REVIEW: "Sing Street" (2016) Ferida-Walsh Peelo, Lucy Boynton. Dir. John Carney

John Carney has a truly sentimental touch that doesn’t make you want to throw up, which is harder than you think to pull off, especially in the movies, and especially now, when cynicism and hyperawareness rue the day (see Deadpool). Sincerity is uncool, and it takes a special kind of deftness to make you want to embrace it. After three films that unabashedly celebrate the uncoolness of genuine excitement, love and the things that make you happy (namely music, the creation of it and how that leads to the former), I think we can add Carney to a list of people that includes directors like Frank Capra and Cameron Crowe.

The truth is I’m a sucker for the feel good, and although Sing Street has more in common with the Hollywood gloss of Carney’s last musical Begin Again, than it does the gritty, low-budget authenticity of his breakthrough Once, it’s no less an absolutely delightful coming-of-age comedy that is so enjoyable in its energy, charisma, acting and original music that it’s impossible to resist smiling from ear to ear all the way through it. This time, Carney goes back to his native Ireland for a story set in 1984, about a teenage boy who kind of knows how to play the guitar and wants more than anything to make music videos like those of Duran Duran, be in a band and get the hell out of Ireland. Oh, and to impress the local girl he has a crush on as well.

Conor lives in a crowded flat with his sister, parents and twenty-something brother who he idolizes, and who spends his time lecturing him on the talents of various 80’s groups (this is a true love letter to that era) and what constitutes “good” music. The brother is played by scene-stealer Jack Reynor, who seems to have an awful lot in common with Philip Seymour Hoffman’s rock critic Lester Bangs from Almost Famous, a film that seems to have inspired quite a bit of this one. Conor decides to ease his transition to a strict, oppressive Catholic school by collecting a group of outsider classmates like himself to form a band so they can help him gain the attention of the beautiful, damaged Rowfena (Lucy Boynton). The boys’ back and forth is hilarious and the casting so spot on as to immediately recall the natural chemistry from great past movies about teen friends like Stand By Me or Dazed and Confused (think of the middle-schoolers in that one).

When you describe a movie like this- teenage boy in a band, wants to get the girl, faces bullies at school, problems with his parents, etc., it sounds like the repackaging of every coming of age cliche in the book. But with a touch for genuinely funny dialogue, moving familial and friendship relationships, a brisk pace, and light but affecting performances, this is exactly the kind of feel good movie that I challenge anyone to dislike. And I haven’t even mentioned the other standout factor in this film- the original music. Carney teams up with 80's composer Gary Clark and others (including Adam Levine again) to craft a score composed of a half dozen original songs that are so good they sound as if they must have been pulled straight off a 1980’s soundtrack album. Add to the mix an already stellar list of 80’s hits, and the effect is a wonderful combination of pure joy and nostalgia that will leave any viewer satisfied. Again, I promise that you will love this movie and feel better after having seen it. It’s a sugar rush for audiences, minus the resulting toothache.

* * * 1/2

Baby Groot is Everything in New Trailer for 'Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2'

So, you know that I wasn't all that wild about the first movie, but Baby Groot does look funny here. I can tell he's going to steal the whole movie from everything else. I'm sure people will be nuts about this, but I just didn't love any of the characters, to be honest. Give me the new Star Trek crew any day. 

'La La Land' Leads Critics Choice Nominations with 12

You might remember that I really hate the Critics Choice awards. The Broadcast Film Critics Association, or the BFCA, is not comprised of actual critics, so the name of this ceremony is a complete lie. It's really just anyone who pays for a membership and includes radio and TV personalities, bloggers, entertainment writers, etc. And their nominations are pretty much always about what they think is going to be nominated for Oscars rather than what they actually like best- and boy do they cover their bases, just look at the number of nominations in each category. So yeah, it's a joke to my mind, but they're giving out their awards earlier than anyone else this year so they can try to up their influence if possible. It is nice to see Arrival with so many nods, right behind La La Land. And the appearance of Hacksaw Ridge in a bunch of categories is kind of surprising- do they think Mel Gibson is ready to be embraced by Hollywood again? I don't know- the truth is it's a very weak year overall, and there a lot of open slots for nominations, so several different movies are vying for attention. The BFCA seemed to go for a lot of them, with even Loving making a comeback after it's been ignored by real critics so far. There's no way this Best Picture lineup of theirs is going to look exactly like Oscar's this year. Loving, Lion, Sully, Hacksaw Ridge- none of those are guaranteed or even that well reviewed (some critics these guys are). And what's with their insistence on having these stupid "people's choice" categories in there like Best Action movie, Best Action movie actor, etc? How many awards do they need?

