Catching Up with Jason Shawhan at this point...

Hey, readers (both of you). So, I'm currently sitting in Los Angeles at a friend's place trying to get my mind in order, and I've realized that I should collect some more stuff that I've written here so that I can increase some degree of awareness for what all I write... So here it is.


Celine Dion.
Here are two pieces I wrote about La Celine's Courage tour. The first is a preview of the show/thinkpiece about the artist and her legacy. The second is a review of the actual show itself.

A review of COLOR OUT OF SPACE.

The 2019 Jim Ridley Film Poll, which I helped organize and collate (and ended up puking up bile in the upstairs men's room at a beloved arthouse from anxiety). Note: The Apocrypha, which is the 18,000 words submitted that didn't make it into the final version, will be published on this website in a week or so.

Catching up with Jason Shawhan...

A few other things what I've done recently.



A review of the legendary VELVET GOLDMINE.

DANIEL ISN'T REAL, my favorite film of 2019.

SATANTANGO!

A conversation about CATS. I go there.

The Very Best of 2019.

SUPERLATIVES of 2019

FILM

1 DANIEL ISN’T REAL

For some an exorcism. For others, a reconciliation.

2 LA FLOR Episode II: “Watch Out”/IN FABRIC/LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT 3D

Visual, narrative, and sensory pleasure, unbound. Nostalgia cannot truly be bought.

3 SYNONYMS

This is not me trying to be contrarian, but everyone who loved Uncut Gems (a film I liked a lot but that requires emergency Xanax and that I could never imagine watching a second time- though I would love an Idina Menzel spinoff) really needs to see this. Tom Mercier is the performance of the year.

4 DIANE/THE IRISHMAN: I HEARD YOU PAINT HOUSES/THE WILD PEAR TREE

The ache of time.

5 IN MY ROOM/The SARA LEE Sketch

Y’all might not know this, but one of my favorite subgenres of cinema are films that start out with a simple hook and end up forcing the viewer to confront the absolute moral truth of who they are. These do that.

6 THE LIGHTHOUSE/PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE

Queer desire in hermetically sealed crucibles in the midst of the primordial sea. Power and class and the cruel vicissitudes of the exterior world. But beyond all these things, the near-unbearable drama of when to share, when to hide.

7 LITTLE WOMEN/NANCY DREW AND THE HIDDEN STAIRCASE

Women proving the timelessness of women’s work; evolutions that reinforce, but never betray.

8 THE DEAD CENTER/KNIFE+HEART/KNIVES OUT/ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD/ONE CUT OF THE DEAD/TRANSIT

The pleasure of genre aspirations with deeply subverted executions.

9 ATLANTICS/LIGHT FROM LIGHT/STARFISH

Subtle touches on the surface of the hippocampus.

10 HER SMELL/THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO/PAIN AND GLORY

Long-term research experiments on the resilience of the self.

