Oscar Nomination Predictions

The Oscar nominations are being announced this Tuesday.  Here is who I think will get the nominations this year and who I wish would get nominated (based on what I’ve seen). At this stage, I do not predict the shorts (live, animated or documentary), foreign films, animated feature or documentaries.

BEST PICTURE

Will be nominated: The Big Sick | Call Me By Your Name | Dunkirk | Get Out | I, Tonya | Lady Bird | Mudbound | The Post | The Shape of Water |

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Others I want nominated: Darkest Hour | The Disaster Artist

BEST ACTOR

Will be nominated: Timothee Chalamet (Call Me By Your Name) | Daniel Day-Lewis (Phantom Thread) | James Franco (The Disaster Artist) |

Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out) | Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour)

Others I want nominated: Idris Elba (Molly’s Gamel) | Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick) | Bill Skarsgard (It)

BEST ACTRESS

Will be nominated: Jessica Chastain (Molly’s Game) | Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water) | Frances McDormand (Three Billboards) | Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird) |

Meryl Streep (The Post)

Others I want nominated: Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman) |  Margot Robbie (I, Tonya)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Will be nominated: Willem Dafoe (The Florida Project) | Armie Hammer (Call Me By Your Name) | Woody Harrelson (Three Billboards) | Richard Jenkins (The Shape of Water) | Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards)

Others I want nominated: Kevin Costner (Molly’s Game) | Bob Odenkirk (The Post) Ray Romano (The Big Sick) | Mark Rylance (Dunkirk) | Bradley Whitford (Get Out)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Will be nominated: Mary J Blige (Mudbound) | Hong Chau (Downsizing) | Holly Hunter (The Big Sick) | Allison Janney (I, Tonya) | Laurie Metcalf (Lady Bird)

Others I want nominated: Can’t think of anyone

BEST DIRECTOR

Will be nominated: Guillermo Del Toro (The Shape of Water) | Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird) | Martin McDonagh (Three Billboards) | Christopher Nolan (Dunkirk) | Jordan Peele (Get Out)

Others I want nominated: Aaron Sorkin (Molly’s Game) |Steven Spielberg (The Post)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Will be nominated: The Beguiled | Call Me By Your Name | The Disaster Artist | Molly’s Game | Mudbound

Others I want nominated: Can’t think of any

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Will be nominated: The Big Sick | Get Out | Lady Bird | The Shape of Water | Three Billboards

Others I want nominated: The Post | I, Tonya

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Will be nominated: Blade Runner 2049 | Darkest Hour | Dunkirk | Mudbound | The Shape of Water

Others I want nominated: Baby Driver | Logan | Star Wars: The Last Jedi

BEST FILM EDITING

Will be nominated: Dunkirk | Get Out | The Post | The Shape of Water | Three Billboards

Others I want nominated: Baby Driver | It |  I, Tonya

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Will be nominated: Beauty and the Beast | Blade Runner 2049 | The Greatest Showman | The Post | The Shape of Water

Others I want nominated: Downsizing | Dunkirk | Star Wars: The Last Jedi

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Will be nominated: Beauty and the Beast | Darkest Hour | The Greatest Showman | Phantom Thread | The Shape of Water

Others I want nominated: It

BEST MAKEUP & HAIR

Will be nominated: Darkest Hour | Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol 2 | I, Tonya

Others I want nominated: It

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Will be nominated: Blade Runner 2049 | Dunkirk | The Shape of Water | Star Wars: The Last Jedi | War for the Planet of the Apes

Others I want nominated: can’t think of any

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Will be nominated: Darkest Hour | Dunkirk | Phantom Thread | The Post | The Shape of Water

Others I want nominated: can’t think of any

BEST SONG

Will be nominated: “Mighty River” (Mudbound) | “The Mystery of Love” (Call Me By Your Name) | “Remember Me” (Coco) | “Stand Up for Something” (Marshall) | “This Is Me” (The Greatest Showman)

Others I want nominated: “It Ain’t Fair” (Detroit)

BEST SOUND EDITING

Will be nominated: Baby Driver | Blade Runner 2049 | Dunkirk | Star Wars: The Last Jedi | Wonder Woman

Others I want nominated: can’t think of any

BEST SOUND

Will be nominated: Blade Runner 2049 | Dunkirk | The Shape of Water | Star Wars: The Last Jedi | Wonder Woman

Others I want nominated: can’t think of any

Let’s see how I do.

