The Holdovers and American Fiction win at the WGA!

Expected.

it’s weird, european horror films rarely make it to the US at all. We get maybe one a year. Since most of them are excellent, I assume there are a ton more that we never get to see.

Oy it was not about as u steretyp3 it that I have issue wirh in u words: ” a black man stealing from non white man ” u KNOW i representative of a minority a jew n with m3ntal health challenges where I am turn8ng a corner ..but that incredibly untrue of context my issue pls don’t perpetuate that u didn’t c I had two black actors as amongst my favourites in my top 5 fav actors of all time..

No my issue I overcome mate is simply that best Screenplay DiD not win on matter of merit not as u carelessly say that it issue bout race I NO issue ei4h black person ever winning oscar did u miss my praise for Steve mcqueens landmark 12 yrs a slave?

Now I may have USED to come across me bring one dimensional ‘ whiteist’ but I never been seen or told I that way by anyone in my life..I actually trying take more care how I tackle these issues so this all in mind.. I appreciate u focus on remaining 95% of review it subjective of minor 3 % reference to Fiction and also consider this fsct : most my last gees like 10 posts estimate NOT Bern bout American Fiction.

So I let bygones be bygones now and in gorseeable long term future I do my bit but pls don’t EVER make me out to complain bout black or different ethnicity winning oscar it do worh quality of film to me and the impact impression contribution to cinema that parameter I ASSESS merit of ALL oscar comtrnders NOT along lines of race and ESPECIALLY in THESE TIMES wirh rise of antisemetism and beyond that social cohesion at tipping point as world get ever closer to wwIII I WOULD BE ‘ DANCING WIRH THE DEVIL ‘ MYSELF TO go bavk to poorcway I USED to express myself but don’t quantify it I do my bit make it issue bout race…there enough isfuesothers ( like trump) make bout race and incidentally DiD u year of absolute horror of Australia’s first ever terror attack on A CHRISTIAN church? 2 days after nsw worst ever stabbing massacre of 6 pple by guy who refused to trust his Dr. Stay on meds?

Nobody not me or anyone djoulf have issue eith race or minorities so pla don’t mak3 out 5hat what u imply I stand for..

I take offence to that untruth…that NOT context I alluded to minor 3 % that u gravitated more thsn was necessary to so what u think if redt my review??

So moving on

This movie is more and more sounding like an obligation for us to watch.

All your stories are gay. I think you might be gay Ryan. LOL.

Movies such as this, horror genre, they can come so slow to Europe. I hope before long it will be on streaming or other online ways to see it.

Is this true? Not a joke? If true, I love you Americans and your scandals. LOL.

Just did a slight bit if digging but it appears the Olivier awards don’t have a Best Book or Best Score category which is mind-boggling.

I judge Operation Mincemeat’s win very highly since it beat out two musicals that not only won the Best Musical Tony awards, but both won Pulitzer Prizes which is very uncommon for musicals to do. (When you look back on the musicals that won Pulitzers you generally see what are considered the greatest musicals of all time). Not sure if there is an inherent bias against American Imports. I just know I love the score to Operation Mincemeat, one great song after the next. (on a side note – If Next to Normal or A Strange Loop ever get turned into movies, consider them Oscar Favorites right from the get go – Along with Fun Home are the three most affecting musicals since Rent in 1996. Amy Adams, rumor only, is trying to get Next to Normal made into a film and if she does, she will win the Oscar for Best Actress and there will be no competition. Trust me on that one.

Oh, I agree. And it’s a shame they were they, they didn’t add much. The brief few seconds right before the show came back from commercial would have been enough.

My guess is that were included for purposes of pacing, to give us the actual feeling that we were watching commercials.

yeah, it’s tough to say with a revival since it can’t be nominated for Book or Music and compete with the Best Musical in those all too important categories (after all Book and Musical will eventually be the sole determinant of a musical’s long term reputation.

I know Operation Mincemeat is a low budget production while I bet Sunset was a huge production, especially since it’s Andrew Lloyd Weber. The one indicator of true quality though was it winning Best Director.

Now, in New York, Glenn Close famously played the role of Norma Desmond in what might be the highlight of her career (at least among theater people). She started in the theater – in 1974. And her first Tony Nomination came from Barnum in 1980 (which, of course, also gave Torvil and Dean their World Championship Medal in 1983, but in reality was the first contemporary Ice Dancing Long Program but I digress.)

