Commentary Tracks Archives - Glide Magazine https://glidemagazine.com/category/film-tv/commentarytracks/ Independent Music/Film Critique & Coverage Fri, 12 Nov 2021 05:22:35 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://cdn.glidemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/15162042/glide_logo_300-150x150-1-32x32.png Commentary Tracks Archives - Glide Magazine https://glidemagazine.com/category/film-tv/commentarytracks/ 32 32 2021 Holiday Movie Preview: ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife,’ ‘The Power of The Dog,’ ‘House of Gucci’ & More https://glidemagazine.com/266972/2021-holiday-movie-preview-ghostbusters-afterlife-the-power-of-the-dog-house-of-gucci-more/ https://glidemagazine.com/266972/2021-holiday-movie-preview-ghostbusters-afterlife-the-power-of-the-dog-house-of-gucci-more/#comments Fri, 12 Nov 2021 11:17:00 +0000 https://glidemag.wpengine.com/?p=266972 While Summer is known for its high octane blockbusters and big budget thrill rides, the holiday movie season is the source of what is usually the year’s best in cinematic delights. This year, even with the pandemic still raging, is no different. With the availability of streaming options opening up movie watching choices more than […]

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While Summer is known for its high octane blockbusters and big budget thrill rides, the holiday movie season is the source of what is usually the year’s best in cinematic delights. This year, even with the pandemic still raging, is no different. With the availability of streaming options opening up movie watching choices more than ever before, the lineup this season is as potentially amazing as any year before. We’ve rounded up 10 of the most promising and fun looking films that make the upcoming holiday movie season the most exciting.

The Power of the Dog 

Benedict Cumberbatch stars in this western about an imposing rancher and his relationship to his sister-in-law, played by Kirsten Dunst. Directed by Jane Campion (The Piano), The Power of the Dog looks to be a breathtaking exploration of the darkness of the human heart.

(November 17 in limited release, December 1 on Netflix)

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

The proper Ghostbusters sequel that fans have been clamoring for for decades has been about to come out for almost a year and a half. At this point, I’m almost just hoping that we’ll be able to get past it and move on with our lives. Still, the film, which follows the grandchildren of the original ghostbusting team, was written and directed by Jason Reitman, son of original Ghostbusters maestro Ivan, which means that maybe—just maybe—they’ll be able to capture the spirit and fun of the original 1984 classic.

(November 19 in theaters everywhere)

House of Gucci 

Ridley Scott directs and all-star cast that includes Lady Gaga and Adam Driver in this real life tale of threats and betrayal in the fashion world. Lady Gaga stars as a woman who marries into the Gucci family and sets off a chain of events that stunned the fashion world. The prestige of the film’s cast alone is enough to garner interest but the tale itself is a twisted ride that should make for excellent Oscar bait.

(November 24 in theaters everywhere)

8 Bit Christmas 

Looking remarkably like a millennial retelling of A Christmas Story, 8-Bit Christmas is the tale of one father’s (Neil Patrick Harris) recounting of the year that everyone sought that most coveted of Christmas gifts: the Nintendo Entertainment System. Sure to be full of nostalgia, and striking a balance between A Christmas Story and Jingle All the Way, 8-Bit Christmas looks to be a delightful holiday romp that the whole family can enjoy.

(November 24 on HBOMax)

Silent Night

Kiera Knightly and Matthew Goode star in this film that follows a family longing for the perfect Christmas gathering with friends and loved ones in the face of an impending apocalypse. Director Camille Griffin makes her feature debut with this film that seems set on taking awkward gatherings to their most logically awkward conclusion. The Holidays could always use a little black comedy to help us pull through, and this appears to deliver that in droves.

(December 3 in theaters everywhere and on AMC+)

Being the Ricardos 

Written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, Being the Ricardos follows Lucille Ball (Nicole Kidman) and Desi Arnaz (Javier Bardem) in the face of a business crisis that could end both their careers and their marriage. Sorkin, following the heat of last year’s The Trial of the Chicago 7, looks to further make his mark on movies with this look at two of Hollywood’s most enduring and influential icons.

(December 10 in theaters everywhere, December 21 on Amazon Prime)

West Side Story 

Steve Spielberg’s long-gestating remake of the classic musical finally hits the big screen. Starring Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler as the star-crossed Tony and Maria, Spielberg aims to bring spectacle and magic back to cinemas with this new vision. There are plenty of classic musical vibes and new school tricks in the trailer for the film, which stands to be the film to beat this coming awards season. 

(December 10 in theaters everywhere)

Spider-Man: No Way Home

The third entry into the MCU’s official Spider-Man series almost broke the internet earlier this year with the reveal that Alfred Molina would be reprising his role as Doctor Octopus from the 2002 Sam Raimi movie Spider-Man 2. This, of course, has everything to do with the fact that Spider-Man (Tom Holland) and Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) are messing with higher dimensions and opening portals to other worlds. That angle alone has sent fans into a furor of speculation as they wonder if former Spider-Men Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield might also reprise their roles making this a low key adaptation of the animated hit, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.  

(December 17 in theaters everywhere)

The Matrix Resurrections 

In which lingering questions from the original trilogy, such as “Does he still know kung fu????” are finally answered.

(December 25 in theaters everyone and on HBOMax)

The Tragedy of Macbeth 

Written and directed by Joel Coen, working for the first time without his brother Ethan, this retelling of Macbeth stars Denzel Washington in the titular role alongside Frances McDormand as the venerable Lady Macbeth. While I don’t know if it can reach the glorious cinematic heights of Justin Kurzel’s 2015 adaptation with Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard, all of the pieces are there for The Tragedy of Macbeth to be a remarkable adaptation of one of the Bard’s most famous pieces.

(December 25 on AppleTV+)

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‘Inglourious Basterds’ in 4K: Reflections on Tarantino’s Last Great Movie https://glidemagazine.com/265328/inglourious-basterds-in-4k-reflections-on-tarantinos-last-great-movie/ https://glidemagazine.com/265328/inglourious-basterds-in-4k-reflections-on-tarantinos-last-great-movie/#respond Tue, 19 Oct 2021 16:53:06 +0000 https://glidemag.wpengine.com/?p=265328 Last week, Inglourious Basterds was released in 4K for the first time, offering up a fuller remastered take on Quentin Tarantino’s 2009 WWII grindhouse epic. Though the film has lived on, thanks mostly to anti-Nazi memes bolstered in big part by the election of 2016 – it didn’t quite become the cultural sticking point like […]

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Last week, Inglourious Basterds was released in 4K for the first time, offering up a fuller remastered take on Quentin Tarantino’s 2009 WWII grindhouse epic. Though the film has lived on, thanks mostly to anti-Nazi memes bolstered in big part by the election of 2016 – it didn’t quite become the cultural sticking point like Django Unchained or Once Upon a Time in Hollywood did.

While Inglourious Basterds is by no means a forgotten movie, seeing it for the first time since its theatrical release has stirred up quite a few thoughts.

It’s a War Movie That’s Horny for Westerns

Knowing where Tarantino’s trajectory would take him after this movie certainly helps make this clear, but my god there are endless homages to the American Western throughout, and they’re not subtle. For example, when the Basterds have a handful of German prisoners, the long, slow stares and spaghetti western scores, it shows his gaze into another genre that he fully committed to with 2012’s Django as well as The Hateful Eight in 2015.

It Fully Commits to Tarantino’s Alternate Universe

Way back before the screen cut from black in Reservoir Dogs‘ earliest screening, Tarantino’s obsession — and hence his characters’ obsession — with pop culture references became the cornerstone of his work. It wasn’t until Basterds that we’re given the first indication as to why. Rewriting history where Adolph Hitler is killed due to a pair of overlapping assassination attempts is one thing, but for it to take place in a movie palace from the days of yonder gave us all that reference-heavy machismo a definitive origin story.

Its Trailers Were a Fantastic Bait-and-Switch

Along with 70s-heavy pop culture references, Tarantino’s films have always thrived on the tension that any character, regardless of how top-billed the actor was, could be killed off at any moment; his penchant for scrambling the timelines notwithstanding. That’s Janet Leigh getting killed in Psycho halfway through but spread out over two-plus hours. Over and over.

That kind of high-stakes drama is one of Basterds strong points, and given that the story takes place against the backdrop of war-torn Europe, there’s no shortage of opportunity. The movie doubled down, however, relegating Brad Pitt’s Lt. Aldo Raine to a secondary character while Melanie Laurent’s Shosanna Dreyfus took center stage. On the Nazi side of things, Daniel Brühl’s Fredrick Zoller had a bigger impact shaping the story than a scene-stealing Christoph Waltz did as the cartoonishly villainous Hans Landa.

And if the bait-and-switch of the main characters wasn’t enough of a curveball, most of the movie is in French or German. And you would not believe how many people could not stop bitching about having to read a few subtitles during its theatrical run. Like reading is some massive chore.

It Really is Tarantino’s Masterpiece — and His Last Truly Great Movie

There’s something that’s felt off about QT movies since Basterds, and it’s pretty easy to pinpoint the reason is the death of his longtime editor, Sally Menke, in 2010. Django undoubtedly suffered from the marketing giving away too much of the movie, but also suffered from over-indulgent, out-of-place references that existed seemingly for their own sake. Sure, Basterds cast Mike Myers. But Django had its eponymous character dressed as Austin Powers.

Similarly, The Hateful Eight boasts a three-plus-hour runtime but still manages to need an extended narrated sequence to fill in its storytelling gaps, and Hollywood has a story in its similarly lengthy excursion somewhere, it’s just no one like Menke was around to try and actually find it. And sure, Basterds has obtuse moments of narration, it recklessly deviates from its five-chapter structure, and spends its time gazing lovingly at the Western genre, but it’s a war movie that’s both wholly original and chocked full of homages, right down to lifting its ’70s grindhouse title. It’s mercilessly tense, self-indulgent, subversive, clumsy, and indisputably a masterpiece.

Inglourious Basterds is currently available on 4K, Blu-ray, and digital.

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ATX TV: A Retrospective on ‘Oz,’ The Show That Died So Peak TV Could Live https://glidemagazine.com/258022/oz-retrospective-atx-tv/ https://glidemagazine.com/258022/oz-retrospective-atx-tv/#respond Wed, 16 Jun 2021 16:56:27 +0000 https://glidemag.wpengine.com/?p=258022 Creator Tom Fontana and cast members of HBO's prison drama reminisce about the show and discuss its massive, albeit often overlooked, cultural footprint

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“We have everything you’ll need — except time and money.”

The quote comes from Oz castmember Terry Kinney, describing his first experience in the director’s chair on the prison drama. Debuting in July of 1997, it was the first show in what would become HBO’s signature: the hour-long original drama. Set inside the walls of the Oswald State Correctional Facility, Oz remains remains a pioneering feat of television, and an under-appreciated gem that’s DNA can still be felt throughout the medium on a whole almost a quarter-century later.

It featured characters who’d, at best, been stereotyped in popular entertainment, or at worst ignored outright. Like The Sopranos, it was blunt, graphic, and exceedingly violent. Like Game of Thrones, any character was in danger at any given time, regardless if they were set up as the protagonist. Like The Wire, it drew you into a world scarcely portrayed, and done so with stark, brutal realism, and populated by a sea of complex characters. Sure, they were just as brutal and violent as the system that helped mold them, but there was depth and humanity, even if it seemed to only span “a great range of ugliness in them,” as Kinney put it.

As a pioneer in HBO’s foray into what would become prestige programming, which would later pave the way for Peak TV, suddenly the old rules didn’t apply, and creator/showrunner Tom Fontana indulged that freedom.

“HBO trusted me, as the writer and producer, to make the show I wanted, as opposed to the show they thought they wanted,” Fontana said at a pre-recorded panel as part of ATX TV Fest on Monday. “I thought that gave permission to David Chase permission to do Sopranos, [and] Alan Ball to do Six Feet Under. We took a chance, and it has allowed other people to make programming and TV shows that take a chance.”

As Fontana recalled, he was asked by the network what he’d like to do in a show that he couldn’t do in the confines of network or cable TV in the dream-filled halcyon days of the late 1990s. Fontana’s answer, immediately, was to “kill the lead character,” and in the pilot episode, he did exactly that. Dino Ortolani, portrayed by John Seda, had all the makings of a charismatic lead. A made man in the mafia serving life without the possibility of parole, it seemed like viewers would be watching the violent drama in Oz unfold from his perspective, until he was burned alive before the episode drew to a close.

The jovial, liberally profane conversation, which also included cast members Lee Tergesen, Dean Winters, Harold Perrinau, and Kirk Acevedo, did drift toward topics discussed at a similar panel held at ATX TV in 2016. That year, Fontana and The Wire creator David Simon (who also worked together on the NBC procedural Homicide) reminisced about the early days of HBO’s original dramas. While Oz was the first endeavor, it was the debut of The Sopranos that ultimately changed the face of TV, though in unexpected ways.

While Chase’s mobster-in-therapy drama also took bold narrative risks, it became a cultural powerhouse in a way Oz never did. As a result, HBO’s original intention of telling stories that’d never been told became less of a priority, and finding the next big hit became a greater one. So, The Sopranos success “bred as much fear as failure did,” Fontana explained at the time. Still, the network has remained committed to some original storytelling, mostly in smaller-scale productions or miniseries, which end up being subsidized by its flagship show du jour. Or, as Simon put it back then, “Game of Thrones is subsidizing all of us.”

Fontana, of course, remained characteristically humble about the impact Oz had on television over the past quarter-century, his collaborators and cast begged to differ. Particularly Winters, who played Ryan O’Reily throughout the show’s six-season run.

