OSCARS 2024: Nominations and Predictions

January is a miserable fucking month. It's painfully cold outside. We've had a shit load of snow this year. Moreover, I just always feel so directionless at the start of the year. It's hard to motivate yourself when everything that gets you excited feels months away. 

Ah, but there is a guiding light in these frozen days. It's Oscars Death Race season, baby! Yes, it is that time of year when I try to watch and review all of the films nominated for the Academy Awards before the ceremony airs. Over the last four years, I've managed to watch everything the Academy recognized. Last year, I wrote full length reviews of 45 of the 54 nominees, a personal best for me. Where will I land this year? I won't know for sure until I'm facing down March 10th. 

Before I really get into the weeds though, it is tradition for me to throw out my predictions for who will win the best awards. As usual, most of these guesses are based on gut-feelings and buzz, as I've only seen a handful of the nominees as of this writing. I'm usually wrong about a bunch of these, largely because hype and excitement can shift wildly over the next two months. Yet it's all part of the fun. So let's get started with...

BEST PICTURE:

2023's film landscape was dominated by one phrase: Barbenheimer! Yes, the meme that became a cultural phenomenon was unavoidable all throughout last year. Amazingly, the idea of seeing a somber biopic about the atomic bomb back-to-back with a hot pink blockbuster based on a toy for little girls actually caught on beyond goofballs on TikTok and the bickering nerds of Film Twitter. "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" both became enormous hits, audiences turning out for two opposing movies releasing on the same weekend. 

And now this race between Christopher Nolan's grim meditation on nuclear war and Greta Gerwig's bubblegum, feminist pop odyssey has gone all the way to the Oscars. Yes, both films are nominated in the top category of the year. While "Oppenheimer" is the current favorite to win, the fact that "Barbie," ostensibly a children's movie based on a doll synonymous with plastic brainlessness, got a Best Picture nomination would've been unprecedented back when the movie was announced years back. 

I expect these two films will continue to be what people mostly talk about this year but, of course, eight other movies are nominated for Best Picture. Martin Scorsese's late career renaissance continues with "Killers of the Flower Moon," the kind of serious and politically relevant film that would've been a lock for Best Picture in a year without a buzz-generating double feature. Similarly, a cultural satire like "American Fiction" is the sort of insightful filmmaking, about race and society, that would reflect nicely on the Academy and the American film industry if it won Best Picture. Again, it won't but, as they say, it's an honor to be nominated.

Then again, the Academy's taste can be hard to predict. "The Holdovers" is from critically acclaimed director Alexander Payne, true, and was beloved by the press. Yet, in another year, it wouldn't have been unusual for a smaller scale movie like that to be overlooked. From everything I've read about it, "Poor Things" is an aggressively weird experiment from art house oddball Yorgos Lanthimos, inspired by one of the most frequently adapted horror novels. Yet the Academy loved it, giving the film eleven nominees, including a plum spot in Best Picture. I guess the voters have really warmed up to Lanthimos' particular tone after the success of "The Favourite."

In the days before the Best Picture field was expanded, it's easy to imagine all of the above getting nominated. With a wider category now, a few smaller films also sneaked in. Indie fave "Past Lives" didn't get too much attention but the voters liked it enough for it to slip into Best Picture. "Anatomy of a Fall" seems to be the foreign language darling this year, breaking out of the International Film bubble to garner several high-profile nods. Jonathan Glazer's "The Zone of Interest" has been widely acclaimed but it was a question if its chilly, confrontational tone would hold Academy voters' attention. Ultimately, it defied expectations and did score a nomination in Best Picture.

This leaves the most Oscar bait-y of this year's Oscar bait. Bradley Cooper's "Maestro" seems to be the designated "villain movie" of this year's awards season. In-between Cooper's solipsistic campaign for himself and the mixed reception of the movie itself, "Maestro" was the movie serious cinephiles were worried would squeeze out more worthy works. Well, a "Maestro" sweep seems unlikely but the Leonard Bernstein biopic did grab seven nominations, including Best Picture. 

OFFICIAL PREDICTION:

"Oppenheimer"

 

BEST ACTOR: 

Bradley Cooper has basically followed every step in the guide book to win himself an Oscar for "Maestro." That includes an extensive physical transformation to pay a real life person and bragging about all the training he underwent for the role. I'll admit, to see such a calculated and – let's face it, kind of sweaty – campaign mostly been unsuccessful has been satisfying. Cooper got his Best Actor nomination and, I don't know, I guess he still has a chance at winning. 

But it seems likely that he'll be defeated once again. Mostly because two performances have been dominating the conversation. Cillian Murphy's turn as J. Robert Oppenheimer is a strong contender for performance of the year. It's certainly the strongest work Murphy has ever done in his storied career. Yet a real black horse candidate has emerged. Paul Giamatti in "The Holdovers" has picked up several notable wins along the journey to the Academy Awards. Giamatti is a beloved performer, a delightful presence in anything. A real narrative has emerged of "Wow, it sure would be cool if Paul Giamatti won an Oscar." Will that hold true to March 10th? I'm rooting for him, at the very least.

Rounding out the category is Jeffrey Wright in "American Fiction" and Colman Domingo for "Rustin." The former was long predicted and it's certainly great to see a reliable performer like Wright get an Oscar nod. The latter seems to be a case of "The movie isn't much to write about but we sure do like this guy," as the civil rights biopic was otherwise overlooked. 

OFFICIAL PREDICTION:

I have a very strong vision in my third eye of Giamatti winning this but it seems to me that Cillian Murphy in "Oppenheimer" is still the safe bet right now. 

BEST ACTRESS:

Most of the conversation around Best Actress this morning has had less to do with who got nominated and more to do with an omission. "Barbie" was one of the big success stories of the year so the doll herself, Margot Robbie, getting left out is surprising. I guess it's still hard for performances in comedies to connect with Academy voters, even when it's the most talked about movie of the year. It seems to me that Robbie's spot was stolen by Annette Benning in "Nyad," a more typical example of Oscar baiting material. 

