Oscar Re-Do 2013

BEST PICTURE
12 Years a Slave
American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Dallas Buyers Club
Gravity
Her
Nebraska
Philomena
The Wolf of Wall Street

Should have won: No complaints here
Not even nominated: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

12 Years a Slave won Best Picture, is the most recent movie inducted into the National Film Registry, and is generally regarded as one of the best movies of the decade. And you know what? It’s properly rated. But it’s also essentially impossible to sit through more than once. It is easily the most brutal, unflinching movie (or show) ever made about America’s original sin. And occasionally Steve McQueen’s showiness undercuts the importance of the story. But in a time when school boards and legislatures are trying to downplay the horror of history and presidential candidates are saying, “America was never a racist country,” this remains a truly important film.

So it feels a little silly to praise the greatness of Katniss Everdeen right after that. But Catching Fire remains one of the decade’s best blockbusters, a truly entertaining and (no joke) inspiring film a decade later. I’d happily add it to this list to make an even 10, or even swap out the other Jennifer Lawrence movie.

BEST DIRECTOR
Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave
David O. Russell, American Hustle
Alfonso Cuarón, Gravity
Alexander Payne, Nebraska
Martin Scorsese, The Wolf of Wall Street

Should have won: Alfonso Cuarón
Not even nominated: Spike Jonze, Her

Cuarón had already proven himself to be one of the world’s great craftsman after Children of Men, which was barely acknowledged by the Academy. But Gravity appropriately dominated this year’s nominees, with a well-deserved win here and a slew of technical trophies.

But I must once again dump on American Hustle – a fun but severely flawed movie – and demand that Spike Jonze take Russell’s place for Her, a true masterpiece.

BEST ACTOR
Christian Bale, American Hustle
Bruce Dern, Nebraska
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street
Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club

Should have won: Leonardo DiCaprio
Not even nominated: Oscar Isaac, Inside Llewyn Davis

The McConaugh-sance was a great time for movies, and the famous Texan’s Oscar win for this movie was the culmination of a great comeback story. But nothing he does as real-life HIV patient Ron Woodruff compares to just one scene in The Wolf of Wall Street, a feat of undeniable physical presence and comic timing that no one could compete with.

As time goes on, American Hustle‘s hype (which even I wasn’t immune to) looks more and more like, as my dad would say, “an Emperor’s New Clothes movie.” So while its nominations in all four acting categories is still impressive, each of those nods has an easy swap for a much better performance. So goodbye to Christian Bale – arguably the best of the quartet – and hello to Oscar Isaac. He still hasn’t been nominated in the ensuing decade, which is criminal. But he may not give a better performance than he does in the Coens’ black comedy about the Greenwich Village folk scene. As the Sisyphean singer-songwriter unable to make progress after the death of his musical partner, he’s about as weary as they come, yet still pushing on.

BEST ACTRESS
Amy Adams, American Hustle
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
Sandra Bullock, Gravity
Judi Dench, Philomena
Meryl Streep, August: Osage County

Should have won: No complaints here
Not even nominated: Brie Larson, Short Term 12

While I greatly enjoy all the other performers, it’s really no contest. None of those I would count among their greatest performances, whereas Blanchett knocks it out of the park again in Woody Allen’s dramedy.

Brie Larson eventually went on to Oscar success just two years later in the emotional gut-punch Room. But she should have been nominated and won before then for her astonishing, ground-level work in Short Term 12, where she plays one of the last empathetic stops for troubled kids before they’re thrust into an uncaring world.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
Bradley Cooper, American Hustle
Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club
Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave
Jonah Hill, The Wolf of Wall Street

Should have won: Barkhad Abdi
Not even nominated: Daniel Brühl, Rush

Abdi’s life should have changed forever after being cast the Somali pirate in the Captain Phillips. And it did, sort of. But Hollywood’s racism kept him from any big roles in the following decade. He had minor roles in Good Time and Blade Runner 2049, and a recurring role in The Curse, but that’s been about it aside from indie movies you’ve probably never heard of. And it’s a real shame, because Abdi is magnificent in the film, and it’s even more astonishing considering it was his first performance.