“These days, when you watch the landscape of television and movies, a lot of people are kinda patting themselves on the shoulder, saying ‘we’re so diverse, we’re so diverse,’ but there wasn’t a show before Oz that had a lead Muslim character. That had a lead gay character. That had a lead handicapped character. Tom broke down more barriers than anyone’s ever known. I think I’m speaking for the rest of us, we were all so proud to be a part of this.”

“When we started on this journey, we had no idea what was going on,” Winters continued. “Now, 24 years later, you see all these people talking about diversity and whatnot… I think everyone in Hollywood needs to take a pause for one second and just pay attention to Tom Fontana, who literally opened the floodgates. Whatever show you’re watching now, Tom Fontana is responsible.”

Fontana, being humble once again, quipped back with “I don’t think I want to be responsible for every show out there.”

Oz is available to stream anytime on HBO Max

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ATX TV: ‘Hacks’ Cast and Creatives Tease Seasons 2’s ‘Road to Redemption’ For Its Two Leads https://glidemagazine.com/257979/hacks-atx-tv-deb-ava-dava/ https://glidemagazine.com/257979/hacks-atx-tv-deb-ava-dava/#respond Sun, 13 Jun 2021 16:19:18 +0000 https://glidemag.wpengine.com/?p=257979 After news of a Season 2, the creators and cast of 'Hacks' discuss their 'revolutionary' approach to their unconventional 'love story'

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The season finale of Hacks left its two main characters on an uncertain note, the pseudo-cliffhanger ending will be getting a resolution, thanks to the recently-greenlit second season.

The HBO Max original series follows aging comedian Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) as she’s tasked with freshening up her Vegas act by working with a young, former up-and-comer, and currently blacklisted comedy writer Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder). During an inexplicably pre-recorded virtual panel released on Saturday as part of this year’s ATX TV Fest, co-creators and showrunners Lucia Aniello, Jen Statsky, and Paul W. Downs, along with members of the cast (sans Smart), did address what they hope to happen in Season 2.

Einbinder, who spoke with a similar charmingly droll demeanor as her character, said that she hopes Ava and Deborah “really take on the world together” in the show she refers to as a “literal rom-com.”

“If there is any sort of force of evil, I want them to be the force of good fighting it, side by side,” she said. While she readily admitted she wants to see continued growth for her character, she said that she trusts the trio of showrunners with their vision. “I want her to do whatever Paul and Jen and Lucia want her to do — and I’ll be there to do it, baby.”

While discussing her tentative hopes for the characters’ future, she also coined their celebrity couple name: “Dava,” quipping that she’s only “doing comedy just to get to marketing.”

Though Hacks started with Deborah and Ava almost entirely at odds with one another, the two slowly become collaborators and unlikely friends — possibly tentatively, based on the finale’s final moments. Though where they go is currently up in the air, the creators described their unique dramedy, and its evolving relationship between its two leads, as an unequivocal “love story.”

Statsky called the premise of Hacks “revolutionary,” for its focus on two women who hail from different generations, but share both a resistance to trust and emotional intimacy as well as a commitment to their respective careers. Similarly, Aniello described it as “love letter to girls who’ve needed to fucking grind and do all of it,” while Downs admitted that the writers used to joke that “it was an erotic thriller.”

Downs, who also plays Ava and Deborah’s agent, Jimmy, added that it’s “really about these two women who really need each other, who haven’t let anyone in for so long. It’s really romantic.”

While no concrete plans for Season 2 were revealed, Downs did give viewers an idea of what to expect whenever the show does return to HBO’s streaming platform. “While we don’t know the specifics, what we set out to do in this story is to set Ava, Deborah and everyone in their ecosystem on a road to redemption and emotional happiness,” he explained. “So, I think we want to continue down that path. As you’ve seen in the show, it’s typically one step forward, two steps back, but that’s where the fun and games are.”

Hacks Season 1 is currently available to stream on HBO Max

https://youtu.be/wE51pzVpwBg

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Summer Movie Preview: 10 Most Anticipated Movies: ‘The Sparks Brothers,’ ‘Candyman,’ ‘Respect’ and More https://glidemagazine.com/257524/summer-movie-preview-10-movies-we-cannot-wait-to-see-including-the-sparks-brothers-candyman-respect-and-more/ https://glidemagazine.com/257524/summer-movie-preview-10-movies-we-cannot-wait-to-see-including-the-sparks-brothers-candyman-respect-and-more/#respond Fri, 28 May 2021 16:43:55 +0000 https://glidemag.wpengine.com/?p=257524 Summer 2021 is shaping up to be a fantastic season for movies.

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The Sparks Brothers, June 18

Edgar Wright’s documentary about the wildly ahead-of-their-time Sparks has been earning buzzing steadily since its premiere at Sundance earlier this year. It’s difficult to explain Sparks to those who’ve never heard them, but Wright seems to have done a more than admirable job in parsing through the complexities of their remarkable five-decade long career.

Zola, June 30

It is a sign of the times that one of the most highly anticipated movies of the summer of 2021 is based on a Twitter thread from 2015, but the Twitter thread in question is so wild, so outrageous, so absurd that I’m not even mad about it. I can’t even begin to summarize the insanity of this thread in the space I have, so you should definitely take the time to brush up on this wild story before hitting theaters to see Taylor Paige and Riley Keough bring this jaw-dropping tale to the big screen.

Black Widow, July 9

A movie Marvel should have made years ago, before the titular character was killed off, and was supposed to come out last year, before COVID restrictions wreaked havoc on the industry, is finally coming out. No really. They mean it. Promise.

Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain, July 16

Three years after the shocking suicide of celebrity chef, brilliant writer, and all around man of the world Anthony Bourdain comes this documentary that explores the life and tribulations of one of the greatest voices to come along in a generation. From director Morgan Neville, who’s Mr. Rogers documentary, Won’t You Be Might Neighbor?­, made massive critical waves in 2018, Roadrunner promises to be an insightful and emotional celebration of the man behind Kitchen Confidential, No Reservations, and Parts Unknown.

The Green Knight, July 30

Another holdover from last year’s COVID disruption, The Green Knight looks to be another work of visionary weirdness from director David Lowery. Honestly, I’m not entirely sure how an adaptation of this Arthurian legend, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, is going to translate to the screen—it almost certainly won’t be anything like what anyone is expecting—but if anyone can pull this off, it’s Lowery, who once made a brilliant movie about Casey Affleck in a sheet and turned pie eating into a shockingly emotional moment of poetry.

The Suicide Squad, August 6

It’s no secret that David Ayer’s 2016 Suicide Squad was a massive failure of superhero storytelling (lots of blame to go around on this one, but WB’s insistence on tonal reshoots and failure to commit to their filmmaker surely played a part) but now we’ve got James Gunn. The man who turned Guardians of the Galaxy from obscure Marvel Comics B-team to cinematic powerhouse now turns his eye to doing justice to this league of antiheros and villains.

Respect, August 13

Director Lisel Tommy makes the jump from television to movies in a big, big way in this Jennifer Hudson led biopic about Aretha Franklin. Long live the queen.

