#emerald fennell you genius

[cowboysucker]

This film makes me curl up on the ground foaming at the mouth and violently shake like a rabid animal I love it so much omg

(Boo tumblr for making it blurry???)

[saltburnupdates]

alisonjoliver via instagram: Saltburn is out!💜 Emerald Fennell is God and she created this entire thing from her genius brain and I’m just so so astounded by her. Barry, Jacob, Archie, Rosamund, Richard & the rest of the entire cast are all acting magicians and I can’t wait for everyone to see their mad talents and insane performances… So so proud to be apart of this!!! Hope you enjoy!!! xxxx

[eye-candy-film-enjoyer]

My favorites of 2023

I wanted to make little wrap up of 2023, so here are my favorite movies and performances from 2023

Top Five Favorite movies

#5 The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds and Snake - dir. Francis Lawrence

I am a YA/dystopian boy through and through. I thought this was a very faithful adaptation and very visually stunning. The performances were all great and I just really liked it. However, I had my problems with the book itself and I felt the movie didn't do a great job truly villainizing Snow (I found him too likable until like the end of the film) All in all though a fun watch.

#4 Saltburn- Dir. Emerald Fennell

If there's one thing I'm gonna do on this account, It's support a boy's wrongs. This movie has so many visual details and story details, it truly blows my mind. The soundtrack? Banger after banger. I'd never heard Murder on The Dance Floor before this movie but now I want to dance around a mansion to it. The cast? I mean just look at them. I do think occasionally this movie occasionally felt like it was just being shocking for shocking's sake and I got a little tired of it.

#3 Spiderman: Across The Spider-Verse- Dir. Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson, and Joaquim Dos Santos

I love art. There's no other way to say it. I am in love with creativity. The amount of details that are in this movie are so utterly mind blowing that every time I read about a new one, I feel like I have to rewatch this movie. The first Spider-verse film is an absolute masterpiece and this movie was not about to disappoint it. From the voice performances to the bleeding-water color, to animating on every other frame, this movie just had me floored. I hope it wins an Oscar for best animated feature or I'm throwing shit. I do want the second part before I fully judge the story but so far I think this is one of the best superhero stories in a while

#2 Barbie- Dir Greta Gerwig

I have never cried harder to a Nikki Minaj song. But actually, this movie made me fall in love with the simple act of being alive. It's a movie about a doll and yet its about enjoying life and growing up and how everything's so messy and it's so beautiful and we're so beautiful and I just. I get it. I get why Barbie wanted to be a human. We are all so fascinating. The ending montage alone is enough to make anyone with a heart cry. I hope that one day everyone is as in love with the world around them as this movie made me.

#1 Asteroid City- Dir. Wes Anderson

If you don't know the I'm Wes Anderson's number 1 fan, I'm doing something wrong. Truth be told, I didn't get this movie at first. I left the theater knowing that there was some deeper meaning but...what? So I thought about it for two weeks and then it hit me. There is no clear answer. There's no clear answer because the actors can't find a clear answer. There's no clear answer because the in-universe playwright didn't write one and maybe Anderson himself didn't write one. The movie has clear themes of grief and love and identity but at the end of the day what you choose to make of it is all up to you. There's also a lot to be said about how the play is existential and about uncertainty in the future and I think that's another reason I liked Asteroid City. I'm always so worried about the future. It terrifies me. But what can I do. And with that I once again realized that Wes Anderson was truly genius, and I don't think I'll ever see a film quite like Asteroid City again.

Favorite performances from each film

#5 Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird

I never got the hatred for Rachel Zegler. She was absolutely phenomenal in the 2021 West Side Story and she ate up Lucy Gray Baird. I just felt through the screen that Rachel understood her role so well. She played Lucy to all her vulnerability and strength and goddamn I am in love with her voice!! The old therebefore gave me absolute chills.

#4 Allison Oliver as Venetia Catton

being complete honest she's who I wanted to be in like middle school. Allison Oliver managed to play her as both such a free spirit and then to haunted on such the drop of the dime. From her subtle emotions to her snapping at Oliver in the bathtub she had me eating out of the palm of her hand. She would've loved Tumblr.

#3 Shameik Moore as Miles Morales

He had me laughing, crying, cheering and getting goosebumps the whole time. The absolute power Shameik Moore gives Miles is truly what tie the whole movie together. I feel like his performance often gets overshadowed for some of the bigger names in the cast and I truly find that shame. He gives Miles such a powerful and realistic portrayal that I admire it so deeply. From "Nah, I'mma do my own thing." to his conversations with Gwen to arguments with his parents, Shameik Moore makes Miles feel like a teenager who's trying to figure out who he is and a superhero saving a multiverse from collapsing

#2 Margot Robbie as Barbie

I'm fucking sick of only hearing Ryan Goslings name mentioned when we talk about the BARBIE movie! It is Margot's movie!! SHE ATE THAT SHIT UP!! She managed to so subtly bring in the changes of barbie being only a doll to being a real person. She provides so much of the movies comedy too. Her laying down crying had me wheezing not gonna lie. But she also shows us that how strong Barbie is and how she's so multi-faceted.She is truly someone little girls should see and be inspired by. Margot truly brought Barbie to life in all the ways that the audience and the script needed. She had me laughing, crying and smiling so goddamn wide the whole film. Here's to you, Margot.

#1 Jason Schwartzman as Augie Steenback/Jones Hall

It was the year of Schwartzman and nowhere was the proved more than in Asteroid City. Here we see, Jason Schwartzman playing and actor playing a single dad war photographer. Schwartzman manages to play all these layers so well, letting them blend together through on intense common factor: grief. Jones' grief bleeds into Augie in such a fascinating way that you might not even realize at first. It's so subtle and yet, it complete makes the performance. When we see Jones on his own a few times, though Jason Schwartzman manages to make him feel like a completely different man than Augie. The entire scene from Jones walking offstage to us being returned to 'Asteroid City' is truly some of my favorite acting of the year. Even through subtle expressions, we can truly see everything that Jones is experiencing. It's just such a sight to watch and it blows me away.

Some honorable film and performance mentions

Oppenheimer- Dir Christopher Nolan. Good film but a little too long if you ask me. Sorry!

Fav performance- Emily Blunt as Kitty Oppenheimer. She might not have been in a lot of the film but she stuck with me

Renfeild- Dir Chris McKay. Sorry I like fun camp! sue me!

Fav performance- Nic Cage as Dracula. I'm sorry Nic Cage is just so goddamn funny

Poison- Dir. Wes Anderson. Maybe the real snake was the Benedict Cumberbatch we met along the way.

Fav performance- Dev Patel as Woods. Wes please cast Dev Patel in a longer on of your films he ate this up.

Five Nights at Freddy's- Dir. Emma Tammi. I wanted to like it more but it felt like 3 different films until the last 20 minuets

fav performance- Matthew Lilard as William Afton. I want Stu Macher back after this.

The Swan- Dir. Wes Anderson. (Last time I mention Wes in this post I swear.) Hey Wesley! Quick question! WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?? Thank youuuu!

Fav performance- Rupert Friend as Narrator/Peter Watson. Yeah he was the only guy speaking and he carried! The one moment where he breaks the stoic delivery and truly pleads for them to not kill the swan? Wow.

Gaurdians of The Galaxy Vol 3- Dir James Gunn. I have never cried over cgi this hard in my life!

Bradley Cooper as Rocket. Just hearing him scream sob almost had me open mouth sobbing in public.

Scream 6- Dir. Matt Bettinelli-olpin, Tyler Gillet. Starting to get real pissed at radiosilence.

fav performance- Jasmin Savoy-Brown as Mindy Meeks-Martin. She's so funny, I love her.

If y'all want I also have a favorite tv shows of 2023 post

[weclassybouquetfun]

Everyone Gets Lost in SALTBURN.

Including me, as I've gloried in this film three times -enduring the annoying Academy aspect ratio format (writer/director/filmmaking genius Emerald Fennell explained this ratio was used to accommadate the squareness of the estate and to enhance close-ups).

I love films that are bold and audacious; ones that are polarizing and divisive because that means it has touched the audience - for good or for bad - they have been given food for thought. Now, you may savour it, or vomit it out but you will wolf it down. I don't see how anyone could look at this film and be bored.

TL;DR

WARNING: MORE SPOILERS THAN ROOMS IN SALTBURN

THE GOOD

EVERYTHING. Barry Keoghan owns every single frame of this film. He gets to use so many colours in his acting palette and while I don't have faith in the Academy, I hope that they nominate him at least.

Same goes for Archie Madekwe as Farleigh. He is the Tom Wambsgans of SALTBURN (complimentary). He's a hanger-on who hates the other hanger-on. Fennell could have just written him as one note - just nasty and cruel bully, but he had more dimensions than that.

