I was surprised to see Anora and Mikey beat out The Substance and Demi Moore, both of which I thought were far more deserving.
I’m likely to ffwd through most of the show if/when I watch, save for Conan O’Brien’s appearance(s).
One of my friends said “Isn’t Demi losing to a 26 year old the plot of The Substance?”
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Oh, snap!
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IIRC it was the first time I had not watched any of the nominated pictures. I always watch, it’s tradition. It was all very pleasant, probably what we need in these troubled times. I agree about Adrien.
Indeed. I found more to like in it than you did. I thought it had some things to say about the role women are often forced into, and it has a big surreal ritual scene, which I’m always a sucker for (see: the original Wicker Man, Midsommar, Climax, etc) and I thought the acting of the two lead women was great.
It’s very much in the ‘horror adjacent’ category. It’s really all about the oppressive and unsettling atmosphere built up throughout the run time.
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Ding ding ding .
Plus Hollywood loves “strippers with a heart of gold” stories.
Just started watching Boiling Point on Kanopy, first episode was good, brought back some good memories 
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Watched it even though I haven’t seen any of the movies. Mostly watch for fashion and noteworthy political commentary (sadly….)
One of my top ten favorites!
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Tried watching the Oscar’s with dinner. Fast forwarded through the songs (bc I hate music hahahaha), then got bored pretty quickly with Conan’s intro. Eh.
However, our movie choice for the big screen after dinner did not disappoint 
.
The Damned is a moody ghost story set in an unforgiving winter in an Icelandic fishing village. My PIC adores movies set in cold climates (not a clue why), and I enjoyed it as well.
With Siobhan Finneran, who was the only actor I recognized.
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I forgot that we also watched the latest White Lotus, which is moving so slooooow we may give up on it. Be great if something actually happened next Sunday.
Plus the latest Yellowjackets, which also seems to have run its course 
Glad we’re saving all the Severance for a later binge 
Frances Ha (2012) - dir. Noah Baumbach
Frances, played by Greta Gerwig, is a 27 year old directionless dancer, living in NYC and barely getting by. Stalled in her career, her relationships, and life in general, she’s stuck in stasis as her best friend and roommate Sofie begins to move on.
The script is by Baumbach and Gerwig, who’d go on to marry, and collaborate several more times, including on the script for Barbie. It wears its influences (namely Annie Hall and the meandering, talky films of Jim Jarmusch) right front and center, from the very “New York”-ness of it to Gerwig’s hyper, stream of consciousness neurosis-laden delivery.
Like its influences, Frances Ha is less about plot than it is a character study, and one of a very specific type. That quirky, directionless at-a-crossroads young adult trying to transition into whatever ’grown up’ is going to look like for them. Usually, the subject of these sorts of films are male (see: endless 90’s and early 2000’s indie fare like Garden State), but Gerwig brings a charming obliviousness to Frances that we can see getting chipped away, which makes her resolution seem earned, rather than arbitrary.
A bit of low-key, low stakes amusement. Sometimes that’s what you need.
3.5/5 deeply awkward conversations that never fully get to the point
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That movie irritated the life out of me, in much the same way that Girls did.
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Yeah. It’s very much a “upper middle class deals with the firstest of first world problems”. And Girls, along with most of the “Mumblecore” movement and with roots covering, frankly, most of Woody Allen’s oeuvre and going all the way back to Fitzgerald, hell, going back to Jane Austen, the unhappiness of the ‘haves’ and their eventual gratitude that they’re not among the ‘have-nots’ has long been a popular subject, particularly for comedy. “There but for the grace of God, go I…”
I thinks things like this are broadly appealing for a couple of reasons. Those who are being poked fun at, it gives them an escape clause. “I know I’m fortunate. I’m very grateful. See? I can laugh at myself!” And those who WISH they had the problem of struggling to make it with their paid-for art school education, it says “See? Those rich people are just as miserable as you, and are too dumb to even know how good they’ve got it.”
Sometimes it works (Whit Stillman) and sometimes it just doesn’t (the fucking Duplass brothers, good lord). And I realize a lot of this is viewer - me! - specific. Gerwig and I share an alma mater, so I was extra suspicious of her at first. And then she made Barbie, and all is forgiven.
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We’re down to the final episodes of Atlanta, sadly. Think we might give Slow Horses another shot when we’re done.
Did you ever see The Last Winter?
I don’t believe I have. Thanks for putting it on my radar.
