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Outtakes

Hang On Sloopy event kicks off Doc Week

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by George Wolf

Just who is this “Sloopy,” and how did a song about her become not just an Ohio State University anthem, but the state government-approved official rock song of Ohio?

It’s a fun story, actually, and enjoyably told in Hang On Sloopy: The Movie, scheduled to headline the star-studded opening of Columbus Documentary Week at the Gateway Film Center Thursday night (3/31).

The Gateway is hosting a special event screening of the film at 7:30 pm, complete with a live performance by the OSU men’s glee club, an intro by former Buckeyes football coach Earl Bruce, and a Q&A after the movie with producer Dave Winham, former OSU marching band director Dr. Paul Droste and current band director Dr. Christopher Hoch.

The Ohio-made documentary follows the unlikely story of the 1965 hit by The McCoys (led by Ohio native Rick Derringer) from its run at the top of the pop charts to its current status as TBDBITL’s gameday staple. “It’s a rockumentary about how a university and a whole state fell in love with a ‘60s pop song,” said Whinham, who will meet moviegoers and answer questions. “It’s a surprising and touching story that takes you through the decades at OSU and here in Columbus.”

As a Buckeye bonus, every $20 ticket purchase comes with a complimentary DVD copy of the film.

Get more details about the Documentary Week schedule HERE.

Outtakes

Fearless Oscar Predictions!

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Get your ballots ready – it’s time to determine best bets and the losers who deserve better. Who will take home the gold hardware? Who should? Who will shine the brightest on the red carpet? We only care about two of those questions, so let’s see how we shake it out.

 

BEST PICTURE

The Big Short

Bridge of Spies

Brooklyn

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Room

Spotlight

Will Win: The Revenant
The Revenant has so much momentum going into Sunday, any other winner would be an incredible upset. We don’t see that happening.

Should Win (Hope): The Revenant
This was such a masterfully crafted epic that I cannot balk with its win, although I could just as easily celebrate the nod for Mad Max: Fury Road, Room, or Spotlight.

Should Win (George): Carol
That’s unlikely to happen since it wasn’t even nominated (shakes fist), so out of this group, I’m saying The Revenant by an eyelash over Mad Max: Fury Road.

 

DIRECTING

Adam McKay, The Big Short

George Miller,  Mad Max: Fury Road

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, The Revenant

Lenny Abrahamson, Room

Tom McCarthy, Spotlight

Will Win: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, The Revenant
Winning the best directing Oscar in consecutive years is rare, but the momentum says Inarritu will pull it off. With back to back wins from the Director’s Guild, an Oscar two-fer this Sunday seems likely.

Should Win (Hope):  Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, The Revenant
Inarritu’s vision and execution are breathtaking achievements and I could not find fault with this win, although the same can be said for George Miller and Mad Max: Fury Road.

Should Win (George): George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road
No doubt, The Revenant was a marvel of direction, but the way George Miller revitalized his own franchise with astounding visuals and breakneck action was damn near a miracle.

 

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Bryan Cranston, Trumbo

Matt Damon, The Martian

Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant

Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs

Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl

Will Win: Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
The surest bet this weekend.

Should Win Best Actor (Hope & George): DiCaprio
It can be hard to appreciate a performance that relies so little on dialog, but it is impossible not to see what DiCaprio was able to transmit with no more than 15 lines in English. He deserves the prize.

 

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Cate Blanchett, Carol

Brie Larson, Room

Jennifer Lawrence, Joy

Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years

Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn

Will Win: Brie Larson, Room
Again, Larson couldn’t have more momentum, having picked up nearly every award along the road to the Oscars. We can’t imagine we’ll see an upset here.

Should Win (Hope): Brie Larson, Room
Larson conveys a mixture of torment and hope, love and grief that is so authentic it is almost too much to bear. She alone deserves this trophy.

Should Win (George): Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years
All the nominated performances are stellar, but Rampling was a master of understated humanity, with a final shot that’s fit for a time capsule.

