Tag Archives: Movies

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Roger Pratt Edition

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

4 Shots From 4 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.

Yesterday, it was announced that the veteran cinematographer Roger Pratt passed away in December.  Known for his work with Terry Gilliam and Tim Burton, Pratt left behind a legacy of visually stunning films.  It’s time for…

4 Shots From 4 Roger Pratt Films

Brazil (1985, dir by Terry Gilliam, DP: Roger Pratt)

Batman (1989, dir by Tim Burton, DP: Roger Pratt)

The Fisher King (1991, dir by Terry Gilliam, DP: Roger Pratt)

12 Monkeys (1995, dir by Terry Gilliam, DP: Roger Pratt)

 

Happy Birthday to actress Jan Gan Boyd, Charles Bronson’s co-star in ASSASSINATION (1987)!

Posted on by Bradley Crain

I wanted to take a moment and show some appreciation for actress Jan Gan Boyd on her birthday. Jan has been a part of my life since I was 13 years old since she co-starred with Charles Bronson in the 1987 Cannon film ASSASSINATION.

In a nutshell, the plot of ASSASSINATION revolves around secret service agent Jay Killian (Bronson), who finds himself in the position of trying to protect an extremely strong-willed first lady (Jill Ireland) from assassins trying to kill her. Jan plays Charlotte “Charlie” Chang, a member of the team assigned to protect the first lady, who has an extra special relationship with Killian. And while ASSASSINATION is not one of Charles Bronson’s best movies, I always liked Jan in the film. She had spunk and attitude, and her relationship with Bronson’s character is definitely unique in Bronson’s 80’s filmography. Believe it or not, Killian and Charlie had casual sex, and she survived the end of the movie to talk about it! As a matter of fact, her exchange with Killian the next morning leads to one of the great moments of Bronson dialogue:

Charlie Chang: “Killy, why don’t you move in here permanently?”

Jay Killian: “I don’t want to die of a terminal orgasm!”

I guess lines like that bond actors for life and Jan stayed friends with Charles Bronson and Jill Ireland all the way up to each of their deaths.

Jan got her start in the movies through her abilities as a trained dancer when she co-starred with Michael Douglas in the 1985 film, A CHORUS LINE, directed by Richard Attenborough. I think she’s one of the best characters in the film. And 1987 was a very busy year for Jan. After filming ASSASSINATION with Bronson, she would co-star with Martin Kove in the film STEELE JUSTICE, and then with David Soul in HARRY’S HONG KONG. She would spend the next few years of her career doing guest spots on shows like CHEERS, SISTERS, and SILK STALKINGS. It was at this point that she took a break from her career to get married and raise a family. Over the last few years, she has started to get involved in voice-over work, as well as appearing on shows like “Dance Dish,” where she discussed her time as a dancer and her work on A CHORUS LINE.

On a personal note, I must say that Jan Gan Boyd is one of the sweetest ladies I’ve ever met. My partner Eric Todd and I got the opportunity to interview her for an episode of the THIS WEEK IN CHARLES BRONSON podcast a couple of years ago. She told us some of the best stories about Charles Bronson and Jill Ireland, as well as what it was like to work with them on ASSASSINATION. She truly loved them in real life, and it was so fun sharing that time with her. As a matter of fact, over on our TWICB Facebook page, every January is now Jan-Gan-uary! I’ve attached a link to the podcast episode if you would like to hear more from Jan about her career and her work with Bronson, Michael Douglas, and Richard Attenborough.

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special John Singleton Edition

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

4 Shots From 4 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.

As I mentioned earlier, today would have been the 57th birthday of John Singleton, the first black filmmaker to ever receive an Oscar nomination for Best Director.  It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 John Singleton Films

Boyz N The Hood (1991, dir by John Singleton, DP: Chuck Mills)

Poetic Justice (1993, dir by John Singleton, DP: Peter Lyons Collister)

Higher Learning (1995, dir by John Singleon, DP: Peter Lyons Collister)

2 Fast 2 Furious (2003, dir by John Singleton, DP: Matthew Leonetti)

#MondayMuggers – Why NIGHT OF THE RUNNING MAN (1995)?

