i liked Lindo a lot, but his coughing scene was too much (i actually thought he was fucking with them) and his exit scene was rushed (though then again that's for most of the characters in that movie)
Delighted by Delroy Lindo's inclusion and all the Sentimental Value ladies making it. Kinda bummed about No Other Choice missing out on International Feature though.
1. Skarsgard 2. Penn 3. Elordi 4. Del Toro 5. Lindo
I think it's time to realise the Academy just has a thing against Korean cinema and that Parasite really was just that undeniable. Justice for Park Chan-wook & co.
Anyway, most happy for The Secret Agent, especially Moura, and Delroy Lindo was the most pleasant surprise. Shame Infiniti couldn't get in.
1. Elordi 2. Penn 3. Skarsgard 4. del Toro 5. Lindo
Fantastic lineup, probably the best one; Skarsgard is my least favourite performance and that's more to do with me liking the film on the whole the least.
Also on the brighter side, No Other Choice is already doing incredible numbers box-office wise so it wouldn't really have needed an awards push anyway to get exposure (sorry guys I'm coping real hard here). I hope this means for a bigger The Secret Agent push, I really need more of y'all to see it.
1. Sentimental Value 2. The Secret Agent 3. Sirat 4. The Voice of Hind Rajab 5. It Was Just An Accident
No Other Choice robbed…as expected.
Sound:
1. Sirat 2. Sinners 3. F1 4. Frankenstein 5. One Battle
Very inspired and deserved nomination for Sirat. Where the sound is so much of the film, from the usage of the score which works as so many different ways in terms of its impact as dance music, to mental pounding intensity, to the sense of danger, to this interweaving that together is just captivating work throughout which defines the film in so many ways.
Sinners is a combination of some striking horror work in terms of the visceria, some moments of spooky careful usage of sound, and of course the musical sequences where the sound design is pivotal in crafting the mood far beyond just playing the song.
F1 VROOOM VROOOM VROOM, those vrooms sound good and certainly place you into the visceral intensity of the race each time and every bit of business therein.
Frankenstein very much goes about the grandiose in every way right down to the way the score is mixed to be as loud as possible more often than not, and I have no complaints of that. Rather goes along then with the newly crafted “Frankensteian” sounds of the thunder, monster mania, and a bit of explosive destruction.
One Battle is also strong work with the use of Greenwood’s score being very much essential in the way it intertwines mood so specifically with careful attention to the sound of the communal environment frequently, and of course does have its own fair share of striking bullets and explosions.
Makeup & Hairstyling: 1. The Ugly Stepsister 2. Frankenstein 3. Sinners 4. The Smashing Machine
The Ugly Stepsister is an amazing nomination, as you do get great bits of horrible grotesquery, but you also get a genius transformation, where you don’t notice the initial makeup so when it is removed you notice that someone was wearing heavy makeup and you just believed them at that person. Exceptional work in both being striking, visible and invisible.
Frankenstein is largely about the design, which I liked as the crafted man, though I think with the intention to craft more so a god essentially than a man. Convincing as such and one where you just accept the makeup wholly. Some other more subtle work, like Goth’s two versions, was also strong work.
Sinners is also strong work largely for the increasing grotesquery of Jack O’Connell vampire who gets more and more gnarly in an effective way, along with some proper grotesque wounds and such.
The Rock looked like a guy who had makeup on his face rather than Mark Kerr so didn’t find this work particularly impressive.
1. Skarsgard 2. Penn 3. Elordi 4. del Toro 5. Lindo
I think it’s amusing that eight out of the ten of Louis’ picks for last year got nominated for best picture today. Not saying it’s bad at all. Just amusing to see
1. Frankenstein 2. Sinners 3. Hamnet 4. Marty Supreme 5. Avatar: Fire and Ash
Frankenstein is all about constant showboating with the generalized period with just the most extreme color choices and just extravagance with everything to do with the wealthy. And I love just the ludicrousness of the costumes, similar to 92 Dracula in that sense though not quite on that level, though works for me with the extreme of that. Although I think balanced with the more subtle more still striking work of the shrouded monster and the more common folk clothing.
Sinners is a great period with work with the right flashes of style. As much of it is straightforward to represent each from the time period but with striking choices such as the color coding of the brothers and just the specific design of the flapper dresses.
Hamnet I think is purposefully quite low key to the period as it really doesn’t go for flash even for the theater performers, though some nice subtle difference in the slightly less lived in presentation of those costumes. Otherwise that is what the film is going for, a little flash with Agnes’s red dress that stands out with purpose, but otherwise convincing to create a more down to earth non-aristocratic version of the period than say Shakespeare in Love.
Marty Supreme isn’t showing off trying on believable 50’s costumes for the most part, other than Paltrow who is showing off in the right way to her character and striking in what she wears. Marty himself has a certain style, that in many ways is low key yet still speaks to his character. Good solid crafted work.
