Humanity is Doomed in 'War for the Planet of the Apes' Trailer

These are always pretty good, and the special effects get better every time. It really looks like that little girl is holding onto a real stuffed animal or something, doesn't it? I did laugh at the first appearance of Woody Harrelson though. Notice how there always has to be at least a couple sympathetic humans in this series. I don't think they trust the apes to take over the movies completely. Something feels appropriate about the impending eradication of the human race.

The New Spidey Swings into Action in 'Spider-Man: Homecoming' Trailer

This looks good! As you know, I never get excited about the Marvel movies anymore, but I like the high school comedy feel of this one a lot. Tom Holland is already my favorite Spider-Man and maybe it's just more exciting to see one of the most famous superheroes in action in the Marvel universe where he belongs (even if he has to act as Tony Stark's little trainee, but at least they look funny together). The only thing I don't love is the turn at the end toward typical Spidey vs. generic villain stuff. Wouldn't it be nice if they could deviate from formula entirely and not have a villain? What if it really was a teenage comedy with him fighting crime through taking down various bank robbers and murderers while dealing with every day school stuff? And maybe the whole life-as-a-teen-superhero thing really was the main plot of the entire movie? Am I the only person who actually likes that idea?

AFI Releases Top 10 of 2016

The American Film Institute released its annual list of the best American films of the year and I'm delighted to see that Zootopia made the cut! It's rare for animated films to show up on this list, although not unprecedented. The rest are fairly expected, although now that it's shown up on the BFCA, NBR and AFI top ten lists, I'd say it's definitely time to start taking Mel Gibson's Hacksaw Ridge seriously in the Oscar race after all. I guess I've been totally asleep at the wheel on that one, but maybe I shouldn't have been. It got good reviews, it's a WWII film, apparently it's Gibson's best directed effort in decades, and it recently swept the Australian Oscars. I just figured Mel Gibson was still a pariah in Hollywood, but it makes sense for his comeback to happen in the year that Donald fucking Trump was elected president. Guess I should see it. Minus Zootopia, I wouldn't be too surprised if this matches the Oscar Best Picture list exactly, although there are usually one or two more that miss in the end.

AFI TOP TEN OF 2016

Arrival
Fences
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
La La Land
Manchester By the Sea
Moonlight
Silence
Sully
Zootopia

Tom Hanks and Emma Watson in 'The Circle'

I have no idea what this is about, but the cult-y tech part of it makes it look like a feature length Black Mirror episode. And Emma Watson still can't act to save her life, so she weakens just about everything she stars in for me. I'm not interested in it, not with her playing the serious, put upon heroine. Sorry, but it's just not believable.

REVIEW: "Elle" (2016) Isabelle Huppert, Laurent Lafitte. Dir. Paul Verhoeven

Paul Verhoeven has a long history of stoking controversy and lurid entertainment. From his start in Dutch films of the 1970’s and 80’s (Turkish Delight, The Fourth Man) to his turn in Hollywood with action movies that also worked as satires in Robocop, Total Recall, and Starship Troopers- love him or hate him, his filmography stands tall because it is the work of a brass, bold provocateur, unafraid to embrace his particular fetishes and delights in full view of those who may be shocked, outraged, amused or befuddled, but never bored. From his 90’s bombs in Showgirls and Hollow Man (when you go big you can also miss big), he returned to Europe with a return to form in 2006’s Black Book, and his new film Elle, sees the 77-year-old at the peak of his craft, having lost none of his edge or brashness in his daring to go in on some dark, twisted material.

Elle is many things. A black comedy, a revenge thriller, a whodunit, and most of all, a showcase for Isabelle Huppert, the legendary 63-year-old French actress who embraces the chance to take on a role no American actress would. She plays Michele, a middle-aged Parisian woman whom we drop in on being violently raped in her own home by an intruder in a ski mask in the middle of the day. From that shocking moment onward we stay with her as she reacts both inwardly and outwardly to the act committed against her, and we explore the drama of her life and her relationship with the people in it. At first, Michele’s reaction seems odd, but as we come to know how she relates to others and her own traumatic life story, her sense of control, both of herself and those around her comes into focus in vivid interactions. Her reaction to being victimized slowly becomes more comprehensible, if still mysterious, and then eventually a dark peek into the sexuality of one unique and terrifying woman.

This is a movie that makes you feel uncomfortable as you watch it. Verhoeven jerks us around with a story that we’re never quite sure we know the direction of, mixing and matching genre elements as he sees fit. But given his penchant for entertainment at all times, this is not an inaccessible film in spite of the subject matter. At over two hours, it moves at a brisk pace with scenes of rabid fire humor, most barbs sprung from the mouth of Michele herself, who is at turns fierce, sarcastic, cold, mean, and directs her venom towards everyone, from her ex-husband to her son, mother, best friend, lover and employees. No one is spared her from her dominance, a characteristic that makes a twisted comeback when the identity of her attacker is revealed. Huppert is a ferocious presence, one that can handle and turn any situation on its head, while watching with glee and amusement as you try to wriggle away from her grasp. She’s not exactly likable and this is not exactly a likable movie, but all in all, you cannot turn your eyes away from it whatever your feelings, be they horror, fascination or disgust. Maybe all at once. And maybe that’s a good thing.

