Director:Alex Parkinson Writers:Mitchell LaFortune, Alex Parkinson, David Brooks Stars: Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu, Finn Cole
Synopsis:A true story that follows seasoned deep-sea divers as they battle the raging elements to rescue their crew mate trapped hundreds of feet below the ocean’s surface.
A film about a profession the vast majority of us know nothing about can be jargon heavy. Things like saturation diving, being able to work at extreme depths for longer periods, or DPO, dynamic positioning officer. There are lots of new words or familiar words with strange new meanings. Films like this get bogged down and lose some humanity, but there is something different about Last Breath. This film keeps its heart amongst the new environment we’re thrust into.
The story is about the divers in harm’s way, first and foremost. It helps that director and co-writer Alex Parkinson co-directed and wrote a documentary feature, that shares a title with this feature, that also covers this true story. He has first-hand knowledge of these people and while many interactions have been dramatized (as well as personal details change), the heart of the story beats because it has real people and their interviews behind it.
Writers Mitchell LaFortune, David Brooks, and Parkinson also stray from some of the tropes that are common to tough guys in tough jobs films. The hard edged veteran, Dave (Simu Liu), is serious and seemingly emotionless. Many other characters in the first scenes call him “The Vulcan,” like the logical Mr. Spock from the “Star Trek” franchise. Unlike a typical tough guy, though, Dave’s toughness comes from a genuine place of safety. He doesn’t want Chris (Finn Cole) thinking of his fiance, not because he’s mean, but because he’s in an extremely dangerous situation and needs the only other person down there with him to watch his back. Simu Liu is getting good at playing this type of character in these types of manly tearjerkers. See his work in last year’s Arthur the King. It’s a shame the rest of the plot, even if true, is too easily predictable.
Most of the rest of the story follows the pattern of similar stories. It’s a pretty boilerplate drama. There is tension and it gets your heart pumping, but there is a nagging feeling in the back of your head. There is a character’s life at stake and as the helpless crew in the ship and the helpless Duncan (Woody Harrelson) in the underwater diving bell waiting to pull his divers to safety, are tense, it never feels like it will surprise. Even as the climax occurs, there’s a sheen of predictability that never quite wears off. The falling action stalls and the climax plateaus for far too long. Last Breath was only ever going to end one way and, at a certain point, you wish the filmmakers would just get on with it.
Though, while you wait for something truly surprising to happen, you can marvel at the images of the environment. If more than a modicum of CGI was used, the effect was seamless. Parkinson and cinematographer Nick Remy Matthews captured some terrific underwater action that looks very practical and keeps the reality of the moment. Connecting those visuals with the incredible sound by mixer Aleksandar Bundalo and editor Archie Lamont creates a tremendous impact. There is a scene where the diving bell impacts the metal of the underwater manifold and the sound makes you jump and makes your teeth hurt simultaneously. Everything underwater was truly stunning.
A film like Last Breath isn’t setting out to reinvent cinema or to splash us with a great deal of melodrama. It sets out to tell a true story well and to make us empathize with a group of people that do the dirty work of keeping the houses of Europe supplied with heat. It’s an interesting story if a bit predictable. Last Breath is a film that reminds you that, as much as it sucks to sit and stare at TPS reports all day, at least you don’t have to risk your neck for a faceless natural gas company who doesn’t want to spend the money on robotics research and development that could prevent anyone from having to risk their life like this.
This week on Women InSession, we continue our James Bond discussion by diving into the Bond films of the 1980s! The decade began with a similar tone as the 60s and 70s as the Roger Moore era continued up until 1985, and then the franchise flipped the script. Once Timothy Dalton came on board, Bond took on a different vibe and planted the seeds for what came later with the Craig era. Fascinating decade.
Panel: Kristin Battestella, Zita Short
On that note, check out this week’s show and let us know what you think in the comment section. Thanks for listening and for supporting the InSession Film Podcast!
InSession Film‘s writers share their final Oscar predictions in all 23 categories. The Academy Awards air on Sunday, March 2, at 7 PM ET/4 PM PT on ABC and Hulu.
Best Picture:
Anora: Will Bjarnar, Brendan Cassidy, Shaurya Chawla, Shadan Larki, Jacob Mauceri, Lane Mills, Cameron K. Ritter, Brian Susbielles, Jacob Throneberry, Zach Youngs
The Brutalist: Megan Kearns, Erica Richards
A Complete Unknown
Conclave: JD Duran, Dave Giannini, Dillon Gonzales, Jaylan Salah, Maxance Vincent
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
I’m Still Here
Nickel Boys
The Substance
Wicked
Best Director:
Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez):
Sean Baker (Anora): JD Duran, Jacob Mauceri, Brian Susbielles, Jacob Throneberry, Zach Youngs
Brady Corbet (The Brutalist): Will Bjarnar, Brendan Cassidy, Shaurya Chawla, Dave Giannini, Dillon Gonzales, Shadan Larki, Lane Mills, Erica Richards, Cameron K. Ritter, Maxance Vincent
Coralie Fargeat (The Substance): Megan Kearns, Jaylan Salah
James Mangold (A Complete Unknown):
Best Actor:
Adrien Brody (The Brutalist): Will Bjarnar, Brendan Cassidy, Shaurya Chawla, JD Duran, Dave Giannini, Dillon Gonzales, Shadan Larki, Jacob Mauceri, Erica Richards, Cameron K. Ritter, Jaylan Salah, Brian Susbielles, Jacob Throneberry, Maxance Vincent
Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown): Lane Mills, Zach Youngs
Colman Domingo (Sing Sing): Megan Kearns
Ralph Fiennes (Conclave):
Sebastian Stan (The Apprentice):
Best Actress:
Cynthia Erivo (Wicked):
Karla Sofía Gascón (Emilia Pérez):
Mikey Madison (Anora): Shaurya Chawla, Jacob Mauceri, Lane Mills, Brian Susbielles
Demi Moore (The Substance): Will Bjarnar, Brendan Cassidy, JD Duran, Dillon Gonzales, Megan Kearns,Shadan Larki, Erica Richards,Cameron K. Ritter,Jaylan Salah, Jacob Throneberry, Maxance Vincent, Zach Youngs
Fernanda Torres (I’m Still Here): Dave Giannini
Best Supporting Actor:
Yura Borisov (Anora):
Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain): Will Bjarnar, Brendan Cassidy, Shaurya Chawla, JD Duran, Dave Giannini, Dillon Gonzales, Megan Kearns, Shadan Larki, Jacob Mauceri, Lane Mills, Erica Richards, Cameron K. Ritter, Jaylan Salah, Brian Susbielles, Jacob Throneberry, Maxance Vincent, Zach Youngs
Edward Norton (A Complete Unknown):
