Streaming Picks: April 2022

FILMS
Top Picks
Saved! – Prime 4/1
Spartan – HBO Max 4/1
While there are some bonafide classics streaming this month, I wanted to highlight some underrated films from 2004. Saved! is a personal favorite, a gentle satire of Christian education that is absolutely spot-on. The entire cast is exceptional, especially Macaulay Culkin and Eva Amurri as a rebellious couple and Mandy Moore as the mean girl “filled with Christ’s love.”

Spartan is a top-notch thriller that combines the thrills of ’90s action movies with the deep cynicism of David Mamet. It’s arguably Val Kilmer’s finest performance (or at least No. 2 behind Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) and one of the best movies of the 2000s.

Other Recommendations
Across the Universe – Paramount+ 4/1
Addams Family Values – Paramount+ 4/1
Ali – Paramount+ 4/1
Along Came Polly – Peacock 4/1
Apollo 13 – Peacock 4/1
Argo – Netflix 4/1
Armageddon – Prime 4/1
Armored – Hulu 4/1
The Bank Job – Prime 4/1
Baseketball – Peacock 4/1
Beethoven – Peacock 4/1
Beetlejuice – HBO Max 4/1
Benny and Joon – Prime 4/1
The Big Chill – HBO Max 4/1
Blade – Netflix 4/1
Blade II – Netflix 4/1
The Blind Side – Netflix 4/1
Bloody Sunday – Paramount+ 4/1
Blow – Netflix 4/1
Blow Out – Prime 4/1
Bonnie and Clyde – Netflix 4/1
Bowfinger – Peacock 4/1
Braveheart – Prime 4/1
The Break-Up – HBO Max 4/1
Brown Sugar – Prime 4/1
Bruce Almighty – Prime 4/1
Bull Durham – Prime 4/1
Burn After Reading – Peacock 4/1
Capote – HBO Max 4/1
Carrie (1976) – Prime 4/1
Cast Away – Prime 4/1
Catch Me If You Can – Paramount+ 4/1
Cedar Rapids – Prime 4/1
Chicago – HBO Max 4/1
The Color of Money – Prime 4/1
Con Air – Prime 4/1
Conspiracy Theory – Hulu 4/1
The Conversation – Paramount+ 4/1
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Prime 4/1
Dances with Wolves – HBO Max 4/1
Date Night – Prime 4/1
Definitely, Maybe – Hulu 4/1
Despicable Me – Peacock 4/1
The Dictator – Paramount+ 4/1
District 9 – Prime 4/1
Eagle Eye – Netflix 4/1
Elizabeth – Peacock 4/1
Eyes Wide Shut – Hulu 4/1
The Family Man – Peacock 4/1
Fargo – Prime 4/1
Field of Dreams – Peacock 4/1
The Fly (1986) – Paramount+ 4/1
Forrest Gump – Paramount+ 4/1
Friday – Peacock 4/1
Full Metal Jacket – Netflix 4/1
Fun with Dick and Jane (2005) – Peacock 4/1
Funny Face – Paramount+ 4/1
Garden State – Prime 4/1
Get Him to the Greek – Hulu 4/1
Ghost World – Paramount+ 4/1
Gone in 60 Seconds (2000) – Peacock 4/1
The Good Shepherd – Peacock 4/1
Hanna – Hulu 4/1
Her – Netflix 4/1
Hot Shots! Part Deux – Hulu 4/1
Hotel Artemis – Peacock 4/1
How to Train Your Dragon – Netflix 4/1
Hugo – HBO Max 4/1
Hulk – Peacock 4/1
I Love You, Man – Paramount+ 4/1
Inception – Netflix 4/1
The Incredible Hulk – HBO Max 4/1
The International – Hulu 4/1
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) – Prime 4/1
The Jerk – Peacock 4/1
The Legend of Zorro – Paramount+ 4/1
Liar Liar – Peacock 4/1
Limitless – HBO Max 4/1
Little Miss Sunshine – Paramount+ 4/1
The Long Goodbye – Paramount+ 4/1
Look Who’s Talking – Hulu 4/1
Looper – Hulu 4/1
Love Actually – Hulu and Netflix 4/1
Mallrats – Peacock 4/1
Man on Fire – Peacock 4/1
Man on the Moon – Peacock 4/1
The Manchurian Candidate (2004) – Paramount+ 4/1
Mary Queen of Scots (2018) – Peacock 4/1
Megamind – Peacock 4/1
Mercury Rising – Peacock 4/1
Minority Report – Peacock 4/1
Molly’s Game – Netflix 4/1
Moon – HBO Max 4/1
Mystic Pizza – Prime 4/1
The Negotiator – Hulu 4/1
No Escape – Peacock 4/1
Nobody’s Fool (1994) – HBO Max 4/1
The Nutty Professor (1996) – Peacock 4/1
O Brother, Where Art Thou? – Prime 4/1
Office Space – Peacock and Paramount+ 4/1
On the Waterfront – HBO Max 4/1
Open Range – Hulu 4/1
Panic Room – Paramount+ 4/1
Paul – Peacock 4/1
Postcards from the Edge – Hulu 4/1
The Proposal – Peacock 4/1
Pulp Fiction – Paramount+ 4/1
Puss in Boots – Netflix 4/1
The Raid: Redemption – HBO Max 4/1
Rain Man – HBO Max 4/1
RED – HBO Max 4/1
Reign of Fire – Paramount+ 4/1
Revolutionary Road – Prime 4/1
A River Runs Through It – Paramount+ 4/1
Romeo + Juliet – HBO Max 4/1
Runaway Jury – Hulu 4/1
Rushmore – Prime 4/1
Salt – HBO Max 4/1
Saving Private Ryan – Netflix 4/1
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty – HBO Max 4/1
Shanghai Noon – Prime 4/1
Sherlock Holmes – Netflix 4/1
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows – Netflix 4/1
Shrek – Hulu 4/1
Shrek 2 – Hulu 4/1
The Siege – Hulu 4/1
Signs – Prime 4/1
The Sixth Sense – Prime 4/1
Something’s Gotta Give – Netflix 4/1
Spy Game – Peacock 4/1
Sweet Home Alabama – Prime 4/1
The Tailor of Panama – Hulu 4/1
The Thin Red Line – Paramount+ 4/1
Titanic (1997) – Paramount+ 4/1
Tommy Boy – Paramount+ 4/1
Tootsie – HBO Max 4/1
The Truth About Charlie – Peacock 4/1
Unbreakable – Prime 4/1
Undercover Brother – Peacock 4/1
Vertical Limit – Hulu 4/1
The Wackness – HBO Max 4/1
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story – Hulu 4/1
Watchmen – Hulu 4/1
Young Frankenstein – Prime 4/1
Zero Dark Thirty – Peacock 4/1
Man of Steel – HBO Max 4/5
Chasing Mavericks – Disney+ 4/6
Let the Right One In – Hulu 4/8
The Night House – HBO Max 4/8
Nightcrawler – Netflix 4/10
In the Heart of the Sea – Hulu 4/23
The Godfather Trilogy – Paramount+ 4/28
The Blair Witch Project – HBO Max 4/30

