#support sean baker

[g3othermal3scapism]

So ‘Anora’ was fucking amazing.

[hq-reviews]

Anora- ★★★★★ (Spoilers)

First Watched- 10/18/2024

Anora broke my heart. 

Now, I don’t want to be that guy, but I feel like this movie was made for me. I don’t want to be that guy, but I’ve been on board with this film since Mikey Madison’s casting. Additionally, when this movie won the Palme d’Or a day after my birthday, I was locked in. I figured this movie was sent down from a higher power just for me, and I was right.

When I think of Anora, I think less of the comedic moments than I think of the echoes of the tragedy of Anora herself. Anora is a story about difference. It is a story about love, and how that larger-than-life, human feeling can manifest in the most unexpected ways. 

One of the reasons this film is so effective is how these deeply human themes can be so prevalent behind humor. The movie plays into irony so well- in fact, I think this is one of the funniest movies of the year. There were points where my hand would fly to my mouth so I wouldn’t, like, cause a scene. This is mostly due to the fact that the dialogue in this film is so sharp, and most importantly, so real. Sean Baker’s writing oozes charisma, and the actors accentuate that beyond what I could’ve imagined. 

Mikey Madison is a star. I seriously believe she is locked in for the Oscar, or, at the very least, she deserves to be. When I read and watched the interviews behind the making of Anora, I was in awe of how much passion and care she brought to the role. Even the supporting actors and actresses were on a different level, however, I want to specifically mention Yuriy Borisov, who played Igor. Exploring that, even before the film starts, the audience, through the marketing, is led to believe that this film is a love story between Ani and Ivan. The surprising beauty of this film, though, is the bond that her and Igor develop throughout the course of the film. The whole series of events throughout this film focuses on Ani and Ivan, yet, by the end of the film, Ani and Igor’s forced proximity bond is finally given the opportunity to shine through.

Something else I want to gush about is the visuals; this movie is gorgeous. I was lucky enough to catch a 35mm showing at the Brooklyn Alamo Drafthouse with my sister, and our experience was unforgettable. The sheer clarity in the colors was just out of this world. Actually, to expand on that, something about Anora that really did catch my eye was the color. Ani herself is advertised in red. In all the promotional material for the film, she’s got either red nails, red shoes, red outfits, or red accessories. This is really interesting because Ivan, in contrast, is usually seen wearing clothes with blue highlights. This is explored ingeniously by the Vegas-bender scenes. In Vegas, Ani, wearing a red bikini, is in an outdoor pool, with the water and sky taking up most of the screen. I find this important because it serves as a direct mirror to her first meeting with Ivan. At first, the two met on Ani’s “home turf,” so to speak. When Ani first meets Ivan, it’s at HQ, bathed in red light. Compare that to the point in which after agreeing to be exclusive with Ivan for a week, Ani is seen wearing her colors being drowned out by Ivan’s color- blue. Hell, even the scene when Ani first visits Ivan at his house, she is wearing a light blue dress. As she continued going to his house, Ani’s wardrobe got more red. To me, this feels like Baker trying to emphasize not only  the two characters’ differences- how they are two completely different people, but also their individuality, and the strength in that individuality. One of the only times we see the antithesis to this principle is at their marriage ceremony in Vegas, in which both Ani and Ivan wore white; they are both at the same level with the same intention of loving each other. It is also interesting to note that at Ivan’s party to which he invites Ani to, they are bathed in purple lighting. With that, though, as their marriage broke down, so did their colors. By the end of their marriage, Ani is left donning red again with a red scarf(GIVEN TO HER BY IGOR, BY THE WAY) as she has this big crisis of faith in Ivan, while Ivan is left wearing his blue hoodie in broad daylight, as his true colors began to show. 

In that, though, is what I find heartbreaking about Anora. Throughout the first third of the film, Ani and Ivan’s romance is given space to breathe and grow. The movie gives the audience time to believe in their romance, emphasized by the chemistry Mikey Madison and Mark Eydelshteyn had. Ivan’s entire family, though, was hellbent on tearing their marriage apart, telling Ani that she doesn’t know Ivan, and that she shouldn’t trust him. The movie, even around the halfway mark, tries to hammer the point home by having Ivan run away when he was confronted by his family. I remember thinking to myself, Okay, he’s gonna come back, because the movie makes the audience want them to make it all the way. The film did an excellent job of putting us in Ani’s shoes, immersing us into her mindset. Anyways, to go back, I wanted to say that this movie broke my heart because Ivan’s family was right…kind of. They were right in the fact that Ani did not know Ivan- that he was just a bachelor- a bratty kid who wanted to blow his money away. The film broke my heart because Ani believed that her Cinderella dreams were coming true, only for the rug to be pulled underneath her by her own husband.

Anora is a film that I expected to love, honestly. That doesn’t stop the fact that the film was an emotional rollercoaster that left me stunned. What Sean Baker and Samantha Quan achieved with this film is something for the history books, and I hope that Anora receives all the critical praise it can get. My experience venturing to Brooklyn with my sister to watch the film was unforgettable, and I don’t think it’s out of the realm of reason to say this film could potentially be an all-time favorite of mine; hell, it’s already probably my favorite film of the year. Call it recency bias, call me crazy, whatever- the feeling this film gave me is not one a regular film can give me- it’s something more. Anora is more than a regular film, and needs to be experienced by everyone.

[animusrox]

Golden Globes Nominations - FILM

Best Motion Picture – Drama​

The Brutalist (A24) A Complete Unknown (Searchlight Pictures) Conclave (Focus Features) Dune: Part Two (Warner Bros. Pictures) Nickel Boys (Orion Pictures/Amazon Mgm Studios) September 5 (Paramount Pictures)

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy​

Anora (Neon) Challengers (Amazon MGM Studios) Emilia Pérez (Netflix) A Real Pain (Searchlight Pictures) The Substance (Mubi) Wicked (Universal Pictures)

Best Motion Picture – Animated​

Flow (Sideshow/Janus Films) Inside Out 2 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures) Memoir of a Snail (IFC Films) Moana 2 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures) Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (Netflix) The Wild Robot (Universal Pictures)

Cinematic and Box Office Achievement​

Alien: Romulus (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures) Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (Warner Bros. Pictures) Deadpool & Wolverine (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures) Gladiator II (Paramount Pictures) Inside Out 2 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures) Twisters (Universal Pictures) Wicked (Universal Pictures) The Wild Robot (Universal Pictures)

Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language​

All We Imagine as Light (Sideshow / Janus Films) – Usa / France / India Emilia Pérez (Netflix) – France The Girl With the Needle (Mubi) – Poland / Sweden / Denmark I’m Still Here (Sony Pictures Classics) – Brazil The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Neon) – Usa / Germany Vermiglio (Sideshow / Janus Films) – Italy

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama​

Pamela Anderson (The Last Showgirl) Angelina Jolie (Maria) Nicole Kidman (Babygirl) Tilda Swinton (The Room Next Door) Fernanda Torres (I’m Still Here) Kate Winslet (Lee)

Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama​

Adrien Brody (The Brutalist) Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown) Daniel Craig (Queer) Colman Domingo (Sing Sing) Ralph Fiennes (Conclave) Sebastian Stan (The Apprentice)

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy​

Amy Adams (Nightbitch) Cynthia Erivo (Wicked) Karla Sofía Gascón (Emilia Pérez) Mikey Madison (Anora) Demi Moore (The Substance) Zendaya (Challengers)

Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy​

Jesse Eisenberg (A Real Pain) Hugh Grant (Heretic) Gabriel Labelle (Saturday Night) Jesse Plemons (Kinds of Kindness) Glen Powell (Hit Man) Sebastian Stan (A Different Man)

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture​

Selena Gomez (Emilia Pérez) Ariana Grande (Wicked) Felicity Jones (The Brutalist) Margaret Qualley (The Substance) Isabella Rossellini (Conclave) Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Pérez)

Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture​

Yura Borisov (Anora) Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain) Edward Norton (A Complete Unknown) Guy Pearce (The Brutalist) Jeremy Strong (The Apprentice) Denzel Washington (Gladiator II)

Best Director – Motion Picture​

Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez) Sean Baker (Anora) Edward Berger (Conclave) Brady Corbet (The Brutalist) Coralie Fargeat (The Substance) Payal Kapadia (All We Imagine as Light)

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture​

Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez) Sean Baker (Anora) Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold (The Brutalist) Jesse Eisenberg (A Real Pain) Coralie Fargeat (The Substance) Peter Straughan (Conclave)

Best Original Score – Motion Picture​

Volker Bertelmann (Conclave) Daniel Blumberg (The Brutalist) Kris Bowers (The Wild Robot) Clément Ducol, Camille (Emilia Pérez) Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross (Challengers) Hans Zimmer (Dune: Part Two)

Best Original Song – Motion Picture​

“Beautiful That Way” – The Last Showgirl; Music & Lyrics By: Andrew Wyatt, Miley Cyrus, Lykke Zachrisson “Compress / Repress” – Challengers; Music & Lyrics By: Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Luca Guadagnino “El Mal” – Emilia Pérez; Music & Lyrics By: Clément Ducol, Camille, Jacques Audiard “Forbidden Road” – Better Man; Music & Lyrics By: Robbie Williams, Freddy Wexler, Sacha Skarbek “Kiss The Sky” – The Wild Robot; Music & Lyrics By: Delacey, Jordan K. Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Maren Morris, Michael Pollack, Ali Tamposi “Mi Camino” – Emilia Pérez; Music & Lyrics By: Clément Ducol, Camille

[dizzymoods]

For reference this is about sean baker who is an ardent rittenhouse defender, fan of neonazi jake shields, and supporter of sending the national guard to student encampments

Unlike this tweeter, some of us were not liberal zionists on 12 October. Some of us understood that if israel used six thousand (6,000) (6k) bombs within the first 6 days of the genocide—12 october being the 5th day— then this could not possibly be about returning the hostages.

As the great mathematician and my fourth (maybe fifth) cousin Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter teaches us: 1 + 1 is 2! There’s still hostages in Gaza and now the israelis are over in Beirut! That’s a whole nother country! That’s not equaling two!

I bet if you explained that to a normal person they’d think Sean Baker is an insane zionist!

[theholmwoodfoundation]

THE HOLMWOOD FOUNDATION PILOT EPISODE CAST/CREW - PART ONE

REBECCA ROOT - MADDIE TOWNSEND/MINA HARKER

Rebecca trained at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. Theatre credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Shakespeare’s Globe, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time for the National Theatre (UK and Ireland tour); Rathmines Road for Fishamble at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin; Trans Scripts at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts; The Bear / The Proposal at the Young Vic; and Hamlet at the Gielgud Theatre and Athens International Festival. TV, Film and Video Game credits include Monsieur Spade, This Is Christmas, Irvine Welsh’s Crime, Hogwarts Legacy, Horizon Forbidden West, Heartstopper, Annika, The Rising, Sex Education, The Gallery, The Queen’s Gambit, Finding Alice, Creation Stories, Last Christmas, The Sisters Brothers, Colette, The Danish Girl, Flack, The Romanoffs, Moominvalley, Hank Zipzer, Boy Meets Girl, Doctors, Casualty, The Detectives, and Keeping Up Appearances.  Radio credits include Clare In The Community, Life Lines, The Hotel, and 1977 for BBC Radio 4. Guest appearances include Woman’s Hour, Front Row, Loose Ends, Saturday Live, and A Good Read.  She plays Tania Bell in the award-winning Doctor Who: Stranded audio dramas. Rebecca has also recorded numerous documentary narrations, audiobooks, and voice-overs. Rebecca is also a voice and speech coach, holding the MA in Voice Studies from Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

SEAN CARLSEN - JEREMY LARKIN/ JONATHAN HARKER

Born in South Wales, Seán trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama. He has worked extensively in audio drama, television, theatre and film.  Seán is perhaps best known to Doctor Who fans as Narvin in the Doctor Who audio series Gallifrey and has appeared on TV in Doctor Who - The Christmas Invasion and Torchwood. Recent TV credits include Mudtown (BBCiplayer/S4C), Dal y Mellt (Netflix), His Dark Materials (BBC1), All Creatures Great and Small (Channel 5), A Mother's Love (Channel 4) and Series 5 of Stella (Sky1).  Films include supporting leads in Boudica - Rise of the Warrior Queen, cult horror The Cleansing,  the lead in Forgotten Journeys and John Sheedy’s forthcoming film ‘Never Never Never’

SAM CLEMENS - ARTHUR JONES

Samuel Clemens trained at the Drama Centre London and is an award-winning director with over twenty years’ experience. Samuel has recently written and directed his debut feature film ‘The Waterhouse’ with Take The Shot Films & Featuristic Films and represented by Raven Banner Entertainment, which is due for release this coming year.  In addition, he has directed fourteen short films, winning awards all over the world including shorts ‘Surgery (multi-award winning), A Bad Day To Propose (Straight 8 winner 2021), Say No & Dress Rehearsal’. Samuel also directs critically acclaimed number one UK stage tours and fringe shows (Rose Theatre Kingston, Swansea Grand, Eastbourne, Yvonne Arnaud, Waterloo East Theatre) and commercials include clients JD Sports, Shell and Space NK. Samuel is also a regular producer and director for Big Finish Productions & Anderson Entertainment. He has cast, directed, produced and post supervised numerous productions of ‘Doctor Who – (BBC), The Avengers (Studio Canal), Thunderbirds, Stingray (Anderson Entertainment), Callan, Missy, Gallifrey’& Shilling & Sixpence Investigate’ and many more. Samuel has directed world class talent such as, Sir Roger Moore, Ben Miles, Tom Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Alex Kingston, Frank Skinner, Rita Ora, Rosie Huntingdon-Whiteley, Rufus Hound, David Warner, Celia Imrie, Samuel West, Youssef Kerkour, Sophie Aldred, Ian McNiece, Colin Baker, Olivia Poulet, Stephen Wight, Jade Anouka, Mimi Ndwendi, Michelle Gomez, Peter Davidson, Paul O’Grady and many more. Samuel is one of the founding members and directors at Take The Shot Films Ltd and is Head of Artistic Creation and Direction. Lastly, Samuel is a regular tutor at The London Film Academy, The Giles Foreman Centre for Acting & The Rose Youth Theatre and is a member of The Directors Guild UK. As for upcoming projects, Sam is currently in pre-production on his next feature film “On The Edge of Darkness”, which is based on his dad’s stage play “Strictly Murder”.

