Review of Netflix film Marraige Story and Discussion of Netflix's chances in the Oscar race

Happy New Year! I am currently on vacation but do resolve ASAP to post my yearly top 10.


In this episode, I discuss Marriage Story which I believe to be a pretty solid (but not top ten worthy for me) take on the family melodrama. The tagline, spread through Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson on the tour, is that the film is a love story that takes place through divorce. The movie is more of a melodrama than it is a comedy, so the misleading editing of the trailer is a bit of a red flag there. Of course, it's free on Netflix so it's not like its a waste of $12 either way.

I also interview a guy in Falls Church who runs a bridal boutique shop.

Bettrer off Ted Episode Review: The Importance of Communicationizing

A typo on a company-wide memo dictates that “Employees must NOW insult each other” and off we go to a relatively simple concept that produces a great breeding ground for humor and displays the way this show can juggle humor at multiple levels. This might possibly be my favorite episode of the show not just because it’s the most hilarious at the dialogue level, but because the jokes serve the screwball comedy between Linda and Ted that’s the heart of the show. The slow moving collision of Ted and Linda romantically was stretched out for the entire run of the series and in the interim, the two enjoyed a sweet platonic rapport.

Mirroring these two is the platonic report of Phil and Lem as oddballs in relationship to the world around them. Watching these two conquer humor using math (The sheer volume of wonderful quotes from this episode is so staggering I’d be here all day if I listed every one but let’s just go with this: “Math my friend, she’s always been there for you” “If she ever took physical form, I’d leave my wife and marry her” “Stand in line, my friend”) is priceless.

Speaking of memos, Veronica Palmer starts to feel guilt over the fact that she was promoted to her current position at the expense of another employee, Walter, (Chris Parnell, who was a go-to for guest star roles in the late aughts), whose life has gone downhill as a result. It’s when speaking about this guilt that we see Veronica so devoid of emotions that she comes off as a psychopath. It’s a character trajectory similar in nature to Dennis Reynolds on “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and it’s played equally as well here. Veronica’s attempts at an apology lead to guilt sex and just when you start to feel sorry for her (which is pretty immediately), you know that when the time comes to break up with him, she’s going to tear him to pieces with her trademark iciness. Surprisingly, she shows him a little mercy with a nice little corner office. Who knows if Walter (who seems incompetent and only made progress with Veronica because she was guilty) deserves a promotion to a better office, but one of the themes of the show is humanity vs bureaucracy and it’s a nice little touch that Veronica chose to do something oddly human.

The cast has a solid core of five but they rotate in and out characters as needed for the episode. In addition to Chris Parnell, there’s also the shy bespectacled Asian Debbie and the HR lady. They’re all funny characters who gracefully made their marks and exited (at least, as far as I know) but one hopes if the show went past two seasons, we might have seen a return of these guys in an expanded universe sort of way.

Speaking of the “what ifs” if this show continued past two seasons, it’s interesting to wonder if Ted might have gotten more developed as a comic creation. Let me preface this by saying that A) Jay Harrington has done some good work (particularly on “Benched”) as a comic actor and B) the straight man can often be a thankless role. However, there’s some room to be the straight man and add to the comedy (think Dave Foley in “Newsradio”) and there’s some room for improvement here (I know I sound like a kindergarten teacher, sorry).

It’s also interesting to note that all four women in this episode have had or have an unstoppable attraction to Ted. The HR lady drops her guard almost instantly; Debbie apparently is shy because she is tongue-tied in sexual frustration over Ted; Linda has the resolve to intellectually challenge Ted but she never has the resolve to ever pretend she’s not attracted to him; and while Veronica isn’t making googly eyes at Ted, she’s never been emotional anyway. It’s almost as if being superhot is his main character trait (although one could argue that A LOT of women have been painted this way in sitcom TV).

Also, when you stop to think about it, the way Ted doesn’t even acknowledge Debbie’s awkward burst of “WILL YOU GO OUT WITH ME” is kind of cruel. She probably won’t open her mouth in meetings for another year or two out of shame. Poor Debbie.

Adam Spector and I reveal our top five films of 2019 to date

Yellowstone Season 2 Review

Yellowstone (Paramount Network) Season 2 (through six episodes)-Taylor Sheridan was responsible as writer or director for three massive critical hits from 2015 to 2017 with "Sicario", "Hell or High Water", and "Wind River." Painting a rich scene piece of the American/Mexican border, the modern American West, and Native American reservations, respectively, Sheridan tackles issues such as concentration of power, rape culture, fiscal abuse, cyclical mass-scale violence, and modern American lawlessness. His prestige TV series was hand-selected by Paramount last year as the flagship of their new rebranded TV channel called The Paramount Network (formerly Spike TV).

The resultant series generally reads like most of TV's peak offerings: A sprawling ensemble, serialized arcs and characters pushed towards the anti-hero end of the spectrum. In his three hit films, Sheridan explored very specific storylines that didn't pretend to carry the entire socio-political spectrum of their settings on their back. While the story of "Yellowstone" ties most of its sprawl through one patriarch (Kevin Costner) and his adult children, the spread of storylines doesn't do the show any favors in distinguishing itself from so many of  the show's rival shows. The primary intersection with social commentary (at least along the lines of what Sheridan has typically eschewed) is sloppily exposited through the lectures of a Native American studies professor (Kelsey Asbille).

Beyond her, the show's characters are unusually flat: A son (Wes Bentley) who's the black sheep of the family and is annoyingly timid about his fate; a daughter with a vicious bark (Kelly Reilly) who seems to shows no rhyme or reason with her verbal lashings; a son who's just a simple cowboy from a 1950s movie (Luke Grimes), and the patriarch who takes the typical salt-of-the-Earth Kevin Costner and adds a dose of vague curmudgeon tendencies. The show has been compared to HBO's hit series "Succession" in that the patriarch goes out of his way to give his kids daddy issues well into adulthood. The only difference is on that show it's universally regarded as entertaining.

Despite how flatly written these roles are, the actors (particularly Bentley, Reilly, and Costner) really sell the material although it's no surprise if you've followed their filmographies.

The film shines a light on the contemporary American West and bridges the gap between genre tropes of the classic Western and the modern landscape admirably ("Hell or High Water" did this as well). Again, there's not as much of a big thesis here: Native Americans and non-native developers (represented by Gil Birmingham and Danny Huston respectively) also want a slice of the pie, but these are actions presented without any commentary. In an age of politicized bents, that's refreshing but it doesn't necessarily equate to action.

The show is watchable which is a big ask for a viewer for an hour-long drama with complex storylines. With my incomplete judgement (I've only seen six episodes and started second season), however, there's a lot of room to improve here.

