Movie/TV Reviews

Susan Granger’s review of “Cocaine Bear” (Universal Pictures)

 

According to the news in 1985, 40 pounds of cocaine was dropped from a bungled aerial drug run into the Chattahoochee National Forest in Georgia in September; the 175-pound black bear that ate much of it was found dead in December.

While the action-comedy caper “Cocaine Bear” is loosely based on that story, screenwriter Jimmy Warden depicts a much different situation – following a giant, cocked-up, apex predator on a rampage through the woods, hunting for as much blow as possible.

It opens with a drug smuggler (Matthew Rhys) tossing the cocaine out of a plane, only to plunge to his death because of an unopened parachute.

The first packet is found by two naïve 12 year-olds – Dee Dee (Brooklynn Prince) and Henry (Christian Convey) – who dare each other to try it, much to the chagrin of Dee Dee’s divorced mother (Keri  Russell).

After that, various packets are found by vacationing hikers, delinquent teenagers, forest ranger (Margo Martindale), PETA inspector/biologist (Jesse Tyler Ferguson), EMTs (Scott Seiss, Kahyun Kim), and drug dealers – with the voracious bear in crazed pursuit.

Meanwhile, local law officers (Isiah Whitlock Jr, Ayoola Smart) connect the drop to a broader drug operation run by a notorious kingpin (Ray Liotta), who dispatches his son (Alden Ehrenreich) and cohort (O’Shea Jackson Jr) to retrieve the white powder.

Director Elizabeth Banks (“Pitch Perfect 2,” “Charlie’s Angels”) confessed that she deliberately made the film more muscular and masculine in an attempt to combat the mythology about what kinds of movies women are interested in making, telling Variety: “I love gore. The gore is part of the fun of the ride.”

Allan Henry, a motion-capture/stunt performer, worked with the actors on the set, while the formidable CGI ‘bear’ was created by Peter Jackson’s Weta FX in New Zealand. And if you’re intrigued “Blow, The True Story of Cocaine, a Bear and a Crooked Kentucky Cop” is streaming on YouTube.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Cocaine Bear” is a silly, contrived 5, streaming on Prime Video and Apple TV+.

Susan Granger’s review of “The Old Way” (Saban Films/Lionsgate)

 

Until recently, Nicolas Cage had never made a Western. Now he’s made two. “Butcher’s Crossing” – about an frontiersman searching for a hidden valley of buffalo he can slaughter – was the first, now there’s “The Old Way.”

Set in the Montana territory in the late 1870s, Cage plays coldly reformed gunslinger Colton Briggs who left his outlaw days far behind him when he married Ruth (Kerry Knuppe) and sired a daughter, Brooke (Ryan Kiera Armstrong). Living on a nearby farm, Briggs is the respectable proprietor of a small frontier town’s general store.

One day – after Colton walked 12-year-old Brooke to school – hapless Ruth finds herself surrounded by four menacing men, led by escaped convict James McCallister (Noah Le Gros). I’s no accident that they arrived there since James saw Colton kill his father 20 years ago when he was just a lad. (That incident is shown in the prologue.)

Now, by murdering Ruth – James is out for revenge. Later, when Colton and Brooke arrive home and see the carnage, the emotionless chase is on.

While pursuing James, who’s heading toward Santa Rosa in southern Colorado, Colton teaches emotionally-withdrawn Brooke how to survive by protecting herself and shooting a gun. Soon they’re joined by a local marshal (Nick Searcy) and his deputies who are also after James McAllister.

All-too-reminiscent of “Unforgiven” and “True Grit,” there’s little originality in Carl W. Lucas’s contrived, utterly predictable screenplay, blandly directed by Brett Donowho (“Acts of Violence”).

What adds a frisson of interest, however, is that the armorer for this Western was Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who was accused by the assistant director and Cage of conducting ‘unsafe firearms activities’ on the set. She was subsequently involved and is under investigation for the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins after an accidental firearms discharge on the set of Alec Baldwin’s film “Rust.”

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Old Way” is a dismal 4, streaming on Amazon Prime.

Susan Granger’s review of “The Ark” (SyFy)

 

With the enduring success of Gene Roddenberry’s “Star Trek” and its various spin-offs, it’s been established that spaceship adventures attract an audience – initially, at least. Whether or not viewers will stay with Dean Devlin’s “The Ark” for the long-haul is another matter indeed.

