Here Are The 2024 Nominations of the North Texas Film Critics Association


On December 23rd, the North Texas Film Critics Association announced their nominations for the best of 2024!  The winners will be announced on December 30th.

BEST PICTURE
Anora
The Brutalist
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Sing Sing

BEST ACTOR
Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
Ralph Fiennes – Conclave
Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown
Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
Daniel Craig – Queer

BEST ACTRESS
Cynthia Erivo – Wicked
Mikey Madison – Anora
Demi Moore – The Substance
Pamela Anderson – The Last Showgirl
Anya Taylor-Joy – Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
Guy Pearce – The Brutalist
Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing
Edward Norton – A Complete Unknown
Yura Borisov – Anora

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Isabella Rossellini – Conclave
Ariana Grande – Wicked
Aunjanue L. Ellis-Taylor – Nickel Boys
Zoe Saldana – Emilia Pérez
Felicity Jones – The Brutalist

BEST DIRECTOR
Sean Baker – Anora
Brady Corbet – The Brutalist
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance
Denis Villeneuve – Dune: Part Two
RaMell Ross – Nickel Boys

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Seed Of The Sacred Fig (Germany)
Flow (Latvia)
Kneecap (Ireland)
I’m Still Here (Brazil)
All We Imagine As Light (an international co-production involving companies from France, India, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Italy)

BEST DOCUMENTARY
The Remarkable Life of Ibelin
Sugarcane
Will & Harper
Daughters
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story

BEST ANIMATED FILM
The Wild Robot
Memoir Of A Snail
Inside Out 2
Flow
Transformers One

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Jarin Blaschke – Nosferatu
Stéphane Fontaine – Conclave
Lol Crawley – The Brutalist
Greig Fraser – Dune: Part Two
John Mathieson – Gladiator II
Jomo Fray – Nickel Boys

BEST NEWCOMER
Marissa Bode – Wicked
Ethan Herisse – Nickel Boys
Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing
Vera Drew – The People’s Joker
Aaron Pierre – Rebel Ridge

BEST SCREENPLAY
Sean Baker – Anora
Brady Corbet & Mona Fastvold – The Brutalist
RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes – Nickel Boys
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance
Jesse Eisenberg – A Real Pain

GARY MURRAY AWARD (Best Ensemble)
Conclave
Saturday Night
Sing Sing
Wicked
Dune: Part Two

Here Are The 2024 Satellite Nominations


Yesterday, the nominations for the 28th Annual Satellite Awards were announced.

The Satellites began as an off-shoot of the Golden Globes and they’ve never really escaped the shadow of the Globes (and the Globes themselves have never really escaped the shadow of the Oscars.)  That said, the Sattelites are usually interesting, if just because they usually have a few nominees that haven’t previously been considered to be contenders.  That’s certainly the case this year, with nominations for Cabrini, The Order, and LaRoy, Texas.

The winners will be announced on January 26th.

Motion Picture, Drama
Cabrini – Angel Studios
Conclave – Focus Features
Dune: Part Two – Warner Bros.
Nickel Boys – Amazon MGM Studios
Sing Sing – A24
The Brutalist – A24
The Order – Vertical Entertainment
Young Woman and the Sea – Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical
Anora – Neon
A Real Pain – Searchlight Pictures
Ghostlight – IFC Films
Hit Man – Netflix
LaRoy, Texas – Brainstorm Media
The Substance – MUBI
Thelma – Magnolia Pictures
Wicked – Universal Pictures

Motion Picture, International
I’m Still Here – Brazil
Queens – Swizerland / Peru
The Girl with the Needle – Denmark
The Seed Of The Sacred Fig – Germany
The Wait – Spain
Waves – Czech Republic

Motion Picture, Animated or Mixed Media
Flow – Janus Films
Inside Out 2 – Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Memoir of a Snail – IFC Films
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom – Fathom Events
The Wild Robot – Universal Pictures/Dreamworks Animation
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl – Netflix

