Review: "PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN" Rocked Me Like a Hurricane

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 29 of 2021 (No. 1767) by Leroy Douresseaux

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

Promising Young Woman (2020)
Running time: 113 minutes (1 hour, 53 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong violence including sexual assault, language throughout, some sexual material and drug use
WRITER/DIRECTOR:  Emerald Fennell
PRODUCERS:  Tom Ackerley, Ben Browning, Emerald Fennell, Ashley Fox, Josey McNamara, and Margot Robbie
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Benjamin Cracun (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Frederic Thoraval
COMPOSER:  Anthony Willis
Academy Award winner

DRAMA/COMEDY/THRILLER

Starring:  Carey Mulligan, Bo Burnham, Alison Brie, Clancy Brown, Jennifer Coolidge, Laverne Cox, Chris Lowell, Connie Britton, Adam Brody, Max Greenfield, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Sam Richardson, Alfred Molina, and Molly Shannon

Promising Young Woman is a 2020 black comedy and suspense thriller film from director Emerald Fennell.  The film focuses on a young woman who takes revenge for a traumatic event in her past on the unwary young men who cross her path.

Promising Young Woman introduces Cassandra “Cassie” Thomas (Carey Mulligan), a 30 year-old medical school dropout who lives with her parents, Susan (Jennifer Coolidge) and Stanley Thomas (Clancy Brown), in Ohio.  Seven years earlier, something terrible happened to Cassie's best friend, Nina Fisher, at a party, and it led to both Cassie and Nina leaving the medical school they attended, Forrest University.

Now, Cassie spends her nights feigning drunkenness in clubs, and allowing men to take her to their homes.  Then, she bluntly and forcefully reveals her sobriety when these men try to take advantage of her by having sexual relations with a woman who is too inebriated to give consent.  Things begin to change when Cassie is reunited with a former classmate, Dr. Ryan Cooper (Bo Burnham), a pediatrician.  When another classmate reveals a lurid secret, Cassie resumes her mission of revenge, but can she survive her own mission.

Of the many shocking things about Promising Young Woman, one of them is actress Carey Mulligan.  She completely buries herself in this role, and the waif-like persona she adopted in some of her early films disappears in the storm of the force of nature that is Cassie.  Mulligan's performance as Cassie recalls classic Clint Eastwood movie characters like “Dirty” Harry Callahan and “Preacher” (from 1985's Pale Rider).  I also have to give a shout out to Promising Young Woman's makeup department for its work in creating Cassie's look, which, spiritually, recalls the those vengeful dead girls in such Japanese horror films as Ringu (1998) and Ju-On: The Grudge (2002).

I can't help but be impressed by the debut directorial effort of writer-director Emerald Fennell.  Her film is straight to the point.  Fennell is not being allegorical, metaphorical, or symbolic.  Fennell delivers stunning entertainment that is both a timely message movie and a timeless cinematic film, a mainstream spin of the spirit of The Last House on the Left (1972) and I Spit on Your Grave (1978).  She may or may not be talking to you, sir, but there is no doubt about what Fennell is saying.

In a way, Promising Young Woman is the Get Out of 2020.  Like Jordan Peele's Oscar-winning film, Promising Young Woman is a game changer.  Whereas Peele's Get Out was a revelation in its message about white people's violence against African-American bodies, Fennell's Promising Young Woman is the clarion call to the reckoning for the way men objectify and enact sexual violence on the bodies of women.  Hopefully, Fennell's film is the cinematic earthquake that leads to a Hollywood tsunami.

And yes, Promising Young Woman is entertaining.  It simply manages to also blow your mind, chill your blood … and make some men reflexively cover their jewels.

9 of 10
A+

Monday, March 22, 2021


NOTES:
2021 Academy Awards, USA:  1 win: “Best Original Screenplay” (Emerald Fennell); 4 nominations: “Best Motion Picture of the Year” (Ben Browning, Ashley Fox, Emerald Fennell, and Josey McNamara), “Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role” (Carey Mulligan), “Best Achievement in Directing” (Emerald Fennell), and “Best Achievement in Film Editing” (Frédéric Thoraval)

2021 Golden Globes, USA:  4 nominations: “Best Screenplay - Motion Picture” (Emerald Fennell), “Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama” (Carey Mulligan), “Best Director - Motion Picture” (Emerald Fennell), “Best Motion Picture - Drama”

2021 BAFTA Awards:  2 wins: “Best Screenplay-Original” (Emerald Fennell) and “Outstanding British Film of the Year” (Emerald Fennell, Ben Browning, Ashley Fox, and Josey McNamara); 4 nominations: “Best Film” (Ben Browning, Emerald Fennell, Ashley Fox, and Josey McNamara), “Best Editing” (Frédéric Thoraval), “Original Score” (Anthony Willis), and “Best Casting” (Lindsay Graham and Mary Vernieu)


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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59th Grammy Awards Winners Announced; Beyonce Wins Best "Urban Contemporary Album"

The Grammy Awards (or Grammys) are given out by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) of the United States. The Grammy is an accolade that recognizes outstanding achievement in the music industry. It is the music industry equivalent to the Academy Awards for film, the Emmy Awards for television, and the Tony Award for stage.

The nominees for The 59th Annual GRAMMY Awards were announced Tuesday, December 6, 2016.  The 59th Annual Grammy Awards recognize the best musical (and some spoken word and video) recordings, compositions, and artists for the eligibility year that began on October 1, 2015 and ended on September 30, 2016 in a total of 84 categories.

The 59th Annual GRAMMY Awards were held on Sunday, February 12, 2017, at Staples Center in Los Angeles.  The ceremony was broadcast live in high-definition TV and 5.1 surround sound on CBS from 8 – 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

59th / (2015-2016) Annual GRAMMY Award winners:

Record of the Year
“Hello” — Adele

Album of the Year
25 — Adele (read our review)

Song of the Year
“Hello” — Adele Adkins & Greg Kurstin, songwriters (Adele)

New Artist
Chance the Rapper (read our review of “Coloring Book”)

Pop Solo Performance
“Hello” — Adele

Pop Duo/Group Performance:
“Stressed Out” — twenty one pilots

Traditional Pop Vocal Album
“Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin” — Willie Nelson

Pop Vocal Album
“25” — Adele

Dance Recording
“Don’t Let Me Down” — The Chainsmokers Featuring Daya

Dance/Electronic Album
Skin — Flume

Contemporary Instrumental Album
“Culcha Vulcha” — Snarky Puppy

Rock Performance
“Blackstar” — David Bowie

Metal Performance
“Dystopia” — Megadeth

Rock Song
“Blackstar” — David Bowie, songwriter (David Bowie)

Rock Album
Tell Me I’m Pretty — Cage the Elephant

Alternative Music Album
Blackstar — David Bowie

R&B Performance
“Cranes in the Sky” — Solange

Traditional R&B Performance
“Angel” — Lalah Hathaway

R&B Song
“Lake By the Ocean” — Hod David & Musze, songwriters (Maxwell) (read our interview)

Urban Contemporary Album
Lemonade — Beyoncé

R&B Album
Lalah Hathaway Live — Lalah Hathaway

Rap Performance
“No Problem” — Chance the Rapper Featuring Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz

Rap/Sung Performance
“Hotline Bling” — Drake

Rap Song
“Hotline Bling” — Aubrey Graham & Paul Jefferies, songwriters (Drake)

Rap Album
Coloring Book — Chance the Rapper

Country Solo Performance
“My Church” — Maren Morris

Country Duo/Group Performance
“Jolene” — Pentatonix featuring Dolly Parton

Country Song
“Humble and Kind” — Lori McKenna, songwriter (Tim McGraw)

Country Album
A Sailor’s Guide to Earth — Sturgill Simpson (read our interview)

New Age Album
White Sun II — White Sun

Improvised Jazz Solo
“I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” — John Scofield, soloist

Jazz Vocal Album
Take Me to the Alley — Gregory Porter

Jazz Instrumental Album
Country for Old Men — John Scofield

Large Jazz Ensemble Album
“Presidential Suite: Eight Variations on Freedom” — Ted Nash Big Band

Latin Jazz Album
“Tribute to Irakere: Live in Marciac” — Chucho Valdés

Gospel Performance/Song
“God Provides” — Tamela Mann; Kirk Franklin, songwriter

Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song
“Thy Will” — Hillary Scott & the Scott Family; Bernie Herms, Hillary Scott & Emily Weisband, songwriters

Gospel Album
Losing My Religion — Kirk Franklin (read our interview)

Contemporary Christian Music Album
Love Remains — Hillary Scott & the Scott Family

Roots Gospel Album
Hymns — Joey + Rory

Latin Pop Album
Un Besito Mas — Jesse & Joy

Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album
iLevitable — iLe

Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano)
Un Azteca En El Azteca, Vol. 1 (En Vivo) — Vicente Fernández

Tropical Latin Album
Donde Están? — Jose Lugo & Guasábara Combo

American Roots Performance
“House of Mercy” — Sarah Jarosz

American Roots Song
“Kid Sister” — Vince Gill, songwriter (The Time Jumpers)

Americana Album
This Is Where I Live — William Bell

Bluegrass Album
“Coming Home” — O’Connor Band With Mark O’Connor

Traditional Blues Album
“Porcupine Meat” — Bobby Rush

Contemporary Blues Album
The Last Days of Oakland — Fantastic Negrito

Folk Album
Undercurrent — Sarah Jarosz

Regional Roots Music Album
E Walea — Kalani Pe’a

Reggae Album
Ziggy Marley — Ziggy Marley

World Music Album
Sing Me Home — Yo-Yo Ma & The Silk Road Ensemble

Children’s Album
Infinity Plus One — Secret Agent 23 Skidoo

Spoken Word Album
In Such Good Company: Eleven Years of Laughter, Mayhem, and Fun in the Sandbox — Carol Burnett

Comedy Album
Talking for Clapping — Patton Oswalt

Musical Theater Album
The Color Purple

Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media
Miles Ahead (Miles Davis & Various Artists)

Score Soundtrack for Visual Media
Star Wars: The Force Awakens — John Williams, composer

