BEST PICTURE NOMINEES: THE FATHER David Parfitt, Jean-Louis Livi and Philippe Carcassonne, Producers JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH: Shaka King, Charles D. King and Ryan Coogler, Producers MANK Ceán Chaffin, Eric Roth and Douglas Urbanski, Producers MINARI Christina Oh, Producer NOMADLAND: Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey and Chloé Zhao, Producers Nomadland was … Continue reading Top Oscar Best Picture Contenders for Review→
Upcoming drama focusing on the complicated matters of Love
Zendaya, most recently known for her HBO episodic work in “Euphoria” is making a return to the big screen for the Netflix. The actress will be joining John David Washington (“Tenet”) in the romance film “Malcolm & Marie”, which was shot in black and white.
The upcoming film was created by Sam Levinson (also writer, producer and director of “Euphoria”) and was among the first films that were put together during the pandemic. It has been reported that the production team went above and beyond with precautions to be compliant with the covid-19 protocols.
“Malcolm & Marie” focuses in on a couple’s conversation regarding their past relationships.
The film, which is scheduled for release Feb. 5, has already started to stir up talks of an Academy Award nomination for Zendaya, and as can be hinted from trailer she gives highly charged, emotional performance.
“I am so grateful to this cast and crew, many of whom are my ‘Euphoria’ family, for coming together during such uncertain times. We felt privileged to be able to make this film together and we did so with a lot of love. We are all thrilled that it has ended up with Netflix which is unparalleled in allowing filmmakers the freedom to tell their stories that reach audiences all over the world.”
Academy Award winner George Clooney has taken on the ambitious task of both producing and starring in the Netflix movie “The Midnight Sky”. The film is based and adapted off the science fiction novel by Lily Brooks-Dalton called “Good Morning, Midnight”.
The movie, which has already been delivered as a crowdpleaser among those that viewed the film early, has garnered talks that Clooney is in line for multiple Oscar category nominations; for best director and picture. Clooney’s fellow cast include: Felicity Jones and David Oyelowo.
Hope finds a way. From Academy Award® winner George Clooney, The Midnight Sky premieres on Netflix December 23rd. pic.twitter.com/BQpYn03Fpm
The film is a post-apocalyptic story about an astronomer named Augustine, played by Clooney. Set in a remote outpost in the Arctic, he receives news of a catastrophic event, forcing him and his fellow scientists to evacuate. After refusing to leave his post, he come across a mysterious child, Iris, played by newcomer actor Caoilinn Springall. Together they race to contact a group of astronauts who are making their return home from a mission to Jupiter in order to avoid the global catastrophe.
Check out “The Midnight Sky” which will be released on the streaming platform Netflix come December 23.
Disney’s Slate Continues to Outperform Commercially, if not always Critically Although the first animated feature film debuted way back in 1939 with “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves,” the Best Animated Feature category at the Academy Awards has only existed for nineteen years, arriving in 2001 when DreamWorks’ “Shrek” won the inaugural prize. Although “Shrek” … Continue reading After “Toy Story 4” Grabs Oscar for Best Animated Feature, Pixar is still Lightyears ahead→
1917 The Irishman Jojo Rabbit Joker Little Women Marriage Story Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood Parasite√ Ford v Ferrari
“Parasite”
Best director
Bong Joon-ho, Parasite√ Sam Mendes, 1917 Todd Phillips, Joker Martin Scorsese, The Irishman Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
“Joker”
Best actor
Joaquin Phoenix, Joker√ Leonardo DiCaprio, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory Adam Driver, Marriage Story Jonathan Pryce, The Two Popes
“Judy”
Best actress
Cynthia Erivo, Harriet Renée Zellweger, Judy√ Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story Charlize Theron, Bombshell Saoirse Ronan, Little Women
“Ford vs. Ferrari”
Best film editing
The Irishman Jojo Rabbit Joker Ford v Ferrari√ Parasite
Best supporting actress
Laura Dern, Marriage Story√ Florence Pugh, Little Women Margot Robbie, Bombshell Kathy Bates, Richard Jewell Scarlett Johansson, Jojo Rabbit
Best cinematography
Roger Deakins, 1917√ Rodrigo Prieto, The Irishman Lawrence Sher, Joker Jarin Blaschke, The Lighthouse Robert Richardson, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
Best sound mixing
Ad Astra Joker 1917√ Ford v Ferrari Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
Best sound editing
1917 Ford v Ferrari√ Joker Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Documentary short feature
In the Absence Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl)√ Life Overtakes Me St. Louis Superman Walk Run Cha-Cha
Documentary feature
American Factory√ The Cave The Edge of Democracy For Sama Honeyland
Best costume design
Sandy Powell & Christopher Peterson, The Irishman Mark Bridges, Joker Arianne Phillips, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood Jacqueline Durran, Little Women√ Mayes C. Rubeo, Jojo Rabbit
