#when I catch you emerald fennell

[bucklavaa]

Casting Jacob Elordi as HEATHCLIFF when Dev Patel is RIGHT THERE….

[talkativebby]

the throwaway racism subsubsubplot in saltburn is kind of like farleighs american accent in that it is very very bad and completely unnecessary which makes it particularly egregious

[howifeltabouthim]

Saltburn: Bonkers, Balls-to-the-Wall Brilliance

It would be no exaggeration to say that Saltburn is the craziest film of the year. I've never seen anything quite like it; it's distinctive in the best possible way, even while being rich with references to other iconic works. Emerald Fennell's sophomore feature is an exploration of class differences and a comedy of wickedly bad manners. It also morphs into a surprising, devilish thriller. It's the kind of film where you can’t look away, even when (perhaps especially when) you can’t believe what you’re seeing onscreen.

Saltburn begins with Oliver Quick newly arrived at Oxford. He's a fish out of water on campus as a scholarship student. He comes from the wrong background, he doesn't wear the right clothes, and he doesn't possess the right affect to fit in with the posh students that surround him. When he does a kind turn for Felix Catton, the popular student he's admired from afar, things start looking up and he's ushered into a world of partying and camaraderie. That summer, Felix invites Oliver back to his family estate, Saltburn, and things escalate amid decadence, debauchery, and class tensions.

Saltburn is a lush cinematic experience, composed of fresh, original, shocking images. So many shots feel like discrete works of art, the kind that wouldn't seem out of place in a gilt frame on some illustrious wall, reminiscent of the artistry of Kubrick's Barry Lyndon. At the same time, they all meld together to comprise a masterpiece. The startlingly potent sensuality practically drips from the screen, catching one up in a fever dream of desire and deviancy.

Barry Keoghan plays Oliver, and really proves himself as a leading man. I’ve been following Keoghan’s career with intense interest since his one-two punch of Dunkirk and The Killing of a Sacred Deer in 2017. And boy, is he realizing his potential. He blew me away with his heartrending performance in last year’s The Banshees of Inisherin. He excels at the humorous and the harrowing, sometimes in the same scene. He’s the kind of actor who can genuinely make you laugh and break your heart. He goes all in. You feel his pain, and I know I find myself rooting for his characters even when I probably shouldn’t.

My favorite kind of performance is an unhinged performance, and Keoghan delivers an all-timer in that category. His Oliver is comparable to Mia Goth’s turn in last year’s Pearl, for sheer emotional and eccentric abandon. The extreme emotion and behavior Keoghan exhibits as Oliver is thrilling to watch. Saltburn is such a great star vehicle star for this highly unique, unusual performer who has really been given his time to shine. He commands attention and the camera captures him perfectly here: his intensity and subtlety and those arresting blue eyes. Keoghan is a truly fearless performer. If there's any justice, he'll be nominated for an Oscar for this incredible performance.

This is a great ensemble cast, which includes Jacob Elordi as Felix and Alison Oliver as Venetia, Felix's sister. Carey Mulligan provides a disarmingly sweet and funny turn in a small role. Paul Rhys is chilling as Saltburn's imperious butler. Archie Madekwe is deliciously vicious as Felix's snobby cousin, Farleigh. Richard E. Grant is on point and hilarious as the Catton patriarch. Besides Keoghan, I felt Rosamund Pike was the standout and that this was her best role to date. The part of Elspeth Catton, lady of the manor, seemed tailor-made for her. Saltburn definitely deserves to be nominated for a SAG for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. The actors all play off each other beautifully.

I’m in awe of writer/director Emerald Fennell’s artistry and uncompromising vision. I love how she lets scenes go on uncomfortably long sometimes (like in the infamous climax of Promising Young Woman) to get her point across. She’s not hemmed in by conventions of how long a disquieting scene “should” go on. She doesn’t compromise for anyone or adhere to conventional tastes.

Saltburn is told through a great framing device of Oliver recounting the events of his pivotal year at Oxford and Saltburn to an unknown listener. It keeps you guessing as to who he's relaying this tale to. There are echoes of Wuthering Heights, Brideshead Revisited, The Go-Between, and Call Me by Your Name. In other words, timeless stories that will always resonate in the culture for good reason: they’re primal and get to the heart of the human experience. Yet Fennell's narrative veers in wholly unexpected directions. To watch her pull off the trick of this narrative is a privilege indeed.

Saltburn is a sterling example of bold, unapologetic filmmaking. Emerald Fennell is a cinematic visionary and a canny provocateur. And in case all this rhapsodizing wasn't enough, just know that this movie is HOT. It's fierce and feral and it demands to be seen. Viewers are in for a sick and sexy thrill ride. It's disturbing, deliciously demented, devious, nasty, and wonderfully messed up. Please go see it in theaters: let’s help wild, invigorating, conversation-starting cinema continue to get made and theatrically released.

[daily-coloring]

Best of 2023 - Movies

Seems like I did run into more than one almost perfect movie this year, but the number one, definitely one of the most brilliant film I ever watched. And no, it's not the new Basic Instinct but I can see a little bit of resemblance.

01. Anatomy of a Fall - Dir: Justine Triet - 2023 - "Marriage, the film suggests, is like a mosaic. One or two highly coloured tiles might catch the eye but they can’t, on their own, show the whole picture. The reports we get of Sandra and Samuel’s life together (there is only one flashback in the film; most of what we learn comes from the evidence presented in the court) suggest a relationship that gets chillier and spikier by the minute. But then the prosecution’s case relies on cherrypicking the trauma and the deep-seated unhappiness in the marriage, and foregrounding the character traits in Sandra that might make her capable of murder. A choice of other, sunnier moments, as Sandra reasonably points out, would paint an entirely different picture of her relationship with her husband." - The Guardian

02. Saltburn - Dir: Emerald Fennell - 2023

03. Aftersun - Dir: Charlotte Wells - 2022

04. Past Lives - Dir: Celine Song - 2023 = "Towards the end of Celine Song’s Past Lives, two old friends wait for a cab in front of a bright blue garage door. In the two minutes it takes for a car to arrive, both everything, and nothing happens. Writer and director Song is perhaps more attuned to rhythm of dialogue than most: like Nora Moon (Greta Lee), the protagonist of this feature debut, she made her name as a playwright. But Song is also sharply aware of the power of the unsaid, of what can be articulated through pauses and gestures. As the film swells to its emotional climax, not a word is spoken." - British Film Institute

05. Tár - Dir: Todd Field - 2022

06. Leave the World Behind - Dir: Sam Esmail - 2023

07. Bros - Dir: Nicholas Stoller - 2022

08. Rurangi - Dir: Max Currie - 2020 - "Director Max Currie lets the bleak landscape and the conflicted characters tell the story, and the plot resolution, when it comes, is incomplete but full of hope. There are some terrific lines of dialogue: Jem tells Caz: “you’re like the same, but you’re not”, and he adds: “ gender-it’s complicated; you were never exactly girly”. In a sickbed reconciliation, father Gerald tells Caz:” It’s not my world… I want you here”. Anahera has the final word on this: “ most people are just idiots about other people’s sexuality. You just do you”." - Scene Magazine

09. Spoiler Alert - Dir: Michael Showalter - 2022

10. Saint Maud - Dir: Rose Glass - 2019

11. The Innocents - Dir: Eskil Vogt - 2021

12. Lamb - Dir: Valdimar Jóhannsson - 2021

13. The Whale - Dir: Darren Aronofsky - 2022

14. Athena - Dir: Romain Gavras - 2022

15. Possessor - Dir: Brandon Cronenberg - 2020 - "It’s all very compelling, well-acted and presented, although there’s a chilliness and a clinical edge that is very Cronenberg-ian, but might keep audiences at arm’s length. Ditto the violence. Stabbings, shootings, pokerings (use your imagination) — it’s all here, bar exploding heads. A strong stomach is required. If you don’t have one, just use someone else’s." - Empire

16. What's Love Got To Do With It - Dir: Shekhar Kapur - 2022

17. Nuovo Olimpo - Dir: Ferzan Özpetek - 2023

18. Are You There God? It's Me Margaret - Dir: Kelly Fremon Craig - 2023

19. Joy Ride - Dir: Adele Lim - 2023

20. Earthquake Bird - Dir: Wash Westmoreland - 2019

21. Cruella - Dir: Craig Gillespie - 2021

22. The Daughter - Dir: Simon Stone - 2015

23. Nope - Dir: Jordan Peele - 2022

24. Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool - Dir: Paul McGuigan - 2017

25. Don't Worry Darling - Dir: Olivia Wilde - 2022

26. A Hero - Dir: Asghar Farhadi - 2021

27. You Hurt My Feelings - Dir: Nicole Holofcener - 2023

28. Anaïs in Love - Dir: Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet - 2021 - "The pleasures of Anaïs in Love largely derive from the nuanced performances by Demoustier and Bruni Tedeschi. The latter, for once, is not required to be tearful or neurotic, and the growing attraction between her and Anaïs is convincingly handled – even if one could quibble at a couple of cliché moments, such as the two women’s encounter under an apple tree (in which Anaïs gives Émilie an apple) and the nowadays seemingly obligatory sea-shore setting for the lesbian love scene. The excellent Demoustier sustains the entire film, indeed named after her. Her choice was not accidental: Bourgeois-Tacquet had already cast her as the lead in her 2018 short Pauline asservie. (Both the short and Anaïs in Love were shown at Cannes in 2021 – quite an accolade.) Ebullient and ‘cute’ especially when seducing Daniel or Émilie, Demoustier is equally believable as an aggrieved daughter when she finds out that her mother’s lethal illness has returned. Her irrepressible energy and artless beauty underline her precise rendition of a modern young woman bent on following her own desire, straight or queer – at times to the point of insensitivity. Indeed, it’s hard to think of another actress who could have made Anais’s exasperating unreliability, egocentricity and excessive volubility forgivable, let alone endearing, as they are evidently supposed to be. Fans of Eric Rohmer may be reminded of some of the young heroines in his ‘Comedies and Proverbs’ (1980–1990) and ‘Tales of the Four Seasons’ (1990 – 1998) series, a filmic heritage also suggested by the literary references and cultured dialogue. This is marivaudage with an intellectual bent – Anaïs and Émilie share a love of Duras’s 1964 novel The Ravishing of Lol Stein – and a feminist twist: “I don’t want to meet interesting people,” Anaïs says, “I want to be interesting.” Thanks in large part to Demoustier, she is." - British Film Institute

29. Flora + Son - Dir: John Carney - 2023

30. Explanation of Everything - Dir: Gábor Reisz - 2023

[qnewsau]

Andrew Scott wisely dips after penis question on red carpet

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/andrew-scott-wisely-dips-after-penis-question-on-red-carpet/

Andrew Scott wisely dips after penis question on red carpet

A reporter for the BBC has been roasted online for a cringeworthy moment with out actor Andrew Scott on the red carpet of the BAFTA Awards.

