Is Will Smith Good Enough in ‘Emancipation’ to Get That Controversial Oscar Nom?

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There are roughly 47,000—oh, wait, a new Netflix Original just dropped; make that 47,001—TV shows and movies coming out each week. At Obsessed, we consider it our social duty to help you see the best and skip the rest.

We’ve already got a variety of in-depth, exclusive coverage on all of your streaming favorites and new releases, but sometimes what you’re looking for is a simple Do or Don’t. That’s why we created See/Skip, to tell you exactly what our writers think you should See and what you can Skip from the past week’s crowded entertainment landscape.

Skip: Emancipation

Emancipation is an overwrought epic, well-intentioned but too absorbed in its own showy techniques to give its true story enough weight. But hey, Academy voters love that stuff! Will Smith may be banned, but he could still slap his hands onto Oscar #2.

Here’s Nick Schager’s’ take:

“Hovering over Emancipation are inescapable questions: Are audiences ready to forgive and forget Will Smith’s Oscar night slap seen around the world? Or will his national television outburst hamper interest in, and turnout for, his first post-Academy Award-win drama? A definitive answer will become clear when Antoine Fuqua’s period piece debuts in theaters on Dec. 2 (and then on Apple TV+ on Dec. 9), although, as it turns out, such news-y concerns are more interesting than the film itself—a two-dimensional slavery epic that fits the description “awards bait” to a tee.

Will Smith’s ‘Emancipation’ Doesn’t Make Up for the Oscar Slap

There’s something to be said for confronting the ugliness of slavery with potent, rousing bluntness; after all, those who perpetuated its crimes against humanity weren’t necessarily complex individuals deserving of nuanced fictional treatment. Alas, Emancipation is doggedly one-note and formulaic, and it’s immediately apparent how one is meant to respond to every element of its story, as well as what that tale will eventually impart about intolerance, injustice and resistance. Such obviousness, in turn, leaves the film feeling both too leaden and easily digestible.”

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See: Lady Chatterley’s Lover

Lady Chatterley's Lover is the gleefully erotic, millionth adaptation of D.H. Lawrence’s novel. Netflix remains the premier destination for horny programming, and what could possibly be hornier than getting busy in a cottage?

Here’s Fletcher Peters’ take:

“Nearly 100 years ago, the United States banned Lady Chatterley’s Lover from bookshelves. D. H. Lawrence’s novel, full of raunchy thigh-gripping and sexual escapades, had been published in Italy in 1928, but was far too obscene for Americans in 1929.

‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover’ Is Netflix’s Sexiest Movie Yet—And Its Most Tender

The novel has been made into various movies and TV shows over the past century, becoming a staple in horny entertainment with adaptations landing at BBC, in theaters, and now, on Netflix. Whereas movie fans have been sent into a tizzy over Netflix’s decision to keep movies like Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery out of theaters, Lady Chatterley’s Lover is the perfect film for home viewing. Erotic, sensual, and incredibly tender, Netflix’s adaptation of the 1928 story is consumed with the desire to hook its audiences.

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Skip: Gossip Girl

Gossip Girl Season 2 might be tucking its tail between its legs, giving fans much-begged-for catfights, but those changes come too late—these characters are stuck in their snoozy plotlines. Thankfully, they’re all in a Worst Acting on TV competition!

Here’s Coleman Spilde’s take:

“In its first season, Gossip Girl’s highly-anticipated reboot bungled its massive amount of promise by taking the high road. The show refused to let its characters engage in the good, old-fashioned slut-shaming and catfights that made the original such a delicious dish. Instead, it attempted to position its teenage characters as a collection of tech-savvy influencers, all vying to look more woke than the last. Among all that goody-two-shoes posturing was a drab mountain of name-dropping, cringeworthy cultural references, and cameos from micro-influencers that all led to the same major takeaways for fans old and new: This reboot has no idea what it’s doing or who it’s for.

The New ‘Gossip Girl’ Is Officially in Its Flop Era

One would hope that its second season would rectify those glaring mistakes. In the months leading up to its premiere, showrunner and creator Josh Safran certainly promised as much. The ascension of two of the show’s best power players, paired with some tail-between-the-legs return of the catfights we know and love, certainly gives the flatlining show a much-needed dose of fun. But even these feel like empty attempts to restore viewers’ faith. And with half of a leading cast that can’t deliver a caustic dig—let alone hold a scene—Gossip Girl is still struggling to use all of the money and beauty at its disposal to find the point of its existence.”

Read more.See: George & Tammy

George & Tammy firmly answers the question: Can Jessica Chastain strike gold a second time with another true Tammy? The answer would be a screaming “yes,” and alongside Michael Shannon, she’s got her eyes on an Emmy too. EGOT incoming!

Here’s Kyndall Cunningham’s

“‘As long as I can remember, I’ve been in pain,’ Tammy Wynette slurs into a microphone in the fifth episode of George & Tammy. The country music icon, played here by Jessica Chastain, isn’t performing one of her more melancholic hits, but delivering an impromptu speech at her wedding to her fourth and final husband, songwriter George Richey (Steve Zahn)—hunched over and high on painkillers.

Jessica Chastain Proves Why She Earned That Oscar With ‘George & Tammy’

It goes without saying that Wynette is one of country music’s most tragic figures. One could even craft a version of Blonde about the Mississippi native, given the amount of suffering she dealt with at the hands of the men in her life (husbands, doctors, industry professionals, etc.). And yet, George & Tammy doesn’t feel like a formulaic exercise in ‘empathy tourism’ or something more grotesque. Nor does it feel like Wynette’s victimization is used as some sort of shorthand for her genius or personal depth.”

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