That Jordan Peele’s Get Out just won a prestigious writing award a full year after it was released is proof of its staying power. For Jeff Wells at Hollywood-Elsewhere, however, it is a crime of epic proportions that Get Out won the WGA and very well might win Best Picture. Even though it made $175 million on a $4 million budget. Even though it’s one of the most talked about films of the year, probably birthed a whole new generation of filmmakers and defies any sort of genre definition. What is it about Get Out people like? It’s hard to define but doing poll after poll the film rises to the top. It reminds me of The Departed, a movie people didn’t think was “Oscar-y” enough to win. But The Departed was plenty good enough and remains one of their best decisions. This is the kind of thing the industry says they want – it’s original, not a superhero movie, was made on a tiny budget and succeeded beyond anyone’s expectations. What more could anyone ask for? In his column he tries to wrestle out his bitterness with some Oscar analysis (which is wrong), “The reasons for Shape‘s possible victory: (a) it’s a lot warmer than Dunkirk and certainly warmer than the somewhat jagged-edged Three Billboards, (b) it isn’t dealing gay cards,” – hm. Maybe he didn’t actually watch The Shape of Water?
Armie Hammer and Timothee Chalamet are inviting one lucky fan to dinner before the Oscars. Might it be you?
The Carpetbagger ruminates on how The Shape of Water became an Oscar frontrunner.
Santa Monica Seafood gets into the Oscar game, courtesy of @WilliamBibbiani
And last but not least, here is Dee Rees on the Academy’s official Instagram: