Tag Archives: Carol Kane

Retro Television Review: The American Short Story #17: The Greatest Man In The World

Posted on 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 Saturdays, I will be reviewing The American Short Story, which ran semi-regularly on PBS in 1974 to 1981.  The entire show can be purchased on Prime and found on YouTube and Tubi.

This week, The American Short Story comes to a close.

Episode #17: The Greatest Man In The World

(Dir by Ralph Rosenbaum, originally aired in 1981)

In this adaptation of a James Thurber short story, a country boy named Jack Smurch (Brad Davis) briefly becomes a celebrity when he breaks Charles Lindbergh’s record for flying nostop around the world.  Two reporters (Reed Birney and John McMartin) are assigned to write a glowing profile of him.  The U.S. Secretary of State (William Prince) wants to make him a symbol of America.  The only problem is that Smurch himself is a violent and dull-minded habitual criminal who can barely fly his plane and who almost crashes when he comes in for a landing at the end of his flight.  Before he took off in his plane, the only person who cared about Smurch was his girlfriend (Carol Kane).  Even Smurch’s own mother says that she hopes that he crashes and drowns.  But once he manages to land, Smurch becomes a hero.  As the saying goes, print the legend.

Smurch, unfortunately, isn’t smart enough to play along with the hero routine.  At a meeting with the Secretary of State and the President (who is implied to be FDR), Smurch proves to be so obnoxious that he’s tossed out of a window.  He plunges to his death but he dies an American hero.

The final episode of The American Short Story was also the best, a wonderfully dark satire on the media and our cultural need for heroes.  Brad Davis’s naturally obnoxious screen presence — the same presence that made audiences enjoy seeing him get tortured in Midnight Express — is put to good use here.  Jack Smurch is such a jerk that you really can’t blame anyone for tossing him out that window.  If nothing else, it got him to stop talking.

The American Short Story was, overall, an uneven series.  Too often, the episodes failed to really capture the tone and style that made the original stories so memorable.  That said, there were a few good episodes, like this one.  If nothing else, perhaps this series inspired people to read the original stories for themselves.  That would have been the best possible outcome.

Next week …. something new will premiere in the time slot!  What will it be?  I’ll give you a clue — it’s set on the beach but it’s not Pacific Blue.  Let’s just say that some people stand in the darkness….

Film Review: Carnal Knowledge (dir by Mike Nichols)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

First released in 1971, Carnal Knowledge is the story of two friends, Jonathan (Jack Nicholson) and Sandy (Art Garfunkel).

Jonathan and Sandy meet in the late 40s, when they’re both assigned to be roommates at Amherst College.  They’re both smart, handsome, and obviously from well-off families.  They both believe that they have a wonderful future ahead of them and why shouldn’t they?  World War II is over.  America is the leader of the world and Jonathan and Sandy both appear to be future leaders of America.  Sandy is shy and sensitive.  When he meets Susan (Candice Bergen), he struggles to talk to her and when they date, he doesn’t know how far he should go with her.  (When he tells Jonathan about getting a hand job from her, it’s obvious that Sandy didn’t previously realize such a thing was possible.)  Jonathan, on the other hand, is confident and aggressive.  He can be a braggart and he can be insensitive but there’s something undeniably attractive about someone who knows what he wants and is determined to get it.  Soon, Susan finds herself torn between the two roommates, though Sandy is clueless that Jonathan is even interested in her.

Carnal Knowledge is divided into three separate parts, each taking place in a different decade and each shot in its own individual style.  (The film was written by playwright Jules Feiffer and the script does very much feel like a three-act play.)  As a character, Susan disappears after the first act but her relationship with Jonathan and Sandy haunts every bit of the second and third acts.  By the end of the film, Sandy is no longer sensitive and Jonathan is no longer virile and one can’t help but feel that Susan, wherever she may be, is definitely better off without either one of them.

