AMERICAN HONEY HITS A SWEET SPOT WITH BIFA 2016

American Honey would certainly not have been my #1 choice to win the top prizes at the 2016 British Independent Film Awards, but Andrea Arnold's an excellent filmmaker, and I'm super happy that a female director has triumphed. Plus, the rest of BIFA's choices are solid, including a healthy haul for Babak Anvari's Under the Shadow and a win for Notes on Blindness. Good stuff on the whole, and you know I like a bit of good stuff on my whole. Remember their nominations? No? They're here, and their awards are...

Best British Independent Film

American Honey

Best Director

Andrea Arnold (American Honey)

Best Actress

Sasha Lane (American Honey)

Best Actor

Dave Johns (I, Daniel Blake)

Best Supporting Actress

Avin Manshadi (Under the Shadow)

Best Supporting Actor

Brett Goldstein (Adult Life Skills)

Best Screenplay

Babak Anvari (Under the Shadow)

Best Documentary

Notes on Blindness

Best International Independent Film

Moonlight

Outstanding Achievement in Craft

Robbie Ryan (American Honey) - cinematography

Best Breakthrough Producer

Camille Gatin (The Girl with All the Gifts)

The Douglas Hickox Award for Best Debut Director

Babak Anvari (Under the Shadow)

Most Promising Newcomer

Hayley Squires (I, Daniel Blake)

Best Debut Screenwriter

Rachel Tunnard (Adult Life Skills)

2016 WAFCA NOMINATIONS

It's always interesting to note, early into awards season, how the race is shaping up. This year, the most interesting facet of the race appears to be how uninteresting it currently is, as the same names keep turning up in the same categories. The Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association nominations contribute to that narrative with a thoroughly predictable slate. It only leaves space for us to see if any voting group, critic or industry, should decide to shake things up from here out. Winners announced on the 5th of December - that's tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Best Film

Arrival

Hell or High Water

La La Land

Manchester by the Sea

Moonlight

Best Director

Damien Chazelle (La La Land)

Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)

Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)

David MacKenzie (Hell or High Water)

Denis Villeneuve (Arrival)

Best Actress

Amy Adams (Arrival)

Annette Bening (20th Century Women)

Ruth Negga (Loving)

Natalie Portman (Jackie)

Emma Stone (La La Land)

Best Actor

Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)

Joel Edgerton (Loving)

Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge)

Ryan Gosling (La La Land)

Denzel Washington (Fences)

Best Supporting Actress

Viola Davis (Fences)

Greta Gerwig (20th Century Women)

Naomie Harris (Moonlight)

Molly Shannon (Other People)

Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea)

Best Supporting Actor

Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)

Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water)

Ben Foster (Hell or High Water)

Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea)

Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals)

Best Original Screenplay

Damien Chazelle (La La Land)

Efthymis Filippou and Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster)

Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney (Moonlight)

Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)

Taylor Sheridan (Hell or High Water)

Best Adapted Screenplay

Luke Davies - adapted from the memoir A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley (Lion)

Tom Ford - based on the novel Tony and Susan by Austin Wright (Nocturnal Animals)

Eric Heisserer - based on the story Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang (Arrival)

Patrick Ness - based on his novel (A Monster Calls)

August Wilson - based on his play (Fences)

Best Cinematography

Stephane Fontaine (Jackie)

James Laxton (Moonlight)

Seamus McGarvey (Nocturnal Animals)

Linus Sandgren (La La Land)

Bradford Young (Arrival)

Best Editing

Tom Cross (La La Land)

Joi McMillon and Nat Sanders (Moonlight)

Blu Murray (Sully)

Sebastian Sepulveda (Jackie)

Joe Walker (Arrival)

Best Production Design

Stuart Craig and Anna Pinnock (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them)

Paul Hotte and Patrice Vermette (Arrival)

Craig Lathrop (The Witch)

Veronique Melery and Jean Rabasse (Jackie)

Sandy Reynolds-Wasco and David Wasco (La La Land)

Best Original Score

Nicholas Britell (Moonlight)

Justin Hurwitz (La La Land)

Johann Johannsson (Arrival)

Mica Levi (Jackie)

Cliff Martinez (The Neon Demon)

Best Acting Ensemble

20th Century Women

Fences

Hell or High Water

Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight

Best Animated Feature

Finding Dory

Kubo and the Two Strings

Moana

Sausage Party

Zootopia

Best Documentary

13th

Gleason

I Am Not Your Negro

O.J.: Made in America

Weiner

Best Foreign Language Film

Elle

The Handmaiden

Julieta

The Salesman

Toni Erdmann

The Joe Barber Award for Best Portrayal of Washington D.C.

