Sunday, 12 March 2023

Welcome back to The Ephemeric. It is Oscar season again, and once again March is the month in which I know not the light of day. I could make the same joke as last year by copy pasting the intro blurb, but instead I'll just get straight to some predictions so we can all go on with our day.
This was actually a pretty tricky year to call. I am very torn between The Banshees of Inisherin and Everything Everywhere All at Once for the bulk of awards. Both are love it or hate it kind of movies that could really go either way depending on who's voting. Meanwhile many of the technical awards are being contested by an array of sumptuously produced but otherwise aggressively "just ok" films like Elvis, Avatar 2 and The Fabelans. I'm usually pretty accurate with these predictions, but who knows, this year could spring a few surprises!
Best Picture
Nominations:
- All Quiet on the Western Front – Malte Grunert, producer
- Avatar: The Way of Water – James Cameron and Jon Landau, producers
- The Banshees of Inisherin – Graham Broadbent, Peter Czernin, and Martin McDonagh, producers
- Elvis – Baz Luhrmann, Catherine Martin, Gail Berman, Patrick McCormick, and Schuyler Weiss, producers
- Everything Everywhere All at Once – Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, and Jonathan Wang, producers
- The Fabelmans – Kristie Macosko Krieger, Steven Spielberg, and Tony Kushner, producers
- Tár – Todd Field, Alexandra Milchan, and Scott Lambert, producers
- Top Gun: Maverick – Tom Cruise, Christopher McQuarrie, David Ellison, and Jerry Bruckheimer, producers
- Triangle of Sadness – Erik Hemmendorff and Philippe Bober, producers
- Women Talking – Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, and Frances McDormand, producers
Who should really win: Everything Everywhere All at Once
Best Director
Nominations:
- Martin McDonagh – The Banshees of Inisherin
- Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert – Everything Everywhere All at Once
- Steven Spielberg – The Fabelmans
- Todd Field – Tár
- Ruben Östlund – Triangle of Sadness
Who should really win: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert - Everything Everywhere All at Once
Best Actor
Nominations:
- Austin Butler – Elvis as Elvis Presley
- Colin Farrell – The Banshees of Inisherin as Pádraic Súilleabháin
- Brendan Fraser – The Whale as Charlie
- Paul Mescal – Aftersun as Calum Paterson
- Bill Nighy – Living as Mr. Rodney Williams
Who should really win: Colin Farrell – The Banshees of Inisherin as Pádraic Súilleabháin
Best Actress
Nominations:
- Cate Blanchett – Tár as Lydia Tár
- Ana de Armas – Blonde as Norma Jeane
- Andrea Riseborough – To Leslie as Leslie Rowlands
- Michelle Williams – The Fabelmans as Mitzi Schildkraut-Fabelman
- Michelle Yeoh – Everything Everywhere All at Once as Evelyn Quan Wang
Who should really win: Michelle Yeoh – Everything Everywhere All at Once as Evelyn Quan Wang
Best Supporting Actor
Nominations:
- Brendan Gleeson – The Banshees of Inisherin as Colm Doherty
- Brian Tyree Henry – Causeway as James Aucoin
- Judd Hirsch – The Fabelmans as Boris Schildkraut
- Barry Keoghan – The Banshees of Inisherin as Dominic Kearney
- Ke Huy Quan – Everything Everywhere All at Once as Waymond Wang
Who should really win: Ke Huy Quan – Everything Everywhere All at Once as Waymond Wang
Best Supporting Actress
Nominations:
- Angela Bassett – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever as Queen Ramonda
- Hong Chau – The Whale as Liz
- Kerry Condon – The Banshees of Inisherin as Siobhán Súilleabháin
- Jamie Lee Curtis – Everything Everywhere All at Once as Deirdre Beaubeirdre
- Stephanie Hsu – Everything Everywhere All at Once as Joy Wang / Jobu Tupaki
Who should really win: Stephanie Hsu – Everything Everywhere All at Once as Joy Wang / Jobu Tupaki
Best Original Screenplay
Nominations:
- The Banshees of Inisherin – Martin McDonagh
- Everything Everywhere All at Once – Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
- The Fabelmans – Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner
- Tár – Todd Field
- Triangle of Sadness – Ruben Östlund
Who should really win: The Banshees of Inisherin – Martin McDonagh
Best Adapted Screenplay
Nominations:
- All Quiet on the Western Front – Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson, and Ian Stokell; based on the novel by Erich Maria Remarque
- Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery – Rian Johnson; based on characters created by Johnson and the film Knives Out
- Living – Kazuo Ishiguro; based on the original motion picture screenplay Ikiru by Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto, and Hideo Oguni
- Top Gun: Maverick – Screenplay by Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, and Christopher McQuarrie; Story by Peter Craig and Justin Marks; based on the film Top Gun written by Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr.
- Women Talking – Sarah Polley; based on the novel by Miriam Toews
Who should really win: Living – Kazuo Ishiguro; based on the original motion picture screenplay Ikiru by Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto, and Hideo Oguni
So there you have it, The Ephemeric's picks for the year. Enjoy the Oscars tonight, and when the results go as predicted, remember that you heard it here first!
Saturday, 11 March 2023
Created by Craig Mazin, Neil Druckmann
Network HBO
Starring Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey
Genre Post-apocalyptic Drama
Running Time 45-80 minutes
It is the TV series of 2023, so far, that everyone is talking about. But it's a smash hit that few saw coming. After all, The Last of Us is a videogame adaptation, one based on that most tired of genres, the zombie survival horror. By all accounts, it's not a concept that should have yielded anything of value. But HBO didn't see it that way and they were willing to invest the considerable talents of Craig Mazin, creator of the award winning Chernobyl into bringing this project to life. It's a gamble that seems to have paid off.
So how have HBO managed to pull this sleight of hand and succeed beyond all expectation? I think it is important to preface this discussion by stating that I have played the original game, although I was never a particularly big fan of it. I think The Last of Us, the videogame, is a perfectly decent title that has been hyped beyond all reason, lavished with praise for its storytelling which, in truth, is no more impressive that any number of other titles in gaming. I mention this in order to provide context when I say that, while I find the original source material to be slightly overrated, the TV series is absolutely brilliant.

