Out in theaters today before its Netflix premiere on December 10th is The Unforgivable from director Nora Fingscheidt. A remake of the 2009 British miniseries Unforgiven, Sandra Bullock stars as a convicted felon adjusting to life on the outside. Costars include Vincent D’Onofrio, Jon Bernthal, Rob Morgan, and Viola Davis.
On paper, this looks like the type of role that could muster up awards chatter for Bullock. She’s a two-time nominee and one time winner, taking the gold 12 years ago for The Blind Side and nabbing a nod for 2013’s Gravity. However, the drama skipped the fall’s festival circuit and it’s been flying under the radar during the season.
Now we might know why. Early reviews aren’t very kind and it stands at 36% on Rotten Tomatoes. While some critics are praising her performance, the Best Actress competition is crowded already. Netflix might attract plenty of viewers (Bullock’s previous effort for the streamer was the hit Bird Box). I’m confident that we will not be blindsided by a nomination for its lead on the morning of nominations. My Oscar Prediction posts for the films of 2021 will continue…
For a not insignificant portion of The Protege‘s running time, the plot is incidental but also unclear. I found myself forgetting why assassin Anna (Maggie Q) was kicking the rear ends of the various henchmen of a shady and mysterious rich guy. There’s two of them actually as the main villain shifts from time to time. The more constant presence is Rembrandt (Michael Keaton), who also works for the crime syndicate but doesn’t fall victim to Anna’s skull crushing skills. She seems to want him around.
The interplay between them indicates a screenplay flirting with a desire to branch beyond its pulverizing 90s era action tropes. This feels like more of a direct to video title than a direct to streaming affair. Because of its similarities to that time period three decades ago, it only feels right that Samuel L. Jackson participates. He’s Moody and in a 1991 prologue, he rescues young Anna after her family is brutally murdered in her native Vietnam. Actually rescue is the wrong word. He finds her and becomes her mentor. It was Anna who exacted revenge on the killers.
Moody is an assassin for hire and since this is a movie, he generally only offs really evil people. Anna is a chip off the old block and they form a lucrative business exterminating such vermin. She masquerades as a rare book store owner in London and that’s when she first encounters Rembrandt. He’s mysteriously connected to a former mark of Moody’s. Just the mention of his name (Edward Davis) causes holes in people’s heads and it leads Anna back to ‘Nam to investigate.
The Protege is quick, violent, and nicely cast. Q is a convincing action heroine and the familiar faces of Keaton and Jackson are welcome… to a point. The Anna/Rembrandt dynamic feels alternately fascinating (there’s a nice little Heat restaurant type of sequence between them) or tiresome depending on which act we’ve reached. The “twists” aren’t too twisty when considering the actors playing the roles and the expected amount of screen time they’d be granted. Martin Campbell (best known for kicking off 007 eras with Goldeneye and Casino Royale) knows what he’s doing with action sequences though he’s absolutely done better.
This is a generic shoot-em-up that should partly satisfy cravings of genre enthusiasts who like it lean, mean, and rather dumb. With Keaton quipping, I kept expecting The Protege to enter self parody territory. It never does and if it had, we might be entering a guilty pleasure experience that hit harder. I wouldn’t call this bad by any means, but it’s not a blast either.
Five years ago, the Best Actress race at the Oscars came down to Emma Stone (La La Land) and Natalie Portman (Jackie) with the former taking the gold. That was no surprise but the category featured one of the more shocking omissions in recent Academy history.
Denis Villeneuve’s deservedly acclaimed sci-fi pic Arrival scored 8 nominations, including Picture, Director, and Adapted Screenplay. It won a sole award in Sound Editing. That was a nice haul, but the glue that held the whole film together somehow went unnoticed.
By 2016, Amy Adams had already received five nods – one in lead for 2013’s American Hustle and four supporting bids with 2005’s Junebug, 2008’s Doubt, 2010’s The Fighter, and 2012’s The Master. She had gone 0 for 5 but surely her extraordinary work in Arrival would mark a sixth attempt.
