One Battle After Another

Wednesday afternoon, Sharon and I went to the Country Club Cinema to see One Battle After Another. We are starting our annual journey to see all of the films that might be nominated for an Oscar. As of today, GoldDerby currently has One Battle After Another as the favorite to win the Best Picture Oscar.

One Battle After Another is an action thriller film written, co-produced, and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (Licorice Pizza, Phantom Thread). It was inspired by the 1990 novel Vineland by Thomas Pynchon.

It stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, and Chase Infiniti. It follows an ex-revolutionary who is forced back into his former combative lifestyle when he and his daughter become pursued by a corrupt military officer.

While the movie was filmed in the first half of 2024 before Trump was elected, the film has an undercurrent of a strong immigration crackdown undertaken by an agressive ICE-like organzation. There is also a subplot of a secret society of wealthy far-right white supremacists called the Christmas Adventurers Club.

Sharon and I both liked the movie. I believe it will be nominated for best picture and best director. I would also bet that Sean Penn get a best supporting actor nomination. Sharon commented that DiCaprio is looking more and more like Jack Nichelson.

Towards the end, the movie has a stunt involving a blind summit. I don't think that I have ever seen this stunt done quite like this. I was intrigued...