Saturday, March 9, 2024

Boom, Baby! The Maven's Fearless (And Maybe Not-So-Foolish) Oscar Winners Predix Extravaganza!

After several years of Oscar ceremony whiplash, often seeing the Awards being handed out on Labor Day, The Academy came back to their senses and scheduled the show at a more reasonable time (though I would love to see them at the end of February again. Winter Olympics, where art thou?). 

Paradoxically, I decry this, but the Awards came up faster than Trump can come up with cheddar for his judgements. So here we are, in what to me felt like a shortened awards season. Even Film Twitter has been behaving. This year's film crop was overall better than I expected, with no real howlers in the lot, despite my being in the minority opinion on a couple of films, which I'll get to shortly. 

This Awards season began with Barbenheimer and ended on some grand notes, with many fine performances, particularly with Best Actress; this year's lineup rivals the last great bloodbath of a lineup in 2020. The burning question is how many trophies will Oppenheimer or Barbie win? I'm not of the camp that Oppenheimer will sweep like in the old days because the Academy is more diversified. To this point, I think this will be a  share-the-wealth year. 

But Oppenheimer will win several awards, and Christopher Nolan will finally win an Oscar; he deserves it. I'm not a big Nolan fan, and I went into the film cynically but came out a fan. Of course, Nolan's M.O. and downfall is his inability to develop characters of any depth, but he was kinda force to go a bit deeper here because these are real people. But the key to the film is Cillian Murphy. Like with the question I asked with the 2020 Oscar about how despite being a loaded category, how Frances McDormand is the lead role in Nomadland couldn't be considered since the film took most the major awards, how can Oppenheimer win a large handful of Awards and not have Murphy along for the ride. The scene when Oppenheimer speaks to the audience after the bombs have been drop, when he looks amazed at his achievement and horrified at what he's created, Murphy's expressions are a tightrope many actors couldn't pull off quite as well. What his eyes. 

As usual, I crammed for the exam, and here are my observations for how the night may go, as well as an airing of an Oscar grievance or two:

1--The only locks I see w/ any of the major Awards are Robert Downey, Jr. and Da'vine Joy Randolph, the latter of which may be the only Oscar for The Holdovers. Love the film but it peaked early. 

2--Actor started out w/ a Birdman vs The Theory of Everything rivalry between Paul Giamatti vs. Cillian Murphy, but the latter will win. I would, though, love to see Jeffrey Wright upset here (won't happen). 

3--Back to Barbie, I think it will win a couple of trophies. It will win for Best Song, but which one? I love me some Billie Eilish, but this is not her best song, and "I'm Just Ken" is a hell of a lot of fun. I loved "Dance the Night" better than both of those, but it didn't make the cut. 

Barbie is competing head-to-head with Poor Things, which was just flat-out fucking brilliant on every level, and it will be interesting who comes out ahead in the craft categories. 

3--Does the Academy have the balls to award Greta Gerwig for Adapted Screenplay to make up for the lack of a Director nod. I would love it because I love her, but I don't see it.

4--And while we're at it: Is Wes Anderson finally going to win a fucking Oscar? Yes, Virginia, I think he will!

5--Is Oppenheimer's screenplay going to win by rote if it picks up a lot of wins in the lesser categories? I think American Fiction will beat it, and I hope it does, another brilliant film with a layered, hilarious screenplay. 

6--The Holdovers had a real push for Original Screenplay, but folks more recently have been abuzz about Anatomy of a Fall, which, for me, along w/ Poor Things and American Fiction, is the year's best film. It wasn't the French entry for the International Film category (it should have been, and I think would beat the inferior The Zone of Interest) and kicked to the major categories. I think it wins here...

7--...and for Sandra Huller for Actress. I love the film, and am thinking w/ head not heart for these picks, but she shape-shifted her emotions throughout her performance, keeping me on edge and trying to figure out is she had a hand in her husband's death. 

8--And this is far from joining the consensus opinion about the power of the film, but The Zone of Interest had a couple of good shots but otherwise didn't impress me. I know it's bases on a true story, but after the first 20 minutes, I got it. I've liked Jonathan Glazer's other films better, but he did nothing to allow me to care for any of the characters. While I've said for years that more filmmakers should leave a lot to the imagination (and I'm thinking of Mike's Murder from 1983, not a great movie but I liked it, where the title character, who was murdered, is only seen in a photograph on a mantle, not flashbacks). However, it will win International Film. There has been a late surge, but I don't buy it will win Best Picture. 

9--I think Past Lives and The Color Purple (indulge me a shoutout to Danielle Brooks, the pride of Greenville, SC) will get hosed, and if Lily Gladstone doesn't win Actress, Killers of the Flower Moon will be hosed as well. 

10--And notice I've left Actress to the last because this is the one category that started with a lock for Gladstone but is now up in the air. I don't know who will win at this point. Carey Mulligan in Maestro is so nuanced in her performance she almost upstages Bradley Cooper (and he's better than what many are giving him credit for); and I thought she should have won in the Nomadland year for Promising Young Woman. Annette Bening gave one of her best performances (as did Jodie Foster) in Nyad, so that leaves Gladstone, Huller, and Stone. 

