Dominic Sessa is to play chef Anthony Bourdain in ‘Tony’.
The biopic will be directed by ‘Blackberry’s Matt Johnson.
A24 is considering picking up the movie.
What do you do when you’ve enjoyed a breakout starring role in one of the more acclaimed comedy dramas of recent years, one that saw your co-stars nominated for Oscars and one win hers (Da’Vine Joy Randolph)? Do you see whether Marvel comes calling?
For ‘The Holdovers’ Dominic Sessa, he’s going in some interesting other directions, and the latest involves playing a respected (and tragic) real-life figure.
Sessa is now part of a biopic called ‘Tony’ that will chart part of the life of famed chef and broadcaster Anthony Bourdain.
Anthony Bourdain in ‘Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown’. Photo: CNN.
With a script by Lou Howe and Todd Bartels, ‘Tony’ will focus on some or all of Bourdain’ life.
He got his culinary start cooking in various restaurants across Manhattan in the 1980s and 90s including being the executive chef at Brasserie Les Halles in Manhattan.
Yet it was his essay collection about the ugly secrets of restaurants that put him on the map. Following there publication in the New Yorker, Bourdain became an instant star on the media food scene due to his point-blank, tell-it-how-it-is tone that was not the norm in cookery writing.
That landed him the job of hosting a number of shows on TV, but it was his Travel Channel series ‘Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations’ that made him star over its eight season run. Tragically, Bourdain passed away in 2018 after committing suicide and while researching a season of the show.
(L to R) Jay Baruchel and Glenn Howerton in ‘BlackBerry’. Photo: Elevation Pictures.
The film comes from production company Star Thrower, which has seen some success in the biopic sphere via ‘King Richard’, which followed the father of tennis champs Venus and Serena Williams and saw Will Smith score an Oscar in 2022.
Matt Johnson, who most recently worked on another based-on-truth tale, tech comedy drama ‘Blackberry’, will be behind the camera for ‘Tony’.
Off the back of his ‘Holdovers’ success, Sessa has landed roles in sequel ‘Now You See Me 3’, a drama about a real-life battle against a car towing company called ‘Tow’ and Christmas-themed comedy ‘Oh. What. Fun.’
When will ‘Tony’ be on screens?
While A24 is considering picking up the package, it has no official home yet, so a release date is a ways off. But if it all comes together and shoots this year, it could be out later in 2025.
Anthony Bourdain in ‘Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown’. Photo: CNN.
List of Anthony Bourdain’s Film and TV Appearances:
Giamatti has snagged a recurring role in the show as the first season’s main villain, who has a sinister connection to the past of one of the cadets.
This is what co-showrunners Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau had to say about the casting coup:
“Sometimes you’re lucky enough to discover that one of the greatest actors alive is also a huge ‘Star Trek’ fan, and meeting Paul was one of those miraculous moments for us. The sheer delight with which he dove in on ‘Starfleet Academy’ is only surpassed by the gratitude we feel about him joining our incredible cast.”
While most of the other character and story details are being kept behind a forcefield, we do know something of the show’s tone thanks to a previous comment by Landau:
“These are kids who’ve never had a red alert before. They never had to operate a transporter or be in a phaser fight.”
So, yes, lots of coming-of-age with high tech equipment appears likely with this one.
The sets being built for the new series apparently include featuring the largest contiguous one ever constructed for a ‘Star Trek’ series, a central academic atrium that will span two stories and include an amphitheater, classrooms, a mess hall, and an idyllic walkway lined with trees.
Holly Hunter will star as the Captain and Chancellor of the Academy set in the titular educational facility that trains crew and officers for the fleet.
Hunter’s Chancellor will be presiding over the faculty and the latest class of students to arrive at the academy.
Here’s Kurtzman and Landau on Hunter:
“It feels like we’ve spent our entire lives watching Holly Hunter be a stone-cold genius. To have her extraordinary authenticity, fearlessness, sense of humor, and across the board brilliance leading the charge on ‘Starfleet Academy’ is a gift to all of us, and to the enduring legacy of ‘Star Trek.’”
When will ‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’ be on screens?
While shooting is due to kick off later this summer in ‘Star Trek’s current TV production home of Toronto, Paramount+ has yet to confirm when it might appear on the streaming service.