Which is why Leto’s win is all the more disgusting. Even beyond the indignity of a cis performer playing a trans character, he’s not good in the film and generally not a good actor. (To say nothing of the allegations against him.) I’d easily boot him for Daniel Brühl, who’s been a reliable presence in everything from Inglourious Basterds to the MCU. As Niki Lauda, the determined race car driver locked in a heated – but respectful – rivalry with James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth), he’s terrific.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine
Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years a Slave
Julia Roberts, August: Osage County
June Squibb, Nebraska

Should have won: No complaints here
Not even nominated: Margot Robbie, The Wolf of Wall Street

I still can’t believe this was Nyong’o’s first performance in a feature film. This is a debut as important as Orson Welles or Alan Rickman. The arrival of a major talent. A slam-dunk, 100% obviously, wholly deserved win.

So what else is there to talk about? Well, I’d swap Lawrence for another feisty blonde Long Island housewife. Margot Robbie was basically unknown to American audiences until this year. She was memorable in About Time, but absolutely iconic here as Jordan Belfort’s second wife Naomi.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
American Hustle
Blue Jasmine
Dallas Buyers Club
Her
Nebraska

Should have won: No complaints here
Not even nominated: About Time

Not a great year for this category if American Hustle and Dallas Buyers Club made it in. But at least the Academy got this one right. Her is one of the most insightful movies ever made about platonic and romantic relationships, to say nothing of society’s relationship to technology. It felt prescient at the time, but has only grown more relevant in the ensuing decade.

I’d kick out DBC for About Time, a movie that still floors me every time I see it. Richard Curtis’s best film presents a new, more romantic version of time travel in a moving coming-of-age story that has few peers.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
12 Years a Slave
Before Midnight
Captain Phillips
Philomena
The Wolf of Wall Street

Should have won: Before Midnight
Not even nominated: The Spectacular Now

My love for this series knows no bounds, so yes I’m honoring it yet again even after awarding Before Sunset nine years ago. It’s that good, that wise, that special.

The Spectacular Now is a much more heartbreaking look at relationships, but it should have been raised up above the flurry of YA adaptations we got in the 2010s.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
The Croods
Despicable Me 2
Ernest & Celestine
Frozen
The Wind Rises

Should have won: The Wind Rises
Not even nominated: Monsters University

Frozen was (and I suppose still is) a legitimate phenomenon. But to me it represents the start of Disney’s autopilot era, with a focus on popular but annoying songs (more on that later) and merchandising. It’s simply no comparison to what was sold as Hayao Miyazaki’s last film. While he still had one more feature in him – which may win this year – this deeply personal biopic of aeronautical engineer Jiro Horikoshi is deeply romantic, visually stunning and often overwhelming.

And while Monsters University is none of those things, it’s still a lot of fun yet with a tremendous amount of heart. It could easily take the place of any of the mainstream nominees.

What else did they get wrong?

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Broken Circle Breakdown (Belgium)
The Missing Picture (Cambodia)
The Hunt (Denmark)
The Great Beauty (Italy)
Omar (Palestine)

Should have won: The Hunt
Not even nominated: The Grandmaster (Hong Kong)

The Great Beauty lives up to its title. But Paolo Sorrentino’s reflection on a life filled with decadence can’t help but feel a little bit like “rich people’s problems.” The Hunt, though, is a terrifying story that could happen to anyone. Like The Crucible or “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street,” it’s a timeless allegory about mass hysteria, violent retribution and the innocent victims caught in the middle.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“Happy” from Despicable Me 2
“Let It Go” from Frozen
“The Moon Song” from Her
“Ordinary Love” from Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

Should have won: “The Moon Song”
Not even nominated: “Please Mr. Kennedy” from Inside Llewyn Davis

“Let It Go” was always going to win. Unlike a lot of nominees, it wasn’t some end-credits filler. It was integral to the story and a genuine phenomenon. But, like fellow nominee “Happy,” it’s really fucking annoying. “Drive your car into oncoming traffic” annoying. “Launch yourself into outer space” annoying. “Puncture your eardrums” annoying. So, the only real choice is “The Moon Song,” which may feel like a trifle but in context is rapturous.

