I don't know about anybody else but this kinda looks like your generic WWII action movie to me. Probably more serious-minded, like with Oscar contention in mind, but where's the story and the characters? Is the whole thing set at the battle of Dunkirk, kind of like Black Hawk Down or something? I don't know- this doesn't seem like a Nolan movie, and I can't help but wonder if he really is trying to get the Academy's attention after their continual overlooking of him for his genre fare.
'Manchester' grabbed four SAG nominations this morning
'Manchester By the Sea' Leads the SAG Nominations
'Manchester' grabbed four SAG nominations this morning
Well, just when I've all but wrapped the Oscar race in my mind this year, here comes SAG with the outright snubbing of La La Land in Best Ensemble! That's the big surprise, since every single Best Picture winner of the past twenty years has at least been nominated for SAG's BP equivalent. Does that mean it can't win? I don't know about that. Lots of precedents have been broken in recent years. I think it can still go all the way, it'll just be the first movie to win without a SAG ensemble nod since Braveheart in 1995 (which was the very first year of the SAG awards, interestingly enough). On the other hand, these are the first industry nominations of the year, so the fact that they snubbed it (even though they did nominate both Gosling and Stone) could mean something. We just don't know yet.
Best Film Ensemble
“Captain Fantastic”
“Fences”
“Hidden Figures”
“Manchester by the Sea”
“Moonlight”
Best Actor
Casey Affleck, “Manchester by the Sea”
Andrew Garfield, “Hacksaw Ridge”
Ryan Gosling, “La La Land”
Viggo Mortensen, “Captain Fantastic”
Denzel Washington, “Fences”
Best Actress
Amy Adams, “Arrival”
Emily Blunt, “The Girl on the Train”
Natalie Portman, “Jackie”
Emma Stone, “La La Land”
Meryl Streep, “Florence Foster Jenkins”
Best Supporting Actor
Mahershala Ali, “Moonlight”
Jeff Bridges, “Hell or High Water”
Hugh Grant, “Florence Foster Jenkins”
Lucas Hedges, “Manchester by the Sea”
Dev Patel, “Lion”
Best Supporting Actress
Viola Davis, “Fences”
Naomie Harris, “Moonlight”
Nicole Kidman, “Lion”
Octavia Spencer, “Hidden Figures
Michelle Williams, “Manchester by the Sea”
Best Stunt Ensemble
“Captain America: Civil War”
“Doctor Strange”
“Hacksaw Ridge”
“Jason Bourne”
“Nocturnal Animals”
Other things of note in these nominations- as was the case last year, there's no lack of diversity within SAG, as the 100,000 member branch includes many TV actors and the entire AFTRA wing, which means there's radio journalists and other TV people who aren't even actors in the voting membership. But this means no single category aside from Best Actress (hopefully that will change someday) is made up of all white people. So that's a good thing, but the categories usually match Oscar 4 for 5 or even 3 for 5, so there will be some names not included on Oscar morning. I'm guessing Emily Blunt's a no go, to be replaced by either Annette Bening or Isabelle Huppert. Hugh Grant is a question mark, but it looks like actors liked his and Meryl Streep's film Florence Foster Jenkins, so maybe there's a chance for him after all these years. And I don't know what's going on with this Captain Fantastic movie or why they liked it so much here, but the Best Actor category is weak so maybe that means Viggo gets in? Of the weak SAG nominees for BP at the Oscars, obviously it's that one and Hidden Figures- the rest are probably getting in. I'm not sure why Tom Hanks continues to be overlooked- he was great in Sully, but people must just think he's playing himself in these late career movies of his. One last note- if La La Land is still the Best Picture frontrunner, I would definitely expect Emma Stone to win Best Actress at SAG, since it's now pretty much the only place they can award the film.
Will Meryl Streep get her 20th Oscar nomination and bring Hugh Grant along for the ride with his first?
Charlize Theron Joins the Gang in 'The Fate of the Furious'
I have a feeling I have a better time watching the trailers for these movies than I would if I actually sat through them. It's also just funny to see how many different variations of titles using the words "fast" and "furious" they can come up with- is that like, one person's specific job now? The action looks as always, insane and beyond ridiculous, but I guess that's what people like about these. Eh. Good old-fashioned campy fun or just plain stupid? You tell me.
REVIEW: "The Red Turtle" (2016) Dir. Michael Dudok de Wit
A beautiful new animated film produced in part by Studio Ghibli is just what we need to counter the onslaught of CGI films that flood the marketplace for kids, who are routinely being exposed to a lot of the same kinds of stories. The Red Turtle is something different- a near silent film that manages to be the perfect antidote to the usual perky, do-gooder formula of most American animation, with a gorgeous and moving tale of life on a deserted island, one that illustrates every stage of it with remarkable perception.
We begin with a man who has been shipwrecked and drifts onto the shore of a small island as the wreckage of his boat floats away. We know nothing about this anonymous man, nor will we learn anything- he is simply trapped alone on this fairly small land mass, with nothing to do but survive and try over and over again to escape. He fights his own feelings of despair and occasional hallucinations of being rescued, and eventually he builds a raft and makes several attempts to leave the island, each time being hindered by the efforts of an enormous red turtle that for some reason does not want him to get away. There is a magical element to this story, as in time the turtle comes ashore and appears to die, shedding its shell to reveal a human woman of a similar age as the man, someone who intends to be his permanent companion on this deserted isle that now belongs to them.
After the two begin a life together, eventually a baby comes along to join them as the circle of life goes forward (in some ways you can see this as the animated, more mature version of something like The Blue Lagoon). It’s as simple as it sounds- man meets woman, the two fall in love, a baby comes along, the baby grows into a man himself, the child leaves home, and the two parents grow old together as death comes knocking. It’s a cycle that plays itself out in beautiful hand drawn animation with an eye for detail and lush colors in every frame- a meditative, wordless experience that may try the patience of younger viewers as it plays to the emotions of adults entranced by the visuals. If there’s any hesitation about this film, it may be that even at 80 minutes in length, it feels a bit long, and given the nature of the concept, you wonder if this may have played just as well as a 30 minute short, so as to pack a harder punch in a more concise period of time.
* * * 1/2
'La La Land' Leads the Golden Globe Nominations with 7 Nods
As expected, the Oscar frontrunner delivered on the Globe nominations today, leading the pack with 7 total, while Moonlight and Manchester By the Sea solidified their positions in the race with the expected nods in Picture, Director, Screenplay and Acting. Elsewhere, the Globes did their usual quirky thing, showing love for oddball contenders like Nocturnal Animals (they really liked that one- even Tom Ford got a directing nod), Florence Foster Jenkins, Deadpool in Picture and Actor on the Comedy/Musical side (the first ever superhero movie to be nominated there) and hey, there's Sing Street in Best Picture too! Although no song nomination for it? The big snubs were Tom Hanks and Sully, Martin Scorsese and Silence, and Taraji P. Henson, even though they seemed to like Hidden Figures. Also no Arrival in Best Picture, so that one may still be a question mark. But of course, the Hollywood Foreign Press is 90 foreign journalists and not the industry voters- we'll hear from them starting with the SAG noms on Wednesday, which could tell a different story. It's also notable that the HFPA decided to welcome back Mel Gibson, with his first directing nomination in two decades, as well as his film in Best Picture and Best Actor. We'll see if the industry does as well.
