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  • Venice and Toronto Release Lineups: ‘Queer’, ‘Conclave’, ‘Joker’ Will Premiere

    Venice and Toronto Release Lineups: ‘Queer’, ‘Conclave’, ‘Joker’ Will Premiere

    VENICE

    The lineup for this year’s Venice Film Festival was just announced. This is the first major festival lineup announcement of the Oscar season and it gives us our first introductory look at this year’s possible contenders. In seven of the past eight years, a top two Picture contender has played at Venice and this trend shows no signs of stopping.

    In my predictions from this month, I have one of the films that have shown up in the Venice lineup in the top 10: Luca Guadagnino’s Queer. However, Pedro Almodovar’s The Room Next Door, Todd Phillips’s Joker: Folie a Deux, Walter Salles’ I’m Still Here, Pablo Larrain’s Maria, and Justin Kurzel’s The Order are films to look out for. If any one of these films leave Venice highly-acclaimed and/or win one of their top prizes, their chances of being a Best Picture contender expand greatly. While I’m not confident that any of these films will become a top 2 Best Picture contender this season, I’m essentially guaranteeing that one of them will end up being a top 5 contender.

    Here is the Venice slate for this year:

    In Competition

    The Room Next Door, dir. Pedro Almodóvar

    Campo di Battaglia (Battleground), dir. Gianni Amelio

    Leurs enfants après eux (And Their Children After Them), dir. Ludovic Boukherma, Zoran Boukherma

    The Brutalist, dir. Brady Corbet

    Jouer avec le feu (The Quiet Son), dir. Delphine Coulin, Muriel Coulin

    Vermiglio, dir. Maura Delpero

    Iddu (Sicilian Letters), dir. Fabio Grassadonia, Antonio Piazza

    Queer, dir. Luca Guadagnino

    Kjærlighet (Love), dir. Dag Johan Haugerud

    April, dir. Dea Kulumbegashvili

    The Order, dir. Justin Kurzel

    Maria, dir. Pablo Larraín

    Trois amies (Three Friends), dir. Emmanuel Mouret

    Kill the Jockey, dir. Luis Ortega

    Joker: Folie à Deux, dir. Todd Phillips

    Babygirl, dir. Halina Reijn

    Ainda estou aqui (I’m Still Here), dir. Walter Salles

    Diva Futura, dir. Giulia Louise Steigerwalt

    Harvest, dir. Athina Rachel Tsangari

    Qing chun gui (Youth – Homecoming), dir. Wang Bing

    Stranger Eyes, dir. Yeo Siew Hua

    Out of Competition (Fiction)

    Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, dir. Tim Burton

    L’orto americano (The American Backyard), dir. Pupi Avati

    Il tempo che ci vuole, dir. Francesca Comencini

    Phantosmia, dir. Lav Diaz

    Maldoror, dir. Fabrice du Welz

    Broken Rage, dir. Takeshi Kitano

    Baby Invasion, dir. Harmony Korine

    Cloud, dir. Kurosawa Kiyoshi

    Finalement (Finally), dir. Claude Lelouch

    Wolfs, dir. Jon Watts

    Se posso permettermi Capitolo II, dir. Marco Bellocchio

    Allégorie citadine (An Urban Allegory), dir. Alice Rohrwacher, JR

     

    Here are the Best Picture nominees that went to Venice from the past 8 years:

    2023 – In Competition: Poor Things (Golden Lion winner), Maestro

    2022 – In Competition: Tar (Best Actress winner), The Banshees of Inisherin (Best Actor and Best Screenplay winner)

    2021 – In Competition: The Power of the Dog (Silver Lion winner); Out of Competition: Dune

    2020 – In Competition: Nomadland (Golden Lion winner)

    2019 – In Competition: Joker (Golden Lion winner), Marriage Story

    2018 – In Competition: The Favourite (Grand Jury Prize and Best Actress winner), Roma (Golden Lion winner); Out of Competition: A Star is Born

    2017 – In Competition: The Shape of Water (Golden Lion winner), Three Billboard Outside Ebbing, Missouri (Best Screenplay winner)

    2016 – In Competition: Arrival, La La Land (Best Actress winner); Out of Competition: Hacksaw Ridge

    Based on this, it would be reasonable to suspect that at least two fiction films from this year’s in competition and out of competition slates will make it in Best Picture. I don’t really see anything from the out of competition slate becoming a Picture contender but in terms of likelihood, the films from the competition slate that I think have a best chance of receiving a Picture nomination are, Queer, Joker: Folie a Deux, The Room Next Door, I’m Still Here, Maria, The Order, and Wolfs. Like with Joker back in 2019, Warner Bros. has submitted ‘Folie a Deux’ in competition at the festival, possibly indicating their confidence in its quality. There’s never been a year with three blockbuster sequels in the Best Picture nominee slate but if Joker 2 and Gladiator 2 play well, we could see them join Dune 2 as Best Picture nominees.

    This is the rest of the Venice slate:

     

    Out of Competition (Non-Fiction)

    Apocalipse nos trópicos (Apocalypse in the Tropics), dir. Petra Costa

    Bestiari, erbari, lapidari (Bestiaries, Herbaria, Lapidaries), dir. Massimo D’Anolfi, Martina Parenti

    Why War, dir. Amos Gitai

    2073, dir. Asif Kapadia

    One to One: John & Yoko, dir. Kevin Macdonald, Sam Rice-Edwards

    Separated, dir. Errol Morris

    Israel Palestina på svensk TV 1958-1989 (Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989), dir. Göran Hugo Olsson

    Russians at War, dir. Anastasia Trofimova

    TWST / Things We Said Today, dir. Andrei Ujică

    Riefenstahl, dir. Andres Veiel

    Pisni zemli, shcho povilno (Songs of Slow Burning Earth), dir. Olha Zhurba

    Out of Competition (Series)

    Disclaimer (Chapters 1 – 7), dir. Alfonso Cuarón

    Los años nuevos (The New Years) (Ep. 1 – 10), dir. Rodrigo Sorogoyen del Amo, Sandra Romero, David Martín de los Santos

    Familier som vores (Families Like Ours) (Ep. 1 – 7), dir. Thomas Vinterberg

    M – Il figlio del secolo (M – Son of the Century) (Ep. 1 – 8), dir. Joe Wright

    Out of Competition (Special Screenings)

    Leopardi. The Poet of the Infinity (Part 1 & 2), dir. Sergio Rubini

    Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, dir. Peter Weir

    Beauty Is Not a Sin, dir. Nicolas Winding Refn

    Horizons Competition

    Nonostante, dir. Valerio Mastandrea

    Quiet Life, dir. Alexandros Avranas

    Mon inséparable (My Everything), dir. Anne-Sophie Bailly

    Aïcha, dir. Mehdi Barsaoui

     

    TORONTO

    In the last ten years, the eventual Best Picture winner has played at TIFF six times. As a result, it has garnered a reputation as the most important festival in the Oscar race. Additionally, in the last 10 years, excluding the COVID year 2020, at least three films that screened at TIFF were nominated for Best Picture later that season. This year, Sean Baker’s Anora, Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Perez, Edward Berger’s Conclave, Malcolm Washington’s The Piano Lesson, Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths, Walter Salles’ I’m Still Here, Joshua Oppenheimer’s The End, Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine as Light, Marielle Heller’s Nightbitch, John Crowley’s We Live in Time, and Rachel Morrison’s The Fire Inside are some of the most high-profile films being shown. Greg Kwedar’s Sing Sing which is undoubtedly in the running this year as a major Best Picture nominee contender, played at TIFF last year.

     

    Galas 2024

    *previously announced

    “Andrea Bocelli: Because I Believe,” Cosima Spender | UK
    World Premiere

    “Better Man,” Michael Gracey | USA
    Canadian Premiere

    “Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs,” Embeth Davidtz | South Africa
    Canadian Premiere
    Sales Title – Rights Available

    *“Eden,” Ron Howard | USA
    World Premiere
    Sales Title – Rights Available

    *“Elton John: Never Too Late,” R.J. Cutler, David Furnish | USA
    World Premiere

    *“Harbin,” Woo Min-ho | South Korea
    World Premiere

    “Meet the Barbarians,” Julie Delpy | France
    International Premiere
    Sales Title – Rights Available

    *“Nutcrackers,” David Gordon Green | USA
    World Premiere
    Sales Title – Rights Available

    “Oh, Canada,” Paul Schrader | USA
    North American Premiere
    Sales Title – Rights Available

    “Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band,” Thom Zimny | USA
    World Premiere

    *“Superboys of Malegaon,” Reema Kagti | India
    World Premiere

    *“The Deb,” Rebel Wilson | Australia
    World Premiere
    Sales Title – Rights Available

    “The Friend,” Scott McGehee, David Siegel | USA
    International Premiere
    Sales Title – Rights Available

    “The Penguin Lessons,” Peter Cattaneo | Spain/United Kingdom
    World Premiere
    Sales Title – Rights Available

    “The Return,” Uberto Pasolini | Italy/United Kingdom
    World Premiere
    Sales Title – Rights Available

    “The Shrouds,” David Cronenberg | Canada/France
    North American Premiere
    Sales Title – Rights Available

    *“The Wild Robot,” Chris Sanders | USA
    World Premiere

    “Unstoppable,“ William Goldenberg | USA
    World Premiere

    “Will & Harper,” Josh Greenbaum | USA
    International Premiere

    Special Presentations 2024

    *Previously announced

    “40 Acres,” R.T. Thorne | Canada
    World Premiere

    “All of You,” William Bridges | USA
    World Premiere
    Sales Title – Rights Available

    “All We Imagine as Light,” Payal Kapadia | France/India/Netherlands/Luxembourg
    Canadian Premiere

    “Anora,” Sean Baker | USA
    Canadian Premiere

    “Bird,” Andrea Arnold | United Kingdom
    North American Premiere

    “Bring Them Down,” Christopher Andrews | Ireland/Belgium
    World Premiere

    “Can I Get A Witness?” Ann Marie Fleming | Canada
    World Premiere

    “Carnival is Over,” Fernando Coimbra | Brazil/Portugal
    World Premiere
    Sales Title – Rights Available

    “Caught by the Tides,” Jia Zhang-Ke | China
    North American Premiere

    “Conclave,” Edward Berger | USA/United Kingdom
    International Premiere

    “Emilia Pérez,” Jacques Audiard | France/USA/Mexico
    Canadian Premiere

    “Hard Truths,” Mike Leigh | United Kingdom/Spain
    World Premiere

    “Harvest,” Athina Rachel Tsangari | United Kingdom
    North American Premiere
    Sales Title – Rights Available

    “Heretic,” Scott Beck, Bryan Woods | Canada
    World Premiere

    “I’m Still Here,” Walter Salles | Brazil/France
    North American Premiere

    “I, the Executioner,” Ryoo Seung-wan | South Korea
    North American Premiere

    *“K-Pops,” Anderson .Paak | USA
    World Premiere
    Sales Title – Rights Available

    “Love in the Big City,” E.oni | South Korea
    World Premiere
    Sales Title – Rights Available

    “Millers in Marriage,” Edward Burns | USA
    World Premiere
    Sales Title – Rights Available

    “Misericordia,” Alain Guiraudie | Spain/Portugal/France
    Canadian Premiere

    *“Nightbitch,” Marielle Heller | USA
    World Premiere

    “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl,” Rungano Nyoni | Zambia/United Kingdom/Ireland
    North American Premiere

    “Piece by Piece,” Morgan Neville | USA
    International Premiere

    “Quisling – The Final Days,” Erik Poppe | Norway
    International Premiere
    Sales Title – Rights Available

    “Relay,” David Mackenzie | USA
    World Premiere
    Sales Title – Rights Available

    “Rez Ball,” Sydney Freeland | USA
    World Premiere

    “Riff Raff,” Dito Montiel | USA
    World Premiere
    Sales Title – Rights Available

