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EPL's Oscar Picks 2016: Best Picture

February 28, 2016

We’re almost there. We’ve got one final EPL Oscar to award, and it’s the big one. The one for all the marbles, all the bragging rights, and all the EPL glory. Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, please allow us to present the EPL Oscar for Best Picture.

The Nominees Are…

Bridge of Spies

“I think Bridge of Spies was a very underrated movie and deserves to win.” — Bob Meyer

“Great acting and a great story!” — Judith Damin

Brooklyn

“I absolutely loved Brooklyn. There was something so relatable about the story, and I felt her journey to find “home” very deeply. Saoirse Ronan and her adorable love interest were fantastic.” — Gena Johnson

“Brooklyn has more heart than any film I’ve see in years.” — Anonymous

Mad Max: Fury Road

“There were some good films this year, but Mad Max: Fury Road was an adrenaline-fueled jolt of pure cinema and it ought to win everything.” — Joshua Corey

“Mad Max: Fury Road was amazing, and it is not the kind of movie that usually wins Best Picture.” — Elizabeth Sanderson

The Big Short

crickets chirp…

The Martian

“A well-done, well-acted, beautiful science fiction action flick… Ooh la la! It is a rare and beautiful thing.” — Bridget Petrites

“The Martian was fun to watch, and the Chinese saved the day.” — Scott Kelly

The Revenant

“The scenes in The Revenant were incredibly shot and created an intimate feeling even in vast landscapes.” — Carley Pernokas

“The cinematography was stunning. The complexity and multidimensionality with which it portrays Native American culture has been little commented on but is commendable.” — Hilde Kaiser

Room

“It’s got good buzz. Plus, it’s a smaller film and sometimes the Academy goes for that.” — Heather Plank

Spotlight

“Spotlight is in many ways the most ‘important’ movie nominated, highlighting a huge story.” — Pablo Rajczyk

“I could have watched this movie for another 4 hours. It was that good. I was completely immersed and on the edge of my seat.” — Heather Ross

And the EPL Oscar goes to…

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Film and Stage Composer Marvin Hamlisch, 1944-2012

August 8, 2012

Pulitzer-prize winning composer Marvin Hamlisch died Monday at the age of 68. He is one of a handful of artists to win all the major creative prizes, including an Oscar for The Way We Were, a Grammy for best new artist, and a Tony and Pulitzer for A Chorus Line. Born in 1944 in New York, he was reproducing on the piano songs he heard on the radio at the age of 5 and was accepted into the Juilliard school at the age of 7. He had a long association with Barbra Streisand, beginning when he was rehearsal pianist for her show Funny Girl. But he said he had to beg her to sing the theme song from the 1973 film The Way We Were, noting “she thought it was too simple.” His score for the film The Sting made him a household name. In recent years Mr. Hamlisch became an ambassador for music, performing and giving talks at schools, often criticizing the cuts in arts education. For the full obituary see this NYT article.

Laura

Read the Book, See the Movie, Watch the Oscars!

February 6, 2009

oscar It’s Oscar time again. The 81st Annual Academy Awards will be held in Los Angeles on February 22, 2009. As usual, Hollywood once again went to the bookshelves this year for source material. Many of this year’s nominated films are adapted from books and stage plays, including four of the five films nominated for Best Picture. So as you head off to the theater, cast your ballots, and plan your Oscar parties, why not check out some of the books that started it all? Among the nominees are:

imp_curious_case_of_benjamin_button The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was originally a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, written in 1921. It can be found in Fitzgerald’s short story collection. The film’s Oscar nominations include: Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Picture.

imp_doubt Doubt was a 2004 off-Broadway play by John Patrick Shanley. The film’s Oscar nominations include: Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, two Best Supporting Actress nominations, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Frost/Nixon was also a play, written in 2006 by the British dramatist and screenwriter Peter Morgan. The Film’s Oscar nominations include: Best Actor, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Picture.

The Reader was a 1995 novel written in German by the writer Bernhard Schlink. It has since been translated into 39 languages, and was a bestseller in Germany and the United States. The film’s Oscar nominations include: Best Actress, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Picture.

Revolutionary Road was the first novel by Richard Yates. It was a finalist for the National Book Award in 1962. The film’s Oscar nominations include: Best Supporting Actor.

Vikas Swarup is a diplomat and an author. His first novel, 2005’s Q and A was the basis for the film Slumdog Millioniaire. In addition to the film, the book has also been turned into a radio play and a stage adaptation, and has been translated into 36 languages. The film’s Oscar nominations include: Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Picture.