A lot was going on in movies and television in the last few weeks. A popular video game received a TV debut with a popular response. Awards were announced for some of the best in TV and movies at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice awards. And it looks like the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be making a grand return to one country in particular. Check out everything that happened in our roundup article.
The Last of Us Makes Stellar Debut
As one of the biggest TV premieres of January, HBO debuted the premiere episode of “The Last Of Us”. The horror series, based on the video game of the same title, takes place in a zombie apocalypse where the grieving Joel sets off on an adventure with the young girl Ellie in hopes of finding a cure for the zombie virus outbreak.
Upon its debut, the first episode has some of the most significant ratings that HBO hasn’t seen in over a decade. The HBO Max streaming numbers were also very high. The critical praise was incredibly positive among most of the reviewers as well.
GameSpot‘s Mark Delaney wrote about how this engrossing series marked a new turning point for video games leaping off consoles and into TV. Empire‘s John Nugent brought up how Pedro Pascal, the actor playing Joel, has delivered one of his best performances. Time‘s Judy Berman praised Bella Ramsey’s performance as Ellie, highlighting how she’s the show’s greatest asset. Digital Spy‘s David Opie praised the production by stating, “every set feels like it was ripped straight out of the game.”
“The Last of Us” is currently airing on HBO and HBO Max.
The Golden Globes Winners
It’s award season time, and one of the first major ceremonies for the season is the Golden Globes. The night’s major winners were Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans”, Brendan Fraser with his comeback performance in “The Whale”, and Austin Butler making a splash for his role in “Elvis”. Here’s the full list of nominations and winners:
Best motion picture – drama
WINNER: The Fabelmans
Avatar: The Way of Water
Elvis
Tár
Top Gun: Maverick
Best motion picture – musical or comedy
WINNER: The Banshees of Inisherin
Babylon
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Triangle of Sadness
Best television series – drama
WINNER: House of the Dragon (HBO Max)
Better Call Saul (AMC+/AMC)
The Crown (Netflix)
Ozark (Netflix)
Severance (Apple TV+)
Best television series – musical or comedy
WINNER: Abbott Elementary (ABC)
The Bear (FX)
Hacks (HBO Max)
Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
Wednesday (Netflix)
Best animated feature
WINNER: Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Inu-Oh
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Turning Red
Best motion picture – Non-English language (formerly foreign language)
WINNER: Argentina, 1985
All Quiet on the Western Front
Close
Decision to Leave
RRR
Best television limited series, anthology series or motion picture made for television
WINNER: The White Lotus (HBO Max)
Black Bird (Apple TV+)
Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (Netflix)
The Dropout (Hulu)
Pam & Tommy (Hulu)
Best performance by an actor in a television series – drama
WINNER: Kevin Costner, Yellowstone
Jeff Bridges, The Old Man
Diego Luna, Andor
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
Adam Scott, Severance
Best performance by an actress in a television series – drama
WINNER: Zendaya, Euphoria
Emma D’Arcy, House of the Dragon
Laura Linney, Ozark
Imelda Staunton, The Crown
Hilary Swank, Alaska Daily
Best performance by an actor in a limited series, anthology series or motion picture made for television
WINNER: Evan Peters, Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
Taron Egerton, Black Bird
Colin Firth, The Staircase
Andrew Garfield, Under the Banner of Heaven
Sebastian Stan, Pam & Tommy
Best performance by an actress in a limited series, anthology series or motion picture made for television
WINNER: Amanda Seyfried, The Dropout
Jessica Chastain, George & Tammy
Julia Garner, Inventing Anna
Lily James, Pam & Tommy
Julia Roberts, Gaslit
Best director – motion picture
WINNER: Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans
James Cameron, Avatar: The Way of Water
Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Baz Luhrmann, Elvis
Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin
Best screenplay – motion picture
WINNER: Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin
Todd Field, Tár
Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Sarah Polley, Women Talking
Steven Spielberg, Tony Kushner, The Fabelmans
Best performance by an actress in a motion picture – drama
WINNER: Cate Blanchett, Tár
Olivia Colman, Empire of Light
Viola Davis, The Woman King
Ana de Armas, Blonde
Michelle Williams, The Fabelmans
Best performance by an actor in a motion picture – drama
WINNER: Austin Butler, Elvis
Brendan Fraser, The Whale
Hugh Jackman, The Son
Bill Nighy, Living
Jeremy Pope, The Inspection
Best performance by an actress in a motion picture – musical or comedy
WINNER: Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Lesley Manville, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris
Margot Robbie, Babylon
Anya Taylor-Joy, The Menu
Emma Thompson, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
Best performance by an actor in a motion picture – musical or comedy
WINNER: Colin Farrell, The Banshees of Inisherin
Diego Calva, Babylon
Daniel Craig, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Adam Driver, White Noise
Ralph Fiennes, The Menu
Best performance by an actress in a television series – musical or comedy
WINNER: Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
Kaley Cuoco, The Flight Attendant
Selena Gomez, Only Murders in the Building
Jenna Ortega, Wednesday
Jean Smart, Hacks
Best performance by an actor in a television series – musical or comedy
WINNER: Jeremy Allen White, The Bear
Donald Glover, Atlanta
Bill Hader, Barry
Steve Martin, Only Murders in the Building
Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building
Best performance by an actress in a supporting role in any motion picture
WINNER: Angela Bassett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin
Jamie Lee Curtis, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Dolly De Leon, Triangle of Sadness
Carey Mulligan, She Said
Best performance by an actor in a supporting role in any motion picture
WINNER: Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Brendan Gleeson, The Banshees of Inisherin
Barry Keoghan, The Banshees of Inisherin
Brad Pitt, Babylon
Eddie Redmayne, The Good Nurse
Best performance by an actress in a supporting role in a limited series, anthology series or motion picture made for television
WINNER: Jennifer Coolidge, The White Lotus
Claire Danes, Fleishman is in Trouble
Daisy Edgar-Jones, Under the Banner of Heaven
Niecy Nash, Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
Aubrey Plaza, The White Lotus
Best performance by an actor in a supporting role in a limited series, anthology series or motion picture made for television
WINNER: Paul Walter Hauser, Black Bird
F. Murray Abraham, The White Lotus
Domhnall Gleeson, The Patient
Richard Jenkins, Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
Seth Rogen, Pam & Tommy
Best performance by an actress in a supporting role in a musical-comedy or drama series
WINNER: Julia Garner, Ozark
Elizabeth Debicki, The Crown
Hannah Einbinder, Hacks
Janelle James, Abbott Elementary
Sheryl Lee Ralph, Abbott Elementary
Best performance by an actor in a supporting role in a musical-comedy or drama series
WINNER: Tyler James Williams, Abbott Elementary
John Lithgow, The Old Man
Jonathan Pryce, The Crown
John Turturro, Severance
Henry Winkler, Barry
Best original score – motion picture
WINNER: Justin Hurwitz, Babylon
Carter Burwell, The Banshees of Inisherin
Alexandre Desplat, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Hildur Guðnadóttir, Women Talking
John Williams, The Fabelmans
Best original song – motion picture
WINNER: “Naatu Naatu,” RRR
“Carolina,” Where the Crawdads Sing
“Ciao Papa,” Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
“Hold My Hand,” Top Gun: Maverick
“Lift Me Up,” Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
The Critics Choice Awards Winners
In addition to the Golden Globes, there’s also the Critics Choice awards. These awards are based on the nominations of film and TV critics. As you can see from the nominees and winners, there are a lot of repeats compared to the Golden Globes, signaling that these films and performances could be locks for the upcoming Academy Awards. Here’s the full list of nominations and winners for the Critics Choice Awards:
BEST PICTURE
Avatar: The Way of Water
Babylon
The Banshees of Inisherin
Elvis
Everything Everywhere All at Once (WINNER
The Fabelmans
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
RRR
Tár
Top Gun: Maverick
Women Talking
BEST ACTOR
Austin Butler – Elvis
Tom Cruise – Top Gun: Maverick
Colin Farrell – The Banshees of Inisherin
Brendan Fraser – The Whale (WINNER)
Paul Mescal – Aftersun
Bill Nighy – Living
BEST ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett – Tár (WINNER)
Viola Davis – The Woman King
Danielle Deadwyler – Till
Margot Robbie – Babylon
Michelle Williams – The Fabelmans
Michelle Yeoh – Everything Everywhere All at Once
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Paul Dano – The Fabelmans
Brendan Gleeson – The Banshees of Inisherin
Judd Hirsch – The Fabelmans
Barry Keoghan – The Banshees of Inisherin
Ke Huy Quan – Everything Everywhere All at Once (WINNER)
Brian Tyree Henry – Causeway
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Angela Bassett – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (WINNER)
Jessie Buckley – Women Talking
Kerry Condon – The Banshees of Inisherin
Jamie Lee Curtis – Everything Everywhere All at Once
Stephanie Hsu – Everything Everywhere All at Once
Janelle Monáe – Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS
Frankie Corio – Aftersun
Jalyn Hall – Till
Gabriel LaBelle – The Fabelmans (WINNER)
Bella Ramsey – Catherine Called Birdy
Banks Repeta – Armageddon Time
Sadie Sink – The Whale
BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
The Banshees of Inisherin
Everything Everywhere All at Once
The Fabelmans
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (WINNER)
The Woman King
Women Talking
BEST DIRECTOR
James Cameron – Avatar: The Way of Water
Damien Chazelle – Babylon
Todd Field – Tár
Baz Luhrmann – Elvis
Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert – Everything Everywhere All at Once (WINNER)
Martin McDonagh – The Banshees of Inisherin
Sarah Polley – Women Talking
Gina Prince-Bythewood – The Woman King
S. S. Rajamouli – RRR
Steven Spielberg – The Fabelmans
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Todd Field – Tár
Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert – Everything Everywhere All at Once (WINNER)
Martin McDonagh – The Banshees of Inisherin
Steven Spielberg, Tony Kushner – The Fabelmans
Charlotte Wells – Aftersun
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Samuel D. Hunter – The Whale
Kazuo Ishiguro – Living
Rian Johnson – Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Rebecca Lenkiewicz – She Said
Sarah Polley – Women Talking (WINNER)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Russell Carpenter – Avatar: The Way of Water
Roger Deakins – Empire of Light
Florian Hoffmeister – Tár
Janusz Kaminski – The Fabelmans
Claudio Miranda – Top Gun: Maverick (WINNER)
Linus Sandgren – Babylon
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Hannah Beachler, Lisa K. Sessions – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Rick Carter, Karen O’Hara – The Fabelmans
Dylan Cole, Ben Procter, Vanessa Cole – Avatar: The Way of Water
Jason Kisvarday, Kelsi Ephraim – Everything Everywhere All at Once
Catherine Martin, Karen Murphy, Bev Dunn – Elvis
Florencia Martin, Anthony Carlino – Babylon (WINNER)
BEST EDITING
Tom Cross – Babylon
Eddie Hamilton – Top Gun: Maverick
Stephen Rivkin, David Brenner, John Refoua, James Cameron – Avatar: The Way of Water
Paul Rogers – Everything Everywhere All at Once (WINNER)
Matt Villa, Jonathan Redmond – Elvis
Monika Willi – Tár
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Ruth E. Carter – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (WINNER)
Jenny Eagan – Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Shirley Kurata – Everything Everywhere All at Once
Catherine Martin – Elvis
Gersha Phillips – The Woman King
Mary Zophres – Babylon
BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP
Babylon
The Batman
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Elvis (WINNER)
Everything Everywhere All at Once