Best production design
Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood√ The Irishman 1917 Jojo Rabbit Parasite
Live-action short film
Brotherhood Nefta Football Club The Neighbors’ Window√ Saria A Sister
ScarJo in JoJo Rabbit
Best adapted screenplay
Steven Zaillian, The Irishman Greta Gerwig, Little Women Taika Waititi, Jojo Rabbit√ Anthony McCarten, The Two Popes Todd Phillips & Scott Silver, Joker
Best original screenplay
Rian Johnson, Knives Out Noah Baumbach, Marriage Story Sam Mendes & Krysty Wilson-Cairns, 1917 Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood Bong Joon-ho, Parasite√
Animated short film
Dcera (Daughter) Hair Love√ Kitbull Memorable Sister
Animated feature film
“Toy Story 4”
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World I Lost My Body Klaus Missing Link Toy Story 4√
“Once Upon A Time In Hollywood”
Best supporting actor
Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood√ Al Pacino, The Irishman Joe Pesci, The Irishman Anthony Hopkins, The Two Popes Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Makeup and hairstyling
Bombshell√ Joker Judy Maleficent: Mistress of Evil 1917
Visual effects
Avengers: Endgame The Irishman The Lion King 1917√ Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Music (original score)
Joker√ Little Women Marriage Story 1917 Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Music (original song)
“I’m Standing With You” from Breakthrough “Into The Unknown” from Frozen II “Stand Up” from Harriet “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from Rocketman√ “I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away” from Toy Story 4 “Glasgow” from Wild Rose
“Parasite”
International feature film
France, Les Misérables North Macedonia, Honeyland Poland, Corpus Christi South Korea, Parasite √ Spain, Pain and Glory
ScarJo and Joker cast shadows over the hope for new faces
On the morning after a Critics Choice Movie Awards ceremony that heavily paralleled the Golden Globes—“Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood” won best picture, Joaquin Phoenix won best actor, Renèe Zellweger best actress, Brad Pitt best supporting actor, Laura Dern best supporting actress, etc., the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences released their nominations for the 92nd Oscars, the pinnacle of the awards season that will take place in early February as per tradition at the famed Dolby Theater on Hollywood Boulevard.
Renée Zellweger as “Judy”
The Oscar Nominations for 2020 offer the usual suspects in most categories. Like the Critics Choice Awards’ Broadcast Film Critics Association and the Golden Globes’ Foreign Hollywood Press, the Academy is big on yesteryear’s work from Tarantino, Mendez, and Scorsese. Likewise, they favor performances from Phoenix, Pitt, and Zellweger.
That being said, there are still a few head turners on this year’s nomination list, from the names included, to the names left out, to the handful of names that dominated.
First off, it should really be no surprise at this point in the awards season that Netflix got a lot of love for its 2019 filmography.
The Academy nominated both Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” and Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story” for best picture and Fernando Meirelles’ “The Two Popes” appeared in several categories as well.
This bodes well for the streaming service that clearly spent the year trying to produce and promote prestigious original content.
If one film dominated the list, however, it was Todd Phillips’ “Joker,” which garnered eleven nominations including best picture, best director, and best actor.
This is significant as not every year does a movie based on a comic book character lead the race, especially not when that comic book character is a controversy-inducing villain brought to the screen by the director of “The Hangover.”
Nevertheless, “Joker” stood out amongst the competition. In terms of noms, the film was narrowly followed by “The Irishman,” “Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood,” and “1917,” all fellow best picture contenders that received ten nominations each.
Moreover, while there weren’t really any surprises on the best actor or best actress fronts, Scarlett Johansson managed to snag both best actress and best supporting actress nominations for her respective roles in “Marriage Story” and “Jojo Rabbit.”
Snubs and Overlooked Talent that was Coincidentally Diverse Abounded
Adam Sandler went unsung for his groundbreaking performance in “Uncut Gems,” and critic favorites Awkwafina from “The Farewell” and Jennifer Lopez from “Hustlers” were similarly snubbed, not receiving any accolades from the Academy despite earning praise elsewhere.
This brings us to the biggest elephant in the room, which has been a persistent topic for the past few Academy Awards—how diverse are this year’s nominees?
The noticeably whitewashed 2016 Oscars sparked this long overdue conversation about diversity in the Awards. Since then, the Academy has been seemingly more inclusive, nominating and honoring racially-charged films like “Moonlight,” “Get Out,” “BlackKklansman,” and, “Black Panther”, feminist features like “Lady Bird” and “Roma,” and queer narratives like “Call Me By Your Name” and “The Favourite.”