Song Written for Visual Media
“Can’t Stop The Feeling!” — Max Martin, Shellback & Justin Timberlake, songwriters (Justin Timberlake, Anna Kendrick, Gwen Stefani, James Corden, Zooey Deschanel, Walt Dohrn, Ron Funches, Caroline Hjelt, Aino Jawo, Christopher Mintz-Plasse & Kunal Nayyar), Track from: “Trolls”

Instrumental Composition
“Spoken at Midnight” — Ted Nash, composer

Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella
“You And I” — Jacob Collier, arranger (Jacob Collier)

Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals
“Flintstones” — Jacob Collier, arranger (Jacob Collier)

Recording Package
“Blackstar” — Jonathan Barnbrook, art director (David Bowie)

Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package
Edith Piaf 1915-2015 — Gérard Lo Monaco, art director (Edith Piaf)

Album Notes
Sissle and Blake Sing Shuffle Along — Ken Bloom & Richard Carlin, album notes writers (Eubie Blake & Noble Sissle)

Historical Album
The Cutting Edge 1965-1966: The Bootleg Series, Vol.12 (Collector’s Edition), Steve Berkowitz & Jeff Rosen, compilation producers; Mark Wilder, mastering engineer (Bob Dylan)

Engineered Album, Non-Classical
Blackstar — David Bowie, Tom Elmhirst, Kevin Killen & Tony Visconti, engineers; Joe LaPorta, mastering engineer (David Bowie)

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
Greg Kurstin

Remixed Recording
“Tearing Me Up” (RAC Remix) — André Allen Anjos, remixer (Bob Moses)

Surround Sound Album
“Dutilleux: Sur Le Même Accord; Les Citations; Mystère De L’instant & Timbres, Espace, Mouvement” — Alexander Lipay & Dmitriy Lipay, surround mix engineers; Dmitriy Lipay, surround mastering engineer; Dmitriy Lipay, surround producer (Ludovic Morlot & Seattle Symphony)

Engineered Album, Classical
Corigliano: The Ghosts of Versailles — Mark Donahue & Fred Vogler, engineers (James Conlon, Guanqun Yu, Joshua Guerrero, Patricia Racette, Christopher Maltman, Lucy Schaufer, Lucas Meachem, LA Opera Chorus & Orchestra)

Producer of the Year, Classical
David Frost

Orchestral Performance
“Shostakovich: Under Stalin’s Shadow – Symphonies Nos. 5, 8 & 9” — Andris Nelsons, conductor (Boston Symphony Orchestra)

Opera Recording
“Corigliano: The Ghosts of Versailles” — James Conlon, conductor; Joshua Guerrero, Christopher Maltman, Lucas Meachem, Patricia Racette, Lucy Schaufer & Guanqun Yu; Blanton Alspaugh, producer (LA Opera Orchestra; LA Opera Chorus)

Choral Performance
“Penderecki Conducts Penderecki, Volume 1” — Krzysztof Penderecki, conductor; Henryk Wojnarowski, choir director (Nikolay Didenko, Agnieszka Rehlis & Johanna Rusanen; Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra; Warsaw Philharmonic Choir)

Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance
“Steve Reich” — Third Coast Percussion

Classical Instrumental Solo
“Daugherty: Tales of Hemingway” — Zuill Bailey; Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor (Nashville Symphony)

Classical Solo Vocal Album -TIE
– Schumann & Berg — Dorothea Röschmann; Mitsuko Uchida, accompanist
– Shakespeare Songs — Ian Bostridge; Antonio Pappano, accompanist (Michael Collins, Elizabeth Kenny, Lawrence Power & Adam Walker)

Classical Compendium
Daugherty: Tales of Hemingway; American Gothic; Once Upon A Castle — Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor; Tim Handley, producer

Contemporary Classical Composition
Daugherty: Tales of Hemingway — Michael Daugherty, composer (Zuill Bailey, Giancarlo Guerrero & Nashville Symphony)

Music Video
“Formation” — Beyoncé

Music Film
The Beatles: Eight Days a Week the Touring Years — Ron Howard, video director; Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Scott Pascucci & Nigel Sinclair, video producers

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59th Grammy Award Nominations Announced - Complete Nominees List

The Grammy Awards (or Grammys) are given out by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) of the United States. The Grammy is an accolade that recognizes outstanding achievement in the music industry. It is the music industry equivalent to the Academy Awards for film, the Emmy Awards for television, and the Tony Award for stage.

The nominees for The 59th Annual GRAMMY Awards were announced Tuesday, December 6, 2016.  The 59th Annual Grammy Awards recognize the best musical (and some spoken word and video) recordings, compositions, and artists for the eligibility year that began on October 1, 2015 and ended on September 30, 2016 in a total of 84 categories.

The 59th Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held on Monday, February 12, 2017, at Staples Center in Los Angeles.  The ceremony will be broadcast live in high-definition TV and 5.1 surround sound on CBS from 8 – 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

59th / (2015-2016) Annual GRAMMY Award nominations:

GENERAL FIELD

Album Of The Year:
25  - Adele
Lemonade  - Beyoncé
Purpose  - Justin Bieber
Views  - Drake
A Sailor's Guide To Earth - Sturgill Simpson

Record Of The Year:
"Hello" - Adele
"Formation" - Beyoncé
"7 Years" - Lukas Graham
"Work" - Rihanna Featuring Drake
"Stressed Out" - Twenty One Pilots

Song Of The Year:
"Formation" - Khalif Brown, Asheton Hogan, Beyoncé Knowles & Michael L. Williams II, songwriters (Beyoncé)
"Hello" - Adele Adkins & Greg Kurstin, songwriters (Adele)
"I Took A Pill In Ibiza" - Mike Posner, songwriter (Mike Posner)
"Love Yourself" - Justin Bieber, Benjamin Levin & Ed Sheeran, songwriters (Justin Bieber)
"7 Years" - Lukas Forchhammer, Stefan Forrest, Morten Pilegaard & Morten Ristorp, songwriters (Lukas Graham)

Best New Artist:
Kelsea Ballerini
The Chainsmokers
Chance The Rapper
Maren Morris
Anderson .Paak

POP FIELD

Best Pop Vocal Album:
25 - Adele
Purpose - Justin Bieber
Dangerous Woman - Ariana Grande
Confident - Demi Lovato
This Is Acting - Sia

Best Pop Solo Performance:
"Hello" - Adele
"Hold Up" - Beyonce
"Love Yourself" - Justin Bieber
"Piece By Piece (Idol Version)" - Kelly Clarkson
"Dangerous Woman" - Ariana Grande

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance:
"Closer" - The Chainsmokers Featuring Halsey
"7 Years" - Lukas Graham
"Work" - Rihanna Featuring Drake
"Cheap Thrills" - Sia Featuring Sean Paul
"Stressed Out" - Twenty One Pilots

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album:
Cinema - Andrea Bocelli
Fallen Angels - Bob Dylan
Stages Live - Josh Groban
Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin - Willie Nelson
Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway - Barbra Streisand

DANCE/ELECTRONIC MUSIC FIELD

Best Dance Recording:
"Tearing Me Up" - Bob Moses
"Don't Let Me Down" - The Chainsmokers Featuring Daya
"Never Be Like You" - Flume Featuring Kai
"Rinse & Repeat" - Riton Featuring Kah-Lo
"Drinkee" - Sofi Tukker

Best Dance/Electronic Album:
Skin - Flume
Electronica 1: The Time Machine - Jean-Michel Jarre
Epoch - Tycho
Barbara Barbara, We Face A Shining Future - Underworld
Louie Vega Starring…XXVIII - Louie Vega

CONTEMPORARY INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC FIELD

Best Contemporary Instrumental Album:
Human Nature - Herb Alpert
When You Wish Upon a Star - Bill Frisell
Way Back Home: Live From Rochester, NY - Steve Gadd Band
Unpsoken - Chuck Loeb
Culcha Vulcha  - Snarky Puppy

ROCK FIELD

Best Rock Performance:
"Joe (Live From Austin City Limits)" - Alabama Shakes
"Don't Hurt Yourself" - Beyoncé Featuring Jack White
"Blackstar" - David Bowie
"The Sound Of Silence" - Disturbed
"Heathens" - Twenty One Pilots

Best Metal Performance:
"Shock Me" - Baroness
"Slivera" - Gojira
"Rotting in Vain" - Korn
"Dystopia" - Megadeth
"The Price Is Wrong" - Periphery

Best Rock Song:
"Blackstar" - David Bowie, songwriter (David Bowie)
"Burn the Witch"  - Radiohead, songwriters (Radiohead)
"Hardwired" - James Hetfield & Lars Ulrich, songwriters (Metallica
"Heathens" - Tyler Joseph, songwriter (Twenty One Pilots)
"My Name Is Human" - Rich Meyer, Ryan Meyer & Johnny Stevens, songwriters (Highly Suspect)

Best Rock Album:
California  - Blink-182
Tell Me I'm Pretty - Cage The Elephant
Magma - Gojira
Death Of A Bachelor - Panic! At The Disco
Weezer - Weezer

ALTERNATIVE FIELD

Best Alternative Music Album:
22, A Million  - Bon Iver
Blackstar  - David Bowie
The Hope Six Demolition Project  - PJ Harvey
Post Pop Depression  - Iggy Pop
A Moon Shaped Pool  - Radiohead

R&B FIELD

Best R&B Performance:
"Turnin' Me Up" - BJ The Chicago Kid
"Permission" - Ro James
"I Do" - Musiq Soulchild
"Needed Me" - Rihanna
"Cranes in the Sky" - Solange

Best Traditional R&B Performance:
"The Three Of Me" - William Bell
"Woman's World" - BJ The Chicago Kid
"Sleeping With The One I Love" - Fantasia
"Angel" - Lalah Hathaway
"Can't Wait" - Jill Scott

