Honey Boy (2019)

This powerful drama about a child actor, played by Noah Jupe and Lucas Hedges at different ages, and his alcoholic rodeo clown father, played by Shia LaBeouf, is very, very good. LaBeouf makes his feature scriptwriting debut and wrote the screenplay, inspired by his life as a child actor and son of an alcoholic rodeo clown, in court-ordered rehab in 2017.

Israeli director Alma Har'el makes her feature directing debut. The movie earned a big pile of nominations, including the Spotlight Award from the American Society of Cinematographers for director of photography Natasha Braier, and wins, including the Special Jury Prize at Sundance and Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a First-Time Feature Film from the Directors Guild.

The music, by Alex Somers, is available for your streaming pleasure on Apple Music with a subscription and free on Spotify.

La Beouf was last blogged for The Peanut Butter Falcon, Jupe for Ford v. Ferrari and then he starred in the HBO series The Undoing. Hedges was most recently in these pages for Ben Is Back and Somers for Captain Fantastic. Har'el has directed three documentaries and Braier also shot The Infidel, among others.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics and audiences are still sweet on this one, averaging 94 and 92%, respectively. You can watch it with a subscription to Amazon Prime. Imdb reminds me there are bonuses during the credits (I call them bonuses, imdb calls them crazy credits), so don't turn off your TV right away.

Women in Film's all-female awards ballot

As noted, the Golden Globes nominated no women in the directing nor writing categories. So the organization Women in Film published a checklist, which you can download from this link.

Here are the nominees, re-sorted by yours truly.

DIRECTING
 Zoya Akhtar, Gully Boy
 Gurinder Chadha, Blinded by the Light
 Chinonye Chukwu, Clemency
 Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, The Mustang
 Roxann Dawson, Breakthrough
 Claire Denis, High Life
 Nisha Ganatra, Late Night
 Greta Gerwig, Little Women
 Tina Gordon, Little
 Catherine Hardwicke, Miss Bala
 Alma Har'el, Honey Boy
 Marielle Heller, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
 Joanna Hogg The Souvenir
 Jennifer Kent, The Nightingale
 Kasi Lemmons, Harriet
 Melina Matsoukas, Queen & Slim
 Jen McGowan, Rust Creek
 Lorene Scafaria, Hustlers
 Céline Sciamma, Portrait of a Lady on Fire
 Lulu Wang, The Farewell
 Olivia Wilde, Booksmart

WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)
 Booksmart, Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel, Katie Silberman
 Clemency, Chinonye Chukwu
 The Farewell, Lulu Wang
 Gully Boy, Reema Kagti, Zoya Akhtar
 Harriet, Kasi Lemmons
 High Life, Claire Denis
 Little, Tracy Oliver, Tina Gordon
 The Mustang, Mona Fastvold, Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre
 The Perfect Candidate, Haifaa alMansour
 Queen & Slim, Lena Waithe
 Seberg, Anna Waterhouse
 See You Yesterday, Fredrica Bailey
 The Souvenir, Joanna Hogg

WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)
 1917, Kristy Wilson-Cairns
 Blinded by the Light, Gurinder Chadha
 Gloria Bell, Alice Johnson Boher
 Hustlers, Lorene Scafaria
 Little Women, Greta Gerwig
 Rust Creek, Julie Lipson

BEST PICTURE (female producer(s))
 1917, Pippa Harris, Jayne-Ann Tenggren
 Ad Astra, Dede Gardner
 A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Leah Holzer
 Blinded by the Light, Jane Barclay, Gurinder Chadha
 Bombshell, Charlize Theron
 Booksmart, Chelsea Barnard, Jessica Elbaum, Megan Ellison, Katie Silberman
 The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, Andrea Calderwood, Gail Egan
 Brian Banks, Amy Baer, Monica Levinson, Shivani Rawat
 Clemency, Bronwyn Cornelius
 Dark Waters, Pamela Koffler, Christine Vachon
 Downton Abbey, Liz Trubridge
 The Farewell, Lulu Wang, Anita Gou, Daniele Tate Melia, Jane Zheng
 Ford v Ferrari, Jenno Topping
 Harriet, Debra Martin Chase, Daniela Taplin Lundberg
 A Hidden Life, Elisabeth Bentley
 High Life, Klaudia Smieja, Claudia Steffen
 Honey Boy, Anita Gou, Alma Har'el, Daniela Tapin Lundberg
 Hustlers, Jessica Elbaum, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, Jennifer Lopez
 The Irishman, Jane Rosenthal, Emma Tillinger Koskoff
 Jojo Rabbit, Chelsea Winstanley
 Joker, Emma Tillinger Koskoff
 The King, Dede Gardner, Liz Watts
 The Last Black Man in San Francisco, Dede Gardner, Khaliah Neal, Christina Oh
 Little Women, Denise Di Novi, Amy Pascal, Robin Swicord
 Lucy in the Sky, Bruna Papandrea, Reese Witherspoon
 Motherless Brooklyn, Gigi Pritzker, Rachel Shane
 Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood, Shannon McIntosh
 Parasite, Sin-ae Kwak
 Queen & Slim, Pamela Abdy, Michelle Knudsen, Lena Waithe, Melina Matsoukas
 The Report, Jennifer Fox
 Richard Jewell, Jennifer Davisson, Jessica Meier
 Seberg, Marina Acton, Kate Garwood
 Skin, Jaime Ray Newman, Celine Rattray, Trudie Styler
 The Souvenir, Joanna Hogg
 Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Kathleen Kennedy, Michelle Rejwan
 The Two Popes, Tracey Seaward

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE (female producer(s))
 Advocate, Rachel Leah Jones, Joëlle Bertossa
 After Parkland, Emily Taguchi, Jeanmarie Condon
 Always in Season, Jacqueline Olive, Jessica Devaney
 American Factory, Julie Parker Benello, Julia Reichert
 At the Heart of Gold: Inside the USA Gymnastics Scandal, Erin Lee Carr
 Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché, Pamela B. Green, Joan Simon
 Blowin' Up, Stephanie Wang-Breal
 Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes, Sophie Huber
 Bridges of Time, Kristine Briede
 The Brink, Marie Therese Guirgis
 Bruno Sammartino, Patrea Patrick
 Buddha in Africa, Nicole Schafer
 Call Me Intern, Nathalie Berger
 Cracked Up, Michelle Esrick
 Cunningham, Alla Kovgan
 Debut, Anastasiya Miroschnichenko
 The Edge of Democracy, Joanna Natasegara
 Ernie & Joe: Crisis Cops, Jenifer McShane
 #Female Pleasure, Barbara Miller
 Fiddlin', Julie Simone
 Finding Farideh, Azadeh Moussavi
 For Sama, Waad Al-Khateab
 Framing John Delorean, Sheena M. Joyce
 Ghost Fleet, Shannon Service
 The Great Hack, Jehane Noujaim
 Hail Satan?, Penny Lane
 Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé, Beyoncé
 Honeyland, Tamara Kotevska
 Hope Frozen, Pailin Wedel
 The Hottest August, Brett Story
 Immortal, Ksenia Okhapkina
 It's a Hard Truth Ain't It, Madeleine Sackler
 Jawline, Liza Mandelup
 The Kingmaker, Lauren Greenfield
 Knock Down the House, Robin Blotnick
 M for Malaysia, Dian Lee, Ineza Roussille
 Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound, Midge Costin
 Moonlight Sonata: Deafness in Three Movements, Irene Taylor Brodsky
 The Most Dangerous Year, Vlada Knowlton
 My Home India, Anjali Bhushan
 One Child Nation, Nanfu Wang, Jialing Zhang
 The Proposal, Jill Magid
 Raise Hell: The Life & Times of Molly Ivins, Janice Engel
 Reinventing Rosalee, Lillian Glass
 Roll Red Roll, Nancy Schwartzman
 Serendipity, Prune Nourry
 Shooting the Mafia, Kim Longinotto
 The Spy Behind Home Plate, Aviva Kemper
 Varda by Agnès, Agnès Varda, Rosalie Varda
 Watson, Lesley Chilcott
 When Tomatoes Met Wagner, Marianna Economou
 Who Will Write Our History, Roberta Grossman
 Wrestle, Suzannah Herbert
 Ximei, Gaylen Ross, Chin-Chin Yap