We get a glimpse at how he hates that his mother has to beg (by way of Farleigh) for financial support. He could have just been someone who held the attitude of, "I've got mine, now get yours", but it bothers him that his mother is struggling. He hates that he lives a pampered life while the footmen are ignored. I especially love how he has no shame over being taken care of by the Cattons. Kicked out of 3 schools for blowing teachers? Oh, well. Sir James' connections will get him somewhere.

He sets up Oliver to karaoke to The Pet Shop Boys' "Rent" and when Oliver remarks, "Felix, I think this song is yours too." (a line that never failed to pull a reaction from me), Felix doesn't tuck his tail between his legs. He's not embarrased. No, he gladly takes the mic.

Then there is Rosamund Pike who is never not fantastic in everything. Elspeth is so droll, so cutting, yet so loveable.

Pike tosses out these lines that carry such humour in it, effortlessy. Like Farleigh, Elspeth is someone you probably should dislike - not batting an eye when discussing Pamela's death, judgmental, gossipy - but she, like Sir James are charming. Their obliviousness comes across as a mere quirk in their personality versus a deal-breaker.

The humour. This movie is so funny. What I appreciated though is that where most directors would put laughs to diffuse the preceeding scene, Fennell plays it straight. You are sat there without any quip or hammy performance to distract from Oliver drinking Felix's cummy bathwater and lapping the drain for good measure.

Or from Oliver and Venetia's menstrual blood swapping. Or grief stricken Oliver humping Felix's grave. The laughter, however comes from the audience. I've seen it three times so I've experienced three different audience reactions and I was surprised by how much people laughed (and gasped. Or closed their eyes), when to me it was serious bizness.

The first screening I attended had a Q&A with the film's composer, Anthony Willis, and he said that when he does panels with Emerald she always apologies to the audience for the pervisity. Why apologize, Emerald?! Talk your talk!

The only scene I could think of where humour was added to diffuse a scene was when Oliver kills Elspeth and he's draped over her trying (and failing) to put her limp arms around him. I think that was necessary so audiences can go into the end scene of him dancing victoriously through his ill-gotten estate.

-When Felix starts clueing in that Oliver lied. The way the unasked question where they pull up to Oliver's home. You can see that he's taken aback by a supposed addict would live there. Then you can tell the realization is falling on him when he spots the lawn being watered because what hardcore adcict would care about maintaining the lawn? But it's the "Gone Fishin'" sign that made him realize he's been duped. Jacob played it so well because it was very understated. Even the entire scene with Oliver's parents (played by Dorothy Atkinson who displayed that same fierce love of her child in "Pennyworth" and Shaun Dooley who's usually playing a tough nut.).

THE BAD

The bad actually has nothing to do with the film itself. It's the perception of Felix that Jacob Elordi and Emerald Fennell holds. They both paint Felix in the most terrible light with Elordi saying Felix is scarier than his character in EUPHORIA and Fennell calling him callous, misogynistic and racist. While I can see where she paints him as such in the film (leaving Oliver to walk his bike back to campus, not talking to the girl/s he's going to have it off with, just hitting her on the butt and walking off with her, having the very tone-deaf attitude of "not seeing race" by telling Farleigh that he doesn't care that he's "different" from them. But does that make him a truly awful person? Maybe it makes me an apologist because I can see how Felix's life of privilege makes him oblivious on how to treat people.

Fennell says her direction to Elordi was that Felix is a bad kisser and bad at sex because he never has to try; he doesn't need to impress. That makes sense because if one is wealthy and/or conventionally beautifully those things does the heavy lifting and grants you a ton of leeway. Since it works for him, why would he even think he needs to pivot on his behaviour?

I just don't see Felix being a terrible person. He ran interference for Oliver at the bar, he tried to get someone to hook Oliver up with a friend, he ditched the graduation party to support Oliver after the "death" of his father. Duncan was so crushed by Felix's death that he couldn't even close the curtains. Liam or Joshua (the Footmen Farleigh said Felix didn't know the names of) ran off crying after closing the curtains while Felix's body passed by. You would think if he was such a horrid person the staff wouldn't be so affected by his death. He pushed Oliver to stay for dinner at his parents house because he could see how much it meant to them to just have homemade SpagBol and cake.

He may be oblivious and has blindspots, but I'm not buying that he's abominable.

THE REST

-When Venetia is telling the story about the doppleganger, there's a window to the garden behind her and you see a man in a pink shirt walking past, then we cut to the reactions at the table to her story and Felix is wearing a pink shirt. Could it be Felix's doppleganger? A harbinger of his death in the garden? If we take Felix seriously, Saltburn is inhabited by Felix's dead granny. What's one more supernatural occurrence?

-In the credits are images that alludes to what has transpired: we see a spider because Venetia tells Oliver Sir James calls him Spider-Man because she skulks and she says he spins his web, she thinks he's more of a moth (I say he's a kitsune. He's a shapeshifting, beguiling trickster.).

There's a puppet on a string - and that has a dual meaning of the shoebox theatre of Catton family puppets that Felix examines when he first arrives at Saltburn and latter stops in front of at the end when he fixes their memorial rocks atops it; and also how Felix was ultimately a puppet master. There's also an ouroboros and a pair of glasses, which I loved seeing because Oliver sheds his glasses when he gets into Felix's circle. We eventually realize that they were merely an affectation. A costume he adorned to get in order to get into the character as humble, unassuming scholarship kid and shedding him once he was ensconced in Felix's circle.

-I ponder whether Felix truly considered Oliver a friend. Ewan Mitchell's Michael (the other asocial scholarship kid) warned Oliver that Felix would get bored with him. Venetia tells Oliver that she likes him better than the last one. Her words seemed like this is Felix's folly and he does this all the time and Oliver was merely another stray. Then we hear from Felix that a friend he invited had a fling with Venetia and it ruined his friendship. Maybe Felix doesn't get tired of these guys, but they make a mere (perceived) misstep and he ends the friendship. We see it almost happen when Felix yelled at Oliver for making a fuss about the state of his dorm room. Which is why Oliver deployed Operation Dead Dad - he needed a gambit in order to not lose Felix's friendship.

There were a few times where Felix could have ditched Oliver, but he didn't. If he's as flighty as people perceive him to be then I think he would have just made an excuse for Oliver to not attend the fancy dress party. Cancellation wasn't the only option. He could have just pulled an Elspeth and had Sir James make Oliver leave in the dead of the night.

Instead, even after everything he now knows about Oliver's deception, Felix looks crushed after their talk in the maze. His anger from earlier seemingly turned to sadness. Maybe his apparent dejection stemmed from what Oliver said to him: how he was just giving Felix what he wanted; thus (screw you Farleigh, "thus" is a good word) probably making Felix ponder whether everyone around him are playing roles - court jesters trying to appease Felix their king and no relationship he has with anyone outside his family is authentic.

Or maybe Felix had sexual interest in Oliver (because I don't think anyone had a romantic interest in each other in this film; sexual/carnal/opportunistic, yes)? It's powerful when someone obviously wants you. Even if you didn't have any prior interest in that person the, "What if?" or "Why not?" aspect comes into play and you want test how far it could go. Venetia told Oliver, "Felix doesn't like to share his toys. Even the ones he doesn't want to play with anymore." Maybe he just liked male attention, but had no intention of following through. I don't know. Maybe Oliver wasn't the only unreliable narrator.

"I wasn't in love with him."

[thrill-kill-kult]

Cannot stop thinking about Saltburn. Watched it for the second time last night and like. I don’t give a fuck about whether or not its classism message was well done. I’m not here for the social commentary. I’m here for the pure fucking art of it. Like that movie has some beautiful fucking shots and like the general aesthetic is fucking insane and like. The story is so well written because I had NO FUCKING IDEA the first half of the movie. Like I was expecting something entirely different and it leads you in another direction then fucking. Slaps you in the face when Oliver fucking kills Felix. And the ending. The ending. Oh my god. I love lgbt wrongs. Also everyone in the movie is so hot. Like every time Farleigh was on the screen I fuckin creamed my pants. Wtf Emerald Fennel u are a genius.

[ewanmitchellcrumbs]

What are your thoughts on Michael's anger outburst during the dinner? I think it's an interesting fact about him. Shame it can't be explored further in the movie.

To me, I think he deeply believes that if he manages to impress Oliver with his math skills, he won't be a loner and find a mate on him. Like he doesn't know how to proper socialize like "normal people" so in his mind if he manages to do something remotely impressive, people will like him. And that somehows indicates a subconscious frustration, maybe he always had a difficulty making friends?

And thinking about what Emerald Fennell said, that people might take pity on Michael until they get to know him.

I haven't seen the movie yet but in the dinner scene it looks like he had been staring at Oliver from some time before he presents himself to him.

Sorry for the long text, but I thought this was an interesting fact of his personality to talk about 🥺

I'm so excited for people to see the film in its entirety. Michael may only have four scenes, but pieced together they flesh out his character quite nicely. I'll post my take below the cut!

