Yearly Archives: 2020
Knives Out 2 Will Feature a ‘Whole New Cast’, Suggests Rian Johnson
Director Rian Johnson has teased the first details about Knives Out 2, suggesting the sequel will present a whole new cast, mystery, and location.
Speaking with SiriusXM, Johnson gave a hint about what might be in store for the recently-announced Knives Out sequel, as he revealed his plans to create "another Benoit Blanc mystery" akin to Agatha Christie's classics.
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"In my mind, I don't even think of it in terms of a sequel," the filmmaker explained. "Ever since we started working on this… look, if we can keep this going, the same way Agatha Christie wrote a bunch of Poirot novels, and then do that with Blanc and keep making new mysteries. Whole new cast, whole new locations. It's just another Benoit Blanc mystery and it seems like there's just so many different things you can do with it, you know?"
Johnson also shared some insight into the writing process, as he noted that, even when following a specific genre formula, there can be different ways to infiltrate a narrative and change its core components to "attack something totally new" thematically.
"What's actually satisfying at the end is not who did it and how and why," he said. "What's actually satisfying is the same thing as any other movie, which is there's a character you've been following that you care about, and you're worried about them, and then at the end in a way that's really satisfying, you come to a conclusion of their arc."
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Knives Out was a huge success for Lionsgate, earning close to $300 million at the worldwide box office.
In our review of the modern murder-mystery, we commended Johnson for crafting a whodunit that is "a genuine crowd-pleaser", exploiting "clever plotting and smart sleight of hand" to leave "audiences guessing until the final few reels."
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Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.
Oscars 2020: Netflix Only Wins Two Academy Awards
While this year's Academy Awards ceremony is notable for showering Parasite and director Bong Joon-ho in awards, and for giving Joaquin Phoenix a long overdue Best Actor Oscar, not every film was so fortunate. Looking at the lineup of Oscar winners, one consistent theme emerges - Netflix didn't fare so well this year.
In fact, though Netflix-distributed films earned a total of 24 nominations in various categories, only two of those nominations actually resulted in winners - Laura Dern for Best Supporting Actress and American Factory for Best Feature Documentary. Here's a closer look at where Netflix came up short.
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The Irishman Shut Out
The Irishman was easily Netflix's biggest awards contender coming into the ceremony, with the Martin Scorsese-directed crime drama earning no fewer than ten Academy Award nominations. Those nominations included Best Picture, Best Director and two separate Best Supporting Actor noms for Al Pacino and Joe Pesci. While the Academy has been notoriously stingy about doling out Oscars to Scorsese films - Scorsese himself didn't take home a Best Director Oscar until 2006's The Departed - it seemed like a safe bet The Irishman would receive some amount of recognition this year, if only in celebration of Scorsese's long, storied career. Instead, The Irishman was completely shut out of the awards, even in the Best Supporting Actor category. The Academy has been slow to recognize Netflix and other streaming services as legitimate competitors to the traditional Hollywood studios. The friction between Netflix and theater chains about the length of The Irishman's exclusive theatrical window may not have helped, either.Marriage Story's Lone Win
After The Irishman, Noah Baumbach's Marriage Story was Netflix's best chance at boosting its Oscar pedigree. And it did come through thanks to Laura Dern winning Best Supporting Actress, but after that early victory, Marriage Story was completely forgotten. While the film was always seen as a long shot for Best Picture, both Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson were considered strong contenders to win Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively. We suppose it never pays to go up against the Joker. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/09/30/the-irishman-review"]Other Netflix Shut-Outs
Apart from Dern's Oscar and American Factory's Best Feature Documentary win, it wasn't a great night for Netflix at the Academy Awards. The Two Popes was nominated in three categories - Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay - but lost in all three. Nor did Klaus manage to stop Toy Story 4 from bringing home yet another Best Animated Feature Film award for Pixar. In general, Netflix's performance in 2020 is a far cry from its 2019 successes. Netflix may have had fewer nominations last year (15), but it won more awards. The streaming service got a huge boost from Alfonso Cuarón's Roma, which won Oscars for Best Director, Best Foreign Language Film and Best Cinematography. We'll see if Netflix is able to bounce back in 2021. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.Oscars 2020: Netflix Only Wins Two Academy Awards
While this year's Academy Awards ceremony is notable for showering Parasite and director Bong Joon-ho in awards, and for giving Joaquin Phoenix a long overdue Best Actor Oscar, not every film was so fortunate. Looking at the lineup of Oscar winners, one consistent theme emerges - Netflix didn't fare so well this year.
