Where & When: Lumiere Cinema at the Music Hall, Beverly Hills, CA. April 2, 2024 8:10 PM
Fresh out of the prestigious Central Saint Martins art college, John Galliano quickly made a name for himself in the world of haute couture with his boldly daring, somewhat wacky, creative style. After receiving rapturous praise for his own line, he was appointed to take over the major fashion house, Givenchy. And as he continued to thrive, Galliano received even more widespread critical acclaim, making him a superstar in the fashion field. But it all came crashing down years later after several booze-driven, racist and antisemitic rants would bring an end to his reign.
In the documentary, "High and Low: John Galliano", the director Kevin Macdonald allows Galliano to provide his own version of events, not necessarily to offer excuses to what lead to his downfall but to explain how his life experiences and work overload may have contributed to his appalling behavior.
At only twenty-three, the Spanish born, British raised Galliano became greatly admired for his prodigious talent and effervescent personality. The collection he created for his graduation was inspired by Napoleon and the French Revolution, entitled Les Incroyables. It was a sensation, helping Galliano secure backing for his own clothing label in 1987. And while there was no doubt about his skill as a couturier, much of his clothing was not considered wearable and Galliano had little patience for the financial side of his business.
In search of new financial backing, Galliano headed to Paris and with the support of some important people in the business (which included American Vogue editors, Anna Wintour and Andre Leon Talley), he managed to secure the funding he needed to continue. With the retirement of Hubert de Givenchy, Galliano was given the reins to design for the clothing line in 1995, receiving high praise from the media and fashion elite. And only a year later, he was moved over as creative director for an even bigger fashion house: Christian Dior where he would remain for the next fifteen years.
All was seemingly going well for Galliano but the pressures of designing several collections multiple times a year lead him to rely on alcohol and other substances for comfort and artistic stability. Then came the moment when he was sitting in a Paris cafe, talking to a couple next to him, and abruptly spewed an antisemitic tirade. It's unclear what triggered his hostile reaction but the troubling encounter was captured on a phone's video camera that surfaced shortly before the unveiling of his latest collection in 2011. The reaction was swift with Galliano fired from Dior and becoming publicly vilified.
Macdonald, who won the 1999 Best Documentary Feature Oscar for "One Day in September" and previously made docs on musicians, Bob Marley and Whitney Houston, allows Galliano in the film to freely discuss his life and career, purposefully not pushing back or challenging his recollections from anyone who worked or was acquainted with the designer. As he recounts his story, Galliano is open, charming and cheerfully chatty, looking back very proudly on what he had been able to accomplish. Yet when reaching the point when needing to discuss the incident, Galliano becomes, somewhat understandably, visibly guarded with his memory now failing him to recall specific details. While he does offer apologies for his behavior, he does seem to want this event to appear more like a terrible misunderstanding than a hateful outburst where he praised the Nazi party.
There are appearances in "High and Low" by former business partners, actors and fashion people who all remain deeply devoted, continuing to praise Galliano and downplaying or simply ignoring the unsavory scandal. The super-model, Naomi Campbell goes as far to state that she has not watched the damning video and doesn't have to, proclaiming that her personal experiences with Galliano is all she needs to know.
"High and Low" seems more motivated in rehabilitating Galliano's reputation as a premiere fashion designer than offering a more honest discussion into antisemitism or an examination on the unrealistic demands placed on creators in the fashion industry. Only three years after his firing, Galliano was hired to join the fashion house, Maison Margiela where he is still currently working although with a much lower profile. While I don't believe Galliano should necessarily receive a lifetime ban from being a professional designer, it does make me uncomfortable in "High and Low" how most of the fashion folk who are interviewed in this make the incident seem blown out of proportion and simply an overreaction.
On April 14, 1994, the basic cable channel, Turner Classic Moviesmade its premiere, showing films from the golden age of Hollywood uncut and commercial-free. Since then, TCM has expanded upon its goal to celebrate and preserve classic cinema: starting a film festival (now in its fifteenth year), holding an annual Young Composers Film Competition which offers the winner an opportunity to score a restored, feature-length silent film as a grand prize, teaming up with Julien's Auctions to sell Hollywood memorabilia and creating a wine club with movie-themed bottles to be paired with a favorite film.
All this month, TCM will be celebrating with a special theme, The Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship. Every Thursday in April, each film of the evening will be programmed by a former employee of TCM who will share stories about what these films mean to them and of their time working at the channel. There will also be screenings of many past interviews with the stars of the Golden Age, vintage promos and several film introductions by TCM's original host, the late Robert Osborne.
What I think is probably the most remarkable about this celebration is how Turner Classic Movies has managed to continue its mission completely intact over the past three decades despite the changes of ownership and management during this time which created potential threats to the format and even the continuing existence of the channel. Here's hoping for many more years of TCM exactly like it has been done for the last thirty.
Louis Gossett, Jr., the groundbreaking actor who found great success on the stage and screen passed away on March 29th. He was eighty-seven. No cause of death has been given to date. Gossett, Jr. became the first African-American actor to receive the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 1982 for his performance of a hard-driving Marine Sgt. Foley in "An Officer and a Gentleman". He had won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama six years earlier for playing Fiddler in the acclaimed television miniseries, "Roots".
The Brooklyn born actor began his career on the Broadway stage; first appearing in the play, "Take a Giant Step" in 1953 before becoming a part of the original cast in Lorraine Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun" six year later. Gossett Jr. would reprise his role of George Murchison in the film adaptation of "Raisin" in 1961, making his feature film debut. Also that year, he appeared in the Off-Broadway production of Jean Genet's "The Blacks" which featured an impressive cast that included James Earl Jones, Roscoe Lee Browne, Cicely Tyson, Godfrey Cambridge and Maya Angelou. During this time, Gossett Jr. was also dabbling as a musician, recording and performing folk music and co-writing the anti-war protest anthem, "Handsome Johnny" with Richie Havens in 1966 which Havens would later perform live during his set at the Woodstock music festival.
