My former Creative Loafing editor Kristi York Wooten invited our site to provide commentary during the week leading up to the Sunday, March 2, 2025 Academy Awards.
Here’s a link to Georgia Public Broadcasting story and segments, featuring the latest and greatest predictions following the SAG and BAFTA ceremonies. Undoubtedly, there will be more surprises!
https://www.gpb.org/news/2025/02/27/gpbs-oscar-predictions-who-will-win-at-the-2025-academy-awards
Are we all now leaning toward Conclave vs. Anora? What a chaotic season after SAG Awards shifted the picture and actor races yet again! Here’s our latest discussion. Tune in Sunday, March 2, 2025 at 7:00pm Eastern for the ABC telecast.
ENZO is rolling out the red carpet for an Oscars Viewing Party on Sunday, March 2, 2025. Celebrating the glitz and glam of Hollywood’s biggest night in the heart of the Town at Trilith, you’re invited to make a grand entrance on the red carpet with professional photographers capturing every timeless moment.
Beginning at 6:00 pm, sip on complimentary bubbly and mingle with fellow fashion and cinema enthusiasts before the 97th Academy Awards. Benefiting Two Sparrows Village, the annual Oscars Viewing Party will feature a hearty array of Chef Andrea Montobbio’s favorite offerings, movie-inspired cocktails, and more. Master of ceremonies and Silver Screen Capture film correspondent Stephen Michael Brown will host competitive giveaways, featuring ENZO gift cards and coveted movie memorabilia as prizes during the 7:00 pm telecast.
Tickets — $100 per person and include complimentary glass of Prosecco, two drink tickets and food — are available here: https://enzo-itl.com/experience/enzos-oscars-viewing-party-2/
Photo credit: Chucky Kahng
A cursed curio and two vengeful twins are the Maine attraction in the latest adaptation of a classic Stephen King short story. The Monkey (B-), the latest horror film by Osgood Perkins, explores childhood trauma through the eyes of actor Theo James in dual roles as bickering brothers in possession of an organ grinder wind-up toy monkey capable of causing a spontaneous and usually grisly death with each turn of his key. Also this primate plaything doesn’t take requests, even when someone wishes someone else dead. The burden of ownership of the drumming monkey weighs heavily on the back of the nicer brother throughout life and especially on a father son roadtrip with his own estranged son. The film’s off-kilter humor and general sense of nihilism underscore the sometimes sheer randomness of why freak accidents happen. The film’s kills are abundant and inventive even if the overall content is as threadbare as its titular toy’s red vest. The final showdown is a bit sloppy, and the conclusion slightly unsatisfying. But the movie is generally a brisk ride and shines brightest when staring most deeply into sinister terrain. Despite matinee idol looks, Theo James does a nifty job in his often unhinged, goofy roles. Perkins deftly mixes suspense and silliness in this dark lark, building on a Gremlins and Final Destination style tradition.
My FilmThirst video review: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT25FceFC/
In 60 seconds, we reveal what we think will win in the top categories at the Academy Awards ceremony March 2, 2025.
The 35th Marvel Cinematic Universe film mixes Tom Clancy style espionage with the increasingly complicated trappings of serialized superheroism, and the whole hulking smash-up faces an identity and creativity crisis. Julius Onah’s Captain America: Brave New World (C) chronicles two characters in the honeymoon periods of newfound careers: Harrison Ford as newly elected and problematic U.S. President Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross and Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson who assumes the mantle of the Captain America persona with a touch of imposter syndrome. A proposed team-up between commander-in-chief and the newly coronated Cap is quickly jeopardized by a series of meddling menaces plus raiders of a lost “adamantium” element that proves to be a MacGuffin most mid. The story fails to transport viewers to interesting places despite the fact that one location is intriguingly titled Celestial Island and then not developed in the slightest. Conversely the production devotes multiple minutes to a junkyard fight and one single row of cherry blossom trees shot from various angles. A presidential security advisor played by Shira Haas is furnished limited lines when there could have been a smart political subtext unfolding. Danny Ramirez coasts on charisma as Joaquin Torres/Falcon, a sidekick who’s both silly and sentimental and generally the most genuinely entertaining part of the movie. The action sequences move fast, largely masking any real momentum, while generally the film’s pace crawls. Much of this installment plays out like a chore with phoned-in performances, despite the participation of multiple past Oscar nominees. Ford and Mackie are game for the drama, but the temperamental POTUS and the bearer of the shield can only wield so much life out of this flimsy episode.
