Mikey Madison is not a known lead.
Its a very odd mix of genres.
I think its a very strong film.
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It is very different to sayTangerineandStarlet, which is probably my favorite of his.
Its an odd one, but I mean that in a good way.
I think it does fit in the awards conversation, but is it director?
‘Anora‘Neon
PETE HAMMOND:I think Neon has experience with this kind of film.
You mentionedParasiteand that and others will, I think, make it acceptable.
I noticed how it played in Telluride.
I mean every other word coming out of Mikeys mouth is fk.
He said, No, I think in one of my other movies I mightve beaten it.
I think it could be a SAG ensemble.
I laughed through the whole thing, I thought it was a lot of fun.
I do think its Sean Bakers best film, quite frankly.
The Apprentice
Synopsis:In the 1970s, Donald Trump seeks independence from his fathers influence.
So, there was a big want-to-see for me when it premiered in Cannes.
I thought Sebastian Stan was really terrific in a role that could have gone sideways.
And then Trump hands him an invoice for that.
I thought that showed Trump perfectly here.
But this is not an anti-Trump movie necessarily, its a try-to-understand-this-guy movie.
I think if Trumps base saw this movie, theyd say, Yeah, this is great.
What that says about the base though is entirely something else.
Whether this has any Oscar possibilities is to be continued.
We may be done with Trump by the timethatelection rolls around.
But I wanted to see the Roy Cohn story, so I was enjoying it from a different angle.
What did happen to Roy Cohn and why did he fall apart?
Why was he begging for scraps from Donald Trumps table?
I think of the two performances, Jeremy Strongs was the more compelling.
And of course, the documentary calledWheres My Roy Cohn?detailed it.
Youre right, his is a really interesting story in and of itself.
He was accepted in New York Society circles, Barbara Walters was his best friend.
He had a certain charm beyond the horrible stuff he did with the McCarthy hearings and all of that.
But thats not this movie.
And its also a reminder of the fact that Trumpdidtake a leap with those early hotels.
HAMMOND:But its interesting through the eyes of Ali Abbasi.
This is not an American film.
They were so nervous about letting anybody know, because it was, whats MAGA going to do?
They might not even care about the liposuction.
Trump would though for sure.
WISE:What will Roger Stone think?
Hes a kind of a pool boy in the movie, right?
HAMMOND:Roger Stone.
All those people, theyre the really dangerous ones.
The people around him, the Kash Patels, the Stephen Millers, the Roger Stones.
And so what they did is they just edited the hell out of it to make sense of it.
But then they created him, just as Roy Cohn did.
I think if you make it past that, youve made a commitment.
Is it worth it?
Yeah, I think she holds it upjust.
I had misgivings about it, certainly.
I didnt really think it worked.
I didnt really buy the idea that such a strong successful woman would crumble in front of the intern…
I just thought, well, who is he?
he says things like, Well, thats all part of the fun, isnt it?
I found I was always being bounced out by the lack of rules.
But then again, I was swept back into it by her.
As a thought exercise, its interesting, but as a film, its very, very unsatisfying.
But I do think Nicole Kidman was great.
HAMMOND:Another thing that was in Venice wasDisclaimer, Alfonso Cuarons television series for Apple TV+.
You see Antonio Banderas inBabygirlas her happy husband, and it looks like everythings great.
In fact, I kept thinking, why did he take this role?
Hes just this clueless guy in it.
I understood that character: somebody whos in total charge at work, tempted by this intern.
Its suddenlyLast Tango in Parismeets912 Weeksand I didnt see that coming with him.
I think that character might have been a little bit contrived.
Also, likeLast Tango, its mostly dressed.
I thought this was going to be this flaming-naked-bodies-on-the-screen kind of movie, from what Id heard.
I didnt think it was that at all.
It was a power trip.
He says to her very early on in the movie, You want to be told what to do.
And she succumbs to that.
It is about power and relationships and its intriguingly directed by a woman.
I did actually enjoy spending time with the characters.
And I think a lot of people when they see it will be surprised at how commercial it is.
Its actually very performance-driven.
Adrien Brodyis it too early to say this is his best so far?
I think its one of his best performances.
HAMMOND:I saw it in Toronto and all these raves were coming out of the Venice Film Festival.
At Toronto, they had a special press screening early on.
I get there and theres a line around the block.
I was riveted by the film.
3 and a half hours, thats a lot.
The first half was better for me than the second half.
And I would agree the performances are outstanding.
The Venice reviews helped I think, and set that movie up well.
I do think it has a shot at Best Picture.
Well have to see.
Conclave
Synopsis:Cardinal Lawrence must oversee the selection of a new pope.
Youre on the edge of your seat watching it, with an outstanding cast.
This movie is a really thoughtful one and it also has great twists and turns and great crafts.
Thats why I think its going to appeal across the board to the Academy voters.
I think hes such an intensely detailed director.
I visited the set and saw that first-hand.
Theres nothing French about this movie, but it is the French International entry.
You will be blown away.