The Night House, August 20

Look, you could put Rebecca Hall in literally anything and I’d be there with goddamn bells on. Put her in an intensely creepy and atmospheric haunted house film and, well, you’ve made my horror-loving heart race in delight.

Candyman, August 27

Almost thirty years after the original Candyman made me eternally terrified to pass a mirror in the dark comes this Nia DaCosta directed “spiritual sequel” co-written by DaCosta and Jordan Peele. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II stars as Anthony McCoy (the baby from the original movie), an artist who is trying to capture the myths surrounding the now torn down Cabrini Green projects. Along the way, he unwittingly opens the door for the return of Candyman.

The Beatles: Get Back, August 27

After Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson never has to direct another movie again. Fortunately for us, he’s not satisfied to rest his laurels. The director has turned his attention to documentary filmmaking these days, giving us the stellar They Shall Not Grow Old. Now, he turns his sights on the Beatles. Using unused footage shot for Let It Be, Jackson takes inside the creative process of the most influential band in history in order to present new insights into the legacy and continuing influence.

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The 93rd Annual Academy Awards: Predictions for the Biggest Awards of the Night https://glidemagazine.com/256214/the-93rd-annual-academy-awards-predictions-for-the-biggest-awards-of-the-night/ https://glidemagazine.com/256214/the-93rd-annual-academy-awards-predictions-for-the-biggest-awards-of-the-night/#respond Fri, 23 Apr 2021 18:07:17 +0000 https://glidemag.wpengine.com/?p=256214 Despite the ongoing pandemic, the movies didn’t stop. Sure, distribution changed and streamers became an even bigger player than they have been previously, but, as they say, the show must go on. And go on it did. Fundamentally, very little changed about movies over the last year. Some were good, some were bad, and even […]

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Despite the ongoing pandemic, the movies didn’t stop. Sure, distribution changed and streamers became an even bigger player than they have been previously, but, as they say, the show must go on. And go on it did. Fundamentally, very little changed about movies over the last year. Some were good, some were bad, and even though we watched them differently, the industry marched on.

As with every year, it all culminates into this. Sunday night, the members of the Academy gather before an audience the world over to celebrate the best movies the year had to offer. Even with the ravages of the pandemic, a lot of gems rose to earn their place in film history. This year perhaps more than others, it’s important to remember what it is we want when we watch movies. We want stories we can escape to, narratives to move us, and tales that are timeless.

The nominees for the 93rd annual Academy Awards are no different than they’ve ever been, and just as ever it’s difficult to say for sure who’s going to walk away victorious. But we still gotta try. And so, we revisited all the nominees to make our best guess regarding who is going to all the way to Oscar Glory. We looked at all the biggest awards to try and determine likely winners. Be sure to tune into to ABC on Sunday April 25 at 7pm/5pm Western to see who walks away with the gold.

Best Picture

The Father

Judas and the Black Messiah

Mank

Minari

Nomadland

Promising Young Woman

Sound of Metal

The Trial of the Chicago 7

Who should win: Chloe Zhao hit on something special with Nomadland, which distilled the anxieties of post-Great Recession living into pure cinematic poetry.

Who will win: Two things the Academy loves for certain: movies about Hollywood and movies exploring injustice. That gives us three contenders for the top spot: Judas and the Black Messiah, The Trial of the Chicago 7, and Mank. While I wouldn’t write off the chances of Minari just yet, I think Mank might have a real shot.

Best Director

Thomas Vinterberg, Another Round

David Fincher, Mank

Lee Isaac Chung, Minari

Chloe Zhao, Nomadland

Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman

Who should win: Zhao, no contest. She crafted a beautiful, heartfelt film that looks and feels like nothing else released last year. She deserves it.

Who will win: How much does the Academy want to give Fincher an award? He’s been nominated twice before and has yet to win. This might just be his year.

Best Actor

Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal

Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Anthony Hopkins, The Father

Gary Oldman, Mank

Steven Yeun, Minari

Who should win: In truth, I can make a case for every nominee here. They each did serious work and, truly, they each gave the best performances of the last year. Personally speaking, Riz Ahmed’s performance was transcendent, and I’d love to see him win.

Who will win: Chadwick Boseman. That he turned in this performance while basically on his deathbed is a feat that the Academy will absolutely acknowledge. There’s no contest.

Best Actress

Viola Davis, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Andra Day, The United States v. Billie Holiday

Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman

Frances McDormand, Nomadland

Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman

Who should win: This contest comes down to two women: Viola Davis and Frances McDormand. Both actresses have been nominated and won previously and both are more than deserving to bring home the gold.

Who will win: This is a true toss up though, if I were a betting man, I’d lay it all on Davis.

Best Supporting Actor

Sacha Baron Cohen, The Trial of the Chicago 7

Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah

Leslie Odom Jr., One Night in Miami

Paul Raci, Sound of Metal

Lakeith Stanfield, Judas and the Black Messiah

Who should win: Daniel Kaluuya’s turn as Fred Hampton was an inspired bit of biopic acting that is more than deserving of the win.

Who will win: I worry the decision to pit Kaluuya against co-star Lakeith Stanfield will work against both of them. It wouldn’t at all surprise me to see Sacha Baron Cohen sneak in with a surprise victory.

Best Supporting Actress

Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy

Oliva Colman, The Father

Amanda Seyfried, Mank

Yuh-jung Youn, Minari

Who should win: I’m calling this the rematch of the century. Just two years ago, Colman snatched a victory that was rightly Glenn Close’s, shocking the world. Though I wouldn’t necessarily count out Maria Bakalova, the winner will no doubt be either Close or Colman.

Who will win: Glenn Close has never won. That makes her a front runner for sure.

Best Original Screenplay

Judas and the Black Messiah

Minari

Promising Young Woman

Sound of Metal

The Trial of the Chicago 7

Who should win: Sound of Metal was a quiet, understated bomb of emotion from writer/director Darius Marder. In a just world, it would win without question.

Who will win: Truthfully, all five nominated films feature fantastic screenplays which makes the actual victor difficult to call. That said, it’s difficult to not see the Academy rewarding Aaron Sorkin, who distilled a complex story into an entertaining and moving film with The Trial of the Chicago 7.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

The Father

Nomadland

One Night in Miami

The White Tiger

Who should win: Chloe Zhao.

Who will win: Chloe Zhao.

Best Animated Feature

Onward

Over the Moon

A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon

Soul

Wolfwalkers

Who should win: Tradition dictates that whatever Pixar film was released that year will take home the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. No doubt, Soul meets the standards and, in any other year, would probably be a shoe in.

Who will win: This year features two Pixar films, however. Onward might siphon off enough of the Pixar vote to keep Soul out of contention. In that case, Wolfwalkers, a beautiful film from the makers of The Secret of Kells, absolutely stomps the competition.

 

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The Burning Question That ‘WandaVision’ Needs To Answer Before the Finale, But Probably Won’t https://glidemagazine.com/254423/the-burning-question-that-wandavision-needs-to-answer-before-the-finale-but-probably-wont/ https://glidemagazine.com/254423/the-burning-question-that-wandavision-needs-to-answer-before-the-finale-but-probably-wont/#respond Fri, 05 Mar 2021 13:15:09 +0000 https://glidemag.wpengine.com/?p=254423 Marvel breaks the staleness of the MCU with WandaVision; why did it take so long?

