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Tag: Everything Everywhere All At Once

  • Daniel Kwan Calls for Coordinated Industry Response to AI: “An All-Hands-on-Deck Situation”

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    Daniel Kwan has a lot to say on the subject of artificial intelligence.

    The Oscar-winning filmmaker — one half of The Daniels directing team behind Everything Everywhere All at Once alongside Daniel Scheinert — returned to Sundance in January alongside Scheinert and their producer Jonathan Wang to support the world premiere of Focus Features’ The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist, which they produced for another directing team in Daniel Roher and Charlie Tyrell.

    Amid a busy festival schedule, Kwan ducked into the Pendry Park City to headline the THR x Autodesk AI and Independent Filmmaking panel presented in partnership with the Berggruen Institute on Jan. 25. The program also featured conversations with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, filmmaker Noah Segan, producer Janet Yang and Autodesk’s Matthew Sivertson in chats moderated by THR’s Mia Galuppo and Stacey Wilson Hunt.

    Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Janet Yang, Noah Segan, Daniel Kwan and Matthew Sivertson ahead of the THR x Autodesk “AI and Independent Filmmaking” panel at Sundance.

    Credit: The Hollywood Reporter

    Kwan kicked things off, but before diving headfirst into all things AI, the filmmaker looked back on a milestone Sundance anniversary. He and Scheinert made their Sundance debut 10 years ago with the Daniel Radcliffe and Paul Dano starrer Swiss Army Man, which was acquired out of the fest by A24 and earned them best director trophies.

    “Ten years is kind of wild,” Kwan said, before launching into a warning about the social media trend that inspired countless users to post retrospective 2016 photos on multiple platforms from Instagram to TikTok to Threads. “I’ve been thinking a lot about 2016 because of that trend right now. By the way, don’t do that. They’re using that to train their machines on you to show how people age. Stop it, stop posting stuff, OK? Just be careful, OK? Be careful with these things.”

    Actually, Kwan emphasized care, caution and vigilance throughout the nearly 30-minute discussion, which covered The AI Doc, the recently launched Creators Coalition on AI and the urgency to participate at this critical juncture before AI companies set the rules of engagement and leave various industries and the general public to pick up the pieces: “We are not ready for this and we are the collateral damage.”

    “We are currently in a transition,” Kwan acknowledged. “Things are coming to an end, but that also means something else is coming. If we can all agree that that’s true, we first have to mourn the things that are ending but protect what really matters in that mourning. Once we see what’s coming to an end, we can protect what matters and plant the seeds for what’s coming next. So much of my work is motivated by that one single principle, whether it’s in AI or the stories I’m telling, the movies that Daniel and I are trying to make as this old world ends. What can we protect? What can we fight for? What can we plant for the next world?”

    In the immediate future, they’ll be planting The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist. The film is set for release on March 27, and Kwan said it covers all the main AI issues and features nearly all of the big names from the industry. What it doesn’t cover is his regret in making it.

    “A wonderful team worked for the past over three years on this doc, and we spent a lot of time just trying to figure out how do we show people what the main drivers are behind everything that’s happening? How do we get past all the bullshit, all the hype and all of that noise to show people some sort of way to regain some agency?” he explained. “Every other month I regretted saying yes to this project, if I’m being very honest. Honestly, I’m sick of talking about AI. Who else is sick of talking about AI? I don’t want to just be negative because this technology is both good and bad at the same time. Just like any other technology, every tool can be used for good and for bad. You can build things and break things with the same tool. The problem is with human nature, and entropy, in general. Oftentimes, building things is much harder than breaking things and, right now, the breaking things is much easier.”

    That said, Kwan noted how AI technology can both be “amazing” and “terrible” for filmmakers. “The one thing that we all have to agree on is that this technology is incompatible with our current systems, our current institutions, our current labor laws. It carves a bunch of lines through all these walls that we’ve put up over the last 100 years.”

    As AI carves those lines, Kwan said it is imperative that industries, like Hollywood, band together to help set the guardrails. “This is an all-hands-on-deck situation,” he said. “How do we imagine a world where this tool is not just something that we’re fighting but also something that can transform our industry to make it much better? Be honest, our industry is not perfect.”

    Kwan speaks during the THR x Autodesk “AI and Independent Filmmaking” panel at Sundance.

    Credit: The Hollywood Reporter

    The moment during the panel that generated the most laughter and response from the nearly 100 or so guests in the room came when Kwan used a “sex positive” analogy to describe the best response to widespread adoption of AI tools.

    “It’s a crude one, but it’s worth saying because it sticks,” he explained before launching into it. “We’re all sex positive here [so imagine if] you have a relationship with someone. They’re loving and it’s great, but they’re not always the best communicator. They say, ‘Hey, we’re having an orgy. We’re bringing a bunch of people over. Doesn’t that sound great?’ And you’re like, ‘Hold on. Who’s coming? What are the rules? What are the safe words?’ And they’re like, ‘No, no, no, no. Look at the tools and the toys we have. We’re going to have a dungeon.’ This is what the tech industry feels like to a lot of crew members.”

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    Chris Gardner

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  • The 10 Best Martial Arts Movies of All Time

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    Are you ready to get donkey kicked with martial arts excellence? Roundhoused with hand to hand glory? Punched, slapped, backhanded and judo tossed into cinematic submission? If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, please sign your name in the comments section – I’ll take it as your waiver. Only then will you be ready to receive this list of the ten martial arts movies of all time, so I can’t be held liable if you try any of these onscreen stunts at home! If you want to karate chop a cinderblock blindfolded while balancing on a wooden pole, that’s between you and whatever deity you pray to. I won’t responsible for whatever grueling martial arts training methods you subject yourself to after being inspired by these movies, but I fully support your commitment.

    Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

    Michelle Yeoh in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon

    Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is so much more than just a martial arts film. It’s an epic, it’s a drama, it’s a romance, it’s a tragedy, it’s one of the greatest martial arts movies of all time, and it deserves your undivided attention. This is the story of Li Mu Bai and Yu Shu Lien, two warriors living in Qing dynasty China. Though these middle aged martial artists have long held feelings for each other, duty has prevented their romance from taking root. Mu Bai entrusts Shu Lien with his fabled sword “Green Destiny,” which is immediately stolen by a masked thief, and the love Shu Lien feels for her companion compels her to steal it back. While the finer details of the plot are a bit confusing to follow (Gobi Desert love stories and secret martial arts manuals abound) the wire work martial arts sequences and swordplay are more than just accessible, they’re totally awesome.

    The Karate Kid

    (Columbia Pictures)

    One of the most enduring films of the 1980’s, John G. Avildsen’s The Karate Kid is the story of Daniel LaRusso, a bullied teenager who starts learning martial arts from an Okinawana named Nariyoshi Miyagi. The movie fools the viewer into thinking that Mr. Miyagi has hoodwinked Danny into doing household chores instead of learning martial arts training methods, but once Danny starts sparring, the true meaning of “wax on, wax off” is revealed. The Karate Kid is the ultimate underdog story, a David and Goliath tale about how discipline and training can overcome an opponent’s size and aggression. In this case, that aggression comes from Cobra Kai: a sociopathic martial arts studio that takes a leaping kick to the jaw by film’s end.

    Enter The Dragon

    (Warner Bros.)

    The greatest movie made by the cinema’s greatest martial artist, Enter The Dragon is a contender for the best martial arts film of all time. Bruce Lee plays a Shaolin master tasked by the British government to investigate a crime lord named Han. How? By entering into Han’s martial arts tournament, of course! The film is essentially a two hour PSA on why you should never, ever mess with Bruce Lee. The man’s hands are widely considered lethal weapons for a reason, and this film will demonstrate why. If you need a specific example, Lee’s climactic fight with O’Hara is all the proof you need. While some martial arts matches are fought until knockout, this one is fought to the death.

    Everything Everywhere All At Once

    A bloodied Evelyn Quan with a googly eye on her forehead smiles confidently in "Everything Everywhere All At Once
    (A24)

    Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All At Once is truly one of a kind. This absurdist comedy sci-fi masterpiece stars Michelle Yeoh as Evelyn Quan Wang, a burned out laundromat owner living with her estranged family in California. After being visited by an alternate dimension version of her husband, Evelyn is informed that an evil, parallel universe version of her daughter is attempting to destroy reality with a black hole made out of a bagel. In order to stop the multiverse’s destruction, Evelyn will need to face an onslaught of inter-dimensional martial artists and, even worse, her own repressed feelings. Side-splittingly funny, woefully romantic, and deeply moving, this movie hits you with a barrage of emotional punches – each one landing harder than the last.

    Kill Bill Vol. 1

    The Bride in Kill Bill
    (Miramax FIlms)

    Directed by Quentin Tarantino, Kill Bill Vol. 1 is a love letter to martial arts movies of yesteryear. The film stars Uma Thurman as “The Bride,” a former assassin whose wedding day was brutally cut short by her old colleagues. Beaten, widowed, and left for dead, The Bride launches the ultimate comeback – a seven course revenge meal that is served cold as Antarctica. Donning a yellow jumpsuit like the one Bruce Lee wore in Game of Death, The Bride cuts a bloody, high-flying swath through her opponents with the help of Hattori Hanzo forged steel. Come for the death matches fought in suburban kitchens, stay for the schoolgirls swinging meteor hammers – you won’t be disappointed.

    Ip Man

    (Mandarin Films)

    Directed by Wilson Yip, Ip Man is the biographical film about the martial arts master who trained Bruce Lee. Born at the turn of the 19th century, Ip Man began training in the art of Wing Chun when he was only a child. The film follows the master at the height of his powers, a maturation which coincided with the Japanese occupation of China. After finding out that Japanese officers are making Chinese citizens compete in martial arts death matches for bags of rice, Ip Man decides to enter into a bout himself. It’s the ultimate story of resistance, as Ip Man wages a one man war against an invading nation – often taking on ten or more foes at once. While no martial artist can ever quite compare to the legacy of Bruce Lee, Donnie Yen’s performance as Ip Man sure comes close.

    Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior

    (Sahamongkol Film International)

    Created by the most underrated martial artist in movie history, Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior is the breakout film of Tony Jaa. Who is Tony Jaa? Perhaps the world’s greatest living movie martial artist, a man who uses absolutely bonkers abilities to create some of the most staggering fight sequences in cinema. Jaa plays Ting, a Buddhist monk and martial arts master tasked to retrieve the stolen head of a Buddha statue. How? By beating the pus out of Bangkok’s criminal underworld, duh. The film is essentially a compilation of mind blowing stunts and brutal action sequences, where Ting dukes it out in underground fighting pits against multiple foes. Honestly, you could fill this list with Tony Jaa movies and it would still be an accurate “Best of All Time” compendium, but I had to give the competition a fighting chance. Tony Jaa wouldn’t be so merciful.

    Drunken Master II

    (Golden Harvest)

    Drunken Master II is hailed as Jackie Chan’s greatest movie, and considering that list also includes Police Story and Rush Hour, that’s saying something. The film stars Chan as Chinese folk hero Wong Fei-hung, a 20th century martial artist and physician. After accidentally ending up with a box containing the Imperial Seal while out on a delivery, Wong becomes embroiled in a plot by the British to steal the fabled artifact (and probably stick it in the British Museum). Set upon by martial artists hired by the British government, Wong resorts to using his secret weapon: alcohol. A martial arts comedy, Wong fights each of Drunken Master II‘s battles half in the bag. The film is a testament to Jackie Chan’s absurd levels of physical skill and comic timing, the fight sequences are equally funny and awe inspiring.

    Five Deadly Venoms

    (Shaw Brothers Studio)

    A martial arts classic, Chang Cheh’s Five Deadly Venoms is one of the finest films made by Shaw Brothers Studio – a juggernaut of Hong Kong cinema. Starring Taiwanese martial arts legend Chiang Sheng, the film tells the story of Yang Tieh – a man tasked with killing the five previous pupils of his master. Don’t worry, all of the other pupils turned to evil, so it’s justified! Known as the titular Deadly Venoms, these former students used skills they learned in The Poison Clan to create killer fighting styles based around venomous animals in Chinese folklore. Ever wonder what popularized animal-based fighting styles in martial arts movies? This film right here! Combining intricate murder plots and martial arts bouts, Five Deadly Venoms is a cult classic thriller as complex as it is kick-ass.

    The Raid: Redemption

    An Indonesian SWAT team officer blocks a punch from a muscular criminal in "The Raid: Redemption"
    (PT Merantau Films)

    Directed by Gareth Evans, The Raid: Redemption is a contemporary classic in the making. Starring modern martial arts master Iko Uwais, the film follows an MBC squad (basically Indonesia’s equivalent of SWAT) tasked with infiltrating an apartment building overtaken by a crime lord. It doesn’t go as planned. The group is met with a massacre, and Uwais’ rookie cop Rama is one of the few survivors. Navigating the apartment building with the brutal efficiency of Judge Dredd, Rama punches and kicks his way to the top of the complex where the crime lords are hiding. Brutal, claustrophobic, and merciless, The Raid: Redemption feels like a martial arts movie high on bad acid – a glorious nightmare.

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    Sarah Fimm

    Sarah Fimm (they/them) is actually nine choirs of biblically accurate angels crammed into one pair of $10 overalls. They have been writing articles for nerds on the internet for less than a year now. They really like anime. Like… REALLY like it. Like you know those annoying little kids that will only eat hotdogs and chicken fingers? They’re like that… but with anime. It’s starting to get sad.

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    Sarah Fimm

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  • Angela Bassett Reflects On Viral Reaction After Losing Oscar To Jamie Lee Curtis – Perez Hilton

    Angela Bassett Reflects On Viral Reaction After Losing Oscar To Jamie Lee Curtis – Perez Hilton

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    Angela Bassett is opening up about losing an Oscar.

    Last year, the 65-year-old was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Queen Ramonda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever… She was on fire in the awards race leading up to the Oscars, so it seemed like she had a pretty good chance of snagging it. However, the award ultimately went to Jamie Lee Curtis for her role in Everything Everywhere All at Once. And she looked MAJORLY disappointed. But a year has passed now, and she’s ready to talk about it.

    Related: Dakota Johnson Pissed Off Madame Web Bosses For ‘Dragging’ Film!

    While sitting down for a conversation with Oprah Winfrey last week, the Marvel star reflected on her viral reaction:

    “I thought I handled it very well … And that was my intention, was to handle it very well.”

    She continued:

    “It was, of course, a supreme disappointment, and disappointment is human. So I thought, yes, I was disappointed and I handled it like a human being.”

    So well said! We mean, we can only imagine how disappointing it would be to lose out on one of the most prestigious awards in Hollywood when you’re THAT close!

    Oprah noted that she “didn’t get the whole ‘Angela Bassett face’” ordeal, adding that the Malcolm X star was “still as gracious as a queen would be.” Angela responded:

    “Absolutely. For myself and for my children, who were there with me, yes. I know a pastor who says ‘technology is different — people are the same.’ There are going to be these moments of disappointment that they are going to experience. But how do you handle yourself in the midst of them? We’re going to smile, we’re going to be gracious, we’re going to be kind — we got a party, anyway.”

    We love that!! Hopefully one year, Angela WILL be able to take home an Oscar.

    Thoughts, Perezcious readers? Let us know down in the comments!

    [Images via OWN & Oscars/YouTube]

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    Perez Hilton

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  • What to Watch on Streaming This Week: February 23-29

    What to Watch on Streaming This Week: February 23-29

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    Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal in All of Us Strangers. Photo by Parisa Taghizadeh, Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures

    From a major Oscar winner to one of this year’s biggest awards snubs, this week is filled with some recent quality content. Plus, a fun new spin-off of The Good Wife, FX’s newest blockbuster series, and some animated fun are all premiering.

    What to watch on Netflix

    Everything Everywhere All at Once 

    With the Oscars now less than a month away, why not refresh your awards season memory by watching last year’s undeniable winner? Everything Everywhere All at Once all but swept the season, taking home seven Oscars (including Best Picture). In this genre-bending exercise in action and absurdism, Michelle Yeoh stars as Evelyn, a middle-aged Chinese immigrant who’s struggling to hold her life together: her business is getting audited by the IRS (represented by Jamie Lee Curtis), her husband (Ke Huy Quan) feels like their marriage is a mess, and her daughter (Stephanie Hsu) is tired of her mom not accepting her. Everything Everywhere All at Once streams Friday, February 23rd. Read Observer’s review.

    The Tourist

    A British export recently picked up by Netflix, The Tourist is a thrilling ride. Jamie Dornan stars as a man who, in Season 1, woke up alone and amnesiac in the Australian Outback. With a bevy of people out to get him, he had to act fast to try to piece together his true identity. Now, in Season 2, Dornan’s Elliot has an idea of who he is, and it’s not pretty. He ventures back to his native Ireland with Constable Helen Chambers (Danielle Macdonald), where plenty of surprises await. Season 2 of The Tourist premieres Thursday, February 29th.

    What to watch on Hulu

    All of Us Strangers 

    A moving, heartbreaking, devastatingly relatable drama, All of Us Strangers takes a fantastical conceit and makes it into one of last year’s most human films. Andrew Scott stars as a lonely writer, dealing with unresolved guilt from his parents’ sudden passing several decades ago. But after a chance encounter with one of his apartment block’s few other residents (Paul Mescal), he ventures to his childhood home and finds his parents, exactly as they were all those years earlier. It’s a difficult needle to thread, but writer-director Andrew Haigh does it with a deep sense of sympathy. All of Us Strangers premiered Thursday, February 22nd. Read Observer’s review.

    Shōgun 

    Based on the novel of the same name, Shōgun is a new historical epic on FX. The series take place in feudal Japan, where three people’s paths intertwine. First, there’s the shipwrecked English sailor, John Blackstone (Cosmo Jarvis); second, there’s Lord Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada), who’s contending with his keen political rivals; lastly, there’s the Lady Moriko (Anna Sawai), whose necessary skills belie her mysterious past. It’s a sprawling drama filled with political intrigue, richly realized medieval battles, and fascinating characters, all coming together to make a spectacle of a show. Shōgun will be available to stream Tuesday, February 27th.

    What to watch on Amazon Prime

    The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy 

    Following Hazbin Hotel, Amazon is looking to further bulk up its adult animated slate with The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy. The series follows Dr. Sleech (Stephanie Hsu) and Dr. Klak (Keke Palmer), a pair of brilliant besties with expertise in all sorts of intergalactic injuries and illnesses. But when a new patient presents a new possibility to cure a universal ill, they decide to take the opportunity—even if they may lose their lives (or their licenses) in the process. The rest of the talented voice cast includes Kieran Culkin, Maya Rudolph, Natasha Lyonne, and Sam Smith. The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy premieres Friday, February 23rd.

    The Green Knight 

    An Arthurian legend stunningly brought to life by filmmaker David Lowery, A24’s The Green Knight stars Dev Patel as Gawain. Taking cues from the 14th century poem, the film follows Gawain as he strikes down the mystical Green Knight for glory—in exchange for an equal blow bestowed by the knight the following year. It’s a medieval fantasy movie that feels decidedly out of place in the ‘20s, but that’s a good thing. The supporting cast of Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton, Barry Keoghan, and Sarita Choudhury help instill things with dread and mystery in equal measure, and Patel makes for quite the convincing knight. The Green Knight streams until Thursday, February 29th. Read Observer’s review.

