The Best of 2013: The Nominees.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE


Broadcast, Berberian Sound Studio
Joe Hisaishi, The Wind Rises
Cliff Martinez, Only God Forgives
m83 and Joseph Trapanese, Oblivion
Rob, Maniac
Tindersticks, Bastards



BEST ORIGINAL SONG

Do You Wanna Build a Snowman, Frozen
Let It Go, Frozen
The Moon Song, Her
Oblivion, Oblivion

Please Mr. Kennedy, Inside Llewyn Davis


BEST DOCUMENTARY


The Act of Killing
Call Me Kuchu
The Source Family
The Square
Stories We Tell


BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

Despicable Me 2

Frozen
Monsters University
Turbo
The Wind Rises


BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM

Bastards
Drug War
The Grandmaster (HK Version)
I Killed My Mother
Post Tenebras Lux
Safe Haven (from S-VHS)
The Wind Rises


BEST EDITING

Annette Dutertre, Bastards
Andrew Bujalski, Computer Chess
Pietro Scalia, The Counselor
Matthew Newman, Only God Forgives
AJ Edwards and Keith Fraase and Shane Hazen and Christopher Roldan and Mark Yoshikawa, To The Wonder
Adam Wingard, You're Next


BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Richard LaGravenese, Behind The Candelabra
Danny Strong, The Butler
Gavin Hood, Ender's Game
Shane Black and Drew Pearce, Iron Man Three
Don Coscarelli, John Dies At the End
John Ridley, 12 Years a Slave


BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Todd Berger, It's a Disaster
Jem Cohen, Museum Hours
Alice Lowe and Steve Oram and Amy Jump, Sightseers
Shane Carruth, Upstream Color
Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, The World's End
Simon Barrett, You're Next


BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Shane Carruth, Upstream Color
Benoit Debie, Spring Breakers
Agnes Godard AFC, Bastards
Emmanuel Lubezki AMC/ASC, To The Wonder
Iris Ng, Stories We Tell
Brandon Trost, The Lords of Salem

Dariusz Wolski ASC, The Counselor


BEST DIRECTOR

Rama Burshtein, Fill The Void
Shane Carruth, Upstream Color
Claire Denis, Bastards
Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity
Spike Jonze, Her
Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave
Rob Zombie, the Lords of Salem


BEST SCENE

Child Beauty Pageant, Bad Grandpa
Funeral, Bad Grandpa
Tscherkassky-style freakout, Berberian Sound Studio
Audrina Patridge robbery, The Bling Ring
Adele and Thomas talking about literature, Blue is the Warmest Color
Oprah thinks this dinner is done, The Butler
last questions, Computer Chess
"...over in the corner," The Conjuring
Gina Carano vs Michelle Rodriguez, Furious 6
Ip Man and Gong Er's 'don't break anything' fight, The Grandmaster
trainside fight, The Grandmaster
Spiders in the Forest, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 3D
Biaggio Family Discussion, The Kings of Summer
"All Tomorrow's Parties," The Lords of Salem
The Ritual, The Lords of Salem
Bruegel Lecture, Museum Hours
What witch tears do, Oz The Great and Powerful
Splitscreen view to a kill, Passion
Opening Scene, Post Tenebras Lux
Graffiti Run, Something in the Air
"Everytime," Spring Breakers
Opening Credits, Texas Chainsaw 3D
portal chase, Thor: The Dark World
The Lemmons, Wolf of Wall Street
Be vewy vewy quiet in the lab, World War Z



SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Ashley Benson, Spring Breakers
Gaby Hoffman, Crystal Fairy
Scarlett Johansson, Her
Joanna Lumley, Wolf of Wall Street
Angela McEwan, Nebraska
Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave
Mickey Sumner, Frances Ha
Oprah Winfrey, The Butler


BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Matt Damon, Behind The Candelabra
James Franco, Spring Breakers
Ben Foster, Kill Your Darlings
John Gallagher Jr, Short Term 12
Jeremie Laheurte, Blue is the Warmest Color
Rob Lowe, Behind The Candelabra
Olafur Darri Olafsson, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Jeffrey Daniel Phillips, The Lords of Salem

BEST ACTRESS

Amy Adams, American Hustle
Sandra Bullock, Gravity
Cameron Diaz, The Counselor
Adele Exarchopoulos, Blue is The Warmest Color
Brie Larson, Short Term 12
Lindsay Lohan, The Canyons
Alice Lowe, Sightseers
Hadas Yaron, Fill The Void
Ziyi Zhang, The Grandmaster
Sheri Moon Zombie, The Lords of Salem


BEST ACTOR

Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
Oscar Isaac, Inside Llewyn Davis
Vincent Lindon, Bastards
Clement Metayer, Something in the Air
Joaquin Phoenix, Her
Robert Redford, All is Lost
Bobby Sommer, Museum Hours 


BEST PICTURE

BASTARDS
FILL THE VOID
HER
THE LORDS OF SALEM
MUSEUM HOURS
SHORT TERM 12
SPRING BREAKERS
STORIES WE TELL
12 YEARS A SLAVE
UPSTREAM COLOR

The Worst of 2013.

