This is the thread where we discuss matters pertaining to the detrius that accompanies the "End of the Year in Cinema" -- 2018

xp what I've also seen people mention in the past is that, in cases where screen time is basically equal, class/status tends to come into play, along with in Brokeback's case, top/bottom status

Seeing The Favourite tonight or tomorrow but yeah the way that literal character hierarchy has apparently translated into performance category hierarchy seems to be pretty transparent

(and hilarious)

John C. Reilly, Stan & Ollie

what

hater

(opens end of the month here)

Brody names 40... first list i've seen with The Spy Who Dumped Me on it.

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/2018-in-review/the-best-movies-of-2018

That Hale County film looks v interesting.

I'm delighted to see Sollers Point showing up instead of being buried in afternoon screenings at film festivals (as it was here in March).

so Brody liked Jeannette

just saw Let the Sunshine In. feel like I need to see it again

John C Reilly's makeup wattles playing old Oliver Hardy look like they could store lunch for the entire shoot

Alm0nd has no time for any of the AFI top 10: https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/12/american-film-institute-top-films-2018-list-bad-judgment/amp/

I’ll save you the click:

It’s the first week of December and the nation’s countless, overeager awards groups have already begun parceling out their year-end encomiums. They kowtow to Hollywood, obviously without having seen all the films yet to be released in 2018 — only movies that the big studios from Disney to Netflix have already decided are award-worthy.

The most egregious of these early-starters is the American Film Institute, which rushed the awards race with its 10 Best choices, sprinting out of the gate before a couple of the listed movies have even opened in theaters. The problem is that movies no longer have a chance to register in the culture or to become beloved or reviled by the public. It’s the case of yet another institution, based in Hollywood or D.C. (the AFI has feet in both), making decisions for the rest of us, indifferent to our participation.

The AFI began 51 years ago, after a Johnson-administration call for an organization committed to preserving America’s film heritage. It was originally funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Motion Picture Association of America, and the Ford Foundation, so its list sounds official. But the movie awards game is part of the commercialization of pop culture.

Even the debatable idea that the government should finance artists (through any means) is belied by the endorsement of commercialism rather than artistic expression. Be assured, there’s a political component to this: The films that won the AFI’s approval are all politically motivated and represent social-justice precepts rather than moral virtues or aesthetic standards. In other words, they’re propaganda.

Listed alphabetically, the AFI films assume the same values that are promoted in politically biased mainstream media; the list resembles an index for Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals.

BlacKkKlansman. In this clumsy race satire, “ridicule is man’s most important weapon” — Alinsky’s Rule 5. Spike Lee distorts a black-police-informer (and real-life race-traitor) tale about infiltrating the Ku Klux Klan and then uses slanted documentary footage to incite resistance to the current administration.

Black Panther. This Marvel Comics adaptation works from the idea that “a good tactic is one your people enjoy,” as Alinksy’s Rule 6 states. The black Millennial audience is exploited, its childlike need for empowerment used against it by replacing historical fact and learning with fantasy.

Eighth Grade. By assuming a teenager’s perspective, writer-director Bo Burnham follows Rule 2: “Never go outside the expertise of your people” (the clueless market, in this case). With this approach, he makes the idea of “girl power” maudlin.

If Beale Street Could Talk. Using a minor James Baldwin novel to “go outside the expertise of the enemy” (Rule 3), Barry Jenkins’s white-guilt collage mixes romance with prison reform, religious mockery, and other topical targets. His Baldwinetics fake African-American authenticity.

The Favourite. Through this perverse Anglophilic tale, America’s inferiority complex manages to “maintain constant pressure upon the opposition” (Rule 10). By fostering contempt and scandal, the filmmakers show contempt for the audience.

First Reformed. Here, religious skepticism is the means of carrying out Rule 4: “Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules.” So Ethan Hawke’s manic Calvinist minister is radicalized, becoming a crazed eco-terrorist without faith or redemption.

Green Book. The relationship between a straight white bigot and a gay black artiste dishes up a trite lesson in brotherhood, by which the racist “threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself” (Rule 9). Everyone is patronized.

Mary Poppins Returns. Moviegoers are forced to endure remake/reboot mania as Hollywood’s dominant form of indoctrination, proving that “a tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag” (Rule 7).

A Quiet Place. This insipid horror film retread, based on the premise that “power is not only what you have but what the enemy thinks you have” (Rule 1), inspired the fallacious label “Smart Horror.” Fanboys, beware.

A Star Is Born. The latest showbiz shell game follows the command to “never go outside the expertise of your people” (Rule 2), thus inspiring more celebrity worship.

Roma. Boutique neorealism in this Mexican import, which won a “Special Award” from AFI, owing to its foreign-language status, helps “keep the pressure on” (Rule 8). Its pathetic “humanitarian crisis” is uncannily in tune with the Caravan vs. Invasion canard now favored by media and open-borders politicians.