In fact, though Netflix-distributed films earned a total of 24 nominations in various categories, only two of those nominations actually resulted in winners - Laura Dern for Best Supporting Actress and American Factory for Best Feature Documentary. Here's a closer look at where Netflix came up short.
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The Irishman Shut Out
The Irishman was easily Netflix's biggest awards contender coming into the ceremony, with the Martin Scorsese-directed crime drama earning no fewer than ten Academy Award nominations. Those nominations included Best Picture, Best Director and two separate Best Supporting Actor noms for Al Pacino and Joe Pesci. While the Academy has been notoriously stingy about doling out Oscars to Scorsese films - Scorsese himself didn't take home a Best Director Oscar until 2006's The Departed - it seemed like a safe bet The Irishman would receive some amount of recognition this year, if only in celebration of Scorsese's long, storied career. Instead, The Irishman was completely shut out of the awards, even in the Best Supporting Actor category. The Academy has been slow to recognize Netflix and other streaming services as legitimate competitors to the traditional Hollywood studios. The friction between Netflix and theater chains about the length of The Irishman's exclusive theatrical window may not have helped, either.Marriage Story's Lone Win
After The Irishman, Noah Baumbach's Marriage Story was Netflix's best chance at boosting its Oscar pedigree. And it did come through thanks to Laura Dern winning Best Supporting Actress, but after that early victory, Marriage Story was completely forgotten. While the film was always seen as a long shot for Best Picture, both Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson were considered strong contenders to win Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively. We suppose it never pays to go up against the Joker. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/09/30/the-irishman-review"]Other Netflix Shut-Outs
Apart from Dern's Oscar and American Factory's Best Feature Documentary win, it wasn't a great night for Netflix at the Academy Awards. The Two Popes was nominated in three categories - Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay - but lost in all three. Nor did Klaus manage to stop Toy Story 4 from bringing home yet another Best Animated Feature Film award for Pixar. In general, Netflix's performance in 2020 is a far cry from its 2019 successes. Netflix may have had fewer nominations last year (15), but it won more awards. The streaming service got a huge boost from Alfonso Cuarón's Roma, which won Oscars for Best Director, Best Foreign Language Film and Best Cinematography. We'll see if Netflix is able to bounce back in 2021. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.Parasite’s Bong Joon-ho Just Tied This Man for Most Oscar Wins in One Night
Not only did Bong Joo-ho's Parasite make history at this year's Oscars by being the first non-English language film to win the Best Picture award, but the writer/director himself actually tied a creative icon for most Oscar wins in a single ceremony.
Bong Joo-ho took home four Oscars tonight - for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and Best International Feature Film. In doing do he tied the record for most single night wins with...Walt Disney.
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Disney too brought home four Oscars back in 1954 - for The Living Desert (Best Documentary Feature), The Alaskan Eskimo (Best Documentary Short), Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom (Best Short Subject Cartoon), and Bear Country (Best Short Subject Two-Reel).
The pool for those who've taken home only three Oscars in one sitting is a little more crowed, as eleven people have accomplished that - including James Cameron, Peter Jackson and Alfonso Cuarón, to name a few.
Click here for the full list of all the Oscars 2020 Winners.
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Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.
Parasite’s Bong Joon-ho Just Tied This Man for Most Oscar Wins in One Night
Not only did Bong Joo-ho's Parasite make history at this year's Oscars by being the first non-English language film to win the Best Picture award, but the writer/director himself actually tied a creative icon for most Oscar wins in a single ceremony.