Motion Picture, Documentary
Dahomey – MUBI
Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes – HBO Documentary Films
I Am: Celine Dion – Amazon MGM Studios
No Other Land – Self Distributed
Porcelain War – Picturehouse
Sugarcane – National Geographic Documentary Films
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story – Fathom Events
The Bloody Hundredth – Apple TV+

Director
Brady Corbet – The Brutalist
Denis Villeneuve – Dune: Part Two
Edward Berger – Conclave
Greg Kwedar – Sing Sing
RaMell Ross – Nickel Boys
Sean Baker – Anora

Actress in a Motion Picture Drama
Angelina Jolie – Maria
Fernanda Torres – I’m Still Here
Lily-Rose Depp – Nosferatu
Nicole Kidman – Babygirl
Saoirse Ronan – The Outrun
Tilda Swinton – The Room Next Door

Actor in a Motion Picture Drama
Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
Daniel Craig – Queer
Hugh Grant – Heretic
Ralph Fiennes – Conclave
Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown

Actress in Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical
Cynthia Erivo – Wicked
Demi Moore – The Substance
June Squibb – Thelma
Karla Sofía Gascón – Emilia Pérez
Mikey Madison – Anora
Winona Ryder – Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Actor in Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical
Glen Powell – Hit Man
Jesse Eisenberg – A Real Pain
John Magaro – LaRoy, Texas
Keith Kupferer – Ghostlight
Michael Keaton – Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Ryan Gosling – The Fall Guy

Actress in a Supporting Role
Ariana Grande – Wicked
Danielle Deadwyler – The Piano Lesson
Felicity Jones – The Brutalist
Isabella Rossellini – Conclave
Margaret Qualley – The Substance
Zoe Saldana – Emilia Pérez

Actor in a Supporting Role
Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing
Denzel Washington – Gladiator II
Edward Norton – A Complete Unknown
Guy Pearce – The Brutalist
Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
Yura Borisov – Anora

Screenplay, Original
Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold – The Brutalist
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance
Jesse Eisenberg – A Real Pain
Mike Leigh – Hard Truths
Mohammad Rasoulof – The Seed Of The Sacred Fig
Sean Baker – Anora

Screenplay, Adapted
Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence Maclin, John “Divine G” Whitfield (based on “The Sing Sing Follies” by John H. Richardson and “Breakin’ the Mummy’s Code” by Brent Buell) – Sing Sing
Jacques Audiard (based on “Listen” by Boris Razon) – Emilia Pérez
Pedro Almodóvar (written by), Sigrid Nunez (novel “What Are You Going Through”) – The Room Next Door
Peter Straughan (screenplay by), Robert Harris (book) – Conclave
RaMell Ross, Joslyn Barnes (based on “The Nickel Boys” by Colson Whitehead) – Nickel Boys
Vuk Draskovic, Miroslav Lekic (written by), Vuk Draskovic (novel) – Russian Consul

Cinematography
Edward Lachman – Maria
Greig Fraser – Dune: Part Two
Jarin Blaschke – Nosferatu
Jomo Fray – Nickel Boys
John Mathieson – Gladiator II
Lol Crawley – The Brutalist

Costume Design
Janty Yates – Gladiator II
Jacqueline Durran – Blitz
Jacqueline West – Dune: Part Two
Linda Muir – Nosferatu
Massimo Cantini Parrini – Maria
Paul Tazewell – Wicked

Film Editing
Dávid Jancsó – The Brutalist
Joe Walker – Dune: Part Two
Juliette Welfling – Emilia Pérez
Nick Emerson – Conclave
Sam Restivo, Claire Simpson – Gladiator II
Sean Baker – Anora

Production Design
Arthur Max (Production Designer), Jille Azis and Elli Griff (Set Decorators) – Gladiator II
Craig Lathrop (Production Designer), Beatrice Brentnerova (Set Decorator) – Nosferatu
Judy Becker (Production Designer), Patricia Cuccia and Mercédesz Nagyváradi (Set Decorators) – The Brutalist
Nathan Crowley (Production Designer), Lee Sandales (Set Decorator) – Wicked
Patrice Vermette (Production Designer), Shane Vieau (Set Decorator) – Dune: Part Two
Suzie Davies (Production Designer), Cynthia Sleiter (Set Decorator) – Conclave