This year, however, despite all of the progress over the past couple of several telecasts, the Academy seems to have relapsed into yet another celebration of a white male dominated Hollywood. The only big 2020 nominees that deviate from this norm are Greta Gerwig’s female-centric “Little Women” and Bong Joon-ho’s Korean “Parasite.”
Both of these films were nominated for best picture and Bong Joon-ho was nominated for best director.
The rest of the nominations in these categories are filled with the work of white men. Characteristically, the films are overwhelmingly white as well—from the Western European World War I narrative in “1917,” to the Nazi-Germany satire in “Jojo Rabbit” to a movie literally titled “The Irishman,” there is not a whole lot of diversity going on.
Likewise, many of these movies also sideline female characters to subordinate roles such as wives, mothers, and girlfriends to the male leads.
While these skewed nominations may be mere products of their not being as many women or minority filmmakers in the industry, that very underrepresentation is a testimony to Hollywood’s systemic gender and racial inequality both in front of and behind the camera.
Thus, when the red carpet rolls out on February 9th, we can expect to see a lot of talent on it, but probably not as much color as we’d prefer.
Following the success of last year’s hostless ceremony, the Academy also recently announced that the event will again not have a host. Hence, there will be no central figure on stage to comically quell (or egregiously highlight) the Academy’s systematic issues regarding representation.
Still, if the Golden Globes were any indicator, we will probably still hear a lot of social commentary through the acceptance speeches.
In total, the Academy has taken a big step back this year, not showing the level of diversity that the public might desire or expect.
However, the Academy Awards are only the opinions of a handful of aged industry professionals. Just because they don’t recognize certain talent does not mean that there won’t be eventual recognition, at the latest once the demographics change in the voting block (cold comfort till then).
Academy Awards, Oscars, Joker, Scarlett Johansson, Whitewashed Hollywood, Netflix, Bong Joon-ho, Todd Phillips, Awkwafina, Jennifer Lopez, Movie,
A Sleeper Perhaps but Talent beneath the Camp and Quantity
On December 3rd, the National Board of Review (NBR) announced its award recipients for 2019. The NBR celebrates excellence in the art of filmmaking, and its annual awards stand as testaments to that celebration and a precursor for the Academy Awards in February.
This year the NBR viewed over two hundred movies from blockbusters to indie flicks and they finally came out with their top picks. As a big win for Netflix, the Board gave Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” the honor of Best Picture. Meanwhile, Quentin Tarantino won Best Director for “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.”
Neither of these wins is necessarily surprising. From a critical perspective, these two cinematic epics were probably the most highly rated films of the year, and their directors are a couple of the most renowned auteurs still working today. Similarly, on the talent side, Academy Award winning actress Renée Zellweger won Best Lead for her role as Judy Garland in “Judy.” Fellow Oscar winning actress Kathy Bates won the Best Supporting Actress title for her performance in “Richard Jewell.” And then, to no one’s shock, three-time Oscar nominee Brad Pitt won Best Supporting Actor for Tarantino’s film.
Again, most of these outcomes were relatively expected. The real shocker on the awards list, however, falls under the Best Actor category, where the NBR deemed Adam Sandler’s role in “Uncut Gems” the greatest leading performance of the year—and this is a year where he was competing with Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro, Joaquin Phoenix, and many other revered stars.
The fact that Adam Sandler is a talented actor is not necessarily a revelation. The fifty-three year old performer has had a very respectable career. In the nineteen-nineties he made headlines as a regular on “Saturday Night Live,” and starred in widely-appreciated comedy films such as “The Waterboy,” “Happy Gilmore,” and “Billy Madison.”
In the past decade or so, however, Sandler has been reimaged as a less-than-stellar leading funny man. With critical monstrosities such as “Grown Ups,” “Grown Ups 2,” “Jack and Jill,” “Pixels” and “The Cobbler” under his belt, Sandler is not as loved as he once was, and his brand of humor is often seen as predictable and patronizing.
“Uncut Gems” is not a comedy in the traditional sense, though. Instead, it is a crime-dramedy indie flick directed by Josh and Benny Safdie of 2017’s “Good Time.” Sandler, likewise, does not play his go-to goofy-dad character, and his performance is more than just an amalgamation of potty jokes and funny voices. While he still portrays a family man in the film, he plays a New York City jeweler deadest on making money through a series of high-risk bets. His actions lead him into a maze of perilous actions as he fends off against real-world enemies while trying to keep his family and finances afloat.
In short, “Uncut Gems” is a neo-noir style dark comedy. It is a long way off from “Big Daddy” and “The Wedding Singer.”
The film also won Best Original Screenplay for its script, which the Safdie brothers wrote with Ronald Bronstein— another person they collaborated with on “Good Time.” “Uncut Gems” also made the NBR’s list for top ten movies after “The Irishman,” falling in with titles such as “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood,” “Jojo Rabbit,” “Marriage Story,” “Ford v Ferrari,” and five others features.
