OBSESSION's Breakout Star Will Receive Another Accolade This Fall...

The Critics Choice Association Announces Full Slate of Honorees for the 6th Annual Celebración of Cinema & Television (Press Release)

LOS ANGELES – August 24, 2026 – The Critics Choice Association (CCA) announced today the full slate of honorees for the 6th annual Celebración of Cinema & Television, taking place on October 2, 2026, in Beverly Hills. The Celebración honors standout performances and work, both onscreen and offscreen, from the Latino and Hispanic entertainment community.

Honorees for this year’s Celebración of Cinema & Television will include the following:

Emmy Award winner, Special Tony Award recipient, and four-time Tony Award nominee John Leguizamo will be honored with the Career Achievement Award in recognition of his more than four decades of groundbreaking work across film, television, comedy and theater, as well as his recent standout performance in Universal Pictures’ The Odyssey, directed by Christopher Nolan. The film delivered the biggest live-action opening weekend of the year and surpassed $1 billion at the global box office just three weeks after its release. Leguizamo’s remarkable career spans critically-acclaimed dramas, blockbuster franchises, comedy and theater, from his breakout performances in Brian De Palma’s Carlito’s Way and Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet to his work in the Ice Age animated franchise and Bob Trevino Likes It, directed by Tracie Laymon.

Judy Reyes will accept the Trailblazer Award in recognition of her outstanding body of work across film, television and theater. She currently stars in both ABC and Hulu’s High Potential and Scrubs, and is widely known for her standout roles in Devious Maids, Claws and Birth/Rebirth. In High Potential, which became ABC’s top-rated series in its debut season and the network’s most-watched new series in six years, Reyes stars as fan favorite Lt. Selena Soto. Reyes also recently reprised the role fans grew to love her in for nine seasons on Scrubs, with its revival returning for a second season on ABC and Hulu this fall.

The Emmy and SAG Award winner Oscar Nuñez will be recognized with the Vanguard Award for his extraordinary body of work, and most recently for his role in Peacock’s The Paper, where he plays Oscar Martinez, a role he originated on The Office. He returns to the iconic character for a second season of The Paper, premiering on September 9.

Academy Award-nominated producer Rodrigo Teixeira will receive the Producer Award for NEON’s Paper Tiger. Through his company RT Features, Teixeira produced Call Me by Your Name, which earned four Academy Award nominations, and I’m Still Here, which made history as the first Brazilian Portuguese-language film to be nominated for Best Picture and to win the Oscar for Best International Feature. Paper Tiger marks Teixeira’s third collaboration with director James Gray and premiered as a Cannes 2026 selection. Paper Tiger will also serve as the Opening Night selection of the New York Film Festival.

Javier Calvo & Javier Ambrossi (popularly known as “Los Javis”) will be honored with the Director Award for Netflix’s La Bola Negra. The pair behind the Netflix hit Paquita Salas, Rose d’Or Award-winning La Mesías, and HBO’s Veneno, Calvo and Ambrossi won the Best Director prize at the Cannes Film Festival for their sweeping, multigenerational drama inspired by an unfinished work by Federico García Lorca. The film stars Guitarricadelafuente, Miguel Bernardeau, Carlos González, Milo Quifes, Lola Dueñas, Julio Torres, Penélope Cruz and Glenn Close.

Actor and master puppeteer James Ortiz will accept the Innovator Award for Amazon MGM Studios’ interstellar epic Project Hail Mary. Known for his puppet design work on Broadway, including the Tony-nominated The Skin of Our Teeth, Ortiz made history, opposite Academy Award nominee Ryan Gosling, as the puppeteer and voice behind Rocky, bringing the beloved and unlikely companion to life, and becoming eligible for awards consideration for his standout supporting role.

Aimee Carrero will be recognized with the Supporting Actress Award – Series for Apple TV’s Your Friends & Neighbors. Carrero captivates in the dark comedy, as part of an ensemble cast that helped earn the series a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama Series in its second season. Carrero is well-known for voicing Elena, Disney’s first Latin Princess, in the Elena of Avalor series as well as She-Ra and Adora in She-Ra and The Princesses of Power. Among other films, Carrero co-starred in Searchlight’s hit The Menu opposite Ralph Fiennes.

