2024: accentuating the positive

I am trying something different this year, rather than do my monthly or bimonthly diary updates it is all going into one blog. Mostly as I have been a little time poor this year. But also, this year has not been a great one. But rather than regurgitate the BS I have endured this year, because it is now (hopefully) behind me, and because who needs that negativity, living through it was enough.

I realised as I reflected on the year - much reflection happened this year - that whilst I had a lot going on, most of it not great, I also had loads of amazing things happen. So, this is what I will focus on.

However, I do need to say my mental health was at it's very worst this year. Because I do believe in sharing these things not for sympathy, but to hopefully take away the stigma. I got to some very low points, seriously scarily low. So, if you haven't seen much of me, I was just paddling to keep my head above the water. Yes, I was out and about a lot and this is because my beloved Andrew's way of helping me (besides listening to me, loving me, being my cheerleader, and pretty much keeping me going) was to make sure I had plenty of culture and art to take in, as he knows how much these things help my soul, heart, and brain. I am so very lucky to have such a kind and considerate partner. I was also having very regular psych sessions that really helped (I cannot recommend this enough!), and then I rested.

Sometimes life disappoints you, because that's life. I had many disappointments this year, uncertainties, health issues, a lot to do with limited time and limited abilities. And then there was menopause. Women of my age will get it, I cannot do HRT, and mine was a lot worse than I realised. So, all of this created a perfect storm of fuckwittage to put it bluntly. I was not at my best and the year sucked balls.

But onto the positives, because if you look hard enough there is always good out there. 

My osteo-arthritis seemed to settle, the discomfort is always there, but the pain was much less. I am doing everything I can to keep knee/hip (where the osteo is) surgery at bay as long as I can. My osteopath is my magician, weaving her magic and helping me with this journey.

We celebrated birthdays and other milestones as always with our families.

And I had a couple of opportunities to get to One Song Sing and have a sing with my choir friends. As I teach Wednesday nights I can no longer attend choir.

Teaching at TAFE continued to be a shining light, I have taught all the subjects now so my load has eased significantly. I have had a few students finish up this year and they sent me such lovely complimentary emails about how I inspired them. These made me weep with happiness, it was nice to get that validation. When you teach online, you feel or hope you are making a difference, but it is difficult to know. I even had a student make an anonymous compliment about me during an online feedback month, and received a gift voucher and loads of praise from my colleagues and boss.

I had been having regular operations every 6 month for a few years to eradicate pre-cancerous cells in my uterus and the underlying condition. My final operation was in August, and my oncologist told me they do not want to see me again, all was gone. What a relief.

I continued to collect my vinyl, with some great buys in store, or at record fairs during the year.

And we saw a lot of shows!

Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Civic in Jan

We were in the third row, great seats. As Andrew said, "we are so close we will be able to see Jason's Donovan's". The show was brilliant, Donovan was amazing, as was Myf Warhurst as the narrator. The rest of the cast were great, really good voices too, especially the girl who was Magenta. We had a blast!

We had an amazing day of art in Feb, seeing the Banksy, Kandinsky and Bourgeois exhibits in one day.

March brought The Oscars.

Here are my thoughts on the films.

My predictions and what actually happened.

At the end of March we headed to the Opera House to see Miriam Margolyes.

Now, I have seen Miriam many times and adore her but Andrew had not. I thought he would explode with laughter. She came out to thunderous applause and a huge standing ovation, and her first words were 'Fuckin' hell!', but, of course! She was on stage with Jane Caro who was superfluous (I am not a fan anyway). She also has 2 amazing Auslan interpreters on stage with her, they were hilarious in their interpreting of ribald tales and potty language.

Miriam told her trademark naughty stories along with strong political commentary, life stories, and answered audience questions. She was remarkable and we didn't think we could love her any more than we already did. And then she finished the night with a few passages from her brilliant Dickens' Women work. I was lucky to see this show about 12 years ago and was thrilled to see a little taste of it again. As Miriam said, I am an actress after all. And she is. A stunning one. Her vocal skills are second to none. After I brought a signed book, they were pre-signed, but the ladies selling them said she was gorgeous in person. As you would imagine!

The beginning of April is always the Newcastle Writers Festival, and this was an exceptional year.

Later in the month another International Treasure, this time Dawn French at the Civic Theatre in Newcastle.

In May it was Nick Cave which was so very good.

The same weekend we saw the wonderful Pharaohs exhibition at The Australian Museum.