Killer Moon peaked early and lasts about 10 hours, so I'm not sure how much that will play here. Emma Stone's performance in Poor Things is a brilliantly comedic tightrope, one of the best comedic performances I've seen because it's so raw, but Sandra Huller also walks a very ambiguous tightrope. I won't be upset with any winner in this category, but my gut says Huller here. But I'd love it if Stone takes it. 

Last-Minute No Guts, No Glory gut-check (h/t Sasha Stone):

Huller for Actress

Not Nolan for Director

Ryan Gosling for Supporting Actor


Enough already! Finally, let's get jiggy with it:


Best Picture: Oppenheimer
upset: The Holdovers

Best Director: Christopher Nolan
upset: Yorgos Lanthimos

Best Actor: Cillian Murphy
upset: Paul Giamatti

Best Actress: Sandra Huller
upset: Lily Gladstone

Best Supporting Actor: Robert Downey, Jr.
upset: Ryan Gosling

Best Supporting Actress: Da'vine Joy Randolph
upset: Jodie Foster

Best Original Screenplay: Anatomy of a Fall
upset: The Holdovers

Best Adapted Screenplay: American Fiction
upset: Barbie

Best International Film: The Zone of Interest
upset: Society of the Snow

Best Animated Feature: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
upset: The Boy and The Heron

Best Song: "What Was I Made For?"--Barbie
upset: "I'm Just Ken"--Barbie

Best Score: Oppenheimer
upset: Killers of the Flower Moon

Best Cinematography: Oppenheimer
upset: Killers of the Flower Moon

Best Editing: Oppenheimer
upset: Anatomy of a Fall

Best Production Design: Poor Things
upset: Barbie

Best Costume Design: Barbie
upset: Poor Things

Best Sound: Oppenheimer
upset: The Zone of Interest

Best Visual Effects: Godzilla Minus One
upset: The Creator

Best Makeup and Hair: Poor Things
upset: Maestro

Best Documentary: 20 Days in Mariupol
upset: Four Daughters

Best Documentary Short: The Last Repair Shop
upset: The ABC's of Book Banning

Best Animated Short: Letter to a Pig
upset: WAR IS OVER

Best Live Action Short: The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
upset: The After

Wins:

Oppenheimer    8
Poor Things    3
Anatomy of a Fall  2
Barbie 2
The Holdovers 2
Killers of the Flower Moon 1

Running Time: 3 hours 26 minutes (don't let the early start time fool you)

That's it! Them's my predix, and I'm sticking to them. I'll kvetch throughout the High Holy Day on the social, so follow along or mute me til the Ides of March. 

No Oscar pool this year per higher grocery and beer prices. Priorities!

Happy Oscar Sunday, y'all! And, of course, Shalom, y'all! 


Monday, January 22, 2024

The Bland Leading the Bland: The Maven's Fearless (and Most Definitely Foolish) Oscar Nomination Predix Extravaganza 2024

The Oscar nominations seem to come earlier each year, and this is the furthest behind the Maven has been in writing the annual predix blog. Blame juggling faulty pipes, a research grant, and being academically homeless for the next two years and losing my personal office; the English building is being repurposed into offices for us professors, while a new classroom building is being built--at the same time. 

Still playing catchup with some films (like Academy members have seen them all at this point), but so far this year feels a bit bland. Save for a couple of films, I've just not been bowled over. Not a single film has screamed to me that it's the gold standard that will be remembered 20 years from now; certain performances and elements, yes, but not the films. I hope my opinion changes as I continue to plow through. 

So this one is going to be short. I'll elaborate when I write my final predictions in about six weeks. But a few observations for now:

1--Loved Barbie. It's eye-popping fun that turns in on itself. I never thought it was didactic nor preachy. It's diverse without calling attention to itself. And the performances are fun as hell. And this begs the question: Will Greta Gerwig win a goddamned Oscar finally? Unfortunately no, especially since the Academy moved Screenplay from Original to Adapted. And you know what this means...

2--Oppenheimer will win a lot of trophies, including probably in Adapted. Many of you well know that I am not the biggest Christopher Nolan fan, save for Insomnia, and the first two Batman films. Inception I hate with the passion of Trump supporter in heat. Nolan cannot find character development with two hands usually, and I think he succeeds here lately because he had to work from source material. 

3--The momentum seems to have left Killers of the Flower Moon, save for Lily Gladstone. She's not a lock for Actress but close. 

4--Actor could be interesting, coming down to Cillian Murphy, who is brilliant in everything versus Paul Giamatti, who is also brilliant in everything. 

5--One film I watched because of the two leads with absolutely no expectations because I thought it would be a typical biopic, and I was wrong, is Nyad. I think Bening sneaks into that fifth spot for Actress, since nobody can decide on a category for Sandra Huller. And this is one of Foster's best performances and hasn't a chance in hell of winning. 

6--Amercian Fiction should do well w/ noms, as will Maestro and The Holdovers. The latter film is the most pedestrian, but there's nothing wrong w/ that. 

7--And will Bradley Cooper finally win a goddamned Oscar? Again, not this year. 

Enough already. As usual, I don't do nom predix for docs, short films, foreign film, or music. 

