#also justine triet was nominated for best director for anatomy of a fall but i guess yall dont care about films in different languages

[listen-to-the-inner-walrus]

...wait, people are genuinely upset that greta gerwig didnt get nominated for best director for the toy commercial movie when the movie got nominations for best supporting actor, best supporting actress, best original song, best production design, best costume design, best picture, and best adapted screenplay for which greta gerwig was nominated?

[2manythoughtz]

Is Barbie A Joke To Critics?

Just a week ago I wrote an article about the Barbie movie and how it was not only misunderstood but also overlooked when it comes to its deep meaning. We’ve had people like Jo Koy mocking the movie and comparing it to Oppenheimer which is a movie inspired by real events of our past, not only that but the winning song was I’m Just Ken, that alone should show just how little critics care to take what the movie teaches us and use it in the real world.

And we’re back at it. As you know, the nominations for the Oscars have been released. You’d be surprised to see that neither Margot Robbie (the main actress who interpreted Barbie) nor Greta Gerwig (the director of Barbie) got nominated in their categories. Speaking of the directors’ category, Greta is not new to being snubbed by the Oscars, it had already happened with Little Women. The only difference is that in 2020 there were no women nominated as best director, this year we have a female director who’s been nominated and that’s Justine Triet with Anatomy of a Fall, which is not bad. What’s laughable is the fact that Barbie has won the Golden Globes Award for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement and yet its director is not taken seriously.

And we’re not even talking about any film, to this day Barbie has made 1.45 billion U.S. dollars worldwide which makes it the best movie debut for a female director. 

Margot Robbie didn’t get nominated as best actress although her performance as Barbie was absolutely iconic, she really brought Barbie to life in a unique way that not many actresses could’ve achieved. If you thought it couldn’t get any worse, let me tell you that Ryan Gosling (the actor who interpreted Ken) got nominated as Best Supporting Actor. That is fair, Ryan did an amazing job at portraying Ken, he really made his character funny and entertaining, he earned his nomination and I’m sure everyone is happy that he was one of the two nominees for Barbie. 

But fans were not the only ones who were disappointed, Ryan Gosling himself commented on the matter and showed his displeasure. Here are his words:

“I am extremely honored to be nominated by my colleagues alongside such remarkable artists in a year of so many great films. And I never thought l’d being saying this, but I’m also incredibly honored and proud that it’s for portraying a plastic doll named Ken.

But there is no Ken without Barbie, and there is no Barbie movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, the two people most responsible for this history-making, globally-celebrated film.

No recognition would be possible for anyone on the film without their talent, grit and genius.

To say that I’m disappointed that they are not nominated in their respective categories would be an understatement.

Against all odds with nothing but a couple of soulless, scantily clad, and thankfully crotchless dolls, they made us laugh, they broke our hearts, they pushed the culture and they made history. Their work should be recognized along with the other very deserving nominees.

Having said that, I am so happy for America Ferrera and the other incredible artists who contributed their talents to making this such a groundbreaking film.”

As Ryan said, the only woman who got nominated is America Ferrera who had an impactful role in the movie, her monologue about women and every hardship that they have to face because of society has become viral. Her character represents women, any women, and she did an outstanding job that earned her the nomination for Best Supporting Actress. The only shame is that she’s the only woman who got the privilege of being nominated for a movie that talks about feminism and how women don’t have the same treatment as men.

The Oscars proved Barbie right once again. 

[blues-valentine]

those crying about margot robbie not getting an oscar nom are the same people that haven’t acknowledged america ferrera’s first ever oscar nomination. it’s very telling…

As I said, Ryan didn’t deserve that nomination. And if I’m honest, neither did Margot Robbie or America Ferrera. I like them both but their performances on Barbie aren’t even close to comparable with the line up of performances this year. Like, I can name you two or more actresses that deserved an spot on Best Leading Actress before Margot Roobie.

And I don’t think she cares all that much. She pushed this movie to be more about her as the movie producer. I am sure she is fine with the billion dollars it made and her bonuses. Barbie getting a Best Picture nomination is a win for her and her production company. The moment I saw people quoting Taylor Swift over Margot not being nominated while throwing the rest of the actresses nominated under the bus just tells me everything I need to know about this brand of “feminism” being hysterical over it.

Let’s talk about Greta Lee’s snub. Or Teyana Taylor for A Thousand and One. Or Fantasia for The Color Purple. Let’s speak on Lily Gladstone being the first Native American woman from the US to ever be nominated at the Oscars for Leading Actress. But this whole award season has been about the internet crying and hyping white woman instead of the women of color. This year was great for black woman on TV, especially when it comes to the comedy genre.

With this being said, Greta Gerwig did deserve her Best Director nomination but so did Celine Song for Past Lives and she’s not even being mentioned in the conversation by the so called feminists that are tired of men taking the noms. Also so tired of some acting like Justine Triet didn’t deserve her nomination for Anatomy Of A Fall. People are being so disrespectful to her.

Lastly, I celebrate America‘s nomination as part of the Latino community and I’ll just pretend she was nominated for her debut Real Women Have Curves (2002) which she deserved way back. She won’t win. But I am happy for her getting that recognition for her years of craft.

[ljf613]

Alright, been a while since I said anything really Problematiqué on here and I'm bored, so I'm going to stick my hand in the hornet's nest and say that this so-called Barbie/Oscars "controversy" is dumb and contrived and incredibly absurd.

For those of you who've been living under a rock for the past couple of days (or just avoid listening to anything about Barbie and/or the Oscars, which is very sensible of you), here's a Twitter post that summed up the situation:

In other words, the very fact that Ryan Gosling was nominated for Best Supporting Actor while Margo Robbie was passed over for Best Leading Actress and Greta Gerwig was passed over for Best Director is Terrible and Misogynistic and entirely the fault of the Patriarchy.

This has got to be the most absurd take I have seen this year. (Granted, "this year" has only been about four weeks, but the point stands.)

