Let's Talk Movies #36 - 2020 - Yep it is a new decade

[VGThuy]

2022 Oscars Predictions: The Collective (Top Contenders In All Categories)

Changes to the previous post have either "NEW", "REMOVED" or "RE-ADDED" in front of each nominee.

Best picture

“Belfast” (Focus Features)
NEW “Don’t Look Up” (Netflix)
“Dune” (Warner Bros.)
“King Richard” (Warner Bros.)
“Licorice Pizza” (MGM/United Artists Releasing)
“The Power of the Dog” (Netflix)
“Tick, Tick…Boom!” (Netflix)
“The Tragedy of Macbeth”
NEW “West Side Story” (20th Century Studios)

Previous potential nominees (but no longer, apparently):

“Being the Ricardos” (Amazon Studios)
REMOVED “C’mon C’mon” (A24)
REMOVED “CODA” (Apple TV Plus)
Nightmare Alley
“Parallel Mothers”


Best director:

Kenneth Branagh “Belfast”
Jane Campion “The Power of the Dog”
Denis Villeneuve “Dune”
NEW Aaron Sorkin “Being the Ricardos”
Reinaldo Marcus Green for “King Richard”

Previous potential nominees (but no longer, apparently):

Pedro Almodóvar “Parallel Mothers”
Lin-Manuel Miranda “Tick, Tick…Boom!”
REMOVED Guillermo del Toro for “Nightmare Alley”

Interesting that West Side Story is being considered for best picture as a nominee...but not the director, any of the cast. And they didn't have a new song written for the movie for radio airplay and to get a possible additional award nomination? Or if there is a new song (or more) are they not good?


Best actor:

Benedict Cumberbatch - “The Power of the Dog”
NEW Leonardo DiCaprio “Don’t Look Up”
Andrew Garfield “Tick, Tick…Boom!”
Will Smith “King Richard”
Denzel Washington “The Tragedy of Macbeth”

Previous potential nominees (but no longer, apparently):

Peter Dinklage “Cyrano”
REMOVED Clifton Collins, Jr. for “Jockey”

Two African-American actors remain as possible nominees, but Hispanic actor Collins, Jr. has been moved off the potential nominee list.

Best actress:

Penélope Cruz “Parallel Mothers”
Olivia Colman “The Lost Daughter”
NEW Nicole Kidman “Being the Ricardos”
RE-ADDED Lady Gaga “House of Gucci”
Kristen Stewart “Spencer”

Previous potential nominees (but no longer, apparently):

REMOVED Frances McDormand for “The Tragedy of Macbeth”.
REMOVED Jessica Chastain “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”

#OscarSoWhiteStill? Was there no quality work of women this year? (Cruz notwithstanding.)

Best supporting actor:

Jamie Dornan for “Belfast”
NEW Jared Leto “House of Gucci”
NEW Ciarán Hinds “Belfast”
RE-ADDED J.K. Simmons “Being the Ricardos”
Jesse Plemons “The Power of the Dog”

Previous potential nominees (but no longer, apparently):

Andrew Garfield “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”
Corey Hawkins “The Tragedy of Macbeth”
Jeffrey Wright “The French Dispatch”
REMOVED Ben Affleck for “The Tender Bar”
REMOVED Willem Dafoe for “Nightmare Alley”
REMOVED Kodi Smit-McPhee for “The Power of the Dog”

Would be interesting if Dornan becomes a nominee after being in the Razzie-world of the 50 Shades of Grey movies. Plus the little I have seen of Leto's work in House Of Gucci, it looks very over-the-top and charicature-ish. Anyone who has seen this movie, what did you think of Leto's performance?

Best supporting actress:

Aunjanue Ellis for “King Richard"
Caitriona Balfe “Belfast”
Judi Dench “Belfast”
Kirsten Dunst “The Power of the Dog”
NEW Ruth Negga “Passing”

Previous potential nominees (but no longer, apparently):

Nina Arianda “Being the Ricardos”
REMOVED Ann Dowd “Mass”

I think if Ann Dowd remains as an also-run it might be like best actor nominee Clifton Collins Jr. who both appear in movies where their performances are getting buzz...but nothing else about the movie is.