The winners of the UK’s top movie awards were announced this morning (AEST). Gay fantasy romance drama All Of Us Strangers scored six nominations, though the film sadly didn’t win any.

Irish actor Andrew Scott is the lead of the film and was outrageously snubbed for a BAFTA for his work. (Castmates Paul Mescal and Claire Foy were nominated.)

On the red carpet, Andrew stopped for a chat with a BBC reporter, who asked the out actor questions about fellow Irish star Barry Keoghan’s nude scene in Saltburn instead of Andrew’s own film.

“Do you know Barry well?” the reporter asked him, with Andrew replying that he does.

“Your reaction when you first saw the naked dance scene at the end of Saltburn?” he then asks, as the actor sighs.

“I won’t spoil it for anybody … it was great, it was great,” Scott replied.

The reporter then asks, “There was a lot of talk about prosthetics, so how well do you know him?”

Andrew then dismisses the question and turns to walk away from the interview.

“Too much? Too much?” the reporter called after him.

The cringeworthy exchange went viral online and didn’t go down well.

This is frankly disgusting. Andrew Scott is there to support his multiple nominated film and THIS is what you ask? Then when he looks visibly uncomfortable the guy carried on. Truly horrid. #BAFTAs pic.twitter.com/42VEoBXRQi

— Alex Gilston 🔜 GFF 2024 (@PresenterAlex) February 18, 2024

Only a matter of weeks since Andrew Scott spoke out about this too 😬🤦 pic.twitter.com/Rx5Yvwz026 https://t.co/LYxL0H7wTS

— Josh Barton (@bartonreviews) February 18, 2024

I think I’ve just cringed into another dimension. Andrew Scott must have the patience of a saint to not tell this bloke to fuck off because that is an absolute shocker of a question to ask pic.twitter.com/gyyq2xMvfV

— Patrick J. Hurst (@InsertMontage) February 18, 2024

who the f*ck have they dragged off the street to interview andrew scott and why is he my mate’s drunk dad at a party https://t.co/SH7JIljPUy

— Callum Scott Howells (@callumshowells) February 18, 2024

As a palate cleanser, watch Mardi Gras headliner Sophie Ellis-Bextor perform her Saltburn bop Murder on the Dancefloor at the BAFTAs instead.

All of Us Strangers is still screening in select cinemas around the country. If you haven’t seen it yet, do yourself a favour. You can also catch it in Sydney at the Mardi Gras Film Festival next week.

Emerald Fennell’s very good Saltburn is also streaming in Australia now on Prime Video.

Read lots more on queer films:

Sophie Ellis-Bextor weighs in on Saltburn full-frontal scene

Watch the trailer for Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal’s beautiful All Of Us Strangers

Gripping queer thriller leads Mardi Gras Film Festival 2024 lineup

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment,��community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[wattwrites]

January 2024 in Movies and TV

A collection of mini-reviews about the movies and TV shows I've watched during the past month.

A lot of these are 2023 releases I didn't get round to when they released, So I'm playing catch up a little bit this month. Please note that I only watch things I'm personally interested in and please remember these are just my opinions. If you would like to read my reviews in full, Please go to my Letterboxd.

MOVIES:

09.01 - Hercules (1997, Ron Clements.) 3/5

Beautiful animation, some really under-rated visual sequences. Meg and Hades are the best characters, They have so much charm. Plot is a little stiff but the characters for sure make up for it.

10.01 - The Boy and the Heron (2023, Hayao Miyazaki.) 3.5/5

A powerful piece about grief and displacement, Our protagonist continues to venture through the world despite his loss. Breath taking animation and some superb voice acting, just really beautiful.

10.01 - Saltburn (2023, Emerald Fennell) 3/5

I didn't think this was as crazy or as good as it was made out to be, Casual movie watchers need to stop misunderstanding artsy films. There were a few moments that gripped me when I first watched it but seeing it all be picked apart on social media ruined this movie for me. I found Felix really likeable and I went into it knowing that Oliver was a piece of shit; Rosmund Pike and Alison Oliver gave some of my favourite performances.

12.01 - Poor Things (2023, Yorgos Lanthimos) 5/5

My favourite movie I saw in Janurary, A visual treat for anyone who likes traditional gothic horror, the visual effects and the set design was beautiful and I genuinely felt so emerged in the world. Kinky and gorey and does not hold back on a single punch, Bella is unashamedly herself and learning to find her way in the world and I've never experienced such a well rounded character arc before.

13.01 - Fantastic Mr.Fox (2009, Wes Anderson) 3.5/5

The first of several Wes Anderson movies I watched this month, I really like the flare in his movies. George Clooney plays the character so well and all the characters are so charming - I did think it got a bit overcomplicated in the middle but isn't that just Wes Anderson to a T. Beautiful animation and genuine well done slapstick comedy, a family treat.

14.01 - Wish (2023, Fawn Veerasunthorn) 2.5/5

Disappointing is the best way to describe Wish, It did have some merit but for what was supposed to be Disney's 100 Year movie it fell extremely short. Flat animation, boring characters and generic plot progression. Fine for kids who don't pay attention but there is very little of actual worth, I can't believe this came from Disney the same year as Across The Spiderverse.

15.01 - Arrietty (2010, Hirosama Yonebayashi) 3/5

Pretty music, great animation as usual but not quite to the scale of some other Ghibli productions. The voice acting really blew me away on this one, Mark Strong was a great choice for the stoic father but Olivia Coleman really went above and beyond in her performance. Neat, warm and cozy - The ending felt really simple but it was a good middle of the road Ghibli movie.

19.01 - The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014, Wes Anderson) 4/5

Fun, silly and warm. The whole movie felt like it took place in a toy box. Loved seeing all the usual Anderson offenders, I've started playing guess who when I watch one of his movies. I would give anything to hang out with M. Gustave of the Grand Budapest Hotel. Ralph Finnes was a fantastic choice, He embodied the role so well.

20.01 - Princess Mononoke (1997, Hayo Miyazaki) - 3.5/5

Easily the most brutal Ghibli I've seen, Doesn't hold back on its message at all and it was a fantastic visual metaphor for Man vs Nature. Great animation for the time, solid secondary characters and good voice work.

24.01 - Ghostbusters (1984, Ivan Reitman) - 4/5

My first time properly watching this movie and I loved it, can't believe it took me so long to watch. Oozes with charm and tone, The goofy spooky vibes are on point and every character is very unique. Fun popcorn cinema, It's extremely silly but takes itself seriously when it needs to. I found myself wanting more of the four Ghostbusters just bouncing off each other, All these big personalities play off each other so well.

26.01 - All of Us Strangers (2023, Andrew Haig) - 3/5

I completely misunderstood this movie and didn't go into it knowing it was a sixth-sense / supernatural movie so my first viewing left me very confused. Its full of very heartwarming moments, Claire Foy and Jamie Bell play the parents very well and there is genuine connection between the characters. Confusing and a little disappointing but it does pack a punch with some of the emotional moments, There was a few times it genuinely chocked me up. 

27.01 - Watership Down (1978, Martin Rosen) - 5/5

I personally don't know how to put into words how much I love this movie, It was a favourite of mine during childhood and it still holds up. The music and the tone is so strong and never once does it lose its pacing, You can tell the animators and production team really cared about the story. The commentary on nature and war was cleverly done, Not in your face but very present and the voice work was fantastic for the time.

27.01 - Raiders of The Lost Arc (Steven Spielberg, 1981) - 3/5

Goofy and fun but packed with really well executed and well directed action. The monkey broke my heart, I was rooting for her and she was a snake! Indie is kind of a scumbag but Harrison Foord plays him so well I can't help but love him, He'd make me crush on him too tbh.

28.01 - The Holdovers (Alexandar Payne, 2023) - 4.5/10

For a movie with such hurt and wounded characters at this core, This movie continually upholds the message that life can go on. Three protags all grieve something; a different life, a family, a child and all come together in this beautifully human story. Paul Giamatti, Dominic Sessa and Da'Vine Joy Randolph all play off each other so much, hats off to them all.

31.01 - Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (2023, Sam Fell) - 2.5/5

Big tonal change from the original tbh, I liked how gritty and dark and actually hopeless things felt. The uncanny valley vibes (for chickens) are kinda on it and the animation is pretty good but the over saturated colour pallet really doesn't do anything for these characters.