Best known for “Independence Day,” Devlin and Jonathan Glassner (“Stargate SG-I”) introduce their new 12-episode series with a catastrophe. Set in a future century when Earth has become uninhabitable, the show opens on Ark One, a spacecraft sent on a mission to colonize a planet that is capable of supporting human life.

Lt. Sharon Garnet (Christie Burke) is abruptly jolted out of cryogenic-sleep by some sort of crash that kills off all the senior officers/mentors…i.e.: “Everyone who was qualified is dead.”

Assuming leadership after this disaster, levelheaded Garnet, whom we soon discover is a clone, and two other junior officers – ambitious Lt. Spencer Lane (Reece Ritchie) and cocky Lt. James Brice (Richard Fleeshman) – are left in charge of the 150 specially-selected scientists, military personnel and civilians.

Since they’re at least a year from their destination, food, water and oxygen supplies are extremely limited. Fortunately, dorky agricultural enthusiast Angus (Ryan Adams) stashed a crate of super-rich soil on-board so he sets about growing nutritional crops, utilizing manure. And Garnet quickly realizes that nerdy 19 year-old Alicia (Stacey Read), who chatters constantly, has a genius-level intellect.

Plus there’s over-worked, exhausted doctor Kabir (Shalini Peiris), the highly principled head of security Felix (Pavle Jerinic), Serbian engineer Eva (Tiana Upcheva), and ‘influencer’-turned-mental-health consultant Cat (Christina Wolfe).  So far – they’re superficial caricatures, not believable characters.

Then there’s the discovery that billionaire William Trust (Paul Leonard Murray), who designed and built the Ark program, is still in cryogenic-sleep with his wife Helena (Mercedes De La Cruz) in a secret compartment. Everyone obviously wants to survive but, philosophically, they all have different ideas about how to accomplish that.

Filmed on-the-cheap just outside Belgrade, Serbia, the casting is obviously international. Production designer Randal Groves combines practical feasibility with the laws of physics, including the utilization of deployable, metallic solar sails that unfold from the hull like golden-hued origami.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Ark” is a cheesy 5, streaming on SyFy on Wednesday and Peacock a day later.

 

 

Susan Granger’s review of “Chicago Fire” (NBC/Peacock)

 

If you’re searching for a series to stream, let me recommend NBC’s “Chicago Fire,” which has been on TV since 2012. Superbly written with an obvious emphasis on female empowerment, this procedural drama follows the personal and professional lives of various firefighters, paramedics and rescue personnel at the fictional Firehouse 51 in Chicago, Illinois.

They’re led by stoic Battalion Chief Wallace Boden (Eamonn Walker), who is very protective of his men and women, even putting his career on the line several time to help them.

Next in the chain of command are Lieutenant-eventually to be-Captain Matthew Casey (Jesse Spencer), a serious, civic-minded carpenter who runs a side construction business, and Lieutenant Kelly Severeid (Taylor Kinney), the son of a former fire chief (Treat Williams), A brooding loner, Kelly is presented as a classic womanizer, perhaps because (off-screen) Taylor dated Lady Gaga.

Their fellow firefighters include Christopher Herrmann (David Eigenberg), the station’s father figure who runs Molly’s Bar, their favorite hangout; Randall ‘Mouch’ McHolland (Christian Stolte), the couch-loving union representative; Joe Cruz (Joe Minoso), a native of the local gang-infested neighborhood; Brian ‘Otis’ Zvonecek (Yuri Sandarov), who got his nickname working elevators; and perennial provocateur Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo), who seems determined to wrangle with Severeid.

As the series began, given the most screentime among the paramedics was Gabriella “Gabby” Dawson (Monica Raymund), a former ‘smoke-eater’ whose perfect make-up/heavy mascara/thick eyeliner never, ever, ever smears – not even when she’s facing imminent destruction and/or death. As a result, her self-centered character exudes phoniness/insincerity.

Appearing far more realistic are her hard-working colleagues: outspoken (yet doomed) lesbian Lesley Shay (Lauren German), naïve Sylvie Brett (Kara Killmer) and alcoholic ‘Chili’ Chilton (Dora Madison).

