#i watched the Banshees of Inisherin for the first time the other night

[ladyjmontilyet]

I've said this on Twitter before and I'll say it here - this is GREAT!! However, not if you're a creative on disability. Because for someone like me the Disability Allowance is €220 a week. So because I am not capable of full-time employment I receive €105 less per week than people on the new arts scheme.

It's a good start in the right direction, but this isn't enough for either artists or those of us on other social welfare payments. €325 per week over a year is €16,900. Whereas €220 per week over a year is €11,440. Obviously, there's a lot I could do with an extra 5k a year. One of our registered charities states that: "Updating that to 2021 levels, the relative income poverty line is at €286.48 for a single adult in Ireland." So Ireland is keeping the majority of the country who are on social welfare payments purposefully under the poverty line. During the pandemic workers were able to receive €350 per week to support themselves. Both the artists' payment and the disability payment are below this.

Also, in our cities, where the majority of our artists are forced to work, €16,900 per year qualifies them for social housing as well (any solo income under 40k qualifies). Now, many of our social housing waiting lists are like 5-10 years long depending on the area, but it really speaks to me that even on the highest paid State welfare program they still don't expect you to be able to afford rent by yourself. Currently the cheapest rental accommodation in my city is €848 per month to live in someone's house extension. As a person on disability I would only have €32 left over if I tried to rent this, and someone on the artists' programme would have €452 left over (which, let me tell you, will not go far in Ireland with our current inflation).

I want to be happy about the artists' programme but it's just another example of how our TDs do not live in reality and don't know how much everything costs. 1 in 6 TDs are landlords and benefit from the housing crisis so I don't expect them to raise the limits on any social welfare programme to something livable. It's just so painful that there's no way out of this hole they've put us all in.

P.S. i completely missed that the arts payment is taxed and i'm not about to rewrite all that. that total €16,900? probably a lot less once it reaches your bank account.

“The Irish government is offering a €325 weekly basic income trial for artists which will last for three years. As part of the trial 2,000 artists will be randomly selected from all of the applicants. The government definition of artists is broad and covers any creative or interpretative expression, including: visual arts, theatre, literature, music, dance, opera, film, circus and architecture.

The trial hopes to minimise the loss of skill and experience from the arts sector whilst also recognising the value that artists contributes to society. In addition, the trial is aiming to prove that a basic income enables artists to focus on projects without their projects being impacted from the stress of needing to look for work in other sectors to sustain them. Artists who receive the payment are also free to obtain additional work if they please without affecting the payment, however the payment is taxed so additional work may change their tax rate…

The policy was announced by Ireland’s Minster for the Arts Catherine Martin who is a member of Ireland’s Green Party. The Green party are one of three parties in a coalition government in Ireland. When launching the policy Martin said,

“I believe that this scheme is the start of a fundamental change in the way Ireland supports and recognises her artists and arts community.”

Martin went on to say,

“This pilot scheme represents a groundbreaking opportunity for us to explore how the role of the artist in Irish society can be protected and nurtured so we can continue to be inspired by great art for generations to come.”” -via The Good News Hub, 4/30/22

[salvadorbonaparte]

2023 in Films

I watched way too many films this year. Here are my opinions on some of them

January

Las Cosas Del Querer (1989) - Amazing if you love sad hot people and flamenco

Canadian Bacon (1995) - Incredibly silly and Alan Alda plays the US president

Nope (2022) - A highlight of the year

February

Hellraiser (1987) - This film is actually about miscommunication in this essay I will-

Predestination (2014) - Time Travel and Gender Moments

Malignant (2021) - Camp horror masterwork

Late Phases (2014) - Mediocre werewolf film with some really interesting comments on ageism, ableism, suburbia and religion

March

Sterne (1959) - Plays into some problematic stereotypes from today's perspective but revolutionary for its time, first German film to address the Holocaust

Major League (1989) - A film I only watched to confirm that it uses a weird phrase I also found in my thesis project

Carry On Screaming (1966) - Camp. Gay. Horror. Parody.

Glen or Glenda (1953) - A product of its time and no longer up to date in its understanding of gender but surprisingly revolutionary in its compassion and earnestness despite the bad reviews

April

Taxi Driver (1976) - Isn't it frustrating when annoying people tell you a film is good and then it's actually good?

June

Mr Deeds Goes To Town (1936) - Mr Deeds has autism swag

El Espíritu de la Colmena (1973) - I really wanted to like this because civil war era Spain and Frankenstein are super up my alley but unfortunately it was so much slower than expected

Das Boot (1981) - Very long and claustrophobic but holds up to the hype

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022) - RIP King

July

Nimona (2023) - His big wet eyes bewitched me

First Blood (1982) - You're telling me the film is about Americans fighting an enemy they view as simultaneously weak and dangerous, escalating the situation, and then sending more and more men into a rainforest to die through guerilla warfare after being warned again and again they can't win this? sounds familiar

Barbie (2023) - Insert a bunch of pink emojis

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) - Made me crave bagels

Jojo Rabbit (2019) - God I love war satires

Sweet Liberty (1986) - Alan Alda having fun and also using his own film as a therapy session

The Majestic (2001) - A rewatch but it's so tragically underrated, Jim Carrey is very good in dramatic roles and McCarthy-era media is like catnip for me

Joker (2019) - This is just Taxi Driver with extra steps

August

Tin & Tina (2023) - Probably one of the worst films I have seen in a while

Battle of the Sexes (2017) - I love women

Four Lions (2010) - The ending really got me, I love when satire gets serious

The Sheriff and the Satellite Kid (1979) - Can we talk about how the theme song is just going "I'm the sheriff" "yes you're the sheriff"

Happiness (1998) - Nauseating but in a "good film but what the fuck" way

They Call Him Bulldozer (1978) - Italian Lagaan

The Talented Mr Ripley (1999) - Sad and Gay

Twister (1996) - So much better than expected

Magnolia (1999) - Cloudy with a chance of frogs, a really long but really good film and I'm not entirely sure I got it

Doubt (2008) - Somehow I watched 5 films with Philip Seymour Hoffman that month because I was haunted by his ghost or something

September

The Terminal (2004) - I assumed this to be more of a classic romcom but the whole concept (based on a true story) is so terrifying and tragic that it made me feel all emotions at once

Apocalypse Now (1979) - I knew a lot of trivia about the film but for some reason I didn't know anything about the cast so every single actor was a surprise and made me go "!!!", Also I kinda wanna write an essay about it

October

Bloodbath at the House of Death (1984) - Some of the gay jokes absolutely killed me

Last Night in Soho (2021) - I'm Not Like the Other Girls to Time Travel Murder Nightmare Pipeline, actually I really enjoyed this one but it's also super silly

The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) - How do you say poor little meow meow in gaeilge

The Menu (2022) - I go to the murder restaurant I order the beesechurger, I was super surprised there's no cannibalism but tbh that would have been low hanging fruit

The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021) - Explains a lot about religion in the US, I love that she was pro lgbt, also I googled her ex husband and he has a prepper/survivalist thing going on now and scams more people

The Darjeeling Limited (2007) - we can't eat pray love ourselves out of this one boys

Holes (2003) - Hated the book as a teenager for school reasons but gave the film a try and really enjoyed it

Renfield (2023) - I expected werewolves but I enjoyed it nevertheless, My Chemical Romance is on the soundtrack, it's very silly, the effects are great

Interview with the Vampire (1994) - Oh people weren't lying about it being homoerotic

The Big Lebowski (1998) - I've had days that feel like that

November

Pappa ante Portas (1991) - Funnier now that I'm an adult, basically half the jokes my mum makes are from this film

The Meg 2: The Trench (2023) - I watched this while sick and really wanted to see a giant shark fight a giant octopus and boy did it deliver

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) - Very nice animation style

JFK (1991) - I actually fell asleep halfway through because it's so long but can we talk about how this film is just A-listers but has some of the worst wigs and makeup I've seen

Bottoms (2023) - A spiritual sequel to Heathers

December

When Harry Met Sally (1989) - They deserve each other (derogatory) but that one restaurant scene was pretty funny

The Royal Nanny (2022) - one of the many Hallmark films my mum made me watch and this is perhaps the worst one, incredibly sexist even for a Hallmark film and they clearly mean Mi5 but say Mi7 which was a WW2 propaganda service? Also they really want me to believe there is a British prince called Colin and that he doesn't look like his family tree is a circle?