Adam Sandler responded to his recognition with jested ambition. On “The Howard Stern Show,” he jokingly threatened to make a new movie worse than anything he’s ever made before if he does not win an Oscar for the film. Clearly, the man has a sense of good-humored self-deprecation. At the same time, though, even he knows that his work in “Uncut Gems” is above standard. The mere fact that Sandler is promoting the film is a telling fact, as the actor/producer rarely does press tours for his own work.
Of all People Adam Sandler as Best Actor at the Oscars?
As unexpected as Sandler’s potential appearance at the 92nd Academy Awards may be, perhaps it is subtly overdue. Despite his more recent body of work, Sandler has a long list of impressive titles to his name. He was nominated for a Golden Globe in 2002 for his performance in “Punch-Drunk Love.” During Sandler’s run on “SNL,” the show was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards and his return to the show as the host this year earned him an Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series nomination. He has voice acting recognition from the Annies and Behind The Voice Awards, a Funniest Actor nom from the American Comedy Awards, and is in the running for Best Actor at the 2020 Independent Spirit Awards.
Maybe an Oscar—or at least a nomination—is not as far off as it might seem for Adam Sandler. Last year Viggo Mortensen won Best Actor from the NBR, and was then nominated for an Oscar months later. Two years before that, Casey Afleck held the NBR title, and he went on to win the Oscar that following February.
This could be a turning point for Sandler, a moment where his career gets a much needed second-wind. It could demonstrate his talent to a wider audience and make him a contender for more serious and mature roles in the future.
The NBR awards ceremony will take place in New York City on January 8th, where Sandler will be honored. “Uncut Gems” premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in August, screened again at the Toronto Film Festival in September, and received positive reviews throughout. It comes out in limited theaters across the U.S. on December 13th and will have a wider release on Christmas Day.
Oscar buzz and predictions are building ahead of the Golden Globes, which are traditionally used as a gauge of what will most likely be among the Oscar nominations. The Globes are slated for January 6th, 2020 and the Oscar’s, a.k.a. 91st Academy Awards telecast is on Sunday, 24 February.
Some of the films that are getting the most buzz and are favored to be in the running can be seen by peeking at the trailers (with links to our in depth articles) below:
New Zealand director Taika Waltiti’s movie “Jojo Rabbit” was released October 18th. The critic’s reactions have been positive, and the film won the Toronto Film Festival audience award putting it in line, if past years winners are any indication, for a possible Oscar nod. Waititi was also awarded the Festival’s new Ebert Director Award.
Waltiti is known for directing wacky comedies such as “What We Do In The Shadows,” “Hunt For The Wilderpeople,” and the borderline parody Marvel hit, “Thor: Ragnarok.” His latest film, “Jojo Rabbit” follows this same vein of outrageous, yet charming humor, but there is one key difference… “Jojo Rabbit” focuses on Germany’s Nazi party during World War II, making its hilarity just a touch more complicated.
More specifically, “Jojo Rabbit” is about a young boy in the Hitler Youth. Like many German kids of the time, he aspires to be a Nazi soldier when he grows up. He buys into the party’s ideologies and believes their propaganda. That is until he comes face to face with a Jewish girl and learns, despite what the Nazis have taught him, that she is harmless, pleasant, and appealing.
On the surface, the premise seems like the bones of a complex and sophisticated historical drama. With Waltiti behind the camera, though, such is obviously not the case. Instead of dry historical accuracy, Waltiti makes the Hitler Youth look like a summer camp filled with likable children and goofy leaders. Most boldly perhaps, Waltiti himself plays Adolf Hitler in the movie, but rather than depict him as the brutal dictator that he was, Waltiti makes him out to be the kind-uncle archetype, a socially inept, hilarious motivator and idol for the children in the story.
Quentin Tarantino has had success with his ninth movie, “Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood”. In a slight departure from his stark early 70s styled crime dramas, this time Tarantino pays homage to the late- 60’s genre and his love for his hometown, Los Angeles.
The film takes place in 1969 Hollywood, amidst the chaotic events of that year, including the infamous Manson Murders. Much like The Altamont Free Concert, as chronicled in the film Gimme Shelter (with it’s high profile murder during the show), the gruesome, violent Manson murders are often cited as an historical moment marking the end of the free love 60’s and a pivot towards the darker times in the me decade of the 70’s.
The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Rick Dalton, as an actor on a Western television series alongside Brad Pitt as Cliff Booth, Dalton’s stuntman. The two work and live closely together as they carry out their urban cinematic adventures. The characters and their friendship are said to be based on 70’s icon Burt Reynolds and his stuntman Hal Needham.