    “Rumours,” Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson | Canada/Germany
    North American Premiere

    “Sharp Corner,” Jason Buxton | Canada/Ireland
    World Premiere
    Sales Title – Rights Available

    *“Shepherds,” Sophie Deraspe | Canada/France
    World Premiere
    Sales Title – Rights Available

    “Sketch,” Seth Worley | USA
    World Premiere
    Sales Title – Rights Available

    “The Assessment,” Fleur Fortuné | United Kingdom/Germany/USA
    World Premiere
    Sales Title – Rights Available

    “The Cut,” Sean Ellis | United Kingdom
    World Premiere
    Sales Title – Rights Available

    “The End,” Joshua Oppenheimer | Denmark/UK
    Canadian Premiere

    “The Fire,” Inside Rachel Morrison | USA
    World Premiere

    “The Girl with the Needle,” Magnus von Horn | Denmark/Poland/Sweden
    North American Premiere

    “The Last Showgirl,” Gia Coppola | USA
    World Premiere
    Sales Title – Rights Available

    *“The Life of Chuck,” Mike Flanagan | USA
    World Premiere
    Sales Title – Rights Available

    “The Order,” Justin Kurzel | Canada/USA
    North American Premiere

    “The Piano Lesson,” Malcolm Washington | USA
    International Premiere

    *“We Live in Time,” John Crowley | United Kingdom/France
    World Premiere

    “Went Up the Hill,” Samuel Van Grinsven | New Zealand/Australia
    World Premiere
    Sales Title – Rights Available

    “Without Blood,” Angelina Jolie | USA/Italy
    World Premiere
    Sales Title – Rights Available

    “Young Werther,” José Avelino Gilles Corbett Lourenço | Canada
    World Premiere
    Sales Title – Rights Available

     

    Here are the Best Picture nominees that went to Toronto from the past 11 years:

    2023 – Special Presentations: American Fiction (People’s Choice Award 1st place), Anatomy of a Fall, The Holdovers (People’s Choice Award 2nd place), The Zone of Interest

    2022 – Special Presentations: All Quiet on the Western Front, The Banshees of Inisherin, The Fabelmans, Triangle of Sadness, Women Talking

    2021 – Gala Presentations: Belfast (People’s Choice Award 1st place); Special Presentations: Drive My Car, The Power of the Dog (People’s Choice Award 3rd place); Special Events: Dune

    2020 – Gala Presentations: Nomadland (People’s Choice Award 1st place); Special Presentations: The Father

    2019 – Gala Presentations: Ford v Ferrari, Joker; Special Presentations: Jojo Rabbit (People’s Choice award 1st place), Marriage Story (People’s Choice Award 2nd place), Parasite (People’s Choice Award 3rd place)

    2018 – Gala Presentations: Green Book (People’s Choice Award 1st place), A Star is Born; Special Presentations: Roma (People’s Choice Award 3rd place)

    2017 – Gala Presentations: Darkest Hour; Special Presentations: Call Me By Your Name (People’s Choice Award 3rd place), Lady Bird, The Shape of Water, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (People’s Choice Award 1st place)

    2016 – Gala Presentations: Arrival; Special Presentations: La La Land (People’s Choice Award 1st place), Lion (People’s Choice Award 2nd place), Manchester by the Sea; Platform: Moonlight

    2015 – Gala Presentations: The Martian; Special Presentations: Brooklyn, Room (People’s Choice Award winner), Spotlight (People’s Choice Award 3rd place)

    2014 – Special Presentations: The Imitation Game (People’s Choice Award 1st place), The Theory of Everything, Whiplash

    2013 – Special Presentations: 12 Years a Slave (People’s Choice Award 1st place), Dallas Buyers Club, Gravity, Philomena (People’s Choice Award 2nd place)

    Based on this, I think it’s reasonable to expect that four to five of the films playing at TIFF will end up as Best Picture nominees. I’m not confident on whether this year’s Best Picture winner will play at TIFF, but history says that at least two of this year’s top five contenders will play at Toronto. In terms of likelihood, the films from the competition slate that I think have a best chance of receiving a Picture nomination are, Anora, Conclave, Emilia Perez, The Piano Lesson, Hard Truths, I’m Still Here, and The End

  • My Ten Favorite Films of 2023

    My Ten Favorite Films of 2023

    As we bid farewell to another year, it’s time to reflect on the cinematic gems that have graced the silver screen in 2023. This year, the world of film experienced what has probably been its best year since the COVID-19 pandemic, with directors pushing boundaries and crafting narratives that left an indelible mark on the collective consciousness. In this article, I list my top 10 favorite films of the year, each a testament to the creativity and innovation that defined 2023. 

    Before delving into the main list, let’s acknowledge my five honorable mentions: The Holdovers, Bottoms, Nimona, Pacifiction, and BlackBerry. These films, while not making it to the top 10, epitomize the wealth and variety of great content this year gave us. In any other year, they might have easily secured a spot on my top 10 list. This year has undeniably been a cinematic feast, and the following films encapsulate the essence of why 2023 stands as a hallmark year for film enthusiasts

    Disclaimer: I have yet to see Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest, Andrew Haigh’s All of Us Strangers, Wim Wenders’ Perfect Days, Hirokazu Koreeda’s Monster, or Cord Jefferson’s American Fiction, all of which are some of this year’s most acclaimed films

     

    10. JOHN WICK: CHAPTER FOUR

    ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’ (Paramount)

    With neon-drenched interiors, hyper-stylized gun fu action, and an ever-watchable Keanu Reeves, this final installment of the John Wick franchise has everything fans loved about the first three. So why does this one top them all? Well it turns everything up to 11, the neon is more neon, the stakes are higher than ever, and the set pieces are some of the most visually striking in recent action cinema. With references to everything from Lawrence of Arabia to Guardians of the Galaxy, director Chad Stahelski throws everything at the wall and so much of it sticks, making for the best film of this past decade’s “Keanussaince”. The ensemble cast featuring Bill Skarsgard, Donnie Yen, pop star Rina Sawayama, and the fan favorite Lance Reddick in one of his final performances all turn in great work that help give the film dramatic and emotional heft.

    Where to Watch: Starz

     

    9. THE BOY AND THE HERON

    ‘The Boy and the Heron’ (Studio Ghibli)

    Possibly the greatest director the world of animation has ever seen, Hayao Miyazaki is an indisputable giant of cinema. And with The Boy and the Heron, Miyazaki has finally made his swan song. The film is a fitting end to his illustrious career, functioning as a metaphor for him grappling with finally leaving the wondrous fantastical worlds of Studio Ghibli behind once and for all. Miyazaki works at a slower pace than usual here, taking care to immerse us in the small oddities of the world he creates. It’s also one of the anime legend’s more ambiguous films, leaving many things unsaid and up to interpretation. Like always with Miyazaki, the film is a visual treat and a wonder to see on the big screen.

    Where to Watch: In Theaters

     

    8. OPPENHEIMER

    ‘Oppenheimer’ (Universal)

    When people look back to the state of film in 2023, they’ll inevitably acknowledge the phenomenon that Barbenheimer was. One of the greatest opening weekends in film history and a bonafide pop culture event, Barbenheimer has truly brought theaters back after the COVID-19 pandemic. Oppenheimer’s box office success is, on the surface, mind-boggling. A 3-hour long rated-R biopic about a nuclear physicist, half of which is in black and white, made just under a billion dollars at the worldwide box office? And, somehow, Oppenheimer lives up to the hype. Over 180 minutes, Christopher Nolan’s relentless pace never lets up, forcing its audience into the world of political machinations, path-breaking science, and tremendous guilt that J. Robert Oppenheimer was embroiled in. 

    My Review

    Where to Watch: Rent or Buy

     

    7. MAY DECEMBER

    ‘May December’ (Netflix)

    With Far From Heaven and his work at large, Todd Haynes has made no secret of his fascination with the melodramas of Douglas Sirk. And with May December, Haynes brings a Sirkian examination of societal stigmas, family dynamics, and traditional filmmaking tropes to the modern world. When it comes to his recent narrative work, May December is a welcome return to form for Haynes. It’s a film that works as a study of performance itself, bolstered by reliable work from legends Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore, and by a revelatory Charles Melton, who deservedly has won critics’ awards left and right for his role in the film. Along with filmmakers like Pedro Almodovar and Kenneth Lonergan, Todd Haynes is undoubtedly one of the best artists bringing melodrama into the 21st century.

    Where to Watch: Netflix

     

    6. GODZILLA MINUS ONE

    ‘Godzilla Minus One’ (Toho)

    Who would have thought that this year’s Godzilla movie would be the most compellingly life-affirming movie of the year? From director and visual effects artist Takashi Yamazaki, ‘Godzilla Minus One’ transcends the typical monster blockbuster, delivering a poignant narrative that may have you shed a tear or two. Yamazaki masterfully combines awe-inspiring visual effects with a surprisingly tender exploration of the human spirit in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. The film strikes a delicate balance between thrilling monster mayhem and genuine emotional resonance, making it a standout entry in the Godzilla franchise. With emotionally-charged action and standout performances from the cast, ‘Godzilla Minus One’ proves that even in the darkest of times there are reasons to keep living.

    Where to Watch: In Theaters

     

    5. PAST LIVES

    ‘Past Lives’ (A24)

    A deeply empathetic film that owes a lot to Wong Kar-Wai romances yet never feels too beholden to them, Celine Song’s debut feature is simply beautiful. Past Lives follows Nora and Hae Sung as fate forces them to cross paths time and time again. This is a film with no villains and Song’s refreshing love for her characters makes the film resonate all the more powerfully. And it’s a deceptive power. Past Lives is a simple film that doesn’t try to yell its emotions across. But through stunning cinematography, a trio of passionate performances, a touching score, and a devastating screenplay, Song’s film seeps inside of you and simmers within long after the credits roll.

    My Review

    Where to Watch: Rent or Buy

     

    4. SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE

    ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ (Sony)

    ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ swings into the cinematic landscape with the same groundbreaking animation and narrative ingenuity that made its predecessor a superhero genre game-changer. Building on the success of ‘Into the Spider-Verse,’ this sequel takes the multiverse concept to new heights, delivering a visually stunning and emotionally resonant experience. The film effortlessly blends humor, heart, and high-stakes action as it navigates the complexities of multiple Spider-People and their interconnected destinies. The animation remains a jaw-dropping spectacle, with each frame a vibrant work of art that captures the essence of comic book storytelling. Beyond the stunning visuals, the narrative unfolds with unexpected depth, exploring themes of identity, responsibility, and the interconnectedness of different Spider-Beings. ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ not only lives up to its predecessor but propels the animated superhero genre into exhilarating new dimensions, setting a high standard for future comic book adaptations.

    Where to Watch: Netflix

     

    3. KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON

    ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ (Apple TV+)

    The winner of Best Film at the National Board of Review and at the New York Film Critics Circle, you don’t need me to tell you how spectacular Martin Scorsese’s latest is. Boasting phenomenal performances from Lily Gladstone, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Robert DeNiro, ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ is Scorsese’s best film since The Departed and quite possibly one of the most sensitively human films he’s made. All the auteur’s classic themes are present: greed, American capitalism, corruption, secrets and lies, but are laid bare with an unmistakably beating heart. It’s one of his most explicitly political works, calling out the way the sins of the American past are sanitized and treated as entertainment.

    Where to Watch: In Theaters or Rent or Buy

     

    2. ANATOMY OF A FALL

    ‘Anatomy of a Fall’ (NEON)

    Justine Triet’s Palme D’Or winner Anatomy of a Fall is not a movie that provides easy answers. It questions the nature of truth itself, taking a step beyond ambiguity to ask whether truth is something worth pursuing. Should we decide our own truth — and do we have any choice but to? Triet traverses these questions in a way that is unwaveringly engaging and effortlessly weaves philosophical ideas into the fabric of a courtroom nailbiter. Triet’s stellar screenwriting and lead actress Sandra Huller’s vulnerable work are truly at the heart of this film, contributing to what may be my favorite film of the year.