Jackie

Jason Bourne

Loving

Miss Sloane

Snowden

Best Youth Performance

Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea)

Lewis MacDougall (A Monster Calls)

Sunny Pawar (Lion)

Hailee Steinfeld (The Edge of Seventeen)

Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch)

Best Motion Capture Performance

Liam Neeson (A Monster Calls)

Mark Rylance (The BFG)

Best Voice Performance

Jason Bateman (Zootopia)

Auli'i Cravalho (Moana)

Ellen DeGeneres (Finding Dory)

Ginnifer Goodwin (Zootopia)

Liam Neeson (A Monster Calls)

REVIEW - THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN (KELLY FREMON CRAIG)

Is it because I'm close enough to seventeen as it is? The Edge of Seventeen is a rare teen movie that's probably better appreciated by those past their teen years - Kelly Fremon Craig's first film as director, and only her second as writer, captures the essence of that particular teenage ennui with an honesty striven for by few of its ilk. Maybe its revelations just weren't quite revelatory enough for me; maybe I'm in the sour spot between familiarity and nostalgia - it simply didn't quite work for me. If Fremon Craig's intentions were to expose the ugly truths behind the comfortable conventions of this genre, she succeeds only in concept. In execution, The Edge of Seventeen's balance of reliance upon and criticism of these tropes is an awkward, unfulfilling one, depriving itself of both the potential potency of its message and the easy fun upon which all teen movies are built. And yet Fremon Craig is indeed perceptive, her honesty bolstered by the accuracy of her portrayal of life for a 17-year-old young woman, whom one might describe as troubled, though arguably no more so than most others of her age. The visuals are pedestrian, but the dialogue is sharp and pleasantly unfiltered, and the cast evidently relishes the opportunity to inhabit characters they've likely known before, but never with this level of depth. It's such intelligent details that make Fremon Craig a filmmaker to watch in future, even if her debut is, on the whole, a film to sit out.

20 FILMS MAKE OSCAR VISUAL EFFECTS SHORTLIST

The Academy's visual effects branch has gone a bit overboard this year, but can you blame them? Pool just about any five out of their nomination shortlist for 2016 and you'd likely have a worthy selection. Normally, this branch reveals a 10-strong lineup set to advance to the bake-off stage of voting, but they've doubled their count this year. The big losers this year, at this stage, would be Assassin's Creed, The Legend of Tarzan and A Monster Calls (how they failed to push past some of this bunch I'll never know) though there'll definitely be many more when nominations are announced on the 24th of January - this category was chock-full of huge surprises last year. Check out the full list of 20 just here:

Alice Through the Looking Glass

Arrival

The BFG

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Captain America: Civil War

Deadpool

Deepwater Horizon

Doctor Strange

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Independence Day: Resurgence

The Jungle Book

Kubo and the Two Strings

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Passengers

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Star Trek Beyond

Suicide Squad

Sully

Warcraft

X-Men: Apocalypse

TONI ERDMANN CLAIMS #1 ON SIGHT & SOUND 2016 POLL

After taking first place on Cahiers du Cinema's 2016 poll, Maren Ade's Toni Erdmann does it again, occupying the same position on Sight & Sound's. The respected British publication's list goes beyond CDC's 10 - they've revealed a top 30, which is rich with diversity of offerings, and just look at the inclusion of four female directors in the top eight alone! Check it all out below, a list of which I thoroughly approve.

1. Toni Erdmann (Maren Ade)

2. Moonlight (Barry Jenkins)

3. Elle (Paul Verhoeven)

4. Certain Women (Kelly Reichardt)

5. American Honey (Andrea Arnold)

6. I, Daniel Blake (Ken Loach)

7. Manchester by the Sea (Kenneth Lonergan)

8. Things to Come (Mia Hansen-Love)

9. Paterson (Jim Jarmusch)

10. The Death of Louis XIV (Albert Serra)

11. Personal Shopper (Olivier Assayas)

=   Sieranevada (Cristi Puiu)

13. Fire at Sea (Gianfranco Rosi)

=   Julieta (Pedro Almodovar)

=   Nocturama (Bertrand Bonello)

16. Cameraperson (Kirsten Johnson)

=   La La Land (Damien Chazelle)

18. Love & Friendship (Whit Stillman)

19. Aquarius (Kleber Mendonca Filho)

=   Victoria (Sebastian Schipper)

