Avatar: The Last Airbender Franchise Expands With Nickelodeon's Avatar Studios Launch - Rotten Tomatoes

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ViacomCBS busted out its Paramount+ goodies like a content piñata during the company’s investor day this week: more Avatar, a Halo series update, Star Trek expansion, Rugrats revival and more top news in streaming and TV.

ViacomCBS delivered great news to Avatar: The Last Airbender fans this week: Nickelodeon’s Avatar Studios was created to launch new animated TV series and movies in the franchise, to air on Nick, in theaters, and on Paramount+, the company announced during its investor day on Wednesday.

The new studio will be run by Avatar: The Last Airbender creators Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, who left Netflix’s live-action Avatar movie last summer. Their first project for Avatar Studios is an animated Last Airbender theatrical movie that will begin production before the end of this year.

In other Paramount+ news as ViacomCBS prepares to debut its rebranded streaming service on March 4:

• Kelsey Grammer has signed on for a reboot of his 1993-2004 Emmy-winning NBC comedy Frasier, in which he’ll play Dr. Frasier Crane, the psychiatrist who first debuted on Cheers. The series, which has so far has not added any of Grammer’s original co-stars, is scheduled to debut in 2022 on Paramount+.

• CBS hit Criminal Minds wrapped up its 15-season run in 2020, but Paramount+ is ready to bring it back. No specific cast members have yet been announced, but showrunner Erica Messer will resume that role for the streaming reboot.

• Pablo Schreiber is starring as Master Chief, with Bokeem Woodbine and Natascha McElhone co-starring, in the Halo TV series that is moving from Showtime, another Viacom company, to Paramount+.

• Jeremy Renner will star in Mayor of Kingstown, from Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan. The drama, originally set at Paramount Network but moved to Paramount+, revolves around the McLusky family, the most powerful in a small Michigan town. Antoine Fuqua is an executive producer, as is Renner and Sheridan.

• Also on tap at Paramount+ from Sheridan is a Yellowstone prequel set in the 1880s; a Yellowstone spin-off called 6666, about a Texas ranch that “is synonymous with the merciless endeavor to raise the finest horses and livestock in the world, and ultimately where world class cowboys are born and made”; and Land Man, a drama about the cowboys and billionaires in the West Texas oil business.

• Paramount is raiding its movie library as fodder for Paramount+ TV series, including adaptations of Love Story, Fatal Attraction, The Italian Job, Flashdance, and Parallax View.

• The Star Trek universe will live at Paramount+, including the animated kids series Star Trek: Prodigy (originally set up at Nickelodeon) about a group of alien kids living on an abandoned Starfleet ship. All other current Trek series will also call Paramount+ home: Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Lower Decks, Star Trek: Picard, and Star Trek: Brave New Worlds, the upcoming prequel series with Anson Mount as pre-Kirk Enterprise Captain Christopher Pike.

• The seventh, and final, season of Younger will premiere on Paramount+.

• MTV and VH1 will have a presence on Paramount+ with rebooted MTV Unplugged, Yo! MTV Raps, and Behind the Music, plus a reality show from Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl and his mom, Virginia Hanlon, about rockers and the moms who raised them.

• Queen of the Universe, a reality competition from RuPaul’s Drag Race producers World of Wonder, features drag queens from all around the world. Other reality shows include the reunion of the original cast of The Real World in The Real World: Homecoming: New York; a new version of Real World spin-off Road Rules; and The Challenge: All-Stars, with OG Real World and Road Rules cast members competing to win $500,000.

• And Rugrats is returning. The ’toon, which aired on Nickelodeon for nine seasons, will reboot on Paramount+ with the original cast returning, including The Simpsons star Nancy Cartwright (Chuckie), E.G. Daily (Tommy), Cheryl Chase (Angelica), Cree Summer (Susie), and Kath Soucie (Phil and Lil).

After her Golden Globe-nominated performance in Amazon’s Homecoming, Julia Roberts is returning to TV land in Gaslit, a Starz anthology that will pair her with fellow Oscar winner Sean Penn in a story about Watergate.

Roberts will play Martha Mitchell, the Arkansas socialite who was one of the first people to let the public know Richard Nixon was connected to the Watergate scandal, in spite of her husband’s relationship with Nixon. John Mitchell, who will be played by Penn, was the Attorney General and Nixon’s best friend and trusted advisor.

The series, from creator and showrunner Robbie Pickering (Mr. Robot), will focus on more untold stories of Watergate, including forgotten characters and those who also had a hand in exposing Nixon and his cohorts.

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Also Read: “M.O.D.O.K. Brings Monty Python–Like Mischief to Marvel TV“

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NEW TRAILERS: Barry Jenkins’ The Underground Railroad Debuts May 14

The Underground Railroad, a 10-episode limited series from Oscar-winning director Barry Jenkins, is based on Pulitzer Prize–winning author Colson Whitehead’s book about a woman who escapes a Georgia plantation for the rumored Underground Railroad, to be met with an actual railroad. Stars Thuso Mbedu, Damon Harriman, and William Jackson Harper. Premieres May 14. (Amazon Video)

More trailers and teasers released this week:
• The Irregulars sees a ragtag group of teens help Dr. Watson with the more supernatural elements of some of his investigations, based on characters in original Sir Arthur Conan Doyle novels.. Stars Clarke Peters, Royce Pierreson, and Henry Lloyd-Hughes. Premieres March 26. (Netflix)
• kid 90 features videos Punky Brewster star Soleil Moon Frye recorded during her teenage years in Hollywood, as she and fellow kid stars like David Arquette, Stephen Dorff, Balthazar Getty, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Sara Gilbert, and Brian Austin Green grew up on camera in front of us. Premieres March. (Hulu)
• Murder Among the Mormons docuseries recounts the 1985 pipe murder of two people in Salt Lake City, a crime with shocking ties to the Mormon church. Premieres March 3. (Netflix)
• Mayans M.C. season 3 finds EZ having chosen membership in the MC, and with a vengeful Miguel looking for his mother’s killer. Stars JD Pardo. Premieres March 16. (FX)
• Fear the Walking Dead season 6B trailer promises “death, destruction, decay,” but the rest of the season also adds new characters from John Glover, Nick Stahl, and Keith Carradine to the already stellar cast of Lennie James, Colman Domingo, Ruben Blades, Maggie Grace, Jenna Elfman, Garret Dillahunt, and Alycia Debnam-Carey. Premieres April 11. (AMC)
• Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. is about a supervillain who hates superheroes and his fellow villains, and is in the middle of a mid-life crisis and family drama in the ’burbs of New Jersey. Stars Patton Oswalt and premieres May 21. (Hulu)
• Tina is a documentary about Tina Turner, from her childhood abandoned by her mother through her career with Ike Turner and her solo s career, which earned her a nomination this year for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Premieres March 27. (HBO)
• Chad stars Saturday Night Live alum Nasim Pedrad as a 14-year-old Persian boy desperate to befriend the popular kids during his first year of high school. The comedy premieres April 6. (TBS)
• WWE Legends is an eight-part docuseries about some of the most memorable pro wrestling stars, from Stone Cold Steve Austin to Rowdy Roddy Piper. Premieres April 18. (A&E)
• City on a Hill season 2 finds Kevin Bacon’s corrupt FBI agent clashing again with Aldis Hodge’s Boston ADA, who’s trying to clean up the city. Premieres March 28. (Showtime)
• The Real World Homecoming: New York reunites the original cast of MTV’s The Real World in the NYC loft they lived in together 30 years ago. Premieres March 4. (Paramount+)

For all the latest TV and streaming trailers, subscribe to the Rotten Tomatoes TV YouTube channel.