Best Song:

“Down to Joy” – Van Morrison from the movie “Belfast”
“Every Letter” from the movie “Cyrano”
NEW “Don’t Look Up” (from the Netflix film of the same name, Arian Grande is one of the writers)
“The Harder They Fall” from the film of the same name by Kid Cudi, Jay-Z, Jeymes Samuel
“Be Alive” – Beyonce Knowles-Carter, Darius Scott from the movie “King Richard”

Previous potential nominees (but no longer, apparently):

“Unknown possible song” from “Dear Evan Hansen” (Universal Pictures)
“Unknown possible song” from “Encanto” (Walt Disney Pictures)
“Unknown possible song” from “House of Gucci” (MGM/United Artists Releasing)
“No Time to Die” from “No Time to Die” (United Artists Releasing)
“Unknown possible song” from “Tick, Tick…Boom!” (Netflix)
REMOVED “So May We Start” from the movie “Annette”

Nothing here has received any radio airplay/chart action. Did no movies this year have a hit song? (Was Billie Eilish's "No Time To Die" a hit...at one time??)

Do you mind reposting this in the Film Awards thread? It’s incredibly informative and useful!

 

[smurfy]

I have seen a few movies this past week - was off from work...

Power of the Dog - excellent. Well made movie, well paced, tight in a good way - no wasted time and everything builds the story. The whole cast was good - and Cumberbatch is great as an awful person (when is he not great). Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons are a real life couple - and you could sense that in their scenes. The story unfolds and you think you know what is going on - but maybe you don't. A couple times the mumbling was annoying. Jane Campion film- filmed in NZ, but takes place in Montana. I read one review that referenced the movie is the bare bones of the book - and that makes sense - would like to know more about the back story of the brothers (Cumberbatch and Plemmons). But in a way - what you see in the movie is all you need to know for the ending.

Spencer - acting was good, parts were just boring or very uncomfortable watching a person having a nervous breakdown.
Also I just hate scenes with someone throwing up - the sounds make me feel sick (once when I was a teen, one of my brothers came home from college and had a bug and I could hear him, then several hours later - I too was sick- ugggh)
I liked the ending. Also - most of the other characters besides, Charles, kids and maid, were like vague blurry people in the background. I almost fall asleep - and I have only done that a couple times in my life. I had seen 'Jackie' and was not as bored, and thought it was good. Kristen Stewart was very good.

King Richard - very good. He was shown as hard on the kids, but still nice to see a kind functioning family - when do we see that. I don't really follow tennis and I know some, but not a lot of the details of the girls and the family.
When I was reading the credits - and saw the older 3 sisters had a different last name - and a line Richard says to his wife makes sense now (paraphrase from an argument - you would be a single mom with 3 kids in an apartment..).
But I loved how I did not know that until then - the way it was shown in the movie - I thought he was the father to all. And that is all that matters - I appreciate that.
Will Smith was good but Aunjanue Ellis who plays the mom - understated and excellent. Both deserve oscar noms.

 

[annie720]

Power of the Dog - excellent. Well made movie, well paced, tight in a good way - no wasted time and everything builds the story. The whole cast was good - and Cumberbatch is great as an awful person (when is he not great). Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons are a real life couple - and you could sense that in their scenes. The story unfolds and you think you know what is going on - but maybe you don't. A couple times the mumbling was annoying. Jane Campion film- filmed in NZ, but takes place in Montana. I read one review that referenced the movie is the bare bones of the book - and that makes sense - would like to know more about the back story of the brothers (Cumberbatch and Plemmons). But in a way - what you see in the movie is all you need to know for the ending.

Dunst and Plemons are one of the reasons I want to see this film. I have loved them since Season 2 of Fargo.

 

[mjb52]

Saw Power of the Dog last night. It took me awhile to get sucked in but it was really powerful by the end. Cumberbatch's character is awful but also interestingly ambiguous. I like the way you get to understand him better over the course of the movie without it necessarily excusing his terrible behavior. In the same way, Dunst's character's decline is both believable but also not over-explained/determined. You sort of understand why she is struggling but not completely and I liked that a lot. Often I find novels and movies try to explain themselves too much, but here I felt like a lot was left open to interpretation in a way that was really pleasing and gave me ownership over my own experience of the movie.

 

[MacMadame]

When I was reading the credits - and saw the older 3 sisters had a different last name - and a line Richard says to his wife makes sense now (paraphrase from an argument - you would be a single mom with 3 kids in an apartment..).

Williams has had 3 wives. He had 5 kids with his first wife, 3 with the second (including Venus and Serena), and one with his 3rd wife (who is around Venus' age). He has a few other kids too, at least 2 that are known publicly.

I wouldn't hold him up as an example of a man with great family values, tbh.

 

[jenny12]

WSS is currently sitting at 96% tomatometer reading. Wow, WSS seems like the most exciting and best reviewed movie thus far for 2021.

Andrew Lloyd Webber needs to have a dinner date with Spielberg. Maybe discuss about a remake of "Cats"?

I don't think even Spielberg could make Cats work as a film.

 

[Cachoo]

Well I loved “The Power of the Dog.” I thought the four leads fantastic and I wasn’t surprised that Cumberbatch, Dunst and Plemons would shine. I want Kodi Smit-McFee to win an Oscar (along with Cumberbatch.) What a performance! I’m also all in on Jane for Best Director.

 

[PeterG]

Best Song:

“Down to Joy” – Van Morrison from the movie “Belfast”
“Every Letter” from the movie “Cyrano”
NEW “Don’t Look Up” (from the Netflix film of the same name, Arian Grande is one of the writers)
“The Harder They Fall” from the film of the same name by Kid Cudi, Jay-Z, Jeymes Samuel
“Be Alive” – Beyonce Knowles-Carter, Darius Scott from the movie “King Richard”

Previous potential nominees (but no longer, apparently):

“Unknown possible song” from “Dear Evan Hansen” (Universal Pictures)
“Unknown possible song” from “Encanto” (Walt Disney Pictures)
“Unknown possible song” from “House of Gucci” (MGM/United Artists Releasing)
“No Time to Die” from “No Time to Die” (United Artists Releasing)
“Unknown possible song” from “Tick, Tick…Boom!” (Netflix)
REMOVED “So May We Start” from the movie “Annette”

Nothing here has received any radio airplay/chart action. Did no movies this year have a hit song? (Was Billie Eilish's "No Time To Die" a hit...at one time??)

I was curious about this category, so I just googled for a while. Went to about five websites after searching "movie songs of 2021". Half of what were mentioned were songs from 2020. Other songs mentioned weren't anything I had heard of. So next I googled "top songs of 2021". Went to about three different websites and didn't see any songs that stood out as being from any movie this year.

Maybe because there's still a lot of people not going to the theatre, studios are not reaching out to pop stars and paying (potentially) big money to them to get a hit record on the radio if people aren't really going to the theatres much yet.

 

[mjb52]

I read last night that some of the casting for Power of the Dog was originally supposed to be different apparently - Paul Dano in I think Plemons' role and Elisabeth Moss in Dunst's? It's hard to imagine. This seems like a perfectly cast movie. It doesn't look like Dano or Moss ever filmed at all, which is too bad, it would be sort of fun to see a scene with them and compare it.

I bought the book and hopefully will get around to reading it sometime soon; I know there are a few things that are more explicit in the book than the movie, so I'm glad to have seen the movie first.

 

[Cachoo]

I read last night that some of the casting for Power of the Dog was originally supposed to be different apparently - Paul Dano in I think Plemons' role and Elisabeth Moss in Dunst's? It's hard to imagine. This seems like a perfectly cast movie. It doesn't look like Dano or Moss ever filmed at all, which is too bad, it would be sort of fun to see a scene with them and compare it.