Best R&B Song:
"Come and See Me" - J. Brathwaite, Aubrey Graham & Noah Shebib, songwriters (PartyNextDoor Featuring Drake)
"Exchange" - Michael Hernandez & Bryson Tiller, songwriters (Bryson Tiller)
"Kiss It Better" - Jeff Bhasker, Robyn Fenty, John-Nathan Glass & Natalia Noemi, songwriters (Rihanna)
"Lake By the Ocean" - Hod David & Musze, songwriters (Maxwell)
"Luv" - Magnus August Høiberg, Benjamin Levin & Daystar Peterson, songwriters (Tory Lanez)

Best Urban Contemporary Album:
Lemonade - Beyoncé
Ology - Gallant
We Are King - KING
Malibu - Anderson .Paak
Anti - Rihanna

Best R&B Album:
In My Mind - BJ The Chicago Kid
Lalah Hathaway Live - Lalah Hathaway
Velvet Portraits - Terrace Martin
Healing Season - Mint Condition
Smoove Jones - Mya

RAP FIELD

Best Rap Performance:
"No Problem" - Chance The Rapper Featuring Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz
"Panda" - Desiigner
"Pop Style" - Drake Featuring The Throne
"All The Way Up" - Fat Joe & Remy Ma Featuring French Montana & Infared
"That Part"  - ScHoolboy Q Featuring Kanye West

Best Rap/Sung Performance:
"Freedom" - Beyoncé Featuring Kendrick Lamar
"Hotline Bling" - Drake
"Broccoli" - D.R.A.M. Featuring Lil Yachty
"Ultralight Beam" - Kanye West Featuring Chance The Rapper, Kelly Price, Kirk Franklin & The-Dream
"Famous" - Kanye West Featuring Rihanna

Best Rap Song:
"All The Way Up" - Joseph Cartagena, Edward Davadi, Shandel Green, Karim Kharbouch, Andre Christopher Lyon, Reminisce Mackie & Marcello Valenzano, songwriters (Fat Joe & Remy Ma Featuring French Montana & Infared)

"Famous" - Chancelor Bennett, Ross Birchard, Ernest Brown, Andrew Dawson, Kasseem Dean, Mike Dean, Noah Goldstein, Kejuan Muchita, Patrick Reynolds, Kanye West & Cydel Young, songwriters (Kanye West Featuring Rihanna)

"Hotline Bling" - Aubrey Graham & Paul Jefferies, songwriters (Drake)

"No Problem" - Chancelor Bennett, Dwayne Carter & Tauheed Epps, songwriters (Chance The Rapper Featuring Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz)

"Ultralight Beam" - Chancelor Bennett, Kasseem Dean, Mike Dean, Kirk Franklin, Noah Goldstein, Samuel Griesemer, Terius Nash, Jerome Potter, Kelly Price, Nico "Donnie Trumpet" Segal, Derek Watkins, Kanye West & Cydel Young, songwriters (Kanye West Featuring Chance The Rapper, Kelly Price, Kirk Franklin & The-Dream)

Best Rap Album:
Coloring Book - Chance The Rapper
And the Anonymous Nobody - De La Soul
Major Key - DJ Khaled
Views - Drake
Blank Face LP - ScHoolboy Q
The Life of Pablo - Kanye West

COUNTRY FIELD

Best Country Solo Performance:
"Love Can Go To Hell" - Brandy Clark
"Vice" - Miranda Lambert
"My Church" - Maren Morris
"Church Bells" - Carrie Underwood
"Blue Ain't Your Color" - Keith Urban

Best Country Duo/Group Performance:
"Different for Girls" - Dierks Bentley Featuring Elle King
"21 Summer" - Brothers Osborne
"Setting The World On Fire" - Kenny Chesney & P!nk
"Jolene" - Pentatonix Featuring Dolly Parton
"Think Of You" - Chris Young With Cassadee Pope

Best Country Song:
"Blue Ain't Your Color" - Clint Lagerberg, Hillary Lindsey & Steven Lee Olsen, songwriters (Keith Urban)
"Die A Happy Man" - Sean Douglas, Thomas Rhett & Joe Spargur, songwriters (Thomas Rhett)
"Humble and Kind" - Lori McKenna, songwriter (Tim McGraw)
"My Church" - busbee & Maren Morris, songwriters (Maren Morris)
"Vice" - Miranda Lambert, Shane McAnally & Josh Osborne, songwriters (Miranda Lambert)

Best Country Album:
Big Day In A Small Town - Brandy Clark
Full Circle - Loretta Lynn
Hero - Maren Morris
A Sailor's Guide To Earth - Sturgill Simpson
Ripcord - Keith Urban

NEW AGE FIELD

Best New Age Album:
Orogen - John Burke
Dark Sky Island - Enya
Inner Passion - Peter Kater & Tina Guo
Rosetta - Vangelis
White Sun II - White Sun

JAZZ FIELD

Best Improvised Jazz Solo:
"Countdown" - Joey Alexander, soloist
"In Movement" - Ravi Coltrane, soloist
"We See" - Fred Hersch, soloist
"I Concentrate On You" - Brad Mehldau, soloist
"I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" - John Scofield, soloist

Best Jazz Vocal Album:
Sound Of Red - René Marie
Upward Spiral - Branford Marsalis Quartet With Special Guest Kurt Elling
Take Me To The Alley - Gregory Porter
Harlem On My Mind - Catherine Russell
The Sting Variations - The Tierney Sutton Band

Best Jazz Instrumental Album:
Book of Intuition - Kenny Barron Trio
Dr. Um - Peter Erskine
Sunday Night At The Vanguard - The Fred Hersch Trio
Nearness - Joshua Redman & Brad Mehldau
Country For Old Men - John Scofield

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album:
Real Enemies - Darcy James Argue's Secret Society
Presents Monk'estra, Vol. 1 - John Beasley
Kaleidoscope Eyes: Music of the Beatles - John Daversa
All L.A. Band - Bob Mintzer
Presidential Suite: Eight Variations On Freedom - Ted Nash Big Band

Best Latin Jazz Album:
Entre Colegas - Andy González
Madera Latino: A Latin Jazz Perspective On The Music Of Woody Shaw - Brian Lynch & Various Artists
Canto América  - Michael Spiro/Wayne Wallace La Orquesta Sinfonietta
30 - Trio Da Paz
Tribute To Irakere: Live In Marciac - Chucho Valdés

GOSPEL/CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC FIELD

Best Gospel Performance/Song:
"It's Alright, It's OK" - Shirley Caesar Featuring Anthony Hamilton; Stanley Brown & Courtney Rumble, songwriters
"You're Bigger [Live]" - Jekalyn Carr; Allundria Carr, songwriter
"Made A Way [Live]" - Travis Greene; Travis Greene, songwriter
"God Provides" - Tamela Mann; Kirk Franklin, songwriter
"Better" - Hezekiah Walker; Jason Clayborn, Gabriel Hatcher & Hezekiah Walker, songwriters

Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song:
"Trust In You" - Lauren Daigle; Lauren Daigle, Michael Farren & Paul Mabury, songwriters
"Priceless" - For King & Country; Benjamin Backus, Seth Mosley, Joel Smallbone, Luke Smallbone & Tedd Tjornhom, songwriters
"King of the World" - Natalie Grant; Natalie Grant, Becca Mizell & Samuel Mizell, songwriters
"Thy Will" - Hillary Scott & The Scott Family; Bernie Herms, Hillary Scott & Emily Weisband, songwriters Track from: Love Remains
"Chain Breaker" - Zach Williams; Mia Fieldes, Jonathan Smith & Zach Williams, songwriters

Best Gospel Album:
Listen - Tim Bowman Jr.
Fill This House - Shirley Caesar
A Worshipper's Heart [Live] - Todd Dulaney
Losing My Religion - Kirk Franklin
Demonstrate [Live] - William Murphy

Best Contemporary Christian Music Album:
Poets & Saints - All Sons & Daughters
American Prodigal - Crowder
Be One - Natalie Grant
Youth Revival [Live] - Hillsong Young & Free
Love Remains - Hillary Scott & The Scott Family  

Best Roots Gospel Album:
Better Together - Gaither Vocal Band
Nature's Symphony In 432 - The Isaacs
Hymns - Joey+Rory
Hymns And Songs Of Inspiration - Gordon Mote
God Don't Ever Change: The Songs Of Blind Willie Johnson - (Various Artists)

LATIN FIELD

Best Latin Pop Album:
Un Besito Mas - Jesse & Joy
Ilusión - Gaby Moreno
Similares - Laura Pausini
Seguir Latiendo - Sanalejo
Buena Vida - Diego Torres

Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album:
iLevitable - ile
L.H.O.N. (La Humanidad O Nosotros) - Illya Kuryaki & The Valderamas
Buenaventura - La Santa Cecilia
Los Rakas - Los Rakas
Amor Supremo - Carla Morrison

Best Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano):
Raíces - Banda El Recodo De Cruz Lizárraga
Hecho A Mano - Joss Favela
Un Azteca En El Azteca, Vol. 1 (En Vivo) - Vicente Fernández
Generación Maquinaria Est. 2006  - La Maquinaria Norteña
Tributo A Joan Sebastian Y Rigoberto Alfaro - Mariachi Divas De Cindy Shea

Best Tropical Latin Album:
Conexión - Fonseca
La Fantasia Homenaje A Juan Formell - Formell Y Los Van Van
35 Aniversario - Grupo Niche
La Sonora Santanera En Su 60 Aniversario - La Sonora Santanera
Donde Están? - Jose Lugo & Guasábara Combo

AMERICAN ROOTS MUSIC FIELD

Best American Roots Performance:
"Ain't No Man" - The Avett Brothers
"Mother's Children Have A Hard Time" - Blind Boys Of Alabama
"Factory Girl" - Rhiannon Giddens
"House Of Mercy" - Sarah Jarosz
"Wreck You" - Lori McKenna

Best American Roots Song:
"Alabama At Night" - Robbie Fulks, songwriter (Robbie Fulks)
"City Lights" - Jack White, songwriter (Jack White)
"Gulfstream" - Eric Adcock & Roddie Romero, songwriters (Roddie Romero And The Hub City All-Stars)
"Kid Sister" - Vince Gill, songwriter (The Time Jumpers)
"Wreck You" - Lori McKenna & Felix McTeigue, songwriters (Lori McKenna)

Best Americana Album:
True Sadness - The Avett Brothers
This Is Where I Live - William Bell
The Cedar Creek Sessions - Kris Kristofferson
The Bird & The Rifle - Lori McKenna
Kid Sister - The Time Jumpers

Best Bluegrass Album:
Original Traditional - Blue Highway
Burden Bearer - Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
The Hazel Sessions - Laurie Lewis & The Right Hands
North And South - Claire Lynch
Coming Home - O'Connor Band With Mark O'Connor

Best Traditional Blues Album:
Can't Shake The Feeling - Lurrie Bell
Live At The Greek Theatre - Joe Bonamassa
Blues & Ballads (A Folksinger's Songbook: Volumes I & II) - Luther Dickinson
The Soul of Jimmie Rodgers - Vasti Jackson
Porcupine Meat - Bobby Rush

Best Contemporary Blues Album:
The Last Days Of Oakland - Fantastic Negrito
Love Wins Again - Janiva Magness
Bloodline - Kenny Neal
Give It Back To You - The Record Company
Everybody Wants A Piece - Joe Louis Walker

Best Folk Album:
Silver Skies Blue - Judy Collins & Ari Hest
Upland Stories - Robbie Fulks
Factory Girl - Rhiannon Giddens
Weighted Mind - Sierra Hull
Undercurrent - Sarah Jarosz

Best Regional Roots Music Album:
Broken Promised Land - Barry Jean Ancelet & Sam Broussard
It's A Cree Thing - Northern Cree
E Walea - Kalani Pe'a
Gulfstream - Roddie Romero And The Hub City All-Stars
I Wanna Sing Right: Rediscovering Lomax In The Evangeline Country - (Various Artists)

REGGAE FIELD

Best Reggae Album:
Sly & Robbie Presents... Reggae For Her - Devin Di Dakta & J.L
Rose Petals - J Boog
Ziggy Marley - Ziggy Marley
Everlasting - Raging Fyah
Falling Into Place - Rebelution
Soja: Live In Virginia - Soja

WORLD MUSIC FIELD

Best World Music Album:
Destiny - Celtic Woman
Walking In The Footsteps Of Our Fathers - Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Sing Me Home - Yo-Yo Ma & The Silk Road Ensemble
Land Of Gold - Anoushka Shankar
Dois Amigos, Um Século De Música: Multishow Live - Caetano Veloso & Gilberto Gil

CHILDREN'S FIELD

Best Children's Album:
Explorer Of The World - Frances England
Infinity Plus One - Secret Agent 23 Skidoo
Novelties - Recess Monkey
Press Play - Brady Rymer And The Little Band That Could
Saddle Up - The Okee Dokee Brothers

SPOKEN WORD FIELD

Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Storytelling):
The Girl With The Lower Back Tattoo - Amy Schumer
In Such Good Company: Eleven Years Of Laughter, Mayhem, And Fun In The Sandbox - Carol Burnett
M Train - Patti Smith
Under The Big Black Sun: A Personal History Of L.A.Punk (John Doe With Tom DeSavia) - (Various Artists)
Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink - Elvis Costello

COMEDY FIELD

Best Comedy Album:
...America...Great... - David Cross
American Myth - Margaret Cho
Boysih Girl Interrupted - Tig Notaro
Live At The Apollo - Amy Schumer
Talking For Clapping - Patton Oswalt

MUSICAL THEATER

Best Musical Theater Album:
Bright Star - Carmen Cusack, principal soloist; Jay Alix, Peter Asher & Una Jackman, producers; Steve Martin, composer; Edie Brickell, composer & lyricist (Original Broadway Cast)

The Color Purple - Cynthia Erivo & Jennifer Hudson, principal soloists; Stephen Bray, Van Dean, Frank Filipetti, Roy Furman, Scott Sanders & Jhett Tolentino, producers (Stephen Bray, Brenda Russell & Allee Willis, composers/lyricists) (New Broadway Cast)

Fiddler On The Roof - Danny Burstein, principal soloist; Louise Gund, David Lai & Ted Sperling, producers (Jerry Bock, composer; Sheldon Harnick, lyricist) (2016 Broadway Cast)

Kinky Boots - Killian Donnelly & Matt Henry, principal soloists; Sammy James, Jr., Cyndi Lauper, Stephen Oremus & William Wittman, producers (Cyndi Lauper, composer & lyricist) (Original West End Cast)

Waitress - Jessie Mueller, principal soloist; Neal Avron, Sara Bareilles & Nadia DiGiallonardo, producers; Sara Bareilles, composer & lyricist (Original Broadway Cast)

MUSIC FOR VISUAL MEDIA FIELD

Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media:
Amy - (Various Artists)
Miles Ahead - Miles Davis & Various Artists)
Straight Outta Compton - (Various Artists)
Suicide Squad (Collector's Edition) - (Various Artists)
Vinyl: The Essentials Season 1 - (Various Artists)

Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media:
Bridge of Spies - Thomas Newman, composer
Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight - Ennio Morricone, composer
The Revenant - Alva Noto & Ryuichi Sakamoto, composers
Star Wars: The Force Awakens - John Williams, composer
Stranger Things Volume 1 - Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein, composers
Stranger Things Volume 2 - Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein, composers

Best Song Written For Visual Media:

"Can't Stop The Feeling!" - Max Martin, Shellback & Justin Timberlake, songwriters (Justin Timberlake, Anna Kendrick, Gwen Stefani, James Corden, Zooey Deschanel, Walt Dohrn, Ron Funches, Caroline Hjelt, Aino Jawo, Christopher Mintz-Plasse & Kunal Nayyar), Track from: Trolls

"Heathens" - Tyler Joseph, songwriter (Twenty One Pilots), Track from: Suicide Squad

"Just Like Fire" - Oscar Holter, Max Martin, P!nk & Shellback, songwriters (P!nk), Track from: Alice Through The Looking Glass

"Purple Lamborghini" - Shamann Cooke, Sonny Moore & William Roberts, songwriters (Skrillex & Rick Ross), Track from: Suicide Squad

"Try Everything" - Mikkel S. Eriksen, Sia Furler & Tor Erik Hermansen, songwriters (Shakira), Track from: Zootopia

"The Veil" - Peter Gabriel, songwriter (Peter Gabriel), Track from: Snowden

COMPOSING/ARRANGING FIELD

Best Instrumental Composition:
"Bridge of Spies (End Title)" - Thomas Newman, composer (Thomas Newman)
"The Expensive Train Set (An Epic Sarahnade For Big Band)" - Tim Davies, composer (Tim Davies Big Band)
"Flow" - Alan Ferber, composer (Alan Ferber Nonet)
"L'Ultima Diligenza Di Red Rock - Verisione Integrale" - Ennio Morricone, composer (Ennio Morricone)
"Spoken At Midnight" - Ted Nash, composer (Ted Nash Big Band)

Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella:
"Ask Me Now" - John Beasley, arranger (John Beasley)
"Good 'Swing' Wenceslas" - Sammy Nestico, arranger (The Count Basie Orchestra)
"Linus & Lucy" - Christian Jacob, arranger (The Phil Norman Tentet)
"Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" - John Daversa, arranger (John Daversa)
"We Three Kings" - Ted Nash, arranger (Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra With Wynton Marsalis)
"You And I" - Jacob Collier, arranger (Jacob Collier)

Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals:
"Do You Hear What I Hear?" - Gordon Goodwin, arranger (Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band Featuring Take 6)
"Do You Want To Know A Secret" - John Daversa, arranger (John Daversa Featuring Renee Olstead)
"Flintstones" - Jacob Collier, arranger (Jacob Collier)
"I'm A Fool To Want You" - Alan Broadbent, arranger (Kristin Chenoweth)
"Somewhere (Dirty Blvd) (Extended Version)" - Billy Childs & Larry Klein, arrangers (Lang Lang Featuring Lisa Fischer & Jeffrey Wright)

PACKAGE FIELD

Best Recording Package:
Anti (Deluxe Edition) - Ciarra Pardo & Robyn Fenty, art directors (Rihanna)
Blackstar - Jonathan Barnbrook, art director (David Bowie)
Human Performance - Andrew Savage, art director (Parquet Courts)
Sunset Motel - Sarah Dodds & Shauna Dodds, art directors (Reckless Kelly)
22, A Million - Eric Timothy Carlson, art director (Bon Iver)

Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package:
Edith Piaf 1915-2015 - Gérard Lo Monaco, art director (Edith Piaf)
401 Days - Jonathan Dagan & Mathias Høst Normark, art directors (J.Views)
I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It - Samuel Burgess-Johnson & Matthew Healy, art directors (The 1975)
Paper Wheels (Deluxe Limited Edition) - Matt Taylor, art director (Trey Anastasio)
Tug of War (Deluxe Edition) - Simon Earith & James Musgrave, art directors (Paul McCartney)

NOTES FIELD

Best Album Notes:
The Complete Monument & Columbia Albums Collection - Mikal Gilmore, album notes writer (Kris Kristofferson)
The Knoxville Sessions, 1929-1930: Knox County Stomp - Ted Olson & Tony Russell, album notes writers (Various Artists)
Ork Records: New York, New York - Rob Sevier & Ken Shipley, album notes writers (Various Artists)
Sissle And Blake Sing Shuffle Along - Ken Bloom & Richard Carlin, album notes writers (Eubie Blake & Noble Sissle)
Waxing The Gospel: Mass Evangelism & The Phonograph, 1890-1990 - Richard Martin, album notes writer (Various Artists)

HISTORICAL FIELD

Best Historical Album:
The Cutting Edge 1965-1966: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 12 (Collector's Edition) - Steve Berkowitz & Jeff Rosen, compilation producers; Mark Wilder, mastering engineer (Bob Dylan)

Music Of Morocco From The Library Of Congress: Recorded By Paul Bowles, 1959 - April G. Ledbetter, Steven Lance Ledbetter, Bill Nowlin & Philip D. Schuyler, compilation producers; Rick Fisher & Michael Graves, mastering engineers (Various Artists)

