Monday, December 26, 2016

336 Movies Compete for a Handful of 2016 Best Picture Oscar Nominations

336 FEATURE FILMS IN CONTENTION FOR 2016 BEST PICTURE OSCAR®

Three hundred thirty-six feature films are eligible for the 2016 Academy Awards®, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced.

To be eligible for 89th Academy Awards consideration, feature films must open in a commercial motion picture theater in Los Angeles County by midnight, December 31, 2016, and begin a minimum run of seven consecutive days.

Under Academy rules, a feature-length motion picture must have a running time of more than 40 minutes and must have been exhibited theatrically on 35mm or 70mm film, or in a qualifying digital format.

Feature films that receive their first public exhibition or distribution in any manner other than as a theatrical motion picture release are not eligible for Academy Awards in any category. The “Reminder List of Productions Eligible for the 89th Academy Awards” is available at http://www.oscars.org/oscars/rules-eligibility.

Nominations for the 89th Oscars® will be announced on Tuesday, January 24, 2017.

The 89th Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 26, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.  The Oscars also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

-------------------------

Phoenix Film Critics Society Name "La La Land" Best Picture of 2016

The Phoenix Film Critics Society is a tax-exempt, not-for-profit, self-funded, independent organization consisting of professional film critics and film journalists in Arizona.

2016 Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards were announced December 20, 2016.

2016 Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards winners:

BEST PICTURE
La La Land

BEST DIRECTOR
Damien Chazelle – La La Land

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Casey Affleck – Manchester By The Sea

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Emma Stone – La La Land

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Jeff Bridges – Hell or High Water

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Viola Davis – Fences

BEST ENSEMBLE ACTING
Hell or High Water

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Hell or High Water

BEST SCREENPLAY ADAPTED FROM OTHER MATERIAL
Hacksaw Ridge

THE OVERLOOKED FILM OF THE YEAR
Sing Street

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Zootopia

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Elle – Belgium, France, Germany

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Gleason

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
La La Land – City Of Stars

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
La La Land

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
La La Land

BEST FILM EDITING
Hacksaw Ridge

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
La La Land

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Doctor Strange

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Anya Taylor-Joy – The Witch

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A YOUTH
Alex R. Hibbert – Moonlight

-------------------

 

Detroit Film Critics Name "La La Land" Best Picture of 2016

The Detroit Film Critics Society was founded in Spring 2007 and currently consists of a group of 20 Michigan film critics (as December 2013) who write or broadcast in the Detroit area as well as other major cities within a 150-mile radius of the city including Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, and Flint, Michigan.

The winners of the 2016 Detroit Film Critics Society Awards were announced Monday, December 19, 2016.

2016 Detroit Film Critics Society Awards winners:

BEST PICTURE
LA LA LAND

BEST DIRECTOR
DAMIEN CHAZELLE – LA LA LAND

BEST ACTOR
CASEY AFFLECK – MANCHESTER BY THE SEA

BEST ACTRESS
EMMA STONE – LA LA LAND

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
JEFF BRIDGES – HELL OR HIGH WATER

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
VIOLA DAVIS – FENCES

BEST ENSEMBLE
20TH CENTURY WOMEN

BEST BREAKTHROUGH
KELLY FREMON CRAIG – EDGE OF SEVENTEEN – DIRECTOR/WRITER

BEST SCREENPLAY
DAMIEN CHAZELLE – LA LA LAND

BEST DOCUMENTARY
O.J.: MADE IN AMERICA

----------------------

Saturday, December 24, 2016

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from December 18th to 24th, 2016 - Update #31

Support Leroy on Patreon.

STAR WARS - From Deadline:  Carrie Fisher is stable and out of emergency after having a heart attack on an airplane.

From ETCanada:  According to Carrie's brother, Todd Fisher, Carrie is not in "stable condition."

----------
MOVIES - From THR:  There is supposed to be a teaser released today in anticipation of the release of the first trailer for "Alien: Covenant," on Christmas Day.

----------
CELEBRITY - From YahooStyle:  Kristen Stewart (Twilight) is dating Stella Maxwell.

----------
SPORTS - YahooSports:  The NFL's Cleveland Browns will NOT become the second team to go winless in a 16-game NFL regular season.  The Detroit were 0 and 16 in 2008.  Several NFL teams have had seasons with no victories or ties.