The 9 WORST FILMS of 2013.

It's odd. Usually, there are ten films that I hate strongly enough to immortalize in whatever shame a list like this instills. But I sincerely couldn't find ten films worthy of my contempt. There were a lot of flawed films that had enough redeeming facets to pull them out of consideration for this list, so I'm stuck with just the nine, in ascending order of awfulness.


09) Texas Chainsaw 3D
08) The Last Days on Mars
07) Fright Night 2: New Blood
06) Escape Plan
05) Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters
04) Free Birds
03) A Good Day To Die Hard
02) G.I. Joe Retaliation
01) A Haunted House

Some Quality Time with John Waters.

John. Waters. Christmas. Interview.

At the movies: Seventeen.

Showing once. Tonight. On 16mm. Just go. Do that, for me.

You can read this beforehand, or after. Just go. Don't miss this.

Famous People talked to me: Adele Exarchopoulos.

While my response to Blue is The Warmest Color/La Vie d'Adele is measured, there's one aspect of it that I am completely bowled over by, and that is the central performance of Adele Exarchopoulos. After the film's tempestuous post-Cannes history, it was nice to be able to hear from Adele herself. This article in the online version of the Scene (supplementing Jim Ridley's exceptional review of the film, which makes me want to rewatch the second half, keeping some of his points in mind) was taken from the press conference interview with Exarchopoulos and Abdellatif Kechiche, whom I have omitted from the piece because he is dickish and kept dodging thoughtful questions. But enough of that- on to Adele.

At the movies: The Visitor (Stridulum).

Ah, The Vistor. Also known as Stridulum. Also known as That Movie where Everything That Could Possibly Happen in fact Does... It's a very special film, and thanks to Drafthouse Films, it's being unleashed upon a world that can show it the love it properly deserves. Don't let it pass you by. 

Famous People Talked to Me: Robert Redford and J.C. Chandor.

All is Lost is finally opening in Nashville, and to help promote it/bring awareness to this truly unique film experience, I'm running the discussion that happened after the film's screening at the New York Film Festival this year. This is well worth your time.

At the movies: Fill the Void.

A last chance to see one of the year's best films for Nashville, thanks to the Nashville Jewish Film Festival, now celebrating its thirteenth year. This film is something very special, and quite worthy of your time.

At the movies: Escape from Tomorrow.

Though I think I still prefer the Sundance cut a little more, I still love Escape from Tomorrow, and I urge anyone who might be reading this to check out my review and then check out the film. Or, if you're an adventurous type, just check out the film first. If you have pasts (or presents) with theme park drama in them, it will be all the more resonant for you.

At the movies: The 51st New York Film Festival

This year's 51st New York Film Festival was a grand array of new and challenging work from all over the planet. I was able to attend, and held forth on what all I saw at the Scene. Let me know your thoughts or questions.

Intertextual Healing: Carrie.

When I can write about Carrie, in any of its forms, I do. Here I go long for the Scene about the new film and how it relates to previous tellings of the story. I will talk about Carrie to anybody, so if you're looking for a guest lecturer/podcast fill-in/auxiliary ranter, let me know...

Twenty-four hours of terror...

The image above is of Dayton's Dabel Cinema, a onetime Cinerama house and the largest theatre I ever regularly saw movies at. It was demolished in late 1992, which is lamentable to this very day. Next door to it was a weird/fun/seedy record store called Renaissance Music Media, and between the two places, I had many adventures in the Ohio summers I spent in my youth. But I use the image of the Dabel because 1) its lobby reminded me of the one in Night of the Comet, just bigger, and 2) whenever I get caught up in the fantasy of running a 24-hour movie marathon (actually, 24:22 according to my calculations), it's always here, in a 752-seat grand palace stuffed with memories.