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To call WandaVision a wild ride these past several weeks would be something of an understatement. While it’s not the MCU’s first foray into the small screen, it’s certainly the most ambitious. In fact, it might be one of the most ambitious TV projects in recent history, paying homage to the medium as it subverts it to hell and back and leaving an endless sea of memes and fan theories in its wake

As WandaVision’s weird, wild, wonderful ride comes to its own conclusion this week, there is one burning question it needs to answer: Could Marvel have been doing this the whole time?

I mean… sure, the MCU needed to build itself on a strong foundation of core characters and formulaic hero arcs. It needed to take its time and ease the majority of the movie-going public into a world where superheroes were commonplace. And it took meticulous planning into interconnect what’s soon to be more that two-dozen feature-length films into the same (mostly) seamless continuity. But did we really have to sit through Iron Man 2 and Thor: The Dark World before we got to the good stuff?

It’s not just the scale of WandaVision’s ambitions, either. Although this is a show that didn’t break out of its in-universe fantasy until the very end of episode three, but how the time is spent with its characters. After being briefly introduced in the post-credits scene of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, both Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) were formally introduced in Avengers: Age of Ultron, along with scores of other characters and a plot that never really came together. Though they’ve each had a fair amount of screen time, always in someone else’s movies, nuanced character exploration was never the MCU’s strong suit.

Wanda’s backstory, trapped in her apartment with her (now-dead) twin brother forced to watch in fear as a Stark-brand missile just happened to not explode inches away, was told almost immediately. Though it served solely as a mechanism for her radicalization by HYDRA, which she renounced shortly thereafter and became an Avenger. In the same film, we saw Vision literally created from one of the Infinity Stones, denying him the ability to even have a backstory. While both have been discussed in following MCU entries, as was their burgeoning romance among the strangest of circumstances — which is being a superhero/celebrity in the increasingly expanding MCU.

Now, amid all its sitcom trope sendups, the (likely) made-up twins, and the raw power of Wanda Maximoff on full, chaotic display, we’re seeing who these characters are and what they’ve become because of this. As a result, in a series that’s filled with god-tier level witchcraft, resurrected superpowered androids, and very strong multiverse implications, it’s a fundamentally human story.

It’s certainly not the first time a TV show has flaunted its admiration and disregard for the boundaries inherent to the medium, fusing otherworldly weirdness with grounded tales. Though it’ll likely go down as one of the most-remembered — and one of the MCU’s most salient turning points. Of course, it’ll also be remembered for Kathryn Hahn’s take on Agatha Harkness and her theme song. Also valid.

*For the record, I’m betting that the Luke Skywalker in The Mandalorian cameo that Olsen teased a few weeks back will be Tony Stark welcoming Vision to the afterlife.

WandaVision is available to stream on Disney+

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Rest in Peace Christopher Plummer (1929-2021): Five Memorable Roles From This Cinematic Icon https://glidemagazine.com/253295/rest-in-peace-christopher-plummer-1929-2021-five-memorable-roles-from-this-cinematic-icon/ https://glidemagazine.com/253295/rest-in-peace-christopher-plummer-1929-2021-five-memorable-roles-from-this-cinematic-icon/#respond Fri, 05 Feb 2021 20:31:40 +0000 https://glidemag.wpengine.com/?p=253295 We look back on the best performances from this iconic actor.

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Venerable actor of stage and screen Christopher Plummer died today at the age of 91. With a screen career going back nearly 70 years, Plummer amassed a list of enviable credits that solidified him as one of the best and brightest in the business. In turns a star and character actor, Plummer gave every role his all, imbuing his characters with an indelible charm even when portraying an unlikeable character. While his range is vast, he created so many legendary characters over the years that it’s hard to narrow down which are his best performances. Pick any five at random, and chances are you’ll have a solid mix. Even with that in mind, there are a few that stand out as my personal favorites. These are roles that express his range and talent, showcasing everything we lost today, but which also celebrate the astounding legacy he built over his long and storied career.

Captain Von Trapp, The Sound of Music

 

While Plummer had done plenty of film work prior to his role in The Sound of Music, his screen presence was, until then, mostly limited to television. It was his portrayal as Captain Von Trapp, widowed patriarch of the Von Trapp family, that rocketed him to status as genuine movie star. His turn as the naval captain built an undeniable foundation upon which Plummer built the rest of his career.

General Chang, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

 

Forget Khan. Plummer’s General Chang is the best villain in the entirety of the Star Trek movie franchise. This Shakespeare quoting Klingon tyrant proved formidable against Captain Admiral Kirk on the eve of peace between the Federation and the Empire. Terrifying and formidable as written, in Plummer’s hands Chang had a gravitas that is arguably unmatched in the whole of the franchise. There is genuine pathos to the character, brought to the surface by Plummer’s talent which oozes from every second of his screen time.

Harlan Thrombey, Knives Out

Though Plummer’s character spends the bulk of this movie dead, his presence looms large over every moment of its run time. This was, of course, by design of Rian Johnson’s script, but Plummer’s performance actualized the writer/director’s intent in such a way as to permeate every aspect of this whodunnit. Even with his relatively scant screen time, we got to see the full range of Plummer’s abilities. He was funny, imposing, sympathetic, and terrifying, all in one. While it may have been one of his last roles, it’ll certainly be forever remembered as one of his best.

Charles Muntz, Up

Plummer brough an intense multidimensionality to this villain, perfectly encapsulating the pathos and drama of Muntz’s inability to let the past be the past and move on with his live. At time charming and at times terrifying, Plummer stands at the front in a long line of Pixar villains that swim in an ocean of grey. Vicious though Muntz may be, he’s also relatable and understandable. In him we see the dangers of letting oneself dwell in that which they cannot change. Plummer’s vocal performance brought the perfect mix of likability and menace to this complex character.

Doctor Parnassus, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Perhaps overshadowed by the death of Heath Ledger, which led to creative necessities in order to finish the movie, Plummer’s starring turn in this weird-even-by-Terry-Gilliam-standards Terry Gilliam film was a delightfully strange turn that displayed how capable Plummer was handling even the most bizarre of asks. Plummer plays the 1000 year old Doctor Parnassus trying desperately to win a bet against Satan (Tom Waits, which is honestly perfect casting) in order to save the soul of his young daughter. Even with the strange situation surrounding the movie, Plummer created a memorably bizarre character that helped fuel this incredibly strange and beautiful movie to new heights.

 

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Potentially Great Movies That Are (Allegedly) Coming Out in 2021 https://glidemagazine.com/252197/potentially-great-movies-that-are-allegedly-coming-out-in-2021/ https://glidemagazine.com/252197/potentially-great-movies-that-are-allegedly-coming-out-in-2021/#respond Fri, 08 Jan 2021 13:00:28 +0000 https://glidemag.wpengine.com/?p=252197 Between the delayed movies of 2020 and the 2021 movies already slated, there are plenty of great things on the horizon for movie lovers.