Let me explain some things to y'all:

Barbie received EIGHT Oscar nominations. (That is, in fact, a fairly impressive showing for a glorified toy commercial.)

One of those nominations was for America Ferrera as Best Supporting Actress.

Are you guys following? Eight nominations, and apparently none of it matters because the movie didn't happen to get the two specific nominations certain people wanted it to get. And not only that, but y'all want to tear down an actor who was nominated for an award that neither Greta nor Margo was even eligible for. Seriously? Don't you people have lives?

Now, I've heard that Ryan Gosling has come out and basically said that Margo should have gotten the nomination instead of him. (I haven't looked too deeply into this because I just Don't Really Care Enough.) If that's true, it's pathetic and nonsensical.

Ryan didn't take the nomination away from either of them. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. It's not like Margo or Greta would have been nominated for that award if not for him, and I am almost certain that nobody on the nomination committee (or whoever decides these things) was sitting there saying, "Well, we gave Ryan Gosling a nomination, and therefore we shouldn't give one to Margo Robbie or Greta Gerwig." (I am so tired of the "someone else has something I don't and that's Not Fair and therefore they must be oppressing me" narrative.)

(As someone who didn't actually watch the movie or follow it all that closely, I can tell you this much: I saw lots of people talking about how hard Ryan Gosling was working to get this part right, and how well he did. I don't remember a single post saying the same thing about Margo Robbie. Maybe, just maybe, he got a nomination because he did an above-and-beyond spectacular job and deserved it-- and she didn't? Just possibly?)

Also, an actress getting passed over for a Best Leading Actress nomination CAN'T be misogynistic. You know why? Because who gets that nomination instead? That's right-- some other woman. And as for Best Director, there is a woman who's been nominated for that award (Justine Triet for "Anatomy of a Fall"), so it's not like they were deliberately trying to make sure no woman got the award-- they just didn't feel that Greta Gerwig made the cut.

And even if you pretend we're living in some imaginary universe where the nomination committee deliberately snubbed Margo and Greta while nominating Ryan for Sexist Reasons, why would they have given a nomination to America Ferrera?

In short, whatever the reasons Margo Robbie didn't get nominated for Best Leading Actress and Greta Gerwig didn't get a Best Director nomination, they do not and cannot include:

The committee hated "Barbie" for unspecified Patriarchy Reasons.

Ryan Gosling stole the nomination away from them.

The committee liked "Barbie" but hated all of the women involved (for Patriarchy Reasons).

[dweemeister]

96th Academy Awards nominations reactions

Well, it wasn't doomsday. But it wasn't the best Oscar nomination morning I've ever experienced either!

And goodness me, the two major Best Picture contenders that have the most upwards momentum right now (Oppenheimer doesn't have upwards momentum, it's been top of the pack for the whole awards season) did well. And it just so happens, those two films are the ones I'm the most terrified to criticize.

Some thoughts:

From some of the talk going around and the lack of love from outside the United States, I'm a little concerned with Killers of the Flower Moon as it stands. It's my personal pick for Best Picture, jsyk. Ten nominations sure, but missing out on Adapted Screenplay and Best Actor for DiCaprio is not a good look, despite the surprise Original Song nomination. Certainly, AMPAS is majority/plurality American, so the story strikes deep chords for any of us who care a smidgen about the nation's history and racial injustice. But I have been seeing chatter - not gonna name nationalities - from outside North America saying how they're tired of American racial guilt movies. That is an aspect of KOTFM, but that completely flattens a morally complicated, beautifully made work. A near-miracle it was made in 2020s Hollywood. I think another part of it is that we are all now taking the Scorsese and Spielberg generation of filmmakers for granted. They've come full circle. Their films have done wretchedly at recent Academy Awards ceremonies as of late, and undeservedly so.

The (imo) overperformance of Poor Things makes the Gladstone v Stone matchup look like it may be slowly tipping away from Lily Gladstone. I don't think I will be writing on the film on this blog but, suffice it to say, I didn't enjoy it. Yorgos Lanthimos is a director that has never truly clicked with me, largely due to his earlier, very cynical work. Poor Things is not as cynical, but I didn't care for the messaging at all (yes, Victorian men were sexual hypocrites and miscreants - how self-congratulatory, I found it) or its sense of humor. I guess some can say that I'm just another puritanical American prude, as well. But I thought the sex was getting into the male gaze-y territory, and the sex work subplot was way waaayyy too sanitized. I also despised the atonal score by Jerskin Fendrix, which was very close to stuff me and my orchestra mates might do if we were messing around in rehearsal (disclosure: I was taught classical piano and violin, have studied music theory up to the college level, played in various orchestras up to a decent level in high school, and am a massive film score fan).

It looks like Oppenheimer is running away with this. I just don't see how anything can stop it in Best Picture. I can respect an Oppenheimer Best Picture winner, even if I'm not even sure if it cracks my top three and Nolan is certainly not one of my favorite filmmakers.

I don't think Oppenheimer is getting Best Actor, though. Rooting for Paul Giamatti for The Holdovers on that one. Shame Dominic Sessa couldn't join him in Supporting Actor, but Da'Vine Joy Randolph has essentially got the Oscar in the bag - despite my reservations on how her character essentially disappears in the last third of the film.

But what about Barbie? It's a movie I respect, deeply. But I never thought it in the caliber of Best Picture nominee one bit. The America Ferrera nomination in Supporting Actress I don't support one bit. Gosling? Sure. Robbie? Had a better case than Ferrera, but I understand why she didn't get it. Gerwig? I'm on the fence over her exclusion in Director.

Sensational stuff for Justine Triet and Anatomy of a Fall. It's probably my #2 vote in Best Picture. I just wish Milo Machado Graner was in for Supporting Actor. This is a dark horse, folks, more than capable of pulling off an upset or two come Oscar night. And a damned good movie, too...

... But its success appears to have come at the expense of Trần Anh Hùng's The Taste of Things. And as the Artistic Director of Viet Film Fest in Orange County, California, that stings, as he's VFF alumni. When France passed over Anatomy of a Fall for The Taste of Things in Best International Feature, there was a lot of outrage directed at Taste by people who had and had not seen the film. Perhaps the damage was already done. A massive shame if that was the case.