The Whale
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Avatar: The Way of Water (WINNER)
The Batman
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Everything Everywhere All at Once
RRR
Top Gun: Maverick
BEST COMEDY
The Banshees of Inisherin
Bros
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (WINNER)
Triangle of Sadness
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (WINNER)
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Turning Red
Wendell & Wild
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
All Quiet on the Western Front
Argentina, 1985
Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
Close
Decision to Leave
RRR (WINNER)
BEST SONG
“Carolina” – Where the Crawdads Sing
“Ciao Papa” – Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
“Hold My Hand” – Top Gun: Maverick
“Lift Me Up” – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
“Naatu Naatu” – RRR (WINNER)
“New Body Rhumba” – White Noise
BEST SCORE
Alexandre Desplat – Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Michael Giacchino – The Batman
Hildur Guðnadóttir – Tár (WINNER)
Hildur Guðnadóttir – Women Talking
Justin Hurwitz – Babylon
John Williams – The Fabelmans
BEST DRAMA SERIES
Andor (Disney+)
Bad Sisters (Apple TV+)
Better Call Saul (AMC) (WINNER)
The Crown (Netflix)
Euphoria (HBO)
The Good Fight (Paramount+)
House of the Dragon (HBO)
Severance (Apple TV+)
Yellowstone (Paramount Network)
BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Jeff Bridges – The Old Man (FX)
Sterling K. Brown – This Is Us (NBC)
Diego Luna – Andor (Disney+)
Bob Odenkirk – Better Call Saul (AMC) (WINNER)
Adam Scott – Severance (Apple TV+)
Antony Starr – The Boys (Prime Video)
BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Christine Baranski – The Good Fight (Paramount+)
Sharon Horgan – Bad Sisters (Apple TV+)
Laura Linney – Ozark (Netflix)
Mandy Moore – This Is Us (NBC)
Kelly Reilly – Yellowstone (Paramount Network)
Zendaya – Euphoria (HBO) (WINNER)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Andre Braugher – The Good Fight (Paramount+)
Ismael Cruz Córdova – The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Prime Video)
Michael Emerson – Evil (Paramount+)
Giancarlo Esposito – Better Call Saul (AMC) (WINNER)
John Lithgow – The Old Man (FX)
Matt Smith – House of the Dragon (HBO)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Milly Alcock – House of the Dragon (HBO)
Carol Burnett – Better Call Saul (AMC)
Jennifer Coolidge – The White Lotus (HBO) (WINNER)
Julia Garner – Ozark (Netflix)
Audra McDonald – The Good Fight (Paramount+)
Rhea Seehorn – Better Call Saul (AMC)
BEST COMEDY SERIES
Abbott Elementary (ABC) (WINNER)
Barry (HBO)
The Bear (FX)
Better Things (FX)
Ghosts (CBS)
Hacks (HBO Max)
Reboot (Hulu)
Reservation Dogs (FX)
BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Matt Berry – What We Do in the Shadows (FX)
Bill Hader – Barry (HBO)
Keegan-Michael Key – Reboot (Hulu)
Steve Martin – Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
Jeremy Allen White – The Bear (FX) (WINNER)
D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai – Reservation Dogs (FX)
BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Christina Applegate – Dead to Me (Netflix)
Quinta Brunson – Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Kaley Cuoco – The Flight Attendant (HBO Max)
Renée Elise Goldsberry – Girls5eva (Peacock)
Devery Jacobs – Reservation Dogs (FX)
Jean Smart – Hacks (HBO Max) (WINNER)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Brandon Scott Jones – Ghosts (CBS)
Leslie Jordan – Call Me Kat (Fox)
James Marsden – Dead to Me (Netflix)
Chris Perfetti – Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Tyler James Williams – Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Henry Winkler – Barry (HBO) (WINNER)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Paulina Alexis – Reservation Dogs (FX)
Ayo Edebiri – The Bear (FX)
Marcia Gay Harden – Uncoupled (Netflix)
Janelle James – Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Annie Potts – Young Sheldon (CBS)
Sheryl Lee Ralph – Abbott Elementary (ABC) (WINNER)
BEST LIMITED SERIES
The Dropout (Hulu) (WINNER)
Gaslit (Starz)
The Girl from Plainville (Hulu)
The Offer (Paramount+)