Avatar what the hell??????? Are we counting the CGI costumes, because even those are mainly loincloths. But there’s also Spider’s loincloth, which looked the same as last time, just like those same military uniforms we saw for the humans. An utterly baffling nomination in every sense.
1. Frankenstein 2. Marty Supreme 3. Hamnet 4. Sinners 5. One Battle After Another
Frankenstein like its costumes is all about the bombast, with almost every set very much emphasizing an over the top fantastical version of the period, again not reality but heightened mania. And again wholly worked for me as crafting this version as very much a fantastical world of Victor Frankenstein, though again we get more subtle down to earth work when we get to the monster’s journey, which provides a nice balance.
Loved Fisk’s work for Marty Supreme which isn’t about transporting to the fantasy of the period, but just being tossed into any old dirty back alley of the period. The lurid detail of every little place we visit is just so perfect in realizing not just period but also the specific less than refined areas Marty finds himself in. Though it also does a strong job in making those few refined areas he goes to just as striking and tangible.
Hamnet is very low key work for a period piece, but again to emphasize that these are not the rich from the time and place. It is all good in creating these sparer elements convincingly, along with a bit more as we do see the city, still low key but convincing, until the Globe itself which is a great set that earns its spot as essentially the climactic piece from the PD, and still not too much of a show off, but ups the ante just enough.
Sinners is about a few pivotal sets, each striking in their own way. The town has a very lived natural quality to the period, the ginjoint being the big set that is both simple but grand in the right combo fitting the nature of the business enterprise, and all the other brief places being wholly convincing to the period.
One Battle is a lot of different random bits of work, a lot of in crafting just lurid spaces, however all very compelling in their reality but also specificity such as the “underground” chambers of Del Toro’s character. But you also have other striking work such as the Sisters compound or the Christmas adventure club bunker that are memorable even if not too showoffy.
Pretty good nominations overall I think. I always love first time nominees. I have this funny feeling that Sean Penn will win, it'd make for a great comeback story considering his mostly poor record. 1. Penn 2. Skarsgard 3. Elordi 4. Del Toro 5. Lindo
The funny thing is I actually would probably put Golden as like the 4th best song in the film, but it is what it is. It’s still quite the catchy song regardless with very much character based lyrics that work naturally with the syncopation of the Kpop style very much realized naturally hand in hand with them. With a natural effective bit of the dramatic ballad interlude of the meaning of the message, with the simpler instrumentation building up potently again to the chorus before the other effective segue in the final striking outro.
Time for an unpopular confession, I actually don’t love this sequence. I get the idea, get the concept, like that concept in theory but actually found it took me out of the moment in its execution. Anyway, the main part of the song actually is pretty simple, I think it does its job but is a bit repetitive and could give you a bit more variation in the straightforward instrumentation and lyrics. Then of course the song goes into the mixing, which certain is a lot of sounds together, though I don’t think it really builds to some masterful tapestry of the new and old, rather different ideas some I find work better than others, until it leads to the final outro ethereal bit that is pretty good.
Love the idea of the song, love the idea of Nick Cave getting an Oscar nomination, unfortunately I don’t love the song. The “I’ve seen” lyrics I just don’t think are quite poetic enough for what it is going for and it doesn’t really flow perfectly for me. Do love the idea of him speaking these memories essentially over Dessner’s beautiful ethereal score that does feel like a timeless dream even if the end result is imperfect to me.
Speaking of imperfect, I think it wants to be a classic operatic Aria, but sounds more like a reject from Phantom of the Opera. Find it is all over the place in attempting to, and really failing, to recreate that style sound less like a cohesive whole and more of somewhat disparate ideas to find a proper operatic song that it never discovers.
But it is better than Dear Me, with the most rote lyrics you’ll ever find, repetitive as usual, and the same basic choices as any other random Warren ballad you might name. This one is especially tired and forgettable, among so many of her recent ones that have been so forgettable.
1. Jurassic World: Rebirth 2. F1 3. Avatar: Fire and Ash 4. Sinners 5. The Lost Bus
Honestly the one thing Edwards does well is film with CGI, and thought he made the dinosaurs here look more tangible than in any of the other sequels. Of course we also get the stupid looking mutant design wise but still well realized by the CGI.
F1 had quite a bit of CGI actually, but within the film I found it quite invisible and just a natural part of every other aspect of the race scenes.
I’m told Avatar should be the highest no matter what, but honestly I don’t think the human Na’Vi interaction is all that amazing. And otherwise it is a videogame, so give it to Pixar then, and for me not the most interesting looking video game.
Sinners work overall is fairly subtle with some CGI monster highlights here and there, and effective additions. And of course the twin work was wholly convincing as well.
