Barcelona: Justin Bieber really loves his fans. So he punched one of them in the mouth as he sailed by a crowd in his limo. The fan reached into an open window. And that’s the point: the window was OPEN. It wasn’t closed. Bieber was looking for interaction. A nasty piece of work since he was a kid, Bieber — with several arrests and lawsuits to his credit — should get some blow back from this. Maybe even the legal kind. Watch this video- POW! Right in the smacker.
Watch the Trailer for Martin Scorsese’s December Passion Project, “Silence” Starring Liam Neeson
If it ever comes up, this is the trailer for Martin Scorsese’s “Silence,” releasing December 23rd. Scorsese’s passion project stars Liam Neeson, Adam Driver, and Andrew Garfield. No one’s seen it yet except the National Board of Review, and they probably didn’t understand it since neither George Clooney nor Clint Eastwood is involved. (The NBR will give it their Special Award for Things We Can’t Fathom.)
Anyway, keep refreshing:
Sundance Favorite “Birth of a Nation,” Once Tipped for Many Awards, Snubbed for Awards, Comes to Ignominious End
With a total shut out at the Independent Spirit Awards, the long strange saga of Nate Parker’s “The Birth of a Nation” comes to an end. An ignominious end.
At $17 million, “Birth” set a Sundance record for sales last January after winning the grand jury prize. Everyone wanted it, even Harvey Weinstein. But Fox Searchlight, so successful with “12 Years a Slave,” was the natural winner of the auction. “Birth” was tipped for Oscars galore and big box office.
But now, the movie that wasn’t has made just $15.8 million and is about to exit theaters. There is no foreign release. The Spirit Awards snub is just the beginning. “Birth” will be absent from all awards mention.
It wasn’t Fox Searchlight’s fault. They had no idea that the director and star of the film, Nate Parker, was carrying grenades in his “baggage.” His background included a college- years acquittal on the charge of rape. His screenwriter was found guilty, overturned on appeal and not re-tried. Then the young women in question turned out to have committed suicide years later.
Parker was not contrite, or sorry. Instead of trying to smooth out the situation, he made it worse, reignited it, lied by omission, and demonstrated tremendous insensitivity. It wouldn’t have mattered how good the reviews were. He did himself in. It may take a decade or more to repair his career damage. And don’t get me started about the victim in the rape case.
I guarantee you that come this January at Sundance, any new or unknown filmmaker will endure a background check before anyone writes a check. They may even be asked to indemnify the buyer of their film should something unexpected hinder the release. And the movie “Birth of a Nation”? It should be seen by students. I just hope it won’t take a decade for that to happen, too.
2017 Indie Spirit Noms Include “Manchester,” “Jackie,” Robert Altman Award for “Moonlight”
2017 FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS
BEST FEATURE
(Award given to the producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.)
American Honey
Producers: Thomas Benski, Jay Van Hoy, Lars Knudsen, Lucas Ochoa, Pouya Shahbazian, Alice Weinberg
Chronic
Producers: Michel Franco, Gina Kwon, Gabriel Ripstein, Moisés Zonana
Jackie
Producers: Darren Aronofsky, Scott Franklin, Ari Handel, Juan de Dios LarraÃn, Mickey Liddell
Manchester by the Sea
Producers: Lauren Beck, Matt Damon, Chris Moore, Kimberly Steward,
Kevin J. Walsh
Moonlight
Producers: Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Adele Romanski
BEST FIRST FEATURE
(Award given to the director and producer)
The Childhood of a Leader
Director: Brady Corbet
Producers: Antoine de Clermont-Tonnerre, Chris Coen, Ron Curtis,
Helena Danielsson, Mona Fastvold, István Major
The Fits
Director/Producer: Anna Rose Holmer
Producer: Lisa Kjerulff
Other People
Director: Chris Kelly
Producers: Sam Bisbee, Adam Scott, Naomi Scott
Swiss Army Man
Directors: Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
Producers: Miranda Bailey, Lawrence Inglee, Lauren Mann, Amanda Marshall, Eyal Rimmon, Jonathan Wang
The Witch
Director: Robert Eggers
Producers: Daniel Bekerman, Jay Van Hoy, Lars Knudsen, Jodi Redmond, Rodrigo Teixeira
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD – Given to the best feature made for under $500,000. Award given to the writer, director and producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.