Television:

17.01 - Ted (2024, Seth MacFarlane) - 3.5/5

Packed with laughs and surprisingly human moments, the characters are all very fleshed out and I genuinely get the chaotic family vibes. Actual comedy and not just Family Guy-esque jokes, The whole season felt like a nicely wrapped gift. Not sure if I want more but I enjoyed it for what it was.

21.01 - Hazbin Hotel (2024, Vivienne Medrano) - 3/5

I was really conflicted going into watching this show as I don't have the best opinion of the creator but I was surprised. Good characters, fluid animation and some musical bangers. It hasn't quite blown me away yet but as of time of writing the finale hasn't aired yet.

[hellsbellschime]

That shitty ending in promising young woman left me traumatized for days and saltburn looks like it’s gonna be the same, EMERALD FENNEL WHEN I CATCH YOU

Yeah I didn't see it but after I heard the ending I didn't want to.

[ryanmeft]

Movie Review: Promising Young Woman

Your reaction to the opening scene of Promising Young Woman might say a lot about you. A trio of finance ‘bros at a strip club talk about a female colleague in unflattering terms. One of them notices a woman who is drunk, by herself and who might be suggestive if she were sober. Two of the men don’t much care whether she’s sober or not, but the third seems concerned, and tries to help.

Have you seen the film? If not, I’d suggest you stop reading. You want to go in blind, not because the story has any fantastically inventive or original twists, but because of the fresh way it presents otherwise tired revenge-fantasy tropes.

If you have seen it, I’d like to quiz you on your reaction to the opening scene. Did you think:

A: “It’s good one of these guys is decent and wants to help.”

Or

B: “Something about this whole thing seems off to me.”

The very-much-not-drunk woman’s name is Cassie, played by the perennially underrated Carey Mulligan, and she makes a habit of this. The “nice guy” of course attempts to take advantage of her, and she leaves his apartment the next morning with blood on her, not hers. She does this not for herself, but for a friend who was sexually assaulted in college.

If you knew anything about the film going in, you expected that. What’s refreshing is where the story goes from there. Cassie returns home to her parent’s house. Her “lair” is her room, an ordinary, if upper-class, quarters. She works at a coffee house, drives an ordinary car, and eventually acquires an ordinary boyfriend (Bo Burnham) who is cute enough but not Hollywood Hot.

Most revenge-fantasy films strictly avoid questions of where a character lives, how they earn money, who their family and friends are, and what they do when they aren’t revenging. That’s even more true of movies starring women. We seem unable to imagine them as both hardened action stars and having a regular life. In movies like Atomic Blonde or Ocean’s 8, the heroes operate out of temporary digs, and if we do catch a glimpse of an apartment, it’s not the kind of place humans actually live---there are never any messes, and nobody spends even a single night on a Netflix binge. One recent film simply titled Revenge gave our heroine absolutely no background or story at all.

This often works, on a sleek, superficial level. What elevates PYW is that it eschews that sleekness for messy reality, so that when Cassie takes revenge on one of the many people she blames for what happened, she still has to walk out onto an ordinary street, drive to a real house in a real car, and so forth. Most avenging angels are simply transported from one setpiece location to another by editing. You cannot picture one of Liam Neeson’s retribution-obsessed action heroes actually driving somewhere---he simply teleports.

The movie later suggests she does not kill her targets, but instead terrorizes them and sometimes tortures them. You may well wonder how she gets away with this---how she fools assholes into taking her home despite leaving them alive to spread the story. The movie never says, but if you’ve been around this particular type of guy, you already know. Men such as Cassie’s victims never see a woman as being their equal, and thus cannot perceive one as a threat to them. And if a woman does get the best of them, they’d never tell the authorities. Both things would threaten their sense of dominance. When they tell their friends the story, you better believe they re-write it to make themselves look good.

All of which naturally begs the question: what is Cassie achieving? A lesser film in this vein might be content to say that revenge is enough. Emerald Fennell clearly found that approach lacking. Cassie is not a mindless, emotion-free robot of automatic vengeance, but a broken person driven to break people who deserve it. One of my favorite comics, 100 Bullets, is built around the ability to get away with justified murder, and ranges widely in terms of the fates of those who take that chance.

Cassie would fit right in as a character there. The men she targets deserve their fate. Yet her crusade is destroying whatever was left of her as her ends justify more and more extreme means. She eventually confronts the Dean of her former med school (Connie Britton), a woman who has a history of allowing abusers to walk free because she places her social class above both her gender and justice. The Dean deserves to squirm, but however correct Cassie is in what she says, what she does to torture the women would make any parent hate our protagonist.

There is no way this is not deliberate on Fennell’s part; you cannot write a hero such as this one and expect us to agree with everything she does. She is not out to ruin the lives of merely abusers, but of those who looked the other way. The moral dilemma is that Cassie does not care who else she hurts to make those people hurt. Anyone is fair game for her schemes if it accomplishes her ends. There’s no way for a person with a soul to be that focused on getting the job done without internalizing some of it, taking that darkness on themselves.

The pivotal moment showing the damage Cassie is personally incurring is not very dramatic. She visits a woman who was a friend when they were kids, and talks about the friend who is gone. This is simply an ordinary woman---we have not seen her before this scene, and we do not see her after, because Cassie has isolated herself from her life. She lives on an ordinary street, and the two talk like you or I might talk, not like a screenwriter would. You could quite easily walk down this street and past them talking, and not know anything important was being discussed.

Could this be a comment by Fennell: “Sexual assault doesn’t appear dramatic, and is all around you”? It works on that level. I chose to see it as a means to ground Cassie in a life like ours, to elevate her above the killing machines we see in many movies. Real survivors don’t become superheroes; they have to go on with life. Cassie is a great hero because she has to do that, too. Our satisfaction at seeing assholes punished is muted somewhat by how much of her soul it costs her. Verdict: Must-See

Note: I don’t use stars, but here are my possible verdicts. 

Must-See

Highly Recommended

Recommended

Average

Not Recommended

Avoid like the Plague

You can follow me on Twitter here, if you want more posts about film and video games and sometimes about manscaping:

https://twitter.com/RyanmEft

All images are property of the people what own the movie.

[tothemaxxx]

My Favorite Films and Performances of 2020

“I wish I could’ve seen it on the big screen.”

It was a strange year, and even stranger year of movie watching. In 2020 I saw only one of my top films in a theater, which is crazy (like much else over these past months). But the experience of keeping up with the movies this year was a reminder that great filmmaking can transcend the specifics of the viewing experience. In your living room, in bed, projected onto the side of a garage, streaming on Twitch, broken up into multiple sittings, maybe even on your phone (desperate times)… if doesn’t matter as long as it connects with you. A great film has the power to soothe and transport, to alter your perspective, to re-wire your brain. So while I didn’t get on a single airplane last year, I definitely went places. And I’m grateful for these changes of scenery. For the time-travel as well; last year in my house, we found great comfort in revisiting a bunch of old favorites. It was also an opportunity to finally watch a number of those older films that had someone evaded us… a year of catching up, now or never. We were members of a weekly movie club for some months — that was cool. Another pleasant silver lining was the emergence of virtual film festivals, which have been a fantastic opportunity. I hope that they can continue in some form when this pandemic is in the rearview. Because, you know, getting to Park City is a real schlep. All this to say: like you, I’ll always remember 2020. In this truly crummy year, the movies really helped.

I’m including some of the film festival stuff that’s coming out a little later, because the boundaries between 2020 films and 2021 films feels blurry to me without proper theatrical releases.

TOP 5, loosely ranked. I love these deeply.

1. LOVERS ROCK, Steve McQueen

2. NOMADLAND, Chloe Zhao

3. ANOTHER ROUND, Thomas Vinterberg

4. TIME, Garrett Bradley

5. MARTIN EDEN, Pietro Marcello

--------------------

The rest of the Top 25, in alphabetical order. I loved these.

À L’ABORDAGE, Guillaume Brac

BACURAU, Kleber Mendonça Filho

COLOR OUT OF SPACE, Richard Stanley

THE FATHER, Florian Zeller

FIRST COW, Kelly Reichardt

I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS, Charlie Kaufman

JASPER MALL, Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb

LUXOR, Zeina Durra

ALEX WHEATLE / EDUCATION / MANGROVE / RED, WHITE AND BLUE, Steve McQueen

THE NEST, Sean Durkin

NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS, Eliza Hittman

NEW ORDER, Michel Franco

THE PAINTER & THE THIEF, Benjamin Ree

THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD, Armando Iannucci

POSSESSOR, Brandon Cronenberg

PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN, Emerald Fennell

RELIC, Natalie Erika James

SAINT FRANCES, Alex Thompson

SOUND OF METAL, Darius Marder

THE TRUTH, Hirokazu Koreeda

--------------------

I also enjoyed (some more than others):

Apples, The Assistant, Babyteeth, Bad Education, Black Bear, Blow the Man Down, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Butt Boy, The Climb, Da 5 Bloods, Deerskin, Emma, The Father (Bulgaria), Greed, His House, The Hunt, I Used to Go Here, I'm No Longer Here, Impetigore, The Intruder, The Invisible Man, Kajillionaire, La Llorona, Let Them All Talk, Lost Girls, The Man Who Sold His Skin, Mank, Never Gonna Snow Again, News of the World, One Night in Miami, Palm Springs, Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time, Rebecca, She Dies Tomorrow, Shirley, Slow Machine, Sorry We Missed You, Soul, Spree, Straight Up, A Sun, Swallow, Tenet, Tesla, Tommaso, The Traitor, The Trip to Greece, True History of the Kelly Gang, Uncle Frank, Under the Open Sky, The Vast of Night, Vitalina Varela, Wendy, The Whistlers, Wildland, Young Ahmed

--------------------

And these documentaries!

