Saturday 31 December 2016

THE FILM STAGE'S BEST OF 2016 LISTS


It's The Film Stage's turn to weigh in on what it considers the best in cinema from the year, just as it comes to a close. Kenneth Lonergan's Manchester by the Sea proves its potential, winning Best Film in another small step toward possibly assuming frontrunner status in the Oscar Best Picture race. Beneath the cut, you'll find several other Best Of lists from TFS' contributors.

* Updated to include Best Score / Soundtrack and Best Trailer

Best Film
1. Manchester by the Sea (Kenneth Lonergan)
2. Elle (Paul Verhoeven)
3. Toni Erdmann (Maren Ade)
4. La La Land (Damien Chazelle)
5. American Honey (Andrea Arnold)
6. Moonlight (Barry Jenkins)
7. Jackie (Pablo Larrain)
8. O.J.: Made in America (Ezra Edelman)
9. Arrival (Denis Villeneuve)
10. Paterson (Jim Jarmusch)
11. The Handmaiden (Park Chan Wook)
12. 20th Century Women (Mike Mills)
13. Knight of Cups (Terrence Malick)
14. Right Now, Wrong Then (Hong Sang Soo)
15. Silence (Martin Scorsese)
16. Sunset Song (Terence Davies)
17. The Witch (Robert Eggers)
18. Love & Friendship (Whit Stillman)
19. Certain Women (Kelly Reichardt)
20. Embrace of the Serpent (Ciro Guerra)
21. Mountains May Depart (Jia Zhang Ke)
22. Hail, Caesar! (Ethan Coen and Joel Coen)
23. 13th (Ava DuVernay)
24. I Am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck)
25. Everybody Wants Some!! (Richard Linklater)
26. Green Room (Jeremy Saulnier)
27. Cameraperson (Kirsten Johnson)
28. Kate Plays Christine (Robert Greene)
29. Fire at Sea (Gianfranco Rosi)
30. The Fits (Anna Rose Holmer)
31. The Nice Guys (Shane Black)
32. Hell or High Water (David MacKenzie)
33. Little Men (Ira Sachs)
34. High-Rise (Ben Wheatley)
35. A Dragon Arrives! (Mani Haghighi)
36. Cosmos (Andrzej Zulawski)
37. A Monster Calls (J. A. Bayona)
38. Dirty Grandpa (Dan Mazer)
39. Sully (Clint Eastwood)
40. Pete's Dragon (David Lowery)
41. Allied (Robert Zemeckis)
42. The Invitation (Karyn Kusama)
43. Divines (Uda Benyamina)
44. Things to Come (Mia Hansen-Love)
45. de Palma (Noah Baumbach and Jake Paltrow)
46. The Treasure (Corneliu Porumboiu)
47. The Vessel (Julio Quintana)
48. Kaili Blues (Bi Gan)
49. The Lobster (Yorgos Lanthimos)
50. Cemetery of Splendour (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)


DESISTFILM CHOOSES SIERANEVADA AS THE BEST FILM OF THE YEAR


Another poll of 2016's best films, but this time, not another usual suspect topping the list. DesistFilm does the smart thing and goes against the grain, picking Cristi Puiu's Sieranevada as the best film its contributors saw this year. All in all, a very commendable slate from DesistFilm, which you can see in full right here, alongside their favourite experimental short films:

Best Film
1. Sieranevada (Cristi Puiu)
2. Elle (Paul Verhoeven)
3. The Death of Louis XIV (Albert Serra)
4. The Ornithologist (Joao Pedro Rodrigues)
5. All the Cities of the North (Dane Komljen)
6. Toni Erdmann (Maren Ade)
7. Viejo Calavera (Kiro Russo)
8. El Viento Sabe Que Vuelvo a Casa (Jose Luis Torres Leiva)
9. La Noche (Edgardo Castro)
10. The Woman Who Left (Lav Diaz)