The second act is dominated by Jonathan’s relationship with Bobbie, played by Ann-Margaret.  Bobbie is beautiful and heart-breakingly insecure.  Her relationship with Jonathan starts with a dash of romance and then quickly becomes a trap for both of them.  Jonathan is not ready (or mature enough) to settle down.  Bobbie is desperate for him to marry her and willing to go to extremes to make that happen.  The scenes where Jonathan and Bobbie fight are some of the most powerful in the film, with both Nicholson and Ann-Margaret giving the viewer raw and honest portrayals of two insecure people who are totally wrong for each other but also incapable of getting away from each other.

By the time the third act comes around, Jonathan has been reduced to paranoid ruminations about “ball-breakers” and can only get it up when he’s feeling like he’s the one in power.  (Rita Moreno has a cameo as a very patient prostitute.)  Meanwhile, middle-aged Sandy is dating an 18 year-old (Carol Kane) and clearly trying to live the free-spirited youth that he never had.  Who is more pathetic?  Jonathan, who bitterly realizes he’s never going to be young again, or Sandy, who is trying to deny the fact that he’s getting older?

Carnal Knowledge is a dark film and indeed, it sometimes feels like it’s a bit too dark for its own good.  Even the worst people occasionally have a laugh.  The script is full of sharp lines and the characters are interesting, even if they are for the most part unlikable.  Still, there’s a staginess to the film’s narrative and director Mike Nichols never quite breaks free from it.  That said, I still highly recommend this film.  Not only is it a portrait of a culture-in-transition but it also features some wonderful performances, especially from Ann-Margaret and Jack Nicholson.  (In most ways, Jonathan is definitely worse than Sandy but we still have more sympathy for Jonathan because Jack Nicholson is a considerably better actor than Art Garfunkel.)  Ann-Margaret honestly portrays the heart-breaking insecurity that comes from being repeatedly told that you have nothing but your looks to offer.  Meanwhile, Nicholson throws himself into playing the charismatic but immature Jonathan.  We may not like Jonathan but we do, in the end, understand why he’s become the person that he has.  It takes a certain amount of courage to play a character like Jonathan and, in this film, Nicholson shows every bit of that courage.

The Last Detail (1973, directed by Hal Ashby)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

Billy “Badass” Buddusky (Jack Nicholson) and Richard Mulhall (Otis Young) are two Navy lifers stationed in Virginia.  On shore patrol, they’ve been assigned to transport a 18 year-old seaman to a Naval prison in Maine.  The kid has been dishonorably discharged and sentenced to eight years in the brig for trying to steal $40 from a charity box.  (The charity was a favorite of the wife of his commanding officer.)  Buddusky and Mulhall are expecting to find a hardened punk but instead, they end up escorting Larry Meadows (Randy Quaid), a timid teenager who suffers from kleptomania and who doesn’t seem to understand just how bad things are going to be for him for the rest of his life.  Not only is he going to do eight years in the brig, surrounded by hardened criminals, but his dishonorable discharge is going to follow him for the rest of his life.

Resenting having to take Meadows to prison and also feeling that he’s getting a raw deal, Buddusky and Mulhall decide to make a few stops on their way to Maine, so that Larry can enjoy what little time he has left and hopefully lose his virginity before being locked up.  In between brawling with Marines, visiting a brothel (where a young Carol Kane plays one of the prostitutes), and hanging out with a group of hippies (one of whom is played by Gilda Radner), Meadows comes to think of Buddusky and Mulhall as being his best friends.  Unfortunately, for Meadows, both Buddusky and Mulhall have their job to do.

Hal Ashby’s road picture is a character study of three men who are all lifers, even if they don’t realize that.  Both Buddusky and Mulhall hate the Navy but they also can’t relate to anyone who isn’t a member of the service.  Meadows’s entire future has been pre-determined because he tried to steal $40 but he doesn’t realize it until its too late.  When the film came out, it was controversial due to its “colorful” language.  In an interview, screenwriter Robert Towne defended the frequent profanity because, as he put it, when you’re in a situation you hate, “that’s what you do.  You bitch.”  Hal Ashby’s loose direction captures the road trip feel as the three leads reluctantly head to their ultimate destination.

