Will audiences flock to The Sheep Detectives on May 8th? Amazon MGM hopes so with the family friendly tale based on a 2005 Leonie Swann novel. Mixing mystery with comedy, Hugh Jackman leads the human cast alongside Nicholas Braun, Nicholas Galitzine, Molly Gordon, Hong Chau, and Emma Thompson. Voicing the crime solving title creatures are Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Chris O’Dowd, Regina Hall, Patrick Stewart, Bella Ramsey, and Brett Goldstein. Kyle Balda, a veteran of the Despicable Me and Minions franchises, directs.
Critics are being kind with 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 66 Metacritic. That could assist with parents taking the kids even though the source material is not huge IP domestically. A best case scenario could be a start in the high teens though I’m buying the projections in the lower to mid teens.
The Sheep Detectives opening weekend prediction: $14.6 million
A family-friendly comedy and a whodunit, The Sheep Detectives arrives in theaters May 8th. Kyle Balda, a veteran of animated features including Minions and Despicable Me 3, directs. The live-action cast is led by Hugh Jackman with Nicholas Braun, Nicholas Galitzine, Molly Gordon, Hong Chau, and Emma Thompson providing support. Voicing the wooly creatures involved are Julia Louis-Dreyus, Bryan Cranston, Chris O’Dowd, Regina Hall, Patrick Stewart, Bella Ramsey, and Brett Goldstein.
Critics are being kind with a 96% Rotten Tomatoes score and more down-to-earth 67 Metacritic. Amazon MGM are hoping kids flock to it though this shouldn’t be an awards player despite a smattering of Babe comparisons. There could be one exception as the BAFTAs could put it up in their Best Children’s & Family Film category. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…
Thunderbolts* is generating stronger critical reaction than most of the MCU’s recent offerings. The 36th entry in the franchise (out Friday) comes from director Jake Schreier with Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus among the cast.
2025’s summer starter sits at 87% on Rotten Tomatoes with a 69 Metacritic. Particular praise is being given to Pugh, a Supporting Actress nominee for 2019’s Little Women. Despite reviews calling Thunderbolts* full of grit and heart, don’t expect this to be a BP nominee like the MCU’s Black Panther from 2018. I also wouldn’t bank on Pugh become the second MCU acting nominee behind Angela Bassett from 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
So where it could score noms? The score from Son Lux (whose work in Everything Everywhere All at Once was up three years ago) could be a long shot contender. Yet as usually is the case with Marvel, Visual Effects is where this stands the best chance. As has been discussed on this blog numerous times, the MCU has been up 14 times for VE and gone 0 for 14. I wouldn’t anticipate Thunderbolts* being the first winner, but it could make the five. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…
Thunderbolts* looks to light up the box office as it officially kicks off the summer season on May 2nd. Like many recent cinematic summers, the MCU has the first tentpole and it’s the franchise’s 36th flick in 17 years. Jake Schreier directs the mashup of Marvel heroes with a cast including Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
The MCU ruled the 2024 season with Deadpool & Wolverine with its $211 million premiere and $636 million overall domestic haul. Thunderbolts* might be looking at roughly a third of that debut out of the gate. February predecessor Captain America: Brave New World rolled out with $88 million and familiarity with its title character might make its number unattainable for this new crew.
That said the early buzz is stronger than what World experienced so I believe high 70s or low 80s is certainly attainable.
Thunderbolts* opening weekend prediction: $79.3 million
SNL just began its 50th season and a grand televised celebration is anticipated this spring. I have been a huge follower of the iconic sketch comedy show my whole life. That includes devouring books about its history and memoirs from former cast members.
To mark its half century in existence, I have decided to make a list of my top 50 cast members in the show’s history. Let’s establish an important ground rule. This list covers each member’s time on the show only and not what they did before or after. There’s obvious examples of Not Ready for Prime Time Players who had terrific careers following their stints (some of them short-lived) on Saturday Night Live. Robert Downey, Jr. and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Ben Stiller and Damon Wayans. Chris Rock and Christopher Guest. You won’t find them in my top 50, but they’ve certainly had incredible contributions to film, TV, and stand-up.
