Tag Archives: movie

Retro Television Reviews: Born Innocent (dir by Donald Wyre)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past!  On Sundays, I will be reviewing the made-for-television movies that used to be a primetime mainstay.  Today’s film is 1974’s Born Innocent!  It  can be viewed on Tubi!

Fresh off of her Oscar-nominated role in 1973’s The Exorcist, 15 year-old Linda Blair starred as Christine “Chris” Parker in Born Innocent.

Chris is a 14 year-old who has frequently been caught running away from home.  When you consider her home life, it’s easy to understand why she keeps running away.  Her father (Richard Jaeckel) is quick to lose his temper and obviously has no clue how to relate to a teenage daughter.  When he gets angry at Chris, he beats her.  Chris’s mother (Kim Hunter) spends all of her time smoking cigarettes, watching TV, and refusing to acknowledge what Chris is going through.  Chris’s older brother (Mitch Vogel) has escaped from their abusive home but he’s now got a family of his own and there’s no room for Chris.  With no other options available to her, Chris resorts to frequently running away from home.  In the eyes of the system, this makes her both a delinquent and a repeat offender.  However, as quickly becomes apparent, Chris is very naïve and hardly a criminal.  Instead, she’s just someone trying to escape a terrible situation.

After getting caught once again, Chris is sent to a juvenile detention center.  Unfortunately, because of overcrowding, Chris is sent to one of the toughest centers, one where she is surrounded by people who have done a lot more than just run away from home.  Everyone knows that Chris doesn’t belong at the center but there’s no where else to send her.  With the exception of one teacher (played by Joanna Miles), the staff is too overwhelmed to look after Chris.  Meanwhile, the other inmates see Chris as being an easy victim and they start to bully her.  Eventually, Chris loses her innocence and becomes just as ruthless and angry as her former victimizers.

Born Innocent is often described as being an exploitation film and, indeed, one can just look at the artwork at the top of this review and see how the film was advertised when it was eventually released on video.  That said, the film itself may be undeniably melodramatic but there’s also a sincerity and a sensitivity to it that sets it apart from other women in prison films.  Born Innocent is all about how the System creates criminals.  From the start of the film, it’s obvious that being locked up is the last thing that Chris needs.  Instead, Chris just needs someone to be willing to listen to her but the System would rather just toss her in juvenile hall and then forget about her.  Only Chris’s teacher cares about her but, by the time they actually meet, it’s already too late for Chris.  She’s already been tossed into a situation where the only thing that matters is survival.  Born Innocent is controversial for a scene in which Chris is attacked by several other inmates and sexually assaulted with with a plunger.  It’s a shocking scene and I can only imagine have television audiences in 1974 reacted to it.  In this scene and the scenes that immediately follow, Linda Blair gives a harrowing performance that captures the emotional trauma of what Chris has been put through.  It’s not easy to watch and that’s the point.

Unfortunately, Blair is a bit less convincing during the second half of the film, in which Chris becomes progressively more and more cold-hearted.  The idea is that Chris, in order to protect herself, becomes just as intimidating as the girls who attacked her.  Unfortunately, the vulnerability that made Linda Blair ideal for The Exorcist and the first half of this film also make it difficult to take her seriously as cold-hearted sociopath.  During the second half of the film, Blair tries so hard to come across as being tough that she never convinces us.  Later, in films like Savage Streets, Blair would become one of the toughest badasses around but, in this film, she still come across as being essentially born innocent.

Here Are The 2022 Nominations of the Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association (try to say that ten times fast) have announced their nominees for the best of 2022!  The winners will be announced on the 12th.

For now, here are the nominees!

Best Film
The Banshees of Inisherin
Everything Everywhere All At Once
The Fabelmans
TÁR
Top Gun: Maverick

Best Director
Todd Field (TÁR)
Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert (Everything Everywhere All At Once)
Martin McDonagh (The Banshees of Inisherin)
Sarah Polley (Women Talking)
Steven Spielberg (The Fabelmans)

Best Actor
Austin Butler (Elvis)
Tom Cruise (Top Gun: Maverick)
Colin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin)
Brendan Fraser (The Whale)
Paul Mescal (Aftersun)

Best Actress
Cate Blanchett (TÁR)
Viola Davis (The Woman King)
Danielle Deadwyler (Till)
Michelle Williams (The Fabelmans)
Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All At Once)

Best Supporting Actor
Paul Dano (The Fabelmans)
Brendan Gleeson (The Banshees of Inisherin)
Barry Keoghan (The Banshees of Inisherin)
Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All At Once)
Ben Whishaw (Women Talking)

Best Supporting Actress
Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)
Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin)
Jamie Lee Curtis (Everything Everywhere All At Once)
Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All At Once)
Janelle Monáe (Glass Onion)

Best Acting Ensemble
The Banshees of Inisherin
Everything Everywhere All At Once
The Fabelmans
Glass Onion
Women Talking

Best Youth Performance
Frankie Corio (Aftersun)
Jalyn Hall (Till)
Gabriel LaBelle (The Fabelmans)
Banks Repeta (Armageddon Time)
Sadie Sink (The Whale)

Best Voice Performance
Rosalie Chiang (Turning Red)
Gregory Mann (Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio)
Ewan McGregor (Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio)
Sandra Oh (Turning Red)
Jenny Slate (Marcel the Shell with Shoes On)

Best Motion Capture Performance
Sam Worthington (Avatar: The Way of Water)
Sigourney Weaver (Avatar: The Way of Water)
Zoe Saldaña (Avatar: The Way of Water)

Best Original Screenplay
Martin McDonagh (The Banshees of Inisherin)
Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert (Everything Everywhere All At Once)
Steven Spielberg & Tony Kushner (The Fabelmans)
Jordan Peele (Nope)
Todd Field (TÁR)

Best Adapted Screenplay
Rian Johnson (Glass Onion)
Patrick McHale, Guillermo del Toro (Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio)
Rebecca Lenkiewicz [Based on the New York Times Investigation by Jodi Kantor, Megan Twohey and Rebecca Corbett; and the book “She Said” by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey] (She Said)
Samuel D. Hunter (The Whale)
Sarah Polley [Based upon the book by Miriam Toews] (Women Talking)

Best Animated Feature
Apollo 10½
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
Turning Red
Wendell & Wild

Best Documentary
All That Breathes
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
Descendant
Fire of Love
Good Night Oppy

Best International/Foreign Language Film
All Quiet on the Western Front
Close
Decision to Leave
EO
RRR

Best Production Design
Hannah Beachler, Production Designer; Lisa Sessions Morgan, Set Decorator (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)
Catherine Martin, Karen Murphy, Production Designers; Bev Dunn, Set Decorator (Elvis)
Jason Kisvarday, Production Designer; Kelsi Ephraim, Set Decorator (Everything Everywhere All At Once)
Rick Carter, Production Designer; Karen O’Hara, Set Decorator (The Fabelmans)
Rick Heinrichs, Production Designer; Elli Griff, Set Decorator (Glass Onion)

Best Cinematography
Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC (Empire of Light)
Larkin Seiple (Everything Everywhere All At Once)
Janusz Kaminski (The Fabelmans)
Hoyte van Hoytema ASC, FSF, NSC (Nope)
Claudio Miranda, ASC (Top Gun: Maverick)

Best Editing
Matt Villa, ASE ACE; Jonathan Redmond (Elvis)
Paul Rogers (Everything Everywhere All At Once)
Michael Kahn, ACE; Sarah Broshar (The Fabelmans)
Monika Willi (TÁR)
Eddie Hamilton, ACE (Top Gun: Maverick)

Best Original Score
Michael Giacchino (The Batman)
John Williams (The Fabelmans)
Alexandre Desplat (Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio)
Hildur Guðnadóttir (TÁR)
Hildur Guðnadóttir (Women Talking)

 

Here Are The 2022 Nominations of the Las Vegas Film Critics Society!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Here are the 2022 nominees of the Las Vegas Film Critics Society!  The winners will be announced on the 12th.

(Las Vegas not nominating Elvis for Best Picture just feels wrong.)

