[mf617 Joined: Oct 17th, 2011 Topics: 0 Posts: 448 View Predictions]

#1204949032

Kelly Reilly going Lead: https://t.co/SuXCQaBtUK

X

Reply

[mf617 Joined: Oct 17th, 2011 Topics: 0 Posts: 448 View Predictions]

#1204944222

It won’t happen but Brian Tyree Henry and Donald Glover could basically switch categories and I wouldn’t bat an eye. This season has had more of a focus on Al than Earn — or at the very least they have been equally prominent— and (in my opinion) Henry’s performance is easily overshadowing Glover by nature of what the characters have gotten to do so far this season. Not sure if it has anything to do with Glover’s involvement behind the scenes, and I can’t remember if it felt that way in season 2. There are two more episodes that could pull the focus back to Earn, and I’m confident both will get nominated anyway.

X

Reply

[mf617 Joined: Oct 17th, 2011 Topics: 0 Posts: 448 View Predictions]

#1204940262

Spoilers ahead.

I watched the first three seasons in early quarantine, and didn’t really feel until season 3 that the show was really coming together and telling a propulsive, cohesive story. The first part of season 4 kind of continued that trend, but part 2 lost all of that momentum. The show has always suffered from the constant turnover of villains, and when long-term antagonists do stick around, the show often lacks finding a way to make them feel necessary and convincingly menacing. That’s why disposing of Javi, when so much of part 1 was dedicated to building up what a force and foil he was to the Byrdes, and having his mother somehow weirdly take over as the ultimate big bad of the series were two choices that both drove the last seven episodes and made no sense. Then you’ve got character choices by Wendy and the kids that betray what had previously been built up (Charlotte so easily turning on her parents and wanting to leave with her grandfather when in part one she had become fully involved in assisting her parents? C’mon.) and an ultimate ending that isn’t satisfying from a dramatic or storytelling sense, and I’m leaning more negative on the whole. Part 1, especially that last episode, had so much momentum heading into the end and I never felt that urgency again, even in the series finale. I’ve never been as high on the performances as others on this forum, and this season didn’t do much to change that. I don’t think Garner deserves to win three Emmys for this show, but if I were to give her one for the show, it would definitely be for this season. Linney was great and Bateman was good, but they hit greater heights in season 3. It was a whimper of an ending for me, though I’ve never really been too invested in this show so I can’t be too upset.

X

Reply

[mf617 Joined: Oct 17th, 2011 Topics: 0 Posts: 448 View Predictions]

#1204930921

Is “The Time Traveler’s Wife” eligible this year? Half of the first season will have aired before the May 31 deadline, and I have to imagine that HBO would make the rest of the episodes available to voters if that were the only hurdle to clear to be eligible for this year. I’m not expecting it to be a big player, what with the fact that HBO would have clarified its eligibility long before now, but I do think it could be a decent-sized audience hit if it is well received — they are promoting the hell out of that trailer on my social media and the book is popular source material.

[mf617 Joined: Oct 17th, 2011 Topics: 0 Posts: 448 View Predictions]

#1204927142

I’m quite tempted to slot in Anne Hathaway. While the show itself doesn’t seem to have a lot of buzz and Apple’s priorities will be elsewhere (although this is probably their big Limited play regardless), whatever noise there is surrounding the show is focused on Hathaway’s performance. The passion is there. It doesn’t hurt that she’s a big movie star and she is campaigning. Because the show as a whole is probably weak and she would likely be it’s only nomination (maybe a tech category here or there aside), it is an uphill battle but given the number of contenders that have fallen in recent weeks or have a lot working against them, it is certainly not out of the realm of possibility, especially in the Limited categories that are a bit more prone to defaulting to big names in smaller contenders than the Comedy and Drama races.

[mf617 Joined: Oct 17th, 2011 Topics: 0 Posts: 448 View Predictions]

#1204913234

While I was genuinely thrilled by the finale and think it is one of the best episodes of the season, my thoughts on the season as a whole is that it’s more of a “like/respect” situation for me than a “love.” Sometimes the intentional vagueness and reliance on plot as a metaphor instead of merely as forward moving action overpowered what was working best about the show, the performances and the visuals. While speaking on performances, there is one caveat in that I thought whatever Patricia Arquette was doing was honestly baffling and bad. I’m going to assume it was a character choice and I can kind of see why that was a choice she made, but I didn’t think it came across well at all since it did not mesh with the rest of the cast. If the show were simply a dark comedy, okay. But when the season barreled toward a thrilling and serious conclusion, her performance stuck out like a sore thumb. Otherwise, the performances were strong across the board. It’s great seeing Adam Scott do something understated like this, since we do know he is great at understated comedy. Britt Lower and Tramell Tillman were of course the big standouts and breakthrough performances. The production design was great. I’m excited to see where things go in season two and with more answers being revealed in this finale, I see season two being more focused than season one.

