NO OSCARS FOR HEARTBREAKING HUNKS!
Justice for the sweeties who did it all for the "Glory of Love" 💔
I can’t believe my first 2024 issue is going to be a mournful one. But in the words of Shania Twain, Oscar voters did not impress me much with their nominations this year. 🙃
While Ryan Gosling did get a well-deserved Best Supporting Actor nod for Barbie, so many equally heartbreaking hunks didn’t make the cut. This post goes out to the brave soldiers who lost the awards season war, but won a special spot in himbo history. I, along with many other allies, will never forget your sacrifices.
THE IRON CLAW (but especially Zac)
I guess I jumped the gun in predicting that my man Zac Efron would get his first Oscar nomination for his gutting portrayal of the last living son of the “cursed” Von Erich wrestling clan. But I know I am not alone in feeling he deserved it, with many fellow film fans (I see you, Super Yaki!) praying for him to be part of the Best Actor race even though he has been shut out by so many other major voting entities (BAFTA, SAG).
In general, The Iron Claw got clobbered this awards season, with its only nominations coming from critics associations and the National Board of Review. It’s a real shame, especially considering the fact that it’s not just a critical fave: it’s also been embraced by general audiences (it has an 94% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, people). I know many folks who put in on their Best of the Year lists (myself included) and people are still going out to theatres to check it out weeks after its initial release.
It seems as though a24 was more focused on pushing Past Lives and The Zone of Interest as their Oscar contenders this year, which is fair considering they both were very well received and ended up nabbing nominations in the end. But they are still benefiting from The Iron Claw on the merchandising front, releasing a zine created by director Sean Durkin (which I bought) and announcing plans to release an action figure based on Zac’s embodiment of Kevin Von Erich.
Anyway, I hope that one day Zac will be honoured for his contributions to both film as a whole as well as himbo cinema as its own subgenre. His work in The Iron Claw is truly remarkable, with the role allowing him to not only demonstrate his physical prowess but, more importantly, his ability to shoulder emotional weight. And I’m clearly not the only one who thinks so.
Charles Melton in MAY DECEMBER
This one hurt most of all. 🦋
Many folks had Charles Melton pegged as an Oscar frontrunner early in the season, especially after he sweeped critics awards circuit and nabbed Golden Globe and Indie Spirit nominations. Alas, it appears that the industry didn’t take to May December, or its commentary on how Hollywood capitalizes on real people’s trauma, the same way many Netflix viewers did.
It’s a real shame considering that Mr. Melton gives a truly outstanding performance in the film, often outshining his award-winning co-stars Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore. I haven’t stopped thinking about his work on the film since I first saw it, the scene of 35-year-old Joe smoking his first joint on the roof with his teenage son seared in my brain like hot dogs on a grill.
No matter how you feel about how Samy Burch’s script handles the character and the actual survivor who inspired him, it’s clear that Charles took on the role with care and sensitivity. He is the one who takes the film from camp classic to masterwork for me. He is the one who should be getting the kudos.
All this to say, I’ll just leave this screenshot here.
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM
While this wannabe herpetologist is pleased that another iconic reptile is finally getting his flowers from the Academy this year, I cannot help but be upset at the lack of love for my favourite himbos in half-shells.
Listen, I am no idiot. I knew that it was gonna be hard for my pizza-loving bros to clinch Best Animated Feature trophy in a year when a new Hayao Miyazaki film was released. But the fact that a subpar Pixar film got a nomination over what might be the best Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie ever made? Talk about a true travesty.
Sure, I am biased in the fact that I have been a turtle girl since my youth (see: photographic evidence below). But this latest spin on the classic tale of found family and martial art is absolutely stunning, especially in terms of the unique visuals crafted by Mikros Animation. What’s more, the script penned by director Jeff Rowe, Detective Pikachu’s Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit, and BFFs Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, is charming as hell. And then, of course, there are the killer performances from the young actors playing the titular turts.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is a film that should be considered one of the best of its kind this year. If the powers that be can’t see that, then the least you can do is watch it at home sometime, preferably with a piping hot pie by your side. 🍕
The men of ALL OF US STRANGERS
I used to be a big movie cryer, saving my biggest sobfests for darkened theatres and dimly lit living rooms. But the past couple of years have left me high and dry in this department, even when films hit on my usual trigger points (doomed love, grandma stuff, animals in peril). Thanks to my therapist, a few lifestyle updates, and the movie Aftersun, I’m finally back in the game. And All of Us Strangers is living proof.
Following a queer screenwriter (Andrew Scott, often known as the “Hot Priest” from Fleabag) who forms a relationship with a younger man (Paul Mescal of the aforementioned Charlotte Wells film and, I guess, Normal People) while digging through the wreckage of his broken past, All of Us Strangers is one of the most moving films I’ve seen in years. And it represents a subsect of himbo cinema sometimes overlooked: the sad gay.
I’m not sure that I’d call Scott’s character, Adam, a himbo, but Mescal’s Harry absolutely is. And their sweet and sexy relationship absolutely fits in with the rest of these films in terms of dismantling toxic masculinity. It celebrates sensitivity and men’s desire for connection. And it honours the fact that sometimes those needs are not as easily met when you are a queer person in a heteronormative world. 😭
Yes, All of Us Strangers has received a decent amount of praise, including six BAFTA and three Indie Spirit noms. But considering how hard Scott and Mescal have been working the press circuit for this film, I think it should be getting even more attention in North America. Scott, for one, should have gotten a Best Actor nod, replacing Bradley Cooper in that category (sorry/not sorry, Jackson Maine). I’d also have settled for an Adapted Screenplay nom for director Andrew Haigh.
If you aren’t sold on All of Us Strangers yet, I implore you to watch the video below and try not to be charmed. More of this, please!
Who/what else do you think deserved some Oscars love this year? Did I forget your himbo hero of 2023? Please feel free to share the love (or hate) below. And do consider checking out these movies if you haven’t already. ❤️