And the Oscar nominees are...
What to know
Everything, Everywhere, All at Once tops the Oscar nominations… The big day is here and with it all the expected drama! Before I get into the top narratives, I just want to say how nice it is to see movies people have actually seen get nominated. The Academy doesn’t need a “Best Popular Movie” category when the popular movies are also good! Maybe now people will watch the show? And how cool to see such a weird but original movie like Everything, Everywhere top the nominations — including love for Stephanie Hsu! Now to dissect the trends: 🏆
Michelle Yeoh makes history as first Asian Best Actress nominee, Black performers shut out of lead acting categories, women shut out of Best Director… First the good news, there’s a solid amount of Asian representation across the acting fields, thanks to Everything, Everwhere and Hong Chau. The not-so good news, there wasn’t a single Black actor or actress in the lead fields and no women for Best Director. This comes after the Academy has taken many steps to diversify and given Best Director to women 2 years in a row. Steps forward, steps back — same as it ever was. 🤨
Taylor Swift misses out on Oscar nomination, but Rihanna and Lady Gaga are there… Plus “Naatu Naatu” from RRR (becoming the first song from an Indian film to ever make the category), David Byrne’s “This Is a Life” from Everything, Everywhere, and of course, Dianne Warren. Hopefully we’ll see these songs performed at the ceremony. 🎶
Angela Bassett earns the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first acting nomination… And possible win? Meanwhile, Tom Cruise missed out on an acting nom. You can’t get em all, popular movies. 🌍
Andrea Riseborough earns surprise acting nod… For indie To Leslie, which I’ve never heard of. Anything can happen with the Oscars! 😮
John Williams becomes oldest person to ever be nominated and topped his own record as most-nominated living person… Show off. 🎼
My Year of Dicks is nominated… Yes, that’s what it’s called. It’s more beautiful than you think. 👀
A24 topped all studios with 18 total nominations… People love them some A24. 🎬
Apple buys indie musical Flora and Son for nearly $20M… The Eve Hewson-Joseph Gordon Levitt pic, from the director of Once and Sing Street, is reportedly delighting audiences at Sundance, so naturally Apple snatched it up. Just like it did with CODA, which as you’ll recall, went on to win Best Picture. 🎸
Panic! at the Disco is calling it quits… The band has basically become a Brendon Urie solo project, so I’m not sure how it can “break up.” I guess if and when Urie returns to music it will be under his name?❗️
Troy Kotsur to guest star on Curb Your Enthusiasm… Speaking of CODA, this cool thing is happening. 🙌
Razzies face backlash for nominating 12-year-old Firestarter star… Say it with me: The Razzies are trash. 👎
Tár hits Peacock this Friday, Jan 27… Break out the conducting batons. 🎼
M3GAN is now available on demand… Break out the dance moves. 🤖
What’s new
Wolf Pack — Jan 26 | Paramount+ drama series | 🍅
Poker Face — Jan 26 | Peacock mystery comedy series | 🍅
Shotgun Wedding — Jan 27 | Amazon comedy action film | 🍅 44%
Shrinking — Jan 27 | Apple dramedy series | 🍅 80%
You People — Jan 27 | Netflix comedy film | 🍅 23%
Returning: How I Met Your Father s2
What to watch
There are a lot of dark stories on TV these days. At the Golden Globes, one presenter joked that nearly all of the men nominated in a given TV category played serial killers or serial killer-adjacent. American audiences have long had a fascination with the macabre in this way, but “true crime” is having a moment in the peak TV era.
Apple TV+ miniseries Black Bird, on its surface, appears to be another serial killer true crime story. Based on true events, it tells the story of Jimmy Keene (Taron Egerton), an incarcerated drug dealer who strikes a deal with the FBI to elicit a confession from alleged serial killer Larry Hall (Paul Walter Hauser). Thankfully, this is not just another dark-for-darkness’ sake, serial killer story looking to satisfy the audience’s grotesque and morbid fascinations. Black Bird has more in common with Mindhunter or The Patient than Dahmer. It seeks to explore the psyche of a killer and the man sent to befriend him, but filters it through gender dynamics, hoping to examine the way men treat women.
Black Bird’s success is thanks to 3 people: Creator Dennis Lehane, who is adapting Keene’s memoir, Taron Egerton, and most importantly, Paul Walter Hauser. Lehane is primarily an author. Movie fans will recognize his novels Gone, Baby, Gone, Mystic River, and Shutter Island — which ought to give you an idea of his modus operandi. Lehane also wrote for The Wire, and brings along that show’s ability to blend the journalistic and the dramatic perfectly. Taron Egerton gives new meaning to “acting is reacting,” as he portrays a man deeply changed by the events of the story.
And of course, Paul Walter Hauser, who won the Critics’ Choice and Golden Globe for this role, is the reason to watch. Hauser has already built up a varied and impressive resumé (I, Tonya, Richard Jewell, BlacKkKlansman, Da 5 Bloods, Cobra Kai) because he is simply that good. Black Bird gives him a chance to really go for it and get deep into a deranged and troubled character. He changes his body and voice for the role, but the dark places he had to go are all mental. It’s a stunning and disturbing performance from an actor on the cusp of a legendary career.
If we’re going to be stuck with the true crime genre, hopefully we get more treatments like this.
For all past ‘what to watch’ recommendations, see the full list here!