This was an amazing exhibition with stunning pieces. We were truly in awe of the beauty we saw within this exhibition. Art, mummies, coffins, jewellery, everything you would expect from Egypt. As a historian, Andrew could add extra detail to most of the pieces, which was fascinating. We were both really hypnotised by seeing hieroglyphics up close, so much detail. It was moving and interesting, and we also took time to look at other pieces in the gallery prior. 

I was excited to learn an International play, Agatha Christie's Mousetrap, was coming to Newcastle, and we grabbed some matinee tickets to see it. It is an excellent story/play, and the acting was great. I was kept on the edge of my seat trying to work out who the murderer was. No idea! I was such a Christie fan in my early teens, I devoured the whole collection. She is easily the Queen of murder, so this was indeed a thrill.

We formed part of a Trivia Team with our friend Kelly, from The Moshpit, for a fundraiser in May, this was music trivia and we had a blast.

I caught Kate Forsyth, the author, at Charlestown Library. I have seen her talk many times before but I always love her take on life and fairytales, which she writes.

The Sculptures were at Fort Scratchley again in May. Stunning against the beautiful sky with those views in the background.

For Andrew's birthday I got us tickets to see The Gospel According to Paul at The Opera House Theatre. It was a one man show/satire with Jonathan Biggins as Paul Keating. We had second row tickets for the matinee. It was a triumph and it really worked. Clever, poignant, and very funny. We were very impressed with the performance. Biggins became Keating. Bravo!

As a Led Zeppelin fan, it hurts I will never get to see them. But we went to see Led Zep IV performed by an Australian supergroup at The State Theatre in June. This was as close as we will ever get and it was such riot of an evening.

Darren Middleton, Davey Lane, and Kram absolutely killed it. It shows how powerful Robert Plant's vocals are when you need three singers to capture the intensity of the songs. But really, it was the Kram show, his vocals were outstanding, absolutely nailing Plant's falsetto and signature wails. And often drumming at the same time. Total goosebumps!

The first half was Led Zep IV in its entirety. The album is a fave and a masterpiece. Every song is perfection and yet so very different. The second half was a greatest hits set. My highlights were Misty Mountain Hop, Whole Lotta Love went off, and then there was Kashmir. I didn't think they would pull it off. Kashmir is my favourite Led Zep song, the intensity of it thrills me. And you need those strings, but they did. Kram's 14 year old daughter came out with a 'Cello and she nailed that riff and led the band and the song. Powerful stuff from a young girl, Kram was in tears with pride, as he should be. The other highlight was a young girl signing in Auslan throughout the show. She was never not signing and dancing, it really added to the show.

I saw Colin Hay years ago at an APIA concert and he was great so I had been waiting for him to return with a regular concert and he did to The Civic. We had an excellent evening, he is such a raconteur and very funny, so the songs had funny and interesting stories within. He sounded amazing, and the band was tight. His wife was at his side and on percussion and another lady on flute and sax, ensuring those important 80s riffs were reproduced perfectly. The concert flew by so quickly. We were in the hands of a master!

Tenacious D wowed us with what would be their final concert ever!

July was also Pop Bam, Number 2. This year I mostly curated and helped with advice on driving the event. Much less pressure and stress then the first year. It was moved to the Rathmines Theatre and it worked well there, and we had outstanding turn out on a drizzly day. I feel very proud of the legacy I have created in this event. But it was a team effort and could not have been successful without all that worked on it.

Wuthering Heights Day was pushed back a little this year, and as always we had a grand time.

We went to the King Street Hotel to see an 80s cover band for my friend's birthday. King Street is not usually a venue we would go to but with The Cambridge closed, the same people own this and are bringing the things we would have usually seen at The Cambridge at KS Hotel. The band were tight and did such a great selection of 80s songs and we danced and sang the night away.

I was back there a few weeks later to see the Melbourne Ska Orchestra...finally. I have been a fan for a long time, and always seemed to miss them. This was a great experience, a mix of reggae, ska, and world music with so many musicians on stage, they were fabulous. I always say a brass section lifts a band and with these guys it was a huge lift.

For Christmas Andrew brought us tickets to Hamilton. We had seen it a few years back in Melbourne and were keen to see it again. It was as wonderful as the first time, possibly more. 

Early October saw us at the MCA for the Hiroshi Sugimoto photography exhibit. I particularly loved his photography in old theatres and his architecture photography. 

