They say that one person’s loss is another person’s gain, but cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt had mixed emotions about his recent good fortune in landing the coveted director of photography gig on “May December,” the latest film from Todd Haynes. The director is known for his Oscar-nominated collaborations with longtime colleague Ed Lachman, which include “Carol” and “Far from Heaven.” Lachman, however, suffered a broken hip after a fall while shooting Pablo Larraín’s “El Conde,” and Haynes needed a new set of eyes. So he turned to his filmmaker pal Kelly Reichardt for recommendations, and Blauvelt stepped aboard the darkly comic tale of a tenacious actress, Elizabeth (Natalie Portman), infiltrating the lives of Gracie (Julianne Moore), a Mary Kay Letourneau-esque homemaker and her much younger husband, Joe (Charles Melton), who was 13 when they first got together.
“Kelly and Todd are teachers for me, I learned so much from them,...
“Kelly and Todd are teachers for me, I learned so much from them,...
- 1/3/2024
- by Jason Clark
- The Wrap
As we continue to explore the best in 2023, today we’re taking a look at the articles that you, our dear readers, enjoyed the most throughout the past twelve months. Spanning reviews, interviews, features, podcasts, news, and trailers, check out the highlights below and return for more year-end coverage as well as a glimpse into 2024.
Most-Read Reviews
1. Body Parts
2. The Exorcist: Believer
3. Barbie
4. Beau Is Afraid
5. Priscilla
6. Suzume
7. Hypnotic
8. No Hard Feelings
9. The Zone of Interest
10. The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Most-Read Interviews
1. Claire Simon on Capturing the Female Body and What Sets Her Apart From Frederick Wiseman
2. “I Don’t Think Directors Should Be Amenable”: Erik Messerschmidt on Shooting The Killer and David Fincher’s Simple Process
3. Richard Kelly on Creative Heartbreak, Political Cinema, and Future Projects
4. Christopher Blauvelt on May December, Formatting for Netflix and 35mm, and Life Lessons from Harris Savides
5. Brandon Cronenberg on Infinity Pool,...
Most-Read Reviews
1. Body Parts
2. The Exorcist: Believer
3. Barbie
4. Beau Is Afraid
5. Priscilla
6. Suzume
7. Hypnotic
8. No Hard Feelings
9. The Zone of Interest
10. The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Most-Read Interviews
1. Claire Simon on Capturing the Female Body and What Sets Her Apart From Frederick Wiseman
2. “I Don’t Think Directors Should Be Amenable”: Erik Messerschmidt on Shooting The Killer and David Fincher’s Simple Process
3. Richard Kelly on Creative Heartbreak, Political Cinema, and Future Projects
4. Christopher Blauvelt on May December, Formatting for Netflix and 35mm, and Life Lessons from Harris Savides
5. Brandon Cronenberg on Infinity Pool,...
- 1/1/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
How does the Arri Alexa 35 perform against the Sony FX6? Well, it’s not a real match, just a fun comparison made by Linus from ShortCircuit. That’s a cool piece for those who are not familiar with the Arri Camera System. Read on.
The ShortCircuit team with the Arri camera system Taking the Arri 35 for a spin
As stated by Linus from ShortCircuit: “We’ve used quite a few different camera systems for our production here at Lmg and we ended up settling on Sony FX6 cameras to power the videos you watch, but when Arri offered to send us their new Alexa 35 camera to check out, David tried his best to convince Linus that we should switch to what the big boys use”. So these guys have tried the Arri 35 against their Sony FX6 just for the fun… Guess which won? Btw, We were hoping they would disassemble...
The ShortCircuit team with the Arri camera system Taking the Arri 35 for a spin
As stated by Linus from ShortCircuit: “We’ve used quite a few different camera systems for our production here at Lmg and we ended up settling on Sony FX6 cameras to power the videos you watch, but when Arri offered to send us their new Alexa 35 camera to check out, David tried his best to convince Linus that we should switch to what the big boys use”. So these guys have tried the Arri 35 against their Sony FX6 just for the fun… Guess which won? Btw, We were hoping they would disassemble...
- 12/13/2023
- by Yossy Mendelovich
- YMCinema
Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.
Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:
Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys
2024 Oscars Predictions:
Best Achievement in Cinematography
Weekly Commentary: The National Board of Review, New York Film Critics and Los Angeles Film Critics Association chose three different cinematographers for their picks as the best of the year.
Rodrigo Prieto won a combination prize from NBR for his work on “Barbie...
Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:
Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys
2024 Oscars Predictions:
Best Achievement in Cinematography
Weekly Commentary: The National Board of Review, New York Film Critics and Los Angeles Film Critics Association chose three different cinematographers for their picks as the best of the year.
Rodrigo Prieto won a combination prize from NBR for his work on “Barbie...
- 12/10/2023
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Any movie that gets made is nothing short of a small miracle, so when the final product is as unfathomably good as "May December," it's worth celebrating. Todd Haynes' newest film is a striking, discomforting story of an actor (Natalie Portman) shadowing the life of a woman (Julianne Moore) she'll be playing in a movie based on the woman's notorious marriage to the man she groomed when she was 36 and he was only 12. It's a ghastly situation loosely based on the real lives of Mary Kay Letourneau (Rip Bozo) and Vili Fualaau, presented in the beautifully complex and gasp-inducing melodrama that could only come from Todd Haynes. The score is perfect, the camera work is masterful, the acting performances are some of the best of the year, and Samy Burch's script is a revelation. And to think it all almost fell apart before it ever began.
Cinematographer Edward Lachman...
Cinematographer Edward Lachman...
- 12/5/2023
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
May December.“This isn’t a story, this is my fucking life!” That’s Joe, in Todd Haynes’s May December, talking about his relationship with his wife, Gracie, which began when he was in seventh grade. Their life together is most definitely a story to Elizabeth (Natalie Portman), a TV-famous actor shadowing the couple in preparation for playing Gracie in a movie. Haynes teases out the power dynamics in the taboo relationship and the process of its dramatization, as life transforms into a story (and back again). Grace now has three children with Joe, and more from her previous marriage, which broke up with the discovery of their affair, for which she served time in prison. “Baby Born Behind Bars” blares a tabloid headline glimpsed during the film, but May December imagines what things look like when the aftermath of a scandal simply becomes life as lived.Some audiences...
- 12/3/2023
- MUBI
Many cinematographers wouldn’t want to be mistaken with someone else, but Christopher Blauvelt was exceedingly unbothered when I revealed May December initially suggested Ed Lachman. It’s an easy mistake to make––Blauvelt is filling in for Lachman, Todd Haynes’ usual cinematographer, when personal injury prevented him from shooting the new feature––unless you know his work well enough, accordingly I remembered his involvement in the first exterior shots bearing the heavy grain that have made his collaborations with Kelly Reichardt so deeply felt, so elemental.
Blauvelt presented May December at this year’s EnergaCAMERIMAGE days before it opens in the United States and two weeks in advance of its Netflix debut. When we met at Toruń’s Hotel Copernicus my general list of questions got upended by conversational flow, resulting in an interview that covers much of the film’s making––including the next, revealing chapter in my...
Blauvelt presented May December at this year’s EnergaCAMERIMAGE days before it opens in the United States and two weeks in advance of its Netflix debut. When we met at Toruń’s Hotel Copernicus my general list of questions got upended by conversational flow, resulting in an interview that covers much of the film’s making––including the next, revealing chapter in my...
- 11/17/2023
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Like the cinematography sector overall this year, the profession’s prime annual festival, Poland’s Camerimage, has come through major challenges in 2023, says the event’s founder, Marek Zydowicz.
Launching in the historic town of Torun on Nov. 11, the 31st edition of the fest was organized in a time of nearby crises in Europe plus record levels of inflation hitting the region, and fallout from the Hollywood actors strike.