Best Picture

Oppenheimer

Barbie

Killers of the Flower Moon

The Holdovers

American Fiction

Poor Things

Anatomy of a Fall

Past Lives

The Color Purple

The Zone of Interest


Best Director

Christopher Nolan

Martin Scorsese

Greta Gerwig

Yorgos Lanthimos

Bradley Cooper

---

Alexander Payne

Jonathan Glazer

Justine Triet


Best Actor

Cillian Murphy

Paul Giamatti

Jeffrey Wright

Bradley Cooper

Colman Domingo

---

Leonardo DiCaprio

Joaquin Phoenix

Adam Driver


Best Actress

Lily Gladstone

Margot Robbie

Emma Stone

Carey Mulligan

Annette Bening

---

Sandra Huller

Fantasia Barrino

Greta Lee


Best Supporting Actor

Robert Downey, Jr. 

Ryan Gosling

Robert DeNiro

Mark Ruffalo

Charles Melton

---

Sterling K. Brown

Willem Dafoe

Dominic Sessa


Best Supporting Actress

 Da'Vine Joy Randolph

Jodie Foster

Danielle Brooks

Emily Blunt

America Ferrera

---

Viola Davis

Julianne Moore

Rosamund Pike


Best Original Screenplay

The Holdovers

Maestro

Past Lives

Anatomy of a Fall

Air

---

May December

Saltburn

Astroid City


Best Adapted Screenplay

Oppenheimer

Barbie

Poor Things

American Fiction

Killers of the Flower Moon

---

The Zone of Interest

Nyad

The Color Purple


Best Cinematography

Oppenheimer

Killers of the Flower Moon

Barbie

Maestro

The Zone of Interest

---

The Color Purple

El Conde

Napoleon


Best Editing

Oppenheimer

Killers of the Flower Moon

Barbie

Poor Things

Maestro

---

Anatomy of a Fall

The Holdovers

Ferrari


Best Production Design

Barbie

Poor Things

Oppenheimer

Killers of the Flower Moon

Astroid City

---

The Color Purple

Napoleon

Saltburn


Best Costume Design

Barbie

Poor Things

Killers of the Flower Moon

Maestro

Napoleon

---

Oppenheimer

The Color Purple

Wonka


Best Sound

Oppenheimer

Maestro

Killers of the Flower Moon

Barbie

Ferrari

---

The Zone of Interest

Napoleon

Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part I


Best Makeup

Maestro

Oppenheimer

Poor Things

Golda

Killers of the Flower Moon

---

Society of the Snow

Napoleon

Beau is Afraid


Best Visual Effects

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Poor Things

Spider-man: Across the Spider-verse

The Creator

Godzilla Minus One

---

Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part I

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Society of the Snow


Nominations

Oppenheimer                        12

Killers of the Flower Moon    11

Barbie                                    10

Poor Things                           8

The Holdovers                       6 

Maestro                                 6                          

Napoleon                              5

American Fiction                  4

Anatomy of a Fall                 3


I did not italicize film titles because Maven ain't got time for that. 

Them's my predix, and I'm sticking by them. The long haul begins at 8:30 in the morn. And my students will watch with me as usual. 

My work is done here until March 10th. Follow me or mute me on the socials to follow along. 

Happy Oscar Nominations Day, y'all! Seasons Screenings and, of course, Shalom!






Saturday, March 11, 2023

Don't Call It A Comeback: The Maven's Fearless (And Not-So-Foolish) Oscar Winners Extravaganza

The Oscars are finally earlier than normal (I miss you, 2020, before everything went to hell), but what fresh hell is with the scheduling gods laying vengeance upon The Maven, with the trifecta of Oscar Sunday, Selection Sunday, and Springing forward? I'll be all to hell tomorrow on various levels. 

In all my years of pontificating and kvetching, this is the quietest Oscar season in recent memory, which is a good thing, as Martha would say. Michelle Yeoh, Cate Blanchett (signing the praises of her fellow nominees along the way), Austin Butler, and Sarah Polley have been everywhere save for the Home Shopping Network and campaigning as if trying to prevent Trump from winning the presidential election again. This cycle has turned into a blast and a half, the best since the 2020 Oscars before everything stopped in its tracks. Nothing wrong with a big lovefest at the moment. We need it. 

Notice the one nominee missing on the circuit: Andrea Riseborough. I think the Academy calling shenanigans on the word-of-mouth campaign pre-nominations, which is BS because this happens all the time, but they got "caught." Does anyone not remember many in the actor's branch using social media and a whisper campaign to push Bradley Cooper for American Sniper? And it's a shame because Riseborough is exceptional, and I hope everyone sees To Leslie despite the Oscars. But she's been nowhere, so I went from her possibly upsetting to she's out.

The nadir between when the ballots are due and the ceremony is the worst, with everyone second-guessing everything. Caught myself doing it as well today, but enough. Nothing to be done now, for it's all over but the shouting. 

Here are a few last-minute observations:

1--Sarah Polley is finally going to win the goddamned Oscar! She's been in the industry forever, has been through hell, and has built a pretty damned cool reputation behind the camera. The industry loves her, and she richly deserves it. And how did she miss on Director? If she doesn't win, I'll riot!

2--I think Everything Everywhere will have the most wins with six, followed by Elvis with four. Or are folks sick of musical biopics? Remember Bohemian Rhapsody? And I don't see Brendan Fraser winning. I just don't. 

