The African American Film Critics Association Honors The Woman King


The African American Film Critics Association has announced their picks for the best of 2022!  And here they are:

Best Picture: “The Woman King”
Best Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood (“The Woman King”)
Best Actor: Jeremy Pope (“The Inspection”)
Best Actress: Danielle Deadwyler (“Till”)
Best Supporting Actor: Brian Tyree Henry (“Causeway”)
Best Supporting Actress: Angela Bassett (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”)
Emerging Face: Jaylin Hall (“Till” & “Bruiser”)
Emerging Filmmaker: Carey Williams (“Emergency”)
Best Independent Feature: “Nanny”
Best Animated Feature: “Wendell & Wild”
Best Documentary: “Sidney”
Best Ensemble: “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”
Best Writing: Rian Johnson (“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”)
Best International Feature: “Saint Omer”
Best Song: “Lift Me Up” (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”)
Best Live Action Short: “We Cry Together”
Best Animated Short: “New Moon”

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT HONOREES | 14TH ANNUAL AAFCA AWARDS
Impact Award: “Till”
The Innovator Award, presented by Nissan: Composer, Michael Abels (“Nope”)
Building Change Award, presented by Lowes: Production Designer, Hannah Beachler (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”)
The Beacon Award: Antoine Fuqua and Will Smith (“Emancipation”)
The Ashley Boone Award: Producer, Nate Moore (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”)

Aftersun Wins In North Dakota


The North Dakota Film Society has announced their picks for the best of 2022!  You can see the nominees by clicking here and you can check out the winners below!

Best Picture
AFTERSUN – Mark Ceryak, Amy Jackson, Barry Jenkins, Adele Romanski, producers (A24)

Best Director
Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert – EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE (A24)

Best Actress
Cate Blanchett – TÁR (Focus Features)

Best Actor
Brendan Fraser – THE WHALE (A24)

Best Supporting Actress
Dolly De Leon – TRIANGLE OF SADNESS (Neon)

Best Supporting Actor
Ke Huy Quan – EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE (A24)

Best Screenplay
THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN – Martin McDonagh (Searchlight Pictures)

Best Production Design
BABYLON – Anthony Carlino, Florencia Martin (Paramount Pictures)

Best Cinematography
TOP GUN: MAVERICK – Claudio Miranda (Paramount Pictures)

Best Film Editing
AFTERSUN – Blair McClendon (A24)

Best Visual Effects
AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER – Richard Baneham, Daniel Barrett, Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon (20th Century Studios)

Best Sound
TOP GUN: MAVERICK – Chris Burdon, James H. Mather, Al Nelson, Mark Taylor, Mark Weingarten (Paramount Pictures)

Best Costume Design
BABYLON – Mary Zophres (Paramount Pictures)

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
THE WHALE – Anne Marie Bradley, Judy Chin, Adrien Morot (A24)

Best Original Score
BABYLON – Justin Hurwitz (Paramount Pictures)

Best Original Song
“Ciao Papa” Alexandre Desplat, Roeban Katz, Guillermo del Toro – GUILLERMO DEL TORO’S PINOCCHIO (Netflix)

Best International Feature
ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT – Germany

Best Documentary Feature
ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED – Howard Gertler, Nan Goldin, Yoni Golijov, John S. Lyons, Laura Poitras, producers (Neon)

Best Animated Feature
GUILLERMO DEL TORO’S PINOCCHIO – Alexander Bulkley, Corey Campodonico, Lisa Henson, Guillermo del Toro, Gary Ungar, producers (Netflix)

Everything Wins In Denver


The Denver Film Critics Society has announced its picks for the best of 2022!  You can see all the nominees by clicking here and you can check out the winners below!

​Best Picture
Everything Everywhere All at Once

Best Director
Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

Best Actress
Michelle Yeoh, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

Best Actor

Colin Farrell, “The Banshees of Inisherin”

Best Supporting Actress
Stephanie Hsu, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

Best Supporting Actor
Ke Huy Quan, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

Best Sci-Fi/Horror
Everything Everywhere All at Once

Best Animated Film
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

Best Comedy
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Best Visual FX
Avatar: The Way of Water

Best Original Screenplay
Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

Best Adapted Screenplay
Sarah Polley, “Women Talking”

Best Documentary
Good Night Oppy

Best Original Song
“Naatu Naatu,” “RRR”

Best Score
Babylon

Best Foreign Language Film
RRR

Monday Live Tweet Alert: Join Us For Shock Wave 2 and Beauty Shop!


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

Tonight, for #MondayActionMovie, SweetEmmyCat is hosting 2020’s Shock Wave 2!  It’s available on YouTube!

 

Following #MondayActionMovie, Brad and Sierra will be hosting the #MondayMuggers live tweet.  Tonight’s movie, starting at 10 pm et, will be 2005’s Beauty Shop!  The film is available on Prime!

 

It should make for a night of intense viewing and I invite all of you to join in.  If you want to join the live tweets, just hop onto twitter, start Shock Wave 2 at 8 pm et, and use the #MondayActionMovie hashtag!  Then, at 10 pm et, switch over to prime, start Beauty Shop and use the #MondayMuggers hashtag!  The live tweet community is a friendly group and welcoming of newcomers so don’t be shy.  And reviews of these films will probably end up on this site at some point over the next few weeks. 

Scenes I Love: Snake Plisskin Shuts Down The World In Escape From L.A.


What is the deal with Presidents who don’t understand how important it is to stay on Snake Plisskin’s good side?

At the end of Escape From New York, The President (Donald Pleasence) made the mistake of not showing proper respect to all the people who died while Snake was rescuing him.  So, Snake destroyed the tape that was apparently key to keeping the world from descending into war.  Now, to be honest, the President was pretty shook up at the time and it’s possible that Snake was being a bit too judgmental.  After everything the President had been through, it was totally possible that he wasn’t even sure where he was.  Still, the tape was destroyed and America presumably never elected another British president.

Then, in Escape from L.A., the next President (Cliff Robertson) again makes the mistake of getting on Snake’s nerves.  So, Snake basically robs the world of electricity.  (Kurt Russell has said that all of this could have been avoided if they had just left Snake have a cigarette but the President had passed a bunch of anti-smoking laws.)  Hopefully, the next President was capable of not annoying Snake Plisskin.

With all that in mind and in honor of John Carpenter’s birthday, here’s a scene that I love from 1996’s Escape From L.A.

6 Shots From 6 Films: Special John Carpenter Edition


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 75th 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 (1978, dir by John Carpenter. DP: Dean Cundey)

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

Big Trouble In Little China (1986, dir by John Carpenter, DP: Dean Cudney)

Prince of Darkness (1987, dir by John Carpenter, DP: Gary B. Kibbe)

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

Here Are The 2022 Winners of the Critics Choice Awards!


The Critics Choice Awards were handed out tonight.  The show aired on the CW and it was hosted by Chelsea Handler, so I’m sure it was a classy affair.  I wouldn’t know for sure because I didn’t watch them but seriously, when has the CW been anything other than classy?

(Dear CW: DAMN YOU FOR CANCELING DYNASTY!)

Anyway, here are the winners.  It’s pretty much everyone you would expect to see.  The Critics Choice Awards are not known for their upsets.  At this point, I think everyone’s used to Everything Everywhere All At Once winning the critical accolades.  I’ll be more curious to see if the Guilds follow suit.

Best Picture

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24)

  •  “Avatar: The Way of Water” (20th Century Studios)
  • “Babylon” (Paramount Pictures)
  • “The Banshees of Inisherin” (Searchlight Pictures)
  • “Elvis” (Warner Bros.)
  • “The Fabelmans” (Universal Pictures)
  • “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” (Netflix)
  • “RRR” (Variance Films)
  • “Tár” (Focus Features)
  • “Top Gun: Maverick” (Paramount Pictures)
  • “Women Talking” (MGM/United Artists Releasing)

Best Actress

Cate Blanchett – “Tár” (Focus Features)

  • Viola Davis – “The Woman King” (Sony Pictures)
  • Danielle Deadwyler – “Till” (Orion/United Artists Releasing)
  • Margot Robbie – “Babylon” (Paramount Pictures)
  • Michelle Williams – “The Fabelmans” (Universal Pictures)
  • Michelle Yeoh – “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24)

