#Nom: Film Editing

[theoscarsproject]

Born on the Fourth of July (1989). The biography of Ron Kovic. Paralyzed in the Vietnam war, he becomes an anti-war and pro-human rights political activist after feeling betrayed by the country for which he fought.

Echoing what many have said on Letterboxd, but this truly has to be one of Tom Cruise's best performances. He's vulnerable in a way he rarely lets himself be here, both as the boy who enters the war sold on the promise of patriotism and heroism and as the broken man spat out of it, failed by the country he wanted only to serve. It's a great performance in a scathing, albeit flawed indictment of the Vietnam War and America, and I only wish the script and other performers really matched it (although Willem Dafoe is, as always, tremendous too). 7/10.

[grlsbstshot]

Join us for the next chapter of NEON LIGHTS premiering sat.

Catch up on the previous chapters here. Chapter I // Chapter II // Special Edition // Chapter III

James Lucas sits down with Reese Lane of RHYTHM Magazine! Hear all about life, love, and his upcoming third album -- promisingly titled Painted -- during this exclusive interview!

When he won a Grammy before the age of twenty, James Lucas – born Jameson Lucas to music legend, Anaïs Lucas – knew he was in trouble. He says his ego has always been an issue and didn’t improve.

“I caught myself thinking shit that should have never crossed my mind. That I didn’t need to keep improving. That I was already the greatest. I immediately started chasing gold. It was a high. But I wasn't ready for it...and deep down, I knew that."

He would choose to continue at Howard University, graduating at 21. Instead of returning to Los Angeles, Lucas moved to New York and in four short years, built a stage career -- a departure from his music dreams. 

He led a few off-broadway shows before hearing about one particular musical: Alexander H. He would be cast in the role of Aaron Burr but according to Lucas, he had a much more fortuitous thing happen to him – meeting his music collaborator, producer and songwriter, Ellington Dupree.

“He’s my best friend. I don’t know of anybody who understands music better than he does. He makes me better. And he’s the reason I found my sound. I stopped cosplaying as Ginuwine and Joe. I found me because I wanted to be as good as EJ.”

You know the story from here…Tony award. Grammy award. Moving back to LA to work on his second album with Dupree and then? Massive success with his second album -- titled 2506. Named for his age and month of birth, Lucas found himself exploring different kinds of r&b with an all new production -- provided by Ellington Dupree.

“Everything blew up. It was all a blur when we released 2506. Six Grammy noms, two wins. I didn’t even take the time to soak the moment in. My life had changed and I was just trying to keep up.”

His life changed in other ways on Grammy night. It was the first time he met his on-off partner, singer Imani St. Cirie. The two would go on to embark on a very public relationship for the next two and a half years before abruptly breaking up in early 2023.

The mention of her makes Lucas lapse into silence for the first time in almost an hour of conversation. Despite the rumblings of reuniting, neither star has spoken about the other. Even the reasons for their breakup are closely held secrets – unless you listen between the lyrics.

Reese Lane: Do you not like talking about her? James Lucas: I could talk about Mani all day. But I mean – we were together but now we're not. Reese Lane: And the Instagram situation? James Lucas: ...Do you listen to my music? RL: Yes. Often. JL: Then you understand me and Imani. You get that we're...complicated. RL: Is that what you want? JL: I want her. So...if she calls, I go running. If I call, she comes running. That’s what it means to be complicated as f*ck. It'll always be that way. I don't care who she moves on to – it'll always be me for her. And that's not ego. It's the truth.

And just as he says, there's an understanding of their relationship in the lines of almost every track. Lucas has never confirmed which songs are inspired by his personal life. But songs filled with lost love, longing, and frenzied sex paint the picture of a chaotic romantic life. I tell him so and Lucas laughs...long and loud before agreeing. He relaxes somewhat before escorting me back inside the suite, his new home while he films several films in New York.

Jameson and I enjoy a drink (or several), order pizza, and settle in for another round of questions. He's even more open than before. I ask him to tell me about his next album and he does one better -- he pulls out his phone and plays three tracks. Back to back. Without explanation or asking my thoughts. He says the album isn't done but from what i heard, it's pretty damn close to being that.

The first track he played was a smooth yet assertively playful croon about his love for someone who seems to not be paying him much attention in return. The next is a beautiful ode to a woman he seems to be encouraging to be happy. The last was completed recently he says -- two days ago, in fact -- and it's a moody deconstruction of...himself, his ego, and the way he treated another nameless woman.

