Netflix has officially confirmed Black Mirror has been renewed for season five. The streaming service made the announcement, stating, “Patience is a virtue, but rest easy knowing there is more Black Mirror on the way.”
Season four starred Jesse Plemons, Rosemarie DeWitt, Jimmi Simpson, Cristin Milioti, Aldis Hodge, Maxine Peake, Andrea Riseborough, Letitia Wright, and Michaela Coel. The series’ fourth season attracted veteran directors including Jodie Foster (Home for the Holidays), Toby Haynes (Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell), John Hillcoat (Lawless, The Road), Colm McCarthy (Peaky Blinders), Tim Van Patten (Boardwalk Empire), and David Slade (American Gods, Hannibal).
Charlie Brooker created the award-winning series and serves as writer and executive producer. Annabel Jones is also on board as an executive producer. Netflix has not revealed any details on season five and the renewal announcement did not include the upcoming season’s premiere date. Season four was released on December 29, 2017.
The addictive anthology series was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards, winning in the Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or a Dramatic Special (Charlie Brooker) and Outstanding Television Movie categories. The series was also nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award (Bryce Dallas Howard) and won a Producers Guild Award in the Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television category.
The Black Mirror Plot:Black Mirror is an anthology series that taps into our collective unease with the modern world, with each stand-alone episode a sharp, suspenseful tale exploring themes of contemporary techno-paranoia leading to an unforgettable – and sometimes unsettling – conclusion. Without questioning it, technology has transformed all aspects of our lives; in every home; on every desk; in every palm – a plasma screen; a monitor; a Smartphone – a Black Mirror reflecting our 21st Century existence back at us.
Danai Gurira as Michonne and Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes in ‘The Walking Dead’ season 8 episode 10 (Photo Credit: Gene Page / AMC)
AMC’s The Walking Dead season eight episode 10 was divided up into different intersecting stories. Each segment featured the action from the character’s point of view, with Michonne, Negan, Simon, Enid, Jadis, and Rick in the spotlight. Airing on March 4, 2018 opposite the Oscars, episode 10 is titled “The Lost and the Plunderers.”
Michonne
The episode opens with Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira) by Carl’s freshly covered grave. Michonne takes down walkers as Rick has a final moment next to his dead son’s grave. She then heads to Alexandria’s gate, kills more walkers, and eventually pulls the gate to a close even though Alexandria is deserted. Returning to their home, she finds Carl and Judith’s handprints on the porch and allows herself a very brief moment to be emotional.
Inside, Rick loads up supplies. Together they pack up a van, but Michonne won’t let a structure Carl used to sit on burn. She grabs a fire extinguisher and Rick does the same. As they fight the fire, they’re surrounded by walkers. Fortunately, they kill their way back to the van. They couldn’t stop the structure from burning and are forced to leave Alexandria to the walkers.
Rick wonders if Carl wanted them to stop fighting Negan and the Saviors. Michonne asks if Rick wants to read Carl’s letters, but he doesn’t…not yet. Michonne notices Carl wrote a letter to Negan, and Rick changes the subject and says he has to talk to Jadis. He thinks they’ll be a target of Negan’s now since they joined him to attack the Sanctuary. He believes they need Jadis’ people, the Scavengers (or the Heapsters, as Negan calls them), and their weapons.
Michonne and Rick arrive at Jadis’ place and are immediately trapped inside. The Scavengers have been slaughtered and are now walkers, advancing on the trapped Michonne and Rick.
Negan
Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) tells his people the Hilltop is covered and he wants his people to find the Alexandrians. He realizes the Alexandrians had an escape plan and knows Carl played him. Simon (Steven Ogg) asks about Gavin, but Negan isn’t worried. (He should be!) Negan orders Simon to put aside his anger at the Heapsters. He’s only allowed to take one out – just one – and Negan believes the rest will fall in line. Simon, however, wants to kill them all. He doesn’t think the garbage rats understand what’s going on. He wants to wipe everyone out and move elsewhere. Negan’s increasingly angry at Simon for believing they should cut their losses and move on, and for questioning his orders. Negan is sure that after he kills Rick, everything will return to normal.
Simon and Negan are interrupted by three Saviors delivering the coffin from Hilltop. Maggie’s message “We have 38 more. Stand down” is written across the top. Dean’s inside and he’s a walker, so Negan takes him out using a nail gun. Simon is even more certain they need to kill everyone at Hilltop at this point, thinking they can’t let Hilltop and the others get away with this. Negan yells, “You will do your job!” and stands by his command to keep everyone except for one person alive.
Enid
Enid (Katelyn Nacon) and Aaron (Ross Marquand) have been taken captive by the Oceansiders and are locked up after killing Natania. As they sit handcuffed, their fate is being debated. After the Oceansiders leave, Aaron assures Enid they’ll get out of there. Enid thinks Natania made it so she had to kill her, and she realizes she’d do it again because it was necessary.
