Late Night Retro Television Reviews: Baywatch Nights 1.9 “Blues Boys”

Posted on January 9, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to Late Night Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Tuesdays, I will be reviewing Baywatch Nights, an detective show that ran in Syndication from 1995 to 1997. The entire show is currently streaming on Youtube!

This week, Mitch considers the blues!

Episode 1.9 “Blues Boy”

(Dir by Reza Badiyi, originally aired on November 25th, 1995)

Lyle Logan (Michael Preston) is a 13 year-old musical prodigy who plays a guitar on the Malibu Pier with his guardian, Ned Simon (Greg Wrangler). Seven years earlier, Lyle witnessed the murder of his father by his Uncle Willie (Nathan Cavaleri). Now, Uncle Willie has just been released from prison and he’s searching for Lyle because he believes that Lyle knows where his father stashed the money from a robbery.

Uncle Willie has his men abduct Ned, planning on using him for leverage to get to his nephew. Lyle approaches Mitch and hires the detective agency to track Ned down. However, Mitch, Ryan and Garner are more interested in learning the truth about Lyle’s background. Though Lyle at first refuses to open up and even tries to run away when Mitch asks him about his background, Lyle eventually comes to trust the group. Together, they save Lyle from Uncle Willie. As for the stash of money, it’s in a first aid kit that breaks apart when it’s tossed into the ocean. The money watches up on the beach, where everyone goes crazy trying to grab some for themselves.

This was a pretty simple episode. In fact, it was a struggle to come up with 200 words to say about the plot. There’s not a lot going on, beyond Lyle running up and down the pier and Uncle Willie-looking evil. The only thing that kept this from being an episode of Baywatch was the presence of Angie Harmon and the lack of red bathing suits. In many ways, this episode highlights one of the biggest problems for Baywatch Nights. Far too often, the show just feels like a detective-themed episode of Baywatch (a show that actually did feature several detective-themed episodes both before and after the Baywatch Nights experiment). This episode, for instance, barely features any scenes that take place at night. Mitch does most of his investigating during the day, which is when he really should be working as a lifeguard.

The episode’s inability to escape the shadow of its parent show is exemplified by a scene that occurs about halfway through the episode. We get an extended sequence in which Ryan, Garner, and Mitch listen to Lyle play his guitar and they all have flashbacks to their past. Ryan’s memories deal with being the daughter of a navy officer. Garner remembers tossing a football back and forth with his father. And Mitch …. well, Mitch just has Baywatch flashbacks. It’s one of those silly, overly earnest scenes that one expects to find any production starring David Hasselhoff. (And the montage is, of course, scored by the Hoff singing a song.) Still, it’s hard not to notice that, while Ryan and Garner both have a past, Mitch just has another television show.

The episode ends with Lyle meeting and playing with B.B. King. Hopefully, B.B. adopted the kid. Seriously, he had been through a lot.

Film Review: Aftermath (dir by Jozsef Gallai and Gergö Elekes)

Posted on January 9, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

A woman named Kate (Fruzsina Nagy) drives down a road. We don’t know where she is driving to but we can tell that she’s driving quickly and she’s not in the mood for any delays. It’s the way that someone drives when they’re trying to escape but they’re not sure where they want to go. It’s way you drive when you just want to convince yourself that you can somehow leave everything behind.

We hear what sounds like an accident and suddenly, Kate is waking up in a forest. Her car is nowhere to be seen and Kate has no idea how she came to be in the forest. In fact, she’s not even sure who she was before she woke up. She has no memories of her past life, beyond fleeting visions that don’t always seem to fit together. Eventually, she meets another apparent amnesiac, Bubba (Edward Apeagyei). Bubba wears a locket around his neck and there’s a picture of a woman in the locket but he doesn’t seem to be quite sure who she was.

Bubba and Kate are not alone in the forest. There are other wanderers and then there’s a group of men who appear to be soldiers, wearing crude uniforms and gas masks and carrying machine guns. (The sight of the soldiers, with their crude uniforms, bring to mind the horrific militias that often spring up in the aftermath of a war and attempt to seize power out of the chaos.) Receiving cryptic orders from their leader (Eric Roberts), the soldiers patrol the forest and execute anyone that they come across. Their leader repeatedly tells them that they have to track down and execute everyone because the future of the world depends upon it. Failure is not an option.

Aftermath deals with a very real fear. The idea of suddenly waking up and discovering that you have not only lost your identity but also control over your own fate is at the heart of many horror stories and it’s also a reflection of the way many people feel about living in today’s world. One wrong word, thought, or move and you can find yourself exiled into both a real and metaphorical wilderness. When Kate wakes up with little memory of what the world was like before she ended up in that forest, she’s feeling what a lot of people have felt when they try to remember the world and their lives before the lockdowns of 2020 and all of the political and societal events that followed. We live in a world that seems to change from day to day and, as result, everyone has had that moment when, like Kate, they’ve struggled to understand what’s happening. From the minute that Kate wakes up with the feeling that she has no control over what’s happening to her, she becomes an instantly relatable character. The audience not only wants to know what’s happening to her but they also want her to regain control of her fate. If Kate can regain control, then those watching in the audience can also regain control.