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While the world is still reeling from the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, cinema marches on. Even though the industry took hit after hit in 2020, it’s difficult to deny that movies played an outsized role in getting us all through the shit year that we just left. And while things still swirl with uncertainty, the deployment of vaccines is giving us all new reason to hope. Alongside that hope comes the ever continual march of movies.

Things may be a bit more shaken up than they were, especially with the rise of VOD and streaming as legitimate methods of distribution, the amount of interesting films on the horizon is no different now than it ever has been. Certainly, things are still shaky and as such we can’t be sure that these films won’t find themselves pushed back even further, but for now there are some fantastic films to look forward to as The Worst Year Ever gets smaller and smaller in our rearviews.

January

The Little Things, January 29

Oscar winners Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, and Jared Leto star in this psychological thriller about two cops (Washington and Malek) on the hunt for a suspect serial killer (Leto). Directed by John Lee Hancock (The Highwaymen, The Founder), there’s a lot of star power behind this film, which has the distinction of being the first Warner Brothers movie of 2021 to be released simultaneously in theaters and on HBOMax, a move that could ultimately decide the direction of the future of the movie industry.

February

Nomadland, February 19

With a limited, awards qualifying release in the rearview, this Chloe Zhao (The Rider, Marvel’s Eternals) directed film is looking to make its splash on wider audiences. Get hype. Starring Frances McDormand, this intimate and moving film about a woman in search of meaning after losing it all in the Great Recession is another beautiful, poetic work from Zhao.

The Father, February 26

Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman star in this film about an elderly man increasingly losing his grip on reality and refusing help from his daughter. Featuring moving portrayals, The Father is a film to keep on your radar as a way to chase away those early year cinematic blues.

March

Coming 2 America, March 5

32 years after Coming to America, we finally get a sequel to the Eddie Murphy classic, and it looks like it just might live up to its name. With its Amazon Prime release, this promises to be another interesting salvo in the ever-escalating streaming wars and the fight to control the future direction of the movie industry.

The Many Saints of Newark, March 12

A prequel to the paradigm-shifting, era-defining television hit, The Sopranos, The Many Saints of Newark takes a look at the adolescent years of Tony Soprano (played by the late James Gandolfini’s son, Michael Gandolfini) and how the Soprano family rose to prominence to become the mafioso we know and love today.

April

BIOS, April 16

Tom Hanks isn’t exactly the kind of guy who associate with a film about a post-apocalyptic survivor who builds a robot to help with protection, but that just makes us all the more intrigued. Directed by Miguel Sapochnik, best known for his work as director of some of the best episodes of Game of Thrones, including “The Battle of the Bastards,” BIOS feels like the kind of movie that could go either way, but there’s just enough here to suggest it might be great.

A Quiet Place Part II, April 23

Originally scheduled for release last year, before COVID-19 changed everything, we finally get to see the long awaited sequel to the surprise hit of 2018. Hopefully the wait and pushback was worth it.

Last Night in Soho, April 23

Another hold over from 2020, this Edgar Wright directed thriller has been eagerly anticipated for almost two years now. The pushback may have worked in the film’s favor, however, now that actress Anya Taylor-Joy is fresh off a career defining turn in last year’s Netflix surprise, The Queen’s Gambit. With the hype train steady rolling, expect Last Night in Soho to make a splash with late-spring audiences.

May

Black Widow, May 7

Finally, we get to see Scarlett Johansson’s first solo outing as Black Widow, one year after we expected to and nearly two years after her character died. Great job, Marvel.

Spiral, May 21

Somehow, this is a Saw movie? Starring Samuel L. Jackson and Chris Rock? I’ll be honest here and admit I’ve never liked any movie from the franchise, but this might just be weird enough to catch my attention.

June

Ghostbusters: Afterlife, June 11

I guess we’re still trying to make Ghostbusters happen. My favorite thing about this movie so far is how everyone seems to have collective forgotten it was going to exist when the pandemic started and it got removed from last year’s slate. And now we get to remember again, for better or for worse. At least it’s set in the original universe, totally negating the criminally underrated and undervalued attempt at a reboot from several years ago.

In the Heights, June 18

Oh, I get it. We’re just releasing all of last year’s movies over the summer now. Got it. Anyway, this film version of the Lin Manuel Miranda play that first made his name is finally getting the chance to be seen and promises to be a delightful musical that reminds us of his power as a writer. Another movie we can choose to watch on HBOMax instead of dealing with movie theaters. I truly hope this experiment goes well.

July

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, July 9

As Marvel moves away from the Infinity Saga that defined the first 11 years of the MCU’s existence, we can expect them to start delving into deeper pockets of comic lore. While not exactly a household name, Shang-Chi is an intriguing character to help build the new era of the MCU. Starring Simu Liu in the titular role, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a great way for Marvel to prove they don’t need Tony Stark or Steve Rogers to be the heroes as they find their way forward.

Old, July 23

What’s this movie about? No idea. But it’s directed by M. Night Shyamalan, who’s done some good work in the effort to reclaim his name over the last few years, so the secrecy surrounding it shouldn’t be that surprising. Hopefully he keeps regaining his footing and can come with a film that truly wows and surprises audiences again.

August

The Suicide Squad, August 6

Man, remember when the biggest news of the day was James Gunn getting fired from Guardians of the Galaxy 3, only to be rehired? Well, the time between the firing and rehiring was just enough for Gunn to jump ship to DC in order to helm the sequel to 2016’s disastrous Suicide Squad, which finally sees the light of day this year. If he manages to bring even half the fun he brought to Guardians of the Galaxy, we might just see the DCEU ship start to right itself.

Candyman, August 27

Another film from 2020 that fell victim to the COVID closures, Nia DiCosta’s sequel to the 1991 classic promises to be a revitalization of the mythos and a return to the roots for this incomparable horror icon.

The Beatles: Get Back, August 27

Peter Jackson, who last turned his directorial eye for detail onto the stunning documentary, They Shall Never Grow Old, returns to the documentarian’s chair for this documentary that pieces together unused footage from 1970’s Let It Be.

September

Death on the Nile, September 17

Kenneth Branagh returns as Detective Poirot in this sequel to Murder on the Orient Express. Originally slated for release last year, Death on the Nile probably won’t make too big of a splash with audiences, if Murder on the Express’s experience holds, but Branagh’s relish at playing Poirot is infectious and it’ll be good to see him don that fantastic mustache once again.

October

Dune, October 1

2020’s cinematic revenge continues with Denis Villeneuve’s take on the Frank Herbert classic. Notoriously unfilmable, whether or not Villeneuve can do it justice remains to be seen. That said, if anyone can pull it off, Villeneuve can. As of now, this is yet another film you can also catch on HBOMax, though lately WB seems to be waffling somewhat, concerned that the move could ruin potential franchise possibilities for the film.