The Lost Bus honestly doesn’t have the most convincing fire, and the VFX I think did fail to feel more like everyone was within some CGI greenscreen much of the time.
1. Marty Supreme 2. One Battle After Another 3. Sentimental Value 4. F1 5. Sinners
Well no one should be surprised by my choice, as I love a film that grips you and doesn’t let go, where Marty’s editing is fundamental to the success of this approach. It just makes you run along right with it, and just keeps it going as that adrenaline pumping, which is fundamentally realized in the editing. Editing that never feels rushed, but nonetheless keeps you constantly on the right kind of edge as it places you right into Marty’s own frame of mind through each choice. Particularly looking at its combination with the score (which is a huge snub for me), which again the way it drops as we cut to seeing Endo is why I love film.
One Battle is amazing editing because the film is long, yet not for a moment did it feel long, despite also having a very distinct pace where it very much plays around with longer moments purposefully but then ramps up to kinetic moments. Yet never do these changes feel arbitrary, instead the way it is edited carries you so eloquently through these shifts, and makes it feel just like such a natural journey.
Sentimental Value definitely is a top five editing style nominee where there is nothing within the film that screams “edited”, but for me it is good editing in terms of what that often helps to craft feeling, such as in the narrated montage, connection within certain character moments where editing is always important particularly in capturing both interaction and reaction, and just finding the rhythm of the overall piece, which I think is gradual yet with an effective rate of progression.
F1 vrooom Vrooom wait that’s sound. The races are all edited very well together. They certainly are all cohesively realized, with key character reactions and such, the whole sports film playbook. But I think outside of the races there are moments where it drags in character interaction and honestly one where maybe cutting a couple races/moments wouldn’t really have hurt the film given its overall simplicity.
Sinners I think on the whole has good editing but it is one where I think there is something imperfect within the pacing. As much as the film is long, and there are moments I think of gradual pacing where the editing plays into the act effectively, I always have found that the final battle seems so rushed in parts, despite the last act also making the film feel its length. Partly this is the script trying to wrap everything up, but there is some balance lost within the vampire battle between character moments and the direct action. It’s not poorly edited ever mind you, but it feels like there could have been some medium, given the editing does make it feel “I guess they’re dead”, but not in a way that shows brutality, but just a “well that seemed a bit too quick”.
Mike: I liked Infiniti, its just maybe that I kinda had a feeling Hudson would get in and I liked her actually and I would rather see Renate Reinsve get nominated over Infiniti, I'm playing the overdue first nomination card.
Mike: I expected Infiniti to miss so I'm not as beaten up over it, though I was still disappointed to see her miss since she's my personal #2 for Lead Actress (Byrne's my first).
1. Sinners 2. Bugonia 3. Frankenstein 4. One Battle After Another 5. Hamnet
Sinners has a great score as it very much plays with a period design in a modern way that wholly works to crafting a horror aesthetic. As you have aspects of southern instrumentation of sorts in the calmer moments, though even then very much twisted towards a modern style that just becomes the “Sinners” style. With such fantastic moments throughout the score, particularly the electric guitar that denotes basically the Remmick interruption each time. Captivating work that is very much a character all on its own.
Bugonia I find is similar in that it very much realizes a character though in this instance making us party to the mind of Plemons’s character. Something where there is a brilliant disjointed quality where you sense is fueled by paranoia and moments where the score rages just in the way he does. Not a typical anger though something more fundamental and frankly insane in such a way through Fendrix’s totally unexpected if not wholly loony instrumental choices.
Frankenstein’s score is fundamental to the film and I’d wager if you love the film you love Desplat’s score if you don't do well, too bad. Anyway total bombast as Desplat threw everything in on it to make it as ludicrously operatic as possible whenever we are touching on the idea of building the creature where it matches not just the lunacy of Victor, but also the “fancy” of the man too. As it randomly segues into a waltz just as easily and is wholly overbearing in a way that I absolutely loved.
One Battle is a pretty specific score by Greenwood, one that it is harder to name how the pieces go, but fundamental in creating the specific mood and really rhythm of the film. It's a score that you get caught up in as it just moves along with this specific intensity and matches the film in every swing so naturally.
Richter’s work here I think is good with just creating a general atmosphere. I’d say there’s only really one piece that really sounds out, which is the recitation work, that has a more directly melodic quality that is striking. I will say though while I still thought the use of his On the Nature of Daylight worked, I wouldn’t have been opposed if Richter had tried to come up with some new masterpiece for the moment. Regardless he didn’t and it’s a good score, but not a great one.