The film’s cinematography emphasizes both the grandeur and the ominous atmosphere of the forest, making it a place that manages to be beautiful and threatening at the same time and the deliberate pace builds up suspense as Kate tries to discover why she is in the forest. Fruzsina Nagy and Edward Apeagyei both give sympathetic and relatable performances as Kate and Bubba and the audience does care what happens to them. Aftermath is both an intriguing thriller and a meditation on life and love.

Aftermath will be released on digital and blu-ray by Bayview Entertainment on January 30th.

Scenes That I Love: Sabata and Banjo’s Duel From Sabata

Posted on January 9, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today would have been Lee Van Cleef’s 99th birthday.

Last year, I reviewed one of Van Cleef’s final projects, a television series called The Master. On the show, Van Cleef played John Peter McAllister, an American ninja. However, Van Cleef was best known for appearing in several Italian spaghetti westerns, where his icy stare and ruthless intelligence were put to good use.

Today’s scene that I love features Van Cleef as the title character in 1969’s Sabata. In this scene, he faces off in a duel with William Berger’s Banjo. Even when he’s playing the good guy, like in this film, Lee Van Cleef leaves no doubt that he’s not someone you want to mess with.

Catching Up With The Films of 2023: Golda (dir by Guy Nattiv)

Posted on January 9, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

In Golda, Helen Mirren stars as Golda Meir, the 4th Prime Minister of Israel and the first woman to lead a government in the Middle East.

The film opens in 1974, with a visibly unwell Golda Meir braving a line of protestors as she testified before a commission that is investigating the events that led to the 19-day Yom Kippur War. Sitting before the members of the commission, Meir lights a cigarette and, as the smoke forms around her, she speaks with a confidence that belies her physical frailness. It’s the first of many cigarettes that we will see Golda Meir smoke throughout this film. While Golda Meir was known for being a chain-smoker in real life, her smoking also plays an important thematic role in the film. Golda Meir is terminally ill throughout the film, secretly undergoing chemotherapy and continually being told that her high-stress job, her cigarettes, and her coffee are not helping her health. Golda, however, knows what she has to do to keep herself focuses and to handle the stress of being the leader of a small country that is surrounded by enemies and for her, that means drinking a lot of coffee and smoking a lot of cigarettes. Much like Israel, she is not going to be told what to do by people who do not understand what she has to deal with on a daily basis. Throughout the film, Golda willingly sacrifices her physical health for Israel, telling her more trusted aide (Camille Cattin) that the only thing that worries her is developing dementia in her old age. A leader who cannot think cannot lead.

The majority of the film takes place in 1973, during the 19-day Yom Kippur War. Israel is caught off-guard by a surprise attack led by Egypt and Syria. Vastly outnumbered, the IDF struggles to repel the invaders. While dealing with not only her own bad health but also the personal and ideological conflicts within her government, Meir also reaches out to the U.S. Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger (Liev Schreiber) for help. Unfortunately, Washington D.C. is more concerned with Watergate than with the latest war in the Middle East and, as Meir quickly deduces, there is also worry that Saudi Arabia will cut off its supply of oil to any country that supports Israel. Though Meir uses a combination of charm and shrewd political gamesmanship to convince Kissinger to put pressure on the Nixon administration, Meir still finds herself being pressured to accept an internationally-brokered ceasefire rather than pursue a strategy of forcing Egypt into negotiations….

Does this sound familiar? A vicious surprise attack is launched on Israel during a holy day. The Israeli Prime Minister, who is loved by some and vilified by others, is accused of not being sufficiently prepared for the attack. Israel is initially isolated from the world, just to be pressured to accept a ceasefire as soon as it starts to prove its resiliency and humiliate its enemies. Golda completed production before the October 7th attacks but the film feels like a direct response to them, a reminder that Israel has always had to fight for its existence and that it has always proven itself to be stronger than its enemies realize.

Much like Darkest Hour, another film about a leader who was underestimated, Golda plays out like a dream of history, with the emphasis being on Golda Meir moving from one meeting to another, somehow managing to hold everything together while the world sometimes seem to be falling apart around her. A good deal of the film’s tension comes from the moments when Golda and her advisors wait to hear whether or not their latest move has been a success. One of the film’s most harrowing scenes features Golda listening over a radio as a group of Israeli volunteers are wiped out by the invading Egyptians. It’s a scene that reiterates the human cost of war, regardless of which side wins. (The film makes good use of historical footage of the war, mixing it with scenes of Golda and her cabinet planning their strategy. Again, it serves to remind the audience that there are real consequences to every decision.) Held together by Mirren’s intelligent and authoritative performance, Golda is a film full of details that stick with you. I’ll always remember the scenes of Golda being led through an underground morgue so that she can secretly be treated for the cancer that is slowly killing her. With each trip, the morgue become more and more filled with bodies.

Though Mirren’s performance was acclaimed, Golda itself opened to mixed reviews. I suppose in today’s political atmosphere, that’s to be expected. After all, Golda is not only a pro-Israel film but it’s also a film that portrays Henry Kissinger as being something other than a one-dimensional Bond villain. For many of today’s very online film reviewers, all of that is heresy. At a time when some so-called educated people are driven to a rage at just the sight of posters of abducted Israeli children, Golda‘s reception is not a surprise. At a time when people are making excuses for terrorists who would attack farmers and concert-goers, a films as otherwise different as You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah and Golda can feel like acts of beautiful cultural defiance.

History repeats itself, Golda tells us. Golda may largely take place in 1973 but, ultimately, it’s a film about 2023 and 2024.

Retro Television Reviews: Fantasy Island 4.8 “Crescendo/Three Feathers”

Posted on January 9, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Tuesdays, I will be reviewing the original Fantasy Island, which ran on ABC from 1977 to 1986. Almost the entire show is currently streaming is on Youtube, Daily Motion, and a few other sites.

This week, we get one good fantasy and one bad fantasy and a reminder that anything can happen on Fantasy Island!

Episode 4.8 “Crescendo/Three Feathers”

(Dir by Michael Preece, originally aired on December 20th, 1980)

This episode confirms that Fantasy Island is the strangest place on Earth.

Our first fantasy features Toni Tennille as a world-famous singer named Susan Lohmann. Susan has been invited meet her favorite composer and songwriter, Edmund Dumont (Monte Markham). Dumont lives in seclusion on Fantasy Island, in an estate that is surrounded by wild animals and where he is tended by a blind butler (James Hong).

Susan is excited to meet Edmund, until she walks in on him playing his piano and discovers that he’s a …. BEAST! Though he has the body of a human, he has the face of a wolf. It turns out that Edmund lives in seclusion because he feels that the world would never accept his appearance. And Susan promptly proves him correct by screaming and demanding to leave. Susan flees the estate.

Susan’s manager is glad that Susan is free because now she can appear in concert in London. However, Mr. Roarke informs Susan that Edmund suffers from a curse and the only thing that could have cured him would have been the love of Susan. Edmund is now determined to die, surrounded by the animals on his estate, the only creatures who accepted him. Susan, realizing that she was a little bit hard on a guy who couldn’t help his appearance, returns to the estate, gives Edmund a kiss, and Edmund turns into a handsome guy. Yay!

So, there’s a huge problem here. Susan Lohmann is incredibly unlikable. Yes, Edmund may look different. But all Edmund did was invited her to his estate so that he could express his appreciation for the way the she sings his songs. Susan claims that Edmund should have told her, in advance, about the way he looked. Yes, Susan, God forbid someone unattractive appreciate your talent or have any talent of his own. Seriously, Susan was the worst.

Slightly more likable is Alan Colshaw (Hugh O’Brian), a pilot who has spent a year feeling like a coward. He was piloting a plane that crashed in the jungle. Alan went for help and, according to the three other passengers (played by Diane Baker, James Wainwright, and Peter Lawford), he never returned and, instead, he ran off with a stash of diamonds that was on the plane. Alan says that he is sure he didn’t intentionally desert them but he can’t remember for sure because he’s been suffering from memory loss.

Mr. Roarke gives Alan a medallion, one that will allow him and the others to see what happened when the plane crashed. As for Alan, he brings along three white feathers, which he plans to give to each of the survivors as a way to symbolize that he’s not the coward that they think he is. (Yes, it doesn’t make much sense to me, either.)

Lena (Diane Baker) is the first to forgive Alan. Alan realizes that he’s in love with Lena and he tells Mr. Roarke that he wants to change his fantasy. He just wants to spend the rest of his life with Lena. Roarke informs Alan that he can’t do that because …. ALAN IS DEAD! He died while trying to get help after the crash. Alan has come back to life for the weekend so that his spirit can find peace.

That’s a pretty neat twist and, to its credit, the show sticks with it. Alan eventually proves that he wasn’t a coward and that another one of the passengers stole the diamonds and then he vanishes into the afterlife.

“Boss,” Tattoo says, “you mean he was a …. g-g-ghost!?”

“Oh, Tattoo!” Roarke snaps, “Please do not tell me that you are prejudiced!”

Fantasy Island may be a strange place but some things — like Roarke passive aggressively attacking Tattoo — never change.

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Ulu Grosbard Edition

Posted on January 9, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

4 Or More Shots From 4 Or More Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!

Today, on what would have been his 95 birthday, we pay tribute to director Ulu Grobsard with….

4 Shots From 4 Ulu Grosbard Films

The Subject Was Roses (1968, dir by Ulu Grosbard, DP: Jack Priestley)

Straight Time (1978, dir by Ulu Grosbard, DP: Owen Roizman)

True Confessions (1981, dir by Ulu Grosbard, DP: Owen Roizman)

Georgia (1995, dir by Ulu Grosbard, DP: Jan Kiesser)

The Seattle Film Critics Society Honors Past Lives!

Posted on January 9, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Seattle Film Critics Society has announced its picks for the best of 2023!