But acting was where Gossett Jr. put most of the focus throughout his career. He appeared in the films, "The Landlord" which was Hal Ashby's directorial debut; George Cukor's "Travels with My Aunt"; "The Choirboys"; the sci-fi drama, "Enemy Mine"; the Air Force adventure, "Iron Eagle" with three sequels and the underwater thriller, "The Deep". Gossett Jr. made many television appearances on series ranging from "The Six Million Dollar Man" to "Good Times" and playing the late third President of Egypt in the 1983 miniseries, "Sadat". Recently, Gossett Jr. did acclaimed work in the HBO series, "Watchmen" and appeared in the musical remake of "The Color Purple".
Where & When: Landmark Theatres Sunset, West Hollywood, CA. February 27, 2024 5:45 PM
For his first narrative feature film without his long-time collaborator (and sibling), Joel, Ethan Coen has delivered "Drive Away Dolls", a dark-edged, queer positive, road trip comedy-thriller that captures some of the style that this team of filmmaking brothers have been crafting for almost forty years. And while the film begins promising, the tone of "Dolls" shifts abruptly midway through, creating a disjointed, rough-and-tumble farce.
Set in 1999, a man named Santos (Pedro Pascal) waits nervously at a Philadelphia restaurant clutching a briefcase. Attempting to make a hasty exit, Santos is chased into an alley by a gang of intimidating thugs who forcefully remove the case from his person.
Meanwhile, in another part of town, Jamie (Margaret Qualley), a charming yet horny gal from Texas, is a notorious skirt-chaser. But one person who has had enough of her womanizing and sexual inappropriateness is Sukie (Beanie Feldstein), Jamie's police officer girlfriend who kicks her out of their apartment. Jamie's friend, Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan) is her polar opposite: uptight, anxious and sexually repressed. Marian plans to visit a relative in Tallahassee and Jamie, now without a home, decides to tag along. She talks Marian into getting to Florida using a drive-away service which offers free use of a car by transporting the auto to a specific location for a client. But a mix-up by the owner, Curlie (Bill Camp) has the girls in the wrong car which was supposed to have gone to a nefarious trio of criminals lead by a man named Chief (Colman Domingo).
As they travel down the freeway, Jamie makes detours to local lesbian bars, actively trying to loosen up Marian to help get her laid, where she is met with much resistance from her road buddy. Yet unbeknownst to the girls, this ruthless gang is hot on their trail. A flat tire leads Jamie and Marian to discover the briefcase and a box, which contains the most recognizable part of Santos on ice, in the car trunk.
As part of a team with his brother, Coen has been an effective cinematic storyteller, together creating their own distinctive, offbeat style of filmmaking. Now with Tricia Cooke, his partner in life and film, Coen seems to want to explore a new direction. Yet with "Drive Away Dolls" (which began with the much better and more accurate title, "Drive Away Dykes"), this team, with Cooke also serving as editor, struggle with coherence and inventiveness. The film's pacing is sluggish and as the story moves along, these plot developments come across as more baffling than intriguing.
So what exactly is inside of this briefcase? Let's just say that the contents are probably the last thing you would ever have imagined. And while I will give points for this unexpected silly gag, the real problem lies with this not making much sense in regards to the relentless pursuit of these girls nor require the amount of disturbing bloodshed and mayhem involved in the desperate retrieval of the case. From this point to the conclusion, "Drive Away Dolls" turns into a weirdly violent and strangely wacky comedy with no real connective tissue to the provocative, mildly humorous mystery in the first part of the film.
There are certainly a few laugh-out-loud moments and some engaging, cerebral conversations to be found in the film. And Qualley and Viswanathan have a great connection on screen. Yet visually and thematically, "Drive Away Dolls" comes across like of a poorly conceived imitation of a Coen Brothers movie.
After two lengthy strikes last year that brought the movie business to a grinding halt, the industry is ready to get back to work and celebrate themselves. The 96th annual Academy Awards brings an official end to award season and honors the best in cinema from across the globe.
For his fourth time as host, Jimmy Kimmel seemed even more at ease, playfully joking with his irreverent humor about this year's movies and nominees. The host was in great form and offering nothing too mean spirited except a bit later in the show with him reading aloud a nasty comment about him made on social media by a former President with Kimmel delivering a well deserved, perfect comeback. Following his monologue, Kimmel paid tribute to the below-the-line crew (the folks who handle much of the technical work behind the camera and who are on the cusp of their own contract renegotiations with the studios) and brought out to the stage the show's own crew.
It was fifteen years ago the first time when five previous Oscar winners came out together to present in each of the acting categories. It was thrilling and deeply moving at that time and the return of this remains highly effective. My favorite moment from this was when the amazing ninety-two year old, Rita Moreno was speaking about Best Supporting Actress nominee, America Ferrera and sang a few bars of "America" from the movie version of the musical, "West Side Story" which she won her Oscar for her performance. Now I'm not sure if I would really want to see this every year, for I do enjoy seeing clips from the nominated performances, but this is still a wonderful thrill to witness and honor Oscar winners from the past.
In the most shocking moment of the evening, Emma Stone received Best Actress over the front-runner, Lily Gladstone for her performance in "Poor Things", making her become a two-time winner. It is certainly disappointing for Gladstone but I still strongly believe that she was in the wrong category as her role in "Killers of the Flower Moon" was much more supporting than lead. And if Gladstone had been competing for Best Supporting Actress, it would have been even more of tight race against Da'Vine Joy Randolph who won the award for her emotional performance in '"The Holdovers" and gave one of the most touching speeches of the night.
"Oppenheimer" had lead with the most nominations with thirteen and ended the evening with the most wins at seven which included Best Picture. Now this would not have been my pick for this award (that would have been "Killers of The Flower Moon") but it is a solid choice and certainly will not be looked back years later as an unfortunate Best Picture selection. Christopher Nolan finally received the Best Director award while his wife, Emma Thomas shared the win for producing the movie. Cillian Murphy won his first Oscar for Best Actor playing the real-life theoretical physicist while Robert Downey, Jr. received Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Lewis Strauss, a high-ranking member of the US Atomic Energy Commission.