1. Train Dreams 2. One Battle After Another 3. Marty Supreme 4. Sinners 5. Frankenstein
So glad Train Drams got in here so consistently because the work is just stunning. Realizing the beauty of nature in just one amazing shot after another that reflects in its natural looking approach, though natural in that every time you look out in nature it just happens to be one of those days where everything looks amazing. It isn’t all about being pretty, as pretty as it is, though as it does also fashion such striking shots of the mood, such as the titular dreams where the cinematography goes even further in crafting the beauty the man sees yet also the images he is haunted by.
One Battle is one that is largely about the movement of the camera, though of course making sure what’s in the movement still looks good with consistently dynamic framing and composition. You get that though with the especially dynamic and fluid movement. And it is particularly fascinating because it is such a reworking or at least challenging of the Anderson style by being specifically action style choices but in a whole new Andersonian way brilliantly captured by Bauman’s work that makes it all look easy, though I’m sure it was not.
Marty Supreme is great work though a bit unexpected it went so far given this is largely about the smaller scale shots in a Gordon Willis 70’s style invoking way. Brilliantly so in again creating an intimacy in the lurid world where there is a specific emphasis on grit, along with its own striking moments of more direct movement of the camera that is also part of crafting the film’s specific momentum. It isn’t frequently showing work though there are certainly beautiful shots in there, so I love the nomination for recognizing its particular success.
Sinners I’ll begin with a small bit of negativity where I think in the final fight there’s occasionally where I think the use of darkness is just a little too obscured and clarity is maybe sacrificed just a bit. That’s it though because otherwise it is a beautiful looking film, with some particular standout shots that emphasize the mood of the vampires, whether it is the red eyes in the dark, the rising daylight of other moments or the setting sun Remmick runs from. Along with just some captivating moments of movement and just some truly remarkably crafted shots.
I’m told by the internet that I supposed to hate Frankenstein’s cinematography, though a little weird for me as I recall it looking pretty captivating in the theater, grandiose, and unreal, sure but in a way I frequently found quite eye catching in its grandiosity, particular say the final shot of the horizon, or the moments designed just to emphasize the size of the spectacle.
73 comments:
DELROY LINDO 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤
1) Elordi
2) Penn
3) Skarsgard
4) Del Toro
5) Lindo
1. Penn
2. Del Toro
3. Skarsgård
4. Elordi
5. Lindo
i liked Lindo a lot, but his coughing scene was too much (i actually thought he was fucking with them) and his exit scene was rushed (though then again that's for most of the characters in that movie)
1. Skarsgard
2. Elordi
3. Penn
4. Del Toro
5. Lindo
1. Skarsgard
2. Elordi
3. Penn
4. Del Toro
5. Lindo
1. Skarsgard
2. Elordi
3. Penn
4. Del Toro
5. Lindo
Shocked by Mescal miss, but can't deny it's great to see Lindo get his dues.
1. Skarsgård
2. Penn
3. Elordi
4. Del Toro
5. Lindo
1. Skarsgärd
2. Elordi
3. Penn
4. Del Toro
5. Lindo
1. Skarsgard
2. Elordi
3. Penn
4. Del Toro
5. Lindo
LOL to F1 getting in for Best Picture. Come on, guys.
1. Skarsgård
2. Penn
3. Del Toro
4. Elordi
5. Lindo
I'm happy about Lindo's recognition, just wish it hadn't happened at Mescal's expense.
Doing a minor switchup
1. Penn
2. Elordi
3. Skarsgard
4. del Toro
5. Lindo
1. Skarsgard
2. Penn
3. Elordi
4. Del Toro
5. Lindo
1. Skarsard
2. Elordi
3. Penn
4. Del Toro
5. Lindo
Neon failed It Was Just an Accident and No Other Choice so fucking hard. I'm pissy.
Emi: What’s weird is both of those films came to my area, but Secret Agent still hasn’t. I do not understand their distribution choices.
Cool with the Mescal miss because Lindo was actually supporting.
1. Stellan Skarsgård
2. Sean Penn
3. Delroy Lindo
4. Benicio Del Toro
5. Jacob Elordi
Emi: No Other Choice was not gonna get in no matter what. It's seeming more and more that Parasite was a fluke.
Delighted by Delroy Lindo's inclusion and all the Sentimental Value ladies making it. Kinda bummed about No Other Choice missing out on International Feature though.
1. Skarsgard
2. Penn
3. Elordi
4. Del Toro
5. Lindo
Same! Actually...
ACTRESS
1. Stone
2. Byrne
3. Reinsve
4. Buckley
5. Hudson
Matt: I know... I didn't include it in my predictions. It still irks me, though.
I Predict
SUP ACTRESS
1. Lilleaas
2. Madigan
3. Taylor
4. Fanning
5. Mosaku
In all that excitement, only just realized Chase Infiniti missed out in Best Actress too, damn....
