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Good Night Oppy Brings Home the Gold for Best Documentary Feature at Seventh Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards
Silver Awarded to Fire of Love
Bronze Awarded to Navalny
Winners Revealed at Gala Event on Sunday, November 13 at the Edison Ballroom in New York City
Barbara Kopple Received the D A Pennebaker Award
Dawn Porter Received the Critics Choice Impact Award
For the Very First Time, the Ceremony Was Live-Streamed on
THE CRITICS CHOICE ASSOCIATION WEBSITE
Actor and Standup Comedian Wyatt Cenac Served as Host of the Event
Winners of the Seventh Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Gold: Good Night Oppy (Amazon Studios)
Silver: Fire of Love (National Geographic Documentary Films/Neon)
Bronze: Navalny (HBO Max/CNN Films/Warner Bros. Pictures)
BEST DIRECTOR
Ryan White – Good Night Oppy (Amazon Studios)
BEST FIRST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
David Siev – Bad Axe (IFC Films)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Cinematography Team – Our Great National Parks (Netflix)
BEST EDITING
Brett Morgen – Moonage Daydream (Neon/HBO Documentary Films)
BEST SCORE
Blake Neely – Good Night Oppy (Amazon Studios)
BEST NARRATION
Good Night Oppy (Amazon Studios)
Written by Helen Kearns, Ryan White
Performed by Angela Bassett
BEST ARCHIVAL DOCUMENTARY
Fire of Love (National Geographic Documentary Films/Neon)
BEST HISTORICAL DOCUMENTARY
Descendant (Netflix)
BEST BIOGRAPHICAL DOCUMENTARY
Sidney (Apple TV+)
BEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARY
The Beatles: Get Back (Disney+)
BEST POLITICAL DOCUMENTARY
Navalny (HBO Max/CNN Films/Warner Bros. Pictures)
BEST SCIENCE/NATURE DOCUMENTARY
Good Night Oppy (Amazon Studios)
BEST SPORTS DOCUMENTARY (TIE)
Citizen Ashe (HBO Max/CNN Films)
Welcome to Wrexham (FX)
BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY
Nuisance Bear (The New Yorker Studios)
BEST LIMITED DOCUMENTARY SERIES
The Beatles: Get Back (Disney+)
BEST ONGOING DOCUMENTARY SERIES
30 for 30 (ESPN)
About the Critics Choice Awards
The Critics Choice Documentary Awards are an offshoot of the Critics Choice Awards, which are bestowed annually by the CCA to honor the finest in cinematic and television achievement. Historically, the Critics Choice Awards are the most accurate predictor of Academy Award nominations.
Even Jenny Slate’s quirk and charm can’t help this mess of a movie.
Based on the novel by Rebecca Dinerstein, “The Sunlit Night” follows Frances (Slate), a struggling painter from New York City. After her boyfriend breaks up with her, she finds out her sister is engaged and her parents are separating. Feeling lost and hopeless, she wants to leave home immediately; and gets an opportunity to paint a barn in Norway in a town where apparently the sun never sets.
Up until this point of the film, you’ve been treated to a funny and witty comedy with a lot of potential. Unfortunately once Frances arrives to Norway, all that potential goes out the window. The audience is left to endure a slow “self-discovery” that is all over the place.
Once Frances is acquainted with her new employer, she meets a few new people. She happens to run into Yasha (Alex Sharp), a Russian-American baker who has come to Norway to give his father a proper Viking funeral. That’s when the film suddenly turns into a “romantic comedy”. I use that term very loosely. In the quiet and rare moments spent between Frances and Yasha, there is no chemistry. There’s not even a spark. This relationship is incredibly forced and doesn’t make much sense. The reasons for why the two even like each other are vague.
The random, forced comedy of a Viking tour guide (Zach Galifinakis) and Yasha’s cold, absentee mother (Gillian Anderson) didn’t help the story either.
Slate does a fantastic job with the material she is given and the scenery is beautiful, but the “The Sunlit Night” fails to shine. It’s a dim, dull tale. Director David Wnendt seemed to have a great starting point, but didn’t know where to go from there. I still don’t understand the point of the movie, or how the characters evolved by the end of the film. But honestly, I didn’t care enough about any of them.
Rating: 1.5/5
“The Sunlit Night” will be available On Demand July 17.
It’s a tough film to swallow, but it’s an unforgettable watch.
