Every trailer for this movie has improved on the last one so far, so I don't know if that means the reshoots improved the movie or not, but I do think it's looking like this could be better than The Force Awakens (another very popular movie I wasn't that crazy about). I'm sure it's going to have the same amount of attention paid towards it, especially with Darth Vader and young Han Solo and all those guys showing up, right? Plus, Mads Mikkelson's involvement in something will always up my own excitement.
'Moonlight' and 'Manchester By the Sea' Lead the Gotham Award Nominations
It's that time of year again, when the first of what will be many end of the year awards nominees start coming out. The Gothams are in some ways the prelude to the Independent Spirit Awards more so than the Oscars, but there are usually some films in here that make the cut and go on to bigger things. It's definitely a good sign for indie darlings Moonlight and Manchester By the Sea, which were recognized in several categories. Interesting that the big pre-nomination favorite La La Land didn't get a single nod, even for acting. But that probably indicates that these particular critics already don't think that film (which is an indie and is eligible here) needs the boost that these early awards can provide. So in a way that's a good sign for it.
BEST FEATURE
- “Certain Women”
- “Everybody Wants Some!!”
- “Manchester by the Sea”
- “Moonlight”
- “Paterson”
BEST DOCUMENTARY
- “Cameraperson”
- “I Am Not Your Negro”
- “O.J.: Made in America”
- “Tower”
- “Weiner”
BEST SCREENPLAY
- “Hell or High Water,” Taylor Sheridan
- “Love & Friendship,” Whit Stillman
- “Manchester by the Sea,” Kenneth Lonergan
- “Moonlight,” Story by Tarell Alvin McCraney; Screenplay by Barry Jenkins
- “Paterson,” Jim Jarmusch
BREAKTHROUGH DIRECTOR AWARD
- Robert Eggers, “The Witch”
- Anna Rose Holmer, “The Fits”
- Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert, “Swiss Army Man”
- Trey Edward Shults, “Krisha”
- Richard Tanne, “Southside with You”
- BEST ACTOR
- Casey Affleck, “Manchester by the Sea”
- Jeff Bridges, “Hell or High Water”
- Adam Driver, “Paterson”
- Joel Edgerton, “Loving”
- Craig Robinson, “Morris from America”
BEST ACTRESS
- Kate Beckinsale, “Love & Friendship”
- Annette Bening, “20th Century Women”
- Isabelle Huppert, “Elle”
- Ruth Negga, “Loving”
- Natalie Portman, “Jackie”
BREAKTHROUGH ACTOR
- Lily Gladstone, “Certain Women”
- Lucas Hedges, “Manchester by the Sea”
- Royalty Hightower, “The Fits”
- Sasha Lane, “American Honey”
- Anya Taylor-Joy, “The Witch”
BREAKTHROUGH SERIES – LONG FORM
- “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”
- “The Girlfriend Experience”
- “Horace and Pete”
- “Marvel’s Jessica Jones”
- “Master of None”
BREAKTHROUGH SERIES – SHORT FORM
- “The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo”
- “Her Story”
- “The Movement”
- “Sitting in Bathrooms with Trans People”
- “Surviving”
There are some interesting nominations in here, and if I had to guess I'd say that in addition to good Oscar bets like Moonlight and Manchester, we will also see Natalie Portman, Isabelle Huppert and maybe the screenplay for Hell or High Water make it further in the race. It's also notable that the Gothams added two TV categories this year to recognize the growing excellence in the medium- go Jessica Jones!
New Obama Biopic 'Barry' Comes to Netflix in December
Well, this could make for a nice little companion piece to Southside With You. The new "young Barack Obama" biopic movie, Barry, got good reviews at Toronto and was bought by Netflix, set for release December 16th. I don't know if these movies that get bought by streaming services and never get theatrical releases are actually seen by more people in the end, but they're definitely available to more people. This is a quick teaser for the movie, but a longer trailer will certainly come out in the next month.
Hugh Jackman Returns Again as Wolverine in 'Logan'
The next Wolverine standalone movie is probably going to be most notable for being R-rated for the first time. In the wake of Deadpool's success, I guess that was inevitable, although since every X-Men and Wolverine movie up till now has been PG-13, I'm thinking it might feel like a tonal departure in a negative way. All it's going to be is more violent, as you can tell from the last bit of this trailer and where Logan's claws end up. The other thing that jumps out at me here is how exactly Patrick Stewart's Professor X is still alive in this clearly far off future where the slowly aging Logan is now an old man. Xavier ages normally, doesn't he? Or is it some die effect of his telepathic powers?