I also took Andrew to see (finally) my favourite building in Sydney, the Frank Gehry extension to the College. We had fun exploring around it.

The same weekend saw us back at The Enmore for They Might Be Giants. 

We had saved up our Christmas and Birthday money and took a few days away up in the vineyards. It was a well needed break, and we enjoyed the vineyards, shops, and food whilst taking time to relax.

The same weekend we saw Tim Winton in conversation with Rosemarie Milsom at The Great Hall, and then Joanna Lumley at the Opera house. 

Both were exactly how you would expect them to be. Tim was quite and shyish, but full of huge intellect, subtle humour, and honest political courage. He spoke about his new book and why he is touring it, he never tours books. He is worried about our future and climate change. The Hall was packed and everyone hung on every word.

Joanna was classy and posh and spoke beautifully but also was funny and naughty. She mostly spoke about her life and her travels, with eloquence and humour. There was some Ab Fab and other stories on her acting. She has photos up on a slideshow and took questions from the audience. There were quite a few Patsy's in the audience. It was a great night.

We celebrated our Anniversary in style with a night at Noah's on the Beach in Newcastle and a wonderful meal at Rustica.

Stephen Fry was also exactly as you would imagine. He commanded the stage and the audience and he had everyone in the palm of his hand from the moment he appeared on stage. He told stories about his life, his comedy, and his mental health struggles. He sat in a throne-like chair and regaled us with all these tales. I could have sat there all night.

We caught the Hoodoo Gurus touring their debut album, Stoneage Romoes, on it's 40th anniversary. We went with good friends and had a great night. They played that album perfectly and then a set of greatest hits, and they sounded better than back in the day. Dave is such an underrated songwriter and musician, their songs are timeless classics. Seeing the Gurus is always pure joy, they get you in all the feels and you just feel better. I have no idea how many times I have seen them, more than 20 easily over about 35 years.

Another great British Treasure and comedian we saw was Bill Bailey.  He is so very clever with his comedy and stories, a real brain. We saw him at the Rooty Hill RSL (it just fitted into our schedule, lol) which made for an interesting crowd. But he was great and funny, and clever, and a genius musically. 

I took my sister and niece to see Bjorn Again. My sister and I were such ABBA fans back in the day, so it was nice to have a walk down memory lane, albeit with a cover band. We all had a great time, dancing and singing and laughing. ABBA were funny and Bjorn Again totally nailed it.

As always, I got right into the Jacaranda season, so much beauty.

We checked out The Thin White Dukes, a Bowie tribute band at Basement in The Grand. They were excellent, and a lovely evening was had.

We did Christmas with Andrew's family this year, which was quite strange for me having never not spent it with my own family. But we had a great time on Christmas Eve with my family and Christmas Day was great, creating our own memories.     

I had a great day in Sydney for my birthday. We had brunch at one of our favourite cafes, Manon, which is always divine. Then headed to the Art Gallery of NSW to see the Magritte exhibit. We had a late lunch at Circular Quay.   

We returned to Newcastle for a family celebration for my birthday at The Junction Hotel.

And NYE was spent with good friends, drinks, food, and great chatter.                   

And, as always, here are my reviews for the year!

January/February

March/April

May/June

July/August

September/October

November/December

OSCAR WATCH 2024

 It was a good show, some great moments and Conan was really good.

As expected, I didn't do great, only 13 correct (which means 10 wrong).

You can read about my predictions here.

I totally bummed on all the shorts, and utterly by fault, I usually spend a good couple of hours researching these, but I was in and out quick this year. I totally underestimated Anora, even though I thought it was the better film, so am pleased for those mistakes. I had no clue about the Animated Feature, lol, I never do. And I really thought Timothee would win. He did not...

The opening was great, long but great. The LA film homage was really good, rolling into Cynthia and Ariana who were superb with their Wizard of Oz, The Wiz, and Wicked. Both amazing, but Cynthia is just a goddess, watch her sing those incredibly high and long notes, she nails them effortlessly. She is a natural, and a genius, her voice is like butter. Conan was great, funny, himself. I loved Adam Sandler helping out. 