You’ll notice this year there are only four nominees, and that’s because they disqualified “Alone Yet Not Alone,” the title track from a forgetten Christian period drama. Whatever you think of the song – it’s not really any better or worse than some of the sap they’ve nominated before or since – the disqualification is bullshit. The composer, a longtime Academy member, personally called a lot of voters and asked them to consider the song, which hardly seems unethical. But if they were going to cut it, they should have replaced it with a song that should have been there from the beginning: the delightful “Please Mr. Kennedy” from Inside Llewyn Davis.

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My Dream Oscar Ballot 2024

BEST PICTURE
All of Us Strangers
Anatomy of a Fall
Asteroid City
Godzilla Minus One
How to Blow Up a Pipeline
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Past Lives
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
The Zone of Interest

BEST DIRECTING
Justine Triet, Anatomy of a Fall
Wes Anderson, Asteroid City
Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon
Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
Jonathan Glazer, The Zone of Interest

BEST ACTOR
Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers
Barry Keoghan, Saltburn
Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
Andrew Scott, All of Us Strangers
Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction

BEST ACTRESS
Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon
Sandra Huller, Anatomy of a Fall
Greta Lee, Past Lives
Margot Robbie, Barbie
Emma Stone, Poor Things

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Oscar Guide 2024

BEST PICTURE
American Fiction
Anatomy of a Fall
Barbie
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Past Lives
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest

Will win: Oppenheimer
Could win: Barbie
Should win: The Zone of Interest
Should have been nominated: All of Us Strangers

The skinny: Barbenheimer was the big story of 2023, so it’s appropriate it will come down to the two biggest movies of the year for Best Picture. But by this point it’s not much of a race anymore. Barbie‘s surprise misses in Director and Actress show there’s not quite as much love for the runaway hit among the Academy as there was in the general public. And now that Oppenheimer has won pretty much every precursor, it looks like this race is over. And that’s fine! It’s easily the best live-action movie put out by a major studio this past year. It’s no Zone of Interest, but that movie’s a one-of-one.

BEST DIRECTING
Justine Triet, Anatomy of a Fall
Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon
Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
Yorgos Lanthimos, Poor Things
Jonathan Glazer, The Zone of Interest

Will win: Christopher Nolan
Could and should win: Jonathan Glazer
Should have been nominated: Celine Song, Past Lives

The skinny: No matter what happens in Best Picture, Nolan’s had this locked up for a long time. A DGA win just confirmed what we already knew.

BEST ACTOR
Bradley Cooper, Maestro
Colman Domingo, Rustin
Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers
Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction

Will win: Cillian Murphy
Could win: Paul Giamatti
Should win: Jeffrey Wright
Should have been nominated: Barry Keoghan, Saltburn

The skinny: A solid lineup with actors I like. But while I would hardly call Murphy undeserving, he’s not the most impressive part of a very impressive film. I’d rather one of his closest competitors win this year. Both Wright and Giamatti have been reliable character actors for decades, both bringing their special talents to two thorny but lovable lead parts. And as much as Cooper is hungry for that Oscar, I’d easily swap him out for Barry Keoghan, the best part of the much-discussed Saltburn.