It didn’t happen. That’s despite being nominated at the Critics Choice Awards, Golden Globes, and SAG Awards. Besides Stone and Portman, the other three nominees were Isabelle Huppert (Elle), Ruth Negga (Loving), and Meryl Streep (Florence Foster Jenkins). This one is simple. Take out Streep. Put in Adams.
What’s even more remarkable is that after Arrival‘s ingenious twist ending, the performance of Adams becomes even more impressive and emotionally resonant on the rewatch. The actress would get her sixth nod three years later in supporting for Vice and I’d argue she didn’t deserve to make that final five. It should have arrived with Arrival and it stands as a massive snub.
Hollywood is hoping for a bountiful harvest over the long Turkey Day weekend. We have three newbies premiering: Disney’s animated Encanto, Ridley Scott’s murderous melodrama House of Gucci with Lady Gaga and Adam Driver, and franchise reboot Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City. You can peruse my detailed prediction posts on them here:
The Mouse Factory, as it has over numerous Thanksgiving frames in recent years, should top the charts… should. While I don’t have Encanto nearing the grosses that titles like Moana and Coco have accomplished for the holiday, my low 30s Friday to Sunday estimate has it edging out the sophomore weekend of Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
The latter had a start at the higher end of projections (more on that below) and if it falls in the high 30s, it could challenge Encanto for box office supremacy.
Gucci is a big question mark. I have it comfortably in third with a lower double digits take for the traditional weekend and close to $20 million for the five-day (all newcomers hit theaters on Wednesday). Gaga’s fans in particular could vault it to better numbers. On the other hand, mixed buzz could put it lower.
Resident Evil is a series that experienced its smallest opening weekend with its previous sixth installment The Final Chapter in 2016. It made just shy of $14 million. I’m not optimistic with Raccoon and I believe it could find itself in a close battle with Eternals for the four spot.
As for leftovers, Clifford the Big Red Dog and King Richard (after a disappointing premiere) are likely to post minimal declines. Yet both could fall outside the top five.
And with that, let’s do a top 7 this time around:
1. Encanto
Predicted Gross: $31.2 million (Friday to Sunday); $46.5 million (Wednesday to Sunday)
2. Ghostbusters: Afterlife
Predicted Gross: $27 million
3. House of Gucci
Predicted Gross: $12.3 million (Friday to Sunday); $19.8 million (Wednesday to Sunday)
4. Eternals
Predicted Gross: $7.9 million
5. Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City
Predicted Gross: $7.7 million (Friday to Sunday); $11.7 million (Wednesday to Sunday)
6. Clifford the Big Red Dog
Predicted Gross: $6.9 million
7. King Richard
Predicted Gross: $4.8 million
Box Office Results (November 19-21)
Ghostbustin’ made audiences feel good as the long in development sequel took in $44 million. As mentioned, that’s toward the top of prognostications and bodes well for a healthy run ahead. The sci-fi comedy drove past my $38.1 million estimate.
Eternals dropped to second after two weeks in first with $11 million (a touch below my $12.6 million take). The MCU fantasy stands at $136 million.
In third, Clifford the Big Red Dog slid a bit more than I figured in weekend #2 with $8.1 million (I went with $10.5 million). Total is $33 million.
I have to think Warner Bros. is questioning their choice to simultaneously release Will Smith’s sports drama King Richard on HBO Max. Serving up a weak fourth place debut, it made just $5.4 million. Not approaching my $9.2 million projection, it will hope for minimal declines ahead (and boffo HBO numbers).
Dune rounded out the top five with $3.1 million, below my $4.2 million prediction as it’s approaching the nine figure mark with $98 million.
Ten days makes a heckuva difference this time around for my Oscar predictions as there are updates in every major category expect Director! The biggest story: Being the Ricardos has established itself as a contender in numerous races based on initial screenings. We also have the rise of C’Mon C’Mon. These two pics have entered my ten Best Picture hopefuls and that’s to the detriment of Spencer and The Tragedy of Macbeth.
Additionally:
Nicole Kidman’s portrayal of Lucille Ball in Ricardos vaults 8 spots to #2 in Best Actress. Lady Gaga (House of Gucci) drops from the forecasted five.
Joaquin Phoenix (C’Mon C’Mon) is back in Best Actor and that displaces Peter Dinklage (Cyrano).