Sunday, 5 March 2023
Hello and welcome back to 2023's final post from the Hot List. This week we will be looking at the most exciting new movies set to hit the big screen in 2023 from March onwards, after the cutoff point for this year's awards season.
So without further delay, the key films to keep an eye on in the coming year (trailers linked in the title where available), starting with number 15:
15. You Hurt My Feelings

Release Date: TBA 2023
14. Dune: Part Two

Release Date: November 2023
13. Asteroid City

Release Date: June 2023
12. A Good Person

Release Date: March 2023
11. The Holdovers

Release Date: November 2023
10. Dumb Money

Release Date: TBA 2023
Release Date: November 2023
8. Rustin

Release Date: TBA 2023
6. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Release Date: June 2023
5. Next Goal Wins

His next film, Next Goal Wins, is based on the true story of Dutch football coach Thomas Rongen and his efforts to take the American-Samoa national team, then considered the worst in the world, to the 2014 World Cup.
Michael Fassbender stars as Rongen, and he will be joined by Elisabeth Moss, Armie Hammer, and long-time Waititi collaborator Rhys Darby.
Release Date: September 2023
4. Maestro

Release Date: TBA 2023
3. Napoleon

Release Date: TBA 2023

Release Date: TBA 2023
1. Oppenheimer

Release Date: July 2023
So there you have it folks: The 2023 Hot List. I will be back with many more articles in due course, but for now let's make 2023 a great year together.
Sunday, 12 February 2023
Welcome back to The Ephemeric's 2023 Hot List. This week we will be having a look at the most exciting new music due for release in the coming year.
So without further ado, here is our list of the top albums to keep an eye on in 2023, starting with number 15:
15. MGMT

Release Date: Summer 2023
14. "Bubblegum" by Biig Piig (New band)

Release Date: January 2023
13. "Angels & Queens: Part II" by Gabriels

Release Date: March 2023
12. "Continue as a Guest" by The New Pornographers

Release Date: March 2023
11. Crawlers (New band)

Release Date: TBD 2023
10. Tseba (New band)

Release Date: TBD 2023
9. Lemon Twigs

Release Date: TBD 2023

Release Date: TBD 2023

Release Date: Spring 2023
6. Fleet Foxes

Release Date: Summer 2023
5. Braxe + Falcon (New band)

Release Date: TBD 2023

Release Date: February 2023
3. "Cracker Island" by Gorillaz

Release Date: February 2023
2. The Killers

1. "Fantasy" by M83

Release Date: March 2023
So there you have it folks: 2023 in music. Tune in next week for this year's final Hot List, where we look at the most exciting new movies in 2023.
Sunday, 5 February 2023
Welcome back to The Ephemeric's 2023 Hot List. This week we will be having a look at the most exciting theatrical productions coming to the stage in the coming year.
2023 is an exciting year for theatre in and around London. So without further ado here's our list of the top 10 theatrical productions to keep an eye on in 2023, starting with number 10:
10. "Next to Normal" by Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt, at the Donmar Warehouse




6. "The Secret Life of Bees" by Lynn Nottage, Duncan Sheik and Susan Birkenhead, at the Almeida

5. "Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead" by Olga Tokarczuk and Simon McBurney, at the Barbican

4. "Trouble in Butetown" by Diana Nneka Atuona, at the Donmar Warehouse

3. "The Pillowman" by Martin McDonagh, at Duke of York's Theatre

2. "The Motive and the Cue" by Jack Thorne, at the National Theatre

1. "Patriots" by Peter Morgan, at the Noel Coward Theatre

So there you have it folks: 2023 in theatre. Tune in soon for our next instalment of the Hot List, covering the essential new music coming this year!
Sunday, 22 January 2023
Welcome back to The Ephemeric's 2023 Hot List. This week we will have a look at the most exciting new literature and novels you'll be reading in the coming year.
I'll be honest, compiling this list was more difficult this year than it has been recently. Some years are abundant with exciting new work, new voices, the latest from established legends of literature. 2023, at first blush, looks to be a year slightly bereft of originality. Far too many of the year's biggest releases fall into predictable niches. Most are topical fare or biographies exploring political and social issues, which is fine, but does every single book need to be about that these days? It makes me worried for the past-time of reading that so much of the industry seems to be about catering to outrage and grievance at the moment, at the expense of actual storytelling and creative new voices.
So here it is: your reading list for 2023, our list of the top 10 upcoming releases from the world of literature to keep an eye on this year, starting, as always, with number 10:
10. "Really Good, Actually" by Monica Heisey

9. "Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World" by Malcolm Harris

8. "The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece" by Tom Hanks

7. "Ascension" by Nicholas Binge

6. "Biography of X" by Catherine Lacey

5. "Cuddy" by Benjamin Myers

4. "The Ferryman" by Justin Cronin

3. "The Deep Sky" by Yume Kitasei

2. "In Ascension" by Martin MacInnes

1. "Victory City" by Salman Rushdie

So there you have it folks: 2023 in literature. Tune in soon for our next instalment of the Hot List, covering the essential new theatre coming up in 2023!