Intro: I wan't sure about rewatching this movie already, but Michael really wanted to watch it and, to be fair, I couldn't say no. Because, after all, this was one of my favourite movies from last year.
Film 2350: "Anora" (2024), Sean Baker
Watched on: The projector
Language: English
Watched with: Niamh
Thoughts: It's almost been two weeks and I still can't get over the fact that Demi Moore isn't an Oscar winner "because" of this movie. To be honest, I don't think I'll ever get over it. But let's start from the beginning.
When I watched "Anora" a couple of months ago, all the Oscars buzz and the controversies (about the intimacy coordinator) were there already. After winning at Cannes 2024, it was very obvious that this movie was destined to do really good come award season. So, that I expected. When Demi Moore started winning big, I got really excited, to the point that I didn't give too much credit to the BAFTAs when they rewarded Madison in their Leading Actress category. Usually the BAFTAs are a bit more "artsy" and/or go with British choices, so I didn't feel particularly defeated when Demi didn't win there (still, they rewarded "Emilia Pérez", but whatever). Demi subsequent win at SAG further cemented my idea: she was going to win the Oscar for sure now, seeing that the actors' branch was rewarding her performance a week before the Academy Awards. Boy I was up for a surprise.
With this in mind, I can't honestly deny that my disappointment for Demi's lost chance at winning her first Academy Award comes into play a bit when I'm thinking about this movie. I still think "Anora" is an interesting ride, but it's definitely not my best movie of the year. By a landslide. And, as much as I respect Mikey Madison's performance here - which is great, by the way! - hers is definitely not my favourite performance of 2024. (Who would have thought...)
"Anora" is a very, very loud movie, the dialogue is sometimes screamed at you, which reminded me of the terrible experience I had watching "Uncut Gems": I can take the noise, it's just that everything is too cahotic and frantic and I don't appreciated it.
Furthermore, the story didn't necessarily compelled me, not my cup of tea. The sex workers subject is interesting, but it lost me when the family got involved: I'm not much into movies about mafia, gangsters and similar topics. Not for me.
What I did really enjoye is Yura Borisov's character and performance. He is amazing in the movie, a real scene-stealer for me. At the beginning he's only in the background, but he slowly gains momentum until, in the end, he reveals himself to be one of the few people (possibly the only one) who shows Anora some kindness. I was really impressed by Borisov's portrayal, possibly also because he's not so in your face like every other character of this movie.
So, now that we all know that this is 2025's Best Picture winner at this Oscars, I'll say this (and maybe time will prove me wrong or I will change my mind): "The Substance" is an iconic movie in so many ways and it will forever be remembered as such. I don't know if we can say the same about "Anora".
Cast: Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Yura Borisov, Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan, Aleksei Serebryakov.
Box Office: $47.2 million
Worth a watch?: #TeamDemi didn't work so here we are, with a different Best Actress winner, still an extremely impressive performance. Funny enough, the story of "The Substance" came to life on Oscars' night, when Demi Moore lost the chance of a lifetime to a younger actress.
"Anora" isn't my favourite movie, it's been a tough watch to be completely honest, it's a very loud movie and the characters constantly scream at each other. If you like that type of chaos, there's plenty for you here. The sex workers topic is also interesting, but the story quickly shifts to Anora and Vanya's crazy love story, so it's a bit of a missed opportunity there for me. All in all, it's worth watch it to come up with your own opinion about the movie, but I'm definitely going to watch it again soon.
Awards: 6 Oscar nominations and 5 wins: Best Picture, Director, Actress (Mikey Madison), Original Screenplay, and Film Editing (only missed Best Supporting Actor for Yura Borisov). 2 BAFTA wins over 7 nominations (for Best Actress in a Leading Role and Best Casting) and 5 Golden Globe nominations for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Actress (Madison), Best Supporting Actor (Borisov), Best Director, and Best Screenplay. The movie won the Palme d'Or at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
Key word: Wedding.