The Oceansiders return and the group and its leader have decided they’ll take Enid and Aaron to the beach. Enid warns them that if they executive her, her people will come looking for them. They will be wiped out. Enid argues that if they let them go, they’ll keep fighting the Saviors and the Oceansiders can stay hidden.
Cyndie decides letting Enid and Aaron go will be their only contribution to the cause. She sets them free with the warning not to return.
After Cyndie and her people leave, Aaron tells Enid to go to the car and head back. He reveals he’s going to stay there and try and convince them to fight. He also wants Enid to warn Maggie not to come to Oceanside. Enid makes Aaron promise she’ll see him again. They hug, well aware this could be their final time seeing each other.
Aaron waits in the woods outside Oceanside.
Simon
Simon leaves his meeting with Negan angry. He gathers his large, well-armed group to head to the landfill. There, he and his people confront Jadis, demanding an apology. She doesn’t give it. He reminds her that Negan’s aware she had a side deal with Rick. Jadis finally lies and says she didn’t have a deal with Rick; she delivered Rick to Negan.
Simon, furious, calls BS on that. He struggles to get himself back under control to inform her that Negan doesn’t want to punish them if they go back to the established deal. However, Simon and his people will take their guns and ammunition. Simon says they need the weapons, but the Scavengers don’t want to give them up.
Simon assures the group that if they ever need guns, the Saviors will provide them. Jadis agrees. The Saviors disarm the Scavengers and then Simon finally asks the key question, “Why the dump?” Jadis calls it their place and Simon asks about the helicopter pad and solar panels. She continues to say it was just a dump before the apocalypse. Simon knows differently.
He asks again for an apology. Jadis admits there’s remorse but doesn’t apologize, and two of her people are immediately shot. She punches Simon in the face and screams, “There is remorse, you son of a bitch!” Simon replies, “I don’t think you mean that.”
Simon gives the order and the Scavengers are slaughtered, exactly the opposite of Negan’s orders.
Back at the Saviors’ compound, Negan asks if Simon got it done. Negan confirms they haven’t heard from Gavin as he looks over the weapons. Negan asks how it went and Simon says it was a standard message and delivery. “Showed ‘em and told ‘em.”
As they’re talking, Negan’s informed Rick is on the walkie-talkie.
Steven Ogg as Simon and Pollyanna McIntosh as Jadis in ‘The Walking Dead’ season 8 episode 10 (Photo Credit: Gene Page / AMC)
Jadis
Rick and Michonne fight their way through the now-dead Scavengers but they’re outnumbered. They scramble up the garbage pile only to find Jadis still alive sitting on a mound of garbage. When they ask how to get out, she claims the only way is through the main entrance. She’s speaking normally (not with the weird cadence of the Scavengers) and recalls coming to this dump before the zombie apocalypse to find things to paint on. After the zombies, she thought they could create something new there. Her people did, becoming something different in every way.
Rick blames her for what happened. He then creates a shield so he can make a run for it. Jadis wants to come with Rick and Michonne, but Rick says no. “I’m done with her games. She can’t help us anyway.”
Rick and Michonne work their way through the walkers until they reach the blocked entryway. Jadis follows them begging to be allowed to get out. Rick shoots at her and soon her own zombie people head her way.
Shortly thereafter, a blooded Jadis pounds the ground with a metal rod, bringing the walkers closer. When they arrive behind a chain, she starts up a grinder and they willingly walk into it as they try to reach her. She watches, nearly overcome with emotion, as her people are transformed into bloody mush.
She watches her friends be torn to shreds while having flashbacks of their deaths at the hands of the Saviors.
A little later she gets up from resting and uncovers a file cabinet. She retrieves a box labeled applesauce and eats from the can, lost in thought.
Rick
Rick and Michonne leave the Scavengers and he admits he shot over Jadis’ head. He didn’t want to kill her. “I just wanted her gone,” said Rick. Michonne reveals it reminds her of what Carl was talking about – that they have a choice. Rick pulls over because he needs a second to collect himself. He thumbs through Carl’s letters picks up a walkie-talkie, and leaves the van.
Rick unfolds Negan’s letter and reads it. He then reaches out to Negan via walkie-talkie. Negan responds and asks if he wants a face-to-face. He lets Negan know Carl is dead and that he wrote a letter to him. Rick says the letters ask both he and Negan to stop fighting and for there to be peace. “But it’s too late for that. Even if we wanted a deal now, it doesn’t matter. I’m gonna kill you,” says Rick.
Negan wants to know how Carl died, asking if the grenades or the fire killed him. Rick says Carl went out to help someone and got bit. Negan, obviously upset, “God damn it. Sh*t. I am sorry. You know, I wanted him to be part of things. I had plans. That kid was the future,” says Negan.
