Note: This review was done off of theatrical viewings of the film and as such the review does not feature images or extended granular analysis. Once I am able to get a physical copy of the movie to watch, pause, analyze, and get stills from, the review will be updated to match the site’s standard review format.
Pino Donaggio operatic score immediately graces our ears, evoking the wondrous, mysterious, as we’re greeted with Blade Runner-ensue futurustic cityscapes, towering above the clouds. A large building in the center of the frame, surrounded in neon hues and wisps, is constructed like a person from the chest-up, staring forward. Is this a real building, shaped in this recognizable fashion built in recognition of some other figure? Is it a representation of our capacity to shape our environment, a symbol made maximal?
Then another set of buildings, large towers scattered with neon windows and two large crystalline hands cum claws, shimmering in a haze which obscures the architecture lurking deeper in the background. Another representation of personhood, this time reaching out, grasping towards the indescribable right above it. Yet, the questions persist, accrete towards the increasingly opaque: Where exactly are we observing?
If the traditional establishing shot is meant to ease the viewer in, allow them to establish a tether to the world that the film inhabits, Her Private Hell’s maneuvers act in perverse acceptance of the norm, informing the viewer that this is world that cannot be made precise, a place that exists out in the beyond.
Then, from the fog, a line is thrown – a vantage point for the audience to latch onto. Elle (Sophie Tatcher) a woman who seems to be the only entity capable of persisting through the fog, traverses the unseen cityscape, partially captured in silhouette, as Donaggio’s composition employs fairy tale motifs imbuing this figure with an ethereal transcendence.
With this anchor established, understated as it may be, we follow as she approaches a building who seems to stretch endlessly into the skies , lit by neon pink on both sides. There are two signs in front of the structure lit in neon blues: on the right, the word “Tower” and on the left, the word “Hotel.” Two explicit signifiers in this byzantine world, but their representation still allows interpretative room. Are these words meant to be read separately in that this building is both a hotel and a tower? Are they meant to be read as the “name” of the building, a thought expressed as singular: “Tower Hotel”? And why are we to presume that these words, spare symbols they are, should be read left-to-right instead of right-to-left. Is this a “Tower Hotel” or a “Hotel Tower”? The lexical priority of the nouns implies a different purpose for the building. One can read the “Hotel” as dominating or the “Tower”, but what would the difference in those readings entail?
There are no answers. At least, Elle isn’t here to answer those kinds of questions. As she stares up at the ever-stretching tower, whose phallic construction is certainly more tongue than cheek, it’s apparent there’s something more important on her mind. Her face is captured in close-up, and her background is split between the building’s colors: pink on the left and blue on the right. She’s at a cross-roads even if she doesn’t know it.
She enters the building and the mysteries of the fog give way the golden opulence of the hotel. Elle walks towards the elevator but pauses and returns to make acquaintance with another young woman, Hunter (Kristine Froseth) lounged in a chair in in the lobby.
Hunter starts to fawn over Elle as we gain crumbs of context. Elle is a movie star. She’s here for a project. Hunter is set to act in it.
Elle senses the desperation from the ingenue and offers a comfort, delivered in a slow, detached coolness to not “sell herself.” At first glance, the words seem innocuous, but there’s a sinister underpinning to their implication, one that threatens to become clearer when Hunter indicates that her room is no longer available and her luggage has been consumed by the fog: a young girl in distress, trapped a Hollywood environment that looks nothing like one, surrounded by a mist, who despite being off-screen, now feels increasingly encroaching.
Then, another lifeline, this time to a character inside the film. Elle offers Hunter access to her hotel room, an offer which the latter immediately jumps onto.
The duo enter the elevator and the framing, which places both girls on the sides of the elevators, ensures we’re aware of the haze’s presence, everlasting through the glass windows in the center of the structure and frame.
The camera takes Elle’s point-of-view, lingering on Hunter’s ‘s body in a close tracking. There is potential for desire in the purview of the mist. Hunter smiles.
Then, they arrive.
And Hunter realizes just how immense the presence Elle and her stardom are, absolutely in awe at the space and its luxurious decor.
But Elle could care less about this newfound encounter. Her interest has waned. Her gaze has shifted. This is not what she desires. There are more pressing things on her mind.
Or rather, more pressing persons, one of whom, Dominique (Havana Rose Liu), enters the suite and offers Hunter, who worries about her “relatability” to the fans, advice, delivered with a solemn earnestness, to affirm her singularity as a person. We’re all “stardust”, wholly unique and to ourselves and have a responsibility to recognize that.
But Elle isn’t buying what’s being sold, and the words take on a different feeling when she reveals that Dominque, a contemporary with the other two young women , is in fact Elle’s new step-mother and is married to Johnny Thunders (Dougray Scott), a man who has enticed his daughter back to this location to make a movie under his purview, one which he hopes will tidy over things with his newly affirmed nuclear family. It’s apparent there’s a history, a story, between the freshly signified “mother” and “daughter” which has now been threatened and forced into a fight-or-flight reaction by this attempt at stabilizing the status quo signification.
This is Elle’s hell, one made all the more menacing when her father reveals at a gathering of young starlets, the story of the Leather Man, a father turned supernatural slasher, who lost his own daughter, and in a karmic transformation, is now an entity who hunts lost daughters, serving as a warning to negligent fathers on the consequences of their actions.
It’s after his symbolic integration within the narrative schema, that the Leather Man makes his presence known, brutally eviscerating a young woman with giallo panache , in view of Elle, and disposing of the body in the mist, tossing it from the windows and letting it fall out of view, out of memory.
This act of violence serves as metaphysical segue to the film’s other narrative strand which follows Private K. (Charles Melton), a man who certainly feels in line with Refn’s mythological fetish of super-hero (the “super man” so to speak) starting with Old Eye in Valhalla Rising and last culminating with Lieutenant Chang in Only God Forgives. This is a man, stuck in distinctive location also covered in the same mist, tackling the underworld of trafficking in a desperate attempt to eventually get to Hell and find the Leather Man who he claims as responsible for the disappearance of his daughter.
But just like the signs in front of the hotel, the manner in which the narrative should be read, the tales of Elle and K and the many stories in between, is elusive, offering the viewer a canvas with detritus of what would otherwise be called plot points. Symbols transform, taking on new media and representations depending on point-of-view.
The only true constant is the mist and the presence of Leather Man, both of which operate as antagonist on the one hand and suturing presence on the other. The effect is a matrix of implications. Characters are cyphers, bridges to ideas less than fleshed out persons who would be recognizable in any other space. Beats echo as they reverberate against one another, the plot engendering its own ghost as it attempts to shore against the schism constituted by its wholehearted embrace of the surreal. The conceit of the Leather Man reveals as much: he is a father who punishes other fathers for the sin which led him to become what he became. He is a walking Grandfather paradox, a symbol who becomes entangled in an ever-increasing assemblage of meaning as characters attempt to grasp as his mythology and the film intercuts his violence with perspective in a manner that blurs the line as to where to couch reality.
But the resulting effect is as powerful as it is hermetic. Simple movements, eyes turning, hands reaching, suggest psychic entanglements, projections, realities converging. Sex becomes violence. Murder becomes a shooting star. Space becomes a film. And film becomes a hell. Privacy becomes public as the boundaries between where we start and the Other begin are ripped apart, broken down to their gory stardust.
That Nicolas Winding Refn’s first foray back to the cinematic screen in a decade since The Neon Demon feels like a double down on the auteurs penchants starting with Drive – neon lighting, stoic acting, drained like Bressonian models, slowly paced dialogue, immaculate compositions – also feels his most experimental, seemingly gallivanting between genres – horror, opera, science-fiction, crime, fairy tale – is a balancing act to behold. He’s taken the fetishes which have occupied his work up to the point and stripped the elements to their most impressionistic, an decision reflected most heavily in the film’s aesthetics which obscure all but glimpses of details, hieroglyphics waiting to be interpellated by the audience. Viewers willing to grab onto the swirling images and associations and layer the artifice onto a scaffold in spite of the metaphysical uncertainty, will find meaning leaking, or more accurately bleeding, out between the films poetic, oneiric shifts and reprieves.
REPORT CARD
TLDR
Her Private Hell serves as a triumphant return for one of cinema’s great enfant terribles, demonstrating that while his fetishistic occupations remain squarely fixed within the neon fugue established in his oeuvre starting with 2011’s Drive, his method for exploring them has become dreamier, willing to experiment with freer association between narrative threads and the symbols populating them. This is Refn at his most fluid, shifting genres on seeming whim, employing an operatic score to ratchet up the fairy tale gestalt, while hiding pointedly iconic images and their echoes in the set-design, hidden in obviously tantalizing fashion, challenging the viewer to piece the puzzle together.
Rating
10/10
Grade
S+
Go to Page 2 for the spoiler discussion and more in-depth analysis. Go to Page 3 to view this review’s progress report .
With the 98th Academy Awards arriving, here are my predictions for the awards alongside my general thoughts and musings on the nature of the candidates and appreciation for those artists who were not given the recognition I feel they should have been.
I’m less interested in “snubs” and more interested in shining a light on work I felt was spectacular, so my notation of noticeable omissions isn’t meant to denigrate any of other nominees as much as it is to praise what I think is cinematically wonderful/artistically exceptional and offer a look into my own perspective.
For those looking to quickly parse the discussion for just the predictions, I have the winners BOLDED under each award category.
For any category where I haven’t seen a particular nominee, I will be marking them with an * next to the name of the respective film.
I will be skipping the following categories due to lack of familiarity with a majority of the nominees: Animated Short Film, Documentary Short Film, Documentary Feature Film, Live Action Short Film.
BEST PICTURE
FILM
DIRECTOR
PRODUCER(S)
Bugonia
Yorgos Lanthimos
Ed Guiney & Andrew Lowe, Yorgos Lanthimos, Emma Stone and Lars Knudsen
F1
Joseph Kosinski
Chad Oman, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Joseph Kosinski and Jerry Bruckheimer
Frankenstein
Guillermo del Toro
Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale and Scott Stuber
Hamnet
Chloé Zhao
Liza Marshall, Pippa Harris, Nicolas Gonda, Steven Spielberg and Sam Mendes
Marty Supreme
Josh Safdie
Eli Bush, Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie, Anthony Katagas and Timothée Chalamet
One Battle After Another
Paul Thomas Anderson
Adam Somner, Sara Murphy and Paul Thomas Anderson
The Secret Agent
Kleber Mendonça Filho
Emilie Lesclaux
Sentimental Value
Joachim Trier
Maria Ekerhovd and Andrea Berentsen Ottmar
Sinners
Ryan Coogler
Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian and Ryan Coogler
Train Dreams
Clint Bentley
Marissa McMahon, Teddy Schwarzman, Will Janowitz, Ashley Schlaifer and Michael Heimler
This year’s Best Picture nominees, from my perspective at least, feel relatively on par with some slight stand-outs.
While I believe that One Battle After Another and Frankenstein are a half-step to step better tha the rest, the majority of the other candidates are wonderful films I would not mind seeing win this years award.
F1 is the biggest deviation within the list (good but not of the same pedigree as the rest of its competition) ,but the Oscars, especially in recent years (ex: Wicked, Barbie) have started recognizing the impact of cinematic works in terms of mainstream culture, so the pick makes sense within the larger trend.
Out of all the candidates, the film I believe is MOST LIKELY to win is Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another. P.T.A has been one of the best auteurs in the art-form since his Boogie Nights exploded onto the scene in ’97. After years of award misses, it feels like this is his best shot at getting the Oscar. In many ways, the situation reminds me of Scorsese’s wins for The Departed at the 79th Academy Awards; a master rewarded for an excellent film even though it’s not necessarily their best work.
That is not to imply the film is not deserving of the award: it may be Anderson’s most accessible work (which is saying something given its Pynchonian genesis), but its still wholly cinematic; PTA’s firing on creative cylinders that can only be experienced on the big screen. Additionally, the film features PTA’s best action choreography – kinetic set-pieces that ooze tension – and some of his outright funniest scenarios.
