Lisa’s Marie’s Top 26 Films of 2019

Posted on January 27, 2020 by Lisa Marie Bowman

And now, without further ado, I conclude my look back at 2019 with my 26 favorite films of the years. Why 26? Because Lisa doesn’t do odd numbers!

(Want to see my previous picks? Click here for 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, and 2010!)

1. The Souvenir
2. Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
3. Uncut Gems
4. Luce
5. The Irishman
6. Parasite
7. The Lighthouse
8. Crawl
9. Dragged Across Concrete
10. Doletmite Is My Name
11. Avengers: Endgame
12. 1917
13. Joker
14. The Two Popes
15. The Aeronauts
16. Hustlers
17. The Report
18. Brittany Runs A Marathon
19. Rocketman
20. The Last Black Man in San Francisco
21. Apollo 11
22. I Lost My Body
23. The Farewell
24. Us
25. Midsommar
26. Spider-Man: Far From Home

The Women Film Critics Circle Honors Portrait of a Lady on Fire!

Posted on December 9, 2019 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association weren’t the only ones making an announcement today! The Women Film Critics Circle also announced their picks for the best of 2019!

And here they are:

BEST MOVIE ABOUT WOMEN

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (dir. Céline Sciamma)
Runner-up: Little Women (dir. Greta Gerwig)

BEST MOVIE BY A WOMAN

Harriet (dir. Kasi Lemmons)
Runner-up: Portrait of a Lady on Fire (dir. Céline Sciamma)

BEST WOMAN STORYTELLER (Screenwriting Award)

Greta Gerwig (Little Women)
Runner-up: Céline Sciamma (Portrait of a Lady on Fire)

BEST ACTRESS

Tie: Cynthia Erivo (Harriet) and Lupita Nyong’o (US)
Runner-up: Renée Zellweger (Judy)

BEST ACTOR

Adam Driver (Marriage Story)
Runner-up: Joaquin Phoenix (Joker)

BEST FOREIGN FILM BY OR ABOUT WOMEN

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (dir. Céline Sciamma)
Runner-up: Atlantics (dir. Mati Diop)

BEST DOCUMENTARY BY OR ABOUT WOMEN

Varda by Agnès (dir. Agnès Varda)
Runner-ups: Maiden (dir. Alex Holmes) and Honeyland (dir. Tamara Kotevska, Ljubo Stefanov)

BEST EQUALITY OF THE SEXES

Marriage Story
Runner-up: The Aeronauts

BEST ANIMATED FEMALE

Anna (Frozen 2)
Runner-up: Bo Peep (Toy Story 4)

BEST SCREEN COUPLE

(TIE) Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Noémie Merlant/Adèle Haenel) and Marriage Story (Scarlett Johansson/Adam Driver)
Runner-up: Hustlers (Jennifer Lopez/Constance Wu)

ADRIENNE SHELLY AWARD – For a film that most passionately opposes violence against women

(TIE) Bombshell (dir. Jay Roach) and The Nightingale (dir. Jennifer Kent)
Runner-up: Hustlers (dir. Lorene Scafaria)

JOSEPHINE BAKER AWARD – For best expressing the woman of color experience in America

Harriet (dir. Kasi Lemmons)
Runner-up: Queen & Slim (dir. Melina Matsoukas)

KAREN MORLEY AWARD – For best exemplifying a woman’s place in history or society, and a courageous search for identity

Harriet (dir. Kasi Lemmons)
Runner-up: Little Women (dir. Greta Gerwig)

ACTING AND ACTIVISM AWARD
Jane Fonda

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Alfre Woodard

Here Are The 20 Semi-Finalists From The Best Visual Effects Oscar

Posted on December 4, 2019 by Lisa Marie Bowman

For those of you trying to perfect your Oscar nominations before they’re announced in January, here are the 20 semi-finalists for the Best Visual Effects Oscar! So, if you were planning on predicting a nomination for Godzilla or Shazam!, drop them from your list because they didn’t make it. Instead, the nominees will come from the list below:

“Ad Astra”
“The Aeronauts”
“Aladdin”
“Alita: Battle Angel”
“Avengers: Endgame”
“Captain Marvel”
“Cats”
“Dumbo”
“Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw”
“Ford v Ferrari”
“Gemini Man”
“The Irishman”
“Jumanji: The Next Level”
“The Lion King”
“Men in Black: International”
“Midway”
“1917”
“Spider-Man: Far from Home”
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”
“Terminator: Dark Fate”

Lisa’s Early Oscar Predictions For July

Posted on July 31, 2019 by Lisa Marie Bowman

It’s that time of the month, again!

(No, not that time!)

It’s time for me to present my predictions for who and what will be nominated for the Academy Awards next January! Now that we’re nearly done with the summer, the Oscar picture is becoming a bit more clear. For instance, I do think that Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is going to be a player, if just because it’s about actors and the Actors Branch is the biggest voting bloc in the Academy. (How do you think Birdman and Argo managed to win?) And the trailer for The Irishman makes it look like the type of Scorsese film that often gets nominated.

Still, it’s too early to say anything for sure. Last year, for instance, Green Book didn’t really become a player until fairly late in the season. In fact, at this time last year, everyone still thought A Star Is Born was going to win everything.

So, with all that in mind, here are my predictions for July. Be sure to also check out my predictions for January, February, March, April, May, and June!

Best Picture

1917

The Aeronauts

A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood

Fair and Balanced

Harriet

The Irishman

JoJo Rabbit

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

Pain & Glory

The Peanut Butter Falcon

Best Director