COMING SOON

I have to say that the poster alone for "Proud Mary", with it giving off a blaxploitation vibe, was enough to get me in to a theater to see this movie. After making a splash in television with her sassy role as "Cookie" Lyon in "Empire' and co-starring in one of the biggest, critically acclaimed movie hits of 2016 with "Hidden Figures", Taraji P. Henson is about to start 2018 off with a major bang with a starring role in this action-thriller. Although this teaser-clip doesn't reveal too much of the plot, as it focuses on Taraj looking sexy and tough in black leather while firing off some serious weaponry, "Proud Mary" has Hanson playing a deadly assassin working for a Boston mob organization. When a job goes wrong, leaving a young boy an orphan, Mary's maternal instincts kick in and causing her some work-related problems. Billy Brown (from TV's "How To Get Away With Murder"), Margaret Avery and Danny Glover (who were last together on screen with "The Color Purple") co-star.

"Proud Mary" is due out in U.S. theaters on January 12, 2018

While I very disappointed with the all-female reboot of "Ghostbusters", I'm a little more optimistic about "Ocean's Eight". This spin-off from Steven Soderbergh's version of "Ocean's Eleven" and the sequels (who produces this film along with George Clooney) stars Sandra Bullock as Debbie Ocean, Danny Ocean's estranged sister and she wants to pull off a spectacular heist at the annual Met Ball gala. But she needs a team and assembles an impressive all-female one that includes Cate Blanchett, Sarah Paulson, Helena Bonham-Carter, Mindy Kaling and musicians, Rihanna and Awkwafina. There are plenty of other glittering stars on-board and this looks like it could be a really fun ride.

"Ocean's Eight" is due out in U.S. theaters on June 8, 2018

THE DISASTER ARTIST (2017)

Written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber


Directed by James Franco


Where & When: Arclight Cinemas, Hollywood, CA. December 5, 2017 5:30 PM


I remember seeing posters scattered around town in L.A. years ago of an extreme closeup of a scary looking man's face advertising a movie called "The Room". This disturbing image never motivated me to find out more about the film, let alone ever going to see it. Months passed, which turned to years and that poster (and soon a billboard) was still around all over the city.

The word was "The Room" was bad. Really bad. Yet despite it's awfulness, many embraced the film for it's guilty pleasures and soon word-of-mouth turned it into a popular cult film. And now we have a Hollywood movie about the making of this trainwreck of a film called "The Disaster Artist" which reveals the background story on how this fiasco turned in to an improbable hit. Based on the memoir by Tom Bissell and the film's co-star, Greg Sestero, the ever-busy James Franco directs and stars as Tommy Wiseau, that scary-looking man who produced, wrote, directed and stars in "The Room". This black comedy details all the chaos and insanity involved behind this absurd creation while occasionally managing to bring a wilder comic spin with their recreation of these events.

Back in 1998, a nineteen year old, Greg Sestero (Dave Franco), living in San Francisco, dreams of being an actor. He takes an acting class and there meets Tommy Wiseau (Franco). With his long, jet black hair, indistinguishable accent and outlandish behavior, Greg finds him utterly fascinating. They become fast friends and both share in the desire of becoming famous actors. Wiseau reveals he has an apartment in L.A. and suggests they move to the city together to make their dreams a reality. While Greg's mother (Megan Mullally) is understandably suspect of this very odd man (who claims to be nineteen as well), Greg jumps at this opportunity and they drive off to Hollywood.

Not long after their arrival, Greg gets an agent (with a brief cameo by Sharon Stone), a few bit parts and a girlfriend (Alison Brie). As for Wiseau, not much happens which leaves him jealous and discouraged. But soon, auditions dry up for Greg and he begins feeling frustrated, wishing some one would write a great starring role just for him. That inspires Wiseau to begin writing a screenplay and the outcome is "The Room". With a major role and an associate producer credit, Greg overlooks the fact that the script is very far from perfect.