Guy Pearce (The Brutalist):
Jeremy Strong (The Apprentice):
Best Supporting Actress:
Monica Barbaro (A Complete Unknown):
Ariana Grande (Wicked): Dillon Gonzales, Megan Kearns
Felicity Jones (The Brutalist):
Isabella Rossellini (Conclave):
Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Pérez): Will Bjarnar, Brendan Cassidy, Shaurya Chawla, JD Duran, Dave Giannini, Shadan Larki, Jacob Mauceri, Lane Mills, Erica Richards, Cameron K. Ritter, Jaylan Salah, Brian Susbielles, Jacob Throneberry, Maxance Vincent, Zach Youngs
Best Original Screenplay:
Anora: Will Bjarnar, Brendan Cassidy, Shaurya Chawla, Megan Kearns, Shadan Larki, Jacob Mauceri, Erica Richards, Cameron K. Ritter, Jaylan Salah, Brian Susbielles, Jacob Throneberry
The Brutalist:
A Real Pain: JD Duran, Dave Giannini, Dillon Gonzales, Lane Mills, Maxance Vincent, Zach Youngs
September 5:
The Substance:
Best Adapted Screenplay:
A Complete Unknown:
Conclave: Will Bjarnar, Brendan Cassidy, Shaurya Chawla, JD Duran, Dave Giannini, Dillon Gonzales, Megan Kearns, Shadan Larki, Jacob Mauceri, Lane Mills, Erica Richards, Cameron K. Ritter, Jaylan Salah, Brian Susbielles, Jacob Throneberry, Maxance Vincent, Zach Youngs
Emilia Pérez:
Nickel Boys:
Sing Sing:
Best Animated Film:
Flow: Will Bjarnar, Shaurya Chawla, Megan Kearns, Jacob Mauceri, Lane Mills, Erica Richards, Cameron K. Ritter, Jaylan Salah, Jacob Throneberry, Maxance Vincent, Zach Youngs
Inside Out 2:
Memoir of a Snail:
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl:
The Wild Robot: Brendan Cassidy,JD Duran, Dave Giannini, Dillon Gonzales, Shadan Larki, Brian Susbielles
Best International Film:
Flow:
I’m Still Here: Will Bjarnar, Brendan Cassidy, Shaurya Chawla, JD Duran, Dave Giannini, Dillon Gonzales, Jacob Mauceri, Lane Mills, Cameron K. Ritter, Jaylan Salah, Brian Susbielles, Jacob Throneberry, Maxance Vincent, Zach Youngs
The Girl with the Needle:
Emilia Pérez: Shadan Larki, Erica Richards
The Seed of the Sacred Fig:
Best Documentary Film:
Black Box Diaries:
No Other Land: Will Bjarnar, Brendan Cassidy, Shaurya Chawla, JD Duran, Dave Giannini, Dillon Gonzales, Megan Kearns, Shadan Larki, Jacob Mauceri, Lane Mills, Erica Richards, Cameron K. Ritter, Jaylan Salah, Jacob Throneberry, Zach Youngs
Porcelain War: Brian Susbielles, Maxance Vincent
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat:
Sugarcane:
Best Editing:
Anora: Jaylan Salah, Jacob Throneberry
The Brutalist:
Conclave: Will Bjarnar, Brendan Cassidy, Shaurya Chawla, JD Duran, Dave Giannini, Dillon Gonzales, Megan Kearns, Shadan Larki, Jacob Mauceri, Lane Mills, Erica Richards, Brian Susbielles, Maxance Vincent, Zach Youngs
Emilia Pérez:
Wicked:
Best Cinematography:
Jarin Blaschke (Nosferatu): Dave Giannini, Lane Mills
Lol Crawley (The Brutalist): Will Bjarnar, Brendan Cassidy, Shaurya Chawla, JD Duran, Dillon Gonzales, Shadan Larki, Jacob Mauceri, Erica Richards, Cameron K. Ritter, Brian Susbielles, Jacob Throneberry, Maxance Vincent, Zach Youngs
Greig Fraser (Dune: Part Two): Megan Kearns, Jaylan Salah
Paul Guilhaume (Emilia Pérez):
Ed Lachman (Maria):
Best Visual Effects:
Alien: Romulus:
Better Man:
Dune: Part Two: Will Bjarnar, Brendan Cassidy, Shaurya Chawla, JD Duran, Dave Giannini, Dillon Gonzales, Megan Kearns, Shadan Larki, Jacob Mauceri, Cameron K. Ritter, Jaylan Salah, Brian Susbielles, Jacob Throneberry, Maxance Vincent
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes: Lane Mills, Zach Youngs
Wicked:
Best Original Score:
The Brutalist: Will Bjarnar, Brendan Cassidy, Shaurya Chawla, Dave Giannini, Dillon Gonzales, Shadan Larki, Jacob Mauceri, Lane Mills, Erica Richards, Cameron K. Ritter, Jaylan Salah, Brian Susbielles, Jacob Throneberry, Maxance Vincent, Zach Youngs
Conclave: Megan Kearns
Emilia Pérez:
Wicked:
The Wild Robot: JD Duran
Best Original Song:
“El Mal” from Emilia Pérez: Will Bjarnar, Brendan Cassidy, Shaurya Chawla, JD Duran, Dave Giannini, Dillon Gonzales, Shadan Larki, Erica Richards, Brian Susbielles, Zach Youngs
“The Journey” from The Six Triple Eight: Jacob Mauceri, Lane Mills, Cameron K. Ritter, Jacob Throneberry, Maxance Vincent
“Like a Bird” from Sing Sing:
“Mi Camino” from Emilia Pérez:
“Never Too Late” from Elton John: Never Too Late:
Best Production Design:
The Brutalist:
Conclave:
Dune: Part Two:
Nosferatu:
Wicked: Will Bjarnar, Brendan Cassidy, Shaurya Chawla, JD Duran, Dave Giannini, Dillon Gonzales, Megan Kearns, Shadan Larki, Jacob Mauceri, Lane Mills, Erica Richards, Cameron K. Ritter, Jaylan Salah, Brian Susbielles, Jacob Throneberry, Maxance Vincent, Zach Youngs
Best Costume Design:
Lisy Christl (Conclave):
Linda Muir (Nosferatu):
Arianne Phillips (A Complete Unknown):
Paul Tazewell (Wicked): Will Bjarnar, Brendan Cassidy, Shaurya Chawla, JD Duran, Dave Giannini, Dillon Gonzales, Megan Kearns, Shadan Larki, Jacob Mauceri, Lane Mills, Erica Richards, Cameron K. Ritter, Jaylan Salah, Brian Susbielles, Jacob Throneberry, Maxance Vincent, Zach Youngs
Janty Yates & Dave Crossman (Gladiator II):
Best Makeup & Hairstyling:
A Different Man:
Emilia Pérez:
Nosferatu:
The Substance: Will Bjarnar, Brendan Cassidy, Shaurya Chawla, JD Duran, Dave Giannini, Dillon Gonzales, Megan Kearns, Shadan Larki, Jacob Mauceri, Lane Mills, Erica Richards, Cameron K. Ritter, Jaylan Salah, Brian Susbielles, Jacob Throneberry, Maxance Vincent, Zach Youngs
Dune: Part Two: Will Bjarnar, Brendan Cassidy, Shaurya Chawla, JD Duran, Dave Giannini, Shadan Larki, Jacob Mauceri, Lane Mills, Cameron K. Ritter, Brian Susbielles, Jacob Throneberry
Emilia Pérez:
Wicked:
The Wild Robot:
Best Live-Action Short Film:
Screenshot
A Lien: Dave Giannini, Shadan Larki, Brian Susbielles,
Anuja: Brendan Cassidy, Shaurya Chawla, JD Duran, Jacob Mauceri, Lane Mills, Cameron K. Ritter, Jacob Throneberry, Maxance Vincent, Zach Youngs
I’m Not a Robot:
The Last Ranger:
The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent: Will Bjarnar, Dillon Gonzales
Best Animated Short Film:
Beautiful Men: Jacob Mauceri, Jacob Throneberry
In the Shadow of the Cypress: Will Bjarnar
Magic Candles
Wander to Wonder: Brendan Cassidy, JD Duran, Dave Giannini, Shadan Larki, Lane Mills,Cameron K. Ritter, Brian Susbielles, Maxance Vincent, Zach Youngs,
Yuck!: Dillon Gonzales
Best Documentary Short Subject:
Death by Numbers:
I am Ready, Warden: Will Bjarnar, Shadan Larki, Erica Richards, Maxance Vincent
Incident:
Instruments of a Beating Heart:
The Only Girl in the Orchestra: Brendan Cassidy, JD Duran, Dave Giannini, Dillon Gonzales, Jacob Mauceri, Lane Mills, Cameron K. Ritter, Jaylan Salah, Brian Susbielles, Jacob Throneberry, Zach Youngs
There is a strong case to be made that we are in an auteur-driven era at the Academy Awards. The last two contests have heavily favored films driven by strong narrative voices behind the camera. There are examples in the previous ten years of filmmakers with their hands in many aspects of filmmaking. There are not just triple threats but quadruple and quintuple threats that have changed how we view film authorship.
