Cinema and Popcorn

In a year where I feel there's no clear frontrunner and that every frontrunner feels like a fragile one, it seems the Best Picture winner will be a "vanilla win". Everything seems to point (unclearly) to Anora 's win at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood (a Palme d'Or plus a strong combo of PGA/DGA/WGA wins suggest it is the strongest contender of the bunch), which is threatened by Conclave 's late ascension with the BAFTA win for Best Film and the SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture.  Interesting fact is how Best International Film will play since the "Karla Gate" (the Karla Sofia Gáscon 's revealed past tweets with controversial views on sensitive subjects) hurt Emilia Pérez 's Oscar chances. Will it win Best International Film? Will it prevent Zoe Saldaña from winning Best Supporting Actress despite her clean sweep of precursors? Or will it generate an anti-cancellation movement and generate a...

The Academy Awards nominations were announced January 22, 2025 - with some films to stand-out in terms of number of nominations! Emilia Pérez is the most nominated film (13 nods), followed by The Brutalist and Wicked (10 nominations each). Some unexpected snubs include Denis Villeneuve ( Dune: Part II ) and Edward Berger ( Conclave ) for Best Director, Marianne Jean-Baptiste ( Hard Truths ) in Best Actress, Clarence Maclin ( Sing Sing ) in Best Supporting Actor or Challengers in Best Original Score, but there are some pleasant surprises like I'm Still Here ( Ainda Estou Aqui ) in Best Picture and A Complete Unknown in Best Director (James Mangold). Here's the full list: BEST PICTURE “Anora” “The Brutalist” “A Complete Unknown” “Conclave” “Dune: Part Two” “Emilia Pérez” “I’m Still Here” “Nickel Boys” “The Substance” “Wicked” BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE Adrien Brody, “The Brutalist” Timothée Chalamet, “A Complete Unknown” Colman Domingo, “Sing Sing” Ralph Fiennes, “Conclave”...

 

WICKED While some odd cinematography choices and some caricature approach to supporting characters might prevent Wicked to achieve true cinematic greatness, there's no way to deny it has the heart in the right place and everything works thanks to that crucial detail. Sustained by a great Cynthia Erivo as the ostracized Elphaba and a splendid Ariana Grande (whose comedic timing and bright charisma earn her the title of "best in show") and fabulous musical numbers done flawlessly, Wicked is way more than just an eye-popping musical. "Defying Gravity" or the party dance scene will tear your heart apart, while "Popular" and Glinda's "toss toss" moments will put a smile on your face - in fact, Wicked is a complete cinematic experience that deftly balances the respect for the source stage material with the cinematic liberties - thanks to the assured directing vision of John M. Chu, who clearly loves the story he's telling on-screen. Nathan ...

EMILIA PEREZ An original musical narrative that worked for me, despite some low expectation due to some friends' response to the movie. While I undertand it might not be culturally aware of its own subject (something that I personally wasn't aware too until someone explained to me why), I consider Emilia Perez to be an engaging and well-executed narrative. Songs are not that impactful with the exception of "Mi Camino", but Clément Ducol's score is soaring and emotive, Paul Guilhaume's cinematography work is beautiful and the sound department excels. The ensemble cast delivers a strong ensemble work here, but the film belongs to Zoe Saldaña who's simply exceptional - commanding, intense and magnetic, she makes for a great leading lady. Adriana Paz truly shines in her few scenes and Gascón is very good as well, but it was Selena Gomez who impressed me the most (despite her Spanish not being up to the task, I was pleasantly surprised by the dramatic intensity...