“I can almost always find something to like even in the worst movie, with one exception, and that is a movie that condescends to the audience, with an attitude of ‘we know this is manipulative junk but ticket buyers will enjoy it.’
“That can apply to Oscar-winners like ‘MILLION DOLLAR BABY’; documentaries like ‘IRREPLACEABLE,’ which should be called ‘Indefensible’; superhero movies — ‘MORBIUS’ was bore-bi-ous; beloved stars — we love him but stay away from Robin Williams’ ‘PATCH ADAMS’ and ‘RV’; and indies like ‘LADY OF THE MANOR,’ which is not just atrociously incompetent; it is offensive in its treatment of the African-American characters.
“As my radio listeners know, two or three times I year I invoke what I call the ‘GOTHIKA rule,’ inspired by another one on my all-time worst list. The rule is that if a movie has a truly horrible ending, I will reveal it to anyone who sends me an email. Some films on the ‘Gothika rule’ list are: ‘Gothika,’ of course, along with ‘ADRIFT’ and ‘THE FORGOTTEN.’
“Anyone who still wants to know the ending to those films, just let me know.”
Nell Minow on the References and Inspirations for John Wick 4 on Piecing It Together
Posted on April 3, 2023 at 4:16 pm
Many thanks for including me on the terrific Piecing It Together Podcast to discuss the references and inspirations for “John Wick 4.” Yes, I found a way to bring in Proust, Gene Kelly, and the overlooked “Jupiter Ascending.”
Champions is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for strong language and crude/sexual references
Profanity:
Very strong language for a PG-13
Alcohol/ Drugs:
Drinking and drunkenness
Violence/ Scariness:
Some peril
Diversity Issues:
A theme of the movie
Date Released to Theaters:
March 10, 2023
(L to R) Alex Hintz as Arthur, Casey Metcalfe as Marlon, Matthew von der Ahe as Craig, Ashton Gunning as Cody, Tom Sinclair as Blair, Joshua Felder as Darius, James Day Keith as Benny, Madison Tevlin as Cosentino, Kevin Iannucci as Johnathan, and Bradley Edens as Showtime in director Bobby Farrelly’s CHAMPIONS, a Focus Features release. Credit : Courtesy of Focus FeaturesI have always been impressed by the commitment of the writer/director Farrelly brothers to including performers with disabilities in their movies — and for giving their characters great roles, sometimes funny or raunchy but never treated with anything but respect. Those who skip the credits at the end of “Stuck on You” will miss a very touching speech at the wrap party from Ray ‘Rocket’ Valliere. In “Champions,” Bobby Farrelly’s film, Woody Harrelson plays Marcus, a hot-headed college basketball coach sentenced to community service, coaching a team of people with disabilities. While it has all the expected underdog team with a coach who needs redemption beats, it is done with a good heart and a sense of humor.
Marcus understands the game of basketball very well. He knows the strategy and the skills it takes to win. People, life, basic requirements of being an adult, not so much. We see him being extremely rude to a woman he clearly does not know but has just had, apparently satisfying sex with. Her name is Alex (Kaitlin Olson), and while Marcus is happy to see her go, flipping the bird on the way out, we are already looking forward to seeing her again.
Marcus loses his job as an assistant coach, gets drunk, and drives into a police car. See what I meant about missing the basic skills of adulting? That’s how he ends up sentenced to 90 days of coaching the Friends, a team of young people with disabilities, including Johnny (gracefully played by Kevin Iannucci, who has Down syndrome). If you think that this is one of those movies where the people who are seen as less capable end up teaching the “normie” some important lessons, you’ve got that right. That doesn’t make it unsatisfying, though, because it all plays out with sincerity. It does not condescend to the characters with disabilities or try to make them saintly, giving them most of the one-up-ing punchlines and showing us their confidence. It gives at least one of them a bit of a character arc. But some viewers may find the portrayals reductionist and overly cute-sy.
