A peculiar 2021 movie year semi-officially comes to an end with the 2022 Academy Awards. This morning the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced their much anticipated nominees for this year’s Oscars. As is the case every year, this batch has its share of surprises – a few good, plenty of bad, and some that are downright perplexing. Needless to say they’ve left us with plenty to talk about. Here are a few random thoughts about the 2022 Oscar nominations.

• It was a big morning for “Dune” which I loved to see. It ended the morning with a total of 10 Oscar nominations. It was my favorite movie of the year so clearly no arguments here.
• Except in Best Director! How on earth did Denis Villeneuve not get a directing nomination for “Dune”? It scores a nod in so many other eligible category but not Best Director? Anderson for “Licorice Pizza”? Hamaguchi for “Drive My Car”? But no Villenueve? (enter eye-rolling emoji here).
• And how the heck was Leslie Jordan pronouncing Denis Villenueve’s name??? Not Snoop Dog level bad but close.
• While I’m on the subject of egregious omissions, Caitriona Balfe misses out on a Supporting Actress nomination. It’s a baffling snub considering how she has earned nominations at nearly every other awards season stop. Not to mention, her performance was sublime. Easily among the year’s best. The category loses some of its credibility without her there.
• Speaking of Supporting Actress, the Academy gave a nomination to Balfe’s “Belfast” co-star Judy Dench. Don’t get me wrong, Dench was great, but over Balfe? What am I missing?
• So I’m guessing the Academy members forgot to watch “Mass”?
• To no surprise, “The Power of the Dog” led the way with 12 total nominations. It seems to have the wind at its back heading into Oscar night. Can’t say I agree with all the buzz surrounding it, but hearing its named called so often this morning was no surprise.
• Will anyone beat Jane Campion for Best Director.
• Bummer to see no Peter Dinklage nod for his brilliant work in “Cyrano”. He absolutely should have been included in the Best Actor race.
• “Drive My Car” became a popular Oscar pick on social media, and it seems to have gotten the push it needed. The Japanese road-trip movie won nominations for Best Picture, Directing, Adapted Screenplay, and International Feature. It’s a good movie. Still not convinced it’s a great one.
• I miss Dick Poop.
• Denzel Washington gets his tenth Oscar nomination for his incredible performance in “The Tragedy of Macbeth”. I hope he wins. He should win.
• Back to Supporting Actress, Ariana DeBose continues to be the front-runner and for good reason. She is spectacular in “West Side Story”. It would be a stunner if she doesn’t win the award.
• Oh, and Jessie Buckley gets nominated for “The Lost Daughter”. High Five!
• Speaking of “West Side Story” (and going back to glaring omissions), Mike Faist gets shut out of the Supporting Actor category. While he has received a little love throughout awards season, I still feel this is one of the more underappreciated performances of the year. He absolutely deserves a nomination.
• Jesse Plemons instead of Faist? I’m a Plemons fan and he was good in “The Power of the Dog”. But it wasn’t a performance that (dare I say) stood out. In fact, he vanishes for a huge chunk of the second half. Compare that to Faist who was a powerful presence throughout “West Side Story”.
• LOVED seeing “Nightmare Alley” getting a Best Picture nomination. It’s a movie that seems to have slipped under too many radars, but I’m so glad the Academy recognized it.
• One last thing on Supporting Actress (I promise), I was really hoping for a Cate Blanchett nomination for “Nightmare Alley”. What a scene-stealer.
• Too much “Don’t Look Up”! I get the feeling Adam McKay must have a lot of friends in the voting ranks. I actually liked “Don’t Look Up” better than most of his films. But Best Picture? Best Original Screenplay? Nope.
• And too much “Licorice Pizza”. I know there is a strong ‘PTA can do no wrong’ sentiment, but this was a pretty good but not great movie. And that’s not even counting the story’s inherent ickiness that some (including the Academy apparently) have found ways to gloss over.
• I know some people were fussing, but I loved seeing J.K. Simmons nominated in Supporting Actor for “Being the Ricardos”. I thought he was a hoot.
• While I’m glad Bradley Cooper didn’t get a nod for “Licorice Pizza” (he was hilarious but sorry, it was a cameo), I would have loved to see him slip into the Best Actor group for “Nightmare Alley”.
• I hate to sound so negative, but absolutely nothing for Asghar Farhadi’s “A Hero”? Talk about a movie that deserved at the very least an International Feature Film nomination. To be honest, I can come up with several other categories it deserved to be in. Sad.
• Great seeing CODA get some love this morning. I don’t expect it to win anything, but it’s great to see this small but delightful movie get several mentions
• And how can you not be happy for Troy Kotsur?
• Nothing for “The French Dispatch”? Not even Production Design or Score?
• There was much Twitter concern of Kristen Stewart getting snubbed for Best Actress. To be honest, there was reason to be concerned following the SAG and the Globes. But she did indeed get a nomination, and I think she’s legitimately in the mix to win.
• I love how “Belfast” gets under so many people’s skin. I adore the movie and think it deserves every nomination it received. At the same time, it kinda feels like one of those movies that gets a lot of nominations but doesn’t take many home (especially after Balfe’s criminal snub).
• “King Richard” had a bigger showing than I expected, picking up nominations for Best Picture, Actor, Supporting Actress, and Original Screenplay.
• So the Jared Leto saga can end (at least for this year). No nomination for him and little overall for Ridley Scott’s “House of Gucci”.
• Was anyone else surprised to see “tick, tick…BOOM!” get nominated in Best Editing? I liked but didn’t love the film and can’t remember much about the editing other than when it killed the film’s most emotional scene. Oh well.
• Costume Design is such a strong category this year. All nominees deserve recognition, but I really wish “Spencer” could have made the cut.
• Wordsmith Aaron Sorkin seemed to be a lock for a screenplay nomination for “Being the Ricardos” but not this year.
• “The Mitchells vs The Machines” is not only worthy of a nomination, it deserves to win.
• Tony Kushner really should’ve gotten a Best Adapted Screenplay nod for “West Side Story”.

