[I review "Hamnet," "The Secret Agent" and "Marty Supreme"]
Okay, here are my last reviews for the ten films nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture 2026 (Yes, I have seen and reviewed them all. You are welcome. You can always count on me).
The three films reviewed here were Golden Globe nominees and are also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture along with "Frankenstein," "One Battle After Another," "Bugonia," "F1," "Train Dreams," "Sinners," and "Sentimental Value (click on the links to see my earlier reviews)."
Because several of these nominees for a Best Picture Oscar were also nominated for Golden Globes, I reviewed them earlier in anticipation of the Golden Globes, because Golden Globe nominations and winners are also a bellwether for what we can expect from the Oscars. And I was right. Most of these Oscar nominees were also Golden Globe nominees, though a couple of surprises (where did "Train Dreams" come from? And "F1?" for a Best Picture Academy Award)?
I also reviewed these Best Actor and Best Actress nominated performances: Kate Hudson for "Song Sung Blue," Ethan Hawke for "Blue Moon," and Rose Byrne for "If I Had Legs, I'd Kick You (again, click on the links for the reviews)."
Hamnet (2025)
An origin story about Shakepeare's "Hamlet."
The film begins with a written prologue stating that "Hamnet" and "Hamlet" were considered the same name. That should give you a a bit of a heads up as to where this film is going to go.
William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal), but let's call him Will, works as a tutor to help pay his family's debt. One day, he sees Agnes Hathaway (Jessie Buckley) summon her hawk with her falconry glove and he approaches her. They have a very strange medieval "meet cute" moment. When William's mother, Mary (an almost unrecognizable Emily Watson, because of her wimple), finds out about their meeting, she informs him of rumors that Agnes is the daughter of a forest witch who taught her herbal lore. He finds out that's true, well at least the herbal lore part, when later Agnes uses her knowledge to heal a cut on William's forehead. And, come to think of it, she does spend an awful lot of time in the forest. William woos Agnes with stories, which delight her so much that they have some steamy sex and Agnes gets pregnant. Not good to get pregnant in those days without being married. Agnes's family disowns her. But William does the right thing. They get married and Agnes gives birth to Susanna (Bodhi Rae Breathnach), and, of course, it's in the woods.
As for William, he is just not into the rural manual labor thing and gets into a fight with his dad, John (David Wilmot), over it. Agnes knows that William really wants to write so she gets her brother, Bartholomew (Joe Alwyn), to help William get a theatrical career in London. Which he does, leaving Agnes and Susanna behind in Stratford. And once again, Agnes is pregnant, and gives birth to twins Hamnet (Jacobi Jupe) and Judith (Olivia Lynes).
Eleven years pass and now William is a successful playwright returning home only intermittently while the children grow up very close. His absences cause problems, but worse, tragedy strikes which in turn leads the way for William to write his play "Hamlet" as a way to deal with his grief.
The first 45 minutes of this film is slow going with a horrendous childbirth scene, and though there are some fun family scenes, this is not a fun movie by any means, because it's about grief and the toll that takes on a marriage.
Based on the book by Maggie O'Farrell and adapted for the screen by O'Farrell and director Chloe Zhao, the film is nominated for eight Oscars: Best Production Design, Best Casting, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Score, Best Costumer Design as well as Best Picture and nods to director Chloe Zao and Buckley. Certainly the production design is first rate but this film is all about Jesse Buckley's amazing performance. Her facial expressions while watching "Hamlet" performed at The Globe Theatre are alone Oscar-worthy. She has already won a Golden Globe and is likely a leading contender for the Oscar. Mescal was snubbed for an Oscar but is also very good here. I have a soft spot for him because he starred in "Normal People," a TV miniseries that helped me get through Covid. But it's young Jacobi Jube who won my heart. I don't usually like child actors, especially precocious ones, but he was a delight. I wanted to hug him.
All of that said, I didn't really enjoy this film. First of all, it's about grief so there goes the enjoyable part. Lots of sturm und drang and the acting is sometimes a wee bit over-the-top. Also, I am not a fan of this time period. It's too dark and I don't like the clothes. I am much more of a "Downton Abbey" girl. And the scenes of Agnes giving birth were excruciating. Brought back bad memories. Likewise, our boy, Will, has some major issues, but I guess that is the case with most geniuses who write tragedies.
