Webslinger

I remembered his Trial of the Chicago 7 nom randomly after making a Borat-voice "My wife" reference with one of my classes a couple weeks ago, lol. I remember liking his performance in that film but being more impressed with Mark Rylance (who made my ballot that year) and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. It kinda felt like the Academy wanting to give him something for his Borat 2/Chicago 7 performance slate in 2020 and going for the easier, more "proper" supporting nod in a prestige drama instead of going for him in a vulgar comedy in the lead category.

I also did a 10th anniversary rewatch of The Winter Soldier today! It still holds up as about as much fun as it was when I first went and saw it a decade ago. Also, I know it's a natural offshoot of the passage of time, but it's weird to acknowledge that the beginning of the mid-'10s is already a decade in the past. Damn.

Updated 04/04 01/06 The Color Purple 01/06 The Boys in the Boat 01/07 Ferrari 01/20 Poor Things 01/27 American Fiction 01/28 Godzilla Minus One 02/03 Anyone But You 02/10 Dune (4th theatrical viewing) 02/10 Turning Red 02/24 Drive-Away Dolls 02/25 Madame Web 02/27 Bob Marley: One Love 03/01 Dune: Part Two 03/02 Mean Girls 03/16 Dune: Part Two (2) 03/17 Love Lies Bleeding 03/23 Dune: Part Two (3) 04/03 Luca 04/04 Late Night with the Devil

Updated 4/13 A Dune: Part Two A- Love Lies Bleeding B+ Drive-Away Dolls Late Night with the Devil Monkey Man B- Self-Reliance C+ Bob Marley: One Love Mean Girls C- Argylle Madame Web

So, they'll pander to stunt performers but not establish an actual Oscar category for them? Bleh.

I guess Poor Things makes sense, but I thought Barbie stood a really good shot thanks to its status as Costume Design: The Movie.

Well, at least we know for sure that Poor Things won't be shutout tonight. Edit: Of course, I say that and then it wins two in a row, lol.

Anatomy of a Fall and American Fiction both totally make sense as screenplay winners. Many of the other heavy hitters tonight feel more like "whole package" movies with capital-D directing and craftwork doing their share of the lifting, while those two films felt more like feats of writing than anything else, Triet's directing nomination notwithstanding. Not to say these two films aren't cinematic (because they absolutely are), but I think it's easier to point to their strength as compelling written pieces.

I preferred Spider-Verse by a hair-splitting margin, but I'm very happy to see a second Miyazaki film pick up an Oscar.

I get why some viewers like the format, but I'll always prefer seeing clips that actually showcase the strengths of these performances instead of other people just talking about them. Da'Vine Joy Randolph's speech was beautiful. A predictable but wholly deserved win with how great she was in The Holdovers.

The monologue was solid - some laughs, relatively few groaners, and a few stellar points made. I've come to enjoy Kimmel as a host in his gigs thus far.

There's nothing like the Oscars thread to bring me out of my mostly work-induced posting hiatus! Like the last few years, I have seen basically all the movies (though it took a while to round out the Picture lineup with The Zone of Interest since it didn't play in my area) but have only taken cursory looks at precursors and predictions. Weirdly kinda makes the season more fun and less exhausting.

Theatrical repeat viewing numbers in parentheses. 01/06 The Color Purple 01/06 The Boys in the Boat 01/07 Ferrari 01/20 Poor Things 01/27 American Fiction 01/28 Godzilla Minus One 02/03 Anyone But You 02/10 Dune (4) 02/10 Turning Red

For what it's worth, I went and saw Dune and Turning Red today, and my area had both of them on the $7 bargain price they usually charge for rep releases and Tuesdays. Even though both played to near-empty auditoriums (4 of us at Dune, 10 at Turning Red), the experience of seeing both reinforced why I'd love to see re-releases as a more common occurrence in down times at the box office. Both films were most definitely enhanced by the big screen experience.

I was today years old when I realized that the Mission: Impossible franchise had a total of zero Oscar nominations heading into this morning. I thought that surely one of them had to have squeaked in for a random sound nomination at some point. I still have to see American Fiction (would have gone this weekend, but the weather only fully cooperated for one day and I spent it on Poor Things) and The Zone of Interest, but otherwise, that's a pretty damn good Best Picture lineup. Of the eight I've seen, Maestro is the only one not in my personal top 10 for the year. I'm especially happy that Past Lives squeaked in and will hopefully now get to enjoy a higher profile.