Even before seeing “Joker” the origin-story from Warner Brothers, there is a sense that this is an epic not easily categorized within the Comic-Book movie genre.
Starring Joaquin Phoenix (Oscar nominee for “Walk the Line”, “The Master” and “Gladiator”), directed and co-written by Todd Phillips (“Borat” and “The Hangover Trilogy”) and with Robert De Niro (as TV host Murray Franklin), the focus on how Arthur Fleck becomes “Joker” screams a muted, uneasy tension, that’s oozing from every pixel revealed so far.
In “Joker”, Batman’s Gotham City is a cesspool of dirt and depravity where Arthur appears doomed to live and die encircled with nothing but depression and humiliation. Mentally Ill and mercilessly tortured by the “sane” members of society all around him, he finds some respite in his chosen career of clown-for-hire and hopeful comedian wannabe by night.
The potential for the story to transcend the genre of Comic book heroes and villains is hinted at in the placard with the words “we are all clowns” scrawled on it, that can be seen in a flash, about halfway through the new trailer (above).
Followed by scenes showing mobs of clown-mask-wearing demonstrators / rioters (shades of anonymous, Guy Fawkes, Antifa and Hong Kong), there’s an implication that an anti-social movement is growing up around, and identifying with, the anger and twisted humor of the emerging “Joker” super-villain character.
The real life parallels to the fictional world of Gotham City and the way many could relate, after having suffered similar fates to those that produced the madness into which Arthur descends, are scary, already in previews, and could portend a film that is not only horrifically entertaining, but thought provoking, when seen in the shadows of current events and today’s zeitgeist.
In the wake of so many “uplifting” but heavily computer assisted films where Comic book superheroes battle cartoon villains (and each other) the emphasis on live action grit and human emotions and failings is, at first look, refreshing and terrifying (in an interesting way), and that seems to have hit a nerve with the general public, judging from the $1 billion plus bos office take so far.
From “Logan” and “Walk The Line” director James Mangold, “Ford v Ferrari” follows the true story of American engineer Carroll Shelby who is solicited by Henry Ford II to build a car that can beat Ferrari at the 1966 Le Mans World Championship in France. Shelby, determined to complete Ford’s ambitious task, insists on putting the wild and loose British driver Ken Miles behind the wheel. What ensues is the fast-playing tale of a couple eccentric and erratic people infiltrating a world filled with professional industrialists to take on the impossible.
Matt Damon plays Shelby in the film and Christian Bale as Miles. Rather than one being the lead and the other being a supporting role, both actors are co-leading the film, making them both eligible for Best Actor in a Leading Role nominations at the Oscars come February.
New Zealand director Taika Waltiti’s new movie “Jojo Rabbit”will not be widely released until October 18th but a few lucky patrons were able to catch an early screening at the Toronto Film Festival. Their reactions were positive, and the film won the audience award putting it in line, if past years winners are any indication, for a possible Oscar nod. Waititi was also awarded the Festival’s new Ebert Director Award.
Waltiti is known for directing wacky comedies such as “What We Do In The Shadows,” “Hunt For The Wilderpeople,” and the borderline parody Marvel hit, “Thor: Ragnarok.” His latest film, “Jojo Rabbit” follows this same vein of outrageous, yet charming humor, but there is one key difference… “Jojo Rabbit” focuses on Germany’s Nazi party during World War II, making its hilarity just a touch more complicated.
More specifically, “Jojo Rabbit” is about a young boy in the Hitler Youth. Like many German kids of the time, he aspires to be a Nazi soldier when he grows up. He buys into the party’s ideologies and believes their propaganda. That is until he comes face to face with a Jewish girl and learns, despite what the Nazis have taught him, that she is harmless, pleasant, and appealing.
On the surface, the premise seems like the bones of a complex and sophisticated historical drama. With Waltiti behind the camera, though, such is obviously not the case. Instead of dry historical accuracy, Waltiti makes the Hitler Youth look like a summer camp filled with likable children and goofy leaders. Most boldly perhaps, Waltiti himself plays Adolf Hitler in the movie, but rather than depict him as the brutal dictator that he was, Waltiti makes him out to be the kind-uncle archetype, a socially inept, hilarious motivator and idol for the children in the story.
Of course, radical World War II and Nazi-themed comedies have existed in the past. From Quinten Tarantino’s “Inglorious Bastards” all the way back to Charlie Chaplin’s 1940 “The Great Dictator,” filmmakers have mocked the Nazi party through satire for generations. “Jojo Rabbit” will be no different in that regard. Obviously, given the current political climate in America and the world, a movie about the buffoonery and absurdity surrounding Nazi ideologies is somewhat timely. It will probably be impossible to watch this movie from an apolitical perspective while retaining a clear conscious.