Best Picture
American Fiction – Cord Jefferson
Barbie – Greta Gerwig
The Holdovers – Alexander Payne
Killers of the Flower Moon – Martin Scorsese
May December – Todd Haynes
Oppenheimer – Christopher Nolan
Past Lives – Celine Song
Poor Things – Yorgos Lanthimos
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson
The Zone of Interest – Jonathan Glazer

Director
Greta Gerwig – Barbie
Yorgos Lanthimos – Poor Things
Christopher Nolan – Oppenheimer
Martin Scorsese – Killers of the Flower Moon
Celine Song – Past Lives

Lead Actor
Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers
Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer
Andrew Scott – All of Us Strangers
Jeffrey Wright – American Fiction
Kôji Yakusho – Perfect Days

Lead Actress
Lily Gladstone – Killers of the Flower Moon
Sandra Hüller – Anatomy of a Fall
Greta Lee – Past Lives
Margot Robbie – Barbie
Emma Stone – Poor Things

Supporting Actor
Sterling K. Brown – American Fiction
Robert De Niro – Killers of the Flower Moon
Ryan Gosling – Barbie
Charles Melton – May December
Mark Ruffalo – Poor Things

Supporting Actress
Danielle Brooks – The Color Purple
Penélope Cruz – Ferrari
Sandra Hüller – The Zone of Interest
Rachel McAdams – Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers

Ensemble Cast
Asteroid City – Douglas Aibel
Barbie – Lucy Bevan, Allison Jones, Oscar Koç
The Holdovers – Susan Shopmaker
Killers of the Flower Moon – Ellen Lewis, Rene Haynes, Kate Sprance, Elise Buedel
Oppenheimer – John Papsidera

Screenplay
American Fiction – Cord Jefferson
The Holdovers – David Hemingson
May December – Samy Burch
Past Lives – Celine Song
Poor Things – Tony McNamara

Documentary Film
20 Days in Mariupol – Mstyslav Chernov
Beyond Utopia – Madeleine Gavin
Even Hell Has Its Heroes – Clyde Petersen
Menus-Plaisirs — Les Troisgros – Frederick Wiseman
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie – Davis Guggenheim

International Film
Anatomy of a Fall – Justine Triet
The Boy and the Heron – Hayao Miyazaki
Godzilla Minus One – Takashi Yamazaki
Monster – Hirokazu Kore-eda
The Zone of Interest – Jonathan Glazer

Animated Film
The Boy and the Heron – Hayao Miyazaki
Nimona – Nick Bruno & Troy Quane
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson
Suzume – Makoto Shinkai
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem – Jeff Rowe

Cinematography
The Creator – Greig Fraser, Oren Soffer
Killers of the Flower Moon – Rodrigo Pietro
Oppenheimer – Hoyte van Hoytema
Poor Things – Robbie Ryan
The Zone of Interest – Łukasz Żal

Costume Design
Barbie – Jacqueline Durran
Killers of the Flower Moon – Jacqueline West
Napoleon – Janty Yates, David Crossman
Poor Things – Holly Waddington
Priscilla – Stacey Battat

Editing
Killers of the Flower Moon – Thelma Schoonmaker
Oppenheimer – Jennifer Lame
Past Lives – Keith Fraase
Poor Things – Yorgos Mavropsaridis
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – Michael Andrews

Original Score
Killers of the Flower Moon – Robbie Robertson
Oppenheimer – Ludwig Göransson
Poor Things – Jerskin Fendrix
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – Daniel Pemberton
The Zone of Interest – Mica Levi

Production Design
Barbie – Sarah Greenwood (production designer), Katie Spencer (set decorator)
Killers of the Flower Moon – Jack Fisk
Oppenheimer – Ruth De Jong (production designer), Claire Kaufman (set decorator)
Poor Things – Shona Heath, James Price (production designers), James Price (set decorator)
Wonka – Nathan Crowley (production designer), Lee Sandales (set decorator)

Visual Effects
The Creator – Jay Cooper, Ian Comley, Andrew Roberts, Neil Corbould
Godzilla Minus One – Takashi Yamazaki, Kiyoko Shibuya
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – Stephane Ceretti, Alexis Wajsbrot, Guy Williams, Theo Bialek
Oppenheimer – Andrew Jackson, Giacomo Mineo, Scott Fisher, Dave Drzewiecki
Poor Things – Simon Hughes

Action Choreography
Godzilla Minus One – Takashi Yamazaki
The Iron Claw – Hiro Koda
John Wick: Chapter 4 – Stephen Dunlevy, Laurent Demianoff, Ralf Haeger, James M. Halty, Scott Rogers
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One – Wade Eastwood (stunt coordinator), Rudolf Vrba (fight coordinator)
Sisu – Oula Kitti (fight coordinator)

Youth Performance
Amie Donald – M3GAN
Abby Ryder Fortson – Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
Ariana Greenblatt – Barbie
Sōya Kurokawa – Monster
Milo Machado Graner – Anatomy of a Fall

Villain of the Year
Gabi Bauer – Infinity Pool (as portrayed by Mia Goth)
Godzilla – Godzilla Minus One
The Patriarchy (as represented by the Kens) – Barbie
M3GAN – M3GAN (as portrayed by Jenna Davis and Amie Donald)
William “King” Hale – Killers of the Flower Moon (as portrayed by Robert De Niro)

Pacific Northwest Film
Dreamin’ Wild – Bill Pohlad
Even Hell Has Its Heroes – Clyde Petersen
Fantasy A Gets A Mattress – David Norman Lewis, Noah Zoltan Sofian
Richland – Irene Lusztig
Showing Up – Kelly Reichardt

Here Are The 2023 Nominations Of The Chicago Indie Critics!

