Many film critics say “Never bet against Big Jim” because each time James Cameron releases an Avatar film, everyone doubts its success in anticipation and then sheepishly reports that the film has made over a billion dollars. This year is no different, with Avatar: Fire and Ash having just crossed the billion dollar mark a few days ago. A close second to that Hollywood aphorism is never bet against Little Timmy in December. For the third time in a row now, Timothée Chalamet has starred in a hit film released in December: Wonka (2023), A Complete Unknown (2024), and now Josh Safdie’s period dramedy about table tennis, Marty Supreme.

I don’t wish to speak ill of Wonka (a very fun movie that capitalizes on Timmy’s theater kid energy), but A Complete Unknown and Marty Supreme have — in addition to hitting at the box office — shaken up the Oscar race right before nomination voting. Just this week, Chalamet won Best Actor at the Critic’s Choice Awards, and Marty Supreme scored both a SAG (Screen Actor’s Guild) ensemble nomination and a DGA (Director’s Guild of America) nomination for Josh Safdie. (Note that those last two were announced after we recorded this episode.) As Marty Supreme quickly rises in the precursor rankings, can it compete with top contenders like One Battle After Another and Sinners? Is Chalamet the Best Actor frontrunner now? We conclude this episode by debating these questions, but only after spending some time thoroughly dissecting Marty Mauser’s character arc, as well as the story’s themes and Safdie’s bold cinematic vision.

A special thanks and shoutout to our guest co-host for this episode, Hasib Hossain. He brought his valuable perspective as a New Yorker, a Safdie bros. fan, and an insightful film nerd.

We go into SPOILER MODE at the 23:05 minute mark. If you don’t want to be on the cover of this Wheaties box yet, you may listen safely until then.

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Everyone loves a good cry at the movies, right? [silence] Right?? Chloe Zhao’s Hamnet, based on a beloved novel that dramatizes Shakespeare’s family life, quickly earned notoriety for being a tear-jerker after it premiered at the Telluride Film Festival. Critics, however, were split in their response to needing tissues: while some viewed it as a triumph, others resented it, accusing the film of being emotionally manipulative.

That critical reception and the precipitating awards prospects could mean a lot to rebound Zhao’s erratic career. She won Best Director and Best Picture for Nomadland (2020), a small quiet drama, but then Marvel Studios recruited her to direct a major IP blockbuster, Eternals (2021). Her attempt at a Romantic lyrical poem for superheroes, however, may go down as one of the least popular and/or most failed installments in the franchise’s history. (Some of us think that’s a little unfair, but that’s a discussion for another day.) Could Hamnet mark a return to form for her? Will the Oscars welcome her back with open arms after a Celestial-sized franchise flop?

On this episode of The Long Take Review, we try to answer this question after we break down Hamnet’s themes and scenes. Join us! You’ll find us with the groundlings.

We go into SPOILER MODE at the 27:00 minute mark. If you don’t want to poison your ears, you may listen safely until then.

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Everyone’s favorite Southern drawl detective, Benoit Blanc, is back! That means we are here for a full investigation into the crime, the suspects, and the awards potential of Rian Johnson’s Wake Up Dead Man. Join all four regular hosts as we unpack this new whodunnit, discussing its spiritual themes, zippy jokes, and breezy style.

We go into SPOILER MODE at the 27:10 minute mark. If you want to keep those knives IN, you may listen safely until then.

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This time last year, part one of Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of the famed Broadway musical, Wicked, had taken the world by storm. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande became legendary for their “holding space” press tour, licensed merchandise permeated every aspect of daily life, and, of course, the film received 10 Oscar nominations, ultimately winning both Costume Design and Production Design.

Today, we are once again off to the see the wizard with Wicked: For Good, the second half, adapted from act two of the stage show. The reception, however, has been much more muted, both in terms of box office and critical reception. Can the film withstand these gale force winds and still amble down the yellow brick road to Oscar nominations?

On this episode of The Long Take Review, we debate this very question, and share our varied reactions to the conclusion of the untold tale of the witches of Oz. Which one of us has an angry meltdown about The Wizard of Oz during the episode? Which one of us bends over backwards to defend aspects of the film? Which one of us still doesn’t like musicals? Regular listeners can probably guess, but should join us just the same. Even if you didn’t care for the film, our conversation will change you for good.

We go into SPOILER MODE at the 25:10 minute mark. If you don’t want to become disillusioned with the wizard, you may listen safely until then.

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As effortlessly as Glinda tossing her hair (toss toss), the Golden Globes seem to have shaken off years of controversy and scandal, reemerging as a mainstay in awards season. Host Nikki Glaser garnered much praise last year, including from us at The Long Take Review. (Who can resist a good pope pun?) And this year, pundits, journalists, and podcasters seem extra aglow to read into the nominations to gauge which actors, creators, and films might be stronger contenders in the Oscar race. We didn’t even do a nominations reaction episode last year, and yet here we are now with one. That in of itself says a lot.