    My Review

    Where to Watch: In Theaters

     

    1. POOR THINGS

    ‘Poor Things’ (Searchlight)

    A film about a woman coming into her own, destroying the patriarchy every step of the way, with existential themes about what our purpose is? No I’m not talking about Barbie, I’m referring to what might be the Greek Weird Wave master Yorgos Lanthimos’s best film: Poor Things. Poor Things is simultaneously one of the funniest and most excitingly life-affirming movies of the year, combining pitch black comedy, marvelous steampunk visuals, and a career-best performance from Emma Stone in what may be this year’s finest acting work. Bella Baxter is a beautifully-realized character and we follow her through every step of her development as she learns the ways of the world and has life-changing experiences. Stone charts this development with subtle nuance, you’ll leave the film wanting to see more of her and Bella Baxter.

    Where to Watch: In Theaters

  • The State of Best Picture, What Films Can Actually Win?

    The State of Best Picture, What Films Can Actually Win?

    (Editor’s Note: A previous version of this article listed American Fiction as a competitor for Original Screenplay. This is incorrect as it is in the running for Adapted Screenplay since it’s based off the Percival Everett novel “Erasure”.)

    Having now watched both Killers of the Flower Moon and Anatomy of a Fall, I’ve started to think about what films can actually win Best Picture this year. The problem with discussions of recent Best Picture winners is that people come to the table with a cynical point of view. They say things like the Academy only chooses films to appear “woke” and “progressive”. This ignores the fact that the films the Academy votes as the Best Picture of the year are films that are well-liked by most who see them. This line of thinking also treats the Academy like a monolith that works as a hive mind when it is an increasingly diverse group of industry professionals with widely different tastes and interests. The films that win Best Picture have to appeal to a broader audience than ever before, yet people seem to complain that the films the Academy picks have strayed far away from what the general population enjoys for the sake of “wokeness”. If the Academy has started to select more indie films it’s because in the age of the internet and streaming, films made outside the major studios now have a chance to gain the visibility needed to win Oscars. Something like Moonlight, which was made on a budget of just over a million and distributed by indie distributor A24 would not have received the kind of attention that it did prior to the 2010s. And that’s both a product of the rise of the internet and because of the Academy membership becoming more diverse and increasingly representative of their audiences. Now all of this is not to say that the Academy does not consider sociopolitical issues at all when selecting Best Picture. I think most Academy members choose films that they like and that they feel good liking to top their Best Picture ballots. Many of them want to feel like the choice they’re making is doing good and is representative of the image of Hollywood that they want to project. As a result, since Spotlight won in 2016, every subsequent Best Picture winner has had some sort of sociopolitically relevant message or context. With these requirements in mind, there are six films that I think could realistically win Best Picture (ranked in order of likelihood).

    POOR THINGS

    ‘Poor Things’ (Searchlight)

     

    In many ways, this film reminds me of 2018’s Best Picture winner The Shape of Water. It’s distributed and produced by awards titan Searchlight Pictures. It’s gained notoriety for its out-of-the-box sexuality. It won the Golden Lion at Venice. And they both are female-driven films from directors who started their careers outside of Hollywood that blend sci-fi and fantasy to create character-driven dramas. Unlike The Shape of Water, however, this film is even more critically-acclaimed (94 Metascore) and is also much more surreal and humorous. Those latter two qualities shouldn’t be too much of a problem considering this is the Academy that awarded Everything Everywhere All at Once with seven Oscars just last year. This film, Killers of the Flower Moon, and Oppenheimer are definitely going to be the biggest below the line players of the race. I see all three ruling the season as top five contenders along with two of the fivesome of The Holdovers, American Fiction, Barbie, Anatomy of a Fall, and The Zone of Interest. 

    This is a film that at its core is about a woman finding what she loves about herself. It’s the feminist vision of female self-love that Barbie tried to be. I think there’s a path for this to win Best Picture, especially since unlike Yorgos’ usual fare, this film is much more optimistic. Both audiences and critics are big fans of the film (it’s currently sitting at a 94 on Metacritic and a 8.5 on IMDb) and in this era where films like The Shape of Water and EEAAO are Best Picture winners, I doubt this is something the Academy at large will turn their noses up at (even though, yes, this is definitely more subversive than both those films). I can easily see this film winning Adapted Screenplay and possibly Director. If this wins Best Picture expect a win for Emma Stone in Best Actress as well. Techs like Production Design (it’s got this in the bag), Cinematography, and Costume Design are high possibilities as well. Yes, this film is weirder than the Academy’s usual tastes and it will alienate some but I think it has both a strong narrative and a lot of love from a diverse group of people, the two things a film needs to win Best Picture. Man, would I love to live in a world where the guy who made Dogtooth directed a film that won Best Picture!

     

    AMERICAN FICTION

    ‘American Fiction’ (AmazonMGM)

     

    Featuring a tour de force from Jeffrey Wright, a trenchant screenplay from Cord Jefferson and a stacked cast that includes Sterling K. Brown, Issa Rae, and Tracee Ellis Ross, this satire on the depiction of race in the media world is something that I can easily see winning Adapted Screenplay and then Best Picture if it gains enough traction. The question is will it? This is a film that I could see being limited to Adapted Screenplay (though Poor Things will be stiff competition). But it has racked up multiple film festival audience awards already, including the prestigious TIFF audience award which has launched multiple past Best Picture winners including Nomadland, Green Book, and 12 Years a Slave. It’s a satire on media exploitation that people seem to absolutely love. It’s something that can become very big if there’s a big enough push behind it. I could see it gaining love from groups like the Golden Globes, WGA, PGA, and maybe SAG. Expect BAFTA to basically ignore this one. It has relevance, it has a beloved cast, and it’s very fresh. Picture is a possibility but there’s also a chance that this is a film that dredges up a paltry 3 nominations come nominations morning.

     

    OPPENHEIMER

    ‘Oppenheimer’ (Universal)

     

    On websites like IMDb, Oppenheimer is undoubtedly going to go down as probably the most beloved movie of the year. The movie is going to be a top five contender and a major player in multiple categories. It’s a three-hour rated-R auteur film about a nuclear physicist that managed to make over a million dollars at the worldwide box office. The problem is where is the narrative? In previous decades, Oppenheimer being by far the most successful adult-oriented film of the year would almost guarantee it Best Picture, but this is not the 90s or early 2000s. The lack of Japanese perspectives in the film will haunt it throughout the season and I think will keep it from winning. This film honestly reminds me of films like Gladiator, Braveheart, Schindler’s List, and Forrest Gump. All of these films were adult-oriented “serious” films that were also certifiable blockbusters in their years of release. Oppenheimer is definitely better than all of them except for Schindler’s List but unlike them it will (most likely) not end up being this year’s Best Picture winner. Still, the Nolan film is sure to go down as a modern classic and not winning Best Picture will not keep that from happening. Best Actor and Director wins for Cillian Murphy and Christopher Nolan respectively are still definitely in the cards, but don’t expect this to triumph come Oscar night. It just lacks a narrative that I believe the Academy of today will get behind in large numbers. Unlike all of the Best Picture winners since Spotlight, it’s not a film that Academy members will be excited about voting for. It’s the kind of favorite that would’ve rolled through the season unopposed in previous years but without the socially conscious bent, people will not be passionately rooting for it as much as they otherwise would and I predict it will lose steam before the finish line.

     

    KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON

    ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ (Apple TV+)

     

    Killers of the Flower Moon is Martin Scorsese’s most explicitly socially conscious film. With this movie, the legendary filmmaker interlaces themes of corruption, greed, trust, and American colonialism together to create what may be his best film since The Departed. The performances from Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone, and Robert De Niro are phenomenal, the latter two may even win in their respective categories. With an 89 Metascore and an 8.2 score on IMDb, the film is clearly very well-liked by both critics and audiences. This is a film that will do well both above-the-line and below-the-line. Cinematography, Production Design, Editing, and even Costume Design, Sound, and Score are all possibilities. While I don’t see this winning Screenplay, it can easily win Director if it ends up being a top 2 or 3 Picture contender. 

    The Israel-Palestine conflict is looming large throughout the world and that includes Hollywood. The SAG-WGA strike is as well and as a result, the Academy voting body come January may be a Hollywood that’s looking for media that communicates the desire for uprising against authority. Of the films in contention this year, Killers of the Flower Moon is the only one that explicitly deals with colonialism. While the American colonialism of Native Americans in no way perfectly parallels Israeli colonialism of Palestine, situations and discussions in the film sometimes reminded me of details of the Israel-Palestine historical context. With this film, Scorsese makes an explicit plea for the horrors of American colonialism to be brought to light. He makes an argument for the value of uncovering histories of race-based atrocities and making the world aware of them as such, and not as “entertaining true crime stories”. While I think the Scorsese style does muddle his ultimate message to an extent, the film is more politically effective than any narrative film he has made in his career so far. It’s unquestionably one of the best films of the year and I think that even if it doesn’t win Best Picture, it has a strong case for other above-the-line wins, especially Best Actress. Lily Gladstone and Emma Stone will likely be battling out this category until the end. 

    However, even though this film was made with the blessing and collaboration of the Osage Nation, it will inevitably receive criticism for centering a story that deals so deeply with the Osage people through the eyes and perspectives of white characters. For the majority of the film, Native American characters are seen through the eyes of white characters and while Scorsese does take care to humanize his Native American characters, they still are not given the perspective in a film that centers around their world. While this will be talked about as Oscar season goes on, it will not hurt the film too much if it’s strong enough of a contender (see: The Green Book controversy).

     

    THE HOLDOVERS

    ‘The Holdovers’ (Focus)

     

    This is the kind of film that would be a massive contender in the 80s and 90s. And while we obviously aren’t in those eras anymore, winners like Green Book and CODA show that the Academy is still liable to choose accessible family-friendly dramedies as their choice for the best film of the year. The Holdovers is probably better than both, but if Alexander Payne has never been in the top 3 Picture contender conversation before with films like Sideways, Nebraska, and The Descendants, what says he will now? That’s fair but none of those films were as socially conscious in the way that the Academy leans towards. The Holdovers, however, is. Still, I can very much see this being a film that gets limited to nominations in Picture, Original Screenplay, and one or two acting categories. I think Da’Vine Joy Randolph has a great chance in Supporting Actress, which is one of the reasons I think many in the Academy will choose to go with something like American Fiction in Original Screenplay.

     

    BARBIE

    ‘Barbie’ (Warner Bros.)

     

    Honestly, I really am confused about what I think Barbie’s Oscar prospects will be. The film was clearly a phenomenon and will be nominated for Best Picture, but could it win? Maybe the hype that remains around the movie is deluding me into thinking it has a chance but the film is also the 11th highest grossing film in the US all-time and presents a vision of a feminist utopia that has spawned thinkpiece after thinkpiece. Honestly, I think the route of highest likelihood for this movie is that it will end up something like the similarly commercially-successful and utopian Black Panther. Greta Gerwig’s film will probably win Original Song and Costume Design and will be nominated in a handful of other categories as well including Best Picture (Black Panther won Score as well, but Barbie most likely won’t be nominated for that). Though unlike Black Panther, Barbie should receive more above-the-line nods, expect love in Supporting Actor, Original Screenplay, and possibly Director and Lead Actress. The more I think about it, the less I see it winning, but you never know.

  • Fall Festival Films to Look Out for Come Oscar Season

    Fall Festival Films to Look Out for Come Oscar Season

    With Telluride, Venice, and Toronto all done and dusted, we are officially deep in the midst of fall festival season. Even though it’s been just a few weeks since Venice started on August 30th, many of this year’s players have been screened and the reactions are already piling in. We can expect that at least half of the ten films that make up 2024’s Best Picture slate will have played in at least one of these three festivals. 

