Oscar Winners: 2024


This year was relatively weak in terms of the quality of the top ten movies. Demi Moore not winning Best Actress was extremely unusual, based on her winning every previous movie award before the Oscars telecast – which almost never happens. Conan O’Brien was outstanding as the host, and he should be selected to host again next year. The movie Anora was not widely released and was another big surprise for Best Picture.

Best picture

“Anora” – *WINNER

“The Brutalist”

“A Complete Unknown”

“Conclave”

“Dune: Part Two”

“Emilia Pérez”

“I’m Still Here”

“Nickel Boys”

“The Substance”

“Wicked”

Best actor in a leading role

Adrien Brody, “The Brutalist” – *WINNER

Timothée Chalamet, “A Complete Unknown”

Colman Domingo, “Sing Sing”

Ralph Fiennes, “Conclave”

Sebastian Stan, “The Apprentice”

Best actress in a leading role

Mikey Madison, “Anora” – *WINNER

Karla Sofía Gascón, “Emilia Pérez”

Demi Moore, “The Substance”

Fernanda Torres, “I’m Still Here”

Best actor in a supporting role

Kieran Culkin, “A Real Pain” – *WINNER

Edward Norton, “A Complete Unknown”

Guy Pearce, “The Brutalist”

Jeremy Strong, “The Apprentice”

Best actress in a supporting role

Zoe Saldaña, “Emilia Pérez” – *WINNER

Monica Barbaro, “A Complete Unknown”

Ariana Grande, “Wicked”

Felicity Jones, “The Brutalist”

Isabella Rossellini, “Conclave”

Best director

Sean Baker, “Anora” – *WINNER

Brady Corbet, “The Brutalist”

James Mangold, “A Complete Unknown”

Jacques Audiard, “Emilia Pérez”

Coralie Fargeat, “The Substance”

Best original screenplay

“Anora” – *WINNER

“The Brutalist”

“A Real Pain”

“September 5”

“The Substance”

Movie Review: My Dead Friend Zoe


From a search on the internet “Between 2005 and 2018, the VA estimated over 89,000 veteran suicides, including those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

For anyone with PTSD, due to any traumatic experience, it is almost impossible to explain what it is like. The inability to stop the constant pictures in your mind, replaying a horrible incident or injustice, leading in too many cases to insanity or for too many war veterans, suicide. Considering the large number of war suicides of recent war veterans, it has been obvious for many years that this country has not been taking care of the mental health of its veterans.

The new movie “My Dead Friend Zoe” is about two Afghanistan war veterans, Merit, played by Sonequa Martin-Green, and Zoe, played by Natalie Morales who become very close friends. Most of this movie is about the time after the war, with Merit traveling around to visit her grandfather Dale, played by Ed Harris, and attending PTSD meetings run by a therapist Dr. Cole, played by Morgan Freeman.

Merit is always traveling with her best friend Zoe, even though she died sometime earlier as Zoe is inside Merit’s imagination during this entire story. Merit is unable to resolve the fact that Zoe has died. Throughout this story, with the use of many flashbacks, we find out what happened to Zoe and why.

The acting throughout this entire production is first-rate, as well as the story, which is about friendship, loss, war, and PTSD. The Rotten Tomatoes rating for this movie is a very high 95%, and I agree with this rating and recommend this film.

Movie Review: Last Breath


The new movie “Last Breath” is about the people in this world, who risk their lives to make a living. This true story is about three men who dive deep into the Ocean to repair gasoline pipes and are lowered to bottom of the Ocean in a giant container from a large ship. At the beginning of this movie, we are told that this is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. After watching this film, it was hard to believe that anyone could be brave enough or crazy enough to work a job like this given that the odds of death are so high.

Last Breath stars Woody Harrelson as Duncan Allock, one of the lead divers, Simu Liu as Dave Yuasa, and Finn Cole as Chris Lemons, the main focus of this story as the diver lost at the bottom of the Ocean. This true story was made into a movie because of the miracles that occurred while the crew of the diving ship first located and then attempted to save the life of Chris Lemons. The downside is that most of the searching for Lemons, and getting him back on board the ship was that this part of the story was at times rather slow and boring.

I was surprised during this story that given the extreme danger, the crew would attempt to travel to the bottom of the Ocean at night, during a storm. During this true story, it was shown that the storm was causing violent movements within the submersible container as the men were diving. It made no sense that a decision was not made to wait until daytime and when conditions were safer. I was also surprised that known actors Woody Harrelson and Simu Liu would agree to take these acting roles, considering the conditions involved and the extremely close quarters that are not for anyone even slightly claustrophobic.

The Rotten Tomatoes has an average of 77% with my rating at 72% and a mild recommendation to see this film mostly for the miracles involved in trying to save Chris Lemons.