I usually don’t watch pre-released Super Bowl ads before the Super Bowl, I generally want to be surprised.  But this one, from the praise written about it when posted on Twitter, sounded too high to ignore.  And I’m glad I did watch it because it’s the “extended” version (about 90 seconds) which I'm sure won’t be show on TV.  It's the whole enchilada.
 
There have been many superb Super Bowl ads, so I don’t want to say, “This is The Best  Ever!!!”  But I think it’s on the list that will be considered as such.  And remembered for a long time.
 
I don’t know how much it cost to make this or how in the world they got everyone involved, but --
 
Just check it out.

I'll say no more, other than the actors in it seem to be having a wonderful time.  Which given the context (you'll see what I mean) isn't always the case in such things.

Normally, I'd embed the video below.  But the "freeze frame" screen image gives away some of the surprise.  So, instead, I'll embed the link. 

​Just click here...

And afterwards, this is a three-minute "Behind-the-scenes" video.  It's not great, but fun.  In it, they mention that the ad was directed by New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waitiki, who directed the movie JoJo Rabbit.  (And no, the fact that he's from New Zealand does not mean the ad is related to Lord of the Rings.  It's not.  He's just known for off-beat comedy.) So, click here.

Once again, we have another film from the "Popcorn in Bed" videos hosted by a young Canadian-American woman named Cassie.  (For those keeping score: Born in Canada, came to the U.S. in college and became a citizen.)  It's where she watched a classic movie for the first time, and we see them reacting and commenting in a little box while the movie itself (edited down here) plays on the screen.  Later in the series, she's joined by her younger sister, but in this one she's by herself.  (By the way, after watching several more of these, she mentioned - while watching "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" -- that though she's from Canada, he was born when her parents were in the U.S., so she has dual citizenship.  And she went to college in the U.S. and has been living in the U.S. for 10 years.)

I thought the comedy "Dave" would be a good one to check out with her - and it was.  A lot of twists, great comedy, and dramatic moments, all of which her wonderful, effusive spirit reacts to.

Yesterday, I brought up three lesser-known Oscar nominations I was glad about since it brought attention to the films.  This is a companion piece of sorts to that.   

For the most part -- (periodically with an occasional exception or two...) -- I'm fine with whoever gets nominated.  I have no skin in the game, other than if I may have I dearly loved a movie or teeth-gnashingly hated it. But every year, there's always seems to be a discussion in the media and among fans that for me is a personal bugaboo.  And that's the notion of ''They got 'snubbed'!!"

I almost never want to get into a discussion about whether or not the Academy actually did "snub" anyone, because honestly I just don't care enough. And also because it's generally presumptuous to be so certain (let alone think) that the massively diverse 10,000 members of the Motion Picture Academy acted in near-unanimity to gang up on someone or some movie, perhaps meeting up in darkly-lit, private Snub Clubs to decide on actions, or send out Snub Letter memos to follow. While there are always, in any segment of society, opinions that become more prominent -- based on experience, culture, craft (and it's always critical to remember, which most people don't, that unlikely things like The People's Choice Awards, or even the over-lauded Golden Globes, the Oscars are a professional craft honor, voted on by career filmmakers looking, no matter how subjectively, at their field of expertise) -- those 10,000 members range in age from probably 18 to 90, men and women, different disciplines, different life views, different nationalities and more.  But I will say this about the concept of "snubbing":

This is something I've long believed, but it came to particular prominence in 2025 due to the phenomenon that was "Barbie," which grossed an astronomical $1.44 billion worldwide. "Barbie" got a lot of nominations including Best Picture, two Best Supporting nominations, and Greta Gerwig getting a nomination for the screenplay. As "snubs" go, it did really well.  But Margot Robbie didn't get a nomination for Best Actress, and Ms. Gerwig didn't also get nominated for Best Director.  And so, the outcry among its fans were -- despite its eight nominations, among them Best Picture -- that the movie got "snubbed"!!

However, all things are not equal. A lead actress might be brilliant -- but there might be 10 brilliant lead actresses that year, and five of them are going to have to be left out (sorry, "snubbed").  That's just basic math.  Ten is more than five.  There's no other way around it. 

On the other hand, there might only be four really standout Best Supporting Actor performances that year, so they'll all get nominated -- with one "also-ran."  (Which usually brings the outcry, "How did he/she get nominated??  What a joke.")

The same holds true for Best Director, even if the movie got a Best Picture nomination. If there were 10 great directors that year, five are going to be left out (sorry, "snubbed"), even if one directed the Best Picture.

People often look at something as "snubbed" because they don't know several of the other nominees. So, the presumption is that, gee, those must not be any good. But that's on them for not seeing these other movies. Academy members are sent DVDs or shown (streaming on the Academy website) almost all the eligible films with even a remote chance. So, they do see them. Many take voting very seriously -- out of obligation or love of movies.  (I have an Academy-member friend who almost goes into hibernation when Oscar-voting seasons comes around, often watching almost two movies a day for weeks.)  And they may decide, "Overall, I loved this movie...but man, the direction of this other movie was spectacular, even if I didn't care for the story as much, or the production design or costumes or whatever."

(By the way, since this is a professional craft award, most people in the public don't even know exactly what a director does.  Or even, to a degree, actors -- who many people think make up their lines, or don't realize how much an editor can impact a performance.  Or have any idea that screenwriters actually write those moments of action or silence when someone isn't talking.  Let alone have any idea what the "under-the-line" craft artists do.  Or what a gaffer or grip is.)

A slight digression on being "snubbed" of an Oscar nomination:

The movie "Jaws" changed the film industry.  It created the concept of summer tent-pole blockbuster, which has become the standard every since.  It was a massive success -- it not only grossed $480 million worldwide (in 1975, worth almost $3 billion today!), but it was the first movie ever to gross over $100 million domestically...indeed, crushing that mark, taking in $280 million.  It skyrocketed Stephen Spielberg into being a superstar director.  It was nominated as Best Picture and won three Oscars.  And for all that, Stephen Spielberg was not even nominated.  It turns out, he did okay with his career.

Or take the movie "The Music Man."  If that show is ever brought up to a person (and they know what it is...), what is the first thing that people likely think of?  Probably 'Prof. Harold Hill -- and Robert Preston.  After all, he gave one of the legendary performances on Broadway in the role and won the Tony Award.  And the movie was a huge hit and got nominated for Best Picture.  It's a story that only works if the actor playing 'Harold Hill' is brilliant in it.  He's the core center of it, the sun in the universe.  Everything revolves around him.  And "The Music Man" was nominated for Best Picture.  Which only happens because Robert Preston was at his legendary best.  And -- okay, I'm sure you know where this is going -- Robert Preston did not get an Oscar nomination as Best Actor for "The Music Man."  Because that year, Academy voters thought there were five others even better.  It turns out that he, too, did okay with his career.

By the way, who were the five actors got Oscar nominations as Best Actors that year, pushing out Robert Preston in his supposed "snubbing"?  They were -- Gregory Peck (for "To Kill a Mockingbird"), Burt Lancaster for "Birdman of Alcatraz"), Jack Lemmon for "Days of Wine and Roses"), Marcello Mastroianni (for "Divorce--Italian Style"), and Peter O'Toole (for "Lawrence of Arabia")!!!!  Each of them legendary performances.  Each so great that it's hard to imagine that any of them didn't win.  But it was Gregory Peck who did.  Was Robert Preston, in his fabled, Tony-winning performance as 'Prof. Harold Hill' snubbed by the Oscars for not getting nominated in the Best Picture nominee "The Music Man"?  Who should have been bumped for him?  And would they then have been "snubbed"?  It happens.  Some years are great.

Greta Gerwig received an Oscar nomination for Best Screenwriter.  The film she directed was nominated for Best Picture.  That's high praise.  She was not "snubbed."  Such things happen.  There are other artists who made films, and voters like those even more.  And in the end, her movie grossed $1.44 billion, she rose to superstar director (and filmmaker), and her career was rock-solid established.

But most of all, in the end, when you find yourself in a debate about Who Got Snubbed?!!!, it always leads -- and must lead -- to that final, critical point: when one says, "So-and-so was snubbed!!!", then they must answer the question, "Okay, so then which of the nominees would you drop?" Usually, all five are deserving -- and saying you'd drop a nominee because you didn't see the film is totally inappropriate. And if you do end up saying, "Well...okay, I'd drop so-and-so," then fans of that person will cry out at the person being "snubbed."

Some movies or people maybe perhaps do get "snubbed." Maybe. Perhaps. But it's rare. Usually, voters just like other nominees more.

Ah, it's that time of year.  The Oscar nominations were announced last Thursday morning.