After finding a production house, Wiseau, who has no real idea how movies are made, insists on buying all the equipment and hires Sandy Schklair (Seth Rogen) as a script supervisor who ultimately directs much of the film and Raphael Smadja (Paul Scheer) as the director of photography. We begin to see that money is not an issue for our novice filmmaker and spends wildly on his little drama with 35mm film stock, HD digital and green screen visual effects. A cast is assembled (which includes Ari Graynor, Josh Hutcherson and Jacki Weaver playing the actors) and filming begins. But the production is hardly a smooth ride with Wiseau not knowing his lines, arriving late everyday and even reluctant to provide basic needs for the crew like water.

It's understandable why Franco was attracted to this story of how an oddball underdog, with determination, a seemingly endless supply of funds and an incredible amount of luck, was able to complete his creative vision. As a director, Franco seems to have an admiration and fascination for Wiseau's unrelenting drive, clueless determination and blind faith in his talent. There was not much need here for flashy camerawork or production design so Franco tells the story fairly straightforward, relying on the brilliant comic absurdity of the screenplay by the team of Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber ("(500) Days of Summer", "The Fault in Our Stars") to keep things lively. Franco also surrounds himself with friends, family and colleagues in the cast (with some of the additional famous faces that pop up include Melanie Griffith, Zac Efron, Hannibal Buress, Bryan Cranston and Judd Apatow) and they all seem to have fun recreating the scenes from "The Room" right down to the smallest, craziest detail. And as an actor, Franco completely embodies the eccentric Wiseau, expertly displaying all of his outrageous behavior and childish quirks, to deliver one of his best performances.

When we get to the world premiere of "The Room" and the apparent drama is greeted with groans and laughter, Wiseau is horrified and disappointed. Yet, Greg (who have come back together after an estrangement following the shoot) reminds him that the most important thing is that the audience had a good time with the movie.  And with the audience applauding at the end of his opus and cheering as he takes the stage, Wiseau is more than willing to accept this compromise.

Without a doubt "The Room", which has gone on to be dubbed "the "Citizen Kane" of bad movies" and this movie will help make the obnoxious Wiseau richer and more famous than he really ought to be and that's my problem with "The Disaster Artist". The film is expertly made, well performed and actually very funny but with his off-putting, gloomy vibe and loopy, accented speech, I really wanted to spend as little time with Wiseau as possible. I couldn't imagine actually working with him and watching all the suffering the crew went through for a paycheck and screen credit became just too much me.

Tommy Wiseau's story may be oddly compelling and a source of inspiration to some but "The Disaster Artist" doesn't really reveal much about this very strange enigma behind the film. In fact, we don't learn anything more about Wiseau than you could gather by actually watching "The Room". And I still have no plans nor interest on doing that. What we do establish is that Wiseau has managed to find incredible success and fame despite lacking any discernible talent at acting, writing or directing. And that is clearly the perfect Hollywood happy ending.

AWARD NEWS UPDATE

More honors for the best in cinema for 2017 are out with films critics from Boston and San Francisco announcing their picks with "Phantom Thread" getting top honor from Beantown while the Bay City went with "The Florida Project".  The American Film Institute also delivered their annual selection of the ten best movies of the year and the Screen Actors Guild have announced their nominations for the 24th annual awards. What is notable about this year's SAG Award ceremony is that for the first time, there will be a host, Kristen Bell and all of the presenters will be female.

Willem Dafoe continues to collect awards as he won Best Supporting Actor prizes from both Boston and San Francisco and received a nomination from SAG for his work in "The Florida Project" while Laurie Metcalf  repeated the same feat for her excellent Best Supporting performance in "Lady Bird".

Some interesting picks include Daniel Kaluuya selected as Best Actor from Boston critics for his fine work in "Get Out" and he received a nomination from SAG. Andy Serkis was an unexpected winner for Best Actor by SF for his computer-generated performance in "War For The Planet of The Apes" and Margot Robbie received Best Actress recognition from them as well as a SAG nomination for her role as skater, Tonya Harding in "I, Tonya"

Meanwhile, The European Film Awards have handed out their prizes and "The Square", the Swedish satirical drama written and directed by Ruben Östlund, swept by winning all five awards it was nominated for including Best Film and a Best Actor win for a star on the rise, Claes Bang. The film was just recently shortlisted by the Academy as one of nine films eligible for this year's Best Foreign-Language Film Oscar.