Ariana DeBose (West Side Story) hits the 5 spot in Supporting Actress and that takes out Ruth Negga (Passing).
I’ve replaced Jamie Dornan in Belfast with his costar Ciaran Hinds in Supporting Actor.
In the screenplay race, Ricardos is in and King Richard is out in Original. For Adapted – Dune gets in over Macbeth.
We also have movement in the top spots. In the wide open Supporting Actor derby, Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power of the Dog) jumps 4 spots to #1. Licorice Pizza replaces Belfast for first in Original Screenplay.
You can read all the movement below!
Best Picture
Predicted Nominees:
1. Belfast (Previous Ranking: 1) (E)
2. The Power of the Dog (PR: 2) (E)
3. Licorice Pizza (PR: 4) (+1)
4. Dune (PR: 5) (+1)
5. King Richard (PR: 3) (-2)
6. Nightmare Alley (PR: 6) (E)
7. Don’t Look Up (PR: 8) (+1)
8. West Side Story (PR: 7) (-1)
9. Being the Ricardos (PR: Not Ranked)
10. C’Mon C’Mon (PR: Not Ranked)
Other Possibilities:
11. The Tragedy of Macbeth (PR: 9) (-2)
12. CODA (PR: 14) (+2)
13. Spencer (PR: 10) (-3)
14. Flee (PR: 11) (-3)
15. Mass (PR: 15) (E)
Dropped Out:
Tick, Tick… Boom!
House of Gucci
Best Director
Predicted Nominees:
1. Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog (PR: 1) (E)
2. Kenneth Branagh, Belfast (PR: 2) (E)
3. Denis Villeneuve, Dune (PR: 4) (+1)
4. Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice Pizza (PR: 3) (-1)
5. Guillermo del Toro, Nightmare Alley (PR: 5) (E)
Other Possibilities:
6. Adam McKay, Don’t Look Up (PR: 8) (+2)
7. Steven Spielberg, West Side Story (PR: 6) (-1)
8. Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Flee (PR: 10) (+2)
9. Asghar Farhadi, A Hero (PR: Not Ranked)
10. Joel Coen, The Tragedy of Macbeth (PR: Not Ranked)
Dropped Out:
Pablo Larrain, Spencer
Reinaldo Marcus Green, King Richard
Best Actress
Predicted Nominees:
1. Kristen Stewart, Spencer (PR: 1) (E)
2. Nicole Kidman, Being the Ricardos (PR: 10) (+8)
3. Olivia Colman, The Lost Daughter (PR: 3) (E)
4. Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye (PR: 2) (-2)
5. Jennifer Hudson, Respect (PR: 5) (E)
Other Possibilities:
6. Lady Gaga, House of Gucci (PR: 4) (-2)
7. Penelope Cruz, Parallel Mothers (PR: 6) (-1)
8. Alan Haim, Licorice Pizza (PR: 8) (E)
9. Frances McDormand, The Tragedy of Macbeth (PR: 7) (-2)
10. Rachel Zegler, West Side Story (PR: 9) (-1)
Best Actor
Predicted Nominees:
1. Will Smith, King Richard (PR: 1) (E)
2. Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog (PR: 2) (E)
3. Denzel Washington, The Tragedy of Macbeth (PR: 4) (+1)
4. Andrew Garfield, Tick, Tick… Boom! (PR: 3) (-1)
5. Joaquin Phoenix, C’Mon C’Mon (PR: 6) (+1)
Other Possibilities:
6. Peter Dinklage, Cyrano (PR: 5) (-1)
7. Leonardo DiCaprio, Don’t Look Up (PR: 9) (+2)
8. Javier Bardem, Being the Ricardos (PR: Not Ranked)
9. Bradley Cooper, Nightmare Alley (PR: 7) (-2)
10. Nicolas Cage, Pig (PR: 8) (-2)
Dropped Out:
Jude Hill, Belfast
Best Supporting Actress
Predicted Nominees:
1. Caitriona Balfe, Belfast (PR: 1) (E)
2. Kirsten Dunst, The Power of the Dog (PR: 2) (E)
3. Aunjanue Ellis, King Richard (PR: 5) (+2)
4. Ann Dowd, Mass (PR: 3) (-1)
