Monthly Archives: January 2020

Sony surprises with the Morbius Teaser trailer.

Posted on by Leonard Wilson

When it comes to all things Marvel, the name Morbius is vague to me. I remember Todd McFarlane’s final run for Spider-Man back in 1991 which had a 5 to 6 issue story arc on the character. Basically, Morbius (not to be confused with Moebius, the great Jean Giraud) is kind of a vampire, or as Blade would say, he’s something else. Personally, I think Sony’s scraping near the bottom of Marvel’s barrel, but maybe Sony’s on to something here.

If they have the same success with this as they had with Venom, they should be on good footing to create their own ongoing story arc with The Sinister Six. Anyone who’s ever read any of the Marvel Comics or played the last rendition of Sony’s Spider-Man for the PS4 knows of a set of Spidey’s villains that joined forces to take him down. The trailer below looks like it ties itself into Spider-Man: Homecoming with a cameo by Michael Keaton’s Adrian Toomes (a.k.a. The Vulture).

Morbius stars Jared Leto (Blade Runner 2049) as Michael Morbius, a biology genius afflicted with an illness. In his efforts to come up with a cure, he becomes a supervillain with powers and a thirst for blood. Morbius also stars Jared Harris (Chernobyl), Adria Arjona (Good Omens), Tyrese Gibson (Black and Blue), and Matt Smith (The Crown) 

Morbius premieres in cinemas this summer.

 

Here Are The Joker-Dominated Oscar Nominations!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Oscar nominations were announced just an hour ago!  As usual, I’m annoyed but not surprised to see that some of my favorites were snubbed.  No Uncut Gems.  No Adam Sandler for Uncut Gems.  I mean, I knew it wasn’t going to happen but still, it should have.  I’m a bit more surprised that neither Jennifer Lopez nor Taron Egerton received nominations this year.  I’m relieved that Bombshell was not nominated for Best Picture because now I don’t actually have to give serious consideration to a Jay Roach film.  That’s a good thing.  My favorite actress, Scarlett Johansson, received two nominations.  That’s an even better thing.  At the age of 25, Saoirse Ronan has now been nominated for a total of four Oscars.  The last actress to do that was Jennifer Lawrence and, fortunately, Ronan has managed to do it without becoming annoying in the process.

Joker dominated.  11 nominations.  I think we all knew that Joaquin would get nominated and that the film might get a best picture nod but seriously, I don’t think anyone was expecting it to be the most-nominated film of the year.

I’ll be posting my picks for the best of everything this week.  Unfortunately, with the Oscars on a rushed schedule this year, this will be the first time that the Academy announces their picks before me.  Oh well.  Life goes on.  Here are the Oscar nominations:

Best Picture:

“Ford v Ferrari”
“The Irishman”
“Jojo Rabbit”
“Joker”
“Little Women”
“Marriage Story”
“1917”
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
“Parasite”

Lead Actor:

Antonio Banderas “Pain and Glory”
Leonardo DiCaprio “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
Adam Driver “Marriage Story”
Joaquin Phoenix “Joker”
Jonathan Pryce “The Two Popes”

Lead Actress:

Cynthia Erivo “Harriet”
Scarlett Johansson “Marriage Story”
Saoirse Ronan “Little Women”
Charlize Theron “Bombshell”
Renee Zellweger “Judy”

Supporting Actor:

Tom Hanks, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”
Anthony Hopkins, “The Two Popes”
Al Pacino, “The Irishman”
Joe Pesci, “The Irishman”
Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

Supporting Actress:

Kathy Bates, “Richard Jewell”
Laura Dern, “Marriage Story”
Scarlett Johansson, “Jojo Rabbit”
Florence Pugh, “Little Women”
Margot Robbie, “Bombshell”

Director:

Martin Scorsese, “The Irishman”
Todd Phillips, “Joker”
Sam Mendes, “1917”
Quentin Tarantino, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
Bong Joon Ho, “Parasite”

Animated Feature:

“How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” Dean DeBlois
“I Lost My Body” Jeremy Clapin
“Klaus” Sergio Pablos
“Missing Link” Chris Butler
“Toy Story 4”  Josh Cooley

Animated Short:

“Dcera,” Daria Kashcheeva
“Hair Love,” Matthew A. Cherry
“Kitbull,” Rosana Sullivan
“Memorable,” Bruno Collet
“Sister,” Siqi Song

Adapted Screenplay:

“The Irishman,” Steven Zaillian
“Jojo Rabbit,” Taika Waititi
“Joker,” Todd Phillips, Scott Silver
“Little Women,” Greta Gerwig
“The Two Popes,” Anthony McCarten

Original Screenplay:

“Knives Out,” Rian Johnson
“Marriage Story,” Noah Baumbach
“1917,” Sam Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Quentin Tarantino
“Parasite,” Bong Joon-ho, Jin Won Han

Cinematography:

“The Irishman,” Rodrigo Prieto
“Joker,” Lawrence Sher
“The Lighthouse,” Jarin Blaschke
“1917,” Roger Deakins
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Robert Richardson

Best Documentary Feature:

“American Factory,” Julia Rieichert, Steven Bognar
“The Cave,” Feras Fayyad
“The Edge of Democracy,” Petra Costa
“For Sama,” Waad Al-Kateab, Edward Watts
“Honeyland,” Tamara Kotevska, Ljubo Stefanov

Best Documentary Short Subject:

“In the Absence,” Yi Seung-Jun and Gary Byung-Seok Kam
“Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone,” Carol Dysinger
“Life Overtakes Me,” Kristine Samuelson and John Haptas
“St. Louis Superman,” Smriti Mundhra and Sami Khan
“Walk Run Cha-Cha,” Laura Nix

Best Live Action Short Film:

“Brotherhood,” Meryam Joobeur
“Nefta Football Club,” Yves Piat
“The Neighbors’ Window,” Marshall Curry
“Saria,” Bryan Buckley
“A Sister,” Delphine Girard

Best International Feature Film:

“Corpus Christi,” Jan Komasa
“Honeyland,” Tamara Kotevska, Ljubo Stefanov
“Les Miserables,” Ladj Ly
“Pain and Glory,” Pedro Almodovar
“Parasite,” Bong Joon Ho

Film Editing:

“Ford v Ferrari,” Michael McCusker, Andrew Buckland
“The Irishman,” Thelma Schoonmaker
“Jojo Rabbit,” Tom Eagles
“Joker,” Jeff Groth
“Parasite,” Jinmo Yang

Sound Editing:

“Ford v Ferrari,” Don Sylvester
“Joker,” Alan Robert Murray
“1917,” Oliver Tarney, Rachel Tate
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Wylie Stateman
“Star Wars: The Rise of SkyWalker,” Matthew Wood, David Acord

Sound Mixing:

“Ad Astra”
“Ford v Ferrari”
“Joker”
“1917”
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

Production Design:

“The Irishman,” Bob Shaw and Regina Graves
“Jojo Rabbit,” Ra Vincent and Nora Sopkova
“1917,” Dennis Gassner and Lee Sandales
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Barbara Ling and Nancy Haigh
“Parasite,” Lee Ha-Jun and Cho Won Woo, Han Ga Ram, and Cho Hee

Original Score:

“Joker,” Hildur Guðnadóttir
“Little Women,” Alexandre Desplat
“Marriage Story,” Randy Newman
“1917,” Thomas Newman
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” John Williams*“The King,” Nicholas Britell

Original Song:

“I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away,” “Toy Story 4”
“I’m Gonna Love Me Again,” “Rocketman”
“I’m Standing With You,” “Breakthrough”
“Into the Unknown,” “Frozen 2”
“Stand Up,” “Harriet”

Makeup and Hair:

“Bombshell”
“Joker”
“Judy”
“Maleficent: Mistress of Evil”
“1917”

Costume Design:

”The Irishman,” Sandy Powell, Christopher Peterson
“Jojo Rabbit,” Mayes C. Rubeo
“Joker,” Mark Bridges
“Little Women,” Jacqueline Durran
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Arianne Phillips

Visual Effects:

“Avengers Endgame”
“The Irishman”
“1917”
“The Lion King”
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”

Here’s What Won At The Critics Choice Awards!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

FILM CATEGORIES

BEST PICTURE

  • 1917
  • Ford v Ferrari
  • The Irishman
  • Jojo Rabbit
  • Joker
  • Little Women
  • Marriage Story
  • Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood – WINNER
  • Parasite
  • Uncut Gems

BEST ACTOR

  • Antonio Banderas – Pain and Glory
  • Robert De Niro – The Irishman
  • Leonardo DiCaprio – Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood
  • Adam Driver – Marriage Story
  • Eddie Murphy – Dolemite Is My Name
  • Joaquin Phoenix – Joker – WINNER
  • Adam Sandler – Uncut Gems

BEST ACTRESS

  • Awkwafina – The Farewell
  • Cynthia Erivo – Harriet
  • Scarlett Johansson – Marriage Story
  • Lupita Nyong’o – Us
  • Saoirse Ronan – Little Women
  • Charlize Theron – Bombshell
  • Renée Zellweger – Judy – WINNER

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

  • Willem Dafoe – The Lighthouse
  • Tom Hanks – A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
  • Anthony Hopkins – The Two Popes
  • Al Pacino – The Irishman
  • Joe Pesci – The Irishman
  • Brad Pitt – Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood – WINNER

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

  • Laura Dern – Marriage Story – WINNER
  • Scarlett Johansson – Jojo Rabbit
  • Jennifer Lopez – Hustlers
  • Florence Pugh – Little Women
  • Margot Robbie – Bombshell
  • Zhao Shuzhen  – The Farewell

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS

  • Julia Butters – Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood
  • Roman Griffin Davis – Jojo Rabbit – WINNER
  • Noah Jupe – Honey Boy
  • Thomasin McKenzie – Jojo Rabbit
  • Shahadi Wright Joseph – Us
  • Archie Yates – Jojo Rabbit

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE

  • Bombshell
  • The Irishman – WINNER
  • Knives Out
  • Little Women
  • Marriage Story
  • Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
  • Parasite

BEST DIRECTOR (tie)

  • Noah Baumbach – Marriage Story
  • Greta Gerwig – Little Women
  • Bong Joon Ho – Parasite – WINNER
  • Sam Mendes – 1917 – WINNER
  • Josh Safdie and Benny Safdie – Uncut Gems
  • Martin Scorsese – The Irishman
  • Quentin Tarantino – Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood

BEST ORIGINAL 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 – WINNER
  • Lulu Wang – The Farewell

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

  • Greta Gerwig – Little Women – WINNER
  • Noah Harpster and Micah Fitzerman-Blue – A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
  • Anthony McCarten – The Two Popes
  • Todd Phillips & Scott Silver – Joker
  • Taika Waititi – Jojo Rabbit
  • Steven Zaillian  – The Irishman