Rosy the Reviewer says...fans of Shakespeare's time and "Hamlet" will probably enjoy this, but despite the fact that I can appreciate the message - the power of art to heal - all-in-all I found this film to be kind of a slog. (Available to rent on Amazon Prime)
A college professor returns to his hometown to escape his mysterious past.
It is 1977, during Brazil's military dictatorship, and former professor and widower, Armando Solimoes (Wagner Moura), appears to be on the run, returning to his hometown of Recife during Carnival. His young son, Fernando (Enzo Nunes), has been living there with Armando's in-laws since the death of his wife, Fatima (Alice Carvalho). He makes contact with Dona Sebastiana (Tani Maria), who runs a refuge for dissidents and refugees, adopts the name Marcelo and gets a job working in the city's identity card office. This affords Armando the opportunity to search the files for information on this late mother who disappeared. Meanwhile, in Sao Paulo, two hitmen, Bobbi (Gabriel Leone) and Augusto (Roney Villela), have been hired by Enrique Ghirotti (Luciano Chirolli) to kill Armando. Also a hairy severed human leg is found inside a dead tiger shark and corrupt police chief Euclides (Robeno Diogenes) and his sons, Sergio (Igor de Araujo) and Arlindo (Italo Martins), are on the case. The hairy leg goes on to attack gay couples in the park. Huh?
The first half of this two hour and forty minute film is murky and doesn't explain much.
Why has Armando returned to Recife? Why is his son living with the in-laws? Why is Armando hanging out with dissidents and now working in a city job when he is a college professor (which wasn't revealed until later)? Why did he have to change his name? Why is he searching for information about his mother? Why are there hitmen after him and what in the hell is the deal with the human leg found inside the shark? Armando's story is not revealed until over an hour in and some of it isn't explained at all, like the title and that hairy leg. Okay, so the leg is probably a metaphor for the hellish, dangerous and corrupt world a dictatorship can create, but it's a jarring motif.
Though the film, written and directed by Kleber Mendonca Filho, starts out strong, creating a beautiful 1970's Brazil, a world you can get lost in, I was pretty lost for what was going on in that first hour and a half. And if you like linear movies, this is not for you. It flashes back and forwards willy nilly without explanation. However, Moura is quite wonderful to watch as he navigates this confusing world (he won the Golden Globe for Best Actor-Drama and is nominated for a Best Actor Oscar) and the various characters inhabiting this world are also fascinating.
The film won a Golden Globe this year for Best Foreign Language Film (it was also nominated for Best Motion Picture-Drama). And the film has four Oscar nominations - like the Golden Globes, it is nominated in both the Best Picture and Best International Feature Film categories, as well as a nomination for Best Casting, and a nod to Moura for Best Actor. I am thinking it will win Best International Film.
Rosy the Reviewer says..though I can appreciate the story (what I understood of it, anyway), as well as the acting, the characters, and the production values, the film was too long and slow moving and, I predict, not for everyone. And it was not a particularly enjoyable movie experience for me. I still haven't gotten over that hairy severed leg. (In Portuguese with subtitles - For rent or purchase on Amazon Prime and Apple+)
It's 1952 and Marty Mauser (Timothee Chalamet) works as a shoe salesman in his uncle Murray's (Larry 'Ratso' Sloman) New York City shoe store. But Marty's real ambition is to win the British Open table tennis tournament and win American respect for ping pong...er...table tennnis. And he will do anything to get there including pulling a gun on his coworker, Lloyd (Ralph Colucci), and demanding he open the shop's safe and give him his backpay that his uncle is withholding so he can pay for the trip.
Meanwhile, Marty is carrying on an affair with his married childhood friend, Rachel (Odessa A'zion), and when in London, seduces former actress, Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow). Our Marty gets around. He does well with the ladies.