Best Picture

• “Arrival”
• “Fences”
• “Hacksaw Ridge”
• “Hell or High Water”
• “La La Land”
• “Lion”
• “Loving”
• “Manchester by the Sea”
• “Moonlight”
• “Sully”

Best Director

• Damien Chazelle – “La La Land”
• Mel Gibson – “Hacksaw Ridge”
• Barry Jenkins – “Moonlight”
• Kenneth Lonergan – “Manchester by the Sea”
• David Mackenzie – “Hell or High Water”
• Denis Villeneuve – “Arrival”
• Denzel Washington – “Fences”

Best Actor

• Casey Affleck – “Manchester by the Sea”
• Joel Edgerton – “Loving”
• Andrew Garfield – “Hacksaw Ridge”
• Ryan Gosling – “La La Land”
• Tom Hanks – “Sully”
• Denzel Washington – “Fences”

Best Actress

• Amy Adams – “Arrival”
• Annette Bening – “20th Century Women”
• Isabelle Huppert – “Elle”
• Ruth Negga – “Loving”
• Natalie Portman – “Jackie”
• Emma Stone – “La La Land”

Best Supporting Actor

• Mahershala Ali – “Moonlight”
• Jeff Bridges – “Hell or High Water”
• Ben Foster – “Hell or High Water”
• Lucas Hedges – “Manchester by the Sea”
• Dev Patel – “Lion”
• Michael Shannon – “Nocturnal Animals”

Best Supporting Actress

• Viola Davis – “Fences”
• Greta Gerwig – “20th Century Women”
• Naomie Harris – “Moonlight”
• Nicole Kidman – “Lion”
• Janelle Monáe – “Hidden Figures”
• Michelle Williams – “Manchester by the Sea”

'Fences' gets acting, directing, writing and picture nods

Best Original Screenplay

• Damien Chazelle – “La La Land”
• Barry Jenkins – “Moonlight”
• Yorgos Lanthimos/Efthimis Filippou – “The Lobster”
• Kenneth Lonergan – “Manchester by the Sea”
• Jeff Nichols – “Loving”
• Taylor Sheridan – “Hell or High Water”

Best Adapted Screenplay

• Luke Davies – “Lion”
• Tom Ford – “Nocturnal Animals”
• Eric Heisserer – “Arrival”
• Todd Komarnicki – “Sully”
• Allison Schroeder/Theodore Melfi – “Hidden Figures”
• August Wilson – “Fences”

Best Cinematography

• Stéphane Fontaine – “Jackie”
• James Laxton – “Moonlight”
• Seamus McGarvey – “Nocturnal Animals”
• Linus Sandgren – “La La Land”
• Bradford Young – “Arrival”

Best Costume Design

• Colleen Atwood – “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”
• Consolata Boyle – “Florence Foster Jenkins”
• Madeline Fontaine – “Jackie”
• Joanna Johnston – “Allied”
• Eimer Ni Mhaoldomhnaigh – “Love & Friendship”
• Mary Zophres – “La La Land”

Best Film Editing

• Tom Cross – “La La Land”
• John Gilbert – “Hacksaw Ridge”
• Blu Murray – “Sully”
• Nat Sanders/Joi McMillon – “Moonlight”
• Joe Walker – “Arrival”

Best Hair & Makeup

• “Doctor Strange”
• “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”
• “Hacksaw Ridge”
• “Jackie”
• “Star Trek Beyond”

'Jackie' gets several noms but not in Best Picture

Best Production Design

• “Arrival” – Patrice Vermette, Paul Hotte/André Valade
• “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” – Stuart Craig/James Hambidge, Anna Pinnock
• “Jackie” – Jean Rabasse, Véronique Melery
• “La La Land” – David Wasco, Sandy Reynolds-Wasco
• “Live by Night” – Jess Gonchor, Nancy Haigh

Best Song

• “Audition (The Fools Who Dream)” – “La La Land”
• “Can’t Stop the Feeling” – Trolls
• “City of Stars” – “La La Land”
• “Drive It Like You Stole It” – “Sing Street”
• “How Far I’ll Go” – “Moana”
• “The Rules Don’t Apply” – “Rules Don’t Apply”