X

Reply

[mf617 Joined: Oct 17th, 2011 Topics: 0 Posts: 448 View Predictions]

#1204913186

https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/severance-apple-tv-emmys-patricia-arquette-britt-lower-christopher-walken-1235229995/

Britt Lower is going Lead, Patricia Arquette is going Supporting.

[mf617 Joined: Oct 17th, 2011 Topics: 0 Posts: 448 View Predictions]

#1204908748

All four “Yellowjackets” adult actresses are going Lead, the teenage actresses Supporting: https://t.co/I8QS0ZpLiN

[mf617 Joined: Oct 17th, 2011 Topics: 0 Posts: 448 View Predictions]

#1204894114

Irishmovielover4ever wrote:

Assuming that she doesn’t appear in one more episode as her arc seems finished I would love Hye-jin Park to get a guest nomination for Pachinko. Her scene in the fourth episode when she talks only to Solomon at the deal for her land was stunning. I’m really hoping for a lot of nominations for Pachinko and think she could make for a great guest nom.

I had the exact same thought when watching episode 3, and then after watching episode 4? Forget about it! She was stunning. I have more thoughts to write down about the show as a whole, but just had to comment with my enthusiasm on this performance since someone else called it out.

X

Reply

[mf617 Joined: Oct 17th, 2011 Topics: 0 Posts: 448 View Predictions]

#1204890664

wolfali wrote:

I’m unsure if anyone is actually watching WeCrashed but is it just me or does Anne Hathaway feel really buzzy right now?

The show itself is good (maybe even better than most are giving it credit for) but I’m finding Hathaway’s performance to be absolutely fantastic. I wasn’t expecting so much of the focus to be on her character, and was kind of surprised she took the role prior to watching the show, but there’s so much to play with here that it’s no wonder she said yes and she is really delivering. The show hasn’t really made a splash, but she’s deserving of whatever praise and attention she is getting.

[mf617 Joined: Oct 17th, 2011 Topics: 0 Posts: 448 View Predictions]

#1204885324

I removed myself from the awards season discourse a while ago because this season turned sour in a way I didn’t wish to interact with on a daily basis, but as I mentioned a while back, I’m utterly thrilled with Kotsur’s win and it is absolutely one of my favorite wins of all time. I know there has been much discussion about whether or not you can call the Apple-backed “CODA” an underdog, but as someone who watched the film at Sundance before it had distribution, I could’ve never anticipated this deeply emotional, funny, and expressive performance in this small indie film would lead to Kotsur’s win, let alone everything else that happened for the film. His beautiful speech and the overwhelming goodwill you could sense in the room was indicative of the fact that his performance was the gateway for a lot of people discovering this film that is so clearly beloved. I’m wishing nothing but the best for his career and, as always, praying this leads to more representation on screen.

X

Reply

[mf617 Joined: Oct 17th, 2011 Topics: 0 Posts: 448 View Predictions]

#1204854760

Until HBO announces that Coolidge is playing the same character (which they haven’t done and which Variety didn’t confirm in that article), there is no need to contest this ruling.

Now if it turns out she is playing the same character but that’s not confirmed until after Emmys nominations even though the show is shooting right now, that’s a whole other can of worms. But since that is not publicly the situation, it’s a moot point.

[mf617 Joined: Oct 17th, 2011 Topics: 0 Posts: 448 View Predictions]

#1204772664

The absolute WHINING from professionals who cannot adjust to BAFTA and the new role they are playing as a precursor: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/bafta-awards-2022-nominations-analysis-1235086529/

Why is Scott Feinberg a BAFTA member?

[mf617 Joined: Oct 17th, 2011 Topics: 0 Posts: 448 View Predictions]

#1204751115

“Succession” taking all five directing slots at DGA is legend behavior, holy shit.

[mf617 Joined: Oct 17th, 2011 Topics: 0 Posts: 448 View Predictions]

#1204750650

I was so happy that Sundance decided to do a virtual component to their festival again this year, even before it went fully virtual. Their commitment to following up on the success of last year’s virtual festival by having a dual experience is a massive boon for film lovers all over the country, and their commitment to young film lovers especially is really encouraging to see. It’s hard to predict the future any more, but assuming things are much better for an in-person festival in 2023, I hope that they remain committed to the hybrid model that was originally in place for this year. I saw four films as a part of this year’s festival. I kind of wanted to see more, but initially bought tickets for titles I was most interested in and then waited for tickets to become available during the second window on titles I heard good things about, but it didn’t always work out that way. Pro tip for the future (and I can’t remember if it was the same way in 2021): around 9PM EST on Saturday-Tuesday, they made more tickets available to some of the hotter titles, both premiere and second viewing window.

