#worthy of the best picture nomination

[nodominion]

Watched both The Banshees of Inisherin and Triangle of Sadness tonight and I feel like I'm losing my mind

[monimccoythings]

Like Father Like Daughter

I have so many WIPs from different fandoms and this Wolverine fic ideas just keep coming and coming... I appreciate so much the support I've been shown, I don't look at the notes because it shows in activity that is 99+ and I get anxious lol. Logan has a nasty temper but is really fun to write.

Living with an ill-tempered man like Logan wasn't always easy, but living with him and his variant's teenaged clone turned adopted daughter who had the exact same temper as him, was proving to be quite the challenge.

As anybody would expect, those two were constantly butting heads at everything, be it food, curfews, or, just as they were doing at this very moment, Laura's choices in fashion.

The girl had chosen some shorts and black leggings, with black sneakers, and a crop top that was way too short for an old fashioned man like Logan to approve, to hang out with some friends she had made at her new high school. Barely sparing a glance at her outfit, Logan had snapped at her to go back to her room and change into something more appropiate, which Laura took it as well as any teenage girl that had spent part of her earliest teen years dressing and doing what she pleased in the void would. And then the screaming match had begun.

"NO CHILD OF MINE IS GOING OUT DRESSED UP LIKE THAT."

"IT'S JUST A SHIRT, IT'S NOT A BIG DEAL."

You let out a quiet sigh. You knew daughters were supposed to rebel against their parents, but having two superpowered beings at each other's throats at all times wasn't the great idea the universe thought it was. You knew they loved each other deeply and would kill for each other, but sometimes they were way too much alike.

"Sweetie, listen to Daddy on this one, he just wants what's best for you."

How the fuck had Wade gotten in and embraced your husband's muscular arm without anyone noticing. With a low growl, Logan pushed him away. Laura did not seem too pleased with him either.

"FUCK OFF, YOU AREN'T MY MOM!"

Wade covered his mouth and let out a shocked gasp that honestly was worthy of an Oscar nomination. You quietly thanked him for his presence, maybe that would help relieve the tension in the room. Laura turned at you, imploringly.

"Tell him he's just overreacting. Please."

You sneakily looked at your husband, who seemed to be red with rage, his lips pulled back in a feral snarl that clearly was a display of dominance, knuckles pressed against the wooden table so tightly that you started to fear for the well being of the furniture. His muscles were so tense he looked like he was going to burst out of his shirt, by the way the veins in his neck were swelling.

You didn't want to disrespect his authority over his daughter, but you also didn't want to make Laura direct her hate at you; you loved that girl and her attitude as if she was your own child. It seemed they needed some consesus, and you guessed you'd have to be once again the bigger person here.

"Laura, your father is just worried about you. If you want to wear that top, then you'd have to put a jacket on. And we want you back home by eleven."

"But my friends-" She started to protest, but you quickly cut her off.

"Eleven and that's more than your father was willing to give you."

She bit her lip, considering her options. With a huff, she stomped back towards her room to get that jacket. She slammed the front door on the way back out, not even bothering to say goodbye. Teenagers.

The living room got quiet. Really quiet. You could only hear Wade munching on some popcorn he had gotten from God knows where. Logan was fuming, not at you of course, but at his unruly adoptive daughter's behavior. He stormed towards your shared bedroom and slammed the door close hard enough, it made the pictures on the wall tremble. You sighed.

Well that went well.

It wasn't until half an hour later that he cooled off and decided to come out. You were cleaning up some dishes while Wade sat on the couch watching some cartoons. It made you smile, it was like you had two children running around.

You felt your husband's stubble and nose nuzzle against the back of your neck, as he embraced you from behind, his massive hands covering the entire expanse of your fourth month pregnant belly. "Feeling better now?" You casually asked.

His teeth nipped at the skin on your neck leaving a burning feeling that only his tongue could soothe. "I don't know what to do with her, she seems to fight against everything I do or say." His deep rumbling voice sent shivers running down your spine.

"Deep down she knows you love her. And she loves you too, even if she is too 'cool' to admit it." He let out a bitter chuckle, massaging your belly while leaning his chin on your shoulder, his sideburns made you tickle.

"I just hope this little one doesn't give us that much trouble."

"Hey, however they come out, we will love them the same, because they are a part of our family." He kissed your cheek and you leaned back into his embrace.

"Yes, our family." You let out a laugh at the sudden extra weight on your backs. Looks like Wade had gotten tired of the tv and had decided to join you into your little embrace.

"Wade..." Logan started warningly, carefully prying his hands away from your belly.

*SNIKT*

[kookygobbledygook]

Some people have been saying this, but I don't think it's been said enough and I'm just going to add my voice to the mix.

Nimona's nomination is being framed as an example of "Look at what Disney missed out on!" and I get it. It's a nice, tasty schadenfreude situation and we all like to see The Mouse get taken down a peg.

But I think we need to be very clear; Disney did not miss out on anything because they were never going to take that sort of risk.

Disney was never going to release anything close to the Nimona we got. It would have been sanded down until anything obviously queer or controversial was as faint and unnoticeable as possible by the casual viewer. And then they would still be too scared of any potential backlash. So they would have given the film a limited release at theatres, with no advertising, or social media or support.

Like what happened with Strange World.

You remember Strange World, right?

No?

That's because no one does.

And I believe that was deliberate, because that way Disney can go "Weeellll... obviously we would LOVEto take more risks and have more inclusive stories but that's clearly not what the public wants!"

Look at the original concepts for Wish. The evil royal couple? The peter-panesque star boy that would have made the gen zers go feral the same way millenials went feral for Jack Frost? These could have been the best things about the movie, and even they were scrapped, and replaced with something more homogenised. And those ideas are nowhere near the level of the concepts and discussions Nimona brought to the table.

Disney can barely have explicit gay people. Nimona has a gay south Asian man in a relationship with an east Asian man. As a protagonist! But more than that, you think Disney could ever come up with a relationship as complicated and difficult as Boldheart and Goldenloin's? They would never have the guts to show one love interest cutting off the other's arm in a straight relationship. Let alone a gay one! And then for them to be on opposite sides of the conflict, shifting between feelings of betrayal, and questioning each other motives? That's some adult dark shit for a kids film.

