The Phoenix Critics Circle Has Risen From The Ashes With These Nominees!


The members of the Phoenix Film Critics Circle challenge their rival in the Phoenix Film Critics Society.

The members of the Phoenix Film Critics Circle challenge their rival in the Phoenix Film Critics Society.

Here are the nominees of the Phoenix Critics Circle, who should not be mistaken for the Phoenix Film Critics Society.  Do the Circle and the Society have regular rumbles, like the Sharks and the Jets?  I’d like to think that they do.

The winners will be announced on the 17th!

BEST PICTURE
Arrival
Hell or High Water
La La Land
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight

BEST COMEDY FILM
Deadpool
The Edge of Seventeen
Hail, Caesar!
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
The Nice Guys

BEST SCIENCE FICTION FILM
10 Cloverfield Lane
Arrival
Midnight Special

BEST HORROR FILM
The Conjouring 2
Don’t Breathe
The Witch

BEST MYSTERY OR THRILLER FILM
Green Room
Hell or High Water
Nocturnal Animals

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Kubo and the Two Strings
Moana
Zootopia

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Handmaiden
Neruda
Things to Come
The Wailing

BEST DOCUMENTARY
13th
Gleason
O.J.: Made in America
Tickled
Weiner

BEST ACTOR
Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge
Ryan Gosling, La La Land
Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic

BEST ACTRESS
Amy Adams, Arrival
Annette Bening, 20th Century Women
Jessica Chastain, Miss Sloane
Natalie Portman, Jackie
Emma Stone, La La Land

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water
Ben Foster, Hell or High Water
John Goodman, 10 Cloverfield Lane
Michael Shannon, Nocturnal Animals

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Viola Davis, Fences
Greta Gerwig, 20th Century Women
Naomie Harris, Moonlight
Helen Mirren, Eye in the Sky
Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea

BEST DIRECTOR
Damian Chazelle, La La Land
Barry Jenkins, Moonlight
Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea
Denis Villeneuve, Arrival

BEST SCREENPLAY
Damien Chazelle, La La Land
Efthimis Filippou, Yorgos Lanthimos, The Lobster
Eric Heisserer, Arrival
Barry Jenkins, Moonlight
Taylor Sheridan, Hell or High Water

BEST SCORE
Nicholas Britell, Moonlight
Justin Hurwitz, La La Land
Johann Johannsson, Arrival
Mica Levi, Jackie

Oscar Season Continues With The 2016 Phoenix Film Critics Society Nominations!


la-la-land

The winners will be announced on the 20th!

BEST PICTURE
A Monster Calls
Arrival
Florence Foster Jenkins
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
La La Land
Manchester By The Sea
Moonlight
Nocturnal Animals
Sing Street

BEST DIRECTOR
Mel Gibson – Hacksaw Ridge
David Mackenzie – Hell or High Water
Damien Chazelle – La La Land
Kenneth Lonergan – Manchester By The Sea
Barry Jenkins – Moonlight

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Andrew Garfield – Hacksaw Ridge
Casey Affleck – Manchester By The Sea
Denzel Washington – Fences
Ryan Gosling – La La Land
Tom Hanks – Sully

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Amy Adams – Arrival
Emma Stone – La La Land
Meryl Streep – Florence Foster Jenkins
Natalie Portman – Jackie
Ruth Negga – Loving

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Ben Foster – Hell or High Water
Hugh Grant – Florence Foster Jenkins
Jeff Bridges – Hell or High Water
Mahershala Ali – Moonlight
Michael Shannon – Nocturnal Animals

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Felicity Jones – A Monster Calls
Greta Gerwig – 20th Century Women
Michelle Williams – Manchester by the Sea
Naomie Harris – Moonlight
Viola Davis – Fences

BEST ENSEMBLE ACTING
Fences
Hell or High Water
Hidden Figures
La La Land
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Hell or High Water
La La Land
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight
The Lobster

BEST SCREENPLAY ADAPTED
FROM OTHER MATERIAL
Arrival
Fences
Hacksaw Ridge
Lion
Love & Friendship

THE OVERLOOKED FILM OF THE YEAR
Anthropoid
Captain Fantastic
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Sing Street
The Lobster

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Finding Dory
Kubo and the Two Strings
Moana
Trolls
Zootopia

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
A Man Called Ove
Between Sea and Land
Desierto
Elle
The Handmaiden

BEST DOCUMENTARY
13th
Gleason
Oasis: Supersonic
OJ: Made in America
Weiner

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
La La Land – Audition (The Fools Who Dream)
La La Land – City Of Stars
Moana – How Far I’ll Go
Rules Don’t Apply – The Rules Don’t Apply
Sing Street – Drive it Like You Stole It

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Arrival
Jackie
La La Land
Lion
Nocturnal Animals

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Arrival
Hacksaw Ridge
La La Land
Lion
Silence

BEST FILM EDITING
Hacksaw Ridge
La La Land
Moonlight
Nocturnal Animals
Sully

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Hacksaw Ridge
Jackie
La La Land
Silence

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Florence Foster Jenkins
Hacksaw Ridge
Jackie
La La Land

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Arrival
Captain America: Civil War
Doctor Strange
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
The Jungle Book

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Anya Taylor-Joy – The Witch
Lewis MacDougall – A Monster Calls
Lucas Hedges – Manchester by the Sea
Mahershala Ali – Moonlight
Ruth Negga – Loving

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A YOUTH
Alex R. Hibbert – Moonlight
Lewis MacDougall – A Monster Calls
Lucas Hedges – Manchester by the Sea
Neel Sethi – The Jungle Book
Sunny Pawar – Lion

The Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Honors Moonlight!


Dallas is my home -- deal with it, haters!

The Dallas-Forth Worth Film Critics Association met today and the critics from my hometown named Moonlight the best film of 2016!

Hey, DFWFCA — why haven’t I been invited to join yet!?

Anyway, here are the winners in Dallas:

BEST PICTURE

Winner: MOONLIGHT
Runners-up: MANCHESTER BY THE SEA; LA LA LAND; HELL OR HIGH WATER; ARRIVAL; JACKIE; LOVING; 20TH CENTURY WOMEN; HACKSAW RIDGE; SILENCE

BEST ACTOR

Winner: Casey Affleck, MANCHESTER BY THE SEA
Runners-up: Denzel Washington, FENCES; Joel Edgerton, LOVING; Ryan Gosling, LA LA LAND; Tom Hanks, SULLY

BEST ACTRESS

Winner: Natalie Portman, JACKIE
Runners-up: Emma Stone, LA LA LAND; Ruth Negga, LOVING; Amy Adams, ARRIVAL; Annette Bening, 20TH CENTURY WOMEN

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Winner: Mahershala Ali, MOONLIGHT
Runners-up: Jeff Bridges, HELL OR HIGH WATER; Michael Shannon, NOCTURNAL ANIMALS; Lucas Hedges, MANCHESTER BY THE SEA; Ben Foster, HELL OR HIGH WATER

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Winner: Viola Davis, FENCES
Runners-up: Naomie Harris, MOONLIGHT; Michelle Williams, MANCHESTER BY THE SEA; Greta Gerwig, 20TH CENTURY WOMEN; Judy Davis, THE DRESSMAKER

BEST DIRECTOR

Winner: Barry Jenkins, MOONLIGHT
Runners-up: Damien Chazelle, LA LA LAND; Kenneth Lonergan, MANCHESTER BY THE SEA; David Mackenzie, HELL OR HIGH WATER; Denis Villeneuve, ARRIVAL

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Winner: THE HANDMAIDEN
Runners-up: TONI ERDMANN; ELLE; NERUDA; THE SALESMAN

BEST DOCUMENTARY

Winner: TOWER
Runners-up: 13TH; GLEASON; I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO; WEINER

BEST ANIMATED FILM

Winner: ZOOTOPIA
Runners-up: KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS; MOANA

BEST SCREENPLAY

Winner: Kenneth Lonergan, MANCHESTER BY THE SEA
Runner-up: Barry Jenkins, MOONLIGHT

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Winner: Linus Sandgren, LA LA LAND
Runner-up: Rodrigo Prieto, SILENCE

BEST MUSICAL SCORE

Winner: Justin Hurwitz, LA LA LAND
Runner-up: Mica Levi, JACKIE

RUSSELL SMITH AWARD (best low-budget or cutting-edge independent film)

Winner: MOONLIGHT

Here Are The 74th Annual Golden Globe Nominations!


