For this year's annual New York Times Great Performances, the theme is all about dance. Movement has always been a part of cinema and with the arrival of sound, the all-singing, all-dancing musical would become a beloved staple of Hollywood.
A. O. Scott and Wesley Morris, the chief film critics for the Times, have highlighted twelve distinguished actors and their magnificent performances from 2018. Those selected are Glenn Close ("The Wife"), Ethan Hawke ("First Reformed"), Toni Collette ("Hereditary"), Lakeith Stanfield ("Sorry To Bother You"), Regina Hall ("Support The Girls"), Julia Roberts ("Ben Is Back"), Yalitza Aparicio ("Roma"), Elsie Fisher ("Eighth Grade"), Yoo Ah-In ("Burning"), and the acting trio from "The Favourite"; Olivia Colman, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz.
To honor these performers, a collection of short films were conceived, choreographed and directed by Justin Peck, the resident choreographer of New York City Ballet. And while many were certainly not dancers, the goal was to create a beautiful sense of movement and that was definitely accomplished. There are also wonderful photographs by Phillip Montgomery that have created some memorable images.
Please click below to watch the videos and read about their great achievements as actors this year:
Where & When: AFI Film Festival, TCL Chinese 6 Theatres, November 13, 2018 12:00 PM
Brady Corbet is better known as an actor, appearing in such films as "Thirteen", "Mysterious Skin", "Force Majeure" and most notably as one half of two sadistic boys who terrorize a family in Michael Haneke's American-set remake of his disturbing 1997 Austrian psychological thriller, "Funny Games". But I was not aware that he had recently moved behind the camera, first with "The Childhood of a Leader" in 2015, a dark indie, coming-of-age tale set in post-WW I Europe that was loosely based on a short-story by Jean-Paul Sartre. Corbet ambitiously filmed English and French language versions and the offbeat feature went on to win two awards, Best Debut film and Best Director, at the 2015 Venice Film Festival.
With his follow-up feature, "Vox Lux", Corbet has dipped his toe further in to conventional storytelling even utilizing big-name actors to fill roles. Yet it's clear that he's not fully invested in to traveling down the well-worn path of traditional narrative film making. Corbet presents intriguing ideas on our troubling obsession with guns, social media and celebrity culture seen through the world of popular music. And while this drama is told with plenty of visual style and wit, it is not always clear on exactly what the filmmaker is trying to say.
Our story begins in the last year of the 1990's with Celeste (Raffey Cassidy), an average Staten Island teenager who is part of her high-school's choir. One day during class, a horrific event occurs, which is sadly actually happening far too often in this country, when a fellow student opens fire on the school. Celeste is badly injured but survives unlike tragically some of her other classmates.
During her recovery, Celeste works on a song with her older sister, Ellie (Stacy Martin) and they perform it during a memorial service to honor the fallen students. A clip of Celeste singing is posted on social media and goes viral, drawing a lot of attention to her. A slick and handsome, unnamed fellow (Jude Law) approaches the sisters, offering them an opportunity to take this sudden awareness to the next level with a professional music career. With him as the manager and Ellie as the creative engine, Celeste begins the hard work involved in trying to become a pop star as we watch her going to recording sessions and dance routine rehearsals.
We soon move in to present day with an adult Celeste, now played by Natalie Portman. She is still enjoying the success she has achieved as a major pop sensation yet the pressures of fame has taken it's toll on her. Unstable and temperamental, Celeste has become very hard to handle. Her relationship with Ellie has become estranged and while the manager is still around, their partnership has shifted to an unhealthy, co-dependent situation. And Celeste has a teenage daughter, Albertine (played by Ms Cassidy) but she is unable to focus on being a suitable mother to her child.
As Celeste is preparing for a large-scale, homecoming concert, a terrorist attack occurs in Europe which seems inspired by one of her music videos. While her publicist (Jennifer Ehle) tries to help handle the media, Celeste begins to further unravel as this terrible event triggers the memory of the similar incident that occurred during her childhood.
With only his second feature, I think Mr. Corbet is shaping up to be a bold and provocative filmmaker. In "Vox Lux", he explores how we come together during a time of tragedy, to mourn the loss and demand that we must change as a society. Yet time passes and these tragic events are often repeated by another generation. Celeste is our eyewitness to the cultural pattern in this story and we experience these troubling circumstances through her. But Mr Corbet's script brings many compelling and quirky ideas together in a way that manages to be charming and confounding. The addition of a few comic slapstick bits and an impassive narration provided by Willem Dafoe only manages to distract further.
And that leads me to the appearance of Ms Portman. There are two glaring problems with her performance; the actress does not seem to be playing the same shy, soft-spoken character we saw earlier, particularly with the addition of a loud, heavy New York accent. And although she is hilarious and furiously over-the-top, Portman's Celeste seems to belong in a completely different movie, like some rock & roll satire.
"Vox Lux" ends simply with the concert; a modern pop music spectacle with an elaborate stage-set, sparkling back-up dancers and Portman centerstage, in a shiny catsuit, actually singing songs written by real-life pop star, Sia. We are left to wonder what will become of Celeste, her sister and daughter or even the manager. I wasn't looking for all loose ends to be tied up or a happily ever after. But I was expecting more of a sense of closure and a better understanding of the underlying message of the film. "Vox Lux" begins to offer plenty of interesting theories and observations yet none of them ever feels well thought out.
Penny Marshall, a popular television actress turned groundbreaking filmmaker, has passed away on December 18th at the age of seventy-five. She died in Los Angeles of complications from diabetes. With her distinctive New York honk, Marshall first gained fame as Laverne DeFazio and costarred with Cindy Williams in the hit sitcom, "Laverne & Shirley" before moving behind the camera to become a very gifted and successful director of television and film.
She was born Carole Penny Marshall in the Bronx, New York and her older brother, Garry (who passed away in 2016 at the age of eighty-one) would first become a very notable actor, director and producer in his own right. He gave his sister her first break with a small role in "How Sweet It Is", a film he had written and produced in 1968. Later, he got her cast in a supporting role in the sitcom he was producing, "The Odd Couple" and Marshall was on the show for four years.
Marshall was soon able to land a few roles on her own in films and television which included a recurring part on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show". However, her brother stepped in again and cast her as Laverne and Williams as Shirley in a guest spot on an episode of "Happy Days", a show he was writer on. The characters were a hit and a spin-off was created in 1976. This popular show was on the air for eight years and became the most-watched American television program by its third season.
After the show ended, Marshall had difficulty finding acting jobs due to typecasting. She had directed a few episodes of "Laverne & Shirley" and got the opportunity to direct her first feature, "Jumping Jack Flash" in 1986 after the original director dropped out. The comedy starred Whoopi Goldberg in one of her first major film roles and while most critics did not warmly embrace the movie, it was a modest success at the box-office. But it was her follow-up feature that would be the game-changer of her directing career.
"Big", the 1988 comedy about a twelve year old boy who finds himself trapped in the body of a thirty year old man, made Tom Hanks a star and earned him his first Oscar nomination while Marshall became the first woman to direct a film that made over one hundred million dollars. Her follow-up 1990 feature, "Awakenings" was a drama about a man (Robin Williams) who was trapped in a catatonic state for years due to a rare illness until a treatment is developed by his doctor (Robert DeNiro, who earned an Oscar nom for his role). The film received a Best PictureOscar nomination yet Marshall was overlooked for Best Director recognition.
Marshall would only direct four more feature films during her career which included the Danny DeVito 1994 comedy, "Renaissance Man"; a 1996 remake of "The Preacher's Wife" featuring Denzel Washington and Whitney Houston and Marshall's last feature, "Riding In Cars With Boys", an underrated 2001 bio-pic starring Drew Barrymore.
But it is "A League of Their Own" which is considered Marshall's greatest achievement as a filmmaker and one of her most beloved movies. This 1992 sports-comedy was based on the real-life women's baseball league and follows two sisters (Geena Davis and Lori Petty) who join during WWII as most of the men were away fighting during the war and Tom Hanks plays the team's drunken manager who initially doesn't take the ladies seriously. The film became Marshall's second film to make over one hundred million dollars and in 2012 was selected to be preserved as part of the United States National Film Registry.
Marshall was married twice; she wed Michael Henry in 1963 and they had a daughter, Tracy. The marriage lasted only three years. Marshall later married, Rob Reiner, (son of the renowned comedian/producer, Carl), an actor who later became a successful film director himself after he got typecast following his role in the popular sitcom, "All In The Family". They wed in 1971 and Reiner adapted Tracy but the marriage ended after ten years.
The nominations for the 2018 Screen Actors Guild Awards were announced and what is most notable is what was not nominated. The Outstanding Performance By a Cast, which is the equivalent of Best Picture, is missing the popular titles that have received plenty of award attention like "Green Book", "The Favourite", "Vice", "Mary Poppins Returns", "Roma" and "If Beale Street Could Talk". The most surprising movie that received a nomination in this category was "Bohemian Rhapsody" which besides Rami Malek (who did earn a well-deserved nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Actor) did not seem to stand out with many noteworthy performances. But the biggest head-scratcher is in the Outstanding Performance By an Actress in a Supporting Role. It's not much of a surprise of Emily Blunt receiving a Best Actress nomination for her work in "Mary Poppins Returns" which has received plenty of great buzz but she got a second nod for her performance in the hit horror film, "A Quiet Place". And Margot Robbie also received an unexpected nomination for playing Queen Elizabeth I in "Mary, Queen of Scots". Nobody saw these nominations coming and for good reason. While both actresses gave reliably strong performances in their respective films, neither one would I consider the most outstanding performances of this year nor even the best in their careers.
The 25th annual SAG Awards will be presented on January 27 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Megan Mullally will host the show.
Here is the list of nominations for the 2018 Screen Actors Guild Awards (Motion Pictures):
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture:
"A Star Is Born"
"Black Panther"
"Blackkklansman"
"Bohemian Rhapsody"
"Crazy Rich Asians"
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role:
Christian Bale, "Vice"
Bradley Cooper, "A Star Is Born"
Rami Malek, "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Viggo Mortensen, "Green Book"
John David Washington, "BlacKkKlansman"
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role:
Emily Blunt, "Mary Poppins Returns"
Glenn Close, "The Wife"
Olivia Colman, "The Favourite"
Lady Gaga, "A Star Is Born"
Melissa McCarthy, "Can You Ever Forgive Me?"
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role:
Mahershala Ali, "Green Book"
Timothee Chalamet, "Beautiful Boy"
Adam Driver, "BlacKkKlansman"
Sam Elliott, "A Star Is Born"
Richard E. Grant, "Can You Ever Forgive Me?"
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role:
Amy Adams, "Vice"
Emily Blunt, "A Quiet Place"
Margot Robbie, "Mary, Queen of Scots"
Emma Stone, "The Favourite"
Rachel Weisz, "The Favourite"
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture:
"Ant-Man and the Wasp"
"Avengers: Infinity War"
"The Ballad of Buster Scruggs"
"Black Panther"
"Mission: Impossible: Fallout"
"Cold War", Pawel Pawlikowski’s black-and-white romantic drama, was the big winner at the 2018 European Film Awards, receiving four major prizes for Best Film, Director, Screenplay and Actress for Joanna Kulig. I think Mr. Pawlikowski's chances of getting another Oscar nomination (which the Polish director won the Best Foreign-language Oscar in 2015 for his mesmerizing film, "Ida") has improved greatly and "Cold War", which is loosely based on his parent's relationship, reaches stateside on December 21st.
Here is the list of nominations and winners from the 2018 European Film Awards. Winners are highlighted:
Ali Abbas, "Border"
Matteo Garrone, "Dogman"
Samuel Maoz, "Foxtrot" (Israel) Pawel Pawlikowski, "Cold War"
Alice Rohrwacher, "Happy as Lazzaro"
Best European Screenwriter:
Ali Abbasi, Isabella Eklof, and John Ajvide Lindqvist, "Border"
Matteo Garrone, Ugo Chiti, and Massimo Gaudioso, "Dogman"
Gustaav Moller and Emil Nygaard Albertsen, "The Guilty" Pawel Pawlikowski, "Cold War"
Alice Rohrwacher, "Happy as Lazzaro"
Best European Actress:
Marie Baumer, "3 Days in Quiberon" (Germany)
Halldora Geirhardsdottir, "Woman at War" (Iceland) Joanna Kulig, "Cold War"
Barbara Lennie, "Petra" (Spain)
Eva Melander, "Border"
Alba Rohrwacher, "Happy as Lazzaro"
Best European Actor:
Jacob Cedergren, "The Guilty" (Denmark)
Rupert Everett, "The Happy Prince" (United Kingdom)
Sverrir Gudnason, "Borg/McEnroe" (Sweden)
Tomasz Kot, "Cold War" Marcello Fonte, "Dogman"
Victor Polser, "Girl"
Best European Comedy:
"C'est La Vie" (France)
"Diamantino" (Portugal) "Death of Stalin" (United Kingdom)
Best European Documentary:
"Bergman: A Year in A Life" (Sweden)
"The Distant Barking of Dogs" (Denmark)
"Of Fathers and Sons" (Syria/Lebanon/Qatar)
"The Silence of Others" (Spain)
"A Woman Captured" (Hungary)
Best European Animated Film:
"Another Day of Life" (Poland/Spain)
"Early Man" (United Kingdom)
"The Breadwinner" (Ireland)
"White Fang" (Luxembourg)
And here are winners by more critics groups from Los Angeles, Toronto and San Francisco with "Roma" being the unanimous choice for the Best Film of the Year:
Here is the list of the winners from 2018 Los Angeles Film Critics Association:
Best Picture: "Roma" Best Director: Debra Granik, "Leave No Trace" Best Screenplay: Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty, "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" Best Actor: Ethan Hawke, First Reformed" Best Actress: Olivia Colman, "The Favourite" Best Supporting Actor: Steven Yeun, "Burning" Best Supporting Actress: Regina King, "If Beale Street Could Talk" Best Documentary: "Shirkers" Best Animation: "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" Best Cinematography: Alfonso Cuarón, "Roma" Best Editing: Joshua Altman and Bing Liu, Minding the Gap" Best Production Design: Hannah Beachler, "Black Panther" Best Music/Score: Nicholas Britell, "If Beale Street Could Talk" Career Achievement Award: Hayao Miyazaki
Winners from the 2018 Toronto Film Critics Association:
Best Film: "Roma" Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón, "Roma" Best Screenplay (Tie): Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara, "The Favourite" and Paul Schrader, "First Reformed" Best First Feature: Boots Riley, "Sorry to Bother You" Best Actress: Olivia Colman, "The Favourite" Best Actor: Ethan Hawke, "First Reformed" Best Supporting Actor: Steven Yeun, "Burning" Best Supporting Actress: Regina King, "If Beale Street Could Talk" Best Animated Film: "Isle of Dogs" Best Documentary: "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" Best Foreign Film: "Burning" (South Korea)
Winners from the 2018 San Francisco Film Critics Circle:
Best Film: "Roma" Best Director: Spike Lee, "BlacKkKlansman" Best Debut Director: Boots Riley, "Sorry to Bother You" Best Original Screenplay: Paul Schrader, "First Reformed" Best Adapted Screenplay: Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott and Spike Lee, "BlacKkKlansman" Best Actress: Melissa McCarthy, "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" Best Actor: Ethan Hawke, "First Reformed" Best Supporting Actor: Michael B Jordan, "Black Panther" Best Supporting Actress: Regina King, "If Beale Street Could Talk" Best Cinematography: Alfonso Cuarón, "Roma" Best Production Design: Hannah Beachler, "Black Panther" Best Editing: Bob Murawski and Orson Welles, "The Other Side of the Wind" Best Animated Film: "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse" Best Documentary: "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" Best Foreign Film: "Roma" Best Original Score: Terence Blanchard, "BlacKkKlansman"
This year's selections by the Library of Congress of twenty-five movies to be added to the National Film Registry features a large number of heavy-hitters, an impressive collection of beloved classics, cult favorites, Oscar nominees and winners. Some of these include Steven Spielberg's groundbreaking dinosaur adventure, "Jurassic Park"; Disney's popular animated fairy tale, "Cinderella"; Stanley Kubrick's take of the Stephen King horror novel, "The Shining" which starred Jack Nicholson; "Eve’s Bayou", Kasi Lemmons' directorial debut about a Creole family in Louisiana and their tragic secrets; Alfred Hictchcock's romantic thriller, "Rebecca" which won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1940; the popular Broadway musicals transformed in to popular Hollywood musicals, "On The Town" and the 1964 Best Picture winner, "My Fair Lady" and "Brokeback Mountain", Ang Lee's poignant love story between two Wyoming ranchers.