Original Score
Alberto Iglesias – The Room Next Door
Clément Ducol, Camille – Emilia Pérez
Daniel Blumberg – The Brutalist
Hans Zimmer – Dune: Part Two
Kris Bowers – The Wild Robot
Volker Bertelmann – Conclave

Original Song
“El Mal” by Clement Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard – Emilia Pérez
“The Journey” by Diane Warren – The Six Triple Eight
“Kiss the Sky” by Delacey, Jordan Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Maren Morris, Michael Pollack & Ali Tamposi – The Wild Robot
“Mi Camino” by Clement Ducol and Camille – Emilia Pérez
“Never Too Late” by Elton John & Brandi Carlile – Elton John: Never Too Late
“Winter Coat” by Nicholas Britell, Steve McQueen, and Taura Stinson – Blitz

Sound (Editing and Mixing)
A Complete Unknown
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
Gladiator II
Twisters
Wicked

Visual Effects
Dune: Part Two
Gladiator II
Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes
Mufasa: The Lion King
Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In
Wicked

Ensemble Motion Picture
Nosferatu – Focus Features

The Brutalist Rises From The Ashes In Phoenix


On December 12th, the Phoenix Critics Circle announced its picks for the best of the year!

BEST PICTURE
ANORA
THE BRUTALIST
NICKEL BOYS
SING SING
THE SUBSTANCE

BEST COMEDY FILM
ANORA
BABES
THE FALL GUY
HIT MAN
THELMA

BEST SCIENCE FICTION FILM
ALIEN: ROMULUS
DUNE: PART TWO
FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA
I SAW THE TV GLOW
THE WILD ROBOT

BEST HORROR FILM
ALIEN: ROMULUS
HERETIC
LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL
NOSFERATU
THE SUBSTANCE

BEST ANIMATED FILM
FLOW
INSIDE OUT 2
MEMOIR OF A SNAIL
TRANSFORMERS ONE
THE WILD ROBOT

BEST DOCUMENTARY
COPA ’71
DAUGHTERS
NO OTHER LAND
SUPER/MAN: THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY
WILL AND HARPER

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT
EMILIA PEREZ
EVIL DOES NOT EXIST
THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE
THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG

BEST ACTOR
ADRIEN BRODY – THE BRUTALIST
TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET – A COMPLETE UNKNOWN
DANIEL CRAIG – QUEER
COLMAN DOMINGO – SING SING
RALPH FIENNES – CONCLAVE

BEST ACTRESS
LILY-ROSE DEPP – NOSFERATU
CYNTHIA ERIVO – WICKED
NICOLE KIDMAN – BABYGIRL
MIKEY MADISON – ANORA
DEMI MOORE – THE SUBSTANCE

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
YURA BORISOV – ANORA
KIERAN CULKIN – A REAL PAIN
CLARENCE MACLIN – SING SING
GUY PEARCE – THE BRUTALIST
JEREMY STRONG – THE APPRENTICE

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
MONICA BARBARO – A COMPLETE UNKNOWN
ARIANA GRANDE – WICKED
FELICITY JONES – THE BRUTALIST
MARGARET QUALLEY – THE SUBSTANCE
ISABELLA ROSSELLINI – CONCLAVE

BEST DIRECTOR
SEAN BAKER – ANORA
BRADY CORBET – THE BRUTALIST
ROBERT EGGERS – NOSFERATU
CORALIE FARGEAT – THE SUBSTANCE
RAMELL ROSS – NICKEL BOYS