(L to R) Jess Bush as Chapel, Celia Rose Gooding as Shura, Ethan Peck as Spock, Anson Mount as Pike, Rebecca Romijn as Una, Babs Olusanmokun as M’Benga, Christina Chong as La’an and Melissa Navia as Ortegas of ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,’ streaming on Paramount+, 2023. Photo: Pari Dukovic/Paramount+.
Paul Giamatti has agreed to star in a ‘Hostel’ TV series.
‘Hostel’ director Eli Roth is involved in the new show.
The show will update the horror concept.
Back in the mid-2000s, Eli Roth’s ‘Hostel’ horror movies were a big part of the “torture porn” horror movie wave that also included the ‘Saw’ franchise.
While the ‘Saw’ movies are sticking with the big screen, it appears ‘Hostel’ –– which last showed up on home entertainment –– is packing its bags and heading for TV.
With Roth back to co-write, produce and direct episodes of the show, the ‘Hostel’ series will feature ‘The Holdovers’ Oscar nominee Paul Giamatti in a key (but unknown) role.
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What’s the story of the ‘Hostel’ movies?
Jay Hernandez’s 2005’s ‘Hostel’. Photo: Lions Gate Films.
Originally released in 2005, written and directed by Roth, the first ‘Hostel’ follows a group of American tourists as they end up in Slovakia where they are eventually taken one-by-one by an organization that allows people to torture and kill others. It earned $82 million at the box office.
In the second movie, again directed by Roth and released in 2007, three American female art students in Rome are directed to a Slovak village where they are eventually kidnapped and taken to a facility in which rich clients pay to torture and kill people. That film added $36 million to the franchise’s coffers.
Finally, Roth handed the reins of the franchise over to Scott Spiegel, who directed the straight-to-DVD follow-up ‘Hostel: Part III’, released in 2011, following four men attending a bachelor party in Las Vegas. While there, they are enticed by two prostitutes to join them at a private party way off the Strip. Once there, they are horrified to find themselves the subjects of a perverse game of torture, where members of the Elite Hunting Club are hosting the most sadistic show in town.
The new series, according to The Hollywood Reporter, is apparently going to be a modern adaptation of the movie’s concept and its reinvention as an elevated thriller.
Paul Giamatti on his Eli Roth Connection
Paul Giamatti stars in ‘The Holdovers.’
This marks the first time that Roth and Giamatti have worked directly together, but it sprang from their first meeting years ago.
“Eli was shooting ‘Hostel’ in Prague, and I was shooting ‘The Illusionist’ and I met him. We talked about me actually killing somebody in that movie, but it never panned out.”
Director/Producer Eli Roth speaks at the Los Angeles Fan Screening for Tristar Pictures and Spyglass Media Group’s ‘Thanksgiving’ at Vista Theatre on November 14, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Stewart Cook/Getty Images for Sony Pictures.
While there is no other casting to report yet, the ‘Hostel’ series will see Roth reuniting with movie producers Chris Briggs and Mike Fleiss, with Briggs also co-writing the first script for the series.
When will the ‘Hostel’ series be on screens?
While the show has the backing of Fifth Season, the company that produces ‘Severance’ for Apple, ‘Hostel’ has yet to find a home on the small screen yet, since it’s still at the development stage. So we’ll have to wait and see if it makes a deal before a launch date is specified.
Ryan Gosling’s “I’m Just Ken” performance was a highlight.
After some rougher Oscar nights (slaps, snubs and that brave but ultimately disappointing low key pandemic version), 2024 very much represented a return to form for Hollywood’s Most Glittering Night™.
True, it got off to a controversial (and late) start when protestors advocating for a cease fire between Israel and Gaza disrupted attendees’ access to the Kodak Theater, but once the show was actually underway, it became something that most attendees and viewers recognized as a classic Academy Awards, for good and ill.
There were your typical annoyances –– many below-the-line craftspeople being played off far too soon by an orchestra who looked for all the world like they were in some sort of science fiction vessel. Some of the comedy banter fell flat. Not everything worked.
But for all the issues, there was an awful lot to like about the show, so we’ve rounded up some memorable moments…
In the sort of performance that would bring a smile to musical number specialist Busby Berkeley’s face, Ryan Gosling’s much-mooted performance of “I’m Just Ken” from ‘Barbie’ proved to be just as much of a showstopper as we’d all hoped it would be.