Other than Poor Things, the other movie with tons of upward momentum right now is Jonathan Glazer's The Zone of Interest. For the record, I think, on its face, you can still make a morally responsible movie about the Holocaust from a Nazi point of view - which I think Glazer mostly does. But my criticism comes from elsewhere. Glazer, in interviews, has said how he wanted to 1) make the movie not primarily about the 1940s, but about our time and our complicity in atrocities and 2) make a film shorn of cinematic artifice to absorb us into the setting. I think his messaging never evolves beyond the basics on the first point; I think he utterly fails on the second. Cases in point: the use of nightvision cameras that only serve to remind the audience they are watching an artistic exercise, the horrific score from Mica Levi that too many film critics (who don't know better, most notably David Ehrlich at IndieWire - really, everyone at IndieWire), and a weird sound mix that reminds me of when stage plays play off-stage sound effects or background noise but that audio doesn't sound sufficiently "far away" enough.

A slight underperformance by Past Lives. It was never going to get a boatload of nominations. But it appears Greta Lee was squeezed out (I have nothing constructive to say about Annette Bening and Jodie Foster in Nyad as I haven't seen the film) and there was scarcely a campaign for Teo Yoo.

American Fiction is, I think, going home empty-handed. Its nominations are the win, and I think it's a decent satire well worth watching.

Maestro doesn't deserve a Best Picture nor its screenplay nomination, but I'm not happy with some of the accusations of Bradley Cooper Oscar-thirsting that's flying around. You folks are taking it much too personally. Did he defecate on your kitchen table or something? Calm. Down.

And speaking about disrespect, there has been a ton of disrespect towards John Williams' nomination for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Again, we're coming full circle to an iconic figure of late twentieth century cinema. Especially from fans of Daniel Pemberton's score to Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (who I agree should have been nominated in Score). No, Indy 5 was not great. No, Williams' score to the film was not the best score in the series. No, I don't think Williams should win this year. But did you listen to the score? Helena's theme was gorgeous and its integration across the score was the work of a master. The interplay between the Nazi and Dial themes is something lesser composers just simply cannot replicate. And for those complaining that Williams simply reuses material the entire time, I get the feeling you haven't seen the film or listening to the score by itself (or understand how themes can develop). Yes, I know melody is on its way out in film scores (see: Hans Zimmer, his acolytes, and any composer who thinks that orchestras should be used like drums) and pop music in general in favor of texture and a beat. But I bet you many composers will sell their souls to piece together something half as good as a lesser John Williams score. It's a great score, worthy of its nomination.

Where is Robot Dreams, Neon? This movie's been on my radar for some months now, but radio silence! Do you guys not know how to distribute an animated film? Flee (2021, Denmark) had this same problem! I'm so glad it's in, though.

That nomination for Nimona, though? Dreadful. Again, tumblr won't like I'm going to say this, but I thought it was gratingly written, poorly voice acted, and its humor and character behaviors are going to date like milk.

And a massive congratulations to Godzilla Minus One for its Best Visual Effects nomination. After 38 films in the series, the big fella with atomic breath is heading to the Academy Awards!

No Disney in Animated Short for Once Upon a Studio. Surprising, but not completely so. I'm excited for a slate of independent animated shorts when the short film categories come around!

The Live Action Short slate is rather disappointing. I like the category best when it's full of no-name directors and actors. Without having seen anything else, this is going to Wes Anderson isn't it?

Most prioritized films I haven't seen: all short films, Elemental, Io Capitano, Perfect Days, Robot Dreams, Rustin, Society of the Snow, 20 Days in Mariupol

[vavandeveresfan]

"‘Barbie’ is bad. There, I said it." Thank god, someone I can agree with!

Opinion by Pamela Paul for the NYT, January 24, 2024.

We can all agree 2023 was a good year for the movies. Critically and commercially, several movies did well, and only one of those successes took place within the Marvel cinematic universe. Even the 10 Oscar nominees for best picture, announced Tuesday, included nine actually good films.

Is it safe now to call “Barbie” the outlier? Can I say that, despite winsome leads and likable elements, it didn’t cohere or accomplish anything interesting, without being written off as a) mean, b) old, c) hateful or d) humorless?

Every once in a while, a movie is so broadly anticipated, so welcomed, so celebrated that to disparage it felt like a deliberate provocation. After “Barbie” so buoyantly lifted box office figures, it also felt like a willful dismissal of the need to make Hollywood solvent after a season of hell. And it felt like a political statement. Disliking “Barbie” meant either dismissing the power of The Patriarchy or dismissing Modern Feminism. You were either anti-feminist or too feminist or just not the right kind.

Few dared rain on Barbie’s hot pink parade.

Those who openly hated it mostly did so for reasons having to do with what it “stood for.” They abhorred its (oddly anachronistic) third-wave feminist politics. They despised its commercialism and dreaded the prospect of future films about Mattel properties such as Barney and American Girl dolls. They hated the idea of a movie about a sexualized pinup-shaped doll whose toy laptop or Working Woman (“I really talk!”) packaging couldn’t hide the stereotypes under the outfit.

For those who hailed it, there was a manic quality to the “Barbie” enthusiasm, less an “I enjoyed” and more of an “I endorse.” How fabulous its consumer-friendly politics, its I-can’t-believe-they-let-us-do-this micro-subversions, its prepackaged combo of gentle satire and you-go-girl gumption. They loved it for reclaiming dolls and Bazooka-gum pink, its Rainbow Magic diversity, its smug assurance that everything contained within was legitimately feminist/female/fine. They approved of the fact that Weird Barbie’s quirks could X out Stereotypical Barbie’s perfection on some unspoken political balance sheet. That by being everything to everyone, a plastic doll could validate every child’s own unique and irrepressible individuality. To each her own Barbie!