3--I think this is a spread-the-love year, but Babylon, The Fabelmans, TAR, and possibly The Banshees of Inisherin will be hosed. I hope not the latter, but Original Screenplay may be its only award. There's been a late surge for Condon, and that may be the night's surprise, unless Barry Keoghan upset in Supporting Actor, but I think Quan may be the only true lock at this point. 

4--Elvis is terrible and wildly uneven, almost unwatchable in the first half, but the second half of the film I think will net Butler the win. He saves that film,carries that film, and he's the cat's ass in it. 

5--Actress is a bloodbath. I can't wait to see Michelle Yeoh finally win, but I won't be upset if Blanchett takes it, either, exactly. But I don't see how Yeoh doesn't win at this point. 

6--And what to make of Supporting Actress. I thought Angela Bassett was a lock (and she should have won for What's Love Got To Do with It?; it's still one of the great female performances but nobody was beating Holly Hunter that year. It sucks, like this year, when there are so many cool performances stacked against one another. But I called Jamie Lee Curtis before SAG, and if about 10k actors versus close to 4k in the Academy voted Curtis, then what? Do I think there could be some vote-splitting this time? Yes, actually, I do. I know it's in the nadir when all the pundits claim this, when many say this when the categories are essentially settled, but this year may be a sneaky one. So would Condon be the only Banshees winner? We'll see!

The Last-Minute Gut-Check:

Top Gun for Picture

Colin Farrell for Actor

Andrea Riseborough for Actress (keep hope alive!)

Condon for Supporting Actress

"Hold My Hand" for Song

Enough already! I'm worn out from grading and the ensuing time-change, so here is how I think the wins will go down:

Best Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
upset: All Quiet on the Western Front

Best Director: Daniels
upset: Steven Spielberg

Best Actor: Austin Butler
upset: Brendan Fraser

Best Actress: Michelle Yeoh
upset: Cate Blanchett

Best Supporting Actor: Ke Huy Quan
upset: Barry Keoghan

Best Supporting Actress: Jamie Lee Curtis
upset: Kerry Condon

Best Original Screenplay: The Banshees of Inisherin
upset: Everything Everywhere All at Once

Best Adapted Screenplay: Women Talking
upset: All Quiet on the Western Front

Best Animated Feature: Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio
upset: Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

Best International Film: All Quiet on the Western Front
upset: EO

Best Score: All Quiet on the Western Front
upset: The Banshees of Inisherin

Best Original Song: "RRR"
upset: "Lift Me Up"

Best Documentary: Nevalny
upset: All the Beauty and Bloodshed

Best Cinematography: All Quiet on the Western Front
upset: Elvis

Best Editing: Everything Everywhere All at Once
upset: Top Gun: Maverick

Best Production Design: Elvis
upset: Babylon

Best Costume Design: Elvis
upset: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Best Sound: Top Gun: Maverick
upset: Elvis

Best Visual Effects: Avatar: The Way of Water
upset: Top Gun: Maverick

Best Makeup: Elvis
upset: The Whale

Best Animated Short: The Boy, The Mule, The Fox, and The Horse
upset: Ice Merchants

Best Documentary Short: The Elephant Whispers
upset: Stranger at the Gate

Best Live Action Short: An Irish Goodbye
upset: Le Pupille

Wins

Everything Everywhere All at Once        6
Elvis                                                        4
All Quiet on the Western Front               2
The Banshees of Inisherin                     2

Running time: 3 hours 16 minutes

As usual, the predictions and win totals differ.

That's it! Them's my predix, and I'm sticking to them. I'll be venting throughout the High Holy Day on the socials, so follow along or mute me until Wednesday. 

Again, no Oscar pool this year per high beer prices. 

Happy Oscar Sunday, y'all! And, of course, Shalom!


Monday, January 23, 2023

Erin Go Blah! The Maven's Fearless (and Probably Foolish) Oscar Nomination Predix 2023

Now we are back to our regularly-scheduled Oscar Season, what with the pandemic largely behind us and no Olympics on the horizon. The Ceremony will be on March 12th, back to a more reasonable time instead at the Fourth of July. But nomination day has blindsided me!

I have been out of the loop this go-round, partially because I taught six classes this fall, but largely because I haven't felt the urgency with this possible crop. There are some exceptions, though, but otherwise I'm still plowing through Oscar bait. 

But I have been in touch w/ several members to get a bede on how things may go. A few quick observations, as usual:

1--The Fablemans, The Banshees of Inisherin, Everything Everywhere All at Once, and, yes, Top Gun: Maverick and Avatar: The Way of Water will get a lot of noms. We've seen this Spielberg movie before, and I sense that Hollywood is settling into a feel-good movie groove for a bit. 

2--That said, Everything Everywhere is not like anything I, or the Academy, has seen before, so it's a wild card, save for Ke Huy Quan being a near-certainty to win Supporting Actor. 

3--Speaking of actors, at the moment I see three of the four acting categories as probably locks: Cate Blanchett (#3, baby!), Quan, and Angela Bassett for Supporting Actress. Actor  is all over the map this time. It's between Brendan Fraser and Colin Farrell, and I'm not convinced Fraser will win, but I'm also not sure Farrell will. Austin Butler will be up in a terrible movie, but he's the wild card. But let's not put the cart before the horse. 