AFI 2017 Movies Of The Year:

"The Big Sick"
"Call Me By Your Name"
"Dunkirk"
"The Florida Project"
"Get Out"
"Lady Bird"
"The Post"
"The Shape of Water"
"Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri"
"Wonder Woman"

Winners of the 2017 Boston Society of Film Critics:

Best Picture: "Phantom Thread"
Best Actor: Daniel Kaluuya, "Get Out"
Best Actress: Sally Hawkins, "The Shape of Water"
Best Supporting Actor: Willem Dafoe, "The Florida Project"
Best Supporting Actress: Laurie Metcalf, "Lady Bird"
Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson, "Phantom Thread"
Best Screenplay: Greta Gerwig, "Lady Bird"
Best Cinematography: Hoyte Van Hoytema, "Dunkirk"
Best Documentary: "Dawson City: Frozen in Time"
Best Foreign Language Film: "The Square"
Best Animated Film: "Coco"
Best Film Editing: David Lowery, "A Ghost Story"
Best New Filmmaker: Jordan Peele, "Get Out"
Best Ensemble Cast: "The Meyerowitz Stories"
Best Original Score: Jonny Greenwood, "Phantom Thread"

Winners of the 2017 San Francisco Film Critics Circle

Best Picture: "The Florida Project"
Best Director: Guillermo del Toro, "The Shape of Water"
Best Actor: Andy Serkis, "War For The Planet of The Apes"
Best Actress: Margot Robbie, "I, Tonya"
Best Supporting Actor: Willem Dafoe, "The Florida Project"
Best Supporting Actress: Laurie Metcalf, "Lady Bird"
Best Foreign Language Film: "BPM (Beats Per Minute)"
Best Animated Feature: "Coco"
Best Documentary: "Faces Places"
Best Cinematography: Roger Deakins, "Blade Runner 2049"
Best Production Design: Paul D. Austerberry, "The Shape of Water"
Best Editing: Paul Machliss and Jonathan Amos, "Baby Driver"
Best Original Screenplay: Jordan Peele, "Get Out"
Best Adapted Screenplay: James Ivory, "Call Me By Your Name"
Best Original Score: Jonny Greenwood, "Phantom Thread"

Winners of the 2017 European Film Awards:

Best European Film: "The Square"
Best European Discovery: "Lady Macbeth"
Best European Comedy: "The Square"
Best European Actress: Alexandra Borbely, "On Body And Soul"
Best European Actor: Claes Bang, "The Square"
Best European Documentary: "Communion"
Best European Director: Ruben Ostlund, "The Square"
Best European Screenwriter: Ruben Ostlund, "The Square"
Best European Animated Feature: "Loving Vincent"
Best European Short Film: "Timecode"
Best European Cinematographer: Michail Krichman, "Loveless"
Best European Composer: Evgueni & Sacha Galperine, "Loveless"
Best European Editor: Robin Campillo, "BPM (Beats Per Minute)"
Best European Production Designer: Josefin Åsberg, "The Square"
Best European Costume Designer: Katarzyna Lewińska, "Spoor"
Best European Hair & Make-Up Artist: Leendert van Nimwegen, "Brimstone"
Best European Sound Designer: Oriol Tarragó, "A Monster Calls"

The 2017 Screen Actors Guild Awards Nominations:

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture:

"The Big Sick"
"Get Out"
"Lady Bird"
"Mudbound"
"Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role:

Timothée Chalamet, "Call Me by Your Name"
James Franco, "The Disaster Artist"
Daniel Kaluuya, "Get Out"
Gary Oldman, "Darkest Hour"
Denzel Washington, "Roman J. Israel, Esq."

