Tag Archives: Film

Oppenheimer Leads The Oscar Nominations!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

After all the build-up, the Oscar nominations turned out to be what I imagine most people were expecting.  There’s a lot of worthy nominees but not many surprises.  Greta Gerwig was not nominated for Best Director and Charles Melton was not nominated for Best Supporting Actor.  (I imagine more than a few voters were too creeped out by that particular film to vote for it.)  Oppenheimer leads with 13 nominations.  Godzilla Minus One becomes the first Godzilla film to ever receive a nomination (for Visual Effects).

Here are the nominees:

Best Picture

American Fiction (Ben LeClair, Nikos Karamigios, Cord Jefferson and Jermaine Johnson, Producers)
Anatomy of a Fall (Marie-Ange Luciani and David Thion, Producers
Barbie (David Heyman, Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley and Robbie Brenner, Producers)
The Holdovers (Mark Johnson, Producer)
Killers of the Flower Moon (Dan Friedkin, Bradley Thomas, Martin Scorsese and Daniel Lupi, Producers)
Maestro (Bradley Cooper, Steven Spielberg, Fred Berner, Amy Durning and Kristie Macosko Krieger, Producers)
Oppenheimer (Emma Thomas, Charles Roven and Christopher Nolan, Producers)
Past Lives (David Hinojosa, Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler, Producers)
Poor Things (Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone, Producers)
The Zone of Interest (James Wilson, Producer)

Best Directing

Justine Triet (Anatomy of a Fall)
Martin Scorsese (Killers of the Flower Moon)
Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer)
Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things)
Jonathan Glazer (The Zone of Interest)

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Bradley Cooper (Maestro)
Colman Domingo (Rustin)
Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers)
Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer)
Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction)

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Annette Bening (Nyad)
Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon)
Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall)
Carey Mulligan (Maestro)
Emma Stone (Poor Things)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Sterling K. Brown (American Fiction)
Robert De Niro (Killers of the Flower Moon)
Robert Downey Jr. (Oppenheimer)
Ryan Gosling (Barbie)
Mark Ruffalo (Poor Things)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer)
Danielle Brooks (The Color Purple)
America Ferrera (Barbie)
Jodie Foster (Nyad)
Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers)

Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

American Fiction (Written for the screen by Cord Jefferson)
Barbie (Written by Greta Gerwig & Noah Baumbach)
Oppenheimer (Written for the screen by Christopher Nolan)
Poor Things (Screenplay by Tony McNamara)
The Zone of Interest (Written by Jonathan Glazer)

Best Writing (Original Screenplay)

Anatomy of a Fall (Screenplay by Justine Triet and Arthur Harari
The Holdovers (Written by David Hemingson)
Maestro (Written by Bradley Cooper & Josh Singer)
May December (Screenplay by Samy Burch; Story by Samy Burch & Alex Mechanik)
Past Lives (Written by Celine Song)

Best Animated Feature

The Boy and the Heron (Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki)
Elemental (Peter Sohn and Denise Ream)
Nimona (Nick Bruno, Troy Quane, Karen Ryan and Julie Zackary)
Robot Dreams (Pablo Berger, Ibon Cormenzana, Ignasi Estapé and Sandra Tapia Díaz)
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Amy Pascal)

Best Cinematography

El Conde (Edward Lachman)
Killers of the Flower Moon (Rodrigo Prieto)
Maestro (Matthew Libatique)
Oppenheimer (Hoyte van Hoytema)
Poor Things (Robbie Ryan)

Best Costume Design

Barbie (Jacqueline Durran)
Killers of the Flower Moon (Jacqueline West)
Napoleon (Janty Yates and Dave Crossman)
Oppenheimer (Ellen Mirojnick)
Poor Things (Holly Waddington)

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Golda
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
Society of the Snow

Best Animated Short Film

Letter to a Pig
Ninety-Five Senses
Our Uniform
Pachyderme
War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko

Best Live-Action Short Film

The After
Invincible
Knight of Fortune
Red, White and Blue
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

Best Original Song

“The Fire Inside” (Flamin’ Hot)
“I’m Just Ken” (Barbie)
“It Never Went Away” (American Symphony)
“Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)” (Killers of the Flower Moon)
“What Was I Made For?” (Barbie)

