#ana! watches the oscars

[fightingdragonswithwho]

ACADEMY AWARD WINNER MICHELLE YEOH

[femme-foucault]

Award Season Guesses - late December 2024

Alright, well I still haven't seen The Brutalist (or Nickel Boys) because it's not releasing outside NYC and LA until sometime in January and I have no intention of seeing A Complete Unknown precisely because I am a Bob Dylan fan. So I haven't really updated my list of predictions from about a month ago or so. I am tempted to include The Substance but it is a sliiiiiim possibility given how the Oscars snubs work in horror. So here are my predictions as of late December 2024.

Above the Line Awards:

Alphabetical order as usual. My suspected winners in bold and runner-ups/potential "upsets in italics.

Best Picture:

Anora*

The Brutalist

A Complete Unknown

Conclave

Dune Pt 2

Emilia Perez

Nickel Boys

A Real Pain

Sing Sing

The Substance (????)

Wicked Pt 1

I am going on a limb and guessing The Substance does get in even though I think it is reeeeally a stretch. The Academy snubs horror films all the time, especially in acting (see Toni Collette in Hereditary and Mia Goth in Pearl). But the GG noms made me reconsider even though the GG is a critics/journalism awards show and the Oscars are an industry awards show and like any "election," demographic patterns vary. But actually if anything I think critics are snobbier about horror than industry people so that's a good sign. No idea what will win -- which is fun! 2024 was not nearly as good as 2023, which was an unusually packed year for great movies. But in a way, that makes Awards Season more fun because there isn't a clear front runner. I am leaning Anora right now for BP like I have been all year, but I would NOT underestimate either Wicked or Emilia Perez. I don't like the latter movie very much and while I did really enjoy Wicked I wouldn't say it was the best of the year. But don't underestimate the Oscars leaning populist because all three of the last BP winners in awards season were very much "crowd pleasers" over more "artsy" choices like Power of the Dog or Poor Things. (It feels odd to call Oppenheimer a "crowd pleaser" as that movie is so bleak, but technically, it counts in the sense that many people saw it and both general audiences and industry people liked it. So I'd put it next to EEAO and CODA as a "crowd-pleaser" Best Picture winner and a "populist" choice due to it making so much money because of Barbeheimer despite being, technically, a kinda weird movie when you dissect it. So don't underestimate Wicked!).

Best Director: Sean Baker (Anora), Edward Berger (Conclave), Brady Corbet (The Brutalist), maaaaybe Coralie Fargeat, but ONLY if The Substance gets into Best Picture. I have taken Denis Villeneuve (Dune Pt 2) out of my predictions even though he deserves it because Dune Pt 2 was better than the first one. But until I see The Brutalist, I can't evaluate it. I wouldn't be surprised if we got a rare Best Picture and Best Director split.

Best Actress in A Lead Role: Cynthia Erivo (Wicked), Karla Sofía Gascón (Emilia Perez), Angelina Jolie (Maria), Mikkey Madison (Anora).....and if and only if The Substance The Substance gets into picture, maaaaaybe Demi Moore. She probably deserves it (I haven't seen The Substance because I'm squeamish), but the Academy is awful about nominating horror performances (see Toni Collette for Hereditary). The alternative might be Nicole Kidman for Babygirl.

Best Actor in a Lead Role: Adrian Brody (The Brutalist), Timothee Chalamet (A Complete Unknown), Daniel Craig (Queer), Colman Domingo (Sing Sing), Ralph Fiennes (Conclave).

I am leaning Brody based on trailers alone (the Academy loves an accent and a WWII-post Holcaust drama) but even if Chalamet is mid -- and apparently he is quite good -- the Academy isn't above rewarding lame music biopics. See Austin Butler's nomination for Elvis and Rami Malek winning for Bohemian Rhapsody. ACU is apparently good -- I really hate that kind of biopic so I am not there for it -- so all Chalamet has to do to be decent for the boomer crowd who likes Dylan to vote for him.

Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande (Wicked), Felicity Jones (The Brutalist), Isabella Rossellini (Conclave), Zoe Saldana (Emilia Perez), Margaret Qualley (The Substance).

Still leaning Saldana but Grande is not to be underestimated (the Academy are more likely to award comedic performances in supporting -- see Ryan Gosling's nom last year. He might have won if RDJ didn't have The Narrative). I am putting Rosselini in there now that she got into GG and if I am going to lean towards The Substance, maybe Qualley. Felicity Jones isn't doing well in critics circles but I think if The Brutlaist is popular, she could be the Emily Blunt of the season (the person who gets nominated for being in a popular movie and tags along but doesn't win anything, which is what happened with Emily Blunt last year because Oppenheimer was so popular with the industry and critics that she got a lot of "tag along" noms but no real wins).

Best Supporting Actor: Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain), Clarence Maclin (Sing Sing), Guy Pearce (The Brutalist), Denzel Washington (Gladiator II)...and someone else. Idk maybe one of the Anora guys (Yura Borisov (Igor?). I don't see the supporting performances from Conclave aside from Rosselini getting in because while everyone was good...that is part of the problem. No one but her really stood out because everyone in the supporting cast was so solid and I think Anora is a bit similar in that regard except that Borisov's character sticks out as having a sliver of decency. It's weird to think that the sentence "Oscar winner Kieran Culkin" might be a thing. As much as I like Culkin from Succession, my actual vote would be Maclin. But no one saw that movie :( I am including Washington even though Gladiator II got poor to mixed reviews because he's Denzel. He is such a great actor who was snubbed for his best performances that now they nominate him all the time to make up for it, and it's such a weak year in this category that I'm not complaining.