But he doesn't do as well at the British Open. Though he defeats the reigning champion in the semi-finals, he loses the final to Koto Endo (Koto Kawaguchi), a deaf Japanese player who uses a sponge racket. Kay's husband, pen magnate Milton Rockwell (Kevin O'Leary, aka "Mr Wonderful" on the TV show "Shark Tank") offers Marty an exhibition match against Endo in Tokyo before the World Championships to promote his pens but Marty declines when Rockwell tells him he needs to throw the match to appease the Japanese audience. Marty decides he will make it there on his own...somehow.
But back home in New York, Marty's life becomes very complicated. Rachel is pregnant and says the baby is his; he discovers he has been banned from the World Championship for fraudulently expensing a stay at the Ritz in London and he must pay a $1500 fine to the International Table Tennis Association, money he doesn't have; and there is a mobster after him for losing his dog. Long story. Anyway, more drama with Rachel ensues, more drama with Kay. And more drama that Marty creates for himself in his quest to become the greatest ping pong player...er...table tennis champ.
Will Marty make it to the World Championship? Or will his cocksure sense of superiority be his downfall?
Timothee Chalomet has certainly come a long way since hitting it big in 2015 with "Call Me By Your Name" and a Best Actor Oscar nomination for that performance. And his performance here is stellar as the over confident, fast talking hustler that is Marty Mauser, a performance that is also rewarded with a Best Actor Oscar nomination. He makes you care about a guy who is really kind of awful - over-confident and self-serving. But it is not just Chalamet's acting that is stellar. He can play table tennis too and did all of his own stunts in the film. He trained with experts for over six years, even traveling with his own table, to prepare for this role.
The rest of the actors are also good, especially A'zion. Even O'Leary held his own, though I couldn't figure out how he got into this film. Fran Drescher and Sandra Bernhard are also featured but had little to do. If you blinked you would have missed them.
The film, written by Ronald Bronstein and Josh Saftie and directed by Saftie, beautifully captures the feel of 1950's New York (despite the 1980's soundtrack) and the excitement of professional ping pong...er...table tennis. The story is mostly compelling, but I am really tired of these overlong movies. This film did not need to be two and a half hours long. Though it started out strong, it bogged down in the middle and didn't really recover. The whole storyline involving the dog did not need to be there. I was wishing there was less about the dog and more table tennis action, which was amazing.
Speaking of table tennis, that seems to be a pasttime of a bygone era. Growing up in the 50's, it seems like everyone had a ping pong table. We had one in our basement, and I must say I was pretty good. My brother used to like to show me off to his teenaged friends. "Here is my ten-year-old sister and she is going to beat you." I think that was the only time he ever liked me. In later years, we had one as well. Hubby and our middle school-aged son would play but Hubby had a way of frustrating our son so there was always drama. But it seems these days, ping pong...or should I say...table tennis, seems to have fallen out of favor with the masses, though it has been a Summer Olympics sport since 1988.
The film has nine Oscar nominations including Best Picture and Best Achievement in Directing. Will it win an Oscar for Best Picture? No, but Chalamet will probably win for Best Actor (he has already won a Best Actor Golden Globe for this performance). He puts in a bravura performance that is worth seeing and will probably be rewarded.
Rosy the Reviewer says...overlong and some Huh? moments but the film had drama, exciting sports segments and sex. What more could we ask for? (In theatres and for rent on Amazon Prime)
So...
I am not going to make my usual Oscar predictions category by category as I usually do. My heart is not in it. Though I can appreciate the acting and the originality of some of the stories, I didn't find many films to be satisfying movie experiences. My favorite film of the year was "Frankenstein," but sadly I don't think it will win Best Picture. I think the Best Picture winner will either be "Sinners" or "One Battle After Another," neither of which I particularly liked, though I could appreciate the acting and the originality. As for Best Actress, I am rooting for Rose Byrne for "If I Had Legs, I'd Kick You," but Jessie Buckley is probably the front runner for "Hamnet," though both won Golden Globes for their performances. As for Best Actor, I would like to see Leonardo win for "One Battle...," but I wouldn't mind if Michael B. Jordan won, even though I didn't like "Sinners." But Timothee Chalomet has been wracking up the awards, so it will probably be him, and it would also be deserving.
As for the other categories, I don't really care. This has not been my favorite year for movies.
So all of my reviews for the ten nominated films are in....
