TV/Movies Megathread

[Sheilbh]

Which other strong candidates besides Polley? Checking from the rest of the noms the only two potential candidates that come to my mind are Charlotte Wells for Aftersun or Lila Neugebauer for Causeway, and those seem even weaker films award-wise than Women Talking

Aftersun is the other one that springs to mind for me - and would be my best director because I think it's a brilliant film Polley is the strongest - she is writer-director so it just seems odd to get nominated for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay but not Best Director.

But I'd also put in a shout for Gina Prince-Bythewood and The Woman King generally. I'm surprised that's not got more nominations. For me, personally, that would have been my pick for big blockbuster that should do well at the awards. I thought it'd pick up loads of nominations including lots of "craft" ones - but it doesn't seem to have got any.

Personally I'd also have liked Nope to get more but I fully recognise that was very divisive and while I absolutely loved it, other people I saw it with didn't

Edit: Actually if the big action blockbuster with nominations it feels telling that Top Gun and Avatar are both sequels - though at least Top Gun is a good film too

[The Larch]

Aftersun is the other one that springs to mind for me - and would be my best director because I think it's a brilliant film Polley is the strongest - she is writer-director so it just seems odd to get nominated for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay but not Best Director.

Given that Aftersun's only nom is to Paul Mescal you might be overstating their case. 

Agreed that Polley would have been the strongest female director for a possible nomination, but it seems that this year it was not meant to be. Even if Östlund was not nominated I'm not sure if Polley would have been the next candidate, it could have very well been James Cameron or Baz Luhrmann.

But I'd also put in a shout for Gina Prince-Bythewood and The Woman King generally. I'm surprised that's not got more nominations. For me, personally, that would have been my pick for big blockbuster that should do well at the awards. I thought it'd pick up loads of nominations including lots of "craft" ones - but it doesn't seem to have got any.

The Woman King did not get any noms indeed, possibly this year's biggest snub.

[celedhring]

Why is The Woman King a snub? That movie is as middle of the road as they come. Decently made but not great, and it didn't have the kind of success that would make it a candidate for one of those "we need to put a blockbuster" byes.

Haven't seen Women Talking (opens in February over here), but the trailers look great. The world needs more Sarah Polley doing stuff.

[The Larch]

Why is The Woman King a snub? That movie is as middle of the road as they come. Decently made but not great, and it didn't have the kind of success that would make it a candidate for one of those "we need to put a blockbuster" byes.

Haven't seen Women Talking (opens in February over here), but the trailers look great. The world needs more Sarah Polley doing stuff.

Just checked and The Woman King has a ton of noms for more niche awards, and Viola Davis has BAFTA and Golden Globes noms, so maybe she could have been in the discussion for a Best Actress nomination. I certainly saw the movie named among the snubbed ones. Maybe it's not the biggest snub, but it certainly could be included, at least for Davis. I also saw RRR named amongst the snubbed films, given that it only received a Best Song nomination.

[Sheilbh]

Why is The Woman King a snub? That movie is as middle of the road as they come. Decently made but not great, and it didn't have the kind of success that would make it a candidate for one of those "we need to put a blockbuster" byes.

Maybe - I really liked.

But also in my head it was one of the best blockbusters and just looking at the top ten - it was a really poor year for blockbusters.

I liked Top Gun: Maverick and The Batman a lot - but the rest (Dr Strange, Avatar, Black Panther sequel, latest Jurassic World, latest Thor) have not been great. That's maybe why The Woman King stuck out a bit more - and Nope. They were action-y films I watched this year that I just enjoyed in a way I didn't with any of the Marvel offerings etc.

Just checked and The Woman King has a ton of noms for more niche awards, and Viola Davis has BAFTA and Golden Globes noms, so maybe she could have been in the discussion for a Best Actress nomination. I certainly saw the movie named among the snubbed ones. Maybe it's not the biggest snub, but it certainly could be included, at least for Davis. I also saw RRR named amongst the snubbed films, given that it only received a Best Song nomination.

In fairness I'd give RRR all awards possible. Speaking of action films I just enjoyed and found exhilarating, it is very high on the list

[crazy canuck]

Maybe - I really liked.

But also in my head it was one of the best blockbusters and just looking at the top ten - it was a really poor year for blockbusters.

