Tag Archives: Nashville

Sinners Wins In Nashville

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Music City Film Critics Association has announced its picks for the best of 2025!  The winners are in bold!

Best Picture
Bugonia
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sentimental Value
Sinners
The Testament of Ann Lee
Train Dreams
Weapons

Best Director
Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
Ryan Coogler – Sinners
Guillermo Del Toro – Frankenstein
Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
Chloé Zhao – Hamnet

Best Actress
Jessie Buckley – Hamnet
Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another
Amanda Seyfried – The Testament of Ann Lee
Emma Stone – Bugonia

Best Actor
Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme
Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
Joel Edgerton – Train Dreams
Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon
Michael B. Jordan – Sinners

Best Supporting Actress
Odessa A’zion – Marty Supreme
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value
Amy Madigan – Weapons
Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners
Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another

Best Supporting Actor
Benicio Del Toro – One Battle After Another
Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein
Delroy Lindo – Sinners
Sean Penn – One Battle After Another
Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value

Best Young Actress
Shannon Mahina Gorman – Rental Family
Olivia Lynes – Hamnet
Madeleine McGraw – The Black Phone 2
Sora Wong – Bring Her Back
Nina Ye – Left-Handed Girl

Best Young Actor
Everett Blunck – The Plague
Miles Caton – Sinners
Cary Christopher – Weapons
Jacobi Jupe – Hamnet
Alfie Williams – 28 Years Later

Best Acting Ensemble
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Wake Up Dead Man

Best Music Film
The Ballad of Wallis Island
KPop Demon Hunters
Sinners
The Testament of Ann Lee
Wicked: For Good

Best Animated Film
The Day the Earth Blew Up
KPop Demon Hunters
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
Predator: Killer of Killers
Zootopia 2

Best Documentary
The Alabama Solution
Cover-Up
John Candy: I Like Me
The Perfect Neighbor
Predators

Best International Film
It Was Just an Accident
No Other Choice
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Sirāt

Best Screenplay
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Sorry, Baby
Weapons

Best Cinematography
Frankenstein
Hamnet
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Train Dreams

Best Editing
F1: The Movie
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
The Perfect Neighbor
Sinners

Best Production Design
Frankenstein
Marty Supreme
Sinners
The Testament of Ann Lee
Wicked: For Good

Best Original Song
“As Alive As You Need Me to Be” – Nine Inch Nails, Tron: Ares
“The Girl in the Bubble” – Ariana Grande, Wicked: For Good
“Golden” – EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami, KPop Demon Hunters
“I Lied to You” – Miles Caton, Sinners
“Train Dreams” – Nick Cave, Train Dreams

Best Score
Frankenstein
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Train Dreams

Best Sound
F1: The Movie
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Warfare
Wicked: For Good

Best Stunt Work
Ballerina
F1: The Movie
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
Sinners
Superman

Best Action Film
F1: The Movie
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
One Battle After Another
Predator: Badlands
Superman

Best Comedy Film
The Ballad of Wallis Island
Friendship
The Naked Gun
Splitsville
Wake Up Dead Man

Best Horror Film
28 Years Later
Frankenstein
Sinners
The Ugly Stepsister
Weapons

The Jim Ridley Award
The Day the Earth Blew Up
Dracula
A Little Prayer
Resurrection
Sirāt

Here Are The 2025 Nominations Of The Music City Film Critics Association

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Music City Film Critics Association — based out of Nashville — has announced its picks for the best of 2025.  And here they are:

Best Picture
Bugonia
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sentimental Value
Sinners
The Testament of Ann Lee
Train Dreams
Weapons

Best Director
Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
Ryan Coogler – Sinners
Guillermo Del Toro – Frankenstein
Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
Chloé Zhao – Hamnet

Best Actress
Jessie Buckley – Hamnet
Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another
Amanda Seyfried – The Testament of Ann Lee
Emma Stone – Bugonia

Best Actor
Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme
Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
Joel Edgerton – Train Dreams
Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon
Michael B. Jordan – Sinners

Best Supporting Actress
Odessa A’zion – Marty Supreme
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value
Amy Madigan – Weapons
Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners
Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another

Best Supporting Actor
Benicio Del Toro – One Battle After Another
Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein
Delroy Lindo – Sinners
Sean Penn – One Battle After Another
Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value

Best Young Actress
Shannon Mahina Gorman – Rental Family
Olivia Lynes – Hamnet
Madeleine McGraw – The Black Phone 2
Sora Wong – Bring Her Back
Nina Ye – Left-Handed Girl

Best Young Actor
Everett Blunck – The Plague
Miles Caton – Sinners
Cary Christopher – Weapons
Jacobi Jupe – Hamnet
Alfie Williams – 28 Years Later

Best Acting Ensemble
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Wake Up Dead Man

Best Music Film
The Ballad of Wallis Island
KPop Demon Hunters
Sinners
The Testament of Ann Lee
Wicked: For Good

Best Animated Film
The Day the Earth Blew Up
KPop Demon Hunters
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
Predator: Killer of Killers
Zootopia 2

Best Documentary
The Alabama Solution
Cover-Up
John Candy: I Like Me
The Perfect Neighbor
Predators

Best International Film
It Was Just an Accident
No Other Choice
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Sirāt

Best Screenplay
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Sorry, Baby
Weapons

Best Cinematography
Frankenstein
Hamnet
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Train Dreams

Best Editing
F1: The Movie
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
The Perfect Neighbor
Sinners

Best Production Design
Frankenstein
Marty Supreme
Sinners
The Testament of Ann Lee
Wicked: For Good