And now there is a new Barbie cause to rally around: the Great Oscar Snub and what it all means — and why it is wrong. Neither Margot Robbie nor Greta Gerwig was nominated for best actress or best director, respectively. “How is that even possible?” one TV host exclaimed.

“To many, the snubbing of the pair further validated the film’s message about how difficult it can be for women to succeed in —<em> and be recognized for </em>— their contributions in a society saturated by sexism,” CNN explained. Ryan Gosling, nominated as best supporting actor for his role as Ken, issued a statement denouncing the snubs and hailing his colleagues.

But hold on. Didn’t another woman, Justine Triet, get nominated for best director (for “Anatomy of a Fall”)? As for “Barbie,” didn’t Gerwig herself get nominated for best adapted screenplay and the always sublime America Ferrera get nominated for best supporting actress? A record three of the best picture nominees were directed by women. It’s not as if women were shut out.

Every time a woman fails to win an accolade doesn’t mean failure for womanhood. Surely women aren’t so pitiable as to need a participation certificate every time we try. We’re well beyond the point where a female artist can’t be criticized on the merits and can’t be expected to handle it as well as any man. (Which means it still hurts like hell for either sex — but not because of their sex.)

Robbie had far less to do in “Barbie” than she did in “I, Tonya,” for which she justifiably got an Oscar nod. In this movie, she was charming and utterly fine, but that doesn’t make it a rare dramatic achievement.

With “Barbie,” Gerwig upped her commercial game from acclaimed art house to bona fide blockbuster. She was demonstrably ambitious in her conception of what could have been an all-out disaster. She got people to go back to the movies. All of these are successes worthy of celebration. But they are not the same as directing a good film.

Surely it is possible to criticize “Barbie” as a creative endeavor. To state that despite its overstuffed playroom aesthetic and musical glaze, the movie was boring. There were no recognizable human characters, something four “Toy Story” movies have shown can be done in a movie populated by toys.

There were no actual stakes, no plot to follow in any real or pretend world that remotely made sense. In lieu of genuine laughs, there were only winking ha-has at a single joke improbably stretched into a feature-length movie. The result produced the forced jollity of a room in which the audience is strenuously urged to “sing along now!”

A few reviewers had the gall to call it. The New York Post described it as “exhausting” and a “self-absorbed and overwrought disappointment,” a judgment for which the reviewer was likely shunned as a houseguest for the remaining summer season.

In our culture of fandoms, hashtags, TikTok sensations, semi-ironic Instagrammable cosplay, embedded anonymous reviews, sponsored endorsements and online grassroots marketing campaigns, not every critical opinion is a deliberate commentary on the culture or the virtue-signaling of an open letter. Sometimes an opinion isn’t some kind of performance or signifier.

There’s a crucial difference between liking the idea of a movie and liking the movie itself. Just as you could like “Jaws” without wanting to instigate a decadeslong paranoia about shark attacks, you can dislike “Barbie” without hating on women. Sometimes a movie is just a movie. And sometimes, alas, not a good one.

[brianjaeger]

2024 Academy Award Best Picture Nominees Guide For Those Who Haven’t Actually Watched Them

In a year when the names of pretty much every movie are combinations of random, non-descript words, and with a lineup of films that few people did actually watch or even legitimately know what they’re about (except Barbenheimer) - the Academy really tested the flimsy premise of this now decade-old bit.

But tis the season! So sing along with me! My awards have a first name, it’s O-S-C-A-R!

My awards have a second name, it’s C-O-R-P-O-R-A-T-E-H-O-L-L-Y-W-O-O-D-W-I-L-L-S-O-O-N-B-R-E-A-K-I-T-S-P-R-O-M-I-S-E-T-O-T-H-E-U-N-I-O-N-S-A-N-D-C-R-E-A-T-E-A-L-L-O-F-T-H-E-S-E-M-O-V-I-E-S-W-I-T-H-A-I-I-N-T-H-E-F-U-T-U-R-E!

So, let’s dive in for this 10th rundown of the Best Picture nominees!

American Fiction

What Florida Governor Ron DeSantis calls critical race theory.

3 Things To Casually Inject Into Conversation To Prove You Saw The Movie And Sound Like An Expert:

German Fiction is what those who planned to vote for DeSantis call Zone of Interest.

If this wins, Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty will announce it as La La Land.

Tracee Ellis Ross plays the role of Dr. Lisa Ellison. Other original names for characters were Myra Lucretia Taylor as Dr. Mary Lucretiason, Michael Cyril Creighton as Dr. Thomas Cyrilson and Sterling K. Brown as Dr. William K.-son.

Anatomy of a Fall

About 6-foot-2 and roughly 200 pounds at the time that he slapped Chris Rock at this awards show in 2022. 

3 Things To Casually Inject Into Conversation To Prove You Saw The Movie And Sound Like An Expert:

You know what they call a Quarter Pounder with Cheese in Paris? They call it Anatomie D'Une Cheese.

I thought it was a bit lazy that in order to play the half-blind son, director Justine Triet just put an eye-patch on Milo Machado-Graner and exclaimed, “Mon Dieu! Ze garçon is now half blind. Voir!

Eric Clapton’s least favorite Best Picture nominee.

Barbie

A sharp and immensely profitable attack upon the patriarchy and a film that became a rallying cry for female empowerment in Hollywood that garnered no Best Director or Best Actress nominations but nabbed a nom for penis-owning actor Ryan Gosling.

3 Things To Casually Inject Into Conversation To Prove You Saw The Movie And Sound Like An Expert:

Hi Barbie!

One day during childhood, I agreed to play Barbies with my two sisters and my brother. But we played Saved By The Bell with Ken as Zack Morris, an Aladdin doll as A.C. Slater and various Barbies as Kelly, Jessie and Lisa. It was civil until I got bored and used another Ken doll to be Screech and all of a sudden gave him the power (ironically…Screech's last name was Powers) to fly and then pretended he was flying over the Dream House and farting and pooping down (also ironically in light of Dustin Diamond’s later activities) on everyone causing my sisters to scream at me while I cackled with laughter. Not really a joke. Just a real crystalized childhood memory that I'm sadly still kind of proud of and also still think is very funny.