While I don’t think any film was “snubbed” so to speak, there are a few films which I felt exhibited the best aspects of cinema which I would have thoroughly enjoyed to see nominated, including but not limited to: Ari Aster’s Eddington (in many ways the foil to One Battle After Another) , Bi Gan’s Resurrection, Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice, Lynne Ramsay’s Die My Love, Jim Jarmusch’s Father Mother Sister Brother, Noah Baumbach’s’ Jay Kelly, and Tatsuya Yoshihara’s Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc.
While some of these films would definitely not see an academy nomination due to their content, experimental tendencies, or genre leanings, I do believe they represent some of the very best of the year and wanted to shine a light on them alongside the aforementioned offerings.
DIRECTING
FILM
DIRECTOR
Hamnet
Chloé Zhao
Marty Supreme
Josh Safdie
One Battle After Another
Paul Thomas Anderson
Sentimental Value
Joachim Trier
Sinners
Ryan Coogler
Out of the directing candidates, I think Paul Thomas Anderson winning would be wonderful and is the MOST LIKELY winner for the aforementioned reasons.
In terms of missing directors, the omission of Guillermo del Toro is an interesting one given the hype behind Frankenstein and nominations for Best Picture, Cinematography, Costume Design, Makeup & Hairstyling, Music (Original Score), Production Design, Sound, Writing (Adapted Screenplay), Actor in a Supporting Role.
The film is absolutely within del Toro’s wheelhouse and feels a step-up from The Shape of Water which he did win for. Given that, I would normally chalk it up to recency bias but given Zhao’s win for Nomadland at the 93rd Academy Awards, that doesn’t feel right either. Regardless, his absence is an odd one.
INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
FILM
DIRECTOR
COUNTRY
The Secret Agent
Kleber Mendonça Filho
Brazil
It Was Just An Accident
Jafar Panahi
France
Sentimental Value
Joachim Trier
Norway
Sirāt
Oliver Laxe
Spain
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Kaouther Ben Hania
Tunisia
This category is more interesting than usual with 2 films crossing over with the Best Picture List: Sentimental Value and the The Secret Agent. These are our true contenders for the award.
Of the two, I believe that Sentimental Value is MOST LIKELY to win given its increased presence amongst the awards categories . That said, both The Secret Agent and Sirāt are two most cinematic of the nominees and I would vote for either of them to take the win.
Yet, like last year, this category is more interesting to discuss given that the two best foreign films, both contenders for film of the year, have both been woefully excluded from the list of nominees.
At this point it feels like Park Chan-wook and his masterful work will never be recognized by the academy. No Other Choice’s omission is extra baffling and can’t be explained away to something as simple as subject matter given the Academy’s wholehearted embrace of Bong joon-ho’s Parasite at the 92nd Academy Awards – a meditation on class relations that felt universal in spite of its Korean milieu. Park’s approach differs
The omission of Bi Gan’s Resurrection makes sense – the also features an opaque narrative and formal precision that demands viewers pay attention and ruminate on the experience. Given the troubles with getting Academy voters to even watch all the films nominated, its more likely that the majority of the voters would never give this art film a choice.
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
FILM
DIRECTOR(S)
Arco
Ugo Bienvenu
Elio
Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, and Adrian Molina
KPop Demon Hunters
Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
Maïlys Vallade, Liane-Cho Han
Zootopia 2
Jared Bush, Byron Howard
While I would love if the pastel-infused Little Amélie or the Character of Rain won the award, KPop Demon Hunters is MOST LIKELY to win. The cultural juggernaut cannot and will not be stopped. Its near ubiquitous presence since its debut on Netflix makes it the easiest film to watch for voters (who have no doubt been forced to do the same by family members or friends enamored with the subject matter) and the films general sense of energy and expressiveness makes it an incredibly easy and digestible experience.
However, just like with International Films, this year’s category is marked by a looming omission in Tatsuya Yoshihara’s Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc. The film is formally compact and rigorous in a way that most animated films, western or not, never aspire towards. The film’s camerawork feels just as alive as its physical counterpart, but unbound by the dimensions of animation.
FILM EDITING
FILM
EDITOR
F1
Stephen Mirrione
Marty Supreme
Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie
One Battle after Another
Andy Jurgensen
Sentimental Value
Olivier Bugge Coutté
Sinners
Michael P. Shawver
Riding the hype train that is One Battle After Another, I believe that Andy Jurgensen is MOST LIKELY to win. His editing helps propel an otherwise seemingly disparate narrative into a momentum machine that keeps viewers gripped from start to finish in spite of shifting timelines and characters.
That aside, Michael P. Shawver’s work on Sinners and Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie’s work on Marty Supreme are also efforts I would not mind and could see winning. The former’s use of smash cuts and the way it juggles between its moving narratives accentuates the films genre-blending passions and thematic confluences. The latter’s kinetic, frenzied editing is what maintains the gestalt of a narrative that feels like its constantly threatening to upend itself into a wholly different direction.
In terms of omissions,Kim Sang-bum (regular Park collaborator) and Kim Ho-bin’s work on No Other Choice is the best of the year. Park’s films are always in contention for their respective year’s best and No Other Choice is no exception, utilizing every trick in the book as it moves between and through its sequences.
Additionally, Lucian Johnston’s work on Eddington and on If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (talk about a year) is wonderful. In the former, he manages to imbue the film’s gestalt with a paranoid intensity and absurd evolution similar to the algorithms at the stories heart. In the latter, his work accentuates the anxieties and unease at the film’s heart by keeping the viewer just as barely grounded as the story’s protagonist.
CINEMATOGRAPHY
FILM
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Frankenstein
Dan Laustsen
Marty Supreme
Darius Khondji
One Battle After Another
Michael Bauman
Sinners
Edward Lachman
Train Dreams
Jarin Blaschke
This is a category which is absolutely brimming with quality and is one where any of the winners are worthy due to the depth and beauty of their images.
I believe that Jarin Blaschke‘s work on Train Dreams is MOST LIKELY to win given it is the films most obvious strength and certainly the first feature one discusses post-viewing. The Malickian aesthetic reigns supreme throughout the film and is sumptuous.
In terms of non-nominated works: Dong Jingsong’s work on Resurrection is easily the most ambitious and dynamic work of the year and its omission is utterly baffling in spite of the strength of the other nominees. Pristine lighting, mind-blowing camera movements, and an absolute texture to every image – a must-see on a big screen.
I also wanted to shout out Bruno Delbonnel’s work on The Phoenician Schema imbues the great cinematographer’s dreamy haze against Wes Anderson’s hyper-specific, pastel palette to great effects
Finally, Ben Fordesman’s work on Ronan Day-Lewis’s Anemone is one of the film’s biggest strengths, buoying the uneven narrative with breathtaking visuals that metaphysically transport the viewer.
PRODUCTION DESIGN
FILM
NOMINEES
Frankenstein
Production Design: Tamara Deverell; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau
Hamnet
Production Design: Fiona Crombie; Set Decoration: Alice Felton
Marty Supreme
Production Design: Jack Fisk; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau
One Battle After Another
Production Design: Florencia Martin; Set Decoration: Anthony Carlino
Sinners
Production Design: Hannah Beachler; Set Decoration: Monique Champagne
del Toro’s works have always featured some of the most intricately designed and ornate productions in the modern history of the medium and yet the teams’ work on Frankenstein represents an apex in this body of high-points and and will MOST LIKELY be the winner and is my personal pick amongst the nominees. That Tamara Deverell and Shane Vieua somehow one-up their work from Nightmare Alley is astounding.
In terms of non-nominated works: The team behind Resurrection including Liu Qiang and Tu Nanwork deserves a hearty round of applause for the number of environments and scenarios they had to create in order to represent the ever changing landscape of the film.
The team behind The Phoenician Scheme including returning collaborator Adam Stockhausen have also been omitted – an annoying trend with Wes Anderson’s recent output which seems to have been taken for granted.
VISUAL EFFECTS
FILM
NOMINEES
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett
F1
Ryan Tudhope, Nicolas Chevallier, Robert Harrington and Keith Dawson
Jurassic World Rebirth
David Vickery, Stephen Aplin, Charmaine Chan and Neil Corbould
The Lost Bus
Charlie Noble, David Zaretti, Russell Bowen and Brandon K. McLaughlin
Sinners
Michael Ralla, Espen Nordahl, Guido Wolter and Donnie Dean
As it is every year that one of its movies gets nominated, the MOST LIKELY and deserving winner will be for the team behind the latest entry in the Avatar franchise, Avatar: Fire and Ash. How they manage to set and exceed expectations at every point is a wonder.
In terms of omissions, the team behind the visual effects for Anemone did an incredible job in accentuating the long and unreal camera movements and surreal tone of the film, perfectly accentuating the cinematographic decisions and imbuing them with an otherworldly weight at their best.
COSTUME DESIGN
FILM
NOMINEES
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Deborah L. Scott
Frankenstein
Kate Hawley
Hamnet
Malgosia Turzanska
Marty Supreme
Miyako Bellizzi
Sinners
Ruth E. Carter
As is the story for the Production Design award, I think Academy voters will MOST LIKELY be swayed by Kate Hawleys’s work on Frankenstein and the baroque manner in which she helps brings to life del Toro’s Gothic cum Mexican Catholic fantasia.
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
FILM
NOMINEES
Frankenstein
Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel, Cliona Furey
Kokuho
Kyoko Toyokawa, Naomi Hibino, Tadashi Nishimatsu
Sinners
Ken Diaz, Mike Fontaine, Shunika Terry
The Smashing Machine
Kazu Hiro, Glen Griffin, Bjoern Rehbein
The Ugly Stepsister
Thomas Foldberg, Anne Cathrine Sauerberg
This award will MOST LIKELY go to Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel and Cliona Furey and team for their work on Frankenstein and deservedly so at that for manner in which they transform Elordi into the titular monster – familiar yet other, grounded
Though not nominated, the team behind Richard Linklaters’ Blue Moon deserves special praise for the manner in which they transform Ethan Hawke into an aging, small man completely different from the actor we all know.
Additionally, the team behind Charlie Polinger’s The Plague demonstrated that makeup and hairstyling don’t have to be ostentatious to be effective, augmenting the film’s bubbling discontent with their contributions to the blemishes and grotesqueries on the different characters.
Another year, another Ari Aster omission, this time in the form of Eddington, a bitingly black satire. Given its incendiary gallows humor, the exclusion felt foregone but there is a strange feeling seeing both Bugonia and One Battle After Another nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay when all 3 films have an synchronicity, a kinship of sorts.
Noah Baumbach’s latest, Jay Kelly, co-written with Emily Mortimer, seems to have been misconstrued by both critics and the general audiences despite featuring some of his best writing. The film’s more laid-back treatment of the subject may have lacked the bite voters were expecting from the director of Marriage Story.
In terms of chaotic energy, its interesting to see Mary Bronstein’s If I Had Legs I’d Kick You missing while Marty Supreme (co-written by her partner) sits amongst the nominees. Legs has a similar intensity and break-neck pacing but trades in some of the epic scale for a sharper dramaturgical throughline.
Eva Victor’s debut, Sorry Baby, is another one of the year’s most sharply written scripts missing from the list of nominees Poignant and softly devastating without ever verging onto overstated.
The nominees proper are all excellent but it is Ryan Coogler and his work on Sinners that I think will MOST LIKELY win. Coogler demonstrates his chops once again, proving his ingenuity can thrive with original stories without being confined to any one genre. It’s a rare story which seems to have something for every quadrant of viewer.
WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)
FILM
WRITER(S)
Bugonia
Will Tracy
Frankenstein
Guillermo del Toro
Hamnet
Chloé Zha, Maggie O’Farrell
One Battle After Another
Paul Thomas Anderson
Train Dreams
Greg Kwedar, Clint Bentley
Paul Thomas Anderson is MOST LIKELY to take home the award for his light adaptation of Pynchon’s Vineland in the form of One Battle After Another. Taking a mood and bags of characteristics, P.T.A’s second Pynchon adaptation has fared far better than his first attempt, Inherent Vice, because he’s somehow simplified the heart of the narrative into one that is deeply resonant in spite of the quirkiness and art leanings of the narrative.