Director Alonso Cuarón has been Oscar-nominated three times for editing. He won an Oscar for cinematography for Roma in addition to two wins for directing. He also has three nominations for producing (one being in the Live Action Short category) and four nominations for writing.
Director Bong Joon-ho won four Oscars in one night (International Feature Film, Original Screenplay, Director, and Picture) for his film Parasite, which tied a record held by Walt Disney since 1954. Everything Everywhere All at Once, made by the duo Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, won seven Oscars; three wins were for the pair. Oppenheimer also won seven Oscars; two were awarded to director Christopher Nolan.
There are five films in this year’s Best Picture race that have the type of omnipresent filmmaking that has been successful in the last several years:
Anora is up for six awards, including four for filmmaker Sean Baker—Editing, Original Screenplay, Directing, and Picture.
The Brutalist is up for 10 awards, including three for Brady Corbet—Original Screenplay, Directing, and Picture.
A Complete Unknownis up for eight awards, with nominations for filmmaker James Mangold—Adapted Screenplay, Directing, and Picture.
Emilia Pérez is up for 13 awards, five of which filmmaker Jacques Audiard is up for—Original Song, International Feature Film, Adapted Screenplay, Directing, and Picture.
The Substanceis up for five awards, including three nominations for filmmaker Coralie Fargeat—Original Screenplay, Directing, and Picture.
The auteur has had an edge in the 21st century when the studios began to cede their places in the top categories to independent features. The studios stopped taking risks, and the independent distributors fell hard for the cults of personality behind certain filmmakers. Christopher Nolan is the rare studio auteur who can work his unique visions within the system.
However, knowing these films and their proponents, there must be those who prefer the collaborative method. It’s how films like Green Book and CODA have slipped through in this auteur era. Even though they are powered by the same passion, there isn’t a view that singular visions drove them. These films have a wide appeal and are well-made to boot.
That makes a case for Conclave taking the whole contest. The film is from a small distributor, but it feels like a film a larger, not-so-IP-obsessed studio could have made and championed 20 years ago. Conclave is a well-liked film by Edward Berger, who saw a wellspring of support for his last film, All Quiet on the Western Front. Conclave is also a political thriller that points toward common sense and progressing forward for the right reasons at a time when the president of the United States is wielding his pen like a king’s scepter. Conclave is what we wish could happen, what we want to happen in our political discourse. We want corrupt men to lose. We want the righteous to lead the pious. We want someone to be chosen for the betterment of all over, someone who will selfishly take for the enrichment of the few. Conclave is a movie of the moment more than the other visions in the Best Picture category.
Amidst controversies about actors’ past statements, the use of AI, and the creation of a safe space for people to work on intimate scenes, the devastation of Los Angeles, first by wildfires and now by dangerous floods, and the daily attacks on people, institutions, and allies by a poison penned little autocrat, Academy voters may want an idealized world. They may want a film with a world that takes logical steps toward the right side of history. Conclave is a nail-biter of a thriller with the panache of a filmmaker who elevates the genres he works in. He makes art that builds meaning in each frame. It’s a film well worthy of the title “Oscar Winner.”
Can Conclave win? Yes. Will it win? No. Despite any controversy or any contenders to come and challenge it, and despite Conclave‘s strong showing at the BAFTAs and SAG, Best Picture has long been in the hands of Anora. Since its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival last May, Anora has been the film on everyone’s lips. Emilia Pérez and The Substance were also there, but Anora came out the strongest of the pack. With wins at the Producers Guild Awards, Directors Guild Awards, Critics Choice Awards, and Writers Guild Awards, Anora is poised to be announced as Best Picture on Oscar night. Any film can spoil, of course (The Brutalist), but it’s only Anora’s to lose.
We’ve been hearing the same story for a few weeks: Anora is winning, at minimum, Best Picture and Best Director at the 97th Academy Awards. Coming off its massive wins at the Directors’ Guild Awards (DGA) and Producers’ Guild Awards (PGA), Sean Baker’s breakthrough film is poised to ride the wave of Palme d’Or winner at Cannes to Best Picture winner at the Oscars, a wave that is admittedly incredibly difficult to keep moving over a long awards season.
Anora’s Sean Baker
Before the domination at the DGAs and PGAs, it was still a tossup for Picture and Director, with some thinking it may split between Baker and Brady Corbet for The Brutalist. This thought was quickly tossed aside after the back-to-back wins for Anora, but now that the dust has settled, it may be time to revisit this theory.
Baker hasn’t exactly swept the awards circuit this year, with Corbet winning the director prize at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and the Golden Globes. Wicked’s Jon M. Chu took home the prize at the Critics’ Choice Awards (CCA). Winning DGA and PGA carries a lot of weight, to be sure, but Corbet’s package of Globes and BAFTA isn’t too shabby either.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the implications of what happened at the Screen Actors’ Guild (SAG) Awards: Anora got absolutely blanked. Two of the film’s strongest chances of winning at the Oscars took a massive blow, with Demi Moore edging out Mikey Madison for Best Actress and Conclave upsetting and taking home Best Ensemble. If either or both of those had won, you could have gift-wrapped Picture and Actress to Anora. And yet, they went home empty-handed.
I’m sure you’re asking, what does SAG have to do with the Best Director race? The SAG results speak to a lack of support for Anora from the biggest voting branch in the Academy, the actors. There’s a world where the momentum for Anora slowed down at just the right time for other films to sneak in the back door and upset in a few categories. In fact, we’re looking at the potential for Anora to win zero awards on Oscar Sunday, which feels crazy. Allow me to put on the tin-foil hat for a moment.
SAG opened the door for Conclave in Best Picture, and Demi Moore’s performance in The Substance is locked to win Best Actress. Yura Borisov is not going to beat out Kieran Culkin for Supporting Actor, and the tides are rising for a Conclave win in Editing. The Substance and A Real Pain are both strong contenders in Original Screenplay, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see either pull off the win.
Finally, we come to Best Director. Baker certainly has the edge by way of precursors, but Corbet’s resumé is strong. I also can’t shake that when you look at both films purely from a direction standpoint— and toss out any narratives about the directors themselves or their past work—it’s not even a contest with the better direction. Corbet’s authorial vision is so masterful that the work speaks for itself.