----------
TELEVISION - From Deadline:  The "Cruel Intentions" reboot TV series is officially dead, but could rise again.

----------
TELEVISION - From IndieWire:  A&E's "Generation KKK" may get a name change.

----------
ANIMATION - From Variety:  Fox Searchlight has purchased worldwide rights to Wes Anderson's next film, the animated "Isle of Dogs."

----------
POLITICS - From YahooMusic:  Celine Dion says no to performing at the Trump inauguration.

----------
MOVIES - From Variety:  After "Blade Runner 2049," Dennis Villeneuve may move onto Legendary Entertainment's "Dune" reboot.

----------
MOVIES - From IndieWire:  Martin Scorsese offers an update on his upcoming film with Leonardo DiCaprio, "Devil in the White City."  A script is being worked on.

----------
TELEVISION - From TheWrap:  Michael Stuhlbarg added to "Fargo" Season 3.

----------
TELEVISION - From THR:  Starz cancels "Blunt Talk" with Patrick Stewart.

----------
BOX OFFICE - From YahooMovies:  Disney becomes the first movie studio to earn $7 billion in global box office.

----------
MOVIES - From YahooMovies:  Yahoo's 10 worst movies of the year.

----------
CELEBRITY - From ETCanada:  Margot Robbie secretly married in Australia.

----------
POLITICS - From YahooMovies:  Comedian/actor Tom Arnold claims he has outtakes of President-elect Donald Trump making racists comments.  It's too late to tell us that now - not that it would have changed the results of the election anyway...

----------
MUSIC - YahooMusic:  The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced the 2017 inductees into the hall:  Pearl Jam, Tupac Shakur, Journey, Yes, Electric Light Orchestra, and Joan Baez. Chic's Nile Rodgers will be given the Award For Musical Excellence.  The induction ceremony will be held at Brooklyn's Barclays Center on April 7th, 2017.

----------
CELEBRITY - From YahooCelebrity:   There was a star-studded memorial for Alan Thicke, which included appearances by Leonardo DiCaprio, anti-gay advocate Kirk Cameron, and Alan's son Grammy-nominated son, Robin Thicke.

----------
ECO - From RSN:  Leonardo DiCaprio says the truth about climate change has spread like "wildfire."

From EW - DiCaprio remembers his co-star from his "Growing Pains" days, Alan Thicke.

----------------------------------------
BOX OFFICE - BoxOfficeMojo:  "Rogue One" wins the 12/16 to 12/18/2016 weekend box office with an estimated haul of $155 million.

From Variety:  "Rogue One" has second largest December opening ever.

From TheWrap:   Denzel Washington's "Fences" makes sturdy indie box office debut.

From YahooMovies: With an estimated $7 million take for the weekend, "Collateral Beauty" is a career low for Will Smith.

From Variety:  In China, director Zhang Yimou's "The Great Wall" debuts with a $66 million box office.

----------------------------------------

MOVIES - From IndieWire:  Michael Sheen is not quitting acting to be an activist.

----------
OBIT - From YahooMovies:  Zsa Zsa Gabor, Hollywood socialite and actress, has died at the age of 99, Sunday, December 18, 2016.

----------
BLACK LIVES MATTER - From Heavy:   The subject of the "Google Doodle" for Sunday, December 18, 2016 is Steve Biko.  Biko would have been 70-years-old today if he had not died while in police custody, essentially murdered by the White racist government of South Africa.  Heavy has 5 facts you need to know about him.

From YahooNews:  RE - Dylann Roof - don't be so quick to forgive.

----------

TRAILERS:

From YouTube:  This is the first official teaser trailer for "Blade Runner 2019," which is due October 2017.

From YouTube:  "xXx: Return of Xander Cage" first official trailer, which was released in early November 2016.