I think her first significant movie role was Garp in 1982, which gave her her first Oscar Nomination (she got nominated 5 times for her first 7 roles – besting even Meryl Streep in that stat).

ANyway, but the time the musical for Sunset Boulevard came out, she was a huge favorite as was the musical to win a bunch of awards. These wins are pretty tempered because this was the worst time for Musicals in Broadway History. (No one would see anything besides Cats, Les Miz and Phantom)

Anyway, in spite of original Tony Success and the musical spawning a couple of canonical songs with Glenn Close, no one opted to make a movie of it. But then Hollywood stopped making musicals.

Maybe it will one day become a movie. It’s going to be tough, though, since it will always be compared to the original film. And the music, taken altogether, is middling Lloyd Weber (JCS, Evita, Cats are all much better) and Phantom is definitely more loved (I am severe detractor, there) – My Favorite Lloyd Weber is actually Aspects of Love which is a totally crazy 5 person Love Pentagon of a show based on a super old Italian novel.

But fact 95% of my review was tribute to ultra rare feat given ambition how it was enormously ambitious for first time ever feature filmmaker and you the one who went like holding missile on ONE small minor reference in my review to a certain other film

I read with an editor’s eye, Aaron. I spot things that are fucked up, petty, unnecessary, and distracting.

You put a lot of effort into this review, and then you made the decision to ruin it with your obsessive never-ending tantrum about Cord Jefferson.

You chose to turn your review into another opportunity to be snotty about the Oscar that you think a Black man stole from Nolan.

I’ll quit calling you out when you quit throwing a fit.

Right? Love that. Personalized the shows. Participated in them.

(obvs, I’m not posting this to tell you anything. You know 100x more than I can ever know about this topic. This is only to show that I am loosely plugged in.)

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I will always remember how in her teens she kidnapped Brad and jailed him in her mansion’s cellar. Shirtless!

As one does.

But there’s no way the personal conversations would’ve been recorded, so it’s total BS they are in there. The filmmakers inserted them because they weren’t confident enough in their material to be told in the original manner. And I knew something was wrong when it took 10 minutes to tell an intro that should’ve been done in 5. Also the Christou segment goes on waaay too long, which means the film was padding its already slender 93 minute running time.

the problem with the dancing ballerina is that the entire film seems to be put into the trailer. Of course it’s not, we just have the final “twist” where we learn those select five or so people were invited and that it’s all part of some larger project or scheme. Or revenge. Or some sick TV show for rich people in Madagascar. You know, something that will allow for sequels to take place within a larger universe.

I’m not sure it’s a found footage film in the strictest sense. Sounds to me like the original broadcast got filed away and apparently eventually forgotten. But then someone got a hold of it, and other archived material, and edited them all together. Do recall the first five to ten minutes served as an introduction, so it’s not like someone strolled into a Paranormal House and then watched all the stuff stored on some Master VCR.

Such a commonplace practice that I didn’t even notice it. No matter whether it’s widespread and consistent in many countries, there’s something off about the need to homogenize skin tones in an illustration. Hard to explain it away, from anything other than the marketing standpoint. So it’s weird that this is an accepted stylization that ever needed to be created. It’s in keeping with the whole aesthetic of the movie being a throwback. But I’m sure it’s still prevalent in contemporary posters too.

My mother called the soaps she loved “my stories”, too. Maybe a lot of women did? Something they personally possessed and held onto against the rest of life’s ups and downs?

My ‘The First Omen’ review … more

OK that was a loaded film review title but I have to honestly say in time of stale reboots and prequels to horror classics like Evil Dead, Saw, too many to count in last 5 years that while they done well at box office on critics front they have flunked…yes that includes unnecessary overkill horror sequels , often criticised for trying do bidding war on next sequel in line to outbid the prior one on rhe gore-a- meter ….and shock and awe in most worst possible way of word of ultra graphic violence against women …where u be forgiven thinking some those directors and writers of well worn out damaged horror prequel genre seem run out of ideas other thsn how much stomach churning gruesome acts on the audience ‘tolerance-a-meter ‘ film goers can take…heck it goes way off the ‘tolerance-a-meter’ …

And all state of art advances and obsession wirh most gruesome goey graphic violence esp against women in too many of these sequels and prequels in last we actually say 7-9 yrs lose sight of the 3 key things that once made horror genre revered and admired at a:

1. Considered depth and intrigue, unpredictable plot twists that go back to basics rather than ways to describe how many ways a character can be dissected cut up , etc.. in writing- fitting then for this review I do thos post( in topic bout excellence in writing in film )- Which Is ‘The First Omen ‘ one of it strongest assets