I playfully ask if those tracks about his life and Lucas surprises me by answering with a nod. I push my luck and ask again if they were all about one woman. Lucas grins and shakes his head that time, confirming what i've long suspected -- chaotic.

RL: Why is your love life like...that? JL: I don't know. I mean...I kind of do it to myself. I love hard. I love foolishly. RL: So you've been in love a lot? JL: No. RL: Do you believe in having a soulmate? JL: I do. I suspect I have one. RL: Is at least one of those about her? JL: ...Yes. RL: Imani? JL: You keep asking me about her. RL: You two intrigue me. JL: Why? (laughs) We do what everyone else does. We fuck, we fight, we love each other, we hate each other. We get it right and we get it wrong. It's just love. RL: So why be apart? JL: Ask her. She may tell you. RL: I will. Tell me which one is about her. JL: The first. And the last. RL: Which one was the second one about? JL: A friend. I'm actually supposed to meet her at the MOMA in an hour. (smiles) I like you. You don't let me get away with shit. You remind me of another friend. RL: The same one you're meeting today? JL: No. Genie. She's practically my sister. RL: Genie Adesanya? Well, thank you. I'm flattered. You two are still close after the breakup of your parents? JL: I still annoy her just as much. She's my sister. Whether or parents got married or not. She probably wouldn't agree though.

Once again, I'm surprised that he answers so openly. If his publicist was sitting in the room, they might tackle me and throw me out...but Lucas breezes through each question, more honest than anyone would expect him to be. 

"I don't have any shame." he says when I ask why he tells me so much. "I put everything in my music. Why lie? It's all in the music." He's nonchalant as he brushes his hand over his head -- the trademark cornrows he's sported since he burst onto the scene at the age of 19 gone. I ask him about his hair and he gives me a sheepish grin before saying it was for a project but I doubt it.

RL: When do you think the new album will be ready? JL: Soon. I usually finish music way before it's released. I'm just...all over the place right now. RL: Rumors about you appearing in your first film are circling. Plus this upcoming album. How are you juggling it all? Jameson Lucas: Actor & Singer. JL: With a whole lot of prayer. (laughs) I don't know. I will always think of myself as a musician before anything else. I went to school for it, I worked my ass off for that title. I'll never just be a singer. I'm a musician. Everything else is secondary.

By the time we wrap up our conversation, I understand why Jameson Lucas has so many admirers. It isn't just the fact that he's handsome or the fact that he's incredibly charming. Not even the fact that he's tall, can sing like a prince, or that flash of gold you see covering his teeth when he speaks -- it's that he's an open book. Even when you know you shouldn't fall under his spell, you do. And he makes it very appealing to be there.

When he gives you that lazy grin with those blue-green-hazel color eyes while laying across a couch -- the image of virile relaxation -- you can only think of one thing. There's a cockiness about Jameson but isn't overbearing or unappealing. It's the right amount of (in his words) essence. Even when he's crooning about how to teach you 'correction', you can't find it in yourself to hate him. He makes you want it.

Jameson walked me to the door of his suite, holding it open for me as I left -- and insisted on walking down to the lobby with me. He's dressed casually but draws looks all the way down, his long legged stride tempered by the fact that I'm wearing heels and he doesn't want to leave me behind. We part ways outside his hotel -- with an offer to interview him again once the album is out. I take up on it, we exchange contact information, and then he's off. He doesn't slide into a black car and roll the window up. He simply heads off down the street, towards the subway. On his way to a dreamy museum date with some very lucky friend.

[coastalgroovess]

"Call me by your name and I'll call you by mine" (🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿)

"Chiamami col tuo nome e ti chiamerò col mio" (🇮🇹)

"Appelle-moi par ton nom et je t'appellerai par le mien" (🇫🇷)

"Noem mij bij jouw naam en ik noem jou bij de mijne" (🇳🇱)

"Kutsu mind oma nimepidi ja ma kutsun sind enda nimepidi" (🇪🇪)

"Ruf mich bei deinem Namen und ich nenne dich bei meinem" (🇩🇪)

"Glaoigh orm de réir d'ainme agus glaofaidh mé ort de réir mo ainme féin" (🇮🇪)

"Cuir fòn thugam air d’ ainm agus cuiridh mise fòn thugam air m’ ainm-sa" (🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿)