Rick replies, “The only future is one where you’re dead.”
Negan claims Carl is dead because Rick couldn’t leave things well enough alone. He puts Carl’s death squarely on Rick’s shoulders. He wasn’t there to stop his son from doing something stupid, blaming Rick for setting this course.
Negan claims he is the answer; he stops people from dying. He asks Rick not to let his horrible decisions cause the deaths of more of his people. Negan feels horrible about Carl’s death but thinks Rick failed as a leader and a father. He tells him to give up because he’s already lost.
Netflix chose to debut a short teaser trailer for the upcoming season of House of Cards during the 90th Academy Awards which aired live on ABC on March 4, 2018. The 45 second teaser trailer shows a bustling West Wing and ends with a shot of Robin Wright as President Claire Underwood. President Underwood is seated behind her desk in the Oval Office facing the window. She swivels her chair to face the office, rises, and declares, “We’re just getting started.”
Emmy Award winner Robin Wright leads a cast that includes Michael Kelly (The Long Road Home), Diane Lane (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice), Greg Kinnear (Same Kind of Different as Me), Jayne Atkinson (Criminal Minds), Patricia Clarkson (the Maze Runner trilogy), Cody Fern (The Assassination of Gianni Versace), Constance Zimmer (UnREAL), Derek Cecil (Banshee), Campbell Scott (Royal Pains), and Boris McGiver (Boardwalk Empire). The eight-episode sixth season will be the critically acclaimed series’ final season.
The final season of House of Cards is executive produced by Melissa James Gibson, Frank Pugliese, Robin Wright, David Fincher, Joshua Donen, Dana Brunetti, Eric Roth, Michael Dobbs, and Andrew Davies. Gibson and Pugliese serve as showrunners. The award-winning political drama was created by Beau Willimon.
Over its previous five seasons, House of Cards has earned 53 Primetime Emmy Awards nominations. The series made history as the first original online series to pick up an Emmy win (David Fincher for Outstanding Director for a Drama Series). It also won Emmys for Original Dramatic Score, Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series (Reg E. Cathey), Outstanding Cinematography, Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series, and Outstanding Sound Mixing.
House of Cards has also earned six Golden Globe nominations, winning in the Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama (Kevin Spacey) and Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama (Robin Wright) categories. In addition, it earned 11 Screen Actors Guild nominations, winning twice. Kevin Spacey earned SAG Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series in 2015 and 2016.
Disney debuted a super short teaser for Mary Poppins Returns during the 2018 Oscars and then dropped the first full teaser trailer online. The studio also released two new photos from the film along with a teaser poster featuring a close-up of the film’s star, Emily Blunt.
The one minute 35 second trailer declares: “In a place we hold dear where wonder once lived but soon from above a new story begins.” The teaser trailer introduces the world of Mary Poppins and shows Lin-Manuel Miranda flying a kite and then spotting the beloved nanny as she floats down from the sky.
Rob Marshall (Chicago) directed from a screenplay by David Magee, based on PL Travers’ The Mary Poppins Stories. In addition to Emily Blunt, the cast includes Lin-Manuel Miranda as Jack, Ben Whishaw as Michael Banks, Emily Mortimer as Jane Banks, Julie Walters as Ellen, Colin Firth as William Weatherall Wilkins, Meryl Streep as Topsy. Original Mary Poppins star Dick Van Dyke returns to PL Travers’ world as Mr. Dawes Jr, “the retired chairman of the bank now run by Firth’s character.”
Angela Lansbury plays the Balloon Lady and Pixie Davies, Nathanael Saleh, and newcomer Joel Dawson play the Banks’ children. Rob Marshall, John DeLuca, and Marc Platt produce, with Callum McDougall executive producing. The film’s music is by Marc Shaiman who co-wrote the songs with Scott Wittman.
The Plot: The film is set in 1930s depression-era London (the time period of the original novels) and is drawn from the wealth of material in PL Travers’ additional seven books. In the story, Michael (Whishaw) and Jane (Mortimer) are now grown up, with Michael, his three children and their housekeeper, Ellen (Walters), living on Cherry Tree Lane. After Michael suffers a personal loss, the enigmatic nanny Mary Poppins (Blunt) re-enters the lives of the Banks family, and, along with the optimistic street lamplighter Jack (Miranda), uses her unique magical skills to help the family rediscover the joy and wonder missing in their lives. Mary Poppins also introduces the children to a new assortment of colorful and whimsical characters, including her eccentric cousin, Topsy (Streep).
Mary Poppins (Emily Blunt) returns to the Banks’ home in Disney’s original musical, ‘Mary Poppins Returns, a sequel to the 1964 ‘Mary Poppins.’ (Photo Credit: Disney)Lin-Manuel Miranda stars as Jack in Disney’s original musical ‘Mary Poppins Returns.’