I liked Top Gun: Maverick and The Batman a lot - but the rest (Dr Strange, Avatar, Black Panther sequel, latest Jurassic World, latest Thor) have not been great. That's maybe why The Woman King stuck out a bit more - and Nope. They were action-y films I watched this year that I just enjoyed in a way I didn't with any of the Marvel offerings etc.

Yeah, I really liked it as well.  Given the other weak movies on the list, it seems a legitimate comment that the movie was snubbed.

[Josephus]

It seems odd to me. The movie did get a lot of press and Hollywood being kinda woke you'd think they'd have a female director in the running, and she seemed an obvious choice. [she was also involved in the #metoo scandals] I see now they nominated her in the best adapted screenplay though.

[The Brain]

Deadly Illusions. Among movies on the theme "attractive young woman inserts herself into the life of a family" it's certainly better than average.

[celedhring]

Tár is amazing. Any movie where significant part of the dialogue seems to be about the nature of art and artists in a classical music setting appeals to my most base instincts 

Blanchett is utterly masterful in it, btw. She gives humanity to a character (incidentally, this is a rare example of the  "great egotistical genius" trope with a female protagonist, and I love it for that) that would be very easy to dismiss as completely unlikeable, and she gives so much nuance and detail to Lydia. Might be one of the greatest portrayals of the last few years - definitely one of her best. Daylight robbery if she doesn't win the Oscar.

It is also a great examination of cancel culture (although I hate using that word since it's become quite loaded, the movie never pretends that what happens to Tár is undeserved).

[Admiral Yi]

Finished Narvik.  During WWII a young Norwegian wife and mother faces a difficult choice under German occupation.  Was OK.  Chick is not hott.

[Admiral Yi]

Is that on Neflix?

yeah

[mongers]

Is that on Neflix?

yeah

Thanks Yi, I'll check it out.

That campaign was a clusterfuck from the UK and French pov.

[The Larch]

Going back to the Oscars, it seems there was some internal controversy regarding Andrea Riseborough's nomination for Best Actress that lead to an internal investigation on the nomination proceedings by the Academy.

Andrea Riseborough's Oscar nomination upheld after academy review
British actor's surprise inclusion in the best actress category will not be disqualified after accusations of unfair tactics although 'responsible parties' will be dealt with

Andrea Riseborough's controversial Oscar nomination will not be taken away after an Academy review.

The British actor had been a surprise inclusion in this year's best actress category for her performance in low-budget drama To Leslie after a last-minute campaign from celebrities including Kate Winslet and Gwyneth Paltrow. Accusations of unfair tactics were raised and the Academy announced an internal review of campaign procedures.

"Based on concerns that surfaced last week around the To Leslie awards campaign, the Academy began a review into the film's campaigning tactics," a statement read today. "The Academy has determined the activity in question does not rise to the level that the film's nomination should be rescinded. However, we did discover social media and outreach campaigning tactics that caused concern. These tactics are being addressed with the responsible parties directly."

In a Los Angeles Times article, it was alleged that the director Michael Morris and his wife, actor Mary McCormack, contacted many celebrity friends to ask them for social media support with many resulting tweets containing similar wording to push the film. Neither of them are Academy members, however.

The film's official account also shared a post that quoted an excerpt from critic Richard Roeper's best films of the year, which spoke about Cate Blanchett's performance in Tár in comparison. An official Academy rule states that "any tactic that singles out 'the competition' by name or titles is expressly forbidden".

The statement from the Academy added: "The purpose of the Academy's campaign regulations is to ensure a fair and ethical awards process – these are core values of the Academy. Given this review, it is apparent that components of the regulations must be clarified to help create a better framework for respectful, inclusive, and unbiased campaigning. These changes will be made after this awards cycle and will be shared with our membership. The academy strives to create an environment where votes are based solely on the artistic and technical merits of the eligible films and achievements."

Earlier this month, Riseborough received support from her co-star in the film Marc Maron and actor Christina Ricci who claimed the investigation was "elitist and exclusive and frankly very backward to me".

Riseborough is included in the category alongside Cate Blanchett, Ana de Armas, Michelle Williams and Michelle Yeoh. The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw praised Riseborough in his review, singling out "a great performance". The film is being re-released in cinemas after only making $27,000 (£21,936) upon release.

[celedhring]

It's not mentioned in the article, but the sticking point just seems to be that the director and her wife hosted a small junket for voters, which is verbotten.