Here is the full list of this year’s nominees….

Best Picture
Belfast
Coda
Don’t Look Up
Drive My Car
Dune
King Richard
Licorice Pizza
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog
West Side Story

Best Directing
Kenneth Branagh, Belfast
Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Drive My Car
Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice Pizza
Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog
Steven Spielberg, West Side Story

Best Actor
Javier Bardem, Being the Ricardos
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog
Andrew Garfield, tick, tick…BOOM!
Will Smith, King Richard
Denzel Washington, The Tragedy of Macbeth

Best Actress
Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Olivia Colman, The Lost Daughter
Penélope Cruz, Parallel Mothers
Nicole Kidman, Being the Ricardos
Kristen Stewart, Spencer

Best Supporting Actor
Ciarán Hinds, Belfast
Troy Kotsur, Coda
Jesse Plemons, The Power of the Dog
J.K. Simmons, Being the Ricardos
Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog

Best Supporting Actress
Jessie Buckley, The Lost Daughter
Ariana DeBose, West Side Story
Judi Dench, Belfast
Kirsten Dunst, The Power of the Dog
Aunjanue Ellis, King Richard

Best Adapted Screenplay
Coda
Drive My Car
Dune
The Lost Daughter
The Power of the Dog

Best Original Screenplay
Belfast
Don’t Look Up
King Richard
Licorice Pizza
The Worst Person in the World

Best International Feature Film
Drive My Car
Flee
The Hand of God
Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom
The Worst Person in the World

Best Animated Feature Film
Encanto
Flee
Luca
The Mitchells vs. the Machines
Raya and the Last Dragon

Best Cinematography
Dune
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog
The Tragedy of Macbeth
West Side Story

Best Costume Design
Cruella
Cyrano
Dune
Nightmare Alley
West Side Story

Best Documentary Feature
Ascension
Attica
Flee
Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
Writing With Fire

Best Documentary Short Subject
Audible
Lead Me Home
The Queen of Basketball
Three Songs for Benazir
When We Were Bullies

Best Film Editing
Don’t Look Up
Dune
King Richard
The Power of the Dog
tick, tick…BOOM!