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM (female producer(s))
 Algeria, Papicha, Mounia Meddour
 Austria, Joy, Sudabeh Mortezai
 Belarus, Debut, Anastasiya Miroschnichenko
 Bosnia and Herzegovina, The Son, Ines Tanovic
 Cambodia, In the Life of Music, Caylee So
 Canada, Antigone, Sophie Deraspe
 Costa Rica, The Awakening of the Ants, Antonella Sudasassi Furniss
 Denmark, Queen of Hearts, May elToukhy
 Ecuador, The Longest Night, Gabriela Calvache
 Finland, Stupid Young Heart, Selma Vilhunen
 France, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Céline Sciamma
 Germany, System Crasher, Nora Fingscheidt
 Greece, When Tomatoes Met Wagner, Marianna Economou
 India, Gully Boy, Zoya Akhtar
 Iran, Finding Farideh, Azadeh Moussavi
 Kenya, Subira, Ravneet Singh (Sippy) Chadha
 Kosovo, Zana, Antoneta Kastrati
 Lithuania, Bridges of Time, Kristine Briede
 Malaysia, M for Malaysia, Ineza Roussille, Dian Lee
 Mexico, The Chambermaid, Lila Avilés
 Morocco, Adam, Maryam Touzani
 Netherlands, Instinct, Halina Reijn
 Nigeria, Lionheart, Genevieve Nnaji
 North Macedonia, Honeyland, Tamara Kotevska
 Saudi Arabia, The Perfect Candidate, Haifaa al-Mansour
 Senegal, Atlantics, Mati Diop
 Slovenia, History of Love, Sonja Prosenc
Sweden, Britt-Marie Was Here, Tuva Novotny
 Taiwan, Dear Ex, Mag Hsu
 Venezuela, Being Impossible, Patricia Ortega

ACTOR IN A LEAD ROLE
 Awkwafina, The Farewell
 Jillian Bell, Brittany Runs a Marathon
 Juliette Binoche, High Life
 Honor Swinton Byrne, The Souvenir
 Ana de Armas, Knives Out
 Kaitlyn Dever, Booksmart
 Cynthia Erivo, Harriet
 Beanie Feldstein, Booksmart
 Taraji P. Henson, The Best of Enemies
 Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story
 Brie Larson, Captain Marvel
 Helen Mirren, The Good Liar
 Julianne Moore, Gloria Bell
 Elisabeth Moss, Her Smell
 Lupita Nyong'o, Us
 Mary Kay Place, Diane
 Natalie Portman, Lucy in the Sky
 Florence Pugh, Midsommar
 Saoirse Ronan, Little Women
 Kristen Stewart, Seberg
 Meryl Streep, The Laundromat
 Charlize Theron, Bombshell
 Emma Thompson, Late Night
 Jodie Turner-Smith, Queen & Slim
 Michelle Williams, After the Wedding
 Alfre Woodward, Clemency
 Constance Wu, Hustlers
 Renée Zellwegger, Judy

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
 Tichina Arnold, The Last Black Man in San Francisco
 Kathy Bates, Richard Jewell
 Annette Bening, The Report
 Penelope Cruz, Pain & Glory
 Laura Dern, Little Women
 Laura Dern, Marriage Story
 Lucy Gallina, The Irishman
 Scarlett Johansson, Jojo Rabbit
 Dakota Johnson, The Peanut Butter Falcon
 Nicole Kidman, Bombshell
 Brie Larson, Just Mercy
 Jennifer Lopez, Hustlers
 Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Motherless Brooklyn
 Thomasin McKenzie, Jojo Rabbit
 Janelle Monáe, Harriet
 Julianne Moore, After the Wedding
 Elisabeth Moss, Us
 So-dam Park, Parasite
 Anna Paquin, The Irishman
 Florence Pugh, Little Women
 Margaret Qualley, Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood
 Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Dolemite is My Name
 Margot Robbie, Bombshell
 Margot Robbie, Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood
 Taylor Russell, Waves
 Chloë Sevigny, Queen & Slim
 Zhao Shuzhen, The Farewell
 Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
 Octavia Spencer, Luce
 Meryl Streep, Little Women
 Tilda Swinton, The Souvenir
 Charlize Theron, Long Shot
 Naomi Watts, Luce

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM (female producer(s))
 Abominable, Jill Culton, Suzanne Buirgy, Peilin Chou
 Frozen II, Jennifer Lee
 How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, Bonnie Arnold
 The Lion King, Karen Gilchrist
 Marona's Fantastic Tale, Anca Damian
 Missing Link, Arianne Sutner
 The Swallows of Kabul, Zabou Breitman, Eléa Gobbé-Mévellec, Yasmina Khadra, Patricia Mortagne
 This Magnificent Cake!, Emma De Swaef

CINEMATOGRAPHY
 Atlantics, Claire Mathon
 The Farewell, Anna Franquesa Solano
 Gloria Bell, Natasha Braier
 Honey Boy, Natasha Braier
 Invisible Life, Hélène Louvart
 Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Claire Mathon
 Rust Creek, Michelle Lawler
 Seberg, Rachel Morrison

COSTUME DESIGN
 1917, Jacqueline Durran
 The Aeronauts, Alexandra Byrne
 Alita: Battle Angel, Nina Proctor
 Avengers: Endgame, Judianna Makovsky
 Blinded by the Light, Annie Hardinge
 Dolemite is My Name, Ruth E. Carter
 Downton Abbey, Anna Robbins
 The Irishman, Sandy Powell
 Jojo Rabbit, Mayes C. Rubio
 Judy, Jany Temime
 The King, Jane Petrie
 The Lighthouse, Linda Muir
 Little, Danielle Hollowell
 Little Women, Jacqueline Durran
 Lucy in the Sky, Louise Frogley
 Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, Ellen Mirojnick
 Midsommar, Andrea Flesch
 Monos, Johanna Buendia, Daniela Schneider
 Motherless Brooklyn, Amy Roth
 Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, Arianne Phillips
 Queen & Slim, Shiona Turini
 The Report, Susan Lyall
 Us, Kym Barrett

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
 1917, Naomi Donne
 Alita: Battle Angel, Jenny Lin
 Arctic, Ragna Fossberg
 A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Ma Kalaadevi Ananda
 Avengers: Endgame, Janine Thompson
 Bombshell, Anne Morgan, Vivian Baker
 Captain Marvel, Camille Friend, Heba Thorisdottir
 Dolemite is My Name, Vera Seimberg, Stacey L. Morris, Carla Joi Farmer
 Downton Abbey, Anne Nosh Oldham
 Jojo Rabbit, Dannelle Satherley
 Joker, Kay Georgiou, Nicki Ledermann
 Little Women, Judy Chin, Frida Aradóttir
 Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood, Heba Thorisdottir, Janine RathThompson
 The Report, Martha Melendez
 Rocketman, Lizzie Georgiou
 Skin, Tijen Osman
 Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Lisa Tomblin-Fitzpatrick, Amanda Knight

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
 Captain Marvel, Pinar Toprak
 Clemency, Kathryn Bostic
 Joker, Hildur Guðnadóttir
 Little, Germaine Franco
 Monos, Mica Levi

PRODUCTION DESIGN
 Alita: Battle Angel, Caylah Eddleblute
 Dark Waters, Hannah Beachler
 Hustlers, Jane Musky
 Judy, Kave Quinn
 The King, Fiona Crombie
 Lucy in the Sky, Stephania Cella
 Monos, Daniela Schneider
 Motherless Brooklyn, Beth Mickle
 Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood, Barbara Ling
 Queen & Slim, Karen Murphy
 Skin, Mary Lena Colston
 Us, Ruth De Jong, Florencia Martin

FILM EDITING
 A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Anne McCabe
 Breakthrough, Maisie Hoy
 Booksmart, Jamie Gross
 Clemency, Phyllis Housen
 Frankie, Sophie Reine
 Gloria Bell, Soledad Salfate
 The Good Liar, Virginia Katz
 Honey Boy, Monica Salazar
 Hustlers, Kayla Emter
 The Irishman, Thelma Schoonmaker
 Invisible Life, Heike Parplies
 Judy, Melanie Oliver
 Les Misérables, Flora Volpelière
 The Lighthouse, Louise Ford
 Marriage Story, Jennifer Lame
 Miss Bala, Terilyn A. Shropshire
 The Mustang, Géraldine Mangenot
 Pain and Glory, Teresa Font
 Seberg, Pamela Martin
 See You Yesterday, Jennifer Lee
 The Souvenir, Helle Le Fevre
 Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Maryann Brandon

SOUND MIXING
 Bombshell, Lisa Piñero
 Booksmart, Onnalee Blank
 Jojo Rabbit, Ai-Ling Li
 The Lion King, Lora Hirschberg

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
 "Beautiful Ghosts" from Cats, Taylor Swift
 "Control" from Her Smell, Alicia Bognanno
 "Glasgow" from Wild Rose, Mary Steenburgen
 "High Above the Water" from Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am, Kathryn Bostic
 "I'm Standing with You" from Breakthrough, Diane Warren
 "Into the Unknown" from Frozen II, Kristen Anderson-Lopez
 "One Little Soldier" from Bombshell, Regina Spektor
 "Spirit" from The Lion King, Beyoncé
 "Stand Up" from Harriet, Cynthia Erivo

SOUND EDITING
 Bombshell, Renée Tondelli
 Booksmart, Onnalee Blank
 It Chapter Two, Nancy Nugent Title
 Jojo Rabbit, Ai-Ling Li