Next year, the Polly Pocket movie will be a tremendous hit, break down traditional gender norms, and Austin Butler will be the only one nominated for an Oscar for playing Paul E. Pocket.

The Holdovers

A story about a group that has nowhere to go after they are abandoned in New England…the 2020 Patriots.

3 Things To Casually Inject Into Conversation To Prove You Saw The Movie And Sound Like An Expert:

The lead role called for a “stubborn, curmudgeonly” character and Paul Giamatti just materialized on set.

To achieve Giamatti’s character Paul Hunham’s trademark lazy eye, Alexander Payne enlisted the help of Anatomy of a Fall director Justine Triet who came on set and addressed Giamatti’s right eye, saying, “Bonjour, eye! Do some work, s'il vous plaît. (Pauses for a beat.) Sacre bleu! Ze eye refuses to work. Zis is a lazy eye!”

This is the first collaboration between director Alexander Payne and actor Paul Giamatti since Sideways which now makes sense since there are various points in the film where a character, with absolutely no context or prompting, sips a glass of merlot and spits it on the ground screaming, “Merlot is the worst liquid in the universe!” But it was a bit much when the last scene of the movie was Paul Giamatti looking directly into the camera and saying, “Fuck you, merlot,” before the credits rolled.

Killers of the Flower Moon

Ernest in the Army. Ernest Scared Stupid. Ernest Goes to Jail.

3 Things To Casually Inject Into Conversation To Prove You Saw The Movie And Sound Like An Expert:

Leonardo DiCaprio initially turned down the role when he learned that his romantic interest in the film, Mollie Kyle, was 137 years old, saying, "Maybe without the 7!"

IMDB lists this movie’s runtime in years.

Scorsese rejected composer Robbie Robertson’s first score for the film that included “‘Up on Cripple Creek…Is Where They Found Anna’s Body’”, “I Shall Be Released…Is What King Hale Tells Ernest While In Jail”, “The Weight…Of His Transgressions Caused Ernest to Testify Against His Uncle” and “Ophelia…Is Probably The Name of One of The Background Osage Women Characters, Oh Come On Marty, Just Put It In The Credits, People Love This Song”

Maestro

Seasoned musician Leonard Bernstein (Bradley Cooper) discovers-and falls in love with-struggling actress Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligaga). She has just about given up on her dream to make it big as an actress - until Leonard coaxes her into the spotlight. But even as Felicia’s career takes off, the personal side of their relationship is breaking down, as Leonard fights an ongoing battle with his own internal demons. Then, he pisses his pants at the Grammys.

3 Things To Casually Inject Into Conversation To Prove You Saw The Movie And Sound Like An Expert:

Early critical reviews of the trailer focused on the “Anatomy of a Face”.

Just like in “A Star Is Born”, Bradley Cooper took vocal lessons to actually perform Leonard Bernstein's classic “Hallelujah”. (What’s that? There are two Jewish Leonards?)

Cooper spent nearly 45% of the film’s budget on that epic final battle scene between Bernstein and Lydia Tár.

Oppenheimer

Julius Robert Oppenheimer Schmidt! That's my name too! Whenever I got out, the people always shout, “There goes Julius Robert Oppenheimer Schmidt!” Na-na na-na na-na-na!

3 Things To Casually Inject Into Conversation To Prove You Saw The Movie And Sound Like An Expert:

In an alternate scene, it's revealed that the exchange between Oppenheimer and Edison by the pond that caused Albert to react so sadly when walking past Robert Downey Jr. is that Oppenheimer tried to sneak a fart but then said, “Oh no. I just Oppensharted.”

Nolan took some liberties with the true story. In reality, the U.S. killed between 110,000 and 210,000 Japanese citizens…with kindness.

Since ABC does not include the Academy’s Scientific and Technical Awards during the broadcast, we will not see Cillian Murphy’s acceptance speech for Best Seated Mangina.

Past Lives

This film follows the stories of the characters’ souls across time, and the stories are interwoven as they advance, showing how they all interact in their “past lives”. The film explores how people's “past lives” are connected with and influence each other and…wait a second. Nope. That’s Cloud Atlas. (Do not watch Cloud Atlas.)

3 Things To Casually Inject Into Conversation To Prove You Saw The Movie And Sound Like An Expert:

Due to scheduling conflicts with Poor Things, Emma Stone was unable to play the female Asian lead this time.

However, in the North Korean version of the film, Kim Jong Un played the role. And all the other roles. And won all of the Oscars. Ever.

This movie is a prequel to the movie Lives.

Poor Things

From Pixar comes the story of little Sally Sangiovese, a newly bottled red Italian wine who is separated from her Sangio-family and sent to the wine cellar. There, she’ll befriend Nelson Nebbiolo, a wizened red from the Piedmont region who is coming up on 30 years in the cellar but still hasn’t gotten over the loss of his Spanish love, Tia Tempranillo, who was pulled from the cellar for a quinceañera dinner the year prior. Together, the two will hatch a plan to release themselves from the cellar to reunite Sally with her family and Nelson con su amor. Along their adventurous aging process, audiences will discover that even when the bottle appears half-empty, you simply decant dampen the spirit of these…Pour Things!

3 Things To Casually Inject Into Conversation To Prove You Saw The Movie And Sound Like An Expert:

Max McCandles was actually the original name of Lumière from Beauty and the Beast.

Unfortunately this story of a British woman receiving a brain transplant isn’t about J.K. Rowling.

This is the first movie written by new AI trained only on Dr. Seuss books, Kanye West’s Twitter feed and the dreams of Gary Busey.

The Zone of Interest

Rudolf the conflicted Nazi! Had a garden full of rows! Of plants his wife liked to tend to! Horrifically juxtaposed! Then one sunny German day, Hitler came to say, “Rudolf of the triple Reich, won't you Holocaust tonight!” Then, how he wrestled with morality! As he puked and thought, “Why me?!” Rudolf the conflicted Nazi! This one’s really hard for comedy!

