The Whale, the film that helped revitalize Brendan Fraser‘s acting career, has officially been released on DVD and other streaming platforms in the United States months after it premiered in theaters.

Despite being available for purchase in the U.S., those living in the United Kindom will have to wait a bit longer because it is still being determined when it will be released. The drama follows Fraser as he portrays the role of Charlie, an obese English teacher who remains hidden from the outside world due to his weight. He tries to rebuild a relationship with his estranged daughter Ellie played by Stranger Things star Sadie Sink. 

The Whale also stars Ty Simpkins, Hong Chau, and Samantha Morton. Since the movie’s debut late last year, Fraser and the entire cast have received positive reviews from fans. One of the moments occurred in Sept. 2022, at the Venice Film Festival, when Fraser got a six-minute standing ovation. During the applause, the actor appeared to be overcome with emotions as he bowed. 

But the success didn’t stop there. Following The Whale’s theatrical debut a few months later in December, it had the largest opening for a limited-released project at the time, with $360,000 in box office revenue. Since then, The Whale has generated over $36 million worldwide. 

In addition to the box office profits, Fraser received numerous accolades for his depiction of Charlie. The list includes a Satellite Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Critics Choice Award all within the best actor category. Most recently, Fraser made history when he became the first Canadian to win an Academy Award for Best Actor. 

To see what fans and critics are raving about, check out The Whale, now available to watch for a small fee. 

Brendan Fraser‘s performance as Charlie, an English professor working to mend his broken relationship with his estranged daughter before his death, in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale has received universal acclaim and has garnered him much-deserved recognition for his talent, most notably in the form of his first Oscar nomination.

For the film, Fraser collaborated with the Obesity Action Coalition to portray obesity onscreen with the complexity and humanity it deserves. Per an interview with Deadline, Fraser shared he practiced with a movement coach to change his center of gravity and wore a five-point harness suit while filming emotionally charged scenes as Charlie.

“When this film was over, I had an unexpected reaction to taking off Charlie’s body the last time; I was really emotionally moved. I felt a strange sense of survivor’s guilt because I could take him off at the end of the day, and I’ve met people who live like that until they didn’t live anymore.”

It wasn’t just the physical aspect that had to be mastered; Fraser brought Charlie to life, basing him off of kind mentors he’s had throughout his life.

“Charlie has a secret superpower. He is able to bring out the good in others even when they can’t see that in themselves or they feel that they’re irredeemable.”

There was a time when Fraser was one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. For about a decade, Fraser lit up screens in some of the most popular films of the 1990s, like Encino Man, School Ties, and George of the Jungle, carving out an accidental niche as young men who found themselves in new worlds. He became an integral part of many childhoods when he was cast as the cocky-yet-lovable adventurer Rick O’Connell in The Mummy, a role he’d reprise in two sequels. In 2002, Fraser proved he had the ability to succeed in more serious fare in the critically acclaimed The Quiet American.

Then suddenly, he was gone. Fraser had the kind of career in one decade many actors dream of their whole lives, and with the filmography he was building, there was no apparent reason for the sudden stop to his career trajectory. For many, it seemed Fraser just disappeared without a trace one day. Other than the occasional The Mummy rewatch, he hardly crossed the minds of his previous fans.

That perceived absence is a big part of why his comeback hits us so strongly. If there’s anything Hollywood loves, it’s a good comeback, and Fraser’s is more than overdue. At last year’s Venice film festival, he received a six-minute standing ovation from industry peers and Best Actor awards from the Screen Actor’s Guild and Critics Choice Awards (where his moving acceptance speech went viral). If Fraser takes home the Oscar, a likely outcome based on how he’s fared this awards season, it will not only preserve his legacy as one of the greatest actors in the industry but also recognize the hell he went through to get here.

For Fraser, The Whale is not a comeback. Despite taking a hiatus due to a difficult divorce and undergoing several surgeries from injuries sustained during his early films, he did not leave Hollywood — if anything, Hollywood left him. In a viral interview with GQ, Fraser opened up about why he had disappeared from the spotlight, initially chalking it up to working himself past his limit.

“…I felt like the horse from Animal Farm, whose job it was to work and work and work. Orwell wrote a character who was, I think, the proletariat. He worked for the good of the whole, he didn’t ask questions, he didn’t make trouble until it killed him. I don’t know if I’ve been sent to the glue factory, but I’ve felt like I’ve had to rebuild shit that I’ve built that got knocked down and do it again for the good of everyone whether it hurts you or not.”

Then, he dropped a bombshell. He alleged then-president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association Phillip Berk groped and assaulted him at a work luncheon in 2003. Fraser debated making the incident public but chose not to for fear of damaging his career, “I didn’t want to contend with how that made me feel or it becoming part of my narrative.” After an “apology” from Berk that essentially amounted to “I’m sorry you’re offended,” Fraser fell into depression and work “withered on the vine for me. In my mind, at least, something had been taken away from me.”

