On Christmas Eve, the Florida Film Critics announced their picks for the best of 2015 and they were mad for Max! Good for them! You can check out their nominations by clicking here and you can see the winners below!
Here are 6 more reviews of 6 other films that I watched this year. Why six? Because Lisa doesn’t do odd numbers, that’s why.
The Big Game (dir by Jalmari Helander)
In The Big Game, Samuel L. Jackson plays the President of the United States and you would think that fact alone would make this film an instant classic. Unfortunately, this film never really takes advantage of the inherent coolness of Samuel L. Jackson playing the leader of the free world. When Air Force One is sabotaged and crashes in the wilderness of Finland, President Jackson has to rely on a young hunter (Onni Tommila) from a group of CIA agents disguised as terrorists. Tommila does a pretty good job and the scenery looks great but at no point does Samuel L. Jackson says, “Check out this executive action, motherfucker,” and that’s a huge missed opportunity. As for the rest of the film, it takes itself a bit too seriously and if you can’t figure out the big twist from the minute the movie starts, you obviously haven’t seen enough movies.
The Connection (dir by Cedric Jiminez)
Taking place over the 1970s, the French crime thriller tells the largely true story of the efforts of a French judge (played by Jean Dujardin) to take down a ruthless gangster (Gilles Lellouche) who is the head of one of the biggest drug cartels in the world. The Connection run for a bit too long but, ultimately, it’s a stylish thriller that does a very good job of creating a world where literally no one can be trusted. Dujardin, best known here in the States for his Oscar-winning role in The Artist, does a great job playing an honest man who is nearly driven to the point of insanity by the corruption all around him.
Graduation Day (dir by Chris Stokes)
Hey, it’s another found footage horror film! Bleh! Now, I should admit that this horror film — which is NOT a remake of that classic 1980s slasher — does have a fairly clever twist towards the end, that goes a long way towards explaining a lot of the inconsistencies that, up until that point, had pretty much dominated the film. But, even with that in mind and admitting that Unfriended and Devil’s Due worked wonders with the concept, it’s still hard to feel any enthusiasm about yet another found footage horror film.
McFarland USA (dir by Niki Caro)
McFarland USA is an extremely predictable but likable movie. Kevin Costner plays a former football coach who, while teaching at a mostly Latino high school, organizes a cross country team that goes on to win the state championship. It’s based on a true story and, at the end of the film, all of the real people appear alongside the actors who played them. There’s nothing about this film that will surprise you but it’s still fairly well-done. Even Kevin Costner, who usually gets on my last nerve, gives a good performance.
Taken 3 (dir by Olivier Megaton)
Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) is back and he’s killing even more people! Fortunately, they’re all bad people but you really do have to wonder what type of dreams Bryan has whenever he goes to sleep. In Taken 3, Bryan’s wife (Famke Janssen) has been murdered and Bryan has been framed. He has to solve the case and kill the bad guys while staying one step ahead of the police (represented by a bored-looking Forest Whitaker). Neeson does all of his usual Taken stuff — the intense phone conversation, the steely glare, and all the rest — but at this point, it has literally been parodied to death. If you’re into watching Liam Neeson kill ugly people, Taken 3 will provide you with adequate entertainment but, for the most part, it’s but a shadow of the first Taken.
War Room (dir by Alex Kendrick)
I saw the War Room in Oklahoma. It was being shown as part of a double feature with The Martian, of all things! Anyway, this film is about an upper middle class family that hits rock bottom but they’re saved by the power of prayer! Lots and lots of prayer! Seriously, this film almost qualifies as “prayer porn.” Anyway, the film was badly acted, badly written, incredibly heavy-handed, and ran on way too long but, on the plus side, it did eventually end.
Here are reviews of 6 documentaries that I saw in 2015:
Packed In A Trunk: The Lost Art of Edith Lake Wilkinson (dir by Michelle Boyaner)
In 1924, painter Edith Lake Wilkinson was committed to an insane asylum and lived the rest of her life in sad obscurity. As a result of Edith’s commitment, her artwork never received the recognition it deserved. That’s the idea behind this documentary, which follows Edith’s great-great niece as she researches Edith’s life and tries to get the art world to acknowledge Edith’s talent. As an art history major, I really wanted to like this documentary but, unfortunately, it focused more on the self-important niece than on the artwork. Matters were not helped by a lengthy visit with a psychic who claimed to have “contacted” Edith’s spirit. For the most part, this was a missed opportunity.