Film: The Shape of Water

GENRE: Drama, Fantasy, Romance

RATING: R for nudity, sexual content, violence & language
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 3 minutes

STARRING: Sally Hawkins (Godzilla, Paddington, Blue Jasmine)

Michael Shannon (Boardwalk Empire), Octavia Spencer (The Help)

DIRECTOR: Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy)

WRITERS: Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, Pacific Rim)

Vanessa Taylor (Divergent, Game of Thrones)

PLOT: A mute janitor falls in love with a top-secret amphibious creature who is being held in captivity.  

FULL DISCLOSURE: Thought this was going to be weird.

STORY STUFF: It was a bit weird. The story is interesting enough and the characters are well formed but the love story just didn’t grab me. A lot of people in the story seem very unfazed by some pretty jarring incidents. I did care about the characters though and was curious how it would end.

ACTING STUFF: Lots of great character actors in this film. Everyone gives a top-notch performance. I really enjoyed Richard Jenkins (Six Feet Under) as Elisa’s neighbor. For all the fawning over Octavia Spencer, I didn’t find her performance amazing or anything. She’s sassy and has some emotional moments, like most of her films.

ARTISTIC STUFF: This is a very beautifully filmed movie. I always appreciate del Toro’s use of colour. It’s amazing in Pan’s Labyrinth and it is captivating here as well; lot of green. Alexandre Desplat’s (The Imitation Game) score is slightly hypnotic as well.

VERDICT: Three stars out of five

SEE IT IF: You want the monster to get the girl and like the colour green

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Oscar Nominee Predictions 

Film: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

GENRE: Drama

RATING: R for pervasive language, violence & some sexual content
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 55 minutes

STARRING: Frances McDormand (Fargo, Olive Kitteridge)

Woody Harrelson (True Detective), Sam Rockwell (Moon, Iron Man 2)

DIRECTOR: Martin McDonagh (In Bruges, Seven Psychopaths)

WRITER: Martin McDonagh (In Bruges, Seven Psychopaths)

PLOT: It’s a war between the cops and a mother who lost her daughter in an unsolved murder.  

FULL DISCLOSURE: I love Martin McDonagh’s theatrical plays.

STORY STUFF: Wow, what a story. There are so many great moments throughout the film. The humour is pitch black and the drama is captivating. Even with all the bad language and extremely racist dialogue, this film is filled with grace, forgiveness and love. McDonagh sure knows how to write them.

ACTING STUFF: McDonagh has assembled an amazing cast. Everyone is a treat to watch in both large and small roles. McDormand is acidic, Harrelson is moving, Rockwell will make you laugh, cringe, cheer, and shock. Also, great to see Lucas Hedges (Lady Bird) again and Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) without the weight of Westeros on his shoulders.

ARTISTIC STUFF: I wouldn’t say there is anything particularly amazing about the way the film is made. There are some cool extreme wide shots of the billboards and some steadi-cam follow shots. Not much bells and whistles, but with this level of writing and acting, who needs it.

VERDICT: Four and half stars out of five

SEE IT IF: You can handle bad language mixed with stories of grace.

UPCOMING REVIEWS: The Shape of Water

Film: I, Tonya

GENRE: Dramedy

RATING: R for language, violence & some sexual content
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 0 minutes

STARRING: Margot Robbie (Suicide Squad, Wolf of Wall Street)

Sebastian Stan (Captain America), Allison Janney (West Wing, Mom)

DIRECTOR: Craig Gillespie (Lars and the Real Girl, The Finest Hours)

WRITER: Steven Rogers (Hope Floats, Stepmom, Kate & Leopold)

PLOT: Tonya Harding survives a brutal upbringing only be taken down by her ex-husband who intervenes with her skating life.  

FULL DISCLOSURE: I remember the stories way back when.

STORY STUFF: So apparently, Tonya Harding and Jeff Gillooly were interviewed separately and gave very different accounts of what actually happened. So, Rogers decided to put both of their stories in his script. It’s a very fun twist to see the characters tell us what did or did not happen. I knew about the incident but not much about the backstory, so I found it pretty interesting. The pace is good. There’s a lot of dark comedy and sad parts when you consider how unbelievably white trash they were.

ACTING STUFF: Robbie does a great job of humanizing Tonya Harding. You have to feel sorry for her. The real stand-out those is Golden Globe winning Janney who is a devil woman. I though Laurie Metcalf’s mom in Lady Bird was harsh, Janney is on a whole other level. You have to laugh at how over-the-top mean Tonya’s mom is which Janney plays to perfection.

ARTISTIC STUFF: Not much to talk about. The smaller screens for the interviews did not seem all that necessary. I did enjoy the songs used in the film. Haven’t heard ZZ Top’s ‘Sleeping Bag’ in ages.  

