Category Archives: Industry News

Town at Trilith to Host Summer 2022 “Reel Tuesday” Family Film Series

Film series includes Sing 2, Captain America: The First Avenger, Luca and Jungle Cruise

For its inaugural summer season, the “Big Screen” at Central Plaza in the Town at Trilith south of Atlanta will showcase the REEL Tuesday at Trilith Summer Movie Series on select weeknights in June and July. Family-friendly films will be the featured attraction on the 25-foot permanent screen with a powerful sound and projection system. Bring a chair or blanket, kick back, and relax to watch these fun, upbeat movies:

Tuesday, June 14: Sing 2
Tuesday, June 28: Captain America: The First Avenger
Tuesday, July 12: Luca
Tuesday, July 26: Jungle Cruise

Movies will start at 7:00 p.m., weather permitting. Admission is complimentary and open to the general public. Participants may park for free in the retail parking lot on Trilith Parkway and at Piedmont Wellness Center.

Before and after the movie, attendees can enjoy the evening strolling the Town at Trilith, shopping at charming boutiques, enjoying dinner at one of the variety of restaurants and topping off dinner with a delicious dessert. Honeysuckle Gelato’s ice cream cart will be on site, and additional activities will be available.

The Town at Trilith is located at 305 Trilith Parkway, Fayetteville, Ga. To stay informed of activities throughout the year at Trilith, follow @TownatTrilith on social media.

Along with the ever-expanding retail and restaurant district, Trilith’s 235-acre master-planned residential and mixed-use development is known for balancing small town community charm with big city creativity and storytelling for its residents, many with ties to the film industry. The award-winning new urbanist community includes nearly 1,400 residential homes, ranging from micro homes and treehouses to gated custom estates and Provencal cottages, all within walking distance of retail, restaurants and parks.

The Town at Trilith is located in south metro Atlanta, Georgia, adjacent to Trilith Studios. Envisioned as a gathering place for creatives, artists, storytellers and makers, this European-inspired community will include 750 single family homes, 600 multi-family lofts, 300 hotel rooms and 270,000 square feet of remarkable restaurants, retail, office, and commercial space. The residential neighborhoods at Trilith comprise one of the largest geothermal communities in the United States, with 51% of the development dedicated to green space that is currently home to more than 1,000 trees. Upon completion, residents will have access to 15 miles of nature trails, 54 acres of forest, 19 superbly landscaped parks and one of the most sophisticated and welcoming dog parks in the world.

Click here for more information about Trilith.

Feature Story: New Frontiers for Age-Gap Dating in the Movies

Coming to Hulu this summer.

From Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas to Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson, today’s most talked about celebrities aren’t shying away from age-gap dating. The growing popularity of these female-forward relationships is reverberating throughout Hollywood and fascinating the public. Despite these pairings becoming more culturally commonplace, provocative new survey data by dating app Cougar Life and Ipsos indicates a curiosity persists. Representation on screen can undoubtedly help mainstream surprising  relationships, and none other than Oscar winner Emma Thompson is seeking to break some barriers with her buzzy summer film Good Luck to You, Leo Grande. Directed by Sophie Hyde, the film debuting on the Hulu streaming service focuses on Thompson’s empowerment journey to find pleasure and perhaps love. Thompson isn’t the only actress to have a younger guy: Remember Kelly McGillis romancing Tom Cruise in the original Top Gun? And who can forget the hilarious turn by Jennifer Coolidge in the original American Pie, owning the screen as the MILF who occupied the imagination of Stifler’s friends? Anne Bancroft was an original barrier breaker opposite Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate, and the classic cult comedy Harold & Maude featured an uncanny age gap as well. Here are a half dozen empowered women getting to embrace their inner cougar on screen:

  • Uma Thurman plays a 37-year-old businesswoman who falls in love with Bryan Greenberg’s 23-year-old artist character in the comedy Prime. Meryl Streep plays Thurman’s therapist who sometimes successfully analyzes her client’s mixed emotions.
  • How Stella Got Her Groove Back is a sexy, fun, flirty romp with a career-driven single mom played by Angela Bassett courting Taye Diggs on a Jamaican vacation.
  • Kim Cattrall is on the brink of 50 and consistently on the prowl in the movie of Sex and the City, with younger love interest and former fashion model Jason Lewis rivaling a potent cosmopolitan cocktail or swanky times with friends for iconic character Samantha’s attention.
  • The film Hello My Name is Doris casts Sally Field who is romantically interested in a colleague played by Max Greenfield of New Girl fame. Field is strong in a role with equal parts heartwarming and comedic results.
  • In Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool, Annette Bening plays a timeless actress opposite younger boyfriend Jamie Bell. Both are acclaimed in this romantic biographical drama.
  • Bull Durham famously stars Susan Sarandon as a poetry-loving minor league baseball team super fan who takes on Tim Robbins as her brash new recruit to inspire him with the religion of baseball. The two actors went on to enjoy an off-camera relationship for years.

That’s the reel update. Check out https://www.cougarlife.com/ for real-life dating opportunities! 


2022 Atlanta Film Festival Features 27 World Premieres

The 46th annual Atlanta Film Festival + Creative Conference (ATLFF) revealed key programming highlights, including Opening and Closing Night presentations and the full lineup of selected works from a record-breaking nearly 10,000 submissions. Highlighted by the Opening Night presentation of 892 and Closing Night film Mija, 11 Marquee screenings will combine Hollywood star power with the best of independent film. The 155 total announced creative works from submissions will feature diverse filmmakers who continue to uplift voices and stories from around the world. The film festival and educational conference will take place Thursday, April 21 through Sunday, May 1, 2022, at multiple venues in Atlanta and virtually.

“We’re particularly excited about this year because we are not only back to in-person screenings, but our hybrid format will provide even more opportunities for audiences to participate around the globe,” said Christopher Escobar, Executive Director of the Atlanta Film Festival. “A huge part of our ethos is advocating for diverse voices, which is why it’s even more important that we continue to evolve and connect with communities everywhere in new and innovative ways.”

Kicking off a robust slate of Marquee programming that will be presented throughout the 11-day festival, the Opening Night presentation of Bleecker Street’s dramatic thriller 892 will take place at the Plaza Theatre on Friday, April 22. Starring John Boyega, the late Michael K. Williams, Nicole Beharie, and Connie Britton, the film follows a Marine war veteran who faces mental and emotional challenges when he tries to reintegrate back into civilian life. Director Abi Damaris Corbin will be on-hand for the red carpet screening.

The Closing Night presentation of the Disney+ documentary Mija will be held on Saturday, April 30, at the Plaza Theatre. Directed by Isabel Castro, the film follows Doris Muñoz, who began a career in music talent management and met Jacks Haupt, an auspicious young singer, and both share the ever-present guilt of being the first American-born members of their undocumented families.

Some highlights of the Marquee programming from celebrated filmmakers and Hollywood studios announced today include narrative features Cha Cha Real Smooth starring Dakota Johnson and written and directed by Cooper Raiff (the triple threat behind one of this site’s favorites, the comedyShithouse), Emily the Criminal starring Aubrey Plaza and Theo Rossi, and Summering, a coming of age story directed by Georgia-native and celebrated ATLFF alumni James Ponsoldt. Documentary feature highlights include Look At Me!, an inside look at a gifted young rapper’s tumultuous rise to fame before his death at the age of 20, with never-before-seen footage as XXXTentacion’s inner circle speaks out, and REFUGE, a story about fear and love in the American South from local Atlanta directors Erin Levin Bernhardt and Din Blankenship.

The 12th annual Creative Conference, ATLFF’s popular educational programming extension, returns with in-person panel discussions and one-on-one in-depth virtual conversations focusing on screenwriting, showrunning, pitching shows, podcasting, directing, producing, cinematography, and editing with industry experts from Georgia to NY and LA. The entire Creative Conference lineup of over 25 events will be announced in the coming weeks. 