The Last Detail features one of Jack Nicholson’s best performances.  Buddusky is cynical and doesn’t trust anyone other than Mulhall but even he knows that Larry Meadows deserves better than to spend eight years in the brig.  Along with lending his star power to the film and standing by director Hal Ashby when Ashby was arrested for marijuana possession, Nicholson also played a big role in the casting of Randy Quaid as Larry Meadows.  (The other final contender for the role was John Travolta but Nicholson insisted on Quaid).  The 6’5 Quaid towers of Nicholson and Young, making him look as if he could escape any time that he wants.  But Larry is so naive that he doesn’t want to make any trouble for his “friends.”  Though this wasn’t his first film, The Last Detail is the film that made Quaid one of the busiest character actors of the 70s and 80s and it also, at least temporarily, made him a part of the Jack Nicholson stock company.

Both sad and funny, The Last Detail is one of the best films of the 70s and features Jack Nicholson at his most unforgettable.

The Florida Film Critics Circle Honors The Beast

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

On the 20th, the Florida Film Critics Circle announced its picks for the best of 2024!

Best Film
Anora
The Beast
The Brutalist
Conclave
Hundreds of Beavers

Best Actress
Carol Kane (Between the Temples)
Léa Seydoux (The Beast)
Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Hard Truths)
Mikey Madison (Anora)
Nicole Kidman (Babygirl)

Best Actor
Adrien Brody (The Brutalist)
Daniel Craig (Queer)
Josh O’Connor (Challengers)
Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain)
Ralph Fiennes (Conclave)

Best Supporting Actress
Anna Baryshnikov (Love Lies Bleeding)
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (Nickel Boys)
Isabella Rosellini (Conclave)
Margaret Qualley (The Substance)
Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Pérez)

Best Supporting Actor
Yura Borisov (Anora)
Willem Dafoe (Kinds of Kindness)
Adam Pearson (A Different Man)
Jeremy Strong (The Apprentice)
Denzel Washington (Gladiator II)

Best Cast
All We Imagine As Light
Anora
Conclave
Challengers
Saturday Night

Best Director
Sean Baker (Anora)
Bertrand Bonello (The Beast)
Luca Guadagnino (Challengers)
Payal Kapadia (All We Imagine As Light)
RaMell Ross (Nickel Boys)

Best Original Script
Anora (Sean Baker)
A Real Pain (Jesse Eisenberg)
Challengers (Justin Kuritzkes)
Evil Does Not Exist (Ryusuke Hamaguchi)
I Saw The TV Glow (Jane Schoenbrun)

Best Adapted Script
The Beast (Bertrand Bonello, Benjamin Charbit & Guillaume Bréaud)
Conclave (Peter Straughan)
Dune: Part Two (Denis Villeneuve & Jon Spaihts)
Nickel Boys (RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes)
Queer (Justin Kuritzkes)

Best Cinematography
The Brutalist (Lol Crawley)
Challengers (Sayombhu Mukdeeprom)
Conclave (Stéphane Fontaine)
Dune: Part Two (Greig Fraser)
Nickel Boys (Jomo Fray)

Best Visual Effects
Dune: Part Two
Hundreds of Beavers
Tuesday
The Substance
Wicked

Best Artistic Direction/Production Design
The Beast
The Brutalist
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Maria

Best Score/Soundtrack
The Brutalist (Daniel Blumberg)
Challengers (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross)
Conclave (Volker Bertelmann)
Dune: Part Two (Hans Zimmer)
Flow (Gints Zilbalodis & Rihards Zalupe)

Best International Film
All We Imagine As Light
Do Not Expect Too Much From The End Of The World
Emilia Pérez
I’m Still Here
The Seed of the Sacred Fig