One of the biggest hits of last year, "Barbie" managed to take home only one award for Best Original Song for Billie Eilish and her brother, Finneas O'Connell who also became two time winners this night. But another nominated song from "Barbie", "I'm Just Ken" was performed on the show with a very game, Ryan Gosling capturing the spirit of the film. In one of the most rousing performances of the nominated songs, Gosling sang and danced in an extravagant production number surrounded by co-stars, Simu Liu and Kingsley Ben-Adir, a large number of dancing men with even Slash, the guitarist of the band, Guns N Roses, making an appearance. Another moment on the program was when stand-up comedian, John Mulaney came out to present Best Sound. I was wondering why he was actually there (in fact, I don't he's even been in a movie) but Mulaney was hilarious with his bit on "Field of Dreams" that was a highlight of the show. Perhaps he was auditioning for a chance to host a future Oscars? If so, I say give him a shot.
There were a few disappointments; The traditional In Memoriam was poorly conceived this year with the segment feeling extremely rushed with some Oscar winners and nominees omitted while other performer's names were regulated to small print on a screen blocked by the dancers on stage. And when Al Pacino arrived on stage to announce Best Picture, he simply opened the envelope without mentioning the nominees or any acknowledgment of the producers involved in each movie. What makes this even worse is that Pacino has later stated that the producers of the show instructed him to just say the winner.
This year, the show began an hour earlier and ran about twenty-three minutes over the intended three hour runtime. Yet the ratings were up by 4% this year with 19 million viewers tuning in. This uptick of viewership might be the "Barbenheimer" effect but who can know for certain. During this ceremony, there was no slapping, no opening of the wrong envelopes, no overtly political speeches and no streaking (boooo, John Cena). What we had was a fairly standard, traditional Oscars telecast. Now this perfectly fine with me however as we closely approach the centennial of the Academy Awards, what will it take to keep viewers engaged with the Oscars? I do believe the concept of "Barbenheimer" with two original films in the marketplace at the same time is one answer but another bolder vision is what Best Adapted Screenplay winner, Cord Jefferson said in his acceptance speech which in essence is that studios might want to get back to investing less money on films and take a chance on a new filmmaker with a fresh, innovative script.
Here is the complete list of the winners of the 2024 Academy Awards:
Best Picture: "Oppenheimer"
Best Director: Christopher Nolan, "Oppenheimer"
Best Original Screenplay: Arthur Harari and Justine Triet, "Anatomy of a Fall"
Best Adapted Screenplay: Cord Jefferson, "American Fiction"
Best Actress in a Leading Role: Emma Stone, "Poor Things"
Best Actor in a Leading Role: Cillian Murphy, "Oppenheimer"
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Da'Vine Joy Randolph, "The Holdovers"
Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Robert Downey Jr., "Oppenheimer"
Best Cinematography: Hoyte van Hoytema, "Oppenheimer"
Best Editing: Jennifer Lame, "Oppenheimer"
Best Production Design: James Price and Shona Heath, Production Design; Zsuzsa Mihalek, Set Decoration, "Poor Things"
Best International Feature: "The Zone of Interest" (United Kingdom)
Best Animated Feature: "The Boy and the Heron"
Best Animated Short: "War is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko"
Best Documentary Feature: "20 Days in Mariupol"
Best Documentary Short: "The Last Repair Shop"
Best Live Action Short: "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar"
Best Original Score: Ludwig Göransson, "Oppenheimer"
Best Original Song: "What Was I Made For?" from "Barbie" Music and Lyric by Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell
Best Sound: Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn, "The Zone of Interest"
Best Costume Design: Holly Waddington, "Poor Things"
Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Nadia Stacey, Mark Coulier and Josh Weston, "Poor Things"
Best Visual Effects: Takashi Yamazaki, Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi and Tatsuji Nojima, "Godzilla Minus One"
A new teaser trailer has just dropped for "The Fall Guy", an upcoming action-comedy that features two of this year's Oscar nominees, Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt. It's a modern revisit of the '80's television show starring Lee Majors about a Hollywood stunt man who moonlights as a bounty hunter. Gosling stars as Colt Seavers, a veteran action choreographer working on a film when the leading man, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, mysteriously disappears. Seavers begins to investigate to find him and save the film for the director (Blunt) who also happens to be former girlfriend of Seavers and the current girlfriend of missing actor. The director David Leitch is a former stunt man turned filmmaker (behind the first "John Wick", "Atomic Blonde, "Bullet Train") and "The Fall Guy" seems like the perfect fit. And Leitch looks like he's using the irresistible charm, comedic timing and sex appeal of Gosling to the full advantage of the film.
"The Fall Guy" is due in US theaters on May 3, 2024
In a matter of days, we will finally know the winners of The Oscars. In the meantime, here's a bit of information regarding the film industry that I found interesting:
The Criterion Collection has long been considered the gold standard for films as they focus on recognizing and preserving classic and contemporary films from across the globe. With their collection of over 1200 thoughtfully curated movies on DVD, filmmakers long to be a part of their prestigious catalog while cinephiles covet to collect each of their selections. Criterion pioneered the special features found on DVDs that included the use of trailers, deleted scenes, alternate endings and, most importantly, commentary tracks. The New York Times has examined the company, founded in 1984, from when Criterion began with laserdiscs, the short lived, home video format and has grown to now having their own subscription streaming service.
After many years of campaigning for recognition by the Oscars, casting directors have finally succeeded and the Academy have created a new category (the first in twenty-four years) for Best Casting and will be presented during the 2026 ceremony. Another group that have also been vigorously fighting almost as long to have a category for themselves during the Academy Awards are the stunt people, the men and women who have risked their well-being to create realistic looking falls, fights and crashes. So far, they remain unsuccessful but with casting now being honored, hopefully stunt work will not be far behind and will soon have their moment. In the meantime, Vulture have created the Stunt Awards to make up for this oversight. This began last year and was such an astounding success that the awards has been expanded with more entries and a larger voting body.
Here's a photographic look back at the history of one of the most coveted afterparties on Hollywood's biggest nights; Vanity Fair's Oscars party. The magazine looks back at their first party in 1994 which came together not long after the passing of talent agent, Irving "Swifty" Lazar who had held an exclusive Oscars viewing and after party for many years. Graydon Carter, then the editor of Vanity Fair, and the producer Steve Tisch came together to fill the void and these parties have been going on, becoming bigger and more glamourous, ever since. They have put together an incredible collection of photos from these gatherings with all of the beautiful movies stars, athletes, musicians and celebrated figures of the day all having a grand, extravagant time.