I wrote down 70 performers of the 167 total cast members and whittled it down to 50. Not all original members from 1975 made the cut (apologies to Laraine Newman and Garrett Morris). There are current cast members who almost made it like Mikey Day, Ego Nwodim, and James Austin Johnson. In between there were those I struggled to leave off like Beck Bennett, Nora Dunn, Leslie Jones, Chris Kattan, Taran Killam, Tim Meadows, Kyle Mooney, Joe Piscopo, and Rob Schneider. There were a couple that were just never quite my cup of tea… Jim Breuer and Jon Lovitz.
Despite the tough subtractions, the forthcoming list is a treasure trove of talented comedic performers who have kept the show running for half a century. These posts will be a countdown from 50 to 1 (yep, 50 posts) that’ll run through the course of the 50th season. Stay tuned!
Tuesday is said to alternate between a fairy tale reality and a deadly sober one in Daina O. Pusić’s directorial debut. Julia Louis-Dreyfus stars as a mother caring for her dying daughter in the A24 and BBC co-production. Lola Petticrew, Leah Harvey, and Arinzé Kene (voicing the character of Death) are among the supporting players.
Out in limited release this weekend after premiering at Telluride last fall, it continues a run of critically appreciated Louis-Dreyfus works that veer from her comedic roots. Tuesday stands at 88% on RT. Last year’s You Hurt My Feelings got even better reviews for its star and the film itself. It was another A24 title that failed to generate awards attention and I doubt this will either. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…
Nominations for the 81st Golden Globe Awards (airing January 7th) were unveiled this morning. As always, there were some surprises and it was a particularly weak day for one hopeful. That said, a lot of what transpired went according to plan. I went 74 for 92 on my picks (I’ll take it!).
Let’s walk through each race with how I did and my initial take on who or what may emerge victorious.
Best Motion Picture Drama
Nominees: Anatomy of a Fall, Killers of the Flower Moon, Maestro, Oppenheimer, Past Lives, The Zone of Interest
How I Did: 6/6 (!)
Nailed the Drama category as this probably will come down to Oppenheimer vs. Killers.
Best Motion Picture Musical/Comedy
Nominees: Air, American Fiction, Barbie, The Holdovers, May December, Poor Things
How I Did: 5/6
In what might be the most surprising omission of the morning, The Color Purple didn’t make the cut. I (along with everyone else) had it in. I didn’t have Air though it was my alternate. Barbie is the frontrunner though Poor Things is viable.
Best Director
Nominees: Bradley Cooper (Maestro), Greta Gerwig (Barbie), Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things), Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer), Martin Scorsese (Killers of the Flower Moon), Celine Song (Past Lives)
How I Did: 6/6 (!)
Just as in Motion Picture Drama, Nolan vs. Scorsese might be the showdown with Gerwig as a potential spoiler.
Best Actress Drama
Nominees: Annette Bening (Nyad), Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon), Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall), Greta Lee (Past Lives), Carey Mulligan (Maestro), Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla)
How I Did: 6/6 (!)
I wouldn’t discount Hüller or Mulligan as slight upset picks, but Gladstone looks to be the favorite.
Best Actor Drama
Nominees: Bradley Cooper (Maestro), Leonardo DiCaprio (Killers of the Flower Moon), Colman Domingo (Rustin), Barry Keoghan (Saltburn), Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer), Andrew Scott (All of Us Strangers)
How I Did: 6/6 (!)
Like the Oscar race, this could end up as a contest between Cooper vs. Murphy.