Asha as a character was forced into the quirky girl role that Disney has already flogged to death with Anna and Rapunzel. You ever think they would allow a Disney princess to be as dark and violent and nuanced as Nimona? You ever picture the titial character of a Disney film AS the third act conflict, rampaging through a city in a self destructive rage? Nimona is anti authoritarian, vengeful, bloodthirsty, a pretty explicit trans allegory, and even, by the climax, openly suicidal. You KNOW that terrified Disney.

I had a thing about the Director here too but I was shocked by how long that got so I'll have to save her for a different post.

My point is the things that make Nimona art, that make Nimona a great story, that make the film important and Oscar worthy, are all things that Disney has become too chicken shit to produce. If Disney had released a film called Nimona it wouldn't have been Nimona. I fully believe that if the film hadn't had been 90% finished it wouldn't have been shelved. It would have been lobotomised and vivisected. Everything special and vital about the movie and its message would have been removed, and no one would have known what could have been. Once again we would have gotten scraps and been thankful for them.

It makes me think about films like Wish (and others we don't know the name of, and never will) and think of what they could have been if studio's like Disney were braver and let their artists make art, instead of content.

tl;dr Disney didn't miss out on Nimona because they are incapable of making Nimona. If they had produced it the real Nimona wouldn't exist. We didn't miss out on Nimona. And that's purely by luck.

[destinyc1020]

Okay..... I'm sorry, but this year's Oscar Nominations are 🤬 TRASH.

I don't even know where to freaking begin. 😡

FIRST of all, the very OBVIOUS snub of "The Color Purple" is just very interesting to say the least. 🤨 All of the acting, singing, and dancing that everyone had to do in this movie, and only ONE freaking Nomination??

Second... how in the HAYELL do you give an Oscar Nomination to Margot Robbie for freaking "Barbie", and don't think to give one to Fantasia for "The Color Purple"??? 😒 And how is it you nominate the supporting actress Danielle Brooks for TCP, but NOT the lead actress? 🤔 True, sometimes the supporting actor in a film outshines the lead actor, but in this case, I think they were both deserving of a nod. Every single other film, for the most part, has the lead and the supporting actor nominated.

Which brings me to "Barbie" being nominated for Best Picture.... over The Color Purple??? SERIOUSLY?? 🤨

Ryan Gosling getting a nomination for playing KEN, and America Ferrera getting a nomination for BARBIE???

I am SO upset 😡

This makes absolutely ZERO sense. 🙄

The Oscars are definitely political, coz they (imo) deliberately snubbed "May, December" (Prob due to the controversy), and "The Color Purple" (maybe due to Taraji speaking out about Hollywood? Idk 🤷🏾‍♀️).

Either way, I'm not sure how a film that got 11 nominations 30 years ago and won ZERO, got only ONE nomination in the year 2024. 🤔

Was it the best movie of last year? No... But do I think it should have been nominated over freaking "Barbie"?? Yes!

This is just proof that the Oscars are going back to their typical ways smh. 🙄

I'm sorry, but NONE of those actors for "Barbie" should have received ACTING nominations for that movie.

And if that movie had been a black dominated cast, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have either.

They were just part of the "popular kids cool club" this year due to the cultural phenomenon, so they got nods by extension imo. Don't get me wrong, the cast did great! But Oscar-worthy? No freaking way. 😤😒

Whew.... y'all.... I am HOT!! 😡

[samcampbellfans]

Sam Campbell's 2016 show 'Zanzoop'.

"Kind of like Dr. Phil but hosted by a funny naked party-alien."

'Zanzoop' was a comedy show in (April-May) 2016 performed around Australia (Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Sydney). Created by Sam Campbell, Aaron Chen and Tom Walker in the collective 'Feeble Minds', Tom Walker directed and won Director's Choice Award at Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2016.

Sam plays an alien called Zanzoop, a "semi-naked space alien, hosting a sort of chat show in an attempt to fix humanity’s problems and prove himself a worthy heir to the throne of Zymbalnation. And this is one of the more sober premises of the hour." (Steve Bennett, Chortle).

Craig Anderson, Sean Conway and Cameron Whiteford also made appearances on Zanzoop (the latter two appearing in Perth shows).

The show received 4 and 1/2 stars from Herald Sun. Here are some quotes from the Herald Sun article to get a sense of the show:

'Campbell began the show by saying "there’s a lot of reviewer c--ts in tonight. Oh, Steve from Chortle is here, it’s not as funny as a picture I once saw of Stewart Lee’s elbow!!"'

'“Youth culture baby” (Campbell does the Shaka sign)'

'Autism joke, well handled.'

'King Baby (actually played by a sunscreen-smeared Tom Walker who got a Best Newcomer nomination yesterday for his Beep Bop show, 6pm each night at Tuxedo Cat).' See picture below for King Baby on the far right.

'“I didn’t pay my rent because I bought too many props.” - Campbell breaking the fourth wall for the umpteenth time, he’s the John Conway of this year.'

This show also included the dip and vegetables gag, which Sam has done before: you can watch it in this video: Live at Comedy Central's 'A Night of Stand Up' at the 2016 Sydney Morning Herald Spectrum Now Festival and and on this Instagram post via thecomedyloungesydney.

Reviews of the show, I recommend reading if you want to know what the show was like (there's no videos of the show as far as I know):

The Plus Ones

Steve Bennett, Chortle

Herald Sun (4 and 1/2 stars)

Squirrel Comedy

Photo sources:

1) Herald Sun

2) pappy90 on TWT

3) Sean Conway on FaceBook (this one was at Fringe World)

4) guy_mont on TWT

5) Aaron Chen's tattoo of Zanzoop the alien

6) tomwalkerisgood on TWT, promotional poster.

Additional bits:

The strange promotion video Sam, Tom and Aaron did for Feeble Minds (thank you cowboyacaster on TWT)

Below: Aaron Chen reading the Herald Sun 4 and a 1/2 star review of Zanzoop to Sam Campbell (photo via tomwalkerisgood on TWT).

