Monthly Archives: December 2016

The Alliance of Women Film Journalists Announced Their Picks For The Best of 2016!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

american_honey_poster

The Alliance of Women Film Journalists (of which I am not a member and what’s up with that!?) announced their picks for the best of 2016 earlier this week.

And here they are:

AWFJ BEST OF AWARDS
These awards are presented to women and/or men without gender consideration.
Best Film
Arrival
Hell or High Water
La La Land
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight

Best Director
Damien Chazelle – La La Land
Barry Jenkins – Moonlight
Kenneth Lonergan – Manchester by the Sea
David Mackenzie – Hell or High Water
Denis Villeneuve – Arrival

Best Screenplay, Original
20th Century Women – Mike Mills
Hail Caesar – Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
Hell or High Water – Taylor Sheridan
La La Land – Damien Chazelle
Manchester by the Sea – Kenneth Lonergan

Best Screenplay, Adapted
Arrival – Eric Heisserer
Lion – Luke Davies
Love & Friendship – Whit Stillman
Moonlight – Barry Jenkins
Nocturnal Animals –Tom Ford

Best Documentary
13th – Ava DuVernay
Gleason – Clay Tweel
I Am Not Your Negro – Raoul Peck
OJ Made in America – Ezra Edelman
Weiner – Elyse Steinberg and Josh Kriegma

Best Animated Film
Finding Dory – Andrew Stanton andAngus MacLane
Kubo and the Two Strings- Travis Knight
Moana – Ron Clements, Don Hall, John Musker, Chris Williams
Zootopia – Byron Howard, Rich Moore, Jared Bush

Best Actress
Amy Adams – Arrival
Isabelle Huppert – Elle
Ruth Negga – Loving
Natalie Portman – Jackie
Emma Stone – La La Land

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Viola Davis – Fences
Greta Gerwig – 20th Century Women
Naomie Harris – Moonlight
Octavia Spencer – Hidden Figures
Michelle Williams – Manchester by the Sea

Best Actor
Casey Affleck – Manchester By The Sea
Joel Edgerton – Loving
Ryan Gosling – La La Land
Tom Hanks – Sully
Denzel Washington – Fences

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Mahershala Ali – Moonlight
Jeff Bridges – Hell or High Water
Ben Foster – Hell or High Water
Lucas Hedges – Manchester By the Sea
Michael Shannon – Nocturnal Animals

Best Ensemble Cast – Casting Director
20th Century Women – Mark Bennett and Laura Rosenthal
Hail Caesar – Ellen Chenoweth
Hell or High Water – Jo Edna Boldin and Richard Hicks
Manchester by the Sea – Douglas Aibel
Moonlight – Yesi Ramirez

Best Cinematography
Arrival – Bradford Young
Hell or High Water – Giles Nuttgens
La La Land – Linus Sandgren
Manchester by The Sea – Jody Lee Lipes
Moonlight – James Laxton

Best Editing
Arrival – Joe Walker
I Am Not Your Negro — Alexandra Strauss
La La Land – Tom Cross
Manchester By The Sea – Jennifer Lame
Moonlight – Joi McMillon and Nat Sanders

Best Non-English-Language Film
Elle – Paul Verhoeven, France
Fire At Sea – Gianfranco Rossi, Italy
The Handmaiden – Chan-Wook Park, South Korea
Julieta – Pedro Almodovar. Spain
Toni Erdmann – Maren Ede, Germany

EDA FEMALE FOCUS AWARDS
These awards honor WOMEN only

Best Woman Director
Andrea Arnold – American Honey
Ava DuVernay -13TH
Rebecca Miller – Maggie’s Plan
Mira Nair – Queen of Katwe
Kelly Reichardt – Certain Women

Best Woman Screenwriter
Andrea Arnold – American Honey
Rebecca Miller – Maggie’s Plan
Kelly Reichardt – Certain Women
Lorene Scafaria – The Meddler
Laura Terruso – Hello, My Name is Doris

Best Animated Female
Dory in Finding Dory –Ellen DeGeneres
Judy in Zootopia – Ginnifer Goodwin
Moana in Moana – Auli’i Cravalho

Best Breakthrough Performance
Sasha Lane – American Honey
Janelle Monáe – Moonlight and Hidden Figures
Madina Nalwanga – Queen of Katwe
Ruth Negga – Loving

Outstanding Achievement by A Woman in The Film Industry
Ava DuVernay – For 13TH and raising awareness about the need for diversity and gender equality in Hollywood
Anne Hubbell and Amy Hobby for establishing Tangerine Entertainment’s Juice Fund to support female filmmakers
Mynette Louie, President of Gamechanger Films, which finances narrative films directed by women
April Reign for creating and mobilizing the #OscarsSoWhite campaign