Pam & Tommy (Hulu)
Station Eleven (HBO Max)
This Is Going to Hurt (AMC+)
Under the Banner of Heaven (FX)
BEST MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Fresh (Hulu)
Prey (Hulu)
Ray Donovan: The Movie (Showtime)
The Survivor (HBO)
Three Months (Paramount+)
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (The Roku Channel) (WINNER)
BEST ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Ben Foster – The Survivor (HBO)
Andrew Garfield – Under the Banner of Heaven (FX)
Samuel L. Jackson – The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey (Apple TV+)
Daniel Radcliffe – Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (The Roku Channel) (WINNER)
Sebastian Stan – Pam & Tommy (Hulu)
Ben Whishaw – This is Going to Hurt (AMC+)
BEST ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Julia Garner – Inventing Anna (Netflix)
Lily James – Pam & Tommy (Hulu)
Amber Midthunder – Prey (Hulu)
Julia Roberts – Gaslit (Starz)
Michelle Pfeiffer – The First Lady (Showtime)
Amanda Seyfried – The Dropout (Hulu) (WINNER)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Murray Bartlett – Welcome to Chippendales (Hulu)
Domhnall Gleeson – The Patient (FX)
Matthew Goode – The Offer (Paramount+)
Paul Walter Hauser – Black Bird (Apple TV+) (WINNER)
Ray Liotta – Black Bird (Apple TV+)
Shea Whigham – Gaslit (Starz)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Claire Danes – Fleishman Is in Trouble (FX)
Dominique Fishback – The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey (Apple TV+)
Betty Gilpin – Gaslit (Starz)
Melanie Lynskey – Candy (Hulu)
Niecy Nash-Betts – Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (Netflix) (WINNER)
Juno Temple – The Offer (Paramount+)
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE SERIES
1899 (Netflix)
Borgen (Netflix)
Extraordinary Attorney Woo (Netflix)
Garcia! (HBO Max)
The Kingdom Exodus (MUBI)
Kleo (Netflix)
My Brilliant Friend (HBO)
Pachinko (Apple TV+) (WINNER)
Tehran (Apple TV+)
BEST ANIMATED SERIES
Bluey (Disney+)
Bob’s Burgers (Fox)
Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal (Adult Swim)
Harley Quinn (HBO Max) (WINNER)
Star Trek: Lower Decks (Paramount+)
Undone (Prime Video)
BEST TALK SHOW
The Amber Ruffin Show (Peacock)
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (TBS)
The Kelly Clarkson Show (NBC)
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) (WINNER)
Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC)
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen (Bravo)
BEST COMEDY SPECIAL
Fortune Feimster: Good Fortune (Netflix)
Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel (HBO)
Joel Kim Booster: Psychosexual (Netflix)
Nikki Glaser: Good Clean Filth (HBO)
Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special (Netflix) (WINNER)
Would It Kill You to Laugh? Starring Kate Berlant & John Early (Peacock)
China Finally Screening Marvel Cinematic Universe Again
Due to China’s stricter standards for letting in movies from other countries, there’s been a lack of Marvel movies in China cinemas. The last MCU movie to grace their screens was “Spider-Man: Far From Home” in 2019, and not a single entry of Marvel’s Phase IV has debuted in the country. This includes “Black Widow”, “Shang-Chi”, “The Eternals”, “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”, and “Thor: Love & Thunder”. The reasons for the refusal range from gay representation in “The Eternals” to the appearance of the Statue of Liberty in “Spider-Man: No Way Home”.
China has approved the previously released “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” to have a theatrical debut on February 7th, 2023, with “Ant-Man: Quantumania” set to debut a few weeks later on February 17th, 2023, catching up with the worldwide premiere. Worth noting is that “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” has already been regarded as a hit for making over $800 million globally. So contrary to what the Chinese market might mean to Disney, the Chinese debut will be a mild boost for the box office. Consider that “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, not having debuted in China, made well over $1 billion.
In addition to China, “Ant-Man: Quantumania” will hit theaters worldwide on February 17th, 2023.