2. Compelling characters that captivate and grab you through the depth and breadth of ranged emotive performances ….NEVER underestimate value of facial reactions to amplify horror I’m it most impactful unforgettable way…

3. Mastering control of the atmosphere and CHANGES transition in it how gradual how sudden a build up to shock scare is what makes pple jump out of their seat …

The First Omen does all this in spades….but this review is much reflection and very very high praise of Akasha Stevenson accomplishment here for no less a DEBUT FEATURE FILM…

Unlike most debutant feature filmmakers ( Inc last year too )… this is one most daunting cinematic projects and tasks for debut feature film ANY filmmaker can undertake …to do a prequel to classic masterpiece set of films on the 1976 classic THE OMEN… which has be said in different way to the Exorcist found it 9sn unique niche to be a gamechanger in the horror genre …let not forget both these horror masterpieces that redefined cinematic horror were released in transformation pivotal year in cinema … when both technology in film and technical enhancements added extra depth and dimension to horror wirh it effects way scenes photographed, way moments would send a almighty chill down ones spine … using I call ‘ the BIG 3 ‘ principles I outlined above reinventing even at time known cinematic tropes for new kind of at time unsuspecting audience… and fair to say NOBODY KNEW evrn after the Exorcist what to expect… indeed the concept in this genre of dilemmas a d nightmare of father refusing thrn to his horror realising he must slay a child those moments in the 1976 Omen was realisation and reluctance sheer push pull ‘ no can’t be true ‘ but OH IT IS TRUE ‘ !!CONCEPT… and whrn realisations and revelations cone in 1976’s The Omen .. boy do they resonate and stick with you long after credits roll.. it was the performances of Gregory Peck particularly that gradually unmasked the true horror that a seemingly adorable child he adopted- was anything but…

Arkasha Stevenson in this respect set herself a ALMIGHTY terrifying level bar for ANY debut filmmaker to tap into and bring to a modern audience same type of horror that horror fans came to revere from the 1970’s to work 50+ yrs ltr somehow appeal yo existing fan base of the Omen franchise , the essence of chills and moments of the 1976 masterpiece while seeking to explain a prequel back of 50 + yrs ago without losing the audience and critics of today’s film industry expectation .

It adds rise to question and headache she must’ve surely faced: ‘ how do you do FULL JUSTICE TO enhance the legend of a 50+ yo cinematic story itself in The Omen while I add my own cinematic legacy and touches without damaging the setting, purpose and understanding to make events how they told in ‘The First Omen’ to deliberately sonsthing fitting of a worthy prequel without ‘ copying ‘ Omens essence ?

Simple…answer but complex process only sharp focuses visionary mind can conceive : do a revival of presentation,look and feel, but make it work to adapt key moments new characters nor shown on screen yet been referenced strongly in original Omen… much like a graceful chef in a kitchen preparing their first masterpiece to serve the audiences , their hands gracefully seemingly flowing in sync with key moments of music in background , a seamless harmony of actions, mood, and backdrop atmosphere , Arkasha shows remarkably assured hand and a steely resolve within that let all those 3 key devices of Atmosphere, Character(s) , and key plot twists / revelations moments letting her instinctive eye and mind and trust in has be said what can only be described as some truly harrowing scenes to which such demands on such young and very talented Actress in Nell Tiger Free, as she unwittingly to her utter horror discovers very horrors she teamed up with of the ‘ pro true Christian ‘ cardinals / allies within the church to stop that she is at the centre of the biggest conspiracy to plague the church in a generation.. to bring bout birth of anti christ she thought she would bring an end to but noooo as we know it on contrary she was unwitting HOST to most harrowing birth scene since Alien!

In fact full credit to Akasha because there more rhan dark reference if u keep it in u mind during THAT scene or scenes to essence of Alien..just consider for a moment ..to innocent manipulated ‘Margaret’ who was the pawn in evil cardinals priest scheme to bring about birth of Satan’s son, thst from Margaret’s perspective , it was birth she did not want to her this spawn of Satan ala the Anti Christ was nor un line with her true values …but biggest tragedy of this character is how her naive innocence was superficially inflated by those darker forces … full credit to performances if some truly skilled iconic veteran actors and actresses to bring biut role they played of ultimate manipulative scheming evil cardinals and priestesses / heads of the church …

In fact the casting choices were inspirational I no doubt Arkasha had guiding hand in it.. casting Bill Nighy as real dark ‘leader’ is special mention…too..