“It’s hard to say these things were really helping us,” notes Kazik Suwala, one of the festival’s key organizers and director of its most ambitious project, the construction of the European Film Center, which broke ground in October. “It was a tough year to work,” as he puts it. “The preparations were much harder than usual. Getting movies programmed involved much more time.”
Thus, Zydowicz and Suwala confess to feeling a bit of extra pride in pulling off a...
Launching in the historic town of Torun on Nov. 11, the 31st edition of the fest was organized in a time of nearby crises in Europe plus record levels of inflation hitting the region, and fallout from the Hollywood actors strike.
“It’s hard to say these things were really helping us,” notes Kazik Suwala, one of the festival’s key organizers and director of its most ambitious project, the construction of the European Film Center, which broke ground in October. “It was a tough year to work,” as he puts it. “The preparations were much harder than usual. Getting movies programmed involved much more time.”
Thus, Zydowicz and Suwala confess to feeling a bit of extra pride in pulling off a...
- 11/6/2023
- by Will Tizard
- Variety Film + TV
Film cameras strike big time as it seems that Dp chose celluloid to shoot the Oscar 2024 (96th Academy Awards) contenders. The most used camera is the Arricam (Lt and St) which, you have to admit, is an amazing fact. Additionally, there are new cameras on that list. Explore the camera charts below based on the IndieWire Cinematography Survey.
Oscar 2024: Camera Manufacturers Chart Oscar 2024 contenders: Cameras and lenses
IndieWire reached out to the directors of photography whose films are among the most critically acclaimed of the year, in order to explore which cameras and lenses they used (Make sure to read the IndieWire’s article where you can find Dp’s explanation of how they used their gear). As the tradition calls, we took the data to build friendly charts, trying to find a significant tendency and segmentation. Surprisingly, the most used camera is the Arricam. First,...
Oscar 2024: Camera Manufacturers Chart Oscar 2024 contenders: Cameras and lenses
IndieWire reached out to the directors of photography whose films are among the most critically acclaimed of the year, in order to explore which cameras and lenses they used (Make sure to read the IndieWire’s article where you can find Dp’s explanation of how they used their gear). As the tradition calls, we took the data to build friendly charts, trying to find a significant tendency and segmentation. Surprisingly, the most used camera is the Arricam. First,...
- 10/20/2023
- by Yossy Mendelovich
- YMCinema
The first shots of Todd Haynes’s May December (cinematography by Christopher Blauvelt), screenplay by Samy Burch, are of butterflies with one of them seemingly stuck, accompanied by the most perfectly ominous and playful music, which sounds a lot like Michel Legrand. Precisely because it is a variation of a Legrand score (for Joseph Losey’s The Go-Between), adapted by Marcelo Zarvos for this film.
We enter the Southern world by the river - where the trees wear veils and moms bake pies for business and children hang out on the slanted roofs - with movie star Elizabeth (Natalie Portman) during a barbecue. Many mirrors reflect the journey of an actress through the looking glass into the world of Gracie (Julianne Moore), a woman whose affair at age 37 with a seventh grader was tabloid fodder 20 years prior.
Elizabeth arrives in Savannah, Georgia, in understated, carefully chosen...
We enter the Southern world by the river - where the trees wear veils and moms bake pies for business and children hang out on the slanted roofs - with movie star Elizabeth (Natalie Portman) during a barbecue. Many mirrors reflect the journey of an actress through the looking glass into the world of Gracie (Julianne Moore), a woman whose affair at age 37 with a seventh grader was tabloid fodder 20 years prior.
Elizabeth arrives in Savannah, Georgia, in understated, carefully chosen...
- 10/2/2023
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
May December director Todd Haynes with screenwriter Samy Burch, and his producers Christine Vachon, Pamela Koffler, Jessica Elbaum and Sophie Mas Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Todd Haynes’s May December, screenplay by Samy Burch, shot by Christopher Blauvelt and starring Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore, and Charles Melton opened the 61st New York Film Festival on Friday. Todd’s previous films screening at the New York Film Festival were Velvet Goldmine (NYFF 36), I’m Not There (NYFF 45), Carol (NYFF 53), Wonderstruck (NYFF 55 - Centerpiece Selection), and The Velvet Underground (NYFF 59).
Todd Haynes responding to Anne-Katrin Titze’s comment and question: “I did not create the lisp! There are some people who are missing today who could speak so beautifully about how they built these characters.” Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
At the press conference Todd Haynes spoke about connecting his composer Marcelo Zarvos to Michel Legrand’s score for Joseph Losey’s The Go-Between (Harold Pinter...
Todd Haynes’s May December, screenplay by Samy Burch, shot by Christopher Blauvelt and starring Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore, and Charles Melton opened the 61st New York Film Festival on Friday. Todd’s previous films screening at the New York Film Festival were Velvet Goldmine (NYFF 36), I’m Not There (NYFF 45), Carol (NYFF 53), Wonderstruck (NYFF 55 - Centerpiece Selection), and The Velvet Underground (NYFF 59).
Todd Haynes responding to Anne-Katrin Titze’s comment and question: “I did not create the lisp! There are some people who are missing today who could speak so beautifully about how they built these characters.” Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
At the press conference Todd Haynes spoke about connecting his composer Marcelo Zarvos to Michel Legrand’s score for Joseph Losey’s The Go-Between (Harold Pinter...
- 10/2/2023
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore are splitting up their Oscar campaigns for awards season.
Although Todd Haynes’ delicious drama “May December” is interpreted by many as a two-hander, Netflix confirms to Variety exclusively that Portman will be submitted for lead actress consideration, while Moore will vie for supporting actress.
Co-leads from awards contenders are seldom campaigned alongside one another. One of Haynes’ most beloved films, the love story “Carol” (2015) starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, was famously criticized for separating its two presumed leading performers for its respective awards season. Blanchett was nominated in lead with Mara in supporting. While it can be debated for awards enthusiasts, there are only five instances of two women being nominated for the same movie in the Oscars’ 95-year history. The last was Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon for “Thelma & Louise” (1991).
Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Oscars predictions in all categories.
Although Todd Haynes’ delicious drama “May December” is interpreted by many as a two-hander, Netflix confirms to Variety exclusively that Portman will be submitted for lead actress consideration, while Moore will vie for supporting actress.
Co-leads from awards contenders are seldom campaigned alongside one another. One of Haynes’ most beloved films, the love story “Carol” (2015) starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, was famously criticized for separating its two presumed leading performers for its respective awards season. Blanchett was nominated in lead with Mara in supporting. While it can be debated for awards enthusiasts, there are only five instances of two women being nominated for the same movie in the Oscars’ 95-year history. The last was Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon for “Thelma & Louise” (1991).
Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Oscars predictions in all categories.
- 9/20/2023
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
At five of the last 10 Oscars, Best Cinematography has gone hand-in-hand with Best Director: Emmanuel Lubezki and Alfonso Cuaron for “Gravity” (2014); Lubezki and Alejandro G. Inarritu for both “Birdman” (2015) and “The Revenant” (2016); Linus Sandgren and Damien Chazelle for “La La Land” (2017); and Cuaron doing double duty on “Roma” (2019). Will that trend hold true this year? (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2024 Oscar predictions for Best Cinematography.)
The academy usually regards award-winning cinematography as pretty pictures within an epic technical feat of filmmaking. While great lighting and framing are laudable on their own, having a movie that looks like it was difficult to shoot goes a long way to snagging an Oscar. Recent lensing winners “Avatar” (2009), “Inception” (2010), “Hugo” (2011), “Life of Pi” (2012), “Gravity” (2013), “Blade Runner 2049” (2018) and “1917” (2020) also took home the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.
While the lensers of “Inception” and “Gravity” first prevailed at the American Society of Cinematographers Awards,...
