Daily Archives: December 12, 2019

Here Are The Nominationos of The Phoenix Film Critics Circle!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The winners will be announced on December 14th!

BEST PICTURE

  • 1917
  • THE IRISHMAN
  • JOJO RABBIT
  • MARRIAGE STORY
  • PARASITE
  • PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE

BEST COMEDY FILM

  • BOOKSMART
  • DOLEMITE IS MY NAME
  • JOJO RABBIT
  • KNIVES OUT
  • ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD

BEST SCIENCE FICTION FILM

  • AD ASTRA
  • ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL
  • AVENGERS: END GAME
  • CAPTAIN MARVEL
  • HIGH LIFE
  • TERMINATOR: DARK FATE

BEST HORROR FILM

  • DOCTOR SLEEP
  • THE LIGHTHOUSE
  • MIDSOMMAR
  • US
  • TIGERS ARE NOT AFRAID

BEST ANIMATED FILM

  • FROZEN 2
  • HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD
  • I LOST MY BODY
  • MISSING LINK
  • TOY STORY 4

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

  • ATLANTICS
  • THE FAREWELL
  • MONOS
  • PARASITE
  • PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE

BEST DOCUMENTARY

  • AMERICAN FACTORY
  • APOLLO 11
  • HAIL SATAN?
  • HONEYLAND
  • ONE CHILD NATION

BEST ACTOR

  • ROBERT DENIRO, THE IRISHMAN
  • LEONARDO DICAPRIO, ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD
  • ADAM DRIVER, MARRIAGE STORY
  • EDDIE MURPHY, DOLEMITE IS MY NAME
  • JOAQUIN PHOENIX, JOKER

BEST ACTRESS

  • AWKWAFINA, THE FAREWELL
  • SCARLETT JOHANSSON, MARRIAGE STORY
  • LUPITA NYONG’O, US
  • SAOIRSE RONAN, LITTLE WOMEN
  • RENE ZELLWEGER, JUDY

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

  • WILLEM DAFOE, THE LIGHTHOUSE
  • TOM HANKS, A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
  • SONG KANG-HO, PARASITE
  • JOE PESCI, THE IRISHMAN
  • BRAD PITT, ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

  • JENNIFER LOPEZ, HUSTLERS
  • LAURA DERN, MARRIAGE STORY
  • ANNETTE BENING, THE REPORT
  • THOMASIN MCKENZIE, JOJO RABBIT
  • ZHAO SHUZHEN, THE FAREWELL
  • MARGOT ROBBIE, BOMBSHELL

BEST DIRECTOR

  • BONG JOON-HO, PARASITE
  • SAM MENDES, 1917
  • MARTIN SCORSESE, THE IRISHMAN
  • QUENTIN TARANTINO – ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD
  • TAIKA WAITITI – JOJO RABBIT

BEST SCREENPLAY

  • NOAH BAUMBACH, MARRIAGE STORY
  • RIAN JOHNSON, KNIVES OUT
  • BONG JOON-HO AND HAN JIN-WON, PARASITE
  • QUENTIN TARANTINO, ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD
  • TAIKA WAITITI, JOJO RABBIT

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

  • ROGER DEAKINS, 1917
  • JÖRG WIDMER, A HIDDEN LIFE
  • RODRIGO PRIETO, THE IRISHMAN
  • JARIN BLASCHKE, THE LIGHTHOUSE
  • ROBERT RICHARDSON, ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD
  • KYUNG-PYO HONG, PARASITE
  • CLAIRE MATHON, PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE

BEST SCORE

  • THOMAS NEWMAN, 1917
  • ALEXANDRE DESPLAT, LITTLE WOMEN
  • MICHAEL ABELS, US
  • HILDUR GUÐNADÓTTIR, JOKER

Here Are The Chicago Film Critics Association Nominations of 2019!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The winners will be announced on December 14th!

BEST PICTURE
The Irishman
Little Women
Marriage Story
Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
Parasite

BEST DIRECTOR
Noah Baumbach, Marriage Story
Bong Joon Ho, Parasite
Greta Gerwig, Little Women
Martin Scorsese, The Irishman
Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood

BEST ACTRESS
Awkwafina, The Farewell
Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story
Elisabeth Moss, Her Smell
Lupita Nyong’o, Us
Renée Zellweger, Judy

BEST ACTOR
Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory
Robert De Niro, The Irishman
Adam Driver, Marriage Story
Joaquin Phoenix, Joker
Adam Sandler, Uncut Gems

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Cho Yeo Jeong, Parasite
Laura Dern, Marriage Story
Jennifer Lopez, Hustlers
Florence Pugh, Little Women
Shuzhen Zhao, The Farewell

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Shia Labeouf, Honey Boy
Al Pacino, The Irishman
Joe Pesci, The Irishman
Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood by Micah Fitzerman-Blue & Noah Harpster
Hustlers by Lorene Scafaria
The Irishman by Steven Zaillian
Jojo Rabbit by Taika Waititi
Little Women by Greta Gerwig

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
The Farewell by Lulu Wang
Knives Out by Rian Johnson
Marriage Story by Noah Baumbach
Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood by Quentin Tarantino
Parasite by Bong Joon Ho and Han Jin Won

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Farewell
Pain and Glory
Parasite
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Transit

BEST DOCUMENTARY
American Factory
Apollo 11
For Sama
Hail Satan?
Honeyland

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Frozen 2
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
I Lost My Body
Missing Link
Toy Story 4

BEST EDITING
1917
The Irishman
Little Women
Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
Uncut Gems

BEST USE OF VISUAL EFFECTS
1917
Ad Astra
Avengers: Endgame
The Irishman
Midsommar