To what extent, though, have the Globes as a voting body changed since they’ve risen from the ashes? Some critics lamented the apparent legitimacy of the nominations, favoring more prestige films, international films, and indie films than in the past. We still maintain, however, that there are few places where the Globes kept on Globes-ing, with picks that seem to prioritize star power over artistic merit. Listen in to hear us debate this, along with what personally delighted or confused us on nomination morning.

This is a SPOILER FREE episode! We discuss the premise of specific movies but do not go into details about the plot.

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What flavor of Yorgos are you? The director’s black comedy has taken many forms, from the absurdist futurism of The Lobster to the spicy costume drama of The Favourite or the Gothic coming of age story of Poor Things. In this episode of The Long Take Review, we try to place the acclaimed filmmaker’s latest work, Bugonia, on that continuum. After striking out with the anthology film Kinds of Kindness last awards season, can Lanthimos get back in the Oscar conversation and finally win a gold statue? What is Bugonia trying to say about rhetoric and power? What does the word bugonia mean in Greek? Listen to get answers to these questions and more.

We go into SPOILER MODE at the 16:57 minute mark. If you don’t want to confirm or deny your conspiracy theory, you may listen safely until then.

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Guillermo del Toro has waited his whole life to adapt Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus. In many interviews to promote the 2 1/2 hour film, now on Netflix, the writer and director has said that he read Shelley’s novel at 11 years old and has been thinking about it ever since. It remains to be seen, however, if critics and audiences think the Gothic tale starring Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi was worth the wait, as the tide of public reception continually ebbs and flows throughout fall film festival season.

Could the current surge in the film’s popularity, both on Netflix and at regional film festivals, foreshadow Oscar nominations? As we discussed in our Oscar Fairy Flashback episode for the 90th Academy Awards, Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water is one of the weirdest Best Picture winners, as its protagonist falls in love with a fish man trapped in a government lab. Could telling the story of Western Literature’s most iconic misunderstood monster repeat that success? On this episode of The Long Take Review, we tackle this question and many more.

We go into SPOILER MODE at the 26:58 minute mark. If you don’t want to flip that switch with no turning back, you can listen safely until then.

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Welcome to a new subseries on The Long Take Review feed: LTR Quick Takes!

In this inaugural episode, Co-host Greg flies solo to offer some SPOILER-FREE thoughts on the films he saw during the IFF Boston Fall Focus series. Join Greg for his Short Take, Recommendation Algorithm, and Oscars Watch on three highly anticipated films from this festival. First, Greg treads carefully reacting to Rian Johnson’s Wake up Dead Man, the third installment of the Knives Out franchise, featuring Daniel Craig as gentleman detective Benoit Blanc. Next, Greg stands up to share his thoughts on Is This Thing On?, the new comedy drama from perennially Oscar-hungry Bradley Cooper, starring Will Arnett and Laura Dern. Finally, Greg closes out the episode by bearing witness to The Testament of Ann Lee, a new historical drama from Mona Fastvold and starring Amanda Seyfried.

Is a solo pod a good idea? Does Greg have a meltdown and start crying half way through? Only one way to find out...

Wake Up Dead Man: 9:58

Is This Thing On?: 21:36

The Testament of Ann Lee: 35:42

Oscar nerds most remember Kathryn Bigelow as the winner of an infamous Best Picture showdown between her film, The Hurt Locker, and her ex-husband James Cameron’s film, Avatar in 2010. And while a rematch could theoretically emerge between Bigelow and Cameron this year, Bigelow’s newest film, A House of Dynamite, has gotten much more notoriety for the political implications of her nuclear attack thriller, often from real-life politicians and government officials. Sen. Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts called the film a “wake-up call” for U.S. officials. Meanwhile, the Pentagon has criticized Bigelow for inaccuracies. Bigelow herself responded simply and directly: “I just state the truth.”

The provocation of valuable debate aside, how does A House of Dynamite hold up as a movie? We at The Long Take Review had our own healthy debate about this question, discussing to what extent the unconventional structure of the film worked, what the film might be trying to say about nuclear proliferation, and which members of the deep bench ensemble stood out or were woefully underused. Can you guess which one of us was the most disappointed and which one of us ardently defended the film and its aims?

A House of Dynamite is now available to stream on Netflix.

We go into SPOILER MODE at the 13:40 minute mark. (That may be a record!) If you don’t want the missile codes, you can listen safely until then.

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Director Luca Guadagnino has had some success with the Academy, getting a Best Picture nomination for Call Me By Your Name (2017), but he has yet to have his big Oscar moment. That’s why many pundits predicted that his next film starring Julia Roberts, Andrew Garfield, and Ayo Edebiri, a seemingly more mainstream thriller about a college campus sexual assault case, could go all the way and mark his coronation by the Academy. Then people actually saw After the Hunt at the Venice Film Festival, and the response was polarizing to say the least. So what did we make of it at The Long Take Review? Hear our somewhat (but not completely) varied reactions as we try to unpack what is potentially the year’s most politically provocative yet narratively confusing film.

We go into SPOILER MODE at the 19:36 minute mark. If you don’t want to go up for tenure, you can listen safely until then.

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