2024 NATIONAL FILM REGISTRY

This year's selections for the National Film Registry have been announced and twenty-five films have been inducted, ranging from Hollywood blockbusters, independent films and historical footage. Some of these films include "Ganja & Hess", an African-American vampire film by Bill Gunn that is as sensual as it is horrifying; the low budget, influential horror movie, "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" that would ignite a franchise; "Up In Smoke", the stoner comedy starring the stand-up act, Cheech & Chong; The sci-fi classic, "Invaders from Mars" which is notable for being one of the first films to show aliens and their spacecraft in vivid color; "Chelsea Girls", an experimental underground feature directed by the pop artist, Andy Warhol and Paul Morrissey which was presented in a split screen, alternating between soundtracks, black-and-white and color photography; the wildly popular, romantic drama, "Dirty Dancing"; "The Miracle Worker", the film adaptation of the Broadway play based on the life of the blind-deaf child, Helen Keller and her teacher, Annie Sullivan, winning acting Oscars for the stars, Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke; "Beverly Hills Cop" was the breakout film that made former SNL comedian, Eddie Murphy a major movie star; Gary Cooper starred as NY Yankees first baseman, Lou Gehrig in the inspirational sports tribute, "The Pride of the Yankees"; the early, queer cult classic by Gus Van Sant, "My Own Private Idaho" that featured River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves; "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" is the first of the enduring, science-fiction adventure franchise created by Gene Roddenberry in 1966 to be entered into the Registry and the 2007 Best Picture Oscar winner, "No Country for Old Men" from the Coen Brothers and based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy.

The Library of Congress has added these movies this year to the National Film Registry which recognizes their artistic significance while helping to ensure their preservation for generations to come. These films, which must be at least ten years old, have been named because of their cultural, historic or aesthetic importance and with these selections brings the number of films in the registry to 900.

This is the complete list of films selected for the 2024 National Film Registry:

"Annabelle Serpentine Dance" (1895)
"KoKo's Earth Control" (1928)
"Angels with Dirty Faces" (1938)



"Pride of the Yankees" (1942)
"Invaders from Mars" (1953)



"The Miracle Worker" (1962)
"The Chelsea Girls"(1966)
"Ganja & Hess" (1973)



"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (1974)
"Uptown Saturday Night" (1974)



"Zora Lathan Student Films" (1975-76)
"Up in Smoke" (1978)



"Will" (1981)
"Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan" (1982)



"Beverly Hills Cop" (1984)
"Dirty Dancing" (1987)
"Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt" (1989)



"Powwow Highway" (1989)
"My Own Private Idaho" (1991)



"American Me" (1992)



"Mi Familia (1995)
"Compensation" (1999)
"Spy Kids" (2001)



"No Country for Old Men" (2007)
"The Social Network" (2010)

COMING SOON

Since his breakthrough with the indie drama, "Sex, Lies, and Videotape" way back in 1989, Steven Soderbergh has always had some of the best and intriguing actors appearing in his films. For his thirty-sixth feature film, Soderbergh has impressively teamed-up Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett in "Black Bag", a thrilling spy drama. They play married British intelligence agents, George and Kathryn Woodhouse. When Kathryn is under investigation for betraying their country, George must struggle between loyalty to his marriage or to the commonwealth. There are elements here that bring to mind the dark action-comedy, "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" that also featured two physically stunning actors, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie but "Black Bag" appears to be far less humorous and intensely violent. Regé-Jean Page, Marisa Abela, Naomie Harris and Pierce Brosnan also star.

"Black Bag" is due in US theaters on March 14, 2025

THE GOLDEN GLOBES NOMINATIONS AND MORE AWARD NEWS

Although they have lost some of their luster over the last few years due to several scandals, the Golden Globes are back to reclaim their status as the first major awards organization to start shaping the conversation for which films could potentially win awards. "Emilia Pérez" leads in film nominations with ten, following with "The Brutalist" at seven and "Conclave" with six. There is a new film category this year (which the Oscars had flirted with but backed away from a few years ago) with Best Cinematic and Box Office Achievement, which apparently is supposed to honor movies that made a lot of money in theaters last year but wouldn't be recognized in the Best Motion Picture categories. I guess it's not much different from separating the Drama and Musical/Comedy in some of the categories but this addition still seems silly to me.

Viola Davis, the Oscar and a Golden Globe winning performer, will receive this year's Cecil B. DeMille Award. The 80th Golden Globes will be hosted by Nikki Glaser on January 5, 2025, at the Beverly Hilton and presented live on CBS.