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Leave of Absence

Hi all:

I’m dealing with a sudden, unexpected medical issue. I’m fine, but it can be debilitating. We still don’t know what’s causing it or how to treat it.

So that means that I won’t be publishing as frequently until it all gets sorted out. In the immediate future, my Oscar Re-Do column for 2011 and my Top 20 of 2001 will be delayed for now.

But I’ll be back and sharing my love of film and pop culture with you soon.

– Kip

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TV Recap: Mar. 20-26, 2022

NEW SHOWS
Atlanta
“Three Slaps” (A) / season premiere
“Sinterklaas Is Coming to Town” (A)
It’s been nearly four years since the show last aired a new episode, but it felt like it hasn’t missed a beat. The premiere is a brilliant, devastating, hilarious rumination on the Hart case. It has nothing to do with the main cast, but it still feels essential.

The proper premiere finds our characters haven’t changed that much: Earn is always putting out fires and barely hanging on. Alfred is on cruise control. Darius is extremely high and in his own little world. And Van is just lost. Shifting the setting to Europe doesn’t change any of the surreal detours or razor-sharp commentary on race.

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Oscar Guide 2022

BEST PICTURE
Belfast
CODA
Don’t Look Up

Drive My Car
Dune
King Richard
Licorice Pizza
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog
West Side Story

Will win: The Power of the Dog
Could win: CODA
Should win: Drive My Car
Should have been nominated: Mass

The skinny: CODA seems to be surging, picking up top honors at SAG and the PGA. But we’ve been down this road before. The whole “times are tough and voters just want to give Best Picture to a nice movie that makes them feel good” hasn’t really panned out. So I’m sticking with The Power of the Dog. It’s critically acclaimed, has an enormous push from Netflix to finally get their first major Oscar, and has done well just about everywhere.

