#do you think the score for mulan was already present???

[eggjaculations]

i think everyone should be exposed to a lot of various types of like, real culture at a young age. i know that seems like a ‘duh’ ass statement but there are those of us, who—through no fault of their own, or even anyone around them—do not understand the concept of timeless classics. this is not limited to western classics. and not just exposed but taught in a succinct way why it’s important to at least acknowledge it.

[gibelwho]

Top 5: Nostalgia Movies

This Top 5 is taking a trip down childhood memory lane to choose the best Nostalgia Movies - films that I loved as a kid and continue to love to this day. The film must have been watched multiple times during my youth and continue to be associated with a memory or tradition that was an important marker of growing up. Therefore, any film produced past 2004, when I graduated high school, has not been considered - and, to even make the cut, the film must be associated with more than just constant re-watches in our downstairs rec room (arranged with a HUGE - well, big for the ‘90s - screen with actual surround sound that my dad installed); rather, these films must be an essential part of my childhood progression into adult-hood and laid the groundwork for a future of loving cinema.

Gibelwho Productions Presents Nostalgia Movies:

5. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

4. X-Men

3. The Little Mermaid

2. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

1. Newsies

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986): As my high school career began to wrap up and I was looking ahead to college (where I had already committed to attending film school), my mother informed me of a proclamation - I was not allowed to leave her household without watching Ferris Bueller. Perhaps she knew that she needed to instill a little bit of rule-breaking encouragement into her straight A / type A child before I was to head out into the unruly world of college, but nonetheless, this film left a mark with it’s delightful adventures of Ferris, Cameron, and Sloane. Years later, I attended an LA rooftop screening where the audience all danced during the Twist and Shout parade, bringing me straight back to the joy of discovering this film with my mom. In the same tradition, I will be sure to make my kids watch this film before they leave our household for the wide world so they can learn to cause a little innocent rule-breaking. Save Ferris!

X-Men (2000): I had a secret obsession when I was a kid - I LOVED Marvel Comics. I had read all of my dad’s comic book collection from when he was a kid, I started my own collection, and had even started tracking the value of each issue. But I was a girl, and did not share this particular passion with my fellow elementary school friends (ahhh, the fear of being judged by your peers). So when I entered a movie theater as a freshman in high school (with my secret still intact) to see an X-Men film and the place was PACKED, I couldn’t contain my excitement that maybe, just maybe, more people would be into these characters and storylines. Then, when I went into my summer theatre program and my friends used X-Men characters as improv inspiration, I thought...this is going mainstream! I still didn’t confide my true colors until the MCU began and my college friends discovered that I knew a...lot more about Iron Man’s backstory than should be possible and I was officially outed. So, fully embracing my nerdom, I traveled to San Diego to the sacred ground that was Comic Con, truly cementing my love of Marvel. And now the rest of the world has caught up to why these characters are so special. That first inkling of a wider world loving what I loved started when I watched X-Men in theaters - seeing my heroes on the big screen, fighting their super villains, and the packed crowd around me was digging it!

The Little Mermaid (1989): One of my earliest memories of opening presents was from my 6th birthday, sitting in the living room and ripping open the wrapping paper to discover the VHS for The Little Mermaid - a film I had seen at school and LOVED - and now it was mine to watch at any time! Truly a special Disney moment, which is also matched with many other memories of Disney animated films (the momentous opening to Lion King and the cut to black that took my breath away in the theater, playing the Mulan soundtrack on cassette over and over singing Reflection, and identifying with Belle’s obsession with reading). I was very much the target audience for the Disney Renaissance, and I ate up all the music, the (slightly) stronger portrayal of women, and our VHS collection only grew to include all of these modern classics. The Little Mermaid kicked off a golden age for Disney Animation and little Katie grew up on the Alan Menken soundtrack.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989): Our family had three fancy VHS boxed sets for three different franchises and we watched these flicks on repeat - Star Trek movies (TOS with Kirk and Spock), the Star Wars trilogy, and the Indiana Jones films. Literally any one of the movies from these collections could make this slot, but since both of the Star franchises have already gotten love in these Top 5 lists, I’m going to pick representation from our resident archaeological professor / international adventurer. My favorite of the bunch is the third - from the thrilling opening of young Indy, to the dynamic between father and son, and the epic ending of selecting the correct Grail (“you have chosen...wisely”). Watching any one of these films is just comfort food for my soul, taking me back to the family settling in to watch in our downstairs rec room, setting the foundation for the nerdom that my parents instilled into me at a young age and that has continued to guide my interests and movie-watching to this day.