VERDICT: Three and half stars out of five

SEE IT IF: You like Allison Janney or remember the headlines
UPCOMING REVIEWS: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Film: Lady Bird

GENRE: Dramedy

RATING: R for language & brief sexual content
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 34 minutes

STARRING: Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn, Atonement, The Lovely Bones)

Laurie Metcalf (Roseanne), Lucas Hedges (Manchester on the Sea)

DIRECTOR: Greta Gerwig (newcomer)

WRITER: Greta Gerwig (Frances Ha)

PLOT: A seventeen year old girl comes of age in Sacramento, California  

FULL DISCLOSURE: Wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

STORY STUFF: It’s a great coming of age story. Funny at times and also dramatic, frustrating and heartbreaking. Rotten Tomatoes gives this 100%. I wouldn’t say it’s that good but it was an enjoyable story.

ACTING STUFF: Ronan always does a great job. She regularly pulls you into her characters. Metcalf is a front-runner for Oscars as the mother who says things like “you won’t amount to anything anyway”. Both actresses really sell the mother/daughter dynamic. I’m sure it’s pretty typical and relatable to many.   

ARTISTIC STUFF: I love Dave Matthews Band’s ‘Crash Into Me’ which gets used well in this film. I found it interesting that the Catholic school’s Eternal Flame theme just looked like hell. I was annoyed by the production values of the musical and play put on at the school. C’mon.

VERDICT: Three and half stars out of five

SEE IT IF: You have a strained relationship with your mother or daughter

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Three Billboards . . . , I, Tonya

Film: The Post

GENRE: Drama, Biography

RATING: PG-13 for language & brief violence
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 56 minutes

STARRING: Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady, Devil Wears Prada)

Tom Hanks (Bride of Spies, Sully), Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul)

DIRECTOR: Steven Spielberg (Bridge of Spies, Lincoln, Amistad)

WRITERS: Liz Hannah (newcomer) & Josh Singer (West Wing, Spotlight)

PLOT: True story about a battle between journalists and the government about publishing The Pentagon Papers.  

FULL DISCLOSURE: Was eager to see this group of actors shine.

STORY STUFF: Could this story be more relevant right now? A president trying to silence journalists? Women in power second-guessed by every man in the room? History really does repeat itself, or sometimes never goes away. This film lays out a compelling true story that will hopefully inspire you and make you think. If you like that sort of thing.

ACTING STUFF: Streep and Hanks are simply amazing. Like that’s a shock. They play each question, victory and defeat with such intensity and heart. But that’s not all, they are surrounded by an amazing supporting cast. Take all the top shows from all the networks/cable and put them all together. You’ll find folks from The Americans, Fargo, Breaking Bad, West Wing, The Leftovers, Silicon Valley, Arrested Development, Community, The People v OJ Simpson. It’s a plethora of awesomeness.   

ARTISTIC STUFF: Spielberg does a deft job of directing this powerful story. One of the aspects that I found interesting was that he would focus on the old technology, especially rotary phones. I guess it shows the contrast that even though the tech may be old, we are still dealing with the same mentality and biases as we did back then.

VERDICT: Four and half stars out of five

SEE IT IF: You appreciate journalism and want to see great acting.

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Lady Bird, Three Billboards . . . 

2018 Golden Globes Recap

What an awkward night. Seth Meyers started right off with the sexual harassment jokes; some were funny, some didn’t land as well. Then he ended his main time with the explanation of the Time’s Up buttons many were wearing. Then we barely saw him for the rest of the evening. Majority of the speeches were more concerned with woman taking stands instead of the craft of film and television. We get it. Men suck. And they are not as deserving of awards. As stated earlier, I decided not to predict winners as the Hollywood Foreign Press choose some pretty left field nominees. Raise your hand if you’ve seen (or even heard of) The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel before tonight. If you did, you must feel pretty proud of yourself for watching this Amazon series that debuted only a month ago. I only got half of the winners I wanted but whatever, it’s not the Oscars or Emmys. Not much highlights of the night, I did enjoy James Franco’s speech and him keeping Tommy Wiseau from the microphone. Oprah’s speech was pretty good too. Anyway, here are the winners:

Best Motion Picture – Drama

Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama

Frances McDormand (Three Billboards . . .)

Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama

Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour) (wanted)

Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical

Lady Bird

Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical

Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird) (wanted)

Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical

James Franco (The Disaster Artist) (wanted)

Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture

Allison Janney (I, Tonya) (wanted)

Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture

Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards . . .) (wanted)

Best Animated Feature Film

Coco (wanted)

Best Foreign Language Film

In the Fade (Germany/France)

Best Director – Motion Picture

Guillermo Del Toro (The Shape of Water)

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture

Martin McDonagh (Three Billboards . . .)