Ork Records: New York, New York - Rob Sevier & Ken Shipley, compilation producers; Jeff Lipton & Maria Rice, mastering engineers (Various Artists)

Vladimir Horowitz: The Unreleased Live Recordings 1966-1983 - Bernard Horowitz, Andreas K. Meyer & Robert Russ, compilation producers; Andreas K. Meyer & Jeanne Montalvo, mastering engineers (Vladimir Horowitz)

Waxing The Gospel: Mass Evangelism & The Phonograph, 1890 - 1900 - Michael Devecka, Meagan Hennessey & Richard Martin, compilation producers; Michael Devecka, David Giovannoni, Michael Khanchalian & Richard Martin, mastering engineers (Various Artists)

PRODUCTION, NON-CLASSICAL FIELD

Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical:
Are You Serious - Tchad Blake & David Boucher, engineers; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer (Andrew Bird)
Blackstar - David Bowie, Tom Elmhirst, Kevin Killen & Tony
Dig In Deep - Ryan Freeland, engineer; Kim Rosen, mastering engineer (Bonnie Raitt)
Hit N Run Phase Two - Booker T., Dylan Dresdow, Chris James, Prince & Justin Stanley, engineers; Dylan Dresdow, mastering engineer (Prince)
Undercurrent - Shani Gandhi & Gary Paczosa, engineers; Paul Blakemore, mastering engineer (Sarah Jarosz)

Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical:
Benny Blanco
Greg Kurstin
Max Martin
Nineteen85
Ricky Reed

Best Remixed Recording:
"Cali Coast (Psionics Remix)" - Josh Williams, remixer (Soul Pacific)
"Heavy Star Movin' (staRo Remix)" - staRo, remixer (The Silver Lake Chorus)
"Nineteen Hundred Eighty-Five (Timo Maas & James Teej Remix)" - Timo Maas & James Teej, remixers (Paul McCartney & Wings)
"Only" (Kaskade X Lipless Remix) - Ryan Raddon, remixer (Ry X)
"Tearing Me Up (RAC Remix)" - André Allen Anjos, remixer (Bob Moses)
"Wide Open (Joe Goddard Remix)" - Joe Goddard, remixer (The Chemical Brothers)

SURROUND SOUND FIELD

Best Surround Sound Album:
Dutilleux: Sur La Mêe Accord; Les Citations; Mystère De L'Instant & Timbres, Espace, Mouvement - Alexander Lipay & Dmitriy Lipay, surround mix engineers; Dmitriy Lipay, surround mastering engineer; Dmitriy Lipay, surround producer (Ludovic Morlot & Seattle Symphony)

Johnson: Considering Matthew Shephard - Brad Michel, surround mix engineer; Brad Michel, surround mastering engineer; Robina G. Young, surround producer (Craig Hella Johnson & Conspirare)

Maja S.K. Ratkje: And Sing ... - Morten Lindberg, surround mix engineer; Morten Lindberg, surround mastering engineer; Morten Lindberg, surround producer (Maja S.K. Ratkje, Cikada & Oslo Sinfonietta)

Primus & The Chocolate Factory - Les Claypool, surround mix engineer; Stephen Marcussen, surround mastering engineer; Les Claypool, surround producer (Primus)

Reflections - Morten Lindberg, surround mix engineer; Morten Lindberg, surround mastering engineer; Morten Lindberg, surround producer (Øyvind Gimse, Geir Inge Lotsberg & Trondheimsolistene)

PRODUCTION, CLASSICAL FIELD

Best Engineered Album, Classical:

Corigliano: The Ghosts Of Versailles - Mark Donahue & Fred Vogler, engineers (James Conlon, Guanqun Yu, Joshua Guerrero, Patricia Racette, Christopher Maltman, Lucy Schaufer, Lucas Meachem, LA Opera Chorus & Orchestra)

Dutilleux: Sur La Mêe Accord; Les Citations; Mystère De L'Instant & Timbres, Espace, Mouvement - Alexander Lipay & Dmitriy Lipay, engineers (Ludovic Morlot & Seattle Symphony)

Reflections - Morten Lindberg, engineer (Øyvind Gimse, Geir Inge Lotsberg & Trondheimsolistene)

Shadow of Sirius - Silas Brown & David Frost, engineers; Silas Brown,

Shostakovich: Under Stalin's Shadow - Symphonies Nos. 5, 8 & 9 - Shawn Murphy & Nick Squire, engineers; Tim Martyn, mastering engineer (Andris Nelsons & Boston Symphony Orchestra)

Producer of the Year, Classical:
Blanton Alspaugh
David Frost
Marina A. Ledin, Victor Ledin
Judith Sherman
Robina G. Young

CLASSICAL FIELD

Best Orchestral Field:
Bates: Works For Orchestra - Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor (San Francisco Symphony)
Ibert: Orchestral Works - Neeme Järvi, conductor (Orchestre De La Suisse Romande)
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5 In B-Flat Major, Op. 100 - Mariss Jansons, conductor (Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra)
Rouse: Odna Zhizn; Symphonies 3 & 4; Prospero's Rooms - Alan Gilbert, conductor (New York Philharmonic)
Shostakovich: Under Stalin's Shadow - Symphonies Nos. 5, 8 & 9 - Andris Nelsons, conductor (Boston Symphony Orchestra)

Best Opera Recording:
Corigliano: The Ghosts Of Versailles - James Conlon, conductor; Joshua Guerrero, Christopher Maltman, Lucas Meachem, Patricia Racette, Lucy Schaufer & Guanqun Yu; Blanton Alspaugh, producer (LA Opera Orchestra; LA Opera Chorus)

Handel: Giulio Cesare - Giovanni Antonini, conductor; Cecilia Bartoli, Philippe Jaroussky, Andreas Scholl & Anne-Sofie von Otter; Samuel Theis, producer (Il Giardino Armonico)

Higdon: Cold Mountain - Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor; Emily Fons, Nathan Gunn, Isabel Leonard & Jay Hunter Morris; Elizabeth Ostrow, producer (The Santa Fe Opera Orchestra; Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Program For Singers)

Mozart: Le Nozze De Figaro - Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor; Thomas Hampson, Christiane Karg, Luca Pisaroni & Sonya Yoncheva; Daniel Zalay, producer (Chamber Orchestra Of Europe; Vocalensemble Rastatt)

Szymanowski: Król Roger - Antonio Pappano, conductor; Georgia Jarman, Mariusz Kwiecień & Saimir Pirgu; Jonathan Allen, producer (Orchestra Of The Royal Opera House; Royal Opera Chorus)

Best Choral Performance:
Himmerland - Elisabeth Holte, conductor (Marianne Reidarsdatter Eriksen, Ragnfrid Lie & Matilda Sterby; Inger-Lise Ulsrud; Uranienborg Vokalensemble)

Janáček: Glagolitic Mass - Edward Gardner, conductor; Håkon Matti Skrede, chorus master (Susan Bickley, Gábor Bretz, Sara Jakubiak & Stuart Skelton; Thomas Trotter; Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra; Bergen Cathedral Choir, Bergen Philharmonic Choir, Choir Of Collegium Musicum & Edvard Grieg Kor)

Lloyd: Bonhoeffer - Donald Nally, conductor (Malavika Godbole, John Grecia, Rebecca Harris & Thomas Mesa; The Crossing)

Penderecki Conducts Penderecki, Volume 1 - Krzystof Penderecki, conductor; Henryk Wojnarowski, choir director (Nikolay Didenko, Agnieszka Rehlis & Johanna Rusanen; Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra; Warsaw Philharmonic Choir)

Steinberg: Passion Week - Steven Fox, conductor (The Clarion Choir)

Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance:
Fitelberg: Chamber Works - ARC Ensemble
Reflections - Øyvind Gimse, Geir Inge Lotsberg & Trondheimsolistene
Serious Business - Spektral Quartet
Steve Reich - Third Coast Percussion
Trios From Our Homelands - Lincoln Trio

Best Classical Instrumental Solo:
Adams, J.: Scheherazade.2 - Leila Josefowicz; David Robertson, conductor (Chester Englander; St. Louis Symphony)
Daugherty: Tales Of Hemingway - Zuill Bailey; Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor (Nashville Symphony)
Dvorák: Violin Concerto & Romance; Suk: Fantasy  - Christian Tetzlaff; John Storgårds, conductor (Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra)
Mozart: Keyboard Music, Vols. 8 & 9 - Kristian Bezuidenhout
1930's Violin Concertos, Vol. 2 - Gil Shaham; Stéphane Denève, conductor (The Knights & Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra)

Best Classical Solo Vocal Album:
Monteverdi - Magdalena Kožená; Andrea Marcon, conductor (David Feldman, Michael Feyfar, Jakob Pilgram & Luca Tittoto; La Cetra Barockorchester Basel)
Mozart: The Weber Sisters - Sabine Devieilhe; Raphaël Pichon, conductor (Pygmalion)
Schumann & Berg - Dorothea Röschmann; Mitsuko Uchida, accompanist
Shakespeare Songs - Ian Bostridge; Antonio Pappano, accompanist (Michael Collins, Elizabeth Kenny, Lawrence Power & Adam Walker)
Verismo - Anna Netrebko; Antonio Pappano, conductor (Yusif Eyvazov; Coro Dell'Accademia Nazionale Di Santa Cecilia; Orchestra Dell'Accademia Nazionale Di Santa Cecilia)

Best Classical Compendium:
Daugherty: Tales Of Hemingway; American Gothic; Once Upon A Castle - Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor; Tim Handley, producer
Gesualdo - Tõnu Kaljuste, conductor; Manfred Eicher, producer
Vaughan Williams: Discoveries - Martyn Brabbins, conductor; Andrew Walton, producer
Wolfgang: Passing Through - Judith Farmer & Gernot Wolfgang, producers
Zappa: 200 Motels - The Suites - Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor; Frank Filipetti & Gail Zappa, producers