 

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Christian Bale, The Big Short

Tom Hardy, The Revenant

Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight

Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies

Sylvester Stallone, Creed

Will Win: Stallone Stallone, Creed
He was as good as he’s ever been, yes, but this win will be more about heart than mind.

Should Win (Hope & George): Tom Hardy, The Revenant
Gather ye canned goods and duct tape while ye may, because the day Stallone takes an Oscar from the great Tom Hardy, the end is nigh.

 

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight

Rooney Mara, Carol

Rachel McAdams, Spotlight

Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl

Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs

Will Win: Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs
This may be the biggest toss up in the list, but Winslet – an Oscar favorite for good reason – seems to have Big Mo on her side.

Should Win (Hope): Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
I’d give this one to Leigh, whose performance in The Hateful Eight proves her mettle as a comic actress and a performer who can take a beating – although a nod for Rooney Mara’s understated, aching performance in Carol would also deserve the attention.

Should Win (George): Rooney Mara, Carol
I’ll go with Mara, in a squeaker rover JJL, for being the soul of a beautiful film anchored in love and longing.

 

WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)

Bridge of Spies

Ex Machina

Inside Out

Spotlight

Straight Outta Compton

Will Win: Tom McCarthy & Josh Singer, Spotlight
McCarthy’s magnificent integrity and humanity with a screenplay will finally be acknowledged.

Should Win (Hope & George): Alex Garland, Ex Machina
We will not complain if Spotlight takes home this award because the amazing Tom McCarthy deserves the nod, although we would personally go with Alex Garland’s psychosexual phenom Ex Machina.

 

WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)

The Big Short

Brooklyn

Carol

The Martian

Room

Will Win: Charles Randolph & Adam McKay, The Big Short
It’s a tight category, but McKay and Randolph’s irate comical sensibility has impressed voters all along, and may carry them to gold.

Should Win (Hope): Emma Donoghue, Room                                                                               Adapting her own novel, Donoghue somehow managed the impossible in creating a hopeful, even wondrous tale of the single most horrific incident one could imagine. She’s pure magic.

Should Win (George): Todd Haynes, Carol
Haynes’s adaptation of Phyllis Highsmith’s novel The Price of Salt conveys the costs of love so profoundly it settles in your bones.

 

Chris Rock hosts the 88th Annual Academy Awards airs this Sunday at 8:30 on ABC.

Outtakes, Slider

2016 Oscar Nominations: Not Bad!

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by Hope Madden and George Wolf

What a day. What a (mostly) lovely day!

Yes, Mad Max: Fury Road came up big in this year’s Oscar nominations. In fact, it’s a big Tom Hardy year, as the actor’s two films – Mad Max and The Revenant – cleaned up.

The year’s two most crowded fields are not necessarily the most glamorous, but determining the top picks from the possible contenders in best supporting actor and best cinematographer had to be tough. So we’ll will try not to complain too terribly loudly.

For cinematography, spot on! Carol, Mad Max: Fury Road, Sicario, The Revenant, The Hateful Eight. There are no bones to pick here.

For best supporting actor, though, let’s run through a handful of the blistering and brilliant performances that did not make this cut: Benicio Del Toro (Sicario), Josh Brolin (Sicario), Paul Dano (Love & Mercy), and most grievously, Oscar Isaac (Ex Machina). In their stead are four worthy adversaries and one unfortunate “good job, old man” nod.

Yes, Stallone (Creed)– in what is rightly considered his best performance in eons – takes the place of far stronger performances based on public good will. And while everyone high fives over the good fortune of the 69-year-old, we mourn for the far, far, far superior performances that will go unacknowledged.

He’s joined by Mark Ruffalo (Spotlight), Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies), Tom Hardy (The Revenant), and Christian Bale (The Big Short).

Otherwise, though, not a lot to bitch about.

Best actor looked about as we thought: DiCaprio (The Revenant), Redmayne (The Danish Girl), Fassbender (Steve Jobs), Cranston (Trumbo), Damon (The Martian). Best actress was almost as clear with Brie Larson (Room), Jennifer Lawrence (Joy), Cate Blanchett (Carol), Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn), and the surprise but utterly deserved nomination for Charlotte Rampling (45 Years).

