Cinema and Popcorn

2022 seems to be a banner year for movies that highlight the great cinematic contributions of POC artists and female directors. From the actual Oscar frontrunner Everything Everywhere All at Once to a rich lineup of international films getting major award recognition this awards season, it seems to me the AMPAS has plenty of options to give visibility to auteurs that were once hidden in the shadows and to give voice to messages that were once keep silent. But 2022 is also the year of huge popcorn and white-led-or-directed big budget productions with plenty of money to campaign themselves... in the end, it all comes up to choices. I know the Academy voters can be "pretty basic" when it comes to its nominees selection, but they can also have quite inspiring choices - do you remember last year, when both Drive My Car and The Worst Person in the World got screenplay nods?; The Power of the Dog was the most nominated movie last year, with Jane Campion taking Best Director home?...

Genre: Drama / Sci-fi / Adventure Director: James Cameron Writers: James Cameron, Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Britain Dalton, Jamie Flatters, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Jack Champion, Bailey Bass, Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet & Edie Falco Avatar: The Way of Water might have some issues (mostly due to writing, like its predecessor 2009's Avatar ), but this sequel is an amazing visual spectacle you should watch on the big-screen. Yes, James Cameron did it again! The Way of Water is a sci-fi epic with some of the most beautiful shots of the last years and it is an extremely entertaining adventure film, thanks to great action sequences, but it fails to reach what it aims to be: a tale about imperfect parents and imperfect children. But what it lacks in character development (an issue we often see in James Cameron's movies) it has in visual splendor. It's style over substance, but a very entertaining (and beautiful) on...

The first precursor awards have hit the Oscar race and there are as many good surprises as some shocking/unexpected picks, like every year. On this post we will just present the awards noms/wins, only with a brief analisys about each one of them. Have a look: NEW YORK FILM CRITICS CIRCLE (NYFCC) The NYFCC Awards are the oldest critics prize and maybe the most prestigious one in the US and worldwide, so winning here can give a big Oscar boost to any contender. Although the NYFCC Award are quite inconsistent in terms of translation to the Oscar nominations morning, winning here puts everyone on the map. So, it was quite surprising seeing Rajamouli winning Best Director here for RRR - but it started a "trend" at critics prizes for sure. I think Keke Palmer's win is quite an inspiring and out-of-the-box pick, but I don't think it will translate to real Oscar chances, unlike all the other acting winners here. TÁR also got a big boost - it sure is a tailor-made movie for ...

  GOLDEN GLOBES 2023 NOMINATIONS The absence of  Women Talking  in Best Motion Picture - Drama, Best Director and in the acting categories was a major shock for me, alongside the snub of the supporting men of The Fabelmans. I was expecting the HFPA to go for a more diverse and gender-equality friendly picks, but I was wrong. Still can't believe they still picked Brad Pitt ( Babylon ) despite the domestic abuse allegations these days. About the selection of Ana de Armas ( Blonde ) and Olivia Colman ( Empire of Light ) despite their movies flopped - well, I would be fine with them but their inclusion meant Danielle Deadwyler to be snubed by her astonishing performance in  Till  (and that was simply criminal). Sad for no  Cha Cha Real Smooth  here, but pleased to see some love for  The Menu  and Dolly De Leon ( Triangle of Sadness ), although I didn't like Triange of Sadness (she was the best thing about the movie, by far). So, no big shocks he...

Well... this is it! Golden Globes are coming and here are my predictions for the motion picture categories (except Best Animated Feature). Have a look:

BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER The second installment can't quite match the high bars estabilished by its predecessor. The narrative is not as engaging and the absence of the charismatic Chadwick Boseman (RIP) is deeply felt by the audience. The movie explores the geopolitic position of Wakanda after the "discovery" of vibranium while it also deals with the surge of a new (underwater) kingdom that threats to disrupt the fragile balance of the Wakanda kingdom. Nonetheless, Wakanda Forever feels like the best movie Ryan Coogler could ever directed after the tragic death of its lead actor Boseman - it works as a cinematic vehicle that explores grief and how people experience it differently. The production design and costume design works are incredible and so are the visual effects and cinematography, but the movie's major highlight is Angela Bassett who totally sells this installment thanks to her performance as Queen Ramonda. It's a powerhouse performance as the gr...