But they’ve got Cheech running the community center where the Friends play, and it’s always good to have Cheech on board. Second, Harrelson is quite good at all of the frustration, and Olson gets to play a character who is not a hot mess, like the ones she plays on “Hacks” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” Her warmth and strong presence, and her excellent chemistry with Iannucci are the heart of the film.
Parents should know that this movie has some mature material, beginning with a frank if not explicit description of a one-night stand via an app, strong language for a PG-13, some mild peril and tense confrontations, drinking and drunkenness. The theme of inclusion is worth discussing.
Family discussion: Why didn’t Johnny want to tell Alex about his plans? Does this make you think differently about people with disabilities in your life?
If you like this, try: “The Ringer,” also from Farrelly
It was The Woman King that edged out all of the competition at The Black Reel Awards this year. With six wins out of the fourteen nominations, The Woman King nabbed wins for Outstanding Film, Outstanding Director, Outstanding Ensemble, Breakthrough Actress, Outstanding Score and Outstanding Editing.
Gina Prince-Bythewood’s sweeping epic that focused on the women warriors of Dahomey, narrowly overtook Marvel’s superhero film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever which garnered 5 Black Reel wins of its own.
Going into the night, Wakanda Forever was tied with The Woman King with fourteen award nominations. With her third Black Reel Award win for Outstanding Costume Design for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Ruth E. Carter became the most decorated technical award winner in Black Reel history.
Copyright 2022 Orion Pictures
Legendary actress Angela Bassett also made Black Reel history, becoming the first woman ever to win an acting and honorary award in the same year. Ms. Bassett won Outstanding Supporting Actress for her work in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and also received the prestigious Sidney Poitier Trailblazer Award recognizing her career of acting excellence. Bassett joins Jamie Foxx, the only other person to be honored, claiming the Vanguard award and the Outstanding Actor award for Ray in 2005.
Independent studio A24, received 10 nominations for The Inspection and cashed in four wins, thanks to Jeremy Pope receiving two awards (Outstanding Actor and Breakthrough Actor). Not to be outdone by the Pope, writer-director Elegance Bratton also took home two awards for Outstanding Independent Film & First Screenplay.
All the stars came out to celebrate the 23rd Annual Black Reel Awards. Presenters included: Courtney B. Vance, Ruth E. Carter, Colman Domingo, Tasha Smith, Kasi Lemmons, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Quvenzhané Wallis, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Cory Hardrict, Cassie Freeman, Cheryl Dunye, Quintessa Swindell, Saddiq Saunderson, and Jahi Winston.
23rd Black Reel Award Winners
OUTSTANDING FILM
The Woman King | Viola Davis, Maria Bello, Cathy Schulman & Julius Tennon, producers
OUTSTANDING ACTOR
Jeremy Pope | The Inspection
OUTSTANDING ACTRESS
Danielle Deadwyler | Till
OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR
Gina Prince-Bythewood | The Woman King
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR
Brian Tyree Henry | Causeway
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Angela Bassett | Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
OUTSTANDING SCREENPLAY
Till | Chinonye Chukwu, Michael Reilly & Keith Beauchamp, writers
OUTSTANDING DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Sidney | Reginald Hudlin, director
OUTSTANDING INTERNATIONAL FILM
Saint Omer (France) | Alice Diop
OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE
The Woman King | Aisha Coley, casting director
OUTSTANDING VOICE PERFORMANCE
Zoe Saldana | Avatar: The Way of Water
OUTSTANDING SCORE
The Woman King | Terence Blanchard, composer
OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SONG
“Lift Me Up” (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) | Rihanna (performer/writer), Ryan Coogler (writer), Ludwig Gorannson (writer),
OUTSTANDING SOUNDTRACK
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
OUTSTANDING INDEPENDENT FILM
The Inspection | Elegance Bratton, director
OUTSTANDING SHORT FILM
NORTH STAR | P.J. Palmer, director
OUTSTANDING EMERGING DIRECTOR
Nikyatu Jusu | Nanny
OUTSTANDING BREAKTHROUGH ACTOR
Jeremy Pope | The Inspection
OUTSTANDING BREAKTHROUGH ACTRESS
Thuso Mbedu | The Woman King
OUTSTANDING FIRST SCREENPLAY
The Inspection | Elegance Bratton, writer
OUTSTANDING CINEMATOGRAPHY
NOPE | Hoyte van Hoytema, cinematographer
OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | Ruth E. Carter, costume designer
OUTSTANDING EDITING
The Woman King | Terilyn A. Shropshire, editor
OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION DESIGN
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | Hannah Beachler, production designer
Follow the 23rd Annual Black Reel Awards on Twitter and Instagram @BlackReelAwards and on Facebook at TheBlackReelAwards.