The Brutalist’s Brady Corbet
Final Prediction:
I am officially committing to the tin-foil hat theory that maybe Anora isn’t as strong as we thought a few weeks ago, and the support waned at the right time of Oscar voting for weird things to ensue. It’s been a doozy of an awards season, with twists and turns we haven’t seen in a few years. There’s one more surprise left for us, and it comes with Brady Corbet taking home the gold for a true masterpiece, The Brutalist. I hope you’ll fashion your own tin-foil hats and join me in the pursuit of chaos.
In March, Criterion again has a packed release with four new entrants and two re-editions, with nothing as recent as 1989. Charlie Chaplin has a new film, one that is underrated, while an independent rom-com and a sequel to the legendary story of Godzilla also come aboard. While a ‘70s noir with Gene Hackman is also introduced, two classics get the 4K re-edition, one a French white-knuckle thriller from seventy years ago, and another being the introduction of Michael Mann.
A Woman of Paris (1923)
A new entrant from Charlie Chaplin; this is one of his more dramatic films and only appears as a cameo, giving the lead role to Edna Purviance playing a village girl who moves to the city of lights. It is the Jazz Age and the girl becomes the mistress of a wealthy businessman and gets involved with a rivaling suitor. The movie wasn’t received well because of Chaplin’s turn to a more dramatic story, but retrospective critics have realized it to be one of his most underappreciated movies.
The Wages of Fear (1953)
The first of two re-editions is Henri-Georges Clouzot’s masterful suspenseful suicide mission of four men in Latin America looking to make money for a ticket to freedom. With a tank of explosive nitroglycerin heading to put out a fire at an American oil refinery (a critique of American exploitation of third-world countries), the perils along the way test each man against each other and the elements. With a new cover, this film continues to pack the same intensity as it did seventy years ago with Yves Montand in a star-making role.
Night Moves (1975)
Gene Hackman plays a private eye who is hired to find the missing daughter (Melanie Griffith) of an actress, traveling from Los Angeles to the Florida Keys. It becomes more than a family drama, however, when he finds out a much more disturbing plot is the center of it all. Director Arthur Penn delves for us into the crossing paths that lead to the many turns without an exit in the shadow of disillusionment from what is the truth post-Watergate. Susan Clark, Jennifer Warren, Edward Binns, and James Woods co-star.
Thief (1981)
The second re-edition is Michael Mann’s sensational debut feature about an ex-con and safecracker (James Caan) looking to leave that life. He and his long-term girlfriend (Tuesday Weld) have adopted a baby and will be away from the criminal underworld after one last job. However, his plans are threatened by a mob boss and corrupt cops who seek to hold him for indefinite break-ins and threaten his family. Set in the streets of Chicago, Mann makes a slick neo-noir Mann’s path to an incredible career with the same smarts in his filmography.
Choose Me (1984)
From writer-director Alan Randolph, an erotic rom-com at a bar lures in a group of people who soon get entangled in passionate affairs and one-night stands. A stranger begins conversing with a prostitute who is scared about being committed in a relationship while a sex expert who studies the actions of others gets too involved with the stranger and prostitute’s actions from their first encounter. Genevieve Bujold, Keith Carradine, and Lesley Ann Warren star in this analysis of sex in the decade mixes with the soundtrack of slow love jams by Teddy Pendergrass.
Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989)
In a new generation of Godzilla movies, this story takes a new turn in what would become a bigger threat than Godzilla itself. The new threat is a mutant plant made from rose cells, the dead daughter of a scientist, and Godzilla itself. This leads all of the corporations to fight for control of this, but it has become way too big for them. Now in a new age of special effects, the film released a new bold vision which later versions of the story could tell while remaining faithful to its origins up to recently with Godzilla Minus One.
On this episode, JD and Brendan discuss the new documentary from Questlove in Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)! This film has been under the radar, but it’s one of our most anticipated of 2025. Questlove’s last feature documentary, Summer of Soul, was one of the best of its year and we were deeply curious to see how he was going to follow that one up.
Review: Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius) (4:00) Director: Questlove
Synopsis: Betrayal spawns an unexpected night through the streets of Tokyo for two strangers left questioning the meaning of life and love.
Is romance going out of style? This was the first thought I had while watching One Night in Tokyo, the latest film from director Joshua Woodcock about identity, loneliness, and communication in fast-paced, modern cities. In this film, Japan is the background to Sam’s (Reza Emamiyeh) loneliness as he is ditched by his girlfriend when he sets foot in a country he knows nothing about,Tokyo to be precise. Sam then goes to pick up his friend’s girlfriend, Ayaka (Tokiko Kitagawa), the polar opposite of him, and as they navigate the ever-bustling city together, something changes as they navigate one another rather than the city itself.
The intimacy and the coziness of the film will strike a chord with many modern viewers. As it is available now on VOD and digital, it’s not simply a Valentine’s Day special, but a reflective film on the state of modern dating, specifically finding and losing love in overactive cities. While Sam may not seem as relatable, Ayaka has that modern girl vibe about her that makes her both a compelling and an interesting character to follow. Both Kitagawa and Emamiyeh do a great job of portraying the nuances and complexities of their characters, though. Emamiyeh plays more on the internal, his reactions are held back and his emotions are restrained. It suits the character; the lonely, “nice guy” traveling to a foreign country only to have his heart crushed by his mean girlfriend. Kitagawa plays the vibrant local. She embodies the free spirit of someone navigating their own city with confidence and jubilance until she meets a grim surprise, and even her reaction is more externalized, her anger palpable and visible. It’s evident how the off-screen harmony has seeped into the on-screen magic and the result is two characters that viewers slowly warm up to their presence, just as they find themselves time after time.
Films about lonely people falling in and out of love in busy cities are not new. We’ve all had our In The Mood For Love, Past Lives, and Paris, Texas moments. So does this premise work here? The answer is complex. For starters, One Night in Tokyo is its own demon, it operates on its set of rules and filmworld logic. But it feels trapped in the same realm that other films from that particular subgenre, lonely lovers meet in busy towns, without adding any unique angle or spark of its own. There is, of course, the keen interest that Woodcock gives to the Japanese cast, and the emphasis on the agency of the female Japanese character so that it’s not all a White man’s quest in the big, orientalist Western version of a country. It’s not two White people loving one another while the foreign country works as a background to the emotional shared experience like in Lost in Translation.
Simple creativity within a formulaic genre does not a great film make, and Woodcock smartly sticks to all the proper elements of making a similar story about well-established themes without veering into innovation that may strip the film of its rightful place in said category. This may take from the surprise element that one may secretly desire tuning into a film like that, but it also creates the proper ambience, especially given how the two attractive actors take the script and turn it into a proper, casual dialogue between two lonely people sitting in a bar.
In this feature, both Sam and Ayaka retain their agency, and have a command of their situation. Their connection is mutually held by their clinging to their linguistic otherness from one another, Sam’s English to Ayaka’s Japanese. The most important scene of the film unfolds into two lonely people in a bar, rambling to themselves while no one understands the other, and their language barrier stands between them like a mountain of misunderstandings. It is only when Sam decides to use a phone application for voice translation, that the walls between them start melting, and their barriers shake as they realize how more in common they are rather than different.
One Night in Tokyo is a subtle reassuring comfort movie, a too-slow burn at times, but the chemistry between the leads is highly rewarding.
While still on the ballot, it feels safe to write that Karla Sofía Gascón is out of contention for Best Actress. The late-breaking, but still in time to sway the voters, scandal has poisoned her historic nomination. Though stranger things have happened at the Oscars, Gascón winning Best Actress is extremely unlikely. The final four women, though, are not in as close a race as they may seem.