Berk never itted to any wrongdoing (despite downplaying it as a joke in his 2014 memoir) but was later removed from the HFPA after calling the Black Lives Matter movement a “racist hate movement” in an email to the entire organization.

Despite tragedies and setbacks in his personal and professional life, Fraser persevered. He turned his attention to television and roles in shows like Trust and Doom Patrol. Those parts revived his strong fanbase, and it allowed him to work with filmmakers like Steven Soderbergh and Aronofsky.

If Fraser wins this Oscar, it will not only be a celebration of his career spanning three decades but a testament to perseverance. In a followup with GQ last year, the actor spoke about wanting to prove he’s more than just a comeback, and that he wants to be evaluated based on his work.

“My hope is that I can be recognized at this time in my life and career for my professional efforts rather than the trope of the comeback kid as being a standard in culture, sports, coming from behind, being written off and then coming back.”

There’s no doubt Fraser’s performance as Charlie in The Whale deserves an Oscar win. An Academy Award would not only honor his outstanding turn in the Aronofsky film, but it would also recognize his early career highs as well as the struggle he went through to get to the Academy stage. He’s more than proved he’s a talent to be reckoned with. Winning would pave the way for even more roles of the quality Fraser has longed for during his career and earn one of the nicest men in the industry his place in Hollywood history.

Like Charlie teaches his students, there is nothing more liberating than the truth. Fraser is now living his truth, and an Oscar win would be a fitting testament to his perseverance and shows us it’s possible to thrive after tragedy.

*taps mic* Is this thing on? *brief silence, followed by * 

Yes, there we are. It’s that time of the year again, folks. The Oscars are back, Will Smith is stuck at home, and for the first time in history, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is taking a sizeable seat at the table. 

Everything Everywhere All at Once is the clear front-runner of the night with 11 nominations including Best Actress, ing Actress, ing Actor, Director, and Picture. Of those categories, the only surefire win appears to be Ke Huy Quan for ing Actor. The rest are, as they say, anyone’s game. 

The battle for Best Actress has become increasingly dicey as the discourse between Michelle Yeoh and Cate Blanchett found itself weighed down by the conversation of identity politics vs merit. A disappointing conversation that saw an uptick following Yeoh’s unfortunate social media mishap that left many wondering if she’d be disqualified ahead of the ceremony.

As for Best Actor — it’s neck-and-neck between Austin Butler and Brendan Fraser for their respective performances in Elvis and The Whale. A win for either would be both’s first Oscar nomination and win. 

All eyes are on the Best ing Actress category to see if Angela Bassett from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will make history as the first Marvel actor to be recognized for performance. Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephanie Hsu from Everything Everywhere All at Once are Bassett’s biggest competition, but Kerry Condon from The Banshees of Inisherin just might pull through as the night’s biggest upset.  

Categories such as Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Screenplay, Best Visual Effects, and Best Original Song remain anyone’s game at the moment, but as promised, we have our predictions. Below is our official breakdown.

Best Animated Feature Film — Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

2022 was the year of brilliant sequels and there was no better sequel than Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Directed by Joel Crawford, The Last Wish is not just a fun entertaining romp for the family, it also explores the themes of death and anxiety. It does what great animated children’s films should strive to do, in that it makes the film as enjoyable for adults as it does for kids.

It could have been a mediocre sequel to what was a mediocre Shrek spin-off, and instead, it was easily one of the greatest films of the year, deserving of the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film, even if it might not take the statue home. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio probably has a better chance of winning, but it shouldn’t be overlooked that there was a Pinocchio in The Last Wish as well!

— Tristyn Akbas

Best Visual Effects — Avatar: The Way of Water

From westerns and adventure films to dinosaurs and aliens, Best Visual Effects is a category that highlights the movies that remove us from the mundane and take us on adventures that we’d otherwise never see. This year’s nominees were full of magic and darkness, heartache and despair, love and redemption — most of all, they took us on great journeys of experience, hope, and wonder. 

Avatar: The Way of Water transported us to a new realm of existence entirely, taking us out of the familiarity within the world of Pandora and dropping us in the middle of the great expanse of the eastern seaboard, finding solace and home with the Metkayina. Between the heartbreaking yet beautiful story of Jake, Neytiri, and their four children to the suspense of Colonel Quaritch’s imminent chaos, we forgot to look around us and see movie theater chairs or smell popcorn and nachos; we existed within the realm of Pandora.

We were surrounded by sounds, sights, and almost scent memory (especially if you’ve ridden the Flight of age at Disney World). When a film can ultimately take you out of your ordinary and drop you into the story, that’s when you know it’s been an all-encoming journey in every way.

While Top Gun: Maverick all but put us in the enger seat for the flight of a lifetime and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever gave us a front-row seat to grief and love in the most awe-inspiring way, Avatar: The Way of Water is sure to take home Best Visual Effects for the 2023 Oscars, simply because being so deeply emerged in Pandora left us almost speechless, and that’s quite a feat in and of itself.

— Ashley Marie 

Best Original Song — “Naatu Naatu” from RRR

The Original Song category is an utter battleground this year, with all five nominees having the potential to take home the trophy. The judges don’t have an easy task ahead of them — it’s not every day Diane Warren, Lady Gaga, and Rihanna clash.

As a massive fan of David Byrne and Mitski’s work, I would love to see them win, especially since their song “This Is A Life” from Everything Everywhere All at Once perfectly plays to both the creators’ strengths and really captures the film’s atmosphere.

However, I think “Naatu Naatu” from RRR will snag the award. It is just a great, all-around song. It has an excellent melody, fun hooks, and outstanding drum work. The song perfectly captures RRR‘s energy and the emotional core of the scene it comes from in a way that borders on synesthesia. Plus, it’s a total earworm, one of those songs you start singing in the shower months after you finish the movie.

In fact, I think the crowded field boosts “Naatu Naatu’s” chances. While the other nominees are all great songs, they all feel like they fit into the stereotypical “Oscar Winner” mold, being powerful emotional ballads carried by their lead vocalists. Even “This Is A Life” follows this format, despite having Byrne and Mitski’s signature subversive sheen on it. This means that the fast, upbeat, and over-the-top production of “Naatu Naatu” stands out even more, suggesting it will stick in the voters’ memory when the time comes to cast their ballots.

Also, the viral spread of “Naatu Naatu” shows why it deserves to win. Unlike the other movies nominated, RRR had a lower-profile release in America. Thanks to word of mouth, the film and “Naatu Naatu” quickly gained popularity, with many citing the musical scene as one of their favorite moments in RRR. This shows that this track can help viewers connect emotionally with the film’s narrative and characters, no matter their language or cultural background. And really, isn’t that what this award was designed to honor?

— Jonathon Greenall

Best Cinematography —All Quiet on the Western Front

All Quiet on the Western Front is many things: a superb critique of the senselessness of war, an epic psychological narrative, and an adaptation of a literary masterpiece that did its novel counterpart more than justice. Above all, though, All Quiet on the Western Front is a stunning tour de force from cinematographer James Friend. 

The movie scored an impressive 14 nominations at the 76th British Academy Film Awards, won seven, and is nominated for nine more at this year’s Oscars. There’s infinite potential for the film to sweep in categories like Best International Feature and Best Adapted Screenplay, but it’s truly unfathomable to think it wouldn’t win Best Cinematography. In fact, if it doesn’t, it’d be a major upset.

— Cody Raschella

Best Original Screenplay — The Banshees of Inisherin, written by Martin McDonagh

All this year’s Original Screenplay nominees are up for Best Picture. No surprise there, but this award could well go in a different direction. Triangle of Sadness is a clever and lingering satire typical of Ruben Östlund, but it won’t appeal to every voter. Tár is a phenomenal piece, but the controversy that’s come from plot points mirroring real-life figures knocks its chances in most categories outside acting.

Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert deserve praise for their clever structure and inspired ideas behind Everything Everywhere All At Once. That leaves Spielberg’s biographical feature, a multiversal fantasy, and black comedy period piece The Fabelmans, which it just feels mean to rule out, considering how close it is to one of Hollywood’s most significant figures.

My inkling is that Martin McDonagh will make it third time lucky for The Banshees of Inisherin, picking up the gong after missing out on In Bruges and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. The story he struggled to write for the stage could be the tragicomic key to adding this prize Oscar to the writing awards he’s picked up from other film ceremonies.

— Matt Goddard

Best Adapted Screenplay — Women Talking, screenplay by Sarah Polley

Adapting source material from one medium to another is fraught with difficulties, especially if you’re shifting something onto the big screen. Sure, the bones of the story are already laid out, but the creative minds who adapt tales for cinema still need to choose which parts of the narrative to accentuate, and which to minimize.

All of the nominees for Best Adapted Screenplay at this year’s Oscars have succeeded in their own way, whether it be All Quiet on the Western Front managing to soak viewers in the tragedy of great loss, or Women Talking sliding us into the claustrophobic silence of a patriarchal cult. 

That said, Women Talking is the winner here as it manages to encapsulate everything that was great about Miriam Toews’ novel and also add that bit of magic only movies can offer. Some argue it is a front-runner only because it’s timely, but as almost every woman will tell you, the forces and power dynamics explored in the film are depressingly timeless — although, as long as women keep talking, maybe one day that won’t be the case.

— Sandeep Sandhu

Best ing Actress — Stephanie Hsu for Everything Everywhere All at Once

The ing Actress category is absolutely packed this year. While all the performances were fantastic, my choice would be Stephanie Hsu. Hsu’s performance as Joy Wang in Everything Everywhere All at Once was a delight to watch: complex, relatable, and brimming with humor, heart, and pathos.

However, this category is ripe for an upset, and I wouldn’t be surprised if either Jamie Lee Curtis or Kerry Condon took home the win. Condon’s performance in The Banshees of Inisherin was breathtaking. In fact, everyone involved in The Banshees of Inisherin is extremely unlucky, as in any other year the movie would sweep the Oscars and Kerry Condon would be a shoo-in.

Unfortunately, it happened to release in the same year the equally excellent Everything Everywhere All at Once. That said, I can see a situation where Condon scrapes just enough votes to pull off an upset since the voting of the academy relate to her character and thus might have a deeper appreciation for her performance.

I also could see Jamie Lee Curtis getting the award. While her Everything Everywhere All at Once character has much less screen time than Stephanie Hsu’s, you can’t deny Curtis makes the most of it. It may go against the spirit of the Oscars, but it wouldn’t be surprising if voting gave Curtis the nod simply because she hasn’t ever won an Oscar, despite her being an elder stateswoman and icon of modern cinema. They could do so safely in the knowledge that Stephanie Hsu is at the start of her Hollywood career and has plenty of time to win other Oscars.

So, while my heart says Stephanie Hsu, my head is prepping for potential disappointment.

— Jonathon Greenall

Best ing Actor — Ke Huy Quan for Everywhere All at Once

While nothing in life is a sure thing, we’re willing to bet a good chunk of change that Ke Huy Quan will take home the Oscar for Best ing Actor. Not only did he deliver one of the most outstanding, heartfelt performances we’ve ever seen — no doubt mining from his personal experiences — he’s already taken home over 60 industry and critic awards (yes, 60) for his role as Waymond Wang in Everything Everywhere All at Once.

Aside from his performance, it’s hard to deny the appeal of Ke’s story. After starring in two of the biggest films of the mid-80s (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies) he was forced to give up on acting after opportunities dried up, an unfortunate by-product of the lack of roles for Asian actors at the time. After close to 30 years, he’s made his triumphant return to Hollywood, and his incredibly sincere and tear-jerking performance has everyone rallying around him.

— Shaan Joshi

Best Actress — Cate Blanchett for Tár

There’s a lot to unpack in the Best Actress race, the most obvious being the neck-and-neck contest between Cate Blanchett and Michelle Yeoh for their respective turns in Tár and Everything Everywhere All at Once. Blanchett has had a more pronounced dominance in the conversation so far, having already nabbed the honor at the Golden Globe Awards (for “Drama”), Critics Choice Awards, and the British Academy Film Awards, but Yeoh also won the Golden Globe in the “Musical or Comedy” list of candidates, and while sheer popularity may only take you so far at the Academy Awards, the overwhelming presence of Everything Everywhere All at Once at this year’s competition just might be enough to propel Yeoh to victory.

Michelle Williams’ turn in The Fabelmans remains the middle-of-the-pack contender, while the underdogs of Andrea Riseborough and Ana de Armas (nominated for To Leslie and Blonde, respectively) offer up entirely different stories. De Armas’ nomination is plagued by the fact that Blonde is currently up for a leading eight nominations at the 43rd Golden Raspberry Awards, making her unlikely upset at the Oscars an infinitely curious possibility. Riseborough’s nomination, meanwhile, had a marked amount of controversy to contend with upon its announcement alone, so we can only imagine how loud the world might get if she happens to win.

Our prediction: Cate Blanchett. Our hope: Michelle Yeoh

— Charlotte Simmons

Best Actor — Brendan Fraser for The Whale

Yes, Austin Butler did perform an exemplary depiction of Elvis Presley in Elvis, which has been the talk of every awards event since its release. Also, the actor has already bested every other nominee at the Golden Globe Awards to snag the Best Actor trophy. But a very different set of circumstances were associated with the category — and dare we say, governed Butler’s eventual win — and that sets up a very different playground for the category at the 95th Academy Awards.

Not only does Brendan Fraser give a heartbreaking performance as the reclusive protagonist of The Whale who is desperate for one last chance at redemption, but he has also risen like a phoenix from the ashes of what was considered a career long dead. I think he more than deserved the Golden Globe, but the HFPA deliberately skirted around triggering the whole topic of why Fraser didn’t attend the event and thus gave the award to Butler instead.

The Oscars has no such qualms. Even if we don’t take into consideration factors like how critically and commercially well The Whale has performed, how amazingly Fraser excels in the emotionally demanding role, or how stars of Darren Aronofsky’s films have always been the favorite in the Oscars’ history of winners, the fact alone that crowning Fraser the Best Actor would make the Academy Awards look exceptionally good is enough to justify my choice.

— Apeksha Bagchi

Best Director — Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert for Everything Everywhere All at Once

In a year where there’s been a disappointing lack of recognition for female directors – and not for lack of great films directed by women – the Academy Award for Directing might still bring some refreshing and much-welcomed change of pace to the near-centenary ceremony.

Not that Steven Spielberg isn’t every bit deserving of the accolade, following what might be his career-best creation with The Fabelmans, but every indicator points towards Everything Everywhere All at Once’s Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert taking home the Oscar; a feat which could rock Hollywood’s old guard and whose grip on the Academy Awards seem to, thankfully, be loosening up. 

Everything Everywhere All at Once has taken the film world by storm, against all odds. The family dramedy redefined the possibilities of cinema by creating the wackiest, boldest, and most heartfelt trip through the multiverse yet with a budget on the low side of $25 million. For comparison, Marvel’s Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania cost around $200 million to make. 

The Daniels are the definite frontrunners in the category after securing a win at the Directors Guild of America Awards, whose voting body significantly overlaps with the Academy’s. But the Oscars are never without their fair share of surprises, and Spielberg could still be walking home with the golden statuette – a win that would serve both as a tribute to one of the greats, and a signifier of the Academy’s unwillingness to look to the future. 

— Francisca Tinoco

Best Picture — Everything Everywhere All at Once

Nobody who watched Swiss Army Man in 2016 would’ve believed the directors of the film about a flatulent corpse would go on to make the top contender for Best Picture in 2023, but the truth is stranger than fiction — and truthfully, there aren’t many things stranger than Everything Everywhere All at Once. The film is the love child of directing duo Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (known collectively as “The Daniels”) and features plot points revolving around hot dog fingers, googly eyes, and taxes. The strangest thing about EEAAO is how endearing the absurdist action comedy is; I cried the entirety of the film’s third act and I thoroughly loved every second of it. 

Although the film switches frequently through alternate universes, at its core, this is a story about a Chinese-American family and what it’s like to live split between multiple worlds. The film made history at the SAG Awards, taking home an unprecedented four awards while the two leads, Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan, were the first Asian woman and man to win their respective categories. After dominating industry awards shows, it’s likely EEAAO will win big on Oscars night and it’s more than deserved.

— Staci White

The 95th Academy Awards airs on Sunday, March 12 on ABC at 8 pm ET / 5 pm PT. Here’s how you can tune in.

The Brendan Fraser renaissance is well and truly here, with him winning a massive Best Actor award for his performance in The Whale at the 2023 SAG Awards.

Fraser’s return to movies after a decade out of the mainstream due to blacklisting for speaking out against abuse in the industry has been fantastic. Well worth the wait, as his role in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale, has seen him score the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role at this year’s Screen Actors Guild awards.

The 54-year-old actor was up against a cavalcade of fellow stars from other well-received films, such as Austin Butler from Elvis, Colin Farrell from The Banshees of Inisherin, Bill Nighy in Living, and Adam Sandler from Hustle. The win could pave the way for a potential Academy Award win in March, given many had guessed Butler would sweep the awards season without much of a rival.

The Whale is a huge success story for Fraser, with the whole release of the film feeling like the world giving the actor a warm hug. The film’s screening at Venice Film Festival saw an astonishing six-minute standing ovation which moved him to tears in one of 2022’s most heart-warming scenes.

The renaissance could go absolutely anywhere from here. Should he continue this momentum and win Best Actor, there’s a good chance he’ll become an A-list actor yet again and be allowed to shine in all sorts of roles. Fraser missed out on playing Firefly in the canceled Batgirl movie, but winning an Oscar is going to be much more important in the end.

The Oscar nominations are just around the corner and kick off at least two months of speculation, campaigning, and Discourse online. Although we’re in the thick of Awards Season, with the Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice Awards behind us, the crown jewel of awards recognition is yet to come. In a year so rich with possibilities, the potential honorees seem endless — but there can only be a handful that make it to the nominee spot. Here are some predictions on who could snag nominations for the biggest night in movies:

Best ing Actor

Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All At Once), Brendon Gleeson (The Banshees of Inishirin), Brian Tyree Henry (Causeway), Judd Hirsch (The Fabemans), Paul Dano (The Fabelmans)

This category feels like mostly a lock, with Ke Huy Quan scoring big at both the Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice Awards, but there are still some interesting nominations that could come along. The Fabelmans feels like the movie most likely to earn two spots on the nominations list: a sweeping, semi-autobiographical picture from a beloved director with two very different (but notable) ing performances.

Best Actor

Brendon Fraser (The Whale), Colin Farrell (The Banshees of Inishirin), Tom Cruise (Top Gun: Maverick), Austin Butler (Elvis), Bill Nighy (Living)

Best Actor is a category that feels like it could be anyone’s game. Brendon Fraser has been on a campaign centering his big comeback and boycotted the Golden Globes due to alleged sexual harassment by a member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Although Fraser was nominated at the Globes, Austin Butler took home that prize for his work in Elvis. Fraser, however, won the award for Best Actor at the Critics’ Choice Awards and remains a surefire nominee. Another notable potential nominee here includes Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick — will the Academy reward Cruise with his fourth award on movie star charisma and goodwill alone?

Best Actress

Cate Blanchett (Tár), Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once), Viola Davis (Woman King), Ana de Armas (Blonde), Michelle Williams (The Fabelmans)

In Best Actress, the Academy has a plethora of great performances to choose from. Michelle Yeoh and Cate Blanchett are definite locks for their work in Everything Everywhere All At Once and Tár, respectively. The remainder of the nominees feels like there could be room for surprises, like nominating Ana de Armas for her work in Blonde. The film hasn’t received any nominations at other awards shows yet, but the Academy loves a movie about the industry and (as I mentioned earlier) a biopic, and might decide to toss this wildcard in. Viola Davis stands a good chance at some recognition, not just because her work in The Woman King is wonderful, but because the Academy likes to reward actors taking a chance outside their comfort zone (think Benedict Cumberbatch’s nomination for last year’s Power of the Dog).

Best ing Actress

Jamie Lee Curtis (Everything Everywhere All At Once), Kerry Condon (The Banshees at Inishirin), Dolly de Leon (Triangle of Sadness), Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All At Once), Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)

The nominees for Best ing Actress are a bit trickier to put a pin in. Angela Bassett is a lock since she swept the Globes and Critics Choice Awards for her work in Black Panda: Wakanda Forever. The remaining potential nominees reflect a great year in ing performances, from EEAAO’s Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephanie Hsu to Banshees’ Kerry Condon. Dolly de Leon is a wild card here for her work in Triangle of Sadness. Although de Leon was nominated for a Globe, she wasn’t in the nominations for Critics Choice — but the Academy has a history of recognizing actors previously unknown to American audiences in this category (think Christoph Waltz winning Best ing Actor for Inglourious Basterds). 

Best Director

Daniel Scheinert & Daniel Kwan (Everything Everywhere All At Once), Sarah Polley (Women Talking), Todd Field (Tár), James Cameron (Avatar: The Way of Water), Steven Spielberg (The Fabelmans)

Best Director offers a number of paths for the Academy to take this year. Nominations for Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan are certain, as well as Steven Spielberg and Todd Field. It’s less clear if the Academy will nominate Sarah Polley for Women Talking, a movie that’s had some quiet buzz, or James Cameron for his long-awaited Avatar sequel. Whoever the nominees are, it’ll be an interesting race to watch for sure.

Best Picture

Everything Everywhere All At Once, The Fabelmans, Elvis, Tár, Top Gun: Maverick, The Banshees of Inisherin, RRR, Avatar: The Way of Water, Women Talking, The Whale

Once again, 2022 has brought up an interesting plethora of options for the Academy to consider for their Best Picture nominations. EEAAO, The Fabelmans, Tar, and The Banshees of Inisherin seem certain to be recognized. If the Academy wanted to bring in more public interest, they could give Avatar: The Way of Water a nod, if they wanted to reward international cinema in a similar way to 2019’s Parasite nomination, they could look to RRR as a nominee. The Whale and Women Talking seem like solid potential as somber dramas, which the Academy also rewards from time to time. For spectacle-laden movies, Elvis and Top Gun seem like good potential nominees, in line with previous noms like Moulin Rouge! In 2001. 

Whoever the nominees end up being, the Oscars always deliver an interesting race, and at least some healthy debate amongst fans and critics alike. 

The Oscar nominations will be announced on Jan. 24th at 8:30 am. ET/5:30 am PT. You can watch them here.

2023 is already shaping up to be the year of Brendan Fraser, and deservedly so. For the public, there isn’t anything more inspiring and heartwarming than a major celebrity comeback, and with his magnetic and emotional turn as Charlie in Darren Aronofsky’s drama The Whale, the beloved actor has been plunged right back into the limelight. 

After a series of wins and nominations for his performance, the actor picked up the Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Best Actor last night, and his powerful acceptance speech left many in their feelings. 

Fellow winner Angela Bassett announced his win, leading to an immediate eruption of tears from the actor, as well as an outpouring of cheers and a standing ovation from the crowd. Fraser went on to show his love and appreciation for his co-star Sadie Sink, and thank Aronofsky for finding him while he was “in the wilderness.” He ended his speech encouraging anyone out there struggling, either with obesity (like his character in The Whale or anything else), that good things will happen if they get to their feet and “go to the light.”

On social media, fans still can’t get enough of the tearjerker, with many sharing their excitement at seeing the star receiving his flowers.

After a decline in work in the late 2000s and throughout the 2010s amid a series of personal challenges, The Whale is regarded as Fraser’s return to stardom, as it has garnered favorable reviews from critics, with much acclaim going to the actor for his stirring performance. 

The Whale follows an obese English teacher who attempts to rekindle his relationship with his teenage daughter. The A24 film also stars Hong Chau, Ty Simpkins, and Samantha Morton. Fraser was also nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama, and is a favorite to score an Academy Award nomination as well.

Brendan Fraser‘s fans continue to show their unwavering for the actor by making his new movie The Whale the largest opening for a limited-released project in 2022. The film tells a story of an overweight teacher named Charlie trying to regain a relationship with his teenage daughter — played by Stranger Things actress Sadie Sink — after living a secluded life.

According to Deadline, The Whale‘s limited opening has generated about $360,000. The drama has only been released in six theaters across New York and Los Angeles. During its opening day on Dec. 9, The Whale made $159,000, while on Saturday, it was reported the film took in over $111,000 in sales. On Dec. 11, The Whale raked in $89,000. 

The publication also reported that this screening beat the previous title holder, Everything Everywhere All at Once, which was released in March. Aside from Fraser’s success, The Whale‘s director Darren Aronofsky also made history by making this his second biggest opening for a limited-released film. His first, Black Swan, made over $1 million during its opening weekend back in 2010.

This isn’t the first time fans have shown their love for Fraser. Just recently, the 54-year-old revealed during an interview with Entertainment Weekly that many are rooting for him to reprise his role as Rick O’Connell in The Mummy franchise. Fraser starred in three of the franchise’s films before taking a break from acting in 2008. The Mummy franchise would generate over $1 billion worldwide.

Universal Studios ultimately rebooted the franchise in 2017, starring Tom Cruise. Although The Mummy reboot performed reasonably well at the box office, fans remained loyal to Fraser and his work. Fraser itted that although he has yet to receive word on The Mummy 4, he is still hopeful that it can be accomplished. 

In the meantime, for those itching to see Fraser’s new work check out The Whale, now showing in limited screenings. 

Brendan Fraser has a lot to be thankful for in 2022. 

The list includes the actor’s diehard fans, his triumphant return to Hollywood with a critically acclaimed role in The Whale, and technology advancements. In the film, Fraser plays Charlie, a secluded, 600-pound teacher trying to repair his relationship with his daughter. During a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Fraser opened up about the behind-the-scenes preparation it took to create Charlie. 

Regarding the physical appearance, Fraser had to wear a 300-pound prosthetic suit. In the EW interview, Fraser revealed that, aside from wearing the suit, everything else was made through technology. He recalled how he felt when having a conversation with The Whale‘s director Darren Aronofsky about Charlie’s appearance, saying: 

“There was no small measure of creative intimidation I felt when I sat down with [Aronofsky]. He was a gentleman and plainspoken about whoever he hired would be required to wear transformational makeup, apparatus, and costuming. For that, he’d rely on a longtime collaborator, Adrien Morot, who approached creating the body of Charlie using technology we have now that we didn’t have.”

Fraser added that he was relieved after finding out that he didn’t have to wear piles of makeup to play Charlie, unlike his previous roles, including 2000’s Bedazzled.

“Gosh, has it been 20 years since I did Bedazzled with Harold Ramis? That was several different characters who went through prosthetic makeup. There was no need to lay underneath goop poured on your face this time—we could cyberscan. That model was taken into a computer; Charlie’s body could be created with absolute control [down to] the placement of pores and moles.” 

The Whale is currently playing in select theaters.

Oscar-bait film The Whale stars Hollywood household name Brendan Fraser as well as Stranger Things alum, Sadie Sink. While many may be acquainted with Fraser’s legacy as an actor from his tiny linen cloth in George of the Jungle, it seems as though a newer generation isn’t as familiar with Disney’s older movies.

Sink itted, via Insider, that she was actually completely unaware of Fraser’s lengthy repertoire. The 20-year-old confessed that she was completely left in the dark when it came to her co-star, who is 34 her senior.

“I didn’t know who he was. I was unfamiliar with his work, but I was just like, ‘Hey, nice to meet you.”

Although it may seem surprising that Sink had never watched Fraser’s Disney legendary films, it is not at all unlikely that she simply never came across the comedy movie. Sam Weisman’s George of the Jungle was released in 1997, while Sink was only born in 2002. Considering she grew up in the mid-2010s, it does make sense that Fraser’s name never ed her ears.

Regardless of their age gap, the 20-year-old itted Fraser was always helpful and kind behind the scenes. Sink plays a young Ellie who has a strained relationship with her estranged father, Charlie (Fraser), and in spite of their on-screen complicated dynamic, the actors’ friendship grew behind the camera.

It’s such a tricky dynamic that our two characters have. But throughout the rehearsal process, he was such a trooper. Some of the things that Ellie has to say to him, it’s not easy stuff to take. But we just really, really trusted each other and because of that, I think we were fully comfortable with one another.

The Whale hits theaters today.

Brendan Fraser wants everyone who sees him in The Whale to know that his appearance isn’t some sort of a stunt or a joke that uses a fat suit as a punch line. The Doom Patrol actor, who is already looking at the Academy Award shortlist due to his critically- acclaimed performance in the film, is hoping that the movie will help bring serious attention to Hollywood’s often fraught relationship with body image and obesity.

“I think we can do a lot better as a society to dispense with what is common in so far as how we are casual about how we refer to those who have weight issues in their life,” Fraser told Screenrant in a recent interview. “Words can be painful, and they can do damage, and I believe that we can do better.”

In The Whale Fraser stars as Charlie, a morbidly obese English teacher whose 600-pound weight has limited his range of movement and made him a virtual prisoner in his own home. Charlie’s eating compulsions have reached a point where he is literally trying to eat himself to death, an end that is only delayed by his desire to reconnect with his estranged daughter, Ellie, played by Sadie Sink.

In preparing for his role, Fraser told Screenrant that “if I’d learned anything important about how to play him, it was from what I learned from the Obesity Action Coalition, who are an organization that s so many people still seeking bariatric procedures, those with eating disorders.”

“We’re going to change some hearts and minds with everyone’s help insofar as them dispensing with what they walked in the door thinking, to how they’re going to need to reorient that by stories. I had a responsibility to play the character with as much dignity and authenticity, whatever that may look like to its audience or to the of his family and friends, the four other characters who come through that apartment.”

— Brendan Fraser

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Fraser’s ultimate hope is that his sensitive portrayal of Charlie will lead to a wider understanding and sensitivity toward obese individuals who have often been used as the butt of insensitive jokes and ridicule — which often contributes to the cycles of shame. “I think that we can do better because I learned from those people that I spoke to that very often the circumstances of their life began at a very young age. Someone spoke to them with recrimination, someone harmed them, someone was vindictive towards them, and it stayed with them.”

The Whale will be released theatrically on Dec. 9.

Director Darren Aronofsky is no stranger to Hollywood, having helmed a number of classic movies like Black Swan and Requiem For a Dream. Despite his impressive pedigree, he was apparently unaware of the undying love the world has for one Brendan Fraser.

Fraser is enjoying a career renaissance right now, in no small part to the buzz he’s generating for his portrayal of a 600-pound man in Aronofsky’s The Whale. In a recent interview with SlashFilm, Aronofsky revealed he had no idea about Fraser’s beloved status.

“I’ve said this in front of Brendan. I had no idea about the Brenaissance or any of the deep, deep love for the human being that he is. I think I was a little older than the generation that watched those big ’90s movies, so I missed a lot of them.”

He is referring of course to the biggest ’90s movie of them all (for a certain Fraser-loving audience, anyway), the masterwork that is The Mummy. Wait a second. So, why did Aronofsky cast Fraser if it wasn’t because of his once-in-a-lifetime Mummy performance?

Turns out Fraser’s more dramatic work he did around the same time is what really turned Aronofsky’s opinion around about the actor.

“I hadn’t seen any of the dramatic work. I still haven’t seen ‘Gods and Monsters.’ I did watch ‘School Ties’ while we were in post. It’s like, ‘Whoa. What the? Matt Damon in a ing role? The world is insane!’ But he fit the bill. When I saw him in that trailer, a light bulb went off. I was like, ‘I’ve got to meet him,’ because I had been thinking for years and years who could do it.”

Aronofsky said he had no intention of resurrecting Fraser’s career, he just saw something in the actor that told him Fraser could pull off the role, despite watching tape of “so many actors, famous and non-famous” who didn’t quite nail the part.

While none of those actors “made sense to [him],” Fraser just “felt right.” The casting came at a great time for the actor, who had been out of the limelight for quite a while.

“When I met him, he clearly had a lot to prove, and clearly hadn’t been given opportunities in a long time,” the director said. Another key piece in making the movie was the studio A24. The studio backed Aronofsky’s vision 100 percent and never balked.

“It’s a really small film, and there was a lot of faith from A24. They’re definitely a director’s company. I think my first meeting, first pitch of it to [A24 co-founder] Dave Fenkel, there wasn’t a blink. He was like, ‘Okay.’ It was very easy, and I was relieved. I didn’t know how he would react,” Aronofsky added.

The Whale is currently in theaters.

Brendan Fraser may have been the epitome of human perfection back in 1997 when he was filming the Disney spoof George of the Jungle. Fraser’s wild man of the jungle build was every bit as spectacular as Disney’s animated Tarzan, right down to his six-pack abs.

But. according to Fraser, the physical regimen required for the part made him almost as light-headed as George was after crashing into that tree.

Fraser recently caught up with his former Airheads co-star Adam Sandler for a heartwarming reunion/interview with Variety. Sandler brought up Fraser’s impressive physical transformation for the part of George teasing, “I was disappointed how good you looked in that. You weren’t supposed to do that to us.”

Fraser responded that he had little choice given that his wardrobe for the film rarely consisted of anything more than a loincloth.

Fraser then revealed that his character’s demanding diet and workout schedule had other effects in addition to nearly zero percent body fat.

“I was waxed. Starved of carbohydrates. I would drive home after work and stop to get something to eat,” Fraser recounted before itting the lack of bread had affected his memory.

“I needed some cash one day, and I went to the ATM, and I couldn’t my PIN number because my brain was misfiring.”

The regimen was 180 degrees of separation from the work Fraser put into his current staring role in The Whale in which he plays a morbidly obese English teacher named Sam. Fraser was determined to approach the role with comion.

“It’s important to say this because there are those who live with this disease. I felt empowered to be their voice and to be as honest as I could and as authentic as I could in the portrayal.”

Fraser purposely gained weight for the role and utilized over 300 pounds of prosthetics.

The Whale will be released theatrically in the United States on Dec. 9