American Murder: The Family Next Door, The American Sector, Assassins, Beastie Boys Story, The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart, Bloody Nose Empty Pockets, Boys State, Brainiac: Transmissions After Zero, Circus of Books, Class Action Park, Collective, Crip Camp, David Byrne's American Utopia, Dick Johnson is Dead, Fireball: Visitors From Darker Worlds, The Go-Go's, Gunda, Miss Americana, MLK/FBI, The Mole Agent, Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado, My Psychedelic Love Story, Mystify: Michael Hutchence, Narrowsburg, On the Record, Other Music, Sisters with Transistors, Spaceship Earth, The Way I See It, Whirlybird

--------------------

And these shorts:

Bye Bye Body (which I edited), Fit Model, Friday Night Pizza for Daddy, Hard Cracked the Wind, The Human Voice, John Was Trying to Contact Aliens, Michael's Preference West, What Did Jack Do?, World of Tomorrow Episode Three: The Absent Destinations of David Prime

--------------------

My favorite performance of the year:

Frances McDormand as Fern in Nomadland

--------------------

Favorite ensembles:

À l’abordage, Another Round, Bad Education, Babyteeth, Bloody Nose Empty Pockets, Blow the Man Down, Emma, First Cow, Kajillionaire, Let Them All Talk, Lovers Rock, Mangrove, Mank, One Night in Miami, The Personal History of David Copperfield, Promising Young Woman, True History of the Kelly Gang

--------------------

More memorable (and in some cases under-discussed) performances:

Christopher Abbott as Colin Tate in Possessor and as Gabe in Black Bear

Idir Ben Addi as Ahmed in Young Ahmed

Riz Ahmed as Ruben Stone in Sound of Metal

Daniel Algrant as Kelvin Kranz in Let Them All Talk

Maria Bakalova as Tutar Sagdiyev in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Haley Bennett as Hunter Conrad in Swallow

John Boyega as Leroy Logan in Red, White and Blue

Rob Brydon as Rob Brydon in The Trip to Greece

Jessie Buckley as Young Woman in I’m Thinking of Ending Things

Nicolas Cage as Nathan Gardner in Color Out of Space

Salif Cissé as Chérif in À L’abordage

Sheyi Cole as Alex Wheatle in Alex Wheatle

Cleopatra Coleman as Trina in The Argument

Carrie Coon as Allison O’Hara in The Nest

Michael Angelo Covino as Mike in The Climb

Willem Dafoe as Tommaso in Tommaso

Charles Dance as William Randolph Hearst in Mank

Catherine Deneuve as Fabienne Dangeville in The Truth

Katie Findlay as Rory in Straight Up

Sidney Flanigan as Autumn in Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Johnny Flynn as George Knightley in Emma

Julia Garner as Jane in The Assistant

Robbie Gee as Simeon in Alex Wheatle

Chris Giarmo as himself in David Byrne’s American Utopia

Betty Gilpin as Crystal Creasey in The Hunt

Ethan Hawke as Hank in The Truth

Kris Hitchen as Ricky Turner in Sorry We Missed You

Anthony Hopkins as Anthony in The Father

Jonathan Jules as Dennis Isaacs in Alex Wheatle

Sandra Guldberg Kampp as Ida in Wildland

Joe Keery as Kurt Knuckle in Spree

Udo Kier as Michael in Bacurau

Orion Lee as King Lu in First Cow

Delroy Lindo as Paul in Da 5 Bloods

Peter Macdissi as Walid "Wally" Nadeem in Uncle Frank

Matthew Macfadyen as Wilcock in The Assistant

George MacKay as Ned Kelly in True History of the Kelly Gang

Yahya Mahayni as Sam Ali in The Man Who Sold His Skin

Luca Marinelli as Martin Eden in Martin Eden

Tuppence Middleton as Sara Mankiewicz in Mank

Mads Mikkelsen as Martin in Another Round

Wunmi Mosaku as Rial in His House

Elisabeth Moss as Cecilia Kass in The Invisible Man

Kelly O'Sullivan as Bridget in Saint Frances

Shaun Parkes as Frank Crichlow in Mangrove

Robert Pattinson as Neil in Tenet

Paul Raci as Joe in Sound of Metal

Kadeem Ramsay as Samson in Lovers Rock

Gayle Rankin as Marissa in The Climb

Tanya Reynolds as Mrs Augusta Elton in Emma

Tyler Rice as Detective Russell Fox in Butt Boy

Andrea Riseborough as Hana in Luxor

Cecilia Roth as Marta in The Intruder

William Sadler as the Grim Reaper in Bill & Ted Face the Music

Kenyah Sandy as Kingsley Smith in Education

Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn as Martha Trenton in Lovers Rock

David Strathairn as David in Nomadland

Michael Stuhlbarg as Stanley Edgar Hyman in Shirley

Swankie as Swankie in Nomadland

Tilda Swinton as Woman in The Human Voice

Kristin Scott Thomas as Mrs. Danvers in Rebecca

Steve Toussaint as Ken Logan in Red, White and Blue

Alec Utgoff as Zhenia in Never Gonna Snow Again

Jairaj Varsani as young David Copperfield in The Personal History of David Copperfield

Ben Whishaw as Uriah Heep in The Personal History of David Copperfield

Sharlene Whyte as Agnes Smith in Education

Letitia Wright as Altheia Jones-LeCointe in Mangrove

Ramona Edith Williams as Frances in Saint Frances

Kôji Yakusho as Masao Mikami in Under the Open Sky

Youn Yuh-jung as Soon-ja in Minari

Helena Zengel as Johanna Leonberger in News of the World

--------------------

Favorite pre-2020 films I saw for the first time in 2020:

Blood on the Moon, But I’m A Cheerleader, Crooklyn, Cure, Daughters of the Dust, The Death of Dick Long, Deep Cover, The Draughtsman's Contract, Eyes of Laura Mars, Give Me Liberty, Greener Grass, Hardcore, High Hopes, The Last Party, Long Day's Journey into Night, Maiden, One Day Pina Asked, Persona, Right Now Wrong Then, Right On!, The Seventh Victim, Slightly French, Synonyms, Tammy and the T-Rex, Variety, The Watermelon Woman... and a tip of the hat to Coppola's new The Godfather Part III recut, The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone

[wearevillaneve]

Do you actually think Eve would like to have sex with Villanelle? I just can't picture it :/

There’s two responses to that question, Anonymous. The first is, Eve would crawl naked over broken, burning glass to get Villanelle into bed.  That’s the second response is a question posed back atcha and that’s did you stop watching after the first episode?   You can’t be watching the same show I’ve been watching. Go back to Season One and this brief exchange between Konstantin and Eve:

Konstanin:  We just need to give her what she wants.

Eve: Me.

Now even if you want to forget Villanelle saying, “You either” to Eve after telling Konstantin not to break her heart or Eve’s desperate plea to Villanelle to “Come with me. Just you and me,”  you cannot tell me what she tells the amorous assassin in her apartment is anything less than a tacit admission that she’s down to fuck.

“I think about you all the time. I think about what you're wearing and what you're doing and who you're doing it with. I think about what friends you have. I think about what you eat before you work and what shampoo you use and what happened in your family. I think about your eyes and your mouth and what you feel when you kill someone. I think about what you have for breakfast. I just... want to know everything.”

Now that---that there is the true confession of a woman who really wants to make another woman a shitty omelette for her breakfast, but only after they have slept together.   Even after stabbing Villanelle and coming up with one of the dumbest, half-assed plans anyone has ever cooked up to see their girlfriend again,  there’s no playing coy and hard to get from Eve when Villanelle bends her back against a sink and trails a sharp knife down between her heaving breasts. “I'm expensive.”

“I know.”

“Will you give me everything I want?“

“Yes.” There is no reluctance in Eve’s response.  She’s not playing games.  Long, short or otherwise.  She wants Villanelle.  Eve has hurt her terribly and giving in to what they both want is the most logical way to settle matters between them.

But who said Killing Eve was logical? 

Villanelle doesn’t take what she wants from Eve because consent is a big thing for her.  She’s not going to force Eve to do anything she’s not completely ready to do and Eve is desperately clinging to the last small crumbs of her disintegrating heterosexuality.   In the Forest of Dean, Eve reverts back to being a cold and nasty piece of work who can’t even muster up a sincere “thank you” for Villanelle and she pretty much stays in that mode all the way until the end of Season 3. Villanelle’s lust for Eve is overt and she’s done everything she could do except hump her leg to make it plain.   Somebody tells you they masturbate to you a lot and it’s not a reach to suppose they maybe kinda sorta want to break you like a pony.    Eve isn’t where Villanelle already is.   She’s getting there, but any momentum that picked up in Season Two under Emerald Fennell, disappeared in S3 because Suzanne Heathcote had no interest in evolving Eve’s sexuality (or anything else about Eve, but that’s another topic entirely). Other television shows aren’t as timid about getting to the girl-on-girl action as Wynonna Earp proved and that’s on frigging’ SyFy!  Meanwhile the perpetual foreplay of the higher profile and much celebrated Killing Eve looks quaint in comparison, yet even slow burns have to either catch fire or fizzle out.  A 2019 essay by Jill Gutowitz puts it well: I think some queer women have an almost masochistic need for sexual tension; we thrive off of it, and we love to pine and yearn and lust. I often joke that “glances” qualify as a love language of queer women, but I’m somewhat serious. Before a queer person is out, and before being out was at all accepted, one stealthy glance was all we had to communicate sexual desire to another person. And as far as I’m concerned, a series of gay glances is essentially “a relationship.” So much of real queer women’s love lives, my own included, have been defined by will-they-won’t-they’s, chasing women we weren’t sure were queer or not, and taking those small moments — glances, clandestine hand-holds, unspoken tensions — for actual affection. Because to us, those slivers of attention have made us feel wanted or loved, even if it’s not in the healthiest way. So a part of me strongly identifies with Villanelle and Eve’s inability to pull the trigger on an actual, physical relationship, and a large part of me really enjoys watching them stew and simmer in it all. It’s infuriating, it’s uncomfortable, it’s excruciating, and it’s highly lesbian.

