"Trial of the Chicago 7" and Best Supporting Actor

by Nathaniel R

Abdul-Mateen, Shenkman, Rylance, Redmayne and Sharp in "Trial of the Chicago 7"

You've waited long enough. This is our latest ever take on the acting categories in 20 years of punditry. But you know, "2020". Consider it an all purpose hellscape excuse! Though Hollywood is still in disarray there will eventually be another Oscar ceremony. Nominations are still more than five months away (March 15th, 2021) so if this were any other year these prediction charts would essentially be the early August charts. Does that make sense? In other words, much about this Oscar season has yet to be revealed. 

But let's take a stab at Best Supporting Actor since we've just screened The Trial of the Chicago 7 which is basically the kind of movie that dreams of, no fantasizes lustfully, about filling in all five spots. The most Supporting Actor nominations to have arrived from a single film is three, which happened twice in Oscar history via The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather Part Two (1974). It will probably not happen again with Chicago 7, but it theoretically could given that it's ALL supporting actors all the time.  Let's rank them shall we, in terms of Oscar possibility...

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Brief Notes on Baby Driver and Spider-Man

by Nathaniel R

I'd be remiss if I didn't publicly thank Chris Feil for the extra work he did while I was away. Such a good hire. (Send him your love and follow him on Twitter!) Herewith 150 words each on two movies Chris already reviewed but I wanted to chime in briefly just cuz.

BABY DRIVER
As some of you know I just returned from the National Critics Institute. In one session we read a curated batch of stellar articles and we discussed in fine detail as a group what made them pop and resonate...

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Review: "Spider-Man: Homecoming"

by Chris Feil

It’s another go around the spider’s web again. With Spider-Man: Homecoming, the second reboot in under a decade, Peter Parker cashes in some MCU cache in attempt to regain audience enthusiasm after a string of disappointments. The good news is that director Jon Watts (Cop Car) and team have delivered a distinct revamp that may be far off from the cinematic heights of Sam Raimi’s first films, but is still one of the most entertaining. As we last saw him in Captain America: Civil War this is our youngest Spider-Man yet, and he may not be ready for his crime-fighting responsibilities yet.

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Yes No Maybe So? "Spider-Man: Homecoming"

By Nathaniel R

Spider-Man longs to be on top. But there are still more Batman movies.You might safely be asking 'why do we need a sixth Spider-Man movie in fifteen years?' The answer is of course 'We don't.' But an equally correct answer might be 'We don't... but Tom Holland! The correct comic pitch. Marvel Studios is finally involved... at least in some capacity. Etcetera'

If you answered the question the first way, chances are you're a "no" sight unseen. We would've been in that camp but for the fact that we kept campaigning for Tom Holland to get the part (his incredible work in The Impossible was enough) without actually believing that he would get the part. So now we must keep an open mind.

If you answered the hypothetical question the second way chances are you've probably already seen this new Spider-Man: Homecoming trailer. Either way we'll break it down together via our Yes No Maybe So survey...

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First Bite. Will "The Founder" Serve Tasty Drama?

As iconic logos go, it's impossible to beat those golden arches. Smart teaser work, then, to instantly brand your movie. On the other hand...

Does McDonalds really scream "Major Motion Picture" or will it have people thinking i saw a doc about that once. 

The presence of the newly dazzling Michael Keaton (quite a comeback these past two years!) should help win the film attention. Keaton is the businessman who wrestled away control of McDonalds in the 1950s and made it into an empire... but not without a lot of behind the scenes drama apparently. The supporting cast includes John Carrol Lynch and Nick Offerman as the actual McDonald brothers, and Laura Dern as Keaton's wife. Patrick Wilson and Linda Cardellini play another couple though we're not sure how they fit into the story. The film opens on August 5th from the Weinstein Co who keep claiming they're determined to make the summer work for Oscar launches (after having helped making the last quarter mandatory over the last 20+ years).

The screenplay is by Robert Seigel (who wrote The Wrestler and Big Fan). Director John Lee Hancock has directed one Best Picture nominee to date (The Blind Side) and one intended Oscar player that didn't get invited to the playground (Saving Mr Banks) but his best film remains The Rookie (2002) don't you think? Part of the one-two punch (with Far From Heaven -- odd bedfellows!) that should have been the great sticky comeback for Dennis Quaid a dozen plus years back. (We're distracted by comeback stories of late thanks to Kyle's Easter post.)

Do you have high hopes for The Founder, Oscar-related or otherwise?