Today’s song of the day comes the soundtrack of Sergio Corbucci’s brilliant and dark western, The Great Silence. This was composed by Ennio Morricone.
Silenzio.
Tag Archives: movie
Scenes That I Love: Franco Nero Opens The Coffin in Django
In this scene, from Sergio Corbucci’s Django, the film’s title character (played by my man, Franco Nero) reveals what’s actually in the coffin that he’s been dragging from town to town.
4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Sergio Corbucci 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, we honor the birth and the legacy of the great Italian director, Sergio Corbucci! It’s time for….
4 Shots From 4 Sergio Corbucci Films
Django (1966, dir by Sergio Corbucci, DP: Enzo Barboni)
The Hellbenders (1967, dir by Sergio Corbucci, DP: Enzo Barboni)
The Mercenary (1968, dir by Sergio Corbucci, DP: Alejandro Ulloa)
The Great Silence (1968, dir by Sergio Corbucci, DP: Silvano Ippoliti)
Live Tweet Alert: Join #ScarySocial for Joyride!
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 9 pm et, Deanna Dawn will be hosting #ScarySocial! The movie? 2001’s Joyride!
If you want to join us this Saturday, just hop onto twitter, start the movie at 9 pm et, and use the #ScarySocial hashtag! It’s a friendly group and welcoming of newcomers so don’t be shy.
The film is available on Prime!
Brad reviews OVERBOARD (1987), starring Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn!
Spoiled heiress Joanna Stayton (Goldie Hawn) hires carpenter Dean Proffitt (Kurt Russell) to remodel a closet on her yacht. Unsatisfied with his work and completely unreasonable about everything, she refuses to pay him and when he presses her for the $600, she pushes him and all of his tools overboard. Needless to say, the lady’s a “bitch” (Dean’s word) and nobody can stand her, including her husband, Grant Stayton III (Edward Herrman), and their butler Andrew (Roddy McDowell). And then something interesting happens a few days later… Joanna accidentally falls off her yacht, and when she’s fished out of the ocean, she’s still difficult to deal with, but she doesn’t have a clue who she is. Unable to identity her, the hospital puts the “amnesia lady” on the news hoping someone will recognize her. Sensing a chance to get rid of the anchor around his neck, Grant Stayton III pretends he doesn’t know her and heads out of town. This is where Dean hatches up his own plot to get revenge. He heads to the hospital and through a series of happenstances and coincidences, he’s able to convince everyone, including Joanna, now dubbed as “Annie,” that she’s his wife. He takes her home with him and makes her take care of his four wild boys, cook their food, and clean his house. Dean figures she owes it to him. But wouldn’t you know it, even though “Annie” hates it at first, over time she begins to soften towards her new life, bonds with the boys, and some sparks of love start flying between her and Dean. When she unexpectedly gets her memory back, she has to decide whether to return to her life as a spoiled heiress or stay with the man and boys she’s grown to love.
I have a soft spot in my heart for OVERBOARD, because this is a movie that my mom and I both loved, and we watched it together many times in the late 80’s and early 90’s. My mom and I didn’t often have the same taste in movies, so this was kind of “our movie.” There are a couple of other notable favorites for both me and mom, and those movies are RUTHLESS PEOPLE (1986) and LETHAL WEAPON (1987). I guarantee if I called my mom right now, interrupted her Hallmark Christmas movies, and told her I was coming over with OVERBOARD, she’d say “Come on! I’ll get something together for you to eat!” That actually sounds like a pretty good idea!