Best Actor

Brendan Fraser – “The Whale” (A24)

  • Austin Butler – “Elvis” (Warner Bros.)
  • Tom Cruise – “Top Gun: Maverick” (Paramount Pictures)
  • Colin Farrell – “The Banshees of Inisherin” (Searchlight Pictures)
  • Paul Mescal – “Aftersun” (A24)
  • Bill Nighy – “Living” (Sony Pictures Classics)

Best Director

Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert – “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24)

  • James Cameron – “Avatar: The Way of Water” (20th Century Studios)
  • Damien Chazelle – “Babylon” (Paramount Pictures)
  • Todd Field – “Tár” (Focus Features)
  • Baz Luhrmann – “Elvis” (Warner Bros.)
  • Martin McDonagh – “The Banshees of Inisherin” (Searchlight Pictures)
  • Sarah Polley – “Women Talking” (MGM/United Artists Releasing)
  • Gina Prince-Bythewood – “The Woman King” (Sony Pictures)
  • S.S. Rajamouli – “RRR” (Variance Films)
  • Steven Spielberg – “The Fabelmans” (Universal Pictures)

Best Limited Series

“The Dropout” (Hulu)

  • “Gaslit” (Starz)
  • “The Girl from Plainville” (Hulu)
  • “The Offer” (Paramount+)
  • “Pam & Tommy” (Hulu)
  • “Station Eleven” (HBO Max)
  • “This Is Going to Hurt” (AMC+)
  • “Under the Banner of Heaven” (FX)

Best Drama Series

“Better Call Saul” (AMC)

  • “Andor” (Disney+)
  • “Bad Sisters” (Apple TV+)
  • “The Crown” (Netflix)
  • “Euphoria” (HBO)
  • “The Good Fight” (Paramount+)
  • “House of the Dragon” (HBO)
  • “Severance” (Apple TV+)
  • “Yellowstone” (Paramount Network)

Best Young Actor/Actress

Gabriel LaBelle – “The Fabelmans” (Universal Pictures)

  • Frankie Corio – “Aftersun” (A24)
  • Jalyn Hall – “Till” (Orion/United Artists Releasing)
  • Bella Ramsey – “Catherine Called Birdy” (Amazon Studios)
  • Banks Repeta – “Armageddon Time” (Focus Features)
  • Sadie Sink – “The Whale” (A24)

Best Comedy

“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” (Netflix)

  • “The Banshees of Inisherin” (Searchlight Pictures)
  • “Bros” (Universal Pictures)
  • “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24)
  • “Triangle of Sadness” (Neon)
  • “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” (Lionsgate)

Best Acting Ensemble

“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” (Netflix)

  • “The Banshees of Inisherin” (Searchlight Pictures)
  • “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24)
  • “The Fabelmans” (Universal Pictures)
  • “The Woman King” (Sony Pictures)
  • “Women Talking” (MGM/United Artists Releasing)

Best Talk Show

“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” (HBO)

  • “The Amber Ruffin Show” (Peacock)
  • “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee” (TBS)
  • “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Syndicated)
  • “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC)
  • “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen” (Bravo)

Best Comedy Special

“Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special” (Netflix)

  • “Fortune Feimster: Good Fortune” (Netflix)
  • “Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel” (HBO)
  • “Joel Kim Booster: Psychosexual” (Netflix)
  • “Nikki Glaser: Good Clean Filth” (HBO)
  • “Would It Kill You to Laugh? Starring Kate Berlant & John Early” (Peacock)

Best Foreign Language Series

“Pachinko” (Apple TV+)

  • “1899” (Netflix)
  • “Borgen” (Netflix)
  • “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” (Netflix)
  • “Garcia!” (HBO Max)
  • “The Kingdom Exodus” (MUBI)
  • “Kleo” (Netflix)
  • “My Brilliant Friend” (HBO)
  • “Tehran” (Apple TV+)

Best Animated Series

“Harley Quinn” (HBO Max)

  • “Bluey” (Disney+)
  • “Bob’s Burgers” (Fox)
  • “Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal” (Adult Swim)
  • “Star Trek: Lower Decks” (Paramount+)
  • “Undone” (Prime Video)