    POOR THINGS

    Searchlight has its contender. Yorgos Lanthimos has once again delivered a critically acclaimed period film featuring a wonderful performance from Emma Stone and I smell a top 6 Best Picture contender in the making. Currently killing it with a Metascore of 94 on 22 reviews, Poor Things will most likely continue Searchlight’s track record of reliably delivering Best Picture nominees on an annual basis. Raunchy, witty, and visually breathtaking, expect nominations for the film in Picture, Stone in Actress, Tony McNamara in screenplay, Cinematography, Makeup and Hair, Costume Design, Production Design, and maybe Editing, Supporting Actor for Mark Ruffalo and Directing as well. With the Golden Lion now on the film’s mantle, Lanthimos’ film looks to follow the trajectory of The Shape of Water, Roma, Joker, and Nomadland, Golden Lion winners that translated Venice wins into Oscar success.

    MAESTRO

    Cementing itself as Netflix’s biggest contender of the year, Maestro has received very positive reviews (80 on 21 reviews over at Metacritic) so far and should be secured for a spot in the Picture race. And while Bradley Cooper has been praised, Carey Mulligan has been earning raves for her work as Felicia Bernstein. Both will likely be nominated and outside of Picture expect to see in this film in categories like Sound, possibly Editing, possibly Cinematography, and possibly Makeup and Hair. The controversy around the film surrounding the casting of the non-Jewish Cooper as the Jewish Leonard Bernstein will likely grow stronger as the season trudges on. As a result, I don’t see either actors winning Oscars for their work and the film will probably be restricted to five or fewer nominations.

    ALL OF US STRANGERS

    The biggest shock critical darling so far, ‘Weekend’ and ‘45 Years’ Director Andrew Haigh has come out with a film that currently has a 98 Metascore on 11 reviews. Touted as jaw-dropping, deeply poignant, delicate, and sensual, All of Us Strangers reminds me of last year’s Aftersun in some ways. Mostly in that they are both small-scale meditations on memory that feature Paul Mescal and are incredibly acclaimed and beloved. In terms of Oscar chances, I don’t see it making Best Picture unless Searchlight (they will focus all of their energy on Poor Things) pushes it in a major way but it should earn nods in Adapted Screenplay and possibly Actor and Supporting Actor nods for Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal respectively.

    THE HOLDOVERS

    The feel-good actors showcase, the Oscar bait of decades ago. Now, however, these films are no longer sure things when it comes to the Academy’s attention. Still, expect a strong campaign for Paul Giamatti in the starring role, Da’Vine Joy Randolph in Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay, and possibly Best Picture if it cements itself as a massive crowdpleaser. This is a film that could take the Green Book-route. It’s a feel-good, adult-oriented, middlebrow, “they don’t make ‘em like they used to” dramedy that clearly is well-liked by critics (it currently holds a Metascore of 83 on 19 reviews). This is a film that I can see winning a prize at Toronto and if it does, its Oscar nomination chances will skyrocket.

    Update: Now that it has won a prize at Toronto, The Holdovers has pretty much all it needs for a Picture nomination. Expect to see the film receiving nods in Screenplay, Actor for Paul Giamatti and Supporting Actress for Da’Vine-Joy Randolph as well.

    ANATOMY OF A FALL

    This Palme D’Or winner’s hype started in May and hasn’t died down even after three months of new, buzzy films being released. Directed by Justine Triet, who I foresee will receive an Oscar nod if the film keeps up its current level of acclaim, and starring Sandra Huller, the film is a socially conscious mystery thriller and legal drama that will be a top six contender if its traction persists. This is definitely a film that I can see getting a second or third place award at TIFF.

    THE ZONE OF INTEREST

    The other bright star of Cannes, Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest is making the fall festival rounds and continues to rack up its fans and supporters. However, it’s also gaining its fair share of detractors who criticize the film for being too “cold”. While I think this will end this year as a critics’ favorite and an Oscar nominee, how successful the film will be will probably be limited by detractors like these. 

    RUSTIN

    The raves for Colman Domingo’s performance as activist Bayard Rustin have been broad and overwhelming. Without the film being a top 12 Best Picture contender, I highly doubt Domingo wins Best Actor, but he seems poised for a nomination. The film, however, doesn’t seem like it’ll be unique or affecting enough for a Picture nomination, though we will see how people react to it once more eyes are on it.

    NYAD

    This and Next Goal Wins look to be this year’s Oscar season sport movies. Both Annette Bening and Jodie Foster give stellar performances and will likely be in the nomination conversation. However, I doubt the movie will have enough behind it to get all the way to a Best Picture nod. Although, if it does win something in Toronto, that will very much change. 

    FERRARI

    Michael Mann is back in the movies. This time with a film centering on Enzo Ferrari’s life. While Adam Driver’s performance hasn’t been disliked, there doesn’t seem to be too much love for it. Penelope Cruz, playing Ferrari’s wife Laura Ferrari, has received raves. However, this year’s Supporting Actress race already has an acclaimed “long-suffering wife of the titular male philandering genius biopic character” performance in Emily Blunt as Kitty Oppenheimer. Even while significantly different, I doubt the Academy will nominate two of this variety of performance in the same category in the same year (especially with Carey Mulligan delivering something within the same prestige biopic trope in Maestro). I think Sound might be all the film musters in the end.

    THE BIKERIDERS

    Austin Butler, Jodie Comer, Michael Shannon, Mike Faist, Boyd Holbrook, and Tom Hardy round out the phenomenal cast that star in Jeff Nichols’ latest. While the film was well-received, its 74 Metascore indicates that it may not have the love that it would need to be a Picture contender. Comer is a possible upset pick for a nod in Supporting Actress but other than that category and Screenplay, don’t expect to see too much of The Bikeriders.

    PRISCILLA

    Caelin Spaeny won Venice’s prize for Best Actress and her Oscar chances instantly skyrocketed. However, Best Actress looks to be especially competitive this year with multiple wonderful performances competing for the top prize. And with Priscilla unlikely to be a Best Picture contender, Spaeny’s nomination looks unlikely.

    THE BOY AND THE HERON

    The newest film from one of the most legendary filmmakers in animation history, Hayao Miyazaki, The Boy and the Heron received rave reaction from its TIFF opening night premiere and is a front runner for the people’s choice award.

    Update: The Boy and the Heron did win third place for the People’s Choice Award and has definitely cemented itself as a film that will be impossible to ignore. This is supposed to be Miyazaki’s final film and it will be interesting to see how much of the positive regard the film has received becomes moreso a product of the regard for Miyazaki or for the film itself.  

    THE KILLER

    The consensus on the film is that it’s lesser Fincher and that narrative, that it’s a relatively weaker attempt at Fincher doing what he does best, will likely keep it from more than a few Oscar nods if that. Fincher’s track record with acting nominations is very strong (every film he’s made since 2008’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button has had at least one acting nod. However, like Zodiac, The Killer will probably get shutout in all categories.

    SALTBURN

    The reactions coming out of Emerald Fennell’s newest were frankly disappointing. While the film has received generally positive reviews, it did not seem to provoke the kind of strong reactions that something like Fennell’s most recent venture Promising Young Woman had in spades. Nods in the techs will probably be all this film will be limited to. With a cast like Barry Keoghan, Rosamund Pike, Jacob Elordi, and Carey Mulligan, the film clearly has some of the most in-demand stars behind it, but that probably won’t be enough to get any above-the-line nominations. 

    AMERICAN FICTION

    A satire on race, modern media, and the literature world that skewers white people in a way contemporary white liberals seem to eat up, American Fiction played very well at TIFF and is also a frontrunner for the People’s Choice Award. With American Fiction, Cord Jefferson, TV writer extraordinaire, makes the jump to film and has seemed to have done so with flying colors.

    Update: Now that American Fiction has won the People’s Choice Award at TIFF, it immediately becomes a top five Best Picture contender. Expect a possible win in Screenplay, nominations in Actor for Jeffrey Wright, and possible nominations in Director, Editing, and other acting categories as well.

    ORIGIN

    A poignant, tear jerking piece on the American caste system from 13th and When They See Us Director Ava DuVernay. It’s a deeply ambitious film that seems to have its fans. Most of the acclaim seems to be reserved for Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor’s performance and DuVernay’s direction, but this is the type of timely film that could find success if campaigned correctly. However, I do not think it’s going to have the luxury of a major push with distributor Neon already having Anatomy of a Fall on its plate.

  • Toronto and Venice Release Lineups: ‘Maestro’, ‘Priscilla’, ‘The Killer’, ‘Poor Things’ Will Debut

    Toronto and Venice Release Lineups: ‘Maestro’, ‘Priscilla’, ‘The Killer’, ‘Poor Things’ Will Debut

    2023 is poised to be a strange year for film festivals. With the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes showing no signs of stopping, many of these films’ stars will be absent at the festivals. Both festivals will run as planned even without many of their films’ A-list talent showing up. Actors campaigning for their films has always had a large impact on their film’s Oscar chances and more significantly on their chances at acting awards. It will be interesting to see how that changes this year.

     

    ‘Maestro’ (Netflix)

    VENICE

    The lineup for this year’s Venice Film Festival was just announced. This is the first major festival lineup announcement of the Oscar season and it gives us our first introductory look at this year’s possible contenders. In six of the past seven years, a top two Picture contender has played at Venice and this trend shows no signs of stopping.

    In my predictions from this month, I have two of the films that have shown up in the Venice lineup in the top 10: Bradley Cooper’s Maestro and Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things. However, Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla, Ava DuVernay’s Origin, Michael Mann’s Ferrari, Ryusuke Hamguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist, David Fincher’s The Killer, Michel Franco’s Memory, Pablo Larrain’s El Conde, and Matteo Garrone’s Io Capitano should also be watched. If any one of these ten films leave Venice highly-acclaimed and/or win one of their top prizes, their chances of being a Best Picture contender expand greatly. While I’m not confident that any of these films will become a top 2 Best Picture contender this season, I’m essentially guaranteeing that one of them will end up being a top 5 contender.

    Anyways, here is the Venice slate:

    Competition

    Comandante, dir: Edoardo de Angelis (opening night film)

    Adagio, dir: Stefano Sollima
    La Bête, dir: Bertrand Bonello
    DogMan, dir: Luc Besson
    El Conde, dir: Pablo Larrain
    Enea, dir: Pietro Castellitto
    Evil Does Not Exist, Ryusuke Hamaguchi
    Ferrari, dir: Michael Mann
    Finalmente L’Alba, dir: Saverio Costanzo
    The Green Border, dir: Agnieszka Holland
    Holly, dir: Fien Troch
    Hors-Saison, dir: Stéphane Brizé
    Io Capitano, dir: Matteo Garrone
    The Killer, dir: David Fincher
    Lubo, dir: Giorgio Diritti
    Maestro, dir: Bradley Cooper
    Memory, dir: Michel Franco
    Origin, dir: Ava DuVernay
    Poor Things, dir: Yorgos Lanthimos
    Priscilla, dir: Sofia Coppola
    The Promised Land, dir: Nikolaj Arcel
    Die Theorie Von Allem, dir: Timm Kroger
    Woman Of, dirs: Malgorzata Szumowska, Michal Englert

    Out of Competition

    Fiction

    Aggro Dr1ft, dir: Harmony Korine
    The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, dir: William Friedkin
    Coup de Chance, dir: Woody Allen
    Daaaaaal!, dir: Quentin Dupieux
    Hit Man, dir: Richard Linklater
    L’Ordine del Tempo, dir: Liliana Cavani
    The Palace, dir: Roman Polanski
    The Penitent, dir: Luca Barbareschi
    Snow Leopard, dir: Pema Tseden
    Vivants, dir: Alix Delaporte
    The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, dir: Wes Anderson (short)

    Here are the Best Picture nominees that went to Venice from the past 7 years:

    2022 – In Competition: Tar (Best Actress winner), The Banshees of Inisherin (Best Actor and Best Screenplay winner)

    2021 – In Competition: The Power of the Dog (Silver Lion winner); Out of Competition: Dune

    2020 – In Competition: Nomadland (Golden Lion winner)

    2019 – In Competition: Joker (Golden Lion winner), Marriage Story

    2018 – In Competition: The Favourite (Grand Jury Prize and Best Actress winner), Roma (Golden Lion winner); Out of Competition: A Star is Born

    2017 – In Competition: The Shape of Water (Golden Lion winner), Three Billboard Outside Ebbing, Missouri (Best Screenplay winner)

    2016 – In Competition: Arrival, La La Land (Best Actress winner); Out of Competition: Hacksaw Ridge

    Based on this, it would be reasonable to suspect that at least two fiction films from this year’s in competition and out of competition slates will make it in Best Picture. I don’t really see anything from the out of competition slate becoming a Picture contender but in terms of likelihood, the films from the competition slate that I think have a best chance of receiving a Picture nomination are, Maestro, Poor Things, Origin, Priscilla, Ferrari, The Killer, and Evil Doesn’t Exist. If DuVernay’s Origin is highly-acclaimed, I can see that film being a possible Picture winner. The film tackles historical systemic racism in the United States and could very well be the kind of accessible socially-conscious cinematic lightning rod the Academy would want to support if it ends up being very good. If the film is near the quality and raw strength of previous Duvernay projects When They See Us and 13th, I think we might have our Best Picture winner.

