It was all cheers and tears Thursday morning, as the Hollywood Foreign Press announced nominees for the 76th annual Golden Globe Awards. In the Film categories, Vice, Adam McKay’s acerbic look at the former Vice President Dick Cheney, was the big winner, with six nominations, including for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, three acting noms, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. In TV — surprise! — The Kominsky Method got all the nominations, while This Is Us was shut out.
As soon as nominees were announced, the Internet, as it tends to do, lit up with delighted congratulations for the nominees and red-faced outrage at supposed “snubs.” Below, we’ve done our best to parse through the nominations, and those who didn’t make the cut, for a sober-eyed view of the Hollywood Foreign Press’ biggest snubs — and a few surprises — from the 2019 nominations. (Note, Roma, which many thought was a snub in the Best Motion Picture – Drama category, was not eligible, as it was nominated in the foreign film category.)
The Golden Globe Awards will be handed out on Sunday, January 6, 2019, and televised live on NBC. Killing Eve star Sandra Oh and Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Andy Samberg will host the event.
Film Snubs and Surprises | TV Snubs and Surprises
(Photo by © Walt Disney Studios)
Mary Poppins might have just tripped on its way to what was an expected showdown with A Star Is Born for Best Original Song at the Oscars, missing out on a nomination in the same category at this morning’s Golden Globe announcement. The movie has been widely tipped as a lead contender for Best Original Song, for two of its original songs written by composer Marc Shaiman and lyricist Scott Wittman – “Trip A Light Fantastic,” sung by Lin-Manuel Miranda, and “The Place Where Lost Things Go,” sung by Emily Blunt and reprised later in the film. Surprise nominations for “Revelation” from Boy Erased and “Requiem for a Private War” from A Private War seem to have squeezed Poppins out.
(Photo by © Marvel Studios)
All that awards chatter you’ve been hearing about Black Panther? It turns out the prognosticators are onto something. The movie landed three nominations this morning, including for Best Picture – Drama. It also won expected recognition for Best Score and Best Original Song, for SZA’s “All the Stars.” Expect the conversation around “Can Black Panther be nominated for an Oscar?” to only heat up after today. It was the first time a Marvel Studios film was nominated for a Best Picture Golden Globe.
(Photo by © A24)
Damien Chazelle’s Neil Armstrong biopic, First Man, only managed two nominations – for Claire Foy for Supporting Actress and for its score. The film had lost enough heat since its release in October to fall out of favor with prognosticators, but many were still expecting Ryan Gosling would land a nomination for his quiet and widely acclaimed portrayal of Armstrong. It was not to be. It was also not to be for Ethan Hawke, who plays a priest struggling with his faith in Paul Schrader’s First Reformed, one of the best reviewed films from the first half of the year. Hawke has already picked up Best Actor at the New York Film Critics Circle and the Gotham Awards this season. First Reformed received no nominations this morning.
(Photo by © Warner Bros.)
Pundits had Sam Elliott as a solid bet for Supporting Actor recognition for his work as Jackson Maine’s older, wiser, soberer brother Bobby in A Star Is Born. He gets what’s arguably the movie’s most heartbreaking scene, and certainly one that feels made for awards-season reels. And yet. This morning, Elliott was ignored by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, with slight longshot Adam Driver sneaking into the category nominations.
(Photo by © Keith Bernstein / © Aviron Pictures)
Well, not exactly a surprise when you consider the HFPA’s affection for glamorous stars. And yet, few were predicting that Pike, who gives what many consider a career-best performance as war journalist Marie Colvin in A Private War, would be able to edge her way into this category, which is roundly thought to be unusually competitive. And Kidman, who de-glammed big time to play a detective in Karyn Kusama’s Destroyer, was also thought a longshot; her performance garnered a lot of attention early in awards season, but the film has been overshadowed as we wait for its limited release. Kidman was considered a surer bet for a Supporting Actress nomination for Boy Erased, which she did not get this morning.
(Photo by © 20th Century Fox)
Kidman and Pike’s gain was Viola Davis and Yalitza Aparicio’s loss. Critics have called Davis’s lead performance in Steve McQueen’s Widows one of the year’s best, while first-time actor Yalitza Aparicio is mesmerizingly good in Roma. Her Cinderella story will have to wait, though, for now.
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What short memories you have, HFPA. Toni Collette’s performance in Ari Aster’s horror film was like nothing we’ve seen on screen this year – disarmingly physical one moment, disturbingly raw the next, and still completely nuanced. The Actress categories are competitive this year, true, but Collette’s work is deserving. At least the folks at the Gotham Awards agree with us – they named the Aussie star Best Actress last month.