And let’s not forget one the most honestly appealing female characters – Donna Robbins (Melissa Ponzio), a dedicated teacher married to Chief Wallace Boden; they have a strong, respectful, loving relationship. That’s true too of outspoken Christopher Herrmann & his ever-supportive wife Cindy (Robyn Coffin) and ‘Mouch’ McHolland & no-nonsense police officer wife, Trudy Platt (Amy Morton).

Over the seasons, there are pivotal cast changes but the plot remains compelling.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Chicago Fire” is a compelling, addictive 8 – with all 11 seasons streaming on Peacock.

Susan Granger’s Entertainment Report for week of March 17:

 

After you’ve enjoyed your green bagel, pint of Guinness, corned beef & cabbage or shepherd’s pie, why not conclude St. Patrick’s Day with a good Irish movie, perhaps one you’ve never seen before or are yearning to see again? So many of them are streaming these days….no blarney.

“The Banshees of Inisherin” (2022): Oscar-nominated Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson are at odds in this tragicomedy about a friendship gone sour…on HBO MAX, Apple TV, Amazon, YouTube, Vudu.

“The Wonder” (2022): Based on Emma Donoghue’s novel, it features Florence Pugh as an English nurse sent to rural Ireland to investigate claims of a miracle…on Netflix.

“The Wind That Shakes the Barley” (2006): Cilllian Murphy stars in this saga of two brothers revolving around the Irish resistance to British rule during the War of Independence (1919-21) and how the divisive Treaty of 1921 split the country…on Amazon Prime, HBO Max & Netflix.

“Philomena” (2013): Nominated for four Oscars, it stars Judi Dench as an Irish unwed mother who was forced to give up her baby for adoption. Years later, she teams up with a London-based journalist (Steve Coogan) to find out what happened to her son…on Netflix, Apple TV, YouTube, Google Play.

“In the Name of the Father” (1993): Daniel Day-Lewis stars in Jim Sheridan’s adaptation of the true story of the ‘Guildford Four,’ four men who were falsely accused of the 1974 Guildford pub bombings; it was nominated for seven Academy Awards…on Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV, iTunes, Vudu.

“The Commitments” (1991): There’s music galore in this delightful Dublin-set tale, starring Robert Arkins, Johnny Murphy and Angelina Ball…on Prime Video, Apple TV, iTunes, Vudu.

“The Secret of Roan Inish” (1995): Based on Celtic folklore and set in a tiny fishing village near Donegal, John Sayles’ charming cultural identity tale evokes the legend of the ‘selkies,’ who are part seal/part human and can live on land…on Prime Video, Vudu, Apple TV, Redbox.

“Bloody Sunday” (2002): This drama recalls the tragic events of January 30, 1972, when 14 innocent civilians were wounded y the British Army following a civil rights protest in Derry…on Amazon Prime.

“Waking Ned Devine” (1998): Two mates from a tiny Irish village conspire to collect the winnings from a multi-million-dollar Irish National Lottery ticket that belonged to their late friend, Nate Devine…on Amazon, iTunes, Vudu & Google Play.

“Michael Collins” (1996): A historical drama with Liam Neeson, Aidan Quinn and Stephen Rae…on Amazon Prime, Redbox, Apple TV, iTunes, Vudu.

“Evelyn” (2002): Set in 1953, this emotional story focuses on the life of Desmond Doyle, embodied by Pierce Brosnan, who is abandoned by his wife as the Irish courts dictate that their children be placed in Church-controlled orphanages…on Amazon Prime.

“The Guard” (2011): Don Cheadle is a no-nonsense FBI agent working with Brendan Gleeson, a bumbling Irish police officer, as they attempt to foil a criminal gang operating in Ireland…on Netflix.

“Once” (2007): With familiar songs and lyrics, romance blooms on the streets of Dublin as a street busker and a Czech immigrant begin a relationship that irrevocably changes both their worlds…on Netflix, Amazon, iTunes.

“Wild Mountain Thyme” (2020); Jamie Dornan and Emily Blunt play childhood friends/neighbors deciding what to do with their land as their parents age…on Amazon, iTunes.