Requiem for the Dead: American Spring 2014
This film takes a look at the hundreds of people who were murdered by someone using a gun during the Spring of 2014. Some of the cases are examined in detail while other victims only appear for a second or two, quickly replaced by another tragedy. The cases are recreated through 911 calls, news reports, and occasionally interviews. It makes for sobering and sad viewing though, at the same time, it works better an indictment of our sick culture than as a call for greater gun control.
Southern Rites (dir by Gillian Laub)
Photographer Gillian Laub comes down to Montgomery County, Georgia, in order to take pictures of the town’s first integrated prom. She sticks around to film the trial of an old white man who shot and killed a young black man. The film has good intentions and it’s obvious that Laub is convinced that she has something important to say that hasn’t been said before but, especially when compared to the superior and thematically similar 3 1/2 Minutes, it quickly becomes obvious that neither she nor the film can offer up any new insight as far as racism in America is concerned.
A Symphony of Summits: The Alps From Above (dir by Peter Bardehle and Sebastian Lindemann)
A Symphony of Summits, which is currently available on Netflix, is basically 94 minutes of aerial footage of the Alps. A Symphony of Summits was originally made for German television and the English-language narration track has a blandly cheerful, touristy feel to it that often doesn’t go along with the imposing images and the occasionally bloody events being discussed. (The history of the Alps is not necessarily a peaceful one.) My advise would be to turn down the sound, put on your favorite music, and just enjoy the beauty of the images.
Thought Crimes: The Case of the Cannibal Cop (dir by Erin Lee Carr)
Thought Crimes tells the story of Gilberto Valle, a New York Cop who, in 2013, was convicted, on the basis of comments that he made online about plotting to kidnap and eat a woman. Valle claimed that he was just sharing a fantasy and that he had no intention of following through. Eventually, a judge agreed with him and his conviction was overturned. This disturbing and creepy documentary features extensive interviews with Vallee (who literally made my skin crawl) and examines some of the darkest corners of the internet. Many times in the documentary, Vallee claimed that he would never actually hurt anyone and I didn’t believe him for a second. (As a cop, Vallee accessed the police database to look up info on a woman he was fantasizing about abducting and cannibalizing.) That said, Thought Crimes still raised some interesting issues about the internet as an outlet for fantasy and how seriously we should take it as an indicator for real world actions. There are no easy answers.
The Thread (dir by Greg Barker)
The Thread is a 61 minute documentary about the Boston Marathon Bombing and how a group of wannabe detectives used Reddit and twitter to wrongly accuse a missing graduate student of being one of the bombers. It’s interesting and occasionally cringe-inducing viewing experience, even if it really doesn’t offer up much original insight. (Documentarians are always quicker to bemoan the rise of new media than to seriously investigate why old media collapsed in the first place.) Among those interviewed about the rush to find a suspect is Sasha Stone, the founder and editor of AwardsDaily and yes, she is just as annoying and smugly self-important as you would expect. (Thankfully, they did not interview Ryan Adams.)
For the final time this year, here are my monthly Oscar predictions. Usually, the critic groups and the guilds help to make it a bit more clear what is going to be nominated. That’s not so much the case this year. It’s been a very good year for film and let’s hope the actual Oscar nominations reflect that.