Review: "Inside Out" is Outta Sight

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 17 (of 2016) by Leroy Douresseaux

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

Inside Out (2015)
Running time:  95 minutes (1 hour, 35 minutes)
MPAA – PG
DIRECTOR:  Pete Docter
WRITERS:  Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, and Josh Cooley; based on an original story by Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen
PRODUCER:  Jonas Rivera
EDITOR:  Kevin Nolting
COMPOSER:  Michael Giacchino
Academy Award winner

ANIMATION/ADVENTURE/DRAMA/COMEDY/FAMILY

Starring:  (voices) Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Richard Kind, Bill Hader, Lewis Black, Mindy Kaling, Kaitlyn Dais, Diane Lane, Kyle MacLachlan, Paula Poundstone, Bobby Moynihan, Frank Oz, Dani Dare, Dara Iruka, Dawnn Lewis, and Rashida Jones

Inside Out is a 2015 computer-animated feature film from Pixar Animation Studios.  The film is directed by Pete Docter and is based on a story written by Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen (who also co-directed this film).  Inside Out focuses on a 'tween girl who struggles with the move to a new home and on her animated emotions who get carried away by her stress.  Inside Out was executive produced by John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton.

Riley Anderson (Kaitlyn Dais) has within her mind, five personifications of her basic emotions:  Joy (Amy Poehler), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Mindy Kaling), and Sadness (Phyllis Smith).  This quintet influences Riley's actions by using a console in her mind's Headquarters.  The emotions' biggest challenge comes when Riley is 11-years-old.

Riley and her parents, Bill Andersen (Kyle MacLachlan) and Jill O'Riley-Andersen (Diane Lane), move from her birthplace in Minnesota to San Francisco for Bill's new business.  Joy, who is the leader of the emotions, is determined to keep Riley happy during this transition.  However, an accident sends Joy and Sadness far away from Headquarters, leaving Anger, Disgust, and Fear in charge.  Chaos ensues, and Joy is determined to get back in order to take charge and fix the problems.  But can she get back in time before a great disaster occurs, and does she know what the problem with Riley really is?

Sometimes, it seems pointless to review Pixar movies, especially when they are as exceptionally good as Inside Out most certainly is.  Of course, this film is gorgeously animated.  Of course, it is both inventive in its conception and powerfully moving in its drama.  Inside Out is the best non-sequel Pixar film since 2009's Up.  So instead of heaping more praise on a movie upon which much praise (and an Oscar) has already been heaped, I will talk about a few things I liked about Inside Out.

I liked how the film emphasized that it is okay for people not to be happy all the time, that it is okay to sometimes be sad.  Joy and sadness go hand in hand, and sometimes they are connected in ways we never realize.  Obviously, Inside Out seems to be a movie made by filmmakers who are parents and who wish that their children would never grow up, but realize that of course they will.  Inside Out is about change, and sometimes change is painful for the things that we lose that we cannot get back.  Sometimes, we should not even want to get back things that are recoverable.

The voice performances are, all around, quite good.  I particularly liked Richard Kind as Riley's former imaginary friend, Bing Bong.  Amy Poehler's turn as Joy is full of shifts in character, mood, timbre, and color that not only define Joy, but also shape and define the narrative.  Lewis Black is surprisingly nimble as Anger, and Bill Hader manages to make his character, Fear, stand out when he could easily disappear into the pack.  I have to admit that I find Kaitlyn Dias exceptionally good as Riley; her performance makes the character seem genuine and goes a long way in making Inside Out work.

I won't say that this film is perfect.  I think the first 25 minutes are problematic because the story struggles.  It is as if the storytellers cannot hide the fact that they are bored with the obligatory set-ups and cannot wait to get to the part where the story really begins.

I have often heard it said or read that Pixar is like classic Walt Disney animated film in that Pixar movies have heart.  I think that Pixar's storytellers are willing to grapple with the bittersweet nature of life.  Like true artists, they find beauty in life:  the good, the bad, and even the mundane.  Pixar sells hope and embraces the fight for survival... or at least for something better.  Some might think of this as American middle class values.  I think Pixar's films are timeless and universal.  Woody and Buzz Lightyear's race to catch up to the car at the end of Toy Story will always be compelling.  And now, Inside Out has Joy and Riley's journey, and I don't think that story will ever grow old.

9 of 10
A+

Friday, April 22, 2016


NOTES:
2016 Academy Awards, USA:  1 win: “Best Animated Feature Film of the Year” (Pete Docter and Jonas Rivera); 1 nomination: “Best Writing, Original Screenplay” (Pete Docter-screenplay/story, Meg LeFauve-screenplay, Josh Cooley-screenplay, and Ronnie Del Carmen-story)

2016 Golden Globes, USA:  1 win: “Best Motion Picture – Animated”

2016 BAFTA Awards:  1 win:  “Best Animated Film” (Pete Docter); 1 nomination: “Best Original Screenplay (Josh Cooley, Pete Docter, and Meg LeFauve)


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

-----------------------

Friday, December 23, 2016

St. Louis Film Critics Name "La La Land" Best Film of 2016

The St. Louis Film Critics is an association of professional film critics operating in metropolitan St. Louis and adjoining areas of Missouri and Illinois.  Founded in late 2004, the group’s goals (according to the website) are to serve the interests of local film critics, and to promote an appreciation for cinema both as an art form and for its societal, cultural and historical context and impact.