Newsies (1992): Growing up, my family had Friday movie nights, where we ordered from the Pizza Hut that was right next to a Blockbuster; my brother and I were allowed to each choose a movie to rent for the weekend. I went through a phase where I just rented Newsies on repeat. It was as though this film was made just for me - a musical, set in a historical time period, with cute boys singing and dancing, music by the magical Alan Menken - what is not to love?!? I was so obsessed with this movie that in the pre-Internet age, I wrote down the lyrics by meticulously listening, pausing, writing down, rewinding, and repeating - which was an onerous process when one was working with manual VHS tapes. I eventually got a copy of my own, the DVD when it came out, the CD of the soundtrack, and also the piano sheet music. I knew all the lines to the songs, and could probably to this day quote the majority of the movie. Years later, imagine my delight when Disney produced a Broadway musical of the movie - we took a special trip to New York on my birthday to see the show (which of course, doesn’t match up to my love for the film, the true effect of a nostalgic love for a piece of your childhood). Living in LA affords us the opportunity for magical movie-going experiences, and my husband and I scored tickets to a special showing of Newsies at the Disney El Capitan theater - and then the traveling Broadway company of Newsies the musical that was in town and performing just up the street at the Pantages theater made an appearance and performed for the audience after the movie wrapped. This film has held a special place in my heart and is the epitome of nostalgia love for a movie from childhood.

Honorable Mentions:

The Music Man (1962): The two music genres we listened to growing up were 90s country (Garth, Reba, Trisha, Wynonna!) and also musicals. Our family was very much into theater and starting at the age of twelve, I started acting in musicals at our local performing arts program for youths. Our family also watched many of the classic musicals that were filmed in the 1950s and 60s, such as Hello, Dolly, Oklahoma, and Music Man. This last film stands in as a proxy for all those classics, but was also selected in particular because I performed in a production during a summer in junior high, where I was in the background chorus (and featured in the Wells Fargo song!). The music and lyrics of this story, written by Meredith Wilson, are of such cleverness and variety - from the 4-part harmony barbershop quartet to the love song ballads, the pre-hip hop rhythmic talking song to the genius opening number of the salesmen on the train. The translation to film is serviceable and very much in the style of the musicals brought from stage to screen in the 1960s - nothing too clever and some blocking that sought to recreate a theater stage on the film set, but these series of musical films cemented my love for the genre in an accessible way just as I was starting myself to perform on stage.

Jurassic Park (1993): Oh, the raptor in the kitchen stalking the two kids stills brings me chills thinking about it. Watching that scene as a kid, I (more than once) fled the room because it was so scary! This film had it all - creepy dinosaurs, a smart teenage girl and an even smarter heroine that was a scientist, great music (whose theme I diligently learned how to play on the piano), and plenty of action! My family definitely had this on repeat in the VHS player, but I loved the movie so much that I ended up reading Michael Crichton’s novel to experience the source material - and became more aware of how a film is an adaption of a novel’s storytelling, translating from the page to the screen. I do fall in favor of reading the novel before seeing the movie, but if a film helps you discover an incredible book, it can be like diving into an extension of the world beyond what the screen can fit.

[tenmidnightthoughts-blog]

How I would rewrite Mulan 2020 (final)

#5 The final battle

Mulan is alone once again. She has travelled a distance after leaving the soldiers behind, and set up camp to rest for the night. The small fire flickers as she stares at it miserably, what will her family, her father, say when she comes back? Will they even be happy to see her? Or shun her for being a disgrace to the family. Mulan is secretly thankful for the long journey back, it gives her some time before she faces the truth.

Suddenly, she hears a thundering of hooves and shouts of men from below. She quickly stamps out her fire and crouches down to peek over the edge of a cliff, seeing scores of Rourans on their horses racing along the cliffside. “DOWN WITH THE EMPEROR!” one of the soldiers shouted, and his fellow soldiers hollered in unison. Mulan gasps and crouches down lower, heart pounding. Hadn’t they eliminated the enemy in their last battle? Why are they not going towards where the Imperial army is stationed to fight?

Mulan knew a warning had to be sent to the Imperial city to protect the Emperor. She quickly got on her horse and started towards the base camp.

********************************

Upon arriving at the base camp, Commander Tung is shocked and immediately draws his sword at her. “I thought I made it very clear that I will kill you if I ever see you here again.” he said. Mulan immediately dropped to her knees and lowered her head, “I’m sorry Commander. But I need to come back to warn the Imperial army. The Rourans are not coming here to attack anymore. I have seen thousands of them headed elsewhere, and I think they are going to the Imperial City.”. “What? How do I know I can trust you? What if you are working with the enemy?” Commander Tung scoffed, “Even if you are telling the truth, what if you were wrong and we moved this battalion away from our station, allowing the Rourans to invade further?”.“Please, you have got to believe me, I saw it with my own eyes.” Mulan begged, “Commander, you trusted me as a soldier as Hua Jun, how is Mulan any different?”.

Commander Tung paused, frowning in thought. Suddenly, a voice piped up from the crowd that gathered around them, “I believe Mulan!”.