Oscar season continued today with even more precursors announcing their picks for the best of 2016!  Perhaps most importantly, the 74th Annual Golden Globe nominations were announced today!  Even though they rarely match up 100%, the Golden Globe nominations are considered to be one of the best precursors for what will be nominated for an Oscar in January.

So, should Silence be worried?  Martin Scorsese’s latest acclaimed film was totally snubbed by the Golden Globes.  That could be an ominous sign for a film that everyone seems to respect but which is still going to be a far harder sell at the box office than either The Wolf of Wall Street or Hugo.

But again, it’s never an exact match between the Globes and the Oscars and the Academy can nominate up to ten films for best picture.  Though it would certainly be interesting (and kinda neat) if it happened, I somehow doubt that the Academy is going nominate Deadpool over Silence.

(For that matter, I doubt Simon Helberg is going to pick up an Oscar nomination for Florence Foster Jenkins.  Just a feeling…)

Below are the Golden Globe film nominations!

(For the TV nominations, why not check out the list over at Awards Watch?)

MOTION PICTURES

Best Motion Picture – Drama
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
Lion
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
20th Century Women
Deadpool
Florence Foster Jenkins
La La Land
Sing Street

Best Motion Picture – Animated
Kubo and the Two Strings
Moana
My Life as a Zucchini
Sing
Zootopia

Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language
Divines (France)
Elle (France)
Neruda (Chile)
The Salesman (Iran)
Toni Erdmann (Germany)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
Amy Adams, Arrival
Jessica Chastain, Miss Sloane
Isabelle Huppert, Elle
Ruth Negga, Loving
Natalie Portman, Jackie

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
Joel Edgerton, Loving
Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge
Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic
Denzel Washington, Fences

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Annette Bening, 20th Century Women
Lily Collins, Rules Don’t Apply
Hailee Steinfeld, The Edge of Seventeen
Emma Stone, La La Land
Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Colin Farrell, The Lobster
Ryan Gosling, La La Land
Hugh Grant, Florence Foster Jenkins
Jonah Hill, War Dogs
Ryan Reynolds, Deadpool

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture
Viola Davis, Fences
Naomie Harris, Moonlight
Nicole Kidman, Lion
Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures
Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture
Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water
Simon Helberg, Florence Foster Jenkins
Dev Patel, Lion
Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Nocturnal Animals

Best Director – Motion Picture
Damien Chazelle, La La Land
Tom Ford, Nocturnal Animals
Mel Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge
Barry Jenkins, Moonlight
Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
Hell or High Water
La La Land
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight
Nocturnal Animals

Best Original Score – Motion Picture
Arrival
Hidden Figures
La La Land
Lion
Moonlight

Best Original Song – Motion Picture
“Gold,” Gold
“City of Stars,” La La Land
“How Far I’ll Go,” Moana
“Faith,” Sing
“Can’t Stop the Feeling,” Trolls

Moana

The San Francisco Film Critics Also Love Moonlight!


moonlight

The San Francisco Film Critics also announced their picks for the best of 2016 earlier today and guess what won?

That’s right — Moonlight!

