Short Film Saturday: Demolition of a Wall (1896)
The first film to feature footage moving in reverse, and it is done explicitly as an experiment.
Sports Film Saturday
This year I figured why not switch up the viewing options here. The motion picture and sports were meant to go together. They are linked not just for dramatic purposes but also for pragmatic purposes like preparation but also sharing training techniques, like this one.
2016 BAM Award Nominations
Posted here will be the BAM Award Nominations for 2016. Nominees will be updated LIVE category-by-category. Check back if the list looks incomplete. There will be the words THE END at the foot of the post when all is said and done.
Honorees, explanations, and a recap of 2016 (such as it was) will be announced on January 9th in a separate post. Enjoy!
Aquarius
Before the Flood
Der Bunker
O.J.: Made in America
Pete’s Dragon
The Jungle Book
Kubo and the Two Strings
The Revenant
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
The Witch
Antboy 3
Aquarius
De Boskampi’s
Der Bunker
O Diabo Mora Aqui
Antboy 3
De Boskampi’s
Der Bunker
O Diabo Mora Aqui
The River Thief
It’d be a stretch to nominate five, I could pick four but I’d prefer not to. Winner will be announced on 1/9.
Nikias Chryssos Der Bunker
Ezra Edelman O.J.: Made in America
Gareth Edwards Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Robert Eggers The Witch
Kleber Mendonça Filho Aquarius
Sonia Braga Aquarius
Raleigh Cain The River Thief
Toni Collette Glassland
Anya Taylor-Joy The Witch
Oona Von Maydell Der Bunker
Joel Courtney The River Thief
Johnny Depp Donald Trump’s The Art the Deal: The Movie
Joshua Dickinson The Mirror
Leonardo DiCaprio The Revenant
Diego Luna Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Andy Samberg Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
Maria Bello Lights Out
Tiffany Haddish Keanu
Kathryn Hahn Bad Moms
Anna Kendrick Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates
Frances O’Connor The Conjuring 2
Daniel Fripan Der Bunker
Tom Hardy The Revenant
Tom Holland Captain America: Civil War
Jack O’Connell Money Monster
Will Poulter The Revenant
Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Tom Holland, Daniel Brühl, Frank Grillo, William Hurt, Martin Freeman, Marisa Tomei, John Kani, John Slattery, Hope Davis, and Alfre Woodard in Captain America: Civil War
Pedro Caetano, Pedro Carvalho, Mariana Cortines, Diego Goullart, Ivo Müller, Sidney Santiago, Clara Verdier in O Diabo Mora Aqui
Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccona, Sarah Silverman, Tim Meadows, Maya Rudolph, Joan Cusack, Imogen Poots, Chris Redd, Evan Fine, Max Jenkins, Elliot Smith, Ringo Starr, Simon Cowell, Mariah Carey, Pink, Kevin Nealon, Mario Lopez, Will Arnett, Bill Hader, Eric André, Paul Scheer, Will Forte, Weird Al, Michael Bolton, Emma Stone, Justin Timberlake , etc. in Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter, Forrest Goodluck, Paul Anderson, Kristoffer Joner, Joshua Burge, Duane Howard, Melaw Nakehk’o, Fabrice Adde, Arthur RedCloud, Christopher Rosamund, Robert Moloney, Lukas Haas, and Isaiah Tootoosis in The Revenant
Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen, Wen Jiang, Ben Mendelsohn, Guy Henry, Forest Whitaker, Riz Ahmed, Mads Mikkelsen, Jimmy Smits, Alistair Petrie, James Earl Jones, Anthony Daniels, Warwick Davis, etc. in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Leading Role
Ruby Barnhill The BFG
Jessi Goei Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life
Isabela Moner Legends of the Hidden Temple
Madison Wolf The Conjuring 2
Lulu Wilson Ouija: The Origin of Evil
Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Leading Role
Gabriel Bateman Lights Out
Thor Braun De Boskampi’s
Jacir Eid Al-Hwietat Theeb
Oakes Fegley Pete’s Dragon
Daniel Huttlestone London Town
Neel Sethi The Jungle Book
Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Supporting Role
Beau Gadsdon Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Astrid Juncher-Benzon Antboy 3
Oona Laurence Pete’s Dragon
Alexa Nisenson Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life
Faith Wood-Blagrove Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Supporting Role
Thomas Barbusca Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life
Samuel Ting Graf Antboy 3