I forgot the title but there was also the one where two people get stuck in a time loop while trying to make a sponsored youtube video about baking and I didn't really pay attention much but man that was bad

[pebble-of-gold]

WOO 2023

Lets talk about my top 10 films that came out in 2022! I watched a lot of films last year!

1. Everything everywhere all at once

I could write essays on this movie but putting it simply I watched this film in theatres 5 times. There was nothing in this movie that dissapointed me. Its an incredible example of nihilism vs existentialism and I cried 3/5 times i saw it. I now own it on dvd.

2. Bullet train

Bullet train I saw ever so slightly less coming in at 4 cinema visits! Fantastic visuals and soundtrack. Wonderful casting and a fabulously written script! One of my favourite examples of a film that is just fun to watch. I'll be honest on the 3rd and 4th time I was a bit bored but theres not as much going on to rewatch as EEAAO.

3. Black panther: Wakanda forever

I started crying and I dont know if I stopped? An incredibly touching tribute to Chadwick Boseman and a heartbreaking reminder of who we've lost. I think this is the best marvel movie since endgame honestly.

4. The unbearable weight of massive talent

Nick Cage is unironically one of my favourite actors and him and pedro pascal have created an amazing piece of media here. It is so funny and thats all it needs to be! Its just 2 guys getting to know eachother. Fair enough theres some action and spy shit going on but with that removed it is just pure fun.

5. NOPE

A slightly controversial one I know, However, I will never get over the wacky inflatable arm tube men. Im not even joking. They are what made me want to see the film in the first place! No but an excellent example of terror vs fear and a perfect film to discuss questions like "how far should you go for the shot" and issues like exploitation of animals.

6. Three thousand years of longing.

First and foremost its Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba enough said. This movie is gorgeous. The cinematography is beautiful and the costumes the makeup the set design the props my word they did not dissapoint! The message of the film is largely isolation but also behind that theres a sense of love is eternal and how much would you do for love. I couldn't recommend this film more.

7. Matilda

Ok this one is the music and choreography for me. It's a fun film and i loce the set design for it. The costume for mrs wormwood is to die for and I want it all. Theres not a huge moral like the others on the list its a good example of what goes around comes around and good prevails. The camerawork is amazing too.

8. The Menu

Everyone in this film is an awful person EXCEPT Anya Taylor Joy's Character and I live for it. The pacing is wonderful, the camerawork again fantastic and the characterisation!!! There is so much tension and it keeps building until you reach the climax its a wonderful. I like to think the film is about anti capitalism and the death of creatives due to the preassure of critics.

9. The banshees of inisherin

My favourite type of media is where nothing happens but SO MUCH happens. (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead is a wonderful example of this) and Banshees is an amazing example of that. At its core its about loss and lobelyness. Plus It has a RELATIVELY ACCURATE autistic character and thats my favourite part.

10. Don't worry darling

DON'T BOO ME DON'T YOU DARE. OK I ENJOYED IT. SOMEONE HAD TO! HARRY'S ACTING WASN'T EVEN THAT BAD YES IT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER BUT THERE WAS SO MUCH SHIT GOING ON CAN YOU BLAME HIM! plus I was living for the drama of DWD and no it was not at all about feminism or the female orgasm but it was about control and it was a fantastic film to showcase that.

Honorable mentions go to:

Where the crawdads sing, Batman, The bad guys, Sing 2, violent night, JJK:0, Multiverse of madness.

Thor does not get an honorable mention and I will not see avatar 2 because I want it to flop.

[pumpkinspicedlesbian]

My favorite things - 2023

After keeping track of what I watched and read this year I thought it would be fun to look back and make some little lists.

BOOKS top 5

Uzumaki - Junji Ito

The Talented Mr Ripley - Patricia Highsmith

Lapvona - Otessa Moshfegh

The Boys From Brazil - Ira Levin

This Sweet Sickness - Patricia Highsmith

NEW MOVIES 2023 top 5

In the order I saw them, these are the releases from this year that stuck with me. Obviously this is only picked from the things that I saw.

Mag Ik Je Aanraken -Dir. Tamar van den Dop

Killers Of The Flower Moon - Dir. Martin Scorsese

Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person - Dir. Ariane Louis-Seize

Anatomy Of A Fall -Dir. Justine Triet

May December - Dir. Todd Haynes

OLD MOVIES 2023 top 15

Picked from all the other movies that I watched for the first time this year. These are the ones that really spoke to me and this is obviously highly subjective. Ordered by when I watched them.

Secretary (2002) - Dir. Steven Shainberg

In Fabric (2018) - Dir. Peter Strickland

Shiva Baby (2020) -Dir. Emma Seligman

The Banshees Of Inisherin (2022) - Dir. Martin McDonagh

The Duke Of Burgundy (2014) - Dir. Peter Strickland

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night (2014) - Dir. Ana Lily Amirpour

Carrie (1976) - Dir. Brian De Palma

The Wicker Man (1973) - Dir. Robin Hardy

Audition (1999) - Dir. Takashi Miike

Bound (1996) - Dir. Lilly Wachowski, Lana Wachowski

Spoorloos (1988) - Dir. George Sluizer

Housu (1997) - Dir. Nobuhiko Obayashi

Gebroken Spiegels (1984) - Dir. Marleen Gorris

Black Christmas (1974) -Dir. Bob Clark

Exotica (1994) - Dir. Atom Egoyan

Let me know what you think of my picks and feel free to follow me on Letterboxd (@deydemdee) or Bookworm (@regenworm) and tell me your fav books and movies or make your own list!

Happy 2024, may it be filled with wonderful art!

[dollsome-does-tumblr]

Movies & TV of 2022 List

Here’s my list of what I watched this year! I may have left some stuff out, especially in the TV department, because I’m not always good at remembering to add stuff to The List.

For movies, I put hearts next to the ones I watched for the first time and extra enjoyed! I also attempted to do it with TV, but then realized I enjoyed way too much stuff and it was pretty much pointless.