BEST DIRECTING
Kenneth Branagh, Belfast
Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Drive My Car
Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice Pizza
Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog
Steven Spielberg, West Side Story

Will win: Jane Campion
Could win: Steven Spielberg
Should win: Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Should have been nominated: Wes Anderson, The French Dispatch

The skinny: No matter what happens anywhere else, Campion will become just the third woman to win Best Director. She’s more than deserving.

BEST ACTOR
Javier Bardem, Being the Ricardos
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog
Andrew Garfield, Tick, Tick… Boom!
Will Smith, King Richard
Denzel Washington, The Tragedy of Macbeth

Will win: Will Smith
Could and should win: Benedict Cumberbatch
Should have been nominated: Simon Rex, Red Rocket

The skinny: Like a lot of the acting lineups, these are actors I enjoy but don’t love the films they’re nominated for. The performances of Smith and Aunjanue Ellis are really the only reason to watch King Richard, which indulged every sports movie cliché on its way to a whopping six nominations. I’ll be happy for Will to finally get this, but I’ll probably pretend it’s for something else.

BEST ACTRESS
Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Olivia Colman, The Lost Daughter
Penélope Cruz, Parallel Mothers
Nicole Kidman, Being the Ricardos
Kristen Stewart, Spencer

Will and should win: Jessica Chastain
Could win: Penélope Cruz
Should have been nominated: Agathe Rousselle, Titane

The skinny: The only true wild card of the night. Chastain has hustled all season long for her excellent performance in a movie no one saw (and not because it premiered on streaming). It seems like hers to lose, but previous winners Colman, Cruz or Kidman could all pick up their second trophies. The only one who seems like she’s out completely is Stewart. It’s odd considering she was the front-runner all season.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Ciarán Hinds, Belfast
Troy Kotsur, CODA
Jesse Plemons, The Power of the Dog
J.K. Simmons, Being the Ricardos
Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog

Will win: Troy Kotsur
Could and should win: Kodi Smit-McPhee
Should have been nominated: Vikash Bhai, Limbo

The skinny: Kotsur’s got this in the bag, and he’s sure to give an excellent speech. But it’s a tad bit annoying (not because he’s undeserving) this is a forgone conclusion when Paul Raci was passed over for Sound of Metal last year.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jessie Buckley, The Lost Daughter
Ariana DeBose, West Side Story
Judi Dench, Belfast
Kirsten Dunst, The Power of the Dog
Aunjanue Ellis, King Richard

Will and should win: Ariana DeBose
Could win: Aunjanue Ellis
Should have been nominated: Olga Mereidiz, In the Heights

The skinny: Ariana DeBose’s victory lap ends here with one final bow. She’s been dazzling on-screen and off all season.

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My Dream Oscar Ballot 2022

BEST PICTURE
Annette
The Card Counter
Drive My Car
The French Dispatch
Licorice Pizza
Mass
Nine Days
The Power of the Dog
West Side Story
The Worst Person in the World

BEST DIRECTOR
Leos Carax, Annette
Ryusuke Hamiguchi, Drive My Car
Wes Anderson, The French Dispatch
Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog
Steven Spielberg, West Side Story

BEST ACTOR
Nicolas Cage, Pig
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog
Frankie Faison, The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain
Hidetoshi Nishijima, Drive My Car
Simon Rex, Red Rocket

BEST ACTRESS
Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Penélope Cruz, Parallel Mothers
Renate Reinsve, The Worst Person in the World
Agathe Rousselle, Titane
Rachel Zegler, West Side Story

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Vikash Bhai, Limbo
Mike Faist, West Side Story
Anders Danielsen Lie, The Worst Person in the World
Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog
Jeffrey Wright, The French Dispatch

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jodie Comer, The Last Duel
Ariana DeBose, West Side Story
Kathryn Hunter, The Tragedy of Macbeth
Olga Meridiz, In the Heights
Tōko Miura, Drive My Car

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TV Recap: Mar. 13-19, 2022

BINGEING
Reacher – Season 1 (B+ average)
Is Reacher good? That’s debatable. Is Alan Ritchson the right build to play Jack Reacher? Absolutely. Is it weird this season is set in Georgia yet filmed in Canada? Most definitely. Reacher is often absurd, poorly acted and incredibly violent. Yet it satisfies the lizard part of my brain that just wants to see bad guys taken out in increasingly clever and gruesome ways. Bruce McGill makes a full course meal of the scenery as a corrupt politician, but Malcolm Goodwin is the real discovery here. His turn as the uptight detective, whose mannered style covers up deep hurt, is terrific.