21. Embrace of the Serpent (Ciro Guerra)

=   Everybody Wants Some!! (Richard Linklater)

=   Evolution (Lucile Hadzihalilovic)

=   Hell or High Water (David MacKenzie)

=   O.J.: Made in America (Ezra Edelman)

26. Beyonce: Lemonade (Jonas Akerlund, Kahlil Joseph, Beyonce Knowles, Melina Matsoukas, Dikayl Rimmasch, Mark Romanek and Tod Tourso)

=   Neruda (Pablo Larrain)

=   Nocturnal Animals (Tom Ford)

=   The Ornithologist (Joao Pedro Rodrigues)

=   Raw (Julia Ducournau)

LA LA LAND, MANCHESTER & MOONLIGHT WIN BIG AT NYFCC

I'll refrain from commenting upon my feelings about some of the New York Film Critics Circle's choices today, except to remark that they are... mixed. In the race to be first to announce, the NYFCC has actually come up third among critics groups this awards season, and so decides to sit on three fences at once, showering award after award upon Manchester by the Sea and Moonlight, but surprising by giving La La Land their Best Film prize. Here's hoping we hear from a few leaks over the coming days and find out which contenders came close!

Best Film

La La Land

Best Director

Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)

Best Actress

Isabelle Huppert (Elle / Things to Come)

Best Actor

Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)

Best Supporting Actress

Michelle Williams (Certain Women / Manchester by the Sea)

Best Supporting Actor

Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)

Best Screenplay

Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)

Best Cinematography

James Laxton (Moonlight)

Best Animated Film

Zootopia

Best Documentary

O.J.: Made in America

Best Foreign Language Film

Toni Erdmann

Best First Film

The Edge of Seventeen (Kelly Fremon Craig)

Krisha (Trey Edward Shults)

Special Award

25th anniversary restoration of Julie Dash's Daughters in the Dust

Thelma Schoonmaker

2017 SUNDANCE SLATE ANNOUNCED

Shockingly, at least to myself, this is the first time in the history of Screen On Screen where I've published the announcement of the Sundance Film Festival lineup. Buried within awards season, it's often gone unnoticed by me, but not this year! Below are all the films set to screen in the fest's Dramatic and Documentary strands, both U.S. and World Cinema competitions, and the forward-looking NEXT. Sundance 2017 takes place in Park City, Utah, from the 19th to the 29th of January.

U.S. Dramatic Competition

Band Aid (Zoe Lister Jones)

Beach Rats (Eliza Hittman)

Brigsby Bear (Dave McCary)

Burning Sands (Gerard McMurray)

Crown Heights (Matt Ruskin)

Golden Exits (Alex Ross Perry)

The Hero (Brett Haley)

I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore (Macon Blair)

Ingrid Goes West (Matt Spicer)

Landline (Gillian Robespierre)

Novitiate (Maggie Betts)

Patti Cake$ (Geremy Jasper)

Roxanne Roxanne (Michael Larnell)

To the Bone (Marti Noxon)

Walking Out (Alex Smith and Andrew Smith)

The Yellow Birds (Alexandre Moors)

World Cinema Dramatic Competition

Axolotl Overkill (Helene Hegemann)

Berlin Syndrome (Cate Shortland)

Don't Swallow My Heart, Alligator Girl! (Felipe Braganca)

Family Life (Cristian Jimenez and Alicia Scherson)

Free and Easy (Geng Jun)

God's Own Country (Francis Lee)

My Happy Family (Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simon Gross)

I Dream in Another Language (Ernesto Contreras)

The Nile Hilton Incident (Tarik Saleh)

Pop Aye (Kirsten Tan)

Woodpeckers (Jose Maria Cabral)

The Wound (John Trengove)

U.S. Documentary Competition

Casting JonBenet (Kitty Green)

Chasing Coral (Jeff Orlowski)

City of Ghosts (Matthew Heineman)

Dina (Antonio Santini and Dan Sickles)

Dolores (Peter Bratt)

The Force (Pete Nicks)

ICARUS (Bryan Fogel)

The New Radical (Adam Bhala Lough)

NOBODY SPEAK: Hulk Hogan, Gawker and Trials of a Free Press (Brian Knappenberger)

Quest (Jonathan Olshefski)

STEP (Amanda Lipitz)

Strong Island (Yance Ford)

Trophy (Christina Clusiau and Shaul Schwarz)

Unrest (Jennifer Brea)

