Thrilled to launch
@Filmotomy
's 97th Academy Awards Predictions Hub where I'll be regularly updating my predictions in all categories as awards season rolls along. Individual category pieces will also begin later this month. Game on!
#Oscars
#AwardsSeason
Let me check I've got this right.
James Gunn: Tweeted some shitty jokes ten years ago. Loses future directing job.
Bryan Singer: Accused of sexual assault by multiple young men over two decades. Has his film nominated for Best Picture. Keeps future directing job.
I like Star Wars films.
I like superhero films.
I like Disney films.
I also like independent and foreign language films.
Can we stop acting like you can't equally love multiple facets of cinema?
As many of us have said before, if the Oscars are to be hostless, there is now zero reason to cut categories from the live broadcast. Save the skits and montages. Give us all 24 awards instead.
FIRST LOOK: Steven Spielberg’s
#WestSideStoryMovie
brings Tony, Maria, the Jets, and the Sharks (not to mention Rita Moreno!) back to the big screen. Here’s your exclusive look at an American classic reimagined for our time.
TENET was a test case at releasing a blockbuster in a pandemic. Christopher Nolan encouraged it. It failed. Warner Bros. are now evolving with the times. Sure, they should have discussed this with their filmmakers before the announcement, but it wouldn't have changed their plans.
#OPPENHEIMER
is an utterly engrossing character study and an epically grand theatrical experience. Led by a career-best performance from Cillian Murphy and stellar support from a sublime ensemble (particularly an Oscar-worthy RDJ), it's haunting, captivating, and unforgettable.
BARBIE is popcorn cinema perfection. Wonderfully funny, deliciously entertaining, and shrewdly sharp with some of the most dazzling production values you'll see all year. Margot Robbie was born for this. Ryan Gosling steals every moment. Fun from start to finish.
#BarbieMovie
Lin-Manuel Miranda delivers a spectacular directorial debut with TICK, TICK... BOOM! A beautiful tribute to Jonathan Larson and the chaotic creative process behind his work. Andrew Garfield is sensational with a tour-de-force performance worthy of awards noms.
#TickTickBoomMovie
NAVALNY will no doubt be one of the year's greatest documentaries. Riveting, horrifying, shocking, and occasionally quite funny. It's both a scathing insight into the corruption of Russia and a beautiful portrait of a man whose strength knows no bounds. Stunning film.
#Sundance
JOKER is not an "enjoyable" film. Nor is it meant to be. It's bold and gritty and disturbing and all the superlatives you can find in the thesaurus. Yes, Phoenix is astoundingly great. Maybe even Oscar-worthy. But what the hell this film is trying to say is beyond me.
#TIFF19
There's a scene in DEAR EVAN HANSEN where he receives an email with an 84Mb video file attachment and the sad nerd in me yelled at the screen, "You can't send a file that big through Gmail!"
I hate to break it to ABC but the people who don't watch the
#Oscars
are still not going to tune in now that you've cut eight categories from the telecast. All you're doing is pissing off your loyal fan base and showing disrespect to the artists in those categories.
#PresentAll23
How genuinely embarrassing to award Best Actor to a lip-synching caricature performance one year and then snub Taron Egerton the next year. Shameful.
#OscarNoms
BROS might just end up being the funniest film of the year. And one of the most lovable. The screenplay is an absolute dream. So sharp. So insightful. And utterly hysterical. Billy Eichner and Luke Macfarlane are a match made in heaven. Loved every damn second.
#TIFF22
If you liked GREEN BOOK or BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY, that's fine. They're both intended to be crowd-pleasers. But don't dismiss the reactions of those that didn't, particularly POC and LGBT folk. Their issues with both films are genuine and deserved. Speaking down to them is misguided.
#WISH
is a tremendous home run for Disney. Beautifully animated and filled with so much heart, it's a throwback to classic animated musicals and a loving tribute to 100 years of Disney. Great songs, a moving story, cute sidekicks, and a dastardly villain. Can't ask for much more.