Best Animated Film
The Colors Within
Flow
Inside Out 2
Memoir of a Snail
The Wild Robot

Best Documentary
Daughters
No Other Land
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Will and Harper

Best First Movie
Hundreds of Beavers
Janet Planet
The People’s Joker
Stress Positions
Tuesday

Breakthrough Performance
Brigette Lundy-Paine (I Saw The TV Glow)
Katy M. O’Brian (Love Lies Bleeding)
Mikey Madison (Anora)
Ryland Brickson Cole Tews (Hundreds of Beavers)
Zoe Zigler (Janet Planet)

Golden Orange Award for a remarkable contribution to Cinema:
Mountains by Monica Sorelle – A film shot in Miami that paints a loving and critical portrait of what it is like to live there.

The New York Film Critics Online Honor The Substance

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The New York Film Critics Online have announced their picks for the best of 2024!

PICTURE
Anora
The Brutalist
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Emilia Pérez
September 5
Sing Sing
The Substance
Wicked

DIRECTOR
Jacques Audiard – Emilia Pérez
Sean Baker – Anora
Edward Berger – Conclave
Jon M. Chu – Wicked
Brady Corbet – The Brutalist
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance
RaMell Ross – Nickel Boys

SCREENPLAY
Anora
The Brutalist
Conclave
A Real Pain
September 5
The Substance

ACTOR
Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown
Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes – Conclave
Sebastian Stan – A Different Man

ACTRESS
Cynthia Erivo – Wicked
Marianne Jean-Baptiste – Hard Truths
Karla Sofía Gascón – Emilia Pérez
Angelina Jolie – Maria
Nicole Kidman – Babygirl
Mikey Madison – Anora
Demi Moore – The Substance

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Yuriy Borisov – Anora
Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing
Guy Pearce – The Brutalist
Denzel Washington – Gladiator II

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Danielle Deadwyler – The Piano Lesson
Ariana Grande-Butera – Wicked
Carol Kane – Between the Temples
Natasha Lyonne – His Three Daughters
Zoe Saldaña – Emilia Pérez

ENSEMBLE CAST
Anora
Conclave
Emilia Pérez
Sing Sing
Wicked

USE OF MUSIC
The Brutalist
Challengers
A Complete Unknown
Dune: Part Two
Wicked

CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Brutalist
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Nickel Boys
Nosferatu

DEBUT DIRECTOR
Annie Baker – Janet Planet
Mike Cheslik – Hundreds of Beavers
India Donaldson – Good One
Vera Drew – The People’s Joker
Josh Margolin – Thelma

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMER
Lily Collias – Good One
Mark Eydelshteyn – Anora
Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing
Mikey Madison – Anora
Katy O’Brian – Love Lies Bleeding

ANIMATION
Flow
Inside Out 2
Memoir of a Snail
Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
The Wild Robot

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
All We Imagine as Light
Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World
Emilia Pérez
I’m Still Here
The Seed of the Sacred Fig

DOCUMENTARY
Black Box Diaries
Dahomey
Daughters
No Other Land
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Will & Harper

Anora Wins in San Francisco

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Yesterday, the San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle announced their picks for best of 2024!

Best Film
Anora
The Brutalist
Hard Truths
Nickel Boys
Sing Sing

Best Director
Anora – Sean Baker
The Brutalist – Brady Corbet
Hard Truths – Mike Leigh
Nickel Boys – RaMell Ross
The Substance – Coralie Fargeat

Best Actress
Marianne Jean-Baptiste – Hard Truths
Karla Sofía Gascón – Emilia Pérez
Angelina Jolie – Maria
Mikey Madison – Anora
Demi Moore – The Substance

Best Actor
Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown
Daniel Craig – Queer
Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes – Conclave

Best Supporting Actress
Joan Chen – Dìdi (弟弟)
Carol Kane – Between the Temples
Isabella Rossellini – Conclave
Ariana Grande – Wicked
Zoe Saldana – Emilia Pérez