Posted on January 9, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Chicago Indie Critics have announced their nominations for the best of 2023 and here they are!

The winners will be announced on January 20th!

BEST INDEPENDENT FILM
All of Us Strangers – Producers: Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, and Sarah Harvey
Anatomy of a Fall – Producers: Marie-Ange Luciani and David Thion
The Iron Claw – Producers: Sean Durkin, Tessa Ross, Angus Lamont, Derrin Schlesinger, and Juliette Howell
Past Lives – Producers: Christine Vachon, Pamela Koffler, and David Hinojosa
The Zone of Interest – Producers: James Wilson and Ewa Puszczyńska

BEST STUDIO FILM
Barbie – Producers: David Heyman, Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley, and Robbie Brenner
The Holdovers – Producers: Mark Johnson, Bill Block, and David Hemingson
Oppenheimer – Producers: Christopher Nolan, Charles Roven, and Emma Thomas
Poor Things – Producers: Yorgos Lanthimos, Emma Stone, Andrew Lowe, and Ed Guiney
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – Producers: Phil Lord, Chris Miller, Avi Arad, Amy Pascal, and Christina Steinberg

BEST FOREIGN FILM
Anatomy of a Fall – Producers: Marie-Ange Luciani and David Thion
The Boy and the Heron – Producer: Toshio Suzuki
Godzilla Minus One – Producers: Kenji Yamada, Kazuaki Kishida, Minami Ichikawa, and Keiichiro Moriya
When Evil Lurks – Producers: Roxanna Ramos and Fernando Diaz
The Zone of Interest – Producers: James Wilson and Ewa Puszczyńska

BEST DOCUMENTARY
American Symphony – Producers: Matthew Heineman, Lauren Domino, and Joedan Okun
The Disappearance of Shere Hite – Producers: R.J. Cutler, Kimberly Ferdinando, Nicole Newnham, Molly O’Brien, Elise Pearlstein, and Trevor Smith
Silver Dollar Road – Producers: Raoul Peck, Blair Foster, Rémi Grellety, and Hebert Peck
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie – Producers: Davis Guggenheim, Annetta Marion, Jonathan King, and Will Cohen
20 Days in Mariupol – Producers: Raney Aronson-Rath, Mstyslav Chernov, Derl McCrudden, and Michelle Mizner

BEST ANIMATED FILM
The Boy and the Heron – Producer: Toshio Suzuki
Elemental – Producer: Denise Ream
Nimona – Producers: Karen Ryan, Julie Zackary, and Roy Lee
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – Producers: Phil Lord, Chris Miller, Avi Arad, Amy Pascal, and Christina Steinberg
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem – Producers: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and James Weaver

BEST DIRECTOR
Greta Gerwig – Barbie
Alexander Payne – The Holdovers
Bradley Cooper – Maestro
Christopher Nolan – Oppenheimer
Celine Song – Past Lives

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Anatomy of a Fall – Justine Triet and Arthur Harari
Barbie – Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach
The Holdovers – David Hemingson
The Iron Claw – Sean Durkin
Past Lives – Celine Song

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
American Fiction – Cord Jefferson
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. – Kelly Fremon Craig
Killers of the Flower Moon – Eric Roth and Martin Scorsese
Oppenheimer – Christopher Nolan
Poor Things – Tony McNamara

BEST ACTOR
Jeffrey Wright – American Fiction
Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers
Bradley Cooper – Maestro
Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer
Teo Yoo – Past Lives

BEST ACTRESS
Sandra Hüller – Anatomy of a Fall
Lily Gladstone – Killers of the Flower Moon
Carey Mulligan – Maestro
Greta Lee – Past Lives
Emma Stone – Poor Things

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Ryan Gosling – Barbie
Glenn Howerton – BlackBerry
Dominic Sessa – The Holdovers
Charles Melton – May December
Robert Downey Jr. – Oppenheimer

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Rachel McAdams – Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
America Ferrera – Barbie
Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers
Julianne Moore – May December
Emily Blunt – Oppenheimer

BEST ENSEMBLE
American Fiction – Casting director: Jennifer Euston
Asteroid City – Casting director: Douglas Aibel
The Holdovers – Casting director: Susan Shopmaker
Oppenheimer – Casting director: John Papsidera
Poor Things – Casting director: Dixie Chassey

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Barbie – Rodrigo Prieto
Killers of the Flower Moon – Rodrigo Prieto
Oppenheimer – Hoyte van Hoytema
Poor Things – Robbie Ryan
The Zone of Interest – Łukasz Żal

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Barbie – Susan Greenwood and Katie Spencer
The Color Purple – Paul Denham Austerberry and Larry Dias
Killers of the Flower Moon – Jack Fisk
Oppenheimer – Ruth De Jong
Poor Things – Shona Heath and James Price

