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    All about Oscar

    The Butler didn't do it: Golden Globe nominations sort out Oscar favorites

    Joe Leydon
    Dec 12, 2013 | 4:46 pm

    The Golden Globe nominations were announced early Thursday, and you know what that means, right?

    No, not that snobbish film critics will start making jokes about the taste and intelligence of Hollywood Foreign Press Association members. (Truth to tell, we snooty cineastes never stop making jokes about that less-than-illustrious group – even though, I suspect, precious few of us would ever turn down an offer of membership.) Rather, it’s time for the pre-season prognostications to end, and the dead-serious Academy Award handicapping begins.

    Let’s face it, when it comes to selecting the best and brightest of cinematic achievements in any given year – it’s always all about Oscar.

    Because, let’s face it, when it comes to selecting the best and brightest of cinematic achievements in any given year – it’s always all about Oscar. Golden Globes doubtless matter a great deal to the folks who actually receive them. And even if they don’t, hey, the awards are nifty door prizes at what I’ve been told is a pretty wild and crazy, loose and boozy party. (You can judge for yourself when the Golden Globes show airs Jan. 12 on NBC.)

    But for film critics, nonaffiliated showbiz journalists, and other Oscar handicappers on the outside looking in, the Globes serve primarily as portents to be analyzed during the protracted trudge toward the Academy Awards (which won’t be given out until – gasp! – March 2).

    What follows are a few purely random and utterly subjective observations regarding this year’s Golden Globe nominations, all informed (if that’s the right word) by my years of experience as a semi-respectable film critic, and my decades as an unrepentant Golden Globes show viewer. (Yes: I am old enough to remember when Pia Zadora won an award, the Globes lost some of their luster.) And speaking of viewing: In addition to honoring cinematic excellence, the HFPA voters also honor achievements in television. But since the Golden Globes have demonstrated little or no influence on Emmy Awards – really, who cares?

    LEADERS OF THE PACK:12 Years a Slave dominated the Drama categories with seven nominations, while American Hustle grabbed an equal number of nods in the Comedy or Musical division. I think it’s reasonably safe to say that we now know at least two of the titles that will figure into the Best Picture mix when Academy Award nominations are announced Jan. 16.

    BEING NOMINATED IS AN HONOR ALL BY ITSELF: Since the major Golden Globes are divided into separate categories for Drama and Musical or Comedy, requiring at least five nominees in each category – well, just say that, sometimes, it’s easy to spot the filler. For example: In the Drama division, Rush has been nominated for Best Picture, and co-star Daniel Bruhl received honorable mention as Best Supporting Actor. No, really.

    PRIVILEDGED VIEW: It’s an open secret in the movie industry that some film critics’ organizations insist on announcing their year-end awards as early as possible, so they can claim bragging rights for influencing the Oscar race – by anointing early front-runners and/or turning dark horses into true contenders — and even “predicting” eventual Oscar winners. This season, however, there has been great weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth on the part of those reviewers who have had to cast their ballots without seeing The Wolf of Wall Street, which Martin Scorsese reportedly completed too late for Paramount to provide screenings (or DVD screeners) for critics in most major cities. (Before you ask: Houston critics won’t get their first look at the flick until next week.)

    That The Butler was snubbed in all categories might suggest that members of the Hollywood Foreign Press aren’t terribly interested or sympathetic when it comes to embracing and/or rewarding a tale about the civil rights movement in America.

    It’s obvious, however, that members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association got a sneak peek: Both Wolf and lead player Leonard Di Caprio scored Globe nominations in the Comedy or Musical category. Perhaps this might encourage some of those critics’ organizations to consider waiting just a tad longer next year?

    THE BUTLER DIDN’T DO IT: Can’t say I was an enormous fan of Lee Daniels’ sincere yet facile historical pageant. But given the critical accolades it received in other quarters – and, yes, given Harvey Weinstein’s reputation for full-court-press awards-season politicking – I expected at least a few acting nominations. That The Butler was snubbed in all categories might suggest that members of the Hollywood Foreign Press aren’t terribly interested or sympathetic when it comes to embracing and/or rewarding a tale about the civil rights movement in America. On the other hand, it’s equally plausible that they just didn’t like the movie very much.

    CONSPICUOUS BY THEIR ABSENCES: The HFPA voters also overlooked such other Oscar-buzzing options as August: Osage County (a no-show as Best Picture, despite acting nods for Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts), Martin Scorsese (absent from the Best Director finalists, even though his late-screening Wolf of Wall Street nabbed a Best Picture, Comedy or Musical nomination), Michael B. Jordan and Octavia Spencer of Fruitvale Station -- and Best Actor nominee (for Captain Phillips) Tom Hanks, who couldn’t double-dip by also landing a Supporting Actor nomination for playing Walt Disney in Saving Mr. Banks.

