Latest news with #EverythingEverywhereAllatOnce
WIRED
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- WIRED
'Ballerina' Deserves an Oscar Nod for Stunts—But It'll Never Get One
Jun 6, 2025 7:30 AM The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced a new Oscar category for stunt performers earlier this year. Unfortunately, none of the performers in the latest John Wick movie will qualify. Still from Ballerina. Photograph: Larry D. Horricks/Lionsgate If anyone knows how to take a fall, it's Cara Marie Chooljian. As a stunt performer in everything from Everything Everywhere All at Once to this Friday's Ballerina , she's used to taking blows and getting back up. There's just one blow she wishes she didn't have to take, at least not right now—that she won't win an Oscar. To be clear, it's not that she can't win an Oscar or that she doesn't have the skill. It's that until April of this year there just wasn't a category for stunt performers. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced a new trophy specifically for stunt design this spring, but no movie will be eligible for the award until 2027—long after Ballerina is out of theaters. 'Kill me,' Chooljian jokes when I ask about the Academy's announcement and the timing of her latest movie. 'I was like, why aren't we pushing it' back? Stunt work has been a part of filmmaking since there have been movies. In an industry where actors are literally worth millions of dollars, there's often someone on set willing to do the really dangerous stuff to save their skin. Many stars—Keanu Reeves, Tom Cruise, Chooljian's Ballerina counterpart Ana de Armas—participate in the stunt work, but for a lot of the big life-or-death action, there's a double. They're named in the credits, but because of the nature of their work, they're also invisible to much of the audience. Going back to the 1990s, stunt performers have been asking for Academy recognition only to be shut down. But when movies like Furious 7, John Wick , and Mad Max: Fury Road started hitting theaters, the stunts were so unbelievable it became more clear that stunt work was as essential to some movies as the script or director. There was no movie without the action. Still, the creators behind it never got the same Academy recognition as, say, visual effects artists or costume designers. As part of the John Wick franchise, Ballerina was tailor-made for the Oscars' new category. In it, Chooljian and de Armas have to fight in every possible scenario with every possible weapon—plates, flamethrowers, every kind of gun imaginable. There are shoot-outs in clubs and hand-to-hand combat. David Leitch, a former stunt performer who cocreated Wick and went on to direct action-heavy movies like Atomic Blonde and Deadpool , was at the forefront of the campaign to get the Academy to create an award for stunts. If Ballerina was coming out just a bit later, it'd be at the forefront of the pack. Not that it'd be a shoo-in. It's coming out mere weeks after Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning , in which Tom Cruise once again hangs off of some flying object that he definitely shouldn't be. But, if anything, the existence of two highly competitive films in the category would prove why it's long overdue. The quest to put stunt performers on the Oscar ballot has been a long one. As Leitch's Wick cocreator Chad Stahelski told Variety in April 'the [stunt] department has been around since the very inception of films' going back to the black-and-white days of Buster Keaton and has never been recognized. Veteran stunt performer Jack Gill has been calling for the Academy to recognize the profession since 1991, getting backing from filmmakers like Steven Spielberg, but it never stuck. 'Every year I think, this is going to be the year,' Gill told The Los Angeles Times in 2015, but the Academy would ultimately not make the move. There aren't enough stunt-filled movies released in a given year for a competitive field, some argued. Others doubted that stunts rose to the level of a movie-making art or science. When the Academy finally announced the creation of the stunt design category, performers like Leitch celebrated the end of a long fight. Fall Guy stunt designer 'Chris O'Hara and I have spent years working to bring this moment to life,' he said in a statement at the time, 'standing on the shoulders of the stunt professionals who've fought tirelessly for recognition over the decades.' For Chooljian the award also promises to highlight what stunt performers actually do. Often, it's not just a matter of putting on a wig and flirting with danger so a more highly paid actor doesn't have to. She notes that often she'll get a script that just says 'fight ensues' and it's her job and that of her colleagues to design and plan that fight. People in the industry don't want to talk about stunt doubles, she continues, 'because they're supposed to be hidden, and if they're not hidden we're not doing our job.' But hidden perhaps shouldn't mean unrecognized. For Ballerina , Chooljian and de Armas, who Choolijan says did quite a bit of her own stunts and 'smashed it,' had to fight off multiple assailants, wield guns, and use ice skates as weapons. Like the other Wick films before, every move seems almost impossible but far more realistic than any action sequence in a superhero movie. Without those scenes, there is no story. It's Oscar-worthy—even if it's technically not.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A24 Plans Prince Charles Cinema Takeover With Seven Films, Pop-up Shop
