No fourth Oscar, but Meryl shines at the Academy Awards

Everyone and their dog was probably picking Emma Stone to win the Oscar last night in the Best Actress category.  No one, however, expected this Oscar telecast to include the biggest blunder in Academy history, when La La Land was incorrectly announced as the winner over Moonlight.  We all know now that Warren Beatty was accidentally given the "other" copy of the Best Actress envelope instead of the Best Picture winner.  Personally, I think it's a rather simple mistake and hope no heads rolled over it.  I just wish Beatty or Faye Dunaway had had the wherewithal to say "hey, this says Emma Stone."  But, anyone could've been confused by mistake.

Meryl had a few nice moments.  Host Jimmy Kimmel started a standing ovation for her, sort of throwing-it-in-the-face of President Trump for his preposterous claim that she's overrated.  I also haven't really commented on the whole Karl Lagerfeld fiasco because, quite frankly, it's a slanderous attack that Meryl quickly squashed.  She ultimately decided on Elie Saab and looked lovely on the red carpet.

I think it may be a while before we see Meryl nominated for an Oscar again.  Even if she somehow got a supporting nom for Mary Poppins Returns (which I highly doubt), that nomination wouldn't happen until 2019.  Maybe we'll have to settle for recognition at the Emmys before then for The Nix.  Rest assured that any news on a lead role will promptly be covered on this blog.  Until then, happy Meryling.

My 2017 Oscar predictions

Tomorrow is the big day!  It always seems like the Academy Awards are forever away, in that the speculation of who's going to be nominated starts in early March for the following February.  In a way, the show can be anticlimactic because the precursors typically give us a very strong indication of who's winning what.  With that in mind, my predictions in the Best Picture, Director and Acting categories are as follows:

Best Picture
La La Land 
runner-up: Moonlight

Best Director:
Damien Chazelle (La La Land)
runner-up: Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)

Actress in a Leading Role
Emma Stone (La La Land)
runner-up: Isabelle Huppert (Elle)

Actor in a Leading Role
Denzel Washington (Fences)
runner-up: Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)

Actress in a Supporting Role
Viola Davis (Fences)
runner-up: Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea)

Actor in a Supporting Role
Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)
runner-up: Dev Patel (Lion)

I personally would prefer Casey Affleck over Denzel Washington, but I just have a feeling that Denzel is gonna get the love from the Academy.  It's impossible to not predict Emma Stone, but Huppert is not out of it.  I can't imagine a scenario where Viola doesn't win, and although Mahershala Ali didn't get BAFTA, I think he'll snag this one.

Meryl's honor is of course breaking her own record with her 20th nomination.  What am I going to blog about after this weekend?!  Back to a bunch of speculation about future projects, probably.  My fav.

Enjoy the show!

My BAFTA predictions

The BAFTAs are a bit of an enigma for me at times.  At others, I look at the results in hindsight and think "duh."  More than the other "big three" awards shows, BAFTA tends very heavily to recognize British nominees.  One might think that's to be expected, but it makes for a trickier prediction plan.  The eligible films tend to vary as well.  If a movie isn't given a wide release in the U.K. by year's end (I think), it isn't eligible for BAFTA awards.  That's the same in the U.S. for Golden Globes, SAGs and Oscars.  This year, the most obvious performance missing from the lineup due to eligibility is Isabelle Huppert in Elle.  It will be interesting to see if she gets nominated next year.  If she manages to win the Oscar this year, I can't imagine she doesn't at least get a nom.  Ok, here are my acting predictions.

Actress in a Leading Role
Emma Stone (La La Land)

Seriously Meryl may have a chance here due to the U.K. connections of Florence Foster Jenkins (Stephen Frears, Hugh Grant, filmed in the U.K.), but unlikely.  I'm seeing Jackie today but for some reason the buzz around Natalie Portman seems to have significantly dwindled.

Actor in a Leading Role
Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)

I honestly think Denzel Washington will win the Oscar, but he was snubbed here (bizarre).  So if Affleck doesn't win the BAFTA, I think it's game-set-match for Denzel at the Dolby.