Water & Power: A California Heist (Marina Zenovich)

Whose Streets? (Damon Davis and Sabaah Folayan)

World Cinema Documentary Competition

The Good Postman (Tonislav Hristov)

In Loco Parentis (Neasa ni Chianain and David Rane)

It's Not Yet Dark (Frankie Fenton)

Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower (Joe Piscatella)

Last Men in Aleppo (Feras Fayyad and Steen Johannessen)

Machines (Rahul Jain)

Motherland (Ramona Diaz)

Plastic China (Wang Jiu Liang)

RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the World (Catherine Bainbridge)

Tokyo Idols (Miyake Kyoko)

WINNIE (Pascale Lamche)

The Workers Cup (Adam Sobel)

NEXT

Columbus (Kogonada)

Dayveon (Amman Abbasi)

Deidra & Laney Rob a Train (Sydney Freeland)

A Ghost Story (David Lowery)

Gook (Justin Chon)

L.A. Times (Michelle Morgan)

Lemon (Janicza Bravo)

Menashe (Joshua Z. Weinstein)

Person to Person (Dustin Guy Defa)

Thoroughbred (Cory Finley)

EARLY BIRDS MISS A FEW WORMS TOO: 2016 CRITICS CHOICE NOMINATIONS

In their latest desperate attempt at appearing 'relevant,' the Broadcast Film Critics Association has bumped its awards dates way up, resulting in nominations arriving today, the 1st of December, and awards next week, on the 11th. Subsequently, this group has not had the chance to catch all of the titles that would otherwise have been eligible; that hasn't stopped them before, though, and it didn't stop them shunting Star Wars: The Force Awakens into their already-announced Best Picture lineup after it turned out to be a huge hit, despite no members having even cast a vote for it. That decision prompted resignations from the BFCA, and their choice to push their 2016 dates so far forward (and thereby surely only diminishing their potential to maintain relevance to the Oscar race) has prompted more still. It's a laughable situation from a laughable organization, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Nominations and awards for documentaries have already taken place. Take a look at all the new announcements below:

Best Picture

Arrival

Fences

Hacksaw Ridge

Hell or High Water

La La Land

Lion

Loving

Manchester by the Sea

Moonlight

Sully

Best Director

Damien Chazelle (La La Land)

Mel Gibson (Hacksaw Ridge)

Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)

Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)

David MacKenzie (Hell or High Water)

Denis Villeneuve (Arrival)

Denzel Washington (Fences)

Best Actress

Amy Adams (Arrival)

Annette Bening (20th Century Women)

Isabelle Huppert (Elle)

Ruth Negga (Loving)

Natalie Portman (Jackie)

Emma Stone (La La Land)

Best Actor

Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)

Joel Edgerton (Loving)

Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge)

Ryan Gosling (La La Land)

Tom Hanks (Sully)

Denzel Washington (Fences)

Best Supporting Actress

Viola Davis (Fences)

Greta Gerwig (20th Century Women)

Naomie Harris (Moonlight)

Nicole Kidman (Lion)

Janelle Monae (Hidden Figures)

Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea)

Best Supporting Actor

Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)

Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water)

Ben Foster (Hell or High Water)

Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea)

Dev Patel (Lion)

Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals)

Best Original Screenplay

Damien Chazelle (La La Land)

Efthymis Filippou and Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster)

Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)

Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)

Jeff Nichols (Loving)

Taylor Sheridan (Hell or High Water)

Best Adapted Screenplay

Luke Davies (Lion)

Tom Ford (Nocturnal Animals)

Eric Heisserer (Arrival)

Todd Komarnicki (Sully)

Theodore Melfi and Allison Schroeder (Hidden Figures)

August Wilson (Fences)

Best Cinematography

Stephane Fontaine (Jackie)

James Laxton (Moonlight)

Seamus McGarvey (Nocturnal Animals)

Linus Sandgren (La La Land)

Bradford Young (Arrival)

Best Editing

Tom Cross (La La Land)

John Gilbert (Hacksaw Ridge)

Joi McMillon and Nat Sanders (Moonlight)

Blu Murray (Sully)

Joe Walker (Arrival)

Best Production Design

Stuart Craig, James Hambridge and Anna Pinnock (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them)

Jess Gonchor and Nancy Haigh (Live by Night)

Paul Hotte, Andre Valade and Patrice Vermette (Arrival)

Jean Rabasse and Veronique Melery (Jackie)

Sandy Reynolds-Wasco and David Wasco (La La Land)