My predictions for the ladies:
Lead Actress
1. Byrne
2. Reinsve
3. Stone
4. Buckley
5. Hudson
Supporting Actress
1. Lilleaas
2. Taylor
3. Madigan
4. Fanning
5. Mosaku
Sinners smashed the nomination record.
I think it's time to realise the Academy just has a thing against Korean cinema and that Parasite really was just that undeniable. Justice for Park Chan-wook & co.
Anyway, most happy for The Secret Agent, especially Moura, and Delroy Lindo was the most pleasant surprise. Shame Infiniti couldn't get in.
*Yawn* What'd I miss?
1. Penn
2. Elordi
3. Skarsgård
4. Del Toro
5. Lindo
Luke: am not too happy about that actually
1. Elordi
2. Penn
3. Skarsgard
4. del Toro
5. Lindo
Fantastic lineup, probably the best one; Skarsgard is my least favourite performance and that's more to do with me liking the film on the whole the least.
Also here's how I would personally rank them:
1. Penn
2. Skarsgård
3. Elordi (category frauuuuud...)
4. Lindo
5. Del Toro
Also on the brighter side, No Other Choice is already doing incredible numbers box-office wise so it wouldn't really have needed an awards push anyway to get exposure (sorry guys I'm coping real hard here). I hope this means for a bigger The Secret Agent push, I really need more of y'all to see it.
Okay let’s get started:
International Feature:
1. Sentimental Value
2. The Secret Agent
3. Sirat
4. The Voice of Hind Rajab
5. It Was Just An Accident
No Other Choice robbed…as expected.
Sound:
1. Sirat
2. Sinners
3. F1
4. Frankenstein
5. One Battle
Very inspired and deserved nomination for Sirat. Where the sound is so much of the film, from the usage of the score which works as so many different ways in terms of its impact as dance music, to mental pounding intensity, to the sense of danger, to this interweaving that together is just captivating work throughout which defines the film in so many ways.
Sinners is a combination of some striking horror work in terms of the visceria, some moments of spooky careful usage of sound, and of course the musical sequences where the sound design is pivotal in crafting the mood far beyond just playing the song.
F1 VROOOM VROOOM VROOM, those vrooms sound good and certainly place you into the visceral intensity of the race each time and every bit of business therein.
Frankenstein very much goes about the grandiose in every way right down to the way the score is mixed to be as loud as possible more often than not, and I have no complaints of that. Rather goes along then with the newly crafted “Frankensteian” sounds of the thunder, monster mania, and a bit of explosive destruction.
One Battle is also strong work with the use of Greenwood’s score being very much essential in the way it intertwines mood so specifically with careful attention to the sound of the communal environment frequently, and of course does have its own fair share of striking bullets and explosions.
Makeup & Hairstyling:
1. The Ugly Stepsister
2. Frankenstein
3. Sinners
4. The Smashing Machine
The Ugly Stepsister is an amazing nomination, as you do get great bits of horrible grotesquery, but you also get a genius transformation, where you don’t notice the initial makeup so when it is removed you notice that someone was wearing heavy makeup and you just believed them at that person. Exceptional work in both being striking, visible and invisible.
Frankenstein is largely about the design, which I liked as the crafted man, though I think with the intention to craft more so a god essentially than a man. Convincing as such and one where you just accept the makeup wholly. Some other more subtle work, like Goth’s two versions, was also strong work.
Sinners is also strong work largely for the increasing grotesquery of Jack O’Connell vampire who gets more and more gnarly in an effective way, along with some proper grotesque wounds and such.
The Rock looked like a guy who had makeup on his face rather than Mark Kerr so didn’t find this work particularly impressive.
1. Skarsgard
2. Penn
3. Elordi
4. del Toro
5. Lindo
I think it’s amusing that eight out of the ten of Louis’ picks for last year got nominated for best picture today. Not saying it’s bad at all. Just amusing to see
Costume Design:
1. Frankenstein
2. Sinners
3. Hamnet
4. Marty Supreme
5. Avatar: Fire and Ash
Frankenstein is all about constant showboating with the generalized period with just the most extreme color choices and just extravagance with everything to do with the wealthy. And I love just the ludicrousness of the costumes, similar to 92 Dracula in that sense though not quite on that level, though works for me with the extreme of that. Although I think balanced with the more subtle more still striking work of the shrouded monster and the more common folk clothing.
Sinners is a great period with work with the right flashes of style. As much of it is straightforward to represent each from the time period but with striking choices such as the color coding of the brothers and just the specific design of the flapper dresses.
Hamnet I think is purposefully quite low key to the period as it really doesn’t go for flash even for the theater performers, though some nice subtle difference in the slightly less lived in presentation of those costumes. Otherwise that is what the film is going for, a little flash with Agnes’s red dress that stands out with purpose, but otherwise convincing to create a more down to earth non-aristocratic version of the period than say Shakespeare in Love.