Posted on by Bradley Crain

Every Monday night at 9:00 Central Time, my wife Sierra and I host a “Live Movie Tweet” event on X using the hashtag #MondayMuggers. We rotate movie picks each week, and our tastes are quite different. Tonight, Monday January 6th, we’re watching NIGHT OF THE RUNNING MAN, starring Scott Glenn, Andrew McCarthy, and John Glover.

In a nutshell, this movie is about a Las Vegas cab driver (McCarthy) who discovers a million dollars of stolen money in his cab. He is then tracked by a relentless and cold-blooded assassin (Glenn) sent to retrieve the money.

So why did Sierra pick NIGHT OF THE RUNNING MAN, you might ask? Well I asked her and she said, “I like that guy, Andrew McCarthy.” And that was it! I do remember watching the first hour or so of this movie on cable TV late one night about 25 years ago or so. I remember thinking it was pretty good prior to falling asleep. I’ve always liked Scott Glenn, even though he was a jerk in URBAN COWBOY. He’s a pretty vicious killer here so that should be fun. And John Glover is one of those guys I just enjoy seeing pop up in any movie. His bad guy in 52 PICK-UP is one of my all time favorite villains. Plus, this was directed by Mark L. Lester, the director of TRUCK STOP WOMEN, ROLLER BOOGIE, CLASS OF 1984, and COMMANDO. That’s quite a variety of flicks! And hell, it will be nice for me to see how the movie ends after all these years.

So join us tonight to for #MondayMuggers and watch NIGHT OF THE RUNNING MAN. It’s on Amazon Prime, as well as Tubi and Freevee.

Some thoughts on the Golden Globes

Posted on by Leonard Wilson

Tonight, I covered the Golden Globe Awards for the Lens via Twitter/X. The full list of winners can be found here.

It was an interesting setup, with comedian Nikki Glazer hosting. She didn’t take up too much time on stage, and I like to think that save for the opening monologue, she kept things moving.

Not all of the jokes hit. There were some embarrassing moments with Harrison Ford and Anthony Mackie. While both Awkwfina and Melissa McCarthy (who looked great for the evening) were good, I kind of wanted things to move on a little quicker.

The Brutalist was the Best Picture winner of the evening. The film also won Best Actor (Adrian Brody) and and Best Director in Brady Corbet. This may give the film an interesting chance come Oscar-time. The film beat out high Drama features such as Edward Berger’s Conclave (which managed to pull the Best Screenplay), Denis Villeneuve’s Dune Part Two and James Mangold’s A Complete Unknown.

Jon M. Chu’s Wicked, which some felt was the front runner for the Musical/Comedy was somewhat eclipsed by France’s Emilia Perez, which took home Golden Globes for Zoe Saldana, Best Non-English Film and Best Picture (Musical or Comedy). Wicked did manage to win the newly minted Cinematic and Box Office Achievement award.

Bringing in Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley as presenters for Best Male Actor in a Series was cool to see, watching them play off their pairing in The Substance. Demi’s win for Best Actress was a major highlight for the evening. She, along with Zoe Saldana and Colin Farrell (for HBO’s The Penguin) had some of the best speeches during the show. Colin thanked everyone under the sun, including Craft Services. Also loved the Best Picture (Non-English) winners for Emilia Perez. Colin Farrell thanked everyone from Cristina Milioti to Craft Services. Kieran Culkan beat out his Succession co-star Jeremy Strong for Jesse Eisenberg’s A Real Pain, adding to the notion that Roman might have been the best of the Roys (if not Shiv). It was also great to see Sebastian Stan win for A Different Man. That was a long time coming as I’ve been a fan of his since The Covenant.

Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross won Best Score for Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers. I thought that The Wild Robot would take the Best Animated Film category, but Flow won that, and it honestly looks like a wonderful film.

In TV, it was all about Hacks and Shogun. Both shows dominated the awards with wins for Jane Smart (Hacks), Anna Sawai, Hiroyuki Sanada and Tadanobu Asano (for Shogun). I was particularly happy with Asano’s win, who I thought should have also won an Emmy.