“The Quiet Man” (1952): John Ford’s flamboyant romantic comedy with John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara and Barry Fitzgerald…on Prime Video, Paramount Plus, Apple TV, Vudu, Roku.

 

 

Susan Granger’s review of “Sharper” (A24/Apple TV+)

 

There are grifters galore in Benjamin Caron’s psychological thriller “Sharper” that opens with what appears to be a innocent love story, set inside a small Greenwich Village bookstore.

That’s where NYU grad student Sandra (Briana Middleton) meets Tom (Justice Smith), the nerdy proprietor. She’s searching for a copy of Zora Neal Huston’s “Their Eyes Were Watching God.” They ‘click’ and move on to a little Japanese restaurant on Mott Street for canoodling over dinner.

But things are not really as sweet as they seem in this whirlwind romance as Sandra eventually tells Tom she needs $350,000 to extricate her drug-addicted brother from serious trouble. Since Tom seems to have access to a seemingly unlimited bank account (which is why he can operate an independent book store), he gives her the money. But then she suddenly disappears.

It turns out that previously vulnerable Sandra was involved with Max (Sebastian Stan), a seedy con man whose fortunes are entangled with soft-spoken, shallow, sociopathic Madeline (Julianne Moore), a scheming Fifth Avenue socialite who is determined to become the trophy wife of billionaire Richard Hobbes (John Lithgow).

Introduced by title cards, the non-linear vignettes reveal the ulterior motives of each of the enigmatic characters.

Deftly written by Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka (previous collaborators on “The Sitter”), it marks the the feature film debut of TV director Benjamin Caron (“The Crown,” “Andor”) who juggles the plot’s cleverly unpredictable twists and intriguing turns with deft ease – until the ambiguous conclusion which, unfortunately, falters.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Sharper” is a scamming 7, streaming in Apple TV+.

Susan Granger’s review of “Hello Tomorrow” (Apple +)

 

Make no mistake – Billy Crudup could sell ice in the North Pole! That’s why he – almost alone – propels “Hello Tomorrow,” the new 10-part sci-fi series that premiered last month on Apple+.

Familiar from “The Morning Show,” Billy Crudup plays Jack Billings, a relentlessly smiling, silver-tongued travelling salesman. In a retro-futuristic world, Jack heads the Brightside team who hustle luxurious homes on the Moon. It seems irrelevant that these enticing lunar timeshares are fantasies and their buyers are, essentially, delusional.

In the opening scene, Jack convinces a depressed barfly (Michael Harney) that the object he pulls from his pocket is a Moon Rock plucked from the Sea of Serenity. When his mark utters: “Wow!” Jack says, “That is the one word none of us can live without,” setting the stage for the flim-flam to follow.

Jack’s Lunar Residences crew consists of reckless Eddie (Hank Azaria), a gambler who believes that “desperation is a salesman’s greatest asset;” pragmatic, capable Shirley (Haneefah Wood), who’s routinely cheating on her husband with Eddie; and naïve Herb (Dewshane Williams), made ambitious by impeding fatherhood.

Their sketchy scam is simple: for zero down and $150 a month, you can leave all your troubles here on Earth and relocate to a sumptuous setting in space, a luxury that’s no longer reserved for the very rich.

But when they roll into Jack’s Vistaville hometown, he’s forced to face Joey (Nicholas Podany), the son he abandoned many years ago, while desperate Myrtle (Alison Pill), having left her philandering husband, has no where to go.

Created by Amit Bhalla and Lucas Jansen, the dramedy serves as a skewed mirror on contemporary America as adventurous billionaires launch their own moon rockets. “We live in this age where dreaming about a better tomorrow has become a kind of relentless, universal pursuit,” notes Jansen. “It sometimes looks like a deadly addiction and sometimes like our only hope.”

Problem is: there’s more style than substance, featuring caricatures rather than fully-fleshed-out characters.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Hello Tomorrow” is a sleek yet shallow 6, streaming every Friday night on Apple+.

Susan Granger’s review of “Marlowe” (Open Road Films/Briarcliff Entertainment)

 

This is 70-year-old Liam Neeson’s 100^th film! I just wish it were better.

Based on “The Black-Eyed Blonde” by Irish novelist John Banville, writing under the pseudonym Benjamin Black, it’s not even one of Raymond Chandler’s original Philip Marlowe tales.