Best Film Drama
“Hacksaw Ridge”
“Hell or High Water”
“Lion”
“Manchester by the Sea”
“Moonlight”
Best Film Drama Actor
Casey Affleck, Manchester By The Sea”
Joel Edgerton, “Loving”
Andrew Garfield,”Hacksaw Ridge”
Viggo Moretensen,”Captain Fantastic”
Denzel Washington,”Fences”
Best Film Drama Actress
Amy Adams, “Arrival”
Jessica Chastain, “Miss Sloane”
Isabelle Huppert, “Elle”
Ruth Negga, “Loving”
Natalie Portman, “Jackie”
The leads from 'Loving' were recognized by the Globes
Best Film Comedy/Musical
”20th Century Women”
”Deadpool”
”Florence Foster Jenkins”
”La La Land”
”Sing Street”
Best Film Comedy/Musical Actor
Colin Farrell, “The Lobster”
Ryan Gosling, “La La Land”
Hugh Grant, “Florence Foster Jenkins”
Jonah Hill, “War Dogs”
Ryan Reynolds, “Deadpool”
Best Film Comedy/Musical Actress
Annette Bening, “20th Century Women”
Lily Collins, “Rules Don’t Apply”
Hailee Steinfeld, “Edge of Seventeen”
Emma Stone, “La La Land”
Meryl Streep, “Florence Foster Jenkins”
Best Film Supporting Actor
Mahershala Ali, “Moonlight”
Jeff Bridges, “Hell or High Water”
Simon Helberg, “Florence Foster Jenkins”
Dev Patel, “Lion”
Aaron Taylor Johnson, “Nocturnal Animals”
Weinstein Co.'s 'Lion' got in for some Globes love
Best Film Supporting Actress
Viola Davis, “Fences”
Naomie Harris, “Moonlight”
Nicole Kidman, “Lion”
Octavia Spencer, “Hidden Figures”
Michelle Williams, “Manchester by the Sea”
Best Director
Damien Chazelle, “La La Land”
Tom Ford, “Nocturnal Animals”
Mel Gibson, “Hacksaw Ridge”
Barry Jenkins, “Moonlight”
Kenneth Lonergan, “Manchester By The Sea”
Best Screenplay
“Hell Or High Water”
“La La Land”
“Manchester By The Sea”
“Moonlight”
“Nocturnal Animals”
Best Score
“Arrival”
“Hidden Figures”
“La La Land”
“Lion”
“Moonlight”
'Nocturnal Animals' nodded in several categories
Best Song
“Can’t Stop the Feeling”, “Trolls”
“City Of Stars”, “La La Land”
“Faith”, “Sing”
“Gold”, “Gold”
“How Far I’ll Go”, “Moana”
Best Animated Feature
“Kubo and the Two Strings”
“Moana”
“My Life As A Zucchini”
“Sing”
“Zootopia”
Best Foreign Language Film
“Devine”
“Elle”
“Neruda”
“The Salesman”
“Toni Erdmann”
'My Life as a Zucchini' is a dark horse contender for animated feature
More Critics Groups Award 'Moonlight,' 'La La Land'
Four regional critics groups chose winners today, with three of the four going for Moonlight in top honors, but the biggest organization, the Boston Film Critics, went for La La Land all the way.
BOSTON SOCIETY OF FILM CRITICS
'La La Land' continues to win over critics
Best Picture: La La Land
Best Director: Damien Chazelle, La La Land
Best Actor: Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
Best Actress: Isabelle Huppert, Elle and Things to Come
Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
Best Supporting Actress, Lily Gladstone, Certain Women
Best Screenplay: Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary: O. J.: Made in America
These guys went very Oscar-y, aside from Lily Gladstone, a dark horse contender in a dark horse film almost guaranteed not to be recognized by the Oscars. Otherwise it's more confirmation for our musical frontrunner.
NEW YORK FILM CRITICS ONLINE
Park Chan-wook's 'The Handmaiden' landed some foreign film prizes today
- Best Picture: Moonlight
- Best Director: Barry Jenkins, Moonlight
- Best Ensemble Cast: Moonlight
- Best Actor: Casey Affleck, Manchester By the Sea
- Best Actress: Isabelle Huppert, Elle
- Best Supporting Actress: Viola Davis, Fences
- Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
- Best Documentary: 13th
- Best Animated Feature: Kubo and the Two Strings
- Best Foreign Language Film: The Handmaiden
- Best Debut Director: Robert Eggers, The Witch
- Best Screenplay: Moonlight
- Best Cinematography: Moonlight
- Best Use of Music: La La Land
- Breakthrough Performance: Ruth Negga
The NY online critics chose a couple of interesting choices in the The Handmaiden for Foreign Film and Ava Duvernay's 13th for documentary. But Moonlight has become the critics darling, so it's not surprising to see that film winning a lot this season.