[harlowsbby]

Fallen Angel

Liked by lilnasx, jackharlownews, druski2funny, kehlani, sza and 999 others.

theshaderoom roomies! looks like someone on @taylorrooks close friends leaned a little something now we all know @jackharlow is with @yourinstagramname or is he? 👀

lilnasx he’s always fucking up somehow 🤦🏾‍♂️

druski2funny what I’m hearing is @yourinstagramname is single? mama I’m on my way

yourinstagramname @druski2funny oh please I wouldn’t even want you if you was the last man on earth

lilnasx @yourinstagramname cleared him as you should sis

jackharlownews oh jackman I can’t been defending you

sza men ain’t shit

Liked by lilnasx, urbanwyatt, druski2funny, chloebailey, sza, normani and 3,887, 729 others.

yourinstagramname oh baby you’re the best @luckydaye ❤️

lilnasx uh oh no my sis done moved on with ease

druski2funny damn homegirl moved on quickly

lilnasx @druski2funny as she should your homeboy a player

sza the chemistry 😫😫

chloebailey but is this official? because the world needs this couple asap 😌❤️

urbanwyatt reporting back to jack 👨🏼‍🦯👨🏼‍🦯👨🏼‍🦯

lilnasx @urbanwyatt get the hell outta here

normani love you two real bad

Liked by urbanwyatt, lilnasx, druski2funny, champagnepapi, claybornharlow and 1,569,000 others.

jackharlow player of the year just got nominated for 3 grammys 😌

lilnasx that caption wasn’t needed..

druski2funny @lilnasx don’t hate the player, hate the game 🤷🏾

lilnasx @druski2funny please don’t get canceled today… you know I’ll drag you with ease

champagnepapi players club 🤫

urbanwyatt 👨🏼‍🦯👨🏼‍🦯👨🏼‍🦯

druski2funny the biggest player in Louisville

jackharlownews see but why use that caption

yourinstagramname I’m so glad you find this funny.

Liked by lilnasx, latto777, normani, sza, chloebailey and 3,568,000 others.

yourinstagramname can’t let these heartless broken boys win! my music video for my song How is out now featuring the great @RoddyRicch

lilnasx my fucking SONG favorite line is “I’m back, I’m on my shit again, back to business, caught my fuel again, you out so I can let me back in” 😫

druski2funny my little sunshine, lemme taste the rainbow 😉

lilnasx @druski2funny the most cringe worthy comment I’ve never seen go taste your own rainbow

sza oooo this color on you 😍

normani you better win album of the year

chloebailey literally my favorite song on the album

kehlani 😍🤍

Liked by urbanwyatt, lilnasx, sza, champagnepapi, lilbaby and 1,678,460 others.

jackharlow on a lookout for @yourinstagramname missing you real bad

lilnasx boy what is this?

druski2funny what happened to the players club? you’re officially removed smh

champagnepapi jackman, jackman, jackman

sza smhhh men ain’t SHIT

lilbaby 😂😂😂

Liked by lilnasx, urbanwyatt, druski2funny and 900 others.

theshaderoom oop! looks like @jackharlow is missing @yourinstagramname but looks like she’s in the studio with her NEW man @luckydaye, he recently posted a picture of her being busy in the studio we love to see it

lilnasx my baby moving on as she should

druski2funny welp there goes my chance

lilnasx @druski2funny it’s wild you thought you had a chance

druski2funny @lilnasx it’s wild that you thought that I thought that you thought that I cared what you thought

jackharlow @yourinstagramname please take me back baby I miss you 🙁

@yourinstagramname @jackharlow like my song says “you’re a fucking mess”

[magickgirl786]

anyone who is like “its good angela didn’t win because the oscars shouldn’t bow down to capitalism and give everyone awards for marvel movies” i’m just like ???

because when exactly did we want EVERYONE in a marvel movie to be nominated for an oscar let alone win one?

angela has been the only one i thought did a good enough job in a marvel movie to warrant being nominated for an oscar and just because she’s in a marvel film does not mean she shouldn’t be honoured for her amazing performance

eeaao is a comedy, sci-fi and action film and years ago, there would have been people saying “ugh this genre is not oscar worthy gtfo” and now it won best picture and many other oscars which just shows that pretentious film bros need to stop gatekeeping the cinema represented at awards shows 

so if you’re one of those people who think its good that angela lost because she was in the marvel superhero genre and that jamie lee won even though she had a much more minimal role in a comedy sci-fi action gnre, just stfu and say you’re racist

[blackcatreadstarot]

Ana De Armas Career Tarot Reading

What will happen in Ana De Armas career in 2024: 4 of swords reversed + 10 of cups + 5 of wands reversed: she will give herself a well deserved break in order to come back refreshed and ready to work. She was working really hard, so now Ana is able to relax and spend more time with her family and loved ones. 6 of wands reversed + 7 of pentacles + the hierophant reversed + 8 of wands reversed + the magician reversed + 2 of swords reversed: yet, I feel that it will be very stressful year for her career wise. She will experience lack of ambition and support and that will lead her to focus more on what is working and what is not. She will focus on her career perspectives and it feels like she wants to try something new and to be a part of new projects, but she's unsure about it. Also now when her career is on a new level, her manager and team expect even more from her and put a lot of pressure on Ana, almost all cards above indicate a lot of stress. She is on cross roads: one road is where she chooses projects she really likes but not all of them might be nominations worthy and the other road - full of very serious projects that are great for her career but maybe not all of them excite her heart. There is a person in her team that pushes her to choose the second path, yet that person doesn't act in her best interest. Ana will feel like she's torn apart. And here's the thing - the magician reversed also indicates a person who lies, does trickery and presents the information that doesn't fully reflect the reality. Somebody in her team acts this way and that is why Ana feels indecisive, she doesn't have a full picture. the magician reversed (again!) + 2 of pentacles reversed + king of pentacles reversed: well, cards indicate that that person in her team, that I talked about above, will push her to choose the second path - she will be very busy and have a lot of projects, but with that the pressure and feeling of being overworked and overwhelmed will be over the roof. That person doesn't care about Ana and her feelings, that person sees her as "milking cow" - now when Ana is an oscar nominee actress and able to book more work and bring more money on the table - that's all that person cares about. Ballerina - the outcome of this project: king of pentacles reversed + the magician reversed + 3 of wands reversed; 3 of cups reversed + the tower reversed + 4 of cups: It feels like this project was created for materialistic purposes. There's a possibility that there will be selfish, greedy and manipulative person that will try to destroy someone's reputation or bring something out on the surface. Lack of success, lies, wasted potential, delays, conflicts, gossips, chaos - all those words describe the outcome of the "Ballerina". There's a possibility of some sort of delays - a lot of cards indicate delays and stagnation. Eden - the outcome of this project: page of swords + 4 of wands + the sun; the emperor + justice + 9 of swords (5 of cups + king of cups as clarification cards to 9 of swords): This is great! It's innovative and ambitious project, that will receive recognition, success and a lot of positive feedback. I think that audience will be very excited and happy about "Eden". Since 4 of wands card in term of career and work also indicates being supported by collegues, I feel that in this case critics will also give positive reviews about this film. And the emperor and justice cards indicate that this project will be successful and rewarded fairly, the hard work will be noticed. I feel that they will be anxious and have fears about this project being a disappointment and not creative enough, but again all those fears are only in their heads, because a lot of cards above indicate recognition, happiness and success.

