RobertR

My review of Ueck. 2026 Milwaukee Film Festival – Opening Night – “Ueck” – Where the Long Tail Ends

Milwaukee Film Festival is coming in April. https://mkefilm.org/milwaukee-film-fest/films-and-events/

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Well, you can put F1 in 10th in my rankings. Entertaining enough but there are at least a half dozen big studio films that are just as entertaining and have legitimate artistic vision. There seems to be some intrigue about the winners this year. The two BP front-runners are from the same studio and that perhaps has cut down on the ugly campaigning along with the preferential ballot. But actor seems up for grabs along with Best Picture. As long as the don't blow the In Memoriam, should be a good show.

Updated personal rankings of BP nominees. 1. Sinners 2. One Battle After Another 3. Train Dreams 4. Hamnet 5. The Secret Agent 6. Sentimental Value 7. Marty Supreme 8. Bugonia 9. Frankenstein F1 to complete the set.

Updated personal rankings. Posted Monday at 11:52 AM Let's see how much interest there is this year. The ceremony is on March 15th. I think it's an above the Oscar average set of movies nominated for best picture. I've seen 7 of 10 (everything except Sentimental Value, The Secret Agent, and F1.) So I strongly expect I've seen the big winner. That said, I don't feel that there is too much in the way of notable snubs. Certainly noone who should have won is really out of the running. And, by reputation, it feels like that International Film category is particularly strong. I think that the rise of people watching shows with subtitles has probably helped the visibility of that category too. That said, it certainly feels like there's not much of a horse race aspect this year. I expect it will come down to Sinners and One Battle After Another for Best Picture. And I'll be fine with either. Best Actress looks competitive. I expect some pushback towards Chalamet becoming one of the youngest Best Actor winners. It sure seems that something is likely to get shutout despite a lot of nominations, but we'll see. But it seems like it could be a spread the wealth year. I'm dreading the Academy finding a way to screw up the In Memoriam segment for a year of tremendous losses. So, some personal rankings of BP nominees. 1. Sinners 2. One Battle After Another 3. Train Dreams 4. Hamnet 5. Sentimental Value 6. Marty Supreme 7. Bugonia 8. Frankenstein