It’s obvious from this roll call that the AFI committee is not a group of adventurous filmseekers. (As critic John Demetry responded: “Two Emily Blunt movies!”) The Special Award to Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma reveals ignorance of movie history plus an irresistible urge to conflate political sentiment and artistic objectives. American film culture has reached a point where propaganda has become a goal even while its shameless obviousness goes largely unrecognized.

The AFI list shares a certain smugness with AFI alum Paul Schrader’s recent tirade against the contemporary film audience: “It’s not that us filmmakers are letting you down, it’s you audiences that are letting us down.” Ralph Waldo Emerson’s maxim “Tis the good reader that makes the good book” is offended by these “official” statements on movie quality and film perception. The AFI’s hastiness forces elite political preferences over the public’s intellectual, spiritual, and aesthetic needs.

These insidious “entertainments” destabilize U.S. culture. The rush to proclaim a 2018 movie canon without even a brief test of any film’s probable worth is merely another example of the industry’s habit of deception. Can anyone clean up this intellectual swamp?

he's right that the Spike joint is clumsy

but they often are

a Spike joint that isn't clumsy is a Trump rally without LOCK HER UP

His Baldwinetics fake African-American authenticity.

He's become a bad writer who won't get the copy editing he needs.

Update! According to Deadline, THIS is the most wide-open Oscar race in years. Forget those other years, THIS IS THE ONE. https://t.co/DxEJIN9rX5 https://t.co/ohGKGA0toV

— Mark Blankenship (@IAmBlankenship) December 6, 2018

I even started the Oscars thread for you.

I'm so happy you're happy.

For me?! Oh how nice of you!

How nice for Eve. How nice for everybody.

LAFCA is this Sunday and Boston (who awarded Phantom Thread last year) the next Sunday. But here are Chicago's way too many nominations:

BEST PICTURE
The Favourite
First Reformed
Hereditary
Roma
A Star is Born

BEST DIRECTOR
Bradley Cooper, A Star is Born
Alfonso Cuarón, Roma
Yorgos Lanthimos, The Favourite
Lynne Ramsay, You Were Never Really Here
Paul Schrader, First Reformed

BEST ACTOR
Christian Bale, Vice
Bradley Cooper, A Star is Born
Ethan Hawke, First Reformed
Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody
Joaquin Phoenix, You Were Never Really Here

BEST ACTRESS
Yalitza Aparicio, Roma
Toni Collette, Hereditary
Lady Gaga, A Star is Born
Regina Hall, Support the Girls
Melissa McCarthy, Can You Ever Forgive Me?

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Mahershala Ali, Green Book
Timothee Chalamet, Beautiful Boy
Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Michael B. Jordan, Black Panther
Steven Yeun, Burning

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Olivia Colman, The Favourite
Elizabeth Debicki, Widows
Zoe Kazan, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk
Rachel Weisz, The Favourite

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
BlacKkKlansman by Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee
Can You Ever Forgive Me? by Nicole Holofcener & Jeff Whitty
The Death of Stalin by Armando Iannucci, David Schneider & Ian Martin
If Beale Street Could Talk by Barry Jenkins
A Star is Born by Eric Roth, Bradley Cooper & Will Fetters

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Eighth Grade by Bo Burnham
The Favourite by Deborah Davis & Tony McNamara
First Reformed by Paul Schrader
Roma by Alfonso Cuaron
Vice by Adam McKay

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Incredibles 2
Isle of Dogs
Ralph Breaks the Internet
Ruben Brandt: Collector
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Free Solo
Minding the Gap
RBG
Three Identical Strangers
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Burning
Capernaum
Cold War
Roma
Shoplifters

BEST ART DIRECTION
Annihilation
Black Panther
The Favourite
Paddington 2
Roma

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Cold War – Lukasz Zal
The Favourite – Robbie Ryan
First Man – Linus Sandgren
If Beale Street Could Talk – James Laxton
Roma – Alfonso Cuaron

BEST EDITING
First Man
The Other Side of the Wind
Roma
Widows
You Were Never Really Here

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
First Man – Justin Hurwitz
If Beale Street Could Talk – Nicholas Britell
Mandy – Johan Johannson
Suspiria – Thom Yorke
You Were Never Really Here – Jonny Greenwood

BEST USE OF VISUAL EFFECTS
Annihilation
Black Panther
First Man
Mission: Impossible – Fallout
Paddington 2

MOST PROMISING FILMMAKER
Ari Aster, Hereditary
Bo Burnham, Eighth Grade
Bradley Cooper, A Star is Born
Bing Liu, Minding the Gap
Boots Riley, Sorry to Bother You

MOST PROMISING PERFORMER
Yalitza Aparicio, Roma
Elsie Fisher, Eighth Grade
Lady Gaga, A Star is Born
Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie, Leave No Trace
John David Washington, BlacKkKlansman & Monsters and Men

Steven Yeun, Burning

at last

I'm glad they remembered Joaquin; otherwise, that Best Actor lineup is pretty much what we'll expect through February, isn't it?