Each actress has picked up several awards from both precursors and critics groups, but Demi Moore has claimed the largest share of the latest awards. Despite The Substance’s genre trappings and its divisiveness among cinephiles, this film has captured the hearts and minds of awards voters in a way none of us could have imagined, and some of us had only just hoped for.
Strange, avant-garde, and boundary-pushing films have been sneaking into more of the sacred canonical spaces recently. Along with them come the daring and transformative power of the actors on screen. This push toward a wider net of what an awards film can be mixed with an actress who has never gotten her due is the perfect alchemy for where the Oscars and the Academy, at large, currently stand. Half the votes for Moore will be from the new school. Half will be the old school. To claim a frontrunner is not to count out all other nominees, though.
Fernanda Torres has become a strong contender, stunning at the Golden Globes by winning Best Actress in a Drama. With the Globes’ split categories, all her competition at the Oscars was in the Comedy or Musical category.
Since the award season started, Cynthia Erivo has been on every list of Best Actress contenders. Many thought that Wicked would be overshadowed by its release date partner, Gladiator II, but the reviews, the accolades, and the achievements of Wicked have been solid. The one nagging thing that could pull Erivo down is that her performance is one-half of a partnership. Wicked has two lead performances, and while Erivo’s Elphaba takes center stage more often, without Ariana Grande’s Galinda/Glinda, there is no Wicked.
Mikey Madison is so highly talented. She sheds all pretenses and becomes Ani through and through. It’s such a raw and genuine performance that it has to be recognized. Yet, as she is still early in her career, it’s a performance that she will have to live up to repeatedly for the rest of her career. If she has one thing against her, the Academy may see this nomination as a test. Can she do it again? Can she build a better Ani? As good as she is, they will want more from her with her next lauded performance.
That leaves the legacy/career achievement/victory lap, whatever you want to call it, Oscar going to Demi Moore. It would be one thing if this were a year with a thin field, and her performance was good enough. But, this staggering performance in this bountiful year of great performances by actresses shows that despite what modifier the press will attach to her win the next day, Demi Moore will have won a well-deserved award.
For the 40 years prior to his retirement in 2004, Gene Hackman was a force of nature on film. No other actor, before or since, has had the ability to both be wholly recognizable as himself while also committing so deeply to a character. Hackman could pull off high drama and broad comedy with equal perfection. He developed a boiling, roiling ball of rage that translated to each medium with ease and familiarity.
With his unique abilities, Hackman attempted to show us the depths of tough guys and the nuances of masculinity with his rugged everyman quality. It didn’t always work, but when he found that ferocious spark or when you could see the mischievous twinkle in the corner of his eye, it was an arresting sensation. You were hooked.
Within his insurmountable well of talent he created and perfected many indelible roles. The doggedness of Popeye Doyle in The French Connection. The paranoia of Harry Caul in The Conversation. The campy glee of Lex Luthor in Superman and its sequels. The pride and determination of Norman Dale in Hoosiers. The menace of Little Bill Daggett and Herod in Unforgiven and The Quick and the Dead respectfully. The steadfast commitment to duty of Ramsey in Crimson Tide. The jealousy and pettiness of Royal Tenenbaum in The Royal Tenenbaums.
We all have a role of his that we will always revisit. For me, it’s Royal Tenenbaum. Royal is the kind of late career role that showcases the breadth of an actor’s many talents. It’s a bit softer and more esoteric than many of Hackman’s roles. He seamlessly and believably moves Royal from cad to dad without ever dropping who Royal is at his core. It’s the kind of role that proves forgiveness is possible if the one in need of it puts in the work.
In the coming days, many of us will revisit favorites or discover films we may have missed. Gene Hackman has left behind a breadth of work that is powerfully affecting and furiously funny. He was an actor who defied expectations and made films better by being a part of them.
Guy Pearce has been nominated for several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his turn as the wealthy nouveau-riche industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren in The Brutalist.
Van Buren represents America’s complex rejection of European Jewish intellectuals and artists post-World War II. Nadine Whitney spoke to Pearce about what makes Harrison Lee Van Buren tick.
Guy Pearce: There is a side of Harrison that recognized artistry and beauty, and he was sophisticated enough to appreciate good design and the finer things of life. He wasn’t just someone who wanted to have power. I think that the two things were difficult for him to balance. Meeting someone like László Toth (Adrien Brody), who clearly has proven himself as a worthwhile architect and artist, makes him envious.
He looks up to László, and he is quite taken aback by that. The admiration is a difficult thing for him to reconcile because he knows he doesn’t have those skills himself. Recognizing it in somebody else immediately makes him want to either possess, control or eliminate it. There is a level of unrest inside of Van Buren.
I think one of the other qualities about László Toth that Van Buren recognized is that, on many levels, Toth naturally feels more confident in himself than Van Buren does. Van Buren only feels confident with the power he’s attained, with the money he’s gathered, and with the people he controls. But, of course, we all know possession is meaningless in a way. So, the appearance of László Toth in his life brings about all sorts of difficulties and excitement for Van Buren. It’s a conundrum for him to deal with.
The great thing about this role for me was that I didn’t feel like I had to build anything. It was all there in the script. It was one of those great experiences where I felt I could see exactly what Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold had created in the characters.
It speaks of the brilliance of Brady and Mona, who flesh out these characters and enable you to see a very developed three-dimensional person on the page. And not just Van Buren, but I would say I’m speaking on behalf of Adrien Brody (László) and Felicity Jones (Erzsébet), Joe Alwyn (Harry Lee), and Stacy Lee (Maggie Van Buren) and the other characters as well the other actors in the film. Through the depth Brady and Mona created, the recognition of the behavior and psychology of each of these characters as actors, all you do is get on board and try and portray what is in the script.
Much of what you see is contradictory with Van Buren. So, he may be behaving in one way in one scene, and then another way in another scene, and then more vulnerable in this scene, and more controlled in another. The characters do feel fleshed out.
An example is the long story that I, as Van Buren, tell about how much my mother Margaret meant to me in conversation with László. Infused in that story is a resentment towards his mother and her control over him. Recognizing there wasn’t enough room for Van Buren’s wife and his mother in his life, so the wife had to go. That is such a complex situation, and I think how Brady had Van Buren seemingly able to rise above it all and present it in a way about how much his mother meant to him is heartbreaking because we can see the cracks in that. There is a discrepancy in the truth of what his family has meant to him, their power over him, and their control over him.
We find ourselves with a man in his mid-fifties, trying to control and have power over everyone around him. Harrison Van Buren is an extraordinary character to find there on the page. For me, it was just a matter of getting on board and trying to splay him as successfully as I could see him in the writing.
I also think that there was something warm, loving, sensitive, and delicate about Van Buren, as well as being a kind Grand Master. We get to see the vulnerability. That’s a beautiful thing for an actor to play, incorporating contradictory behavior.
On this episode of Chasing the Gold, Shadan is joined by Amanda Spears as we discuss our final predictions for the 97th Academy Awards! The 2025 Oscars are almost here and it’s time to put our stamp on who wins the big awards this year. It’s been a very chaotic season and we’re deeply excited to see how it all plays out this weekend.
On that note, check out this week’s show and let us know what you think in the comment section. Thanks for listening and for supporting the InSession Film Podcast!
Will Bjarnar, after reviewing The Perfect Tomato, interviewed the director, Cristobal Abugaber.
