Emmy Predictions 2024: Drama

FX’s decision to move Shōgun to Drama Series is looking to be a fruitful one, as it’s already racked up the most wins for a show in a single year, and that’s just from the Creative Arts Emmy Awards. I sadly haven’t seen it yet, so while I’m sure it is the crowning achievement everyone has said it is, I’m picking some longtime favorites in the “Should Win” blocks. But of course I wouldn’t have to be doing that if the Academy had nominated The Curse for anything.

DRAMA SERIES
3 Body Problem (Netflix)
The Crown (Netflix)
Fallout (Prime Video)
The Gilded Age (HBO)
The Morning Show (AppleTV+)
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (Prime Video)
Shōgun (FX)
Slow Horses (AppleTV+)

Will and probably should win: Shōgun
Could win: The Crown
Should have been nominated: The Curse (Showtime)

ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Idris Elba, Hijack
Donald Glover, Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Walton Goggins, Fallout
Gary Oldman, Slow Horses
Hiroyuki Sanada, Shōgun
Dominic West, The Crown

Will win: Hiroyuki Sanada
Could win: Gary Oldman
Should win: Dominic West
Should have been nominated: Nathan Fielder, The Curse

ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show
Carrie Coon, The Gilded Age
Maya Erskine, Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Anna Sawai, Shōgun
Imelda Staunton, The Crown
Reese Witherspoon, The Morning Show

Will and should win: Imelda Staunton
Could win: Anna Sawai
Should have been nominated: Emma Stone, The Curse

Continue reading
Posted in Awards, Previews, Television | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Emmy Predictions 2024: Drama

Emmy Predictions 2024: Comedy and Variety

The Bear is sweeping everything, even though I (and many others) think it’s much more of a drama with some humorous moments, not the other way around. And while Season 2 was my No. 1 show of 2023, there’s so much great stuff here that shouldn’t go unrewarded. The Academy did finally nominate Reservation Dogs in two categories, but it should have been represented in every single one.

COMEDY SERIES
Abbott Elementary (ABC)
The Bear (Hulu)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
Hacks (Max)
Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
Palm Royale (AppleTV+)
Reservation Dogs (Hulu)
What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

Will win: The Bear
Could win: Abbott Elementary
Should win: Reservation Dogs
Should have been nominated: Girls5eva (Netflix)

ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Matt Berry, What We Do in the Shadows
Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Steve Martin, Only Murders in the Building
Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building
Jeremy Allen White, The Bear
D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Reservation Dogs

Will win: Jeremy Allen White
Could win: Larry David
Should win: D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai
Should have been nominated: John Goodman, The Righteous Gemstones

ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
Ayo Edebiri, The Bear
Selena Gomez, Only Murders in the Building
Maya Rudolph, Loot
Jean Smart, Hacks
Kristen Wiig, Palm Royale

Will win: Ayo Edebiri
Could win: Jean Smart
Should win: Quinta Brunson
Should have been nominated: Devery Jacobs, Reservation Dogs

Continue reading
Posted in Awards, Previews, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Emmy Predictions 2024: Comedy and Variety

Emmy Predictions 2024: Limited/Anthology Series and Movies

Baby Reindeer was the year’s biggest phenomenon, yet I don’t know a single person who’s actually seen it. But it’s poised to win quite a few awards Sunday, alongside Ripley. Netflix may be getting shut out in the Comedy and Drama categories, but they should clean up here.