BEST ACTRESS
Annette Bening, Nyad
Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon
Sandra Hüller, Anatomy of a Fall
Carey Mulligan, Maestro
Emma Stone, Poor Things

Will and should win: Lily Gladstone
Could win: Emma Stone
Should have been nominated: Margot Robbie, Barbie

The skinny: It seemed like Lily Gladstone had this all sewn up. But then more people finally saw Poor Things and Emma Stone (a previous winner for La La Land) pulled ahead. But a SAG win sealed the deal for Lily, one of my favorite actresses of the last few years. Her acceptance speech should be one for the ages.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Sterling K. Brown, American Fiction
Robert De Niro, Killers of the Flower Moon
Robert Downey Jr, Oppenheimer
Ryan Gosling, Barbie
Mark Ruffalo, Poor Things

Will and should win: Robert Downey Jr
Could win: Mark Ruffalo
Should have been nominated: Charles Melton, May December

The skinny: As excellent as this lineup is, excluding Melton is awards malpractice. Even in a movie that presents actors as craven, unfeeling parasites, Melton is astonishing. So now we’re back to where we were in the summer, with Downey cruising to victory. Again, nothing wrong with that, even if I think more about the smaller turns by Matt Damon and David Krumholtz.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer
Danielle Brooks, The Color Purple
America Ferrera, Barbie
Jodie Foster, Nyad
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers

Will and should win: Da’Vine Joy Randolph
Could win: Jodie Foster
Should have been nominated: Rachel McAdams, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret

The skinny: Certainly one of the odder lineups in recent memory, but it was genuinely a weaker year for this category. Randolph is easily the frontrunner here, and she’d be my personal pick. I’d also swap Ferrera (not even the third-best performance in Barbie) for Rachel McAdams in Kelly Fremon Craig’s unsung Judy Blume adaptation.

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Streaming Picks: March 2024

FILM
Top Pick
The Last Temptation of Christ – Peacock
Martin Scorsese’s finest achievement remains this adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis’ eternally controversial novel. Even if you’re not religious, the film has an undeniable power thanks to its focus on Jesus’s humanity and sacrifice.

New Releases
Napoleon – AppleTV+
Our Body – Criterion
Our Father, the Devil – Criterion
Five Nights at Freddy’s – Prime Video 3/5
The Marsh King’s Daughter – Hulu 3/5
Marlowe – Prime Video 3/7
Ricky Stanicky – Prime Video 3/7
Wonka – Max 3/8
What Happens Later – Paramount+ with Showtime 3/10
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 – Prime Video 3/12
The Stones and Brian Jones – Hulu 3/14
Children of the Corn (2023) – Hulu 3/15
Dream Scenario – Max 3/15
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour – Disney+ 3/15
Trolls: Band Together – Peacock 3/15
The Treasure of Foggy Mountain – Prime Video 3/17
Expend4bles – Starz 3/20
Back on the Strip – Starz 3/21
Road House (2024) – Prime Video 3/21
On Fire – Peacock 3/22
You’ll Never Find Me – AMC+ 3/22
Paint – Hulu 3/29
Brian and Charles – Starz 3/30