Shang stepped out from the crowd, followed by Cricket. “Me too!” Yao shouted and joined them. “Me three!”, “I believe Mulan too!” Ling and Chien-Po both said. Soon, a number of men started joining in, remembering what Mulan did for them and how Mulan trained alongside them as a comrade. Commander Tung looks at his men’s faces in surprise. This girl has managed to command the support and loyalty of these soldiers even without being a commander or even being a boy. He then looks back at Mulan’s face and sees pure determination. Her eyes are ablaze with passion and sincerity. He sighs and says, “Ok. I am only sending you and a few soldiers. Your group will be the messenger to warn the Emperor. I sincerely hope you make it in time.”

****************

Mulan, Shang, Cricket, Ling and Chien-Po ride all night, finally arriving at the Imperial City at mid-day. It seems peaceful, no signs of attacks or invasions. 

Unbeknownst to them, the Rouran soldiers have already entered the city in disguises, dressed as ordinary folk. Assassins in black run stealthily on the roofs, climbing walls and pillars, sneaking past palace guards unnoticed. All of them wait for the signal by their chief, Bori Khan.

****************

The team reaches the palace and is presented to the Emperor at court.

“Dear Emperor, we are sent by Commander Tung to send you a message. We have reason to believe that the Rourans may be headed to the Imperial City to attack.” Shang said.

“What, but I thought they were eliminated in the battle by your battalion?” the Emperor said in disbelief. “Yes, but Mulan has seen thousands of Rouran troops still alive, even after that battle,” Shang replied. “Mulan? A girl, what is a girl doing out in the battlefields…?” the Emperor wondered looking at the petite lady kneeling in front of him. Mulan shifts nervously and braces herself to tell the truth. But suddenly, a huge explosion is heard outside

Bori Khan releases a firecracker into the sky, big and bright for all to see. The Rourans remove their disguise and start their attacks. Screams and shouts are heard all over the city, as the Rourans mercilessly terrorized and slaughtered citizens, starting fires to burn the city to the ground.

A court official scrambled into court in panic, “Emperor! The Rourans, they are here!!” 

The courtroom goes into panic. As if out of nowhere, the Rouran assassins materialize and start attacking the people at court. Guards rush in and start fighting off the assassins. 

Mulan and her team sprung into action, assisting some of the guards to surround the Emperor and escort him out of the courtroom. Once outside, they stare in shock as they see hundreds of Rouran assassins in battle with palace guards already. Bori Khan is amongst them, and as he spots the Emperor, he screams at his men to target him.

Some guards are left behind to fend off the enemies while Mulan and her friends continue to escape with the Emperor, Bori Khan hot on their heels. They run into a half-constructed building in the palace courtyard: Bamboo scaffoldings still in place, raw exposed bricks and unpainted walls. Bori Khan grabs a firework from his soldier and lights it, aiming right at the building. The firework launches with a deafening blast and explodes at the group, knocking all of them down in different directions and causing bamboo and bricks to fall from above. Mulan and the Emperor are separated from the rest due to the debri. She struggles to stand, and helps up the Emperor. “Guys! Are you ok? Can you all hear me?” Mulan shouts over the debri. 

On the other side of the debris, Shang, Cricket, Yao, Ling and Chien-Po stand on guard, bracing themselves as Rouran soldiers surround them. “Yes we are fine! Take the Emperor and run!” Shang screams back, his eyes never leaving the enemies. Cricket pulls his arrow back a little harder, strings becoming taut. With a launch of his arrow, the soldiers charge at each other screaming out their battle cries.

Mulan is worried about her friends, but she knows her priority is to protect the most important man in China. “Emperor, let’s go!” she said and the Emperor nods, getting up to his feet. But both of them stop in their tracks as they see the person standing before them: Bori Khan.

“Well well well, what do we have here?” Bori Khan smiles sinisterly. Mulan immediately steps in front of the Emperor and pulls out her sword, “Not a step further,” Mulan warns fiercely. Bori Khan lets out a laugh. “Is this all you have left to protect you dear Emperor? A girl? What has happened to your mighty army?” Bori Khan mocks. “Step aside lady, I have to avenge my father by killing his murderer. If you don’t interfere I might just let you go.”. “I AM A SOLDIER OF THE IMPERIAL ARMY, it is my duty to protect the Emperor. If you want him you have to get through me first!” Mulan shouts angrily.

Bori Khan scoffs, and then charges at her with his sword. Their swords strike at each other, metal clashing against metal, the ringing echo throughout the building. Bori Khan’s strikes are hard and fast, but Mulan is able to match him, avoiding his attacks left and right fluidly, never attacking back and only using defensive moves, but she is being pushed backwards.

Mulan trips over a stray bamboo pole and narrowly misses Bori Khan’s sword. She tries to land a kick on him, but her kick merely pushes him back a little. He uses this chance to grab her leg and swings her, tossing her to the side like a ragdoll. She crashes into the scaffolding and broken poles fall on her, seemingly knocking her out.

Bori Khan scoffs, now that he has gotten rid of the little nuisance, he turns his attention back to the Emperor. “I am going to make this torturously slow for you, you don’t get to enjoy the mercy of a quick death…” Bori Khan says. The Emperor stares him down, not showing an inch of fear, “Do your worst,” he replies.