Here’s a complete list of winners and nominees:

BEST PICTURE

ARRIVAL
HELL OR HIGH WATER
LA LA LAND
MANCHESTER BY THE SEA
MOONLIGHT (Winner)

BEST DIRECTOR

Damien Chazelle  – LA LA LAND
Barry Jenkins   – MOONLIGHT (Winner)
Kenneth Lonergan  – MANCHESTER BY THE SEA
Jeff Nichols –  LOVING
Denis  Villeneuve  – ARRIVAL

BEST ACTOR

Casey Affleck  – MANCHESTER BY THE SEA
Joel Edgerton – LOVING
Ryan Gosling – LA LA LAND
Tom Hanks – SULLY
Denzel Washington  – FENCES (Winner)

BEST ACTRESS

Amy Adams – ARRIVAL
Annette Bening – 20th CENTURY WOMEN
Isabelle Huppert  – ELLE (Winner)
Ruth Negga – LOVING
Natalie Portman – JACKIE

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Mahershala Ali – MOONLIGHT (Winner)
Jeff Bridges  – HELL OR HIGH  WATER
Ralph Fiennes – A BIGGER SPLASH
Ben Foster  – HELL OR HIGH WATER
Michael Shannon – NOCTURNAL ANIMALS

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Viola Davis – FENCES (Winner)
Greta Gerwig  – 20th CENTURY WOMEN
Lily Gladstone – CERTAIN WOMEN
Naomie Harris –  MOONLIGHT
Michelle Williams  – MANCHESTER BY THE SEA

BEST SCREENPLAY, ORIGINAL (tie)

HELL OR HIGH WATER  –  Taylor Sheridan
LA LA LAND  – Damien Chazelle
THE LOBSTER – Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthymis Filippou
MANCHESTER BY THE SEA  – Kenneth Lonergan (Winner)
MOONLIGHT  – Barry Jenkins (Winner)

BEST SCREENPLAY, ADAPTED

ARRIVAL – Eric Heisserer (Winner)
ELLE  –  David Birke
THE HANDMAIDEN  – Park Chan-wook and Jeong Seo-Gyeong
FENCES – August Wilson
NOCTURNAL ANIMALS – Tom Ford

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

ARRIVAL  – Bradford Young
JACKIE   –  Stephane Fontaine
LA LA LAND   – Linus Sandgren
MOONLIGHT  –  James Laxton (Winner)
SILENCE  –  Rodrigo Pietro

PRODUCTION DESIGN

ARRIVAL  – Patrice Vermette
THE HANDMAIDEN  –  Ryu Seong-hee (Winner)
JACKIE   – Jean Rabasse
LA LA LAND –  David Wasco
THE WITCH  –  Craig Lathrop

ORIGINAL SCORE

ARRIVAL  –  Johann Johannsson
HELL OR HIGH WATER  – Nick Cave and Warren Ellis
JACKIE   – Mica Levi (Winner)
LA LA LAND –  Justin Hurwitz
MOONLIGHT  – Nicholas Britell

FILM EDITING (tie)

ARRIVAL  –  Joe Walker (Winner)
HELL OR HIGH WATER  – Jake Roberts
LA LA LAND –  Tom Cross
MANCHESTER BY THE SEA  – Jennifer Lame
MOONLIGHT  – Nat Sanders and Joi McMillon (Winner)

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

FINDING DORY
KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS
MOANA
THE RED TURTLE (Winner)
ZOOTOPIA

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE PICTURE

ELLE
THE HANDMAIDEN (Winner)
NERUDA
THE SALESMAN
TONI ERDMANN

BEST DOCUMENTARY

13TH
CAMERAPERSON
FIRE AT SEA
I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO (Winner)
OJ: MADE IN AMERICA

SPECIAL CITATION

THE FITS (Winner)
KRISHA
PUSHING DEAD

Tommy_Wiseau_in_The_Room

The Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Go Crazy For La La Land!


la-la-land

Oscar season continued today as the Washington D.C. Area Film Critics announced their picks for the best of 2016!  What films and performers were honored in America’s capitol?

Here the complete list!

Best Film

Best Director

Best Actor

Best Actress

  • Amy Adams (Arrival)
  • Annette Bening (20th Century Women)
  • Ruth Negga (Loving)
  • Natalie Portman (Jackie) — Winner
  • Emma Stone (La La Land)

Best Supporting Actor

Best Supporting Actress

  • Viola Davis (Fences) — Winner
  • Greta Gerwig (20th Century Women)
  • Naomie Harris (Moonlight)
  • Molly Shannon (Other People)
  • Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea)

Best Acting Ensemble

Best Youth Performance:

  • Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea) — Winner
  • Lewis MacDougall (A Monster Calls)
  • Sunny Pawar (Lion)
  • Hailee Steinfeld (The Edge of Seventeen)
  • Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch)

Best Voice Performance

  • Jason Bateman (Zootopia)
  • Auli’i Cravalho (Moana)
  • Ellen DeGeneres (Finding Dory)
  • Ginnifer Goodwin (Zootopia)
  • Liam Neeson (A Monster Calls) — Winner

Best Motion Capture Performance

  • Liam Neeson (A Monster Calls)
  • Mark Rylance (The BFG) — Winner

Best Original Screenplay

Best Adapted Screenplay

  • Eric Heisserer, Based on the Story “Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang (Arrival) — Winner
  • August Wilson, Based on his Play (Fences)
  • Luke Davies, Adapted from the Memoir “A Long Way Home” by Saroo Brierley (Lion)
  • Patrick Ness, Based on his Novel (A Monster Calls)
  • Tom Ford, Based on the Novel “Tony and Susan” by Austin Wright (Nocturnal Animals)

Best Animated Feature

Best Documentary

  • Gleason
  • I Am Not Your Negro
  • O.J.: Made in America
  • 13th — Winner
  • Weiner

Best Foreign Language Film

  • Elle — Winner
  • Julieta
  • The Handmaiden
  • The Salesman
  • Toni Erdmann

Best Production Design

Best Cinematography

Best Editing

Best Original Score

The Joe Barber Award for Best Portrayal of Washington, DC

Here Are The Nominations For The 22nd Annual Critics’ Choice Awards!


manchester-by-the-sea-sundance-2016

The Broadcast Film Critics Association have announced their nominees for the 22nd Annual Critics’ Choice Awards and here they are!  Once again, in a pattern that will probably see repeated several times of this next month, the nominations were dominated by Moonlight, La La Land, and Manchester By The Sea.

FILM NOMINATIONS FOR THE 22ND ANNUAL CRITICS’ CHOICE AWARDS

BEST PICTURE

BEST ACTOR

BEST ACTRESS

  • Amy Adams – Arrival
  • Annette Bening – 20th Century Women
  • Isabelle Huppert – Elle
  • Ruth Negga – Loving
  • Natalie Portman – Jackie
  • Emma Stone – La La Land

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

  • Viola Davis – Fences
  • Greta Gerwig – 20th Century Women
  • Naomie Harris – Moonlight
  • Nicole Kidman – Lion
  • Janelle Monáe  – Hidden Figures
  • Michelle Williams – Manchester by the Sea

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS

  • Lucas Hedges – Manchester by the Sea
  • Alex R. Hibbert – Moonlight
  • Lewis MacDougall – A Monster Calls
  • Madina Nalwanga – Queen of Katwe
  • Sunny Pawar – Lion
  • Hailee Steinfeld – The Edge of Seventeen

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE

BEST DIRECTOR

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

  • Damien Chazelle – La La Land
  • Barry Jenkins – Moonlight
  • Yorgos Lanthimos/Efthimis Filippou – The Lobster
  • Kenneth Lonergan – Manchester by the Sea
  • Jeff Nichols – Loving
  • Taylor Sheridan – Hell or High Water

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

  • Luke Davies – Lion
  • Tom Ford – Nocturnal Animals
  • Eric Heisserer – Arrival
  • Todd Komarnicki – Sully
  • Allison Schroeder/Theodore Melfi – Hidden Figures
  • August Wilson – Fences

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

  • Stéphane Fontaine – Jackie
  • James Laxton – Moonlight
  • Seamus McGarvey – Nocturnal Animals
  • Linus Sandgren – La La Land
  • Bradford Young – Arrival

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

  • Arrival – Patrice Vermette, Paul Hotte/André Valade
  • Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – Stuart Craig/James Hambidge, Anna Pinnock
  • Jackie – Jean Rabasse, Véronique Melery
  • La La Land – David Wasco, Sandy Reynolds-Wasco
  • Live by Night – Jess Gonchor, Nancy Haigh

BEST EDITING

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

  • Colleen Atwood – Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
  • Consolata Boyle – Florence Foster Jenkins
  • Madeline Fontaine – Jackie
  • Joanna Johnston – Allied
  • Eimer Ni Mhaoldomhnaigh – Love & Friendship
  • Mary Zophres – La La Land

BEST HAIR & MAKEUP

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

BEST ACTION MOVIE

BEST ACTOR IN AN ACTION MOVIE

BEST ACTRESS IN AN ACTION MOVIE

BEST COMEDY

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY

  • Ryan Gosling – The Nice Guys
  • Hugh Grant – Florence Foster Jenkins
  • Dwayne Johnson – Central Intelligence
  • Viggo Mortensen – Captain Fantastic
  • Ryan Reynolds – Deadpool

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY

  • Kate Beckinsale – Love & Friendship
  • Sally Field – Hello, My Name Is Doris
  • Kate McKinnon – Ghostbusters
  • Hailee Steinfeld – The Edge of Seventeen
  • Meryl Streep – Florence Foster Jenkins

BEST SCI-FI/HORROR MOVIE

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

  • Elle
  • The Handmaiden
  • Julieta
  • Neruda
  • The Salesman
  • Toni Erdmann

BEST SONG

  • Audition (The Fools Who Dream) – La La Land
  • Can’t Stop the Feeling – Trolls
  • City of Stars – La La Land
  • Drive It Like You Stole It – Sing Street
  • How Far I’ll Go – Moana
  • The Rules Don’t Apply – Rules Don’t Apply

BEST SCORE

  • Nicholas Britell – Moonlight
  • Jóhann Jóhannsson – Arrival
  • Justin Hurwitz – La La Land
  • Micachu – Jackie
  • Dustin O’Halloran, Hauschka – Lion

Deadpool

Film Review: Moana (dir by Ron Clements and John Musker)


Look, I get it.

Everyone’s depressed right now.

You’re depressed.

He’s depressed.

She’s depressed.

That random guy over there is depressed.

Your cat’s depressed because you’re so depressed that you’re probably not feeding him on time.

I’m not depressed but I’m currently pretending that I am in order to show solidarity for the people.

Everyone’s depressed!

But you know what?  No matter how depressed you are, don’t take it out on the movies.  I actually had someone tell me recently that he didn’t see how I could worry about movies with so many terrible things happening in the world!  Well, listen up — the world may be a terrible movie but movies help to make it a lot more bearable.

For instance, there’s Moana.  Moana is the latest Disney film and it is a burst of pure joy, a wonderfully entertaining animated adventure that also carries with it an important, timely, and welcome message of empowerment.  Some day, when I have a daughter, Moana is one of the many films that I look forward to watching with her.  We’ll watch Moana and then we’ll watch Brave.  And then we’ll close things out with Frozen.  I can’t wait!

moana

Now, I’ll be honest.  The film’s plot, in many ways, sounds like almost every other Disney princess film.  Moana (voiced by Auli’i Cravalho) is the headstrong daughter of the chief of a Polynesian tribe.  Moana dreams of sailing to the ends of the Earth but her loving but protective father refuses to allow her to go beyond the reef.  However, when a force of darkness threatens to consume the island that Moana calls home, she defies her father and sets sail with her pet rooster.  The only way to stop the darkness is to track down a demigod named Maui (Dwayne Johnson) and go with him to return a sacred stone to Te Fiti, the island Goddess.  (The stone is Te Fiti’s heart.)

Now, that may all sound like typical Disney fare but the brilliant thing about Moana is that it realizes that the plot sounds like typical Disney fare.  When Moana finds Maui, he asks her where he animal sidekick is because all princesses travel with an animal sidekick.  Moana argues that she’s not a princess but then realizes that, as the chief’s daughter, she kind of is.  Moano is full of self-referential humor, the type that tells the audience that we’re all in this together.