Top 10 Movies of 2018

While still making my way through 2019,

here are my top ten films of 2018 out of 44. They are:

10.  Leave No Trace
9. Free Solo (although as I say in the video, I'm not a fan of documentaries)
8. If Beale Street Could Talk
7. Tag (yes, I am not joking here)
6. The Favourite
5. Crazy Rich Asians
4. Disobedience
3. Death of Stalin
2. First Reformed
1. Green Book


For reference, the other 34 films I saw were:
Ant Man and the Wasp, Aquaman, Bad Times at El Royale, Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Beirut, BlacKKKlansman, Black Panther, Clapper, Bohemian Rhapsody, Game Night, Hotel Transylvania, Ibiza, Night School, Nutcracker and the Four Realms, Ocean's 8, Overboard, Racer and the Jailbird, Ready Player One, Red Sparrow, Roma, Set it Up, Sierra Burges is a Loser, Shock and Awe, Solo, Teen Titans Go to the Movies, Tomb Raider, Vice, Wreck-it-Ralph, Welcome to Marwen, Wrinkle in Time, Widows

The Rise and Comfortable Fall of Jack Sparrow

This was written in 2011 for Examiner.com which went out of business a while back

The pirate genre has always been waiting for just the right people to revive it and with Johnny Depp, Jerry Bruckheimer, and screenwriters Terry Russo and Ted Elliot*, that's just what happened with the original Pirates of the Caribbean

I loved the original Pirates installment but I distinctly remember how much more I've liked it in retrospect. It might have barely made my top ten in 2003** but now I would probably place it among the ten most memorable films of the decade.

This sentiment has been echoed by many film critics at the time: Brian McKay's review at efilmcrtic*** is fairly typical: "Yo ho ho-hum, the ride was better, and shorter. The two main stars of the film are some fantastic visuals and Johnny Depp's performance (which is the saving grace many times over)." That review reflected the general consensus on the film: A little long and the storyline meanders, but it's got a few fantastic elements.

Those notable elements have really grown on me over time. No offense to Javier Bardem or Heath Ledger, but I would consider Johnny Depp's portrayal of the wily and perpetually drunk Jack Sparrow as the greatest original**** performance of the decade and the musical score is also my favorite from any film of the last decade as well (can you even remember any other movie score off the top of your head?).

Like myself, A lot of other critics have retrospectively considered Pirates a classic, partially because the later films highlighted just how great the original one was. If the story line meandered a little in the first one, that was nothing compared to the sequels. By the third installment, the plot was unintelligible.

The original also had a certain novelty to it (although that's a problem with almost all sequels). Because Orlando Bloom's Will Turner was the dynamic character with a love interest, that relegated Jack Sparrow to being more of a side character. He was like Zach Galifanakas in the Hangover or Will Ferrell in Old School: Freed from the obligation of driving the plot forward, he could muck things up all he wanted which contrasted well with the Goody Two Shoes personality of Will Turner.

The sequels diluted themselves with so many dues-ex-machinas that explained away so many would-be deaths, that people forget that the audience was half-convinced that Jack Sparrow wouldn't survive to the end of the movie. There was palpable drama being created from watching this inebriated character, who looked as though he were in over his head, constantly outsmart everyone around him. There was also a catharsis in watching Johnny Depp, who had built a career by condescending to the mainstream tastes of average cinemagoers, not just embracing a role in a Disney film (as mainstream as you can get), but completely owning it.

For those reasons, the magic of the original cannot really be replicated in sequels although it didn't help that the screenwriters completely muddled up their own franchise.

At its best, the sequels just offer standard genre fair. You know exactly what you're expecting but it has some great acting, special effects, and some very clever action pieces. Even as the plot had you scratching your head in Dead Man's Chest, you can't deny that the opening scene as the pirates escape the cannibals or the three-way sword fight on a renegade watermill are absolutely breathtaking scenes.
 

It's in that spirit that you might best enjoy Pirates. It's still 40 minutes too long and the story's as convoluted as ever but there are a few great set pieces, some memorable acting turns, and a genuinely exotic sense of adventure.

It's probably a good thing that Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightly are gone. There's a very good subplot between a mermaid and a priest that might have been squeezed out if there was a need to keep storylines going for Elizabeth and Will. Many of the other new additions to the cast have little to do other than overennunciate their "R"s and brandish about

their swords, but Penelope Cruz really brings something to the table with some genuine sexual heat.

With the great attention to visual detail, I'd definitely recommend catching Pirates of the Caribbean at the Uptown Theater in Cleveland Heights where it's playing until June 9th. 

*Elliott and Russo are the screenwriters and pretty fascinating guys when interviewed. I didn't include directors Gore Verbinski (the first three) or Rob Marshall (the fourth installment) because I don't think they were as integral to the template. Some people disagree.

**A little secret: Serious film watchers are usually pretty nerdy in that they're constantly keeping top ten lists

***Brian McKay isn't the first person I go to for a review and I have never heard of him before, but I believe that his review summarizes the general feeling at the time very well

****I use the word "original" because I might give a slight edge to Jamie Foxx or Forest Whitaker in their Oscar-winning performances for eerily replicating the mannerisms of historical figures

TV reviews of Derry Girls, Disenchantment, The Other Two, Russian Doll, Good Omens

Every year, I do a top 12 TV shows of the year list and because there are so many good shows to watch I often include some honorable mentions:

In this case, I looked at six shows that will likely make my honorable mention list. The fact that five of these TV shows are on screening platforms is reflecting a bigger trend of how I watch TV:

Reviewing TV show Party Down while partying

Party Down ran for two seasons in 2009 and 2010 and is one
of the best shows to be cancelled too soon. The features a six-man team of
caterers who work a different event every week allowing the characters to be
audience surrogates to a variety of bizarre subcultures (a young
republicans convention, a pricey pre-school auction, a mob celebration, a
same-sex wedding, a pork industry awards party, etc).





Rewatching the TV show recently, I found it to
be a show about dreamers (three are actors at various stages of their career
life span, one's a stand-up comic, one's a writer, and one dreams of owning a
restaurant franchise) who are making due in a purgatory of sorts. More so, I
found it to be about the price of giving up on your dreams as shown through
Henry. At times, Henry was the saddest character on the show because even
though the other characters could be considered sad through delusion, marital
frustration, an inferiority complex, or social awkwardness, they at least had
hope

Critiquing Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz's Top 100 TV Shows of All Time

As someone who's written listicles, I know it's annoying to
have people on the comment section going "what about this?" but my
hope is to explain theories for the context of choices, suggest alternatives,
and entertain. I also hope to make history as the first person to critique
their work while bubble bathing.