Here’s What Won At The Golden Globes

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
The Brutalist

BEST MOTION PICTURE – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Emilia Perez

BEST DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE
Brady Corbet for The Brutalist

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
Fernanda Torres for I’m Still Here

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
Adrien Brody for The Brutalist

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Demi Moore for The Substance

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Sebastian Stan for A Different Man

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN ANY MOTION PICTURE
Zoe Saldana for Emilia Perez

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN ANY MOTION PICTURE
Kieran Culkin for A Real Pain

BEST MOTION PICTURE – NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Emilia Perez

BEST MOTION PICTURE – ANIMATED
Flow

CINEMATIC AND BOX OFFICE ACHIEVEMENT
Wicked

BEST SCREENPLAY – MOTION PICTURE
Conclave

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – MOTION PICTURE
Challengers

BEST ORIGINAL SONG – MOTION PICTURE
El Mal from Emilia Perez

Conclave Wins In North Carolina

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The North Carolina Film Critics Association has announced its picks for the best of 2024!

BEST NARRATIVE FILM
Anora
The Brutalist
Challengers
Civil War
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
I Saw the TV Glow
Nickel Boys
Nosferatu
The Substance

BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM
Dahomey
No Other Land
Sugarcane
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Will & Harper

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Flow
Inside Out 2
Memoir of a Snail
Transformers One
The Wild Robot

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
All We Imagine As Light
Emilia Pérez
Evil Does Not Exist
I’m Still Here
The Seed of the Sacred Fig

BEST DIRECTOR
Brady Corbet – The Brutalist
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance
Luca Guadagnino – Challengers
RaMell Ross – Nickel Boys
Denis Villeneuve – Dune: Part Two

BEST ACTOR
Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown
Daniel Craig – Queer
Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes – Conclave

BEST ACTRESS
Cynthia Erivo – Wicked
Marianne Jean-Baptiste – Hard Truths
Mikey Madison – Anora
Demi Moore – The Substance
Zendaya – Challengers

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Yura Borisov – Anora
Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
Chris Hemsworth – Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing
Denzel Washington – Gladiator II

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor – Nickel Boys
Ariana Grande – Wicked
Felicity Jones – The Brutalist
Katy O’Brian – Love Lies Bleeding
Margaret Qualley – The Substance
Isabella Rossellini – Conclave

BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCE IN ANIMATION OR MIXED MEDIA
Kevin Durand – Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Lupita Nyong’o – The Wild Robot
Maya Hawke – Inside Out 2
Pedro Pascal – The Wild Robot
Sarah Snook – Memoir of a Snail

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Saturday Night
Sing Sing
Wicked

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
A Different Man
Anora
The Brutalist
Challengers
The Substance

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Nickel Boys
Nosferatu
Sing Sing

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Challengers
Dune: Part Two
Nickel Boys
Nosferatu
The Brutalist

BEST EDITING
Anora
Challengers
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Nickel Boys

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Nosferatu
Wicked

BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP
A Different Man
Dune: Part Two
Nosferatu
The Substance
Wicked

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
The Brutalist
Dune: Part Two
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Nosferatu
Wicked

BEST SCORE
The Brutalist
Challengers
Conclave
Nosferatu
The Wild Robot

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“Compress/Repress” – Challengers
“El Mal” – Emilia Pérez
“Harper and Will Go West” – Will & Harper
“Kiss the Sky” – The Wild Robot
“Like a Bird” – Sing Sing

BEST SOUND DESIGN
Challengers
Civil War
Dune: Part Two
Nosferatu
Wicked

BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS
Dune: Part Two
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Nosferatu
The Substance

BEST STUNT COORDINATION
Dune: Part Two
The Fall Guy
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Gladiator II
Monkey Man

DIRECTORIAL DEBUT
Vera Drew – The People’s Joker
Francis Galluppi – The Last Stop in Yuma County
Zoë Kravitz – Blink Twice
Josh Margolin – Thelma
Sean Wang – Dìdi (弟弟)
Malcolm Washington – The Piano Lesson