But most unique edge that Akasha brings that is significant her signature niche to ENHANCE the Essence of ‘The First Omen’ is from line and idea of Margaret’s ‘ over-active imagination ‘ in line ” WHAT REAL AND WHAT NOT ‘ and Akasha shows gentle and confronting tease of something much darker where visions of whwt Margaret imagines clashes with what real..

But cos the character was ‘ groomed ‘ and ‘set up ‘ and ‘ protected ‘ until she was ready as chosen one give birth to son of all evil, Akasha uses both wit and startling level of inspired originality to bring most unforgettably transition of both Margaret’s bigger picture transition and the MICRO- TRANSITION – through her expressions trying make sense what happened to transition to something or some presence in dark rooms wirh her…what indeed to audience is ‘ real ‘ what not ?

It a Tease That to me brings out memory extrapolating yhe line into a genius reality from another film of one of the MOST famous lines in ANY film – ” have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?” Guess where that from who said that ?

And in many ways ultimately this is how Akasha translates thanx to her vidionary ambitious filfilling direction and the incredible central performance of Tiger Free while acknowledge sinister roles of most senior morally corrupt cardinal and most senior nun / priest her approach to the cinematic vernacular and language to propel this narrative that does full justice thrn some to ‘The First Omen’ ..

It very much IS narrative from almost outset of the film to chilling cliffhanger ending of big , dark , risky dance with the devil …add to the fact Margaret doesn’t know about it, combined with unfolding signs and warnings… where things as simple as drawings or carvings on walls… ‘ tease us’ the audience with Margaret’s unwanted unknowing gradually unfolding ‘ dance wirh the Devil’ ….

What most unique is Akasha does this amplifying and resurrecting the essence of the without or minimal deviation from cinematic heights mood and atmosphere and utterly hone chilling convincing acting to really hammer home emotive and visual horrors that engulf the church seen through eyes if sister Margaret…through traditional means save some critical truly necessarily gruesome moments …( only at selected times not overtly prolonged makes it truly unique in restraint and way those moments revealed by Akasha and her miracle cinematograoher too has he said like wow!!)

Thee entire film you could argue could be titled ” the unwitting dance with the devil – before the second coming ”

But ey.. really in truth it us the FIRST OMEN rightly and whqt a way to visually p8rtrqy and so seamlessly and shockingly through largely traditional means and incredible use of make up and prosthetics for key moments .

It ONLY because the First Omen comes after a long line of public fatigue one too many prequel/ sequel overkill in yje horror genre and ONLY I wager with you cod of extensive prequel sequel fatigue I blame entirely on previous horror entries sloppy writing uninspired flat uninvetive stories …that ONLY reason the First Omen not libed yo expectations at the box office domestically..this is hence not the fault of this amazing cinematic achivement … it was casualty bring latest in long line of audience put off prequels…it real shame cos not that it didn’t relieve croricsl acclaim for horror prequel it rated higher rhan any other prequel horror film that pretty strong …for Akasha, the team and the First Omen..

We should be celebrating this accomplishment as Akasha and her Actress Tiger Free well n truly announced themselves in the cinematic stage in fsct unlike too msny debutant filmmskers first feature films with LIMITED exceptions in rhepast decade , seeing this film it felt genuinely like a filmaker veterans work NOT a debut feature film…

This is on scale and scope and ambition for all reasons I outlined much BIGGER than Jefferson’s American Fiction, while it different film as they both form of cinema thevexpandive cinematic vibe and vision and energy and ambition for this years Oscars come up at end if year don’t be surprised if Akasha get nomination maybe 3ven a win for ( it be adapted or originsl ? Screenplay ?) And possibly best director Oscar nomination…cos eho here can profess to seeing such impactful remarkable inspired fearless cinematic accomplushmrnt like a prequel adds it oen legacy to absolute masterful classic ?

This is type of film veteran filmmskers do NOT First time filmmaker!

Sky the limit for Akasha a new generation filmmaker that has resurrected the filmmaking and cinematic prowess and power and impact of lessons drawn from older films..she respects it and honours it and harnesses ..to tremendous effect…

The First Omen is not just sign thst a prequel can be unforgettable to original classic , but it also a FIRST OMEN of arrival of the PRODIGAL ‘daughter’ of forefathers and foremothers of clever filmmaking from the 1970’s.. the arrival in this world we should be fortunate look eith anticipation to Akasha’s preordained destiny ..a blessing to us all as is Tiger Free ( deserving of Oscar nomination. Definitely ) …blessing to us in real dark times breathe cinematic inspiration into one best not just horror prequel but best prequel in LEAST A DECADE or ever !