The Last Duel, October 15

Okay hear me out. Ridley Scott directing Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in a medieval drama written by Damon and Affleck alongside Nicole Holofcener (Can You Ever Forgive Me?). Also, Affleck plays King Charles VI. Also, Adam Driver’s in it. No, I will not be taking questions.

November

Eternals, November 5

Chloe Zhao’s second movie to make this list. Mostly curious since Zhao is best known for quiet, understated works of human poetry and now she’s directing a big budget action film from one of the weirder corners of the Marvel Comics universe. This could be just what the MCU needs to reinvigorate their stagnant formula.

December

The Matrix 4, December 22

As Keanu Reeves himself once so eloquently put it: Whoa.

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The Film and TV Moments That Defined 2020 https://glidemagazine.com/252071/film-tv-moments-defined-2020/ https://glidemagazine.com/252071/film-tv-moments-defined-2020/#respond Fri, 01 Jan 2021 14:03:47 +0000 https://glidemag.wpengine.com/?p=252071 20 film and TV moments that helped define 2020, the year we rarely left our couches

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In the twilight of 2019, on the edge of an election year that already seemed like it had been going on for months, the worst thing we could have imagined across the entirety of the pop culture landscape was what the butthole cut of Cats might look like. How naive we were. Anyway, here are 20 film and TV moments that defined 2020.

Fondest ‘Before Times’ Memory: Birds of Prey (in a Theater)

For those first 10 or so weeks of 2020, with all the promise of an avalanche of big-budget blockbusters come summer, the ‘last movie you saw in a theater’ inevitably became a question when those months eventually rolled around. Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn, which was later retitled post-release to Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey for mostly SEO-related reasons, ended up being the answer a lot of people gave.

While it wasn’t a masterpiece, Margot Robbie once more reprising the character of Joker’s long-suffering lover proved more than enough mindless fun for its modest run time. And, unlike most films adjacent to the equally long-suffering DCEU franchise, it failed to start the kind of petulant discourse that proceeds it. Although there’d be plenty of time for that by Christmas.

Most Nerve-Racking Moment: Kim Wexler vs. Lalo Salomanca, Better Call Saul

Sometime around the end of Season 2, the question of whether or not Better Call Saul would surpass Breaking Bad. At the conclusion of Season 5, which bridged the pre-and post-pandemic world, that question remains hotly debated. However, the prequel series did manage to ratchet up the stakes as Jimmy (Bob Odenkirk) began his descent into the criminal underworld in earnest.

Looking back, the season will most readily be associated with Jimmy and Mike (Jonathan Banks) wandering the New Mexico desert with millions in bail money while being pursued by heavily-armed thieves. Though it was the standoff between Kim (Rhea Seehorn) and Lalo (Tony Dalton) in the episode that followed that will end up resonating the most. Suspicious of Jimmy’s missing time, Lalo ultimately confronts Jimmy, demanding to know the truth. As Jimmy struggled to rise to the occasion, Kim stepped in, berating the cartel boss for being unappreciative. And in doing so, took her first real steps into the underworld alongside Jimmy — and possibly sealing her (still unknown) fate.

Worst Circumstantial Success: Tiger King

Once lockdowns and various stay-at-home orders were issued across globe (and, in some cases in the U.S., even adhered to), people turned to streaming in ways they never had before. Coincidentally, Netflix had just released Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness, a seven-part “documentary” — in the loosest possible sense of the fucking word. Days later, the story of Joe Exotic, Carole Baskin, and other 21st-century carnies unfolded in the most overwrought and overdramatized way possible. Naturally, America couldn’t get enough.

Most Disruptive Moment (on a Purely Superficial Level): All of Television Since March

It’s impossible to overstate just how heartbreaking and utterly disruptive the pandemic has been, and it seemed absolutely no aspect of day-to-day life would be unaffected. When it came to episodic television, it made the ’08 writers strike seem positively quaint in comparison.

As each production slowly ran out of completed episodes, schedules started descending into chaos. Seasons ended unplanned, beloved shows were canceled abruptly, and animators were brought in to help fill in the cracks in a desperate effort to bring what stories they could to a temporary close. To help fill the void, cast members from long-ended programs would virtually reunite to read scripts from years-old episodes, or in the case of Parks & Rec, a brand new one, tailor-made for an audience in quarantine. Which showed just how important on-set chemistry can be.

Some weeks later, a kind of new normal emerged, with news, talk and game show sets suddenly shot with much wider lenses to accommodate six feet of distance between people. Now, some productions (the ones that can afford it) have resumed in isolated bubbles, but the rollout of new scripted content has been slowed to a crawl. Especially when compared to last year, with the pop culture world at the cusp of the streaming wars.

Most Comically-Delayed Film: No Time to Die

Honest to god, the last franchise’s milestone film I would’ve imagined ending up in development hell would be something as steadily reliable as James Bond. Mired with technical difficulties and “creative differences,” the 25th Bond film had already become a something of a running gag. Then, Daniel Craig’s long-professed final round as Agent 007 has been put on hold indefinitely as an entire industry struggles with what to do next.

Stupidest Decision by a Smart Filmmaker: Christopher Nolan Releasing Tenet (in a Theater)

Without a clear plan of what to do, Hollywood seems to have learned what not to do in a global pandemic. Right as things were going from bad to not-really-being-taken-seriously-enough-by-everybody bad, director Christopher Nolan championed his time-bending crime drama Tenet be released on the big screen. Promotional campaigns were unleashed, theaters were restaffed and reopened, and all for a the kind of weekend turnouts that would pay for a handful of late-model used two-door Hondas.

Tenet wasn’t the only film to force its way into theaters, of course, with the likes of Russell Crowe leading the charge of a handful of independent flicks that presented their in-theater viewings as some kind of idiotic badge of machismo honor. Nolan, however, is renowned for being a notoriously ‘smart’ filmmaker, and despite being overrated, has remained committed to the big screen experience. Who’ll now likely remain associated with the seemingly imminent demise of movie theaters, at least as we know them.

Most Subversive Experience: Lovecraft Country

Based on the anthology by Matt Ruff and adapted for HBO by Misha Green, Lovecraft Country relished in employing nearly every well-worn trope of the horror genre against the stark backdrop of Black life in the pre-Civil Rights era. Through its semi-meta approach, it delved deep into the lore of Lovecraftian Weird Fiction, as well as the author’s own well-known bigotry. Most unsettling, however, was that for all the ancient, otherworldly horrors that were introduced across the semi-anthology’s 10-episode run, nothing proved more terrifying than what people are capable of — and how eager they are to act on their ugliest impulses.

Best Folksy Colloquialisms: Ted Lasso

There was a lot to appreciate about Ted Lasso, which was quietly released on AppleTV+ in August and picked up steam following the wave of free year-long trials handed out with each new iPhone. SNL vet Jason Sudeikis played the affable, eponymous coach, who was the closest thing to a real-life Ned Flanders we might ever get. While the show was much more than Ted’s occasional turn-of-phrase, and might be the best sitcom about genuine camaraderie and affection since Parks & Rec concluded in 2015. But I will never not laugh at one of Lasso’s pep talks, which always includes gems like, “You beating yourself up is like Woody Allen playing the clarinet. I don’t want to hear it.”

