After passing over arguably Hollywood’s foremost big-screen auteur for years, the Oscars made up for lost time by heaping seven awards on Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster biopic, including best actor for Cillian Murphy, best supporting actor for Robert Downey Jr. and best director for Nolan.
Oscars
Christopher Nolan’s three-hour opus, viewed as the best picture frontrunner, received nods for best picture; Nolan’s direction; acting nominations for Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr. and Emily Blunt; and multiple honors for the sweeping craft of the J. Robert Oppenheimer drama.
Ruth Carter is a groundbreaking costume designer known for her long collaboration with Spike Lee and her work on the “Black Panther” movies. She is the only Black woman to have two Academy Awards.
The 2023 Academy Awards will see historic Asian representation, but the Oscars are still coming under fire over issues of representation, even eight years after the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite led to a reckoning within the Academy.
Will Smith has again apologized to Chris Rock for slapping him during the Oscar telecast in a new video, saying that his behavior was “unacceptable” and that he had reached out to the comedian to discuss the incident but was told Rock wasn’t ready.
The Academy Awards named an unabashed crowd-pleaser, the deaf family drama “CODA,” best picture Sunday, handing Hollywood’s top award to a streaming service for the first time in a ceremony that saw the greatest drama when Will Smith strode onstage and slapped Chris Rock.
A local filmmaker was honored with an Academy Award nomination for the documentary, Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall. Though the film buzz has ended, its creator is on a mission to bring more inmate-operated hospice care to prisons all over the country. We talk with him about his efforts and the prison hospice system in Illinois.
The 87th Academy Awards are on Sunday and there is substantial buzz over who will win Best Picture. From the innovative film Birdman starring Michael Keaton to Richard Linklater's work Boyhood that spanned 12 years, the competition is stiff. Who made the cut and who got snubbed? Chicago film critics Jeanne Kaplan and Ray Pride join us to discuss the year's best films.
In this web extra conversation, our Week in Review panelists chat about Michelle Obama’s trip home to Chicago to promote her “Let’s Move” anti-obesity campaign. They also weigh in on the First Lady’s surprise turn as a presenter at the Oscars.
The 2013 Oscar nominations are officially public. We talk with two film critics about the crowded field of contenders for Hollywood’s top prize.
We take you inside the North Side plant where the Academy Awards are made. You might be surprised to learn about the other famous trophies produced right here in Chicago. Ash-har Quraishi has the story.
Martin Scorsese's film Hugo leads the pack in today's Oscar nominations. Film critic Ignatiy Vishnevetsky joins us with his picks and some surprises.