Best Movie Made for Television

“Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” (The Roku Channel)

  • “Fresh” (Hulu)
  • “Prey” (Hulu)
  • “Ray Donovan: The Movie” (Showtime)
  • “The Survivor” (HBO)
  • “Three Months” (Paramount+)

Best Actress in a Drama Series

Zendaya – “Euphoria” (HBO)

  • Christine Baranski – “The Good Fight” (Paramount+)
  • Sharon Horgan – “Bad Sisters” (Apple TV+)
  • Laura Linney – “Ozark” (Netflix)
  • Mandy Moore – “This Is Us” (NBC)
  • Kelly Reilly – “Yellowstone” (Paramount Network)

Best Actor in a Drama Series

Bob Odenkirk – “Better Call Saul” (AMC)

  • Jeff Bridges – “The Old Man” (FX)
  • Sterling K. Brown – “This Is Us” (NBC)
  • Diego Luna – “Andor” (Disney+)
  • Adam Scott – “Severance” (Apple TV+)
  • Antony Starr – “The Boys” (Prime Video)

Best Hair and Makeup

“Elvis” (Warner Bros.)

  • “Babylon” (Paramount Pictures)
  • “The Batman” (Warner Bros.)
  • “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (Marvel Studios)
  • “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24)
  • “The Whale” (A24)

Best Visual Effects

“Avatar: The Way of Water” (20th Century Studios)

  • “The Batman” (Warner Bros.)
  • “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (Marvel Studios)
  • “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24)
  • “RRR” (Variance Films)
  • “Top Gun: Maverick” (Paramount Pictures)

Best Editing

Paul Rogers – “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24)

  • Stephen Rivkin, David Brenner, John Refoua, James Cameron – “Avatar: The Way of Water” (20th Century Studios)
  • Tom Cross – “Babylon” (Paramount Pictures)
  • Matt Villa, Jonathan Redmond – “Elvis” (Warner Bros.)
  • Monika Willi – “Tár” (Focus Features)
  • Eddie Hamilton – “Top Gun: Maverick” (Paramount Pictures)

Best Production Design 

Florencia Martin, Anthony Carlino – “Babylon” (Paramount Pictures)

  • Dylan Cole, Ben Procter, Vanessa Cole – “Avatar: The Way of Water” (20th Century Studios)
  • Hannah Beachler, Lisa K. Sessions – “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (Marvel Studios)
  • Catherine Martin, Karen Murphy, Bev Dunn – “Elvis” (Warner Bros.)
  • Jason Kisvarday, Kelsi Ephraim – “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24)
  • Rick Carter, Karen O’Hara – “The Fabelmans” (Universal Pictures)

Best Cinematography

Claudio Miranda – “Top Gun: Maverick” (Paramount Pictures)

  • Russell Carpenter – “Avatar: The Way of Water” (20th Century Studios)
  • Linus Sandgren – “Babylon” (Paramount Pictures)
  • Roger Deakins – “Empire of Light” (Searchlight Pictures)
  • Janusz Kaminski – “The Fabelmans” (Universal Pictures)
  • Florian Hoffmeister – “Tár” (Focus Features)

Best Comedy Series

“Abbott Elementary” (ABC)

  • “Barry” (HBO)
  • “The Bear” (FX)
  • “Better Things” (FX)
  • “Ghosts” (CBS)
  • “Hacks” (HBO Max)
  • “Reboot” (Hulu)
  • “Reservation Dogs” (FX)

Best Actress in a Comedy Series

Jean Smart – “Hacks” (HBO Max)

  • Christina Applegate – “Dead to Me” (Netflix)
  • Quinta Brunson – “Abbott Elementary” (ABC)
  • Kaley Cuoco – “The Flight Attendant” (HBO Max)
  • Renée Elise Goldsberry – “Girls5eva” (Peacock)
  • Devery Jacobs – “Reservation Dogs” (FX)

Best Actor in a Comedy Series

Jeremy Allen White – “The Bear” (FX)

