Zack Snyder's Justice League - Movie Review

Starring Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Henry Cavill, Jason Momoa, Amy Adams, Ezra Miller, Ray Fisher, Connie Nielsen, Jeremy Irons, Willem Dafoe, JK Simmons, Diane Lane, Joe Morton, Ciaran Hinds, Kiersey Clemons, Ryan Zheng, Amber Heard, Jesse Eisenberg, Jared Leto, and Billy Crudup.

Written by Chris Terrio.

Directed by Zack Snyder.

★★★

If it helps, don't think of it as a 4-hour movie. Think of it as a 4-episode limited series.

I thought Man of Steel was a thumbs-sideways and that Batman v. Superman was a let-down, though they both had their qualities. Justice League was a mess and about on par with BvS for me. I thought at the time that Joss Whedon did what he could with the troubled production, but stories have spread since what Whedon's really like to work with, and I felt bad about the personal family tragedy that led Snyder to walk away.

Now he's been granted the ability to tell the story the way he wanted to. Rather than making Justice League I & II, we get a full 4-hour experience. It's not perfect and it still pales in comparison to a similarly-plotted Avengers Infinity War & Endgame, but it's a vast improvement, and I really liked how the movie was able to take its time with these characters. I'd also be curious to go back and watch the 2017 movie again to see how different it was.

Ben Affleck is great as Bruce Wayne, and I was grateful to watch him stretch his legs in the role one last time. He's picking up the pieces after the death of Superman, and he knows he needs more people with special abilities to unite in order to fight what's coming. He has Wonder Woman on his side but he needs more. He tries to recruit Aquaman, Cyborg, Flash, some more successfully than others.

Of all the characters, it's clearest Whedon gave Cyborg the shortest end of the stick. We get full backstory here and a better idea of who the character is, what he can do, etc. Steppenwolf is also a more fully-realized villain here. His design's more impressive, his fighting ability makes more sense, and he has motive beyond Shiny Alien Wants to Conquer Earth. He has wronged his master Darkseid in the past and figures he can get back in his good graces by enslaving Earth for him. We only caught a glimpse of Darkseid in the original but he sure shows up here.

Other actors like Willem Dafoe and Kiersey Clemons, who'd been cut from the original, are able to deliver and expand their parts here, and even ones who weren't in it (like Jared Leto's Joker) pop by.

There are still some Snyderisms I'm not keen on. The sky is always this burnt sienna sheen from the sun in a perpetual state of setting behind some clouds. The slo-mo speed-up slo-mo approach to action scenes can make them seem repetitive. But I for one am happy that after everything he and his family's been through, Zack Snyder was able to return to his baby and fulfill his vision.

Vampires vs. the Bronx - Movie Review

Starring Jaden Michael, Gerald Jones III, Gregory Diaz IV, Sarah Gadon, Method Man, Shea Whigham, Coco Jones and Chris Redd.

Directed by Oz Rodriguez.

★★★

This low-budget indie is like 2020's answer to The Monster Squad. Three pubescent friends discover that vampires have moved into their neighborhood but how do you convince everyone else of a such a ludicrous reality?

There are some funny set pieces, some predictable jump scares, and the ambition of Act 3 only highlights how low their budget had to be. Some recognizable faces are sprinkled in (Alias Grace's Gadon, Joker's Whigham, SNL's Redd, a Zoe Saldana cameo, etc.)

It's 89% on RottenTomatoes, but I think it's really more of a 70% quality. I'd be interested in what teens think of it.

2020 Academy Award Nominations

BEST PICTURE

The Father

Judas & the Black Messiah

Mank

Minari

Nomadland

Promising Young Woman

Sound of Metal

The Trial of the Chicago 7

BEST DIRECTOR

Lee Isaac Chung, Minari

Emerald Ferrell, Promising Young Woman

David Fincher, Mank

Thomas Vinterberg, Another Round

Chloe Zhao, Nomadland

BEST ACTOR

Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal

Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Anthony Hopkins, The Father

Gary Oldman, Mank

Steven Yuen, Minari

BEST ACTRESS

Viola Davis, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Andra Day, The United States vs. Billie Holiday

Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman

Frances McDormand, Nomadland

Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Sasha Baron Cohen, The Trial of the Chicago 7

Daniel Kaluuya, Judas & the Black Messiah

Leslie Odom Jr., One Night in Miami

Paul Raci, Sound of Metal

Lakeith Stanfield, Judas & the Black Messiah

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilms

Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy

Olivia Colman, The Father

Amanda Seyfried, Mank

Youn Yuh-jung, Minari

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Mank

Minari

Promising Young Woman

Sound of Metal

The Trial of the Chicago 7

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

The Father

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Nomadland

One Night in Miami

The White Tiger

BEST ANIMATED FILM

Onward

Over the Moon

A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon

Soul

Wolfwalkers

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM

Another Round (Denmark)

Better Days (Hong Kong)

Collective (Romania)

The Man Who Sold His Skin (Tunisia)

Qu Vadis, Aida? (Bosnia & Herzegovina)

BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM

Collective

Crip Camp

The Mole Agent

My Octopus Teacher

Time

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

The Father

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Mank

News of the World

Tenet

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Judas & the Black Messiah

Mank

News of the World

Nomadland

The Trial of the Chicago 7

BEST FILM EDITING

The Father

Nomadland

Promising Young Woman

Sound of Metal

The Trial of the Chicago 7

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Love & Monsters

The Midnight SKy

Mulan

The One and Only Ivan

Tenet

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Emma

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Mank

Mulan

Pinocchio

BEST MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING

Emma

Hillbilly Elegy

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Mank

Pinocchio

BEST SOUND

Greyhound

Mank

News of the World

Soul

Sound of Metal

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

"Fight for You", Judas & the Black Messiah

"Hear My Voice", The Trial of the Chicago 7

"Husavik", Eurovision Song Contest

"Io Si (Seen)", The Life Ahead

"Speak Now", One Night in Miami

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Da 5 Bloods

Mank

Minari

News of the World

Soul

BEST ANIMATED SHORT

Burrow

Genius Loci

If Anything Happens I Love You

Opera

Yes-People

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

Colette

A Concerto Is a Conversation

Do Not Split

Hunger Ward

A Love Song for Latasha

BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT

Feeling Through

The Letter Room

The Present

Two Distant Strangers

Last-Second 2020 Oscar Nomination predictions

Nominations will be out tomorrow so here are my last-second guesses.

