Anora wins Oscar for Best Picture

Anora Released: May 21, 2024 Studio: Film Nation Entertainment, Cre Film Genre: romantic drama Box Office (numbers in millions): Domestic: 15.43 Worldwide: 34.95 Adjusted for Inflation: Domestic: -- Worldwide: --

Directing: Sean Baker Screenwriting: Sean Baker Starring: Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Yura Borisov, Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan, Aleksei Serebryako Review: Anora is a romantic drama produced, written, directed, and edited by Sean Baker. He said the movie was inspired by “a story from a friend about a Russian-American newlywed who was kidnapped for collateral.” WK He also used his own experience editing wedding videos from 2000-01, including some of Russian-Americans in New York. WK The title character (Madison) is a New York sex worker who meets Vanya (Eydelshteyn), the son of a Russian oligarch. After he pays her for several sexual encounters, he impulsively asks her to marry him and they elope in Vegas. His family is then determined to have the marriage annulled. “The film’s pace is frenetic” KM which “might overwhelm some people” KM but Anora is “a must-watch for cinema fans worldwide.” KM Baker knows how “to tell stories that feel real” and in Anora, “his most important film to date,” KM he does that with a “story filled with memorable characters and a main performance that is just magical.” KM The movie premiered at Cannes on May 21 where it won the Palme d’Or. It was released theatrically on October 18. Sources: KM Koimoi.com review by Nelson Acosta WK Wikipedia

Awards/Honors/Lists: Dave’s Movie Database Lists: Eras: Awards: Oscars: Wins: 5: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Madison), Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing Nominations: 6: Best Supporting Actor (Borisov) First posted 3/2/2025.

The Power of the Dog released

The Power of the Dog Released: September 2, 2021 Studio: Netflix Genre: Western Box Office (numbers in millions): Domestic: -- Worldwide: 0.27 Adjusted for Inflation: Domestic: -- Worldwide: --

Directing: Jane Campion Screenwriting: Jane Campion Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, Kodi Smit-McPhee Review: The Power of the Dog is a Western psychological drama based on Thomas Savage’s 1961 novel. Jane Campion adapted the screenplay and directed the movie. It was given a limited theatrical release before being streamed on Netflix. It “is a thought-provoking, deep study of (toxic) masculinity surrounded by exceptional performances and truly stunning cinematography.” MSB Brothers Phil (Cumberbatch) and George Burbank (Plemons) own a ranch in 1925 Montana. George “is a kind, decent, presentable man who treats women with the utmost respect,” MSB while Phil is “the epitome of a toxic male.” MSB They meet Rose Gordon (Dunst), an inn owner. George is taken with her and they marry but Phil dislikes her, certain she only wants his brother’s money. When her teenage son Peter (Smit-McPhee) “arrives at the ranch for the summer break that the story starts going through surprising developments with a clear, shocking outcome.” MSB Phil belittles him as effeminate in an effort to cover up his own homosexuality. “When their arcs cross paths, the movie offers some of the most captivating, tense moments of the entire runtime.” MSB “Campion takes the best out of her technical crew, using the award-worthy cinematography to pull the audience closer to the complex characters. The dark, cold interiors contrast with the broad, breathtaking landscapes in a remarkable fashion.” MSB Sources: MSB MSB Reviews WK Wikipedia

Awards/Honors/Lists: Dave’s Movie Database Lists: Eras: Awards: Oscars: Wins: 1. Best Director Nominations: 12. Best Picture, Best Actor (Cumberbatch), Best Supporting Actor (Plemons), Best Supporting Actor (Smit-McPhee), Best Supporting Actress (Dunst), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, Best Production Design, Best Sound First posted 3/2/2025.

Nomadland, the eventual Best Picture Oscar winner, released

Nomadland Released: September 11, 2020 Studio: Highwayman, Hear/Say Productions, Cor Cordium Productions, Searchlight Pictures Genre: drama Box Office (numbers in millions): Domestic: 3.70 Worldwide: 39.46 Adjusted for Inflation: Domestic: -- Worldwide: --

Directing: Chloé Zhao Screenwriting: Chloé Zhao Starring: Frances McDormand Review: Frances McDormand stars “as a widow who leaves her life in Nevada to travel around the United States in her van as a nomad” WK in this “docu-fictional hybrid” GN based on Jessica Bruder’s 2017 non-fiction book Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century. The movie captures a sad “a new phenomenon: America’s 60- and 70-something generation whose economic future was shattered by the 2008 crash. They are grey-haired middle-class strivers reduced to poverty who can’t afford to retire but can’t afford to work while maintaining a home. So they have become nomads, a new American tribe roaming the country in camper vans in which they sleep, looking for seasonal work.” GN However, the movie also shows “that, along with the hardship and the heartache, there is also serenity in this way of life, even a kind of euphoria – without the burdens of a house and possessions you can have a glorious and very American freedom in the lost tradition of Emerson and Twain.” GN The movie was written, produced, directed, and edited by Chloé Zhao. She became only the second woman to win an Oscar for Best Director and the first Asian woman. She was also the first to be nominated in four categories in a single year. Sources: GN The Guardian movie review by Peter Bradshaw WK Wikipedia

Awards/Honors/Lists: Dave’s Movie Database Lists: Awards: Oscars: Wins: 3. Best Picture, Best Director (Chloé Zhao), Best Actress (McDormand) Nominations: 6. Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Cinematography First posted 3/1/2025.