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 750. Here is the complete list of the films selected to the 2018 National Film Registry:
"Bad Day at Black Rock" (1955)
"Broadcast News" (1987)
"Brokeback Mountain" (2005)
"Cinderella" (1950)
"Days of Wine and Roses" (1962)
"Dixon-Wanamaker Expedition to Crow Agency" (1908)
"Eve’s Bayou" (1997)
"The Girl Without a Soul" (1917)
"Hair Piece: A Film for Nappy-Headed People" (1984)
"Hearts and Minds" (1974)
"Hud" (1963)
"The Informer" (1935)
"Jurassic Park" (1993)
"The Lady From Shanghai" (1947)
"Leave Her to Heaven" (1945)
"Monterey Pop" (1968)
"My Fair Lady" (1964)
"The Navigator" (1924)
"On the Town" (1949)
"One-Eyed Jacks" (1961)
"Pickup on South Street" (1953)
"Rebecca" (1940)
"The Shining" (1980)
"Smoke Signals" (1998)
"What Men Want" is a gender-flip of the 2000 Mel Gibson comedy, "What Women Want". This time, Ali Davis (Taraji P. Henson) is a sports agent who is never seen as an equal by her male colleagues. When she gets passed up for a well-deserved promotion, she questions what she has to do to get ahead in a man’s world. But after a serious bump on the head, Ali is suddenly able to hear men’s thoughts. The movie looks hilarious and Ms Henson is perfectly cast. This comedy, directed by former dancer/choreographer turned filmmaker ("Bringing Down the House", 'The Wedding Planner", the 2007 musical, "Hairspray") Adam Shankman, also features Tracy Morgan, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Pete Davidson, the original "Shaft", Richard Roundtree and singer, Erykah Badu.
"What Men Want" is due in U.S. theaters on February 8, 2019
Where & When: Arclight Cinemas, Hollywood, CA. November 18, 2018 1:00 PM
On the surface, "Widows" would appear to be your average action-thriller. Based on the 1980's British series by Lynda La Plante (who also created the popular Helen Mirren-starring crime series, "Prime Suspect"), the film is about three desperate widows trying to steal millions of dollars in order to pay back a debt owed to a gangster by their recently deceased husbands. But Steve McQueen, the British director who earned a well-deserved Academy Award for Best Picture for his last feature, "12 Years a Slave", has much more on his mind than making a basic crime-drama.
McQueen, along with his co-writer, Gillian Flynn (who wrote the novel and screenplay for "Gone Girl"), has created something far more complex with issues involving gender, race and class throughout the narrative. There is a dazzling cast on hand made up of rising talent and established veterans, lead by the formidable screen presence of Viola Davis, who all help elevate the film to another level. "Widows" also focuses on rarely-seen female camaraderie with women on screen not fighting over men but bonding, working together to share their feelings and solve their problems. Unlike "Ocean's 8", another all-female heist movie that came out earlier this year, this film is far more grounded and satisfying.
Veronica (Davis) has become a widow after her husband, Harry (Liam Neeson), a professional thief and his small crew died in a fiery car explosion during a botched robbery. With barely any time to grieve, she's visited by Jamal Manning (Brian Tyree Henry), a crime boss turned fledgling politician (like that's a real career change). Veronica is informed that she owes him two million dollars because the money her husband attempted to steal belonged to him. Unconcerned that she was never involved in Harry's business dealings and needing the funds to help finance his campaign for alderman in a Chicago South-Side district, Jamal will give her a month to repay him. Or else.
Unsure of what to do, Veronica is unexpectedly given a departing gift from her late husband that could help her out. Harry left for her in a safe-deposit box a journal with a detailed plan for a robbery that could net up to three million dollars. Desperate, Veronica decides to try to pull the job off but knows she gonna need some help. She decides to call on the widows of Harry's partners-in-crime, knowing they might also need financial assistance.
Linda Perelli (Michelle Rodriguez), the wife of Carlos (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), thought she owned her clothing store but was unaware that her husband lost it due to his gambling debts. Alice Gunner (Elizabeth Debicki) whose abusive husband, Florek (Jon Bernthal) has left her without any real ability to support herself and with her mother's (Jacki Weaver) encouragement, reluctantly begins escorting. And although they think Veronica is crazy to believe that they will ever be able to do this, Linda and Alice agree to go along with the plan. The women begin to do plenty of research and preparation training before attempting this job. When they lose their getaway driver, they turn to Linda's babysitter and struggling beautician, Belle (Cynthia Erivo) as a replacement.
The ladies do have a few other obstacles standing in the way of completing their short-sighted plan. One is Jamal's ruthless brother, Jatemme (Daniel Kaluuya), who handles their still-active underworld affairs with a deadly iron fist. He has been keeping a close eye on Veronica's activities with no interest in seeing that she succeeds in repaying his brother. And there's Jack Mulligan (Colin Farrell) who is running against Jamal for alderman. Unlike his father (Robert Duvall) who is a former-yet-still powerful Chicago politician, he has no real enthusiasm for politics but feels obligated due to the family tradition of running for office. Jack also has mysterious connection to Veronica. And as to be expected, nothing goes according to plan with an unexpected complication during the heist and an incredibly shocking twist (which manages to be equally preposterous and cruel) that shakes Veronica to her core.
There's a lot going on plot-wise in "Widows" with much of it highly improbable. With several jarring moments featuring emotional suffering, painful revelations and dark secrets, all of this can make the film feel overwhelming at times. Especially since you expect a lot less crying and conversation in an action-crime thriller. But that doesn't mean "Widows" is not entertaining. The strong performances alone certainly makes the film worthwhile with the standouts include Ms Davis, Mr. Kaluuya (who is perfectly sinister and frightening), Ms Erivo and Ms Debicki, the Australian actress that brings unexpected depth to her role of a woman who has relied on her beauty to make her way in the world and discovers that she actually has more to offer.
With his long-time cinematographer, Sean Bobbitt (who has shot all of the director's features to date), McQueen gives the film an unconventional look as well. One key scene that I can't recall ever seen done before has Farrell's Mulligan leaving a rally and entering a town car with his young campaign manager. With the camera placed on the hood of the automobile, they have a lengthy conversation yet we never see them, only the view as they travel back to the upscale neighbor of his campaign headquarters.