I tried very hard to get it under 20 minutes before
giving up but you have my permission to click around as I count down from 100.
Around 2:00 is when I get to the inherent challenges of a TV canon and I
actually start the list at 4:48.

Alan and Matt's book is:

TV (The Book): Two Experts Pick the Greatest American Shows of All Time.

The authors of this book and I would likely agree that there isn't as established of a TV canon as there is in moviedom because most of the writing about television has generally been by TV Guide and Entertainment Weekly and it has been narrowed around "What to Watch This Week" until the past decade or so. In contrast, film has been seriously analyzed and different decades and auteurs have been matched up against each other since the days of Pauline Kael and the French New Wave.

One downside to this is that TV best-of lists have a lot less variation (everyone loves MASH, I Love Lucy, Mary Tyler Moore Show, Cosby Show, etc) and a lot more reliance on ratings to establish what has been the canon (this book's list of shows matches up very closely to how well those shows dominated over their rivals in their ratings).

Another funny thing about a TV best-of list is that to get anything resembling a popular consensus, you need the public to have had some sort of accessibility to the list and entire generations have gone without seeing some of the classics of this list. I for one have never seen All in the Family or Moonlighting because it wasn't on in syndication when I was growing up (I'm generally in the school of thought that good art has to find its way to you and not the other way around).

Even then the socio-economic factors that make a show popular is more pronounced in this meeting because a lot of these shows weren't designed to appeal to broad audiences in the present and film (a director-driven medium) is somewhat more aimed at timelessness. Others might disagree but I'd argue that many shows like Roseanne, Family Ties, and Golden Girls don't particularly age well when watching them in the present day. The clips I've seen of All in the Family seem like a show about a very whiny and shrill family.

My suggestions for classic work that should be considered are: Looney Tunes, Threes Company, Get Smart and Beverly Hillbillies

Contemporary Shows which could have been interesting choices include: Homeland, Better off Ted, Party Down, The Good Wife, Modern Family, Orange is the New Black, Cougar Town, Scandal, Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Man in High Castle, American Horror Story, and Empire

Lastly, shows that took off after the book was released that could be worthy include: Lodge 49, BoJack Horseman, The Americans, Black Mirror, Lady Dynamite, Crashing, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, The Last Man on Earth, The Good Place, Marvelous Mrs Maisel, Derry Girls, Glow, Silicon Valley, and Review

My articles for Screenprism are now part of The Take

In 2016, I had the pleasure of contributing to a site called Screen Prism where I conferenced in with the creators of the site and they spoke with film writers to create content that answered an FAQ  about film or television with a deep dive. The essays were a great mix of academic and popular in style and I'm extremely proud of my articles for them.

The site morphed into The Take and eventually focused solely on video content so some of my work got buried under the new site design.

Were Movies in the 1950s as White-Washed as Pleasantville Suggests?

https://the-take.com/read/were-movies-of-the-1950s-as-white-washed-as-later-films-like-pleasantville-suggest

Hint: No. This essay was precipitated by noticing that films in the 1940s and 1950s were extremely risque. I often say "Duck Soup" or "Double Indemnity" are great exhibits for how classic movies used to go places that screenwriting often can't today.

How does Mozart in the Jungle Reflect Amazon's New Business Model?
http://screenprism.com/insights/article/how-does-the-pilot-of-mozart-in-the-jungle-reflect-amazons-business-model

I noticed when watching this show that the pilot and the second episode had inconsistencies that got me thinking of Amazon's cross purposes in the creations of the pilot and the rest of the season.

Why don't Characters Never Change in Arrested Development and Seinfeld?
http://screenprism.com/insights/article/do-the-characters-of-black-comedies-like-seinfeld-and-arrested-development
This one explored the concept of black comedy. I had never seen "The Peep Show" but the editor kept wanting to add that in.

What is the real-life story of the Hollywood Blacklist Depicted in Trumbo?
http://screenprism.com/insights/article/how-did-the-real-life-hollywood-blacklist-shown-in-trumbo-affect-the-histor

As a student of film history, this one was fairly simple to write up and topical because of the release of the film at the time

Did the Writers Initially Intend for Mac of It's Always Sunny to be Gay?
http://screenprism.com/insights/article/has-the-character-of-mac-on-its-always-sunny-in-philadelphia-always-been-ga

There have been long discussions on message boards that inspired me to want to talk my own stab at writing this with both my own pet theory and a collection of what a lot of internet contributors were saying about the topic.

How does Ball of Fire Reveal the Themes of a Classic Screwball Comedy?
http://screenprism.com/insights/article/how-does-ball-of-fire-reveal-the-themes-of-the-classic-screwball-comedy
I was recently reading about screwball comedies and class in an old college textbook so this fit right in.

Who really wrote Citizen Kane?
http://screenprism.com/insights/article/who-really-wrote-citizen-kane-why-was-there-controversy-over-the-screenwrit
I was fascinated by the fact that Herman Mankiewicz's descendants felt the need to take up the mantle in defense of him decades later. I checked out three books from the library and wrote an article for Nostalgia Digest and reused some of the material here.

How did Cleopatra Destroy a Director and a Studio?
http://screenprism.com/insights/article/how-did-hollywood-disaster-cleopatra-almost-destroy-its-director-and-20th-c
This was from the same Mankiewicz brothers article as above as it was Joseph Mankiewicz who directed "Cleopatra".

American Horror Story: 1984 Review

As I start to utilize YouTube more, it's becoming increasingly easy to post here. This is my review of American Horror Story 1984. AHS is one of the most unpredictable and strange creations on television and occasionally it works, so it's ripe for commentary.

12 best episodes of 2017

"Juan Likes Rice and Chicken" Documentary Now-An absurdist take down of high-end dining involving a Colombian restaurant in the middle of nowhere and the half banana, rice, and chicken dish that drives people wild

"Chadwick’s Angels" Making History-"Time travel with idiots" was the basic gist of this under-rewarded series and few plots were as superfluous as a guy traveling back to the 1980's just to complete an ice cream challenge he failed as a middle schooler. The episode ends with some impressively heavy time travel conundrums.

"Kimmy Goes to College" Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt-The episode features Kimmy Schmidt reuniting with her one true frenemy Xan and surreptitiously finding herself in college while Titus and Mikey end their relationship on the sweetest of terms. 

"Real Secrets" Real O’Neals-The season finale is a high stakes episode with a possible marraige proposal and pregnancy scare. More importantly it ends with Eileen using all her collected wisdom as a recovering homophobe to win over Allison's disapproving parents. Like many of the show's episodes, it ends with the appropriate "aw" moment

"Always an Oscar Bridesmaid" Documentary Now-Fred Armisen's love of quirk combined with the show's love of milking out little details of derivation from the original story result in a a great season finale about a man who Forrest Gumps his way through the last 50 years of Hollywood Awards history.

