Tag / Emma Stone

by admin

And The Oscar Goes To…

As they finish polishing up the statues in Hollywood for Sunday’s ceremony, it’s time to finish up our predictions with the major categories for the 98th Academy Awards.  So, without further ado, we begin with:

Best Picture

Bugonia
F1
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Train Dreams

I’ve actually seen three of these, so I’ll go with Ryan Coogler’s Sinners.

Best Actor

Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme
Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another
Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon
Michael B. Jordan, Sinners
Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent

Michael B. Jordan played two roles in Sinners, so that’s got to be worth something.

Best Actress

Jessie Buckley, Hamnet
Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Kate Hudson, Song Sung Blue
Renate Reinsve, Sentimental Value
Emma Stone, Bugonia

I’ve only seen one of these, but I’ll take a stab in the dark and pick the one actress I’ve never heard of for this.

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by admin

2025: The Year In Movies Part 2

Over 100 different actors starred in the 55 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 seven of them were in more than one film. Those seven thespians are:

Films Per Actor Per Year

Actor Name Films
Emma Stone 3
Julia Garner 2
Anne Hathaway 2
Jesse Plemons 2
Florence Pugh 2
Margaret Qualley 2
Aaron Taylor-Johnson 2

Now let’s take a look at the remaining movies that I saw in 2025, following up on last week’s post.

Death of a Unicorn (2025)
Billionaires try to exploit the magical properties of unicorns, but the unicorns have other ideas.

Bugonia (2025)
A conspiracy theorist kidnaps a CEO, convinced that she is an alien.

American Sweatshop (2025)
A content approver for a website that definitely isn’t YouTube tries to identify a man in an abhorrent video.

The Girl Who Got Away (2021)
A serial killer escapes and goes after her one victim who got away.

Another Simple Favor (2025)
Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively return for a sequel to their 2018 hit.

by admin

2025: The Year In Movies

The return of my annual long December vacation helped push up a weak first eleven months of the year, giving me my lowest total since last year.  I managed to watch 55 movies last year, my fifth consecutive year under 100, despite being home all day and not needing to bother with pesky things like a commute.  Or exercise.  Reading 66 books and watching game shows all day probably didn’t help either.

Here’s a look back at the first 50 movies I watched last year and what recollection, if any, I have of them. The films are listed in the order I saw them.

Queenpins (2021)
A pair of housewives create a $40 million coupon scam.

Blackwater Lane (2024)
A woman believes she will be the next victim of a serial killer.

MaXXXine (2024)
Mia Goth returns in this prequel to X.

Mothers’ Instinct (2024)
The friendship between two women is tested when one loses her son.

Blitz (2024)
A group of Londoners tries to survive during the German bombing during World War II.

Poor Things (2023)
Emma Stone plays a woman who has the brain of a baby transplanted into her head.

The Idea of You (2024)
A 40-year-old single mom begins an unexpected romance with the lead singer of the hottest boy band on the planet.

Back in Action (2025)
Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz star as retired CIA agents forced to come out of retirement to save their family.

Kinds of Kindness (2024)
Emma Stone reteams with writer/director Yorgos Lanthimos.

Y2K (2024)
Machines go nuts as the clock strikes midnight and the world enters the year 2000.

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by admin

The Academy Award Goes To

side_oscarAs they finish polishing up the statues for tonight’s ceremony, it’s time to finish up our predictions with the major categories for the 96th Academy Awards.  So, without further ado, we begin with:

Best Picture

American Fiction
Anatomy of a Fall
Barbie
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Past Lives
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest

I’ve seen a grand total of two of these, but neither is likely to win so I’ll go with Oppenheimer, which seems like the type of movie to win these awards.

Best Actor

Bradley Cooper, Maestro
Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers
Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
Colman Domingo, Rustin
Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction

Paul Giamatti’s performance in The Holdovers is the best of the nominated work that I have seen.  Of course, it is also the only nominated performance that I have seen.

Best Actress

Annette Bening, Nyad
Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon
Sandra Hüller, Anatomy of a Fall
Carey Mulligan, Maestro
Emma Stone, Poor Things

I’ve seen none of these, so I’ll take a stab in the dark and pick Emma Stone.

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by admin

And The Oscar Goes To

side_oscarAs they finish polishing up the statues for tonight’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

Black Panther
BlacKkKlansman
Bohemian Rhapsody
The Favourite
Green Book
Roma
A Star Is Born
Vice

I’ve seen a grand total of one of these, so I’ll go with Green Book, which won the Golden Globe.

Best Actor

Christian Bale, Vice
Bradley Cooper, A Star Is Born
Willem Dafoe, At Eternity’s Gate
Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody
Viggo Mortensen, Green Book

Having not seen any of these, I guess I’ll pick Christian Bale.

Best Actress

Yalitza Aparicio, Roma
Glenn Close, The Wife
Olivia Colman, The Favourite
Lady Gaga, A Star Is Born
Melissa McCarthy, Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Lady Gaga might be the safe bet, but I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews for Olivia Colman’s work in The Favourite, so I’m going to go with her.