  • Matt Berry – “What We Do in the Shadows” (FX)
  • Bill Hader – “Barry” (HBO)
  • Keegan-Michael Key – “Reboot” (Hulu)
  • Steve Martin – “Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu)
  • D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai – “Reservation Dogs” (FX)

#SeeHer Award

Janelle Monáe

Lifetime Achievement Award

Jeff Bridges

Best Animated Feature

“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” (Netflix)

  • “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On” (A24)
  • “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” (DreamWorks Animation)
  • “Turning Red” (Pixar)
  • “Wendell & Wild” (Netflix)

Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television

Daniel Radcliffe – “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” (The Roku Channel)

  • Ben Foster – “The Survivor” (HBO)
  • Andrew Garfield – “Under the Banner of Heaven” (FX)
  • Samuel L. Jackson – “The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey” (Apple TV+)
  • Sebastian Stan – “Pam & Tommy” (Hulu)
  • Ben Whishaw – “This is Going to Hurt” (AMC+)

Best Costume Design

Ruth E. Carter – “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (Marvel Studios)

  • Mary Zophres – “Babylon” (Paramount Pictures)
  • Catherine Martin – “Elvis” (Warner Bros.)
  • Shirley Kurata – “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24)
  • Jenny Eagan – “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” (Netflix)
  • Gersha Phillips – “The Woman King” (Sony Pictures)

Best Song

“Naatu Naatu” – “RRR” (Variance Films)

  • “Lift Me Up” – “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (Marvel Studios)
  • “Ciao Papa” – “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” (Netflix)
  • “Hold My Hand” – “Top Gun: Maverick” (Paramount Pictures)
  • “Carolina” – “Where the Crawdads Sing” (Sony Pictures)
  • “New Body Rhumba” – “White Noise” (Netflix)

Best Score

Hildur Guðnadóttir – “Tár” (Focus Features)

  • Michael Giacchino – “The Batman” (Warner Bros.)
  • Justin Hurwitz – “Babylon” (Paramount Pictures)
  • John Williams – “The Fabelmans” (Universal Pictures)
  • Alexandre Desplat – “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” (Netflix)
  • Hildur Guðnadóttir – “Women Talking” (MGM/United Artists Releasing)

Best Original Screenplay

Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert – “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24)

  • Charlotte Wells – “Aftersun” (A24)
  • Martin McDonagh – “The Banshees of Inisherin” (Searchlight Pictures)
  • Steven Spielberg, Tony Kushner – “The Fabelmans” (Universal Pictures)
  • Todd Field – “Tár” (Focus Features)

Best Adapted Screenplay

Sarah Polley – “Women Talking” (MGM/United Artists Releasing)

  • Rian Johnson – “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” (Netflix)
  • Kazuo Ishiguro – “Living” (Sony Pictures Classics)
  • Rebecca Lenkiewicz – “She Said” (Universal Pictures)
  • Samuel D. Hunter – “The Whale” (A24)

Best Supporting Actress

Angela Bassett – “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (Marvel Studios)

  • Jessie Buckley – “Women Talking” (MGM/United Artists Releasing)
  • Kerry Condon – “The Banshees of Inisherin” (Searchlight Pictures)
  • Jamie Lee Curtis – “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24)
  • Stephanie Hsu – “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24)
  • Janelle Monáe – “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” (Netflix)

Best Supporting Actor

Ke Huy Quan – “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24)

  • Paul Dano – “The Fabelmans” (Universal Pictures)
  • Brendan Gleeson – “The Banshees of Inisherin” (Searchlight Pictures)
  • Judd Hirsch – “The Fabelmans” (Searchlight Pictures)
  • Barry Keoghan – “The Banshees of Inisherin” (Searchlight Pictures)
  • Brian Tyree Henry – “Causeway” (A24/Apple Original Films)

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Henry Winkler – “Barry” (HBO)

  • Brandon Scott Jones – “Ghosts” (CBS)
  • Leslie Jordan – “Call Me Kat” (Fox)
  • James Marsden – “Dead to Me” (Netflix)
  • Chris Perfetti – “Abbott Elementary” (ABC)
  • Tyler James Williams – “Abbott Elementary” (ABC)

Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Sheryl Lee Ralph – “Abbott Elementary” (ABC)

