Podcast: Sorry to Bother You about Oscar's fifth spots!

Nathaniel R and Murtada Elfadl and Nick Davis talk Oscar races

Hello! No new movies to review but plenty to talk about.

Index (56 minutes)
00:01 Glenn, Regina, Olivia, and Patty saved the Globes
05:16 What we've been watching lately: Boots Riley's Sorry to Bother, plus Support the Girls, Minding the Gap, Eighth Grade and A Star is Born (again).
18:00 Supporting Actress / Actor: Foy or Robbie, and King? Sam, Sam, or Timothée?
29:22 Actor & Actress: Hawke or Washington? Blunt, Aparacio, or Kidman?
35:45 Screenplay confusions / Score weirdness
42:30 Foreign Film: Never Look Away or Burning?
45:50 Nick is thumbs down At Eternity's Gate
47:20 Director / Picture and Pawel Pawlikowski and Spike Lee
55:00 Wrap-up

Further Reading / References
• Oscar Charts
• Golden Globe Speeches
• KCRW's "The Business" interview with Spike Lee
• Nathaniel's Ben Foster interview

You can listen to the podcast here at the bottom of the post or download from iTunes. Continue the conversations in the comments, won't you? 

Sorry to Bother You about Oscar's fifth spots

Review: Mary Queen of Scots

by Murtada Elfadl

The story is familiar. We’ve seen it many times on both film and TV. The queens are familiar. We’ve seen them being embodied by many actresses we love and admire. Now it’s time for Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie to play Mary and Elizabeth I in Mary, Queen of Scots. Familiarity can breed contempt. We’ve seen this before so why do we need another version? But familiarity can also help us absorb a story when we know the beats of its narrative. We can take in the performances, the costumes, the setting and not worry about following the plot. Director Josie Rourke and screenwriter Beau Willimon understand that they need to freshen up the material, give it a new spin. And so they try.

Their story concentrates squarely on Mary and starts with her return to Scotland from exile in France, threatening Elizabeth’s reign because of her strong claim to the crown with Elizabeth being unwed and childless...

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Robbie To Ruin

by Jason Adams

Correct me if I'm wrong (I'm not as great as our host Nathaniel at keeping up with every single festival) but with a little digging it doesn't look like Mary, Queen of Scots is premiering at any of the Fall festivals? Perhaps that is why I've seen some people side-eying its awards chances lately? Personally I'm always down for dramatic wig acting, and with Saoirse & Margot under them wigs I'm hooked already (and that before you even get to James McArdle's Beard).

Margot is why we're here today though - she's just signed up for a new role and it's one that's got my interest right out of the gate. She is going to star opposite my beloved Matthias Schoenaerts in Ruin, the new film from Snowtown and Macbeth (and yes okay Assassin's Creed) director Justin Kurtzel. It's a World War II thriller - it actually sounds kind of similar to Paul Verhoeven's Black Book, which starred Carice Van Houten (sidenote: a happy birthday to the great Carice today!) and, hey look at that...

... Matthias Schoenaerts in a small role. First place I remember seeing him actually! Anyway Ruin is about a Holocaust survivor (Robbie) who teams up with a former SS officer (Schoenaerts) to hunt down the members of his former death squad. Tonally that could go... an awful lot of directions, so we'll have to wait and see how Kurtzel & Co take it. While we're waiting why don't we all head over to MNPP where I just posted a bunch of Matthias pictures inspired by this news? It'll help pass the time.

353 Days Until "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood"

Behold. It's the first image of Margot Robbie as Sharon Tate in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The film is still a year off, as it won't hit theaters until July 26th, 2019. The release date was originally August 9th, a tasteless choice as that will be the 50th anniversary of Sharon Tate's grisly murder at the hands of Charles Manson's followers. Tate was famously married to Roman Polanski and 8 months pregnant at the time (Tess, an Oscared hit in 1980, was dedicated to Tate, who had hoped Polanski would adapt it to screen). No signs of pregnancy in this photo so perhaps the film will not go there directly (we hope not).

The lead characters are a fictional actor (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stunt double (Brad Pitt)...

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YNMS: Mary Queen of Scots

by Chris Feil

As promised yesterday, the Mary Queen of Scots trailer has arrived. Think of it like the less demented and much more traditional flip side of an actressy coin to the antics of that trailer for The Favourite. Becauseonce again we've got some heavily costumed fireworks on our hands.

And what take does this version of the oft rehashed history have to offer? The film jumps off from the amicable relationship between Queen Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots, played respectively by last year's Best Actress nominees Margot Robbie and Saoirse Ronan. Then begins a rivalry for the throne, but this film plays handily with the underpinnings of affection both women have for one another and the men underneath their power forcing their hands. As your middle school history books will tell you, it doesn't end well for all parties.

This is one of our more anticipated Oscar players of the season, so all eyes are on what Ronan and Robbie have in store as their awards stars continue to go upward. But will the movie have the goods? Take a look at the new trailer and we'll break down the Yes No Maybe So...

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