Best Actress Musical/Comedy
Nominees: Fantasia Barrino (The Color Purple), Jennifer Lawrence (No Hard Feelings), Natalie Portman (May December), Alma Pöysti (Fallen Leaves), Margot Robbie (Barbie), Emma Stone (Poor Things)
How I Did: 4/6
Pöysti is an out of nowhere selection while Lawrence was my alternate. They get in over Abby Ryder Fortson (Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret) and Julia Louis-Dreyfus (You Hurt My Feelings). This is either Stone (probably) or Robbie (maybe).
Best Actor Musical/Comedy
Nominee: Nicolas Cage (Dream Scenario), Timothee Chalamet (Wonka), Matt Damon (Air), Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers), Joaquin Phoenix (Beau Is Afraid), Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction)
How I Did: 5/6
Phoenix in over Gael Garcia Bernal for Cassandro. Wright has a shot, but this is Giamatti’s category to lose in my view.
Best Supporting Actress
Nominees: Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer), Danielle Brooks (The Color Purple), Jodie Foster (Nyad), Julianne Moore (May December), Rosamund Pike (Saltburn), Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers)
How I Did: 5/6
I would’ve picked Brooks as the likely winner until Purple‘s poor performance today. Now I think this acting race, perhaps more than any other, is wide open. I had Taraji P. Henson (The Color Purple) in instead of Pike.
Best Supporting Actor
Nominees: Willem Dafoe (Poor Things), Robert De Niro (Killers of the Flower Moon), Robert Downey Jr. (Oppenheimer), Ryan Gosling (Barbie), Charles Melton (May December), Mark Ruffalo (Poor Things)
How I Did: 5/6
Had Dominic Sessa (The Holdovers) and not Dafoe. Downey Jr. is the probable selection though I wouldn’t discount Gosling or Melton.
Best Screenplay
Nominees: Anatomy of a Fall, Barbie, Killers of the Flower Moon, Oppenheimer, Past Lives, Poor Things
How I Did: 4/6
I did not have Anatomy or Past Lives. Their inclusion is by no means shocking, but I am genuinely surprised The Holdovers did not make the list (neither did American Fiction). This is another race where the voters could go several directions with Barbie perhaps having an ever so slight edge.
Best Cinematic and Box Office Achievement
Nominees: Barbie, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, John Wick: Chapter 4, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning: Part One, Oppenheimer, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour
How I Did: 7/8
This new category can correctly be called the “Barbenheimer” award or the “Let’s Get Taylor Swift To The Ceremony Trophy”. I didn’t have Reckoning and instead had Elemental. Hard to imagine this not going to Barbie.
Best Non-English Motion Picture
Nominees: Anatomy of a Fall, Fallen Leaves, Io Capitano, Past Lives, Society of the Snow, The Zone of Interest
How I Did: 3/6
Here’s where I screwed up. Didn’t have Leaves, Capitano, or Past Lives (which is considered non-English for some reason here). Instead I had Perfect Days, The Taste of Things, and The Teachers’ Lounge. This should come down to Anatomy vs. Zone and I’m currently expecting the former to emerge.
Best Animated Motion Picture
Nominees: The Boy and the Heron, Elemental, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Suzume, Wish
How I Did: 4/6
Suzume and Wish get in over Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget and Nimona. Some others were blindsided that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem didn’t make it. Boy vs. Spidey is the showdown.
Best Original Score
Nominees: The Boy and the Heron, Killers of the Flower Moon, Oppenheimer, Poor Things, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, The Zone of Interest
How I Did: 5/6
Zone makes the derby instead of Nyad. This should be Oppenheimer.
Best Original Song
Nominees: “Addicted to Romance” from She Came to Me, “Dance the Night” from Barbie, “I’m Just Ken” from Barbie, “Peaches” from The Super Mario Bros. Movie, “Road to Freedom” from Rustin, “What Was I Made For?” from Barbie
How I Did: 3/6
Well, I got half and those were the Barbie tracks. “The Fire Inside” from Flamin’ Hot, “Keep It Movin” from The Color Purple, and “A World of Your Own” from Wonka were my picks instead of “Addicted to Romance” (which could mean Bruce Springsteen shows up), “Peaches”, and “Road to Freedom”. I’d say “What Was I Made For?” or “I’m Just Ken” win.
