2019 GOLDEN GLOBE NOMINATIONS

Netflix is proving it's might as a major power player in cinema as the streaming service dominated the nominations of the 2019 Golden Globes Awards. "The Irishman", "Marriage Story", "The Two Popes" and "Dolemite Is My Name" helped Netflix lead all studios with a total of 17 nominations with Noah Baumbach's divorce drama receiving the most with six and all the films nominated for Best Motion Picture. With The Globes having separate categories, joining these films for Best Motion Picture in drama are the WWI epic, "1917" and "Joker" while the Best Motion Picture nominations in comedy or musical are Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood", the WWII satire, "Jojo Rabbit", the whodunit mystery, "Knives Out" and the Elton John biopic, "Rocketman".

The Golden Globes have had a long reputation for offbeat nominations and this year there were a few that were more inspired than strange. One was recognizing the superb performance by the child actor, Roman Griffin Davis with his debut in "Jojo Rabbit" who expertly carried this film with ease. And there is almost the entire Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical category which includes nominations for the star-making turn by Ana de Armas in “Knives Out”, Beanie Feldstein's performance in one of my favorite movies of the year, “Booksmart”,  Awkwafina's subtle work in “The Farewell” and the always reliable Emma Thompson who did a great job in the little seen comedy, "Late Night".

And one glaring omission is that once again in the Best Director category, there are no females receiving recognition which is really problematic as there were many amazing works done this year by women.

The caustic comedian, Ricky Gervais will return to host the 77th annual Golden Globes for the fifth time on January 5, 2020 in Los Angeles. Tom Hanks (who also received the expected nomination for playing Mr. Rogers in "A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood") is this year's recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille Award and the Carol Burnett Award will go to Ellen DeGeneres.

Here is a partial list of the 2019 Golden Globe nominations:

UPDATED: Winners highlighted

Best Motion Picture (Drama):

“The Irishman”
“Marriage Story”
“1917”
“Joker”
“The Two Popes”

Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy):

“Dolemite Is My Name”
“Jojo Rabbit”
“Knives Out”
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
“Rocketman”

Best Director (Motion Picture):

Bong Joon-ho, “Parasite”
Sam Mendes, “1917”
Todd Phillips, “Joker”
Martin Scorsese, “The Irishman”
Quentin Tarantino, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

Best Screenplay (Motion Picture):

Noah Baumbach, “Marriage Story”
Bong Joon-ho and Han Jin-won, “Parasite”
Anthony McCarten, “The Two Popes”
Quentin Tarantino, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
Steven Zaillian, “The Irishman”

Best Actress in a Motion Picture (Drama):

Cynthia Erivo, “Harriet”
Scarlett Johansson, “Marriage Story”
Saoirse Ronan, “Little Women”
Charlize Theron, “Bombshell”
Renée Zellweger, “Judy”

Best Actress in a Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy):

Ana de Armas, “Knives Out”
Awkwafina, “The Farewell”
Cate Blanchett, “Where’d You Go, Bernadette”
Beanie Feldstein, “Booksmart”
Emma Thompson, “Late Night”

Best Actress in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture:

Kathy Bates, “Richard Jewell”
Annette Bening, “The Report”
Laura Dern, “Marriage Story”
Jennifer Lopez, “Hustlers”
Margot Robbie, “Bombshell”

Best Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama):

Christian Bale, “Ford v Ferrari”
Antonio Banderas, “Pain and Glory”
Adam Driver, “Marriage Story”
Joaquin Phoenix, “Joker”
Jonathan Pryce, “The Two Popes”

Best Actor in a Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy):

Daniel Craig, “Knives Out”
Roman Griffin Davis, “Jojo Rabbit”
Leonardo DiCaprio, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
Taron Egerton, “Rocketman”
Eddie Murphy, “Dolemite Is My Name”

Best Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture:

Tom Hanks, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”
Anthony Hopkins, “The Two Popes”
Al Pacino, “The Irishman”
Joe Pesci, “The Irishman”
Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

Best Motion Picture (Animated):

“Frozen 2”
“How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World”
“The Lion King”
“Missing Link”
“Toy Story 4”

Best Motion Picture (Foreign-Language):

“The Farewell” (USA)
“Les Misérables” (France)
“Pain and Glory” (Spain)
“Parasite”(South Korea)
“Portrait of a Lady on Fire” (France)

Best Original Score (Motion Picture):

Alexandre Desplat, “Little Women”
Hildur Guðnadóttir, “Joker”
Randy Newman, “Marriage Story”
Thomas Newman, “1917”
Daniel Pemberton, “Motherless Brooklyn”

Best Original Song (Motion Picture):

“Beautiful Ghosts” (“Cats”)
“I’m Gonna Love Me Again” (“Rocketman”)
“Into the Unknown” (“Frozen 2”)
“Spirit” (“The Lion King”)
“Stand Up” (“Harriet”)

JOKER (2019)

Written by Todd Phillips and Scott Silver



Directed by Todd Phillips



Where & When: Arclight Cinemas, Hollywood, CA. October 7, 2019 5:45 PM




The Joker, the deranged and insane comic-book villain, is just as well known as his arch-nemesis, the Dark Knight or as most of the world refers to as Batman. I guess some thought that he deserved to have his back story told and we now have "Joker", a divisive and provocative work which explores how a sad, mentally disturbed man is pushed by a cruel, indifferent society in to becoming a cruel, homicidal messiah.