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role:

Judi Dench, "Victoria & Abdul"
Sally Hawkins, "The Shape of Water"
Frances McDormand, "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri"
Margot Robbie, "I, Tonya"
Saoirse Ronan, "Lady Bird"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role:

Steve Carell, "Battle of the Sexes"
Willem Dafoe, "The Florida Project"
Woody Harrelson, "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri"
Richard Jenkins, The Shape of Water"
Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role:

Mary J. Blige, "Mudbound"
Hong Chau, "Downsizing"
Holly Hunter, "The Big Sick"
Allison Janney, "I, Tonya"
Laurie Metcalf, "Lady Bird"

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture:

"Baby Driver"
"Dunkirk"
"Logan"
"War for the Planet of the Apes"
"Wonder Woman"

2017 NATIONAL FILM REGISTRY

With the goal to showcase the extraordinary diversity and creativity of America’s film heritage and to preserve these films, the National Film Registry have selected twenty-five more films to be added to the list of diverse and important works of cinema that will be stored in the Library of Congress. These include the Kevin Costner baseball fantasy, "Field of Dreams"; "Dumbo", Disney's animated classic of a flying elephant with giant ears; the groundbreaking interracial romantic drama, "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner"; the action-thriller, "Die Hard" that made Bruce Willis a movie star; Spike Lee's moving documentary on the tragic 1963 church bombing in Alabama, "4 Little Girls"; the 1978 live-action feature film on the Man of Steel, "Superman"; Elia Kazan’s study of anti-Semitism, "Gentleman’s Agreement" and the ill-fated romance that involves a ship and an iceberg which became one of the biggest box-office hits of all-time, "Titanic" are just a few of the titles selected.

Spanning the period between 1905-2000, these films have been named because of their cultural, historic or aesthetic importance and with these selections brings the number of films in the registry to 725. Here is the complete list of the films selected to the 2017 National Film Registry:

"Ace in the Hole (aka Big Carnival)" (1951)



"Boulevard Nights" (1979)



"Die Hard"(1988)
"Dumbo" (1941)
"Field of Dreams" (1989)



"4 Little Girls" (1997)
"Fuentes Family Home Movies Collection" (1920's and 1930's)
"Gentleman’s Agreement" (1947)



"The Goonies" (1985)
"Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner" (1967)
"He Who Gets Slapped" (1924)
"Interior New York Subway, 14th Street to 42nd Street" (1905)
"La Bamba" (1987)



"Lives of Performers" (1972)
"Memento" (2000)



"Only Angels Have Wings" (1939)
"The Sinking of the Lusitania" (1918)
"Spartacus" (1960)
"Superman" (1978)

"Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser" (1988)
"Time and Dreams" (1976)
"Titanic"(1997)
"To Sleep with Anger" (1990)



"Wanda" (1971)
"With the Abraham Lincoln Brigade in Spain" (1937-1938)

GREAT PERFORMANCES: THE YEAR OF HORROR

Inspired not only by the great success of horror films this year but also by many of the frightening and horrific political activities that have been happening not only here in the U.S. but in much of the rest of the world, The New York Times magazine has used this popular genre for their annual Great Performances issue.

Times film critics, A.O. Scott and Wesley Morris have selected the ten actors who made an incredible impact with some of the year's best performances. And filmmaker, Floria Sigismondi has photographed each actor, Daniel Kaluuya ("Get Out"), Nicole Kidman ("The Beguiled", "The Killing of a Sacred Deer"), Tiffany Haddish ("Girls Trip"), Jake Gyllenhaal ("Stronger"), Daniela Vega ("A Fantastic Woman"), Brooklynn Prince ("The Florida Project"),  Timothée Chalamet ("Call Me By Your Name"), Andy Serkis ("War For The Planet of The Apes"), Cynthia Nixon ("A Quiet Passion") and Saoirse Ronan ("Lady Bird") in interesting short films with a horror setting. To read why they were selected and to see the photos and videos, click below:

Great Performances: The Year of Horror

JUSTICE LEAGUE (2017)

Written by Chris Terrio and Joss Whedon


Directed by Zack Synder


Where & When: Arclight Cinemas, Hollywood, CA. November 21, 2017 5:45 PM



"Justice League", Zack Synder's chaotic and uninspired gathering of DC Comics superheroes, was supposed to be the icing on the cake. After reintroducing Superman to a new generation with "Man of Steel", followed by a new Batman in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" which also brought Wonder Woman (and very briefly, The Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg) to our attention, this film was destined to be the thrilling adventure fans had been highly anticipating. However, that has not come to pass. While those previous films were hardly great, "Justice League" ends up being the worst of them all. Sluggish pacing and a colorless script that features a very generic villain has made finally seeing all these classic heroes together in one film a decidedly disappointing experience.

Our story continues where "Dawn of Justice" left off with the world still reeling from the death of Superman when a new evil threat arrives to try and take over the planet. Steppenwolf (a CGI creation voiced by Ciarán Hinds), a powerful alien, seeks to collect and unify the energies of three Mother Boxes hidden in locations around the world with the aid of his army of Parademons, a kind of extraterrestrial flying monkeys, which will ultimately make him unstoppable.

One location is on the island of Themyscira, home of the Amazons. Lead by Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen), these female warriors fight valiantly against Steppenwolf but he's far too formidable and he takes the first box. The Queen manages to get a message to her daughter, Diana, better known to the world as Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), warning her of the danger. She goes to Bruce Wayne, who secretly is Batman (Ben Affleck), "the Dark Knight" and both decide they will need to recruit a few others with some significant muscle to help stop Steppenwolf.

Wayne travels to Iceland to persuade the legendary "Aquaman", a super-human who can live on land or in the sea. Usually seen as a blond wholesome figure, this Arthur Curry, as played by Jason Momoa, is a long-haired and tatted-up type who's gruff and doesn't play well with others. Meanwhile, Diana locates Victor Stone (Ray Fisher), a former college football star who was severely injured in a car accident and saved by his scientist father (Joe Morton) by merging his damaged body with robotic parts, making him a brooding, super-powered Cyborg. With both declining the offer to join the team, Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) or otherwise known as "The Flash", an enthusiastic teenage nerd with the ability to move at lightning speed, is more than willing to help with the fight.

They both eventually come around after Steppenwolf gets the second Mother Box that was secured in the underwater world of Atlantis despite Aquaman's attempt to stop him. And Cyborg knows where the final box is; he had hidden it after his father had used it to help save him following his accident. Batman decides they should use the box to revive the Man of Steel as they desperately need his help to defeat Steppenwolf although some are concerned about his mental state once he's resurrected.

Zack Snyder was in the middle of post-production on "Justice League" when a horrific family tragedy caused the director to withdraw from completing the film. Joss Whedon, who's had plenty of experience with sci-fi and super-heroes having worked on Marvel's "The Avengers" and the sequel, was brought on board to finish the project. Whedon wrote some additional scenes and assembled the cast back together for some re-shoots. However, Henry Cavill, who reprises his role as Superman in this film, was in the middle of shooting another sequel to "Mission: Impossible" and had grown an elaborate beard for his part and couldn't shave. CGI was used to remove the out-of-place facial hair but there are moments in a few scenes that has left Mr. Cavill's handsome jawline noticeably misshapen. It's these little things that add up to making the film feel oddly disjointed and erratic.

It's written in the DNA of comic book stories that the malevolent villain will ultimately be defeated and our heroes will once again rise to a new challenge. So what makes each story in these films interesting is the witty banter and emotionally charged moments between the characters and the rip-roaring, visually-enhanced battles these heroes engage in. While "Justice League" delivers plenty of bold visual stimulation, the camaraderie between the members of this team is lacking, with little more than indifference and petty sniping going on between them. There are some occasional funny bits scattered throughout (most likely thanks to Mr. Whedon) including a particularly hilarious scene involving Aquaman and Wonder Woman's magic lasso but not nearly enough to lighten the heavy mood.