Best Experimental Short Film
1. Answer Print (Monica Saviron)
2. Montanas Ardientes Que Vomitan Fuego (Samuel M. Delgado and Helena Giron)
3. Cilaos (Camilo Restrepo)
4. Blanche (Marc Hurtado)
5. An Aviation Field (Joana Pimenta)

NORTH TEXAS FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION AWARDS: LA LA LAND WINS BEST FILM


It was all white on the night for the North Texas Film Critics Association as they voted on their favourites in film from 2016! No 10th place mention for The Birth of a Nation in Best Film could prevent them from bestowing all of their prizes upon Caucasian recipients, including La La Land scoring yet another undeserved top category victory. Their ranked picks in full below.

Best Film
1. La La Land
2. Manchester by the Sea
3. Moonlight
4. Hacksaw Ridge
5. Loving
6. Arrival
7. Captain Fantastic
8. Nocturnal Animals
9. Jackie
10. The Birth of a Nation

Best Director
1. Damien Chazelle (La La Land)
2. Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)
3. Mel Gibson (Hacksaw Ridge)
4. Denis Villeneuve (Arrival)
5. Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)

Best Actress
1. Natalie Portman (Jackie)
2. Emma Stone (La La Land)
3. Amy Adams (Arrival)
4. Emily Blunt (The Girl on the Train)
5. Ruth Negga (Loving)

Best Actor
1. Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)
2. Ryan Gosling (La La Land)
3. Denzel Washington (Fences)
4. Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge)
5. Don Cheadle (Miles Ahead)

Best Supporting Actress
1. Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea)
2. Viola Davis (Fences)
3. Naomie Harris (Moonlight)
4. Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures)
5. Janelle Monae (Hidden Figures)

Best Supporting Actor
1. Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals)
2. Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)
3. Dev Patel (Lion)
4. Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water)
5. Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea)

Best Cinematography
1. Linus Sandgren (La La Land)
2. James Laxton (Moonlight)
3. Simon Duggan (Hacksaw Ridge)
=  Bradford Young (Arrival)
5. Stephane Fontaine (Jackie)

Best Animated Film
1. Zootopia
2. Kubo and the Two Strings
3. Sing

Best Documentary
1. Gleason
2. 13th
3. Tower
4. Wiener
5. The Eagle Huntress

Best Foreign Language Film
1. Elle
2. The Handmaiden
3. Hunt for the Wilderpeople
4. The Salesman
=  Toni Erdmann

Friday 30 December 2016

THE CHICAGO INDEPENDENT FILM CRITICS CIRCLE ANNOUNCES 1ST EVER AWARDS NOMINATIONS


The Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle evidently doesn't give a shit about the SOS Critics' Tally, since they've divided up their Best Picture category, which flouts its rules, but sure worse things have happened. The CIFCC is a new group, and it is indeed a group, not just a pair of wannabe film critics starting up a fan site for their own opinions. Award winners will be revealed on the 8th of January, when they're holding an 'invitation only awards banquet' lol.

Best Director
Damien Chazelle (La La Land)
Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)
Pablo Larrain (Jackie)

Best Actress
Kate Beckinsale (Love & Friendship)
Isabelle Huppert (Elle)
Natalie Portman (Jackie)

Best Actor
Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)
Ryan Gosling (La La Land)
Denzel Washington (Fences)

Best Supporting Actress
Viola Davis (Fences)
Naomie Harris (Moonlight)
Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea)

Best Supporting Actor
Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)
Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water)
Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals)

Best Original Screenplay
Damien Chazelle (La La Land)
Efthymis Filippou and Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster)
Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)

Best Adapted Screenplay
Tom Ford (Nocturnal Animals)
Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)
Jeong Seo Kyeong and Park Chan Wook (The Handmaiden)