However, once again, No Other Choice an adaptation of Donald Westlake’s The Axe, which manages to feel wholly different than Costa-Gavras’ 2005 adaptation has been omitted.
It is also strange to see a Knives Out film mist the cut for a screenplay nomination, especially when the 3rd film written again by Rian Johnson, is tighter than the 2nd and more thematically incisive than the 1st.
SOUND
FILM
NOMINEES
F1
Gareth John, Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo and Juan Peralta
Frankenstein
Greg Chapman, Nathan Robitaille, Nelson Ferreira, Christian Cooke and Brad Zoern
One Battle After Another
José Antonio García, Christopher Scarabosio and Tony Villaflor
Sinners
Chris Welcker, Benjamin A. Burtt, Felipe Pacheco, Brandon Proctor and Steve Boeddeker
Sirāt
Amanda Villavieja, Laia Casanovas and Yasmina Praderas
The team behind F1is MOST LIKELY to win. The film’s limited inclusion here and in the Best Picture line-up leads me to believe that the Academy cede the award over, especially given that there’s no purported leader amongst the pack of nominees.
That said, I would easily pick the work of the team behind Sirāt. The film’s use of sound is easily amongst the best of the year and defines the gestalt of the piece.
In terms of omissions, the team behind Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland’s Warfare crafted one of the truly immersive and haunting soundscapes lending to the films’ visceral feeling. Like Sirāt, this is a film defined by its soundscape.
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
FILM
COMPOSERS
Bugonia
Jerskin Fendrix
Frankenstein
Alexandre Desplat
Hamnet
Max Richter
One Battle After Another
Jonny Greenwood
Sinners
Ludwig Goransson
In a category brimming with quality, it’s hard to complain about what’s been omitted, but I would be remiss if I did not mention both Daniel Lopatin’s (Oneohtrix Point Never) work for Marty Supreme and Bobby Krlic’s work for Anemone.
In addition, Daniel Blumberg’s work on The Testament of Ann Lee (a film which was shut out of all nominations) is pivotal to the re-enactment qua musical driving the film forward and is worthy of admiration.
Of the nominees, it feels like the two primary contenders are Jonny Greenwood and Ludwig Gorranson. The former’s syncopated ambience perfectly accentuates the story and transforms the characters into gears in a machine, turning, even if out of sync, as the grind against one another to a crescendo. The latter, like he did with his Academy Award winning work on Oppenheimer, coats Sinners with his signature from start to finish, bringing to life the sonorous conceit at the heart of of genre-bending film about our relation to song.
While I would give the slight personal edge to Greenwood’s work, I believe that Ludwig Gorransson is MOST LIKELY to win for his work, especially given the intrinsic manner in which music is embedded into the film’s dramaturgy.
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
SONG
FILM
NOMINEES
Dear Me
Diane Warren
Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
Golden
KPop Demon Hunters
Music and Lyric by EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo and Teddy Park
I Lied To You
Sinners
Music and Lyric by Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Goransson
Sweet Dreams Of Joy
Viva Verdi!
Music and Lyric by Nicholas Pike
Train Dreams
Train Dreams
Music by Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner; Lyric by Nick Cave
While I would pick “I Lied to You” from Sinners, as the song itself and the manner in which its utilized lends to one of the truly transcendent cinematic moments of 2025 (and is certainly the scene one thinks of when they think of Sinners), “Golden” will MOST LIKELY win the award given its resounding success as a track itself, racking up listens on music streaming platforms and gaining a life as its own phenomena.
With that said, The Testament of Ann Lee being shut out of the nominees is a travesty given the film is about the act of song-making as spiritual experience just as much as Sinners is (if not moreso). Blumberg’s revival of Shaker hymns is wonderful and it would have been a joy to see “Hunger and Thirst” nominated.
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
FILM
ACTOR
Marty Supreme
Timothée Chalamet
One Battle after Another
Leonardo DiCaprio
Blue Moon
Ethan Hawke
Sinners
Michael B. Jordan
The Secret Agent
Wagner Moura
While initially a race between Timothée and DiCaprio, it feels like the other nominees have caught up and there’s a real competition behind who will take home the big award.
I still believe Timothée is MOST LIKELY to win the award, having come in as the “runner-up” so to speak in last year’s award ceremony for his performance in A Complete Unknown and delivering a completely different character in his nominated performance this year for Marty Supreme. That range and consistency is something I think will be looked favorably one, especially given the immense vitality Chalamet brings to his titular Marty. If his ill-timed comments on the other performing arts had happened during voting season, I’d be more reluctant to hedge my bets, but it looks like the damage that was done shouldn’t impact his chances this year.
That said, my personal pick would be either DiCaprio or Hawke. The former’s stoned-out loser of revolutionary desperate to fulfill his role as a father feels like a part that the celebrated thespian was born to play, acting against his celebrated looks and suave characterizations in what might be his funniest performance. Meanwhile, the latter’s complete transformation into a bitter, yet jovial, melancholic romantic is staggering and represents an absolute transformation.
Performances which deserve consideration despite not being nominated include: Jesse Plemons in Bugonia who delivers a career-best as a manic conspiracy theorist desperate to exorcise his trauma, Joaquin Phoenix in Eddington whose outing as a small-town conservative sheriff engenders a level of empathy in spite of his ignorance and self-serving proclivities, Lee Byung-hun in No Other Choice who plays a man so precisely on the edge that we can’t help but laugh as we recoil with dread at his decision-making.
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
FILM
ACTOR
One Battle after Another
Benicio Del Toro
Frankenstein
Jacob Elordi
Sinners
Delroy Lindo
One Battle after Another
Sean Penn
Sentimental Value
Stellan Skarsgård
This category is somehow even harder to predict than lead, with Elordi, Penn, and Skarsgård having won industry precursors. Given Penn‘s late resurgence, I believe he is MOST LIKELY to win for his staggering performance as Lockjaw. He transforms himself, imbuing his character with a particular physicality that is both lived-in and a caricature simultaneously, eliciting both fear and laughter as he mercilessly executes his contradictory desires.
However, I would not be surprised with a Skarsgård win (even if I don’t understand his characterization as a supporting role given his primacy within Sentimental Value) . Unlike Penn, he hasn’t won an Oscar as of yet and the Academy could use this role to finally recognize him. The presence of Benicio could also split votes away from Penn and help Skarsgård close out a close race.
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
FILM
ACTRESS
Hamnet
Jessie Buckley
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Rose Byrne
Song Sung Blue
Kate Hudson
Sentimental Value
Renate Reinsve
Bugonia
Emma Stone
Given her domination of the awards circuit, the winner will MOST LIKELY be Jessie Buckley for her staggering, emotionally endearing performance in Hamnet.
While Rose Byrne’s performance is as pointed and emotionally resonant, she does not have the same reach amongst the voters.
On that note, the lack of audience (voter) resonance with Die My Love by Lynne Ramsay may explain why Jennifer Lawrence’s staggering, raw portrayal of a woman at the seams was completely omitted from the list of nominees.
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
FILM
ACTRESS
Sentimental Value
Elle Fanning
Sentimental Value
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas
Weapons
Amy Madigan
Sinners
Wunmi Mosaku
One Battle after Another
Teyana Taylor
Like the race for Best Supporting Actor, this race is split between three nominees: Amy Madigan, Teyana Taylor, and Wunmi Mosaku.
While I would vote for Teyana as her performance is largely contained to the opening of the film and her absence operates almost as another character entirely, reinforcing the enormity of her presence, I believe that the winner will MOST LIKELY be Amy Madigan.
She is the primary driving force of Weapons in spite of her limited run time. Given that she hasn’t won an award yet, I feel the Academy will use this as an opportunity to finally recognize her.
CASTING
FILM
CASTING DIRECTOR
Hamnet
Nina Gold
Marty Supreme
Jennifer Venditti
One Battle after Another
Cassandra Kulukundis
The Secret Agent
Gabriel Domingues
Sinners
Francine Maisler
The nominees for the 1st Best Casting award is absolutely stacked and I would not mind seeing Jennifer Venditti, Cassandra Kulukundis, or Francine Maisler taking home the inaugural award. Each of these films is peppered with interesting decisions and new faces which seem destined to become mainstays in the industry.
However, I believe that Francine Maisler is MOST LIKELY to win for her work on Sinners. The film has the 2nd most acting nominations after One Battle After Another and I believe that the award will be given as a way of compensating for close losses in other categories.
Unfortunately, like with other categories, the omission of the casting director(s) behind Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme is absolutely baffling and indicates more so that voters have gotten used to the staggering displays of acting and coordination present in Wes’s films. That his films can consistently boast such wonderful casts while integrating new faces is something that should be applauded, especially given the consistency.
Note: This review was done off of theatrical viewings of the film and as such the review does not feature images or extended granular analysis. Once I am able to get a physical copy of the movie to watch, pause, analyze, and get stills from, the review will be updated to match the site’s standard review format.
We open in a period of transition, cross-cutting between a Charli XCX music video, her iconic strobing lights, and news footage christening her Brat era, the biggest album event in her career — this is the moment.
The instability of the montage, its chimeric composition of creative expression and its mainstream evaluation, points to the heart of the films focus — the machinations that arise when an artistic moment has been identified by a zeitgeist that may not be in tune with its nuances and the desires that ultimately determine the extent of what that influence can be translated to.
Charli’s album, Brat, an electric hyper-pop album (amongst many things) is seized upon by corporate executives and yes-men who know nothing of the music and everything about the catch phrases (brat summer) eagerly looking to take hold of the moment by translating the album into a concert film, directed by a specialist of the genre, Johannes (Alexander Skarsgård).
There hope is to use Johannes’ prestige and accolades as a stepping-stone by which to make the moment last forever — brat summer will never end (alongside the money associated with it).
Yet, Johannes’ intervention during a concert preparation session between Charli and her artistic director Celeste (Hailey Benton Gates) reveals a darker implication: commercial acceptance is death, translation is eradication. He is less interested in directing a film than completely resignifying what “Brat” is.
In order for Brat, an album about “coke”, as Celeste bluntly describes, to do well with family units comprised of parents and their children, an audience whom the artist and album were never intended for, the vulgarities and provocations at the heart of the aesthetic and appeal of the project have to be made moderate, conservative. Suddenly, references to coke aren’t literal but “metaphorical” as though bumping a metaphorical line would make sense. But sense doesn’t matter when what is being sold is not the thing but an idea of the thing.
Therein lies the gambit: Johannes’ sabotaging of the concert is a meta-textual referendum regarding the film. If the concert itself is an fictive approximation of the album meant to aid in the construction of the film, then a mockumentary about that concert experience would be a layer of artifice even further removed from that. Fans wanting to buy into Brat via this purported best manner of experience would never engage with the material itself. Like a game of telephone, the original message becomes so distilled by the end of the process that it might as well be something wholly other.
Director Aidan Zamiri captures this collapse in formal coherence, constantly shifting modes between a Severance style drama and mockumentary until the lines between the delineations explode in a finale which serves as a telling rejoinder-cum-capitulation to the opening montage. Both the album and its gestalt break through the film in echoes: striking neon location cards which strobe quickly, lingering just long enough to register but refusing to be perceived a moment longer.
Though the process is uneven and there are certainly plot beats that feel like they’re out of lock-step with the process of the film’s deconstructive rhythm, these digressions ultimately become folded into the messy movement of the film accentuating the experience — we’re stuck in a torrent of updates and distractions, placing us squarely in Charli’s camp as she’s made to navigate the byzantine mainstream and determine what her art means, both to herself as an artist and to the audience that consumes it and its derivatives.