ATTILA PUSKAS - DRACULA

Attila Puskás is a native Hungarian Voice Actor born in Transylvania – Romania, so Romanian is in his bag of tricks too, but most of his work is done in English, in a Transatlantic Eastern European Accent, but is quite capable of Hungarian, Romanian and International Eastern European accents, plus Standard American. His voice range is Adult to Middle Aged (30-40+) due to his deep voice. Vocal styles can range from authoritive, brooding to calming and reassuring and much more. He’s most experienced in character work, like Animations and Games, but his skills encompass Commercials to Narration as well. He’s received training through classes and workshops, pushing him to the next level to achieve higher standards. Now on a journey to perfect these skills and put them to good use!

PART TWO: HERE

PART THREE: HERE

[twenty-words-or-less]

Top 5 Best Films of 2024

Last post of the year (in my timezone), and I wanted to make it a good one; a positive one, even. So, without further ado, here goes!

5. Anora

The "Common People" to Pretty Woman's "Uptown Girl" and the first Sean Baker film I can confidently say that I liked, rather than 'quite liked' or 'kind of liked' (as was the case with Red Rocket), Anora came out of nowhere, body-slammed me into a wall, then left without an apology as it should. How Mikey Madison didn't blow out her vocal cords during the home invasion sequence, I have no idea. What I do know is I hope she - and Mark Eydelshteyn - get more work.

4. Cuckoo

Beautiful and bonkers with star turns from both Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens (who was having a really good year this year) and a reveal that is only slightly less bizarre than the world it's set in. I compared it to A Cure for Wellness and I stand by it. Although ACFW didn't end in of the best worst gunfights in modern cinema, which was the cherry on top of a fucking weird cake.

3. Abigail

Gory, hilarious, and the best thing Radio Silence have done since 2019's Ready or Not (which has become something of a comfort watch for me over the years). Four strong consecutive films being good to very good is a rarity in any filmmaker's career, but the Radio Silence guys have managed that with aplomb and seeming ease. Alisha Weir holds her own against a group of more experienced actors who are twice her age, and my partner and I picked up on that The Guest reference at the end. Don't think that went unnoticed, RS.

2. Dune: Part Two

The problems I had with Part One were chiefly that the pacing was uneven and that the supporting characters weren't given much to do. Those problems were fixed in Part Two, leading to an expansive and engrossing watch of an epic that remained accessible to people not well versed in the source novel. The visuals are stunning, as is par for the course with Villeneuve, with the Paul/ Feyd-Rautha fight being a highlight (see above). Stilgar gets the best moments, almost stealing the film altogether. Film critic Mark Kermode summarised the film as "Life of Brian played straight", and I'm inclined to agree.

Honourable mentions:

Longlegs: The only July horror whose ending did not tell me to go fuck myself, this was a tense and absorbing watch despite Cage being Cage. Loved the noir feel to it. Sidenote: I'm convinced that Lee Harker is autistic.

Civil War: What can I say, this was great. Not too much worldbuilding, and the slow dehumanisation of the war journalists as they become complicit in the dehumanisation of the subjects they photograph was a fascinating direction to take.

Boy Kills World: The best videogame adaptation of the year and the first revenge thriller with a nameless orphaned protagonist that was released in April. Man, Bill Skarsgard has had a mixed year.

Monkey Man: The other revenge thriller with a nameless orphaned protagonist, Dev Patel gives 120% and grimes up good doing it. It has themes and ideas, it executes them well, it has funny moments, and it lacks sexual violence.

Poor Things: I did not know how much I wanted to see Mark Ruffalo scream "CUUUUUUNNNNNNNTTTTT!!" until this came along.

And finally, the best thing I saw this year... drum roll pleeease...

1. The Substance

Dune: Part Two held this spot for so long, but then The Substance came along, body-slammed it into a hidden alcove in its own bathroom, and settled in its place comfortably. Hatching - my number one film of 2022 - was about a girl entering puberty, entering a point where she would start to be desired by the opposite sex; The Substance follows a woman reaching the end of that desirability. It's the only film I wanted to see again before it left cinemas, and regretfully, I did not get that chance to. It straddles that line between ironic and unironic arthouse. It is beautiful, it is uncompromising, it is vicious, it is stark, it is unforgettable, and it is deserving of this spot. Brava, Mme Fargeat and co.

Those are my favourites of the year! Agree? Disagree? Care? Don't care? What are your favourites? Should I stop asking these questions? I'm gonna stop. Every film I watched in cinemas this year can be found in a comprehensive list here.

Thanks for reading, and see you next year!

~ Mikey

[sherlockianscholar]

part 2 (1991-1995): the saga of jeremy brett through the scuttlebutt archives

go here for part one!

since 1971, sherlockian and baker st irregular, peter blau has published a small "gossip" sheet for all sherlock holmes news under publication of the "Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press." after the advent of computers, peter started digitizing all his sheets from 1985 onward.

we are now officially in the later stage of granada's sherlock holmes. production was driven by the desire to make large profits. thus, the quality of the show took a significant dip. our only remaining constants were jeremy and edward. but their acting stood strong even through significant trials and tribulations. by 1991, jeremy's health (mentally and physically) would continue to worsen dramatically, which ultimately led to his death in 1995.

March 1991: mmmm, not sure he's joking there

October 1991: jeremy finally commits to doing all of the stories

January 1992: first of all, Y I K E S. this is so messed up and homophobic to sherlock holmes. why, because of his usual celibacy?and "to the relief of fans who have wondered about his bachelor lifestyle." what the fuck.

this might be reading too much into it, but i think it might've been a jab at jeremy's sexuality. He had (at least) two long-term homosexual relationships: gary bond (1969-1976) and paul shenar (~1973-1978). while jeremy never publicly came out as bisexual, his relationship with gary bond was considered "one of the first relatively out" couples in the acting world. at least in the industry, it was common knowledge.

now i'm going to wildly speculate, so here goes. jeremy and joan married in 1976, which is also when jeremy and gary bond broke up. it's unknown how long jeremy and joan dated prior to their wedding. reportedly, jeremy dated paul shenar from 1973-1978 (and they remained close friends until paul died of aids in 1989), which overlaps with jeremy and joan's marriage. jeremy and joan spent a lot of time apart, with her in the usa and him in manchester. now, i don't think jeremy would EVER cheat on joan. but, i wonder if they had an open relationship (or maybe some form of polyamory). mind you, i have nothing to back that up, but it's something i've wondered about before.

circa 1993: this is the earliest article i've been able to find on jeremy's mental illness, which still makes me wonder when his difficulties became public. the details of his psychotic break in this article are heartbreaking to read.

as stated prior, linda pritchard (the interviewee) was jeremy's companion/probable girlfriend for the last seven years of his life. they met backstage during the secret of sherlock holmes. linda approached jeremy for help raising money for cancer research, which he naturally supported with a passion. she nursed and took care of him. she provided life-saving mental support and no matter how painful or how much jeremy's bipolar lashed out, she made sure he felt safe and loved. she's kind of controversial because she's written a lot of books about jeremy. firstly, she doesn't actually profit off them at all--she just wants to share jeremy's story. and at the end of the day, who cares? that woman loved and protected jeremy during the most vulnerable chapter of his life. she was there till the end. she will always have my respect.

March 1993: okay, sean day-lewis, you have no idea what you're talking about and your views are bad.

June 1993: we have 1 hour episodes back! but it's too little, too late.