Best Cinematography
The Handmaiden
La La Land
Moonlight
The Witch

Best Editing
The Handmaiden
Jackie
La La Land

Best Production Design
The Handmaiden
La La Land
The Love Witch

Best Costume Design
The Handmaiden
Jackie
The Love Witch

Best Visual Effects
Doctor Strange
The Jungle Book
Rogue One

Best Makeup
The Handmaiden
Jackie
Swiss Army Man

Best Original Score
Justin Hurwitz (La La Land)
Mica Levi (Jackie)
Cliff Martinez (The Neon Demon)

Best Ensemble Cast
Everybody Wants Some!!
Fences
Moonlight

Best Studio Film
Arrival
La La Land
Nocturnal Animals
Top 10
Captain America: Civil War
The Conjuring 2
Fences
Hail, Caesar!
The Neon Demon
The Nice Guys
Sully

Best Independent Film
Jackie
Love & Friendship
Moonlight
Top 10
A Bigger Splash
Green Room
Hell or High Water
The Love Witch
Loving
Manchester by the Sea
The Witch

Best Micro-Budget Film
The Fits
Kate Plays Christine
Krisha

Best Animated Film
Kubo and the Two Strings
Tower
Zootopia

Best Documentary
13th
O.J.: Made in America
Tower

Best Foreign Film
Elle
The Handmaiden
Toni Erdmann

Best Chicago Film
Henry Gamble's Birthday Party
Pause of the Clock
Southside with You

Best Undistributed Film
Atmo Horrox
Viaje

Best Short Film
Inner Workings
Piper
The Stylist

Impact Award
Ava DuVernay (13th)
Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)
Jacqueline Stewart (Pioneers of African-American Cinema)

Trailblazer Award
Anna Biller (The Love Witch)
Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (Swiss Army Man)
Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster)
Deborah Stratman (The Illinois Parables)

Thursday 29 December 2016

MOONLIGHT WINS FIVE FROM AUSTIN FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION


Yet another film critics group has been seduced by Barry Jenkins' Moonlight, as proven in the awards choices of the Austin Film Critics Association. You can always rely on the AFCA to deliver a strong list of award winners, and they had an equally strong slate from which to choose, as evidenced in their nominations. All the info below.

Best Film
1. Moonlight (Barry Jenkins)
2. La La Land
3. Arrival
4. The Handmaiden
5. Manchester by the Sea
6. Elle
7. Hell or High Water
8. The Lobster
9. Jackie
10. Sing Street

Best Director
Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)

Best Actress
Isabelle Huppert (Elle)

Best Actor
Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)

Best Supporting Actress
Viola Davis (Fences)

Best Supporting Actor
Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)

Best Original Screenplay
Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)

Best Adapted Screenplay
Eric Heisserer (Arrival)

Best Cinematography
Linus Sandgren (La La Land)

Best Score
Justin Hurwitz (La La Land)

Best Animated Film
Kubo and the Two Strings (Travis Knight)

Best Documentary
Tower (Keith Maitland)

Best Foreign-Language Film
The Handmaiden (Park Chan Wook)

Best Austin Film
Tower (Keith Maitland)

Best First Film
The Witch (Robert Eggers)

The Robert R. 'Bobby' McCurdy Memorial Breakthrough Artist Award
Keith Maitland (Tower)

Special Honorary Award
A24 for excellence in production (20th Century Women / Green Room / The Lobster / Moonlight / Swiss Army Man / The Witch)
The ensemble cast of Moonlight and casting director Yesi Ramirez for excellence as an ensemble
Filmmaker Keith Maitland and his film Tower for revisiting a tragic event in Austin, Texas history in a sensitive and unique manner
Anton Yelchin for his contribution to the cinema of 2016, including performances in Green Room and Star Trek Beyond

OBIT - DEBBIE REYNOLDS


You've already heard, I'm sure. Too sad. Just too sad to even describe. Just leaving this here - hope you enjoy Debbie's legacy as much as I do.



Wednesday 28 December 2016

LITTLE WHITE LIES WANTS SOME!!


