Saturday 9 March 2024
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.
Some years are difficult to predict when it comes to the Oscars. This is not one of those years. There's always the chance of a few curveballs, but for the most part there are some pretty clear favourites for each of the major prizes. As usual, I will predict the likely winner for each prize, and then condescendingly lecture you as to why the Academy is wrong about it. Ready? Alright, let's get to it.
Best Picture
Nominations:
- American Fiction – Ben LeClair, Nikos Karamigios, Cord Jefferson, and Jermaine Johnson, producers
- Anatomy of a Fall – Marie-Ange Luciani and David Thion, producers
- Barbie – David Heyman, Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley, and Robbie Brenner, producers
- The Holdovers – Mark Johnson, producer
- Killers of the Flower Moon – Dan Friedkin, Bradley Thomas, Martin Scorsese, and Daniel Lupi, producers
- Maestro – Bradley Cooper, Steven Spielberg, Fred Berner, Amy Durning, and Kristie Macosko Krieger, producers
- Oppenheimer – Emma Thomas, Charles Roven, and Christopher Nolan, producers
- Past Lives – David Hinojosa, Christine Vachon, and Pamela Koffler, producers
- Poor Things – Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Yorgos Lanthimos, and Emma Stone, producers
- The Zone of Interest – James Wilson, producer
Who should really win: The Holdovers
Best Director
Nominations:
- Justine Triet – Anatomy of a Fall
- Martin Scorsese – Killers of the Flower Moon
- Christopher Nolan – Oppenheimer
- Yorgos Lanthimos – Poor Things
- Jonathan Glazer – The Zone of Interest
Who should really win: None of the above
Best Actor
Nominations:
- Bradley Cooper – Maestro as Leonard Bernstein
- Colman Domingo – Rustin as Bayard Rustin
- Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers as Paul Hunham
- Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer as J. Robert Oppenheimer
- Jeffrey Wright – American Fiction as Thelonious "Monk" Ellison
Who should really win: Cillian Murphy - Oppenheimer as J. Robert Oppenheimer
Best Actress
Nominations:
- Annette Bening – Nyad as Diana Nyad
- Lily Gladstone – Killers of the Flower Moon as Mollie Burkhart
- Sandra Hüller – Anatomy of a Fall as Sandra Voyter
- Carey Mulligan – Maestro as Felicia Montealegre
- Emma Stone – Poor Things as Bella Baxter
Who should really win: Carey Mulligan – Maestro as Felicia Montealegre
Best Supporting Actor
Nominations:
- Sterling K. Brown – American Fiction as Clifford "Cliff" Ellison
- Robert De Niro – Killers of the Flower Moon as William King Hale
- Robert Downey Jr. – Oppenheimer as Lewis Strauss
- Ryan Gosling – Barbie as Ken
- Mark Ruffalo – Poor Things as Duncan Wedderburn
Who should really win: Robert Downey Jr. – Oppenheimer as Lewis Strauss
Best Supporting Actress
Nominations:
- Emily Blunt – Oppenheimer as Kitty Oppenheimer
- Danielle Brooks – The Color Purple as Sofia
- America Ferrera – Barbie as Gloria
- Jodie Foster – Nyad as Bonnie Stoll
- Da'Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers as Mary Lamb
Who should really win: Da'Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers as Mary Lamb
Best Original Screenplay
Nominations:
- Anatomy of a Fall – Justine Triet and Arthur Harari
- The Holdovers – David Hemingson
- Maestro – Bradley Cooper and Josh Singer
- May December – Screenplay by Samy Burch; Story by Samy Burch and Alex Mechanik
- Past Lives – Celine Song
Who should really win: The Holdovers – David Hemingson
Best Adapted Screenplay
Nominations:
- American Fiction – Cord Jefferson; based on the novel Erasure by Percival Everett
- Barbie – Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach; based on characters created by Ruth Handler
- Oppenheimer – Christopher Nolan; based on the biography American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin
- Poor Things – Tony McNamara; based on the novel by Alasdair Gray
- The Zone of Interest – Jonathan Glazer; based on the novel by Martin Amis
Who should really win: American Fiction – Cord Jefferson; based on the novel Erasure by Percival Everett
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!
Sunday 25 February 2024
Hello and welcome back to 2024'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 2024, 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. Bird
First up we have Bird, the upcoming drama film directed by Andrea Arnold, marking her first narrative feature since 2016's American Honey, having more recently worked on the acclaimed TV series Transparent and Big Little Lies.
Release Date: TBA 2024
14. Joker: Folie à Deux
Release Date: October 2024
13. Gladiator II
Release Date: November 2024
12. Civil War
11. Conclave
Release Date: TBA 2024
Release Date: TBA 2024
9. Inside Out 2
Release Date: June 2024
Release Date: July 2024
7. Dune: Part Two
Release Date: March 2024
6. The Apprentice
This next one is tasty, for a number of reasons. The Apprentice is a biographical film about Donald Trump. But, wisely, it avoids his recent political history, focusing instead on a young Trump, his relationship with his father, and his burgeoning career in the 1970s and 1980s.