LIMITED/ANTHOLOGY SERIES
Baby Reindeer (Netflix)
Fargo (FX)
Lessons in Chemistry (AppleTV+)
Ripley (Netflix)
True Detective: Night Country (HBO)

Will win: Baby Reindeer
Could and should win: True Detective: Night Country
Should have been nominated: Fellow Travelers (Showtime)

ACTOR IN A LIMITED/ANTHOLOGY SERIES OR MOVIE
Matt Bomer, Fellow Travelers
Richard Gadd, Baby Reindeer
Jon Hamm, Fargo
Tom Hollander, Feud: Capote vs. the Swans
Andrew Scott, Ripley

Will win: Andrew Scott
Could win: Richard Gadd
Should win: Matt Bomer
Should have been nominated: Clive Owen, Monsieur Spade

ACTRESS IN A LIMITED/ANTHOLOGY SERIES OR MOVIE
Jodie Foster, True Detective: Night Country
Brie Larson, Lessons in Chemistry
Juno Temple, Fargo
Sofía Vergara, Griselda
Naomi Watts, Feud: Capote vs. the Swans

Will and should win: Jodie Foster
Could win: Brie Larson
Should have been nominated: Kaitlyn Dever, No One Will Save You

Continue reading
Posted in Awards, Previews, Television | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Emmy Predictions 2024: Limited/Anthology Series and Movies

2024 Emmy Picks: Drama

DRAMA SERIES
3 Body Problem (Netflix)
The Crown (Netflix)
The Curse (Showtime)
Fallout (Prime Video)
The Gilded Age (HBO)
The Morning Show (AppleTV+)
Mr. and Mrs. Smith (Prime Video)
Shōgun (FX)

Potential surprises:
Ahsoka (Disney+) – new show
For All Mankind (AppleTV+) – never nominated
Loki (Disney+) – never nominated
Slow Horses (AppleTV+) – never nominated

Ineligible: Andor, Better Call Saul, House of the Dragon, The Last of Us, Succession, The White Lotus, Yellowjackets

In my dreams: Justified: City Primeval (FX)

ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Donald Glover, Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Cosmo Jarvis, Shōgun
Gary Oldman, Slow Horses
Hiroyuki Sanada, Shōgun
Morgan Spector, The Gilded Age
Dominic West, The Crown

Potential surprises:
Nathan Fielder, The Curse – new show
Walton Goggins, Fallout – new show
Tom Hiddleston, Loki – never nominated
Timothy Olyphant, Justified: City Primeval – 1 nomination in previous incarnation of show

Ineligible: Jeff Bridges, Brian Cox, Kieran Culkin, Bob Odenkirk, Pedro Pascal, Jeremy Strong

In my dreams: Zahn McClarnon, Dark Winds

ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show
Carrie Coon, The Gilded Age
Anna Sawai, Shōgun
Imelda Staunton, The Crown
Emma Stone, The Curse
Reese Witherspoon, The Morning Show

Potential surprises:
Maya Erskine, Mr. and Mrs. Smith – new show
Carrie Preston, Elsbeth – new show; previously won Guest Actress in a Drama Series for this role on The Good Wife
Ella Purnell, Fallout – new show

Ineligible: Sharon Horgan, Melanie Lynskey, Elisabeth Moss, Bella Ramsey, Keri Russell, Sarah Snook

In my dreams: Ruth Wilson, The Woman in the Wall

Continue reading
Posted in Awards, Previews, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on 2024 Emmy Picks: Drama

2024 Emmy Picks: Comedy

COMEDY SERIES
Abbott Elementary (ABC)
The Bear (Hulu)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
Girls5eva (Netflix)
Hacks (Max)
Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
The Righteous Gemstones (HBO)
What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

Potential surprises:
Frasier (Paramount+) – new show; previous incarnation won this category 5 times
Gen V (Prime Video) – new show
The Gentlemen (Netflix) – new show
Ghosts (CBS) – never nominated

Ineligible: Barry, Jury Duty, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Ted Lasso, Wednesday

In my dreams: Reservation Dogs (Hulu)

ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Kelsey Grammer, Frasier
Steve Martin, Only Murders in the Building
Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building
Jeremy Allen White, The Bear

Potential surprises:
John Goodman, The Righteous Gemstones – never nominated for this show
Theo James, The Gentlemen – new show
Jharrel Jerome, I’m a Virgo – new show

Ineligible: Bill Hader, Jason Segel, Jason Sudeikis

In my dreams: D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Reservation Dogs

ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
Ayo Edebiri, The Bear
Selena Gomez, Only Murders in the Building
Maya Rudolph, Loot
Jean Smart, Hacks