Bong Joo-ho took home four Oscars tonight - for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and Best International Feature Film. In doing do he tied the record for most single night wins with...Walt Disney.
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Disney too brought home four Oscars back in 1954 - for The Living Desert (Best Documentary Feature), The Alaskan Eskimo (Best Documentary Short), Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom (Best Short Subject Cartoon), and Bear Country (Best Short Subject Two-Reel).
The pool for those who've taken home only three Oscars in one sitting is a little more crowed, as eleven people have accomplished that - including James Cameron, Peter Jackson and Alfonso Cuarón, to name a few.
Click here for the full list of all the Oscars 2020 Winners.
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Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.
4 Ways Parasite Made Academy Awards History
Bong Joon-ho's Parasite is one of the big winners of the 2020 Academy Awards. Not only did the critically acclaimed film bring home multiple Oscars this year, it managed to make history in the process.
Read on to see all the ways in which Parasite achieved new milestones for South Korean filmmakers at this year's Oscars ceremony.
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Best Original Screenplay
Parasite took home an early win by beating out all challengers for Best Original Screenplay. In the process, it became the first South Korean film to win that award. It's all the more noteworthy achievement considering the Academy rarely nominates non-English language films in this category, much less gives them the top honor. For example, Alfonso Cuaron's Roma was the only non-English Language nominee in last year's Best Original Screenplay lineup, and it didn't win that category despite taking home the awards for Best Foreign Language Film, Best Cinematography and Best Director.Best International Feature Film
Parasite was a favorite to win the newly renamed Best International Feature Film category this year, and it didn't disappoint. It's now the first South Korean film to win that award. That may seem surprising given how robust the South Korean film industry is and how far this award (in its many varied forms) dates back in Oscars history. Prior to 2020, the category was known as Best Foreign Language Film, and Bong acknowledged and applauded the change during his acceptance speech. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/20/igns-best-movie-of-2019"]Best Director
In one of the most significant moments of the ceremony, Bong became the first South Korean person to win the Academy Award for Best Director. Bong was clearly moved by the honor, while also admitting he assumed his time in the spotlight was over after accepting the Oscar for Best International Feature Film.Best Picture
Parasite's hot streak continued through the very end, as it took home the top honor at this year's Academy Awards. Parasite is not only the first South Korean film to win Best Picture, but the first non-English language film of any kind to win that award. It's a real game-changer given the Academy's infamous track record in that regard. It's also worth noting that Parasite is the first film distributed by Neon to win Best Picture. Neon previously drew attention at the 2018 Academy Awards when I, Tonya's Allison Janney won Best Supporting Actress. Parasite was a popular pick in IGN's 2020 Oscar Predictions. Many writers wanted the film to win, but few expected it to actually take home the award. This is nothing if not a welcome surprise. To see why Parasite deserved all these accolades, check out our review of Bong Joon-ho's masterpiece and see why we picked it as IGN's best film of 2019. And find out all the winners from the 2020 Academy Awards here. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.4 Ways Parasite Made Academy Awards History
Bong Joon-ho's Parasite is one of the big winners of the 2020 Academy Awards. Not only did the critically acclaimed film bring home multiple Oscars this year, it managed to make history in the process.
Read on to see all the ways in which Parasite achieved new milestones for South Korean filmmakers at this year's Oscars ceremony.