5. Ariana DeBose, West Side Story (PR: 6) (+1)
Other Possibilities:
6. Ruth Negga, Passing (PR: 4) (-2)
7. Nina Arianda, Being the Ricardos (PR: Not Ranked)
8. Judi Dench, Belfast (PR: 7) (-1)
9. Meryl Streep, Don’t Look Up (PR: 9) (E)
10. Marlee Matlin, CODA (PR: 8) (-2)
Dropped Out:
Jayne Houdyshell, The Humans
Best Supporting Actor
Predicted Nominees:
1. Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog (PR: 5) (+4)
2. Richard Jenkins, The Humans (PR: 2) (E)
3. Bradley Cooper, Licorice Pizza (PR: 1) (-2)
4. Jason Isaacs, Mass (PR: 4) (E)
5. Ciaran Hinds, Belfast (PR: 7) (+2)
Other Possibilities:
6. Jamie Dornan, Belfast (PR: 3) (-3)
7. Jared Leto, House of Gucci (PR: 6) (-1)
8. J.K. Simmons, Being the Ricardos (PR: Not Ranked)
9. Jon Bernthal, King Richard (PR: 8) (-1)
10. Troy Kotsur, CODA (PR: 9) (-1)
Dropped Out:
Ben Affleck, The Tender Bar
Best Original Screenplay
Predicted Nominees:
1. Licorice Pizza (PR: 2) (+1)
2. Belfast (PR: 1) (-1)
3. Being the Ricardos (PR: Not Ranked)
4. Don’t Look Up (PR: 4) (E)
5. C’Mon C’Mon (PR: 5) (E)
Other Possibilities:
6. King Richard (PR: 3) (-3)
7. Mass (PR: 6) (-1)
8. A Hero (PR: 8) (E)
9. The Worst Person in the World (PR: 9) (E)
10. Spencer (PR: 7) (-3)
Dropped Out:
Parallel Mothers
Best Adapted Screenplay
Predicted Nominees:
1. The Power of the Dog (PR: 1) (E)
2. Nightmare Alley (PR: 2) (E)
3. The Lost Daughter (PR: 4) (+1)
4. The Humans (PR: 3) (-1)
5. Dune (PR: 8) (+3)
Other Possibilities:
6. The Tragedy of Macbeth (PR: 5) (-1)
7. West Side Story (PR: 7) (E)
8. CODA (PR: 9) (+1)
9. Passing (PR: 6) (-3)
10. The Last Duel (PR: Not Ranked)
Dropped Out:
House of Gucci
Best Animated Feature
Predicted Nominees:
1. Flee (PR: 1) (E)
2. Encanto (PR: 2) (E)
3. The Mitchells vs. the Machines (PR: 3) (E)
4. Luca (PR: 4) (E)
5. Belle (PR: 5) (E)
Other Possibilities:
6. Raya and the Last Dragon (PR: 7) (+1)
7. The Summit of the Gods (PR: 6) (-1_
8. Ron’s Gone Wrong (PR: 8) (E)
9. Where Is Anne Frank (PR: 9) (E)
10. Charlotte (PR: 10) (E)
Best International Feature Film
Predicted Nominees:
1. A Hero (PR: 1) (E)
2. The Worst Person in the World (PR: 2) (E)
3. Flee (PR: 3) (E)
4. Drive My Car (PR: 4) (E)
5. The Hand of God (PR: 6) (+1)
Other Possibilities:
6. Titane (PR: 5) (-1)
7. I’m Your Man (PR: 7) (E)
8. Compartment No. 6 (PR: 8) (E)
9. Prayers for the Stolen (PR: Not Ranked)
10. Memoria (PR: 10) (E)
Dropped Out:
Great Freedom
Best Documentary Feature
Predicted Nominees:
1. The Rescue (PR: 1) (E)
2. Flee (PR: 2) (E)
3. Summer of Soul (PR: 3) (E)
4. Attica (PR: 4) (E)
5. The Lost Leonardo (PR: 5) (E)
Other Possibilities:
6. Procession (PR: 9) (+3)
7. President (PR: 7) (E)
8. The First Wave (PR: 6) (-2)
9. Becoming Cousteau (PR: 10) (+1)
10. Ailey (PR: 8) (-2)
Best Cinematography
Predicted Nominees:
1. Dune (PR: 1) (E)
2. The Power of the Dog (PR: 3) (+1)
3. The Tragedy of Macbeth (PR: 2) (-1)
4. Belfast (PR: 4) (E)
5. Nightmare Alley (PR: 5) (E)
Other Possibilities:
6. C’Mon C’Mon (PR: 10) (+4)
7. West Side Story (PR: 6) (-1)
8. The French Dispatch (PR: 9) (+1)
9. Licorice Pizza (PR: 8) (-1)
10. Spencer (PR: 7) (-3)
Best Costume Design