    Here is the rest of the Venice slate:

    Short (Out of Competition)

    Welcome to Paradise, dir: Leonardo Di Costanzo

    Non-Fiction (Out of Competition)

    Amor, dir: Virginia Eleuteri Serpieri
    Enzo Jannacci Vengo Anch’io, dir: Giorgio Verdelli
    Frente a Guernica (Version Integrale), dirs: Yervant Gianikian, Angela Ricci Lucchi
    Hollywoodgate, dir: Ibrahim Nash’at
    Menus Plaisirs – Les Troisgros, dir: Frederick Wiseman
    Ryuichi Sakamoto Opus, dir: Neo Sora

    Series (Out of Competition)

    D’Argent et de Sang (episodes 1-12), dirs: Xavier Giannoli, Frederic Planchon
    I Know Your Soul (episodes 1-2), dirs: Alen Drljevic, Nermin Hamzagic

    Special Screening

    La Parte del Leone: Una Storia della Mostra, dirs: Baptiste Etchegary, Guiseppe Bucchi

    Horizons

    En Attendant la Nuit, dir: Céline Rouzet
    Behind the Mountains, dir: Mohamed Ben Attia
    A Cielo Abierto, dirs: Mariana Arriaga, Santiago Arriaga
    City of Wind, dir: Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir
    Dormitory, dir: Nehir Tuna
    El Paraiso, dir: Enrico Maria Artale
    Explanation for Everything, dir: Gabor Reisz
    The Featherweight, dir: Robert Kolodny
    Gasoline Rainbow, dirs: Bill Ross, Turner Ross
    Heartless, dirs: Nara Normande, Tiao
    Hesitation Wound, dir: Selman Nacar
    Housekeeping for Beginners, dir: Goran Stolevski
    Invelle, dir: Simone Massi
    Paradise Is Burning, dir: Mika Gustafson The Red Suitcase, dir: Fidel Devkota Shadow of Fire, dir: Shinya Tsukamoto
    Una Sterminata Domenica, dir: Alain Perroni
    Tatami, dirs: Guy Nattiv, Zar Amir Ebrahimi

    Horizons Extra

    Bota Jone, dir: Luana Bajrami
    Day of the Fight, dir: Jack Huston
    Felicita, dir: Micaela Ramazzotti
    Forever Forever, dir: Anna Buryachkova
    L’Homme d’Argile, dir: Anais Tellenne
    In the Land of Saints and Sinners, dir: Robert Lorenz
    Pet Shop Boys, dir: Olmo Schnabel
    Stolen, dir: Karan Tejpal
    The Rescue, dir: Daniela Goggi

    Venice Classics

    Non-Fiction

    Un Altra Italia Era Possibile, Il Cinema Di Guiseppe De Santis, dir: Stefano Della Casa
    Bill Douglas My Best Friend, dir: Jack Archer
    Dario Argento Panico, dir: Simone Scafidi
    Frank Capra: Mr America, dir: Matthew Wells
    Ken Jacobs From Orchard Street to the Museum of Modern Art, dir: Fred Riedel
    Le Film Pro-Nazi d’Hitchcock, dir: Daphne Baiwir
    Landrian, dir: Ernesto Daranas Serrano
    Michel Gondry Do It Yourself, dir: François Nemeta
    Thank You Very Much, dir: Alex Braverman

     

    ‘The Zone of Interest’ (A24)

    TORONTO

    In the last ten years, the eventual Best Picture winner has played at TIFF seven times. As a result, it has garnered a reputation as the most important festival in the Oscar race. Additionally, in the last 10 years, excluding the COVID year 2020, at least three films that screened at TIFF were nominated for Best Picture later that season. This year, Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest, Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall, George C. Wolfe’s Rustin, Taika Waititi’s Next Goal Wins, Ellen Kuras’ Lee, Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers, Ladj Ly’s Les Indesirables, Alice Rohrwacher’s La Chimera, Hirokazu Koreeda’s Monster, Craig Gillespie’s Dumb Money, Christos Nikou’s Fingernails, Michel Franco’s Memory, Kristin Scott Thomas’ North Star, James Hawes’ One Life, Michael Winterbottom’s Shoshanna, Ethan Hawke’s Wildcat, and Atom Egoyan’s Seven Veils are some of the most high-profile films being shown.

    Anyway, here is the Toronto slate:

    Gala Presentations 

    Concrete Utopia, directed by Um Tae-Hwa

    Dumb Money, directed by Craig Gillespie

    Fair Play, directed by Chloe Domont

    Flora and Son, directed by John Carney

    Hate to Love: Nickelback, directed by Leigh Brooks

    Lee, directed by Ellen Kuras

    Next Goal Wins, directed by Taika Waititi

    NYAD, directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin

    Punjab ’95, directed by Honey Trehan

    Solo, directed by Sophie Dupuis

    The End We Start From, directed by Mahalia Belo

    The Movie Emperor, directed by Ning Hao

    The New Boy, directed by Warwick Thornton

    The Royal Hotel, directed by Kitty Green

    Special Presentations

    A Difficult Year, directed by Éric Toledano and Olivier Nakache

    A Normal Family, directed by Hur Jin-ho

    American Fiction, directed by Cord Jefferson

    Anatomy of a Fall, directed by Justine Triet

    Close to You, directed by Dominic Savage

    Days of Happiness, directed by Chloé Robichaud

    El Rapto, directed by Daniela Goggi

    Ezra, directed by Tony Goldwyn

    Fingernails, directed by Christos Nikou

    Four Daughters, directed by Kaouther Ben Hania

    His Three Daughters, directed by Azazel Jacobs

    Hitman, directed by Richard Linklater

    In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon, directed by Alex Gibney

    Kidnapped, directed by Marco Bellocchio

    Knox Goes Away, directed by Michael Keaton

    La Chimera, directed by Alice Rohrwacher

    Last Summer, directed by Catherine Breillat

    Les Indésirables, directed by Ladj Ly

    Memory, directed by Michel Franco

    Monster, directed by Kore-eda Hirokazu

    Mother Couch, directed by Niclas Larsson

    North Star, directed by Kristin Scott Thomas

    One Life, directed by James Hawes

    Pain Hustlers, directed by David Yates

    Poolman, directed by Chris Pine

    Reptile, directed by Grant Singer

    Rustin, directed by George C. Wolfe

    Seven Veils, directed by Atom Egoyan

    Shoshana, directed by Michael Winterbottom

    Sing Sing, directed by Greg Kwedar

    Smugglers, directed by Ryoo Seung-wan

    Swan Song, directed by Chelsea McMullan

    The Beast, directed by Bertrand Bonello

    The Burial, directed by Maggie Betts

    The Convert, directed by Lee Tamahori

    The Critic, directed by Anand Tucker

    The Dead Don’t Hurt, directed by Viggo Mortensen

    The Holdovers, directed by Alexander Payne

    The Peasants, directed by DK Welchman and Hugh Welchman

    The Zone of Interest, directed by Jonathan Glazer

    Together 99, directed by Lukas Moodysson

    Unicorns, directed by Sally El Hosaini and James Krishna Floyd

    Uproar, directed by Paul Middleditch and Hamish Bennett

    Wicked Little Letters, directed by Thea Sharrock

    Wildcat, directed by Ethan Hawke

    Woman of the Hour, directed by Anna Kendrick

    Here are the Best Picture nominees that went to Toronto from the past 10 years:

    2022 – Special Presentations: All Quiet on the Western Front, The Banshees of Inisherin, The Fabelmans, Triangle of Sadness, Women Talking

    2021 – Gala Presentations: Belfast (People’s Choice Award 1st place); Special Presentations: Drive My Car, The Power of the Dog (People’s Choice Award 3rd place); Special Events: Dune

    2020 – Gala Presentations: Nomadland (People’s Choice Award 1st place); Special Presentations: The Father

    2019 – Gala Presentations: Ford v Ferrari, Joker; Special Presentations: Jojo Rabbit (People’s Choice award 1st place), Marriage Story (People’s Choice Award 2nd place), Parasite (People’s Choice Award 3rd place)

    2018 – Gala Presentations: Green Book (People’s Choice Award 1st place), A Star is Born; Special Presentations: Roma (People’s Choice Award 3rd place)

    2017 – Gala Presentations: Darkest Hour; Special Presentations: Call Me By Your Name (People’s Choice Award 3rd place), Lady Bird, The Shape of Water, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (People’s Choice Award 1st place)

    2016 – Gala Presentations: Arrival; Special Presentations: La La Land (People’s Choice Award 1st place), Lion (People’s Choice Award 2nd place), Manchester by the Sea; Platform: Moonlight

    2015 – Gala Presentations: The Martian; Special Presentations: Brooklyn, Room (People’s Choice Award winner), Spotlight (People’s Choice Award 3rd place)

    2014 – Special Presentations: The Imitation Game (People’s Choice Award 1st place), The Theory of Everything, Whiplash

    2013 – Special Presentations: 12 Years a Slave (People’s Choice Award 1st place), Dallas Buyers Club, Gravity, Philomena (People’s Choice Award 2nd place)

    Based on this, I think it’s reasonable to expect that four to five of the films playing at TIFF will end up as Best Picture nominees. I’m not confident on whether this year’s Best Picture winner will play at TIFF, but history says that at least two of this year’s top five contenders will play at Toronto. In terms of likelihood, the films from the competition slate that I think have a best chance of receiving a Picture nomination are, The Zone of Interest, Anatomy of a Fall, Rustin, Lee, Next Goal Wins, Les Indesirables, and The Holdovers.