Marvel’s Black Panther continues to light the box office on fire, retaining its hold on the top of the chart for the third weekend in a row. The critically acclaimed comic book-inspired action drama has passed the $500 million mark, joining the exclusive list of films to pass that milestone and entering the Top 10 chart just behind #9’s Beauty and the Beast. By the end of Black Panther‘s theatrical run, it will likely be challenging The Avengers ($623 million), Jurassic World ($652 million) and Titanic ($659 million) for a spot in the top 5 all-time domestic box office performers.
Finishing in second place, Fox’s spy thriller Red Sparrow rang up $17 million over its first three days in release. The R-rated drama is based Jason Matthews’ novel which Justin Haythe (A Cure for Wellness) adapted for the screen. Jennifer Lawrence reunited with her Hunger Games director Francis Lawrence to play a dancer forced into becoming a spy. Critics have been split on the film and it currently stands at 51% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences were kinder, giving it a B according to Cinemascore.
The weekend’s other newcomer, Death Wish, settled for a third place finish. Starring Bruce Willis, the action thriller earned a B+ average from audiences but failed to connect with critics who overwhelming voted it a rotten score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Up next: Disney will be releasing the much-anticipated A Wrinkle in Time starring Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, and Mindy Kaling on March 9, 2018. Gringo with Charlize Theron, The Hurricane Heist starring Ryan Kwanten, and the horror sequel, Strangers: Prey at Night, are also set to enter theaters on March 9th.
The Black Panther Plot:Black Panther follows T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) who, after the events of Captain America: Civil War, returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda to take his place as King. However, when an old enemy reappears on the radar, T’Challa’s mettle as King and Black Panther is tested when he is drawn into a conflict that puts the entire fate of Wakanda and the world at risk.
Red Sparrow Plot: Dominika Egorova is many things. A devoted daughter determined to protect her mother at all costs. A prima ballerina whose ferocity has pushed her body and mind to the absolute limit. A master of seductive and manipulative combat.
When she suffers a career-ending injury, Dominika and her mother are facing a bleak and uncertain future. That is why she finds herself manipulated into becoming the newest recruit for Sparrow School, a secret intelligence service that trains exceptional young people like her to use their bodies and minds as weapons. After enduring the perverse and sadistic training process, she emerges as the most dangerous Sparrow the program has ever produced. Dominika must now reconcile the person she was with the power she now commands, with her own life and everyone she cares about at risk, including an American CIA agent who tries to convince her he is the only person she can trust.
Jennifer Lawrence and Joel Edgerton in ‘Red Sparrow’ (Photo Credit: 20th Century Fox)
The cast and crew of Oscar-winning Best Picture ‘The Shape of Water’ (ABC/Craig Sjodin)
The Shape of Water was named Best Picture at the 2018 Oscars and Guillermo del Toro took home his first Academy Award as Best Director. The romantic fantasy was the night’s big winner, Get Out‘s Jordan Peele earned his first Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, and Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri claimed Oscars in the Best Actress (Frances McDormand) and Best Supporting Actor (Sam Rockwell) categories.
Accepting his Best Director Oscar, Guillermo del Toro said, “I am an immigrant like Alfonso and Alejandro, my compadres. Like Gael, like Salma and like many, many of you. And in the last 25 years, I’ve been living in a country all of our own. Part of it is here, part of it is in Europe, part of it is everywhere. Because I think that the greatest thing our art does and our industry does is to erase the lines in the sand. We should continue doing that when the world tells us to make them deeper.”
Best Original Screenplay winner Jordan Peele (Get Out) thanked moviegoers who’ve supported the film and said, “I stopped writing this movie about 20 times because I thought it was impossible. I thought it wasn’t going to work. I thought no one would ever make this movie. But I kept coming back to it because I knew if someone let me make this movie, that people would hear it and people would see it.”
Sam Rockwell recalled a story from when he was a kid that illustrated his family’s love of films. “When I was eight years old, I was called into the principal’s office and my father was looking very solemn. And he said, ‘We gotta go, it’s Grandma.’ We got in the car and I said, ‘What’s wrong with Grandma.’ And he said, ‘Nothing, we going to the movies.’ My mom and dad’s love of movies became my love of movies, so thank you for that, Mom and Dad. I love you.”
Best Actress Oscar winner Frances McDormand (ABC/Craig Sjodin)
One of the night’s most memorable speeches was delivered by Best Actress winner Frances McDormand. Collecting her Oscar for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, McDormand called upon all of the women in attendance who were nominated in any category to stand up. After they stood, McDormand said, “Look around, ladies and gentlemen, because we all have stories to tell and projects we need financed. Don’t talk to us about it at the parties tonight. Invite us into your office in a couple days, or you can come to ours, whatever suits you best, and we’ll tell you all about them. I have two words to leave with you tonight, ladies and gentlemen: inclusion rider.”