Otherwise, almost every Best Actress award this past year has gone to one of two performances. The Academy clearly adores Emma Stone, with her part in "Poor Things" being her fourth Oscar nomination in the last decade. She's scooped up a few wins but Lily Gladstone in "Killers of the Flower Moon" has been almost unstoppable. Look at this list of wins she's got. It seems probable that she'll add an Oscar to that list real soon. 

In a year when two standout roles overshadow everything else, the rest of the nominees are easy to overlook. Carey Mulligan generally is accepted to be the best thing in "Maestro." I have no doubt she'll get a gold statue some day but not this year. Meanwhile, Sandra Huller in "Anatomy of a Fall" was probably always a lock for a nom but a win was never very likely. 

OFFICIAL PREDICTION:

Lily Gladstone for "Killers of the Flower Moon."

SUPPORTING ACTOR:

How does one define a "supporting" role? Is every role aside from the lead considered supporting or do some films split equal time between different protagonists? I probably would've nominated Ryan Gosling in "Barbie" for Leading, since he shared equal billing with Margot Robbie, but the studio probably figured he had better Oscar odds in the Supporting Actor category. Gosling stole the show in that film and there's probably some version of events out there where he wins... 

Yet Robert Downey Jr. seems the most likely winner here. After working his way back to superstar status from a troubled past, Downey winning an Oscar would be the proper climax to his story. It doesn't hurt that his performance in "Oppenheimer" is genuinely fantastic. 

The only real challenger to Downey is another Bob. Robert DeNiro has phoned it in through so many mediocre, paychecks roles. Yet, when paired with the right material, he still knows how to bring it. As the pure manifestation of the banality of evil in "Killers of the Flower Moon," DeNiro was chilling. A late career honor for the film would be surprising but not unwelcomed. 

Sterling K. Brown for "American Fiction" and Mark Ruffalo for "Poor Things" rounds out the category. I like both of those, so good for them. But I don't think they have much of a chance to win, unless the tide seriously changes over the next month.

OFFICIAL PREDICTION:

Robert Downey Jr. for "Oppenheimer"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

There was some writing about how America Ferrera got passed over at the Globes for "Barbie." Ferrera is likable but she had the position in that film of blankly laying the script's themes out in a lengthy monologue. I found that heavy-handed. Apparently such tactics are not bothersome to the Academy, as they did give Ferrera a Supporting nod. I guess subtly is overrated. 

Yet this is not a narrative that seems likely to win an Oscar. Instead, let us consider Da'vine Joy Randolph in "The Holdovers." Not many people had heard of Randolph before this film. She's best known for appearing on television, on stage, and in forgettable comedies. Yet she's blown the critics away in Payne's film. Who doesn't love that, when a relative unknown emerges into stardom on-screen? 

The rest of the Supporting Actress seemed locked-in months ago. We all love Jodie Foster and Emily Blunt and both did fine work in "Oppenheimer" and "Nyad." Both got nominated more out of momentum for those films in general than anything else though, if you ask me. Danielle Brooks won praise in-stage in the musical adaptation of "The Color Purple" and now continues that streak with the film adaptation. While that trajectory has led to an Oscar before, this particular film doesn't seem to have the buzz necessary to pull that off. 

OFFICIAL PREDICTION:

Da'vine Joy Randolph for "The Holdovers."

BEST DIRECTOR:

As much as the Academy enjoyed "Barbie," its two most prominent stars got left out. Yes, in addition to Margot Robbie not making the cut in Best Actress, Greta Gerwig was overlooked in Best Director. Honestly, that one really caught me off-guard, since the Academy has proven themselves to be fans of Gerwig before. Instead, AMPAS gave Justine Triet a nomination for "Anatomy of a Fall," presumably in order to keep cultural critics from accusing them of being sexist again. 

Luckily for those folks, the Academy can still be criticized only for nominating white folks for Best Director this year. Cord Jefferson, for "American Fiction," got passed over probably in favor of Jonathan Glazer for "Zone of Interest." Maybe the Academy liked that one more than I expected. 

If Glazer is a cultishly adored artist finally getting some recognition from the Oscars, the same can perhaps be said for Christopher Nolan. Of course, Nolan has been nominated before, including a Best Director slot for "Dunkirk." Yet, to the film-bros raised on "The Dark Knight" and "Memento," the Academy seems to have been reluctant to give Nolan a major win. Well, it seems this is finally Chris' year. The Academy loves Yorgos and "Poor Things" in particular. Scorsese is a total legend, who probably should have more Oscar than he already does, and "Killers of the Flower Moon" is an important work. 

Yet neither seem to provide a serious threat to Nolan in this category. I think Best Director is his to lose. 

OFFICIAL PREDICTION:

Christopher Nolan for "Oppenheimer."

BEST WRITING:

I never know what to predict in the Best Screenplay categories because what the hell does the Academy even mean by that? Does that mean the screenplay that is the sharpest, the wittiest? The most surprising? The best paced and structured? So many parts go into making a movie, that it's well-known that a good script can be ruined by bad directing, acting, or any other factors. Unless we actually have the shooting script in our hands, how can we even judge which screenplay is the “best?”

Maybe, as a writer, I'm simply too close to this subject to really be able to understand it. Cause, it seems to me, the Academy almost always just nominates the movie they liked in all the other categories in this one. Was “Maestro's” writing so stunning that it deserved a Best Original Screenplay nomination? If anything, the Original and Adapted Screenplay honors should exist to highlight films perhaps overlooked in the bigger categories. Of this batch of noms, only “May December” and “Past Lives” strikes me as an example of this, since they didn't earn too many other mentions. 