Best Score

• Nicholas Britell – “Moonlight”
• Jóhann Jóhannsson – “Arrival”
• Justin Hurwitz – “La La Land”
• Micachu – “Jackie”
• Dustin O’Halloran, Hauschka – “Lion”

Best Visual Effects

• “A Monster Calls”
• “Arrival”
• “Doctor Strange”
• “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”
• “The Jungle Book”

Best Animated Feature

• “Finding Dory”
• “Kubo and the Two Strings”
• “Moana”
• “The Red Turtle”
• “Trolls”
• “Zootopia”

'Moana' goes up against other Disney juggernaut 'Zootopia' for Best Animated

Best Foreign Language Film

• “Elle”
• “The Handmaiden”
• “Julieta”
• “Neruda”
• “The Salesman”
• “Toni Erdmann”

Best Ensemble

• “20th Century Women”
• “Fences”
• “Hell or High Water”
• “Hidden Figures”
• “Manchester by the Sea”
• “Moonlight”

Best Young Actor/Actress

• Lucas Hedges – “Manchester by the Sea”
• Alex R. Hibbert – “Moonlight”
• Lewis MacDougall – “A Monster Calls”
• Madina Nalwanga – “Queen of Katwe”
• Sunny Pawar – “Lion”
• Hailee Steinfeld – “The Edge of Seventeen”

Best Action Movie

• “Captain America: Civil War”
• “Deadpool”
• “Doctor Strange”
• “Hacksaw Ridge”
• “Jason Bourne”

Best Actor in an Action Movie

• Benedict Cumberbatch – “Doctor Strange”
• Matt Damon – “Jason Bourne”
• Chris Evans – “Captain America: Civil War”
• Andrew Garfield – “Hacksaw Ridge”
• Ryan Reynolds – “Deadpool”

'Deadpool' lands some acknowledgment in comedy and action categories

Best Actress in an Action Movie

• Gal Gadot – “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”
• Scarlett Johansson – “Captain America: Civil War”
• Margot Robbie – “Suicide Squad”
• Tilda Swinton – “Doctor Strange”

Best Comedy

• “Central Intelligence”
• “Deadpool”
• “Don’t Think Twice”
• “The Edge of Seventeen”
• “Hail, Caesar!”
• “The Nice Guys”

Best Actor in a Comedy

• Ryan Gosling – “The Nice Guys”
• Hugh Grant – “Florence Foster Jenkins”
• Dwayne Johnson – “Central Intelligence”
• Viggo Mortensen – “Captain Fantastic”
• Ryan Reynolds – “Deadpool”

Best Actress in a Comedy

• Kate Beckinsale – “Love & Friendship”
• Sally Field – “Hello, My Name Is Doris”
• Kate McKinnon – “Ghostbusters”
• Hailee Steinfeld – “The Edge of Seventeen”
• Meryl Streep – “Florence Foster Jenkins”

Best Sci-Fi/Horror Movie

• “10 Cloverfield Lane”
• “Arrival”
• “Doctor Strange”
• “Don’t Breathe”
• “Star Trek Beyond”
• “The Witch”

'The Witch' is up for best sci-fi/horror movie

New York Film Critics Choose 'La La Land' As Best Picture

The NYFCC announced its choice for best of the year today, and after showering Moonlight and Manchester By the Sea with various honors down the line, they suddenly turned around and chose heavy Oscar favorite La La Land for Best Picture and nothing else. It's rare for that to happen, but it shows how love was split between the three films. La La Land is presumed to be the BP frontrunner as of right now, but we'll see if the rest of the critics jump onboard with it as well. The rest of their picks this year were actually pretty routine. It definitely looks like Isabelle Huppert is to become the critics push for Actress, but Emma Stone is still considered the Oscar frontrunner for the win there. The LA film critics are next to weigh in on Sunday, and they'll be followed by all the various critics groups around the country in the next two months. But don't forget that the most influential critics organizations are still the big four- NBR, NY, LA and the National Society of Film Critics, which usually comes last in January. Two of them have spoken now, and it looks like it may be a somewhat predictable year, with the top three films looking like La La Land, Moonlight and Manchester By the Sea.

• Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
• Actor: Casey Affleck, Manchester By the Sea
• Animated Film: Zootopia
• Documentary: OJ: Made in America
• Foreign-Language Film: Toni Erdmann
• Cinematography: Moonlight
• Screenplay: Manchester By the Sea
• First Film: The Edge of Seventeen and Krisha (tie)
• Supporting Actress: Michelle Williams, Manchester By the Sea and Certain Women
• Actress: Isabelle Huppert, Elle and Things to Come
• Director: Barry Jenkins, Moonlight
• Picture: La La Land

REVIEW: "Hell or High Water" (2016) Chris Pine, Jeff Bridges. Dir. David MacKenzie

As timely a film as exists in 2016, David MacKenzie’s Hell or High Water taps into the economic anxiety of a white, male working class that has seen its fortunes dwindled and stolen by the titans of Wall Street- it’s kind of the perfect vehicle for the angry Bernie Bro out there. I won’t equate it to the other object that falsely seeks to exploit white anger this year- unlike that delusion, at least this film directs the scorn towards those who deserve it. Best of all, it does so in the guise of a modern day noir, an anti-western that uses richly drawn characters and great actors to develop a more old-fashioned story that gives us a satisfying tale of robbers and revenge.

Bank robber movies have been done to death, but a good screenplay can always mine the most out of secondhand elements or familiar material. Chris Pine and Ben Foster star in this one as Texas brothers whom we drop in on in the middle of their scheme to rob local banks of small amounts of cash in order to cover their tracks from the authorities. Foster is the ex-con participating in his younger brother’s plot to buy back the house of their deceased mother from the banks that have mortgaged it beyond all reason. This is a tale of revenge of the little guy, and even though the brothers aren’t exactly full on heroic, the anger they feel and the wrongs done to them by those who get away with far more intricate crimes provide us with understandable antiheroes, in the vein of all the great film noir.

Our more traditional hero is the the Texas ranger tasked with tracking down the brothers, also a familiar, grizzled presence, reliably played by Jeff Bridges at his most world-weary, broken down, and casually racist, an old man on the verge of retirement who expects this case to be his last hurrah. This is Archie Bunker again, a lovable curmudgeon who knocks out racist insults towards his Mexican and Native American partner, but really loves him deep down (of course), and can understand the anger that drives Pine and Foster to do what they’re doing. This is less of a cat and mouse game and more of a character study, as we get to know the brothers and Bridges' backstories as we follow the efforts from both the brothers to complete their scheme before time catches up with them, and the rangers on the trail. The script unfolds its layers over time, as we find out exactly what endgame Pine has in mind and for what reasons, and the kind of brilliant means through which he intends to carry this out.

As you might expect, we do reach the shootout portion of our story- come on, this is Texas, right? Given the subtle (and not so subtle) politics of the script, the weak and minor female characters, the knocks against political correctness, all played against the good intentions and sacrificial actions of our white male protagonists, it’s hard not too see this as a celebration of good white guys with guns doing the wrong thing for the right reasons, and it’s hard not to root for them as they do so. That’s what happens in the best noir- we root for the criminals, the unfairly targeted, we understand their anger and their motivation and we redirect it toward those who’ve wronged them far worse. You have to get down in the mud to get what’s yours sometimes, and when it’s all crafted and written so meticulously and well acted with the best of them, it’s impossible to resist. But there’s an anger in me right now that feels hard to redirect away from the self-righteous Bernie Bros themselves, so I can appreciate this film without quite feeling the need to slobber all over its sense of moral superiority. 

* * * 1/2

NBR Names 'Manchester By the Sea' Best of the Year

One day after the Gothams, it's the National Board of Review's turn to announce its best of list. They had been kind of quirky and reactionary in recent years, preferring to champion non-Oscar bait of the sort that may not even get nominated. But this time, probably since they're the first critics group (well, there are presumably some critics in this board of so-called scholars, journalists, etc) to announce, they go with heavy Oscar favorites in many categories. This win for Manchester evens up the score after Moonlight swept the Gotham awards, but I personally like seeing Amy Adams get the prize for Best Actress. It's an understated performance in a movie that is certainly not traditional Oscar bait, so I'm glad to see it be included in their top ten. Moonlight gets Director and Supporting Actress, while Manchester again takes Best Actor. In fact, it's early, but with Best Actor being extraordinarily weak this year (which is very rare), I'm starting to think Casey Affleck may just sail right on through to the Oscar podium, winning everything from critics to guild and televised precursors as well. NBR also put Martin Scorsese's Silence in there for a mention in the top ten and a screenplay award- only some critics groups have seen that film, with most set to screen it this week at the last minute. There are some interesting choices in their top ten this year- we'll have to wait and see if mainstream movies like Patriot's Day, Sully and Hidden Figures have the passion to make it all the way to the Oscars.