Set in Los Angeles in 1939, street-wise Philip Marlowe (Liam Neeson) is hired by femme fatale heiress Clare Cavendish (Diane Kruger) to find her former lover, Nico Peterson (Francois Arnaud), who may or may not have been the victim of a hit-and-run accident in front of an exclusive club.

His investigation includes lengthy – i.e.: boring – interviews with Clare’s former movie-star mother, Dorothy Quincannon (Jessica Lange); the club’s manager, Floyd Hanson (Danny Huston); and sleazy mob boss Lou Hendricks (Alan Cumming).

Leisurely scripted by William Monahan (“The Departed”) as a vintage film noir, it’s self-consciously directed by Neil Jordan (“The Crying Game”), who previously collaborated with Liam Neeson on “Michael Collins” (1996) and “Breakfast on Pluto” (2005).

Filmed by cinematographer Xavi Gimenez in Dublin and Barcelona, any resemblance to the light in California is purely coincidental…and “I’ll Be Seeing You” is constantly playing in the background.

There are mentions of Dorothy Quincannon’s affair with a prominent banker which are supposed to evoke memories of Gloria Swanson’s entanglement with Joseph Kennedy, patriarch of Massachusetts’ prominent Kennedy clan.

But researchers missed their mark referring to the journalist’s handbook “The Elements of Style” by Strunk and White. That venerable tome was written in 1918 by William Strunk, but E.B. White’s collaboration was not added until 1959….so it could not exist in the film’s 1939 time frame.

(Over the years, the iconic Philip Marlowe private detective has been played by Humphrey Bogart, Dick Powell, Robert Montgomery, James Garner, Robert Mitchum and Elliot Gould, among others.)

After a tepid reception as the closing film of the San Sebastian International Film Festival in September, it’s original December 2022 release date was postponed until February, 2023. It made only $1.8 million in its opening weekend, it only totaled a paltry $2.9 million in its first five days.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Marlowe” is a tedious 3, available to rent via RedBox.

Susan Granger’s 2023 Oscar predictions:

 

In the first year since audiences returned to theaters after the pandemic, the 9,579 Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences voters nominated three block-busters as Best Picture with eight films receiving at least five nominations and first-time nominees filling 16 out of the 20 acting slots.

The breadth of the list is impressive, encompassing one foreign film, one co-directed by an Asian American (with a mostly Asian American cast) and one by a woman. And this year, unlike last, ALL categories have been restored to the live broadcast.

Oscar used to honor star-driven crowd-pleasers with clear-cut stories, like “Forrest Gump” and “Titanic.” But over the past 20 years or so, the Academy has tended to choose smaller, more challenging movies, like “Parasite,” “The Shape of Water,” “Green Book” and “Crash,” emphasizing diversity and inclusion. Yet it’s always helpful to remember that ‘prestigious’ and ‘popular’ don’t have to be antonyms.

Perhaps the best explanation for the lack of consensus about these awards starts with the rapidly growing international membership. About half of recent invitees are international, so it’s not surprising that international films have dominated this year’s Oscar nominations.

It’s worth nothing that streaming has made foreign-language films more accessible to American audiences who have avoided captions in movie theaters. Plus, many of the new members do not belong to the guilds, which used to be accurate predictors.  And producers in Hollywood are unsure about which films to release in theaters; moviegoing habits have changed irrevocably for all but big action movies and comic-book franchises.

These are the 10 Best Picture nominees:

“All Quiet on the Western Front” (Netflix): a German-language historical action re-make

“Avatar: The Way of Water” (Fox): James Cameron’s epic sequel in which family is the fortress

“The Banshees of Inisherin” (Searchlight): a tragicomedy about a friendship gone sour in an Irish village

“Elvis” (Warner Bros.): Baz Luhrmann’s bling-bedazzled musical bio-pic

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24): a time-twisting, multiverse-surfing sci-fi fantasy

“Tar” (Focus): an ultra-sophisticated classical music drama

“The Fabelmans” (Universal): Steven Spielberg’s personal memory piece

“Top Gun: Maverick” (Paramount): a genuinely meaningful, exquisitely crafted action sequel

“Triangle of Sadness” (Neon): a scatological satire about the super-rich

“Women Talking” (United Artists): a sexual assault drama in a remote religious community

Oscar voters fill out a preferential ballot for Best Picture. The ballot asks you to rank the Best Picture nominees in order – with your favorite film as #1. Ballots are then separated into 10 piles, depending on which film is ranked first. The movie that got the fewest first-place votes is eliminated; the count continues round-after-round with the last place eliminated and ballots sifting to the next highest-ranking film. The process is designed to find the movie with the most support.