  • Paulina Alexis – “Reservation Dogs” (FX)
  • Ayo Edebiri – “The Bear” (FX)
  • Marcia Gay Harden – “Uncoupled” (Netflix)
  • Janelle James – “Abbott Elementary” (ABC)
  • Annie Potts – “Young Sheldon” (CBS)

Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television

Paul Walter Hauser – “Black Bird” (Apple TV+)

  • Murray Bartlett – “Welcome to Chippendales” (Hulu)
  • Domhnall Gleeson – “The Patient” (FX)
  • Matthew Goode – “The Offer” (Paramount+)
  • Ray Liotta – “Black Bird” (Apple TV+)
  • Shea Whigham – “Gaslit” (Starz)

Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television

Niecy Nash-Betts – “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” (Netflix)

  • Claire Danes – “Fleishman Is in Trouble” (FX)
  • Dominique Fishback – “The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey” (Apple TV+)
  • Betty Gilpin – “Gaslit” (Starz)
  • Melanie Lynskey – “Candy” (Hulu)
  • Juno Temple – “The Offer” (Paramount+)

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Giancarlo Esposito – “Better Call Saul” (AMC)

  • Andre Braugher – “The Good Fight” (Paramount+)
  • Ismael Cruz Córdova – “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” (Prime Video)
  • Michael Emerson – “Evil” (Paramount+)
  • John Lithgow – “The Old Man” (FX)
  • Matt Smith – “House of the Dragon” (HBO)

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Jennifer Coolidge – “The White Lotus” (HBO)

  • Milly Alcock – “House of the Dragon” (HBO)
  • Carol Burnett – “Better Call Saul” (AMC)
  • Julia Garner – “Ozark” (Netflix)
  • Audra McDonald – “The Good Fight” (Paramount+)
  • Rhea Seehorn – “Better Call Saul” (AMC)

Best Foreign Language Film

“RRR” (Variance Films)

  • “All Quiet on the Western Front” (Netflix)
  • “Argentina, 1985” (Amazon Studios)
  • “Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths” (Netflix)
  • “Close” (A24)
  • “Decision to Leave” (Mubi)

Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made For Television

Amanda Seyfried – The Dropout (Hulu)

  • Julia Garner – “Inventing Anna” (Netflix)
  • Lily James – “Pam & Tommy” (Hulu)
  • Amber Midthunder – “Prey” (Hulu)
  • Julia Roberts – “Gaslit” (Starz)
  • Michelle Pfeiffer – “The First Lady” (Showtime)

Here Are The 2022 Nominations of the Costume Designers Guild!


My favorite guild, the Costume Designers Guild, announced their nominations for the best of 2022 on January 12th!  The winners will be announced on February 27th.

Excellence in Sci-Fi / Fantasy Film
“Avatar: The Way of Water” – Deborah L. Scott
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” – Ruth E. Carter
“Everything Everywhere All at Once”- Shirley Kurata
“Hocus Pocus 2” – Salvador Perez
“Thor: Love and Thunder” – Mayes C. Rubeo

Excellence in Contemporary Film
“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” – Jenny Eagan
“Nope” – Alex Bovaird
“Tár” – Bina Daigeler
“Top Gun: Maverick” – Marlene Stewart
“Women Talking” – Quita Alfred

Excellence in Period Film
“Babylon” – Mary Zophres
“Don’t Worry Darling” – Arianne Phillips
“Elvis” – Catherine Martin
“Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris” – Jenny Beavan
“The Woman King” – Gersha Phillips

Excellence in Sci-Fi / Fantasy Television
“House of the Dragon: The Heirs of the Dragon” – Jany Temime
“The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: A Shadow of the Past” – Kate Hawley
“Westworld: Generation Loss” – Debra Beebe
“What We Do in the Shadows: The Wedding” – Laura Montgomery
“The Witcher: Blood Origin: Of Mages, Malice, and Monstrous Mayhem” – Lucinda Wright

Excellence in Contemporary Television
“Emily in Paris: What’s it All About…” – Marylin Fitoussi
“Euphoria: Trying to Get to Heaven Before They Close the Door” – Heidi Bivens
“Hacks: The Captain’s Wife” – Kathleen Felix-Hager
“Wednesday: Wednesday’s Child is Full of Woe” – Colleen Atwood & Mark Sutherland
“The White Lotus: In the Sandbox” – Alex Bovaird