Best Picture
The Banshees Of Inisherin
Everything Everywhere All At Once
The Fabelmans
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
The Whale

Best Actor
Austin Butler – Elvis
Colin Farrell – The Banshees Of Inisherin
Brendan Fraser – The Whale
Gabriel LaBelle – The Fabelmans
Bill Nighy – Living

Best Actress
Cate Blanchett – TÁR
Olivia Coleman – Empire Of Light
Danielle Deadwyler – Till
Jennifer Lawrence – Causeway
Michelle Yeoh – Everything Everywhere All At Once

Best Supporting Actor
Paul Dano – The Fabelmans
Brendan Gleeson – The Banshees Of Inisherin
Brian Tyree Henry – Causeway
Ke Huy Quan – Everything Everywhere All At Once
Mark Rylance – Bones and All

Best Supporting Actress
Jessie Buckley – Women Talking
Hong Chau – The Whale
Kerry Condon – The Banshees Of Inisherin
Jamie Lee Curtis – Everything Everywhere All At Once
Janelle Monáe – Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Best Director
Darren Aronofsky – The Whale
Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert – Everything Everywhere All At Once
Baz Luhrmann – Elvis
Martin McDonagh – The Banshees Of Inisherin
Steven Spielberg – The Fabelmans

Best Original Screenplay
The Banshees Of Inisherin
Everything Everywhere All At Once
The Fabelmans
Nope
TÁR

Best Adapted Screenplay
Bones and All
Living
She Said
The Whale
Women Talking

Best Cinematography
All Quiet On The Western Front
Bardo, or False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
Empire Of Light
RRR
Top Gun: Maverick

Best Film Editing
The Banshees Of Inisherin
Elvis
Everything Everywhere All At Once
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Top Gun: Maverick

Best Score
The Batman
The Fabelmans
The Northman
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Women Talking

Best Original Song
“Life Me Up” – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
“Vegas” – Elvis
“Ciao Papa” – Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
“Naatu Naatu” – RRR
“Hold My Hand” – Top Gun: Maverick

Best Documentary
Bad Axe
Fire of Love
Good Night Oppy
Moonage Daydream
Navalny

Best Animated Film
The Bad Guys
Marcel The Shell With Shoes On
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Puss In Boots: The Last Wish
Turning Red

Best Foreign Language Film
All Quiet On The Western Front
Argentina, 1985
Decision To Leave
EO
RRR

Best Costume Design
Babylon
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Elvis
The Northman
The Woman King

Best Art Direction
Avatar: The Way Of The Water
Babylon
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Elvis
Everything Everywhere All At Once

Best Visual Effects
Avatar: The Way Of The Water
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Everything Everywhere All At Once
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Top Gun: Maverick

Best Action Film
Avatar: The Way Of The Water
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Everything Everywhere All At Once
The Northman
Top Gun: Maverick

Best Comedy Film
The Banshees Of Inisherin
Bros
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Triangle Of Sadness
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

Best Horror/Sci-Fi Film
Barbarian
Bones and All
Everything Everywhere All At Once
Nope
Pearl

Best Family Film
The Bad Guys
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Puss In Boots: The Last Wish
Turning Red
Wendell & Wild

Best Ensemble
The Banshees Of Inisherin
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
The Fabelmans
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Women Talking

Breakout Filmmaker
Charlotte Wells – Aftersun
Mimi Cave – Fresh
John Patton Ford – Emily the Criminal
Nikyatu Jusu – Nanny
Domee Shi – Turning Red

Best Male Youth Performance (Under 21)
Jalyn Hall – Till
Gabriel LaBelle – The Fabelmans
Gregory Mann – Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Michael Banks Repeta – Armageddon Time
Mason Thames – The Black Phone

Best Female Youth Performance (Under 21)
Vanessa Burghardt – Cha Cha Real Smooth
Frankie Corio – Aftersun
Xochitl Gomez – Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Jenna Ortega – The Fallout
Sadie Sink – The Whale

The William Holden Lifetime Achievement Award
Angela Bassett
Nicolas Cage
Jamie Lee Curtis
Henry Selick
Bruce Willis

Live Tweet Alert: Watch To All A Goodnight with #ScarySocial

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

 

As some of our regular readers undoubtedly know, I am involved in 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 #ScarySocial, I will be hosting 1980’s To All A Goodnight!

Directed by the veteran horror actor David Hess, To All A Goodnight was the first slasher film of the 80s and it’s become a holiday cult classic!  Apparently, the trailer is so intense that it’s age-restricted on YouTube and I can’t even embed it on this site!  Just imagine what the rest of the movie must be like!

