Voting is on my mind.
That’s right, there are only 120 days left until the Oscars.
And, this year, the Academy Awards race is starting to feel like the current presidential election cycle: frantic and nervous.
Not only are there no clear contenders for Best Picture yet, with less than two months to go until the cutoff, but most average viewers will find it difficult to name a single contender.
Whenever I mention “Emilia Perez” to smart, art-loving friends, I get stares compared to the 8 ½ x 11.
I liked “Anora,” which won the top prize at Cannes, but I start to sympathize with the encyclopedic salespeople whenever I try to sell it to people.
The 2025 Oscars are shaping up to be a night of 100 little films that most people will never see.
he is no bueno For the ceremony, whose ratings have halved in a brutal decade of cord-cutting and disinterest.
Too bad, because last year things were looking good with “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie”. Big hits, big stars, real emotional investment from movie fans.
2023 This awards season is a complete contrast to that, plagued by delays in production and entire projects due to the Hollywood strikes.
Most pundits can barely agree on more than a few films being nominated.
,Anora,conclave“Emila Perez” (starring Selena Gomez), “Dune: Part 2” and “The Brutalist” are pretty safe bets, but for some stupid reason there are five more slots.
Let’s say that by November 3, 2023, we’ve already seen every last Best Picture nominee at a festival or in a normal movie theater, and there’s a consensus on who will be honored.
Everyone knew that “Oppenheimer,” which earned nearly $1 billion, would likely win. And it was becoming clear that “Barbie” ($1.4 billion) would be in the mix.
Jugglers joining late are not unusual.
“Titanic” opened in theaters on December 19, 1997, and “Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” began its run on December 17, 2003.
But nothing like them – not even close – is on the way. This time, there are two potential photo-finished blockbusters: “Gladiator II” and “Wicked”, both of which will hit theaters on November 22.
Those who have gone to early screenings of the “Gladiator” sequel love it, but reserve the bulk of the praise for Denzel Washington.
Sure, Ridley Scott’s original film won Best Picture in 2001, but it’s not exactly a classic. I don’t think I’ve seen it in the last 24 years.
And lest we forget Scott’s last two films – “house of gucci” And “napoleon”- There was great embarrassment.
“Wicked” is said to be a blast, but I’ve also heard whispers that the plot of the Broadway musical gets diluted when broadcast on the big screen.
For example, the resulting event that drives the story of two films is the talking animals losing their ability to speak.
Lighter than air. “Wicked” will either defy gravity in March or have a very funny night at the Golden Globes.
Perhaps “A Complete Unknown,” starring Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan, sinks in like a Rolling Stone. However, director James Mangold’s other musical biopic about Johnny Cash, “Walk the Line,” did not receive a Best Picture nod.
It’s all so blurry I feel like throwing my crystal ball out the window over the edge.
Some insist that, unlike the grand coronation of “Oppenheimer”, an actual horse race generates interest and excitement.
This is the same optimistic argument that was used by some Democrats to promote an open convention at the DNC that never happened.
Unfortunately, I view Mass Confusion in a less positive light: a clear sign that this has been a weak year for movies.