SPENCER is simply masterful. It's like a haunting psychological horror masquerading as a biopic. Kristen Stewart is an absolute revelation. Just give her the Oscar now. Pablo Larraín's claustrophobic direction and Jonny Greenwood's stunning score heighten every single emotion.
With Hong Chau rightfully receiving praise for both THE MENU and THE WHALE, it's a good time to seek out her phenomenal performance in DRIVEWAYS. The film is an absolute gem and Chau knocks it out of the park.
TITANE has left me completely stunned. That may be the most utterly insane film I've seen all year. And I adored every moment. It's provocative and unnerving but also strangely tender and warm. Julia Ducournau's unwavering confidence radiates in every single frame.
#SydFilmFest
THE SHAPE OF WATER debuted with a $3M opening weekend. I'm not sure why anyone thought NIGHTMARE ALLEY would be any different. Okay, it stars a cast of bigger names and being up against Spider-Man didn't help, but it's still a pretty niche title.
I love SPIDERMAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE as much as anyone. But this fan movement to shit all over INCREDIBLES 2 is tacky as hell. It's the worst part of awards season when people think they have to tear something down to elevate their favourite.
#Dumbo
means more to me than almost any other film. The idea of a remake has filled me with so much dread. But that trailer looks absolutely phenomenal. I am beaming the biggest smile.
THE GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY HOLIDAY SPECIAL serves up a big dose of festive laughs and cheer. It's expectedly goofy and silly with a good dash of emotional beats to tug at your heartstrings. Pom Klementieff gets her chance to really shine and she nails it.
#GotGHolidaySpecial
Clearly I've watched too many episodes of PAW PATROL with my nephews because that's the only rational explanation for my inexplicable excitement over the upcoming movie.
#PawPatrolMovie
Just a reminder this ensemble from WIDOWS is not being recognised this evening.
Viola Davis
Michelle Rodriguez
Elizabeth Debicki
Cynthia Erivo
Colin Farrell
Brian Tyree Henry
Daniel Kaluuya
Jacki Weaver
Carrie Coon
Robert Duvall
Liam Neeson
#SAGAwards
With "Beautiful Ghosts" missing from the Oscars shortlist for Best Original Song, this marks the third time Taylor Swift has received a Golden Globe nomination for this category and hasn't gone on to an Oscar nom.
Two episodes in and I'm totally invested in HAWKEYE. It's a refreshing change from the grandiosity of other Marvel shows. The dynamic between Clint and Kate is terrific. Jeremy Renner is great, but this show belongs to the brilliant, endlessly charming Hailee Steinfeld.
#Hawkeye
#InsideOut2
does everything a great sequel should. It's both familiar and fresh. It takes its core narrative to insightful, bold new places. And it delivers hugely loveable new characters (Anxiety is brilliant). Is it better than the original? Not quite, but it gets damn close.
WONKA is so damn sweet, warm, and sincere that it's hard not to be blissfully swept away by it. Timothée Chalamet is perfectly cast in a performance that oozes charm and whimsy. The toe-tapping musical numbers are beautifully crafted. A gorgeous holiday treat.
#WonkaMovie
"Dora seems committed to projecting a pre-sexualized version of youth, while throbbing unacknowledged beneath the surface is something a bit more real, its presence rigorously ignored."
...and that's bad in a film aimed at children because...?
WIDOWS isn't the first brilliant film to fail at the box office. And it won't be the last. One can only hope the Academy ignores this "box office flop" narrative that's everywhere today.
I could handle BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY being nominated for Best Picture in a crappy year devoid of contenders. But the fact it will take the spot of films like COLD WAR, WIDOWS, FIRST MAN, EIGHTH GRADE, LEAVE NO TRACE and CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME? is ludicrous.
PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH is an unexpected winner and the greatest thing Dreamworks Animation has delivered in years. Stunning storybook animation with a superb ensemble voice cast and a genuinely moving narrative. One of the best animated films of the year.
#PussInBoots
Just saw the BABYLON trailer. It's unlike anything Damien Chazelle has done before. It's unapologetically dirty, raunchy, and debaucherous. Looks like a hell of a good time with a fabulous ensemble cast. The trailer will be released tomorrow!
