Lisa’s Early Oscar Predictions for June

Posted on June 10, 2018 by Lisa Marie Bowman

We’re nearly halfway through 2018 and it’s time for me to once again post my somewhat random Oscar predictions!

As usual, these predictions are a combination of instinct or wishful thinking. Do I really think that Orson Welles’s final film will dominate the Oscars? Well, why not? It’d be a great story if it happened. The same goes for Black Panther becoming the first comic book movie to receive a best picture nomination. It’d be nice if it happened and, with most of the contenders still unseen, there’s no reason to arbitrarily dismiss the film’s chances.

Based on the reaction that it received at Cannes, I’ve added Spike Lee’s BlackKklansman to my list of predicted best picture nominees.

As always, take these predictions with a grain of salt. Some of these films and performers will be nominated. (First Man, for instance, seems like a lock.) Many of them will not. If nothing else, my monthly predictions always seem to be useful for a good laugh in retrospect. And there’s nothing wrong with that! The predictions that don’t come true are often even more fun than the predictions that do.

It should also be remembered that some of the films listed below don’t even set release dates yet. Some of them might not even open this year. There are other films — like Burden — that seems like they should be contenders but they’ve yet to get a distributor. And then there’s Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman, which is scheduled to be released by Netflix in 2019 but it’s always possible that film could be moved up on the schedule. If The Irishman does get a last-minute December release, chances are that the Oscar race will be dramatically altered.

Or maybe not. Remember how Silence was a front runner all through 2016, just to end up with one nomination? It’s hard to predict which films will have “that Barton Fink feeling.”

(Yes, I’m currently watching Barton Fink. Thinking about the Oscars will enjoying a film from the Coen Brothers? Life is good, as my twitter girl crush often puts it.)

Please be sure to check out my predictions for January, February, March, April, and May.

Best Picture

BlackKklansman

Black Panther

Boy Erased

First Man

If Beale Street Could Talk

Mary, Queen of Scots

The Other Side of the Wind

A Star is Born

White Boy Rick

Widows

Best Director

Damien Chazelle for First Man

Barry Jenkins for If Beale Street Could Talk

Spike Lee for BlackKklansman

Steve McQueen for Widows

Orson Welles for The Other Side of the Wind

Best Actor

Steve Carell in Beautiful Boy

Bradley Cooper in A Star is Born

Willem DaFoe in At Eternity’s Gate

Ryan Gosling in First Man

Robert Redford in The Old Man & The Gun

Best Actress

Viola Davis in Widows

Felicity Jones in On The Basis of Sex

Melissa McCarthy in Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Chloe Grace Moretz in The Miseducation of Cameron Post

Saoirse Ronan in Mary, Queen of Scots

Best Supporting Actor

Timothee Chalamet in Beautiful Boy

Russell Crowe in Boy Erased

Adam Driver in BlackKklansman

Sam Elliott in A Star is Born

Michael B. Jordan in Black Panther

Best Supporting Actress

Claire Foy in First Man

Nicole Kidman in Boy Erased

Regina King in If Beale Street Could Talk

Margot Robbie in Mary, Queen of Scots

Sissy Space in The Old Man & The Gun

Scenes That I Love: James Bond Meets Sylvia Trench in Dr. No (In memory of Eunice Grayson)

Posted on June 9, 2018 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Earlier today, I read the sad news that British actress Eunice Grayson passed away at the age of 90. Grayson may not have been a household name but true fans of James Bond (as opposed to those who think that the franchise started with Daniel Craig) know Grayson from her role as Sylvia Trench in both Dr. No and From Russia With Love.

Eunice Grayson was the first Bond girl. When we first meet Bond in Dr. No, he’s sitting down across from her at the Baccarat table. When Bond asks her name, she replies, “Trench. Sylvia Trench.” When she asks his name, he playfully replies, “Bond. James Bond.” and history is made.

Grayson originally auditioned for the role of Miss Moneypenny but, when the producers decided to give that role to Lois Maxwell, Grayson was instead cast as Sylvia Trench. At first, Sylvia was envisioned as being Bond’s permanent “off-duty” girlfriend. That’s certainly the role that she’s plays when she briefly reappears in From Russia With Love. The original plan was for Sylvia (and Grayson) to appear in at least six Bond films and to be the principal Bond girl in the sixth one. However, those plans were abandoned with Goldfinger.

(Check out this 2012 interview that Grayson gave to the BBC for more details about her experiences as a part of the Bond franchise.)

Today’s scene that I love is in memory of both Eunice Grayson and the role she played in the history of one of my favorite film franchises. From 1962’s Dr. No, James Bond meets Sylvia Trench for the first time…

Trailer Round-Up: First Man, The Predator, How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, Bad Times At The El Royale, The Old Man & The Gun, Operation Finale, A Star is Born, and The Girl In The Spider’s Web

Posted on June 9, 2018 by Lisa Marie Bowman

There were a lot of interesting trailers released this week. Among those that I’ve already looked at: Suspiria, Widows, White Boy Rick, Wreck-It Ralph 2, Bumblebee, The Lego Movie Part Two, Halloween, Billionaire Boys Club, 14 Cameras, and Siberia.

Here’s the best of the rest!

First Man is Damien Chazelle’s follow-up to La La Land. In this one, Ryan Gosling plays the first man to ever step on the moon. Many critics, including me, expect this will be a definite Oscar contender. (Chazelle may even find himself competing once again with Barry Jenkins, whose If Beale Street Could Talk is also considered to be a possible contender.)

Here’s the second trailer for The Predator, which emphasizes action above all else. (Check out the first trailer here.)

Here’s the trailer for the third installment in the beloved How To Train Your Dragon franchise, The Hidden World!

Here’s the trailer for Bad Times At The El Royale, which is either going to be brilliant or totally suck. I don’t really see any middle ground here.

Normally, I would be tempted to roll my eyes at something like The Old Man & The Gun. I mean, didn’t Robert Redford say that he wasn’t going to make another movie until climate change was defeated or something like that? However, this film was directed by David Lowery, who was also responsible for the best film of 2017, A Ghost Story! So, I will definitely give this one a chance. Here’s the trailer:

Here’s the trailer for Operation Finale, a dramatization of the 1960 intelligence operation that led to the capture of Nazi war criminal Adolph Eichmann. Why do we need this movie? Go to YouTube and read some of the comments left under this trailer. With anti-Semitism on the rise and more and more people buying into the despicable BDS movement, this is a story that needs to be told. Hopefully, Operation Finale will do it justice.

Damn, Bradley Cooper’s got a pretty good singing voice! Check out the trailer for A Star is Born if you need proof.

And lastly, here’s the trailer for The Girl In The Spider’s Web.

Hilariously, there’s a lot of people bitching about the fact that Rooney Mara will not be playing Libseth in The Girl In The Spider’s Web. Folks, there’s only one Lisbeth Salander and it’s not Rooney Fucking Mara. Noomi Rapace was, is, and always will be the only Libseth Salander who really matters!

Here’s The Trailer for Keanu Reeves in Siberia!

Posted on June 8, 2018 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The action film career of Keanu Reeves continues this July with Siberia!

In this one, Keanu’s a diamond trader whose partner disappears in Russia. Keanu hops on an airplane so he can investigate. I’m going to guess that it will all somehow involve the Russian mafia because almost everything does nowadays.

Personally, I think they missed an opportunity when they didn’t call this one, “John Wick in Siberia.”

I also think that someone needs to team Keanu and Liam Neeson up for an action film. Speaking of Liam, did you remember to see The Commuter earlier this year? It was surprisingly good.

Anyway, here’s the trailer for Siberia!

Here’s The Trailer For 14 Cameras!

Posted on June 8, 2018 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Here’s the trailer for 14 Cameras!

I’m going to assume that this is a sequel to 13 Cameras, which I reviewed back in 2016. 13 Cameras was about a house that was full of cameras. 14 Cameras ups the stakes by one camera and a motel.

Here’s The Rather Awkward Trailer For Billionaire Boys Club!