LONDON — The entertainment company A24 is taking over the Prince Charles Cinema in London for seven nights with seven of their hit films including 'Past Lives,' 'Moonlight,' 'Lady Bird' and 'Uncut Gems.' 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' will be the first film showcased at the cinema from May 9 followed by a film screening every night until May 15. More from WWD Joe Wright on the 'Pride & Prejudice' 20th Anniversary and Capturing the 'Psychologically True' Jane Austen Story Cheat Sheets for 'The Great Gatsby's' Centennial Kering Foundation Is Backing a Feature Film About Women's Care Center The Prince Charles Cinema will also be setting up an A24 pop-up shop with curated merchandise that are only available in the U.S. The pop-up shop will stock screenplay books, collectible items and apparel. A24 teamed up with the Manchester-based creative design studio on the merchandise with a brief of 'do whatever you want.' 'The merch was inspired by the vibe of old-school uniforms from '90s U.K. cinemas — think the classic cap and two-tone color scheme. We also pulled references from vintage cinema ads you'd find in big newspaper spreads,' said Ryan Doyle, cofounder of 'A big influence was the Prince Charles Cinema itself. We loved the idea of making the merch feel really site-specific — like something that could only come from there,' he added. A source close to A24 said they chose London for the project because they have 'always loved our fans in the region and the Prince Charles Cinema felt like a natural partner in an opportunity to surprise and delight fans in the U.K.' A24 and the Prince Charles Cinema worked together on choosing the films being screened. 'Some of these films are our highest grossing movies of all time, are award-nominated or just memorable films that our fans love. And most of the filmmakers are repeat A24 creators, and have films coming out this year with us,' said the source. Celine Song, Robert Eggers and Barry Jenkins have projects coming out with the entertainment company. A24 has become an entertainment company with a cult following. It has produced controversial films such as Halina Reijn's 'Babygirl' starring Nicole Kidman to 'The Zone of Interest,' which won the Academy Award for Best Sound and Best International Feature in 2024. Best of WWD A Look Back at Anna Nicole Smith's Kentucky Derby Style That Lives On Through Her Daughter Dannielynn Birkhead A Look Back at Princess Diana's Met Gala Appearance: Her John Galliano Slipdress, Jewelry and More Details A Look Back at Prince William and Kate Middleton's Royal Wedding
Perth Now
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Jamie Lee Curtis proud of her 41-year marriage
Jamie Lee Curtis is proud of her 41-year marriage to Christopher Guest because there were so many divorces in her family. The 66-year-old Hollywood actress has been married to the filmmaker - the father of her two children - since 1984 and she's now confessed it was always "important" for her to only tie the knot once because her mother Janet Leigh was married four times and her father Tony Curtis also had multiple marriages. During an appearance on '60 Minutes', Jamie explained: "My mother was married four times. My father was married five times. That's nine. "My stepfather was married three, so I come from an immediate family of 12 marriages. "So my joke: 'I'm still married to my first husband', um you know, it was important to me that I stay married to my husband, that he's my husband." Jamie won an Academy Award for her performance in 2022 film 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' - a feat that was never achieved by either of her actor parents - and she went on to admit she feels like she has "surpassed" them in many ways during her life. She explained: "You know, I think about surpassing my parents, which I have, emotionally. I have surpassed my parents with sobriety. "My mother was restricted by what the industry wanted from her, and expected from her, and would allow from her. "My mother would have hated 'The Last Showgirl' because I showed what I really looked like. And so I have, I don't wanna say, surpassed them, but I, I have freedom." Despite winning an Oscar for ''Everything Everywhere All at Once', Jamie confessed the role and the film left her totally baffled. When asked if she understood the role, Jamie replied: "Of course not ... [I didn't understand] not one second of it. Did I understand that script? No." However, it was her role as troubled family matriarch Donna Berzatto in critically acclaimed TV series 'The Bear' that left the biggest impression on her. She added: "I've waited my whole life for Donna, patiently, quietly cooking ... My own creative mental life, my own - you know, my own alcoholism. It's just so beautifully written that you don't have to do anything."