The presenting was mostly good, sometimes great. I loved how they paid homage to the Cinematographers and Costume designers, they have done this with the acting noms in years past. It does take longer, but to do this to 'lesser' categories makes a lot of sense. Andrew Garfield and Goldie Hawn were lovely together, very cute. Ben Stiller, as always, hilarious. June Squibb and Scarlett Johansen were very funny, loved them. Mick Jagger was a true surprise, and very funny. Mark Hamill and Quentin Tarantino brought certain gravitas to the proceedings. It was lovely to see Billy back on the stage with Meg Ryan, 37 years since he first hosted The Oscars...oh vey!

Speeches are always a thing. There were some great speeches from some of the minor awards, Costume Design, Animated Feature etc. Kieran Culkin's was funny and spot on, as expected. Sean Baker hit the right note with each win, classy. Walter Salles' gave a lovely speech for International Feature. Adrien Brody needed a strong look from John Lithgow, what a pain. Mikey Madison was also great.

I don't get the wasted time on James Bond. Halle Berry looked amazing, the singers were ordinary, Adele must be rethinking her semi-retirement. 

I liked that Morgan Freeman spent some time talking about Gene Hackman at the beginning of the In Memoriam. We lost some greats this year, the time wasted on fluff like Bond should have been spent honouring David Lynch or James Earl Jones. Also there were, as usual, some key omissions! Shannon Doherty, Alain Delon (seriously!!!???), Bernard Hill, Michelle Trachtenberg and more. Do they even have researchers?

Even the Quincy Jones tribute seemed out of place, yes he scored for films and was nominated, but not for anything that great. I think it was just to get Oprah and Whoopi on the stage together. They are always great to see. But poor Queen Latifah singing Ease on Down the Road, Aye Karumba, she deserves better.

Back to the good, was thrilled to hear my main man, Nick Offerman doing the voice over work, perfection and funny.

Thrilled for all the Anora love, go in blind, I didn't know much about it and really loved it. Was superb and nice to see small indies winning. I did split my director/movie votes between The Brutalist and Anora. I missed most of the Anora wins, hence my low score, but happy to have them win over my choices.

I still think Timmy was robbed!!!

And I dream about the kind of speech Isabella Rossellini would have given. I love her date was Laura Dern, except that had me excited there would be a David Lynch tribute...oh well, never mind.

But in all, it was a solid 7 out of 10.

And now to what we all care the most about, the Farshun!!!!!

Let's start with those bringing the drama to the show. Amazing dramatic, large gowns, I love it. Especially Cynthia's emerald velvet, clever! And Halle Berry as a Glitter Ball, bloody love it!

   

And I love that the men are embracing fashion more and more. Bowen Yang (lurve Bowen) looked amazing! Colman showed his flair with red.

Then there is the sleek and classic styles. Love Scarlett, Amy, and Meg in Velvet.

OK Worst dressed

My top 5 best dressed in no order:

OSCAR WATCH 2024: the predictions

 Greetings and welcome to another year of Oscar Watch.

I have been trying to watch as many films as I can, and did well.
You can read about them here

This year has been difficult with an ever changing landscape of issues and drama. This made it more difficult to make decisions, but here we go!

Best Picture

I watched all the films bar one (I'm Still Here, couldn't get a hold of it). My faves were A Complete Unknown, Wicked, and Anora. I also enjoyed Conclave, Emilia Perez, Dune: part two, The Substance, and Nickel Boys. I was so so about The Brutalist.

I like to pick who will win, but not necessarily who I want to win, so I add both to my predictions.

Will win: The Brutalist

Should win: Anora

Director

Always difficult when 10 films are chosen, but only 5 for director. I am splitting the votes, and going Anora

Will win:  Sean Baker, Anora

Should win: Sean Baker, Anora

Actress in a Leading Role

Between Demi Moore and Mikey Madison. Demi has been the front winner all along, but there has been a slight turn for Mikey in this last week.

Will win: Demi Moore, The Substance

Should win: Mikey Madison, Anora

Actor in a Leading Role

This has been Adrian Brody all along but Timothee won the SAG, it is between them

Will win: Timothee Chalamet, A Complete Unknown

Should win: Timothee Chalamet, A Complete Unknown

Actress in a Supporting Role

Zoe Saldana has won everything, but this can often be a wildcard and so many in this category are deserving. I thought Monica Barbaro was perfection as Joan Baez in A Complete Unknown, and Felicity Jones really brought the heart to The Brutalist. But Isabella Rossellini brought so much to Conclave, without saying much at all, given her pedigree and her career, this could be a steal...I certainly hope so.

