NORMAN JEWISON (1926 - 2024)

Norman Jewison, the gifted filmmaker behind such cinematic classics as "In the Heat of The Night", "Fiddler on the Roof" and "Moonstruck", passed away on January 20th. The Canadian born director, who made his name by tackling social and political issues in his films while also managing to make them engaging and entertaining, was ninety-seven.

Born in Toronto, Jewison (who many assumed was Jewish but was actually of English descent) began his career working for the newly formed CBC television network as an assistant director in 1952. He worked on a wide spectrum of programming and six years later, was recruited by NBC and moved to New York.  While working on a Judy Garland television special in 1961, Jewison met Tony Curtis who encouraged him to move into films and hired him to his production company with his then-wife, Janet Leigh. Here, he would direct his first feature film, "40 Pounds of Trouble", a comedy which starred Curtis and Suzanne Pleshette. Forming his own production company, Jewison went on to direct a couple of Doris Day comedies which included "Send Me No Flowers" from 1964 with Rock Hudson.

Trying to move away from comedies, Jewison's first opportunity came in 1965 when he was hired to direct Steve McQueen in the drama, "The Cincinnati Kid" about a poker player trying to be considered the best during the Depression. While the film received mixed reviews and decent box-office, the supporting performances of Joan Blondell and Edward G. Robinson received award recognition. This success would allow Jewison a chance to create works of cinema that were of considerable interest and importance to him.

Some of the films he made that he directed and produced included the Cold-War satire, "The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming"; the 1967 crime-thriller, "In the Heat of the Night (1967) set in a racially divided South that starred Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger, winning five Academy Awards including Best Picture; teaming with Steve McQueen again for the romantic-crime caper, "The Thomas Crown Affair" with Faye Dunaway; the film adaptations of the Broadway musicals, "Fiddler on the Roof" and "Jesus Christ Superstar"; the courtroom comedy-drama, "...And Justice for All" with Al Pacino; one of my all-time favorite films, the 1987 romantic-comedy, "Moonstruck" which starred Cher, Nicolas Cage and Olympia Dukakis and "The Hurricane" the 1999 drama based on the boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter (played by Denzel Washington who was Oscar-nominated for his performance) who had been falsely convicted for a triple murder. After directing "The Statement" in 2003 with Michael Caine and Tilda Swinton, Jewison would retire as a filmmaker. Nominated three times for Best Director Oscars, he would go on to receive well deserved honors which included the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Directors Guilds of both Canada and America.

2024 OSCAR NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED

I managed to get up on time this year to hear the 2024 Oscar nominations during the live presentation. With Zazie Beets and Jack Quaid on board to make the announcement (great chemistry, get them a rom-com ASAP), "Oppenheimer" leads the pack with an impressive thirteen nominations, making this the eleventh film to receive this number. "Poor Things" was next with a total of eleven, followed by "Killers of a Flower Moon" with ten nominations while "American Fiction", "Anatomy of a Fall", "The Holdovers" and "The Zone of Interest" received five each. 

There were no real surprises of the "Andrea Risenborough" nature with most of the nominations largely followed course throughout this award season. The only real surprises to be had were the large number of films and performances that were overlooked, most notworthy were "May December" and the musical version of "The Color Purple" manageing to receive only one nomination each despite the immense attention both films received prior. 

For the first time in Oscar history, all five of the Documentary Feature Film nominees are international based and focused works.With her film, "Anatony of a Fall", Justine Triet becomes only the eighth female nominated for Best Director and the first from France. Lily Gladstone is the first Native American woman to receive an acting nomination for "Killer of a Flower Moon". And Diane Warren has gotten her fifteenth Best Original Song nomination for her contribution to the film, "Flamin' Hot" (and still without a competitive win)  while the ninety-one year old composer, John Williams has earned his fifty-fourth nomination for Best Original Score for his work on the fourth Indiana Jones film. 