Essential Viewing
9 to 5 – Peacock
127 Hours – Max
The Abyss (1989) – Paramount+
Airplane! – Paramount+
Alien – Peacock
Animal House – Netflix
Arrival – Peacock
Back to the Future – Peacock
Batman (1989) – Prime Video
The Big Lebowski – Peacock
Birdman – Hulu
Blade Runner 2049 – Hulu
Bonnie & Clyde – Netflix
Brokeback Mountain – Peacock
Bull Durham – Prime Video
Cabaret – Max
Devil in a Blue Dress – Netflix and Starz
Drive My Car – Criterion
Dune (2021) – Hulu
Dunkirk – Hulu
El Norte – Criterion
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind – Peacock
Fast Times at Ridgemont High – Peacock
The Favourite – Hulu
Forgetting Sarah Marshall – Max
Frances Ha – Criterion
Friday Night Lights – Prime Video
Goodfellas – Hulu
The Green Knight – Max
Harry Potter series – Peacock
If Beale Street Could Talk – Starz
Inception – Hulu
Inside Llewyn Davis – Paramount+
Inside Man (2006) – Starz
King Kong (1933) – Max
L.A. Confidential – Hulu
The Last Waltz – Prime Video
A League of Their Own – Peacock
Lost in Translation – Peacock
Love & Basketball – Netflix
Miller’s Crossing – Paramount+
Mulholland Dr. – Criterion
My Cousin Vinny – Hulu and Peacock
The Purple Rose of Cairo – Prime Video
Raging Bull – Criterion
Raising Arizona – Paramount+
Requiem for a Dream – Paramount+ with Showtime
Reservoir Dogs – Criterion
Road to Perdition – Prime Video
Romeo + Juliet – Paramount+
Scream (1996) – Max
Scream 2 – Max
Sin City – Paramount+ with Showtime
Snowpiercer – Peacock
Stand by Me – Hulu
Step Brothers – Netflix
Super 8 – Prime Video
Superbad – Peacock
Take Shelter – Prime Video
The Tree of Life – Hulu
V for Vendetta – Peacock
Frida – Prime Video 3/14
Carol – Paramount+ with Showtime 3/19
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire – Peacock 3/1 and Netflix 3/31
Kill Bill: Vols. 1 & 2 – Peacock 3/1 and Netflix 3/31
Jackie Brown – Peacock 3/31
John Wick 1-3 – Peacock 3/31

Spotlight Collection
N/A

Hidden Gems
American Movie – Criterion
Black Dynamite – Starz
Desperately Seeking Susan – Prime Video
Dredd – Peacock
Drive Angry – Hulu
Drugstore Cowboy – Paramount+ with Showtime
Enough Said – Hulu and Paramount+ with Showtime
The Farewell – Max
The Good Girl – Paramount+
Good Time – Max
Grindhouse – Starz
Hanna – Peacock
Observe and Report – Max
Return to Me – Prime Video
The Rundown – Starz
Sexy Beast – Hulu
The Silent Partner – Criterion
Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 – Prime Video
Thank You for Smoking – Hulu
The Virgin Suicides – Criterion
Win Win – Hulu
Sleeping with Other People – Paramount+ with Showtime 3/11
Keeping the Faith – Peacock 3/31
Open Water – Starz 3/31

Nostalgia Picks
Bend It Like Beckham – Hulu
Bring It On – Prime Video

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Streaming Picks: February 2024

All titles premiere on the first of the month, unless otherwise noted.

FILM
Top Pick
Past Lives – Paramount+ with Showtime 2/2
The Best Picture nominee has gotten rave reviews for more than a year now, but still has been seen by far too few. Celine Song’s directorial debut was one of my top 10 films of 2023, and an achingly poignant love story.

New Releases
Kings from Queens: The Run-DMC Story – Peacock
Bosco – Peacock 2/2
Dario Argento Panico – AMC+ 2/2
Kokomo City – Paramount+ with Showtime 2/2
The Tiger’s Apprentice – Paramount+ 2/2
Strays – Prime Video 2/6
Surrounded – Prime Video 2/6
The Marvels – Disney+ 2/7
Cat Person – Hulu 2/9
Skeletons in the Closet – AMC+ 2/9
Suncoast – Hulu 2/9
Upgraded – Prime Video 2/9
Bottoms – Prime Video 2/13
Joan Baez: I Am a Noise – Hulu 2/15
Next Goal Wins – Hulu 2/15
Dark Harvest – Prime Video 2/16
Oppenheimer – Paramount+ 2/16
The Pod Generation – Hulu 2/16
This Is Me… Now: A Love Story – Prime Video 2/16
Giannis: The Marvelous Journey – Prime Video 2/19
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem – Prime Video 2/21
Monica – Hulu 2/25