This explains the lack of any song breaks or needle-drops from the album that the film is purportedly about. This isn’t a celebration but a funeral. Brat is dead and is haunting The Moment. A.G. Cook’s score reinforces this feeling — opting for hypnotic synths which let parts of Brat to leak through, an excess that both The Moment and the film within are circling, desperate to ensnare in a new commercial packaging.
That Aidan and Charli created a film about Brat that tip toes around the album like the proverbial elephant in the room whilst simultaneously littering the film with increasingly banal references to it is both hilariously frustrating to fans of the album looking for an analogous experience but also incredibly brat.
REPORT CARD
TLDR
The Moment‘s exploration of artistry and the price of mainstream success is as messy as it is intriguing but builds to a a crescendo worthy of applause as the film’s formal breakdowns of the artifice of concert-film collides with the trappings of a mockumentary.
Rating
8.8/10
Grade
A
Go to Page 2 for the spoiler discussion and more in-depth analysis. Go to Page 3 to view this review’s progress report .
Note: This review was done off of theatrical viewings of the film and as such the review does not feature images or extended granular analysis. Once I am able to get a physical copy of the movie to watch, pause, analyze, and get stills from, the review will be updated to match the site’s standard review format.
We sit with a man in a car. Every part of hims is out of focus, even his reflection in the rear-view mirror. This is a man who is barely here.
This perspective is maintained as we cut between alternating shots of reflective surfaces: his rear-view mirror, the side-view mirror, his sunglasses which in turn reflect his rear-view reflection from yet another angle. This is a man who is an enigma, a reflection of his environment.
He pulls past a cop.
We sit and wait for the cliche. For the cop to turn his lights on. For the driver to nervously speed up. For the cop to respond in haste. For a chase to ensue.
The cop, Michael (Stephen Adekolu), pulls out of his post and begins to follow. But his lights do not turn on.
When the driver slows down and comes to a halt, having taken hold of a gun, the roles have been reversed. It’s the cop who has been stopped by the driver. It is the cop in danger.
But the cop does not know there is a loaded gun waiting. Instead, he presses forward and asks for identification.
We wait for the moment to arrive.
Then, another cop car comes by the scene. The other officer, Jane (Georgina Campbell), greets Michael, her husband.
Suddenly, the stakes ratchet up; there is a couple at risk.
MIchael waves Jane off and tells her he’ll handle the simple issue; clearly based off the driver’s car, the case is clear and shut; there’s a charge waiting to be found and a ticket to be cited.
But Jane’s instincts won’t let her leave. She turns her car back around and bears witness as the gun finally goes off and her husband’s body flies back to the ground.
She takes aim and fires at the driver repeatedly but none of her shots are able to do anything meaningful.
She goes to her husband who passes in her arms. And so begins the cat-and-mouse scenario between Jane and the driver, the infamous “Satanic Slasher” (James Preston Rogers).
Unfortunately, the electricity in the opening sequence is never again captured as Psycho Killer, Gavin Polone’s debut feature struggles to balance the two halves of its narrative.
The opening half of the film, which predominantly follows our murderous antagonist, is filled with cinematic intrigue. Polone and cinematographer Magnus Jønck consistently utilize mirrors and shadows alongside careful blocking to ensure that we are never granted a glimpse at the killer, never once allowed a kind of humane reprieve.
The reflections only give way to the physicality of the killer when he dons his mask and goes on his sprees. We bear witness to the ritual — the mask with tinted goggles, the sudden explosiveness and commitment to violence, the symbology permeating both the killer’s body in the forms of tattoos and graffiti he paints onto the scenes of his crimes with his victims’ blood — and though there are some choices that will alienate some viewers (the killer’s voice is certainly a commitment) and some decisions that seem there are no great excuses for (ex: CGI blood), the tenacity of the formal rigidity makes for compelling cinema
This same care is not extended to our protagonist, Jane, and her arc or lack thereof.
Her single-minded quest for revenge feels flatter than our killer’s quest to mindlessly slaughter (even if it is in the name of the devil). Every attempt at giving her character some kind of humanity to serve as contrast, comes off either contrived or is given so little care in the script, that it feels farcical.
Instead of her counterpart’s rituals, her time is spent mostly running through the procedural motions of 2000’s horrors: Googling obvious terms and finding hilariously precise websites, being conveniently given information, and lucking into locations and through situations through sheer narrative brute. That these sequences are often captured with little if any cinematic vigor only hammers the dichotomy of the film harder.
Ultimately, it is this imbalance that makes Psycho Killer both intriguing and frustrating. Its portrayal of ritualistic murder is gripping but is couched in a crime thriller that operates on the basest of levels. There are echoes of bureaucratic conspiracy and true crime sensationalism, neatly presented in the diegetic discussion of the films’ murders via television and radio, that beg a question of intent: is the plot taking these asides seriously or treating them as surface dressing the milieu it wants to evoke?
The film is unable to make up its mind and as it discordant parts grind against each other, the ultimate consequence of trying to have its cake and eat it, the end of the film happens in a manner that both feels a predictable bore and irritatingly interesting. For many viewers, especially those hoping for a the taught thriller akin to screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker’s previous body of work in the genre (Se7en, 8mm, The Killer), the frustration and unevenness of the narratives plodding will deter them from considering what the film has to offer. Yet, those willing to bifurcate the films parts and take the highs in spite of the lows, will find there is surprisingly more than meets the surface.
REPORT CARD
TLDR
Half an great film and half a dreadful bore, viewers willing to handle the lows of Psycho Killer’s inane plotting and contrivances will find an uneven but formally energetic portrayal of a ritualized killer.
Rating
8.1/10
Grade
B+
Go to Page 2 for the spoiler discussion and more in-depth analysis. Go to Page 3 to view this review’s progress report .
With the new year officially upon us, here are the 10 films I am most excited for (based on projected release dates).
My list is certainly auteur driven and is less focused on the subject matter of the films themselves. The best filmmakers usually make the best films and my picks reflect my taste among auteurs and the quality of their works leading up to the film in question.
I will be excluding any works mentioned on my previous year’s list that were not yet released (ex: Hope by Na Hong Jin).
HONORABLE MENTIONS: – Remain by M. Night Shyamalan: As a Shymalan apologist who feels particularly validated by 2024’s Trap, sign me up for his latest. – Disclosure Day by Steven Spielberg: Given how exciting and filled with vitality West Side Story and The Fablemans are, one can’t help but be excited with what else a re-energized Spielberg has to say about aliens. – Godzilla Minus Zero by Takashi Yamazaki: After the shame of never getting a sequel to Shin Godzilla, the confirmation of a sequel to Minus One is comforting, especially given that the same creative team behind the smash hit is back in action. – Good Luck,Have Fun, Don’t Die by Gore Verbinski: With how much his remake of The Ring has conditioned my cinematic journey, I’ll watch anything Verbinski makes, especially after the 9 year delay between this and his highly underrated 2016 film A Cure for Wellness. [1] I have since learned this is technically a 2025 release – All of a Sudden by Ryusuke Hamaguchi: With Evil Does Not Exist, Hamaguchi shot up my list of directors to get to sooner rather than later – Jack of Spades by Joel Coen: Another collaboration between Joel Coen and cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel after their sumptuous work on The Tragedy of Macbeth makes this a must watch – The Basics of Philosophy by Paul Schrader: In contention for one of the most underrated auteurs, Schrader is a director whose every work demands to be seen, especially with his run starting with 2017’s First Reformed. – I Love Boosters by Boots Riley: For fans of the absurd, Boots Riley debut film, I’m Sorry to Bother You, was a breath of fresh year and the 8 year wait for the director’s return to the big screen has only increased the anticipation for what will most certainly be gonzo, unpredictable lawmaking. – A Long Winter by Andrew Haigh: Haigh’s work has always been emotionally resonant but his most recent feature, All of Us Strangers, demonstrated an experimental formalism that finally enabled me to appreciate the rhythm of his writing/storytelling in a more cinematic opposed to literary manner, guaranteeing my excitement for his latest work. –The Moment by Aidan Zamiri: As a longtime fan of Charli XCX, the prospect of a Spinal Type styled mockumentary about her Brat era sounds like it could be an absolute blast.
10. Wuthering Heights by Emerald Fennell
Fennel has quickly risen up my list of auteurs to watch out for her with her 2020 debut film, Promising Young Woman, and her sophomore follow-up, 2023’s Saltburn sitting firmly amongst the top films of their respective years. While both films demonstrate an uncompromising commitment to aesthetic and film style, her latter collaboration with Linus Sandgren produced some of the most evocative moments of 2023, a particularly great year for cinema.
Obviously, seeing the two return for a new collaboration assures this critic that the film will be stunning to view (a fact which seems easily supported by the trailers). The single tracks for the film produced by Charli XCX (who will be contributing to the film’s soundtrack) are inspiring to say the least, guaranteeing that the film will be an exhilarating audio-visual experience in spite of any other failures.
As a fan of Bronte’s text, a seminal work in the Gothic genre (and my personal introduction to the same), it does feel sacrilege of sort to profess excitement for an adaptation that seems so far away from the source material. However, Fennel’s track-record and her penchant for combining pop-aesthetics with dark, transgressive themes and narrative beats does inspire hope that there will be more than meets the eye especially when it comes to the spirit of the text.
9. Ray Gunn by Brad Bird
Brad Bird is one of the giants of the animated world and his contributions to both the medium and genre-film making as a whole in the form of The Iron Giant, The Incredible, Ratatouille make any work of his something to keep an eye out for.
But Ray Gunn is no simple project either and has been in development hell since ’95. That it is finally being released is nothing short of miraculous. That it is a an animation aimed at adults makes it even more intriguing.
Hopefully, Netflix doesn’t drown this passion project out to stream and allows a wider release.
8. Werewulf by Robert Eggers
Eggers has consistently delivered some of the very best of the century starting from his feature debut The Witch in 2015 up to his latest foray, 2024’s Nosferatu.
His two masterpieces, The Lighthouse and Nosferatu, are easily some of the most beautiful films, horror or not, to be shot this century and all his efforts, even his more slightly uneven ones, feature compositions and movements that are gob-smacking in terms of their formal coherence and artistic vision. Cinematographer Jarin Blaschke, who has collaborated with Eggers on all four of the latter’ films, is returning once more, guaranteeing that Werewulf will be one of the best looking films of the year.
If that isn’t enough, Eggers is reuniting with Lily-Rose Depp and Aaron Taylor-Johnson from Nosferatu, the former of whom delivered a career-best performance and certainly one of the best of that year, along with his consistent collaborators in Willem Dafoe (whose performance in The Lighthouse ranks among the finest in his storied filmography) and Ralph Ineson.
Here’s hoping that the interference that Eggers and returning co-writer Sjon experienced on The Northman (least of all being the Old Norse Dialogue being replaced by easier to understand English) doesn’t rear its head on what’s looking to be the self-purported darkest chapter in Egger’s oeuvre to date. [2]Paur, J. (2025a, February 10). Robert Eggers says his WERWULF horror film is the darkest thing he’s ever written. GeekTyrant. … Continue reading
7. Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma by Jane Schoenburn
While their 2021 debut, We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, showed promise, Schoenburn’s sophomore effort, I Saw the TV Glow, shattered expectations, delivering an sublime and devastating experience that hasn’t been forgotten amongst discourse in my cinematic circles.
The suffocating manner in which the film unfolds and its complex meditations on our relationship with the screen, namely as an interface to the virtual realm, demonstrates both a commitment to the thematic inclinations of Schoenburn’s debut and the auteur’s rapid growth in effectively conveying those themes through cinematic affect.
After reading their description of the film as “Portrait of a Lady on Fire set in a Friday the 13th sequel,”[3]Navarro, M. (2025, May 9). Gillian Anderson & Hannah Einbinder to star in “teenage sex and death at Camp Miasma.” Bloody Disgusting! … Continue reading involving a director trying to reboot a horror franchise, how can one not be excited?
6. Her Private Hell by Nicolas Winding Refn
Refn is one of our great contemporary visual artist and consistently creates some of the most beautiful, evocative images in the medium.