Also, since it no longer exists, I've not had to see its star diminished by time, digital conversion, subdivision, or corporate malfeasance. So let's pretend, shall we, that here's where we'll be attending this marathon. Fifteen features, two shorts, and an excerpt that sets the thematic tone of the evening.


Events will kick off right around 8:00 PM (you know how the Eastern time zone is), and I hope you find this Halloween extravaganza rewarding and upsetting in the best possible fashion. Also, because the Dabel was a Cinerama house, there was a three-projector setup, meaning downtime between films could be kept to an absolute minimum.


8:00 PM
The opening sequence from SCREAM 2
(1997-Wes CRAVEN) 12m

8:14 PM
CANDYMAN
(1992-Bernard ROSE) 99m

9:55 PM
THE SENDER
(1982-Roger CHRISTIAN) 91m

11:28 PM
PERFECT BLUE
(1997-KON Satoshi) 81m

12:49 AM
 ten minute bathroom/snack/stretch break

12:59 AM
MARTIN
(1976-George A. ROMERO) 95m

1:36 AM
THE NIGHT FLIER
(1997-Mark PAVIA) 94m

3:12 AM
THE KEEP
(1983-Michael MANN) 96m

4:48 AM
 five minute break

4:53 AM
EYES OF FIRE
(1983-Avery CROUNSE) 90m

6:25 AM
INFERNO
(1980-Dario ARGENTO) 107m

8:14 AM
SORORITY HOUSE MASSACRE
(1986-Carol FRANK) 74m

9:28 AM
 five minute break

9:33 AM
THESIS
(1996-Alejandro AMENABAR) 125m

11:40 AM
OUTER SPACE
(1999-Peter TSCHERKASSKY) 10m

11:52 AM
LORD OF ILLUSIONS
(1995-Clive BARKER) 120m

1:54 PM
VINCENT
(1982-Tim BURTON) 6m

2:02 PM
THE HAUNTING
(1963-Robert WISE) 112m

3:54 PM
 ten minute break

4:04 PM
ROCKULA
(1990-Luca BERCOVICI) 87m

5:33 PM
PAGANINI HORROR
(1989-Luigi COZZI) 82m

6:57 PM
BODY SNATCHERS
(1993-Abel FERRARA) 87m

8:22 PM
 go home.


If you try this at home, blog or tweet it and let me know how it goes...

Famous people talked to me: Tom Hanks.

The opening night film for this year's New York Film Festival was Captain Phillips, and as such, I was able to be part of the big press event with star Tom Hanks. Here's that. Sorry I didn't post this sooner, but I had a major tech failure while I was in New York in that a design flaw with the laptop I was using became an insurmountable crevasse.

At the movies: You're Next.

Biding its time since its premiere two years ago, this vicious little gem has been waiting for exactly the right time to kick the collective ass of the viewing public. Smart, gross, funny, vicious, and so very pointed in the way it examines the messed-up ties of family and love, I can't recommend this film highly enough.

At the electronic outlet: The Canyons.

So yeah. This is the piece where I bring down some anger my way. I dug The Canyons a lot. Most people may very well hate it. Here's a quick test... Look at the image below. You see that '70s sweater La Lohan is wearing? If you don't feel immediately intrigued as to that combination of elements, then this may not be the film for you. 

Talking Showgirls with David Schmader.

Last Thursday, in the hallowed halls of the Belcourt Theatre, David Schamder held court with an epic screening of Paul Verhoeven's 1995 film Showgirls. It was a transformative experience, and all who attended left theatre as different people than they arrived as. I had the chance to talk to Schmader a week before, to hype up the event, and we teased a couple of different pieces out of it. There were some online bits that couldn't fit the print edition, then the print edit itself. Well, in commemoration of the event, my fearless editor and I have placed the entire* piece online, and it's yours to read and enjoy. So please do enjoy it.

* - Entire, that is, minus the epic mini-discussion we had about Rena Riffel's Showgirls 2: penny's From heaven, which I hope to let loose on the world at a later date for a screening of that film.

At the movies: The Lone Ranger.

Well, it's not often that one day after a review I write is published that a consensus between the exhibition industry, 'conventional wisdom,' and angry kids at the mall develops that casts aside not only a film I dig, but several points that I specifically tried to emphasize. It's sad, because it's now apparent that this is going to be 2013's John Carter of Mars- that is, an interesting, overlong phantasmagoria that will get used as a bludgeon (see also the piece I wrote about Heaven's Gate last month). Anyway, give me a read if you like, and see the film- it's so much better than any of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

In which I do yammer on...

