Tag: Lewis Pullman

Oscar Predictions: The Testament of Ann Lee

Last year, the creative team of Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold (also partners in real life) guided The Brutalist to 10 Oscar nominations and three victories (Adrien Brody in Actor, Original Score, Cinematography). They’re back in contention this year with The Testament of Ann Lee which has premiered in Venice and will make stops at the Toronto and London festivals. Corbet directed The Brutalist and co-scripted with Fastvold. It’s the reverse this time around with Amanda Seyfried headlining as the title character who founded the evangelical Shakers in the 18th century. A musical drama shot in 70mm, the supporting cast includes Thomasin McKenzie, Lewis Pullman, Stacy Martin, Tim Blake Nelson, Christopher Abbott, and Matthew Beard.

Early Italian buzz indicates divisive vibes as how audiences will react (the same could be said for Brutalist). Yet Rotten Tomatoes stands at 100% with 76 on Metacritic. I suspect the pic’s more fervent admirers could propel this to a Best Picture nomination alongside Fastvold’s direction and original screenplay with Corbet. On the other hand, several reviews indicate this is more of a feature to admire than love (again… Brutalist vibes). Academy voters may ignore the aforementioned competitions.

Ignoring Seyfried is another story. Her performance seems poised to garner her a second nom after a Supporting Actress bid in 2020 for Mank. I’d put her behind Jessie Buckley (Hamnet) and Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value), but a spot in the quintet seems likely. Unlike The Brutalist (where three performances vied for gold), her work should mark the sole attention paid to the cast. Down-the-line nods like Cinematography, Original Score, Production Design, Costume Design, and Film Editing are all possibilities. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…

Oscar Predictions: Thunderbolts*

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* Box Office Prediction

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

Oscar Predictions: Riff Raff

Dito Montiel directs the crime comedy Riff Raff, premiering this weekend from Roadside Attractions. Jennifer Coolidge, Ed Harris (pulling double duty with My Dead Friend Zoe out this frame), Gabrielle Union, Lewis Pullman, Pete Davidson, and Bill Murray make up the impressive cast.

It originally debuted at the Toronto Film Festival last fall to mixed notices. The Rotten Tomatoes score is 55% with 45 on Metacritic. This certainly isn’t an Academy play, but better reviews could’ve put this in contention at the Globes next year in the Musical or Comedy derbies. The so-so buzz eliminates that possibility. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…

Oscar Predictions: Skincare

A thriller with a dose of camp, Skincare is out in limited fashion this weekend via IFC Films. From director Austin Peters, Elizabeth Banks stars as a celebrity aesthetician in hot water. The supporting cast includes Lewis Pullman, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Luis Gerardo Méndez, and Nathan Fillion.

Banks has had a multifaceted career in the last few years. While continuing to pop up in acting roles, she’s become just as known for hosting the TV game show Press Your Luck and her behind the camera work with Cocaine Bear being the most recent example.

Her headlining turn in Skincare has generated some cheers from critics. Reviews of the picture are far more mixed at 63% on Rotten Tomatoes. That’s not a foundation where awards talk will occur. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…

Top Gun: Maverick Review

Sun drenched SoCal nostalgia permeates every land, air, and beach surface of Top Gun: Maverick and it’s a pleasure to bask in the glow. Many a franchise lately has attempted to tap into our sentimentality and many have failed. 36 years after the original, Maverick elevates what preceded it while making us misty about those very events from the mid 80s. Perhaps most thrilling is watching a movie star firmly in control of what’s made him a headliner for five decades.

Captain Pete Mitchell aka Maverick (Tom Cruise) has refused upward promotion in the Navy while spending the bulk of his working hours skyward as a test pilot. The romance that took his breath away with Kelly McGillis is seemingly long dormant. His friendship with Iceman (Val Kilmer), now a decorated Admiral, saves his tail after a work mishap. Instead of washing out, he’s sent back to San Diego as a TOPGUN teacher. Against the wishes of a Vice Admiral who goes by Cyclone (Jon Hamm), Maverick is tasked with instructing a new generation of pilots.

Their mission (and they’re forced to accept it) is to destroy an unnamed enemy nation’s uranium enrichment plant. It is (ahem) a potentially impossible mission and Maverick’s tutelage is complicated by one of the students. Rooster (Miles Teller) is the son of the late Goose (Anthony Edwards) from the original. You may recall that he perished in the arms of the leading man and therefore eliminated his ability to talk to anyone except for metaphorically.

While the dynamic between the teacher and his pupil is the pic’s emotional through line, there’s subplots aplenty. This includes Maverick’s courtship of Penny (Jennifer Connelly), who checks the boxes of being an ex-flame, single mother, and bar owner where standards from the 1960s can be drunkenly belted out. We also get a truly emotional sequence with Cruise and Kilmer made more touching by the latter’s real world health challenges. And, of course, there’s a whole new crop of pilots. Most memorable, by far, is the cocky Hangman (Glen Powell). You’ll leave the theater convinced Powell is going to become a major headliner himself.

Then there’s the fact that technology has soared by leaps and bounds since the first one. To put it simply – the aerial battles in the third act are awesome and I would suggest an IMAX venue to take it in. As mentioned, many fan service attempts in recent times have been serviceable at best or less. Top Gun: Maverick, with its megawatt star, is more than that. It earns its stripes.

***1/2 (out of four)