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In anticipation to the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony, which will be held on April 25, I have decided to write a series of articles related to the most prestigious awards in the movie industry. Two weeks ago I talked about the birth of the Academy Awards , and last week I wrote about Wings (1927), the first ever film to win the statuette for Best Picture. For this week, I bring you 10 interesting facts about the Academy Awards, plus some bonus facts. (All of these stand true as of the writing of this post; changes may occur in the future. )   1. The least and most expensive winners Moonlight (2017), directed by Barry Jenkins, stands as the lowest-budgeted film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, with a budget of $1.5 million. In contrast, James Cameron's Titanic (1997) is the most expensive winner, with a budget of $200 million. Bonus fact: Moonlight is also the first film with an all-black cast to win Best Picture.   2. Dual nominations for the same role Barry Fit...

In Portugal (where I'm from), Father's Day is celebrated on March 19. So, for this week's «Film Friday» I thought I'd bring you a film that features a father as its main character. Directed by Michael Curtiz, Life With Father (1947) follows stockbroker Clarence Day (William Powell), who strives to make his 1890s New York City household run as efficiently as his business. He and his wife Vinnie (Irene Dunne) have four sons. The eldest, Clarence, Jr. (Jimmy Lydon), is headed for Yale. John (Martin Milner), the next eldest, likes to invent things, while brother Whitney (Johnny Calkins) struggles to learn his catechism, and Harlan (Derek Scott), the youngest, is most interested in his dog. Knowing how much Clarence dislikes it when visitors stay in the house, Vinnie neglects to tell her husband that their cousin, Cora Cartwright (ZaSu Pitts), and her young companion, Mary Skinner (Elizabeth Taylor), will spend a week with them.   Irene Dunne, William Powell, Jimmy Lydon a...

For my second Oscar-related «Film Friday» I'm bringing you one of the five Best Picture nominees at the 28th Academy Awards ceremony in March 1956. This also serves to honour Jack Lemmon's 92th birthday, which was on Wednesday. Directed by John Ford and Mervyn LeRoy, Mister Roberts (1955) is set aboard the USS Reluctant , where executive officer Lieutenant Junior Grade Douglas A. «Doug» Roberts (Henry Fonda) tries to shield the dispirited crew from the harsh and unpopular captain, Lieutenant Commander Morton (James Cagney). World War II is winding down and Roberts fears he will miss his chance to get into the fighting. He repeatedly asks to be assigned to another ship, but Morton, anxious to use Roberts to expedite his own promotion, refuses to sign any of his transfer requests. Roberts shares his quarters with Ensign Frank Thurlowe Pulver (Jack Lemmon), the laundry and morale officer. Pulver spends most of his time idling in his bunk and avoids the captain at all costs, so mu...

This week on "Film Friday" I am celebrating William Powell's 124th birthday by telling you a little bit about what is arguably h is most iconic picture. Incidentally, this was the first William Powell film I ever saw and it remains my personal favorite.    Theatrical release poster Directed by W. S. Dyke, The Thin Man (1934) begins when Dorothy Wynant (Maureen O'Sullivan ) announces to her inv entor father, Clyde (Edw ard El li s), her plans to marry Tommy (Henry Wadsworth). Sh ortl y af terwards, Wynant goes on a secret business trip, but p romises to be back in time for D orothy's wedding. As the day appro aches and Wynant fails to retu rn, Dorothy worries , while her mother M i mi (Minna Gombell) is fran tic that her ex-husband is unavailable to give her and her new spouse, Chris Jorgenson (Cesar Romero), more money. When Mimi visits Wynant' s mistress , Julia Wolf (Natalie Moore hard), to ask for money, she finds only he r dead body . Evidence...