And finally, Vulture has ranked fifty of the most memorable, crazy, thought-provoking and moving acceptance speeches from all of the many awards shows over the last fifty five years. Not surprising, The Oscars have a large number of entries here but all of them are wildly entertaining.
Please click below to read:
As we are quickly approaching the final awards presentation which will bring an end to award season: the Oscars, here is a rundown of the many awards given out by guilds and film organizations over the past few weeks:
The acting branch, which is represented by the Screen Actors Guild, handed out their awards on February 24th. The 30th annual event gave the actors in "Oppenheimer" the top prize of Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. The rest of the acting awards in the film categories were given to the front runners throughout award season:
Here are the winners of the 2024 Screen Actors Guild Awards (Film):
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture: "Oppenheimer"
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role: Lily Gladstone, "Killers of the Flower Moon"
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role: Cillian Murphy, "Oppenheimer"
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role: Da'vine Joy Randolph, "The Holdovers"
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role: Robert Downey Jr., "Oppenheimer"
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture: "Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning"
Celine Song and her melancholy romantic drama, "Part Lives" took the top prizes of Best Feature and Best Director at the 39th annual Film Independent Spirit Awards, held on February 25th on the beach in Santa Monica, CA. with host, Aidy Bryant. A. V. Rockwell received Best First Feature for her moving drama, "A Thousand and One".
Here are the winners of the 2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards (Film):
Best Feature: "Past Lives"
Best Director: Celine Song, "Past Lives"
Best Screenplay: Cord Jefferson, "American Fiction"
Best First Feature: "A Thousand and One"
Best First Screenplay: Samy Burch, "May December"
Best Lead Performance: Jeffrey Wright, "American Fiction"
Best Supporting Performance: Da'Vine Joy Randolph, "The Holdovers"
Best Breakthrough Performance: Dominic Sessa, "The Holdovers"
Best Cinematography: Eigil Bryld, "The Holdovers"
Best Editing: Daniel Garber, "How to Blow Up a Pipeline"
Best Documentary Feature: "Four Daughters"
Best International Feature: "Anatomy of a Fall" (France)
The Producers Guild of America Awardswere established to honor the visionaries who produce and execute motion picture and television production. Christopher Nolan, his wife, Emma Thomas and Charles Rovan received the top prize for Outstanding Producers of Theatrical Motion Pictures for their work on "Oppenhiemer.
Here are the winners of the 35th annual PGA Awards (Film):
Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures: Emma Thomas, Charles Roven and Christopher Nolan, "Oppenheimer"
Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures: Avi Arad, Amy Pascal, Phil Lord & Christopher Miller and Christina Steinberg, "Spider-man: Across The Spider-Verse"
The Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Motion Pictures: Lauren Domino, Matthew Heineman and Joedan Okun, "American Symphony"
The 77th annual British Academy Film Awardswere given out on February 18th which honors the best national and foreign films of the previous year. Christopher Nolan's biographical thriller, "Oppenheimer" began with the most nominations at thirteen and left the ceremony with the most wins with seven, including Best Film, Best Director and Best Actor for Cillian Murphy. The actress, Samantha Morton received this year's BAFTA Fellowship which is a lifetime achievement award.
Here are the winners of the 2024 BAFTAs (partial):
Best Film: "Oppenheimer"
Best Director: Christopher Nolan, "Oppenheimer"
Outstanding British Film: "The Zone of Interest"
Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer: Savanah Leaf, "Earth Mama"
Best Original Screenplay: Justine Triet and Arthur Harari, "Anatomy of a Fall"
Best Adapted Screenplay: Cord Jefferson, "American Fiction"
Best Actress in a Leading Role: Emma Stone, "Poor Things"
Best Actor in a Leading Role: Cillian Murphy, "Oppenheimer"
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Da'Vine Joy Randolph, "The Holdovers"
Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Robert Downey Jr., "Oppenheimer "
Best Film Not in the English Language: "The Zone of Interest"
Best Documentary: "20 Days in Mariupol"
Best Animated Film: "The Boy and the Heron"
Best Casting: Susan Shopmaker, "The Holdovers"
Best Cinematography: Hoyte van Hoytema, "Oppenheimer"
Best Editing: Jennifer Lame, "Oppenheimer"
Best Production Design: Shona Heath, James Price and Zsuzsa Mihalek, "Poor Things"
Best Original Score: Ludwig Göransson, "Oppenheimer"
Best Sound: Johnnie Burn and Tarn Willers, "The Zone of Interest"
Best Costume Design: Holly Waddington, "Poor Things"
Best Make Up & Hair: Nadia Stacey, Mark Coulier and Josh Weston, "Poor Things"
Best Special Visual Effects: Tim Barter, Simon Hughes, Dean Koonjul and Jane Paton, "Poor Things"
The César Awards are the national film award of France and the 49th annual event was held on February 23rd. "Anatomy of a Fall", Justine Triet's riveting courtroom drama, swept the awards, winning six Césars including Best Film and Best Director, making Triet only the second female filmmaker to receive this award. French filmmaker, Agnès Jaoui and British filmmaker, Christopher Nolan both received Honorary Césars.