The academy usually regards award-winning cinematography as pretty pictures within an epic technical feat of filmmaking. While great lighting and framing are laudable on their own, having a movie that looks like it was difficult to shoot goes a long way to snagging an Oscar. Recent lensing winners “Avatar” (2009), “Inception” (2010), “Hugo” (2011), “Life of Pi” (2012), “Gravity” (2013), “Blade Runner 2049” (2018) and “1917” (2020) also took home the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.
While the lensers of “Inception” and “Gravity” first prevailed at the American Society of Cinematographers Awards,...
- 9/12/2023
- by Paul Sheehan and Jacob Sarkisian
- Gold Derby
After the majority of his films have played at the New York Film Festival, Todd Haynes has secured his first opening-night selection with May December, which Film at Lincoln Center has announced will kick off the festival’s 61st edition in its North American premiere on September 29. Netflix has also announced the film, starring Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore, and Charles Melton, will be released in theaters on November 17 and hit Netflix on December 1.
“We are all so proud and moved to have been invited to open the New York Film Festival with the North American premiere of May December,” said director Todd Haynes. “It is a festival that plays a role in my work and life like no other in the world, since it enshrines the cultural life of this city, which is both my creative home as a filmmaker and, as ever, the eternal site of artistic possibility.”
“May...
“We are all so proud and moved to have been invited to open the New York Film Festival with the North American premiere of May December,” said director Todd Haynes. “It is a festival that plays a role in my work and life like no other in the world, since it enshrines the cultural life of this city, which is both my creative home as a filmmaker and, as ever, the eternal site of artistic possibility.”
“May...
- 7/11/2023
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Portland local Todd Haynes turned out at the Oregon city’s art museum in late June not to tout his own movies — and he certainly has a major one on the horizon thanks to Netflix’s Cannes pick-up “May December” — but to celebrate his peers: namely screenwriter and author Jon Raymond, longtime collaborator of Haynes’ friend Kelly Reichardt. Raymond also co-wrote with Haynes the script for his acclaimed 2011 HBO miniseries “Mildred Pierce” and developed the story for Haynes’ upcoming gay romance starring Joaquin Phoenix.
Haynes, who moved to Portland in 2000, was among speakers at the Portland Art Museum Center for an Untold Tomorrow’s (Pam Cut) Cinema Unbound Awards, which honored the likes of Raymond, Guillermo del Toro, Tessa Thompson, Jacqueline Stewart, and Portlander Fred Armisen. The lively gala was held in honor of not only raising funds for the museum — one of the largest in the country and now...
Haynes, who moved to Portland in 2000, was among speakers at the Portland Art Museum Center for an Untold Tomorrow’s (Pam Cut) Cinema Unbound Awards, which honored the likes of Raymond, Guillermo del Toro, Tessa Thompson, Jacqueline Stewart, and Portlander Fred Armisen. The lively gala was held in honor of not only raising funds for the museum — one of the largest in the country and now...
- 7/10/2023
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
It would be one thing for someone to have their life portrayed onscreen by an A-list actor, and another to invite that actor into their home for accuracy, to make sure they get the story straight. But it would be something else entirely for a convicted child sex offender to do the same, especially if that offender, over 20 years later, was raising kids with their now mid-30s victim-turned-husband in a prototypical American suburb. But that’s Gracie Atherton-Yoo for you, and she’s hardly fiction.
Todd Haynes’ May December pulls from a popular ’90s scandal wherein 34-year-old teacher Mary Kay Letourneau had sex with her 12-year-old student, birthed their baby while awaiting her sentence, went to prison, got parole, broke a restraining order to see him again, went back to prison, had another child behind bars, got out after seven years, married the student, raised a family with him,...
Todd Haynes’ May December pulls from a popular ’90s scandal wherein 34-year-old teacher Mary Kay Letourneau had sex with her 12-year-old student, birthed their baby while awaiting her sentence, went to prison, got parole, broke a restraining order to see him again, went back to prison, had another child behind bars, got out after seven years, married the student, raised a family with him,...
- 5/22/2023
- by Luke Hicks
- The Film Stage
There’s a postmodernist horror movie about performance as predation hidden beneath the semiotician’s gaze in Todd Haynes’ May December, a complex drama that’s intrinsically intimate and yet also detached, at times almost clinical. The director is poking around in territory that’s familiar to him — self-knowledge and public perception, identity and duality, transparency and performance, social norms and the sexual outlaw. But the emotional volatility of the story ends up being somewhat muted by the approach, likely making this a tough sell beyond Haynes’ devoted admirers.
What will give the film a significant degree of traction, however, are the riveting performances of Natalie Portman and frequent Haynes muse Julianne Moore, as two women at cross purposes, one seeking to excavate the past and another who has spent two decades endeavoring to bury it. An astonishing monologue delivered by Portman into a mirror in particular demands to be seen.
What will give the film a significant degree of traction, however, are the riveting performances of Natalie Portman and frequent Haynes muse Julianne Moore, as two women at cross purposes, one seeking to excavate the past and another who has spent two decades endeavoring to bury it. An astonishing monologue delivered by Portman into a mirror in particular demands to be seen.
- 5/20/2023
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Editor’s note: This review was originally published at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. Netflix releases the film in select theaters on Friday, November 17, with a streaming release to follow on Friday, December 1.
A heartbreakingly sincere piece of high camp that teases real human drama from the stuff of tabloid sensationalism, Todd Haynes’ delicious “May December” continues the director’s tradition of making films that rely upon the self-awareness that seems to elude their characters — especially the ones played by Julianne Moore.
Here, the actress reteams with her “Safe” director to play Gracie Atherton-Yoo, who became a household name back in 1992 when she left her ex-husband for her 13-year-old fellow pet shop employee. Now it’s 2015, the situation has normalized somewhat, and Gracie and Joe (a dad bod Charles Melton) have been together long enough that their youngest children are about to graduate high school. The occasional package full of poop...
A heartbreakingly sincere piece of high camp that teases real human drama from the stuff of tabloid sensationalism, Todd Haynes’ delicious “May December” continues the director’s tradition of making films that rely upon the self-awareness that seems to elude their characters — especially the ones played by Julianne Moore.
Here, the actress reteams with her “Safe” director to play Gracie Atherton-Yoo, who became a household name back in 1992 when she left her ex-husband for her 13-year-old fellow pet shop employee. Now it’s 2015, the situation has normalized somewhat, and Gracie and Joe (a dad bod Charles Melton) have been together long enough that their youngest children are about to graduate high school. The occasional package full of poop...
- 5/20/2023
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Natalie Portman plays Julianne Moore in Todd Haynes’ deliciously shapeshifting, saucily witty psychodrama “May December,” a mysterious “Russian Doll” of a film on identity and performance that reveals itself in mischievous doses. Or rather, Elizabeth Berry—a famous actress portrayed by Portman—plays Gracie Atherton-Yoo, Moore’s seemingly happily married character who was mixed up in a sex scandal back in the ‘90s.
And what a tabloid scandal it was… In her 30s at the time, Gracie—already married with children—had an illegal affair with a minor, the then 13-year-old Joe Yoo. The two were caught, let’s say, in a compromising situation in a stock room of a pet shop, an incident that rocked the nation, and led to Gracie’s arrest and registration as a sex offender.
Two decades later, the couple seems happily married, with Gracie running a small-scaled baking business at home, leading a quiet life with three kids.
And what a tabloid scandal it was… In her 30s at the time, Gracie—already married with children—had an illegal affair with a minor, the then 13-year-old Joe Yoo. The two were caught, let’s say, in a compromising situation in a stock room of a pet shop, an incident that rocked the nation, and led to Gracie’s arrest and registration as a sex offender.
Two decades later, the couple seems happily married, with Gracie running a small-scaled baking business at home, leading a quiet life with three kids.
- 5/20/2023
- by Tomris Laffly
- The Wrap
Emma Mackey Joins Vicky Krieps, Fiona Shaw in ‘Hot Milk,’ HanWay Films Selling in Cannes (Exclusive)
“Emily” star Emma Mackey has joined the cast of “Hot Milk,” the adaptation of the bestselling novel by Deborah Levy.