Best supporting actress was likewise littered with excellence: Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight), Rooney Mara (Carol), Rachel McAdams (Spotlight), Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl), and Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs).

Best director nominations were entirely welcome, with Adam McKay getting noticed for his unexpected and wonderful work on The Big Short, George Miller capping off an exceptional day for Mad Max: Fury Road, Alejandro G. Inarritu getting a chance at back-to-back wins for The Revenant, along with two highly worthy newcomers to the category, Tom McCarthy for Spotlight and Lenny Abrahamson for his marvel, Room.

Original screenplay nominees are strong: Bridge of Spies, Inside Out, Spotlight, Ex Machina, and as a nice surprise, Straight Outta Compton. We wouldn’t have minded a nod for The Hateful Eight, but those five are a fine group. Adapted screenplay hopefuls are The Big Short, Brooklyn, Carol, Room, and The Martian taking the final slot we’d have given to Steve Jobs.

Our biggest gripe comes at the top, with the exquisite Carol being denied a best picture nod while the obvious pandering of The Martian is rewarded. Criminal. Otherwise, Best Picture is a healthy group: The Big Short, Bridge of Spies, Brooklyn, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant, Room, and Spotlight.

Chris Rock will host the awards show Sunday night, February 28th on ABC.

Outtakes, Slider

RIP David Bowie

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We lost the incomparable David Bowie last night, a figure whose impression on this planet is hard to overstate.

We’re all familiar with David Bowie’s contributions to the field of music as a god among men, but how well do you know him as an actor? Unable to play an ordinary man, it’s no surprise Bowie glided enigmatically from one film to the next, routinely representing eternal youth and alienation.

Though not every film choice has been a jewel, here is a handful of recommendations, along with a good Bowie tune to get you in the mood for each movie.

 

THE HUNGER (1983)
Director Tony Scott’s first major film is a stylish if dated vampire fable.

A beautiful true vampire is in need of a new human lover, because her current mate’s age is finally catching up to him. Atmospheric and sensual, the film is best known for Catherine Deneuve/Susan Sarandon love scenes, but Bowie is hauntingly memorable as Deneuve’s doomed lover John Blaylock.

Quote: Are you making a pass at me, Mrs. Blaylock?
Song: Scary Monsters

 

THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST (1988)
Scorsese’s once-controversial crucifixion movie sees Christ as a masochistic everyman, exemplifying moral struggle rather than biblical “accuracy.” Bowie’s small but pivotal role as Pontius Pilate (actually a combination of Pilate and Herod), is understated and effective. The film is more literary than literal, and benefits from a dreamy quality created through Michael Ballhaus’s cinematography and Peter Gabriel’s score.

Quote: It simply doesn’t matter how you want to change things; we don’t want them changed.
Song: The Man Who Sold the World

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS, MR. LAWRENCE (1983)
This powerful culture clash tale is the underrated story of WWII British prisoners of war in a Japanese camp, perhaps more meaningful now than when it was released in 1983. Haunting cinematography and score, as well as subtle performances and Nagisa Oshima’s fearless direction, combine to create an intensely emotional film. Bowie’s Maj. Celliers, the most layered and provocative character, is the most polished performance of his acting career.

Quote: There are times when victory is very hard to take.
Song: Heroes

 

BASQUIAT (1996)
This meandering biopic of NY artist Jean Michel Basquiat is buoyed by one of the most reliably brilliants casts ever assembled: Jeffrey Wright, Benicio del Toro, Christopher Walken, Gary Oldman, Dennis Hopper, Parker Posey, and Willem Dafoe. David Bowie more than holds his own amidst this remarkable group, surprisingly insightful as Basquiat’s only true friend, Andy Warhol. An absolutely killer soundtrack gives scenes a little added punch.