EDA SPECIAL MENTION AWARDS

Actress Defying Age and Ageism
Annette Bening – 20th Century Women
Viola Davis – Fences
Sally Field – Hello, My Name is Doris
Isabelle Huppert – Elle and Things to Come
Helen Mirren – Eye in the Sky

Most Egregious Age Difference Between The Lead and The Love Interest Award
Dirty Grandpa – Robert De Niro (b. 1943) and Aubrey Plaza (b. 1984)
Independence Day: Resurgence – Charlotte Gainsbourg (b 1971) and Jeff Goldblum (b 1952)
Mechanic Resurrection – Jason Statham (b. 1967) and Jessica Aba (b. 1981)
Rules Don’t Apply – Warren Beatty (b. 1937) and Lily Collins (b. 1989)

Actress Most in Need Of A New Agent
Jennifer Aniston – Mother’s Day and Office Christmas Party
Melissa McCarthy – The Boss and Ghostbusters
Margot Robbie – Suicide Squad and Tarzan
Julia Roberts – Mother’s Day
Shailene Woodley – Divergent Series

Bravest Performance
Jessica Chastain – Miss Sloane
Naomie Harris – Moonlight
Isabelle Huppert – Elle
Sasha Lane – American Honey
Ruth Negga – Loving

Remake or Sequel That Shouldn’t have been Made
Ben-Hur
Ghostbusters
Independence Day: Resurgence
The Magnificent Seven
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2

AWFJ Hall of Shame Award
Sharon Maguire and Renee Zellweger for Bridget Jones’s Baby
Nicholas Winding Refn and Elle Fanning for The Neon Demon
David Ayer and Margot Robbie for Suicide Squad
David E. Talbert and Mo’Nique for Almost Christmas

Here Are the Seven Semi-Finalists For The Best Makeup and Hairstyling Oscar!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Hail,_Caesar!_Teaser_poster

The final three nominees will be picked from the seven films below:

“Deadpool”
“The Dressmaker”
“Florence Foster Jenkins”
“Hail, Caesar!”
“A Man Called Ove”
“Star Trek Beyond”
“Suicide Squad”

Music Video of the Day: Da Funk by Daft Punk (1996, dir. Spike Jonze)

Posted on by Valerie Troutman

Sorry for keeping this short. Just before I sat down to write this yesterday, I became so dizzy that I collapsed. I am going to try and stay in bed all day. Luckily, there isn’t much to say that I haven’t already in my posts for Dog Police by Dog Police and Old Timer by That Dog.

You have a music video that uses similar dog makeup and themes from Dog Police, but without the humor. It is played straight. You have Spike Jonze collaborator and drummer for That Dog–Tony Maxwell–playing Charles. Charles comes to the big city obviously different from everyone else because he is a dog person–much like someone moving from the country or suburbs to the big city. That makes him in the process of trying to adapt to a new place. He also has the physical handicap of a broken leg that that doesn’t really come into play except to complement the mental handicap that the radio represents. We see that not only does it have a sentimental tie to his youth as shown by the picture with his dad, but we also see that he literally can’t turn it off because of the missing buttons. He does run into an old friend and would be able to follow her on the bus were it not for the radio he can’t turn off yet and the bus doesn’t allow radios. It also means he will have a tough time getting people to accept him in much the same way that the band did to get to this music video that included a review of a pre-Daft-Punk album by Melody Maker that called the music they made as “a dafty punk thrash.” There’s more you can read in the “history” section on Wikipedia that ties into this video as well.

It all sounds quite depressing. However, we know throughout, and at the ending, that the short time we have spent with him is only a rough patch–he’ll make it through. I guess you could look at the ending as him going out into the street as a suicide attempt. I don’t see it that way. I see tough times ahead for Charles. Tough times that Charles will be able to overcome as we can see that he has a strong spirit despite the barriers to entry that the big city throws at him.

A stylistic choice that is interesting here is that it is shot on the streets rather than the studio music videos people are typically familiar with even from Spike Jonze.

Enjoy!

Holiday Scenes That I Love: The U.S. Postal Service Proves The Existence of Santa Claus in Miracle on 34th Street!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Is there a Santa Claus?

Well, if you’ve ever seen the original 1947 Miracle on 34th Street than you already know the answer.  There is a Santa Claus and he looks exactly like Edmund Gwenn!

In this scene, Kris Kringle is on trial.  He swears that he is Santa Claus.  The prosecution claims that not only isn’t he Santa Claus but Santa doesn’t exist at all.  Fortunately, it’s the U.S. Post Service to the rescue!