VISUAL EFFECTS
 Ad Astra, Kathy Siegel
 Blinded by the Light, Dolores McGinley
 Midway, Tricia Mulgrew
 Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood, Catherine Hughes

SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)
 Any Wednesday, Allie Light
 Brotherhood, Meryam Joobeur
 The Confirmation, Marie-Louise Damgaard
 Judas Camel, Alison James
 Just Me and You, Sandrine BrodeurDesrosiers
 Marriage Material, Oran Zegman
 Missing a Note, Beth Moran
 My Time, Giulia Gandini
 Nine Steps, Marisa Crespo
 Piggy, Carlota Pereda
 Sin Cielo, Jianna Maarten
 A Sister, Delphine Girard
 Sometimes, I Think About Dying, Stefanie Abel Horowitz

SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)
 Dcera (Daughter), Daria Kashcheeva
 Hors Piste, Camille Jalabert
 Kitbull, Rosana Sullivan
 Mind My Mind, Floor Adams
 Sister, Siqi Song
 Sitara: Let Girls Dream, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
 Uncle Thomas: Accounting for the Days, Regina Pessoa

DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
 After Maria, Nadia Hallgren
 Fast Horse, Alexandra Lazarowich
 Fire in Paradise, Drea Cooper
 Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You're a Girl), Carol Dysinger
 Life Overtakes Me, Kristine Samuelson
 Sole Doctor, Paula Bernstein
 St. Louis Superman, Smriti Mundhra
 Stay Close, Shuhan Fan
 Walk Run Cha-Cha, Laura Nix

Submit write-in candidates at wif.org/voteforwomen. Info gleaned from this article.

Further nominations coming. I'll be tracking the American Society of Cinematographers (January 3), Writers Guild (1/6), Directors Guild and Producers Guild (1/7), possibly the British BAFTAs (1/7), and, of course, Oscar nominees will be announced on January 13 and awarded February 9.

Art Directors Guild nominations

Awards handed out February 1. We haven't seen 1917 nor The irishman, but I think Downton Abbey and The Current War should have been nominated in the first category.

PERIOD FILM

Ford v Ferrari
Production Designer: François Audouy

The Irishman
Production Designer: Bob Shaw

Jojo Rabbit
Production Designer: Ra Vincent

Joker
Production Designer: Mark Friedberg

1917
Production Designer: Dennis Gassner

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Production Designer: Barbara Ling

FANTASY FILM

Ad Astra
Production Designer: Kevin Thompson

Aladdin
Production Designer: Gemma Jackson

Avengers: Endgame
Production Designer: Charles Wood

Dumbo
Production Designer: Rick Heinrichs

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
Production Designer: Patrick Tatopoulos

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Production Designers: Rick Carter, Kevin Jenkins

CONTEMPORARY FILM

A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood
Production Designer: Jade Healy

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum
Production Designer: Kevin Kavanaugh

Knives Out
Production Designer: David Crank

Parasite
Production Designer: Lee Ha-Jun

Us
Production Designer: Ruth De Jong

ANIMATED FILM

Abominable
Production Designer: Max Boas

Frozen II
Production Designer: Michael Giaimo

How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
Production Designer: Pierre-Olivier Vincent

The Lion King
Production Designer: James Chinlund

Toy Story 4
Production Designer: Bob Pauley

film nominations for SAG, Costumes, Golden Globes

Jack and I will have seen most of these nominees by February.

The Screen Actors Guild Awards will be presented January 19, 8pm ET, 5pm PT, live on TBS and TNT. I love that show.

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Cynthia Erivo, "Harriet"
Scarlett Johansson, "Marriage Story"
Lupita Nyong'o, "Us"
Charlize Theron, "Bombshell"
Renée Zellweger, "Judy"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Christian Bale, "Ford v Ferrari"
Leonardo DiCaprio, "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"
Adam Driver, "Marriage Story"
Taron Egerton, "Rocketman"
Joaquin Phoenix "Joker"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Laura Dern, "Marriage Story"
Scarlett Johansson, "Jojo Rabbit"
Nicole Kidman, "Bombshell"
Jennifer Lopez, "Hustlers"
Margot Robbie, "Bombshell"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Jamie Foxx, "Just Mercy"
Tom Hanks, "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood"
Al Pacino, "The Irishman"
Joe Pesci, "The Irishman"
Brad Pitt, "Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood"

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
"Bombshell"
"The Irishman"
"Jojo Rabbit"
"Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"
"Parasite"

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
"Avengers: Endgame"
"Ford v Ferrari"
"The Irishman"
"Joker"
"Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"

The Costume Designer Guild Awards will be on January 28 (not televised, as far as I know). The Period Film category is tough!

Excellence in Contemporary Film
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood – Arjun Bhasin
Hustlers – Mitchell Travers
Knives Out – Jenny Eagan
The Laundromat – Ellen Mirojnick
Queen & Slim – Shiona Turini

Excellence in Period Film
Dolemite is My Name – Ruth E. Carter
Downton Abbey – Anna Mary Scott Robbins
Jojo Rabbit – Mayes C. Rubeo
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood – Arianne Phillips
Rocketman – Julian Day

Excellence in Sci-Fi / Fantasy Film
Aladdin – Michael Wilkinson
Avengers: Endgame – Judianna Makovsky
Captain Marvel – Sanja M. Hays
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil – Ellen Mirojnick
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – Michael Kaplan

The Golden Globe Awards will be presented January 5, live on NBC 8-11pm ET and 5-8pm PT. Not super important vis a vis the Oscars due to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (who does the nominating and voting) being a small, rarified group of critics. Many have commented that no female directors nor writers have been nominated. Here's a New York Times article.

Best Motion Picture -- Musical or Comedy
"Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood"
"Jojo Rabbit"
"Knives Out"
"Rocketman"
"Dolemite Is My Name"

Best Motion Picture -- Drama
"The Irishman"
"Marriage Story"
"1917"
"Joker"
"The Two Popes"

Best Motion Picture -- Foreign Language
"The Farewell"
"Pain and Glory"
"Portrait of a Lady on Fire"
"Parasite"
"Les Misérables"

Best Screenplay -- Motion Picture
Noah Baumbach ("Marriage Story")
Bong Joon-ho and Han Jin-won ("Parasite")
Anthony McCarten ("The Two Popes")
Quentin Tarantino ("Once Upon a Time in Hollywood")
Steven Zaillian ("The Irishman")

Best Original Song -- Motion Picture
"Beautiful Ghosts" ("Cats")
"(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" ("Rocketman")
"Into the Unknown" ("Frozen II")
"Spirit" ("The Lion King")
"Stand Up" ("Harriet")

Best Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture
Tom Hanks ("A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood")
Anthony Hopkins ("The Two Popes")
Al Pacino ("The Irishman")
Joe Pesci ("The Irishman")
Brad Pitt ("Once Upon a Time in Hollywood")

Best Actress in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture
Kathy Bates ("Richard Jewell")
Annette Bening ("The Report")
Laura Dern ("Marriage Story")
Jennifer Lopez ("Hustlers")
Margot Robbie ("Bombshell")

Best Actor in a Motion Picture -- Musical or Comedy
Daniel Craig ("Knives Out")
Roman Griffin Davis ("Jojo Rabbit")
Leonardo DiCaprio ("Once Upon a Time in Hollywood")
Taron Egerton ("Rocketman")
Eddie Murphy ("Dolemite Is My Name")

Best Motion Picture -- Animated
"Frozen II"
"How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World"
"Missing Link"
"Toy Story 4"
"Lion King"

Best Actress in a Motion Picture -- Drama
Cynthia Erivo ("Harriet")
Scarlett Johansson ("Marriage Story")
Saoirse Ronan ("Little Women")
Charlize Theron ("Bombshell")
Renée Zellweger ("Judy")

Best Actor in a Motion Picture -- Drama
Christian Bale ("Ford v Ferrari")
Antonio Banderas ("Pain and Glory")
Adam Driver ("Marriage Story")
Joaquin Phoenix ("Joker")
Jonathan Pryce ("The Two Popes")

Best Actress in a Motion Picture -- Musical or Comedy
Awkwafina ("The Farewell")
Ana de Armas ("Knives Out")
Cate Blanchett ("Where'd You Go, Bernadette")
Beanie Feldstein ("Booksmart")
Emma Thompson ("Late Night")

Best Actor in a Motion Picture -- Musical or Comedy
Daniel Craig ("Knives Out")
Roman Griffin Davis ("Jojo Rabbit")
Leonardo Dicaprio ("Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood")
Taron Egerton ("Rocketman")
Eddie Murphy ("Dolemite is My Name")

Best Director -- Motion Picture
Bong Joon-ho ("Parasite")
Sam Mendes ("1917")
Todd Phillips ("Joker")
Martin Scorsese ("The Irishman")
Quentin Tarantino ("Once Upon a Time in Hollywood")

It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019)

Like most viewers, we loved this story of a writer's friendship with Mr. Rogers, the late iconic TV host, in the 1990s. This is not a bio-pic about Fred Rogers. For that, check out last year's wonderful documentary Won't You Be My Neighbor?