Actress in a Supporting Role
Viola Davis (Fences)

Viola better win, but Naomie Harris also does a great job in Moonlight and she is English.  Only possible alternative to Davis in my opinion.

Actor in a Supporting Role
Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)

I'm pretty confident here, but maybe Hugh Grant?  His nomination may be seen as his one chance at an acting award, and since he didn't make the top five for Oscar (and he too is English), I wouldn't be shocked if it were him.  Dev Patel could also surprise.

The ceremony evidently begins at 7:00 pm London time (1:00 pm CST U.S.), but it won't be broadcast on British TV until two hours later for whatever reason.  I haven't seen anywhere to live stream, but I'm sure there will be something available if I dig around a bit.  Enjoy!

My 2017 SAG predictions

 The Screen Actors Guild Awards are tomorrow night, so of course I have to post my film winner predictions.  It's fun this year that every category doesn't seem like an absolute slam dunk.  Without further ado:

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Moonlight

I think Fences is a close second here, mostly because of the very strong performances of Denzel Washington and Viola Davis.  Moonlight is the better film in my opinion, and not dominated by one or two powerhouse roles.  Manchester by the Sea has the most nominations (3), but I actually think they'll come in 3rd.

Actress in a Leading Role
Emma Stone (La La Land)

I truly would not be shocked if Meryl took this, remembering that the voters include only actors and her Golden Globes speech probably spoke most closely to them, as far as industry insiders go.  Awarding Streep could be a political statement, and then they'll give the Oscar to Emma.

Actor in Leading Role
Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)

Denzel is a very close second for me here.

Actress in a Supporting Role
Viola Davis (Fences)

Will win.

Actor in a Supporting Role
Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)

Maybe not as guaranteed as Viola, but pretty close.

Meryl Streep receives 20th Academy Award nomination

For her performance in Florence Foster Jenkins, Meryl Streep has been nominated for an Academy Award for a record 20th time.  I'm thrilled she's been included in the top five for Lead Actress, and as I posted a couple of days ago, I would've been more surprised had she not been nominated at this point.  Congratulations, Meryl!

Now to the juicy stuff.  After last years #OscarsSoWhite, it seems the Academy is sending a bit of statement this time around, having nominated seven persons of color in the acting categories alone.  The most surprising to me was Ruth Negga getting recognized for Actress in a Leading Role for her role in Loving.  What's more surprising perhaps than this nomination is the name missing from this category: Amy Adams (Arrival).  I don't think I saw Adams's name left off a single person's predictions.  Were Negga going to sneak in, most thought it would be at the expense of Meryl or Isabelle Huppert (Elle).  Having seen both Arrival and Loving, however, I'm not too bummed that Adams missed out.  Arrival was a fantastic film, but I preferred Negga's performance.

Too bad for Hugh Grant, as he was looked over for Actor in a Supporting Role.  But if anyone had to get it over him, I'm glad it was Lucas Hedges, who was nominated for my favorite film this year, Manchester by the Sea.  Florence also received a nom for Best Costume Design, but I think that was it.  The full list of nominees can be found here.

Now the speculation about winners can begin.  Check below the pic for Meryl's full list of Academy Award nominations.

1978--The Deer Hunter (Actress in a Supporting Role)
1979--Kramer vs Kramer (Actress in a Supporting Role)
1981--The French Lieutenant's Woman (Actress in a Leading Role)
1982--Sophie's Choice (Actress in a Leading Role)
1983--Silkwood (Actress in a Leading Role)
1985--Out of Africa (Actress in a Leading Role)
1987--Ironweed (Actress in a Leading Role)
1988--A Cry in the Dark (Actress in a Leading Role)
1990--Postcards from the Edge (Actress in a Leading Role)
1995--The Bridges of Madison County (Actress in a Leading Role)
1998--One True Thing (Actress in a Leading Role)
1999--Music of the Heart (Actress in a Leading Role)
2002--Adaptation (Actress in a Supporting Role)
2006--The Devil Wears Prada (Actress in a Leading Role)
2008--Doubt (Actress in a Leading Role)
2009--Julie & Julia (Actress in a Leading Role)
2011--The Iron Lady (Actress in a Leading Role)
2013--August: Osage County (Actress in a Leading Role)
2014--Into the Woods (Actress in a Supporting Role)
2016--Florence Foster Jenkins (Actress in a Leading Role)

Will Meryl get her record 20th Oscar nomination Tuesday?

