The Silver Screen Oasis

HoldenIsHere wrote: ↑January 28th, 2024, 8:17 pm

speedracer5 wrote: ↑January 28th, 2024, 3:11 pm

HoldenIsHere wrote: ↑January 27th, 2024, 6:27 pm


And, yes, I also unapologetically still love Aqua's "Barbie Girl" as much as I did (and maybe more) when I first heard it as a 12-year old.
"Come on, Barbie, let's go party!"

"Oh I'm having so much fun!"
"Well Barbie, we're just getting started."
"Oh, I love you, Ken!"

On the subject of songs and Barbie, “I'm Just Ken,” by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song.

Here's hoping that Ryan Gosling performs the song at the Academy Awards ceremony with full-on Kenergy!

He should perform it--he's "Kenenough."

... and the Feinberg for Best Actress goes to ...



1. SANDRA HULLER (Sandra Voyter), Anatomy of a Fall
2. JODIE FOSTER (Bonnie Stoll), Nyad
3. LILY GLADSTONE (Mollie Burkhart), Killers of the Flower Moon
4. CAREY MULLIGAN (Felicia Montealegre Bernstein), Maestro
5. EMILY BLUNT (Liza Drake), Pain Hustlers
6. ANNETTE BENING (Diana Nyad), Nyad

Both BAFTA and the Oscars placed Jodie Foster in the Supporting category. I can understand the logic of the producers who chose to put this in their submission as they don't wish to have their two lead actors competing against one another. And as is often the case, some lead performances are more likely to become winners if they are placed in the Supporting categories. But I would argue that Nyad is really a two-hander and in fact while Annette Bening spends a great deal of the film swimming in the sea, Foster is aboard the support vessel acting with all of the dialogue.

... and the Feinberg for Best Actor goes to ...



1. JAMIE FOXX (Willie E. Gary), The Burial
2. IAN MCKELLEN (Jimmy Erskine), The Critic
3. COLEMAN DOMINGO (Bayard Rustin), Rustin
4. NICOLAS CAGE (Paul Matthews), Dream Scenario
5. PAUL GIAMATTI (Paul Hunham), The Holdovers
6. JEFFREY WRIGHT (Thelonious “Monk” Ellison/“Stagg R. Leigh”), American Fiction
7. LEONARDO DICAPRIO (Ernest Burkhart), Killers of the Flower Moon
8. MORGAN FREEMAN (Daniel Adams), A Good Person
9. CILLIAN MURPHY (J. Robert Oppenheimer), Oppenheimer
10. BRADLEY COOPER (Leonard Bernstein), Maestro

... and the Feinberg for Best Picture goes to ...



1. American Fiction

2. Killers of the Flower Moon
3. Io Capitano
4. Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
5. The Holdovers
6. Mad About the Boy: The Noel Coward Story
7. The Zone of Interest
8. 20 Days In Mariupol
9. Spider-man: Across the Spider-verse
10. Theater Camp

I don't have any runner-ups this year.

My choice for Best Cinematography would be Io Capitano. Io Capitano, is directed by Mattao Garrone who was a camera operator himself and shot by Paolo Carnera. I was very impressed with how its compositions and camera moves are used to reveal the film's story.

I was very impressed by the picture editing by Michael Harte of this documentary. The use of footage from Fox's television shows and movies to depict parts of his life was innovative and fun. A massive job.

Superhero movies are not usually my cup of tea, much less animated ones but I thought Spider-man: Across the Spider-verse was particularly well crafted aided by an incredibly creative and exciting music score by Daniel Pemberton (above). And I usually dislike scores that are wall-to-wall but in this case it elevated the film. Pemberton has been racking up an impressive and eclectic number of credits which include Ferrari, The Rescue, The Trial of the Chicago 7, Steve Jobs and Amsterdam.
Though my heart is with Canadian, Robbie Robertson's score for The Killers of the Flower Moon I have to say that for me, Pemberton's score nips it at the tape.

Pemberton wrote a very fine score for Motherless Brooklyn a few years ago. It's very moody and very noir.

A list of 10 noteworthy films I saw for 2023:

1. Oppenheimer
2. Barbie
3. Asteroid City
4. Bottoms
5.The Holdovers
6. Maestro
7. You Hurt My Feelings
8. Fallen Leaves
9. The Zone of Interest
10. The Killers of the Flower Moon