Overall, this has shaped up to be a very diverse Oscars in regard to race and gender which is how it should be and represents true progress.

The 96th annual Academy Awards will be held on March 10, 2024 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Jimmy Kimmel will return as host for the fourth time.

Here is the complete list of the 2024 Oscar Nominations:

Best Picture:

"American Fiction"
"Anatomy of a Fall"
"Barbie"
"The Holdovers"
"Killers of the Flower Moon"
"Maestro"
"Oppenheimer"
"Past Lives"
"Poor Things"
"The Zone of Interest"


Best Director:

Justine Triet, "Anatomy of a Fall"
Martin Scorsese, "Killers of the Flower Moon"
Christopher Nolan, "Oppenheimer"
Yorgos Lanthimos, "Poor Things"
Jonathan Glazer, "The Zone of Interest"

Best Original Screenplay:

Arthur Harari and Justine Triet, "Anatomy of a Fall"
David Hemingson, "The Holdovers"
Bradley Cooper and Josh Singer, "Maestro"
Samy Burch and Alex Mechanik, "May December"
Celine Song, "Past Lives"

Best Adapted Screenplay:

Cord Jefferson, "American Fiction"
Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig, "Barbie"
Christopher Nolan, "Oppenheimer"
Tony McNamara, "Poor Things"
Jonathan Glazer, "The Zone of Interest"

Best Actress in a Leading Role:

Annette Bening, "Nyad"
Lily Gladstone, "Killers of the Flower Moon"
Sandra Hüller, "Anatomy of a Fall"
Carey Mulligan, "Maestro"
Emma Stone, "Poor Things"

Best Actor in a Leading Role:

Bradley Cooper, "Maestro"
Colman Domingo, "Rustin"
Paul Giamatti, "The Holdovers"
Cillian Murphy, "Oppenheimer"
Jeffrey Wright, "American Fiction"

Best Actress in a Supporting Role:

Emily Blunt, "Oppenheimer"
Danielle Brooks, "The Color Purple"
America Ferrera, "Barbie"
Jodie Foster, "Nyad"
Da'Vine Joy Randolph, "The Holdovers"

Best Actor in a Supporting Role:

Sterling K. Brown, "American Fiction"
Robert De Niro, "Killers of the Flower Moon"
Robert Downey Jr., "Oppenheimer"
Ryan Gosling, "Barbie"
Mark Ruffalo, "Poor Things"

Best Cinematography:

Edward Lachman, "El Conde"
Rodrigo Prieto, "Killers of the Flower Moon"
Matthew Libatique, "Maestro"
Hoyte van Hoytema, "Oppenheimer"
Robbie Ryan, "Poor Things"

Best Editing:

Laurent Sénéchal, "Anatomy of a Fall"
Kevin Tent, "The Holdovers"
Thelma Schoonmaker, "Killers of the Flower Moon"
Jennifer Lame, "Oppenheimer"
Yorgos Mavropsaridis, "Poor Things"

Best Production Design:

"Barbie" Production Design: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
"Killers of the Flower Moon" Production Design: Jack Fisk; Set Decoration: Adam Willis
"Napoleon" Production Design: Arthur Max; Set Decoration: Elli Griff
"Oppenheimer" Production Design: Ruth De Jong; Set Decoration: Claire Kaufman
"Poor Things" Production Design: James Price and Shona Heath; Set Decoration: Zsuzsa Mihalek

Best International Feature:

"Io Capitano (Italy)
"Perfect Days" (Japan)
"Society of the Snow" (Spain)
"The Teacher’s Lounge" (Germany)
"The Zone of Interest" (United Kingdom)

Best Animated Feature:

"The Boy and the Heron"
"Elemental"
"Nimona"
"Robot Dreams"
"Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse"

Best Animated Short:

"Letter to a Pig"
"Ninety-Five Senses"
"Our Uniform"
"Pachyderme"
"War is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko"