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

  • Jarin Blaschke – The Lighthouse
  • Roger Deakins – 1917 – WINNER
  • Phedon Papamichael   – Ford v Ferrari
  • Rodrigo Prieto – The Irishman
  • Robert Richardson – Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood
  • Lawrence Sher – Joker

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

  • Mark Friedberg, Kris Moran – Joker
  • Dennis Gassner, Lee Sandales  – 1917
  • Jess Gonchor, Claire Kaufman – Little Women
  • Lee Ha Jun – Parasite
  • Barbara Ling, Nancy Haigh – Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood – WINNER
  • Bob Shaw, Regina Graves – The Irishman
  • Donal Woods, Gina Cromwell – Downton Abbey

BEST EDITING

  • Ronald Bronstein, Benny Safdie – Uncut Gems
  • Andrew Buckland, Michael McCusker – Ford v Ferrari
  • Yang Jinmo  – Parasite
  • Fred Raskin – Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood
  • Thelma Schoonmaker – The Irishman
  • Lee Smith – 1917 – WINNER

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

  • Ruth E. Carter – Dolemite Is My Name – WINNER
  • Julian Day – Rocketman
  • Jacqueline Durran – Little Women
  • Arianne Phillips – Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood
  • Sandy Powell, Christopher Peterson – The Irishman
  • Anna Robbins – Downton Abbey

BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP

  • Bombshell – WINNER
  • Dolemite Is My Name
  • The Irishman
  • Joker
  • Judy
  • Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
  • Rocketman

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

  • 1917
  • Ad Astra
  • The Aeronauts
  • Avengers: Endgame – WINNER
  • Ford v Ferrari
  • The Irishman
  • The Lion King

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

  • Abominable
  • Frozen II
  • How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
  • I Lost My Body
  • Missing Link
  • Toy Story 4 – WINNER

BEST ACTION MOVIE

  • 1917
  • Avengers: Endgame – WINNER
  • Ford v Ferrari
  • John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum
  • Spider-Man: Far From Home

BEST COMEDY

  • Booksmart
  • Dolemite Is My Name – WINNER
  • The Farewell
  • Jojo Rabbit
  • Knives Out

BEST SCI-FI OR HORROR MOVIE

  • Ad Astra
  • Avengers: Endgame
  • Midsommar
  • Us – WINNER

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

  • Atlantics
  • Les Misérables
  • Pain and Glory
  • Parasite – WINNER
  • Portrait of a Lady on Fire

BEST SONG

  • “Glasgow (No Place Like Home)” – Wild Rose – WINNER
  • “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” – Rocketman – WINNER
  • “I’m Standing With You” – Breakthrough
  • “Into the Unknown” – Frozen II
  • “Speechless” – Aladdin
  • “Spirit” – The Lion King
  • “Stand Up” – Harriet

BEST SCORE

  • Michael Abels – Us
  • Alexandre Desplat   – Little Women
  • Hildur Guðnadóttir – Joker – WINNER
  • Randy Newman – Marriage Story
  • Thomas Newman  – 1917
  • Robbie Robertson – The Irishman

TELEVISION CATEGORIES

BEST DRAMA SERIES

  • The Crown (Netflix)
  • David Makes Man (OWN)
  • Game of Thrones (HBO)
  • The Good Fight (CBS All Access)
  • Pose (FX)
  • Succession (HBO) – WINNER
  • This Is Us (NBC)
  • Watchmen (HBO)

BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

  • Sterling K. Brown – This Is Us (NBC)
  • Mike Colter – Evil (CBS)
  • Paul Giamatti – Billions (Showtime)
  • Kit Harington – Game of Thrones (HBO)
  • Freddie Highmore – The Good Doctor (ABC)
  • Tobias Menzies – The Crown (Netflix)
  • Billy Porter – Pose (FX)
  • Jeremy Strong – Succession (HBO) – WINNER

BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

  • Christine Baranski – The Good Fight (CBS All Access)
  • Olivia Colman – The Crown (Netflix)
  • Jodie Comer – Killing Eve (BBC America)
  • Nicole Kidman – Big Little Lies (HBO)
  • Regina King – Watchmen (HBO) – WINNER
  • Mj Rodriguez – Pose (FX)
  • Sarah Snook – Succession (HBO)
  • Zendaya – Euphoria (HBO)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

  • Asante Blackk – This Is Us (NBC)
  • Billy Crudup – The Morning Show (Apple) – WINNER
  • Asia Kate Dillon – Billions (Showtime)
  • Peter Dinklage – Game of Thrones (HBO)
  • Justin Hartley – This Is Us (NBC)
  • Delroy Lindo – The Good Fight (CBS All Access)
  • Tim Blake Nelson – Watchmen (HBO)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

  • Helena Bonham Carter – The Crown (Netflix)
  • Gwendoline Christie – Game of Thrones (HBO)
  • Laura Dern – Big Little Lies (HBO)
  • Audra McDonald – The Good Fight (CBS All Access)
  • Jean Smart – Watchmen (HBO) – WINNER
  • Meryl Streep – Big Little Lies (HBO)
  • Susan Kelechi Watson – This Is Us (NBC)

BEST COMEDY SERIES

  • Barry (HBO)
  • Fleabag (Amazon) – WINNER
  • The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)
  • Mom (CBS)
  • One Day at a Time (Netflix)
  • PEN15 (Hulu)
  • Schitt’s Creek (Pop)

