The Globes actually got it mostly right

And 'Oppenheimer' already lost one Oscar

Dec 12, 2023

The 2024 Golden Globe nominees are here… The Golden Globes are like a bad head cold you just can’t shake. And despite the HFPA’s various scandals, the ceremony has found new owners and a new home on CBS & Paramount+ (Jan 7). That said, the nominations list looks fairly sane and reasonable. Best Motion Picture, Drama: Oppenheimer, Killers of the Flower Moon, Maestro, Past Lives, The Zone of Interest, Anatomy of a Fall; Best Picture Musical or Comedy: Barbie, Poor Things, American Fiction, The Holdovers, May December, Air. If 10 of those end up being the Oscars’ Best Picture nominees I wouldn’t be surprised. Meanwhile on TV, the Globes nominated 1923, The Crown, The Diplomat, The Last of Us, The Morning Show, and Succession for best drama; and The Bear, Ted Lasso, Abbott Elementary, Jury Duty, Only Murders in the Building, and Barry for best comedy. Safe, reasonable picks. The loopy old Globes might really be dead. 🌐
Oppenheimer has already lost the Best Visual Effects Oscar, failing to make the shortlist… Christopher Nolan’s last film, Tenet, won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects so it’s pretty surprising that Oppenheimer did not make the shortlist this year. Oppenheimer has some dazzling practical effects and some were calling it the favorite this year, so this decision by the Academy’s VFX branch is pretty confusing. While there hasn’t been any official explanation, IndieWire has some sources willing to speculate. They said it could be due to the film having just 150 “invisible” VFX shots, or it’s because Nolan bragged about the movie having no CGI, or perhaps it’s because very few artists from VFX house DNEG were credited on the movie. That said, here’s the full shortlist: Ant-Man 3, Aquaman 2, Barbie, The Boys in the Boat, The Creator, Dungeons and Dragons, Godzilla Minus One, Guardians 3, Indiana Jones 5, Killers of the Flower Moon, The Marvels, Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning, Napoleon, Nyad, Poor Things, Rebel Moon Part One, Society of the Snow, Spider Man Across the Spiderverse, Transformers Rise of the Beats, and Wonka. With Oppenheimer out of competition, it’s a wide open field, but it seems The Creator, Guardians 3, and Poor Things are the new favorites. 🏆
Adam McKay has been accused of stealing Don’t Look Up… By the author of a 2013 novel called Stanley’s Comet. According to The Wrap and Variety, Louisiana author William Collier filed a copyright infringement case Wednesday against McKay, his production company, and Netflix. The lawsuit claims his book and Don’t Look Up have “practically identical” plots. Stanley’s Comet is about “ a low-level scientist who warns the government of an asteroid on a collision course for Earth.” Like Don’t Look Up, his warnings are dismissed by officials who are more concerned about the political backlash and then the scientist becomes a famous figure who sharply divides the masses. USC comparative literature professor David Roman is quoted in the lawsuit saying, “The two works not only share strong similarities in their plot points but also in their themes and satirical tone.” Collier also claims that in 2007 he sent a copy of the book to his daughter Adrienne Metz, a then-assistant at Jimmy Miller Entertainment who represented Adam McKay, for the company to consider as story material. He believes the novel would have been circulated to Miller and McKay. The lawsuit says “Since Stanley’s Comet was received by McKay’s manager, custom and practice in the entertainment industry dictates that this constitutes receipt by McKay.” Collier is asking for at least $5 million in damages. ☄️
Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron opens to $12.8M in the U.S. … This is the first time an original anime feature has ever topped the domestic box office. And it’s much deserved considering how evocative and rich this film is. It was also Hayao Miyazaki’s biggest U.S. debut as well as Studio Ghibli’s. That said, if you’ve never seen a Miyazaki film, you might find it somewhat inaccessible. So I’d watch My Neighbor Totoro or Ponyo first and then dive into The Boy and the Heron. 🇯🇵

And everything else

Daniel Craig and Charlize Theron teaming for Apple heist movie with Justin Lin… Apple reportedly won out the bidding war for this starry project, flexing their willingness to spend for buzzy content. And can you blame it? 💰
Bradley Cooper and Christian Bale circling Cold War spy flick… Meanwhile in dynamic duos, the American Hustle co-stars are looking to reunite — and who wouldn’t want that? 🕵🏻
Russell Crowe, Rami Malek, Michael Shannon to star in Nuremberg film from James Vanderbilt… Vanderbilt wrote and produced Zodiac. And thus concludes our trio of stories about cool new films that are in development. ⚖️

THR: “Are studios shy to market musicals… as musicals?”… Yes, next question. All joking aside, I’m glad someone at the trades is finally asking this question. Let Musicals Be Musicals 2024. 🎭

Disney+ & Hulu combined will surpass Netflix in popularity and library volume… Volume sure, but popularity? I’ll believe it when I see it. 🐭
Station 19 ending at ABC after 7 seasons… Finally, I’ll have a chance to catch up on Stations 1 through 18. 👩‍🚒
Elijah Wood and other actors were duped into make Russian propaganda on Cameo… Yikes. 😬
Senators introduce bill to reform live-event ticketing system… Hopefully it works! 🎫
Lucky Hank canceled at AMC after one season… Not so lucky after all. 📚

What’s new

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget — Dec 15 | Netflix animated film | Ⓜ️ 62
Such Brave Girls — Dec 15 | Hulu comedy series | Ⓜ️
Wonka — Dec 15 | Musical comedy film in theaters | Ⓜ️ 68
American Fiction — Dec 15 | Satirical comedy film in limited theaters | Ⓜ️ 80
The Zone of Interest — Dec 15 | Historical drama film in limited theaters | Ⓜ️ 94
Returning: The Crown s6 part 2, Reacher s2