Maui himself is a brilliantly animated, written, and voiced parody of the type of muscle-bound character who, in the past, would have automatically been this film’s main character.  Dwayne Johnson has always been willing to have fun with his persona and he continues to do that with Maui.  For that matter, Heihei the Rooster also pokes fun at the typical Disney animal sidekick.  As opposed to the usual all-knowing, often snarky sidekick that we’ve come to expect from Disney, Heihei spends most of his time searching for something to eat.  It doesn’t matter if it’s edible or not.  He’ll eat it.  As a result, Heihei doesn’t really do much to help Moana on her journey but he’s still adorable.

But ultimately, this film is all about Moana and what a wonderful character she is!  Strong, independent, intelligent, and occasionally just a little unsure of herself, Moana is perhaps the most 3-dimensional Disney character since Brave‘s Merida.  It’s her character (and  Auli’i Cravalho’s voicework) that brings the film its humanity and makes it a truly special viewing experience.

Moana is wonderfully animated and if you don’t fall in love with the coconut pirates then there is no hope for you.  (Is this film worth seeing in 3D?  I would say that it is.)  The insanely catchy songs are provided by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Opetaia Foa’i and I’m looking forward to the inevitable Broadway adaptation.

So, seriously — stop feeling sorry for yourself for two hours and go see Moana!  You’ll be glad you did.

Here Are The Annie Nominations!


Kubo_and_the_Two_Strings_poster

The nominations for the Annie Awards were announced yesterdat!  The Annie Awards honor the best in animation.  Looking over the list of nominees, my initial thought is, “Wow, that’s a really long list!”  So, I’m just going to post the nominations for Best Animated Feature Film and Best Achievement For Voice Acting In A Feature Film.  You can view the complete list over at one of my favorite site for Oscar news, Awards Circuit!

Anyway, here are (some of) the Annie nominations!

Best Animated Feature:

Finding Dory

Kubo and the Two Strings

Kung Fu Panda 3

Moana

Zootopia

Voice Acting In An Animated Feature

Art Parkinson in Kubo and the Two Strings

Auli’i Cravalho in Moana

Katie Crown in Storks

Zooey Deschanel in Trolls

Jason Bateman in Zootopia

Here Are The Satellite Nominations!


la-la-land

The International Press Academy — a.k.a. the Oscar precursor that nobody cares about — announced their nominees for the best of 2016 earlier today and it was a very good day for a film that I cannot wait to see, La La Land!

Here are the Satellite nominations!

Special Achievement Award Recipients

Mary Pickford Award- Edward James Olmos
Tesla Award- John Toll
Auteur Award- Tom Ford
Humanitarian Award- Patrick Stewart
Best First Feature- Russudan Glurjidze “House of Others”
Best Ensemble: Motion Picture- “Hidden Figures”
Best Ensemble: Television- “Outlander”

Actress in a Motion Picture

Annette Bening, “20th Century Woman”
Emma Stone, “La La Land”
Natalie Portman, “Jackie”
Ruth Negga, “Loving”
Taraji P. Henson, “Hidden Figures”
Meryl Streep, “Florence Foster Jenkins”
Isabelle Huppert, “Elle”
Amy Adams, “Nocturnal Animals”

Actor in a Motion Picture

Casey Affleck, “Manchester by the Sea”
Ryan Gosling, “La La Land”
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, “Snowden”
Viggo Mortensen, “Captain Fantastic”
Joel Edgerton, “Loving”
Andrew Garfield, “Hacksaw Ridge”
Tom Hanks, “Sully
Denzel Washington, “Fences”

Actress in a Supporting Role

Helen Mirren, “Eye in the Sky”
Michelle Williams, “Manchester by the Sea”
Nicole Kidman, “Lion”
Octavia Spencer, “Hidden Figures”
Naomi Harris, “Moonlight”
Viola Davis, “Fences”
 Actor in a Supporting Role

Jeff Bridges, “Hell or High Water”
Mahershala Ali, “Moonlight”
Dev Patel, “Lion”
Lucas Hedges, “Manchester by the Sea”
Eddie Murphy, “Mr. Church”
Hugh Grant, “Florence Foster Jenkins”

Motion Picture

“La La Land”
“Moonlight”
“Manchester by the Sea”
“Lion”
“Jackie”
“Hacksaw Ridge”
“Loving”
“Hell or High Water”
“Nocturnal Animals”
“Captain Fantastic”
“Hidden Figures”
“Fences”