• Best Film: Manchester by the Sea
• Best Director: Barry Jenkins, Moonlight
• Best Actor: Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
• Best Actress: Amy Adams, Arrival
• Best Supporting Actor: Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water
• Best Supporting Actress: Naomie Harris, Moonlight
• Best Original Screenplay: Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea
• Best Adapted Screenplay: Jay Cocks and Martin Scorsese, Silence
• Best Animated Feature: Kubo and the Two Strings
• Breakthrough Performance (Male): Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea
• Breakthrough Performance (Female): Royalty Hightower, The Fits
• Best Directorial Debut: Trey Edward Shults, Krisha
• Best Foreign Language Film: The Salesman
• Best Documentary: O.J.: Made in America
• Best Ensemble: Hidden Figures
• Spotlight Award: Creative Collaboration of Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg
• NBR Freedom of Expression Award: Cameraperson

NBR TOP 10 OF 2016

• Arrival
• Hacksaw Ridge
• Hail, Caesar!
• Hell or High Water
• Hidden Figures
• La La Land
• Moonlight
• Patriots Day
• Silence
• Sully

NBR TOP 10 INDEPENDENT FILMS

• 20th Century Women
• Captain Fantastic
• Creative Control
• Eye in the Sky
• The Fits
• Green Room
• Hello, My Name is Doris
• Krisha
• Morris From America
• Sing Street

NBR TOP 5 DOCUMENTARIES

• De Palma
• The Eagle Huntress
• Gleason
• Life, Animated
• Miss Sharon Jones!

NBR TOP 5 FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILMS

• Elle
• The Handmaiden
• Julieta
• Land of Mine
• Neruda

Will Amy Adams get her sixth Oscar nomination?

'Moonlight' Sweeps the Gotham Awards

Well guys, here we go! First awards of the season are up! The Gothams were held tonight, and let's be clear first off that the only real impact these particular awards have on the Oscar race is to give a boost in visibility to certain contenders going forward. That's really the impact of all the critics awards coming up. So on those terms, I would say Moonlight and probably Elle got the biggest boosts of the evening. Moonlight is kind of turning into the indie of the year as far as critics go, so that was expected, but given the subject matter, it still needs to be really championed by critics to earn a place in the Oscar race. And the same goes for Paul Verhoeven's Elle, which is gunning for a Best Actress nomination for overdue French legend Isabelle Huppert, who won the prize tonight and looks pretty good for a dark horse nomination at the moment. She's gonna really need that critical support as well, because her film is so controversial and a black comedy about a rape survivor is hardly the kind of thing to gain traction with the Academy. But her veteran status and support from critics should give her the push she needs to get the right kind of attention.

Breakthrough Actor: Anya Taylor-Joy, The Witch

Best Screenplay: Moonlight

Audience Award: Moonlight

Best Actor: Casey Affleck, Manchester By the Sea

Best Actress: Isabelle Huppert, Elle

Best Documentary: OJ: Made in America

Best Feature: Moonlight

'Zootopia' Leads the Annie Nominations

Disney's megahit Zootopia led this morning's Annie Award nominations with 11 nods, cementing its frontrunner status in a very competitive year for animated feature in the Oscar race. The Annies are the industry awards for animation, so that's a good sign for it, and right behind it with 10 nods was Kubo and the Two Strings. Down the line, Moana and The Red Turtle came in with six each, while My Life as a Zucchini and Finding Dory both got three. I say it's a competitive year, and yet the Academy as a whole tends to just vote for the biggest hit of either Disney or Pixar, which to me reveals how little the members outside the animation branch really care about the category. I think Zootopia's probably got it, but there's two Disney hits this year with good reviews, so Moana still has a chance as well (especially because it's the most recent one and the box office is also huge for it). As for the other nominees in the Oscar race, I think it will be Kubo, Zucchini and Red Turtle, with Dory getting snubbed due to its sequel status. The animation branch prefers to recognize different kinds of animation and foreign films, so even getting two Disney movies in there is kind of a feat, but I think they'll do it, with Pixar as the one getting ousted this year.