Kicking off in the audience as Gosling rose to start singing, he passed a charmed and giggling Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie –– who got in on singing along –– while amusing the likes of Emily Blunt and then the whole audience as he reached the stage and started a big production number of the song, complete with cutout cardboard Barbie heads and some of the movie’s other Kens (Simu Liu and Kingsley Ben-Adir among them), Guns N’ Roses’ Slash on guitar, plus a plethora of dancers joining him on stage for a memorable and hilarious highlight.
“I’m Just Ken” might not have won its Oscar (‘Barbie’s “What Was I Made For?” took the movie’s only award in that same category), but it won the night.
Presenting Best Costume Design, John Cena proved he’s easily among the most charismatic wrestlers-turned-actors out there, and even more adaptable than Dwayne Johnson. With Jimmy Kimmel cueing up talking of a streaker (one of the most infamous moments of Oscars past), there was a moment where it appeared Cena was having second thoughts about the comedy bit they’d come up with for him to present naked.
But nope, he arrived on stage in the buff (though reportedly with a modesty sling to hide things that can’t be shown on TV outside of HBO etc.), covering himself with the sealed Oscar envelope for the category. All in all, a moment of naked hilarity.
All right, so Emma Stone’s Best Actress triumph for her role in ‘Poor Things’ wasn’t a complete surprise; after all, she’d scooped other trophies. But following ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’s Lily Gladstone scoring the Screen Actors Guild award, the tide had turned in the native’s favor.
Still, it was Stone going on stage, seemingly shocked (did she have Gladstone on her Oscar ballot like many others?), making a heartfelt speech in which she praised her fellow nominees, thanked ‘Poor Things’ director Yorgos Lanthimos and even joked that her dressed, which had broken, had been ripped by her laughing at Gosling’s “I’m Just Ken” performance.
Jimmy Kimmel must have been sweating when Al Pacino, tasked with announcing the Best Picture category, abruptly skipped right past the traditional stage of listing the nominees and went straight to opening the envelope, like a child who can’t wait to tear into their Christmas present. “Here it comes… and my eyes see ‘Oppenheimer‘”.
Unlike “Moonlight-gate”, where Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty mistakenly announced ‘La La Land’ as Best Picture over actual victor ‘Moonlight’ in 2017 (Kimmel’s first hosting gig), Pacino had it right, Christopher Nolan’s movie capping a successful night where it picked up seven gongs. But in skipping over the nominees, Pacino certainly didn’t make for a highlight.
Old friends (and ‘Twins’ co-stars) Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito reunited for the second time this year (after their State Farm Super Bowl commercial) for a funny bit where they talked about playing Batman villains.
The highlight, DeVito pointed out Michael Keaton, the most famous of the movie Batman actors, who gamely played along, putting up his dukes as DeVito promised to start a fight after the Governor’s Ball. The only way it could have gone better is if George Clooney had shown up, since he was Schwarzenegger’s Bat-opponent.
Cue the classic, bombastic theme tune! ‘Godzilla: Minus One’, whose producers originally didn’t intend to submit for the Oscars as they didn’t think the film stood a chance of winning, actually went home with Best Visual effects.
The team showed up wearing custom Godzilla shoes and carrying adorable gold statuettes shaped like the classic character. Could the giant lizard himself have shown up to collect? We doubt the Kodak Theater could have accommodated him, sadly.
This year’s show brought back a segment that had been tried a few years ago where former winners paid tribute to current nominees. Nicolas Cage (who won in 1995 for ‘Leaving Las Vegas’) was enthusiastic in his praise for ‘The Holdovers’ Paul Giamatti, impressed with his dedication to wearing a false eye for his role as grouchy teacher Paul Hunham. “Would I have done that? Hell yes!” Cage said, going on to call Giamatti “brilliant”. The actor didn’t end up winning the trophy (‘Oppenheimer’s Cillian Murphy took Best Actor) but he must have felt like a winner in that moment.
The 96th Academy Award ceremony will take place on Sunday, March 10th on ABC.
Preview:
‘Oppenheimer’ dominated the 96th annual Academy Awards with wins for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor, while ‘Poor Things’ landed four Oscars, including Best Actress for Emma Stone.
‘Barbie,’ ‘The Zone of Interest,’ and ‘The Holdovers’ all nabbed awards as well, while ‘Killers of the Flower Moon,’ ‘Past Lives,’ and ‘Maestro’ were shut out.
Jimmy Kimmel hosted a smooth, mostly well-paced show, with a naked John Cena and Messi the dog pulling off the most entertaining bits.
