Director Bob Morrow has joined Los Angeles production house A Common Thread, where he recently completed a package of branded web shorts featuring Iron Chef Cat Cora for Palmolive. Morrow previously was a creative director at Kansas City, Mo.-based retail branding agency Bernstein-Rein….Mike Shackle has joined Deutsch New York as sr. VP/group creative director on the Microsoft account. Deutsch was awarded the global Cloud Computing business in August 2010, and in May was handed the Microsoft Office 365 business, doubling its portfolio of Microsoft business. Most recently, Shackle was executive creative director at BBH New York, where he led creative for the global Vaseline and Ally Bank accounts. Prior to BBH, he worked as exec creative director at Y&R/Enfatico in Beijing on the Land Rover account, for which he helped win the agency its first Cannes Lion….John Tissavary has joined Southfield, Mich.-based Postique where he will be supervising the DI department as well as serving as a consultant on digital intermediate projects for Grace & Wild Studios. Postique is a division of Grace & Wild, Inc. Tissavary brings more than 25 years experience in the filmmaking and commercial world to Postique. Throughout his career, he has served as producer, director, colorist and visual effects artist for a wide variety of projects ranging from feature films (The Matrix, Ocean's 11, Scorpion King, Stealth) to commercial and music video projects of every conceivable size and budget. He is an expert in digital intermediate workflows, and specifically consults on RED One workflows and the Scratch color correction software. Tissavary most recently held the position of president of Maxsar Post. Tissavary joins the DI team, which includes senior colorist John Cathel and associate colorist Chuck Klatt from Postique along with senior colorists Pat Mathews and Rob Randall from Grace & Wild Studios….
Oscar Countdown: What’s Going To Win Best Picture? Ranking The Field Of Nominees
The inner-Vatican machinations of "Conclave" have nothing on this year's Oscar race.
Just as Edward Berger's film juggles various candidates for the papacy, the race for best picture at the Academy Awards has seen one favorite replaced by another, and then another.
While some clarity has lately emerged, with a handful of big wins for Sean Baker's "Anora," it seems likely to be a nail biter until a winner is declared at the March 2 Oscars, when white smoke unfurls from the Sistine Chapel, I mean the Dolby Theatre.
As of now, "Anora" is the clear frontrunner thanks to wins with the Producers Guild and the Directors Guild — both prizes with a long history of predicting Oscar winners. Where the Screen Actors Guild and the BAFTAs fall will offer the last major clues.
But unlike years like last year, when "Oppenheimer" was way ahead wire to wire, no lead in this year's best picture race seems ironclad. So, with that in mind, here are the best picture nominees, ranked in order of least likely to win to most likely to win. It's telling that at least half of these films, with three weeks to go, still have a chance.
10. "Nickel Boys"
If this was a ranking of merit, RaMell Ross's movie would be first. Ross' film, thrillingly and thoughtfully shot largely in first person, introduced a new filmic grammar to American movies. But "Nickel Boys" was seemingly on the cusp of getting a nomination, so we should just be glad it's counted here among the best of the year.
9. "Dune: Part Two"
Denis Villeneuve's first Frank Herbert adaptation garnered 10 nominations and won six. "Part Two" hasn't been the same awards force. It's up for five nominations and will probably walk home with one or two... Read More