Original Screenplay: Idk what is original and adapted, but I think Anora wins Screenplay, especially if it doesn't win Best Picture. The recent trend is sometimes to throw a movie that won't be awarded anywhere else a screenplay award (see last year with both American Fiction and Anatomy of A Fall). The other possibility might be A Real Pain if they decide to award it.

Other than Anora, I think: The Brutalist, A Real Pain, The Substance, and maybe September 5 if they follow the Globes (which they don't always do because the Golden Globes are a press/critics award and the Oscars are industry so different voting demographics).

Adapted Screenplay: No idea what is even in this category. The distinction between Original and Adapted is pretty arbitrary at times (see: Barbie in Adapted last year). My guesses are A Complete Unknown (based on a specific Dylan bio apparently), Conclave (based on a novel), Emilia Perez (I think inspired by something?), Sing Sing (loosely based on a true story) and idk what the fifth slot is.

Who I think will win in the tech categories:

Best Production Design: Wicked. Dune Pt 2 might be an upset.

Costume: Obviously Wicked.

Special Effects: Probably Dune Pt 2 but it could be something I haven't heard of that the effects branch likes, because that happens often.

Hair and Make Up: If The Substance gets in, maaaybe. This is the one category that horror is recognized so I wouldn't be surprised if The Substance and maybe even Nosferatu gets in. But it might be Wicked if the Academy does what it often does and people outside the nominating branches just vote for the movie they like more, in which case it would be Wicked. Dune Pt 2 should get at least a nomination for Rebecca Ferguson's possessed henna.

Cinematography: Either Conclave or Anora. It really depends how 1) Anora does in general and 2) if it does well, if there is a "share the love" vibe. The Academy doesn't do the massive Titanic/Lord of the Rings sweeps anymore (and I'm fine with that) -- see last year giving Zone of Interest the Sound award and American Fiction got Adapted Screenplay when a lot of people thought Oppenheimer was a lock for both because it was the BP frontrunner and, if this was the 2000s, probably would have taken them by default. In the EEAAO year, an Edward Berger film (All Quiet on the Western Front) won cinematography over EEAAO in an upset, so it wouldn't be unprecedented if that happened again with Conclave.I hope it's not Emilia Perez. That movie is very flashy but I don't like the cinematography much. It's all flash no style. Dune Pt 2 will definitely be nominated but I feel like its spring release hurt it.

Score: It'd be cool if Challengers got nominated but I don't see it, unfortunately. The score branch is not that cool and prefers instrumental scores over tech/synth music, even though Trent has been nominated before. I don't know what will win, since Dune 2 is not even eligible.

Sound Design: It better be Dune Pt 2. I think Wicked and probably A Complete Unknown will get nominated because of the music mixing (which, in Wicked, was very subtle and well done and apparently ACU sounds great too). But I really don't like biopics about musicians so I'd rather it not. I wouldn't mind a Wicked nom here, but Dune Pt 2 is so inventive in its sound design that I am rooting for it.

[battlemp3]

nick offerman in gilmore girls???

[hamilando]

ੈ✩ My personal volkov (smau) ੈ✩

pairing : max verstappen x fem reader

summary : max verstappen got married, and his fiancé cannot stop sharing their twisted love

tw : suggestive, fluff

a/n : thank you so much to @amberjazmyn for suggesting this ! lysm 🫶🏻 also, if not obvious, the fic contains references of twisted love by Ana Huang 🫶🏻

·:｡･ﾟﾟ･ ✩ ･ﾟ ･ﾟ·:｡･ﾟﾟ･ ･ﾟ·:｡･ﾟﾟ･ ✩ ･ﾟ ･ﾟ·:｡･ﾟﾟ･･ﾟ·:｡･ﾟﾟ･ ✩ ･ﾟ ･ﾟ·:｡･ﾟﾟ

liked by user1, user2, maxverstappen1, yncooper and 2,482,492 others

landonorris helping him take over the husband duties

view comments

fransisca.gnomes good job with the ring max 🌟💪🏻

maxverstappen1 your approval was only needed 🙄

maxverstappen1 aslo norris, I WAS SUPPOSED TO POST THE PICTURES, I was supposed to announce MY ENGAGEMENT

landonorris best friends right ? maxverstappen1 meet me in Abu Dhabi

user1 AHAHAHAHA

user2 MOM AND DAD ARE MARRIED

user3 MR AND MRS VERSTAPPEN !?

user4 I want to taste both max and the pasta he made -

charlesleclerc Y/N, you sure you want to deal with his anger issues for life !?

maxverstappen1 WHAT ANGER ISSUES!?

yncooper exactly the way you are screaming over text in CAPS

yncooper and yes Charles, those anger issues lead tobest fucking of my life

maxverstappen1 Y/N!? HELLO!?

charlesleclerc I regret saying anything

lewishamilton then please calm him before every race, this lad is climbing over my car every time 🫷🏻

georgerussell you are using an emoji !?

lewishamilton so what ? 🤺

georgerussell you need to learn the correct usage of them

user5 they forgot we can see this-

user6 the freakiness on public account !?

user7 I don’t even want to imagine the private -

user8 no worries, some nudes might be there 🍑

user9 BUNDA

user10 🗿💀

liked by maxverstappen1, landonorris, user1, user2, and 283,391 others

yncooper engaged men do it faster 😮‍💨🌟

view comments

user1 yn never beating the freaky allegations

user2 I won’t be surprised if max whips out handcuffs

user3 they definitely spend millions on bdsm

user4 the dress has easier access-

user5 WHY ARE THE FANS MATCHING THE FREAKINESS !?