Brazilian and Chinese American filmmaker Beth de Araújo will receive the Breakthrough Director Award for Sumerian Pictures’ Josephine. De Araújo made history at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival by winning both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award for Josephine, a rare double win. The film stars Channing Tatum, Gemma Chan, and breakout star, Mason Reeves.

Inde Navarrette will receive the Breakthrough Actress Award – Film for her role in Focus Features’ Obsession. Her fearless breakout performance helped propel the film into a box office and cultural phenomenon ($500 million worldwide), and turned Nikki into an instant icon of horror cinema.

Laysla De Oliveira will be honored with the Breakthrough Actress Award – Series for Paramount+’s Lioness. Holding her own alongside Oscar winners Zoe Saldaña and Morgan Freeman, De Oliveira can be seen across all three seasons of the hit Taylor Sheridan espionage thriller built around a female-led ensemble – rising from Marine recruit to Delta Force operator to CIA contractor. She is also known for her roles in In the Tall Grass, Locke & Key, and Guest of Honour.

“To honor this remarkable class of Latino and Hispanic artists is nothing short of a gift, especially during a time that has been difficult for our communities,” said Critics Choice Association Member and Co-Programmer Clayton Davis. “Latino and Hispanic storytellers keep creating from a place of joy and defiance, turning our histories and culture into art that moves the culture forward. Their work builds a larger, more inclusive tent for everyone to be invited to join.”

The Critics Choice Celebración of Cinema & Television will be hosted by Clayton Davis, who also serves as co-programmer and writer, with fellow CCA member Amanda Salas. Javier Infante, Madelyn Hammond and Ella Carlson of Hammond Infante Productions will produce.

Source: Critics Choice Association

Quick Review: OBSESSION...

So before I ate barbecue for Memorial Day dinner today, I watched the horror movie Obsession at Regal Cinemas. The indie film by director Curry Barker was intense, witty, well-casted and of course gruesomely violent—just like other recent horror hits like Weapons, Barbarian and the Oscar-nominated Sinners.

Speaking of Weapons and the Oscars, Amy Madigan won the Best Supporting Actress trophy for her role as Aunt Gladys at the Academy Awards two months ago... Will Inde Navarrette be nominated for her role as Nikki at the Oscars next year? Maybe. Maybe not.

A Best Actress nomination carries more weight than one for Best Supporting Actress (not to disparage this award), and I'm guessing there will be lots of other amazing actresses who will be up for the former Academy Awards category when the actual Oscar baits get released at the theaters later this year. Other than that, well-done on a great horror flick, Barker, Navarrette, Michael Johnston, Megan Lawless, Cooper Tomlinson and company!

If only the One Wish Willow existed in real life... And I wonder what happened to that one billion dollars one of the characters won? Immediately watch Obsession on the big screen to know what I'm talking about!

Movie Review: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU...

Earlier today, I went to Regal Cinemas to watch The Mandalorian and Grogu...the first Star Wars film to be theatrically released since The Rise of Skywalker in 2019. Needless to say, The Mandalorian and Grogu was a fun installment that's a nice addition to the mythology created by George Lucas almost 50 years ago!

If you watched the three current seasons of The Mandalorian on Disney+ like I did, you'll understand why director Jon Favreau structured the narrative of The Mandalorian and Grogu the way he did. The film fits nicely with its streaming counterpart—albeit with a higher budget ($165 million) that allowed more alien creatures and action sequences to be shown on the big screen.

One alien creature that stands out is Rotta the Hutt (voiced by Jeremy Allen White of such TV shows as The Bear and Shameless, as well as last year's biopic Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere), the son of Jabba the Hutt and a central character in The Mandalorian and Grogu. The movie's marketing campaign portrayed Rotta as a villainous UFC-type fighter who Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), the Mandalorian himself, battled during his many adventures in the film.

In the actual film though, Rotta merely wants to separate his identity from that of his crime lord father. Rotta succeeds at the end, and will apparently become an integral member of the New Republic who might appear in future Star Wars shows. Another creature is Hugo Durant...a multi-armed food stand owner who's amusingly voiced by the great Martin Scorsese!