And there you have it. I’ll have final predictions for the Globes up shortly before airtime. Keep an eye on the blog for all things Oscar!
Prior to its January 7th airing on CBS and Paramount+, nominations for the 81st Golden Globe Awards are out Monday, December 11th. After years of airing on NBC, the ceremony has found a new home after the controversies of the last few years involving the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
That’s not the only change with the program. The categories we are used to have expanded from five to six nominees. And a new competition – Cinematic and Box Office Achievement – comes with eight contenders. We could safely coin this the “Barbenheimer” race unless Taylor Swift has something to say about that.
As always, there’s some controversy in the differentiation between Drama and Musical/Comedy placements. Netflix decided to campaign Todd Haynes’s May December in the latter even though Drama seems more appropriate. It could help it get more noms.
Here we go with my picks in each cinematic derby and I’ll give you an alternate with each.
Motion Picture (Drama)
Anatomy of a Fall
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Past Lives
The Zone of Interest
Alternate: Saltburn
Motion Picture (Musical/Comedy)
American Fiction
Barbie
The Color Purple
The Holdovers
May December
Poor Things
Alternate: Air
Film Director
Bradley Cooper, Maestro
Greta Gerwig, Barbie
Yorgos Lanthimos, Poor Things
Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon
Celine Song, Past Lives
Alternate: Alexander Payne, The Holdovers
Actress (Film Drama)
Annette Bening, Nyad
Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon
Sandra Hüller, Anatomy of a Fall
Greta Lee, Past Lives
Carey Mulligan, Maestro
Cailee Spaney, Priscilla
Alternate: Teyana Taylor, A Thousand and One
Actor (Film Drama)
Bradley Cooper, Maestro
Leonardo DiCaprio, Killers of the Flower Moon
Colman Domingo, Rustin
Barry Keoghan, Saltburn
Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
Andrew Scott, All of Us Strangers
Alternate: Zac Efron, The Iron Claw
Actress (Musical/Comedy)
Fantasia Barrino, The Color Purple
Abby Ryder Fortson, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, You Hurt My Feelings
Natalie Portman, May December
Margot Robbie, Barbie
Emma Stone, Poor Things
Alternate: Jennifer Lawrence, No Hard Feelings
Actor (Musical/Comedy)
Gael Garcia Bernal, Cassandro
Nicolas Cage, Dream Scenario
Timothee Chalamet, Wonka
Matt Damon, Air
Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers
Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction
Alternate: Jamie Foxx, The Burial
Supporting Actress
Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer
Danielle Brooks, The Color Purple
Jodie Foster, Nyad
Taraji P. Henson, The Color Purple
Julianne Moore, May December
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers
Alternate: Rachel McAdams, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret
Supporting Actor
Robert De Niro, Killers of the Flower Moon
Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer
Ryan Gosling, Barbie
Charles Melton, May December
Mark Ruffalo, Poor Things
Dominic Sessa, The Holdovers
Alternate: Willem Dafoe, Poor Things
Best Screenplay
American Fiction
Barbie
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
Alternate: May December
Cinematic and Box Office Achievment
Barbie
Elemental
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
John Wick: Chapter 4
Oppenheimer
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour
Alternate: The Little Mermaid
Motion Picture (Non-English Language)
Anatomy of a Fall
Perfect Days
Society of the Snow
The Taste of Things
The Teachers’ Lounge
The Zone of Interest
Alternate: The Promised Land
Motion Picture (Animated)
The Boy and the Heron
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
Elemental
Nimona
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Alternate: Wish
Original Score
The Boy and the Heron
Killers of the Flower Moon
Nyad
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Alternate: Elemental
Original Song
“Dance the Night” from Barbie
“I’m Just Ken” from Barbie
“What Was I Made For?” from Barbie