Movies of 2022 January 01. I Love You, Phillip Morris 02. Lady of the Manor 03. Red Notice 04. Bridget Jones’s Diary 05. Jurassic Park 06. Jurassic Park: The Lost World 07. Peter Rabbit 2 08. The Double 09. The Lost Daughter 10. #Alive 11. Before Sunset 12. Stage Beauty 13. Persuasion (2007) 14. Beauty and the Beast (2017) February 15. Falling for Fígaro 16. Nightmare Alley 17. Free Guy 18. I Want You Back 19. Austenland 20. Marry Me ♥ 21. Life After Beth 22. Shaun of the Dead 23. Warm Bodies March 24. The Tragedy of Macbeth ♥ 25. West Side Story (2021) 26. Silent Night ♥ 27. Then Came You 28. The Object of My Affection 29. Housebound April 30. Vacation Friends 31. The Lost City ♥ 32. Everything Everywhere All At Once ♥ 33. Baby Done ♥ 34. Something's Gotta Give 35. Don Jon 36. Ondine 37. The Crying Game ♥ 38. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent ♥ May 39. Sense and Sensibility ('95) 40. Fresh ♥ 41. Men ♥ June 42. Book of Love 43. Fire Island ♥ 44. Encanto 45. Jurassic World: Dominion ♥ 46. Good Luck To You, Leo Grande ♥ 47. Jurassic Park 48. Downton Abbey: A New Era July 49. Mr. Malcolm’s List ♥ 50. Persuasion (1995) 51. Lamb 52. Persuasion 2022 53. Cha Cha Real Smooth ♥ 54. The Sea Beast ♥ August 55. Nope ♥ 56. Not Okay 57. Spy 58. Runaway Bride 59. The Family Stone 60. Did You Hear About The Morgans? 61. Midsommar 62. Clerks 63. Dirty Dancing 64. E.T. ♥ 65. An Evening with Beverly Luff Lin September 66. Three Thousand Years of Longing ♥ 67. Vengeance 68. Zombie for Sale ♥ 69. Don’t Look Now October 70. Paddington 2 💕 71. The Valet 72. Catherine, Called Birdy ♥ 73. Significant Other 74. Addams Family Values 75. Crimson Peak 76. Practical Magic November 77. Enola Holmes 2 ♥ 78. See How They Run ♥ 79. Ever After 💙✨ 80. Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me 81. The Menu ♥ 82. The Wonder ♥ 83. Last Night in Soho ♥ 84. Weird: The Weird Al Yankovic Story ♥ 85. Disenchanted 86. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On ♥ December 87. Strange World ♥ 88. Bros 89. Amsterdam 90. The Banshees of Inisherin 91. Knives Out: Glass Onion ♥ 92. Klaus 93. It's A Wonderful Life 94. The Big Year 95. The Invitation TV of 2022 January Queer Eye, Season 6 Parks and Rec, Season 5 Emily in Paris, Season 1 Search Party, Season 5 Back to Life, Season 1 Wolf Like Me, Season 1 Emily in Paris, Season 2 Back to Life, Season 2 The Witcher, Season 2 Parks and Rec, Seasons 6-7 Yellowjackets, Season 1 February The Paradise, Season 1 Santa Clarita Diet, Season 1-3 The Book of Boba Fett, Season 1 Peacemaker, Season 1 Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl In The Window The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, Season 2 Around the World in 80 Days, Season 1 The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Season 3 The Paradise, Season 2 Ghosts, Season 3 March The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Season 4 Murderville, Season 1 Single Drunk Female, Season 1 OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH, SEASON 1 All Creatures Great and Small, Season 2 The Larkins, Season 1 Upload, Season 1 April Upload, Season 2 Killing Eve, Season 4 Flight of the Conchords, Season 1 Sanditon, Season 2 Flight of the Conchords, Season 2 Starstruck, Season 2 Wrecked, Season 1 You, Me, and Them, Season 1 Grace and Frankie, Season 7 May Lost, Season 1 Julia, Season 1 Lost, Season 2 Wrecked, Season 2-3 The Baby, Season 1 Killing It, Season 1 Stranger Things, Season 4-A June Good Trouble, Season 4-A Hacks, Season 2 Mr. Mayor, Season 2 Lost, Season 3 New Girl, full series (watched over past few months!) Gentleman Jack, season 2 July Lost, Season 4-5 Lost, Season 6 Agatha Raisin, Season 1-2 Anne With An E, Season 1-2 Minx, Season 1 August Girls5Eva, Season 2 The Orville, Season 2 Why Women Kill, Season 2 Schitt’s Creek, full series (over past few months) Anne With An E, Season 3 Never Have I Ever, Season 3 The Afterparty, Season 1 Another Period, Season 1-3 September Trying, Season 3 My So Called Life, Season 1 and only! Only Murders in the Building, Season 2 Superstore, Season 1-4 Darby and Joan, Season 1 October Lots of BBC Ghosts! Superstore, Season 5-6 Derry Girls, Season 3 Miracle Workers, Season 3 Wellington Paranormal, Season 4 House of the Dragon, Season 1 Los Espookys, Season 1-2 Mary Berry: Love to Cook, Season 1 Difficult People, Season 1-3 November Interview with the Vampire, Season 1 Physical, Season 1-2 Mammals, Season 1 Miss Scarlet and the Duke, Season 2 Broad City, Season 1-4 Mum, Season 1-2 December Down to Earth with Zac Efron, Season 2 Mum, Season 3 Wednesday, Season 1 Broad City, Season 5 Loot, Season 1 Around The World In 80 Days, Season 1 Avenue 5, Season 2 Our Flag Means Death, Season 1 30 Rock, Season 1

[covenofthearticulate]

Jumping on the tagging game train :) 

currently reading: i have 0 brain space for reading actual books, but I read plays for work and for fun! Currently re-reading Cambodian Rock Band since that’s the next show we’re doing at work, but outside of that I just started Lynn Nottage’s Sweat

last song listened to: Love from the Other Side by Fall Out Boy (don’t come for me okay we’re in a new golden era of pop punk, FOB’s new music is actually really good, and also I’m on an absolute high because I scored 4th row tickets to see them this summer)

also the first verse is lowkey serving daniel/armand vibes:

We were a hammer to the Statue of David We were a painting you could never frame and You were the sunshine Of my lifetime What would you trade the pain for?

last movie watched: Banshees of Inisherin! God bless Colin Farrell. 10/10.

currently working on: again, too many things and also I don’t want to jinx it in case I get writer’s block and never publish!!! I’m a few thousand words into a Louis/Armand/Lestat threesome piece that’s been fun, and in writing that I got inspo for like 2 additional pieces as well asdfagfhsedgjr (that’s the problem/blessing with threesomes, there’s so much potential for so many different configurations, it’s hard to focus on just one!)

I have bullet point plot notes for more of a silly smutty Loustat Valentine thing, but I doubt I’ll be able to get it done by then lmao so who knows!

Also once I get all the filth out of my system I do want to revisit a little plot bunny that came to me in an rp thread, about Bath Time at Rue Royale when Claudia was a legit child, so I hope I can get to that eventually as well bc i really miss Dad!Louis lmao he’s so sweet!!!!

Mostly though, I prioritize writing on my rp account. RP has been my most consistent hobby for over 10 years now— there’s rarely a night that goes by where I don’t write either for Louis, or on my other rp account. I don’t count that writing as a WIP, but idk, I’m always up here on my soapbox to remind fandom that there are other forms of creative writing that don’t necessarily make it to ao3 lmao! 

tagged by: @hekateinhell tagging: i feel like i’ve seen just about all my mutuals hop on this! if you haven’t yet, do it and say i tagged you :)

[winecupwars]

progress report: it's 2023!!!

happy new year!!

it's nine days into the new year and already two big things have happened:

i broke up with my girlfriend, because she's the kind of downer that drags you down even when you're trying to uplift them, and i don't have the energy to deal with that shit all the time

my 15 year old dog died :( which we were bracing ourselves for, since she has been in pain for a while now due to the tumor on her neck and a multitude of other issues. i miss her so much. she was our first inside dog and we spoiled her just like you'll spoil the youngest baby of the family. here she is, enjoying the sun:

listened. in preparation for their upcoming album, i decided to listen to paramore's "after laughter" (2017) in full for the first time in my life. i don't know why it's taken me this long to listen to it - i was obssessed with "hard times" when it came out - but the whole album is good! the energy and vibes from the first song flows through each song, making everything sound cohesive. i think, though, that i would have enjoyed and appreciated this much more if i had listened to it when it came out in 2017; that's when i was just starting therapy and taking medication for depression (which turned out to be bipolar disorder lmao). my favorite song has got to be "rose-colored boy" by a mile

watched. i've seen two movies already! "banshees of inisherin" (2022) and "deleter" (2022)

banshees of inisherin - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ i fully enjoyed every minute. it's laugh-out-loud funny, quietly sad, very bleak. this is a movie about two very repressed irish men in 1923 and the one-sided fracture of their friendship. i sympathize with pádraic because the end of friendship always hurts especially when it's so abrupt, but to be honest i related more to colm because if someone i broke it off with kept bothering me like pádraic kept bothering him, i'll also [SPOILERS] cut off all my fingers and throw them at their door. please watch this!!

deleter - ⭐⭐⭐ i just keep thinking of what this movie could have been. the potential that it had!! there is already horror inherent in lyra's content moderation job - having to watch violent and disturbing imagery for eight hours a night, decide which ones are too much and should be deleted, which ones should be let slide; the subsequent desenzitation to such things; the dehumanization of that line of work - and the movie could have shown that horror without resorting to your typical ghost revenge story. also there were elements that weren't really needed and just added bloat to the movie, like jace's character, lyra's "missing" mom, the rape scene. all that being said, i did like it. there was just so much that it could have done different to be a better movie. nadine lustre, as always, was amazing though. deserved the best actress win :)

misc. people always say, "run free!" to their dead dogs in their social media posts, but that doesn't apply to my bubba, because she never ran. she charged, she trotted, she sauntered. she walked leisurely. but she never ran. so walk free, my bubba. i will love you forever!!!

