2024 Year in Review: The Hermione Granger/Furiosa/Rita Moreno Award for Best Supporting Actress

The Hermione Granger/Furiosa/Rita Moreno Award for Best  Supporting Actress

Previous Winners:  Dafne Keene (Logan), Tilda Swinton (Dr. Strange), Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina), Emma Stone (Birdman), Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle), Sally Field (Lincoln), Jennifer Aniston (Horrible Bosses), Emily Blunt (A Quiet Place), Scarlett Johansson (Jojo Rabbit), Margo Martindale (Blow the Man Down), Rita Moreno (West Side Story), Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers)

Supporting Actress is up first among the acting awards here at EYG Year in Review. This is the top ten recipients for Best Supporting Actress. Honestly, a bunch of these potential Oscar roles are from movies that I have yet to see, so they will not appear on my list. Maybe the June Swoon will be really good this year.

#10. Isabella Rossellini, Conclave.

#9. Joan Chen, Didi.

#8. Monica Barbaro, A Complete Unknown

#7. Karla Sofia Gascon, Emilia Perez.

#6. Zendaya, Dune: Part Two

#5. Emma Corrin, Nosferatu

#4. Danielle Deadwyler, Piano Lessons

#3. Selena Gomez, Emilia Perez

#2. Zoe Saldana, Emilia Perez

#1. Ariana Grande, Wicked

Ariana Grande was a revelation in Wicked. No one expected her to steal the movie, but she nearly did in almost every scene she was in. Of course, her voice was amazing as she blasted out her songs. The trio of actresses from Emilia Perez were powerful in the film and all of them made a spot on this list. Danielle Deadwyler is showing herself to be a master actor as she gives tremendous performances every time.

Emilia Pérez

I had heard this was an Oscar favorite. With it now on Netflix, I was excited to give it a chance. I was not expecting what I saw.

First, this was mostly in Spanish. I guess I should have guessed that from the title, but I did not.

Second, it was a musical. Simply did not see that coming.

According to IMDB, “Mexico, today. Overqualified and exploited, lawyer Rita is wasting her talents working for a large firm far better at whitewashing criminal garbage than serving justice. But an unexpected way out appears, the sort of offers you can’t refuse : to help feared cartel boss Juan “Little Hands” Del Monte – aka Manitas – retire from his business and disappear forever. Manitas has a plan he’s been fine-tuning in secret for years : to become, at last, the woman he’s always dreamed of becoming.”

The performers were spectacular in this movie. Zoe Saldana was Rita, the lawyer who was brought in as a way to help Manitas, played by Karla Sofía Gascón. Selena Gomez played Manitas’ wife, Jessi. All three of these performers were sensational. And they all did a tremendous job with the music/songs.

The movie was 2 and a 1/2 hours long, but it absolutely did not feel like it. The film flew by. In fact, when it came to its dramatic conclusion, I was looking at the clock wondering how this could be over already. That means this long film was paced brilliantly or else you are going to feel that passage of time.

French director Jacques Audiard creates a wonderful film, bringing out some of the best performances of the year while handling a topic that can be divisive with a deft touch. The story is not the controversy. The story is the emotions and feelings that it elicits. Emilia Pérez is top notch work that caught me off guard.

4.4 stars

Only Murders in the Building S4 E10

Spoilers

“My Best Friend’s Wedding”

Season four of Only Murders in the Building came to a conclusion last night on Hulu as episode 10 dropped. We had seen the killer last week, so this week was what and how it happened.

The killer was revealed to be Sazz’s protégé, Rex Bailey, who is now going by the name Marshall, the writer on the movie. However, we learn officially that he stole Sazz’s script for the Only Murders movie and that he wound up killing Sazz when she discovered that he had done that.

I kind of assumed that Sazz would wind up being the actual target instead of Charles when he said a few episodes ago that if Sazz died because of him and the podcast, he would never forgive himself. So I was fairly confident that Charles was not the real target. Even when they made it look like the killer was stalking the who crew with those text messages of “I’m Watching you” I had a feeling that Sazz was the true target.

Those text messages and the cameras that had been planted was not referred to in the finale, and I feel like that is a plot hole. It may not be a major thing, but it does bother me a bit. That is, unless this is another hint for a future story. If so, that would be awesome!

They figured out how Marshall made it from Dudenoff’s apartment to Charles’s apartment to get rid of Sazz’s body. As a former stunt man, he climbed out the window and went around the ledge to Charles’s place and he discovered that Sazz was not yet dead, and he watched her die. Cold.