Here are the winners of the 2024The César Awards (Partial):
Best Film: "Anatomie d'une chute (Anatomy of a Fall)"
Best Director: Justine Triet, "Anatomie d'une chute (Anatomy of a Fall)"
Best Original Screenplay: Justine Triet and Arthur Harari, "Anatomie d'une chute (Anatomy of a Fall)"
Best Adaptation: Valérie Donzelli and Audrey Diwan, "L'Amour et les Forêts (Just the Two of Us)"
Best First Feature Film: "Chien de la casse (Junkyard Dog)"
Best Actress: Sandra Hüller, "Anatomie d'une chute (Anatomy of a Fall)"
Best Actor: Arieh Worthalter, "Le Procès Goldman (The Goldman Case)"
Best Supporting Actress: Adèle Exarchopoulos, "Je verrai toujours vos visages (All Your Faces)"
Best Supporting Actor: Swann Arlaud, "Anatomie d'une chute (Anatomy of a Fall)"
Best Female Revelation: Ella Rumpf, "Le Théorème de Marguerite (Marguerite's Theorem)"
Best Male Revelation: Raphaël Quenard, "Chien de la casse (Junkyard Dog)"
Best Cinematography: David Cailley, "Le Règne animal (The Animal Kingdom)"
Best Editing: Laurent Sénéchal, "Anatomie d'une chute (Anatomy of a Fall)"
Best Documentary Feature: "Les Filles d'Olfa (Four Daughters)"
Best Foreign Film: "The Nature of Love" (Canada/France)
Best Animated Feature Film: "Linda veut du poulet! (Chicken for Linda!)"
"Dahomey", the documentary by French-Senegalese filmmaker, Mati Diop, received the top prize of the Golden Bear at the close of the 74th Berlin Film Festival. The film tells the story of the African artworks that were looted from Dahomey, an area that was the former West African kingdom located in the south of today’s Republic of Benin, brought to France and the journey of the art returned to Benin. The Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize went to Hong Sang-soo and his latest, "A Traveler's Needs". Isabelle Huppert stars as a French woman who ends up in Korea and with no previous experience, begins to teach French to the locals in order to make a living.
Here is the list of winners from the 2024 Berlin Film Festival:
Golden Bear: "Dahomey"
Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize: "여행자의 필요 (A Traveler's Needs)"
Silver Bear: "L'Empire (The Empire)"
Best Director: Nelson Carlos De Los Santos Arias, "Pepe"
Silver Bear for Best Screenplay: Matthias Glasner, "Sterben (Dying)"
Best Leading Performance: Sebastian Stan, "A Different Man"
Best Supporting Performance: Emily Watson, "Small Things Like These"
Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution: Martin Gschlacht, cinematographer for "Des Teufels Bad (The Devil's Bath)"
Cinema has always been subjective. For every movie that I love, there will be viewers of that same movie who will only not like it but could absolutely loathe the idea of it's very existence. And of course, the films that I was unable to find much pleasure, there are folks out there who love these movies. With that in mind, here is a list of my least favorite films I watched last year:
"ANT MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA"
Last year was not so great for the super-hero franchises as most of them failed to generate much excitement or interest. But one of the least engaging (and biggest disappointment) that I saw was "Ant Man and the Wasp: Quantumania", the second sequel of the reluctant hero who can shrink to the size of the powerful, tiny insect. Paul Rudd returns as Scott Lang, the former thief who has become the crime-fighting, Ant Man. After his time fighting with the Avengers to defeat Thanos, he has gone on to living quietly and enjoying his life with girlfriend, Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and his teenage daughter, Cassie (Kathryn Newton). During a visit with Hope's parents, Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), who were the original Ant-Man and the Wasp, Cassie announces that she has a device that can make contact with the Quantum Realm, a universe that exists outside of space and time. Terrified after being trapped there for thirty years, Janet tries to shut it down but it's too late; the message was received and all five are forced through a portal to the realm. Once there, they must work together to stop the Quantum Realm's new ruler, Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors). There's a lot more involved in this convoluted plot but the script by Jeff Loveness is confusing and monotonous. With the focus of the film on multiverses, alien beings (the less said about M.O.D.O.K., the better) and a mystical, end-of-the-world crisis, director Peyton Reed struggles to find an engaging human element that made his previous "Ant Man" films so successful. But the real problem with "Quantumania" is that it lacks a genuine sense of spirited fun and inspired adventure.
"ASTEROID CITY"
I have a complicated relationship with the cinema of Wes Anderson. While I admire his whimsical style and the dry, offbeat humor, I have difficulty connecting to most of his films on an emotional level. Of Anderson's films, there is one that I absolutely love ("The Royal Tenenbaums"), a few that I really enjoyed ("Rushmore", "The Grand Budapest Hotel", "Isle of Dogs") but the rest I am left feeling indifferent towards. With Anderson's latest, the beautifully rendered, "Asteroid City", I really struggled to find a way into Anderson's singular world, but I just couldn't get past the artificial construct. Set in the 1950's, we are introduced to a television host (Bryan Cranston) who introduces a documentary about the making of a play by famed playwright, Conrad Earp (Edward Norton). The plot of the play involves a youth astronomy convention held in the desert town of Asteroid City with war photographer, Augie Steenbeck (Jason Schwartzman) heading there with his son, Woodrow (Jake Ryan) who won a Junior Stargazer prize. Midge Campbell (Scarlett Johansson), a famous yet weary actress arrives with her daughter, Dinah (Grace Edwards) who also won the award. A romance develops between these parents and their children then a UFO appears with an alien to reclaim a fallen meteorite. "Asteroid City" is another film with an overly complicated plot filled with random thoughts that ultimately doesn't add anything meaningful to the narrative. The film is bursting to the seams with a starry, celebrated cast (Tom Hanks, Tilda Swinton, Steve Carell, Jeffrey Wright, Margot Robbie to name just a few) yet they all feel wasted with the actors forced to deliver their lines in the same deadpan, monotone style. I have to add that I far more enjoyed Anderson's short film collection, "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar" also released last year and based on the work by Roald Dahl. But I do think it's largely because each film was not much more than twenty minutes long, making it the ideal length for me to appreciate Anderson's distinctive cinema.
"NO HARD FEELINGS"
I grew up during the time when teen sex comedies were all the rage in the 1970's and 1980's. These movies were filled with raunchy gags and almost always about horny teenage boys who were desperately trying to have sex or, at the very least, see a live naked woman. These films have largely fallen out of favor but "No Hard Feelings" has attempted to bring back the wild spirit of the classic sex comedy. But this movie fails to deliver the laughs, just coming across awkward and cringy, while the sex to be found is just sad. Jennifer Lawrence plays Maddie, a financially strapped young woman who had her car repossessed and on the verge of losing the house she inherited from her mother. Looking for some quick, extra cash, she answers an ad from concerned parents (Matthew Broderick, Laura Benanti) seeking a woman to "seduce" their shy teenage son, Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman) before he heads off to college. With the payment being a used car, Maddie accepts this offer and tries to sexually entice (and have sex with) the unwilling Percy. Even by teen comedy standards, this plot is completely bonkers and the script by director Gene Stupnitsky and John Phillips is unable to make it remotely plausible or humorous. Lawrence gives it her all, displaying her expert timing and gift for physical comedy, yet there is only so much she can do to try and salvage this painfully odd comedy. While there may be a sweet center, with these characters trying to help each other make a true connection, "No Hard Feelings" is just too weird and muddled to work as a timeless coming-of-age comedy.