As for who is going to win... Hell if I know. My most cynical side wants to say the Academy will give “American Fiction” Best Adapted Screenplay because it's literally about a writer and has the word “fiction” in its title. Yet, since Greta Gerwig got passed over for a chance at Best Director, it wouldn't shock me if she gets Best Adapted Screenplay. Or maybe “Oppenheimer” will just prove to be too overwhelming a juggernaut with voters to defeat. Meanwhile, in Original Screenplay, I can see the Academy leaning towards the satire of “Anatomy of a Fall” or the gentle observational dramedy of “The Holdovers.” But I'm almost definitely wrong.

OFFICIAL PREDICTION:

“Anatomy of a Fall” and “Barbie,” I guess.

BEST MUSIC:

Nominating Diane Warren in Best Song every year really has become some sort of unavoidable running joke with the Academy. This year, the vaguely Latin-infused, generic pop song she wrote for the Flamin' Hot Cheetos biopic – which is even more bullshit than your typical biopic – got nominated. This one rhymes "you" with "you" multiple times. But it could have been worst. At least I don't have to watch "80 for Brady."

Anyway, Warren has no shot at winning because the Oscar will almost assuredly go to one of the two nominated songs from "Barbie." "I'm Just Ken" is the obvious crowd-pleaser and showstopper but I wouldn't be shocked if the voters deem Billie Ellish's ballad "What Was I Made For" more worthy of a win. I like both songs and would be fine with either winning. 

"Wahzhazhe (A Song of My People)" really isn't my genre but at least it guarantees the Best Song slate this year has variety. The most cynical part of my brain wagers that the Academy would have felt excessive guilt if they didn't nominate the Native American tribal song from the movie about Native Americans being killed. It would be hilarious if the broadcast still did all the songs in a medley, like in the old days, and we got six minutes of traditional Indigenous music in the middle of all these flashy pop songs. "It Never Went Away," from random Netflix doc "American Symphony," is kind of pretty. I'm a sucker for simple, piano driven melodies. 

Of the Original Score nominees, the most unexpected entry is John Williams' score for "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny." One expects Williams got the slot because this officially makes the industry legend the most nominated currently living person in the Academy's history. This is his 54th nomination! I don't think the "Dial of Destiny" is especially note-worthy but I'm never going to turn my nose up at the "Indiana Jones" theme. 

The late Robbie Robertson's blues and roots rock infused score for "Killers of the Flower Moon" is fantastic, equal parts somber, suspenseful, and gritty. It's my favorite of the nominated soundtracks. However, I fully expect the emotional bombast of Ludwig Goransson's "Oppenheimer" score to win. It's a good score, especially the more stirring parts. I just like Robertson's work more. 

Laura Karpman's "American Fiction" score is pleasant and jazzy. Even if its main theme sounds a little too much like incidental music for an eighties sitcom for my taste. Jerskin Fendrix's "Poor Things" score is, by far, the quirkiest of the nominees. Multiple parts of this soundtrack sound like they could be from totally different movies. I gotta admire the bold swings it takes though and found myself loving its warbling, discordant weirdness by the time I finished listening to the whole thing. 

OTHER FILM CATEGORIES

A nomination was all but guaranteed but it still feels like a pleasant surprise that "The Boy and the Haron" got recognized in Best Animated Feature. I guess I'm still caught off-guard when the Academy acknowledges anime, even if this is Hayao Miyazaki we are talking about here. More exciting, it actually has a good shot at winning the Oscar. Even if the Academy's tendency to just vote for whatever Pixar put out or what their kids liked might throw things in favor of "Elemental" or "Across the Spider-Verse." At least they ignored Disney's big misfire last year, making room for smaller films like "Nimora" or "Robot Dreams."

Usually, there's a title in the documentary category that got a lot of critical attention. This year, there is no obvious frontrunner in Best Documentary Feature. Will the streaming accessibility of "Bobi Wine: The People's President" lead to Oscar gold, or will we see a repeat of sorts of last year's win with "20 Days in Mariupol?" 

I have little familiarity with the short nominees as of this writing. Yet "War is Over" sounds like the most heavy-handed and preachiest of the animated shorts, so I'm going to assume it'll win.

MISC:

For decades, Toho's "Godzilla" movies were synonymous with cheesy and unconvincing effects. At least among the mainstream American critical establishment. Now, the King of the Monsters is finally an Oscar nominee, with "Godzilla Minus One" earning a nod in Best Visual Effects. Even better, it seems to be the frontrunner in the category at this moment. The narrative of a (probably ridiculously overworked) smaller effects team pulling off such impressive work on a fraction of the budget big Hollywood films like "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" or "Napoleon" had might be too irresistible for the Academy. Either way, the way the team reacted to the news of the nomination is absolutely delightful. (I would've liked to have seen "Minus One" make it into Editing or Sound as well but let's not ask for too much here.) Also, I did not expect the Academy to remember "The Creator" enough to give it any nominations, much less two. 

Unfortunately, the Make-Up category is unbearably lame this year. There's not a single cool nomination this year, the entire category taken up by boring realistic make-up work from "Golda" or "Oppenheimer." You're really telling me that Bradley Cooper's big, fake nose in "Maestro" deserved a nomination over an entire planet of gorgeously realized animal humanoids in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" or the beautifully grotesque ghouls of "Talk to Me?" Once again, realism remains frustratingly valued over imagination and the Academy shows little respect for genre work. I guess "Poor Things" is horror adjacent, so I'm rooting for it here. 

The complete lock-out for "Asteroid City" in Best Cinematography or Production Design is a travesty but, unfortunately, a fully expected one. At least "El Conde" getting recognized in the latter category was a nice surprise. Ya know, I've never seen a single "Mission: Impossible" movie before. I guess I'll have to watch the entire series before getting to "Dead Reckoning Part One," which showed up in Sound and Visual Effects. Anyway, I fully expect "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" to sweep most of the technical categories. 