Isaiah Tootoosis The Revenant
Harvey Scrimshaw The Witch
Emjay Anthony Donald Trump’s The Art of the Deal: The Movie
David Mazouz Incarnate
Oona Laurence, Emjay Anthony, Cade Mansfield Cooksey, Ava Alyse Anthony, Kennedy Anthony, Cameron Avants, Gabriel Byrd, Queen Byrd, Parker Hankins, Pixie Hankins, and Zach Mooney Bad Moms
Thor Braun, Rick Lens, Thijn Brobbel, Luciano Hiwat, Dylan Pijper, Joes Brauers, Maas Bronkhuyzen, and Dennis Reinsma De Boskampi’s
Adam Greaves-Neil, Gabriele Dentoni, Niccolò Alaimo, and Finn McLeod Ireland The Young Messiah
Isabela Moner, Jet Jurgensmeyer, and Colin Critchley Legends of the Hidden Temple
Griffin Gluck, Thomas Barbusca, Alexa Nisenson, Jessi Goei, Jacob Hopkins, Patrick Fagan, and Isabela Moner, Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life
Oscar Dietz, Amalie Kruse Jensen, Samuel Ting Graf, Astrid Juncher-Benzon, and Cecile AsturpTarp Antboy 3
Robert Eggers The Witch
Nikias Chryssos Der Bunker
Byron Howard & Rich Moore & Jared Bush & Jim Reardon & Josie Trinidad & Phil Johnston and Jennifer Lee; Jared Bush & Phil Johnston Zootopia
Kleber Mendonça Filho Aquarius
J.K. Rowling Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
David Lowery & Toby Holbrooks, Malcolm Marmostein, Seton I. Miller and S.S. Field Pete’s Dragon
Justin Marks and Rudyard Kipling The Jungle Book
Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely, Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, Mark Millar Captain America: Civil War
Anders Øholm and Kenneth Bøgh Andersen Antboy 3
Christ Weitz, Tony Gilroy and John Knoll, Gary Whitta and George Lucas Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Jerry Lane Theeb
Andrew Lockington Incarnate
Mogwai, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Gabriel Satolalla Before the Flood
Mark Korven The Witch
Dominic Lewis Money Monster
Brett Granato, Maya Mumma, and Ben Sozanski O.J.: Made in America
John Gilroy, Colin Goudie, and Jabez Olssen Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Jeffrey Ford and Matthew Schmidt Captain America: Civil War
Louise Ford The Witch
Eduardo Serrano Aquarius
Captain America: Civil War
The Jungle Book
The Revenant
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
The Witch
Jarin Blascke The Witch
Greig Fraser Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Emmanuel Lubezki The Revenant
Wolfgang Thaler Theeb
Pedro Sotero, Fabricio Tadeu Aquarius
Aquarius
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
The Jungle Book
Rogue One: Star Wars Story
Der Bunker
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
The Revenant
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
O Diabo Mora Aqui
Donald Trump’s The Art of the Deal: The Movie
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
The Revenant
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
The Jungle Book
Kubo and the Two Strings
Pete’s Dragon
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Aquarius
Die Boskampi’s
Keanu
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
The River Thief
“Equal Rights” Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, Atticus Schaffer, and Pink Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
“Incredible Thoughts” Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, Atticus Schaffer, Michael Bolton, and Justin Timberlake (as Mr. Fish) Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
“Turn Up the Beef” Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, Atticus Schaffer, and Emma Stone Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
“Can’t Stop the Feeling (Film Version)” Justin Timberlake, Anna Kendrick, Gwen Stefani, James Corden, Zooey Deschanel, Ron Funches, Caroline Hjelt, Aino Jawo, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Kunal Nayyar Trolls
“I Wan’na Be Like You” Christopher Walken The Jungle Book“While My Guitar Gently Weeps” Regina Spektor Kubo and the Two Strings
Robert Downey, Jr. Entertainer(s) of the Year Award(s)
To be announced.
Ingmar Bergman Lifetime Achievement Award(s)
To be announced.
To be announced.
To be announced.
THE END
Short Film Saturday: The Kiss (1896)
In Cinema Paradiso there is a wonderful montage of all the kisses that were censored in the small town. Surely, it is one of the iconic images that can appear on film, this was the first one.