In two days, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will announce its nominees for the 89th Oscar ceremony.  If Meryl were to be nominated in the Lead Actress category for her role in Florence Foster Jenkins, it would be her 20th overall nomination, a record of course.  The closest actors in nominations are Katharine Hepburn and Jack Nicholson, both with 12. Having already been nominated for the other "big three" awards (Golden Globes, SAG and BAFTA), at this point I think it would be a bigger story if Streep were not nominated than if she were.

Based on history, it seems like Meryl has a great chance for the nom, but of course there's no guarantee.  My guess for who will crack the top five includes the following:

Amy Adams (Arrival)
Isabelle Huppert (Elle)
Natalie Portman (Jackie)
Emma Stone (La La Land)
Meryl Streep (Florence Foster Jenkins)

As I've mentioned before, Annette Bening, Ruth Negga, Emily Blunt and Taraji P. Henson will be nipping at the top five's heels.  Not surprisingly, I'm very much looking forward to watching the announcement on Tuesday.  Go Meryl!

Streep receives 15th BAFTA nomination

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts announced its nominations earlier today and Meryl made the cut with her performance in Florence Foster Jenkins.  This makes is fifteen BAFTA nominations for Streep overall, having won twice, for 1981's The French Lieutenant's Woman and 2011's The Iron Lady.  Congrats to Hugh Grant as well as he was nominated in the Supporting Actor category.  The other ladies nominated alongside Streep were:

Amy Adams (Arrival)
Emily Blunt (The Girl on the Train)
Emma Stone (La La Land)
Natlie Portman (Jackie)

I read somewhere that Globe winner Isabelle Huppert was apparently ineligible for BAFTA this year, as her film Elle was not yet released in the UK.  I think that's why we see Emily Blunt on this list, plus she's a Brit.  Interesting fact that Streep has never received nominations for Golden Globe, SAG and BAFTA for a film without then getting an Academy Award nod, so she is in very good shape at the moment.  Oscar nominations are announced two weeks from today on the 24th.  

The BAFTA ceremony will be held February 12 and the full list of nominees can be read here

Congrats, Meryl!

.

My 2017 Golden Globe predictions

Happy Golden Globes weekend!  I'm looking forward to this year's show more than usual since Meryl is set to receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award and we'll likely get a great speech and career retrospective.  The fact that she's nominated for Florence Foster Jenkins is just gravy.

Below I've listed my winners predictions.  As usual, I mostly focus on the acting categories but am including in the two Best Pictures as well.

Best Picture-Drama
Manchester by the Sea (I would not be shocked if Moonlight won but I loved both, Manchester more though)

Best Picture-Musical or Comedy
La La Land (I'd be very surprised if it didn't win...great chance at Best Picture at Oscars)

Best Actress-Drama
Natalie Portman-Jackie (pretty likely here, a Negga win would really spice up the Oscar race)

Best Actor-Drama
Casey Affleck-Manchester by the Sea (close second Denzel)

Best Actress-Musical or Comedy
Emma Stone-La La Land (Meryl's win is for lifetime achievement)

Best Actor-Musical or Comedy
Ryan Gosling-La La Land (I guess I don't see a viable alternative here)

Best Supporting Actress
Viola Davis-Fences (she better win everything from here on out)

Best Supporting Actor
Mahershala Ali-Moonlight (I think and hope he'll take this)

Last thought: I can't wait until Tina Fey and Amy Poehler host again.