In the fifth episode of season two, the “Sisyphean” one, Eve and Villanelle reunite for the first time since last season’s finale, when Eve had stabbed Villanelle in the gut just when they were about to kiss. Eve places a hit on herself in order to lure Villanelle into her home (as if Villanelle needed much pushing). In Eve’s kitchen, Villanelle grabs the MI6 agent by the waist and pulls her in for the second biggest almost-kiss in the series. The gravity of lust in their eyes and mouths is so steamy, it nearly killed me. Ultimately, I knew they wouldn’t actually kiss, but I didn’t need them to. I just wanted more sexual tension. More, more, more. Even in the chaste S3, Heathcote allowed Eve and Villanelle one moment with the world’s most awkward and unseemly kiss since an upside-down Spider-Man kissed Mary Jane in the rain.   The wide-eyed lip lock Eve laid on Villanelle has grown less sexy as time goes by, but after three seasons we were all starved for something--ANYTHING--to give us some hope to cling to by snogging Villanelle,  Eve did indeed want to get horizontal with her. Which brings us to today and everything is still as it was in the first episode of Killing Eve.    Eve is tap-dancing around what she wants and who she is and Villanelle noticeably lost all interest in Eve between E3 and E8 in Season 3, and why fanfics exist in the first fucking place and will only thrive until Season 4. 

Ultimately, we may never get beyond Eve and Villanelle’s long simmering sexual tension to actually having sex and if we don’t I will declare Killing Eve cheated their patient, long-suffering fandom because if this were two hets in the lead, they would have done the deed by now.   Even if E&V never consummate their relationship, it won’t be because they aren’t very much attracted to each other, and yes, it does means Eve wants Villanelle too. 

[ratingtheframe]

Everything That Happened at the 2021 Golden Globes

The first two months of the year are finally over and as the days grow longer, we can start to see the early signs of spring. With spring comes summer and with summer comes an influx of movie releases, with the majority of films that were put on hold last year scheduled to be released in the following months in cinemas across the world. You know, cinemas, as in those big rooms where you pay to sit and watch movies from start to finish without pausing it? Gosh have I missed the pre movie adverts, comfy chairs and super wide screens. It's not the same at home and despite Netflix, HBO and Amazon Prime thriving, we shouldn’t set anything in stone when it comes to the quality and accessibility of film. 

Cinema is tradition whereas On Demand is convenience and usually choosing convenience over tradition does impact the quality of work being distributed. There are a bunch of films on streaming platforms that would be too inappropriate for cinemas, seeing as they lack a cinematic or dramatic feel to them to be good enough for a big screen. This allows mediocre to downright awful films to find an audience via streaming platforms. All well and good, seeing as these platforms are great exposure for upcoming filmmakers but at the same time it's a capitalistic system that puts views above the quality of content. It doesn’t matter if what you’re watching on Netflix is bad, they just want you to keep coming back for more. This can be said for mainstream cinema too, but to a lesser degree seeing as cinemas typically release around 68 movies per month, whereas Netflix has the ability to add up to 200 releases on their platform per month. It makes perfect sense that Netflix has the viewers that it does, as we can see that it releases almost twice the content of cinemas per month. For the avid cinephiles, this leaves us wanting a lot more as we’re only able to enjoy maybe one or two films a month from online streaming services, because the quality is so inconsistent. I hope that cinemas open soon so that I can relax knowing that the film I’ve paid money for will be of a good quality. 

Speaking of good quality films, Chloé Zhao, director of Nomadland (2021) became the second woman in the 78 year history of the Golden Globes to win an award for directing. This is an exceptional triumph and from the moment I saw Nomadland, I knew that it would have an incredible impact on awards circuits this year. Nomadland also won Best Picture, which proves something that up and coming filmmakers may need to start getting their heads around. People may not necessarily be gravitating towards cinema for a chance of escapism any more. I thoroughly believe those days are behind us, buried in the 70s and 80s with films that defied the laws of filmmaking and went to extreme lengths to serve us an entire universe that we couldn’t even comprehend. However, as the world grows more fragile and people start to realise the fragility of life, we want to connect with one another authentically and realistically. 

The way that film can do this is by showing our real selves on screen, showing our pain, redemption, emotions, fear, honesty, laughter, race, gender, humanity, darkest secrets and biggest dreams using the backdrop of cinema to sell us a story. People want films that are honest and are a reflection of humanity as well as the current society we’re living in. Not necessarily “a slice of life”, but a slice of humanity that we never see because it’s never impacted us directly, yet we still want to be made to feel like it has through film. That’s the key to success in any film, making the viewer feel like they’ve experienced something on screen even when they haven’t. If the film is too far away from our own psyche or humanity, we switch off, as we can no longer relate or even want to relate to something so obtuse and boring. Nomadland was the complete opposite to this theory, bringing us humanity in all its glory; its sadness and pure emotion that affects millions everyday, especially in such a time when loneliness is rife.

This is why Mank (2020) lost out. In a time where the world is in a sensitive disposition, Mank came as ineffective to the world of film. Though triumphant in it’s making, the film proves the fundamental foundation of film that Mank failed to do; have a good story. Mank just wasn’t the story people wanted or needed to see and one can appreciate a filmmaker’s efforts to make films but at the end of the day, the story is truly the only thing that’ll carry a film and if it's uninteresting and impersonal, people switch off. And they clearly did, seeing as Mank lost out to all SIX of its nominations. Less is more, I suppose, seeing as Nomadland won two out of four awards, including the top prize of Best Picture. David Fincher even took a shot every time he lost a category. Better luck next time.Other snubs included Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman (2021) starring Carey Mulligan ,which was released on VOD last month. The film was nominated for four prizes and I suppose the lack of release in cinemas worldwide or at a Film Festival meant the lack of hype for the film. Regina King’s One Night In Miami...failed to pick up a prize, having been nominated for three awards. King shouldn’t be too disheartened, seeing as her debut definitely got her the recognition she deserved.

Aaron Sorkin most notably won Best Screenplay for his amazing picture, The Trial of the Chicago 7. I had the fortune of catching this in cinemas and the musicality of this screenplay was unreal. An incredibly authentic, riveting and honest piece of work, I believe we can safely say that Aaron Sorkin is the greatest writer for cinema and TV in our day and age. Sorkin is used to being showered with accolades, from Primetime Emmys with The West Wing, to an Oscar with David Fincher’s The Social Network.

The late Chadwick Boseman was honoured in full glory, having won the award for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for his role as Levee in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. An exceptional performance that reeks with Oscar success, Boseman is the first actor to be awarded the prize posthumously.

What’s also to be noted is the amount of British nominees and winners at this year’s ceremony. It seems like the American Film & TV market is wide open for Brits, seeing as Emma Corrin, Josh O'Connor, Daniel Kaluuya, Sacha Baron Cohen, Rosamund Pike, John Boyega and Anya Taylor Joy all won awards for acting. Helen Bonham Carter, Olivia Coleman, Vanessa Kirby, Riz Ahmed, Gary Oldman, Antony Hopkins, Dev Patel, James Corden, Hugh Grant, Jodie Comer, Lilly Collins and Nicolas Hoult all received nominations and were all born in the UK. The Crown in particular just seems to be getting more successful with each year and despite its controversy, the show has won Netflix 7 Golden Globes and 10 Emmys. What does this tell us about our actors and their ability in comparison to our friends overseas? Is it just a stroke of luck that the majority of actors who won this year are British or are we doing something different? Only time will tell as more British actors begin to be recognised for their flare over in the US.

If anything, we’ve learnt that The Golden Globes is for everyone. Anyone can win an award despite their background as long as those who control the awards ceremony are willing to give a variety of films a chance, not just ones directed by David Fincher. Nomadland is certainly an underdog for cinema, one that may not have done as well had other films been released last year. COVID-19 created space for this film to be seen and has truly been taken in as a work of art, proving that films of the same kind deserve to be seen in the up and coming future. British actors can and have made it big in Hollywood and it seems like American audiences welcome them with open arms. Sacha Baron’s Cohen’s humour in Borat Subsequent MovieFilm wasn’t unrequited, seeing as it won Best Musical / Comedy at this year’s award season, meaning every moment of that film (incriminating or not) WAS WORTH IT. Even though Regina King and Emerald Fennell lost out on their respective films, their work has been courageous and profound in helping to give space to women in the film industry. The fact that they were even nominated along with Chloé Zhao, was an achievement in itself and has women like me looking up to the success of these three women and realising that I could have the same shot. Mank came at the wrong time, and though good visually, it lacked a beating heart that the Golden Globes could identify with enough to give it at least one award. Soul was named Best Animation Feature Film of the year, also winning an award for music with a beautiful score by Atticus Ross, Trent Reznor and Jon Batiste. The Queen’s Gambit also reigned supreme, as Anya Taylor Joy won Best Actress for a performance in a mini series / tv film and the overall series won Best Television Mini Series / Television Film.

This has to be the best Golden Globes I’ve ever witnessed. Not only did it champion diversity in the film categories, British Actors and female directors, it actually gave consumers as well as judges, something that actually wanted, which was to see underdogs thrive in an environment that’s usually laid bare for the same characters. Let’s keep this up for the next ceremony !

ig @ratingtheframe

[courtneysmovieblog]

“Promising Young Woman” doesn’t live up to its full potential

Like most of you, I fell in love with the Promising Young Woman trailer the first moment I saw it. A #MeToo revenge movie with Carey Mulligan going after Nice Guy creeps? Sign me up!