BEST COSTUMES
Barbie – Jacqueline Durran
The Color Purple – Francine Jamison-Tanchuck
Killers of the Flower Moon – Jacqueline West
Poor Things – Holly Waddington
Priscilla – Stacey Battat
Wonka – Lindy Hemming

BEST MAKEUP
Barbie – Ivana Primorac
The Iron Claw – Natalie Shea Rose and Elle Favorule
Maestro – Kazu Hiro, Sian Grigg, Kay Georgiou, Lori McCoy-Bell
Poor Things – Nadia Stacey, Mark Couler, and Josh Weston
Priscilla – Jo-Ann MacNeil and Cliona Furey

BEST EDITING
The Holdovers – Kevin Tent
The Iron Claw – Matthew Hannam
Oppenheimer – Jennifer Lame
Poor Things – Yorgos Mavropsaridis
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – Michael Andrews

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Barbie – Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt
The Boy and the Heron – Joe Hisaishi
Killers of the Flower Moon – Robbie Robertson
Oppenheimer – Ludwig Göransson
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – Daniel Pemberton

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“I’m Just Ken” – Barbie – Written by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt
“What Was I Made For?” – Barbie – Written by Billie Eilish O’Connell and Finneas O’Connell
“Keep It Movin’” – The Color Purple – Written by Halle Bailey, Denisia Andrews, Brittany Coney, and Morten Ristorp
“Peaches” – The Super Mario Bros. Movie – Written by Jack Black, Aaron Horvath, and Michael Jelenic
“A World of Your Own” – Wonka – Written by Neil Hannon, Simon Faraby, and Paul King

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
The Creator – Jay Cooper, Ian Comley, Andrew Roberts, and Neil Corbould
Godzilla Minus One – Kiyoko Shibuya and Takashi Yamazaki
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – Stephane Ceretti, Alexis Wajsbrot, Guy Williams, and Dan Sudick
Oppenheimer – Andrew Jackson, Giacomo Mineo, Scott Fisher, and Dave Drzewiecki
Poor Things – Simon Hughes

BEST STUNTS
The Iron Claw – Hiro Koda and Chavo Guerrero Jr.
John Wick: Chapter 4 – Stephen Dunleavy, Scott Rogers, and Jeremy Marinas
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One – Wade Eastwood and Rudolf Vrba
Polite Society – Crispin Layfield and Rob Lock
Sisu – Oula Kitti

BREAKOUT ARTIST
Charles Melton
Dominic Sessa
Cailee Spaeny
Celine Song
Sophie Wilde

SIGHT UNSEEN AWARD
Helen Mirren – Barbie
Bradley Cooper – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Oscar Isaac – Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Hailee Steinfeld – Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Jack Black – The Super Mario Bros. Movie

IMPACT AWARD
Local award given to individuals who have made a positive impact on Chicago cinema
Rebecca Fons – Gene Siskel Film Center
Dann Gire and Raymond Benson – “Dan and Raymond Movie Club”
Morgan Harris – Acacia Media Group
Katie Rife, Will Morris, and Ryan Oestreich – Music Box Theatre programming
Dennis Scott – Music Box Theatre organist

Here Are The 2023 Nominations of the Music City Film Critics Association!

Posted on January 9, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Music City Film Critics Association — that’s the Nashville group — has announced their nominations for the best of 2023! The winners will be announced on January 15th.

Best Picture
American Fiction
Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Past Lives
Poor Things
The Color Purple
The Holdovers
The Iron Claw
The Zone of Interest

Best Director
Alexander Payne – The Holdovers
Celine Song – Past Lives
Christopher Nolan – Oppenheimer
Greta Gerwig – Barbie
Martin Scorsese – Killers of the Flower Moon

Best Actress
Emma Stone – Poor Things
Greta Lee – Past Lives
Lily Gladstone – Killers of the Flower Moon
Margot Robbie – Barbie
Sandra Hüller – Anatomy of a Fall

Best Actor
Bradley Cooper – Maestro
Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer
Jeffrey Wright – American Fiction
Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers
Zac Efron – The Iron Claw

Best Supporting Actress
Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers
Danielle Brooks – The Color Purple
Emily Blunt – Oppenheimer
Penelope Cruz – Ferrari
Rachel McAdams – Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.

Best Supporting Actor
Charles Melton – May December
Glenn Howerton – BlackBerry
Robert De Niro – Killers of the Flower Moon
Robert Downey Jr. – Oppenheimer
Ryan Gosling – Barbie

Best Young Actress
Abby Ryder Fortson – Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
Ariana Greenblatt – Barbie
Calah Lane – Wonka
Madeleine Yuna Voyles – The Creator
Mile Davis-Kent – Creed III

Best Young Actor
Christian Convery – Cocaine Bear
Dominic Sessa – The Holdovers
Joe Bird – Talk to Me
Jude Hill – A Haunting in Venice
Milo Machado Graner – Anatomy of a Fall

Best Acting Ensemble
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
The Color Purple
The Holdovers
The Iron Claw

Best Music Film
American Symphony
Barbie
Maestro
The Color Purple
Wonka

Best Animated Film
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
Elemental
Robot Dreams
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
The Boy and the Heron