"The Gang Tends Bar" It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia-Of all the adventures the gang has tried, they've never done one where the gang simply does their jobs.

"Jason Mendoza" Good Place-The cliffhanger for the last episode is that the buddhist monk is, in fact, Jason Mendoza but we had no idea he was this stupid and fun. One of the season's big shockers.

"Eight Mile High"Those Who Can’t-Abby joins a gang and Loren enters the world of freestyle rapping. It's about as hard-core (and oblivious) as these characters. Also earns points for being so politically incorrect it comes back to satire (either that or dumb fun)

"Prince and the Pauper" Another Period-A prince comes to Bellacourt manner seeking a bride. The episode's an excuse for Lillian and Beartice to unleash their most awful traits and for Peepers to get schooled in the art of butlership. And poor, poor Blanche.

"Michael’s Gambit" The Good Place-AKA The episode with the big twist

"That’s Too Much Man" BoJack Horseman-BoJack's demons become completely unhinged in this time-skipping episode that pairs BoJack with old costar (and on-again off-again) friend Sarah Lynn. It's an episode where BoJack reaches some odd level of self-discovery with a person who has always been important to his life in an odd way that appropriately ends tragically. Happiness is fleeting indeed.

"Fish Out of Water" BoJack Horseman-The visually splended underwater episode that was talked about everywhere on the blogosphere.

My New YouTube Video Channel on Films Where'd You Go Bernadette, Late Night, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

This past Sunday, I woke up extremely lethargic and stayed in bed until a little past noon so I decided I needed a project. At the start of 2018, I thought I'd review every film I'd seen in 2017 but that never got off the ground so I thought I'd start again and I didn't even get out of bed. Over the course of the next 24 hours whether taking a bath, waiting for a restaurant or switching metros, I reviewed all but three of the films I'd seen in 24 hours.

The first was "Where'd You Go Bernadette" which was my third favorite film of the year because it managed to squeeze in complex issues of mental health with a light comedic tone in what was kind of a PG movie. 

The second was "Late Night" written by Mindy Kaling about her own experiences as a diversity hire in many writer's rooms including "The Office." For a film that likely begins with a an agenda about visibility and how the world is all smiles and rainbows if we include POC and women, it has a surprisingly good amount of nuance.

I did "Zombieland" and "The Good Liar" before I got out of bed. I haven't uploaded those ones but I also did "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" the next morning as I was leaving for upstate New York the next morning.

 

5 Movie Reviews: Zombieland Double Tap, Dolemite is My Name, Laundromat, Honey Boy, and Terminator Dark Fate

Zombieland Double Tap: "Zombieland" is innovative in its special effects and in an era when one out of every three movies has people shooting at people in some form, that's quite a compliment. The film is littered with clever narration and on-screen text but the use of both treads the fine line between additive and cloying.

More importantly, the film has chemistry between its quartet who form a found family and the introduction of Zoey Deutch as a valley girl along with cameos by Luke Wilson and Thomas Middleditch are comic highlights.

For someone who has no inherent attraction to the zombie genre, I thoroughly enjoyed this film and that's saying a lot.




Terminator Dark Fate- After three extremely underwhelming sequels, it’s pretty miraculous alone that James Cameron and company managed to make something halfway decent. Like “Logan”, a future-leaning genre is given n post-modern Western feel by setting it in the desert landscape of Mexico. While the return of Linda Hamilton’s  Sarah Connor character was hyped up as the missing ingredient, she’s a disappointing straw man, and it’s really Arnold Schwarzenegger’s mellowed-out performance (as opposed to his annoyingly silly performances in “Terminator: Genysis”) that steals the show. The high-water mark of the franchise was “Terminator 2” which combined the state-of-the-art action and novelty factor with a Spielbergian story of a kid and an unconventional parent figure. Although McKenzie Davis and Natalia Reyes have their pluses, this film doesn’t capture that magic from “Terminator 2” but the action is a non-stop adrenaline rush.


Dolemite is My Name-The “film behind the film” genre can get pretty tired but Rudy Ray Moore was such an audacious anamoly (I was planning to use the word “original” until I realized he stole his act and still remained a likeable protagonist) that his biopic is worth exploring. The rags-to-riches rise of Moore is a tale of perseverance, adaptation to the times, and is laced with underlying racial commentary without being preachy. The show boasts a strong ensemble but no one overshadows Eddie Murphy which is the way it should be: His performance needs room to  shine.


The Laundromaut-The film will garner comparisons to “The Big Short” because of the fourth wall devices, focus on financial fraud, and the loose cobbling together of different plot threads. This film is a bit more stylized (the typography is quite heavenly) but it’s a pretty apt comparison. Because “The Big Short” came first, this one’s going to look fairly derivative by comparison, but it also is a film that feels a bit pretentious and uninspired outside of its gimmickry. For an ensemble film, the film seems to put its focus in the wrong places as well. Some of the subplots don’t seem to have a suitably meaty arc and (some are going to differ from me) Gary Oldman and Antonio Banderas’ characters are underused here. The two are treated as emcees to tie together the string of events rather when they could be more deeply involved in the story themselves. Still, the cast is rather impressive and the film has its moments.


Honey Boy-The film is difficult to take because it portrays parental abuse so barely, but it is an assured work of art. Shia LaBeouf has been a very unconventional star and this is a culmination of much of his grappling with himself that’s happened in public. He faced the same hurdles of growing up under the limelight that has befallen other child actors and he's been charged with drunk driving, plagiarism, bad relationships with co-stars, concealing on-set relationships, and and misbehaving so badly during a Broadway performance that he got thrown out of a theater and sent to jail. Rather than follow the script during his rehabilitation,his form of damage control in these situations, he used transparent honesty. This resulted in one of the funniest interviews I've ever seen on Jimmy Kimmel, the I'm Sorry Tour, and the thing where he watched his own movies. And now this film.

Perfect Harmony Review

When "Perfect Harmony" and "Sunnyside" both premiered this Fall, I had a hunch only one of the shows would survive due to NBC's penchant for cancelling promising shows (I still haven't forgiven the network for the double whammy of "Go On" and "The New Normal" circa 2013). I got an essay published on this at The Federalist but originally submitted it before "Sunnyside" got cancelled (fortunately, it's been picked up by Hulu). As a result, I cut out the "Perfect Harmony" part of the essay and focused solely on "Sunnyside." Here's the leftover "Perfect Harmony" stuff:

"Perfect Harmony" is an odd couple pairing between an uptight Princeton music professor (Brad Whitford) and the populace of a small Kentucky town. The (extremely laborious) premise for the set-up is that the professor has just been fired and is on his way to bury his dead wife and subsequently commit suicide when he hears a church choir singing awful music and decides on instinct to give them some quick pointers before pulling the trigger. He then decides to stay alive a few days longer through a choir competition against his new mortal enemy and things roll from there.

