Nathaniel's Ballot - Best Actress and Best Actor

by Nathaniel R

Natalie Portman in "May December" © Netflix

Time is up. Argh! We previously talked supporting actors, supporting actresses, and limited roles. Herewith the MOVIE STAR categories in the Film Bitch Awards. We saw surprisingly eye to eye with Oscar voters this year on the men if not quite the women. The 24 actors in this post are not, of course, the only praise-worthy performances this year. People will be angry that two of the actual Oscar nominees don't make my top dozen but I have to answer to my own opinion, else why have personal awards? What follows is a list of twelve performances each for Best Actress and Best Actor that resonated most with yours truly. Though, as per usual, Best Actress was far more competitive and five plus strong female performances were left on the cutting room floor.

After the jump the semi-finalists, finalists, and nominees in both categories...

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Split Decision: "Past Lives"

No two people feel 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 Mark Brinkerhoff and Lynn Lee on Past Lives...

MARK: Past Lives, fresh off its big wins at the Independent Spirit Awards, is, I think it’s safe to say, the indie darling of this Oscar season. American Fiction aside, no 2023 indie film seems to endure with as much feeling in cinephile's imagination than Past Lives, more than a year after its premiere at Sundance. But maybe I’m projecting here, because I love, LOVE, love! Past Lives, the beautiful, heartfelt film debut of real-deal filmmaker Celine Song. What say you?

LYNN: Past Lives is absolutely this year’s indie movie that could – the one that premiered with relatively little fanfare at Sundance only to build a tidal wave of support over the course of 2023. Not just support: love like yours, and not just love from critics, but from regular moviegoers. I can’t tell you how many friends or even casual acquaintances have told me, unprompted, that Past Lives was the best film they’ve seen in a long time...

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Barbenheimmer and "Killers of the Flower Moon" are all over the BAFTA longlists

by Cláudio Alves

Even at the BAFTAs, these three are inescapable.

Since its 2020 overhaul, the British Academy has been changing its rules, aiming for more diversity within its ballot. So far, the effort's been relatively successful, though last year's choices were too Oscar-y for some people's tastes. I tend to prefer when BAFTA maintains a certain idiosyncratic identity, honoring less-seen national gems along the way. Judging by the just-released longlists, it seems we're heading down a similar path to last season's, with three Oscar frontrunners scoring in fifteen categories. That doesn't mean the Brits have lost their uniqueness. Look at the love for All of Us Strangers, including listings for all its principal cast…

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Oscar Volley - Best Actor

For today's Oscar volley, Lynn Lee and Glenn Dunks discuss the Best Actor race.

LYNN: Glenn, it’s been a while since I’ve felt this strongly about the Best Actor race, so I’ll just lay my cards on the table: I really, really want both Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers) and Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction) to be nominated, would love Andrew Scott (All of Us Strangers) to join them --though I think he’s a long shot-- and really DON’T want Leonardo DiCaprio to get in for Killers of the Flower Moon.

It’s extra personal for me because I saw American Fiction, All of Us Strangers, and The Holdovers back to back at the Middleburg Film Festival earlier this year and loved all of them. More to the point, while all three films have their flaws, each one worked like gangbusters largely because of the fantastic acting --especially the outstanding male lead performance...

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The 2023 Gold Digger Mid-Year Awards: "Past Lives" and "Asteroid City" Win Big!

by Cláudio Alves

Earlier this month, I shared the Gold Digger Mid-Year Awards nominations, and now it's time to talk winners. First, one should mention that the group, organized by Patrick Gratton, comprises over forty people, spanning from cinephiles to critics and historians, including some members of Team Experience. Second, between nods and victories, the voting process took around a month, with hundreds of films mentioned and much love for cinema. Now, the final results are in, with Celine Song's Past Lives confirming itself as the season's grand winner – the film is currently available on VOD for those interested in experiencing its bittersweet resolutions. 

Though they didn't take the top prize, Asteroid City and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse were also big champions in the final ballot...

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