Excellence in Period Television
“Bridgerton: The Choice” – Sophie Canale
“The Crown: Ipatiev House” – Amy Roberts
“The Gilded Age: Let the Tournament Begin” – Kasia Walicka-Maimone
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: Maisel vs. Lennon: The Cut Contest” – Donna Zakowska
“Pam & Tommy: I Love You, Tommy” – Kameron Lennox

Excellence in Variety, Reality-Competition, Live Television
“Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration” – Marina Toybina
“Dancing with the Stars: Halloween Night” – Daniela Gschwendtner & Steven Norman Lee
“Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls: Girl Run That Sh*t Back” – Carrie Cramer & Jason Rembert
“RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race: RuPaul-A-Palooza!” – Tony Iniguez
“Saturday Night Live: Miles Teller/Kendrick Lamar” – Tom Broecker, Ashley Dudek & Cristina Natividad

Excellence in Short Form Design
Disney+ Has All the GOATs (Commercial) – Melissa DesRosiers
McDonald’s: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Commercial) – Sarah Kinsumba
Nike: Father Time (Commercial) – Shawna Trpcic (For Jason Momoa)
Not Today Flu feat. Jason Alexander (Commercial) – Dawn Ritz
Yeah Yeah Yeahs: “Spitting Off the Edge of the World” (Music Video) – Natasha Newman-Thomas

Film Review: The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker (dir by Colette Camden)


How dumb can people be?

That is the question that’s posed by the new Netflix documentary, The Hatchet-Wielding Hitchhiker, and the answer would appear to be that they can be extremely dumb.  The documentary takes a look at the story of Caleb “Kai” McGillvary, who went from being an internet sensation to an accused murderer over the course of three months in 2013.  Even more so, though, it’s about the people who enabled him, through a combination of their own stupidity and greed.

Kai first found fame when he was credited with stopping a hate crime.  A man named Jett McBride smashed his car into a black pedestrian and, while the pedestrian was trapped between the car and a parked truck, McBride attacked the people who attempted to help.  Kai, who was a hitchhiker who McBride had apparently picked up just a few hours before, jumped out of the car and proceeded to hit McBride three times with a hatchet.  A local news reporter interviewed Kai afterwards and was immediately taken with Kai’s spaced-out style.

At the time, it’s perhaps understandable that people were so happy that Kai had prevented McBride from killing several people that they didn’t stop to ask themselves why Kai had a hatchet with him in the first place.  Still, it does seem like it would have been a good thing to consider before the reporter uploaded his interview with Kai to YouTube.  And when Kai became a viral sensation (though I have to admit that I had never even heard of him until I saw this documentary so perhaps viral is in the eye of the beholder), maybe a few people should have said, “Before we try to make him a star, maybe we should consider that the only thing we know about him is that he’s been traveling around the country with a freaking hatchet in his backpack.”

Instead, the reporter tracked down Kai for a second interview.  Kai played guitar and expounded on his philosophy of life.  (Jack Kerouac would have kicked Kai out of a moving car but other people were impressed.)  Jimmy Kimmel had him on his show as a guest, though the interview was cut short by the fact that Kai was obviously unstable.  Despite the fact that Kai was an unpredictable alcoholic with a violent streak, there was talk of giving Kai his own reality show.  One of the documentary’s cringiest moments comes when someone says that it was felt Kai could be an unhoused Kardashian and that he could star in a show about how happy people were to be living on the streets.  None of those plans really came to fruition but Kai still remained popular enough that someone was always willing to buy him a drink or let him crash at their place for the night.  When a prominent New Jersey attorney was found beaten to death in his home, police were surprised to discover that the last man the attorney had been seen with was Kai, the Hatchet-Wielding Hitchhiker.