3 Things To Casually Inject Into Conversation To Prove You Saw The Movie And Sound Like An Expert…All Word-for-Word What Was Generated by ChatGPT:

The popularity of the film has already led to a sequel, Höss Party 2.

Probably also the title of one of the Mission Impossible movies.

I actually did watch every other movie nominated for Best Picture this year, but The Zone of Interest is the only one I did Nazi!

[thelonesomequeen]

I don't know if you've been asked this before but what are your predictions for the Oscars?

Personally i really want Emma Stone to win an Oscar (i love her soooo much), i love the performance of all her fellow nominees (especially Lilly Gladstone) but i just really hope for her to win.

And i def want either RDJ or Mark Ruffalo to win as well. I really want an MCU dude to win an Oscar (A lot of MCU men have been nominated but not sure if any have won yet)

RDJ has swept so far, so I think at this point it’s in the bag for him for supporting actor. Same with Da’Vine Joy Randolph in supporting actress. I didn’t double check, but off the top of my head I believe both of them have won at every award show so far.

I think it’s also a done deal that Oppenheimer will run away with best picture and Christopher Nolan will most likely take best director. Justine Triet could sneak in for Anatomy of a Fall, but I have a feeling this will go to Nolan just because of how many times he’s been nominated in the past (going along with yesterday’s conversation).

Where we have a bit of a race seems to be in the best actor and best actress categories. It’s going to come down to Paul Giamatti vs. Cillian Murphy and Lily Gladstone vs. Emma Stone. I would be shocked if someone else popped up to win the Oscar over any of those four. Usually SAG is the biggest predictor of Oscar winners in the acting categories, but it can sometimes be different (see supporting actress last year 👀😒) 🦎

[bill-millions-movies]

ANATOMY OF A FALL

"Somebody said, of course money doesn't make you happy, but it's still better to cry in a car than in a subway."

MURDER MYSTERIES ARC movie 2

ANATOMY OF A FALL (2023)

MARCH 3, 2024

I became aware of the brilliant German actress Sandra Hüller only last year, when I finally watched her star in the delightful Toni Erdmann, which I had put off watching for years because I wasn’t sure I was ready for a two hour and 42 minute German comedy (apparently I really was!). And now she is seemingly everywhere, starring in two of this year's Best Picture nominees, including this Palme d'or winning legal drama (in addition to Zone of Interest). French director Justine Triet, with whose previous work I am completely unfamiliar, also snagged a best director nom for this film, in a slot that many expected would go to Greta Gerwig for Barbie.

Palme d'or winners have been back in vogue as Oscar nominees lately, after Parasite's surprise best picture win in 2019, and Ruben Östland's Triangle of Sadness making the cut last year. The only other Palme d'or winners getting best picture nominations this century were 2002's The Pianist and 2011's Tree of Life. It's a whole new world, apparently, with the Oscars happily getting even less populist as the Academy's diversity broadens. So, one week before the Oscars, come and check this one off your list!

"As it calls the institution of marriage to the stand, Triet’s piercing film holds the ambient tensions and illogical loose ends of domestic life against the harsh and rational light of a legal system that searches for order in chaos." -IndieWire

"Though some may come for the murder mystery, it’s Triet’s way of using that genre to get at deeper notions of love turning to hate, and tiny marital fissures that turn into chasms, that really makes this something close to an anti-romantic masterpiece.' -Rolling Stone

7:25 trailers 7:30 - 10:00 Anatomy of a Fall

[Want to watch at home instead of joining us? Rent online at Amazon or iTunes for $5.99. ]

[denimbex1986]

'Christopher Nolan has won the BAFTA Award for best director for “Oppenheimer.”

In his acceptance speech, he said that while his film ended on a “dramatically necessary note of despair,” he wanted to spotlight the “individuals and organizations who have fought long and hard to reduce the number of nuclear weapons in the world.”

“In accepting this I do just want to acknowledge their efforts and point out they show the necessity and potential of efforts for peace,” he added.

The British director also said that it was an “incredible honor to be back home, to get this from BAFTA, in the festival hall where my my mum and dad used to drag me to make me have some culture. Some of it stuck. It suddenly occurs to me my younger brother beat me up here by about 40 years not because he’s ever won a BAFTA but because he was part of the snowflake chorus in the ‘Nutcracker’ here many years ago.”

He added, “I have so many people to thank for this. An incredible cast led by our peerless, fearless Cillian Murphy — thank you Cillian, thank you to all the others, an incredible crew, many of you recognized by BAFTA with nominations tonight.”

The filmmaker’s epic biopic of the “father of the atomic bomb,” J. Robert Oppenheimer, has been both a commercial and critical smash hit, earning close to $1 billon for Universal and dominating the awards season. It’s also given Nolan his first ever BAFTA award, having previously been nominated for “Inception” and “Dunkirk.” The director is now expected by many to repeat the feat at the Academy Awards and win his first Oscar.

In the director category, Nolan was up against Andrew Haigh for “All of Us Strangers,” Justine Triet for “Anatomy of a Fall,” Alexander Payne for “The Holdovers,” Bradley Cooper for “Maestro” and Jonathan Glazer for “The Zone of Interest.”'

[orpheuslookingback]

okay some general oscar nomination thoughts i guess lol:

Like most everyone else, I do think it's dumb that Greta Gerwig didn't get a directing nomination. Dumb that the Academy seems to be operating on a "one woman director" cap (there's literally only been one year ever I think when 2 women were nominated in the same year and I think it was the year Emerald Fennel and Chloe Zhao were both nominated?) when there's so many great films directed by women this year. I haven't seen Past Lives yet, but from what I've heard Celine Song probably deserved a nomination, too (maybe even more than Greta Gerwig). And I also haven't seen Anatomy of a Fall, but I am happy Justine Triet got in there for a nomination. Also at least that last spot didn't go to Bradley Cooper instead lol.