Best Original Song
“As Alive As You Need Me to Be” – Nine Inch Nails, Tron: Ares
“The Girl in the Bubble” – Ariana Grande, Wicked: For Good
“Golden” – EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami, KPop Demon Hunters
“I Lied to You” – Miles Caton, Sinners
“Train Dreams” – Nick Cave, Train Dreams

Best Score
Frankenstein
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Train Dreams

Best Sound
F1: The Movie
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Warfare
Wicked: For Good

Best Stunt Work
Ballerina
F1: The Movie
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
Sinners
Superman

Best Action Film
F1: The Movie
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
One Battle After Another
Predator: Badlands
Superman

Best Comedy Film
The Ballad of Wallis Island
Friendship
The Naked Gun
Splitsville
Wake Up Dead Man

Best Horror Film
28 Years Later
Frankenstein
Sinners
The Ugly Stepsister
Weapons

The Jim Ridley Award
The Day the Earth Blew Up
Dracula
A Little Prayer
Resurrection
Sirāt

Scenes That I Love: Karen Black Performs in Nashville

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The great actress Karen Black would have been 86 years old today.

Karen Black does not receive a lot of screentime in Nashville but she definitely makes an impression as the driven, self-centered, and oddly likeable Connie White.  (“She can’t even comb her hair” — Connie White on Julie Chrisite.)  Here she is, performing one of the songs that she wrote herself for the film.  The audience was largely made up of actual Nashville residents, who reportedly very much appreciated Black’s performance.

Song of the Day: 200 Years by Henry Gibson

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today’s song of the day comes from the soundtrack of Robert Altman’s 1975 masterpiece, Nashville.

Written and performed by Henry Gibson (who played the role of Haven Hamilton in Altman’s film), 200 Years was meant to be a satire of patriotic country music.  But apparently, Gibson did such a good job capturing the feel of those songs that several patriotic singing groups actually added 200 Years to their repertoire.

Myself, I find the song to be just as heavy-handed in its satire as the song itself is meant to be heavy-handed in its patriotism.  But, perhaps that’s the point.  It’s definitely effective in its way and it certainly fits in with Altman’s stylized portrayal of American culture.  I guess this song is a real Rorschach test.  Some will see it as a commentary on jingoism.  Others will hear it and say, “He’s right, we must be doing something right.”

My mother’s people came by ship
And fought at Bunker Hill
My daddy lost a leg in France
I have his medal still
My brother served with Patton
I saw action in Algiers
Oh we must be doin’ somethin’ right
To last 200 years.‎

I pray my sons won’t go to war
But if they must, they must
I share our country’s motto
And in God I place my trust
We may have had our ups and downs
Our times of trials and fears
But we must be doin’ somethin’ right
To last 200 years.‎

I’ve lived through two depressions
And seven Dust Bowl droughts
Floods, locusts and tornadoes
But I don’t have any doubts
We’re all a part of history
Why Old Glory waves to show
How far along we’ve come ’til now
How far we’ve got to go.‎

It’s been hard work but every time
We get into a fix
Let’s think of what our children faced
In two – ought – seven – six
It’s up to us, to pave the way
With our blood and sweat and tears
For we must be doin’ somethin’ right
To last 200 years.‎

Lyrics: Henry Gibson

Scenes That I Love: The I’m Easy Scene From Robert Altman’s Nashville

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Since today would have been Robert Altman’s 100th birthday, it only seems right that today’s song of the day should come from his best film.  In this scene from 1975’s Nashville, Keith Carradine sings I’m Easy as Altman’s camera finds each of his lovers in the audience, all convinced that Carradine is singing expressly to them.

This song won Nashville it’s only Oscar.  It also made Keith, who wrote the song, the only Oscar winner amongst the fabled Carradine family.

 

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Robert Altman 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!

Today, we celebrate what would have been the 100th birthday of the great director, Robert Altman!  It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Robert Altman Films

MASH (1970, dir by Robert Altman, DP: Harold E. Stine)

The Long Goodbye (1973, dir by Robert Altman, DP: Vilmos Zsigmond)

Nashville (1975, dir by Robert Altman, DP: Paul Lohmann)

3 Women (1977, dir by Robert Altman, DP: Charles Rosher, Jr.)

Scenes That I Love: Karen Black Performs in Nashville

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The great actress Karen Black would have been 85 years old today.

Karen Black does not receive a lot of screentime in Nashville but she definitely makes an impression as the driven, self-centered, and oddly likeable Connie White.  Here she is, performing one of the songs that she wrote herself for the film.  The audience was largely made up of actual Nashville residents, who reportedly very much appreciated Black’s performance.

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Robert Altman 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!

Today, we celebrate what would have been the 99th birthday of the great director, Robert Altman!  It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Robert Altman Films

The Long Goodbye (1973, dir by Robert Altman, DP: Vilmos Zsigmond)

Nashville (1975, dir by Robert Altman, DP: Paul Lohmann)

3 Women (1977, dir by Robert Altman, DP: Charles Rosher, Jr.)

Short Cuts (1993, dir by Robert Altman, DP: Walt Lloyd)

Scenes I Love: Julie Christie Meets Connie White In Nashville

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

In this scene from Robert Altman’s 1975 masterpiece, Nashville, Julie Christie plays herself as a famous visitor to the city for which the film is named.  She is introduced to Haven Hamilton (Henry Gibson), Haven’s lawyer, Delbert Reese (Ned Beatty), political advance man John Triplette (Michael Murphy), and country music star Connie White (Karen Black).  Julie Christie may be a star in Hollywood but Connie is the star of Nashville.

Karen Black, who was born on this date in 1939, improvised her dismissive line about Julie Christine not even being able to comb her hair.  It was a moment that reportedly shocked the rest of the cast and the crew but it was also a line that perfectly summed up both Connie as a character and Altman’s version of Nashville.