ATLFF 2022 will be more accessible than ever, offering a mix of in-person and virtual screenings, as well as virtual Q&A sessions with filmmakers. Screenings will be held at three venues, including Plaza Theatre (1049 Ponce De Leon Ave NE), Dad’s Garage (569 Ezzard St SE), and The Carter Center (453 Freedom Parkway), with more to come. All virtual screenings and events will be presented via Eventive.

The full schedule of films and events is available atwww.AtlantaFilmFestival.com and through the ATLFF 2022 app. Festival passes are on sale now on the site. Tickets for individual events will be available at the beginning of April. In-person screening tickets range from $12-50; virtual access is $9.99 per film/panel with an unlimited virtual all-access pass for $85 for both films and Creative Conference. Virtual all-access pass will increase to $100 after Friday, April 1.

Reviews of the Ten Best Picture Nominees from 2021

King Richard is one of ten best picture nominees in the race for the top movie of 2021.

The nominees were announced this week including these ten for Best Picture from the year 2021. Here are links to my original reviews for each film:

Belfast

CODA

Don’t Look Up

Drive My Car

Dune

King Richard

Licorice Pizza

Nightmare Alley

The Power of the Dog

West Side Story


Fall 2021 Movie Preview

Real-life stories of Hollywood royalty, chronicles of singing poets and lovers, displays of supernatural super heroics and much more will vie for your attention across multiplex and media as the fall film season gets fully underway. Filmmakers continue to showcase the movies they’ve been safely creating during the pandemic, and you’ll get a variety of new fare to enjoy on both big screens and home streaming in the months ahead.

Anticipated sequels and franchises include No Time to Die, the latest Daniel Craig 007 film; Dune, which covers half of the dense sci-fi novel about outer space wars; Halloween Kills with further mayhem between knife-wielding Michael Myers and scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis; and Maverick, Tom Cruise’s long-awaited follow-up to Top Gun.

True-life sagas range from director Ridley Scott’s chronicle of a murderous fashion family with House of Gucci starring Lady Gaga and Adam Driver to Aaron Sorkin’s Being the Ricardos with Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem as television idols Lucy and Desi Arnaz. Two tragic legends also get the big-screen treatment as Kristen Stewart plays Princess Diana in Spencer and Ana de Armas embodies Marilyn Monroe in Blonde. And King Richard stars Will Smith as the father and coach of the Williams tennis sisters.

After the recent successes of Marvel on television, an emboldened box office run should continue with recent Oscar winner Chloé Zhao’s Eternals featuring an ensemble of immortal gods such as Richard Madden, Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek plus the third in the latest Spider-Man trilogy, No Way Home, injecting a bit of twisty multiverse time travel into the teen web-slinger’s adventures.

Dear Evan Hansen with Ben Platt as a troubled teenager opposite Amy Adams and Julianne Moore ushers in a season of musicals, followed by Peter Dinklage in an acclaimed crooning performance as Cyrano, Andrew Garfield as an artist on the brink of hitting it big as he faces an early mid-life crisis in Tick Tick Boom, the Colombia-set Disney animated family feature Encanto about a magical family and Steven Spielberg’s version of West Side Story starring Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler as star-crossed lovers in the gang lands of New York.

Awards season will be in full bloom when Martin Scorsese presents Killers of the Flower Moon starring Leo DiCaprio and Robert DeNiro, Jane Campion showcases The Power of the Dog with Kirsten Dunst and Benedict Cumberbatch, and Guillermo del Toro transports us to Nightmare Alley with Bradley Cooper and Cate Blanchett. The next movie by the droll Wes Anderson, The French Dispatch, features talent such as Timothée Chalamet and Bill Murray.