Best Documentary Feature:

"Bobi Wine: The People’s President"
"The Eternal Memory"
"Four Daughters"
"To Kill a Tiger"
"20 Days in Mariupol"

Best Documentary Short:

"The ABCs of Book Banning"
"The Barber of Little Rock"
"Island in Between"
"The Last Repair Shop"
"Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó"

Best Live-Action Short:

"The After"
"Invincible"
"Night of Fortune"
"Red, White and Blue"
"The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar"

Best Original Score:

Laura Karpman, "American Fiction"
John Williams, "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny"
Robbie Robertson, "Killers of the Flower Moon"
Ludwig Göransson, "Oppenheimer"
Jerskin Fendrix, "Poor Things"

Best Original Song:

"The Fire Inside" from "Flamin' Hot" Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
"I'm Just Ken" from "Barbie" Music and Lyric by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt
"It Never Went Away" from "American Symphony" Music and Lyric by Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson
"Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)" from "Killers of the Flower Moon" Music and Lyric by Scott George
"What Was I Made For?" from "Barbie" Music and Lyric by Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell

Best Sound:

Ian Voigt, Erik Aadahl, Ethan Van der Ryn, Tom Ozanich and Dean Zupancic, "The Creator"
Steven A. Morrow, Richard King, Jason Ruder, Tom Ozanich and Dean Zupancic, "Maestro"
Chris Munro, James H. Mather, Chris Burdon and Mark Taylor, "Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One"
Willie Burton, Richard King, Gary A. Rizzo and Kevin O'Connell, "Oppenheimer"
Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn, "The Zone of Interest"

Best Costume Design:

Jacqueline Durran, "Barbie"
Jacqueline West, "Killers of the Flower Moon"
David Crossman and Janty Yates, "Napoleon"
Ellen Mirojnick, "Oppenheimer"
Holly Waddington, "Poor Things"

Best Makeup and Hairstyling:

Karen Hartley Thomas, Suzi Battersby and Ashra Kelly-Blue, "Golda"
Kazu Hiro, Kay Georgiou and Lori McCoy-Bell, "Maestro"
Luisa Abel, "Oppenheimer"
Nadia Stacey, Mark Coulier and Josh Weston, "Poor Things"
Ana López-Puigcerver, David Martí and Montse Ribé, "Society of the Snow"

Best Visual Effects:

Jay Cooper, Ian Comley, Andrew Roberts and Neil Corbould, "The Creator"
Takashi Yamazaki, Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi and Tatsuji Nojima, "Godzilla Minus One"
Stephane Ceretti, Alexis Wajsbrot, Guy Williams and Theo Bialek, "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3"
Alex Wuttke, Simone Coco, Jeff Sutherland and Neil Corbould, "Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One"
Charley Henley, Luc-Ewen Martin-Fenouillet, Simone Coco and Neil Corbould, "Napoleon"

MORE AWARD SEASON NEWS

As award season begins to kick into high gear, the Screen Actors Guild and the Directors Guild of America have announced their nominations for awards. 

The nominations for the SAG Awards is always filled with the unexpected nods (Sterling K. Brown for "American Fiction"; Penélope Cruz in "Ferrari") and surprising snubs (the lead cast of "May December"; Fantasia Barrino for "The Color Purple"; Sandra Hüller for "Anatomy of a Fall"; Greta Lee in "Past Lives") but most of them are for the actors who have received plenty of award recognition since the start of the season. The 30th Annual SAG Awards will be presented on Saturday, February 24 at the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall in Los Angeles with the ceremony streaming live for the first time on Netflix. And the legendary performer, Barbra Streisand will receive this year's SAG Life Achievement Award. 

