1940: The Rest of Winter

Yesterday, we began our look into the cinema of 1940 with nine films released at the end of 1939 and January of 1940. Today we have six films, four of which came out in February. Here you will see, among others: one of the best musicals of the year (but with no Oscar nominations), a mystery, a couple histories, and the earliest release to end up an Oscar winner. Shall we?:

1940: One Year Ends, Another Begins

The Academy Awards of 1940 are...dense. I'm talking seventeen nominees in a single category dense. So, apologies to those who have been following for a while (I've been around since 2008, doing retrospectives since 2011), but I'm changing things up, narrowing the focus a bit.

Today through the 16th, I review all the 1940 films I saw in the order of their release. On Friday the 17th, I look at Oscar's ten nominees for Best Picture of the Year. The 19th-24th will be focused on only six more categories: Best Original Song, the Acting Prizes, and culminating in Best Director - this is, after all, a series inspired by John Ford's directing wins, so it is only right that we end the Oscars on that note (it also gives me more time to read Searching for John Ford).

Naturally, that's not the final word on the matter, as I'll be going on and on about my picks for the best of the year the 26th-31st, culminating in my pick for Best Director of 1940. This is how we shall proceed throughout the next three months.

And so we begin our journey through 1940...in 1939. December 1939, to be specific, though the Academy considered at least two of those releases aspart of the 1940 film year...

Coming Attractions, 2024 Edition

Beginning May 5th, we begin a three-month marathon of retrospectives, all built around one theme: The Winner is John Ford.

John Ford holds the record for the most Academy Award wins for Best Director. We discussed his first win for 1935's The Informer, but that was just one of four for the legendary filmmaker. We're finishing the set:

Starting May 5th

1940 (Ford wins for The Grapes of Wrath)

Starting June 2nd

1941 (Ford wins for How Green Was My Valley; also Best Picture)

Starting July 1st

1952 (Ford wins for The Quiet Man)

But of course, we're not just looking at Ford and his winning films. We're looking at all the nominees of the year, as well as a good number of non-nominated ones. And these are years when the Academy was still taking shape: not just new categories coming and going, but a change in the number of nominees per category, as well as a gradual warming towards international cinema.

Again, it begins May 5th.

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Year-ish Ahead: The 97th Academy Awards

Usually like to do these earlier in the month, but that's not what happened.

Last year, my April predictions for the 96th Academy Awards were my best ever, I'm pretty sure. I mean, golly, not only did I correctly predict many of the nominees, I correctly foresaw Oppenheimer's wins in Picture, Director, and Supporting Actor! I also knew The Holdovers was gonna do well, but - even to the end - I was too optimistic about Paul Giamatti's triumph. But gosh, 4/5 of the Best Actor nominees!

I don't expect to do that well again. But why not try?

Your Winners! For the 2023 Hollmann Awards!

Here we are. You've seen my Top Ten (and if you haven't, why not?) and you've looked at all the nominees (because I won't repeat all of them here!). Now, the final word on 2023 - my winners for the best in last year's cinema. The 2023 Hollmann Awards. Beginning with music:

The 2023 Hollmann Awards - The Nominees Are...

115 films seen - but only 33 nominated. Here they are:

Top Ten of 2023

With apologies to the almost-made-its - 12.12: The Day, Bottoms, Freud's Last Session, Godzilla Minus One, How to Blow Up a Pipeline, May December, Napoleon, Rustin, Thanksgiving, and The Zone of Interest - I present, in alphabetical order, my Top Ten Films of 2023: