OVP: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)

Film: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)
Stars: Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Folger, Alison Sudol, Colin Farrell, Ezra Miller, Samantha Morton, Jon Voight
Director: David Yates
Oscar History: 2 nominations /1 win(Best Production Design, Costume*)
Snap Judgment Ranking: 3/5 stars

One of the most popular articles I've ever written on the blog came a few years ago when I decided to try to review all of the Harry Potter movies in one post.  In it, I confessed that my undying love for the Harry Potter universe made it difficult for me to objectively review the films.  I experienced the same encounter with The Hobbit a few years back, as the movies were good-but-not-landmarks like their predecessors, and totally unnecessary in the long scheme of things.  So I was genuinely curious when Fantastic Beasts came out if I would feel the same way.  Unlike The Hobbit, deeply connected to the prior movies, this film is almost completely outside of the realm of the following Harry Potter movies, with only a mention of Albus Dumbledore (as opposed to The Hobbit movies, which features Bilbo, Gandalf, Gollum, and Legolas back in action, so it's harder to break it off from LOTR).  What I found was that while I was charmed by the movies, this was surely not Harry Potter, and not nearly as good even when it comes to trying to look at the films based solely on their merits.

(Spoilers Ahead) The picture, much like how The Hobbit went with a lighter touch, with as much time spent on exploring the world of New York City's wizards as the many creatures discovered by one Mr. Newt Scamander (Redmayne), who is a befuddled but kind.  He's not the innately talented wizard that Harry Potter is, but instead more of a Neville Longbottom type crossed with perhaps a splash of Dumbledore's natural curiosity.  The movie unfolds with a growing worry about the rise of Gellert Grindelwald, a sort of predecessor to Voldemort, whom we know to be the love of a young Albus Dumbledore's life through interviews that Rowling has done since the book series was published.  As we move on, madness of course ensues with Newt's creatures causing much havoc throughout the city, him being accused of helping Grindelwald while it's actually Grindelwald (in disguise as Colin Farrell's Percival Graves) who is manipulating a powerful young wizard named Credence Barebone (Miller, and no, Rowling has not lost her gift for the bon mot moniker) who is behind all of the doom-and-gloom of the city.  The day is saved when Grindelwald is stopped, Newt leaves (but promises to return to see his new friend Tina), and we are given ample room for sequels as we know that Grindelwald will continue to find ways to menace in the future.

The movie has a few lovely touches.  The best part would surely be Alison Sudol's dreamy, charming Queenie, Tina's sister who becomes enamored with Newt's muggle (or No-Maj, as it were) friend Jacob.  Pretty much any scene she's in Sudol steals, and announces herself as the obvious fan favorite of this franchise.  I also quite liked the bizarreness of Samantha Morton's performance, which was so weirdly out-of-place and much heavier than the rest of the movie was trying to accomplish.  Rowling, responding to criticism of her world a bit too aggressively in the movie, occasionally throws out things that feel tacked-on or specifically placed to earn her praise (this is by-far the most "woke" of the Harry Potter pictures in terms of progressive politics), but making the world a bit darker, resembling in some ways the turns her last three books took, is perhaps the most welcome development.

Otherwise, though, I left appreciating the nostalgia it brought but wishing that Rowling had left her world alone.  The stretching and pulling of Harry Potter feels like it has hit its breaking point, meaning we're seeing things we once found special become too commodified and commercial, and the effects in this film feel less authentic to the world of Harry Potter and more geared toward an easy translation into an amusement park.  Outside of Queenie and the strange climactic scene where Morton's sadistic mother learns the truth about her child, there's nothing special here.  There's certainly nothing cool about the magic.  Both Redmayne and Waterston underplay their characters so dreadfully that they lack charisma, and really you don't want to spend more time with them.  And the fact that they traded Colin Farrell in for Johnny Depp as the future lead of the franchise is a pretty much unforgivable sin.  All-in-all, I can't promise I won't tune in again (my HP immunities being weak), but this was hardly worth re-opening the memory of Harry Potter so quickly.

Those are my thoughts on Fantastic Beasts, which bizarrely won the Best Costume Oscar and yet another citation for Stuart Craig, but can't really compete in any way, shape, or form with the original franchise.  What were your thoughts on the picture?  It wears more poorly in the memory than I expected (I originally gave it a three-star rating, and have stuck with that even if this review reads more like a 2-star one), but I'm curious for anyone who has seen the movie multiple times-does it hold up?  Share below!

Emmy Predictions: The Dramas

Egads!  The Emmys are this weekend, and we're actually already done with a bunch of the categories already (well done, Game of Thrones, and kudos to Amy Poehler even though I'm a little concerned about the precedence you set by co-winning for no apparent reason with Tina Fey).  Though I don't talk about television quite as much on this blog as I do film and politics, I do partake quite a bit, and wanted to be on the record over who I think is taking home the golden lady this Sunday.  Let's start with the dramas, shall we?

Best Drama Series

The Americans
Better Call Saul
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
Homeland
House of Cards
Mr. Robot

The Lowdown: First off, as I just mentioned, I don't watch as much TV as I do movies, so I am a little surprised (in a genuine, and not sarcastic) way that Homeland is still on the air-I thought that it had already ended.  As I have enough confidence in my predicting abilities to think that I would have heard of the winning show, I'll desist in predicting that series.

Honestly, this feels like a battle between last year's victor Game of Thrones and one of the uncrowned in the form of The Americans and I, Robot.  Both shows have been critically hosanna'd and it's nice to see them in the race, but Game of Thrones already took a bushel of Creative Arts Emmys, and won last year at an awards ceremony that loves to see shows repeat and repeat and repeat.  Expect the most popular drama of this bunch to take the throne once more.

Best Actor in a Drama Series

Kyle Chandler, Bloodline
Rami Malek, Mr. Robot
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
Matthew Rhys, The Americans
Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards

The Lowdown: While some of these men have won Emmy Awards previously, they have never been successful for these shows, as the last couple of years have produced actors who are on now cancelled programs (Jeff Daniels, Bryan Cranston, Jon Hamm).  Part of me thinks that they will simply go with Kevin Spacey, who has to have been in the running previously and probably would have won at the House of Cards heyday had Bryan Cranston not been consistently cleaning up, but that show is so played out at this point and they're not wild about giving someone a trophy toward the end of their run even if they have long-nominated you (just ask Jane Kaczmarek and Steve Carell).  As a result, I'm going with the new kid on the block Rami Malek, being the representative from I, Robot who gets onstage.

Best Actress in a Drama Series

Claire Danes, Homeland
Viola Davis, How to Get Away with Murder
Taraji P. Henson, Empire
Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black
Keri Russell, The Americans
Robin Wright, House of Cards

The Lowdown: First off, congratulations to Keri Russell, the only woman in this bunch who isn't a rerun of the 2015 nominees (considering her long television career, this feels like a great addition to the "Emmy-nominated" club).  Here we do have the previous year's victor in the form of Viola Davis, and because the Emmys are oftentimes renewing contenders, I wonder if she might just do it again (and it would be a nice nod to the broadcast networks, who still foot the bill for the show and probably want to be honored somewhere).  Plus, the ceremony's on ABC this year.  I think her biggest competition is Robin Wright, who like Spacey has never won and apparently had a big season this year.  I'm going to guess that Wright just pulls it off because they'll want to mix it up a little bit (HTGAWM having just an okay second season), but if Davis wins again I wouldn't be remotely surprised.

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Jonathan Banks, Better Call Saul
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Kit Harington, Game of Thrones
Michael Kelly, House of Cards
Ben Mendelsohn, Bloodline
Jon Voight, Ray Donovan

The Lowdown: I will admit that of all of the acting categories at the Emmy Awards each year (much like the Oscars), the category I find least interesting is Supporting Actor.  It's usually just a roster of the same men, every single year, and the same set of shows, and that's a repeat again this year as all but one of this year's nominees (Kit Harington) is present for the first time.  Last year's victor Peter Dinklage could show up again in what looks to be a predictable bunch, but I think it's a battle between Jonathan Banks and newcomer Harington, who had an impressive story arch for a guy who started the season dead.  Last year I got burned for going with Banks, so I'm switching it up this year and guessing Harington will be part of a major Game of Thrones award stampede.