What you think of ‘The First Omen’? You look forward roo in anticipation of Akasha and Tiger Free’s next films ?

Bold prediction: First Horror film in long time get oscar nominations in either Directing and Picture and Actress or Writing , picture and Actress in decades…

Oscar bold predictions nominations (8
nominations ):
– Picture
– Screenplay
– Actress
– Score
– Make-up
– Cinematography
– Costume design
– Production design

4.5 stars ( maximum for horror prequel before this gem was 3 stars by way)

87% ( devils number much ? ) But amazing rating for cinematic resinsnce and impact for horror franchise prequel!

The whole idea the the guilds and BAFTA and critics have no use except to serve the Oscars is disgusting to me.

Guilds can presage the Oscars.
Guilds don’t control the Oscars.

Guilds are a useful tool in prediction. Because they give us the first indication of how film industry people are thinking.

It’s been proven reliable for decades that WGA members and Oscar members are thinking the same way simultaneously.

Simply because the guilds announce what they think first does not cause Oscar voters to suddenly think the same way.

That’s absurd.

The guilds just let us know what expect.

Oy, it’s mind-numbing to type out something so basic.

Aaron, will you please stop.

This year’s WGA date change anomally definitively disproves this dumb drum you keep beating.

Explain to us how the WGA nominations “influenced” the Oscar nominations this year.

Oscar nominations were announced Jan 23.

WGA nominations were announced Feb 21.

Fucks your whole hypothesis all to hell.

The world did not stop spinning.

I may have believe it or not unintentionally forgotten what you said.. apologies…

However I appreciate if you saw some context to to what I said… cos I asked rather than declared or said you said what u didn’t say I asked as question whether or not it true that 90% pf time guild winners are the oacar winners for big 3 since 1970’s ie since it modernisation have best picture director and writers guild winners well have 2 out of those 3 guild winners gone in to win their respective Oscars?

…. you can’t expect people to remember every single line what you said in past poat whrn precisely a past online post accounts for like .2% of a person’s life…

Do YOU remember or do you ever make umintrntional mistake to misrepresent what person says online ? We all do it maybe in u case more infrequent than me.. so that in mind… I ask you you clearly don’t believe Guilds are important precursor that shaped oscar outcomes ?

Issue isn’t wherher or not Oscars have mind of their own wirh voting as you said I quite sure u alluded to this point before : Guilds are union representatives all dedicated hard-working outstanding creative minds look out for their interst in their respective category organisation right ? I support this sentiment of urs too by way..

But point is HISTORICALLY don’t you part value role of Guilds in BIGGER PICTURE of awards season. Not just cos their union represe tation and organisation to celebrate very best of their respective categories ie writing or producing but ie:

Is it not true since say 1970 90% of major oscar winners of best picture rhey CHOSE to back in films that won producers guild and or writers guild choice or alternatively isn’t it true 90% of directors guild win directing oscar as well as say SAG win = major acting win ?

These are FAIR questions not as presumptive as u made whatbi said out to be mate so what u think ? Def feel free to enlighten us on my question ey?

just to note: the whole point of The Blair Witch Project was to be insufferable, so the audience would feel as miserable, lost and confused as the main characters, creating an empathy between them and the audience… that resulted in many people disconnecting, but those who connected – myself included – think it’s a landmark not only in horror but also in cinema itself. It really reinvented the wheel, just by going to the basics.

It really should have been nominated for Picture, Original Screenplay and Sound Mixing, maybe Heather Donahue for Actress… but Artisan wasn’t interested in spending some of those millions, in Awards campaigning. Looking back at 1999, we could say that The Matrix and The Blair Witch Project cast the biggest shadows on the cinema that came later. Both robbed of Best Picture nominations… I can understand that Fight Club was a bomb at the b.o. and too divisive with critics, but The Matrix and The Blair Witch Project DID score raves and a demential b.o. success and became ultra-popular… this could be the best example of precedent of 2008 when both The Dark Knight and Wall·E got snubbed from a Best Picture nomination…

It’s coming to the end of April so it’s time to get ready for some theater awards! (They like to announce winners just before the busy summer months)

First up, London’s Olivier Awards (their Tony Equivalent). Obviously these have no bearing on the Oscars, or even the Tonys because the line-ups are so different. And once upon a time, the winners would be turned into Oscar nominated movies. Children of a Lesser God, Dangerous Liasons. But lately, there hasn’t been. something to emerge.

I am predicting, though, that the winner of this year’s best musical, Operation Mincemeat, will eventually become a movie, and if done right, will become a major player in the Oscar race.

———-

New York Theater noms will start coming out shortly. They might mean nothing to us now. But years from now someone will foolishly pick Fantasia Barrino as a frontrunner just because the lead in the Broadway show won the Tony.

I am somewhat perplexed at all of the positive reactions. I suspect because most reviewers and moviegoers don’t think of war at any concrete level. It’s something that happens elsewhere and to other people. Maybe this hit differently because it took place in West Virginia, which, come to think of it, is just as foreign as some countries. But those countries look just like our own.

Back when the Ukraine war was just beginning, you’d read of massacres by the Russian army in various towns. So I looked one up. I found local Ukrainian newspapers translated into English that gave actual locations for one of the massacres. I went to Google Earth and went up and down that street, back and forth, over maybe a mile or more from one end to the next. I couldn’t stop. It could have been any street in small town Pennsylvania. The only noticeable difference was the cars over there were older and smaller. But the people, yup, they looked the same. The athletic guy out for a jog, the woman hanging laundry, some grandmother carrying a tray of lemon squares to give to a sick neighbor. None of us strangers.

You are the sole person that feels as I do. LOL.

Love when the comments are vastly smarter than the movie!

Editor’s Note:

If the Presidnet was that egregious

Patched that errant typo for you, my friend.
Let’s make it ‘President’
(Although, if he’s meant to represent Trump, could be ‘Prevagen’)

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No one really discusses how this particular civil war begins. It completely ignores the incredible technology and the million person army the US has, not to mention the numerous military bases throughout the country. The US Military is a professional organization, with top down allegiance to the Commander in Chief and the US Constitution.

Yet, in the movie we see the Western Forces using technology that’s more in line with Vietnam than anything current. And that begs the question, “what happened?”

As for the Western Forces of Texas and California working together even though in the movie they are still antagonistic to each other, so what events caused them to joine forces to go against the President in today’s two-party system. If the President was that egregious, he must have support of the SCOTUS and the military at a minimum.

So, yeah, the whole movie is an absurd proposition. It’s meaningless. It’s no better than an action movie.

I compared the film to Oppenheimer elsewhere, each targets an audience that doesn’t demand intellectual vigor in their films. Funny that both are declared important and/or prescient. Neither is neither.

Which is a shame. Because the typical American really needs to examine themselves, their relationship to the media, and the forces which compel them to vote a certain way.

Turns out the real Civil War in the US is Ignorance v Truth. Problem is, everyone thinks they are on the side of the Truth, but only one side can be. That’s what we need to fear. It would be nice if the film had constructed such a polemical premise.

“two weeks before the Oscars, this post would have had at least 200 comments”

Give Aaron a little time.

Nothing you are accusing me of saying bears the slightest resemblance to what I actually said.

You have fabricated a total distortion of what I wrote and then you argue with the thing you pretend I said.

You don’t need me in this puppet show you’re doing.

You already have the Imaginary Ryan that you created in your head.

How can this old movie touch me this way? It is not even anything gay about it.

The director Vincent Minnelli was gay for sure. Some far less reliable rumors say Spencer Tracy may have been bi.

Wiki:

According to Emanuel Levy: “Minnelli was openly gay in New York – we were able to document names of companions and stories from Dorothy Parker. But when he came to Hollywood, I think he made the decision to repress that part of himself or to become bisexual.” Lester Gaba, a retail display designer who knew Minnelli in New York, was reported to have frequently claimed having an affair with Minnelli, although the same person who related Gaba’s claim also admitted that Gaba “was known to embellish quite a bit.”

Hollywood Reporter:

Screenwriter and playwright Larry Kramer told The Hollywood Reporter in 2015 that “Hepburn and Spencer Tracy were both gay,” and everyone knew it.

“They were publicly paired together by the studio,” Kramer said. “Everyone in Hollywood knows this is true, but of course I haven’t seen it printed anywhere.”

Extra Credit:

Frances Goodrich and Albert Hacket were married writing partners. They were Oscar-nominated for Father of the Bride and 3 other movies.

Since this is a Writers Guild post, those same screenwriting partners who wrote Father of the Bride won the Writers Guild Award in 1956 for The Diary of Anne Frank. It was based on their stage play that won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize.