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CASTING: Gillian Anderson to Play Eleanor Roosevelt in Showtime’s First Ladies

(Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)

From the British Prime Minister to the American First Lady (in TV land, anyway): Gillian Anderson, a Golden Globe and SAG award nominee for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in Netflix’s The Crown, has signed on to play First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt in the first season of Showtime’s anthology series First Ladies. She’ll join Viola Davis, playing Michelle Obama, and Michelle Pfeiffer playing Betty Ford. In another First Ladies casting, The Handmaid’s Tale star O-T Fagbenle will play Barack Obama in the series.

Taylor Kitsch will co-star with Chris Pratt in the Amazon conspiracy thriller The Terminal List. The series revolves around James Reece (Pratt), whose platoon of Navy SEALs is killed during a covert operation. He returns home with fuzzy memories and guilt about the experience, but then learns there are secret forces who are working against him. Kitsch plays Ben Edwards, Reece’s best friend and a former SEAL and now CIA op who helps Reece get revenge. Antoine Fuqua is directing, and executive producing, along with Pratt. (Deadline)

Saturday Night Live Emmy winner Kate McKinnon, who was set to star in and executive produce The Dropout, Hulu’s limited series about the downfall of Elizabeth Holmes and her company, Theranos, has dropped out of the project. No replacement has been set yet. (Deadline)

Benedict Cumberbatch will star in The 39 Steps, a limited series update of the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock thriller that was an adaptation of the novel of the same name by author John Buchan. Cumberbatch, who will also executive produce the series, will star as Richard Hannay, an ordinary guy who gets enmeshed in a global conspiracy set up by a spy group. The series is being shopped to networks and streaming services. (Deadline)

Amazon has announced the cast for season 2 of Modern Love, the anthology series based on The New York Times column of the same name: Miranda Richardson (Good Omens), Game of Thrones star Kit Harrington, The Deuce star Gbenga Akinnagbe, Flack star Anna Paquin, Garrett Hedlund (Triple Frontier), When They See Us star Marquis Rodriguez, and Younger and Ozark star Ben Rappaport.

Rescue Me alum Daniel Sunjata has joined the cast of Power Book II: Ghost for season 2. He’ll play Mecca, the calculating drug supplier who shows up just as the Tejada family – led by Mary J. Blige’s Monique – needs someone to hand over new product. But as his past is revealed, it becomes clear he has other, more dangerous, goals in mind. Season 2 has begun filming in New York. (Deadline)

Power star Naturi Naughton will star in the ABC pilot Queens, about four 1990s girl group members who want to reunite. Pop star and former co-host of The Talk, Eve, will co-star with Naughton, who will no longer be a regular on Power Book II: Ghost, but will make guest appearances on the Starz drama. (Deadline)

Orange Is the New Black star Laverne Cox and comedian George Wallace will star in Clean Slate, a Norman Lear-produced IMDBtv comedy about an Alabama car wash owner who tries to repair his relationship with his estranged child, a trans daughter played by Cox. Wallace and Cox came up with the story, while she is an executive producer on the series and Wallace is a producer.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Charlie Day and Saturday Night Live alum Jenny Slate will star in the Amazon romantic comedy I Want You Back, about two people who, afraid they’re going to die alone, concoct a plot to win back the significant others they thought they were going to marry. Gina Rodriguez, Scott Eastwood, and Manny Jacinto co-star.

This Is Us Emmy winner Sterling K. Brown will serve as one of the guest hosts of ABC News’ Soul of a Nation, a six-part docuseries about life in Black communities in America. Premiering on March 2, the series will also include guest host appearances by Sunny Hostin and Jemele Hill.

Friday Night Lights alum Matt Lauria, who recently signed on to the cast of CBS’ CSI sequel, has also signed on for the Amazon drama Outer Range, a family saga about a rancher, played by Josh Brolin, who discovers a shocking mystery in the Wyoming wilderness. (TVLine)

In a move to diversify its voice cast, The Simpsons has hired Kevin Michael Richardson (Family Guy, The Batman) to replace Harry Shearer in the role of Springfield doctor Julius Hibbert. Richardson will begin voicing the role of the Black doctor in the Feb. 28 episode. (Vulture)

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PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT: Ray Donovan Is Returning to Showtime … for a Movie

(Photo by Jeff Neumann/SHOWTIME.)

When Showtime canceled Ray Donovan after seven seasons, star Liev Schreiber promised Ray would turn, and now he and showrunner David Hollander have made good on that promise. Showtime has announced Schreiber and Hollander are co-writing a feature-length script that Hollander will direct. Production is scheduled to begin later this year in New York on the movie, which will pick up with the Donovans where they left, will also go back decades to the Ray/Mickey backstory, and will star Schreiber, Jon Voight, and Kerris Dorsey (and, we hope the rest of that endearingly dysfunctional fam).

For All Mankind creator Ronald D. Moore is developing a Disney+ multi-project universe that will be set in and with the characters of Disney’s Magic Kingdom. The first entry will be The Society of Explorers and Adventurers, written and executive produced by Moore, about the Disney parks lands and characters.

Steven Spielberg is bringing author Walter Mosley’s Easy Rawlins books to television. Last played by Denzel Washington on the big screen in Devil in a Blue Dress, Easy is a WWII army veteran-turned-private eye. The series, adapted from Mosley’s 15 novels and short story collection, will be set in 1950s Los Angeles.

South Park is going COVID-19 again, with the one-hour special South ParQ Vaccination Special, about the citizenry of South Park and their attempts to get the vaccine. “We will be herd,” read the official Park tweet announcing the project. It premieres on March 10.

Amazon is developing a live-action G.I. Joe series revolving around Lady Jaye, an undercover operative with serious weapons skills, Ranger training, and acting and impersonation gifts. Erik Oleson (Daredevil, Carnival Row) will write the project. (Deadline)

George Clooney’s Smokehouse Pictures is teaming with Sports Illustrated for a docuseries about SI editor Jon Wertheim’s groundbreaking cover story on the alleged, serial sexual abuse of athletes at Ohio State University. The series will further detail the scandal that lasted three decades and left many questioning how this victimization went largely unreported.

2 Dope Queens star and author Phoebe Robinson will adapt her bestselling book, Everything’s Trash, But It’s Okay, for a Freeform series. The book is a collection of essays about topics like dating, gender, and race, and will star Robinson as Phoebe, a young woman who’s trying to get her life together when she finds out her brother is running for political office.

Sony Pictures Television is developing Twisted Metal as a series. The PlayStation videogame will be written by Cobra Kai writer and producer Michael Jonathan Smith, with initial developers and Deadpool writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, as well as Will Arnett, as executive producers. The action comedy will follow a guy who’s offered a better life he can get past an ice cream truck-driving twisted clown and other dangerous vehicles to deliver a mysterious package through an apocalyptic land. (Variety)

Oneida Indian Nation Leader Ray Halbritter and a trustee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Museum has launched Standing Arrow Productions, which he will use to try to increase the representation of Native American and Indigenous peoples on screen. To that end, he has optioned Sally Jenkins’ The Real All Americans: The Team That Changed a Game, A People, A Nation, about the Carlisle School football team, a 1911 and 1912 football team that beat Ivy League schools, and eventually beat West Point. The team was coached by Glenn Warner, a.k.a. Pop Warner, the founder of the youth football league of the same name, with future Olympic Gold Medalist Jim Thorphe (the first Native American to win a gold medal for the United States) as the team leader.

Peacock is developing a TV series based on the classic arcade game Frogger, in which contestants have to navigate obstacles courses by doing things like dodging traffic, to win cash. The streaming network has ordered 13 episodes of the game show.

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Ted Lasso, The Queen’s Gambit, and More Top TV and Streaming Titles Added to PalyFest Lineup

(Photo by Apple TV+)

PaleyFest LA has added more entries to its lineup, including Ted Lasso, The Queen’s Gambit, Lovecraft Country, Evil, The Good Doctor, and What We Do in the Shadows. Those shows join the previously announced Big Sky, The Late Late Show with James Corden, and a 20th anniversary reunion with the cast of Six Feet Under during the March 26-April 1 virtual event.