Best Costume Design

Colleen Atwood (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them)

Consolata Boyle (Florence Foster Jenkins)

Madeline Fontaine (Jackie)

Joanna Johnston (Allied)

Eimer ni Mhaoldomhnaigh (Love & Friendship)

Mary Zophres (La La Land)

Best Visual Effects

Arrival

Doctor Strange

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

The Jungle Book

A Monster Calls

Best Hair & Makeup

Doctor Strange

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Hacksaw Ridge

Jackie

Star Trek Beyond

Best Score

Volker Bertelmann and Dustin O'Halloran (Lion)

Nicholas Britell (Moonlight)

Johann Johannsson (Arrival)

Justin Hurwitz (La La Land)

Mica Levi (Jackie)

Best Song

'Audition (The Fools Who Dream)' (La La Land)

'Can't Stop the Feeling' (Trolls)

'City of Stars' (La La Land)

'Drive It Like You Stole It' (Sing Street)

'How Far I'll Go' (Moana)

'The Rules Don't Apply' (Rules Don't Apply)

Best Acting Ensemble

20th Century Women

Fences

Hell or High Water

Hidden Figures

Manchester by the Sea

Moonlight

Best Animated Feature

Finding Dory

Kubo and the Two Strings

Moana

The Red Turtle

Trolls

Zootopia

Best Foreign Language Film

Elle

The Handmaiden

Julieta

Neruda

The Salesman

Toni Erdmann

Best Action Movie

Captain America: Civil War

Deadpool

Doctor Strange

Hacksaw Ridge

Jason Bourne

Best Comedy

Central Intelligence

Deadpool

Don't Think Twice

The Edge of Seventeen

Hail, Caesar!

The Nice Guys

Best Sci-Fi / Horror Movie

10 Cloverfield Lane

Arrival

Doctor Strange

Don't Breathe

Star Trek Beyond

The Witch

Best Young Actor / Actress

Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea)

Alex R. Hibbert (Moonlight)

Lewis MacDougall (A Monster Calls)

Madina Nalwanga (Queen of Katwe)

Sunny Pawar (Lion)

Hailee Steinfeld (The Edge of Seventeen)

Best Actress in an Action Movie

Gal Gadot (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice)

Scarlett Johansson (Captain America: Civil War)

Margot Robbie (Suicide Squad)

Tilda Swinton (Doctor Strange)

Best Actress in a Comedy

Kate Beckinsale (Love & Friendship)

Sally Field (Hello, My Name Is Doris)

Kate McKinnon (Ghostbusters)

Hailee Steinfeld (The Edge of Seventeen)

Meryl Streep (Florence Foster Jenkins)

Best Actor in an Action Movie

Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange)

Matt Damon (Jason Bourne)

Chris Evans (Captain America: Civil War)

Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge)

Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool)

Best Actor in a Comedy

Ryan Gosling (The Nice Guys)

Hugh Grant (Florence Foster Jenkins)

Dwayne Johnson (Central Intelligence)

Viggo Mortensen (Captain Fantastic)

Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool)

REVIEW - PATERSON (JIM JARMUSCH)

Jim Jarmusch returns once more to reclaim the rights to hipster culture. Remember when it once was his? Its subsequent co-opting by Wes Anderson doesn't appear to have bothered him much - see the brief appearance here from Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward. But its normalization and, thus, commercialization is implicitly something against which he is urged to react; Paterson is his laidback retort to those vacuous imitators and consumers, blemishing his legacy. In gentle tones, amid his characters' unusually ordinary milieu wherein Jarmusch's idiosyncrasies appear a little incongruous, this is a filmmaker making a definitive stamp upon an expanding cultural landscape, a stamp made with a soft touch, and somehow all the more persuasive for it. Persuasive, yes, but compelling? Alas, no. It's not only Paterson's pace that is pedestrian but its points - rhythm in repetition and then in variation, a pleasing yet predictable outlook on structure and pattern that rather saps the film of vitality. Its careful design is arguably too careful, too particular to permit any substantial deviation, Affonso Goncalves' editing too reverent to trim his director's work of its loose strands. Paterson is laudably authentic, that feature that regularly affirms the quality of Jim Jarmusch's most particular works, and thereby evades any decline into preciousness. Yet its lightness ironically turns out to be a burden, and eventually weighs down a film with monotony that was surely intended as a soothing stability of tone and constancy of incident. Jarmusch makes his point and makes it well, but makes it again and again in this fine but frustrating retreat, back to basics.