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

  • Ted Danson – The Good Place (NBC)
  • Walton Goggins – The Unicorn (CBS)
  • Bill Hader – Barry (HBO) – WINNER
  • Eugene Levy – Schitt’s Creek (Pop)
  • Paul Rudd – Living with Yourself (Netflix)
  • Bashir Salahuddin – Sherman’s Showcase (IFC)
  • Ramy Youssef – Ramy (Hulu)

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

  • Christina Applegate – Dead to Me (Netflix)
  • Alison Brie – GLOW (Netflix)
  • Rachel Brosnahan – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)
  • Kirsten Dunst – On Becoming a God in Central Florida (Showtime)
  • Julia Louis-Dreyfus – Veep (HBO)
  • Catherine O’Hara – Schitt’s Creek (Pop)
  • Phoebe Waller-Bridge – Fleabag (Amazon) – WINNER

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

  • Andre Braugher – Brooklyn Nine-Nine (NBC)
  • Anthony Carrigan – Barry (HBO)
  • William Jackson Harper – The Good Place (NBC)
  • Daniel Levy – Schitt’s Creek (Pop)
  • Nico Santos – Superstore (NBC)
  • Andrew Scott – Fleabag (Amazon) – WINNER
  • Henry Winkler – Barry (HBO)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

  • Alex Borstein – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon) – WINNER
  • D’Arcy Carden – The Good Place (NBC)
  • Sian Clifford – Fleabag (Amazon)
  • Betty Gilpin – GLOW (Netflix)
  • Rita Moreno – One Day at a Time (Netflix)
  • Annie Murphy – Schitt’s Creek (Pop)
  • Molly Shannon – The Other Two (Comedy Central)

BEST LIMITED SERIES

  • Catch-22 (Hulu)
  • Chernobyl (HBO)
  • Fosse/Verdon (FX)
  • The Loudest Voice (Showtime)
  • Unbelievable (Netflix)
  • When They See Us (Netflix) – WINNER
  • Years and Years (HBO)

BEST MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION

  • Brexit (HBO)
  • Deadwood: The Movie (HBO)
  • El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (Netflix) – WINNER
  • Guava Island (Amazon)
  • Native Son (HBO)
  • Patsy & Loretta (Lifetime)

BEST ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION

  • Christopher Abbott – Catch-22 (Hulu)
  • Mahershala Ali – True Detective (HBO)
  • Russell Crowe – The Loudest Voice (Showtime)
  • Jared Harris – Chernobyl (HBO)
  • Jharrel Jerome – When They See Us (Netflix) – WINNER
  • Sam Rockwell – Fosse/Verdon (FX)
  • Noah Wyle – The Red Line (CBS)

BEST ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION

  • Kaitlyn Dever – Unbelievable (Netflix)
  • Anne Hathaway – Modern Love (Amazon)
  • Megan Hilty – Patsy & Loretta (Lifetime)
  • Joey King – The Act (Hulu)
  • Jessie Mueller – Patsy & Loretta (Lifetime)
  • Merritt Wever – Unbelievable (Netflix)
  • Michelle Williams – Fosse/Verdon (FX) – WINNER

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION

  • Asante Blackk – When They See Us (Netflix)
  • George Clooney – Catch-22 (Hulu)
  • John Leguizamo – When They See Us (Netflix)
  • Dev Patel – Modern Love (Amazon)
  • Jesse Plemons – El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (Netflix)
  • Stellan Skarsgård – Chernobyl (HBO) – WINNER
  • Russell Tovey – Years and Years (HBO)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION

  • Patricia Arquette – The Act (Hulu)
  • Marsha Stephanie Blake – When They See Us (Netflix)
  • Toni Collette – Unbelievable (Netflix) – WINNER
  • Niecy Nash – When They See Us (Netflix)
  • Margaret Qualley – Fosse/Verdon (FX)
  • Emma Thompson – Years and Years (HBO)
  • Emily Watson – Chernobyl (HBO)

BEST ANIMATED SERIES

  • Big Mouth (Netflix)
  • BoJack Horseman (Netflix) – WINNER
  • The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (Netflix)
  • She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (Netflix)
  • The Simpsons (Fox)
  • Undone (Amazon)

BEST TALK SHOW (tie)

  • Desus & Mero (Showtime)
  • Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (TBS)
  • The Kelly Clarkson Show (NBC)
  • Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
  • The Late Late Show with James Corden (CBS) – WINNER
  • Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC) – WINNER

BEST COMEDY SPECIAL 

  • Amy Schumer: Growing (Netflix)
  • Jenny Slate: Stage Fright (Netflix)
  • Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s All in the Family and The Jeffersons (ABC) – WINNER
  • Ramy Youssef: Feelings (HBO)
  • Seth Meyers: Lobby Baby (Netflix)
  • Trevor Noah: Son of Patricia (Netflix)
  • Wanda Sykes: Not Normal (Netflix)

Music Video Of The Day: Paid For The Award by Sly Toe Hand (2012, dir by ????)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

In just a few hours, the Oscar nominations will be announced.  Is that in any way connected to the fact that today’s music video of the day is for a song called Paid For The Award?

Gee, Lisa Marie — what are you saying about our beloved Oscars!?

Calm down.  I’m not saying anything.  Though I may not often agree with the Academy, I don’t think they’ve been bribed or anything like that.  To be honest, this song — or at least the title of this song — is probably more applicable to the Golden Globes than to the Oscars.  Seriously, everyone knows that you can, at the very least, buy a Golden Globe nomination.  Remember when The Tourist picked up all those nominations a few years ago?  And seriously, when was the last time you even remembered that movie existed?