Quote: You kids. You drink red wine with fish. You can do anything.
Song: Andy Warhol

 

MR. RICE’S SECRET (2000)
This rarely seen gem of a children’s film is a low budget Canadian fantasy told without condescension to a pre-pubescent audience. Bowie plays Mr. Rice, wise and mysterious friend to a terminally ill boy. Though the film has its clunky, almost TV movie moments, on the whole it’s a refreshing and interesting coming of age film, made even more poignant with tempered morbidity.

Quote: Every man needs a good blue suit.
Song: My Death

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eijUj1TfLt0

 

THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH (1976)
A very sympathetic, delicate Bowie finds himself on an alien planet (Earth) in this post-modern tale of the trappings of modern life. This eccentric film, co-starring Candy Clark, Rip Torn, and Buck Henry, could be a time capsule of 1976. The film, though sometimes hard to follow, benefits from director Nicolas Roeg’s mastery behind the camera, but it is Bowie’s performance that makes Man memorable.

Quote: Mr. Newton, are you crazy?
Song: Loving the Alien

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfccDapMA14

 

THE PRESTIGE (2006)
Maybe an unusual casting choice by director Christopher Nolan for the role Nicola Tesla, but in a film built around illusion, Bowie delivers an impressive mix of the legendary and the enigmatic

Quote: You’re familiar with the phrase, ‘Man’s reach exceeds his grasp’?
Song: Life on Mars?

 

ZOOLANDER (2001)
A cameo, yes, but it made perfect sense! Who else to judge the walkoff?

Quote: I believe I might be of service
Song: Fashion

Mr. Bowie, you are and will continue to be deeply missed.

Outtakes

2015 COFCA Award Winners!

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Spotlight shines at 14th annual Central Ohio Film Critics Association awards

(Columbus, January 7, 2016) Tom McCarthy’s investigative drama Spotlight has been named Best Film in the Central Ohio Film Critics Association’s 14th annual awards, which recognize excellence in the film industry for 2015. The film also claimed three other awards. McCarthy was honored as Best Director. The cast, including Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, and Rachel McAdams, was named Best Ensemble. Josh Singer and McCarthy won for Best Original Screenplay.

Columbus-area critics lauded Alicia Vikander with three awards: Best Supporting Actress (Ex Machina); Actor of the Year for her exemplary body of work in Burnt, The Danish Girl, Ex Machina, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Seventh Son, and Testament of Youth; and Breakthrough Film Artist. Other individual screen performers commended for their achievements include Best Actor Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant), who previously was named COFCA’s Best Actor in 2006 for The Departed; Best Actress Brie Larson (Room); and Best Supporting Actor Benicio Del Toro (Sicario).

The Revenant’s Emmanuel Lubezki won Best Cinematography. COFCA members also tabbed him for Best Cinematography in 2011 for The Tree of Life and 2013 for Gravity. Other winners include: Mad Max: Fury Road’s Margaret Sixel for Best Film Editing; The Big Short’s Charles Randolph and Adam McKay for Best Adapted Screenplay; The Hateful Eight’s Ennio Morricone for Best Score; Best Documentary The Look of Silence; Best Foreign Language Film Phoenix; Best Animated Film Inside Out; and The Tribe (Plemya) as Best Overlooked Film.

Founded in 2002, the Central Ohio Film Critics Association is comprised of film critics based in Columbus, Ohio and the surrounding areas. Its membership consists of 21 print, radio, television, and internet critics. COFCA’s official website at www.cofca.org contains links to member reviews and past award winners.

Winners were announced at a private party on January 7.