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Marvel's ‘Thunderbolts' — instant Oscar predictions
With Thunderbolts, Marvel is on the comeback. The new movie from Jake Schreier (Beef) has garnered some of the best reviews for a Marvel movie since Spider-Man: No Way Home in 2021, signaling a modest return to form for the Marvel Cinematic Universe after recent misfires like Captan America: Brave New World, The Marvels, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. More from GoldDerby 'Buena Vista Social Club,' 'Death Becomes Her,' 'Maybe Happy Ending' lead 2025 Tony Awards nominations - see the full list 'Genius: MLK/X,' 'Out of My Mind,' and 4 other shows win at the 2025 Television Academy Honors Ruth Negga will submit in lead at the Emmys for 'Presumed Innocent' - see the show's entries in 19 categories The expectation is that Thunderbolts, with its cast led by Florence Pugh, David Harbour, and Sebastian Stan, will dominate the box office this weekend, and — at the very least — reinvigorate the MCU fanbase before The Fantastic Four: First Steps kick starts a new Marvel franchise in July. However, as with any Marvel movie, there's also the potential for Thunderbolts to factor into next year's Oscars race. While the movie is unlikely to garner recognition for its above-the-line contributors, it could find itself competitive in several craft categories — especially if awards voters buy into the Letterboxd bona fides of Thunderbolts, which Marvel touted by releasing an 'absolute cinema' teaser earlier this year. Ahead, some instant Oscar predictions for Marvel's Thunderbolts. Best Score Among the notable artisans who worked on Thunderbolts are composers Son Lux, a trio of musicians fresh off an Oscar nomination for the score to Everything Everywhere All at Once. 'The score by experimental group Son Lux is a welcome shift away from orchestral bombast into more nuanced territory,' wrote David Rooney in his positive review of the movie for The Hollywood Reporter. While Best Score is traditionally highly competitive, and the argument could be made that Son Lux was carried to an Oscar nomination in 2023 because Everything Everywhere All at Once was such a phenomenon, the unique nature of the score could stand out. 'Any trepidation came from not knowing how we would fit into this world because the MCU is perhaps one of the most established things in cinema,' Rafiq Bhatia, one of the three members of Son Lux, told NME. 'But we soon discovered that Marvel and Jake wanted to do something different with this movie. We were just really excited about embarking on a journey of exploring what that different thing could be. Now that we're nearing the finish line, it's been a really rewarding experience.' If Son Lux ends up nominated, they would be only the second group of composers nominated for a Marvel movie; Ludwig Goransson, who won for Black Panther, is the only Marvel composer nominated in the category in MCU history. Best Casting No disrespect to Kevin Feige, but it's possible that few people have had more to do with the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe than Sarah Halley Finn. The veteran casting director has cast every Marvel movie, except for The Incredible Hulk, and has also cast multiple Marvel television shows. (She's received Emmy nominations for casting WandaVision and the Star Wars series The Mandalorian.) Thunderbolts brings together multiple Marvel franchises and also finds room for new stars, like Lewis Pullman and Geraldine Viswanathan, and could put the casting legend in contention for the inaugural Best Casting Oscar, unless Finn loses out on a potential nomination to herself. She also put together the cast of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which includes Pedro Pascal, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Julia Garner. Best Visual Effects In the end, the most obvious spot for Thunderbolts to compete for Academy recognition next year is Best Visual Effects. Of the 27 nominations Marvel has received in its lifespan, 14 have come in the effects category. However, one of the big selling points of Thunderbolts is that it's a smaller-scale adventure. So if any Marvel movie might continue the franchise's success in Best Visual Effects, it'll probably be The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Still, at this stage, it's safe to count Thunderbolts as one of the contenders for Best Visual Effects, even if it ultimately falls short next year. Best of GoldDerby All 35 Marvel Cinematic Universe movies ranked, ahead of 'Thunderbolts' debut Wes Anderson movies: All 11 films ranked worst to best Penelope Cruz movies: 16 greatest films ranked worst to best Click here to read the full article.
Buzz Feed
18-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
36 Actors Who Nailed A Role So Hard, No One Else Will Ever Be Able To Top It
The thing is, we are blessed to have so many actors who are amazing at their jobs, and we are lucky to witness them light up any screen we see them on. Some actors are so good, in fact, that they define their role with so much precision, it's nearly IMPOSSIBLE to imagine that anyone else on earth could have portrayed that character. 1. " Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins. I work with kids and sometimes show them the movie. Their faces light up exactly the same way mine did when I first watched it as a little girl in the '90s. That perfect blend of stern and magical just can't be replicated. Emily Blunt did her best, but Julie Andrews just IS Mary Poppins." 2. "Titus Burgess in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Truly a comedic genius. Nobody else would have been able to play that role. Probably why the character is named Titus." 3. "Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean. He nailed the role so hard that most people don't know his name they just call him Mr. Bean." 4. "Ian McKellan as Gandalf. A hundred years could pass and nobody would possibly do it better." 5. " Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods." 6. "Michelle Yeoh in Everything Everywhere All at Once. It's such a bananas movie and she manages to find the emotional depth of a character who spends a lot of the film being unlikable and totally wins you over. All while being so badass. I don't think anyone else could have pulled it off." 7. "Mathew Lillard as Shaggy. Like, zoinks, man, he really nailed it." 8. "Annie Murphy as Alexis Rose and Catherine O'Hara as Moira Rose. Pure genius." 9. "Joe Pesci and Melissa Tomei in My Cousin Vinny. They just have such perfect chemistry and are both walking caricatures while simultaneously having a lot of depth and specificity. Tomei absolutely deserved the Oscar, no one else could play that part." 10. "Janelle James in Abbott Elementary. Every single time she's onscreen I'm laughing, and I think it's a character someone else could easily get wrong." 11. "Rachel McAdams as Regina George." 12. "Christopher Lloyd in Back to the Future. Just a completely off-the-wall performance where the audience somehow never questions his absurdity. Perfectly matches the energy of the films, is absolutely hysterical, and also sells the desperation of getting Marty home while also remaining a clown throughout." 13. "Emma Stone as Bella Baxter in Poor Things. I was floored! Cannot imagine anyone else in that role as a result." 14. "Chris Tucker's rendition of Ruby Rhod in The Fifth Element will never be outdone." 15. "Sarah Michelle Gellar in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The show lives and dies with SMG. No one else could've played Buffy like that." 16. "Robin Williams as Genie. Watched Aladdin again last night with my kids and honestly got teary-eyed. Other voice actors have tried, but his improvisation and that manic energy mixed with genuine heart was lightning in a bottle. Will Smith's version just made me miss Robin even more." 17. "Tatiana Maslany in Orphan Black. I do not think anyone else could have acted so convincingly." 18. "Definitely Denzel Washington in Training Day. It's one of the most captivating yet menacing performances I've ever seen." 19. "Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly." —u/ Sara1994_ "In the book, she was supposed to be more petite like the real Anna Wintour, and maybe I imagined her a little younger when I read the novel. When the movie was cast, I was bummed that it was her because it was such a departure from my mental image, but she just nailed it. I know Anna Wintour exists, but to me, that female archetype is the way Meryl Streep acted it." —u/ llmb4llc 20. "Morgan Freeman as Red in The Shawshank Redemption. He really deserved the Oscar for that role, but that was the year of Forrest Gump." 21. "Tom Hiddleston as Loki. He stole every Avenger's thunder, even in his minuscule appearances." 22. "Absolutely no one else could have been Dana Scully in X-Files but Gillian Anderson." 23. "Just try to imagine anybody but Viola Davis playing Annelise Keating in How to Get Away with Murder. Sure, the show is kind of silly, but she made the role iconic." 24. "Jack Black in School of Rock. He manages to be a complete loser and pathetic while also being likable enough to root for. His energy with the kids is infectious and he never seems creepy in those interactions. On top of that, he's a gifted musician with a completely unique energy." 25. "Kathy Bates in Misery. I was sure the actor herself was insane. I just can't imagine acting that convincingly." 26. "Jennifer Lopez when she played Selena. Nobody else could master that part." 27. "Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter. I will always see him as Harry Potter, no matter what. He's a great actor, don't get me wrong, and I've seen some fine acting from him since in various films. Ditto for Emma Watson as Hermione. Rupert, too, but he's not really been in anything else of note for me." ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection —u/ wildOldcheesecake 28. "Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley in Alien." ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection —u/ Difficult_Rip1514 29. "Uma Thurman in Kill Bill. Just chef's kiss. The attitude, the sword, the yellow suit — legend behavior." ©Miramax/Courtesy Everett Collection —u/ PrintAccording534 30. "Colin Firth in Pride and Prejudice. That version, in general, is the definitive adaptation of the book IMO. Firth absolutely nailed Darcy in a way nobody else has." Courtesy Everett Collection —u/ blasek0 31. "James Earl Jones as the voice of Darth Vader." ©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection —u/ GeologistEmergency56 32. "Judi Dench as M in the Bond movies. We change Bonds at the drop of a hat, but half the point of Skyfall was purely to justify Dench not being M in the future." ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection —u/ kaizenkitten 33. "Tim Curry as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Tim Curry as anyone really, but yeah." ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection —u/ sylkyn 34. "Linda Hamilton as Sara Conner. There's been so many Sara Connors and they all fall flat." Kerry Brown / © Paramount / courtesy Everett Collection —u/ luzaerys 35. "Steve Carell as Micheal Scott in The Office. No character has ever made me feel the range of emotions that character has. I still can't watch the Scott's Tots episode without absolute secondhand embarrassment. It was sad to see him go — the show wasn't the same." ©NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection —u/ shellbellgb 36. "I really can't see anyone playing Professor Umbridge as well as Imelda Staunton. She gave life to what has become the textbook example of a hateable character." ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection —u/ TheUneasyCrowned Was there anybody you were certain would be on this list but didn't make the cut? Tell me who in the comments! Note: some answers were edited for length and/or clarity.