Jimmy Kimmel once again hosted the broadcast, which began for the first time at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT – an hour earlier than usual – a shift that became grist for a handful of one-liners from the late-night comedian, who at point joked that so many viewers missed the first hour that the producers were going to restart the show.
If they had, viewers tuning in late would have gotten a chance to see an emotional acceptance speech from Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who notched the first prize of the evening, Best Supporting Actress, for her work in ‘The Holdovers.’ Randolph was one of several first-time nominees and winners, a list that included Cillian Murphy and ‘American Fiction’ screenwriter/director Cord Jefferson (winner for Best Adapted Screenplay), who admonished Hollywood, “Instead of making one $200 million movie, why not make 20 $10 million movies?”
Although Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas O’Connell won Best Song for the ‘Barbie‘ tune “What Was I Made For?” – making them the youngest two-time Oscar winners ever after triumphing in 2022 for their James Bond theme song ‘No Time to Die‘ – ‘Barbie’ itself was shut out the rest of the night, along with other high-profile contenders like ‘Killers of the Flower Moon,’ ‘Maestro,’ and ‘Past Lives.’ Perhaps the biggest shockers of the night were Stone’s win – since she was locked in a tight race with ‘Killers’ star Lily Gladstone – and the stunning Best Visual Effects win for ‘Godzilla Minus One,’ the surprise hit that notched the big green lizard’s first-ever Oscar.
In two of the evening’s more somber moments, a visibly nervous Jonathan Glazer – director of Best International Feature winner ‘The Zone of Interest’ – accepted his Oscar by noting that his film’s accounting of the Nazi horrors of the past was very much a reflection of the “dehumanization” of people in the present. The night’s other powerful moment came when ’20 Days at Mariupol’ – made in Ukraine literally as Russia’s horrific war against that country was underway – landed Best Documentary Feature. Director Mstyslav Chernov, almost overcome with emotion, said that while he was honored to accept Ukraine’s first Oscar, he “[wished] I would never make this film. I wish to be able to exchange this [for] Russia never attacking Ukraine, never occupying our cities.”
Among the evening’s other highlights were the testimonials by five previous winners in each of the acting categories for each one of the night’s nominees, featuring a star-studded roster than ranged from Nicolas Cage to Jessica Lange; Ryan Gosling’s anthemic performance of ‘I’m Just Ken,’ featuring Slash on lead guitar; Messi the dog (from ‘Anatomy of a Fall’) “clapping” for Robert Downey Jr.’s long-anticipated win; John Cena coming out naked to present Best Costume Design in a nod to an infamous 1974 incident in which a streaker ran onstage; and one of Kimmel’s closing bits, in which he read an apparently real social media post lambasting his performance from a certain former president. “Isn’t it past your jail time?” the host quipped, one of just two politically-tinged jokes in an otherwise placid and (much to the producers’ relief) scandal-free ceremony.
Nominated films include two of the biggest blockbusters of last year, ‘Oppenheimer’ and ‘Barbie,’ as well as critically acclaimed movies like ‘The Holdovers,’ ‘Killers of the Flower Moon,’ ‘Poor Things,’ and ‘Maestro.’
While ‘Oppenheimer’ seems poised to have a big night, and Robert Downey Jr. and Da’Vine Joy Randolph are virtual locks in their supporting categories, Best Actor is still a two-man race between Cillian Murphy and Paul Giamatti, with the Best Actress category too close to call between Lily Gladstone and Emma Stone.
Below are our predictions for who will win Oscars on Sunday at the 96th Academy Awards. We are only breaking down our predictions for the six major categories, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress.
Let’s Begin!
BEST PICTURE
Cillian Murphy is J. Robert Oppenheimer in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
This is probably the easiest category to call as it’s obvious that ‘Oppenheimer’ will win Best Picture. The film has won every major award so far including the Golden Globes, Critics Choice and a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast.
Considering the movie’s critical acclaim, box office achievements, domination during award season, and the overall love for director Christopher Nolan, it would seem like this is finally his year to win Best Picture and Best Director, but more on that in a minute.
While many fans are probably rooting for ‘Barbie’ to pull out a win, it doesn’t seem very likely at this point. ‘Oppenheimer’s biggest competition is probably ‘Killers of the Flower Moon,’ ‘Poor Things’ and possibly ‘The Holdovers,’ but again, it seems very unlikely that any of them will ultimately be able to best Nolan’s movie.
