Dorian Film Award Nominations Include "Challengers," "I Saw the TV Glow" and "Will & Harper"

I Saw the TV Glow (c) A24

Friday Jan. 17, 2025 - Los Angeles - GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, consisting of over 500 entertainment critics, journalists and media icons, today announced the group’s democratically chosen nominees for its 16th Dorian Film Awards. The Dorians go to both mainstream and LGBTQ-themed content, celebrating what the group calls “the expert Q+ eye on entertainment.” 

Leading with an impressive nine nominations is writer-director Jane Schoenbrun’s thought-provoking horror tale I Saw the TV Glow, a film overlooked by many other kudos groups considering 2024’s theatrical and digital releases. Star Demi Moore’s thriller of a comeback The Substance is a close second, with 8 Dorian nods. 

Film: Spoiler Talk For 2024 Films, Like Is “The Brutalist” as Homophobic as “Emilia Perez” Is Trans Tone Deaf?

Babygirl (c) A24

One drawback to seeing movies before they open commercially (humble bragging, sorry) is that I have spoiler questions or thoughts that I couldn’t never bring up in my reviews, because I respect my readers (you’re welcome). But at the end of every movie year, I do have to get them off my chest with spoiler thoughts for people who have finally seen these films. This column is actually a throwback to something my younger self would do: email friends and co-workers (who wanted them or not) thoughts on award shows the night before. 

The Interested Bystander's Top Films of 2024 (and 2023!)

Touch (c) Focus Feature

Two Years in Films: Best of 2023 & 2024 

After the foregone conclusion of Oppenheimer at last year’s Oscars, the films of 2024 do not have a slam dunk favorite for Best Picture or in my own personal list with really good films that I admired seemingly now destined to be on my best films of 2024 “Best of” list. 

Like last year, I will only list my favorite twenty films of 2024, in alphabetical order and not actually list them in order of my top ten favorites until the end of 2025, after a year of reflection and catching up on films I may have missed. In fact, at the time of this article, I have not seen Babygirl or All We Imagine as Light yet. 

Which means, after a year of reflection, my final Top Ten of films of 2023 is below. I am also pointing out some 2024 performances that haven’t gotten the recognition they deserve from award groups so far. So, enjoy my wrap up of 2024 and, as always, I hope you have a safe and cinematically rich 2025. 

Theater Reviews: “Eureka Day” Hysterically Explores the Small Intersection of Cultural Inclusivity and Anti-Vax; Two Lonely Souls Try to Connect in “A Guide for the Homesick”; “Pen Pals” Explores the Gentle Friendship of Two Women Who Have Never Met

Eureka Day (c) Jeremy Daniel

Broadway: Eureka Day 
Presented by Manhattan Theatre Club at the Friedman Theatre

Herd immunity is the only concept both sides of the growing war brewing at Eureka Day School, a private, inclusive elementary school in Berkeley California, can agree on. It’s 2018 and a small group of children have come down with the mumps, and at a school that doesn’t require disclosure of vaccination, it soon becomes obvious which families have partaken and which haven’t. Herd immunity is the goal, but the argument is by which means: Will immunization be achieved by vaccinations as Carina (Amber Grey), the newest member of the Eureka Day School board, is advocating in the name of well-documented science or will it be through natural infection as Suzanne (Jessica Hecht), the elder statesman, argues, bypassing the CDC and Big Pharma altogether. In Jonathan Spektor’s hysterical and balanced(-ish) play, wonderfully realized by Anna D. Shapiro, the lines are not drawn clearly in the sand as the theme of inclusion is always on the top of mind of the board, including the school’s head, Don (Bill Irwin, using his natural clown flexibility to fun effect here) and two other parents, Meiko and Eli, each of whom have children with mumps. The acting ensemble is exceptional, with the always reliable Hecht particularly impressive playing the most understanding person ever until her values are challenged. But the funniest sequence does not involve the actors at all: In a virtual meeting held by the school board about the outbreak and quarantine (sound familiar), the scene is overshadowed by a vicious and too-on-the-nose group chat by the parents, projected on the stage. Bravo to the actors who have to continue to hold a serious discussion as the audience guffaws over the farce in the chat. It is amazing that Spektor’s play is so enjoyable as it is essentially that excruciating family dinner we all try to avoid where politics is inevitably brought up. Eureka Day is the latest of these plays about the America divide, after The Minutes (showing the MAGA extreme) and The Thanksgiving Play (showing the “woke” one). Spektor’s offering is more clever, giving voice to the dichotomy found in its audience (Broadway = rich, white; New York = diverse, liberal) with an ending that may seem like a band-aid over a hole in a leaky dam, but welcome to the U.S.A. 

The Interested Bystander’s Oscar Predictions: December 2024

The Brutalist (c) A24

We are almost at the finish line for Oscar nominations, which will be announced on January 17, and I will have my final predictions a couple of days before that date. But as of today, we already have hints, with a lot of critic’s groups winners and the nominations for the Golden Globes as well as the best indicator far, the Oscars shortlist in seven categories (although I don’t believe Alien: Romulus, which has been mentioned in two categories, will probably not make it for Best Picture). Below are my penultimate nomination predictions for the Oscars. 

But, before I do that, here some potential nominees that in any other year would be in the Oscar race but for some reason have not had the traction this year.   I hope one of these make it through to the final Oacar nominations.

Hope everyone is having a Happy Holiday Season and a wonderful 2025.