Free In Deed
Writer/Director: Jake Mahaffy
Producers: Mike Bowes, Mike S. Ryan, Brent Stiefel
Hunter Gatherer
Writer/Director: Josh Locy
Producers: Michael Covino, April Lamb, Sara Murphy, Isaiah Smallman
Lovesong
Writer/Director: So Yong Kim
Writer/Producer: Bradley Rust Gray
Producers: David Hansen, Alex Lipschultz, Johnny Mac
Nakom
Writer/Director/Producer: TW Pittman
Director/Producer: Kelly Daniela Norris
Writer/Producer: Isaac Adakudugu
Producer: Giovanni Ximénez
Spa Night
Writer/Director: Andrew Ahn
Producers: David Ariniello, Giulia Caruso, Ki Jin Kim, Kelly Thomas
BEST DIRECTOR
Andrea Arnold
American Honey
Barry Jenkins
Moonlight
Pablo LarraÃn
Jackie
Jeff Nichols
Loving
Kelly Reichardt
Certain Women
BEST SCREENPLAY
Barry Jenkins
Story By Tarell Alvin McCraney
Moonlight
Kenneth Lonergan
Manchester by the Sea
Mike Mills
20th Century Women
Ira Sachs & Mauricio Zacharias
Little Men
Taylor Sheridan
Hell or High Water
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Robert Eggers
The Witch
Chris Kelly
Other People
Adam Mansbach
Barry
Stella Meghie
Jean of the Joneses
Craig Shilowich
Christine
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Ava Berkofsky
Free In Deed
Lol Crawley
The Childhood of a Leader
Zach Kuperstein
The Eyes of My Mother
James Laxton
Moonlight
Robbie Ryan
American Honey
BEST EDITING
Matthew Hannam
Swiss Army Man
Jennifer Lame
Manchester by the Sea
Joi McMillon, Nat Sanders
Moonlight
Jake Roberts
Hell or High Water
Sebastián Sepúlveda
Jackie
BEST FEMALE LEAD
Annette Bening
20th Century Women
Isabelle Huppert
Elle
Sasha Lane
American Honey
Ruth Negga
Loving
Natalie Portman
Jackie
BEST MALE LEAD
Casey Affleck
Manchester by the Sea
David Harewood
Free In Deed
Viggo Mortensen
Captain Fantastic
Jesse Plemons
Other People
Tim Roth
Chronic
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Edwina Findley
Free In Deed
Paulina Garcia
Little Men
Lily Gladstone
Certain Women
Riley Keough
American Honey
Molly Shannon
Other People
BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Ralph Fiennes
A Bigger Splash
Ben Foster
Hell or High Water
Lucas Hedges
Manchester by the Sea
Shia LaBeouf
American Honey
Craig Robinson
Morris from America
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD – (Given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast)
Moonlight
Director: Barry Jenkins
Casting Director: Yesi Ramirez
Ensemble Cast: Mahershala Ali, Patrick Decile, Naomie Harris, Alex Hibbert, André Holland, Jharrel Jerome, Janelle Monáe, Jaden Piner, Trevante Rhodes, Ashton Sanders
BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director and producer)
13th
Director/Producer: Ava DuVernay
Producers: Spencer Averick, Howard Barish
Cameraperson
Director/Producer: Kirsten Johnson
Producer: Marilyn Ness
I Am Not Your Negro
Director/Producer: Raoul Peck
Producers: Rémi Grellety, Hérbert Peck
O.J.: Made in America
Director/Producer: Ezra Edelman
Producers: Nina Krstic, Tamara Rosenberg, Caroline Waterlow
Sonita
Director: Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami
Producer: Gerd Haag
Under the Sun
Director: Vitaly Mansky
Producer: Natalya Manskaya
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM (Award given to the director)
Aquarius
(Brazil)
Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho
Chevalier
(Greece)
Director: Athina Tsangari
My Golden Days
(France)
Director: Arnaud Desplechin
Toni Erdmann
(Germany and Romania)
Director: Maren Ade
Under the Shadow
(Iran and U.K.)
Director: Babak Anvari
20th ANNUAL PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD – The 20th annual Producers Award, sponsored by Piaget, honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality, independent films. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Piaget.
Lisa Kjerulff
Jordana Mollick
Melody C. Roscher & Craig Shilowich
23rd ANNUAL KIEHL’S SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – The 23rd annual Someone to Watch Award, sponsored by Kiehl’s Since 1851, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Kiehl’s Since 1851.
Andrew Ahn
Director of Spa Night
Claire Carré
Director of Embers
Anna Rose Holmer
Director of The Fits
Ingrid Jungermann
Director of Women Who Kill
22nd TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – The 22nd annual Truer Than Fiction Award is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.