Best Original Score – Motion Picture

Alexandre Desplat (The Shape of Water)

Best Original Song – Motion Picture

“This is Me” (The Greatest Showman)

Best Television Series – Drama

The Handmaid’s Tale

Best Actress in A Television Series – Drama

Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale) (wanted)

Best Actor in A Television Series – Drama

Sterling K Brown (This Is Us)

Best Television Series – Comedy

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Best Actress in A Television Series – Comedy

Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)

Best Actor in A Television Series – Comedy

Aziz Ansari (Master of None) (wanted)

Best Limited Series or TV Movie

Big Little Lies (wanted)

Best Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie

Nicole Kidman (Big Little Lies) (wanted)

Best Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie

Ewan McGregor (Fargo) (wanted)

Best Supporting Actress in a Series or TV Movie

Laura Dern (Big Little Lies)

Best Supporting Actor in a Series or TV Movie

Alexander Skarsgard (Big Little Lies) (wanted)

UPCOMING REVIEWS: The Post

2018 Golden Globe Wishes

So the Golden Globes are tonight. Usually, I give my predictions of who I want to win and who will win. This year, I wasn’t very impressed with many of the nominee choices, especially in the television comedy categories and some of the film ones. However, to make it a bit more interesting, I’ll make a list of who I want to win (if I was being threatened in some way). At least, it should be fun with Seth Meyers hosting and the drunken speeches. Last year, I got 72%, the year before was 56%. Let’s see how I do this year.

BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
Want to Win: Dunkirk

BEST ACTOR – DRAMA
Want to Win: Gary Oldman [Darkest Hour]

BEST ACTRESS – DRAMA
Want to Win: Jessica Chastian [Molly’s Game]

BEST MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY
Want to Win: The Disaster Artist

BEST ACTOR – COMEDY
Want to Win: James Franco [The Disaster Artist]

BEST ACTRESS – COMEDY
Want to Win: Saoirse Ronan [Lady Bird]

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - FILM
Want to Win: Sam Rockwell [3 Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri]

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - FILM
Want to Win: Allison Janney [I, Tonya]

BEST DIRECTOR
Want to Win: Christopher Nolan [Dunkirk]

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Want to Win: Coco

BEST FOREGIN LANGUAGE FILM
Want to Win: The Square [Sweden]

BEST SCREENPLAY
Want to Win: Aaron Sorkin [Molly’s Game]

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Want to Win: Hans Zimmer [Dunkirk]

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Want to Win: “Remember Me” [Coco]

BEST TV SERIES – DRAMA
Want to Win: Game of Thrones

BEST ACTOR – DRAMA
Want to Win: Bob Odenkirk [Better Call Saul]

BEST ACTRESS – DRAMA
Want to Win: Elisabeth Moss [The Handmaid’s Tale]

BEST TV SERIES – COMEDY
Want to Win: Master of None

BEST ACTOR – COMEDY
Want to Win: Aziz Ansari [Master of None]

BEST ACTRESS – COMEDY
Want to Win: Pamela Adlon [Better Things]

BEST LIMITED SERIES/TV MOVIE
Want to Win: Big Little Lies

BEST ACTOR – LIMITED SERIES/TV MOVIE
Want to Win: Ewan McGregor [Fargo]

BEST ACTRESS – LIMITED SERIES/TV MOVIE
Want to Win: Nicole Kidman [Big Little Lies]

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - TELEVISION
Want to Win: Alexander Skarsgard [Big Little Lies]

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – TELEVISION
Want to Win: Ann Dowd [The Handmaid’s Tale]

There you have it.

2018 Film Preview

Here’s what looks interesting at a glance for the new year. Again, I am basing a lot of my picks on the people involved, familiarity, or an interesting plot description. My opinions may change closer to the release dates (I missed two films from last year). Keep in mind that most these dates are flexible (some might get pushed into 2019). Here they are in release date order:

1. Black Panther (Feb.16)

Marvel has been on a roll lately. Bring on Black Panther.

2. Game Night (Feb.23)

Ultra-competitive gamers in ‘fake’ murder mystery. Could be interesting.

3. Isle of Dogs (Mar.23)

It’s Wes Anderson. And if you can read the names on the poster. Wow.

4. Ready Player One (Mar.30)

Spielberg is bringing some nostalgia and a fun treasure hunt to theatres.