     

  • ‘Oppenheimer’ Review: Nolan Brings His Grandiose, Propulsive Touch to the Political Drama

    ‘Oppenheimer’ Review: Nolan Brings His Grandiose, Propulsive Touch to the Political Drama

    The bomb goes off. Total silence immediately takes control. A blinding light fills the desert, Oppenheimer and the rest of his team watch in awe as the flaming mushroom cloud slowly consumes the sky. It’s an image of destructive beauty. Director Christopher Nolan cuts between scientists’ faces, and at first, we see only awe, maybe with a tinge of fear. But then we cut to Edward Teller, watching the explosion with his dark safety glasses on, as his lips turn into a slight smile. This shot of the bespectacled Teller reveling in the cataclysmic power that he was an instrumental part of creating is etched in my mind. Due in large part because it reminded me of Peter Sellers’ titular character in Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. The glasses are definitely part of it, but the two characters also share this mad excitement at the might of nuclear power. In the Kubrick film, Dr. Strangelove is the American president’s scientific advisor, a former Nazi who betrays a certain excitement for the usage of nuclear weapons and particularly a doomsday nuclear device. Edward Teller himself is known as the “father of the hydrogen bomb” and received much support from the American government after the war for his plans to strengthen the American nuclear arsenal. He also was a major advocate of Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative, known colloquially as the Star Wars program, a proposed missile defense system that experimented with using lasers, satellites, and particle beam weapons to protect the United States. The similarities between Teller and Strangelove were quite noticeable but I still assumed that Nolan’s inclusion of that smiling shot was probably a coincidence. But then I discovered that Teller was an influence on the character of Strangelove in the 1964 film and now Teller’s wicked smile cannot leave my brain.

    He looks so much like Dr. Strangelove. ‘Oppenheimer’ (Universal)

     

    Oppenheimer is an incredibly well-made film. The technical aspects are phenomenal as is par for the course with pretty much every Nolan film. The practical visual effects from the team lead by Andrew Jackson, Scott R. Fisher, and Giacomo Mineo will most likely be Oscar-nominated. The spectacular cinematography and production design from Hoyte van Hoytema and Ruth de Jong, respectively will also very likely receive some Oscar love. But the technical aspect that astounded me the most about the film was Ludwig Goransson’s score. Like with Tenet, Goransson worked with Nolan as the composer on Oppenheimer as Nolan’s regular collaborator Hans Zimmer was busy working on Dune: Part Two (Zimmer wasn’t able to score Tenet due to being committed to Dune: Part One). Goransson’s ‘Tenet’ score was quite possibly the best thing about that film. It’s merger of electronic and classical instrumentation was alternatingly epic with an industrial sound and lush with its ambient soundscapes. Goransson’s work on Oppenheimer drops the industrial sound of his Tenet material but retains the epic feel, once again merging classical and ambient electronic instrumentation. Fluttering string arpeggios morph into pulsating synthesizers on the standout track “Can You Hear The Music” that plays near the start of the film. Like with Nolan’s best films (excluding Memento), the soundscapes that accompany them become integrally intertwined with the film’s content and do so much to drive the emotions of his work.

    Cillian Murphy is incredible here. The film lives and dies on his performance and his portrayal of a deeply tortured, anxious man who is forced to present an image of control. He’s phenomenal and is absolutely deserving of all the attention he will likely receive in the coming months. When it comes to the supporting characters, Robert Downey Jr. is the undeniable standout as bureaucrat Lewis Strauss. He has some of the best scenes in the film, some shot in stunning black and white to indicate that it’s his perspective dictating what’s seen on screen (as opposed to the scenes in color which indicate that Oppenheimer’s perspective is being illustrated). A quick aside, the black and white moments in this film look gorgeous, the film becoming the first feature film to use black-and-white analog photography. Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, and Florence Pugh round out the main supporting cast. Unfortunately, Nolan’s problem with under developing female characters persists and while Blunt and Pugh both elevate the material they are given, their roles fall largely into common biopic tropes. Blunt is quite good as the long-suffering wife imploring her husband to fight back against the people attempting to ruin his reputation, and while she feels more “real” than Pugh’s character does, she is still woefully underwritten. Stars like Casey Affleck, Rami Malek, Kenneth Branagh, and Gary Oldman pop up for moments in this film, Affleck’s role as a menacing Commie-hating army officer being the most memorable of the four. 

    ‘Oppenheimer’ (Universal)

    Breakneck from the get-go, this undoubtedly is a Nolan movie, with the director’s characteristically propulsive brand of cinema grabbing you by the neck and refusing to let go until the credits run. Like with most Nolan films, the pacing and grandiose nature of the visuals and sonics distract you from paying too close attention to the dialogue. But luckily, unlike Interstellar, no lines are distractingly heavy-handed enough to take you out of the film’s immersion. This is the most political film Nolan has ever made and it’s surprisingly nuanced, something I was unsure the director could do when it came to politics. The film offers many of the prevalent perspectives on the war and the use of the atom bomb, keeping its position on the ramifications of Oppenheimer’s actions ambiguous until the knockout ending. This is one of the most grandiose-feeling films released in quite some time. It feels absolutely massive, the score, the sound, the effects, the pacing, all coming together to create a truly immersive experience. And while it’s so massive, the film is really a character study about one man. The man who became the American Prometheus. Someone so powerful, so deeply destructive with the force he worked so hard to unleash. In portraying Oppenheimer’s guilt, Nolan plays with style to force you inside the man’s tumultuous mind. Scenes like Oppenheimer’s post-Hiroshima speech end up being some of the film’s most chilling as a result of these stylizations. 

    Truly colossal in a litany of ways, Oppenheimer is Nolan’s best film since Inception and will undoubtedly end up being one of the year’s best blockbusters. Exhilarating and smarter than expected Oppenheimer both succeeds and suffers off of Nolan’s ambition, but the good definitely outweighs the bad. With Oppenheimer, Nolan can confidently silence those who doubted he could return to making box office hits after Tenet underperformed both critically and commercially. Nolan is clearly back, and I expect to see Oppenheimer rack up nominations and maybe a couple of wins come Oscar season.

    Score: 4/5

  • ‘Barbie’ Review: One of the Year’s Funniest Films Doubles as a Commentary on Feminism and Female Solidarity

    ‘Barbie’ Review: One of the Year’s Funniest Films Doubles as a Commentary on Feminism and Female Solidarity

    How did Mattel allow this? The same company that sued Aqua for the group’s iconic 90s hit “Barbie Girl” for “trademark infringement, unfair competition, and trademark dilution”, allowed their beloved IP to be validly criticized and make hilarious quips about “beaching each other off” and their lack of genitals. Clearly, they’re a lot more lenient now, especially since that very Aqua song found its way into the film as the main sample for Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice’s track “Barbie World”. But what’s even more surprising is how Mattel is portrayed in the film. From the trailers, we already had a look at Will Ferrell as the CEO of Mattel, a company headed by a board room of men in matching, well-tailored suits. While the film doesn’t portray them as the undeniably evil corporation they could have, they are not positive characters. When Barbie enters the real world, the corporation reacts by trying to put her “back in her box”. And yes, that is a loaded phrase and if you already haven’t guessed it, this film has a lot more on its mind than many viewers might have imagined. 

    The scathing reviews from men like Ben Shapiro and Ted Cruz might’ve clued you in, but Barbie is a film about feminism, female solidarity, and existential questions. And the film still managed to have me giggling in the theater throughout. While director Greta Gerwig’s control of the tone isn’t perfect, it doesn’t leave too much to be desired. Serious poignancy and one-liners often come back-to-back but it hardly ever feels muddied. This is quite an ambitious film. There is a large swathe of thematic and narrative ground covered and while certain things (the mother/daughter subplot, some monologues) might come off as either underwritten or heavy-handed, the film is still affecting and does not lose sight of its emotional core. And that core is Margot Robbie in the titular role. She delivers a knockout performance, simultaneously managing to be absolutely hilarious while also imbuing the character with more depth and nuance than I could’ve ever hoped for in a movie about Barbie. She’s the beating heart of this film and adds to her repertoire of being one of the most talented stars working in Hollywood today. Ryan Gosling is also phenomenal, any questions about whether he was a good choice to play Ken should be completely dispelled. Gosling steals nearly every scene he’s in and everything from his line delivery, to his sulky expressions, to his vocal performance on the track “I’m Just Ken” (a soundtrack highlight on an album featuring great songs from PinkPantheress, Charli XCX, Billie Eilish, and Dua Lipa) is just so so good. This is one of the funniest blockbuster comedies of the decade so far. Gerwig and co-writer Noah Baumbach (the writer-director of Marriage Story and The Squid and the Whale) deliver a script that is sometimes broad, sometimes incredibly specific (The Godfather and Stephen Malkmus jokes were too accurate, Gerwig clearly has had to deal with her fair share of film and music bros), and rollickingly hilarious throughout. But the humor doesn’t stop this film from touching on subject matter like female solidarity and feminism in a compelling and affecting way. While I expected these topics to be included, what surprised me most about the film’s more serious themes was how much it focused on existential questions about death and what it means to be human. Robbie portrays this beautifully, what was once proverbially plastic slowly becomes skin and bones, her journey into humanity is deeply captivating. 

    ‘Barbie’ (Warner Bros.)

    I would be deeply remiss if I didn’t mention the film’s phenomenal costume and production design. The candy-colored dreamland of Barbieland is breathtaking, both 6-time Oscar nominated production designer Sarah Greenwood and 2-time Oscar winning costume designer Jacqueline Durran should see Oscar nominations coming their way this year. Sets like the home of “Weird Barbie” and the journey from the Barbie world to the human world are so wonderfully imaginative and brilliantly realized. On the subject of the Oscars, I wouldn’t be surprised if Warner Bros. makes Barbie one of their biggest pushes. A critically acclaimed summer blockbuster with explicit social commentary, Barbie has what it needs to be nominated for the Academy’s biggest prize if Warner Bros. plays their cards right. They also have Dune: Part Two (Nov. 3) and The Color Purple musical adaptation (Dec. 25) on their slate this year so we will see how they end up balancing those three films in the heart of Oscar season.

    I began this article with incredulity about how Mattel let this movie happen, but interestingly the company was in fact a close collaborator in every step of the production process (there’s a fascinating New Yorker piece about this that I recommend). And while I do give Mattel credit for allowing criticisms of Barbie and her “message” to be illustrated as valid throughout the film, the corporation’s influence is definitely felt. There are times where I was left wishing for more from the film, for it to go even further and with more complexity. The film was also a lot more straight than I was expecting, Barbieland is very heterosexual and it’s never explicitly addressed, this being another aspect that was likely a product of close corporate involvement. Obviously, a lot of this is a product of my expectations and is possibly unfair as a criticism of the film but these aspects of the film were clearly felt.

    Barbie is so many things, absolutely hilarious, ridiculously entertaining, and undeniably flawed, but it unquestionably confirms Gerwig’s place as one of the most versatile and exciting young filmmakers in Hollywood today.

    Score: 3.5/5

  • ‘Past Lives’ Review: A Heartbreaking and Empathetic Reflection on Circumstance

    ‘Past Lives’ Review: A Heartbreaking and Empathetic Reflection on Circumstance

    By Arman Saxena

    Many have likened A24’s latest to Richard Linklater’s “Before” Trilogy. And the similarities lie in their central conceits, both works follow two people meeting many years after forming a romantic bond. Aspects of Past Lives reminded me of ‘Before Sunset’ in its contemplation of meeting someone you haven’t really moved on from. Ethan Hawke once said that “the first film (Before Sunrise) is about what could be; the second (Before Sunset) is about what should’ve been. Before Midnight is about what is.” We watch as Past Lives’ Nora (Greta Lee) experiences all of these stages, just not in the way you might think. 

    Just like with the ‘Before’ trilogy, the film is a rumination on coincidence and the effects of our circumstances. The Korean concept of In-Yun is one that is weaved throughout the film. It refers to the growing connections formed between two people whose roads cross over multiple lifetimes. The more lifetimes shared, the stronger the connection between the two. The film is enamored with this concept and the question of destiny’s role in the little coincidences and connections that make up our daily lives. As characters mention throughout the film, spouses are believed to have met in over 8000 past lifetimes, forming that deep marital bond over millennia. The idea of In-Yun becomes even more poignant in the context of the film as Nora and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) meet at multiple very different stages of their life, years separating each encounter.