Who Could Win: ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ or ‘Poor Things’
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BEST DIRECTOR
Writer, director, and producer Christopher Nolan on the set of ‘Oppenheimer.’
If Best Picture is the easiest category to predict this year, then Best Director is the second easiest. Again, this is Christopher Nolan’s year!
Having won a Golden Globe, a Critics Choice Award, and the all-important DGA Award, Nolan is all but a lock to win his long-overdue first Best Director Oscar.
Nolan’s biggest competition is probably a nostalgia win from legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese, or a surprise win from ‘Poor Things’ Yorgos Lanthimos, but neither seem very likely. It would be quite a shock if Nolan does not end up winning this award.
Who Could Win: Martin Scorsese, ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’
BEST ACTOR
Cillian Murphy is J. Robert Oppenheimer in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
As mentioned earlier, this has become a two-man race between ‘Oppenheimer’s Cillian Murphy and ‘The Holdover’s Paul Giamatti.
Since the Golden Globes puts comedic performances in a separate category, both actors won, however Giamatti bested Murphy at the Critics Choice Awards. It seemed like Giamatti was the frontrunner, but with Murphy recently winning the all-important SAG award, I think this is now Murphy’s award to lose.
Since the actor’s branch of the Academy is who votes for this award, and they are also SAG members, you never want to bet against the SAG winner, as it is almost always a precursor of who will win on Oscar night. That doesn’t mean Giamatti is completely out, but the momentum is no longer on his side and with ‘Oppenheimer’ poised to have a big night, Murphy seems like the clear choice at this point.
(L to R) JaNae Collins, Lily Gladstone, Cara Jade Myers and Jillian Dion in ‘Killers of the Flower Moon,’ coming soon to Apple TV+.
In another category that seems too close to call, ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’s Lily Gladstone has a slight edge over ‘Poor Things’ Emma Stone.
Again, because the Golden Globes separates comedic and dramatic performances, both actresses won. But Stone won the Critics Choice Award, putting her in the frontrunner’s seat.
However, Gladstone recently won the all-important SAG Award, and again, since it’s basically the same group that votes for this category, I’d say she is now the frontrunner.
There has been some talk that Gladstone’s role is really a supporting performance, and that could hurt her chances of winning. But since Stone already has a Best Actress trophy for her work in ‘La La Land,’ I think Gladstone will end up being triumphant and that’s how the Academy will reward Scorsese’s movie.
Who Will Win: Lily Gladstone, ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’
Who Could Win: Emma Stone, ‘Poor Things’
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BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Robert Downey Jr is Lewis Strauss in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
This is an easy category to call, as this is clearly Robert Downey Jr.’s year too!
Having won the Golden Globe, Critics Choice and SAG Award, Downey has virtually no competition in this category and with ‘Oppenheimer’ poised to sweep most of its categories, Downey’s win is all but locked.
A surprise upset could possibly come from Ryan Gosling for his work in ‘Barbie,’ but it’s not very likely and it seems that Downey will be rewarded not only for ‘Oppenheimer’ but also for his famous career comeback and work creating the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In another locked category, Da’Vine Joy Randolph should end up winning for her work in ‘The Holdovers.’
Randolph has been winning all season, taking home a Golden Globe, Critics Choice and SAG Award for her work. This is probably how the Academy will reward Alexander Payne’s ‘The Holdovers,’ especially if Murphy ends up beating Giamatti.
She could have some competition from Emily Blunt, especially if ‘Oppenheimer’ sweeps, but otherwise it’s safe to say that Randolph should be practicing her acceptance speech now.
Motion Picture Cast, ‘Oppenheimer.’ Photo: Stewart Cook/Shutterstock for SAG.
Preview:
‘Oppenheimer’ dominated the movie section of the 2024 SAG Awards.
In the TV categories, ‘The Bear’ and ‘Beef were predictable winners.
The show was carried by Netflix for the first time.
This year’s Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony happened Saturday evening, and while they’re extremely limited in their Oscar prognostication (since this is all about acting), there were still few surprises, but shared love among a variety of movies and shows.
Perhaps the most unusual element was the venue –– not the location, but the fact that it is being carried live via Netflix after years on broadcast cable.