At the same time, though, “Jojo Rabbit” is not a Nazi satire or comedy quite like we’ve seen before. Despite the heavy subject matter, the movie doesn’t look particularly dark. In fact, it looks incredibly playful, almost like a children’s movie. In many ways, it seems reminiscent of Wes Anderson’s “Moonrise Kingdom,” which essentially turned a kids summer camp story into an artistic film for adults. “Jojo Rabbit” looks like it will do the same thing, but then go the extra subversive mile by putting that summer camp in Germany circa 1939.
The trailer effectively presents this by including German versions of heartwarming American songs like The Monkees’ “I’m A Believer,”and by showing examples of slapstick comedy and cute gags around the relationships between our young protagonists. The characters—even those playing Nazis—all seem to have endearing qualities to them. It looks heartfelt, and almost kid friendly, as the children banter, grow up, and learn about the world all before the harrowing and bizarre backdrop of World War II Europe.
So where do we place “Jojo Rabbit”? Is it a movie about friendship? A romance? A historical piece? A coming-of-age-comedy? A feel-good movie? Who is its target audience and what is its intended message? Is it a social commentary? If so, then for who and on what? All of these questions are impossible to answer in any general sense right now, for the movie looks of no particular genre and is unique on so many levels.
Photo / Fox Searchlight Pictures
The only thing that seems predictable about “Jojo Rabbit” is that it will make us laugh and that it will make us think
There is no guarantee that it will leave us feeling any better or worse about the world, that we will necessarily learn anything from it, or if we will exit the theater any less confused than we are right now. All we know is that we don’t know what to expect, and we are all excited to see what Taika Waltiti has in stores… excited, but with a hint of respectful, perhaps even nervous, reservation.
Based on an article published in “New York Magazine” in 2015, this feel-good stripper story is getting strong, effusive positive reviews after its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival this weekend.
Talk of an Oscar nod for J Lo is already out there based on her performance as the head of an underdog-stripper crime “family”. In a kind of “Robin-Hood as Stripper” twist based on the original report.
With a star studded cast, lead by Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu (“Fresh off the Boat”, “Crazy Rich Asians”), Cardi B, Julia Stiles and Keke Palmer, the crime drama has the mixture of a heist movie with built in sex, money and post feminist empowerment all wrapped into one.
“[It] does for a gang of New Yawk bad girls what Goodfellas did for the mob…adapted by writer-director Lorene Scafaria at her most Scorsese.”
– Peter Debruge, Variety
Written for the screen and Directed by Lorene Scafaria, “Hustlers” is riding the buzz straight into opening weekend with what appears like it will be a big first weekend beginning on September 12th.
Although Vice had only a modest showing at the box office (#6 on opening weekend and 40m as of January with a domestic-only-release) the film produced the second highest number of Oscar nominations at 8.
Christian Bale, with his otherworldly portrayal of GW’s Veep, appears to be a strong contender for Best Actor . Sam Rockwell gets the nod as Best Supporting Actor nominee for his work as our 43rd Prez., George W. Bush.
“…thank you to Satan for giving me inspiration on how to play this role”
Christian Bale, accepting his Golden Globes Award for Best Actor
In the A.V. Club December 2018 interview below, Bale shares his thoughts on Cheney, the man, and his experience of portraying a person who is neither “all villain” or “all saint”, noting that all humans display some of each of those qualities.
“…(Cheney)…..is a fascinatingly contradictory character, incredibly strong minded, absolutely refusing to apologize or to have any regrets.”
In the four-plus minute clip, Bale explains some of the techniques and methods he employed in order to transform into the extreme and unique personage that was Dick Cheney as seen in VICE. Thoughts on the current political climate, and more are also shared.
Known for his chameleon like transformations from an American Psycho, (as Patrick Bateman, lead character in the black comedy horror film from the year 2000) to comic book Super Hero (Batman) into eccentric introverted hedge fund genius (as Michael Burry in The Big Short), Bale is no stranger to extreme onscreen transformations. With the unrecognizable girth and “charisma free” personality created to play Cheney in VICE, however, it appears that the bar has been raised almost impossibly high. Oscar prediction: C.B. will win Best Actor Award on February 24th at the 91st Academy Awards.