"Ffoniwch fi wrth eich enw a byddaf yn eich galw wrth fy enw i" (🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿)

"Kalla mig vid ditt namn så kallar jag dig vid mitt" (🇸🇪)

"Szólíts a neveden, én pedig az enyémen hívlak" (🇭🇺)

"Назови меня своим именем, и я назову тебя своим" (🇷🇺)

A quote from the 2017, coming-of-age, romantic drama film directed by Luca Guadagnino,

Call Me By Your Name

If you feel that these translations are incorrect in any way, please comment corrections and i will update them when possible xx

P.s. if you have any requests for languages/movie quotes please comment them aswell, any languages you want adding on for this quote please tell me so i can edit the post. MWAH

[pedroacrossthestreet]

“I claim this city… for the glory… of Rome.”

still thinking about the delivery difference between the trailer edit and the actual film and how impactful it felt and that alone is worthy of an Oscar nom

[rwrbmovie]

re: the deadline contenders television event

Asides from digging into rwrb's emmy noms odds, I looked into the previous years' deadline contenders events to see what we can expect next weekend.

Taylor Zakhar Perez and Sarah Schecter are scheduled to attend and represent RWRB at Deadline’s Contenders Television, the event where stars and showrunners talk up their shows ahead of Emmy voting. The event kicks off Saturday, April 13 and runs through Sunday, April 14 at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles. There will also be a virtual livestream. Full details and an RSVP link can be found here. THE OFFICIAL EVENT WEBSITE

The event is a weekend-long, and Deadline publishes the schedule and lineup for each day on the first day of the event (Saturday). Taylor and Sarah will attend either Saturday or Sunday

Each show gets a panel. A clip will from the film will be shown (around 2 mins). Taylor and Sarah will be interviewed by a Deadline writer

Previous panels have lasted from 8-15 minutes

A video of the interview along with a recap will be published on Deadline's website after

Deadline posts coverage of the event on their website, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok using the hashtag #DeadlineContenders

Edited to add:

Participants will be grouped by their respective studios, and the studios are divided between the 2 days – so all of Prime's attending actors/producers will only be there for one day. Prime's roster for the event includes speakers from: RWRB, Expats, Fallout, Mr. & Mrs. Smith

[tomdayaqna]

Dune will be nominated for best film. It won’t win but there’s 10 slots and it’s definitely getting one.

Some people are still hoping Challengers could get the last slot but it’d be a stretch.

I expect her at the Oscars to support Dune. She was there when Dune 1 got nominated, especially if she’s in LA in March. The Euphoria and Nolan timelines aren’t quite clear.

As for the rest of the awards, I think this is it. She can always get announced to present or award someone something but she wouldn’t be a contender. The Oscar nominations come out Jan 17th. Once those are out we might know better.

I don't expect Challengers to get in Best Picture but I still expect it to get in for score and editing, maybe cinematography though I'm much less hopeful about that (justice for Sayombhu Mukdeeprom!)

For Dune I agree about it getting in for Best Picture, I'd like Denis to get in for Best director but we'll see how realistic that is after the DGA film noms come out. It'll definitely pick up a bunch of technical noms too.

Regardless as I said, I expect Z will be at the Oscars

[asgoodeasgold]

"We already won."

Bob is watching the Oscar nominations with Ruddy. In the end, they got 11 noms for The Godfather. But as Bob said, they had already won: the audiences loved the film. I feel like this should be Matthew Goode's motto. His incomparable talent wins him the hearts and minds of audiences, critics and the people he works with but award voters don't see him. They would not recognise talent if it hit them in the face. He should have had an Emmy for Bob. Watch this happen, again, this award season. But who cares, you already are a winner, bubbe 🧡🧡

On a lighter note, I love that groovy dance move at the end  🤣.

As for Bob, be still my beating heart, he is something else...