Not to be outdone by Rotta, Hugo and the other alien creatures (like the Anzelians, who were first seen in The Rise of Skywalker and Season 3 of The Mandalorian) are such human characters as Colonel Ward (Sigourney Weaver), the Mandalorian's New Republic handler, and Lord Janu (Jonny Coyne), who's responsible for Rotta's fighting career and was a former Imperial officer who still knows what the remnants of the Empire are up to in the galaxy. The Mandalorian and Grogu doesn't reveal any details about the Empire's secret plans...and rightfully focuses on the titular heroes of the movie instead.

Not only does The Mandalorian and Grogu have cool new alien creatures and action scenes (like a climactic X-Wing air battle), but it also had quiet moments that focused on the father-son relationship between Din Djarin and Grogu. At one point in the movie, Djarin is gravely injured during a skirmish on Nal Hutta (the homeworld of Rotta and the other Hutts), and it's in this sequence where we see how much Grogu cares for his father and how resourceful he's become under the Mandalorian's tutelage. From finding food and shelter for him and Djarin on Nal Hutta, to him using the Force to save another main character from imminent death in the film's climax, Grogu shows that he's not the helpless Jedi Youngling he was when he was rescued from Coruscant during Order 66, the Jedi Purge orchestrated by Darth Sidious in 2005's Revenge of the Sith.

A Season 4 is planned for The Mandalorian, and it's going to be exciting to see how The Mandalorian and Grogu influences the plotline for the next Disney+ adventures by Mando and company! It was The Mandalorian that ushered Star Wars into the post-Skywalker era in late 2019, so it makes sense that this particular film would be quite different from the 11 other live-action Star Wars movies that have been theatrically released since 1977. Just look at the kinetic music score for The Mandalorian and Grogu by 3-time Oscar winner Ludwig Göransson; there is not one single Star Wars theme by legendary composer John Williams in the new movie—only motifs that Göransson introduced in The Mandalorian Disney+ show itself.

Once again, I thoroughly enjoyed The Mandalorian and Grogu! I intend to watch it again on the big screen...and look forward to the next batch of Star Wars theatrical releases such as 2027's Star Wars: Starfighter. I can't wait to see how that Shawn Levy-directed installment contributes to George Lucas' mythology as well! This is the way.

ID4: Will We See Will Smith and Co. Whup E.T.'s Ass on the Big Screen Again This Year?

Happy New Year, everyone! Just thought I'd point out that 2026 marks three decades since Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin's sci-fi megahit Independence Day (ID4) invaded movie theaters nationwide.

Will 20th Century Studios (formerly 20th Century Fox) and Disney—which has owned Fox's entire film library since 2019—re-release ID4 on the big screen this year? I surely hope so.

I saw ID4 again on the big screen back in June of 2016...when it was shown in a doubleheader with the newly-released sequel Independence Day: Resurgence. I was just as blown away by ID4's Oscar-winning visual effects in 2016 as I was on opening night in 1996, and would surely like to be blown away (like the White House, Empire State Building and U.S. Bank Tower were in the film) again in 2026!

So if Disney CEO Bob Iger stumbles upon this blog entry, please bring Independence Day back into multiplexes soon! A film made 30 years ago would be among my most anticipated movies to see this year if Iger greenlits the re-release. Happy Holidays!

On This Day in 1995: Remembering APOLLO 13...

30 years ago today, Apollo 13 was released in theaters nationwide.

This is one of Ron Howard's best movies (and definitely one of the best space flicks of all time) and contains one of the best film scores by the late James Horner...who went on to compose music for director James Cameron on the 1997 Oscar winner Titanic and 2009's Best Picture nominee Avatar.

Speaking of the Academy Awards, Apollo 13 was nominated for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (for Ed Harris), Best Supporting Actress (for Kathleen Quinlan), Best Film Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Production Design, Best Visual Effects, Best Original Score and Best Adapted Screenplay at the 68th Academy Awards on March 25, 1996.

Apollo 13 took home trophies for Best Film Editing and Best Sound Mixing, respectively.

Remembering GLADIATOR a Quarter-Century Later...