ChatGPT loves to chat, but needs a lot of prodding to cut loose. Human: Words are beautiful, powerful and meaningful. Prove it to me by writing examples based on great writers, without plagiarism. Please cite sources and references. ChatGPT: Certainly! Here are a few examples of beautiful, powerful, and meaningful words and phrases written by … Continue reading Hey, ChatGPT 3: Words are Beautiful, Powerful and Meaningful. Prove it to me by writing examples…→
At once a serious and entertaining force, she changed the face of news in America ABC News announced on Friday Evening that Barbara Walter’s has died. She was 93. The cause of death was not provided in the announcement. Barbara Walters was a pioneering journalist and television personality who has had a long and successful … Continue reading Barbara Walters, Trailblazing Journalist and Celebrity has Died→
Alex Fitch, University of Brighton Two new Marvel heroes have been brought to the big and small screens that may be quite new to many people. The first is the titular character in the Disney+ series Moon Knight, starring Oscar Isaac, which is set in the main Marvel Cinematic Universe. The other is Morbius, an … Continue reading Five exciting additions to Marvel’s cinematic universes – according to a comics expert→
The 2022 Academy Awards came and went with over-the-top controversy, thank you very much. However, don’t forget there is also a list of great Oscar winning, and Oscar nominated, films that are on Netflix today, but not for long, as they will disappear to make room for new content starting April 1st.
This is a huge list of movie titles that offer a great mix of comedy, erotic thrillers, love stories and family favorites, so there is, without a doubt, something for everyone.
Below we’ve included the top 3 most noteworthy gems (with trailers) that we are definitely going to re-watch, as well as the whole huge list that will be going -going – gone at the stroke of midnight March 31st.
‘Blood Diamond’
‘Interview With the Vampire’
‘Bright Star’
All Titles Leaving March 31st:
Leaving March 31
300 A River Runs Through It As Good as It Gets Bad Teacher Bee Movie Blood Diamond Braveheart Bright Star Despicable Me Despicable Me 2 Eight Legged Freaks Free Willy 4: Escape from Pirate’s Cove G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra Ghosts of Girlfriends Past Good Burger Gremlins The Hangover Happy Feet Two The Holiday Hook I Love You, Man In the Cut Interview with the Vampire Jumanji The Karate Kid Kung Fu Panda The Longest Yard Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa Nacho Libre The NeverEnding Story Paranormal Activity Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You! Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon: Sun & Moon: Ultra Adventures Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon: Sun & Moon: Ultra Legends Runaway Bride The Ugly Truth Wild Wild West Woo
Ulysses, James Joyce (1922) The greatest and most Irish book ever written. Credited with the invention of stream of consciousness prose and widely considered the most important work of the 20th century. “Ulysses will immortalize its author with the same certainty that Gargantuaimmortalized Rabelais, and The Brothers Karamazov James Joyce, the twentieth century’s most influential novelist, was born … Continue reading A St. Patrick’s Day Celebration of Great Irish Literary Masterpieces→
A race against time in order to save the world is ostensibly the schema of the latest Netflix film “Don’t Look Up”. DiCaprio plays as professor Dr. Randall Mindy and JLaw is an astronomy grad student. The pair stumble across a life-changing discovery… that a comet is on a collision course for Earth.
Based on first impressions film may be more of a accurate allegorical send up for our real life climate crisis. In the film, when the scientists raise the alarm to the U.S. government about the comet, the response, in typical bureaucratic insanity is to “sit tight and assess”, just as has been the case for over 30 years regarding global warming (joke delivered by the wildly funny Jonah Hill).
The über impressive cast has a handful of extremely talented actors including (in addition to the marquee stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence); Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill, Ron Perlman, Timothée Chalamet, Ariana Grande, Kid Cudi, Cate Blanchett, and Tyler Perry.
The movie was both written and directed by Adam McKay, the Oscar Award winner responsible for “The Big Short” and “Vice”.
Similar to those films, his patented multi-layered approach is in play, where comedy, absurd pathos and a “laugh about the tragic stupidity of the human race” reigns.
And, possibly, with this amazing cast, it will be the most successful iteration to date.
A huge departure, if you take the correlation to the looming climate extinction level events at face value, is how the film is focused on the future (a fictional one, but still looking forward) for a change.
While both “The Big Short” and “Vice” chronicled a historic event or personage, this time, it is the potentially devastating human inability to see past their own self absorbed pathetic existences that is lampooned.
And if we can all laugh at ourselves and somehow get the message underlying, what meanwhile appears as great comic entertainment, perhaps the outcome can be altered. Or at least we can appreciate the absurdity as we all go down in flames.
The comedy will be released in select theaters on December 10th and two weeks later be available for subscribers to stream free on Netflix, starting on December 24th
In what has become a monthly Netflix ritual, some great films have just hours left for you to stream them
As is customary when each month comes to a close Netflix is saying “out with the old, in with the new”. There are many new and exciting titles premiering in the Fall months, including October, before that though, the streaming platform is giving viewers a last call to watch some classic movies.
The large list of films and series going out and becoming unavailable is a long one. As of Thursday, September 30th at midnight PT (so dramatic!) no less than 24 items will cease to be available to stream on the Platform.
While some films might be available on other platforms, and they might one day return to Netflix, it is often the case that they switch to a pay-to-pay status during the time that Netflix removes them from its catalog.
