Here’s The Trailer For Avengers: Endgame!

Posted on December 7, 2018 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The trailer for the fourth Avengers movie was released earlier today.

The trailer reveals that:

Thanos did succeed in wiping out 50% of the universe’s population.
Tony Stark is floating around in space.
Thor is feeling depressed.
Thanos is wandering around his new home, perhaps in the nude and maybe suffering from the ennui that often inflicts people who have achieved their lifelong dream too early.
Captain America has a plan. Doesn’t he always?
The Black Widow is still doing the blonde thing.
Clint Barton is now some sort of ninja and Ant-Man made it back from that dimension that he was stranded in at the end of his previous film.
The name of the latest Avengers film is Endgame.

And, to be honest, I think that might be an appropriate title. I loved Infinity War but, after going to the extreme of wiping out 50% of the universe, it’s kind of hard to see how any other film is going to top it. At some point, the MCU bubble is going to pop and, with Chris Evans apparently leaving the role of Captain America after this film, we’ll have to see wait and see what the next phase of the MCU is going to be.

Here’s the trailer!

Snap! Crackle! Pop!: TENSION (MGM 1949)

Posted on December 6, 2018 by gary loggins

cracked rear viewer

The best films noir deal with post-WWII disillusionment, and that’s exactly what drives Richard Basehart’s sad sack Warren Quimby in TENSION. This cynical, downbeat, and downright sordid little tale of infidelity and murder is boosted by first-rate performances from Basehart and scorchingly hot Audrey Totter as his manipulative bimbo of a wife, with a taut screenplay by Allen Rivkin and solid direction by John Berry. It may not make anyone’s top ten list (or even top thirty), but it’s one of those ‘B’ films that really works, provided you’re willing to suspend disbelief for an hour and a half.

Mild mannered pharmacist Quimby met and married Claire while stationed in San Diego during the war. He, like many others, hopes to someday live the American Dream: house, kids, the whole nine yards. Trampy Claire doesn’t give a crap about that; she prefers excitement, the high life. Claire is messing around…

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Some thoughts on the Golden Globe Nominations

Posted on December 6, 2018 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Well, it happens every year.

The precursor season always starts with some unexpected winners and you start to think that maybe some of the year’s best indie films might be able to get some Oscar love. This season, for instance, I was excited to see the attention being given to Eighth Grade and, to a lesser extent, First Reformed. I was also excited to see that A Quiet Place and Black Panther were being remembered.

“Oh my God!” I thought, “Even if we already know that either Green Book or A Star is Born are going to win everything this year, the Oscar nominations could still be interesting!”

And then, as they do every year, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association had to come along and basically fuck everything up. For some reason, the HFPA have become one of the biggest of the precursor awards. Getting nominated for a Golden Globe is considered to be a major step for any Oscar contender. Getting ignored by the Golden Globes is enough to knock a previously strong contender out of the contest. Why is this? I’m not sure. The HFPA is a notorious bunch of star fuckers and it’s pretty much an open secret that almost anyone can buy a Golden Globe nomination if they’ve got enough money. But, for some reason, the annually mediocre Golden Globe nominations carry a lot of weight in Hollywood.

Anyway, this year’s nominations pretty much ignored all of the cool indie films that have come out this year. Elsie Fisher was nominated for Best Actress but otherwise, Eighth Grade was ignored. First Reformed was nominated for nothing. Hereditary was nominated for nothing. I am happy to see that Black Panther was nominated. That’s a step in the right direction in that film’s quest to be the first comic book movie to be nominated for best picture.

I guess what really bugs me is that Vice — a film that I have no desire to see — received the most nominations and is now definitely an Oscar contender. I’ve been told that Vice is even more smug and shallow than The Big Short. And now, I guess I have to see it. AGONY!

Anyway, here are the nominees. (Below are the film nominees. For the TV nominees, click here.)

Best Motion Picture – Drama
Black Panther
BlacKkKlansman
Bohemian Rhapsody
If Beale Streat Could Talk
A Star Is Born

Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical
Crazy Rich Asians
The Favourite
Green Book
Mary Poppins Returns
Vice

Best Director
Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born)
Alfonso Cuaron (Roma)
Peter Farrelly (Green Book)
Spike Lee (BlacKkKlansman)
Adam McKay (Vice)

Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born)
Willem Dafoe (At Eternity’s Gate)
Lucas Hedges (Boy Erased)
Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody)
John David Washington (BlacKkKlansman)

Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
Glenn Close (The Wife)
Lady Gaga (A Star Is Born)
Nicole Kidman (Destroyer)
Melissa McCarthy (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)
Rosamund Pike (A Private War)

Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical
Christian Bale (Vice)
Lin-Manuel Miranda (Mary Poppins Returns)
Viggo Mortensen (Green Book)
Robert Redford (The Old Man & the Gun)
John C. Reilly (Stan & Ollie)

Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical
Emily Blunt (Mary Poppins Returns)
Olivia Colman (The Favourite)
Elsie Fisher (Eighth Grade)
Charlize Theron (Tully)
Constance Wu (Crazy Rich Asians)

Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
Mahershala Ali (Green Book)
Timothée Chalamet (Beautiful Boy)
Adam Driver (BlacKkKlansman)
Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)
Sam Rockwell (Vice)

Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Amy Adams (Vice)
Claire Foy (First Man)
Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk)
Emma Stone (The Favourite)
Rachel Weisz (The Favourite)

Best Screenplay
Alfonso Cuaron (Roma)
Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara (The Favourite)
Barry Jenkins (If Beale Street Could Talk)
Adam McKay (Vice)
Peter Farrelly, Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie (Green Book)

Best Score
Marco Beltrami (A Quiet Place)
Alexandre Desplat (Isle of Dogs)
Ludwig Göransson (Black Panther)
Justin Hurwitz (First Man)
Marc Shaiman (Mary Poppins Returns)

Best Original Song
“All the Stars” (Black Panther)
“Girl in the Movies” (Dumplin’)
“Requiem For A Private War” (A Private War)
“Revelation’ (Boy Erased)
“Shallow” (A Star Is Born)

Best Motion Picture – Animated
Incredibles 2
Isle of Dogs
Mirai
Ralph Breaks the Internet
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language
Capernaum (Lebanon)
Girl (Belgium)
Never Look Away (Germany)
Roma (Mexico)
Shoplifters (Japan)

Brute Farce: Wilder & Pryor Go STIR CRAZY (Columbia 1980)

Posted on December 4, 2018 by gary loggins

cracked rear viewer

Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor weren’t really a comedy team at all, just two incredibly funny comic actors who happened to work well together. Both were stars in their own right, first appearing together in the 1976 comedy-thriller SILVER STREAK, with Pryor in the pivotal supporting role as a thief who aides the in-danger Wilder. Audiences loved the chemistry between the two, and of course Hollywood took notice. STIR CRAZY is not a sequel, but a funny film of its own allowing Gene and Richard to be their loveably loony selves.

New Yorkers Skip Donahue (Wilder) and Harry Monroe (Pryor) are a couple of buds who’ve both lost their jobs. Playwright Skip’s a dreamer, while aspiring actor Harry’s a realist, but somehow Skip talks his pal into leaving The Big Apple to seek fame and fortune in Hollywood. Their cross-country trek ends when Harry’s decrepit Dodge van breaks down in…

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Here’s the AFI’s Top Ten for 2018!

Posted on December 4, 2018 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Earlier, this Tuesday, the American Film Institute announced their picks for the top ten American films and television shows of 2018! The AFI list is typically one of the most reliable Oscar precursors around. It’s rare that an American film picks up a best picture nomination without first getting recognized by the AFI.

(Roma, being a Mexican film, was not eligible for AFI honors but it did receive a “special award.”)

AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR
BLACKKKLANSMAN
BLACK PANTHER
EIGHTH GRADE
IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK
THE FAVOURITE
FIRST REFORMED
GREEN BOOK
MARY POPPINS RETURNS
A QUIET PLACE
A STAR IS BORN

AFI TV PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR
THE AMERICANS
THE ASSASSINATION OF GIANNI VERSACE: AMERICAN CRIME STORY
ATLANTA
BARRY
BETTER CALL SAUL
THE KOMINSKY METHOD
THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL
POSE
SUCCESSION
THIS IS US

AFI SPECIAL AWARD
ROMA

Trailer: Captain Marvel

Posted on December 3, 2018 by Arleigh

Captain Marvel

Tonight we finally get to see the official trailer for Marvel Studio’s upcoming entry to their ever expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe. Just like Marvel Universe-616 which was born at the Big Bang and continues to expand ever outward there doesn’t seem to be any sign of the MCU suddenly collapsing under the weight of fan expectations and the imagination of the writers and filmmakers who have been tapped by Kevin Feige and group to usher in the Golden Age of Comic Book films.

This past summer, fans of the MCU were treated to the spectacle (and surprisingly emotional) that was Avengers: Infinity War. Those who stayed for the final stinger at the end of the credits of that film were treated to a clue as to who may just save the MCU from Thanos’ snap.

Captain Marvel will be Marvel Studio’s first female-led entry to the series. Some have been in the camp that Marvel took too long to do such a project while a small, albeit very vocal group think Marvel have been bit by the SJW bug.

For the most part the majority of fans are just excited to see the adventures of one Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel finally up on the big screen. We shall see this March 8 whether Captain Marvel lives up to the hype and excitement that has been building since the end of Avengers: Infinity War.

The Washington D.C. Film Critics Honor Roma!

Posted on December 3, 2018 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Along with Detroit and Atlanta, the Washington D.C. Film Critics also announced their picks for the best of 2018 on Monday! (Keeping up with awards season can be exhausting work!) They really, really liked Roma!

You can check out their nominees here and the winners below!