PICTURE

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Mank

Minari

Nomadland

One Night in Miami

Promising Young Woman

Sound of Metal

The Trial of the Chicago 7

Maybe: Da 5 Bloods, News of the World

Should Be But Won't: The Outpost

There will likely be 9 nominees, so there's my top 8, and I think one of those two titles will be the final one.

DIRECTOR

Lee Isaac Chung, Minari

Emerald Ferrell, Promising Young Woman

David Fincher, Mank

Aaron Sorkin, The Trial of the Chicago 7

Chloe Zhao, Nomadland

Maybe: Regina King, One Night in Miami

Should Be But Won't: Josephine Decker, Shirley

ACTOR

Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal

Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Anthony Hopkins, The Father

Delroy Lindo, Da 5 Bloods

Gary Oldman, Mank

Maybe: Steven Yuen, Minari

Should Be But Won't: Kingsley Ben-Adir, One Night in Miami

ACTRESS

Viola Davis, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman

Frances McDormand, Nomadland

Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman

Rosamund Pike, I Care a Lot

Maybe: Andra Day, The Unites States v. Billie Holiday

Should Be But Won't: Elizabeth Moss, Shirley

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Sasha Baron Cohen, The Trial of the Chicago 7

Daniel Kaluuya, Judas & the Black Messiah

Bill Murray, On the Rocks

Leslie Odom Jr., One Night in Miami

Paul Raci, Sound of Metal

Maybe: Chadwick Boseman, Da 5 Bloods

Should Be But Won't: Michael Stuhlbarg, Shirley

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilms

Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy

Olivia Colman, The Father

Amanda Seyfried, Mank

Youn Yuh-jung, Minari

Maybe: Jodie Foster, The Mauritanian

Should Be But Won't: Elizabeth Debicki, Tenet

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Mank

Minari

Promising Young Woman

Sound of Metal

The Trial of the Chicago 7

Maybe: Another Round

Should Be But Won't: Palm Springs

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

The Father

First Cow

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Nomadland

One Night in Miami

Maybe: The White Tiger

Should Be But Won't: The Outpost

2020 Golden Globe Winners

As expected, it had some surprising results. But also some heartfelt moments, specifically when Chadwick Boseman's widow Taylor Simone Boseman accepted his Golden Globe on his behalf.

==MOVIES==

Best Motion Picture – Drama
“Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures)

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” (Amazon Studios)

Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Chadwick Boseman (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”)

Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
Andra Day (“The United States vs. Billie Holiday”)

Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Sacha Baron Cohen (“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”)

Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Rosamund Pike (“I Care a Lot”)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture
Daniel Kaluuya (“Judas and the Black Messiah”)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture
Jodie Foster (“The Mauritanian”)

Best Director – Motion Picture
Chloé Zhao, “Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures)

Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language
“Minari” (A24)

Best Motion Picture – Animated
“Soul” (Walt Disney Pictures)

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
“The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix)

Best Original Score – Motion Picture
“Soul” (Pixar) – Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste

Best Original Song – Motion Picture
“Io Si (Seen)” from “The Life Ahead” (Netflix) – Diane Warren, Laura Pausini, Niccolò Agliardi

==TELEVISION==

Best Television Series – Drama
“The Crown” (Netflix)

Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy
“Schitt’s Creek”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama
Josh O’Connor (“The Crown”)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama
Emma Corrin (“The Crown”)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Jason Sudeikis (“Ted Lasso”)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Catherine O’Hara (“Schitt’s Creek”)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series
Anya Taylor-Joy (“The Queen’s Gambit”)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series
Mark Ruffalo (“I Know This Much Is True”)

Best Television Limited Series or TV Movie
“The Queen’s Gambit” (Netflix)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
John Boyega (“Small Axe”)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Gillian Anderson (“The Crown”)

2020 Screen Actors Guild Nominations

This one feels like it's going to have a closer resemblance to what the Oscar nominations are than the Globes. Usually the case, but just feels like more so this year. Some of the biggest perceived snubs get corrected here, but I'm still bummed everyone's forgotten about Elizabeth Moss in Shirley. Is it a sign of the times that the majority of 4 of the 5 nominated casts are minorities?

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture 

“Da 5 Bloods” (Netflix)

“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (Netflix) 

“Minari” (A24) 

“One Night in Miami” (Amazon Studios) 

“The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix) 

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role 

Amy Adams (“Hillbilly Elegy”) 

Viola Davis (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”) 

Vanessa Kirby (“Pieces of a Woman”) 

Frances McDormand (“Nomadland”) 

Carey Mulligan (“Promising Young Woman”)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role 

Riz Ahmed (“Sound of Metal”) 

Chadwick Boseman (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”) 

Anthony Hopkins (“The Father”) 

Gary Oldman (“Mank”) 

Steven Yeun (“Minari”)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role 

Maria Bakalova (“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”) 

Glenn Close (“Hillbilly Elegy”) 

Olivia Colman (“The Father”) 

Youn Yuh-Jung (“Minari”)

Helena Zengel (“News of the World”)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role 

Chadwick Boseman (“Da 5 Bloods”)

Sacha Baron Cohen (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”)

Daniel Kaluuya (“Judas and the Black Messiah”)