(An inclusion rider is a legal statement an actor requests be put in their contract to guarantee gender and racial equality on the set.)
The 90th Academy Awards were held on Sunday, March 5, 2018 with Jimmy Kimmel hosting for the second consecutive year. ABC aired the live broadcast from Hollywood, with the show running 45 minutes over.
The 2018 Oscars – The Nominees and Winners:
Best Picture
Call Me by Your Name
Darkest Hour
Dunkirk
Get Out
Lady Bird
Phantom Thread
The Post WINNER: The Shape of Water
Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri
Directing
Dunkirk – Christopher Nolan
Get Out – Jordan Peele
Lady Bird – Greta Gerwig
Phantom Thread – Paul Thomas Anderson WINNER: The Shape of Water – Guillermo del Toro
Actor in a Leading Role
Timothée Chalamet – Call Me by Your Name
Daniel Day-Lewis – Phantom Thread
Daniel Kaluuya – Get Out WINNER: Gary Oldman – Darkest Hour
Denzel Washington – Roman J. Israel, Esq.
Actor in a Supporting Role
Willem Dafoe – The Florida Project
Woody Harrelson – Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri
Richard Jenkins – The Shape of Water
Christopher Plummer – All the Money in the World WINNER: Sam Rockwell – Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri
Actress in a Leading Role
Sally Hawkins – The Shape of Water WINNER: Frances McDormand – Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri
Margot Robbie – I, Tonya
Saoirse Ronan – Lady Bird
Meryl Streep – The Post
Actress in a Supporting Role
Mary J. Blige – Mudbound WINNER: Allison Janney – I, Tonya
Lesley Manville – Phantom Thread
Laurie Metcalf – Lady Bird
Octavia Spencer – The Shape of Water
Animated Feature Film
The Boss Baby
The Breadwinner WINNER:Coco
Ferdinand
Loving Vincent
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
WINNER:Call Me by Your Name – Screenplay by James Ivory
The Disaster Artist – Screenplay by Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber
Logan – Screenplay by Scott Frank & James Mangold and Michael Green; Story by James Mangold
Molly’s Game – Written for the screen by Aaron Sorkin
Mudbound – Screenplay by Virgil Williams and Dee Rees
Writing (Original Screenplay)
The Big Sick – Written by Emily V. Gordon & Kumail Nanjiani WINNER: Get Out – Written by Jordan Peele
Lady Bird – Written by Greta Gerwig
The Shape of Water – Screenplay by Guillermo del Toro & Vanessa Taylor; Story by Guillermo del Toro
Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri – Written by Martin McDonagh
Cinematography
WINNER:Blade Runner 2049 – Roger A. Deakins
Darkest Hour – Bruno Delbonnel
Dunkirk – Hoyte van Hoytema
Mudbound – Rachel Morrison
The Shape of Water – Dan Laustsen
Costume Design
Beauty and the Beast – Jacqueline Durran
Darkest Hour – Jacqueline Durran WINNER: Phantom Thread – Mark Bridges
The Shape of Water – Luis Sequeira
Victoria & Abdul – Consolata Boyle
Documentary (Feature)
Abacus: Small Enough to Jail
Faces Places WINNER: Icarus
Last Men in Aleppo
Strong Island
Documentary (Short Subject)
Edith+Eddie WINNER: Heaven Is a Traffic Jam on the 405
Heroin(e)
Knife Skills
Traffic Stop
Film Editing
Baby Driver – Paul Machliss and Jonathan Amos WINNER:Dunkirk – Lee Smith
I, Tonya – Tatiana S. Riegel
The Shape of Water – Sidney Wolinsky
Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri – Jon Gregory
Foreign Language Film
WINNER: A Fantastic Woman – Chile
The Insult – Lebanon
Loveless – Russia
On Body and Soul – Hungary
The Square – Sweden
Makeup and Hairstyling
WINNER: Darkest Hour – Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski and Lucy Sibbick
Victoria & Abdul – Daniel Phillips and Lou Sheppard
Wonder – Arjen Tuiten
Music (Original Score)
Dunkirk – Hans Zimmer
Phantom Thread – Jonny Greenwood WINNER: The Shape of Water – Alexandre Desplat
Star Wars: The Last Jedi – John Williams
Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri – Carter Burwell
Music (Original Song)
Mighty River – from Mudbound; Music and Lyric by Mary J. Blige, Raphael Saadiq and Taura Stinson
Mystery Of Love – from Call Me by Your Name; Music and Lyric by Sufjan Stevens WINNER: Remember Me – from Coco; Music and Lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez
Stand Up For Something – from Marshall; Music by Diane Warren; Lyric by Lonnie R. Lynn and Diane Warren
This Is Me – from The Greatest Showman; Music and Lyric by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
Production Design