Michael views Oliver as an outcast, much like himself. He is secure enough in himself to be a loner, but he sees Oliver as inferior to him, someone that needs to be looked out for. Mostly because Oliver seems ill at ease with being "uncool", but also because he's studying a subject which Michael views as not as worthy as his own (Michael studies maths, Oliver studies literature) - we see this depicted when Michael loudly interrupts Oliver's studies in the library and chucks a Crunchie into the middle of his coursework.

His outburst over being asked a sum is indicative of his hyper fixation for all things numerical - he gets it into his head that he wants to prove that he's a maths genius, so is frustrated when Oliver won't give him an opportunity to prove this. His sadness when he responds is likely a reaction to how anti climactic the situation was, and the lack of a challenge posed to him by the multiplication sum that Oliver does ask - Michael is not a person who gives a shit what others think of him.

He hates the trendy, popular, rich kids - it's never explicitly stated, but it's more than likely that Michael is attending Oxford on a scholarship and comes from a working class background. Oxford students are notorious for being rich and snobby - unless you're MENSA levels of intelligent and can earn yourself an incredibly rare unconditional offer, mummy and daddy will have to buy you a place. The latter makes up the student body, so if you're not rich too you will struggle to fit in.

When Oliver ditches Michael at the pub, Michael doesn't leave because he's upset at being ditched, it is in disgust of the fact that Oliver has conformed and is hanging out with "vapid cunts". That's why he calls Oliver a bootlicker in the final scene. In his eyes, Oliver is a disappointment.

[fullmoonfelix]

i think it's interesting how emerald, when interviewed about both her films, has talked extremely explicitly about how the films expose parts of our culture we are all complicit in or benefitting from, because that makes people so uncomfortable they just can't handle it and they have to dismiss the films in any way they can think of, which often boils down to misogyny or made up criticism. people really prove her point every day, which would be funny if it didn't result in so much disturbing, vitriolic hate directed at the films and her personally. i hope she gets the last laugh because all the haters are literally proving that her films are smart and have something to say, which is exactly the criticism leveled against her. any movie that gets under peoples' skin like this is inherently culturally important and worthy of analysis.

am i just biased, or is there a...weirdly high level of vehemence in negative saltburn reviews? like i get it, ppl are entitled to their opinions, i definitely have media i dislike. but i still find it interesting to hear what other people like about it, even if i dont agree...? but with saltburn hate, its like theres just a brick wall at the mere notion that it could be anything but trash.

and it strikes me as...interesting, considering one of the films major themes explores the kneejerk reaction to avoid and never process discomfort and disgust, to the point it fundamentally hamstrings our ability to interact with the world in a rational healthy manner.

and like, yea no shit, the movie about desire vs repulsion that deliberately disgusts audiences is going to have people feeling...uncomfortable and disgusted. but i dont think i really understood till now just how resistant people are to examining their own immediate reactions, and just how little people are willing to take art in good faith. even and especially when they think of themselves as operating otherwise.

i dunno. it is what it is, i recognize that my tastes in media are a bit extreme. but it still kind of bums me out how determined people are to sneer at this movie. esp bc i would genuinely love to hear and discuss like...actual good faith criticism of it. but almost every single one ive heard has felt like it had nothing to do with the technical issue being raised, and was instead just...masking and intellectualizing a deeper discomfort they didnt wanna acknowledge, in order to get away from the conversation as quickly as possible. which...is sad.

[nsfwmiamiart]

Incoming Text for Mila Kunis (@MILAKUNISV):

Dear Mila,

I just want to let you know that you should stop overthinking. You know I’m not a monster; I’ve got your back, but you’ve lost your royal privileges—that’s all.

You wanted to be royal, but you can’t handle the pressure that comes with the title. That’s why I had to kick you out of my royal family.

As long as you don’t come to my palace to spy on me, we’re good. You can consider this a solved problem. You go your way, and I’ll go mine; that way, we don’t have to shoot each other.

Do you remember that movie back in 2010 when Katherine Heigl and Ashton Kutcher had to kill to survive? That movie flopped, but the story was still relevant. Well, I’m going through something very similar—it’s kill or be killed.

And you should never get pissed off when I throw around threats. I’m living this in real life, just like Ashton did in that movie with Katherine. I experience it every day, so you can imagine why I always have my gun ready to defend myself.

A lot of people read my blog posts and think I’m an entertainer; they forget that I’m a target. There are many people trying to eliminate me, so my tolerance level is very low. I get angry when people try to hurt me, and I’m always quick to get my guns wavin’ in the air.

Long story short, don’t get mad at me for saving my own life. These fuckers are trying to kill me, so excuse me if I have the audacity to insult you for all the snake activities. You know very well that I was right, and you were all spying for my enemies.

So, from the bottom of my heart, go f*ck yourself, my dear Mila. And I’m being polite here; you should be glad I’m still being nice to you after all the sh*t you girls have been plotting to overthrow me.

I know you’re mad that you just discovered I have a love story with Chloë Sevigny. I’m crazy about her; I love her so much.

You can hang out with my girl Chloë (@chloessevigny), but you must promise never to hurt her by spying on her for the enemy. Be nice; she is a sweetheart, okay?

Tell Dax and Kristen I said hello. I’ll try to find movie ideas for them. I have to admit that lately, Kristen Bell’s movies have kind of sucked. The last one I watched was "Queenpins" back in 2021, and I enjoyed it; it was a nice movie.

You all struggle to find good movie projects lately, and I’ll try to share ideas with Dax, Kristen, and you, Mila. I know you feel some type of way when you see all the billion-dollar ideas I’ve given to Angelina, Gwyneth, Charlize, and Natalie.

I know you, Zoe, and Rosario are furious because I always give the best ideas to those same women. I don’t do it on purpose; I just felt like giving them those ideas. It’s not that deep.

I won’t find another billion-dollar movie idea in a while, that’s for sure. But I could find you some multi-million dollar movie ideas—are you interested? If you can reach the 300 million mark at the box office, it’s still a win, right?

I’ll try to find some movie ideas that will bring in at least 300 million at the box office. Be patient; when I have an idea, I’ll post it.

Also, you should work with Margot Robbie’s film company, LuckyChap Entertainment. Here’s the Wikipedia link: LuckyChap Entertainment. (click on the blue link)

You and Margot could sign a multi-million dollar deal with her film company. You could also bring Kristen with you. I’m sure you’ll all be stronger if you unite as a team.

The latest film they produced was "Promising Young Woman" in 2020, and it was such a classic. I enjoyed that movie; truly a masterpiece, written by Emerald Fennell.

You should contact screenwriter Emerald Fennell and ask her to add you to her next movie projects. She might say yes; you never know. As a screenwriter, she can vouch for you during casting.

I encourage you to become good friends with Emerald Fennell because she has a very bright future in the film industry. She’s a genius screenwriter.

I’ll let you know when I have a new movie idea for you, my dear Mila. You should relax and take it easy. I’m still your friend. You and Natalie are my idiot sisters because you make rookie mistakes.

Say hello to Walden Schmidt and remind him of Alan Harper’s quote: “When you put it that way, it sounds like a soap opera on Telemundo.”

And also this quote: "Oh, si, Señor Strongman es muy loco."

Okay, this chat was fun.

Love you, Mila! Have fun. Big hugs for you.

Angelo (Crown Prince)

P.S.:

Synopsis of the letter:

In a candid and confrontational letter, the author addresses Mila, urging her to stop overthinking and reminding her of the consequences of her actions, including the loss of her royal privileges. The author expresses frustration over her inability to handle royal pressures and warns her against spying, emphasizing a "kill or be killed" mentality. Drawing parallels to a film featuring Katherine Heigl and Ashton Kutcher, the author discusses the real-life dangers they face and the constant threat to their safety. Despite the tension, the author reassures Mila of their friendship and expresses excitement about their romantic connection with Chloë Sevigny. They also offer to help Mila and her friends with movie ideas, encouraging collaboration and connection with other industry talents like Margot Robbie and Emerald Fennell. The letter concludes with a lighthearted note, reminding Mila of their bond while acknowledging the challenges they face.

[hideous-little-structure]

God, Emerald Fennell was such a genius for casting beloved and friendly-seeming actors in Promising Young Woman. You'll see someone new every day freaking out about seeing Bo or Schmidt or McLovin being awful predators, and that was absolutely on purpose. Because sometimes it IS the guy who always seemed so sweet or was friendly to you, and you can't really know until it's too late.