Will Bjarnar: You’ve said that you were inspired by a visit to a fruit cart in New York after seeing that the cherry tomatoes they sold were harvested in your hometown in Mexico, and that you then visited a Mexican tomato farm and spoke with the farmers about their aspirations. What did they share with you that then led you to making The Perfect Tomato?
Cristobal Abugaber: What really struck me when talking to the farmers was that most of them had no interest in promotions, even if it meant earning more money. They were genuinely content with their routines- waking up early, working on the farm, coming home to their families, enjoying a glass of milk before bed, and sleeping around 8pm to start all over again the next day. For them, more money wouldn’t significantly change their daily lives. “I have everything I need” many of them would say, and that perspective challenged my own ideas of success and led me to write this short film.
WB: Did the idea for the film then come as a surprise to you? Or were you searching for a story of this nature, and this just happened to be the catalyst?
CA: It wasn’t exactly a surprise- I was already looking for a story that explored the meaning of success. Initially, I was developing a film about a highly successful but lonely orchestra violinist in his 60s who was grappling with Parkinson’s and could no longer play. But after my experience at the tomato farm, I decided to go with Nacho.
WB: I’m particularly fascinated with script writing, especially for young up-and-coming filmmakers. When it comes to writing, do you find that you are constantly toying with ideas that you hope will eventually become scripts? Do you keep a running list of loglines, if you will, that you’re itching to expand one day? Is your approach more of the one-by-one variety? Maybe it’s none of the above; I’m just curious how you tackle that part of the process.
CA: I keep a journal on my phone where I write down ideas, things I see on the street, interesting people I meet- anything that catches my attention. Sometimes, these notes spark a story, a scene, a character, or even just a piece of dialogue. I also keep a running list of ideas, concepts, or loglines that I think could eventually become films. I like developing multiple stories at the same time- not necessarily at the same stage, but jumping between them helps me clear my mind and come back with fresh eyes.
WB: Let’s get back to the specifics of The Perfect Tomato: Its three characters are easy enough to understand, with Nacho being the aging farmer whose motivation is stability, Elena is the middle-aged mother with a dream, and Maria is the kind hearted granddaughter who wants to be there for both of her loved ones. How did you go about building the emotional framework for each character? What were important characteristics to include?
CA: It all started with Nacho. I knew he had to be a wise, loving man who values family and farming above all else and is completely content with his simple life. From there, Elena emerged as his opposite- the dreamer, the ambitious one- and then Maria, the granddaughter, became the bridge between them, Nacho’s soft spot. Once I had this triangle in place, it was all about adding the necessary layers and backstory to make them feel real and relatable. That was especially challenging because as you know, in short films, you have to be very specific and avoid diving too deep into details that might pull the audience away from the core story.
WB: Related to that: Is it a challenge to pack so much emotional baggage, if you will, into a film that runs under 20 minutes? Or did you always imagine The Perfect Tomato as a short that gives us just enough to latch on to these characters and their motivations?
CA: Yes, it was definitely a challenge. There were earlier versions of the script where I went much deeper into their backstories, explored more characters on the farm, and added external conflicts. But then suddenly, I’d be on page 20 and realize I had to stop, go back, and rethink the core of the story- which is not always easy to see.
WB: What drew you to the three actors – Eligio Meléndez as Nacho, María Meléndez as Elena, and María Fernanda Ayala as Maria? All three have very individual roles, but it’s imperative that they work in concert with one another. What are you looking for when casting parts like these, and how did they fit the bill?
CA: I was extremely lucky with casting. From the moment I started writing Nacho, I had Eligio Meléndez in mind. A director friend put me in touch with him, and we ended up talking on the phone for hours. Right away, he was very open to collaborating, so I sent him the script. After reading it, he called me and said, “You know, I have a daughter (María Meléndez) who’s a producer and wants to get into acting- she’s the same age as Elena. And I also have a niece (María Fernanda Ayala) who’s almost like a granddaughter to me, loves acting, and is the same age as María.” I couldn’t believe it. It felt too good to be true. So, I reached out to them, and- well- the rest is history.
WB: How closely are you and your cinematographer, Brendan Sweeney, working in crafting the film’s appearance? You pack in a lot of scenery and a few different locations in a short amount of time. How much of finding the film’s look, if you will, is happening ahead of time versus in real time as you’re filming?
CA: Brendan and I worked very closely on how we wanted the film to look and feel, and we did a lot of planning beforehand. However, we knew that locations would play a major role in shaping the visual style. So a big part of the process was finding the right locations first. Then, we did a tech scout with the art team to determine the best areas of the house for key scenes, the ideal time of day for shooting, etc. And finally, as always happens, once we were filming, Brendan’s incredible eye led to new visual opportunities and ideas that added even more depth to the film’s look.
WB: In terms of what’s next for you: I know you’re pursuing your MFA in Directing and Screenwriting at Columbia, and that your thesis short for that program revolves around a future where AI dictates mental health, and that your debut feature, The Way Home, is in the early stages of development. Where are you in those processes, and what is it like for you to transition from something like The Perfect Tomato to those projects?
CA: I’m really excited about these upcoming projects because they each come with their own unique challenges. Faint Memories, my thesis short, which I’ll be shooting this fall, is an ambitious sci-fi drama unlike anything I’ve written or directed before- which makes it very exciting. Right now, I’m finalizing the script revisions.
Meanwhile, The Way Home, my feature film, is a dramedy about a priest who gets a chance to reconnect with his estranged and carefree younger brother after 40 years apart since joining the seminary. I’m currently revising the latest draft and working on a new one. Even though these stories might seem very different from The Perfect Tomato, at their core, they explore the same themes- people searching for meaning while navigating complex family dynamics.
On Sunday, March 2, one of Yura Borisov, Kieran Culkin, Edward Norton, Guy Pearce, or Jeremy Strong will be able to call themselves an Oscar winner. It’s an excellent crop of nominees, and any of them winning this award would be deserved; however, the race is pretty much over with Kieran Culkin sweeping the season. Culkin’s performance in A Real Pain has won the actor over 35 awards between critics and industry to this point, including major precursors such as the Golden Globe, Critics Choice Award, British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), Screen Actors Guild (SAG), as well as the Indie Spirit and National Board of Review Award. He’s more than likely won where he’s been nominated, and I don’t think that will stop regarding the Oscar. His recent win at SAG practically closed up any possibility for an upset, which was still an option for Edward Norton and Yura Borisov until the pre-cursor sweep was finalized. If anyone were to pull a massive upset, it would likely be Borisov since Anora is a top-three competitor for Best Picture. There is also a case for Norton since he is a well-known actor who has yet to win, but truthfully, it would take a miracle for Culkin to lose the award.
While this means the win might not be as exhilarating as other categories, with multiple contenders battling it out, it is still an exciting achievement for Kieran Culkin. An actor who was thrown into the spotlight at 7 years old, playing the younger brother to his actual older brother Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone (1990). From the beginning of his career, he was relegated to side/character actor roles. For most of his career, that’s about all the work he could get, with his most significant role coming as Scott Pilgrim’s (Michael Cera) roommate in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010). It wasn’t until 2018, when Succession first aired on HBO, that Culkin was given a chance to shine as a performer, which he did from the first episode, stealing scenes throughout. Even so, he was overlooked for years until Season 4, when he won a Golden Globe and an Emmy for his performance as Roman Roy.
