Weird Academy Awards Fact

 

Brennan with Gary Cooper in 'The Westerner"

Walter Brennan is the only actor ever to have won three Oscars within a five-year period. Best known for playing grumpy old-men characters, Brennan was a great actor who commanded the roles he played and had the ability of stealing a scene even when playing opposite A-list actors.

His career spanned over five decades and included acting in comedies to dramas. From classic oaters like Rio Bravo, and The Westerner, his gravelly voice was easily recognized, and he sometimes acted without has teeth (his were knocked out in a fight). He also had the ability to play different ages of characters - from old men to young types. 

Another first for Brennan is that he was the very first actor to receive a Best Supporting Actor Oscar, which he received in 1937 for his role in Come and Get It. His second Oscar was awarded in 1938 for his role in Kentucy, in which he played an old grouch (which he carried throughout his career). His third Oscar can in 1940 for his role in The Westerner opposite Gary Cooper, where he played a villainous Judge Roy Bean.

Now, back in the day, extras were allowed to vote for Oscar recipients, and Brennan (who worked as an extra and knew many of them) perhaps earned favorite son votes. However, over his long career he is universally regarded as of a one of Hollywood's greatest character actors. And he still remains the only actor to have won three Best Supporting Oscars.

Brennan played a staggering, 230 feature films or TV shows. Several of which were: To Have an have Not, Red River, Bad Day at Black Rock, Once Upon a Time in the West, and Support Your Local Sheriff.

Note: after receiving his third Oscar win, the Academy changed its voting rules and extras were no longer qualified to vote. 

By: Jim Lavorato, Entertainment Equipment Corp.

My 2024 Oscar Picks

 

It's always fun to guess which films will win at the Oscars and 2024 is going to be difficult. There were no really clear winners, and the selection was very limited...but here goes.

Best Picture - 'Oppenheimer'

Best Director - Chris Nolan - 'Oppenheimer'

Best Actor - Paul Giamatti - 'The Holdovers' (this is my real outlier)

Best Actress - Lily Gladstone - 'Killers of the Flower Moon'

Best Supporting Actor - Robert Downey Jr. - 'Oppenheimer'

Best Supporting Actress - America Ferrera - 'Barbie'

Best Animated Feature - 'Elemental'

Best Documentary - '20 Days in Mariupol'

Best Original Song - Scott George - 'A Song for My People' - 'Killers of the Flower Moon'

Visual Effects - 'Mission Impossible, Dead Reckoning #1'

Of course, there are always the films that were overlooked or snubbed for one reason or another,

those films were:

• Super Mario Bros.
• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol3
• Fast X
• Wonka
• Sound of Freedom

By: Jim Lavorato, Entertainment Equipment Corp.

Where Do You Get Your NEWS?

Most don't get their news from the so-called mainstream networks.

 I don't normally go off course and write about non-cinema topics, but I came across a review of cable and broadcast news shows' statistics which astounded me. These stats came from the latest issue of 'Broadcasting + Cable Multichannel News', a trade publication of the broadcast/cable TV industry.

The title of the article, 'News Insights, Fall 2023', detailed the total cable/broadcast news networks' viewership. To my surprise, this entire segment totaled only 9.81% of all linear TV network watch-time. 

The network rankings were as follows:

1. Fox News - 4.54%
2. MSNBC - 1.99%
3. CNN - 1.72%
4. Newsmax TV - 0.57%
5. CNBC - 0.38%
6. Fox Business - 0.33%
7. NewsNation - 0.22%
8. CSPAN - 0.06%

What this tells you is that people are not getting their news from broadcast or cable the majority of the time. They simply do not watch news programming or (which is most likely the case) get it from the internet. I can surely attest to this fact, as I do not watch any of the above listed shows. I fact, when I thought about it, I get most of my news from webinars, podcasts, or online sources, such as YouTube and Twitter.

The golden age of news programming is over, replaced by marginal news operations, which in many cases do not represent news or investigative reporting but a mirror of what the political parties decide what is newsworthy and what is not. 