maxverstappen1 my skills were top notch since d1

yncooper true, best first date ever 🫶🏻

user6 YALL TELLING ME THEY GOT FREAKY ON FIRST DATE !?

user7 I won’t be surprised if they were just dating for 2 months

user6 surprisingly , they waited for two years 💀

user8 PROJECT VERSTAPPEN IS GOING TO HAVE SOME FINE LOOKS?

user9 blonde, blue eyes, rich parents, yup I would get my kid to befriend their kid

user10 their kid or befriend the kid’s parents 🗿

user11 MAX WINNING THE 100 WDC

user12 that’s biologically impossible 🦅

charlesleclerc do you both bother reading what your fans write ?

yncooper yes, sadly me and max don’t have twisted love

user13 DID SHE QOUTE TWISTED LOVE !?

user14 max and Alex volkov….

user15 THATS A SMASH

user16 I get a TMI every time she posts ✋🏻

liked by maxverstappen, mclaren and 1,485,398 others

redbullracing the three aspects of happy married life “ Stress, tears and beer” 🍻

view comments

user1 my wife said they quoted perfectly 🗿

user2 admin has marriage trauma

user3 admin got too real 💀

user4 max is going after the admin with a knife for posting that pic

user5 them crying on the altar 😭

user6 they are so cute 😭🥹

maxverstappen1 the middle and last picture is perfect ❤️

redbullracing the best for the best 🌟

ynverstappen my heart 🥹 thank you for capturing the sweet and teary moments ❤️

redbullracing welcome to red fam ❤️

user7 y/n chugging down beer is somehow the most y/n thing she could do

user8 max watching y/n chug down 10 glasses of beer be like-

landonorris @ mclaren will I also get such appreciation post on my wedding ?

mclaren a wedding needs two humans Lando

landonorris I have Oscar 🧡

mclaren kindly do not engage in spoiling Oscily 🧡

user9 WE SUPPORT OSCAR AND LILY

user10 admin shutting down lando for Oscar and lily 😭

liked by maxverstappen, landonorris and 2,497,499 others

ynverstappen the eyes never lie, my Alex Volkov 💋

view comments

carlossainz55 you both deserve the world ❤️

liked by ynverstappen

lewishamilton if you ever have marriage troubles, just call me up

maxverstappen1 says the unmarried virgin man

ynverstappen the person staying virgin for the next few month would you max and THANK YOU LEWIS FOR THE LOVELY GIFT 🫶🏻

lewishamilton your welcome yn ❤️

charlesleclerc what did he give …..

ynverstappen Cheval Blanc 1947

charlesleclerc Lewis, I am your teammate, I deserve that too 🫶🏻

landonorris you managed to click a photo max without his racing suit …

ynverstappen I have a whole album ..?

landonorris send me few

ynverstappen nude, semi-nude, shirtless or with clothes ?

comments on this post have been restricted

[harryforguccy]

oh shit they are investigating Andrea Riseborough Oscar nomination for Best Actress and if her Oscar campaign was legal 

[georgiapeach30513]

RE: Red One.

It’s funny how critics and people online continue to want to keep this film down, but I think it’s continuing to exceed expectations which is a good sign.

I had a feeling for a long while it was going to surprise people, given how many were complaining nonstop about Chris’s involvement.

Also, the discourse about his career choices… 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

It’s one thing if he were to sit there and complain to the media about not being able to find more serious roles or prestige movies to do.

But to my knowledge he’s never done that? I can only think of him saying years ago that his good films he feels nobody watches (true, or at least not ENOUGH people watch) but even then it wasn’t so much a complaint as a response to a question.

It seems like he is having fun and just picking what he wants to do. I’ve never heard him say “I only did this because I couldn’t get that.” He’s thrown out there he did Red One because he’s always wanted a Christmas film and there was a part for someone like him in it. Makes sense to me. And he just did three smaller scale lower profile projects with directors that are still establishing themselves. Without his and Anya’s involvement, don’t know that sacrifice would have been able to get made. I wish critics who aren’t up to date with his career move at least stop talking and wait for developments over a “hot take” for hits.

I saw a ridiculous tweet once again undermining Red One and his choices. Here’s the thing…red one was an orignal IP. It was a new story that wasn’t from an existing franchise, show, book, or sequel. Lots of people worked on that film and Amazon giving it a theatrical release also helps those who worked on the film that aren’t DJ or the rest of the cast. People who are seeing it in theaters are helping to create box office return and if films like this did well and were received well, maybe there would be more studios willing to take a chance on an original take over an existing IP.

Just because it’s a popcorn movie with silliness does not mean it’s trash and only films like Oppenheimer can be considered art.

I really despise that take and how some cinephiles look down on these films yet solely up lift Oscar bait films.

It bothers me immensely as a creative myself because in my opinion, movies are entertainment and they’re supposed to entertain you. If you and others have fun with the content and enjoy, have a good laugh, a smile, a cry, then I think the creators have done their job. Not all films need to be awards worthy, and art is subjective.

Ahh, the discourse on Chris' career is a tale as old as time at this moment. According to some he will never be good enough or rise to his potential. According to some he is a washed up has been, and yet they can't seem to quit him. I think that makes him a bit more powerful than they want him to be. But alas, we're all free to spend our time how we see fit.