Mulan struggles to open her eyes and stand, she sees Bori Khan get closer and closer to the Emperor and panics. Her hands feel around on the ground for her sword, but it wraps around a bamboo pole instead, one that is long like her training pole. 

A rock strikes Bori Khan on the head. In anger, he turns around and sees Mulan holding the bamboo pole. Bori Khan charges at her, and Mulan charges towards him too. Right at the last second, she vaults herself upwards with the pole, soaring high above like how she did during training. Bori Khan is taken by surprise, he looks up but is blinded by the bright golden light of the sun, filtering from a hole in the roof above. He thinks he sees the shape of a bird, glowing brilliantly in orange and gold. Another blink and he sees what it really is: Mulan flying down towards him. Before he can react, he is knocked to the ground by Mulan who lands a heavy kick right in his face as she crashes down. Without a moment’s hesitation, she takes out her father’s sword and stabs the enemy in the chest.

*****************************

The war is finally over. The Imperial army has managed to defeat the Rouran soldiers, and thanks to Mulan, the Emperor is safe. She is gifted a new sword and her very own medallion, just like her father’s, as proof that she has earned the greatest honour from the Emperor himself. The medallion has a phoenix engraved on it instead of a dragon, requested by the Emperor to truly represent Mulan’s spirit.

The Emperor handed these items personally to her in front of a cheering crowd, and Mulan is present at the ceremony as herself, a lady, not hiding behind bindings and a suit of armour. “You have shown great loyalty and courage in adversity, and you have saved my life ands China. For this, your crimes of lying about your true nature will be pardoned. I hereby decree Mulan as a general in the Imperial army, our first female general,” the Emperor announces, smiling. The crowd bursts into an even louder cheer. Mulan bows and says, “It will be an honour Emperor. But…”. “But..?” the Emperor questions. “Before I assume my duties, I would like nothing more than to go back to my village to see my family first.” Mulan replies.

********************************

News spread fast. Mulan’s home village has heard everything, from how Mulan had disguised herself as a man to go to the army, to how she protected the Emperor with her life and helped to save the country. It is no wonder they all stare in awe as Mulan and her horse trot slowly back into the village, making Mulan feel a little awkward. She sees her little family standing at the edge of the crowd and jumps down, running towards them. Her mother and sister rush into her arms, welcoming her back warmly and crying in relief. Mulan then sees Hua Zhou standing at the back, face unreadable. She goes to him and bows her head, “I am sorry for how reckless I was, to have done such a thing that could have disgraced the whole family….”. Hua Zhou lifts her head and says, tears glistening in his eyes, “My dear Mulan, I am just glad to have you back,” he pulls her into a tight hug.“It is an honour to be your father.”.

[thedaveandkimmershow]

We left our story yesterday on our way back to our suite for some peace and rest… which we got. Even the kids were seriously down for a nap. In fact, we woke up before they did.

Now, one of the items on Kimmer's and Rachel's To-Do lists is to hit a Disney outlet store 'cause 1) Kimmer's quite taken by the idea of scoring a t-shirt or something from cruises that actually didn't happen. That would be merchandise manufactured for cruises that we're to take place in 2020 but didn't since all cruise ships were grounded. And 2) Rachel's on the hunt for other and less expensive Disney gifts for friends and family.

In the end, I think none of us were really drawn to anything we saw at that store. I think Kimmer walked away with a very sweet Mulan pin and exactly half of what Rachel found was for herself.

We were in a mall, though, so we poked around for a bit. Kimmer found me a black Hurley t-shirt because yup.

I've gotta sunburn.

I think this t-shirt's called a rash guard in surfing circles. Whatever it is, it's comfy, it fits, and I'll be wearing it with my swim trunks tomorrow at Blizzard Beach 'cause I really don't need any more burn than I've already got.

New shirt in hand, we jump a Lyft to Epcot where we pick up our day in The Land pavilion. Soarin' first, wonders of the world. Then that boat ride, Living With The Land, where you learn a little about ecosystem, farming, and some pretty impressive, better sustainable,.used in the park methods for growing food.

After that, the girls head off to the Magic Kingdom where they wanna end the night whilst we head off to the food & wine festival happening around the lake. Our plan's to explore around the UK side but we immediately fall for the temptation of Canada's menus of fillet mignon and cheddar soup with pretzel bread.

Seriously, it was the first stand we passed. But it.

Was.

Yummy.

😁

After, we continued walking in the direction of France… but nothing spoke to us and all the lines in France were too long. So we head back down the lake, out if the park, to the monorail station where we meet a.lovely family of four from Georgia. They're a little anxious on behalf of their kids 'cause the Disney Magic Kingdom fireworks show could start any minute now and they won't get a shot at seeing this particular version of that show.

Unfortunately, by the time we walk through the front gates of the Magic Kingdom, the show's in full swing.