The Link Lonk


February 27, 2021 at 10:41AM
https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/avatar-the-last-airbender-franchise-expands-halo-series-more-tv-streaming-news/

Avatar: The Last Airbender Franchise Expands With Nickelodeon's Avatar Studios Launch - Rotten Tomatoes

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WandaVision: Agnes Provides Answers and Defines Wanda in Episode 8 - Rotten Tomatoes

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(Photo by Marvel Studios)

As WandaVision enters into its final moments, answers come in abundance. Well, provided Wanda’s (Elizabeth Olsen) memories are correct, of course. And while her guide through past traumas may not be all that benevolent, confronting those incidents may be beneficial in the end.

Or, perhaps, the fear of what Wanda could be is just too much for some to handle. Either way, Wanda has a new title to deal with on top of her unresolved griefs. And though Vision (Paul Bettany) may have tried to reframe what grief is, it’s still going to take a superhero therapist to help Wanda through it all.

Is Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) applying for the job?

Before we can answer that question, let’s take a look at the answers WandaVision finally offered this week for some added insight.

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Spoiler Alert: This article reveals details from WandaVision episode 8 “Previously On.” Stop here if you have not watched the episode.

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The Hex Was Wanda’s Doing

(Photo by Marvel Studios - episode 107)

Once Agatha revealed herself last week, it was tempting to wonder if the entire Hex was part of her spell. The Darkhold — if that book in her basement is The Darkhold — has to potential to power something on the scale of Westview. But it turns out the Hex is genuinely Wanda’s creation. In fact, the ability to spontaneously keep it running is what compelled Agatha to Westview in the first place.

In terms of a Marvel Cinematic Universe plot, that understanding is important because it means Wanda is still ultimately in control of the thing and will have to answer for it at some point. But perhaps more important than the legal challenges she may face in the future is the revelation that all the imagery within Westview was her choosing.

As we learned this week, the Maximoff family was learning English via DVD box sets of American sitcoms. Young Wanda’s (Michaela Russell) father Olek (Daniyar) amassed a collection ranging from I Love Lucy to Malcolm in the Middle. And though he seemed to be selling the lot for the sake of the family, he hid the series set of The Dick Van Dyke show in the wall because it was Wanda’s favorite — her favorite episode is itself a love letter to television. That appreciation of sitcoms comes from one of the most benign forms of American imperialism: the export of old television. Sadly, one of the worst aspects of imperialism comes crashing down on the family shortly thereafter: some Stark Industries bombs.

In a curious twist, though, it turns out the second bomb Wanda and young Pietro (Gabriel Gurevich) thought to be a dud was altered to fail by Wanda’s incipient powers. The magic was always within her.

And considering the flashback to Agatha’s witch trial in 1693, it is entirely possible she wants that power for herself.

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The TV Shows Really Mattered to Wanda

Beyond her Sokovian childhood, the TV shows continued to matter as they offered Wanda an out in troubled times. Dick Van Dyke will always represent the before time, but now we see The Brady Bunch is tied to her time with Hydra — an “anti-freedom terrorist organization,” as Agatha put it.

Although, by taking us back to Hydra, WandaVision offers us a new spin on things: joining up was Wanda’s attempt to avoid grieving for her parents. Instead of doing that, she hoped to “change the world” with a bunch of fascists because they also had beef with Stark. It’s certainly bad judgement on her part, but it is interesting to note how she evades her misgivings, particularly after her encounter with the Mind Stone, with a Brady Bunch episode about whopping misunderstandings.

Similarly, she turned to Malcolm in the Middle after Pietro’s death and, subsequently, to Vision to avoid dealing with the grief. Although, it is interesting to see the first inklings of their relationship in this context. Wanda says the Avengers campus is the first home they shared, but the scene itself is still from early in their time there. At that point, they lived in separate rooms and Wanda often reminded Vision about her boundaries. Also, we couldn’t help but notice the way she bossed him around and his own trepidation around her. Granted, Vision was still quite a young lifeform trying to learn all of humanity’s complexities via Wanda at that point and is clearly deferring to the person with more experience.

And, yet, he seems to understand a philosophical aspect of grief that Wanda does not because she cannot deal with her traumas. Somehow, that makes him the perfect companion.

We’re going to assume Family Ties and Modern Family also became her go-to shows after other events. The commercials in previous episodes seem to recount the traumas — the beeping on the Stark toaster mirroring the beeping of the Stark ordinance — so perhaps, the Keatons helped Wanda after the mess in Lagos (as depicted in Captain America: Civil War).

Modern Family appears to be the odd show out as the Nexus commercial has nothing to do with Thanos or Vision’s death. Maybe it was Agatha’s choice since she added the false Pietro (Evan Peters) — “Fietro, if you will” — by that point. If so, that may be a clue to her endgame.

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Wanda Built Her House Atop the Ruined Shell of Another

We also learned Westview, New Jersey, is, in fact, real despite the Eastview sheriff denying it to Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Paris) and Jimmy Woo (Randall Park). Based on Wanda’s drive through town after her visit to S.W.O.R.D. — more on that in a bit — we get the impression it suffered greatly from the Blip. In fact, that economic devastation seemed so severe that the return of all the people lost five years earlier offered the town no solace. The people seemed as broken as Wanda herself.

And then comes the most heartbreaking revelation: Vision bought them the plot at 2800 Sherwood Drive so they could grow old together.

Sadly, though, there is no house at 2800; just the suggestion of one. It was the final blow to Wanda’s wounded psyche and we empathize with her utterly. Also, from Agatha’s point of view, it was the moment Wanda came into true possession of her powers. Overcome with grief, her magic transformed Westview in a Dick Van Dyke suburb, the plot into a home, and conjured a new Vision from magical matter. It’s an gangbuster scene both in terms of the raw emotion and what it tells us about Wanda’s powers.

But let’s back up to S.W.O.R.D. as it pertains to the new Vision.

The timeline is a little fuzzy, but we’re going to assume Wanda visited the S.W.O.R.D. base a handful of days after the final fight in Avengers: Endgame. There, she learned Director Hayward (Josh Stamberg) and S.W.O.R.D. techs have been dismantling Vision because it is their “legal and ethical obligation” to recreate the most advanced sentient weapon ever created. Or, at the very least, maintain custody of the $3 billion worth of vibranium in his corpse. It is a gruesome way to regard someone as gentle as Vis, but it is entirely in keeping with what we know about Hayward — in fact, it underscores the first lie he told the S.W.O.R.D. field team and viewers some weeks ago.

After facing the dismantled Vision, Wanda seemingly processed that shock and left without the pieces of him. But in episode 5, Hayward showed the field team video of Wanda taking Vision’s body. Some always suspected the footage was doctored and it turned out to be the case. Hayward always had Vision. This explains why the New Vision started to disintegrate as he tried to leave the Hex. It does not explain, however, how Hayward was able to track him within its borders.

Now that he has seemingly resurrected the original Vision, we still have to wonder about his true aim. Perhaps, like Agatha, he seeks to possess Wanda’s seeming ability to warp reality. But it is also possible he sees bigger opportunities in that power beyond sentient weapons. Then again, he may be blind to a wider vision (sorry) and just wants Wanda to power a Synthezoid army.

Oh, but we should mention that he is convinced Wanda can resurrect Vis before the Hex. Why would he even suspect that?

Meanwhile, it is devastating to think Vision was so convinced he and Wanda would be able to live together peacefully that bought a plot of land in suburban New Jersey. Similarly devastating: She will have to face off against his icy-looking reanimated corpse next week.

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What Is Agatha’s Endgame? And What Is A Scarlet Witch?