Essential Viewing
12 Angry Men – Prime Video
12 Years a Slave – Hulu and Paramount+
500 Days of Summer – Hulu
Anchorman – Peacock
Annie Hall – Prime Video
Bridget Jones’s Diary – Paramount+
Brooklyn – Max
The Cabin in the Woods – Hulu
Call Me by Your Name – Hulu
Chicago – Paramount+
Citizen Kane – Max
Clockers – Peacock
A Clockwork Orange – Max
Crooklyn – Peacock
The Dark Knight – Peacock
The Descent – Hulu
Don’t Look Now – Paramount+ with Showtime
Dunkirk – Peacock
The Elephant Man – Prime Video
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind – Criterion Channel
Full Metal Jacket – Max
Get Out – Prime Video
A Ghost Story – Max
Ghost World – Prime Video
Glory – Peacock
Harold and Maude – Paramount+
Hoop Dreams – Paramount+
Hot Fuzz – Prime Video
I Am Not Your Negro – Peacock and Prime Video
If Beale Street Could Talk – Peacock
Inception – Peacock
Infernal Affairs – Criterion Channel
The Iron Giant – Paramount+
The LEGO Movie – Max
Lincoln – Paramount+
Magnolia – Paramount+
A Matter of Life and Death – Criterion Channel
Mo’ Better Blues – Peacock
Moneyball – Netflix
No Country for Old Men – Paramount+
Once – Peacock
Police Story | Police Story 2 – Criterion Channel
Pride & Prejudice (2005) – Peacock
Roman Holiday – Paramount+
Sabrina (1954) – Paramount+
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World – Prime Video
Se7en – Max
Solaris (1972) – Criterion Channel
Sunset Boulevard – Paramount+
Up in the Air – Max
When We Were Kings – Paramount+
Wings of Desire – Criterion Channel
Zodiac – Paramount+
Zoolander – Peacock
Predator (1987) – Hulu 2/4
Romeo + Juliet (1996) – Hulu 2/8
The Abyss (1989) – Hulu 2/9
Nomadland – Hulu 2/19
Everything Everywhere All at Once – Netflix 2/23
Django Unchained – Starz 2/27

Spotlight Collection
Dario Argento Collection – AMC+ 2/2
In conjunction with the new retrospective documentary Dario Argento Panico (which premieres the same day), Shudder is expanding their library of the Italian horror master’s films. From true gialli like The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, Deep Red and Opera to more surreal scares in Phenomena and Inferno, there’s plenty to enjoy here.

Hidden Gems
50/50 – Starz
The Good Girl – Paramount+ with Showtime
In the Cut – Prime Video
The Meddler – Starz
Miss Sharon Jones! – Max
Night Catches Us – Hulu
Red Rocket – Prime Video
Save Yourselves! – Max
Tigerland – Paramount+
The Visit – Max
The Weather Man – Paramount+
Young Adult – Prime Video
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On – Netflix 2/24

Nostalgia Pick
Jumanji – Hulu

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Reactions to the 2024 Oscar Nominations

Biggest Snubs (in order from most to least egregious)

Killers of the Flower Moon – Adapted Screenplay
A truly stunning miss considering the film got nominated for basically everything else it was expected to, including Picture, Directing, Actress, Original Score and other technical awards. But something was going to get robbed since the Academy decided to categorize Barbie as an adapted work.

Barbie – Actress
Margot Robbie is still a nominee for Barbie, just as a producer. But I don’t think a single person predicted this. She’d hit every precursor imaginable and was the face of the biggest movie of the year. I’m less annoyed Greta Gerwig wasn’t nominated, but only because I wasn’t quite as high on the film as most everyone else.

May December – Actress, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress
Just gonna be glaring at the acting branch from a distance for the next six weeks. Even with crowded fields, ignoring all three incredible performances – especially Charles Melton’s – feels like a punishment for a good yet uncomfortable film.

All of Us Strangers – Picture, Directing, Actor, Adapted Screenplay
It was always a longshot, especially with Searchlight putting all their weight behind Poor Things. But no other movie this year made me cry big, ugly tears like this one. It was an extremely moving experience, anchored by Andrew Scott’s terrific performance. I’d take him over Bradley Cooper’s turn in Maestro any day.