For the first time, two sequels (“Avatar,” “Maverick”) are nominated; together these popular popcorn pictures account for some $3.5 billion at the box-office. If I could vote – which critics can’t – I would choose “Top Gun: Maverick.”

MY PREDICTION: “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

For Best Director, nominees are Todd Field (“Tar”), Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”), Martin McDonough (“The Banshees of Inisherin”), Ruben Ostlund (“Triangle of Sadness”) & Steven Spielberg (“The Fabelmans”).

This is Spielberg’s ninth nomination, meaning a third win – if he’s not bested by first-timers like Kwan & Scheinert, the duo – known as The Daniels – winners at the Directors Guild, which has predicted 18 or the last 21 who went on to claim the Oscar; historically, it’s predicted 66 times in 74 years.

Th Daniels are the fourth directing pair to be nominated; their predecessors are Robert Wise & Jerome Robbins (1961’s “West Side Story”); Warren Beaty & Buck Henry (“Heaven Can Wait”); Joel & Ethan Coen (“No Country for Old Men,” “True Grit”).

MY PREDICTION: Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert, known as The Daniels

For Best Actress, nominees are Ana De Armas (“Blonde), Cate Blanchett (“Tar”), Andrea Riseborough (“To Leslie”), Michelle Williams (“The Fablemans’) & Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”).

The inclusion of Andrea Riseborough’s portrayal of a former lottery winner battling addiction was a surprise. When “To Leslie” was released last October, it made just $27,000 at the box-office. But then Ms. Riseborough’s friends started a grassroots campaign. “Andrea should win every award there is and all the ones that haven’t been invented yet,” Gwyneth Paltrow posted on Instagram. She was joined by Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet and Edward Norton. Momentum Pictures has since re-released the film.

Oscar campaigning has been a blood sport for years. Miramax’s Harvey Weinstein was the modern Machiavelli, inundating voters with screening party invitations and lavish gifts, ensuring “Shakespeare in Love” won over “Saving Private Ryan.” Nowadays, producers are allowed to send out only one e-mail per week of Oscar voters, and these messages must be routed through messaging services; each massive blast can cost $2,000. But the Academy has never really made an effort to enforce its own rules.

Michelle Williams certainly delivered an impressive performance as Steven Spielberg’s eccentric mother, thwarted concert pianist Leah Adler, in “The Fablemans” but Ana De Armas was ‘way out of her depth in “Blonde,” a limpid, tastless bio-pic that never delved into Marilyn Monroe’s charm and wit.

The real contest comes down to two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett, who has garnered rapturous reviews as the troubled, lesbian, renowned conductor of a major Belin orchestra, and Michelle Yeoh, who embodied a beleaguered laundromat owner who finds her alternate selves in the multiverse.

This is 60-year-old, Malaysian-born Yeoh’s first Oscar nomination and the first for an Asian actress in this category. “What it means for the rest of the Asians around the world, not just in America but globally, is that we now have a seat at the table,” she said. Historians may note that Merle Oberon placed in this category for 1935’s “The Dark Angel,” but – back then – she hid her South Asian/Maori heritage.

MY PREDICTION: Michelle Yeoh

For Best Actor, all five nominees are first-timers: Austin Butler (“Elvis”), Colin Farrell (“The Banshees of Inisherin”), Brendan Fraser (“The Whale”), Paul Mescal (“Aftersun”) & Bill Nighy (“Living”).

Paul Mescal is the dark horse as a father on vacation with his daughter; Bill Nighy is a man who learns he’s dying; Austin Butler channeled the King; Colin Farrell is the dumped friend who won’t let go; and Brendan Fraser is a morbidly obsess professor trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter.

All five received BAFTA nominations and all but Mescal were nominated for SAG awards.

