2022/2023 Festivals/Awards Thread

[transformers2]

The Fabelmans is the 1st confirmed title for AFI Fest. It's set to be the closing night film and this will be the US premiere.

[Buscemi2]

The Son seems to be a bit polarizing right now. It got a ten minute standing ovation at Venice but reviews are mixed to lightly positive. Could be more of an audience movie than a critics movie.

[transformers2]

Blonde reactions have been unsurprisingly polarizing, although the praise for Ana de Armas' performance and the cinematography has been pretty much universal.

Toronto starts tonight as well, so we'll get an idea of if/how The Swimmers and The Inspection will factor into the awards race 6-8 hours from now.

[Buscemi2]

The Hollywood Reporter compared Blonde to a snuff film. But they seem to be a bit more of an old boys' club there.

Metacritic is currently a 65, which is the average for Andrew Dominik. None of his narrative films have ever hit 70 but all have green scores.

[numbersix]

Aren't all of Dominik's films met with a bit of resistance? I remember some people hating Killing Them Softly. In fact I got into an argument with a woman after seeing it as she felt it was unfair to Obama, while I saw it as an accurate depiction of the decline of the US

[Buscemi2]

His Nick Cave documentaries had a very solid reception, achieving a 92 (One More Time with Feeling) and an 81 (This Much I Know to Be True) on Metacritic, respectively. But I do remember The Assassination of Jesse James not having universal praise when it first came out, not achieving its following until later on.

[transformers2]

Aren't all of Dominik's films met with a bit of resistance? I remember some people hating Killing Them Softly. In fact I got into an argument with a woman after seeing it as she felt it was unfair to Obama, while I saw it as an accurate depiction of the decline of the US

For sure. Assassination of Jesse James was a little bit less divisive than the rest, but his work tends to generate passionate, extreme reactions.

I'm actually planning on revisiting Killing Them Softly soon because I want to see if the reason I hated it so much was due to not understanding the metaphors at age 20

[JohnErle]

The Vancouver International Film Festival is pretty irrelevant when trying to predict which movies are likely to pick up year-end awards, but it's kind of a big deal to us locals. The program was announced yesterday and so far Broker, Huesera, and Smoking Causes Coughing are the ones that caught my eye. This will probably be my last VIFF ever since I'll likely be moving cross country soon, so if there's any must-see flicks you'd recommend, let me know.

https://viff.org/festival/films/

[Buscemi2]

I'd check out Decision to Leave, EO, The Whale, Alcarras, Holy Spider, and Good Night Oppy. Meanwhile, I'm sure Tran would pick everything.

Are you moving to Montreal or New Scotland, John?

[transformers2]

Six can provide the best insight since he's seen at least a handful of those titles already, but based on the festival buzz from Cannes through Venice, Banshees of Insherin, Close, Aftersun, Triangle of Sadness, Women Talking, Decision to Leave and Holy Spider are all worth considering

[numbersix]

Triangle of Sadness is excellent, as is Decision to Leave. That said, aren't they both due to hit the public next month? If so might not be worth it. Banshees and The Son will be awards contenders next year.

I've seen EO and it's a frustrating watch. Close is very simple and powerful. Holy Spider is bitter but compelling. I've also seen Utama (slow, but nice).

Hueresa is meant to be great. As is Aftersun. Nanny is on my must-see list, and Retrograde looks intense (though may hit TV in the next year). Sick of Myself looks good, and Something in the Dirt (if you like the low-budget work of Moorhead and Benson)

[JohnErle]

Yeah, normally I skip the high-profile films like Decision To Leave or The Whale and focus on the hidden genre gems that might be impossible to see outside of the festival, but if I end up back in New Brunswick in a few months, anything less mainstream than a Marvel movie will be hard to find in theatres, so I might mix up my strategy this year.

I didn't notice Moorhead and Benson were behind Something In The Dirt, so that's the kind of insight I hope for from you guys. I just saw that blurb about trying to document supernatural events, rolled my eyes because it's been done a thousand times before, then moved on to the next film. I loved The Endless, so hopefully this will offer a fresher take on a tired and tiresome premise than Nope.

I'll look more into the rest you guys highlighted, but I'm pretty sure Triangle Of Sadness just ain't my jam.

EDIT: I just watched the trailer for Triangle Of Sadness, and it looks better than I expected, but it also seems like the Mr. Creosote sketch from The Meaning Of Life mashed up with The Lord Of The Flies.

[transformers2]

Venice Winners:
Golden Lion: All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (USA)
Silver Lion: Saint Omer (France)
Special Jury Prize: No Bears (Iran)
Best Director: Luca Guadagnino, Bones & All
Beat Actor: Colin Farrell, The Banshees of Insherin
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett, Tar
Best Screenplay: Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Insherin
Best Young Actor or Actress: Taylor Russell, Bones & All

[Buscemi2]

Has the Golden Lion ever gone to a documentary?

As for Triangle of Sadness, the trailer makes me think way too much of New Order, another Neon title about social class. Of course, I'm sure Triangle of Sadness actually has a story beyond "rich people have feelings too" and "angry people kill at random".

[numbersix]

Wow, that is a surprise. Nan Goldin is hugely loved as an artist, but wasn't expecting this doc to resonate so much. Or perhaps the other films weren't that good?

Also, Boosch, Triangle is nothing like New Order. It's more like The Square meets Robinson Crusoe.