2016 ANNIE AWARD NOMINATIONS

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

“Finding Dory,” Pixar Animation Studios

“Kubo and the Two Strings,” Laika

“Kung Fu Panda 3,” DreamWorks Animation

“Moana,” Walt Disney Animation

“Zootopia,” Walt Disney Animation

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE- INDEPENDENT

“Long Way North” 

“Miss Hokusai”

“My Life as a Zucchini”

“The Red Turtle” 

“Your Name” 

ANIMATED EFFECTS IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE

“Kubo and the Two Strings” 

“Kung Fu Panda 3” 

“Moana” 

“The Red Turtle” 

“Zootopia” 

ANIMATED EFFECTS IN LIVE ACTION

“Deepwater Horizon,” 

“Doctor Strange,” 

“Ghostbusters,” 

“The BFG,” 

“Warcraft” 

CHARACTER ANIMATION IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE

“Finding Dory,” Characters: All Characters

“Kubo and the Two Strings” Characters: Multiple

“Kung Fu Panda 3,” Characters: Various

“Zootopia,” Charactes: Judy Hopps, Stu Hopps, Bonnie Hopps, Chief Bogo, Nick Wilde

“Zootopia,” Characters: Mr. Big, Koslov, Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde, Flash

CHARACTER ANIMATION IN LIVE ACTION

“Captain America: Civil War” 

“Games of Thrones” 

“The Jungle Book” 

“The Jungle Book” 

“Warcraft” 

CHARACTER DESIGN

“Kubo and the Two Strings,” Characters: Multiple

“Moana,” Characters: Moana, Maui, Pua, Heihei, Tamatoa, Kakamora, Lalotai Characters (Realm of Monsters)

“The Secret Life of Pets,” Character: All

“Trolls,” Characters: Trolls; Characters: Bergens

“Zootopia,” Characters: Nick Wilde, Judy Hopps, Flash, Chief Bogo, Clawhauser, Mr. Big, Fru Fru, Koslov, Bellwether, Yax, Finnick, Doug, Mr. and Mrs. Otterton, Duke Weaselton, Misc. Characters

DIRECTING

“Kubo and the Two Strings,” Director: Travis Knight

“My Life as a Zucchini,” Director: Claude Barras

“The Red Turtle,” Director: Michael Dudok de Wit

“Your Name.,” Director: Makoto Shinkai

“Zootopia,” Director: Byron Howard; Director: Rich Moore

MUSIC

“Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders,” Composer: Kristopher Carter; Composer: Lolita Ritmanis; Composer: Michael McCuistion

“Sing,” Composer: Joby Talbot

“The Little Prince,” Composer: Hans Zimmer; Composer: Richard Harvey; Composer/Lyricist: Camille

“The Red Turtle,” Composer: Laurent Perez del Mar

“The Secret Life of Pets,” Composer: Alexandre Desplat

PRODUCTION DESIGN

“Kubo and the Two Strings"

“Kung Fu Panda 3"

“The Little Prince"

“Trolls"

“Zootopia"

STORYBOARDING

“Finding Dory"

“Kubo and the Two Strings"

“Moana"

“Trolls"

“Zootopia"

VOICE ACTING

“Kubo and the Two Strings,” Art Parkinson as Kubo

“Moana,” Auli’i Cravalho as Moana

“Storks,” Katie Crown as Tulip

“Trolls,” Zooey Deschanel as Bridget

“Zootopia,” Jason Bateman as Nick Wilde

WRITING

“Kubo and the Two Strings” 

“My Life as a Zucchini” 

“The Red Turtle"

“Zootopia"

EDITORIAL

“April and the Extraordinary World"

“Kubo and the Two Strings"

“Moana"

“Sausage Party"

“Zootopia"

More Powerhouse Acting in New Trailer for 'Fences'

This movie got quite a reception at the recent SAG screening, and from the looks of it, acting nominations abound for Denzel Washington and Viola Davis, who's probably guaranteed the win in supporting actress for this already. But it is based on a play, so the danger of staginess is always a risk with these filmed adaptations. There's only so much a director can do, and Washington, as actor turned director, probably focused in on the performances alone. Still, I'm sure this will be a major Oscar player.

Martin Scorsese's 'Silence' Gets a Trailer

One of the last anticipated films to come out this year is Martin Scorsese's long-awaited Silence, a film he's been trying to get made for over twenty-five years, believe it or not. The cinematography in this looks stunning, but the first reaction I had was to giggle at whatever accents Adam Driver and Andrew Garfield are attempting to pull off here. Sometimes that can really be distracting- why can't Scorsese just do these movies the way he did Last Temptation of Christ, where everyone just spoke as is and we simply have to accept the setting regardless? Anyway, apart from that this looks good (maybe a bit punishing, ala The Revenant), and I hear that Liam Neeson may be the big Oscar play for acting in the movie- he's probably overdue for some serious awards attention, don't you think? Silence is coming out in limited release in late December.