☹️

We had no such expectations, fortunately, no plans to see the fireworks or the imagery projected onto Sleeping Beauty's Castle. That was all lovely and spectacular, of course…

But we were there for dessert.

We purposefully, then, make our way along Main Street to the Ice Cream parlor, last establishment on the right before the park's hub.

Now here's the thing. Kimmer has a nut allergy that encompasses all nuts except coconuts. So desserts… are always a challenge.

Always.

So Kimmer asks the question about nuts and exposure… and it's a pretty noisy environment just then and I think I see the cashier shake her head and mouth "no". Which I take to mean that everything's been exposed to nuts

But.

Turns out the opposite's true as the manager even offers to make Kimmer's Coke Float in a separate area with newly cleaned utensils.

And yes. That absolutely sealed the deal. And it's how, for the second time this trip, Disney's managed to provide her with a delicious, no risk dessert.

You have no idea what a gift that is

Me, I ordered an ice cream sundae with warm brownie and we walked our desserts across the way.

Quick Disney Tip: these tables clear out almost immediately once the fireworks are done. So if you don't care as much about endings, you can order your ice cream and score a table right away.

Also:

If you're looking to score ice cream on your way out the park at closing, the parlour on your right, walking from the direction of Sleeping Beauty's Castle will be closed whilst the one on the left, the one we landed on, stays open. In fact a long, packed line of people forms just as soon as the show's over and everyone starts streaming to the front gates.

By the way, one of the employees there, bless her heart, was super into the music outside. She sang along with her eyes open. She sang with her eyes closed. She sang with all her heart. And when she was done, she rushed to the window to see if Tinker Bell was flying.

Which.

She.

Was.

It's important, by the way, because she always has a good night when that happens.

🙂

The four of us finished out our night with desserts and stories around a table for four right there across from Sleeping Beauty's Castle before heading home for the night.

We weren't quite done with our day, though. There was laundry to do 'cause there's a washer/dryer in our suite and it's super easy to handle.

Also, the day turned into quite a time for losing things: my water bottle that I actually left on the ride. I got it back when I was sent through the exit to the platform where they'd already found it and cheerfully handed it over

Linzy lost her water bottle too, although pretty much she simply forgot that she left it on the counter when we left for the evening.

Rachel, though, the bag in which she stashed gifts for family and friends was legitimately gone. Most likely on the Disney shuttle that took us from the Magic Kingdom to the Transportation.

We don't know what's gonna happen but Disney personnel will go through the bus at end of shift and relay anything they find with Disney City Hall. Rachel's already contacted them and we'll just have to hope for a touch of luck

We've definitely got a routine that gets us out the door by eight… so we do that again and begin our fourth day in the Animal Kingdom with a return engagement of the Na'vi River Journey, an experience that's even better the second time around because there's so much depth to what Imagineers have created.

After that, Kimmer and Rachel make their way to the Tough To Be A Bug 3D performance whilst Linzy 'n I head over to Expedition Everest 'cause we're just straight up gluttons for punishment.

On the way, we're distracted by a live presentation of Macaws, a type of New World parrots that are long-tailed and colorful.

They were magnificent. At the end, one flew straight at and over me. And then a few beats later a bunch of them followed suit.

It was all amazing and terrifying at the same time

After the roller coaster and a few photo ops, Linzy and I met up with Kimmer and Rachel. We did a quick partner swap that sent the girls out for more shopping whilst the missus 'n I shared a breakfast sandwich over the river.

We rejoined the girls I'm Dino Land where Linzy's identified a ride that was built over the Indiana Jones ride track design but with a dino narrative. The girls enjoyed it first, we followed a few minutes later, then we all took a moment at a table in the main part of Dino Land for some photo reviewing and popcorn.

Afterward, the girls head off for Africa looking for a gift for Rachel's sister whilst we hop a bus (a wonderfully empty bus) for our second visit to Blizzard Beach.

Once we had our swimwear on, we walked a little until we notice inflatable chairs floating invitingly in the Lazy River. So we race down and situate ourselves in them and they.

We're.

Wonderful.

Good grief. They're super easy to get into. There's like zero chance of flipping over when you do. And, for me at least, they also seem to facilitate naps.

About three quarters of the way around our lap, we changed to clear ones with green handles 'cause Kimmer loves green and, you know, what the heck.

About three quarters of the way around our second lap, the girls ran into is, having slipped into the river a half hour before.

After that, the four of us in the warm waters of the wave pool followed by a tuna sandwich and chips lunch whilst air drying under an intense sun while then girls, I'm thinking, scored some donuts.

The girls caught up again when we were indulging our new tradition of grape fruit hefeweizen at Freddy's Shack.

Okay one last thing:

The ride back to our condo was helmed by another charming gentleman from Venezuela. We actually got into a pretty involved conversation that ranged from working as a bank executive to being forced to leave his country to trying to starting new in this country to facing employment language and age barriers to teaching in a Spanish teaching school to transportation management to Uber to Lyft to real estate.

