What is the best recent movie you’ve seen.

[Meta not Meta]

The Anora writer/director's other movies are literally all about sex workers of one kind or another. But definitely NOT of the glamorous "Pretty Woman" variety or even Anora's own wealthy expat Russian milieu.

There's a long tradition of Hollywood actresses playing Oscar-nominated & winning roles as sex workers. I mean a lot ... including the first ever Best Actress winner Janet Gaynor.

14 Actors Who Won Oscars for Playing Sex Workers

Mikey Madison thanked sex workers in her acceptance speech after winning best actress on Sunday — but 'Anora' is far from the first Oscar-winning film to portray the oft-targeted community.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

Just off the top of my head, a few other very notable performances that didn't win would include Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver & Elizabeth Shue in Leaving Las Vegas.

Thinking about Black Bag again has me pondering the similarities between the worlds of fictional espionage and real-world sex work (for both practioners & customers). The fake identities, necessary lies, transactional sex, 'honey traps,' etc. So much, really, that Black Bag itself could almost be viewed allegorically, though I'm sure that was never intended.

 

[EagerBeaver]

There's a long tradition of Hollywood actresses playing Oscar-nominated & winning roles as sex workers. I mean a lot ... including the first ever Best Actress winner Janet Gaynor

Just off the top of my head, a few other very notable performances that didn't win would include Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver & Elizabeth Shue in Leaving Las Vegas.

Do you remember Jane Fonda in Klute? Academy Award Best Actress Baby! You want an award- play a sex worker!!!!

 

[Meta not Meta]

Do you remember Jane Fonda in Klute? Academy Award Best Actress Baby! You want an award- play a sex worker!!!!View attachment 90419

Love that film!

I'll see you Jane and raise you Donna.

Donna Reed, in From Here to Eternity, the quintessential 'hooker with a heart of gold' ... one of the greatest tropes in movie history.

Hollywood in the early 1930s was forced by political pressure from both Washington and Catholic religious groups to censor itself - or be censored by outsiders. So, for several years, much that might have been made explicit, even identifying a character as a sex worker, could only be suggested subtly.

A good example is From Here to Eternity, one of the most famous Hollywood films of the 1950s.

In the souce novel by James Jones, Oscar-winning Donna Reed's character is explicitly a SW at a brothel, but in the film, she is changed to a "hostess" at a "private social club."

Nevertheless, the effect is much the same ...

 

[EagerBeaver]

Oscar-winning Donna Reed's character is explicitly a SW at a brothel, but in the film, she is changed to a "hostess" at a "private social club."

Nevertheless, the effect is much the same ...

As good an actor as Montgomery Clift was, it's hard for me to watch a scene like that and separate the gay dude that he was from the heterosexual guy he is playing in that scene...........also in the 1950s homosexuality was intensely closeted, so that guys like Clift could get parts like this (playjin guys who wanted pussy rather than dick) from studios, and not have them ask those same questions. He is said to have been one of the best at dating women to camouflage his homosexuality. An actor on screen and off, 24/7/365. Tragically, he is also called "Hollywood's Longest Suicide", dying of a heart attack brought on by 9 years of an intense pain pills addiction after a serious 1956 car accident left him with numerous broken bones and other injuries.

 

[Giselle Montreal]

Anora is one of the best movies of the century. It's in my top 10 and also Poor Things which I have seen many times. All these movies about sex workers are winning tons of Oscars and are so entertaining and fun to watch. Both these Actresses won the Oscar for Best Actress for playing Sex Workers and they do it so well. I will watch Poor Things and Anora again this weekend because its just so well made. Also Pretty Woman is still great to watch from time to time.

OMG, I never thought I would read this! Anora is a movie I found unbearable to watch. People were screaming for a whole hour (okay, with some funny scenes but they were not enough to pique my interest again), and then there was a long, boring search for a stupid young guy, a character that no one in the audience feels compassionate for. Then an end that never ends. It could have lasted 1h30 and we wouldn't cut anything important. It started well, but every scene was too long starting when the tough Russian guys came to the house. A movie I will never watch again.

 

[Doc Holliday]

A good example is From Here to Eternity, one of the most famous Hollywood films of the 1950s.

In the souce novel by James Jones, Oscar-winning Donna Reed's character is explicitly a SW at a brothel, but in the film, she is changed to a "hostess" at a "private social club."

I absolutely loved ‘From Here to Eternity’ and it remains one of my all-time favorite classics. Frank Sinatra won an Oscar for his great performance in that movie. And who can forget the beach love scene between Burt Lancaster & Deborah Kerr? What a great movie! Monty Cliff at his best along with his performance in ‘A Place in the Sun’.

 

[Doc Holliday]

As good an actor as Montgomery Clift was, it's hard for me to watch a scene like that and separate the gay dude that he was from the heterosexual guy he is playing in that scene.

So i suppose you were never fan of Cary Grant & Rock Hudson’s movies?

 

[EagerBeaver]

So i suppose you were never fan of Cary Grant & Rock Hudson’s movies?

Doesn't have anything to do with my fanhood of those actors, as opposed to me as a viewer taking Clift seriously in the scene Meta posted with Donna Reed, acting as a horned up heterosexual man.

 

[Doc Holliday]

OMG, I never thought I would read this! Anora is a movie I found unbearable to watch. People were screaming for a whole hour (okay, with some funny scenes but they were not enough to pique my interest again), and then there was a long, boring search for a stupid young guy, a character that no one in the audience feels compassionate for. Then an end that never ends. It could have lasted 1h30 and we wouldn't cut anything important. It started well, but every scene was too long starting when the tough Russian guys came to the house. A movie I will never watch again.

While i do agree that the poster referring it as one of the greatest movies of the century was ridiculous I’m surprised you didn’t enjoy it. But of course you’re entitled to your opinion. Maybe it’s simply not your favorite genre of movie? One thing about it is that although i enjoyed it a lot when i first saw it & was happy as hell to see it win the Oscar my guess is that years from now people will say that it was ridiculous that it won the Oscar over such and such movie. Just like when ‘How Green was my Valley’ won the Oscar over the fantastic ‘Citizen Kane’ in 1942 which today is highly regarded as an absolute travesty. Other travesties include ‘Saving Private Ryan’ losing to ‘Shakespeare in Love’ in 1999, ‘Pulp Fiction’ losing to ‘Forrest Gump’ & ‘ET’ losing to the extremely boring ‘Ghandi’, among other upsets.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Just like when ‘How Green was my Valley’ won the Oscar over the fantastic ‘Citizen Kane’ in 1942 which today is highly regarded as an absolute travesty. Other travesties include ‘Saving Private Ryan’ losing to ‘Shakespeare in Love’ in 1999, ‘Pulp Fiction’ losing to ‘Forrest Gump’ & ‘ET’ losing to the extremely boring ‘Ghandi’, among other upsets.

What about "Ordinary People" beating the Scorcese-DeNiro masterpiece "Raging Bull", and "The English Patient" winning over the Coen Brothers epic classic, "Fargo"? Weren't those films unjustly deprived of an Academy Award?

 

[Meta not Meta]

Didn't see all the nominees but had I vote it would have gone to The Brutalist for Best Pic.

Personally love How Green Was My Valley, but I understand the injustice. Hearst newspapers organized a huge camp against Citizen Kane [it's basically a Hearst biopic], mostly because of the way it depicted the character based on his real-life mistress, Marion Davies.

There's a really great doc about it all ...

Some other (obvious to me) Oscar injustices:

• Apocalypse Now losing to Kramer vs. Kramer
• Hitchcock never winning an Oscar
• Ditto Kubrick
• Snubs to personal faves Blade Runner & Heat

 

[Doc Holliday]

What about "Ordinary People" beating the Scorcese-DeNiro masterpiece "Raging Bull", and "The English Patient" winning over the Coen Brothers epic classic, "Fargo"? Weren't those films unjustly deprived of an Academy Award?

You are absolutely correct. Another one is that movie about the human fish some girl falls in love with. The movie’s name was ‘The Shape of Water’. I’ll be honest i never bothered to see it. Other questonable winners over the past few years were ‘Moonlight’, ‘Parasite’, ‘Nomadland’, ‘Coda’ & ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’. I mean JFC were all the other movies who were nominated all this bad?

 

[Doc Holliday]

As Meta mentionned ‘Apocalypse Now!’ losing to ‘Kramer vs Kramee’ is another example of a questionable Oscar winner. Whatbwere the voters thinking? Sure K vs K was a nice little movie with Dustin Hoffman & Meryl Street but JFC Coppola’s movie is one of the greatest movies of all time! Did the voters actually see the movie or were they high on mushrooms?

 

[charmer_]

You are absolutely correct. Another one is that movie about the human fish some girl falls in love with. The movie’s name was ‘The Shape of Water’. I’ll be honest i never bothered to see it. Other questonable winners over the past few years were ‘Moonlight’, ‘Parasite’, ‘Nomadland’, ‘Coda’ & ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’. I mean JFC were all the other movies who were nominated all this bad?

The Shape of Water was decent (I'm a huge fan of Guillermo Del Toro).

Moonlight was excellent, and absolutely deserved the Oscar. Ditto with Parasite.

I tried watching Nomadland, but got bored. EEAaO was okay...was original, but not my cup of tea. Haven't seen Coda.

 

[charmer_]

OMG, I never thought I would read this! Anora is a movie I found unbearable to watch. People were screaming for a whole hour (okay, with some funny scenes but they were not enough to pique my interest again), and then there was a long, boring search for a stupid young guy, a character that no one in the audience feels compassionate for.

There's two halves to this movie: the supposed "Cinderella" story, and then the aftermath, lol. Anora being the best movie of the year is questionable, but I did find the 2nd half very funny. It's probably one of the funniest movies from last year for me.

The screaming (from Mikey Madison in the film) was a bit annoying. But at the same time, there's a certain charm to her character.

They really should have given the Oscar for Best Actress to Demi Moore instead for The Substance, imho.

 

[Meta not Meta]

Paying for It (2024)

Just exactly what the title suggests.

A comedy/drama set in 1999 'bohemian-bourgeois' Toronto about an incredibly nerdish comic book artist who starts seeing SWs after the girlfriend he lives with suggests they "open up their relationship" so that she can begin seeing other men.

Probably the most positive representation of a "john" in the history of movies, at least insofar as he's bookish, intelligent & inoffensive (if socially awkward) but totally respectful of the women he meets.

The plot twist is that what begins as sexual liberation for her turns disastrously wrong through her increasingly bad choice of sexual partners.

Meanhile, for him, after an inauspicious start, seeing SWs becomes an invigorating, truly worthwhile experience, even pursuing it longterm especially after meeting soon-to-be regular "Denise."

It's all pretty frank, accurate for the most part, with plenty that everyone here will recognize as familar even if the film is set 25 years ago.

My only issue is that the sexual experience iself, as represented in the film for him, seemed much less wild, cathartic, empathic and aesthetically & physically pleasurable as the character himself makes it out to be. [Or at least as it was for me ... lol.]

Probably not for everyone but I enjoyed it a lot. It's based on a graphic novel and directed by Sook-Yin Lee, whom some will remember from a sexually-explicit film called Shortbus, which got her fired from the CBC, as well as MuchMuch (ruthlessly satirized in the film).

Here she talks about the film, as well as the problems will Bill C-36

 

[ChloeCoeur]

I saw Mickey 17 the other night and honestly loved it. Would recommend as a good date night flick!

 

[EagerBeaver]

OMG, I never thought I would read this! Anora is a movie I found unbearable to watch. People were screaming for a whole hour (okay, with some funny scenes but they were not enough to pique my interest again), and then there was a long, boring search for a stupid young guy, a character that no one in the audience feels compassionate for. Then an end that never ends. It could have lasted 1h30 and we wouldn't cut anything important. It started well, but every scene was too long starting when the tough Russian guys came to the house. A movie I will never watch again.

I watched Anora last night and while I cannot disagree with any of your points, I liked the movie, mainly because I found the dialogue and the characters authentic. As far as your point on the character of Vanya being "a character no one in the audience feels compassion for", that is exactly how he was intended to be portrayed: a video game-loving, spoiled, rich, bratty, party boy living off Daddy's money, who manipulates Anora into thinking he is in love with her, when he is just a serial user who plays nice. The young Russian actor who played Vanya was excellent.

My interpretation of the overly long scene with too much screaming, involving the comical Armenian thugs and the hysterical Anora, was that it set up the final couple of scenes in the movie between Anora and Igor, the Armenian thug played by Russian actor Yura Borisov, who received an Academy Award nomination for his performance. They have a debate about whether or not his actions constituted assault, battery and/or kidnapping, on the one hand, or attempting to keep Anora safe on the other, and whether he wanted to rape Anora if left alone. That sets up the final scene of the film in Igor's Grandmother's car. It is the next to the last scene of the movie, in which the overly long scene is discussed and debated by Igor and Anora so that the viewer's mind is now blurred as to whether Igor's actions constituted an assault, a battery or kidnapping. And whether Igor, if left alone in that scene, would have wanted to rape Anora. You are forced to think about it, think back on that very long scene. The length of the scene makes it hard to figure out which character is correct in their interpretation of what occurred in that scene.

To me, the end of the movie was the final two scenes of the film between Anora and Igor.

For a little known actor like Borisov, an Academy Award nomination for playing a "sensitive and thoughtful" thug is a career changer. He is now all over the radar of the film industry, and he will certainly be a go-to guy for any parts playing sensitive and thoughtful thugs and gangsters:

Yura Borisov - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Meta not Meta]

If you loved Borisov in Anora, you will love him in this movie, it's pretty much the same role: the apparent thug, who turns out to be a little (or a lot) more interesting than that ...

 

[Halloween Mike]

Watched Novocaine a few days ago, it was a lot of fun. Absurd concept but thats the fun of it. Dude can't feel pain. So that makes for some very fun situations.