Some other anticipated autumn fare includes Don’t Look Up, a crashing comet comedy with DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence; Kenneth Branagh’s personal black and white historical drama Belfast with Jamie Dornan and Judi Dench; and the artsy Last Night in Soho with eccentric leading lady Anya Taylor-Joy. Plus there’s some unexpected casting including Denzel Washington as the title character in Tragedy of Macbeth and Brendan Fraser as a 600-pound man in The Whale.

There’s something for everyone, and expect these and many more to receive their bite-sized reviews weekly here at www.SilverScreenCapture.com.

This story is also syndicated throughout American newspapers this month.

IPIC Rolls Out the Red Carpet in Atlanta

A luxury movie theatre whose time has come has opened in Midtown Atlanta’s revitalized Colony Square, and if anything could lure folks back into the cinema, it’s this epic IPIC. Atlanta’s IPIC boasts nine high-tech screens and 426 seats in a variety of configurations, including two-person pod options in auditoriums of as few as 18 seats and as many as 72. A pioneer of the dine-in theater concept, IPIC Theaters’ mission is to a create an unforgettable experience for guests. IPIC Atlanta will program the latest Hollywood blockbusters and select films in 4K digital projection, chef-inspired cuisine, signature cocktails, including personalized touches from the moment guests arrive. Guests can enjoy elevated food and beverage service delivered seat-side by “ninja-like” servers for a dine-in-the-dark viewing experience, while relaxing in premium reclining leather seats. IPIC’s curated food and beverage menu focuses on seasonally inspired dishes and signature plates, shareables, and keto and vegetarian-friendly options. A few favorites at the VIP preview night were the spicy tuna, red velvet waffles with chicken wings and popcorn laced with churro spices. Guests can also expect quintessential movie favorites such as classic and gourmet popcorn flavors, candy and innovative treats, plus a kid’s menu. Alcoholic options include a variety of wine, beer, and signature cocktails. The decor is museum-like with modern paintings and artwork of iconic movie stars, and there were a variety of sitting areas pre-show to enjoy food or drinks with small groups. Colony Square, the 50-year-old mixed-use destination, is currently undergoing a $400 million redevelopment by North American Properties. In early 2021, IPIC will also open a 6,635-square-foot destination bar and restaurant, Serena Pastificio next door to the theater. The adjacent eatery specializes in authentic, handmade pasta with simple and fresh ingredients. IPIC offers memberships with benefits, plus its auditoriums are available for special occasions and private screenings (two events got booked before it even opened). All seats may be reserved ahead of time on IPIC’s reservation system online or available on the IPIC app. Additionally, IPIC’s layout naturally reduces capacity between 24% and 57% per auditorium compared to traditional theaters. The layouts organically allow for social distancing between parties with pod-style seating that separates guests, wider rows and individual aisles leading to seats as well as smaller auditorium sizes. IPIC Atlanta is located at 1197 Peachtree St. Suite 350 NE in Atlanta. For a full list of showings and times, please visit: IPIC.com/Movies.


2019 Best Picture Nominees


Movie Reviewer Stephen Brown #OscarNoms

Here are my reviews of the nine 2019 Best Picture candidates. The ceremony is February 9, 2020.


Ford v Ferrari

The Irishman

Jojo Rabbit

Joker

Little Women

Marriage Story

1917

Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood

Parasite

Fall 2019 Movie Preview

Scarlett Johansson and Roman Griffin Davis in the film JOJO RABBIT. Photo by Larry Horricks. © 2019 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation All Rights Reserved

It was a summer of car chases and cartoons come to life, but now Tinseltown’s thespians are ready to assume their glow in the spotlight. Prepare for a variety of favorite actors – including Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson in more movies than can be counted – to showcase award-worthy performances on multiplex and streaming screens.

Two Stephen King sequels promise to shock: It Chapter Two, in which adult characters played by the likes of James McAvoy and Jessica Chastain face down the clown with a red balloon who so terrorized their childhoods, and Doctor Sleep (filmed in Atlanta) with Ewan McGregor as the grown-up “Danny” from The Shining who can’t escape his demons either.

Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman, which will debut both on Netflix and in select theatres, is a gangster tale starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci. It’s the story of mobster Frank Sheeran and the disappearance of one of the leaders of the biggest crime families in American history.

Giving Netflix a scrappy run for its money in the streaming department will be the debut of Disney+ in November, complete with the full binge-able back-catalogue of the studio’s films plus a Disney live-action Lady and the Tramp (set in Savannah) and Anna Kendrick as Santa’s daughter Noelle in a save-Christmas quest.

Iconoclast directors Taika Waititi and Rian Johnson, each most recently helming Marvel and Star Wars movies, return to eccentricity with Jojo Rabbit, a WWII-set fantasy with Rebel Wilson and Scarlett Johansson in small roles, and Knives Out, a star-studded whodunit with Chris Evans, Daniel Craig and Jamie Lee Curtis along for the mystery.  

Sometimes Hollywood finds an ideal match between actor and lead role. Tom Hanks plays Mr. Fred Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. Harriet features Cynthia Erivo as Harriet Tubman in the story of the Underground Railroad. Joaquin Phoenix is already getting festival buzz as the Joker, an R-rated look at the classic DC villain’s origin story. Goldfinch features star-on-the-rise Ansol Elgort as an art forger. And Ad Astra stars Brad Pitt as an astronaut embarking on a space flight in search of his lost father, whose experiment threatens the solar system.

The Report stars Adam Driver and Annette Bening in a docudrama about an FBI agent’s investigation into the CIA’s use of torture on suspected terrorists in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. And a stage director played by Driver and his actor wife played by Scarlett Johansson struggle through a grueling divorce that pushes them to their limits in Marriage Story. Plus, the biopic Ford v Ferrari stars Matt Damon and Christian Bale and follows the 1966 Le Mans race, in which Ford designers attempt to crack the code of their rival sports car’s racing team.

J.J. Abrams concludes the nine-part Skywalker saga with Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker in which we will finally discover the origins of Daisy Ripley’s Rey, get a glimpse of never-before scenes with Carrie Fisher, witness the return of Billy Dee Williams, discover the fate of Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren and find out what that pesky phantom menace has been up to behind the scenes. Finn and Poe also get mysterious girlfriends (Kerri Russell and Naomi Ackie), and beloved BB-8 gets a new scooter-like companion droid.

Heads are being scratched not because of fleas but because of feline CGI fur effects as folks anticipate the adaptation of Broadway’s Cats, featuring the likes of Jennifer Hudson and Taylor Swift in full four-legged singing and dancing creature mode.

And let Oscar talk begin! Steven Soderbergh’s biographical comedy-drama The Laundromat stars Meryl Streep whose dream vacation takes wrong turns into the world of off-shore tax schemes. Gary Oldman, Jeffrey Wright and Sharon Stone round out the ensemble. Greta Gerwig’s Little Women stars Laura Dern, Saoirse Ronan and Timothée Chalamet in a spry adaptation of the literary classic. And Sam Mendes’ 1917 features Richard Madden and Benedict Cumberbatch in a WWI dramatic adventure.

Reviews of 2018 Oscar Best Picture Nominees

Roma, now available on Netflix

Today’s clickable picks for the eight Academy Award nominees for Best Picture are the following:

Black Panther

BlacKkKlansman

Bohemian Rhapsody

The Favourite

Green Book

A Star Is Born

Roma

Vice

2018 Georgia Film Critics Picks

The Georgia Film Critics Association (GAFCA) has announced its slate of nominees for the 2018 GAFCA Awards. Founded in 2011, this year marks the 8th annual awards program for the critics group. GAFCA is made up of 32 film critics from around the state, representing print, television, radio and online media. Nominations in all 17 categories have been released, as well as the shortlist for the Oglethorpe Award for Excellence in Georgia Cinema—a special prize for a film made in Georgia. Winners will be announced on Friday, January 11, 2019. Three films lead the nomination count, with A Star is Born, The Favourite and If Beale Street Could Talk each earning nine nominations. Black Panther and Roma each received seven nominations while BlacKkKlansman and First Man received six nods apiece. Eighth Grade earned four nominations; Leave No Trace and First Reformed received three each.