(I’m not really sure what the going rate for a Golden Globe nomination would be.  I imagine that it’s at least somewhat expensive.  I mean, I guess if I sold all of Dazzling Erin’s antique cameras and maybe some of the old Madame Alexandra dolls that we have lying around here, I might be able to afford one but it would probably be for one of the minor ones, like Best Comedy or Musical Film.  But, unfortunately, I already missed my chance to bribe the Hollywood Foreign Press into nominating Cats.  I missed that opportunity and let that be a lesson to you all.  You miss all of the shots that you don’t pay for.  Or something.  I don’t know.  It’s a sports metaphor and sports is a metaphor for life or something like that.)

But anyway, I like this song.  You can dance to it.  The video’s pretty simple but that’s okay.  Not every video needs to be a huge production.  Sometimes, the only thing that I video needs to do is get you in the right mood and this video does that.

Enjoy!

Lisa’s Week In Review: 1/6/20 — 1/12/20

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

This was a good week for me.  I caught up on some of the movies that I missed last year and I even got to play out in the snow a little!

The Oscar nominations are going to be announced in just a few more hours and I’m nowhere near prepared for them this year.  This upcoming week is going to be crazy one!

Here’s what I did this week:

Films I Watched:

  1. 1917 (2019)
  2. The Aeronauts (2019)
  3. Beast From Haunted Cave (1959)
  4. Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo (1984)
  5. Bright Lights, Bright City (1988)
  6. Brittany Runs A Marathon (2019)
  7. Diane (2019)
  8. Domino (2019)
  9. The Edge of Democracy (2019)
  10. Gentleman’s Agreement (1947)
  11. Gloria Bell (2019)
  12. Green Book (2018)
  13. High Life (2019)
  14. I Lost My Body (2019)
  15. In Which We Serve (1942)
  16. Luce (2019)
  17. Parasite (2019)
  18. The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019)
  19. Raging Bull (1980)
  20. Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese (2019)
  21. The Snake Pit (1948)
  22. Tell Me Who I Am (2019)

Television Shows I Watched:

  1. 9-1-1
  2. The Bachelor 24
  3. Bewitched
  4. Diff’rent Strokes
  5. Facts of Life
  6. Fear Thy Neighbor
  7. Friends
  8. The Office
  9. Seinfeld
  10. Shipping Wars
  11. The Simpsons

Books I Read:

  1. Unsolved Mysteries of World War II (2019) by Michael Fitzgerald

Music To Which I Listened:

  1. Agnes Obel
  2. Blanck Mass
  3. Bob Dylan
  4. Cage the Elephant
  5. The Chemical Brothers
  6. Muse
  7. Phantogram
  8. Rob Zombie
  9. Saint Motel
  10. Sturgill Simpson
  11. Tegan and Sara
  12. Tiesto
  13. UPSAHL

Awards Season Links:

  1. PGA Nominations
  2. DGA Nominations
  3. The Dorian Awards
  4. The Hollywood Critics Association
  5. The Alliance of Women Film Journalists
  6. The North Dakota Film Society Nominations
  7. The Music City Film Critics Association

News From Last Week:

  1. Twitter will put options to limit replies directly on the compose screen
  2. Over 100 employees lose their jobs at CollegeHumor after parent company pulls funding
  3. Bill Wisener, who every day for 40 years ran iconic Dallas store Bill’s Records, died Saturday
  4. Bills in several states aim to help those in the gig economy. Some are worried they’ll lose work instead
  5. ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Director Scott Derrickson Drops Out
  6. Hollywood’s avenging angel: could Annabella Sciorra bring down Harvey Weinstein?
  7. Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Want To Be ‘Financially Independent’
  8. Czech-Born Director Ivan Passer Dies at 86
  9. Marianne Williamson announces she is suspending her presidential campaign

Links From Last Week:

  1. Ken Fuson, 1956 — 2020
  2. After Ricky Gervais at the Golden Globes, is this the end of the awards show host?
  3. Ricky Gervais Read America
  4. Unearthed Article from 1974 Recounts the Total Madness of Experiencing ‘The Exorcist’ in Theaters

Links From The Site:

  1. Erin profiled the Covers of Startling Detective Adventures and shared Pushover, Witch On Wheels, Walk Out On Death, True Confessions, Inside Detective, Hideaway, and French Model!
  2. Jeff shared music videos from Melle Mel, R.E.M, David Bowie, Genesis, David Bowie again, and Rush.  He reviewed Grambling’s White Tiger, Cyborg, The Visitors, Avenging Force, Dead By Dawn, Behind Enemy Lines, and Behind Enemy Lines II!  He paid tribute to Elvis, Lee Van Cleef, Buck Henry, and Walter Hill.
  3. Val reviewed the 1956 version of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn!
  4. Leonard shared the trailer for The New Mutants and reviewed Ratatouille and Underwater!
  5. Ryan reviewed Making Time, Rodin Du Jour, and Opal Fruit!
  6. I shared a music video from Rob Zombie and I reviewed The Golden Globes, Lenny, All That Jazz, Green Book, In Which We Serve, Raging Bull, The Snake Pit, and Gentleman’s Agreement!

More From Us:

  1. Ryan has a patreon!  Please consider subscribing!
  2. Over at Days Without Incident, Leonard wrote about writer’s block.
  3. Over at Pop Politics, Jeff shared Lessons From Last Night, Meghan and Harry Are Stepping Back From Their Royal Duties, 330-231, and Neil Peart, R.I.P.
  4. Over at my music site, I shared songs from Cage the Elephant, Saint Motel, Phantogram, Agnes Obel, Bob Dylan, Tiesto, and Sturgill Simpson!
  5. On her photography site, Erin shared Arapaho Station, Arapaho Center, Between, Campus, Distance, Meadows Fountain, and Confusion!