Release Date: TBA 2024
5. Nosferatu
Nosferatu is a gothic horror film directed by Robert Eggers, featuring Bill Skarsgård as Count Orlok. This American production, a remake of the 1922 German Expressionist classic, itself an unofficial adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula.
Release Date: December 2024
4. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
Ghostbusters fans are eating good. After a few decades of waiting for a true sequel to 1989's Ghostbusters II, we are getting a fourth entry in the series just three years after the excellent Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
Release Date: March 2024
3. Here
Release Date: TBA 2024
Release Date: TBA 2024
1. Blitz
But my number one pick for the year is the upcoming World War II drama, Blitz by Steve McQueen. Hollywood loves a good World War II drama, and Steve McQueen is one of the darlings of the industry, having previously won the Best Director Oscar for 12 Years a Slave, becoming the first black filmmaker ever to do so.
Release Date: TBA 2024
So there you have it folks: The 2024 Hot List. I will be back with many more articles in due course, but for now let's make 2024 a great year together.
Wednesday 14 February 2024
Welcome back to The Ephemeric's 2024 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 2024, starting with number 15:
15. "Light Verse" by Iron and Wine
Release Date: April 2024
14. Kenya Grace (New band)
Release Date: TBD 2024
Release Date: April 2024
12. "People Who Aren't There Anymore" by Future Islands
Release Date: TBD 2024
10. "The Mess We Seem to Make" by Crawlers (New band)
Release Date: February 2024
9. "Book 1" by Grimes
Release Date: TBD 2024
8. "Moon Music" by Coldplay
Release Date: Early 2024
Release Date: TBD 2024
Release Date: TBD 2024
5. "Pratts and Pain" by Royel Otis (New band)
Release Date: Early 2024
4. Braxe + Falcon (New band)
Release Date: TBD 2024
One of 2024's biggest upcoming releases, Vampire Weekend is set to return with their fifth studio album, Only God Was Above Us.
Release Date: April 2024
Release Date: February 2024
1. "Gangbusters Melody Club" by Caravan Palace
Release Date: March 2024
So there you have it folks: 2024 in music. Tune in next week for this year's final Hot List, where we look at the most exciting new movies in 2024.
Sunday 28 January 2024
Welcome back to The Ephemeric's 2024 Hot List. This week we will be having a look at the most exciting theatrical productions coming to the stage in the coming year.
So here it is, our list of the top 10 theatrical productions to keep an eye on in 2024, perhaps with a slight London and Zurich bias, starting with number 10:
10. "Opening Night" by Ivo Van Hove and Rufus Wainwright, at the Gielgud Theatre
6. "Dr. Strangelove" by Armando Iannucci at the Noel Coward Theatre
Should this be higher up the list? Probably. The London stage is set to witness the theatrical debut of Stanley Kubrick's iconic Cold War satire, Dr. Strangelove, in a highly anticipated adaptation by the acclaimed Armando Iannucci.
5. "The Cherry Orchard" by Anton Chekhov, at the Donmar Warehouse
4. "My Neighbour Totoro" by Joe Hisaishi and RSC, at the Barbican
3. "The Hills of California" by Jez Butterworth, at the Harold Pinter Theatre
2. "Mnemonic" by Simon McBurney, at the National Theatre
1. "Stranger Things: The First Shadow" by Jack Thorne, at the Phoenix Theatre
So there you have it folks: 2024 in theatre. Tune in soon for our next instalment of the Hot List, covering the essential new music coming this year!
Sunday 21 January 2024
Welcome back to The Ephemeric's 2024 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.
Best advice I ever received: you can't read too much. If you can find the time, reading a book can offer greater enrichment than any other activity. But time is precious. There's only so many books one can reasonably find time to read. 2024 is shaping up to be another year blessed with an abundance of tantalizing new stories and perspectives, and here I am going to try and whittle that long list down to just the very best.
10. "Anita de Monte Laughs Last" by Xóchitl González
9. "You Like it Darker" by Stephen King
8. "The Demon of Unrest" by Erik Larson
7. "The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands" by Sarah Brooks
6. "Godwin" by Joseph O'Neill
5. "The Last Murder at the End of the World" by Stuart Turton
4. "I Cheerfully Refuse" by Leif Enger
3. "James" by Percival Everett
2. "Evenings and Weekends" by Oisín McKenna
1. "The Life Impossible" by Matt Haig
So there you have it folks: 2024 in literature. Tune in soon for our next instalment of the Hot List, covering the essential new theatre coming up in 2024!