Archives for : Javier Bardem
Bringing the underwater story of “The Little Mermaid” to life was no easy feat. But Disney’s long anticipated live action version of the beloved film is finally here. Should you make the trip to theaters for this one? Watch my review below to find out!
“The Little Mermaid” opens in theaters on May 26, 2023.
Rating: B
Performance by an actor in a leading role
- Javier Bardem in “Being the Ricardos”
- Benedict Cumberbatch in “The Power of the Dog”
- Andrew Garfield in “tick, tick…BOOM!”
- Will Smith in “King Richard”
- Denzel Washington in “The Tragedy of Macbeth”
Will Win: Will Smith
Could Win: Benedict Cumberbatch
Want to Win: Will Smith
Performance by an actor in a supporting role
- Ciarán Hinds in “Belfast”
- Troy Kotsur in “CODA”
- Jesse Plemons in “The Power of the Dog”
- J.K. Simmons in “Being the Ricardos”
- Kodi Smit-McPhee in “The Power of the Dog”
Will Win: Troy Kotsur
Could Win: Kodi Smit-McPhee
Want to Win: Troy Kotsur
Performance by an actress in a leading role
- Jessica Chastain in “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”
- Olivia Colman in “The Lost Daughter”
- Penélope Cruz in “Parallel Mothers”
- Nicole Kidman in “Being the Ricardos”
- Kristen Stewart in “Spencer”
Will Win: Jessica Chastain
Could Win: Nicole Kidman
Want to Win: Jessica Chastain
Performance by an actress in a supporting role
- Jessie Buckley in “The Lost Daughter”
- Ariana DeBose in “West Side Story”
- Judi Dench in “Belfast”
- Kirsten Dunst in “The Power of the Dog”
- Aunjanue Ellis in “King Richard”
Will Win: Ariana DeBose
Could Win: Aunjanue Ellis
Want to Win: Ariana DeBose or Kirsten Dunst
Best animated feature film of the year
- “Encanto” Jared Bush, Byron Howard, Yvett Merino and Clark Spencer
- “Flee” Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Monica Hellström, Signe Byrge Sorensen and Charlotte De La Gournerie
- “Luca” Enrico Casarosa and Andrea Warren
- “The Mitchells vs. the Machines” Mike Rianda, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Kurt Albrecht
- “Raya and the Last Dragon” Don Hall, Carlos López Estrada, Osnat Shurer and Peter Del Vecho
Will Win: Encanto
Could Win: The Mitchells vs. the Machines
Want to Win: The Mitchells vs. the Machines
Achievement in cinematography
- “Dune” Greig Fraser
- “Nightmare Alley” Dan Laustsen
- “The Power of the Dog” Ari Wegner
- “The Tragedy of Macbeth” Bruno Delbonnel
- “West Side Story” Janusz Kaminski
Will Win: Dune
Could Win: The Power of the Dog
Want to Win: West Side Story
Achievement in costume design
- “Cruella” Jenny Beavan
- “Cyrano” Massimo Cantini Parrini and Jacqueline Durran
- “Dune” Jacqueline West and Robert Morgan
- “Nightmare Alley” Luis Sequeira
- “West Side Story” Paul Tazewell
Will Win: Cruella
Could Win: West Side Story
Want to Win: Cruella
Achievement in directing
- “Belfast” Kenneth Branagh
- “Drive My Car” Ryusuke Hamaguchi
- “Licorice Pizza” Paul Thomas Anderson
- “The Power of the Dog” Jane Campion
- “West Side Story” Steven Spielberg
Will Win: Jane Campion
Could Win: Steven Spielberg
Want to Win: No preference
Best documentary feature
- “Ascension” Jessica Kingdon, Kira Simon-Kennedy and Nathan Truesdell
- “Attica” Stanley Nelson and Traci A. Curry
- “Flee” Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Monica Hellström, Signe Byrge Sørensen and Charlotte De La Gournerie
- “Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)” Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Joseph Patel, Robert Fyvolent and David Dinerstein
- “Writing with Fire” Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh
Will Win: Summer of Soul
Could Win: Flee
Want to Win: Summer of Soul
Best documentary short subject
- “Audible” Matt Ogens and Geoff McLean
- “Lead Me Home” Pedro Kos and Jon Shenk
- “The Queen of Basketball” Ben Proudfoot
- “Three Songs for Benazir” Elizabeth Mirzaei and Gulistan Mirzaei
- “When We Were Bullies” Jay Rosenblatt
Will Win: The Queen of Basket Ball
Could Win: Audible or When We Were Bullies
Want to Win: The Queen of Basket Ball or Audible
Achievement in film editing
- “Don’t Look Up” Hank Corwin
- “Dune” Joe Walker
- “King Richard” Pamela Martin
- “The Power of the Dog” Peter Sciberras