"WONKA"
"Wonka" is the rare, original contemporary movie musical that became an unexpected worldwide box-office smash. But this origin story based on the classic character created by Roald Dahl never manages to feel necessary and the film's charms are minimal at best. Timothée Chalamet plays Willy Wonka who at this point of time is just a young, aspiring chocolatier who arrives to a nondescript European city to try his luck at opening a shop at the famed Galéries Gourmet. After his meager funds quickly run out, Wonka is misled into signing a contract to stay at the boarding house of Mrs. Scrubitt (Olivia Colman) despite a warning from Noodle (Calah Lane), the orphan who lives there. Now because of hidden fees, Wonka is forced to work in Scrubitt's launderette alongside other captives. His only hope to escape is to find success selling his chocolates but a trio of corrupt, rival chocolatiers (Matt Lucas, Paterson Joseph, Mathew Baynton) who work together to stop Wonka from opening a store. This version of "Wonka" is far removed from Dahl's eccentric tale with director Paul King delivering a safe, feel-good yet banal take of this character. The original songs by composer, Neil Hannon of the band, the Divine Comedy and written by King and co-writer of the screenplay, Simon Farnaby are serviceable yet unmemorable. As the third actor to play Wonka on the big screen, Chalamet presents him as innocent and sweet-natured, making him relatively bland compared to the kind yet eccentric interpretation played by Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp's darker, more oddball creation. And the actor is certainly able to carry a tune, but I wouldn't call him a "singer". "Wonka" is a CGI heavy fantasia that just doesn't have enough magic to make it a truly tasty treat.
The 2024 Berlin Film Festivalis set to run from Feb 15th to Feb 25th. Now in its seventy-fourth edition, the Berlinale is a film festival that began during the post-war period as a platform for the cinematic exploration of social issues. This fest continues to have a diverse, independent and politically minded spirit to showcase thrilling new feature films, documentaries, shorts, experimental and restored classic cinema.
The Opening Film is the drama "Small Things Like These" from director, Tim Mielants. Oscar-nominee, Cillian Murphy stars as an Irish father in the 1980's who discovers startling secrets about one of the Magdalene asylums in his town. This was a horrific place from the past which were laundries run by the Roman Catholic church who claimed their intentions were to reform "fallen" young women but in reality, these girls were just abused and used as free labor. This world premiere is one of the selections in the Main International Competition.
A total of twenty films have been selected in the international competition for the Golden Bear and includes new works from Mati Diop ("Dahomey"), Olivier Assayas ("Hors du temps (Suspended Time)"), Bruno Dumont ("L'Empire (The Empire)"), Piero Messina ("Another End"), Abderrahmane Sissako ("Black Tea"), Alonso Ruizpalacios ("La Cocina"), Claire Burger ("Langue étrangère"), Matthias Glasner ("Sterben (Dying)") and Hong Sangsoo ("Yeohaengjaui pilyo (A Traveler’s Needs)").
Oscar-winning actress, Lupita Nyong’o will preside as President of the jury for the Main Competition. The rest of the jury members who will decide which films will be awarded prizes are American actor and filmmaker, Brady Corbet; Hong Kong filmmaker, Ann Hui; German director, Christian Petzold; Spanish filmmaker, Albert Serra; Italian actress, Jasmine Trinca and Ukrainian novelist, Oksana Zabuzhko.
The Berlinale Specials highlights exciting new films not in competition and the line-up will include the world premiere of Johan Renck’s sci-fi feature, "Spaceman" which has Adam Sandler as an astronaut in space. However, this is not a comedy but a drama and features Carey Mulligan, Paul Dano and Isabella Rossellini. Following the premiere in Berlin, "Spaceman" will be released worldwide on Netflix on March 1st.
"Sasquatch Sunset", a surreal comedy by the Zellner Brothers, stars Riley Keough and Jesse Eisenberg as the heads of a family of these mythical creatures. But what makes this film particularly intriguing is that the actors are completely concealed in full body hair and do not speak.
Abel Ferrara is set to premiere his latest, a non-fiction feature, "Turn in the Wound" which documents the American filmmaker's travels to Kyiv and Ukraine to explore what remains of these countries after two years of Russia’s brutal invasion. The rock musician. Patti Smith also appears in the film. "Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger" is a feature documentary, making its debut in the Specials sidebar, about the influential British filmmakers, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, examining their significant works of cinema that includes "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp", "Black Narcissus" and "The Red Shoes". The doc is narrated by an impressive filmmaker in his own right, Martin Scorsese who has stated many times how much this team and their films have inspired his own work. And Scorsese will receive this year's honorary Golden Bear Lifetime Achievement Award and will be honored in the Classics program with a screening of a digital restoration of his 1985 feature, "After Hours".
