I review these Golden Globe nominated performances: George Clooney and Adam Sandler in "Jay Kelly," Jennifer Lawrence in "Die My Love," Julia Roberts in "After the Hunt," Amy Madigan in "Weapons" and Tessa Thompson in "Hedda"]
Jay Kelly (2025)
Die My Love (2025)
Jackson and Grace move into a remote house that Jackson inherited from his uncle, and after giving birth, Grace develops post-partum depression - in a big way.
Jennifer Lawrence stars as Grace in this film based on the 2012 novel by Ariana Harwicz adapted by Enda Walsh, Alice Birch and Lynne Ramsay and directed by Ramsay. Grace and Jackson (Robert Pattinson) move into a house in rural Montana left to him by his uncle. They have moved there from New York. Grace is a writer, and they are happy there at first, indulging in rough sex, which I guess was fun for them - I don't judge - but then Grace gets pregnant, and after the baby's birth, problems arise. Jackson is away for long periods, leaving Grace alone, lonely and bored, which results in masturbation, knife wielding, crawling in the grass, the killing of a dog, sitting in the refrigerator, spitting out drinks and nudity. Lots. Ever since Lawrence did full frontal nudity in "No Hard Feelings," the clothes are coming off. Lawrence has come a long way from Katniss Everdeen.
Things get worse and worse and worse for Grace and so does this overlong movie, despite an all-star cast.
Sissy Spacek and Nick Nolte also star, and though Spacek plays a key role as Jackson's mother, Nolte wonders what he is doing in this film.
But the movie itself aside, Lawrence is nominated for a "Best Actor Female in a Motion Picture-Drama" Golden Globe and the film is really all about her, and she is all in, playing a woman with post-partum depression who falls into psychosis, but sadly the movie itself lets her down.
Will she win?
Prediction: I say no. Lawrence is good, but the movie isn't, so I think that will hurt her chances, and she has a lot of competition in this category.
Rosy the Reviewer says...remember how I say "I see the bad ones so you don't have to?" Trust me. I saw it. You won't like this. (available to rent on Amazon Prime - but don't do it)!
American dark comedy horror film directed by Lynne Ramsay and co-written by Enda Walsh. It is an adaptation of the 2017 novel by Ariana Harwicz about a new mother in the French countryside who develops postpartum depression and enters psychosis. The film stars Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson, with the former producing through her production compan
After the Hunt (2025)
A college professor finds herself in personal and professional conflict when her favorite student levels an accusation against a colleague and friend.
Julia Roberts plays Alma Imhoff, a philosophy professor at Yale. She is married to Frederik (Michael Stuhlbarg), a therapist. Alma has recently returned to work after an extended medical leave, but she is still experiencing frequent bouts of pain and may have a bit of a prescription drug problem.
Frederik and Alma host a dinner party for Alma's fellow academics and students. In attendance are Hank Gibson (Andrew Garfield), another professor and Maggie Resnick (Ayo Edebiri), Alma's top PhD student and a gay woman in a relationship with a non-binary partner. After the party, Hank and Maggie leave together.
The next day Maggie is absent from Alma's class, and when Alma returns home, she finds Maggie huddled outside her apartment, and Maggie confides in Alma that Hank had sexually assaulted her the night before. Maggie's reaction is not particularly supportive, so Maggie leaves. Later, when Maggie confronts Hank, he vehemently denies the allegation, asserting that Maggie came on to him and is making all of this up because he accused her of plagiarizing her dissertation.
What is Alma to do?
Maggie is her favorite student and Maggie's parents are rich college donors, but Alma and Hank are also very close. You sense that there is, or has been, something closer between them. Both Alma and Hank are up for tenure. This could ruin his career but Alma also needs to do the right thing to protect her own tenure bid. Shouldn't women support women? Who should she believe and what should she do? Turns out Alma is carrying a secret that may have something to do with her reluctance to get involved.
Though not sure I like Julia as a blonde, she was good in this film, though I didn't particularly like her character. Her "Pretty Woman" days are over, but she is still a pretty woman and a very good actress, and she showed an interesting side of herself. It's not often she plays a rather unsympathetic character. Edebiri, who broke out as an actress in the TV series "The Bear," is also good but her character isn't particularly likeable either.
Written by Nora Garrett and directed by Luca Guadagnino ("Challengers," "Call Me By Your Name"), the film began with a very, very annoying soundtrack of what sounded like a ticking time bomb, and I guess as the movie played out, a case could be made for that, but the annoying sound went on too long and came and went a few other times during the film. Actually, the whole soundtrack was distracting and annoying. Most of the characters were also annoying, highlighting some of the worst kinds of academics. Chloe Sevigne was almost unrecognizable as a university psychiatrist, and she and Andrew Garfield didn't really have that much to do. In general, despite the serious subject matter, I just didn't really care about these characters.
The ticking time bomb sound notwithstanding, the film lacked the tension one would expect for a movie on the subjects of the #MeToo Movement, an accusation of sexual assault, workplace misconduct and generational misunderstanding. It was a strange little movie that went on too long and didn't really seem to take a stand on any of the subjects or come to a real conclusion. And much was unexplained. For example, what does the title have to do with this movie?
Julia is nominated for a "Best Female Actor in a Motion Picture-Drama" Golden Globe. Will she win?
Prediction: No. She has too much competition from the other nominated actresses.
Rosy the Reviewer says...I can appreciate Julia's acting in this, but I didn't appreciate the film. (Amazon Prime)
Weapons (2025)
Seventeen children from a third-grade classroom in the town of Maybrook, Pennsylvania, run out of their homes at 2:17 a.m. and disappear. Only one student remains. Because it is only those children in that class who disappear, their teacher, Justine Gandy (Julia Garner), is blamed and thought to be a witch.