Best Supporting Actor
Yura Borisov – Anora
Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing
Guy Pearce – The Brutalist
Jeremy Strong – The Apprentice

Best International Feature Film
All We Imagine as Light
Emilia Pérez
I’m Still Here
Kneecap
The Seed of the Sacred Fig

Best Documentary Feature
Daughters
No Other Land
Sugarcane
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Will & Harper

Best Animated Feature
Flow
Inside Out 2
Memoir Of A Snail
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
The Wild Robot

Best Original Screenplay
Anora – Sean Baker
The Brutalist – Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold
Hard Truths – Mike Leigh
A Real Pain – Jesse Eisenberg
The Substance – Coralie Fargeat

Best Adapted Screenplay
Conclave – Peter Straughan
Dune: Part Two – Denis Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts
Emilia Pérez – Jacques Audiard
Nickel Boys – RaMell Ross, Joslyn Barnes
Sing Sing – Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence Maclin, John “Divine G” Whitfield

Best Cinematography
The Brutalist – Lol Crawley
Conclave – Stéphane Fontaine
Dune: Part Two – Greig Fraser
Nickel Boys – Jomo Fray
Nosferatu – Jarin Blaschke

Best Editing
Anora – Sean Baker
The Brutalist – Dávid Jancsó
Challengers – Marco Costa
Conclave – Nick Emerson
September 5 – Hansjörg Weißbrich

Best Original Score
The Brutalist – Daniel Blumberg
Challengers – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Conclave – Volker Bertelmann
Emilia Pérez – Clément Ducol, Camille
The Wild Robot – Kris Bowers

Best Production Design
The Brutalist – Judy Becker
Conclave – Suzie Davies, Roberta Federico
Dune: Part Two – Zsuzsanna Sipos, Shane Vieau, Patrice Vermette
Nosferatu – Craig Lathrop
Wicked – Nathan Crowley, Lee Sandales

Special Citation for Independent Cinema
Exhibiting Forgiveness
Femme
Rumours
The Secret Art of Taking Flight

Here Are The 2024 Nominations Of The San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

On the 13th, the San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle announced their nominations for the best of 2024!  The winners will be announced tomorrow.

Best Film
Anora
The Brutalist
Hard Truths
Nickel Boys
Sing Sing

Best Director
Anora – Sean Baker
The Brutalist – Brady Corbet
Hard Truths – Mike Leigh
Nickel Boys – RaMell Ross
The Substance – Coralie Fargeat

Best Actress
Marianne Jean-Baptiste – Hard Truths
Karla Sofía Gascón – Emilia Pérez
Angelina Jolie – Maria
Mikey Madison – Anora
Demi Moore – The Substance

Best Actor
Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown
Daniel Craig – Queer
Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes – Conclave

Best Supporting Actress
Joan Chen – Dìdi (弟弟)
Carol Kane – Between the Temples
Isabella Rossellini – Conclave
Ariana Grande – Wicked
Zoe Saldana – Emilia Pérez

Best Supporting Actor
Yura Borisov – Anora
Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing
Guy Pearce – The Brutalist
Jeremy Strong – The Apprentice

Best International Feature Film
All We Imagine as Light
Emilia Pérez
I’m Still Here
Kneecap
The Seed of the Sacred Fig

Best Documentary Feature
Daughters
No Other Land
Sugarcane
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Will & Harper

Best Animated Feature
Flow
Inside Out 2
Memoir Of A Snail
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
The Wild Robot

Best Original Screenplay
Anora – Sean Baker
The Brutalist – Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold
Hard Truths – Mike Leigh
A Real Pain – Jesse Eisenberg
The Substance – Coralie Fargeat

Best Adapted Screenplay
Conclave – Peter Straughan
Dune: Part Two – Denis Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts
Emilia Pérez – Jacques Audiard
Nickel Boys – RaMell Ross, Joslyn Barnes
Sing Sing – Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence Maclin, John “Divine G” Whitfield