ACTRESS

Ana DE ARMAS, KNIVES OUT

AWKWAFINA, THE FAREWELL

Sofia BOUTELLA, CLIMAX

Virginia GARDNER, STARFISH

Adele HAENEL, PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE

Marin IRELAND, LIGHT FROM LIGHT

Elisabeth MOSS, HER SMELL

Lupita NYONG’O, LITTLE MONSTERS/US

Mary Kay PLACE, DIANE

Florence PUGH, MIDSOMMAR

Charlize THERON, LONG SHOT

ACTOR

Antonio BANDERAS, PAIN AND GLORY

Shane CARRUTH, THE DEAD CENTER

Daniel CRAIG, KNIVES OUT

Taron EGERTON, ROCKETMAN

Jimmie FAILS, THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO

Bill HADER, IT: CHAPTER TWO

Tom MERCIER, SYNONYMS

Eddie MURPHY, DOLEMITE IS MY NAME

Miles ROBBINS, DANIEL ISN’T REAL

Franz ROGOWSKI, TRANSIT

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Toni COLLETTE, KNIVES OUT

Laura DERN, MARRIAGE STORY

Sasha LANE, DANIEL ISN’T REAL

Jennifer LOPEZ, HUSTLERS

Billie LOURD, BOOKSMART

Mary Stuart MASTERSON, DANIEL ISN’T REAL

Idina MENZEL, UNCUT GEMS

Fatma MOHAMED, IN FABRIC

Elisabeth MOSS, US

Anna PAQUIN, THE IRISHMAN: I HEARD YOU PAINT HOUSES

Florence PUGH, LITTLE WOMEN

Margaret QUALLEY, ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD

Taylor RUSSELL, WAVES

ZHAO Shuzhen, THE FAREWELL

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Alan ALDA, MARRIAGE STORY

Willem DAFOE, THE LIGHTHOUSE

Asier EXTEANDIA, PAIN AND GLORY

Kevin HART, JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL

Martin LAWRENCE, THE BEACH BUM

Kyle McLACHLAN, GIANT LITTLE ONES

Alessandro NIVOLA, THE ART OF SELF-DEFENSE

Al PACINO, THE IRISHMAN: I HEARD YOU PAINT HOUSES

Brad PITT, ONCE UPONA TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD

James RANSONE, IT: CHAPTER TWO

Franz ROGOWSKI, A HIDDEN LIFE

Patrick SCHWARZENEGGER, DANIEL ISN’T REAL

Kiddy SMILE, CLIMAX

Archie YATES, JOJO RABBIT

ENSEMBLE

CLIMAX

DIANE

THE FAREWELL

HER SMELL

KNIVES OUT

MARRIAGE STORY

DIRECTOR

Ari ASTER, MIDSOMMAR

BI Gan, LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT 3D

Claire DENIS, HIGH LIFE

Mati DIOP, ATLANTICS

Robert EGGERS, THE LIGHTHOUSE

Mike FLANAGAN, DOCTOR SLEEP

Dexter FLETCHER, ROCKETMAN

Greta GERWIG, LITTLE WOMEN

Yann GONZALEZ, KNIFE + HEART

Rian JOHNSON, KNIVES OUT

Kent JONES, DIANE

Nadav LAPID, SYNONYMS

Adam Egypt MORTIMER, DANIEL ISN’T REAL

Gaspar NOE, CLIMAX

Jordan PEELE, US

Celine SCIAMMA, PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE

Martin SCORSESE, THE IRISHMAN: I HEARD YOU PAINT HOUSES

Peter STRICKLAND, IN FABRIC

SCREENPLAY:

Ari ASTER, MIDSOMMAR

BONG Joon-ho/JIN Won-han, PARASITE

Guy BUSICK/Ryan MURPHY, READY OR NOT

Brian DeLEEUW/Adam Egypt MORTIMER, DANIEL ISN’T REAL

Max EGGERS/Robert EGGERS, THE LIGHTHOUSE

Mike FLANAGAN, DOCTOR SLEEP

Greta GERWIG, LITTLE WOMEN

Rian JOHNSON, KNIVES OUT

Kent JONES, DIANE

Ulrich KOHLER, IN MY ROOM

Haim LAPID/Nadav LAPID, SYNONYMS

Jordan PEELE, US

Alex Ross PERRY, HER SMELL

Steven ZAILLIAN, THE IRISHMAN: I HEARD YOU PAINT HOUSES

DOCUMENTARY

AMAZING GRACE

APOLLO 11

HAIL, SATAN?