(Photo by Marvel Studios)

Although she is strangling Billy (Julian Hillard) and Tommy (Jett Klyne) and wearing a full evil witch costume, there is still the possibility that Agatha’s true purpose at the end of this episode is, ultimately, beneficial. The entire trip through Wanda’s memories forced her to see all the ways she’s avoided grief and how it led to the Hex. Then there’s the statement about a Scarlet Witch being dangerous and a figure of myth.

Which leads to the question: What is a Scarlet Witch? The term seemingly has no other significance beyond Wanda’s comic book history, so the show may be creating a new idea here with Wanda and her Chaos Magic. If that is the case, Agatha will need to give us another exposition dump next week to understand its significance. But, for the moment at least, it indicates the hue of Wanda’s power actually matters. We’ve always suspected the red energy she commands tied her to the Reality Stone despite her powers seemingly emanating from the Mind Stone. Now that we know that encounter was not quite what Wanda or Hydra believed — and that she had powers all along — that potential tie to the Aether may prove true.

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(Photo by Marvel Studios - episode 104)

Or, the color scheme may be an coincidence. But considering the purple hue of Agatha’s powers, and the yellow energies Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) often commands, we believe the chromatics of magic will contain a deeper meaning after next week’s finale.

But that still leaves us with Agatha’s ultimate aim. The flashback at the start of the episode suggests an involuntary need to consume magic; which would make her a less of a villain — and more like Wanda — if it is something she does not control. As we suggested earlier, it is still possible she is playing at being an evil witch to help Wanda finally process her grief.  She could also be genuinely afraid of what a Scarlet Witch can do or believes the Chaos Magic will allow her access to the Nexus of All Realities. Well, provided the Nexus commercial last week was really her invention.

As it happens, Agatha’s comic book history offers a few hints to her ambiguous morality. Though typically allied with heroes like the Fantastic Four, she allowed the 17th-century Salem witch trials to occur as it would cull the witch ranks of weaker elements. Her sometimes shadowy aims led to conflicts with some of the Marvel heroes, but her goals were never villainous. Curiously, though, in Marvel’s Ultimate Universe, she is really the Dragon-of-Seven who destroyed Atlantis. Another name for the creature: the Hydra.

Which, despite everything we learned this week, still makes her the wildcard. Is she the bad guy or is it, ultimately, Hayward who presents the true antagonism here?

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(Photo by Marvel Studios - episode 105)

Since were already asking questions, let’s just add these to the pile as we wait for the finale:

• Who is fake Pietro?

• How’d that fight with Monica go?

• Is there still room for Mephisto to appear at this point?

• What other obstructions are keeping New Vision from getting home?

• Are the twins real or just part of the Hex?

• Is Jimmy waiting patiently at the border for a positive outcome?

Hopefully, we’ll get some concrete answers to these questions along with that often-teased special guest cameo next week.

New episodes of WandaVision premiere on Fridays on Disney+.

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The Link Lonk


February 27, 2021 at 08:54AM
https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/wandavision-agnes-provides-answers-and-defines-wanda-in-episode-8/

WandaVision: Agnes Provides Answers and Defines Wanda in Episode 8 - Rotten Tomatoes

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Cherry First Reviews: Tom Holland Shines in Ambitious but Overstuffed Adaptation - Rotten Tomatoes

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Marvel directors Joe and Anthony Russo (Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Endgame) reunite with current Spider-Man actor Tom Holland for Cherry, an ambitious drama that proves they’re interested in a lot more than just epic superhero blockbusters. Does the effort pay off, though? The first reviews of the new film are mixed on the success and failure of the adaptation, which chronicles the stacked, lengthy story of a young man through his experience in the Iraq War and then his subsequent drug addiction and criminal exploits. Holland comes out on top for most critics, though, even including those with negative reactions overall.

Here’s what critics are saying about Cherry:

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Do the Russo brothers have another hit on their hands?

A masterclass in filmmaking… It’s all too easy to throw the word ‘masterpiece’ around, but Cherry deserves it.
– Josh Wilding, ComicBookMovie.com

This is a consistently engaging flick… likely to be one of the more underrated titles of 2021.
– Joey Magidson, Awards Radar

Powerful… It may not be perfect, but it is close.
– Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

It doesn’t succeed as a war film, as a heist flick, or the star vehicle it so craves to be for Holland. It’s just average at its core.
– Robert Daniels, The Playlist

Cherry is prime contender for one of the worst films of the year.
– Jeffrey Zhang, Strange Harbors

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Should they stick to the comic book stuff?

It proves that there’s much more to Joe and Anthony than just capes, shields, and special effects.
– Josh Wilding, ComicBookMovie.com

The Russos are better moviemakers than their Marvel movies allow them to be. They demonstrate that here.
– Glenn Kenny, New York Times

The main takeaway of Cherry is that being able to make a good superhero film doesn’t mean you can direct a good war and crime drama.
– Nicole Ackman, Next Best Picture

There may not be a shallow CG background this time, but there’s a shallow narrative.
– Spencer Perry, ComicBook.com

I admire the Russos for trying to take on material that’s drastically different from everything else in their filmography. But Cherry is a movie that quickly gets away from them.
– Matt Goldberg, Collider

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(Photo by ©Apple TV+)

How is their directorial style here?

There’s a lot of style and skill on display and despite the dark subject matter, it means Cherry is a visually entertaining watch.
– Ian Sandwell, Digital Spy

Here we have a movie that succeeds wildly due to the Russos’ creativity… They employ all manner of tricks, as well as some incredibly clever choices.
– Joey Magidson, Awards Radar

There are some incredible uses of the camera here… It feels a lot like the filmmakers wanted to experiment and try some new things.
– Josh Wilding, ComicBookMovie.com

Its stylistic elements are invigorating.
– Ben Rolph, Discussing Film

You might not think of them in the same breath as the auteur directors of our times. But they graduate to that class here, giving the film its own unique narrative and visual style.
– Joey Morona, Cleveland Plain Dealer

Cherry is showy and immature. The directors’ stylistic choices are not only jarring, they often undercut moments of emotional heft by distracting the viewer and taking them right out of the moment.
– Laura Potier, Outtake Mag

Chucking aspect ratios, needle-drops, and tricks of style into a blender doesn’t equal a good movie, but it looks like nobody wanted to tell the Russos post-Endgame.
– Jeffrey Zhang, Strange Harbors

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How is it as an adaptation of Nico Walker’s book?

The book was celebrated as a gritty generational rallying cry. The Russo brothers, working in a style of troweled-on extravagance, inflate it into a showreel.
– Owen Gleiberman, Variety

Cherry seems to rush through so much of the minutia of the novel which inspired it that it just feels like checking boxes.
– Matt Oakes, Silver Screen Riot

In trying to tell everything, there’s a lack of focus and connectivity.
– Ian Sandwell, Digital Spy

Over-stylized and overstuffed to a fatal fault, Cherry takes its source material’s aware self-loathing and transforms it into a shallow music video.
– Jeffrey Zhang, Strange Harbors

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(Photo by ©Apple TV+)

How is the script on its own?

The screenplay by Jessica Goldberg and Angela Russo-Otstot is rock solid, in an old-fashioned way.
– Joey Magidson, Awards Radar

Perhaps the sign of a script that is bloated and thick, there are also times Cherry feels like parody.
– Spencer Perry, ComicBook.com

Miss a piece of the action because you were checking Twitter? Don’t worry, the ceaseless, incessant narration will fill you in!
– Chris Evangelista, Slashfilm

It becomes obvious that there is no overarching vision for what this film is about or who it is for.
– Leigh Monson, WhatToWatch

The Russos and their writers simply didn’t know how or where to cut Walker’s story down. The movie lacks focus.
– Hope Madden, Columbus Underground

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Is the film’s length an issue?