Most Misunderstood Adaptation: Perry Mason

Perry Mason has been a character since he first appeared in print back 1933, 24 years before Raymond Burr became the fourth or fifth actor (depending on who you ask) to play the infamous lawyer. Although you’d never know it by the sheer volume of reviews and commentary that flooded in this June with HBO’s latest iteration, which was lauded as an unnecessarily dark and gritty detective story with nary a courtroom scene. Much like that very first Perry Mason novel, The Case of the Velvet Claws.

Google’s free, for chrissakes.

Best Wikipedia Bait: Hamilton

Four years after Hamilton became a household name, a phenomenal achievement for any first-run theatrical production — on Broadway or off — Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hip-hop musical about America’s founding fathers was made available to anyone who ponied up for a Disney+ subscription. Unsurprisingly, it started (and revived) a flood of debates over its portrayals of history and slavery, as well as the responsibility that art plays in the conversation.

Like the musical itself, it also sparked a fury of interest in the nuanced history of the Revolutionary War and the founding of America that went far beyond high school history. While Miranda famously billed his musical as “the story of America then, as told by America now,” like all great art, it sparked a much larger conversation, and revealed how those two Americas might not be all that different.

Most Off-putting Impression: Jim Carrey as Joe Biden, Saturday Night Live

In an era where election-year politics becomes increasingly fused with fucking everything, SNL’s commitment to stunt casting key figures from that week’s headlines has continued to prove increasingly tiresome. Never was this more evident when Jim Carrey was selected to play Biden in a handful of episodes through the November elections. What followed were a half-dozen cold-open sketches featuring Carrey straining to unleash a mishmash of prior impressions while under heavy prosthetics.

Okay, the finger guns thing was kinda funny. The first time.

Best Slow-Burn: Fargo, ‘Welcome to the Alternate Economy’

For its first three seasons, Fargo was laden with references to the 1996 Coen brothers’ movie that bears its name. As Season 4 let the show fully come into its own, the premiere, “Welcome to the Alternate Economy,” showrunner Noah Hawley may have moved through a half-century of Kansas City history, but made it clear he’d be taking his time. And practically reinventing the television slow-burn while he was at it.

Most Successful Needle-Threading: The Mandalorian Season 2

For a fandom that seems almost heroically dedicated to hating Star Wars, Jon Favreau not only soothed this perpetually-irritated subset with The Mandalorian’s first season, but bridged some of the coolest aspects of the franchise along with its… less cool aspects. The latter continued to Season 2, as Favreau and company (namely Dave Filoni), managed to thread the needle and incorporate fringe characters from the still-canon parts of the saga that exist outside the films while telling a story that’s accessible to casual viewers. Not to mention having the return of Luke Skywalker make actual narrative sense beyond the fan service.

Best Board Game Cinematography: The Queen’s Gambit

Even with the eruption of content that a dozen prominent, competing streaming services offer to subscribers, it’s nothing short of a miracle that The Queen’s Gambit got greenlit. A 60s-set story about an orphan-come-chess champion, Anya Taylor-Joy was expectedly mesmerizing as protagonist Beth Harmon, as was the set design, costumes, and makeup. Though the way it managed to capture the tension and excitement of a chess match on-screen was perhaps the most captivating. The fact that the on-screen chess games were 100% accurate was just icing on the cake.

Most Immediately Exhausting Discourse: Wonder Woman 1984

When Warner Bros. made the surprise announcement that most of its 2020 (and some of its 2021) film slate would roll out exclusively on HBO Max, reactions were surprisingly divisive. Some once again had doubt cast on the future of movie theaters during an increasingly rampant pandemic, while others simply viewed it as the safest, and really only, way to be able to see this slate of films.

Combine this with the first film up for its streaming-only debut, Wonder Woman 1984. Maybe it was the fact that it had been nearly a year since the last superhero film, or its frequent over-the-top comic-book embellishment in a Superman circa-78 sheen, but it was clear that much of the criticism was unfairly tied into these films taking the blame for the unprecedented circumstances. Seriously, can’t fucking wait for The Snyder Cut discourse.

Best Catchphrase: ‘Happy Millionth Birthday, Dipshit,’ Palm Springs

Technically, this line was never actually spoken in Palm Springs, but this revisitation of the Groundhog Day concept set during a wedding in the desert mirrored a lot of collective sentiment about how the days in quarantine were becoming harder and harder to tell apart. Which made its sentimental narcissism all the more endearing.

Most Pyrrhic Stalemate: The Streaming Wars

So, it turns out, a bunch of networks and studios launching their own, independent streaming services might not have been the best idea. What was hyped as a sci-fi utopia as imagined by 90s kids everywhere, all content would be streaming, all the time. Every Disney movie would live on Disney+, every NBC sitcom would live on Peacock, and… some short things would live on Quibi, I guess. Except, that turned out to not really be the case. Some NBC sitcoms live on Peacock, while others are only found on HBO Max. Disney has most of its best-known content available, but with some notable exceptions (beyond Song of the South).

After some truly botched launch days, infuriatingly bad UIs, and questionable availability depending on which streaming device someone uses, (not to mention original content that was more miss than hit) the streaming wars weren’t quite the entertainment revolution it was initially presented as. Even with Quibi already shuttering just months after its launch, what remains is still an orgy of content spread across numerous streaming outlets that, when the costs are combined, pretty much equals that of an average cable bill. Fantastic.

Least-Comforting Rewatch: The Postman

Remember back in 1997, when Kevin Costner directed and starred in a post-apocalyptic epic about a drifter who ends up uniting the remaining camps of humanity, torn to shreds after an uprising in hate crimes that ultimately collapsed society, through simple correspondence? Remember how we laughed? Well, hindsight, as they say, is… (sorry).

Most Impressive Triumph: Mythic Quest: Quarantine

After a quiet debut on AppleTV+ in February, Mythic Quest ended its season proving it was one of the best, if little-watched, new sitcoms of the year. Though it was its ‘very special’ episode post-pandemic that single-handedly raised the bar for how brilliant a show produced entirely in quarantine with smartphones could really be. Beyond that, it managed to give nuanced portrayals of the chaos, anxiety, and desolation that people continue to endure in isolation, while still being one of the funniest moments all year.

Best Possible News on the Horizon: Atlanta Seasons 3 and 4

https://twitter.com/donaldglover/status/1324796791649435649

I mean…

MVP: Rhea Seehorn

The fact that Seehorn has been routinely denied an Emmy for her portrayal of Kim Wexler shouldn’t come as a surprise, as the awards body has made a habit of denying the Breaking Bad prequel’s secondary characters with the recognition they deserve. But, goddamnit, it does.

 

The post The Film and TV Moments That Defined 2020 appeared first on Glide Magazine.

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