HORROR NOIRE

MEMORY: THE ORIGINS OF ALIEN

SCREAM, QUEEN! MY NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET

VARDA PAR AGNES

FOREIGN LANGUAGE/POLYGLOT FILM

ATLANTICS

DIAMANTINO

LA FLOR

HAGAZUSSA

KNIFE + HEART

LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT 3D

LUZ

PARASITE

PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE

RETROSPEKT

SYNONYMS

THE WILD PEAR TREE

ANIMATED FILM

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD

I LOST MY BODY

MISSING LINK

TEEN TITANS GO! VS TEEN TITANS

TOY STORY 4

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Alberto BAÑARES, STARFISH

Simon BEAUFILS, KNIFE + HEART

Jarin BLASCHKE, THE LIGHTHOUSE

Yves CAPE, ZOMBI CHILD

David CHIZALLET/DONG Jing-song/YAO Hung-i, LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT 3D

Paul FALTZ, LUZ

Radek LADCZUK, THE NIGHTINGALE

Yorick LE SAUX, HIGH LIFE/LITTLE WOMEN

Claire MATHON, ATLANTICS/PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE

Maksymilian MILCZARCZYK, ANTRUM

Adam NEWPORT-BERRA, THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO

Roman OSIN, SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK

Pawel POGORZELSKI, MIDSOMMAR

Tat RADCLIFFE, QUEEN AND SLIM

Leonardo SIMÕES, VITALINA VARELA

Mike TESTIN, BLISS

Gökhan TIRYAKI, THE WILD PEAR TREE

Lyle VINCENT, DANIEL ISN’T REAL

Ari WEGNER, IN FABRIC

Sean Price WILLIAMS, HER SMELL

EDITING

Denis BEDLOW/Gaspar NOE, CLIMAX

FEKETE Matyas, IN FABRIC

Robert GREENE, HER SMELL

Alexander HAMMER/Nia IMANI/Julian KLINCEWICZ/Andrew MORROW, HOMECOMING

Todd Douglas MILLER, APOLLO 11

RESTORATION

BABYLON

A BIGGER SPLASH

CRUISING

THE FATE OF LEE KHAN

HARD TICKET TO HAWAII

THE JUNIPER TREE

NIGHT KILLER

OPERA

PAGANINI HORROR

PERFECT BLUE

REVENGE OF THE CREATURE 3D

SÁTÁNTANGÓ

THE SHINING

VICE SQUAD

ORIGINAL SCORE

CAVERN OF ANTI-MATTER, IN FABRIC

m83, KNIFE + HEART

Matt MORTON, APOLLO 11

Trent REZNOR/Atticus ROSS, WAVES

COSTUME DESIGN

Kym BARRETT, US

Niharika BHASIN/Praveen RAJA, PETTA

Cypress COOK/Fatima IMAGINARIO, DIAMANTINO

April NAPIER, BOOKSMART

Leticia PALACIOS, STARFISH

uncredited, LA FLOR

PRODUCTION DESIGN

John COLLINS, NANCY DREW AND THE HIDDEN STAIRCASE

Cypress COOK/Bruno DUARTE, DIAMANTINO

David CRANK, KNIVES OUT

Ruth DE JONG, US

Sidney DuBOIS/Damien RONDEAU, KNIFE + HEART

Dana DUMANN, HAGAZUSSA

Fernanda GUERRERO, STARFISH

Melanie JONES, THE CURSE OF LA LLORONA

Barbara LING, ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD

Paki SMITH, IN FABRIC

Henrik SVENSSON, MIDSOMMAR

UNDISTRIBUTED FILM

ARROWS OF OUTRAGEOUS FORTUNE

CLIMATE OF THE HUNTER

LIBERTE

MAD?

MANGOSHAKE

RETROSPEKT

ROT

SCREAM, QUEEN! MY NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET

SIBYL

Album:

1 FKA twigs/MAGDALENE

2 Carly Rae Jepsen/Dedicated

3 Mansionair

4 Tyler The Creator/IGOR

5 Celine Dion/Courage

6 Orville Peck/Pony

7 Lizzo/Cuz I Love You

8 Tan/Two by Tan

9 Frances Barber/Musik

10 m83/Knife + Heart

SONG

1 Ciara – Thinking ‘bout You

2 Lizzo & Missy Elliott – Tempo

3 Carly Rae Jepsen – Want You In My Room

4 Celine Dion – Lying Down

5 Inner City – Til We Meet Again 2019 (Inner City vs Carl Craig)

6 Paul Kennedy – Nobody’s Fool

7 Elle Fanning – Wildflowers

8 Mansionair – Alibi

9 Frances Barber and Pet Shop Boys – Ich bin Musik

10 S U R V I V E – Starcourt

11 Normani – Motivation

12 Billie Eilish – bad guy (Barry Harris Remix)

13 The Knocks – No Requests

14 Kevin McHale – Help Me Now

15 Bleachers – I Miss The Last Days of Disco

16 Aly and AJ – Church

17 Estiva – Trip

18 Bananarama – Tonight

19 Dido – Give You Up (Niko The Kid Remix)

20 Sofee – Thursday Night

TV

1 Los Espookys

2 Now Apocalypse

3 John Mulaney and The Sack Lunch Bunch

4 The Other Two/What We Do In the Shadows

5 Pose

6 Watchmen

7 I Think You Should Leave/Sherman’s Showcase

8 Russian Doll

9 A Black Lady Sketch Show

10 Fosse/Verdon

11 The Righteous Gemstones

12 Wellington Paranormal

13 The Mandalorian

14 The Terror

15 American Horror Story: 1984

16 My Favorite Shapes

17 Good Omens

18 Stranger Things

19 Too Old To Die Young

20 The Orville/Star Trek: Discovery

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE ON TV

Sandra BERNHARD/”Sometimes It Snows in April” - Pose

Bradley COOPER/Lady GAGA/”The Shallow” - The 2019 Academy Awards

“Drop It Low (for Jesus)” - Sherman’s Showcase

Billie EILISH/”bad guy” - Saturday Night Live

“Grandma’s Got a Boyfriend” - John Mulaney and The Sack Lunch Bunch

“Plain Plate of Noodles” - John Mulaney and The Sack Lunch Bunch

MJ RODRIGUEZ & George SALAZAR/”Suddenly Seymour” - The Late Late Show with James Corden

“Thursday Night” - Sherman’s Showcase

Podcasts (in alphabetical order)

Attack of the Queerwolf

Bad Gays

Bait

Homophilia

How Did This Get Made?

Keep It

Linoleum Knife

Nightmare University

Pure Cinema

Shock Waves

Tales from Beyond The Pale

The Underculture

DISAPPOINTMENTS LIST (NOTE: NOT WORST FILMS, JUST DISAPPOINTMENTS)

1 Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

2 Joker

3 Les Miserables

4 I’m Just Fucking With You

5 The Dead Don’t Die

Catching up with Jason Shawhan

A few things of recent publication...

An interview with the singular Doug Stanhope.

A review of Robert (The VVitch) Eggers' THE LIGHTHOUSE.

A review of Billy Senese's THE DEAD CENTER, an exceptional horror film made right here in Nastyville.

My seminannual omnibus to horror stuff to be seen in October (and beyond)...

My wrap-up of the exceptional 2019 New York Film Festival.

What's on the Graveyard Shift?

HERE’S WHAT ALL IS ON THE GRAVEYARD SHIFT!

I beg of you to attend.

Monday – 10/7/19

NINA at 4PM

Maria Winther Olsen's film NINA is a somber and restrained work of suspense and unease that deals with a gifted artist in an isolated space having marriage troubles. And a selkie may be involved... This is classier than Graveyard usually gets, but worthy of your time. It's screening with a great, Lynchian short called BOXES, from Tony Yang.

ROT at 8PM

Scandalous and grotesque and quite captivating. Showing with Josh Ethier's short film GUTTER.

THIS IS WRESTLING: THE JOEY RYAN STORY at 8:30PM

What can I say about the King of Dong Style? Showing with the short film UNFINISHED BUSINESS.