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Dolemite is My Name
Little Women
Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Rocketman

BEST ART DIRECTION
1917
Knives Out
Little Women
Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
Parasite

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
1917 – Thomas Newman
Little Women – Alexandre Desplat
Marriage Story – Randy Newman
Uncut Gems – Daniel Lopatin
Us – Michael Abels

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
1917 – Roger Deakins
The Lighthouse – Jarin Blaschke
Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood – Robert Richardson
Parasite – Hong Kyung Pyo
Portrait of a Lady on Fire – Claire Mathon

MOST PROMISING PERFORMER
Julia Butters, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
Roman Griffin Davis, Jojo Rabbit
Julia Fox, Uncut Gems
Aisling Franciosi, The Nightingale
Taylor Russell, Waves

MILOS STEHLIK AWARD FOR BREAKTHROUGH FILMMAKER
Mati Diop, Atlantics
Alma Har’el, Honey Boy
Joe Talbot, The Last Black Man in San Francisco
Lulu Wang, The Farewell
Olivia Wilde, Booksmart

Run Lola Run

Posted on by casewright

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Run Lola Run has been on my film bucket list since I had hair.  It was one of those films that you heard about from the cooler people you knew.  It was the movie that the cool girls who babysat you when you were little talked about.  It was pure Gen-X and I always looked up to that generation.  I’m not an X-er, but they were damn cool.  Lola embodies that generation.  She’s so self-secure and tough and cool and hip and if you don’t like her- Whatever!

Yes, Gen-X women had a go F-yourself streak that if you didn’t like them, piss off.  I was the beginning of the Millennial/Y generation who I guess got into avocado sandwiches or whatever they say about us.  X was the generation that knew they were getting passed over because there was a bigger generation coming and the boomers did not want to get out of the way, but X embraced the suck of it all.

It is really sucky that Lola is in love with Manni who is a really mediocre criminal.  Manni also loses things; such as, a bag of 100,000 Marks (60,000 USD) that belongs to a gangster. Oopsy!  He is like the Anti-Lola: whiny, dumb, insecure, and unlike Lola -NO screaming telekinesis powers AT ALL! Yes, when she screams, it destroys or moves objects. Honestly, I couldn’t figure out why she liked Manni so much – FFS she has superpowers.

When Manni tells Lola that he lost the gangster’s money and says that he will rob a grocery store if she doesn’t get to him in twenty minutes, Lola literally RUNS into action. Yes, there is A LOT of running in this film.  She runs in hallways, on sidewalks, on streets, away from cops, and accidentally towards cops.  As she runs past people, we get a glimpse of the extras’ lives in THIS timeline and boy are these extras a bunch of cretins.

Timeline?! WHAT?! Yes, this movie is ALL about time travel.  Lola needs to get the day right or she or her boyfriend or David Duchovny will die. I’m assuming Duchovny too because he was a 1990s GOD! She time trips three times to get it, to get it, to get it right child. I was going to reference some 1998 songs, but I looked them up and The Thong Song just sounds sad.

The movie blends light surrealism with action and really believable performances.  You have this guttural feeling that this is a woman on her own, fighting her own fight, and you better get out of her way. Also, she’s the only person in the film who is pure-hearted.  Her dad is a philandering banker asshat, her boyfriend is a milquetoast, and the people she bumps into show glimpses of their sinful lives.  Lola is literally running around evil.  She has great running form too; I ran track in high school and she’s got talent.

I hope she wins and saves her loser boyfriend.

Merry Christmas!!!

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Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jon M. Chu make some magic in the In the Heights trailer

Posted on by Leonard Wilson

Lin-Manuel Miranda brings his Hamilton magic to Washington Heights, New York. Under the direction of Crazy Rich Asians’ Jon M. Chu, In the Heights looks to be a sweet summer film. Just look at this cast:

Anthony Ramos (She’s Gotta Have it)
Melissa Barrera (Starz’ Vida)
Marc Anthony (No introduction needed)
Jimmy Smits (Come on, should I even try?)
Daphne Rubin-Vega (Rent, Wild Things)
Dascha Polanco (The Irishman, Orange is the New Black)
Stephanie Beatriz (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, One Day at a Time)
Corey Hawkins (Kong: Skull Island, Straight Outta Compton)

Of course, having directed both Step Up 2: The Streets and Step Up 3D, Chu looks like he makes easy work of handling the dance numbers and musical arrangements. You couldn’t ask for a better pairing between him and Miranda.

The film is an adaptation of the Tony Award Winning Best Musical  by Miranda, based off of Quiara Alegria Hudes’ novel. If this works out, here’s hoping we get a theatrical version of Hamilton as well.

Enjoy.

 

Music Video Of The Day: Adore You by Harry Styles (2019, dir by Dave Meyers)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today’s music video of the day is the video for Harry Styles’s Adore You and you know what?  It’s kind of brilliant.

It takes place in the fishing village of Eroda where everyone suffers from “resting fish face,” which is another way of saying that no one there ever smiles.  But then Harry Styles is born and he has a smile so bright that it literally blinds people!  It all goes on from there and it’s a really cute, clever, and kind of touching video.

This video was directed by Dave Meyers, who has done videos for just about everyone in the world.  He did the video for Katy Perry’s Fireworks for instance.  (Remember when you couldn’t go anywhere without hearing that song being played?  That was …. well, that torture, to be honest.  It’s a good song but not one that benefits from being overplayed.)  Meyers has also done videos from Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Justin Timberlake, Kelly Clarkson, Avril Lavingne, P!nk …. like I said, just about everyone.

Enjoy!