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Best Original Screenplay
Parasite took home an early win by beating out all challengers for Best Original Screenplay. In the process, it became the first South Korean film to win that award. It's all the more noteworthy achievement considering the Academy rarely nominates non-English language films in this category, much less gives them the top honor. For example, Alfonso Cuaron's Roma was the only non-English Language nominee in last year's Best Original Screenplay lineup, and it didn't win that category despite taking home the awards for Best Foreign Language Film, Best Cinematography and Best Director.Best International Feature Film
Parasite was a favorite to win the newly renamed Best International Feature Film category this year, and it didn't disappoint. It's now the first South Korean film to win that award. That may seem surprising given how robust the South Korean film industry is and how far this award (in its many varied forms) dates back in Oscars history. Prior to 2020, the category was known as Best Foreign Language Film, and Bong acknowledged and applauded the change during his acceptance speech. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/20/igns-best-movie-of-2019"]Best Director
In one of the most significant moments of the ceremony, Bong became the first South Korean person to win the Academy Award for Best Director. Bong was clearly moved by the honor, while also admitting he assumed his time in the spotlight was over after accepting the Oscar for Best International Feature Film.Best Picture
Parasite's hot streak continued through the very end, as it took home the top honor at this year's Academy Awards. Parasite is not only the first South Korean film to win Best Picture, but the first non-English language film of any kind to win that award. It's a real game-changer given the Academy's infamous track record in that regard. It's also worth noting that Parasite is the first film distributed by Neon to win Best Picture. Neon previously drew attention at the 2018 Academy Awards when I, Tonya's Allison Janney won Best Supporting Actress. Parasite was a popular pick in IGN's 2020 Oscar Predictions. Many writers wanted the film to win, but few expected it to actually take home the award. This is nothing if not a welcome surprise. To see why Parasite deserved all these accolades, check out our review of Bong Joon-ho's masterpiece and see why we picked it as IGN's best film of 2019. And find out all the winners from the 2020 Academy Awards here. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.Joaquin Phoenix Wins First Oscar for Joker
Joaquin Phoenix has finally taken home an Academy Award, and he has the Clown Prince of Crime to thank.
Phoenix won the Oscar for Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in Joker. This was Phoenix's fourth Oscar nomination and first win, having previously been nominated for 2000's Gladiator, 2005's Walk the Line and 2012's The Master.
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Phoenix has the distinction of being only the second actor to win an Oscar for playing a superhero character. The first? None other than Heath Ledger, who won a posthumous Best Supporting Actor award for his performance as Joker in 2008's The Dark Knight. The Academy clearly love that Joker.
Joker was nominated for a total of 11 Academy Awards, but only took home one other Oscar, for Best Original Score. Phoenix also won big at the Screen Actors Guild Awards in January.
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Click here to see all the 2020 Oscar winners.
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Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
Joaquin Phoenix Wins First Oscar for Joker
Joaquin Phoenix has finally taken home an Academy Award, and he has the Clown Prince of Crime to thank.
Phoenix won the Oscar for Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in Joker. This was Phoenix's fourth Oscar nomination and first win, having previously been nominated for 2000's Gladiator, 2005's Walk the Line and 2012's The Master.
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Phoenix has the distinction of being only the second actor to win an Oscar for playing a superhero character. The first? None other than Heath Ledger, who won a posthumous Best Supporting Actor award for his performance as Joker in 2008's The Dark Knight. The Academy clearly love that Joker.
Joker was nominated for a total of 11 Academy Awards, but only took home one other Oscar, for Best Original Score. Phoenix also won big at the Screen Actors Guild Awards in January.
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Click here to see all the 2020 Oscar winners.
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Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
Oscar Winners 2020: The Complete List
The 92nd Academy Awards were held Sunday, February 9, 2020, wherein the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced their picks for the best films and artists of 2019 during a hostless ceremony broadcast on ABC. Although Joker lead the pack with 11 nominations, it only took home two (for Best Actor and Original Score) while Netflix only won two out of their 24 noms. No, Oscar night clearly belonged to Parasite, which became the first foreign language film to win Best Picture.
Parasite was also the first South Korean film to win Best Original Screenplay, Best International Feature Film, and Best Director (for Bong Joon-ho).
Our staff had overwhelmingly predicted that 1917 will win Best Picture, even though the majority of us stated their preference was that Parasite should win instead. (IGN named Parasite as the Best Movie of 2019, after all.) So needless to say there are a lot of happy IGN folks tonight!
