Here Are The Online Film Critics Society Nominations!


The winners will be announced on December 28th.

It’s interesting to note that The Post is almost totally shut out here.  One thing I’ve noticed that critics who work for newspapers love The Post.  They see it as proof of their importance.  Online critics are far less impressed with The Post.  They tend to view it as a lament for a dead medium, a somewhat stodgy celebration of the past.  Whenever I finally get a chance to see The Post, I’ll let you know who’s right.

Best Picture
Call Me By Your Name
Dunkirk
The Florida Project
Get Out
A Ghost Story
Lady Bird
mother!
Phantom Thread
The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Director
Paul Thomas Anderson – Phantom Thread
Greta Gerwig – Lady Bird
Christopher Nolan – Dunkirk
Jordan Peele – Get Out
Guillermo del Toro – The Shape of Water

Best Actor
Timothée Chalamet – Call Me By Your Name
James Franco – The Disaster Artist
Daniel Kaluuya – Get Out
Gary Oldman – Darkest Hour
Robert Pattinson – Good Time

Best Actress
Sally Hawkins – The Shape of Water
Cynthia Nixon – A Quiet Passion
Frances McDormand – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Margot Robbie – I, Tonya
Saoirse Ronan – Lady Bird

Best Supporting Actor
Armie Hammer – Call Me By Your Name
Richard Jenkins – The Shape of Water
Sam Rockwell – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Patrick Stewart – Logan
Michael Stuhlbarg – Call Me By Your Name

Best Supporting Actress
Mary J. Blige – Mudbound
Tiffany Haddish – Girls Trip
Holly Hunter – The Big Sick
Allison Janney – I, Tonya
Laurie Metcalf – Lady Bird

Best Ensemble
Get Out
Mudbound
Lady Bird
The Post
The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Breakout Star
Timothée Chalamet – Call Me By Your Name
Tiffany Haddish – Girls Trip
Daniel Kaluuya – Get Out
Dafne Keen – Logan
Brooklynn Prince – The Florida Project

Best Original Screenplay
Jordan Peele – Get Out
Greta Gerwig – Lady Bird
Paul Thomas Anderson – Phantom Thread
Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor – The Shape of Water
Martin McDonagh – Three Billboards

Best Adapted Screenplay
Sofia Coppola – The Beguiled
James Ivory – Call Me By Your Name
Scott Nestadter and Micheal Weber – The Disaster Artist
James Gray – Lost City of Z
Aaron Sorkin – Molly’s Game

Best Editing
Paul Machliss and Jonathan Amos – Baby Driver
Lee Smith – Dunkirk
Ben Safdie and Ronald Bronstein – Good Time
Tatiana S Riegel – I, Tonya
Sidney Wolinsky – The Shape of Water

Best Cinematography
Roger Deakins – Blade Runner 2049
Hoyte van Hoytema – Dunkirk
Darius Khondji – Lost City of Z
Rachel Morrison – Mudbound
Dan Laustsen – The Shape of Water

Best Animated Feature
Coco
The Breadwinner
In This Corner Of The World
The LEGO Batman Movie
Loving Vincent

Best Foreign Film
BPM (Beats Per Minute)
First They Killed My Father
Nocturama
Raw
The Square
Thelma

Best Documentary
Dawson City: Frozen Time
Ex Libris: The New York Public Library
Faces Places
Jane
The Work

Memorial Award
Jonathan Demme
John Hurt
Bill Paxton
George A. Romero
Harry Dean Stanton

Lifetime Achievement Award
Willem Dafoe
Daniel Day-Lewis
Roger Deakins
Christopher Plummer
Agnes Varda

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


The big shock?  The inclusion of Netflix’s Bright.  Over on AwardsWatch, Erik Anderson speculates this could mean that the Academy is warming up to Netflix.  If that’s the case, it’s certainly good news for Mudbound.

