89th Annual Academy Awards: The Winners

Hey everyone!  Last night we saw the 89th Annual Academy Awards as they recognized the best and brightest in the world of film for 2016.  This will run down our predictions and all the winners for the night's festivities.  Check out the winner below and drop a comment with how your predictions compared!

Oscars Week Series: PREDICTIONS

Hey everyone! Welcome to a very special extra OSCAR WEEK SERIES article. This will run down the predictions in all 24 categories of three of our wonderful writing team. Check out the predictions below and drop a comment with how yours compare!

Oscars Week Series: BEST PICTURE REVIEWS

Welcome to our special OSCAR WEEK SERIES of reviews. This series will go through the seven categories in which an award is given based on the entire film (rather than any one constituent element). This seventh review in the series will go through the BEST PICTURE nominees.

Movie Review: MOONLIGHT (Review #2)

A young man deals with his dysfunctional home life and comes of age in Miami during the "War on Drugs" era. The story of his struggle to find himself is told across three defining chapters in his life as he experiences the ecstasy, pain, and beauty of falling in love while grappling with his own sexuality.

A small, little independent film, made for almost nothing that manages to transcend its limitations and be a full illustration of the power of the cinematic language, a real effort in the craftsmanship of images and sound for emotions, a wonderful piece of cinema, that just fell a little short from being a great one for me.

EDITORIAL: The Importance of the Blockbuster in an Age of Indie Film

Blockbuster films have been a big part of the theater experience for decades.  These are the types of films that tend to draw large crowds to the theater, and it's these crowds that keep studios and theaters alike running.  But lately, it's the independent film that has been gaining popularity, as we see more and more these films getting awards attention, and for good reason.  You want a fun, exciting time at the theater?  Then you'll probably want to see a blockbuster like Rogue One or Doctor Strange.  But, if you're looking for something with more heart and depth, something with a story that will stick with you long after seeing it, then independent films, such as Moonlight or Sing Street, are the way to go.

89th Academy Awards Nominations

Nominations for the 89th Annual Academy Awards were announced Tuesday morning with lots of great films scoring nominations.  Moonlight managed to grab 8 nominations, while La La Land scored a whopping 14 nominations, both of which are up for Best Picture.

This year's Oscar ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, will honor the best films of 2016 and will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on February 26, 2017. During the ceremony, The Academy will present awards in 24 categories (listed below). The ceremony, televised in the United States by ABC, will be hosted by television host Jimmy Kimmel and will air at 7 p.m. ET, so make sure to join us for this star-studded event, and check us out on Twitter where we will be live tweeting the whole night.

TOP 10 FILMS OF 2016

2016 was filled with so many great films, too many to list here unfortunately. So all of us here at Merc With A Movie Blog got together to pick our Top 10 of last year.  Some you may agree with, others you may not, but that's the great thing about film, it's all subjective.  So, without any further ado, here's our list of the Top 10 Films of 2016! Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Editorial: 2016 Retrospective

2016 has been a tough year, everyone. Regardless of your political leanings or your social status, a lot has happened this year to make a lot of people very, very depressed. Even within the film community, we’ve been hit with some dismal disappointments (from Independence Day 2 to Insert-Comic-Book-Movie-Here-That-You-Hated).

But, in America, today we are celebrating Thanksgiving -- a time to remember the good and be truly grateful. And, 2016 has given us much to be thankful for as film fans. Here’s my little trip down Memory Lane of, dare I say it, a DAMN good year for cinema-lovers.

Movie Review: MOONLIGHT

Moonlight is a 2016 film from director Barry Jenkins about a boy (and man) named Chiron who is gay in an environment (a poor, predominantly African-American, area of Miami) where being gay is not safe or socially accepted. Told in three acts covering three different moments in Chiron’s life, this film is an incredible introspective piece that is emotionally powerful, resonant, and complex. This film stars Alex R. Hibbert (Little – 9 year old Chiron), Ashton Sanders (Chiron – teenage years), Trevante Rhodes (Black – adult Chiron), André Holland, Jharrel Jerome, Jaden Piner, Naomie Harris, Janelle Monáe, and Mahershala Ali.

London Film Festival: MOONLIGHT

The London Film Festival continues, and the second film I had the pleasure of seeing was Barry Jenkins's potent masterpiece Moonlight, which I have decided, is my favourite film of 2016 so far. The film is about an African-American man who struggles to be himself over three periods of his life, trying to come out, but also stay faithful.