To Kill a Mockingbird

Drawing from Harper Lee's semi-autobiographical novel To Kill a Mockingbird tells its story through the memories of a child - as siblings Jem and Scout discover truths about prejudice, misconception, as well as learning that their unglamorous, unconventional father, was truly an admirable man. To me, it's a beautiful film, with a Southern Gothic ambiance that mixes romanticism with harsh reality - something that is reflected in the cinematography, direction, Elmer Bernstein's score, and the screenplay penned by Horton Foote. Acting-wise Gregory Peck gives the performance of his career and young Mary Badham is memorable as tomboy Scout. She's a natural, believable - which was needed as this tale unfolds through her eyes. Mockingbird captures the essence of the novel but improves upon it by cutting out the excess and the –at times- condescending tone.

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Platoon and Blue Velvet

Platoon was a good choice by Oscar, but I dunno, something about Oliver Stone's directorial style, the pitch and rhythms of his productions, and the way he gets on his pulpit and lectures - it generally doesn't stir my pot. Saying that Platoon is frequently stunning, the best thing he has filmed. It was the first movie to really show what it was like to be a soldier in combat in Vietnam, written a guy who lived through it. I like how Stone created a sense of confusion during the battle scenes; there was no cinematic safe haven or hiding place. I felt the chaos, the fear of it all. And it achieves this without glorifying war, which is a difficult trick. It filled me with revulsion and outrage, and that makes it an effective anti-war movie.

The acting is top rate – I really hated the guy Tom Berenger played and really loved Willem Dafoe (which might say a lot about my own character). And while it is overwritten and heavy-handed, it did generate a powerful emotional response in me.

David Lynch messed with my mind with his offbeat Blue Velvet, which I can only describe as Norman Rockwell meets Hieronymus Bosch, where wholesome suburbia is split open to expose the corruption and sickness inside. It's an odd melodramatic Oedipal nightmare that pendulums in style from ‘slick Hollywood’ to ‘grade Z’ production. While it is sometimes too goofy for its own good (too goofy to be a complete success in truth) and it leaves more questions than answers - it is an eye-opener - a screwed up ‘happening’, to be experienced more than understood. From the moment Kyle MacLachlan’s Jeffrey finds a severed ear in a field, the film spirals into a demented adventure that’s akin to a Hardy Boy stumbling onto a perverse freak show of crime. And no Hardy Boy ever met anything as unhinged as Dennis Hopper's Frank Booth. 

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Nazarin and Apur Sanser

Luis Buñuel's powerful Nazarin asks the question of whether there's a place in this world for a man who practices Christianity in its purest form. The title character, a Priest, is admirable in his steadfast faith, but he can also maddening in his strict adherence to it -- he gives when he has nothing, trusts those he shouldn't and is ultimately accused and abandoned by the very people and Church he serves. Nazarin is one of the director's most straightforward, and it knocked my socks off. The ending -while ambiguous- was memorable and stuck with me for days (was it supposed to symbolize a restoration of faith, or was it expressing the pointlessness of it all? After all, what good does a pineapple do a condemned man?) Trivia: Guillermo del Toro named this his favorite Buñuel film.

The 3rd and final chapter in Satyajit Ray's "Apu Trilogy", Apur Sansar (also known as The World of Apu). Steeped in neorealism, the trilogy does hit a few dreamy dramatic beats but does so without losing its verisimilitude. Apur Sansar shows us our protagonist (Soumitra Chatterjee) as a struggling young man, who suddenly finds himself with a bride (Sharmila Tagore). Inexperienced, and certain he's made a mistake, Ray quickly clues us in that this couple were meant to be together. And their love story, told in montage, is heartwarming, ah, but if you've seen the previous picture's, you know this will be short lived. Because the Apu series is centered around death and grief. Seeing our lead character fall to pieces is gut-wrenching. However, life is also full of beginnings. and in this feature's closing scenes, we are given one that full of hope and smiles.

With Sansar, Ray has become even more accomplished on cinematic levels. This 3rd feature is complex, impressively structured. And all 3 are incredible looking pictures, rife with imagery and music (by Ravi Shankar), settings and scene transitions and characters that burn into your mind and linger.