Short Film Saturday: William McKinley at Home, Canton, Ohio (1896)
A New Year’s Eve Party in a Post
“Is that crap almost over?”parents who are hiding out in the other room as their kids watch Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice ask themselves everyday, but also billions of people tonight wondering what time it is on New Year’s Eve.
For those in agreement about the latter notion, I figured I’d cobble some music video moments to make those final hours of 2016 a bit more tolerable. Some of these I featured on Music Video Monday posts, some are just good songs.
Let’s start by noting that Sarah Hyland can sing…
The kids in Stranger Things know how to pick music videos…
“I’m So Humble” from Popstar on The Voice
A Tribe Called Quest on SNL
George Michael sings “Somebody to Love”
David Bowie “Changes” live, which features the lyric The Breakfast Club quotes.
Madonna & Prince “Love Song”
Now some Robin Packalen in English…
And since I’m working toward some BAM Award nominations, here are some Best (Original) Song winners to add to the party…
2012 Ricky Koole “You Are the One” Kauwboy
2010 Never Say Never Justin Bieber (feat. Jaden Smith) The Karate Kid
2009 Quiero que Me Quieras Gael Garcia Bernal Rudo y Cursi
2008 A Capella rendition of Sweet Child O’Mine by Tom Davis, Kathryn Hahn, Lurie Poston and Elizabeth Yozamp in Step Brothers
2005 America (Fuck Yeah) Team America: World Police
2004 Vois Sur Ton Chemin The Cast (Soloist: Jean-Baptiste Maunier) Le Choristes
2003 Toi, mon amour mon ami Virginie Ledoyen and Ludivine Sagnier 8 Femmes
Short Film Saturday: Earth is a Miracle by GOOD
In this day and age there are any number of ways to record images and set them in motion. These time-lapsed, satellite composite images tell a story in and of themselves, but the text on screen puts them into even greater perspective.
Film First Friday: Return of the Lifeboat (1897)
The first multi-shot scene in the history of film!
Carrie Fisher: Postcards from the Edge Written by an Unseen Hand
When I shared my post on George Michael on my personal Facebook, I wrote that:
Rather than write half-heartedly about a “bigger name.” I wrote wholeheartedly about one whose work I know well, and admit faults of mine due to where I was on my path. An honest assessment and appreciation is better than obsequiousness.
In that vein many of the films that were obscured from notice by the leviathan of Star Wars or the films she script doctored, I was just learning about, impacted me more and for longer than the great space opera.
Postcards from the Edge (1990)
I saw this on repeat quite a bit because it was a regular rotation film in the early-90s on premium film channels. It stung to see a mother daughter relationship like that but as a young drama enthusiast it was addicting.
The Unseen Hand: Fisher’s Work as Script Doctor
Coming to grips with the film business, and some of its realities, whether you like it or not, can alway be difficult for a young idealistic artist. Perhaps for no other reason than the nebulous nature of crediting screenwriting. Yes, giving notes can be like leading a horse to water, and even if a writer follows through (I know based on some note sessions of my own) how the notes are taken is at times entirely within their purview.
But we must at least stop and give these people who work tirelessly for no glory to make any film just a bit better than they may otherwise be. Check some of these films Carrie Fisher doctored, whether I liked them then or discovered them later, many of them I am quite fond of, some even in a guilty pleasure kind of way. It is noteworthy though. Especially one entry which my own BAMs awarded. Carrie one-upped Harrison Ford’s infamous assessment that “you can type this shit…” and actually helped craft a necessary and pivotal midpoint in the prequels shaping in some small part the life and career of her fictional mother in the Star Wars universe.
But there was far more than that film that she helped shape. Take a look:
So many sidebars can be had on any of those films, but like many in the original trilogy she had the double-edged sword of Star Wars in her career such that when she made other notable onscreen appearances they went overlooked, some of them I needed to be reminded of after she suffered her heart attack.
Other Works
In chronology some of these were:
- Shampoo
- The Blues Brothers
- a 1980 surprise, uncredited appearance on SNL
- Thumbelina in an episode of Shelly Duvall’s Faerie Tale Theatre
- The Man with One Red Shoe
- Hannah and Her Sisters
- Loverboy
- The ‘burbs
- When Harry Met Sally…
- Soapdish (Which I was also obsessed with for a time thanks to HBO)
- Hook (In a cameo, also as script doctor, one of my latter Spielberg viewings)
Though uncredited it’s hard to forget her scene in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (It also bears noting that Fisher was a script doctor on an early Myers film So, I Married an Axe Murderer).