25 years ago today, I went to the AMC 20 theater inside Puente Hills Mall to watch Gladiator for the first time. Needless to say, the Ridley Scott-directed Roman epic starring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix and Connie Nielsen was my favorite movie of 2000...and now one of my favorite flicks of all time. Along with the amazing action sequences—ranging from the opening battle in Germania and the re-enactment of the Battle of Carthage to Maximus' (Crowe) final showdown with Emperor Commodus (Phoenix) inside the Colosseum—you also had Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard's hauntingly beautiful music score, and the memorable quotes below:

"What we do in life, echoes in eternity."

"If you find yourself alone, riding in green fields with the Sun on your face, do not be troubled. For you are in Elysium...and you are already dead!"

"Are you not entertained?!"

"The time for honoring yourself will soon be at an end, your highness."

"Tell me what you've been doing, busy little bee, or I shall strike down those dearest to you. You shall watch as I bathe in their blood."

"Am I not merciful?!"

"The general who became a slave. The slave who became a gladiator. The gladiator who defied an emperor. Striking story! But now, the people want to know how the story ends."
Granted, I had to Google the exact wording to the 'Elysium,' 'busy little bee' and 'the general who became a slave' quotes...but you get the point. Gladiator was also one of the first movies that I talked about when I started my main Blog 25 years ago this October!

Gladiator II was my favorte film of 2024, but its 2000 Oscar-winning predecessor will always be a movie that significantly enhanced my passion for cinema. Happy Cinco de Mayo!

A New, Long-Awaited Category Will Soon Be Presented at the Academy Awards...

It was announced earlier today that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will soon have a new category to present at the Academy Awards a few years from now...for Best Stunt Design!

This award to recognize stunt performers in the filmmaking community has been years in the making, with the first Best Stunt Design Oscar to be presented in 2028—during the 100th Academy Awards ceremony.

Director David Leitch (who helmed 2024's The Fall Guy, 2022's Bullet Train and 2018's Deadpool 2) led the initiative on behalf of the stunt community to bring this new official Oscar category to fruition.

Can't wait to see who'll take home the first trophy for stunt design! This category will honor movies that will be released in 2027, so will Avengers: Secret Wars, The Batman: Part II and Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum be among the first nominees? Stay tuned.

Another Day of Moviegoing at AMC Theatres...

Gettin' ready to watch the Oscar-winning film Anora today!

Lookin' Ahead to Next Year's 97th Academy Awards...

Earlier today, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the shortlists for 10 categories that will be presented during next March's 97th Oscars ceremony.

Gladiator II, which should've crossed the $400 million mark at the worldwide box office today, was mentioned in three categories: Sound, Visual Effects and Original Score.

In regards to Sound, Gladiator II is currently in contention with other blockbusters like Alien: Romulus, Deadpool & Wolverine, Dune: Part Two and Wicked.

For Visual Effects, director Ridley Scott's legacy sequel to 2000's Gladiator is running against Civil War, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, the upcoming live-action Disney prequel Mufasa: The Lion King and Twisters.

And lastly, in terms of Original Score, Gladiator II shares the same category as Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, The Brutalist, Conclave, the upcoming horror film Nosferatu and The Wild Robot.

The 10 shortlisted categories are Sound, Visual Effects, Original Score, Documentary Feature, International Feature, Makeup and Hairstyling, Original Song, Animated Short Film, Documentary Short Film and Live Action Short Film.

The Oscar nominations will be announced on January 17, while ABC TV will air the Academy Awards (with Conan O'Brien hosting) live on March 2. Stay tuned!

My Review for GLADIATOR II...

So earlier today, I drove to the local AMC Theatres to watch director Ridley Scott's highly-anticipated sequel to 2000's Gladiator. Seeing as how the Best Picture winner starring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix and Connie Nielsen was the first film I talked about when I started blogging over 24 years ago, it was only fitting that I would write a review for Gladiator II.

So what did I think of Gladiator II, you asked? It was bloody epic!

From the opening scene where Lucius Verus Aurelius (Paul Mescal, whose character goes by the alias 'Hanno' for much of the film) helps defend his colony at Numidia—a province that was the last stronghold in Africa to be conquered by the Roman Empire—from an incoming Roman naval invasion, to the final skirmish outside the gates of Rome itself, Gladiator II was an absolute titan of a movie.