The ceremony doesn't air until March 10th, which should give me plenty of time to catch up with everything before the results are revealed. Ya know, assuming I don't put off most of it until the week before like I almost always do. Jimmy Kimmel is hosting again which is... Fine. Whatever, who cares about the host. Last year's ceremony was a big improvement over the trash fire that was 2022, so let's hope things continue to swing upward. Let's get this Oscar Death Race on the move, folks! 

Film Preview 2024

I always look forward to the end of the year and the start of the new one. Hope springs eternal, I suppose, and every January 1st brings with it this naïve hope that maybe the next year will be better than the one before it. Maybe I'll finally finish the novel this year. Maybe I'll finally shoot a short film this year. Maybe I won't die this year. You know how it is. 

I've been posting my ramblings, for few people to read, here at Film Thoughts for 15 years now. Which seems impossible and improbable. I guess I must enjoy flapping my gums about movies. And the New Year brings with it a whole bunch of new films to be excited about. That is my purpose today. To talk about what 2024 releases me, random guy on the internet, is most excited for. It's mostly weird horror movies and the like, because that's just the kind of bullshit I'm into. Let's not delay any further. Here are my....

My Top Ten Most Anticipated Movies of 2024:

1. Nosferatu 

After thoroughly loving Robert Eggers' last two movies, he's now one of my favorite directors working today. I'm so on the bag for Eggers that I'm even kind of excited for the movie his little brothers are making. But this is the big one. Eggers has been talking up his remake of "Nosferatu" for several years now, describing it as an all-time dream project of his. After a few false starts, it's finally in active production and preparing for a December 2024 release. Eggers' clear grip on gothic horror makes me eagerly anticipate his take on the granddaddy of the entire cinematic genre. The story of "Dracula" and his rat-faced German equivalent is mutable enough that I have no doubt that Eggers will put a fascinating spin on it. And the visuals, man! It's going to be so cool. Gimme gimme right now now now. 

2. The Shrouds

When David Cronenberg came back two years ago with "Crimes of the Future," it felt like some kind of miracle. Not only was it one of my all-time favorite directors making an unexpected return, it was also him playing around with the freaky body-horror tropes that made me such a fan in the first place. And now the King of Veneral Horror is back again, with another grisly encore. "The Shrouds" is a dark sci-fi story of an inventor who creates a project that will allow people to watch their loved ones rot in their graves. Gross! Sounds like a return to the themes of the commercialization of science seen in "Rabid," "The Fly," and several other Dave classic. Cronenberg describes the film as his most personal yet, which makes it all the more intriguing. 

3. Queer 

I became a fan of Luca Guadagnino with the touching "Call Me By Your Name" and his ambitious remake of "Suspiria." "Bones and All" wasn't quite on that level but he's still definitely a very notable filmmaker right now. Luca actually has two movies on the docket for this year, with tennis drama "Challengers" scheduled for April. Yet the upcoming project of his I'm really anticipating is "Queer." This is an adaptation of William S. Burroughs' autobiographical novel. Yes, like all quasi-intellectual film bros, I went through a Burroughs stage. The guy was fascinating! Obviously an exploration of sexuality south of the border during the 1940s is already right in Luca's wheelhouse. Making the film all the more intriguing is that Daniel Craig is playing the Burroughs stand-in. I'm very intrigued to see Craig shed his James Bond image to play a famously gay, drug-addicted beat poet. Jason Schwartzman is also in the movie, hopefully as one of "Bill Lee's" hook-ups because can you imagine?! 

4. Mickey-17

"Parasite" sweeping the Oscars and Bong-Joon Ho winning Best Director was great. And I'm glad that the Korean filmmaker is using his newfound clout in the West to get an elaborate sci-fi project made, instead of sticking to critic-friendly dramas. Yes, "Mickey-17" sounds like a return to "Snowpiercer" territory. It follows an "expendable" clone working on an icy planet deep in space, who retains all the memories of the previous iterations. Lots of opportunities for sci-fi world-building and class commentary there. Robert Pattinson, increasingly the poster boy for projects like this, stars. Also, the teaser trailer has the title slowly come on-screen in a way that reminds me of "Alien," which hopefully gives us an indication of the tone here. 

5. Furiosa 

Maybe it was just me but I was actually skeptical of "Fury Road." George Miller hadn't made a movie like that in years and the idea of a fourth "Mad Max" had been promised for so long, that it was hard to say if the finished product could live up to that hype... Of course, this was all horribly premature as "Fury Road" blew everyone away and immediately became one of the most iconic action movies of last decade. 

And now, Miller is returning to that world again, with a prequel about Charlize Theron's breakout character. There's reasons to be skeptical of "Furiosa" too. Part of what made "Fury Road" such an experience is how unexpected it was. With this being a direct prequel, we have a lot better idea of what we'll be seeing this time. The trailer already features some familiar sights. We also don't know if Anya Taylor Joy will be able to make the role her own, strapping on Theron's robotic arm. 

Yet, admittedly, most of these concerns faded away upon watching the teaser trailer. Yeah, this looks cool as fuck. Those car stunts, man! Plus we're going to get Chris Hemsworth doing a weird voice playing one of Miller's post-apocalyptic freaks. Great! 

6. Longlegs

 

I found Oz Perkins' first two features, "The Blackcoat's Daughter" and " I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House," interesting but also almost unbearably slow. However, I loved his third feature, "Gretel and Hansel." That has me even more excited for his next project, "Longlegs." It stars Maika Monroe – cool! – as an FBI agent investigating a captured serial killer, which leads her down a road of occultism. Kind of sounds like "Silence of the Lambs" meets "The Wicker Man" or something. What really puts this one on the list is that the killer is played by Nicolas Cage. While a more silent and brooding approach would no doubt be great, I really hope Cage goes full Mega in this part. Especially since he's recently stated he might be retiring soon. (Which does not mean he's slowing down, as he has at least two other projects on the docket this year.) Perkins also has an adaptation of a classic Stephen King story coming soon but Neon just released a cryptic, creepy teaser that is probably for this movie, suggesting it'll be out first. 