The BAFTA winner will lead the cast alongside Fiona Shaw (“Killing Eve”), Vicky Krieps (“Corsage”), Vincent Perez (“Shantaram”) and Patsy Ferran (“Living”). HanWay Films has worldwide sales rights and will shop the pic to buyers in Cannes next week.
“Hot Milk” marks the directorial debut of award-winning writer Rebecca Lenkiewicz. It will start shooting in July in Greece in co-production with Heretic Films.
The film explores the complexities of the mother-daughter relationship against the hot and atmospheric backdrop of Almería in Spain.
The story centers on Rose (Shaw) and her daughter Sofia (Mackey), who travel to a seaside resort in Spain, to consult with the shamanic Dr Gomez (Perez), a physician who could possibly hold the cure to Rose’s mystery illness, which has left her bound to a wheelchair.
The BAFTA winner will lead the cast alongside Fiona Shaw (“Killing Eve”), Vicky Krieps (“Corsage”), Vincent Perez (“Shantaram”) and Patsy Ferran (“Living”). HanWay Films has worldwide sales rights and will shop the pic to buyers in Cannes next week.
“Hot Milk” marks the directorial debut of award-winning writer Rebecca Lenkiewicz. It will start shooting in July in Greece in co-production with Heretic Films.
The film explores the complexities of the mother-daughter relationship against the hot and atmospheric backdrop of Almería in Spain.
The story centers on Rose (Shaw) and her daughter Sofia (Mackey), who travel to a seaside resort in Spain, to consult with the shamanic Dr Gomez (Perez), a physician who could possibly hold the cure to Rose’s mystery illness, which has left her bound to a wheelchair.
- 5/10/2023
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
In advance of its Cannes premiere later this month, Todd Haynes’ latest film, “May December,” has released a first look at the new drama (via Variety).
The film, Haynes’ 10th feature, follows a pair of women (Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore) whose personal and professional lives begin to blur as they work together during the fraught production of a ripped-from-the-headlines love affair. Working from a Black List-touted script by Samy Burch with a story by Burch and Alex Mechanik, “May December” centers on a married couple whose lives begin to buckle under pressure when an actress arrives to do research for a movie about their past — including the couple’s notorious May-December tabloid romance that once gripped the nation.
Per its official synopsis, the film is set “20 years after their notorious tabloid romance gripped the nation, Gracie Atherton-Yu and her husband Joe (23 years her junior) brace themselves for their twins to graduate from high school.
The film, Haynes’ 10th feature, follows a pair of women (Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore) whose personal and professional lives begin to blur as they work together during the fraught production of a ripped-from-the-headlines love affair. Working from a Black List-touted script by Samy Burch with a story by Burch and Alex Mechanik, “May December” centers on a married couple whose lives begin to buckle under pressure when an actress arrives to do research for a movie about their past — including the couple’s notorious May-December tabloid romance that once gripped the nation.
Per its official synopsis, the film is set “20 years after their notorious tabloid romance gripped the nation, Gracie Atherton-Yu and her husband Joe (23 years her junior) brace themselves for their twins to graduate from high school.
- 5/1/2023
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
After exploring the history of the Velvet Underground, Todd Haynes is returning with his first narrative feature since 2019’s severely overlooked Dark Waters this month as May December is set for a Cannes Film Festival launch in competition. Starring Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman, scripted by Samy Burch, and shot by Kelly Reichardt’s longtime cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt, the first image has now finally arrived, which can be seen above via Variety.
Also starring Charles Melton, Piper Curda, Elizabeth Yu, and Gabriel Chun, here’s the synopsis: “Twenty years after their notorious tabloid romance gripped the nation, Gracie Atherton-Yu and her husband Joe (twenty-three years her junior) brace themselves for their twins to graduate from high school. When Hollywood actress Elizabeth Berry comes to spend time with the family to better understand Gracie, who she will be playing in a film, family dynamics unravel under the pressure of the outside gaze.
Also starring Charles Melton, Piper Curda, Elizabeth Yu, and Gabriel Chun, here’s the synopsis: “Twenty years after their notorious tabloid romance gripped the nation, Gracie Atherton-Yu and her husband Joe (twenty-three years her junior) brace themselves for their twins to graduate from high school. When Hollywood actress Elizabeth Berry comes to spend time with the family to better understand Gracie, who she will be playing in a film, family dynamics unravel under the pressure of the outside gaze.
- 5/1/2023
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Variety has a first look at the anticipated Cannes Film Festival competition premiere “May December,” led by Oscar-winning heavyweights Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman and directed by Todd Haynes.
The title, which is also for sale out of this year’s Marché du Film, represents a “Far From Heaven” reunion for Moore and Haynes and a significant breakout opportunity for “Riverdale” heartthrob Charles Melton.
Moore and Melton star as married couple whose 20-year relationship inspired a national tabloid obsession at its offset. Now preparing to send their grown children off to college – as Melton reconciles with empty nest syndrome in his mid-30s – an actress (Portman) embeds with the family to study them for an upcoming film where she’ll play Moore. The couple buckles under the pressure as Portman probes as deeply as she can for an honest performance.
Piper Curda, Elizabeth Yu, and Gabriel Chung round out the...
The title, which is also for sale out of this year’s Marché du Film, represents a “Far From Heaven” reunion for Moore and Haynes and a significant breakout opportunity for “Riverdale” heartthrob Charles Melton.
Moore and Melton star as married couple whose 20-year relationship inspired a national tabloid obsession at its offset. Now preparing to send their grown children off to college – as Melton reconciles with empty nest syndrome in his mid-30s – an actress (Portman) embeds with the family to study them for an upcoming film where she’ll play Moore. The couple buckles under the pressure as Portman probes as deeply as she can for an honest performance.
Piper Curda, Elizabeth Yu, and Gabriel Chung round out the...
- 5/1/2023
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Art can be taken in (or, from a more mercenary point of view, consumed) as something abstract, enlightening, subtextual, subversive, thought-provoking, transcendental. The actual making of it, however, depends on a very specific inspiration-to-perspiration ratio. Showing Up is all about putting the work into artwork, what it takes to marshal the blood, sweat, and tears to produce something personally expressive and profoundly moving. Or even something pretentious and self-involved and elitist to a fault — those sculptures and paintings and, yes, motion pictures can’t all be masterpieces. Anything creative requires labor,...
- 4/7/2023
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
Showing Up contains many of the hallmarks of a classic Kelly Reichardt picture: a Pacific Northwest setting, a Jonathan Raymond co-writing credit, Christopher Blauvelt cinematography, a rich ensemble cast, and an unrivaled attention to locations, production design, and wardrobe. There’s also Michelle Williams appearing in her fourth Reichardt film, their collaboration having begun with 2008’s Wendy and Lucy.
In Showing Up, Williams is Lizzy, a talented sculptor who finds herself a bit worn down by the realities of modern life. By all accounts she has a decent day job––something she likely wouldn’t refute––working in the office of the liberal arts college she attended. Outside of offering her rent and cat food money, the position keeps Lizzy plugged into the local art scene and most importantly grants her free access to the campus kiln (operated by André Benjamin in a joyful role).
Outside of Williams, that aforementioned...
In Showing Up, Williams is Lizzy, a talented sculptor who finds herself a bit worn down by the realities of modern life. By all accounts she has a decent day job––something she likely wouldn’t refute––working in the office of the liberal arts college she attended. Outside of offering her rent and cat food money, the position keeps Lizzy plugged into the local art scene and most importantly grants her free access to the campus kiln (operated by André Benjamin in a joyful role).
Outside of Williams, that aforementioned...