SPOILERS AHEAD:

Just like Maximus Decimus Meridius (played by Crowe) in the first film, Lucius' journey towards becoming a gladiator started with him losing the love of his life, Arishat (Yuval Gonen), to the Roman invaders at Numidia. To make matters worse, Arishat was specifically killed under the order of General Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal)...who also happened to be the husband of Lucius' estranged mother, Lucilla (once again portrayed by Nielsen).

Lucius and the majority of male survivors from the Numidia attack are then transported to Rome so that they can be turned into gladiators. It is at the Roman port of Ostia where Lucius engages in his first gladiatorial fight (against a horde of baboons) and meets his owner, a flamboyant patrician named Macrinus (Denzel Washington).

It is after he meets Macrinus that Lucius begins embarking on the same path as Maximus, his real father; Lucius' experience as a soldier in Africa enabled him to make quick work of his opponents inside the Colosseum...and allowed him to earn the grace of eccentric twin emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger). But it is Lucius' rising in the ranks that would put him in a perilous situation where he needed to decide if he's truly going to follow in Maximus' footsteps to help end tyranny and make Rome a new republic once and for all.

SPOILERS ENDED.

I can talk about the rest of Gladiator II's plot here, but the review will just end up being extremely long because of how rich a tale that Ridley Scott crafted in this movie. Like the first Gladiator, this film is all about political intrigue—with lots of spectacular and bloody arena fights thrown into the fray.

And considering the $250 million (minus the budget for marketing) that was spent on bringing Gladiator II to life, one obviously has to talk about the technical aspects of this movie. The cinematography was awesome, and so were the production design, visual effects (done by none other than Industrial Light & Magic), editing and orchestral score.

Even though the music of Gladiator II wasn't done by Hans Zimmer this time around, Harry Gregson-Williams did a commendable job incorporating memorable Gladiator themes as "Now We Are Free" and "Strength and Honor" into his film score for the sequel. In fact, I'm listening to the Gladiator II score (as MP3s) on my laptop right now!

I expect Gladiator II to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards this January (but unfortunately not win it next March, unlike the first movie in early 2001.), but I do expect the sequel to take home a trophy or two for Best Production Design, Sound, Costume Design, Visual Effects, Film Editing, Original Score, Cinematography, Makeup and Hairstyling, or possibly Supporting Actor for Washington's memorable performance as Macrinus.

(I'll gladly apologize for the snubs if Ridley Scott gets nominated for Best Director, while Mescal gets recognized for Best Actor and Nielsen for Best Actress!)

So all-in-all, Gladiator II was as epic as I hoped it would be. Ridley Scott wants to make Gladiator III...which I hope he does assuming that the second installment performs well at the box office. Of course, considering how Gladiator II ended (I won't elaborate here), I'm wondering how Scott plans to continue the story of Lucius and his rise from a gladiator to the "prince of Rome."

We'll hopefully find out in the future!

"What we do in life, echoes in eternity."

GLADIATOR II Rating: 4 out of 5 stars. ****

A New Trailer and Posters for GLADIATOR II Have Been Revealed...

With less than two months to go before it's unleashed in theaters nationwide, check out these two new posters and the latest theatrical trailer for Gladiator II!

I really do hope that Gladiator II will be as good as the original Gladiator film that was released over 24 years ago, seeing as how director Ridley Scott mentioned that he already has an idea for Gladiator III if this upcoming sequel is a financial hit.

Scott compared the ending of Gladiator II to that of The Godfather, while the third film would be similar to The Godfather Part II. The first two Francis Ford Coppola-helmed mafia epics are the best ones in that trilogy (like Gladiator in 2001, they both won Oscars for Best Picture in 1973 and '75, respectively), so Scott's comparisons make me even more excited for this Thanksgiving holiday and hopeful that the sequel—starring Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen, Pedro Pascal and Joseph Quinn—will be successful at the box office.

Gladiator II comes out in cinemas throughout the United States on November 22.

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Remembering James Earl Jones (1931-2024)...

Today, the world lost a major cinematic legend when James Earl Jones—the actor behind the deep intimidating voice of Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy, 2005's Revenge of the Sith, 2016's Rogue One and 2019's The Rise of Skywalker, as well as Mufasa in the 1994 Disney classic The Lion King—passed away at his home in New York. Jones was 93 years-old.