Here is a partial list of the nominations for the 2024 Golden Globes Awards (Film):

Best Motion Picture – Drama:

"The Brutalist"
"A Complete Unknown"
"Conclave"
"Dune: Part Two"
"Nickel Boys"
"September 5"

Best Motion Picture – Musical Or Comedy:

"Anora"
"Challengers"
"Emilia Pérez"
"A Real Pain"
"The Substance"
"Wicked"

Best Cinematic and Box Office Achievement:

"Alien: Romulus"
"Beetlejuice Beetlejuice"
"Deadpool & Wolverine"
"Gladiator II"
"Inside Out 2"
"Twisters"
"Wicked"
"The Wild Robot"

Best Director – Motion Picture:

Jacques Audiard, "Emilia Pérez"
Sean Baker, "Anora"
Edward Berger, "Conclave"
Brady Corbet, "The Brutalist"
Coralie Fargeat, "The Substance"
Payal Kapadia, "All We Imagine as Light"

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture:

Jacques Audiard, "Emilia Pérez"
Sean Baker, "Anora"
Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold, "The Brutalist"
Jesse Eisenberg, "A Real Pain"
Coralie Fargeat, "The Substance"
Peter Straughan, "Conclave"

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama:

Pamela Anderson, "The Last Showgirl"
Angelina Jolie, "Maria"
Nicole Kidman, "Babygirl"
Tilda Swinton, "The Room Next Door"
Fernanda Torres, "I’m Still Here"
Kate Winslet, "Lee"

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy:

Amy Adams, "Nightbitch"
Cynthia Erivo, "Wicked"
Karla Sofía Gascón, "Emilia Pérez"
Mikey Madison, "Anora"
Demi Moore, "The Substance"
Zendaya, "Challengers"

Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama:

Adrien Brody, "The Brutalist"
Timothée Chalamet, "A Complete Unknown"
Daniel Craig, "Queer"
Colman Domingo, "Sing Sing"
Ralph Fiennes, "Conclave"
Sebastian Stan, "The Apprentice"

Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy:

Jesse Eisenberg, "A Real Pain"
Hugh Grant, "Heretic"
Gabriel Labelle, "Saturday Night"
Jesse Plemons, "Kinds Of Kindness"
Glen Powell, "Hit Man"
Sebastian Stan, "A Different Man"

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role In Any Motion Picture:

Selena Gomez, "Emilia Pérez"
Ariana Grande, "Wicked"
Felicity Jones, "The Brutalist"
Margaret Qualley, "The Substance"
Isabella Rossellini, "Conclave"
Zoe Saldaña, "Emilia Pérez"

Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role In Any Motion Picture:

Yura Borisov, "Anora"
Kieran Culkin, "A Real Pain"
Edward Norton, "A Complete Unknown"
Guy Pearce, The Brutalist"
Jeremy Strong, "The Apprentice"
Denzel Washington, "Gladiator II"

Best Motion Picture – Animated:

"Flow"
"Inside Out 2"
"Memoir of a Snail" "Moana 2"
"Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl"
"The Wild Robot"

Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language:

"All We Imagine as Light" (USA/France/India)
"Emilia Pérez" (France)
"The Girl With The Needle" (Poland/Sweden/Denmark)
"I’m Still Here" (Brazil)
"The Seed of the Sacred Fig" (USA/Germany) 

"Vermiglio" (Italy)

Best Original Score – Motion Picture:

Volker Bertelmann, "Conclave"
Daniel Blumberg, "The Brutalist"
Kris Bowers, "The Wild Robot"
Clément Ducol and Camille, "Emilia Pérez"
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, "Challengers"
Hans Zimmer, "Dune: Part Two"

Best Original Song – Motion Picture:

"Beautiful That Way" from "The Last Showgirl" (Music & Lyrics By Andrew Wyatt, Miley Cyrus and Lykke Zachrisson)
"Compress / Repress" from "Challengers" (Music & Lyrics By Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Luca Guadagnino)
"El Mal" from "Emilia Pérez" (Music & Lyrics By Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard)
"Forbidden Road" from "Better Man" (Music & Lyrics By Robbie Williams, Freddy Wexler and Sacha Skarbek)
"Kiss the Sky" from "The Wild Robot" (Music & Lyrics By Delacey, Jordan K. Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Maren Morris, Michael Pollack and Ali Tamposi)
"Mi Camino" from "Emilia Pérez" (Music & Lyrics By: Clément Ducol and Camille)

For the 50th annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards, "Anora" went away with three awards including Best Picture. The film's star, Mickey Madison received Best Leading Performance along with Marianne Jean-Baptiste for her turn in "Hard Truths". The Best Supporting Performance went to Yura Borisov as a sympathetic thug in "Anora" and Kieran Culkin for his work in "A Real Pain".