Beauty and the Beast – Production Design: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
Blade Runner 2049 – Production Design: Dennis Gassner; Set Decoration: Alessandra Querzola
Darkest Hour – Production Design: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
Dunkirk – Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Gary Fettis WINNER: The Shape of Water – Production Design: Paul Denham Austerberry; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau and Jeff Melvin
Short Film (Animated)
WINNER: Dear Basketball
Garden Party
Lou
Negative Space
Revolting Rhymes
Short Film (Live Action)
DeKalb Elementary
The Eleven O’Clock
My Nephew Emmett WINNER: The Silent Child
Watu Wote/All of Us
Sound Editing
Baby Driver – Julian Slater
Blade Runner 2049 – Mark Mangini and Theo Green WINNER: Dunkirk – Richard King and Alex Gibson
The Shape of Water – Nathan Robitaille and Nelson Ferreira
Star Wars: The Last Jedi – Matthew Wood and Ren Klyce
Sound Mixing
Baby Driver – Julian Slater, Tim Cavagin and Mary H. Ellis
Blade Runner 2049 – Ron Bartlett, Doug Hemphill and Mac Ruth WINNER: Dunkirk – Mark Weingarten, Gregg Landaker and Gary A. Rizzo
The Shape of Water – Christian Cooke, Brad Zoern and Glen Gauthier
Star Wars: The Last Jedi – David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Stuart Wilson
Visual Effects
WINNER: Blade Runner 2049 – John Nelson, Gerd Nefzer, Paul Lambert and Richard R. Hoover
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Jonathan Fawkner and Dan Sudick
Kong: Skull Island – Stephen Rosenbaum, Jeff White, Scott Benza and Mike Meinardus
Star Wars: The Last Jedi – Ben Morris, Mike Mulholland, Neal Scanlan and Chris Corbould
War for the Planet of the Apes – Joe Letteri, Daniel Barrett, Dan Lemmon and Joel Whist
Not even Fifty Shades Darker could pull off a win against the disastrous animated film, The Emoji Movie. The 38th Annual Razzie Awards were announced on Saturday, March 3, 2018, taking place the day prior to the Oscars and honoring the worst feature films and performances of 2017.
This year’s Razzies went all in on The Emoji Movie, naming the critically panned film Worst Picture and awarding it Worst Director (Anthony Leondis) and Worst Screenplay awards. The Emoji Movie picked up a total of four Razzies, with Fifty Shades Darker following with two. The Mummy, Baywatch, and Daddy’s Home 2 each were (dis)honored with one Razzie win.
Sony Pictures Animation’s The Emoji Movie explored the world of emojis inside our smartphones. The 2017 animated comedy featured the voices of T.J. Miller, James Corden, Anna Faris, Steven Wright, and Patrick Stewart. Surprisingly, the comedy which registered a 9% rotten score on Rotten Tomatoes made $217 million worldwide during its theatrical run.
The Razzies 2018 Nominees:
Worst Picture Winner: The Emoji Movie
Baywatch
Fifty Shades Darker
The Mummy
Transformers XVII: The Last Knight
Worst Actress
Katherine Heigl / Unforgettable
Dakota Johnson / Fifty Shades Darker
Jennifer Lawrence / Mother! Winner: Tyler Perry / BOO! 2: A Medea Halloween
Emma Watson / The Circle
Worst Actor Winner: Tom Cruise / The Mummy
Johnny Depp / Pirates of The Caribbean XIII: Dead Men Tell No Tales
Jamie Dornan / Fifty Shades Darker
Zac Efron / Baywatch
Mark Wahlberg / Daddy’s Home 2 & Transformers XVII: The Last Knight
Worst Supporting Actor
Javier Bardem / Mother! & Pirates of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
Russell Crowe / The Mummy
Josh Duhamel / Transformers XVII: Last Knight Winner: Mel Gibson / Daddy’s Home 2
Anthony Hopkins / Collide & Transformers XVII: Last Knight
Worst Supporting Actress Winner: Kim Basinger / Fifty Shades Darker
Sofia Boutella / The Mummy
Laura Haddock / Transformers XVII: Last Knight
Goldie Hawn / Snatched
Susan Sarandon / A Bad Moms Christmas
Worst Screen Combo
Any Combination of Two Characters, Two Sex Toys or Two Sexual Positions: Fifty Shades Darker
Any Combination of Two Humans, Two Robots or Two Explosions: Transformers XVII: Last Knight Winner: Any Two Obnoxious Emojis: The Emoji Movie
Johnny Depp & His Worn Out Drunk Routine: Pirates of the Caribbean XIII: Dead Careers Tell No Tales
Tyler Perry & Either The Ratty Old Dress or Worn Out Wig: BOO! 2: A Madea Halloween
Worst Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel
Baywatch
BOO 2: A Medea Halloween Winner: Fifty Shades Darker
The Mummy
Transformers XVII: Last Knight
Worst Director
Darren Aronofsky / Mother!