4--I'm also not sure how many noms The Whale will receive. I've heard mixed from many I've talked to. Is it just Fraser and Screenplay? This time, I'm clueless on the trajectory on this one. 

5--I got a great kick (no pun intended) out of Banshees. I have an Irish lit specialization (and almost studied Irish film at one point), and this is pure Ireland. I don't see how you have Farrell without Brendan Gleeson, who's always been the cat's ass and has never been nominated. That changes tomorrow morning. 

6--Banshees, Everything, and Women Talking are the horses I'm riding this year. As far as promotion/chat shows/when the ballots are out there, Women has been flooding the zone. Sarah Polley, whom I've loved since The Sweet Hereafter and an even better filmmaker, is loved by the industry, and this film is a slow burn, so damned subtle in addressing a hot-button issue. It's brilliant. I do think Polley (hopefully), is a lock for Adapted Screenplay. I also hope Jessie Buckley is along for the ride as well. 

7--I think Babylon will be hosed in the major categories. It'll get some technical nods, but it's not memorable. 

8--Can a donkey get a nomination? Several other asses in Hollywood have...


Enough already. As usual, I don't do docs, shorts, foreign films, or music. 


Best Picture

Everything Everywhere All at Once

The Banshees of Inisherin

The Fabelmans

Top Gun: Maverick

TAR

Elvis

Women Talking

All Quiet on the Western Front

All Quiet on the Western Front

The Whale


Best Director

Steven Spielberg

Daniels

Martin McDonagh

Todd Field

Sarah Polley

---

Edward Berger

James Cameron

Joseph Kosinski


Best Actor

Colin Farrell

Brendan Fraser

Austin Butler

Bill Nighy

Paul Mescal

---

Tom Cruise

Tom Hanks


Best Actress

Cate Blanchett

Michelle Yeoh

Danielle Deadwyler

Viola Davis

Ana de Armas

---

Michelle Williams

Andrea Riseborough


Best Supporting Actor

Ke Huy Quan

Brendan Gleeson

Paul Dano

Barry Keoghan

Ben Wishaw

---

Eddie Redmayne

Bryan Tyree Henry

Judd Hirsch


Best Supporting Actress

Angela Bassett

Kerry Condon

Jamie Lee Curtis

Stephanie Hsu

Jessie Buckley

---

Hong Chau

Michelle Williams

Janelle Monae


Best Original Screenplay

The Banshees of Inisherin

Everything Everywhere All at Once

The Fabelmans

TAR

Triangle of Sadness

---

Aftersun

The Menu

Babylon


Best Adapted Screenplay

Women Talking

The Whale

Living

She Said

Top Gun: Maverick

---

All Quiet on the Western Front

Glass Onion

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio



Best Cinematography

Top Gun: Maverick

Empire of Light

The Batman

All Quiet on the Western Front

The Fabelmans

---

Avatar: The Way of Water

Elvis

Women Talking


Best Editing

Top Gun: Maverick

Everything Everywhere All at Once

Elvis

The Fabelmans

The Banshees of Inisherin

---

All Quiet on the Western Front

Babylon

Avatar: The Way of Water


Best Production Design

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Babylon

Elvis

Avatar: The Way of Water

All Quiet on the Western Front

---

The Fablemans

Glass Onion

Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio


Best Costume Design

Elvis

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Babylon

Everything Everywhere All at Once

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris

---

The Woman King

Don't Worry Darling

The Fabelmans


Best Sound

Top Gun: Maverick

All Quiet on the Western Front

Elvis

Everything Everywhere All at Once

Avatar: The Way of Water


Best Visual Effects 

Avatar: The Way of Water

Top Gun: Maverick 

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

The Batman

Nope

---

Everything Everywhere All at Once

Thirteen Lives

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness


Best Makeup

Elvis

The Whale

The Batman

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Blonde

---

Amsterdam

All Quiet on the Western Front

Babylon


Nominations

Everything Everywhere All at Once    9

The Banshees of Inisherin                   8

The Fabelmans                                      7

Top Gun: Maverick                                6

Elvis                                                        6

Women Talking                                      5


Them's my predix, and I'm sticking to them. The slog starts in the AM 8:30, and my students will endure watching the announcement with me. 

My work here is done until March 12th. Follow me or mute me on the socials: Facebook, Twitter (@Franster23), and/or Instagram (@themsmaven) from now until March. The usual kvetching will continue. 

Happy Oscar Nominations Day, y'all! And, of course, Shalom and Seasons Screenings!



Saturday, March 26, 2022

Admiration or Love? The Maven's Fearless (and Probably Foolish) Oscar Winners Predix 2022

Finally, spring is upon us, and the Oscar road ends tomorrow night, finally. This season has felt longer than a rambling Trump speech, if that's possible. Add to this the cruelty of March Madness taking place on the same weekend, and the last game of the weekend (Go Tar Heels!) is bumping up against the start of the show. Madness!

This year's crop of films have been hit-and-miss, as most are. But the rumblings I've heard throughout, from friends, pundits, and voters alike saying the mantra, "I really admire this film, but..." I've heard it about most of the films up for Best Picture except for CODA. Is it the little movie that could? Kinda, until it was snapped up for a record $25 million by Apple, and since the nominations it's flooded the zone with television and print ads, so it ain't little anymore. The kicker is that is it largely universally loved, which is rare for a BP nominee; most often that category is made up of films that voters think will represent the industry, but are admired and not loved. 