The film takes its time, and it’s time well taken.
– Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

The story doesn’t really kick in for about 80 minutes. It’s a good story, but does not require as much setup as its given.
– Fred Topel, Showbiz Cheat Sheet

One of the biggest faults with this movie is how long it is.
– Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

It has an overly-long runtime which drags a little during the lead up to the third act.
– Ben Rolph, Discussing Film

At two hours and twenty minutes long, fatigue will likely have already set in by the time you reach its third act.
– Nicole Ackman, Next Best Picture

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(Photo by ©Apple TV+)

Does it try to do too much?

This movie is basically four movies in one — a romantic comedy, a war film, a drug movie, and a heist flick — which is not necessarily a bad thing.
– Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

The Russos managed to balance everything from teen romance to drug addiction perfectly.
– Josh Wilding, ComicBookMovie.com

It’s a convoluted mess that feels like several different films stitched together into one Frankenstein’s monster of a movie.
– Nicole Ackman, Next Best Picture

While it sounds like a fair idea on paper, the exercise of making these varied tones and concepts doesn’t always work, even within each of the sections.
– Spencer Perry, ComicBook.com

The movie presents itself as a dread-ridden slice of life, yet almost every moment in it feels based not on experience but on the experience of other movies.
– Owen Gleiberman, Variety

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What are some of the films it references?

The Russos seem interested in making something akin to Scorsese cinema… Eventually Cherry breaks free enough of its influences to present a credible, at times harrowing, American addiction tragedy.
– Glenn Kenny, New York Times

[It’s] a horrendous Scorsese knockoff that fails to understand why that director’s movies work so well.
– Matt Goldberg, Collider

Cherry takes inspirations from Fight Club, Full Metal Jacket, Jarhead, and Requiem for a Dream to put them in a blender for a punishing two hours and twenty minutes.
– Leigh Monson, WhatToWatch

Cherry wants to be Requiem for a Dream and Jarhead and Bonnie and Clyde all at once but manages only to be a haphazard imitation of all.
– Matt Oakes, Silver Screen Riot

Cherry has the beating heart of an indie film wrapped in the sweeping, epic flair of a Quentin Tarantino, Oliver Stone or Ang Lee movie.
– Joey Morona, Cleveland Plain Dealer

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(Photo by ©Apple TV+)

Does Tom Holland’s performance outshine the movie’s faults?

This is certainly Tom Holland’s show, with the writing, cinematography, and editing working in coordinated effort to highlight just how hard Holland’s working to give us this character’s blood, sweat, and tears.
– Leigh Monson, WhatToWatch

Though his ambition is present in every instance, there are times where Holland can’t make the gravity of some moments really land.
– Spencer Perry, ComicBook.com

Because of him, this is a good movie. Without him, I am not sure Cherry would have accomplished what it sets out to do.
– Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

It’s a fine performance but one that will surely be looked back at as a stepping stone, rather than a genuine coming out party.
– Matt Oakes, Silver Screen Riot

He really pushes himself in a wide-ranging and committed performance, holding together a movie that is overambitious and narratively muddled.
– Ian Sandwell, Digital Spy

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Does anyone else in the cast shine?

Ciara Bravo, as Cherry’s girlfriend, wife and eventual partner in junkie-dom, is at times the performer who has the strongest emotional hold on the viewer, and the most memorable find here.
– Glenn Kenny, New York Times

Bravo, in her first major role, delivers an equally powerful performance, matching her co-star step for step.
– Joey Morona, Cleveland Plain Dealer

Ciara Bravo is a revelation too, presenting the heart and soul of the film.
– Joey Magidson, Awards Radar

Bravo, meanwhile, puts herself on the map here in a huge way and makes one thing clear: she’s a star…we cannot wait to see what she does next.
– Josh Wilding, ComicBookMovie.com

Forrest Goodluck and Jack Raynor deliver an excellent mix of tragedy and comedy.
– Hope Madden, Columbus Underground

Supporting players, often Black folks, are either enveloped in shadows or have a gun pointed in their faces. The women are even less regarded.
– Robert Daniels, The Playlist

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(Photo by ©Apple TV+)

Is it a difficult watch at times?

Cherry is dark, heavy stuff. The graphic violence of war and the raw and ugly reality of addiction make the film uncomfortable to watch at times.
– Joey Morona, Cleveland Plain Dealer

Cherry is raw and difficult to watch at times but the result is a beautifully honest film that is well written and well-cast.
– Allison Rose, FlickDirect

Nothing here feels as gritty as it should. There’s no stark realism, no raw honesty. Everything in Cherry is for show. Subtlety is for chumps.
– Chris Evangelista, Slashfilm

It’s hard to shake the feeling that [the actors are] playing dress-up, a glossy Riverdale rendering of craving and codependence.
– Leah Greenblatt, Entertainment Weekly

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Does it ever lighten up?

The most surprising thing about Cherry, and its primary saving grace, is the humor that bleeds throughout it.
– Spencer Perry, ComicBook.com

When Cherry robs banks, the banks have parody names like Capitalist One, Bank F—s America, Credit None, S–tty Bank, or even just The Bank. Ho ho ho, my sides, they’re splitting! Who are you to resist the unparalleled wit of Cherry?
– Chris Evangelista, Slashfilm

There’s hardly a moment in Cherry that’s believable, but the film’s true crime is that there’s hardly a moment in it that’s enjoyable either.
– Owen Gleiberman, Variety

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Will you want to see it more than once?

This movie will take you on an emotional, powerful journey over the course of 150 minutes you’ll want to relive.
– Josh Wilding, ComicBookMovie.com

I will be watching this again.
– Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

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Cherry is in theaters on February 26, 2021 and on Apple TV+ on March 12, 2021.

On an Apple device? Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Apple News.

The Link Lonk


February 26, 2021 at 06:31AM
https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/cherry-first-reviews-tom-holland-shines-in-ambitious-but-overstuffed-adaptation/

Cherry First Reviews: Tom Holland Shines in Ambitious but Overstuffed Adaptation - Rotten Tomatoes

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"Rotten Tomatoes Is Wrong" About... Alita: Battle Angel - Rotten Tomatoes

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(Photo by TM & Copyright ©20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved / courtesy Everett Collection)

The long-in-production sci-fi epic Alita: Battle Angel was something of a box office fizzer when it opened on Valentine’s Day, 2019. But since its muted theatrical run, the Robert Rodriguez film – based on a popular early-’90s manga and produced by James Cameron, who was originally set to direct – has gotten a lot of love from fans.

Those rabid fans have not been afraid to slap us at Rotten Tomatoes around over the last two years, letting us know we definitely got the movie’s score – 61% on the Tomatometer – wrong. (The Audience Score, by contrast, sits at 92%.) While critics almost universally praised the movie’s groundbreaking special effects and the lead performance of Rosa Salazar as the warrior kinda-android, they were less enamored with the story and script. Fans, on the other hand, point to the world-building, killer action sequences, and a surprising amount of heart to suggest this cyberpunk action fantasy has been sorely underrated.

And yes, they’re demanding a sequel.

Who got Alita: Battle Agent right: The lukewarm critics or the red-hot fans? That’s what we’re asking in the latest episode of our podcast, Rotten Tomatoes Is Wrong. Joining hosts Mark Ellis and Jacqueline Coley to break down everything from the incredible action sequences and divisive script to the years of production hell that preceded its release and the James Cameron of it all, is John Rocha, creator and host of The Outlaw Nation, and Schmoedown legend. Will Alita win over his cold cyborg heart? Tune in to find out.

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Listen Now:  Spotify |  Apple Podcasts  |  Stitcher  |  TuneIn  |  Google Podcasts | Radio Public | Deezer | iHeart | Art19

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Check in every Thursday for a new episode of Rotten Tomatoes Is Wrong (A Podcast From Rotten Tomatoes). Each week, hosts Jacqueline and Mark and guests go deep and settle the score on some of the most beloved – and despised – movies and TV shows ever made, directly taking on the statement we hear from so many fans: “Rotten Tomatoes is wrong.”

