4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking.
Let’s celebrate cats!
4 Shots From 4 Films
The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957, dir by Jack Arnold)
Sleepwalkers (1992, dir by Mick Garris)
Team America: World Police (2004, dir by Trey Parker)
Captain Marvel (2019, dir by Anna Bolden and Ryan Fleck)
The Razzie Awards are meant to honor the worst films of the year. It sounds like a noble goal, though the Razzies usually just go after easy targets and cheap jokes. In short, they haven’t really been interesting in a while. That said, they’ve been around forever and they usually get some attention from people who need some filler to report while waiting for the Oscar ceremony.
With that in mind, the 2019 Razzie Awards were announced yesterday and here they are:
WORST PICTURE
Cats
The Fanatic
The Haunting of Sharon Tate
A Madea Family Funeral
Rambo: Last Blood
WORST ACTOR
James Franco, Zeroville
David Harbour, Hellboy
Matthew McConaughey, Serenity
Sylvester Stallone, Rambo: Last Blood
John Travolta, The Fanatic and Trading Paint
WORST ACTRESS
Hilary Duff, The Haunting of Sharon Tate
Anne Hathaway, The Hustle and Serenity
Francesca Hayward, Cats
Tyler Perry (as Medea), A Madea Family Funeral
Rebel Wilson, The Hustle
WORST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jessica Chastain, Dark Phoenix
Cassi Davis, A Madea Family Funeral
Judi Dench, Cats
Fenessa Pineda, Rambo: First Blood
Rebel Wilson, Cats
WORST SUPPORTING ACTOR
James Corden, Cats
Tyler Perry (as Joe), A Madea Family Funeral
Tyler Perry (as Uncle Heathrow), A Madea Family Funeral
Seth Rogen, Zeroville
Bruce Willis, Glass
WORST SCREEN COMBO
Any two half-feline/half-human hairballs, Cats
Jason Derulo and his CGI-neutered bulge, Cats
Tyler Perry and Tyler Perry (or Tyler Perry), A Madea Family Funeral
Sylvester Stallone and his impotent rage, Rambo: First Blood
John Travolta and any screenplay he accepts
WORST DIRECTOR
Fred Durst, The Fanatic
James Franco, Zeroville
Adrian Grunberg, Rambo: Last Blood
Tom Hooper, Cats
Neil Marshall, Hellboy
WORST SCREENPLAY
Cats, Screenplay by Lee Hall and Tom Hooper
The Haunting of Sharon Tate, Written by Danial Farrands
Hellboy, Screenplay by Andrew Cosby
A Madea Family Funeral, Written by Tyler Perry
Rambo: Last Blood, Screenplay by Matthew Cirulnick and Sylvester Stallone
WORST REMAKE, RIP-OFF or SEQUEL
Dark Phoenix
Godzilla, King of the Monsters
Hellboy
A Madea Family Funeral
Rambo: Last Blood
WORST RECKLESS DISREGARD for HUMAN LIFE and PUBLIC PROPERTY
(New Category for 2019)
Dragged Across Concrete
The Haunting of Sharon Tate
Hellboy
Joker
Rambo: Last Blood
RAZZIE REDEEMER AWARD
Eddie Murphy, Dolemite Is My Name
Keanu Reeves, John Wick 3 & Toy Story 4
Adam Sandler, Uncut Gems
Jennifer Lopez, Hustlers
Will Smith, Aladdin
For those of you trying to perfect your Oscar nominations before they’re announced in January, here are the 20 semi-finalists for the Best Visual Effects Oscar! So, if you were planning on predicting a nomination for Godzilla or Shazam!, drop them from your list because they didn’t make it. Instead, the nominees will come from the list below:
4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking.
Happy International Cat Day!
4 Shots From 4 Films
The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957, dir by Jack Arnold)
Sleepwalkers (1992, dir by Mick Garris)
Team America: World Police (2004, dir by Trey Parker)
Captain Marvel (2019, dir by Anna Bolden and Ryan Fleck)
Okay, so apparently, some people find the just-released trailer for Cats to be kinda creepy.