My “FilmThirt” persona reviews this movie on TikTok:
A genre defying film that’s part romance, part satire, part horror, part fantasy, part whodunit and parts unknown, Drew Hancock’s Companion (B+) confronts the dynamics of modern relationships in fierce and twisty ways. Set in a lavish weekend getaway mountain home, the gathered ensemble is game for the occasion: Sophie Thatcher as a troubled companion to everyman Jack Quaid; Lukas Gage and Harvey Guillen as blissful gay partners; and Megan Suri as unconventional gangster moll to a mysterious and married Rupert Friend. Some secrets and blood are spilled in a story that will keep people guessing. The narrative gleefully continues to reframe itself as more layers are revealed. Viewers also discover a technology component capable of shifting the characters’ destinies. Hancock has a good deal of creativity up his sleeve as gender and power dynamics unfurl in his wily wilderness. Thatcher is a natural as a character getting a strange feeling about her vacation mates, and Quaid gives off an effortless affable quality. The film is not so terribly bloody or scary as to keep away the casually curious. It does, however, lose a little steam toward the end. Overall this unassuming and brisk movie will reward those seeking a mainstream film with some thematic travels down some surprising paths.
Here’s some spoiler-free fan art I made with the Leonardo.AI app after contemplating the movie a while:
I spoke with the Academy Awards class taught by Dr. Amber Hutchins at Kennesaw State University this week to discuss a variety of topics about the very volatile 2025 Oscars!
High school speech makers prove the power of the podium in Jennifer Tiexiera and Guy Mossman’s moving documentary Speak. (A). By telling the behind-the-scenes stories of a quintet of top-ranked students in the national speech and debate category called “original oratory” in which they deliver the teenage equivalent of TED Talks, viewers get an insider look at the purpose and passions of the next generation. Chronicling nearly a year of one of the world’s largest and most intense public speaking competitions also means a fascinating glimpse into the family dynamics, lives and loves and heartland hobbies driving these talented young people. Snippets of some of the subjects’ best original works prove very inspiring. The race to the championship may not match the pace or profit of high school sports, but the impact proves undeniable after watching these kids in action.
This film will be presented at the Atlanta Film Festival April 26 at 4:30 p.m. at The Tara. Tickets available here.
In the grand cinematic tradition of voyeurs becoming involved with their subjects, two unlikely men assume the archetypal roles in Carmen Emmi’s Plainclothes (B). Set in ‘90s New York, a working-class undercover officer (Tom Blyth) is tasked with entrapping and apprehending gay men, only to find himself drawn to one of his targets, portrayed by Russell Tovey. The acts of surveillance – especially footage in VHS and CCTV forms – add texture to Emmi’s creative and intimate camera work. Blyth is the fascinating find here; he’s absorbing to observe when both stoic and displaying utter yearning. There are lovely set pieces ranging from a matinee movie palace to a botanical garden greenhouse adding atmosphere to the furtive romance. Despite good performances, some plot elements feel routine, and the central leads’ familial stakes are largely given short shrift. Overall it’s a good watch.
Oscar nominations are tomorrow morning. Here are my predictions for what will make the Academy’s nomination list in all categories for 2024 movies being honored March 2, 2025. Can’t wait to be wrong on some choices! Then phase two of voting will commence!