Yup, pretty dead marketplace. But at least it's fun to see some crazy low drops thanks to the factors of lack of new product and bounceback from the awful weather in much of the country last weekend.

Can confirm that it is ungodly cold up in the northwest, lol. I have a lengthy list of movies I'm trying to go and see (Soul, Mean Girls, The Book of Clarence, Godzilla Minus One), but even just hopping in my car for a quick errand this morning was brutal. I agree with whomever said on the previous page that we could be looking at some really light drops next weekend, a la the last weekend in January 2016 after snowstorms did a number on holdovers the preceding weekend.

Yeah, I think it would have done quite well between the combination of Pixar's brand recognition, the strong reviews, and the summer release date positioning. It probably wouldn't have reached Inside Out's level (and if Minions hit the same level of Gentleminions virality in this hypothetical 2020 that it did in '22, that could have put a dent in Soul's legs), but it would have been very successful.

Same here! A guy behind me literally gasped and then exclaimed "Holy shit!" I've seen two sports-related films in as many days, and this was a solid, moody contrast to the more paint-by-numbers, straight down the middle sentimentality of The Boys in the Boat. All the driving scenes hum with intensity, and Driver and Cruz both deliver impressively tuned performances. Maybe my favorite Mann since Collateral? At the very least, it's in the same rock solid B+ ballpark as Miami Vice and Public Enemies for me.

The final list, now that December 31 has come and gone. Theatrical repeat viewing numbers listed in parentheses. 01/07 The Fabelmans (2) 01/08 M3GAN 01/21 The Whale 01/22 Avatar: The Way of Water (3) (3D) 01/28 A Man Called Otto 02/04 Knock at the Cabin 02/05 Living 02/12 Titanic (2) (3D) 02/17 Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania 02/18 Magic Mike's Last Dance 02/25 Cocaine Bear 02/26 Missing 03/04 Creed III 03/14 Bull Durham 03/17 Shazam! Fury of the Gods 03/18 Scream VI 03/24 John Wick: Chapter 4 04/02 Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves 04/08 Air 04/11 Unforgiven 04/16 Renfield 04/23 Evil Dead Rise 04/29 Beau Is Afraid 05/05 Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 05/13 Sisu 06/07 Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse 06/08 The Little Mermaid 06/09 Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. 06/10 Transformers: Rise of the Beasts 06/12 The Super Mario Bros Movie 06/13 The Shawshank Redemption 06/19 Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2) 06/20 Elemental 06/22 Fast X 06/23 Asteroid City 06/24 The Flash 06/26 No Hard Feelings 06/27 Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 (2) 06/30 Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny 07/07 Joy Ride 07/15 Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One 07/21 Barbie 07/21 Oppenheimer 07/26 The Blackening 07/27 Past Lives 07/29 Oppenheimer (2) 08/05 Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (3) 08/06 Talk to Me 08/09 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem 08/12 Barbie (2) 08/19 Oppenheimer (3) 08/26 Strays 08/27 Jurassic Park (3) (3D) 09/03 Haunted Mansion 09/04 Blue Beetle 09/16 The Dark Knight (8) 09/23 A Haunting in Venice 09/24 Barbie (3) 09/30 Stop Making Sense 09/30 Dumb Money 10/07 The Creator 10/22 Killers of the Flower Moon 10/26 The Rocky Horror Picture Show (6) 10/28 Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour 10/29 The Nightmare Before Christmas 11/04 Killers of the Flower Moon (2) 11/10 Priscilla 11/11 The Marvels 11/14 The Hunt for Red October 11/17 The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes 11/18 The Holdovers 11/19 Saving Private Ryan 11/23 Wish 11/24 Napoleon 11/25 Saltburn 12/10 The Boy and the Heron 12/12 It's a Wonderful Life 12/16 Maestro 12/17 Die Hard 12/18 Wonka 12/21 Dream Scenario 12/27 The Iron Claw There were a few others I fully intended to see last week that got knocked out courtesy of a really annoying head cold I came down with a few hours after getting out of The Iron Claw, but I guess I'll just use them to bump up my 2024 numbers.