Jones is also known for his roles in popular baseball movies like 1989's Field of Dreams and 1993's The Sandlot, Jack Ryan political thrillers such as 1990's The Hunt for Red October and 1992's Patriot Games, hit comedies like 1988's Coming to America, and even long-running TV sitcoms like Frasier and The Big Bang Theory.

Jones is also an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) winner who received an Honorary Oscar at the 2011 Academy Awards. May he rest in peace.

James Earl Jones has passed away at age 93 pic.twitter.com/qxu3RR0Kwt

— Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) September 9, 2024

RIP James Earl Jones 🙏pic.twitter.com/cCh3D4mkrl

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) September 9, 2024

The cast, including James Earl Jones, on the set of ‘The Sandlot’ - 1993 pic.twitter.com/eBjE1dqAW4

— Fascinating (@fasc1nate) September 9, 2024

“We are all connected in the great circle of life” - RIP James Earl Jones pic.twitter.com/UpCrulIDfX

— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) September 9, 2024

Rest in Peace Lord Vader pic.twitter.com/HsFn5bkQC0

— Empire State Building (@EmpireStateBldg) September 9, 2024

#RIP dad 💔 https://t.co/YXpFoBb2Ua

— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) September 9, 2024

The GLADIATOR II Teaser Poster and Trailer Are Here!

After the teaser poster for Gladiator II was released online yesterday, Paramount and Universal Pictures unveiled the trailer for Ridley Scott's upcoming sequel to 2000's Oscar-winning epic Gladiator this morning!

Here are some screenshots from the sneak preview...showing Paul Mescal's Lucius taking on a rhinoceros-riding gladiator inside the Roman Colosseum, Denzel Washington's Macrinus being a schemer, a fierce Roman battle taking place at sea, Joseph Quinn's Emperor Geta following in the footsteps of Commodus (portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix in the first film) and his predecessors, Pedro Pascal's Marcus Acacius ready to take on a horde of gladiators inside the Colosseum as well, and Connie Nielsen's Lucilla handing Lucius a memento from the late and great Maximus (the Oscar-winning role played by Russell Crowe in the previous movie).

Sadly, there are no snippets of the music that will be composed by Harry Gregson-Williams for Gladiator II in this trailer. I guess we're just gonna have to wait till November to find out if the sequel has a riveting score like Gladiator does (thanks to Hans Zimmer) when it was unveiled to the masses 24 years ago!

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Photos of the Day: Our First Sneak Peek at GLADIATOR II...

Earlier today, Vanity Fair shared a couple of promotional stills from this November's Gladiator II...which is once again helmed by Ridley Scott and stars Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, Joseph Quinn, Djimon Hounsou (Quinn and Hounsou are also in the recently-released A Quiet Place: Day One, which I watched at the theater last weekend) and Barry Keoghan.

Based on these images, the Gladiator sequel looks to be just as intense as the 2000 original film (starring Russell Crowe, Nielsen, Hounsou and Joaquin Phoenix)—which went on to winning the Oscar for Best Picture in early 2001. Crowe himself won the Best Actor Oscar for his role as Gladiator's Maximus Decimus Meridius.

I surely hope that Gladiator II is just as good as its predecessor and will be an awards favorite come this winter...though I'm still disappointed that Hans Zimmer isn't returning to compose the music score for the upcoming epic. Harry Gregson-Williams, who worked on such movies as The Martian, Shrek, Man on Fire and The Equalizer, respectively, will have that duty.

The teaser trailer for Gladiator II will be released online next Tuesday, July 9...with the film itself being unleashed in theaters nationwide on November 22. Can't wait!

And the Winners of the 2024 Academy Awards Are...

Congratulations to Christoper Nolan on winning his very first Oscar for Best Director at tonight's 96th Academy Awards! Even though Oppenheimer is actually my least favorite of Nolan's movies, I'm glad that the mastermind behind other celluloid hits like The Dark Knight, Inception, Dunkirk and Interstellar finally won the top cinematic prize.

In regards to the other winners, I'm happy that Godzilla Minus One took home the trophy for Best Visual Effects; Emma Stone garnered the Oscar for her awesome role as Bella Baxter in Poor Things; and American Fiction won for Best Original Screenplay.