I think there are smatterings of movie love across several categories this year. This should be a time for celebrate the movies you love, and the performances you root for to win. But it's out of control now, and Film Twitter has gotten worse. In the last couple of weeks I've seen tons of wokeness and shaming of some who express their opinions on what he/she likes and why, some crudely honest. So if someone loves, say Kristen Stewart in Spencer (she's fine, but I don't care for the film save for the ending, and, yes, they can be separate entities) but another likes Nicole Kidman (wildly uneven w/ the accent but I did finally buy her as Lucy in what is a better Sorkin film than Chicago 7, but thank Bardem), many pile on w/ cruel invective about the wrong choice. It's like what I tell my students in my literature and film classes: I can give you shit all day for liking Tim Burton films (which I'm about to ban in my Intro to film class. If I read one more Edward Scissorhands essay...) or hating Walt Whitman, but I can never tell you that you are wrong for liking or hating them. This year has been particularly nasty it seems. Again, you love what you love, but don't take it personally if I don't, or vice versa. 

And relitigating years past can be fun, but this year it seems analytics have taken over. So there have been many arguments, including, for example, how can a film like CODA with three nominations win BP? Or, the BP winner usually picks up an Oscar nom for Editing, so now what? Stop w/ analyzing the data! These traditions have been busted before, and if there is enough love for a film, none of that matters. For those trying to look at patterns of voting and such, and I say this every year, "The Academy" doesn't vote as a monolith. Members don't sit in a room and go over the categories like pundits do. They vote for friends, studios that employed them, and some don't fill out their entire ballot. I bet if the vote totals per category were release it would make things worse, but I stand by my offer to sleep w/ a member of Price Waterhouse Coopers (name change again?) to get those totals. 

Just look at what's been hot while the ballots are out there to get clues. I didn't have the guts last year to pull the trigger to predict Anthony Hopkins outright but thought he would upset Chadwick Boseman. I was fine w/ Boseman (and I think he would have won an Oscar along the way had he lived), but he's been better in other moves, so I ask: Had he not died so young (and I'm still not quite over it; he was the pride of Anderson, South Carolina), would he have been made the frontrunner out of the gate? I don't think so because it would have been a two-man race. For me, Hopkins was better (don't @ me, just my preference). And at least this year the show won't end w/ the category with the most suspense (Best Actress this go-round) because it horrifically backfired last year. I love Steven Soderbergh the writer/editor/director, but don't let him produce the show again, pandemic or no. 

This year I'm for all things CODA, Drive My Car, Licorice Pizza (PTA Baby!), and The Power of the Dog, and I have no idea how the awards will shake out. The final weekend usually makes us second-guess our choices and if there will be upsets galore, and usually once we reach Sunday those films rewards tend to fall in line, then after it's like, Oh yeah!

I have some observations here, so buckle up, buttercup:

1--I think CODA will win the three Oscars it's nominated for. Some wonder if it could have been up for more. Not really, because it's an intimate family drama that is funny and moving, w/ us about to be nuked in a month or so (kidding, I think) because of Putin and Ukraine, gas prices, and coming somewhat out of the two-year plague, it's been universally praised because it's accepted for what it is. I've only heard two people who said it was too pedestrian, but I think it's an excellent film hitting it's stride. I hope it wins!

2--And why in the hell isn't CODA up for sound? Think about it. The silences are just as important for that film. 

3--I'm a huge Jane Campion fan (if you haven't seen Sweetie, her first film, do so, and The Piano is one of my favorite films from the 90's), and The Power of the Dog is in line w/ her oeuvre. Except, this is one of those films that many say they admire but not love. Understandable, because it doesn't have the "happy ending," and it's not the most accessible film. But I read the source material, and Campion keyed in. She'll win Director, though many have said they are not voting for her because of what she said about the Williams sisters at the Critics Choice Awards. It was in poor taste, she apologized, move on. But will this cost her winning? I don't think so, but maybe that would be the surprise win that pundits are still trying to figure out. She could win Adapted Screenplay (I'm thinking Maggie Gyllenhall could upset because though many don't seem to care for The Lost Daughter, the industry loves her and may want to reward her) and I would love to see Jonny Greenwood finally win for Score (Hans Zimmer looks to win there), but Director and possibly Cinematography could be its only awards. And I don't know who would upset Campion. Some have said in their anonymous ballots (and this year they were out there on steroids. They're usually fun, but this year too much) they voted for Spielberg. Ariana DeBose, Rita Moreno (always great), and Rachel Zegler (she finally got a ticket to the show. How stupid to not send an invite. Talk about inclusion!) are fabulous, but I don't know why West Side Story was even made. It feels like a lesser carbon-copy of the original. Now if Speilberg had modernized it to current times, now that is a movie I want to see. But I was bored out of my mind w/ this one, though the production design was cool. 