Used tarot deck: tarot de carlotydes

[mystery-moose]

EYO THE OSCAR NOMS ARE OUT

Let’s discuss!

BEST PICTURE: I've seen four of the ten nominees this year! Not a bad score for me. Of the remainder I am very interested in American Fiction, Anatomy of a Fall, and Past Lives. American Fiction in particular got Jeffrey Wright a Best Actor nomination! I love Jeffrey Wright! He deserves more recognition! Any film that can get him that has gotta be worth something.

Of the ones I’ve seen… I’d probably select Killers of the Flower Moon as the best? It’s a hard watch, but the craft on display at every level is exceptional. If not that, then… I dunno, maybe Barbie? The Holdovers is a safe choice, it’s a great movie, but there’s almost nothing… surprising about it. Barbie is CONSTANTLY surprising! But it’s also a madcap comedy bathed in metaphor so… man I don’t know!

Regardless, I wouldn’t pick Oppenheimer. Not to disrespect it, I genuinely believe it to be a very interesting film that’s compelling to watch, and as always Christopher Nolan’s ability to make weird-ass films with experimental structures popular with a mass audience is worthy of tremendous respect. But its pacing is rushed, its script is sometimes awkward to the point of parody, and I just don’t know that it’s saying or doing anything THAT interesting or enlightening about the real people involved or about people or history in general. Y’know?

BEST DIRECTOR: Nothing but Best Picture nominees here, which makes sense. Pretty blown away that Alexander Payne didn't get a nom here for The Holdovers. Not blown away at all that Greta Gerwig didn't get one for Barbie, despite that whole thing clearly being her baby. A real Streisand situation here, I'd say! "Eight nominations on the shelf, did this film direct itself?" Regardless of who wins (or even who I think deserves to!) I'd definitely say Gerwig got snubbed here.

BEST ACTOR: All best picture nominees here, save for Colman Domingo for Rustin. Had never heard of this film before, because it's a Netflix film and they always bury all their work, but it's about a civil rights activist so that makes... how many years that the Academy has included one of these in a Best Actor/Actress context? Selma, Harriet, Judas and the Black Messiah. I'm sure Colman Domingo gives a good performance, just noting that the Academy loves to nominate these for acting awards and not honor them in most any other way. (Hey, Jeffrey Wright's in that movie too! Good year for him!)

Bradley Cooper's here too. I don't think I like him very much! I've never disliked him really, but I've never loved his performance either. But the Academy seems to, since he's been nominated... TWELVE TIMES? Holy SHIT no wonder I wasn't surprised to see his name. Never won one, though. He keeps this up, maybe they'll throw him a pity one like they did for DiCaprio. Then again, I don't think Cooper assigns as much value to it as Leo did -- or at least, it doesn't feel like it. I care so little about Bradley Cooper! I don't follow his personal journey very closely! He's fine, I guess!

As a fan, I'd LOVE to see Jeffrey Wright take it, even though I haven't seen his movie. Of the ones I have, Cillian Murphy is very good in Oppenheimer, no question, but I've gotta give it to my man Paulie G. Dude is an incredibly talented actor with a non-traditional look who's done great work for decades and deserves a big win. He's fantastic in Holdovers too! It's a layered, funny, incredibly natural performance that he just falls into. Not particularly showy, which lowers his chances for a win, but to me (and most sensible folks) that makes it a better performance, so there, nyeh!

BEST ACTRESS: I haven't seen four of these but if they don't give it to Lily Gladstone they've fucked up. Sorry, other nominees, that's all there is to it. Also, where the fuck is Margot Robbie? She's incredible in Barbie! If I get to Supporting Actor and Ryan Gosling is there, this is misogyny.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: This is misogyny!! But I'd love for Gosling to win for this. It'd be his first, and for a role like this that'd be hilarious. That being said it's still a tremendous performance! His commitment to the role both on-screen and off is clear, he's having a ball throughout, and he does his own dancing! God, I just wanna see his speech.

That being said, he has some extremely stiff competition. De Niro continues his golden year renaissance with an excellent performance of a very evil man in Killers of the Flower Moon, and Downey Jr. is so good in Oppenheimer that it took me a couple minutes and a scene transition to realize it was him at all! Also Sterling K. Brown and Mark Ruffalo are here! I like both those guys! If I had to pick one that I've seen that isn't Gosling? Probably Downey Jr. If I gave Oppenheimer one award, it would be this one.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: I like all these actresses, I think America Ferrera is very good in Barbie, and Jodie Foster has been doing great work lately, but this award belongs to Da'Vine Joy Randolph. She takes a character that could be one note in The Holdovers and invests them with so much life and complexity and history. I still think about that movie in part because of her, and because she made choices that made that character feel more authentic. It's maybe the most I've been impressed by an actress in a good long while, frankly! She deserves this one! Don't fuck it up, Academy! (but I know you will)

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: All Best Picture nominees, save for a movie called May December... because it's a Netflix film, of course. God, they sure do make a lot of award-worthy films I never ever hear about, huh! Wild how that happens! (Did you even know a new Spy Kids movie came out this year? Of course you didn't! It was on Netflix!)