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TV Recap: Feb. 28-Mar. 5, 2022

NEW SHOWS
Killing Eve – “Just Dunk Me” (B-) / season premiere
It’s more of the same, and clear the show should have ended already. But the banter is still snappy and the production design immaculate. And no other show would have one of its main characters sing Primal Scream’s “Movin’ on Up” in a church, and then frame her in angel wings just before attempting to drown someone in a basin of holy water. That and the performances are why I’m committed to watching this to the bitter end.

The Righteous Gemstones – “I Will Tell of All Your Deeds” (B+) / season finale
A solid finale, but it’s nowhere near the heights of this excellent second season. Everything gets wrapped up neatly, and Eric Andre’s murderous pastor finally gets his due. But I’m a little worried about Kelvin and Keefe and all those boys.

BINGEING
Evil – Season 1 (A- average)
Filled the X-Files-shaped hole in my heart. It’s absurd but also surprisingly respectful of people of faith. The will they/won’t they with Katja Hebbers and Mike Coulter works because of their dynamite chemistry. And Michael Emerson dines on the scenery every time he pops up.

Seinfeld – Season 5 (B+ average)
Not quite on par with Season 4 (probably the series’ peak), but still jam-packed with laughs. Classics include “The Hamptons” and “The Opposite,” while “The Stand-In” and “The Sniffing Accountant” are inessential.

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Streaming Picks: March 2022

FILMS
Top Picks
Drive My Car – HBO Max 3/2
West Side Story (2021) – Disney+ and HBO Max 3/2
Would you look at that? Two of the year’s best movies, according to me and the Academy. While a three-hour Japanese movie might be outside your comfort zone, and a perfectly solid version of West Side Story already exists, both are extraordinary efforts from master filmmakers. You won’t be disappointed.