Miracle on 34th Street is true Christmas classic and I hope you enjoy this holiday scene that I love.

(The remake with Richard Attenborough is also pretty good, as long as you can ignore the fact that Mara Wilson grew up to be one of the most annoying people on the planet.)

The Indiana Film Journalists Honor Moonlight and Rebecca Hall!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

moonlight

The Indiana Film Journalists announced their picks for the best of 2016 on the 19th!  Along with picking Moonlight for best film, they also gave best actress to the destined-to-be-nominated-some-day Rebecca Hall for Christine!

Best Film
Winner: “Moonlight”
Runner-up: “Hell or High Water”
Other Finalists (listed alphabetically):
“American Honey”
“Arrival”
“Deadpool”
“Everybody Wants Some!!”
“La La Land”
“The Lobster”
“Manchester by the Sea”
“Sing Street”

Best Animated Feature
Winner: “Kubo and the Two Strings”
Runner-Up: “Sausage Party”

Best Foreign Language Film
Winner: “The Handmaiden”
Runner-Up: “A Man Called Ove”

Best Documentary
Winner: “O.J.: Made in America”
Runner-Up: “Weiner”

Best Original Screenplay
Winner: Kenneth Lonergan, “Manchester by the Sea”
Runner-up: Taylor Sheridan, “Hell or High Water”

Best Adapted Screenplay
Winner: Barry Jenkins, “Moonlight”
Runner-up: Eric Heisserer, “Arrival”

Best Director
Winner: Damien Chazelle, “La La Land”
Runner-up: Kenneth Lonergan, “Manchester by the Sea”

Best Actress
Winner: Rebecca Hall, “Christine”
Runner-up: Natalie Portman, “Jackie”

Best Supporting Actress
Winner: Viola Davis, “Fences”
Runner-up: Naomie Harris, “Moonlight”

Best Actor
Winner: Casey Affleck, “Manchester by the Sea”
Runner-up: Ethan Hawke, “Born to Be Blue”

Best Supporting Actor
Winner: Mahershala Ali, “Moonlight”
Runner-up: Jeff Bridges, “Hell or High Water”

Best Vocal/Motion Capture Performance
Winner: Alan Tudyk, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”
Runner-up: Nick Kroll, “Sausage Party”

Best Ensemble Acting
Winner: “Everybody Wants Some!!”
Runner-up: “Don’t Think Twice”

Best Musical Score
Winner: Mica Levi, “Jackie”
Runner-up: Justin Hurwitz, “La La Land”

Breakout of the Year
Winner: Robert Eggers, “The Witch”
Runner-up: Sasha Lane, “American Honey”

Original Vision Award
Winner: “The Lobster”
Runner-up: “Sausage Party”

The Hoosier Award 
Winner: Andrew Cohn, “Night School”

The Kansas City Film Critics Circle Names Manchester By The Sea As The Best of 2016!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

manchester-by-the-sea-sundance-2016

Meanwhile, in Kansas City, the Kansas City Film Critic Circle announced that Manchester By The Sea was their pick for the best of 2016!

Here’s what won in Kansas City!

Best Picture
“Manchester By The Sea”
Best Director
Kenneth Lonergan – “Manchester By The Sea”
Best Actor
Casey Affleck – “Manchester By The Sea”
Best Actress
Natalie Portman – “Jackie”
Best Supporting Actor
Jeff Bridges – “Hell Or High Water”
Best Supporting Actress
Viola Davis – “Fences” AND Naomie Harris – “Moonlight” (TIE)
Best Original Screenplay
“Hell Or High Water”
Best Adapted Screenplay
“Arrival”
Best Foreign Language Film
“The Handmaiden”
Best Documentary Film
“O.J.: Made In America”
Best Animated Film
“Zootopia”
Best SciFi/Fantasy/Horror Film
“Arrival”
Best LGBT Film
“Moonlight”

The St. Louis Film Critics Love La La Land

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

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La La Land got even more love this weekend when the St. Louis Film Critics announced their picks for the best of 2016!