Jared Leto (“The Little Things”)

Leslie Odom, Jr. (“One Night in Miami”)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series 

“Better Call Saul”

“Bridgerton”

“The Crown”

“Lovecraft Country”

“Ozark”

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series 

“Dead to Me”

“The Flight Attendant”

“The Great”

“Schitt’s Creek”

“Ted Lasso”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series 

Gillian Anderson (“The Crown”) 

Olivia Colman (“The Crown”) 

Emma Corrin (“The Crown”) 

Julia Garner (“Ozark”) 

Laura Linney (“Ozark”)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series 

Jason Bateman (“Ozark”) 

Sterling K. Brown (“This Is Us”) 

Josh O’Connor (“The Crown”) 

Bob Odenkirk (“Better Call Saul”) 

Rege-Jean Page (“Bridgerton”)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series 

Christina Applegate (“Dead to Me”) 

Linda Cardellini (“Dead to Me”) 

Kaley Cuoco (“The Flight Attendant”) 

Annie Murphy (“Schitt’s Creek”) 

Catherine O’Hara (“Schitt’s Creek”) 

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series 

Nicholas Hoult (“The Great”)

Dan Levy (“Schitt’s Creek”)

Eugene Levy (“Schitt’s Creek”)

Jason Sudeikis (“Ted Lasso”)

Ramy Youssef (“Ramy”)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries 

Cate Blanchett (“Mrs. America”)

Michaela Coel (“I May Destroy You”)

Nicole Kidman (“The Undoing”)

Anya Taylor-Joy (“The Queen’s Gambit”)

Kerry Washington (“Little Fires Everywhere”)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries 

Bill Camp (“The Queen’s Gambit”)

Daveed Diggs (“Hamilton”)

Hugh Grant (“The Undoing”)

Ethan Hawke (“The Good Lord Bird”)

Mark Ruffalo (“I Know This Much Is True”)

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture 

“Da 5 Bloods”

“Mulan”

“News of the World”

“The Trial of the Chicago 7”

“Wonder Woman 1984”

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series 

“The Boys”

“Cobra Kai”

“Lovecraft Country”

“The Mandalorian”

“Westworld”

The 78th Annual Golden Globe Nominations

This has been the weirdest year for Hollywood. I have never felt more unattached to the industry. My usual 50-ish movies a year in theaters disappeared. I've seen one movie in a theater in the past ten months. But some theaters are managing to stay open and hopefully some time this year, attendance will get back to a more normal level.

The Golden Globes this year also look like the wackiest crop in a long time. Sacha Baron Cohen nominated for acting twice? Better Call Saul is not nominated for Best TV Drama but Ratched is?

==MOVIES==

Best Motion Picture – Drama 

“The Father” (Sony Pictures Classics) 

“Mank” (Netflix) 

“Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures) 

“Promising Young Woman” (Focus Features) 

“The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix) 

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy 

“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” (Amazon Studios) 

“Hamilton” (Walt Disney Pictures) 

“Palm Springs” (Neon) 

“Music” (Vertical Entertainment)

“The Prom” (Netflix) 

Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama

Riz Ahmed (“Sound of Metal”) 

Chadwick Boseman (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”) 

Anthony Hopkins (“The Father”) 

Gary Oldman (“Mank”) 

Tahar Rahim (“The Mauritanian”)

Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama

Viola Davis (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”) 

Andra Day (“The United States vs. Billie Holiday”) 

Vanessa Kirby (“Pieces of a Woman”) 

Frances McDormand (“Nomadland”) 

Carey Mulligan (“Promising Young Woman”) 

Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy 

Sacha Baron Cohen (“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”) 

James Corden (“The Prom”)

Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Hamilton”) 

Dev Patel (“The Personal History of David Copperfield”) 

Andy Samberg (“Palm Springs”)

Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy 

Maria Bakalova (“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”) 

Kate Hudson (“Music”)

Michelle Pfeiffer (“French Exit”) 

Rosamund Pike (“I Care a Lot”)

Anya Taylor-Joy (“Emma”)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture

Sacha Baron Cohen (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”) 

Daniel Kaluuya (“Judas and the Black Messiah”) 

Jared Leto (“The Little Things”)

Bill Murray (“On the Rocks”) 

Leslie Odom, Jr. (“One Night in Miami”)  

Best Actress in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture 

Glenn Close (“Hillbilly Elegy”) 

Olivia Colman (“The Father”) 

Jodie Foster (“The Mauritanian”)

Amanda Seyfried (“Mank”) 

Helena Zengel (“News of the World”)

Best Director – Motion Picture

Emerald Fennell, “Promising Young Woman” (Focus Features)

David Fincher, “Mank” (Netflix) 

Regina King, “One Night in Miami” (Amazon Studios) 

Aaron Sorkin, “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix) 

Chloé Zhao, “Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures) 

Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language 

“Another Round” (Samuel Goldwyn Films) 

“La Llorona” (Shudder) 

“The Life Ahead” (Netflix) 

“Minari” (A24) 

“Two of Us” (Magnolia Pictures)

Best Motion Picture – Animated 

“The Croods: A New Age” (Universal Pictures) 

“Onward” (Walt Disney Pictures) 

“Over the Moon” (Netflix) 

“Soul” (Walt Disney Pictures) 

“Wolfwalkers” (Cartoon Saloon) 

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture 

“Promising Young Woman” (Focus Features) 

“Mank” (Netflix) 

“The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix) 

“The Father” (Sony Pictures Classics) 

“Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures) 

Best Original Score – Motion Picture 

“The Midnight Sky” (Netflix) – Alexandre Desplat 

“Tenet” (Warner Bros.) – Ludwig Göransson 

“News of the World” (Universal Pictures) – James Newton Howard 

“Mank” (Netflix) – Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross 

“Soul” (Pixar) – Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste 

Best Original Song – Motion Picture

“Fight for You” from “Judas and the Black Messiah” (Warner Bros.) – H.E.R., Dernst Emile II, Tiara Thomas 