BEST SCREENPLAY
JESSE EISENBERG – A REAL PAIN
BRADY CORBET AND MONA FASTVOLD – THE BRUTALIST
SEAN BAKER – ANORA
PETER STRAUGHAN AND ROBERT HARRIS – CONCLAVE
CORALIE FARGEAT – THE SUBSTANCE

BEST SCORE
VOLKER BERTELMANN – CONCLAVE
DANIEL BLUMBERG – THE BRUTALIST
ROBIN CAROLAN – NOSFERATU
TRENT REZNOR AND ATTICUS ROSS – QUEER
HANS ZIMMER – DUNE: PART TWO

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
JARIN BLASCHKE – NOSFERATU
LOL CRAWLEY – THE BRUTALIST
GREIG FRASER – DUNE: PART TWO
JOMO FRAY – NICKEL BOYS
ALICE BROOKS – WICKED

Anora Wins In Michigan


The Michigan Movie Critics Guild have announced their picks for the best of 2024!

(The winners are listed in bold.)

Best Picture
Anora
The Brutalist
Dune: Part Two
The Substance
Wicked

Best Director
Sean Baker – Anora
Jon M. Chu – Wicked
Brady Corbet – The Brutalist
Robert Eggers – Nosferatu
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance

Best Actress
Amy Adams – Nightbitch
Cynthia Erivo – Wicked
Nicole Kidman – Babygirl
Mikey Madison – Anora
Demi Moore – The Substance

Best Actor
Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown
Daniel Craig – Queer
Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
Hugh Grant – Heretic

Best Supporting Actress
Ariana Grande-Butera – Wicked
Felicity Jones – The Brutalist
Natasha Lyonne – His Three Daughters
Margaret Qualley – The Substance
Zoe Saldaña – Emilia Pérez

Best Supporting Actor
Yura Burisov – Anora
Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing
Guy Pearce – The Brutalist
Adam Pearson – A Different Man
Denzel Washington – Gladiator II

Best Animated Film
Flow
Inside Out 2
Piece By Piece
Transformers One
The Wild Robot

Best Documentary
Daughters
Music By John Williams
No Other Land
Piece By Piece
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Will & Harper

Best Ensemble
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Nosferatu
Saturday Night
Wicked

Best Screenplay (Adapted or Original)
Anora
The Brutalist
Challengers
Nosferatu
The Substance
Wicked

Breakthrough Award
Mikey Madison – Actress for Anora
Giovanni Ribisi – Cinematographer for Strange Darling
Jane Schoenbrun – Director for I Saw the TV Glow
Maisy Stella – Actress for My Old Ass
Zelda Williams – Director for Lisa Frankenstein

Stunts
Deadpool & Wolverine
The Fall Guy
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Kill
Monkey Man
Road House

The MMCG Award for Film Excellence (presented to a filmmaker, writer, actor, crew member, etc., who has Michigan ties or to a film made or set in Michigan)
The Fire Inside (Set in Flint, and lead actress Ryan Destiny is a Detroit native)
Francis Ford Coppola (Writer/Director of Megalopolis)
Hundreds of Beavers (Partially filmed in Michigan)
Keegan-Michael Key (Actor in IF, Transformers One & Dear Santa)
J.K. Simmons (Actor in Saturday Night, Red One and Juror #2)

Here Are The 2024 Golden Globe Nominations


I’ll show a pair of Golden Globes!

The Golden Globe nominations were announced this morning.  Pamela Anderson picked up a nomination for Best Actress in a Drama, which I appreciated because a Pamela Anderson Oscar nomination would, at the very least, add some surprise to the year.  Edward Norton picked up a Supporting Actor nomination for playing Pete Seeger in A Complete Unknown, which is interesting because I really hadn’t heard Norton’s name mentioned as a contender before yesterday.  The nominations for The Apprentice‘s Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong felt like they were sent here from an alternate universe where everyone isn’t bored with political movies.

Here are the nominations!  The winners will be announced on January 5th.