July 1993: happy birthday, young michael! according to the sherlock holmes society of st. charles, "jeremy became very fond of the young boy by his side and they corresponded for many years. his father was one of the leaders of the chester baskerville society and editor of the devonshire chronicle."

on a heavier note, this is the beginning of the end. jeremy's health began slipping faster and faster. as did the the future of granada's sherlock holmes. once again, what could've been if jeremy hadn't gotten ill?

September 1993: okay, so there's a lot to unpack here.

firstly, they label jeremy as "a heavy drinker." this is the only thing/quote i know of that could approach that statement:

"i started drinking champagne as a kind of celebration to lift my spirits. it started with just a glass in my bath, and grew until i needed a whole bottle to put me to sleep at nights. well, that was getting entirely out of hand, and it had to stop." -jeremy brett during the beginning of granada

but i don't think that really spells out "heavy drinker" or "alcoholic."

secondly, jeremy's physical illness has become extremely noticeable and is officially out of the bag. but not the specifics. "jeremy brett has been struck down by a crippling illness." he "was taking medication for most of the day and at one stage had an oxygen mask to help him breathe." jeremy is now "suffering from pleurisy," which a granada spokesperson "confirmed" was true. but they were only the symptoms of a far greater problem--jeremy's heart disease and the lithium poisoning/complications that led to it.

November 1993 #1: and now we're calling it an "asthma attack." again, stating a symptom, but failing to understand how that piece fits into the big picture.

November 1993 #2: the big picture is revealed (except for the key piece of info--that this was because of the lithium). granada's june wyndham-davies (and presumably the rest of the major staff) remained publicly optimistic.

December 1993

February 1994

Spring 1994: JEREMY BRETT BREAKS HIS CONTRACT WITH GRANADA

March 1994: another psych ward stay. although it says that jeremy had a "nervous breakdown" in 1986, it's highly probable that it was actually a psychotic break. i believe the quote below is about the article cited above, but i'm not certain b/c i don't have an exact date for this quote nor do i have the article in question:

"i went there to pick him up, and two tabloid newspaper men, from the sun, had actually been clever enough to use his real name at the door, which is jeremy huggins. they went up to his bedroom where he was waiting for me, burst in with a camera, and said, 'we have come to see if you have got aids.' he kicked them out." -june wyndham-davies

April 1994: "i have bounced back like bambi," said brett. "i'm as fit as a fiddle, though still a little fragile." if only...

his second psych ward stay in a month. jeremy's lithium poisoning becomes public. (i'm on lithium! which literally saved my life. when i was first prescribed it, a nurse actually sat me down to make sure i knew how serious potential complications could be if i didn't adhere to exactly what the doctors told me. that never happened with any other medication.)

when the very last episode of jeremy brett's sherlock holmes premiered: "after completing 'the cardboard box', jeremy brett was back in the hospital--a mental hospital. in his own self-effacing way he called it 'the nuthouse.' when the memoirs was screened in britain, the man who was sherlock holmes failed to see his own last series because he was in a ward where the other patients preferred to watch another station. jeremy brett deferred to their choice of viewing." -david stuart davies from bending the willow

June 1994: jeremy continues to remain optimistic

December 1994: even though jeremy was incredibly ill, he decided to try and continue acting as best he could. "after mad dogs and englishmen, he had to renounce the fine projects proposed to him: the role of ebenezer scrooge at the national theater with a script by john mortimer, a season in chichester and the role of professor higgins in a new version of my fair lady. he hoped to at least to be the voice of a deer or an elephant in a future disney cartoon, but even this modest ambition proved impossible." (ACD encyclopedia)

can you even imagine how delightful jeremy would've been as a disney character? that would've been priceless.

January 1995: at this point, i believe jeremy began to realize he was dying

February 1995: jeremy is "on the mend"

July 1995: jeremy is forcibly retired from acting

September between 3rd-11th 1995: jeremy's doctor told him that he needed a heart transplant. jeremy's reply, “that's too dramatic, darling, even for me.”

September 12, 1995: peter jeremy huggins dies at the age of 61

“bless your darling hearts. much love, keep warm and dry and if you see him whisking around the corner – you know who, SH – then wave, because that’s all you’ll see of him. bless his darling heart, isn’t he wonderful, streets ahead of us – still.” -jeremy brett, 1995

and bless your darling heart, jeremy. thank you for everything.

[thetyger]

the academy of motion picture arts and sciences are not an intellectual people, to put it mildly.

i know i've said the oscars are fake and dumb, and i stand by that, but as a certified Movie Watcher i wanted to put all my opinions on the 2025 nominees* into a list.

(*caveat to this is i'm seeing i'm still here tomorrow, seed of the sacred fig next week, and likely all the shorts at once when the compliations are in theaters, but i wanted to give my day-of opinions while the iron's hot! i'll update the list after i see them if i remember.)

best picture

should win: anora, conclave, nickel boys

won’t win, probably shouldn’t win, but it would be funny if they did: dune 2, the substance

not my pick but i won’t be mad if they win: the brutalist, wicked, i'm still here

i will blow up the academy: emilia pérez, a complete unknown

directing

should win: sean baker

won’t be mad if they win: brady corbet

not really sure why they’re here but ok: coralie fargeat, james mangold

kill yourself, frenchman: jacques audiard

actor in a leading role

really should win: colman domingo

cool if they win: adrien brody, ralph fiennes

questionable win: timothée chalamet, sebastian stan

actress in a leading role

should win: mikey madison

cool if they win: fernanda torres

questionable win: cynthia erivo, demi moore

good for representation i guess but highly questionable win: karla sofía gascón

actor in a supporting role

actually i’m kinda fine with all of these.

actress in a supporting role

i can’t believe i’m saying this, but should actually win: ariana grande

fine if they win: everyone else

writing (adapted screenplay)

should win: conclave

okay if they win: sing sing, nickel boys

should not have been nominated: a complete unknown, emilia pérez

writing (original screenplay)

should win: anora, the substance

fine if they win: a real pain

the good part was definitely not the screenplay: the brutalist, september 5

animated feature film

should win, i truly don’t care if i haven’t seen the others: flow

it was fine: memoir of a snail, wallace & gromit: vengeance most fowl

haven’t seen: the wild robot

refuse to see: inside out 2

cinematography

should win: the brutalist

cool if they win: nosferatu

fine if they win: dune 2, emilia pérez

haven’t seen: maria

costume design

should win: nosferatu

fine if they win: wicked, conclave, gladiator ii

why are you here: a complete unknown 

film editing

should win on principle even though i don’t think any of these have particularly standout editing: anora, conclave, the brutalist

should lose on principle: emilia pérez

editing was actually not great: wicked

makeup and hairstyling

should win: the substance

cool if they win: a different man, wicked 

fine if they win: emilia pérez, nosferatu

music (original score)

should win: the brutalist

whatever: conclave

original score????? huh?????: wicked

should be beaten with hammers: emilia pérez 

haven’t seen: the wild robot 

music (original song)

i love this movie and don’t remember this song being there at all, which says something: like a bird

actively bad music: el mal, mi camino

haven’t seen: the journey, never too late

international feature film

cool if they win: flow

should probably actually win: the girl with the needle

predictable but okay if they win: i'm still here

questionable win: the seed of the sacred fig

should not win: emilia pérez 

production design

should win: the brutalist

cool if they win: dune 2, conclave, nosferatu, wicked

sound

fine with all of these.

visual effects

should win: kingdom of the planet of the apes

i can’t believe i’m saying this, but am kinda cool with the win: better man

whatever: dune 2, wicked, alien: romulus

THE MORAL OF THIS STORY IS: where the fuck was challengers

[9eeeeevvvvvaaaaa6]

‼️🚨 ATTENTION EVERYBODY 🚨‼️

The nominations for this year's Academy Awards have been announced. Emilia Pérez" leads the field.