Streep lands SAG nomination

Woo hoo!  Meryl received a nomination from the Screen Actors Guild this morning for her performance in Florence Foster Jenkins.  Her co-star Hugh Grant was also recognized in the supporting category.  This is a very good sign for Meryl's chances at her 20th Academy Award nomination next month.  I'm pretty sure the only other time she was nominated for both a Golden Globe and SAG and didn't get an Oscar nomination was for 1994's The River Wild.  Joining Meryl in her category were the following actresses:

Amy Adams (Arrival)
Emily Blunt (The Girl on the Train)
Natalie Portman (Jackie)
Emma Stone (La La Land)

I'm rather surprised by Blunt making the top five.  I was more expecting Annette Bening.  Stone and Portman were slam dunks, and I think those two and Adams are at this point shoe-ins for Oscar noms.  The Academy will announce their nominations on Tuesday, January 24.   The full list of SAG nominations can be seen here.

"Look, darling, we're both nominated."

Streep receives record 30th Golden Globe nomination

Breaking her own record, this morning the Hollywood Foreign Press Association nominated Meryl for the 30th time for a Golden Globe Award.  As expected, Streep was included among the five actresses nominated in the Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy category for her performance in Florence Foster Jenkins.  Excited to see that both Hugh Grant and Simon Helberg were nominated as well, for Actor in a Musical/Comedy and Actor in Supporting Role in any Motion Picture, respectively.  I thought Grant had a pretty good shot here, but wasn't necessarily expecting Helberg.  In addition, the film received a nom for Best Picture Musical/Comedy, so it's nice to see the love for Florence!  

Joining Meryl in her category were:

Annette Bening (20th Century Women)
Lily Collins (Rules Don't Apply)
Hailee Steinfeld (The Edge of Seventeen)
Emma Stone (La La Land)

It's almost a foregone conclusion that Emma Stone will win, but ya never know.  There were a few surprises/omissions that I'll have to let sink in a bit before discussing.  I'm interested to see what peoples' reactions are.

The Globes will be handed out on Sunday, January 8.  Don't forget that Meryl will also be honored with the Cecil  B. DeMille Award for Lifetime Achievement, so even if she doesn't win her category, we'll get to see a bunch of her.  The full list of nominees can be seen here.

In other news, while not in attendance, Streep actually WON the Critics' Choice Award last night for Best Actress in a Comedy.  This is a bit ironic considering my original post attempted to report that she hadn't even been nominated.  This award is super small potatoes in the grand scheme of 'awards season,' but it's nice for her to be recognized regardless.

On to SAG Wednesday.

Previewing Golden Globe and SAG nominations

Next week will be very telling for Meryl's chances at landing her record 20th Oscar nomination in January for Florence Foster Jenkins.  Dark and early Monday morning, the Golden Globe nominees will be revealed, where she is expected to be recognized in the category of Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy.  She is likely to be joined by Emma Stone (La La Land), Annette Bening (20th Century Women) and Kate Beckinsale (Love and Friendship).  That fifth slot in this category is a bit tough to choose, but my money is on Sally Field in Hello, My Name is Doris.  

Revealed two days later, the Screen Actors Guild Award nominations are more of an enigma for Streep, and will be much stronger predictor of her chances for Oscar than are the Globes.  Stone is for sure in at SAG, as is Natalie Portman (Jackie).  Those are perhaps the only slam dunks in the category, but I'd be shocked if Amy Adams (Arrival) weren't nominated.  Ruth Negga (Loving) has perhaps her best shot at SAG.  That would leave one more slot.  Meryl will have to contend with Bening, Isabelle Huppert (Elle) and longshot Taraji P. Henson (Hidden Figures).

Actors love Streep and despite strong showings from a larger than usual field this year at SAG, I have hope that she'll sneak into that fifth spot.