More than anything else, "Perfect Harmony" is a red-state/blue-state clash of values and the sentimental highs it hopes to produce are from people overcoming their differences and meeting in the middle. The show portrays the small-town characters as eccentric, the viewer loyalty generally leans towards the red state mannerisms of the locals as they are portrayed as far more emotionally open and genuine.

Recent Emmy winner Brad Whitford is far too grumpy to be interesting. Like Danny and Matt in
"Studio 60", Whitford's Dr. Cochran's genius is portrayed as something that goes hand-in-hand with being a 40-year-old trapped in an 80-year-old curmudgeon's body. In truth, it just comes off as annoying.  

Sadly, the show does have a star in Anna Camp who is somewhat of an original character with her perkiness, Spring beauty, and an internal battle between restrained Southern charm and frustration-driven id. Sadly, the show puts too much emphasis on Whitford who doesn't have much going for him. So far, the show pedals in broad characters with friends/roommates Dwayne and Wayne serving as a redneck tweedle-dee/tweedle-dum of sorts (though Dwayne has hidden dimensions), diva Adams Adams who owns the local restaurant. I have a soft spot for Rizwan Manji who has alternately played genuinely nice people and passive-aggressive social climbers ("Outsourced" "Arrested Development") in equal measure.

Not sure where the show is going, but let's hope it doesn't get cancelled as well. (Although, good news! Sunnyside got picked up by Hulu)

Norma Rae (1979) Review: Films and Capitalism

In preparation for a discussion I’m leading for the DC Film Society's Cinema Lounge on films and capitalism, I decided to watch “Norma Rae.” The 1979 Best Picture nominee tells the tale of a North Carolina town that successfully unionizes against a steel mill company thanks to the partnership of a Jewish union organizer and an uneducated single mother.


To call this a passion project for star Sally Field and director Martin Ritt would be an understatement. Field, stuck in the dungeon of sitcom-land (things I learned in my research here: Sally Field once was a bikini-clad sex symbol as the surfer chick “Gidget”; cover your eyes Forrest!), had just gone to the Actor’s Studio and studied under Lee Strasberg and was starting to get attention for the made-for-TV film “Sybil.” After nearly every other actress turned down the part (including two of the actresses she would defeat in the Oscar race that year), Field jumped on the part as a chance to prove herself. Her director, Martin Ritt, had been black-listed in the 1950s and was devoted more than before to make films with something to say. Ritt found a kindred spirit in Field who first met him at an anti-nuclear rally. Field, in turn, would call working under Ritt the best acting experience of her life and collaborate with him twice more.

The film is also enhanced by DP John Alonzo's grainy photography as most of the film (particularly the factory scenes) were shot on a hand-held camera.

The film’s authenticity was enhanced through location shooting. While the crew wasn’t able to film at the actual location of the strike in North Carolina, Alabama was trying to attract film productions at the time, which happened to be a serendipitous stroke as they settled on the small Alabama town of Opelika which had been dealing with its own labor issues at the time after the town had gone from a largely agricultural center to a primarily industrial base. While some extras came from nearby Auburn University, many of the factory workers appeared as background and Field said that in her climactic holding-up-the-sign scene (as shown above), that she could feel their energy and sorrow as she was walking to her arrest.

The film’s narrative is largely constrained to the events of real life but that doesn’t mean that real life was particularly disappointing. The film teases out a romance between Norma and organizer Reuben but, in real-life, the age difference was too big for it to enter either of their minds. At least we’ll always have the skinny dipping.  Norma instead is paired romantically with a good-natured guy (Sonny, played by Beau Bridges) who is …um, how shall I say this delicately without feeding into southern stereotypes… a simpleton who seems a little slow for a woman who’s suddenly reading books and might be the first person in town who can answer the trivia question “Do Jews have horns?”

Because that’s how they do in the South, apparently, the two get married one date into their courtship, and it’s genuinely unclear midway through the movie if Beau Bridges is her true love (although, really, why marry Beau when his brother is such a stud?) or simply a distraction en route to a certain loud-mouth union organizer from way up north. It’s a convincing enough misdirect that when their marriage is at a breaking point and Sonny makes the perfect gesture to let her know he’ll be by her side through thick and thin, it’s the emotional high point of the movie. Sonny's politically apathetic about the union issue and it’s not exactly George and Kelly Anne Conway levels of political division, but much of the movie’s conflict is about how the people at the top try to sow divisions at the bottom, so it'll do.

The bad guys who run the factory try promoting Norma to give her a taste of power in hopes she’ll forget about the people she’s supposed to be helping and pretty much admit that this is their evil plan. Then they try sowing discontent among various groups along racial and socio-economic lines. Isn’t this pretty much what Karl Marx warned about?

I originally classified films that critique capitalism with the subgenres of films that might posit their villain as someone who perverts capitalism; films that attack an entire industry; or films that attack the institution of capitalism itself. The third category, which I believe is the most damning critique of capitalism, suggests that human nature devolves under the pursuit of money over material wealth.

There’s a lot to stylistically admire and Sally Field’s portrayal of Norma Rae (or rather the real-life activist Crystal Lee Sutton composited with approximately four other characters due to issues with Sutton not selling her life rights) is quite a firecracker of a performance. But as a film that explores the root of capitalistic evils (or just plain evil in general), “Norma Rae” is a film about the triumph of the human spirit, though it certainly flattens its villains and suffers thematically in its efforts to paint capitalists one way and those who seek to resist it in a more heroic light. .

Why exactly are the factory foremen determined to not change with the times? The degree that their hostility is determined by historic inertia, religious prejudice (the Jewish union organizer is so loud about his religious affiliation, it’s not really clear whether he’s asking people to hate him for being Jewish and if that’s part of his baiting), or a desire to protect their wealth (that’s the root of capitalism) is pretty variable here. That would be worth answering but the general principles are worth exploring here.

Pursuit of Happyness review

The tagline of "Pursuit of Happyness" was basically "story of a poor guy trying to get a job" when it came out which seemed a little (as the millennials say) basic.

After watching it, it hit me that there aren't that many movies about a guy who desperately needs a job trying to make something happen. Even if this was an actual film genre that had been steadily populated throughout the years, this story would stick out for its specificity.