Other Recommendations
2 Days in the Valley – Hulu and Paramount+ 3/1
12 Monkeys – Peacock 3/1
17 Again – Peacock 3/1
48 Hrs. – Paramount+ 3/1
The A-Team – Peacock 3/1
Adaptation – HBO Max 3/1
American Graffiti – Peacock 3/1
American Pie – Peacock 3/1
The Aviator – HBO Max 3/1
Away We Go – Peacock 3/1
Baby Mama – Hulu 3/1
Backdraft – Peacock 3/1
Being John Malkovich – Peacock 3/1
Benny & Joon – Hulu and Paramount+ 3/1
The Big Lebowski – Peacock 3/1
The Birds – Peacock 3/1
Blue Velvet – Hulu and Paramount+ 3/1
Boyz N the Hood – HBO Max 3/1
Brokeback Mountain – Peacock 3/1
Brown Sugar – Peacock 3/1
Casino – Peacock 3/1
Charlie Wilson’s War – Hulu 3/1
Christine (2016) – Netflix 3/1
Chronicle – Prime 3/1
Corpse Bride – Hulu 3/1
Crash (2005) – Hulu and Prime 3/1
Dazed and Confused – Peacock 3/1
Dead Poets Society – Prime 3/1
Demolition Man – Hulu 3/1
The Descendants – Hulu 3/1
Devil in a Blue Dress – Hulu and Paramount+ 3/1
Drive Angry – Peacock 3/1
Edward Scissorhands – Hulu and Paramount+ 3/1
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind – Peacock 3/1
The Fighter – Paramount+ 3/1
The Firm – Hulu and Paramount+ 3/1
Flightplan – Prime 3/1
Forgetting Sarah Marshall – Peacock 3/1
Fried Green Tomatoes – Peacock 3/1
Garden State – Hulu and Paramount+ 3/1
Gattaca – Netflix 3/1
The Gift (2015) – Netflix and Paramount+ 3/1
Glory – Hulu 3/1
The Green Mile – Netflix 3/1
Guarding Tess – Hulu 3/1
Hot Fuzz – Peacock 3/1
How to Train Your Dragon – Peacock 3/1
The Hurt Locker – Peacock 3/1
In Bruges – Peacock 3/1
The Insider – Hulu 3/1
Juno – Hulu 3/1
Kingpin – Paramount+ 3/1
Kiss the Girls – Hulu and Paramount+ 3/1
Knocked Up – Peacock 3/1
L.A. Confidential – Hulu 3/1
The Last Waltz – Hulu and Paramount+ 3/1
Lawless – Hulu and Prime 3/1
A League of Their Own – Peacock 3/1
Liar Liar – Prime 3/1
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou – Hulu and Paramount+ 3/1
Look Who’s Talking – Hulu and Paramount+ 3/1
Lucy – Peacock 3/1
The Meddler – Hulu 3/1
My Best Friend’s Wedding – Netflix 3/1
My Girl – Peacock 3/1
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) – Netflix 3/1
Notting Hill – Peacock 3/1
The Omen (1976) – Hulu and Paramount+ 3/1
Precious – Peacock 3/1
The Princess Bride – Hulu 3/1
Prometheus – Prime 3/1
The Proposal – Prime 3/1
Psycho (1960) – Peacock 3/1
Public Enemies – Netflix 3/1
Puss in Boots – Prime 3/1
Rear Window (1954) – Peacock 3/1
The Replacements – Netflix 3/1
Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion – Hulu and Paramount+ 3/1
Rope – Peacock 3/1
Roxanne – Hulu 3/1
The Royal Tenenbaums – Hulu and Paramount+ 3/1
Scary Movie 3 – Paramount+ 3/1
Selma – Paramount+ 3/1
Se7en – Peacock 3/1
Shadow of a Doubt – Peacock 3/1
Shanghai Noon – Hulu 3/1
The Shawshank Redemption – Netflix 3/1
Shine a Light – Hulu and Paramount+ 3/1
Shooter – Netflix 3/1
Shrek – Netflix 3/1
Shrek 2 – Netflix 3/1
Sinister – Peacock 3/1
Sorry to Bother You – Netflix 3/1
Spaceballs – Prime 3/1
Starship Troopers – HBO Max, Hulu and Netflix 3/1
Step Brothers – Peacock 3/1
Taken – Peacock 3/1
The Talented Mr. Ripley – Hulu and Paramount+ 3/1
The Terminal – Hulu and Paramount+ 3/1
To Catch a Thief – Hulu 3/1
Traffic – Peacock 3/1
Trainwreck – Peacock 3/1
Unstoppable – Hulu 3/1
V for Vendetta – Netflix 3/1
Vertical Limit – Hulu and Paramount+ 3/1
Vertigo – Peacock 3/1
The Virgin Suicides – Hulu 3/1
Wedding Crashers – Peacock 3/1
Where the Wild Things Are – Netflix 3/1
The Woman in Black (2012) – Hulu and Paramount+ 3/1
Zombieland – Peacock 3/1
Zoolander – Netflix 3/1
Blade II – HBO Max 3/2
Before Midnight – Hulu 3/3
Benedetta – Hulu 3/4
F9 – HBO Max 3/4
Dune (2021) – HBO Max 3/10
Dunkirk – Netflix 3/12
Big Daddy – Peacock 3/16
A Walk Among the Tombstones – Netflix 3/16
The Butler – Netflix 3/17
Wrath of Man – Hulu and Paramount+ 3/23
Blade Runner 2049 – Netflix 3/26
Mass – Hulu 3/26
Killing Them Softly – Hulu 3/30

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TV Recap: Feb. 21-27, 2022

NEW SHOWS
Law & Order – “The Right Thing” (B-) / revival premiere
It’s solid when it’s just doing the law and order. But when it tries to grapple with how cops and prosecutors are viewed today, it’s exceptionally clumsy. Jack McCoy appalled at the word “defund” is something I never hope to see again.

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Reactions to the 2022 Oscar Nominations

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominees for the 94th Oscars on Tuesday. As usual, there were snubs and surprises. Some indie films had no shot, including Benedetta, The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain, Nine Days, Pig and Red Rocket. And some well-regarded films had stiff competition, like The Green Knight and In the Heights. I also won’t waste time covering movies that deserved to win in technical categories but weren’t even shortlisted, like Memoria (Sound) and Old (Makeup & Hairstyling). There were also a handful of surprises, including Licorice Pizza blanking in acting and The Rescue not making Documentary Feature. But I’m going to focus on the group below.

Biggest Snubs (in order from most to least egregious)

Annette – Original Song
This category has long been a shitshow, but how do you blow this? Even if the Mael brothers were unlikely to beat Beyoncé, Lin-Manuel Miranda or Billie Eilish, this was the film song of the year, was actually performed in the film and is at the center of one of the best scenes of the year.