BEST MOTION PICTURE, DRAMA
The Brutalist
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Nickel Boys
September 5

BEST MOTION PICTURE, MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Anora
Challengers
Emilia Pérez
A Real Pain
The Substance
Wicked

BEST DIRECTOR, MOTION PICTURE
Jacques Audiard – Emilia Pérez
Sean Baker – Anora
Edward Berger – Conclave
Brady Corbet – The Brutalist
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance
Payal Kapadia – All We Imagine As Light

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE, DRAMA
Pamela Anderson – The Last Showgirl
Angelina Jolie – Maria
Nicole Kidman – Babygirl
Tilda Swinton – The Room Next Door
Fernanda Torres – I’m Still Here
Kate Winslet – Lee

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE, MUSICAL, OR COMEDY
Amy Adams – Nightbitch
Cynthia Erivo – Wicked
Karla Sofía Gascón – Emilia Pérez
Mikey Madison – Anora
Demi Moore – The Substance
Zendaya – Challengers

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN ANY MOTION PICTURE
Selena Gomez – Emilia Pérez
Ariana Grande – Wicked
Felicity Jones – The Brutalist
Margaret Qualley – The Substance
Isabella Rossellini – Conclave
Zoe Saldaña – Emilia Pérez

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE, DRAMA
Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown
Daniel Craig – Queer
Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes – Conclave
Sebastian Stan – The Apprentice

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE, MUSICAL, OR COMEDY
Jesse Eisenberg – A Real Pain
Hugh Grant – Heretic
Gabriel LaBelle – Saturday Night
Jesse Plemons – Kinds of Kindness
Glen Powell – Hit Man
Sebastian Stan – A Different Man

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN ANY MOTION PICTURE
Yura Borisov – Anora
Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
Edward Norton – A Complete Unknown
Guy Pearce – The Brutalist
Jeremy Strong – The Apprentice
Denzel Washington – Gladiator II

BEST SCREENPLAY, MOTION PICTURE
Anora
The Brutalist
Conclave
A Real Pain
Emilia Pérez
The Substance

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE, MOTION PICTURE
The Brutalist
Challengers
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
The Wild Robot

BEST ORIGINAL SONG, MOTION PICTURE
“Beautiful That Way” – The Last Showgirl
“Compress/Repress” – Challengers
“El Mal” – Emilia Pérez
“Forbidden Road” – Better Man
“Kiss the Sky” – The Wild Robot
“Mi Camino” – Emilia Pérez

BEST MOTION PICTURE, ANIMATED
Flow
Inside Out 2
Memoir of a Snail
Moana 2
Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
The Wild Robot

BEST MOTION PICTURE, FOREIGN LANGUAGE
All We Imagine As Light
Emilia Pérez
The Girl With the Needle
I’m Still Here
The Seed of the Sacred Fig
Vermiglio

GOLDEN GLOBE FOR CINEMATIC & BOX OFFICE ACHIEVEMENT
Alien: Romulus
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Deadpool & Wolverine
Gladiator II
Inside Out 2
Twisters
Wicked
The Wild Robot

 

Here Are The 2024 Nominations of the Michigan Movie Critics Guild!


The Michigan Movie Critics Guild have announced their nominations for the best of 2024.  The winners will be announced on December 9th!

Best Picture
Anora
The Brutalist
Dune: Part Two
The Substance
Wicked

Best Director
Sean Baker – Anora
Jon M. Chu – Wicked
Brady Corbet – The Brutalist
Robert Eggers – Nosferatu
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance

Best Actress
Amy Adams – Nightbitch
Cynthia Erivo – Wicked
Nicole Kidman – Babygirl
Mikey Madison – Anora
Demi Moore – The Substance

Best Actor
Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown
Daniel Craig – Queer
Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
Hugh Grant – Heretic

Best Supporting Actress
Ariana Grande-Butera – Wicked
Felicity Jones – The Brutalist
Natasha Lyonne – His Three Daughters
Margaret Qualley – The Substance
Zoe Saldaña – Emilia Pérez