[cinemalerta]

93rd Academy Awards Nominees

BEST PICTURE

The Father – David Parfitt, Jean-Louis Livi, and Philippe Carcassonne

Judas and the Black Messiah – Shaka King, Charles D. King, and Ryan Coogler

Mank – Ceán Chaffin, Eric Roth, and Douglas Urbanski

Minari – Christina Oh

Nomadland – Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, Mollye Asher, Dan Javey, and Chloé Zhao

Promising Young Woman – Ben Browning, Ashley Fox, Emerald Fennell, and Josey McNamara

Sound of Metal – Bert Hamelinick and Sacha Ben Harroche

The Trial of the Chicago 7 – Marc Platt and Stuart Besser

BEST DIRECTOR

Lee Isaac Chung – Minari

Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman

David Fincher – Mank

Thomas Vinterberg – Another Round

Chloé Zhao – Nomadland

BEST ACTOR

Riz Ahmed – Sound of Metal as Ruben Stone

Chadwick Boseman (posthumous nominee) – Ma Rainey's Black Bottom as Levee Green

Anthony Hopkins – The Father as Anthony

Gary Oldman – Mank as Herman J. Mankiewicz

Steven Yeun – Minari as Jacob Yi

BEST ACTRESS

Viola Davis – Ma Rainey's Black Bottom as Ma Rainey

Andra Day – The United States vs. Billie Holiday as Billie Holiday

Vanessa Kirby – Pieces of a Woman as Martha Weiss

Frances McDormand – Nomadland as Fern

Carey Mulligan – Promising Young Woman as Cassandra “Cassie” Thomas

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Sacha Baron Cohen – The Trial of the Chicago 7 as Abbie Hoffman

Daniel Kaluuya – Judas and the Black Messiah as Fred Hampton

Leslie Odom Jr. – One Night in Miami... as Sam Cooke

Paul Raci – Sound of Metal as Joe

Lakeith Stanfield – Judas and the Black Messiah as William "Bill" O'Neal

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Maria Bakalova – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan as Tutar Sagdiyev

Glenn Close – Hillbilly Elegy as Bonnie "Mamaw" Vance

Olivia Colman – The Father as Anne

Amanda Seyfried – Mank as Marion Davies

Youn Yuh-jung – Minari as Soon-ja

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Judas and the Black Messiah – Screenplay by Will Berson and Shaka King; Story by Will Berson, Shaka King, Keith Lucas, and Kenny Lucas

Minari – Lee Isaac Chung

Promising Young Woman – Emerald Fennell

Sound of Metal – Screenplay by Darius Marder and Abraham Marder; Story by Darius Marder and Derek Cianfrance

The Trial of the Chicago 7 – Aaron Sorkin

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan – Screenplay by Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Dan Swimer, Peter Baynham, Erica Rivinoja, Dan Mazer, Jena Friedman, and Lee Kern; Story by Baron Cohen, Hines, Swimer, and Nina Pedrad; Based on the character Borat Sagdiyev by Baron Cohen

The Father – Christopher Hampton & Florian Zeller, based on the play by Zeller

Nomadland – Chloé Zhao, based on the book by Jessica Bruder

One Night in Miami... – Kemp Powers, based on his play

The White Tiger – Ramin Bahrani, based on the novel by Aravind Adiga

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM

Another Round (Denmark) in Danish – directed by Thomas Vinterberg

Better Days (Hong Kong) in Mandarin – directed by Derek Tsang

Collective (Romania) in Romanian – directed by Alexander Nanau

The Man Who Sold His Skin (Tunisia) in Arabic – directed by Kaouther Ben Hania

Quo Vadis, Aida? (Bosnia and Herzegovina) in Bosnian – directed by Jasmila Žbanić

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

Onward – Dan Scanlon and Kori Rae

Over the Moon – Glen Keane, Gennie Rin, and Peilin Chou

A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon – Richard Phelan, Will Becher, and Paul Kewley

Soul – Pete Docter and Dana Murray

Wolfwalkers – Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart, Paul Young, and Stéphan Roelants

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Collective – Alexander Nanau and Bianca Oana

Crip Camp – Nicole Newnham, Jim LeBrecht and Sara Bolder

The Mole Agent – Maite Alberdi and Marcela Santibáñez

My Octopus Teacher – Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed, and Craig Foster

Time – Garrett Bradley, Lauren Domino, and Kellen Quinn

BEST 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

BEST FILM EDITING

The Father – Yorgos Lamprinos

Nomadland – Chloé Zhao

Promising Young Woman – Frédéric Thoraval

Sound of Metal – Mikkel E.G. Nielsen

The Trial of the Chicago 7 – Alan Baumgarten

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

The Father – Production Design: Peter Francis; Set Decoration: Cathy Featherstone

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom – Production Design: Mark Ricker; Set Decoration: Karen O'Hara and Diana Sroughton

Mank – Production Design: Donald Graham Burt; Set Decoration: Jan Pascale

News of the World – Production Design: David Crank; Set Decoration: Elizabeth Keenan

Tenet – Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Kathy Lucas

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Emma – Alexandra Byrne

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – Ann Roth

Mank – Trish Summerville

Mulan – Bina Daigeler

Pinocchio – Massimo Cantini Parrini

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

Emma – Marese Langan, Laura Allen, and Claudia Stolze

Hillbilly Elegy – Eryn Krueger Mekash, Patricia Dehaney, and Matthew Mungle

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom – Matiki Anoff, Mia Neal, and Larry M. Cherry

Mank – Kimberley Spiteri, Gigi Williams

Pinocchio – Dalia Colli, Mark Coulier, and Francesco Pegoretti

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Love and Monsters – Matt Sloan, Genevieve Camailleri, Matt Everitt, and Brian Cox

The Midnight Sky – Matthew Kasmir, Christopher Lawren, Max Solomon, and David Watkins

Mulan – Sean Faden, Anders Langlands, Seth Maury, and Steven Ingram

The One and Only Ivan – Nick Davis, Greg Fisher, Ben Jones, and Santiago Colomo Martinez

Tenet – Andrew Jackson, David Lee, Andrew Lockley and

BEST 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

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

"Fight for You" from Judas and the Black Messiah – Music by H.E.R. and Dernst Emile II; Lyric by H.E.R. and Tiara Thomas

"Hear My Voice" from The Trial of the Chicago 7 – Music by Daniel Pemberton; Lyric by Daniel Pemberton and Celeste Waite

"Husavik" from Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga – Music and Lyric by Savan Kotecha, Fat Max Gsus, and Rickard Göransson

"Io Sì (Seen)" from The Life Ahead – Music by Diane Warren; Lyric by Diane Warren and Laura Pausini

"Speak Now" from One Night in Miami... – Music and Lyric by Leslie Odom Jr. and Sam Ashworth

BEST SOUND

Greyhound – Warren Shaw, Michael Minkler, Beau Borders, and David Wyman

Mank – Ren Klyce, Jeremy Molod, David Parker, Nathan Nance, and Drew Kunin

News of the World – Oliver Tarney, Mike Prestwood Smith, William Miller, and John Pritchett

Soul – Ren Klyce, Coya Elliot, and David Parker

Sound of Metal – Nicolas Becker, Jaime Baksht, Michelle Couttolenc, Carlos Cortes, and Philip Bladh

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

Feeling Through – Doug Roland and Susan Ruzenski

The Letter Room – Elvira Lind and Sofia Sondervan

The Present – Farah Nabulsi

Two Distant Strangers – Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe

White Eye – Tomer Shushan and Shira Hochman

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM

Burrow – Madeline Sharafian and Michael Capbarat

Genius Loci – Adrien Mérigeau and Amaury Ovise

If Anything Happens I Love You – Will McCormack and Michael Govier

Opera – Eric Oh

Yes-People – Gísli Darri Halldórsson and Arnar Gunnarsson

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT

Colette – Anthony Giacchino and Alice Doyard

A Concerto Is a Conversation – Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers

Do Not Split – Anders Hammer and Charlotte Cook

Hunger Ward – Skye Fitzgerald and Michael Shueuerman

A Love Song for Latasha – Sophia Nahali Allison and Janice Duncan

[buttherainbowhasabeard]

Promising Young Woman (2021)

*contains spoilers*

Revenge is a dish best served stone-cold sober…

Delightful and dimpled British star Carey Mulligan has had a successful career to date, playing alongside leading men such as Leonardo DiCaprio (‘The Great Gatsby’), Ryan Gosling (‘Drive’) and Michael Fassbender (‘Shame’). Despite not always being centre stage, many of Mulligan’s film choices have been eclectic in terms of genre, and it seems this winning combination of offbeat and orthodox have all led to her explosive lead role in the indie assault on the senses that is ‘Promising Young Woman’.

Carey is Cassandra Thomas, a 30-year-old whose promising career as a doctor went into a tailspin when she dropped out of medical school following the rape of her best friend Nina Fisher at the rough hands of their classmates. It’s implied that Nina – overwhelmed by what happened to her and the lack of support or investigative interference – committed suicide, and in the years since, Cassie has dedicated her life to avenging her friend’s death. Rather than continuing to try to take the claims up with police, Cassie turns unconventional vigilante and offers herself up as hot-mess boy bait, spending her nights fake falling-down drunk in bars and clubs to see and document how many men attempt to take advantage of her. Going so far – arguably stupidly so – as to let them take her home, Cassie abruptly reveals her sobriety to shock them into acknowledging and lamenting their predatory behaviour.