It's funny because I don't think some people realize the roles that he was considered for, the roles he turned down, the roles that he was wanted for. Back when Running Man was in talks, he was top of the list as the lead, and we see that he wanted Sacrifice instead. I think that was a better choice, because quite frankly I'm getting fatigued at all the remakes, but some people want to make their career out of remakes. To each their own.

Unfortunately Chris outside of the MCU has never been quite as a box office draw. A lot of his movies, well most, are on a smaller scale. I think people are looking at his last three movies; Ghosted, Pain Hustlers, and Red One, and immediately jumping on a hate bandwagon. Let's break this down, Ghosted was a small movie, and judging by the synopsis I think we got what we were promised. I think that Dex, Chris, and Ana all were making different movies.

Pain Hustlers will mostly be forgotten. It was part of the opiate epidemic movies that became oversaturated. It didn't have any promotion, and compared to the other projects in the opiate crisis genre, it wasn't that great. I still will die on the hill that his performance was solid, and the best in the movie. Emily was oddly terrible.

Red One I think surprised a lot of people. Nobody expected it to be as fun or as good as it ended up being. Due to the strike, Chris didn't get to really film last year, minus the Deadpool movie. Had R1 not be released a year late, he would have only had Deadpool for this year. Starting next year we're going to have another surge of his projects, and they all seem different, so maybe people should just be patient.

The average movie goer wants to be entertained. That's why popcorn flicks make more money than the award movies. now sometimes you can have both. But anyways.

[an-darth-maiden]

Introducing myself and giving an explanation.

Hi everyone! 🙋🏻‍♀️

My name is Ana, but you can call me An or Annie.

I'm Mexican.🇲🇽

I like many things like animals, read history, classic novels, esoteric stuff and magic, manga, watch anime, belly dance, music, tv shows and movies, videogames.

Some of my favorite things are:

Animals like felines and canines (ALL OF THEM!), bats, hummingbirds, crows, rabbits, bears.

History:Ancient Egypt (everything about that time), and other historical periods (Middle ages, Ilustration era, Victorian era).

About the cultures of my country I love the Aztec (Mexica) culture, Mayan culture, Toltec culture and others.

My favorite books are:

The strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde and Dracula by Bram Stoker.

Other books I love that are on Spanish are "Cuentos de la selva" (Jungle tales) by Horacio Quiroga

"El Diosero" by Francisco Rojas González .

About the Esoteric stuff, I'm a Tarot and Oracle reader, I learn and practice Reiki, I love quartz, rocks and minerals for spiritual, magic and therapeutic uses, talismans and charms, candles, dowsing with pendulum, astrology.

Anime I like Yu-Gi-Oh, InuYasha, Saint Seiya, Sailor Moon, Card captor Sakura, Record of Ragnarok, Naruto, Dragon Ball Z (just to mention a few).

I'm not a belly dancer, but I really enjoy belly dance (oriental dance). I practice at home by the moment. I hope I could go to a dance academy someday.

I like the Egyptian style. Particularly, the Golden era period. Some of my favorite dancers are Souhair Zaki, Samia Gamal, Tahiya Carioca.

Music: I like the music of the past century, specially since the 70's till 90's. I like disco and funk, classic rock, hard rock, glam metal, heavy metal, but also the New Wave or Pop music.

My favorite singer is Michael Jackson.

And my favorite band is Guns N ' Roses.

Tv shows and Movies I watch a lot. I like animated shows and movies, action and superhero, some comedies, medical drama, police drama, supernatural shows.

My favorite films are Alice in wonderland (animated and Tim Burton's version), The Prince of Egypt, Beauty and the Beast, The Mummy and The Mummy returns, Hitch, School of Rock, The Nightmare before Christmas, Sam Raimi's Spiderman films, Star Wars franchises.

My favorite shows are Looney tunes, Powerpuff girls, Arrow , Friends, The Big Bang Theory, House M.D , E.R, Law and Order Special Victims Unit, White collar, Supernatural, Charmed.

This last year, I've been watching a lot of K-drama. I'm really enjoying it.

Videogames like Castlevania ( I like both, videogames and the Netflix TV shows), Halo, Mortal Kombat, Devil May Cry for example.

I had a Tumblr account with the same name before. It was fully dedicated as a fan blog of Castlevania. Many of the things that I had were some of my silly memes about Castlevania Netflix (most of them about Alucard).

I deleted the account because I was very inactive here and I felt a little bit limited by just post about Castlevania.

Sometimes I reblogged the nice drawings of friends that are here, sometimes I shared about ancient Egyptian history, but not so often.

After deleting the account, I didn't feel well about leave this place, so, I decided to create an account and start all over again.

I want to use this place to connect with people that enjoy the same things that I do.

So, I hope find again the cool friends who are still here, but at the same time, find new friends.

With the time, I'll be re-posting the material of Castlevania that I posted before, just in case there's someone interested.

For the last, I want to share some pictures of my favorite things.

Thanks for your attention.

🙏🏻✨

[monicavalerio]

Have you ever watched Zodiac Zone? Probably not. It's a Brazilian "series" made by Clara Bittencourt around 5 years ago and it's a sims 4 series. However, it is truly amazing and I really love it. Not many people have watched it and, obviously, there aren't any fanfictions about it so, I decided to write them. I'll write both in portuguese and english.

