Charles Melton, Lily Gladstone and ‘Past Lives’ Get Oscar Boosts at Gotham Awards

Natalie Portman and Paul Mescal are actors whose craft inspires as much admiration as the finished product on-screen. Portman, whose career now spans more than 30 years, including films like “Black Swan” and “Thor: Love and Thunder,” keeps us enthralled — this time, with her simmering performance in Todd Haynes’ psychodrama “May December.” The Oscar winner portrays an actress preparing to play a tabloid fascination (Julianne Moore), who became romantically involved with her husband (Charles Melton) when he was 13.

EXCLUSIVE: Leonardo DiCaprio was in a playful mood when he and Lily Gladstone, his co-star in Martin Scorsese’s disturbingly thrilling American history lesson Killers of the Flower Moon, were at the center of a small gathering at the Odeon Luxe in London’s Leicester Square.

Variety as she recounted her joyous reaction before hopping on a private plane chartered by none other than Oprah Winfrey. “I would tell young Fantasia, ‘You did it. Job well done.’ I don’t want to cry no more,” she said, choking up.

In response to his Golden Globe nomination Monday for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture for May December, Charles Melton starts the conversation with gratitude towards his mother, Sukyong Melton, who he recently deemed his hero in a heartfelt speech while being honored at the Critics Choice Celebration of Black, Latino & AAPI Achievements last week. Though he admits to sleeping through the ceremony and being informed by his team about the nomination, he made sure to call her as soon as he found out. “She was so proud, and I am so happy.” Melton said. 

Lily Gladstone, the breakout star of Martin Scorsese’s Western crime epic Killers of the Flower Moon, made history at the Golden Globes on Monday, becoming the ceremony’s first Indigenous nominee in the category of Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture.

What To Watch. This week’s column is different; as we near the end of the year, we’ve compiled our seven favorite movies of 2023 and how to watch them.‘Society of the Snow’ is Spain’s Oscar entry, exploring the true story of a horrifying plane crashAriana DeBose plays an astronaut in new Sci-Fi film set on spaceMartin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” is based on the conspiracy behind the 1920’s murders of the Osage Nation, a tribe that were labeled as the richest people on Earth after the oil boom in America. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert DeNiro, two of Scorsese’s most frequent collaborators, and explores topics that he’s well versed in.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor The “Barbenheimer” craze continues with Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” being named among AFI Awards 2023 top 10 best films of the year. Netflix led studios with two movies making the list — Bradley Cooper’s Leonard Bernstein biopic “Maestro” and Todd Haynes’ black comedy “May December.” With an eclectic mix of critically acclaimed and consumer friendly titles, the list of top movies also includes films by newcomers (Cord Jefferson’s “American Fiction” and Celine Song’s “Past Lives”), veterans (Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” and Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers”) and stylish visionaries (Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things” and Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K.

Deadline’s Read the Screenplay series spotlighting the year’s most talked-about scripts continues with the Todd Haynes-directed May December starring Julianne Moore, Natalie Portman and Charles Melton. It made a splash at Cannes this year when the darkly comedic and complex feature, loosely based on the story of Mary Kay Letourneau, was picked up by Netflix in a splashy $11 million rights deal.

Martin Scorsese‘s Western historical epic Killers of the Flower Moon on Wednesday was named Best Film by the National Board of Review, the second major awards honor for the Apple Original Films pic this week after it also won the top prize from the New York Film Critics Circle.

The New York Film Critics Circle anointed “Killers of the Flower Moon” as their Best Film of 2023 and now the National Board of Review has revealed their top pick, and, surprise, it’s also Martin Scorsese’s latest. Scorsese was also named Best Director and Lily Gladstone Best Actress by the New York City-based cinephile organization.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor “Killers of the Flower Moon” has been named best picture by the National Board of Review, the organization announced on Wednesday. Co-distributed by Apple Original Films and Paramount Pictures, the crime epic also nabbed prizes for director Martin Scorsese and actress Lily Gladstone.

Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards and Features Editor Since 1998, Variety has honored rising stars on its 10 Actors to Watch report, heralding artists who are experiencing major breakthroughs. The alumni group includes more than 35 Oscar winners and nominees, including Mahershala Ali, Adam Driver, Viola Davis, Lupita Nyong’o and Brie Larson.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers for Netflix’s “May December” In Netflix’s “May December,” one of the most memorable scenes features Joe Yoo (played by Charles Melton) arriving at the hotel to deliver a letter from his wife Gracie (Julianne Moore) to actress Elizabeth Berry (Natalie Portman). Their encounter leads to a brief yet intense sexual liaison on the floor, culminating in a conspicuous silhouette shot of Joe’s penis. Amid Samy Burch’s narrative brilliance and Todd Haynes’ tantalizing direction, one might imagine Melton — known for his role in The CW’s “Riverdale” — felt immense pressure acting opposite Oscar winner Portman, who also produced the film.

The Santa Barbara Film Festival on Tuesday rounded out the list of recipients for its Virtuosos Award, its annual honor recognizing noteworthy performances in films this season. It marks the latest awards announcement from SBIFF, which has become a must-stop on the movie circuit in the run-up to the Oscars.

The Gotham Awards, the New York wing of the indie film world, has already handed out its year-end honors and now it’s time for the West Coast to have their say. Bright and early this morning, Film Independent revealed the 2024 Independent Spirit Awards nominees, and, no surprise, Celine Song’s “Past Lives” was at the top of the list with five nominations.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor The Film Independent Spirit Awards nominations will be announced on Tuesday, a day before the National Board of Review will weigh in on its selections for the best films and performances of 2023. They’ll be following the New York Film Critics Circle who kicked off the season last week by crowning Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” as its top choice. Its West Coast counterpart, Los Angeles Film Critics, will drop their choices on Sunday.

Martin Scorsese’s acclaimed Killers of the Flower Moon will become available on premium video-on-demand and for digital purchase beginning tomorrow, Dec. 5, in over 100 countries before streaming globally on Apple TV+, Apple Original Films announced today

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. After debuting at Cannes Film Festival and then hitting theaters in October, Martin Scorsese‘s star-studded crime epic “Killers of the Flower Moon” will be available to purchase on digital and on-demand streaming beginning Tuesday, Dec. 5.

Robert Ne Niro took the stage at the Kennedy Center on Sunday and, looking out at the balcony box where honoree was sitting, told him of his career, “I had no idea you had done so much. And you’ve done it all is such a relatively short amount of time. You’re only 75. That means you’re just about six years away from being the perfect age to be elected president.”

Ethan Shanfeld In Todd Haynes’ Netflix drama “May December,” the subject of a decades-old tabloid sex scandal is visited by a famous actress set to portray her in a film. Julianne Moore plays Gracie Atherton-Yoo, who was 36 years old when she was caught having sex with Joe, a 13-year-old boy who worked with her at a pet store. After having his first child from behind bars, Gracie began her life with Joe (Charles Melton), who is now the same age Gracie was when they first met.