These scenes in particular are deliciously satisfying – that moment the self-proclaimed “nice guy” realises his unwilling date is more than aware of her surroundings and is going to confront him about them. The genius of these moments is in the power of Mulligan’s swift and drastic transformations. She doesn’t need to threaten or produce a weapon to take control, her stark sobriety is enough.

Making her feature filmmaking debut, director Emerald Fennell has had her fair share of femme fatale experience as head writer on Season 2 of TV’s addictive ‘Killing Eve’. Her love of strong, clever but chaotic women are all bundled into one with the creation of Cassie. She’s a Villanelle-esque sexy sociopath with a skewed moral compass, complimented by a noughties heavy soundtrack featuring a screechy orchestral remix of Britney Spears’ ‘Toxic’, a rom-com inspired routine to Paris Hilton’s ‘Stars Are Blind’, and DeathbyRomy’s cover of the Weather Girls’ ‘It’s Raining Men’.

‘Promising Young Woman’ could just as easily be called Privileged Young Men. With a narrative that draws on #MeToo, toxic masculinity and on campus rape culture and rituals, this is a film that is unapologetic about its subject matter and in your face about its opinions on it. There are not-so-subtle traces of trends that are played out in real life today, like dismissing women’s allegations to protect men’s reputations. Whilst Nina’s life was destroyed and her credibility doubted, male peers like perpetrator Al Monroe (Chris Lowell) and his sleazy friend Joe (Max Greenfield) were given glowing references, advanced to the top of their fields and became popular pillars of their communities, industries and social circles.

Although predictable for me, the eventual reveal of the one good man from Cassie’s past being complicit in Nina’s rape (her happy-to-take-it-slow boyfriend Ryan played by a charmingly goofy Bo Burnham), is a gasp out loud moment. Her world is once again shattered beyond repair when she realises the relationship that has made her happy for the first time in a long time was built on a lie (or to give him the benefit of the doubt, a very bad mistake). He is the first man she felt she could trust, be herself around, and fall in love with, but she discovers that underneath he was at worst, another one of the guys, and at best, an indefensible bystander.

You’d be forgiven for thinking ‘Promising Young Woman’ is all anti-men. Everything about it - on the surface and in the trailer - screams angry, bra burning feminist. However, it’s more nuanced than that and takes more of an anti-bad men, anti-bad women and anti-bad behaviour stance, as many of the movie’s female characters also have to confront the fact that their refusal or disinterest to speak up and call out abuse has enabled criminal conduct to set in, rot and spread. Cassie - an anti-hero herself - holds a grubby mirror up to the faces of the women from her college days with varying degrees of cunning and callousness, from feigning the abduction and pimping out of the University Dean Elizabeth Walker’s daughter, to tricking an inebriated former classmate (Alison Brie) into thinking she was unfaithful, or worse, sexually assaulted, in a hotel room.

Cassie’s methods are extreme and quite frankly mad, but her motives are steeped in an obsessive desire to do right by her friend and seek justice whatever the cost (the latter playing out in tragic but successful fashion in the finale). She is an intentionally entangled fly, luring spiders of all shapes and sizes to the centre of the web, daring them to do their worst. Most times she is well prepared, and even when it seems like she’s bitten off more than she can chew, another dose of vigorous vengeance is plunged in (even if it has to be done posthumously!)

Physically too, she’s a calculating chameleon. From pigtails, flowery blouses and flats for a girl-next-door look, to blow-job blotted lips, tight dresses and skyscraper stilettos to give off a late-night pick-up vibe, every element of her outfit is deliberate and devious. Dressed up in a wig the colour of a Rainbow Paddle Pop and sexy stripper nurse outfit in the film’s final act, Cassie is the literal sexual objectification of the promising young medical practitioner she could have been. Instead, she’s a practitioner of pain, turning Monroe’s bachelor party into her plastered patients.

Handcuffing Al to the bed upstairs, it looks like she’s reeled in her biggest fish to date. “It's every man's worst nightmare, getting accused of something like that,” Al cries, to which a deadpan Cassie replies “can guess what every woman's worst nightmare is?” But soon the tables turn when he breaks free, overpowers her and smothers her to death with a pillow. It’s a brutal and distressingly drawn-out scene, and it takes a while before it hits you that she really is dead and this is where her sad story ends. Joe and Al burn her body. It’s all over. Or so you think.

We cut to Al’s wedding, and as Juice Newton’s ‘Angel of the Morning’ plays, Ryan begins to receive scheduled texts from Cassie, taunting him from beyond the grave with a juicy contingency plan. Using Al’s ex-attorney Jordan Green (Alfred Molina) and his regret and grief over representing the wrong party to her advantage, Cassie had sent him incriminating evidence about Nina’s assault and her own demise in advance. “You didn't think this was the end, did you? It is now” the first texts read, as police sirens wail and officers emerge from the woods to arrest Al for murder. “Enjoy the wedding! Love, Cassie & Nina” the final messages say, followed by a perfectly placed winky face emoticon as Fletcher’s ‘Last Laugh’ cues the end credits. It’s a gratifying water cooler moment, bona fide badass yet bittersweet, but you’re still left wondering if it was all worth it.

‘Promising Young Woman’ could be cut from the same tortured heroine cloth as ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’, ‘Kill Bill’ and ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, with Nina and Cassie’s friendship rivalling ‘Thelma & Louise’. It covers a lot of taboo territories and topics, from slut shaming to consent and coercion, and evokes the harrowing Margaret Atwood quote “Men are afraid women will laugh at them. Women are afraid men will kill them”.

‘Promising Young Woman’ is not for the faint hearted, and anyone who fears the film may be triggering should stay well clear. It’s not always easy viewing and it’s not always fair, however it’s more than just a pitch-black comedy or clear-cut tale of rape-revenge. It’s a brave, bold and original satire with bite and brains.

4/5 stars.

[mylifeincinema]

My Best of 2020: My Top 10 Films!

It’s time! What a weird, shitty year 2020 was. But hey, at least we had some good movies to keep us from going completely crazy. A quick reminder that My Top 10 Films aren’t necessarily my list of the ‘best’, or ‘my favorite’, but a mix of the two, taking both sides of the A&E into equal consideration.

Before we dive into things, here are some Honorable Mentions, all of which came very close to breaking into the Top 10: Steve McQueen’s Lovers Rock; Kelly Reichardt’s First Cow; Christopher Landon’s Freaky; Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial of the Chicago 7; Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods; and Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man.

And finally, without further ado…

My Top 10 Films of 2020!!

10. Andrew Patterson’s The Vast of Night

This is a tight, simple, incredibly atmospheric sci-fi film. I loved almost every second, but especially Patterson’s choices throughout; from intimate long takes to sprawling tracking shots to jarring editing, he brings us into this quaint and quiet small town as if we were passers by stumbling onto these odd and eerie events right alongside these characters.

9. Armando Iannucci’s The Personal History of David Copperfield

Incredibly likable, and chock-full of some incredible production design and a fantastic cast bringing to life these wonderfully enjoyable characters. I do have some slight issues with the framing device, and how inconsistent and awkward it occasionally feels, but mostly this is a crowd-pleasing adaptation of a major piece of literature.

8. Autumn de Wilde’s Emma.

Anya Taylor-Joy is perfect. And while Autumn de Wilde’s direction occasionally stumbles late in the second act, she nails the bigger moments and delivers on the heart as effectively as the humor. This is also further proof that Bill Nighy should probably just be cast in everything. All-in-all, this is the best adaptation of Austen’s work I’ve come across, yet.

7. Spike Lee’s David Byrne’s American Utopia

A very small number of Lee’s choices didn’t quite work for me, but David Byrne is a creative genius, and above all else, this is very much Byrne being Byrne… which is to say, absolutely brilliant!

6. Christopher Nolan’s Tenet

Probably the most Christopher Nolan movie of all Christopher Nolan movies. Plotted to a fault, and requiring a fair majority of the dialogue to be straight exposition, this time-bending sci-fi thriller puts on bold display all of Nolan’s strengths as a director and strengths and weaknesses as a storyteller.

But as long as Nolan keeps f*cking with time, I’m on board.

I had a blast with this one, and was a cinema-going experience I needed, at the very moment I needed it.

5. Pete Docter’s Soul

Creative, poignant, beautifully animated and acted, and a whole bunch of other traits we’ve come to know and love from Pixar. Is this the best Pixar film we’ve been gifted? No. But is it the best Pixar film (and animated film, period) we’ve been gifted in 2020? Definitely.

4. Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman

What a powerhouse late season ace in the hole. Emerald Fennell turns in a debut as unpredictable and excitingly dark as it is assured and technically sharp. And Carey Mulligan is probably at her very, very best (well, maybe behind Shame?) and that’s saying A LOT! The needle drops are as bizarre as the writing is sharp. It explores its themes without ever resorting to whining about them. And it all has a vicious bite.

3. David Fincher’s Mank

An incredible piece of showbiz cinema. Mank is a celebration of the rebellion behind the creation of one of the very best pieces of cinema to ever come out of Hollywood, and an introspective glance at the destructive nature of alcoholism and ego. Fincher weaves together a fascinating character study that skewers the political and creative hypocrisy of 1930s Hollywood while simultaneously reveling in its subject’s own hypocritical air of moral superiority.

2. Max Barbakow’s Palm Springs

I instantly fell in love with this one. Samberg and Milioti are very well matched, and bring emotion to the film while never letting its humor fall flat. It has a ton of fun with the time-loop formula and never gets too repetitive or sloppy. And it has some amazing moments for the amazing J.K. Simmons… so there’s that, too.

And The Best Film of 2019 is…

1. Paul Greengrass’ News of the World

Tom Hanks is a powerhouse, and the writing paired with Paul Greengrass’ direction makes for an intensely human western. I’ve seen a lot of mixed reactions to this one, but for me, everything worked perfectly.

Thank you for reading…

Enjoy!

-Timothy Patrick Boyer.

More of My Best of 2020…

[lovemustruleusall]

Movie Recommendations

since quarantine started, I think I've watched more movies in the past three weeks than I have in the past 6 months. here are some of my favorites

The Lobster (2015)

dir: Yorgos Lanthimos

available on: Netflix

fascinating concept, executed well, beautifully shot and a gripping ending that i still sometimes think about. one of those movies i looked up what happened at the end because i wanted someone elses opinon. (aka, it’s up to interpretation).

Her (2013)

dir: Spike Jonze

available on: Netflix

one of my favorites I saw during quarantine. thoroughly engaging throughout regardless of it’s longer runtime. beautifully shot, edited and great performances by everyone involved.

Booksmart (2019)

dir: Olivia Wilde

available on: Hulu

this movie shocked me with how much I ended up enjoying it. i was nervous at first, especially about the likeability of the characters, but they got me at the end. If you are looking for an upbeat, feel good, and funny movie, this is it. 

Boy (2010)

dir: Taika Waititi

available on: amazon prime

my favorite movie ever made. Taika Waititi is a genius. he’s a master at mixing emotion with humor without it feeling like he’s trying too hard. beautifully shot and written, very underrated movie.

What We Do in the Shadows (2014)

dir: Taika Waititi/Jermaine Clement 

please watch this if you want to laugh. one of the funniest movies i’ve ever seen. i think we can all agree that peytr is the best character.

Submarine (2011)

dir:  Richard Ayoade

rewatching this movie during quarantine makes me remember why it was my favorite movie for so many years. it may be a coming of age story, but it's somehow so much more than others i’ve seen. plus, alex turner does the soundtrack. great film. love u Richard.

The Way Way Back (2013)

dir: Jim Rash/Nat Faxon

rewatched for the first time since 2013. Sam Rockwell’s character is easily the best even though he may be overly obnoxious at times. unfortunately, the main character is less likable than the supporting characters, but it is quite a lovable film. stars toni collette, allison janney, and steve carell too.

Nightcrawler (2014) 

dir: Dan Gilroy

available on: amazon prime

watched this days ago and still can’t decide on my feelings about it. gripping and deeply unsettling. Jake Gyllenhaal delivers (as usual).

Moonlight (2016)

dir: Barry Jenkins

available on: netflix

this movie is beautiful. from the way the story is told, shot, and acted, it's great. deserves all of the hype it received upon coming out. longer runtime, so be prepared.

Bo Burnham: Make Happy (2016)

dir: Bo Burnham, Christopher Storer

available on: netflix

this is a comedy special. since watching it when released, I haven’t stopped thinking about it. one of the smartest, most thought-provoking pieces of music I have ever listened to (just the last song, it has me fucked up to this day). 

Chronicle of a Summer (1961)

dir: Jean Rouch/Edgar Morin

watched for a class and was stunned by how much I was enamored with and intrigued by it. follows ethnographers asking the question, “are you happy?”. the whole movie is in French!

Skeleton Twins (2014)

dir: Craig Johnson

available on: Hulu

wanted to watch since i heard about it. shocked by Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig’s performances and the emotional storyline of the film overall. may seem like a backhanded compliment, but I was shocked by how good this film was.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)

dir: Taika Waititi

available on: hulu

if there’s any movie you should watch during this quarantine it’s any of Taika Waititi’s films. he delivers every time with a comedic, heartfelt, and unique story.

The Fundamentals of Caring (2016)

dir: Rob Burnett

available on: Netflix

i was pleasantly surprised by this movie. really great performance by Craig Roberts. i too would like to go on a week long roadtrip with Paul Rudd. i think i’ll pass on the part where he wipes my ass, though.

The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2020)

dir: Joe Talbot

available on: amazon prime

this movie isn’t really plot heavy, but it’s still beautifully done and facinating. found myself not really caring about parts of the plot when watching, i just enjoyed it. 

Frank (2014)

dir: Lenny Abrahamson

available on: YouTube (for free as of May 2020)

a weird movie, and i can’t say for sure if i am ashamed to have liked the last song they wrote on the spot. i think the character design of the helmet is enough of a reason to watch.

Trainspotting (1996)

dir: Danny Boyle

young ewan mcgregor was enough of a reason to get me to watch this movie. a look at drug use in young adult/adult culture in scotland during the 90′s. and it will always go down as the movie i remember that noel gallagher/oasis said no to the soundtrack to because he thought it was about literally train-spotting. another irvine welsh novel made into a movie (first was filth)

T2L Trainspotting (2017)

director: Danny Boyle

i didn’t realize there was a sequel when I watched the first and I wasn’t really expecting anything much from this. i don’t know if it’s just my love for ewan mcgregor, but I really liked this movie. the soundtrack is just as good as the first, too.

Paris is Burning (1990)

dir: Jennie Livingston

available on: netflix

one of my favorite pieces of film of all time, probably my favorite documentary out there. i think it’s probably one of the only things i’ve ever considered as ‘essential viewing’

Inside (2021)

dir: Bo Burnham

available on: netflix

one of my favorite things to come out of quarantine. I have missed bo and his content so much it was amazing to see him come back in such a raw and touching way. I've had the soundtrack on repeat for the past two weeks now, highly recommend.

Filth (2013)

dir: Jon S. Baird

honestly, one of the strangest movies I've ever seen, but I still enjoyed it. it’s quite crass, so be prepared for some rather vulgar and explicit content. plus, has james mcavoy, which is always a plus.

Cold Lasagne Hate Myself 1999 (2021)

dir: James Acaster

available on: Vimeo (for purchase)

another comedy special! besides “Make Happy” this is one of my favorite comedy specials I have ever seen. James is fucking fantastic and the two hour runtime somehow seems too short. 

Promising Young Woman (2021)

dir: Emerald Fennell

this one has had people conflicted. I enjoyed the movie (especially with the shock that bo burnham was in it, also, a great casting choice) and honestly.... quite enjoyed the ending. highly recommend, I was engaged throughout!

[vanessakirbyfans]

The six actresses also candidly discuss what outsiders get wrong about acting, juggling work and family and how #MeToo has changed the culture for the next generation: "We're getting all the bad stuff out of the way."

A fiesta grandmother. A persecuted jazz icon. A grieving mother. A sexual assault avenger. A pioneering scientist. A girlfriend scorned.

On a mid-December morning, six actresses behind some of the year's most dynamic performances came together for The Hollywood Reporter's Actress Roundtable: Hillbilly Elegy's Glenn Close, The United States vs. Billie Holiday's Andra Day, Pieces of a Woman's Vanessa Kirby, Promising Young Woman's Carey Mulligan, Ammonite's Kate Winslet and Malcolm & Marie's Zendaya. The group, who gathered via video conference from homes and sets in L.A., Montana, Atlanta and the U.K., discussed the business side of acting, their weirdest pandemic habits, the dangerous Hollywood misconception about creative genius — and the fact that "how women's voices are being received [is] the biggest thing that has shifted."

Let's dive in. What's the most surprising thing you learned about yourself during the pandemic?

VANESSA KIRBY I learned a lot about silence. I hadn't realized quite how much "doing" I was doing. Somehow I hadn't quite realized that, when you're still, it's just as present, you know what I mean? And I think it's taught me to do less. I don't think anything else would have taught me that in the way this year has done.