BEST ACTOR
Bryan Cranston – Trumbo
Paul Dano – Love and Mercy
Leonardo DiCaprio – The Revenant
Michael Fassbender – Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne – The Danish Girl
BEST ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett – Carol
Brie Larson – Room
Charlotte Rampling – 45 Years
Saoirse Ronan – Brooklyn
Charlize Theron – Mad Max: Fury Road
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Oscar Isaac – Ex Machina
Mark Ruffalo – Spotlight
Mark Rylance – Bridge of Spies
Michael Shannon – 99 Homes
Sylvester Stallone – Creed
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Elizabeth Banks – Love and Mercy
Jennifer Jason Leigh – The Hateful Eight
Rooney Mara – Carol
Kristen Stewart – Clouds of Sils Maria
Alicia Vikander – Ex Machina
BEST DIRECTOR
Todd Haynes – Carol
Alejandro G. Iñárritu – The Revenant
George Miller – Mad Max: Fury Road
Tom McCarthy – Spotlight
Ridley Scott – The Martian
BEST ENSEMBLE
The Big Short
Mistress America
Spotlight
Straight Outta Compton
Tangerine
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY Ex Machina
The Hateful Eight Inside Out
Mistress America
Spotlight
FFCC BREAKOUT AWARD
Bel Powley – Diary of a Teenage Girl
Daisy Ridley – Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Kitana Kiki Rodriguez – Tangerine
Jacob Tremblay – Room
Alicia Vikander – Ex Machina and The Danish Girl
The Nevada Film Critics have announced their picks for the best of 2015. The Revenant got a little more love than usual (and Tom Hardy finally picked up an award) but Spotlight again won the top prize.
Best Film – Spotlight
Best Actor – Leonardo DiCaprio – the Revenant
Best Actress – Brie Larson – Room
Best Supporting Actor – Tom Hardy – The Revenant
Best Supporting Actress – Alicia Vikander – Ex Machina
Best Youth Performance – Jacob Tremblay – Room
Best Director – Alejandro Iñárritu – The Revenant
Best Original Screenplay – Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer – Spotlight
Best Adapted Screenplay – tie – Drew Goddard for The Martian and Emma Donoghue for Room
Best Ensemble Cast – Spotlight
Best Documentary – Amy
Best Animated Movie – Inside Out
Best Production Design – Francois Séguin – Brooklyn
Best Cinematography – Emmanuel Lubezki – The Revenant
Best Visual Effects – Ex Machina
The Women’s Film Critics Circle have announced their picks for the best of 2015. After starting out as one of those films that everyone expected to be a major contender, Suffragette has faded somewhat as an awards contender. However, regardless of what the Academy may or may not do, Suffragette has been embraced by the Women’s Film Critics Circle.
Check out the winners below. Also, check out all the categories! Why can’t the Oscars be this much fun?
Best Actor Eddie Redmayne (The Danish Girl) Best Actress Carey Mulligan (Suffragette) Best Movie about Women Suffragette Best Movie by a Woman Suffragette
Best Young Actress Brie Larson (Room) Best Comedic Actress Amy Schumer (Trainwreck) Best Woman Storyteller (Screenwriting Award) Phyllis Nagy (Carol) Women’s Work / Best Ensemble Suffragette Best Foreign Film by or about Women The Second Mother Best Theatrically Unreleased Movie by or about Women Bessie Best Female Images in a Movie Suffragette Best Male Images in a Movie Bridge of Spies Worst Female Images in a Movie Jurassic World Worst Male Images in a Movie Steve Jobs Best Family Film Inside Out Best Documentary by or about Women Amy Best Female Action Hero Charlize Theron (Mad Max: Fury Road) Best Animated Female Amy Poehler (Inside Out) Best Screen Couple Tom Courtenay and Charlotte Rampling (45 Years) Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay (Room) Best Equality of the Sexes Mad Max: Fury Road Courage in Filmmaking Sarah Gavron (Suffragette) Courage in Acting (taking on unconventional roles that radically redefine the images of women on screen) Brie Larson (Room) Acting and Activism Award Olivia Wilde The Invisible Woman Award (performance by a woman whose exceptional impact on the film dramatically, socially or historically, has been ignored) Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl) Adrienne Shelly Award (for a film that most passionately opposes violence against women) He Named Me Malala Josephine Baker Award (for best expressing the woman of colour experience in America) What Happened, Miss Simone? Karen Morley Award (for best exemplifying a woman’s place in history or society, and a courageous search for identity) Suffragette Lifetime Achievement Award Lily Tomlin Mommie Dearest Worst Screen Mom of the Year Award Cate Blanchett (Cinderella)
Through the Shattered Lens