Predicted Nominees:
1. Cruella (PR: 1) (E)
2. Spencer (PR: 2) (E)
3. Dune (PR: 3) (E)
4. House of Gucci (PR: 4) (E)
5. Nightmare Alley (PR: 5) (E)
Other Possibilities:
6. West Side Story (PR: 6) (E)
7. The French Dispatch (PR: 7) (E)
8. Cyrano (PR: 8) (E)
9. Licorice Pizza (PR: 9) (E)
10. The Eyes of Tammy Faye (PR: Not Ranked)
Dropped Out:
The Electrical Life of Louis Wain
Best Film Editing
Predicted Nominees:
1. Dune (PR: 1) (E)
2. Belfast (PR: 2) (E)
3. Don’t Look Up (PR: 3) (E)
4. West Side Story (PR: 5) (+1)
5. Licorice Pizza (PR: 4) (-1)
Other Possibilities:
6. King Richard (PR: 8) (+2)
7. The Power of the Dog (PR: 6) (-1)
8. Nightmare Alley (PR: 7) (-1)
9. Being the Ricardos (PR: Not Ranked)
10. Tick, Tick… Boom! (PR: 9) (-1)
Dropped Out:
House of Gucci
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Predicted Nominees:
1. House of Gucci (PR: 1) (E)
2. Dune (PR: 2) (E)
3. Cruella (PR: 4) (+1)
4. The Eyes of Tammy Faye (PR: 3) (-1)
5. Spencer (PR: 5) (E)
Other Possibilities:
6. Nightmare Alley (PR: 6) (E)
7. Being the Ricardos (PR: 8) (+1)
8. The Suicide Squad (PR: 7) (-1)
9. Licorice Pizza (PR: 9) (E)
10. The Green Knight (PR: 10) (E)
Best Original Score
Predicted Nominees:
1. Dune (PR: 1) (E)
2. The Power of the Dog (PR: 4) (+2)
3. Spencer (PR: 2) (-1)
4. Nightmare Alley (PR: 4) (E)
5. Don’t Look Up (PR: 7) (+2)
Other Possibilities:
6. The Tragedy of Macbeth (PR: 6) (E)
7. The French Dispatch (PR: 5) (-2)
8. Cyrano (PR: 8) (E)
9. King Richard (PR: 9) (E)
10. Being the Ricardos (PR: Not Ranked)
Dropped Out:
Belfast
Best Original Song
Predicted Nominees:
1. “Be Alive” from King Richard (PR: 1) (E)
2. “No Time to Die” from No Time to Die (PR: 3) (+1)
3. “Down to Joy” from Belfast (PR: 4) (+1)
4. “Dos Oruguitas” from Encanto (PR: 2) (-2)
5. “Just Look Up” from Don’t Look Up (PR: 7) (+2)
Other Possibilities:
6. “So May We Start” from Annette (PR: 6) (E)
7. “Every Letter” from Cyrano (PR: 5) (-2)
8. “Here I Am” from Respect (PR: 9) (+1)
9. “Believe” from The Rescue (PR: 8) (-1)
10. “Guns Go Bang’ from The Harder They Fall (PR: 10) (E)
Best Production Design
Predicted Nominees:
1. Dune (PR: 2) (+1)
2. Nightmare Alley (PR: 1) (-1)
3. West Side Story (PR: 4) (+1)
4. The French Dispatch (PR: 3) (-1)
5. The Tragedy of Macbeth (PR: 6) (+1)
Other Possibilities:
6. Spencer (PR: 5) (-1)
7. Belfast (PR: 8) (+1)
8. Cyrano (PR: 7) (-1)
9. The Power of the Dog (PR: Not Ranked)
10. House of Gucci (PR: 8) (-2)
Dropped Out:
Licorice Pizza
Best Sound
Predicted Nominees:
1. Dune (PR: 1) (E)
2. West Side Story (PR: 2) (E)
3. Belfast (PR: 3) (E)
4. Nightmare Alley (PR: 4) (E)
5. No Time to Die (PR: 5) (E)
Other Possibilities:
6. Don’t Look Up (PR: Not Ranked)
7. Tick, Tick… Boom! (PR: 6) (-1)
8. King Richard (PR: Not Ranked)
9. A Quiet Place Part II (PR: 7) (-2)
10. The Matrix Resurrections (PR: Not Ranked)
Dropped Out:
The Last Duel
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Cyrano
Best Visual Effects
Predicted Nominees:
1. Dune (PR: 1) (E)
2. The Matrix Resurrections (PR: 2) (E)
3. Don’t Look Up (PR: 4) (+1)
4. Eternals (PR: 7) (+3)
5. Godzilla vs. Kong (PR: 3) (-2)