The clue's in the title. And in the picture. And in the list below. And Little White Lies' favourite films of 2016 (and 2015, by the looks of things) are...

Best Film
1. Everybody Wants Some!! (Richard Linklater)
2. Julieta (Pedro Almodovar)
3. Embrace of the Serpent (Ciro Guerra)
4. Paterson (Jim Jarmusch)
5. Knight of Cups (Terrence Malick)
6. Love & Friendship (Whit Stillman)
7. Sully (Clint Eastwood)
8. Arabian Nights: Volume 1 - The Restless One (Miguel Gomes)
=  Arabian Nights: Volume 2 - The Desolate One (Miguel Gomes)
=  Arabian Nights: Volume 3 - The Enchanted One (Miguel Gomes)
11. Midnight Special (Jeff Nichols)
12. Heaven Knows What (Ben Safdie and Joshua Safdie)
13. The Assassin (Hou Hsiao Hsien)
14. Chi-Raq (Spike Lee)
15. Things to Come (Mia Hansen-Love)
16. No Home Movie (Chantal Akerman)
17. Further Beyond (Joe Lawlor and Christine Molloy)
18. Son of Saul (Nemes Laszlo)
19. Kate Plays Christine (Robert Greene)
20. Anomalisa (Duke Johnson and Charlie Kaufman)
21. Cosmos (Andrzej Zulawski)
22. Rogue One (Gareth Edwards)
23. The Neon Demon (Nicolas Winding Refn)
24. Fire at Sea (Gianfranco Rosi)
25. Hail, Caesar! (Ethan Coen and Joel Coen)
26. High-Rise (Ben Wheatley)
27. The BFG (Steven Spielberg)

ELLE IS LA INTERNACIONAL CINEFILA'S FILM OF THE YEAR


Year-end top tens don't come much smarter than La Internacional Cinefila's. The estimable Spanish publication's choices are always fine summations of the best in cinema of their respective frames, and their 2016 selections are reliably strong. Auteurs aplenty here, though it's Paul Verhoeven who tops the lot, as Elle claims the first place position. The full top 11 below.

Best Film
1. Elle (Paul Verhoeven)
2. The Death of Louis XIV (Albert Serra)
3. Aquarius (Kleber Mendonca Filho)
4. Sieranevada (Cristi Puiu)
5. Toni Erdmann (Maren Ade)
6. El Viento Sabe Que Vuelvo a Casa (Jose Luis Torres Leiva)
7. Homeland: Iraq Year Zero (Abbas Fahdel)
8. Hermia & Helena (Matias Pineiro)
=  The Ornithologist (Joao Pedro Rodrigues)
10. Paterson (Jim Jarmusch)
=   Staying Vertical (Alain Guiraudie)

Best First Film
1. La Noche (Edgardo Castro)
2. Short Stay (Ted Fendt)
3. The Human Surge (Eduardo Williams)

Tuesday 27 December 2016

INDIANA FILM JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION AWARDS - MOONLIGHT WINS BEST FILM


Shameful tardiness! Did you know that the Indiana Film Journalists Association declared its 2016 awards longlist on the 5th of December? And that it declared its award winners on the 19th? Shit, I don't know what distracted me. Maybe important things with a bearing on my life. That might have been it. Longlist nominees are included where they make a difference, however minuscule, to the SOS Critics' Tally. Everything you need to know below.

Best Film
1. Moonlight
2. Hell or High Water
American Honey
Arrival
Deadpool
Everybody Wants Some!!
La La Land
The Lobster
Manchester by the Sea
Sing Street

Best Director
1. Damien Chazelle (La La Land)
2. Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)

Best Actress
1. Rebecca Hall (Christine)
2. Natalie Portman (Jackie)