- “tick, tick…BOOM!” Myron Kerstein and Andrew Weisblum
Will Win: Dune
Could Win: Don’t Look Up or King Richard
Want to Win: Don’t Look Up or King Richard
Best international feature film of the year
- “Drive My Car” Japan
- “Flee” Denmark
- “The Hand of God” Italy
- “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom” Bhutan
- “The Worst Person in the World” Norway
Will Win: Drive My Car
Could Win: Flee
Want to Win: Drive My Car
Achievement in makeup and hairstyling
- “Coming 2 America” Mike Marino, Stacey Morris and Carla Farmer
- “Cruella” Nadia Stacey, Naomi Donne and Julia Vernon
- “Dune” Donald Mowat, Love Larson and Eva von Bahr
- “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” Linda Dowds, Stephanie Ingram and Justin Raleigh
- “House of Gucci” Göran Lundström, Anna Carin Lock and Frederic Aspiras
Will Win: The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Could Win: Cruella
Want to Win: The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
- “Don’t Look Up” Nicholas Britell
- “Dune” Hans Zimmer
- “Encanto” Germaine Franco
- “Parallel Mothers” Alberto Iglesias
- “The Power of the Dog” Jonny Greenwood
Will Win: Dune
Could Win: Encanto
Want to Win: Encanto
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
- “Be Alive” from “King Richard”
Music and Lyric by DIXSON and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter - “Dos Oruguitas” from “Encanto”
Music and Lyric by Lin-Manuel Miranda - “Down To Joy” from “Belfast”
Music and Lyric by Van Morrison - “No Time To Die” from “No Time to Die”
Music and Lyric by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell - “Somehow You Do” from “Four Good Days”
Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
Will Win: “No Time to Die”
Could Win: “Dos Oruguitas”
Want to Win: “Be Alive”
Best motion picture of the year
- “Belfast” Laura Berwick, Kenneth Branagh, Becca Kovacik and Tamar Thomas, Producers
- “CODA” Philippe Rousselet, Fabrice Gianfermi and Patrick Wachsberger, Producers
- “Don’t Look Up” Adam McKay and Kevin Messick, Producers
- “Drive My Car” Teruhisa Yamamoto, Producer
- “Dune” Mary Parent, Denis Villeneuve and Cale Boyter, Producers
- “King Richard” Tim White, Trevor White and Will Smith, Producers
- “Licorice Pizza” Sara Murphy, Adam Somner and Paul Thomas Anderson, Producers
- “Nightmare Alley” Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale and Bradley Cooper, Producers
- “The Power of the Dog” Jane Campion, Tanya Seghatchian, Emile Sherman, Iain Canning and Roger Frappier, Producers
- “West Side Story” Steven Spielberg and Kristie Macosko Krieger, Producers
Will Win: The Power of the Dog
Could Win: CODA
Want to Win: King Richard, CODA, Don’t Look Up
Achievement in production design
- “Dune” Production Design: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Zsuzsanna Sipos
- “Nightmare Alley” Production Design: Tamara Deverell; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau
- “The Power of the Dog” Production Design: Grant Major; Set Decoration: Amber Richards
- “The Tragedy of Macbeth” Production Design: Stefan Dechant; Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh
- “West Side Story” Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Rena DeAngelo
Will Win: Dune
Could Win: West Side Story
Want to Win: Dune
Best animated short film
- “Affairs of the Art” Joanna Quinn and Les Mills
- “Bestia” Hugo Covarrubias and Tevo Díaz
- “Boxballet” Anton Dyakov
- “Robin Robin” Dan Ojari and Mikey Please
- “The Windshield Wiper” Alberto Mielgo and Leo Sanchez
Will Win: Robin Robin
Could Win: The Windshield Wiper
Want to Win: Robin Robin or The Windshield Wiper
Best live action short film
- “Ala Kachuu – Take and Run” Maria Brendle and Nadine Lüchinger
- “The Dress” Tadeusz Łysiak and Maciej Ślesicki
- “The Long Goodbye” Aneil Karia and Riz Ahmed
- “On My Mind” Martin Strange-Hansen and Kim Magnusson
- “Please Hold” K.D. Dávila and Levin Menekse
Will Win: The Long Goodbye
Could Win: Please Hold
Want to Win: Please Hold or The Long Goodbye
Achievement in sound
- “Belfast” Denise Yarde, Simon Chase, James Mather and Niv Adiri
- “Dune” Mac Ruth, Mark Mangini, Theo Green, Doug Hemphill and Ron Bartlett
- “No Time to Die” Simon Hayes, Oliver Tarney, James Harrison, Paul Massey and Mark Taylor
