Dev Patel Stars in the Arthurian Tale 'The Green Knight'

David Lowery’s latest film is baed on the Arthurian legend and appears to be going for the big epic sweep of a genre that rarely gets made anymore (though it’s hard to say how much he was able to do on the kind of budget a non-major studio film allows). Looks like it may have potential though. This was another film that was delayed a year due to Covid, so I’m glad we’re finally seeing trailers for these movies now.

Matt Damon Tries to Save Abigail Breslin in 'Stillwater'

So, the weird thing about this movie is that it’s kinda based on the Amanda Knox story, but completely fictionalized to add in the Matt Damon character trying to rescue her. This appears to be going for some kind of thriller, Taken-esque vibe with Abigail Breslin as the girl and Damon as the extremely Southern dad. I don’t know- it’s from Tom McCarthy, who did Spotlight of all things, so…maybe it’ll be good? But why didn’t he just do a movie based on the real thing?

More Monster Fighting in 'Venom: Let There Be Carnage'

Oooof. This looks awful. I don’t really know how it could be more awful than the first Venom (I HATED that movie), but I would not be surprised if it was. I have no idea how that first one became such an inexplicable hit. The only reason must be that people really find Tom Hardy’s Venom hilarious, as this trailer seems to play up, but…how? I don’t get it. Also, Carnage looks indistinguishable from the CG monster Venom fought in the last movie, so I don’t know what’s supposed to be so special about him, besides getting Woody Harrelson to show up in this.

Pixar's 'Luca' Showcases a Coming of Age Sea Creature Story

I haven’t been a huge fan of Pixar’s recent stuff, but this one maybe looks better? The setting in the seaside of an Italian village looks nice anyway. This is going to be the directorial debut of Enrico Casarosa, so maybe a new voice behind the scenes will bring something fresh to this story. As Disney is doing with all of Pixar’s new releases, this one is going to be coming both to theaters and Disney + on the same day in June.

Paul Verhoeven's 'Benedetta' Will Premiere at Cannes

A new Paul Verhoeven movie is always one to look forward to. His pulpy, stylized, often gory aesthetic is unlike what you see from most mainstream directors (as you can tell by the utterly generic remakes of his action classics Robocop and Total Recall). I can guarantee his take on 16th century lesbian nuns will be outrageous and over the top- in a good way (can’t you tell by that lunging snake?). Can’t wait.

Steven Spielberg's 'West Side Story' Teaser Debuts

The first teaser for West Side Story dropped during the Oscars last night and here’s what it looks like. This movie isn’t as untouchable as some other classics for two reasons: 1) the dubbing of certain people (Natalie Wood) in the original and 2) the casting of certain people (Natalie Wood) in the original as Puerto Rican. So I’m very curious to see what Spielberg’s first musical is going to be like. I’ve never been a fan of Ansel Elgort though, so that choice is disappointing here, and also, why do trailers for musicals refuse to show people actually singing? It’s as though they think it’s some sort of negative, yet there can’t possibly be anyone in the target audience for West Side Story who doesn’t know it’s a musical, right? This is set to come out this Christmas after a year’s delay due to Covid.

My Top 10 Movies of 2020

I know, I know, this is really late. But, it’s coming to you before the Oscars at least, always my own personal arbitrary deadline to catch up with everything I need to see. For what it’s worth, I did think it was a good year in movies overall and I really recommend the ones on this list.

1) HAMILTON

The 2015 stage musical but in perfectly filmed and edited fashion. How all audiences should get to experience Broadway who can’t make it in person

The 2015 stage musical but in perfectly filmed and edited fashion. How all audiences should get to experience Broadway who can’t make it in person

2) ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI

Regina King’s directorial debut is a crackling, energetic translation of Kemp Powers’s play about 1960’s civil rights leaders

Regina King’s directorial debut is a crackling, energetic translation of Kemp Powers’s play about 1960’s civil rights leaders

3) NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS

A powerful, authentic drama about two rural teens on a quest for an abortion in NYC

A powerful, authentic drama about two rural teens on a quest for an abortion in NYC

4) MANK

David Fincher’s masterful look at politics, filmmaking, and artistic principles in and around Golden Age Hollywood

David Fincher’s masterful look at politics, filmmaking, and artistic principles in and around Golden Age Hollywood

5) THE FATHER

Anthony Hopkins’s unforgettable performance dominates this inventive look at a man experiencing late in life dementia