    What to watch on Paramount+

    Elsbeth 

    The Good Wife has already spawned a successful spin-off in The Good Fight, and now Elsbeth is ready to join the proceedings. Carrie Preston returns as fan-favorite Elsbeth Tascioni, the brilliant but unusual attorney. This new series sees her uprooting her successful Chicago career and bringing her unique talents to New York, where she works with NYPD Captain Wagner (Wendell Pierce) and Officer Blanke (Carra Patterson) to solve a litany of legal cases. For a character that’s existed in the background of shows for over a decade, it’s sure to be an interesting adventure for Elsbeth. Elsbeth will be available to stream starting Thursday, February 29th.

    What to Watch is a regular endorsement of movies and TV worth your streaming time.

    What to Watch on Streaming This Week: February 23-29

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    Laura Babiak

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  • Sundance: Oscar-Winning Producer Jonathan Wang Talks “Notoriously Toxic Trade,” Issues Challenge to “Be Present” on Sets

    Sundance: Oscar-Winning Producer Jonathan Wang Talks “Notoriously Toxic Trade,” Issues Challenge to “Be Present” on Sets

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    One of the biggest challenges of the Sundance Film Festival is trying to fit it all in and be everywhere all at once in Park City. On Sunday morning at The Park, a group of festival insiders stayed in one place for about two hours to take in a keynote from Everything Everywhere All at Once‘s Oscar-winning producer Jonathan Wang and witness two producers being singled out with awards and $10,000 grants.

    It all went down as part of a producers award collaboration between the Sundance Institute and Amazon MGM Studios. The prizes — one for fiction, one for nonfiction — were awarded to producers Brad Becker-Parton of Stress Positions and Toni Kamau of The Battle for Laikipia, two films that premiered in this year’s lineup.

    Becker-Parton’s other credits include Tina Satter’s Reality, starring Sydney Sweeney, and Mariama Diallo’s Master, starring Regina Hall, a Sundance selection released by Amazon MGM Studios in 2022. Kamau is a PGA and Peabody-nominated producer, filmmaker and founder of the Kenyan-based production company We Are Not the Machine.

    Amazon MGM Studios’ Brianna Oh, producer Toni Kamau, producer Jonathan Wang, Sundance Institute’s Michelle Satter and producer Becker-Patton at the Sundance Institute Producers Awards on Jan. 21, 2024.

    aley Nord Shutterstock/Courtesy of Sundance

    Other speakers at the event included Sundance Institute CEO Joana Vicente and Amazon MGM Studios head of documentary features Brianna Oh. For his part, Wang took a walk down memory lane to retrace a Sundance history that includes Swiss Army Man, the 2016 entry directed by his longtime collaborators the Daniels, aka Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. His ties go back a bit further.

    “In 2015, I attended Sundance for the first time with an interactive short film called Possibilia. It was made by some unknown music-video nerds working under the pretentious pseudonym Daniels,” he noted. “All of three people watched the film: Two were Daniel Scheinert’s parents, and the third was probably a glitch in the tech.”

    He also recalled attending the same producers celebration in 2015, when he witnessed indie multihyphenates Mark and Jay Duplass do the same thing he was charged with this year. “I watched filmmakers support each other and welcome each other for the very fact that they shared in the struggle of telling stories. That was powerful to witness,” said Wang. “It then compounded when Mark and Jay Duplass took the stage to give the very keynote that Sundance foolishly believes I am worthy of giving right now. But Mark and Jay spoke proudly about working with micro budgets, building loyal crews, sharing points generously, having a ‘no assholes policy’, and I was really moved. Those values were how I tried to approach producing my projects.”

    Now that he’s got Oscar-winning cred, Wang’s comments about the responsibility producers shoulder carry additional weight. “Our work is hard, our days are long, and many of us have experienced things on sets and in offices that are flatly traumatic,” noted Wang, whose other credits include The Death of Dick Long, False Positive and the upcoming The Legend of Ochi. “I want to acknowledge that we work in a hyper-competitive, highly public and notoriously toxic trade and that we as the producers — and I will also add directors — must recognize the way people are entering into our spaces, our sets and our projects.”

    He closed with a challenge with those present as they hit the town to be more places all at once. “As we leave today to watch films, go about our meetings and enjoy this wonderful festival, I challenge us to pause and take inventory of the story we embody. I challenge us to be present with those we are here with and to make space for them to be seen. And I challenge us to take this spirit of care, and to infuse it into our lives, our sets, our stories and our planet.”

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    Chris Gardner

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  • Everything Everywhere All at Once Parents Guide: Is EEAAO Appropriate for Kids? | The Mary Sue

    Everything Everywhere All at Once Parents Guide: Is EEAAO Appropriate for Kids? | The Mary Sue

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    (A24)

    Everything Everywhere All at Once was met with near-universal acclaim when it came out in 2022. Thanks to its mix of oddball humor, explosively beautiful visuals, and deep tenderness, EEAAO has secured its status as a modern classic. But will your kids enjoy it? Here’s our guide for parents.

    EEAAO stars Michelle Yeoh as Evelyn, a laundromat owner who finds out that in another timeline, she’s a scientist who discovered multiversal travel. Aided by her husband Waymond (Ke Huy Quan), Evelyn is tasked with saving reality from a diabolical villain—and trying to mend her fractured relationship with her daughter Joy (Stephanie Hsu) along the way.

    What kind of content does Everything Everywhere All at Once contain?

    EEAAO contains a great deal of comic violence, with martial arts choreography accompanied by colorful visual effects. There’s some blood, but no extremely graphic injuries or gore. One scene, which features the strategic deployment of paper cuts, might make you squirm in your seat.

    EEAAO also contains some references to sexuality, including sexual humor. In one scene, a character uses a phallic-looking trophy as a butt plug. That scene, along with a montage of different realities that include characters making love, contains partial nudity.

    What is Everything Everywhere All at Once rated, and is it appropriate for kids?

    Everything Everywhere All at Once is rated R for the violence and sexual material mentioned above, plus some swear words.

    However, EEAAO may still be a great movie to watch with your teens. The film delivers a strong message of maternal love and acceptance, as Evelyn learns to accept Joy as she is. The family bond between Evelyn, Joy, Waymond, and Evelyn’s father Gong Gong (James Hong) is moving and heartwarming. The film is also visually beautiful, with a smart, mind-bending plot. Overall, it’s excellent storytelling, and you and your family will have plenty to mull over afterwards.

    (featured image: A24)

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    Julia Glassman

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  • The Oscars 2023: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

    The Oscars 2023: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

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    Whenever I watch an awards ceremony for the “biggest names in Hollywood,” I regret tuning in about 30 minutes in. It sounds like a great idea to watch
    The Oscars in theory, but in practice, it’s more agonizing than a low-scoring football game. Last night’s 95th Annual Academy Awards hosted by Jimmy Kimmel held us hostage and threatened to go on for almost four hours.

    This year, we were faced with the cold, hard truth: every celeb we know and love is on Ozempic. And Nicole Kidman will forever give us a meme even if she doesn’t speak.

    The Winners

    The worst part about these award shows is that you know who’s going to win.
    Everything, Everywhere, All At Once was going for a sweep of their 11 Oscar nominations, so why do I have to watch everyone, everywhere, all at once make a five minute speech? Seems borderline criminal.

    The first award of the night was given to Best Supporting Actress, with
    EEAO having two nominees in Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephanie Hsu, alongside a roster of talent in Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) and Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin). Controversially, or maybe not, Jamie Lee won.

    A24’s multiverse
    EEAO became the most awarded filem of all time, winning Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Leading Actress with Michelle Yeoh becoming the first Asian actress to win. I was on the edge of my seat for one of the closer races of the night, Best Leading Actor. With names like Austin Butler (Elvis), Brendan Fraser (The Whale), Colin Farrell (Banshees), Paul Mescal (Aftersun), and Bill Nighy (Living), Fraser ended up taking home the Best Leading Actor award.

    Believe me, between Ke Huy Quan and Brendan Fraser’s speeches, not a dry eye was in the house.

    The Drama

    It wouldn’t be
    The Oscars without drama. So let’s dig in. Starting with the red carpet – which was actually champagne colored and very ugly this year – we had Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Graham doing interviews. There was a very clear opportunity for millions of TikTok clips if you would have let Baby V interview ex-boyfriend and permanent Elvis stand-in, Austin Butler, but no. Of course not.

    Ashley Graham instead interviewed Hugh Grant for quite possibly the most awkward interview of all time. Hugh Grant all but refused to answer questions, even calling
    The Oscars “Vanity Fair,” to which Graham responds “Vanity Fair is where you’ll be letting loose later.” The whole thing made me sick to my stomach.

    And does anyone else feel bad that we keep inviting Rihanna to perform “Lift Me Up” at these shows and then she doesn’t win the award? I think adding her and A$AP Rocky to the audience brings added style and attractiveness that would otherwise lack without them – so maybe give her an award to keep her coming back?

    We also have Jamie Lee Curtis’s controversial win as one of the only white women nominated in her category. And while I agree Angela Bassett
    did the thing both in her performance in Black Panther and her outfit last night, it’s hard to get mad at an actress for winning an award the Academy designated for her. Blame The Academy, not the women.

    This year’s major cringe wasn’t a slap, but rather Jimmy Kimmel asking activist Malala Yousafzai if she thought Harry Styles really spit on Chris Pine. After she proceeds to say she only talks about peace, Kimmel nicknamed her Malala-land. Again, just gauge my eyes out at this point.

    And for those wondering about hookups, Bad Bunny and Kendall Jenner were seen together at Jay-Z and Beyonce’s afterparty. Also in attendance? Gigi Hadid and Leonardo DiCaprio. Do with that information what you will.