Unfortunately, the movie we saw in the trailer is not the movie we actually got.

Without a doubt, Carey Mulligan gives the best performance of her whole career as Cassie, a woman grieving the loss of her best friend Nina, who killed herself after she was assaulted in medical school. Guilt-ridden by her failure to protect her, she tracks down as many would-be rapists as she can and tries to scare them straight: she goes to clubs, plays drunk, and catches them red-handed when they try to take advantage. 

Yup, after all that build-up and those amazing scenes in the trailer, that’s all she does. She doesn’t kill them or blackmail them. Disappointed yet? Just you wait.

Anyway, her double life gets a twist when Ryan (Bo Burnham), an old friend from medical school, runs into her. Ryan’s seemingly good nature has Cassie questioning if all men are really as terrible as she believes. Yet when she finds out he still knows Nina’s rapist, she decides that it’s high time to get some justice -- or at least revenge.

We think we’re seeing a revenge movie, but it winds up being a tragedy. 

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good antiheroine. However, I was under the impression that this movie would make the men suffer. And while I applaud this Emerald Fennell for not letting the women who enable the attackers instead of protecting the victims, it almost feels like the women Cassie targets get off worse than the predators in the club. On some level, it’s understandable. While we would never wish assault on anyone, you can’t tell me that the dark part of your soul looks at all the stand-by-your-men Karens and thinks, “What if it happens to YOU or someone you love?” To be clear: Cassie never actually harms the women, she just lets them think that someone hurt them or their  daughter. Which is really messed up.

Even Cassie is put-off by her own taste for revenge. When Nina’s mother (Molly Shannon) tells her to move on, she decides to put her double life, opening herself up to a committed with Ryan. That is, until new information about Nina’s assault drives her to her ultimate revenge against Nina’s attacker.

And that is where the film lost me: the ending. On one level, it’s awesome, and on other...it’s awful. Those who have seen it know exactly what I’m talking about. Some might find it cathartic, but the way it happens...it’s gruesome. That’s all I can say without spoiling more.

Despite a great cast and a razor sharp script that calls out all the hypocrisies and sexism of rape culture in society, Promising Young Woman can’t make up for falling back on the same tropes it tries to subvert. But maybe it’ll inspire someone else to give us the version we actually wanted.

7 out of 10

[villanelleskiss]

KILLING EVE SEASON 2 EPISODE 1 REVIEW

so first off, i want to say that despite the obvious issues with season 2, this is my favorite season. mainly because we see eve and villanelle working together for the first time and they make a great pair. they’re very sweet together, and it works very well. eve struggles with her darkness more, which we see come to a head in the finale. 

in the beginning of the ep, it takes off 30 seconds after season 1 finale, which is a very nice touch. i originally thought that the people in the beginning were the police, but then it was stated later that they were actually part of the 12. 

so if my assumptions are correct, they were literally trying to assassinate villanelle when she got back from paris?? right? this girl just can not catch a break. 

also rip cute little old lady, she was the best. 

this scene here with the candy and the bar scene, it makes me so uneasy and frankly cringe a little. cringing mostly at the bar scene.

i know eve was barely keeping it together in these moments, but emerald fennell’s writing here could’ve been so much better. using out of date language to refer to drug abuse, making fun of it rather, just really quite bothered me. it seemed very out of character for eve, too. i don’t think she would use this type of language, if i’m being frank. 

one nice thing in this scene however, is when eve uses the bathroom to rid of the knife she used to stab villanelle, there were no side openings or anything in the door! so nobody can like look in or peep on you while you’re using the restroom. 

“do you know how to dispose of a body?” 

love will find it’s way. idk how else to really interpret this scene except as that. these two are destined to be together and nothing less. 

i remember reading some articles back from when season 2 was out and everyone said that we would be surprised about how villanelle reacts to eve stabbing her and like this is so on brand for her. killing and stabbing people to show their affection. 

i felt for eve so much in this scene. she just wants to get back to normal after she thinks she killed someone, let alone the assassin she has been chasing throughout parts of the world. she thinks that she can finally let it all go, but is ignoring the actual issue and is trying to cope with what she did. 

ok, so i have a love/hate relationship with this part here. in one way i understand that what villanelle did, was a mercy killing. the kid was doomed to be miserable, but also i never thought villanelle would kill a kid. it’s a very grey area and i have mixed feelings about the whole thing. 

this is a very nice touch that they added. LOL 

the end scene here creeps me out so much. idk yall 

but some other talking points here that i want to take a moment to talk about, is the note that nadia put under her door, that was addressed to eve polastri. it said “alister peel”. 

now....... i don’t know who the fuck thought that this guy was like of any importance to the 12?? like we spend the whole ass season trying to figure out how aaron peel connects to the 12, or what he has that they want. i know that the name was meant to be “konstantin” or something like that. so why this whole ass subplot with aaron peel? 

we all know who wrote this season, but i still don’t know how they thought this was all a good idea back in editing. like... *insert that one oprah gif again* 

rating 7/10 

[dipulb3]

Analysis: Female directors are having a moment

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Analysis: Female directors are having a moment

In the year of our Lord 2021, it feels like female directors are finally getting more opportunities — and more acknowledgment.

Take, for example, this past Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards.

Three women were nominated in the best director category for the first time.

Only one woman had ever won the category prior to Sunday, and that was Barbra Streisand in 1984 for “Yentl.”

Here are some of the women who are making waves and headlines in Hollywood:

Chloé Zhao: The “Nomadland” director became the first woman of Asian descent and only the second woman ever to win the best director award at this year’s Golden Globes.

The film’s star, Frances McDormand, told The New York Times Zhao really understood the actress’ affinity for the character who packs up her life in a van and becomes part of an older community of people who work odd jobs across the country.

“Chloé tapped into the truth of it which was at different points of my life, I’ve said to my husband, ‘I can’t take this anymore, I’m dropping out,'” McDormand said.

Regina King: The acclaimed actress-turned-director was up against Zhao at the Globes.

She has been on quite a streak in her career the past few years, including nabbing the best supporting actress Oscar for “If Beale Street Could Talk” in 2019.

Now, the former child star is being hailed for her big screen directorial debut in “One Night in Miami,” adapted from Kemp Powers’ stage play about a meeting between Cassius Clay, Jim Brown, Sam Cooke and Malcolm X.

The night of the Golden Globes, King told “E!” it was “bittersweet” that she, Zhao and Emerald Fennell marked the first trio of female nominees, given that this is 2021.

Emerald Fennell: Another actress who has stepped behind the camera (we are starting to see a trend here), she has received critical acclaim for writing, directing and producing the thriller “Promising Young Woman,” starring Carey Mulligan.

The movie is not only cheeky but gets into some uncomfortable territory, so much so that it has been praised for turning the revenge genre on its ear.

“It’s just part of the fun of making something, the smoke and mirrors and the misdirections,” Fennell told IndieWire. “I love all that stuff, all of my favorite movies have that sort of thing in them. It’s very interesting, isn’t it, how much we want violence, how much instinctively as an audience we’re begging for blood.”

Robin Wright: “The House of Cards” star did some directing on that Netflix series, so she wasn’t a total neophyte when it came to both starring in and directing her first feature film, “Land.”

Wright plays a woman struck by a family tragedy who gives up her successful life in the big city and moves to a remote area in Wyoming.

She told Women’s Wear Daily that she was delighted with the film’s reception so far.

“We feel so blessed that people are feeling the movie,” Wright said. “It is very relevant to what’s going on today, of being disconnected from our loved ones. We’re not living the norm. The message in this movie is about that very thing.”

These leading female directors represent just a handful of creatives proving women are making inroads on the Hollywood scene.

The numbers don’t lie: For the second consecutive year, the percentages of women directing top-grossing films increased, reaching “recent historic highs,” while the overall percentages of women working in key behind-the-scenes roles remained relatively stable, according to a study by San Diego State University released in January.

“Women accounted for 16% of directors working on the top 100 grossing films in 2020, up from 12% in 2019 and 4% in 2018,” wrote study author Martha M. Lauzen, founder and executive director of SDSU’s Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film. “Women comprised 18% of directors on the top 250 films in 2020, up from 13% in 2019 and 8% in 2018.”

A rising tide raises all ships, especially when a woman is at the helm, so here’s to more female directors on the horizon.

For your weekend

Three things to watch:

‘Coming 2 America’

Prince Akeem and Semmi are heading back to Queens, New York. Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall reprise their respective roles for the sequel to the hit 1988 film.

This time the prince is in search of his son and heir to the kingdom of Zamunda. My question is what have the rose petal droppers been up to all this time?

“Coming 2 America” starts streaming Friday on Amazon Prime.

‘Boss Level’

Former special forces agent Roy Pulver (Frank Grillo) is trapped in a time loop that constantly repeats the day of his murder. To break the cycle, he must hunt down Col. Clive Ventor (Mel Gibson) while also trying to save his ex-wife (Naomi Watts).

That sounds like some seriously fast-paced action.

“Boss Level” starts streaming Friday on Hulu.

‘Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell’

March 9 marks the 24th anniversary of the unsolved murder of rapper Christopher Wallace, aka Biggie Smalls or The Notorious B.I.G., at age 24.

Arguably one of the best and most beloved hip-hop artists of all time, Wallace is the subject of a new doc that looks at the legacy of his life and death. Currently streaming on Netflix, with “rare footage and in-depth interviews, this documentary celebrates the life of The Notorious B.I.G. on his journey from hustler to rap king.”

So, call your friends and let them know so your crew run-run-run, your crew run-run to catch it.