Best Supporting Actor
Yura Burisov – Anora
Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing
Guy Pearce – The Brutalist
Adam Pearson – A Different Man
Denzel Washington – Gladiator II

Best Animated Film
Flow
Inside Out 2
Piece By Piece
Transformers One
The Wild Robot

Best Documentary
Daughters
Music By John Williams
No Other Land
Piece By Piece
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Will & Harper

Best Ensemble
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Nosferatu
Saturday Night
Wicked

Best Screenplay (Adapted or Original)
Anora
The Brutalist
Challengers
Nosferatu
The Substance
Wicked

Breakthrough Award
Mikey Madison – Actress for Anora
Giovanni Ribisi – Cinematographer for Strange Darling
Jane Schoenbrun – Director for I Saw the TV Glow
Maisy Stella – Actress for My Old Ass
Zelda Williams – Director for Lisa Frankenstein

Stunts
Deadpool & Wolverine
The Fall Guy
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Kill
Monkey Man
Road House

The MMCG Award for Film Excellence (presented to a filmmaker, writer, actor, crew member, etc., who has Michigan ties or to a film made or set in Michigan)
The Fire Inside (Set in Flint, and lead actress Ryan Destiny is a Detroit native)
Francis Ford Coppola (Writer/Director of Megalopolis)
Hundreds of Beavers (Partially filmed in Michigan)
Keegan-Michael Key (Actor in IF, Transformers One & Dear Santa)
J.K. Simmons (Actor in Saturday Night, Red One and Juror #2)

Lisa Marie’s Early Oscar Predictions For September


It’s that time of the month again!

It’s time for me to share my latest round of Oscar predictions.  Thanks to the summer festival season, the Oscar race is starting to become a bit clearer.  That said, there really don’t seem to be any overwhelming favorites right now.  There are contenders but there are no front runners.  So, I imagine we’ll see some surprise contenders emerge as the precursor season approaches.

You’ll notice that, unlike a lot of Oscar bloggers, I don’t have Gladiator II amongst my predictions.  That’s based on the fact that, every year, there’s a new Ridley Scott film that everyone predicts will be a contender and, with the exception of The Martian, it never happens.  The Academy just does not seem to have the burning desire to honor Ridley Scott that a lot of film bloggers do.  As well,  I’m just not convinced that a sequel starring an actor who has yet to prove he can shoulder the weight of a blockbuster is going to be the film that’s going to win Ridley Scott a Best Director statuette.  Remember that a few years ago, those same Oscar bloggers were insisting that Martin Scorsese’s Silence was going to be not only a contender but also the winner up until the end of November.

(For that matter, let’s not forget that Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon was expected to be a winner as opposed to an also-ran.  Fact of the matter is that, as much as I hate to resort to that overused quote from William Goldman, no one knows anything.)

Do I really think that Pamela Anderson is going to receive a Best Actress nomination?  She’s receiving a lot of acclaim for her role in The Showgirl but, at the same time, she’s Pamela Anderson.  There’s maybe a 2% chance that she’ll get nominated but I always like to throw in a few candidates who go against the conventional wisdom.  So — what the Hell?  Why not?  Pamela Anderson for Best Actress!

Be sure to check out my predictions for April, May, June, July, and August!

Best Picture

Anora

The Apprentice

The Brutalist

A Complete Unknown

Dune Part Two

Emilia Perez

Maria

The Piano Lesson

Saturday Night

Sing Sing

Best Director

Jacques Audiard for Emilia Perez

Sean Baker for Anora

Brady Corbett for The Brutalist

Jason Reitman for Saturday Night

Denis Villeneuve for Dune Part Two

Best Actor

Adrien Brody in The Brutalist

Timothee Chalamet in A Complete Unknown

Daniel Craig in Queer

Colman Domingo in Sing Sing

Ralph Fiennes in Conclave

Best Actress

Pamela Anderson in The Showgirl

Karla Sofia Gascon in Emila Perez

Angelina Jolie in Maria

Mickey Madison in Anora

Demi Moore in The Substance

Best Supporting Actor

Yura Borslav in Anora

Kieran Culkin in A Real Pain

Samuel L. Jackson in The Piano Lesson

Guy Pearce in The Brutalist

Jeremy Strong in The Apprentice

Best Supporting Actress

Monica Barbaro in A Complete Unknown

Danielle Deadwyler in The Piano Lesson

Selena Gomez in Emilia Perez

Felicity Jones in The Brutalist

Zoe Saldana in Emilia Perez

The Films of 2020: The Midnight Sky (dir by George Clooney)