“Hear My Voice” from “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix) – Daniel Pemberton, Celeste

“Io Si (Seen)” from “The Life Ahead” (Netflix) – Diane Warren, Laura Pausini, Niccolò Agliardi 

“Speak Now” from “One Night in Miami” (Amazon Studios) – Leslie Odom Jr, Sam Ashworth 

“Tigress & Tweed” from “The United States vs. Billie Holliday” (Hulu) – Andra Day, Raphael Saadiq

==TELEVISION==

Best Television Series – Drama 

“The Crown” (Netflix)

“Lovecraft Country” (HBO Max) 

“The Mandalorian” (Disney Plus) 

“Ozark” (Netflix)

“Ratched” (Netflix)

Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy

“Emily in Paris” (Netflix)

“The Flight Attendant” (HBO Max)

“The Great” (Hulu) 

“Schitt’s Creek” (CBC) 

“Ted Lasso” (Apple TV Plus) 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama

Jason Bateman (“Ozark”) 

Josh O’Connor (“The Crown”) 

Bob Odenkirk (“Better Call Saul”)

Al Pacino (“Hunters”) 

Matthew Rhys (“Perry Mason”) 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama 

Olivia Colman (“The Crown”) 

Jodie Comer (“Killing Eve”)

Emma Corrin (“The Crown”) 

Laura Linney (“Ozark”) 

Sarah Paulson (“Ratched”) 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy 

Don Cheadle (“Black Monday”)

Nicholas Hoult (“The Great”) 

Eugene Levy (“Schitt’s Creek”) 

Jason Sudeikis (“Ted Lasso”) 

Ramy Youssef (“Ramy”) 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy 

Lily Collins (“Emily in Paris”)

Kaley Cuoco (“The Flight Attendant”) 

Elle Fanning (“The Great”) 

Jane Levy (“Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist”) 

Catherine O’Hara (“Schitt’s Creek”) 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series 

Cate Blanchett (“Mrs. America”) 

Daisy Edgar-Jones (“Normal People”)

Shira Haas (“Unorthodox”) 

Nicole Kidman (“The Undoing”) 

Anya Taylor-Joy (“The Queen’s Gambit”)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series

Bryan Cranston (“Your Honor”)

Jeff Daniels (“The Comey Rule”) 

Hugh Grant (“The Undoing”) 

Ethan Hawke (“The Good Lord Bird”) 

Mark Ruffalo (“I Know This Much Is True”) 

Best Television Limited Series or TV Movie 

“Normal People” (Hulu/BBC) 

“The Queen’s Gambit” (Netflix) 

“Small Axe” (Amazon Studios/BBC) 

“The Undoing” (HBO) 

“Unorthodox” (Netflix) 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television 

John Boyega (“Small Axe”) 

Brendan Gleeson (“The Comey Rule”) 

Dan Levy (“Schitt’s Creek”) 

Jim Parsons (“Hollywood”)

Donald Sutherland (“The Undoing”) 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television 

Gillian Anderson (“The Crown”) 

Helena Bonham Carter (“The Crown”) 

Julia Garner (“Ozark”) 

Annie Murphy (“Schitt’s Creek”) 

Cynthia Nixon (“Ratched”)

Cats - HBO Review

Starring James Corden, Judi Dench, Robbie Fairchild, Francesca Hayward, Idris Elba, Jennifer Hudson, Ian McKellen, Laurie Davidson, Rebel Wilson, Jason Derulo, Ray Winstone, Mette Towley and Taylor Swift.
Written by Lee Hall & Tom Hooper.
Directed by Tom Hooper.

★½ 

I saw this show up on HBOMax, and I said to myself, "I need to see something so spectacularly panned for myself." I've listened to the soundtrack several times but have never seen the play.

There's a level you have to give it if you're going to dare watch this. Yes, the CGI effects take a minute to get used to. This isn't like Bert Lahr in makeup as the Cowardly Lion. Their ears move like a real cat's, but their faces are human. But with whiskers. And... I don't know. You see what they are and know that it's going to be like THAT for the movie, so you go from there.

One of the problems I had with it was with Hooper's direction. He doesn't protect his actors in musicals. Because Hooper wanted live singing, Russell Crowe was left out to dry in Les Miserables. Here, Jennifer Hudson's "Memories" should be the emotional highlight of the movie, but she ugly-cries through the whole thing, and I'm like "Why? Why didn't the released version of the movie have more levels?"

The other problem is the source material. Let's face it. Cats has no plot. It has a series of songs strung together, and those involved have to hope their number is handled well. I thought James Corden's Bustopher Jones was fun, Laurie Davidson's Mr. Mistoffelees was one of the more sympathetic characters, and for others, well, I couldn't wait for Rebel Wilson's Jennyanydots to get off-screen.

There's one number where there are mice dancing to a number, and two or three get eaten during the number, but the show must go on. It's bizarre. The singing cockroaches were just unnerving.

Actors Who Voiced Mutiple Disney Animated Movies

It's nowhere near all of them but here are many of them.