Todd Phillips, the director behind the high-concept comedies, "Old School" and "The Hangover" trilogy, has surprisingly been given the reins of this violent thriller. He has effectively created a world that goes far outside of what you would normally find in a movie based on comics, a place that is far more sinister, frightening and credible. And we have Joaquin Phoenix, the three-time Oscar nominee who is best known for his impressive work in playing strange, offbeat characters, taking on this title character in a deeply committed performance with the actor going as far as losing over fifty pounds to make himself appear even more deviant.

"Joker" was the unexpected winner for Best Film at the recent Venice Film Festival which makes it appear like this film rises well above the standard super-hero action-adventure. While the film is certainly grounded with no costumed crusaders or CGI enhanced battles to be found yet if you remove the comic-book connection, the troubling and brutal dramatic situations found in "Joker" would be seen as far less innovative or entertaining.

We first meet Arthur Fleck (Phoenix) on the streets of 1980's Gotham City dressed as a clown, flipping a advertisement sign to promote a business. A gang of kids steal the sign and when Fleck tries to get it back, they beat him savagely. And to add insult to his injury, his boss informs Fleck he has to pay for the missing board.

Life at home isn't much better for Arthur, who lives and cares for his seriously ill mother (Frances Conroy). He not only has to take medication to help control his fragile mental state but also suffers from a rare disorder that causes him to laugh during inappropriate moments when he is stressed. This clearly leaves Arthur feeling further isolated and lonely.

Fleck seems to have a large sign on his back saying "Easy victim right here" as he becomes the target for a trio of drunken businessmen. However this time, Arthur is not left in a bloodied heap. Pulling out a gun given to him by a co-worker to use as protection, Fleck leaves his would-be-assailants groveling and full of bullet holes.

With one of the men perishing, the city is sent in to a panic, fearful that a dangerous vigilante is on the loose. The victims happened to work for Wayne Enterprises and the billionaire owner, Thomas Wayne (Brett Cullen) is running for Mayor. He uses this tragic situation to his advantage to show Gotham City he will be tough on crime while labeling the criminal a cowardly clown envious of rich, successful people. Some citizens find this statement offensive and take to the streets to protest in clown masks.

Mr. Phillips' goal was to make "Joker" a complex drama that does not feel like a direct extension of the DC comic-book universe. And with that, the director is successful. As a filmmaker, Phillips creates an interesting blend of realism and fantasy with Lawrence Sher's camerawork highlighting the garish and muddy colors which helps add to the urban decay of this dystopian world. But as a storyteller, Phillips is less fortunate. The screenplay, co-written by the director and Scott Silver, may have been aiming for reflective social commentary yet it's not exactly clear in what the film is really trying to say. The horrific deaths and unsettling mayhem that occur seems to imply that these victims may have deserved what came to them. I'm sure the intention is not to be rooting for the sociopathic Fleck. Or is it?  Phillips has not made this clear enough in his script.

There are a few well-known character actors popping up in supporting roles including Bill Camp, Shea Whigham, Marc Maron and "Atlanta" co-stars, Brian Tyree Henry and Zazie Beetz who plays a neighbor who shows Arthur a brief moment of kind attention but none of them are really given much to do. And that includes Robert De Niro who appears here as Murray Franklin, a Johnny Carson-type, late-night television host. Arthur is a big fan of the show with Franklin as his inspiration to become a stand-up comedian. After performing during an open-mike and bombing quite badly, Fleck's taped performance ends up going viral, catching the attention of Franklin who invites him on the show. Fleck accepts but at this point, he's off his meds due to budget cuts and no longer in a joking mood. De Niro is kinda sleepwalking through the film but the real purpose of his appearance was clearly designed to make a subliminal connection to the disturbed and delusional characters he once played in the Martin Scorsese films, "Taxi Driver" and "King of Comedy". There are also elements of the celebrated director's early 1970's work used in "Joker" to help inspire an atmospheric shorthand for the dirty, gritty city of this world yet it comes across as lazy and trite.

What makes "Joker" work at all is the wiry and zany performance of Phoenix. It was reported that the actor was extremely reluctant to take on this iconic role. But once he was reassured that this would not be a conventional version of the character, he was comfortable to join the project and let himself go creatively. Nothing that Phoenix does here is remotely predictable, skillfully going from sensitive and caring to unhinged and ferocious, sometimes impressively all at the same time. Without the sensational work of Mr. Phoenix, you would be far more aware of the thin characterizations and cliched situations that fills the rest of the film.