[bsaka7]

top 5 movies from your favourite genre! (for sleepover saturday)

omg thank u... i actually don't really like movies/can't sit through them so i haven't seen that many.... idk what my fav genre would be? drama maybe??? Honestly I'm just going to give you my top5 movies.... With the exception of Banshees I've seen them all at least twice? Which is big for me!

Star Wars: A New Hope - a classic... I've seen it so many times. I love the original trilogy so much and to me, the first is just.... Everything. And I'm in love with Princess Leia.

Inside Llewyn Davis - this is just a classic for me. I love the music in it, I love a movie that goes in circles. It's got a cat. Oscar Isaac is very good. I imagine I would like other Coen brothers films but I haven't seen them...

Banshees of Inisherin - okay new pick but I saw this over the holidays and the acting is incredible and it made me so so so sad....very few movies that make me go holy shit... How we're remembered and niceness and ugh...

Big Eden - objectively I'm not sure that this is a good movie. However it is so so so sweet and has some of the most beautiful landscape shots I've ever seen. There's this line "I just want things to be nice for him" that gets me every time

Night at the Museum - idk I'm kind of running out of movies I like here but this was one me and my brother watched obsessively as kids, I like Ben Stiller (and especially Owen Wilson)... Rlly just captured my imagination. Consider this as tied with Cars tho.

[tocinephile]

The Morning After - Golden Globes 2023 Edition (and do award shows matter anymore - updated reckonings)

(Yes I do recall when "The Morning After" posts actually came the morning after an awards show, this isn't one of those times. All content composed Jan 11th and editing completed Jan 12th)

After a year of canceled broadcasts and celebrity boycotts amidst controversy regarding diversity and representation, the Golden Globes returned last night for their 80th award show. Perhaps not intentional, but these awards felt slightly subdued compared to past fanfare (or is it just that there weren't many red carpet pre-shows?) They were hosted by comedian Jarrod Carmichael, who was quick to point out why he got the job (he is a black gay artist), however his style of humour lacked the zip typically displayed by award show hosts to keep the show energized.

While I seem to be suffering from a lack of appreciation for Austin Butler's turn as Elvis Presley (he's good, I just didn't connect with the movie overall) there were no major upsets or surprises through the night. I do wonder if Wednesday might do better at the SAGs though, just from actors' appreciation of each other, and later voting cut-off dates. The series did hit Netflix a little late in the year.

Could The Fablemans winning the top prize be the start of a runaway train to the Oscars? If nothing else it would provide a series of always eloquent acceptance speeches from Spielberg that I'm on board for, even if consensus might indicate it's not be his finest work (I quite liked it)

Speaking of acceptance speeches, Ryan Murphy, this year's recipient of the Carol Burnett award for achievement in television, prepared a calculated but important message spotlighting LGBTQ+ trailblazing talents. I say "calculated" only in that Murphy doesn't ever seem to do anything without first weighing out its relevance, importance, and how to best maximize its effect. In this instance I'm glad he's done it.

And lastly, how much gravitas do awards show still hold? Last time you wanted to find out if a film was any good, did you look for a list of nominations and awards? Or did you open your Letterboxd app, or go to Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB? Perhaps an Oscar, but overall I give little consideration to how many Globes a movie has picked up before pressing play.

Enough preamble though, let's look at these winners:

Best Picture, Drama

“Avatar: The Way of Water” (20th Century Studios)

“Elvis” (Warner Bros.)

“The Fabelmans” (Universal Pictures) (WINNER)

“Tár” (Focus Features)

“Top Gun: Maverick” (Paramount Pictures)

The globes have historically been an early indicator of who will take home the Best Picture Oscar, but increasingly inaccurate in recent years. This year's drama list seems primarily composed of crowd pleasers save for Tar (terrific but not nearly as accessible), with no clear frontrunners at this stage.

Best Picture, Musical or Comedy

“Babylon” (Paramount Pictures)

“The Banshees of Inisherin” (Searchlight Pictures) (WINNER)

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24)

“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” (Netflix)

“Triangle of Sadness” (Neon)

If the dramas are crowd pleasers than the Musical/Comedy offerings seem rather not-on-my-wavelength. Everything Everywhere and Glass Onion were fun, Babylon was unconvincing, The Banshees of Inisherin original but not mindblowing, and I've resisted seeing Triangle of Sadness (I do plan to watch it soon. I'm in the minority, but I don't find Ruben Ostlund's work very palatable.) Overall Banshees was the outcome I expected.

Best Director, Motion Picture

James Cameron (“Avatar: The Way of Water”)

Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”)

Baz Luhrmann (“Elvis”)

Martin McDonagh (“The Banshees of Inisherin”)

Steven Spielberg (“The Fabelmans”) (WINNER)

Spielberg's a master but I would have picked Martin McDonagh or the Daniels for this category. Luhrmann's nomination I have minor objections to, HE could have made the film better... but didn't.

Best Screenplay, Motion Picture

“Tár” (Focus Features) — Todd Field

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24) — Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert

“The Banshees of Inisherin” (Searchlight Pictures) — Martin McDonagh (WINNER)

“Women Talking” (MGM/United Artists Releasing) — Sarah Polley

“The Fabelmans” (Universal Pictures) — Steven Spielberg, Tony Kushner

What a wonderfully stacked category! I'd want to read any of these any day.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama

Austin Butler (“Elvis”) (WINNER)

Brendan Fraser (“The Whale”)

Hugh Jackman (“The Son”)

Bill Nighy (“Living”)

Jeremy Pope (“The Inspection”)

It's not that I didn't detect greatness in Austin Butler's performance, but I had found the pacing in Elvis uneven, and I harbour a certain amount of disinterest in Elvis Presley the person. With Brendan Fraser's boycott of the HFPA, it came as no surprise that he didn't win. Jeremy Pope is the underdog here, again I didn't love The Inspection but his portrayal was very compelling.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama

Cate Blanchett (“Tár”) (WINNER)

Olivia Colman (“Empire of Light”) 

Viola Davis (“The Woman King”) 

Ana de Armas (“Blonde”) 

Michelle Williams (“The Fabelmans”)

Tar is not the easiest film to watch, but rewarding if you make it through. I haven't seen The Woman King, and resisted watching Blonde (life is short, I shouldn't have to keep watching films about icons that I don't particularly like lol) Michelle Williams is an obvious choice, Olivia Colman is understated and lovely (just like she is!), but Cate Blanchett is unbeatable.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy

Lesley Manville (“Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris”) 

Margot Robbie (“Babylon”) 

Anya Taylor-Joy (“The Menu”) 

Emma Thompson (“Good Luck to You, Leo Grande”) 

Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) (WINNER)

We all know I would have rioted if Michelle Yeoh hadn't won right? I saw a few remarks online lamenting how Hollywood has reduced her to a comedic actress when she's a powerhouse across all genres and one of the greatest martial arts talents in the business. She is all of these things yes, but as she and other fellow winners mentioned, it's about not getting the opportunities and so for her to finally get a smidge of the recognition she deserves is already a giant step forward. In case anyone needs reminding, Michelle Yeoh was one of the leads in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (nominated for 10 Academy Awards including Best Picture, of which they won 4)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy

Diego Calva (“Babylon”) 

Daniel Craig (“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”)

Adam Driver (“White Noise”) 

Colin Farrell (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) (WINNER)

Ralph Fiennes (“The Menu”) 

Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture

Brendan Gleeson (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 

Barry Keoghan (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 

Brad Pitt (“Babylon”)

Ke Huy Quan (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) WINNER

Eddie Redmayne (“The Good Nurse”)

Was there anything more satisfying than seeing Ke Huy Quan win his award and to hear him speak about quitting acting and questioning whether his past success was really the result of for his ability or just luck. It's been such a journey that led him to this win (on the same night as his Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom director Steven Spielberg! Aww...)