Best Documentary
20 Days in Mariupol
American Symphony
Beyond Utopia
Four Daughters
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie

Best International Film
Anatomy of a Fall
Godzilla Minus One
Society of the Snow
The Zone of Interest
When Evil Lurks

Best Screenplay
American Fiction
Barbie
Oppenheimer
Past Lives
The Holdovers

Best Original Song
“I’m Just Ken” Ryan Gosling – Barbie
“Live That Way Forever” Richard Reed Parry, Little Scream, Barr Brothers – The Iron Claw
“Peaches” Jack Black – The Super Mario Bros. Movie
“Road to Freedom” Lenny Kravitz – Rustin
“What Was I Made For?” Billie Eilish – Barbie

Best Score
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
The Boy and the Heron

Best Sound
Ferrari
Maestro
Oppenheimer
The Killer
The Zone of Interest

Best Cinematography
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Past Lives
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest

Best Production Design
Asteroid City
Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

Best Editing
Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

Best Comedy Film
American Fiction
Barbie
Bottoms
The Holdovers
Poor Things

Best Horror Film
M3GAN
Scream VI
Talk to Me
Thanksgiving
When Evil Lurks

Best Action Film
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Godzilla Minus One
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
John Wick: Chapter 4
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

Best Stunt Work
Bottoms
Ferrari
John Wick: Chapter 4
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
The Iron Claw

The Jim Ridley Award
The Jim Ridley Award is named after the late, great Nashville Scene editor/writer where our critics group selects a film or individual that embodies the spirit of Nashville.
All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt
Beau is Afraid
Menus-Plaisirs Les Proisgros
Poor Things
Slotherhouse
The Boy and the Heron

Here Are The 2023 Nominations of the North Dakota Film Society!

Posted on January 9, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Yesterday, the North Dakota Film Society announced it’s nominees for the best of 2023!

The winners will be announced on January 15th!

Best Picture
ANATOMY OF A FALL – Marie-Ange Luciani, David Thion (Neon)
MAY DECEMBER – Jessica Elbaum, Will Ferrell, Grant S. Johnson, Pamela Koffler, Tyler W. Konney, Sophie Mas, Natalie Portman, Christine Vachon (Netflix)
OPPENHEIMER – Emma Thomas, Charles Roven, Christopher Nolan (Universal Pictures)
PAST LIVES – David Hinojosa, Pamela Koffler, Christine Vachon (A24)
POOR THINGS – Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Yorgos Lanthimos, Emma Stone (Searchlight Pictures)

Best Director
Yorgos Lanthimos – POOR THINGS (Searchlight Pictures)
Christopher Nolan – OPPENHEIMER (Universal Pictures)
Alexander Payne – THE HOLDOVERS (Focus Features)
Martin Scorsese – KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON (Apple Original Films)
Celine Song – PAST LIVES (A24)

Best Actress
Lily Gladstone – KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON (Apple Original Films)
Sandra Hüller – ANATOMY OF A FALL (Neon)
Greta Lee – PAST LIVES (A24)
Natalie Portman – MAY DECEMBER (Netflix)
Emma Stone – POOR THINGS (Searchlight Pictures)

Best Actor
Bradley Cooper – MAESTRO (Netflix)
Paul Giamatti – THE HOLDOVERS (Focus Features)
Cillian Murphy – OPPENHEIMER (Universal Pictures)
Andrew Scott – ALL OF US STRANGERS (Searchlight Pictures)
Teo Yoo – PAST LIVES (A24)

Best Supporting Actress
Emily Blunt – OPPENHEIMER (Universal Pictures)
Danielle Brooks – THE COLOR PURPLE (Warner Bros.)
Sandra Hüller – THE ZONE OF INTEREST (A24)
Julianne Moore – MAY DECEMBER (Netflix)
Da’Vine Joy Randolph – THE HOLDOVERS (Focus Features)

Best Supporting Actor
Robert Downey Jr. – OPPENHEIMER (Universal Pictures)
Ryan Gosling – BARBIE (Warner Bros.)
Charles Melton – MAY DECEMBER (Netflix)
Paul Mescal – ALL OF US STRANGERS (Searchlight Pictures)
Mark Ruffalo – POOR THINGS (Searchlight Pictures)

Best Screenplay
ANATOMY OF A FALL – Justine Triet, Arthur Harari (Neon)
THE HOLDOVERS – David Hemingson (Focus Features)
MAY DECEMBER – Samy Burch, Alex Mechanik (Netflix)
PAST LIVES – Celine Song (A24)
POOR THINGS – Alasdair Gray, Tony McNamara (Searchlight Pictures)

Best Cinematography
BARBIE – Rodrigo Prieto (Warner Bros.)
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON – Rodrigo Prieto (Apple Original Films)
OPPENHEIMER – Hoyte van Hoytema (Universal Pictures)
POOR THINGS – Robbie Ryan (Searchlight Pictures)
THE ZONE OF INTEREST – Łukasz Żal (A24)