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones
Lena Headey, Game of Thrones
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
Maura Tierney, The Affair
Maisie Williams, Game of Thrones
Constance Zimmer, UnReal

The Lowdown: First off-congrats to the new names on this list (Williams and Zimmer being particularly surprising), as that's always tough for Emmy to pull off; they didn't even go with last year's victorious Uzo Aduba, meaning that we're guaranteed to have a newcomer...well, at least not a repeat as Maggie Smith has been a winner here before and sentiment could demand she take it again. However, as Smith is very unlikely to show up (she hasn't been to an American awards show since she was up for Gosford Park fourteen years ago), I think this is Headey's.  She's had a commanding story arch for a few years now (many figured she'd win last year), she's the most "actorly" choice on Game of Thrones (give or take Dinklage), and Emmy will probably want to have crowned her at least once.  Smith's my backup, but I'm thinking Cersei takes it.

Those are my guesses-we'll get into Comedy tomorrow, but in the meantime share your guesses (and hopes) in the drama categories for Sunday!

Emmy Predictions: The Dramas

Today is the last day that Emmy ballots can be submitted, and since the nominations will be officially announced in two weeks (July 16th, to be exact), I figured in kicking off our week of mega-posting (every day is getting two posts at least, guaranteed), I thought it would be appropriate to start off the week with one of the more popular segments on the blog: predictions!  I keep hearing this year's contests are some of the closets in years.  Let's see if I agree (we'll start with the dramas):

Best Drama Series

1. Mad Men
2. House of Cards
3. Game of Thrones
4. Orange is the New Black
5. Empire
6. Better Call Saul
7. Downton Abbey

The Lowdown: In the first year of the seven-wide nominations (is this really necessary...though also is the random-number nominee list at the Oscars really necessary...the answer to both is no), we have a few shows that, regardless of their chances of winning are assured nominations (Mad Men, Game of Thrones, Orange is the New Black, and House of Cards).  Empire was a zeitgeist moment and more importantly was on a broadcast network at a time when they can't get critical acclaim for a drama to save their lives, so that's in, as is the successful spinoff Better Call Saul.  The last slot seems to be a battle between The Good Wife (which missed last year but has competed in the past), The Americans (which is always the bridesmaid), and Downton Abbey (a repeat nominee that has seen finer days).  I'm going with Downton since this is still the Emmys and it doesn't have to hit sixth place, but seventh to make it (it also sort of proves that 7-wide is unnecessary, as the Top 6 looks like a pretty respectable list).

Best Actor in a Drama

1. Jon Hamm (Mad Men)
2. Kevin Spacey (House of Cards)
3. Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul)
4. Terrence Howard (Empire)
5. Kyle Chandler (Bloodline)
6. Clive Owen (The Knick)

The Lowdown: The Emmy nominations are always broken out between the potential winners (in this case Hamm, Spacey, and Odenkirk) and the guys trying to land another nomination, likely in the process gaining 4-5 nominations and an eventual trophy, because Emmy loves to repeat.  As a result, I think that Kyle Chandler, who made it for years on Friday Night Lights, should be back again for Bloodline, while Terrence Howard/Clive Owen have the prestige of being an Oscar nominee now starring on a television series.  About the only one of the contenders trying to beat them out that I see potentially making it is Jeff Daniels, who was nominated last year (which at the Emmys always makes you a threat), but The Newsroom has faded so much that this seems like a rough sell.

Best Actress in a Drama

1. Viola Davis (How to Get Away with Murder)
2. Taraji P. Henson (Empire)
3. Robin Wright (House of Cards)
4. Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife)
5. Ruth Wilson (The Affair)
6. Claire Danes (Homeland)

The Lowdown: This is a genuine horse-race, in my opinion, while the other categories just have "upset potential."  Aside from the top three women, it seems like this race could go any number of ways.  In addition to Margulies, Wilson, and Danes, you also have last year's contenders Kerry Washington, Michelle Dockery, and Lizzy Caplan, as well as former nominees Vera Farmiga, Taylor Schilling, and Elisabeth Moss all clamoring for support.  My gut says they won't quite skip Margulies the year after she finally won (though some might view that as a career capper), Wilson just won the Golden Globe and women do better in this sort of stylized drama than men (hence no mention of Dominic West up-above), and Danes has never missed despite sketchiness regarding Homeland's quality.  If there's someone I'm trying to make room for but can't, it's Moss who may or may not gain from Mad Men's swan song season.