Full List of GAFCA Nominations:
Best Picture
BlacKkKlansman
Eighth Grade
The Favourite
First Man
First Reformed
If Beale Street Could Talk
A Quiet Place
Roma
WINNER – A Star is Born
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
Best Director
BlacKkKlansman – Spike Lee
The Favourite – Yorgos Lanthimos
If Beale Street Could Talk – Barry Jenkins
WINNER – Roma – Alfonso Cuarón
A Star is Born – Bradley Cooper
Best Actor
Christian Bale (Vice)
Bradley Cooper (A Star is Born)
WINNER – Ethan Hawke (First Reformed)
Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody)
John David Washington (BlacKkKlansman)
Best Actress
Yalatza Aparicio (Roma)
WINNER – Toni Collette (Hereditary)
Olivia Colman (The Favourite)
Elsie Fisher (Eighth Grade)
Lady Gaga (A Star is Born)
Best Supporting Actor
Mahershala Ali (Green Book)
Timothée Chalamet (Beautiful Boy)
Adam Driver (BlacKkKlansman)
WINNER – Sam Elliott (A Star is Born)
Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)
Best Supporting Actress
Adam Adams (Vice)
Claire Foy (First Man)
Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk)
Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie (Leave No Trace)
WINNER – Emma Stone (The Favourite)
Rachel Weisz (The Favourite)
Best Original Screenplay
WINNER – Eighth Grade – Bo Burnham
The Favourite – Deborah Davis & Tony McNamara
First Reformed – Paul Schrader
A Quiet Place – Bryan Woods, Scott Beck and John Krasinski
Roma – Alfonso Cuarón
Best Adapted Screenplay
WINNER – BlacKkKlansman – Spike Lee, David Rabinowitz, Charlie Wachtel and Kevin Willmott
Black Panther – Joe Robert Cole and Ryan Coogler
If Beale Street Could Talk – Barry Jenkins
Leave No Trace– Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini
A Star is Born – Bradley Cooper, Will Fetters and Eric Roth
Best Cinematography
Black Panther – Rachel Morrison
The Favourite – Robbie Ryan
First Man – Linus Sandgren
If Beale Street Could Talk – James Laxton
WINNER – Roma – Alfonso Cuarón
Best Production Design
Black Panther – Hannah Beachler, Jay Hart
WINNER – The Favourite – Fiona Crombie, Alice Felton
First Man – Nathan Crowley, Kathy Lucas
If Beale Street Could Talk – Mark Friedberg, Kris Moran
Ready Player One – Adam Stockhausen, Mark Scruton
Best Original Score
AnnihilationGeoff Barrow, Ben Salisbury BlacKkKlansman – Terence Blanchard
Black Panther – Ludwig Göransson
WINNER – First Man – Justin Hurwitz
If Beale Street Could Talk Nicholas Britell
Isle of Dogs – Alexandre Desplat
Best Original Song
“All the Stars” – Kendrick Lamar, SZA, Mark Spears, Al Shuckburgh, Anthony Tiffith (Black Panther)
“Girl in the Movies” – Dolly Parton and Linda Perry (Dumplin’)
“Maybe It’s Time” – Jason Isbell (A Star is Born)
“The Place Where the Lost Things Go” – Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman (Mary Poppins Returns)
WINNER – “Shallow” – Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando, Andrew Wyatt (A Star is Born)
“Suspirium” – Thom Yorke (Suspiria)
“Trip A Little Light Fantastic” – Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman (Mary Poppins Returns)
Best Ensemble
Black Panther
Crazy Rich Asians
WINNER – The Favourite
If Beale Street Could Talk
Widows
Best Foreign Film
Burning
Cold War
The Guilty
WINNER – Roma
Shoplifters
Breakthrough Award
Yalitza Aparicio (Roma)
WINNER – Elsie Fisher (Eighth Grade)
Lady Gaga (A Star is Born)
KiKi Layne (If Beale Street Could Talk)
Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie (Leave No Trace)
Best Animated Film
Incredibles 2
Isle of Dogs
Mirai
Ralph Breaks the Internet
WINNER – Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Best Documentary Film
Free Solo
Minding The Gap
RBG
Three Identical Strangers
WINNER – Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
Oglethorpe Award for Excellence in Georgia Cinema