If you want to join us on Saturday night, just hop onto twitter, start the film at 9 pm et, and use the #ScarySocial hashtag!  The film is available on Prime, YouTube, and a few other streaming sites.  I’ll be there co-hosting and I imagine some other members of the TSL Crew will be there as well.  It’s a friendly group and welcoming of newcomers so don’t be shy.

Here Are The AFI’s Top Ten Films of 2022!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Earlier today. The American Film Institute announced their picks for the top ten films and television shows of 2022.  Over the past few years, the AFI has been one of the most reliable of the award precursors. 

Usually, there’s just one or two films on the AFI list that doesn’t make it into the Best Picture lineup.  This year, I would expect Nope to be replaced by The Banshees of Inisherin.  (Banshees, being an Irish film, was not eligible for the AFI list but it did receive a special award.)  I’m also not totally sold on The Woman King as a best picture contender, though I’m a bit less sure about which film replace it.  Glass Onion, maybe?  Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio?

Being included on the list is definitely good news for She Said, which was in danger of being forgotten after its disastrous box office performance.

Here are the lists:

AFI Movies of the Year
“Avatar: The Way of Water” (20th Century Studios)
“Elvis” (Warner Bros.)
“Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24)
“The Fabelmans” (Universal Pictures)
“Nope” (Universal Pictures)
“She Said” (Universal Pictures)
“Tár” (Focus Features)
“Top Gun: Maverick” (Paramount Pictures)
“The Woman King” (Sony Pictures)
“Women Talking” (MGM/United Artists Releasing)

AFI Television Programs of the Year
“Abbott Elementary” (ABC)
“The Bear” (FX)
“Better Call Saul” (AMC)
“Hacks” (HBO Max)
“Mo” (Netflix)
“Pachinko” (Apple TV+)
“Reservation Dogs” (FX)
“Severance” (Apple TV+)
“Somebody Somewhere” (HBO)
“The White Lotus” (HBO)

AFI Special Award
“The Banshees of Inisherin” (Searchlight Pictures)

Live Tweet Alert: Join #FridayNightFlix for Young Sherlock Holmes!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

 

As some of our regular readers undoubtedly know, I am involved in 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, at 10 pm et, I will be hosting #FridayNightFlix!  The movie? 1985’s Young Sherlock Holmes!

Everyone had to start somewhere!

If you want to join us this Friday, just hop onto twitter, start the movie at 10 pm et, and use the #FridayNightFlix hashtag!  I’ll be there tweeting and I imagine some other members of the TSL Crew will be there as well.  It’s a friendly group and welcoming of newcomers so don’t be shy.

Young Sherlock Holmes is available on Prime and Paramount!  See you there!

Here Are The Sequel-Dominated 2022 Satellite Nominations!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Satellite nominations were announced on Thursday morning. 

What are the Satellites?  For years, they were like a less important version of the Golden Globes.  However, considering all of the recent controversy that has surrounded that Hollywood Foreign Press and the Golden Globes, it wouldn’t surprise me if, in a few years, the International Press Academy and the Satellites became Hollywood’s new favorite shady precursor group.

Like the Globes, the Satellites hand out awards for both film and television.  Below, you’ll find their film nominations.  If you want to see their TV nominations, Next Best Picture has got you covered.

Here are the Satellite noms for 2022!  To me, perhaps the most interesting thing about the nominations is that many of the biggest contenders — Glass Onion, Top Gun: Maverick, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Avatar: Way of the Water — are sequels.  It’ll be interesting to see if the Academy follows suit.

ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE DRAMA
Jessica Chastain – The Good Nurse (Netflix)
Cate Blanchett – TÁR (Focus Features)
Michelle Williams – The Fabelmans (Universal Pictures)
Danielle Deadwyler – Till (United Artists Releasing)
Vicky Krieps – Corsage (IFC Films)
Viola Davis – The Woman King (TriStar Pictures)

ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE DRAMA
Brendan Fraser – The Whale (A24)
Tom Cruise – Top Gun: Maverick (Paramount Pictures)
Gabriel LaBelle – The Fabelmans (Universal Pictures)
Hugh Jackman – The Son (CAA Media Finance)
Bill Nighy – Living (Sony Pictures)
Mark Wahlberg – Father Stu (Columbia Pictures)

ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE, COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Margot Robbie – Babylon (Paramount Pictures)
Michelle Yeoh – Everything Everywhere All At Once (A24)
Janelle Monáe- Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (Netflix)
Emma Thompson – Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (Searchlight Pictures)

ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE, COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Collin Farrell – The Banshees Of Inisherin (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Austin Butler – Elvis (Warner Bros.)
Diego Calva – Babylon (Paramount Pictures)
Adam Sandler – Hustle (Netflix)
Ralph Fiennes – The Menu (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Daniel Craig – Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (Netflix)

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Jean Smart – Babylon (Paramount Pictures)
Angela Bassett – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Kerry Condon – The Banshees Of Inisherin (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Dolly de Leon – Triangle Of Sadness (Neon)
Claire Foy – Women Talking (United Artists Releasing)
Jamie Lee Curtis – Everything Everywhere All At Once (A24)

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Eddie Radmayne – The Good Nurse (Netflix)
Ben Whishaw – Women Talking (United Artists Realising)
Paul Dano – The Fabelmans (Universal Pictures)
Brendan Gleeson – The Banshees Of Inisherin (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Ke Huy Quan – Everything Everywhere All At Once (A24)
Jeremy Strong – Armageddon Time (Focus Features)

MOTION PICTURE, DRAMA
Top Gun: Maverick (Paramount Pictures)
Living (Sony Pictures)
The Fabelmans (Universal Pictures)
Till (United Artists Releasing)
Women Talking (United Artists Releasing)
Avatar: The Way Of The Water (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
TÁR (Focus Feature)
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

MOTION PICTURE, COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Triangle Of Sadness (Neon)
Everything Everywhere All At Once (A24)
RRR (Variance Films)
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (Netflix)
The Banshees Of Inisherin (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Elvis (Warner Bros.)

MOTION PICTURE, INTERNATIONAL
Argentina, 1985 (Argentina)
Decision To Leave (Korea)
Holy Spider (Denmark)
Close (Belgium)
War Sailor (Norway)
Corsage (Austria)
Bardo (Mexico)
The Quiet Girl (Ireland)

MOTION PICTURE, ANIMATED OR MIXED MEDIA
Turning Red (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Marcel The Shell With Shoes On (A24)
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (Netflix)
Inu-Oh (GKIDS)
The Bad Guys (DWA)

MOTION PICTURE, DOCUMENTARY
The Territory (National Geographic Documentary Films)
All The Beauty And The Bloodshed (Neon)
Moonage Daydream (Neon)
Fire Of Love (Neon)
Descendant (Netflix)
The Return of Tanya Tucker: Featuring Brandi Carlile (Sony Pictures)
Good Night Oppy (Amazon Prime Video)
All That Breathes (HBO Documentary Films)
Young Plato (Yleisradio)

DIRECTOR
Baz Luhrmann – Elvis (Warner Bros.)
James Cameron – Avatar: The Way Of The Water (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Steven Spielberg – The Fabelmans (Netflix)
Joseph Kosinski – Top Gun: Maverick (Paramount Pictures)
Martin McDonagh – The Banshees Of Inisherin (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Sarah Polley – Women Talking (United Artists Releasing)

SCREENPLAY, ORIGINAL
Daniel Scheinert & Daniel Kwan – Everything Everywhere All At Once (A24)
Tony Kushner & Steven Spielberg – The Fabelmans (Universal Pictures)
Martin McDonagh – The Banshees Of Inisherin (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Ruben Östlund – Triangle Of Sadness (Neon)
Todd Field – TÁR (Focus Features)
Lukas Dhont & Angelo Tijssens – Close (A24)

SCREENPLAY, ADAPTED
Sarah Polley – Women Talking (United Artists Releasing)
Samuel D. Hunter – The Whale (A24)
Rian Johnson – Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (Netflix)
Peter Craig, Ehren Kruger, Justin Marks, Christopher McQuarrie & Eric Warren Singer – Top Gun: Maverick (Paramount Pictures)
Kazuo Ishiguro – Living (Sony Pictures)
Rebecca Lenkiewicz – She Said (Universal Pictures)