The first film I watched was “The Worst Person in the World,” which has already been widely seen so I knew I was going to get a high quality film based on the reactions and reviews I’ve seen over the past few months. It certainly did not disappoint. The themes of the film are not necessarily groundbreaking, but the manner in which they’re explored through the incisive screenplay that truly felt like a reflection of the times (not full of outdated tropes or references), as well as Joachim Trier’s visual choices that elevated this above a generic coming-of-age story took this film to a whole other level for me. Renate Reinsve is such a captivating screen presence and she gets to run the gamut of emotions, but dare I say that the MVP of the movie is Anders Danielsen Lie, whose character gets to go to places I certainly wasn’t expecting. His scenes in particular contain the film’s best moments of dialogue that I’ve been thinking about days after. It is a beautifully layered film that goes a bit off the beaten path and is a more enriching experience because of it.

I originally planned to watch that and “When You Finish Saving the World” back to back, but social obligations got in the way and I ended up watching the latter very late at night. I say this only to provide possible context for when I follow up by saying this film did absolutely nothing for me. I have no problem with a film led by toxic characters, but this was ruthless and unsympathetic in a way that never really got me to cross over from rooting for these characters to merely being entertained by their unpleasantness, if that makes any sense. If the film was trying to be funny or quirky, it really didn’t land. Julianne Moore and Finn Wolfhard are good, but when you’re playing a one-dimensional piece of shit, that’s not necessarily a tall order. Frankly, I couldn’t wait for this film to be done. It is not the most inspiring debut for writer and director Jesse Eisenberg, an actor I usually at least like, if not really like, in other works, but this was a total bust for me.

I guess my extremely lukewarm reaction to that film had me a bit worried about trying to add any other films to my lineup unless I really heard positive buzz, and that was the case with my third film of the week, “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande.” I had an inkling that this film might work for me based on the presence of Emma Thompson alone, and after I saw positive first reactions, I added the screening to my schedule. It is a really enjoyable film that is elevated by outstanding performances from Thompson and Daryl McCormack. I’ve never seen him in anything else, but he is so charming here it is hard to imagine it doesn’t elevate his career in some fashion regardless of how widely seen this film is when it eventually comes to Hulu, as has been rumored. The script is largely confined to a hotel room, which I assumed made this a pandemic project, but I learned during the Q&A that while the film was shot during the pandemic, the script was actually written pre-COVID. As a two-person character study, it works really well in exploring themes of self-love and confidence, as well as body and sex positivity, and while I would’ve loved to have seen the world around these two characters fleshed out a little more by expanding the scope of the film, I can understand how it would’ve lost the little flourishes that are captured by being a film that only centers around Nancy and Leo. It is a very pleasing film that will certainly find an audience, even if it is not quite what they’re expecting if you don’t know just how contained the movie really is.

My final Sundance film was also the one I was most excited for, “Cha Cha Real Smooth.” I think I’ve written on here before about how Cooper Raiff’s 2020 debut “Shithouse” was one of my favorite films of the year and how I couldn’t wait to see what he followed it up with. With a bigger budget, more star power, and the experience of his first film under his belt, it is easy to see how this film could’ve just lost the luster of “Shithouse” and become something more basic, but Raiff does a really great job of elevating his visual flair and storytelling skills while also retaining the most human elements that made “Shithouse” such an affecting experience for me. “Cha Cha” works as a spiritual successor to “Shithouse” as it follows a recent college graduate finding his way, but you can tell that Raiff is bringing just a bit more life experience to this one while essentially crafting a guide to journeying through a specific period in your life like he did with his first film. I am a few years older than Raiff and his characters, so while these themes really resonate for me as someone who recently experienced them, I cannot imagine what this film would’ve done for me if I were actually the same age as Andrew, regardless of if we shared the same post-college experience. Raiff’s direction is much more assured and bold, and while I’m sure there are some that will look at this screenplay as too “neat” or perhaps even “hokey,” there is something so earnest in Raiff’s view of the world that I got sucked right in. Raiff said during the Q&A that he doesn’t think he is a good actor, and I’m sure he’s just being hard on himself, but as someone who was really awed by his performance in “Shithouse,” I think this performance takes him to the next level as a leading man. The effortless charisma he has makes even the character’s most grating choices land with a sense of understanding. Maybe it is just hard to separate Raiff the actor from the man behind the camera, but if this performance is the result, I wouldn’t change a thing. He is able to go toe-to-toe with Dakota Johnson, who brings such a specific energy to this film that instantly signals why Andrew is drawn to her. Johnson is magnetic in her own way, completely believable as a comforting presence while also understandably holding back parts of herself that unravel as the film progresses. The evolution of Domino is in the writing, but it is unsuccessful without an actress as careful and considerate as Johnson guiding that journey. Raiff and Johnson’s chemistry is just amazing, even as the film works its way through complications and catharsis for these characters as individuals. The rest of the supporting cast all get really nice standout moments, and in particular, Leslie Mann is amazing with little screentime. I just adored this film and after “Shithouse” and “Cha Cha,” Cooper Raiff has a lifelong fan in me. It seems to me like this film is the defining hit of Sundance, and as we wait to see where it lands, I am confident it’s a title we’ll be hearing about throughout the year as Raiff launches into the next phase of his career.

X

Reply