I think Poor Things was my favorite film of the year - but then I'm a Tony McNamara head and was constantly evangelizing for The Great. I know there were a lot of mixed reviews about it but it was so damn funny and in your face and feminist IMO. And I thought the production design was as good as Barbie's.
Emma was god-level but Lily was outstanding so I'm pulling for her cuz I know Emma will continue to get so many amazing roles and scripts and will almost certainly win another Oscar in her career - I can't say I'm sure Lily will get another opportunity. I liked Killers more than you did - and that ending was stupendous - but I haven't rewatched.
As for The Holdovers - I find myself a bit more lukewarm than most on this film. It's lovely, but not an Oscar winner IMO. It just didn't feel as fresh as something like Poor Things or even Barbie does. Great performances tho - Divine is wonderful (and I love her in High Fidelity!) but I also thought Cessa was a revelation.
By the way, does anyone think Sandra Huller might pull an upset and beat both Emma and Lily?
I'm honestly baffled at how relatively little that ambiguity in Poor Things is being talked about. Many folks who love the movie just refuse to see it as ambiguity to begin with and insist that having any concern about it is a bad faith reading of the movie. There is obviously a lot to admire and enjoy about the film (I sure did), but by the end of the movie I was stunned that it clearly wasn't going to actually address or flesh out the tensions it had set up. It's not even a matter of resolving the ambiguity, but at the very least taking it seriously -- which it didn't. Either it tried and failed to create a robust conversation around abuse and consent, or it didn't try at all and just thoughtlessly reproduced the "born sexy yesterday" trope under the guise of a very male gazey conception of feminist empowerment.
FWIW, Oscars are starting at 7pm this year (in part, because there's a new ABBOTT ELEMENTARY as a lead-out), plus it's the start of DST so it'll feel like 6pm, so ... you have a chance to make it this year!
We haven’t started the second season of Extraordinary yet here at Casa Arben but greatly enjoyed the first. Máiréad Tyers would honestly be enough to keep us watching, even absent other clever stuff and despite our not being great fans of British cringe humor (didn’t make it through Such Brave Girls despite it being very good at what it does) or, really, cringe humor in general. Jen at her worst pushes sympathy but that’s obviously, well, super human.
The AMPAS and SAG keep showing their collective asses when they can't award or nominate films like Barbie for top awards. They're ultimately still old, conservative, mostly white and male-focused in their thinking, which is why Scorsese was nominated for Best Director and Gerwig was not. I love Scorsese but he didn't deserve it this year. Gerwig absolutely did.
Curious. Haven't watched Oppenheimer. Know the story pretty well from what I recall of the PBS Sam Watterson-starring series from 1980, the Richard Rhodes book and various Feynman long reads. I understand the grand scale of the film-making is - as you note - one of the reasons to see it in a theater or better yet iMax. But is it worth seeing for the story it tells if it's familiar? Thanks for the discussion of Extraordinary. Sounds like it's worth checking out.
I have described Poor Things as insane brilliance.
I think Poor Things was my favorite film of the year - but then I'm a Tony McNamara head and was constantly evangelizing for The Great. I know there were a lot of mixed reviews about it but it was so damn funny and in your face and feminist IMO. And I thought the production design was as good as Barbie's.
Emma was god-level but Lily was outstanding so I'm pulling for her cuz I know Emma will continue to get so many amazing roles and scripts and will almost certainly win another Oscar in her career - I can't say I'm sure Lily will get another opportunity. I liked Killers more than you did - and that ending was stupendous - but I haven't rewatched.
As for The Holdovers - I find myself a bit more lukewarm than most on this film. It's lovely, but not an Oscar winner IMO. It just didn't feel as fresh as something like Poor Things or even Barbie does. Great performances tho - Divine is wonderful (and I love her in High Fidelity!) but I also thought Cessa was a revelation.
By the way, does anyone think Sandra Huller might pull an upset and beat both Emma and Lily?
I'm honestly baffled at how relatively little that ambiguity in Poor Things is being talked about. Many folks who love the movie just refuse to see it as ambiguity to begin with and insist that having any concern about it is a bad faith reading of the movie. There is obviously a lot to admire and enjoy about the film (I sure did), but by the end of the movie I was stunned that it clearly wasn't going to actually address or flesh out the tensions it had set up. It's not even a matter of resolving the ambiguity, but at the very least taking it seriously -- which it didn't. Either it tried and failed to create a robust conversation around abuse and consent, or it didn't try at all and just thoughtlessly reproduced the "born sexy yesterday" trope under the guise of a very male gazey conception of feminist empowerment.
I would highly recommend the Zone of Interest and if you can put the sound up very loud. The sound is a character all by itself!
FWIW, Oscars are starting at 7pm this year (in part, because there's a new ABBOTT ELEMENTARY as a lead-out), plus it's the start of DST so it'll feel like 6pm, so ... you have a chance to make it this year!
Hi Alan, did you see the article in Variety about The Holdovers potentially being heavily plagiarized?
https://variety.com/2024/film/news/the-holdovers-accused-plagiarism-luca-writer-1235935605/
If so, it's very disappointing for such a good film :(
We haven’t started the second season of Extraordinary yet here at Casa Arben but greatly enjoyed the first. Máiréad Tyers would honestly be enough to keep us watching, even absent other clever stuff and despite our not being great fans of British cringe humor (didn’t make it through Such Brave Girls despite it being very good at what it does) or, really, cringe humor in general. Jen at her worst pushes sympathy but that’s obviously, well, super human.
Alan, a couple Oscar questions -
1. What are your favorite Oscar ceremonies?
2. What are your favorite years of Best Picture nominees?
The AMPAS and SAG keep showing their collective asses when they can't award or nominate films like Barbie for top awards. They're ultimately still old, conservative, mostly white and male-focused in their thinking, which is why Scorsese was nominated for Best Director and Gerwig was not. I love Scorsese but he didn't deserve it this year. Gerwig absolutely did.
I still want to watch Poor Things, but my current ranking of personal enjoyment of the Best Picture noms is:
Oppenheimer
American Fiction
Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
The Holdovers
Maestro
Curious. Haven't watched Oppenheimer. Know the story pretty well from what I recall of the PBS Sam Watterson-starring series from 1980, the Richard Rhodes book and various Feynman long reads. I understand the grand scale of the film-making is - as you note - one of the reasons to see it in a theater or better yet iMax. But is it worth seeing for the story it tells if it's familiar? Thanks for the discussion of Extraordinary. Sounds like it's worth checking out.