Potential surprises:
Kaley Cuoco, Based on a True Story – new show
Sarah Lancashire, Julia – never nominated
Kristen Wiig, Palm Royale – new show

Ineligible: Christina Applegate, Rachel Brosnahan, Natasha Lyonne, Jenna Ortega

In my dreams: Devery Jacobs, Reservation Dogs

Continue reading
Posted in Awards, Previews, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on 2024 Emmy Picks: Comedy

Emmy Picks 2024: Limited/Anthology Series and Movies

LIMITED/ANTHOLOGY SERIES
Baby Reindeer (Netflix)
Fargo (FX)
Fellow Travelers (Showtime)
Ripley (Netflix)
True Detective: Night Country (HBO)

Potential surprises:
All the Light We Cannot See (Netflix)
Feud: Capote vs. the Swans (FX)
Lessons in Chemistry (AppleTV+)
Masters of the Air (AppleTV+)
The Sympathizer (HBO)
We Were the Lucky Ones (Hulu)

In my dreams: Monsieur Spade (AMC)

MOVIE
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (Paramount+)
The Great Lillian Hall (Max)
Mr. Monk’s Last Case (Peacock)
Red, White & Royal Blue (Prime Video)
Scoop (Netflix)

Potential surprises:
Finestkind (Paramount+)
Quiz Lady (Hulu)
Unfrosted (Netflix)

In my dreams: No One Will Save You (Hulu)

ACTOR IN A LIMITED/ANTHOLOGY SERIES OR MOVIE
Matt Bomer, Fellow Travelers
Jeff Daniels, A Man in Full
Richard Gadd, Baby Reindeer
Jon Hamm, Fargo
Andrew Scott, Ripley
Tony Shalhoub, Mr. Monk’s Last Case

Potential surprises:
Benedict Cumberbatch, Eric
Nicholas Galitzine, Red, White & Royal Blue
Tom Hollander, Feud: Capote vs. the Swans
Ewan McGregor, A Gentleman in Moscow
David Oyelowo, Lawmen: Bass Reeves
Taylor Zakhar Perez, Red, White & Royal Blue
Hoa Xuande, The Sympathizer

In my dreams: Clive Owen, Monsieur Spade

ACTRESS IN A LIMITED/ANTHOLOGY SERIES OR MOVIE
Jodie Foster, True Detective: Night Country
Jessica Lange, The Great Lillian Hall
Brie Larson, Lessons in Chemistry
Juno Temple, Fargo
Sofía Vergara, Griselda
Kate Winslet, The Regime

Potential surprises:
Emma Corrin, A Murder at the End of the World
Nicole Kidman, Expats
Joey King, We Were the Lucky Ones
Julianne Moore, Mary & George
Elisabeth Moss, The Veil
Naomi Watts, Feud: Capote vs. the Swans

In my dreams: Kaitlyn Dever, No One Will Save You

Continue reading
Posted in Awards, Previews, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Emmy Picks 2024: Limited/Anthology Series and Movies

2024 Emmy Picks: Guest Acting and Variety/Talk

With so many categories, and so much time on my hands, I thought I’d expand my Emmy Picks this year to include the awards that are usually relegated to the Creative Arts presentations. The Guest Acting categories are notoriously hard to pick, so there are more “potential surprises” in store than the major awards. Those picks will come later this week.

GUEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Michael Braugher, The Gilded Age
Néstor Carbonell, Shōgun
Michael Emerson, Fallout
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Elsbeth
Arian Moayed, Elsbeth
John Turturro, Mr. & Mrs. Smith

Potential surprises:
Corbin Bernsen, The Curse
Kyle MacLachlan, Fallout
Rob Morgan, Winning Time
Sam Waterston, Law & Order

Ineligible: Murray Bartlett, James Cromwell, Lamar Johnson, Arian Moayed (for Succession), Nick Offerman, Keivonn Woodward