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Carlos Diehz – Conclave
Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing
Mikey Madison – Anora
Katy O’Brian – Love Lies Bleeding
Adam Pearson – A Different Man

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT: Cinematography
Roger Deakins
Christopher Doyle
Greig Fraser
Emmanuel Lubezki
Hoyte van Hoytema

KEN HANKE MEMORIAL TAR HEEL AWARD
Stephen McKinley Henderson – Civil War
Jeff Nichols (Director) – The Bikeriders
Margaret Qualley – The Substance
Hunter Schafer – Cuckoo
Drew Starkey – Queer

Here Are The 2024 Nominations Of The Set Decorators Society of America

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

On the 3rd, the Set Decorators Society of America announced its nominations for the best production designs of 2024.  The winners will be announced on February 5th.

Best Achievement in Décor/Design of a Contemporary Feature Film
Anora — Neon – Set decoration by Christopher Phelps with production design by Stephen Phelps
Civil War — A24 – Set decoration by Lizbeth Ayala with production design by Caty Maxey
Conclave — Focus Features – Set decoration by Cynthia Sleiter with production design by Suzie Davies
Emilia Pérez — Netflix – Set decoration by Cécile Deleu with production design by Emmanuelle Duplay
The Substance — Mubi – Set decoration by Cécilia Blom with production design by Stanislas Reydellet

Best Achievement in Décor/Design of a Period Feature Film
The Brutalist — A24 – Set decoration by Patricia Cuccia and Mercédesz Nagyváradi with production design by Judy Becker
A Complete Unknown — Searchlight Pictures – Set decoration by Regina Graves with production design by François Auduoy
Gladiator II — Paramount – Set decoration by Jille Azis and Elli Griff with production design by Arthur Max
Maria — Netflix – Set decoration by Sandro Piccarozzi and Nóra Talmaier with production design by Guy Hendrix Dyas
Nosferatu — Focus Features – Set decoration by Beatrice Brentnerova with production design by Craig Lathrop

Best Achievement in Décor/Design of a Fantasy or Science Fiction Film
Alien: Romulus — 20th Century Studios – Set decoration by Zsuzsanna Sipos with production design by Naaman Marshall
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice — Warner Bros. – Set decoration by David Morison and Lori Mazuer with production design by Mark Scruton
Dune: Part Two — Warner Bros. – Set decoration by Shane Vieau with production design by Patrice Vermette
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga — Warner Bros. – Set decoration by Katie Sharrock with production design by Colin Gibson
Megalopolis — Lionsgate – Set decoration by Lisa Sessions Morgan with production design by Beth Mickle and Bradley Rubin

Best Achievement in Décor/Design of a Comedy or Musical Feature Film
Deadpool & Wolverine — Marvel/Walt Disney Studios – Set decoration by Naomi Moore and Imogen Lee with production design by Raymond Chan
Kinds of Kindness — Searchlight Pictures – Set decoration by Amy Silver with production design by Anthony Gasparro
Nightbitch — Searchlight Pictures – Set decoration by Ryan Watson with production design by Karen Murphy
Wolfs — Apple Studios – Set decoration by Melissa Levander with production design by Jade Healy
Wicked — Universal – Set decoration by Lee Sandales with production design by Nathan Crowley

Conclave Wins In Oklahoma

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

On the 3rd, the Oklahoma Film Critics Circle announced their picks for the best of 2024!