ORIGINAL SCORE
Harold Faltermeyer, Lady Gaga, Hans Zimmer, Lorne Balfe – Top Gun: Maverick (Paramount Pictures)
Terence Blanchard – The Woman King (TriStar Pictures)
Justin Hurwitz – Babylon (Paramount Pictures)
John Williams – The Fabelmans (Universal Pictures)
Carter Burwell – The Banshees Of Inisherin (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Hildur Guðnadóttir – Women Talking (United Artists Releasing)

ORIGINAL SONG
“Hold My Hand” – Lady Gaga: Top Gun: Maverick (Paramount Pictures)
“Lift Me Up” – Rihanna: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
“Naatu Naatu” – Kala Bhairava, M.M. Keeravani & Rahul Sipligunj: RRR (Variance Films)
“Vegas” – Doja Cat: Elvis (Warner Bros.)
“Carolina” – Taylor Swift: Where The Crawdads Sing (Columbia Pictures)
“Applause” – Diane Warren: Tell It Like a Woman (Samuel Goldwyn Films)

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Claudio Miranda – Top Gun: Maverick (Paramount Pictures)
Linus Sandgren – Babylon (Paramount Pictures)
Roger Deakins – Empire of Light (Searchlight Pictures)
Ben Davis – The Banshees Of Inisherin (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Russell Carpenter – Avatar: The Way Of The Water (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Mandy Walker – Elvis ( Warner Bros)

FILM EDITING
Eddie Hamilton – Top Gun: Maverick (Paramount Pictures)
Jonathan Redmond, Matt Villa – Elvis (Warner Bros.)
Sarah Broshar, Michael Kahn – The Fabelmans (Universal Pictures)
Paul Rogers – Everything Everywhere All At Once (A24)
Monika Willi – TÁR (Focus Features)
Terilyn A. Shropshire – The Woman King (TriStar Pictures)

SOUND ( Editor / Mixer )
Top Gun: Maverick – Mark Weingarten, James H. Mather, Al Nelson (Paramount Pictures)
Avatar: The Way Of The Water – Christopher Boyes (Supervising Sound Editor / Re-Recording Mixer ), Gwendolyn Yates Whittle Dick Bernstein (Supervising Sound Editors), Gary Summers, Michael Hedges (Re-Recording Mixers), Julian Howarth (Production Sound Mixer) (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Babylon – Steve Morrow, Ai-Ling Lee, Mildred Iatrou Morgan, Andy Nelson (Paramount Pictures)
Elvis – David Lee, Wayne Pashley, Andy Nelson, Michael Keller (Warner Bros.)
The Woman King – Becky Sullivan, Kevin O’Connell, Tony Lamberti, Derek Mansvelt (Sony Pictures)
RRR – Raghunath Kemisetty, Boloy Kumar Doloi, Rahul Karpe (Variance Films)

VISUAL EFFECTS
Top Gun: Maverick – Ryan Tudhope, Scott R. Fisher, Seth Hill, Bryan Litson (Paramount Pictures)
Avatar: The Way Of The Water – Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, Richie Baneham, Dan Barrett (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Babylon – Jay Cooper, Elia Popov, Kevin Martel, Ebrahim Jahromi (Paramount Pictures)
Good Night Oppy – Abishek Nair, Marko Chulev, Steven Nichols (Amazon Prime Video)
The Batman – Dan Lemmon, Russell Earl, Anders Langlands, Dominic Tuohu (Warner Bros)
RRR – V. Srinivas Mohan (Variance Films)

PRODUCTION DESIGN
RRR – Sabu Cyril (Variance Films)
Babylon – Florencia Martin, Anthony Carlino (Paramount Pictures)
Elvis – Catherine Martin, Karen Murphy (Warner Bros.)
Avatar: The Way Of The Water – Dylan Cole, Ben Procter (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
The Fabelmans – Rick Carter (Universal Pictures)
A Love Song – Juliana Barreto Barreto (Bleecker Street Media)

COSTUME DESIGN
Ruth E. Carter – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Mary Zophres – Babylon (Paramount Pictures)
Cathrine Matrin – Elvis (Warner Bros.)
Gersha Phillips – The Woman King (TriStar Pictures)
Sandy Powell – Living (Sony Pictures)
Alexandra Byrne – Empire of Light (Searchlight Pictures)

ENSEMBLE MOTION PICTURE: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (Netflix)

The National Board of Review Honors Top Gun: Maverick

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Earlier today, the National Board of Review announced their picks for the best of 2022.  For best film, they selected Top Gun: Maverick!  Typically, the NBR’s winner does receive an Oscar nomination.  (One of the few times, in recent history, this didn’t happen was when the NBR named A Most Violent Year the best picture of 2014.)  That said, the last time that the NBR’s winner went on to also win the Best Picture Oscar was in 2008, when Slumdog Millionaire was named Best Picture by both the Academy and the NBR.

