THB #464: How Real Do You Want It?
NSFC Awards for 2023
The National Society of Film Critics, the only organization giving out film awards of any legitimacy or value this weekend, gave out their annual awards for film today (Saturday, January 6). And it highlighted an issue that I think is front and center in this year’s award season in particular.
How do you compare a performance like Sandra Hüller in Anatomy of a Fall vs a performance like Emma Stone in Poor Things?
What do you do with Charles Melton in May December vs Ryan Gosling in Barbie?
If you prefer the first mentioned in both categories - as National Society of Film Critics did - you are embracing film acting naturalism over something more overtly and intentionally performative.
Oppenheimer, which went without a NSFC win, but had which recieved a “runner-up” award in 5 of the 8 categories in which it qualified, is the interesting middle this season. It is a true story told by a master storyteller… but even when sitting in a room, quietly sitting through and participating in interro…
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