📷 Paramount+ The Offer (2022) my edit

[lascapigliata]

oscar noms are out and i actually am hitting the ground running for once! so, here is the oscar movies microreviews post:

(may put these in number of awards order at some point but for now they are [mostly] in watch order. also reserve the right to change at any time as i think about them longer)

conclave: LOVED IT!!! don't ideologically support the catholic church but they really popped off with the scheming and politics. the acting was great, it was perfectly balanced in terms of humor, i love a scheme. gorgeous cinematography imo. ralph fiennes perhaps doing his finest work i’ve seen from him. the twist at the end was very good and despite the giggling of the people in the row behind me i think it toed the same comedy/drama line well. i don't remember the score particularly except that i remember liking it in the moment; snubbed for direction imo.

dune ii: i think liking this a lot would require liking dune i a lot and it's still not something i go gaga over. and this was messier than the first one. i think timothee chalemet is probably a very good actor (undoubtedly eventually complete unknown will be below) but i don't think he can pull off epic as much as this movie needed, and i think it needed a really mercenary edit bc it was just packed with too much plot. many good actors were wasted on bit parts but that's just an inevitable evil of this kind of movie

gladiator ii: overwritten overacted overdone. took the worst parts of gladiator i and left the rest behind. much like timmy chals, i think paul mescal is a good actor who isn't really an Epic Speechgiver whereas russell crowe could toe the line, plus there weren't many speeches in the first. it was barely even fair though bc denzel was right there absolutely slamming it out of the park. everything else was not. none of that matters bc it was just up for costumes (won't and shouldn't win)

anora: i really really liked this. i liked the florida project as well so it's not entirely surprising but i think he did a great job portraying sex work with its associated nudity without making it voyeuristic or titillating. mikey madison was awesome; she had a lot of times where she had to do basically one primary emotion and stick a lot underneath and she did so really well. it dragged a little in moments but not overall. reminded me of a less stressful uncut gems but just in terms of the kind of quest narrative. broey deschanel did a great video about this i recommend if you don't mind major spoilers

the wild robot: for the first ~20m i was sort of like this is pretty but i get it already and then i settled into it and turns out i loved it. really gorgeous animation. pretty standard and somewhat predictable story but i think it's best seen through a lens of For Kids and it comes alive. it bears saying that i cried halfway through the movie and then again at the end like. just tears on tears with this one. i don't remember the score very well already but i guess it was good. (hard to evaluate best score when challengers was so snubbed)

emilia perez: NOTE this entire thing has been edited: since watching i have read a lot about this movie from mexicans and trans people and i think i was very busy trying to like it bc of award noms and also trying to figure out why the music was so bad that i didn't really critically examine much else beyond "sloppy" for the trans narrative. mea culpa. the cinematography was great. the acting was decent. on the production side, not even filming in mexico is pretty ridiculous. the thing about being "brave" or "genre-defying" is that it isn't? it's a musical. it has a scene setting song then an i want song and on and one. giri haji was NOT a musical then threw in an interpretive dance and THAT'S genre defying and brave. one could criticize the music for not pulling anything from the actual rich musical material of mexico but that would be a waste of time since the music was so atrocious (which i've always thought). not a good movie with a few small okay things. did not deserve 13 nominations but did make me realize i had a knee jerk reaction based on insecurity and privilege. it's good to have a note to self!

nosferatu: very gorgeous. very horny. very robert eggers (complimentary). LOTS of rats.

inside out 2: for movies i don't actually like all that much inside out(s) definitely make me cry lmao. but it's just a rehash of the first one. visually impressive (but not more so than the first). the removal of bad memories was underdeveloped in favor of a cheap villain narrative around anxiety. i still take issue with the idea that joy is/should be the default or best emotion but there's no way around that within the structure of the movie - huge flaw

wicked: enjoyed more than i expected to actually! did not need to be 87 hours long but didn’t drag too much, which is a feat considering it was act i lol. love that they filmed dancing with wide shots - revolutionary! they apparently sang live (which cannot be true for any scenes with dancing or jumping around lol) but it was pretty seamless so i have to give them credit. i do have some BIG issues musically, especially how much they chopped up defying gravity at the end. i don't think cynthia erivo's acting while speaking was anything revolutionary but her SINGING absolutely killed it, which should definitely be recognized. all in all a fun movie; it may actually be better on film than stage.

kingdom of the plant of the apes: i saw this ages ago but liked it! a Fun Movie. makes total sense this was nominated for vfx and unless alien romulus does something incredible (stay tuned for below, probably) absolutely deserves the win over wicked or dune, and having not seen better man kingdom still deserves the win just due to quantity of apes

flow: amazing showstopping spectacular. i cried lots and physically held lila bc i was so nervous for onscreen Cat. not even just considering it was in blender it was GORG and they managed to get such incredible expression in the animals (jot that down disney). plus remember when the best part of wall-e was the no talking part? yeah that but nature and a leetle cat!!! deserves best animated 100000%

the substance: i have a pretty high gore tolerance and even a decent body horror tolerance and yet. so glad i watched at home where i could take a bathroom break. absolutely disgusting. absolutely fantastic. demi moore blew me out of the water but margaret qualley held her own too. and dennis quaid was disgusting (complimentary). i saw some criticism that this falls into the old women as horror trap and i see where they’re coming from but i think it subverts it. thought the use of color especially was absolutely stunning (that YELLOW in the coat!)

