Whether from a childhood mentor, a speech at the Oscars, or that poster hanging in the office collecting dust, one phrase is repeated to us over and over throughout our lives – “Follow Your Dreams”.  But what exactly does that mean? Does it mean that if you are reading this while sitting at a job you don’t enjoy or looking around at the laundry and dishes piling high that you aren’t following your dreams? Because seriously, who dreams about waking up and dedicating their time and energy to things that they don’t feel any type of self-gratification from? Most dreams and goals, at the... Read More

There were few Best Picture nominees at the Oscars this year more divisive than the Queen biography, “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Critics, fans of the band and people who like to get irritated on social media were brutally torn up over the film, with several of them calling it “problematic.” I couldn’t agree with you more. Having seen “Bohemian Rhapsody,” I likewise found myself offended. I likewise found it very, very problematic. Predominantly for one reason. One main reason. That main reason? THEY DIDN’T INCLUDE ANYTHING ABOUT THE SONG “FLASH” FROM THE MOVIE “FLASH GORDON” IN... Read More

Could two Quad-Citians bring home an Oscar to Bettendorf? This Sunday, the 91st annual Academy Awards will begin in Los Angeles at 7 p.m. CST, and “A Quiet Place,” written by Quad-Citians Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, was nominated in the sound editing category. Unfortunately, despite a Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Award nom, Beck and Woods weren’t nominated in the Best Original Screenplay category, and “Place” lead Emily Blunt was snubbed for an actress pick despite some buzz. The biggest surprises among the nominees were “Black Panther,” which became the first Marvel film to... Read More

“A Quiet Place,” written by Quad-Citians Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, was nominated in the sound editing category for the 91st Academy Awards, which announced their noms this morning. Unfortunately, despite a Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Award nom, Beck and Woods weren’t nominated in the Best Original Screenplay category, and “Place” lead Emily Blunt was snubbed for an actress pick despite some buzz. The biggest surprises among the nominees were “Black Panther,” which became the first Marvel film to be nominated for Best Picture, although it was certainly deserved. In addition... Read More

People are still talking and awards academies keep on cheering loudly for the movie without much dialogue, penned by two former Quad-Citians. A Quiet Place (screenplay by Bryan Woods & Scott Beck and John Krasinski, story by Woods & Beck) has been nominated for Best Original Screenplay for the 2019 Writers Guild of America West Awards. Other nominees in the category include Eighth Grade (Bo Burnham), Green Book (Nick Vallelonga & Brian Currie & Peter Farrelly), Roma (Alfonso Cuarón), and Vice (Adam McKay). The 2019 Writers Guild Awards will be presented at concurrent ceremonies... Read More

Sunday night, the Academy Awards will be given out in Los Angeles as millions watch from their homes. And the Oscars will go to…   Best Picture: “Call Me by Your Name” “Darkest Hour” “Dunkirk” “Get Out” “Lady Bird” “Phantom Thread” “The Post” “The Shape of Water” “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”   I think we are going to be surprised when the coveted “Three Billboards” and “The Shape of Water” get La-La-Landed on Sunday night. “Get Out” is the one that really hits this year and deals with all the right issues in all the right... Read More

The lucky nominees of the 90th Annual Academy Awards will be announced Tuesday, January 23 at 7:22pm central time. Will The Shape of Water break a record? Will The Florida Project fail to secure a Best Picture nomination? Will Sebastian Stan slide into the Best Supporting Actor category at the last minute? It’s been one of the best years for film in a decade and I am positive there will snubs and surprises galore come Tuesday morning! How do I think it will all shake down? Let’s check it out….   BEST PICTURE Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri The Shape of Water The... Read More

The Academy Awards will begin at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, airing on ABC, and finally all of the speculation will be over in regard to who will walk away with the coveted statues. So who will win? Here are this critic’s humble picks. And the Oscar goes to… BEST PICTURE Arrival Fences Hacksaw Ridge Hell or High Water Hidden Figures La La Land Lion Manchester by the Sea Moonlight WINNER: La La Land did tie Titanic’s record and has all the spot on buzz around it. It will be hard to beat this beautiful and energetic film. POSSIBLE UPSET: I wouldn’t be too surprised if Hidden Figures came... Read More

La La Oscarland By now, we all know La La Land is my favorite film of the year and one of my favorite films of all time. I think it’s a masterpiece and deserves each and every award it garners. Is my opinion biased? Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. But I think we can all agree that is not an “alternative fact” that La La Land rocks. Like or not, it’s hard to call foul on something that looks and sounds this good. The Academy Award nominations were announced Tuesday and La La Land is up for a whopping 14 Academy Awards. To beat the record held by Titanic, Lord of the Rings and... Read More

Oscar nominations will be announced January 24th and this day has always been (and still is) a little like Christmas morning for me. I love the hype, the excitement, the politics… I hate that I love it, but man oh man do I love show business. It’s totally cool to get stoked about this kind of thing! I’ve been so inspired by this year’s offerings and it safe to say this has been one of my favorite movie years since 2005-2006. Here are my Academy Award nomination predictions for the Picture, Director, Actor and Actress categories: Best Picture: Moonlight La La Land Manchester by the Sea Lion Hell... Read More