On the movie front, ‘Oppenheimer’ and ‘Barbie’ led the nominations, with the former taking Motion Picture Cast, Male Actor in a Leading Role for Cillian Murphy (does this point to him taking the Oscar instead of ‘The Holdovers’ Paul Giamatti?) and Male Actor in a Supporting Role for Robert Downey Jr. (who is a big Oscar favorite for playing Lewis Strauss in Christopher Nolan’s film). “Why me? Why now? Why do things seem to be going my way?,” RDJ quipped. “Unlike my fellow nominees, I will never grow tired from the sound of my own voice….”
(L to R) Male Actor in a Leading Role – Motion Picture, Cillian Murphy, ‘Oppenheimer’ – with Robert Downey Jr. 30th Screen Actors Guild Awards, Show, Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, USA – 24 Feb 2024. Photo by Christopher Polk/Shutterstock for SAG .
‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ only saw Lily Gladstone winning another award as Female Actor in a Lead Role, while ‘The Holdovers’ Da’Vine Joy Randolph added Female Actor in a Supporting Role to her considerable collection, pointing to her surely nabbing an Oscar next month.
TV-wise, there were even fewer shockers since the delayed Emmys and other shows had featured many of the same winners. So ‘The Bear’ duo Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri once again took the stage to collect trophies (both deserving winners, even though the debate remains as to whether the tension-filled show is truly a comedy), as well as being part of the series wining the Comedy ensemble award. ‘Succession’ meanwhile, nabbed the Drama Ensemble trophy.
A mild surprise given what has happened so far? Pedro Pascal took Male Actor in a Drama Series for ‘The Last of Us’, beating out ‘Succession’s Kieran Culkin. Pascal was typically charming, admitting he’d thought he was allowed to get a little drunk and concerned he was making a fool of himself.
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Motion Picture Cast, ‘Oppenheimer’ 30th Screen Actors Guild Awards, Show, Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, USA – 24 Feb 2024. Credit: Photo by Christopher Polk/Shutterstock for SAG.
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Male Actor in a Leading Role – Motion Picture, Cillian Murphy, ‘Oppenheimer’ 30th Screen Actors Guild Awards, Show, Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, USA – 24 Feb 2024. Credit: Photo by Christopher Polk/Shutterstock for SAG.
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Female Actor in a Leading Role – Motion Picture, Lily Gladstone, ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ 30th Screen Actors Guild Awards, Show, Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, USA – 24 Feb 2024. Photo by Christopher Polk/Shutterstock for SAG.
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Female Actor in a Comedy Series, Ayo Edebiri, ‘The Bear’ 30th Screen Actors Guild Awards, Show, Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, USA – 24 Feb 2024. Credit: Photo by Christopher Polk/Shutterstock for SAG.
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Male Actor in a Comedy Series, Jeremy Allen White, ‘The Bear’ 30th Screen Actors Guild Awards, Show, Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, USA – 24 Feb 2024. Credit: Photo by Christopher Polk/Shutterstock for SAG.
Jack Quaid and Zazie Beetz host the announcement of the 96th Oscars® nominations, on Tuesday, January 23, 2024.
Preview:
‘Oppenheimer’, ‘The Holdovers’ and ‘Past Lives’ are in contention for Oscars.
Greta Gerwig for direction and Margot Robbie as actress were surprising omissions.
The ceremony happens on March 10th
The 96th Academy Awards will be upon us in a couple of months, and the big film prize had actors Zazie Beetz and Jack Quaid announce its nominees for the various categories Tuesday morning.
Actor/Producer Margot Robbie attends the ‘Barbie’ Press Junket Photo Call at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA. Photo by Eric Charbonneau.
Christopher Nolan, who many are predicting will take home Best Director, saw ‘Oppenheimer’ dominate the nominations, as his story of the father of the atomic bomb earned 13 nods.
‘Poor Things’ was second with 11, while Martin Scorsese’s ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ earned 10 and ‘Barbie’ eight. Scorsese becomes the oldest and most nominated director, while his ‘Flower Moon’ actor Lily Gladstone is the first Native American acting nominee (star Leonardo DiCaprio, on the other hand, did not score a nomination).
Jack Quaid and Zazie Beetz host the announcement of the 96th Oscars® nominations, on Tuesday, January 23, 2024.
Here Are The Nominees:
BEST PICTURE
Cillian Murphy is J. Robert Oppenheimer in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
Bradley Cooper attends Netflix’s ‘Maestro’ LA special screening at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on December 12, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Photo: Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix.