I bought the book and hopefully will get around to reading it sometime soon; I know there are a few things that are more explicit in the book than the movie, so I'm glad to have seen the movie first.

Interesting: I’m not sure Moss looks old enough to have a son that age.

 

[mjb52]

Weirdly, Moss was in the next movie I watched afterward, which I didn't know when I chose it. You're right, she looks young, but in 1920's Montana, maybe it's a little different?

The other movie was The Square (not the doc, a Swedish film) - it's sort of easy to make fun of the pretensions of the contemporary art scene but it's so well-acted and very witty that I enjoyed it. I found a few scenes quite stressfully suspenseful but I am a total wimp, I think most people would take them in stride.

 

[smurfy]

Williams has had 3 wives. He had 5 kids with his first wife, 3 with the second (including Venus and Serena), and one with his 3rd wife (who is around Venus' age). He has a few other kids too, at least 2 that are known publicly.

I wouldn't hold him up as an example of a man with great family values, tbh.

My comment was not abt Richard in real life, but abt the making of the film. I think in some movies this would have some explicit stuff dialogue at the begining labelling the status and not relevant to the story (not all factual) the filmakers were making.

 

[PeterG]

Tonight on ABC (at 7pm) there is an episode of 20/20 about West Side Story. This is the write-up about it from my online TV Guide:

ABC News presents a one-hour primetime event that steps inside the upcoming film "West Side Story," from director Steven Spielberg. The special features interviews with Spielberg, Rita Moreno and other members of the cast and crew; discussions with Puerto Rican actors, artists and journalists on the role this story has had on their lives and the importance of authenticity and representation in film; and behind-the-scenes footage of the film.

 

[sk9tingfan]

Tonight on ABC (at 7pm) there is an episode of 20/20 about West Side Story. This is the write-up about it from my online TV Guide:

The program really got me excited about this film. It made me remember all the local TV commercials in the early to mid-60's about the creation of Lincoln Center. Its location was precisely set on the mixed Caucasian/Hispanic neighborhood that was demolished and is the underlying basis for West Side Story. And until now, I had no idea; consider me educated. As I read the reviews, it appears that it will be a blockbuster.

I wonder if and when I will be able to see this in a theater in this era....

How ‘West Side Story’ Could Make (Even More) Oscar History (Published 2021)

After premiering this week, the remake has vaulted into contention, with nominations possible for the film, director Steven Spielberg, Rita Moreno and others.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Davy88gtbwxyc]

I recently watched "The Booksellers" which documents a dying industry amongst a small group of people that are actively engaged in this as a career.

It wasn't all that exciting of a documentary to watch, but as a book lover myself, I certainly did appreciate watching it.

To my surprise, I learned that some books are so rare and expensive that you'd have to be extremely wealthy to even consider making such a purchase.

My guess would be that anyone who appreciates reading as a hobby would enjoy watching this documentary.

It takes you on a guided tour of passionate individuals that work in a dying profession due to the technological advances of this digital age in which anything and everything is accessible at our fingertips.

 

[Buzz]

Nightmare Alley looks soooo good!

NIGHTMARE ALLEY | Official Teaser Trailer | Searchlight Pictures

Only in Theaters December 17In NIGHTMARE ALLEY, an ambitious carny (Bradley Cooper) with a talent for manipulating people with a few well-chosen words hooks ...

www.youtube.com

 

[annie720]

Tonight on ABC (at 7pm) there is an episode of 20/20 about West Side Story. This is the write-up about it from my online TV Guide:

Thanks for the heads up! Watched and enjoyed it. I think I'm most looking forward to seeing Alvarez as Bernardo.