Posted on June 8, 2018 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Billionaire Boys Club is an upcoming film that’s based on a true life murder. In the 1980s, two wealthy young men murdered a con artist named Ron Levin. The film was first expected to be released in 2017 but then it got pushed back by a few months. That’s rarely a good sign but I still plan on seeing the film because I enjoy true crime reenactments and, at the very least, I would imagine there would be a lot of fun 80s music on the film’s soundtrack.

That said, the trailer is totally awkward because of the presence of Kevin Spacey in the role of Ron Levin. I saw one comment on YouTube from someone declaring, “It’s cool to see Kevin on screen again.” Of course, what needs to be remembered is that this film was shot in December of 2015, long before Anthony Rapp and several others came forward with stories of decades of sexual harassment and abuse at Spacey’s hands. In fact, this film was completed long before Spacey started work on All The Money In The World. While Christopher Plummer was busy reshooting Spacey’s scenes in that film, Billionaire Boys Club was sitting on the shelf.

Anyway, this film is finally going to be released in August. Interestingly enough, Levin’s murderer will be played by Ansel Elgort, who previously co-starred with Spacey in Baby Driver. I’ll probably see the film, though perhaps not in theaters.

Here’s the trailer:

Here’s The Trailer for David Gordon Green’s Halloween!

Posted on June 8, 2018 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Somewhat under the radar, Texas’s David Gordon Green has had one of the most interesting and varied film careers of any modern filmmaker. How many other directors would be capable of directing both Your Highness and Joe?

Green’s latest film is a sequel/remake/reboot of the horror classic, Halloween. The trailer picks up decades after the end of John Carpenter’s film, with Michael Myers again coming for his sister (Jamie Lee Curtis) and, this time, his niece (Judy Greer). However, Laurie isn’t just passively waiting for the next night that he comes home. Laurie’s got a gun and she’s not shy about using it.

So, judging from this trailer, all of the original Halloween sequels never happened. Needless to say, the two Rob Zombie films have been pushed to the side as well. Whether that’s a good thing or not will depend on how you feel about those films. I’ll be sorry to lose Halloween II but the one with Busta Rhymes? Who cares? Rob Zombie’s first Halloween was good but his second one can ride out of town on a mysterious white horse for all I care.

As for this latest film, the trailer looks good. I have faith in David Gordon Green.

Here’s The Teaser For The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part!

Posted on June 6, 2018 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Oh hell yeah! Everything is awesome because Emmett, Wyldstyle, and Princess Unikitty are back!

Of course, some people online are already complaining that this film is basically just a combination of Mad Max and Guardians of the Galaxy but who cares? It looks fun. It looks like it will make me laugh. It looks like it will help me get over the fact that there’s not a Pixar movie called Bumblebee that features Martin Freeman as a bee who is struggling to understand why the only ability God gave him — the ability to sting — is also the only thing that can kill him. That’s what is important here, people!

I’d follow Chris Pratt to the gates of Hell. In fact, I have. Anyone tried to sit through Passengers recently?

Anyway, the important thing is that this looks like a fun and cute movie, sure to be full of laughs for both the kids and the adults. This looks more like that Lego movie about Batman than the Lego movie about all the ninjas. I’m looking forward to it.

(Actually the LEGO movie with all the ninjas had a cute cat in it so it wasn’t all bad.)

Here’s The Trailer For Bumblebee!

Posted on June 6, 2018 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Yesterday, when I heard that there was a trailer for a film called Bumblebee, I was really excited because I assumed it would be a Pixar film about a bee who speaks with the voice of Martin Freeman and who wonders why he was given the ability to sting if he can only use it once before dying.

Then I watched the trailer and I discovered that it was just another Transformers movie.

Actually, to be specific, this is a Transformers spin-off. In fact, it’s a prequel! It’s set in the 80s, which means that there will be a lot of retro fun to be had! So, this might be better than the average Transformers film. Or it might really suck, again like an average Transformers film.

Regardless, I bet it will have a killer soundtrack.