KATE WINSLET I became, and still am, actually, utterly obsessed with sweeping my kitchen floor. But down to the point where if there's just even dog hair, and our dog is a golden retriever, so it's blond hair, but I've got this microscopic vision where I can see the dog hair gathering in tiny little cracks, between the dishwasher and the sink, and I'll be like, "There's dog hair, somebody, quick, get me the broom." I've just become obsessed. And I didn't really care about things like that particularly before. Don't get me wrong, I like to run a nice home, but sweeping the kitchen floor? I mean, who cares about that? So I've become a bit strange about the kitchen floor.

ZENDAYA For me, it's that I never really got to know who I was without work. I've always been working. I started working when I was so young, and I've always just had a consistent thing happening in my life. I just had never spent that much time with myself. I was like, "What makes me happy? What do I like to do other than work? Do I have any hobbies?" I basically get to do my hobby for a living. So it's like, "What else do I even like?" Facing that was interesting for sure.

What is something people often get wrong about acting?

WINSLET I've been doing this job now for, I realize, 27 years or something. I can't quite believe that, but I do find myself getting almost agitated when I feel I have to explain just how hard the job truly is … I don't think people understand that preparation can take up to four, five, sometimes even six months depending on the kind of role you're playing. And also how absent, I think, you are from your family. Even if they might physically be with you — which, in my case is nine times out of 10, I'm fortunate that they are — but emotionally I know that I'm gone. I'm just not there, I'm not just Mummy, I'm not just Ned [Smith]'s wife ­— suddenly, I'm this other being. And I do find that part quite upsetting sometimes, and I wish I had more of a balance with that.

CAREY MULLIGAN There's a bit of an idea, and maybe more even within the industry, that to make something great, people have permission to behave badly, the idea of someone being a creative genius … that they are so inspired, there's a required level of darkness or unpleasantness that goes along with that, that you need to put up with. And I think people get away with bad behavior because of those reasons. In my experience, some of the most incredible people I've worked with have just been also the most delightful. So that's kind of a common misconception, that there are people who have to behave badly to psych themselves up at work, or that the process is just sort of utterly miserable. I think you can work really hard, but ultimately … the attitude on set should be one of warmth.

ZENDAYA It also is a business, which is something I've had to learn as a young person. Because often you get into it just because you love it, and you just want to be creative, and you just want to do the fun stuff, but it is also a business. There are contracts involved and a lot of things that don't necessarily contribute to the creativity or contribute to this idea of the freedom you think you'll have. I have been learning that as I grow up that there are bigger entities involved … money people … I often encourage young people who do want to do this to read your contracts, be aware, have those conversations, ask as many questions as you can, try to get advice from people, because it's easy to get stuck in a bad situation. And having that knowledge is really, really important.

GLENN CLOSE A lot of people think that anyone can do it. And of course, there have been documentaries and even some movies of people who are not trained as actors — I think that can happen in movies. I really take my craft seriously, and I think people don't know what they're talking about when they think that anyone could do it. I once had a brain surgeon who was the father of one of my daughter's middle school friends … He asked if he could come over and pick my brain about something. And so I said, "Sure," and he came over and he said, "I find being a brain surgeon depressing, I really want to be an actor."

WINSLET Oh my God.

CLOSE And it was all I could do to not throw him out of my house. He said, "But I have to make a living, so how do I do it?" It was astounding to me that he would have such an ignorant idea of what acting was. So I think, for longevity, it is a craft, and I take great pride. There's always something new to learn every day, but it is something that really does count. When you task yourself with becoming, looking through the eyes of another person and telling a story that will have emotional impact, that is craft.

Andra, how did you go about finding the voice of Billie Holiday?

ANDRA DAY Well, first she is very familiar to me just because she is my foremost musical inspiration. I worked with this amazing dialect coach, Thom Jones … Through the breath, that was a huge thing. I remember him always talking about, "Where it is coming from? How is she breathing?" And the emotional part of it as well, too. I look at Billie Holiday's voice as a scroll. And on her voice is written her entire history, every time she had been raped, every time she had been hit, every time she had victoriously sang "Strange Fruit," every time she smoked a cigarette and every time she slammed heroin or did a speedball. Everything is written onto her voice. It was also important for me not to do an impersonation. And that's something [director] Lee [Daniels] spoke to me about, too, we don't want to impersonate her, but sort of bring me through her. … I feel the same way about acting, that not everyone can do it. To be honest with you, I did not think that I could do it, and I'm still a little on the fence about it.

I don't think after seeing this film anyone will have any question about whether you can do it. Let's talk a bit about physical transformation for a character. Glenn, in Hillbilly Elegy, you're physically transformed. How did finding the look of that character help you?

CLOSE I began personally not wanting to be distracted by my own face. I wanted to have very subtle differences so that it was an experience, that you get into the full hair and makeup and costume, and there she is, because she's very different from who I was. But we started with a portrait of Mamaw and just the glasses, the hair, the ears, I changed my nose a little bit. And it was very, very finessed work to make it subtle enough that it wasn't me, but not so … I didn't want people to say, "Oh, there's Glenn Close with a really bad nose." That took a lot of wonderful collaboration coming up with that. We had video, we talked to members of her family who were incredibly generous in talking about her. And I asked just very specific questions: "How did she walk, how did she hold her cigarette? How did she sit? What did she wear?" which is basically what you see in the movie. She was very much a larger-than-life character. "What was her atmosphere when she came into a room?" I mean, all those kinds of things that just was a slow buildup [from] the moment you walk on for hair and makeup, and you feel that there she is.

MULLIGAN With Promising Young Woman, [director] Emerald [Fennell] is very intentional about building a world that felt very enticing. You wanted to build a film that you wanted to see, not something you needed to or should see. Part of the way that Emerald first presented the film to me was this Candyland environment that you're in and that Cassie lived in that in the way that she clothes herself. She's somebody who is very practiced at living with her rage and her sadness and her grief. She's figured out that hiding in plain sight and looking like someone who's functioning, people tend to leave her alone. It's very deliberate that she has candy-colored nails and blond hair. First of all, she looks very unthreatening, so no one would ever suspect that she's about to destroy a life, but also she's someone that you don't need to check on. You can leave her alone … Her main everyday look was just a way of saying, "I'm absolutely fine. You don't need to look at me because I'm just generic, and a girl, and you don't need to take me seriously." Because we so often trivialize the way girls and women clothe themselves. It was just a very easy way of putting up a boundary between her and the rest of the world.

WINSLET Everything about [Ammonite subject, paleontologist] Mary Anning is so, so held and so internalized. I had to learn how to do quite a lot of acting with my posture, or the back of head, or the backs of my hands, or just sometimes my eyeballs. I had to really find a different rhythm for myself, because I'm a very animated person … The longer that you do this, the more familiar audiences become with your mannerisms and how you are or how you sound. I just try to remove everything of myself, and there were days when I would think, "Well, did I do anything or did I just do nothing today?" And it would be really disconcerting, but just finding a completely quiet, physical stillness and heaviness to Mary came hand in hand with the costuming of her and the look of her and making her hair a little bit gray and having no makeup.

Vanessa, you have a harrowing, more than 20-minute childbirth sequence in your film. Can you talk about what that was like to shoot and how you prepared for that?

KIRBY It was kind of terrifying, because I haven't given birth or been pregnant before. We have seen so many deaths onscreen, we've rarely seen birth … I ended up writing to a lot of obstetricians asking if they'd let me come in and shadow them. One said yes, so I went to a hospital in North London and was on the labor ward for many days, which was quite unbelievable for me. I learned a lot from the midwives about what the whole birthing experience is like. One afternoon, my very last afternoon at hospital, one of the midwives came round and said, "Oh, a woman's just come in and she's 9 centimeters dilated. And I'm going to ask if she'd mind you watching." I just thought, "There's no way in hell she's ever going to agree to have some random person sit in and watch this really sacred moment of her life." But she did, she said yes, and so I got to sit with her and watch her go through six hours of … I mean, it was just probably the most profound afternoon of my life. I never, ever could have acted it without watching her, because I saw her go on this unbelievable journey, and I saw the animal in her take over. And it was only because of that, really, that I then felt like maybe I had a chance at attempting it. When we came to it … it was so physical and it was such a primal body thing. We did four takes the first day, two the second, and I think the fourth one is the one in the movie. It was a bit like doing a play, really, where once you're on, you're on, and you can't stop. And there was something magic about that, because you couldn't spend any time doubting yourself, you just have to do it.

Zendaya, when you were making Malcolm & Marie, it was really in the height of the pandemic. Can you talk about how working in that environment shaped how you worked and how the set functioned?

ZENDAYA Obviously, we wanted to do everything as safely as possible, so we created a bubble. I was putting my own money into it, as was everyone else. We were living in a hotel that was empty. It was just us, because everything was shut down. We were in the middle of Carmel, and we shot in this home that was in the middle of nowhere. We weren't allowed to leave for obvious reasons, and in that time of quarantining together, we were allowed the time to work on the material. When we got there, the script was only about 70 pages, and there wasn't a third act. Through that process of every day just being together, sometimes in a parking lot, just working through every moment and having these really long discussions about ourselves, our characters, relationships … Being able to have that time, that space with each other to figure it out, was really, really helpful. And really not having any other distraction, just being in it every single day.