Speaking for myself, the trailer pretty much looks like what I would expect a film version of Cats to look like. I mean, the entire point of the stage production is that everyone dresses up like a cat and sings their heart out! The cat costumes and the makeup are a part of the production so I don’t know what everyone’s complaining about….
Well, okay, I will admit that I cringed when Rebel Wilson showed up but that’s just because it was so inevitable that Rebel Wilson would be in this movie. She’s like the female version of James Corden and …. oh wait, he’s in the film too?
Listen, I’m going to say it right now. Cats is going to be great. Well, maybe not great but it’s definitely going to be something that you’re going to want to be able to tell your children that you witnessed firsthand. A friend of mine hasn’t done shrooms in like ten years but he’s planning on indulging for one night only, the night that he sees this film. That’s type of cultural phenomena that Cats has the potential to be! (That said, he won’t be seeing the movie with me because I don’t want to be around if he has a bad trip. I’m never really sure what my exact obligation is in a situation like that.) Some people are going to hate this film but I like the whole idea of the film encouraging people to believe in something more than just pure cynicism, I just wish the film starred actual cats.
Anyway, here’s the trailer. Taylor Swift’s in it so you know the movie’s going to be a financial success no matter what the critics say.
We’re at the halfway mark as far as 2019 in concerned, which means that the Oscar race is about to start getting a lot more clear. Soon, instead of random guesses, we’ll be making educated guesses. Then again, it is important to remember that — at this time last year — no one thought Bohemian Rhapsody would score a best picture nomination. In fact, only a few people have ever heard about Green Book.
So, as always, take my monthly predictions with a grain of salt. They’re based on a combination what I’m hearing (and reading) from other film people and my own instincts (for whatever their worth). To be honest, I suppose that these predictions reflect my own prejudices as well. I’d love to see Terrence Malick honored, for instance. I also think that it’s a crime that Amy Adams hasn’t ever won an Oscar so I have her listed, even though I fear she might be miscast as the lead in The Woman In The Window. At the same time, I’m bored with Meryl Streep getting nominated just for showing up so I left her out of my predictions, even though she has two high-profile films coming out later this year.
To see how my thinking has (or hasn’t) evolved, check out my predictions for January, February, March, April, and May!
And now, here are the predictions!
Best Picture
1917
A Beautiful Day In the Neighborhood
Cats
Fair and Balanced
Harriet
A Hidden Life
The Irishman
JoJo Rabbit
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
The Peanut Butter Falcon
Best Director
Kasi Lemmons for Harriet
Terrence Malick for A Hidden Life
Sam Mendes for 1917
Martin Scorsese for The Irishman
Quentin Tarantino for Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Best Actor
Antonio Banderas in Pain & Glory
Leonardo DiCaprio in Once Upon On A Time In Hollywood
Tom Hanks in A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood
Eddie Murphy in Dolemite Is My Name
John Lithgow in Fair and Balanced
Best Actress
Amy Adams in The Woman in the Window
Cynthia Erivo in Harriet
Saoirse Ronan in Little Women
Jodie Turner-Smith in Queen & Slim
Alfre Woodard in Clemency
Best Supporting Actor
Shia LaBeouf in The Peanut Butter Falcon
Malcolm McDowell in Fair & Balanced
Ian McKellen in Cats
Sam Neill in Blackbird
Brad Pitt in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Best Supporting Actress
Annette Bening in The Report
Laura Dern in Little Women
Scarlett Johansson in Jojo Rabbit
Nicole Kidman in The Goldfinch
Margot Robbie in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
It’s that time of the month again!
It’s time for me to offer up my early Oscar predictions!