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If you have a suggestion for a movie or show you think we should do an episode on, let us know in the comments, or email us at rtiswrong@rottentomatoes.com.

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Meet the hosts

Jacqueline Coley is an editor at Rotten Tomatoes, with a focus on awards and indie coverage but with a passion for everything, from the MCU to musicals and period pieces. Coley is a regular moderator at conventions and other events, can be seen on Access Hollywood and other shows, and will not stand Constantine slander of any kind. Follow Jacqueline on Twitter: @THATjacqueline.

Mark Ellis is a comedian and contributing editor for Rotten Tomatoes. He currently hosts the Rotten Tomatoes series Versus, among others, and can be seen co-hosting the sports entertainment phenomenon Movie Trivia Schmoedown. His favorite Star Wars movie is Jedi (guess which one!), his favorite person is actually a dog (his beloved stepdaughter Mollie), and – thanks to this podcast – he’s about to watch Burlesque for the first time in his life. Follow Mark on Twitter: @markellislive.

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On an Apple device? Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Apple News.

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The Link Lonk


February 25, 2021 at 09:53PM
https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/rotten-tomatoes-is-wrong-about-alita-battle-angel/

"Rotten Tomatoes Is Wrong" About... Alita: Battle Angel - Rotten Tomatoes

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Tahar Rahim's Five Favorite Films - Rotten Tomatoes

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(Photo by Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Getty Images)

French-Algerian actor Tahar Rahim first rose to international acclaim with his performance in Jacques Audiard’s 2009 crime thriller A Prophet, which debuted at Cannes to rave reviews and went on to earn an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Film. It wasn’t his first feature film, but it was the one that opened the doors for him to work with an eclectic mix of filmmakers that includes Asghar Farhadi (The Past), Fatih Akin (The Cut), Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Daguerrotype), and Kevin Macdonald (The Eagle).

Rahim’s latest project reunites him with Macdonald for a challenging role in a based-on-true-events drama, The Mauritanian. In it, he plays the titular character, Mohamedou Ould Slahi, who was kidnapped from his home country in 2002, transported to the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, and detained there without being charged with any offense for 14 years before he was ultimately released. The film details not only Slahi’s harrowing experiences at the facility, but also the efforts of ACLU attorney Nancy Hollander (Jodie Foster) to afford him due process and the shocking discoveries made by the U.S. government’s own military prosecutor, Stuart Couch (Benedict Cumberbatch). Working alongside a star-studded cast that also includes Shailene Woodley and Zachary Levi, Rahim’s standout performance recently earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor.

Rotten Tomatoes had the opportunity to speak with Rahim ahead of the Globes to talk about the new film, describe what it was like to meet and spend time with the real-life Mohamedou Ould Slahi, and drop a wish list of directors he’d love to work with (somebody please get him a meeting with the Safdie brothers). Before that, though, read on for Tahar Rahim’s Five Favorite Films.

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(Photo by ©STX Entertainment)

Ryan Fujitani for Rotten Tomatoes: The Mauritanian is not the first time you’ve portrayed a real person on film. Do you find that it’s more freeing to play a character based on a real person because you have a template to follow? Or do you enjoy more getting to collaborate and infuse a fictional character with your own ideas?

Tahar Rahim: I think right now, I’d say it’s, in a way, easier to portray someone who is a real life character, because the range of liberty you have is limited. They don’t go all over the place. The main answers you need to know for questions about your character, you have them. And you don’t have them in 100 pages, you have them from someone who’s been living for years, decades, so he knows exactly what he’s talking about. You don’t even have to, “No, you know, I think the character would answer this way.” You don’t have any conversation about who the guy is. He is who he is. It helps a lot.

But on the other hand, the problem is that you have a responsibility to not, in a way — let’s use this word, and I don’t know if it’s the right one — but to not betray that person and his identity and his personality, his life, what he’s been through. You still have some freedom because he’s not a famous person, but not a lot. I don’t know if it feels better to play someone who’s a real life character or just a character. I don’t know if it feels better because it’s a whole thing. It’s not just about a performance, it’s about your relationship with your partners, with the director, the story, the script, and the whole thing.

Rotten Tomatoes: I know you met Mohamedou Ould Salahi before you shot the film. Was there anything about him that surprised you, or anything unexpected about him? Something you were able to work into your performance?

Rahim: I knew about him because I read the book, I talked with [director Kevin Macdonald], I had his recordings. So I had enough materials to make my research. But I needed to meet him for other reasons, to know him and to understand the way he moves, he talks, whatever. But I was so surprised to see how funny the guy was. Everybody would say it, but I couldn’t expect that he would be that funny, because sometimes he was sarcastic, sometimes just funny. That surprised me a lot.

But you know, it was not just a joke. He likes to joke around. But instantly he can find a good joke that is connected to the context. It’s not just written jokes; he’s taking advantage of the situation and turning it into something funny. You need to be very talented to be able to do that, because it’s like improvisation. It’s like asking a comedian on stage to improvise. They need to improvise between their jokes, the things that are written. It’s a real job. This guy has it naturally.

But also, the fact that he was full of life, full of life. Very nice. When you know what he’s been through, it’s almost impossible to believe. The trauma is still there; he manages in some ways to control it, so you don’t see it.

(Photo by Graham Bartholomew/©STX Entertainment)

Rotten Tomatoes: This is a difficult role for anyone, and I would ask how you would normally decompress or de-stress during shooting, but you’ve said that you basically didn’t, because you were afraid you would lose everything you had put into the character. Doesn’t that take a bit of a toll on you?

Rahim: Of course, of course. But I was lucky to shoot that abroad, to shoot this movie abroad. I was alone, with just one of my best friends. Otherwise, if this movie was shot in Paris and I had to see my family and my wife, my kids every day, it wouldn’t have been possible to portray Mohamedou the way I… to give my all.

I got really lucky. I didn’t want to be disturbed. It’s such a difficult part that once I caught him, I didn’t want to let him go. I know myself. I’m almost 40; I know if I start to get relaxed too much, I’m getting out of my character, and then to get back in, it’s hard.

Rotten Tomatoes: You obviously take your work very seriously, and you’ve been able to work with a wide variety of filmmakers from all kinds of backgrounds across different genres to build a really eclectic resume. But you’ve also expressed in the past that there are some Hollywood directors you’d love to work with. If you had to name the top three on your wish list, who would they be?

Rahim: Of course, Martin Scorsese. Paul Thomas Anderson. Who else? There’s so many great directors. I’d say [Alejandro González] Iñárritu. You know what? from the new generation, definitely the Safdie brothers.

Rotten Tomatoes: I could absolutely see you in a Safdie brothers movie.

Rahim: You know, Good Time was a beautiful surprise. I was like, “Oh, man!” You can feel the New Hollywood references, but it’s not copying. It’s not about that. They’re talking about their time, the people they met, their life, their New York, and it’s incredible. It reminded me of New Hollywood, without copying them. I found it so clever and so brand new, in a way, in the way they shot, in the way they direct their actors, and the last film they did, Uncut Gems, the last 13 minutes… It’s like a James Brown concert. It’s like James Brown saying, “We’re going to shake them. Shake them ’til the end.” I was like, “Whoa. Okay, these guys are great.”

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The Mauritanian was released on February 12, 2021.

Thumbnail images: Everett Collection, ©Neon

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On an Apple device? Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Apple News.