Let's see how much interest there is this year. The ceremony is on March 15th. I think it's an above the Oscar average set of movies nominated for best picture. I've seen 7 of 10 (everything except Sentimental Value, The Secret Agent, and F1.) So I strongly expect I've seen the big winner. That said, I don't feel that there is too much in the way of notable snubs. Certainly noone who should have won is really out of the running. And, by reputation, it feels like that International Film category is particularly strong. I think that the rise of people watching shows with subtitles has probably helped the visibility of that category too. That said, it certainly feels like there's not much of a horse race aspect this year. I expect it will come down to Sinners and One Battle After Another for Best Picture. And I'll be fine with either. Best Actress looks competitive. I expect some pushback towards Chalamet becoming one of the youngest Best Actor winners. It sure seems that something is likely to get shutout despite a lot of nominations, but we'll see. But it seems like it could be a spread the wealth year. I'm dreading the Academy finding a way to screw up the In Memoriam segment for a year of tremendous losses. So, some personal rankings of BP nominees. 1. Sinners 2. One Battle After Another 3. Train Dreams 4. Hamnet 5. Marty Supreme 6. Bugonia 7. Frankenstein (I'll most likely update and reshuffle later.) And the list of nominees for discussion: Actor in a Leading Role Nominees Timothée Chalamet Marty Supreme Leonardo DiCaprio One Battle after Another Ethan Hawke Blue Moon Michael B. Jordan Sinners Wagner Moura The Secret Agent Actor in a Supporting Role Nominees Benicio Del Toro One Battle after Another Jacob Elordi Frankenstein Delroy Lindo Sinners Sean Penn One Battle after Another Stellan Skarsgård Sentimental Value Actress in a Leading Role Nominees Jessie Buckley Hamnet Rose Byrne If I Had Legs I'd Kick You Kate Hudson Song Sung Blue Renate Reinsve Sentimental Value Emma Stone Bugonia Actress in a Supporting Role Nominees Elle Fanning Sentimental Value Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas Sentimental Value Amy Madigan Weapons Wunmi Mosaku Sinners Teyana Taylor One Battle after Another Animated Feature Film Nominees Arco Ugo Bienvenu, Félix de Givry, Sophie Mas and Natalie Portman Elio Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina and Mary Alice Drumm KPop Demon Hunters Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans and Michelle L.M. Wong Little Amélie or the Character of Rain Maïlys Vallade, Liane-Cho Han, Nidia Santiago and Henri Magalon Zootopia 2 Jared Bush, Byron Howard and Yvett Merino Animated Short Film Nominees Butterfly Florence Miailhe and Ron Dyens Forevergreen Nathan Engelhardt and Jeremy Spears The Girl Who Cried Pearls Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski Retirement Plan John Kelly and Andrew Freedman The Three Sisters Konstantin Bronzit Casting Nominees Hamnet Nina Gold Marty Supreme Jennifer Venditti One Battle after Another Cassandra Kulukundis The Secret Agent Gabriel Domingues Sinners Francine Maisler Cinematography Nominees Frankenstein Dan Laustsen Marty Supreme Darius Khondji One Battle after Another Michael Bauman Sinners Autumn Durald Arkapaw Train Dreams Adolpho Veloso Costume Design Nominees Avatar: Fire and Ash Deborah L. Scott Frankenstein Kate Hawley Hamnet Malgosia Turzanska Marty Supreme Miyako Bellizzi Sinners Ruth E. Carter Directing Nominees Hamnet Chloé Zhao Marty Supreme Josh Safdie One Battle after Another Paul Thomas Anderson Sentimental Value Joachim Trier Sinners Ryan Coogler Documentary Feature Film Nominees The Alabama Solution Andrew Jarecki and Charlotte Kaufman Come See Me in the Good Light Ryan White, Jessica Hargrave, Tig Notaro and Stef Willen Cutting through Rocks Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni Mr. Nobody against Putin David Borenstein, Pavel Talankin, Helle Faber and Alžběta Karásková The Perfect Neighbor Geeta Gandbhir, Alisa Payne, Nikon Kwantu and Sam Bisbee Documentary Short Film Nominees All the Empty Rooms Joshua Seftel and Conall Jones Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud Craig Renaud and Juan Arredondo Children No More: "Were and Are Gone" Hilla Medalia and Sheila Nevins The Devil Is Busy Christalyn Hampton and Geeta Gandbhir Perfectly a Strangeness Alison McAlpine Film Editing Nominees F1 Stephen Mirrione Marty Supreme Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie One Battle after Another Andy Jurgensen Sentimental Value Olivier Bugge Coutté Sinners Michael P. Shawver International Feature Film Nominees Brazil The Secret Agent France It Was Just an Accident Norway Sentimental Value Spain Sirāt Tunisia The Voice of Hind Rajab Live Action Short Film Nominees Butcher's Stain Meyer Levinson-Blount and Oron Caspi A Friend of Dorothy Lee Knight and James Dean Jane Austen's Period Drama Julia Aks and Steve Pinder The Singers Sam A. Davis and Jack Piatt Two People Exchanging Saliva Alexandre Singh and Natalie Musteata Makeup and Hairstyling Nominees Frankenstein Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel and Cliona Furey Kokuho Kyoko Toyokawa, Naomi Hibino and Tadashi Nishimatsu Sinners Ken Diaz, Mike Fontaine and Shunika Terry The Smashing Machine Kazu Hiro, Glen Griffin and Bjoern Rehbein The Ugly Stepsister Thomas Foldberg and Anne Cathrine Sauerberg Music (Original Score) Nominees Bugonia Jerskin Fendrix Frankenstein Alexandre Desplat Hamnet Max Richter One Battle after Another Jonny Greenwood Sinners Ludwig Goransson Music (Original Song) Nominees Dear Me from Diane Warren: Relentless; Music and Lyric by Diane Warren Golden from KPop Demon Hunters; Music and Lyric by EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo and Teddy Park I Lied To You from Sinners; Music and Lyric by Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Goransson Sweet Dreams Of Joy from Viva Verdi!; Music and Lyric by Nicholas Pike Train Dreams from Train Dreams; Music by Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner; Lyric by Nick Cave Best Picture Nominees Bugonia Ed Guiney & Andrew Lowe, Yorgos Lanthimos, Emma Stone and Lars Knudsen, Producers F1 Chad Oman, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Joseph Kosinski and Jerry Bruckheimer, Producers Frankenstein Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale and Scott Stuber, Producers Hamnet Liza Marshall, Pippa Harris, Nicolas Gonda, Steven Spielberg and Sam Mendes, Producers Marty Supreme Eli Bush, Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie, Anthony Katagas and Timothée Chalamet, Producers One Battle after Another Adam Somner, Sara Murphy and Paul Thomas Anderson, Producers The Secret Agent Emilie Lesclaux, Producer Sentimental Value Maria Ekerhovd and Andrea Berentsen Ottmar, Producers Sinners Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian and Ryan Coogler, Producers Train Dreams Marissa McMahon, Teddy Schwarzman, Will Janowitz, Ashley Schlaifer and Michael Heimler, Producers Production Design Nominees Frankenstein Production Design: Tamara Deverell; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau Hamnet Production Design: Fiona Crombie; Set Decoration: Alice Felton Marty Supreme Production Design: Jack Fisk; Set Decoration: Adam Willis One Battle after Another Production Design: Florencia Martin; Set Decoration: Anthony Carlino Sinners Production Design: Hannah Beachler; Set Decoration: Monique Champagne Sound Nominees F1 Gareth John, Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo and Juan Peralta Frankenstein Greg Chapman, Nathan Robitaille, Nelson Ferreira, Christian Cooke and Brad Zoern One Battle after Another José Antonio García, Christopher Scarabosio and Tony Villaflor Sinners Chris Welcker, Benjamin A. Burtt, Felipe Pacheco, Brandon Proctor and Steve Boeddeker Sirāt Amanda Villavieja, Laia Casanovas and Yasmina Praderas Visual Effects Nominees Avatar: Fire and Ash Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett F1 Ryan Tudhope, Nicolas Chevallier, Robert Harrington and Keith Dawson Jurassic World Rebirth David Vickery, Stephen Aplin, Charmaine Chan and Neil Corbould The Lost Bus Charlie Noble, David Zaretti, Russell Bowen and Brandon K. McLaughlin Sinners Michael Ralla, Espen Nordahl, Guido Wolter and Donnie Dean Writing (Adapted Screenplay) Nominees Bugonia Screenplay by Will Tracy Frankenstein Written for the Screen by Guillermo del Toro Hamnet Screenplay by Chloé Zhao & Maggie O'Farrell One Battle after Another Written by Paul Thomas Anderson Train Dreams Screenplay by Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar Writing (Original Screenplay) Nominees Blue Moon Written by Robert Kaplow It Was Just an Accident Written by Jafar Panahi; Script collaborators - Nader Saïvar, Shadmehr Rastin, Mehdi Mahmoudian Marty Supreme Written by Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie Sentimental Value Written by Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier Sinners Written by Ryan Coogler