Asteroid City – Picture, Directing, Original Screenplay, Production Design, Costume Design, Cinematography
Well, Wes Anderson did get nominated for something. (More on that later.) But this is the second straight film where at minimum, he deserved consideration for writing and his amazing crew deserved consideration for their work in turning out one of the flat-out best-looking movies of the year.

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Final Oscar Picks 2024

BEST PICTURE
American Fiction
Anatomy of a Fall
Barbie
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Past Lives
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest

Dark Horse: The Color Purple
Long Shot: Air
Total Shock: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

The skinny: These 10 have been in place for a while now. Despite a Best Ensemble nomination at the SAG Awards, it will take a miracle for The Color Purple to make it in here. Air‘s stayed on the periphery for almost a year, and if it was a serious contender it would have picked up *something* by now.

BEST DIRECTOR
Justine Triet, Anatomy of a Fall
Greta Gerwig, Barbie
Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon
Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
Yorgos Lanthimos, Poor Things

Dark Horse: Alexander Payne, The Holdovers
Long Shot: Jonathan Glazer, The Zone of Interest
Total Shock: Hayao Miyazaki, The Boy and the Heron

The skinny: Payne made the DGA’s final five, but I don’t think this is his year, especially with two strong international contenders in Justine Triet and Jonathan Glazer (not to mention Yorgos Lanthimos). And besides, if any movie accused of being slight is getting a Directing nomination, it will be Barbie.

BEST ACTOR
Bradley Cooper, Maestro
Colman Domingo, Rustin
Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers
Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction

Dark Horse: Andrew Scott, All of Us Strangers
Long Shot: Barry Keoghan, Saltburn
Total Shock: Zac Efron, The Iron Claw

The skinny: If Andrew Scott’s not nominated – and that’s looking increasingly lightly – I think you’ll have to blame Searchlight for releasing All of Us Strangers so late. He had too short a runway to campaign against the insanely stacked competition.

It remains to be seen if there’s a Saltburn contingent that could turn the divisive but much-discussed film into a surprise contender. But the fact that it’s just sitting on Prime and being memed daily certainly has to be an asset.

Now, let’s pour one out for Zac Efron’s best performance, which will go unheralded, just like the movie it’s in.

BEST ACTRESS
Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon
Sandra Hüller, Anatomy of a Fall
Carey Mulligan, Maestro
Margot Robbie, Barbie
Emma Stone, Poor Things

Dark Horse: Annette Bening, Nyad
Long Shot: Greta Lee, Past Lives
Total Shock: Natalie Portman, May December

The skinny: Seeing May December go from critical darling to persona non grata in the awards race is one of the more fascinating developments of recent years. Another Netflix contender (Nyad) has seen its stock rise thanks to two SAG nominations, but I think Hüller still takes Bening’s place in the final five. That means Greta Lee – Past Lives‘ best hope at an acting nod – will just have to wonder what could have been.

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The Best Movie Performances of 2023

ENSEMBLE IN A COMEDY
Asteroid City
Once again, Wes Anderson beautifully integrates longtime collaborators (Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman) and newcomers (Tom Hanks, Margot Robbie) into his largest ensemble yet. Whether inside the story or out of it – in a context I won’t spoil – they all get moments to shine.

ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction
Wright has stunned in supporting part for more than 25 years, but gets his first starring role since Basquiat. To absolutely no one’s surprise, he nails it. As the curmudgeonly writer who leans into the stereotypical “urban fiction” that seems to sell like hotcakes, he’s both right and wrong in his cynical POV. Opening himself up to new possibilities may not change his literary opinions, but they certainly let him see the real world in a new light.

ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Emma Stone, Poor Things
While the word “fearless” gets tossed around a lot when discussing performers who get fully nude or play addicts, I think it applies to Stone’s turn here. Playing an impulsive creation of a mad scientist (Willem Dafoe), she learns all about the world’s good and bad qualities at an accelerated pace. This lets her be curious, playful, and at times, annoying as hell. Much like her diabolical turn on The Curse, she’s fearlessly letting herself be unlikable.