Other Possibilities:
6. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (PR: 5) (-1)
7. Free Guy (PR: 6) (-1)
8. Spider-Man: No Way Home (PR: 9) (+1)
9. Finch (PR: 8) (-1)
10. The Suicide Squad (PR: 10) (E)
And that equates to the following in terms of movies nabbing these numbers with their nominations:
11 Nominations
Dune
9 Nominations
Belfast
8 Nominations
Nightmare Alley, The Power of the Dog
6 Nominations
Don’t Look Up
5 Nominations
Licorice Pizza, West Side Story
4 Nominations
King Richard, Spencer
3 Nominations
Being the Ricardos, C’Mon C’Mon, Flee, The Tragedy of Macbeth
2 Nominations
Cruella, Encanto, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, House of Gucci, The Humans, The Lost Daughter, Mass, No Time to Die
1 Nomination
Attica, Belle, Drive My Car, Eternals, The French Dispatch, Godzilla vs. Kong, The Hand of God, A Hero, The Lost Leonardo, Luca, The Matrix Resurrections, The Mitchells vs. the Machines, The Rescue, Respect, Summer of Soul, Tick, Tick… Boom!, The Worst Person in the World
There’s a sequence in Candyman in a high school girls bathroom that plays like it belongs in a less meditative continuation of the franchise. While it’s certainly cleverly shot, the scene feels out of place with its bad sequel slasher vibe. It may well be the point of the tone that its filmmakers are satirically putting forth. After all, they jettison anything that transpired in the two inferior follow-ups to the 1992 original. That doesn’t mean the excursion works and it’s a nagging issue with the film as a whole. There’s no doubt that a lot of thought went into this melding of issues from racial discrimination to white privilege to gentrification to police brutality. What plagues it somewhat is that it seldom succeeds in getting under your skin.
Nearly 30 years ago, Bernard Rose’s Candyman (from a story by Clive Barker) shook up a tired horror genre filled with Freddy, Jason, and Michael sequels. There was gore to be had, but also plenty of subtext in its tale of the urban legend with a hook for a hand and a bevy of bees emanating from his torso. As the 1890s era tortured artist whose love for a Caucasian woman resulted in his own torture, Tony Todd created an iconic title character with more narrative meat on the bones than your typical weapon wielding terrorizer from that time. It was an arthouse movie and so is this (it’s even set in an arthouse for chunks).
This new version, as mentioned, serves as a direct restart. The Cabrini Green projects where part I was placed is no longer the notorious crime hub of Chicago. The gentrified and souped up property is now home to young and thriving professionals. This includes Anthony (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) and his girlfriend Brianna (Teyonah Parris). She’s an art gallery director and he’s a painter who’s stuck in a creative rut. Their collective work is contingent on the approval of the snooty types who make it their business to judge them (critics, gallery owners). One message seems clear – their assessment of an African-American artist’s work rises in their esteem if it’s more violent.