 

[VGThuy]

Looks like Spike Lee is a huge fan of West Side Story:

Spike Lee on Instagram: "Friday Night I Saw Steven Spielberg’s Newest “JOINT’-WEST SIDE STORY. OMG.DOPENESS From Da Beginnin’ To End Credits. Cinema Art Registering On Da Highest Frequencies -Direction-BOOM. Music-BOOM. Cinematography-BOOM. Editing-B

19K likes, 325 comments - officialspikeleeDecember 6, 2021 on : "Friday Night I Saw Steven Spielberg’s Newest “JOINT’-WEST SIDE STORY. OMG.DOPENESS From Da Beginnin’ To End Credits. Cinema Art R..."

www.instagram.com

 

[PeterG]

6/10 - Another Round is the black comedy from last year starring Mads Mikkelsen. It’s about four high school teachers who test a theory of a psychiatrist who believed people are living with a 0.05 alcohol deficiency. So the four teachers decide to drink just enough alcohol throughout the day to make up for this deficieny. I found the first half of this movie to be quite enjoyable and entertaining. In an unrelated note, this first half of the movie showcases some cinematography of Mikkelson that show how stunning he is even though his youthful beauty is behind him. He remains a visual joy to take in, even the lines on his face which are shown so distinctly have an appeal. An interesting contrast. Okay, so back to the movie. The second half involves all kinds of things that don’t make sense.

Spoiler

• Why do these men decide to change their plan and raise the alcohol level that they can consume? They begin by taking this experiment very seriously. Then in a flash, they not only throw away their (very) specific guidelines to follow, but nobody objects to changing the ground rules. There isn't even any discussion.
• Why did their families turn on their husbands after one (stupidly careless) drunken day? We saw nothing (or very little) of familial problems up until that point in the movie.
• When lives are ruined by their excessive use of alcohol, at the end of the movie, these four men start over-drinking all over again. As if the obvious lesson they learned had been magically forgotten. Are we to assume they have unleashed a beast and have no control over alcohol ever again?

So while I loved the first half of the movie, the second half was a mess, both story-wise as well as in a creative sense. But what do I know, the movie won the Oscar and the BAFTA for best international film. And Thomas Vinterberg was nominated for an Oscar for best picture.

Trailer for Another Round: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40X5EX6Us7c

 

[Cachoo]

What happens when a bus takes a wrong turn in an African desert? "The King is Alive" is about a dozen international tourists who are stranded in an abandoned mining town with some food and a lot of time on their hands waiting for any sort of help. They decide to enact "King Lear" with some interesting consequences. The cast includes Jennifer Jason Leigh and Janet McTeer. I liked this film. https://youtu.be/y1y2Ue5Vd98

 

[watchthis!!]

Sleepwalk With Me surprised me in that it was much stronger than I expected. I saw that Lauren Ambrose (who I knew from Six Feet Under) was in this movie so thought I’d check it out. It was made by stand-up comedian Mike Birbiglia and the movie is based on his off-Broadway show. Which was turned into a book and then recorded on CD. So not a surprise that it’s better than I expected as it has been adapted numerous times, which apparently made it stronger and stronger. The movie is autobiographical (for the most part) and covers a time when Birbiglia was in a relationship and struggling with commitment issues. He began sleepwalking and eventually had a dream where he had to run to escape, right out through the window of his motel room…one story above ground! I liked how Ambrose’s character was written. Usually in movies about men and commitment, the women are portrayed as shrews. On a DVD extra, Birbiglia talks about showing an early draft of this movie to some friends and they said, “have you never been in a relationship before”? This was in regard to how he had written the female character, so obviously he had to re-write that role a few times. Glad I took a chance on this one.

 

[VGThuy]

West Side Story - I can’t recommend it enough. Loved it.

Spoiler

It doesn’t compete with the 1961 version. It stays true to the source material while offering enough new material and a new take on scenes to have an identity all of its own. The 1961 masterpiece was a product of its time and was created by film master Robert Wise and master choreographer Jerome Robbins working equally. The 2021 is all Spielberg as this is clearly a filmmaker’s adaptation as the choreography takes a back seat and songs even more rearranged or changed to fit the new vision Spielberg has as whatever steps are missing are replaced with dynamic scene changes, a living breathing city, and extras making up the New York populace. Screenwriter Tony Kushner improves the story and adds depth to the characters and brings the pressing existing issues at the time and now to the forefront as opposed to the subtext. Ariana DeBose and Rita Moreno are Oscar nomination worthy and possibly win worthy. Ansel Elgort hits the mark perfectly as Tony, both the former gang founder and a young man before his prime experiencing the highs of first love and being head over heels in it. Rachel Zegler is going to be the voice of her generation and has potential to be a truly great actress and does incredibly for a first time actress.