Here are the winners from the National Board of Review:

Best Film: Top Gun: Maverick

Best Director: Steven Spielberg – The Fabelmans

Best Actor: Colin Farrell – The Banshees Of Inisherin

Best Actress: Michelle Yeoh – Everything Everywhere All At Once

Best Supporting Actor: Brendan Gleeson – The Banshees Of Inisherin

Best Supporting Actress: Janelle Monáe – Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Best Original Screenplay: Martin McDonagh – The Banshees Of Inisherin

Best Adapted Screenplay: Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson & Ian Stokell – All Quiet on the Western Front

Breakthrough Performance: Danielle Deadwyler – Till

Breakthrough Performance: Gabriel LaBelle – The Fabelmans

Best Directorial Debut: Charlotte Wells – Aftersun

Best Animated Feature: Marcel the Shell With Shoes On

Best International Film: Close

Best Documentary: Sr.

Best Ensemble: Women Talking

Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography: Claudio Miranda – Top Gun: Maverick

NBR Freedom of Expression Awards: All the Beauty and the Bloodshed & Argentina, 1985

Top Films (in alphabetical order):
Aftersun
Avatar: The Way Of The Water
The Banshees Of Inisherin
Everything Everywhere All At Once
The Fabelmans
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
RRR
Till
The Woman King
Women Talking

Top 5 International Films (in alphabetical order):
All Quiet on the Western Front
Argentina, 1985
Decision To Leave
EO
Saint Omer

Top 5 Documentaries (in alphabetical order):
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
All That Breathes
Descendant
Turn Every Page – The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb
Wildcat

Top 10 Independent Films (in alphabetical order):
Armageddon Time
Emily the Criminal
The Eternal Daughter
Funny Pages
The Inspection
Living
A Love Song
Nanny
The Wonder
To Leslie

Scenes I Love: The Cross-Examination From Anatomy of a Murder

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Since today is Otto Preminger’s birthday, I figured that this would be a good time to share a scene that I love from one of my favorite movies, Preminger’s 1959 film, Anatomy of a Murder.

In this scene, prosecutor Claude Dancer (played, in one of his first screen roles, by George C. Scott) cross-examined Laura Manion (Lee Remick), the wife of a man who has been accused of murder.  Playing the role of the defense attorney is James Stewart.  This scene is a master-class in great acting.  Preminger could be a bit of an inconsistent director but his willingness to take on controversial subjects set him apart from many of his contemporaries.  When he had the right material, as he did here, he could create the perfect mix of melodrama and art.  Preminger’s best films, like Anatomy of a Murder, stand the test of time.

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Fritz Lang Edition

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

4 Or More Shots From 4 Or More Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!

Today, we celebrate the birth and the legacy of the great Austrian director Fritz Lang.  Starting his career during the silent era in Germany, Lang was both a proponent of expressionism and an early critic of the Nazis and Adolf Hitler.  Despite this and the fact that Lang’s mother was Jewish, Josef Goebbels attempted to recruit Lang to run Germany’s largest film studio, UFA.  Lang responded to Goebbels offer by moving to Paris and divorcing his wife, who was an ardent Nazi.  Lang eventually found his way to Hollywood, where he worked for the next twenty years.  With films like Metropolis, M, Fury, Hangmen Also Die, Scarlet Street, and The Testament of Dr. Mabuse, Lang proved himself to be a master of every genre and his influence is still felt to this day.

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

4 Shots From 4 Fritz Lang Films

Metropolis (1927, dir by Fritz Lang, DP: Karl Freund and Gunther Rittau)

M (1931, dir by Fritz Lang, DP: Fritz Arno Wagner)

The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933, dir by Fritz Lang, DP: Karl Vash and Fritz Arno Wagner)

Man Hunt (1941, dir by Fritz Lang, DP: Arthur C. Miller)