“Keep It Movin” from The Color Purple
“The Fire Inside” from Flamin’ Hot
“A World of Your Own” from Wonka
Alternate: “Peaches” from The Super Mario Bros. Movie
That equates to these movies generating these numbers of nominations:
9 Nominations
Barbie
8 Nominations
Oppenheimer
7 Nominations
Killers of the Flower Moon
6 Nominations
Poor Things
5 Nominations
The Color Purple, The Holdovers
4 Nominations
Maestro, May December
3 Nominations
American Fiction, Nyad, Past Lives, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
2 Nominations
The Boy and the Heron, Elemental, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Wonka, The Zone of Interest
1 Nomination
Air, All of Us Strangers, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, Cassandro, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, Dream Scenario, Flamin’ Hot, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, John Wick: Chapter 4, Nimona, Perfect Days, Priscilla, Rustin, Saltburn, Society of the Snow, The Taste of Things, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, The Teachers’ Lounge, You Hurt My Feelings
You People begins with podcaster Ezra (Jonah Hill) and his cohost Mo (Sam Jay) having a chat about the former’s relationship status. They compare it to the various albums of Drake as far as his moods (looking for love Drake vs. party boy Drake). It sounds like the idea of a conversation you’d have in a movie screenplay before the scribes try for authenticity. Hill and cowriter/director Kenya Barris (creator of sitcom black-ish) rarely get to the authenticity part as this race and family relations concoction feels overly workshopped. There are glimpses in the third act, but what a waste of talent for so much of it.
Ezra’s heart is taken by Amira (Lauren London) after mistaking her for his Uber driver. The couple’s meet cute quickly elevates to an engagement and the meet the parents business complicates the bliss. His are Julia-Louis Dreyfus’s doting Jewish mom Shelley and hubby Arnold (David Duchovny), whose lines are 90% describing 90s rapper Xzibit. Hers are devout Muslim Akbar (Eddie Murphy) and wife Fatima (Nia Long). Ezra’s streaming show is about cultural interactions. Those of the in-laws could fill a season’s worth of content.
The problem is it’s not profound and feels rather tame. A lunch table talk about the ebony and ivory aspects of Forrest Gump is shrimpy in its impact. Same goes for when Ezra is stuck in the car with his future father-in-law as a Jay-Z/Kanye track using a forbidden word comes up. These are sitcom level situations with the humor stuck in bland-ish gear.
A cast filled with familiar faces do add some welcome laughs. Small contributions from Mike Epps as Akbar’s degenerate brother and Molly Gordon as Ezra’s exasperated sister help. Barris and Hill manage to inject a little emotion in the waning moments that could satisfy ardent rom com devotees.
For the most part, You People is listless. The biggest surprise is the term applies to Murphy’s performance. The legend is usually the spark plug even in his mediocre pics. This recalls his lethargic work in Beverly Hills Cop III more than anything else. When that’s the comparison I’m making with his filmography, the heat is off when it comes to his normal firepower.
Director Nicole Holofcener reunites with her Enough Said star Julia Louis-Dreyfus for You Hurt My Feelings, which has screened at Sundance. The comedy is drawing satisfactory notices in Utah with a 95% Rotten Tomatoes rating. Look for distributor A24 to mount an awards campaign as the year rolls along.
Enough Said was able to nab Louis-Dreyfus a Golden Globe Best Actress nod in Musical/Comedy and that could certainly occur again. She stands the best chance among costars that include Tobias Menzies, David Cross, Amber Tamblyn, Michaela Watkins, Arian Moayed, and Owen Teague.
Holofcener is already an Academy nominee for cowriting the adapted screenplay for 2018’s Can You Ever Forgive Me? I wouldn’t count on a second writing mention. While critics are being kind, this has the feel of a Globe Predictions post with its lead’s chances. My Oscar Predictions posts will continue…
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