The Link Lonk


February 25, 2021 at 07:17AM
https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/tahar-rahims-five-favorite-films/

Tahar Rahim's Five Favorite Films - Rotten Tomatoes

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The Father (2020) - Rotten Tomatoes

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Anthony (Academy Award Winner, Anthony Hopkins) is 80, mischievous, living defiantly alone and rejecting the carers that his daughter, Anne (Academy Award and Golden Globe Winner, Olivia Colman), encouragingly introduces. Yet help is also becoming a necessity for Anne; she can't make daily visits anymore and Anthony's grip on reality is unraveling. As we experience the ebb and flow of his memory, how much of his own identity and past can Anthony cling to? How does Anne cope as she grieves the loss of her father, while he still lives and breathes before her? THE FATHER warmly embraces real life, through loving reflection upon the vibrant human condition; heart-breaking and uncompromisingly poignant -- a movie that nestles in the truth of our own lives.

• Rating:

  PG-13 (Thematic Material|Some Strong Language)

• Genre:

  drama

• Original Language:

  English (United Kingdom)

• Director:

• Producer:

• Writer:

• Release Date (Theaters):

  Feb 26, 2021 limited

• Runtime:

  1h 37m

• Production Co:

  Film4, Embankment Films, Trademark Films, AG Studios, Viewfinder, Cine@, F Comme Film

• Aspect Ratio:

  Scope (2.35:1)

The Link Lonk


February 25, 2021 at 04:04AM
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_father_2021

The Father (2020) - Rotten Tomatoes

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Rotten Tomatoes Predicts the 2021 Golden Globe Winners! - Rotten Tomatoes

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(Photo by Glen Wilson /© Warner Bros. )

The Golden Globes will be handed out on Sunday, with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association honoring 2020’s best film and TV — according to them, anyway. And, whew, it’s gonna be quite the evening – and not just for the glitz, glam, and speeches.

The pandemic, with its shuffled release dates and changes to eligibility for various awards ceremonies, already made this year a different beast for the HFPA’s night of nights, but a slew of controversies have also colored the 2021 Globes. First came criticism after the organization decided that Minari, the American film with mostly Korean dialogue, would compete in the “foreign” category; then came the noticeable snubbing of multiple projects featuring Black creatives and casts on nominations morning. And then, just a week out from the ceremony, the L.A. Times dropped a bombshell investigation into the makeup (zero Black journalists are members) and ethics of the 87-member group. You can read the full piece here.

Recommended: The Full List of Nominations for the 2021 Golden Globes
Recommended: Vote for the Winners In Our Online 2021 Golden Globes Ballot

Yet the show will and must go on, in virtual form this year, with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosting from opposite sides of the country (and no doubt re-writing their material to address recent controversies even as we speak). And while some in the industry will snigger at and maybe even avoid the ceremony, it’s hard to deny its significance as on one of the biggest dates on the awards season calendar, both in (potentially) reshaping the Oscars race and giving TV networks and streamers some new marketing juice, and in its standing as one of the most widely-viewed awards ceremonies of the year.

If you’re going to be viewing the Golden Globes, and perhaps wanna beat your buddies on a ballot, we’ve got you covered with our choices for who’s likely to win on the big night (and those who we feel truly deserve to win). Our experts – Jacqueline Coley for film and Debbie Day for TV and streaming – take into consideration everything from industry buzz and the tastes and historical leanings of the HFPA, to our Tomatometer and Audience Scores, to read the tea leaves and place their bets. How right will they be? Bookmark this page for Sunday night and find out.

Check out our picks for the Golden Globes winners, and let us know who you think will be a win in the comments.

Film | Television

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Best Motion Picture – Drama

(Photo by © Searchlight Pictures)

What will win?

95% Nomadland (2021)

What should win?
In a battle between Nomadland and The Trial of the Chicago 7, it’s a bit of a toss-up on who deserves it. However, the wanderlust drama starring Frances McDormand is one of the few studio films in competition this season, which we think is enough to tip the scales in its favor just for the sake of balance. Both worthy selections, but it’s hard to argue with Nomadland’s more than 100 wins this awards season thus far.

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Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

What will win?

98% Hamilton (2020)

What should win?

Hamilton. The HFPA did some – let’s call them interesting – calculations to justify including Hamilton here rather than with the other made-for-TV films and limited series (a ridiculously competitive category). We’d have to think they performed such leaps of logic for a reason. Plus, if Hamilton wins, we might get another incredible acceptance speech from Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda – always a good time and even better television. Oh, and yes: Hamilton is very, very worthy.

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Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama

(Photo by David Lee/Netflix)

Who will win?

Viola Davis

98% Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020)

Who should win?

Viola Davis. This is a bit of a wild card category, as none of the nominees have really run away with things so far this awards season. We could make a compelling argument that all have a right to win. All have snagged several prizes this season, but we are betting on Davis’ transformative turn as the larger-than-life Mother of the Blues, Ma Rainey, deservedly winning out. The notoriously finicky HFPA apparently raved about the film – particularly Davis’s performance.

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Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama

(Photo by David Lee/Netflix)

Who will win? 

Chadwick Boseman

98% Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020)

Who should win?

Even without the tragedy of his death, Chadwick Boseman was winning – as he should.

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Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy 

(Photo by Seacia Pavao / Netflix)

Who will win?

Rosamund Pike

81% I Care a Lot (2021)

Who should win?

Bucking the general thinking here, we have gone with an upset. With a small voting body, the Globes are highly unpredictable – so when Pike cut a nomination, we suspected it was due to how much the HPFA enjoyed the film and her darkly hilarious performance as a scheming care assistant. If you want to win your ballot, you have to give room for at least one surprise and we think this is where to do it. Borat Subsequent Moviefilm‘s Maria Bakalova is the odds-on safe bet, but bumping her to lead instead of supporting is a quizzical choice and hard to put up against Pike, who carried an entire movie under that fierce bob. Besides, where’s the fun in playing it safe?

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Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy 

(Photo by © Amazon)

Who will win?

Sacha Baron Cohen

85% Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm (2020)

Who should win?

The HFPA really likes Sacha Baron Cohen. He is nominated three times this year and four times previously – it really comes down to where the group wants to honor him? Immersing himself in character for hours – with the burden of that thick and hilarious accent – to pull of Internet-shaking ruses… it’s hard to argue he’s not deserving.

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Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture

(Photo by Netflix)

Who will win?

Amanda Seyfried

83% Mank (2020)

Who should win?

This is a complicated choice. Maria Bakalova should win here – she does give a supporting performance – but she’s in the Lead category so… As the David Fincher black-and-white drama has little hope of winning in the other categories, this is the best place for the Globes voters to show the tale of Citizen Kane‘s prickly screenwriter some love. And Seyfried is very, very good in the film.

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Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture

Who will win?

Daniel Kaluuya

96% Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)

Who should win?

Better late than never. Coming on late in the season, Daniel Kaluuya turn as Chairman Fred Hampton of the Chicago Black Panther Party has quickly emerged as a late-season frontrunner in this category. Leslie Odom Jr. – who has snapped up many of the prizes thus far for playing Sam Cooke in One Night In Miami – would also be a logical choice, but after snagging his second GGs nomination in just four years, we’re giving it to the Get Out star who more than deserves to take home the prize.

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Best Director – Motion Picture

(Photo by Joshua Richards, 20th Century )

Who will win?

Chloé Zhao

95% Nomadland (2021)

Who should win?

In case you haven’t been keeping score, Zhao, the director of Marvel’s upcoming Eternals, has swept the major directing prizes this season. It would beyond shocking if she came up short here, and we don’t think she should or will… but the one name that could unseat her would be Aaron Sorkin for The Trial of the Chicago 7.

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Best Screenplay – Motion Picture

(Photo by Netflix)

Who will win?

Aaron Sorkin

90% The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)

Who should win?

In a category with more than a few glaring omissions, the film that should win is arguably not even among the nominees. Soul, One Night in Miami, Never Rarely Sometimes Always would all be welcome and worthy additions to this group, with all of them being heavily favored nominees for the Oscars ceremony in April.

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Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language

What will win?

98% Minari (2020)

What should win?