In my dreams: Lance Reddick, Bosch: Legacy

GUEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Glenn Close, The New Look
Claire Foy, The Crown
Marcia Gay Harden, The Morning Show
Jane Krakowski, Elsbeth
Yûko Miyamoto, Shōgun
Sarah Paulson, Mr. & Mrs. Smith

Potential surprises:
Laura Benanti, The Gilded Age
Michaela Coel, Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Sharon Horgan, Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Natalie Morales, The Morning Show
Constance Schulman, The Curse

Ineligible: Hiam Abbass, Cherry Jones, Melanie Lynskey, Storm Reid, Anna Torv, Harriet Walter

In my dreams: Rachael Ray, The Curse

GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Jon Bernthal, The Bear
Ryan Gosling, Saturday Night Live
Christopher Lloyd, Hacks
John Mulaney, The Bear
Bob Odenkirk, The Bear
Jerry Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm

Potential surprises:
Nate Bargatze, Saturday Night Live
Matthew Broderick, Only Murders in the Building
Mel Brooks, Only Murders in the Building
Steve Buscemi, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Timothée Chalamet, Saturday Night Live
Ted Danson, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Tony Goldwyn, Hacks
Hal Linden, Hacks
Christopher MacDonald, Hacks
Will Poulter, The Bear
Bruce Springsteen, Curb Your Enthusiasm

Ineligible: Luke Kirby, Oliver Platt (moved to Supporting Actor), Sam Richardson

In my dreams: Ethan Hawke, Reservation Dogs

GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Olivia Colman, The Bear
Jamie Lee Curtis, The Bear
Kaitlin Olson, Hacks
Sarah Paulson, The Bear
Maya Rudolph, Saturday Night Live
J. Smith-Cameron, Hacks

Potential surprises:
Jane Adams, Hacks
Mayim Bialik, Young Sheldon
Ayo Edebiri, Saturday Night Live
Hannah Einbinder, Julia
Lily Gladstone, Reservation Dogs
Christina Hendricks, Hacks
Helen Hunt, Hacks
Gillian Jacobs, The Bear
Allison Janney, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Sanaa Lathan, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Jane Lynch, Only Murders in the Building
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Only Murders in the Building
Emma Stone, Saturday Night Live

Ineligible: Becky Ann Baker, Judith Light, Sarah Niles, Harriet Walter

In my dreams: Kaniehtiio Horn, Reservation Dogs

Continue reading
Posted in Awards, Previews, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on 2024 Emmy Picks: Guest Acting and Variety/Talk

Streaming Picks: June 2024

Programming Note: This will likely be the last of these columns I’ll write for the year. My attempts at curation have failed to wrangle the massive behemoth of streaming into something manageable. I think there’s still a place for it, but not sure exactly what form it will take next. Thanks for reading.

FILM
Top Pick
Hit Man – Netflix 6/7
In a real conundrum here. On the one hand, this is one of my most anticipated movies of the year, and by all accounts a return to form for Richard Linklater. But it’s also indicative of the problem with Hollywood, that this well-regarded crowd pleaser was turned down by every major studio and instead will go to streaming after the smallest of limited releases. No one’s a bigger advocate of going to see movies in theaters than I, yet this will still likely be the way I end up seeing it.

New Releases
A Prince – Criterion
I.S.S. – Paramount+ with Showtime 6/3
*Let the Canary Sing – Paramount+ 6/4
*The Price of Nonna’s Inheritance – Netflix 6/4
*Under Paris – Netflix 6/5
*Am I OK? – Max 6/6
*Basma – Netflix 6/6
*Big City Greens: Spacecation – Disney+ 6/7
*No Way Up – AMC+ 6/7
*Protecting Paradise: The Story of Niue – Disney+ 6/8
Perfect Days – Hulu 6/6
Mothers’ Instinct – Prime Video 6/7
Poolman – Prime Video 6/7
Mob Land – Prime Video 6/10
Origin – Hulu 6/10
*Exhuma – AMC+ 6/14
*Clotilda: The Return Home – Disney+ and Hulu 6/17
*Here to Climb – Max 6/18
*Inheritance – Netflix 6/19
Bread & Roses – AppleTV+ 6/21
*Trigger Warning – Netflix 6/21
Prey (2024) – Hulu 6/22
*Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple – Max 6/22
Out of Darkness – Paramount+ with Showtime 6/24
The Old Oak – Prime Video 6/24
*I Am Celine Dion – Prime Video 6/25
*Drawing Closer – Netflix 6/27
Problemista – Max 6/28
*The Devil’s Bath – AMC+ 6/28
*A Family Affair – Netflix 6/28
*Fancy Dance – AppleTV+ 6/28
Freelance – Prime Video 6/28