Best Original Score

American Fiction (Laura Karpman)
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (John Williams)
Killers of the Flower Moon (Robbie Robertson)
Oppenheimer (Ludwig Göransson)
Poor Things (Jerskin Fendrix)

Best Documentary Feature Film

Bobi Wine: The People’s President
The Eternal Memory
Four Daughters
To Kill a Tiger
20 Days in Mariupol

Best Documentary Short Film

The ABCs of Book Banning
The Barber of Little Rock
Island in Between
The Last Repair Shop
Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó

Best International Feature Film

Io Capitano (Italy)
Perfect Days (Japan)
Society of the Snow (Spain)
The Teacher’s Lounge (Germany)
The Zone of Interest (United Kingdom)

Best Production Design

Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

Best Film Editing

Anatomy of a Fall
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

Best Production Design

Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

Best Sound

The Creator
Maestro
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Oppenheimer
The Zone of Interest

Best Visual Effects

The Creator
Godzilla: Minus One
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning, Part One
Napoleon

Lisa Marie’s Oscar Nomination Predictions

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Oscar nominations are due to be announced in a few more hours.  I’m still struggling to get caught up with all of the movies that I need to see before I can post my personal Oscar nominations (expect to see them and all of my “best of 2023 lists” at the end of this month) but I have been following the precursor season and I feel confident about predicting what will be nominated in the major categories.

We’ll find out how correct I am in just a few more hours!

Best Picture

American Fiction

Barbie

The Color Purple

The Holdovers

Killers of the Flower Moon

Oppenheimer

Past Lives

Poor Things

The Zone of Interest

Best Director

Greta Gerwig for Barbie

Yorgos Lanthimos for Poor Things

Christopher Nolan for Oppenheimer

Alexander Payne for The Holdovers

Martin Scorsese for Killers of the Flower Moon

Best Actor

Bradley Cooper in Maestro

Colman Domingo in Rustin

Paul Giamatti in The Holdover

Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer

Jeffrey Wright in American Fiction

Best Actress

Lily Gladstone in Killers of the Flower Moon

Sandra Huller in Anatomy of a Fall

Greta Lee in Past Lives

Carey Mulligan in Maestro

Emma Stone in Poor Things

Best Supporting Actor

Willem DaFoe in Poor Things

Robert De Niro in Killers of the Flower Moon

Robert Downey, Jr. in Oppenheimer

Ryan Gosling in Barbie

Dominic Sessa in The Holdovers

Best Supporting Actress

Emily Blunt in Oppenheimer

Danielle Brooks in The Color Purple

Penelope Cruz in Ferrari

Jodie Foster in Nyad

Da’Vine Joy Randolph in The Holdovers

Poor Things Wins In Houston!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Houston Film Critics Society has announced its picks for the best of 2023!  The winners are listed below in bold.

Picture
“American Fiction”
“Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.”
“Barbie”
“The Color Purple”
“Godzilla Minus One”
“The Holdovers”
“Killers of the Flower Moon”
“Oppenheimer”
“Past Lives”
“Poor Things”

Director
Alexander Payne, “The Holdovers”
Christopher Nolan, “Oppenheimer”
Greta Gerwig, “Barbie”
Martin Scorsese, “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Yorgos Lanthimos, “Poor Things”

Actor – Leading
Andrew Scott, “All of Us Strangers”
Cillian Murphy, “Oppenheimer”
Jeffrey Wright, “American Fiction”
Leonardo DiCaprio, “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Paul Giamatti, “The Holdovers”

Actress – Leading
Emma Stone, “Poor Things”
Fantasia Barrino, “The Color Purple”
Greta Lee, “Past Lives”
Lily Gladstone, “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Margot Robbie, “Barbie”

Actor – Supporting
Dominic Sessa, “The Holdovers”
Mark Ruffalo, “Poor Things”
Robert De Niro, “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Robert Downey Jr., “Oppenheimer”
Ryan Gosling, “Barbie”

Actress – Supporting
Danielle Brooks, “The Color Purple”
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, “The Holdovers”
Emily Blunt, “Oppenheimer”
Rachel McAdams, “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.”
Rosamund Pike, “Saltburn”

Screenplay
Celine Song, “Past Lives”
Christopher Nolan, Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin, “Oppenheimer”
Cord Jefferson, “American Fiction”
David Hemingson, “The Holdovers”
Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, “Barbie”
Tony McNamara, “Poor Things”