No Critics' Choice Nomination for Meryl (just kidding)

***EDIT:  After this went to post it was brought to my attention that Meryl was indeed nominated in the comedy category, as was Hugh Grant.  I'm disappointed to have missed this seemingly obvious piece of information and apologize to readers for the misinformation.  Congratulations, Meryl!***

The Critics' Choice Nominations were announced this morning and unfortunately Meryl was not on the list.  I wasn't necessarily expecting her to make the cut, but considering these are the first of the major televised awards to be announced and that they nominate six actors, it doesn't exactly boost my confidence in Meryl's chances for recognition from other bodies.  The nominations for Actress in a Leading Role were:

Amy Adams (Arrival)
Annette Bening (20th Century Women)
Isabelle Huppert (Elle)
Ruth Negga (Loving)
Natalie Portman (Jackie)
Emma Stone (La La Land)

This is a fantastic list and I'm sure all are well-deserving.  So far I've only seen Arrival, but most of the remaining will be accessible within the next month. Meryl's chances should increase considerably in a of couple weeks when the Hollywood Foreign Press reveals their nominees for the Golden Globe Awards.  If Meryl doesn't snag a nod there we can kiss any chance at her 20th Oscar nomination goodbye.

"Florence Foster Jenkins" getting re-release

With awards season looming, Paramount is set to re-release Florence Foster Jenkins in several major cities starting Friday.  No doubt they want to boost the film's presence in the minds of voters.  Golden Globe nominations are announced on Monday, December 12 and SAG two days later.  Glad to see that the studio is taking it seriously.  I think the best chances for Meryl are by far at the Globes, but if she happens to snag a SAG nom in addition to a Globe, Oscar seems within grasp.  BAFTA is real chance this year as well, considering the film's U.K. director/production.

In other unrelated news, in maybe a bit of a surprise announcement, Meryl is going to be honored by The Costume Designers Guild with a 'Career Achievement Award.' The award "honors individuals who demonstrate unwavering support of costume design and creative partnerships with costume designers."  Streep will join designer Jeffrey Kurland in a presentation in Beverly Hills on February 21. I tend to forget that Meryl took her theater degree in costume design, so not surprising that she understands the importance of developing a character through close collaboration with designers.

These two announcements in addition to the Cecil B. DeMille award she's set to receive during the Golden Globe ceremony on January 8 keep her at the forefront of the race, despite the film for which she will hopefully be nominated being released six months ago in the U.K.  I like how things are shaping up for Meryl's chances.

Sizing up the 2016 competition: Amy Adams in "Arrival"

I don't think I had seen a movie in an actual theater since seeing Flo Fo in London in July, but this weekend Joe and I had some time to kill on Saturday while in Madison for his dad's birthday.  Not really realizing that Arrival had opened, it was the perfect flick to catch that afternoon, and it provided an opportunity for me to see the first contender for Best Actress (besides Meryl of course) in action.

Super quick synopsis: linguist Louise Banks (Adams) is tasked with trying to communicate with aliens that have landed in various parts of the world.  She essentially deciphers their language and learns that it allows one to think a different way, where essentially time ceases to be linear, providing glimpses into the future.

The main attraction here is the story, not so much the characters, in my opinion.  Adams does a great job with her character, in that she had to portray a someone at different levels of awareness of her own experiences.  What dos that mean?  Basically that she had to grapple with these flashbacks/flashforwards while simultaneously dealing with the overwhelming pressure from the government to prevent war.  I can't help but be reminded of Sandra Bullock in Gravity.  Sort of sci-fi, female professional, loss of young daughter, isolation, pressure-cooker scenarios.  Likewise certainly nomination worthy.




Great strengths for this film are that it is very well received by critics (93% on Rotten Tomatoes) and will perform spectacularly strongly in cinemas.  Florence Foster Jenkins similarly garnered good to great reviews, but its summer release and meager box office returns no doubt put it at a disadvantage as far as visibility.  Then again, Meryl is kind of in her own category when it comes to nominations.  When comparing characters and performances only, Meryl wins hands down between these two.  Of course I'm biased, but I expect I may be singing a different tune after I see Jackie.  Until then, I have to say Meryl is still in first place.  Many more to come.   