Anthony Hopkins’s unforgettable performance dominates this inventive look at a man experiencing late in life dementia

6) COLLECTIVE

Searing indictment of Romania’s failed healthcare system as a direct consequence of election results with lessons for the rest of us

Searing indictment of Romania’s failed healthcare system as a direct consequence of election results with lessons for the rest of us

7) MINARI

A moving, tearjerking drama of an immigrant family’s desire to build a better life in America

A moving, tearjerking drama of an immigrant family’s desire to build a better life in America

8) ANOTHER ROUND

Entertaining Danish film about the joys and risks of excessive alcohol consumption and what it says about you, your environment and even your country

Entertaining Danish film about the joys and risks of excessive alcohol consumption and what it says about you, your environment and even your country

9) EMMA

Light but absolutely sumptuous Austen adaptation with another breakthrough performance from Anya Taylor-Joy

Light but absolutely sumptuous Austen adaptation with another breakthrough performance from Anya Taylor-Joy

10) THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7

Aaron Sorkin back in courtroom drama mode with the fast-moving, fast-talking antics of a very game ensemble cast

Aaron Sorkin back in courtroom drama mode with the fast-moving, fast-talking antics of a very game ensemble cast

2021 Oscar Predictions, Part 5: Director and Picture

Now we’re on the final categories of Best Picture and Best Director.

BEST DIRECTOR

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  • Thomas Vinterberg, Another Round

  • David Fincher, Mank

  • Lee Isaac Chung, Minari

  • Chloe Zhao, Nomadland

  • Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman

After winning the DGA and every other prize for Best Director this season, it would be shocking if Chloe Zhao didn’t win the Oscar. I know I said Sam Mendes was locked for it last year too and he didn’t win, but this one would be even more shocking. I don’t know who would win instead of her either. She’s winning and making history as the second woman to win this and the first woman of color.

Winner: Chloe Zhao

Alternate: Lee Isaac Chung (total guess- I have no clue who’s in second place here)


BEST PICTURE

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  • The Father

  • Judas and the Black Messiah

  • Mank

  • Minari

  • Nomadland

  • Promising Young Woman

  • Sound of Metal

  • The Trial of the Chicago 7

Best Picture is always a little bit trickier because of the preferential ballot, which can lead to upsets (and has caused me to wrongly predict this category for the last few years, as my alternate has pulled it off time and again). This time though, with Nomadland winning PGA/DGA, plus BAFTA and the Golden Globe and Critics Choice, it sure seems like a sweeper. But you never know. There also doesn’t seem to be a lot of enthusiasm for it, just a consensus that it should come out on top. But weird things can happen on this ballot anyway. If we’re looking for weakness in it, it comes with the fact that it didn’t get a SAG ensemble nomination, which could mean that the actors aren’t necessarily behind it. As the biggest branch of the Academy, they count for quite a lot and if there’s an upset (like last year with Parasite) it usually comes from the SAG winner, which this year was Trial of the Chicago 7 (below). That also won ACE, the editing guild, so those two fairly important guilds might tell us that’s the movie in second place, bound to get a lot of #2 and #3 votes where it could win if the counting goes past the first round.

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But there are other movies in here that could eat those votes as well, movies like Minari (below) or Judas and the Black Messiah, maybe Sound of Metal. Those are all fairly well liked, consensus films. Mank and Promising Young Woman are on the more divisive side, meaning they’ll probably end up with lots of #1 votes, but also at the bottom of people’s ballots. I’m not sure where The Father lands, as that one seems pretty passionately loved as well, but is it divisive? Ultimately, I don’t know if anything can overcome Nomadland’s consensus choice. I think it’s in good shape to go all the way, unless there’s some sort of backlash to it or resistance that isn’t getting picked up or reported on (sometimes that can happen to a movie, like La La Land, which faced hard campaigning against it at the end).

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This year, I feel it’ll just wind up with the predicted pairing of PIcture/Director (which happens a lot less than it used to). Next year could be interesting, because the Academy is going back to a flat ten nominees, but we’ll have to see how that affects the voting. I think there’s not a lot of energy for the Oscar race this year, as most people haven’t watched these films (I don’t even think many of the voters have) and with no bigger, more populist box office hits in the lineup (how could there be), it feels pretty insular. As for me personally, my favorite of these films were Mank and The Father, which probably stand no chance, so I also feel somewhat removed from it all. Here’s to next year being better.