Two things to listen to:

Sweden has blessed us with the likes of ABBA and Spotify. Now add Zara Larsson to that list.

The 23-year-old singer, who got her start as a youngster on a TV talent show, is dropping her third studio album, “Poster Girl,” on Friday.

March is the month we celebrate women — and who is more empowering than Oprah Winfrey?

The answer to that is no one.

Check out “Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversation‪s” podcast if you want to feel motivated, inspired or just need the uplifting vibe that is trademark Oprah. ‬

One thing to talk about:

Are we over awards shows?

My Appradab colleague Brian Lowry reported that “Globes ratings plummeted more than 60% from the 18.3 million viewers who watched last year, per Nielsen data, to an average audience of 6.9 million.”

Yikes.

With the pandemic going on you would think plenty of people would be tuning in to shows like the Golden Globes, but, apparently, not. Even in a “normal year,” there seems to be less enthusiasm for award shows than there used to be, and that begs the question if Hollywood needs to find a different way to celebrate the industry.

The pandemic is causing us all to reevaluate things.

Something to sip on

Looking for a new show to watch? We asked some of our friends around Appradab what TV binge has helped them decompress in the time of Covid.

Phil Mattingly, senior White House correspondent

I basically have an encyclopedic knowledge of Bravo shows due to my wife’s fandom/the disappearance of sports the first few month of Covid. Not sure I should acknowledge that publicly.

Alisyn Camerota, Appradab New Day anchor

I’ve been watching “Succession.” It depicts a dysfunctional, rotten world, and somehow I find that soothingly distracting from our daily stress.

Stephanie Elam, Appradab correspondent

Fantasy, take me away! I’ve turned to shows that allow me to escape reality — “Once Upon a Time” with my daughter, “Lovecraft Country” and “His Dark Materials” without her.

Ana Cabrera, Appradab Newsroom anchor

“Criminal Minds” on Netflix. I know it’s old, but I’m a newcomer to it! I’m a sucker for mystery and suspense.

Pop back here next Thursday for all the latest entertainment happenings that matter.

[plockd]

I’m just gonna make some tea

Something’s been bothering me about season 2 of Killing Eve for a good while now and until tonight, I wasn’t able to put my finger on it, but here it finally is and thank fuck: 

Ignoring the fact that the pacing seems a bit rushed, I’ve had this feeling that something doesn’t add up. Of course, when it comes to Carolyn, nothing adds up, but consider this: 

Throughout season 1, what was Eve’s main thought? 

“I have to catch her, I have to find her, she wants me to find her!” 

The whole series obviously focuses on this cat and mouse game and yes, the roles of predator and prey have indeed shifted a bit, but hey: Eve found Villanelle in episode 8 of season 1, but she didn’t catch her. And what has she been up to now? Trying to catch Villanelle. I mean, in episode 3 of season 2, there’s the whole bloody lot of SO units and the hotel and when Villanelle’s gone, Eve has a total fit of rage, right? We all saw that. Not subtle. And here’s the problem: Eve didn’t catch Villanelle--not in 1x08, not in 2x03, and certainly not in 2x05. But here’s Villanelle all the same.

Okay, I’m backing up a bit: from the very beginning, that has been it: the viewers waiting for Eve to catch Villanelle in one way or another (obviously none of us wanted Villanelle to actually end up in jail, we want the other thing because, well, why the fuck not) and while episode 5 was undoubtedly an absolutely brilliant episode and I was screaming through the whole thing, it was an extreme anti-climax and here’s why: so, Eve just decides to hire Villanelle to kill her? 24 hours later Villanelle just magically shows up at her door and rings the doorbell? Eve asks her to take her shoes off? Where is the actual act of catching Villanelle? 

The scene at Eve’s house was amazing--of course it was!--but it doesn’t make sense when you consider what the main plot of this whole series has been from the very start. I have nothing against Phoebe Waller-Bridge not writing this season and I think Emerald Fennell has been great, but then there’s this: we as viewers know that Carolyn and Konstantin are working together, but Eve sure as hell does not know that (and neither do Kenny nor fuckboy-fuck nor Jess, I think). So Villanelle comes to Eve’s house, Eve gets her in the car, they drive off to the Harry Potter forest, and Villanelle breaks the ghost, but WHERE IS EVE’S BLOODY SWAT TEAM THAT’S SUPPOSED TO TAKE VILLANELLE DOWN? 

Nowhere. 

Villanelle walks away from the whole thing and Eve doesn’t even look behind as she leaves her outside of the container. I know, I know, Villanelle needs to feel safe with Eve, but there was literally nothing stopping the special units from taking Villanelle down for +200 assassinations once the Not-Egg-Ghost broke. Two episodes back Eve was tearing her hair out and drinking vodka straight out of the hotel room minibar, and now she suddenly doesn’t care that Villanelle is on the loose? This doesn’t make sense. It might make sense to us as viewers, but through the eyes of the characters, specifically Eve’s, this shouldn’t happen. All of season 1 was about catching Villanelle; half of season 2 has been about that very same thing (as well as the Not-Egg-Ghost), and here’s Villanelle right under Eve’s nose, and then, off she goes. Poof. Yes, I understand that it’s happening so that we’ll see them working together and yes, I understand that Eve’s conflicted about her feelings--as she should be and we are here for the dark side--but did she not preach Kenny about “this being the job” in this very same episode? But she isn’t doing her job--or the main thing she was hired to do in the first place--and I’m sorry, but that’s the problem: the writing is off. 

Episode 5 was, regardless of the incredible tension and the beautiful parallels of 1x05, illogical, too fast-paced, and written in what I can only presume was a hurry. It’s like one of the core elements of the show just disappeared without an explanation. This might just be me, but I have seen people writing their thoughts about something being off, and I think, to some extent, this might be the thing that’s causing that feeling. Thanks for coming to my ted talk y’all, I sincerely hope the show ties up some of these loose ends before season 2 wraps up on our screens. I love this show and I did not write 100K+ words just for the hell of it, but even the best show can go down quickly if it doesn’t stay focused and if the things happening on screen don’t add up.

[snarkyoracle]

Best Drama *WINNER “Game of Thrones” (HBO) “Better Call Saul” (AMC) “Bodyguard” (Netflix) “Killing Eve” (AMC/BBC America) “Ozark” (Netflix) “Pose” (FX) “Succession” (HBO) “This Is Us” (NBC)

Lead Actress, Drama *WINNER Jodie Comer, “Killing Eve” Emilia Clarke, “Game of Thrones” Viola Davis, “How To Get Away With Murder” Laura Linney, “Ozark” Mandy Moore, “This Is Us” Sandra Oh, “Killing Eve” Robin Wright, “House of Cards”

Directing for a Drama Series *WINNER Jason Bateman, “Ozark” Lisa Brühlmann, “Killing Eve” David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, “Game of Thrones” (“The Iron Throne”) Adam McKay, “Succession” David Nutter, “Game of Thrones”(The Last of the Starks”) Daina Reid, “The Handmaid’s Tale” Miguel Sapochnik, “Game of Thrones” (“The Long Night”)

Lead Actor, Drama *WINNER Billy Porter, “Pose” Jason Bateman, “Ozark” Sterling K. Brown, “This Is Us” Kit Harington, “Game of Thrones” Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul” Milo Ventimiglia, “This Is Us”

Supporting Actress, Drama *WINNER Julia Garner, “Ozark” Gwendoline Christie, “Game of Thrones” Lena Headey, “Game of Thrones” Fiona Shaw, “Killing Eve” Sophie Turner, “Game of Thrones” Maisie Williams, “Game of Thrones”

Writing for a Drama Series *WINNER Jesse Armstrong, “Succession” David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, “Game of Thrones” Emerald Fennell, “Killing Eve” Peter Gould and Thomas Schnauz, “Better Call Saul” Jed Mercurio, “Bodyguard” Bruce Miller and Kira Snyder, “The Handmaid’s Tale”

Supporting Actor, Drama *WINNER Peter Dinklage, “Game of Thrones” Alfie Allen, “Game Of Thrones” Jonathan Banks, “Better Call Saul” Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, “Game of Thrones” Giancarlo Esposito, “Better Call Saul” Michael Kelly, “House of Cards” Chris Sullivan, “This Is Us”

Variety Talk Series *WINNER “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” (HBO) “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” (Comedy Central) “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee” (TBS) “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (ABC) “Late Late Show with James Corden” (CBS) “Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS)

Director for a Variety Series *WINNER Don Roy King, “Saturday Night Live” Alex Buono and Rhys Thomas, “Documentary Now!” Derek Waters, “Drunk History” Paul Pennolino, “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” Jim Hoskinson, “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” Sacha Baron Cohen, Nathan Fielder, Daniel Gray Longino and Dan Mazer, “Who Is America?”