    The Style

    Perhaps my favorite part of the night: the clothes. Some of my favorite looks of the night were as follows:

    Hunter Schafer

    Hunter Schafer

    Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock

    Megan Thee Stallion

    Megan Thee Stallion

    Megan Thee Stallion


    Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock

    Rihanna

    Rihanna

    Rihanna

    Rob Latour/Shutterstock

    Lady Gaga

    Lady Gaga

    Lady Gaga

    Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock

    Angela Bassett

    Angela Bassett

    Angela Bassett

    Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock

    Tems

    Tems

    Tems

    Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock

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    Jai Phillips

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  • Are You Surprised A Visual Effects Extravaganza About Paying Your Taxes and Honoring Family Was the Oscar Darling?

    Are You Surprised A Visual Effects Extravaganza About Paying Your Taxes and Honoring Family Was the Oscar Darling?

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    Triangle of Sadness never stood a chance as a major Oscar contender, of course. And as a skewering of the rich and a society that worships them, it was certainly not going to topple the likes of Everything Everywhere All At Once. Which, say what you will about it, is not some kind of “love letter” to moms (in the spirit of the 1942 children’s book, Runaway Bunny) or “ordinary people,” so much as a thinly-veiled push to accept your fate—no matter how mediocre—make the most of it and, obviously, never try to outsmart/dodge the IRS. Even though it seems like one ought to be able to mentally maneuver around somebody as toady as Deirdre Beaubeirdra (Jamie Lee Curtis, who swept up an Oscar for her part in the movie as well), Kafka long ago made it clear that bureaucracy always triumphs. And so do schmaltzy movies at the Oscars—regardless of such movies being masked as “profound” and “rooted in realism.”

    That “realism” begins when Evelyn (Michelle Yeoh) is confronted at the IRS office by Alpha-Waymond (Ke Huy Quan), another version of her husband from the multiverse. But it’s difficult to focus on what Alpha-Waymond is saying to her about the collapse of every universe while the “voice of reason” throughout the film, Deirdre, a star IRS agent (with the butt plug-shaped Auditor of the Month awards to prove it), keeps trying to bring Evelyn back to “reality,” whatever that means. But to Deirdre, it means reminding this non-taxpayer that “hobbies” are not businesses, and that Evelyn is going to be in some serious trouble if she doesn’t get her story straight with regard to her tax return “narrative.” Notably, Everything Everywhere All at Once’s major sweep of the Oscars comes just in time for tax season—how fucking convenient is that, as Cardi B would say. Because yes, amid all the smokescreens about nihilism and how “nothing matters,” the Daniels (Kwan and Scheinert) ultimately seem to want to remind viewers that nothing is ever so chaotic in any universe as to excuse away not correctly filling out and filing a tax return.

    In truth, the only way to gauge whether or not a bona fide apocalypse has occurred is if people stop paying their taxes and are able to “get away with it.” This tending to refer to something like a The Last of Us scenario wherein it’s irrefutably true that nothing matters, save for basic survival (thanks to the 28 Days Theory on Humans Enduring for No Good Reason Other Than It’s Encoded Within Them). Or, in the instance of Triangle of Sadness, you find yourself in a Lord of the Flies situation, stranded on a deserted island. That’s when humanity in its most unbridled form reveals itself. But naturally, the Academy doesn’t likely care to remind viewers of such “ugly” realities, like “buying sex with the common food” as Abigail (Dolly de Lion) does in her newfound role as leader.

    In contrast, while she was a cleaner on a 250-million-dollar yacht, Abigail was “valueless.” In the rough of the wild, however, her skills (what the Daniels would bill as being part of “competency porn”) are worth everything to the passengers that now depend on her for survival. Paula (Vicki Berlin), the head of staff on the yacht, makes the mistake of trying to treat Abigail the same way she does on the boat, having the gall to ask her after Abigail does all the work to finagle them a fish dinner, “Why do you get so much food? Why?” This question forces Abigail, The Little Red Hen of the outfit, to spell it out by explaining, “I caught the fish, I made the fire, I cooked. I did all the work, and everybody got something.” In capitalist existence, this is simply called a laborer. In Lord of the Flies existence, this is called running shit and everyone else without any viable skills can shut the fuck up.

    When Yaya (Charlbi Dean), the proverbial hot model/influencer of the yacht’s remaining passengers, ends up hiking with Abigail over a mountain to find that they’re actually on an island that houses a bougie resort, the look on Abigail’s face is one of sheer disappointment. She doesn’t want to go back to how it used to be. To the existence, or “universe,” as Everything Everywhere All at Once would bill it, where she’s a lowly peon whose skills are rendered useless again now that money as the sole source of clout has reentered the equation. In Everything Everywhere All at Once, the Daniels attempt to lift up the working class by spotlighting them as the “real superheroes” in this world. Of course, what would be far more uplifting to them is if they were paid accordingly. Not given some propaganda about accepting how shitty things are and, by the way, keep paying your taxes.

    Perhaps the vastly opposing messages of each film, with Everything Everywhere All at Once disguised as something it’s not, proves that the only side people want to see of themselves is the rose-colored one. With “normal” Waymond saying such dialogue as, “The only thing I do know is that we have to be kind.” A more debonair Waymond in the universe where Evelyn is a film star and didn’t up marrying him finds her telling Waymond how bleak it would have been if she had opted for a life with him. As he leaves, Waymond ripostes, “In another life, I would have really liked just doing laundry and taxes with you.”

    This is what finally warms Evelyn’s heart back up to Waymond in the universe where they do just that, turning her back on the darkness that Jobu Tupaki a.k.a. her daughter, Joy (Stephanie Hsu), has infected Evelyn with on her journey through the multiverse. Although it seems like Joy might have won with her darkness (and the everything bagel that encompasses it), Evelyn chooses to employ Waymond’s combat style of “killing with kindness” (it was a grave error that Selena Gomez’s “Kill ‘Em With Kindness” was not used at any point during this scene). This, in turn, leads laundromat owner Evelyn to not let her daughter go even though she asks to be.

    Chasing after Joy outside the laundromat, Evelyn explains that she would rather be in this universe with Joy over any other. Joy counters, “[But] here all we get are a few specks of time where any of this actually makes sense.” Needless to say, Joy isn’t referring only to the literal way in which she and her mother have a tendency to tune their being into different universes, but the way in which none of life really makes sense to any of us. Except for those rare moments of clarity we’re meant to get by being surrounded with loved ones and friends during those precious, errant hours of time off from work. Work is what people do, after all, in order to support those around them. Including institutions that profit from (usually underpaid) labor. Especially the IRS.

    “Then I will cherish these few specks of time,” Evelyn assures. As though to say that we all should do the same with vacation weeks and “leisure hours” spent recovering from the horrors of working so that said wage can be gutted like a fucking fish by the government. To act like the Daniels aren’t complicit in perpetuating this inherently flawed cycle, they have Joy announce at the end, “Taxes suck.” But, clearly, you still have to do them if you want to be considered a Viable Member of Society (meaning, ultimately, a law-abiding one—laws being a social construct created by—ding! ding! ding!—the government a.k.a. the rich people that control it).

    Incidentally, the final line of the movie consists of Evelyn inquiring, “Sorry, what did you say?” It’s an appropriate question for those viewers who thought that they had heard something infinitely wise and profound when, at the core of Everything Everywhere All at Once is the longstanding societal reiteration that you must do your taxes and honor the family unit. Not just by never abandoning it, but by making sure that the same “beliefs” are imparted down the generational line. In other words, of course this would get the Academy hard as a rock compared to something as “Eat the Rich” in sentiment as the aforementioned Triangle of Sadness.

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    Genna Rivieccio

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  • Oscars 2023 Top Moments: Jimmy Kimmel & Donkey, Bejeweled Rihanna, Michelle Yeoh’s Historic Win And More

    Oscars 2023 Top Moments: Jimmy Kimmel & Donkey, Bejeweled Rihanna, Michelle Yeoh’s Historic Win And More

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    By Divya Goyal.
    Published:

    Celebs gathered at the Dolby Theatre in California on Sunday night to celebrate the best of films at the 95th Academy Awards.

    The Oscars, hosted by Jimmey Kimmel went (incident-less, as Kimmel highlighted at the end of the show) with strong punchlines, emotional performances, tear-jerking speeches by winners and foot-tapping dance performance.

    Here are some top moments from the Oscars, this year:

    Jimmy Kimmel Jokes About The Will Smith Slap (Of Course) 

    Host Jimmy Kimmel took aim at Will Smith’s actions last year in his opening monologue.

    “We want you to have fun, we want you to feel safe, and most importantly, we want me to feel safe,” he began. “So we have strict policies in place. If anyone in this theatre commits an act of violence at any point in this show, you will be awarded the Oscar for Best Actor and permitted to give a 19-minute long speech.”

    Pregnant Rihanna Stuns On The Red Carpet & Performs “Lift Me Up”

    Rihanna turned heads and dropped jaws as she elegantly walked the red carpet in a stunning sheer black Alaïa gown while pregnant with her second child. She later performed “Lift Me Up” in the night during the ceremony as A$AP Rocky adorably lifted his glass in support.

    Rihanna at the 95th Annual Academy Awards held at Ovation Hollywood on March 12, 2023, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Gilbert Flores/WWD via Getty Images)
    — Photo: Gilbert Flores/WWD via Getty Images

    Hugh Grant’s Awkward Moment 

    Grant’s excruciatingly awkward interview on the champagne carpet went viral as he seemed less than enthusiastic about attending this year’s awards show. When asked who he was most excited to see tonight the actor responded: “No one in particular.”

    ‘Hi Auntie’

    “Creed III” co-stars Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors were presenting the Best Cinematography award when they gave a brief shout-out to Angela Bassett. “Hey Auntie, we love you,” they said, paying respects to the Oscar-nominated actress.