The eligibility requirements for a SLFC Award, according to the group’s website:  a film must have been shown in the greater St. Louis area in a theater or at a film festival or series, or made available to SLFC members by screening or screener during the past year. Films opening in limited run elsewhere for Oscar qualification but which will open in the St. Louis area early in the next year are eligible.

2016 StLFCA Annual Award winners:

BEST FILM
Winner: La La Land
Runners-up: Hell or High Water and Manchester by the Sea (tie)

BEST DIRECTOR
Winner: Damien Chazelle – La La Land
Runners-up: Kenneth Lonergan – Manchester by the Sea andDenis Villeneuve – Arrival (tie)

BEST ACTOR
Winner: Casey Affleck – Manchester by the Sea
Runner-up: Joel Edgerton – Loving

BEST ACTRESS
Winner: Isabelle Huppert – Elle
Runner-up: Natalie Portman – Jackie

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Winner: Mahershala Ali – Moonlight
Runner-up: Lucas Hedges – Manchester by the Sea

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Winner: Viola Davis – Fences
Runner-up: Michelle Williams – Manchester by the Sea

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Winner: Hell or High Water – Taylor Sheridan
Runner-up: Manchester by the Sea – Kenneth Lonergan

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Winner: Love and Friendship – Whit Stillman (Screenplay); Jane Austen (Novel)
Runner-up: Arrival – Eric Heisserer (Screenplay); Ted Chiang (Short Story)

BEST EDITING
Winner: Jackie – Sebastián Sepúlveda
Runners-up: Hacksaw Ridge – John Gilbert and La La Land – Tom Cross

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Winner: La La Land – Linus Sandgren
Runner-up: Moonlight – James Laxton

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Winner: The Handmaiden – Seong-hie Ryu
Runners-up: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – Stuart Craig and James Hambidge; Jackie – Jean Rabasse and La La Land – David Wasco (three-way tie)

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Winner: The Jungle Book
Runner-up: Doctor Strange

BEST MUSIC SCORE
Winner: La La Land – Justin Herwitz
Runner-up: Jackie – Mica Levi

BEST SOUNDTRACK
Winner: Sing Street
Runner-up: La La Land

BEST SONG
Winner: “Audition (The Fools Who Dream)” – La La Land
Runner-up: “City of Stars” – La La Land

BEST ACTION FILM
Winner: Captain America: Civil War
Runner-up: Doctor Strange

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Winner: Zootopia
Runner-up: Kubo and the Two Strings

BEST COMEDY
Winner: Hail, Caesar!
Runner-up: Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Winner: I Am Not Your Negro
Runner-up: Weiner

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Winner: Elle
Runner-up: The Handmaiden

BEST HORROR / SCIENCE-FICTION FILM
Winner: The Witch
Runner-up: Arrival

BEST SCENE
Winner: La La Land – Opening dance number, “Another Day of Sun”
Runner-up: Hail, Caesar! – “Would that it were so simple.”

---------------------------

Thursday, December 22, 2016

7 Films Remain in Race for 3 2016 Makeup and Hairstyling Oscar Nominations

7 FEATURES ADVANCE IN RACE FOR MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING OSCAR

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that seven films remain in competition in the Makeup and Hairstyling category for the 89th Academy Awards®.

The films are listed below in alphabetical order:

“Deadpool”

“The Dressmaker”

“Florence Foster Jenkins”

“Hail, Caesar!”

“A Man Called Ove”

“Star Trek Beyond”

“Suicide Squad”

On Saturday, January 7, 2017, all members of the Academy’s Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch will be invited to view 10-minute excerpts from each of the seven shortlisted films.  Following the screenings, members will vote to nominate three films for final Oscar consideration.

Nominations for the 89th Oscars® will be announced on Tuesday, January 24, 2017.

The 89th Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 26, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.  The Oscars also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

------------