 

[annie720]

West Side Story - I can’t recommend it enough. Loved it.

Seeing it this afternoon! I wanted to see it on the big screen and I think we may choose to go back to home viewing after this.

 

[jenny12]

I saw West Side Story last night. I enjoyed it even though I didn’t buy the romance between the leads. I know there was criticism about the chemistry between the leads in the original but I bought this romance even less. However, the supporting cast was great, especially Ariana DeBose and I think I have a weird thing for Mike Faist who plays Riff (he was like a sexy rodent ). I thought he was fire every time he was on screen.

 

[VGThuy]

I saw West Side Story last night. I enjoyed it even though I didn’t buy the romance between the leads. I know there was criticism about the chemistry between the leads in the original but I bought this romance even less. However, the supporting cast was great, especially Ariana DeBose and I think I have a weird thing for Mike Faist who plays Riff (he was like a sexy rodent ). I thought he was fire every time he was on screen.

I actually see where you're coming from with the leads. I think

Spoiler

had Spielberg slowed down the scenes between Tony and Maria when they were alone and added like 5-10 minutes of them just enjoying themselves like this image shows before things got serious in the museum/church scene where they beautifully sing "One Hand, One Heart", it would have helped immensely that way. But I think I got swept up with the way Ansel was looking at her, and I think that's where Zegler's inexperience hindered her a bit because if she was more experienced or if Spielberg could have coached her through it more, I think she could have given some of that back and it would have made up for what little scenes they actually had together. In the stage version, they had dream ballets and such to make up for it, haha. Speaking of slowing scenes down, I wish Spielberg slowed down Maria's final monologue and did it without music. It would have been much more impactful.

 

[ross_hy]

Totally agree on West Side Story - highly recommended. I knew the songs/music would be good, but the choreography, costumes, cinematography, and production/set design were all excellent as well. Definitely agree with all the awards chatter surrounding Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose, and Rita Moreno. I was also happy to see Ricky and Gaby from SYTYCD.

 

[PeterG]

9/10 – Collective is an incredible 2019 Romanian documentary that begins with a tragic fire which happened at a nightclub called Collectiv. Twenty seven people died the night of the fire and 180 people were injured. In the following months, an additional thirty seven people died and the state of the hospitals that were caring for these people comes into question. The newspaper that delves deep into the corruption and mis-management is actually a sports-centered newspaper called The Gazette. We get to see their staff continue to dig deeper and deeper, discovering more shocking details as time proceeds. This is the type of movie you can’t stop watching.

Collective won awards at the European Film Awards and with the National Society of Film Critics. It was also nominated for two Oscars, the first Romanian film to ever receive an Oscar nomination.

Trailer for Collective: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLgGoT7v3ro

 

[Davy88gtbwxyc]

It's unfortunate that nowadays we are living amongst many species that are considered to be endangered.

National Geographic's "Photo Ark" is a film in which Joel Sartore sets out to professionaly photograph endangered species as a means to inspire people to save them.

From the tiniest of reptiles to mammals and birds, so many of the world's species have become endangered.

If you have an appreciation for animals, or are interested in learning about some of the efforts being put forward to save species at risk, I'd recommend watching this.

 

[Yehudi]

Saw the Turning Red trailer and the plot is essentially Teen Wolf (the movie not the show)

 

[canbelto]

I saw WSS today and agree -- can't recommend it enough.

I actually wrote about it on my blog:

West Side Story Movie Remake Hits All the Right Notes

I went to see the new West Side Story film this afternoon. Overall, I thought it was a really beautiful film that in some ways improved upon...

humbledandoverwhelmed.blogspot.com