Complete list of awards:

Best Film
1. Spotlight
2. Inside Out
3. Room
4. Mad Max: Fury Road
5. Ex Machina
6. Sicario
7. Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens
8. The Revenant
9. The Big Short
10. The Martian

Best Director
-Tom McCarthy, Spotlight
-Runner-up: George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road

Best Actor
-Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
-Runner-up: Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs

Best Actress
-Brie Larson, Room
-Runners-up: Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn and Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl

Best Supporting Actor
-Benicio Del Toro, Sicario
-Runner-up: Oscar Isaac, Ex Machina

Best Supporting Actress
-Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina
-Runner-up: Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight

Best Ensemble
-Spotlight
-Runner-up: The Hateful Eight

Actor of the Year (for an exemplary body of work)
-Alicia Vikander, Burnt, The Danish Girl, Ex Machina, The Man from
U.N.C.L.E., Seventh Son, and Testament of Youth
-Runner-up: Domhnall Gleeson, Brooklyn, Ex Machina, The Revenant, and Star
Wars: Episode VII -The Force Awakens

Breakthrough Film Artist
-Alicia Vikander, Burnt, The Danish Girl, Ex Machina, The Man from
U.N.C.L.E., Seventh Son, and Testament of Youth (for acting)
-Runner-up: Sean Baker, Tangerine (for producing, directing, screenwriting, film editing, cinematography, camera operation, and casting)

Best Cinematography
-Emmanuel Lubezki, The Revenant
-Runner-up: John Seale, Mad Max: Fury Road

Best Film Editing
-Margaret Sixel, Mad Max: Fury Road
-Runner-up: Joe Walker, Sicario

Best Adapted Screenplay
-Charles Randolph and Adam McKay, The Big Short
-Runner-up: Emma Donoghue, Room

Best Original Screenplay
-Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy, Spotlight
-Runner-up: Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, and Josh Cooley, Inside Out

Best Score
-Ennio Morricone, The Hateful Eight
-Runner-up: Junkie XL, Mad Max: Fury Road

Best Documentary
-The Look of Silence
-Runner-up: Amy

Best Foreign Language Film
-Phoenix
-Runner-up: Wild Tales (Relatos salvajes)

Best Animated Film
-Inside Out
-Runner-up: Anomalisa

Best Overlooked Film
-The Tribe (Plemya)
-Runner-up: The Gift

COFCA offers its congratulations to the winners.

Previous Best Film winners:

2002: Punch-Drunk Love
2003: Lost in Translation
2004: Million Dollar Baby
2005: A History of Violence
2006: Children of Men
2007: No Country for Old Men
2008: WALL·E
2009: Up in the Air
2010: Inception
2011: Drive
2012: Moonrise Kingdom
2013: Gravity
2014: Selma

For more information about the Central Ohio Film Critics Association, please visit www.cofca.org or e-mail info@cofca.org.

The complete list of members and their affiliations:

Richard Ades (Freelance); Dwayne Bailey (Bailey’s Buzz); Logan Burd (Cinema or Cine-meh?); Kevin Carr (www.7mpictures.com, FilmSchoolRejects.com); Bill Clark (www.fromthebalcony.com); Olie Coen (Archer Avenue, DVD Talk); John DeSando (90.5 WCBE); Frank Gabrenya (The Columbus Dispatch); James Hansen (Out 1 Film Journal); Brad Keefe (Columbus Alive); Kristin Dreyer Kramer (NightsAndWeekends.com, 90.5 WCBE); Joyce Long (Freelance); Rico Long (Freelance); Hope Madden (Columbus Underground and MaddWolf.com); Paul Markoff (WOCC-TV3; Otterbein TV); David Medsker (Bullz-Eye.com); Lori Pearson (Kids-in-Mind.com, critics.com); Mark Pfeiffer (Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema; WOCC-TV3; Otterbein TV); Melissa Starker (Columbus Alive, The Columbus Dispatch); George Wolf (Columbus Radio Group and MaddWolf.com); Jason Zingale (Bullz-Eye.com); Nathan Zoebl (PictureShowPundits.com).

The following information is not for publication:

If you would like comments about COFCA and these awards, please contact:

Mark Pfeiffer (mark.pfeiffer@gmail.com)
Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema and Co-host/co-producer, Now Playing, WOCC-TV3 and Otterbein TV​​​​

COFCA

Outtakes

2015 COFCA Nominations

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Nominees for the 14th annual Central Ohio Film Critics Association awards

(Columbus, January 3, 2016) The Central Ohio Film Critics Association is pleased to announce the nominees for its 14th annual awards. Winners will be announced on the evening of January 7th, 2016.