    Jimmy Kimmel & The Donkey

    Jenny, who played the donkey in “The Banshees of Inisherin,” graced the Oscars stage wearing a bedazzled emotional support animal vest. “Not only is Jenny an actor, she’s a certified emotional support donkey,” host Jimmy Kimmel said. “At least that’s what we told the airline to get her on the plane from Ireland.”

    HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 12: Host Jimmy Kimmel speaks onstage during the 95th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Hollywood, California. ()
    HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 12: Host Jimmy Kimmel speaks onstage during the 95th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Hollywood, California. ()

    Cocaine Bear’s Oscar Moment

    Elizabeth Banks brought the titular creature from her “Cocaine Bear” to present — but unlike the movie, which featured an entirely CGI bear, this was clearly some guy in a suit.

    Elizabeth Banks and Cocaine Bear speak onstage during the 95th Annual Academy Awards.
    Elizabeth Banks and Cocaine Bear speak onstage during the 95th Annual Academy Awards.
    — Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images

    Lady Gaga’s Last Minute Performance

    After initially planning not to attend this year’s ceremony, Lady Gaga made a last-minute switch and decided to perform the Oscar-nominated “Take My Hand” from “Top Gun: Maverick”. The performance was stripped back than what Lady Gaga typically sports, with the actress and musician wearing little to no makeup and a black T-shirt and jeans.

    Lady Gaga
    Lady Gaga
    — Photo: Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

    “Naatu Naatu” Performance

    Bollywood superstar Deepika Padukone introduced the performance of Best Original Song nominee “Naatu Naatu” from the Telegu-language “RRR.” The performance was extremely high energy and featured dozens of dancers and vocals from Kaala Bhairava and Rahul Sipligunj.

    Happy Birthday At Oscars 

    An impromptu performance of “Happy Birthday” was conducted on the Oscar stage on Sunday night to celebrate the 31st birthday of “Irish Goodbye” actor James Martin. Martin has Down syndrome, and his awe-inspiring story from Starbucks barista to the Oscars has warmed the hearts of many.

    Brendan Fraser Gets Emotional Winning Best Actor

    Brendon Fraser took home the big win in the Best Actor category for his riveting performance in “The Whale”. During his acceptance speech, the 54-year-old actor became notably teary-eyed as he thanked the studio A24 and the director Darren Aronofsky for “throwing him a creative lifeline.”

    HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 12: Brendan Fraser, winner of the Best Actor in a Leading Role award for “The Whale,” poses in the press room during the 95th Annual Academy Awards on March 12, 2023 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
    HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 12: Brendan Fraser, winner of the Best Actor in a Leading Role award for “The Whale,” poses in the press room during the 95th Annual Academy Awards on March 12, 2023 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
    — Photo: Mike Coppola/Getty Images

    Michelle Yeoh Becomes First Asian To Win Best Actress

    Michelle Yeoh makes Oscar history as the first Asian to win in the Best Actress category. Yeoh said the award was for “all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight.” “This is the beacon of hope and possibility. Dreams do come true,” she added. “And ladies: don’t let anybody ever tell you, you are past your prime.”

    Michelle Yeoh
    Michelle Yeoh
    — Photo: Mike Coppola/Getty Images

    “Everything Everywhere All At Once” Wins Best Picture

    “Everything Everywhere All at Once” took home a whopping 7 out of their 11 nominations, proclaiming the film as the big winner of the night. Ultimately the cast and crew took home the coveted Best Picture category at the end of Hollywood’s biggest night.

    ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ cast and directors. Photo: Arturo Holmes/Getty Images
    ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ cast and directors. Photo: Arturo Holmes/Getty Images
    — Photo: Arturo Holmes/Getty Images

     

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    Divya Goyal

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  • We’re All In Tears After Ke Huy Quan’s Cathartic Oscars Win

    We’re All In Tears After Ke Huy Quan’s Cathartic Oscars Win

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    Ke Huy Quan completed his triumphant Hollywood comeback Sunday with a Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

    The “Everything Everywhere All at Once” star, who competed in the category against fellow nominees Judd Hirsch, Brendan Gleeson, Barry Keoghan and Brian Tyree Henry, tearfully accepted the trophy from Ariana DeBose and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

    Quan, a former child star who appeared in “The Goonies” and “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” before a dearth of Asian roles relegated him to the industry’s shadows, didn’t take the win for granted — and immediately thanked his mom.

    “My mom is 84 years old and she’s at home watching,” said Quan. “Mom, I just won an Oscar!”

    “My journey started on a boat,” he continued. “I spent a year in a refugee camp, and somehow, I ended up here, on Hollywood’s biggest stage. They say, stories like this only happen in the movies. I cannot believe it’s happening to me. This is the American dream!”

    Quan recounted his decadeslong struggle of returning to Hollywood in multiple interviews during awards season. The 51-year-old Vietnamese American had quietly toiled behind the scenes on films until directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert cast him in “Everything” — changing his life at once.

    Quan, who portrayed a dedicated family man in the A24 breakout hit, tearfully thanked his spouse.

    “I owe everything to the love of my life, my wife, Echo, who month after month, year after year, for 20 years, told me that one day my time will come,” said Quan. “Dreams are something you have to believe in. I almost gave up on mine.”

    “To all of you out there,” he continued, “please keep your dreams alive.”

    The palpable gratitude in his speech arguably marked the purest moment of the night and preceded Jamie Lee Curtis, who played a stern IRS agent in the film, winning an Oscar herself.

    “Thank you, thank you so much for welcoming me back!” Quan passionately screamed as the Dolby Theatre audience cheered in joy. “I love you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

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  • ‘Everything Everywhere’ Sweeps Spirit Awards 1 Week Prior To Oscars Night

    ‘Everything Everywhere’ Sweeps Spirit Awards 1 Week Prior To Oscars Night

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    “Everything Everywhere All At Once” continued its awards sweep at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on its path to the Oscars next weekend. The multiverse-hopping adventure collected awards for best picture, directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, actors Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Stephanie Hsu, screenplay and editing.

    “Thank you to everyone who makes crazy, weird independent movies,” Scheinert said.

    Awards were handed out Saturday afternoon in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica, Calif., and the show was streamed live on YouTube and Twitter.

    First-time Spirit Awards host Hasan Minhaj opened the show saying, “Of all the awards shows, this is by far, one of them.”

    Minhaj went hard on everything, from the entertainment trade website Deadline (“At this point, Deadline is half gossip, half Ezra Miller crime tracker,” he said) to the show’s lack of a broadcast partner.

    “The Independent Film Channel did not want the Independent Film Awards,” he said, noting that the channel chose to show the poorly reviewed Will Ferrell movie “Semi-Pro” instead.

    “Awards shows are dead,” he added. “My 2-year-old watches slime videos with more viewers than the Oscars.”

    The first prize of the afternoon went to Quan for best supporting actor for “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” which his co-star Jamie Lee Curtis was also nominated for. This is the first year the Spirit Awards embraced gender neutral acting awards – both lead and supporting performance categories had 10 nominees. Quan, who is expected to win the supporting actor Oscar next week, chose to devote his speech to many of the crew who worked on the film, from the stunt coordinators to the production assistants.

    Hsu later collected the prize for best breakthrough performance for the film.

    “This is my first ever individual award and it feels incredibly appropriate that it’s in this room. I feel so honored” she said. “I really want to thank the Daniels so much. Thank you so much for finding me and believing in my art and seeing me and championing me.”

    Hsu said she hoped the award would act as a talisman to “protect that freak flag” and desire to tell stories.

    “I kinda like the gender neutral thing, it’s kind of tight,” said “Abbott Elementary’s” Quinta Brunson who won for leading performance in a new scripted series.

    Brunson said she felt like the least independent person there, as her show is supported by Warner Bros. and Disney, but that the spirit of it felt right.

    Laura Poitras’s “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” won best documentary. The film looks at the life of photographer and activist Nan Goldin.

    “It would take me the entire day to fully express my gratitude to Nan for her collaboration and for her trust,” Poitras said. “She’s taught me so many things in making this film, most importantly the role of art and artists to change not only society but how we understand the world we live in.”

    “Women Talking” was previously announced as winner of the Robert Altman Award, celebrating director Sarah Polley, casting directors John Buchan and Jason Knight, and the ensemble cast including Jessie Buckley, Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Ben Whishaw and Frances McDormand.

    “It’s so fitting the way that you’re being recognized for the beautiful, supportive, loving ensemble that you are,” Polley said.

    She also called her film “Women Are Talking” in a nod to Mark Wahlberg’s slip-up at the Screen Actors Guild Award s last week.

    “Sorry, Marky Mark just gets in my head,” she said.

    Apple TV+’s “Pachinko” got the corresponding award on the television side.

    Nathan Fielder had the crowd laughing accepting his award for non-scripted series for his HBO show “The Rehearsal” and detailing the contents of the lunch boxes at everyone’s seats.

    “The bean salad was great,” he said. “There were a few grapes also. Delicious. They weren’t rotten. None were rotten.”

    Looking down at his award, he said, “I guess they’ll add the name to it later?”

    “Nanny” director Nikyatu Jusu won the Someone to Watch award.

    “Thank god Charlotte Wells was not in this category because all year ‘Aftersun’ has been whooping my ass,” Jusu said.

    “Aftersun” did win best first feature later in the afternoon.

    “Here’s to the second feature,” Wells said.

    Other winners included “Joyland” (best international film), “The Bear” (new scripted series and supporting actor Ayo Edebiri), “The Cathedral” (The John Cassavetes Award), John Patton Ford (first screenplay for “Emily the Criminal”) and “Tár” cinematographer Florian Hoffmeister.