Matthew Rhys is terrific as prickly columnist Lloyd Vogel, and who better than the lovable Tom Hanks to play the lovable Rogers? In fact, modern technology discovered recently that Hanks and Rogers were actually sixth cousins. Chris Cooper brings conflict as Lloyd's father and Susan Kelechi Watson dissipates it as Lloyd's patient and adoring wife.

I'm going to quote directly from imdb's trivia page here: "This movie is based on the article 'Can You Say..."Hero?"' by Tom Junod, which was published in the November 1, 1998, issue of Esquire Magazine. In 2019, before the release of this film, Junod wrote an article in The Atlantic that was partly about this process. It started, 'A long time ago, a man of resourceful and relentless kindness saw something in me that I didn't see in myself. He trusted me when I thought I was untrustworthy, and took an interest in me that went beyond my initial interest in him. He was the first person I ever wrote about who became my friend, and our friendship endured until he died. Now a movie has been made from the story I wrote about him, which is to say 'inspired by' the story I wrote about him, which is to say that in the movie my name is Lloyd Vogel and I get into a fistfight with my father at my sister's wedding. I did not get into a fistfight with my father at my sister's wedding. My sister didn't have a wedding.'" Here's a link to Junod's article (I have not yet read it).

Marielle Heller directs from a lovely script by Micah Fitzmartin-Blue and Noah Harpster. The latter appears onscreen as Lloyd's sister's groom Todd. The lines about dealing with anger, sadness, and other negative emotions particularly moved me.

The pleasant piano music by the director's brother Nate Heller can be streamed on Apple Music and Spotify

Rhys was last blogged for Burnt (he also played Daniel Ellsberg in The Post), Hanks for Toy Story 4, Cooper for August: Osage County, and both Hellers Can You Ever Forgive Me. Watson is best known for playing adult Beth in 72 episodes of This Is Us. Fitzmartin-Blue and Harpster co-wrote six episodes of Transparent and Harpster appeared in seven, among other acting credits.

Rotten Tomatoes's critics' average is currently 95% and its audiences' 91. See it before the Oscars in February.

The Good Liar (2019)

We enjoyed this thriller about a con man trying to snare a rich widow, and, with Ian McKellen and Helen Mirren as the leads, we weren't disappointed. Jim Carter appears as McKellen's accomplice.

Bill Condon directs from Jeffrey Hatcher's adaptation of Nicholas Searle's 2017 novel.

Carter Burwell's score can be streamed on Spotify, can be bought a several outlets, but is not included with my Apple Music subscription.

McKellen and Condon were last blogged for Beauty and the Beast, Mirren for The Leisure Seeker, and Burwell for The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. Carter is best known as Mr. Carson in Downton Abbey, the movie as well as 52 episodes of the Masterpiece Theatre series.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics are not as thrilled as Jack and I were, averaging a scant 66%, but its audiences are more satisfied, coming in at 85. The movie's estimated DVD release is February 2020.

Queen & Slim (2019)

This drama of a black couple's first date gone horribly wrong, after an encounter with a white Cleveland cop, is fine cinema, though the road trip shots could have been trimmed to shorten its 2:12 length.

Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith are very good as the incompatible leads, as is Bokeem Woodbine as her uncle.

The original score, not available online, is by Devonté Hynes. The movie is nominated for an award for music supervision, which is the choosing and, I think, the obtaining of rights for the songs included in the movie. The tunes are evocative. I didn't count them when we saw it on Tuesday, but sixteen songs are streaming on Spotify and eleven on Apple Music. Many of them are labeled "Explicit." Duh.

I believe this is the feature debut for director Melina Matsoukas, and I know it's the feature debut for screenwriter Lena Waithe, who won an Emmy for writing the Master of None episode in which her character comes out to her family.

Kaluuya was last blogged for Widows and Hynes for Palo Alto.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics' average is 83% and its audiences' a bit higher at 93. The digital release is set for December 31.

Knives Out (2019)

A big group of us really liked this murder mystery with a taut screenplay, a terrific ensemble cast, and impressive production values, especially the mansion where much of it takes place.

To name a few: Daniel Craig is the detective (with a southern drawl), Christopher Plummer the dead mystery writer, Ana de Armas his sweet nurse, Jamie Lee Curtis his daughter, Don Johnson her husband, Chris Evans their son, Michael Shannon her brother, Toni Collette her sister-in-law, and Frank Oz (best known as a founding voice member of Sesame Street/The Muppets and the voice of Yoda in all (?) the Star Wars movies) in a cameo as the lawyer who reads the will in the third act.

Rian (pronounced Ryan) Johnson directs from his own clever script, in which the family members are all hilariously entitled.

The production design by David Crank includes the "knife chair" featured in the trailer as well as intricate details in every room. The Ames Borderland Mansion in North Easton Massachusetts is credited on imdb but I'm not sure if both the interiors and exteriors were used. We also enjoyed the cinematography by Steve Yedlin. I'm growing very fond of the frequent 21st century use of drone photography in movies.

The score by Rian Johnson's brother Nathan Johnson can be streamed on Spotify, Apple Music, and more.

Craig was last blogged for Logan Lucky (in which he also affected a southern accent), de Armas for Blade Runner 2049, Plummer for All the Money in the World, Johnson for Book Club, Evans for Avengers: Infinity War, Shannon for The Current War, Collette for Madame, Oz for Inside Out, Rian Johnson for Looper (I did not see Star Wars VIII), Crank for The Master, and Nathan Johnson for Don Jon (directed and written by Joseph Gordon-Levitt).

Trivia: Rian Johnson has cast Gordon-Levitt in most, if not all of his movies, and, in this one, Gordon-Levitt provides a voice on the phone.

The 2:10 length isn't really a problem, as evidenced by Rotten Tomatoes' critics' average of 97 and its audiences' of 93%.

Echo in the Canyon (2018)

What a fun documentary about folk-rock music in the 1960s, with historic videos, interviews, new covers of classic songs, and aerial photography of Laurel Canyon, where I lived from 1983-2001.

Tom Petty is heavily featured in conversation with Jakob Dylan (son of Bob), shot just before Petty's 2017 death. We also have contemporary footage of David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Roger McGuinn, Ringo Starr, John Sebastian, Michelle Phillips, Graham Nash, and more. There's no Joni Mitchell nor Bob Dylan in this movie.

Jakob Dylan put together a cover band that released a live album of songs from that era performed by, among others, Fiona Apple, Beck, Jade Castrinos (I hadn't heard of her--apparently she sang for a time with Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros--but she kills on a couple of solos), Cat Power, and Regina Spektor. It was recorded in 2015 at the Orpheum in LA and can be streamed on Spotify, Apple Music, and more. Later that night, we streamed songs by The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Neil Young, Mamas & Papas...well, you get the picture. Hearing Sloop John B by The Beach Boys even sent me looking for The Kingston Trio's 1958 version of it. I'm very old, and the sister of some even older fellows, one of whom must have had the record lying around our apartment.

Music manager and record label executive Andrew Slater makes his debut directing and sharing a writing credit with Eric Barrett, the latter of whom has a number of producing credits.

Here's a personal connection. While living in Laurel Canyon, I walked around the hills for an hour 3-4 times a week. One day I caught up with a woman pushing a stroller and we chatted and walked together. Turns out she was Jakob's mother-in-law and the baby was Jakob's kid.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics and audiences are in agreement with us, both averaging 92%. The movie is streaming right now on Netflix.

Harriet (2019)

Tubman as an action hero? It actually works. She did run back and forth through the woods, freeing herself and dozens more from slavery before the Civil War. Cynthia Erivo is terrific in the title role and Joe Alwyn scary as Gideon Brodess, the son of her owners and her main antagonist. Leslie Odom Jr. gets second billing, though he isn't on screen that much as Mr. Still, and Janelle Monáe's wardrobe is wonderful as Marie Buchanon, a free-born African-American owner of a Philadelphia boarding house, her character invented expressly for this movie.

Director/co-writer Kasi Lemmons's script was co-written by Gregory Allen Howard. The beautiful cinematography is thanks to John Toll, whose lighting of the brown faces (not always done right), is picture perfect, day and night.

Terence Blanchard's original score can be streamed on Apple Music, Spotify, and more. Erivo is a Tony-winning actress and singer (for The Color Purple, the same year Odom won for Hamilton) and sings from time to time during the movie. Sadly, we don't get to hear any songs from Odom or Monae, but Vondie Curtis-Hall sings a little as Reverend Green.