    ON THE OTHER HAND: Robert Redford’s Oscar prospects for All is Lost, viewed by some as dimming after the Screen Actors Guild shutout earlier this week, appear to have been revived by his Golden Globe nod. Likewise, Bruce Dern’s own Oscar campaign can only be helped by his Golden Globe nomination for Nebraska. Not so long ago, some “experts” were none-too-subtly suggesting that Dern should narrow his sights, and aim for consideration as a Supporting Actor hopeful. Dern rejected those suggestions. Events of recent days – he got a SAG nomination and an L.A. Film Critics Award as well as the Globe honor – indicate Dern took the right path.

    COMEDY GOLD: Tina Fey will be back co-hosting the Golden Globes (along with Amy Poehler) next month. But she was not nominated for her work in the final season of 30 Rock. (A mere TV show, to be sure, but quite a popular one, I understand.) How many jokes about that do you think we’ll hear during the Jan. 12 awards telecast?

    American Hustle also received seven Golden Globe nominations.

    American Hustle movie scene with cast
      
    Photo by Francois Duhamel Sony PIctures
    American Hustle also received seven Golden Globe nominations.
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    Movie Review

    New horror film M3GAN 2.0 turns up the campy fun of the original

    Alex Bentley
    Jun 27, 2025 | 1:01 pm
    M3GAN in M3GAN 2.0
    Photo by Geoffrey Short/Universal Pictures
    M3GAN in M3GAN 2.0.

    When a studio releases a movie in January (aka Dumpuary), the general rule of thumb is that they’re trying to get rid of a movie that isn’t very good. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, as M3GAN was in 2023, which rode the comedy of a killer AI robot who likes to dance to over $180 million worldwide.

    A sequel was a given, and now with a built-in fanbase, M3GAN 2.0is a prime summer release. After running into trouble with her robot invention, Gemma (Allison Williams) has seemingly seen the error of her ways, now focused on creating things like a mechanical exoskeleton that can benefit society. Little does she know that the code she used to create M3GAN (aka Model 3 Generative Android) has been co-opted to create AMELIA (Ivanna Sakhno), a new robot which is being used for nefarious purposes.

    Naturally, the only thing to do is to bring M3GAN (played by Amie Donald, voiced by Jenna Davis) back from the “dead,” which is easy to do because — surprise! — she has been lurking inside the smart house in which Gemma and her niece Cady (Violet McGraw) now live. The inevitable showdown between the two robots is alternately helped and hindered by people like billionaire Alton Appleton (Jemaine Clement), fellow tech entrepreneur Christian (Aristotle Athari), co-worker Cole (Brian Jordan Alvarez), and others.

    Written and directed by Gerard Johnstone, who also directed the first film, M3GAN 2.0 doesn’t stray from the original formula, delivering way more laughs than scares. Because there’s a familiarity with the character, Johnstone leans into the campy side of things, essentially winking at the audience for much of the film. Whether it’s temporarily imprisoning M3GAN in an innocuous desktop robot or a number of one-liners, there is a lot of comedy to be found.

    The film is a type of horror, though, and it delivers in the mild, PG-13 way that won’t offend non-horror fans. AMELIA (aka Autonomous Military Engagement Logistics and Infiltration Android) gives off Terminator vibes, and she lays waste to virtually all challengers. M3GAN doesn’t get to show off her skills as much as she did last time, which might be a tad frustrating for some, but she gets in enough punches and kicks for the experience to be worth it.

    The story itself starts off strong before devolving into an overly complicated mess. The arc of AMELIA is particularly strange, as the strength of her powers and the level of her autonomy seem to change at will in the second half of the film. Gemma develops a rivalry with another character that might have worked better if it had been hinted at early in the film instead of being dropped in as a surprise.

    Davis’ voice performance as M3GAN is once again fantastic, as she delivers sarcasm and menace equally well. Sakhno isn’t asked to do much but look terrifying, and she accomplishes that job. Williams is up and down in her role, stronger in the moments when she’s not being asked to prove her tech bona fides. Clement is his usual over-the-top self, which suits his character.

    As with the first film, if you go into M3GAN 2.0 not expecting anything more than some goofy violent robot action, you’ll walk away satisfied. The unlikely breakout hit for Blumhouse Productions may not be able to support a good story, but it entertains in the way it’s supposed to do.

    ---

    M3GAN 2.0 is now playing in theaters.

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