Here are the winners of the 2024 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards:

Best Picture: "Anora"
Best Director: Mohammad Rasoulof, "The Seed of the Sacred Fig"
Best Screenplay: Jesse Eisenberg, "A Real Pain"
Best Leading Performances: Marianne Jean-Baptiste, "Hard Truths" and Mikey Madison, "Anora"
Best Supporting Performances: Yura Borisov, "Anora" and Kieran Culkin, "A Real Pain"
Best Film Not in English Language: "All We Imagine as Light"
Best Documentary/Non-Fiction Film: "No Other Land"
Best Animation: "Flow"
Best Cinematography: Jomo Fray, "Nickel Boys"
Best Editing (Tie): Nicholas Monsour, "Nickel Boys" and Hansjörg Weißbrich, "September 5"
Best Production Design: Judy Becker, "The Brutalist"
Best Music Score: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, "Challengers"
New Generation Award: Vera Drew, "The People’s Joker"
Career Achievement Award: John Carpenter

Jacques Audiard’s "Emilia Pérez" was the big winner at the 37th annual European Film Awards, winning all five of its nominations including Best Film. Held on December 7th in Lucerne, Switzerland, Audiard won Best Director and Best Screenplay while Karla Sofia Gascón received the Best Actress prize, making her the first trans actor to win this award.

Here are the winners of the 2024 European Film Awards:

Best European Film: "Emilia Pérez" (France)
Best European Director: Jacques Audiard, "Emilia Pérez" (France)
Best European Screenplay: Jacques Audiard, "Emilia Pérez" (France)
Best European Actress: Karla Sofía Gascón, "Emilia Pérez" (France)
Best European Actor: Abou Sangare, "L'Histoire de Souleymane (Souleymane's Story)" (France)
Best European Documentary: No Other Land (Palestine, Norway)
Best European Animated Feature Film: "Straume (Flow)" (Latvia, France, Belgium)
Best European Cinematography: Benjamin Kračun, "The Substance" (UK, United States, France)
Best European Editing: Juliette Welfling, "Emilia Pérez" (France)
Best European Production Design: Jagna Dobesz, "Pigen med nålen (The Girl With The Needle)" (Denmark, Poland, Sweden) 

Best European Original Score: Frederikke Hoffmeier, "Pigen med nålen (The Girl With The Needle)" (Denmark, Poland, Sweden)
Best European Sound: Marc-Olivier Brullé, Pierre Bariaud, Charlotte Butrak, Samuel Aïchoun and Rodrigo Diaz, "L'Histoire de Souleymane (Souleymane’s Story)" (France)
Best European Costume Design: Tanja Hausner, "Des Teufels Bad (The Devil's Bath)" (Germany)
Best European Make-up & Hair: Evalotte Oosterop, " Ljósbrot (When The Light Breaks)" (Iceland)
Best European Visual Effects: Bryan Jones, Pierre Procoudine-Gorsky, Chervin Shafaghi and Guillaume Le Gouez, "The Substance" (UK, United States, France)
European Achievement in World Cinema: Isabella Rossellini

And the Film Independent Spirit Awards, which honors the best of the year in indie cinema, unveiled their nominations with "Anora" and "I Saw the TV Glow" leading the field with six noms apiece including Best Feature. The other nominees for Best Feature are the historical drama based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel, "Nickel Boys"; the prison reform through the arts drama, "Sing Sing" and the body-horror movie, "The Substance". The 40th annual Spirit Awards will be held on February 22, 2025, at the Santa Monica beach with former SNL member, Aidy Bryant returning as host.