Want to check out last week?  Click here!

Behind Enemy Lines II: Axis of Evil (2006, directed by James Dodson)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

After an intelligence satellite reveals that the North Koreans have built a nuclear missile that can hit anywhere in the world and that they’re currently pointing the missile right at the United States, the President (Peter Coyote) orders a team of Navy SEALs to parachute into North Korea and take out the missile site.  At the last minute, the mission is canceled but two SEALs have already jumped out of the airplane and two more follow because a SEAL leaves no man behind.

While the world sits on the brink of war, the stranded SEALs attempt to reach the missile site and knock it out of commission.  Unfortunately, two of the SEALs get killed by the North Koreans and the two survivors end up getting captured and are forced to undergo extreme torture.  With time running out, the president authorizes a military strike on the missile site, a move that could plunge the world into a nuclear war.  It’s now up to Lt. James (Nicholas Gonzalez) and Master Chief Callaghan (Matt Bushell) to escape from the North Koreans and complete their mission before the stealth bombers show up and do their thing.

Behind Enemy Lines II: Axis of Evil has nothing to do with the previous Behind Enemy Lines film, beyond featuring a Naval officer stranded in enemy territory.  Behind Enemy Lines II: Axis of Evil is one of those films that should be simple and easy to follow but it’s so frantically directed and edited that it’s actually difficult to understand what’s going on from scene to scene.  This isn’t a case where, as in Black Hawk Down, the film is deliberately confusing in order to show what it would be like to be under enemy fire.  Instead, Behind Enemy Lines II feels as if it was edited by someone who was getting paid per jump cut.  It becomes difficult to keep track of who is shooting at who and the overuse of the shaky handheld camera effect didn’t help.  Also, for some reason, there are some fantasy sequences that feel as if they belong in a different movie.

The scenes in Washington D.C., where the President and his advisers debate whether or not to plunge the world into war, are marginally better.  Peter Coyote has the right amount of moral authority to play the president and the great Glenn Morshower (you may remember him as Aaron of the Secret Service on 24) plays the admiral who suggests that maybe it would be a good idea not to hastily destroy the world.  Because this movie was made in 2006, the actress playing the Secretary of State is a dead ringer for Condoleezza Rice.

Behind Enemy Lines II is not a good movie but it made enough money to get a sequel, which I’ll review tomorrow.

 

Val’s Mini-Post: Why The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn (1955, dir. Herbert B. Swope Jr.) Is On My Worst List Of 2019

Posted on by Valerie Troutman

I mentioned in my annual post about the “25 Best, Worst, and Gems I Saw In 2019” that I wound up seeing 1,266 films. I’m not up to writing lengthly posts at the moment, so instead, I thought I would take advantage of the excessive number of movies I watched to write some mini-posts from time to time about certain aspects of the films that I saw.

This was a 1955 TV Movie adaptation of The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn. They left out the character of Jim. I couldn’t believe it and even pulled my copy of the book to make sure I wasn’t imagining this character existed in the novel. I’m positive this was because of censorship, but it left me wondering why they even bothered adapting the novel if they were going to omit that character. It basically turns the story into one of a kid who runs away with two con artists that proceed to do shtick for the course of the film. I can only guess that they were desperate to have a movie made for the week and The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn was not only pre-existing, but in the public domain. It’s kind of like when they used Jane Eyre to make I Walked With A Zombie (1941) expect it’s not creative or interesting. Despite seeing this during March of 2019, it stuck with me enough that I thought of it 9 months later.

Lisa Reviews An Oscar Winner: Gentleman’s Agreement (dir by Elia Kazan)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Earlier today, as I was watching the 1947 film, Gentleman’s Agreement, I found myself thinking about a conversation that I had in 2006.

This was when I was in college.  I was having lunch with some friends from one of my classes.  As we were eating, the conversation turned to the war in Iraq.  That, in itself, was not surprising because, in 2006, it seemed like every conversation somehow turned to what was happening in the Middle East.

One of the people with whom I was having lunch was Olivia, self-styled intellectual who fancied herself as the most knowledgeable person on campus.  To be honest, I can’t think of anyone who liked her that much but she had a skill for subtly weaseling her way into almost every conversation.  She was one of those incredibly pretentious types who started every sentence with “Actually….” and who had embraced Marxism with the shallow vapidness of someone who had grown up in Highland Park and who would never have to struggle to pay a bill.

On that day, Olivia announced to us all that the only reason we were in Iraq was because we were doing the bidding of Israeli lobbyists and then she went on to talk about how 9-11 was an inside job.  She repeated the old lie about Jews calling in sick on 9-11 and claimed that five MOSSAD agents were arrested in New York for celebrating after the collapse of the Twin Towers.

After Olivia said this, there was the briefest silence as everyone else tried to figure out how to react.  Finally, someone tried to change the subject by making a joke about our professor.  Realizing the no one was going to openly disagree with Olivia and risk an argument, I said, “That’s not true.”

“What’s not true?” Olivia asked.

“About Jewish people calling in sick on 9-11 and celebrating after the Towers fell.  That’s not true.”

Olivia looked a little bit surprised that she was being openly challenged.  Finally, she said, in a surprisingly sincere tone of voice, “I’m sorry.  I didn’t realize you were Jewish.”