Avengers: Infinity War

WINNER – Black Panther

Boy Erased

The Emissary (short)

First Man

Game Night

The Hate U Give

Love, Simon

Poor Jane

Still

NBR Top Films of 2018

The National Board of Review (NBR) announced its winners, including a list of 2018’s Top Ten Films, to be formally awarded January 8, 2019, in NYC. The inspirational ’60s race relations dramedy Green Book (first prize as best picture and for one of its leading men) and the music-filled romance remake A Star Is Born (three of the top acting prizes) have been crowned the new frontrunners of awards season, with Alfonso Cuarón’s deeply personal black and white foreign language film Roma a distant third place in terms of awards season momentum.

Many films’ Academy Awards chances are boosted by these accolades, but don’t count out buzzy royalty fantasia The FavouriteChristian Bale as Dick Cheney in ViceSteve McQueen’s struggling but spectacular heist drama Widows, Spike Lee’s neglected but brilliant BlacKkKlansman or late-year entry The Mule (not screened for NBR voters, and director/lead actor Clint Eastwood has had late-breaking films enter the fray before) to score nominations come Oscar time.

Faring well in today’s NBR nominations is popular streaming service Netflix, home of both The Coen Brothers’ The Ballad of Buster Scruggs and Roma. Both are now screening in select cities theatrically, and Buster Scruggs can be streamed right now. Little-seen indies from the first half of the year, First Reformed and Eighth Grade, plus blockbuster popular and critical hits from early this year, Black Panther and A Quiet Place, just picked up lots of momentum. Emily Blunt appears to be a factor in upcoming awards as love for both her films, A Quiet Place and Mary Poppins Returns, seems apparent in these votes.

I’ve hyperlinked to movies reviewed on this site. Let the awards season begin!

Best Film: Green Book

Best Director: Bradley Cooper, A Star Is Born
Best Actor: Viggo Mortensen, Green Book
Best Actress: Lady Gaga, A Star Is Born

Best Supporting Actor: Sam Elliott, A Star Is Born
Best Supporting Actress: Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk
Best Original Screenplay: Paul Schrader, First Reformed
Best Adapted Screenplay: Barry Jenkins, If Beale Street Could Talk
Best Animated Feature: Incredibles 2
Breakthrough Performance: Thomasin McKenzie, Leave No Trace
Best Directorial Debut: Bo Burnham, Eighth Grade
Best Foreign Language Film: Cold War
Best Documentary: RBG
Best Ensemble: Crazy Rich Asians
William K. Everson Film History Award: The Other Side of the Wind and They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: 22 July
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: On Her Shoulders

Top Films of 2018 (alphabetical, I presume we see these as the ten movies nipping at the heels of Green Book)
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Black Panther
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Eighth Grade
First Reformed
If Beale Street Could Talk
Mary Poppins Returns
A Quiet Place
Roma
A Star Is Born

Top 5 Foreign Language Films
Burning
Custody
The Guilty
Happy as Lazzaro
Shoplifters

Top 5 Documentaries 
Crime + Punishment
Free Solo
Minding the Gap
Three Identical Strangers
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

Top 10 Independent Films 
The Death of Stalin
Lean on Pete
Leave No Trace
Mid90s
The Old Man & the Gun
The Ride
Searching
Sorry to Bother You
We the Animals
You Were Never Really Here

Fall Movie Preview 2018

From prestigious black and white arthouse movies generating awards talk to bubblegum hued adventures with personality bouncing off multiplex walls, the movies of autumn seek to capture your imagination. We’ve rounded up the most buzzworthy flicks to add to your binge list.