Phil Harris
THE JUNGLE BOOK - Baloo
THE ARISTOCATS - Thomas O'Malley
ROBIN HOOD - Little John

Sebastian Cabot
THE SWORD IN THE STONE - Sir Ector
THE JUNGLE BOOK - Bagheera
THE MANY ADVENTURES OF WINNIE-THE-POOH - Narrator

Pinto Colvig
SNOW WHITE & THE SEVEN DAWRFS - Sleepy / Grumpy
THE THREE CABALLEROS - Aracuan Bird
FUN & FANCY FREE - Goofy
THE ADVENTURES OF ICHABOD & MR. TOAD - Ichabod Crane (screaming)
ALICE IN WONDERLAND - Flamingo
SLEEPING BEAUTY - Maleficent's Goon
GOOFY / PLUTO shorts from 1931-1965 - Goofy / Pluto

Verna Felton
DUMBO - Elephant Matriarch
CINDERELLA - Fairy Godmother
ALICE IN WONDERLAND - Queen of Hearts
LADY & THE TRAMP - Aunt Sarah
SLEEPING BEAUTY - Flora
THE JUNGLE BOOK - Mildred the Elephant

J. Pat O'Malley
THE ADVENTURES OF ICHABOD & MR. TOAD - Cyril
ALICE IN WONDERLAND - Walrus / Carpenter / Tweedledee / Tweedledum
101 DALMATIANS - Colonel the Dog / Jasper
THE JUNGLE BOOK - Col. Hathi the Elephant
ROBIN HOOD - Otto

Bill Thompson
ALICE IN WONDERLAND - White Rabbit / Dodo
PETER PAN - Mr. Smee
LADY & THE TRAMP - Jock / Bull
SLEEPING BEAUTY - King Hubert
THE ARISTOCATS - Uncle Waldo

Sterling Holloway
DUMBO - Mr. Stork
BAMBI - Adult Flower
THE THREE CABALLEROS - Prof. Holloway
MAKE MINE MUSIC - Peter & the Wolf narrator
ALICE IN WONDERLAND - Chessire Cat
THE JUNGLE BOOK - Kaa the Snake
THE ARISTOCATS - Roquefort
THE MANY ADVENTURES OF WINNIE-THE-POOH - Winnie-the-Pooh

Clarence Nash
PINOCCHIO - Figaro
BAMBI - Bullfrog
THE THREE CABALLEROS - Donald Duck
SONG OF THE SOUTH - Mr. Bluebird
THE ADVENTURES OF ICHABOD & MR. TOAD - Ichabod's Horse
ALICE IN WONDERLAND - Dinah
THE FOX & THE HOUND - Snarling Bear
THE BLACK CAULDRON - Hen Wen

Barbara Luddy
LADY & THE TRAMP - Lady
SLEEPING BEAUTY - Merryweather
101 DALMATIANS - Rover
ROBIN HOOD - Mother Church Mouse
THE MANY ADVENTURES OF WINNIE-THE-POOH - Kanga

Junius Matthews
101 DALMATIANS - Scottie
THE SWORD IN THE STONE - Archimedes
THE MANY ADVENTURES OF WINNIE-THE-POOH - Rabbit

Pat Buttram
THE ARISTOCATS - Napoleon
ROBIN HOOD - Sheriff of Nottingham
THE RESCUERS - Luke
THE FOX & THE HOUND - Chief

George Lindsay
THE ARISTOCATS - Lafayette
ROBIN HOOD - Trigger
THE RESCUERS - Rabbit

Paul Winchell
THE ARISTOCATS - Chinese Cat
THE MANY ADVENTURES OF WINNIE-THE-POOH - Tigger
THE FOX & THE HOUND - Boomer

Eva Gabor
THE ARISTOCATS - Duchess
THE RESCUERS - Miss Bianca
THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER - Miss Bianca

Ben Wright
101 DALMATIANS - Roger
THE JUNGLE BOOK - Akela the Wolf
THE LITTLE MERMAID - Grimsby

Jeanette Nolan
THE RESCUERS - Ellie Mae
THE FOX & THE HOUND - Widow Tweed

Betty Lou Gerson
CINDERELLA - Narrator
101 DALMATIANS - Cruella De Vil

Kathryn Beaumont
ALICE IN WONDERLAND - Alice
PETER PAN - Wendy

Billy Gilbert
SNOW WHITE & THE SEVEN DWARFS - Sneezy
FUN & FANCY FREE - Willie the Giant

Cliff Edwards
PINOCCHIO - Jiminy Cricket
DUMBO - Dandy Crow

Eleanor Audley
CINDERELLA - Stepmother
SLEEPING BEAUTY - Maleficent

The Swamp - HBO Review

 

★★★

Directed by Daniel DiMauro & Morgan Pehme.

This documentary took a different tone than I expected. When I saw the main politician it planned to follow around for a year was proud bomb-thrower Matt Gaetz, I figured this would be the thousandth "Look how evil the Republicans are" doc in our post-Michael Moore world. The directors instead focus on what "draining the swamp" actually means to Gaetz and others in DC and how they plan to do it.

The other two that get the most screen-time are Thomas Massie and Ken Buck, two more Republican House members who genuinely want to reform Washington and make Congress work again.

This may seem impossible with a TV-ready troll like Gaetz, but what we see is a true Trump believer who thinks he can be bipartisan and hyper-partisan at the same time. I now view Gaetz as a full formed human with whom I disagree strongly to his approach to Trump and to publicity stunts. But we see that he does have Democratic friends and colleagues where they work on serious reform.

We all know that Congress is basically a place where our Reps have some hearings, give some soundbites, and then spend the rest of the time trying to raise money. The doc singles out Newt Gingrich as the main reason why money has flooded into Washington and how "bipartisan" became a dirty word. We also see how bitter partisanship is exactly what the Top .1% would want. Maintaining the status quo is best for business.

Because this takes place over the year from the Mueller report to the impeachment vote, we get sections of that. When dealing with these, we see Gaetz, Massie, and Buck settle comfortably into their talking points. We also see how Congress can't seem to focus on more than one thing at a time. Let's do a 3400-page budget bill and make everyone vote on it hours after they get it!

In the end, Gaetz decides to become the first Republican House member to swear off Super-PAC money. If he really wants to reform DC, he needs to set a good example. He might also want to look in the mirror at how he's handling TV.

