We get to see more of Naomi Ackie as Whitney in this trailer, at least in her speaking voice. I do not trust that “from the writers of Bohemian Rhapsody'“ tagline (for me that’s really not a plus) and it still bugs me just how remarkably unlike Whitney Ackie looks (could they have found anyone who looks less like the actual person here?) But people love a biopic, so we’ll see. The Best Actress field is getting pretty damn crowded.
'Pinocchio' is Reimagined By Guillermo del Toro
Now this I can’t WAIT for. It’s already been raved about after screening at the London Film Festival, so much so that Netflix thinks it has a chance to get it considered for Best Picture, not just the Animated Feature award. In a field of ten it probably does have a chance for that, and it’s obviously something special, both in terms of visuals and story (it certainly doesn’t make you recall the original Disney Pinocchio, which got a horrifying DIsney + remake this year that came and went in a spectacular flameout). It’s on Netflix starting December 9th. Mark your calendars for this one.
Bill Nighy Goes for the Gold in 'Living'
It makes me sad that the adult audience has basically disappeared from movie theaters entirely since COVID. I can’t blame them when movies come out so fast now to VOD and streaming, but it bodes ill for the future of non IP-related films from any studio, no matter who the stars or directors are. As a movie fan, it’s disheartening. This one is a clear example of a movie that might have had an audience not so long ago but will now probably come and go without notice, except possibly for Bill Nighy’s performance by his fellow actors. Sigh.
'Avatar: The Way of Water' Gets a Final Trailer
I don’t remember what happened at the end of the first Avatar and I’m not into it enough to go back and revisit. It looks like Jake Sully is back in blue form with kids now, but boy was he the dullest character ever put on the silver screen. To me the big curiosity about this remains whether or not it’ll be the genuine phenomenon it was the first time around, at least in terms of box office. Maybe it will, who knows? I’ll probably wait to see it after it’s out of theaters though.
Meet John Wick's Family in 'John Wick 4'
Just when I think the crazy ass John Wick universe might be paying diminishing returns, they imply in this trailer we get to meet his family. Now that’s interesting. These movies remain popular nonetheless, so I’m guessing it’ll be a hit no matter what. But these days I find that excessive gun violence onscreen bothers me more than it used to. Maybe I’m done with the glorification of it simply for entertainment purposes.
Channing Tatum Returns in 'Magic Mike's Last Dance'
I have to admit, I was kind of excited that the Magic Mike series was getting a new, presumably final entry. And even though it was first announced as going straight to HBO Max, I was happier to learn that that decision was reconsidered and the film will now be a theatrical release after all. The story looks somewhat surprising, as it seems Mike is headed to London to literally “put on a show” in the old school, musical plot style, but that’s best for doing what the series does best- putting on big, sexy dance numbers. Can’t wait!
New Trailer for 'Empire of Light' Lauds Olivia Colman's Performance
Empire of Light, Sam Mendes’s semi-autobiographical story, was rumored to be an Oscar frontrunner but has been met with mixed reviews so far, even though Olivia Colman has been praised to the skies for her performance (as she always is, right?) When the movie finally comes out in December, we’ll see if the new round of reviews launches it back into the awards conversation.
Final 'Glass Onion' Trailer Shows Off a Big Cast and New Mystery
Daniel Craig returns with his crazy Foghorn Leghorn accent as Benoit Blanc, the Hercule Poirot inspired detective who gets caught up in murder mysteries by accident. I don’t know that I needed a sequel to Knives Out, but hopefully it’ll be good. Netflix had indicated this was going to be its first wide theatrical release, but apparently for “one week only” as it comes on the streamer December 23rd. Big whoop.
Could this be Cate Blanchett’s third Oscar win?
Gotham Nominations Honor 'Tar' and 'Aftersun'
Could this be Cate Blanchett’s third Oscar win?