*original title

Essential Viewing
1917 – Netflix
Anchorman – Hulu
Another Round – Criterion
The Barbarian Invasions – Criterion
Blazing Saddles – Paramount+
Borat – Hulu
The Breakfast Club – Netflix
Carlito’s Way – Starz
Chicago – Paramount+
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon – Max
Dazed and Confused – Criterion
Dog Day Afternoon – Paramount+
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off – Hulu
Fight Club – Hulu
Hausu – Criterion
High Noon (1952) – Paramount+
In the Bedroom – Paramount+
John Wick series – Peacock
Koyaanisqatsi – Prime Video
L.A. Confidential – Criterion
La La Land – Netflix
The LEGO Movie – Netflix
Minari – Max
Notting Hill – Starz
Office Space – Hulu
The Other Guys – Max and Peacock
Paris Is Burning – Criterion
Persona – Criterion
Philadelphia – Peacock
The Quiet Man – Paramount+
The Royal Tenenbaums – Criterion
Saving Private Ryan – Peacock
The Seventh Seal – Criterion
Shutter Island – Paramount+
Stand by Me – Prime Video
Terms of Endearment – Criterion
There Will Be Blood – Paramount+
Thief – Criterion
The Watermelon Woman – Criterion
Casino Royale (2006) – Paramount+ with Showtime 6/12
Carol – Netflix 6/17
Aftersun – Netflix 6/21

Spotlight Collection
Paul Schrader – Criterion
Like any filmmaker with this long a career, his movies are hit or miss. But when Schrader hits, as he’s done recently, few things are better. This assortment of movies includes some of his most acclaimed flicks, like Affliction, Mishima, Light Sleeper and Auto Focus. And there’s also some of his older work that I’ve never seen, including Blue Collar, Hardcore and The Comfort of Strangers. And for the morbidly curious, there’s also The Canyons, his misbegotten “erotic” “thriller” starring Lindsay Lohan and porn star James Deen. Someone on Letterboxd will almost certainly call this a “misunderstood masterpiece” in the next month.

Hidden Gems
50/50 – Max
About Time – Peacock
Bandits – Max
Brokeback Mountain – Peacock
Burn After Reading – Netflix
Far from Heaven – Peacock
Girlhood – Criterion
How Do You Know – Starz
If Beale Street Could Talk – Peacock
It Follows – Hulu
Jennifer’s Body – Peacock
A Knight’s Tale – Prime Video
Limbo (2020) – Peacock
The Lookout – Paramount+ with Showtime
Lord of War – Hulu
Money Monster – Hulu
Nights and Weekends – Criterion
Open Water – Max
Over the Hedge – Hulu
Saved! – Peacock
The Skin I Live In – Max
State and Main – Criterion
Sugar – Max
The Terminal – Peacock
Tomboy – Criterion
Water Lilies – Criterion
Keanu – Max 6/3

Nostalgia Picks
Galaxy Quest – Paramount+
Pretty in Pink – Paramount+

Continue reading
Posted in Film, Previews, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Streaming Picks: June 2024

Streaming Picks: May 2024

FILM
Top Picks
Stop Making Sense – Max 5/3
Let It Be – Disney+ 5/8
The former remains the gold standard for concert docs, and the 4K restoration done by A24 finally makes its streaming debut. But the latter is pretty much the holy grail for lost media. The Oscar-winning documentary about the Beatles’ end was famously unavailable for years on DVD or streaming. Disney+ long ago promised it would see the light of day, but it’s been years since Peter Jackson’s Get Back series premiered. So this is one of the rarest things in the age of streaming: appointment viewing.