Here is the list of nominations for the 2024 SAG Awards (theatrical motion picture):

Best Outstanding Cast:

"American Fiction"
"Barbie"
"The Color Purple"
"Killers of the Flower Moon"
"Oppenheimer"

Best Actor in a Lead Role:

Bradley Cooper, "Maestro"
Colman Domingo, "Rustin"
Paul Giamatti, "The Holdovers"
Cillian Murphy, "Oppenheimer"
Jeffrey Wright, "American Fiction"

Best Actress in a Lead Role:

Annette Bening, "Nyad"
Lily Gladstone, "Killers of the Flower Moon"
Carey Mulligan, "Maestro"
Margot Robbie, "Barbie"
Emma Stone, "Poor Things"

Best Actor in a Supporting Role:

Sterling K. Brown, "American Fiction"
Willem Dafoe, "Poor Things"
Robert De Niro, "Killers of the Flower Moon"
Robert Downey Jr., "Oppenheimer"
Ryan Gosling, "Barbie"

Best Actress in a Supporting Role:

Emily Blunt, "Oppenheimer"
Danielle Brooks, "The Color Purple"
Penélope Cruz, "Ferrari"
Jodie Foster, "Nyad"
Da'Vine Joy Randolph, "The Holdovers"

Best Stunt Ensemble in a Movie:

"Barbie"
"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3"
"Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny"
"John Wick: Chapter 4"
"Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One"

After no women shockingly made the cut last year, Greta Gerwig received a nomination by the DGA for her work on the biggest box-office hit of 2023, "Barbie". And while this is only a minor improvement it's still welcomed but in the First-Time Theatrical Feature Film category, it is the exact opposite with four female directors impressively filling the five spots with Manuella Martelli ("Chile ’76"), Noora Niasari ("Shayda"), A.V. Rockwell ("A Thousand and One") and Celine Song ("Past Lives"). The 76th Annual DGA Awards will be handed out Saturday, February 10, at the Beverly Hilton. 

Here is the list of 2024 DGA nominees for motion pictures: 

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film:

Greta Gerwig, "Barbie"
Yorgos Lanthimos, "Poor Things"
Christopher Nolan, "Oppenheimer"
Alexander Payne, "The Holdovers"
Martin Scorsese, "Killers of the Flower Moon"

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary Feature Film:

Moses Bwayo and Christopher Sharp, "Bobi Wine: The People's President"
Mstyslav Chernov, "20 Days in Mariupol"
Madeleine Gavin, "Beyond Utopia"
Davis Guggenheim, "Still: A Michael J Fox Movie"
D Smith, "Kokomo City"

Michael Apted Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in First-Time Theatrical Feature Film:

Cord Jefferson, "American Fiction"
Manuela Martelli, Chile ‘76"
Noora Niasari, "Shayda"
A.V. Rockwell, "A Thousand and One"
Celine Song, "Past Lives"

After the problematic couple of years behind the scenes of the Golden Globes involving a lack of diversity in the membership of the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. and the group's ethics practices, it seemed like this long-time award show event might be over. But after the disbandment of the HFPA and turning the group into a for-profit organization, the Globes are back like nothing ever happened. With a new home on CBS and a slightly redesigned trophy, the Golden Globes returned on January 7th to give out awards and the stars came out in all their glittering finery to accept them. The show started off a bit wobbly with first time host, Jo Koy who really struggled to get laughs with painfully awkward jokes. I have to admit that I'm not familiar with Koy's work so he could actually be funny in a less stressful environment. But in all my years of watching various award shows, this comedian's set was truly one of the worst I've ever had to endure. Once the actors came on to hand out awards, it was slightly better although we still had to squirm through badly written chatter between the presenters (leave it to master comedians, Ray Romano, Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig to come in with some actual funny bits). Overall, it was business as usual with the Globes being the first of the televised award shows and helping to create buzz around certain films and performances.