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by admin

And The Academy Award Goes To…

side_oscarAs they finish polishing up the statues for Sunday’s awards ceremony, it’s time to finish up our predictions, which are based on not having seen any of the nominated films, with a look at the acting categories and the big one:

Best Picture

Arrival
Fences
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
Hidden Figures
La La Land
Lion
Manchester By The Sea
Moonlight

Not having seen any of these films, my guess is that the love letter to Hollywood that is La La Land will lead it to glory.

Best Actor

Casey Affleck, Manchester By The Sea
Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge
Ryan Gosling, La La Land
Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic
Denzel Washington, Fences

While La La Land figures to be the night’s big winner, I’m guessing Denzel Washington pulls out the upset here.

Best Actress

Isabelle Huppert, Elle
Ruth Negga, Loving
Natalie Portman, Jackie
Emma Stone, La La Land
Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins

With nothing really to base it on, I’m going back to the La La Land well to give the statue to Emma Stone.

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by admin

2015: The Year In Movies Part 2

Movie_Reel_22128 different people starred in the 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 10 of them were in more than 1.  Those 10 thespians are:

Name Films
Jason Bateman 2
Ashley Bell 2
Tom Cruise 2
Karen Gillan 2
Kevin Hart 2
Leslie Mann 2
Paul Rudd 2
Emma Stone 2
Aaron Taylor-Johnson 2
Shailene Woodley 2

Now let’s take a look at the remaining movies that I saw in 2015, following up on Tuesday’s post.

Not Another Happy Ending (2014)
Karen Gillan’s first project post-Doctor Who.

Nice Guys Finish Last (2011)
A short where Danielle Harris tries to date a normal guy but misses the excitement of the bad boys.

Idiocracy (2006)
An army slacker and a prostitute wake up in a future populated by stupid people.

Three Fugitives (1989)
Martin Short and Nick Nolte avoid the police.

Interstellar (2014)
In a near future where the Earth can no longer sustain human life, a group of astronauts look for a new home for the human race.

Aloha (2015)
A military consultant falls in love and turns on his boss in this mess of a film.

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
Michael Keaton’s comeback performance that earned him a Golden Globe and an Academy Award nomination.

Get Hard (2015)
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by admin

The Academy Award Goes To…

side_oscarAs they finish polishing up the statues for tonight’s awards ceremony, it’s time to finish up our predictions, which are based on not having seen any of the nominated films, with a look at the acting categories and the big one:

Best Picture

American Sniper
Birdman
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash

The race seems to be coming down to either Boyhood or Birdman.  My guess is that the innovative storytelling in Boyhood will put it over the top.

Best Actor

Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
Bradley Cooper, American Sniper
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
Michael Keaton, Birdman
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything

Michael Keaton seems like the obvious choice to win here.  A one-time box office star who faded away and is making a comeback seems like a guaranteed Oscar success story.

Best Actress

Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore, Still Alive
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon, Wild

Well, at least there is a performance here that I have actually seen.  But, I’m not going to go with Rosamund Pike’s work in Gone Girl, but instead will be putting my vote behind Reese Witherspoon.

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by jim

25 Years Of Fox – Drama

The Fox network celebrated its 25th anniversary last Sunday night in a 2 hour retrospective.  Here’s a final look back at some of the dramas they have broadcast over the years, based on Wikipedia’s list:

24: One of the best shows ever to air on any network, let alone Fox.  The nation’s introduction to Jack Bauer and the Counter Terrorism Unit was ironically delayed, as the pilot was pushed back following the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

Ally McBeal: David E. Kelley’s special brand of whimsy took hold at a Boston (where else?) law firm featuring young, mostly attractive lawyers who lived for their quirks.

Beverly Hills, 90210: It started off as a show tackling the relevant teen issues of the day, but took off when it embraced its inner soap.  Who can forget Dylan and Kelly on the beach while Brenda was in Paris, Brandon leading the student body protest declaring that “Donna Martin Graduates”, or Donna trying to keep her virginity for years and years, before finally giving it up to young David Silver.

Boston Public: David E. Kelley again infiltrates Boston, this time focussing on the teachers and administrators at a school.

The Chicago Code: A one season wonder focusing on a group of cops trying to take down corruption at city hall.

Class of ’96: I enjoyed the show, but it tried to be the original issues-based 90210 except in college, and who needed that when we had the current 90210 in college?

Dark Angel: Jessica Alba starred as a genetically altered being trying to take down the people that created her.

Drive: Only four issues of this show starring Nathan Fillion and a young Emma Stone ever made it to air.

Dollhouse: Somehow Joss Whedon and Eliza Dushku got two seasons of Dollhouse on the air.

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by admin

And The Oscar Went To

A few thoughts on the Oscar telecast before we get into my predictions from yesterday.

  • In the same week an ESPN writer is fired for using a headline that could be considered insensitive to Jeremy Lin, Billy Crystal dons black face for the Oscars.
  • There’s enough time for a special Cirque de Soleil performance, but not for the 2 nominees for Best Song?  Who says Hollywood is out of touch?
  • Emma Stone truly is lovely, isn’t she?
  • The Marty Scorsese drinking game would certainly get one drunk tonight.
  • Wait, Whitney Houston died?  Why wasn’t that in the news or something?

So, how did my predictions fare?  Out of 24 categories, I managed to get 9 correct.  Here are my predicted winners along with the actual winners. Continue reading →