    Winners are voted on by members of the non-profit organization Film Independent. The budget cap for eligible films was recently raised from $22.5 million to $30 million.

    Kwan closed the show with some words of inspiration to dream big.

    “We are in the middle of an identity crisis, the industry at large is confused as to what’s happening next and it’s really scary especially for the independent world, but I want to offer up a reframe: This is an opportunity,” Kwan said.

    “When things are shaking and it gets turbulent and cracks form in the foundation, that’s the best time to plant seeds. It is our job not just to adapt to the future but also to actively dream up what kind of future we want to rewrite and what kind of future we want to be working and living in,” Kwan continued. I urge us all to dream really big. What we do here is going to flow upstream to the rest of the industry.”

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  • Oscars 2023: Yes, Some Awards Movies Flopped, but Art Matters

    Oscars 2023: Yes, Some Awards Movies Flopped, but Art Matters

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    First there was Tár, then The Fabelmans, then She Said. Empire of Light followed soon after. They were all big fall festival movies, aimed squarely at awards attention—and they all failed to ignite at the box office. Some did well in large cities for a couple of weeks, then faltered in wider release. Others never got off the ground at all, hobbled by weak marketing campaigns and a hard-to-diagnose lack of interest. For years, it has been a locus of worry within the industry: this growing chasm between box office triumphs and the movies deemed, by some anyway, to be the best of the year.

    This year will see hits like Everything Everywhere All at Once, Top Gun: Maverick, and Avatar: The Way of Water jockeying for awards. But long gone are the days when nearly every film nominated for best picture at the Oscars had a solid financial résumé. In 2022, the situation began to look truly existentially dire. Entertainment outside the home has, apparently, become an unjustified hassle for all but the loudest, biggest spectaculars, like Marvel movies and nefariously ticketed Taylor Swift concerts.

    The box office failure of so many niche films suggests a disheartening sea change in culture, one greeted breathlessly—perhaps even gleefully—by some in the industry’s commentariat class. Maybe, as those pundits suggest, we should stop wringing our hands about this shift and face the couch-bound future with a kind of tech optimism. The thinking seems to be that these artier movies will still be made, they’ll just be relegated to streaming, where potential audiences won’t have to risk quite so much money—or be forced to suffer any time outside of the house. I’m not sure that prognosis is the most clear-sighted, though. It seems more likely that studios, looking at their earnings reports, will gradually stop making these films at all.

    Which would be a loss for everyone. The studios would forsake whatever value acclaim (and, yes, awards) confers on their company. Artists would lose the opportunity to, well, be artists on the scale that best fits their vision. Audiences would be denied intellectually, emotionally, even politically challenging work. Even those who would skip these movies no matter where they’re playing will eventually suffer; styles, modes, and techniques that first develop in smaller films do trickle their way up to the blockbusters.

    The most immediate challenge in preserving the fall movie tradition is convincing the megacorporations who own a large swath of the industry that there is something to gain with loss-leader filmmaking, as was the calculation of the studios of old. I’m sure some filmmakers and film lovers of tomorrow have been inspired by Marvel movies, but how many more might be hooked by films they feel they’ve discovered, that open their minds to nascent passions of which they were previously unaware? The bracing social commentary of Tár, the poignant artistic memoir of The Fabelmans, the righteous empathy of Women Talking, the graceful humanity of Empire of Light—and the even more underwatched but still worthy projects from directors not named Spielberg or Mendes.

    Maybe the most effective appeal would be to simple self-regard: Hollywood loves celebrating itself, reveling in its own mythos. What will that identity be in the future, though, if studios have reduced their output to boilerplate franchise movies whose identities have blurred into one indistinct mass? Perhaps studio executives could persuade Wall Street and shareholders that an aura of magic and majesty, maintained year after year by the stuff that supposedly nobody cares about, is necessary for survival of the business. Box office returns are nice—as are perks and bonuses and dividends—but can you really put a price on legacy?

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    Richard Lawson

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  • 2023 SAG Awards winners: Brendan Fraser, Ke Huy Quan earn more hardware – National | Globalnews.ca

    2023 SAG Awards winners: Brendan Fraser, Ke Huy Quan earn more hardware – National | Globalnews.ca

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    The unlikely awards season juggernaut Everything Everywhere All at Once marched on at the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday, and even gathered steam with wins not just for best ensemble, Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan but also for Jamie Lee Curtis.

    The SAG Awards, often an Oscar preview, threw some curve balls into the Oscars race in a ceremony streamed live on Netflix’s YouTube page from Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles.

    But the clearest result of the SAG Awards was the overwhelming success of Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s madcap multiverse tale, which has now used its hotdog fingers to snag top honours from the acting, directing and producing guilds. Only one film (Apollo 13) had won all three and not gone on to win best picture at the Oscars.

    Read more:

    ‘Murdaugh Murders’: The harrowing true story of dead family and missing millions

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    After so much of the cast of Everything Everywhere All at Once had already been on the stage to accept awards, the night’s final moment belonged to 94-year-old James Hong, a supporting player in the film and a trailblazer for Asian American representation in Hollywood. He brought up the ignoble yellowface history of the 1937 film The Good Earth.

    “The leading role was played with these guys with their eyes taped up like this and they talked like this because the producers said the Asians were not good enough and they were not box office,” said Hong. “But look at us now!”

    Hong added that the cast of Everything Everywhere All at Once wasn’t all Chinese, though he granted Jamie Lee Curtis had a good Chinese name. Curtis’ win was one of the most surprising of the night, coming over the longtime favourite, Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), who had seemed to be on a clear path to becoming the first actor to win an Oscar for a performance in a Marvel movie.

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    A visibly moved Curtis said she was wearing the wedding ring her father, Tony Curtis, gave her mother, Janet Leigh.

    “I know you look at me and think ‘Nepo baby,’” said Curtis, who won in her first SAG nomination. “But the truth of the matter is that I’m 64 years old and this is just amazing.”

    The actors guild, though, lent some clarity to the lead categories. Though some have seen best actress as a toss-up between Yeoh and BAFTA winner Cate Blanchett (Tár), Yeoh again took home the award for best female lead performance.

    “This is not just for me,” said Yeoh, the first Asian actress to win the SAG Award for female lead. “It’s for every little girl that looks like me.”

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    Quan, the former child star, also won for best supporting male actor. The Everything Everywhere All at Once co-star had left acting for years after auditions dried up. He’s also the first Asian to win best male supporting actor at the SAG Awards.

    “When I stepped away from acting, it was because there were so few opportunities,” said Quan. “Now, tonight we are celebrating James Hong, Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Hong Chau, Harry Shum Jr. The landscape looks so different now.”

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    Some online commentators suggested there was irony in Mark Wahlberg, who presented best ensemble, handing out the night’s final award to a film with a predominantly Asian and Asian American cast. In 1988, a 16-year-old Wahlberg attacked two Vietnamese men while trying to steal beer near his home in Dorchester, Massachusetts. Wahlberg, who said race wasn’t a factor in the assault, served 45 days of a two-year sentence. Wahlberg also announced the film Women Talking as “Women Are Talking.”

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    Best actor has been one of the hardest races to call. Austin Butler (Elvis), Brendan Fraser (The Whale) and Colin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin) have all been seen as possible winners. But it was Fraser who went home with the SAG Award for his comeback performance as an obese shut-in in The Whale.

    “Believe me, if you just stay in there and put one foot in front of the other, you’ll get where you need to go,” said Fraser, who anxiously eyed the actor-shaped trophy and left the stage saying he was going to go look for some pants for him.

    The SAG Awards are considered one of the most reliable Oscar bellwethers. Actors make up the biggest percentage of the film academy, so their choices have the largest sway. Last year, CODA triumphed at SAG before winning best picture at the Oscars, while Ariana DeBose, Will Smith, Jessica Chastain and Troy Kotsur all won at a SAG Award before taking home an Academy Award.

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    After the SAG Awards, presented by the film and television acting guild SAG-AFTRA, lost their broadcast home at TNT/TBS, Netflix signed on to stream Sunday’s ceremony. Next year’s show will be on Netflix, proper.

    Sunday’s livestream meant a slightly scaled-down vibe. Without a broadcast time limit, winners weren’t played off. A regal and unbothered Sam Elliott, winner for male actor in a TV movie or limited series for 1883, spoke well past his allotted time. The show sped through early winners, including awards for Jean Smart (Hacks), Jeremy Allen White (The Bear) and Jason Bateman (Ozark).


    Click to play video: 'Movie making in Edmonton'


    Movie making in Edmonton




    Another streaming effect: No bleeping.

    Quinta Brunson and Janelle James of Abbott Elementary kicked off the ceremony with a few opening jokes, including one that suggested Viola Davis, a recent Grammy winner, is beyond EGOT status and has transcended into “ShEGOTallofthem.”

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    Brunson later returned to the stage with the cast of Abbott Elementary to accept the SAG award for best ensemble in a comedy series. Brunson, the sitcom’s creator and one of its producers, said of her castmates, “These people bring me back down to Earth.”

    Read more:

    Alec Baldwin pleads not guilty to all charges in ‘Rust’ shooting

    The White Lotus also took a victory lap, winning best ensemble in a drama series and another win for Jennifer Coolidge, coming off her wins at the Emmys and the Golden Globes. A teary-eyed Coolidge traced her love of acting to a first-grade trip to see a Charlie Chaplin film. She then thanked her date, a longtime friend, the actor Tim Bagley.

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    “You’re a wonderful date tonight,” said Coolidge. “I can’t wait until we get home.”

    The ceremony’s first award went to a winner from last year: Jessica Chastain. A year after winning for her lead performance in the film The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Chastain won best female actor in a TV movie or limited series for Showtime’s country music power couple series George & Tammy. Chastain jetted in from previews on the upcoming Broadway revival of A Doll’s House.