This marks his first return to a proper film since 2016’s The Neon Demon, a film whose runtime is almost packed end-to-end with expressionist color and sublime, measured framing. While his miniseries, Too Old to Die Young and Copenhagen Cowboy, are similarly filled with breathtaking sequences, they are also bloated and feel less precise compared to Refn’s feature films (even if they feature stretches of some of his best film making), especially when compared to his run from 2009’s Valhalla Rising to The Neon Demon.
5. Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie -Walpurgisnacht: Risingby Yukihiro Miyamoto and Akiyuki Shino
As a fan of magical girl shows from a young age (Cardcaptor Sakura and Sailor Moon are childhood mainstays), 2011’s Puella Magi Madoka Magica instantly captivated me in its 12-episode run. Directed by Akiyuki Shinbo and Yukihiro Miyamoto, the series deconstructed the genre much like Anno’s transgressive masterpiece Evangelion did for the mecha-genre, and just like Evangelion it cemented its place in as one of the best in the medium.
When the sequel film to the series, Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part III: Rebellion (a sequel to two films which served to retell the initial 12-episode story in a compacted time), completely upended the ending of the series and dramatically altered the stakes of what the story could do, fans like myself waited for years to see what the conclusion would pan out to be (or even if there would be a synthesis to the series’ thesis and the film’s antithesis).
13 years later, we are finally receiving the answer as the final film is set to release. There is no doubt that this film will feature mainstays of the series: surreal multi-media interludes, unsettling juxtapositions between the adorable and macabre, and stunning action sequences. Here’s hoping that the wait was worth it.
4. Digger by Alejandro González Iñárritu
Iñárritu’s’ run including 2014’s Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), 2015’s The Revenant, and 2022’s Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths is legendary, with each film clearly ranking amongst its respective years best (if not being the best outright).
That would be enough to rouse excitement for the feature. However, the fact that the feature represents Tom Cruise’s return to art-fare since his appearance in 1999’s Eyes Wide Shut and Magnolia, raises the stakes exponentially. Cruise’s multi-decade long run as a leading action man has been a joy to watch, but there is a certain joy realizing that one of the best actors may finally have a complex role to sink his chops into.
Here’s hoping to lighting striking as these two titans of the craft mark their first collaboration with one another.
3. The Adventures of Cliff Booth by David Fincher
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is arguable Tarantino’s best work and is certainly my favorite of his, ranking amongst my most re-watched films. It features some of his most ambitious formal maneuvering and contains some of his best production design and mise en scène.
When I heard he was developing a sequel, I was obviously excited. When I heard that he did not want to direct the same, I was saddened. But when I heard that the project was being revived by none other than David Fincher, one of the only contemporary directors who feels like they’re a match for Tarantino and his filmography, and whose consistent collaboration with Brad Pitt, the co-star of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, produced some of the actor’s best performances, I became ecstatic at the possibilities of what this sequel could be.
Fincher is such a distinctively different director from Tarantino, more exacting and clinical and less flashy; you would never confuse a character from one director’s film for another, let alone the aesthetic. But if anyone could pull it off and find a way to honor Tarantino’s script while doing something Tarantino couldn’t do with the material in a way that’s cinematically engrossing, it would be Fincher.
One prays that Netflix gives this cinematic chimera a wide release. The only real tragedy would be that the sequel to one of the great love letters to cinema and the cinematic experience is relegated forever to a streaming service. Although, given that Fincher’s previous works, Mank and The Killer, great as they are, are still tied behind Netflix’s dreaded “exclusivity” , the chances aren’t looking particularly great.
2. Dune: Part 3 by Denis Villeneuve
After doing what very few thought was possible in rendering Frank Herbert’s opus, Dune, in a cinematic form capable of captivating a mass audience without compromising on its formal or artistic sensibilities, Villeneuve’s return to the franchise with his adaptation of Herbert’s sequel Dune Messiah is looking to be one of the great events of the year.
As a fan of Herbert’s novels, Villeneuve’s narrative changes, more so present in Part Two, certainly draw intrigue; how he’ll be able to bridge the gap between his adaptation and the text will be interesting, especially given the lack of comparative action between the two texts.
At the very last, the switch from Greg Frasier’s impeccable digital cinematography on the first two parts to shooting on IMAX film with Linus Sandgren indicates that Denis is going for a distinctive look to match the change in narrative.
It’ll be interesting to see he how he he’s able to land the trilogy, but if anyone has earned the benefit of the doubt, it is Denis Villeneuve.
1. The Odyssey by Christopher Nolan
There could be no other choice.
Christopher Nolan is on a generational run and has arguably been the best director working since 2008, delivering some of the best films of their respective genres in: The Dark Knight, Inception, The Dark Knight Rises, Interstellar, Dunkirk, Tenet.
That his most recent (and arguably best) film Oppenheimer, a 3-hour drama, feels consistent with his oeuvre and contains some of his most breath-taking film making and formal choices of his filmography, is testament that this is an auteur who is very much not done exploring what his craft is capable of.
For a director obsessed with a non-linear exploration of the narrative wherein the strands of the narrative are couched within one another like a Russian nesting doll, Homer’s source material proves fertile ground for Nolan’s cinematic occupations.
Even though Homer’s Odyssey contains sequences that feel impossible to render in a way that would captivate a modem audience without immediately feeling inauthentic or convoluted, Nolan’s commitment to fidelity in the image makes these depictions seem capable of being brought to life. If anything, the hint of the legendary cyclops from the trailer inspires confidence that things will look properly gnarly.
With his biggest budget yet and an even more elaborate IMAX set-up compared to his previous films, this adaptation of one of the greatest pieces of literature to have been recorded is looking to be the definitive cinematic event of 2026.
Welcome to the Critic’s Sanctum’s 7th Annual 31-Day Horror Marathon!
This year, I will be curating gialli, an sub-genre of film hailing from Italy, often combining mystery, thriller, and horror elements. These films, earning their names from the yellow (giallo) pulp books from which they draw inspiration from, have become a staple in my horror diet in no small part due to their focus on sumptuous camerawork and soundtracks packed from start to finish with high-octane earworms.
And I’m clearly not the only one who has been taken under the spell of the gialli, its (lack of) plotting and all. The genre’s fingerprints are pressed all over modern cinema especially horror . There are no modern slashers without the gialli’s posturing of sensuality and gore at the forefront of dramaturgy.
As more modern homages rear their heads in mainstream offerings (Edgar Wright’s Last Night in Soho and James Wan’s Malignant spring to mind), I feel it ever more incumbent to get the good word out.
In that spirit, this year’s list is meant to serve as both an introduction to the gialli, touching on key touchstones in the history and evolution of the genre, and a showcase of some of the very best it has to offer. The final few films are modern interpretations of the gialli and reward viewers’ knowledge of the genre’s proclivities and fetishes.
In order to keep the list diverse, I have limited entries from any particular director to FIVE or less. Otherwise, there would be an Argento and Bava for every other director.
The List
DATE
FILM
DIRECTOR
YEAR
10-1-2025
The Girl Who Knew Too Much
Mario Bava
1963
10-2-2025
Blood and Black Lace
Mario Bava
1964
10-3-2025
The Possessed
Luigi Bazzoni, Franco Rosselini
1965
10-4-2025
Orgasmo
Umberto Lenzi
1969
10-5-2025
So Sweet… So Perverse
Umberto Lenzi
1969
10-6-2025
The Bird With the Crystal Plumage
Dario Argento
1970
10-7-2025
Hatchet for Honeymoon
Mario Bava
1970
10-8-2025
The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh
Sergio Martino
1971
10-9-2025
The Cat O’ Nine Tails
Dario Argento
1971
10-10-2025
A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin
Lucio Fulci
1971
10-11-2025
The Fifth Cord
Luigi Bazzoni
1971
10-12-2025
A Bay of Blood
Mario Bava
1971
10-13-2025
Short Night of Glass Dolls
Aldo Lado
1971
10-14-2025
Four Flies of Grey Velvet
Dario Argento
1971
10-15-2025
My Dear Killer
Tonino Valerii
1972
10-16-2025
All the Colors of the Dark
Sergio Martino
1972
10-17-2025
What Have You Done to Solange?
Massimo Dallamano
1972
10-18-2025
Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key
With the 97th Academy Awards coming up on March 2nd, I decided to get in on the discourse and share my predictions for the awards alongside my general thoughts and musings on the nature of the candidates and appreciation for those artists who were not given the recognition I feel they should have been. I’m less interested in “snubs” and more interested in shining a light on work I felt was spectacular, so my notation of noticeable omissions isn’t meant to denigrate any of other nominees as much as it is to praise what I think is cinematically wonderful/artistically exceptional and offer a look into my own perspective.
For those looking to quickly parse the discussion for just the predictions, I have the winners BOLDED under each award category.
For any category where I haven’t seen a particular nominee, I will be marking them with an * next to the name of the respective film.
I will be skipping the following categories due to lack of familiarity with a majority of the nominees: Animated Short Film, Documentary Short Film, Documentary Feature Film, Live Action Short Film.
Nick Gordon, Brian Young, Andrew Morrison, D.J. Gugenheim, and Brady Corbet
A Complete Unknown
James Mangold
Fred Berger, James Mangold, and Alex Heineman
Conclave
Edward Berger
Tessa Ross, Juliette Howell, and Michael A. Jackman
Dune: Part Two
Denis Villeneuve
Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Tanya Lapointe, and Denis Villeneuve
Emilia Pérez
Jacques Audiard
Pascal Caucheteux and Jacques Audiard
I’m Still Here
Walter Salles
Maria Carlota Bruno and Rodrigo Teixeira
Nickel Boys
RaMell Ross
Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, and Joslyn Barnes
The Substance
Coralie Fargeat
Coralie Fargeat, Tim Bevan, and Eric Fellner
Wicked
Jon M. Chu
Marc Platt
This year’s Best Picture nominees, from my perspective at least, feel like they’re split into three categories:
1-Ambitious in form and style with muscular filmmaking, utilizing writing and acting in service of the more technical elements to generate transcendent cinematic moments
2-Ambitious in terms of dramaturgy, with a focus on writing and acting wherein the other grandiose aspects of filmmaking are utilized in a subtler fashion to support the formal undercurrents of the writing
3-Heavily reliant on writing and acting to generate moments of poignant catharsis with less focus on the pushing the envelope of visual style or form.
This is not to say films in first group have worse scripts and/or poorer performances while films in the latte two group have nothing technically inventive to marvel at but merely serves as an internal schema I’ve adopted to partition the nominees into more discrete entities for the sake of discussion.
This first group is the one I prefer due to my own leanings and thoughts on what makes for “great” cinema and it consists of: The Brutalist, Dune: Part Two, Nickel Boys, The Substance. I would be happy with any of these films winning the prestigious Best Picture award.
The second group is one I appreciate even if I think the films are a half-step below the aforementioned. This group consists of: Anora, A Complete Unknown, Conclave
The third group consists of: Emilia Pérez, I’m Still Here, Wicked. Although some of these films seem to toe the line and could belong to the second group, I feel comfortable including them here.
Out of all the candidates, the film I believe is MOST LIKELY to win is Sean Baker’s Anora . The film’s great accomplishment is the manner in which it hides the subtlety of its titular character study beneath the veneer of a screw-ball rom-com which slowly fades away to a truly poignant ending. The film strikes the balance between popular appeal and indie endearment makes it feel like a more likely winner than any of the other candidates, but do not be surprised if another winner walks out with the prestigious award.
While I don’t think any film was “snubbed” so to speak, there are a few films which I felt exhibited the best aspects of cinema which I would have thoroughly enjoyed to see nominated, including but not limited to: Robert Egger’s Nosferatu, Jane Schoenbrun’s I Saw the TV Glow, George Miller’s Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Luca Guadagnino’s Queer and Challengers, Paul Schrader’s Oh, Canada.
While some of these films would definitely not see an academy nomination due to their content, experimental tendencies, or genre leanings, I do believe they represent some of the very best of the year and wanted to shine a light on them alongside the aforementioned offerings.