Best Production Design
Dune
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog
The Tragedy of Macbeth
West Side Story

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Coming 2 America
Cruella
Dune
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
House of Gucci

Best Visual Effects
Dune
Free Guy
No Time to Die
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Spider-Man: No Way Home

Best Sound
Belfast
Dune
No Time to Die
The Power of the Dog
West Side Story

Best Original Score
Don’t Look Up
Dune
Encanto
Parallel Mothers
The Power of the Dog

Best Original Song
“Be Alive,” King Richard
“Dos Oruguitas,” Encanto
“Down to Joy,” Belfast
“No Time to Die,” No Time to Die
“Somehow You Do,” Four Good Days

Best Animated Short Film
Affairs of the Art
Bestia
Boxballet
Robin Robin
The Windshield Wiper

Best Live-Action Short Film
Ala Kachuu — Take and Run
The Dress
The Long Goodbye
On My Mind
Please Hold

(CLICK HERE to read my full essay on the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

For movie fans, awards season should be fun. It’s the time when we get to focus on movies, specifically those considered by many to be the best from the previous year. It’s when regional critics groups around the country dole out their lists of big winners. It’s when we watch as voters for BAFTA, SAG, Critics Choice, the Golden Globes, and the Academy Awards (among others) hand out gaudy statues to their favorites films, performances, and so on.

In non-pandemic years, the bigger and often-televised celebrations of movies come with posh, over-the-top, red carpet extravagance, where questions like “Who are you wearing?” are as prevalent as “Tell me about your movie.” Meanwhile we critics are sent everything from massive coffee table books to metal flasks with shot glasses from studios promoting their films during awards season.

But deep down it’s all about the movies (or at least it should be). It’s all about celebrating the people in front of and behind the cameras who impressed us the most. I know for some it’s almost passé to say you enjoy awards season. After all, putting together Top 10 lists, predicting the big winners, watching on Oscar night – it all means little when it comes to the subjective notion of the year’s “best” movie or performance. Still, there’s value to be found in these silly albeit long-running entertainment rituals.

If you frequent the mercurial wildlands of social media it may be hard to tell whether people enjoy awards season or not. In fact, there seems to be a growing urge to critique and criticize everything from the nominees to how the nominations are announced. It’s hard to tell whether folks take these things too seriously or if they find complaining more fun than the movies themselves.

But make no mistake, there is plenty to be excited about this awards season. Take “The Power of the Dog”, an unconventional Western from Netflix that has a lot of Best Picture momentum. And its director, Jane Campion seems to be the front-runner for Best Director. Prior to this year, only two women have ever won an Oscar for directing. A Campion win would be the third and second in a row following Chloé Zhao’s 2021 achievement.

Then you have “West Side Story”, Steven Spielberg’s surprisingly glorious adaptation of Leonard Bernstein’s classic musical. There are so many ways this movie could have failed. But after big wins at the Golden Globes, 11 Critics Choices nominations, and Ariana DeBose winning every Supporting Actress award under the sun, “West Side Story” is a legitimate and worthy contender to “The Power of the Dog”.

And what about Kenneth Branagh’s heartfelt and heartbreaking “Belfast”? It too received 11 Critics Choice nominations and is viewed as a potential big winner. But while it does have a passionate following, unfortunately “Belfast” finds itself as this year’s designated punching bag, fashionably dismissed by too many as little more than a feel-good crowd-pleaser. Could it be one of those films that racks up the nominations but wins little? Personally, I’d love to see it ruffle a few feathers on Oscar night.

There are several other compelling storylines unfolding. For example, “Drive My Car” – a three-hour Japanese road drama that has gathered steam as it has made its way through critics circles. Could it pull a “Parasite” and sneak into the Best Picture race? And Kristen Stewart, a sure-fire Oscar nominee coming out of Venice but who has since lost the Golden Globe to Nicole Kidman and missed out on a SAG nomination altogether. Suddenly her Oscar chances are completely up in the air.

Those are the types of conversations that make awards season such a blast. And while crowning any one movie or performance as the year’s definitive “best” is an impossible undertaking, these things still “matter”. In most cases the winners will be added to a long and esteemed list. Many will see boosts to their careers and opportunities opened up that they would have never had before.

So here are a couple of tips going into awards season. 1) Don’t take them too seriously. 2) Keep your focus on what’s most important – the movies. They’re what brings smiles to our faces and tears to our eyes. They transport us to distant worlds and force us to wrestle with our own. They can warm our hearts or trouble our souls. They can be funny, scary, thrilling, or romantic. Movies do all these things and more. So let’s kick back and enjoy the celebration.

If you have followed my Sundance 2022 coverage you probably already know that I was a huge fan of “After Yang”, the new film from Kogonada. In many ways it’s the perfect followup to the filmmaker’s 2017 feature film debut, “Columbus”. Both films are thoughtful and moving meditations and both feature Kogonada’s easy narrative rhythm and elegant poetic visual style.