5. Avengers: Infinity War (May.4)

The gang’s all here, including Guardians of the Galaxy. I’m all in.

6. Solo: A Star Wars Story (May.25)

Despite change in directors, looking forward to Han Solo’s backstory.

7. Deadpool 2 (Jun.1)

Enjoyed the first one immensely. Love seeing Ryan Reynolds have fun.

8. Ocean’s 8 (Jun.8)

Like the cast. Hope it’s not another Ghostbusters debacle. Crossing fingers.

9. The Incredibles 2 (Jun.15)

One of my favourite Pixar films. And Brad Bird is back directing. Score.

10. Tag (Jun.15)

No-holds-barred game of tag goes extreme. Sounds stupidly funny.

11. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (Jun.22)

The early trailers have me interested. And who doesn’t like Chris Pratt.

12. Ant-Man and the Wasp (Jul.6)

Like Ant-Man, hate the Wasp. But I’ll watch it anyway cause it’s Marvel.

13. Mission: Impossible 6 (Jul.27)

One of my favourite ongoing franchises. What stunt will Cruise do next?

14. First Man (Oct.12)

Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon. Sure.

15. Holmes & Watson (Nov.9)

Will Ferrell and John C Reilly as the sleuthing duo. Could be fun.

16. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (Nov.16)

Enjoyed the first film more than I thought I would. Bring on the sequel.

17. Creed 2 (Nov.21)

Stallone is back writing/directing. Hope he follows Ryan Coogler’s lead.

18. Wreck-It Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks the Internet (Nov.21)

Thought the first one was pretty entertaining. I’ll watch more Ralph.

19. Mary Poppins Returns (Dec.25)

Lin Manuel Miranda is in it. It should be some whimsical fun in the theatre.

20. Bohemian Rhapsody (Dec.25)

A bio-pic of Freddie Mercury starting the Mr. Robot guy. Could be good.

UPCOMING REVIEWS: The Post

2018 Television Preview

Wondering when your shows are returning? Here’s when my shows are returning, as well as a few new shows to check out this winter. I will try and keep this post updated as new dates roll in for some of the ‘To Be Announced’ series. Enjoy.

(Green = New Series, Grey=New Season, Blue=Continuing Season from Fall)

LA à Vegas premieres Jan.2 on FOX

Flight crew comedy produced by Will Ferrell and Steve Levitan

The Amazing Race: Season 30 begins (Jan.3)

Modern Family (Jan.3)

The X-Files: Season 11 begins (Jan.3) 10ep

The Big Bang Theory (Jan.4)

Young Sheldon (Jan.4)

The Good Place (Jan.4)

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee: Season 10 begins on Netflix (Jan.5)

Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD (Jan.5)

The Simpsons (Jan.7)

Last Man on Earth (Jan.7)

The Good Doctor (Jan.8)

This is Us (Jan.9)

My Next Guest Needs No Introduction
with David Letterman premieres Jan.12 on Netflix

Letterman returns to interview interesting people once a month

Saturday Night Live (Jan.13)

Crashing: Season 2 begins (Jan.14)

The Flash (Jan.16)

Riverdale (Jan.17)

The Assassination of Gianni Versace premieres Jan.17 on FX

Like The People V OJ Simpson, only more fashion based and creepier

Scandal (Jan.18)

A.P.Bio premieres Feb.1 on NBC

A gifted scholar teaches high school biology, created by SNL’s Mike O’Brien

Altered Carbon premieres Feb.2 on Netflix

300 years in the future, people are transferring themselves to younger bodies

XXIII Olympic Winter Games premieres Feb.9 on CBC/NBC

Canada competes in South Korea

Homeland: Season 7 begins (Feb.11)
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Season 5 begins (Feb.18)

The Walking Dead (Feb.25)
iZombie: Season 4 begins (Feb.26)

Designated Survivor (Feb.28)

Atlanta: Season 2 begins (Mar.1)

Jessica Jones: Season 2 begins (Mar.8)

Rise premieres Mar.13 on NBC

Drama teacher fixes a school. Stars Ted from HIMYM, created by FNL guy.
Billions: Season 3 begins (Mar.25)
Silicon Valley: Season 5 begins (Mar.25)

The Americans: Season 6 begins (Mar.28)
Suits (Mar.28)
A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 2 begins (Mar.30)

New Girl: Season 7 begins (April 10)

The Handmaid’s Tale: Season 2 begins (Apr.25)

Masterchef Junior: Season 6 begins (Spring TBA)

UPCOMING REVIEWS: 2018 Film Preview