I haven't seen four of these, but heard good things about Past Lives. I do really love The Holdovers though! Unless one of the others really knocks my socks off, I'd be comfortable with that winning here.

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Oppenheimer does not deserve this. I'm sorry, maybe it's a failure of editing, but the pacing on this thing is too breakneck. Maybe that's a failure of editing more than screenplay, though. Then again, the dialogue itself is uh... often pretty blunt and borderline silly, in that Nolan sort of way! So, y'know!

I'd love to see Barbie win it. It's so fucking funny, and occasionally vibrating with pathos. But I haven't seen the others, and they might rule, actually! American Fiction might be great! I'm looking forward to finding out when it hits digital!

ANIMATED FEATURE: I still think we probably shouldn't cordon these off into their own category, but then so few would get nominated for anything, so let's just live in the world we have, huh? The Boy and the Heron is a Miyazaki film, so that automatically makes it a contender, though I've heard some mixed things about it. Nimona is a dark horse that I remember having some buzz around it earlier this year, and Robot Dreams is a sad movie about a robot so it's automatically a movie I vibe with! Elemental... exists! (Why in the hell was this nominated and not Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem?! Why of all things did THAT get snubbed?!)

But we all know this belongs to Across the Spider-Verse. It might not be a complete narrative, but purely on visual spectacle alone, it should win. It is, without question, the wildest eyeball experience I've ever had watching a movie, finally dethroning the previous occupiers, the Wachowskis' Speed Racer and the animated film Redline. It is constantly visually surprising and experimental, to the point that much like its predecessor I don't know how they fucking did some of the stuff they did. It's not the out-of-nowhere immediate game-changer that its predecessor was, and it might not have the immediate influence on an entire genre in the same way... but I think it pushes the medium even further! I can't wait to see what other movies look like in the future because of it.

(also the production sounds like it was a nightmare, animators deserve more pay and more respect, unionize, etc.)

PRODUCTION DESIGN: I mean, of all the things about Napoleon, how it looked was the absolute best of them. I wouldn't be too upset if it won... except I would, because Barbie. I mean, come on. COME ON. This one's a gimme. (Though why is The Creator not here? I know it was a pretty bad movie, but the design? Absolutely impeccable vibes!)

COSTUME DESIGN: I mean. Barbie. Did you see Ken's outfits?

CINEMATOGRAPHY: This is my nerd-ass award I care about. I've liked Hoyte van Hoytema's work in the past, and if Oppenheimer won this I wouldn't think it a complete miscarriage of justice -- it's got some really great images in it. But to me this is Flower Moon's award to lose. I haven't seen the others, but I don't know that anything else is going to match that. It's not too showy, but it is pretty damn impeccable.

There are also movies that I think got snubbed here, like John Wick 4 (yes I'm serious) and Sisu (again, I'm serious) and The Killer. Heck, they didn't even nominate The Holdovers here, and that movie leans into its period setting by aping the cinematography of films from that period! That's neat!

EDITING: That Oppenheimer is here is more proof the Academy doesn't know what good editing is. I mean, if you isolated a couple scenes of that movie, there IS great editing there! And even structurally, I think it makes some bold choices that should be rewarded! But as a whole, I didn't feel like I had time to breathe during a scene, and most of that is down to Nolan always choosing to cut or transition too soon. Sometimes it's even a matter of seconds! But those seconds matter! They're the difference between me feeling like I'm moving through a room and feeling like I'm being hurried through a room, y'know what I mean?

I'd probably go with Flower Moon here, but Holdovers has a lovely, languid pace to it and some very funny cuts, so I'm leaning in that direction too. Haven't seen the others!

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING: How is Barbie not here?! What the hell kind of award show is this?! (A Bad one, we all know this.)

SOUND: (This used to be two awards, one for sound mixing and one for sound editing, and on a technical level those are two very different skills, but whatever, Academy!)

This is one I think that Oppenheimer will probably take, because it does some cool things with sound a few times. But it's also one that I think The Creator might actually deserve. Some really killer sound in that film, right up there with its production design -- which it should have gotten a nomination for! Also, Mission: Impossible dark horse, just to give it something. Because I love those movies, even if this year's was maybe my fourth-favorite Mission: Impossible movie that still makes it better than most movies!

VISUAL EFFECTS: It's kind of a long-shot, but I'm pulling for Godzilla Minus One here. Guardians looked good, The Creator looked good (it's about all it did) and I absolutely adore and respect the commitment to practical stunts and car chases and effects in Mission: Impossible and it should get all the recognition possible for throwing a real train off a real cliff... but c'mon. It's Godzilla. And by all accounts, it does so much with so little, at least in terms of budget. It's a movie directed by a guy who previously supervised visual effects! Of course it was gonna look good! That it looks that good at that budget though? Might be enough to get it the big win. Here's to hoping! It'd be nice to see a movie that cost about ten million dollars be recognized as having better visual effects than a movie that cost... two hundred and fifty million Jesus Christ what are you doing Disney.

ORIGINAL SCORE: Be neat to see Indiana Jones take this one! Good score, nice but not too reverent. But I don't have particularly strong feelings this like I have in previous ones. Don't remember many movie scores from this year, nothing's made it into my playlist beyond a couple Mission: Impossible tracks, certainly nothing's impressed me as much as something like The Batman's score or anything.

ORIGINAL SONG: Two songs from Barbie here, one from the Flamin' Hot Cheetos movie (yes it's real and yes it's historically inaccurate!) and one from... Killers of the Flower Moon. Uh oh. Uh oh! I was all ready to be ride or die for "I'm Just Ken" (and to be clear if it won I wouldn't object) but that song in Flower Moon and how it hits at the end... well. It should probably win, is what I'm saying. Even if it's not the fun choice. Be nice to see it performed, at least. These will all be great performances, probably!