"Widows" is a thrilling and exciting action film yet the vivid artistry, character development and heartfelt emotions does tend to tip the film off balance. But I really admire McQueen's attempt to shake up the routine, taking a bold and experimental approach to a genre film that certainly succeeds more than fails.
After revealing their brand new, remodeled award earlier last week (see above), The Golden Globes nominations have been announced today and "Vice", Adam McKay's upcoming bio on the former Vice-President, Dick Cheney who almost single-handily changed that role and politics forever, leads the field with six nominations. Bradley Cooper and his film, "A Star is Born" also did well with five nominations including Lady Gaga receiving a Best Actress nod and Best Actor and Best Director for Cooper. Yet all of those nominations were in the Best Drama category. The Globes have always been odd in regards to some of their picks for nominations and with what categories they place films in as they split them up by drama, comedy or musical. Another glaring example is "Green Book" has been placed in the Best Motion Picture category for comedy or musical. It would be an incredible stretch to claim that film is either one of those. And while women were behind some of the most interesting films made this year, not a single female made the list for Best Director. The 76th Annual Golden Globes, hosted by the delightfully odd pairing of Sandra Oh and Andy Samberg, will be presented on January 6th in Los Angeles.
Here is a partial list of nominations for the 2018 Golden Globes Awards:
Best Motion Picture – (Drama):
"Black Panther"
"BlacKkKlansman"
"Bohemian Rhapsody"
"If Beale Street Could Talk"
"A Star Is Born"
Bradley Cooper, "A Star Is Born"
Alfonso Cuaron, "Roma"
Peter Farrelly, "Green Book"
Spike Lee, "BlacKkKlansman"
Adam McKay, "Vice"
Best Screenplay – (Motion Picture):
Alfonso Cuaron, "Roma"
Deborah Davis & Tony McNamara, "The Favourite"
Barry Jenkins, "If Beale Street Could Talk"
Adam McKay, "Vice"
Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie and Peter Farrelly, "Green Book"
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – (Drama):
Glenn Close, "The Wife"
Lady Gaga, "A Star Is Born"
Nicole Kidman, "Destroyer"
Melissa McCarthy, "Can You Ever Forgive Me?"
Rosamund Pike, "A Private War"
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – (Drama):
Bradley Cooper, "A Star Is Born"
Willem Dafoe, "At Eternity’s Gate"
Lucas Hedges, "Boy Erased"
Rami Malek, "Bohemian Rhapsody"
John David Washington, "BlacKkKlansman"
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – (Musical or Comedy):
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – (Musical or Comedy):
Christian Bale, "Vice"
Lin-Manuel Miranda, "Mary Poppins Returns"
Viggo Mortensen, "Green Book"
Robert Redford, "The Old Man & The Gun"
John C. Reilly, "Stan & Ollie"
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture:
Amy Adams, "Vice"
Claire Foy, "First Man"
Regina King, "If Beale Street Could Talk"
Emma Stone, "The Favourite"
Rachel Weisz, "The Favourite"
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture:
Mahershala Ali, "Green Book"
Timothee Chalamet, "Beautiful Boy"
Richard E. Grant, "Can You Ever Forgive Me?"
Sam Rockwell, "Vice"
Adam Driver, "BlacKkKlansman"
Best Motion Picture – (Animated):
"Incredibles 2"
"Isle of Dogs"
"Mirai"
"Ralph Breaks the Internet"
"Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse"
Marcy Beltrami, "A Quiet Place"
Alexandre Desplat, "Isle Of Dogs"
Ludwig Goransson, "Black Panther"
Justin Hurwitz, "First Man"
Marc Shaiman, "Mary Poppins Returns"
Best Original Song – (Motion Picture):
"All The Stars" from "Black Panther" (Music and Lyrics by Kendrick Lamar, Anthony Tiffith, Mark Spears, Solana Rowe and Al Shuckburgh)
"Girl in the Movies" from "Dumplin’" (Music and Lyrics by Dolly Parton and Linda Perry)
"Requiem For A Private War" from "A Private War" (Music and Lyrics by Annie Lennox)
"Revelation" from "Boy Erased" (Music by Troye Sivan and Jónsi; Lyrics by Jon Thor Birgisson, Troye Sivan and Brett McLaughlin)
"Shallow" from "A Star Is Born" (Music and Lyrics by Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando and Andrew Wyatt)
The American Film Institute unveiled their annual list of the ten best movies of 2018. It's an impressively diverse collection made-up of indie fare ("Eighth Grade", "First Reformed", "BlackKklansman") and Hollywood blockbusters ("Black Panther", "A Quiet Place", "A Star Is Born"). I'm sure the Oscars are desperately hoping for something similar for their Best Picture nominees.
AFI Movies Of The Year:
"BlackKklansman"
"Black Panther"
"Eighth Grade"
"If Beale Street Could Talk"
"The Favourite"
"First Reformed"
"Green Book"
"Mary Poppins Returns"
"A Quiet Place"
"A Star Is Born"
And here are the year's best selections of critics groups from New York and my old hometown, Detroit:
Winners from the 2018 New York Film Critics Circle:
Best Film: "Roma"
Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón, "Roma"
Best First Film: Bo Burnham, "Eighth Grade"
Best Screenplay: Paul Schrader, "First Reformed" Best Actor: Ethan Hawke, "First Reformed"
Best Actress: Regina Hall, "Support the Girls"
Best Supporting Actor: Richard E. Grant, "Can You Ever Forgive Me?"
Best Supporting Actress: Regina King, "If Beale Street Could Talk"
Best Cinematography: Alfonso Cuarón , "Roma"
Best Foreign Language Film: "Cold War"
Best Documentary: "Minding the Gap"
Best Animated Film: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse"
Special Awards: David Schwartz, Chief Film Curator at Museum of the Moving Image (who will be stepping down after 33 years) and Kino Classics Box Set "Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers"
Winners from 2018 Detroit Film Critics Society Awards:
Best Picture: "Eighth Grade"
Best Director: Adam McKay, "Vice"
Best Screenplay: Adam McKay, "Vice" and Nick Vallelonga, Brian Hayes Currie and Peter Farrelly, "Green Book" (Tie) Best Actress: Toni Collette, "Hereditary"
Best Actor: Ethan Hawke, "First Reformed"
Best Supporting Actress: Regina King, "If Beale Street Could Talk"
Best Supporting Actor: Josh Hamilton, "Eighth Grade"
Best Ensemble: "Vice"
Best Documentary: "Three Identical Strangers"
Best Animated Feature: "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" Best Use of Music: "A Star Is Born"
And so it begins. It's that time of year when the movie industry honors what is considered the best of the movies, performances and technicians of the year which is otherwise known as award season. Here is the run-down of some of the winners and nominations so far:
The National Board of Review is always the first of the critics' groups to announce their picks for the best of the year and today they have selected "Green Book" as their Best Film. This 1960's set story, directed by Peter Farrelly, tells of an unlikely friendship during a turbulent time in America was just released in U.S. theaters this past weekend. Viggo Mortensen, who plays the white driver and bodyguard for African-American pianist, Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) as they travel through the segregated South on a concert tour, received the Best Actor prize for the film. Bradley Cooper and his directorial debut with the remake of "A Star Is Born" also received plenty of attention from the Board with the actor winning Best Director along with Lady Gaga and Sam Elliott receiving Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor for their performances. The NBR Awards will be handed out on January 8, 2019 at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York.