Kristi Jacobson
Director of Solitary
Sara Jordenö
Director of Kiki
Nanfu Wang
Director of Hooligan Sparrow
Mark Wahlberg’s “Patriots Day” About Boston Marathon Bombing: Unlikely First Trump Era Film
Peter Berg’s “Patriots Day” starring Mark Wahlberg is the unlikely first film of the Trump era. The very powerful movie, about the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, is pro-police, anti-Muslim and totally populist, all in a good way. Berg and Wahlberg certainly didn’t make it as a Trump era movie– after all, we could have been in the Clinton era. And set in Massachusetts, the demo’s weight on the Democratic side.
But timing is everything, and there will be a lot of people who read into “Patriots Day” a reaction to immigration, terrorism and their consequences. Think of it as Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” released as it was in the Reagan era. Art is open to interpretation.
I mean it, when I say all this in a good way. The Boston Marathon bombing may not be detailed in your mind if you’re not from Beantown. But it was catastrophic, with 28 victims, many of whom lost limbs. Detailed here for the first time, the bombing– really two occurrences– will literally blow you away. The movie is good, but it’s great when it comes to the actual moment when life exploded unexpectedly on Boylston Street. That set piece, and the chase to arrest the Tsarnaev brothers who perpetrated the crime, are just terrific, edge of your seat episodes.
Most of “Patriots Day” is true. In writing the screenplay, the creators imagined a central cop and his wife played by Mark Wahlberg and Michelle Monaghan to carry the story. In reality, they say they blended a couple of cops into one so that Wahlberg’s Tommy Saunders stands in for them. It doesn’t matter because the device works, and Wahlberg is really great as Tommy (Monaghan also, although her part is small). He could be getting some serious awards action.
The rest of “Patriots Day” is very well cast with a collapsed John Goodman (after stomach band surgery), Kevin Bacon. and JK Simmons as standouts. Nat Wolff and Themo Melikidze are exceptional as psychopathic terrorist brothers who blew up the city. But I was really fascinated by a standalone scene with Khandi Alexander as a CIA interrogorator and Melissa Benoist as Kathleen Russell, the American Tsarnev wife who is still being investigated for helping her husband and brother-in-law.
“Patriots Day” is the story of a small city rallying together during an unexpected terrorist attack. I’ve lived there, and it’s insular place. As Wahlberg said in tonight’s Q&A, I’m paraphrasing, they’re big hearted people, but don’t mess with them. Berg conveys this brilliantly. As far as the Trump reference– this is an ode to the police, and a warning to outsiders. They’re not making it up. This is what happened. I’m curious to see if it isn’t a huge, huge hit on the par of “American Sniper.” Just to give you an idea, a random retired Marine who served in Afghanistan after 9/11 stood up during the Q&A and said he loved it. I think there will be a huge response.
American Music Awards Score Lowest Ratings Ever, Beaten by NFL, “Madame Secretary”
The American Music Awards got what they deserved: their lowest ratings ever. They scored a miserable 2.4 in the key demo, which means no young people watched the show. But few people over all saw this debacle, as the total was 8.4 million people.
By comparison, “60 Minutes” had 15.81 million viewers. And their key demo was 3.1.
The AMAs made a mistake not putting older artists on earlier– Sting, Lady Gaga and John Legend were the best performers easily, but their audience may have tuned out before they came on.
The AMAs were beaten by the NFL, and also “Madame Secretary,” the guilty pleasure show for all thinking adults. (It reminds me of “Trapper John MD.”)
Sting, Lady Gaga Save Interminable American Music Awards Salute to Junk Pop and Commercialism
Thank god for Sting and Lady Gaga. Other than their performances, and a couple of interesting moments, the American Music Awards would have been a total visit to junkland.
Lady Gaga’s simple and elegant performance of “Million Reasons” was a relief after what seemed like hours of terrible production values and presentations of crap pop so disposable it’s already gone down the sink drain. “Million Reasons” was direct and plaintive, and genuine. A shock.
Sting’s Merit Award copped him a three song medley– and they were without a doubt the best songs of the evening, and not just because there were almost no other songs. “I Can’t Stop Thinking About You,” “Message in a Bottle,” and “Every Breath You Take” must have seemed like a shock to the people in the theater– they could sing along, the songs were actually composed, and the second two have lasted 30 and 40 years. Amazing. Go out and get Sting’s “57th and 9th” or Gaga’s “Joanne.” Shocking.
Sting Performance AMAs 2016 by VIRALVID
The rest of the AMAs were better off seen and not heard. Shawn Mendes, who has such potential, is gradually being destroyed by the demands of the current un-culture. He’s an outstanding acoustic performances, and does have strong songs. But they were drowned by over production both audio and visual.
