Cinema and Popcorn

THE HOLDOVERS A movie that took its time in order to take over to emotional heights. The first half might feel a bit dry overall, with nothing much quite happening and no big details about Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti), Angus (Dominic Sessa) or Mary Lamb (Da'Vine Joy Randolph). Still, I started to feel the movie's beating heart right before the events that took place in the Christmas' Eve - that's when the relationship between Paul and Angus starts to develop with the complexity it requires, making for an exquisite character study of these two unloved solitary souls wandering the Barton's room during Holiday season. It features Paul Giamatti's best performance of his career (one he balances his comedy chops with an ability to generate empathy as a grinchy and lonely teacher who has never been happy) and an impressive acting debut from the young Dominic Sessa. As for Randolph... she gets an underwritten character the director only uses to give a glimpse of a grievi...

The awards season has begun with the first award bodies announcing their respective nominees/winners. New York Film Critics Awards are one of the most prestigious prizes of the season - and the oldest critics association's prize in the U.S. - and they often put some early contenders right in the front of the awards race or they can start some strong buzz around a specific (overlooked) film or individual achievement in film. This year, NYFCC just boosted the early predictions regarding a Killers of the Flower Moon & Oppenheimer triumph, while the NBR and AFI made very clear which films are "a thing" this season. Only Barbie , The Holdovers , Killers of the Flower Moon , Maestro , Oppenheimer , Past Lives and Poor Things have made both NBR Top 10 and AFI Motion Pictures of the Year lists, which makes a solid case for Oscar prospects for these. Here are the lists: NEW YORK FILM CRITICS WINNERS Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon gets a huge boost here as...