Here are the 2024 nominations of the Film Independent Spirit Awards (Cinema):

Best Feature:

"Anora"
"I Saw The TV Glow"
"Nickel Boys"
"Sing Sing"
"The Substance"

Best Director:

Ali Abbasi, "The Apprentice"
Sean Baker, "Anora"
Brady Corbet, "The Brutalist"
Alonso Ruizpalacios, "La Cocina"
Jane Schoenbrun, "I Saw the TV Glow"

Best Screenplay:

Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, "Heretic"
Jesse Eisenberg, "A Real Pain"
Megan Park, "My Old Ass"
Aaron Schimberg, "A Different Man"
Jane Schoenbrun, "I Saw the TV Glow"

Best First Feature:

"Didi"
"In the Summers"
"Janet Planet"
"The Piano Lesson"
"Problemista"

Best First Screenplay:

Joanna Arnow, "The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed"
Annie Baker, "Janet Planet"
India Donaldson, "Good One"
Julio Torres, "Problemista"
Sean Wang, "Dìdi"

Best Lead Performance:

Amy Adams, "Nightbitch"
Ryan Destiny, "The Fire Inside"
Colman Domingo, "Sing Sing"
Keith Kupferer, "Ghostlight"
Mikey Madison, "Anora"
Demi Moore, "The Substance"
Hunter Schafer, "Cuckoo"
Justice Smith, "I Saw the TV Glow"
June Squibb, "Thelma"
Sebastian Stan, "The Apprentice"

Best Supporting Performance:

Yura Borisov, "Anora"
Joan Chen, "Dìdi"
Kieran Culkin, "A Real Pain"
Danielle Deadwyler, "The Piano Lesson"
Carol Kane, "Between the Temples"
Karren Karagulian, "Anora"
Kani Kusruti, "Girls Will Be Girls"
Brigette Lundy-Paine, "I Saw the TV Glow"
Clarence Maclin, "Sing Sing"
Adam Pearson, "A Different Man"

Best Breakthrough Performance:

Isaac Krasner, "Big Boys"
Katy O’Brian, "Love Lies Bleeding"
Mason Alexander Park, "National Anthem"
René Pérez Joglar, "In the Summers"
Maisy Stella, "My Old Ass"

Best International Film:

"All We Imagine as Light" (France, India, Netherlands, Luxembourg)
"Black Dog" (China)
"Flow" (Latvia, France, Belgium)
"Green Border" (Poland, France, Czech Republic, Belgium)
"Hard Truths" (United Kingdom)

Best Documentary:

"Gaucho Gaucho"
"Hummingbirds"
"No Other Land"
"Patrice: The Movie"
"Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat"

Best Cinematography:

Dinh Duy Hung, "Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell"
Jomo Fray, "Nickel Boys"
Maria von Hausswolff, "Janet Planet"
Juan Pablo Ramírez, "La Cocina"
Rina Yang, "The Fire Inside"

Best Editing:

Laura Colwell and Vanara Taing, "Jazzy"
Olivier Bugge Coutté and Olivia Neergaard-Holm, "The Apprentice"
Anne McCabe, "Nightbitch"
Hansjörg Weißbrich, "September 5"
Arielle Zakowski, "Dìdi"

The Producers Award:

Alex Coco
Sarah Winshall
Zoë Worth

Truer Than Fiction Award (presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition):

Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, "Sugarcane"
Carla Gutiérrez, "Frida"
Rachel Elizabeth Seed, "A Photographic Memory"

John Cassavettes Award (presented to the best feature made for under $1,000,000):

"Big Boys"
"Ghostlight"
"Girls Wille Be Girls"
"Jazzy"
"The People’s Joker"

Robert Altman Award (presented to one film’s director, casting director, and ensemble cast): "His Three Daughters"

2024 AWARD SEASON BEGINS

Award season has officially begun and the prizes are coming fast and furious for the best in this year's cinema. Here is a round-up of some of the award winners from various groups:

The Gothams are the first awards out of the gate, announced on December 2nd at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City, and "A Different Man" was chosen as Best Feature. This dark, comedic drama from Aaron Schimberg features Sebastian Stan as a facially disfigured actor who undergoes a medical procedure to transform his appearance. But this causes him to lose an opportunity to play a dream role. While there were ten nominees in each of the two non-gender specific acting categories, only one winner was selected for the lead and supporting prizes. And it was Colman Domingo and Clarence Maclin winning for their performances in "Sing Sing", a drama directed by Greg Kwedar involving a group of incarcerated men involved in the creation of theatrical shows through the prison's arts program. This indie-focused awards organization removed a budget cap on eligibility last year, opening larger budgeted films to be considered for prizes. 

Here is the complete list of nominees of the 2024 Gotham Awards (with the winners highlighted):

Best Feature:

"Anora"
"Babygirl"
"Challengers"
"A Different Man"
"Nickel Boys"

Best Director:

Payal Kapadia, "All We Imagine as Light"
Sean Baker, "Anora"
Guan Hu, "Black Dog"
Jane Schoenbrun, "I Saw the TV Glow"
RaMell Ross, "Nickel Boys"

Best Breakthrough Director:

Shuchi Talati, "Girls Will Be Girls"
India Donaldson, "Good One"
Alessandra Lacorazza, "In the Summers"
Vera Drew, "The People’s Joker"
Mahdi Fleifel, "To a Land Unknown"

Best Screenplay:

Nathan Silver and C. Mason Wells, "Between The Temples"
Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, "Evil Does Not Exist"
Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping, "Femme"
Azazel Jacobs, "His Three Daughters"
Annie Baker, "Janet Planet"

Best Outstanding Lead Performance:

Pamela Anderson, "The Last Showgirl"
Adrien Brody, "The Brutalist"
Colman Domingo, "Sing Sing"
Marianne Jean-Baptiste, "Hard Truths"
Nicole Kidman, "Babygirl"
Keith Kupferer, "Ghostlight"
Mikey Madison, "Anora"
Demi Moore, "The Substance"
Saoirse Ronan, "The Outrun"
Justice Smith, "I Saw the TV Glow"

Best Outstanding Supporting Performance:

Yura Borisov, "Anora"
Kieran Culkin, "A Real Pain"
Danielle Deadwyler, "The Piano Lesson"
Brigette Lundy-Paine, "I Saw the TV Glow"
Natasha Lyonne, "His Three Daughters"
Clarence Maclin, "Sing Sing"
Katy O’Brian, "Love Lies Bleeding"
Guy Pearce, "The Brutalist"
Adam Pearson, "A Different Man"
Brian Tyree Henry, "The Fire Inside"

Best Breakthrough Performer:

Lily Collias, "Good One"
Ryan Destiny, "The Fire Inside"
Maisy Stella, "My Old Ass"
Izaac Wang, "Dìdi"
Brandon Wilson, "Nickel Boys"

Best International Feature:

"All We Imagine as Light"
"Green Border"
"Hard Truths"
"Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell"
"Vermiglio"

Best Documentary Feature:

"Dahomey"
"Intercepted"
"No Other Land"
"Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat"
"Sugarcane"
"Union"

"The Brutalist", Brady Corbet’s over three-hour long, epic saga (plus a built-in intermission), received the top prize of Best Film from the New York Film Critics Circle. In their 90th year, making this organization the oldest film critics group in the US, the NYCC announced their selections on December 3rd. Adrien Brody, who plays a World War II Hungarian refugee architect landing in America, won Best Actor for his performance in "The Brutalist". The Best Director Award went to RaMell Ross for his inventive work on "Nickel Boys", a drama involving two young Black men who form a bond while trying to survive at a brutal Florida reform school, and Best Cinematography went to Jomo Fray for his innovative camerawork for this film. Sean Baker won Best Screenplay for his latest, "Anora", a dark, dramatic comedy about a whirlwind romance between a stripper and the son of a Russian oligarch. 

The rest of the acting winners by the NYCC are inspired choices: Best Actress went to Marianne Jean-Baptiste for her hilarious turn as a severely prickly wife and mother in Mike Leigh’s "Hard Truths"; Kieran Culkin was awarded Best Supporting Actor for his performance in "A Real Pain", directed by his co-star, Jesse Eisenberg and Carol Kane was recognized as Best Supporting Actress in Nathan Silver’s comedy, "Between the Temples" where she plays an adult Bat Mitzvah student of a cantor (Jason Schwartzman) who was her grade school student.

Here are the winners of the 2024 NYCC Awards:

Best Film: "The Brutalist"
Best Director: RaMell Ross, "Nickel Boys"
Best Screenplay: Sean Baker, "Anora"
Best Actor: Adrien Brody, "The Brutalist"
Best Actress: Marianne Jean-Baptiste, "Hard Truths"
Best Supporting Actor: Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain"
Best Supporting Actress: Carol Kane, "Between Two Temples"
Best First Film: Annie Baker, "Janet Planet"
Best International Film: "All We Imagine As Light"
Best Non-Fiction Film: "No Other Land"
Best Animated Film: "Flow"
Best Cinematography: Jomo Fray, "Nickel Boys"

The National Board of Review has selected "Wicked", the Broadway hit musical turned into a recent filmed box-office smash, as the Best Film of the year. John M. Chu won Best Director for his work on the film. The acting categories also offered some unexpected yet commendable selections with Nicole Kidman receiving Best Actress for her mesmerizing turn in the upcoming sexually-charged drama, "Babygirl" while Daniel Craig completely sheds his former spy character in the drama, "Queer", helping him win Best Actor by the NBR. Elle Fanning received Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the Bob Dylan bio, "A Complete Unknown" and Kieran Culkin adds another award for his mantle for his comedic yet moving work in "A Real Pain".

Here are the winners of the 2024 National Board of Review awards:

Best Film: "Wicked"
Best Director: Jon M. Chu, "Wicked"
Best Original Screenplay: Mike Leigh, "Hard Truths"
Best Adapted Screenplay: Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar, "Sing Sing"
Best Directorial Debut: India Donaldson, "Good One"
Best Actress: Nicole Kidman, "Babygirl"
Best Actor: Daniel Craig, "Queer"
Best Supporting Actress: Elle Fanning, "A Complete Unknown"
Best Supporting Actor: Kieran Culkin, "A Real Pain"
Best Ensemble: The cast of "Conclave"
Best Breakthrough Performance: Mikey Madison, "Anora"
Best Animated Feature: "Flow"
Best International Film: "The Seed of the Sacred Fig"
Best Documentary: "Sugarcane"
Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography: Jarin Blaschke, "Nosferatu"
Outstanding Achievement in Stunt Artistry: "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga"
NBR Spotlight Award: The Creative Collaboration of Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: "No Other Land"

And we have the top ten films of the year selected by the American Film Institute. Since AFI usually deems most international or foreign films ineligible, this list is not as expansive to recognize all of the great works that were released this year yet these picks still remain impressive.

Here are the Best Films of 2024 by the AFI:

"Anora"
"The Brutalist"
"A Complete Unknown"
"Conclave"
"Dune: Part Two"
"Emilia Pérez"
"Nickel Boys"
"A Real Pain"
"Sing Sing"
"Wicked"

EMILIA PEREZ (2024)

Written & Directed by Jacques Audiard

Where & When: TIFF: Visa Screening Room at Princess of Wales Theatre, Toronto, Ontario Canada September 10, 2024 11:30 AM

Available to stream now on Netflix



The French filmmaker, Jacques Audiard began his career as a screenwriter, co-writing over ten feature films before moving behind the camera. His first feature, "Regarde les hommes tomber (See How They Fall)" in 1993 was well-received, earning the director three César Awards (France's Oscars) including for Best First Work. Audiard's subsequent features are bold and daring works that would go on to be critically acclaimed internationally and award-winning with him collecting eleven César Awards to date and winning the top prize of the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2015. While most of his films would be contemporary and set in his native country, Audiard would recently become a cinematic world traveler, creating works further outside from his own experiences. First, there was "Dheepan" (which won the Palme d'Or) involving a Sri Lankan soldier during the country's civil war who creates a new identity in order to securely achieve political asylum in France. Then he ventured to America with his first English-language film, "The Sisters Brothers", a nineteenth century western about assassin-for-hire brothers in search of gold.

With his latest, "Emilia Pérez" (a Jury Prize winner at this year's Cannes), a story set in Mexico about a male drug-dealer who transitions into a female, Audiard continues to goes further into transcending our expectations of cinematic storytelling. An unconventional yet riveting melodrama that catches you by surprise, managing to be equally captivating and disturbing.

Our story begins with Rita Castro (Zoe Saldaña), a defense attorney in the middle of a murder trial uncomfortably defending someone she knows is guilty. After winning the case, she is approached with a mysterious proposition by an anonymous client. The client turns out to be Juan Del Monte, a notorious cartel kingpin known as "Manitas" (Karla Sofía Gascón) who wants her help arranging for him to have surgery to change his gender. Learning about his years of struggling with his gender identity, Rita agrees to this strange yet lucrative offer. After finding the right doctors to discreetly perform the operation, her final task is to move Del Monte's wife, Jessi (Selena Gomez) with their two children to Switzerland for their safety before she learns that her husband has "died".

A few years later, Rita runs into a woman at a dinner party in London who is also from Mexico. It is "Manitas" who has been reborn as "Emilia Pérez" (also played by Gascón) and is insisting on Rita's help once again. Desperately missing her family, Emilia wants Rita to bring Jessi back to Mexico City under the guise that she is her husband's distant cousin wanting to help her raise the children. Skeptical yet wanting to return to Mexico, Jessi agrees to this plan.

While happy to be reunited with her family, Emilia is confronted by her criminal past and that guilt leads to her beginning a non-profit to help identify the bodies of cartel victims, some she may have been directly responsible for their murders. One woman, Epifanía (Adriana Paz) is contacted by Emilia when the remains of her missing husband have been identified. But she's shocked when Epifanía is simply relieved that her abusive husband is actually dead. They begin a friendship which surprisingly turns romantic.