Another reason I love OVERBOARD is the fact that it stars Kurt Russell. I became a big fan of Kurt Russell during my teenage years, as I was 14 when this movie came out. A couple of years earlier, Russell starred in the films THE BEST OF TIMES (1986) and BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA (1986), and a couple of years later he would make movies like TEQUILA SUNRISE (1988), TANGO & CASH (1989), and BACKDRAFT (1991). I wanted to watch every movie that Russell was in, and all of these films are staples of my VHS years and nostalgic favorites. In OVERBOARD, Russell starts off as a gruff, grudge-holder, but as he begins to fall for “Annie,” his natural charm and likability emerge, but so does a newfound guilt for lying to her and possibly even kidnapping her. One question for the lawyers out there, is it kidnapping when her husband had a chance to claim her and chose to abandon her instead? I’m not sure if it’s a felony or not, but I’m guessing there has to be something on the law books that doesn’t jive with what happens here. Anyway, I’ll just say that it’s best not to think of these types of pesky realities when judging this fairy tale and just go along for the ride.
Along with the Russell’s fun performance, Goldie Hawn is so perfect as the horrifically spoiled snob of an heiress who transforms into a caring substitute mother and the woman of Dean’s dreams. I know she’s great in the movie, because I can’t stand her at the beginning, but I find myself falling for her too as the movie progresses. I would not really call myself a fan of Goldie Hawn, because I haven’t spent much of my life revisiting her films, but I love her here. A couple in real life, the natural chemistry between Russell and Hawn sparkles as they fall in love on screen and only the most cold-hearted cynic isn’t pulling for them to live happily ever after as the movie closes in on its ending. As far as the supporting cast, Edward Herrmann, Katherine Helmond, Mike Hagerty, and Roddy McDowall all have good moments sprinkled throughout the film.
I do have one complaint about OVERBOARD, and that’s the “Wonders of the World Miniature Golf Course,” which is the dream business of Dean and his best friend Bad Billy Pratt (Mike Hagerty). As someone who grew up in the 70’s and 80’s playing miniature golf on the courses in Branson, MO, I would never want to play their course. Its design appears over-the-top and cheesy to me, the type of course where the scores on the holes would be determined as much by luck as by skill, which is something I find offensive. However, just like the potential kidnapping storyline, I’ve had to let my disdain for the quality of the course design go as well so I could enjoy that section of the film. I will admit this one is harder for me personally, and I still struggle with it.
Overall, OVERBOARD is not high art, and its premise is about as silly as it gets, but through a magical combination of personal 1980’s nostalgia, an appreciation for the chemistry of its stars, and a complete willingness to suspend my disbelief as we head towards an irresistibly happy ending, I still love this film. I watch it just about every year, especially if I need a pick me up as I hammer away at tax returns!
Here are the 2025 nominations of the Seattle Film Critics Society!
Here are the 2025 nominations of the Seattle Film Critics Society!
BEST PICTURE
Bugonia – Yorgos Lanthimos
Hamnet – Chloé Zhao
It Was Just an Accident – Jafar Panahi
Marty Supreme – Josh Safdie
One Battle After Another – Paul Thomas Anderson
Sentimental Value – Joachim Trier
Sinners – Ryan Coogler
Sorry, Baby – Eva Victor
Train Dreams – Clint Bentley
Weapons – Zach Cregger
BEST DIRECTOR
Hamnet – Chloé Zhao
Marty Supreme – Josh Safdie
One Battle After Another – Paul Thomas Anderson
Sinners – Ryan Coogler
Train Dreams – Clint Bentley
BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme
Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
Joel Edgerton – Train Dreams
Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon
Michael B. Jordan – Sinners
BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Jessie Buckley – Hamnet
Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Amanda Seyfried – The Testament of Ann Lee
Emma Stone – Bugonia
Eva Victor – Sorry, Baby
BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Benicio del Toro – One Battle After Another
Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein
David Jonsson – The Long Walk
William H. Macy – Train Dreams
Sean Penn – One Battle After Another
BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Ariana Grande – Wicked: For Good
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value
Amy Madigan – Weapons
Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners
Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST
Eephus – Carson Lund
Marty Supreme – Jennifer Venditti
One Battle After Another – Cassandra Kulukundis
Sinners – Francine Maisler
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Story – Bret Howe, Mary Vernieu
BEST YOUTH PERFORMANCE
Cary Christopher – Weapons
Shannon Gorman – Rental Family
Jacobi Jupe – Hamnet
Jasper Thompson – The Mastermind
Alfie Williams – 28 Years Later
BEST SCREENPLAY
Marty Supreme – Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie
One Battle After Another – Paul Thomas Anderson
Sinners – Ryan Coogler
Sorry, Baby – Eva Victor
Train Dreams – Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar
BEST ANIMATED FILM
Arco – Ugo Bienvenu
The Colors Within – Naoko Yamada
KPop Demon Hunters – Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain – Maïlys Vallade, Liane-Cho Han
Zootopia 2 – Jared Bush, Byron Howard
BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM
The Alabama Solution – Andrew Jarecki, Charlotte Kaufman
Come See Me in the Good Light – Ryan White
Pavements – Alex Ross Perry
The Perfect Neighbor – Geeta Gandbhir
WTO/99 – Ian Bell
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
It Was Just an Accident – Jafar Panahi
No Other Choice – Park Chan-wook
The Secret Agent – Kleber Mendonça Filho
Sentimental Value – Joachim Trier
The Ugly Stepsister – Emilie Blichfeldt
BEST PACIFIC NORTHWEST FEATURE FILM
Not One Drop of Blood – Jackson Devereux, Lachlan Hinton
To Kill a Wolf – Kelsey Taylor
Train Dreams – Clint Bentley
Twinless – James Sweeney
Wolf Land (Director’s Cut) – Sarah Hoffman
WTO/99 – Ian Bell
BEST PACIFIC NORTHWEST SHORT FILM
Charlotte, 1994 – Brian Pittala
A Fateful Weekend – Tony Doupe
Shelly’s Leg – Wes Hurley
Songs of Black Folk – Justin Emeka, Haley Watson
Style: A Seattle Basketball Story – Bryan Tucker
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Frankenstein – Dan Laustsen
Hamnet – Łukasz Żal
One Battle After Another – Michael Bauman
Sinners – Autumn Durald Arkapaw
Train Dreams – Adolpho Veloso
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Frankenstein – Kate Hawley
The Phoenician Scheme – Milena Canonero
Sinners – Ruth E. Carter
Train Dreams – Malgosia Turzanska
Wicked: For Good – Paul Tazewell
BEST FILM EDITING
F1 The Movie – Stephen Mirrione, Patrick J. Smith
Marty Supreme – Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie
One Battle After Another – Andy Jurgensen
Reflection in a Dead Diamond – Bernard Beets
Sinners – Michael P. Shawver
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
F1 The Movie – Hans Zimmer
Frankenstein – Alexandre Desplat
One Battle After Another – Jonny Greenwood
Sinners – Ludwig Göransson
Tron: Ares – Nine Inch Nails
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Fantastic Four: First Steps – Kasra Farahani (Production Design); Jille Azis (Set Decoration)
Frankenstein – Tamara Deverell (Production Design); Shane Vieau (Set Decoration)
The Phoenician Scheme – Adam Stockhausen (Production Design); Anna Pinnock (Set Decoration)
Resurrection – Liu Qiang, Tu Nan
Sinners – Hannah Beachler (Production Design); Monique Champagne (Set Decoration)
BEST ACTION CHOREOGRAPHY
Avatar: Fire and Ash – Garrett Warren, Steve Brown, Stuart Thorp
From the World of John Wick: Ballerina – Stephen Dunlevy, Jackson Spindell
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning – Wade Eastwood
Predator: Badlands – Jacob Tomuri
Sinners – Andy Gill
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Avatar: Fire and Ash – Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, Daniel Barrett
F1 The Movie – Ryan Tudhope, Nicolas Chevallier, Robert Harrington
Frankenstein – Dennis Berardi, Ayo Burgess, Ivan Busquets, José Granell
Predator: Badlands – Olivier Dumont, Alec Gillis, Sheldon Stopsack, Karl Rapley
Sinners – Michael Ralla, Espen Nordahl, Guido Wolter, Donnie Dean
VILLAIN OF THE YEAR
Aunt Gladys – Weapons (as portrayed by Amy Madigan)
Col. Steven J. Lockjaw – One Battle After Another (as portrayed by Sean Penn)