- 4/6/2023
- by Caleb Hammond
- The Film Stage
Todd Haynes has officially wrapped production on his 10th feature-length film, “May December,” a drama about two women whose personal and professional lives begin to blur that sounds very Todd Haynes indeed. (Think “Persona” meets “Three Women.”) A source close to the production confirmed to IndieWire that principal photography wrapped this past weekend in Georgia, where the film had been shooting in the Savannah area. The film stars Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman (working with the Oscar-nominated filmmaker for the first time).
Working from a Black List-touted script by Samy Burch with a story by Burch and Alex Mechanik, “May December” centers on a married couple whose lives begin to buckle under pressure when an actress arrives to do research for a movie about their past — including the couple’s notorious May-December tabloid romance that once gripped the nation. The cast also includes Charles Melton (“Riverdale”), with Killer Films...
Working from a Black List-touted script by Samy Burch with a story by Burch and Alex Mechanik, “May December” centers on a married couple whose lives begin to buckle under pressure when an actress arrives to do research for a movie about their past — including the couple’s notorious May-December tabloid romance that once gripped the nation. The cast also includes Charles Melton (“Riverdale”), with Killer Films...
- 11/21/2022
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
One of the most fruitful cinematographer-director pairings in cinema, Ed Lachman and Todd Haynes began working together with 2002’s Far From Heaven. Sadly, the legendary cinematographer recently revealed that he wasn’t able to follow through with plans to shoot Haynes’ next project, the drama May December starring Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman. “I just came home from Chile doing a film with Pablo Larrain [the vampire film El Conde], and I unfortunately, I broke my hip.” Lachman told Variety this fall.
With production recently concluding on May December, the cinematographer has now been revealed and it’s a fitting choice for Haynes. Christopher Blauvelt, a longtime collaborator of Haynes’ close friend Kelly Reichardt (as he discussed with us this year), stepped in to replace Lachman. Along with having shot Meek’s Cutoff, Night Moves, Certain Women, First Cow, and Showing Up, additional credits from Blauvelt include The Bling Ring, Indignation, Emma., and mid90s.
With production recently concluding on May December, the cinematographer has now been revealed and it’s a fitting choice for Haynes. Christopher Blauvelt, a longtime collaborator of Haynes’ close friend Kelly Reichardt (as he discussed with us this year), stepped in to replace Lachman. Along with having shot Meek’s Cutoff, Night Moves, Certain Women, First Cow, and Showing Up, additional credits from Blauvelt include The Bling Ring, Indignation, Emma., and mid90s.
- 11/21/2022
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Showing Up (2022).Sometimes, nothing happens: nothing happens but waiting, saving and making do in the meantime. How do we make stories from these passages of time? Kelly Reichardt not only directs such stories but has also lived them—because sometimes, as a woman filmmaker, as many as twelve years pass by between making a first feature and making a second one. Between River of Grass (1994) and Old Joy (2006), Reichardt tried to make experimental films and turned to teaching. Since Old Joy, she has managed to make six features, most of which are shot in the Pacific Northwest and most of which focus, fittingly, on the day-to-day efforts of ordinary people—to fix their car, to find their dog or to find water, to make a living.Perhaps passages of time like that between River of Grass and Old Joy make a gatherer of the woman filmmaker. Speaking to critics and...
- 10/4/2022
- MUBI
"I won't get the time back," the artist laments. Alas, a day off from work should have been a sacred loss of productivity. But little worries slip through the cracks and nag at her.
In the hands of a less astute director, a portrait about a distressed artist — a sculptor in this case — may give into the worst impulses of indulgence or overexploitation. Luckily, director Kelly Reichardt never lets "Showing Up" (a simple and sparing screenplay by writer Jon Raymond) stumble into any of those pitfalls. It can be paired with "Tár" and "The Eternal Daughter," both (compelling) New York Film Festival selections that also focus on the tribulations of women nailed to their projects.
Though unlike Cate Blanchett's egomaniac conductor and Tilda Swinton's mournful screenwriter in these respective films, Michelle Williams' Portland sculptor in Reichardt's picture does not hail from a background of more lavish resources nor are her stakes as melodramatic.
In the hands of a less astute director, a portrait about a distressed artist — a sculptor in this case — may give into the worst impulses of indulgence or overexploitation. Luckily, director Kelly Reichardt never lets "Showing Up" (a simple and sparing screenplay by writer Jon Raymond) stumble into any of those pitfalls. It can be paired with "Tár" and "The Eternal Daughter," both (compelling) New York Film Festival selections that also focus on the tribulations of women nailed to their projects.
Though unlike Cate Blanchett's egomaniac conductor and Tilda Swinton's mournful screenwriter in these respective films, Michelle Williams' Portland sculptor in Reichardt's picture does not hail from a background of more lavish resources nor are her stakes as melodramatic.
- 10/4/2022
- by Caroline Cao
- Slash Film
There has been an outpouring of love for Kelly Reichardt as of late, with the “Showing Up” helmer awarded a Carrosse d’Or at Cannes – only the fourth woman to be honored this way – and now a Pardo d’Onore Manor at Locarno.
But it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for the U.S. director, described by the Swiss festival as a “committed, political and independent auteur.”
“Things have gotten easier over time,” Reichardt tells Variety ahead of the event, looking back on her 28-year career.
“I have done a lot of work in the last two decades and I work in a similar kind of mode and budget size. People are familiar with my producers and know them to be very reliable people. I’m not having to prove myself at every outing.”
Since her 1994 debut, “River of Grass,” Reichardt has been celebrated for intimate, simple stories. A...
But it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for the U.S. director, described by the Swiss festival as a “committed, political and independent auteur.”
“Things have gotten easier over time,” Reichardt tells Variety ahead of the event, looking back on her 28-year career.
“I have done a lot of work in the last two decades and I work in a similar kind of mode and budget size. People are familiar with my producers and know them to be very reliable people. I’m not having to prove myself at every outing.”
Since her 1994 debut, “River of Grass,” Reichardt has been celebrated for intimate, simple stories. A...
- 8/2/2022
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
In “Showing Up,” Michelle Williams stars as Lizzy, a Portland-based sculptor for whom little seems to go right in the week leading up to a big solo show. Kelly Reichardt’s latest film takes us to modern-day Portland for a playful comedy about the realities of visual artists.
As Lizzy, Williams is frazzled and grumpy, stern and flustered. She meets compliments with a downcast gaze, doubtful, perhaps, that she’s worthy of them. She lives alone with a very good bad cat, working on figurines of young women, while her colleagues drink and hang out during their off-hours.
As a day job, she works at an arts college she once attended as an assistant to her mother, who she must ask for days off to work on her art, while her father (the great Judd Hirsch) entertains guests he barely knows. Her brother Sean lives a sheltered life on his own,...
As Lizzy, Williams is frazzled and grumpy, stern and flustered. She meets compliments with a downcast gaze, doubtful, perhaps, that she’s worthy of them. She lives alone with a very good bad cat, working on figurines of young women, while her colleagues drink and hang out during their off-hours.
As a day job, she works at an arts college she once attended as an assistant to her mother, who she must ask for days off to work on her art, while her father (the great Judd Hirsch) entertains guests he barely knows. Her brother Sean lives a sheltered life on his own,...
- 5/27/2022
- by Fran Hoepfner
- The Wrap
IFC Films has acquired U.S. distribution rights from HanWay Films on Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s “Hot Milk,” starring Academy Award nominee Jessie Buckley, Fiona Shaw and Vicky Krieps.
Streaming service Mubi has also agreed a multi-territory deal for the film in the U.K., Ireland, Italy, Latin America and Turkey. Meanwhile, HanWay has also sold the pic into Metropolitan Films (France), The Searchers (Benelux), Scanbox (Scandinavia), M2 (Eastern Europe), A-One (Baltics), Front Row (Middle East) and Shaw (Singapore).