4--Both Screenplay Categories are as suspenseful this year to me as Actress. Original Screenplay is far less certain. Out of the gate of the nominations, it looked like Paul Thomas Anderson would finally win a goddamned Oscar, but Licorice Pizza is a movie you like or you don't, and I don't know a lot of folks who like the film, saying it's messy and not about anything. Voters don't like messy, but I do. And though I like the film a lot, this is far from his best screenplay. But as I've said about some surprise wins over the years: actors and filmmakers often don't win for his or her best work. I think this is where Belfast will win its award deservedly for a lovely film, but when the ballots were out The Worst Person in the World is getting a lot of love. Don't be surprised if it upsets. And Don't Look Up may have won the WGA, but they don't always align, and as much as I enjoyed the film, it is wildly uneven, as are most Adam McKay films (though Winning Time is the best thing he's done, Lakers bias aside). 

5--And speaking of never winning, will Diane Warren finally win a goddamned Oscar? Not this year. Nobody knows the film she's up for (Four Good Days) because it was buried (and surprised no one was advocating for Glenn Close, but that's another story. I still haven't seen the film). This year like last, this is a toss-up category. Lin-Manuel Miranda may finally get his EGOT here, but I hope Billie Eilish wins for No Time to Die. It's the perfect Bond song, plus the show will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the film series. 

6--I hope the show is decent. Anything would be better than last year's broadcast. But I've noticed, except for television ads featuring the hosts, there are none showing clips from the major categories like in the past several years and are pretty generic. I know Will Packer wants the show to play to TV land and be inclusive, but I want to see a show that celebrates the movies that are up. No clips last year sucked; the one year you would think there would be more clips... My gut says this show won't be great. Packer sounds a little too optimistic here. Yes, I'm cynical. And it's still going to last over three hours. 

7--Dune will win the most Oscars, and it will also be a case of spreading the love. 

8--So I'm guilty of discussing Best Actress last here, just like the Boseman debacle. I said from the beginning that I think Jessica Chastain will win, and I was actually surprised she won the SAG because around that time many thought Kidman would win (and I did too, reluctantly). Spencer is terrific in a diorama of a movie, Olivia Coleman is better in The Lost Daughter than in that catfight The Favourite, and Kidman is along for the ride at this point. But several people I've talked to and many anonymous ballots indicate members voted for Penelope Cruz. Could she upset? Absolutely! This is the only nominee in all the major categories I've not seen, and am going to try to squeeze in before basketball resumes tonight. I do think this year w/ those blind ballots is a different scenario than the Hopkins/Boseman situation I've already discussed. Don't be surprised if she takes it (and I said she was the one who wouldn't win early on, silly me), but I'm sticking w/ Chastain. She's always good, and the industry loves her, but they love Cruz as well. We'll see. I'm going to be wrong again, aren't I?

I've discussed my gut checks already, and I don't have anything else because anything could happen this year. My one surprise win I would love to see happen: Jessie Buckly. I think she's better than Coleman in The Lost Daughter. 

So here are my predictions in all the categories:

Best Picture: CODA
upset: The Power of the Dog

Best Director: Jane Campion
upset: Kenneth Branagh

Best Actor: Will Smith
upset: Benedict Cumberbatch

Best Actress: Jessica Chastain
upset: Penelope Cruz

Best Supporting Actor: Troy Kotsur
upset: Kodi Smith-McPhee

Best Supporting Actress: Ariana DeBose
upset: Kirsten Dunst

Best Original Screenplay: Belfast
upset: The Worse Person in the World

Best Adapted Screenplay: CODA
upset: The Lost Daughter

Best Foreign Film: Drive My Car
upset: The Worse Person in the World

Best Animated Feature: Encanto
upset: Flee

Best Song: No Time to Die
upset: Be Alive

Best Score: Dune
upset: The Power of the Dog

Best Cinematography: The Power of the Dog
upset: Dune

Best Editing: King Richard
upset: Dune

Best Production Design: Dune
upset: Nightmare Alley

Best Costumes: Cruella
upset: Nightmare Alley

Best Sound: Dune
upset: West Side Story

Best Visual Effects: Dune
upset: Spiderman: No Way Home

Best Documentary: Summer of Soul
upset: Flee

Best Documentary Short: The Queen of Basketball
upset: Audible

Best Animated Short: Robin Robin
upset: The Windshield Wiper

Best Live Action Short: The Long Goodbye
upset: Please Hold


WINS

Dune        4
CODA      3
The Power of the Dog    2
King Richard        2
The Eyes of Tammy Faye    2
Drive My Car        1
West Side Story        1

Running Time: 3 hours 12 minutes

As usual, the predictions and win totals differ. 

That's all, folks! Them's my predix, and I'm standing by them. I'll be venting my high holy day on the socials, so follow along or mute me until Tuesday. Again, no Oscar pool due to too much uncertainty and high gas prices. 

Happy Oscar Sunday, y'all! And, of course, Shalom!




Monday, February 7, 2022

Viewers Askew: The Maven's Fearless (and Possibly Foolish) Oscar Nomination Predix 2022

 The Rona has upend the awards season, and I'm not talking Rona Barrett. 

Even a year after the first pandemic Oscars, there are big gaps this year between awards before the Oscars air in June, and I had to dig for a couple of days through Twitter to find the Golden Globe winners via Tweet. I would have thought the askew schedule would have occurred last season, not this one. And we have the Olympics again, actually being played. 

How late am I this time? About 12 hours before the nominations are announced. I've never been this late in the game!