I’m not Jewish.  I’m Irish-Italian-Spanish and pretty much all of my immediate ancestors were Catholic.  But, as far as Olivia was concerned, I had to be Jewish because why else would I object to her repeating an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory?  When she apologized (and, make no mistake, there was not a hint of sarcasm in her tone when she said she was sorry), it wasn’t for being a bigot.  Instead, it was for being a bigot in front of the “wrong” person.  It didn’t occur to her that I was upset because what she said was bullshit.

Anyway, I wish I could say that I threw a drink in Olivia’s face or that I stood up on the table and delivered an impassioned speech but, once again, the other people at the table hastily changed the subject.  Anything to avoid a conflict, I suppose.  That was the last time I ever had a conversation with Olivia.  For the rest of the semester, I ignored her and I felt pretty proud of myself for shunning her.  It’s only been recently that I realized that Olivia also didn’t really make any effort to really talk to me after that conversation.  I shunned her because of her bigotry and I can only assume that she shunned me because of her misconception about my ancestry.

Gentleman’s Agreement is about a Gentile reporter named Phillip Green (Gregory Peck) who, while researching a story about anti-Semitism, poses as a Jew and discovers that the world is full of people like Olivia.  His own fiancee, a self-declared liberal named Kathy (Dorothy McGuire), reacts to Phil’s plan by asking him, “But you’re not really Jewish …. are you?”  By the simple act of telling everyone that his last name is actually “Greenberg,” Phil discovers that he suddenly can’t get a hotel reservation.  People stop returning his calls.  When he and Kathy have an engagement party in a wealthy community in Connecticut, many of Kathy’s friends stay away.  (Kathy, meanwhile, begs Phil to let her tell her family that she’s not actually engaged to a Jew.)  When Phil’s son, Tommy (Dean Stockwell), is harassed at school, Phil is shocked to hear Kathy tell Tommy that he shouldn’t listen to the bullies not because they’re a bunch of bigots but because “you’re not actually Jewish.”

Meanwhile, Phil’s friend, Dave Goldman (John Garfield), has returned from serving in World War II, just to discover that he can’t even rent a home for his family because many landlords refuse to rent to Jews.  When Phil learns that Katy owns a vacant cottage, he suggests that she rent it out to Dave.  Despite her sympathy for Dave, Kathy is shocked at the suggestion.  What will the neighbors think?

Gentleman’s Agreement was produced by Darryl F. Zanuck, who took on the project after he was refused membership in the Los Angeles Country Club because the membership committee assumed that Zanuck was Jewish.  It was considered to be quite a controversial film in 1947, as it not only dealt with American prejudice but it also called out two prominent elected anti-Semites — Sen. Theodore Bilbo and Rep. John E. Rankin — by name.  Zanuck often claimed that the other studio moguls asked him to abandon the project, saying that a film would only inspire more of what it was trying to condemn.  Still, Zanuck stuck with the project and it was not only a box office hit but it also won the Oscar for Best Picture.

Seen today, Gentleman’s Agreement has its flaws.  In the lead role, Gregory Peck is a bit of a stiff and Elia Kazan’s directs in an efficient but bland manner.  Because this film was made in 1947 and a happy ending was a must, Kathy is given a rather convenient opportunity at redemption.  The film’s most compelling performers — John Garfield, Celeste Holm, and June Havoc (playing Phil’s Jewish secretary, who had to change her last name before anyone would even consider hiring her) — are often underused.

And yet, with all that in mind, Gentleman’s Agreement is still a very effective film.  Gentleman’s Agreement understand that there’s more to prejudice than just the morons who go to rallies or the degenerates who shout slurs across the street.  Gentleman’s Agreement understands that, for prejudice to thrive, it also needs people like Kathy or Olivia, people who have that prejudice so ingrained in their system that they don’t even think twice about it and Dorothy McGuire does a very good job of playing a self-satisfied liberal who is blind to her own prejudice.  Gentleman’s Agreement understands that bigotry isn’t just about the openly hateful.  It’s also about the people who silently tolerate it and who refuse to stand up against it.  It’s about the people who respond to prejudice not with outrage but who instead attempt to change the subject.

In the UK, one of the two major political parties has basically surrendered itself to anti-Semitism.  Here in the US, Congress can’t even bring itself to condemn the frequently anti-Semitic comments of two of its members.  Elected leaders and pundits only offer up the weakest of condemnation when Jewish people are viciously attacked in the streets.  When a man attacked a group of Jews on Hanukkah, many excused the man’s attack by trying to say that he was just upset about  gentrification.  For many reasons, Gentleman’s Agreement is still relevant and important today.

What If Lisa Had All The Power: 2019 Edition

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

With the Oscar nominations due to be announced tomorrow, now is the time that the Shattered Lens indulges in a little something called, “What if Lisa had all the power.” Listed below are my personal Oscar nominations. Please note that these are not the films that I necessarily think will be nominated. The fact of the matter is that the many of them will not. Instead, these are the films that would be nominated if I was solely responsible for deciding the nominees this year. Winners are listed in bold.

(You’ll also note that I’ve added four categories, all of which I believe the Academy should adopt — Best Voice-Over Performance, Best Casting, Best Stunt Work, and Best Overall Use Of Music In A Film.)

(Click on the links to see my nominations for 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, and 2010!)