Michael Bay / Transformers XVII: Last Knight
James Foley / Fifty Shades Darker
Alex Kurtzman / The Mummy Winner: Anthony (Tony) Leonidis / The Emoji Movie
Worst Screenplay
Baywatch Winner: The Emoji Movie
Fifty Shades Darker
The Mummy
Transformers XVII: The Last Knight
So Rottenly Bad, You Liked It Winner: Baywatch
Transformers: The Last Knight
The Mummy
Fifty Shades Darker
The Emoji Movie
Get Out‘s Jordan Peele won Best Director and the movie earned the Best Feature award, becoming only the second horror film in Spirit Awards history to win in that category.
The 2018 Spirit Awards took place on Saturday, March 3rd in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica. The annual awards ceremony honors the best in independent films and is always held on the day prior to the Oscars. The 2018 Spirit Awards was hosted by Nick Kroll and John Mulaney who began the show by skewering Brett Ratner, Woody Allen, Kevin Spacey, and Harvey Weinstein.
Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominees and Winners:
BEST FEATURE
Call Me by Your Name
The Florida Project WINNER: Get Out
Lady Bird
The Rider
BEST FIRST FEATURE
Columbus WINNER: Ingrid Goes West
Menashe
Oh Lucy!
Patti Cake$
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD – Given to the best feature made for under $500,000
Dayveon
A Ghost Story WINNER: Life and nothing more
Most Beautiful Island
The Transfiguration
BEST DIRECTOR
Sean Baker – The Florida Project
Jonas Carpignano – A Ciambra
Luca Guadagnino – Call Me by Your Name WINNER: Jordan Peele – Get Out
Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie – Good Time
Chloé Zhao – The Rider
BEST SCREENPLAY WINNER: Greta Gerwig – Lady Bird
Azazel Jacobs – The Lovers
Martin McDonagh – Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri
Jordan Peele – Get Out
Mike White – Beatriz at Dinner
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Donald Cried WINNER: The Big Sick
Women Who Kill
Columbus
Ingrid Goes West
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Thimios Bakatakis – The Killing of a Sacred Deer
Elisha Christian – Columbus
Hélène Louvart – Beach Rats WINNER: Sayombhu Mukdeeprom – Call Me by Your Name
Joshua James Richards – The Rider
BEST EDITING
Ronald Bronstein, Benny Safdie – Good Time
Walter Fasano – Call Me by Your Name
Alex O’Flinn – The Rider
Gregory Plotkin – Get Out WINNER: Tatiana S. Riegel – I, Tonya
BEST FEMALE LEAD
Salma Hayek – Beatriz at Dinner WINNER: Frances McDormand – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Margot Robbie – I, Tonya
Saoirse Ronan – Lady Bird
Shinobu Terajima – Oh Lucy!
Regina Williams – Life and nothing more
BEST MALE LEAD WINNER: Timothée Chalamet – Call Me by Your Name
Harris Dickinson – Beach Rats
James Franco – The Disaster Artist
Daniel Kaluuya – Get Out
Robert Pattinson -Good Time
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Holly Hunter – The Big Sick WINNER: Allison Janney – I, Tonya
Laurie Metcalf – Lady Bird
Lois Smith – Marjorie Prime
Taliah Lennice Webster – Good Time
BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Nnamdi Asomugha – Crown Heights
Armie Hammer – Call Me by Your Name
Barry Keoghan – The Killing of a Sacred Deer WINNER: Sam Rockwell – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Benny Safdie – Good Time
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD – Given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast
Mudbound
Director: Dee Rees
Casting Directors: Billy Hopkins, Ashley Ingram
Ensemble Cast: Jonathan Banks, Mary J. Blige, Jason Clarke, Garrett Hedlund, Jason Mitchell, Rob Morgan, Carey Mulligan
BEST DOCUMENTARY
The Departure WINNER: Faces Places
Last Men in Aleppo
Motherland
Quest
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
BPM (Beats Per Minute) – France WINNER: A Fantastic Woman – Chile
I Am Not a Witch – Zambia
Lady Macbeth – U.K.
Loveless – Russia
BONNIE AWARD – Bonnie Tiburzi Caputo joined American Airlines in 1973 at age 24, becoming the first female pilot to fly for a major U.S. airline. In her honor, the inaugural Bonnie Award will recognize a mid-career female director with a $50,000 unrestricted grant, sponsored by American Airlines.
So Yong Kim
Lynn Shelton WINNER: Chloé Zhao
JEEP TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – The 23rd annual Truer Than Fiction Award, funded by the Jeep brand, 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 funded by the Jeep brand.