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The Best and Worst Movies of 2023

2023 was a truly great year for cinema, the best since 2019. We got so many gifts, even if those weren’t reflected in the top-grossing movies of the year. Read on as I celebrate my favorites.

10. Past Lives (dir. Celine Song)
A beautiful movie that refuses to make its characters heroes or villains. The paths we take unfold in different ways. Wondering if a different path – in the past or the future – could be better (or just different) is all too human. But few movies have ever captured such inexpressible feelings. It might have the ending of the year, too. (Though it faces stiff competition from my top two films.)

9. All of Us Strangers (dir. Andrew Haigh) 
The first film in several years that made me cry big, ugly tears. Andrew Scott finally gets a lead role worthy of his talents as Adam, a writer still grappling with his parents’ deaths. A new love (Paul Mescal) brings some light into his melancholy existence, but the lines between reality, fiction and hallucination begin to blur, and Adam must grab onto what’s real. Of all the new movies I wish I could have talked about with my late uncle – who passed away in 2020 – this is easily No. 1.

8. How to Blow Up a Pipeline (dir. Daniel Goldhaber)
Once you accept the reality that fossil fuel companies commit crimes against all of us every single day, any crimes committed against them are absolutely justified. This sort of radical thinking might be completely foreign to most people, but it’s in the bones of the ragtag group of saboteurs in this thrilling adaptation of a philosophical manifesto. It’s rare for a scripted American movie with politics this far left to ever see the light of day. That would be cause for celebration on its own, but the movie also Trojan horses its POV inside a crackerjack heist movie. You could easily show this to a relative and get a good discussion going.

7. Godzilla Minus One (dir. Takashi Yamazaki)
The year’s best blockbuster came not from Hollywood, but from Japan. While U.S. audiences mostly rejected the slate of hideous, flat comic book adaptations, they embraced this astonishingly good prequel. Everything missing from our big tentpoles could be found here: a compelling story, characters we care about, and thoughtfully deployed VFX. Hopefully the filmmakers working on the next batch of big movies takes note.

6. Oppenheimer (dir. Christopher Nolan)
When you give a director like Nolan carte blanche to make a historical film, he’s going to go all out. No boring History Channel storytelling. He’s going to take inspiration from Oliver Stone’s JFK and make three hours go by in a snap. Similar to that epic, exacting accuracy is not the goal but dramatic heft and narrative movement. Hopping back and forth in time, he gives us a portrait of one of the most important yet unknowable figures of the 20th Century. Or at least as complete a portrait as possible.

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Emmy Predictions 2023: Drama

Every award will come down to Succession vs. The Last of Us or Succession vs. The White Lotus. I think the saga of the Roys will wipe the floor with the video game adaptation. But its battle against the unhappy guests of an Italian resort might be a little trickier.

DRAMA SERIES
Andor (Disney+)
Better Call Saul (AMC)
The Crown (Netflix)
House of the Dragon (HBO)
The Last of Us (HBO)
Succession (HBO)
The White Lotus (HBO)
Yellowjackets (Showtime)

Will win: Succession
Could win: The Last of Us
Should win: Better Call Saul
Should have been nominated: The Sandman (Netflix)

ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Jeff Bridges, The Old Man
Brian Cox, Succession
Kieran Culkin, Succession
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us
Jeremy Strong, Succession

Will win: Kieran Culkin
Could win: Pedro Pascal
Should win: Bob Odenkirk
Should have been nominated: Matthew Rhys, Perry Mason

ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Sharon Horgan, Bad Sisters
Melanie Lynskey, Yellowjackets
Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid’s Tale
Bella Ramsey, The Last of Us
Keri Russell, The Diplomat
Sarah Snook, Succession

Will win: Sarah Snook
Could win: Bella Ramsey
Should win: Keri Russell
Should have been nominated: Juliette Lewis, Yellowjackets

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