“After Yang” was high on my ‘most anticipated’ list and it delivered exactly what I hoped for. This endearing yet melancholy story of a family working through the sudden loss of their android turns out to be a deeper reflection on humanity, life, family, and finding your place in the world. I won’t rehash my review, but I loved the film and now A24 has released its first trailer. It has me even more excited to see it again.

“After Yang” is believed to be heading towards a March 4th release although the trailer simply says “coming soon”. Regardless, check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

I’ll say it again – I hate this current trend where horror movie sequels rehash the same title as the original film in their franchise. “Halloween” did it. “Scream” just did it. And now “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” is doing it (they actually did it back in 2003, but that was a remake rather than a sequel). This latest slasher flick comes courtesy on Netflix. And while I can’t say we really needed a new TCM, I gotta admit the new trailer looks pretty cool.

Directed by David Blue Garcia and written by Chris Thomas Devlin, this incarnation of “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” was conceived by Fede Álvarez and Rodo Sayagues, the Uruguayan duo behind the “Evil Dead” remake and “Don’t Breathe”. The film is considered a sequel to the classic 1974 original film and sees Leatherface once again after some unfortunate travelers. But this time someone comes to their rescue – Sally Hardesty, the lone survivor of the ’74 movie. Will this be good? I don’t know. Am I going to give it a shot? Absolutely!

“Texas Chainsaw Massacre” premieres on Netflix February 18th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

Easily one of my most anticipated movies of 2022 (barring another frustrating delay) is Matt Reeves’ “The Batman”. Warner Brothers has already dropped several top-notch trailers. Now they’ve released the film’s new poster and it’s pretty amazing. Though it uses a very familiar movie poster template, I love the design. It fits exactly what I’m expecting this movie will be. Check it out and tell me what you think.

DIRECTOR – Matt Reeves

WRITER – Matt Reeves, Peter Craig

STARRING – Robert Pattinson, Paul Dano, Zoe Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, Colin Farrell, Andy Serkis, Peter Sarsgaard

RELEASE – March 4, 2022

Today kicks off the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, the largest independent film festival in the United States. The event was founded in 1978 by Sterling Van Wagenen under the name the Utah/US Film Festival. It was originally a festival to showcase and celebrate American cinema. But over the next several years, Sundance grew and evolved into the premiere film festival in the country, expanding its vision to include movies from all over the globe.

Over the next several days I’ll be covering some of my most anticipated films from this year’s program. I have a pretty hefty slate of movies and (barring life’s interruptions) hope to have several Sundance reviews and impressions on the site. I hope you’ll follow along.

Here are JUST SOME of the films I’ll be seeing over the next several days. Let me know what you think.

“892” (Director: Abi Damaris Corbin, Starring: Jon Boyega, Michael K. Williams, Nicole Beharie, Connie Britton)

SUNDANCE SYNOPSIS: “Living in a cheap motel in Atlanta and separated from his wife and child, former U.S. Marine veteran Brian Easley is desperate. Driven to the brink by forces beyond his control, the soft-spoken, kind man decides to rob a bank and hold hostages with a bomb. As police, media, and family members descend on the bank and Brian, it becomes clear he’s not after money — he wants to tell his story and have what is rightfully his, even if it costs him his life.”

“A Love Song” (Director: Max Walker-Silverman, Starring: Dale Dickey, Wes Studi)

SUNDANCE SYNOPSIS: “After unhitching her camper at a lakeside in the mountains, Faye finds her rhythm cooking meals, retrieving crawfish from a trap, and scanning her old box radio for a station. She looks expectantly at the approach of a car or the mailman, explaining to neighboring campers that she’s waiting for a childhood sweetheart she hasn’t seen in decades. When he does arrive, Lito and Faye, both widowed, spend an evening reminiscing about their lives, losses, and loneliness.”

“After Yang” (Director: Kogonada, Starring: Colin Ferrell, Jodie Turner-Smith, Justin H. Min, Haley Lu Richardson, Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja)

SUNDANCE SYNOPSIS: “When Yang — a lifelike, artificially intelligent android that Jake and Kyra buy as a companion for their adopted daughter — abruptly stops functioning, Jake just wants him repaired quickly and cheaply. But having purchased Yang “certified refurbished” from a now-defunct store, he’s led first to a conspiracy theorist technician and then a technology museum curator, who discovers that Yang was actually recording memories. Jake’s quest eventually becomes one of existential introspection and contemplating his own life, as it passes him by.”