Also like the previous films, there is still a serious problem with female characters. With the exception of our favorite Amazon, the significant roles for women featured, which includes Amy Adams and Diane Lane returning as Superman's girlfriend and adoptive mother, are not given anything substancial to do but look sad and weepy.

While "Justice League" may captivate and entertain with high-flying yet routine battles between good versus evil, it's just doesn't offer much more than that. The major flaw is that the film doesn't invest enough time in helping us engage with our heroes or making them characters we actually want to get to know better. The true inspiration seems to be simply manufacturing another cog in the money-making machine of super-hero features, creating a satisfactory yet far from superior product.

MORE AWARD NEWS

With award season starting to move in to high gear, the critic groups on both coasts have weighted in and have announced their picks for the best of the year. On November 30th, The New York Film Critics Circle selected Greta Gerwig's coming-of-age comedy, "Lady Bird" as Best Film while The Los Angeles Film Critics Association today have picked the romance, "Call Me By Your Name". This is hardly the only place they had differing opinions as each group had their own selections in most categories but did manage to agree on a few. They both picked Timothée Chalamet as Best Actor for his sensitive portrayal of a young teenager discovering himself in "Call Me By Your Name" and Willem Dafoe as Best Supporting Actor for his outstanding performance in "The Florida Project". They also agreed on Best Foreign-Language Film with "BPM (Beats Per Minute)", which looked at the ACT-UP AIDS activists in France although it tied with the Russian film, "Loveless" as LA's pick along with Best Documentary for Agnès Varda and JR with their joint venture, "Faces Places".

The most noteworthy selection was from New York with them picking Tiffany Haddish as Best Supporting Actress for her hilarious turn in the road-trip comedy, "Girls Trip". I'm hoping this will lead to her building some momentum to get that Oscar nod much like Melissa McCarthy who received a helpful boost from critics to ultimately getting a nomination for her very funny performance in "Bridesmaids".

The NYFCC Awards will be given out at a gala dinner on January 3 at Tao Downtown. The LAFCA will hand out the prizes at their annual gala on January 13 at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles.

Here is the complete list of the 2017 New York Film Critics Circle winners:

Best Film: "Lady Bird"
Best Director: Sean Baker, "The Florida Project"
Best First Film: "Get Out"
Best Screenplay: Paul Thomas Anderson, "Phantom Thread"
Best Actor: Timothée Chalamet, "Call Me by Your Name"
Best Actress: Saoirse Ronan, "Lady Bird"
Best Supporting Actor: Willem Dafoe, "The Florida Project"
Best Supporting Actress: Tiffany Haddish, "Girls Trip"
Best Cinematography: Rachel Morrison, "Mudbound"
Best Foreign Language Film: "BPM (Beats Per Minute)" (France)
Best Documentary: "Faces Places"
Best Animated Film: "Coco"

Here is the complete list of the 2017 The Los Angeles Film Critics Association winners:

Best Picture: "Call Me By Your Name"
Best Director: Guillermo del Toro, "The Shape of Water" and Luca Guadagnino, "Call Me By Your Name" (tie)
Best Screenplay: Jordan Peele, "Get Out"
Best Actress: Sally Hawkins, "The Shape of Water"
Best Actor: Timothée Chalamet, "Call Me By Your Name"
Best Supporting Actress: Laurie Metcalf, "Lady Bird"
Best Supporting Actor: Willem Dafoe, "The Florida Project"
Best Cinematography: Dan Laustsen, "The Shape of Water"
Best Editing: Lee Smith, "Dunkirk"
Best Production Design: Dennis Gassner, "Blade Runner 2049"
Best Foreign-Language Film: "BPM (Beats Per Minute)" (France) and "Loveless" (Russia) (tie)
Best Documentary/Non-Fiction Film: "Faces Places"
Best Animated Film: "The Breadwinner"
Best Music/Score: Jonny Greenwood, "Phantom Thread"