If you have any interest in watching it, I'll link it down below and put the synopsis. (I just checked and it has subtitles in English and a ton of other languages)

Zodiac Zone Ep.1

Synopsis: Kosmópolis is a country that has lived for 100 years under the Zodiac Zone law, in which it determines and imposes a series of restrictions on the life of each person according to their zodiac sign. Only Leos can hold the presidential position, Capricorns are entrepreneurs, Cancerians are turned to the area of education, while Aryans live on the margins, these are just examples of society is organized in this country.

In this story, you'll accompany 12 characters from each sign in a network of intrigue, romance and mystery.

If you actually see it, I hope you can enjoy it as much as i do. Now, I will leave the list of characters and their signs, bc I can.

Alexandre Demopoulos --- Aries

Ana Penna --- Cancer

Aquiles Kollias --- Capricorn

Cecília Vallis --- Virgo

César Pallas --- Libra

Elis Tassi --- Aquarius

Gaia Cronis --- Pisces

Helena Pallas --- Leo

Melissa Dellis --- Taurus

Nicolas Lois --- Sagittarius

Oscar Vlahos --- Scorpio

Téo Olympius/Icaro Remes --- Gemini

[fightingdragonswithwho]

still waiting for jimmy kimmel to say one joke that’s actually funny

[djzibaz]

130

101 Strings - Soul of Spain & Mexico Gloria Lasso - Deje Mi Amor en San Francisco Danny Rivera - Ana Penaranda y su grupo - El Helado Alfredo Rolando Ortiz - Pajaro Campana _________________ Amalia Mendoza - Noche en Acapulco Mestizo Latino - Que Sera de Los Dos Loaiza y su Pandilla - Dios no es una imagen de madera Las Cuatro Voces - Maria, Carnaval y cenizas Bobby Correll - Dos Suenos ------------------- Oscar Chavez - Flores Negras Las Cafeteras - Paletero Carmela y Rafael - Las Amores Vuelven Conjunto Yumuri - La Paella Nat King Cole en Español - Te Quiero, Dijiste ------------------------- Mexrrissey - El Primero del Gang live at radiolovefest Maria Teresa Chacin - Mar y Llano Burbujas - El Tesoro del Saber Estrellita - No te puse en la lista Roberto Delgado - El Matador Tommy Garrett - Delicado ------------------------ El Halcon Retana y su conjunto - El Guero de Sinaloa Hombres G - La Madre de Ana Armando Manzanero - Puedo Morir Mañana Los Serranos - Como la Lima al Acero Son de Cuba - Por Barracha ---------------------------- Aterciopelados - Rompecabezas

[weclassybouquetfun]

One more awards show down. We next have the SAG Awards (Feb. 26th), the Independent Spirit Awards (Mar. 4th) and the Oscars (Mar. 12th).

I must say if we get these exact same winners for the major category at the Oscars I would be very happy.

Except for score. If Justin Hurwitz doesn't win an Oscar for the BABYLON score I tear the Dolby down.

The Winners and host Richard E. Grant

Leading Actress Viola Davis, The Woman King Danielle Deadwyler, Till Ana De Armas, Blonde Emma Thompson, Good Luck To You, Leo Grande Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All At Once Cate Blanchett, Tár – WINNER

Leading Actor Colin Farrell, The Banshees Of Inisherin Brendan Fraser, The Whale Daryl Mccormack, Good Luck To You, Leo Grande Paul Mescal, Aftersun Bill Nighy, Living Austin Butler, Elvis – WINNER

Supporting Actor Brendan Gleeson, The Banshees Of Inisherin Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All At Once Eddie Redmayne, The Good Nurse Albrecht Schuch, All Quiet On The Western Front Micheal Ward, Empire Of Light Barry Keoghan, The Banshees Of Inisherin – WINNER *He thanked his baby Brando.

Supporting Actress Angela Bassett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Hong Chau, The Whale Dolly De Leon, Triangle Of Sadness Jamie Lee Curtis, Everything Everywhere All At Once Carey Mulligan, She Said Kerry Condon, The Banshees Of Inisherin – WINNER

Best Film

The Banshees Of Inisherin

Elvis

Everything Everywhere All At Once

Tár

All Quiet On The Western Front – WINNER

Outstanding British Film

The Banshees Of Inisherin – WINNER

Aftersun

Brian And Charles

Empire Of Light

Good Luck To You, Leo Grande

Living

Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical

See How They Run

The Swimmers

The Wonder

MORE WINNERS AND FASHION

Director Edward Berger, All Quiet On The Western Front – WINNER Martin McDonagh, The Banshees Of Inisherin Park Chan-Wook, Decision To Leave Daniel Sheinert, Everything Everywhere All At Once Todd Field, Tár Gina Prince-Bythewood, The Woman King

EE Rising Star Award (Voted For By The Public)  Emma Mackey – WINNER Aimee Lou Wood Daryl Mccormack Naomi Ackie Sheila Atim

Make Up & Hair Elvis – WINNER All Quiet On The Western Front The Batman Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical The Whale

Production Design Babylon– WINNER All Quiet On The Western Front The Batman Elvis Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio

British Short Animation  The Boy, The Mole, The Fox And The Horse– WINNER Middle Watch Your Mountain Is Waiting

British Short Film  An Irish Goodbye – WINNER The Ballad Of Olive Morris Bazigaga Bus Girl A Drifting Up

Costume Design Elvis – WINNER All Quiet On The Western Front Amsterdam Babylon Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris

Sound All Quiet On The Western Front – WINNER Avatar: The Way Of Water Elvis Tár  Top Gun: Maverick

Original Score  All Quiet On The Western Front – WINNER Babylon The Banshees Of Inisherin Everything Everywhere All At Once Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio

Documentary Navalny – WINNER All That Breathes All The Beauty And The Bloodshed Fire Of Love Moonage Daydream

Special Visual Effects Avatar: The Way Of Water – WINNER All Quiet On The Western Front The Batman Everything Everywhere All At Once Top Gun: Maverick

Original Screenplay The Banshees Of Inisherin – WINNER Everything Everywhere All At Once The Fabelmans Tár Triangle Of Sadness

Animated Film Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio – WINNER Marcel The Shell With Shoes On Puss In Boots: The Last Wish Turning Red

Outstanding Debut By A British Writer, Director Or Producer  Aftersun – WINNER Blue Jean Electric Malady Good Luck To You, Leo Grande Rebellion

Cinematography  All Quiet On The Western Front – WINNER The Batman Elvis Empire Of Ligh Top Gun: Maverick

Editing Everything Everywhere All At Once– WINNER All Quiet On The Western Front The Banshees Of Inisherin Elvis Top Gun: Maverick

Casting Elvis – WINNER Aftersun All Quiet On The Western Front Everything Everywhere All At Once Triangle Of Sadness

Film Not In The English Language All Quiet On The Western Front – WINNER Argentina, 1985 Corsage Decision To Leave The Quiet Girl

Adapted Screenplay All Quiet On The Western Front – WINNER Living The Quiet Girl She Said The Whale

Some of the fashionable people at the BAFTAs.

Is Martin Freeman's partner going for the Sigourney Weaver in GHOSTBUSTERS look?

*See Emma, if Sir Kenneth Branagh hadn't cheated on you with Helena Bonham Carter you would have never married Greg Wise and in him you found a partner who is game with wearing trainers on the red carpet.

A ROCKETMAN and KINGSMAN mini-reunion for Taron Egerton

*Taron and Kit Connor - Then and Now.

Taron and friend Jack.

Everyone should look at Angela Bassett like this.

Another mini-reunion: Florence Pugh and her LADY MACBETH costar Naomi Ackie. I highly recommend that movie. It's a whole trip.

Her after-party fit.

I really thought Sophie Turner was Karen Gillen for a moment.

Best Dressed Man.

Best Dressed Woman.

Her after-party fit.

Runner Up

[dweemeister]

Best Live Action Short Film Nominees for the 96th Academy Awards (2024, listed in order of appearance in the shorts package)

This blog, since 2013, has been the site of my write-ups to the Oscar-nominated short film packages – a personal tradition for myself and for this blog. This omnibus write-up goes with my thanks to the Regency South Coast Village in Santa Ana, California for providing all three Oscar-nominated short film packages.

If you are an American or Canadian resident interested in supporting the short film filmmakers in theaters (and you should, as very few of those who work in short films are as affluent as your big-name directors and actors), check your local participating theaters here.

Without further ado, here are the nominees for the Best Live Action Short Film at this year’s Oscars. The write-up for this year's Documentary Short nominees is complete; expect the write-ups for Animated Short soon. Films predominantly in a language other than English are listed with their nation(s) of origin.

The After (2023)

From Netflix, Misan Harriman’s The After is perfectly adequate during its opening minutes as business father Dayo (David Oyelowo) plays along with his daughter, Laura (Amelie Dokubo), as they travel to meet her mother, Amanda (Jessica Plummer). Everything following those first few minutes is, charitably, a filmmaking disaster. Once a black-clad attacker stabs Emily and tosses her off a bridge. Though Dayo and a few other bystanders have successfully restrained the murderer, Amanda, in dismay, throws herself off and commits suicide. Fast-forward a year later and we see that Dayo has left his previous jobs and now works as a rideshare or taxi driver in London. In between ferrying passengers to and from their destinations, he listens to the final voicemail from Amanda, gazes longingly at a family photo, and reminisces about the past.

The After lost almost all of my goodwill after the horrifically staged murder scene (from which the film never recovers). Grief – how one processes it, the stages it takes, how it affects our relationships with others, and any residual trauma – is en vogue in modern short filmmaking. Way too many films touching upon this subject have little to add – cinematically, thematically – for the audience; the most worthwhile films in this subset will filter grief through a specific cultural lens. The After accomplishes neither, despite Harriman’s claims that his screenplay, co-written with John Julius Schwabach, took the Black Lives Matter movement and the isolation of COVID-19’s height as inspiration (the murderer is not a police officer nor is there an implied racial animus; there are no signs of the pandemic here). The final scene, involving a family that Dayo is transporting to their posh home, is unbelievable tripe – contributing nothing to this dreadful exploration of grief. The placement of Birdy and Rhodes’ “Let It All Go” is sheer musical tastelessness. All that remains is David Oyelowo’s performance and, no matter how much he splays out his body in sadness, this film needs more than that to save itself. It might not even have a prayer.

My rating: 4/10

Red, White and Blue (2023)

Going into Nazrin Choudhury’s Red, White and Blue, I suspected, with a title like that, that there was some political bent to the film. I may have detected its messaging later than I would like to admit, but that is not where my significant reservations towards this film lie. Somewhere in present-day Arkansas, single mother Rachel (Brittany Snow) works at a diner afternoons and evenings. She often has her two children, older sister Maddy (Juliet Donenfeld) and younger brother Jake (Redding Munsell), over after school so she can watch over them while she works. After a generous tip from a customer, Rachel (whose fridge magnets hold layers of unpaid bills) forms a plan to take Maddy on a short road trip northwards, leaving her brother temporarily in the care of a family friend. It seems strange that she is only taking one of her children on this trip, but – in a shocking plot twist – we learn that Maddy (who, if this short takes place in its release year, is ten years old) needs an abortion.