7. Sasquatch Sunset

Thanks to quirky and intense projects like "The Art of Self Defense" and "Manodrome," Jesse Eisenberg has slowly become one of my favorite leading men at the moment. And 2024 sees maybe his weirdest role yet. "Sasquatch Sunset" is being described as "a year in the life of a unique family." When paired with the title, I assumed this would be about Eisenberg as the patriarch of a family of cryptozoologists. That would probably not be too dissimilar to the neurotic family comedy he's directing and co-starring in with Kieran Culkin this year as well. 

And that alone was enough to get me excited. Especially since the Zellner brothers, of the hilarious and heartbreaking "Kumiko the Treasure Hunter," are behind the camera and Ari Aster is producing. Further research, however, shows that "Sasquatch Sunset" is actually about a family of Bigfoots. Eisenberg has said he's in "full make-up, full body hair, no lines." Holy shit. Holy shit!!! Can I tell you how long I've wanted an observation movie about a Sasquatch in its natural environment, grunting and foraging? I have to see this immediately. Riley Keough also stars, hopefully as Mrs. Sasquatch. 

8. Frankie Freako

Steve Kostanski's "Psycho Goreman" was an absolute delight, full of squishy creature effects, copious amounts of blood and guts, and a demented sense of humor. Kostanski's homages to eighties creature features show a lot more distinct personality, a far stranger sense of humor and quirky outlook, than many similar indie horror/comedies out there. Kostanski is back at it this year with "Frankie Freako." The film is described as about "a trio of tiny trouble-makers," led by the titular beastie. This makes "Frankie Freako" sound like a throwback to films like "Gremlins." Or, more accurately, the goofier knock-offs of "Gremlins," like "Ghoulies," "Munchies," or "Hobgoblins." 

I'm unusually fond of these little monsters movies, so I'm already in the bag for this one. Yet the title and the specific reference to Frankie Freako being a "rock 'n' roll party monster" really gives me an inkling that this might be a feature length homage to the infamous "Freddie Freaker" commercial. If anyone was going to reference such a specific bit of obscure pop culture detritus, it would be this guy. 

9. Polaris

Joaquin Phoenix's biggest movie of the year is destined to be "Joker: Folie à Deux," a sequel to a movie I didn't like that nevertheless has my attention, due to the bonkers decision to make it a musical. Yet I'm a little more interested in a different project from Hollywood's most brooding leading man. "Polaris" is the latest from director Lynne Ramsey. I'm not sure I'd describe myself as a fan of Ramsey exactly. "We Need to Talk About Kevin" and "You Were Never Really Here" felt like panic attacks put to celluloid in a way that made it hard for me to get anything else out of them. Ramsey is a great filmmaker, who creates powerful and expressionistic films, but they trigger my anxiety in ways that are hard for me to handle. 

Well, I guess I'm a glutton for punishment because here I am signing up for another one. Considering how deeply distressing Ramsey's work is, "Polaris" being described as her first full-fledge horror film makes me nervous. The story is set in 1890s Alaska, with Phoenix as an ice photographer, and is said to be about a deal with the devil. Rooney Mara co-stars and should be more than able to match Joaquin's method actor intensity. 

10. Coyote Vs. ACME and The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie

Warner Brothers is a company in crisis and many of those fires seem, to me anyway, have been started by CEO David Zaslav, current candidate for the title of most hated man in Hollywood. Among Zaslav's most asinine, Wall Street-brained ideas has been shelving fully completed movies for a tax write-off. When it was announced Zaslav had ordered "Coyote Vs. ACME" – a live-action animation hybrid that involves Wile E. Coyote taking the provider of his faulty booby traps to court – be stuck in the vault forever, there was an outcry. From animation fans, of course, but also from the artists and filmmakers who worked on the movie, which supposedly had been doing very well in test screenings. The outrage was such that Warner Brothers/Discovery actually changed their minds and promised that "Coyote Vs. ACME" will see release at some point after all.

After all of that, it's kind of a lot for this to live up to now, isn't it? Especially since WB had not been treating the Looney Tunes the best here of late. Perhaps that's set to change. Aside from "Coyote Vs. ACME," the iconic characters are set to return to big screens in "The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie." This is a fully traditionally animated movie, starring Daffy and Porky, without a single celebrity voice-over in sight. And they are actually putting that on theater screens?! One can't escape the fear that this will be another "Space Jam 2" level atrocity but, if it's good, we might have something special on our hands. 

Other Anticipated Movies:

Megalopolis and more...

The majority of the titles that I put on my most anticipated list in 2023 are still awaiting release. I guess that's what I get for searching out less obvious movies to get excited about. So let's check in on the status of some of these, shall we? Francis Ford Coppola recently announced that his decades-in-the-making sci-fi epic "Megalopolis" is indeed coming out soon. We shall see. Details are still tight-lipped on Ti West's "MaXXXine," now said to be a homage to Argento, but A24 has assured us that it's set for release in 2024. Larry Fessenden's werewolf flick "Blackout" recently got picked up by Dark Sky Films and will probably be hitting the festival circuit soon. Laika's latest stop-motion fantasy "Wildwood" now appears to be dated for 2025. Stop motion takes a long time to film, I guess. 

Love Lies Bleeding and more...