Founded in 2002, the Central Ohio Film Critics Association is comprised of film critics based in Columbus, Ohio and its surrounding areas. Its membership consists of 22 print, radio, television, and internet critics. COFCA’s official website at www.cofca.org contains links to member reviews and past award winners.

The 2015 Central Ohio Film Critics Association awards nominees are:

Best Film
-The Big Short
-Ex Machina
-Inside Out
-Mad Max: Fury Road
-The Martian
-The Revenant
-Room
-Sicario
-Spotlight
-Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens

Best Director
-Alejandro González Iñárritu, The Revenant
-Todd Haynes, Carol
-Tom McCarthy, Spotlight
-George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road
-Ridley Scott, The Martian
-Denis Villeneuve, Sicario

Best Actor
-Matt Damon, The Martian
-Johnny Depp, Black Mass
-Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
-Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
-Jacob Tremblay, Room

Best Actress
-Cate Blanchett, Carol
-Brie Larson, Room
-Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn
-Charlize Theron, Mad Max: Fury Road
-Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl

Best Supporting Actor
-Benicio Del Toro, Sicario
-Tom Hardy, The Revenant
-Oscar Isaac, Ex Machina
-Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight
-Sylvester Stallone, Creed

Best Supporting Actress
-Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
-Rooney Mara, Carol
-Rachel McAdams, Spotlight
-Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina
-Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs

Best Ensemble
-The Big Short
-Ex Machina
-The Hateful Eight
-Spotlight
-Steve Jobs

Actor of the Year (for an exemplary body of work)
-Cate Blanchett (Carol, Cinderella, and Truth)
-Michael Fassbender (Macbeth, Slow West, and Steve Jobs)
-Domhnall Gleeson (Brooklyn, Ex Machina, The Revenant, and Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force
Awakens)
-Tom Hardy (Child 44, Legend, Mad Max: Fury Road, and The Revenant)
-Alicia Vikander (Burnt, The Danish Girl, Ex Machina, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Seventh Son,
and Testament of Youth)

Breakthrough Film Artist
-Sean Baker, Tangerine – (for producing, directing, screenwriting, film editing, cinematography, camera operation, and casting)
-Joel Edgerton, The Gift – (for producing, directing, and screenwriting)
-David Robert Mitchell, It Follows – (for producing, directing, and screenwriting)
-Daisy Ridley, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens – (for acting)
-Jacob Tremblay, Room – (for acting)
-Alicia Vikander, Burnt, The Danish Girl, Ex Machina, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Seventh Son,
and Testament of Youth – (for acting)

Best Cinematography
-Roger Deakins, Sicario
-Emmanuel Lubezki, The Revenant
-Robert Richardson, The Hateful Eight
-John Seale, Mad Max: Fury Road
-Dariusz Wolski, The Martian

Best Film Editing
-Maryann Brandon and Mary Jo Markey, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens
-Tom McArdle, Spotlight
-Stephen Mirrione, The Revenant
-Margaret Sixel, Mad Max: Fury Road
-Joe Walker, Sicario

Best Adapted Screenplay
-Emma Donoghue, Room
-Drew Goddard, The Martian
-Nick Hornby, Brooklyn
-Charles Randolph and Adam McKay, The Big Short
-Aaron Sorkin, Steve Jobs

Best Original Screenplay
-Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, and Josh Cooley, Inside Out
-Alex Garland, Ex Machina
-Taylor Sheridan, Sicario
-Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy, Spotlight
-Quentin Tarantino, The Hateful Eight

Best Score
-Carter Burwell, Carol
-Michael Giacchino, Inside Out
-Jóhann Jóhannsson, Sicario
-Junkie XL, Mad Max: Fury Road
-Ennio Morricone, The Hateful Eight

Best Documentary
-Amy
-Best of Enemies
-Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief
-The Look of Silence
-The Wolfpack

Best Foreign Language Film
-The Assassin (Nie yin niang)
-Goodnight Mommy (Ich seh, ich sech)
-Phoenix
-The Tribe (Plemya)
-Timbuktu
-Wild Tales (Relatos salvajes)

Best Animated Film
-Anomalisa
-The Good Dinosaur
-Inside Out
-The Peanuts Movie
-Shaun the Sheep Movie

Best Overlooked Film
-The End of the Tour
-The Gift
-Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
-Mistress America
-Slow West
-The Tribe (Plemya)

COFCA offers its congratulations to the nominees.