I was wrong about the Civil War, sad to say. I was hoping it was something else. It turns out it’s an action film. I hated the last third, especially the finale. I liked the first two-thirds, even though it wasn’t saying much. I thought we were going to see the horror of war through the eyes of water reporters. But the film disappointed me and became nihilistic and also not exploitative towards the end. Very sad. I’m not saying the action wasn’t very intense and we made it. It’s just that I hated it like hated the whole Joker film. We’ve seen films about attacking the White House and the US Capitol, but this is the first time it feels more like a provocative rather than a fantasy. It’s not just it feels too real but that it seems to be revelling in it. Garland also seems to have thrown war reporters under the bus as the whole thing felt more exploitative than anything else. Garland is a quality filmmaker so I found this film very surprising and disappointing. Why was this film so wrongheaded? I think it might be the fact that I was conceived as a fantasy rather than a possible real civil war. It was conceived before j6 and all the things that happened since. The premise no longer seems like Fiction and turning it into an action makes it feel nihilistic and exploitative. Put simply, it could be seen as a rallying call for people who want to see the White House abs Capitol attacked similarly. I’m not going to say the film will encourage such violence but we’ve got a former president and one of the leading candidates for president talking about retribution and encouraging his supporters to be violent. Let’s just say it all feels too close for comfort. I expected a film that is warning about, but instead, it’s a film that’s revelling in it.

I agree with your top three and in that order. Only Oppenheimer won two or more major categories, but The Holdovers was the closest to winning not just a second (Lead Actor) but a third (Original Screenplay). Poor Things comes in third because it won one major and three other awards. After that, it’s very unclear because you could make for each other films in order from 4 to eight. The only obvious is that Past Lives (sadly) and Maestro were the bottom two. Killers of The Flower Moon had all the key nominations and was very close to winning Lead Actress. Anatomy of a Fall won one major and had the key nominations at the Oscars but not at the guilds. Barbie and American Fiction didn’t have all the key nominations, but both did win one award each, although AF won a major award. It looks to me that AF might have been ahead of Barbie, but it’s hard to judge how it fares against KOTFM and Anatomy, as they were both stronger in the key nominations. I think I’ll maybe put AF in fourth, KOTFM fifth, Anatomy six, Barbie 7, Zone of Interest 8 (didn’t have any acting nominations, and at the guilds and never looked like winning any major category) Past Lives and Maestro.

To be fair, this is a pretty standard Holdovers poster across countries.

Nice to see Days of Our Lives win even though there are only two other major competitors.

The writing of soap operas is a dying art. No other shows are forced to constantly reinvent themselves, their characters, and provide the most complex plotlines in all of entertainment. And up until about 6 months ago, Days did a wonderful job. Sure it’s campy, sure it’s lowbrow, sure it’s absurd. But that’s the point. WHen your goal is to pull in your viewers (of all ages) day after day, you have to give them something you can’t find elsewhere.

But clearly budgets were cut and a change in the creative team because of a sexual harassment scandal has ruined the show. It’s almost unwatchable.

The Bear still gets to dominate in the Comedy categories at the Emmy’s in September for season two. It’ll then likely continue to steamroll the competition with season three wins in comedy at the end of this year/next year since the new season airs this summer. Category fraud will never die.

This is another topic. I have VPN to watch USA TV. Today on the TCM chan was Elizabeth Taylor. In guess what? Father of the Bride. Oddio! So very good. Twice I cried. So tender. Spenser Tracy, wtf, how good he was. I phoned to my own father after the movie to tell him I loved him. I cried again. My father got worried. He thought I was in trouble. LOL. How can this old movie touch me this way? It is not even anything gay about it. Yet I identified so strongly. Words do not exists to describe the young Elizabeth Taylor.

Yep, this. Poor Things absolutely wasn’t #2. I mean, realsitically speaking, there was no #2 but if we are talking about a movie that was way behind next in line Holdovers fits the bill. Poor Things doesn’t even with Director nom which doesn’t mean a win (ask ROMA, TPOTD)

Ryan comes in annoyed. Stand back everyone. Cover our heads. LOL

I did not see this Holdovers movie. Never got around to. I will openly confess? I spent 3-4 months last year in the belief that it was the football player Dominic Sessa. When later I found out he was not I lost all my interests in seeing it. LOL.

