Tag Archives: Film

The African American Film Critics Association Honors American Fiction and Origin!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Yesterday, the African American Film Critics Association announced its picks for the best of 2023!

And here they are:

AAFCA’S TOP 10 FILMS OF THE YEAR
1. American Fiction
2. Origin
3. The Color Purple
4. Oppenheimer
5. Past Lives
6. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
7. Poor Things
8. Anatomy of a Fall
9. Killers of the Flower Moon
10. Barbie

Best Drama: Origin
Best Comedy: American Fiction
Best Musical: The Color Purple
Best Director: Ava DuVernay – Origin
Best Screenplay: American Fiction
Best Actor: Colman Domingo – Rustin
Best Actress: Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor – Origin
Best Supporting Actor: Sterling K. Brown – American Fiction
Best Supporting Actress: *TIE* Danielle Brooks – The Color Purple & Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers
Best Ensemble: The Color Purple
Breakout Performance: Lily Gladstone – Killers of the Flower Moon
Emerging Filmmaker: Cord Jefferson – American Fiction
Best Independent Feature: A Thousand and One
Best Animated Feature: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Best Documentary: Stamped from the Beginning
Best Music: The Color Purple
Best International Film: Io Capitano
Best Short Film: The After

Oppenheimer Wins In North Dakota!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Yesterday, The North Dakota Film Society announced its picks for the best of 2023!

The winners are listed below in bold.

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)

Scenes That I Love: The Duke Makes Quite An Entrance in Escape From New York

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Continuing our celebration of John Carpenter’s birthday, today’s scene that I love comes from one of my favorite Carpenter movies, 1981’s Escape From New York.

In this scene, The Duke of New York makes quite an entrance.  Not only does he have an entourage but his car comes with its own chandeliers and a disco ball!  Along with writing and directing this film, Carpenter also composed the score.

6 Shots From 6 Films: Special John Carpenter Edition

Posted on 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, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy 76th birthday to one of this site’s favorite filmmakers and a patron saint of the independent spirit, the great John Carpenter!

In honor of the man and his legacy, here are….

6 Shots From 6 John Carpenter Films

Assault on Precinct 13 (1976, dir by John Carpenter. DP: Douglas Knapp)

Halloween (1977, dir by John Carpenter, DP: Dean Cundey)

Escape From New York (1981, dir by John Carpenter, DP: Dean Cundey)

The Thing (1982, dir by John Carpenter, DP: Dean Cundey)

Big Trouble in Little China (1986, dir by John Carpenter, DP: Dean Cundey)

They Live (1988, dir by John Carpenter, DP: Gary B. Kibbe)

Scenes That I Love: Steve McCroskey Realizes That He Picked The Wrong Week To Stop Sniffing Glue in Airplane!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Lloyd Bridges was born 111 years ago today.

Lloyd Bridges appeared in a lot of films and TV shows over the course of his long career.  He was the untrustworthy deputy in High Noon, for instance.  He was also the father of actors Jeff and Beau Bridges.  And, of course, he was one of the many Golden Age actors to be recruited to appear in the 1980 film, Airplane!  Airplane! was such a success that it launched a whole new career for Bridges, who went from being known for his serious roles to appearing in comedies, where he was often cast as well-meaning but clueless authority figures.

In today’s scene that I love, Lloyd Bridges plays the air traffic supervisor Steve McCroskey, who comes to realize that he picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue.

Monday Live Tweet Alert: Join Us For Death Hunt and Murphy’s Law!

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 2017’s Death Hunt!! I picked it so you know it’ll be good.

Following #MondayActionMovie, Brad and Sierra will be hosting the #MondayMuggers live tweet.  We will be watching Charles Bronson in Murphy’s Law!  This film is also available on Prime and Tubi!

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 Death Hunt on YouTube, start the movie at 8 pm et, and use the #MondayActionMovie hashtag!  Then, at 10 pm et, switch over to Twitter, start Murphy’s Law, and use the #MondayMuggers hashtag!  The live tweet community is a friendly group and welcoming of newcomers so don’t be shy.   