In 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States, in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, found that having an abortion is not a constitutional right, overturning years of precedent in Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992). Effectively, this turned abortion regulation over to the states. Arkansas was among those states that made abortion illegal. The outrage stemming from Dobbs v. Jackson was Choudhury’s impetus to write and direct Red, White and Blue. Politics and cinema have intertwined ever since Vitagraph Studios filmed a series of propaganda shorts in support of the Spanish-American War in 1898. But Red, White and Blue commits the age-old mistake by prioritizing its messaging over cinematic craft. Dull lighting and camerawork, merely satisfactory performances, and a lengthy driving-musical montage that does little for characterization or narrative make for an awkward, stilted viewing experience. Its reveal is an extreme situation that could have been just as powerful if Choudhury instead used a more pedestrian example.

My rating: 6/10

Knight of Fortune (2022, Denmark)

Also known in its native Danish as Ridder Lykke, Lasse Lyskjær Noer’s film is rich with Scandinavian humor. In other words, absurd situations amid dark or tragic moments – your enjoyment may vary. The film, available via The New Yorker for American, Canadian, and Mexican audiences, features the elderly Karl (Swedish actor Leif Andrée), who has has just arrived at the morgue to see the body of his late wife. He purposefully delays opening the casket to view his wife’s body by attempting to fix a flickering light nearby and using the restroom. In the restroom, he encounters his next-stall neighbor, Torben (Jens Jørn Spottag), also there for his respective decedent wife. Karl continues to avoid seeing his wife’s body by accompanying Torben into the room where his respective wife’s body lies. If the shenanigans regarding the broken light and the bathroom stalls were not already an indication, this is no conventional narrative about grief (yet another nominee about grief!) as Knight of Fortune further plunges into the absurd. Andrée and Spottag – neither of whom have had significant credits in films distributed beyond Central Europe – are both fantastic here, imbuing the relationship between Karl and Torben with pathos despite the peculiar situation.

Noer, who also wrote the screenplay during a time of personal loss, reminds audiences that grief takes numerous forms, and refuses to pass judgment on any of the grieving characters. The humor is never at the characters’ expense either. What makes Knight of Fortune valuable is its depiction of a grieving man who will do much to postpone his final goodbyes and permitting the audience to laugh (as laughter, strange as it may sound, has a place in grieving). Andrée’s performance and Noer’s direction and tonally controlled writing allow the audience to empathize easily with the protagonist’s plight, amid the unfamiliar and cold glare of the morgue’s flat lighting and its eerie quiet.

My rating: 8/10

Invincible (2022, Canada)

Vincent René-Lortie’s Invincible qualified for the Academy Awards by winning Best Live Action Short at the 2022 Chicago International Children’s Film Festival. Despite CICFF’s moniker, this is not a short appropriate for younger children. Here, we follow fourteen-year-old Marc-Antoine Bernier (also known as just “Marc”; Léokim Beaumier-Lépine in a terrific lead performance), as he has just spent a weekend with his family on an idyllic leave from a juvenile detention and rehabilitation center. Now, back within the center’s gates, Marc has made a critical decision. Before that fateful moment, René-Lortie allows us glimpses of Marc's life at the juvenile detention center: Marc’s attempt to cause havoc to his cell’s fire-extinguishing sprinkler system, a class in which the students share the poems they have composed, and the joys of swimming in the outdoor pool. Soon after, Marc-Antoine escapes. While on the run, he steals a car and commits suicide.

At the top of the end credits, René-Lortie reveals that this film is a tribute to his late friend, Marc-Antoine Bernier, and Invincible is a retelling of his friend’s last hours. According to interviews, René-Lortie and the Bernier family are unsure whether or not Marc’s death was an accident or a suicide. Whatever the case, Marc was clearly troubled.

René-Lortie uses a 4:3 aspect ratio to “entrap” our protagonist in the frame, but, disappointingly, he does little else with the Academy ratio. In yet another missed opportunity in an otherwise fine film, René-Lortie fails to submerge the viewer into Marc’s psychology (René-Lortie is absolutely not framing his friend as unknowable), which makes some of Marc’s actions less understandable in the moment. Nevertheless, René-Lortie deserves plaudits for this sensitive tribute to his absent friend.

My rating: 7/10

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)

Since it has been some time since I last reviewed a Wes Anderson movie, I must admit a bias: I am an Anderson skeptic. Not a popular position to take, but the aesthetic rigidity of Anderson’s movies has only served to take me out of his movies emotionally. One of Anderson’s principal aesthetic influences, director Yasujirô Ozu, also made films that were just as aesthetically rigid. But Ozu’s style, with an unmoving camera and naturalistic acting, never interferes or undermines the emotions he tries to evoke.

Not so with Anderson, as evidenced in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, a 39-minute Netflix production based on Roald Dahl’s short story of the same name. With partial narration from Ralph Fiennes playing Roald Dahl, Henry Sugar (Benedict Cumberbatch) happens upon a book recounting a Dr. Chatterjee’s (Dev Patel) observations of Imdad Khan (Ben Kingsley), who can see things without using his eyes. Inspired by this account, Henry, a serial gambler, decides to learn from Imdad’s meditations and, after almost four years, learns how to read playing cards just by examining their backsides. Eventually, Henry, realizing he has not much time to live, donates his considerable blackjack winnings to children’s hospitals and orphanages.