The film marks the directorial debut for acclaimed screenwriter Lenkiewicz, whose writing credits include Pawel Pawlikowski’s Oscar-winning “Ida,” Keira Knightley-led biopic “Colette” and the forthcoming Harvey Weinstein drama “She Said.”
“Hot Milk” is based on the bestselling novel by Deborah Levy and centers on the relationship between single mother Rose (Shaw) and her daughter Sofia (Buckley), who travel to southern Spain in order to see a medical consultant that might...
Streaming service Mubi has also agreed a multi-territory deal for the film in the U.K., Ireland, Italy, Latin America and Turkey. Meanwhile, HanWay has also sold the pic into Metropolitan Films (France), The Searchers (Benelux), Scanbox (Scandinavia), M2 (Eastern Europe), A-One (Baltics), Front Row (Middle East) and Shaw (Singapore).
The film marks the directorial debut for acclaimed screenwriter Lenkiewicz, whose writing credits include Pawel Pawlikowski’s Oscar-winning “Ida,” Keira Knightley-led biopic “Colette” and the forthcoming Harvey Weinstein drama “She Said.”
“Hot Milk” is based on the bestselling novel by Deborah Levy and centers on the relationship between single mother Rose (Shaw) and her daughter Sofia (Buckley), who travel to southern Spain in order to see a medical consultant that might...
- 5/18/2022
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Stellan Skarsgard, Andrea Riseborough and Gustaf Skarsgard have joined the cast of psychological crime drama “What Remains.”
The English-language film, which begins shooting next month in Finland, is the feature directorial debut of Huang Ran, a mainland Chinese artist-turned-filmmaker. His previous “The Administration of Glory” debuted in the short film competition at Cannes in 2014. The script of “What Remains” was written by Megan Everett Skarsgard.
In addition to the stellar cast, the film has attracted a world-class production crew. This includes cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt and production designer Mikael Varhelyi.
“What Remains” is being produced by Film Service Finland and Huang through his production company Fake Action Truth, with financing from iQIYI, a leading video streaming platform in China. It has additional financial support from Business Finland and Art Algorithm Capital, an Asia-based media and art investment fund.
CAA Media Finance arranged the film’s financing and represents the North American distribution rights.
The English-language film, which begins shooting next month in Finland, is the feature directorial debut of Huang Ran, a mainland Chinese artist-turned-filmmaker. His previous “The Administration of Glory” debuted in the short film competition at Cannes in 2014. The script of “What Remains” was written by Megan Everett Skarsgard.
In addition to the stellar cast, the film has attracted a world-class production crew. This includes cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt and production designer Mikael Varhelyi.
“What Remains” is being produced by Film Service Finland and Huang through his production company Fake Action Truth, with financing from iQIYI, a leading video streaming platform in China. It has additional financial support from Business Finland and Art Algorithm Capital, an Asia-based media and art investment fund.
CAA Media Finance arranged the film’s financing and represents the North American distribution rights.
- 11/2/2021
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Carey Mulligan named best actress for Promising Young Woman.
Searchlight Pictures’ Nomadland won best film, Chloe Zhao earned best director and adapted screenplay, and Carey Mulligan and the late Chadwick Boseman took the top acting awards at the 26th annual Critics Choice Awards on Sunday (March 7).
Zhao became the first female and Chinese woman to win the directing award. Nomadland led the film leader board with four wins including Joshua James Richards for cinematography.
Netflix’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom earned three wins at the hybrid in-person/virtual ceremony, led by Boseman’s posthumous best actor award, while Focus...
Searchlight Pictures’ Nomadland won best film, Chloe Zhao earned best director and adapted screenplay, and Carey Mulligan and the late Chadwick Boseman took the top acting awards at the 26th annual Critics Choice Awards on Sunday (March 7).
Zhao became the first female and Chinese woman to win the directing award. Nomadland led the film leader board with four wins including Joshua James Richards for cinematography.
Netflix’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom earned three wins at the hybrid in-person/virtual ceremony, led by Boseman’s posthumous best actor award, while Focus...
- 3/8/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
The 26th annual Critics Choice Awards unfolded Sunday night, while Oscar voting is underway through March 10. That means that the CCAs, presented by the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association, could actually have an impact on the Academy Awards nominations this year. TV winners could also sway the Emmys later this year.
Taye Diggs once again was master of ceremonies, and the show was an in-person/virtual hybrid with Diggs and some of the evening’s presenters live onstage in Los Angeles and nominees appearing live remotely from various locations around the world.
Presenters included Kevin Bacon, Angela Bassett, Mayim Bialik, Orlando Bloom, Phoebe Dynevor, Morgan Freeman, Gal Gadot, Jim Gaffigan, Tony Hale, Chelsea Handler, Justin Hartley, Chris Hemsworth, Tyler Hoechlin, Jameela Jamil, Leslie Jordan, Javicia Leslie, Eva Longoria, Chrissy Metz, Mads Mikkelsen, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jared Padalecki, Ashley Park, Kyra Sedgwick, Yara Shahidi, Elizabeth Tulloch, Courtney B. Vance,...
Taye Diggs once again was master of ceremonies, and the show was an in-person/virtual hybrid with Diggs and some of the evening’s presenters live onstage in Los Angeles and nominees appearing live remotely from various locations around the world.
Presenters included Kevin Bacon, Angela Bassett, Mayim Bialik, Orlando Bloom, Phoebe Dynevor, Morgan Freeman, Gal Gadot, Jim Gaffigan, Tony Hale, Chelsea Handler, Justin Hartley, Chris Hemsworth, Tyler Hoechlin, Jameela Jamil, Leslie Jordan, Javicia Leslie, Eva Longoria, Chrissy Metz, Mads Mikkelsen, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jared Padalecki, Ashley Park, Kyra Sedgwick, Yara Shahidi, Elizabeth Tulloch, Courtney B. Vance,...
- 3/8/2021
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
The smart, adamant and sometimes brutally honest forum posters did not mince words when it came to their reactions to the 2021 Critics Choice Awards film winners on Sunday night. The ceremony had many cheering but left just as many infuriated when it came to the night’s winners and losers on the film side of the 26th annual Critics Choice Awards. What were the upsets that left them with their jaws on the floor? Which winners were the most deserving? Which losses were posters not able to get over?
Below, you can see just a sampling of the shade and praise that was thrown at this year’s ceremony. Read more and have your say here.
See 2021 Critics Choice Awards: Full winners list in all 20 film and 19 TV categories
Keep refreshing/reloading this page as we’ll be updating live.
Best Picture
Da 5 Bloods (Netflix)
Ma Rainey’s Black...
Below, you can see just a sampling of the shade and praise that was thrown at this year’s ceremony. Read more and have your say here.
See 2021 Critics Choice Awards: Full winners list in all 20 film and 19 TV categories
Keep refreshing/reloading this page as we’ll be updating live.
Best Picture
Da 5 Bloods (Netflix)
Ma Rainey’s Black...
- 3/8/2021
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
At six of the last eight Oscars, Best Cinematography has gone hand-in-hand with Best Director: Claudio Miranda and Ang Lee for “Life of Pi” (2013); Emmanuel Lubezki and Alfonso Cuaron for “Gravity” (2014); Lubezki and Alejandro G. Inarritu for both “Birdman” (2015) and “The Revenant” (2016); Linus Sandgren and Damien Chazelle for “La La Land” (2017); and Cuaron doing double duty on “Roma” (2019). Will that trend hold true this year? (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2021 Oscars predictions for Best Cinematography.)
The academy usually regards award-winning cinematography as pretty pictures within an epic technical feat of filmmaking. While great lighting and framing are laudable on their own, having a movie that looks like it was difficult to shoot goes a long way to snagging an Oscar. Recent lensing winners “Avatar” (2009), “Inception” (2010), “Hugo” (2011), “Life of Pi” (2012), “Gravity” (2013), “Blade Runner 2049” (2018) and “1917” (2020) also took home the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.