- “The Power of the Dog” Richard Flynn, Robert Mackenzie and Tara Webb
- “West Side Story” Tod A. Maitland, Gary Rydstrom, Brian Chumney, Andy Nelson and Shawn Murphy
Will Win: Dune
Could Win: No Time to Die
Want to Win: West Side Story
Achievement in visual effects
- “Dune” Paul Lambert, Tristan Myles, Brian Connor and Gerd Nefzer
- “Free Guy” Swen Gillberg, Bryan Grill, Nikos Kalaitzidis and Dan Sudick
- “No Time to Die” Charlie Noble, Joel Green, Jonathan Fawkner and Chris Corbould
- “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” Christopher Townsend, Joe Farrell, Sean Noel Walker and Dan Oliver
- “Spider-Man: No Way Home” Kelly Port, Chris Waegner, Scott Edelstein and Dan Sudick
Will Win: Dune
Could Win: Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Want to Win: Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Adapted screenplay
- “CODA” Screenplay by Siân Heder
- “Drive My Car” Screenplay by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Takamasa Oe
- “Dune” Screenplay by Jon Spaihts and Denis Villeneuve and Eric Roth
- “The Lost Daughter” Written by Maggie Gyllenhaal
- “The Power of the Dog” Written by Jane Campion
Will Win: The Power of the Dog
Could Win: CODA
Want to Win: The Lost Daughter
Original screenplay
- “Belfast” Written by Kenneth Branagh
- “Don’t Look Up” Screenplay by Adam McKay; Story by Adam McKay & David Sirota
- “King Richard” Written by Zach Baylin
- “Licorice Pizza” Written by Paul Thomas Anderson
- “The Worst Person in the World” Written by Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier
Will Win: Don’t Look Up
Could Win: Belfast or Licorice Pizza
Want to Win: Don’t Look Up
THE OSCARS SET TO AIR LIVE, MARCH 27, ON ABC
Nominations for the 94th Academy Awards
Performance by an actor in a leading role
- Javier Bardem in “Being the Ricardos”
- Benedict Cumberbatch in “The Power of the Dog”
- Andrew Garfield in “tick, tick…BOOM!”
- Will Smith in “King Richard”
- Denzel Washington in “The Tragedy of Macbeth”
Performance by an actor in a supporting role
- Ciarán Hinds in “Belfast”
- Troy Kotsur in “CODA”
- Jesse Plemons in “The Power of the Dog”
- J.K. Simmons in “Being the Ricardos”
- Kodi Smit-McPhee in “The Power of the Dog”
Performance by an actress in a leading role
- Jessica Chastain in “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”
- Olivia Colman in “The Lost Daughter”
- Penélope Cruz in “Parallel Mothers”
- Nicole Kidman in “Being the Ricardos”
- Kristen Stewart in “Spencer”
Performance by an actress in a supporting role
- Jessie Buckley in “The Lost Daughter”
- Ariana DeBose in “West Side Story”
- Judi Dench in “Belfast”
- Kirsten Dunst in “The Power of the Dog”
- Aunjanue Ellis in “King Richard”
Best animated feature film of the year
- “Encanto” Jared Bush, Byron Howard, Yvett Merino and Clark Spencer
- “Flee” Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Monica Hellström, Signe Byrge Sorensen and Charlotte De La Gournerie
- “Luca” Enrico Casarosa and Andrea Warren
- “The Mitchells vs. the Machines” Mike Rianda, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Kurt Albrecht
- “Raya and the Last Dragon” Don Hall, Carlos López Estrada, Osnat Shurer and Peter Del Vecho
Achievement in cinematography
- “Dune” Greig Fraser
- “Nightmare Alley” Dan Laustsen
- “The Power of the Dog” Ari Wegner
- “The Tragedy of Macbeth” Bruno Delbonnel
- “West Side Story” Janusz Kaminski
Achievement in costume design
- “Cruella” Jenny Beavan
- “Cyrano” Massimo Cantini Parrini and Jacqueline Durran
- “Dune” Jacqueline West and Robert Morgan
- “Nightmare Alley” Luis Sequeira
- “West Side Story” Paul Tazewell
Achievement in directing
- “Belfast” Kenneth Branagh
- “Drive My Car” Ryusuke Hamaguchi
- “Licorice Pizza” Paul Thomas Anderson
- “The Power of the Dog” Jane Campion
- “West Side Story” Steven Spielberg
Best documentary feature
- “Ascension” Jessica Kingdon, Kira Simon-Kennedy and Nathan Truesdell
- “Attica” Stanley Nelson and Traci A. Curry
- “Flee” Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Monica Hellström, Signe Byrge Sørensen and Charlotte De La Gournerie
- “Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)” Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Joseph Patel, Robert Fyvolent and David Dinerstein