DIRECTING
FILM
DIRECTOR
Anora
Sean Baker
The Brutalist
Brady Corbet
A Complete Unknown
James Mangold
Emilia Pérez
Jacques Audiard
The Substance
Coralie Fargeat
Out of the directing candidates, I think Sean Baker, Brady Corbet, or Coralie Fargeat winning would be wonderful.
I think that the MOST LIKELY winner will be Brady Corbet. The sheer expanse of The Brutalist and what Corbet and his crew were able to accomplish feel like they’re too big for voters to ignore and it feels like this may be the “bone” given to the film for its efforts.
In terms of missing directors, the omission of Denis Villenueve is a glaring one but it makes sense given the seemingly general lack of award praise for Dune: Part Two in general at these Oscars. Still, for a film to be nominated for Best Film, Best Sound, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, and Best Visual Effects to not be nominated for Best Director is perplexing. If the award is meant to recognize the director who put the relevant elements together, and those elements are recognized as excellent in their own right and cohesive enough to generate a picture worth nominating, it feels odd to not include that same director in this set of awards.
INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
FILM
DIRECTOR
COUNTRY
Emilia Pérez
Jacques Audiard
France
Flow
Gints Zilbalodis
Latvia
The Girl with the Needle
Magnus von Horn
Demark
I’m Still Here
Walter Salles
Brazil
The Seed of the Sacred Fig
Mohammad Rasoulof
Germany
I believe that Emilia Pérezis MOST LIKELY to win. Even with recent controversy, I believe the film still has the momentum to pick up the award. It’s go-for-broke vision and kinetic energy should be able to keep supporters in tow even if they aren’t fans of the behind-the-scenes drama.
Yet, this category is more interesting to discuss given what is not nominated.
India’s astoundingly poor decision to not nominate All We Imagine as Light by Payal Kapadia should be noted here. If the Cannes Grand Prix winner was on the list of nominees, I’m certain it would have won this award and most likely been nominated for Best Picture.
In addition, seeing The Girl With the Needle amongst the nominees (my pick for best film amongst the bunch) reminds me of the omission of Rahul Sadasivan’s Bramayugam, an equally competent folk-horror bathed in black-and-white which warrants a mention due to its quality.
Of films which were submitted as their countries best, it is Norway’s entry, Armand by Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel, which is noticeably not present. The film, which experiments with the boundaries of a chamber-drama, is gripping, existential and features a knock-out performance by Renate Reinsve.
But on a positive note, it is wonderful to see Flow nominated. It is rare to see an animated picture, even one with a robust cinematic quality, make it out of the Animated only awards and be recognized as cinema proper. One can only hope this is the start of a larger trend recognizing animated films as films that are animated instead of a wholly distinct category.
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
FILM
DIRECTOR(S)
Flow
Gints Zilbalodis
Inside Out 2
Kelsey Mann
Memoir of a Snail
Adam Elliot
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
Nick Park, Merlin Crossingham
The Wild Robot
Chris Sanders
Flow is MOST LIKELY to win. Its presence in the best International Films category makes this all but certain, and it is certainly a worthy winner of the prize. The manner in which it plays with scenarios that coalesce into something grander befitting what we could call “epic” is inspiring and something that cineastes need to experience.
While the other nominees range from “good” to “great”, there’s a dearth of qualified nominees which should’ve been present. As is custom with the Oscars, these are animated films from Japan. These omissions include Naoko Yamada’s The Colors Within and Kiyotaka Oshiyama’s Look Back. Both films feature stellar animation like the nominees, but experiment formally with the medium in ways that deserve recognition outside of just presenting a “great story.”
FILM EDITING
FILM
EDITOR
Anora
Sean Baker
The Brutalist
Dávid Jancsó
Conclave
Nick Emerson
Emilia Pérez
Juliette Welfling
Wicked
Myron Kerstein
While I prefer the structure and methodical pacing of The Brutalist’s editing and would easily give Jancsó the award, I believe the MOST LIKELY to win will be Nick Emerson for his work on Conclave. His editing helps propel the the urgency embedded within the narrative and is apparent especially due to the manner in which the edit unfolds alongside the intense, cutting score.
Yet, this category is less clear cut and I would not be surprised to see Baker or Jancsó taking the award home.
In terms of omissions, Joe Walker’s work on Dune: Part Two and Marco Costa’s work on Challengers are most interesting. The former’s layering of the oneric and political is what makes the film as effective as it is while the latter’s is some of the most propulsive (especially during the kinetic action scenes) of the year.
In addition, Yorgos Mavropsaridis’s work on Kinds of Kindness (a film which seems to have missed awards hype all together), should be commended as it strikes the perfect balance between the aspects of its tryptich plotting and within each of the sections independently. Anthology films are always hard to pull off and such wonderful balancing between the stories such as to preserve a throughline is rare.
CINEMATOGRAPHY
FILM
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
The Brutalist
Lol Crawley
Dune: Part Two
Greig Fraser
Emilia Pérez
Paul Guilhaume
Maria
Edward Lachman
Nosferatu
Jarin Blaschke
This is a category which is absolutely brimming with quality, and sans Emilia Pérez, is one where any of the winners are worthy due to the depth and beauty of their images.
Crawley’s work on The Brutalist helps the film ooze texture, and moments involving shadows hearken back to some of the best examples in the medium à la Gordon Willis’s work on The Godfather films.
Fraser’s work is just as good as his efforts on Dune and helps keep the two parts visually consistent with one another, affirming their status as complements telling one overarching story.
Lachman’s partnership with Pablo Larrain and Blaschke’s partnernship with Robert Eggers earns both cinematoraphers an additional well-earned nomition for their respective works. Blaschke’s accomplishments in rendering a near grey-scale image inspite of containing colors makes his work my personal pick for the award.
In terms of non-nominated works: Eric K. Yue’s work on I Saw the TV glow keeps the film’s metaphysically dubious nature constantly prevalent as the lights and textures make it impossible for us to great a complete grasp on the reality of what’s transpiring; Sayombhu Mukdeeprom’s work on Queer imbues the dreamscape with a lush haze that keeps the viewer fully engrossed even as the scenario gets increasingly surreal; Benjamin Kračun’s work on The Substance gives it an precise, clinical tactility that serves as the perfect backdrop to both the conspiratorial and gore-filled tendencies of the film; Simon Duggan’s work on Furiosa: A A Mad Max Saga which brings a new life to Miller’s fantastic wasteland and serves as a worthy follow-up while not directly aping John Seale’s stellar work in Mad Max: Fury Road.
That all said, I think that its Lol Crawley‘s work on The Brutalist that will MOST LIKELY take home top prize. It should appeal to traditionalist voters and more conventional ones with both its subtle close-ups and magnificent wides.
PRODUCTION DESIGN
FILM
NOMINEES
The Brutalist
Production Design: Judy Becker; Set Decoration: Patricia Cuccia
Conclave
Production Design: Suzie Davies; Set Decoration: Cynthia Sleiter
Dune: Part Two
Production Design: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau
Nosferatu
Production Design: Craig Lathrop; Set Decoration: Beatrice Brentnerová
Wicked
Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales
While my personal pick of these would likely go to the team behind Nosferatu for the wonderful creation of a gothic hellscape that oozes its shadows at every corners, I think Academy voters will MOST LIKELY be swayed by Wicked and its fantastical renditions of Oz which the dance-numbers certainly call attention to. This is also the “populist” pick amongst the voters and seems like one of the “consolation” awards of sorts given to Wicked due to its widespread Blockbuster appeal.
VISUAL EFFECTS
FILM
NOMINEES
Alien: Romulus
Eric Barba, Nelson Sepulveda-Fauser, Daniel Macarin, and Shane Mahan
Better Man
Luke Millar, David Clayton, Keith Herft, and Peter Stubbs
Dune: Part Two
Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe, and Gerd Nefzer
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Erik Winquist, Stephen Unterfranz, Paul Story, and Rodney Burke
Wicked
Pablo Helman, Jonathan Fawkner, David Shirk, and Paul Corbould
While I think this batch of nominees is more than deserving of their selections (some more than others), the team behind Alex Garland’s Civil War deserves praise for the manner in which it transposes visions of violence onto the United States’ landscape in a viscerally upsetting, hauntingly grounded manner.
Yet, in spite of quality work on the part of the other candidates, this award is MOST LIKELY Dune: Part Two’sfor the taking and it would be shocking if this was not the case. Helping to ground a wholly science-fiction world with this level of fidelity cannot be ignored.
COSTUME DESIGN
FILM
NOMINEES
A Complete Unknown
Jacqueline Durran
Conclave
Jacqueline West
Gladiator II
Janty Yates and Dave Crossman
Nosferatu
Ellen Mirojnick
Wicked
Holly Waddington
As is the story for the Production Design award, I think Academy voters will MOST LIKELY be swayed by Holly Waddington’s work Wicked and the whimsical manner in which she brings to life the world of Oz’s characters.
My personal pick amongst the nominees would be Ellen Mirojnick’s work in Nosferatu. She ensures that the milieu of Egger’s gothic nightmare is historically grounded which allows the fantastical elements to stand-out in sharp, disturbing contrast. The work isn’t particularly showy, but is perfectly complimentary.
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
FILM
NOMINEES
A Different Man
Mike Marino, David Presto, and Crystal Jurado
Emilia Pérez
Julia Floch Carbonel, Emmanuel Janvier, and Jean-Christophe Spadaccini
Nosferatu
David White, Traci Loader, and Suzanne Stokes-Munton
The Substance
Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon, and Marilyne Scarselli
Wicked
Frances Hannon, Laura Blount, and Sarah Nuth
This award will MOST LIKELY go to Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon, and Marilyne Scarselli for their work on The Substance and deservedly so at that for the gonzo and astounding transformations character(s) go through. The committment to intertwining the stylings of the character with the visual effects makes the pronouncements of the former all the harder to ignore in spite of the genre bias the Academy has against horror. This is the film doing the most the best.
WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)
FILM
WRITER(S)
Anora
Sean Baker
The Brutalist
Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold
A Real Pain
Jesse Eisenberg
September 5
Moritz Binder and Tim Fehlbaum; co-written by Alex David
The Substance
Coralie Fargeat
The omission of Justin Kuritzkes work on Challengers is baffling given the films intense plotting and exuberant tit-a-tats between its leading triumvirate. This is the kind of screenplay it feels the Academy would’ve lapped up in years past making its omission amongst this years’s nominees all the more apparent. Alex Garland’s work on Civil War should also be mentioned as he creates a world filled with implications, hidden within the dialogue and story beats, that informs the harrowing nature of its journey from start to finish without overdetermining it.
Out of the nominees, both A Real Pain and September 5 are films that live-or-die based on their scripts and it is their scripts that make the films as good as they are, yet neither are particularly “special” in a way that marks them as something more than well-written and efficient. They’re missing that critical “X” factor which would differentiate them enough.
There is a world where Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold’s work on The Brutalist is given its “flowers”, but given the lack of voter interest in watching the film in its entirety [1]Davis, C. (2025, January 18). Oscar voting closes: Is “the Brutalist” underseen? could “juror #2” make a surprise best picture nom? – nine takeaways from Academy members. Variety. … Continue reading and the condemnation of the ambiguity and plotting in the second of the film, this would be a tougher sell ,even if it is my personal pick for the award.
While Fargeat’s script is nearly air-tight, I believe that voters will associate The Substance moreso with its gonzo visual designs and performances opposed to the masterful plotting of the narrative or the sardonic dialogue beats and will skip over commending it here.
Therefore, I believe that Sean Baker is MOST LIKELY to win for his work on Anora. He manages to achieve yet another indelibaly written screenplay with lived-in characters, quotable dialogue, and memorable scenes without missing those silent, poignant moments which serve as truly transcendent. His script is one which strikes a balance that should appeal to the most voters.
WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)
FILM
WRITER(S)
A Complete Unknown
James Mangold and Jay Cocks
Conclave
Peter Straughan
Emilia Pérez
Jacques Audiard
Nickel Boys
RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes
Sing Sing
Greg Kwedar and Clint Bentley
Dune: Part Two is the glaring omission here, but that seems to be the story of this 95th Oscars. It should be reiterated the enormity of taking Frank Herbert’s seminal work and rendering it into a cinematically digestible work, let alone one which thumps with grandeur as this one does.
Kuritzkes work on Queer also needs to be mentioned. Taking William S. Burroughs work to task in screenplay form is an thankless, near impossible task, but Kuritzkes managed to do the same without missing out on the emotional beats which make the surreal, hallucinatory film accessible to those willing to let it penetrate.
Finally, Paul Schrader’s work in bringing Russell Banks’ Forgeone to the screen in the form of Oh, Canada warrants a mention if for nothing else than the unique sincerity of its emotional thrust; there has never been such a somber meditation on the meaning of art from an artist at death’s door and coming from Schrader, one of the form’s most underrated auteurs, its poignancy rings all the clearer.
Amongst the candidates themselves, I would pick RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barne’s work on Nickel Boys for the way in which they weave together their larger-than-life narrative through the eyes of two men, retaining a humanity while commenting on larger strucutral issues.
Yet, I believe that Peter Straughan will MOST LIKELY take home this prize for his work on Conclave. His script balances the urgency, mystery, and spiritual stakes of the film without compromising on any of those aspects and should have the most widespread appeal amongst the voters.
SOUND
FILM
NOMINEES
A Complete Unknown
Tod A. Maitland, Donald Sylvester, Ted Caplan, Paul Massey, and David Giammarco
Dune: Part Two
Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett, and Doug Hemphill
Simon Hayes, Nancy Nugent Title, Jack Dolman, Andy Nelson, and John Marquis
The Wild Robot
Randy Thom, Brian Chumney, Gary A. Rizzo, and Leff Lefferts
Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett, and Doug Hemphill‘s work on Dune: Part Two will MOST LIKELY win, especially due to the lack of particularly standout work from any of the other candidates.
Yet, it is the work of those responisble for Nosferatu’s soundscape that is glaringly missing. The crunchy, off-putting dissonances of the film were certainly the most visceral pieces of mixing I’ve heard in any film of the year and made the experience what it was.
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
FILM
COMPOSERS
The Brutalist
Daniel Blumberg
Conclave
Volker Bertelmann
Emilia Pérez
Clément Ducol and Camille
Wicked
John Powell and Stephen Schwartz
The Wild Robot
Kris Bowers
There is Daniel Blumberg’s work on The Brutalist and then the other candidates. His work makes the film thump and pound as it does, as he expertely layers his sounds to bleed the diegetic and non-diegetic elements of the soundscape. His triumphant score sets the tone for the film and its transformation throughout serves to formally align and juxtapose the films’ competing elements.
Even those who may not enjoy the film cannot help but be swept away by the operatic, grandiose quality of the score. Therefore, I believe that Daniel Blumberg is MOST LIKELY to win.
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s work on both Challengers and Queer have been notibly omitted in spite of their vastly distinctive, yet equally evocatives dressing of their respective films. Neither of Guadagnino’s films are what they are without these aural textures, but given the exclusion of both of these works from any of the categories, it’s no surprise that the aural accoutrements of the works would get any recognition.
In addition, Kensuke Ushio’s work on The Colors Within is frustratingly missing in spite of the film’s explicit focus on music and the creation process that goes into the art-form. This is a score which features wonderful uses of the theremin amongst other instruments and its exclusion owes to The Academy’s general retience to acknowledge animated works outside of their animated qualities.
Finally, Robin Carolan’s operatic work on Nosferatu needs to be mentioned. The grandiose gothic leanings of the score transforms the represesed, dark vestiges it traverses into pockets of catharsis and generates beauty from the nightmarish.
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
SONG
FILM
NOMINEES
El Mal
Emilia Pérez
Music by Clément Ducol and Camille; lyrics by Clément Ducol, Camille, and Jacques Audiard
The Journey
The Six Triple Eight
Music and lyrics by Diane Warren
Like a Bird
Sing Sing
Music and lyrics by Abraham Alexander and Adrian Quesada
Mi Camino
Emilia Pérez
Music and lyrics by Camille and Clément Ducol
Never Too Late
Elton John: Never Too Late
Music and lyrics by Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Andrew Watt, and Bernie Taupin
El Mal will MOST LIKELY win the award and of the Emilia Pérez nominations this is certainly the one that I can get behind. The song is wonderfully choregraphed, featuring an absoltuely electric Zoe Saldaña who nails delivering the song with such finesse alongside with the electric camera movements that one can’t help but get into the rythm of the song as its use within its context.
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
FILM
ACTOR
The Brutalist
Adrien Brody
A Complete Unknown
Timothée Chalamet
Sing Sing
Colman Domingo
Conclave
Ralph Fiennes
The Apprentice
Sebastian Stan
This is a race between Adrien Brody and Timothée Chalamet but I still believe that the former isMOST LIKELY to win the award due to his success at ceremonies during awards season.
However, the biggest omission from the performances is from Timothée Chalamet’s work in Dune: Part Two, which I think is a step above nominated work (which is absolutely wonderful). His range and transformation in Villeneuve’s work is absolutely transfixing.
Additionally, Justice Smith’s performance in I Saw the TV Glow is riveting and his calm, awkward, often self-abasing performance is filled with nuance and depth, sublmiating the film’s themes into facial expressions and physical ticks that devastate.
Gaudagnino’s leading men are also noticeably missing from recognition: Mike Faist absolutely serves in Challengers oscillating between competitive, hurt, horny, and complacent whenever the film needs; Daniel Craig’s somber longing makes Queer as melancholic and wistful as it is and showcases a depth which hasn’t been prevalent in his work up to this point.
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
FILM
ACTOR
Anora
Yura Borisov
A Real Pain
Kieran Culkin
A Complete Unknown
Edward Norton
The Brutalist
Guy Pearce
The Apprentice
Jeremy Strong
Given his absolute decimation of this category throughout the season’s award shows, it’s not a MOST LIKELY as much as it is an inevitability that Kieran Culkin will win the award for his emotionally compelling work in A Real Pain.
However, it is Guy Pearce’s performance in The Brutalist which should win. It is an immense performance filled with nuances that elude surface level analysis and his ability to go toe-to-toe with Brody’s lead performance is what makes The Brutalist as engrossing and devastating as it is.
Aaron-Taylor Johnson and Willem DaFoe’s performances in Nosferatu are notable omissions as the two men who play counter-roles in the context of their characters relation to the supernatural nature of the plot give it the depth it needs to be as resonant.
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
FILM
ACTRESS
Wicked
Cynthia Erivo
Emilia Pérez
Karla Sofía Gascón
Anora
Mikey Madison
The Substance
Demi Moore
I’m Still Here
Fernanda Torres
This is a race between Mikey Madison and Demi Moore and while I would personally tip my hat more to Madison, especially due to The Substance’s reliance on a balancing act between Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, the momentum is fully behind Moore who I believe is MOST LIKELY to win the award.
However, the inclusion of Demi Moore’s work in a genre film makes the omission Lily-Rose Depp’s performance in Nosferatu all the more troubling. Depp goes into full hystrionics in a way that is incredibly dificult to pull-off without coming off as caricature and she is the heart and soul of Eggers’ dark masterpiece.
Additionally, Kristen Dunst needs to be mentioned for her emotionally vulnerable, subtle transformative work in Civil War. Her arc is that of the film and is the necesary feature which lets the ending hit with the intensity by which it does.
Finally, Maika Monroe’s performance in Longlegs needs to be noted. Her quiet, socially-awkward cuts new ground in the genre and serves as the perfect vehicle for the audience to delve into the darker underpinnings of the world the film examines.
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
FILM
ACTRESS
A Complete Unknown
Monica Barbaro
Wicked
Ariana Grande
The Brutalist
Felicity Jones
Conclave
Isabella Rosselini
Emilia Pérez
Zoe Saldaña
Given her absolute decimation of this category throughout the season’s award shows, it’s not a MOST LIKELY as much as it is an inevitability that Zoe Saldaña will win the award for her emotionally compelling work in The Holdovers.
However, it is Felicity Jones’ performance in The Brutalist which would be my personal choice as her appearance in the film triggers the dominos that make its conlcuding moments as poignant and cathartic as they are. Her show-stopping scene near the film’s end is utterly mesmerizing and is the best bit of acting amongst all the nominated performances.
Marget Qualley’s performance in The Substance is the biggest omission and one that has baffled me since the start of the Awards Show season given how much her balancing act with Demi Moore makes the film. Focusing on one performance over the other feels antiethical to the point the film makes which makes the lack of praise for one actress and the overwhelming support for the other absolutely puzzling. If Moore deserves her kudos(which she does), then Qualley deserves the same equally so.
Note: This review was done off of theatrical viewings of the film and as such the review does not feature images or extended granular analysis. Once I am able to get a physical copy of the movie to watch, pause, analyze, and get stills from, the review will be updated to match the site’s standard review format.
A black screen, the ringing sound of sirens, then the text: Overture.
Just as he did in his previous two films, director Brady Corbet makes us formally aware that a thesis will be presented.
Glorious horns break in before the overture disappears and the sound of a shrieking woman pierces through the soundscape, shattering the grandiose aura.
A woman (Raffey Cassidy) is sat down and interrogated. She is tasked with explaining her family’s genealogy, give proof of her existence as a legible subject of the social order She remains silent and stares at the screen, forcing us into the position of interrogator struggling to make meaning of a gaze that avoids explanation.
Then, a cut: a new character, a new setting.
A man (Adrien Brody) tumbles around a boat and the chaotic sounds of the ship begin to overlay with the musicality of the overture; the line between that which is diegetic and that which is not blurs.
A woman’s voice layers over this sonic tapestry, reading from a letter. From her words we know that she is this man’s wife. She explains that she’s still alive and she is unable to come to him at the present. But her words are for us, not him – at least not yet.
He proceeds through the ship, bustling amongst the bodies on his journey to the deck. Finally, he reaches the outside.
The horns crescendos: Glory is here, hallelujah!
The camera turns and the Statue of Liberty occupies the frame; but this great symbol of American Freedom is presented upside down – a stark visual contrast to the booming of the horns and the presumed jubilation of the moment.
The man, László, beams with enthusiasm upon seeing this symbol of the American Dream, for unlike us, he sees the symbol as the powers that be intended it to be seen.
The woman’s speech ends: ” Go to America, I will follow you.”
Thus, the overture informs us of the deconstructive tendencies of the film, it’s desire to break-down that which it builds up:
The film opens on the image of a woman who refuses to answer that which she is asked while an unseen woman supplants the space the former’s voice would have occupied; visual and auditory presence is exchanged along the register of gender.
The triumphant score and narrative milieu immediately call the aesthetic of the Great American Novel caught on film but the image of Liberty rendered against itself calls the foundations of this image into question. The promise of freedom has been flipped on its head.
The formal bracketing of the women announcing and auguring the film’s subject, a man on a journey towards the dream, immediately invites question on the construction of narrative, both of the individual and of the statecraft.
From the outset, we are forced to decipher a labyrinth of symbols and associations wherein even seemingly simple exposition becomes something else totally.
New text materializes: Part 1: The Enigma of Arrival.
László gets off the ship and stands amongst the immigrants aboard the ship. An official gives the group instructions in English as a translator repeats the same information in another language; the two dialects overlay onto each other, confusing the presentation of the information even though the content of the utterances remain the same: difference materialized through the act of translation – the enigma of arrival, indeed.
Yet, despite possessing little income and being advised to be wary one’s use of their capital, László’s first free act off the boat is to find the nearest prostitute to avail himself of his wares. The lingering admission of love enunciated earlier to us as voice-over serves as stinging rejoinder to this seeming betrayal; we feel for this unseen woman and chastise our protagonist despite his lack of knowledge; dramatic irony is thus rendered a formal conceit, a function of exposition that creates distance from context.