He is now getting the recognition he deserves, and his performance in A Real Pain is terrific and worthy of a win in this category. His character, Benji, is a firecracker full of emotions and not afraid to share his feelings. If his acceptance speeches are any indicator, he may also be this way himself. Being thrust into such a breakneck industry at a young age can be difficult for any person; it’s one of the reasons why most child actors don’t pan out in the industry later in life. However, in Culkin’s case, the slow grind has been met with confidence that has helped him in his career and A Real Pain. Benji is sometimes the best and worst person to be around, not because he is malicious in any way but because that confidence spills over into the character. He is not afraid to say how he feels, but he also seems grateful for the opportunities he is given. I am not sure how his Oscar speech will go, but I know it will be memorable for more reasons than one.
However, he is still just my second favorite of the nominees. I have been vocal about Yura Borisov’s performance in Anora because I think it is one of the more difficult ones I have seen recently. This isn’t because he is overly eccentric or gives physical performance; quite the opposite, he displays a level of subtlety that isn’t as common in film today (and is needed for a film that is as “loud” as Anora). You learn the character through small throwaway lines, and you feel for him because his actions and body language clearly show his care for Ani (Mikey Madison). It’s the kind of performance that I cling to immensely, and he would be my vote if I had one in this category.
We’ve come to the end of the road. We are less than one week away from the 97th Academy Awards, and some tight races became even tighter after some chaos ensued at Sunday’s SAG Awards. The race for Best Sound has been quiet for the most part this year, with one film being the frontrunner solely due to there not being a major opponent.
Since its release, Dune: Part Two has been my prediction, and there hasn’t been much reason to switch from that. This win should have been solidified by its victory at the Sound Editors’ Golden Reel Awards Sunday night. It took home the prize in the Feature Effects/Foley category, which most closely aligns with the Best Sound category at the Oscars.
Despite this win, Dune’s frontrunner status in the category, andPart One’s dominance of technical categories a few years ago, I feel uneasy predicting it to win. It should be a shoo-in, but the overall chaos of this awards season is getting to me. Will there be chaos in this category as well? Perhaps I’m overthinking this, but we must look at Dune’s overall performance compared to its predecessor.
Dune: Part Two maintained its level of craft, if not elevating things across the board, but only received four below-the-line nominations, compared to Part One’s nine nominations with six wins. Dune: Part Two flat-out underperformed at the Oscars this year, and it’s hard to imagine it having much support with only five total nominations. It’s time to consider alternatives to the thought that Dune will run away with this category.
The two serious contenders vying for the prize have one commonality: mixing and editing in singing done on set. Wicked and A Complete Unknown contains four of the best vocal performances of the year, with their main stars all getting nominated in their respective acting categories. Ten total nominations for Wicked and eight for A Complete Unknown clearly indicate massive support for both films, with many considering the former to have overperformed on nomination morning.
Between these two films, I found Wicked to be the more compelling challenger to Dune: Part Two. Not only was a lot of the singing we heard in the film recorded live on set but it was also mixed with extravagant instrumentation and score, not to mention the sounds of the fantasy elements found throughout the movie. A Complete Unknown’s sound work outside of the singing and more plain instrumentation is simply plainer than Wicked’s. The film also took home its respective award for music editing at the Golden Reel Awards, which showed support from the industry.
Final Prediction
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m going with Wicked. Dune: Part Two has underperformed in a lot of facets this season, and the support for Wicked indicates it is going to win a couple of awards that were thought unachievable two months ago.
On this episode, JD and Brendan discuss the latest from Neon with Osgood Perkins’ The Monkey! While we were not terribly high on Longlegs last year, we were still excited/curious for The Monkey as we thought a comedy-horror would tailor more to Perkins’ sensibilities. Boy, were we wrong.
Review: The Monkey (4:00) Director: Osgood Perkins Writers: Osgood Perkins Stars: Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, Christian Convery
The supporting acting categories feel far more locked in than the lead categories ever do. Even in a year with many strong contenders, there is always one that takes the lead and stays there. This year, there’s no one coming close to the success that Zoë Saldaña is having in this category. Though, she still has some stiff competition.
The weakest performance in this category is Felicity Jones in The Brutalist. She has about two scenes where she commands our attention. One is the strange, unappealing, and discomfiting scene where she attempts to give a bit of sexual gratification to her beleaguered husband. The other is when she attempts to shame and humiliate her husband’s benefactor and is dragged away. That’s it. Otherwise, she’s very forgettable, and that’s a very bad thing in a three-and-a-half-hour movie.
The next weakest contender still poses a significant threat. Isabella Rossellini is Hollywood royalty who has finally earned her first Oscar nomination. She is the performance that is the truest essence of this category. Her character is seen but not heard for most of the film until her grand climax. The scene is the one in which her character stands up for all women who serve the Catholic Church. It’s powerful, commanding, and over very quickly, but it has large ramifications for the rest of the plot. Conclave hinges on the machinations and backroom political dealings, and this nomination feels like it’s the Academy’s way of saying, “Sorry we overlooked you for decades.”
Monica Barbaro is one of three actresses in this category who did her own singing. She was the only one who had to match the iconic voice and pitch of beloved folk singer Joan Baez, though. In A Complete Unknown, Barbaro is very good at reacting to the unpleasantness of Bob Dylan’s (Timothée Chalamet) misanthropy. She never gets a grand scene like the others, but she does consistently exude a heartbreaking beauty in her performance pieces and in those reaction shots.
It’s tough to see a co-lead be reduced to a supporting status, but here Ariana Grande is. She is a fiery, funny, and ferocious performer in Wicked. She steals scenes with a look, a gesture, and a perfectly placed note. Her character’s signature song, “Popular,” is so well executed by Grande that it will likely go down next to the original cast as a repeat listen for fans of the show. Yet, that scene-stealing, megaphone-wielding power overpowers rather than supports, and it is a tragedy that this performance couldn’t compete where it really belongs.
The same could be said of Zoë Saldaña’s part in Emilia Pérez. Her character is the fulcrum on which the action hinges. Yet, her character also supports the titular character’s transformational journey, so it’s a give-and-take with this type of category fraud.
What’s not in doubt is that in spite of the unevenness of the film around her, Saldaña’s performance is great. She is engaging and has an incredible physical presence in the dreamlike dance sequences. Her movements have been honed by years of action and sci-fi movie choreography to give her dance style a combative but elegant form. She’s won every precursor award that matters, and it’s almost assured that Zoë Saldaña’s name will be read on Oscar night.
Director: Osgood Perkins Writer:Osgood Perkins, Stephen King Stars: Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, Christian Convery
Synopsis: When twin brothers Bill and Hal find their father’s old monkey toy in the attic, a series of gruesome deaths start. The siblings decide to throw the toy away and move on with their lives, growing apart over the years.
2024’s Longlegs was a breakout film for writer/director Osgood (Oz) Perkins, who followed 2020’s Gretel & Hansel, a film praised for its visuals but lacking in storytelling, with one that built fear through the storytelling, crafting one of the most eerie and sinister films of last year. Quickly, the son of Anthony Perkins (Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho) was thrust into the horror spotlight and immediately followed the success of Longlegs with two horror films releasing this year. Keeper will come out later in the calendar, but not until after The Monkey, a movie based on a (approximately) 30-page short story from horror icon Stephen King.