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

1. Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones)
2. Jonathan Banks (Better Call Saul)
3. Jon Voight (Ray Donovan)
4. Mandy Patinkin (Homeland)
5. Jim Carter (Downton Abbey)
6. John Slattery (Mad Men)

The Lowdown: This is where I become like those people who are forced to predict the Oscars even when they haven't seen the movies, because most of the major contenders in this race I have no idea the strength of their season and am relying on other factors (like previous nominations and strength-of-buzz) to make my call.  Considering that this field looks somewhat weak on paper, I'm going to keep not only the frontrunner for the trophy (Banks), but also last year's eligible nominees (Dinklage, Voight, Patinkin, and Carter).  For the final slot, I'm skipping Ben Mendehlson in Bloodline and Michael Kelly in House of Cards in favor of a former Emmy nominee who never won and probably had support even when he missed (ala Wendie Malick and Holland Taylor all of those years): John Slattery.

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

1. Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey)
2. Christina Hendricks (Mad Men)
3. Uzo Aduba (Orange is the New Black)
4. Christine Baranski (The Good Wife)
5. Lorraine Toussaint (Orange is the New Black)
6. Lena Headey (Game of Thrones)

The Lowdown: The first four seem certain.  Three are Emmy titans and one is emerging as the "favorite" on her show and won an Emmy on her first try.  Lorraine Toussaint has gotten most of the plaudits for the latest season of Orange is the New Black, which should go a long way for her, particularly considering her role as a veteran character actress who has never made it before (hell, she could even win...witness Margo Martindale as an example).  The final nomination seems to be a three-way battle between two of last year's nominees (Lena Headey and Joanne Froggatt) and an Oscar-winning legend (Sissy Spacek).  Part of me feels like both Headey and Froggatt got in due to less competition than expected last year, and Spacek makes more sense, but Headey's "walk of shame" got a lot of really impressive press and it's not easy getting nominated for the first time in your show's fourth season when you've been there since the beginning.  So that makes me think Cersei will rise again.

Those are my predictions for Best Drama-do you agree, and if not, where did I make my mistakes?  And what names are you hoping to hear?  Share your thoughts in the comments!Bett

Emmy Predictions: The Dramas

We’ve hit the movies and the comedies, so with just one day left until a lot of Hollywood stars are either ecstatic or firing their agents, we’ll move into the five Drama categories.  As I’ve mentioned before, the higher the ranking, the more likely I think it is that someone will be nominated (not necessarily win, though).

Best Drama Series

1. Breaking Bad

2. True Detective

3. House of Cards

4. Game of Thrones

5. Mad Men

6. Downton Abbey

The Lowdown: This looks extremely familiar, because, well, it is.  The only show that I’m skipping from last year is Homeland, which has become a shadow of its former celebrated self.  I do feel like new blood could oust the aging Mad Men and Downton Abbey, but no show aside from True Detective seems like it could be elevated onto this list.  The Americans is more a critical than an audience fave (which matters with ratings-conscious Emmy) and The Good Wife missed last year (usually a death knell) and this category has been very resistant to network dramas.  I say that this is the lineup, though don’t be surprised if Downton or Mad Men become the surprise miss of the morning.

Winner?: I mean, Breaking Bad has milked that double season for all it’s worth.  True Detective could be a factor, but that seems more of a lead actor situation.  Walter White wins in his final showdown.

Best Actor in a Drama Series

1. Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad

2. Matthew McConaughey, True Detective

3. Kevin Spacey, House of Cards

4. Woody Harrelson, True Detective

5. James Spader, The Blacklist

6. Jon Hamm, Mad Men

The Lowdown: Once again, prestige (a pair of Oscar winners) and love of their shows will cement the top four easily in place.  James Spader was once a major Emmy player for Boston Legal, and I suspect the ratings on this show will ensure him a nomination (perhaps I am underestimating it even for Best Series?).  The final slot is a showdown between previous winner Jeff Daniels and long-suffering loser Jon Hamm.  I’m going to go with Hamm because his show is more established with Emmy and didn’t get a gut-punch cancellation.  That said, Mad Men is clearly weakened going into this year, and I think at least one of its perennials will miss.