Best Picture

1917
Avengers: Endgame
Crawl
Dolemite Is My Name
Dragged Across Concrete
The Irishman
The Lighthouse
Luce
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Parsite
The Souvenir
Uncut Gems

Best Director

Bong Joon-ho for Parasite
Joanne Hogg for The Souvenir
The Safdie Brothers for Uncut Gems
Martin Scorsese for The Irishman
Quentin Tarantino for Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
S. Craig Zahler for Dragged Across Concrete

Best Actor

Adam Driver in The Report
Zac Efron in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile
Taron Egerton in Rocketman
Eddie Murphy in Dolemite is My Name
Joaquin Phoenix in Joker
Adam Sandler in Uncut Gems

Best Actress

Awkwafina in The Farewell
Jillian Bell in Brittany Runs A Marathon
Jessie Buckley in Wild Rose
Scarlett Johansson in Marriage Story
Julianne Moore in Gloria Bell
Mary Kay Place in Diane

Best Supporting Actor

Tom Burke in The Souvenir
Willem DaFoe in The Lighthouse
Jonathan Majors in The Last Black Man In San Francisco
Al Pacino in The Irishman
Joe Pesci in The Irishman
Brad Pitt in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

Best Supporting Actress

Jennifer Lopez in Hustlers
Anna Paquin in The Irishman
Da’Vine Joy Randolph in Dolemite Is My Name
Zhao Shuzhen in The Farewell
Octavia Spencer in Luce
Margot Robbie in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

Best Voice Over Performance

Kristen Bell in Frozen II
Josh Gad in Frozen II
Tony Hale in Toy Story 4
Tom Hanks in Toy Story 4
Bryce Dallas Howard in A Dog’s Way Home
Hugh Jackman in Missing Link

Best Original Screenplay

Dolemite is My Name
Dragged Across Concrete
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Parasite
The Souvenir
Uncut Gems

Best Adapted Screenplay

Downton Abbey
Hustlers
I Lost My Body
The Irishman
Luce
The Two Popes

Best Animated Feature

Frozen II
How To Train Your Dragon: The Dark World
I Lost My Body
The Lego Movie 2
Missing Link
Toy Story 4

Best Documentary Feature

Apollo 11
The Biggest Little Farm
The Inventor
Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese
Tell Me Who I Am
They Shall Not Grow Old

Best International Feature Film

Atlantics
Everybody Knows
I Lost My Body
Parasite

Best Casting

Diane
Dolemite Is My Name
The Irishman
Luce
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Uncut Gems

Best Cinematography

1917
Ad Astra
The Aeronauts
Dragged Across Concrete
The Lighthouse
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

Best Costume Design

The Aeronauts
Dolemite is My Name
Downton Abbey
Joker
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Rocketman

Best Editing

1917
Apollo 11
Crawl
The Irishman
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Parasite

Best Makeup and Hair-Styling

1917
Dolemite is My Name
Downton Abbey
Joker
Judy
Rocketman

Best Original Score

1917
Apollo 11
Joker
The Lighthouse
Shadowplay
Uncut Gems

Best Original Song

“Swan Song” from Alita: Battle Angel
“Da Bronx” from The Bronx USA
“The Dead Don’t Die” from The Dead Don’t Die
“Catchy Song” from The LEGO Movie 2
“A Glass of Soju”from Parasite
“Glagow” from Wild Rose

Best Overall Use of Music

Hustlers
Joker
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Rocketman
Wild Rose
Yesterday

Best Production Design

Downton Abbey
Dumbo
Escape Room
The Lighthouse
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
The Two Popes

Best Sound Editing

1917
Avengers: Endgame
Crawl
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
Midway
Spider-Man: Far From Home

Best Sound Mixing

1917
Avengers: Endgame
Crawl
Rocketman
Uncut Gems
Yesterday

Best Stuntwork

1917
Avengers: Endgame
Hobbs & Shaw
John Wick 3
Joker
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

Best Visual Effects

Ad Astra
The Aeronauts
Avengers: Endgame
High Life
The Irishman
Spider-Man: Far From Home

List of Films By Nominations:

12 Nominations — Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

8 Nominations — 1917, The Irishman

7 Nominations — Dolemite Is My Name, Uncut Gems

6 Nominations — Joker, The Lighthouse

5 Nominations — Avengers: Endgame, Parasite, Rocketman

4 Nominations — Crawl, Downton Abbey, Dragged Across Concrete, Luce, The Souvenir

3 Nominations — The Aeronauts, Apollo 11, Frozen II, Hustlers, I Lost My Body, Toy Story 4, Wild Rose

2 Nominations — Ad Astra, Diane, The Farewell, The Lego Movie 2, Missing Link, Spider-Man: Far From Home, The Two Popes, Yesterday

1 Nominations — Alita: Battle Angel, Atlantics, The Best Little Farm, Brittany Runs a Marathon, The Bronx USA, The Dead Don’t Die, A Dog’s Way Home, Dumbo, Escape Room, Everybody Knows, Extremely Wicked Shocking Evil and Vile, Gloria Bell, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, High Life, Hobbs & Shaw, How Train Your Dragon: The Forbidden World, John Wick 3, Judy, The Last Black Man In San Francisco, Marriage Story, Midway, The Report, The Rolling Thunder Revue, Shadowplay, Tell Me Who I Am, They Shall Not Grow Old

List of Films by Oscars Won:

1 Oscar — 1917, The Aeronauts, Apollo 11, Avengers: Endgame, Crawl, The Dead Don’t Die, Diane, Doletmite is My Name, Escape Room, Hobbs & Shaw, Hustlers, I Lost My Body, The Irishman, Judy, The Lighthouse, Luce, Missing Link, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Parasite, Rocketman, Shadowplay, The Souvenir, Uncut Gems, Wild Rose