Robert Pattinson – This Had Oscar Buzz

368 – The Devil All the Time (with Katey Rich!)

The Devil All The Time: Tom Holland as Arvin Russell. Photo Cr. Glen Wilson/Netflix © 2020

Our annual Thanksgiving tradition means The Ankler’s Katey Rich is back! And this year, we’re got a stone cold bummer to go with the turkey! In 2020, while we were all stuck in our homes, Netflix delivered a lockdown crime saga hit with The Devil All the Time. Directed by Antonio Campos, the film follows several generations in rural America as their family history is engulfed in religion and murder between American wars. With a cast of famous young stars like Tom Holland and Robert Pattison, the film garnered strong reactions to its grim tale but no ultimate awards payoff.

This episode, we’re talking about Antonio Campos’ independent cinema rise and later television work. We also talk about Netflix in 2020, Holland balancing Spider-Man with other projects, and umm… what the hell is going on with Pattinson in this movie.

Topics also include accents, covid coping, and Thanksgiving gender binaries.

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220 – The Lost City of Z (with Katey Rich)

It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without a little tradition, so naturally Vanity Fair’s Katey Rich makes her annual return to us this week to discuss James Gray’s The Lost City of Z. The film had a long pre-production history, including promises of Brad Pitt in the lead, that long positioned it as the film that might finally garner Gray some awards attention. Finally produced and with Charlie Hunnam replacing Pitt, the film made its world premiere at the 2016 New York Film Festival without distribution and received strong reviews. Though Amazon picked up the film, they held its release until the spring, effectively killing its awards chances.

This episode, we discuss our shared love for the film and talk about Gray’s Oscar-elusive approach to material and his chances this season with Armageddon Time. We also talk about Sienna Miller face blindness, Robert Pattinson’s move towards auteur directors post-Twilight, and Amazon’s auteur-heavy 2017 crop of films.

Topics also include renting VCRs, Darius Khondji’s luminous Lost City cinematography, and 2017 as the best Best Picture year post-expansion.

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187 – Water for Elephants

Adaptations of uberpopular novels are always ripe for awards prestige, but this week’s episode is for a film that fizzled quickly. 2011′s Water for Elephants assembled an impressive crew for the circus-set period romantic drama along with a starry cast at tricky career moments: Robert Pattinson breaking from the Twilight franchise, Reese Witherspoon on a string of unsuccessful films, and Christoph Waltz as his typecast was taking shape. Each was slightly miscast, resulting in tepid romantic fireworks and familiar narrative beats that add up to a hohum movie forgotten by the time The Artist became a somewhat atypical Best Picture winner.

This episode, we discuss Pattinson career and the power of the Twihard base, along with our thoughts on The Batman. We also go into the filmography of the film’s screenwriter Richard LaGravenese and director Francis Lawrence, and look back at Witherspoon’s rebound that came shortly after this film.

Topics also include the Teen Choice Awards, why circus films stir up awe and awards prospects, and Uggie.

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