I rounded out last year's list with a trio of women-directed second horror features. Of those, only Rose Glass' muscle mommy pulp crime thriller "Love Lies Bleeding" actually has a trailer and release date right now. It looks so good, you guys. (Amazingly, it doesn't sound like it'll be the weirdest movie Kristen Stewart stars in this year.) Jane Schoenbrun's "I Saw the TV Glow" is set to debut at Sundance in two weeks, so we'll presumably get a lot more info on that one soon. A while back it was revealed that Natalie Erika James' "Apartment 7A" will actually be a prequel to "Rosemary's Baby" but information otherwise remain sparse. Making me kind of nervous about that one honestly. But hopefully I'll be able to clear all of these off my watchlist by the time I'm putting together 2025's Most Anticipated countdown. 

Deadpool 3

2023 is likely to be remembered as the year the Superhero Movie Bubble popped. Marvel and DC each put out three films and all of them underperformed, with a few being catastrophic bombs. Disney has delayed all their major Marvel movies until 2025, supposedly because of the actor's strike but I'm betting both "Captain America: Brave New World" and "Thunderbolts" are undergoing extensive reworking right about now. 

This leaves one title as the sole MCU release this year. And it remains to be seen how much "Deadpool 3" will actually connect with the Marvel Cinematic Universe proper. What we know about the film so far promises multiverse jumping shenanigans. I'm sure Ryan Reynolds' smart-ass antihero will have plenty of fourth-wall breaking comments to make about that. Some folks hate them but I actually do enjoy the Deadpool movies. I was really hoping a third film would be a Mojoverse story and not more of the multiverse stuff that is so played out right now. I guess we'll see if Reynolds, Shawn Levy, and High Jackman returning as Wolverine can make this one a hit in a time when the public's interest in what is dismissively known as “capeshit” is dwindling. 

(That growing indifference is not stopping Sony from putting out three separate Spider-Man adjacent adventures this year. I don't foresee "Madame Web" or "Kraven the Hunter," two movies with absolutely no reason to exist, breaking this downturn. But maybe "Venom 3" will be okay?) 

The Crow and Hellboy: The Crooked Man

On the other end of the comic book based movie spectrum are "Hellboy: The Crooked Man" and "The Crow." The previous attempt to reboot Mike Mignola's horned hero without Ron Perlman and Guillermo del Toro was pretty lame. This new one stars nobody you've heard of, which makes me fear it's some thrown-together, grabasstic thing designed to hold onto the rights that will quietly be dumped onto VOD. Hopefully, Brian Taylor can bring some of that "Crank/Mom & Dad" energy to this one and justify its existence... 

A remake of "The Crow," meanwhile, has been in-development since 2008. The seemingly cursed project has cycled through four different directors of note and half-a-dozen leading men during its long, embattled trek to the screen. I don't think the world is exactly clamoring for a remake of "The Crow," when three sequels and a TV show all failed to recapture the original's gothy magic. But, hey, at least Bill Skarsgård is a great choice to star. I don't have much faith in Rupert Sanders as a director but I guess I'm cautiously optimistic about this one. If only because enough time has passed since the original that maybe something new actually can be brought to the table.

Alien: Romulus

When Disney acquired Fox, a lot of genre fans wondered what would become of the studio's most prominent sci-fi/horror franchises. "Prey" successfully relaunched the "Predator" series and now it's time for that rascally, penis-headed alien to come back. I wish I could get more excited for the movie everyone is calling "Alien: Romulus." The story is set between Ridley Scott's original and James Cameron's sequel. Cailee Spaeny and Isabela Merced are good matches for this series, the exact kind of up-and-coming actresses I'd hope to see in a film of this caliber. Fede Alvarez is directing and, considering he specializes in mid-budget and grisly horror/thrillers, is probably a solid choice to handle this... Except I haven't actually liked one of his films. At the very least, Disney learned from "Prey's" popularity and is putting this in theaters, instead of sticking it on Hulu like was originally planned. 

Beetlejuice 2

A sequel to "Beetlejuice" has been considered since the eighties, with "Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian" being only the most famous pitch kicked around over the years. It seems a standard legacy sequel set-up, with Jenna Ortega playing Lydia Deetz' daughter, is the script that finally got this sequel before cameras. It's hard to get too excited for a "Beetlejuice 2," considering Tim Burton is nowhere near the filmmaker he was when he made the original. I'm expecting this to be one of those late sequels that bank heavily on reminding people of the beloved original and not so much making an impression of its own. But, hey, Michael Keaton donning the black-and-white suit again could be fun? Maybe? I wonder if they'll take anything from the old cartoon show...

Dirty Angels 

Martin Campbell has made action classics like "Mask or Zorro" and "Casino Royale," alongside a bunch of forgettable bullshit. Yet he's still a name that catches my attention. "Dirty Angels" is a women-led, ensemble action piece and that could be fun. Eva Green stars as the leader of a military medic team sent into Afghanistan during the U.S.'s withdrawal, to rescue some kids from the Taliban and ISIS. Ruby Rose and Maria Bokalova also star. That's the kind of premise that would've been a bitchin' low budget exploitation flick back in the day, though I imagine Campbell and that cast will produce something slightly classic. Or maybe not, considering Millennium Media – the studio behind "The Expendables," which this set-up vaguely resembles – are part of the production team. 

Death of a Unicorn

It was recently announced that A24, that most beloved and holy debated studio among modern film-heads, will begin shifting directions towards more box office friendly projects. Upcoming releases like Alex Gardner's "Civil War" – which looks like the A24 version of a sci-fi action movie – and an adaptation of popular internet meme "The Backrooms" seems to point in that direction. Yet the studio still has plenty of weird, artsy-fartsy titles on the docket for this year. Such as "A Different Man," an identity crisis thriller where Sebastian Stan develops a pesky doppelganger, and "Death of a Unicorn." The latter is about exactly what it sounds like, with a road-kill unicorn being exploited by an evil corporation. Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega – she's really establishing herself as Hollywood's go-to quirk queen, isn't she? – star. While that premise's crossover between the fantastic and the mundane intrigues me, I'll admit that John Carpenter doing the score is what I'm most excited for. I guess I really am That Kind of Nerd, aren't I? 