But in all honesty I don't really think Barbie was super snubbed otherwise? I know some people think it was but honestly I think 8 nominations is a really strong amount. And in all honesty, I'm kind of lukewarm about it getting a screenplay nomination, I don't think its really close to as strong as some of the other nominees in either screenplay category. And as much as I really like her and think she did deliver that monologue really well, I'm not sure America Ferrera should have gotten in over some of the other performances that could be in the Supporting category (especially I'm thinking of Julianne Moore and Rosamund Pike both getting left out for what were imo overall stronger performances)

I guess Maestro did get nominations in both lead acting categories and like. I admittedly haven't seen it. But based on word of mouth it probably shouldn't have lol. Also was it getting a screenplay nomination at all expected??

It seems like the actual Best Actor race is probably gonna be between Paul Giamatti and Cillian Murphy, but I am glad that Jeffrey Wright still at least did get a nomination. I loved American Fiction and he was soooooo good in it.

I've already said this but the biggest disappointment for me is no Charles Melton in Supporting Actor. He's so fantastic in that film. I like them both and they both gave good performances but I would've liked to see him there over either Ryan Gosling or Sterling K Brown (glad Brown is getting his first oscar nomination at least though he is a great actor) (and I can't really judge it against Robert De Niro or Mark Ruffalo since I haven't seen either of those movies, though I will say it might've been nice to see someone new get a nom vs people who have gotten several already, regardless).

May December getting snubbed in general sucks. It's a great movie. As I already also said, Julianne Moore is also so good in it and probably also should have gotten a Supporting nomination. Natalie Portman is also really good in that film but I'm less upset about her not getting a nomination than I am about the other two. Also in the Supporting Actress race, I'm not sure Emily Blunt should be there? She has one really great scene in Oppenheimer but idk other than that, I think there were other stronger performances this year that could be in this category (again see Julianne Moore and Rosamund Pike).

I haven't seen Elemental but it seems pretty clear that it shouldn't be in the best animated category over something that seems like a much better film like the newest TMNT movie. Kinda tired of the sense that Disney-Pixar often get an obligatory nom just for like. Making something, regardless of its actual quality. Happy for Nimona making it in though.

Based on what I've heard about Past Lives (which I know I really really need to see) it seems like honestly Greta Lee not getting a Best Actress nomination is a worse snub in terms of quality of performance than Margot Robbie not getting one, which honestly...I'm not super mad about? I think she's really good in Barbie but I also don't think its one of those performances where it feels like a massive injustice that it didn't get nominated, in terms of the actual quality of the performance.

I don't think its gonna win much but I am rooting for American Fiction in general.

Those are my main thoughts rn? Idk they'll probably change/grow as I watch more of the nominated films, which, right now on top of my watchlist are Anatomy of a Fall, The Holdovers, Past Lives, and Poor Things, and I guess eventually I'll get to Killers of the Flower Moon even though I am. Not usually the world's biggest fan of 3 and a half hour films lol.

[dweemeister]

Sending out Oscar nomination eve vibes

First things first, as a fan of the human chaos that is the Academy Awards, viewing films primarily through the prism of awards is one of the most myopic ways to look at movies. That there is a whole sub-industry of journalism dedicated to awards horse racing and campaigning never ceases to amaze me - even though I must admit to consuming said journalism (or "journalism").

Going into and out of a screening with "I wonder what this could get nominated for?" as the first thing in your mind is not how anyone should absorb and analyze a film. Awards are for the industry, sure, but they're also markers of taste for a certain group of people at a moment in time. They're good entryways into budding film buffs. Awards are fun; don't try to get too emotionally involved in them.

Okay, putting that aside and fully realizing some of the below will sound hypocritical, I begin with some extremely unlikely stuff I would like to see tomorrow morning, but probably won't happen at all...

That despite the highly questionable 2017 move to take away sole nominating power for Best Animated Feature from the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch (I'm guessing the Academy at-large got sick and tired of the category featuring films they hadn't seen/refused to see), I hope those who opted into voting on Best Animated Feature nominees looked beyond the major American and Japanese animation studios. Did Robot Dreams catch their eye (this was a major hit in its native Spain and France)? Maybe Perlimps (directed by Ale Abreu, who did Boy & the World)? Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia (which I admit I truly enjoyed, although I still hold the original in much higher esteem)? My Love Affair with Marriage? What about The Peasants (directed by the same team who gave us Loving Vincent)? I hope they took the time to give those films a watch, their due justice. If they don't get nominated because they didn't deserve, that's okay. But I want voters (and everyone out there) to realize the world of animation is much more than Disney/Pixar/DreamWorks/Illumination/Netflix/Sony and Studio Ghibli/Toei/Toho Company. There is so much more out there.

That Justine Triet is nominated for Best Director for Anatomy of a Fall. Give us Milo Machado Graner as a Supporting Actor nominee, too.

Another child actor in the acting categories, please. No one pins a 30-year-old Asian American male as a fan of Are You There God? It's Me Margaret. I read the book (one of the few major Judy Blume books I had never read) last year, and adored the film adaptation. But, in realization that I don't think the film is good enough for Best Picture... how about a Best Actress nod for Abby Ryder Fortson? She embodies Margaret beautifully, and strengthens this adaptation with a mature performance. She deserves it solely for escaping the Ant-Man series and not being involved in Quantumania. On another note, Rachel McAdams has taken all of the headlines for Margaret. She's fine, but I completely disagreed with her character's expanded presence in the film, as it took away from Margaret (Blume's book is entirely from Margaret's perspective).

Dominic Sessa. Supporting Actor for The Holdovers. Make it happen, please.

I haven't seen it. And this is a bit self-serving, professionally. But as the Artistic Director for Viet Film Fest, if Trần Anh Hùng's The Taste of Things is indeed deserving of a Best International Feature nomination (which, by looking at reviews, surely sounds like the case), I hope that voters do not punish the film for taking France's spot in Best International Feature instead of Anatomy of a Fall. I think the French believed that The Taste of Things represented French culture better than Anatomy of a Fall, and wanted to spread the love among potential Oscar contenders. Nevertheless, there's been a kerfuffle since France announced Trần Anh Hùng's film as their International Feature pick. Let's put that controversy aside, please.