After two disaster-related shifts, Rachel Sennott and Bowen Yang revealed on Thursday afternoon, the works and stars were hoping this year at the 97th place. The genre-explosive musical "Emilia Pérez" by French director Jacques Audiard is the favourite in the award ceremony, which will be held on 2nd. March will be held. The film, already successful at the Golden Globes, brings together 13 nominations, announced the Academy on Thursday. This is followed by the fictional biography "The Brutalist" and the Disney (?!) musical "Wicked" with 10 chances of winning each.

Foreignoscar without Austria

In the race for the foreign Oscar is "Die Saat des heiligen Feigenbaum" by the director Mohammad Rasoulof, who lives in Germany. The native Iranian measures herself here with the omnipresent "Emilia Pérez" as well as the Danish production "The Girl with the Needle", "I'm Still Here" from Brazil and the Latvian animation strip "Flow". The Austrian entry "Des Teufels Beitrag" by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala had not made it to the pre-selection before.

The favourites and their number of nominations

"Emilia Pérez" (13) "Wicked" und "Der Brutalist" (10) "Konklave", "Like A Complete Unknown" (8) "Anora" (6) "Dune: Part Two", "The Substance" (5) "Nosferatu" (4) "I'm Still Here", "Sing Sing", "Der wilde Roboter" (3) "A Real Pain", "Flow", "Nickel Boys", "The Apprentice" (2)

The nominees in the categories

Actor in a Supporting Role Yura Borisov, Anora Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain Edward Norton, A Complete Unknown Guy Pearce, The Brutalist Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice

Costume Design A Complete Unknown Conclave Gladiator II Nosferatu Wicked

Makeup and Hairstyling A Different Man Emilia Pérez Nosferatu The Substance Wicked

Music (Original Score) The Brutalist Conclave Emilia Pérez Wicked The Wild Robot

Music (Original Song) "Never Too Late” from Elton John: Never Too Late “El Mal” from Emilia Pérez “Mi Camino” from Emilia Pérez “Like A Bird” from Sing Sing “The Journey” from The Six Triple Eight

Animated Short Film Beautiful Men In the Shadow of the Cypress Magic Candies Wander to Wonder Yuck!

Live-Action Short Film A Lien Anuja I’m Not a Robot The Last Ranger The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent

Writing (Adapted Screenplay) A Complete Unknown Conclave Emilia Pérez Nickel Boys Sing Sing

Writing (Original Screenplay) Anora The Brutalist A Real Pain September 5 The Substance

Actress in a Supporting Role Monica Barbaro, A Complete Unknown Ariana Grande, Wicked Felicity Jones, The Brutalist Isabella Rossellini, Conclave Zoe Saldaña, Emilia Pére

Documentary Feature Film Black Box Diaries No Other Land Porcelain War Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat Sugarcane

Documentary Short Film Death by Numbers I Am Ready, Warden Incident Instruments of a Beating Heart The Only Girl in the Orchestra

International Feature Film Brazil, I’m Still Here Denmark, The Girl With the Needle France, Emilia Pérez Germany, The Seed of the Sacred Fig Latvia, Flow

Animated Feature Film Flow Inside Out 2 Memoir of a Snail Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl The Wild Robot

Production Design The Brutalist Conclave Dune: Part Two Nosferatu Wicked

Sound A Complete Unknown Dune: Part Two Emilia Pérez Wicked The Wild Robot

Visual Effects Alien: Romulus Better Man Dune: Part Two Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Wicked

Actor in a Leading Role Adrien Brody, The Brutalist Timothée Chalamet, A Complete Unknown Colman Domingo, Sing Sing Ralph Fiennes, Conclave Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice

Actress in a Leading Role Cynthia Erivo, Wicked Karla Sofía Gascón, Emilia Pérez Mikey Madison, Anora Demi Moore, The Substance Fernanda Torres, I’m Still Here

Directing Jacques Audiard, Emilia Pérez Sean Baker, Anora Brady Corbet, The Brutalist Coralie Fargeat, The Substance James Mangold, A Complete Unknown

Best Picture Anora The Brutalist A Complete Unknown Conclave Dune: Part Two Emilia Pérez I’m Still Here Nickel Boys The Substance Wicked

Source:

[yesimtrashforit]

Oscars 2025

As a huge film fan, I'm fairly happy with this year's Oscar nominations!

Best Picture

I'm very happy to see Anora be nominated. It was one of my favorite films of 2024 and personally, it is one of my favs to win. I haven't seen The Brutalist and I have chosen not to. I'm sure the film is fantastic, but I've read about what it depicts and I'm concerned it may be triggering for me. I'm personally frustrated that, as I've heard, The Brutalist depicts gratuitous nudity and scenes of SA. I only hope that it's depicted in a negative light and it serves the story. I might see the film if it comes to streaming, just so I have a chance to pause. I did see A Complete Unknown the other day and thought it was fine! Timothee Chalamet is absolutely great as Bob Dylan. I started listening to Dylan's discography a while ago and I'm fairly happy with how the songs were used in the film. I saw Conclave a while ago and liked it! It's far from my favorite film of the year, but I thought it was beautifully shot and had great commentary. Dune: Part Two being nominated for Best Picture is more than appropriate. I love love loved it. It's a perfect movie. I have mixed feelings on Emilia Perez that I'm probably going to post about later. I'm quite surprised that I'm Still Here made it into Best Picture. I haven't seen it yet, but it is coming to theaters near me in February so I will definitely go see it! I haven't seen Nickel Boys yet. The Substance is one of my favorite films of last year and i'm so so overjoyed that a feminist body horror film about beauty standards directed by a woman is nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars?? That is so cool!! Wicked was obviously fantastic and amazing. Such a well-deserved nomination.

Best Actor

I've only seen A Complete Unknown and Conclave, so out of the performances that I've seen in this category, my pick is Timothee Chalamet in A Complete Unknown. However, I do think it is hilarious that Sebastian Stan is nominated for an Oscar for playing Donald Trump in a movie that depicts how terrible and abusive he was to his wife in the year Trump got re-elected.

Best Actress

I've seen all performances in this category except for Fernanda Torres. Out of these, I'm stuck between Mikey Madison in Anora and Demi Moore in The Substance. However, I have to celebrate the fact that Karla Sofia Gascon is the first openly trans actress to be nominated for an Oscar. That is absolutely incredible.

Best Supporting Actor

I've seen Anora, A Complete Unknown and A Real Pain. My personal pick would be Kieran Culkin in A Real Pain. I thought his performance was awesome.

Best Supporting Actress

This is one of the only categories where I'm rooting for Emilia Perez. Zoe Saldana is easily my pick for Supporting Actress. She has been since I saw the film.

Best Director

Either Sean Baker or Coralie Fargeat. I will be happy with both.

Best Cinematography

It's between Dune: Part Two and Nosferatu for me. I love both of those films and their cinematography.