These will be my first set of predictions since the Cannes Film Festival. It’s always debatable just how much of an influence Cannes will actually have on the Oscar voting. A victory at Cannes pretty much led to Tree of Life receiving an Oscar nomination and it certainly didn’t harm the chances of BlackKklansman last year. While Once Upon A Time In Hollywood and Terrence Malick’s A Hidden Life may not have picked up any major awards at Cannes, the positive critical reception that both of those films received can only help. The same can be said of The Lighthouse, which was shown out of competition. Finally, the Cannes jury gave its best actor award to Antonio Banderas and, for now, that’s enough for me to add him to my list of predicted nominees.
So, without any further ado, here are my predictions for May! If you want to see how my thinking has evolved over the year, be sure to also check out my predictions for January, February, March, and April!
Best Picture
1917
A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood
Fair and Balanced
The Goldfinch
Harriet
A Hidden Life
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Little Women
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Best Director
Kasi Lemmons for Harriet
Terrence Malick for A Hidden Life
Sam Mendes for 1917
Martin Scorsese for The Irishman
Quentin Tarantino for Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Best Actor
Antonio Banderas in Pain & Glory
Willem DaFoe in The Lighthouse
Leonardo DiCaprio in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Tom Hanks in A Beautiful Day In the Neighborhood
John Lithgow in Fair and Balanced
Best Actress
Amy Adams in The Woman in the Window
Cynthia Erivo in Harriet
Blake Lively in The Rhythm Section
Saoirse Ronan in Little Women
Alfre Woodard in Clemency
Best Supporting Actor
Matt Damon in Ford v. Ferrari
Malcolm McDowell in Fair and Balanced
Ian McKellen in Cats
Sam Neill in Blackbird
Brad Pitt in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Best Supporting Actress
Annette Bening in The Report
Laura Dern in Little Women
Scarlett Johansson in Jojo Rabbit
Nicole Kidman in The Goldfinch
Margot Robbie in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
To repeat what I say every month, it’s pretty much a fool’s errand to try to guess what’s going to be nominated for an Oscar this early in the year. Some of the choices below — A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood, The Irishman, Little Women,Once Upon A Time In Hollywood — are there because of their directors or their stars. Some — like Cats and 1917 — are there because they sound like they’re either going to be brilliant or total disasters. Call of the Wild and Fair and Balanced are listed because of my own instincts, for whatever they’re worth. Harriet is listed because Clayton Davis over at Awards Circuit is currently predicting that it will be nominated and he’s got a pretty good track record as far as predicting these things is concerned. Queen & Slim is listed because I saw a few people on twitter raving about a preview of it that they were lucky enough to see. Myself, I have no idea what Queen & Slim is about, beyond the fact that it deals with two people on a date who are pulled over by the police. (That’s according to the imdb.) See how random this is?
So, I guess what I’m saying is that you should take these predictions with a grain of salt. In fact, you should pour salt all over these predictions. The Oscar race usually doesn’t even start to become clear until around September.
The Cannes Film Festival will be held next month. Sometimes, Cannes lends some clarity to the Oscar race. (Tree of Life and BlackKklansman both stated their Oscar campaigns at Cannes.) Just as often, Cannes turns out to be totally useless as far as being predictive tool is concerned. Though the official lineup has not yet been announced, it seems probable that Once Upon A Time In Hollywood and perhaps a few more contenders will be screened at Cannes next month. We’ll see what happens!
If you’re interested in more predictions that you shouldn’t pay too much attention to, be sure to check out my Oscar predictions for January, February, and March! See how my thinking has progressed. Check out just how random my guesses occasionally are.