So I got to talk about the expansion of the Belcourt's Midnight Movie series this week. I think I come off- dare I say it- respectable.

At the movies: The Heat.

A very pleasant surprise here. Feel free to take Mom to this one, even though it uses a lot of F words and people get shot in the head. I wish I could go see it with Alison Bechdel.

Long Live The New Flesh: or, What Exactly is Going On inside my Body as of late.

This is rumor control; here are the facts.

On Thursday of this week, I had some surgery to excise two cervical discs from my neck.

They were worn down, compressed, and in the early-to-middle stages of calcification due to a genetic defect called Klippel-Feil Syndrome. These messed-up discs were impinging on my spinal cord, which had been causing me a lot of various and sundry issues over the past few years (haptic asynchrony, nerve pain, numbness, moodswings, existential terror, pinched nerves, and microburst headaches). It wasn't until my primary physician, Dr. Barbara Rogowski-Kent, who is awesomely pragmatic, suggested that I get a cervical MRI that we realized all of these things were tied to the same root cause.

Anyway, as of Thursday, those discs are gone. They have been replaced by bone grafts donated by someone I don't know and metal brackets to help it all fuse together appropriately. For about a day after the surgery, I had an insane-looking neck drain that looked like an Ood brain (for those of you who are Whovians). When they removed the drain from me, it was definitely surreal and felt like an Upstream Color moments, iffen you know what I mean.

I'm recovering currently. There are an abundance of interesting brusises and such everywhere, and I'll confess to not looking at my main incision or the currently-healing drainhole because I am not of sufficient fortitude to do so, But I'm feeling - different. I'm feeling better.

At the movies: Stories We Tell.

For the time being, at least, this is the best movie of 2013. Go see it, and spend some time with real human issues that aren't about drink-throwing and dumb shit. I wish Oprah was still on the air, because it's totally in her wheelhouse and she could get an insane amount of publicity for a small film that absolutely deserves your support. I guess that's my pull-quote: "If you miss when Oprah would use her powers for good, Stories We Tell is the movie you need to see."

Some thoughts on Behind the Candelabra.

This is a film worth seeing. Fortunately, thanks to the way viewing works these days, HBO Go is carrying it at your leisure. I've tried to get at everything I could possibly want to see about the film and what all it covers, but there's still something uncanny about it that feels elusive. What are your thoughts on the matter? 

At the movies: Heaven's Gate.

Yes, it's more than three and a half hours long. Yes, it's the movie that ended the era of studios giving directors leeway, power, and the benefit of the doubt. And yes, you should see it if at all possible.

At the movies: Furious 6.

Prepare for the onslaught. Furious 6 is going to kick the ass of most things this weekend; perhaps your ass will be one of them. I want more Gina Carano versus Michelle Rodriguez. If you aren't intrigued by this combination, watch the trailer... I'll wait.

Yeah, so get ready.

Some thoughts on Star Trek Into Darkness.

I am fortunate, because I have an editor and venue that is interested in hardcore Trekkie thoughts. Take a look, if you're inclined to dig deep (by which I mean Arex and M'Ress, a defense of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Klinzhai realness, and why Hollywood considers Wrath of Khan to be some kind of sacred ur-text). I welcome your thoughts, provided you're not just trying to be a jerkface.

I also made a point of not getting into my usual #1 Star Trek complaint (the abandonment of the Deltans in favor of their community college equivalents, the Betazoids), because the bald female navigator in this film (Ensign Darwin, as credited in the cast list), while she may not supposed to be Deltan, that is certainly the visual impression she gives. That she is an actress of color is even more awesome, because it's about time Paramount gave us some IDIC in action.

Also, here's a link to my take on the 2009 Trek, just to acclimate yourself to my perspectives. Cumberbatch is lightyears better than Bana, that is for damned sure.

At the movies: The Lords of Salem.

Currently winding up far too small of a theatrical release, you may be fortunate enough to catch this weird, majestic film in a theatrical location. It's a major leap for Zombie, and I can't help but love it. Don't get me wrong, I'd like to see what happened with some of the other subplots from the book, but I haven't been this pleased with a horror film in a long time. Have a read of my extended thoughts over at the Scene, and then see the film.

At the movies: Evil Dead '13.

I got to talk with Jim Ridley about the new Evil Dead. You can read it here. There is some trenchant observation with just a tad of leavening bitchery. I hope you enjoy it.

At the movies: Stoker.