Best Contemporary Classical Composition:
Bates: Anthology Of Fantastic Zoology - Mason Bates, composer (Riccardo Muti & Chicago Symphony Orchestra)
Daugherty: Tales Of Hemingway - Michael Daugherty, composer (Zuill Bailey, Giancarlo Guerrero & Nashville Symphony)
Higdon: Cold Mountain - Jennifer Higdon, composer; Gene Scheer, librettist
Theofanidis: Bassoon Concerto - Christopher Theofanidis, composer (Martin Kuuskmann, Barry Jekowsky & Northwest Sinfonia)
Winger: Conversations With Nijinsky - C. F. Kip Winger, composer (Martin West & San Francisco Ballet Orchestra)

MUSIC VIDEO/FILM FIELD

Best Music Video:
"Formation" - Beyoncé
"River" - Leon Bridges
"Up & Up" - Coldplay
"Gosh" - Jamie XX
"Upside Down & Inside Out" - OK Go

Best Music Film:
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead - Steve Aoki
The Beatles: Eight Days A Week The Touring Years - (The Beatles)
Lemonade - Beyoncé
The Music Of Strangers - Yo-Yo Ma & The Silk Road Ensemble
American Saturday Night: Live From The Grand Ole Opry - (Various Artists)

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

Review: "Kick-Ass 2" Kicks Better Ass

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 7 (of 2014) by Leroy Douresseaux

Kick-Ass 2 (2013)
Running time:  103 minutes (1 hour, 43 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong violence, pervasive language, crude and sexual content, and brief nudity
DIRECTOR:  Jeff Wadlow
WRITER:  Jeff Wadlow (based upon the comic books by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.)
PRODUCERS:  Adam Bohling, Tarquin Pack, Brad Pitt, David Reid, and Matthew Vaughn
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Tim Maurice Jones (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Eddie Hamilton
COMPOSERS:  Henry Jackman and Matthew Margeson

SUPERHERO/FANTASY/CRIME/COMEDY

Starring:  Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Chloë Grace Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Morris Chestnut, Clark Duke, Augustus Prew, Donald Fiason, Garret M. Brown, Steve Mackintosh, Monica Dolan, Robert Emms, Lindy Booth, Daniel Kaluuya, Olga Kurkulina, Tom Wu, Yancy Butler, and Jim Carrey

Kick-Ass 2 is a 2013 British-American superhero film and crime comedy from writer-director, Jeff Wadlow.  It is based upon two comic books, Kick-Ass 2 and Hit Girl, from writer Mark Millar (the creator of Wanted) and John Romita, Jr.  Kick-Ass 2 is also a sequel to the 2010 film, Kick Ass, which was also based on a Millar-Romita, Jr. comic book of the same name.  In Kick-Ass 2 the movie, high-school superhero Kick-Ass joins a group of costumed crime-fighters who were inspired by him, while an old enemy plots revenge against him.

After the events of the first film, high school student Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) retired from fighting crime as the costumed vigilante/superhero, “Kick-Ass.”  But now, he is bored, and begins training with Mindy Macready a/k/a Hit Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz), who is now 15-years-old.  However, Mindy’s guardian is her late father’s friend, Detective Marcus Williams (Morris Chestnut), and he demands that Mindy give up being Hit Girl and become a proper high school student.

With Hit Girl taken out of action, Dave looks for a new partner and finds a group of normal citizens who were inspired by Kick-Ass to fight crime in costume.  Led by Colonel Stars and Stripes (Jim Carrey), Kick-Ass and a small band of wannabe superheroes fight crime and do charity work.

Meanwhile, Chris D’Amico (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), whose crime boss father was killed by Kick-Ass, is frustrated that his mother forced him to stop being the costumed Red Mist.  After he takes control of his family’s wealthy, Chris becomes what he calls the world’s first supervillain, The Motherfucker, and swears vengeance against Kick-Ass.

I thought that the first Kick Ass movie wasn’t as deranged as it thought it was, nor was it as entertaining as its source material.  Kick-Ass 2 is as deranged as it thinks it is – perhaps even more so.  Sometimes, it is too deranged – with violence that is off-putting.  It is not that the violence is over-the-top, so much that it seems like the filmmakers almost seemed obsessed with spiting the critics, prudes, and people who cannot accept that this is make-believe and has nothing to do with real-world violence (like Newtown).

I think I find Kick-Ass 2 more entertaining than the first movie because the new film has one main plot.  The first movie was kind of all over the place, which is understandable as it was introducing a new kind of superhero concept.  Kick-Ass 2 is about revenge.  Yes, the story has subplots about teen angst and self-doubt, parental-child conflict, and peer acceptance, but this is a movie about payback and the mindset one has to have in order to engage in revenge.

I thought Hit Girl dominated the first movie, thankfully.  This time, Dave Lizewski and Chris D’Amico are just as fun to watch as Mindy Macready, although I honestly wish that Kick-Ass 2 has a few more hits of Hit Girl.  Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Chloë Grace Moretz, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse deliver excellent performances that make their characters’ respective conflicts, obstacles, and goals seem quite genuine.

I can’t say exactly what, but Kick-Ass 2 seems to be missing something.  I like the movie and had a blast watching some of it, but there were moments that I found only mildly amusing and entertaining.  I guess that should be enough.  I can say that Kick-Ass 2 has the wanton violence, foul language, and sexual content of the first film, but done a little more thoughtfully.  Plus, Jim Carrey’s turn in a small role is an amazing little thing that has to be seen.

6 of 10
B

Friday, February 14, 2014


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

Review: Fun Never Ends in "This Is the End"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 66 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux

This Is the End (2013)
Running time:  107 minutes (1 hour, 47 minutes)
MPAA – R for crude and sexual content throughout, brief graphic nudity, pervasive language, drug use and some violence
DIRECTORS:  Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg
WRITERS:  Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg; from a screen story by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (based on the short film, Jay and Seth vs. The Apocalypse, by Jason Stone)
PRODUCERS:  James Weaver and Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Brandon Trost
EDITOR:  Zene Baker
COMPOSER:  Henry Jackman

COMEDY/FANTASY

Starring:  James Franco, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Emma Watson, Kevin Hart, Mindy Kaling, Rihanna, Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Paul Rudd, and Channing Tatum with Jason Segel

This Is the End is a 2013 apocalyptic comedy film from writer-directors, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg.  This black comedy features a number of Hollywood comic actors and celebrities playing fictional versions of themselves.  The movie centers on actor James Franco’s house where a small band of survivors are forced to live together after a disaster that could be the end of the world.

This Is the End begins with Jay Baruchel arriving in Los Angeles to visit his old friend and fellow actor, Seth Rogen.  Seth convinces Jay to go with him to a housewarming party hosted by actor James Franco.  Jay is reluctant because he does not like Seth’s L.A. friends, especially actor Jonah Hill.  During the party, a catastrophic earthquake occurs, and L.A. falls to fire and chaos.  Jay, Seth, James, Jonah, and Craig Robinson survive the destruction, but they are not alone.  They slowly learn that the largest earthquake in California history may be more than just a natural disaster.

In his review of This Is the End for Maclean’s, critic Brian D. Johnson basically said that there could be worse ways to experience the apocalypse than with stoned celebrities (go here or http://www2.macleans.ca/2013/06/07/was-armageddon-always-this-complicated/ for the full review).  Other than spending it with my family, there is no better way to go through the end of the world than with fun, fictional versions of Seth Rogen and his friends.  Also, much of the middle of the film works like a comedy stage play that allows each member of the ensemble to fashion a character that engages the audience.

I like many of the films in which most members of the main and supporting cast have appeared.  For the most part, I also like their public personas.  They are all really funny in this film, and James Franco’s sardonic humor (which was too understated to work during his gig hosting the Oscars) shines.  Once again, Craig Robinson finds a way to turn a supporting comedy part into a co-leading role on the sheer strength of his underrated talent as a light comic actor.  Danny McBride steals the show; if any actor deserves an Academy Award nomination as a supporting actor this year because of a comedic performance, it is McBride in This Is the End.

This Is the End was made for me.  I liked what the actors did in this movie, and I liked how they were willing to savage their public personas and work in films.  This Is the End of the review but not of my love for this movie, which will go on...

8 of 10
A

Saturday, October 05, 2013


The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

Review: "ParaNorman" Thankfully Not Normal

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 2 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux

ParaNorman (2012)
Running time: 92 minutes (1 hour, 32 minutes)
MPAA – PG for scary action and images, thematic elements, some rude humor and language
DIRECTORS: Chris Butler and Sam Fell
WRITER: Chris Butler
PRODUCERS: Travis Knight and Arianne Sutner
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Tristan Oliver
EDITORS: Christopher Murrie
COMPOSERS: Jon Brion

ANIMATION/FANTASY/COMEDY/HORROR/FAMILY

Starring: (voices) Kodi Smit-McPhee, Tucker Albrizzi, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Leslie Mann, Jeff Garlin, Elaine Stritch, Bernard Hill, Jodelle Ferland, Tempestt Bledsoe, Alex Borstein, and John Goodman

ParaNorman is a 2012 American, 3D, stop-motion animated, comic-horror film. The film is a production of Laika, the stop-motion animation studio behind the 2009 film, Coraline. ParaNorman focuses on a misunderstood boy, who talks to ghosts, and his quest to save his town from a centuries-old curse.

Not many people in the town of Blithe Hollow, Massachusetts seem to understand or even like 11-year-old Norman Babcock (Kodi Smit-McPhee), except his dear mother, Sandra (Leslie Mann), of course. Norman can talk to ghosts. This claim infuriates his father, Perry (Jeff Garlin), because he thinks his son is too weird, and it annoys his sister, Courtney (Anna Kendrick), who is embarrassed by her brother. Norman even has a classmate dedicated to bullying him, the break dancer wannabe, Alvin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). Norman does have one friend, a chubby, eccentric kid named Neil Downe (Tucker Albrizzi).

Oh, there is one other person interested in Norman. That would be the town crazy, Mr. Prenderghast (John Goodman), who is also Norman’s uncle. He claims that Norman is the only person who can save the town from a centuries-old curse put upon it three hundred years ago by a vengeful witch. Pursued by zombies, Norman races to stop the curse with only Neil, a reluctant Courtney, and Mitch (Casey Affleck), Neil’s brother, by his side. But stopping the curse means having the right information/the real story, and Norman is having trouble getting that.