Best International Feature Film

I've only seen Emilia Perez and Flow. Between those, my pick is honestly Flow.

Best Original Screenplay

It is so hard to choose, but I would go with Anora or The Substance here.

Best Adapted Screenplay

I'm choosing Conclave here, out of the ones I've seen. I liked its script the best and I think it is a very important story to tell.

Best Animated Feature Film

I've seen all except Wallace and Gromit. My pick is Memoir of a Snail. However, I did love The Wild Robot and will be happy if it wins, too!

Best Original Song

My pick is El Mal from Emilia Perez here. It's the best musical number in the film and the best sequence in the entire movie. Despite my mixed feelings on the film, I loved that part.

Best Original Score

I'd go with Wicked here. Beautiful score with some great details.

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

I've seen all except A Different Man, but I am planning to watch it now! My pick for now is The Substance, but wow, all the makeup nominees were really good.

Best Costume Design

Nosferatu. Period. The costumes were incredible and seemed very accurate to the time.

Best Editing

Anora is my pick. That entire second act is basically one continuous scene and the incredible editing made it work.

Best Sound

Dune: Part Two. Easily. It's fricking astonishing.

Best Production Design

Got to give it Wicked. Those sets were all practical and built for the film! Absolutely stunning.

Best Visual Effects

I loved Alien: Romulus and I'm very happy it was nominated. However, I'm giving it to Dune: Part Two.

[genreneutralfilm]

2025 Academy Award Nomination Predictions

Oscar Nomination Morning is tomorrow! So I’ve compiled my list of what I’ve predicted the nominations will look like. I’ve listed them all below in order of likelihood to be nominated. 

2024 was genuinely one of my favorite years of movies since I've been following this closely so I am very excited about tomorrow.

Best Picture-

Anora

The Brutalist

Emilia Perez

Conclave

Dune: Part Two

Wicked

The Substance

A Complete Unknown 

A Real Pain

Sing Sing

Best Director-

Brady Corbet- The Brutalist

Sean Baker- Anora

Emilia Perez- Jacques Audiard

Coralie Fargeat- The Substance

Edward Berger- Conclave

Best Actress- 

Demi Moore- The Substance

Mikey Madison- Anora

Kara Sofia Gascon- Emilia Perez

Cynthia Erivo- Wicked

Pamela Anderson- The Last Showgirl

Best Actor-

Adrien Brody- The Brutalist

Timothee Chalamet- A Complete Unknown

Ralph Fiennes- Conclave

Colman Domingo- Sing Sing

Daniel Craig- Queer

Best Supporting Actress-

Zoe Saldana- Emilia Perez

Ariana Grande- Wicked

Isabella Rossellini- Conclave

Margaret Qualley- The Substance

Jamie Lee Curtis- The Last Showgirl

Best Supporting Actor- 

Kieran Culkin- A Real Pain

Edward Norton- A Complete Unknown

Yura Borisov- Anora

Guy Pearce- The Brutalist

Clarence Maclin- Sing Sing

Original Screenplay-

Anora

The Brutalist

A Real Pain

The Substance

Challengers

Adapted Screenplay- 

Conclave

Emilia Perez

Nickel Boys

Sing Sing

A Complete Unknown

International Feature-

Emilia Perez

The Seed of the Sacred Fig

I’m Still Here

The Girl with the Needle

Kneecap

Documentary Feature-

Daughters 

Black Box Diaries

No Other Land

The Remarkable Life of Ibelin

Dahomey

Animated Feature-

The Wild Robot

Flow

Inside Out 2

Memoir of a Snail

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

Cinematography-

Dune: Part Two

The Brutalist

Nickel Boys

Nosferatu

Conclave

Editing-

Anora

Dune: Part Two

Conclave

The Substance

Challengers

Production Design-

Wicked

Dune: Part Two

Nosferatu

The Brutalist 

The Substance 

Costume Design-

Wicked

Dune: Part Two

Gladiator II

Nosferatu

Conclave

Makeup and Hairstyling-

The Substance

Wicked

Nosferatu

Dune: Part Two

A Different Man

Visual Effects-

Dune: Part Two

Wicked

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Alien: Romulus

Gladiator II

Sound-

Dune: Part Two

Wicked

A Complete Unknown

Alien: Romulus

Emilia Perez

Score-

Emilia Perez

The Brutalist

Conclave

The Wild Robot

Challengers

Original Song-

El Mal- Emilia Perez

Mi Camino- Emilia Perez

Kiss The Sky- The Wild Robot

Compress/Repress- Challengers

The Journey- The Six Triple Eight

Documentary Short-

The Only Girl in the Orchestra

Incident

I Am Ready, Warden

Once Upon a Time in Ukraine

Chasing Roo 

Animated Short-

ME

A Bear Named Wojtek

Beautiful Men

In the Shadow of the Cypress

A Crab in the Pool

Live Action Short-

Anuja

The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent

The Masterpiece

A Lien

Paris 70

[chinchillasorchildren]

Well...

Best Picture

Anora

The Brutalist

A Complete Unknown

Conclave

Dunc-O-Rama Canto Due

Emilia Perez

Nickel Boys

A Real Pain

Sing Sing

Wicked

Just out of reach: September 5, The Substance

Director

Jacques Audiard - Emilia Perez

Sean Baker - Anora

Edward Berger - Conclave

Brady Corbet - The Brutalist

Coralie Fargeat - The Substance/James Mangold - A Complete Unknown

Is the spice still flowing?: Jon Chu (Wicked), Denis Villeneuve (Dune Pt 2), RaMell Ross (Nickel Boys)

Actor

Adrien Brody - The Brutalist

Timothee Chalamet - A Complete Unknown

Ralph Fiennes - Conclave

Colman Domingo - Sing Sing

Sebastian Stan - A Different Man/The Apprentice

End of the road probably: Daniel Craig (Queer), Jesse Eisenberg (A Real Pain)

Actress

Karla Sofia Gascon - Emilia Perez

Marianne Jean Baptiste - Hard Truths

Mikey Madison - Anora

Demi Moore - The Substance

Fernanda Torres - I'm Still Here

Margot Robbie 2.0: Cynthia Erivo (Wicked)

Never the big threats they could have been: Nicole Kidman (Babygirl), Pam Anderson (The Last Showgirl), Angelina Jolie (Maria)

Supporting Actor

Yura Borisov - Anora

Kieran Culkin - A Real Pain

Edward Norton - A Complete Unknown

Guy Pearce - The Brutalist

Jeremy Strong - The Apprentice

Alt: Clarence Maclin (Sing Sing)

Supporting Actress

Jamie Lee Curtis - The Last Showgirl

Selena Gomez - Emilia Perez

Ariana Grande - Wicked

Isabella Rosselini - Conclave

Zoe Saldaña - Emilia Perez

The Maggie Gyllenhaal-print: Monica Barbaro (A Complete Unknown)

Adapted Screenplay

A Complete Unknown

Conclave

Emilia Perez

Nickel Boys

Sing Sing

Original Screenplay

Anora

The Brutalist

Hard Truths

A Real Pain

The Substance

Editing

Anora

The Brutalist

Conclave

Dune Part 2

Emilia Perez

Cinematography

The Brutalist

Conclave

Maria

Nickel Boys

Nosferatu

They should have re-released in the fall: Dune Part 2

Downballot/recency bias beneficiary: A Complete Unknown

If they really feel like trolling: Wicked

Production Design

The Brutalist

Conclave

Dune Part 2

Nosferatu

Wicked

Alts: The Substance, Gladiator 2, A Complete Unknown

Costume Design

The Brutalist

Dune Part 2

Gladiator 2

Nosferatu

Wicked

Alts: Maria, The Substance, A Complete Unknown, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Animated Feature