The cinematic year of 2023 was filled with highs and lows. With COVID largely in the past, audiences have returned to theaters in signifcant numbers with "Barbie", "Oppenheimer" and two pop music superstars (that would be Taylor Swift and Beyoncé) helping to draw them back. But then we had two industry strikes that lasted for months and caused a pretty major rupture in the pipeline last year (and most certainly will be even worse this year). Super-hero fatigue seems to have finally set in and the numbered sequels are no longer such a sure thing. But in between, we still had a great year with solid, masterful and diverse works of cinema. While it may be harder to find indies and adult dramas in theaters as they tend to be screened for an even, shorter period of time or they are largely made for streaming services with a brief theatrical run, there were some wonderful movies to be found. Here are my favorite films that I really enjoyed last year, listed in alphabetical order:
"ALL OF US STRANGERS"
With the intimate drama, "All of Us Strangers", writer/director Andrew Haigh has deftly captured a sense of loss and mourning in a way that's fantastical yet remains compassionate and deeply moving. Loosely based on the 1987 novel "Strangers" by Taichi Yamada, this story follows Adam (Andrew Scott), a lonely and isolated screenwriter trying to work in his apartment. An initial awkward encounter with a drunken neighbor, Harry (Paul Mescal) later leads to them connecting on a romantic level. Feeling wistful about his past, Adam ventures out to his childhood home and finding his parents (Claire Foy, Jamie Bell) still living there although they have been dead since he was twelve after a tragic car accident. While this plot might sound a bit too high concept to be effective, Haigh is in full command, guiding us through Adam's emotional journey as he reconnects with his parents by sharing with them his current life and past fears and desires. Anchored by an innovative screenplay and powerful performances, "All of Us Strangers" is a heartfelt rumination on love, grief, depression and ultimately, acceptance.
"AMERICAN FICTION"
At its core, "American Fiction" is essentially a wild, hilarious comedy yet Cord Jefferson's film debut as writer and director also captures moments that are profoundly moving and incredibly insightful. Thelonious "Monk" Ellison (Jeffrey Wright) is an African American novelist and professor currently living in Los Angeles. While his work is acclaimed, his books don't sell well with them having little appeal to the Black community. During a seminar, he walks in on an interview with African American author, Sintara Golden (Issa Rae), the writer of a wildly popular novel filled with black stereotypes. Appalled by the idea of this book and its success, "Monk" decides to play the game and write his own version of this type of book under a pseudonym. But to his dismay, the book becomes a best-seller with an offer for a movie deal and high demand for a follow-up novel. In between all of this, "Monk" heads back to his hometown of Boston to help deal with his mother (Leslie Uggams) who is showing early signs of Alzheimer's with his sister (Tracee Ellis Ross) who is a medical doctor and estranged, recently divorced brother (Sterling K. Brown) that has recently come out as gay. And "Monk" begins a romance with Coraline (Erika Alexander), a neighbor who lives next door to his mother. There is a lot going on in this satire, yet Jefferson skillfully holds it all together, very impressive for a first-time filmmaker, keeping "American Fiction" enjoyable throughout and managing to draw exceptional performances from his wonderful cast. I can't wait to see what this exciting filmmaker will do next.
"THE HOLDOVERS"
"The Holdovers" marks the reunion of the director, Alexander Payne and the actor, Paul Giamatti almost twenty years later following "Sideways" their previous outstanding film together. Set during near the end of 1970, Giamatti plays Paul Hunham, a professor at a New England prep school. Gruff, somber and rigid, Hunham is not a popular teacher amongst the students. Professor Hunham is assigned over the Christmas break to watch over the few students who are unable to return home, referred to as "Holdovers", along with the cafeteria manager, Mary Lamb (Da'Vine Joy Randolph). After a father flies in on a helicopter with an offer to take his son and the remaining boys on a ski trip, all are able to get permission by their parents except Angus (in an impressive acting debut by Dominic Sessa) who ends up stuck alone at the campus with Hunham and Mary. As these three isolated and emotionally broken people begrudgingly come together, they each find their own offbeat way to help each other and heal themselves. Payne intentionally made "The Holdovers" to evoke the spirit of a movie that could have been made in the 1970's with its distinctive cinematic rhythms and vintage formatted camerawork created by cinematographer, Eigil Bryld. Plus, there is a really great soundtrack that features music by composer Mark Orton and pop songs from the 60's and '70's. "The Holdovers" may be set in the fairly recent past yet feels perfectly timeless.
"KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON"
Martin Scorsese has made several great films throughout his prestigious career and his latest, "Killers of the Flower Moon" ranks high on this impressive list of cinematic achievements. Leonardo DiCaprio, in their sixth feature film collaboration together, stars in this fact-based story as Ernest Burkhart, a WWI vet who goes to his uncle, William King Hale (Robert DeNiro) in Oklahoma to live. During his job as a cab driver, Ernest meets Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone), a member of the Osage nation whose family owns oil on their land. Hale encourages a relationship between them, and they are soon wed. A series of murders of the Osage, including Mollie's family, begins by corrupt members of the community with the goal to steal the tribal members' wealth. Originally conceived with the emphasis on the FBI coming in to save the day and solve this crime yet this film avoids the pitfalls of a "White savior" plotline device (like the misguided "Mississippi Burning") with the persuasive screenplay by Eric Roth shifting focus more on the Osage, their customs and concerns. Quentin Tarantino is absolutely wrong regarding his statement about directors that stay too long in the game will ruin their reputations and their body of work. The eighty-one-year-old Scorsese shows here that he's still very much at the peak of his powers as a filmmaker. And the biggest compliment I can state about "Killers of the Flower Moon" is that I have sat through movies that were only ninety minutes long that felt much longer than the over three-hour runtime of this engaging film.
"MAESTRO"
For his second time behind the camera following his dazzling musical remake of "A Star is Born", Bradley Cooper takes on another musician in "Maestro" where he impressively plays the legendary composer and conductor, Leonard Bernstein. While he was sexually fluid throughout his life, the film's focus is on Bernstein's complicated yet enduring marriage to actress, Felicia Montealegre played with warmth and burning intensity by Carey Mulligan who delivers another brilliant performance. "Maestro" begins with a somber Bernstein in his 70's being interviewed about his past while working on his latest opera before shifting to his first big break in 1943 when he was a last-minute replacement to conduct the New York Philharmonic. After meeting Montealegre at a party, Bernstein drifts away from his relationship with a male musician (Matt Bomer) to focus only on her where they have a glamourous life and start a family. But over time, Bernstein's eyes begin to wander, landing on a young musician (Gideon Glick) and Montealegre is left feeling resentful and frustrated. With the capable assistance of cinematographer, Matthew Libatique, Cooper has the camera in constant motion while utilizing crisp black & white for the early part of Bernstein's life before slowing down and shifting to saturated color once we reach the Bernsteins' life in the 1970's. There was a bit of chatter regarding Cooper's use of a prosthetic nose to play Bernstein but it's all an unnecessary distraction to the accomplished feat of the actor/filmmaker crafting a powerful and moving work with a Hollywood biopic that transcends the expected.