Erivo was last blogged for Widows (I enjoyed seeing her sprinting in that movie, too, all the better without Harriet's long skirts), Alwyn for Mary Queen of Scots, Odom for Murder on the Orient Express, Monae for Welcome to Marwen, Toll for The Adjustment Bureau, and Blanchard for BlacKkKlansman. This is Lemmons' babetteflix debut, after nominations and wins for Eve's Bayou (1997) and Talk to Me (2007).

Rotten Tomatoes' critics, averaging 73%, are way behind its audiences at 97. We found it moving, engrossing, and beautiful.

Ford v Ferrari (2019)

Despite its 2:32 length, Jack and I enjoyed this high energy drama about the first Ford car to compete against Ferrari in the 1966 24 hours of Le Mans race. The look of the movie, i.e. production value, is fantastic, with picture cars and set dressing of the period picked up by creative cinematography.

I can't help but list some of the huge and noteworthy cast: Matt Damon as Carroll Shelby, Christian Bale as driver Ken Miles, Tracy Letts as Henry Ford II also known as Deuce, John Bernthal as Lee Iacocca, Caitriona Balfe as Ken's wife Mollie, Noah Jupe as their son Peter, Josh Lucas as oily Ford PR man Leo Beebe, and Ray McKinnon as Shelby's right-hand man Phil Remington.

Bale, who had gained considerable weight to play Dick Cheney in Vice, had to lose 70 pounds in seven months to portray the lean Miles. Damon, who's a little stocky in this role, apparently admires Bale's "monk-like discipline."

The movie had been in development for almost ten years and finally came to fruition with James Mangold directing from the final script by brothers Jez and John-Henry Butterworth with Jason Keller.

The afore-mentioned cinematography is thanks to Phedon Papamichael.

Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders composed the original soundtrack, streaming on Apple Music and others. It's supplemented by terrific songs of the 60s, many in instrumental version. There's one playlist of songs on Spotify. But, although I'm an Apple Music subscriber, I can't play all of the songs on their playlist without paying extra. Wow.

Damon was last blogged for Downsizing, Bale for Vice, Letts for Lady Bird, Bernthal for The Accountant, Jupe for A Quiet Place, McKinnon for Mud, Mangold for Logan, the Butterworths for Get On Up, Papamichael for Nebraska (Oscar-nominated), and Beltrami for Free Solo. Sanders was Oscar-nominated with Beltrami for scoring The Hurt Locker.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics are averaging 92 and its audiences a speedy 98. Words to the wise--the movie is loud and the accents (Bale's English and Damon's Texan) make it hard to understand all the words, and, unfortunately, the theatre's closed caption device (my favorite local system is currently the CaptiView) was not working that day so I missed some dialogue. Try to get a device if you have any impairment.

2020 Film Independent Spirit Award nominees

Nominations came out today. The awards will be February 8, the night before the Oscars. So far I've seen only seven. I'll try to catch up because I became a voting member of Film Independent last year.

BEST FEATURE (Award given to the producer)

A HIDDEN LIFE
Producers: Elisabeth Bentley, Dario Bergesio, Grant Hill, Josh Jeter

CLEMENCY
Producers: Timur Bekbosunov, Julian Cautherley, Bronwyn Cornelius, Peter Wong

THE FAREWELL
Producers: Anita Gou, Daniele Melia, Andrew Miano, Peter Saraf, Marc Turtletaub, Lulu Wang, Chris Weitz, Jane Zheng

MARRIAGE STORY (available 12/6 on Netflix)
Producers: Noah Baumbach, David Heyman

UNCUT GEMS
Producers: Eli Bush, Sebastian Bear McClard, Scott Rudin


BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to the director and producer)

BOOKSMART
Director: Olivia Wilde
Producers: Chelsea Barnard, David Distenfeld, Jessica Elbaum, Megan Ellison, Katie Silberman

THE CLIMB (available now on Netflix)
Director: Michael Angelo Covino
Producers: Noah Lang, Kyle Marvin

DIANE
Director: Kent Jones
Producers: Luca Borghese, Ben Howe, Caroline Kaplan, Oren Moverman

THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO
Director/Producer: Joe Talbot
Producers: Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Khaliah Neal, Christina Oh

THE MUSTANG
Director: Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre
Producer: Ilan Goldman

SEE YOU YESTERDAY (available now on Netflix)
Director: Stefon Bristol
Producer: Spike Lee


BEST DIRECTOR

Robert Eggers, The Lighthouse

Alma Har’el, Honey Boy

Julius Onah, Luce

Benny Safdie, Uncut Gems

Josh Safdie, Uncut Gems

Lorene Scafaria, Hustlers


BEST SCREENPLAY

Noah Baumbach, Marriage Story

Jason Begue, Shawn Snyder, To Dust

Ronald Bronstein, Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie, Uncut Gems

Chinonye Chukwu, Clemency

Tarell Alvin McCraney, High Flying Bird


BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY

Fredrica Bailey, Stefon Bristol, See You Yesterday

Hannah Bos, Paul Thureen, Driveways

Bridget Savage Cole, Danielle Krudy, Blow the Man Down

Jocelyn Deboer, Dawn Luebbe, Greener Grass

James Montague, Craig W. Sanger, The Vast of Night


JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD (Award given to the best feature made for under $500,000; award given to the writer, director and producer)

BURNING CANE
Writer/Director/Producer: Phillip Youmans
Producers: Ojo Akinlana, Jakob Johnson, Karen Kaia Livers, Mose Mayer, Wendell Pierce, Isaac Web, Cassandra Youmans

COLEWELL
Writer/Director: Tom Quinn
Producers: Joshua Blum, Alexandra Byer, Craig Shilowich, Matthew Thurm

GIVE ME LIBERTY
Writer/Director/Producer: Kirill Mikhanovsky
Writer/Producer: Alice Austen
Producers: Val Abel, Wally Hall, Michael Manasseri, George Rush, Sergey Shtern

PREMATURE
Writer/Director/Producer: Rashaad Ernesto Green
Writer: Zora Howard
Producers: Darren Dean, Joy Ganes

WILD NIGHTS WITH EMILY
Writer/Director/Producer: Madeleine Olnek
Producers: Anna Margarita Albelo, Casper Andreas, Max Rifkind-Barron


BEST MALE LEAD

Chris Galust, Give Me Liberty

Kelvin Harrison Jr., Luce

Robert Pattinson, The Lighthouse

Adam Sandler, Uncut Gems

Matthias Schoenaerts, The Mustang


BEST FEMALE LEAD

Karen Allen, Colewell

Hong Chau, Driveways

Elisabeth Moss, Her Smell

Mary Kay Place, Diane

Renée Zellweger, Judy


BEST SUPPORTING MALE

Willem Dafoe, The Lighthouse

Noah Jupe, Honey Boy

Shia LaBeouf, Honey Boy

Jonathan Majors, The Last Black Man in San Francisco

Wendell Pierce, Burning Cane (available now on Netflix)


BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE

Jennifer Lopez, Hustlers

Taylor Russell, Waves

Zhao Shuzhen, The Farewell

Lauren “Lolo” Spencer, Give Me Liberty

Octavia Spencer, Luce


BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Todd Banhazl, Hustlers

Jarin Blaschke, The Lighthouse

Natasha Braier, Honey Boy

Chananun Chotrungroj, The Third Wife

Pawel Pogorzelski, Midsommer


BEST EDITING

Julie Béziau, The Third Wife

Ronald Bronstein, Benny Safdie, Uncut Gems

Tyler L. Cook, Sword of Trust

Louise Ford, The Lighthouse

Kirill Mikhanovsky, Give Me Liberty


BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM

INVISIBLE LIFE (Brazil)
Director: Karim Aïnouz

LES MISÉRABLES (France)
Director: Ladj Ly

PARASITE (South Korea)
Director: Bong Joon-ho

PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE (France)
Director: Céline Sciamma

RETABLO (Peru)
Director: Álvaro Delgado-Aparicio L.

THE SOUVENIR (United Kingdom)
Director: Joanna Hogg


BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director and producer)

AMERICAN FACTORY (available now on Netflix)
Director/Producers: Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert
Producers: Julia Parker Benello, Jeff Reichert

APOLLO 11
Director/Producer: Todd Douglas Miller
Producers: Evan Krauss, Thomas Baxley Peterson

FOR SAMA
Director: Edward Watts
Director/Producer: Waad al-Kateab

HONEYLAND
Director: Tamara Kotevska
Director/Producer: Ljubo Stefanov
Producer: Atanas Georgiev

ISLAND OF THE HUNGRY GHOSTS
Director/Producer: Gabrielle Brady
Producers: Gizem Acarla, Samm Haillay, Alex Kelly, Alexander Wadouh


ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD (Award given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast)
MARRIAGE STORY
Director: Noah Baumbach
Casting Directors: Douglas Aibel, Francine Maisler
Ensemble Cast: Alan Alda, Laura Dern, Adam Driver, Julie Hagerty, Scarlett Johansson, Ray Liotta, Azhy Robertson, Merritt Wever

BONNIE AWARD SPONSORED BY AMERICAN AIRLINES (Bonnie Tiburzi Caputo joined American Airlines in 1973 at age 24, becoming the first female pilot to fly for a major U.S. airline. In her honor, the 3rd annual Bonnie Award will recognize a mid-career female director with a $50,000 unrestricted grant, sponsored by American Airlines.)