Best Cinematography
The Brutalist – Lol Crawley
Conclave – Stéphane Fontaine
Dune: Part Two – Greig Fraser
Nickel Boys – Jomo Fray
Nosferatu – Jarin Blaschke

Best Editing
Anora – Sean Baker
The Brutalist – Dávid Jancsó
Challengers – Marco Costa
Conclave – Nick Emerson
September 5 – Hansjörg Weißbrich

Best Original Score
The Brutalist – Daniel Blumberg
Challengers – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Conclave – Volker Bertelmann
Emilia Pérez – Clément Ducol, Camille
The Wild Robot – Kris Bowers

Best Production Design
The Brutalist – Judy Becker
Conclave – Suzie Davies, Roberta Federico
Dune: Part Two – Zsuzsanna Sipos, Shane Vieau, Patrice Vermette
Nosferatu – Craig Lathrop
Wicked – Nathan Crowley, Lee Sandales

Special Citation for Independent Cinema
Exhibiting Forgiveness
Rumours
The Secret Art of Taking Flight

Here Are The Nominations of The New York Film Critics Online

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The New York Film Critics Online have announced their nominations for the best of 2024.  The winners will be announced on December 16th.

PICTURE
Anora
The Brutalist
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Emilia Pérez
September 5
Sing Sing
The Substance
Wicked

DIRECTOR
Jacques Audiard – Emilia Pérez
Sean Baker – Anora
Edward Berger – Conclave
Jon M. Chu – Wicked
Brady Corbet – The Brutalist
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance
RaMell Ross – Nickel Boys

SCREENPLAY
Anora
The Brutalist
Conclave
A Real Pain
September 5
The Substance

ACTOR
Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown
Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes – Conclave
Sebastian Stan – A Different Man

ACTRESS
Cynthia Erivo – Wicked
Marianne Jean-Baptiste – Hard Truths
Karla Sofía Gascón – Emilia Pérez
Angelina Jolie – Maria
Nicole Kidman – Babygirl
Mikey Madison – Anora
Demi Moore – The Substance

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Yuriy Borisov – Anora
Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing
Guy Pearce – The Brutalist
Denzel Washington – Gladiator II

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Danielle Deadwyler – The Piano Lesson
Ariana Grande-Butera – Wicked
Carol Kane – Between the Temples
Natasha Lyonne – His Three Daughters
Zoe Saldaña – Emilia Pérez

ENSEMBLE CAST
Anora
Conclave
Emilia Pérez
Sing Sing
Wicked

USE OF MUSIC
The Brutalist
Challengers
A Complete Unknown
Dune: Part Two
Wicked

CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Brutalist
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Nickel Boys
Nosferatu

DEBUT DIRECTOR
Annie Baker – Janet Planet
Mike Cheslik – Hundreds of Beavers
India Donaldson – Good One
Vera Drew – The People’s Joker
Josh Margolin – Thelma

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMER
Lily Collias – Good One
Mark Eydelshteyn – Anora
Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing
Mikey Madison – Anora
Katy O’Brian – Love Lies Bleeding

ANIMATION
Flow
Inside Out 2
Memoir of a Snail
Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
The Wild Robot

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
All We Imagine as Light
Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World
Emilia Pérez
I’m Still Here
The Seed of the Sacred Fig

DOCUMENTARY
Black Box Diaries
Dahomey
Daughters
No Other Land
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Will & Harper

Here Are The Independent Spirit Nominations!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, most awards watchers will be devoting most of their attention to the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute.  That said, the Independent Spirit nominations were still announced earlier today and Anora had a strong showing.  Meanwhile, The Brutalist, which did so well with the New York Film Critics Circle, picked up a nomination for Best Director but not Best Picture.