The DREAMS OF THE EXTREME Shorts Program at 830PM

Here’s what all lurks in this program. BELLS (short and sweet and creepy as hell), BLACK SHORE (an epic, emotionally focused apocalypse), BLOOD SPOOK (a haunted diabetic versus a serial killer), BOYS’ CLUB (a grand dirty joke for these troubled time), THE FOLLOWER (a devastating riff on Joyce Carol Oates’ Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?), LUKEWARM LIQUIDS (so very, very gross), the time trauma of MEET YOU IN THE PARKING LOT, and Steven DeGennaro’s STOP (the suspense of being alive and at risk).

Tuesday – 10/8/19

SCREAM QUEEN: MY NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET at 6PM

Roman Chimenti and Tyler Jensen's SCREAM, QUEEN! MY NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET is a big deal, telling Mark Patton's story as the first male scream queen and as a queer actor under siege in '80s Hollywood. It is an exceptional film and you need to see it. It is showing with the short film JEFF DRIVES YOU from Aidan Brezonick, which is also a film about how mass culture commodifies queer desire. The pairing is also showing Tuesday, the 8th, at 6PM.

The FRAYED SHORTS Program at 8PM

the FRAYED SHORTS block, which is the (slightly) more accessible shorts block on this year's Graveyard Shift. The films featured in this block are Montana Mann's ESTHER (an EC Comics Western with a delicious surprise), Mac Cushing's FULL MOON (a mystery with unspeakable comic undertones), Ryan Worsley's GOOD GIRL (absurdly cute and grotesquely violent), Katie Kapuza's HUNKS (a special kind of animation), Aidan Moretti's I SEE YOU (lovingly Lynchian both in terms of unease and absurdist humor), Dan Hass' MAGIC H8 BALL (a queer Fantasy about childhood magic colliding with adult sexuality), Alec Cohen's MOUNTAIN (a dramedy that pushes all the envelopes), Will Bakke's THE STUDY (a SciFi/Horror setup that's just irresistible), RJ Blake's TIKTOK (SciFi romantic comedy for this modern age), and Dan O'Brien's TRICK OR TREATMENT (horror icons in amazing puppet form).

There will be filmmakers in attendance.

YOU DON’T NOMI at 9PM

Let's talk about Showgirls, with friends and genius theorists Matt Baume and David Schmader among the countless amazing minds holding forth on one of Paul Verhoeven's endearing fusillades against complacency.

Wednesday – 10/9/19

CLIMATE OF THE HUNTER at 830PM

Mickey Reece and his crew are back again, after winning heaps of awards at last year's Nashville Film Festival. Classy sensual vampire nightmare, y'all.

The DREAMS OF THE EXTREME Shorts Program at 830PM

Here’s what all lurks in this program. BELLS (short and sweet and creepy as hell), BLACK SHORE (an epic, emotionally focused apocalypse), BLOOD SPOOK (a haunted diabetic versus a serial killer), BOYS’ CLUB (a grand dirty joke for these troubled time), THE FOLLOWER (a devastating riff on Joyce Carol Oates’ Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?), LUKEWARM LIQUIDS (so very, very gross), the time trauma of MEET YOU IN THE PARKING LOT, and Steven DeGennaro’s STOP (the suspense of being alive and at risk).

HARPOON at 9PM

It is a vicious and hysterical film that gets at the absolute worst aspects of human behavior, and it delivers the same kind of sick joy you get from The War of The Roses, The Last of Sheila, Blood Simple, or The Champagne Club. 

HARPOON is showing with the short film TAYLOR IS MISSING, from director Mia Sorenson. It's a beautiful and brutal short about memory, trauma, and regret.

MAD? at 9PM

If you're ever wondering why nobody uses genre cinema to explore the twisted side of the mental health industry and how older women never get to have their own adventures in SciFi and Horror except as a glorified cameo to pass information on to some fresh-faced white teen, then this is for you.

Thursday – 10/10/19

YOU DON’T NOMI at 1PM

Let's talk about Showgirls, with friends and genius theorists Matt Baume and David Schmader among the countless amazing minds holding forth on one of Paul Verhoeven's endearing fusillades against complacency.

ROT at 8PM

Scandalous and grotesque and quite captivating. Showing with Josh Ethier's short film GUTTER.