ParaNorman is not only one of the best animated films of the year, but it is also one of 2012’s best movies. This film looks like a Tim Burton movie, but is darker and less whimsical than most of Burton’s movies; ParaNorman is probably more in line and closer in tone with Burton’s Sleepy Hollow (1999).

One of my college professors said that books which contained controversial ideas often ended up in the children’s literature section, To Kill a Mockingbird and Lord of the Flies, being examples she used. ParaNorman is kind of like that; in fact, it is like one of those children’s classics (film or storybook) with something to say. It runs the gamut of themes and ideas: the destruction of revenge, bullying, parental acceptance, the cycle in which parents pass on their fears and prejudices to their children or even project those onto their children, the fear of being different, how easy it is for a person to isolate himself because he is persecuted for being different, the mob mentality, the quest for redemption, etc. ParaNorman has so many ideas and themes that I lost count. It does not aspire to be more than a kid’s movie; it just wants to be more than the average children’s movie.

The film is such a feast of dark colors and fantastic visual elements that it is easy to miss the substance. The stop-motion animation and production values in ParaNorman exceed Coraline; it’s not even close. The character design alone is way ahead in terms of imagination and diversity than many animated feature films. The characters are caricatures of real-life human body types, but in an amusing way that celebrates all the big hips, thunder thighs, scrawny necks, big butts, fat bodies, etc. without being cruel for the sake of cheap laughs.

There is a lot more to say, but I don’t want to run on (longer than I usually do). This hand-crafted movie is a miracle. It celebrates being different, but also enjoying being different from other people. There is a surprise reveal about one of the characters near the end of the film that makes ParaNorman extra, extra-special.

9 of 10
A+

Friday, January 04, 2013

Review: New "Fright Night" is Sexy and Mean

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 104 (of 2011) by Leroy Douresseaux

Fright Night (2011)
Running time: 106 minutes (1 hour, 46 minutes)
MPAA – R for bloody horror violence, and language including some sexual references
DIRECTOR: Craig Gillespie
WRITERS: Marti Noxon; from a story by Tom Holland (based upon the film, Fright Night, written by Tom Holland)
PRODUCERS: Michael De Luca and Alison R. Rosenzweig
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Javier Aguirresarobe
EDITOR: Tatiana S. Riegel
COMPOSER: Ramin Djawadi

HORROR/COMEDY/ACTION

Starring: Colin Farrell, Anton Yelchin, Toni Collette, David Tennant, Imogen Poots, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Dave Franco, Sandra Vergara, and Chris Sarandon

Fright Night is a 2011 comic horror film. It is also a remake of the 1985 film of the same name from writer/director Tom Holland. Like the original film, the new Fright Night is about a teen boy who believes that his new next door neighbor is a vampire and tries to stop the monster’s killing spree.

Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin) has a new neighbor, Jerry Dandrige (Colin Farrell), who claims to work construction at night. Charley doesn’t like the way Jerry looks at his mother, Jane Brewster (Toni Collette), and his girlfriend, Amy Peterson (Imogen Poots). Charley’s former best friend, Edward “Evil Ed” Lee (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), claims that Jerry is the reason people have been disappearing from all over the Las Vegas suburb where they live… because Jerry is a vampire. After Ed disappears, Charley realizes that he needs help, so he turns to Las Vegas magician, Peter Vincent (David Tennant), whose Vegas stage show, Fright Night, chronicles his vampire-hunting adventures. But can the reluctant Vincent really help Charley fight a powerful vampire?

I like to distinguish how movies mix laughs and chills. A horror comedy is a comedy that tries to act and look like a horror movie. A comedy horror is a horror movie that desperately wants to have it both ways – be funny and scary, usually with disastrous results. The best is the comic horror film. This type of movie is truly a horror movie. It looks and acts like a horror movie because it is a horror movie. It is scary, violent, and thrilling, but there is humor of some type: sarcasm, satire, slapstick, and camp. Successful comic horror films include a classic, The Evil Dead, and the more recent Zombieland, and of course, the vampire send-up, the original Fright Night.

The new Fright Night is a superb comic horror film. In fact, it’s batshit crazy with its gleefully vicious villain and its hero – some kid trying to be the protector, rescuer, and savior. I like how screenwriter Marti Noxon re-imagines the original film into a story of a large transient and disconnected population that is easy prey to the monster next door. It’s as if these people don’t notice that their friends, neighbors, classmates, and sometimes even entire households have seemingly disappeared into thin air (or that there is a small war going on between a vampire and a kid). I cannot help but believe that this film is a biting commentary of our foreclosure and alienation society.

Director Craig Gillespie offers so many exciting action set pieces, and he imaginatively stages some of the wackier elements of the screenplay in ways that create a comic edge vampire films rarely have. The action in this film is also aggressive. In the first Fright Night, the part of the plot that dealt directly with the vampire was like a mystery story, and the villain was a suave ladies’ man. In the new film, there is little pretense about what Jerry Dandrige is; thus, the conflict between boy hero and vampire becomes practically a small war. In this way, Fright Night 2011 is more visceral than the original. It is a wild, bloody ride with generous helpings of jest and sarcasm.

This comic horror film has a few key, droll and witty performances, but first, I have a complaint. Christopher Mintz-Plasse as the new “Evil Ed” is an insult to Stephen Geoffreys as the original. It’s not Mintz-Plasse’s fault; the new version doesn’t seem to care much for the character, and it seems as if Ed is included out of a sense of obligation. Conversely, David Tennant’s loutish spin on the Peter Vincent character is a winner; early in the film, this interpretation seems as if it will be a disaster, but, by the end of the film, I wanted more.

Colin Farrell’s Jerry Dandrige is part bully, part predator, and pure carnivore. Farrell is funny, and this performance testifies to his largely untapped talent. Farrell’s Dandrige is similar to a description of baseball pitcher Roger Clemens by a commentator: a big white Republican who believes that he can do whatever he wants – damn the rules.

However, the new Fright Night hinges on Anton Yelchin, and he is fantastic. In the new Charley Brewster, Yelchin creates a complex, layered teen. When the story focuses on Brewster as the reformed nerd, his stubborn determination to be the cool kid, no matter the cost to his soul, to say nothing of the cost to his former friends, is painfully realistic. That is why Brewster’s transformation into teen warrior also rings true. The new Fright Night is a delight, and the reasons are many for this well-made film – with Yelchin being the most important one.

7 of 10
A-

Friday, December 16, 2011

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DreamWorks Pictures Has "Fright Night" at Comic-Con 2011

DreamWorks Pictures Throws “Fright Night” Fan Frenzy at Comic-Con 2011 with Cast Appearances, Party and Advance Screening

Feeding Frenzy contest kicks off Friday, June 24th for chance to win prizes and trip to Comic-Con with admission to all “Fright Night” events

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DreamWorks Studios is pleased to present a special insider look at its upcoming, 3D reimagining of the horror classic “Fright Night” at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con International Convention. On Friday, July 22, a panel presentation will be held in Hall H of the San Diego Convention Center. On the dais will be talent from the film, including Colin Farrell, Anton Yelchin, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Imogen Poots, director Craig Gillespie and screenwriter Marti Noxon. Activities also include a fan appreciation party as well as a screening in advance of the film’s opening in theaters on August 19th.

On Friday, June 24th, the film’s social media campaign; “The Fright Night Feeding Frenzy” kicks off with a chance to win a VIP trip for two to San Diego Comic-Con in partnership with Yahoo! Movies. The trip includes travel, accommodations and admittance to all “Fright Night” scheduled events. “The Fright Night Feeding Frenzy” encourages fans to use their social feeds on Facebook, Twitter and blogs to share movie content and check in to real world events to collect points. At the end of each week, the fan who has spread the frenzy the farthest wins a killer prize. Prizes are awarded weekly beginning July 1st through the film’s release on Friday, August 19th. More information about the “Fright Night” Feeding Frenzy and how to join can be found at: http://www.welcometofrightnight.com/


ABOUT THE MOVIE:
Senior Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin) finally has it all — he’s running with the popular crowd and dating the hottest girl in high school. In fact, he’s so cool he’s even dissing his best friend Ed (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). But trouble arrives when an intriguing stranger Jerry (Colin Farrell) moves in next door. He seems like a great guy at first, but there’s something not quite right — yet no one, including Charley’s mom (Toni Collette), seems to notice! After witnessing some very unusual activity, Charley comes to an unmistakable conclusion: Jerry is a vampire preying on his neighborhood. Unable to convince anyone that he’s telling the truth, Charley has to find a way to get rid of the monster himself in this Craig Gillespie-helmed revamp of the comedy-horror classic.

DreamWorks Pictures’ “Fright Night” is produced by Michael De Luca and Alison Rosenzweig, with screenplay written by Marti Noxon from a story by Tom Holland, based on the film “Fright Night,” written by Tom Holland. “Fright Night” opens in theaters on August 19, 2011.

About Comic-Con 2011:
Comic-Con International is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to creating awareness of, and appreciation for, comics and related popular art forms, primarily through the presentation of conventions and events that celebrate the historic and ongoing contribution of comics to art and culture. This year’s annual San Diego convention runs July 21-24 at the San Diego Convention Center.

Review: "Superbad" is a Top High School Comedy (Happy B'day, Michael Cera)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 121 (of 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux

Superbad (2007)
Running time: 114 minutes (1 hour, 54 minutes)
MPAA – R for pervasive crude and sexual content, strong language, drinking, some drug use, and a fantasy/comic violent image – all involving teens
DIRECTOR: Greg Mottola
WRITERS: Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg
PRODUCERS: Judd Apatow and Shauna Robertson
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Russ T. Alsobrook
EDITOR: William Kerr

COMEDY

Starring: Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Bill Hader, Seth Rogen, Kevin Corrigan, Joe Lo Truglio, Martha MacIsaac, Emma Stone, Aviva, and Erica Vittina Phillips

Sex, drugs, and booze may not necessarily make you happy, but they can make for an incredibly funny movie… in the right hands.