When I saw this movie, I came out of it and thought, Wow, shes amazing.
Ive got to find out who played the guy in the beginning of it too.
I was blown away when I found out that the same actress played him.
All of the performances are great by these women.
Thats why they shared the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress.
All four of them are great.
WISE:I was also just completely blown away by it.
Its surprising on every level.
How do you rehearse something like that?
I think the lead actress, Gascon, is going to be the MVP of the season.
I think shell be very much in demand everywhere.
HAMMOND:They might also have preconceptions about Selena Gomez.
She is so popular now withOnly Murders in the Building, and in her music career.
WISE:I think Audiard is reaching that point where he could easily pop into the Director category.
The Academy has become much more international in its membership now, and so more willing to do this.
France has not had a winner sinceIndochine, I think, 30 years ago or so.
And they havent had a nominee since around 2018.
Theyve been on a cold streak when it comes to Oscars.
I think the movie itself is not going to be to every taste here.
And they say she actually did study for seven months.
She actually told me that at Telluride too.
Theres a whole technical thing where her voice is blended in, and thats why its so effective.
But if you look at the end credits, every single song says, performed by Maria Callas.
Im not an opera fan at all, but that was a great play.
And I thought for that performance, I really recommend it.
If you want to see why Angelina Jolie is a great actress, this is a movie to see.
But I think its actually the best.
He started withJackieand thenSpencer, and I think this one actually has the best idea and the strongest execution.
And, as Pete says, its the best performance.
Whereas I like the more abstract nature of this one.
Im in agreement with Pete on this one: Its Angelinas film.
Callas is a much more complex character than the previous two.
Shes very, very good in it.
Queer
Synopsis:Outcast expat American Bill Lee recounts his life in Mexico City.
He pursues a young man named Allerton, a US Navy serviceman recently discharged from Jacksonville, Florida.
I visited Burroughs at his home in Kansas about 30 years ago for an interview.
Ive read a lot of Burroughs and seen the adaptations.
Its Burroughs most accessible book.
I thought it was one of the best Burroughs adaptations.
HAMMOND:This film wasnt what I expected.
But it wasnt anything that I expected it to be.
Its an exceptional showcase for Daniel Craigs talents, which he doesnt usually get credit for.
They should watch him in some of his earlier stuff.
Hes a great actor, and this gave him the chance to show that.
So I went with the character, if not the story.
I think its a very hard sell.
He did an English language short a couple of years ago, but this is the first big feature.
And I think you could just drop Spanish actresses into this and it would be the same movie.
I thought Ingmar Bergman even had a problem with that at times.
I dont know, theres often something missing.
But in this case, I thought it was pure Almodovar and just great.
I think its one of his best movies.
Thanks also to Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton proving theres no better male director of female actors out there.
Both Swinton and Moore are terrific in this film and its an interesting subject too.
She wants her friend to help her die.
Shes ready to go.
Across the board, I thought it was terrific.
WISE:I feel like people want Almodovar to stay who he is and what he is.
So, Im mixed on this, in terms of, why not make it with some Spanish actors?
But these actresses are amazing, both of them.
He has an easy ride to an Oscar.
Its his time, and so there may be a drive to take it to Best Picture.
But as Pete says it, people underestimate him, as they dont understand what a cineaste Almodovar is.
Hes done the work, he studied these films.
He isnt compared to George Cukor by accident.
Hes a very widely read and very intelligent director.
Ingmar Bergman had a Best Picture nomination eventually forCries and Whispers, but Almodovars never had one.
WISE:Maybe he will now.
We tried to copy the zoo format.
We actually did have a show calledZoo, I think.
I like the madness of it all.
And then, of course, everyone looks back and they can see exactly what it is.
The person introducing it said, Live from Telluride!
And so there was such a want-to-see and I thought it played great.
And all of it is true, but its condensed.
But I thought that was brilliant the way they worked it in.
I also think this is another case of a great ensemble cast, perfectly cast.
Willem Dafoe as Dave Tebet was perfect.
I was an NBC page once, and Finn Wolfhard as the page was perfect.
I will not wear a blue jacket to this day because of that job.
But nevertheless, I saw what Wolfhard did and got a kick out of it.
The costume design was authentic.
Comedy is really an endangered species when it comes to the Academy.
If they have a chance not to vote for a comedy, they generally do.
It wasnt in the main Competition at Venice.
It wasnt even in Horizons, which is a sidebar, it was in Horizons Extra.
So, I thought, what is this movie?
I noticed Paramount had this movie, and, shocker, they were trying to sell this moviedouble shocker.
Why would you want to sell that?
This movie is riveting.
Youre on the edge of your seat.
It reminded me ofUnited 93, Paul Greengrasss film, in that its almost like a docudrama.
Its got great acting with Peter Sarsgaard and John Magaro, whos great.
Its a great ensemble, and its a movie that sneaks up on you.
I dont think Venice quite knew what they had.
And so I think this is the surprise.
This is the one to look for this Oscar season.
It really could go all the way.