Will win: Zoe Saldana, Emilia Perez

Should win: Isabella Rossellini, Conclave

Actor in a Supporting Role

Kieran Culkin is probably the only shoo-in, will and should win.

Having said that every other nominee is deserving and gave great performances.

Will win: Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain

Should win: Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain

Original Screenplay

I think this will go to A Real Pain.

Will win: A Real Pain

Should win: A Real Pain

Adapted Screenplay

All great adaptations, so hard to say

Will win: Conclave

Should win: Nickel Boys

International Feature

This is between Emilia Perez and I'm Still Here.

I have only watched Emilia Perez but think it will still win despite the drama.

Will win: Emilia Perez

Animated Feature

No idea, but my research says The Wild Robot

Will win: The Wild Robot

Documentary Feature

Again, I have seen none of them, but my research says it is between No Other Land and Porcelain War about Palestine and Israel and Ukraine. 

Will win: No Other Land

Original Score

The Brutalist is the only score I remember noting as I watched the nominated films and my research says it's the one.

Will win: The Brutalist

Original Song

Some great songs here, but El Mal seems to be the one. However, I love the Elton John and Brandi Carlisle collaboration

Will win: El Mal, Emilia Perez

Should win: Never Too Late, Elton John: never too late

Cinematography

Everyone says The Brutalist, and it was shot incredibly beautiful, so makes sense to me.

Will win: The Brutalist

Should win: The Brutalist

Costume Design

Wicked is the one that stands out for me, and my research. However, Conclave and A Complete Unknown really took you into the worlds of their films.

Will win: Wicked

Editing

Editing musicals usually can win, so you'd think Wicked and Emilia Perez but Conclave is leading it all.

Will win:  Conclave

Makeup and Hairstyling

The Substance must be the winner here, how can it not?

Will win: The Substance

Production Design

Another difficult one, every nominee created worlds that were synonymous with their subject matter. I thought The Brutalist looked amazing, and that is who I think should win, but I do think Wicked will win.

Will win: Wicked

Should win: The Brutalist

Sound

This can only be Dune: part two

Will win: Dune: part two

Visual Effects

Again, Dune

Will win: Dune: part two

Animated Short

I research all the shorts, but really is a crap shoot.

Will win:  Wander to Wonder

Live-Action Short

Will win: The Last Ranger

Documentary Short

Will win: Incident

OSCAR WATCH 2024: the movies

Anora 

I was keen to see this movie as Mikey Madison was the oldest daughter on one of my favourite shows, Better Things. What a remarkable performance. Mikey's character Anora or Annie is an exotic dancer/sex worker in a club. She is a joyous person and full of dreams. She meets a gorgeous young Russian, who invites her to his glamorous apartment, they fall in love, and head to Vegas on a whim to marry. Then the story really begins, no spoilers. 

This is a love story, a crime caper, dramatic, and comedic. A true indie film but it looks amazing, and Mikey absolutely steals the show. She is in with a chance for Best Actress, though she has to beat the favourite, Demi Moore.

The Apprentice

Ahhh, I watched this under duress, lol. It was actually a good film. Sebastian Stan as Trump and Jeremy Strong as Roy Cohn were great. This focuses on Trump's early years as he is trying to break free from his father (played by the great Martin Donovan!). And I will admit for the first 20 minutes or so I actually felt sorry for him. it didn't last long. These people are truly horrid. This film will not win anything, but the acting is fine.

The Brutalist

I really wanted to love this one, but I did not. Yes, it was long, and I appreciated the concept but there were times in the first section, it could have done with an edit and towards the end of the second section. It was a good story, an important story of the struggles of immigrants trying to settle post WWII. It also was about the pursuit of greatness, in architecture. Brutalist architecture, quite striking, worked well within the film, but I wanted more. 

Adrian Brody's performance was amazing, and initially was a front runner for the Best Actor, but with the knowledge of AI being used on accents, I feel the interest in waning, and that may do him and the film harm. The second act certainly was the better half, especially with the introduction of his wife, played by the brilliant Felicity Jones.

This may go on to win the accolades but it left me cold, too long, lacking the impact I was expecting, trying to do too many things. Having said that, there was a lot to appreciate about this film. One is the exceptional Guy Pearce, always deserving and If Kieran Culkin wasn't such a lock in, then Best Supporting Actor may well be his.