Untitled Universal Monsters Film

Universal Studios' attempts to reboot their classic monster characters continue to run into trouble, as both "Renfield" and "Last Voyage of the Demeter" flopped last year. (Though I enjoyed them.) The next attempt from the studio is a currently untitled monster flick from Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettineli-Olpin, the duo behind "Ready or Not" and the latest "Scream" movies. The mysterious project stars Melissa Barrera, supposedly as a woman kidnapped by some bad guys who turns out to be more than she appears. The film is rumored to be a remake of "Dracula's Daughter," though that premise could just as easily lend itself to Bride of Frankenstein, Paula the Ape Woman, or a few other characters. I think this duo's movies are fun, if kind of dumb, so we'll see how they handle this one. Universal is also fast-tracking a new version of "The Wolfman" for Halloween of this year, with Leigh Whannell of "The Invisible Man," the sole success of the Universal Monsters remakes, behind the camera. Considering filming hasn't even started yet, that release date strikes me as a smidge optimistic.

Faces of Death

And while we're on the topic of long-running horror franchises... We've got a typical number of gory, creepy attempts to wring some cash out of vaguely recognizable titles this year. Like a long-in-development prequel to "The Omen," "Terrifier 3," a remake of “Blacula,” and a Chuck Russell-directed remake of "Witchboard" for some reason. Probably the weirdest and most exciting of these attempted reboots is a new version of infamous faux snuff movie shocker, "Faces of Death." That's right, the monkey's brains movie. The script is taking a meta approach, incorporating the tapes' notorious reputation into a story about a video store clerk uncovering a snuff movie underground. This is something of a return to the territory director Daniel Goldhaber previously handled in smart, insightful thriller "Cam." Presumably the director of a politically conscious film like "How to Blow Up a Pipeline" wouldn't be remaking the grimiest of shockumentaries unless he had something interesting to say. 

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

"Ghostbusters" is really a tainted franchise, isn't it? I didn't even dislike "Ghostbusters: Afterlife," finding it to be a perfectly cromulent legacy sequel. But this series' unlikely place in the modern culture wars has really made it hard for me to muster much enthusiasm for it anymore. I guess bustin' doesn't make me feel good. The sequel to that overly reverent reboot has a shrug-worthy premise, an uninspiring trailer, and a generic subtitle. I swear, I'd be more excited for this movie if they just called it "Ghostbusters: Ecto Cooler." Even Jason Reitman decided to pass on this one, though most of "Afterlife's" cast is tagging along. Maybe Patton Oswalt will make it funny? I don't know about this one, guys...

Gladiator 2

Yet another sequel people have been talking about making for decades is "Gladiator 2." The difference is that Ridley Scott is back behind this camera for this twenty-four years later follow-up. And I'm always up for Scott handling another historic epic, even if I don't really care that much about the continuing adventures of Commodus' nephew or whatever. Now, if they were filming Nick Cave's insane "Gladiator 2: Christ Killer" script, this would be number one on my list of most anticipated titles...

Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire 

Kaiju fans continue to debate the merits of Legendry's Monsterverse but I've enjoyed all four of their previous installments to varying degrees. Adam Wingard's "Godzilla Vs. Kong" was probably the weakest of these films so far but... Come on. This movie has got both Godzilla and King Kong in it. There's no way I'm not seeing this. The trailer promises more Hollow Earth wackiness, a little baby Kong, a svelte Godzilla, and a new baddie with a bandolier of skulls. Also, Doug is supposed to be in the movie. Fuck yeah, Doug! There's no way it'll be as good as "Godzilla Minus One" but I'm obviously on the hook for this one. 

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

In other monkey movie news... The "Planet of the Apes" mocap trilogy is one of the few reboots everyone seems to agree we're pretty good, so a follow-up has not been entirely dismissed. "Kingdom" is going even further into the post-apocalyptic setting, with the trailer maintaining the sense of grandeur that made the Caesar films so good. (Even if the guy who made "The Maze Runner" movies is not exactly in the same league as Matt Reeves.) What can I say other than I love every ape I see, from chimpan-A to chimpanzee. 

Last Train to New York

The idea of remaking a beloved foreign film like "Train to Busan" would normally be met with intense skepticism by genre movie fans. Especially because we've seen clever, exciting Asian films flattened out into bland Americanized slop too often in the past. The difference is "Last Train to New York" has Indonesian madman Timo Tjahjanto in the director's chair. Tjahjanto's talent for intensely choreographed action sequences and gory mayhem makes him uniquely qualified to take on this zombie-filled, public transportation story. Hopefully the U.S. studio system doesn't sand off everything that makes his style cool. And, if I'm being honest, I don't love the original "Train to Busan" the way many others do, so a remake potentially has some room for improvement. 

Presence and They Listen

Jordan Peele's fourth movie recently got pushed to 2025 but we are still seeing attempts to follow in his footsteps. Steven Sodenbergh is another notable name trying out the medium budget horror thing with "Presence," some sort of ghost movie with Lucy Liu. An even more direct imitation is Chris Weiz jumping from comedies like "About A Boy" and "American Pie" to politically oriented horror with Blumhouse shocker, "They Listen." A decent cast led by Katherine Waterson, John Cho, and Riki Lindholm has my attention. Even if it remains to be seen if either of these guys have much aptitude for the spooky stuff. (Though Sodenbergh has flirted with the genre before, so he's a surer bet than Weiz.)

So Unreal

Documentaries that fit in with the Fangoria crowd have become a more common occurrence in the indie horror scene in the last few years. Among the crop of topics being explored this year are an influential but deceased haunted house attraction, an influential but deceased movie theater, an influential but deceased video store, and Satanists going about their daily lives. Probably the most interesting of this lot is "So Unreal." Director Amanda Kramer won me over with weirdo character study "Give Me Pity!" last year. Her entry into the documentary arena concerns 90s virtual reality kitsch and its reflection in our modern online world. I imagine a filmmaker with such a distinct style as Kruger will have something interesting to say about that topic. 