Marielle Heller

Kelly Reichardt

Lulu Wang


PRODUCERS AWARD (The Producers Award, now in its 23rd year, honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality, independent films. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.)

Mollye Asher

Krista Parris

Ryan Zacarias


SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD (The Someone to Watch Award, now in its 26th year, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.)
PREMATURE

Director: Rashaad Ernesto Green

THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO
Director: Joe Talbot

THE THIRD WIFE
Director: Ash Mayfair


TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD (The Truer Than Fiction Award, now in its 25th year, is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.)

17 BLOCKS
Director: Davy Rothbart

AMÉRICA
Directors: Erick Stoll, Chase Whiteside

BLACK MOTHER
Director: Khalik Allah

JADDOLAND
Director: Nadia Shihab

Pain & Glory (Dolor y Gloria - 2019)

Antonio Banderas won Best Actor at Cannes (and more) for his excellent portrayal of a film director dealing with with current pain and past glory. Director/writer Pedro Almadóvar gives us the languid story featuring, among others, Penelope Cruz in flashbacks as Banderas' mother and Asier Etxeandia as an actor in Banderas' character's most famous work.

Almadóvar's work is literally colorful, once again, thanks to director of photography José Luis Alcaine.

The score by Alberto Iglesias can be streamed on Apple Music and Spotify, among others.

Banderas was last blogged for The Laundromat, Almadóvar for Broken Embraces, Cruz for Everybody Knows, Alcaine for Everybody Knows, Iglesias for Julieta.

The movie is in Spanish with subtitles, but that didn't take away from enjoyment by me, Rotten Tomatoes' critics at 97%, nor its audiences at 91.

Parasite (Gisaengchung - 2019)

Well deserving of critics' raves, this is a story of an impoverished South Korean family who worm their way into a wealthy one. It's funny, clever, and beautifully crafted by director/co-writer Bong Joon-ho and co-writer Han Jin-won. Try to avoid spoilers because some things happen that I didn't see coming and I want you to enjoy it as much as Jack and I did. Yes, it's a bit long, at 2:12, and you will have to read subtitles. In the words of the great Joan Rivers, "Oh, grow up!"

Note: it's customary in Korean names to say the family name first, e.g. John Robert Smith would be Smith John Robert. I've adhered to this tradition in this post, even though many of the names have been westernized, e.g. Joon-ho Bong, on imdb.

We meet the poor family first: Choi Woo-Sik as the son, Park So-dam as his sister, Song Kang-Ho as their father, and Jang Hye-jin as their mother. Particularly noteworthy in the rich family is Jo Yeo-jeong as that mother.

The wonderful music by Jung Jaeil is available on Apple Music, Spotify, and more. Choi sings the final tune.

Song was last blogged for Bong's Snowpiercer and Bong and Jung for Okja.

Parasite is the first Korean movie to win the Palme d’Or at Cannes and we and Rotten Tomatoes' critics and audiences are in agreement, averaging 99 and 93%, respectively.

Dolemite Is My Name (2019)

Wow. Eddie Murphy is terrific in this wonderful bio-pic of Rudy Ray Moore, who, in character as Dolemite, did stand-up comedy, rapping, and eventually made “blaxploitation” movies in the 1960s-70s. Excellent supporting cast members include Craig Robinson, Keegan-Michael Key, Tituss Burgess, Mike Epps, Wesley Snipes, and Da'Vine Joy Randolph as Lady Reed. Don't miss the cameos from Snoop Dogg and Chris Rock.

Directed by Craig Brewer from a script by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, it had a short theatrical release and is now on Netflix. It can be classified as dramedy because it's very funny but has quite the story.

Composer Scott Bomar's original music probably won't be remembered because of all the songs, at least three of which are performed by Robinson.

The Dunbar Hotel exteriors were shot outside the actual Dunbar Hotel in LA.

Murphy was last blogged for Tower Heist, Robinson for Morris from America, Key for Toy Story 4, Snipes for Major League and Chi-Raq,  Rock for Top Five, Brewer for The Legend of Tarzan, Alexander and Karaszewski for Big Eyes. Burgess is best know to me for 51 episodes of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Randolph is Tony-nominated and no stranger to screens big and small.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics average 97% and its audiences 91. Rated R for a lot of raunch. At the end you'll see clips from the actual movies made by Moore. Don't leave!

The Current War: Director's Cut (2019)

Unlike critics, we really liked this story of the late 19th century clashes between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse over modern electricity. The all-star cast includes Benedict Cumberbatch as arrogant and megalomaniacal Thomas Edison, Michael Shannon as cool-headed George Westinghouse, Katherine Waterston as his supportive wife Marguerite, and Tom Holland as Edison's assistant Samuel Insull. Nicholas Hoult is also in the mix as Nikola Tesla.

The reason for "Director's Cut" is that an earlier version of this movie premiered at the Toronto Film Festival (also known as TIFF) in 2017 but got shelved due to Harvey Weinstein's sexual improprieties coming to light. It was re-edited with additional scenes, new composers were hired (more on the music in a moment), and it was released a few days ago.

Director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon got to stay, as did screenwriter Michael Mitnick. I have no idea how accurate it is but the personal conflicts, the economics, and the science were compelling to Jack, Carina, Mark, and me.

I was transported by the music. Volker Bertelmann & Dustin O'Halloran, the original composers, have at least one track in the final movie, which I found on YouTube, and Max Richter's Spring 1, adapted from Vivaldi's Four Seasons, is available there as well. Sadly for me, the new score, by Danny Bensi & Saunder Jurriaans, doesn't seem to be streaming anywhere.

Cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung's work is also masterful, with brilliant colors and lots of overhead and angled shots. Noteworthy as well: costume design by Michael Wilkinson and production design by Jan Roelfs.

Cumberbatch was last blogged for Avengers: Infinity War, Shannon for The Shape of Water, Waterston for Mid90s, Holland for Spider-Man: Far from Home, Gomez-Rejon for Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, O'Halloran for The Hate U Give, Bensi and Jurriaans for Boy Erased. Chung shot the Me and Earl and the Dying Girl..

During the movie I kept thinking this could get Oscar nominations for cinematography and wardrobe, if not direction. But now, after seeing that Rotten Tomatoes' critics are averaging a cruel 31%, the nominations may be less likely. It's too soon for audience reviews yet. Go see it and make up your own mind.

Zombieland: Double Tap (2019)

We laughed at lot at this violent sequel to Jack's favorite movie of 2009, in which our heroes are still surviving the zombie apocalypse. Returning cast includes Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin (now 23, practically all grown up!). Zoey Deutch is hilarious as new character Madison, and there are too many others to list.

Director Ruben Fleischer returns, as do writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, joined by co-writer Dave Callaham.

The original music by David Sardy, which can be streamed on Spotify and Apple Music, is supplemented by a lot of songs. Chung-hoon Chung is the cinematographer.

Harrelson was last blogged for Solo: A Star Wars Story, Eisenberg for The Art of Self Defense, Stone for The Favourite, Breslin for My Sister's Keeper which actually was made after the original Zombieland, Deutch for Why Him?, Fleischer for Gangster Squad, and Reese and Wernick for Deadpool 2.

Obviously not everyone's cup of gore, this is rated only 68% by Rotten Tomatoes' critics. Its audiences have self-selected and average a more favorable 89. We saw it two weeks ago and the movie is expected to be streaming in January. Don't leave the room before the end of the credits.

The Laundromat (2019)

This disjointed movie about corporate corruption and its innocent victims doesn't live up to the star power of Meryl Streep, Gary Oldman, Antonio Banderas, James Cromwell, and many, many more.

Director Steven Soderbergh proves he's not quite as reliable as we thought, working from a script by Scott Z. Burns, who adapted the non-fiction book Secrecy World: Inside the Panama Papers Investigation of Illicit Money Networks and the Global Elite by Jake Bernstein.

Soderbergh, who has stopped pretending he's retiring from movies, is once again using the stage names Peter Andrews (his father was Peter Andrew Soderbergh) for cinematographer and Mary Ann Bernard (his mother's maiden name) for film editor.

The music by David Holmes is supplemented by these songs.

Streep was last blogged for Mary Poppins Returns, Oldman for his Oscar-winning turn in Darkest Hour, Banderas for I'm So Excited, Cromwell for The Artist, Soderbergh and Holmes for Logan Lucky, Burns for Contagion.

We chose to ignore the Rotten Tomatoes' critics' rating of 41% and its audiences' of 45 to watch this on a rainy vacation day October 16. So we went to The Addams Family the next day.