“Bright”
“Darkest Hour”
“Ghost in the Shell”
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2”
“I, Tonya”
Victoria & Abdul”
“Wonder”

12 Days of Random Christmas Songs: “Green Chri$tma$” by Stan Freberg (Capitol Records 1958)


gary loggins's avatarcracked rear viewer

Satirist Stan Freberg’s fertile comic mind conceived “Green Chri$tma$”, a skewering of the commercialization of Christmas that’s as relevant now as it was 59 years ago. Though not technically a ‘Christmas song’, it’s a hilarious comedy classic that dumps a lump of coal in the wacky world of advertising. Also featuring the voice talents of Daws Butler, Marvin Miller, and Will Wright, enjoy “Green Chri$tma$” (and dig the vintage print ads in the video!):

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Music Video of the Day: Merry Undead Christmas by Kieran Strange (2012, dir by ????)


If the Christmas cheer is getting to be too much for you, today’s music video of the day is for you!

As this video from Kieran Strange proves, the zombie apocalypse stops for no holiday.

Enjoy!

The Utah Film Critics Tell A Ghost Story


The Utah Film Critics Association picked one of my favorite films of the year for best picture!  Good for them!

Check out the winners below:

Best Picture
A Ghost Story
runner-up: Dunkirk

Best Director
Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk
runner-up: David Lowery, A Ghost Story

Best Actor, Female
Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water
runner-up: Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Actor, Male
Andy Serkis, War for the Planet of the Apes
runner-up: James Franco, The Disaster Artist

Best Supporting Actor, Female
Tatiana Maslany, Stronger
runner-up: Allison Janney, I, Tonya

Best Supporting Actor, Male
Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project
runner-up: Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Adapted Screenplay
Hampton Fancher and Michael Green, Blade Runner 2049
runner-up: Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber, The Disaster Artist

Best Original Screenplay
Jordan Peele, Get Out
runners-up: Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird and Martin McDonagh, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (tie)

Best Cinematography
Roger Deakins, Blade Runner 2049
runner-up: Hoyte van Hoytema, Dunkirk

Best Score
Alexandre Desplat, The Shape of Water
runner-up: Hans Zimmer & Benjamin Wallfisch, Blade Runner 2049

Best Documentary Feature
Jane
runner-up: Chasing Coral

Best Animated Feature
Coco
runner-up: The LEGO Batman Movie

Best Non-English Language Film
Thelma
runners-up: Raw and A Fantastic Woman (tie)

The Black Film Critics Circle Embraces Mudbound!


Mudbound

The Black Film Critics Circle have added their voices to this year’s increasingly unpredictable awards season!  They named Mudbound the best film of 2017.  Here is the press release, with a full list of winners:

Best Film
Mudbound

Best Director
Jordan Peele, Get Out

Best Actor
Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour

Best Actress
Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri

Best Supporting Actor
Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project

Best Supporting Actress
Mary J. Blige, Mudbound

Best Original Screenplay
Get Out

Best Adapted Screenplay
Mudbound

Best Documentary
Strong Island

Best Animated Film
Coco

Best Cinematography
Blade Runner 2049

Best Ensemble
Mudbound

Best Foreign Film
A Fantastic Woman

SIGNATURE AWARDS

Industry Pioneer
Jordan Peele for his “genre redefining film Get Out. Peele has not only defied box office expectations but helped redefine a genre that very few African American filmmakers ever get to work in. This powerful storyteller has reminded the world that while horror films remains a lucrative entertainment genre there is much room for deeper meaning and social commentary within the context of the ‘scary movie’, the very essence of the word Pioneer.”

Rising Star
Daniel Kaluuya whose performance in Get Out “defines exactly what a rising star is, coming from seemingly nowhere his performance help cement get out as the horror film classic that it is. His ability convey humor, pathos, vulnerability and strength signify an actor whose talents will not only be in demand but will greatly enrich any film he is cast in what we believe will be a very long and memorable career.”

