2023: The Year In Movies Part 2

159 different people starred in the 88 movies I saw last year (starring in being the first two named stars, a tradition dating back to the old Chicago Tribune TV guide which populated the early days of my database), and a whopping twelve of them were in more than one film. Those twelve thespians are:

Films Per Actor Per Year

Actor Name Films
Margot Robbie 3
Sebastian Stan 3
Joanna Arnow 2
Kevin Bacon 2
Neve Campbell 2
Josh Duhamel 2
Gal Gadot 2
Madison Pettis 2
Saoirse Ronan 2
Paul Rudd 2
Lulu Wilson 2
Reese Witherspoon 2

Now let’s take a look at the remaining movies that I saw in 2023, following up on last week’s post.

They/Them (2022)
A killer is attacking people at a gay conversion therapy camp.

The Apparition (2012)
A couple is haunted by a supernatural presence that is unleashed during a college experiment.

You’re Killing Me (2023)
A high school girl finds herself in a fight for her life when she finds out her classmates killed someone and recorded it on their phones.

The Passenger (2023)
A man goes off, killing his co-workers and then takes the one remaining one on a trip down memory lane.

Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023)
A man gets a new job guarding a closed down arcade/restaurant with animatronic entertainment.

The Final Wish (2018)
A man returns home after his father’s death and finds a mysterious artifact.

No Hard Feelings (2023)
Jennifer Lawrence stars as a woman who agrees to take a high school senior’s virginity in exchange for a car, but instead finds herself becoming his friend.

Fingernails (2023)
When a test is developed to determine if two people are truly in love, one of the administrators wonders if she should be with her husband or her co-worker.

Heart of Stone (2023)
A spy tries to stop a hacker from stealing a dangerous weapon.

Last Sentinel (2023)
A group of soldiers on an abandoned base wait for someone to relieve them. Continue reading →

Trying To Get It Right This Year

side_oscarAs they finish polishing up the statues for Sunday’s awards ceremony, it’s time to finish up our predictions with the major categories.  In a strange change of pace, I’ve actually seen one or two of these.  So, without further ado, we begin with:

Best Picture

Call Me By Your Name
Darkest Hour
Dunkirk
Get Out
Lady Bird
Phantom Thread
The Post
The Shape Of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Unlike years past, I’ve actually seen 2 of these films.  Sadly, I’m not picking either to win, but instead am going with The Shape Of Water.

Best Actor

Timothée Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name
Daniel Day-Lewis, Phantom Thread
Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out
Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour
Denzel Washington, Roman J. Israel, Esq.

With talk of his upcoming retirement from acting, my guess is that Daniel Day-Lewis will take home the prize.

Best Actress

Sally Hawkins, The Shape Of Water
Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Margot Robbie, I, Tonya
Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird
Meryl Streep, The Post

I’m guessing that Margot Robbie’s turn as disgraced skater Tonya Harding will earn the ultimate recognition.

Continue reading →

Those Non-Acting Oscars

side_oscarThe 90th Academy Awards are going down next Sunday night, so here’s my uneducated predictions for the non-acting awards. I have seen a couple of these movies, so I will still mostly be going on gut feel and word of mouth with just a little bit of personal experience.

Best Original Screenplay

Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani, The Big Sick
Jordan Peele, Get Out
Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird
Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor, The Shape Of Water
Martin McDonagh, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

I’ve actually seen three of these films, and, while I would love for Emily and Kumail to win, my money is going on Jordan Peele for Get Out.

Best Adapted Screenplay

James Ivory, Call Me By Your Name
Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, The Disaster Artist
Scott Frank, James Mangold, and Michael Green, Logan
Aaron Sorkin, Molly’s Game
Virgil Williams and Dee Rees, Mudbound

I’ve only seen one of these, but my guess is that the legend behind the story of The Disaster Artist will earn it the nod.

Best Animated Feature

The Boss Baby
The Breadwinner
Coco
Ferdinand
Loving Vincent

I’ve only heard of two of these, one of which is from the good folks at Pixar, so I’ll go with that.

Best Cinematography

Roger A. Deakins, Blade Runner 2049
Bruno Delbonnel, Darkest Hour
Hoyte van Hoytema, Dunkirk
Rachel Morrison, Mudbound
Dan Laustsen, The Shape Of Water

Well, again I’ve seen none of these, so I will go with the war epic Dunkirk.

Best Costume Design

Jacqueline Durran, Beauty And The Beast
Jacqueline Durran, Darkest Hour
Mark Bridges, Phantom Thread
Luis Sequeira, The Shape Of Water
Consolata Boyle, Victoria & Abdul

Another category where I’m at a loss, so I’ll go with the live action Disney hit.

Continue reading →