a real pain: sweet little movie. movies do not have to invent much to be good. some will say kieran culkin is just playing roman roy but i disagree; he really was excellent at maintaining the tension where you’re sort of afraid of him. jesse eisenberg will repel ppl who don’t like him (like my brother) but i thought he did well too; as a writer though he got a lot into what was a pretty simple movie otherwise

a different man: adam pearson!! amazing work, should have been best supporting nommed here. sebastian stan!!!!! so proud. totally deserved the nom for golden globes and honestly i think if he wasn’t in the apprentice he might have gotten one here too. reminding us all that he is very good at working with physicality. in general it’s a lot like the substance except not quite as good, but that’s very much a high bar. the makeup was indeed good needless to say, but the SCORE was incredible like why is no one talking about it!!! when wicked is on that list?? incredible snub along w challengers

i’m still here: amazing work by fernanda torres. i think they rushed the ending bc they didn’t make the movie they thought they were making (if it was about her quest to find closure it failed; if it was about a woman’s struggle to lead her family through the first months of their fathers’ disappearance it worked). idk that it stands up as a best picture nom; it had a lot going for it but it felt like it needed another pass on the script to tie it together

sing sing: amazing amazing amazing. colman domingo redemption arc (he was incredible in rustin but the rest of the movie was not). everyone was fantastic in fact and having formerly incarcerated people form the majority of the cast is cool as a thing to do and also bc the performances were palpably really authentic. special shoutout to clarence maclin who was not only great in his role but delivered a really really genuinely good to be or not to be speech

the apprentice: definitely made by people who did not expect him to win another election lol. a few too many winks at the audience imo. i get why sebastian stan campaigned on this one, and he was good, but he was better in a different man. jeremy strong was excellent. if this was made in 50 years it would prob be great, but it’s too soon

alien romulus: solid sci-fi/horror movie. well paced, nice to see mal shadowandbone, made me cry bc of all the sibling stuff. extremely cool visuals especially the zero g acid blood scene. however it contains too few apes to compete with kingdom of for best vfx. (HALF KIDDING.)

the brutalist: well. 3/4 a great movie, 3/16 a good movie, and a profoundly unsatisfying ending. adrien brody was fucking amazing. guy pearce was fucking amazing. filmed absolutely beautifully, good score. a little hamfisted with its Messages but didn’t bother me too much. LOVE an intermission as a concept but it especially worked here bc it allowed for a shift in style without being (too) jarring. didn’t love some of the editing choices and as i said a kind of dud ending i think (may change my mind) but the whole is greater than the sum etc. did it need to be 4 hours? not really, but no part felt like a real waste of time.

september 5: feels like a very pointed movie to be made Right Now. as my brother pointed out all the exciting stuff happened in the movie munich and all other journalism movies are about the investigation not camera angles. it was a whatever script. weird nom

a complete unknown: the problem is that there’s really quite a lot of bob dylan in this movie. the other problem is that i liked all the blues tunes we hear more than all the folk music. it’s just a greatest hits album with cameos with a bludgeon of a script cant believe it was nominated. i am no longer convinced timmy chals is a great actor either

memoir of a snail: sweet sad little movie. pretty one-note in terms of story, tone, and animation (though the animation is lovely). didn’t make me cry despite being entirely about a bullied kid who got separated from her brother sooo0o. should have been a long short film probably. no, cannot stand up to flow, but it’s nice to have animated movies that are specifically for adults tbh!

wallace and gromit: vengeance most fowl: wow i guess moana 2 really sucked. i don’t really like wallace and gromit so this was lost on me. it does not stand up to the rest of the slate.

the seed of the sacred fig: AAHHHHH!!!!!! AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this deserves best international and it should have been in the running for other stuff as well. impeccably done, acting off the hook and the script was great in english subs i imagine in persian it’s even better. that ending was WOOOOF!!! plus the bts situation including them making it in secret and the writer/director and cast having to escape the country like - this is genuinely brave filmmaking and it shows. AHHH!!!!!!!!!