MY PREDICTION: Austin Butler

For Best Supporting Actress, nominees are Angela Bassett (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”), Hong Chau (“The Whale”), Kerry Condon (“The Banshees of Inisherin”), Jamie Lee Curtis (“Everything Everywhere All at Once,”), & Stephanie Hsu (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”).

As Wakanda’s Sovereign Queen Mother Ramonda, Angela Bassett made superhero cinema history as the first woman, the first person of color and the first Marvel Studios actor to be nominated for an Academy Award in a comic book adaptation. She’s also only the fourth Black actress to earn multiple Oscar nods – the others being Viola Davis, Whoopi Goldberg and Octavia Spencer.

But my vote would go to SAG winner Jamie Lee Curtis, whose parents (Janet Leigh, Tony Curtis) both received Oscar nods. Previous 2^nd generation winners include Laura Dern, whose parents are Bruce Dern & Diane Ladd, and Liza Minnelli, whose parents were Judy Garland & Vincente Minnelli.

MY PREDICTION: Angela Bassett

For Best Supporting Actor, nominees are: Brendan Gleeson (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) Brian Tyree Henry (“Causeway”), Judd Hirsch (“The Fabelmans”), Barry Keoghan (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) & Key Huy Quan (“Everything Everywhere All at once”),

Now 87, Judd Hirsch was nominated in this category 42 years ago for “Ordinary People”: Brian Tyree Henry embodied an amputee who bonds with a soldier suffering from PTSD; Brendan Gleeson personified a melancholy fiddler/composer who abruptly terminates a friendship & SAG-winner Key Huy Quan, as Michelle Yeoh’s mild-mannered husband, is a former child star, best known for “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.”

MY PREDICTION: Key Huy Quan

For Best Original Screenplay, nominees are Todd Fields’ “Tar,” Martin McDonough’s “The Banshees of Inisherin,” Daniel Kwan/Daniel Scheinerts’ “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” Ruben Ostlund’s “Triangle of Sadness” & Steven Spielberg/Tony Kushner’s “The Fabelmans.”

Academy members must have short memories because Ruben Ostlund’s “Triangle of Sadness” is certainly NOT original’ it’s a ‘gender switch’ on J.M. Barrie’s “The Admirable Crichton.” And while many favor Steven Spielberg’s auto-fictional tale of the hectic childhood that shape him into a director,…..

MY PREDICTION: “The Banshees of Inisherin”

For Best Adapted Screenplay, nominees are: Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson & Ian Stokell’s “All Quiet on the Western Front,” Kazuo Ishiguro’s “Living,” Ria Johnson’s “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” Sarah Polley’s “Women Talking,” and Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer & Christopher McQuarrie’s “Top Gun” Maverick.”

MY PREDICTION: “Women Talking”

For Best International Film, contenders are “All Quiet on the Western Front” (Germany), “Argentina 1985” (Argentina), “Close” (Belgium), “EO” (Poland) & “The Quiet Girl” (Ireland).

Unfortunately, because India did not submit its outrageously entertaining “RRR,” revolving round two Indian revolutionaries who team up to sing, dance and wreak havoc on the British, that film was not eligible. But you’ll have a chance to see its rousing “Naatu, Naatu” performed.

Finally, Ireland has its first-ever nominee in this category and a quarter of this year’s acting nominee are Irish. But since “All Quiet on the Western Front” was also nominated as Best Picture, it’s an obvious indicator that this picture – with a total of nine nominations – will win the International category.

MY PREDICTION” “All Quiet on the Western Front”

For Best Animated Film, contenders are “Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio,” “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On,” “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” “Sea Beast” & “Turning Red.”

Elaborately detailed and relocated to Italy, “Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio” takes several inventive detours on its journey to turning a wooden puppet into a beloved son for Geppetto.

MY PREDICTION: “Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio”

With stellar original song nominees from some of the year’s best movies, the Oscar telecast should keep viewers engaged for the duration with an eclectic mix of genres and vocalists.

Best Original Song nominees are: Lady Gaga for “Hold My Hand” (“Top Gun: Maverick”), Rihanna for “Lift Me Up” (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”), Diane Warren for “Applause” (“Tell It Like a Woman”), M.M. Keeravani/Chandrabose for ”Naatu Naatu” (“RRR”) & Ryan Lott/David Byrne for “This is a Life” (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”).