Did I mention that "Emilia Pérez" is also a musical? Audiard unexpectedly uses song (French composer, Clément Ducol and pop musician, Camille Dalmais co-wrote the music) and dance (Damien Jalet choreographed) to heighten the already compelling dramatic narrative. But unlike the recent comic-book sequel, "Joker: Folie à Deux" which added musical numbers to the dark drama that came across as a labored effect, the original songs here perfectly captures each character's anguished fears, secret pain and burning desires.

The Spanish-born Gascón came out as trans in 2018 after performing as an actor for many years in Mexico as Juan Carlos Gascón. Capturing the shrewd menace of "Manitas" while revealing a somewhat softer antagonist as Emilia, the actress convinces in this dual role, commanding the screen with a mesmerizing presence. It would seem she has used some of her own personal experiences into her performance, sharing with her character the challenges of transitioning in order to live authentically.

The veteran Saldaña, who has made her name with her Hollywood work in the sc-fi franchise films, "Avatar", "Star Trek" and "Guardians of the Galaxy", has an opportunity to reveal another side of herself as a performer. Starting off her career wanting to do ballet, she had to abandon this dream by not having the feet for this highly technical form of dance. But Saldaña would make her film debut as a ballet student in "Center Stage" back in 2000. She dazzles here, singing and dancing as a lawyer caught in a moral compromise between wanting to help make a better society and defending the criminal element.

Gomez might be better known as a pop singer but she began as a child actress finding fame on the Disney Channel and more recently has impressed with her comedic turn in the series, "Only Murder in the Building". Playing against type, Gomez is completely convincing as the pampered, bleach-blond mob wife who's grasping at whatever she can in order to survive. Along with Paz, these diverse actresses also shared a well-deserved prize for Best Actress at this year's Cannes Film Festival, working together seamlessly.

When Jessi starts up an affair with Gustavo (Édgar Ramírez), she wants to marry him and move away with the children. An enraged Emilia refuses to allow her to take them, leading to a violently explosive, bombastic finale. Operatic at it's core, "Emilia Pérez" is a visually striking fantasia rooted in a realistic milieu. The mix of genres may not always mesh together perfectly throughout the film but Audiard has been a cinematic craftsman who desires to provoke and challenge, completely uninterested in easy convention. Wildly audacious and thrillingly entertaining, "Emilia Pérez" is absolutely one of my favorite films I've seen this year.

TERI GARR (1944 - 2024)

Teri Garr, the offbeat character actor who made her name with hilarious comic turns in films and television shows throughout the 1970's and 1980's, has passed away at the age of seventy-nine. In 2002, she publicly announced that she was suffering from multiple sclerosis and having to retire from performing nine years later when it became too difficult for her to continue. Garr died from complications from this autoimmune disease on October 29th.

Born in Los Angeles, Garr came from a family of entertainers with her father, Eddie was a performer in vaudeville and her mother, Phyllis was a model and dancer. So it's not really surprising that their offspring would follow them into show business. After finishing high school and attending Cal State Northridge for two years, Garr dropped out and went to New York to study acting at the Actors Studio.

Back in Los Angeles, she began her professional career as an uncredited extra and performing as a background dancer in many television shows and films which included six Elvis Presley movies. One of her first major roles as an actor came in 1968 in "Head", a musical-comedy featuring the fictional-turned-real-life musical group, The Monkees that was directed by Bob Rafelson and written by Jack Nicholson. Another important appearance came in a episode of the sci-fi series, "Star Trek". In 1972, Garr became a regular cast member on "The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour"

Around this time, she would begin making her mark in feature films, working with many of the big-name directors of this era. She first appeared in a supporting role in Francis Ford Coppola's "The Conversation" in 1974 and would later get her first starring role ten years later in his musical-drama, "One From The Heart" (which was recently restored in 4K and re-released earlier this year); the outrageous comedy, "Young Frankenstein" with Mel Brooks; Steven Spielberg's classic sci-fi drama, "Close Encounters of the Third Kind"; Martin Scorsese's black comedy "After Hours" and "Tootsie" from Sydney Pollack where this romantic-comedy would earn the actress her only Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in 1982. Garr would also make memorable appearances in "Oh, God", "The Black Stallion", "Mr. Mom", "Dumb and Dumber", "Prêt-à-Porter" (with director, Robert Altman) and "Ghost World".