Then we talked family. A pair of kids. Five grandkids that he and his wife help with during the day.

But his kids?

A teacher. A NASA engineer. And then the spouse of one of his kids who's also a NASA engineer. And then the fact that he's gotten to watch four shuttle launches. Two during the day. Two at night. And those nighttime launches absolutely turn the darkness of night into the brightness of day.

And so on.

It really is something when you talk stories with people you don't know.

🙂🙂🙂

[haroldgross]

New Post has been published on Harold Gross: The 5a.m. Critic

New Post has been published on http://literaryends.com/hgblog/oscars-2021/

Oscars 2021

There wasn’t a chance I was going to try and prediction nominations this year given all the rules changes and expanded eligibility rules (no screen release necessary). Heck, even the Hollywood Stock Exchange (HSX) didn’t bother to hold their annual trading on the nominations. But, now that they are in, I’m willing to try and predict winners.

While there were some odd gaps and snubs, there are some nicely competitive categories. The big question is how much Netflix-hate and politics will play into the results. With rare exception, there are few winners that could be selected that wouldn’t be worthy in the following lists, but when choosing “the best” things always get a little dicey.

And with that preamble, here are my first impressions and some thinking out loud. I’ll post a final call before the night as per tradition.

Actress in a Leading Role

Viola Davis (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) Andra Day (The United States vs. Billie Holiday) Vanessa Kirby (Pieces of a Woman) Frances McDormand (Nomadland) Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman)

What a great range of talent and styles…which only makes prediction that much harder. However Frances McDormand has been buzzed about for months now. And while Davis and Day delivered amazing performances, Mulligan is still my favorite for the levels and tightrope. Only Day challenges it for me, but she had less of a plot to work with some ways. My guess is still McDormand.

Actor in a Leading Role

Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal) Chadwick Boseman (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) Anthony Hopkins (The Father) Gary Oldman (Mank) Steven Yeun (Minari)

Boseman, regardless of performance, is likely to get this on the upswell of loss alone. For me, Oldman was the more complete and believable character and performance.

Actress in a Supporting Role

Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm) Glenn Close (Hillbilly Elegy) Olivia Colman (The Father) Amanda Seyfried (Mank) Yuh-Jung Youn (Minari)

Yuh-Jung Youn stole Minari. And Seyfried was luminescent in Mank. I’d bet on Seyfried if Minari didn’t have such growing support and if we all didn’t need such a good laugh (which Youn delivers). Colman was wonderful, but her performance doesn’t quite gel without the rest of the ensemble, by design. And though Bakalova has been gathering accolades, she’s much younger than Youn and has “plenty of time” in the voter’s eyes to prove herself.

Actor in a Supporting Role

Sacha Baron Cohen (The Trial of the Chicago 7) Daniel Kaluuya (Judas and the Black Messiah) Leslie Odom, Jr (One Night in Miami) Paul Raci (Sound of Metal) Lakeith Stanfield (Judas and the Black Messiah)

There is no good answer here. Cohen truly captured Hoffman in a way that deserves to walk away with the statuette. But Odom navigates a complex problem with savvy and Stanfield delivers an oily and complex man with conviction. As much as I’d like this to go to Cohen on the merits, I think Odom is the likely winner here.

Adapted Screenplay

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm The Father Nomadland One Night in Miami The White Tiger

There is no perfect choice in this group. All have their challenges. One Night in Miami is probably the front-runner, though there may be a surprise in here.

Original Screenplay

Judas and the Black Messiah Minari Promising Young Woman Sound of Metal The Trial of the Chicago 7

Again a great list, but Promising Young Woman was the most impressive of this list for me, especially as a first feature. However, Trial may get this due to Sorkin love (and not undeservedly).

Directing

Another Round, Thomas Vinterberg Mank, David Fincher Minari, Lee Isaac Chung Nomadland, Chloé Zhao Promising Young Woman, Emerald Fennell

Best Picture

The Father Judas and the Black Messiah Mank Minari Nomadland Promising Young Woman Sound of Metal The Trial of the Chicago 7

There are times I’m glad it isn’t up to me. There is no question that Nomadland is the front-runner, whether it should be or not. For the record, I don’t think it should be in this list. Mank is by far the best crafted and fully complete vision delivered. Promising Young Woman is the most surprising and delicately crafted. The Father is unique and clever. Judas and Trial are incredible windows into events and people of the past. Sound of Metal and Minari are peeks into worlds you most likely aren’t familiar with. But Nomadland has somehow grabbed the attention. It may still fall to split votes or political tides, but of this list, it is among the weakest films in my opinion.

International Feature

Another Round (Denmark) Better Days (Hong Kong) Collective (Romania) The Man Who Sold His Skin (Tunisia) Quo Vadis, Aida? (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Another Round is the most familiar title, but Collective and Skin are currently gaining recognition. I’m hoping to see them all before the day of reckoning, but for now I’m going with Another Round based solely on press and buzz.