The French Dispatch – Picture, Directing, Original Screenplay, Production Design, Film Editing, Original Score
I wasn’t expecting much, as the Academy has rarely nominated Wes Anderson films outside of Original Screenplay. But not this year. Its wonderful production design and film editing whiffed, and even the oft-nominated Alexandre Desplat was nowhere to be found this year.

The Velvet Underground – Documentary Feature
While Summer of Soul seems poised to cruise to victory, it’s Todd Haynes’ The Velvet Underground that’s the superior music history doc. But like the band it’s about, it’s not surprising it was ignored by the mainstream but adored by critics.

Mass – Picture, Directing, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Original Screenplay
Bleecker Street, the film’s distributor, has acquired some fantastic films out of festivals during its brief existence. But it’s still never gotten a single Oscar nod. So it’s not that big a shock. But Fran Kranz’s directorial debut is that good, and deserved a slew of nominations and the creation of an overdue Best Acting Ensemble award.

The Card Counter – Original Screenplay
Can anyone look me in the eye and honestly tell me Don’t Look Up has a better screenplay than this Paul Schrader film? Didn’t think so.

The Last Duel – Production Design | House of Gucci – Costume Design
Ridley Scott’s two historical epics really got the shaft. I knew Jodie Comer and Ben Affleck had no chance of getting in for Supporting Actress and Supporting Actor, respectively. I can live with that. But these technical nominations seemed like no-brainers, as both featured excellent craftsmanship. But The Last Duel got zilch, while House of Gucci – considered a contender for Picture, Actress and Supporting Actor – only got a nomination for its makeup and hair.

Last Night in Soho – Production Design, Costume Design, Film Editing
Even if you took issue with the script, the technical aspects were extraordinary. The film editing, especially, in that dance sequence, was mind-blowing. And not to pick on it too much, but compared to the WTF style of Don’t Look Up, it’s not contest.

The Matrix Resurrections – Visual Effects
I don’t even know what to say. This is just absolutely baffling, especially given the inclusion of Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings. Like so many MCU entries before it, the effects are quite good until the CGI-heavy finale when it looks like absolute garbage. Seriously, it should have been a two-film race between Matrix Resurrections and Dune. Nothing else even came close this year.

West Side Story – Actress, Supporting Actor, Adapted Screenplay
While the film certainly had a successful day with seven nominations, it should have had a few more. Rachel Zegler and Mike Faist were both newcomers to film, but that didn’t seem to have any effect on Ariana DeBose’s nomination. They all gave stunning performances. And how can you not appreciate what Tony Kushner did with his adaptation? No shots at the writers of Dune, but his script is clearly better.

Summer of Soul – Film Editing
Gonna beat this drum until the day I die: Documentaries should regularly be competing for this award! Once again, a case where someone (in this case Joshua L. Pearson) had hundreds of hours of video to sort through, plus newly recorded interviews, and fashion it into a cohesive story. And whatever problems I may have with the film as a whole, it did that incredibly well.

Pleasant Surprises (in no particular order)

Drive My Car in Best Picture
We did it! (OK, I had nothing to do with it.) But the best film of the year actually got nominated for Best Picture! I had long predicted Directing, Writing and International Feature. But competing for the big prize is huge, even if it has no chance of winning.

The Worst Person in the World in Original Screenplay
A huge shock, as none of Joachim Trier’s previous films have ever been recognized in any category. But this nomination (shared with Eskil Vogt) is richly deserved.

Flee going 3 for 3
I kept seeing people on Film Twitter (which normal people should never dig into) predicting Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s brilliant documentary would miss in all three categories. Heaven forbid! But it didn’t miss anywhere. A lovely showing for a lovely film.

Parallel Mothers in Actress and Original Score
I definitely wasn’t predicting either of these (but probably would have had each in 7th place). Still, I was very glad Pedro Almodóvar’s latest exquisite melodrama was represented.

Nightmare Alley in Best Picture
Easily one of the year’s biggest box office bombs, Guillermo del Toro’s first film since winning Best Picture and Best Director picked up some expected technical awards. But showing up here is a complete shock. Maybe it’s the beneficiary of the set 10 nominees (past years featured 8-10 films), but as a big fan of this film, it’s good to see it wasn’t forgotten by the body at large.

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