[celedhring]

So, the new attempt by Warner to make something with their DC characters has been announced. This time they have given the keys to Peter Gunn, though, so I'm going to pay attention.

Creature Commandos: A seven-episode animated series, written by Gunn, that is already in production. Originally a team of classic monsters assembled to fight Nazis, this is a modern take on the concept. The voice actors have yet to be cast, but the executives are looking to find people who can voice the animated characters and also portray the live-action versions when the antiheroes show up in movies and series.

Waller: In a spinoff of Gunn's own HBO Max hit series Peacemaker, Viola Davis will return as the ruthless and morally ambiguous head of a government task force. It is being written by Christal Henry (Watchmen) and Jeremy Carver, the creator of the Doom Patrol TV series.

Superman: Legacy: The movie featuring the Man of Steel that Gunn is writing and may direct, although no commitments on that end have been made. While the two previous titles are meant to be "aperitifs," in Safran's words, Superman is the true kick-off for the duo's DCU plans. "It's not an origin story," Safran said. "It focuses on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way. He is kindness in a world that thinks that kindness is old-fashioned." A release date of July 11, 2025, has been penciled in.

Lanterns: Greg Berlanti's long-in-the-works Green Lanterns TV series has been scrapped (and Gunn and Safran have parted ways with the longtime DC series steward). In its place will be a new take on the space cops with power rings. "Our vision for this is very much in the vein of True Detective," Safran described. "It's terrestrial-based." It will feature prominent Lantern heroes Hal Jordan and John Stewart and is one of the most important shows they have in development. "This plays a really big role in leading into the main story we are telling across film and TV."

The Authority: A movie based on a team of superheroes with rather extreme methods of protecting the planet that first originated in the late 1990s under an influential imprint known as Wildstorm, run by artist and now head of DC publishing Jim Lee. "One of the things of the DCU is that it's not just a story of heroes and villains," said Gunn. "Not every film and TV show is going to be about good guy versus bad guy, giant things from the sky come and good guy wins. There are white hats, black hats and gray hats." Added Safran: "They are kinda like Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men. They know that you want them on the wall. Or at least they believe that."

Paradise Lost: The duo describe this HBO Max series as a Game of Thrones-style drama set on the all-female island that is Wonder Woman's birthplace, Themyscira, filled with political intrigue and scheming between power players. It takes place before the events of the Wonder Woman films. 

The Brave and the Bold: "This is the introduction of the DCU Batman," said Gunn, "of Bruce Wayne, and also introduces our favorite Robin, Damian Wayne, who is a little son of a bitch." The movie will take inspiration from the now-classic Batman run written by Grant Morrison that introduced Batman to a son he never knew existed: a murderous tween raised by assassins. "It's a very strange father-and-son story."

And, importantly, it will feature a Batman not played by Robert Pattinson. However, there is also ...

The Batman sequel: Pattinson will continue to portray the Dark Knight in at least one more crime saga movie directed by Matt Reeves. That movie, the executives revealed, will be released Oct. 3, 2025, and is being titled The Batman Part II.

"2025 is going to be a very big year for DC," crowed Safran. "Superman and Batman within the same year."

Booster Gold: An HBO Max series based on a unique, lesser-known hero created in 1986. Safran said of the series, "It's about a loser from the future who uses basic future technology to come back to today and pretend to be a superhero." Gunn described it as "imposter syndrome as superhero."

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow: Taking its cues from the recent Tom King-written miniseries, this movie promises a different take than what most think of when Superman's cousin comes to mind. "We will see the difference between Superman, who was sent to Earth and raised by loving parents from the time he was an infant, versus Supergirl, raised on a rock, a chip off of Krypton, and who watched everyone around her die and be killed in terrible ways for the first 14 years of her life and then come to Earth. She is much more hard-core and not the Supergirl we're used to."

Swamp Thing: A horror film that promises to close out the first part of the first chapter.

Creature Commandos sounds like a Troma-esque vehicle for Gunn silliness, so I'm in. I wonder how he'll approach Superman, can't see him being allowed to do it in his usual style... (Superman bores me to tears though, so I'm all for a different take).

I was a big fan of The Authority when it came out in the 1990s, but I feel the whole "superheroes going extreme" has been played out a bit.

Having two different actors playing Batman at the same time seems confusing.