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2020 - 107th Ceremony

The Father (Director: Florian Zeller)
Nominees: Wolfwalkers, Promising Young Woman, Nomadland, Dick Johnson is Dead, First Cow, I'm No Longer Here, You Will Remember Me, Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time

Oscars pick: Nomadland
Nominees: Minari, Promising Young Woman, The Father, Judas and the Black Messiah, Sound of Metal, Mank, The Trial of the Chicago 7

This will be a strange one as we didn't get much of a theatrical run for most movies released in 2020, with several being pushed back to 2021. I've always gone with first general or domestic release dates, rather than festival showings, but in 2020 everything changed, festivals went virtual, open to a wider audience, and several films had their premiers on the internet... so the parameters have had to shift with the times. Also, I'm not following Oscar by extending the film season through Feb 2021, my awards cover 2020 releases alone.

So, let's get to it...

My winner, The Father, is like an episode of the Twilight Zone, only a thousand times more terrifying, because we haven't slipped into some fantasy realm, but a devastating reality. I've seen other movies on dementia but never one so unnerving. And though it eventually strips away the surreal qualities of its opening acts and allows us to see the truth of the matter, it's no less crushing.

And Anthony Hopkins is... beyond incredible. We all know this, but perhaps I've grown so accustomed to his genius, that I took for granted how gifted he is? Because -and this is weird to say- he surprised me, with the variety and depths of emotion he plumbed - he took his craft to another level and completely destroyed me. And I can't see how Soderbergh -the director of this year's Oscars, who switched the traditional order of things so that Best Actor was the final category awarded - could have watched this film and not entertained the notion that Chadwick Boseman wasn't a shoo-in, and that he (Soderbergh) might not get the grand finale he expected. Yes, that would have been a beautiful, sentimental gesture to a classy, talented actor, who I like and respect... but to my mind, Academy voters got it right, they selected the best, among the best.

Of course, I'd be remiss in not acknowledging Olivia Colman's quietly powerful work as well. When you look at the impressive body of both careers - and can proclaim that Colman & Hopkins gave two of their finest performances, well, that's really saying something.

Florian Zeller adapts his own play and manages the tricky balance of keeping the characteristics of theater, while also making it cinematic - expertly blending the language and supercharged emotion of the stage, with the movement and editing unique to the movies, in doing this, Zeller creates a staggering film experience.

🎭 Acting: Carey Mulligan gave a towering performance. Bitting, blade-sharp, but also achingly sad, a bruised fighter who goes down dark and frightening paths to make a point, about empathy, respect, and how a man can't destroy a life and just, walk away from that. An absolute stunner.  (Oscar nominee Andra Day was phenomenal and will be a leading candidate for 2021, Colman is my supporting runner-up). It was just as cut and dry for the actors: Though yes, Delroy Lindo and Rémy Girard (who also plays a man suffering from dementia) were amazing in their respective roles.

Best Actress: Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman
Honorable Mentions:

Jasna Đuričić, Quo vadis, Aida? * Masami Nagasawa, Mother * Amy Ryan, Lost Girls * Sidney Flanigan, Never Rarely... * Jessie Buckley, I'm Thinking of Ending Things * Wunmi Mosaku, His House * Frances McDormand, Nomadland * Elisabeth Moss, Shirley * Nina Hoss, My Little Sister * Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman * Virginie Efira, Bye Bye Morons * Zofia Stafiej, I Never Cry

Best Actor: Anthony Hopkins, The Father

Honorable Mentions:
Delroy Lindo, Da 5 Bloods * Ben Affleck, The Way Back * Riz Ahmed, The Sound of Metal * Rémy Girard, You Will Remember Me * Steven Yeun, Minari * Albert Dupontel, Bye Bye Morons * Sami Bouajila, A Son * Mads Mikkelsen, Another Round * Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom * Sope Dirisu, His House

Supporting Actress: Youn Yuh-jung, Minari

Supporting Actor: Ben Mendelsohn, Babyteeth







My Top Films of 2020

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Best Miniseries or Television Film: 2020 to current

2020 

The History of the Seattle Mariners (Jon Bois - USA)

Nominees: The Queens Gambit, Mrs. America, Bad Education, Small Axe, Good Lord Bird, Tales from the Loop, Stateless

More than any other sport, baseball loves its stats. With that in mind, this 6-part, SBNation miniseries doesn't go the traditional 'talking heads' interviewed route found in other docs. No, appropriately enough, numbers tell the story. This is Mariners history as relayed through stats and graphs, with lines and arrows and newspaper clippings. And while that sounds like it would lend itself to a telling that's cold and remote, it actually generated a lot of warmth and intimacy. The data and charts were fascinating, the quirky oddball stories they chose to highlight, a hoot, the presentation of the legends who graced this team, from The Kid to The Big Unit to Ichiro and King Felix, were inspirational. In addition, the production explores the nature of fandom and asks, are championships all that matter?

