Replicating most of what’s come before, the New York Film Critics Online have chosen nothing new.
Award Tallies
(3) Roma
(2) Can You Ever Forgive Me?, The Favourite, If Beale Street Could Talk
Poll: Best of Dec. 2017, Limited
Loading ...Precursor: 22nd Toronto Critics Awards (2018)
Toronto is also head-over-heels for Roma, but also gave equal attention to The Favourite and First Reformed. Steven Yuen continues to merit strong attention for Burning. A dark horse contender for a Supporting Actor nomination? Maybe.
Award Tallies
(2) The Favourite, First Reformed, Roma
The Awards
Precursor: 17th San Francisco Critics Awards (2018)
Another win for Roma and a first for Spike Lee as director of BlacKkKlansman. Michael B. Jordan also picks up his first and Orson Welles’ The Other Side of the Wind is a surprise editing winner.
Award Tallies
(3) BlacKkKlansman, Roma
(2) First Reformed
The Awards
Film Preview: Viking Destiny (2018)
Page Revisions:
(December 2, 2018) Original
Release Date:
October 5, 2018
Synopsis:
From IMDb: “A Viking Princess is forced to flee her kingdom after being framed for the murder of her father, the King. Under the guidance of the God Odin, she travels the world gaining wisdom and building the army she needs to win back her throne.”
Poster Rating: –
Review: There was no poster immediately available for my review. Should one become available in the future, this section will be updated.
Trailer Rating: C-
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Review: This looks like the kind of film that a bunch of friends get together to make because they are rich and bored. The acting is weak, the costuming is ill-fitting and doesn’t feel a part of the period, and the storyline doesn’t get enough traction to make sense or to become exciting.
Oscar Prospects:
None.
Trailer #1
Film Preview: Lost Child (2018)
Page Revisions:
(December 2, 2018) Original
Release Date:
September 14, 2018
Synopsis:
From IMDb: “Lost Child is a dramatic thriller about a young army veteran suffering from PTSD who returns home to the Ozarks to look for her estranged brother and finds an abandoned young boy in the woods. As she searches for answers about who the child is, she discovers a mysterious world of folklore, clan rules and lies, ultimately putting her own life in jeopardy to protect the young boy and find out the truth.”
Poster Rating: –
Review: There was no poster immediately available for my review. Should one become available in the future, this section will be updated.
Trailer Rating: C
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Review: The notion of this film is built on a backwoods aesthetic that is both disingenuous and misleading. Blending old world fairy tale creatures into a new world setting feels off-kilter and the trailer does little to assuage those concerns, making them worse with a raft of unimpressive performances.
Oscar Prospects:
None.
Trailer #1
Precursor: 44th Los Angeles Critics Awards (2018)
It seems like Roma is shaping up to be the film of the season, a verdict the Academy doesn’t seem particularly likely to support. It will be interesting to see how the televised races go, since Roma cannot win the Golden Globe since it’s locked in the foreign category only. It’s also not likely to please the voters at SAG. The most interesting choice here is probably Debra Granik’s surprise win as Best Director. The rest have been largely duplicated elsewhere.
Award Tallies
(2) Burning, If Beale Street Could Talk, Roma
The Awards
Weekend Preview: Dec. 14-16, 2018
Below are seven previews for films opening next weekend.
Mortal Engines (Wide)
The Mule (Wide)
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Wide)
Capernaum (Limited)
Deadpool 2 (Limited)
The House That Jack Built (Limited)
If Beale Street Could Talk (Limited)
Film Preview: The House That Jack Built (2018)
Page Revisions:
(December 9, 2018) Original
Release Date:
December 14, 2018
Synopsis:
From IMDb: “The story follows Jack, a highly intelligent serial killer, over the course of twelve years, and depicts the murders that really develop his inner madman.”
Poster Rating: C / C+ (7)
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Review: (#1) Jack hiding behind plastic sheeting. If you know what the film’s about, it makes a good deal of sense. If you don’t, then it would feel very strange. (#2-#8) This series of character posters with contortionists and the actors’ heads superimposed on their bodies is an interesting design, though the rest of the poster is a bit boring.
Trailer Rating: C+
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Review: Lars Von Trier has gotten into a lot of trouble in recent years for his sexist handling of storylines that treat women as sexual objects and this trailer does little to dissuade that notion.
Oscar Prospects:
None.
Trailer #1
Film Preview: Capernaum (2018)
Page Revisions:
(December 9, 2018) Original
Release Date:
December 14, 2018
Synopsis:
From IMDb: “While serving a five-year sentence for a violent crime, a 12-year-old boy sues his parents for neglect.”
Poster Rating: C- / D+ / D
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Review: (#1) A child in a basin on a skateboard. It’s an interesting visual, but the surroundings are dull. (#2) The prior design, but a richer, but duller color palette. The excessive amounts of praise covering the poster makes it all look cluttered. (#3) More cluttered lettering plus a central image that’s not particularly compelling or inviting.
Trailer Rating: C
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Review: Foreign language films can create a vivid and passionate storyline in the span of a trailer that entices viewers to give it a go if they like subtitled fare, but this trailer doesn’t quite do that, making it look more like a chore to sit through than a joy.
Oscar Prospects:
It’s one of a handful of contenders for a Best Foreign Language Film nomination. A win, at this juncture, seems unlikely.
Trailer #1
This Day in Oscar History: December 9 (2018)
Precursor: 31st Chicago Critics Awards (2018)
An interesting mix of traditional and unusual choices dominate the Chicago Critics awards with Roma performing well, but awards to Ethan Hawke and Toni Collette give them boosts going into the Oscar race. Otherwise, the selections are pretty standard.
Award Tallies
(5) Roma
(2) The Favourite, Hereditary, If Beale Street Could Talk
The Awards
Film Preview: Age of Summer (2018)
Page Revisions:
(December 2, 2018) Original
Release Date:
September 7, 2018
Synopsis:
From IMDb: “A determined teenage boy struggles to find acceptance within the Jr. Lifeguards of Hermosa Beach while juggling relationships and challenges in the summer of 1986.”
Poster Rating: C+
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Review: A poorly constructed design that doesn’t organically flow between its parts. While the color selection is nice and uncommon, it adds some character, but not enough.
Trailer Rating: C
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Review: The number of coming of age films out there is alarmingly high. Trying to find an area of this overplayed genre is incredibly difficult and this trailer gives the audience no hint that it will be anything more than commonplace.
Oscar Prospects:
None.
Trailer #1
Film Preview: Beyond the Sky (2018)
Page Revisions:
(December 2, 2018) Original
Release Date:
September 21, 2018
Synopsis:
From IMDb: “While shooting a documentary to expose the lies of alien abductees, a provocative filmmaker and his crew encounter a young woman with a dark secret who leads them to uncover a disturbing truth.”
Poster Rating: C+
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Review: The colors in this poster are superb, a wide array of dark popping hues. The problem is that the coloration seems to be the most distinctive and interesting thing about this design which feels forced and cheap.
Trailer Rating: C
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Review: Trying to pass itself off as a journalist attempting to debunk alien abductions who then discovers that aliens are real, this trailer twists itself in strange ways to try and make the whole thing look tense and exciting, but comes off predictable and dull.
Oscar Prospects:
None.
Trailer #1
Precursor: 2nd Philadelphia Critics Awards (2018)
Philadelphia has chimed in and given their top prize to Roma, but a few atypical choices exist in their roster including Barry Jenkins for Best Director, Viola Davis for Best Actress, and The Hate U Give for Best Script.
Award Tallies
(3) If Beale Street Could Talk, Roma