Here are the Spirit Nominations.  While looking at the nominations, keep in mind that a lot of potential Oscar nominees were not eligible for a nomination.  As a result, the Spirit nominations aren’t exactly the strongest predictive tool when it comes to guessing what will eventually be nominated by the Academy.

Still, it never hurts to be mentioned!

Best Feature

Anora
Producers: Sean Baker, Alex Coco, Samantha Quan

I Saw the TV Glow
Producers: Ali Herting, Sam Intili, Dave McCary, Emma Stone, Sarah Winshall

Nickel Boys
Producers: Joslyn Barnes, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, David Levine

Sing Sing
Producers: Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Monique Walton

The Substance
Producers: Tim Bevan, Coralie Fargeat, Eric Fellner

Best First Feature

Dìdi
Director/Producer: Sean Wang
Producers: Valerie Bush, Carlos López Estrada, Josh Peters

In the Summers

Director: Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio
Producers: Janek Ambros, Lynette Coll, Alexander Dinelaris, Cynthia Fernandez De La Cruz, Cristóbal Güell, Sergio Alberto Lira, Rob Quadrino, Jan Suter, Daniel Tantalean, Nando Vila, Slava Vladimirov, Stephanie Yankwitt

Janet Planet
Director/Producer: Annie Baker
Producers: Andrew Goldman, Dan Janvey, Derrick Tseng

The Piano Lesson
Director: Malcolm Washington
Producers: Todd Black, Denzel Washington

Problemista
Director/Producer: Julio Torres
Producers: Ali Herting, Dave McCary, Emma Stone

John Cassavetes Award

Given to the best feature made for under $1,000,000

Big Boys
Writer/Director/Producer: Corey Sherman
Producer: Allison Tate

Ghostlight
Writer/Director: Kelly O’Sullivan
Director/Producer: Alex Thompson
Producers: Pierce Cravens, Ian Keiser, Chelsea Krant, Eddie Linker, Alex Wilson

Girls Will Be Girls
Writer/Director/Producer: Shuchi Talati
Producers: Richa Chadha, Claire Chassagne

Jazzy
Writer/Director/Producer: Morrisa Maltz
Writer/Producer: Lainey Shangreaux
Writers: Andrew Hajek, Vanara Taing
Producers: Miranda Bailey, Tommy Heitkamp, John Way, Natalie Whalen, Elliott Whitton

The People’s Joker
Writer/Director: Vera Drew
Writer: Bri LeRose
Producer: Joey Lyons

BEST DIRECTOR

Ali Abbasi
The Apprentice

Sean Baker
Anora

Brady Corbet
The Brutalist

Alonso Ruizpalacios
La Cocina

Jane Schoenbrun
I Saw the TV Glow

BEST SCREENPLAY

Scott Beck, Bryan Woods
Heretic

Jesse Eisenberg
A Real Pain

Megan Park
My Old Ass

Aaron Schimberg
A Different Man

Jane Schoenbrun
I Saw the TV Glow

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY

Joanna Arnow
The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed

Annie Baker
Janet Planet

India Donaldson
Good One

Julio Torres
Problemista

Sean Wang
Dìdi

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

Amy Adams
Nightbitch

Ryan Destiny
The Fire Inside

Colman Domingo
Sing Sing

Keith Kupferer
Ghostlight

Mikey Madison
Anora

Demi Moore
The Substance

Hunter Schafer
Cuckoo

Justice Smith
I Saw the TV Glow

June Squibb
Thelma

Sebastian Stan
The Apprentice

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE

Yura Borisov
Anora

Joan Chen
Dìdi

Kieran Culkin
A Real Pain

Danielle Deadwyler
The Piano Lesson

Carol Kane
Between the Temples

Karren Karagulian
Anora

Kani Kusruti
Girls Will Be Girls

Brigette Lundy-Paine
I Saw the TV Glow

Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin
Sing Sing

Adam Pearson
A Different Man

BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE

Isaac Krasner
Big Boys

Katy O’Brian
Love Lies Bleeding

Mason Alexander Park
National Anthem

René Pérez Joglar
In the Summers

Maisy Stella
My Old Ass

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Dinh Duy Hung
Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell

Jomo Fray
Nickel Boys

Maria von Hausswolff
Janet Planet

Juan Pablo Ramírez
La Cocina

Rina Yang
The Fire Inside

 BEST EDITING

Laura Colwell, Vanara Taing
Jazzy

Olivier Bugge Coutté, Olivia Neergaard-Holm
The Apprentice

Anne McCabe
Nightbitch

Hansjörg Weissbrich
September 5

Arielle Zakowski
Dìdi

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD – Given to one film’s director, casting director, and ensemble cast

His Three Daughters
Director: Azazel Jacobs
Casting Director: Nicole Arbusto
Ensemble Cast: Jovan Adepo, Jasmine Bracey, Carrie Coon, Jose Febus, Rudy Galvan, Natasha Lyonne, Elizabeth Olsen, Randy Ramos Jr., Jay O. Sanders

BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director and producer)

Gaucho Gaucho
Directors/Producers: Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw
Producers: Christos Konstantakopoulos, Cameron O’Reilly, Matthew Perniciaro

Hummingbirds
Directors: Silvia Del Carmen Castaños, Estefanía “Beba” Contreras
Co-Directors/Producers: Miguel Drake-McLaughlin, Diane Ng, Ana Rodriguez-Falco, Jillian Schlesinger
Producers: Leslie Benavides, Rivkah Beth Medow

No Other Land
Directors/Producers: Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Rachel Szor
Producers: Fabien Greenberg, Bård Kjøge Rønning

Patrice: The Movie
Director: Ted Passon
Producers: Kyla Harris, Innbo Shim, Emily Spivack

Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
Director: Johan Grimonprez
Producers: Rémi Grellety, Daan Milius

 BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM (Award given to the director)

All We Imagine as Light
France, India, Netherlands, Luxembourg
Director: Payal Kapadia

Black Dog
China
Director: Guan Hu

Flow
Latvia, France, Belgium
Director: Gints Zilbalodis

Green Border
Poland, France, Czech Republic, Belgium
Director: Agnieszka Holland

Hard Truths
United Kingdom
Director: Mike Leigh

PRODUCERS AWARD  presented by Bulleit Frontier Whiskey – The Producers Award, now in its 28th year, honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity, and vision required to produce quality independent films.

Alex Coco

Sarah Winshall

Zoë Worth

 SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD  – The Someone to Watch Award, now in its 31st year, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition.

Nicholas Colia
Director of Griffin in Summer

Sarah Friedland
Director of Familiar Touch

Pham Thien An
Director of Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell

TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – The Truer Than Fiction Award, now in its 30th year, is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition.

Julian Brave NoiseCat, Emily Kassie
Directors of Sugarcane

Carla Gutiérrez
Director of Frida

Rachel Elizabeth Seed
Director of A Photographic Memory

The New York Film Critics Circle Honors The Brutalist

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The New York Film Critics Circle has announced their picks for the best of 2024 and it was a good day for The Brutalist, RaMell Ross, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Kieran Culkin, and — in probably the biggest surprise of the voting — Carol Kane!  As for the social media reaction, there are a lot of happy Brutalist fans but there’s also currently a lot of very angry Wicked stans.

Here are the winners:

Best Picture: The Brutalist

Best Director: RaMell Ross, Nickel Boys

Best Actor: Adrien Brody, The Brutalist

Best Screenplay: Sean Baker, Anora

Best International Feature: All We Imagine As Light

Best Actress: Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hard Truths

Best Supporting Actress: Carol Kane, Between the Temples

Best Non-Fiction Film: No Other Land

Best Cinematography: Jomo Fray, Nickel Boys

Best First Film: Janet Planet

Best Supporting Actor: Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain

Best Animated Film: Flow