    Song’s film isn’t just a romantic story but a story about the immigrant experience and everything that comes with it, from interracial relationships to adapting to a new language. Na Young and Hae Sung grow up together in Seoul and are each other’s first major crush. Days before Na Young’s family plans to move to America, they go on their first date and clearly have strong feelings for one another. But Nora leaves for America and they lose contact. We see Na Young adopt her new American name Nora, learn English, and prepare to adapt to this foreign world. Later on in the film, we hear Nora talk about how she had no one she could cry to as a child in America. Her new world quickly taught her to hide her emotions and not let anyone know when she was feeling awful or confused. It’s a common first generation American immigrant experience to consciously hold back certain parts of yourself to assimilate more comfortably into the American world, and it’s an experience that Song illustrates with specificity and care.

    This is a film that lives and dies on its screenplay. While there are fantastic visuals (the cityscapes, the park where young Nora and Hae Sung play, etc.), the movie is anchored by Celine Song’s empathetic, heartbreaking, and occasionally hilarious screenplay. But what struck me the most was what was left unsaid. There are moments throughout the film where Nora and Hae Sung just look at each other, their eyes telling each other more than what can be said with words. It’s in these moments where the two central performances really shine. Though one cannot leave out the wonderful John Magaro, who’s vulnerable, soul-baring turn was my favorite performance from the film. Some of Magaro’s best moments are pretty much wordless, his looks do enough to convey the mix of love, fear, insecurity, care, and discomfort he experiences. Unlike the ‘Before’ trilogy, Past Lives doesn’t really spend moments just lingering with its characters. While Linklater’s films were built on scenes of characters going on philosophical tangents for most of the runtime, we also spent more time really seeing the characters for who they were. It really feels like no moment is wasted. Granted, these are two quite different films and I am not finding fault with Past Lives for failing to be a ‘Before’ copycat but instead just trying to point out that I never really fall in love with Nora and Hae Sung they way I fell in love with Celine and Jesse because we as an audience don’t really get to sit with them and when we do it’s for brief moments. But like with the ‘Before’ trilogy, what they say to each other in these moments together isn’t as significant as their flickering glances, shared stares, and genuine smiles. These moments are what make the best romantic dramas and Past Lives is one of the best romance films of the decade so far, if not the best.

    Score: 4/5

  • 30 Movies to See This Pride Month

    30 Movies to See This Pride Month

    Happy Pride!

    All About My Mother (1999)

    ‘All About My Mother’ (Sony Pictures Classics)

    The most acclaimed Spanish filmmaker since Victor Erice, Pedro Almodovar’s distinctively queer and vibrant filmography makes him one of the most unique, prolific, and consistently exciting filmmakers of the last 40 years. From his darkly funny earlier fare like What Have I Done to Deserve This? and Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown to his more recent emotionally-devastating dramas like Talk to Her and Pain and Glory, Almodovar has never fit into any easy labels. All About My Mother is his magnum opus, merging his distinctive humor, melodrama, and his desire to tackle serious issues. This is a moving and affecting portrait of motherhood, love, and what it means to be family.

    Where to Watch: Rent or Buy

     

    And Then We Danced (2019)

    ‘And Then We Danced’ (Music Box)

    A powerfully acted and dazzlingly emotional coming-of-age story set in the world of competitive dancing, Levan Akin’s And Then We Danced is an honest love story set in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi. The dance sequences are a wonder to behold, they’re bursting with passion and energy. Levan Gelbakhiani delivers a phenomenal central performance in this criminally underseen film that you’ll feel in your heart long after the credits roll.

    Where to Watch: Prime Video, Tubi, Kanopy, Mubi

     

    The Birdcage (1996)

    ‘The Birdcage’ (United Artists)

    Led by gut-bustingly funny and empathetic work from co-leads Nathan Lane and Robin Williams, Mike Nichols’ The Birdcage is an uplifting tale that sees a gay couple attempt to put on a straight facade when meeting the ultra-conservative parents of their son’s fiancee. This Elaine May-written movie is still one of the rare mainstream Hollywood films to feature a happy gay couple at the story’s forefront.

    Where to Watch: Paramount+, PlutoTV, The Roku Channel, Tubi

     

    The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (1972)

    ‘The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant’ (New Yorker Films)

    In the 13 years he was making feature films before his untimely death from a drug overdose at 37, Rainer Werner Fassbinder constructed one of the greatest filmographies ever. While he ventured into more experimental fare with films such as World on a Wire and Berlin Alexanderplatz, Fassbinder’s bread and butter was the sumptuous Sirkian melodrama and The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant is one of his best, incorporating a Bergmanesque story into a story of an arrogant and self-centered fashion designer who plunges into a love affair with a young woman.

    Where to Watch: Max, The Criterion Channel

     

    Bound (1996)

    ;Bound’ (Gramercy)

    While they broke out into the mainstream with The Matrix, many film fans first heard about The Wachowskis from their neo-noir crime thriller Bound. Stylish and with a tight and captivating screenplay, this is the Wachowskis best film outside of the one that made them household names. Gina Gershon, Jennifer Tilly, and Joe Pantoliano star in this film that follows a woman and her lover as they attempt to take millions of dollars from the mob.

    Where to Watch: Prime Video, Paramount+

     

    But I’m a Cheerleader (1999)

    ‘But I’m a Cheerleader’ (Lionsgate)

    This movie was such a welcome surprise. I wasn’t expecting a heartwarming, hilarious, and compassionate satire bursting with color and vibrancy but that is exactly what Jamie Babbit’s But I’m a Cheerleader is. You might not think that a film largely set in a gay conversion camp can be raucously funny, but Babbit strikes the tone well, effectively skewering societal heteronormativity and homophobia while maintaining the film’s sense of campy fun.

    Where to Watch: Prime Video, The Roku Channel, The Criterion Collection, Tubi, PlutoTV

     

    Carol (2015)

    ‘Carol’ (The Weinstein Company)

    Anchored by phenomenal performances from Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, this adaptation of a Patricia Highsmith novel follows the aspiring photographer Therese as she falls in love with the older and wealthier Carol. Every aspect of this film is firing on all cylinders, Edward Lachman’s lavish cinematography, Carter Burwell’s jazzy and affecting score, Phyllis Nagy’s wonderfully romantic yet melancholy screenplay, and, of course, Todd Haynes’ exquisite direction.

    Where to Watch: Netflix, Kanopy

     

    C.R.A.Z.Y. (2005)

    ‘C.R.A.Z.Y.’ (Samuel Goldwyn)

    A movie about coming-out that you can (probably) watch with your parents, Quebecois Jean-Marc Vallee’s C.R.A.Z.Y. is a thoroughly entertaining coming-of-age film about a young man discovering his identity under the pressure of his conservative family. The film also works as a wonderful time capsule, capturing the 60s and 70s with detail and a fantastic soundtrack that includes David Bowie, The Cure, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, and Elvis Presley.

    Where to Watch: Max, Kanopy

     

    Farewell My Concubine (1993)

    ‘Farewell, My Concubine’ (Miramax)

    An epic romantic melodrama set in mid 20th century China, you may need some knowledge of Chinese history to truly appreciate this film. But even without that knowledge, Farewell, My Concubine is a lavish production, exquisitely crafted on all technical fronts. Gong Li is absolutely brilliant in this film as the titular concubine and Leslie Cheung and Zhang Fengyi are fantastic as well.

    Where to Watch: Rent/Buy

     

    The Handmaiden (2016)

    ‘The Handmaiden’ (Amazon)

    Sumptuous period detail and seductive performances come together in this deliciously entertaining erotic thriller from ‘Oldboy’ director Park Chan-Wook. The Handmaiden is one of the best-looking period films of the past 10 years with cinematographer Chung-Hoon Chung, costume designer Jo Sang-Gyeong, and production designer Ryu Seong-Hie working in tandem to capture early 20th century Japanese luxury in awe-inspiring fashion. Park’s direction is at his best since Oldboy, thrilling his audience with the precision of a master.

    Where to Watch: Prime Video, FilmBox

     

    Happy Together (1997)

    ‘Happy Together’ (Kino International)

    It’s reductive and I’m in no way trying to bring down what is an impeccable filmography but the cinema of Wong Kar-Wai can be grouped into two categories, passionate romantic dramas and neo-noir crime dramas. Some merge both styles such as Chungking Express and Fallen Angels. But like Wong’s magnum opus In the Mood For Love, Happy Together fits wholly into the former category and is a pure romantic drama about isolation, marginalization, and codependency. The late Leslie Cheung and Wong regular Tony Leung give fantastic performances as the central couple.

    Where to Watch: Max, The Criterion Collection

     

    Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)

    ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’ (Fine Line)

    An exhilarating glam rock opera musical, Hedwig and the Angry Inch is director, writer, and star John Cameron Mitchell’s bold, imaginative, and genuinely touching portrait of Hedwig, a trans punk rock singer from Berlin who tells the story of her life, one of love and betrayal, through her songs. Visually audacious and with a fantastic soundtrack, Mitchell’s film is full of irresistible energy and remarkable charm. 

    Where to Watch: Rent/Buy

     

    Joyland (2022)

    ‘Joyland’ (Oscilloscope)

    Executive produced by Malala Yousafzai, Riz Ahmed, and Ramin Bahrani among others, Saim Sadiq’s Joyland follows the sensitive Haider who finds a job at a burlesque theater and falls in love with its central star, a trans woman named Biba. This winner of the most recent Spirit award for Best International Film was banned in its home country of Pakistan for its positive depiction of a transgender woman. This is a stunningly-shot, deeply humanistic film that deserves to be more widely recognized (and brought to streaming!).

    Where to Watch: N/A

     

    The Long Day Closes (1992)

    ‘The Long Day Closes’ (Sony Pictures Classics)

    An atmospheric and lyrical coming-of-age story about a boy’s burgeoning homosexuality, Catholic faith, and relationship with his mother, The Long Day Closes is one of (very) British auteur Terence Davies’ best features, functioning as an autobiographical examination of the truths that can reside in memory. Wonderfully shot and at times surreal with its imagery and rejection of conventional notions of plot, Davies’ film is a singular experience resplendent with a love for cinema and music.

    Where to Watch: The Criterion Collection

     

    Madchen in Uniform (1931)

    ‘Madchen in Uniform’ (Filmchoice)

    This is by far the oldest film on this list, and you might be surprised to see that a film from 1931 has mostly held up in terms of its LGBTQ+ representation but clearly Leontine Sagan and her crew were decades ahead of their time. This is a fantastic coming-of-age film told through stunning German Expressionist cinematography and unexpectedly naturalistic performances. While the teacher-student relationship at the center of the story is a significant issue, this film is a celebration of female companionship, queer identity, and resistance against oppressive authority that also featured the second cinematic lesbian kiss.

    Where to Watch: Plex

     

    Maurice (1987)

    ‘Maurice’ (Cinecom)

    One of the best films produced by the Ismail Merchant-James Ivory partnership, Maurice is a lushly photographed period piece from the late 20th century masters of the literate Hollywood period romance. Less successful on the awards circuit than its straight Merchant-Ivory cousins Remains of the Day, A Room With a View, and Howards End, this is a criminally overlooked tale of gay love and repression that still moves over a century after E.M. Forster first put the story of Maurice and Clive on page. 

    Where to Watch: Kanopy, Mubi

     

    Moonlight (2016)

    ‘Moonlight’ (A24)

    Probably the most acclaimed American film of the last ten years, Barry Jenkins’ unquestionable masterpiece Moonlight is a masterclass in everything from empathetic filmmaking to subtle yet devastating acting. Moonlight is the coming-of-age story of Chiron, a young Black man wrestling with his identity, sexuality, and purpose. Barry Jenkins and cinematographer James Laxton’s images are pure visual poetry accentuated by Nicholas Britell’s somber, atmospheric strings. It’s a wonderful movie and an absolute must-see for anyone who considers themselves a fan of film.