Laura – Bring Her Back (as portrayed by Sally Hawkins)
Lex Luthor – Superman (as portrayed by Nicholas Hoult)
Remmick – Sinners (as portrayed by Jack O’Connell)
Here Are The Michigan Movie Critic Guild Nominations For 2025
The 2025 nominations of the Michigan Movie Critics Guild were announced on Friday. And here they are:
Best Picture
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Best Director
Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
Ryan Coogler – Sinners
Guillermo del Toro – Frankenstein
Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
Chloé Zhao – Hamnet
Best Actor
Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme
Joel Edgerton – Train Dreams
Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
Brendan Fraser – Rental Family
Michael B. Jordan – Sinners
Best Actress
Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another
Cynthia Erivo – Wicked: For Good
Jessie Buckley – Hamnet
Emma Stone – Bugonia
Best Supporting Actor
Miles Caton – Sinners
Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein
Benicio del Toro – One Battle After Another
Paul Mescal – Hamnet
Sean Penn – One Battle After Another
Best Supporting Actress
Ariana Grande – Wicked: For Good
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value
Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners
Hailee Steinfeld – Sinners
Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another
Best Animated Film
Arco
Dog Man
K-Pop Demon Hunters
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
Zootopia 2
Best Documentary
Orwell: 2+2=5
Pee-Wee as Himself
Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk
The Perfect Neighbor
The Tale of Silyan
Best Ensemble
Avatar: Fire And Ash
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Wake Up Dead Man
Wicked: For Good
Best Screenplay
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sorry, Baby
Sinners
Best Cinematography
Avatar: Fire And Ash
Frankenstein
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Train Dreams
Breakthrough
Miles Caton – (Actor) Sinners
Chase Infiniti – (Actress) One Battle After Another
Jacob Elordi – (Actor) Frankenstein
Jacobi Jupe – (Actor) Hamnet
Eva Victor – (Writer, Director, Actor) Sorry, Baby
Best Stunts
Avatar: Fire And Ash
Ballerina
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
Nobody 2
One Battle After Another
The MMCG Award for Film Excellence
Paul Feig – (Director) The Housemaid / Another Simple Favor
Judy Greer – (Actress) The Long Walk
Paul Walter Hauser – (Actor) The Naked Gun / Fantastic Four: First Steps
Tim Robinson – (Actor/Writer) Friendship
J.K. Simmons – (Actor) The Accountant 2
Here Are The 2025 Critics Choice Nominations
The nominations for the Critics Choice Awards — a.k.a. the most pointless awards of the season — were announced on Friday. The winners will be announced on January 4th.
BEST PICTURE
Bugonia (Focus Features)
Frankenstein (Netflix)
Hamnet (Focus Features)
Jay Kelly (Netflix)
Marty Supreme (A24)
One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Sentimental Value (Neon)
Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Train Dreams (Netflix)
Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)
BEST ACTOR
Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme (A24)
Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Joel Edgerton – Train Dreams (Netflix)
Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon (Sony Pictures Classics)
Michael B. Jordan – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Wagner Moura – The Secret Agent (Neon)
BEST ACTRESS
Jessie Buckley – Hamnet (Focus Features)
Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (A24)
Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Renate Reinsve – Sentimental Value (Neon)
Amanda Seyfried – The Testament of Ann Lee (Searchlight Pictures)
Emma Stone – Bugonia (Focus Features)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Benicio del Toro – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein (Netflix)
Paul Mescal – Hamnet (Focus Features)
Sean Penn – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Adam Sandler – Jay Kelly (Netflix)
Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value (Neon)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Elle Fanning – Sentimental Value (Neon)
Ariana Grande – Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value (Neon)
Amy Madigan – Weapons (Warner Bros.)
Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
BEST YOUNG ACTOR / ACTRESS
Everett Blunck – The Plague (Independent Film Company)
Miles Caton – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Cary Christopher – Weapons (Warner Bros.)
Shannon Mahina Gorman – Rental Family (Searchlight Pictures)
Jacobi Jupe – Hamnet (Focus Features)
Nina Ye – Left-Handed Girl (Netflix)
BEST DIRECTOR
Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Ryan Coogler – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Guillermo del Toro – Frankenstein (Netflix)
Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme (A24)
Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value (Neon)
Chloé Zhao – Hamnet (Focus Features)
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Noah Baumbach, Emily Mortimer – Jay Kelly (Netflix)
Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme (A24)
Ryan Coogler – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Zach Cregger – Weapons (Warner Bros.)
Eva Victor – Sorry, Baby (A24)
Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value (Neon)
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar – Train Dreams (Netflix)
Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-mi, Don Mckellar, Jahye Lee – No Other Choice (Neon)
Guillermo del Toro – Frankenstein (Netflix)
Will Tracy – Bugonia (Focus Features)
Chloé Zhao, Maggie O’Farrell – Hamnet (Focus Features)
BEST CASTING AND ENSEMBLE
Nina Gold – Hamnet (Focus Features)
Douglas Aibel, Nina Gold – Jay Kelly (Netflix)
Jennifer Venditti – Marty Supreme (A24)
Cassandra Kulukundis – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Francine Maisler – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Tiffany Little Canfield, Bernard Telsey – Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Claudio Miranda – F1 (Apple Original Films)
Dan Laustsen – Frankenstein (Netflix)
Łukasz Żal – Hamnet (Focus Features)
Michael Bauman – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Autumn Durald Arkapaw – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Adolpho Veloso – Train Dreams (Netflix)
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Kasra Farahani, Jille Azis – The Fantastic Four: First Steps (Marvel Studios)
Tamara Deverell, Shane Vieau – Frankenstein (Netflix)
Fiona Crombie, Alice Felton – Hamnet (Focus Features)
Jack Fisk, Adam Willis – Marty Supreme (A24)
Hannah Beachler, Monique Champagne – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Nathan Crowley, Lee Sandales – Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)
BEST EDITING
Kirk Baxter – A House of Dynamite (Netflix)
Stephen Mirrione – F1 (Apple Original Films)
Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme (A24)
Andy Jurgensen – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Viridiana Lieberman – The Perfect Neighbor (Netflix)
Michael P. Shawver – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Kate Hawley – Frankenstein (Netflix)
Malgosia Turzanska – Hamnet (Focus Features)
Lindsay Pugh – Hedda (Amazon MGM Studios)
Colleen Atwood, Christine Cantella – Kiss of the Spider Woman (Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions)
Ruth E. Carter – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Paul Tazewell – Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)
BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP
Flora Moody, John Nolan – 28 Years Later (Sony Pictures)
Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel, Cliona Furey – Frankenstein (Netflix)
Siân Richards, Ken Diaz, Mike Fontaine, Shunika Terry – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Kazu Hiro, Felix Fox, Mia Neal – The Smashing Machine (A24)
Leo Satkovich, Melizah Wheat, Jason Collins – Weapons (Warner Bros.)
Frances Hannon, Mark Coulier, Laura Blount – Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, Daniel Barrett – Avatar: Fire And Ash (20th Century Studios)
Ryan Tudhope, Nikeah Forde, Robert Harrington, Nicolas Chevallier, Eric Leven, Edward Price, Keith Dawson – F1 (Apple Original Films)
Dennis Berardi, Ayo Burgess, Ivan Busquets, José Granell – Frankenstein (Netflix)
Alex Wuttke, Ian Lowe, Jeff Sutherland, Kirstin Hall – Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (Paramount Pictures)
Michael Ralla, Espen Nordahl, Guido Wolter, Donnie Dean – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Stephane Ceretti, Enrico Damm, Stéphane Nazé, Guy Williams – Superman (Warner Bros.)