Anthony gets a burst of inspiration that is kickstarted by Brianna’s brother Troy (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett). When he regales the couple and his boyfriend with the nearly forgotten account of the buzzy killer whose name shan’t be uttered five times in a mirror, it gets Anthony’s creative juices flowing. This leads him to investigate the crimes of Daniel Robitaille (Todd) and the crimes committed against him. Billy (Colman Domingo) is a longtime Cabrini tenant who is more than pleased to help with the backstory (he had his own dealings with Robitaille in the late 1970s). Anthony’s research results in a project that dares you to say Candyman’s name and await the consequences. This is when blood starts flowing.
Nia DaCosta directs her second feature with a screenwriting and production assist from Jordan Peele. The script incorporates the plot from 1992 with new twists. The primary one is that there’s not only one Candyman. We know this when Anthony’s past involvement in the saga is revealed and he begins showing symptoms of becoming him after a nasty bee sting. Side effects include often visually striking murders.
While DaCosta is just establishing her filmography, Peele is recognized for his melding of social issues with scare tactics (Get Out and Us are both superior examples of how to do it). In Candyman, there’s more of an appreciation for what it’s trying to do than what it ultimately accomplishes onscreen. Sort of like a painting that’s busy with ideas but there’s not enough time allotted for it to really hook you in. I admired the picture to a point though I left unconvinced the deeper dive was worth it.
Out today in limited release is The First Wave from documentarian Matthew Heineman. Distributed by Neon and National Geographic Documentary Films, Wave shows us the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic from a New York City hospital. Its filmmaker has been in the Oscar mix before as his 2015 doc Cartel Land was up for Best Documentary Feature.
There are plenty of high profile contenders for the race in 2021. A potential winner also comes from Nat Geo – The Rescue. That’s in addition to Flee, Summer of Soul, and others.
It’s certainly feasible that this could make the final five and mark Heineman’s second foray into the competition. It’s also possible that some voters may not want to relive the tragic times we’ve gone through.
Bottom line: if The First Wave makes the shortlist next month, a nod is questionable but possible. My Oscar Prediction posts for the films of 2021 will continue…
Even though it premiered at Sundance all the way back in January, Jockey is finally attempting to ride into Oscar contention. The drama from director Clint Bentley casts Clifton Collins, Jr. as an aging equestrian in the sunset of his career. After its festival bow, the pic received pleasing reviews to the tune of a 96% Rotten Tomatoes rating.
All the buzz, though its been fairly quiet for awhile, has been with Collins and a possible Best Actor nod. He’s never achieved Academy attention despite an acclaimed supporting turn in 2005’s Capote and other notable film and TV roles. Some critics certainly say he’s worthy of a nomination.
However, he looks to be a long shot. Sony Pictures Classics, which picked up distribution rights, is releasing it December 29th. The first trailer came out just today. The studio will need to mount a spirited campaign for Collins to make the final five. We can generally assume two spots are taken: Will Smith in King Richard and Benedict Cumberbatch for The Power of the Dog. There’s plenty of other viable hopefuls. It doesn’t help Collins that two of them (Andrew Garfield in Tick, Tick… Boom! and Leonardo DiCaprio in Don’t Look Up) have helped their cases in recent days. This is in addition to Denzel Washington (The Tragedy of Macbeth), Peter Dinklage (Cyrano), and more.
Bottom line: Collins needs some precursor love to show up at the Oscars. If that doesn’t happen, I don’t see him placing. My Oscar Prediction posts for the films of 2021 will continue…
Up until the last couple of weeks, I’ve had Adam McKay’s political satire Don’t Look Up on the outskirts of my predicted 10 Best Picture nominees. After all, just how many Netflix contenders will get in? I figured The Power of the Dog would be their main play and there’s other possibilities with Tick, Tick… Boom!, The Lost Daughter, and Passing.