    Where to Watch: Max, Kanopy, DirecTV

     

    My Own Private Idaho (1991)

    ‘My Own Private Idaho’ (Fine Line)

    Led by two compelling lead performances from River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves, My Own Private Idaho is one of Gus Van Sant’s most exceptional features that follows two hustlers on the road to survival and self discovery. The film is one of the most important in the New Queer Cinema canon, a movement led by queer American filmmakers during the HIV/AIDS crisis that was at its peak from the late 80s to the mid 90s. Gus Van Sant, Todd Haynes, Gregg Araki, Cheryl Dunye, and Marlon Riggs (all of whom have films included on this list) were some of the most significant contributors to this movement.

    Where to Watch: Rent/Buy

     

    Mysterious Skin (2004)

    ‘Mysterious Skin’ (TLA)

    Gregg Araki made multiple films centered around the queer experience, including acclaimed works like Nowhere, The Doom Generation, and The Living End, but the devastating Mysterious Skin is widely considered to be his masterpiece. Infamously harrowing yet at times beautiful and incredibly affecting, Araki’s film is not for those unprepared to see a story that deals with trauma and abuse in a way that stays with you. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Brady Corbet give some of the best performances of their careers here. 

    Where to Watch: The Criterion Collection

     

    Paris is Burning (1990)

    ‘Paris is Burning’ (Off White)

    No other documentary I’ve seen feels so vivid and full of life. Paris is Burning captures the lives and stories surrounding the New York ballroom scene of the 80s and does so with the utmost interest and care for every person who is a part of it. Real-life figures like Pepper Lebeija,  Dorian Corey, Octavia St. Laurent, and Venus Xtravaganza start to feel like friends by the end of the film’s speedy 78 minutes. While it has its issues, at its core Paris is Burning is an effortlessly lovable celebration of ballroom culture that has proved to be incredibly influential.

    Where to Watch: Max, The Criterion Collection

     

    Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)

    ‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’ (Neon)

    Every 10 years, the British Film Institute conducts the Sight and Sound poll, asking critics around the world for their takes on the greatest films ever made. In 2022, “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” was ranked at number 30, the highest ranking for any film from the 2010s. This profoundly emotional period piece follows the romance of two women, Heloise and Marianne, as they spend a week together on an isolated island off the coast of France. With accolades from the Cannes Film Festival, Cesar Awards and European Film Awards, director Celine Sciamma has earned her title as one of, if not the most, acclaimed female filmmakers of her generation. One of the most gorgeous films I’ve seen, both in photography and thematics, this is one of my personal all-time favorites.

    Where to Watch: Hulu, Kanopy

     

    Pride (2014)

    ‘Pride’ (CBS)

    A feel-good activism story brimming with humor and heart, Matthew Warchus’ Pride is a touching film set during the conservative Thatcher era in Britain as gay activists work to aid miners during the U.K. miner strike of 1984-85. The cast is stacked featuring phenomenal British actors like Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton, Paddy Considine, Dominic West, and George MacKay who are all great in their respective roles. There are not many fiction films about activism as good as this.

    Where to Watch: Showtime, DirecTV

     

    Straight Up (2019)

    ‘Straight Up’ (Strand)

    A light, fun screwball rom-com, James Sweeney’s debut is a fresh take on traditional romantic comedy tropes. The film lives and dies on the chemistry of its two leads Sweeney and Katie Findlay, two characters who long for love but find something standing in the way of them being a perfect couple. Reminiscent of classic rom coms like His Girl Friday and When Harry Met Sally in its witty banter, Sweeney translates the feel of those movies to a new generation with different preoccupations.

    Where to Watch: Netflix, Kanopy

     

    Stranger by the Lake (2013)

    ‘Stranger by the Lake’ (Strand)

    Fantastic cinematography from Claire Mathon, an atmosphere filled with dread, and deft direction from Alain Guiraudie come together in Guiraudie’s Stranger by the Lake. This is a film about risk and passion, addiction and attraction led by captivating turns from Pierre Deladonchamps, Christophe Paou, and Patrick d’Assumcao as summer occupants of a lakeside gay cruising beach.

    Where to Watch: Kanopy

     

    Tangerine (2015)

    ‘Tangerine’ (Magnolia)

    Bursting with raw energy, Tangerine is so much damn fun. Powered by two alternatingly hilarious, tender, and passionate performances from Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor, Tangerine is a whirlwind of a film that takes you on the journey of hookers Sin-Dee and Alexandra who scour Los Angeles looking for Chester, the pimp that cheated on Sin-Dee. The film was shot on iPhones and consists of mostly non-actors and first-time actors, accentuating the film’s realism. But don’t be fooled by director Sean Baker’s realist aesthetic, this is one of the most unabashedly entertaining indie dramas in recent years.

    Where to Watch: Max, Hoopla, Kanopy, DirecTV

     

    Tongues Untied (1989)

    ‘Tongues Untied’ (Frameline)

    A film based on the thesis that Black men loving other Black men is a revolutionary act, Marlon Riggs’ Tongues Untied is an essential film both in its social and political content. This is a film built from the art of not only Marlon Riggs but numerous Black gay voices from poets to activists. It’s an incredible film made with an infectious amount of passion that depicts intersectionality in a way that makes its audience think and feel deeply.

    Where to Watch: The Criterion Collection, Kanopy, Ovid

     

    Tropical Malady (2004)

    ;Tropical Malady’ (Strand)

    Apichatpong Weerasethakul has a lyrical cinematic style that is completely his own. His cinema is deeply mystical, atmospheric, and aware of nature. Split into two halves, Weerasethakul’s best film Tropical Malady is both a wonderfully shot gay romance and a story steeped in Thai legends, populated by shamans, surreal magical realism, and mystical forces. It’s a film that lives completely on its own wavelength and if you share that wavelength, you will fall in love with it.

    Where to Watch: Kanopy

     

    The Watermelon Woman (1996)

    ‘The Watermelon Woman’ (First Run)

    This comedy follows a Black lesbian filmmaker named Cheryl (director Cheryl Dunye playing herself) who dives into the life of an actress billed as the Watermelon Woman who was known for playing “mammy” archetypes in the 1930s. Cheryl simultaneously looks for love in this hilarious rom-com mockumentary, which sits at the intersection of race, sex, history, love, and queerness.

    Where to Watch: Showtime, Kanopy, DirecTV, Fandor

     

    The Way He Looks (2014)

    ‘The Way He Looks’ (Strand)

    Endearingly cute and wonderfully romantic, Daniel Ribeiro’s The Way He Looks is an adorable Brazilian coming of age story about a blind child finding first love. This touching film unabashedly wears its heart on its sleeve and features a great soundtrack, charming performances, and a genuine sense of empathy for its characters.

    Where to Watch: Kanopy

     

    Weekend (2011)

    ‘Weekend’ (IFC)

    As intimate and sensitive as romantic dramas can be, Andrew Haigh’s phenomenal feature Weekend is a genuine examination of sex and love in modern gay relationships. It’s an effortlessly endearing film that’s at times sexy, hilarious, thoughtful, and critical. Both Tom Cullen and Chris New give vulnerable naturalistic performances, their character’s flaws and preoccupations bared in full view to the audience.

    Where to Watch: AMC+, The Criterion Collection, Tubi, Kanopy, DirecTV, PlutoTV

  • The Final Sequence of “Black Girl” and Glauber Rocha’s Notion of Violence

    The Final Sequence of “Black Girl” and Glauber Rocha’s Notion of Violence

    In his revolutionary 1965 manifesto ‘The Aesthetics of Hunger’, landmark filmmaker and film theorist Glauber Rocha wrote “The moment of violence is the moment when the colonizer becomes aware of the existence of the colonized. Only when he is confronted with violence can the colonizer understand, through horror, the strength of the culture he exploits. As long as he does not take up arms, the colonized man remains a slave.” 

    When Rocha says violence he doesn’t mean bloody revolution but instead is defining violence as when abuse towards the oppressed is forced into the view of the oppressors. And this abuse can’t solely be forced into the sights of the oppressors, it must be portrayed in an unabashedly polemic manner, to the point where there is no doubt that what is being viewed is inhumanity. Rocha promoted this portrayal of “violence” as one of the purposes of the Cinema Novo movement, a Brazilian movement led by Rocha and filmmakers such as Nelson Pereira dos Santos and Joaquim Pedro de Andrade that dedicated itself to promoting social equality through the depiction of underdeveloped and impoverished regions of Brazil. 

    And while Cinema Novo’s relationship with the Third Cinema movement is much-discussed (one camp seems to be those who believe that Cinema Novo is an early subcategory of Third Cinema and the other sees the movement’s influence from the Italian Neorealist auteurs as evidence that the movements should be put into two different categories), there are undeniable parallels between the two. One being the common focus on the idea of a camera as a weapon capable of an artistic assault on oppression. Ousmane Sembene’s 1966 masterpiece “Black Girl” epitomizes this. The film is an explicit and unambiguous condemnation of the European neocolonialism that perpetuates the profound racism, classism, and general inhumanity inherent in colonial systems. 

    And while the entire film is centered around this, the last sequence in particular is one of the best cinematic articulations of Rocha’s goals among Third Cinema and Third Cinema-adjacent films. The sequence almost functions as an epilogue. By this point, the film has already hit its climactic moment, with Diouana committing suicide in a bathtub Marat-style, choosing death as the only way to seize her agency from who have essentially enslaved her. After Diouana’s death, one of her former employers travels to Diouana’s home in Dakar to deliver Diouana’s items, including the mask she gifted them and a sum of money, to her mother who refuses. While it’s never explained why she refuses, one likely possibility is that she is fully aware of the way Europeans treat Africans and knows that the man offering her money likely had a part to play in the death of her daughter. Once rejected, the man begins to leave and a young boy (who may or not be Diouana’s younger brother) picks up the mask to wear it and begins to follow the man. Sembene’s camera cuts between the steadily advancing child, face fully concealed, and the increasingly uncomfortable European, the cuts growing more frantic as the sequence continues. Once the European reaches the bridge, he escapes to his car and drives off, the audience seeing the vehicle swiftly escape through the eyes of the child. Sembene cuts to the boy in the mask, his visage facing the camera for the first time in the sequence. He takes the mask off slowly, revealing his face looking at the car in the distance as the credits start to play. 

    ‘Black Girl’ (Janus)

    Masks depersonalize individuals who cease to be such while hidden behind them. While wearing the mask, the boy becomes a symbol of something larger, the Senegalese people, African victims of colonial oppression, the youth growing up in a newly-independent Africa. And as the boy follows the European, never letting him leave his sight, Sembene illustrates his purpose. He wants to instill fear in the minds of his neocolonial oppressors. The fear that Africa will not sit idly by as oppression occurs. The fear that their neocolonial oppression will be put under a microscope and that vitriolic art condemning it will be released to the masses. There is nothing more powerful than knowledge and with this film, Sembene displays not only his acute awareness of the circumstances his people are being subjected to but also a vow to spread that knowledge to his fellow Africans. This is deeply angry, political filmmaking and with the last sequence, Sembene gives the many European members of his audience a warning: Your sins will remain hidden no longer.

    Ousmane Sembène once said that “Cinema is like an ongoing political rally with the audience”. The Senegalese auteur was previously a prominent figure in African literature yet switched to filmmaking as he believed it to be “a more effective tool for [his] activism”. Cinema is the most accessible of art forms and therefore in Sembene’s view the method through which to most effectively educate the masses. While lauded by European audiences throughout his career, Sembène made his art for the purpose of illustrating the preoccupations of his fellow Africans. Like Rocha, Sembene realized the importance of making neocolonial oppression impossible for the oppressors to ignore. So while he was mainly interested in making films for African audiences, Sembene wanted his work to shock European audiences, eliciting in them the fear that the people they are oppressing are conscious of the indignity of their circumstances.