Best Actor
1. Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)
2. Ethan Hawke (Born to Be Blue)
Longlist nominees
Don Cheadle (Miles Ahead)
Bryan Cranston (The Infiltrator)
Chris Evans (Captain America: Civil War)
Colin Farrell (The Lobster)
Michael Fassbender (The Light Between Oceans)
Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge)
Ryan Gosling (La La Land)
Tom Hanks (Sully)
Michael Keaton (The Founder)
Rolf Lassgard (A Man Called Ove)
Viggo Mortensen (Captain Fantastic)
Nate Parker (The Birth of a Nation)
Chris Pine (Hell or High Water)
Michael Shannon (Elvis & Nixon)
Miles Teller (Bleed for This)
Ferdia Walsh-Peelio (Sing Street)

Best Supporting Actress
1. Viola Davis (Fences)
2. Naomie Harris (Moonlight)
Longlist nominees
Judy Davis (The Dressmaker)
Greta Gerwig (20th Century Women)
Lily Gladstone (Certain Women)
Scarlett Johansson (Captain America: Civil War)
Margo Martindale (The Hollars)
Janelle Monae (Hidden Figures)
Lupita Nyong'o (Queen of Katwe)
Bahar Pars (A Man Called Ove)
Margot Robbie (Suicide Squad)
Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures)
Rachel Weisz (The Light Between Oceans)
Rachel Weisz (The Lobster)
Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea)

Best Supporting Actor
1. Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)
2. Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water)

Best Original Screenplay
1. Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)
2. Taylor Sheridan (Hell or High Water)

Best Adapted Screenplay
1. Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)
2. Eric Heisserer (Arrival)
Longlist nominees
Peter Berg, Matt Cook and Joshua Zetumer (Patriots Day)
Chris Butler and Marc Haimes (Kubo and the Two Strings)
Derek Cianfrance (The Light Between Oceans)
David Hare (Denial)
Jeong Seo Kyeong and Park Chan Wook (The Handmaiden)
Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (Captain America: Civil War)
Melissa Mathison (The BFG)
Theodore Melfi and Allison Schroeder (Hidden Figures)
Patrick Ness (A Monster Calls)
Jeff Nichols (Loving)
Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (Deadpool)

Best Musical Score
1. Mica Levi (Jackie)
2. Justin Hurwitz (La La Land)
Longlist nominees
Nicholas Britell (Moonlight)
Nick Cave and Warren Ellis (Hell or High Water)
Alexandre Desplat (Florence Foster Jenkins)
Michael Giacchino (Doctor Strange)
Johann Johannsson (Arrival)
Mark Korven (The Witch)
Abel Korzeniowski (Nocturnal Animals)
Bear McCreary (10 Cloverfield Lane)
Brian McOmber (Krisha)
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (Patriots Day)

Best Ensemble Acting
1. Everybody Wants Some!!
2. Don't Think Twice
Longlist nominees
American Honey
Captain America: Civil War
Certain Women
Hidden Figures
The Hollars
Jackie
The Lobster
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight
Our Little Sister
Patriots Day
The Witch

Best Animated Feature
1. Kubo and the Two Strings
2. Sausage Party
Longlist nominees
Finding Dory
Kung Fu Panda 3
Moana
The Secret Life of Pets
Zootopia

Best Documentary
1. O.J.: Made in America
2. Weiner
Longlist nominees
13th
Amanda Knox
Art Bastard
Author: The JT LeRoy Story
Command and Control
de Palma
Gleason
The Invisible Parents
Life, Animated
The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble
Night School
Tower
Trapped
Voyage of Time: Life's Journey
Who Took Johnny?

Best Foreign Language Film
1. The Handmaiden
2. A Man Called Ove
Longlist nominees
Dheepan
Elle
The Girl's House
Neruda
Our Little Sister
Shin Godzilla
Things to Come

Breakout of the Year
1. Robert Eggers (The Witch)
2. Sasha Lane (American Honey)

Best Vocal / Motion Capture Performance
1. Alan Tudyk (Rogue One)
2. Nick Kroll (Sausage Party)

Original Vision Award
1. The Lobster
2. Sausage Party