This documentary is about the odd nature of fame in the internet age.  It’s been said that, due to social media, everyone has at least 15 devoted fans and that’s probably true.  That said, this documentary is even more about stupidity.  Kai is not interviewed but the people who made him famous are spoken with and, with one or two exceptions, every single one of them comes across as being either extremely stupid, extremely callous, or both.  Everyone was so eager to discover (and profit off of) the newest sensation that none of them stopped to consider that Kai was an obviously unstable alcoholic who was hitchhiking across the country with a hatchet.  Indeed, he would later brag that Jett McBride went crazy specifically because Kai gave him a joint laced with LSD.  (For the record, when Jett McBride was arrested and taken to prison, he tested positive only for marijuana.  So, Kai probably was lying about that but who would brag, even falsely, about inspiring someone to commit a hate crime?)  Everyone was so eager to make Kai a star that no one stopped to wonder if they should.

Anyway, it’s an interesting documentary.  The main lesson is don’t trust anyone who just happens to have a hatchet on them, regardless of whether or not they’re a funny stoner who can play the guitar.  It’s a good lesson to learn.

Retro Television Reviews: The Last Child (dir by John Llewellyn Moxey)


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 The Last Child!  It  can be viewed on YouTube!

Welcome to the “near future.”

Panicked by hysterical claims about overpopulation and environmental catastrophe, Americans have sacrificed the majority of their civil liberties.  Smiling policeman stand on every corner and in every public hallway.  Of course, once their authority is challenged, those smiles quickly disappear.  Crude posters have been put up everywhere, demanding that everyone watch their consumption of natural resources.  The social engineers and the eugenicists are in charge.  Anyone over the age of 65 is ineligible for medical care and encouraged to consider euthanasia.  Couples are allowed to have only one child and the government requires that anyone who gets pregnant a second time have an abortion.  Anyone who questions the policy is told that they have no choice but to follow the law.  It’s their civic duty.  The media, meanwhile, runs headlines declaring that the one child policy has led to world peace.
Alan and Karen Miller (played by Michael Cole and Janet Margolin) have already had their one child.  That their child died shortly after birth doesn’t matter in the eyes of Barstow (Ed Asner), the Himmleresque head of the Population Control Police.  Every couple is allowed one child and that’s it.  When Karen gets pregnant a second time, she is determined to have the baby.  She and Alan know that their only hope is to cross the border into Canada.  Helping them is a retired U.S. Senator (Van Heflin, in his final performance) who is opposed to the government’s policies.  Caught in the middle of Karen’s brother, Howard (Harry Guardino).  Howard works for the Population Control Police and he knows just how far Barstow is willing to go to keep Karen from having her baby.

The Last Child opens with a title card informing us that the film takes place in the “not-too-distant future.”  Along with all of the propaganda posters, that’s the only real sign that this film is meant to be taking place in the future.  There’s no “futuristic” technology.  Everyone dresses in the latest 1971 fashions.  Everyone drives the latest 1971 automobiles.  Though the decision may have been motivated by the film’s low-budget, the lack of the typical sci-fi trappings serves the film well.  The Last Child does not take place in a sleekly designed future and it doesn’t takes place in an apocalyptic wasteland.  Instead, it takes place in a world that is just as shabby as you would expect a world controlled and decorated by a government bureaucracy to be.  It’s a gray dystopia, populated by people who have given up their individuality.  It’s a world that’s visually boring by design and that makes it all the more disturbing.

The Last Child is an effective and well-acted film.  It probably feels more plausible today than it did when it aired back in 1971.  In many ways, with its portrait of unfeeling government officials and bland authoritarianism, it’s the perfect film for the age of COVID.  Indeed, the government’s policy of refusing to provide life-saving care for people over the age of 65 is reminiscent of what many pundits advocated for at the height of the COVID pandemic.  As for the film’s one child policy, that too is a concept that has become recently popular with many American academics.  Among many members of the so-called “elites,” there’s a definite need to try to control people and that very real need is what makes The Last Child so disturbingly plausible.  In The Last Child, sanctuary is found in Canada.  Today, of course, Canada is at the forefront of the euthanasia trend.  Of course, in 1971, the Prime Minister of Canada was Pierre Trudeau and not Justin.

Pierre Trudeau’s personal motto was “Reason before passion” and that’s certainly the philosophy that fuels the dystopian society at the center of The Last Child.  It’s a film that holds up today as both a thriller and a prophecy,