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: I haven't seen any of these! I usually don't until at least year or two after the fact! Just how I end up watching documentaries, usually. It'll probably be the one about Ukraine, though. Not necessarily because it's the best one, but because the Academy likes to think that making picks like that is somehow activism. (Also can you believe that's still happening? Ukrainian sovereignty, end the war, etc.)

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE: Haven't seen any of these, but heard good things about Society of the Snow. Zone of Interest is a best picture nominee, so odds are that'll be the one that wins. Surprised a Japanese film got in here but it's not Godzilla! Damn! Was hoping for a dark horse win for Big G!

ANIMATED SHORT: Never seen 'em!

DOCUMENTARY SHORT: Most of the short documentaries I watch are on Youtube these days!

LIVE ACTION SHORT: Good for all these people who got nominated!

THAT'S IT hoo boy the Oscars, huh. This year's a bit of a dull one, nothing that I'm really excited about winning anything outside of like, Barbie. Killers of the Flower Moon definitely deserves a lot of awards, but how many it'll get remains to be seen. Also I just realized DiCaprio didn't score a nomination for his part in that! Just Lily Gladstone! Haha! Good! (Though I do think DiCaprio's work has improved noticeably after he finally got his stupid Oscar. Almost like he stopped trying so hard and that made his performances feel more natural! Wild!)

Anyway, next year I'm gonna be stumping hard for Dune 2 so. Be prepared for that.

[emmatgc]

Fire vs Oil (Oppenheimer vs KOFM)

Just watched Killers of the Flower Moon

and OMG! It is a worthy opponent to Oppenheimer in all its nominations.

Emmys, Screen Actors , Critics Choice but the biggest one, Oscar

For me, its between these two.

Ill be ok if the best picture comes from either of the two

For best actor, I'm already set with Cillian Murphy, but Leo is still Leo.

I love Leo long before Cillian lol but this time I'll pick Cillian Murphy to win it all and Oppenheimer, too.

Plus, Christopher Nolan deserves the best director too but my heart also beats for Martin Scorsese, but I believe its Nolans time.

2 great films. 2 American stories. 2 worthy contenders.

[marisatomay]

in terms of individual nomination snubs where the movie itself was nominated for best picture the lack of nominations for both tom cruise and james cameron are truly head scratching to me because they are their respective movies their DNA is baked into those films you don’t get top gun you don’t get avatar without either of them to say that either movie is worthy of being nominated for best picture is saying that tom cruise and james cameron are worthy of nominations i don’t know how you can nominate maverick and way of water for picture and not nominate cruise for actor and cameron for director

[deathfavor]

@furiaei said: ' you know what? I kind of want to be in your team. I think I like you well enough for us to be good companions. I promise to keep all of your secrets safe. ' ( and another for Chrollo for good measure )

Chrollo doesn't immediately react, nose buried in the pages of a recently stolen tome. It gives an aura of obliviousness that could not be further from the truth. Chrollo is perfectly embodied by the spider that all members of the Phantom Troupe have tattooed somewhere on their bodies ; he sits patiently on the web but is alert to the slightest ripple and tremble around him. Calculations hidden behind a casual glance, relaxation that conceals malicious intents. He finishes the paragraph he's reading before spiderlike lashes lift and he fixes her with a calm stare ; silver as the moonlight on gravestones. He seems vaguely amused, though it is almost always difficult to pin down the elusive leader's feelings. ( A fact not unrelated to the fact he himself is not always certain. )

He gives a low hum of consideration. Unlike their first meeting, he no longer wields the youthful charm ; what wraps around him now is like trying to catch a ghost. If you try to reach, he'll simply disappear between outstretched fingertips. He won't, naturally, but he might fool some with how fast he can be. Gone is the headband that conceals the tattoo upon his forehead, black hair feathery as it falls around his soft features. He considers her, and evidently deems it a worthy conversation when he closes the dusty artifact to give her his full attention.

" I'm afraid it's not so simple as that. An ally would be easy. To become a member of the troupe is a more difficult process. " Chrollo explains; each word rich and smooth like chocolate when he smiles and lifts one finger. " No half hearted process either. There's two methods. One, if there are vacancies, the leader or acting leader can choose who is allowed to join to replace the missing member(s). Current members can recommend or nominate. " He lifts the second finger. " Or two, you defeat a current member and take their place within the ranks. " He tilts his head to the side. " Defeat can be simply besting in a fight, or killing. Either is acceptable. Should it simply be defeat, the former member will leave and that is that. Their tattoo remains, or they can change it if they wish, or fight later to reclaim the lost spot. " He purses his lips in thought. " That's never happened though thus far. "

His hand drops down into his lap as he regards her with the same calm smile that gently lifts the corners of his lips ever so slightly, reminiscent of olden statues and their carved expressions. " I don't disagree with your sentiment, but I thought you might like to know that entry detail. There are only two rules to the group as well. One. The leader's orders are absolute, but their life is not. In other words, my orders are top priority, but not my life. Two, members are not permitted to seriously fight each other. If major disputes occur, the matters are resolved with a coin toss since all members are equal. " Simple rules, yet their simplicity could be argued to be deceptive in that matter.

" I'm not particularly worried about any secrets. " Chrollo adds with a smile. " No one knows all of them. " Different members had different shards of who Chrollo was, information that only they knew. But he didn't mind if they shared; such was how they'd come to choose his birthday when he hadn't revealed it. He had been pleasantly surprised at their efficiency to the correct half of the month. Much was still unknown, fragmented into tiny shards that remained unknown. He was a stained glass window, full of pieces and colors to make something of a whole. ( Yet he, himself, could not see a picture in that art. )

" Are you still interested? " Chrollo asks calmly, leaning back. " Mandatory meetings are extremely rare, though discretionary ones happen now and again should members happen to be in the same area or wish to participate. "

[world-cinema-research]

The Deer Hunter (1978)

By Cris Nyne

The Deer Hunter was co-written and directed by Michael Cimino. It follows a group of Slavic-American friends that work together in a steel mill in Clairton, Pennsylvania, just south of Pittsburgh. The area in which they live is dilapidated, and the steel mill fuels most of the local economy, which isn’t much. Friends Michael (Robert De Niro), Nick (Christopher Walken), and Steven (John Savage) are heading off to Vietnam after a weekend that includes Steve’s wedding and a trip into the mountains to hunt deer. The cast of friends is rounded out by Nick’s love interest Linda (Meryl Streep), Stan (John Cazale), John (George Dzundza), and Axel (Chuck Aspegren).