Marty Supreme isn’t showing off trying on believable 50’s costumes for the most part, other than Paltrow who is showing off in the right way to her character and striking in what she wears. Marty himself has a certain style, that in many ways is low key yet still speaks to his character. Good solid crafted work.
Avatar what the hell??????? Are we counting the CGI costumes, because even those are mainly loincloths. But there’s also Spider’s loincloth, which looked the same as last time, just like those same military uniforms we saw for the humans. An utterly baffling nomination in every sense.
1. Penn
2. Skarsgård
3. Elordi
4. Del Toro
5. Lindo
Luke, who do you predict for the alternate lead lineup.
Was kinda hoping Wake Up Dead Man could sneak into Adapted Screenplay. It would've been more deserving than the nomination Glass Onion got.
Hoffman/Jonsson
Plemons
Edgerton
O'Connor
Lee
Isaac
Mescal
Aramayo
Dirisu (if he sees it before then)
Lopez/Strathairn/O'Brien
Day-Lewis will either be a special write-up or not due to an unwillingness to revisit Anemone.
Production Design:
1. Frankenstein
2. Marty Supreme
3. Hamnet
4. Sinners
5. One Battle After Another
Frankenstein like its costumes is all about the bombast, with almost every set very much emphasizing an over the top fantastical version of the period, again not reality but heightened mania. And again wholly worked for me as crafting this version as very much a fantastical world of Victor Frankenstein, though again we get more subtle down to earth work when we get to the monster’s journey, which provides a nice balance.
Loved Fisk’s work for Marty Supreme which isn’t about transporting to the fantasy of the period, but just being tossed into any old dirty back alley of the period. The lurid detail of every little place we visit is just so perfect in realizing not just period but also the specific less than refined areas Marty finds himself in. Though it also does a strong job in making those few refined areas he goes to just as striking and tangible.
Hamnet is very low key work for a period piece, but again to emphasize that these are not the rich from the time and place. It is all good in creating these sparer elements convincingly, along with a bit more as we do see the city, still low key but convincing, until the Globe itself which is a great set that earns its spot as essentially the climactic piece from the PD, and still not too much of a show off, but ups the ante just enough.
Sinners is about a few pivotal sets, each striking in their own way. The town has a very lived natural quality to the period, the ginjoint being the big set that is both simple but grand in the right combo fitting the nature of the business enterprise, and all the other brief places being wholly convincing to the period.
One Battle is a lot of different random bits of work, a lot of in crafting just lurid spaces, however all very compelling in their reality but also specificity such as the “underground” chambers of Del Toro’s character. But you also have other striking work such as the Sisters compound or the Christmas adventure club bunker that are memorable even if not too showoffy.
1. Mescal – 5 (shockingly snubbed!)
1. Skarsgård – 5
2. Elordi – 4/4.5
3. Del Toro – 4/4.5
4. Penn – 4
5. Lindo – 4
Luke, who do you predict for the alternate supporting lineup.
Anonymous: Just to be fair to the category, he'll probably do about 7 to 8 reviews due to Skarsgard and Elordi's nominations.
Crowe
O'Connell
Jupe
Marty Supreme Ensemble
Mullan
O'Brien
Wright
Leguizamo
Pretty good nominations overall I think. I always love first time nominees.
I have this funny feeling that Sean Penn will win, it'd make for a great comeback story considering his mostly poor record.
1. Penn
2. Skarsgard
3. Elordi
4. Del Toro
5. Lindo
Song:
1. “Golden” - Kpop Demon Hunters
2. “I Lied To You” - Sinners
3. “Train Dreams” - Train Dreams
4. “Sweet Dreams of Joy” - Viva Verdi
5. “Dear Me” - Diane Warren: Relentless
The funny thing is I actually would probably put Golden as like the 4th best song in the film, but it is what it is. It’s still quite the catchy song regardless with very much character based lyrics that work naturally with the syncopation of the Kpop style very much realized naturally hand in hand with them. With a natural effective bit of the dramatic ballad interlude of the meaning of the message, with the simpler instrumentation building up potently again to the chorus before the other effective segue in the final striking outro.
Time for an unpopular confession, I actually don’t love this sequence. I get the idea, get the concept, like that concept in theory but actually found it took me out of the moment in its execution. Anyway, the main part of the song actually is pretty simple, I think it does its job but is a bit repetitive and could give you a bit more variation in the straightforward instrumentation and lyrics. Then of course the song goes into the mixing, which certain is a lot of sounds together, though I don’t think it really builds to some masterful tapestry of the new and old, rather different ideas some I find work better than others, until it leads to the final outro ethereal bit that is pretty good.