In addition to the movies about to disappear there are film “sequel groups” such as Kung Fu Panda 1 & 2, three Austin Powers movies: Austin Powers in Goldmember, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Karate Kid and Karate Kid II & III as well as Star Trek Seasons 1-3, Star Trek: Enterprise Seasons 1-4 and Star Trek Voyager Seasons 1-7!
While many of these big-time sequel franchises are so well known that you might have already seen them all, the two films that we are featuring, though huge hits in the day, are unique & special and, if you have not seen them or want to revisit, we highly recommend that you go for it now, before Netflix retires them indefinitely.
These “double-view” films are great enough to see again…
Watch “Boogie Nights” one of Paul Thomas Anderson’s classics. This movie stars Mark Wahlberg, Burt Reynolds, Heather Graham, Julianne Moore and John C. Reilly.
Or the Oscar-winning drama “The Pianist” directed by Roman Polanski. Adrien Brody stars as Wladyslaw Szpillman, a Jewish pianist that was confined to the Warsaw Ghetto and later forced into hiding as the Nazi’s invaded Poland.
Leaving Netflix this Thursday at Midnight:
Air Force One Austin Powers in Goldmember Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me Boogie Nights Cradle 2 the Grave Evil, Season 1 Fools Rush In Insidious The Karate Kid The Karate Kid Part II The Karate Kid Part III Kung Fu Panda Kung Fu Panda 2 No Strings Attached The Pianist Prom Night The Queen Star Trek Star Trek: Enterprise, Seasons 1-4 Star Trek, Seasons 1-3 Star Trek: Voyager, Seasons 1-7 The Unicorn, Season 1 Why Do Fools Fall in Love
The official trailer for “Spencer” has been released, starring Kristen Stewart who looks like an absolute ringer for Princess Diana.
There have already been rave reviews since the film had its debut at the Venice Film Festival. Stewart is said to be an Oscar Award top contender for Best Actress.
The movie is set over a single weekend and focusing on how Princess Diana contemplates ending her marriage to Prince charles.
According to Neon, the official synopsis reads:
“December, 1991: The Prince and Princess of Wales’ marriage has long since grown cold. Though rumors of affairs and a divorce abound, peace is ordained for the Christmas festivities at Sandringham Estate. There’s eating and drinking, shooting and hunting. Diana knows the game. This year, things will be a whole lot different.”
The movie will be released in theaters later this fall on November 5, 2021. Check out the official trailer, below, for the upcoming biographical drama:
High quality streaming fare is rising in focus with theatrical releases uncertain…
A 4 minute standing ovation was the result of the first screening of “Power of the Dog” at the 78th edition of the Venice Film Festival on September 1st, 2021. Thunderous applause and cheers erupted at the end of the debut screening for the romantic drama that features Benedict Cumberbatch and Kirsten Dunst.
Based on the novel by Thomas Savage set in Montana in the 1920s, the performance, partly perhaps the ability of Cumberbatch to overcome his “Sherlock / Dr. Strange” image via the power of acting along with top flight writing and directing, appears to be the impetus for the Oscar buzz that’s already building.
It’s not uncommon for that to happen with a strong showing at the Venice Film Festival and, though this is a streaming / Netflix production, awards for quality films financed by streamers is also no longer unusual.
Previously, Cumberbatch got the nod from the Academy in 2014 for his work in The Imitation Game, and, although the award ultimately went to Edward Redmayne for ‘The Theory of Everything’, the nomination itself put a big spotlight on his career.
‘Culturally, it’s really important for streaming services to help nourish the cinema experience,’
Benedict Cumberbatch commenting on “Power of the Dog”
Naturally, it’s always great when an actual actor becomes a movie star. Benedict Cumberbatch has been in a myriad of productions recently such as “Doctor Strange“, “The Mauritanian”, “The Courier”, “Avengers” and on and on, with nearly 100 actor credits and that doesn’t even touch on his work as an executive producer.
Running the gamut from the Multiverse to spy thrillers and serious suspense his ability to portray depth and intelligence has stood him in good steed.
Going all the way back to “Tinker Tailor Solider Spy” and “The Imitation Game” (not to mention his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes) a solid body of work is has been established which hopefully will not turn into a house of cards as a result of inevitable over-exposure.
Cumberbatch’s newest role is as a rancher from Montana named Phil Burbank. “The Power of the Dog” is based on a novel by the same name. Set in 1925, Phil “inspires fear and awe in those around him”. When his brother (Jesse Plemons) brings home a new wife (Kirsten Dunst), Phil torments them until he finds himself exposed to… the possibility of love.
Netflix gave viewers a little taste with the official teaser trailer for the film. The movie will be released initially in theaters on November 17 and will debut on the streaming platform the 1st of December.