The protagonist Chris Gardner (Will Smith) is a father weighed down to the breaking point with bills to pay and a son to care for. His backstory isn't filled in that well which might be intentional because little of it adds up. How did he get the job where he sells obscure medical equipment and why doesn't he impress his bosses enough to ask for a raise with that? Why didn't he take advantage of the free education that came with his service in the navy? Why did he choose to live in the country's most expensive city? In real life, Chris Gardner's first wife came from a wealthy family and she introduced him to high society life where he was mingling with Danny Glover and Samuel L Jackson. Why didn't he try to use some of that social capital?


Nitpicking aside, we're asked to accept that Gardner is an unexplained sort of poor which sort of works if we consider that we likely won't know the backstories and explanations behind every homeless person who approaches on the street for a spare dime.


In order to invest us in this character (much like a positive-leaning biopic), the film wants us to identify with his greatness primarily through his bravery. In reality, Gardner made a cost-benefit analysis and might have even came to the wrong conclusion for all we know: Sacrifice six months of pay for a 1 in 20 chance of landing a job as a broker when you have a kid to support and a landlord on your back? In reality, Gardner had a small stipend ($1000 a month in 1983 which would probably be more by present-day standards) and the training program at Dean Witter offered jobs to almost anyone who passed the test. And while the movie is enhanced by seeing a guy go against such odds, there's already plenty of natural drama built into the man's situation. He has to go homeless, attempt to sweet talk clients when he has no experience making sales, and play nice with his bosses who don't understand his stresses.

The film is primarily known for Will Smith's Oscar-nominated performance and the moment when his son Jaden was introduced to the world (as Chris's son). But it deserves quite a bit more credit than that.

I watched this film in preparation for a talk I'm leading in a week about capitalism and movies. My thesis was originally that there are some films that have standard pro-capitalist bents and some films that challenge the assumptions of capitalism as the best possible distribution system of wealth.

From the synopsis I assumed that this would simply be spreading the gospel of capitalism. This is a story, after all, about a guy who analyzes his options, and ultimately decides that doing flawless work in subservience to his bosses would be the best way to rise to the top. From a standpoint of the main character's narrative, yes, the film is an allegory for the benefits of working your way up the corporate ladder and buying your time.

However, reading this film through a more modern-day lens where critical race theory and privilege (whether socio-economic or other) is a big factor in how we talk (not that I agree with all of it), the film doesn't shy away of the ways in which Gardner is held back from a system that penalizes him from the cyclical pattern of poverty he was born into. Wherever you stand on the "race explains everything" line, it's undeniable that if he was born into better circumstances, he would have better been prepared to deal with his employers. Everything from his arrest for parking tickets to the discomfort he might have with his array of bosses who were born into wealth highlights it's not a particularly fair meritocracy despite the fact that he succeeds anyway.

With Gardner's happy ending, the film has its cake and eats it too. Or does it?

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency Season 2: A very belated review

As someone who has historically not been an enthusiastic novel reader, Douglas Adams stands as one of the few people to open me up to the delights of the form. Whether it’s the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series or Dirk Gently, his delightful absurdity is sprinkled nearly everywhere in the book whether it’s the larger plot points (the answer to life, the universe and everything being 42, an alien race torturing people through bad poetry readings) or clever dialogue (“flying is throwing yourself at the ground and missing”).

The idea of “Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency” (I’ll have to add an IIRC caveat, I’m too lazy to look this up) is that the protagonist is a thoroughly amoral and lazy detective who calls himself a “holistic detective” so that he can bill anything he does to the case. Since everything’s related to everything, there’s no telling that anything he does isn’t related to the case.

He manages to capture the whimsical absurdity of Douglas Adams’ book series. The TV series takes on a more mystical approach while keeping the absurdity confined largely to the character of Dirk character himself (Samuel Barnett). Gently is a classic cuckoolander with recently-fired bellhop named Todd (Elijah Wood, hitting the same beats of schlubby directionless as “Wilfred”) as the straight man keeping him in check. Both series have been populated with a wide array of characters with the most Dirk-like being a female holistic assassin named Bart (Fiona Dourif) who takes casual violence to such extremes that the gore is placated by (what TV Tropes refers to) as crossing the line twice. Others like black wing officer Hugo Friedkin (Dustin Milligan of “Schitt’s Creek”) have the lone character trait of being a little dense. Mildly humorous but mostly blah. At least there’s a variety of tonal flavors in this awkward-yet-charming character stew.

The key emotional relationship is between Todd and his sister Amanda (Hannah Marks) and while two young adult siblings bonded by their shared directionless (“Casual” and more recently “Lodge 49” have done it well), the two have an affable chemistry. It also helps that the relationship is complicated by random chronic illness and Amanda having superpowers making her more than just another audience surrogate.

Both seasons of the show are serialized and zany but don’t necessarily match the profound zaninesss, say, of the source material. The second season, which I saw recently, revolves around a traumatized child in rural Montana (as ideal for a fish-out-of-water vibe as any Western state) with telekinetic powers who creates an entire imaginary world that has been operating on its own for thirty years.

The mystery unravels gently enough for the slower viewers (AKA me) not to get lost in all the technobabble. As such, there’s some catharsis when the loose strings get tied together at the end, but it’s mostly about watching zany characters navigate tight situations in a way that’s a bit more fun than the average serialized crime story.   

The second season’s chief villain, Suzie Borden (a nod to Lizzie, perhaps?), is a bored housewife with a rebellious teenage son, who gets a little taste of supernatural power and goes to town. She’s curiously sympathetic at first: One can easily see her as the mildly put-upon housewive trope getting her revenge against society for putting her into a box and stripping her (and perhaps all domesticated women) from their dreams. However, our audience sympathies cleverly switch when we learn that while Suzie sees herself as Carrie (a movie I recently reviewed), her peers see her as more in line with a plastic from Mean Girls.

Like many ensemble series, the level of interest in what’s on screen changes with whether we’re following a good character and a good storyline. Suzie’s one of the bigger draws here.

The series’ first season was such a freaky lightning in a pan that it’s pretty impressive for lightning to strike twice as it did here.

Megalist: All movies over the last 20 years which starred 3 Oscar Winners or More

I've started to notice that the formula for a good movie is to have two stars in it. Very not often do you see films investing beyond that unless it's a mega-ensemble film like Bobby, Murder on the Orient Express or something along those lines. 