A Complete Unknown

This is my favourite film of the group. I was so unsure about it going in, as a Dylan fan, but I needn't have been. It was beautifully shot, capture the time and the essence of Bob at the time so very well. Timothee Chalamet was perfection at Dylan, by the halfway mark you forgot it was him, and believed it was Dylan. He sang and played all the songs, everyone did. I thought both Norton (as Pete Seeger) and Monica Barbaro (as Joan Baez) were outstanding. In a perfect world all three would win in their categories. Although Chalamet might just be in with a chance. If you haven't seen this and you are unsure, don't be, go and see it.

Conclave

This was really good, a story of thrills and intrigue (yes, really, remember it is taken from a Robert Harris novel) set against the backdrop of choosing a new pope. This is an intense film with twists and turns. The acting is superb, and all are deserving. But if Isabella Rossellini wins I will be thrilled, it is a possibility, but not looking likely.

Dune: part two

We had the good fortune to see this on the IMAX at Darling Harbour. It was just perfection. Great cast, huge and full of stars. Chalamet and Zendaya were amazing. Austin Butler and Christopher Walken were great new additions. The cinematography and effects were next level, especially on that big screen. I think it may win some of those types of Oscars.

Elton John: it's never too late

This was a great doco on Elton, showcasing his earlier (my favourite period) career, and the present. Great footage, great interviews with Elton and those surrounding him. The recent footage was personal, included his family and showed what he does since retiring from touring. Total joy this doco, but the featured song is nominated so quite possibly could win.

Emilia Perez

I really liked Emilia Perez, it was doing something very different and would be the frontrunner for many awards if the controversy had not happened. It is chaotic and melodramatic and a musical but it works. Especially when I found out it was based on an opera, it made perfect sense. It is a story of twists and turns, and the acting is phenomenal. I suspect Zoe Saldana will win Best Supporting Actress.

Nickel Boys

This is based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Colson Whitehead (I am such a fan, he is a two-time Pulitzer winner, only one of four to do so). When I heard the book was to be adapted to the screen I had my doubts, it was written in an almost unfilmable way, but they have really shone and lifted the story with the film. It is shot similar to Peep Show, from the protagonists' point of view. It moves between the time of the young men at Nickel Academy and more recent times when the Academy is being investigated, with its devastation. This probably will not win anything, but it should.

Nosferatu

I loved this, it was a great adaptation, one of the best I have seen. Shot beautifully and acted well, Lily Rose Depp was amazing, all the acting was. it was atmospheric, amusing, grotesque and beautiful. 

A Real Pain

This is my second favourite film of the season. A road trip of sorts when 2 cousins travel to Poland to visit where their grandparents lived and escaped the terror of WW2. Written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg, A Real Pain is a triumph. Both Jesse and Kieran Culkin (the cousin) are superb, particularly Culkin. The film toggles that beautiful line between humour and drama. There are moments of unbearable despair, yet it never feels too heavy, the lighter moments work well. Culkin has never been better, and Eisenberg is the perfect foil. There are many layers that unravel in this film, twists if you will, subtly placed and delivered with impact but not shock. The biggest shock of the film was the older lady on the tour was Jennifer Grey. This film will undoubtedly get Culkin a Best Supporting Oscar and Eisenberg the Original Screenplay. At least I hope so!

The Substance

This is some kind of wonderful mixed with a fair amount of horror. I don't do horror, but this is a different type of horror, more horrifying. Demi Moore plays a fading actress hosting an aerobics style show (Jane Fonda in the 80s anyone?). Still looking stunning her number is up, she is to be replaced by a younger version. The head of the network, a large, slimy, foul man named Harvey (hmmm) delivers the news. She is devastated. She is delivered an odd parcel, that is almost like a treasure hunt she goes in search of something that may help her. This is the essence of The Substance and this is where the horror slowly emerges. To continue to explain would be significant spoilers and I watched the film without these spoilers and that increased it's impact I think. Demi Moore AND Margaret Qualley are remarkable in this. Demi feels like a shoe-in for best Actress, but Mikey Madison is giving her a run for the money! 

Wicked

I read this book (By Gregory Maguire) when it first came out and then I saw the Stage show when it first came to Sydney, some decades ago, and loved it. I was very keen on seeing the film. It was everything I hoped it would be and more. Wicked is the prequel to The Wizard Of Oz. Ariana Grande (Galinda/Glinda) and Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba or eventually The Wicked Witch) are just terrific, the supporting cast also perfection. The songs are a delight, and the set design exactly as I imagined. Unsure what this will win, probably minor award, like production etc.