    One award was announced ahead of the show from the red carpet: Top Gun: Maverick won for best stunt ensemble. Though some have cheered that blockbusters like Maverick and Avatar: The Way of Water are best picture nominees at this year’s Oscars, the indie smash Everything Everywhere All at Once increasingly looks like the biggest blockbuster at this year’s Academy Awards.

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  • ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ Wins PGA Award for Best Picture

    ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ Wins PGA Award for Best Picture

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    Momentum is back on Everything Everywhere All at Once’s side. The highest-grossing film in distributor A24’s history was honored with the Producers’ Guild of America’s award for best theatrical motion picture, a major indication of strength. The movie will head into the final week of Oscar campaigning as the clear front-runner. The PGA prize was shared by writer-director-producers Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, as well as their longtime collaborator Jonathan Wang.

    The result is not much of a surprise after Everything Everywhere took home the top award with the directors’ guild last week, and offers evidence that this race has narrowed considerably, despite All Quiet on the Western Front—which was not even nominated by PGA—winning BAFTA’s best film award on Sunday. The producers’ guild tends to disproportionately favor bigger-budget hits—see them choosing 1917 over Parasite, La La Land over Moonlight, and so on—so Everything Everywhere winning over the likes of Top Gun: Maverick and Elvis is notable. Just last year, the micro-budgeted CODA pulled off a huge upset with PGA, a result that led to its Oscar triumph. Most years, this represents the make-or-break moment for blockbuster contenders.

    The PGA uses a preferential balloting system to determine its winner, which is the most similar to the Academy’s method of tabulating votes for best picture. It’s why the likable CODA winning here over the more polarizing Power of the Dog was telling—or to go back a few years earlier, why Green Book’s PGA victory offered sufficient evidence that the industry liked it enough to take it all the way. Everything Everywhere has its detractors, but with a leading 11 Oscar nominations under its belt, should meet an even friendlier audience with the Academy, and it’s now proven it can win under a ranked system. If the cast takes the SAG ensemble prize tomorrow as expected, the film will be in a very strong position to win the top Oscar.

    Underwhelming BAFTA showing aside—it lost every award but editing—Everything Everywhere has enjoyed a serendipitous awards journey since its SXSW premiere about a year ago. A hit with both critics and audiences, the movie has won best-picture honors from top indie-film groups (Gotham Awards), critics organizations (Los Angeles Film Critics Association), and now, several of the most influential industry guilds. Ke Huy Quan is the clear favorite to win best supporting actor, while Kwan and Scheinert are competitive in the directing and original screenplay categories, as is Michelle Yeoh in best actress.

    If any other movie got a PGA boost, even without a win, it’d probably be Top Gun: Maverick. Tom Cruise was recognized with the guild’s David O. Selznick Achievement Award, its highest honor in film, and as at the Oscar nominees’ luncheon earlier this month, he completely stole the show.

    Other film winners included Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio for animated film, the probable Oscar champ there, and BAFTA selection Navalny for documentary. On the TV side, The Bear scored its first major win with the comedy-series trophy, The White Lotus took home drama, and in a nice wrap to its awards run, Hulu’s The Dropout was named best limited series. Check out the full list of winners below.

    Theatrical Motion Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once

    Episodic Television – Comedy: The Bear

    Episodic Television – Drama: The White Lotus

    Limited or Anthology Series Television: The Dropout

    Televised or Streamed Motion Pictures: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

    Game & Competition Television: Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls

    Live Entertainment, Variety, Sketch, Standup & Talk Television: Last Week Tonight With John Oliver

    Non-Fiction Television: Stanley Tucci: Searching For Italy

    Documentary Motion Picture: Navalny

    Animated Motion Picture: Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio 

    Innovation Award: Stay Alive, My Son

    Short Form Program: Only Murders in the Building: One Killer Question (Season 2)

    Children’s Program: Sesame Street

    Sports Program: Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off 

    Listen to Vanity Fair’s Little Gold Men podcast now.

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    David Canfield

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  • Everything Everywhere All at Once Gets Its “Holy Shit” Awards Moment

    Everything Everywhere All at Once Gets Its “Holy Shit” Awards Moment

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    This awards season has been very long, and fairly consistent, but Saturday night still delivered a major turning point: The industry actually gave out a major award. We’d heard from the journalists who vote on the Critics Choice Awards and Golden Globes, but so far the major industry awards—BAFTA, SAG, the Oscars— had only announce their nominees. But on Saturday the Directors Guild of America gave us our first palpable sense of who Hollywood is getting behind for best picture of the year. The answer, after a long and winding three-hour-plus ceremony: Everything Everywhere All at Once.

    It’s not a huge shock, following the A24 miracle movie’s utter dominance at the Critics Choice Awards and its huge Oscar nomination tally of 11. But for a genre-mashing, boundary-defying, hot-dog-finger-wielding movie such as this, going all the way over the likes of Steven Spielberg and Top Gun: Maverick with a bunch of directors still speaks volumes. Early in the ceremony, host Judd Apatow perhaps set the tone by remarking that James Cameron wasn’t nominated by his peers for his technically masterful Avatar sequel, while the two men behind the film with “the dildo fight” were. Welcome to 2023.

    Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert were in attendance, as were their fellow nominees Spielberg, Maverick’s Joseph Kosinski, and Tár’s Todd Field. (Martin McDonagh, the fifth nominee, was absent.) Bleeding into Sunday’s BAFTA Awards, the event ended just in time for Kwan, Scheinert, and Field to hop on a plane to London, where they’re also competing, while Spielberg is flying out to Berlin where he’s being lauded with an Honorary Golden Bear. Yes, it is that time of year. But each got their moment first, as the DGA ceremony gives every nominee his own presentation. Highlights included Paul Thomas Anderson describing “drooling” over Tár and Jerry Bruckheimer very earnestly commending Kosinski, the director who too rarely gets credit for Maverick’s artistic achievements.  

    And then there’s Spielberg, who loomed over the night. This may be the end of the road for his Oscar campaign, despite The Fabelmans’ auspicious start in Toronto last fall. The film simply hasn’t connected on an industry level in the way his competition seems to have; remember, he’s not even a BAFTA nominee. It’s a strange dynamic when virtually everyone inside the DGA Ceremony at the Beverly Hilton, from the Daniels and Field to presenters like Anderson and Denis Villeneuve, all but worship at the legendary Spielberg’s feet from the stage, even as the voters prepare to reward someone different. The dynamic was eerily similar to last year, when Spielberg was nominated for West Side Story and lost to Jane Campion. 

    The DGA is typically a safer voting body than the Academy—going with 1917 over Parasite, say—which makes Everything Everywhere’s triumph here all the more notable. You might be tempted to point to Power of the Dog’s similar combo at this point in the game—DGA and Critics’ Choice wins, Oscar noms leader—and plead caution for calling this thing over. Of course, nothing is sure yet. But unlike the case of Power, Everything Everywhere is a SAG ensemble front-runner too; that mix of acting- and directing-branch support is rare and potent. And anyway, in the last 21 years, 20 DGA winners for best film have gone on to win the Oscar for best picture and/or director. Something big is almost certainly happening for this movie. 

    So when Kwan and Scheinert hit the stage, you can understand why the latter wrapped up his speech by saying, “​​Holy shit. This is crazy.” This was the moment the industry affirmed this little-film-that-could was the one to beat. The BAFTAs have a chance to lift the likes of Banshees and Tár, to puncture that scrappy A24 momentum; the producers’ guild weighs in next week, where Maverick faces its own last stand. But right now, it’s everything everywhere for Everything Everywhere. No sign, still, of that changing.

    Listen to Vanity Fair’s Little Gold Men podcast now.

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    David Canfield

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  • Great Outfits in Fashion History: Michelle Yeoh’s Fur-Trimmed Jacket at the ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ Premiere

    Great Outfits in Fashion History: Michelle Yeoh’s Fur-Trimmed Jacket at the ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ Premiere

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    There are perfectly good celebrity style moments, and then there are the looks that really stick with you, the ones you try desperately to recreate at home. In ‘Great Outfits in Fashion History,’ Fashionista editors are revisiting their all-time favorite lewks. 

    Michelle Yeoh is, and will always be, an award-winner in our eyes — and not just at the Golden Globes. She’s been a fashion superstar since she hit it big with the 1997 film “Tomorrow Never Dies.”

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    India Roby

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  • Golden Globes 2023 Recap: Invite Jennifer Coolidge To Every Awards Show

    Golden Globes 2023 Recap: Invite Jennifer Coolidge To Every Awards Show

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    In case you missed it, the less important version of the Oscars was last night! The Golden Globes were three and a half arduous hours of acceptance speeches and praise for what felt like the same three movies and shows. If you didn’t get to see the entire awards ceremony, don’t worry. I sure did. Let me catch you up.

    For starters: Austin Butler. No surprise here, Butler won best Actor in a Drama Motion Picture for Elvis. I mean, with a voice permanently stuck in Elvis’ cadence, you’d hope he gets his recognition.

    Austin Butler

    David Fisher/Shutterstock

    There were several awards given to the cast of Abbott Elementary, but the real award of the night goes to Tyler James Williams’ power pantsuit. Quinta Brunson’s mid-speech shoutout to a front-row Brad Pitt will forever live in my memory.

    Tyler James Williams

    Chris Pizzello/AP/Shutterstock

    We’ve all learned that what makes these shows bearable is inviting Jennifer Coolidge and handing her the mic. After warning the crowd that pronunciation wasn’t her strongsuit, the White Lotus favorite stole the show with quite the tearjerker.

    With equally iconic speeches from herself and creator, Mike White, Coolidge credits White for getting her neighbors to speak to her again and giving her life even though he killed her off in the show. Similarly, Mike White called out the audience for “passing on” White Lotus originally.