(Photo by © Well Go USA)
It’s almost irrelevant who gets nominated in this category, given that Alfonso Cuarón has it basically locked up with Roma. Still, this list was one of the morning’s most perplexing. Pawel Pawlokowski’s Cold War was widely thought to be Roma’s biggest challenger and, for some, an outside chance of an upset, and yet it was looked over, while Chang-dong Lee’s Burning, form South Korea, also failed to make the cut. The Walking Dead’s Steven Yeun was also on many folks’ Best Supporting Actor longlist for Burning, in which he plays a charismatic and mysterious playboy, and he failed to score a nomination.
(Photo by © 20th Century Fox)
The critics were mixed on this Freddie Mercury biopic – it has been wavering between Fresh and Rotten since its release, and currently sits at 62% on the Tomatometer. Even the film’s most ardent defenders acknowledged it was mostly a standard Behind the Music deal with some incredible concert footage and a killer performance by Rami Malek as Mercury. But this is not the first time the HFPA has been out of step with critics and awards pundits – the Rotten musical The Greatest Showman landed multiple nominations last year.
(Photo by © Warner Bros.)
Awards juggernaut A Star Is Born showed it was not as unstoppable as some might have thought. While it landed five nominations – one less than Vice, which earned the most of the morning, with six – they came mostly in absolute shoe-in categories, including for Best Actress and Actor in a Drama, Best Director, Best Film, and Best Original Song. The movie failed to fully flex its muscles, however, missing out on expected nominations for Best Screenplay, Best Score, and, as already noted, Best Supporting Actor for Sam Elliott.
(Photo by © Sanja Bucko /© Warner Bros. Pictures)
Crazy Rich Asians secured two nominations this morning, for Best Movie –Musical or Comedy and for star Constance Wu, but Michelle Yeoh, who plays the icy Eleanor Young in the smash rom-com, was shut out of the Best Supporting Actress category. Buzz had been building for her performance, and her Golden Globe chances, over the last few months, but we’re not giving up hope yet for her this awards season: Those who remember the film will know Eleanor may get left out in the rain at times, but she rarely stays there.
(Photo by © Focus Features)
Did anyone see this coming? We didn’t. But we’re not arguing with it: Hedges is excellent as the college student forced into conversion therapy by his parents in Joel Edgerton’s Boy Erased, and his nomination should direct some needed awards-season attention to the film, which failed to score nominations for Best Film – Drama, or for Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe, who had chances in the supporting acting categories.
(Photo by © Focus Features)
On paper, Mary Queen of Scots looked a sure bet to be a big awards-season player: Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie, lavish costumes, familial rivalry. And, in a rare and widely celebrated move, colorblind casting for a British period drama! The movie’s first real test came this morning and it didn’t quite make the grade, landing zero nominations. The biggest surprise was perhaps seeing Ronan and Robbie left out of the acting categories — especially Ronan, who many critics say carries the film as the titular monarch.
(Photo by Mike Yarish/Netflix)
Netflix just released its new series about Kominsky (Michael Douglas), a former star looking for a comeback, and his longtime agent (Alan Arkin) in November. The series is Certified Fresh with a relatively modest 78% on the Tomatometer, but scored three nominations: Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy; Douglas for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy; and Arkin for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television. Say what you may about the HFPA’s Golden Globes – the organization is fiercely loyal to big stars.
(Photo by HBO)
Perhaps it is less surprising that Rae was excluded from the Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy category nominations than the fact that Candice Bergen was nominated for the critically panned Murphy Brown revival, which has a 43% Tomatometer score. Meanwhile, Insecure’s third season is Certified Fresh at 95%. We’re calling it a snub.
(Photo by Patrick Harbron/FX)
We expected Matthew Rhys’ nomination – the final season of critical favorite The Americans was bound to get some love. But we did not anticipate the other nominees in the category for different reasons: Jason Bateman, Ozark (the buzz around the series has died down); Stephan James, Homecoming (a nice surprise to have young James in the mix given the veterans of the category – see “Snub: This Is Us”); Richard Madden, Bodyguard (perhaps should not have come as a surprise given that the HFPA famously rewards international stars); and Billy Porter, Pose (Porter certainly gave a standout performance in the series and it’s nice to see him recognized). Which leads us to our next point…
(Photo by Starz)
Simmons plays two roles in the Starz spy series: one as low-level bureaucrat Howard Silk who discovers the government agency he works for is a cover for a portal to an alternate universe and, two, his aggro alt-universe counterpart. The first season of the series, created by The Jungle Book screenwriter Justin Marks, was Certified Fresh at a rare 100% and season 2, premiering Sunday, currently also stands at 100%. Simmons was expected to make an appearance in the Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama category.
(Photo by Ursula Coyote/HBO)
That Culkin deserved the nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television is not in question – the actor has been widely hailed for his performance in the HBO drama about a Murdoch-like clan grappling for control of the family empire. That he would supplant the likes of Joseph Fiennes in awards favorite The Handmaid’s Tale or Atlanta standout Brian Tyree Henry is the surprise here.
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Sterling K. Brown? Milo Ventimiglia? The two This Is Us stars are awards favorites and their exclusion from the Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama category is startling. Surely the series was worth a Best Television Series – Drama nomination? No? Shocking!