(Also, there is a reason for cautious optimism. Michael Bay is not directing. Instead, the director is Travis Knight, who previously gave us the brilliant Kubo and The Two Strings.)

Insomnia File #35: Donnie Brasco (dir by Mike Newell)

Posted on June 5, 2018 by Lisa Marie Bowman

What’s an Insomnia File? You know how some times you just can’t get any sleep and, at about three in the morning, you’ll find yourself watching whatever you can find on cable? This feature is all about those insomnia-inspired discoveries!

Last night, if you happened to be awake at 2:30 in the morning, you could have turned over to Starz and watched the 1997 film, Donnie Brasco.

Benjamin “Lefty” Ruggiero (Al Pacino) has spent his entire life as a loyal Mafia soldier. It’s the only life that he knows and he can tell you some stories. He remembers the early days, back when men like Lucky Luciano, Frank Costello, and Meyer Lansky were in charge of things. Lefty is proud to say that, over the years, he’s successfully carried out over 20 hits. Lefty is lucky enough to be an associate of an up-and-comer nicknamed Sonny Black (Michael Madsen). While Sonny was in prison, Lefty kept an eye on Sonny’s family. Lefty feels that Sonny owes him. Whether Sonny feels the same way isn’t always quite clear.

Lefty’s problem is that everyone loves him but few people respect him. The aging Lefty is viewed as being a relic and, at most, they merely tolerate his constant bragging. Lefty may fantasize about the big bosses knowing who he is but, when he tries to greet one of them at a party, it becomes clear that he doesn’t have the slightest idea who Lefty is. Lefty spends his time worrying that he’s dying and dreaming of one last opportunity to make a name for himself.

In fact, perhaps the only really good thing that Lefty has going for him is his friendship with Donnie Brasco (Johnny Depp). Donnie is a jewel thief, a tough and volatile orphan who Lefty introduces to Sonny. Sonny is immediately impressed with Donnie. In fact, Sonny thinks so highly of Donnie that he assigns Donnie to look over his operations in Florida. Lefty can only watch as his protegé’s star starts to eclipse his own. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. As Lefty explains it, Donnie’s success is also Lefty’s success because Lefty is the one who brought Donnie into the crew. Of course, if Donnie ever fails, the failure will be on Lefty as well.

As for Donnie … well, his name isn’t actually Donnie. His real name is Joe Pistone and he’s a FBI agent. When he first agreed to work undercover, he was told that the assignment would only last for a few months. Instead, the months turn into years and, piece by piece, Joe vanishes as he transforms into Donnie. The formerly soft-spoken college graduate is soon beating up waiters and chopping up bodies in basements. His wife (Anne Heche) fears that her husband may no longer exist. “I am not becoming like them,” Joe/Donnie says at one point, “I am them.”

Donnie Brasco is hardly the first film to examine life in the Mafia. It’s not even the first movie about an undercover FBI agent who manages to worm his way into the mob’s hierarchy. What sets Donnie Brasco apart are the performances of Pacino, Depp, Heche, Madsen, and, as a talkative mob associate, Bruno Kirby. As played by Pacino, Lefty may be a hardened killer but he’s also just a working class guy who wishes that his boss would just show him a little appreciation. Lefty may be capable of casually shooting a guy in the back of the head but, at the same time, there’s something heartbreakingly sad about the sight of him tearing up a greeting card that he hoped to personally deliver to the big boss. As for Johnny Depp, he gives a surprisingly restrained performance, rarely raising his voice except when he’s yelling at his family. Donnie may appear outwardly calm but the stress of losing his identity is always present in his eyes.

Interestingly, for a mob movie, there’s little violence to be found in Donnie Brasco. It’s not until 90 minutes in that we get the expected scene of rival mobsters getting ambushed and gunned down. Donnie Brasco isn’t about violence. Instead, the film’s heart is to be found in the story of Lefty and Donnie’s odd friendship. Instead of being about who is going to kill who, this film is about Lefty’s desire to be something more than he is and Joe’s struggle to remember who he used to be before he became Donnie. It’s a touching and effective gangster film and one to keep an eye out for.