I was given the chance to write about the exquisitely messed-up English-langauge debut for Korean director Park Chanwook, and it's an opportunity that I leapt at. When you see Stoker, and you certainly should, you'll sink into its sensual enchantment and you will want to get new wine glasses. It's not just a testament to Nashville's exceptional film industry, some of the finest artists and craftspeople I've had the pleasure of sharing a mutual horror at our state legislature with, but an example of how you can rope together several disparate elements and turn it into something unexpected and glorious. Not to be missed...

Think P!nk

A few things about one of my favorite popstars and modern divas.

At the movies: John Dies at the End.

You need to see this. Seriously, dude. You need to see this.

Kam chang leepa sank tones, all around.

This weekend, I'll be hosting The Belcourt's midnight screenings of "Sine Yo Pitty On The Runny Kine," starring Pootie Tang. You know you need to be there. Wapatau to the bammies...

A Disco Whispers, 'Perhaps Tonight..."

I had the privilege of writing about Space is the Place, West Nashville's monthly Italo party, for the Nashville Scene this Valentine's Day. I hope to see you there.

Me vs The Oscar nominations. Hint: they win, sort of.

I totally spaced on publishing this here when I wrote it, and shame on me for that. Me, ranting about the Oscar nominations for almost two thousand words.

Famous People talked to me: Michael Haneke.

Another of my exploitations of the press conferences an attendant hoopla at the NYFF. Michael Haneke, talking about Amour.

This is it. My 'Top Ten' for 2012.

Okay, y'all, this is it. The real real. The thing that, at least for the time being, has me mattering on a cosmic level. I hope you find something of value here. I'm not afraid of ties, when they're called for. If you're bothered by ties, well, that's your hierarchy and your problem.


01) CLOUD ATLAS (TYKWER/WACHOWSKI/WACHOWSKI)
       HOLY MOTORS (CARAX)

02) LINCOLN (SPIELBERG)

      ZERO DARK THIRTY (BIGELOW)

03) COSMOPOLIS (CRONENBERG)

04) FOOTNOTE (CEDAR)

      THE MASTER (ANDERSON)

05) BEYOND THE BLACK RAINBOW (COSMATOS)

06) THE CABIN IN THE WOODS (GODDARD)

07) DJANGO UNCHAINED (TARANTINO)

      THE PAPERBOY (DANIELS)

08) TABU (GOMES)

09) CHRONICLE (TRANK)

      THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER (CHBOSKY)

10) PROMETHEUS (SCOTT)

Honorable Mention: Bad 25, Barbara, Detention, Frankenweenie, Goon, Haywire, Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, ParaNorman, Pina, The Tall Man, Ted, Wreck-It Ralph

Best in Film: 2012. The Awards.

BEST ANIMATED FILM: ParaNorman

BEST 3D:

(Native) Prometheus

(Conversion) Monsters, Inc.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG: "Who Were We," from Holy Motors

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Darius WOLSKI, Prometheus

BEST EDITING: Cloud Atlas

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN: Prometheus

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: Broadcast, Berberian Sound Studio

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS: Prometheus

BEST DOCUMENTARY: Pina 3D

BEST FIRST FILM: Beyond The Black Rainbow

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Tom TYKWER/Andy WACHOWSKI/Lana WACHOWSKI,

Cloud Atlas

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Drew GODDARD/Joss WHEDON, The Cabin in The Woods

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Macy GRAY, The Paperboy

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Scoot McNAIRY, Argo/Killing Them Softly

BEST ACTRESS: Nina HOSS, Barbara

BEST ACTOR: Joaquin PHOENIX, The Master

BEST DIRECTOR: Kathryn BIGELOW, Zero Dark Thirty

SPECIAL AWARDS AS FOLLOWS:

To Matthew McCONAUGHEY for his exceptional body of work this year. Bernie, Killer Joe, Magic Mike, and The Paperboy. Four exceptional performances in four different tales of the South.

To The Awakening, for being the best film I saw this year that apparently nobody else has seen.

To Jessica BIEL in The Tall Man, because she's staggering in it and I never would have expected such a thing.

To Tyler ABRIZZI in ParaNorman, for being the best fat kid performance since Brett Kelly in Bad Santa, who is the Bjork of fat kid actors, which makes Bad Santa the Dancer in the Dark of fat kid movies.

SPECIAL FUCK YOU AWARDS AS FOLLOWS:

To the Village Voice 2012 poll for calling Cloud Atlas the worst film of the year.

To the AV Club 2012 poll for calling The Paperboy the worst film of the year.