Oscar Volley: Best Actor - locked and loaded?

Lynn Lee and Ben Miller discuss the Best Actor race.

Ralph Fiennes in CONCLAVE. Will it *finally* be his time?

LYNN: First, a double disclaimer: 1. I haven’t yet seen some of the likely Oscar contenders this year, including in this category.  2. I’m also generally pretty meh on this year’s contenders (and movies) as a whole, especially compared with last year’s embarrassment of riches.  This also extends to the best actor category, which was overflowing with worthy candidates last year, whereas this year I’m not sure I could even pick a top five I have strong feelings about, at least based on what I've seen so far.  

All that said, my one bright hope for this season is that Ralph Fiennes finally gets his Oscar...

Click to read more ...

"Conclave" and "A Complete Unknown" lead the AARP Nominations

by Cláudio Alves

What would Cardinal Lawrence's AARP ballot look like?

Though they're not especially insightful for punditry purposes, the AARP Movies for Grownups Awards have a special place in the season. If you've ever listened to the fabulous "This Had Oscar Buzz" podcast by Chris Feil and Joe Reid, you've undoubtedly heard of them and their distinctive tastes. Sometimes, the AARP Magazine offers choices that are good for a laugh. Still, there's obvious value in celebrating so-called movies for grownups within an industry that so often seems obsessed with youth – both as product and consumer. This year, Conclave and A Complete Unknown lead the nominations, with five a piece, closely followed by Gladiator II and September 5, with four, and Emilia Pérez with three. Come read their full lineup and some added commentary, after the jump…

Click to read more ...

An Early Look at the Best Actor Oscar Race

by Eric Blume

A COMPLETE UNKNOWN remains unseen, but Chalamet is already a major Best Actor contender.

I recently posted about the Best Director Oscar race, and how the same five men seem to be on almost every prognosticator list in town.

A similar thing seems to be happening in the Best Actor Oscar race as well.  Almost anywhere you go, these five names seem to fill everyone's list...

Click to read more ...

TIFF: Ralph Fiennes carries the engaging and tense "Conclave

by Matt St Clair

Ralph Fiennes in "Conclave" © Focus Features

After taking audiences through the treacherous WWI battlefields in the Oscar-winning epic All Quiet on the Western Front, director Edward Berger crafts a different exercise in tension in the form of a Pope election with Conclave, a high-stakes thriller based on the 2016 novel by Robert Harris that is full of high-stakes political intrigue and stellar performances...

Click to read more ...

Review: "The Menu"

Dining with Chef Slowick (Ralph Fiennes) is a dangerous experience in "The Menu."By Christopher James

The subgenre of class warfare comedy is alive and well in 2022. Most recently, movies like Bodies Bodies Bodies and Triangle of Sadness have smeared the 1% with blood and excrement, respectively. Director Mark Mylod (of Succession fame), opts for the former with his all-star comic thriller, The Menu. The film effectively entertains, even if it doesn’t ultimately add much to the conversation.

We meet Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) and Tyler (Nicholas Hoult) at a dock about to be picked up for an elite dining experience. Right from the beginning, we see a disconnect between the two, as if they were newly dating. Tyler is beyond excited for the dining experience, documenting every moment. On the flip side, Margot couldn’t care less. Tyler and Margot travel alongside nine other illustrious guests to an island restaurant run by celebrity Chef Slowick (Ralph Fiennes)...

Click to read more ...