    What a year it was for streaming TV shows. Hopeful nominees like Jenna Ortega (Wednesday), Evan Peters (Dahmer), Selena Gomez (Only Murders in the Building), and Jeremy Allen White (The Bear) were notable names in the crowd. Both Jeremy Allen White and Evan Peters received their first ever Golden Globe.

    Michelle Yeoh

    CAROLINE BREHMAN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

    Movies like The Fabelman’s, The Banshees of Inisherin, and Everything, Everywhere, All At Once took home multiple awards. My personal favorite speeches came from Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan, who spoke about second chances in the industry. Yeoh even threatened physical violence when the music turned on to usher her off stage.

    And with the season opener of Awards Season behind us, it’s time to buckle up. We’re just getting started.

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    Jai Phillips

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  • Inside the New York Film Critics Circle Celebration: Heartfelt Thanks, Sake Bombs, and More

    Inside the New York Film Critics Circle Celebration: Heartfelt Thanks, Sake Bombs, and More

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    At Wednesday night’s New York Film Critics Circle gala at New York’s Tao Downtown, there was no suspense to be found, no “envelope please”—the critics’ group voted on and announced its winners a month ago. Instead of awards shows’ usual tension and cutting between contenders to see the elation or disappointment after a winner is announced, at the NYFCC ceremony the rule of the night was celebration only as industry notables paid tribute to their colleagues over plates of lobster fried rice and miso-glazed cod—served, appropriately, family-style. 

    If one big winner of the evening had to be selected it might be Tár, winner of the best actress and best-picture prizes. Director Todd Field was introduced by Martin Scorcese via video, with the legendary director saying that “the clouds lifted when I experienced Todd’s film Tár.” Field himself paid tribute to his star, Cate Blanchett, in his acceptance speech, calling her “a fucking humble artist who stands at the ready,” and “a believer, a defender of the faith.” Blanchett, likewise, told Field in her own speech that “this menu is yours, Todd, every single morsel of it.” (For the uninitiated, it was a reference to the NYFCC’s awards certificate, which is presented sheathed in a large blue portfolio.)

    Stephen Colbert did the honors of introducing Blanchett. “I was truly moved by your performance as a magnetic, larger-than-life, creative woman; a leader at the height of her powers; intensely, feverishly focused on defeating the Dark Lord Sauron,” he said. “Lydia Tár would have taken that fucking ring,” he said before calling himself out as “a huge fan of both Todd Field and his wife’s cookies.” 

    Everything Everywhere All at Once star Ke Huy Quan continued his moving awards-season comeback arc with a win for best supporting actor, thanking directors the Daniels in his acceptance speech.

    He recalled a reporter asking him a bog-standard red-carpet question—“how does it feel?”—while he promoted Everything Everywhere, his first film in decades following his child stardom in the 1980s.

    “I couldn’t quite articulate how I was feeling, aside from saying, ‘It feels incredible,’” he said. “And I realized I couldn’t explain because it was a feeling I hadn’t had for a long, long time. In fact, it was more than 30 years. And it was the same feeling that I had when I was a kid, when I was a working actor.”

    “So I just wanted to give a huge shout-out to Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, and our producer, Jonathan Wang, for making me feel like a kid again.” 

    The directing duo introduced Quan, with Scheinert thanking the actor for being willing to talk about difficult memories and “[promoting] the shit out of this movie this year.” 

    “It’s hard what you went through when Hollywood stopped casting you, like idiots,” he said. 

    Kwan noted Quan’s particularly special presence. “It’s not just his talent or adorable smile,” he insisted. The actor is, he said, “someone who could make us believe in an unkind world that there is still a place for kindness.” The duo toasted Quan onstage with sake (Scheinert called the actor’s sake bombs life-changing), complete with what they said is Quan’s signature move—plopping the empty cup upside down on top of your head after drinking. 

    Banshees of Inisherin actor Kerry Condon found herself in the rare position of winning no awards herself, but accepting two of them, on behalf of best-actor winner Colin Farrell and best-screenplay winner Martin McDonagh, neither of whom could make it to the gala. (Seth Meyers, introducing Farrell’s award, passed on a message from the actor that “he wanted me to tell you, and this is a direct quote, how fecking sorry he is.”) Condon took a few comedic liberties on the speeches her friends prepared, quipping that “Martin is in Southeast Asia, which is a long way to go to avoid an awards ceremony,” and during Farrell’s remarks, “then he goes into this long bit to make me red in the face, and I’m not reading it.” 

    Accepting Marcel the Shell with Shoes On’s award for best animated feature, Jenny Slate said, “I think we tried to make a film that showed the shape of an embrace. It just ended up looking like a shell with one eye and two shoes.”

    The gala was a remarkable gathering of names, the New York film and arts community getting together in person for their traditional January celebration for the first time since 2020 for the presentation of the awards. David Byrne, Keke Palmer, Nan Goldin, Jim Jarmusch, Jordan Peele, and more were on hand. 

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    Kase Wickman

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  • The 18 Most Fashionionable TV Shows and Movies of 2022

    The 18 Most Fashionionable TV Shows and Movies of 2022

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    There are few creative mediums that pair as well as fashion and film. The right costumes help advance the story’s plot, while motion captures clothing’s most dramatic displays. This symbiotic relationship has produced some of the most iconic, seared-in-our-brain images over time — and 2022 had a few strong contenders to be added to that list.

    From the flamboyant dresses on “Bridgerton” and the glittery and trend-setting looks from “Euphoria” to the alternate-dimension-defining clothes of “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and the powerful, emotional costumes of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” film and television provided us tons of with rich, memorable fashion this year that we know we’ll be revisiting. 

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    Angela Wei

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  • Goonies Cast Pays Tribute to Ke Huy Quan at Unforgettable Gala

    Goonies Cast Pays Tribute to Ke Huy Quan at Unforgettable Gala

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    Ke Huy Quan from Everything Everywhere All at Once was a big winner at the 20th annual Unforgettable Gala on Saturday evening in Beverly Hills. The yearly awards show honors Asian Pacific Islander artists and leaders in entertainment and culture. Quan won the best-actor-in-film award for his emotional and action-packed performance as a kind father and husband who ultimately is the heart of Everything Everywhere All at Once. He already has received accolades from the Gotham Awards and the New York Film Critics Circle, and has earned nominations for the Golden Globes and the Film Independent Spirit Awards.

    “This is a really special night for me. To be recognized by the AAPI community means the world to me,” Quan told Vanity Fair on the red carpet at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. “For the longest time I wanted a night like this for the AAPI community, to celebrate each other. Honestly, I wouldn’t be here without all of the amazing talent in our community. They have shown me through their own success that there was a way back for me to acting. They are the ones that gave me the courage to dream again, so it means the world to me to be here.”

    Nearly four decades ago, Quan became famous for his iconic roles in 1984’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom as Short Round, and as Data, the gadgeteer, in the 1985 film The Goonies. But, in the 1990s, he was forced to step away from acting when roles were rare for Asian American actors. He went back to school to study film at the University of Southern California and transitioned into working behind the camera and as a stunt coordinator. After spending much of his adult life away from acting, he got a second chance when he landed his role in Everything Everywhere All at Once. After roughly 20 years out of the spotlight, he’s back and being celebrated for giving one of the best performances of the year.

    “Being nominated for awards was something I never thought of. I just wanted to work as an actor, really that was it,” said Quan. “So to be here today and to win an award, I’m overwhelmed with emotion.”

    Quan’s Goonies costars Sean Astin, who played Mikey, the leader of the group of friends, and Jeff Cohen, best known as the fan-favorite character Chunk, made a special appearance together at the Unforgettable Gala to present the award to Quan.

    “Goonies never say die!” exclaimed Astin at the podium. Astin told the audience that he has remained close friends with Quan for nearly 40 years and described him as “Kindness, loyalty, strength, love, purity” while Cohen shared that he and Quan celebrate the holidays together with their families every year. “I will tell you, if you need someone to say the prayer over your Hanukkah candles, Ke Huy Quan is your man. There’s literally nothing that he cannot do,” Cohen said in his remarks. “He’s always been an amazing actor, a kind person, every room that he enters, he lights up. He wants people to be happy.”

    Cohen, now a lawyer, also revealed that he is Quan’s entertainment attorney. “When the Everything Everywhere All at Once producer was negotiating my deal, he had to call and talk to Jeff,” Quan said during his acceptance speech. “And later, he told me that never in his life would he have to talk to Chunk to get Data to be in his movie. It was really funny.”

    Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (known together as the Daniels) took home the best-director award for Everything Everywhere All at Once, while Stephanie Hsu won the breakout-in-film award for her moving performance as Joy, the alienated daughter of Quan’s Waymond and Michelle Yeoh’s Evelyn.

    “The world of storytelling felt so far away,” Hsu said during her acceptance speech about the early days of her career where she was one of two Asian people in her acting class. “If you don’t see it, you just can’t possibly imagine that it’s ever going to be you or your friends up there or people who look like you.” But the success of Everything Everywhere All at Once has given her validation, she said.

    “I feel like I never allowed myself to really love doing this because I’ve been so scared that it would never be possible and I feel like this year has given me so much permission to truly love what I do,” she said. “I hope to make y’all proud and I’m so excited to keep going.”

    The breakout-in-TV award was handed out to Minha Kim of Pachinko, with the critically acclaimed series also receiving this year’s Vanguard Award. Sandra Oh presented Domee Shi and Julia Cho the best writer award for Pixar’s Turning Red, while Steven Yeun received the legacy award. The night’s other honoree included two-time Olympic Gold medal winner Chloe Kim, who has gone on hiatus from competitive snowboarding and is now focused on a career in acting.

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    Paul Chi

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