Love the idea of the song, love the idea of Nick Cave getting an Oscar nomination, unfortunately I don’t love the song. The “I’ve seen” lyrics I just don’t think are quite poetic enough for what it is going for and it doesn’t really flow perfectly for me. Do love the idea of him speaking these memories essentially over Dessner’s beautiful ethereal score that does feel like a timeless dream even if the end result is imperfect to me.
Speaking of imperfect, I think it wants to be a classic operatic Aria, but sounds more like a reject from Phantom of the Opera. Find it is all over the place in attempting to, and really failing, to recreate that style sound less like a cohesive whole and more of somewhat disparate ideas to find a proper operatic song that it never discovers.
But it is better than Dear Me, with the most rote lyrics you’ll ever find, repetitive as usual, and the same basic choices as any other random Warren ballad you might name. This one is especially tired and forgettable, among so many of her recent ones that have been so forgettable.
VFX:
1. Jurassic World: Rebirth
2. F1
3. Avatar: Fire and Ash
4. Sinners
5. The Lost Bus
Honestly the one thing Edwards does well is film with CGI, and thought he made the dinosaurs here look more tangible than in any of the other sequels. Of course we also get the stupid looking mutant design wise but still well realized by the CGI.
F1 had quite a bit of CGI actually, but within the film I found it quite invisible and just a natural part of every other aspect of the race scenes.
I’m told Avatar should be the highest no matter what, but honestly I don’t think the human Na’Vi interaction is all that amazing. And otherwise it is a videogame, so give it to Pixar then, and for me not the most interesting looking video game.
Sinners work overall is fairly subtle with some CGI monster highlights here and there, and effective additions. And of course the twin work was wholly convincing as well.
The Lost Bus honestly doesn’t have the most convincing fire, and the VFX I think did fail to feel more like everyone was within some CGI greenscreen much of the time.
5º Delroy Lindo
4º Benicio Del Toro
3º Jacob Elordi
2º Stellan Skarsgård
1º Sean Penn
Any saves you want to dump now?
Robert:
I will soon.
Definitely don't need to hold onto Johnson, Clooney and Sandler. Anyone that's a 4 or more should keep till the alternate lineups.
John Smith:
1.Penn
2.Skarsgard
3. Elordi
4.Del Toro
5.Lindo
No one seems to care for Infiniti's snub :)
Anonymous: I'll go with Lopez for the 10th spot due to Sirat having the higher profile.
Editing:
1. Marty Supreme
2. One Battle After Another
3. Sentimental Value
4. F1
5. Sinners
Well no one should be surprised by my choice, as I love a film that grips you and doesn’t let go, where Marty’s editing is fundamental to the success of this approach. It just makes you run along right with it, and just keeps it going as that adrenaline pumping, which is fundamentally realized in the editing. Editing that never feels rushed, but nonetheless keeps you constantly on the right kind of edge as it places you right into Marty’s own frame of mind through each choice. Particularly looking at its combination with the score (which is a huge snub for me), which again the way it drops as we cut to seeing Endo is why I love film.
One Battle is amazing editing because the film is long, yet not for a moment did it feel long, despite also having a very distinct pace where it very much plays around with longer moments purposefully but then ramps up to kinetic moments. Yet never do these changes feel arbitrary, instead the way it is edited carries you so eloquently through these shifts, and makes it feel just like such a natural journey.
Sentimental Value definitely is a top five editing style nominee where there is nothing within the film that screams “edited”, but for me it is good editing in terms of what that often helps to craft feeling, such as in the narrated montage, connection within certain character moments where editing is always important particularly in capturing both interaction and reaction, and just finding the rhythm of the overall piece, which I think is gradual yet with an effective rate of progression.
F1 vrooom Vrooom wait that’s sound. The races are all edited very well together. They certainly are all cohesively realized, with key character reactions and such, the whole sports film playbook. But I think outside of the races there are moments where it drags in character interaction and honestly one where maybe cutting a couple races/moments wouldn’t really have hurt the film given its overall simplicity.
Sinners I think on the whole has good editing but it is one where I think there is something imperfect within the pacing. As much as the film is long, and there are moments I think of gradual pacing where the editing plays into the act effectively, I always have found that the final battle seems so rushed in parts, despite the last act also making the film feel its length. Partly this is the script trying to wrap everything up, but there is some balance lost within the vampire battle between character moments and the direct action. It’s not poorly edited ever mind you, but it feels like there could have been some medium, given the editing does make it feel “I guess they’re dead”, but not in a way that shows brutality, but just a “well that seemed a bit too quick”.
Mike: I'll be honest, I thought Hudson was better.
Mike: I do, but it's like the 4th thing I'm most irked about this morning.
Mike: I liked Infiniti, its just maybe that I kinda had a feeling Hudson would get in and I liked her actually and I would rather see Renate Reinsve get nominated over Infiniti, I'm playing the overdue first nomination card.