Here is the list of nominations for the 2024 Golden Globes (Motion Picture) with the winners highlighted:

Best Film (Drama):

"Anatomy of a Fall"
"Killers of the Flower Moon"
"Maestro"
"Oppenheimer"
"Past Lives"
"The Zone of Interest"

Best Film (Musical or Comedy):

"Air"
"American Fiction"
"Barbie"
The Holdovers"
"May December"
"Poor Things"

Best Director:

Bradley Cooper, "Maestro"
Greta Gerwig, "Barbie"
Yorgos Lanthimos, "Poor Things"
Christopher Nolan, "Oppenheimer"
Martin Scorsese, "Killers of the Flower Moon"
Celine Song, "Past Lives"

Best Screenplay:

Justine Triet and Arthur Harari, "Anatomy of a Fall"
Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, "Barbie"
Tony McNamara, "Poor Things"
Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer"
Eric Roth and Martin Scorsese, "Killers of the Flower Moon"
Celine Song, "Past Lives"

Best Actress (Drama):

Annette Bening, "Nyad"
Lily Gladstone, "Killers of the Flower Moon"
Sandra Hüller, "Anatomy of a Fall"
Greta Lee, "Past Lives"
Carey Mulligan, "Maestro"
Cailee Spaeny, "Priscilla"

Best Actress (Musical or Comedy):

Fantasia Barrino, "The Color Purple"
Jennifer Lawrence, "No Hard Feelings"
Natalie Portman, "May December"
Alma Pöysti, "Fallen Leaves"
Margot Robbie, "Barbie"
Emma Stone, "Poor Things"

Best Actor (Drama):

Bradley Cooper, "Maestro"
Leonardo Dicaprio, "Killers of the Flower Moon"
Colman Domingo, "Rustin"
Barry Keoghan, "Saltburn"
Cillian Murphy, "Oppenheimer"
Andrew Scott, "All of Us Strangers"

Best Actor (Musical or Comedy):

Nicolas Cage, "Dream Scenario"
Timothée Chalamet, "Wonka"
Matt Damon, "Air"
Paul Giamatti, "The Holdovers"
Joaquin Phoenix, "Beau Is Afraid"
Jeffrey Wright, "American Fiction"

Best Supporting Actress:

Emily Blunt, "Oppenheimer"
Danielle Brooks, "The Color Purple"
Jodie Foster, "Nyad"
Julianne Moore, "May December"
Rosamund Pike, "Saltburn"
Da'Vine Joy Randolph, "The Holdovers"

Best Supporting Actor:

Willem Dafoe, "Poor Things"
Robert De Niro, "Killers of the Flower Moon"
Robert Downey Jr., "Oppenheimer"
Ryan Gosling, "Barbie"
Charles Melton, "May December"
Mark Ruffalo, "Poor Things"

Best Animated Film:

"The Boy and the Heron"
"Elemental"
"Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse"
"The Super Mario Bros. Movie"
"Suzume"
"Wish"

Best Foreign-Language Film:

"Anatomy of a Fall"
"Fallen Leaves"
"Io Capitano"
"Past Lives"
"Society of the Snow"
"The Zone of Interest"

Best Original Score:

Jerskin Fendrix, "Poor Things"
Ludwig Göransson, "Oppenheimer"
Joe Hisaishi, "The Boy and the Heron"
Mica Levi, "The Zone of Interest"
Daniel Pemberton, "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse"
Robbie Robertson, "Killers of the Flower Moon"

Best Original Song:

Bruce Springsteen, "Addicted to Romance" from "She Came to Me" 
Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt, Dua Lipa and Caroline Ailin, "Dance the Night" from "Barbie" 
Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, "I'm Just Ken" from "Barbie" 
Jack Black, Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, Eric Osmond and John Spiker, "Peaches" from "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" 
Lenny Kravitz, "Road to Freedom" from "Rustin" 
Billie Eilish O'Connell and Finneas O'Connell , "What Was I Made For?" from "Barbie"

Best Cinematic and Box Office Achievement:

"Barbie"
"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3"
"John Wick: Chapter 4"
"Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1"
"Oppenheimer"
"Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse"
"The Super Mario Bros. Movie"