Original Song

“Fight For You” (Judas and the Black Messiah) “Hear My Voice” (The Trial of the Chicago 7) “Husavik” (Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga) “Io Sì (Seen)” (The Life Ahead (La Vita Davanti a Se)) “Speak Now” (One Night in Miami)

I honestly just don’t care enough to have an opinion yet. Suspect, though, that it will be Fight For You or Speak Now.

Original Score

Da 5 Bloods, Terence Blanchard Mank, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross Minari, Emile Mosseri News of the World, James Newton Howard Soul, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste

Soul is the score to beat, no pun intended. All were solid, but Soul’s already snagging awards for its score and that is likely to continue, and is certainly worthy.

Documentary Feature

Collective Crip Camp The Mole Agent My Octopus Teacher Time

Don’t know enough yet here to discuss the possible outcomes.

Documentary Short Subject

Colette A Concerto Is a Conversation Do Not Split Hunger Ward A Love Song for Latasha

Don’t know enough yet here to discuss the possible outcomes.

Live Action Short Film

Feeling Through The Letter Room The Present Two Distant Strangers White Eye

Don’t know enough yet here to discuss the possible outcomes.

Animated Feature Film

Onward Over the Moon A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon Soul Wolfwalkers

All entertaining, but Soul is the walkaway here. It is a full look at a difficult subject, done in an inventive and effective way.

Animated Short Film

Burrow Genius Loci If Anything Happens I Love You Opera Yes-People

Don’t know enough yet here to discuss the possible outcomes.

Cinematography

Judas and the Black Messiah, Sean Bobbitt Mank , Erik Messerschmidt News of the World, Dariusz Wolski Nomadland , Joshua James Richards The Trial of the Chicago 7, Phedon Papamichael

Judas, News, and Trial are all cut from the similar cloth of classic cinematography. Judas and Trial also have the added skill of mixing in historical or seemingly historical footage. All are done very well. But Nomadland and Mank are more stylistic and more characters within the story. Mank is, by far, the most impactful delivery of the group, and the most artistic, but I am not sure that it can overcome its stream-only origins. I can also see Judas walking with this as a consolation prize.

Film Editing

The Father Nomadland Promising Young Woman Sound of Metal The Trial of the Chicago 7

The Father and Promising Young Woman are neck and neck for me in this category. Nomadland was very harsh in its edits, causing the flow to falter rather than flow. Trial has some clever editing to tell the story, but it felt more driven by the necessities of the script than the editor. Father may get this if folks don’t want to give it Production Design. Nomadland is likely to take it as part of its potential tsunami.

Production Design

The Father Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Mank News of the World Tenet

You couldn’t have put together a list of more different films that relied on their production design, and all done excellently. Three are period pieces, but Mank is highly stylized, while Ma Rainey’s and News are more invisible. But The Father tells its story through the production design and Tenet creates an entire world and mythos. Honestly, The Father should get this, but Tenet may get this as one of its few opportunities for the gang of Nolan.

Costume Design

Emma Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Mank Mulan Pinocchio

Ma Rainey’s, hands down for me, for the range of economics and cultures it covered. As wonderful as Mank’s were, the Black and White aspect mutes the magic of what was done. Mulan was just a bit too forced, as was Emma, though that latter would typically win this category.

Visual Effects

Love and Monsters The Midnight Sky Mulan The One and Only Ivan Tenet

Yeah, Tenet. No question.

Makeup and Hairstyling

Emma Hillbilly Elegy Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Mank Pinocchio

Mank. Makeup and hair for black and white photography is a bear and this was done flawlessly and on a huge scale.

Sound 

Greyhound Mank News of the World Soul Sound of Metal

As wonderful as Soul is, Sound of Metal uses sound (beyond just the music) as more of an essential character and story element. It also is one of its few chances this year, so think this may be where it gets its nod.

NOMINATIONS BY FILM

Provided just for reference, but certainly interesting to consider when considering who has the attention of the voters. Only films with 2 or more noms are listed.

Mank (Netflix) — 10 The Father (Sony Pictures Classics) — 6 Judas and the Black Messiah (Warner Bros.) — 6 Minari (A24) — 6 Nomadland (Searchlight) — 6 Sound of Metal (Amazon Studios) — 6 The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix) — 6 Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix) — 5 Promising Young Woman (Focus Features) — 5 News of the World (Universal) — 4 One Night In Miami (Amazon Studios) — 3 Soul (Walt Disney) — 3 Another Round (Samuel Goldwyn Films) — 2 Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (Amazon Studios) — 2 Collective (Magnolia Pictures/Participant) — 2 Emma (Focus Features) — 2 Hillbilly Elegy (Netflix) — 2 Mulan (Walt Disney) — 2 Pinocchio (Roadside Attractions) — 2 Tenet (Warner Bros.) — 2

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Box Office: ‘Monster Hunter’ Controversy Shows Why Hollywood Can’t Depend On China

New Post has been published on https://perfectirishgifts.com/box-office-monster-hunter-controversy-shows-why-hollywood-cant-depend-on-china-2/

Box Office: ‘Monster Hunter’ Controversy Shows Why Hollywood Can’t Depend On China

Milla Jovovich and Tony Jaa in Monster Hunter

To paraphrase Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, now *this* is cancel culture!