Shevaun Mizrahi
Director of Distant Constellation
WINNER: Jonathan Olshefski
Director of Quest
Jeff Unay
Director of The Cage Fighter
KIEHL’S SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – The 24th annual Someone to Watch Award, funded 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.
Amman Abbasi
Director of Dayveon
WINNER: Justin Chon
Director of Gook
Kevin Phillips
Director of Super Dark Times
PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD – The 21st annual Producers Award, funded 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.
Giulia Caruso & Ki Jin Kim
Ben LeClair WINNER: Summer Shelton
Zach Braff is returning to a starring role in a television comedy with ABC’s Alex, Inc. Braff starred in the critically acclaimed comedy Scrubs which ran for nine seasons and earned him three Golden Globe nominations as well as an Emmy nomination (Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series). In ABC’s midseason comedy, Braff plays a husband and father who takes a huge leap and gives up a steady income to follow his dreams.
Alex, Inc. is written by Matt Tarses (Mad Love, Scrubs) with Braff pulling triple duty as director and executive producer. Matt Tarses, John Davis, John Fox, Alex Blumberg, Chris Gilberti, and Matt Lieber are also executive produce the half-hour comedy.
In addition to Zach Braff as Alex Schuman, the series stars Michael Imperioli as Eddie, Tiya Sircar as Rooni Schuman, Hillary Anne Matthews as Deirdre, Elisha Henig as Ben Schuman, and Audyssie James as Soraya Schuman. ABC has set a March 28, 2018 premiere date.
The Plot: Based on Alex Blumberg’s successful podcast StartUp, comedy series Alex, Inc. is all about the things that happen – the good, the bad and the ugly – when a journalist and family man quits his job to start his own company. He quickly discovers it’s going to be a lot harder than he thought.
Michael Imperioli, Hillary Anne Matthews, Elisha Henign, Zach Braff, Audyssie James and Tiya Sircar as Rooni in ‘Alex, Inc.’ (ABC/Bob D’Amico)Zach Braff stars, directs, and executive produces ‘Alex, Inc.’ (ABC/Elizabeth Fischer) ZACH BRAFFElisha Henig and Eleanor Koski in ‘Alex, Inc.’ (ABC/Elizabeth Fischer)Tiya Sircar, Audyssie James, Zach Braff and Elisha Henig (ABC/Elizabeth Fischer)Audyssie James, Tiya Sircar, and Zach Braff (ABC/Elizabeth Fischer)Zach Braff as Alex Schuman in ‘Alex, Inc.’ (ABC/Elizabeth Fischer)Audyssie James as Soraya, Elisha Henig as Ben, Tiya Sircar as Rooni, Zach Braff as Alex, Hillary Anne Matthews as Deirdre and Michael Imperioli as Eddie. (ABC/Craig Sjodin)
Freeform’s new original dramatic series Siren is set in a world in which mermaids exist. The new drama was created by Eric Wald and Dean White, with Emily Whitesell (Finding Carter) handling showrunner duties for season one. Whitesell also executive produces along with Eric Wald, Dean White, Brad Luff, Nate Hopper, and RD Robb.
Siren will premiere on International Mermaid Day which is apparently Thursday, March 29, 2018. The series will kick off with a two-hour premiere beginning at 8pm ET/PT.
The Plot:Siren takes us inside Bristol Cove – a coastal town known for its legend of once being home to mermaids. When the arrival of a mysterious girl proves this folklore all too true, the battle between man and sea takes a very vicious turn as these predatory beings return to reclaim their right to the ocean.
The series stars Alex Roe as Ben, a bright marine biologist who finds himself drawn to Ryn, a mysterious new girl in town played by Eline Powell, who is a strange young woman with a deep dark secret. Fola Evans-Akingbola (An American Exorcism, Game of Thrones) stars as Maddie, also a marine biologist who works with Ben, and is highly suspicious of Ryn. Ian Verdun (Life’s a Drag) stars as Xander, a deep sea fisherman on a quest to uncover the truth; and Rena Owen (Star Wars Episodes II and III) as Helen, the town eccentric who seems to know more about the mermaids than she lets on.
Poster for ‘Siren’ (Photo Credit: Freeform)Eline Powell stars in ‘Siren’ (Freeform/Sergei Bachlakov)Ian Verdun as Xander, Fola Evans-Akingbola as Maddie, Alex Roe as Ben, Eline Powell as Ryn, Sibongile Mlambo as Donna and Rena Owen as Helen in ‘Siren’ (Freeform/Vu Ong)Alex Roe and Eline Powell in ‘Siren’ (Freeform/Sergei Bachlakov)Fola Evans-Akingbola in ‘Siren’ (Freeform/Sergei Bachlakov)Fola Evans-Akingbola (Freeform/Sergei Bachlakov)