I did one of those megalists where I made the criteria films with three Oscar winning actors in the cast excluding Oscar recipients (although honorary recipients are just as worthy, and I will die along those lists). This is not a 100% accurate measure of stardom, and I included people before they won the Oscar or in films for which they won their Oscar (i.e. Shakespeare in Love, A Beautiful Mind) so Larry Crowne (which has a small role for Rami Malek) is essentially a two-star film with a break out star. Lastly worth nothing, a handful of Oscar winners (Judi Dench, Jon Voight, Jim Broadbent, Christopher Plummer, Chris Cooper) are not particularly selective with their roles and don't demand (or maybe simply aren't afforded) top roles, so they normally squeeze into casts in all sorts of places.

Still it's (slightly) interesting to read.

1998:

Shakespeare in Love: Gwyneth Paltrow*, Colin Firth, Geoffery Rush, Judi Dench*
Great Expectations: Gwyneth Paltrow, Anne Bancroft, Robert DeNiro, Chris Coooper

Enemy of the State: Gene Hackman, Jon Voight, Will Smith, Regina King, Jason Robards

Primary Colors: Emma Thompson, Kathy Bates, Allison Janney

Antz: Gene Hackman, Anne Bancroft, Christopher Walken

One True Thing: Meryl Streep, Rene Zellweger, William Hurt

Big Lebowski: Jeff Bridges, Julianne Moore, Phillip Seymour Hoffman

A Thin Red Line: Sean Penn, George Clooney, Adrian Brody
Meet Joe Black: Anthony Hopkins, Brad, Marcia Gay Harden

1999:

Talented Mr Ripley: Gwyneth Paltrow, Cate Blanchett, Phillip Seymour Hoffman

American Beauty: Kevin Spacey,* Chris Cooper, Allison Janney

Cider House Rules: Michael Caine*, Charlize Theron, JK Simmons

Insider: Russell Crowe, Al Pacino, Christopher Plummer
Magnolia: Julianne Moore, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Jason Robards

Tea with Moussilini: Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Cher

2000:

Traffic: Michael Douglas, Benicio del Toro*, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Viola Davis
Quills: Geoffery Rush, Kate Winslet, Michael Caine, Joaquin Phoenix

Finding Forrester: Sean Connery, F. Murray Abraham, Anna Paquin

Almost Famous: Frances McDormand, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Anna Paquin

Nurse Betty: Rene Zellweger, Morgan Freeman, Allison Janney

Men of Honor: Cuba Gooding Jr, Robert DeNiro, Charlize Theron

Requiem for a Dream: Ellen Burstyn, Jennifer Connelly, Jared Leto
Gone in 60 Seconds: Nicholas Cage, Angelina Jolie, Robert Duvall
Dr T and the Women: Helen Hunt, Laura Dern, Lee Grant

Legend of Bagger Vance: Will Smith, Charlize Theron, Jack Lemmon

2001:

Royal Tenenbaums: Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Gwyneth Paltrow

Shipping News: Kevin Spacey, Julianne Moore, Judi Dench

Beautiful Mind: Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly*, Christopher Plummer

Ocean’s 11: George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Casey Affleck, Brad Pitt

Miss Congeniality: Sandra Bullock, Michael Caine, Regina King

Iris: Judi Dench, Jim Broadbent*, Kate Winslet

Hannibal: Julianne Moore, Anthony Hopkins, Gary Oldman
Bridget Jones Diary: Rene Zellweger, Colin Firth, Jim Broadbent

I Am Sam: Sean Penn, Dianne Weist, Laura Dern
America's Sweethearts: Julia Roberts, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Christopher Walken
Captain Corelli's Mandolin: Penelope Cruz, Nicolas Cage, Christian Bale
The Pledge: Jack Nicholson, Benicio del Toro, Helen Mirren
2002:

Adaptation: Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper*, Tilda Swinton

Hours: Nicole Kidman*, Julianne Moore, Meryl Streep, Allison Janney

Catch Me If You Can: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken

Gangs of New York: Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, Jim Broadbent

Insomnia: Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Hillary Swank

Banger Sisters: Goldie Hawn, Susan Sarandon, Geoffery Rush

Nicholas Nickelby: Anne Hathaway, Christopher Plummer, Jim Broadbent

Panic Room: Jodi Foster, Forrest Whitaker, Jared Leto
Moonlight Mile: Dustin Hoffman, Susan Sarandon, Holly Hunter

Spiderman: Cliff Robertson, JK Simmons, Octavia Spencer

2003:

Cold Mountain: Nicole Kidman, Rene Zellweger, Natalie Portman, Phillip Seymour Hoffman

21 Grams: Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Melissa Leo

Legally Blonde 2: Reese Witherspoon, Sally Field, Regina King

Mystic River: Sean Penn*, Tim Robbins*, Marcia Gay Harden

Runaway Jury: Dustin Hoffman, Gene Hackman, Rachel Weisz

Intolerable Cruelty: George Clooney, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Geoffery Rush

Something’s Gotta Give: Jack Nicholson, Dianne Keaton, Frances McDormand

2004:

Ocean’s 12: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Julia Roberts, Casey Affleck
Alexander: Anthony Hopkins, Angelina Jolie, Christopher Plummer, Jared Leto
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow: Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Marlon Brando

Finding Neverland: Kate Winslet, Dustin Hoffman, Julie Christie

National Treasure: Nicolas Cage, Jon Voight, Christopher Plummer

Manchurian Candidate: Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, Jon Voight
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason: Rene Zellweger, Jim Broadbent, Colin Firth

The Village: Adrien Brody, William Hurt, Joaquin Phoenix

2005:

Batman Begins: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman

Bewitched: Nicole Kidman, Michael Caine, Shirley MacLaine

Miss Congeniality 2: Sandra Bullock, Michael Caine, Regina King
North Country: Charlize Theron, Francis McDormand, Sissy Spacek

Syriana: George Clooney, Chris Cooper, William Hurt, Christopher Plummer, Viola Davis

[Empire Falls: Helen Hunt, Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward]

2006:

Good Shepard: Angelina Jolie, Robert DeNiro, Eddie Redmayne, Joe Pesci

Prairie Home Companion: Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Tommy Lee Jones

Superman Returns: Kevin Spacey, Eva Marie Saint, Marlon Brando

All the King’s Men: Sean Penn, Anthony Hopkins, Kate Winslet

Inside Man: Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster, Christopher Plummer
2007:

I’m Not There: Cate Blanchett, Chrstian Bale, Heath Ledger, Julianne Moore

National Treasure 2: Nicolas Cage, Jon Voight, Helen Mirren

Elizabeth the Golden Age: Cate Blanchett, Geoffery Rush, Eddie Redmayne

Darjeeling Limited: Adrianne Brody, Anjelica Huston, Natalie Portman

American Gangster: Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Cuba Gooding Jr

Charlie Wilson’s War: Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Phillip Seymour Hoffman

In the Valley of Elah: Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, Susan Sarandon