Sony’s Monster Hunter was supposed to be this weekend’s big overseas launch. The Paul W.S. Anderson-helmed video game adaptation, starring Milla Jovovich and Tony Jaa, was supposed to open this weekend in China, and did was up to a point. It got pulled almost overnight after apparent outcry over a line of dialogue that was taken as deeply insulting/offensive to Chinese audiences. As of now, plans to edit the scene out and show edited versions of the movie have been put on hold. This may be a case of online “cancel culture” resulting in an actual cancelation. And since the film’s release was mostly about scoring in China, that’s a problem.

In the sequence, a white male character and an Asian character played by Jin Au-Yeung are conversing while driving. “Look at my knees!” shouts Jin. “What kind of knees are these?” asks his scene co-star. “Chi-nese!” replies Jin. At a glance (I have not yet seen the film), the moment seems to be like any number of cheap jokes whereby a minority character points out in a playful way that they aren’t a white guy. Think Richard T. Jones flirting with Joeley Richardson in the opening moments of Paul W.S. Anderson’s Event Horizon by offering to her “something warm and black in your body.” However, the scene has been interpreted (intentional or not) as a reference to an infamously racist schoolyard rhyme which goes “Chi-nese, Jap-a-nese, dir-ty knees, look at these.”

If you recall, the China release for Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt’s Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood was pulled at the last minute allegedly over Bruce Lee’s daughter making a personal appeal to China’s National Film Administration over her displeasure concerning her father’s comedic cameo in the film (as played by Mike Moh). That was… disturbing to say the least and prevented the film from passing $400 million worldwide, but the Quentin Tarantino-directed melodrama had already earned $374 million on a $90 million budget. The controversy over Monster Hunter is more serious.

Tencent and Sony arguably only released the Constantin Films/Impact Pictures/ Tencent/Tohomovie production right now (as opposed to delaying it) because A) China’s film market has mostly recovered and B) Resident Evil: The Final Chapter earned $159 million out of its $312 million global cume in China alone in early 2017. While that wasn’t going to happen here (word-of-mouth following a $5.3 million opening day was allegedly mixed even before the outcry), the film was scheduled specifically to take advantage of China’s comparatively robust marketplace. Two of the top three biggest global grossers of 2020 (The Eight Hundred and My People My Homeland) are Chinese blockbusters that have opened in just the last few months.

However, what few imports have played this year haven’t exactly been exceptionally successful, as Tenet did well ($66 million) but the likes of Mulan, Sonic the Hedgehog and Bad Boys for Life bombed (to varying degrees). While the controversies over Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood and The Eight Hundred (which was pulled at the last minute from its initial summer 2019 debut over concerns that it unduly lionized a previous political leadership before playing this summer to the tune of $469 million) were courtesy of the Chinese government, this one was actually due to outrage by actual Chinese moviegoers who flocked to social media to express their displeasure.

This may be a case of young (?) moviegoers taking potentially oversensitive offense to something that passed by the government censorship boards. I’m very much of the opinion that folks in a given demographic can make jokes about their respective demographic, but I digress. It’s another sign that Hollywood cannot and should not depend on China for their box office paydays. The vast majority of big Hollywood flicks that do well in China remain the same films that are successful in North America and over the rest of the world. Moreover, as we’ve seen with Crazy Rich Asians, The Farewell, Abominable and Mulan, films seemingly engineered to score in China can’t compete with actual Chinese blockbusters.

Yes, there are a few exceptions (like Resident Evil: The Final Chapter and xXx: The Return of Xander Cage) of mid-budget biggies bombing essentially everywhere while scoring big enough in China to qualify as a hit, but A) that’s the exception not the rule and B) China’s newfound embrace of DC/Marvel superhero movies (Aquaman, Venom, Captain Marvel, Spider-Man: Far from Home, etc.) means that such a scenario is even less likely. Also of note, it’s another example of the difference between making a movie aimed at placating the Chinese government and one aimed at entertaining actual present-tense Chinese moviegoers.

Mulan may have been super-duper respectful, but audiences flocking to unapologetic fantasies like The Wandering Earth and The Mermaid and bawdy action comedies like Detective Chinatown 2 and (to a point) Ne Zha, to say nothing of gloriously gonzo Hollywood flicks like Aquaman and Venom, had little interest. Conversely, the PG-13 Monster Hunter was partially aimed at China sans any objection from governmental censorship boards only to get essentially banned (for now) after actual Chinese audiences took issue. We’ll see how it plays in the rest of the world, including North America where it’s still scheduled for a December 25 theatrical release.

From Hollywood & Entertainment in Perfectirishgifts