Animated
“The Boy and the Heron”
“Nimona”
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem”
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”
“Robot Dreams”

Cinematography
Hoyte Van Hoytema, “Oppenheimer”
Linus Sandgren, “Saltburn”
Robbie Ryan, “Poor Things”
Rodrigo Prieto, “Barbie”
Rodrigo Prieto, “Killers of the Flower Moon”

Documentary
“20 Days in Mariupol”
“American Symphony”
“Beyond Utopia”
“The Eternal Memory”
“Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie”

Foreign Language
“Anatomy of a Fall”
“Godzilla Minus One”
“Perfect Days”
“Society of the Snow”
“The Zone of Interest”

Score
Robbie Robertson, “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Ludwig Göransson, “Oppenheimer”
Jerskin Fendrix, “Poor Things”
Joe Hisaishi, “The Boy and the Heron”
Daniel Pemberton, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”

Song
“I’m Just Ken” from “Barbie”
“Dance the Night” from “Barbie”
“What Was I Made For?” from “Barbie”
“Keep It Movin’ ” from “The Color Purple”
“Meet in the Middle” from “Flora and Son”

Visual Effects
“The Creator”
“Godzilla Minus One”
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”
“Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One”
“Poor Things”

Stunts
“The Iron Claw”
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”
“John Wick: Chapter 4”
“Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One”
“Polite Society”

Ensemble
“Barbie”
“Oppenheimer”
“Killers of the Flower Moon”
“The Holdovers”
“The Iron Claw”

Texas Independent Film Award
“Bolivar”
“Breaking the Code”
“Chocolate Lizards”
“I’ll Be There”
“A Town Called Victoria”

Scenes That I Love: Everything’s Alright from Norman Jewison’s Jesus Christ Superstar

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

In memory of the late Norman Jewison, today scene that I love comes from my favorite film to have been directed by him.

In this scene from 1973’s Jesus Christ Superstar, Mary Magdalene (Yvonne Elliman) attempts to comfort Jesus (Ted Neeley) while Judas (Carl Anderson) tries to pull Jesus away from her.  This scene showcases both Elliman’s angelic voice and Anderson’s ferocious intensity as Mary and Judas present two very different sides of a spiritual journey.

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Norman Jewison Edition

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

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

Rest in Peace, Norman Jewison, a director who believed in the power of cinema to change the world.

4 Shots From 4 Norman Jewison Films

In The Heat of the Night (1967, dir by Norman Jewison, DP: Haskell Wexler)

Fiddler on the Roof (1971, dir by Norman Jewison, DP: Oswald Morris)

Jesus Christ Superstar (1973, dir by Norman Jewison, DP; Douglas Slocombe)

The Hurricane (1999. dir by Norman Jewison, DP: Roger Deakins)

Monday Live Tweet Alert: Join us for Godzilla 1985 and The Bounty Hunter!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

As some of our regular readers undoubtedly know, I am involved in hosting a few weekly live tweets on twitter and occasionally Mastodon.  I host #FridayNightFlix every Friday, I co-host #ScarySocial on Saturday, and I am one of the five hosts of Mastodon’s #MondayActionMovie!  Every week, we get together.  We watch a movie.  We snark our way through it.

Tonight, for #MondayActionMovie, the film will be Godzilla 1985, selected and hosted by Sweet Emmy Cat!

Following #MondayActionMovie, Brad and Sierra will be hosting the #MondayMuggers live tweet.  We will be watching 2010’s The Bounty Hunter!

It should make for a night of fun viewing and I invite all of you to join in.  If you want to join the live tweets, just hop onto Mastodon, pull up Godzilla 1985 on YouTube, start the movie at 8 pm et, and use the #MondayActionMovie hashtag!  Then, at 10 pm et, switch over to Twitter and Prime, start The Bounty Hunter, and use the #MondayMuggers hashtag!  The live tweet community is a friendly group and welcoming of newcomers so don’t be shy. 

Retro Television Reviews: The Hippie Temptation (dir by Warren Wallace)

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 Sundays, I will be reviewing the made-for-television movies that used to be a primetime mainstay.  Today’s film is 1967’s The Hippie Temptation!  It  can be viewed on YouTube.

“This is a hippie,” a sober and serious voice says over the image of a rather clean-cut young man sitting in a park.