Best Lead Performances: Anya Taylor-Joy, The Queens Gambit & Joshua Caleb Johnson, Good Lord Bird

Other Notable Actors: Cate Blanchet, Sarah Paulson and truly, all the cast of Mrs. America * Shira Haas, Unorthodox * Yvonne Strahovski, Asher Keddie, Stateless * Letitia Wright, Malachi Kirby, John Boyega, Steve Toussaint, Sheyi Cole, Kenyah Sandy, Amarah Jae St. Aubyn, Small Axe * Hugh Jackman, Allison Janney, Bad Education * Mark Ruffalo, I Know This Much Is True 

2021 

Sonny Boy (Shingo Natsume & 7 others - Japan)

Nominees: WandaVision, The Innocent, The Silent Sea, Maid, Tear Along the Dotted Line, The Underground Railroad, The Heike Story, Landscapers

The first animated series to earn this award, is a pretty wild ride, imaginative with a lot of heart - From wiki... "Midway through a seemingly endless summer vacation day, Nagara and his class are suddenly transported to an alternate dimension, which they refer to as "This World". Over time, while trying to get back home, they realize that they have individual supernatural abilities. However, they also find it difficult to navigate their own interpersonal relationships."

Notable Actors: Himesh Patel & Matilda Lawler, Station Eleven * Margaret Qualley & Andie Macdowell, Maid * Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Kathryn Hahn, Teyonah Parris, WandaVision * Doona Bae, The Silent Sea * Jessica Chastain & Oscar Isaac, Scenes from a Marriage * Michael Keaton, Dopesick * Thuso Mbedu, Aaron Pierre, William Jackson Harper, Underground Railroad * Olivia Colman, David Thewlis, Kate O'Flynn, Landscapers

2022 

The Dropout (Michael Showalter, Francesca Gregorini, Erica Watson - USA)

Nominees: Under the Banner of Heaven, George Carlin's American Dream, The 7 Lives of Lea, The English, Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes

A biographical crime drama that documents the downfall of biotechnology company Theranos and its founder Elizabeth Holmes - Many a miniseries will open with a bang, but fail to sustain that momentum over the course of its run, that was not the case with The Dropout - watching the escalation of lie after lie delivers tension, and it was interesting how I went from rooting for her, to shifting my allegiance to those who exposed the corruption (especially the 2 who former employees). Seyfried's incredible and fascinating to watch. I love the final bit, where Elizabeth drops the professional voice, she created for herself, and sounds like her old self.

Notable Actors: Jessica Biel, Candy * Amanda Seyfried, Naveen Andrews, The Dropout * Colin Firth, Toni Collette, The Staircase * Andrew Garfield, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Under the Banner of Heaven * Emily Blunt, Chaske Spencer, The English * Paul Walter Hauser, Black Bird * Jessica Chastain, Michael Shannon, George & Tammy

2023 

RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop (Eastwood Allen, Chris Griffiths - UK)

Nominees: The History of the Minnesota Vikings, Beef, The Curse, Lessons in Chemistry, Pluto

Cringe was King in 2023, with top rated minis, Beef and The Curse taking me down some uncomfortable paths, a little too uncomfortable to be honest, I also felt they could ebb and flow; the final episode of The Curse in particular, took the wind out of its sails, I didn't care for it. So, I'm going with something that delighted start to finish. I was mad for RoboCop when it was released, still am. And while I've seen plenty behind the scenes supplements, this 4-part, nearly 5-hour doc digs even deeper, and gives face time to those I'd not often heard from.  Years in the making and extremely detailed, you learn everything from casting considerations to troubles on the set as well as trivia galore. As a RoboFan, I couldn't be more pleased with the results.  

Notable Actors: Emma Stone & Nathan Fielder, The Curse * Steven Yeun & Ali Wong, Beef * Brie Larson, Lessons in Chemistry

2024 

A Gentleman in Moscow (Sam Miller & Sarah O'Gorman - UK) 

Nominees: Say Nothing, Baby Reindeer, Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War, Our Living World - want to see Agatha All Along (note, I've left Penguin off since it might receive a 2nd season)

I wasn't all that thrilled with this year's offerings, they ebbed and flowed (even the much-anticipated critical fave, The Penguin, was spotty). It took me a while to find something I could fully engage with - and feel the intellectual and emotional impact. Moscow tells the story of a man imprisoned in a hotel, and through his eyes, and memoires we get this history lesson. Also compelling was this community, with all its personalities and working pieces, just a small bubble in this vast social, political landscape. Set design and such was incredible. 