Other lowlights: Gigi Hadid was upstaged by Hannah Davis Jeter. Hadid was out of her league and over her head as co-host or speaker of the English language. Jeter — in her secondary role– showed real potential for more of this stuff, a la the terrific Chrissie Teigen. (Teigen should have co-hosted, really.) Jay Pharoah just looked uncomfortable.
The Prince award I’ve already written about. Ridiculous. Why didn’t they just do a tribute to Prince? It would have been more effective. Giving him a faux award– well, that’s the AMAs. Next year Thriller will be given Best Halloween song.
Selena Gomez– I like her, and she gave a nice speech about something. She’s been battling lupus and rumors that she could still take Justin Bieber seriously. She has our sympathy. But Artist of the Year? What?
Green Day as least slagged off Trump. And Idina Menzel, who is usually more grating than Parmesan cheese, got in a jab for “Hamilton” and Broadway. So that was the good news.
My biggest laugh was The Chainsmokers. Have they ever smoked anything other than a fish? They look like they should be called The Milk Drinkers. And twentyone pilots? They need passengers.
Just to remind you, the AMAs are a product spotlight, they are not real awards. Also, if you perform there, the Grammys will not have you– or at least, not performing in a similar way. Hence, no Adele on the AMAs. No Beyonce. And I guess Drake– who lets the AMAs cover him like a Walmart blanket– is out of the Grammy run, too.
Finally: what to do about Ariana Grande? She has a great voice. She’s wasting it on crap. No one will ever remember these “records” or whatever they are. She has to put her voice to some better purpose.
“Purple Rain” Wins American Music Award Again, 31 Years Later, For No Reason
The American Music Awards are singularly dreadful in every respect. But the funniest part is Prince’s “Purple Rain” so called winning some award 31 years later after it won the AMA for Best Soundtrack. Why? There is no reason. Prince’s sister appeared, obviously all scripted and ready to “accept” her statue.
The AMAs tonight are daffy. So far only John Legend and Lady Gaga were actual artists. The rest were just disposable items from Target. Very very sad.
In this last “generation” of music, flashes in the pan like Lorde, Fun, Macklemore, and so on have just come and gone. Some have been one hit wonders. This is the reason the music industry is dead. Sting is getting the Lifetime Achievement Award. Of all the people we’ve seen tonight, only John Legend and Lady Gaga might have a fraction of his career. The rest of this is just an embarassment.
“Hamilton” Scandal Grows: Romney Says He and Trump Had “Far Reaching” Conversation About “Theaters Around the World”
A meeting yesterday between Mitt Romney and Donald Trump should already be shaking up the global theater community — especially after the “Hamilton” scandal of Friday night on Broadway. Mike Pence was booed by the “Hamilton” audience, read a letter by the “Hamilton” cast. Trump responded by demanding an apology and tweeting that the cast “couldn’t memorize their lines.” (He unTweeted that a little while later.)
Yesterday Trump met with Mitt Romney about possibly becoming Secretary of State. Romney made a statement that he and Trump had had a “far reaching” conversation about “theaters around the world” that were of “real significance” to the United States. He didn’t just mean the Richard Rodgers Theater, where “Hamilton” is playing, or just Broadway, but implied theaters everywhere– maybe London, where are there are many, as well as London, Rome, Tel Aviv, Cape Town.
Will Trump, Pence and Romney be concentrating on some kind of drama purge after January 20th? Will it just be musicals, or plays, too? Stay tuned…(PS I do think Romney meant ‘sites of conflict’ but still…)
Guns N Roses Won’t Play Inaugural Ball as Axl Rose Chides Donald Trump: “Stop whining”
A sweet November rain has prompted Guns n Roses rocker Axl Rose to jump into the anti-Trump fray. Axl probably silenced any potential inaugural ball performance when he sent out this notice to Trump yesterday: “Hamilton cast harassed Pence. Do u ever stop whining? An apology?Seriously?!U won,this is the job,get on with it or get out of the kitchen.”
“Hamilton Cast harassed Pence.” Do u ever stop whining?An apology?Seriously?!U won,this is the job,get on with it or get out of the kitchen.
— Axl Rose (@axlrose) November 19, 2016
Earlier Axl had this to say about about Senator Jeff Sessions being named Attorney General:
Good people don’t listen to, acknowledge, nominate or elect people like Senator Jeff Sessions.
— Axl Rose (@axlrose) November 18, 2016