DALLAS — It always happens. Every year, obvious Oscar nominees get snubbed.
This time around, it was "Barbie" that got robbed. Sure, the film hauled in an impressive eight nominations overall. But nominators still missed out on a Best Director nod for Greta Gerwig and a Best Leading Actress nomination for Margot Robbie.
So, the film about feminism gets its top women overlooked in top spots.
Yeesh.
Let’s not forget, the whole thing was Margot's idea! Or that Gerwig directed the highest-grossing movie of the year world-wide. Thankfully, they are both represented elsewhere -- Greta for Best Adapted Screenplay, and Margot as a producer for Best Picture.
Don't get me wrong, Ryan Gosling absolutely deserved his Supporting Actor nod. And, if I had a vote, "I'm Just Ken" would win Best Original Song.
But to pass over those creative ladies in the other categories is a little crazy to me.
Still, I'm thrilled that my favorite little film of the year, the bittersweet romance "Past Lives," eked out two nominations this year for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.
Alas, apparently, it takes an atomic bomb to get truly noticed: "Oppenheimer" leads the pack with 13 nominations.
Speaking of long movies, the historical drama "Killers of the Flower Moon" earned 10 nominations this year. But, once again, but Leo DiCaprio is not on the list for Best Actor. Nor was the Adapted Screenplay recognized.
That's another pair of misses in my book.
Another top nominee, the fantastical "Poor Things," deserves every one of its 11 nods -- and could give "Barbie" a run for her money in some of the non-acting categories.
We'll have more on all of this during Oscars Week.
By the way, local film fans: Angelika Film Centers in Dallas and Plano have brought back the Best Picture nominees to theaters in case you missed them on the big screen.
MASTERS OF THE AIR
January is generally where movies go to die.
As such, new offerings are pretty much R.I.P. this week, except for the Oscar-nominated international feature, "The Teacher's Lounge."
So, let's hit a much-anticipated streamer well worth your time, instead: "Masters of the Air", which is based on the book by Donald L. Miller.
After more than a decade, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman -- who were behind the critically-acclaimed "Band of Brothers" and "The Pacific" -- are back with a third installment honoring the fighting men of World War Two.
With war on land and sea covered, this limited series takes to the air. Here, Austin Butler ("Elvis") and Callum Turner ("The Boys in the Boat") lead a huge ensemble cast as Maj. Gale Cleven and Maj. John Egan. They play best buddies and decorated leaders of the U.S. Army Air Forces' 100th Bomb Squadron based in England. Nicknamed 'Buck' and 'Bucky,' one's the strong silent type and the other's gregarious. Both actors are perfectly cast.
Another standout, to no one's surprise, is Barry Keogan bringing the swagger as fierce pilot Lt. Curtis Biddick.
I would have liked even more personal backstory for these and other characters, but there's just so much time, and this does run nine episodes.
Goetzman says this project is the executive producers’ biggest, and it shows. The aerial combat scenes are incredibly visual and visceral. The bomber group was known as the 'Bloody Hundredth' (because the men had a better chance of dying than returning home), and that speaks to the patriotism of the incredible veterans, to whom we owe so much.
That this series honors their legacy is a gift to their families and to all of us. "Masters of the Air" more than earns its wings.
The first two episodes are now streaming on Apple TV+. The remaining nine, on Fridays after that.
ALSO NOW STREAMING:
- Sofia Vergara as a Colombia drug kingpin in "Griselda" (series on Netfiix)
- Nicole Kidman dealing with family drama in "Expats" (series on Prime Video)
- Snoop Dogg as a washed-up sports star in "The Underdoggs" (movie on Prime Video)
- Tom Cruise in the action-packed "Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning - Part One" (movie on Paramount+)
More movie reviews:
