my picks for tonight’s 94th Academy Awards (the Oscars for 2021-ish’s films) (winners indicated)
I correctly guessed 11 out of the 23 categories, which is exactly as well as I did last year.
Penelope Cruz
weekend watchlist: where to stream (almost) every Oscar nominee
In the run-up to the ceremony on Sunday, March 27th, you can watch almost every film that’s been nominated from the comfort of your sofa. Very handy if you’re participating in an Oscar pool.
movies by or about women opening UK/Ire Mar 08
Anna Boden codirects and cowrites Captain Marvel, starring Brie Larson; more… [This post is for Patreon patrons only for the first month.]
Everybody Knows (Todos lo saben) movie review: weak wedding whodunnit
Asghar Farhadi attempts to meld melodramatic mystery with his usual humanistic drama, but leaves little space for either impulse to be satisfied. Disappointing and strangely anticlimactic.
movies by or about women opening US/Can Feb 08
Tina Gordon and Jas Waters cowrite fantasy comedy What Men Want, starring Taraji P. Henson; more… [This post is for Patreon patrons only for the first month.]
movies by or about women opening US/Can from Wed Oct 03
Marta Prus directs a documentary about Olympic gymnast Margarita Mamun; Theresa Rebeck directs feuding-siblings dramedy Trouble; more…
Murder on the Orient Express movie review: strangers on a train
Doubly dated, lacking in humor and subtext, its impressive cast deliberately underutilized, this is little more than an exercise in gorgeous production design.
Zoolander 2 movie review: fashionably foolish
A tad dated and scattershot, but the messy package is inventively absurd… and unlike many Hollywood comedies, able to carry that absurdity to a silly end.
The Counsellor review
Almost, but not quite, hilariously demented — if accidentally so — drama about sex and death, and why not to get involved with drug cartels.
blame Twitter for Wil Wheaton’s nonblogging; ‘Shit My Dad Says’ shitcanned; Catherine Tate may take over ‘The Office’; more: leftover links
Plus: Cannes shocked by We Need to Talk About Kevin and Lars von Trier; family values robot from the future Arnold Schwarzenegger turns out to be a hypocrite…
