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%.