Notable Actors: Cate Blanchett, Disclaimer * Richard Gadd & Jessica Gunning, Baby Reindeer * Toby Jones, Mr. Bates vs The Post Office * Benedict Cumberbatch, Eric * Ewan McGregor, A Gentleman in Moscow 

2025 

Miss Austen (Aisling Walsh - UK)

Nominees: Sally, Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story, Pee Wee as Himself, Predator: Killer of Killers, Sly Lives, American Primeval, Takopi's Original Sin

I'm a fan of westerns and of Jane Austen, so I had a difficult choice between the two. There were also several standout docs in the mix - it was a close race, but in the end, I went with Jane, a heartfelt 4-part series from PBS Masterpiece that "reimagines the historical literary mystery surrounding the burning of Jane Austen's letters by her sister Cassandra. The series, based on Gill Hornby's novel, explores the lives of Jane and Cassandra Austen, focusing on their sisterly love and the emotional turmoil of preserving their sister's legacy."

Notable Actors: Keeley Hawes & Patsy Ferran, Miss Austen * Isis Valverde, Maria: The Outlaw Legend * Taylor Kitsch, Betty Gilpin, Dane DeHaan, Shea Whigham, Kim Coates, Saura Lightfoot Leon, Derek Hinkey, etc, American Primeval

2026 

???

Nominees: The Other Bennet Sister, Agatha Christie's Seven Dials, Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!

Notable Actors: Ella Bruccoleri, The Other Bennet Sister * Mia McKenna-Bruce & Martin Freeman, Agatha Christie's Seven Dials

 

2027 

???

Nominees: 

Notable Actors: 

Winners Count: There are 57 Miniseries, 16 made for TV movies, with 11 of these being docs. 

Home - Back to Miniseries part 1 * Back to Miniseries part 2

The Dead Zone & Videodrome

In The Dead Zone Cronenberg takes Stephen King's sprawling, episodic novel – captures its essence, tightens it up to tell a sad, moving story of a man who comes out of a coma and discovers that he has a gift -- but to what purpose? It's a supernatural thriller with a philosophical slant. Christopher Walker was ideal casting – with those haunted eyes of his, and the feeling that he carries a great weight on his shoulders. Despite Martin Sheen's cartoonish villain -- The thought-provoking story, crisp direction, and Walken's tragic yet sympathetic character keep the film centered.

Videodrome is classic old-school Cronenberg. It's one of the most disturbing, maddest movies I've ever seen. Described as "Techno-surrealism", it tells of a scummy TV programmer named Max (James Woods) who stumbles upon a scrambled station that shows snuff films. As he probes deeper into its origins, he uncovers a conspiracy of mind control. Tomatoes summarized it as "Visually audacious, disorienting, and just plain weird," and adds that its, "musings on technology, entertainment, and politics still feel fresh today." I agree: While the FX is 80s-style low-budget, they are icky and effective. And the story is prophetic, especially through the character of Professor O'Blivion, who refuses to appear on TV, unless he's shown through a TV and with a fake "TV" name. He predicts that "Soon all of us will have special names." Avatars and fake names? Hmm, that sounds… familiar

While the final reel is difficult to make sense of, the film is so overall effective in creating an unsettling feeling that I'm okay with that. Sometimes it's not important that everything is completely understood, it's enough simply to experience it. That's a big part of surrealism; it's cerebral and humorous, but it is also about sensation -- evoking mood and feeling even at the expense of logic. Cronenberg was one of the best of the ‘New Surrealists’ -- joining David Lynch and Terry Gilliam -- who took up the mantle from Fellini, Buñuel and Cocteau.

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2019 - 106th Ceremony

Parasite (Director: Bong Joon-ho)
Nominees: I Lost My Body, No.7 Cherry Lane, The Irishman, The Lighthouse, Corpus Christie, The Last Black Man in San Francisco, Pain & Glory, A White White Day, House of Hummingbird

Oscars pick: Parasite
Nominees: Ford v Ferrari, The Irishman, Jojo Rabbit, Joker, Little Women, Marriage Story, 1917, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Parasite is a devastating social parable... one that features the Joon-ho swerve in full force (often his movies zig, when I'm expecting a zag).