Previous Best Film winners:

2002: Punch-Drunk Love
2003: Lost in Translation
2004: Million Dollar Baby
2005: A History of Violence
2006: Children of Men
2007: No Country for Old Men
2008: WALL·E
2009: Up in the Air
2010: Inception
2011: Drive
2012: Moonrise Kingdom
2013: Gravity
2014: Selma

For more information about the Central Ohio Film Critics Association, please visit www.cofca.org or e-mail info@cofca.org.

The complete list of members and their affiliations:

Richard Ades (Freelance); Dwayne Bailey (Bailey’s Buzz); Logan Burd (Cinema or Cine-meh?); Kevin Carr (www.7mpictures.com, FilmSchoolRejects.com); Bill Clark (www.fromthebalcony.com); Olie Coen (Archer Avenue, DVD Talk); John DeSando (90.5 WCBE); Frank Gabrenya (The Columbus Dispatch); James Hansen (Out 1 Film Journal); Brad Keefe (Columbus Alive); Kristin Dreyer Kramer (NightsAndWeekends.com, 90.5 WCBE); Joyce Long (Freelance); Rico Long (Freelance); Hope Madden (Columbus Underground and MaddWolf.com); Paul Markoff (WOCC-TV3; Otterbein TV); David Medsker (Bullz-Eye.com); Lori Pearson (Kids-in-Mind.com, critics.com); Mark Pfeiffer (Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema; WOCC-TV3; Otterbein TV); Melissa Starker (Columbus Alive, The Columbus Dispatch); George Wolf (Columbus Radio Group and MaddWolf.com); Jason Zingale (Bullz-Eye.com); Nathan Zoebl (PictureShowPundits.com).

The following information is not for publication:

If you would like comments about COFCA and these awards, please contact:

Mark Pfeiffer (mark.pfeiffer@gmail.com)
Co-host/co-producer, Now Playing, WOCC-TV3 and Otterbein TV
Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema

Outtakes, Slider

Countdown: 25 Best Films of 2015

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by George Wolf

It was going to be a top ten, but next thing you know, I’ve got twenty-five favorites this year, with a few special mentions for the deserving.

GUILTY PLEASURE: Vacation. It had its rough spots, but I laughed.

HIDDEN GEM: Slow West. It was a great year for Westerns, and this less-is-more beauty was a big reason why.

DON’T UNDERSTAND THE LOVE (aka The Blind Side Award): The Martian.  Matt Damon brings the usual charm but everything else is lost in space.

 

25. Clouds of Sils Maria

Juliette Binoche and Kristin Stewart shine in this story of an actress confronting both her past and future. Full of subtle complexity, it offers sly insights that sneak up on you, and an exceptional cast to make them stick.

 

24. Bone Tomahawk

A horror cannibal western? Thank you S. Craig Zahler, and well done.

 

23. Tangerine

Much more than just “the iPhone movie,” Sean Baker’s in-the-moment look at life “on the block” is brash and daring, funny, subversive, insightful and poignant.

 

22. Phoenix

A gripping story of loss, hope, regret and resignation, told with simmering emotional power by director Christian Petzold.

 

21. Straight Outta Compton

This is a musical biopic with some pretty high stakes and a pretty big payoff. It’s at once a universal story of expression, and an intimate American journey, as vital to its own time as it is to ours.

 

20. Trainwreck

The funniest movie of the year, and a wonderful big screen breakout for Amy Schumer (and some guy named LeBron).