- “Writing with Fire” Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh
Best documentary short subject
- “Audible” Matt Ogens and Geoff McLean
- “Lead Me Home” Pedro Kos and Jon Shenk
- “The Queen of Basketball” Ben Proudfoot
- “Three Songs for Benazir” Elizabeth Mirzaei and Gulistan Mirzaei
- “When We Were Bullies” Jay Rosenblatt
Achievement in film editing
- “Don’t Look Up” Hank Corwin
- “Dune” Joe Walker
- “King Richard” Pamela Martin
- “The Power of the Dog” Peter Sciberras
- “tick, tick…BOOM!” Myron Kerstein and Andrew Weisblum
Best international feature film of the year
- “Drive My Car” Japan
- “Flee” Denmark
- “The Hand of God” Italy
- “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom” Bhutan
- “The Worst Person in the World” Norway
Achievement in makeup and hairstyling
- “Coming 2 America” Mike Marino, Stacey Morris and Carla Farmer
- “Cruella” Nadia Stacey, Naomi Donne and Julia Vernon
- “Dune” Donald Mowat, Love Larson and Eva von Bahr
- “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” Linda Dowds, Stephanie Ingram and Justin Raleigh
- “House of Gucci” Göran Lundström, Anna Carin Lock and Frederic Aspiras
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
- “Don’t Look Up” Nicholas Britell
- “Dune” Hans Zimmer
- “Encanto” Germaine Franco
- “Parallel Mothers” Alberto Iglesias
- “The Power of the Dog” Jonny Greenwood
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
- “Be Alive” from “King Richard”
Music and Lyric by DIXSON and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter - “Dos Oruguitas” from “Encanto”
Music and Lyric by Lin-Manuel Miranda - “Down To Joy” from “Belfast”
Music and Lyric by Van Morrison - “No Time To Die” from “No Time to Die”
Music and Lyric by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell - “Somehow You Do” from “Four Good Days”
Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
Best motion picture of the year
- “Belfast” Laura Berwick, Kenneth Branagh, Becca Kovacik and Tamar Thomas, Producers
- “CODA” Philippe Rousselet, Fabrice Gianfermi and Patrick Wachsberger, Producers
- “Don’t Look Up” Adam McKay and Kevin Messick, Producers
- “Drive My Car” Teruhisa Yamamoto, Producer
- “Dune” Mary Parent, Denis Villeneuve and Cale Boyter, Producers
- “King Richard” Tim White, Trevor White and Will Smith, Producers
- “Licorice Pizza” Sara Murphy, Adam Somner and Paul Thomas Anderson, Producers
- “Nightmare Alley” Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale and Bradley Cooper, Producers
- “The Power of the Dog” Jane Campion, Tanya Seghatchian, Emile Sherman, Iain Canning and Roger Frappier, Producers
- “West Side Story” Steven Spielberg and Kristie Macosko Krieger, Producers
Achievement in production design
- “Dune” Production Design: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Zsuzsanna Sipos
- “Nightmare Alley” Production Design: Tamara Deverell; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau
- “The Power of the Dog” Production Design: Grant Major; Set Decoration: Amber Richards
- “The Tragedy of Macbeth” Production Design: Stefan Dechant; Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh
- “West Side Story” Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Rena DeAngelo
Best animated short film
- “Affairs of the Art” Joanna Quinn and Les Mills
- “Bestia” Hugo Covarrubias and Tevo Díaz
- “Boxballet” Anton Dyakov
- “Robin Robin” Dan Ojari and Mikey Please
- “The Windshield Wiper” Alberto Mielgo and Leo Sanchez
Best live action short film
- “Ala Kachuu – Take and Run” Maria Brendle and Nadine Lüchinger
- “The Dress” Tadeusz Łysiak and Maciej Ślesicki
- “The Long Goodbye” Aneil Karia and Riz Ahmed
- “On My Mind” Martin Strange-Hansen and Kim Magnusson
- “Please Hold” K.D. Dávila and Levin Menekse
Achievement in sound
- “Belfast” Denise Yarde, Simon Chase, James Mather and Niv Adiri
- “Dune” Mac Ruth, Mark Mangini, Theo Green, Doug Hemphill and Ron Bartlett
- “No Time to Die” Simon Hayes, Oliver Tarney, James Harrison, Paul Massey and Mark Taylor
- “The Power of the Dog” Richard Flynn, Robert Mackenzie and Tara Webb
- “West Side Story” Tod A. Maitland, Gary Rydstrom, Brian Chumney, Andy Nelson and Shawn Murphy
