E Y E W E A R, THE BLOG BY TODD SWIFT

On a lighter note - Lord we need one - 2016 was a great year for cinema, popular, commercial, foreign and domestic, art-house and comic-book.  As I was reminded recently, the last time a film took all top 5 Oscars (Best film, director, producer, actor and actress) was 1991 for horror classic Silence of the Lambs (one would have thought Titanic, but Winslett did not win that year). 26 years later, this could happen again with La La Land - or not, so stiff is the competition.  If they use all ten places, here are the ten films Eyewear thinks the Academy will nominate for Best Picture, based on other prizes, and critical reception.

1. La La Land - the sentimental favourite, and one to beat, for its self-reflexive rescue of the musical;
2. Moonlight - a powerful contender, examining a young boy's life as a black gay person in Miami;
3. Manchester by the Sea - probably shoe in for Affleck as best actor;
4. Jackie - again, Portman would win for best actor here;
5. Fences - another brilliant …

Inthe Guardianyesterday (19th July),Peter WalkerandCharles Gantregarded what has become a virtual media monopoly in the UK – much maligned by some – and asked what will be missed when it’s gone. NotThe News of the World, but the Harry Potter franchise. While the losses to the UK’s filmmaking economy and skills base are being totted up, as a teary-eyed viewer I found myself posing the question critically: what will I find myself missing when there is no HP 7.75 or 9 rampaging through next summer’s schedules?

It’s a question with two aspects: the film and the series, not least because – unlikeLord of the Rings– it is not an auteurial project, but (almost) an old-fashioned studio film series, albeit one helmed most ably byDavid Yatesfor the final four films. The plot of the final film (and indeed the whole arc), that good triumphs over evil through its commitment to love, and its willingness to lose what it loves in order to protect larger concerns, is a well-worn one, albeit more appeali…

Eyewearers may beg to difffer - but here are the Top 140 Eyewear Films Of All Time.  Many are currently available at Amazon for under £10.  Have a good summer of visual pleasure! [editor's note: I have revised and expanded this list from the original 125, after considering the comments sent to me.]




After the Fox Aliens Altered States American Gigolo An Officer and a Gentleman Antichrist Apocalypse Now Barry Lyndon Barton Fink Black Book Black Narcissus Blade Runner Bonnie & Clyde Bram Stoker's Dracula Cape Fear Casablanca