For all of his skill as an actor, George Clooney is a remarkably mediocre director.

Yes, I know.  Clooney was nominated for an Oscar for directing Good Night, and Good Luck but that film was honored more for what it was about than what it actually was.  All of Clooney’s directorial efforts — from the Oscar-nominated to the Razzie-embraced — have suffered from two huge problems.

Number one, George Clooney can occasionally set up an interesting shot but he appears to have no idea how to create or maintain narrative momentum.  His films tend to lay flat, with incidents piled on top of each other but you never get the feeling that there’s some sort of internal motor moving the action along.  It’s not easy creating and maintaining a narrative flow but it’s something that all good film directors can do. It’s also something that Clooney has never managed to master.  Instead, he seems to assume that his own good intentions and broader concerns will provide the film with whatever momentum it needs.  Unfortunately, good intentions are not the same as storytelling talent and, as a director, Clooney rarely brings any of the nuance that’s makes him such a good actor.  George Clooney could play Michael Clayton but he could never direct the film named for him.

This bring us to Clooney’s other problem as a director, which is that he approaches his films with this sort of dorky earnestness that feels incredibly old-fashioned.  On the one hand, dorky earnestness can be a likable trait.  On the other hand, when watching his directorial efforts, you do find yourself wondering if George Clooney has seen any films made after 1989.  There’s nothing terribly subversive about George Clooney’s artistic vision.  He’s not a director who takes you by surprise nor is he a director who is capable of making you look at the world in a different way.  While other filmmakers are challenging preconceived notions and attempting to reinvent the cinematic language, Clooney is busy trying to revive live television productions and making the type of stolid films that haven’t been relevant since the end of the studio system.  It’s a shame because, as an actor in films like Michael Clayton and Up In The Air, Clooney expertly revealed the insecurity that lurked underneath the seemingly perfectly façade of the seemingly successful alpha male.  But as a director, he’s a third-rate Taylor Hackford.  And while it’s true that not every director can be Martin Scorsese, is it too much to ask for a director who at least tries to do something unique or different?  For someone who has enough money and international clout that he can basically get away with just about anything and who has worked multiple times with the Coen Brothers and Steven Soderbergh, Clooney is an oddly risk-adverse filmmaker.

Unfortunately, all of Clooney’s directorial weaknesses are on display in The Midnight Sky, a rather slow science fiction film that would have made a good episode of The Twilight Zone but which falls flat as a movie.  In this one, the world is ending and George Clooney is basically the last man left in the Arctic.  Clooney is playing an astronomer who has spent his life searching for habitable planets and who is now dying of a terminal disease.  He thinks he’s alone but then he comes across a mysterious girl named Iris.  Iris rarely speaks and when she does speak, it’s to ask questions like, “Did you love her?”  While Clooney is trying to figure where the little girl came from, he’s also trying to get in contact with a space mission so that he can warn them that the Earth is no longer inhabitable and they should relocate to one of Jupiter’s moon.

The space mission, meanwhile, is made up of Felicity Jones, David Oyelowo, Kyle Chandler, Demian Bircher, and Tiffany Boone.  They’re stuck in space and trying to figure out why they can’t communicate with Earth.  There’s a scene where their station gets bombarded by asteroids.  The special effects are impressive (and this is a film that, despite being released on Netflix, really is meant to be viewed on a big screen) but during the whole scene, I was like, “Hey, it’s Gravity all over again!”  Clooney never makes the familiar material his own.  Instead, you find yourself thinking about all of the other sci-fi films that you’ve seen about the end of the world.  Clooney doesn’t have the eccentricity of Alfonso Cuaron nor does he have the frustrating but intriguing megalomania of Christopher Nolan.  Instead, he’s still same the director who thought that Edward R. Murrow was never more compelling than when he was complaining about people wanting to be entertained.