That actors reward performances that are "showy" and nuanced. I feel like the Discourse over the last two years have been to reward maximalist performances in maximalist movies.

That voters in the music branch stop giving into the trends of amelodic, atonal, and minimalistic film scores (I'll even thrown in film scores that prioritize a "vibe" or "beat" over anything else, truly any score that is meant "not to be noticed"). We're in a moment now where younger directors (and certain auteurs who clearly have limited knowledge in the power of great melodic film music) are telling their composers - some of whom are incredibly capable artists, others not so much - that melody is old-fashioned, has no place in modern "realistic" cinema, and belongs only in musicals and animation. As a pianist/violinist who isn't that good at all and was classically trained through high school, this hurts deep. Don't be so afraid of a gorgeous melody and what it can provide to even movies aiming for realism. If the reactions as I was leaving The Zone of Interest and Poor Things the other nights were any indication, I'm becoming a endangered minority. Perhaps they should ship me to a museum so I can listen to my outdated film scores.

Am I still hurting from the sonic trash that was All Quiet's Best Original Score win last year? You bet.

Godzilla Minus One shocks us all and gets a nomination. Somewhere. Anywhere. Visual Effects? Yes please. Best Picture? Ehh, probably not, but if somehow made it, this kaiju fan would be very happy.

Okay, now for more likely things that'll happen. Some vibes need to go that way too, even if I'm a little more comfortable about the following.

That Killers of the Flower Moon can weather what appears to be a lack of support outside the United States - I get it, many non-Americans are tired of American cinema's racial reckonings on-screen - and solidly find its nominations for Picture, Director, Actress (Gladstone), Supporting Actor (De Niro), Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing, Costume Design, Production Design. Anything beyond that is a luxury to me - I waffle on the deservedness of Leonardo DiCaprio's performance and I disapprove recent trends in how AMPAS perceives what constitutes a worthy score.

That even though I personally don't think Barbie deserves to be nominated for any of the big awards, I hope it does well in the technical categories it deserves (Cinematography, Editing, Song, Costume Design, Production Design, and Visual Effects). Even if it gets nominated for Best Picture (which I think is a 90% chance right now), I don't mind at all.

Past Lives love. Celine Song? Greta Lee? Teo Yoo?

I think American Fiction is dancing 50/50 on all of its potential nominations right now. At least get Jeffrey Wright in for Actor and Cord Jefferson for Screenplay. Picture and anything else a luxury.

That the Short Film and Feature Animation Branch doesn't confuse professionally edited home movies with a worthy documentary short. Please stop.

For the record, yours truly is on Team Killers of the Flower Moon. And right now? I'm expecting the film to perform like Scorsese's The Irishman (2019) on Oscar night.

There's... a major contender of a film or two out there I'd like to see not do so well on nominations because I did not care for them (Oppenheimer is not one of them, as I think it mostly deserves the nominations that appear to be headed its way... winning those boatload of nominations, though? hmm). Those one or two films shall go nameless so as not to jinx anything. But perhaps you already parsed them out by reading the above.

[denimbex1986]

'...The 2024 British Academy Film Awards, a.k.a. the BAFTAs, take place on Feb. 18, marking another major set of awards on the path to the 2024 Oscars next month. The British award show has already made waves with some surprising nominations that broke expectations. Martin Scorsese and Greta Gerwig were denied Best Director nominations, and Oscar nominee Lily Gladstone didn't make the cut despite having already collected awards for her performance in Killers of the Flower Moon.

However, many things played out as expected, like Oppenheimer's dominance...

Who's hosting the BAFTAs?

Who is the host of the BAFTA Awards? Yes, he is.

Doctor Who and Good Omens star David Tennant will host the 2024 BAFTA Awards. "I am delighted to have been asked to host the EE BAFTA Film Awards and help celebrate the very best of this year's films and the many brilliant people who bring them to life," Tennant said when his hosting duties were announced.

While he's best known for his starring run on Doctor Who, his credits stretch across TV, film, and the stage, including roles in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Marvel's Jessica Jones, and Broadchurch. Additionally, he is currently starring as Macbeth in a production at London's revered Donmar Warehouse.

Who is nominated for the 2024 BAFTA Awards?

Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer leads all films with a whopping 13 nominations, including nods for Best Picture and Best Director. Rounding out the list of Best Picture nominees are Anatomy of a Fall, The Holdovers, Killers of the Flower Moon, and Poor Things...

Best Film Anatomy of a Fall The Holdovers Killers of the Flower Moon Oppenheimer Poor Things

Outstanding British Film All of Us Strangers How to Have Sex Napoleon The Old Oak Poor Things Rye Lane Saltburn Scrapper Wonka The Zone of Interest

Best Actor Bradley Cooper, Maestro Colman Domingo, Rustin Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers Barry Keoghan, Saltburn Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer Teo Yoo, Past Lives

Best Supporting Actress Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer Danielle Brooks, The Color Purple Claire Foy, All of Us Strangers Sandra Hüller, The Zone of Interest Rosamund Pike, Saltburn Da'Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers

Best Supporting Actor Robert De Niro, Killers of the Flower Moon Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer Jacob Elordi, Saltburn Ryan Gosling, Barbie Paul Mescal, All of Us Strangers Dominic Sessa, The Holdovers

Best Director Andrew Haigh, All of Us Strangers Justine Triet, Anatomy of a Fall Alexander Payne, The Holdovers Bradley Cooper, Maestro Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer Jonathan Glazer, The Zone of Interest...

With many notable omissions, there must also be unexpected nominations. Among them was Fantasia Barrino's Best Actress nomination for The Color Purple. Additionally, Saltburn actors Barry Keoghan, Rosamund Pike, and Jacob Elordi all grabbed nominations for Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Supporting Actor, respectively. Andrew Haigh's Best Director nomination for All of Us Strangers also comes as a mild surprise, given the high-profile directors who weren't nominated...'