Split Decision: “American Fiction”

No two people feels the exact same way about any film. Thus, Team Experience is pairing up to debate the merits of this year’s Oscar movies. Here’s Lynn Lee and Cláudio Alves on American Fiction...

LYNN LEE: Hi Cláudio - looking forward to a friendly fisticuffs (is there such a thing? at TFE, yes!) on American Fiction, one of my favorite movies of 2023. 

I have to admit I'm a little self-conscious about ranking it so high in a year filled with noteworthy films.  It wasn't a cultural behemoth à la Barbenheimer.  It's not the work of a known auteur or a rising one; it doesn't have the weird-cool vibe of a Poor Things or the wistful-cool cachet of a Past Lives.  Visually, it's not particularly interesting.  Thematically, it follows in the footsteps of other, similarly themed movies about Black artists confronting racial pigeonholing and stereotypes - from The 40-Year-Old Version to Bamboozled all the way back to Hollywood Shuffle - but made significantly more palatable (I won't say diluted) for mainstream audiences...

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Oscar Volley - Adapted Screenplay

For today's Oscar Volley, Lynn and Elisa discuss the Oscar race for Adapted Screenplay.

LYNN LEE: Let’s start with the elephant giant doll not in the room: Barbie is out!  Assuming, that is, the Academy agrees it’s properly competing for Original rather than Adapted Screenplay.  Personally, I think Barbie does belong in Original even if it is technically based on an existing “property.”  And whatever the calculus behind the decision to compete in that category, I’m not convinced it has an easier path to victory than if it had opted for Adapted.  Be that as it may, its absence means that in stark contrast to last year, this year’s Adapted Screenplay slate may be composed entirely of adaptations of books, glorious books!

But which ones?  Oppenheimer and Killers of the Flower Moon are the two obvious frontrunners, and I’m bullish on American Fiction getting a nod based on how enthusiastically it’s been received by early audiences.  Poor Things is probably also in, even if the film proves too outré for the more conservative segment of the Academy. The last slot is hard to predict, but it’s still most likely to be something derived from a book – whether it’s The Zone of Interest, All of Us Strangers, or Priscilla. (Though I feel like Priscilla has faded from the conversation.)  Or The Color Purple, which is adapted from the musical but still derived from the Alice Walker novel...

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Remember when we loved Taika Waititi?

by Cláudio Alves

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Once upon a time, the prospect of a new Taika Waititi movie was cause for celebration, with excitement erupting across cinephiles everywhere. Now, however, when his oft-delayed Next Goal Wins finally makes it to theaters, the occasion is met with general disinterest. Sure, some critics have praised the thing, but the excitement doesn't seem there. Not even the inspirational true story or the return of Michael Fassbender to big studio fare is enough to provoke more than a shrug. As far as awards go, Oscar hopes are nowhere to be found unless the season suffers some severe transformations. 

When did the consensus about the Kiwi director curdle into indifference on the verge of dislike? Well…

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The Beauty of Sarah Polley's Oscar Speech

by Juan Carlos Ojano

Women Talking has had a pretty rocky road to the Oscars. From being anointed as one of the early frontrunners to possibly win Best Picture to barely squeaking into the actual nominations - only getting nods for Picture and Adapted Screenplay, the film struggled to find footing during the awards race as more vocal support went towards other films. Believe me, as someone who loves the film dearly, it was hard to watch this film be up in the air for majority of the season.

Coming into the Oscar night, its only real shot at winning was for Adapted Screenplay as Everything Everywhere All at Once's victory lap at Picture seemed secure. The only problem was Adapted Screenplay also contained what was arguably the Best Picture runner-up: All Quiet on the Western Front...

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Oscar Volley: Adapted Screenplay... weak list or weak field?

The team is pairing off to discuss each Oscar race. Here's Eurocheese and Eric Blume...

ERIC:   Euro, I'm so happy to be discussing the nominees for Best Adapted Screenplay with you.  Personally, I feel like it's one of our weakest years in this category.  Before we get into each nominee and the race, do you have any candidates you personally loved that didn't make the slate?

EUROCHEESE:  It is strange how all the top contenders, and frankly most of the great films of the year, were original storylines. Even Glass Onion, sneaks into this category thanks to its lead detective but it's really an Original Screenplay...

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