The Addams Family (2019)

Silly, clever, and fun, this animated update has top-notch voice casting and lots of PG jokes as our ghoulish friends try to fit into a white-bread suburban community. Charlize Theron, Oscar Isaac, Chloë Grace Moretz, Bette Midler, Allison Janney, and Nick Kroll are just some of the actors channeling the 1950s Charles Addams cartoons, several TV serieses, and some 1990s movies.

Directed by Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon, its script is by Matt Lieberman and the original soundtrack, by Mychael Danna and Jeff Danna, can be streamed on Spotify and Apple Music. Many improvisations on the motif of the original series theme are to be heard on the soundtrack.

Theron was last blogged for Long Shot, Isaac for At Eternity's Gate, Moretz for Clouds of Sils Maria, Midler for Parental Guidance, Mychael Danna for On the Basis of Sex, his brother Jeff for Thin Ice (The Convincer). Tiernan has directed dozens of episodes of Thomas the Tank Engine and Vernon has co-directed a handful of other animated features, including one with Tiernan.

Though rated at only 43% by Rotten Tomatoes' critics, similar to The Laundromat which disappointed us the day before, audiences rated The Addams Family at 69, and it pleased us on October 17.

Jojo Rabbit (2019)

We loved this dark comedy about a Nazi-in-training, whose imaginary friend is crazy Hitler, and a Jewish teenager that his mom is hiding in their house. It's at turns slapstick--part Springtime for Hitler, part Wes Anderson--and then heart-rending, as in Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008). Roman Griffith Davis is transcendent as ten-year-old Johannes AKA Jojo, as is his little buddy Yorki, played by Archie Yates. Director/writer Taika Waititi is hilarious as Hitler, Thomasin McKenzie is marvelous as the covert housemate Elsa, and we get terrific performances from Scarlett Johansson as Jojo's free-spirit mom, Sam Rockwell as a frustrated Hitler Youth officer, Rebel Wilson as one of his staff, and others, too numerous to list.

Waititi adapted the novel Caging Skies by Christine Leunens. I must mention the glorious look of this picture, with production design by Ra Vincent (oh, the wood in Jojo's apartment!), cinematography by Mihai Malaimare Jr. (bright, saturated colors!), and costumes by Mayes C. Rubeo (just wow). Michael Giacchino composed the original score, supplementing the songs, which can be streamed on Spotify, Apple Music, and elsewhere.

Waititi was last blogged for What We Do in the Shadows (on which Vincent was production designer), McKenzie for Leave No Trace, Johansson Avengers: Infinity War, Rockwell for Vice, Wilson for How to Be Single, Giacchino for Spider-Man: Far from Home, Malaimare shot The Hate U Give, and Rubeo did wardrobe for Avatar and more.

Critics are dumb. Rotten Tomatoes' critics' average is a mediocre 79%. Its audiences agree with us, however, coming in at 98. As of this writing the movie has 4 wins and 3 more nominations. I predict more. We saw it opening weekend.

Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool (2019)

As a jazz fan, I loved every minute of this documentary about the seminal bebop horn player. With archival footage of the man (1926-1991) and his various combos, and interviews with his children, some wives, and a host of jazz musicians, the movie is artfully edited and presented.

The director/producer is accomplished documentarian Stanley Nelson and this one is adding to his pile of award wins and nominations.

I'm enjoying listening to the playlist, available on Apple Music and Spotify, and probably more.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics and audiences are all in, averaging 94 and 100%, respectively. I look forward to seeing it again if and when it streams (I think it will be on the PBS series American Masters, if it hasn't already). Right now it's playing limited runs at art houses around the world. I saw it in one such art house in early October of this year. Don't get it confused with the Davis record of the same name, released in 1957, nor with the fictionalized movie Miles Ahead, starring Don Cheadle as Davis.

Good Boys (2019)

Amusing, raunchy, profane fluff about sixth grade boys getting in over their heads in a, yep, R-rated romp. The boys are Jacob Tremblay, Keith L. Williams, and Brady Noon, and the adults include Will Forte, Lil Rel Howery, Retta, and Sam Richardson.

It's the feature debut for director Gene Stupnitsky, working from a script by himself and Lee Eisenberg.

Tremblay was last blogged for The Book of Henry, Forte for A Futile and Stupid Gesture, Howery for Brittany Runs a Marathon, and Stupnitsky and Eisenberg for writing Bad Teacher. Williams had a story arc on several episodes of The Last Man on Earth with Forte.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics' average is 79% and its audiences' is 86. It's now streaming. Jack and I saw it September 24, 2019.

Downton Abbey (2019)

All fans of the show will love this feature length sequel, as I did, providing comedy, drama, scandal, and magnificent costumes in the glorious settings, and I'm told that you can enjoy this movie even if you're not well acquainted with the series. Pretty much the whole cast from the final season returns and a few new characters join them.

Michael Engler directs from a script by series creator Julian Fellowes, and Emmy-winning composer John Lunn returns as composer with The Chamber Orchestra of London. The soundtrack can be streamed now on Apple Music and more.

The costumes by Anna Robbins are worth the price of admission, as well as production design by Donal Woods and cinematography by Ben Smithard, with Britain's familiar Highclere Castle in many exteriors.

Smithard was last blogged for The Man Who Invented Christmas.

Jack didn't watch the series so passed on joining Mark and me on September 25, 2019. Rotten Tomatoes' audiences rate it a predictable 94%, while its critics are not quite as enthusiastic, averaging 84. I see that there are a few screenings still in my area, but this will be released for the small screen just before Thanksgiving.

The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019)

We loved this poignant story of a down-on-his-luck fisherman connecting with a young Down syndrome man and the nursing home administrator caring for him. Shia LaBeouf is great as the fisherman, Dakota Johnson lovely as the administrator, and Zack Gottsagen fabulous as the Down Syndrome man. Supporting cast includes Bruce Dern, Thomas Haden Church, and more.

Apparently co-directors/co-writers Tyler Nilson and Mike Schwartz met Gottsagen at a camp that included people with Down syndrome. Gottsagen told them he wanted to be a movie star so they wrote the movie for him, a feature debut for all three.

The lush photography shot in Savannah, Georgia, is thanks to Nigel Bluck. And the score by Jonathan Sadoff, Zachary Dawes, Noam Pikelny, and Gabe Witcher can be streamed on Apple Music, Spotify, and others.

LaBeouf was last blogged for American Honey, Johnson for Bad Times at the El Royale, Dern for Nostalgia, Church for Killer Joe, and Sadoff for Ingrid Goes West (Dawes worked on it, too),

With several film festival wins and nominations already, it's not surprising that Rotten Tomatoes' critics and audiences are eating this up, averaging 95 and 96%, respectively. Jack and I saw it on September 18, 2019, and it'll be released to the streaming outlets a few days from now.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette? (2019)

We didn't hate this story of a prickly architect leaving her family to follow her dreams, though some critics did. Cate Blanchett does the job in the title role and Kristen Wiig is funny as her uptight neighbor. And the cinematography by Shane F. Kelly and sets (production designer Bruce Curtis) are magnificent. The arctic scenes were originally set to be added in post, but Blanchett apparently convinced them to shoot on location and the production moved to Greenland, where weather was a problem.

Adapted from the novel by Maria Semple, which neither of us has read, the screenplay was co-written by the director Richard Linklater with Holly Gent and Vince Palmo. The music is by Graham Reynolds.

Blanchett was last blogged for Ocean's Eight, Wiig for Downsizing, Linklater for Boyhood, and Reynolds for Linklater's Before Midnight. Gent and Palmo adapted the script for Linklater's Me and Orson Welles, and Kelly and Curtis are frequent collaborators with Linklater as well.

Not loving it, Rotten Tomatoes' critics' average is 48% but its audiences are a bit warmer at 74. We saw it on a big screen August 28, 2019 and it's now streaming.

Blinded by the Light (2019)

Jack and I liked this delightful story of a Pakistani-British teen whose life is changed by Bruce Springsteen's music. Viviek Kalra is terrific as the frustrated boy finding joy in the Boss's work, and there's a funny cameo by Rob Brydon in a blonde wig as Matt's dad.

Directed and co-written by Gurinder Chadha, co-written by Sarfra Manzoor and Paul Mayeda Berges, based on Manzoor's memoir Greetings from Bury Park - Race, Religion, Rock 'n' Roll. "Bury Park" is not a typo.

Additional music is composed by A.R. Rahman.

Brydon was last blogged for the short film Revolting Rhymes, and Chadha, Berges, and Rahman for Viceroy's House.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics and audiences are in agreement, averaging 89 and 91%, respectively. We saw this on August 23, 2019.

Sword of Trust (2019)

We're big fans of Marc Maron and liked a lot this funny story of a pawn shop owner negotiating with a lesbian couple about their antique sword. Michaela Watkins and Jillian Bell are the couple and Jon Bass is the hapless pawn shop employee.