While the lensers of “Inception...
The academy usually regards award-winning cinematography as pretty pictures within an epic technical feat of filmmaking. While great lighting and framing are laudable on their own, having a movie that looks like it was difficult to shoot goes a long way to snagging an Oscar. Recent lensing winners “Avatar” (2009), “Inception” (2010), “Hugo” (2011), “Life of Pi” (2012), “Gravity” (2013), “Blade Runner 2049” (2018) and “1917” (2020) also took home the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.
While the lensers of “Inception...
- 3/4/2021
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
The 2021 Critics Choice Awards are March 7. This is also the third of six days of voting by academy members for the Oscar nominations. That roster will be revealed on March 15 and the 93rd Academy Awards are on April 25. Over their 25-year history these prizes bestowed by the Critics Choice Association have previewed 14 Best Picture Oscar winners as well as 20 Best Director, 17 Best Actor, 14 Best Actress, 15 Supporting Actor and 18 Supporting Actress champs.
The (Cca) is the largest critics organization in the United States and Canada, representing more than 400 television, radio and online critics and entertainment reporters. It was established in 2019 with the formal merger of the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association, recognizing the blurring of the distinctions between film, television, and streaming content. See the 2021 Critics Choice Awards nominations list for both film and television nominees below.
“Mank” reaped a leading 12 bids, followed closely by “Minari...
The (Cca) is the largest critics organization in the United States and Canada, representing more than 400 television, radio and online critics and entertainment reporters. It was established in 2019 with the formal merger of the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association, recognizing the blurring of the distinctions between film, television, and streaming content. See the 2021 Critics Choice Awards nominations list for both film and television nominees below.
“Mank” reaped a leading 12 bids, followed closely by “Minari...
- 3/2/2021
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
’Mank’ has 12 nominations, followed by ’Minari’ with 10.
David Fincher’s Mank leads this year’s Critics Choice Awards film nominations with 12 nods, including best picture, director, actor for Gary Oldman and supporting actress for Amanda Seyfried.
It is followed by Minari, which has 10 nominations including best picture, director for Lee Isaac Chung, actor for Steven Yuen and supporting actress for Yuh-jung Youn.
Netflix leads the way for distributors with 46 nominations in total, including a record-setting four best picture nods: Da 5 Bloods, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Mank and The Trial of the Chicago 7.
The awards are presented by the Critics...
David Fincher’s Mank leads this year’s Critics Choice Awards film nominations with 12 nods, including best picture, director, actor for Gary Oldman and supporting actress for Amanda Seyfried.
It is followed by Minari, which has 10 nominations including best picture, director for Lee Isaac Chung, actor for Steven Yuen and supporting actress for Yuh-jung Youn.
Netflix leads the way for distributors with 46 nominations in total, including a record-setting four best picture nods: Da 5 Bloods, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Mank and The Trial of the Chicago 7.
The awards are presented by the Critics...
- 2/8/2021
- by Screen staff
- ScreenDaily
Kim Gordon has released a video for “Hungry Baby,” a cut off her solo debut album No Home Record.
Directed by Clara Balzary, the video stars Gordon’s daughter, Coco Gordon-Moore, as a home improvement store employee at the end of a long shift. After a man in a car litters in the store’s parking lot where Coco is standing, Gordon shows up as another employee who says dryly, “Clean up on Aisle 9.” Coco then launches into a rage-fueled dance around the parking lot, set to “Hungry Baby.”
“I...
Directed by Clara Balzary, the video stars Gordon’s daughter, Coco Gordon-Moore, as a home improvement store employee at the end of a long shift. After a man in a car litters in the store’s parking lot where Coco is standing, Gordon shows up as another employee who says dryly, “Clean up on Aisle 9.” Coco then launches into a rage-fueled dance around the parking lot, set to “Hungry Baby.”
“I...
- 2/4/2021
- by Claire Shaffer
- Rollingstone.com
For her eighth feature film, Kelly Reichardt returned to the American frontier to tell the story of a baker from the Northeast (John Magaro) and a Chinese immigrant (Orion Lee) who together build a profitable baking business in the Oregon Territory using stolen milk from the area’s first milk cow. Based on a script she co-adapted with Jonathan Raymond from his novel “The Half Life,” Reichardt works within her wheelhouse of the American West as a setting to provide one of the year’s most acclaimed indie films. In November we asked if it could be her first Oscar contender, but now we’re wondering how many categories it’s being underestimated in.
The film has found early success for its screenplay. Regional critics groups have nominated it consistently, leading to a runner-up placement with the National Society of Film Critics. As Reichardt’s potential breakthrough with the academy,...
The film has found early success for its screenplay. Regional critics groups have nominated it consistently, leading to a runner-up placement with the National Society of Film Critics. As Reichardt’s potential breakthrough with the academy,...
- 1/31/2021
- by John Benutty
- Gold Derby
Following our top 50 films of 2020 and more year-end coverage, we’re pleased to share personal top 10s of 2020 from our contributors.
Oh, where to begin? There’s usually so much to complain about. Yes, 2020 was rough. It was like if the second half of mother! was directed by three minions in a trench coat posing as McGruff the Crime Dog and then came to life. Even the film world was odd. Stuff got pushed to VOD. Studios delayed tent poles a year back in some cases. In what has to be the longest record since I was three years old, I haven’t been to a theater since March 12. I’m all but sure it’ll be more than a few months before it’s safe (or even possible) to see something again on the big screen, but getting this handful of movies is more than a nice consolation prize.
Oh, where to begin? There’s usually so much to complain about. Yes, 2020 was rough. It was like if the second half of mother! was directed by three minions in a trench coat posing as McGruff the Crime Dog and then came to life. Even the film world was odd. Stuff got pushed to VOD. Studios delayed tent poles a year back in some cases. In what has to be the longest record since I was three years old, I haven’t been to a theater since March 12. I’m all but sure it’ll be more than a few months before it’s safe (or even possible) to see something again on the big screen, but getting this handful of movies is more than a nice consolation prize.
- 12/31/2020
- by Matt Cipolla
- The Film Stage
“A cinematographer is a visual psychiatrist–moving an audience through a movie […] making them think the way you want them to think, painting pictures in the dark,” said the late, great Gordon Willis. As we continue our year-end coverage, one aspect we must highlight is, indeed, cinematography. From talented newcomers to seasoned professionals, we’ve rounded up the examples that have most impressed us this year. Check out our rundown below.
An Easy Girl (Georges Lechaptois)
The French Riviera is the fitting location for this tale of sexual discovery and class criticism. Georges Lechaptois’ frames are gorgeous not just because of the landscape––we have reoccurring overhead shots of the crystal-blue tides rustling against the beach where characters lay––but the juxtaposition of the quiet life out on the sea. The sun-soaked vistas at lunch are as lively as the quiet, sensuous nights the lovers spend in their dimly lit...
An Easy Girl (Georges Lechaptois)
The French Riviera is the fitting location for this tale of sexual discovery and class criticism. Georges Lechaptois’ frames are gorgeous not just because of the landscape––we have reoccurring overhead shots of the crystal-blue tides rustling against the beach where characters lay––but the juxtaposition of the quiet life out on the sea. The sun-soaked vistas at lunch are as lively as the quiet, sensuous nights the lovers spend in their dimly lit...
- 12/22/2020
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
The Chicago Film Critics Association has named Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland” as this year’s big winner, netting five prizes, including best picture, director, actress (Frances McDormand), adapted screenplay and cinematography. Leading the Cfca nominations with seven, the Searchlight Pictures drama has performed astoundingly with the half dozen critics awards that have been announced thus far. Zhao is currently 6/6 for critics wins.
With two awards, Focus Features’ “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” walked away with best original screenplay for writer Eliza Hittman and most promising performer for Sidney Flanigan.