Best Film: "Green Book"
Best Director: Bradley Cooper, "A Star Is Born" Best Directorial Debut: Bo Burnham, "Eighth Grade" Best Original Screenplay: Paul Schrader, "First Reformed" Best Adapted Screenplay: Barry Jenkins, "If Beale Street Could Talk" Best Actress: Lady Gaga, "A Star Is Born" Best Actor: Viggo Mortensen, "Green Book" Best Supporting Actress: Regina King, "If Beale Street Could Talk" Best Supporting Actor: Sam Elliott, "A Star Is Born" Best Breakthrough Performance: Thomasin McKenzie, "Leave No Trace" Best Ensemble: "Crazy Rich Asians" Best Animated Feature: "Incredibles 2" Best Foreign Language Film: "Cold War"
Best Documentary: "RBG" William K. Everson Film History Award: "The Other Side of The Wind" and "They'll Love Me When I'm Dead"
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: "22 July"
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: "On Her Shoulders"
"The Rider", Chloé Zhao's poetic contemporary western, was the unexpected winner of Best Feature at the 2018 Gotham Awards. The New York-based group, which celebrates the best of independent cinema, offered another surprise with Toni Collette receiving a well-deserved Best Actress prize for her ferocious turn as a stressed-out mother in the horror film, "Hereditary". And the Best Actress nominating committee also voted to award a special Gotham Jury Award to Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, and Rachel Weisz for their performances in "The Favourite".
Here is the list of nominations and winners (which were presented on November 26th ) for the 2018 Gotham Awards. The winners are highlighted:
Best Feature:
"The Favourite"
"First Reformed"
"If Beale Street Could Talk"
"Madeline’s Madeline" "The Rider"
Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director:
Ari Aster, "Hereditary" Bo Burnham, "Eighth Grade"
Jennifer Fox, "The Tale"
Crystal Moselle, "Skate Kitchen"
Boots Riley, "Sorry to Bother You"
Best Screenplay:
Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara, "The Favourite" Paul Schrader, "First Reformed"
Tamara Jenkins. "Private Life"
Andrew Bujalski, "Support The Girls"
Cory Finley, "Thoroughbreds"
Best Actress:
Glenn Close, "The Wife" Toni Collette, "Hereditary"
Kathryn Hahn, "Private Life"
Regina Hall, "Support the Girls"
Michelle Pfeiffer, "Where is Kyra?"
Best Actor:
Adam Driver, "BlacKkKlansman"
Ben Foster, "Leave No Trace"
Richard E. Grant, "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" Ethan Hawke, "First Reformed"
Lakeith Stanfield, "Sorry to Bother You"
Best Breakthrough Actor:
Yalitza Aparicio, "Roma" Elsie Fisher, "Eighth Grade"
Helena Howard, "Madeline’s Madeline"
KiKi Layne, "If Beale Street Could Talk"
Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie, "Leave No Trace"
Best Documentary:
"Bisbee ‘17" "Hale County This Morning, This Evening"
"Minding the Gap"
"Shirkers"
"Won’t You Be My Neighbor?"
The34th Annual Film Independent Spirit Awards, which honors the best of indie cinema, will be broadcast live on IFC on Feb. 23, 2019. The ceremony, traditionally held the day before the Oscars, will be on the beach in Santa Monica with host, Aubrey Plaza. Here is the list of nominations for the 2018 Film Independent Spirit Awards:
Best Feature:
"Eighth Grade"
"First Reformed"
"If Beale Street Could Talk"
"Leave No Trace"
"You Were Never Really Here"
Best First Feature:
"Hereditary"
"Sorry to Bother You"
"The Tale"
"We the Animals"
"Wildlife"
Best Director:
Debra Granik, "Leave No Trace"
Barry Jenkins, "If Beale Street Could Talk"
Tamara Jenkins, "Private Life"
Lynne Ramsay, "You Were Never Really Here"
Paul Schrader, "First Reformed"
Best Screenplay:
Richard Glatzer, Rebecca Lenkiewicz & Wash Westmoreland, "Colette"
Nicole Holofcener & Jeff Whitty, "Can You Ever Forgive Me?"
Tamara Jenkins, "Private Life"
Boots Riley, "Sorry to Bother You"
Paul Schrader, "First Reformed"
Best First Screenplay:
Bo Burnham, "Eighth Grade"
Christina Choe, "Nancy"
Cory Finley, "Thoroughbreds"
Jennifer Fox, "The Tale"
Quinn Shephard and Laurie Shephard, Blame"
Best Lead Female:
Glenn Close, "The Wife"
Toni Colette, "Hereditary"
Elsie Fisher, "Eighth Grade"
Regina Hall, "Support the Girls"
Helena Howard, "Madeline's Madeline"
Carey Mulligan, "Wildlife"
Best Lead Male:
John Cho, "Searching"
Daveed Diggs, "Blindspotting"
Ethan Hawke, "First Reformed"
Christian Malheiros, "Socrates"
Joaquin Phoenix, "You Were Never Really Here"
Best Supporting Female:
Kayli Carter, "Private Life"
Tyne Daly, "A Bread Factory"
Regina King, "If Beale Street Could Talk"
Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie, "Leave No Trace"
J. Smith-Cameron, "Nancy"
Best Supporting Male:
Raul Castillo, "We the Animals"
Adam Driver, "BlacKkKlansman"
Richard E Grant, "Can You Ever Forgive Me?"
Josh Hamilton, "Eighth Grade"
John David Washington, "Monsters and Men"
Best Foreign Film:
"Burning" (South Korea)
"The Favourite" (United Kingdom)
"Happy as Lazzaro" (Italy)
"Roma" (Mexico)
"Shoplifters" (Japan)
Best Documentary:
"Hale County This Morning, This Evening"
"Minding the Gap"
"On her Shoulders"
"Shirkers"
"Won't You Be My Neighbor?"
Best Cinematography:
Ashley Connor, "Madeline's Madeline"
Benjamin Loeb, "Mandy"
Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, "Suspiria"
Zak Mulligan, "We The Animals"
Diego Garcia, "Wildlife"
Best Editing:
Joe Bini, "You Were Never Really Here"
Keiko Deguchi, Brian A. Kates & Jeremiah Zagar, "We the Animals"
Luke Dunkley, Nick Fenton, Chris Gill & Julian Hart, "American Animals"
Anne Fabini, Alex Hall and Gary Levy, "The Tale"
Nick Houy, "Mid90s"
John Cassavetes Award (a feature film prize for movies made for under $500,000)
"A Bread Factory"
"En El Septimo Dia"
"Never Goin' Back"
"Socrates"
"Thunder Road"
Robert Altman Award (which honors the director, casting director, and ensemble cast):
It has been a sad few days for film-goers as we have lost two important directors who created influential and distinctive works of cinema; Nicolas Roeg and Bernardo Bertolucci.
NICOLAS ROEG (1928 - 2018)
Roeg, who passed away on November 23rd in London of natural causes at the age of 90, began his career in the camera department in the British film industry. He worked his way up, starting at the age of nineteen, from clapper-loader to camera operator to becoming the second-unit cinematographer on David Lean's "Lawrence of Arabia" in 1962. Roeg impressed Lean enough to hire him to be the cinematographer on his follow-up feature, "Doctor Zhivago". This lead to him becoming an in-demand photographer, working with such noted directors as Roger Corman ("The Masque of the Red Death") François Truffaut ("Fahrenheit 451"), John Schlesinger ("Far from the Madding Crowd") and Richard Lester ("Petulia"). Around 1968, Roeg decided that after twenty-three years in the movie business to try his hand at directing.
