Toni Collette has arrived in Munich, Germany, for the shooting of Joe Penna’s scifi triller “Stowaway”, and her co-star Anna Kendrick has posted the first picture from the set on Instagram. This is the second feature from Penna and Ryan Morrison, the duo behind last year’s “Arctic”, which released domestically in February. Penna is directing and co-wrote the script with Morrison, who will also serve as executive producer and editor. XYZ Films is producing “Stowaway” alongside Augenschein Filmproduktion, Rise Pictures and RainMaker Films in association with Yale Productions. XYZ and CAA Media Finance are arranging financing for the film and handling worldwide sales which continue during Cannes. On a mission headed to Mars, an unintended stowaway (Shamier Anderson) accidentally causes severe damage to the spaceship’s life support systems. Facing dwindling resources and a potentially grim outcome, a medical researcher (Anna Kendrick) emerges as the only dissenting voice against the clinical logic of both her commander (Toni Collette) and the ship’s biologist (Daniel Dae Kim).

Screencaptures from Dan Gilroy’s “Velvet Buzzsaw” have been added to the photo gallery. To read more about the Netflix movie and the critical reception, please check the previous update. Toni’s Gretchen is a wonderful addition to her already astonishing line-up of characters. Please be aware that the screencaptures contain spoilers – although, if you have watched the trailer before, you know it’s not going to be a happy end for most of the main players.

After a first showing at this week’s Sundance Film Festival, “Velvet Buzzsaw” has had its wide premiere yesterday on Netflix worldwide. Personally, I loved its bonkers premise, the film can serve both as a recommendation to friends as well as a guilty pleasure. The critics have been positive to mixed – and “bonkers” is a word that pops up often. My favorite review comes from The Verge: “Netflix’s Velvet Buzzsaw feels like Robert Altman’s Final Destination”. Noel Murray wrote for Los Angeles Times: “While the art world caricatures are hardly fresh, there’s a lot about “Velvet Buzzsaw” that’s pretty savvy and even inspired.” Glenn Kenny wrote for the New York Times: “The confident storytelling and the bravura acting – Daveed Diggs, Toni Collette and John Malkovich contribute compelling caricatures – carry Buzzsaw all the way home.” For New York Magazine, Emily Yoshida wrote: “Velvet Buzzsaw is perhaps the first-ever art-world horror satire, but it has the feeling of a bawdy night at a mystery dinner or an anti-Establishment mummers’ play – and I mean this in the most complimentary way possible.” And Leah Greenblatt wrote for Entertainment Weekly: “Gilroy has a lot to say about money, mindless consumerism, and the soul-sucking emptiness of conflating ownership and ego-stroking with self-worth.” While Toni has not participated in the Sundance promotion for the film, she was interviewed by Metro and talked about her character:

It was unusual, smart, funny, dark. But never didactic in its tone. I can’t wait to see it because it could have gone many different ways. The script was beautifully ambiguous in its tone so it was fun to play scenes in several different ways. I think audiences appreciate levity in horror. Everyone gets a chance to come up for air. Gretchen is kind of a nightmare and she was particularly fun to play. But I think she’s ultimately lonely. That was always sobering and lingering in the back of my mind.

Today, two more critics groups – The Seattle Film Critics Society and the St. Louis Film Critics Association – have announced their annual winners, and Toni Collette has won Best Actress by both! Seattle has had Collette paired in the Best Actress category alongside Yalitza Aparicio for Roma, Olivia Colman for The Favourite, Regina Hall for Support the Girls and Lady Gaga for A Star is Born, while the St. Louis’ Best Actress category included Colman, Gaga, Charlize Theron for Tully and Glenn Close for The Wife. For the Academy Awards, most critics have the performances by Close, Colman, Gaga and Melissa McCarthy looked – although none of them, with the exception of Colman, have won any critics awards. The fifth spot seems poised to be taken by Emily Blunt, as a late player to the game with Mary Poppins Returns. If you have a look at the Academy’s love for musical and dismay for horror, it’s not really playing into Collette’s cards. But here’s hoping. With most awards seasons being horribly predictable, at least there’s something to look forward to when their nominations are announced in January. P.S. This is probably the last update for 2018, unless something incredible happens, which is probably not the case, so enjoy your Holidays everybody, have a great time and see you all in 2019! Frederik

The Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association (BTJA) announced today the nominees for the 24th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards. Their nominations are always a curious case, as they have been criticised in the past to nominate people on their buzz, and getting a full house. This year, they made the strange decision to give out seven slots for Best Actress, but Toni’s in, so who cares :-) She shares the category with Yalitza Aparicio for Roma, Emily Blunt for Mary Poppins Returns, Glenn Close for The Wife, Olivia Colman for The Favourite, Lady Gaga for A Star Is Born and Melissa McCarthy for Can You Ever Forgive Me? – so, basically everyone who’s in talk for Best Actress anyway. “Hereditary” has received a second nomination for Best Sci-Fi or Horror Movie alongside Annihilation, Halloween, A Quiet Place and Suspiria. The winners will be revealed at the star-studded Critics’ Choice Awards gala, broadcast live on The CW Network on Sunday, January 13, 2019 from 7:00 – 10:00 pm ET (delayed PT).

The Chicago Film Critics Association has announced its nominations today, and “Hereditary” is featured in three categories: Best Picture (!), Best Actress for Toni Collette and Most Promising Filmmaker for Ari Aster. In the Best Picture category, the other nominated films are The Favourite, First Reformed, Roma and A Star is Born, while Collette “competes” with Yalitza Aparicio for Roma, Regina Hall for Support the Girls, Lady Gaga for A Star is Born and Melissa McCarthy for Can You Ever Forgive Me? The CFCA will announce its winners during their year-end awards dinner to be held on the evening of December 8, 2018. Follow @ChicagoCritics on Twitter for the real-time announcements.