Celine Song's romantic drama, "Past Lives" received the top prize from the National Society of Film Critics on January 6th. One of the most prestigious of the US film critics groups, which is now in their 58th year, began when several New York critics (which included well-known film reviewers for magazines, Pauline Kael, Joe Morgenstern and Richard Schickel) were refused memberships to the New York Film Critics Circle which preferred writers for mainstream newspapers. The NSFC is known for their judicious selections, usually favoring foreign-language and indie films and that is on display here with Jonathan Glazer receiving Best Director for his first film in ten years, "The Zone of Interest". Andrew Scott won Best Actor for his outstanding turn in Andrew Haigh's emotional, romantic fantasia, "All of Us Strangers". And German actress, Sandra Hüller winning for her stunning work in two films; as a defendant against the suspicious death of her husband in Justine Triet's courtroom drama, "Anatomy of a Fall" and as a SS officer's wife trying to maintain her dream home next to a concentration camp in "Zone of Interest".

Here is the complete of winners of the 2023 National Society of Film Critics:

Best Picture: "Past Lives"
Best Director: Jonathan Glazer, "The Zone of Interest"
Best Screenplay: Samy Burch, "May December"
Best Actress: Sandra Hüller, "Anatomy of a Fall" and "The Zone of Interest"
Best Actor: Andrew Scott, "All of Us Strangers"
Best Supporting Actress: Da’Vine Joy Randolph, "The Holdovers"
Best Supporting Actor: Charles Melton, "May December"
Best Nonfiction Film: "Menus-Plaisirs — Les Troisgros"
Best Film Not in the English Language: "Fallen Leaves" (Finland)
Best Cinematography: Rodrigo Prieto, "Killers of the Flower Moon"
Best Experimental Film: Jean Luc-Godard’s "Trailer of a Film That Will Never Exist: Phony Wars"
Film Heritage Award: Criterion Channel
Film Heritage Award: Facets, Kim’s Video, Scarecrow Video and Vidiots
Special Citation for a film awaiting U.S. distribution: Víctor Erice’s "Close Your Eyes"

COLUMBIA STUDIOS @ 100

Today marks the centennial of Columbia Studios who went from a scrappy indie to one of the major players in Hollywood. The studio began as a small production and distribution company run by brothers, Harry and Jack Cohn and their friend, Joe Brandt in 1918. They first called their studio CBC Film Sales Corporation but seven year later changed the name to Columbia Pictures.

They never had their own lot until a year later, purchasing two sound stages near the corner of Sunset Blvd. and Gower. The studio couldn't really afford contract players, usually borrowing actors from other studios, but they did sign on a few and creating stars in the process. This included Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, Ann Sothern, Glenn Ford and Rita Hayworth. And in order to save more money, Columbia did not operate their own theater chain, unlike most of the other studios at the time. However, this would later prove to be an even greater financial benefit for Columbia after the government cracked down on monopolies and forced the studios to sell off their theaters.

Brandt soon grew tired of dealing with the mercurial Cohn brothers and sold his shares of the company to them in 1932. Columbia Pictures would remain a minor player in Hollywood for a while until Frank Capra entered as a director. Arriving in 1927, he came in and pushed the Cohns to spend more money on scripts and budgets. This would eventually pay off in 1934 when Capra's romantic comedy, "It Happened One Night" became a box-office smash and swept the Oscars, winning all of the top five major awards (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay) for the first time. Other hits by Capra for the studio included "Lost Horizon", "You Can't Take It with You", "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" and "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington". Columbia would produce or distribute other popular movies like "His Girl Friday", "From Here to Eternity", "On the Waterfront", "Born Yesterday", "The Bridge on the River Kwai", "A Man for All Seasons", "Funny Girl" and "Oliver!".