TORONTO FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
Germany's 'Toni Erdmann' is a favorite for foreign-language film
- Best Picture: Moonlight
- Best Director: Maren Ade, Toni Erdmann
- Best Actress: Sandra Hüller, Toni Erdmann
- Best Actor: Adam Driver, Paterson
- Supporting Actress: Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea
- Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
- Foreign Language Film: Toni Erdmann
- Screenplay: Manchester by the Sea
- Documentary: Cameraperson
- First Feature: The Witch
- Animated: Zootopia
Toronto went for the celebrated German film Toni Erdmann, not just in foreign-language film but in Director and Actress as well, which is refreshing. Again, critics don't seem to have a consensus on Best Actress, with Isabelle Huppert seemingly the favorite with them, but it's certainly not locked in there.
SAN FRANCISCO FILM CRITICS CIRCLE
Denzel gets his first critics win as Best Actor for 'Fences'
- Best Picture: MOONLIGHT
- Best Director: Barry Jenkins, MOONLIGHT
- Best Actor: Denzel Washington, FENCES
- Best Actress: Isabelle Huppert, ELLE
- Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali, MOONLIGHT
- Best Supporting Actress: Viola Davis, FENCES
- Best Screenplay, Original: MANCHESTER BY THE SEA & MOONLIGHT (tie)
- Best Screenplay, Adapted: ARRIVAL
- Best Cinematography: MOONLIGHT
- Best Production Design: THE HANDMAIDEN
- Best Original Score: JACKIE
- Best Film Editing: ARRIVAL & MOONLIGHT (tie)
- Best Animated Feature: THE RED TURTLE
- Best Foreign Language Picture: THE HANDMAIDEN
- Best Documentary: I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO
San Francisco goes for Moonlight, but also Denzel Washington over Casey Affleck, and hands a couple of prizes to Arrival as well (still my favorite of the year so far, but I'm late to the party in seeing the frontrunners).
'La La Land' Wins 8 Critics Choice Awards, Including Best Picture
Well, here we go. We've definitely got a sweeper this year. La La Land scored in just about every tech category plus Picture and Director with the BFCA, and I'm predicting it's gonna roll right along through the Oscars in February as well. It also looks to me like we may have three of the four acting winners locked in already with Moonlight's Mahershala Ali (who's pretty much swept all the critics awards so far), Viola Davis and Casey Affleck. Surprisingly the critics seem to be resisting Emma Stone despite going all in for La La Land otherwise, even choosing Natalie Portman over her at this show tonight. So I guess Best Actress isn't settled yet, but I still think Stone has to be the favorite with the industry, especially given the film's frontrunner status. We'll see what happens after she inevitably wins the Golden Globe. I'm guessing she'll take over at that point.
2016 CRITICS CHOICE WINNERS
- Best Action Movie: Hacksaw Ridge
- Best Actor in an Action Movie: Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge
- Best Actress in an Action Movie: Margot Robbie, Suicide Squad
- Best Comedy Movie: Deadpool
- Best Actor in a Comedy: Ryan Reynolds, Deadpool
- Best Actress in a Comedy: Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins
- Best Ensemble: Moonlight
- Best Young Actor: Lucas Hedges, Manchester By the Sea
- Best Original Screenplay: La La Land & Manchester By the Sea (tie)
- Best Adapted Screenplay: Arrival
- Best Foreign-Language Film: Elle
- Best Sci-Fi/Horror Movie: Arrival
- Best Score: La La Land
- Best Song: "City of Stars," La La Land
- Best Editing: La La Land
- Best Costume Design: Jackie
- Best Hair & Makeup: Jackie
- Best Cinematography: La La Land
- Best Production Design: La La Land
- Best Visual Effects: The Jungle Book
- Best Animated Feature: Zootopia
- Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
- Best Supporting Actress: Viola Davis, Fences
- Best Actor: Casey Affleck, Manchester By the Sea
- Best Actress: Natalie Portman, Jackie
- Best Director: Damian Chazelle, La La Land
- Best Picture: La La Land
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.
* * *