Oppenheimer, Poor Things, American Fiction, Barbie and Killers of the Flower Moon were the only nominees from the 10 Best Picture contenders that I saw on the big screen last year. I guess I didn't miss much—as The Zone of Interest was the only other Best Picture nominee that took home at least two Oscars (for Best Achievement in Sound and Best International Feature Film, respectively).

I'm looking forward to the 97th Academy Awards next year...as I hope that Ridley Scott's Gladiator 2 will win Oscar gold like the first Gladiator film did back in 2001!

Here's an awesome quote by 20 Days in Mariupol's director Mstyslav Chernov (who won the trophy for Best Documentary Feature tonight) with which to cap this blog entry:

"Cinema forms memories, and memories form history."
Click here for the full list of 2024 Academy Award winners.

A Day of Moviegoing at AMC Theatres...

Gettin' ready to watch the Oscar Best Picture nominee American Fiction today!

And the Winners of the 2023 Academy Awards Are...

Congratulations to Everything Everywhere All at Once for winning Best Picture at the 95th Academy Awards tonight! In total, this quarky sci-fi/adventure flick took home 7 trophies...for Best Picture, Best Directing (for the Daniels), Best Actress (for Michelle Yeoh), Best Film Editing, Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (for Ke Huy Quan) and Best Supporting Actress (for Jamie Lee Curtis).

Germany's World War I epic All Quiet on the Western Front—which looked like it could've upset Everything Everywhere at the end considering all of the categories it won today—took home Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film, Best Original Score, Best Production Design and Best Cinematography, respectively.

Top Gun: Maverick, which received 6 nominations, won the Oscar for Best Sound Design. Avatar: The Way of Water surprisingly (just kidding) won the award for Best Visual Effects.

I was rooting for Lady Gaga to win Best Original Song for Top Gun: Maverick's Hold My Hand, but the Oscar for this category went to Naatu Naatu...a song from the Indian action-adventure drama, RRR.

And Brendan Fraser, who—along with Ke Huy Quan—appeared in the 1992 comedy flick Encino Man, won Best Actor for The Whale. The Whale also won an Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling.

Tonight's ceremony was an eventful one...in a positive way, that is. History was made when Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan became the first two Asian actors to win Oscars in the same year!

Also, Oscar host Jimmy Kimmel managed to avoid getting slapped by an Academy Award nominee on-stage—unlike previous host Chris Rock last year. Google that if you are unaware of what I'm talking about...

Click here for the full list of Oscar winners. Congrats to all!

The 2023 Academy Award Nominations...

Congratulations to all of the movies, filmmakers and thespians who received an Oscar nomination this morning by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences! The winners will be revealed during the 95th Academy Awards that will be televised March 12 on ABC TV.

As shown below, Everything Everywhere All at Once (which I saw at the theater last April and immensely enjoyed) leads the Best Picture pack with 11 nominations. Top Gun: Maverick—which I saw multiple times at the theater last year—is up for 6 trophies; it unfortunately isn't up for Best Cinematography but is amazingly up for Best Adapted Screenplay!

Most-Nominated Movies for the 95th Academy Awards:

Everything Everywhere All at Once - 11 nominations
All Quiet on the Western Front - 9 nominations
The Banshees of Inisherin - 9 nominations
Elvis - 8 nominations
The Fabelmans - 7 nominations
Tár - 6 nominations
Top Gun: Maverick - 6 nominations
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - 5 nominations

I didn't watch the Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde, but I do know that Ana de Armas is a very talented actress who was great in 2017's Blade Runner 2049 and 2019's Knives Out. Congrats to her for her Best Actress nomination!

Click here to see all of the nominees for this year's Academy Awards.

One actor who I hoped would get nominated was John Boyega for his role as a down-on-his-luck Marine veteran in last August's Breaking. I gave this dramatic crime thriller an enthusiastic review last summer, and I was hoping that the Academy would give this movie the kudos it deserves... Next time, Boyega.

And up for Best Visual Effects for 2022 is Top Gun: Maverick, All Quiet on the Western Front, The Batman (which should've also been nominated for Best Original Score), Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Avatar: The Way of Water. Yes, James Cameron's sequel to the 2009 sci-fi epic will go home with the trophy.

Can't wait to watch the Oscars on March 12!