After winning the Producer’s Guild of America, Sam Mendes’ “1917” just received another major Oscar boost. Mendes won the Producer’s Guild of America on Saturday evening. That does it, right? “1917” will be winning Best Picture come Oscar night on February 9th. Winning the DGA and PGA is akin to having the Best Picture odds go unequivocally in your favor. in fact, if “1917” does, for some reason, end up losing the big prize on Oscar night then I will be totally shocked. The film has hit a soft spot within the industry, the academy are suckers for this kind of movie; a highly-stylized WWII movie with a ‘Birdman’ style one-take gimmick and a none-too-complicated plot. That’s a recipe for success if you ever want Oscar’s attention.
With all the awards bodies winding down, this is turning into one of the more predictable Oscar ceremonies. Joaquin Pheonix, Renee Zellweger, Brad Pitt and Laura Dern are all expected to win in their respective categories. However, the only major category I’m not ready to call it a day on is Best Director. Yes, Mendes just won, but you can’t deny the Bong Joon-ho factor. The guy has practically become an overnight sensation in Tinseltown. Jeffrey Wells over at Hollywood-Elsewhere agrees with me, but calls the potential of Bong winning a “sympathy vote.” I don’t see it that way at all. Bong winning Best Director would be because the masses actually love “Parasite.”
Still no distributor for "Bucking Fastard," "Alpha Gang," "The Last Photograph," "Closing Night," and "The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd." The issue seems to be quality more than a lack of willingness to buy.