Renée Zellweger in Judy.[/caption]
Brad Pitt in Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood.[/caption]
Laura Dern, Marriage Story[/caption]
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Little Women[/caption]
The Oscar Winners 2020: The Complete List
Best Picture
- Parasite (WINNER)
- Ford V Ferrari
- The Irishman
- Jojo Rabbit
- Joker
- Little Women
- Marriage Story
- 1917
- Once Upon a Time In… Hollywood
Directing
- Bong Joon-ho, Parasite (WINNER)
- Martin Scorsese, The Irishman
- Todd Phillips, Joker
- Sam Mendes, 1917
- Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time In… Hollywood
Actor in a Leading Role
- Joaquin Phoenix, Joker (WINNER)
- Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory
- Leonardo DiCaprio, Once Upon a Time In… Hollywood
- Adam Driver, Marriage Story
- Jonathan Pryce, The Two Popes
Actress in a Leading Role
- Renée Zellweger, Judy (WINNER)
- Cynthia Erivo, Harriet
- Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story
- Saoirse Ronan, Little Women
- Charlize Theron, Bombshell
Renée Zellweger in Judy.[/caption]
Actor in a Supporting Role
- Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood (WINNER)
- Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
- Anthony Hopkins, The Two Popes
- Al Pacino, The Irishman
- Joe Pesci, The Irishman
Brad Pitt in Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood.[/caption]
Actress in a Supporting Role
- Laura Dern, Marriage Story (WINNER)
- Kathy Bates, Richard Jewell
- Scarlett Johansson, Jojo Rabbit
- Florence Pugh, Little Women
- Margot Robbie, Bombshell
Laura Dern, Marriage Story[/caption]
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Adapted Screenplay
- Jojo Rabbit (WINNER)
- The Irishman
- Joker
- Little Women
- The Two Popes
Original Screenplay
- Parasite (WINNER)
- Knives Out
- Marriage Story
- 1917
- Once Upon a Time In… Hollywood
Cinematography
- 1917 (WINNER)
- The Irishman
- Joker
- The Lighthouse
- Once Upon a Time In… Hollywood
Animated Feature Film
- Toy Story 4 (WINNER)
- How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
- I Lost My Body
- Klaus
- Missing Link
Original Score
- Joker (WINNER)
- Little Women
- Marriage Story
- 1917
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Original Song
- "(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again", Rocketman (Winner)
- "I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away", Toy Story 4
- "I’m Standing With You", Breakthrough
- "Into The Unknown", Frozen II
- "Stand Up", Harriet
Production Design
- Once Upon a Time In… Hollywood (WINNER)
- The Irishman
- Jojo Rabbit
- 1917
- Parasite
Film Editing
- Ford v Ferrari (WINNER)
- The Irishman
- Jojo Rabbit
- Joker
- Parasite
Documentary Feature
- American Factory (WINNER)
- The Cave
- The Edge of Democracy
- For Sama
- Honeyland
Documentary Short Subject
- Learning To Skateboard In a Warzone (If You’re a Girl) (WINNER)
- In The Absence
- Life Overtakes Me
- St. Louis Superman
- Walk Run Cha-Cha
International Feature Film
- Parasite (South Korea) (WINNER)
- Corpus Christi (Poland)
- Holy Land (North Macedonia)
- Les Misérables (France)
- Pain and Glory (Spain)
Makeup and Hairstyling
- Bombshell (WINNER)
- Joker
- Judy
- Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
- 1917
Visual Effects
- 1917 (WINNER)
- Avengers: Endgame
- The Irishman
- The Lion King
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Costume Design
- Little Women (WINNER)
- The Irishman
- Jojo Rabbit
- Joker
- Once Upon a Time In... Hollywood
Little Women[/caption]
Animated Short Film
- Hair Love (WINNER)
- Dcera (Daughter)
- Kitbull
- Memorable
- Sister
Live Action Short Film
- The Neighbors’ Window (WINNER)
- Brotherhood
- Nefta Football Club
- Saria
- A Sister
Sound Editing
- Ford V Ferrari (WINNER)
- Joker
- 1917
- Once Upon a Time In... Hollywood
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Sound Mixing
- 1917 (WINNER)
- Ad Astra
- Ford v Ferrari
- Joker
- Once Upon a Time In... Hollywood