Best Film:
Roma

Best Director:
Alfonso Cuarón (Roma)

Best Actor:
Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born)

Best Actress:
Lady Gaga (A Star Is Born)

Best Supporting Actor:
Mahershala Ali (Green Book)

Best Supporting Actress:
Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk)

Best Acting Ensemble:
The Favourite

Best Youth Performance:
Elsie Fisher (Eighth Grade)

Best Voice Performance:
Bryan Cranston (Isle of Dogs)

Best Motion Capture Performance:
Josh Brolin (Avengers: Infinity War)

Best Original Screenplay:
Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara (The Favourite)

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)

Best Animated Feature:
Isle of Dogs

Best Documentary:
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

Best Foreign Language Film:
Roma

Best Production Design:
Production Designer: Hannah Beachler; Set Decorator: Jay Hart (Black Panther)

Best Cinematography:
Alfonso Cuarón (Roma)

Best Editing:
Tom Cross, ACE (First Man)

Best Original Score:
Nicholas Britell (If Beale Street Could Talk)

The Joe Barber Award for Best Portrayal of Washington, DC:
Vice

The Detroit Film Critics Return To Eighth Grade!

Posted on December 3, 2018 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Detroit Film Critics announced their picks for the best in 2018 on Monday. You can check out their nominees here and the winners below!

Best Film Eighth Grade

Best Director Adam McKay, Vice

Best Actress Toni Collette, Hereditary

Best Best Actor Ethan Hawke, First Reformed

Best Supporting Actress Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk

Best Supporting Actor Josh Hamilton, Eighth Grade

EnsembleVice

Best Screenplay [TIE] Green Book and Vice

Best Documentary Film Three Identical Strangers

Best Animated Film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Best Breakthrough Writer/Director Bo Burnham, Eighth Grade

Best Use of Music A Star is Born

The Atlanta Film Critics Circle have a favorite and it’s The Favourite!

Posted on December 3, 2018 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Atlanta Film Critics Circle announced their picks for the best of 2018 on Monday and their favorite was …. The Favourite!

Here’s a full list of the winners:

Top Ten Films

1. THE FAVOURITE
2. A STAR IS BORN
3. ROMA
4. A QUIET PLACE
5. FIRST REFORMED
6. EIGHTH GRADE
7. BLACKkKLANSMAN
8. Tie: FIRST MAN
8. Tie: WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?
10. BLACK PANTHER

Best Lead Actor
Ethan Hawke in FIRST REFORMED

Best Lead Actress
Olivia Colman in THE FAVOURITE

Best Supporting Actor
Sam Elliott in A STAR IS BORN

Best Supporting Actress
Emma Stone in THE FAVOURITE

Best Ensemble Cast
THE FAVOURITE

Best Director
Alfonso Cuarón for ROMA

Best Screenplay
THE FAVOURITE

Best Documentary
WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?

Best Foreign Language Film
ROMA

Best Animated Film
ISLE OF DOGS

Best Cinematography
Alfonso Cuarón for ROMA

Best Original Score
Justin Hurwitz for FIRST MAN

AFCC Special Award for BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMER
Tie: Elsie Fisher (EIGHTH GRADE) and Lady Gaga (A STAR IS BORN)

AFCC Special Award for BEST FIRST FILM
Bradley Cooper for A STAR IS BORN

I Watched Finding Santa

Posted on December 2, 2018 by Dazzling Erin

I will be the first to admit that I’m not as much of an expert on Hallmark Christmas films as some members of my family but I think that I have figured out that general formula. Basically, in every Hallmark Christmas movie, one of the girls from Full House either lives in or returns to a small town where it snows all the time and she falls in love while celebrating the holidays. There is always one person who doesn’t have the holiday spirit but, by the end of the movie, they’re saying “Ho ho ho” and drinking eggnog.

In Finding Santa, it’s Jodie Sweetin’s turn to fall in love during Christmas. She plays Grace, who lives in the town of Green River. From her parents, she inherited an all-year Christmas store and the responsibility for organizing the town’s annual Christmas parade. With the parade’s 50th anniversary approaching, Grace wants everything to be perfect but then the town’s Santa Claus, Tom (Jay Brazeau), slips and breaks his arm. Tom runs a Santa school but he says that none of his students are ready to don the red suit. Tom says that only his son, Ben (Eric Winter), can steer his sleigh. The only problem is that Ben has no Christmas spirit and doesn’t want to be Santa. Grace goes to Boston to try to change his mind.

Finding Santa starts out like a typical Hallmark Christmas film, with Grace loving Christmas and Ben feeling that Grace is making too big a deal about it. The thing that sets Finding Santa apart from other Hallmark movies is that, for once, the Christmas skeptic has a point. Grace does make too big a deal about the Christmas parade and protecting her parent’s legacy. Grace is so obsessed with making everyone else’s holiday season perfect that she forgets to enjoy it herself. Of course, by the end of the movie, both Ben and Grace have fallen in love and learned an important lesson about the true meaning of Christmas. It’s a cute movie that teaches an important lesson about taking time for yourself. Plus, I like the idea that there’s a school where you can get a Santa Claus degree.

Before I watched this movie, I was feeling bad because I overslept and missed our annual Christmas parade this weekend. Getting to see the Green River Christmas Parade in Finding Santa made me feel better, I don’t know the name of the man who plays Santa in our parade but he’s been doing it for years and he always does a great job. He probably graduated at the top of his class from Santa School.