Film releases felt muted all year, but everything felt muted this year. Save for seeing w/ some ads "Only in Theaters," most of the possible contenders are available via stream or on-demand, one of the few good elements to come out of this pandemic. 

I've not been bowled over by this year's crop of films, save for The Power of the Dog, Licorice Pizza, and Don't Look Up (a hell of a fun mess). I have not seen Belfast nor the Tragedy of MacBeth. West Side Story is fun, but I'm not sure it has momentum. Dune is visually cool but I won't remember it in 20 years (save for Zendaya, but I'm thinking more Euphoria. Jesus!). And there aren't many small or foreign films lurking around for a spot this time, save for Drive My Car, which may at least be up for Director over Spielberg; I know one of the DGA nominees won't make it, and that's the one because WSS underperformed. This is one of those years that lends to my position now that television is better than movies at the moment. You're going to tell me last night's episode of Euphoria isn't better than a theatrical feature?

So not much to say at the moment, but a few observations:

1--The Power of the Dog will get a shit ton of nominations, deservedly. And I think Plemons will sneak in, and Dunst is forgiven for Melancholia. 

2--Actress is wide open. Since the fall, many have squawked about Kristen Stewart being left out of nominations for other awards, but I'm not surprised by this. Director Pablo Larrain makes dioramas, not movies. She may make the cut, but I don't see it. 

3--So if Wes Anderson isn't going to win a goddamned Oscar this year (love The French Dispatch, but many did not), will the other Anderson win finally? I think he will (Screenplay), and Licorice Pizza will do well nominationswise. And look for Alana Haim to be up for Actress. 

Enough already. I'm still wiped out by the pandemic, a new kitten destroying the house, course planning, and trying to sleep. As usual, I don't do docs, shorts, foreign film, or music. No overthinking this time because the crop is slim pickings. I got nothing else, so here goes:

Best Picture

The Power of the Dog

West Side Story

Belfast

Dune

Licorice Pizza

Kind Richard

CODA 

Don't Look Up

...tick, tick... Boom!

Nightmare Alley


Best Director

Jane Campion

Paul Thomas Anderson

Kenneth Branagh

Denis Villenueve

Ryusuke Hamaguchi

---

Steven Spielberg

Adan McKay

Guillermo Del Toro


Best Actor

Benedict Cumberbatch

Will Smith

Denzel Washington

Javier Bardem

Andrew Garfield

---

Leonardo DiCaprio

Peter Dinklage

Mahershala Ali


Best Actress

Oliva Coleman

Nicole Kidman

Lady Gaga

Alana Haim

Jessica Chastain

---

Jennifer Hudson

Kristen Stewart

Penelope Cruz


Best Supporting Actor

Kodi Smit-McPhee

Troy Kotsur

Bradley Cooper

Ciaran Hinds

Jesse Plemons

---

Jared Leto

Ben Affleck

Mike Faist


Best Supporting Actress

Ariana DeBose

Kirsten Dunst

Aunjanue Ellis

Baitriona Balfe

---

Rita Moreno

Cate Blanchett

Marlee Matlin


Original Screenplay

Licorice Pizza

Belfast

Don't Look Up

Being the Ricardos

King Richard

---

The French Dispatch

Parallel Mothers

A Hero


Adapted Screenplay

The Power of the Dog

The Lost Daughter

CODA

West Side Story

Drive My Car

---

The Tragedy of Macbeth

Passing

Nightmare Alley


Best Cinematography

The Power of the Dog

Dune

The Tragedy of Macbeth

Belfast

Nightmare Alley

---

West Side Story

Licorice Pizza

Don't Look Up


Best Editing

Dune

The Power of the Dog

Licorice Pizza

Don't Look Up

West Side Story

---

Belfast

No Time to Die

Nightmare Alley


Best Production Design

Nightmare Alley

The French Dispatch

Dune

The Tragedy of Macbeth

West Side Story

---

Licorice Pizza 

House of Gucci

Spencer


Best Costume Design

Cruella

House of Gucci

Nightmare Alley

Dune

Cyrano

---

West Side Story

Spencer

Licorice Pizza


Best Sound

Dune

West Side Story

No Time to Die

A Quiet Place II

Spider-Man: No Way Home


Best Visual Effects

Dune

Spider-Man: No Way Home

No Time to Die

Godzilla vs Kong

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

---

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

The Matrix Resurrections

Eternals


Best Makeup

The Eyes of Tammy Faye

Cruella

Dune

House of Gucci

The Suicide Squad

---

West Side Story

Spencer

Cyrano


Nominations

The Power of the Dog    11

Dune                               8

West Side Story              8

Licorice Pizza                 7

Belfast                            7

King Richard                  5

CODA                            5

Don't Look Up                3


Them's my Predix, and I'm sticking to them. There'll be a smattering of surprises, and ommisions will happen. The agony begins about 8:15am, and my class will be watching along w/ me. 

My work is done here until March 27th (okay, a bit earlier than last year, but still. Summer movies are now coming out around that time). Follow me on Facebook, Twitter (@Franster23), and Instagram (@themsmaven) for the usual bitchiest and kvetching. If you can't handle it, mute me two weeks before the ceremony and two days after. 

Happy Oscar Nominations Day, y'all! And, of course, Shalom and Season's Screenings!