 Motion Picture, International Film

“The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki”- Finland
“Toni Erdmann”- Germany
“Julieta”- Spain
“A Man Called Ove”- Sweden
“The Salesman”- Iran
“The Ardennes”- Belgium
“Ma’ Rosa”- Philippines
“The Handmaiden”- South Korea
“Elle”- France
“Paradise”- Russia

Motion Picture, Animated or Mixed Media 
Title of Film
“Zootopia”
“Kubo and the Two Strings”
“Moana”
Finding Dory”
“My Life As a Zucchini”
“The Jungle Book”
“The Red Turtle”
“Miss Hokusai”
“Trolls”
“Your Name”

Motion Picture, Documentary

“Gleason”
“Life Animated”
“O.J.: Made in America”
“13th”
“The Ivory Game”
“The Eagle Huntress”
“Tower”
“Fire at Sea”
“Zero Days”
“The Beatles: Eight Days a Week”

Director

Barry Jenkins, “Moonlight”
Kenneth Lonergan, “Manchester by the Sea”
Mel Gibson, “Hacksaw Ridge”
Damien Chazelle, “La La Land”
Tom Ford, “Nocturnal Animals”
Pablo Larrain, “Jackie”
Denzel Washington, “Fences”

Screenplay, Original

Barry Jenkins, “Moonlight”
Damien Chazelle, “La La Land”
Kenneth Lonergan, “Manchester by the Sea”
Taylor Sheridan, “Hell or High Water”
Matt Ross, “Captain Fantastic”
Yorgos Lanthimos/Efthymis Filippou, “The Lobster”

Screenplay, Adapted

Andrew Knight/Robert Schenkkan, “Hacksaw Ridge”
Luke Davis, “Lion”
Kieran Fitzgerald/Oliver Stone, “Snowden”
Justin Marks, “The Jungle Book”
Allison Schroeder, “Hidden Figures”
Todd Komarnicki, “Sully”

Original Score

Rupert Gregson Williams, “Hacksaw Ridge”
Justin Hurwitz, “La La Land”
Lesley Barber, “Manchester by the Sea”
John Williams, “The BFG”
John Debney, “The Jungle Book”
Hans Zimmer, “Hidden Figures”

Original Song

“Audition”- ‘La La Land’
“City of Stars”- ‘La La Land’
“Dancing with Your Shadow”- ‘Po’
“Can’t Stop the Feeling”- ‘Trolls’
“I’m Still Here”- ‘Miss Sharon Jones’
“Running”- ‘Hidden Figures’

Cinematography

John Toll, “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk”
Linus Sandgren, “La La Land
James Laxton, “Moonlight”
Simon Duggan, “Hacksaw Ridge”
Jani-Petteri Passi, “The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki”
Bill Pope, “The Jungle Book”

Visual Effects

“The Jungle Book”
“Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk”
“Doctor Strange”
“The BFG”
“Sully”
“Deadpool”

Film Editing

Tom Cross, “La La Land
Joi McMillon/Nat Sanders, “Moonlight”
Tim Squyres, “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk”
Alexandre de Francheschi, “Lion”
John Gilbert, “Hacksaw Ridge”
Steven Rosenblum, “The Birth of a Nation”

Sound (Editing and Mixing)

La La Land
“Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk”
“Hacksaw Ridge”
“The Jungle Book”
“Allied”
“13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi”

Art Direction and Production Design

David Wasco, “La La Land
Barry Robinson, “Hacksaw Ridge”
Jean Rabasse, “Jackie”
Christophe Glass, “The Jungle Book”
Gary Freeman, “Allied”
Dan Hennah, “Alice Through the Looking Glass”

Costume Design

Colleen Atwood, “Alice Through the Looking Glass”
Eimer Ní Mhaoldomhnaigh, “Love & Friendship”
Courtney Hoffman, “Captain Fantastic”
Madeline Fontaine, “Jackie”
Mary Zophres, “La La Land
Alexandra Byrne, “Doctor Strange”