Flow

Inside Out 2

Memoir of a Snail

Moana 2

The Wild Robot

Documentary Feature

Black Box Diaries

Daughters

Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat

Sugarcane

Will and Harper

....will they?: No Other Land, Dahomey

International Feature

Emilia Perez (Mexico)

The Girl With the Needle (Denmark)

I'm Still Here (Brazil)

The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Germany)

Vermiglio (Italy)

Score

The Brutalist

Challengers

Conclave

Emilia Perez

The Wild Robot

Never count him out: The Room Next Door

Sound

A Complete Unknown

Dune Part 2

Emilia Perez

Gladiator 2

Wicked

VFX

Better Man

Dune Part 2

Gladiator 2

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Wicked

Hair and Makeup

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Emilia Perez

Nosferatu

The Substance

Wicked

[dizzymoods]

ppl have known sean baker is a weirdo since tangerine. And here he is following known stochastic terror enabler, thee transphobe of the internet LibsOfTikTok. This is after being an avowed tulsi gabbard & kyle rittenhouse supporter.

[femme-foucault]

Alright "final" Oscar nom predictions:

The Oscar nominations were supposed to come out on the 17th but were pushed back due to the wildfires, so now they are out on the 23rd. I know the main story on Film Internet right now is the AI controversy with The Brutalist, but since that story didn't break until after voting ended, I don't see that controversy hurting nominations for that film. It might affect wins, but it depends. So I'm keeping it in my predictions for now.

As usual, my predictions are in alphabetical order, not by personal preference.

Best Picture: Anora, The Brutalist, A Complete Unknown, Conclave, Dune Pt 2, Emilia Perez, A Real Pain, Sing Sing, The Substance, Wicked

Yes, I'm still hope-dicting Sing Sing. The BAFTA noms gave me some hope. Let me be delusional. It could very well be Nickel Boys instead of Sing Sing.

Director: Jacques Audiard (Emilia Perez), Sean Baker (Anora), Edward Berger (Conclave) Brady Corbet (The Brutalist), Coralie Fargeat (The Substance)

Ugh, I caved and predicted Audiard even though I'm not happy about it. I would love to see Villeneuve (Dune Pt 2) get in here but I highly doubt it. I know Fargeat is a stretch but they are going to want a woman in there because of all the pushback in the past few years and Fargeat has been nominated at a number of pre-cursors.

Best Actress in a Lead Role: Cynthia Erivo (Wicked), Karla Sofia Gascon (Emilia Perez), Mikey Madison (Anora), Demi Moore (The Substance)....and someone else idk.

No idea who that fifth slot is, but I highly doubt it's Angelina Jolie (Maria) anymore and I've taken Nicole Kidman out of my predictions too because her movie (Babygirl) has not been nominated as much as people thought it would be just a month ago. In that climate, I do think Erivo is getting in for Wicked -- she won't win, but with Jolie and Kidman out I'd be surprised if she wasn't nominated. After the Globes, maybe Fernanda Torres (I'm Still Here)?

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

Craig is the one I am weakest on but we'll see.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Jamie Lee Curtis (The Last Showgirl), Ariana Grande (Wicked), Felicity Jones (The Brutalist), Isabella Rossellini (Conclave), Zoe Saldana (Emilia Perez)

Honestly, Saldana and Grande are the only ones I am 100% sure of. It's a two-woman race there, but anyone else could be nominated. Now I have finally seen The Brutalist, I think Jones is this year's Emily Blunt -- the "tag along" nomination that accompanies two competitive acting performances in a best picture front runner (even though The Brutalist is much more divisive than Oppenheimer and I think a weaker movie (I was with it right up until the last 20 minutes, which I wasn't a fan of)). Selena Gomez might get in for EP if that movie over-performs even though she was terrible in that movie but being terrible has never stopped them from nominating someone before.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Yura Borisov (Anora), Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain), Edward Norton (A Complete Unknown), Guy Pearce (The Brutalist), Jeremy Strong (The Apprentice)

I put Borisov in because he keeps being nominated at precursors, though if anyone misses, it's him, not Pearce -- even though Pearce didn't get nominated at SAG. I have fiiiiiinally taken out Clarence Maclin even though he gave my favorite male supporting role of the year because Sing Sing is not getting the love it deserves :(

Adapted Screenplay: A Complete Unknown, Conclave, Dune Pt 2, Emilia Perez, Sing Sing

I am going on a limb and guessing Dune Pt 2, even though I don't think the first one got in. I think Conclave wins here.

Original Screenplay: Anora, A Real Pain, The Substance....Idk what else, but Anora is probably winning. Especially because it looks like Emilia Perez might be winning Best Picture noooooooooooo so I could see it being like last year, where the two screenplay awards go to movies that weren't winning anything else that they wanted to award.

No real guesses for all the techies because there is always a few tech categories in something that I haven't seen. I think Dune Pt 2 is going to be nominated in many tech categories, but I still think Wicked is probably winning Costume and Production Design (though pre-AI controversy, I could have seen The Brutalist taking the latter) unless Emilia Perez just really over-performs.

[spectralph]

Anora: "A Modern Day, Dark Humor Cinderella Story"

Oh, Anora, you got me listening to stripper playlists on Spotify tonight (which includes Billie Eilish's Bad Guy). It made me very happy. Two words I would use to describe you would be perhaps "VERY COOL" and "So Gen-Z."

Winning the top prize at Cannes, Anora amazingly combined auteur storytelling with both unconvincing Russian accent and broken English from the ensemble cast, creating an enjoyable picture that we can all baptize (yes there is a baptism scene) as "modern, dark humor Cinderella"

Revolving around a young and naive sex worker, the film is far from my go-to favorite pictures such as Her, Past Lives, and Perfect Days which are all conceptually, thoughtfully, and emotionally profound. A few moments ago, I was debating whether Anora is something that I would rewatch often. I honestly think I would in huge part to revel once more on Mikey Madison's captivating and rootable portrayal. She certainly has generational star power and acting chops comparable to, let's say, Jennifer Lawrence way back in the early 2010s. I can see her being versatile and playing diverse roles in the future whether it be as a sci-fi heroin or something else. I am so excited for her rising career.

Truthfully, I was initially disappointed as the film didn’t really reveal Annie’s motivations, viewpoints, and overall depth of character. I would like to point out though an important point I picked upon another YouTube film critic, emphasizing how in the midst of most of the characters, Annie has a good moral compass. In significant part due to her naivety, she actually was fighting the most for what she believed in. As for how the film ended I know many wish for a well-rounded redemption arc for our beloved character. Stretching the narrative further, however, would not have felt right given the focus of this film is on the whirlwind rise and fall of Anora, initially as a sex worker then as a person. Rather than feeling dissapointed, I think viewers should commend director Sean Baker’s daring choice for the film ending. I saw an in depth analysis of this scene which rationalized that without knowing much else, Anora was trying to give her body as a form of expressing her gratitude and appreciation of Igor. This interpretation, in my opinion is quite controversial, as for sure many other sex workers are certainly more holistic especially in their personal lives. But we are extending grace to Young Ani as she is just figuring things out. Certainly, she is more than her work too, and this story is her own personal tale of gaining wisdom especially when it comes to gaining realistic discernment and setting boundaries. Albeit devastating, it’s such a cinematic moment witnessing Anora break down and show genuine emotions. It’s her genuineness from beginning to end that makes this film a winner.