See New Teaser for 'Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2'
For those of you who are excited for the next Guardians of the Galaxy movie (and I'm sure that's a lot of you), here's the first look at it. I wasn't as nuts about this movie as most people were- I still don't think it's that much of a departure from the typical Marvel formula, aside from two factors. The 70's hits soundtrack and the bright colors to differentiate all the aliens. Everything else, down to the plot and the jokes, weak villains, etc., were all the same. But hey, it's Baby Groot, so I'm sure everyone will be really pumped for this.
10 Great Horror Movies for Halloween
With October here (seems like it arrived faster than ever), it's now time to recommend the top ten horror movies for the month of Halloween, which is one of my favorite genres. I go for the classics for the most part, so my favorite picks here are things like the original Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein, The Exorcist, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Night of the Living Dead. There are so many great horror movies though, that I had to choose a theme to narrow things down, so my theme here is monsters or "Creature Features"- see the variation on the Frankensteins and all kinds of zombies on the list. You can head over to the Movies for Every Month page to read more about the theme and go to the October movie page to read detailed write-ups for each film and see the original trailers. Stock up on the candy and happy movie watching, everybody!
See the Trailer for Germany's Oscar Entry 'Toni Erdmann'
This German-Austrian film got rave reviews and won a prize at Cannes this year, so of course it was selected as Germany's Oscar submission. In fact, many believe this is the automatic frontrunner for the win, as it's already secured a release date and will undoubtedly be a critical darling when they dish out their own awards in a couple months. A three hour comedy about a unique father-daughter relationship, it certainly sounds unusual. You have to wonder how that might play for Oscar voters, who often like to go for "importance" in this category.
Andy Serkis Returns in 'War For the Planet of the Apes'
Yes! I had almost forgotten this was an ongoing franchise, but it looks like it's about that time again. Time for another Planet of the Apes movie! Caesar is the star of these of course, played by the great Andy Serkis, as always. Mark your calendars for July 14, 2017, when the war between humans and apes rages on.
Hailee Seinfeld Comes of Age in Red Band Trailer for 'Edge of Seventeen'
I wasn't totally sold on the first trailer for this movie, but after the good reviews out of Toronto and the frankness of this new promo, I'm in. Hailee Seinfeld looks great and this is a genre that really doesn't get many entries anymore, after the boom in certain other decades, like the 80's and late 90's. Not crazy about the voiceover reading of the written critical praise though- seems corny, especially for a red band trailer. Come on, guys.
Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard Show Off the Chemistry in Full Trailer for 'Allied'
After all these mini-teasers, we finally get the full trailer for Robert Zemeckis's Allied, which is still gonna draw attention for the rumored affair between co-stars on set, whether it's actually true or not (it's now been denied, but the hype will still be there). I'm intrigued by this look at it though. This is a very old-fashioned movie, the kind that really doesn't get made anymore, so the question is does this kind of thing feel dated now? Or can a director as old-school as Zemeckis pull it off in a way that feels relevant. It comes out at Thanksgiving, so keep an eye out.
Mark Wahlberg and Peter Berg Team Up Again for 'Patriots Day'
A Wahlberg/Berg film just came out last weekend in Deepwater Horizon, and yes, this is their next, due out at Christmas. When do these guys sleep? It's yet another action-adventure film based on recent true life events, their third after the first successful collaboration, 2014's Lone Survivor. They appear to be trying to corner the market in this very specific genre. I'm amazed at how closely this trailer actually resembles the one for Deepwater Horizon, down to Wahlberg kissing his supportive wife goodbye on the way to work before disaster strikes. This time it's the recreation of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and I assume, the city-wide manhunt that took place immediately following. Berg's films are always pointedly politically neutral, despite the reinvention of events that most remember with at least some tint of political shading, but Berg's attitude is to play things out as straightforward as possible, in order to celebrate the heroes and survivors of these incidents without comment. So, if you're into that kind of thing, this might be for you?
Natalie Portman Brings History to Life in 'Jackie' Teaser
This film from Chilean director Pablo Larrain is apparently an extremely unconventional arthouse biopic about Jackie Kennedy in the days following JFK's assassination, and judging from the critical adoration it received at Venice and again at Toronto, Portman at least looks to be a favorite for her second Best Actress nomination. Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm having a real hard time with the accent we're hearing over this teaser. I know Jackie Kennedy did have a very distinct voice, but that's...gonna take some getting used to. Fox Searchlight picked this one up for a prime Oscar release date of Dec 2nd.