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again… GUILDS AREN’T OSCARS. Guild winners are voted by the guilds. Oscar winners are voted by the whole Academy, not just the branches, and they may vote for the film they like rather than for the achievement, judged as pros. Guilds are good indicators for nomination and that they can actually take home the Oscar, but The Holdovers vs Poor Things, it was clear on Oscar night how it actually went: 4-1

We haven’t had a single acting winner without a Globe, SAG, or BAFTA win since 2003. I mean…

There’s a thing you may have heard about: correlation is not causation.

Just because two groups of people with nearly identical backgrounds agree on something, does not mean that the first group to weigh in has influenced the second group.

It’s foolish to assume that Oscar voters “wait to see what the PGA will do” before they can know what movie they like.

These are some of the most independent, stubborn, self-assured people on the planet. They do what they want. They are not sheep.

The reason we pay attention to the pre-cursor guilds is not to see how the guild members will “sway Oscar voters”

We watch the guilds to gauge what people in Hollywood are already thinking.

When you pick your personal favorite actresses or directors or movies each year, do you need to wait to see what SAG or DGA or PGA do first?

Of course not. You have your own mind.

Are you more independently-minded than Scorsese, Streep, Sorkin?

Annoys the fuck out of me when people who pretend to know the Oscars inside out can’t grasp the simple math of voting.

Outside of Best Picture, anyone can win an Oscar in any category with as little as 21% of the ballots.

That means 79% of Oscar voters can all prefer another nominee that will lose.

How hard is it to get 20% or 30% of people to agree about anything? It’s easy.

30% of voters think a low-IQ “billionaire” rapist is Jesus Christ.

Well, given how unimaginative their votes are, many of them probably do exactly that.

We haven’t had a single acting winner without a Globe, SAG, or BAFTA win since 2003. I mean…

The Holdovers is back in the race!

“Poor Things was probably number 2 in Editing”

The Holdovers beat it to win ACE.

Don’t get offended, but I don’t know in which world you live in, honestly. Poor Things was probably number 2 in Editing and number 3 would be Anatomy of a Fall… I’d say that Killers was 4th given the prestige and the length of the film. The Holdovers was likely lucky to be nominated over Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning and specially the editing nightmare that Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse is.

Remember one important stuff: the final wins aren’t decided by the guilds, but by the AMPAS as a whole. They can understand the basics – The Zone of Interest winning Sound over Oppenheimer wasn’t exactly a head-scratcher – but Guilds don’t really have to align on its winners, with the Oscars. I think this is more a case of you being a fan of The Holdovers than actual considering what really was going on.

The Holdovers, to win Best Picture NEEDED to win (at least) Actor, S. Actress and Original Screenplay. Once Original went to Anatomy of a Fall, we all knew Anatomy had a bigger shot than expected, and when Giammatti lost, we knew The Holdovers had a consolation prize in Randolph.

What you have to ask yourself is, simply, does “The Holdover” need awards to be a truly great film? I haven’t seen it, but I can tell you my answer: NO. Awards are just marketing and a popularity contest fueled by MONEY. Some of the best things I’ve seen would never stand a chance at Oscars or big campaigning, and that doesn’t change, that I consider some of them, the BEST of their years, even if in some cases, almost no one could have heard of them.

The Holdovers doesn’t need more promotion, it’s a well known film, it was raved and finally it won some big awards. Will it be remembered 20 years from now? I don’t know. But for example, which one has a more passionate following in the year 2024, A Beautiful Mind or Hedwig and the Angry Inch? Which one of them, is a “must-see”? That’s my point. The true award is the test of time… today you won’t find many film critics that would argue that “Gandhi” (8 Oscars) is a better film than John Carpenter’s The Thing (0 noms) or Blade Runner (no wins)

It won Supporting Actress.
It was probably the runner up in Film Editing (ACE winner).
It was probably the runner up in Original Screenplay (Regional critics win leader + WGA winner).
It was probably the runner up in Best Actor (GG + CC winner).

It has a “bright” Resume – if you ask me.

I thrilled for holdovers … u think outcome dear Sammy would been different in writing oscar if was held BEFORE the Oscars? Could that ensured holdovers wom original Screenplay ?

The Holdovers finished the season with two major guild wins: WGA + ACE..!

Kind of confirmed its runner up position in the BP race.

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American Fiction in a mega upset over Oppie. And now the 2023 awards season is officially OVER. No more category fraud wins by drama series The Bear, thank goodness. Now let’s have Strange New Worlds get all the goods for the best sophomore season in recent TV history