THE BEST PICTURE TEN
All We Imagine is Light
Anora
The Brutalist
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
September 5
The Substance
Wicked
BEST DIRECTOR
Jacques Audiard, Emilia Pérez
Sean Baker, Anora
Edward Berger, Conclave
Brady Corbet, The Brutalist
Coralie Fargeat, The Substance
BEST ACTRESS
Cynthia Erivo, Wicked
Karla Sofía Gascón, Emilia Pérez
Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hard Truths
Mikey Madison, Anora
Demi Moore, The Substance
BEST ACTOR
Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet, A Complete Unknown
Colman Domingo, Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes, Conclave
Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Michele Austin, Hard Truths
Jamie Lee Curtis, The Last Showgirl
Ariana Grande, Wicked
Isabella Rossellini, Conclave
Zoe Saldaña, Emilia Pérez
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain
Edward Norton, A Complete Unknown
Guy Pearce, The Brutalist
Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice
Stanley Tucci, Conclave
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Emilia Pérez
Nickel Boys
Wicked
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Anora
The Brutalist
Hard Truths
A Real Pain
The Substance
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Brutalist
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Nickel Boys
Nosferatu
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Conclave
Gladiator II
Nosferatu
The Substance
Wicked
BEST FILM EDITING
Anora
The Brutalist
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
A Different Man
Nosferatu
The Substance
Wicked
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
The Brutalist
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Nosferatu
Wicked
BEST SCORE
The Brutalist
Challengers
Conclave
Emilia Pérez
The Wild Robot
BEST SONG
“El Mal,” Emilia Pérez
“The Journey,” The Six Triple Eight
“Kiss the Sky,” The Wild Robot
“Never Too Late,” Elton John: Never Too Late
“Sick in the Head,” Kneecap
BEST SOUND
A Complete Unknown
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
The Substance
Wicked
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Better Man
Dune: Part Two
Gladiator II
Twisters
Wicked
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Flow
Inside Out 2
Memoir of a Snail
Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
The Wild Robot
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Daughters
No Other Land
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
Sugarcane
Will and Harper
BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
Emilia Pérez
Flow
I’m Still Here
Kneecap
The Seed of the Sacred Fig
BEST ANIMATED SHORT
A Bear Named Wojtek
Beautiful Men
A Crab in the Pool
Wander to Wonder
Yuck!
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Death by Numbers
I Am Ready, Warden
Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World
Once Upon a Time in Ukraine
A Swim Lesson
BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT
Anuja
Dovecote
The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent
The Masterpiece
An Orange from Jaffa
The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival (AJFF) will present 50 films celebrating the diversity of Jewish experiences around the globe for its 25th year. From curated feature films with unexpected titles such as Guns & Moses and Sabbath Queen to documentaries about the likes of controversial German filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl and Oscars original song favorite Diane Warren, there are movies of a variety of genres in this year’s lineup.
The festival’s opening night event includes the Atlanta premiere of the NYC-set ensemble screwball comedy Bad Shabbos at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. Special guests include stars Kyra Sedgwick, Jon Bass, Cliff “Method Man” Smith, Milayna Vayntrub, Meghan Leathers and Theo Taplitz along with director and writer Daniel Robbins and producer Adam Mitchell.
This year’s lineup includes the world premiere of Charles Grodin: Rebel with a Cause and the North American premiere of Eid, the critically-acclaimed first major dramatic feature by a Bedouin-Israeli filmmaker. Highlighting themes such as LGBTQIA+ stories, women’s empowerment, world conflicts and intersectionality, the festival explores the global Jewish experience and its connections to diverse communities, welcoming audiences from all backgrounds.
The AJFF Closing Night & Awards Show March 5 at the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center will include Jury Award presentations, noshing over a dessert reception and the Atlanta premiere of Brazil’s life-affirming road trip movie Cheers to Life with director Cris D’Amato and producer Julio Uchoa in attendance.
The 2025 festival also celebrates iconic star Jerry Lewis with screenings showcasing his artistic range: the Southeast premiere of the documentary From Darkness to Light, which explores the troubled production of The Day the Clown Cried, the notorious lost Holocaust movie that haunted him for years; and a digital restoration of 1960’s The Bellboy. Jerry’s son, Christopher J. Lewis, will join Q&As and book signings, offering a personal glimpse into his father’s life and lasting influence.
The festival will return to venues across Atlanta, also including Springs Cinema & Taphouse Georgia Theatre Company Merchants Walk, the historic Plaza and the Tara Theatre. An additional 10-day streaming window from March 7-16, 2025 offers access to 21 features and 14 short films, extending reach to all Georgia residents.
Founded in 2000, the AJFF is one of the largest cultural events of its kind in the world, celebrating the power of film to foster understanding, dialogue and collaboration.
Tickets are now on sale to AJFF members and available to the general public Feb. 5. Visit AJFF.org or call the box office at 678-701-6104 for details on all the movies, talk-backs, events and guests planned for the festival.
