number 8 (of 14) and should easily top nearly every other title with Beauty and the Beast the one it will struggle to pass (that film opened to $174 million and accumulated $504, which is a staggering total, but not insurmountable).
What does that means in terms of Oscar? Not a lot. Box office may help with the Academy, but they are notably resistant to Disney’s live-action adaptations, giving them a handful of tech nominations at times, but rarely more. The film is sure to be a nominee for Best Visual Effects, but beyond that it will struggle towards the two sound categories, production design, and possibly original song.
This Day in Oscar History: July 22 (2019)
Poll: What Are You Most Anticipating? (Aug. 2019, Wide)
Film Preview: Bennett’s War (2019)
Page Revisions:
(July 14, 2019) Original
Release Date:
August 30, 2019
Synopsis:
From IMDb: “After surviving an IED explosion in combat overseas, a young soldier with the Army Motorcycle Unit is medically discharged with a broken back and leg. Against all odds he trains to make an impossible comeback as a motocross racer in order to support his family.”
Poster Rating: –
Review: There was no poster immediately available for my review. Should one become available in the future, this section will be updated.
Trailer Rating: C-
SEE ALL TRAILERS BELOW
Review: The clichés come fast and heavy from the trailer’s opening moments until the end. The dialogue is especially noteworthy for creating that very impression.
Oscar Prospects:
None.
Trailer #1
Trailer Watch: Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019) Updated
New Trailer (#2) / New Poster (#3)
Dora and the Lost City of Gold, updated
Preview Link: CLICK HERE for all of the new content as well as the original.
Weekend Preview: Jul. 26-28, 2019
Below are four previews for films opening next weekend.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Wide)
The Ground Beneath My Feet (Limited)
See You Soon (Limited)
Tel Aviv on Fire (Limited)
Film Preview: Tel Aviv on Fire (2019)
Page Revisions:
(July 21, 2019) Original
Release Date:
July 26, 2019
Synopsis:
From IMDb: “Salam, an inexperienced young Palestinian man, becomes a writer on a popular soap opera after a chance meeting with an Israeli soldier. His creative career is on the rise – until the soldier and the show’s financial backers disagree about how the show should end, and Salam is caught in the middle.”
Poster Rating: C / C / C / C+ / C+
SEE ALL POSTERS BELOW
Review: (#1) It’s dull and uses its space poorly, never filling the void with anything interesting. (#2) It looks like a poster advertising a film one might be forced to watch for a Human Resources training video. (#3) Not far removed from the prior design, this time with a diagonal design. (#4) The structure leaves a lot to be desired. The colors are poorly chosen, but the symbolic situation of the rifle pointed at the protagonist is a compelling decision, but possibly an unintentional one. (#5) Too much blank space, though with a pleasing fill color. The structure and overlap is rather cheap-looking.
Trailer Rating: C+
SEE ALL TRAILERS BELOW
Review: The trailer wants so much to be funny, but it never sells that humor to the audience with any authenticity.
Oscar Prospects:
None.
Trailer #1
This Day in Oscar History: July 21 (2019)
Film Preview: Freaks (2019)
Page Revisions:
(July 14, 2019) Original
(July 21, 2019) New Trailer (#2) / New Poster (#2)
Release Date:
August 23, 2019
Synopsis:
From IMDb: “In this genre-bending psychological sci-fi thriller, a bold girl discovers a bizarre, threatening, and mysterious new world beyond her front door after she escapes her father’s protective and paranoid control.”
Poster Rating: C / B-
SEE ALL POSTERS BELOW
Review: (#1) The design is more understandable after seeing the trailer, but it looks like a knock-off rather than a defined film poster.
(#2) A little more compelling than the first design with an actual stake for the audience. There are a handful of interesting details, but perhaps not quite enough.
Trailer Rating: C / C+
SEE ALL TRAILERS BELOW
Review: (#1) This trailer finds no purchase on the steep slope of expectations not met. It’s a trailer that struggles mightily to create suspense while not giving anything away and in doing so never gets the audience invested.
(#2) There’s not much different from the prior trailer except in making the Bruce Dern character seem less creepy and predatory. There’s still not enough of an idea of what the film’s about, at least not enough to make it daring or interesting.
Oscar Prospects:
None.
Trailer #1
Film Preview: Tone-Deaf (2019)
Page Revisions:
(July 14, 2019) Original
Release Date:
August 23, 2019
Synopsis:
From IMDb: “A woman goes to the countryside to spend a quiet weekend after losing her job and having her last complicated relationship implode. She rents a country house to an old-fashioned widower, who struggles to hide his pyschopatic tendencies.”
Poster Rating: C
SEE ALL POSTERS BELOW
Review: Too much red and not enough energy. It’s static and unappealing, make it difficult to sell.
Trailer Rating: C
SEE ALL TRAILERS BELOW
Review: A chaotic trailer that never focuses the audience in on what’s most important. Focusing instead on what’s bizarre or unusual about the film won’t give it a broad base of support.
Oscar Prospects:
None.