Streep to receive Cecil B. DeMille Award

Well this is a surprise.  Multiple sources reported a bit earlier today that Meryl will be the latest recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille Award, given by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association at the Golden Globes ceremony in January.  Although I wasn't expecting this news, it was a matter of time before Streep was chosen for this recognition, so I suppose now is as good a time as any.

One of the fun parts about this is that it's fairly likely that Meryl would be at the ceremony anyway if/when she gets her 30th overall Globe nomination (a record, of course) for Florence Foster Jenkins.  I've been trying think if there has been anyone who received the DeMille Award and also been nominated that year in a regular acting category.  I'm sure it's easy to search out, but wouldn't be surprised if Meryl is the first.

It'll be fun to watch the tribute to Meryl during the ceremony, and this news also adds to the publicity/campaign for a possible 20th Academy Award nom (again, a record) for Florence.  

 

The state of the Best Actress race

Happy Halloween. With November a day away, we are in the thick of things for film awards prognostication.  The majority of movies in contention will be released between now and the end of the year.  With that in mind, I think it's a good idea to sort of take the pulse of the current Best Actress race and how Meryl factors into the conversation.

One of the biggest pieces of info and how it affects the race was the news last week that Viola Davis would be campaigned in supporting for Fences. This is a huge deal as far as Meryl's chances are concerned.  For months Davis has been hoavering around the top of the heap as most likely to get a lead nom, and with her out the picture, Streep's chances increase significantly.  The problem is that Meryl may have been sitting in 7th place before Davis's departure.  Let's break it down.

My go-to site for awards predictions is of course Awards Watch, and their predictions for the second half of October were as follows:

1. Natalie Portman-Jackie (96%; 234 votes)
2. Emma Stone-La La Land (95%; 233 votes)
3. Annette Bening-20th Century Women (78%; 190 votes)
4. Viola Davis-Fences (66%; 161 votes)
5. Amy Adams-Arrival (55%; 134 votes)
6. Isabelle Huppert-Elle (32%; 78 votes)
7. Meryl Streep-Florence Foster Jenkins (25%; 60 votes)
8. Ruth Negga-Loving (22%; 53 votes)
9. Jessica Chastain-Miss Sloane (10%; 24 votes)
10. Taraji P. Henson-Hidden Figures (3%; 8 votes)

It would be nice to see at least one non-white woman get nominated.  But as I've mentioned previously, despite many having praised Loving and its actors, some feel Negga's role just isn't juicy enough.  Bening has come on strong in the last month, likely due to her film having actually beeen seen and reviewed now.  20th Century Women doesn't go wide until Christmas, but I doubt her chances are going to depend much on box office.

Isabelle Huppert is looking for her first Oscar nom and French actresses have done well with the Academy over the last decade.  Arrival hits theaters next weekend so its expected box office clout can only help Amy Adams.  Regardless of Jessica Chastain's chances, I'm personally really looking forward to seeing Miss Sloane.  Coming in at 10th, it's nice to see Taraji P. Henson make the cut (get it, Cookie!), but she is indeed a very long shot.  The only two who seem untouchable are our leaders Natalie Portman and Emma Stone.  Of course we have to wait until December for both of their films, however.

Which brings us to Miss Meryl.  I'm less confident about her chances today than I was a month ago.  At that point, there were still a handful of performances that no one had seen.  Now, each of the top ten films have (with the exception of Hidden Figures) had reviews counted.  Before we knew the quality of certain films, it was easier to compare Meryl since we knew full well the quality of her performance and Florence Foster Jenkins the film.  It was quite possible that Annette Bening, Natalie Portman and Jessica Chastain would quickly fall out of contention had their films and/or performances been panned.

What Meryl has going for her, however, is an intangible quality that is so regularly recognized by her peers.  I have my own reasons for enjoying her, but it is clear that three generations of Academy voters revere her and her work.  Also, her performance in Florence is brilliant, and the film is a delight.  The big kicker is going to be the SAG nominations, which are announced  December 14.  I'm confident that a Golden Globe nod for Best Actress in a Musical/Comedy is in the bag (incidentally to be announced two days before SAG noms).