New Releases
The Breaking Ice – Criterion
*The Idea of You – Prime Video 5/2
3 Days in Malay – Hulu 5/3
The American Society of Magical Negroes – Peacock 5/3
The Flood – Hulu 5/3
Skeletons in the Closet – AMC+ 5/3
*Unfrosted – Netflix 5/3
Manodrome – Starz 5/8
Biosphere – Hulu 5/10
Eileen – Hulu 5/10
The Iron Claw – Max 5/10
Wanted Man – Hulu 5/10
American Fiction – Prime Video 5/14
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes – Starz 5/14
Birth/Rebirth – Hulu 5/17
He Went That Way – Hulu 5/17
Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever – AMC+ 5/17
The Sweet East – Hulu 5/17
*The Blue Angels – Prime Video 5/23
The Seeding – Hulu 5/23
*Atlas – Netflix 5/24
Ferrari – Hulu 5/24
*My Oni Girl – Netflix 5/24
Sentinel – Hulu 5/24
The Boys in the Boat – Prime Video 5/28
*Lainey Wilson: Bell Bottom Country – Hulu 5/29
*MoviePass, MovieCrash – Max 5/29
Silent Night (2023) – Starz 5/29
The Promised Land – Hulu 5/30
A Part of You – Netflix 5/31
Stopmotion – AMC+ 5/31
Sympathy for the Devil – Hulu 5/31
T.I.M. – Hulu 5/31

*original title

Essential Viewing
10 Things I Hate About You – Paramount+
12 Angry Men (1957) – Prime Video
Adaptation – Criterion
A.I. Artificial Intelligence – Prime Video
Airplane! – Prime Video
All About My Mother – Max
Amélie – Criterion
The Apartment – Criterion
Being There – Criterion
Bernie – Criterion
Big – Hulu
Big Night – Paramount+
The Birdcage – Prime Video
Blindspotting – Starz
The Blues Brothers – Prime Video
Boogie Nights – Paramount+
The Bridge on the River Kwai – Criterion
The Cabin in the Woods – Peacock
Call Me by Your Name – Prime Video
Cast Away – Hulu
Days of Heaven – Paramount+
The Deer Hunter – Prime Video
Don’t Look Now – Criterion
Fantastic Mr. Fox – Disney+ and Hulu
Fatal Attraction – Prime Video
The Florida Project – Max
Four Weddings and a Funeral – Prime Video
Frida – Paramount+ with Showtime
Gattaca – Prime Video
Get Out – Peacock
Gilda – Prime Video
Glory – Prime Video
The Hurt Locker – Peacock
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) – Prime Video
Jaws – Starz
Jurassic Park – Peacock
King Kong (2005) – Peacock
Koyaanisqatsi – Prime Video
The Last Detail – Prime Video
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou – Hulu
The Lighthouse – Max
Malcolm X – Prime Video
The Manchurian Candidate (1962) – Criterion
The Mummy (1999) – Peacock
The Night of the Hunter – Prime Video
On the Waterfront – Criterion and Prime Video
Once – Hulu
Point Break (1991) – Paramount+
Psycho (1960) – Max
Rear Window (1954) – Max
Revolutionary Road – Paramount+ with Showtime
The Royal Tenenbaums – Hulu
Run Lola Run – Prime Video
Rushmore – Hulu
Schindler’s List – Prime Video
Shampoo – Prime Video
Sideways – Hulu
Silver Linings Playbook – Max
Some Like It Hot – Prime Video
Stand by Me – Paramount+ with Showtime
Step Brothers – Peacock
Terms of Endearment – Criterion and Paramount+
That Thing You Do! – Hulu
True Grit (2010) – Paramount+
Uncle Buck – Peacock
Vertigo – Prime Video
Whiplash – Prime Video
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? – Criterion
Wonder Woman – Peacock
Die Hard – Hulu 5/3
Die Hard with a Vengeance – Hulu 5/3
I Am Not Your Negro – Hulu 5/15