Mike: I haven't seen Hudson, but I am quite disappointed Infiniti missed out.
Mike: I expected Infiniti to miss so I'm not as beaten up over it, though I was still disappointed to see her miss since she's my personal #2 for Lead Actress (Byrne's my first).
I'm expecting Louis to have both Buckley and Byrne tied for the time being since they're both top 2 overall.
Score:
1. Sinners
2. Bugonia
3. Frankenstein
4. One Battle After Another
5. Hamnet
Sinners has a great score as it very much plays with a period design in a modern way that wholly works to crafting a horror aesthetic. As you have aspects of southern instrumentation of sorts in the calmer moments, though even then very much twisted towards a modern style that just becomes the “Sinners” style. With such fantastic moments throughout the score, particularly the electric guitar that denotes basically the Remmick interruption each time. Captivating work that is very much a character all on its own.
Bugonia I find is similar in that it very much realizes a character though in this instance making us party to the mind of Plemons’s character. Something where there is a brilliant disjointed quality where you sense is fueled by paranoia and moments where the score rages just in the way he does. Not a typical anger though something more fundamental and frankly insane in such a way through Fendrix’s totally unexpected if not wholly loony instrumental choices.
Frankenstein’s score is fundamental to the film and I’d wager if you love the film you love Desplat’s score if you don't do well, too bad. Anyway total bombast as Desplat threw everything in on it to make it as ludicrously operatic as possible whenever we are touching on the idea of building the creature where it matches not just the lunacy of Victor, but also the “fancy” of the man too. As it randomly segues into a waltz just as easily and is wholly overbearing in a way that I absolutely loved.
One Battle is a pretty specific score by Greenwood, one that it is harder to name how the pieces go, but fundamental in creating the specific mood and really rhythm of the film. It's a score that you get caught up in as it just moves along with this specific intensity and matches the film in every swing so naturally.
Richter’s work here I think is good with just creating a general atmosphere. I’d say there’s only really one piece that really sounds out, which is the recitation work, that has a more directly melodic quality that is striking. I will say though while I still thought the use of his On the Nature of Daylight worked, I wouldn’t have been opposed if Richter had tried to come up with some new masterpiece for the moment. Regardless he didn’t and it’s a good score, but not a great one.
1. Skarsgard
2. Elordi
3. Penn
4. Del Toro
5. Lindo
One thing I like, not a single bad acting nominee, plus 11 first time nominees.
I remember the 2023 ceremony had 16/20 first-timers.
Avatar 3's costume design nomination is fucking hilarious.
Cinematography:
1. Train Dreams
2. One Battle After Another
3. Marty Supreme
4. Sinners
5. Frankenstein
So glad Train Drams got in here so consistently because the work is just stunning. Realizing the beauty of nature in just one amazing shot after another that reflects in its natural looking approach, though natural in that every time you look out in nature it just happens to be one of those days where everything looks amazing. It isn’t all about being pretty, as pretty as it is, though as it does also fashion such striking shots of the mood, such as the titular dreams where the cinematography goes even further in crafting the beauty the man sees yet also the images he is haunted by.
One Battle is one that is largely about the movement of the camera, though of course making sure what’s in the movement still looks good with consistently dynamic framing and composition. You get that though with the especially dynamic and fluid movement. And it is particularly fascinating because it is such a reworking or at least challenging of the Anderson style by being specifically action style choices but in a whole new Andersonian way brilliantly captured by Bauman’s work that makes it all look easy, though I’m sure it was not.
Marty Supreme is great work though a bit unexpected it went so far given this is largely about the smaller scale shots in a Gordon Willis 70’s style invoking way. Brilliantly so in again creating an intimacy in the lurid world where there is a specific emphasis on grit, along with its own striking moments of more direct movement of the camera that is also part of crafting the film’s specific momentum. It isn’t frequently showing work though there are certainly beautiful shots in there, so I love the nomination for recognizing its particular success.
Sinners I’ll begin with a small bit of negativity where I think in the final fight there’s occasionally where I think the use of darkness is just a little too obscured and clarity is maybe sacrificed just a bit. That’s it though because otherwise it is a beautiful looking film, with some particular standout shots that emphasize the mood of the vampires, whether it is the red eyes in the dark, the rising daylight of other moments or the setting sun Remmick runs from. Along with just some captivating moments of movement and just some truly remarkably crafted shots.
I’m told by the internet that I supposed to hate Frankenstein’s cinematography, though a little weird for me as I recall it looking pretty captivating in the theater, grandiose, and unreal, sure but in a way I frequently found quite eye catching in its grandiosity, particular say the final shot of the horizon, or the moments designed just to emphasize the size of the spectacle.
Shocked by the total snub of Wicked For Good, nothing for costumes or production design.
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