Best Picture
1917
A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood
Call of the Wild
Cats
Fair and Balanced
Harriet
The Irishman
Little Women
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Queen & Slim
Best Director
Tom Hooper for Cats
Kassi Lemmons for Harriet
Sam Mendes for 1917
Martin Scorsese for The Irishman
Quentin Tarantino for Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Best Actor
Ben Affleck in Torrance
Tom Hanks in A Beautiful Day In the Neighborhood
John Lithgow in Fair and Balanced
Eddie Murphy in My Name Is Dolemite
Edward Norton in Motherless Brooklyn
Best Actress
Amy Adams in The Woman In The Window
Cynthia Erivo in Harriet
Blake Lively in The Rhythm Section
Saoirse Ronan in Little Women
Alfre Woodard in Clemency
Best Supporting Actor
Matt Damon in Ford v Ferrari
Harrison Ford in Call of the Wild
Malcolm McDowell in Fair and Balanced
Sir Ian McKellen in Cats
Brad Pitt in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Best Supporting Actress
Dame Judi Dench in Cats
Laura Dern in Little Women
Tiffany Haddish in The Kitchen
Nicole Kidman in The Goldfinch
Margot Robbie in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Attempting, in January, to predict what will be nominated for an Oscar next year is a largely pointless exercise but it’s one that I do every year. What can I say? I like the Oscars. I like rituals. And I like making lists.
But seriously, don’t take these predictions too seriously. For the most part, they’re based on wild guesses and familiar names. For instance, The Irishman is listed because it’s a Scorsese film but that didn’t really help out Silence. Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is listed because it’s a Tarantino film. Tom Hanks is listed because …. well, he’s Tom Hanks. Late Night and The Report are listed because of the excitement they generated at Sundance but Sundance hype doesn’t always last for a full 12 months. I’d love to see Amy Adams finally win an Oscar for The Woman In The Window but, to be honest, I couldn’t visualize anyone other than Naomi Watts in the lead role when I read the novel.
At this time last year, no one had heard of Green Book. Bohemian Rhapsody looked like it might just end up going straight to HBO. No one suspected Black Panther would be the first comic book movie to be nominated for best picture. Richard E. Grant was on no one’s radar and anyone who says they thought Roma and The Favourite would be the most nominated films of the year is a damn liar. It’s too early to make any sort of real guess about what will be nominated next year.
However, it’s never too early to make some cray, wild guesses!
Here are my way, way, way, way, way too early Oscar predictions for January. Some day, perhaps tomorrow, we’ll look back at these predictions and laugh. And then I’ll cry because it’s never fun when people laugh at you….
Best Picture
A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood
Call of the Wild
The Irishman
Late Night
Little Women
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
The Report
Toy Story 4
Where’d You Go, Bernadette?
The Woman in the Window
Best Director
Nisha Ganatra for Late Night
Greta Gerwig for Little Women
Martin Scorsese for The Irishman
Quentin Tarantino for Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Joe Wright for The Woman In The Window
Best Actor
Robert De Niro in The Irishman
Leonardo DiCaprio in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Tom Hanks in A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood
Joaquin Phoenix in Joker
Brad Pitt in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Best Actress
Amy Adams in The Woman In The Window
Annette Bening in The Report
Cate Blanchett in Where’d You Go, Bernadette?
Saoirse Ronan in Little Women
Emma Thompson in Late Night
Best Supporting Actor
Harrison Ford in Call of the Wild
Damon Herriman in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Sir Ian McKellen in Cats
Al Pacino in The Irishman
Wyatt Russell in The Woman In The Window
Best Supporting Actress
Dame Judi Dench in Cats
Laura Dern in Little Women
Nicole Kidman in The Goldfinch
Anna Paquin in The Irishman
Margot Robbie in Once Upon A Time in Hollywood
Hi, everyone!
Doc Bowman here with a very special message!
Tomorrow is Halloween, which my owners — the flame-haired one and the nice one — says is the greatest time of the year! It’s the time when kids get candy, horror movies are on TV, and my owners get to play dress up!
But it’s also a time when sick and stupid people do bad things. I’m a black cat so both the flame-haired and the nice-one say that I’m not going to be allowed go outside at all tomorrow. They say it doesn’t matter how much I beg, I’m staying inside. I know they’re doing the right thing but I’m still going to beg and knock things off of tables and counters because I’m a cat and that’s what I do.
Tomorrow night, please make sure that all your pets are safely inside. It may sound like a silly concern but not everyone out there is as nice and wonderful as my owners and the people who read this site!
Have a safe and happy Halloween everyone!
Through the Shattered Lens 