 

19. Love & Mercy

A wonderfully abstract take on the life of Brain Wilson, led by a masterful turn from Paul Dano.

 

18. Mistress America

Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig deliver an offbeat, fast paced dialog-fest that’s equal parts self-delusion satire and love letter to the written word.

 

17. The Hateful Eight

Retro stylings, wicked humor, a deliberate pace, and thirst-quenching frontier justice mark Tarantino’s robust mix of Agatha Christie whodunit and violent social commentary.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnRbXn4-Yis

 

16. Sicario

Badass Emily Blunt, flippant Josh Brolin, and haunting Benicio Del Toro anchor Denis Villeneuve’s visually mesmerizing tale of moral ambiguity on the Southern border. Intense.

 

15. Bridge of Spies

Spielberg, Hanks, Coen Brothers, historical drama…you can guess how that works out.

 

14. Brooklyn

A luminous story of love, home and commitment, bursting with beauty and a heart-piercing lead performance from Saoirse Ronan.

 

13. Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Maybe you’ve heard of it.

 

12. It Follows

David Robert Mitchell serves up the best American horror film in years. It’s creepy, smart and stylish, with scares that won’t easily vanish.

 

11. The Tribe (Plemya)

Don’t like subtitles? Great, you won’t find any in this gripping tale of survival told entirely in Ukranian sign language. An unforgettable experience.

 

10. The Big Short

The director of Anchorman and Talladega Nights grabs a stellar cast and tackles the housing crisis with conscience, wit and outrage.

 

9. Anomalisa

Charlie Kaufman’s proposed animated short becomes a wondrous feature that utilizes powerful subtlety to explore the challenge and mystery of human connection.

 

8. The Revenant

Innaritu, DiCaprio and Hardy take the journey toward redemption to the out of doors with a brutally gorgeous, punishingly brilliant film.

 

7. Inside Out

Once again, Pixar examines the changing phases of life with charm, humor, and a subtle intelligence that can’t help but give you a fresh appreciation for all the jumbled feelings that make life worth living.

 

6. Spotlight

Writer/director Tom McCarthy and a brilliant ensemble address the Catholic Church abuse scandal with a welcome dignity. This is as observant a film as you will find, delicately crafted and brimming with sincere, multi-dimensional performances. It is required viewing.

 

5. Steve Jobs

What if they gave a great movie and nobody came? Director Danny Boyle and writer Aaron Sorkin craft a challenging and ferocious look at the wages of genius, carried by a masterwork titular performance from Michael Fassbender.

 

4. Mad Max: Fury Road

To say that George Miller has stepped up his game since he left us at Thunderdome would be far too mild a statement. Mad Max: Fury Road is not just superior to everything in this franchise, it’s among the most exhausting, thrilling, visceral action films ever made.

 

3. Ex Machina

What an irresistible treat Ex Machina is – smart, seductive and wickedly funny, boasting glorious visuals, stirring performances, and big ideas guaranteed to linger like a dream you just can’t shake. It’s a stunning directorial debut from veteran writer Alex Garland, with a can’t-look-away performance from Oscar Isaac.

 

2. Room

Director Lenny Abrahamson creates a meticulously crafted, lived-in world – a world that should look like nothing we have ever seen or could ever imagine – that manages to resonate with beautifully universal touches. The undeniably talented Brie Larson gives a career-defining performance, but it is young Jacob Tremblay who ensures that the film won’t soon be forgotten.

 

1. Carol

Oh, Carol, what a mesmerizing, captivating, utterly beautiful web you weave. Director Todd Haynes has crafted a keenly insightful love story full of bittersweet grace, propelled by two glorious performances. Expect Oscar nominations for both Cate Blanchett as unhappily married Carol, and Rooney Mara as the department store clerk awakened when Carol visits her counter at Christmastime. A meticulously crafted time piece akin to Haynes’s wonderful Far From Heaven, Carol aches with restrained longing and love. Exquisite.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4z7Px68ywk