the girl with the needle: extremely well done. toed the psychological/horror divide well; some very good acting especially by the kid shockingly. very scandinavian pacing and ended sort of predictably but i didn’t mind. some very cool sound/score things as well. recommend this a lot. not my pick for the award but a worthy contender

better man: better than i expected! i still don't like biopics but i think the chimp thing actually worked. no getting around that the songs are catchy lol. it was completely predictable but i don't think it was trying to be too innovative in story. vfx-wise it was a very good ape and some good dance sequences but kingdom of the planet of the apes still had more and better apes :|

maria: i mean fine if you like opera lol. angelina jolie was fantastic though (especially in her singing - and also lip syncing!). the cinematography was fine; production design was better. it was sort of over the top at times but then again, so is opera

nickel boys: wow. the first person thing i thought would get old but absolutely didn’t. desperate to read the book now! felt a little indulgent for lack of a better word at times but it was pretty enough i didn’t mind. had a very play-like cadence in the script, which makes me wonder how much came directly from the book. i wouldn’t say thee best picture of the year but it’d be a justified win if it got it.

[bloodsuckingbastards]

Gladiator II Review from a Pedro Fan

Just got finished with Gladiator 2 It was amazing. !!! MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW !!!

As a Pedro fan it was great and as a movie buff it was amazing. Lots of good Pedro fight scenes, his character is a lot more sympathetic than I assumed by the trailers. Pedro’s “I claim this city for the glory of Rome” line from the trailer is either edited or a different take than in the final movie. In the movie it’s much more somber, he doesn’t want to be conquering, he's sad at the devastation he’s caused. He wants to overthrow the emperors and give control to the senate. Fans of Pedro and Paul will be happy to know they are both insanely hot throughout the entirety of the movie, lots of shirtless scenes of Paul Mescal. Pedro has close to 30 minutes of screen time as Marcus Acacius (i kinda timed it) he was great in every scene. Paul Mescal was insanely talented as Hanno/Lucius. I would be surprised if he doesn’t get an Oscar nom. While Pedro has only 30 minutes of screen time it doesn’t feel like it, a lot of his scenes are short and spread across the movie so it never really feels like he’s missing from it. That is until his death (we all knew this was coming) about 2 hours in. A great fight between Marcus and Lucius both men surrender but the emperors order Marcus dead so the guards shoot him. The last 30 minutes of the film are probably the best even if there’s no Pedro. Paul Mescal really shines in these scenes finally taking his place to fight as the prince of Rome. Definitely recommend seeing this in theaters if you can it really is an amazing time.

[paddingtonfan69]

love love love that the substance is getting noms in these pre-oscars awards shows esp for demi and coralie and hair/makeup, but crazy it’s not it getting acknowledged for editing/cinematography/score/PRODUCTION DESIGN??? I think it being a genre film/about women is making it not be seen as a technical marvel! which it IS!!!! anyway @ the academy I better see miss substance up there for score and pd this january….

[dykecinema]

I never know where to rank Humoresque (1946) on the bettejoan list bc almost everyone in that film annoys the absolute shit out of me except for Helen who fascinates me (also like Joan is so so incredibly hot in this role). And like one of Joan’s best performances (how did she not get an Oscar nom) and some great lines, cinematography, and editing but everyone annoys meeeee so much

[theoscarsproject]

Robocop (1987). In a dystopic and crime-ridden Detroit, a terminally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg haunted by submerged memories.

This is a) so much better than I was expecting, and also b) so much better than it has any right to be? Sure, it's partly copaganda, but it's also a pretty scathing indictment of corruption in the police force and how capitalistic interests inherently treat people as disposable. Plus! It's a fun sci-fi movie! Plus the VFX are pretty darn sick. 7/10.

[hsslilly-blog]

claire's award list, but now in nice wiki tables. this is for the main ones only and it's reflective of how it looked after 2020's award season. the original post is here if you want to check some more details on the films (and the full list so far, which i plan on making an edit like this one too. but her filmography is still in construction)

because i think she's exceptional and perfect, claire is the first actress to be nominated twice in a year in the same category for the 2020 golden globes (best drama actress for 2019's wild flowers and the last duchess). and since the golden globes tend to be a termometer for the academy awards, she got noms twice in a row (except for 2017's faustine). i think maybe she got some other festival awards but i'd have to research more about those before making any decisions. sag awards too. the final season of fast forward probably gets some noms in the 2021 emmy awards, but so far her lore only extends up to 2020. sort of!