Trailer
#HollywoodCiak
Bengi
Watched on: The projector
Language: English
Watched with: Niamh
Thoughts: It's almost been two weeks and I still can't get over the fact that Demi Moore isn't an Oscar winner "because" of this movie. To be honest, I don't think I'll ever get over it. But let's start from the beginning.
When I watched "Anora" a couple of months ago, all the Oscars buzz and the controversies (about the intimacy coordinator) were there already. After winning at Cannes 2024, it was very obvious that this movie was destined to do really good come award season. So, that I expected. When Demi Moore started winning big, I got really excited, to the point that I didn't give too much credit to the BAFTAs when they rewarded Madison in their Leading Actress category. Usually the BAFTAs are a bit more "artsy" and/or go with British choices, so I didn't feel particularly defeated when Demi didn't win there (still, they rewarded "Emilia Pérez", but whatever). Demi subsequent win at SAG further cemented my idea: she was going to win the Oscar for sure now, seeing that the actors' branch was rewarding her performance a week before the Academy Awards. Boy I was up for a surprise.
With this in mind, I can't honestly deny that my disappointment for Demi's lost chance at winning her first Academy Award comes into play a bit when I'm thinking about this movie. I still think "Anora" is an interesting ride, but it's definitely not my best movie of the year. By a landslide. And, as much as I respect Mikey Madison's performance here - which is great, by the way! - hers is definitely not my favourite performance of 2024. (Who would have thought...)
"Anora" is a very, very loud movie, the dialogue is sometimes screamed at you, which reminded me of the terrible experience I had watching "Uncut Gems": I can take the noise, it's just that everything is too cahotic and frantic and I don't appreciated it.
Furthermore, the story didn't necessarily compelled me, not my cup of tea. The sex workers subject is interesting, but it lost me when the family got involved: I'm not much into movies about mafia, gangsters and similar topics. Not for me.
What I did really enjoye is Yura Borisov's character and performance. He is amazing in the movie, a real scene-stealer for me. At the beginning he's only in the background, but he slowly gains momentum until, in the end, he reveals himself to be one of the few people (possibly the only one) who shows Anora some kindness. I was really impressed by Borisov's portrayal, possibly also because he's not so in your face like every other character of this movie.
So, now that we all know that this is 2025's Best Picture winner at this Oscars, I'll say this (and maybe time will prove me wrong or I will change my mind): "The Substance" is an iconic movie in so many ways and it will forever be remembered as such. I don't know if we can say the same about "Anora".
Cast: Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Yura Borisov, Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan, Aleksei Serebryakov.
Box Office: $47.2 million
Worth a watch?: #TeamDemi didn't work so here we are, with a different Best Actress winner, still an extremely impressive performance. Funny enough, the story of "The Substance" came to life on Oscars' night, when Demi Moore lost the chance of a lifetime to a younger actress.
"Anora" isn't my favourite movie, it's been a tough watch to be completely honest, it's a very loud movie and the characters constantly scream at each other. If you like that type of chaos, there's plenty for you here. The sex workers topic is also interesting, but the story quickly shifts to Anora and Vanya's crazy love story, so it's a bit of a missed opportunity there for me. All in all, it's worth watch it to come up with your own opinion about the movie, but I'm definitely going to watch it again soon.
Awards: 6 Oscar nominations and 5 wins: Best Picture, Director, Actress (Mikey Madison), Original Screenplay, and Film Editing (only missed Best Supporting Actor for Yura Borisov). 2 BAFTA wins over 7 nominations (for Best Actress in a Leading Role and Best Casting) and 5 Golden Globe nominations for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Actress (Madison), Best Supporting Actor (Borisov), Best Director, and Best Screenplay. The movie won the Palme d'Or at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
Key word: Wedding.
Trailer
#HollywoodCiak
Bengi
#HollywoodCiak 2350 #Anora #SeanBaker #MikeyMadison #MarkEydelshteyn #YuraBorisov #KarrenKaragulian #VacheTovmasyan #AlekseiSerebryakov #Oscars #sexworker #stripper #Brooklyn #Russian #escort #oligarch #wedding #LasVegas #annulment #love #sex #family #nude #followme
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