Scenes That I Love: Bonnie Meets Clyde in Bonnie And Clyde

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today is Faye Dunaway’s birthday and today’s scene that I love comes from the film that made Dunaway a star, 1967’s Bonnie and Clyde.

In this scene, Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway) first meets Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty).  Interestingly enough, Warren Beatty originally wanted Bob Dylan to play the role of Clyde and, at one point, he envisioned Bonnie being played by his sister, Shirley MacClaine.  That would have been interesting, to say the least.  Fortunately, in the end, Beatty decided to not only produce the film but to play the role of Clyde himself.  Natalie Wood, Tuesday Weld, Leslie Caron, and Jane Fonda were among those who turned down the role of Bonnie before Faye Dunaway, who had done two films at that point, was eventually cast in the role.  And the rest is film history!

Retro Television Review: Thief (dir by William A. Graham)

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 1971’s Thief!  It  can be viewed on Tubi and YouTube.

Neal Wilkinson (Richard Crenna) would appear to be living a great life.  He has a nice house in the suburbs.  He has a beautiful girlfriend named Jean Melville (Angie Dickinson).  As he heads into middle-age, he is still fit and handsome and charming.  He dresses well, or at least well by the standards of the early 70s.  (By the standards of today, a few of his ties are a bit too wide.)  Everyone believes that Neal has a nice and comfortable job as an insurance agent.

Of course, the truth is far different.

Neal is a veteran con man and a thief.  He’s just recently been released from prison and his deceptively friendly parole officer (played by the great character actor, Michael Lerner) is convinced that Neal will screw up again eventually.  And, of course, Neal has screwed up.  A gambling addict, he is $30,000 in debt.  Can Neal steal enough jewelry from enough suburban homes to pay off his debt?  Can a man like Neal change his ways?

This is a surprisingly somber made-for-TV movie.  Just from the plot description and the film’s first few minutes, you might expect Thief to be a light-hearted caper film in which Neal and Jean work together to pull off one last heist so that Neal can retire.  Instead, Neal spends almost the entire film lying to Jean and there’s hardly a light moment to be found.  Neal says that he wants to retire from his life of crime but, as the film makes clear, that’s a lie that he’s telling himself.  Neal cannot stop stealing and gambling because he’s as much of an addict as the wild-haired junkie (Michael C. Gwynne) who briefly confronts Neal at the parole office.  At one point, Jean tells Neal, “The more I know you, the less I know you,” but the truth of the matter is that Neal is so deep in denial about the futility of his life that he doesn’t even know himself.

It’s not a particularly happy film.  Richard Crenna is ideally cast as Neal, playing him with enough charm that the viewer can buy that he could talk his way out of being caught in a stranger’s backyard but with also with vulnerability that the viewer can see his fate, even if he can’t.  Thief also provides a rare opportunity to see Cameron Mitchell playing a sympathetic role.  Mitchell is cast as Neal’s attorney, who continually tries to get Neal to stop messing up but who ultimately knows that his attempts to reform Neal are just as futile as Neal’s attempts to go straight.

The movie ends on a surprisingly fatalistic note, one that suggests that there’s only one way to truly escape from a life of crime.  I can only imagine how viewers responded in 1971, when they turned on their television and found themselves watching not a light-hearted caper film but instead a bleak examination of criminal ennui.  It’s not a happy film but it is more than worth watching for Richard Crenna’s lead performance.

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Joseph Losey Edition

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

4 Shots From 4 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 is all about letting the visuals do the talking.

115 years ago, on this date, director Joseph Losey was born in Wisconsin.  Losey began his film career in the United States before exiling himself to Europe during the McCarthy era.  Losey was a director who worked in all genres, usually bringing a political subtext to most of his films.  Today, Losey is perhaps best remembered for his collaborations with playwright and screenwriter Harold Pinter.

In honor of Joseph Losey, here are….