I didn't especially care one way or the other what got nominated.  I liked a lot of movies that were released last year, but nothing held any great emotional tie.  However, three nominations did please me, all of them from lesser-known films, which, in part, is why I was glad to see them recognized.

One was the nomination for Best Special Effects, for The Lost Bus.  I was happy for this because it was a wonderful, riveting movie made for Apple TV+ but probably hasn't been seen (or known) much outside of that -- and also because it's special effects are so spectacular and yet utterly natural -- and are the core of the entire film -- that I watched in awe on how in the world this was made.  It stars Matthew McConuaghey and was directed by Paul Greengrass, who directed Captain Phillips, the three "Jason Bourne" movies, and News of the World, among others.  And it tells the true story of the Paradise, California wildfire in 2018 when only one school bus was available to even try to evacuate 23 children in the middle of the forest.  A driver who has to divert from picking up his own son elsewhere in the forest.  And on the harrowing ride, all communication with the dispatch center was lost. 

The user comments for the trailer are fascinating to read, since many of them are from the children who had been on the bus.  The trailer is intentionally quiet, low-key and powerful...but only gives a small hint of what this film does. 

And the third nomination I was pleased by -- for a totally weird, unexpected, purely personal and near-meaningless reason.  Last Wednesday, I was with my friend John Kander (not the Broadway composer of Cabaret and Chicago, but his nephew), driving crosstown to the L.A. reunion for the oft-mentioned Camp Nebagamon.  (It was very enjoyable.)  He said he had to pop in afterwards to party that a friend of his, songwriter Diane Warren, was giving, which she always does if she's eligible for a Best Song Oscar.  The gathering goes on all-night until nominations are announced the next morning at 5:30 AM Los Angeles time.  It almost seems like this should be an annual event, since she has 16 nominations (!!) -- and received an honorary Oscar in 2022.  (For those curious, it's sitting in her kitchen, surrounded by a lot of random paper and notes.)  Among her songs are "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," "If I Could Turn Back Time," "How Do I Live (Without You)", "Because You Loved Me," "Solitaire," "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" and...well, a ton of others.

No, we didn't stay until 5:30 AM -- rather, we left oh-so much earlier, around 10 PM.  And whatever one might think of a "Hollywood Party" (tm), it was low key, and the food served was pizza.  Boxes and boxes of pizza.  So, as far as I'm concerned, a total joy.  (And a surprise, since I was warned beforehand that the host was a serious vegan.  So, she didn't even join in her own food.)  Hey, I have my priorities!  And "boxes and boxes of pizza" is high on the list.  It was a bit cold by the time we got there, but still delicious.  Though I should have done what John wisely did -- heated up his pizza in the microwave.  And happily, the next morning I saw that she got her 17th Best Song nomination.  It's for the song "Dear Me" that she wrote for the documentary on her life, Diane Warren: Relentless (which is currently streaming on Amazon Prime and Apple TV+).

Of the three, I think Rose Byrne has the best chance, since she's won a bunch of awards already given out.  But so has Jessie Buckley in Hamnet.  Honors for both actresses are well-deserved.

The one I hope for most, though still unlikely, is The Lost Bus -- because I still have no idea how they pulled off what they did.  It's a terrific movie, but the special effects are so natural and otherworldly.

We have another film today from the “Popcorn in Bed” videos hosted by a young Canadian woman named Cassie.  And this one is along with her younger sister.  It’s where they watch a classic movie for the first time, and we see them reacting and commenting in a little box while the movie itself (edited down here) plays on the screen.
 
I figured this would be a good one for watching them react – and it was.  “Field of Dreams.”  Hey, how could they not react with a movie like this?  They knew nothing about the film (and not all that much about baseball).  But I was sure they’d be in for a great ride (and us, as well, watching them be surprised by the twists) when they say upfront how much they love baseball movies – and name two very light films, “Rookie of the Year” and “Sandlot.”  All I could think was, “Man, buckle up, because you are in for a massive treat.”  And by the end, they were.  And that’s the great fun of these videos – seeing a classic through the eyes of enthusiastic, emotional movie lovers, trying to figure it out and watching it for the first time.

On this week’s episode of 3rd & Fairfax, the official podcast of the Writers Guild of America, the guest is writer/director Chloé Zhao (Nomadland, Eternals).  As the show writes, she talks about “crafting her latest film Hamnet, the art of adaptation, where she finds creative inspiration, and much more.