Winner: Nomadland

Alternate: The Trial of the Chicago 7

Dark Horse: Minari

2021 Oscar Predictions, Part 4: Acting

BEST ACTOR

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  • Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal

  • Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

  • Anthony Hopkins, The Father

  • Gary Oldman, Mank

  • Steven Yeun, Minari

The late Chadwick Boseman almost swept the precursors, but then Anthony Hopkins came in and took the BAFTA last week. You might think well, he’s British right, so maybe that doesn’t mean anything, but…here’s the thing. The Father has 6 Oscar nominations including Best Picture while Ma Rainey does not. The Best Actor winner usually correlates to a Best Picture nominee and the thing about BAFTA is its membership has crossover with the Academy. It has matched the last six Oscar winners for Best Actor while SAG (the other precursor with Academy membership crossover) has not. So that BAFTA win could be a real signal, and The Father is definitely picking up steam as more people catch up with it more recently than Ma Rainey. The other thing is that though there’s an enormous amount of goodwill and sentiment towards Boseman, Hopkins is not absent that entirely, as an acting legend whose first and only Oscar win was thirty years ago for Silence of the Lambs. This is closer than people think.

Winner: Anthony Hopkins (going with an upset here)

Alternate: Chadwick Boseman


BEST ACTRESS

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  • Viola Davis, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

  • Andra Day, The United States vs. Billie Holiday

  • Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman

  • Frances McDormand, Nomadland

  • Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman

Oh boy. What to do in this category? To be honest, it’s kind of anybody’s game. Four out of these five have won a major precursor award, with Day taking the Golden Globe, Davis the SAG, Mulligan the Critics Choice, and McDormand the BAFTA. Only Kirby misses out on something- does that tee her up for an out of nowhere Oscar win? It’s not impossible! All we know is the vote is going to be very fractured here, so anything could happen. Trying to reason it out, I think it’s between Davis, Day and Mulligan rather than McDormand or Kirby, as McDormand probably only won BAFTA because those other three weren’t even nominated there. And she has two lead acting Oscars already (though she is in the Best Picture frontrunner, and that’s always a boost). But of the former three, all have factors going against them. Day’s biggest negative is she’s her movie’s sole nomination- it’s the biggest, juiciest role, the kind that usually does win Oscars, but how many people saw that film? I have NO idea. I’m flying blind on that so I’m afraid to predict her based on the Globe win alone, as she’s still basically an unknown (and the HFPA has no crossover with Academy members). Mulligan is in a Best Picture nominee, but why hasn’t she won any other precursor awards besides Critic’s Choice? She was snubbed by the BAFTA jury for the nomination, so we’ll never know if she would have won there, but I feel like she should have taken SAG if she was ahead in this group. And now we get to Davis- the SAG win is a big deal, but she has a history of being really beloved by SAG whenever she’s nominated there. Ma Rainey didn’t make it into Best Picture, so the film is weaker than the others, but still widely. She has an Oscar already, but it was in supporting and she’s respected enough to have two. I think she can come out ahead in this field, but I have this nagging feeling about Andra Day in spite of everything. I’m going to take a big chance and go with the newcomer.

Winner: Andra Day

Alternate: Viola Davis

Dark Horse: Carey Mulligan (but it could be either of the other two as well!)


BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

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  • Sacha Baron Cohen, The Trial of the Chicago 7

  • Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah

  • Leslie Odom Jr., One Night in Miami

  • Paul Raci, Sound of Metal

  • Lakeith Stanfield, Judas and the Black Messiah

This one is easier, as we have a typical sweeper, with Daniel Kaluuya in possession of the Golden Globe, Critics Choice, SAG and BAFTA awards. I see no reason not to predict him, even if his co-star siphons off votes from him. He’ll likely still win.

Winner: Daniel Kaluuya

Alternate: Sacha Baron Cohen (just a guess due to Borat love, but unlikely)


BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

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  • Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

  • Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy

  • Olivia Colman, The Father

  • Amanda Seyfried, Mank

  • Youn Yuh-jung, Minari

This was once the wide open acting field, but it very quickly narrowed itself down, as Youn Yuh-jung won back to back industry awards with SAG and BAFTA. As we know, both of those cross over with Academy membership, so in my opinion, she has this nearly in the bag, as the prize for Minari.

Winner: Youn Yuh-jung

Alternate: Maria Bakalova (the nomination was the real win for her here)

Dark Horse: Glenn Close (once again not her year, but they’re gonna have to give it to her sometime)