GREAT PERFORMANCES: LET'S DANCE

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:

The Best Actors of 2018

Let's Dance: The Year's Best Performers in a Series of Short Films

VOX LUX (2018)

Written & Directed by Brady Corbet



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 (1943 - 2018)

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 Picture Oscar 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.

2018 AWARDS NEWS CONTINUES

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:

Best European Film:

"Border" (Sweden)
"Cold War" (Poland)
"Dogman" (Italy)
"Girl" (Belgium)
"Happy as Lazzaro" (Italy)

Best European Director:

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"

2018 NATIONAL FILM REGISTRY

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)



"Something Good: Negro Kiss" (1898)

COMING SOON

"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

WIDOWS (2018)

Written by Gillian Flynn and Steve McQueen



Directed by Steve McQueen



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.

MORE 2018 AWARD SEASON NEWS

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"

Best Motion Picture – (Musical or Comedy):

"Crazy Rich Asians"
"The Favourite"
"Green Book"
"Mary Poppins Returns"
"Vice"

Best Director – (Motion Picture):

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):

Emily Blunt, "Mary Poppins Returns"
Olivia Colman, "The Favourite"
Elsie Fisher, "Eighth Grade"
Charlize Theron, "Tully"
Constance Wu, "Crazy Rich Asians"

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"

Best Motion Picture – (Foreign Language):

"Capernaum" (Lebanon)
"Girl" (Belgium)
"Never Look Away" (Germany)
"Roma" (Mexico)
"Shoplifters" (Japan)

Best Original Score – (Motion Picture):

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"