[cto10121]

R&J Clown Takes Special Edition—Cinema Therapy Went There

In which Cinema Therapy’s comment section in their review of the Baz Luhrmann film does not pass the vibe test. At all. Still, clownery is clownery, and so om. nom. NOM

R&J Is Toxic!!!!

Teenagers falling in love with each other and having a mutually loving relationship = unhealthy. Makes total sense! What is math?

Juliet at this point in the story was not forced to marry Paris. Her mother and Nurse only asked her if she could consider Paris as a suitor. Her falling in love with Romeo has nothing to do with the fact that Paris is being foisted upon her by her parents.

Yeah, just let Juliet get disowned, be homeless, get sexually trafficked or forced to go into a convent. Happy ending, no tragedy!!!!

Even if Juliet would seek refuge with Friar Lawrence, there is still the tiny detail of Juliet no longer having any money. No rank, no status. To send her on a journey to Mantua unaccompanied would be like killing her. Again: Happy ending, no tragedy!!!!

Baz Luhrmann Fan Dumb

I’ve already done a post about why, merits as a standalone film aside, Baz Luhrmann’s film is an overall bad adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. Not the worst I’ve seen, sadly, but definitely overrated. Suffice to say: Bad line reading, bad acting, schizophrenic editing, and an overly eclectic soundtrack. Shakespeare would not like this version, if just because he wouldn’t be able to understand the actors’ mumblecore performances and strange accents. Speak English!!!!

Juliet never compared Romeo to the moon, ever. Nor does she compare him to the stars. Her language is very much like Romeo’s. They even compare each other to the same bird: The falcon.

As for water, this is not a motif that shows up anywhere in the play. The only water-based metaphor R&J use is the sea. As in, Juliet compares her love to the width and depth of the sea, and Romeo compares Juliet to merchandise he would set sail for. The sea is also wild, tumultuous in a way that suggests passion, and free, which are qualities R&J, as sheltered heirs of minor nobility, would definitely be attracted to.

Baz Luhrmann instead chose bathtub water, a pool, and a fish tank to develop his water motif, which means he deliberately downplayed the metaphoric world of R&J. In doing so, he was being unfaithful to the play and to R&J as characters.

(Also, re: courtships, in Shakespeare’s day, courtships were long-ish, though not as long as in later eras, and very much depended on your class and rank. R&J is a play in verse, so Shakespeare had to compress all the action of the play to under three hours, or else the groundlings would start throwing things.)

Miscellany

Austen and I may not always agree, but the whole point of Persuasion is that sacrificing your own judgment to follow bad advice from your abusive family members is bad, actually. It’s a second chance romance where Anne has to learn to follow her own heart for once.

Except that R&J’s courtship sonnet does work, in that they do woo and fall in love, and that love only gets stronger throughout the course of the play. Therefore, it cannot be satirical or meant in irony, but played straight.

In other plays, Shakespeare satirized characters writing sonnets as “proof” of their love. Not characters actually communicating with each other in sonnet format, which R&J do. That has always had a non-satiric meaning in Shakespeare’s plays. Even Berowne’s sonnet about not trusting sonnets is meant, in a roundabout way, to highlight Shakespeare’s own ambivalence. And of course, lest we forget, that Shakespeare himself wrote love sonnets.

“Lived her best life” Mind you, the musical had Juliet almost marrying a total stranger after sleeping with him and before getting her back together with Romeo. Makes absolutely no sense, but there you go.

This is your kind but firm reminder that Romeo and Rosaline never had any kind of relationship with each other. Ever. Rosaline rejected Romeo, either explicitly or implicitly (or both) when she swore off sex. Romeo just had a crush on her.

I love Beatrice and Benedick as much as any Shakespearean girlie out there, and their chemistry was impeccably written...but (and this is really IMHO on this) they are not better than R&J. They are inherently more immature, for one thing, and the play does not spare them from that particular satire of their inability to confess their love for each other. The same can’t be said with R&J.

No, the feud does not drive the narrative. At all. And we already have proof of it.