2020 Emmy Nominations

Outstanding Drama Series
Better Call Saul
The Crown
The Handmaid's Tale
Killing Eve
The Mandalorian
Ozark
Stranger Things
Succession

Outstanding Comedy Series
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Dead to Me
Insecure
Schitt's Creek
The Good Place
The Kominsky Method
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
What We Do in the Shadows

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Christina Applegate, Dead to Me
Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Linda Cardellini, Dead to Me
Catherine O'Hara, Schitt's Creek
Issa Rae, Insecure
Tracee Ellis Ross, black-ish

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Anthony Anderson, black-ish
Don Cheadle, Black Monday
Ted Danson, The Good Place
Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method
Eugene Levy, Schitt's Creek
Ramy Youssef, Ramy

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show
Olivia Colman, The Crown
Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
Laura Linney, Ozark
Sandra Oh, Killing Eve
Zendaya, Euphoria

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Jason Bateman, Ozark
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Steve Carell, The Morning Show
Brian Cox, Succession
Billy Porter, Pose
Jeremy Strong, Succession

Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
The Masked Singer
Nailed It!
RuPaul's Drag Race
Top Chef
The Voice

Outstanding Limited Series
Little Fires Everywhere
Mrs. America
Unbelievable
Unorthodox
Watchmen

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Jeremy Irons, Watchmen
Hugh Jackman, Bad Education
Paul Mescal, Normal People
Jeremy Pope, Hollywood
Mark Ruffalo, I Know This Much Is True

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Cate Blanchett, Mrs. America
Shira Haas, Unorthodox
Regina King, Watchmen
Octavia Spencer, Self Made
Kerry Washington, Little Fires Everywhere

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Giancarlo Esposito, Better Call Saul
Nicholas Braun, Succession
Kieran Culkin, Succession
Matthew Macfadyen, Succession
Bradley Whitford, The Handmaid's Tale
Billy Crudup, The Morning Show
Mark Duplass, The Morning Show
Jeffrey Wright, Westworld

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Laura Dern, Big Little Lies
Meryl Streep, Big Little Lies
Fiona Shaw, Killing Eve
Julia Garner, Ozark
Sarah Snook, Succession
Helena Bonham Carter, The Crown
Samira Wiley, The Handmaid's Tale
Thandie Newton, Westworld

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Mahershala Ali, Ramy
Kenan Thompson, Saturday Night Live
Daniel Levy, Schitt's Creek
William Jackson Harper, The Good Place
Alan Arkin, The Kominsky Method
Sterling K. Brown, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Tony Shalhoub, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Betty Gilpin, GLOW
Yvonne Orji, Insecure
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
Cecily Strong, Saturday Night Live
Annie Murphy, Schitt's Creek
D'Arcy Carden, The Good Place
Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Marin Hinkle, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Dylan McDermott, Hollywood
Jim Parsons, Hollywood
Tituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. The Reverend
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Watchmen
Jovan Adepo, Watchmen
Louis Gossett Jr., Watchmen

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Holland Taylor, Hollywood
Uzo Aduba, Mrs. America
Margo Martindale, Mrs. America
Tracey Ullman, Mrs. America
Toni Collette, Unbelievable
Jean Smart, Watchmen

Outstanding Variety Talk Series
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Outstanding Variety Sketch Series
A Black Lady Sketch Show
Drunk History
Saturday Night Live

Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program
Amy Poehler, Making It
Nicole Byer, Nailed It!
Bobby Berk, Queer Eye
RuPaul, RuPaul's Drag Race
Barbara Corcoran, Shark Tank
Padma Lakshmi, Top Chef

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
Andrew Scott, Black Mirror
James Cromwell, Succession
Giancarlo Esposito, The Mandalorian
Martin Short, The Morning Show
Jason Bateman, The Outsider
Ron Cephas Jones, This Is Us

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
Cicely Tyson, How to Get Away With Murder
Laverne Cox, Orange Is the New Black
Cherry Jones, Succession
Harriet Walter, Succession
Alexis Bledel, The Handmaid's Tale
Phylicia Rashad, This Is Us

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
Fred Willard, Modern Family
Dev Patel, Modern Love
Brad Pitt, Saturday Night Live
Adam Driver, Saturday Night Live
Eddie Murphy, Saturday Night Live
Luke Kirby, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
Angela Bassett, A Black Lady Sketch Show
Maya Rudolph, Saturday Night Live
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Saturday Night Live
Maya Rudolph, The Good Place
Wanda Sykes, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Bette Midler, The Politician

The Gentleman - Movie Review

Starring Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Hugh Grant, Colin Farrell, Henry Golding, Michelle Dockery, Jeremy Strong, Tom Wu and Eddie Marsan.

Written by Guy Ritchie, Ivan Atkinson & Marn Davies.

Directed by Guy Ritchie.

★★★

I first fell in love with Guy Ritchie with his gritty, blue-collar crime capers Lock Stock & 2 Smoking Barrels and Snatch. He’s since been diverse in his choices. The Sherlock Holmes movies, The Man from UNCLE, his better-than-expected Aladdin, and here, he’s returned to those gangsta roots, and we as film-lovers are blessed by it.

It’s not great, but it’s good. It stars Matthew McConaughey as Michael Pearson, the marijuana king of Great Britain. He’s looking to retire, as it’s expected that marijuana will be legalized soon, country-wide. He’s looking to sell.

BUT a local reporter (Hugh Grant) is in on what Pearson has going on, and he serves as our skeevey narrator as he explains to Pearson’s right-hand man Ray (Charlie Hunnam) how he knows what he knows. In Ritchie tradition, he has interesting actors show up in supporting roles to keep the gangster ball rolling. I don’t even want to spoil what Colin Farrell is doing here.