So starts the 1967 CBS news documentary, The Hippie Temptation.  Hosted by a white-haired and distinguished voiced journalist named Harry Reasoner, The Hippie Temptation takes a look at the subculture that, in 1967, was taking the youth of America by storm.  Reasoner walks through the Haight Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco, followed by a group of hippies who hang on every word.

Hippies, Harry explains, their very name suggests that they are hip!

Harry Reasoner talks about how the hippies are predominantly liberal and say that they are dropping out of a society that they consider to be hypocritical.  They have no interest in what their straight parents are concerned with.  Harry’s tone goes from being gently condescending to rather alarmed as he explains that hippies use a new illegal drug called LSD to try to open up their minds.  The bad trip, Harry says, is always a possibility and suddenly, the screen is full of Dutch angle images of San Francisco.

The majority of this documentary focuses on the dangers of LSD.  A pipe-smoking scientist shows a diagram of a chromosome of a repeated LSD user.  The repeated use of LSD is compared to having epilepsy.  Harry says that LSD is illegal in California but it’s still easy to find in San Francisco.  No mention is made of marijuana or heroin or any of the other drugs that may have been a part of the Haight Ashbury scene.

Harry is a bit surprised that the hippies are not particularly concerned about what the scientists think about LSD.  The Hippie Temptation is to not care about consequences and to instead do whatever you want.  Harry discusses how the hippies claim not to care about money or material things but, as he points out, some people are getting rich in Haight Ashbury.  He drops in to visit a local band called the Grateful Dead “who appear to be living in affluence.”  The members of the band admit that they also use LSD and other drugs.  Harry shows us a performance of the Grateful Dead performing and comments on how the light show is designed to imitate a psychedelic experience.

(Along with the Grateful Dead, future actor Peter Coyote also appears briefly, giving out free food as a member of a collective called The Diggers.)

Hippies can make money, Harry says, if they can find an employer who doesn’t mind long hair and strange clothing.  It’s hard not to smile at this comment because, by today’s standards, the hippies in this documentary look remarkably preppy and almost conservative.  Turtlenecks, colorful shirts, and neck length hair no longer come across as being the height of rebellion.  The majority of the hippies that Harry talks to look like they could be accountants.

This is one of those documentaries where the older generation tries to figure out why their kids are so weird.  It’s hard not to smile at the sight of a clearly uncomfortable Harry Reasoner being surrounded by a bunch of future accountants and middle managers.  That said, this documentary was an interesting time capsule.  It was a chance to see a firsthand account of what people were worried about in 1967.

Past Lives Wins In Chicago!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Chicago Indie Critics have announced their picks for the best of 2023!

The winners are listed in bold.

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

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Radley Metzger Edition

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

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

95 years ago today, Radley Metzger was born in New York, New York.  After serving as a photographer in the U.S. Air Force, Metzger went into film distribution.  He brought European “art” films to the United States and booked them in various grindhouse theaters.  Like so many film distributors and producers, Metzger eventually realized that he could make a lot more many by making his own films.  In the late 60s and the early 70s, Metzger was one of the pioneers of what would eventually become known as “porno chic.” He directed adult films that were distinguished by their strong sense of composition, intelligent storylines, and their sense of characterization.

Unfortunately, Metzger’s films were a bit too arty for the adult crowd and too explicit for the mainstream critics. Still, over the years, Metzger’s work has been rediscovered and appreciated by open-minded film lovers and by people like me who just happen to like artistically-minded decadence.

Today, we honor Radley Metzger with….

4 Shots From 4 Radley Metzger Films

Carmen, Baby (1967, dir by Radley Metzger, DP: Hans Jura)

Camille 2000 (1969, dir by Radley Metzger, DP: Ennio Guarnieri)

The Lickerish Quartet (1970, dir by Radley Metzger. DP: Hans Jura)

Little Mother (1973, dir by Radley Metzger, DP: Hans Jura)

Scenes That I Love: Terence Stamp Goes For A Drive in Fellini’s Toby Dammit

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The great Italian director, Federico Fellini, was born 104 years ago today.

Today’s scene that I love comes from Toby Dammit, Fellini’s contribution to the 1968 anthology film, Spirits of the Dead.  In this scene, a narcissistic actor (Terence Stamp) goes for a very fast drive through a very haunted Rome.