2019 AWARD WINNERS

Barry Jenkins and his adaption of James Baldwin's novel, "If Beale Street Could Talk" was the big winner at this year's Independent Spirit Awards receiving Best Director and the top prize of Best Feature. Regina King also won Best Supporting Female for her moving role in the film. The comedy-drama bio, "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" won two awards for Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Male for Richard E. Grant. And three great films from last year that were wrongly overlooked for Oscars were honored with awards here; the trippy comedy, "Sorry To Bother You" took Best First Feature, Bo Burnham received the Best First Screenplay for "Eighth Grade" and "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" won Best Documentary.

Winners of the 2019 Independent Spirit Awards:

Best Feature: "If Beale Street Could Talk"
Best Director: Barry Jenkins, "If Beale Street Could Talk"
Best Screenplay: Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty, "Can You Ever Forgive Me?"
Best Female Lead: Glenn Close, "The Wife"
Best Male Lead: Ethan Hawke, "First Reformed"
Best Supporting Female: Regina King, "If Beale Street Could Talk"
Best Supporting Male: Richard E. Grant, "Can You Ever Forgive Me?"
Best First Feature: "Sorry to Bother You"
Best First Screenplay: Bo Burnham, "Eighth Grade"
Best Documentary: "Won’t You Be My Neighbor?"
Best International Film: "Roma" (Mexico)
Best Cinematography:  Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, "Suspiria"
Best Editing: Joe Bini, "You Were Never Really Here"
John Cassavetes Award: "En El Septimo Dia"



Truer Than Fiction Award: Bing Liu, Director of "Minding the Gap"



Someone To Watch Award: Alex Moratto, Director of "Sócrates"
Producer's Award: Shrihari Sathe

Over in France, "Custody (Jusqu’à La Garde)" was the big winner for Best Film at the 2019 César Awards. This feature debut from Xavier Legrand tells the story of a family torn apart by divorce and domestic violence and also received awards for Best Original Screenplay for Mr. Legrand and Léa Drucker won Best Actress. Jacques Audiard and his first English-language feature, "The Sisters Brothers" was another major winner and the American western drama took home four awards including Best Director. And Robert Redford received this year's honorary César Award which paid tribute to his long career as an activist, filmmaker and actor.

The list of winners for the 2019 César Awards:

Best Film: "Jusqu’a La Garde (Custody)"



Best Director: Jacques Audiard, "The Sisters Brothers"
Best Adapted Screenplay:  Andréa Bescond & Eric Métayer, "Les Chatouilles"
Best Original Screenplay: Xavier Legrand, "Jusqu’à La Garde (Custody)"
Best Actress: Léa Drucker, "Jusqu’à La Garde (Custody)"
Best Actor: Alex Lutz, "Guy"



Best Supporting Actress: Karin Viard, "Les Chatouilles"
Best Supporting Actor: Philippe Katerine, "Le Grand Bain (Sink or Swim)"



Best Debut Feature: "Shéhérazade"
Best Newcomer (Female): Kenza Fortas, "Shérérazade"
Best Newcomer (Male): Dylan Robert, "Shérérazade"
Best Documentary: "Ni Juge, Ni Soumise"
Best Foreign Film: "Shoplifters" (Japan)
Best Animated Film: "Dilili A Paris"



Best Cinematographer: Benoît Debie, "The Sisters Brothers"
Best Editing: Yorgos Lamprinos, "Jusqu’à La Garde (Custody)"

Best Sound: Brigitte Taillandier, Valérie De Loof and Cyril Holtz, "The Sisters Brothers"

Best Original Score: Vincent Blanchard and Romain Greffe, "Guy"
Best Costume Design: Pierre-Jean Larroque, "Mademoiselle De Jonquières"
Best Production Design: Michele Bartélémy, "The Sisters Brothers"
Best Short Film: "Les Petites Mains"
Best Animated Short: "Vilaine Fille"
Cesar Du Public (awarded for box office success): "Les Tuches 3"

The Sherlock Holmes spoof, "Holmes & Watson" was the big loser as Worst Picture at the 2019 Razzie Awards. The film took home four awards including Worst Director and a Worst Supporting Actor win for John C. Reilly. Melissa McCarthy was named Worst Actress but also received the rare Redeemer Award for her brilliant work in "Can You Ever Forgive Me?". And our President finally won votes fair and square with him taking two prizes for Worst Actor and shared the prize with his petty nature for Worst Screen Combo.

The complete list of winners for the 2019 Razzie Awards:

Worst Picture: "Holmes & Watson"
Worst Director:  Etan Cohen, "Holmes & Watson"



Worst Screenplay: Niall Leonard, "Fifty Shades Freed"
Worst Actress:  Melissa McCarthy, "Happytime Murders" and "Life of the Party"



Razzie Redeemer Award: Melissa McCarthy, "Can You Ever Forgive Me?"
Worst Supporting Actress:  Kellyanne Conway (As Herself), "Fahrenheit 11/9"
Worst Supporting Actor:  John C. Reilly, "Holmes & Watson"
Worst Actor:  Donald J. Trump (As Himself), "Death of a Nation" and "Fahrenheit 11/9"
Worst Screen Combo:  Donald J. Trump & His Self-Perpetuating Pettiness, "Death of a Nation" and "Fahrenheit 11/9"
Worst Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel:  "Holmes & Watson"

SUSPIRIA (2018)

Written by David Kajganich



Directed by Luca Guadagnino



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.