Lest anyone think that I’m going overboard in my criticism, allow me to say that The Midnight Sky isn’t really terrible as much as it’s just incredibly bland and forgettable.  As I said before, the special effects are impressive.  Clooney manages a few properly desolate shots of the Arctic, though making the Arctic look like the end of the world isn’t exactly the most difficult task in the world.  As an actor, Clooney wears a beard in The Midnight Sky.  Whenever the beard makes an appearance, you know that Clooney means for us to take him seriously and he gives an okay performance.  He delivers his lines convincingly but his character is a bit dull and you can’t help but feel that Clooney the director wasted the talents of Clooney the actor.  The film probably would have been improved if he and Kyle Chandler had switched roles.

The Midnight Sky didn’t really work for me.  The end of the world should never be this boring.

Weekly Trailer Round-Up: Aquaman, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, The Mule, Vice, On The Basis of Sex, Mortal Engines


Last week the internet was abuzz after the release of an extended, five-minute trailer for Aquaman.  That trailer kicks off this week’s trailer round-up.  Aquaman will be released on December 21st.

Coming out the week before Aquaman, the animated Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse will provide a new look at everyone’s favorite webslinger and will help us all emotionally recover from the end of Avengers: Infinity War.  Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is in theaters on December 14th.

Clint Eastwood is a machine.  At an age when most people are retired, Eastwood is still cranking out movies and winning awards.  The Mule is based on the true story of the world’s oldest drug runner.  Eastwood directed and, for the first time since Trouble With The Curve, stars.  The Mule will be released on December 14th.

In Vice, Christian Bale is transformed into former Vice President Dick Cheney.  This film was directed by Adam McKay so it’s portrayal of Cheney and George W. Bush (played by Sam Rockwell) will probably not be a positive one.  Vice will be released on December 25th and will answer the question: “Does anyone other than Adam McKay care about Dick Cheney anymore?”

Vice will be getting some competition on Christmas from another politically charged biopic.  On the Basis of Sex stars Felicity Jones as Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Finally, if you’d rather escape the real world in December, Mortal Engines will be released on December 14th.

Lisa’s Oscar Predictions For October


And now, we take a short break from TSL’s annual horrorthon to bring you Lisa Marie’s Oscar predictions for October!

Be sure to check out my predictions for January, February, March, April, May. June. July, August and September!

Best Picture

Black Panther

Boy Erased

Can You Ever Forgive Me?

First Man

Green Book

If Beale Street Could Talk

The Mule

Roma

A Star is Born

Vice

Best Director

Damien Chazelle for First Man

Bradley Cooper for A Star Is Born

Alfonso Cuaron for Roma

Peter Farrelly for Green Book

Barry Jenkins for If Beale Street Could Talk

Best Actor

Christian Bale in Vice

Bradley Cooper in A Star is Born

Clint Eastwood in The Mule

Robert Redford in Old Man and the Gun

John C. Reilly in Stan & Ollie

Best Actress

Glenn Close in The Wife

Lady Gaga in A Star is Born

Felicity Jones in On The Basis of Sex

Nicole Kidman in Destroyer

Melissa McCarthy in Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Best Supporting Actor

Mahershala Ali in Green Book

Timothee Chalamet in Beautiful Boy

Bradley Cooper in The Mule

Sam Elliott in A Star is Born

Michael B. Jordan in Black Panther

Best Supporting Actress

Claire Foy in First Man

Nicole Kidman in Boy Erased

Regina King in If Beale Street Could Talk

Sissy Spacek in Old Man and the Gun

Michelle Yeoh in Crazy Rich Asians