Tiger King - Netflix Review

Starring Joe Exotic, Carole Baskin, Doc Antle, Jeff Lowe, Howard Baskin, John Finlay, and Rick Kirkham.

Directed by Eric Goode & Rebecca Chaikin.

Netflix has put out this seven-episode series, and it is the most bizarre thing I’ve ever seen. The most bizarre true-story crime docudrama ever made. This is DYING to be made into a Danny McBride movie. 

It's about Joe Exotic, owner of a big-cat zoo in Oklahoma. His biggest rival is Carole Baskin, owner of Big Cat Rescue, and she's dedicated her life to shut down zoos like Joe's. And she's rich, so she has unlimited resources to go against Joe. You see Joe get crazier and crazier in his rivalry with her, and things escalate.

Some questions raised.

Spoilers......

Did Carole Baskin murder her first husband? The editing would certainly seem that way. Millionaire who wants to leave his way suddenly disappears and is never seen again? Hmmm…

Did Joe Exotic really order a hitman to kill Carole? Sounded like they had all the evidence. The final episode was the spottiest. I thought we’d get more time dedicated to the trial, but there was hardly any. The timeline of events needed to be studied a little more closely. 

Thing is, by the time you get to the trial, you just know Joe needs to be in jail for something. Screwing over his business partner and his own mother with fraud. Highly likely he blew up his own studio to hide evidence and screw over the documentarian who’d been at the zoo for years. Supplying meth to his straight husbands.

I got to the end of S1 of Making A Murder positive that there’d been a miscarriage of justice. I got to the end of this and thought, I should read up on what the facts actually were, because everyone in here is an unlikeable, unreliable narrator.

The Hunt - Movie Review

Starring Hilary Swank, Betty Gilpin, Emma Roberts, Ike Barinholtz, Ethan Suplee, Wayne Duvall, Amy Madigan, Glenn Howerton and Reed Birney.

Written by Nick Cuse & Damon Lindenof.

Directed by Craig Zobel.

★★½

This movie was supposed to come out in September 2019. After a mass shooting, it was delayed. It finally opened in March, and then the coronavirus outbreak meant it was crushed before enough people could see it. Should people see it?

Yeah, why not?

A group of stranger wake up in a field. They find an arsenal of weapons in the middle of said field. Feels very Hunger Games-ish, right? It turns out a group of rich weirdos are hunting “regular people” for sport. Or revenge? Who knows. The plot eventually reveals itself, and it doesn’t take too much time to do so. It’s a lean, mean 95 minutes of killing and mayhem.

The casting is clever. Let’s just say some characters I thought would be around a while are killed off pretty quickly. We don’t know who’s going to survive for the final showdown, or who exactly the main hero and main villain are until said showdown. I wish it had been a little more clever with its basic message, and yet I don’t want to give away spoilers on what its main message is. I will say that it has this red-state vs. blue-state mentality which I found gleefully subversive.

Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey - Movie Review

Also known by its original title:

BIRDS OF PREY (AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN)

Starring Margot Robbie, Ewan McGregor, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Rosie Perez, Chris Messina, Ella Jay Basco and Ali Wong.

Written by Christina Hodson.

Directed by Cathy Yan.

★★★

First, the business. Much has been made that of this being the lowest opening for a DC comic movie in over a decade. To that, I’d say considering that the production budget was only $84 million, that’s okay. I’d also say the marketing for this was poor. The trailers didn’t look good. As I watched the actual movie, I sympathized with the marketing department a little more. It’s a good movie but how can one cut a trailer for it? Anyway, it did $200 million worldwide and probably would have squeaked out more if it wasn’t for the coronavirus killing all box office.

So, let’s get to the actual movie. It’s fun! They took the best character from the choppy, underwhelming Suicide Squad and gave her her own movie. It’s not groundbreaking or anything, but Harley Quinn seems to be DC’s answer to Deadpool.

Margot Robbie owns this from beginning to end. Robbie’s shown great range over the years, from The Wolf of Wall Street to Once Upon A Time in Hollywood to Bombshell, but THIS is her signature character. And she’s great. The surprise for me was how enjoyable Ewan McGregor was as the villain. Black Mask is dramatic one moment, neurotic the next, light-hearted the next. He really embraces his chance to be a comic-book villain here.

So now that we’re all quarantined, is this movie worth seeking out on streaming? Worth the $3.99 digital rental? Yes it is.

My Top Ten Films of 2019

I’ve seen 73 movies from 2019.

Honorable mentions (My 11-20 alphabetically):

APOLLO 11 - A you-are-there documentary that really makes you feel like you’re watching the moon landing as it happens. Brilliant blending of old footage.

EL CAMINO - A Breaking Bad epilogue. Better Call Saul is still in prequel territory, but here we get closure to Jesse’s story. After Walt dies, Jesse has to figure out how to survive. It’s the usual brilliance from Vince Gilligan, and while it’s nice to see Aaron Paul shine again, it’s another chance for Jesse Plemons to return as the polite sociopath Todd.

HONEYLAND - A documentary from Macedonia so good it was nominated for Best Documentary and Best Foreign Film. I was pulling for it to win Best Documentary. It’s the story of an extremely poor beekeeper whose life gets upended by a family who moves in next door and keeps bees of their own.

THE IRISHMAN - Leisurely paced, which is fine with me, as this’ll probably the last Martin Scorsese movie that’ll be like this. Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci are all in top form, and the de-aging CGI is done better here than any previous attempt I’ve seen. Nice to also see Scorsese alum like Harvey Keitel and Bobby Cannavale stop by.

MARRIAGE STORY - A very well done but bruuuuutal drama about a couple getting divorced. Should come with a warning label for anyone who’s in an insecure relationship or is a child of divorce. But the acting is terrific, and it effectively packs its emotional wallop with some unexpected humor. I also would have preferred Scarlett Johansson beating Renee Zellweger for Best Actress for this.