When he isn’t writing and directing hit films like The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up, Judd Apatow finds time to produce hits like Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby or the new film, Superbad. It’s the uproarious cautionary tale/coming-of-age story about two socially inept childhood pals. They are about to graduate from high school and go their own way when one panic-driven night reaffirms their super-close friendship.

Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera) are two codependent high school seniors. No, Seth and Evan have a ridiculously dependent relationship, but now, they’ll be forced to separate because they’ve both been accepted to different colleges. It seems as if the quiet, sweet, and smart Evan managed to get into Dartmouth, while volatile, foul-mouthed Seth didn’t. Combine this duo with their friend, the arrogant nerd, Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), who also got into Dartmouth, and they form an unholy, horny trinity.

It’s three week before they graduate, and they want to hook up with girls before they go off to different colleges. Thanks to a fake I.D. card that Fogell has obtained, Seth promises Jules (Emma Stone), a girl he lusts after, that he can buy some alcohol for a party she is throwing. Evan makes the same promise to Becca (Martha MacIsaac), the girl he’s always secretly loved. However, after a calamitous night of trying to score booze for the party that involves a convenience store hold up, two crazy cops, and another thoroughly adult party, Seth and Evan find overcoming separation anxiety is a bigger obstacle than getting girls and alcohol.

Before Superbad reaches the ten-minute mark, it already has more coarse and crude language than most mainstream comedies or many R-rated comedies for that matter have in their entire runtime. In spite of the raunchy language and racy subject matter, Superbad rings with honesty. Many viewers will find that to some extent it resembles their own high school lives, especially if they were born after the 1950’s. Writers Seth Rogen (who also stars in the film) and Evan Goldberg are smart enough not to divide the school into jocks and losers. In real high school, even the nerds and geeks know the beautiful people, at least in passing. It’s not as if a “loser” can never get to say “Hi” to the popular people and athletes.

In Seth and Evan, Rogen and Goldberg have created genuine high school kids and genuine high school pals. From the moment the two first appear on screen together, there is a moment of recognition in the viewers who are really paying attention. Seth and Evan’s adventures may be over the top and even dangerous, but we can laugh. In their raunchy verbal jousting, we recognize that the two say what they do because they don’t know crap about sex. We’ve all been there. If we’ve never spoken the vileness that they do, we feel the truth in their friendship and the pain in their coming separation as they enter adulthood.

Now, the overall plot and the thin story don’t amount to much, but that isn’t important. The fine cast of comic actors hits the right notes, and that is what’s important. Superbad feels like the real thing – one the very best high school comedies ever. Superbad is supergood.

7 of 10
A-

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Review: "Kick Ass" Stumbles; Hit Girl Soars

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 61 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux

Kick Ass (2010)
Running time: 118 minutes (1 hour, 58 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong brutal violence throughout, pervasive language, sexual content, nudity and some drug use - some involving children
DIRECTOR: Matthew Vaughn
WRITERS: Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughn (based upon the comic book by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.)
PRODUCERS: Adam Bohling, Tarquin Pack, Brad Pitt, David Reid, Kris Thykier, and Matthew Vaughn
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Ben Davis (director of photography)
EDITORS: Eddie Hamilton, Jon Harris, and Pietro Scalia

SUPERHERO/FANTASY/CRIME/COMEDY

Starring: Aaron Johnson, Nicolas Strong, Chloë Grace Moretz, Mark Strong, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Lyndsy Fonseca, Clark Duke, Evan Peters, Stu “Large” Riley, Xander Berkeley, and Garrett M. Brown

The film, Kick Ass, is based upon Kick-Ass, an eight-issue comic book series from writer Mark Millar (the creator of Wanted) and John Romita, Jr. The comic book, filled with violent imagery, profanity, racism, and misogyny (among many controversial elements) is utterly deranged, but hugely entertaining. Kick Ass the movie isn’t as deranged as it thinks it is, nor is it as entertaining as its source material.

The film follows Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), a high school student/geek and comic-book fanboy. Dave has been thinking about taking his obsession with comic books and making it real by become a real-life superhero. He chooses “Kick-Ass” as his superhero name and transforms a green wetsuit with yellow stripes into his costume. Dave has absolutely no superpowers, however, and the first time he tries to fight crime turns into a disaster.

Dave’s continued activities bring him into contact with another pair of real-life superheroes, a father-daughter team who are more costumed vigilantes than superheroes. Eleven-year-old Hit Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz), who seems inhumanely good with bladed weapons, and her father, the Batman-like Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage), are waging war on Frank D’Amico (Mark Strong), a local drug kingpin. And Kick-Ass gets dragged into the blood and mayhem.

Directed by Matthew Vaughn and co-written by Vaughn and Jane Goldman, Kick Ass makes some nice changes to the original comic book (such as the reasons for Big Daddy’s campaign). Still, the movie is awkward, mainly because the narrative oscillates between two storylines: (1) Dave Lizewski’s adventures as Kick-Ass and (2) Big Daddy and Hit Girl’s war against Frank D’Amico. The action focusing on Big Daddy and Hit Girl is far more interesting than the adventures of Kick-Ass.

In fact, Dave and his friends just aren’t that interesting. They’re all stock characters, and Vaughn and Goldman aren’t able to inject anything into them that would make them worthy following. The only time Dave’s story is interesting is when he is with a new superhero calling himself Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) or with Big Daddy and Hit Girl. Big Daddy and Hit Girl, especially the latter, are such fun that I wish they were the title characters. They even have the best adversaries in Frank D’Amico, a crime boss with great screen presence, and his gleefully malevolent underlings.

Kick Ass isn’t bad; the story just pretends to love Kick-Ass, while making Big Daddy and Hit Girl so alluring. The comic book made the most of its loveable loser Dave Lizewski, but the movie makes him nondescript in a story that is ostensibly about him. For all its wanton violence, foul language, and sexual content, Kick Ass is comical when it wants to be subversive. It is worth watching if only to wish we could see more Hit Girl in action.

5 of 10
B-

Thursday, August 05, 2010

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Review: The Dragon in "How to Train Your Dragon" Makes the Film Soar

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 18 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux

 

How to Train Your Dragon (2010) – animated

Running time: 98 minutes (1 hour, 38 minutes)

MPAA – PG for sequences of intense action and some scary images, and brief mild language

DIRECTOR: Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders

WRITERS: Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders, Adam F. Goldberg, and Peter Tolan (based upon the book by Cressida Cowell

PRODUCER: Bonnie Arnold

EDITOR: Maryann Brandon

PRODUCTION DESIGNER: Kathy Altieri

ART DIRECTOR: Pierre-Olivier Vincent

 

ANIMATION/FANTASY/ACTION/ADVENTURE

 

Starring: (voice) Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Kristen Wiig 

 

The latest computer-animated (or 3D animation) film from DreamWorks Animation, How to Train Your Dragon, really does reach new heights. This story about a boy and his dragon will take the viewer soaring across the sky through cloud banks and far into the atmosphere. The audience will follow the two as they streak across the ocean and over, around, and through islands and outcroppings. For over a century, cinema has shown us humans riding into the sky on winged horses, magic carpets, giant birds, etc., but never has movie flight felt so thrilling as it does here on the back on a young dragon. 

 

How to Train Your Dragon is set on the island of Berk, a Viking settlement where the Vikings have been fighting dragons since the settlers arrived on Berk. The story’s hero is a Viking teenager named Hiccup (Jay Baruchel), the son of Viking chieftain, Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler). Hiccup’s smarts and offbeat sense of humor don’t sit too well with his tribe or his father because fighting dragons is their way of life – not humor. 

 

The beanpole-thin Hiccup is not strong, nor is he built like other Vikings, but still he is included in Dragon Training with the other Viking teens. Hiccup sees this as his chance to prove he has what it takes to be a fighter. When he encounters an injured dragon, one of the dreaded breed know as the Night Fury, Hiccup’s world is flipped upside down. He eventually befriends the dragon, whom he names “Toothless,” and helps the creature when he discovers that half of Toothless’ tail wing has been ripped off, grounding him. What started out as Hiccup’s one shot to prove himself as a Viking dragon slayer turns into an opportunity to set a new course for the future of Hiccup’s entire tribe. 

 

There is a lot about How to Train Your Dragon that can be praised, but the film does have its problems. Most of the characters are dull, flat, and uninteresting. Even Hiccup’s father, Stoick, large and fearsome as he is, really doesn’t generated dramatic heat, and Gerard Butler’s voice performance doesn’t make the character better. The character, Gobber, who acts as comic relief and is voiced by late-night talk show host, Craig Ferguson, is tepid. The story isn’t bad, but it is slight; there isn’t the dramatic weight here that one would get from a Pixar movie. In fact, the first quarter hour or so of this film presaged a cinematic bomb. Then, Hiccup and Toothless kick things off. 

 

What makes How to Train Your Dragon fantastic is its star duo. The depth, back story, conflict, and motivation missing from the other characters are abundant in Hiccup. His need to be accepted by his tribe, especially his father, versus his penchant for investigating and challenging the consensus, the status quo, and conventional thinking is the dramatic backbone of this film. Hiccup’s dragon buddy, Toothless, is simply a great animated character. He doesn’t speak, but his personality and character come through the expressiveness of his face and the vivid nature of his body in motion. In an animated film – 2D or 3D, the art of animation is indeed the illusion of life, as seen in the animated character. Gabe Hordos, the supervising animator of Toothless, and his staff have executed a grand magical spell in bringing Toothless to life. 

 

How to Train Your Dragon shows the audience the evolution of a boy from outcast teen to acknowledged hero. The film offers an impish, playful cartoon creature possessing the best human qualities. Together boy and dragon take us on a journey of self-discovery and maturity, and How to Train Your Dragon will take the audience on an aerial adventure that sometimes rivals the high-flying action of James Cameron’s Avatar. That is more than enough to make up for this film’s faults. 

 

8 of 10

A 

 

Monday, March 29, 2010

 

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