Best Supporting Actress, Motion Picture

Angela Bassett (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”) WINNER

Kerry Condon (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 

Jamie Lee Curtis (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) 

Dolly De Leon (“Triangle of Sadness”)

Carey Mulligan (“She Said”)

Best Television Series, Drama

“Better Call Saul” (AMC) 

“The Crown” (Netflix) 

“House of the Dragon” (HBO) (WINNER)

“Ozark” (Netflix) 

“Severance” (Apple TV+) 

I'm very lacking in my knowledge of the Television nominees but I find it hard to believe anyone would think House of the Dragon was the best of anything. While I enjoyed it fine, a large chunk of it was just fan service and lacked originality.

Best Television Series, Musical or Comedy

“Abbott Elementary” (ABC) (WINNER)

“The Bear” (FX)

“Hacks” (HBO Max)

“Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu) 

“Wednesday” (Netflix) 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Drama

Jeff Bridges (“The Old Man”) 

Kevin Costner (“Yellowstone”) (WINNER)

Diego Luna (“Andor”)

Bob Odenkirk (“Better Call Saul”)

Adam Scott (“Severance”)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Drama

Emma D’Arcy (“House of the Dragon”) 

Laura Linney (“Ozark”) 

Imelda Staunton (“The Crown”)

Hilary Swank (“Alaska Daily”)

Zendaya (“Euphoria”) (WINNER)

I've never seen Eurphoria (in fact I don't know anything about it) but Zendaya is transformative in almost everything she does. She's a star, but I'm still surprised she not an even bigger star.

Best Actress in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy

Quinta Brunson (“Abbott Elementary”) (WINNER)

Kaley Cuoco (“The Flight Attendant”) 

Selena Gomez (“Only Murders in the Building”) 

Jenna Ortega (“Wednesday”) 

Jean Smart (“Hacks”) 

Best Actor in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy

Donald Glover (“Atlanta”) 

Bill Hader (“Barry”) 

Steve Martin (“Only Murders in the Building”) 

Martin Short (“Only Murders in the Building”) 

Jeremy Allen White (“The Bear”) (WINNER)

Best Supporting Actor, Television

John Lithgow (“The Old Man”) 

Jonathan Pryce (“The Crown”) 

John Turturro (“Severance”) 

Tyler James Williams (“Abbott Elementary”) WINNER

Henry Winkler (“Barry”)

Best Supporting Actress, Television

Elizabeth Debicki (“The Crown”) 

Hannah Einbinder (“Hacks”) 

Julia Garner (“Ozark”) (WINNER)

Janelle James (“Abbott Elementary”) 

Sheryl Lee Ralph (“Abbott Elementary”)

Best Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture made for Television

“Black Bird” (Apple TV+) 

“Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” (Netflix) 

“The Dropout” (Hulu) 

“Pam & Tommy” (Hulu) 

“The White Lotus” (HBO) (WINNER)

Best Performance by an Actor, Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture made for Television

Taron Egerton (“Black Bird”) 

Colin Firth (“The Staircase”) 

Andrew Garfield (“Under the Banner of Heaven”) 

Evan Peters (“Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”) (WINNER)

Sebastian Stan (“Pam & Tommy”) 

Best Performance by an Actress, Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture made for Television

Jessica Chastain (“George and Tammy”) 

Julia Garner (“Inventing Anna”) 

Lily James (“Pam & Tommy”) 

Julia Roberts (“Gaslit”) 

Amanda Seyfried (“The Dropout”) (WINNER)

Best Performance by an Actress in Supporting Role, Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture made for Television

Jennifer Coolidge (“The White Lotus”) (WINNER)

Claire Danes (“Fleishman Is in Trouble”) 

Daisy Edgar-Jones (“Under the Banner of Heaven”) 

Niecy Nash-Betts (“Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”) 

Aubrey Plaza (“The White Lotus”) 

I need to watch The White Lotus, not just for Jennifer Coolidge - though I would listen to her interpret the phone book.

Best Performance by an Actor in Supporting Role, Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture made for Television

F. Murray Abraham (“The White Lotus”) 

Domhnall Gleeson (“The Patient”) 

Paul Walter Hauser (“Black Bird”) (WINNER)

Richard Jenkins (“Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”) 

Seth Rogen (“Pam & Tommy”) 

Best Original Score, Motion Picture

“The Banshees of Inisherin” (Searchlight Pictures) — Carter Burwell

“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” (Netflix) — Alexandre Desplat 

“Women Talking” (MGM/United Artists Releasing) — Hildur Guðnadóttir 

“Babylon” (Paramount Pictures) — Justin Hurwitz (WINNER)

“The Fabelmans” (Universal Pictures) — John Williams  

What a great list of nominees in this category! I think Tar deserves an honourable mention here as well. I'm a big fan of Justin Hurwitz's work (First Man is still my favourite).

Best Picture, Non-English Language

“All Quiet on the Western Front” (Germany) 

“Argentina, 1985” (Argentina) (WINNER)

“Close” (Belgium) 

“Decision to Leave” (South Korea) 

“RRR” (India) 

Well this is embarassing, Argentina, 1985 is the only film on this list I'm not familiar with. Time to educate myself...

Best Original Song, Motion Picture

“Carolina” from “Where the Crawdads Sing” (Sony Pictures) — Taylor Swift 

“Ciao Papa” from “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” (Netflix) — Alexandre Desplat, Roeban Katz, Guillermo del Toro 

“Hold My Hand” from “Top Gun: Maverick” (Paramount Pictures) — Lady Gaga, BloodPop, Benjamin Rice

“Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (Marvel Studios) — Tems, Ludwig Göransson, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler 

“Naatu Naatu” from “RRR” (Variance Films) — Kala Bhairava, M. M. Keeravani, Rahul Sipligunj (WINNER)

How cool was it that Naatu Naatu (which I've not heard in its entirely but sounds like a fun lively tune) beat out Taylor Swift and others to win this category.

Best Motion Picture, Animated

“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” (Netflix) (WINNER)

“Inu-Oh” (GKIDS) 

“Marcel the Shell With Shoes On” (A24) 

“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” (DreamWorks Animation) 

“Turning Red” (Pixar) 

^^ Turning Red got a nomination :) That's something.

Some upcoming awards show include The Critic's Choice Awards on January 15th, BAFTAs on February 19th, The Screen Actor's Guild Awards airing February 26th, and of course the Oscars on March 12th.

[mygreatadventurehasbegun]

It’s Oscar Night tonight!

I was able to catch up a bit on some of the nominated movies, but sadly didn’t get to check them all off the list (which is kind of ok, because I have no desire to see Avatar, Top Gun or Blonde).

Anyway...here’s my personal ranking of the Best Picture nominees, from best to worst (for me personally).

1. Everything Everywhere All at Once

2. Women Talking

3. All Quiet on the Western Front

4. The Fablemens

5. Tar

6. Elvis

7. Banshees of Inisherin

I really wanted to like Banshees, but honestly...I was so bored.  I may like it more if I watch it a second time, but it felt longer than it’s 1 hour 54 minute runtime. While I didn’t particularly like Elvis, the amount of spectacle at least kept me engaged, and I could be impressed by Austin Butler’s singing. 

