"What a character!"

by Nathaniel R

We're almost finished with the Film Bitch Awards in the Oscar parallel catgories but we took a wee break from that to continue the fun stuff, the "extra" prizes. We've already announced Breakthroughs, Juvenile Performances, Casting and Ensemble work so now we move on to best characters (and we'll end next week with "limited/cameo" performances plus incredible invidividual scenes). This is great fun for us each year so hopefully that cinematic joy is contagious...

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February. It's a Wrap

February kicked off with Sundance wrapping up and then went straight into mainstream awards nominations and predictions for Globes and SAG and well as decidedly non-mainstream Film Bitch Awards nominations (via myself). The Oscar nominations are yet to come but the Academy will be voting to determine them from March 5th-10th. So "freeze" the buzz in a few days time when considering your predictions. Nothing that happens after about the 7th will matter at all to the outcome. Are you excited for the Golden Globes (TONIGHT!) or is the need for a virtual ceremony killing your usual anticipation? 

highlights in case you missed 'em
• Gay Best Friend: Rebel Without a Cause the original teen angst classic
• On whiplash viewings When you're loving something (I Care A Lot) and then suddenly aren't!
• Nathaniel's Top 10 of 2020 I Carry You With Me, Minari, etc...
• Pauline Collins in Shirley Valentine Baby Clyde has a fond memory
• Christopher Plummer (1929-2021) we'll always treasure him for Beginners
• Goofiest Globe Nods Christopher surveyed their often wacky choices
• FYC Never Rarely Sometimes Always Nick makes a passionate case
• Olivia Colman broke my heart Cláudio is moved to tears by The Father

most discussed articles
• When will you go back to movie theaters? Waiting for the vaccine or...?
• Surprise Noms or Snubs Coming? Christopher sees possible futures with stats
• Michelle Pfeiffer in White Oleander Cláudio looks at the painful snub
• February 24th in Showbiz History Judy, Tilda, Glenn, Madonna 
• Nathaniel's Globe predictions which you can use to laugh at me once we discover it's all wrong tonight!
• How many female directors will be Oscar nom'ed? Juan Carlos on the five "most-likely-to"

COMING IN MARCH
Including but not limited to: an interview with Colman Domingo (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom), Raya and the Last Dragon, SAG Awards, The Courier, Joan Crawford's Best Actress win, Gilda's 75th anniversary, the return of the Supporting Actress Smackdown, ... and of course the actual Oscar nominations.

Doc Corner: The Best Documentaries of 2020

By Glenn Dunks

Before this column takes a few weeks break, it’s that time of the year to make lists! I have spent the last few weeks churning through screeners trying to ensure I saw enough of 2020’s documentary output to justify a list of the year’s best, although I do not have the time nor the inclination to watch 238 of the damn things! Nevertheless, below are 30 non-fiction titles (or non-fiction adjacent, but we’ll get to that later) that I believe are among the year’s best movies. I stuck to the 2020 calendar as much as possible because, like Nathaniel, I want to keep some order to it all.

If you were to sit down and watch every film below, you would be taken from rural towns in the heart of the Florida peninsula to rural towns in the heart of the Ukraine via the protests of Hong Kong and a nursing home in Chile. There are serious themes, important subjects, powerful ideas... and hand sanitizer.

There’s also a stripper named Nomi. Something for everything, I reckon...

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Nathaniel's Top Twenty (Plus) of 2020

by Nathaniel R

Swallow, one of 2020's twenty best

Dementia, toxic masculinity, mental illness, economic inequality, nationalism, and racism were impossible to miss in 2020. And for once I'm not even referring to the soulless depravity of the GOP! Those were also recurring themes in world cinema this past film year. The silver lining is this: difficult topics and trying times can make for great art. This past year's best films were hardly a cheerful lot, but the best filmmakers know how to incorporate tonal variety to keep their movies three-dimensional and lively with ideas, moods, and unforgettable scenes.

The following movies greatly enriched a very tough year. Whether you already love them or are yet to discover them I wish you the best film experiences with these...

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January. It's a Wrap

Wow, time sure is speeding up. It's already the end of January which means Sundance is in progress and awards season in full crazy swing. And it also means Nathaniel's Film Bitch Awards begin. Here are highlights from the month that was in case you missed them.

12 highlights
• Interview: Kingsley Ben-Adir Murtada with One Night in Miami's Malcolm X
• The Furniture: Promising Young Woman "an agent of heaven or hell?"
• Monsoon Wedding Cláudio had never seen it. We're glad he loved
• Best Supporting Actresses of a Certain Age Who were the oldest nominees?
• Doc Corner Gunda Glenn goes to the buzzy farm
• Familiar Faces: Chris Nolan Nathaniel looks at which actors the action director most loves throwing around in his twisty spectacles
• Stage to Screen to Oscar? Christopher checks the (abundant) stats with Ma Rainey in the mix this year
• Gay Best Friend: The Next Best Thing is it as bad as you've heard?
• Cloris Leachman and Cicely Tyson - we lost two greats
• The Ghost of Promising Young Woman Lynn Lee wonders about "Nina"
• Michelle Pfeiffer as Betty Ford the most exciting TV news this month
• The Father Eric wonders why people aren't talking about this gem

4 most discussed articles
• 9th Annual Team Experience Awards Promising Young Woman reigns
• Oscars Acting Races where we were at on January 22nd (though this is always changing!)
• Ellen Burstyn's Oscar History Claudio investigates
• Year in Review: Thirst Traps feat. Ahmed, Plaza, Majors, etc

COMING IN FEBRUARY
The Golden Globe Awards, SAG nominations, FYCs for Oscar categories, the 10th anniversary of the 83rd Oscars, TV classic "The Muppet Show" and a centennial tribute to Lana Turner.