“Fresh” (Director: Mimi Cave, Starring: Sebastian Stan, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Jonica T. Gibbs, Charlotte Le Bon, Dayo Okeniyi)

SUNDANCE SYNOPSIS: “Frustrated by scrolling dating apps only to end up on lame, tedious dates, Noa takes a chance by giving her number to the awkwardly charming Steve after a produce-section meet-cute at the grocery store. During a subsequent date at a local bar, sassy banter gives way to a chemistry-laden hookup, and a smitten Noa dares to hope that she might have actually found a real connection with the dashing cosmetic surgeon. She accepts Steve’s invitation to an impromptu weekend getaway, only to find that her new paramour has been hiding some unusual appetites.”

“Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul” (Director: Adamma Ebo, Starring: Regina Hall, Sterling K. Brown, Nicole Beharie, Austin Crute)

SUNDANCE SYNOPSIS: “As the proud first lady of a Southern Baptist megachurch, Trinitie Childs carries immense responsibility on her shoulders. Her church, Wander To Greater Paths, once served a congregation in the tens of thousands, but after a scandal involving her husband, Pastor Lee-Curtis Childs, forced the church to close temporarily, Trinitie is struggling to manage the aftermath. Now Trinitie and Lee-Curtis must rebuild their congregation and reconcile their faith by all means necessary to make the biggest comeback that commodified religion has ever seen.”

“Living” (Director: Oliver Hermanus, Starring: Bill Nighy, Tom Burke, Alex Sharp, Aimee Lou Wood)

SUNDANCE SYNOPSIS: “A veteran civil servant and bureaucratic cog in the rebuilding of Britain post-WWII, Williams expertly pushes paperwork around a government office only to reckon with his existence when he’s diagnosed with a fatal illness. A widower, he conceals the condition from his grown son, spends an evening of debauchery with a bohemian writer in Brighton, and uncharacteristically avoids his office. But after a vivacious former co-worker, Margaret, inspires him to find meaning in his remaining days, Williams attempts to salvage a modest building project from bureaucratic purgatory.”

“Resurrection” (Director: Andrew Semans, Starring: Rebecca Hall, Tim Roth, Angela Wong Carbone, Josh Drennen, Rosemary Howard)

SUNDANCE SYNOPSIS: “Margaret leads a successful and orderly life, perfectly balancing the demands of her busy career and single parenthood to her fiercely independent daughter Abbie. But that careful balance is upended when she glimpses a man she instantly recognizes, an unwelcome shadow from her past. A short time later, she encounters him again. Before long, Margaret starts seeing David everywhere — and their meetings appear to be far from an unlucky coincidence. Battling her rising fear, Margaret must confront the monster she’s evaded for two decades who has come to conclude their unfinished business.”

“When You Finish Saving the World” (Director: Jesse Eisenberg, Starring: Julianne Moore, Finn Wolfhard, Alisha Boe, Jay O. Sanders)

SUNDANCE SYNOPSIS: “From his bedroom home studio, high school student Ziggy performs original folk-rock songs for an adoring online fan base. This concept mystifies his formal and uptight mother, Evelyn, who runs a shelter for survivors of domestic abuse. While Ziggy is busy trying to impress his socially engaged classmate Lila by making his music less bubblegum and more political, Evelyn meets Angie and her teen son, Kyle, when they seek refuge at her facility. She observes a bond between the two that she’s missing with her own son, and decides to take Kyle under her wing against her better instincts.”

“You Won’t Be Alone” (Director: Goran Stolevski, Starring: Noomi Rapace, Alice Englert, Carloto Cotta, and Sara Klimoska)

SUNDANCE SYNOPSIS: “In an isolated mountain village in 19th-century Macedonia, a young girl is taken from her mother and transformed into a witch by an ancient, shape-shifting spirit. Left to wander feral, the young witch beholds the natural world with curiosity and wonder. After inadvertently killing a villager and assuming her body, she continues to inhabit different people, living among the villagers for years, observing and mimicking their behavior until the ancient spirit returns, bringing them full circle.”

I hope you’ll follow along and share your thoughts along the way.