About the Black Reel Awards (The Bolts)
The Black Reels are an annual American awards ceremony hosted by the Foundation for the Augmentation of African-Americans in Film (FAAAF). The awards recognize the excellence of African Americans and the cinematic achievements of the African diaspora in the global film industry, as assessed by the Foundation’s voting membership. The Black Reels are the oldest cinema-exclusive awards ceremony for African Americans. Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / YouTube / BlackReelAwards.com
(WASHINGTON, DC – February 6, 2023) – The stars turned out unlike ever before to witness the coronation of the new kings and queens at the 23rd Annual Black Reel Awards!
It was The Woman King that edged out all of the competition at The Black Reel Awards this year. With six wins out of the fourteen nominations, The Woman King nabbed wins for Outstanding Film, Outstanding Director, Outstanding Ensemble, Breakthrough Actress , Outstanding Score and Outstanding Editing.
Gina Prince-Bythewood’s sweeping epic that focused on the women warriors of Dahomey, narrowly overtook Marvel’s superhero film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever which garnered 5 Black Reel wins of its own. Going into the night, Wakanda Forever was tied with The Woman King with fourteen award nominations. With her third Black Reel Award win for Outstanding Costume Design for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the fantastic Ruth E. Carter became the most decorated technical award winner in Black Reel history.
Speaking of history, legendary actress Angela Bassett also made Black Reel history, becoming the first woman ever to win an acting and honorary award in the same year. Ms. Bassett won Outstanding Supporting Actress for her work in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and also received the prestigious Sidney Poitier Trailblazer Award recognizing her career of acting excellence. Bassett joins Jamie Foxx, the only other person to be honored, claiming the Vanguard award and the Outstanding Actor award for Ray in 2005.
Andrea Riseborough: See the Surprise Oscar Nominee
Posted on January 30, 2023 at 10:38 am
Copyright 2022 Momentum Pictures
The biggest surprise among the acting Oscar nominations this year was Andrea Riseborough as Best Actress. There were three reasons awards-predictors did not expect to hear her name. First, the movie she starred in, “To Leslie,” was made for under one million dollars and made about $30,000. Very few people saw it. This is the kind of film that is overlooked, possibly a candidate for a Spirit award but not in the same category as big-budget, big-stars Oscar movies. Second, there was no big-budget FYC (“For your consideration”) publicity campaign to make sure Academy voters saw it. Third, her performance got unprecedented support from industry insiders like Gwyneth Paltrow who took to social media to urge Academy voters to consider her.
The part that is not a surprise for anyone who has seen her is that Riseborough’s performance was extraordinary. She always is. You may have seen her before but not realized it because she inhabits every role so completely it is easy to forget it is the same actress.
There is some controversy about the way her nomination was supported. One social media post compared her to another actor, which is not allowed under the rules. But that has nothing to do with Riseborough, who did nothing wrong. Whatever happens to the nomination, I hope audiences watch “To Leslie” and seek out some of her other performance. Here are some I especially recommend.
Riseborough starred opposite Tom Cruise in a film set in 2077. A veteran assigned to extract Earth’s remaining resources begins to question what he knows about his mission and himself.
She was a hairdresser who becomes romantically involved with Billie Jean King in “Battle of the Sexes.”
She plays an awful mother in “Matilda: The Musical”
She was a woman who might be a lost daughter who was kidnapped as a child in “Nancy”