'Manchester By the Sea' and 'Moonlight' Lead the Independent Spirit Award Nominations

The Indie Spirit awards honored expected Oscar nominees Manchester By the Sea and Moonlight, but also threw their weight behind films that aren't expected to get a lot of attention anywhere else, like American Honey, the Sundance indie that not a lot of people will hear of, even after its success with this awards group. Other films to get attention here were Molly Shannon's Other People, Jackie (this one is expected to go further, at least for Natalie Portman) and Chronic, with Tim Roth. I particularly liked seeing OJ: Made in America, nominated in documentary- I'm hoping it will make it at the Oscars too, but I'm still not sure if they will consider it more of a television event, given that it aired and was seemingly edited, in parts. As always, the Indie Spirits air the night before the Oscars in February.

2016 INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS NOMINATIONS

Best Feature

“American Honey”
“Chronic”
“Jackie”
“Manchester by the Sea”
“Moonlight”


Best Director

Andrea Arnold (“American Honey”)
Barry Jenkins (“Moonlight”)
Pablo Larrain (“Jackie”)
Jeff Nichols (“Loving”)
Kelly Reichardt (“Certain Women”)


Best First Feature

“The Childhood of a Leader”
“The Fits”
“Other People”
“Swiss Army Man”
“The Witch”


Best Male Lead

Casey Affleck (“Manchester by the Sea”)
David Harewood (“Free in Deed”)
Viggo Mortensen (“Captain Fantastic”)
Jesse Plemons (“Other People”)
Tim Roth (“Chronic”)


Best Female Lead

Annette Bening (“20th Century Women”)
Isabelle Huppert (“Elle”)
Sasha Lane (“American Honey”)
Ruth Negga (“Loving”)
Natalie Portman (“Jackie”)


Best Supporting Male

Ralph Fiennes (“A Bigger Splash”)
Ben Foster (“Hell or High Water”)
Lucas Hedges (“Manchester by the Sea”)
Shia LaBeouf (“American Honey”)
Craig Robinson (“Morris from America”)


Best Supporting Female

Edwina Findley (“Free in Deed”)
Paulina Garcia (“Little Men”)
Lily Gladstone (“Certain Women”)
Riley Keough (“American Honey”)
Molly Shannon (“Other People”)


Best Screenplay

“Hell or High Water”
“Little Men”
“Manchester by the Sea”
“Moonlight”
“20th Century Women”


Best First Screenplay

“Barry”
“Christine”
“Jean of the Joneses”
“Other People”
“The Witch”


Best International Film

“Aquarius”
“Chevalier”
“My Golden Days”
“Toni Erdmann”
“Under the Shadow”


Best Documentary Feature

“13th”
“Cameraperson”
“I Am Not Your Negro”
“O.J.: Made in America”
“Sonita”
“Under the Sun”


Best Cinematography

“American Honey”
“Childhood”
“Free in Deed”
“Eyes of My Mother”
“Moonlight”


Best Editing

“Hell or High Water”
“Jackie”
“Manchester by the Sea”
“Moonlight”
“Swiss Army Man”


John Cassavetes Award

“Free in Deed”
“Hunter Gatherer”
“Lovesong”
“Nakom”
“Spa Night”


Robert Altman Award

“Moonlight”


Piaget Producers Award

Lisa Kjerulff
Jordana Mollick
Melody C. Roscher
Craig Shilowich


Truer Than Fiction Award

Kristi Jacobson (“Solitary”)
Sara Jordeno (“Kiki”)
Nanfu Wang (“Holligan Sparrow”)


Someone to Watch Award

Andrew Ahn (“Spa Night”)
Claire Carre (“Embers”)
Anna Rose Holmer (“The Fits”)
Ingrid Jungermann (“Women Who Kill”)

'Jackie' gets nods for Feature, Director and Actress

College Age Barack Obama in the Trailer for 'Barry'

This movie will be on Netflix in December and it's supposed to be another really good biopic (the second this year) about the early life of our president. I will definitely be watching it but everything related to politics in any way makes me sad and despair these days. Still, I can already tell that this actor captured his essence in a very real, naturalistic way.