The Oscars dropped nearly 8% to 18 million viewers Sunday, the first year-to-year decline for the ABC telecast since 2021. The decrease is hardly a shock, as the majority of this year’s Oscars contenders were not box office hits, including “Anora,” which won for best picture and four other trophies. Last year, the average audience … Read more
When filmmaker Sean Baker won his first Oscar for original screenplay early Sunday night for “Anora,” a screwball dramedy about a stripper who marries the son of a Russian oligarch, he gave an acceptance speech so heartfelt and complete, heaping praise on everyone from his cast and crew to his distributors and management team, that … Read more
5:09 p.m. Here comes “Anora,” with Sean Baker winning for original screenplay. — M.M. Big win. Hopefully the first of many for Sean Baker. — G.W. I was so afraid you were going to say “this means he probably won’t win for directing.” I am here for an “Anora” sweep. — M.M. If he wins … Read more
On the Shelf The Talent By Daniel D’AddarioGallery/Scout Press: 336 pages, $29If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from Bookshop.orgwhose fees support independent bookstores. The ingénue. The trainwreck. The British stage actor. The matriarch. The underdog. These are the archetypes at the heart of Variety correspondent Daniel D’Addario’s … Read more
The last of the major Oscar precursors hands out its prizes Sunday, bringing clarity — or perhaps further confusion — to one of the most topsy-turvy awards seasons in memory. Leading film nominee “Wicked” will vie with “A Complete Unknown,” “Conclave,” “Emilia Pérez” and Producers Guild and Directors Guild champion “Anora” for the coveted Screen … Read more
Continuing to build momentum as award season nears its conclusion, “Anora” won three prizes at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday afternoon, including best feature. The movie was also recognized for director Sean Baker and lead performance for Mikey Madison. Kieran Culkin won for supporting performance for “A Real Pain,” while Jesse Eisenberg won … Read more
The Oscar race for best picture has been a roller coaster ride all season and, even with “Anora” winning the top prize from both the producers and directors guilds, there still might be a moment of suspense when that final envelope is opened at the March 2 ceremony. It has been that kind of year. … Read more
Movies about, or at least prominently featuring, exotic dancers are not uncommon, but it’s rare for them to clean up at the box office and the Academy Awards. If “Anora” star Mikey Madison wins a statuette, she will be the first performer in such a role to do so in four decades: Mary Steenburgen scored … Read more
Upstairs at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, Sean Baker is talking shop with veteran projectionist Ivan Rothberg as he’s threading the fifth reel of “Anora,” Baker’s Oscar-nominated crowd-pleaser that won top honors from the directors and producers guilds over the weekend. Looking out the booth’s window onto the sold-out theater’s screen, we see that … Read more