The South Korean maestro opens his film as a bright comedic satire about a lower-class family, who worm their way into jobs for a rich couple - then, at the halfway point, he executes a sharp pivot that plunges the viewer into darkness. The morality tale about the costs of climbing the ladder turns savage, themes of class division, capitalism, inequality, and empathy (or lack thereof) for the suffering of others, become soaked in blood and violence. And just who are the parasites? That is called into question by the end, as everybody's using someone, in some way.

Few directors could manage a tonal swerve of that magnitude, and only a madman or a genius would even attempt it. Saying that, it's important to note that while unconventional, Bong Joon-ho is extremely focused, precise, and in command. There's not a hair out of place in this film, it all works to perfection, from the technique to characterization and story, which acts as a damning commentary on social and economic issues (and perhaps shines a light on the plight of the fallen middle-class in South Korea, as this FP.com article suggests).

Oscar and Felix agree, Parasite, and its maker, deserved every accolade and award it, and he received this year.

I only wish the Academy had been as progressive with their animated feature award. Toy Story 4 was fine, but Jérémy Clapin's I Lost My Body was, borrowing the words of Peter Debruge in his Variety review, "One of the most original and creative animated features I've ever seen." It was a close second to Parasite as my overall favorite.

My top films on the year

🎭Turning to acting - there were more than I knew what to do with here, from Zellweger to Theron, Julianne Moore to Matthew Rhys, Johansson to Marianne Jean-Baptiste. Bale, Hanks, Sandler, Pitt, Fails & Majors, Lesley Manville, Keira Knightley, and on and on and on. So, who earned my awards?

My top actor (Paul Walter Hauser) could be seen as a dark horse, and at the start, it does appear as if he's simply doing a riff on his I, Tonya character. That kind of gung-ho delusional Bubba type, whose over-eagerness winds up working against him. However, we soon see him branch out beyond that. While comedic in parts, with moments that had me wincing over how socially awkward Richard was, Hauser also displays this wounded humanity that adds depth and emotion to the performance. We see him hurt, angry, in tears and painfully aware of the disrespect... the condescension and cheap jokes thrown his way. Truly a layered, breakout performance.

Best actress came down to two: Ronan and Buckley were both deserving, but I went with Ronan; its time - this is one her signature roles, and I admired the way she brought all of Jo's ambition and independence to the screen, as well as her vulnerability and uncertainty in moments.

Supporting actor was just as tight, so tight I called a tie.

Other acting aces include.... Danny Glover (Last Black Man in SF), Joe Pesci (The Irishman), Margot Robbie & John Lithgow (Bombshell), Rockwell, Bates & Hamm (Richard Jewell), Lorraine Toussant (Fast Color), Julie Walters & Sophie Okonedo (Wild Rose), Rebecca Ferguson (Doctor Sleep), Nisrine Arradi & Lubna Azabal (Adam), Samara Weaving (Ready Or Not), August Diehl & Valerie Pachner (A Hidden Life), Florence Pugh (Fighting with My Family), Wang Jingchun & Yong Mei (So Long, My Son), Song Kang-ho and the cast of Parasite.

Best Actor: Paul Walter Hauser, Richard Jewell
Honorable Mentions: 

Adam Driver, Marriage Story * Eddie Murphy, Dolemite Is My Name * George MacKay, 1917 * Joaquin Phoenix, Joker * Antonio Banderas, Pain & Glory * Robert De Niro, The Irishman * Robert Pattinson, The Lighthouse * Luca Marinelli, Martin Eden * Bartosz Bielenia, Corpus Christie * Ingvar E. Sigurðsson, A White White Day 

Best Actress: Saoirse Ronan, Little Women

Honorable Mentions:
Jessie Buckley, Wild Rose * Octavia Spencer, Ma and Luce * Alfre Woodard, Clemency * Mary Kay Place, Diane * Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Fast Color * Kacey Rohl, White Lie * Sarah Bolger, A Good Woman Is Hard to Find * Elizabeth Debicki, Vita & Virginia * Ana de Armas, Knives Out * Awkwafina, The Farewell * Nina Hoss, The Audition

Supporting Actor: (tie) Al Pacino, The Irishman & Willem Dafoe, The Lighthouse (pictured)

Supporting Actress: Thomasin McKenzie, Jojo Rabbit

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