Achievement in visual effects
- “Dune” Paul Lambert, Tristan Myles, Brian Connor and Gerd Nefzer
- “Free Guy” Swen Gillberg, Bryan Grill, Nikos Kalaitzidis and Dan Sudick
- “No Time to Die” Charlie Noble, Joel Green, Jonathan Fawkner and Chris Corbould
- “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” Christopher Townsend, Joe Farrell, Sean Noel Walker and Dan Oliver
- “Spider-Man: No Way Home” Kelly Port, Chris Waegner, Scott Edelstein and Dan Sudick
Adapted screenplay
- “CODA” Screenplay by Siân Heder
- “Drive My Car” Screenplay by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Takamasa Oe
- “Dune” Screenplay by Jon Spaihts and Denis Villeneuve and Eric Roth
- “The Lost Daughter” Written by Maggie Gyllenhaal
- “The Power of the Dog” Written by Jane Campion
Original screenplay
- “Belfast” Written by Kenneth Branagh
- “Don’t Look Up” Screenplay by Adam McKay; Story by Adam McKay & David Sirota
- “King Richard” Written by Zach Baylin
- “Licorice Pizza” Written by Paul Thomas Anderson
- “The Worst Person in the World” Written by Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier
THE OSCARS SET TO AIR LIVE, MARCH 27, ON ABC
Now I did not have super high expectations for this film, but I’ll admit I did expect a certain level of quality given the strong casting. I easily passed up a screening to see Bad Grandpa, thinking that of course I would rather see a film with an actual storyline and interesting characters. However, about 10 minutes into the film, I think the alternative might have been more entertaining.
To sum up the film in the best words I can with out confusing myself, The Counselor (Michael Fassbender) is a big shot lawyer involved in a huge drug deal. He has the love of his life (Penelope Cruz) by his side, in what seems to be the perfect romance. His partners in the deal are the mysterious, riddle talking Westray (Brad Pitt) and the eccentric dressing, spiky haired Reiner (Javier Bardem). This might be Bardem’s worst hair style since No Country for Old Men. Anyways, with any drug trafficking deals you are bound to have mishaps, which lead to dire consequences.
The beginning of the film moves slow because of the extended “philosophical” conversations each one-on-one scene has. Rarely are more than two people on screen together. Every discussion these characters have is filled with analogies. So much so that you loose all meaning to whatever they are saying. I am sure there was some thoughtful lessons behind these speeches, but feeling forced and out of place, you simply loose all interest.
This is the first screenplay for Cormac McCarthy (No Country for Old Men, All the Pretty Horses). Notably known for his novel writing, The Counselor may have been more understandable on paper. McCarthy fails to write a script with relatable dialogue. His characters come off as pretentious and rambling snobs.
Reiner manages to be the most practical speaker of the cast. Especially when describing to The Counselor a shocking moment he had with his sex-crazed, cheetah tattooed girlfriend, Malkina (Cameron Diaz). In what is sure to go down as one of the raunchiest and biggest WTF scene in a film this year, she performs a spread-eagle masturbation scene on the hood of Reiner’s car. It is the only thing from the film that is unforgettable.
The actors give great performances, which is no surprise. With a cast this strong you would think director, Ridley Scott (Prometheus) noticed they were not being utilized in a monotonous script. It just felt more like they were reading for an audition, giving their all in useless dialogue that does not move the story forward.
Though the big picture of the film was clear the transitions and some of the reasoning for the actions that take place are not. The Counselor has essentially no plot, outlandish characters, and leaves you with lack satisfaction from an A-List cast.
Luckily, Brad Pitt’s and Michael Fassbender’s performance in 12 Years A Slave is far more memorable than anything they did in The Counselor.
Rated R for graphic violence, some grisly images, strong sexual content and language.
The Counselor opens theaters today.
The Counselor Official Trailer HD