There is much ado about Wish being released as part of Disney’s 100-year anniversary celebration of themselves, and unfortunately, it’s more of a cliché storm than a clever homage. The standard pieces of an animated Disney fairy tale musical are all there, but they are done in such simple, perfunctory fashion that they never really take flight. The animation looks nice and there are some decent musical numbers and humorous moments (even if some of their nods to other Disney properties are on the nose to point of feeling cringey), but the characters and storytelling lack the heart and vivaciousness of the studio’s much more successful films in the stellar run they carved out for themselves post-Princess and the Frog. The narrative goes through the motions as it ticks off boxes with little inspiration or sense of surprise or wonder. It’s a shame that the film doesn’t make the most of the talents of Ariana DeBose, who does appealing work as protagonist Asha, but has little character development and surprisingly few songs to work around. It also feels like Chris Pine – game as always – has to make do with material beneath his talents in the villain role. After the kind of roll Disney has been on in the last decade and a half, Wish is a letdown that feels like an overly simple, hollow echo of tropes the studio’s recent films have both subverted and played straight in significantly stronger fashion. While far from a disaster (I do imagine kids will enjoy it, and it has its moments and a cute sentient star), it is handily the weakest offering from the Disney animated canon in quite some time. C+

Wish today, then probably Saltburn tomorrow and Napoleon on Saturday. I might also give Thanksgiving a shot with how shockingly positive reviews have been, even if it likely won't live up to its Grindhouse fake trailer namesake.

I saw this last weekend and loved it. Looking back at Payne's track record, it feels like this definitely could have followed the "quiet run where it makes way more money than you realized" trajectory of About Schmidt, Sideways, and The Descendants in a box office era more receptive to something small and adult-oriented.

01/07 The Fabelmans (2) 01/08 M3GAN 01/21 The Whale 01/22 Avatar: The Way of Water (3) 01/28 A Man Called Otto 02/04 Knock at the Cabin 02/05 Living 02/12 Titanic (2) 02/17 Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania 02/18 Magic Mike's Last Dance 02/25 Cocaine Bear 02/26 Missing 03/04 Creed III 03/14 Bull Durham 03/17 Shazam! Fury of the Gods 03/18 Scream VI 03/24 John Wick: Chapter 4 04/02 Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves 04/08 Air 04/11 Unforgiven 04/16 Renfield 04/23 Evil Dead Rise 04/29 Beau Is Afraid 05/05 Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 05/13 Sisu 06/07 Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse 06/08 The Little Mermaid 06/09 Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret. 06/10 Transformers: Rise of the Beasts 06/12 The Super Mario Bros Movie 06/13 The Shawshank Redemption 06/19 Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2) 06/20 Elemental 06/22 Fast X 06/23 Asteroid City 06/24 The Flash 06/26 No Hard Feelings 06/27 Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 (2) 06/30 Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny 07/07 Joy Ride 07/15 Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One 07/21 Barbie 07/21 Oppenheimer 07/26 The Blackening 07/27 Past Lives 07/29 Oppenheimer (2) 08/05 Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2) 08/06 Talk to Me 08/09 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem 08/12 Barbie (2) 08/19 Oppenheimer (3) 08/26 Strays 08/27 Jurassic Park (3) 09/03 Haunted Mansion 09/04 Blue Beetle 09/16 The Dark Knight (8) 09/23 A Haunting in Venice 09/24 Barbie (3) 09/30 Stop Making Sense 09/30 Dumb Money 10/07 The Creator 10/22 Killers of the Flower Moon 10/26 The Rocky Horror Picture Show (6) 10/28 Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour 10/29 The Nightmare Before Christmas 11/04 Killers of the Flower Moon (2) 11/10 Priscilla 11/11 The Marvels 11/14 The Hunt for Red October 11/17 The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes 11/18 The Holdovers 11/19 Saving Private Ryan

Updated with some new additions and previous films I had forgotten to add. I guess I've been a bit sloppy with record-keeping on the Letterboxd list I draw from. A Barbie The Holdovers Killers of the Flower Moon Oppenheimer Past Lives Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse A- Air Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. Asteroid City Bottoms John Wick: Chapter 4 The Killer Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One Nimona Priscilla Talk to Me B+ The Blackening Creed III Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Evil Dead Rise Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 Joy Ride M3GAN Scream VI Sisu Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem B Beau Is Afraid Dumb Money Elemental The Flash A Haunting in Venice Knock at the Cabin The Little Mermaid Missing No Hard Feelings Renfield Strays Totally Killer B- Cocaine Bear The Creator Fast X Haunted Mansion The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Magic Mike's Last Dance The Marvels C+ Blue Beetle The Super Mario Bros Movie Transformers: Rise of the Beasts C Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Shazam! Fury of the Gods C- Five Nights at Freddy's