Film Bitch Awards: Heroes, Villains, Divas, Thirst Traps...

by Nathaniel R

We're racing to the finish line for the 2017 film season. One more day until we can safely put that film year behind us and enter 2018 where y'all already are no doubt. Now we turn our eyes to the bold strokes categories. The men and women who inspired through heroics, were fun to hate, who preened fabulously, or (ahem) aroused us. So click on over to the Film Bitch Awards for:

• Hero of the Year
• Diva of the Year
• Villain of the Year
• Sexpot of the Year
• Movie Poster of the Year

Films honored include Thor Ragnarok, The Shape of Water, Spider-Man Homecoming, Colossal, The Ornithologist, Wonder Woman, mother!, Phantom Thread, andmore. Hope you enjoy and report back with your own thoughts on these "extra" honors!

Smackdown Companion - The Shape of Phantom Billboards

NEW PODCAST! *Updated with correct podcast file*

For this week's podcast Nathaniel R presents a companion conversation to our Supporting Actress Smackdown (which we'll presume you've read already!). Joining him to discuss the Best Picture race and more generalized discussion about supporting actressing in 2017 are: Andrew Carden (Awards Connection / Gold Derby) Chris Feil (The Film Experience), Candice Frederick (Reel Talker), Erica Mann (NYC Film Chick), and Kevin P O'Keeffe (Into). 

Index (42 minutes)
00:01 Intros & Rewatches
02:30 Favs That Weren't Nominated
13:00 Mary J Blige and Carey Mulligan and Mudbound
17:00 Shape of Water, Get Out, or Three Billboards to Win?
31:00 Switching Roles Around: Octavia Spencer
37:30 Allison Janney and Julianne Nicholson and I Tonya
40:00 Lesley Manville, Laurie Metcalf and Goodbyes

You can listen to the podcast here at the bottom of the post or download from iTunes. Continue the conversations in the comments, won't you? 

Smackdown Companion 17

Smackdown '17: Allison, Laurie, Lesley, Mary and Octavia

Presenting Oscar's Chosen Supporting Actresses of the Films of 2017. 

THE NOMINEES 

Two mothers with combative relationships with their daughters (Janney and Metcalf). One sister/business partner (Manville). One mother struggling with oppressive farm life (Blige). And one cleaning lady (Spencer) whose coworker/friend is mute and in love with a fish crea... listen, it's a long story!

But here's a beautiful thing that's too little remarked on this season: they're all actually supporting characters. No leads masquerading as support for once! 

THIS MONTH'S PANELISTS  

From top left: Andrew Carden, Chris Feil, Candice Frederick, Erica Mann, Kevin O'Keeffe, and Nathaniel R

Here to talk about these five nominated turns, are in alpha order: Andrew Carden (Awards Connection / Gold Derby) Chris Feil (The Film Experience), Candice Frederick (Reel Talker), Erica Mann (NYC Film Chick), Kevin P O'Keeffe (Into) and your host Nathaniel R (The Film Experience). And now it's time for the main event... 

2017
SUPPORTING ACTRESS SMACKDOWN 

Click to read more ...

Ride on the Link Train

news
• Coming Soon first image Zac Efron as Ted Bundy in Extremely Wicked
• TMZ Meryl Streep files for trademark claim on the use of her name. Wonder what prompted this?
• WSJ Is the Star Wars franchise slipping in popularity? (This seems like a lot of panic for nothing since the movies are regularly grossing a billion)  

• Variety Bernadette Peters off to a great sales start taking over for Bette Midler in Hello Dolly! on Broadway
• Tracking Board Juliette Lewis joins the cast of the next Sam Taylor-Johnson movie A Million Little Pieces 
• The Wrap Oprah responds to her action figure from A Wrinkle in Time
• Tribeca Film Matthew Eng, who co-writes our "Months of Meryl" column, interviewed the queen herself! Check out his chat with Streep about her work on The Post.
• AV Club Sam Raimi likely to direct the Kingkiller Chronicles which already has Lin-Manuel Miranda attached for the music

opinion
• Film Mixtape Our own Chris Feil's top 15 films of the year: Lady Bird, Raw, Personal Shopper, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, and more...
• Advocate Sir Ian McKellen on the 30th anniversary of his coming out
• Fandor "What if Pixar made Phantom Thread?" <-- SPOILERS in that article, major ones, so be warned. I'm not sure what to make of this piece. I love the concept and the header image and the cartoon being described but it's basically like 2 separate articles shoved up against each other since they keep leaving the imaginary film for multi-paragraph detours into the real one.
• Cinematic Corner Sati picks her 35 best shots of the year

exit video

Nicole eats "micro-livestock" aka bugs for Vanity Fair's secret talent theater. Jason made me lol with his response to this video:

Nicole Kidman dislodged her jaw and swallowed Lars Von Trier whole one time on the set of Dogville so bugs ain't shit"

Beauty vs Beast: The Darkest Elio

Jason from MNPP here with this week's "Beauty vs Beast" contest - we've been more or less working our way through the year's big awards contenders over the past few weeks, with a Three Billboards here and a Phantom Thread there, and knowing what you know about my oft-expressed personal... predilections... you'd be forgiven for expecting a proper Call Me By Your Name showdown at some point. But I can't do it! I can't pit (haha like a peach) Elio against Oliver. I refuse!

Thankfully the awards season has offered me an alternative. (For once the awards season doing me a favor!) While Timothee Chalamet's been racking up the critics prizes for his performance it's been widely assumed that the Oscar already has Gary Oldman's name engraved on it and has since the very first photograph of him in Churchill drag was revealed. But where would your vote go, I wonder...

find bike trails

PREVIOUSLY Last week was the aforementioned Phantom-Thread-off, and finally some much deserved attention for Vicky Krieps, whose Alma plucked up about 70% of your mushrooms I mean votes. Said Claran:

"I thot Krieps is a discovered gem!! She matches DDL every step of the way n emerges the winner, well sorta... Its no an easy feat acting opp such icons like DDL or Manville n she holds up pretty well!! I'm surprised tt she din land a best newcomer mention w the BAFTA or NBR or any other critics group. She's the find o 2017, if u asked me."