The movie begins in Clairton, where the group of friends are punching out of the steel mill and grabbing a beer at the bar to pre-game before Steve’s wedding that night. Steve’s partner, Angela (Rutanya Alda), is pregnant and they are having a grandiose Russian Orthodox ceremony before Steve heads off to Vietnam. The church hymns would return later in the film when Robert De Niro’s character, Michael, is stalking deer. This is where Michael finds his spiritual peace. After the wedding, the men head into the mountains for one last deer hunt before Michael, Nick, and Stevie are off to Vietnam. The film then hops the ocean to portray some very troubling scenes of war, along with the deadly Russian roulette “games” that the Vietcong imposed on captured US soldiers in the film. The movie then follows Michael’s returns home to depict the celebratory, yet grieving community of friends and family.

"The picture is a long, sprawling epic-type in many ways more novel than motion picture. It employs literary references stylistically, forecasting events which will happen in the film. Events are foreshadowed by the way the camera moves and by epigrammatic hints made by characters–techniques more frequently related to book writing. Cimino’s film is worthy of serious study and certainly will be treated to much analysis during the next year, and decade as well." -Charles Schreger for Variety, November 1978

What makes this film more touching, is that this would be actor John Cazale’s last film. He was diagnosed with lung cancer before filming and would pass on before The Deer Hunter was released in theaters. Mr. Cazale’s credits included The Godfather franchise, The Conversation, and Dog Day Afternoon. He would star in five films in the seventies. All five films were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. John Cazale and Meryl Streep were in a relationship together and his passing affected her greatly. Ms. Streep would accept the role as Linda so she could be by John’s side while filming. Robert De Niro paid for Mr. Cazale’s medical insurance to help save his friend and keep the production of the movie in motion.

The Deer Hunter was both critically and financially successful. With a budget of 15 million dollars, it would go on to gross just shy of 49 million, domestically. There were many glowing reviews for The Deer Hunter in major publication throughout the country. The amount of recognition the film received through accolades and awards is astounding, especially considering this was only the second film by director Michael Cimino. It was nominated for nine Academy Awards and won five of them. Amongst the awards were Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor for Christopher Walken. Rotten Tomatoes lists The Deer Hunter with an 86% on the “Tomatometer” and 91% audience score. The negative feedback about the film mostly revolved around Mr. Cimino’s bigoted depiction of the Vietnamese. The Russian roulette scenes were also derided by some for being historically inaccurate, as there were no such records of this ever happening.

“More terrifying than the violence--certainly more provocative and moving--is the way each of the soldiers reacts to his war experiences. Not once does anyone question the war or his participation in it. This passivity may be the real horror at the center of American life, and more significant than any number of hope-filled tales about raised political consciousnesses.” -Vincent Canby, The New York Times, December 1978

The film depicts hard times in America, and most certainly in Vietnam. Families don’t have much in terms of material wealth, but their lives and relationships are rich with endearing connections to one another. The cinematography brings you right into the scene with the actors and there is an abundance of grit throughout the film, both in style and substance. Although this was only the sophomore release from Mr. Cimino, the A-list cast of actors (especially De Nero, after starring in The Godfather II and Taxi driver) and the 15-million-dollar budget lends The Deer Hunter to be more of a conventional movie. The intense depictions of the Vietcong and the Vietnamese, along with the subject matter of putting a gun to your own head and pulling the trigger could upset, aggravate, or alienate certain audiences, which does add some elements of being unconventional, as well.

The Vietnam war left a massive stain on the quilt of American history. To this day, a lot of soldiers who survived the intense, dragging battle have permanent scars that cannot be seen. The Deer Hunter sheds some light on the scope of the experience, not only within the borders of Vietnam, but also how the war shaped and affected the lives of family and friends of the soldiers who either enlisted or were drafted. The film ends with the remaining group of friends singing the most somber, poignant version of “God Bless America”, leaving us with a stinging rebuttal for the cost of serving your country with a machine gun.

[crowdvscritic]

crowd vs. critic single take // MRS. MINIVER (1942)

Photo credits: IMDb.com

Mrs. Miniver takes place in two eras: the time before September 3, 1939 and the time after.

Before Great Britain declares war on Germany, Mr. Clem (Walter Pidgeon) and Mrs. Kay (Greer Garson) Miniver’s biggest concerns are about money. Specifically, they spend their energy convincing each other—and their upper crust neighbor Lady Beldon (Dame Mae Whitty)—their spending on little luxuries like hats and cars is worthy of their family’s middle class income. Though Lady Beldon does not care for blurring social lines, her granddaughter Carol (Teresa Wright) is more open-minded, catching the eye of the collegiate Vin Miniver (Richard Ney). But everything changes on September 3rd. Vin enlists, Clem volunteers, and Kay makes a bomb shelter comfortable for their young children. For the Minivers, World War II is not just on the battlefield on the continent—it’s here at home.

CROWD // And the Academy’s love affair with World War II begins! Mrs. Miniver is the first of 11 Best Picture winners set during or immediately after the war, which means more than 10% of the Academy’s top prizes have been dedicated to defeating the Nazis. Even among those titles, though, Mrs. Miniver is singular. Casablanca, From Here to Eternity, The Bridge on River Kwai, Patton, and The English Patient follow soldiers and resistance fighters; The Sound of Music, Schindler’s List, and The King’s Speech recount true stories of extraordinary individuals living through the conflict; and The Best Years of Our Lives and An American in Paris depict the struggle to rebuild the world afterward.