His first film was "Performance", (which he co-directed with Donald Cammell) a crime-drama about a London gangster (James Fox) who goes in to hiding after murdering the wrong man in the countryside home of a former rock star (Mick Jagger in his film acting debut). While Roeg had completed shooting in 1968, the studio distributing the film, Warner Bros. did not release it until two years later due to their concern with what was considered explicit sexuality and graphic violence at the time. "Performance" was not a big hit but has since gone on to become a cult classic. Despite this brief setback, Roeg went on to create many idiosyncratic films including "Walkabout"(1971), "Don't Look Now" (1973), "The Man Who Fell to Earth" (1976), "Insignificance" (1985) and "The Witches" (1990). The last film he directed was "Puffball", a little-seen supernatural drama, in 2007. Roeg was married three times (with his second marriage to actress, Theresa Russell who he met on his 1980 film, "Bad Timing") and survived by six children.
BERNARDO BERTOLUCCI (1941 - 2018)
The acclaimed Italian filmmaker, Bertolucci, who died on November 26th after a battle with cancer, began his professional career as a published, prize-winning author at the age of fifteen. Creativity ran in his family as Bertolucci's father, Attilio was a poet and film critic and his brother, Giuseppe was a playwright and theater director. After Bertolucci's father helped filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini get his first novel published, the director hired the young man as first assistant for his film, "Rome on Accattone" in 1961. He became hooked on creating cinema and instead of finishing college, Bertolucci directed his first feature in 1962, "The Grim Reaper (La commare secca)" which was based on a short story by Pasolini. But it was his follow-up 1964 film, "Before The Revolution (Prima della rivoluzione)", a romantic-political drama that brought the fledgling director international attention.
Bertolucci's major breakthrough came in 1972 with the still highly controversial, "Last Tango in Paris" that featured Hollywood star, Marlon Brando and French actress, Maria Schneider. One of the more distressing issues was over the filming of the scripted explicit rape scene involving butter with the then-nineteen year old actress and forty-eight year old, Brando. The problem was that nobody had told Schneider what was going to happen during the shooting of this sequence (in order to get a more realistic response per Bertolucci) and had later stated that she felt completely humiliated and violated.
Other notable films in Bertolucci's career include "The Conformist (Il conformista)" (1970), "1900" (1976), "The Sheltering Sky" (1990), "Stealing Beauty" (1996) and "The Last Emperor", the 1987 epic drama on the life of Puyi, the final Emperor of China which went on to be nominated and win nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Bertolucci. He had been married to screenwriter/director, Clare Peploe since 1979.
Where & When: The Landmark, West Los Angeles, CA. November 7, 2018 7:20 PM
"A Private War" examines the riveting life of Marie Colvin, an American-born war correspondent, who put herself continuously in danger by going directly in to the conflict to get the story of the innocent people (mostly women and children) who are truly affected and paid the price of war. The Oscar-nominated British actress, Rosamund Pike delivers a blistering performance as Colvin, completely transforming in to the tenacious yet vulnerable reporter. This engaging drama reveals that Colvin's important work and heroic acts also came at a high price as she ultimately suffered greatly mind, body and spirit.
Colvin was working for the British newspaper, The Sunday Times under the foreign editor, Sean Ryan (Tom Hollander) in 2001. She was covering the Sri Lankan Civil War to report on the humanitarian disaster that was happening there due to the government blockade of food and medical supplies. Colvin and her guides are fired upon by grenades despite identifying herself as a journalist. A nearby blast would cost Colvin to lose vision in her left eye but that didn't stop her from finishing her story for the paper. Although initially reluctant, Colvin begins to wear an eye patch which would also become her badge of honor.
While usually coming across somber and gruff, Colvin could at times be quite charming and seductive which made her very appealing to men. She was involved in a turbulent, short-lived marriage to professor David Irens (Greg Wise) and later hooking up with Tony Shaw (Stanley Tucci), a wealthy businessman. And while Colvin enjoyed these romantic trysts (with others in between), she was well aware that they were not enough to win over her wanderlust.
Yet it is no surprise that her demanding vocation would lead to further complications in her personal life. Colvin, who used alcohol to self-medicate, eventually breaks down from the trauma of her harrowing experiences, leading to hospitalization for PTSD.
Colvin meets Paul Conroy (Jamie Dornan), a British freelance photographer, and they begin to work together, traveling to Afghanistan, Libya and finally, Syria where they went to investigate the civil uprising in Homs in 2012. These attacks were motivated by the crackdown of the government on demonstrators, resulting in hundreds of casualties and thousands of wounded. Determined to make sure the world was aware of all of this adversity, Colvin insisted on going in to the heart of the battle to cover the story.
The director Matthew Heineman has had plenty of experience with fearless investigative reporting through documentary film making. He was behind the multi-award-winning films, "City of Ghosts" which covered RBSS, a Syrian activist group who must live undercover as their country is taken over by ISIS and "Cartel Land" that examined the Mexican drug war and the vigilante groups fighting against the cartels.
With his first narrative feature, Heineman chose a real-life subject that was a kindred spirit and someone he clearly admired. "A Private War", based on a fascinating 2012 Vanity Fair article by Marie Brenner with an effective script by Arash Amel, delivers a compelling drama of the personal conflicts Colvin faced from her desire to live a simple life in a loving relationship to an unrelenting drive to place herself in the frontlines in order to be a champion for the voiceless. Colvin was not exactly selfless yet her needs, health and safety usually took a backseat to fulfilling her obligation to complete her journalistic mission. The director, with the assistance of three-time Academy Award-winning cinematographer, Robert Richardson, uses the unobtrusive style he has applied to film his documentaries to toggle between a sense of urgency in the scenes involving the war-torn countries and intimacy during Colvin's life off the battlefield.
"A Private War" only covers the final few years of the reporter's life and I hope that Mr. Heineman will at some point have an opportunity to do an actual documentary on Colvin which would reveal her entire incredible life and career.
Journalism is under attack today by government officials who have successfully managed to convince some people that reporters are dishonest and creating "fake" news stories, particularly when it happens to involve them. Marie Colvin lost her life trying to report on the brutal reality of what actually happens after bombs are dropped on civilians. This impeccably made drama, "A Private War" not only honors the memory of Colvin but to all of the dedicated journalists who have risked their own lives so that the stories of the many people suffering and forgotten are actually told.
William Goldman, one of the most successful and highest paid screenwriters in Hollywood history who went on to win two Oscars for writing "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" (1969) and "All the President’s Men" (1976), has passed away at the age of eighty-seven. He had been struggling with colon cancer and died from complications on November 16th.
He was born in Highland Park, Il. and loved going to the movies as a child. He planed on becoming a novelist and attended Oberlin College in Ohio. However, Goldman didn’t initially show much promise as a writer for he could not get a single story published in the school's literary magazine. After receiving a master’s degree, he began working on his first novel “The Temple of Gold” which was published in 1957. He wrote several other books which were met with mixed reviews and only modestly successful. Goldman also wrote a few plays that went in to production but only had short runs.
Actor, Cliff Robertson, after reading Goldman’s book, “No Way to Treat a Lady,” approached Goldman about writing a screenplay adaption of the novel, “Flowers for Algernon" which he was going to star in. And while they didn’t use his draft (which was later given to another writer, renamed "Charly" and won Robertson a Best Actor Oscar in 1968), Goldman was asked to rewrite a script for another project that would star Robertson. He received his first writing credit with the 1965 comedy-thriller, "Masquerade".
Some of the other scripts Goldman would go on to write include "Misery", "A Bridge Too Far", "The Stepford Wives", "Chaplin", "Marathon Man" and "The Princess Bride" .
Despite his impressive accomplishments, Goldman famously stated that writing screenplays is not an art form but simply a skill. He felt that if all you do is write scripts, you might become successful and rich but you won’t be happy as an artist. He wrote a very revealing memoir in 1989 called, "Adventures In The Screen Trade: A Personal View of Hollywood and Screenwriting" where he talks about how to write a screenplay, barbed entries regarding his success and failures in the business and sums up the movie industry with the completely accurate line, "Nobody knows anything."