Teacher Justine is suspended from teaching by principal Marcus Miller (Benedict Wong) under suspicion that she had something to do with the disappearance of the children. However, despite being treated like a pariah, she is determined to find out who is responsible. Alex Lilly (Cary Christopher) was the only child from her class who didn't disappear, so she stakes out little Alex's house and discovers something unsettling. In the meantime, she drinks a bit, okay a lot, and has a one-night stand with her married ex-boyfriend, Paul (Alden Ehrenreich), a local cop.
Archer (Josh Brolin), one of the parents of a missing child, is very suspicious of Justine and growing frustrated with the police investigation, so he starts his own. James (Austin Abrams), a homeless young drug addict, who while burgling Alex's house, also comes across something unsettling but before he can report it, he is caught by Paul.
And then there is Gladys (Amy Madigan). A flashback shows Gladys moving in with Alex and his family. Gladys is a distant relative of Alex's mother and she is homeless and suffering from an incurable illness. She is also what one might call an odd duck.
Written and directed by Zach Cregger, the film plays out in a series of vignettes from each character's point of view - Justine, Archer, Paul, James, Marcus, and Alex - and eventually we see how they are all connected when their stories converge, resulting in a very gross ending. It's a tense horror/thriller made all the more horrific as it plays out in a mundane, quiet suburbia and feeds on the nightmares of parents - something happening to their children. Sometimes there is horror in the mundane. The story is original and nail-biting (watch out for those jump scares), the ensemble of actors excellent and the production values first rate. I really enjoyed it. Sometimes I like a little fake horror in my life. My only complaints would be that the reason the children disappeared wasn't really explained well and who was that little girl narrating?
Amy Madigan recently won the Critics' Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Gladys and is up for a Golden Globe for "Best Supporting Female Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture," which is interesting because she doesn't appear in the film until almost 90 minutes in, but she is a pivotal, and shall I say, an eccentric character? She reminded me of Bette Davis in "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?"
And I have to say that Julia Garner was wonderful in this and should have also been up for a Golden Globe as Best Actor. A big snub.
The film itself is also up for an award for "Cinematic and Box Office Achievement," that made-up category I don't like meant to award films that aren't that arty but that did well at the box office. However, in this case, I think they did the film a disserve putting it there because this is a really good horror film and deserves to be in the "Best Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy" category - yes, it is horror but also sort of a comedy, though very, very dark.
Will Amy win? Will the film be recognized?
Prediction: I am thinking perhaps yes for Amy because she already has been recognized. As for this film, I think it deserves to win, but if "Sinners" doesn't win in the Drama category, it could win here. I wouldn't like that because I didn't like that film.
Rosy the Reviewer says...a favorite. If you like horror films, don't miss this one. (HBO Max)
Hedda (2025)
A modern reimaging of "Hedda Gabler," the classic play by Henrik Ibsen.
Norwegian playwright Ibsen's classic play involves Hedda Tesman (nee Gabler). Hedda is a bored, aristocratic newlywed as she struggles with a loveless marriage to George, a dull academic. She gets involved with Eilert Lovborn, a writer, and the affair gives her a sense of power which, of course, considering the play was written in the 19th century, has to end in tragedy. A woman couldn't take control of her own life in those days, especially if she was having an affair. And that is not a spoiler. I have to assume you know the story of Hedda Gabler. It's a classic often taught in school.
Anyway, writer/director Nia DaCosta has taken this classic story and updated it to 1950's London instead of the late 19th century, compressed the story into a single night, totally changed the love triangle and given the story an ambiguous ending. Now instead of Eilert Lovborn, a man, Hedda (Tessa Thompson) is involved with Eileen Lovborn (Nina Hoss), a woman. Gee, I wonder what theatregoers in the 19th century would have thought of that!
The film begins with Hedda being interviewed by police at her estate after a shooting. Then flashback to 24 hours earlier when Dr. Eileen Lovborn arrives at a party that Hedda is hosting to help her husband, George (Tom Bateman), secure a professorship. Hedda and George are living above their means and George really needs this job. However, Eileen is not only Hedda's past love but a rival for George's professorship.
When Eileen arrives at the party, it becomes evident that she and Hedda were formerly lovers. The sight of Eileen triggers an intense emotional response in Hedda, who still harbors feelings for her. However, during a private conversation, Eileen rejects Hedda's advances and declares that she has moved on with Thea (Imogen Poots), a new love. Eileen characterizes Hedda as a coward for refusing to pursue their relationship openly and instead choosing a conventional marriage to George.
The party doesn't go well with Hedda sabotaging her guests (she is not a very nice woman), especially Thea, Eileen's new love, and Eileen, by getting Eileen, who has become sober, to drink. Then Hedda steals a manuscript from Eileen who was hoping to show it to a professor at the party and help secure the position and Eileen loses Thea. Things get worse and the party doesn't end well.
I am not a fan of the changes to this story, and the film lost me about half-way through. "Hedda Gabler" is often described as a female variation of "Hamlet" and hailed as a masterpiece of literary realism. If you have never read this play or seen it, and you want to, this is probably not your best introduction, It has been changed quite a bit from the original, and not sure if I can recommend this version. You might try a 1975 film version - "Hedda" - starring Glenda Jackson for a more faithful version.
But that said, kudos to Thompson for a bravura and fierce performance as a woman pursuing her own goals at the expense of others. And I should say, Hoss was equally amazing.
Tessa Thompson is nominated for a "Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture-Drama." Will she win?
Prediction: No.
Rosy the Reviewer says...very British, which I usually like, but very talky, which I didn't. I also didn't really like this version. (Amazon Prime)