* * *

Jimmy Kimmel to Host the 89th Oscars

A full six weeks later than the usual announcement date, it was revealed today that Jimmy Kimmel will host the show next February. I've got no problem with this- I figured it was coming eventually, since he's ABC's in-house late night guy and all. He's friendly with all the celebrities but he can be quick and not too nice if need be, which makes him an infinitely better choice than this year's Globes host Jimmy Fallon (dreading that one). This will make him the first person to host both the Emmys and the Oscars in the same calendar year. If anything, it doesn't make the show seem like a big "event" thing anymore, but the Oscars are heading that way already, with the movies being honored every year less and less films that most people have even heard of. It's sort of becoming like the Tonys in that regard. If he does a good job, I can actually see ABC choosing to keep him as a perennial host for the show from now on.

Atlanta and D.C. Film Critics Go for 'La La Land,' Natalie Portman, Annette Bening in Actress

So now the regional film critics are going to start coming in, and this is how I can see that La La Land is very likely going to be the clear Best Picture winner this year, and it will probably sweep or come close to it. It was already loved by the major critics, but sometimes those guys go out of their way to be different- the smaller critics groups around the country tend to rally around the frontrunner, and it looks like that's starting already. Although it is interesting that Emma Stone hasn't won in Best Actress yet.

ATLANTA FILM CRITICS SOCIETY

BEST FILM – LA LA LAND
BEST DIRECTOR – Damien Chazelle, LA LA LAND
BEST ACTOR – Casey Affleck, MANCHESTER BY THE SEA
BEST ACTRESS – Annette Bening, 20TH CENTURY WOMEN
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – Mahershala Ali, MOONLIGHT
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – Lily Gladstone, CERTAIN WOMEN
BEST ENSEMBLE – AMERICAN HONEY
BEST ANIMATED FILM – KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS
BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM – 13TH
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM – TONI ERDMANN
BEST SCREENPLAY – MANCHESTER BY THE SEA
BEST SCORE – THE NEON DEMON
BEST SONG – “Drive It Like You Stole It” from SING STREET
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – LA LA LAND
BEST EDITING – LA LA LAND

Annette Bening came in with a surprise win here for Actress for the upcoming indie 20th Century Women. She's gunning for another nom in her long career and could very well steal that fifth slot at the Oscars.

WASHINGTON FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION

Best Film: La La Land
Best Director: Damien Chazelle (La La Land)
Best Actor: Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)
Best Actress: Natalie Portman (Jackie)
Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)
Best Supporting Actress: Viola Davis (Fences)
Best Acting Ensemble: Hell or High Water
Best Youth Performance: Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea)
Best Voice Performance: Liam Neeson (A Monster Calls)
Best Motion Capture Performance: Mark Rylance (The BFG)
Best Original Screenplay: La La Land
Best Adapted Screenplay: Arrival
Best Animated Feature: Kubo and the Two Strings
Best Documentary: 13th
Best Foreign Language Film: Elle
Best Production Design: La La Land
Best Cinematography: La La Land
Best Editing: La La Land
Best Original Score: La La Land

With the DC critics, Natalie Portman comes along with a win for Jackie, showing there's not a total consensus for Best Actress the way there is with Casey Affleck in Best Actor. We'll have to wait and see what award Emma Stone can grab first, or if her chance comes later on with the televised shows only.

Tom Cruise Leads 'The Mummy' Reboot

This looks pretty dumb. Universal is planning to resurrect its classic monster properties in the hopes of launching a new cinematic universe, but if this is the start of it, it's gonna be shaky. The first part of this trailer is an extended action sequence in a helicopter, but the second half devolves into typical Tom Cruise on the run, M:I style scenes, but with a weird looking CGI mummy woman causing destruction. Yeah, terrible. Amazingly enough, you'll probably want to stick with the still fun, 1999 Brendan Fraser action movie instead.

LA Film Critics Say 'Moonlight' is Best of 2016

The LA Film Critics Association chimed in this morning, joining the Gotham awards in anointing Moonlight as the year's best, and in so doing, opted not to go for a different choice from what has quickly become awards season's top three- La La Land, Manchester By the Sea and Moonlight. Since LAFCA lists runners-up, you can see that La La Land was close though, coming in second place for production design, editing, cinematography, director, picture and winning music. Some of these other choices were very purposely non-Oscary, in keeping with LA's tendency to want to maintain its own sort of integrity in choosing offbeat winners that won't get recognized elsewhere (like Adam Driver, Lily Gladstone, and The Handmaiden), but Isabelle Huppert has now won Best Actress with both NY and LA, as the critics' united push to get her an Oscar nomination rolls onward.

Best Cinematography: Moonligh Runner-up: La La Land

Best Music/Score: La La Land Runner-up: Jackie

Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali, Moonlight Runner-up: Issey Ogata, Silence

Best Production Design: The Handmaiden Runner-up: La La Land

Best Editing: OJ: Made in America Runner-up: La La Land

Best Supporting Actress: Lily Gladstone, Certain Women Runner-up: Michelle Williams, Manchester By the Sea

Best Documentary: I Am Not Your Negro Runner-up: OJ: Made in America

Best Screenplay: The Lobster Runner-up: Manchester By the Sea

Best Actor: Adam Driver, Paterson Runner-up: Casey Affleck, Manchester By the Sea

Best Animated Film: Your Name Runner-up: The Red Turtle

Best Actress: Isabelle Huppert, Elle and Things to Come Runner-up: Rebecca Hall, Christine

Best Director: Barry Jenkins, Moonlight Runner-up: Damian Chazelle, La La Land

Best Picture: Moonlight Runner-up: La La Land

Best Foreign-Language Film: The Handmaiden Runner-up: Toni Erdmann

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' cements frontrunner status with 12 BFCA nominations

'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”