BEST STUNT DESIGN
Stephen Dunlevy, Kyle Gardiner, Jackson Spidell, Jeremy Marinas, Jan Petřina, Domonkos Párdányi, Kinga Kósa-Gavalda – Ballerina (Lionsgate)
Gary Powell, Luciano Bacheta, Craig Dolby – F1 (Apple Original Films)
Wade Eastwood – Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (Paramount Pictures)
Brian Machleit – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Andy Gill – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Giedrius Nagys – Warfare (A24)
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Arco (Neon)
Elio (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
In Your Dreams (Netflix)
KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix)
Little Amélie Or The Character Of Rain (GKIDS)
Zootopia 2 (Walt Disney Animation Studios)
BEST COMEDY
The Ballad of Wallis Island (Focus Features)
Eternity (A24)
Friendship (A24)
The Naked Gun (Paramount)
The Phoenician Scheme (Focus Features)
Splitsville (Neon)
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Belén (Amazon MGM Studios)
It Was Just an Accident (Neon)
Left-Handed Girl (Netflix)
No Other Choice (Neon)
The Secret Agent (Neon)
Sirāt (Neon)
BEST SONG
“Drive” – Ed Sheeran, John Mayer, Blake Slatkin – F1 (Apple Original Films)
“Golden” – Ejae, Mark Sonnenblick, Ido, 24, Teddy – KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix)
“I Lied to You” – Raphael Saadiq, Ludwig Göransson – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
“Clothed by the Sun” – Daniel Blumberg – The Testament of Ann Lee (Searchlight Pictures)
“Train Dreams” – Nick Cave, Bryce Dessner – Train Dreams (Netflix)
“The Girl in the Bubble” – Stephen Schwartz – Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)
BEST SCORE
Hans Zimmer – F1 (Apple Original Films)
Alexandre Desplat – Frankenstein (Netflix)
Max Richter – Hamnet (Focus Features)
Daniel Lopatin – Marty Supreme (A24)
Jonny Greenwood – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Ludwig Göransson – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
BEST SOUND
Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo, Juan Peralta, Gareth John – F1 (Apple Original Films)
Nathan Robitaille, Nelson Ferreira, Christian Cooke, Brad Zoern, Greg Chapman – Frankenstein (Netflix)
Jose Antonio Garcia, Christopher Scarabosio, Tony Villaflor – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Chris Welcker, Benny Burtt, Brandon Proctor, Steve Boeddeker, Felipe Pacheco, David V. Butler – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Laia Casanovas – Sirāt (Neon)
Mitch Low, Glenn Freemantle, Ben Barker, Howard Bargroff, Richard Spooner – Warfare (A24)
Holidays on the Lens: Santa Claus and the Ice Cream Bunny (dir by Richard Winer)
Oh no! Christmas is approaching but Santa Claus is trapped on a beach in Florida! A bunch of kids try to help him move his sled but the children are useless! Maybe Santa’s friend, the Ice Cream Bunny, can help. While Santa waits for the Bunny to show up, he tells the kids a story.
It’s a bit difficult to explain the plot of 1972’s Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny. It’s even more difficult to explain why I can’t help but love this odd movie. The Ice Cream Bunny driving to the rescue is one of my favorite holiday images. Don’t ask me why he’s the Ice Cream Bunny. Don’t ask me why Santa needs the help of a giant rabbit. Don’t ask me why Santa’s on a beach in Florida in the first place.
Just enjoy this holiday oddity!
Scenes I Love: The Cross-Examination From Anatomy of a Murder
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.
Through the Shattered Lens