‘Anatomy of a Fall’, Justine Triet and Arthur Harari
‘Society of the Snow’, Ana López-Puigcerver, David Martí and Montse Ribé
PRODUCTION DESIGN
Margot Robbie as Barbie in Warner Bros. Pictures’ ‘Barbie,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
‘Barbie’, production design: Sarah Greenwood; set decoration: Katie Spencer
‘Killers of the Flower Moon’, production design: Jack Fisk; set decoration: Adam Willis
‘Napoleon’, production design: Arthur Max; set decoration: Elli Griff
‘Oppenheimer’, production design: Ruth De Jong; set decoration: Claire Kaufman
‘Poor Things’, production design: James Price and Shona Heath; set decoration: Zsuzsa Mihalek
Film Editing
Editor Kevin Tent attends the Focus Features’ ‘The Holdovers’ Special Screening at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on October 23, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for Focus Features.
It will officially begin on January 23rd when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announce the Oscar nominees, with the 96th Oscars Ceremony scheduled for March 10th.
Moviefone is making its Oscar nomination predictions for the major categories including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress, ahead of the nominee announcements on January 23rd.
Let’s begin!
BEST PICTURE
Cillian Murphy is J. Robert Oppenheimer in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
Alexander Payne’s ‘The Holdover’ is a holiday dramedy set in the 1970s starring Paul Giamatti (‘Jungle Cruise’), Da’Vine Joy Randolph (‘Rustin’), and Dominic Sessa. Taking place at the elite Barton Academy, a history teacher, a school kitchen manager, and a student are stuck in the school and are forced to spend the holidays together. They form an interesting and unlikely bond as they learn more about each other.
This film reunited Academy Award winning director Alexander Payne with Paul Giamatti since their collaboration on ‘Sideways’, which was released almost 20 years ago in 2004.
The movie held its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on August 31, 2023. Following the positive reaction from Telluride attendees, the film was also screened at TIFF on September 10, 2023. It was released domestically on October 27, 2023. ‘The Holdovers’ is set to have its release in the UK on January 15, 2024.
With the film being in theaters for over 60 days, showings have become quite limited. However, you still have plenty of opportunities to view the movie from the comfort of your home. The film became available for streaming on Peacock on December 29, 2023.
The movie’s three leads find themselves in a different time in their lives. Mary Lamb (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) is mourning the loss of her son, Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti) is a grumpy history teacher disliked by students and fellow faculty, and Angus Tully, a student at Barton who is having a hard time coming to terms with the loss of his father, and his mother’s new relationship.
This unlikely trio is forced to spend the holidays at the Academy, and through this experience, though unpleasant at first, their eventual bond and appreciation for each other slowly help them come to terms with their hardship.
After its successful showings at Telluride and TIFF, buzz began to build around the movie, and as we head into award season, you can expect to see ‘The Holdovers’ be a part of the conversation.
At the 2024 Golden Globe Award, ‘The Holdovers’ was nominated for four awards: Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture, Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.
Paul Giamatti took home the award for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, making it his third Golden Globe win. Da’Vine Joy Randolph wins for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture, making it her first Golden Globe win.
Aside from the Golden Globe nomination and wins, ‘The Holdovers’ is touted to be a top contender during the upcoming Award season. For the 2024 Critics Choice Awards, it received eight nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Young Actor/Actress, Best Acting Ensemble, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Comedy.
We’ll be keeping an eye on ‘The Holdovers’ as the 94th Academy Awards approach.
When Will ‘The Holdovers’ Be Available On Blu-Ray?
The movie is currently available on VOD, but if you prefer physical media, you’re in luck. It was announced that ‘The Holdovers’ became available on DVD and Blu-ray on January 2, 2024. You can purchase it from retailers such as Amazon and Walmart.
The DVD and Blu-ray will include bonus features such as deleted scenes and featurettes such as “Working with Alexander” and “The Cast of The Holdovers.”
Watch the official trailers for ‘The Holdovers’ below:
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The official synopsis for ‘The Holdovers’ is below:
“’The Holdovers’ follows a curmudgeonly instructor at a New England prep school who is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go. Eventually, he forms an unlikely bond with one of them — a damaged, brainy troublemaker — and with the school’s head cook, who has just lost a son in Vietnam. Together, the three work to rediscover and redefine the meaning of “family.”
To watch our exclusive interviews with the cast of ‘The Holdovers,’ please click on the video player below.
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To watch our exclusive interviews with director Alexander Payne, writer David Hemingson, and editor Kevin Tent about ‘The Holdovers,’ please click on the video player below.