Special Mention
Girls Trip, directed by Malcolm Lee, produced by Will Packer with a script by Kenya Barris & Tracy Oliver and featuring an all-black cast “proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that African-American stories are as just as commercially viable as their white counterparts.”

BLACK FILM CRITICS CIRCLE TOP TEN FILMS OF 2017
1. Mudbound
2. Get Out
3. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri
4. The Shape of Water
5. The Post
6. Dunkirk
7. Marshall
8. Wonder Woman
9. I, Tonya
10. Blade Runner 2049

 

The Las Vegas Film Critics Society Announces Their Picks For The Best of 2017!


The Las Vegas Film Critics Society has announced their picks for the best of 2017!

And what did they choose?

Look below to find out!

Best Picture
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Actor
Daniel Kaluuya – Get Out

Best Actress
Frances McDormand – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Supporting Actor
Sam Rockwell – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Supporting Actress
Laurie Metcalf – Lady Bird

Best Director
Guillermo Del toro – The Shape of Water

Best Screenplay (Original)
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Screenplay (Adapted)
Call Me By Your Name

Best Cinematography
Blade Runner 2049

Best Film Editing
Baby Driver

Best Score
The Shape of Water

Best Song
“Remember Me” – Coco

Best Action Film
Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Best Animated Film
Coco

Best Foreign Film
First They Killed My Father

Best Costume Design
Blade Runner 2049

Best Art Direction
Blade Runner 2049

Best Visual Effects
Blade Runner 2049

Best Comedy
The Big Sick

Best Horror / Sci-Fi
Get Out

Best Family Film
Coco

Best Ensemble
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Documentary
Jane

Breakout Filmaker
Jordan Peele – Get Out

Youth in Film
Brooklyn Prince – The Florida Project

William Holden Lifetime Achievement Award
Lois Smith

The Seattle Film Critics Name Get Out The Best of 2017!


“Get out!”

That’s not just what the city of Seattle told Mayor Ed Murray earlier this year.  It’s also the title of the film that the Seattle Film Critics have officially selected as their pick for the best of 2017!

Check out their nominees here and the winners below!

BEST PICTURE OF THE YEAR

Get Out (Universal)

BEST DIRECTOR

Christopher Nolan – Dunkirk

BEST ACTOR in a LEADING ROLE

Daniel Day-Lewis – Phantom Thread

BEST ACTRESS in a LEADING ROLE

Saoirse Ronan – Lady Bird

BEST ACTOR in a SUPPORTING ROLE

Willem Dafoe – The Florida Project

BEST ACTRESS in a SUPPORTING ROLE

Laurie Metcalf – Lady Bird

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST

Get Out

BEST SCREENPLAY

Lady Bird – Greta Gerwig

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

Coco – Adrian Molina, Lee Unkrich, directors

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Raw – Julia Ducournau, director

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Faces Places – JR, Agnès Varda, co-directors

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Blade Runner 2049 – Roger A. Deakins

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Phantom Thread – Mark Bridges

BEST FILM EDITING

Dunkirk – Lee Smith

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Phantom Thread – Jonny Greenwood

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Blade Runner 2049 – Dennis Gassner (Production Designer); Alessandra Querzola (Set Decorator)

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

War for the Planet of the Apes – Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Daniel Barrett, Joel Whist

BEST YOUTH PERFORMANCE (18 years of age or younger upon start of filming)

Brooklynn Prince – The Florida Project

VILLAIN OF THE YEAR

Dennis and various multiple personalities – Split – portrayed by James McAvoy

Here Are The Ten Semi-Finalists For The Best Visual Effects Oscar!


The Academy has announced the ten semi-finalists for the Best Visual Effects Oscar.  And here they are!

“Alien: Covenant”

“Blade Runner 2049”

“Dunkirk”

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2”

“Kong: Skull Island”

“Okja”

“The Shape of Water”

“Star Wars: The Last Jedi”

“Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets”

“War for the Planet of the Apes”