Jack Cohn died in 1956 and his brother, Harry passed away two years later. Without clear leadership, Columbia Studios struggled with their movies throughout the 1960's with the studio going through a severe creative and financial downturn. They were able to hold on barely with the assistance of their successful Screen Gems divisions of television and music. But by the 1970's, Columbia was nearly bankrupt, forced to sell some of their studio property and formed a partnership with Warner Bros. to utilize that studio's lot in Burbank.

After a series of owners and numerous studio heads, Columbia Pictures was acquired by electronics giant, Sony in 1989. This was a merger that would prove to be very successful and make Columbia a lucrative movie studio for the new owners. Some of the noteworthy films released through the studio include "Philadelphia", "Men in Black", "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", "Boyz n the Hood", "The Fifth Element" "The Social Network" and "Spider-Man".

Turner Classic Movies will honor the legacy of Columbia Pictures on the channel by screening twenty-six of the studio's most popular and influential films throughout the month of January. The 1933 pre-code rom-com, "Man's Castle" with Spencer Tracy and Loretta Young; "The Awful Truth", a Cary Grant and Irene Dunne comedy classic; the movie that made Rita Hayworth a star, "Gilda"; the Best Picture Oscar winner by David Lean, "Lawrence of Arabia" which introduced to the world, Peter O'Toole; Martin Scorsese's controversial thriller, "Taxi Driver"; One of Steven Spielberg's early hits, "Close Encounters of the Third Kind"; two bio-pics that are Best Picture winners, "Gandhi" from 1982 and "The Last Emperor" from 1987; Sofia Coppola's second feature as a director, "Marie Antoinette" and Nancy Meyers' romantic-comedy for adults, "Something's Gotta Give" with Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton are just some of the films that will be featured on TCM.

THE POWER OF FILM

For those fans of cinema who are interested in understanding how and why we respond to certain films, Turner Classic Movies is presenting a new 6-part series, "The Power of Film", beginning on January 4th and continuing through the next five Thursdays. 

Based on the book by Howard Suber, a UCLA film professor and created by documentary filmmakers, Doug Pray and Laura Gabbert, "The Power of Film" explores the cultural and emotional impact film provides for audiences, utilizing footage from acclaimed and beloved movies to illustrate examples of the extraordinary power of cinema. Professor Suber, who co-wrote the series, will share his thoughts throughout the series, discussing film as an art form from a historical and critical aspect and pointing out filmmakers, since the very beginning of the motion picture industry, who have used their skills at storytelling to share their own personal and political viewpoints to the world in order to possibly influence a cultural shift in our society.

Dave Karger will host the series, joined by Pray and Gabbert, and after each new episode, TCM will program some of the memorable films discussed in the series in order to perhaps look at them in a new way and to better understand why they have continued to endure.

MOST ANTICIPATED MOVIES TO SEE IN 2024

As we bid 2023 a fond farewell, we have much to look forward to in regard to new cinema in 2024. Vulture has done us a solid by providing a rundown of many of the upcoming films we should be seeing in theaters throughout the year while offering highlights of thirty-two of them. This listing features the musical version of "Mean Girls"; the highly anticipated continuation of "Dune"; "Furiosa", George Miller’s prequel to his "Mad Max: Fury Road"; "Twisters" which is a not a sequel to the 1996 film but a "new chapter"; Joaquin Phoenix returns as the criminally insane title character in "Joker: Folie à Deux" with Lady Gaga also on board; and the first part of the Broadway musical that fans have been long awaiting to see on the big screen, "Wicked".

Some of these features had been delayed from last year due to the strikes and because of these labor disputes, there will unavoidably be fewer films released over this year. And this slate also appears to be even more sequel heavy than the previous year with follow-ups that include "Deadpool", "Venom", "Inside Out", "Sonic the Hedgehog", "Despicable Me", "Ghostbusters", "Kung Fu Panda", "Bad Boys", "Planet of the Apes", "Gladiator" and after thirty-six years, "Beetlejuice".

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32 Movies We Can’t Wait to See in 2024