Unlike those epics, we only see the Minivers on the homefront. Vin joins the Royal Air Force, but like his mother, we only wonder what he sees from the cockpit. Clem supports the efforts at Dunkirk, but Christopher Nolan still felt the need to depict that rescue of troops in his own film because we never see Clem beyond the horizon of Britain’s shores. Yes, the episodic Miniver lacks the jet-fueled forward propulsion of Nolan’s film, but that wouldn’t be honest with the civilian experience. The family’s skirmishes with danger are few and unpredictable, and in some ways, that makes them more upsetting. When tragedy does strike, it hits a family we’ve laughed and rejoiced with around the dinner table, making this melodrama still moving today.

POPCORN POTENTIAL: 8/10

CRITIC // If there’s any criticism to be leveled at Mrs. Miniver, it’s that its affection for the titular family is blind. Character flaws? Complex motives? Who needs them when you’re trying to create a rousing morale-booster justifying a global conflict still in the court of public opinion? The Minivers and their neighbors are symbolic avatars more than well-rounded individuals, which is just one reason Winston Churchill called this film “propaganda worth a hundred battleships.” In fact, the last scene was literally re-distributed as print and radio propaganda!

Still, given that this particular fight against fascism is one with fewer moral gray areas, romanticizing these people fighting out of uniform has aged better than, say, a film about the Russian Revolution. In the history of cinema, a majority of war films focus on combat and political leaders, while Mrs. Miniver reminds us the people at home—including but not limited to the oft-disenfranchised women, children, elderly, and working classes—can be just as cudgeled by war without enlisting. They may avoid the trenches, but their food, shelter, life, and limb are just as uncertain, not to mention the future of their loved ones serving in the military. With that in mind, who’s to complain about making these hometown heroes so likable? 

It’s also difficult to fault Mrs. Miniver for idolizing its subjects when its cast and its craft are working in tandem with its vision. William Wyler, who still holds the record for the most Best Director nominations at 12, assembled a cast as winning as the parts they were playing, none more than the Garson’s Mrs. Miniver herself. Her hopeful but clear-eyed face of determination creates a center of gravity for the rest of the actors, and the compassion driving her never becomes too syrupy. 

ARTISTIC TASTE: 9/10

[goldenmusicmoments]

The GRAMMYs Award Show:

So last night were The 66th Grammy Awards. It was quite the eventful night and on most part the winners were worthy of taking home the trophies they did end up taking. I guess my predictions weren’t correct in the end.

During the Pre-Grammy award ceremony there was as a hiccup in which Nicki Minaj’s track ‘Barbie World’ was announced as the winner in one of the rap categories prematurely on X and on the website. However on the live show it was awarded to a different artist. This caused quite the chaos on social media as the Barbz in particular were furious as they believed that it was taken away from Nicki last minute to make a mockery out of her. Then you had others that were saying this was karma for how Nicki Minaj had treated Megan Thee Stallion. In actuality it was neither as an error like that had occurred once before.

During the main show Miley Cyrus who won her first ever Grammy award for Best Pop Vocal Performance gave quite the performance of the winning song ‘Flowers’. She really had fun with it and it ended up drawing a lot of positive attention for being a standout moment. The song went on to win Record Of The Year as well. So a huge congratulations to her on winning two awards.

Taylor Swift surprisingly announced that she will be releasing a completely new album titled ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ this year during her acceptance speech for her album ‘Midnights’ winning Best Pop Vocal Album. Many expected that she was going to announce ‘Reputation (Taylor’s Version)’ and instead she threw everyone off with that announcement.

There was a lot of speculation around who was going to present Album Of The Year, as the academy had hinted at a big name who wanted to keep it a surprise till the very end was going to be presenting the award. People at first thought it was Beyoncé, however she was seen at the award show and had to be there since Jay-Z was being honoured with an honorary award. During his speech he called out the Recording Academy for not awarding his wife the award for Album Of The Year, seeing as she’s the most awarded artist. He even said that there were nominees that didn’t even belong in that category.

Some people had caught a picture of Celine Dion backstage and then it was her who everyone now suspected. Celine Dion was the surprise star and she presented Taylor Swift with the Album Of The Year award. Taylor who now holds the record for the most wins in that category was overjoyed and dragged Lana Del Rey with her to the stage. Lana seemed hesitant, however Taylor was insistent on her being up there with her. When Taylor got on stage she was very much all over the place and a little lost in the excitement of the moment. That she forgot to acknowledge Celine Dion and grabbed the trophy, going straight to then making her acceptance speech. People on social media went wild with that. Stating that she was mean for doing so, especially since Celine has been so poorly health wise and yet she made the effort to come present the award.

However there wasn’t anything malicious in it. Taylor was very joyous when Celine was presenting and the two took a cosy photo backstage. Taylor’s win in the category also generated a lot of criticism. As many believed that SZA’s album ‘SOS’ should have taken the award home. Which is true, ‘Midnights’ though a solid album didn’t actually deserve to win over the likes of ‘SOS’ or ‘The Record’. Which at this point shouldn’t be surprising as the committee always seem to sometimes make a decision that is questionable.

Overall it was an eventful night and there was a lot to celebrate. Let’s see what this year brings in terms of music releases and then what the next Grammy nominations will look like.

[milimiki]

If you enjoyed Godzilla Minus One, it might be worth watching Godzilla Minus One / Minus Color in theaters. In my opinion, this is one of those rare occasions where I prefer the black and white conversion of a movie that's originally in color. It sort of helps you immerse yourself in the Showa era.

If a South Korean film (Parasite/기생충) can get into the Oscars (and actually win Best Picture), then so can a Japanese film. Godzilla Minus One is more than worthy to be nominated, for Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor/Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Score, Best International Feature Film, and overall Best Picture. This was my 2nd viewing, and I retain my personal 5/5 rating. It's just that good.

The theater I went to go see Minus Color was Regal Essex Crossing in the Lower East Side. It's only my 2nd time there, and it's easily becoming one of my favorite movie theaters to go to. The picture quality out of their projectors are good, but the sound quality out of their speakers are impeccable. It's so loud, my ears were ringing (My hearing's already damaged; I personally dig this). And the music, jfc, it made my seat shake. Saved some money by not going to AMC Prime.