By: Jim Lavorato, Entertainment Equipment Corp.

Mega-Monsters Are Back

Classic movie monsters such as Godzilla, Gamera and King Kong are back and generating both movie admissions and TV/streaming media viewership. 

The sci-fi monsters originating from the 1950s Japanese cinema are back in a big way as they decimate humanity with huge destructive powers. Today's audiences are still being thrilled by these monsters which through the use of today's special effects are more real than ever before. 

Shows like Monarch: Legacy of Monsters and series like Skull Island and Gamera Rebirth are very popular on streaming media. 

Sci-fi author Richard Newby thinks, "These monsters have such a lasting impact because that they are born out of tragedy and a fear of the future. The current shape of the world requires a lot of contemplation - these monsters work really well as metaphors."

Many of the current monsters have a brand, they are known throughout the world from their classic Japanese origins in films from the 1950s and 60s. Termed Kaiju, which is the term given to the subgenre of sci-fi films specific to giant monsters - Godzilla, Mothra, and Rodan are tattooed into the history of cult-classic film characters. Not to mention, King Kong, which started in the 1930s and has been remade more times than any other movie character. 

These classic monsters are now being introduced to a new audience which are seeking thrills and escapism as their grandparents and parents did decades ago. For example, Netflix has secured the rights to the Japanese produced animated series Gamera Rebirth, which resurrects the fire-breathing prehistoric amphibian first seen in 1965 in the black and white film Gamera, the Giant Monster. And Pluto TV launched a 24-hour Godzilla channel (with 27 original Godzilla movies).

Godzilla remains the preeminent fan favorite. The recent film, Godzilla Minus One, set an opening U.S. box office record for a live-action Japanese release at $11 million. 

Look for Godzilla vs. Kong: The New Empire, at your local cinema which has a scheduled March release.

By: Jim Lavorato, Entertainment Equipment Corp.

Real War Games & Sci-fi Writers

 

For years, governments have hired sci-fi writers to prognosticate military and defense scenarios. For example, last year the U.K. Ministry of Defense contracted sci-fi writers Peter Singer and August Cole to compose eight stories about possible national threats that could emerge over the next 20 years. 

In France, the 'Red Team', a group of futuristic writers were hired to propose imaginary conflict situations for the French military.

Good sci-fi writing is based upon comprehensive and deep research and then draws possible scenarios on the ways to resolve future potential problems. For example, what would occur should China invade Taiwan over the next 10 years based upon the technologies that are now being developed for future military use?

The past has shown that unanticipated threats can turn into reality, and sci-fi writers often do predict the future particularly when it deals with military/defense strategies. 

Recently, Antonio Tajani, Italy's Foreign Minister proposed the formation of a combined EU army as an expansion of NATO ability to defend Europe - from internal and external threats. This idea had been previously called for by French President Macron and former German President Merkel and was spawned by sci-fi contractors. An EU army would ease dependence on the U.S. military, bolster NATO's status globally, and be a deterrence regarding internal strife and terrorism. 

There is no doubt that defense and military capabilities are at the top of all developed and most developing counties long-term agendas - and we can be sure that sci-fi writers have had their input duly noted in any strategic planning that takes place. 

By: Jim Lavorato, President, Entertainment Equipment Corp.

2023 - A Quick Recap

 

The 2023 box office totaled out at $9bn with two films, 'Barbie' and 'Oppenheimer' accounting for 10% of that total. I would look for 'Oppenheimer' to win big at the award shows.

The global box office finalized at a whopping 30.5% increase over 2022, and although still below pre-COVID levels 2023 was a significant improvement over the prior year.

For the first time in 7 years, Disney was dethroned as the top box office generator and was replaced by Universal - which released 24 features and earned $1.94bn of the $9bn North American box office total.

Universal's big winners included: 'Mario Bros.', 'Fast X', 'Five Nights at Freddy's', ' The Exorcist', and 'Knock at the Cabin' - and, of course 'Oppenheimer'. 

By: Jim Lavorato, Entertainment Equipment Corp.