She did quite a bit of voice work including voicing Roz Katz on an episode of Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist.
Over the course of more than a decade she voiced Angela on many episodes of Family Guy including two forthcoming ones.
She was then a nun in consecutive films Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle.
She had a guest role on the brilliant but canceled Jack and Bobby as the First Lady, and also was in the third installment of Wes Craven’s meta-horror Scream series.
She was a force on and behind the screen that many, myself included, never fully realized.
And, yes, she was Princess Leia in Star Wars episodes 4-7, and the forthcoming eighth installment, which is already in the can. And even I, a late-comer to the Star Wars series. Having never really started it for real until 1999. However, I also felt the influence of that character, naming a character in a screenplay of mine Leia and having her dress as a princess for Halloween.
Advocacy and Social Media
But in addition to that she was also on the forefront in being open and honest regarding her battles with mental illness, long before addressing it openly, and trying to remove stigma became commonplace.
In the age of social media, especially Twitter, brevity is the soul of wit indeed, and this is another arena she excelled in. In response to her appearance becoming a ridiculous talking point in Episode VII she said the following:
She also self-deprecatingly, but insightfully chimed in on one of the most peculiar running themes of the 2016 Presidential debates: Trump’s sniffling:
Conclusion
Last year she was nominated for a BAM Award as part of the cast of The Force Awakens. She was one of the final people considered for Best Supporting Actress. As she, and I hope this piece showed, she was always far more than that and she will be sorely missed.
Music Video Monday: George Michael
This one clearly, sadly, qualifies as an In Memoriam also. Though we all know that 2016 has featured some shattering losses, this is one I can write some about because George Michael did mean something to me growing up. While, yes, I enjoy Prince’s work (making this random post in early 2016), and Bowie’s there was not the connection on a personal level for me.
As is often the case, this connectivity hit home for me more later on than during my formative years. So far as the links I perceived at the time:
- Yes, I had a jean jacket.
- Yes, I did my own attempt at the wiggle-dance (far less convincing than my interpretive dance set to “Into the Groove” or my imitation of Axl Rose’s “snake” dance)
- Yes, I even thought the boots worked for him if for no one else.
Yes, this is a play but is not that far off my look (2nd from Left, front row, bandana-clad).
As tends to be the case when one is young, impressionable, and wont to react in fear and revulsion at new things; I was repelled from Michael in part as he drifted from the ever-present limelight but also when he was coming to terms with his sexuality and dealing with depression, into my early-20s stuggling with my own identity. It’s not a wonder that as I spent my purgatorial time in denial I went to knock his persona from that pedestal down some even if I didn’t know why.
My longing for discretion and so-called normality allowed more puritanical and uninformed impulses to dominate my sentiment toward him. Moreover, it made me make a mistake I am loath to make: confusing artist and man. Not to mention that posthumous reporting has shown he was frequently charitable but didn’t brag about it.
However, once I began to more fully understand, and embrace both myself, and understand some issues pertaining to gay culture and him personally (namely how he did didn’t run and hide from the scandal that officially outed him, but instead lampooned it), my view of him altered.
With time away from tabloid headlines I was left to wonder: “OK, with all this new awareness in societal (which followed my own), why aren’t more of us saying ‘damn, he’s good!’
Hence, it comes as no surprise that I got a great kick out of his prominence in Keanu.
So this film showed he had some legs as someone who could be believably revealed to tough guys in a goofy comedy. However, he and Wham! made their cultural impact along the way. Just take a look at the video for, and two parodies for “Wake Me Up (Before You Go-Go).”
Aside from that his videos were also statements: straightforward, restrained, and performance-driven for the most part, and iconic for it.
He was directly responsible for the impact of “Faith” as he directed it, a fact I just learned.
But these weren’t the only songs and videos of note. Here are some more…
Last, but not least, there’s the now-rare modern-era Christmas classic “Last Christmas.” The coincidence of his departing this world on Christmas Day is lost on no one.
If this isn’t enough to convince you he had a film legacy, consider the IMDb lists him on over 200 titles.
His art will live on, as will his impact, whether it was fully appreciated at the time doesn’t matter. What does is that he has made an impact, has been of influence, and continues to be.
Rest in peace, George.
The Movie Rat 