Variety Sketch Series *WINNER “Saturday Night Live” (NBC) “At Home With Amy Sedaris (TruTV) “Documentary Now!” (IFC) “Drunk History” (Comedy Central) “I Love You, America With Sarah Silverman” (Hulu) “Who Is America?” (Showtime)

Writing for a Variety Series *WINNER “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” “Documentary Now!” “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee” “Late Night With Seth Meyers” “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” “Saturday Night Live”

Best Limited Series *WINNER “Chernobyl” (HBO) “Escape at Dannemora” (Showtime) “Fosse/Verdon” (FX) “Sharp Objects” (HBO) “When They See Us” (Netflix)

Lead Actress, Limited Series or TV Movie *WINNER Michelle Williams, “Fosse/Verdon” Amy Adams, “Sharp Objects” Patricia Arquette, “Escape at Dannemora” Aunjanue Ellis, “When They See Us” Joey King, “The Act” Niecy Nash, “When They See Us”

Television Movie *WINNER “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch” (Netflix) “Brexit” (HBO) “Deadwood: The Movie” (HBO) “King Lear” (Amazon Prime) “My Dinner With Hervé” (HBO)

Lead Actor, Limited Series or TV Movie *WINNER Jharrel Jerome, “When They See Us” Mahershala Ali, “True Detective” Benicio Del Toro, “Escape at Dannemora” Hugh Grant, “A Very English Scandal” Jared Harris, “Chernobyl” Sam Rockwell, “Fosse/Verdon”

SEE ALSO

Jharrel Jerome dedicates first Emmy win to ‘Exonerated Five’ Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or Drama *WINNER Craig Mazin, “Chernobyl” Russell T Davies, “A Very English Scandal” Ava DuVernay and Michael Starrbury, “When They See Us” Brett Johnson and Michael Tolkin, “Escape at Dannemora” (“Episode 7”) Brett Johnson, Michael Tolkin and Jerry Stahl, “Escape at Dannemora” (“Episode 6”) Steven Levenson and Joel Fields, “Fosse/Verdon”

Supporting Actor, Limited Series or TV Movie *WINNER Ben Whishaw, “A Very English Scandal” Asante Blackk, “When They See Us” Paul Dano, “Escape at Dannemora” John Leguizamo, “When They See Us” Stellan Skarsgård, “Chernobyl” Michael K. Williams, “When They See Us”

Directing for a Limited Series *WINNER Johan Renck, “Chernobyl” Ava DuVernay, “When They See Us” Thomas Kail, “Fosse/Verdon” (“Who’s Got the Pain”) Stephen Frears, “A Very English Scandal” Ben Stiller, “Escape at Dannemora” Jessica Yu, “Fosse/Verdon” (“Glory”)

Supporting Actress, Limited Series or TV Movie *WINNER Patricia Arquette, “The Act” Marsha Stephanie Blake, “When They See Us” Patricia Clarkson, “Sharp Objects” Vera Farmiga, “When They See Us” Margaret Qualley, “Fosse/Verdon�� Emily Watson, “Chernobyl”

Reality Competition Program *WINNER “RuPaul’s Drag Race” (VH1) “The Amazing Race” (CBS) “American Ninja Warrior” (NBC) “Nailed It!” (Netflix) “Top Chef” (Bravo) “The Voice” (NBC)

Lead Actress, Comedy *WINNER Phoebe Waller-Bridge, “Fleabag” Christina Applegate, “Dead to Me” Rachel Brosnahan, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “Veep” Natasha Lyonne, “Russian Doll” Catherine O’Hara, “Schitt’s Creek”

Lead Actor, Comedy *WINNER Bill Hader, “Barry” Anthony Anderson, “Black-ish” Don Cheadle, “Black Monday” Ted Danson, “The Good Place” Michael Douglas, “The Kominsky Method” Eugene Levy, “Schitt’s Creek”

Director for a Comedy Series *WINNER Harry Bradbeer, “Fleabag” Alec Berg, “Barry” (“The Audition”) Mark Cendrowski, “The Big Bang Theory” Bill Hader, “Barry” (“ronny/lily”) Daniel Palladino, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (“We’re Going to the Catskills!”) Amy Sherman-Palladino, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (“All Alone”)

Writing for a Comedy Series *WINNER Phoebe Waller-Bridge, “Fleabag” Alec Berg and Bill Hader, “Barry” Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle and Stacy Osei-Kuffour, “Pen15” Leslye Headland, Natasha Lyonne and Amy Poehler, “Russian Doll” (“Nothing in This World Is Easy”) David Mandel, “Veep” Josh Siegal and Dylan Morgan, “The Good Place” Allison Silverman, “Russian Doll” (“A Warm Body”)

Supporting Actress, Comedy *WINNER Alex Borstein, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” Sarah Goldberg, “Barry” Sian Clifford, “Fleabag” Olivia Colman, “Fleabag” Kate McKinnon, “Saturday Night Live” Betty Gilpin, “GLOW” Marin Hinkle, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” Anna Chlumsky, “Veep”

Supporting Actor, Comedy *WINNER Tony Shalhoub, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” Alan Arkin, “The Kominsky Method” Henry Winkler, “Barry” Tony Hale, “Veep” Anthony Carrigan, “Barry” Stephen Root, “Barry”

Guest Actor, Comedy *WINNER Luke Kirby, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” Matt Damon, “Saturday Night Live” Robert De Niro, “Saturday Night Live” Peter MacNicol, “Veep” John Mulaney, “Saturday Night Live” Adam Sandler, “Saturday Night Live” Rufus Sewell, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”

Guest Actress, Comedy *WINNER Jane Lynch, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” Sandra Oh, “Saturday Night Live” Maya Rudolph, “The Good Place” Kristin Scott Thomas, “Fleabag” Fiona Shaw, “Fleabag” Emma Thompson, “Saturday Night Live”

Best Comedy *WINNER “Fleabag” (Amazon Prime) “Barry” (HBO) “The Good Place” (NBC) “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Amazon Prime) “Russian Doll” (Netflix) “Schitt’s Creek” (Pop) “Veep” (HBO)

Guest Actor, Drama *WINNER Bradley Whitford, “The Handmaid’s Tale” Michael Angarano, “This Is Us” Ron Cephas Jones, “This Is Us” Michael McKean, “Better Call Saul” Kumail Nanjiani, “The Twilight Zone” Glynn Turman, “How To Get Away With Murder”

Guest Actress, Drama *WINNER Cherry Jones, “The Handmaid’s Tale” Laverne Cox, “Orange Is the New Black” Jessica Lange, “American Horror Story: Apocalypse” Phylicia Rashad, “This Is Us” Cicely Tyson, “How To Get Away With Murder” Carice van Houten, “Game of Thrones”

Structured Reality Program

*WINNER “Queer Eye” (Netflix) “Antiques Roadshow” (PBS) “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” (Food Network) “Shark Tank” (ABC) “Tidying Up With Marie Kondo” (Netflix) “Who Do You Think You Are?” (TLC)

Unstructured Reality Program *WINNER “United Shades Of America with Kamau Bell” (CNN) “Born This Way” (A&E) “Deadliest Catch” (Discovery Channel) “Life Below Zero” (National Geographic) “RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked” (VH1) “Somebody Feed Phil” (Netflix)

Reality Host *WINNER RuPaul, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” James Corden, “The World’s Best” Ellen DeGeneres, “Ellen’s Game of Games” Marie Kondo, “Tidying Up With Marie Kondo” Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman, “Making It”

Variety special (live) *WINNER “Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear”(ABC) “The 76th Annual Golden Globe Awards” (NBC) “The 61st Grammy Awards” (CBS) “The Oscars” (ABC) “RENT” (FOX) “72nd Annual Tony Awards” (CBS)

Variety Special (taped) *WINNER “Carpool Karaoke: When Corden Met McCartney Live From Liverpool” (CBS) “Hannah Gadsby: Nanette” (Netflix) “Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé” (Netflix) “Springsteen On Broadway” (Netflix) “Wanda Sykes: Not Normal” (Netflix)

Informational Series or Special *WINNER “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown,” (CNN) “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” (Netflix) “Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath” (A&E) “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman” (Netflix) “Surviving R. Kelly” (Lifetime)

Directing for a Reality Program *WINNER Hisham Abed, “Queer Eye” Patrick McManus, “American Ninja Warrior” Nick Murray, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” Ken Fuchs, “Shark Tank” Bertram van Munster, “The Amazing Race”

Best Short Form Comedy or Drama Series *WINNER “State of the Union” “An Emmy for Megan” “Hack Into Broad City” “It’s Bruno” “Special”

Outstanding Actor, Short Form Comedy or Drama Series *WINNER Chris O’Dowd, “State of the Union” Patton Oswalt, “An Emmy for Megan” Jimmy Fallon, “Beto Breaks the Internet” Ed Begley Jr., “Ctrl Alt Delete” Ryan O’Connell, “Special”

Outstanding Actress, Short Form Comedy or Drama Series *WINNER Rosamund Pike, “State of the Union” Ilana Glazer, “Hack Into Broad City” Abbi Jacobson, “Hack Into Broad City” Jessica Hecht, “Special” Punam Patel, “Special”

Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series *WINNER “Creating Saturday Night Live” “Fosse/Verdon (Inside Look)” “Pose: Identity, Family, Community (Inside Look)” “RuPaul’s Drag Race’s: Out of the Closet” “RuPaul’s Drag Race’s: Portrait of a Queen”

Short Form Variety Series *WINNER “Carpool Karaoke: The Series” “Billy on the Street” “Gay of Thrones” “Honest Trailers” “The Randy Rainbow Show”

Directing for a Variety Special *WINNER Thom Zimny, “Springsteen on Broadway” Ben Winston, “Carpool Karaoke: When Corden Met McCartney Live From Liverpool” Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and Ed Burke, “Homecoming: A Film By Beyoncé” James Burrows and Andy Fisher, “Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s ‘All in the Family’ and ‘The Jeffersons’” Glenn Weiss, “The Oscars”

Writing for a Variety Special *WINNER Hannah Gadsby, “Hannah Gadsby: Nanette” Adam Sandler, “Adam Sandler: 100% Fresh” Amy Schumer, “Amy Schumer: Growing” Matt Roberts, “Carpool Karaoke: When Corden Met McCartney Live From Liverpool” Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, “Homecoming: A Film By Beyoncé” Wanda Sykes, “Wanda Sykes: Not Normal”

The complete list of 2019 Emmy winners Best Drama *WINNER “Game of Thrones” (HBO) “Better Call Saul” (AMC) “Bodyguard” (Netflix) “Killing Eve” (AMC/BBC America)