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IATSE, the largest union representing behind-the-scenes workers in North America, issued a statement slamming the Academy’s decision to pre-record eight crafts and shorts categories and edit them into the otherwise live event. “By the nature of our jobs, behind the scenes, workers get little recognition as is, despite being the backbone of every production,” IATSE International President Matthew D. Loeb said. “The Academy Awards has been virtually the only venue where the very best on and off the big screen, above and below the line gather to honor each other’s incredible contributions through their crafts, inspiring millions who tune into the TV Broadcast in the process....

For everything Sundance we’ve published over the past few days (and the weeks leading up to the festival) check this out,, but what did you really want to see out of Sundance? We’ve got a pretty good idea. Our preview of hot sales titles (heavy on the genre films and documentaries) was of big interest and our top pick, Cooper Raiff’s “Cha Cha Real Smooth” sold to Apple for a hefty $15 million....

IndieWire’s Deputy TV Editor and TV Critic Ben Travers also won an award for Entertainment Commentary for his piece TV’s IP Problem: How Reboots, Spinoffs, and Blockbuster Franchises Could Shape the Future. Travers’ win was accompanied by a judge’s comment that noted “the writer brilliantly argues that the repetitive nature of the blockbuster mentality is at the expense of originality we all will have to pay for.” In his essay, Travers argues that “today, TV does it all, and when it comes to scripted series, the small screen is seeing an influx of reboots, revivals, and sequels, some of which take the form of big-budget franchises....

Under the terms of the National Film Preservation Act, the movies must be at least 10 years old, and this year’s additions feature many film fan favorites. As reported by Variety, among them are “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” from 2001, “Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi” from 1983, Pixar’s “WALL-E” from 2008, 1997’s beloved musical biopic “Selena,” pioneering Black lesbian drama “The Watermelon Woman” from 1996, the cult classic original “A Nightmare on Elm Street” from 1984, and even a few canonical classics like “The Long Goodbye,” “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?...

Among the theater adaptations, auteurs have the advantage with Academy voters. Debuting at Sundance and relaunching at the fall festivals was “The Father” (Sony Pictures Classics), which French playwright-turned-director Florian Zeller adapted with Christopher Hampton from his popular stage play (“La Pere”). Anthony Hopkins plays an imperious old man who tussles with his daughter (Olivia Colman) as he struggles to keep track of his changing surroundings. The script won the BAFTA....

Signaling possible weakness for David Fincher’s “Mank,” Oscar newbie Amanda Seyfried did not land a SAG spot for her role as Marion Davies opposite Charles Dance as partner William Randolph Hearst in David Fincher’s “Mank” (Netflix), but she could win here. Long overdue Glenn Close (eight nominations) could finally score as Mawmaw, an Appalachian living in Ohio in Ron Howard’s controversial “Hillbilly Elegy.” Close will vie against past rival, Oscar-winner Olivia Colman (“The Favourite”) as a daughter tangling with octogenarian Anthony Hopkins in Sundance drama “The Father” (Sony Pictures Classics), who landed Globes, Critics Choice, and SAG nominations....

“Skin: A History of Nudity in the Movies” opens with the idea that Hollywood, way back when, was far less prude than it is now — “the Sodom of the pacific,” one critic says — dating all the way back to D.W. Griffiths’ problematic early movies. But before the Hays Code made nudity in films a moral concern through its censorship guidelines, there was also no protection for actors, which is to say nothing in the way of human resources for the performers....