But try as he may, László is unable to fully consummate his tryst, a failure which leads the brothel’s owner to suggest that his sexual proclivities may not fall within the heteronormative paradigms of the time. She suggests men. He rejects her repeated suggestions with an air of disdain, a repudiation which operates both to show us László’s reticence to being categorized, in this case as queer, and as a comment about the contours of sexuality, the manner in which masculine sexual inclination is positioned in particular.
As László acclimates to his new home, Corbet intersperses radio broadcasts about the domestic and foreign affairs at the time alongside historically-tinted propaganda video sections extolling American virtues (presented in a boxier video-format), constantly complicating our relationship to the information being presented. The assertion of fact in these proclamations trains us to be suspect of the relationship between enunciation and verisimilitude
The narrative proper which features scenes upon scenes of our primary characters explicitly asserting themselves become doubled due to this inculcation, and the dread of what is not said, the visible absence so to speak, continues to build critical mass against the apparent didactic being employed until its provocations threaten to expose the artifice of the film all together.
In this vein, The Brutalist operates in a dialect with itself through its Rorschach-like formal tactility. On the surface, the film contains all the trappings of the Great American Novel:
The story follows a rags-to-riches redemption story emblematic of the American Dream: László is a Holocaust survivor who is given a chance to continue his architectural genius under the purview of a new patron (Guy Ritchie)
Composer Daniel Blumberg’s mostly momentous score emphasizes the epic stature of the tale.
The formal demarcations of the film accentuate its novelistic quality, operating like chapters.
Yet, where the film shines is not the content of the narrative per-se as much as the structure by which it is presented. When the story as presented is viewed as veneer to be peeled back, the film transforms into a ghost story, one in which the myth of the epic assemblage haunts the story as a specter, both within the narrative proper (ex: diegetic and chronological ellipses) and around the narrative in the non-diegetic features.
By using the trappings of the Great American Novel, Corbet is able to toe the line between serious drama and deconstructive pastiche that his previous works have been unable to broach as successfully. Because we are aware generally of where László’s journey should go given our familiarity with the milieu, we are more perturbed by disturbances to that rhythm, a facet that the polarizing 2nd Part of the film exploits to full effect; when the film “cheats” and gets to the next preordained spot on our expected journey, we’re left to reckon with the through-line motivating the transition between the points without the usual journey which would explicate as much; when the film “breaks” with the structure and introduces a pivot that is seemingly out-of-place, we’re left recoiling with deducing what more commonplace moment has been replaced.
In either case, we are forced to use the film against itself, utilizing its ambiguities to mine into one another to craft a structure of meaning that can serve to scaffold the verifiable aspects of the film. This provocation is made explicit by the story, as László’s brutalist architecture, his artistic contribution, is constantly being symbolized, discussed, interpellated. We can’t help but caught up in analyzing the film’s grammar when the film centers itself around the same activity.
Ultimately, it is this act of interpretation, a brutality representing the most fundamental form of violence, that the film circulates around. The title then, a reference to both violence and art, is a confirmation of the intimate relationship between the two concepts and the manner in which the former both allows and enshrines the latter.
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TLDR
The Brutalist sees the Great American novel rendered undo itself, operating as both a more traditional character-focused epic following a protagonist struggling to achieve the American Dream whilst deconstructing the meaning of that Dream and the ideological consequences of its deployment, presenting its findings as a Rorschach test that will give viewers as much as they put in.
Rating
10/10
Grade
S+
Go to Page 2 for the spoiler discussion and more in-depth analysis. Go to Page 3 to view this review’s progress report .
With the new year officially upon us, here are the 10 films I am most excited for (based on projected release dates).
My list is certainly auteur driven and is less focused on the subject matter of the films themselves. The best filmmakers usually make the best films and my picks reflect my taste among auteurs and the quality of their works leading up to the film in question.
10. Nouvelle Vague by Richard Linklater
Linklater’s 2020’s output has been consistent with both Apollo 10 1⁄2: A Space Age Childhood and Hit Man serving as solid additions to the director’s oeuvre, so Nouvelle Vague would have been something to keep my ears out for anyways; but in the past few years I’ve come to genuinely enjoy the French New Wave’s importance and relevance within the history of film. In particular, I have found myself circling the behemoth that is Godard’s filmography.
The idea of Linklater tackling the milieu and genesis of Godard’s Breathless at that sounds too exciting a prospect to miss out on.
Additionally, Linklater has always been an excavator of dialogue and an surveyor of chronology, so seeing his take on one of cinema’s great linguists (both in the spoken word and film grammar), Godard, in a wholly different language, French opposed to English, at the moment when Godard would change the schema of cinema entirely with his groundbreaking debut film, sounds like it has all the parts that could let Linklater truly let loose in a way his past few entries haven’t allowed.
9. Hope by Na Hong Jin
While Na’s first two features are remarkable, it is his 2016 foray into horror with his feature The Wailing which put him on my radar and made his next film an immediate must-see.
The Wailing is one of the densest, most intricately written and woven horror films of the 21st century and deserves comparisons to the best. Fans were able to partially whet their appetite for a Na with his screenplay contributions to 2021’s The Medium, but nothing can substitute the feeling of watching his direction proper. Here’s to hoping that the long gestation period will deliver.
8. Mickey 17 by Bong Joon-Ho
This has been the longest period between films for the prolific auteur from South Korea made all the more curious given that his last film, 2019’s Parasite, was a critical and commercial darling. For me, it also stands as his finest (which is certainly a compliment when your filmography contains Memories of Murder), so my anticipation for this next work is palpable to say the least.
In addition, the pairing of Bong with Robert Pattinson, a star whose iconic performances in multiple arthouse hits (Good Time, The Lighthouse) and outings in bigger blockbusters ( Tenet, The Batman) have demonstrated his versatility and depth, is exciting to imagine (especially after hearing that voice in the trailer).
Additionally, as a huge fan of his last fully English science-fiction feature, Snowpiercer, the subject matter and change in language feel like they could allow Bong to do something spectacular once more.
Fingers crossed that this does not get delayed again.
7. Resurrection by Bi Gan
Few modern filmmakers have treaded into the liminal space between reality and dream in such ethereal fashion as Bi has in recent years. His 2018 film Long Day’s Journey Into the Night and 2022 short A Short Story demonstrated his unique voice and ability to set a slow and dreamy tone like few others in the artform and certainly feels like its descended from a lineage including Andrei Tarkovsky and Apichatpong Weerasethakul – good company to say the least.
Resurrection’s synopsis mentions dreams, being lost in time, and androids – all markers which augur well for a Bi film (and remind me quite a lot of Wong Kar-wai’s 2046 which makes me all the more excited).
6. Orphan by László Nemes
With one of the best debuts of the 21st century in 2016’s Son of Saul and his nearly equally triumphant second feature in 2018’s Sunset, Nemes has marked himself as a director to pay special attention to. He is daring formalist whose sheer dedication to carving out an aesthetic from the sublime and terrible makes his moving images immediately captivating.
The moment I saw he was doing another film in an oppressive historical milieu, my interest was piqued. It’s always a pleasure to see a master crafter doing what they do best.
5. The Phoenician Scheme by Wes Anderson
Any Wes Anderson film is an event to be marked, and with his dogged formal commitment and evolution in the 2020’s present in his features The French Dispatch and Asteroid City along with his series of Roald Dahl shorts/anthology film, the anticipation for his next film is all the greater.
The French Dispatch saw him playing with his commitment to breaking apart stories at a formal level while Asteroid City and his anthology work showed him using his style in an increasingly aware style that makes the incredible artifice of his work even more layered. As a fan of Wes Anderson’s pictorial beauty and melancholic narrative sensibilities, it’s his formal work that most excites me now.
This is very much an auteur still finding the limits and thresholds of his particular style, one whose nuance in expression has become even more poignant with his most recent offerings. Here’s hoping that his latest continues the trend.
4. Die My Love by Lynne Ramsay
Ramsay’s oeuvre is certifiable proof that quantity is not quality as her four features over multiple decades comprise a filmography that could go pound-for-pound with many of the forms greatest. No one else is able to quite capture the way characters are ensnared, molded, and react to traumatic wastelands with such poetic brevity. There is a texture in her films that is immediately apparent and eludes textual description; she’s a filmmaker whose works can only be experienced because the narrative, so to speak, hangs off the image like a drape on windows, accentuating but never overdetermining.
With a cast that features Jennifer Lawrence in the lead and multiple surrounding stars (including Robert Pattinson, Sissy Spacek, and LaKeith Stanfield) and a genre, horror-comedy, that her work has played with more tangentially, it seems like we’re in for yet another indelible cinematic offering.
3. One Battle After Another by Paul Thomas Anderson
There is a good argument that Paul Thomas Anderson is the greatest working director and many of his 21st century works (including There Will Be Blood, The Master, Punch Drunk Love) are in contention for the best #1 position on many “Best Of” lists.
His latest feature marks his first collaboration with Leonardo DiCaprio, who likewise has a similar argument for being the finest working actor in the modern era and some of his finest performances (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, The Revenant) come from the last decade.
Any collaboration between stars is one to to keep ones eyes out for, but a collaboration between two superstars in their respective artforms is a whole other deal. Given the budget and IMAX screenings the film received, it will be a beast to behold regardless of whether or not it reaches PTA’s peaks.
In any other year, this would easily be my number one pick, but due to both nature of personal biases it slots in at three.
2. Eddington by Ari Aster
Ari Aster is my favorite director out of all the most recent auteurs. His works are the ones I have found myself most entranced by and I find myself returning to them to mine their formal conceits again and again. His current run of Hereditary, Midsommar, and Beau is Afraid is truly a behemoth to witness in real-time.
He’s a true formalist with a gift for directing actors and Beau demonstrates his willingness to push the limits of maximalist storytelling in ways that are wholly original and engrossing.
Eddington sees him working once again with Joaquin Phoenix (whose work in Beau is certainly some of his and 2023’s best) and Emma Stone (who is coming off a hot-streak from her collaborations with Yorgos Lanthimos) along with Austin Butler (whose transformations in both Elvis and Dune: Part Two have certainly made him someone to watch for).
But interestingly enough, this also marks his first feature apart from his longtime cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski. Instead, Eddington will be lensed by legendary DP Darius Khondji (who coincidentally also lensed Mickey 17). It’ll be curious to see how Aster’s visual language changes (or stays the same) as a result.
If anything, seeing him tackle the Western with his patented black humor and absurdist horrific tendencies with this cast will be a treat.
1. No Other Choice by Park Chan-wook
Park is one of the great masters of the art-form. Full stop.
He’s made multiple masterpieces in multiple decades and his most recent 2022 film, Decision to Leave, is proof that he is still at the top of his game.
No Other Choice has been a long gestating film for him for developed over years and is one he has described as wanting to make as his “masterpiece.”
When an artist of this caliber and consistency announces their passion project, you best be ready.
Welcome to the Critic’s Sanctum’s 6th Annual 31-Day Horror Marathon!
With Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu on the horizon this Christmas, a remake of one of the most (if not the outright the most) famous vampire films to grace the big screen, I thought it fitting to explore the vampire sub-genre through history and the manner in which the creature has both been mythologized and deployed.
The initial entries present unique visions of the vampire from the earlier ages of the cinematic medium. These films form the template that a large host of the sub-genre has lifted from since.
After this introduction, the entries focus on re-articulations of these classic tales. These films are attempts at either differently representing the origin stories or hyper focusing on certain aspects to exaggerate a feeling or set of themes.
With the figure of the vampire more clearly defined, we will move to an exploration of the monster and the manner in which it’s deployed in more traditional narratives that are less focused on articulating an origin story. Some of these entries are art-house leaning while others are more conventional in order to thoroughly examine the narrative potential the vampire opens up.
Finally, the marathon concludes with experimental explorations of the vampire. These films may or may not include “real” vampires as we’ve been accustomed to up to the point, but they do explore the vampire as a conceptual metaphor or conceit.