When he found difficulty getting his scripts in to production, Goldman spent his later years as a much-sought after, uncredited script doctor. One of Goldman's last major projects was a theatrical adaption of "Misery" which made it to Broadway in 2015 and starred Bruce Willis and Laurie Metcalf.
William Goldman was a confident, brutally candid artist who was always willing to speak his mind and share his honest opinion which is a rarity to find in a business that is run by fear, intimidation and fragile egos. He could find a way to tell a great story no matter the challenges of the source material, and despite his misguided opinion, that would create a memorable work of art.
We have sadly lost Stan Lee, the co-creator of many of the comic-book characters in the Marvel universe, who passed away on November 12th at the age of ninety-five. Lee was responsible for pioneering a new way of storytelling in comics which were initially designed only to appeal to children by addressing more mature themes and in the process keeping readers well in to adulthood. His superhero creations which include Iron-Man, the Hulk, Fantastic-Four, The Avengers, Thor, Doctor Strange, Black Panther and probably the most popular, Spider-Man, helped transform the industry with down-to-Earth characters that were complex with human problems and fears. After they were adapted for the big screen, beginning with "X-Men" in 2000, these heroes became even more popular and the films went on to be global, multi-billion dollar successes.
Born Stanley Lieber in Manhattan, he began his career in comics at the age of seventeen as an assistant for Timely Comics doing various odds jobs before getting a chance to write and create characters. After serving in the U.S. Army during WWII, Lee returned to work at Atlas Comics and soon became editor-in-chief. The company eventually became "Marvel Comics" by 1961 with the first issue of "Fantastic Four" which Lee created with artist, Jack Kirby. This series broke convention with flawed super-powered heroes and helped usher in a new era in comic-books.
When people think of the history of cinema and the ground-breaking work of inspired filmmakers, most tend to only come up with the names of important men who were behind the creation of the motion pictures. And while this may be accurate, there were also several women involved in this process whose names are not only rarely mentioned but many seemed to have been completely forgotten.
The New York Times has placed a very long-overdue look at twenty pioneering women who helped shaped the early innovation of the movies. Some names you may be familiar with include Anita Loos, a successful novelist and playwright who brought her talent to the big screen; actress Ida Lupino who after being frustrated with the roles she was getting, formed her own production company and started directing; And Edith Head, the eight-time Oscar winning costume designer who brought undeniable style and glamour to Hollywood. But there is also lesser known talent revealed like Barbara Loden, a director who only made one film but it has since been heralded as an important indie feature ahead of it's time; Marion E. Wong, another filmmaker who only made one film in her career but it was one of the first Chinese-American feature films in 1917; And recognized as the very first female filmmaker beginning back in 1896, Alice Guy Blaché who is thought to have gone on to direct at least 1000 short films in many genres.
Please click below to see the complete list and read about their great accomplishments:
Where & When: Arclight Cinemas, Hollywood, CA. October 30, 2018 7:00 PM
"Suspiria" is a provocative re-imagining of the cult classic horror film by Dario Argento from fellow Italian filmmaker, Luca Guadagnino. The director has stated that when he saw Mr. Argento's 1977 film as a child, he was completely terrified and wanted to recreate those dark emotions he felt with his own film. Mr. Guadagnino's version of "Suspiria" is a bold and bloody surreal extravaganza filled with lurid excess and demented symbolism. Yet the film comes across just as confusing, messy and somewhat redundant like a child's memory of a traumatic event. I'm not sure what I expected Guadagnino's follow-up to his highly-acclaimed, masterful work of the elegiac love story, "Call Me By Your Name" to be but this sprawling tale of overheated black magic was not it.
It's 1977 in West Berlin during the peak of a reign of terror by the militant organization, the Baader-Meinhof Gang; filmmaker, Rainer Werner Fassbinder achieved international success and David Bowie had recently immigrated to the city where he had gone to get sober and eventually inspired to create music that would revitalize his career. Susie Bannion (Dakota Johnson), an American from Ohio, arrives to the divided German city after being invited to attend the Markos Dance Academy. Shy and reserved, Susie grew-up among the Mennonite religious community. Yet despite her very conservative upbringing, she was drawn to the expressive power of modern dance.
The students are upset over the recent mysterious disappearance of their fellow dancer, Patricia (Chloë Grace Moretz). As an attempt to brush aside their concerns and fears, Madame Blanc (Tilda Swinton), the stern yet nurturing lead instructor, tries to get the girls to refocus on rehearsal for the Academy's upcoming performance, "Volk" which translates to "people" in German. Susie catches the attention of Blanc with her natural talent and impresses her enough to become the principal dancer of the piece.
Not long before she vanished, a terrified Patricia had gone to her therapist, Josef Klemperer (Lutz Ebersdorf) to assert that the dance school she attends is controlled by a coven of witches. Highly skeptical of her claims but after he begins to read the missing girl's detailed journals she left behind in his office, Klemperer decides to further investigate the Academy.
Another student, Sara (Mia Goth) also becomes suspicious of the activities by the matrons of the school. She finds hidden rooms that hold ancient religious relics and witnesses supernatural behavior before eventually discovering the terrible secret of what actually happened to Patricia and the other dancers who apparently left the Academy.
It's clear Mr. Guadagnino had no intention of making a basic horror movie. "Suspiria" explores the more obvious themes of feminism and female empowerment along with the less apparent involving the lingering guilt and shame of Germany because of the second World War and the aftermath which caused the country to be split apart. But these intriguing ideas that are touched upon become more muddled as the film progresses and lead to nowhere.
The cinematographer, Sayombhu Mukdeeprom (who also shot "Call Me By Your Name") creates a dark and ominous world with a muted color palette and utilizing classic film techniques that were popularly used back in the 1970's like slow-motion, fast-cuts and zooms. There are vivid dance routines performed in the film which are choreographed by Damien Jalet and inspired by German expressionist dance. The hypnotic score by Thom Yorke of the band, Radiohead certainly adds to the tension and creepy vibe.
Ms Johnson, whose lineage includes the highly charismatic actors, Don Johnson, Melanie Griffith and Hitchcock muse, Tippi Hedren, displays a surprising lack of presence in the film. She does not command the screen but merely takes up space. That is not the case with Ms Swinton who has had a long history of doing potent work with roles ranging from down-to-Earth to completely out-of-this-world. In addition to Madame Blanc, the actress is barely recognizable as she plays two other characters in the film (there has been a lot of chatter identifying which ones but I will leave it to you to guess) which further highlights her remarkable talent. The matrons of the school are played by an interesting mix of International performers and include Ingrid Caven, a German actress and former wife of the bisexual director, Fassbinder; César Award-winning French actress/director, Sylvie Testud; Renée Soutendijk, the Dutch actress who is best known for her work in the early films of Paul Verhoeven in the 1980's and models, Malgosia Bela and Alek Wek. Jessica Harper, who starred in the original "Suspiria" and turned down a role in Woody Allen's "Annie Hall" to appear in the film, also makes a brief cameo.
There is one unsettling scene that this "Suspiria" will probably be best remembered for (with the wild, bloodbath ritual near the end of the film a close runner-up) as it manages to be both imaginative and horrific. After Patricia disappears, Olga (Elena Fokina) is fed up with what is happening at the school and decides to leave. But she doesn't get far. Olga is locked in a rehearsal room while Susie is about to do a practice run of the dance routine. Madame Blanc touches Susie's hands and feet so that with every dramatic dance movement, Olga is violently slammed against the mirrored walls. Her body becomes so twisted and broken that when it's finally over, she barely remains recognizable as a human being. It's almost unbearable to watch yet admittedly fascinating to witness.
