Sydney Sweeney has entered the Oscar race
Sydney Sweeney has been in the news a lot this year. For soap, for jeans, for her voter registration. But, I have a question, is Sydney Sweeney a good actor? Whenever I post about her, I get tons of comments saying, no she’s not, but don’t be surprised if you hear her name up for an Oscar in January.
Because her upcoming biopic about boxer Christy Martin is making waves. Christy, which was directed by David Michôd, premiered last week at the Toronto Film Festival and Sweeney’s intense and transformative performance is getting award buzz.
Variety says Sweeney has entered the Oscar race and “[The actor] packed on 30 pounds and did her own fighting. Oscar voters often reward that kind of commitment.” Gold Derby, one of the top award watch website, also hyped Sweeney’s Oscar odd, ”Sweeney now seems poised to enter the Oscar ring.” The site says Toronto audiences applauded and audibly gasped throughout the movie.
On the other hand, Sweeney’s controversies could hurt her chances and the reviews are a little soft right now. It has a 57 on Metacritic and a 61% on RottenTomatoes. Do you think Sweeney can go the distance?
Steven Spielberg wanted to direct a major video game adaptation
But the game’s owners just told him to get lost. Here’s a random fact: Master director Steven Spielberg loves playing video games. In a recent interview with MinnMax, Spielberg’s son Max explained, “He’s a big PC gamer,” that he likes shooters and story games, and that he prefers using a mouse and keyboard over a controller.
So it makes sense that Spielberg would want to direct a video game movie. I mean Ready Player One is basically one already. But Puck News just reported that Spielberg recently approached Activision, which is owned by Microsoft, about directing a big screen version of Call of Duty. Which also according to his son, happens to be his favorite game franchise. Spielberg and Call of Duty seems like a match made in movie heaven. I mean how many war movies has he made already?!
But Activision declined Spielberg’s pitch, because of his demands. Because of his legendary status, Spielberg asks for top of the line pay, final cut, and full creative and marketing control. Activision either didn’t want to pay or didn’t want to give up that much control. So instead it’s partnering with Paramount, who will find a different director. Would you have wanted to see Spielberg’s Call of Duty movie?
Spielberg is losing his mind over Paul Thomas Anderson and Leo’s new movie
Speaking of Spielberg, there’s also this. If you don’t know, Paul Thomas Anderson is releasing a new movie on Sept 26th. It’s called One Battle After Another, it’s being described as an action thriller. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall and Teyana Taylor.
And a lot is riding on this for Warner Brothers, because the budget was at least $130 million. So the studio must be relieved to hear that early reactions are very positive. New York Times pop culture reporter Kyle Buchanan even called it an Oscar frontrunner. But master director Steven Spielberg is really excited about it.
At a Q&A after a DGA preview screening, he told Anderson, “What an insane movie, oh my God. There is more action in the first hour of this than every other film you’ve ever directed put together. It is really incredible. This is such a concoction of things that are so bizarre and at the same time so relevant.”
He then compared it to a Kubrick masterpiece, “I have not seen a movie that is so tonally a relative to Stanley Kubrick’s ‘Dr. Strangelove. This brings a kind of absurdist comedy, taken very seriously, because it’s so much a reflection of what’s happening today, every day, throughout this country.”
Spielberg also praised DiCaprio and said this is favorite Sean Penn performance ever. And he concluded, “May film live forever. May we never be replaced by A.I. And may this movie make a bundle and make you very happy. I loved it.”
Gen Alpha might save movie theaters
Movie theaters still haven’t fully recovered from the pandemic. Prior to 2020, yearly box office totals consistently sat above $11 billion. But in the years since, they haven’t cracked $9 billion. Can anything save the movies? Maybe Gen Alpha — aka kids born after 2010.
In a new study on media habits by the National Research Group, as reported on by Puck, nearly 60% of Gen Alpha respondents said they enjoyed watching movies in theaters, rather than watching at home. But Alex, Gen Alpha love their phones and tablets? Why would they leave the house?
It turns out, all that digital access plus the pandemic, has made moviegoing feel special. The study said “The amount of time that members of Gen Alpha spend staring at their phones and tablets appears to have made them deeply appreciative of those moments that allow them to log off, disconnect, and enjoy the real-world company of friends and family,”
Yup, 55% of Gen Alpha said they prefer going to theaters with a large group. More than 60% wants to see a new movie on opening weekend. 54% expressed an interest in 3D or V.R. experiences in theaters. And a plurality say they want to see movies in a busy theater.
According to Puck, “Gen Alpha is thinking about movies as cultural moments to be shared.” And they don’t want people to be on their phones! Only 20 percent expressed an interest in a theatrical experience that involved using their phone. The study said Gen Alpha is “actively seeking out the buzz, excitement, and energy of a communal experience.”
And I think we’re seeing exactly this in the success of Minecraft and the short lived but sold out singalong screenings of KPop Demon Hunters. The survey asked what are the franchises your friends are talking about. The top 5 was Roblox, Minecraft, Fortnite, Grand Theft Auto, and Pokemon. A.K.A. digitally native properties based on community and interactivity. Future movies that tap into Gen Alpha fandom and identity plus unique experience they can’t get at home could soar at the box office.