Sonic the Hedgehog 3

It brings me no joy to admit that I am a massive "Sonic the Hedgehog" nerd. While I'll never accuse the previous two live action films of being high-art, I was pretty satisfied with them as a life-long devotee of the Blue Blur. So here's another one, obviously following up on the Shadow the Hedgehog teaser part two ended on. Hopefully this third installment will continue to draw more from the series' deeper history like the second did and focus less on the kids-movie antics of the first. Who will voice Sonic's emo counterpart? Will other classic characters, like Amy Rose or Rouge the Bat, show up? Will this series be able to survive without Jim Carrey's manic energy? Will James Marsden continue to have any reason to be here? Will I embarrass myself by info-dumping about "Sonic" lore somewhere between here and when this comes out in December? We can't yet answer any of these questions, except for that last one which is definitely inevitable. 

Stopmotion 

Robert Morgan has been creating and releasing extremely bizarre, creepy stop-motion animated shorts on the Internet for years now. His work veers much more towards the Brothers Quay than Will Vinton. Some of his stuff I really love, such as the fable-like "The Cat with Hands." Other times, I find his films to be weird-for-weird's-sake digressions. Still, he's a unique talent for sure. Morgan recently completed his feature length debut and it sounds about what you'd expect. "Stopmotion" concerns a stop-motion animator loosing her grip on reality. "The Nightingale's" Aisling Franciosi stars and the film has already won some festival awards for its special effects, which I'm sure are very fleshy and disturbing.

Thelma

Veteran character actress June Squibb would be nominated for an Oscar for her utterly delightful role in "Nebraska," as the very definition of a brassy old lady who always spoke her mind. Now, at the age of 94, Squibb is starring in what sounds a lot like her own version of "Nebraska." "Thelma" concerns an elderly woman who tracks down the phone scammer who ripped her off. This is exactly the kind of role Squibb rocks at. The cast included a lot of great names, like Parker Posey, Malcolm McDowell, and the late Richard Roundtree. Sounds like a blast! 

Transformers One

Among the many big franchise movies that disappointed at the box office last year was "Transformers: Rise of the Beast." Despite that, Paramount is still determined to wring some cash out of the toy robots. This year, the first fully animated "Transformers" movie since 1986 is scheduled to hit theaters. "Transformers One" is a prequel that details the origins of the Autobot/Deception war back on Cybertron. That's a decent premise for a movie and, considering this will be a cartoon all about the CGI robots, "One" will hopefully avoid many of the pitfalls that made all but one of the live-action "Transformers" movies such dreary experiences. However, there's a problem: "Transformers One" is doing that obnoxious thing if replacing beloved actors with celebrities. Chris Hemsworth is voicing Optimus Prime. Bullshit! This is all the more insulting since Peter Cullen has been good enough for all the movies up to this point, really making me wonder why they'd trade him out for a famous face that we won't even see. Honestly, that's enough to drain any anticipation I have for this one, even if they did get an Oscar-winning Pixar guy to direct this. 

Trap and The Watchers

M. Night Shyamalan proved he could still create a clever, effecting film with last year's "Knock at the Cabin." He continues to plug along with a new picture this year. Right now, all we know about "Trap" is that it's a thriller set at a concert, starring Josh Harnett and M. Night's own daughter, Saleka. Funny enough, another one of the director's daughter, Ishanna, is following in her dad's footsteps by directing a forest-set monster movie called "The Watchers." It remains to be seen if Ishanna is a more consistent talent than her dad but I guess I have enough trust in the Shyamalan name to try both of these.

Twisters 

A studio throwing together a 27 years later sequel to a well known and fondly remembered (I guess) blockbuster is not surprising. This is all too typical in our modern, I.P.-centric, risk-averse media landscape. What is surprising is that "Twisters" is being directed by Lee Isaac Chung, right off the critically acclaimed and Oscar-nominated "Minari." Chung also directed an episode of "The Mandalorian," so his shift to effects-driven, blockbuster cinema is not entirely unprecedented. Still, I really have to wonder what a disaster movie from the guy who made a low-key, low-budget family drama like "Minari" will look like. I would wonder if maybe Chung is just a big fan of the original but they didn't even get Helen Hunt back – the cast is entirely new – so one assumes nostalgia wasn't a motivating factor. Maybe this will be another "Top Gun: Maverick" situation, where a late sequel seemingly no one was demanding becomes a critical and box office surprise hit but I'm kind of doubting that. 

Wake Up! and We Are Zombies 

The French-Canadian filmmaking collective known as RKSS – made up of François Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann-Karl Whissel – gained a cult following with "Turbo Kid." I also really liked their second feature, "Summer of '84," which struck me as a lot darker and more melancholy than the many similar day-glo, throwback genre flicks that pop up all the time nowadays. The trio has two films awaiting release this year. First up is comic book adaptation, "We Are Zombies," which sounds like it'll continue the flippant, post-apocalyptic vibes of "Turbo Kid." After that is "Wake Up!," which will see zoomer activists fighting for survival against a killer after breaking into a big box store. I'm always down for a retail-set slasher flick, so hopefully that one won't be derailed by some "what's up, fellow kids" writing. 

Other Films of Note:

The Altman Method, DEVO, Drive-Away Dolls, Founders' Day, Handling the Undead, Havoc, Hit Man, Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person, Infested, Inside Out 2, KILL, Kind of Kindness, Krazy House, Late Night with the Devil, Mother Mary, Nightbitch, Oh Canada, Orion and the Dark, Out of Darkness, Paris Paradis, She is Conann, Speak No Evil, The Substance