So in Shakespeare Saved My Life by Laura Bates, some prisoners were taught R&J and even got to perform their own production of it, focusing entirely on the feud. Here is how it went:

“The prisoner’s adaptation did not cover the entire play; it didn’t even include Juliet. It focused on Romeo and his peers, and it ended with act 3 when Romeo kills his rival Tybalt. Sirens blared and an officer came onstage to arrest Romeo for manslaughter.”

The play then ended with all the actors talking about their prison sentences.

Suffice to say, if you focus exclusively on the feud, you completely destroy the play. No Juliet, no exile. Not even the tomb, and thus no tragedy. It’s a corny morality tale at best, incomplete at worst.

Also: Mercutio mocking Tybalt /= Shakespeare mocking. It is clear that Mercutio is not the voice of the play.

Some Based Takes

Yep.

[weclassybouquetfun]

Awards season is inching to a close with the last gasp of screenings coming up the week of January 8th. My favourite movie of the year is SALTBURN and Amazon-MGM is holding three screenings of it on the same day to end its FYC run. The same night Disney finally remembers THE CREATOR exists and is having a screening/Q&A with its director Gareth Edwards.

Notable award season dates:

Jan. 6th-7th: The Creative Arts Emmys. This is the portion of the Emmys that awards the winners of the Outstanding Guest Star category. TED LASSO has four in this category: Three who have all been previously nominated for their roles on the show: Harriet Walter, Sarah Niles and Sam Richardson; and newbie Becky Ann Baker as Dottie Lasso.

If James Lance wasn't promoted to regular, surely he would have received and likely won a S3 nomination in this category.

James and his hair situation with his fellow voice-over artists for the BBC Radio 4 show "We Forced a Bot to Write This Show".

Jan. 7th: The Golden Globes

Prayer circles for Barry Keoghan and Rosamund Pike for their work in SALTBURN and TED LASSO, Jason Sudeikis and Hannah Waddingham.

Wed. Jan. 10: The SAG-AFTRA awards nominations

Sun. Jan 14th: The Critics Choice Awards . Hate that there was no love for TED LASSO and that SALTBURN actors and the script was ignored (but at least the artisans were recognized).

They were robbed!

Really pulling for Da'Vine Joy Randolph of THE HOLDOVERS, Charles Melton of MAY DECEMBER and for Young Actor/Actress, Milo Machada Graner for ANATOMY OF THE FALL.

If Milo wasn't this category, I would be rooting for THE HOLDOVERS' Dominic Sessa who is in the same category. Though, Sessa will very likely win.

Mon. Jan 15th: The Primetime Emmys. We have nods for Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple, Brett Goldstein, Phil Dunster, nods for outstanding writing, directing, editing,production design, VFX, hairstyling, original music & lyrics and series. I am just hoping for some wins.

Thurs. Jan. 18th: The BAFTA Film Awards nominations.

Tues. Jan 23rd: The Academy Awards nominations

During this time Sundance Film Festival will be live (Jan 18th-28th) ,there we will likely get a couple of presumptive nominees for 2024-2025 film awards season.

Tues. Jan. 23: Academy Awards nominations. I'm a broken record. I'm all in on SALTBURN, especially hoping for nominations for Barry Keoghan and Rosamund Pike.; and one for Best Film. But as I was all in on BABYLON last year and it got goose eggs, no film should want me as a fan.

I'm hoping for JA Bayona's SOCIETY OF THE SNOW gets a nom and win for Best International.

And as France didn't submit ANATOMY OF A FALL (I assume there's too much English spoken for it to qualify), I hope it gets the same love last year's ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT received and it's put up for Best Picture.

Sun. Feb. 18: BAFTA Awards.

Sat. Feb. 24: Screen Actors Guild Awards

Sun. Feb. 25: Spirit AwardsSun. Mar. 10: Academy Awards

Then we pause until late April and Emmy season kicks right up again and we continue the dance.

[tomdayaqna]

Oh! If Challengers gets into Best Picture then Zendaya will get a nomination for producing. So exciting! And I don’t want to hear “Challengers has no chance” because there are only 7 maybe 8 locks, so there are 2/3 slots up for any movie to take.

I know you said you don't wanna hear it, but I'll be honest I personally think Challengers doesn't have a good chance of getting best picture nom and not because it's not a good film but because recency bias has worked against it thus far this awards' season (the only major nom not for its soundtrack/editing it's picked up so far was just Z's golden globes nomination) but I'd love to be proven wrong!