Spotlight Collection
1999 – Criterion
Arguably the finest year for film of all time, Criterion offers up some of the best movies from 25 years ago. This includes some long-time Criterion titles like The Virgin Suicides, Beau Travail and Ghost Dog, as well as some hidden gems from legendary directors like The Straight Story, Following and Bringing Out the Dead.

Hidden Gems
Annihilation – Paramount+
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead – Paramount+
The Big Heat – Prime Video
Breach – Prime Video
CB4 – Starz
Dark Waters – Netflix
The Dead Don’t Die – Max
Everybody Wants Some – Paramount+ and Prime Video
Hellboy II: The Golden Army – Max
In the Cut – Paramount+
The Matrix Resurrections – Netflix
Money Monster – Hulu
Postcards from the Edge – Criterion
The Swimmer – Prime Video
White House Down – Hulu
Knock at the Cabin – Peacock 5/24

Nostalgia Picks
Drew Peterson: Untouchable – Prime Video
I Know What You Did Last Summer – Paramount+ with Showtime
Major Payne – Starz
Not Another Teen Movie – Prime Video
Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion – Paramount+

Continue reading
Posted in Film, Previews, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Streaming Picks: May 2024

20 After 20: 2003

20. Whale Rider (dir. Niki Caro)
A movie for families that’s not for little kids. This used to be a regular occurrence, but good luck finding one these days. A beautiful celebration of Maori culture – and a sharp critique of patriarchal society – Whale Rider features an absolutely stunning performance from Keisha Castle-Hughes, who at the time became the youngest nominee for Best Actress ever. A truly special film you should watch with your whole family.

19. Shattered Glass (dir. Billy Ray)
Anyone who laughed at Hayden Christensen’s turn as the sand-hating Anakin Skywalker in two Star Wars prequels ought to give this biopic a look. As the squirmy fabulist Stephen Glass, he’s absolutely perfect, worming his way into his colleagues good graces, letting his puppy dog eyes mask his pathological lies. Caught in the middle is the equally terrific Peter Sarsgaard as Glass’s editor. He’s not fooled but still has to deal with the fallout of this deception.

18. Matchstick Men (dir. Ridley Scott)
Speaking of deception… remember when we used to get a few good-to-great con artist movies every year? Well, that’s gone now, too. But in 2003 we got plenty, and this one still stands as the best. Nicolas Cage gives another excellent performance as Roy, a con man with lots of tics. In lesser hands, this would be annoying and overdone. But with Ridley Scott’s steady oversight, it’s a delightful dramedy, especially when Alison Lohman shows up as Roy’s long-lost daughter. Featuring a stacked cast of “that guys,” including Bruce McGill, Bruce Altman and Sam Rockwell, this is a hidden gem worth seeking out.

17. Big Fish (dir. Tim Burton)
After the disastrous Planet of the Apes remake, Burton returned strong with this adaptation that finds room for all his favorite things, but with the huge heart of past films like Ed Wood and Edward Scissorhands. It’s a truly wonderful fable that’s among the year’s most visually stunning films. The only mystery is how Albert Finney missed out on a Best Supporting Actor nomination. (Well that, and how Burton lost his fastball after this.)

16. A Mighty Wind (dir. Christopher Guest)
Another knockout improvised comedy from Guest’s usual band of mischief makers. Except this one has a ton of killer songs: impeccably crafted parodies of every permutation of folk. It surely deserved an Oscar win for Mitch & Mickey’s duet “A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow” – written by real-life couple Michael McKean and Annette O’Toole – but it ran up against the buzzsaw of a film we’ll get to later.

Continue reading
Posted in Best Of, Film, Reviews | Comments Off on 20 After 20: 2003