To me, "Joker" is a sordid, unrelentingly bleak and miserable cinematic experience. Yet people have responded to the film in great numbers, clearly seeing it multiple times to make it not only one of the biggest hits of the year but on course to be one of the rare films to make over a billion dollars at the worldwide box-office. What does this mean? Perhaps people are connecting to the themes of destructive anarchy and violently rising up against the greedy rich. Maybe they are enjoying a refreshing new way of telling a comic-book story that doesn't involve super-powered, costumed heroes or high-flying battles. Or it could be that audiences are just simply entertained by the dark humor in this well-crafted yet unsettling drama that is anchored by a wildly dynamic performance by Mr. Phoenix. No matter. I'm certain nobody is going to see "Joker" to find any dark, hidden messages. Or are they?

WINNERS OF THE 2019 VENICE FILM FESTIVAL

Todd Phillips and his film, "Joker", the origin story of Batman's long-time nemesis, was the unexpected winner for the top prize of the Golden Lion at the 2019 Venice Film Festival. This comic-book drama was enthusiastically praised during it's world premiere screening and Joaquin Phoenix's mesmerizing turn as the infamous super-villian was also singled out.

Another surprise was the selection of Roman Polanski's latest, "J'accuse (An Officer and a Spy)" for the Grand Jury Prize. It was already extremely controversial that he was even in the competition and for the eighty-six year old filmmaker to win the runner-up prize was certainly making a statement about separating the art from the artist. I'm sure it must also mean that this fact-based film about a 19th century French officer of Jewish descent is falsely accused of passing military secrets to the Germans is quite exceptional and now maybe has a better opportunity to be released in the United States.

Here is a list of the winners from the 76th Annual Venice Film Festival:

Golden Lion: "Joker"
Grand Jury Prize: "J'accuse (An Officer And A Spy)"
Silver Lion for Best Director: Roy Andersson, "Om det oändliga (About Endlessness)"



Volpi Cup for Best Actress: Ariane Ascaride, "Gloria Mundi"
Volpi Cup for Best Actor: Luca Marinelli, "Martin Eden"
Best Screenplay: Yonfan, "No. 7 Cherry Lane"



Special Jury Prize: "La Mafia Non E Più Quello Di Una Volta"
Marcello Mastroianni Award for for Best New Young Actor or Actress: Toby Wallace, "Babyteeth"



Horizons Best Film: "Atlantis"
Horizons Best Director: Theo Court, "Blanco En Blanco"



Horizons Special Jury Prize: "Verdict"
Horizons Best Actress: Marta Nieto, "Madre"
Horizons Best Actor: Sami Bouajila, "A Son"
Horizons Best Screenplay: Jessica Palud, "Revenir"
Horizons Best Short Film: "Darling"
Lion of The Future - Luigi De Laurentiis Venice Award For a Debut Film: "You Will Die At 20"

2019 VENICE FILM FESTIVAL

The 76th Annual Venice Film Festival is set to begin on August 28th and will conclude on September 7th. This Italian-based fest is the oldest in the world and will be the first opportunity to see some of the interesting and award-worthy films that will reach theaters this fall.

"La Verite (The Truth)", the latest by Hirokazu Kore-eda who received several honors last year including the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign-Language Film for "Shoplifters", has been selected as the Opening Night Film. This mostly French language film stars the legendary Catherine Deneuve as a legendary French film star who has just published her memoirs. Her daughter (Oscar-winner, Juliette Binoche), who has returned home with her American husband (Ethan Hawke) and their child for a visit, is triggered to confront her mother about some long-held resentments due to this book.

The latest works by some of the world's most acclaimed filmmakers will be represented in the competition field and will include Steven Soderbergh ("The Laundromat"), Olivier Assayas ("Wasp Network"), James Gray ("Ad Astra"), Todd Phillips ("Joker"), Pablo Larrain ("Ema"), Atom Egoyan ("Guest of Honor"), Noah Baumbach ("Marriage Story") and the highly controversial, Roman Polanski with "J'Accuse (An Officer and a Spy)" which centers on the notorious 19th century political scandal, "the Dreyfus affair" and features Oscar-winner, Jean Dujardin, Louis Garrel, Melvil Poupaud and Mathieu Amalric.





"The Burnt Orange Heresy", an erotic-thriller by Giuseppe Capotondi and based on the cult novel by Charles Willeford, will be the Closing Night Film. Set in Italy in 1970, the story deals with an art-world heist that goes very wrong and features an international cast that includes Donald Sutherland, Elizabeth Debicki, Claes Bang and Mick Jagger.

And Costa-Gavras, the politically-minded, Greek filmmaker behind such films as "Missing", "Music Box", "Hanna K." and the 1969 Oscar-winner for Best Foreign-Language Film, "Z", will receive this year's Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory To The Filmmaker Award. The eighty-six year old writer/director will also premiere his new feature film at the fest, "Adults In The Room" which examines the 2015 Greek financial crisis.