Kinda Brief Goes to the Movies!

Oscars, worms, and what I’m looking forward to seeing in theaters later this year.

Author

Cameron Huppertz
March 08, 2024

It’s Oscars week, so I’m dedicating the whole newsletter to the movies!

Oscars Predictions 

Because I’m deeply unwell, I spent part of my time this week building a spreadsheet to track the nominations and wins from all of the precursor awards shows leading up to the Oscars. I’ve added my predictions so far to the sheet too. Some awards feel like foregone conclusions (Robert Downey Jr winning Supporting Actor), but there are a few places I haven’t made up my mind yet (does Emma Stone or Lily Gladstone take Best Actress). My mildly hot take is that I think Paul Giamatti will beat Cillian Murphy for Best Actor (last year’s Jamie Lee Curtis win makes me think The Academy will be open to the “lifetime achievement” argument for a Giamatti win). I’m also rooting for Godzilla Minus One to win for Visual Effects because Godzilla deserves all of the awards. 

Platform Updates

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The Rest of Meta 

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Google 

Apple

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Twitter, Sorry X

The Dumpster Fire

Dune 2: Shai-Hulud Boogoloo 

On Tuesday, I ventured over to the Alamo Drafthouse for my first of two scheduled viewings of Dune Part 2 this week (my upcoming weekend Dolby Atmos screening may or may not be paired with an edible). I didn’t make it into a theater for Dune part the first when it came out just as theaters were reopening, and I really wish I’d been able to see it on a larger screen. My impulse to make a pilgrimage out of the second film was well rewarded. Villeneuve really gets how to make movies that take up the whole physical and emotional space of a theater. Like Oppenheimer last summer, I think you miss out on something if you wait to watch this one at home. 

There’s an extended sequence on a planet where the sun’s light casts everything into a harsh black and white. It’s the kind of wacky sci-fi concept that sounds silly on paper but translates into a totally breathtaking and captivating visual experience. Those scenes and the introduction of Florence Pugh and Christopher Walken’s characters give you a much-needed break from the gorgeous, but at times monotonous, palette of harsh Arrakis desert. 

Villeneuve also clearly has a deep understanding of the source text beyond just the first Dune novel. If we don’t get a Dune: Messiah movie, I’ll riot. [Mild Spoilers Ahead] Villeneuve’s Dune is already laying the groundwork for the hard questions about white savior figures like Paul that Herbet explores in Messiah. The David Lynch Dune takes Paul’s hero’s journey at face value, but Villeneuve is looking ahead and building the tension core to how Herbet’s novels examine the danger of hero myths and tropes. [Mild Spoilers Over]

Also, if you are a Dune fan or just love big, audacious cinema, I can not recommend Jodorowsky's Dune highly enough. It’s a documentary about the most ambitious film project that was never actually made, but once you know about it you’ll see how it influenced some of the biggest films in Hollywood history. And it’s streaming on Max right now.

Culture Movers 

Film & TV

AI 

Scams

Coming Soon

Now in no particular order are some of the upcoming 2024 films I’m looking forward to seeing. 

While I’m not especially interested in either film, I do feel compelled to point out that there are two upcoming imaginary friend movies. One, IF, is a children’s movie starring Ryan Reynolds. The other, Imaginary, is a horror film. So probably don’t want to mix those up. 

PS

Here’s my pick for the worst movie of 2023.

*I’m very dyslexic, and this is a largely free project/hobby. I do not set aside the same time for proofreading that I do for other professional work. If you spot a typo that would cause a communication error, please reach out to gently let me know.