We only had two actors, a very small, small crew. So we're all doing like four different jobs. I'm doing my hair and makeup and using some of my clothes, trying to remember my continuity because we don't have any ADs or scripties [script supervisors] or anything.

Vanessa, you've been shooting the Mission: Impossible sequel. Is there a lot of pressure to maintain safety on these big sets? How does it feel different?

KIRBY My sister's an AD. She started on a movie in the summer, so I kind of learned from her what the new parameters would be and how to navigate. And I was so hopeful when she went back, actually, because it was a funny feeling, I think, for everybody suddenly seeing cinemas closed. All the people that you love and you work with are unable to work in so many different capacities, including my sister. It gave me a lot of faith. But, I mean, you get used to it. There are obviously many guidelines, there are masks and lots of testing and things like that. But it gives me faith in the resilience, actually. And I feel like we will get through it — I can't wait for the day when cinemas are going to open again.

I was skeptical when the #MeToo movement began that there would be any kind of lasting change for women in Hollywood. But now we have more female directors, we have intimacy coordinators, Harvey Weinstein is in prison. Some things that I thought I would not see have come to pass. I'm curious, what has been the biggest change for you, personally, since the #MeToo movement started?

WINSLET The thing that is shifting in ways that will absolutely be long lasting is how women's voices are being received. There is a space that has been created for a younger generation that is going to be safe. My daughter is 20, and she just came into the industry about a year and a half ago. And what's wonderful for me, as her mum, is just watching her have a courage of conviction and self-belief that is just unwavering, because she's entering a time when we're clearing the shit away from them, these girls. These girls are going to change the world, and they're going to be strong, and they're going to be powerful, and they're going to be fucking amazing. And that is because we're getting all the bad stuff out of the way for them and all they will know is to use their voice in positive, powerful ways, to lead with compassion, to be strong role models and friends. And that, to me, is the biggest thing that has shifted.

This is the decade of women championing and supporting other women without judgment. This is happening right now, and that has come as a result of the mass united swell that has emerged from #MeToo. We've all come together, everyone is holding hands and walking in the same direction. And, for me, that is the single most exciting thing that is coming out of the awfulness of the past five years and those extraordinary women coming forward and sharing their painful, awful stories, and the horrendous Harvey Weinstein. The time now is about leading in a different way. Young women being able to lead with courage — in a way that I feel I certainly didn't have, that sense of courage and companionship with my peers, in a way that I think #MeToo has done for this generation of women.

This year, we saw the explosion of the Black Lives Matter movement globally. And at the time it happened, a lot of media companies were issuing statements, making large donations. Do you think there will be lasting changes from that movement as well? Three years from now, will we be talking the way we're talking now about #MeToo in terms of concrete things changing?

DAY My hope is yes. And I hope that it spawns lasting change that moves faster than it has moved in the past. I'm hoping that this is an uprooting of this idea of, "OK, pace yourself, we need to make sure we make people comfortable." That's really not how you achieve lasting change. We can't survive like this, we will not survive. It ends in what? Our destruction, it ends in war, it ends in just unrest.

That was one of the things even on set, there were a few moments that were really quite disturbing, for the cast and me. We were shooting a movie that takes place in the '40s and in the '50s. And there were moments on set that we realized, "Oh, wow, that has not changed." It may have transformed, it may look a little different, lynching looks different, but it's not changed. Truth is going to be a huge, huge, huge factor in seeing lasting change, and sustaining, and transforming, and changing a generation.

As Kate talked about, with the younger generation, I think they have such a need for transparency that will actually be very helpful. Part of doing the movie, the Billie Holiday story, was that the truth of her story had never been told, because the truth of her story was intentionally kept from the public. The respinning of narratives for people of color, or for marginalized people, or for women, has been a constant technique of oppression. And I think that's going to be hugely important moving forward: We have to pop the top off of these things. And we have to tell the truth about them, and understand the scope of certain groups of people, people of color, why the scope of their pain has been minimized or retold.

The retelling of these stories also has to do with telling the truth, some of the gritty, ugly truth about maybe some of our heroes. We have to say, "OK, this isn't for the purpose of destroying people, but we need to know these truths so we can actually move forward and not repeat them."

CLOSE I just have to say I'm sitting here and I'm so inspired by what everyone has been saying. It's quite overwhelming, it's so articulate and so beautiful what everyone has said.

WINSLET Well, we've got you to look up to, Glenn.

CLOSE I can't tell you, it's very moving to me to hear all this. I've been an actress for 46 years, and when I think of the change, the monumental changes that in my short time that I have witnessed, the expectation is going to be phenomenal when we finally can get back to doing what we are here to do. I think there's going to be an overwhelming amount of stories and new ways of telling stories.

What will you do differently in 2021?

MULLIGAN The first thing that came into my mind was that I'm going to go to the theater as much as I can, and the cinema. As soon as we can, I'm going to sit around people and watch something together with them. It just shocked me how much I missed that. I watched a medley of musical theater on television a couple of weeks ago, and it just made me cry. I just want to be a part of that. So it sounds quite trivial, but I think that is something I'm looking most forward to.

WINSLET You know, I never give time to myself at all, really, I don't. People will so often say to me, "Oh, you need to get a massage." And I think, "What? Don't got time for that." So actually, I just have enjoyed, quite honestly, just going really easy on myself. If I had a week where I think, "Oh, I've probably had too much toast. Oh, well." Or, "Oh, well, maybe I should do some more exercise. Oh, maybe I'll do that next week." I'm just kind of learning to go, "Oh, it doesn't matter." It doesn't matter. Life's too short, just enjoy this time, and it doesn't matter about all that crap. I think I'd like to hang on to a bit of that, actually. Because it's easy in this job to have to live by certain disciplines, whether it's just sleep patterns or times that you eat, for example. And actually just letting go of all of that has been really such a joy. Not enforcing any degree of sort of stress or structure on stuff. I've loved all that. So I hopefully I'll carry that on.

CLOSE I came here where I live now [Montana] because my three siblings are here, and I had spent my whole adult life away from them. And we're now in the same town. So, for me, work is so I can come back home. It's kind of changed things, it's not like I'm waiting at home until I go to work. It's really, really valuing the work, because it means that I'll be able to come home.

Interview edited for length and clarity.

[mariacallous]

93rd Academy Awards Nominations

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

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE Maria Bakalova, "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm" Glenn Close, "Hillbilly Elegy" Olivia Colman, "The Father" Amanda Seyfried, "Mank" Youn Yuh-jung, "Minari"

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"

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM "Another Round" - Denmark "Better Days" - Hong Kong "Collective" - Romania "The Man Who Sold His Skin" - Tunisia Qu Vadis, Aida? - Bosnia and Herzegovina

DOCUMENTARY (SHORT) "Colette" "A Concerto Is a Conversation" "Do Not Split" "Hunger Ward" "A Love Song For Latasha"

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE "Collective" "Crip Camp" "The Mole Agent" "My Octopus Teacher" "Time"

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

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM "Onward" "Over the Moon" "A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon" "Soul" "Wolfwalkers"

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY "Borat Subsequent MovieFilm" "The Father" "Nomadland" "One Night in Miami" "The White Tiger"

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

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"

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"

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

PRODUCTION DESIGN "The Father" "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" "Mank" "News of the World" "Tenet"

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

COSTUME DESIGN "Emma" "Ma Rainey's Blackbottom" "Mank" "Mulan" "Pinocchio"

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND "Greyhound" "Mank" "News of the World" "Soul" "Sound of Metal"

ANIMATED SHORT FILM "Burrow" "Genius Loci" "If Anything Happens I Love You" "Opera" "Yes-People"

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM "Feeling Through" "The Letter Room" "The Present" "Two Distant Strangers" "White Eye"

ORIGINAL SCORE "Da 5 Bloods" "Mank" "Minari" "News of the World" "Soul"

VISUAL EFFECTS "Love and Monsters" "The Midnight Sky" "Mulan" "The One and Only Ivan" "Tenet"

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

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING "Emma" "Hillbilly Elegy" "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" "Mank" "Pinocchio"

[ewanmitchellcrumbs]

I know I’m going to be back in here when Saltburn drops to ask for all sorts of headcanons about Michael Gavy ( Ewan’s character). I can see it coming a mile away 😩

a genius loser of a character who is absolutely pitiable but makes you want to avoid him ? Yeah GIVE IT TO ME 🤲🏻 emerald fennell *incoherent screaming* I have various fic requests in mind already 🤧🤧

He is going to be wearing glasses (I think? I'm sure I read that somewhere) - I will not be normal about it.