The rest of the honorees won a single mention for their respective films. Chadwick Boseman won best actor for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” while Paul Raci netted another trophy for “Sound of Metal.” Maria Bakalova’s work in “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” was also rewarded, marking her third win this season thus far.
The full list of winners are below:
Best Picture
“Da 5 Bloods...
With two awards, Focus Features’ “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” walked away with best original screenplay for writer Eliza Hittman and most promising performer for Sidney Flanigan.
The rest of the honorees won a single mention for their respective films. Chadwick Boseman won best actor for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” while Paul Raci netted another trophy for “Sound of Metal.” Maria Bakalova’s work in “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” was also rewarded, marking her third win this season thus far.
The full list of winners are below:
Best Picture
“Da 5 Bloods...
- 12/22/2020
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Chloe Zhao’s “Nomadland” has earned seven nominations for 2020 honors from the Chicago Film Critics Association, followed by six each for Spike Lee’s “Da 5 Bloods,” Kelly Reichardt’s “First Cow” and Charlie Kaufman’s “I’m Thinking of Ending Things.”
David Fincher’s “Mank” and Emerald Fennell’s “Promising Young Woman” took five nominations each. With 28 nominations, Netflix is the most recognized studio, followed by Amazon with 16 and and A24 with 15. Zhao and Fennell each earned three nominations.
The Best Director category is comprised entirely of women and people of color with Fennell, Lee, Steve McQueen, Reichardt and Zhao. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross achieved a double nomination in the same category, earning Best Original Score nominations for their work in both “Soul” and “Mank.” The late Chadwick Boseman earned nominations for Best Actor in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and Best Supporting Actor in “Da 5 Bloods.”
The...
David Fincher’s “Mank” and Emerald Fennell’s “Promising Young Woman” took five nominations each. With 28 nominations, Netflix is the most recognized studio, followed by Amazon with 16 and and A24 with 15. Zhao and Fennell each earned three nominations.
The Best Director category is comprised entirely of women and people of color with Fennell, Lee, Steve McQueen, Reichardt and Zhao. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross achieved a double nomination in the same category, earning Best Original Score nominations for their work in both “Soul” and “Mank.” The late Chadwick Boseman earned nominations for Best Actor in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and Best Supporting Actor in “Da 5 Bloods.”
The...
- 12/18/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Welcome back to Intermission, a spin-off podcast from The Film Stage Show. In a time when arthouse theaters are hurting more than ever and there are a plethora of streaming options at your fingertips, we wanted to introduce new conversations that put a specific focus on the films that are foundational or perhaps overlooked in cinephile culture. Led by yours truly, Michael Snydel, Intermission is a 1-on-1 supplementary discussion podcast that focuses on one arthouse, foreign, or experimental film per episode as picked by the guest.
For our ninth episode, I talked to Executive Editor of Seventh Row, Orla Smith, about Kelly Reichardt’s 2016 film Certain Women, which is currently available to stream on The Criterion Channel. Throughout her career, Reichardt has been one of the great observers of the “ordinary.” Her past otherworldly visions of the Pacific Northwest complement and antagonize characters beset by institutional and individual alienation. Transplanted to Montana,...
For our ninth episode, I talked to Executive Editor of Seventh Row, Orla Smith, about Kelly Reichardt’s 2016 film Certain Women, which is currently available to stream on The Criterion Channel. Throughout her career, Reichardt has been one of the great observers of the “ordinary.” Her past otherworldly visions of the Pacific Northwest complement and antagonize characters beset by institutional and individual alienation. Transplanted to Montana,...
- 8/3/2020
- by Michael Snydel
- The Film Stage
With the acclaimed A24 title First Cow coming to VOD next week, now seems like a perfect time to re-post the chat I had with star John Magaro. We talked plenty about the movie, to be sure, but also just about what interests him as an actor. Sitting down in a Manhattan coffee shop with him, we spent over a half hour talking about not just his career, but the directors he’s worked with, how he sees the job of an actor, and what the future of the industry might hold. He was even a bit surprised to hear how fond I was of his roles in Liberal Arts and Not Fade Away, two performances that helped put him on the map, along with high profile films like The Big Short. It was a wide ranging chat, but one enjoyed by both sides. First Cow (review found here) is...
- 7/13/2020
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
It’s quite possible Jane Austen may qualify as the author whose works have been most adapted for the screen since the turn of the century. Her work continues to endure and in many ways might qualify as one of the earliest pop culture phenomenons.
The latest such effort is Emma., which Universal released just prior to the nation going into quarantine. While available to rent previously, it is now available to own via streaming with the Combo Pack coming May 19. Or, you can win our contest.
All you need to do is tell us which adaptation of an Austen work is your personal favorite and why. All entries must be submitted by 11:59 p.m., Friday, May 15. The contest is open to North American readers only and the decision of the ComicMix judges will be final.
Jane Austen’s beloved comedy about finding your equal and earning your happy...
The latest such effort is Emma., which Universal released just prior to the nation going into quarantine. While available to rent previously, it is now available to own via streaming with the Combo Pack coming May 19. Or, you can win our contest.
All you need to do is tell us which adaptation of an Austen work is your personal favorite and why. All entries must be submitted by 11:59 p.m., Friday, May 15. The contest is open to North American readers only and the decision of the ComicMix judges will be final.
Jane Austen’s beloved comedy about finding your equal and earning your happy...
- 5/8/2020
- by ComicMix Staff
- Comicmix.com
Starting with her debut River of Grass (1994), Kelly Reichardt managed to capture, using her unique and particular style of patience, the underlying issues of the U.S. identity, using non-flamboyant narratives of the quotidian to explore the inner and physical travels of the characters, on this long, exhausting journey known as capitalism.Her latest film, First Cow, is a slow-pace buddy anti-western in which two loner misfits (John Magaro and Orion Lee) and a cow (Eve) cross each other’s paths searching for a better life through milk theft and entrepreneurship in 18th century Oregon. This simple plot idea is the starting point for Reichardt, who makes use of her magnificent abilities—such as the sublime handling of arid comedy, her particular and empathetic sensibility, and her power to convert the most austere narrative, cinematographic or physical gesture into a blunt expression—to turn this almost anecdotal story of two...
- 3/12/2020
- MUBI
Kelly Reichardt’s signature minimalism permeates “First Cow,” a good-natured friendship tale — enmeshed with a subtle critique of capitalism — set in the mid-19th-century Oregon Territory. Based on Jonathan Raymond’s novel “The Half-Life,” the adaptation follows John Magaro’s recluse chef Cookie and Orion Lee’s immigrant runaway King Lu, two dreamers who launch a mischievously lucrative business, frying up biscuits made with milk stolen from the region’s first cow, owned by a wealthy Englishman.
Reichardt entrusted prior collaborators Dp Christopher Blauvelt and costume designer April Napier, to help deliver the film’s look. They drew inspiration from Reichardt’s references, such as “Ugetsu,” Kenji Mizoguchi’s mystery-drama about wartime profiteers, and “The Apu Trilogy,” Satyajit Ray’s coming-of-age classics.
The film shot in cold and wet terrain, but Blauvelt was well-equipped for the elements, having shot Reichardt’s other Pacific Northwest-based pictures, “Certain Women,” “Night Moves” and “Meek’s Cutoff.
Reichardt entrusted prior collaborators Dp Christopher Blauvelt and costume designer April Napier, to help deliver the film’s look. They drew inspiration from Reichardt’s references, such as “Ugetsu,” Kenji Mizoguchi’s mystery-drama about wartime profiteers, and “The Apu Trilogy,” Satyajit Ray’s coming-of-age classics.
The film shot in cold and wet terrain, but Blauvelt was well-equipped for the elements, having shot Reichardt’s other Pacific Northwest-based pictures, “Certain Women,” “Night Moves” and “Meek’s Cutoff.
- 3/11/2020
- by Tomris Laffly
- Variety Film + TV
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