Ocean’s 13: Al Pacino, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck
Assassination of Jesse James: Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Sam Rockwell

Hot Fuzz: Olivia Colman, Jim Broadbent, Brad Pitt

2008:

Four Christmases: Reese Witherspoon, Robert Duvall, Mary Steenburgen, Sissy Spacek, Jon Voight

Dark Knight: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger*, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman

Burn After Reading: Frances McDormand, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Tilda Swinton, JK Simmons

Revolutionary Road: Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCpario, Kathy Bates

Doubt: Meryl Streep, Viola Davis, Phillip Seymour Hoffman
Curious Case of Benjamin Button: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton

Righteous Kill: Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, Melissa Leo

2009:
Nine: Daniel Day-Lewis, Nicole Kidman, Sophia Loren, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Judi Dench

Brothers Bloom: Adrian Brody, Rachel Weisz, Maxmillan Schell

Men Who Stare at Goats: Kevin Spacey, George Clooney, Jeff Bridges

Everybody’s Fine: Robert DeNiro, Sam Rockwell, Melissa Leo

State of Play: Russell Crowe, Helen Mirren, Viola Davis

2010:

Valentine’s Day: Anne Hathaway, Jamie Fox, Shirley MacLaine, Kathy Bates, Julia Roberts

Red: Helen Mirren, Anthony Hopkins, Ernest Borgnine, Richard Dreyfuss

Inception: Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael Caine, Marion Cotillard

Little Fockers: Dustin Hoffman, Robert DeNiro, Barbara Streisand
Conviction: Hillary Swank, Melissa Leo, Sam Rockwell

Eat Pray Love: Julia Roberts, Viola Davis, Javier Bardem

2011:

The Help: Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer*, Allison Janney, Sissy Spacek, Mary Steenburgen, Jessica Chastain

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: Sandra Bullock, Tom Hanks, Viola Davis
New Year's Eve: Robert DeNiro, Halle Berry, Hillary Swank 

Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides: Penelope Cruz, Geoffery Rush, Judi Dench

Carnage: Jodi Foster, Kate Winslet, Christophe Waltz

Midnight in Paris: Marion Cotillard, Adrian Brody, Kathy Bates

Crazy Stupid Love: Emma Stone, Julianne Moore, Marisa Tomei

The Ides of March: George Clooney, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Marisa Tomei

Larry Crowne: Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Rami Malek

Iron Lady: Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent, Olivia Colman
Contagion: Kate Winslet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Marion Cotillard

Tree of Life: Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain, Sean Penn

2012:

Dark Knight Rises: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Anne Hathaway, Gary Oldman, Marion Cotillard

Django Unchained: Jamie Foxx, Christophe Waltz*, Leonardo DiCaprio

Lincoln: Daniel Day-Lewis*, Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones

Amazing Spiderman: Emma Stone, Sally Field, Chris Cooper

Les Miserables: Anne Hathaway*, Russell Crowe, Eddie Redmayne

The Company You Keep: Julie Christie, Susan Sarandon, Chris Cooper
The Master: Joaquin Phoenix, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Laura Dern

2013:

Last Vegas: Roberto De Niro, Michael Douglas, Mary Steenburgen, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline

The Butler: Forrest Whitaker, Jane Fonda, Robin Williams, Cuba Gooding Jr, Vanessa Redgrave

American Hustle: Christian Bale, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert DeNiro

Wolf of Wall Street: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jean DuJardin, Matthew McConaughey

Stand Up Guys:  Christopher Walken, Alan Arkin, Al Pacino
Red 2: Helen Mirren, Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta-Jones
The Big Wedding: Robin Willliams, Robert DeNiro, Susan Sarandon, Dianne Keaton
The Counselor: Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz

August Osage County: Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Chris Cooper

2014:

Interstellar: Matthew McConaughey, Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway, Casey Affleck, Ellen Burstyn, Michael Caine

Grand Budapest Hotel: F. Murray Abraham, Tilda Swinton, Adrian Brody

Night at the Museum 2:  Robin Williams, Rami Malek, Ben Kingsley

X-Men Days of Future Past: Jennifer Lawrence, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin

Hunger Games Mockingjay 1: Jennifer Lawrence, Julianne Moore, Phillip Seymour Hoffman,            Amazing Spiderman 2: Emma Stone, Sally Field, Chris Cooper

Noah: Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Anthony Hopkins
Monuments Men: George Clooney, Cate Blanchett, Jean DuJardin

The Homesman: Tommy Lee Jones, Hillary Swank, Meryl Streep

Inherent Vice: Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Benicio del Toro

2015:
Youth: Michael Caine, Jane Fonda, Rachel Weisz

Big Short: Christain Bale, Marissa Tomei, Melissa Leo, Brad Pitt

Hunger Games Mockingjay 2: Jennifer Lawrence, Julianne Moore, Phillip Seymour Hoffman

Magic in the Moonlight: Colin Firth, Emma Stone, Marcia Gay Harden

2016:

Bridget Jones Baby: Rene Zellweger, Jim Broadbent, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson

Hail Caesar: George Clooney, Francis McDormand, Tilda Swinton

Jungle Book: Ben Kinglsey, Lupita Nyongo, Chrisopher Walken

Suicide Squad: Jared Leto, Will Smith, Viola Davis

Knight of Cups: Christain Bale, Cate Blanchett, Natalie Portman

2017:

Murder on the Orient Express: Penelope Cruz, Judi Dench, Olivia Colman

Kingsman 2: Julianne Moore, Colin Firth, Halle Berry, Jeff Bridges

Tulip Fever: Alicia Vickander, Christophe Waltz, Judi Dench

Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Men Tell No Tales: Javier Bardem, Geoffrey Rush, Penelope Cruz

2018:

Mamma Mia 2: Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Cher

Book Club: Mary Steenburgen, Dianne Keaton, Jane Fonda, Richard Dreyfuss
The Favourite: Olivia Colman*, Rachel Weisz, Emma Stone

Black Panther: Forest Whitaker, Lupita N'yonga, Juliette Whitaker
Avengers Infinity War: Benicio del Toro, Gwyneth Paltrow, William Hurt, Brie Larson

Ocean's 8: Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway

Widows: Robert Duvall, Viola Davis, Dan Kaluuya
2019:

Little Women-Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper, Laura Dern
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood-Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Al Pacino

Avengers Endgame: Tilda Swinton, Michael Douglas, Marisa Tomei, William Hurt, Natalie Portman, Gwyneth Paltrow

2020:

Prom-Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Ariana DeBose

Dolittle-Emma Thompson, Rami Malek, Octavia Spencer, Marion Cotillard, Jim Broadbent

Little Things-Denzel Washington, Jared Leto, Rami Malek