Minari. We love Another Round, and it would be a worthy winner, but this is yet another category where the HFPA might look to do a bit of damage control. Selecting Minari as the winner could go a long way to lowering the temperature on the controversy surrounding their “Foreign Language” classification of the film. Need a quick brush up on that controversy? The dialogue for Minari is spoken in mostly Korean, with only 30% in English, a ratio which relegated this 98% Certified Fresh American immigrant story to a foreign category. That raised some questions about a double standard: Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds, which featured similar language ratios, was nominated for Best Motion Picture – Drama in 2010.

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Best Motion Picture – Animated

(Photo by Pixar)

What will win?

95% Soul (2020)

What should win?

Apple’s Wolfwalkers has a real chance to upset Pixar’s long-running dominance of this category, but with Soul‘s additional nomination for Best Score, we’re thinking the HFPA favors Pete Docter and Kemp Powers’ jazz-filled tale.

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Best Original Score – Motion Picture

What will win?

95% Soul (2020)

What should win?

Soul. With two nominations this year (Mank, Soul), it would be strange for Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross not to take home the prize for Best Score. As it is assumed they are taking home a statue no matter what, Soul – a win for which would also honor Stephen Colbert’s bandleader Jon Baptiste, who did the incredible jazz orchestrations – is the preferable option.

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Best Original Song – Motion Picture

(Photo by Amazon Studios)

Who will win?

“Speak Now” – Leslie Odom Jr. and Sam Ashworth

98% One Night in Miami (2020)

Who should win?

Leslie Odom Jr. was our out-of-the-gate front-runner for Best Supporting Actor in every major contest earlier this year – but all that changed when Daniel Kaluuya recently joined the race with rave reviews, replacing the Hamilton alum as frontrunner there. Still, having Odom Jr. on stage to accept an award would be a great TV moment to tune in for, something every awards show is cognizant of this year, and this could be the category that gets him there.

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Best Television Series – Drama

Who will win?

97% The Crown: Season 4 (2020)

Who should win?

The Crown’s fourth season was spectacular in the same way that the unraveling of Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s marriage was a spectacle. The series will and should win for its portrayal of that drama, as well as the one unfolding at 10 Downing Street.

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Best Actress – Television Drama

(Photo by Des Willie/Netflix)

Who will win?

Olivia Colman

97% The Crown: Season 4 (2020)

Who should win?

Emma Corrin was compelling in her role as Princess Diana in The Crown season 4 and Colman is certainly deserving, but Laura Linney should top this list for her strong, multi-layered performance in an emotional season 3 of Ozark. Colman should be recognized at least once this year; she’s also nominated for a Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture.

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Best Actor – Television Drama

(Photo by Des Willie/Netflix)

Who will win?

Josh O’Connor

97% The Crown: Season 4 (2020)

Who should win?

O’Connor’s portrayal of Prince Charles was certainly riveting, but Bob Odenkirk was sublime in Better Call Saul season 5, which is Certified Fresh at 99% on the Tomatometer. Take episode 8 (“Bagman”), which follows Jimmy on an ill-fated roadtrip to Mexico that devolves into an overnight hike through the desert with Mike (Jonathan Banks). The Emmy-nominated episode and the storyline’s continuation in the also Emmy-nominated episode 9 (“Bad Choice Road”) served as a showcase for Banks as much as for Odenkirk, who inhabits the skin of Jimmy/Saul down to the last sun-crisped cell.

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Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy

(Photo by ©CBC / courtesy Everett Collection)

Who will win?

100% Schitt's Creek: Season 6 (2020)

Who should win?

The big question in the comedy categories is if the HFPA will follow the Emmys in honoring Schitt’s Creek and the Pop series’ actors. We’re betting they’ll split their support to spread the love around in that HFPA way, but Schitt’s Creek will get the big honor – as it should.

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Best Actress – Television Musical or Comedy

(Photo by Pop)

Who will win?

Catherine O’Hara

100% Schitt's Creek: Season 6 (2020)

Who should win?

With the revelations on the HFPA’s relationship with Emily In Paris hitting before voting concludes, we’re expecting the membership to exercise more restraint in the final round of voting, ensuring that neither the series nor its star Lily Collins will receive awards. The situation makes it one less person competing against O’Hara, who will and should win for her portrayal of unhinged Rose family matriarch, Moira.

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Best Actor – Television Musical or Comedy

(Photo by Ollie Upton/Hulu)

Who will win?

Nicholas Hoult

88% The Great: Season 1 (2020)

Who should win?

As part of the Emmys’ “Schitt’s Sweep,” Eugene Levy received the top comedy actor prize – and he should probably win here too – but the HFPA is a different organization. Ramy Youssef took the prize last year, but we expect the HFPA membership to woo Hoult with a prize for his performance in The Great. Huzzah!

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Best Miniseries or Television Film  

Who will win?

97% The Queen's Gambit: Miniseries (2020)

Who should win?

With its collection of auteur films – that auteur being Steve McQueen of 12 Years a Slave fame – Small Axe feels somewhat out of place competing against the likes of The Queen’s Gambit, Unorthodox, Normal People, and The Undoing. It’s here, though, and matches The Queen’s Gambit’s 97% Tomatometer score. We think Netflix is going to win this particular streaming war for the phenomenon that was The Queen’s Gambit; though the Amazon Prime Video title may deserve it for its heartfelt storytelling experience.

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Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film

Who will win?

Anya Taylor-Joy

97% The Queen's Gambit: Miniseries (2020)

Who should win?

Despite facing off against big names Cate Blanchett (Mrs. America) and Nicole Kidman (The Undoing), and powerful performances from relative newcomers Shira Haas (Unorthodox) and Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People), Taylor-Joy reigns supreme in this category for her performance as chess prodigy Beth Harmon; she will and she should win — that is, unless HFPA members get star struck by either Blanchett or Kidman.

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Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film 

(Photo by HBO)

Who will win?

Mark Ruffalo

74% I Know This Much Is True: Miniseries (2020)

Who should win?

We’ve said it again and again, Ruffalo took on two very different and equally challenging roles in I Know This Much Is True and deserves to prevail (as he did at the Emmys) for doing twice the work even if the overall series wasn’t a critics’ favorite.

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Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries, or Television Film

(Photo by Des Willie/Netflix)

Who will win?

Gillian Anderson

97% The Crown: Season 4 (2020)

Who should win?

After two back-to-back Emmy wins, the HFPA was finally convinced to nominate Ozark’s Julia Garner, who is indeed deserving for her role as Ruth Langmore, but this year she has the misfortune of competing against Anderson’s remarkable transformation into The Crown’s Margaret Thatcher. Emmy winner Annie Murphy, of Schitt’s Creek, has a hard road against those two powerful dramatic performances.

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Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries, or Television Film

(Photo by Amazon Studios)

Who will win?

John Boyega

97% Small Axe: Red, White and Blue (2020)

Who should win?

It’s an awards season high crime that Better Call Saul isn’t represented (in Jonathan Banks or Giancarlo Esposito) and that Ozark’s Tom Pelphrey was also overlooked, despite his extraordinary performance as Wendy Byrde’s bipolar brother, Ben. The supporting categories too broadly encompass both drama and comedy, leaving Boyega — who shines in a lead role as Leroy Logan in “episode” Red, White and Blue’s true story — to face off against Dan Levy for Schitt’s Creek, which is just absurd. We expect Boyega to take the award, though Levy should win for comedy.

Film | Television

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The 2021 Golden Globe Awards, hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, will air live on NBC on Sunday, February 28, 2021, at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST. 

Thumbnail image: PHIL BRAY/NETFLIX © 2020, Glen Wilson /© Warner Bros., Seacia Pavao / Netflix

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The Link Lonk


February 24, 2021 at 01:31AM
https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/rotten-tomatoes-predicts-the-2021-golden-globe-winners/

Rotten Tomatoes Predicts the 2021 Golden Globe Winners! - Rotten Tomatoes

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