"Suspiria" is painfully gruesome, silly and doesn't make much sense. But the director's stylish, expertly crafted revision of an important moment in his cinematic past still manages to occasionally conjure up some thought-provoking terror and innovative fear.
The 2018 AFI Film Fest is set to begin on November 8th and run through November 15th. Once again the festival will be held in the heart of Hollywood. "On the Basis of Sex" has been selected to open the fest and will also make its world premiere. Felicity Jones plays Ruth Bader Ginsberg when she was a young lawyer (and long before she becomes a Supreme Court Justice) trying to bring before the US Supreme Court a case to end gender discrimination. Armie Hammer plays her husband, Martin Ginsberg and also features Justin Theroux, Sam Waterson and Kathy Bates.
While most of this year's Gala Screenings have already made a splash at other fests like the Coen Brothers' western, "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs", Steve McQueen's heist drama, "Widows" and the Audience Award winner at the Toronto Film Festival, "Green Book", there will be a couple of world premieres.
One is the latest film from Susanne Bier, "The Bird Box", a post-apocalyptic thriller which stars Sandra Bullock as a mother who must flee with her children to a place that might offer sanctuary. But this will have to be done blindfolded in order not to look directly at the mysterious force that has destroyed most of the world. The other is the premiere of a new Netflix series by Chuck Lorre ("Two and 1/2 Men"), "The Kominsky Method". Oscar-winners, Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin star as two old friends trying to maneuver through life in LA now that they are no longer young and appealing. The first three of the eight episode series will be screened.
Special screenings will include Pawel Pawlikowski's black & white 1950's Poland set love story, "Cold War"; "Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes", a documentary on the late Fox News executive; "Roma", Alfonso Cuaron's semi-autobiographical drama of the life of an upper-middle-class family in 1970's Mexico City; "Stan & Ollie", a bio on the career of Laurel & Hardy, the legendary Hollywood comedy team which stars John C. Reilly and Steve Coogan; and "Vox Lux", the second film from actor turned director, Brady Corbet that stars Natalie Portman as a pop star whose music video inspires a school shooting and how that links to a tragic event in her past. Ms Portman will appear after the screening on November 9th for a conversation at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.
An evening to honor Nicole Kidman will be held on November 13th with a gala screening of her latest, "Destroyer", a gritty cop drama directed by Karyn Kusama. Ms Kidman will be in attendance and a discussion with the Academy-Award winner will be followed after the film.
There will be special sections at the fest which includes New Auteurs to showcase upcoming filmmakers; American Independents that will represent the best of indie film making; World Cinema which will feature some of the most celebrated International films of the year (that includes seven official Best Foreign Language Oscar submissions), Cinema's Legacy Program and Midnight line-up.
And "Mary, Queen of Scots" has been picked to be the Closing Night film. After briefly being the Queen of France before becoming a widow, Mary Stuart (Saoirse Ronan) decides to return to her home in Scotland to claim her throne. But Elizabeth I (Margot Robbie) now rules over both Scotland and England which creates an intense political rivalry and power struggle between them. This debut feature from theater director, Josie Rourke will makes it world premiere at the festival.
For the complete list of films, to get tickets (which will be free once again) or purchase a pass or gala package, please click below:
Where & When: Arclight Cinemas, Hollywood, CA. October 21, 2018 5:45 PM
The title of Marielle Heller's brilliantly witty and superbly acted biographical drama, "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" comes from an apology letter that Lee Israel invented that was supposed to have been written by Dorothy Parker. This is also the title of Israel's memoir that covers her time as a once successful New York writer of books on high-profile women before falling on hard times and getting involved in a scam of selling forged letters by deceased writers and actors that she actually wrote.
Melissa McCarthy impressively delivers the best screen performance of her career as the dour Israel that utilizes her incredible gift of comedy with a lesser-seen-but-equally-great dramatic ability. The film also gives veteran British actor, Richard E. Grant a terrific opportunity to shine in the role of Israel's dubious friend and eventual partner-in-crime.
When we first meet Israel (McCarthy), she has just been fired from a copy-editing job for drinking while at work and cursing out a co-worker. This only adds to her mounting financial problems. Lee is now definitely unable to pay her overdue rent and her beloved, twelve-year old cat (whose company she greatly prefers over anyone human) is sick but can't take to the vet until she covers at least part of an outstanding bill.
Lee finally gets a meeting with her book agent, Marjorie (an excellent Jane Curtin), who had been avoiding her, and insists that she get her an advance for a book she wants to write about stage-star, Fanny Brice. But Marjorie has to set her straight that nobody wants to read that book let alone pay her a dime to write it.
Drowning her frustrations at a local gay bar, Lee is seized upon by Jack Hock (Grant), an exuberant English dandy who claims to have met her at a party. After finally remembering him (and the appalling act he committed in a highly inebriated state), the two bond, spending the evening conversing and carousing through the city.
While at the New York library continuing to do research for her book, Lee stumbles upon a letter written by Fanny Brice and decides to steal it. She takes the letter to a book dealer, owned by a sweet and flirtatious, Anna (Dolly Wells), in order to sell. Anna purchases the letter for a decent sum but informs Lee that she might have gotten more if it had contained more interesting subject matter. This inspires Lee to invent correspondence from noted figures like Noël Coward and Parker yet with intriguing content. So begins Israel on an elaborate crime spree of composing hundreds of fake letters where she is able to express herself creatively while comfortably make a nice living. However, it doesn't take long for someone to become suspicious of her activities and gets the F.B.I. involved to investigate.
Julianne Moore was initially cast as Lee Israel before later dropping out of this project. And while I think she's an amazing and capable actress, Ms Moore was definitely miscast. After seeing Ms McCartney's exceptional portrayal of the criminal writer, I can't imagine anyone else in this role. Grumpy, ill-tempered and self-involved, Israel would not be considered much of a sympathetic protagonist. Yet we can still understand her outrage and resentment of being dismissed as a writer with McCarthy subtly revealing her rarely seen vulnerable and insecure side. As she struggles mostly in isolation and lost in a drunken haze, Israel has become oblivious to the filth and cat shit surrounding her in the tiny apartment.
Lighter in spirit yet still dark in soul, Mr. Grant's Hock is the perfect foil to McCarthy's acerbic Israel. The actor has been around for a while, reliably delivering solid supporting work in many films and with "Can You Ever Forgive Me?", Mr. Grant been given an excellent opportunity to remind people just how really good he can be. But the most delightful surprise is the brief yet highly effective appearance of Ms. Curtin, who is best remembered as one of the original cast members of the long-running, comedy sketch series, "Saturday Night Live". She brings an astute sharp tongue to her part as Israel's agent and holds her own against her formidable client.
Ms Heller began her career as an actress, mostly appearing in supporting roles in films and television before deciding to venture behind the camera. Her first feature, "The Diary of a Teenage Girl", which she adapted from a graphic novel, tells the story of a curious fifteen year girl exploring her sexuality before ending up in an unfortunate affair with her mother's 35-year-old boyfriend. This was one of my favorite films of 2015 and what I admired most is how Ms Heller impressively displayed a craft and vision that was fully formed as a filmmaker. With "Can You Ever Forgive Me?", the director has managed to have become even more deft and confident, further exploring the merging of dark, mournful drama with surprising bursts of laugh-out-loud humor.
With a winning script by playwright, Jeffrey Whitty and filmmaker, Nicole Holofcener (who was attached to direct in the early stages of development), "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" is a remarkable achievement of heartfelt drama and wicked comedy anchored by stand-out, award-worthy performances by Ms McCarthy and Mr. Grant. And Ms Heller proves to be a singular artist who is more than capable of bridging indie-minded cinema with mainstream appeal.