I recently vaulted it into the fold of ten and (better late than never), that appears to be the right call. Before its eagerly awaited December 10th limited bow in theaters and Christmas Eve Netflix premiere, Up has screened for critics. The social media reaction is leaning toward the positive with particular shoutouts for certain elements and performers.
The star-studded cast is filled with previous Oscar winners and nominees: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Jonah Hill, Mark Rylance, Timothee Chalamet, Cate Blanchett, and Meryl Streep. There’s also Rob Morgan, Tyler Perry, Ron Perlman, Ariana Grande, Kid Cudi, Chris Evans, Matthew Perry, and Himesh Patel.
McKay’s last two pics (2015’s The Big Short and 2018’s Vice) were both up in the biggest race of all. His original screenplay detailing the end of the world should be recognized. I’m not as confident he’ll make it for directing though I will note that he made the cut for the previous two and it’s certainly feasible. While Dog may continue to be the Netflix flick I rank higher when I update my forecast Sunday, I don’t see Up moving down the charts and out of the 10.
As for the massive list of performers, the early word is that Leo could vie for his seventh nod (his sole win came for 2015’s The Revenant). He still needs to get past other sturdy thespians. I do like his chances better tonight than I did earlier today. With Lawrence, Best Actress is overflowing with hopefuls and I doubt she lands #5. Ms. Streep is going for her 22nd trip to the dance. Her work as the President here is being mentioned in the laudatory tweets. Supporting Actress has got its share of contenders too, but betting against Meryl is always risky. Supporting Actor is wide open at the moment yet I’m skeptical about Hill or Rylance (or the many others). If Netflix goes all in on one of them, that dynamic could shift.
Surprisingly enough, its most assured nomination could come with Ariana Grande. Not for Supporting Actress (her part is said to be brief), but for her Original Song “Just Look Up”. Editing seems a safe bet as does Score and other down the line races like Sound and Visual Effects are possible.
Bottom line: it’s looking up for Don’t Look Up to get up to a handful of nominations. My Oscar Predictions posts for the films of 2021 will continue…
Red Notice poaches from plenty of superior action comedies. It scrambles to find a consistent tone between being a parody of them and just being one of them. The trio of famous faces are hampered with their hastily written hardboiled characters. That’s what we get in this caper about thieves trying to retrieve Cleopatra’s blinged out eggs. And no matter how much I’ve liked Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, and Gal Gadot elsewhere, this is an easy picture to pan.
Rawson Marshall Thurber teams with Johnson for the third time after Central Intelligence and Skyscraper (they’ve gotten progressively worse). As Special Agent John Hartley, he’s hot on the trail of master cat burglar and escape artist Nolan Booth (Reynolds). There’s a plan afoot to reunite the ancient Egyptian queen’s bejeweled artifacts for a $300 million payday, but the two end up working together to stop another lifter known as The Bishop (Gadot). In a competition for world’s best art thief, The Bishop seems to have a slight upper hand. She’s framed Hartley and led an Interpol agent (Ritu Aryu) to think he’s in cahoots with the endlessly quipping Booth.
The elusive third egg is in the possession of quirky arms dealer Scotto Voce (Chris Diamantopoulos) and the trio double and triple and quadruple cross one another in hopes of achieving their score. Booth and Bishop’s reasoning is money and pride. Hartley’s is to clear his name. The three leads should do their own name clearing after this utter misfire.
Like Deadpool, the screenplay (by the director) goes the self-referential route at times. This is mostly through Reynolds. Unlike his Wade Wilson, he’s not very funny and doesn’t have solid one-liners to ironically spew. Whistling the Indiana Jones theme while the pic serves as a pale comparison doesn’t qualify as clever. Johnson gets to briefly find himself in a jungle setting in the third act and I believe that’s contractually obligated nowadays. Gadot’s comedic skills were effective in Wonder Woman… at least the first one. They’re strained and forced here.
A decent caper needs a worthwhile twist or two. If you pay even a little attention to the characters actions, you’ll spot them coming way before their reveals. For having a reported $200 million up on the screen (the small one since Netflix bought it), there’s not one action sequence worthy of note or hilariously inspired bit to break the monotony. Red Notice hops all over the globe with its megastars and goes nowhere fast. The true robbery is two hours of watching them coast.
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