Best Costume Design
ASTEROID CITY – Milena Canonero (Focus Features)
BARBIE – Jacqueline Durran (Warner Bros.)
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON – Jacqueline West (Apple Original Films)
OPPENHEIMER – Ellen Mirojnick (Universal Pictures)
POOR THINGS – Holly Waddington (Searchlight Pictures)

Best Film Editing
ANATOMY OF A FALL – Laurent Sénéchal (Neon)
MAESTRO – Michelle Tesoro (Netflix)
OPPENHEIMER – Jennifer Lame (Universal Pictures)
POOR THINGS – Yorgos Mavropsaridis (Searchlight Pictures)
THE ZONE OF INTEREST – Paul Watts (A24)

Best Makeup & Hairstyling
BARBIE – Ivana Primorac (Warner Bros.)
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON – Thomas Nellen, Siân Grigg, Kay Georgiou (Apple Original Films)
MAESTRO – Kazu Hiro, Siân Grigg, Kay Georgiou, Lori McCoy-Bell (Netflix)
OPPENHEIMER – Luisa Abel, Jason Hamer, Jaime Leigh McIntosh, Ahou Mofid (Universal Pictures)
POOR THINGS – Nadia Stacey, Mark Couler, Josh Weston (Searchlight Pictures)

Best Original Score
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON – Robbie Robertson (Apple Original Films)
OPPENHEIMER – Ludwig Göransson (Universal Pictures)
POOR THINGS – Jerskin Fendrix (Searchlight Pictures)
SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE – Daniel Pemberton (Sony Pictures)
THE ZONE OF INTEREST – Mica Levi (A24)

Best Original Song
AMERICAN SYMPHONY – ”It Never Went Away” – Jon Batiste, Dan Wilson (Netflix)
ASTEROID CITY – ”Dear Alien (Who Art In Heaven)” – Wes Anderson, Jarvis Cocker, Richard Hawley (Focus Features)
BARBIE – ”I’m Just Ken” – Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt (Warner Bros.)
BARBIE – ”What Was I Made For?” – Billie Eilish, Finneas (Warner Bros.)
PAST LIVES – ”Quiet Eyes” – Zach Dawes, Sharon Von Etten (A24)

Best Production Design
ASTEROID CITY – Adam Stockhausen, Kris Moran (Focus Features)
BARBIE – Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer (Warner Bros.)
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON – Jack Fisk, Adam Willis (Apple Original Films)
OPPENHEIMER – Ruth De Jong, Claire Kaufman (Universal Pictures)
POOR THINGS – Shona Heath, James Price, Szusza Mihalek (Searchlight Pictures)

Best Sound
ANATOMY OF A FALL – Olivier Goinard, Fanny Martin, Julien Sicart (Neon)
FERRARI – Tony Lamberti, Andy Nelson, Lee Orloff, Bernard Weiser (Neon)
MAESTRO – Richard King, Jason Ruder, Tom Ozanich, Dean Zupancic, Steve Morrow (Netflix)
OPPENHEIMER – Richard King, Gary A. Rizzo, Kevin O’Connell, Willie Burton (Universal Pictures)
THE ZONE OF INTEREST – Johnnie Burn, Tarn Willers (A24)

Best Visual Effects
THE CREATOR – Jay Cooper, Ian Comley, Andrew Roberts, Neil Corbould (20th Century Studios)
GODZILLA MINUS ONE – Kiyoko Shibuya, Takashi Yamazaki (Toho)
OPPENHEIMER – Andrew Jackson, Giacomo Mineo, Scott R. Fisher, David Drzewiecki (Universal Pictures)
POOR THINGS – Simon Hughes (Searchlight Pictures)
SOCIETY OF THE SNOW – Félix Bergés, Laura Pedro (Netflix)

Best Animated Feature
THE BOY AND THE HERON – Hayao Miyazaki, Toshio Suzuki (GKIDS)
ELEMENTAL – Peter Sohn, Denise Ream (Pixar)
ROBOT DREAMS – Pablo Berger, Ibon Cormenzana, Ignasi Estapé, Sandra Tapia Díaz, Angel Durández (Neon)
NIMONA – Nick Bruno, Troy Quane, Roy Lee, Karen Ann Ryan (Netflix)
SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE – Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson, Avi Arad, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Amy Pascal, Christina Steinberg (Sony Pictures)

Best Documentary Feature
20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL – Mstyslav Chernov, Derl McCrudden, Michelle Mizner (PBS)
AMERICAN SYMPHONY – Matthew Heineman, Lauren Domino, Joedan Okun (Netflix)
APOLONIA, APOLONIA – Lea Glob, Sidsel Lønvig Siersted (CAT & Docs)
BEYOND UTOPIA – Madeleine Gavin, Rachel Cohen, Jana Edelbaum, Sue Mi Terry (Roadside Attractions)
FOUR DAUGHTERS – Kaouther Ben Hania, Nadim Cheikhrouha, Martin Hampel (Kino Lorber)

Best International Feature
ANATOMY OF A FALL – France (Neon)
FALLEN LEAVES – Finland (Mubi)
SOCIETY OF THE SNOW – Spain (Netflix)
THE TASTE OF THINGS – France (IFC Films)
THE ZONE OF INTEREST – United Kingdom (A24)