BEST FILM: “La La Land” (Runner-up: Manchester By The Sea and Hell or High Water)

BEST DIRECTOR: Damien Chazelle, “La La Land” (Runner-up: Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester By The Sea and Denis Villeneuve, Arrival)

BEST ACTOR: Casey Affleck, “Manchester by the Sea” (Runner-up: Joe Edgerton, Loving)

BEST ACTRESS: Isabelle Huppert, “Elle” (Runner-up: Natalie Portman, Jackie)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Mahershala Ali, “Moonlight” (Runner-up: Lucas Hedges, Manchester By the Sea)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Viola Davis, “Fences” (Runner-up: Michelle Williams, Manchester By The Sea)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Whit Stillman, “Love and Friendship” (Runner-up: Eric Heisserer, Arrival)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Taylor Sheridan, “Hell or High Water” (Runner-up: Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester By The Sea)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Linus Sandgren, “La La Land” (Runner-up: James Laxton, Moonlight)

BEST EDITING: Sebastian Sepulveda, “Jackie” (Runner-up: Hacksaw Ridge and La La Land)

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN: “The Handmaiden” (Runner-up: Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, Jackie, La La Land)

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS: “The Jungle Book” (Runner-up: Doctor Strange)

BEST MUSIC SCORE: Justin Hurwitz, “La La Land” (Runner-up: Mica Levi, Jackie)

BEST MUSIC SOUNDTRACK: “Sing Street” (Runner-up: La La Land)

BEST SONG: “Audition (The Fools Who Dream)” from “La La Land” (Runner-up: City of Stars, La La Land)

BEST ACTION: “Captain America: Civil War” (Runner-up: Doctor Strange)

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: “Zootopia” (Runner-up: Kubo and the Two Strings)

BEST COMEDY: “Hail, Caesar!” (Runner-up: Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping)

BEST DOCUMENTARY: “I Am Not Your Negro” (Runner-up: Weiner)

BEST HORROR/SCI-FI: “The Witch” (Runner-up: Arrival)

BEST FOREIGN FILM: “Elle” (Runner-up: The Handmaiden)

BEST SCENE: Opening Traffic Jam, “Another Day of Sun!” in “La La Land” (Runner-up: “If only it where that simple” from Hail Caesar!)

WORST: “Warcraft” (Runner-up: The Angry Birds Movie)

 

The Utah Film Critics Association Celebrates La La Land

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

la-la-land

The Utah Film Critics announced their picks for the best of 2016!

• Best Picture: “La La Land”; runner-up: “Moonlight.”

• Directing: Barry Jenkins, “Moonlight”; runner-up, Damien Chazelle, “La La Land”

• Lead Actor, Male: Casey Affleck, “Manchester by the Sea”; runner-up: Joel Edgerton, “Loving”

• Lead Actor, Female: Emma Stone, “La La Land”; runner-up: Ruth Negga, “Loving”

• Supporting Actor, Female: Viola Davis, “Fences”; runners-up: (tie) Naomie Harris, “Moonlight,” Michelle Williams, “Manchester by the Sea”

• Supporting Actor, Male: (tie) Mahershala Ali, “Moonlight,” John Goodman, “10 Cloverfield Lane”

• Original Screenplay: Taylor Sheridan, “Hell or High Water”; runner-up: Kenneth Lonergan, “Manchester by the Sea”

• Adapted Screenplay: Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney, “Moonlight”; runner-up: Eric Heisserer, “Arrival”

• Cinematography: Linus Sandgren, “La La Land”; runner-up: Bradford Young, “Arrival”

• Original Score: Justin Hurwitz, “La La Land”; runner-up: Johann Johannsson, “Arrival”

• Documentary Feature: “Cameraperson”; runner-up: “Weiner”

• Animated Feature: “Kubo and the Two Strings”; runners-up: (tie) “Moana” and “Zootopia”

• Non-English Language Film: “The Handmaiden” (South Korea); runners-up: (tie) “Elle” (France) and “Toni Erdmann” (Germany)

The Nevada Film Critics Society Honors Hell or High Water!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Highway to Hell

Whoops, that’s the wrong “Hell” movie…

The Nevada Film Critics Society has spoken!

(Hopefully, the awards will be handed out on Aces High, the Ace Rothstein Show … with the Ace Rothstein Dancers!…)

Best Film – “Hell or High Water”
Best Actor – Casey Affleck – “Manchester by the Sea”
Best Actress – Annette Bening – “20th Century Women”
Best Supporting Actor – Ben Foster – “Hell or High Water”
Best Supporting Actress – Greta Gerwig – “20th Century Women”
Best Youth Performance – Alex Hibbert – “Moonlight”
Best Director – David Mackenzie – “Hell or High Water”
Best Original Screenplay – Taylor Sheridan- “Hell or High Water”
Best Adapted Screenplay – Eric Heisserer – “Arrival”
Best Ensemble – “Moonlight”
Best Documentary – “O.J. Made in America
”
Best Animated Movie – “Moana”
Best Production Design – David Wasco and Sandy Reynold-Wasco – “La La Land”
Best Cinematography – Linus Sandgren – “La La Land”
Best Visual Effects – “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”

There! That's the right movie...

There! That’s the right movie…