This is Diane Warren’s 14^th nomination with no wins, but she did receive an Honorary Oscar earlier this year. Yet nothing can compare with “RRR’s” fiendishly catchy “Naatu, Naatu,” which in India’s Tehugu language means “country.” It’s exuberant country music, a genre, sparking a high-stakes dance-off.

MY PREDICTION: “Naatu Naatu”

Best Score nominees are: Justin Hurwitz (“Babylon”), Volker Brtyrlmann (“All Quiet on the Western Front”), Carter Burwell (“The Banshees of Inisherin”), the experimental band Son Lux (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) & John Williams (“The Fabelmans”).

At 90 years old, John Williams is Oscar’s oldest competitor. With 53 nominations, he holds the record in this category. After meeting in 1972, he’s worked with Steven Spielberg for more than 50 years.

MY PREDICTION: “Babylon”

 

GUILD AND CRAFT CATEGORIES predictions:

Documentary: “Navalny”

Editing: “ Top Gun: Maverick”

Cinematography: “Elvis” – Mandy Walker just became the 1^st woman to win at the American Society of Cinematographers, breaking the glass ceiling

Production Design: “Babylon”

Visual Effects: “Avatar: The Way of Water”

Costume Design: “Elvis”

Make-up and Hairstyling: “Elvis” – transforming Austin Butler into Elvis Presley

Sound: “Top Gun: Maverick”

SHORT FILMS:

Documentary Short: “The Elephant Whisperers”

Animated Short: “The Boy, the Mole and the Horse”

Live Action Short: “An Irish Goodbye”

The 2022 Academy Awards drew 16.6 million viewers, the second-lowest turnout on record after the pandemic-affected 2021 telecast. If the Nielsen ratings do not improve for the Sunday, March 12, show on ABC-TV, the Academy faces a financial precipice since most of its revenue comes from the sale of broadcasting rights. Hundreds of millions of dollars are at stake. Yet, the Academy still doesn’t realize that when their favorite films/stars aren’t properly acknowledged, many fans stop watching.

Susan Granger’s review of “Knock at the Cabin” (Universal Pictures)

 

For better or worse, writer/director M. Night Shyamalan built his reputation on psychological horror films with twist endings, beginning with “I see dead people” from “The Sixth Sense” (1999). But it hasn’t always paid off – i.e.: “Lady in the Water,” “The Happening,“ “Signs,” “Old.”

Now with “Knock at the Cabin,” Shyamalan introduces a family held hostage by four home-invaders who firmly believe that an apocalypse is coming that will envelop all of humanity.

It begins with little, seven-year-old Wen (Kristen Cui) catching grasshoppers and trapping them in a jar. As she crouches in the woods, she’s approached by a gentle, bespectacled stranger who politely introduces himself as Leonard (Dave Bautista), a second-grade schoolteacher from Chicago, noting, “My heart is broken because of what I have to do today.”

Wen is on vacation in rural Pennsylvania with her two adoptive fathers – Eric (Jonathan Groff) and Andrew (Ben Aldridge). When she runs inside to warn them that their peaceful idyll may be over, they try to barricade the cabin – to no avail. Plus, the phone lines have been cut and there’s no cell-service.

Along with creepy Leonard, there’s Sabrina (Nikki Amuka-Bird), a nurse from Southern California; Adrienne (Abby Quinn), a cook at Mexican restaurant in Washington, D.C.; and Raymond (Rupert Grint), an ex-con who works for a gas company in Medford, Massachusetts.  

Wielding weird, homemade weapons, they’ve all experienced portentous ‘visions’ of impending doom and firmly believe that the only way to stop horrific world-wide destruction is for two of the hostages to choose to sacrifice the third.

Adapting Paul G. Tremblay’s novel “The Cabin at the End of the World” (2018) with lots of metaphysical mumbo-jumbo, Shyamalan and co-writers Steve Desmond and Michael Sherman dawdle with the consequences of extreme religious fanaticism embodied by the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

FYI: Do you recognize now-grown Rupert Grint as Daniel Radcliffe’s pal Ron Weasley in the “Harry Potter’ franchise?

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Knock at the Cabin” is an ominous 6, streaming on Amazon Prime and Apple TV.