Winner?: This is going to be an amazing showdown between the recently crowned Oscar Best Actor and a longtime Emmy favorite retiring his iconic character.  I don’t dare predict who will win until I see how their shows fare in other categories, but this is going to be one for the ages.

Best Actress in a Drama Series

1. Robin Wright, House of Cards

2. Kerry Washington, Scandal

3. Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife

4. Claire Danes, Homeland

5. Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men

6. Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black

The Lowdown: Occasionally getting snubbed when you were expected to get in has a HUGE effect the next year (see Sean Hayes for a good example), and I think that’s what Maslany is going to be this year.  Michelle Dockery for Downton Abbey or Lizzy Caplan for Masters of Sex or even Keri Russell in The Americans all would make more sense, but Orphan Black is a major part of pop culture right now and she’s easily a breakout star.  The rest of the women seem pretty set, though Moss could be vulnerable if Mad Men love completely falters.

Winner?: Margulies may have had one helluva a season, but I think this is a battle between Washington and Wright (Danes has slipped too far to win, though she’s got at least one more nomination in her before the sun sets on her series).  Washington is on the biggest show on network television right now if you go strictly on buzz, and I still think that she’ll win for this role, but the fact that she missed last year (when Scandal love seemed to peak) could mean Wright’s ice queen will enjoy this trophy.

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

1. Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad

2. Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones

3. Dean Norris, Breaking Bad

4. Jon Voight, Ray Donovan

5. Josh Charles, The Good Wife

6. Mandy Patinkin, Homeland

The Lowdown: I don’t watch Boardwalk Empire anymore, but it does appear that Bobby Cannavale is not in contention this year (I suspect his character may have been a one-season arc), so we’re left with only a handful of actors from last year that could be returning, chief amongst them Aaron Paul, Mandy Patinkin, and Peter Dinklage.  Dean Norris also seems to have gotten a lot of press for Breaking Bad and it’s hard to argue with an Oscar winner at the Emmys, so I think Jon Voight is probably going to be up here as well.  That leaves one last slot, and I think that Josh Charles major season on The Good Wife coupled with his nomination a few years ago for the same role will be the push he needs to take out someone like John Slattery in Mad Men or Kit Harington in Game of Thrones.

Winner?: Breaking Bad is going to be hard to beat, and Aaron Paul seems quite likely to pick up a third trophy for his final season on the show.  That being said, Dinklage has had a marvelous actorly showcase this season on Game of Thrones, and he has been favored by Emmy before-it could happen again.

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

1. Anna Gunn, Breaking Bad

2. Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey

3. Christine Baranski, The Good Wife

4. Michelle Monaghan, True Detective

5. Christina Hendricks, Mad Men

6. Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones

The Lowdown: Emmy likes to repeat-that’s the best way to make sense of this list.  While Gunn, Smith, and Baranski all seem pretty well-set (Baranski doesn’t have quite the heat she once did, but Emmy loves her to bits considering she has eleven nominations so far), the final three slots are a bit harder to sell.  I suspect we’ll see Monaghan (someone other than Harrelson/McConaughey need to score from that show), and I am going to pick Hendricks/Clarke for the final two slots because they managed to make it in last year in a tough competition.  Emmy could of course go with someone they once had the hots for like Archie Panjabi in The Good Wife or Joanne Froggatt in Downton Abbey or even someone outside the box like Bellamy Young for Scandal or Lena Headey for Game of Thrones, but my money is on Clarke/Hendricks for now.

Winner?: If Maggie Smith ever bothered to show up for one of these awards shows, I suspect they would call off the voting and just proclaim her the winner, but her absence makes it harder to vote for her.  I suspect Gunn will win her second trophy for her show’s final season, with Christina Hendricks continuing to stew over the fact that no actor from Mad Men will ever win an Emmy.

And there you have it folks-tune in tomorrow to see my thoughts on the Emmy roundup, but before we get there-which dramatic contenders are you rooting for?  Are you expecting?  Share in the comments!