The first award nominations of the season are here! I like to think of these guys as the precursors to the Indie Spirits more than any other group- these are limited to movies made for under $30 million, so they’re always small and most won’t show up at the Oscars or anywhere else. But some of the actors may make their way to a bigger stage, like last year’s Supporting winner, Troy Kotsur from CODA. It’s the first hint of what critics liked most this year, which seems to be Tar and the just released, critically raved Aftersun, starring Paul Mescal. Have to add that to my list. Other favorites are Women Talking and Everything, Everywhere, All At Once, which is bound for Oscar attention as well. And the Gothams no longer have gendered categories, which the Indie Spirits have decided to do away with as well, and now the LA Critics have jumped onboard with that, so we can all see where this is headed for the rest of them. It’s hard to imagine Oscars getting rid of Best Actor and Best Actress (or the Golden Globes or other major televised awards bodies), but I’m sure eventually this is where it’s all headed.
2022 GOTHAM AWARD NOMINATIONS
Best Feature
“Aftersun”
“The Cathedral”
“Dos Estaciones”
“Everything Everywhere All at Once”
“TÁR”
Best Documentary Feature
“All That Breathes”
“All the Beauty and the Bloodshed”
“I Didn’t See You There”
“The Territory”
“What We Leave Behind”
Best International Feature
“Athena”
“The Banshees of Inisherin”
“Corsage”
“Decision to Leave”
“Happening”
“Saint Omer”
Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award
Charlotte Wells for “Aftersun”
Owen Kline for “Funny Pages”
Elegance Bratton for “The Inspection”
Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovi for “Murina”
Beth de Araújo for “Soft & Quiet”
Jane Schoenbrun for “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair”
Best Screenplay
“After Yang,” Kogonada
“Armageddon Time,” James Gray
“Catherine Called Birdy,” Lena Dunham
“TÁR,” Todd Field
“Women Talking,” Sarah Polley
Outstanding Lead Performance
Cate Blanchett in “TÁR”
Danielle Deadwyler in “Till”
Dale Dickey in “A Love Song”
Colin Farrell in “After Yang”
Brendan Fraser in “The Whale”
Paul Mescal in “Aftersun”
Thandiwe Newton in “God’s Country”
Aubrey Plaza in “Emily the Criminal”
Taylor Russell in “Bones and All”
Michelle Yeoh in “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Outstanding Supporting Performance
Jessie Buckley in “Women Talking”
Raúl Castillo in “The Inspection”
Hong Chau in “The Whale”
Bryan Tyree Henry in “Causeway”
Nina Hoss in “TÁR”
Noémie Merlant in “TÁR”
Ke Huy Quan in “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Mark Rylance in “Bones and All”
Gabrielle Union in “The Inspection”
Ben Whishaw in “Women Talking”
Breakthrough Performer
Anna Cobb in “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair”
Frankie Corio in “Aftersun”
Anna Diop in “Nanny”
Gracija Filipovic in “Murina”
Kalie Reis in “Catch the Fair One”
Rave reviews for Aftersun, a debut feature film which seems destined for best of 2022 lists
'Quantumania' Trailer Brings Back MCU Villain Kang the Conqueror
I never liked any of the Ant-Man movies, so your mileage will probably vary on this trailer, based on how well you like that series. I will say that it doesn’t appear to be set in the grounded Ant-Man world and more of the all CGI, all the time world of Thor or something. Why do they all look like this now? But MCU fans will be happy that an overarching villain, ala Thanos, is back in the mix, with Jonathan Majors’s Kang the Conqueror, last seen in Loki Season 1. At least they’re finally doing something with that?
Michael B. Jordan Directs This Time in 'Creed III'
With no Stallone around this time to carry on the Rocky link (did they kill him off?) Michael B. Jordan strikes out on his own, directing and starring in the third installment in the Creed trilogy, due out next March. It doesn’t look too bad. People thought this one would have some link to Mr. T, for the third Rocky movie, but it looks like Jonathan Majors’s character is original.
A Stellar Cast in Sarah Polley's 'Women Talking'
I’m interested to see this but the first thing I noticed is all that needless color desaturation. Seriously, why would you want your movie to look like that? Jessie Buckley, Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Frances McDormand are just some of the names involved in this though, so I want to see it.