For me, Women Talking is the most underrated movie of the year.  I really wish it had gotten more recognition...particularly in score, director and the acting categories...but it’s pretty much a lock to win Best Adapted Screenplay, and rightly so.

Best Supporting Actor

I think this is the only 100% lock in the acting categories tonight.  While Ke Huy Quan didn’t sweep (thanks BAFTA’s...seriously?), he’s been nominated and winning pretty much everything, so I can’t wait to hear his speech, because he’s probably going to make me cry.

Best Supporting Actress

This is probably the toughest one of the night...I honestly don’t know who is going to win.  *And I love that we have an honest-to-God race in three of these categories*  Angela Bassett won the Globe and Critic’s Choice, Kerry Condon won the BAFTA, and Jamie Lee Curtis won the SAG.  It’s really anyone’s guess at this point.  Angela Bassett is probably the least likely of the three, because she lost the momentum she had at the start of awards season.  Some people think Kerry Condon is going to win because of the BAFTA (it’s apparently a better predictor), but actors really like Jamie Lee Curtis and they do make up a large portion of voters.  What I would love to see happen (it’s not going to, but I’d love it), is for those three to split the votes and the award ends up going to Stephanie Hsu, who I believe gave the Best Supporting Actress performance this year...she’s who I would vote for.  Gold Derby is predicting Kerry Condon, but we’ll see...it’s funny, because if they had campaigned Michelle Williams in Supporting instead of Lead Actress, she’d be winning this year.

Best Actor

This is another tight race!  If you go on Gold Derby, you’ll see that Brendon Fraser is behind Austin Butler by about 70 votes (in terms of who is ranked first or second in likelihood to win) so I feel like it’s too close to call.  Austin Butler won the Golden Globe and the BAFTA, while Brendon Fraser won the Critic’s Choice and the SAG...it’s really anyone’s guess which way it’ll go...I wish I had been able to see The Whale before tonight so I could at least have an opinion on who I’d like to win, based on performance!  I kind of want Brendan Fraser to win...but Austin Butler did give a very strong performance, so it would definitely be a deserved win if he does.

Best Actress

Cate Blancett?  Michelle Yeoh?  Another tight race...though I do think the winds have shifted a bit in Michelle Yeoh’s favor (I HOPE BECAUSE I REALLY WANT HER TO WIN).  Did Cate Blanchett give the best performance of her career?  Probably...and in any other year, I’d want her to win her third Oscar...but Michelle Yeoh’s performance 100% deserves that award.  I am totally here for an EEAAO sweep.

We shall see how the night goes!!!

[girltomboy]

End of the year answers

Song of the year?

Track 10 by Christine and the Queens has been the soundtrack of many moments this year

2. Album of the year?

None other than Paranoia Angels True Love

3. Favorite musical artist / group you started listening to this year?

A friend got me into Mon Laferte and she became one of my top artists in just a month

4. Movie of the year?

It wasn't released this year but my bf and I discovered The Medium and it's definitely the best movie I've watched all year (Banshees of Inisherin is a close candidate)

5. TV show of the year?

I actually have a top 3 for this question; number three would be Yellowjackets, I would've put it on two if the second season had been at least as good as the first one, but they fumbled it. Number two is Severance, so the creators of that show had better sorted their shit out by now because that show is meant to BE, fr. Number one is Succession because it was just deluxe on all levels: writing, acting, score, production, just great. And a finale that sunk the earth beneath my feet.

6. Episode of tv or webisode that defined the year for you?

Ouuu I wouldn't say it defined the year, but I remember being very impressed with Flight of the Bumblebee/Yellowjackets.

7. Favorite actor of the year?

Sarah Snook 100%

8. Game of the year?

I haven't played many new games this year, but I managed to finish A Little To The Left and it was a highly satisfying experience (and that soundtrack DAMN)

9. Best month for you this year?

I think March was a very fun month, so many cute moments with my bf and friends, nice weather, the feeling of revival was overwhelming.

10. Something that made you cry this year?

To be honest I didn't cry much this year, not as much as in other years at least. Missing my best friend was probably a consistent reason for crying. Even at the beach I was emotional and in need of her presence.

11. Something you want to do again next year?

Meet my best friend :) this time I have a gift for her too. And I wanna knit her a little alien. I want to spend more time with her, this time just us and more than an afternoon. Maybe have a little weekend getaway somewhere, like my bf and I did for our first anniversary.

12. Talk about a new friend you made this year

Not a particular friend per se, but my manager has been working very hard and consistently on bringing us closer as a team; she's been making these groups and stuff, trying to make us befriend each other more, making the dynamic of our work team more informal. I really appreciate that, it's been so fun connecting with my coworkers and discovering their personalities. They're so likable in their own unique ways and my lovely Aquarius manager has been amazing at uniting us a lot more this year.

13. How was your birthday this year?

My boyfriend RAN to the store a couple minutes before midnight (cause we'd been out all day and then napped, and he didn't have time to stock up in advance) and bought me a mini cake which he stabbed with a lit up joint so I could have a candle to make a birthday wish 💀 it was so funny and sweet and it made me so happy. And he got me a piggy plushie I had seen in a store window and pointed out to him just DAYS before my birthday (the day before we passed by that store again and it was gone; I didn't say anything but it DID get me thinking) and now I squeeze it against my chest at night. And we went to the mall and looked around the toy store, and ate ice cream by the lake. It was really lovely and I was straight up glowing

14. Favorite book you read this year?

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, I practically devoured that book

15. What’s a bad habit you picked up this year?

Umm smoking cigarettes in social circumstances? I mean it's by no means a new habit, but this year it's gotten worse because my work bestie has been getting me out of the house plenty! I've given it back up easily cause it was so poisonous, but that's cause I've been away from smokers in general for some time. I need to get back into chewing a ton of gum. I need to become gum girl again

16. Post a picture from the beginning of the year

17. Post a picture from the end of the year

18. A memorable meal this year?

Gawd damn my friend cooked for us one time in April, and he made mashed potatoes with meatballs and sauce. It was all so damn good, it tasted like cartoon food. It tasted like the word "food". I kinda miss his cooked food, I'm not gonna lie. My stuff comes out so dry and sad, and his stuff is always so rich and filling.

19. What’re you excited about for next year?

Seeing my grandma again, maybe getting a nose piercing, traveling, the beach, my friends, those last 3 things combined (or maybe just my boyfriend, that's fine too)

20. What’s something you learned this year?

I find it hard to pinpoint a specific thing I learned this year, but I think I remembered and realized more things about my past, which is maybe ironic and counterintuitive. That includes my family's past, my past in relation to other people, I've managed to sharpen the lens of the past even more than I could before. And it's constantly mesmerizing and ridiculous at the same time, it makes me feel like Shauna playing with Jackie's frozen corpse, trying to breathe some life into something that's already dead

21. What’s something new about your place of residence (room, home, or general location) now vs the start of the year?

I have this new comforter that really cozies up my bedroom and I even started paying more attention to my bed (making it more carefully, not leaving it unmade for too long, matching the fabrics and stuff as best as I can) ever since I got it. And I also got these colorful lights hanging above my bed, my mirror, and my bedroom door that I put up "for christmas" (they're halloween-themed but whatever, I wanted lights in my room) that I'm definitely keeping up.