Mortensen will sub for Phoenix later.

how nice that Wiseman and Bisbee '17 are falling short of the RBG and Rogers documentary cults

nice to see Hereditary get a Picture nod

Maybe I'm looking only at lists selectively, but I've seen Monrovia and Bisbee on way more lists than RBG, at least.

and nothing for the well intentioned but perfunctory Love, Gilda (Radner)

did anyone subject themselves to Mr Rogers Film

millions!

I can't.

me neither, the trailer was enough

happy to see that Burning is still playing here, excited to check it out next week

The Mr. Rogers movie is a perfectly fine DVD bonus feature.

on the Rosemary's Baby Criterion edition

Worth noting that in LAFCC gave its Best Actress trophy to Yoon Jeong-hee for Poetry, another Lee film.

*in 2011

loved that film and the performance

LAFCA is doing their thing.

Best Editing, Winner: Joshua Altman and Bing Liu, MINDING THE GAP (Runner-up: Alfonso Cuarón and Adam Gough, ROMA)
Best Production Design, Winner: Hannah Beachler, BLACK PANTHER (Runner-up: Fiona Crombie, THE FAVOURITE)
Best Supporting Actor, Winner: Steven Yeun, BURNING (Runner-up: Hugh Grant, PADDINGTON 2)
Best Music/Score, Winner: Nicholas Britell, IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK (Runner-up: Justin Hurwitz, FIRST MAN)
Best Cinematography, Winner: Alfonso Cuaron, ROMA (Runner-up: James Laxton, IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK)

The Douglas Edwards Experimental Film Award will be given to Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson and Guy Maddin's THE GREEN FOG
Best Animation, Winner: SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE. (Runner-up: INCREDIBLES 2)
Best Actress, Winner: Olivia Colman, THE FAVOURITE (Runner-up: Toni Collette, HEREDITARY)
Best Supporting Actress, Winner: Regina King, IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK (Runner-up: Elizabeth Debicki, WIDOWS)

Category fraud!

so:
NY Film Critics - Best Picture: “Roma”
LA Film Critics - Best Picture: “Roma”
Toronto Film Critics - Best Picture: “Roma”
SF Film Critics - Best Picture: “Roma”
Chicago Film Critics - Best Picture: “Roma”
Philadelphia Film Critics - Best Picture: “Roma”
NY Film Critics Online - Best Picture: “Roma”

kind of tedious

Cuaron has learned the secret: no digitally tweaked car chases

instead, he digitally tweaks boring memories

Full final LAFCA awards...

Best Picture: Roma
Runner-up: Burning

Best Director: Debra Granik – Leave No Trace
Runner-up: Alfonso Cuarón – Roma

Best Actor: Ethan Hawke – First Reformed
Runner-up: Ben Foster – Leave No Trace

Best Actress: Olivia Colman – The Favourite
Runner-up: Toni Collette – Hereditary

Best Supporting Actor: Steven Yeun – Burning
Runner-up: Hugh Grant – Paddington 2

Best Supporting Actress: Regina King – If Beale Street Could Talk
Runner-up: Elizabeth Debicki – Widows

Best Screenplay: Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty – Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Runner-up: Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara – The Favourite

Best Cinematography: Alfonso Cuarón – Roma
Runner-up: James Laxton – If Beale Street Could Talk

Best Editing: Joshua Altman and Bing Liu – Minding the Gap
Runner-up: Alfonso Cuarón and Adam Gough – Roma

Best Production Design: Hannah Beachler – Black Panther
Runner-up: Fiona Crombie – The Favourite

Best Music Score: Nicholas Britell – If Beale Street Could Talk
Runner-up: Justin Hurwitz – First Man

Best Foreign Language Film: (TIE) Burning • South Korea & Shoplifters • Japan

Best Documentary/Non-Fiction Film: Shirkers
Runner-up: Minding the Gap

Best Animation: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Runner-up: Incredibles 2

New Generation Award: Chloé Zhao

Career Achievement Award: Hayao Miyazaki

The Douglas Edwards Experimental/Independent Film/Video Award: Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson and Guy Maddin – The Green Fog

Special Citation: The Other Side of the Wind

Roma as emergent consensus fave is awfully boring.

Steven YUM more like

Yeun/Grant is a nice supporting actor pairing, I must say

After watching Paddington 2 last weekend in a catch-up session, I'll agree.

What are the big bear films this year?