Worst case scenario is that Meryl is snubbed for Oscar and then a narrative builds for a stronger case the next time she has a lead film role.  Which will be...

Streep attends Tokyo International Film Festival

Well Miss Meryl has been quite the jet setter lately.  I actually don't remember if I knew that in addition to her appearance at the Rome Film Festival earlier this month that she would be also be attending the Japanese premiere of Florence Foster Jenkins at the Tokyo International Film Festival.

It's good to see that Streep is trying to keep Florence visible in the press, continuing a pattern of fervent promotion she has undertaken following the film's European release this spring.  By most accounts it would seem likely that she's gunning for her record 20th Oscar nomination, a possibility that became much more likely following the news Sunday that Viola Davis would be campaigned in supporting for Fences.  More on that in a future post very soon.  Let the games begin.  

Meryl attends Rome International Film Festival

Today Meryl walked the red carpet at the Rome International Film Festival, promoting the Italian premiere of Florence Foster Jenkins. 

Looking good as always, Mer.  The Hollywood Reporter's article covering Streep's appearance quoted her making a few comments about the current U.S. presidential election.  As we know, Meryl has been vocal about her support for Hillary Clinton, and in the interview, she doesn't hold back on what she thinks of Donald Trump:

    "I don't feel that I have to make any further pronouncements on the sexism of the Trump campaign.  I think they're doing a very good job on their own. Or he's doing a good job on his own. I'm not sure his campaign knows quite what to make of it, but I feel in 20 days we'll have a President Hillary Rodham Clinton, president of the United States, and all this will be moot."

Love her.  Streep further lent her hand this week in drawing criticism to Trump for his treatment of women in a 'Humanity for Hillary' commercial.  She's literally in it for two seconds starting at 2:25.



I don't usually give a ton of coverage on this blog to Meryl's political leanings, but I think in this case it bears a shout-out.  #I'mWithHer

"Florence Foster Jenkins" officially coming to video in December

Broadway World reported yesterday that Florence Foster Jenkins will be released on Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand on December 13.  The digital HD release is a couple weeks earlier, November 29.  Interestingly, the Blu-ray/DVD release is sandwiched right between the Golden Globe and SAG nominations announcements, which happen to take place on December 12 and 14, respectively.  Not an accident, I presume.

Click on the link above to get more detail on the special features that are attached to the home video release.  Hopefully Meryl will at the very least receive a Globe nom, which will help with marketing.  Hard to believe these nominations come out in just two months!

"Florence Foster Jenkins" maxed out

I think it's safe to say that the 'stats' for Florence Foster Jenkins have reached their peak.  With 176 reviews counted on Rotten Tomatoes, the film sits at a strong 86%.  Its score on Metacritic rests at 71 (generally favorable reviews), with 46 counted.  A handful of theaters are still showing the movie across the U.S., but with a box office haul of $27.1 million as of yesterday, it likely will not reach $28m.  The receipts are just barely better than last year's Ricki and the Flash ($26.8m), but the critic responses fared much better for Florence, which bodes well for Meryl's chances at awards recognition.  DVD/Blu-ray and digital downloads are expected in the States sometime in December.  My understanding is that it's being released in the U.K. and Australia this week.

When Meryl said in late 2014 that Florence would be her last project for a while, it unfortunately turned out to be quite true.  That film wrapped in July 2015 and I see no reason to expect that she will film anything earlier than the second half of 2017.  Her IMDbpro page still lists Master Class as "optioned," but that isn't happening.  We know The Good House has dropped off her page (although it's still listed on the FilmNation website as "in development" with Streep and De Niro).  Since Mary Poppins Returns is not being released until Christmas 2018, for all we know Meryl's small role may not film for over a year.  I've seen nothing further on The Nix since its announcement nearly a month ago.

I'm looking forward to early December to see if Meryl squeaks into the top five for the Golden Globes and SAGs.  This quiet time in her work schedule is the worst.  At least we'll get to hear a bit form her at the Rome Film Festival later this month.