Top 10 Films
1. Conclave
2. Anora
3. The Brutalist
4. Challengers
5. Wicked
6. Sing Sing
7. Dune: Part Two
8. The Substance
9. I Saw the TV Glow
10. Memoir of a Snail

Best Actor
Winner: Ralph Fiennes, Conclave
Runner-Up: Adrien Brody, The Brutalist

Best Actress
Winner: Mikey Madison, Anora
Runner-Up: Demi Moore, The Substance

Best Supporting Actor
Winner: Clarence Maclin, Sing Sing
Runner-Up: Edward Norton, A Complete Unknown

Best Supporting Actress
Winner: Ariana Grande, Wicked
Runner-Up: Isabella Rossellini, Conclave

Best Original Screenplay
Winner: The Brutalist
Runner-Up: Anora

Best Adapted Screenplay
Winner: Conclave
Runner-Up: Sing Sing

Best Director
Winner: Edward Berger, Conclave
Runner-Up: Brady Corbet, The Brutalist

Best Documentary
Winner: Sugarcane
Runner-Up: Will & Harper

Best Animated Feature
Winner: The Wild Robot
Runner-Up: Flow

Best Foreign Language Film
Winner: Emilia Pérez
Runner-Up: The Seed of the Sacred Fig

Best Cinematography
Winner: Nosferatu
Runner-Up: The Brutalist

Best Score
Winner: Challengers
Runner-Up: Conclave

Best Ensemble
Winner: Conclave
Runner-Up: Sing Sing

Best First Feature
Winner: Fancy Dance, dir. Erica Tremblay
Runner-Up: The First Omen, dir. Arkasha Stevenson

Best Body of Work
Winner: Nicholas Hoult (Nosferatu, The Order, Juror #2, Garfield)
Runner-Up: Luca Guadagnino (Challengers, Queer)

Best Stunt Coordination
Winner: The Fall Guy
Runner-Up: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Best Indigenous Film
Winner: Sugarcane
Runner-Up: Fancy Dance

Best Performance By an Animal Actor
Winner: Peggy (a.k.a. Dogpool), Deadpool & Wolverine
Runner-Up: Jean Claude (dog), The Fall Guy

The Substance Wins In Kansas City!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Yesterday, The Kansas City Film Critics Circle announced their picks for the best of 2024!

BEST FILM
Anora
Civil War
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
I Saw The TV Glow
Nickel Boys
A Real Pain
Sing Sing
The Substance
Wicked

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD FOR BEST DIRECTOR
Sean Baker – Anora
Jon M. Chu – Wicked
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance
RaMell Ross – Nickel Boys
Denis Villeneuve – Dune: Part Two

BEST ACTOR
Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown
Timothée Chalamet – Dune: Part Two
David Dastmalchian – Late Night with the Devil
Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes – Conclave

BEST ACTRESS (TIE)
Cynthia Erivo – Wicked
Karla Sofía Gascón – Emilia Pérez
Mikey Madison – Anora
Demi Moore – The Substance
June Squibb – Thelma

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Yura Borisov – Anora
Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
Chris Hemsworth – Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing
Adam Pearson – A Different Man
Jeremy Strong – The Apprentice
Denzel Washington – Gladiator II

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Joan Chen – Didi
Danielle Deadwyler – The Piano Lesson
Ariana Grande – Wicked
Margaret Qualley – The Substance
Zoe Saldana – Emilia Pérez

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Anora
The Brutalist
Civil War
A Real Pain
The Substance

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Nickel Boys
Sing Sing
The Wild Robot

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Brutalist
Civil War
Dune: Part Two
Gladiator II
Nickel Boys
Nosferatu
Wicked

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Challengers
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
The Substance
The Wild Robot

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Flow
Inside Out 2
Memoir of a Snail
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
The Wild Robot

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
All We Imagine as Light
Emilia Pérez
Flow
I’m Still Here
Kneecap
Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Dahomey
Look Into My Eyes
Seeking Mavis Beacon
Sugarcane
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Will & Harper

VINCE KOEHLER AWARD FOR BEST SCIENCE FICTION/FANTASY/HORROR
Dune: Part Two
I Saw The TV Glow
Late Night with the Devil
Nosferatu
The Substance

TOM POE AWARD FOR BEST LGBTQ FILM
I Saw The TV Glow
Emilia Pérez
Love Lies Bleeding
My Old Ass
Will & Harper
Queer

BUSTER KEATON AWARD FOR BEST STUNT ENSEMBLE FILM
Deadpool & Wolverine
Dune: Part Two
The Fall Guy
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Monkey Man