Leonardo DiCaprio’s new role fuels Oscar buzz

Leonardo DiCaprio’s latest role in the comedy adventure movie One Battle After Another has already set Hollywood alight and earned widespread praise.

The 50-year-old legendary actor may be basking in admiration, but today the spotlight swings back to the man behind the camera, Paul Thomas Anderson.

The American filmmaker recently celebrated his 55th birthday as fans continue to buzz over his latest movie.

The action thriller, based loosely on Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel Vineland, was released earlier this year to deafening applause.

Critics handed out five star reviews across the board, calling it nothing less than “the defining film of a generation”.

Moreover, The Standard raved it was “the coolest, most consummately masterful movie you’ll see all year”.

Even Jurassic Park director Steven Spielberg was left stunned, gasping, “What an insane movie, oh my God… really incredible.”

In the film, DiCaprio transforms into Bob Ferguson, a paranoid revolutionary searching for his daughter.

He is joined by a powerhouse cast including Teyana Taylor, Benicio Del Toro as his mentor, Regina Hall as fellow revolutionary Deandra, and Sean Penn chewing the scenery as the sinister Col. Lockjaw.

Bookies were so taken by the film’s success that Ladbrokes cut the odds of Oscar glory from 12/1 to evens, sealing its reputation as the frontrunner.

BBC critics also hailed him as “possibly the greatest living American director”, while X users branded the movie “radical” and “one of the best you’ll ever watch”.

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