The scene of Oliver and Charles going on the ledge from Fish’s place to get into Dudenoff’s apartment to save Mabel was fantastic! The chemistry between Steve Martin and Martin Short is really felt here. The merengue part was laugh out loud funny.

It was also funny how Charles and Oliver started talking about how they always get another murder right when they solve the case they were working on, and Oliver immediately thought that Loretta was in danger and would be the next victim. I actually thought that was a possibility too and when they started breaking the fourth wall, in sense, making a joke about the new victim, I thought that was cool.

That told me that Loretta was going to be okay. So when we found out that she was heading with her show to New Zealand, Meryl Streep’s absences in the future of the series is explained. They keep Oliver with Charles and Mabel too.

The wedding was very nice. Very romantic. Of course, we do get anther body eventually. Lester the doorman was dead in the fountain in the Arconia. Ready to go for season five.

I do love this show. Charles, Oliver and Mabel are awesome characters and they work so well together. I am very pleased that there is a fifth season on its way in the future.

Only Murders in the Building S4 E9

Spoilers

“Escape from Planet Klongo”

After a down week for me last week, Only Murders in the Building had its penultimate episode of season four with an episode that included all of the best things that Only Murders does.

“Escape from Planet Klongo” gave us the following:

  • One of the classic Oliver and Charles arguments – this time over a Bachelor Party .
  • We got another murder- Glen Stubbins (this is the second… maybe even the third time Paul Rudd has been murdered on this show).
  • Only one major cameo – Ron Howard! Ron Howard was sensational here with Martin Short. Ron-Ron. Hilarious.
  • Project Ronkonkoma became the key point for the mystery. A movie directed by Ron Howard and one that Sazz’s protege messed up badly.
  • W.A.N.S: Whiskey, A-List Celebrities, Naughty Secret!
  • A wonderful interaction with Oliver and Charles that showed their friendship.
  • Charles and Oliver wind up as background actors as aliens- in mo-cap suits
  • A script discovered about Only Murders in the Building-The Movie, by Sazz Pataki.

And most importantly, we had a reveal. We discovered who the killer was thanks to a flashback from Ron Howard. It was Marshall, the writer of the movie. He also killed Glen Stubbins with a pillow, and he wound up alone in the apartment with Mabel.

Everything makes a lot of sense for Marshall, especially with how they showed us what happened with Sazz on Project Ronkonkoma. Sazz was writing a script that Marshall wanted to write. Then, Glen replaced him on the movie and he must have been the actual intended victim when the group of Olivers were shot a few weeks ago.

The cameras in the place must have been planted to figure out what Oliver, Charles and Mabel were like as characters. I’m not sure about the whole plot holes bit or the text messages, but I’m sure that will fall into place next week in the finale.

The limited use of cameos is in stark opposition from last week which was cameo overload. And… who knew that when you are around Ron Howard, you should never mention the fishin’ hole (from Andy Griffith). What could have happened at the fishin’ hole?

One more episode which should include a wedding (if they pull it off).

Great episode.

Only Murders in the Building S4 E3

Spoilers

“Two for the Road”

So, why is Zach Galifianakis such a dick?

The three actors who are intended to play Oliver, Charles and Mabel came to shadow our plucky podcasters and became involved in the investigation into the Westies.

Zach Galifianakis, Eugene Levy and Eva Longoria clearly were playing caricatures of themselves in this episode, but I have to say, they were easily my least favorite part of this entire season so far.

I have loved this season, but the three actors felt like something crammed into the story that just did not work. I will admit Eugene Levy’s partnering up with Charles to look into the patch-wearing Richard Hatch was the best of the three. Eva Longoria was way over-the-top and annoying. Galifianakis was downright disrespectful to Oliver and I found him to be the worst of the three.

The episode is much stronger with the time that Oliver, Charles and Mabel are together. The beginning with the murder board and Detective Williams and the ending scene when the three were having a housewarming for Mabel’s squatting in the apartment that the sniper had shot from were both considerably more entertaining than them with the actors.

One has to wonder though… why Perfect Strangers?

There were a bunch of clues dropped this episode and several red herrings that played out, including Kumail Nanjiani, who we meet as Christmas all the time dude.

This was my least favorite of the episodes so far in season four, but it was just because those first two were so excellent for me. I am fully engaged in the mystery of who shot Sazz and how it related to Charles.

Only Murders in the Building airs on Hulu.