#TIFF22
#BabylonMovie
I have been watching the
#Oscars
since I was 7. It's my favourite day of the year. And I want to see every damn category presented. Listen to your devoted fans,
@TheAcademy
. Give us the ceremony we actually want, not the one you think will get more ratings.
#PresentAll24
You think you've seen it all and then along comes a movie where a bear snorts cocaine off a severed leg. Who says cinema is dead? COCAINE BEAR is an absolute riot. Endlessly entertaining, wonderfully absurd, and devilishly funny. Elizabeth Banks, take a bow.
#CocaineBear
When you're all done hating on Bradley Cooper, can you turn your attention back to a director who actually deserves your scorn? You know, the one accused of two decades worth of sexual assault of minors?
Mulligan wins Critics Choice. Day wins Golden Globe. Davis wins SAG. Someone else will win BAFTA. Trying to predict Best Actress this year is absolute chaos.
#SAGAwards
Best Actress
#Oscars
predictions for November:
1. Kristen Stewart – Spencer
2. Jessica Chastain – TEOTF
3. Olivia Colman – The Lost Daughter
4. Nicole Kidman – Being the Ricardos
5. Penélope Cruz – Parallel Mothers
Full category rundown at
@Filmotomy
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If Warner Bros. foolishly won't launch an Oscar campaign for PADDINGTON 2, let's all just start our own.
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION - Every damn category possible.
A brilliant and underrated actor. One of the best things about House of Cards. And the only good thing about that god-awful Fantastic Four reboot. Rest in peace, Reg Cathey.
Timothée Chalamet, Joel Edgerton, and David Michôd are set to walk the red carpet at the Australian premiere of THE KING in Sydney on October 10.
#TheKing
Inspired by the return of Queen Uma Thurman, here are a couple of
@OriginalFunko
photos I took a few years ago when I clearly had too much time on my hands...
Best Actress
#Oscars
predictions for October:
1. Kristen Stewart – Spencer
2. Jessica Chastain – The Eyes of Tammy Faye
3. Lady Gaga – House of Gucci
4. Frances McDormand – TTOM
5. Penélope Cruz – Parallel Mothers
Full category rundown at
@Filmotomy
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ZACK SNYDER'S JUSTICE LEAGUE is pretty damn great. Is it unnecessarily long? Sure. Does it feature all of Snyder's worst qualities? Absolutely. But it's a vast improvement over the previous version in every conceivable way. This is the movie these characters deserved.
#SnyderCut
There's a misconception film critics inherently look for a reason to hate a piece of cinema. Contrary to popular belief, we really do care about films. We love movies. We want them to be great because we know they can be great.
A wildly original and sharply meta black comedy, A DIFFERENT MAN is a vehicle for a terrific Sebastian Stan to show what he's really capable of. With lashings of hilarious irony and a unique narrative, it's fascinating viewing. Adam Pearson steals every moment.
#SydFilmFest
The
#Razzies
just proved how idiotic they are by nominating Jennifer Lawrence for mother! You can say what you like about the film but her performance was a bloody triumph.
An uproariously funny snapshot of the chaos of filmmaking and the pursuit of artistic perfection, COBWEB is wonderfully crafted by Kim Jee-woon. The ever reliable Song Kang-ho knocks it out of the park as the obsessively passionate director plagued by insecurity.
#SydFilmFest
THE POWER OF THE DOG is a work of art. Jane Campion meticulously crafts a slow-burn character study that's as captivating as it is challenging. Benedict Cumberbatch is commanding, Kirsten Dunst is heartbreaking, and Kodi Smit-McPhee is unforgettable. What a film.
#SydFilmFest
Unshakably chilling and meticulously crafted, THE ZONE OF INTEREST says so much by showing so little. Jonathan Grazer crafts a Holocaust film like no other and one that deftly dismantles the mundanity of pure evil. A difficult watch but entirely essential viewing.
#TIFF23