MIDSOMMAR - The slow build is very effective. And while most horror movies take advantage of night and shadow, this is almost all in the bright sunny day in a happy, ominous commune where things start to go bad pretty quickly once our heroes arrive.

PAIN & GLORY - Colorful semi-autobiographical tale from Pedro Almodovar, about an aging director (Antonio Banderas) reconciling with his past while having several flashbacks to his childhood with his determined mother (Penelope Cruz).

TOY STORY 4 - Pixar sequels are hit-and-miss, but not the Toy Story sequels. Woody and co. return for another adventure we didn’t know we wanted. It caps off the series beautifully.

THE TWO POPES - The set design alone is amazing, but this generous story of two men (Jonathan Pryce, Anthony Hopkins) who both happen to occupy the most powerful religious position in the world is great acting and great character work.

YESTERDAY - A high-concept “what if” comedy where a global blackout causes everyone on Earth - except one struggling musician - to forget all about the Beatles. He releases their songs as his own and becomes a global sensation.

I also really liked Alita: Battle Angel, For Sama, Good Boys, Harriet, Hustlers, Jumanji: The Next Level, Little Women, Shazam!, and Us.

I haven’t seen The Lighthouse, The Farewell, Waves, The Peanut Butter Falcon, Richard Jewell, Uncut Gems, and some of these other movies making top-ten lists everywhere, 

but of what I saw, 

... these were my top ten.

10. AVENGERS: ENDGAME - The season finale to the past ten years of Marvel movies. Everything comes together in the grandest possible way, and most of the core Avengers are at the center. Several surprise appearances from characters we didn’t think we’d see again, and the time-travel aspect allows for some inserting into previous scenes from different angles. (Captain America facing his old self is particularly fun.)

9. ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD - Liked it better the second time. The assuredness, the tension at the ranch, the amazing suspense of the final ten minutes. Plus the balancing act of Leonardo DiCaprio’s insecure Nick Dalton bouncing off of Brad Pitt’s cool-as-ice Cliff Booth.

8. FORD V. FERRARI - Name a better car-racing movie. I don’t think there is one.

7. 1917 - It’s a simple story, shot as if in one take, but more importantly it’s a remarkable technical achievement where we’re treated to two hours of cinematographer Roger Deakins being on top of his game.

6. ROCKETMAN - Dexter Fletcher, who cleaned up Bohemian Rhapsody after its director Bryan Singer was dropped before post-production, gets to direct this Elton John musical biopic from the beginning, and it’s great. Taron Egerton (Kingman: The Secret Service) has never been better.

5. KNIVES OUT - Rian Johnson’s gigantically clever murder mystery is brimming with sparkling characters, and actors who seem delighted to embody them. I loved Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc, and I hope he become the new Hercule Poirot, but this movie belonged to Ana de Arnas, the maid to this eccentric, rich family where everyone else is a suspect.

4. BOOKSMART - Smart, funny teen comedy about two brainiac girls who decide they want to party on their last night in high school. John Hughes would be proud of what Olivia Wilde’s done here.

3. JOJO RABBIT - Hilarious, yet poignant satire of Hitler’s youth, through the eyes of a naive German boy named Jojo in 1945 who discovers his mother’s been hiding a Jewish girl in their house. Writer/director Taika Waititi also co-stars as Jojo’s imaginary friend Adolf Hitler, and he walks the tightrope just right.

2. JOKER - If Martin Scorsese directed a comic book movie, it wouldn’t be much different than this, and to hit the point how much this story owes to Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy, Robert DeNiro himself co-stars. Meanwhile, Joaquin Phoenix owns this character with every inch of his body. Truly exceptional work.

1. PARASITE - Bong Joon Ho’s made his masterpiece, a comedy-drama about the class divide in South Korea, where a poor family ingratiates itself into a rich family’s home. There are unexpected twists and major tonal shifts, and it all works.

Sonic holds off Call of the Wild to stay #1

For the weekend of February 21-23, 2020, Sonic the Hedgehog held on to stay #1. It’s the highest opening ever for a movie based on a video game, and it’s on track to be the highest-grossing movie in the same category. Got to think Nintendo’s looking at this and figuring out how to make a different Super Mario Bros. movie. (It’s in development, but now they really have to be encouraged.)

The Call of the Wild was the winner of the new releases. It didn’t have a lot of competition besides Sonic, but maybe it’s a testament to Harrison Ford and the classic title that got people to come out. Most of the reviews I’ve read that were positive still had a problem with the CGI dog.

Brahms: The Boy II wasn’t screened for critics and fell flat on its face. 

Out of nowhere, the Impractical Jokers movie came out on 357 screens and had the best per-screen average of anything in the top 20. What?

Among the limited releases, Emma. did the best. Yes, the title has a period in it.

Opens February 28

THE INVISIBLE MAN with Elisabeth Moss, Aldis Hodge and Oliver Jackson-Cohen.

Birds of Prey is #1

For the weekend of February 7-9, 2020, Birds of Prey was the easy #1. Can’t help but think WB expected more from it, but the marketing wasn’t great. Good thing the reviews are. Word-of-mouth should help keep it afloat, but this is a movie that should have opened to $50 million.

Bad Boys for Life keeps dominating, absolutely terrific for Will Smith. 1917 also has long legs and should get a boost next after it wins an Oscar or two tonight. Some of the other ones still hanging on by their fingernails in theaters (Parasite! Jojo Rabbit!) are hoping for some award boosts too.

Next week, the #1 spot should go to Sonic the Hedgehog.

Opens February 14

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG with Jim Carrey, James Marsden and Tika Sumpter.

FANTASY ISLAND with Michael Pena, Lucy Hale, Maggie Q and Portia Doubleday.

THE PHOTOGRAPH with LaKeith Stanfield, Issa Rae and Courtney B. Vance.