22. Favorite place you visited this year?

My bf, friend, and I went on a really long walk one day this year; we walked through the cemetery and then kept on walking further around the neighborhood. It was a long adventure and it tired us out but such a nice day together, we got soda and candy afterwards and walked back home. I miss having days like that

23. If you could send a message to yourself back on the first day of the year, what would it be?

I'd warn myself to not dye my hair in the summer, that orangey shit was really hard to cover up and even though I rocked that look I'd have felt much more comfortable with a different shade. Also plan the holiday better, and I have my reasons to say that

24. Did you keep any New Year’s Resolutions?

I didn't have any, BUT I started doing yoga this year, a bit more consistently than last year's workout attempts. And I'm proud of that because it makes me feel really good when I do have the energy for it

25. Did you create any characters (in games, art, or writing) this year? Describe one

None that aren't based on real people and that I didn't have before lol

[greensparty]

Green’s Party Guide to the 2023 Oscar Nominated Short Films

Every year the Academy Awards give out their annual movie awards, but all of the attention usually goes to the big categories. I am a longtime champion of the Short Film categories for Animation, Live Action and Documentary, mainly because I have made short films and I know how hard it can be to tell a story in a short amount of time. I am very excited to continue my annual tradition of showcasing the Oscar Nominated Short Films (read my 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 guides).  This year’s nominated short films are available from ShortsTV both in theaters and online. I’ve watched all of them and here are my thoughts and predictions:

2023 Shorts TV poster

Best Live Action Short:

This year’s Live Action Short nominees are all from other countries. In addition to global diversity, they are all very diverse in genres too. In An Irish Goodbye  (Ireland), two estranged brothers reunite after the death of their mother. I couldn’t help but be reminded of the similarities to multi-Oscar nominee The Banshees of Inisherin, with it’s rural Ireland setting, humor, and drama. Ivalu (Denmark) is about a young Inuit girl searching for her missing sister against the breath-taking backdrop of Greenland. It is co-directed by Anders Walter who previously won an Oscar for Best Live Action Short for 2013′s Helium. Disney+’s The Pupils (Italy) is about girls at a Catholic boarding school during Christmas time. Of all the nominees this has gotten the most attention because it was produced by Oscar winner Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity and Roma) and if he wins for this that would be a 5th Oscar on his mantle. Night Ride (Norway) shows a woman with dwarfism who steal a tram and a series of unexpected events occur as she continues to make tram stops. In The Red Suitcase (Luxembourg), a young Iranian woman arrives in a new country for an arranged marriage and suddenly makes a life-changing decision. 

2023 Live Action Short Film nominees

Will Win: The Pupils has name recognition with Cuaron as a nominee, but it is also the most uplifting of this year’s nominees. The fact that it’s on Disney+ doesn’t hurt either.

Should Win: The Red Suitcase truly stayed with me for days after watching it. It told a highly emotional story with high stakes in a very short amount of time and left me in awe. 

Best Animated Short:

I always enjoy animated shorts because this category is always showcasing various styles of animation from all over the world. Apple TV+’s The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse (U.S. / U.K.) is based on a children’s book about, well, a boy, a mole, a fox and a horse who travel together in the boy’s search for a new home. This one boasts the star power of voices Tom Hollander, Idris Elba and Gabriel Byrne as well as star producers J.J. Abrams and Woody Harrelson. In The Flying Sailor (Canada), it shows a sailor who goes flying after an explosion (based on a true story from 1917). It is co-directed by Amanda Forbis, who was nominated twice before for Best Animated Short, and Wendy Tilby, who was nominated three times before for Best Animated Short. Ice Merchants (Portugal / France / U.K.) has been getting a lot of attention because it is the first Portuguese film to ever be nominated for an Oscar. It shows a father and son who jump with a parachute from their house to go to a village and sell ice. FX and Hulu’s My Year of Dicks (U.S.) is about a 15-year old girl who is determined to lose her virginity in early 90s Houston. Based on Pamela Ribon’s memoir, it is animated but has moments of live action interspersed as well. There are five different guys she is with in this time period and there’s different styles of animation throughout. In An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It (Australia), a telemarketer is confronted and told that the world is stop motion animation and now he needs to convince his colleagues. 

2023 Animated Short Film nominees

Will Win: The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse boasts star power and it’s on Apple TV+, but more than that, it feels like an animated feature in 32 minutes.

Should Win: I am rooting for The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse also because it was produced by someone I interned for a while back. But I will say this: a case can be made for My Year of Dicks for using animation to tell her personal recollection...and let’s face it, it would be wildly entertaining to see a presenter on the Oscar telecast say “and the winner is...My Year of Dicks” and not get censored. 

Best Documentary Short:

This year’s Doc Shorts are all completely different in their subjects and in their approaches to documentary. In Haulout (U.K.) a lonely man waits on a remote coast of the Siberian Arctic for an ancient gathering. There is a powerful environmental message to this, even if it is slow moving and has very little dialogue. Netflix’s The Elephant Whisperers (India) also has an environmental message in it to: an Indigenous couple fall in love with an orphaned elephant and work for his survival. Both have breath-taking cinematography! HBO Max’s How Do You Measure a Year? (U.S.) is a doc 17 years in the making: The director had a ritual with his daughter Ella every year on her birthday from age 2 to 18, he filmed an interview with her being asked the exact same questions each year. Director Jay Rosenblatt was nominated for Best Documentary Short last year for When We Were Bullies, my favorite of last year���s nominees. Netflix’s The Martha Mitchell Effect  (U.S.) is a historical doc about Martha Mitchell, the whistleblower who was married to President Nixon’s attorney general John N. Mitchell. She was gaslighted by the Nixon Administration to keep her quiet and today through the lens of 2023, we see she was speaking the truth even though she was told otherwise. The New Yorker’s Stranger at the Gate (U.S.) is about a U.S. Marine who plots a terrorist attack on a mosque in Muncie, Indiana. But in the process of doing so, a surprising turn of events occur for all involved.

2023 Documentary Short Film nominees

Will Win: This is a hard one to predict. Sometimes the Academy goes for environmental or socio-political subjects, but recent years it has been introspective human interest stories. A case could literally be made for any of these to win, but if I had to predict I’d go with The Elephant Whisperers. It had the backing of Netflix, but more importantly it’s cinematography can’t be denied and neither than the endearing story.

Should Win: Even if the haters are going to say How Do You Measure a Year? is just a gimmick, I really liked it. Sure, we’ve seen this approach in the Up series and to an extent Boyhood did something similar in it’s narrative approach, but the way we are seeing this girl grow and mature through the annual interview tradition was intriguing and introspective. I do have to say a close second would be Stranger at the Gate based solely on the unbelievable twist and sense of surprise you don’t always see in documentaries. 

This year’s Oscar Nominated Short Films can be seen online from ShortsTV and in movie theaters, including Somerville Theatre, Landmark Kendall Square Cinema and Coolidge Corner Theatre in the Boston area. For tickets and info: https://shorts.tv/theoscarshorts/tickets/

[yesthatssadirichardslove]

Review: The good and the bad of the Golden Globes

LOS ANGELES

Tuesday night doesn’t really scream “glamorous awards show.”

We’ve been trained to expect those on Sundays, when you can spend a lazy evening half-watching E! reporters vamp in formal wear for hours on end, waiting for stars to arrive as you do other things. Sundays are elegant. Tuesdays are not.

But the embattled Hollywood Foreign Press Association probably didn’t have much say in the matter if they wanted to get the Golden Globe Awards back on broadcast television in time for its 80th anniversary. So, Tuesday it was.

Hollywood, in large part, turned out too, acting as though it wasn’t a rainy weekday in Southern California and as though they hadn’t just a year ago protested the existence of the show. Brad Pitt and Angela Bassett came. So did Steven Spielberg and Ryan Coogler. Everyone played their roles.

There were gowns and suits and bow ties and diamonds, clavicle bones and updos. Eddie Redmayne even had an oversized Carrie Bradshaw-esque satin flower affixed to his suit lapel. On the sodden silver carpet, Laverne Cox swooned over Austin Butler and Michelle Yeoh’s nominated performances, in “Elvis” and “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” respectively. No one seemed very worried about being there.

How much is the viewing audience — aside from the select few who are both very online and film fans — really thinking about the organization that votes for these awards? Once the lights go down, it’s all about the show that’s right in front them — the stars, the speeches, the laughs. But host Jerrod Carmichael made sure to remind everyone of the ugly truths behind all the glitz and advertising dollars at the start.