4 Shots From 4 Joseph Losey Films

The Boy With Green Hair (1948, dir by Joseph Losey, DP: George Barnes)

The Servant (1963, dir by Joseph Losey, DP: Douglas Slocombe)

Boom! (1968, dir by Joseph Losey, DP: Douglas Slocombe)

The Assassination of Trotsky (1972, dir by Joseph Losey, DP: Pasqualino De Santis)

Barbie Wins In Hawaii!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

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

And here they are, with the winners in bold:

BEST PICTURE
American Fiction
Barbie
Ferrari
Poor Things
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

BEST DIRECTOR
Bradley Cooper, Maestro
Greta Gerwig, Barbie
Cord Jefferson, American Fiction
Yorgos Lanthimos, Poor Things
Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer

BEST ACTOR
Bradley Cooper, Maestro
Adam Driver, Ferrari
Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers
Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction

BEST ACTRESS
Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon
Greta Lee, Past Lives
Carey Mulligan, Maestro
Margot Robbie, Barbie
Emma Stone, Poor Things

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Robert DeNiro, Killers of the Flower Moon
Robert Downey Jr. Oppenheimer
Ryan Gosling, Barbie
John Magaro, Past Lives
Mark Ruffalo, Poor Things

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Penelope Cruz, Ferrari
Viola Davis, Air
Jodie Foster, Nyad
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers
Rachel McAdams, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Barbie
The Holdovers
The Iron Claw
Maestro
Past Lives

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
American Fiction
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret
Ferrari
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

BEST ART DIRECTION
Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Napoleon
Poor Things

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Barbie
Ferrari
Killers of the Flower Moon
Napoleon
Poor Things

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Barbie
Ferrari
Maestro
Poor Things
Oppenheimer

BEST EDITING
Barbie
Ferrari
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

BEST ANIMATED FILM
The Boy and the Heron
Elemental
Robot Dreams
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Albert Brooks: Defending Your Life
American Symphony
Four Daughters
Little Richard: I Am Everything
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie

BEST MAKE-UP
Ferrari
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

BEST SOUND
Ferrari
Maestro
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
American Fiction
Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

BEST SONG
“Dance the Night” (Barbie)
“I’m Just Ken” (Barbie)
“What Was I Made For?” (Barbie)
“Road to Freedom” (Rustin)
“Peaches” (The Super Mario Bros. Movie)

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
The Creator
Godzilla Minus One
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Poor Things
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

BEST STUNT WORK
Extraction 2
The Iron Claw
John Wick: Chapter 4
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Silent Night

BEST NEW FILMMAKER
Cord Jefferson, American Fiction
Adele Lim, Joy Ride
Danny & Michael Philippou, Talk to Me
A.V. Rockwell, A Thousand and One
Celine Song, Past Lives

BEST FIRST FILM
American Fiction
Joy Ride
Past Lives
Talk to Me
A Thousand and One

BEST OVERLOOKED FILM
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret
A Thousand and One
Joy Ride
Shortcomings
They Cloned Tyrone

BEST VOCAL/MOTION CAPTURE PERFORMANCE
Jack Black, The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Bradley Cooper, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3
Kumail Nanjiani, Migration
Robert Pattinson, The Boy and the Heron
Jason Schwartzman, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

BEST HORROR FILM
Evil Dead Rise
Godzilla Minus One
M3GAN
Talk to Me
Totally Killer

BEST COMIC BOOK MOVIE
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3
The Marvels
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

BEST SCI-FI FILM
The Creator
Godzilla Minus One
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3
The Marvels
Robot Dreams

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Anatomy of a Fall (France)
Godzilla Minus One (Japan)
The Taste of Things (France)
The Three Musketeers:- Part I: D’Artagnan (France)
The Zone of Interest (United Kingdom)

BEST HAWAIIAN FILM
Decade of the Dead, dir. Adam Deyoe, Fairai Richmond
Hokulea: Finding the Language of the Navigator, dir. Ty Sanga
Growing Up Local, dir. James Sereno
My Partner, dir. Keli’I Grace
Uncle Bully’s Surf School, dir. Leah Warshawski, Todd Soliday

WORST FILM OF 2023
65
80 for Brady
Ant-Man and the Wasp in Quantum Mania
The Flash
Meg 2: The Trench