“Never Rarely Sometimes Always” follows Autumn (Sidney Flanigan), a teenage girl from Pennsylvania, who unexpectedly finds herself pregnant. We aren’t sure who knocked her up, but we are sure she does not want to go through with the pregnancy. Unable to tell her mother or her mother’s ass of a boyfriend, she confides in her best friend/ cousin, Skylar (Talia Ryder). From there, the two head to New York on what is supposed to be a mission to take care of Autumn’s situation; but ends up being a journey of discovery and a difficult life lesson.
There is a lot to admire with director/writer Eliza Hittman’s (Beach Rats) third film. For starters, the support from all the women in the movie. They are shown as comforting and caring characters. Autumn’s mom is a bit clueless; but she does love her daughter, and shows a tender side in the brief moments we see her. The female workers at both the clinics Autumn visits, are understanding, non-judgmental, and genuinely try to help the lost young lady. But it’s the bond between Autumn and Skylar that shows a true example of a selfless and giving friendship. Both actresses do a wonderful job in the film, but it’s Flanigan who shines in her debut performance by playing her character with such grace and honesty.
However, the men in this movie are not painted in the same light. They are shown as dismissive, threatening, or perverted. When the girls come across Jasper (Theodore Pellerin) on their bus ride to the city, he appears eager but harmless. Clearly interested in Skylar, she reluctantly gives him her cell number which ends up being a resourceful tool. But as you’d imagine, he’s not as innocent as he seems.
Hittman’s raw and painfully realistic dialogue is what’s so captivating. All of Autumns conversations are incredibly natural. And the emotions hit hard when she’s at her final destination in Brooklyn answering a questionnaire given by the counselor there. She must answer a series of questions relating to her sexual history with the responses of either “never, rarely, sometimes, or always.” Hittman’s screenplay is harrowing and thought-provoking.
There are some burning questions that are left up to interpretation; and the film does drag a bit in the second act, but those are my only qualms.
“Never Rarely Sometimes Always” is not an easy watch, especially during our current ordeal; but it is well worth your time.
Rating: 3.5/5
“Never Rarely Sometimes Always” is available to rent On Demand on April 3 through any of these platforms…Amazon, Apple, Comcast, DirecTV, Vudu, Google/YouTube, Charter, Verizon, Microsoft, Dish, Fandango, Sony, Cox, Altice, Vubiquity, AMC On Demand, Redbox
Dancing speaks louder than words in this latest coming of age narrative by Alan Brown.
Five Dances chronicles the rehearsal period for a series of 5 different dance routines, and tells the stories of the four dancers and primary choreographer inside the studio. Mainly following Chip (Ryan Steele), an 18 year-old young dancer who has recently arrived in New York City, as he interacts with each of his fellow dancers. As we get a more personal insight to their lives, we see a strong attraction is formed between Chip and his dance partner, Theo (Reed LuPlau). Struggling financially and having to deal with a needy mother back home in Kansas, Chip must find a way to make a new home for himself in New York while trying to avoid the undeniable desire he has for Theo.
Making their big screen debuts, the entire cast prove they are multi-talented with their spectacular performances. Ryan Steele recently wrapped up his run as “Specs” in Disney’s Newsies and is now preparing for an ensemble role in the Broadway adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Matilda. In Five Dances, Steele carries the film as the often times shy and awkward lead. Though Steele is supported by a strong cast, it’s the incredible chemistry he and LuPlau radiate off the screen that makes this film even more memorable. LaPlau, the Australian born dancer/actor, has been dancing since the age of 18 months. In 2009 he won the award for “Outstanding Performance by a Male Dancer” for Sid’s Waltzing Masquerade. Together, LaPlau and Steele give breakout performances through their dramatic romance.
Writer/Director Alan Brown (Private Romeo, Superheroes, Book of Love) does a brilliant job as he manages to tell the storylines largely through the dance numbers. I never thought a film with barely any dialogue, minimal casting, and basically one setting could say so much. In most dance movies the dancing is more of a special feature, adding to the entertainment value of the film. Five Dances heavily relies on the dancing to move the story forward. As someone who usually prefers a great amount of witty and meaningful dialogue in films, I was pleasantly surprised by how engaged I was by the characters. A simple leg extension could articulate “Hey I’m young and new but I will work my ass off trying to prove to you that I belong here.” Just a fair warning, this film is strictly about the characters. There is no dance competition pitting the characters against each other or even a big eccentric plot. Besides a climactic love scene that builds up between Chip and Theo, you are in for 83 minutes of pure character development packed with seductive choreography.
Five Dances opens in theaters October 4th.
Five Dances Official Trailer HD
Originally posted on Red Carpet Crash.