The Monkey begins with Petey Shelburn (Adam Scott) attempting to return a sinister toy monkey to an antique shop. He informs the shop owner that the monkey is evil and that someone will die when his mechanical arm strikes the drum. Soon after, the drum hits, and the shop owner dies. Petey then attempts to destroy the monkey, but when that fails, he leaves his family, leaving behind the killer monkey for his sons Hal and Bill (Christian Convery in double roles). Once they discover the monkey, they turn the key, watching as he begins to drum away, and later that night, their babysitter (Dinica Dreyer) is killed in a freak accident at a hibachi grill. Even though Hal and Bill are twins, they have never been close, and after Hal turns the key, trying to kill Bill only for his mom to die instead, the boys are sent off to live with their Aunt Ida (Sarah Levy) and Uncle Chip (Osgood Perkins) in Maine.
From the opening scene, it is evident that The Monkey has a vastly different vibe than Longlegs. The latter is more sinister and works by providing a growing sense of dread rather than opting for cheap scares—which is one of the reasons it was so effective in creating horror. However, the former aligns more with films like Cabin in the Woods, a horror comedy that evokes just as many laughs as screams. The deaths are ridiculous, opting for shock over realism and, in doing so, brings excitement to the film that allows the viewer to remain engaged. The filmmaking is more playful, and while some of Stephen King’s works need a darker tone, Perkins captures the correct feeling this movie needs. From the first death, he shows the audience that anything is possible, and the film’s first half does an excellent job of setting up exactly what kind of movie this is.
Transitioning into the second half, twenty-five years after Hal and Bill throw the monkey down a well in hopes that no one will find it or turn its key, Hal (now Theo James) follows in his father’s footsteps. He has distanced himself from everyone he knew and loved, including his teenage son Petey (Colin O’Brien), who lives with his mom (Laura Mennell) and step-father and leading expert in all things dad, Ted (Elijah Wood). He works at a grocery store and doesn’t talk to Bill (now also Theo James) or his Aunt Ida. He only gets to see Petey one day a year (a decision he made), but when his wife informs him that Ted will be adopting Petey, she gives him one last week to see his son. When another “freak accident” death occurs, a week where they were supposed to go to a Halloween theme park turns into Hal and his son having to visit the home he grew up in and reconnect with his brother Bill to make sure that the monkey that likes killing his family hasn’t returned.
The second half begins with a death that is easily the most brutal of the film and shows Perkins ramping up the visual spectacle to an eleven. The deaths progressively become more outlandish and humorous as Perkins leans heavily into camp aesthetics, prioritizing style over substance. As funny as The Monkey is, that doesn’t mean it lacks the scares. Perkins evokes intense feelings of dread and panic alongside the goofiness, creating a visual language that speaks for itself efficiently. The end of this film does a decent job of tying some of the integral themes together while also provoking some questions that will take multiple watches to answer. Still, this movie is fun entertainment at the end of the day; Perkins’ ability to transition from Longlegs sinister tone to The Monkey’s campy one highlights his strength as a modern horror director.
Having only around 30 pages to go off of, Osgood Perkins had to do quite a bit of heavy lifting regarding the story of this film; while the batsh*t deaths are more than worth the price of admission, it can’t help but seem like there was a whole other film left on the chopping block. Perkins’ script approaches ideas such as generational trauma and the acceptance of death as a part of life seamlessly, even including a line that states the titular monkey kills people randomly and without remorse, like life (a phrase that is put front and center on the box the monkey arrives in). At the very least, there could have been more exploration of the inevitability and randomness of death. Still, instead of making the film a little longer and delving into one or more of these topics in any real sense, he opted for campy kills and gore to carry the movie. It’s not my place to say if this was the right or wrong move, but it caused The Monkey to feel, at times, more like a Halloween theme park ride than a film with any real depth.
I don’t mean this as a knock against The Monkey, either; Osgood Perkins would likely say the same thing. Even a bulk of the marketing focused on the severity of these outlandish deaths. Instead, I tell you what you’re getting into: a 98-minute Final Destination-style movie with far more humor. Theo James commits to his double role, and the deaths are increasingly campy, but there isn’t much more to it; however, Perkins displays a trait few directors seem to know or at least will engage with: remembering that making movies is fun and sometimes movies should be fun – they are still entertainment. Even if The Monkey won’t be one of the scariest films of the year, it definitely will make a case for being one of the more entertaining ones; a film I could see being a Halloween watch-party staple.
On this episode of Chasing the Gold, Shadan is joined by Joey Moser to discuss the short films nominated at the 2025 Oscars! The shorts categories can sometimes be really tricky since they’re not given the same attention as their feature counterparts. But there are some great short films recognized this year and we had fun sifting through them.
Please note, this episode was recorded a few weeks ago, so please keep that in mind for context.
On that note, check out this week’s show and let us know what you think in the comment section. Thanks for listening and for supporting the InSession Film Podcast!
The art of editing is what makes movies, movies. An editor’s visual prowess is what holds the narrative together and creates a tapestry so our minds understand what’s happening before us. You shouldn’t see great editing until after the film is over. When you fully process all you’ve seen, you appreciate the craft and how each piece adds to the experience of the whole.
When there were only five Best Picture nominees, if a film wasn’t nominated in Film Editing, it was unlikely to win Best Picture. With the expanded field, if that axiom holds true, these editing nominees are also nominated for Best Picture and have the best chance at winning the award. As much as that thought makes fans of the other five Best Picture nominees squirm, a Film Editing nomination is a real indication of a film’s overall Oscar potential. Without the recognition of good editing, the film is not respected as a well-rounded movie. So, what will a potential voter be looking for in each of these films?
If it is technical prowess, then either Juliette Welfling for Emilia Pérez or Myron Kerstein for Wicked would get the most due consideration. Nothing challenges an editor like a movie musical. There are many takes of each sequence, and matching a certain cut with the voice on the soundtrack is complicated and unwieldy. Not to mention, the dance must be choreographed perfectly for the second time so that the dancers aren’t ahead or behind the song. It’s a tricky feat of alchemy.
If it is supporting a grand vision, then David Jansco for The Brutalist has the best shot. Jansco is editing in a way that shows the scale of his director’s epic vision. The cuts are sparse at times and quick in others, but never faster or slower, always just right. It’s a precise game, as The Brutalist is much longer than many of its competitors, but it has a rich story that demands length. Every cut Jansco makes is a story in and of itself.
If it is maintaining the delicate balance of humor and drama, then Sean Baker for Anora pulls off a perfectly balanced film. Baker is able to pivot so delicately that we laugh just as the tears begin to form, or we gasp just as a chuckle leaves our throats. Being the writer and director as well as the editor means he’s been able to guide his whole vision from start to finish. It shows in the editing that there is coherence to the entirety of the film, and even with rewrites, adlibs, and reshoots, he created something whole and cohesive in a way that stays with you.
If it is on pure visual storytelling, Nick Emerson for Conclave is the clear winner. There is something great about a perfectly placed insert, and Emerson crafts these small scenes with aplomb. Emerson drops clues and shows revelations better than anyone else on this list. Conclave is a mystery thriller that relies on dramatic tension to sell its plot. The cuts are quick yet calm. They create sequences that logically move the plot forward in order to keep us on our toes and keep our breath held until the next shocking reveal.
Any of these editors is worthy of the Oscar for their tremendous work. It’s any film’s game when the entire Academy, some of whom have likely never stepped foot inside an editing suite, gets to pick from the list. Though, Nick Emerson’s work on Conclave just happens to be the best of the bunch and it’s hard not to see his name being read on Oscar night.