The World Premiere of DEMENTER at 830PM

Chad Crawford Kinkle, the guy who gave the world JUGFACE, is back, with an amazing film about trauma, cults, and centering on the differently abled. Y'all ain't ready.

THIS IS WRESTLING: THE JOEY RYAN STORY at 830PM

Sleaze is back. Thankfully. Joey Ryan is a damn treasure, and you can see why here... Showing with the short film UNFINISHED BUSINESS.

Friday – 10/11/19

DEMENTER at Noon

Chad Crawford Kinkle, the guy who gave the world JUGFACE, is back, with an amazing film about trauma, cults, and centering on the differently abled. Y'all ain't ready.

MAD? at 4PM

If you're ever wondering why nobody uses genre cinema to explore the twisted side of the mental health industry and how older women never get to have their own adventures in SciFi and Horror except as a glorified cameo to pass information on to some fresh-faced white teen, then this is for you.

LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT 3D at 830PM

A sensuous haze of a film where it takes a 56-minute continuous 3D tracking shot to unmake one's traditions of toxic masculinity. A box office phenomenon (under wonky circumstances that uncool people complained about) in China, and a magical journey for the adventurous viewer.

CLIMATE OF THE HUNTER at 9PM 

Mickey Reece and his crew are back again, after winning heaps of awards at last year's Nashville Film Festival. Classy sensual vampire nightmare, y'all.

If you make it to this point, I commend you. Hopefully we all made it here...

Today on the Graveyard Shift - 10/6/19

Today on the Graveyard Shift at the Nashville Film Festival.

At 10:30am, we've got Bruno Dumont's COINCOIN AND THE EXTRAHUMANS, a sequel to the director's 2014 French TV series L'IL QUINQUIN. It's a raucous three hours with alien invasions, slipping into absurdist fascism, and all of your favorites from the first series. Showing with it is Tracy Facelli's film FAVORITES, which is a kind of effective drama. I'm big on tradition, and a new Dumont/Facelli pairing is always a wild way to start the day.

At 8:30PM, we have the encore showing of the new film DRIVEN from director Glenn Payne, starring periodic lifelong Nashvillian Richard Speight Jr.  It's got ancient evil, a decent amount of humor, demonslaying (which should come as no surprise to fans of RSJ), and the emotional stress of trying to make ends meet doing a rideshare.

It will be showing with Dieter Spears's short film THE TRAVELER, which is a ghoulish little short story with a masterful last shot. There will be folks from both films in attendance. 

Tomorrow (Monday the 7th), we're showing NINA at 4pm, ROT at 8pm, THIS IS WRESTLING: THE JOEY RYAN STORY at 830pm, and the DREAMS OF THE EXTREME shorts program at 830pm.

Tonight on the Graveyard Shift - 10/5/19

Greetings to y'all.

It's Saturday, October 5th, and we have two Graveyard features tonight, both showing at 9pm.

Roman Chimenti and Tyler Jensen's SCREAM, QUEEN! MY NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET is a big deal, telling Mark Patton's story as the first male scream queen and as a queer actor under siege in '80s Hollywood. It is an exceptional film and you need to see it. It is showing with the short film JEFF DRIVES YOU from Aidan Brezonick, which is also a film about how mass culture commodifies queer desire. The pairing is also showing Tuesday, the 8th, at 6PM.

We're also showing Maria Winther Olsen's film NINA, which is a somber and restrained work of suspense and unease that deals with a gifted artist in an isolated space having marriage troubles. And a selkie may be involved... This is classier than Graveyard usually gets, but worthy of your time. It's screening with a great, Lynchian short called BOXES, from Tony Yang. And it's showing again on Monday the 7th at 4pm.

Coming up tomorrow (Sunday) we have Bruno Dumont's COINCOIN AND THE EXTRA-HUMANS at 1030am and the encore of DRIVEN at 830pm. Please, please for the love of Gawd come and see them.