Which Nightmare Alley, GDT or the one from the 40s?

Einstein's definition of insanity: "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results". It's not an emotional decision, it's an insane decision to not make a change. Which head coach has suddenly elevated his team to a super bowl contender after 7 seasons of disappointment? He's never going to do it in Green Bay.

The only motivation I see from the Packers is to avoid injury. They better show up next week. Otherwise there ought to be serious discussion about LaFleur's future. Injuries I understand but the lack of focus and inability to fix problems have been consistent issues.

I ended 2025 with Joe Dante's The Movie Orgy from 1968. The 5 hour cut. If you're not aware, it's essentially a cut of tons and tons of movie clips from a variety of sources that becomes something of a stream of consciousness one of a kind experience. It's like in the old days of just flipping through channels on the dial. It's ridiculously funny and entertaining throughout as you can't predict what's going to come next. I'll see it again, but it's worth seeing by every film fan at least once.

I think there's a good case to be made that it's the cult film of the 2020s. You should see it with an audience. They generally go all out to make a screening special.

By next week, I'll have forgotten he exists.

So I was watching Netflix these past two weekends. Frankenstein surprised me by what it was and was not, I went in expecting a fairly straight adaptation of the Mary Shelley novel filtered through the art of Bernie Wrightson. And while both are there, prominently even, Del Toro kind of does an amalgam of all of the popular incarnations of Frankenstein. There's both the Universal and Hammer versions in the mix. (Including a related homage to the climax of Dracula: Prince of Darkness.) Maybe even the Edison short. It's a lot looser than I expected and has a lot of the themes that Del Toro is interested in. And designed within an inch of its life. But, overall I enjoyed it. I thought Jacob Elordi was very good and a fresh take on the creature. That said, when you take from so many contradictory influences, is it any wonder that you can't reconcile every take into one cohesive statement? This weekend I watched Richard Linklater's Nouvelle Vague. I wonder if you have no knowledge of or affection for the French New Wave if you'll get much out of it. I can imagine that the cameos for a lot of viewers mean nothing. And, to be honest, I got nothing much about the making of Breathless that is not already evident in the movie. That said, Linklater has a light touch with the material and I had fun with the love letter to the French New Wave and breaking rules. Heck, we probably wouldn't have Linklater without it. It's a light souffle of a love letter. Maybe it will encourage someone to actually watch Breathless for the first time. It's a trifle but an entertaining one.

There's no future to O'Neil.