"ORIGIN"
Based on Isabel Wilkerson's "Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents", "Origin" is Ava DuVernay's masterwork that explores the painful events that inspiried Wilkerson to begin this book and all of the extensive research and travel involved in order for the writer to complete her thesis. Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor plays Wilkerson who is consulted by her editor (Blair Underwood) to write a piece about the shooting of Trayvon Martin. Interested yet hesitant, Wilkerson decides to not pursue this assignment. But several personal tragedies pushes her to get back to work and explore expanding upon the ideas of bigotry. With the belief that race is not the only determining factor in prejudice, she begins examining the caste systems of India and the extermination of Jews in Nazi Germany, especially since the discrimination in both cases involves people of the same race, and how they are connected to the racism in America. The film is boldly rendered in an experimental cinematic style that combines elements of narrative and non-fiction storytelling; exquisitely performed by a stellar cast (that includes Jon Bernthal, Niecy Nash-Betts, Vera Farmiga and Audra McDonald) and presents Wilkerson's comprehensive investigation persuasively. "Origin" has helped me reconsider my views on racism and bigotry and how far-reaching it has been in our society. DuVernay has once again crafted a fascinating and astonishing work of cinema.
"PASSAGES"
Bold and provocative, "Passages" is a European set drama from American filmmaker, Ira Sachs which examines a love triangle that has rarely been explored in cinema involving two queer men and a woman. Tomas (a captivating Franz Rogowski) is a German filmmaker living in Paris with his English partner, Martin (Ben Whishaw). Unsatisfied in his relationship and looking for excitement, Tomas connects with Agathe (Adèle Exarchopoulos) at a party which later begins an unlikely sexual affair. Tomas tries to make his romance with Agathe work yet still strongly desires Martin. An exceptional film for enlightened adults, "Passages" daringly attempts to tackle the complicated fluidity of sexual identity in a way that is titillating, introspective and considerate.
"PAST LIVES"
"Past Loves" is the alluring debut by writer/director Celine Song that takes a graceful and poignant look at a relationship that evolves from childhood to adulthood as opportunity and continents keep them apart, yet a strong connection continues to burn between them. Our story begins in Seoul where Na Young and Hae Song are children attending the same school where they become close friends with a deeper yet reticent affection forming between them. But they are separated when Na Young's family immigrates to Canada. Twelve years later after searching for each other on Facebook, Hae Song (Teo Yoo) and Na Young, now going by Nora (Greta Lee) spend time over Skype reconnecting and stirring old feelings. But due to circumstances, it would not be until another twelve years before the two will finally meet in person with Hae Song coming from Korea to visit Nora who is now living in New York with her husband of seven years, Arthur (John Magaro). Sparked by her own personal experiences, Song has confidently made a film of profound beauty, looking at this couple trying to maneuver their friendship through suppressed desires and entangled heartbreak. And by the time we come to the conclusion, "Past Lives" unexpectedly delivers a powerful, emotional wallop.
"SALTBURN"
A wickedly perverse, Gothic thriller on the British upper class, "Saltburn" cleverly dives deeply into the depths of obsession and depravity. Oliver Quick (a very game Barry Keoghan) has just entered Oxford on a scholarship and struggles to fit in. He becomes fixated on Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), a handsome, wealthy and popular student and they actually become friends. After Oliver reveals his family problems and the recent unexpected passing of his father, Felix, in order to help him out, invites him to spend the summer at his family's country house, Saltburn. Once at this lavish estate, Oliver meets Felix's parents (Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant), sister, Venetia (Alison Oliver) and an American cousin, Farleigh (Archie Madekwe) who also attends Oxford. As his obsession for Felix intensifies, a darker side of Oliver is revealed as he charms and seduces this eccentric family. Just as polarizing as her feature film debut, "Promising Young Woman" (which I was not a big fan) yet writer/director Emerald Fennell has managed to make "Saltburn" more appealing with a sharper script, crafting characters that are far more intriguing and going even further out there with shocking and outrageous moments. "Saltburn" is certainly not for the easily offended but if you like your cinema challenging, mind-boggling and demented, then this film should fit the bill.
"THE ZONE OF INTEREST"
As only his fourth feature film over the last twenty-three years, filmmaker Jonathan Glazer has delivered another brilliantly conceived yet disquieting drama with "The Zone of Interest" which takes us to a place set during a disturbing time in history, creating an environment that is haunting and austere. Glazer uses the novel of the same name by Martin Amis as inspiration for his screenplay with the film detailing a fictional account on Rudolf Höss (played here by Christian Friedel), a real-life SS Nazi commandant who would later be executed for his war crimes. Living in a charming home behind a wall next to the Auschwitz concentration camp that he runs, Höss spends his day operating the camp, then later retiring for a quiet evening to his wife, Hedwig (Sandra Hüller) and their five children. When Höss is offered a promotion that would require a move to a town near Berlin, Hedwig is distraught about leaving behind the beautiful home she has spent so much time creating, begging her husband to ask if she and their children can remain. While "The Zone of Interest" is yet another film that deals with the horrors of the second world war, Glazer has avoided the expected, inventively using a modern approach to tell this story with cinematographer Łukasz Żal using only natural lighting and shooting scenes with an infrared and surveillance camera. We never witness the atrocities that goes on behind the wall of the Höss home, but we hear the faint, ominous sounds of gunshots and screams along with the jarring score by Mica Levi which effectively adds to the uneasy atmosphere. "The Zone of Interest" is yet another compelling, singular work from Glazer and hopefully we will not have to wait so long for the next movie by this gifted filmmaker.
Honorable Mention: "Afire", "All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt", "Anatomy of a Fall", "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret", "Blackberry", "Blue Jean", "Dream Scenario", "Fair Play", "Full Time", "Me Captian (Io capitano)", "Rye Lane", "A Thousand and One", "The Teachers' Lounge (Das Lehrerzimmer)", "Theater Camp", "Tori & Lokita"