Garr became a staple on television, making guest spots on numerous sitcoms and dramas. She would become a popular guest on several talk shows due to her charming, quick witted banter, first making regular appearances on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" and later on "Late Night With David Letterman". One of her last prominent roles before her medical diagnosis was playing Phoebe's (Lisa Kudrow) estranged mother on the popular sitcom, "Friends" in 1997.

WOMAN OF THE HOUR (2024)

Written by Ian McDonald



Directed by Anna Kendrick



Available to stream now on Netflix



"Woman of the Hour", the feature directorial debut by actress, Anna Kendrick, examines Rodney Alcala who went on a horrifying, murder spree throughout the 1970's, killing numerous, innocent women before finally being caught and convicted in 1980. But it's his brazen appearance on the popular television program, "The Dating Game" where he was a contestant in search of potential date that is the focus of this film. Kendrick plays the game show bachelorette who falls for his slippery charm yet grows more uneasy with Alcala as she speaks to him at length. The compelling yet uneven "Woman of the Hour" may fall under the true-crime stories that are wildly popular right now yet this film's real aim is to sharply address how casual sexism and systemic misogyny, which was never questioned nor considered during this time, allowed Alcala's murderous rampage to continue far longer than it really should have.

Kendrick plays Cheryl Bradshaw, a nice, midwestern girl who has come to Los Angeles to try and make it as an actor. After many failed auditions and money running out, Cheryl tells her agent she might have to give up her dream and move back home. But the agent convinces a reluctant Cheryl to appear on "The Dating Game", proclaiming that Sally Field got her big break after appearing on the program. When Cheryl arrives for the live taping of the show, the pompous host, Ed Burke (Tony Hale) is unimpressed, having the crew put her in something that will make appear more appealing.

As she queries each of the scripted questions to the three bachelors hidden behind a partition, their answers aren't igniting many magical sparks between them and the bachelorette, potentially creating a dull episode of television. During a commercial break, a make-up artist suggests to Cheryl she should come up with some better questions and she proceeds to do just that. This begins lively and challenging conversation between Cheryl and these contestants, much to Burke's displeasure, which leaves only one clear choice for the bachelorette. And that selection was unfortunately Alcala, played by Daniel Zovatto, who manages to find the right balance between being charmingly smooth, emotionally sensitive and frightfully deranged.

While "Woman of the Hour" is based on actual events, much of this story here has been fictionalized including most of the characters and what happened during and after Alcala's appearance on "The Dating Game". Some of the reasoning for these changes were to protect the known victims and (which tends to be common in these fact based movies) to heighten the narrative for dramatic effect.

One clear moment of this action is the appearance of an invented character named Laura (played by Nicolette Robinson) who is in the audience during the taping of the show and recognizes Alcala as the man she is certain killed her friend after they met him on a beach. As she frantically tries to get ahold of anyone connected to the show, Laura is essentially dismissed with no one willing to take her seriously. This seemed to be on-going problem in real-life as many people tried to get the police to look at Alcala over the years yet their pleas would fall on deaf ears. He was even arrested for assaulting two girls but would later be released on parole, allowing him to continue his reign of terror.

As a first time director, Kendrick displays great promise behind the camera. She and her cinematographer, Zach Kuperstein perfectly captures the mood and vibe of sunny Los Angeles during this era, filling the screen with warm lighting and kitschy style. Kendrick also delivers a fine performance as Bradshaw, revealing her struggles, like many women of this time, with feeling obligated in appeasing unworthy, boorish men and standing ground in her own agency without giving in to the strong urge to submit to their desires. Intercut throughout the film, we see flashbacks of Alcala setting up some of the crimes he would go on to commit. He met these young women under several circumstances, usually complementing them and pretending to simply want to photograph them. Then after driving the woman to a far, secluded area and when they are comfortable and at their most vulnerable, Alcala assaults, tortures and ultimately kills his victim. 

Kendrick does not explicitly detail or reveal the actual murders, preferring to keep the violence largely off screen. The focus seemed intended to be on the lives of these victims yet we still don't really get a clear enough view of who these women were, with these scenes being far too brief and at times the crimes seem too much like a set up for a slasher film which I'm certain is not the filmmaker's intention.

Artfully conceived and effectively suspenseful, "Woman of the Hour" is an admirable first film by Kendrick. While this drama isn't entirely cohesive in it's narrative execution due to its fractured structure, the film remains a potent thriller, crackling with deep-seated tension and driven by top-notch performances. I'm looking forward in seeing what Kendrick will do next as a director.