What I appreciate most about Henry Sugar is its dedication to presenting itself as set-bound. Anderson’s 4:3 screen aspect ratio and off-Technicolor palette combines with stagehands immaculately wheeling parts of the set on- and off-camera for when the story requires it. This takes immaculate blocking and a keen eye for movement – something Anderson clearly has in spades. However, where some are claiming Henry Sugar to be the cinema’s response to audiobooks, I must digress. Henry Sugar adapts the entire Roald Dahl text, and it often seems as if Anderson is intentionally having his actors rush through the material in order to keep the film under the forty-minute limit that defines a short film. There is little to no room for thespian interpretation and inflection as they enunciate the text. For me, this is only slightly better than reading Dahl’s text in a monotone voice. If the production design was not so impressive, this would be an otherwise insufferable experience.

My rating: 7.5/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found in the “Ratings system” page on my blog. Half-points are always rounded down.

From previous years: 85th Academy Awards (2013) 87th (2015) 88th (2016) 89th (2017) 90th (2018) 91st (2019) 92nd (2020) 93rd (2021) 94th (2022) 95th (2023)

For more of my reviews tagged “My Movie Odyssey”, check out the tag of the same name on my blog.

[destinyc1020]

Also just to add critics and what gets awards don't always go hand in hand. We have Dahmer which recieved mixed reviews but you wouldnt know that from the way Evan was sweeping award season. The woman king was one of the most critically acclaimed movies and the Oscars yawned and whispered anyway but in the same breath gave ana de armas an Oscar nom for that marylin movie which...yeech. So yeah critics loving the movie/tv show can be good but it doesn't always translate to success fans are hoping for.

It also shows that the critics are people and their opinion is subjective, a different group of people from those in voting academies who's opinions are also subjective. So yeah, watch it and make up your own mind coz you are also a person with subjective opinions which you might not get paid for or use to vote in awards but they still matter 🤞🏾

Also just to add critics and what gets awards don't always go hand in hand. We have Dahmer which recieved mixed reviews but you wouldnt know that from the way Evan was sweeping award season. The woman king was one of the most critically acclaimed movies and the Oscars yawned and whispered anyway but in the same breath gave ana de armas an Oscar nom for that marylin movie which...yeech. So yeah critics loving the movie/tv show can be good but it doesn't always translate to success fans are hoping for.

Greaaat examples omg 👏🏾

I'm still salty about the Academy's absolute snub of miss Viola Davis 😤

It also shows that the critics are people and their opinion is subjective, a different group of people from those in voting academies who's opinions are also subjective.

So yeah, watch it and make up your own mind coz you are also a person with subjective opinions which you might not get paid for or use to vote in awards but they still matter 🤞🏾

💯👏🏾

[221bnassau]

I was watching a video of Ana de Armas in SNL and it’s been years since her rise to international fame but, as a spanish millenial, it’s still so weird to see her in the Oscars and all those huge programs. I mean... for me and for a lot of people my age she still is Carolina from El Internado. It was a pretty popular tv show here in the 2000s and she left before the finale but Marcos and Carolina truly were The Couple for me (I hated the other popular one).

Just thinking thoughts about the shows that raised me.

[daylightdreamscape]

I’ve watched all of the Chris and Ana interviews but I still haven’t watched ghosted because it just doesn’t look good 😭 the reviews I saw on Twitter don’t look good 🥲 I might just go back on Apple TV + to watch Defending Jacob /

Anon honestly, it’ll be your lost. The movie is hilarious and nothing like the reviews and others have stated. Remember many reviewers were expecting some Oscar worthy crap and others are mad at Chris for the obvious but if you love a good movie that makes you crack up, wind down and get immersed with, then watch Ghosted. The action sequences and cameos alone are great, so your choice! 😊 I’ve seen shitty movies, this definitely isn’t one. I’ve watched it twice already. It’s the movie you keep coming back to to watch alone or with friends. Forget Chris, so many people worked on this movie and it was filmed near me so trust me if it was awful I’d tell you to avoid at all cost, but it’s nice to see the time and effort wasn’t in vain!

[nancydrewwouldnever]

I agree, having watched TLoU. I think all their noms were well deserved. And, here's the thing: HBO knows how to campaign for noms. If Chris were serious about wanting noms (I honestly don't think he has been since DJ), then he would look with a critical eye towards taking projects with studios who know how to work the system for noms. This goes for both series and movies. ///

You are so right about this. He should actually learn from Ana's campaign for Blonde. That movie was panned, and audiences weren't really big fans of her performance either. But Netflix put their weight behind her and she promoted the hell out of it, on SM, talk shows, interviews, whatnot. I personally don't think she deserved a nomination for that role but her campaign team and the PR machine behind her did a really job at promoting/marketing her. I also feel actors who play real people have higher chances of getting nominated for big awards. So if Chris seriously wants that Oscar/Emmy-nomimated actor moniker in front of his name (which I doubt) he should consider looking for biopic type roles. The Gene Kelly film seems dead in the water atm.

My only question for this: was that necessarily Netflix, or more Plan B? I know Brad Pitt seemed very interested in getting her a nom, because at the time there were talks that he was privately shopping Plan B around for sale, and it would get more if they had another crop of awards noms for one of their produced movies. I felt like Netflix might have taken over once she was actually nommed, but I felt like Plan B had a lot to do with the "for your consideration" campaign, too.

But, either way, the point of the story is still the same. Plan B has led several successful awards campaigns. Working with production companies that know the game help actors meet goals.