In the familiar ballroom of the Beverly Hilton hotel, awards went to good people who gave good, emotional speeches.

Ke Huy Quan, winning the first award of the night for his big comeback role in “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” warmed hearts shouting out Spielberg for giving him his first opportunity. The cameras were ready to cut back to the director, who cheered on the kid he directed so long ago in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.”

Jeremy Allen White, who catapulted to fame with “The Bear,” quivered when he mentioned his beloved, late manager Chris Huvane, continuing to say “thank you” as he walked off stage in a daze. “The White Lotus’” Jennifer Coolidge wasn’t the only one reflecting on her own career and life on stage. Even Spielberg, normally stoic, got teary-eyed during his own turn the podium.

The room looked like a dimly lit lounge, with endless champagne on the tables and a piano player decked in white feathers while giving theatrical flourishes to the “Sex and the City” theme and vamping for the cameras.

Bassett and Quinta Brunson learned the hard way that reading acceptance speeches off their phones was perhaps a mistake as family and friends texted them congratulations for their win. Colin Farrell used his own acceptance speech to compliment Ana de Armas’ performance in “Blonde,” as well as all of his “Banshees of Inisherin” collaborators, down to Jenny the donkey. Both he and Yeoh scolded the piano music that started to play them off.

“Shut up, please!” Yeoh said. “I can beat you up.”

It wasn’t for another hour that Carmichael would step up to clarify that the woman shown at the piano, Chloe Flower, was not actually the one playing many a winner off. It was a track, he said.

In many ways, the big film acting winners — Yeoh, Butler, Farrell and Quan — at the Globes looked like a possible rehearsal for those who might take the stage on Oscar night in March. But is that a good thing?

Depends on who you’re asking: For those campaigning, the value is clear. For those watching, well, it might just start to feel redundant. They also came very, very early in the show that somehow kept going past 11 p.m. Eastern (despite the aggressive playing off).

But Carmichael kept the room on edge even well into the show as he came out, some 90 minutes in, holding “Tom Cruise’s three returned Golden Globe statuettes” and suggesting they could be used in exchange for “the safe return of Shelly Miscavige," Scientology leader David Miscavige’s wife who hasn’t been seen in public for years.

“Anyway, from ‘Top Gun: Maverick,’ please welcome Glen Powell and Jay Ellis,” Carmichael followed, introducing two Cruise co-stars.

Moments later, Shelly Miscavige was trending on Twitter.

“It’s a good thing Tom’s not here,” Ellis said. It was about something else, technically, but also not.

Later, Carmichael got in an edgy dig in at Will Smith too, saying they gave him the “Rock Hudson award for best portrayal of masculinity on television” during the commercial break.

Carmichael was the live wire that kept the otherwise typical show interesting. WHAT would he say next, everyone wondered? He made Ricky Gervais look tame. Because aside from Carmichael's go-for-broke unpredictability, the 80th Golden Globe Awards was just that: Typical.

There were truly moving moments and truly boring ones too and it stayed past its welcome and got less and less climactic as the night went on. Who made the decision to present most of the major film awards at the beginning of the show? By the time Eddie Murphy finally got his Cecil B. DeMille honor and got in his own dig at Smith, it felt as though the show was already on its fourth ending. But there were still honors, the obligatory HFPA president speech and a shouting Quentin Tarantino to come.

What do we really want in an awards show? It’s the big, existential question that doesn’t just plague the Golden Globes. A little dose of Coolidge, Regina Hall and a tipsy, hungry Mike White never hurts. But the fact remains: It’s hard to throw a comeback party on a Tuesday.

[girltomboy]

Week & weekend recap

So last week I finally came home on Monday, and I told my parents I'd start work Tuesday but in reality I took Tuesday off because it was my boyfriend's birthday and I just wanted to hang out with him and do stuff together - on a video call. And we played some games, watched stuff, took a little nap, ordered pizza, the usual chill stuff. My boyfriend finally got a new phone last week, and it's been great receiving spotify links and photos he took and edited, etc. but I'm mostly glad he got rid of that cracked brick. Not that his new one is not a brick too 💀 Anyway, after that I started going to the office and seeing my work bestie again, we went to quiz night and I asked my other coworker - organizer of quiz night - to bring me a jacket because it was so fucking cold. And she did, so the next day I made her a cute little drawing and put it in the jacket's pocket before returning it. And on Thursday M and I went out for dinner, but I decided to order something new, like a salad. But it was terrible, I never thought a salad could come out so fucked up. It might have had some teriyaki sauce or something cause it was awfully sweet and I hate that shit in salads. But at least we ate something, and afterwards M was ready to go home. I was like "you wanna go for a short walk first? Or maybe go say hi to A (our quiz-organizing coworker who was presenting another quiz night at some other place)?" to which she agreed, so we went there and sat outside where we could still hear A, and had 2 mugs of mulled wine and talked and laughed for hours. So this time I was the one who convinced her to stay longer. And on Friday we decided to work from home, and I got my period too AND had to prepare for my bf to come spend the weekend with me, so that was a good decision.

My bf arrived Saturday morning, I greeted him and we both went back to sleep because it was the crack of dawn. After we woke up I took a shower and we exchanged gifts, mine was for his birthday and his was for our anniversary. We had breakfast, kissed a lot, got stoned and watched stuff. In the afternoon we took a nap and then woke up to go out for dinner. I took him to the place M and I usually eat at (the one with the dogshit salad), and we both had some really good filling meals, and drank hot chocolate. After that we went to the store our friend works at just to say hi, since he was about to start his night shift. So we waited for him a bit and then smoked a cigarette when he finally came, then we went home. We started watching The Banshees of Inisherin, but we were way too sleepy to finish it, so we went to bed and left it for the next day. On Sunday my bf got us hot dogs and we finished the movie. We were both absolutely smitten with it, it deserved every bit of praise it received. It also reminded us both of two of our friends who decided to end their friendship (one of them we visited Saturday night before his shift). We also finished King of The Hill and this show was so fucking good we were in disbelief it ended. We looked up info about the reboot but apparently it's still in the works for 2025. Sunday evening we got dressed to visit our friend and his sister, my boyfriend gave them both cake for his birthday, and our friend showed us how he smokes weed on his "balcony" which is just a wide windowsill lmaooo and it was so weird it was like we were on a stage because he lives on the ground floor. So everyone walking by could just see us there 💀 but anyway we hung out a bit and he gave us some booze and a really terrible cocktail. Sometimes he nails them, but other times they're worse than my make believe potions from when I was 6. We went home super exhausted and went straight to bed.

And on Monday he had a uni-related errand to run, so he went there early, came back with food from the cafeteria for me 👉👈 and then he just sat quietly next to me while I worked. He didn't even want to nap. After I was done we placed a food order and lay in bed a little, just dozing off and cuddling. We had dinner and then finally watched the first two episodes of Breaking Bad. It's been interesting seeing them again, the first time I watched it I was in high school and mostly did it as a distraction. For some reason watching old stuff I used to watch doesn't hit the same because I just don't remember any of them being so corny. I'm mainly talking about Breaking Bad now, but Orphan Black is another example that comes to mind. A while ago I tried rewatching the pilot and it was a nice trip down memory lane, but I had to stop at some point. I don't even know why they seem corny to me now lol. But my bf enjoyed them and is excited to continue watching, and so am I.

He left this morning and I burst into tears as soon as I heard the downstairs door close because I'm just gonna miss him so much. Obviously we talk and see each other daily, but feeling him close and getting to be around him and touch and smell him and kiss him all the time doesn't even compare to seeing him in my phone. Like I always think I'm used to us being long-distance temporarily, but it's only after he leaves again that it starts feeling heavy and sad. I mean I AM used to it, I just wish we didn't have to be used to it.