Wrapping things up. I think what made Anora so successful is the use of exaggerating comedy that is not foreign and almost a staple to engaged viewers. It didn’t portray sex work and abuse in a depressing light, rather from an empowered view point through the main character who showed immense fight allowing herself to be vulnerable only in the end, in front of the best person she could be so. I think this makes Anora so relatable to many people who has ever weathered stressful and unprecedented conditions whether foreseen or not. Aside from Anora who represented the film’s central focus, the characterization of the supporting characters were exemplary. Certainly, Ivan’s parents embodied the proud and uncaring oligarchy. Our fallen Prince Charming, on the other hand represents the product of this system: sheltered, rebellious, careless, selfish, and independable. The character of Igor, meanwhile, wonderfully encapsulates the people in our lives who stick with us, supportive, caring, and willing to overlook our bad emotional responses over our tough days. Without us asking for it, they see us and supports us as the person we are.

To quote cute Igor: "I like Anora!" and so do I.

Screenplay/Plot - 9.5/10

Acting - 9.5/10

Cinematography - 9.25/10

Film Impact/Appreciation - 9.35/10

Overall Score - 9.4/10

[wrestlingfaves]

All In 2018

So, with Max airing the early years of AEW, now is the perfect time to start a re-watch of AEW. First though, a quick switch to ROH Honor Club to watch the 2018 All In – the beginning of All Elite Wrestling.

All In (2018)

Organizations Involved: Ring of Honor, New Japan Pro Wrestling, NWA, TNA (Impact), MLW, AAA

Ring Announcers: Justin Roberts, Bobby Cruise

Backstage Interviewer: Sean Mooney

Commentators: Excalibur, Don Callis, Ian Riccaboni

Here we go…

MJF vs Matt Cross. A fine opening match. It’s weird seeing MJF eat the pin considering how big a star he would become in AEW.

Sean Mooney interviews Nick Aldis.

Christopher Daniel (accompanied by SCU teammates Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky) vs Steve Amell (accompanied by Josh Segarra). Jerry Lynn is the special guest referee. John Mayer is at ringside. Is John Mayer a wrestling fan? Good match considering one of the participants is a non-wrestler. I respect Steve’s love of wrestling.

Tenille Dashwood and Mandy Leon join the commentary booth for the next match, a 4-way involving Chelsea Green, Britt Baker, Madison Rayne, and Tessa Blanchard.

Tully Blanchard and Magnum TA are ringside.

Impact provided ¾ of the talent for this match.

Chelsea is introduced as the “Hot Mess”, and yep, that would be an accurate description.

Tessa is the first person to appear on the card who sunk their career due to their own actions. Don’t worry, she’ll have company as the night progresses.

Great match that the crowd popped for. Chelsea was a blast to watch. Tessa has talent and if she wasn’t such an egotistical, racist bully she would have progressed much farther in her career.

Nick Aldis vs Cody Rhodes for the NWA World championship. Brett Tarring joins the commentary team for the match. Earl Hepbner

Cody is accompanied by Brandi, Phaoroah, Diamond Dallas Page, Tommy Dreamer, and Glacier.

Brandi was styling this night.

Earl Hebner is the referee.

Nick Aldis is accompanied by Jeff Jarrett, Tim Storm, and Sean Davari.

Cody’s team (minus Brandi) came out in track suits. Nick’s team came out in actual business suits. In the war of style, Nick’s team won.

DDP gets the old-timer pop when he diamond cuts Davari.

Brandi shields Cody’s unconscious body and receives a top rope elbow drop from Aldis for her troubles.

Match was okay. I’m not a big Cody fan. Highlights were DDP and Brandi.

Joey Janella with Penelope Ford vs Hangman Adam Page.

The commentators mention that Page admitted to killing Joey Ryan in the press conference but I’m “Team Hangman Did Nothing Wrong” so I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.

The middle of the match turns into Hangman vs Penelope. My favorite part of the match – Penelope was awesome, and Hangman sold for her big time.

Janela eats a wicked powerbomb off the ramp through a table. Ouch!

People scold Hangman for the arson of Swerve’s house but the commentators consistently throughout the match remark on Hangman’s murder of Joey Ryan.

I think we need to realize that Adam has always been unbalanced.

Joey Ryan’s part in All In – returning from “death”, accompanied by penis druids, has been removed from the pay per view broadcast. Fine with me. I never liked Joey Ryan’s gimmick and that was before the Speaking Out allegations.

Joey Ryan and Flip Gordon join Tessa in the “Idiots Who Sunk Their Own Career” club.

Jay “Black Machismo” Lethal, accompanied by Lanny Poffo vs Flip Gordon, accompanied by Brandi Rhodes for the Ring of Honor World Championship. Ring of Honor ambassador Cary Silkin presents the title.

Jay’s in full-on Randy mode and keeps interacting with Brandi like she’s Miss Elizabeth.

 All In was about the future of wrestling but I love the nods to the past: Sean Mooney, Earl Hebner, Cody and Nick’s support team, Lanny Poffo, Cary Silkin, Jay’s Black Machismo gimmick. Little touches that homage the past but not at the cost of the present-day talent.

Bully Ray attacks both Flip, Lethal, and Lanny. Colt Cabana makes the rescue, and the trio put Bully through a table. Fun match.

Penta El Zero vs Kenny Omega in their first singles match. Great match, as always when these two meet in the ring.

The arena goes dark…the lights come back up…Penta rises from the mat but it’s clearly a different Penta – he attacks Omega and reveals himself to be Chris Jericho!

This is before everyone was tired of Jericho (and his politics) so his surprise appearance drew a big pop!

Okada vs Marty Scurll is up next. Scurll is another member of “I sunk my own career” club.  Tiger Hattori is the ref for the match. We have a BTE skit with Marty and the finger-pointing critics – if you watched BTE at the time, they were the “Now, Arthur” guys.

I had forgotten that Okada was in his red-haired breakdown era until he made his appearance.

Okada wins, as he should.

The Young Bucks & Kota Ibushi vs Bandidn, Rey Fenix, and Rey Mysterio.

Rey is cosplaying as Wolverine tonight.

I can hear the Young Bucks’ critics from my house: This is nothing but a high spot-fest!” And it is but that is what I want from the wrestlers involved in this match. If a match has the Young Bucks, Kota, Fenix, Rey, and Bandido in it and I am not seeing a rapid pace with amazing high spots, I would be extremely disappointed.

Kota and the Buck win in a great match.

Ranking the matches in order of my own personal enjoyment:

Chelsea Green vs Madison Rayne Vs Britt Baker vs Tessa Blanchard

Jay Lethal vs Flip Gordon

Adam Page vs Joey Janella

Kenny Omega vs Penta El Zero

Kota Ibushi & The Young Bucks vs Rey Mysterio, Bandido, and Fenix

Kazuchika Okada vs Marty Scurll

Cody Rhodes vs Nick Aldis

Christopher Daniels vs Steve Amell

MJF vs Matt Cross