Directed and co-written by Lynn Shelton, with Mike O'Brien co-writing, it was shot entirely in Birmingham, Alabama, so I imagine anyone familiar with that city will be tickled by the distinct location shots. No composer nor list of songs is on imdb.

Maron (podcast interviewer extraordinaire) was last blogged for Joker, Watkins and Bell for Brittany Runs a Marathon, and Shelton for Laggies. O'Brien has written for dozens of Saturday Night Live episodes.

Now streaming, it's rated 93% by Rotten Tomatoes' critics and 70 by its audiences. We saw it August 9, 2019.

Rio, I Love You (2014)

This anthology of short films by esteemed directors, writers, and actors on the topic of love is part of the Cities of Love series, and I can't remember how much we liked it, especially after seeing the reviews (below).

I loved the first two--Paris, je t'aime (2006) and New York, I Love You, all created by Emmanuel Benbihy, made the same way with short chapters and big stars in front of and behind the camera.

Yikes. Rotten Tomatoes' critics give it 8% and its audiences 12. We watched this one on Netflix August 2, 2019.

Berlin, I Love You has just dropped on Netflix (critics are hating on it as well) and, according to this wikipedia article, Tbilisi has been made, and we can look forward to Shanghai, Jerusalem, Venice, Delhi, Marseille, and New Orleans. I do look forward to them. So there.

The Farewell (2019)

Living up to the hype, this wonderful movie is about a Chinese family who refuse to tell the grandmother about her terminal illness and stage a wedding so everyone can say goodbye. Rapper/actress Awkwafina is terrific as the adoring granddaughter, and so is everyone else.

Director/writer Lulu Wang says the story is "based on a true lie," because her family did something similar. She had been trying for a while to get the movie made before it became a 2016 segment of This American Life on public radio, which helped get it to Hollywood.

The composer is Alex Weston.

Awkwafina, whose birth name is Nora Lum, was my favorite part of Crazy Rich Asians.

Don't take my word for it. Rotten Tomatoes' critics' average is still 99% and its audiences' 87. Now streaming at the usual outlets, it almost went direct to video, as described in this article. Jack and I saw it August 7, 2019.

Always Be My Maybe (2019)

For a change we liked this romantic comedy less than the ratings (see below), despite the stars. Ali Wong is a Type A celebrity chef and Randall Park her laid-back musician ex-boyfriend, with a big cast of Asian and non-Asian actors.

Written by Wong, Park, and Michael Golamco and directed by Nahnatchka Khan. No credited composer--just lots of songs.

Park is one of the stars of the TV series Fresh off the Boat, of which Khan is the creator and producer, and Wong is a stand-up comedian with two Netflix specials, shot when she was seven months pregnant with two different children.

There are a few fancy food stylings, so I'll put it on my list of food movies.

We saw it on Netflix on July 24, 2019. Rotten Tomatoes' critics' average is 90% and its audiences' 82.

Stuber (2019)

This silly action buddy comedy stars Kumail Nanjiani as a hapless Uber driver named Stu and Dave Bautista as a detective who needs a ride to chase some bad guys all over town. With Natalie Morales and Mira Sorvino, among many others. We didn't hate it.

Directed by Michael Dowse, written by Tripper Clancy, original score by Joseph Trapanese, and a long list of songs.

Nanjiani was last blogged for The Big Sick, Bautista for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and Trapanese for The Greatest Showman.

Its critics' average on Rotten Tomatoes is 42% but audiences are at 79. It's streaming now. We saw it July 23, 2019.

The Art of Self Defense (2019)

More delightful sick and twisted-ness, this is a dark comedy about a meek man, played by Jesse Eisenberg, who joins a dojo after he's randomly attacked. Alessandro Nivola is the sensei and Imogen Poots a fellow student. Heather McIntosh composed the music.

Director/writer Riley Stearns trains and teaches self defense. This is his second feature.

Eisenberg was last blogged for Café Society, Nivola for Disobedience, and Poots for A Late Quartet.

We saw it July 20, 2019, it's now streaming, and Rotten Tomatoes' critics rate is 83% and its audiences 63.

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Fun to see the old chestnut on a big screen. I remember being frightened as a little girl in the 1950s by a closeup of the witch's face on a big screen. Also fun to be reminded of so many details before seeing Judy two months later.

This screened in August, 2019, another of the American Film Institute's 100 Greatest Films, and was a sing-along. I didn't have to be asked twice!

What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015)

As a loyal fan of Nina Simone, I've been meaning to see this documentary for years and finally did so a few days ago. Jack and I both loved it. Oscar-nominated for Best Feature Documentary, it chronicles the pianist-singer's many talents and tribulations and includes archival footage and interviews with her (1933-2003) and some who were close to her.

I kept looking at it on my Netflix list when choosing content to download before plane travel but rejecting it in favor of watching without background noise. Good choice.

Director-producer Liz Garbus has made dozens of docs and was Oscar-nominated for one other.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics' average is 89%, its audiences' is 85, and the movie is streaming now.

Tootsie (1982)

Oops, almost forgot. We saw this in early May at a special screening and loved it again. Then a few months later saw the Broadway show and loved that, too.

Jessica Lange won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role. Nine other nominations including Best Picture; Dustin Hoffman for Best Actor; Teri Garr for Supporting Actress; Sydney Pollack for Director; Larry Gelbart, Murray Schisgal, and Don McGuire for Original Screenplay; Owen Roizman for Cinematography; and Dave Grusin and Marilyn & Alan Bergman for the song It Might Be You.

It's one of the American Film Institute's 100 Greatest Films.

Wild Rose (2019)

Loads of fun, this features an electric Jessie Buckley as down-on-her-luck Scotswoman Rose-Lynn determined to be a country music star, with Julie Walters as her mother and Sophie Okonedo among the supporting cast.

The music is by Jack Arnold and Buckley (she's Irish) does her own singing.

Directed by Tom Harper from a script by Nicole Taylor.

Walters was last blogged for Mary Poppins Returns and Okonedo for Skin.

Now streaming, this movie is averaging 93% from Rotten Tomatoes' critics and 88 from its audiences. We saw it July 16, 2019.

Toy Story 4 (2019)

Yeah, it's good. Take the kids. Jack liked it a lot better than I did. Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Annie Potts, Wallace Shawn, and others reprise their voices and the all-star cast is filled out by Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, and many more.

Randy Newman once again provides the soundtrack.

Directed by Josh Cooley (his feature debut after co-writing Inside Out, which was a debut as well) with the new script by Andrew Stanton and Stephany Folsom (story by a big committee including all three).

Hanks was last blogged for The Post, Allen for Chimpanzee, Shawn for Book Club, Key for Don't Think Twice, Peele for acting in Keanu, Newman for The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected),

Jack is in the majority and I am not, as Rotten Tomatoes's critics' average is 97% and its audiences' 94. Streaming now.

We saw it July 3, 2019, before the downtown fireworks, just as we saw #3 in 2010.

The Dead Don't Die (2019)

Just the kind of sick and twisted comedy we love, this features small town police zombie-chasers Bill Murray, Adam Driver, and Chloë Sevigny with a notable cast of undead or doomed (including Tilda Swinton, Steve Buscemi, many more) and narration by Tom Waits. You have to be okay with the violence to enjoy it as much as we did, but it's all played for laughs, directed and written by Jim Jarmusch. No composer is credited.

Murray was last blogged for Isle of Dogs, Driver for BlacKKKlansman, Sevigny for Love & Friendship (in which I referenced zombies, believe it or not), Swinton for Okja, Buscemi for Nancy, Waits for The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, and Jarmusch for Paterson, which also starred Driver.

Not very many people enjoyed this like we did. Rotten Tomatoes' critics average is 56% and its audiences' 38.

Yep, it's streaming now, four months after we saw it on June 25, 2019.

Shaft (2019)

We looked forward to seeing this sequel to the series and had fun, despite critics' dislike. Richard Roundtree returns as Shaft Sr., joined by Samuel L. Jackson as Jr. and Jessie T. Usher as III in the big cast, supported by Regina Hall and many more.

Directed by Tim Story from a screenplay by Kenya Barris and Alex Barnow, there are lots of great songs and in-jokes, including a reference to the fact that Jackson is sometimes mistaken for Laurence Fishburne and vice versa. It looks like there have been four Shaft movies before this, in 1971, 1972, 1973 (all with Roundtree), a Jackson version in 2000, and a Roundtree TV series in 1974-74.

Here's a partial list of songs. The soundtrack, however, is credited to Christopher Lennertz.

Roundtree was last blogged for What Men Want, Jackson for Spider-Man: Far from Home, Hall for Little, Barris for Girls Trip, and Lennertz for Bad Moms. Story directed Barbershop (2002), among others.

The aforementioned bad reviews from critics average 32% on Rotten Tomatoes but audiences clock in (mixed metaphor?) at 94%.

We saw it June 21, 2019, and it's now streaming at the usual outlets.