Costume dramas are all the rage as the weather gets cold, so expect Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz to duke it out as couture-clad cousins battling for attention during the 18th century reign of Queen Anne in The Favourite (Nov. 23) and Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie to rule the runway in the drama Mary, Queen of Scots (Dec. 7). Royalty comes in the form of glam rock with Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody (Nov. 2), the story of another Queen, the band.

Music takes center stage as a grungy Bradley Cooper mentors (and also directs) a plain-faced Lady Gaga in A Star is Born (Oct. 5), the latest remake in a catalogue that has starred some women you may have heard of named Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand. “Little Monsters” as well as those who couldn’t give a good Gaga about Gaga will likely equally gravitate to this hard-scrabble redemption story, filmed in and around Coachella music festival.  Others who like a spoonful of music with their story will want to fly away with Emily Blunt in the title role of Disney’s Mary Poppins Returns (Dec. 19), bringing whimsy, mischief and Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda in tow and picking up where Julie Andrews left her umbrella in 1964.

Fast forward to the ‘70s for horror movie inspiration. Those who like their flicks frightful can enjoy original scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis versus her nemesis Michael Myers in a direct sequel to 1978’s Halloween simply titled Halloween (Oct. 9). Suspiria (Nov. 2) is Luca Guadagnino’s remake of Dario Argento’s1977 Italian horror film set at a European ballet school, and it’s one grand jeté of grisly death sequences to the next.

Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma (Dec. 14) is also set in the ‘70s and is a semi-biographical take on a middle class family’s life in Mexico City. It’s black and white and the Gravity director’s next bid for Oscar glory. And talk about throwbacks! Michael B. Jordan, fresh off his villainous turn in Black Panther, puts on his boxing gloves and knockout emoting for Creed II (Nov. 21). This time he confronts the son of Ivan Drago, the notorious Russian fighter who gave Rocky a run for his ruble.

Those longing for times of less polarizing politics can enjoy Christian Bale as former Vice President Dick Cheney opposite Tyler Perry as Colin Powell in Adam McKay’s biopic Vice (Dec. 14), or you can simply swoon to the moon with Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong in the historical drama First Man (Oct. 12). This film reuniting the star with his La La Land director who filmed much of the movie in Georgia.

It’s also a season of strong women taking action as Viola Davis leads an ensemble in Steve McQueen’s Widows (Nov. 2) featuring women attempting a heist after their criminal husbands are killed on a botched job. And Regina King desperately scrambles to prove her fiancé innocent of a crime while carrying their first child in Barry Jenkins’s If Beale Street Could Talk (Nov. 23).

Anguished teens are front and center as Steve Carell nurtures Timothée Chalamet through opioid addiction recovery in Beautiful Boy (Oct. 12), and Nicole Kidman and Lucas Hedges confront homophobia in religious institutions in Boy Erased (Nov. 2).

Of course, some movies will simply be guilty pleasures, like A Simple Favor (Sept. 19) following a small-town blogger (Anna Kendrick) solving the disappearance of her mysterious and rich best friend (Blake Lively).  Ralph Breaks the Internet (Nov. 21) continues Wreck-It Ralph’s pixelated misadventures including encounters with Disney princesses whose frozen fractals add sass to the in-joke filled sequel. And no, it’s not an Entourage subplot, Aquaman (Dec. 21) is a real movie, with hunky Jason Momoa’s salty superhero teaming up with Fast & the Furious filmmakers to part the living seas out of your DC universe. To add some artiness, the ubiquitous Kidman plays his maritime mum. Let the floodgates and movie theatres hasten your arrival.