(Photo by Bravo)
The Bravo series, based on the real-life story of conman John Meehan (played by Eric Bana) and his mark (Britton as Debra Newell), has generated moderate buzz, but here at Rotten Tomatoes, a series that scores only 64% on the Tomatometer doesn’t immediately suggest award nods. Britton’s nomination in the Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television for the series comes as a surprise.
(Photo by Colleen Hayes/NBC)
Another in the 100% club, with two seasons Certified Fresh at 100%, the NBC series has dominated RT’s seasonal scorecards every season it has aired. And with Danson’s costar Kristen Bell nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy, his exclusion from the Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy category comes as a surprise.
(Photo by TNT)
Again, a 65% Tomatometer score doesn’t suggest awards are forthcoming for a series, but the TNT crime drama based on Caleb Carr’s novels has surprised us all with Best Limited Series nomination and, for star Daniel Brühl, a Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television nomination. It was a series that built buzz as more episodes aired.
(Photo by Matthias Clamer/FX)
Out with the old? Jim Carrey’s Showtime comedy Kidding and Netflix series The Kominsky Method got the nominations for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy instead.
The Limited Series nominations left out hipster-fabulous Netflix series Maniac and its stars Jonah Hill and Emma Stone. After … All. That. Hype.
Film Snubs and Surprises | TV Snubs and Surprises
This weekend at the movies, we’ve got a legendary singer (Bohemian Rhapsody, starring Rami Malek and Lucy Boynton), a classic fantasy retold (The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, starring Mackenzie Foy and Keira Knightley), and a tale of two sisters (Nobody’s Fool, starring Tiffany Haddish and Tika Sumpter). What are the critics saying?
For a certain segment of the moviegoing audience, the words “Bohemian Rhapsody” immediately invoke images of Wayne, Garth, and crew headbanging in an AMC Pacer. That memorable scene spawned a new generation of fans who would discover the music of Queen — and its charismatic frontman Freddie Mercury — for the first time, and this week, Bryan Singer‘s Bohemian Rhapsody seeks to do the same. Ostensibly centered on Mercury (played by Rami Malek), the film covers 15 years of the singer’s life, including the formation of the band and its spectacular rise, and culminates in the band’s legendary 1985 Live Aid performance at Wembley Stadium. Critics say that although the film plays like an abridged biography and handles Mercury’s sexuality and drug issues with kid gloves, Malek is electric in the role, and the climactic performance is appropriately dazzling. Those expecting an in-depth character study may be disappointed, but Queen fans are likely to sing right along in their seats, particularly during the spectacular Live Aid sequence.
German writer E.T.A. Hoffmann’s The Nutcracker and the Mouse King has been entertaining children in various forms for literally centuries since it was first published in 1816, most notably as a ballet scored by Tchaikovsky. In film, the story has been adapted either fully or in part several times, and we get the latest iteration in this week’s The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, directed by Lasse Hallström. Mackenzie Foy stars as the young girl who travels to a parallel world full of fantastical creatures where she must face off with a tyrannical Helen Mirren. Unfortunately, critics say Four Realms falters as a holiday tale and offers little in the way of compelling storytelling or sensational setpieces, even if it’s quite pretty to look at. It may make for a visual distraction for the kids, but it may also leave you scratching your head.
Tyler Perry hasn’t exactly been a critical darling over the last decade or so, but that hasn’t slowed him down one bit. This week, we get his latest offering, a comedy called Nobody’s Fool (not a remake of the 1994 Paul Newman movie) starring Tiffany Haddish and Tika Sumpter as two sisters whose lives have taken dramatically opposite directions. Wild child Tanya (Haddish) has just been released from a prison stint and reunites with her straight-laced sister Danica (Sumpter); as it turns out, Danica may be in over her head with her mysterious new boyfriend, and Tanya’s just the one to help. We’d love to tell you what critics thought of Nobody’s Fool, but it wasn’t screened for critics (or anyone, really). You know what that means: Guess that Tomatometer!
An impressive small-screen debut for Julia Roberts, Homecoming balances its haunting mystery with a frenetic sensibility that grips and doesn’t let go.
House of Cards folds slightly under the weight of its labyrinthian ending — thankfully Robin Wright‘s commanding performance is strong enough to keep it standing strong.
Also Opening This Week In Limited Release
Halloween is over and done with, and you know what that means: discount candy sales everywhere! Oh, and also, it’s officially that time of year when movie studios line up their major awards contenders and holiday fare. To help you navigate the dozens of new releases that will come your way in the months of November and December, we’ve put together a handy calendar you can use to plan out your entire holiday season. Whether you’re into serious drama (Boy Erased, Mary Queen of Scots, On the Basis of Sex), family-friendly fantasy (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Mary Poppins Returns), blockbuster action (Aquaman, Bumblebee), animated adventures (Ralph Breaks the Internet, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse), or something in between (Creed II, Green Book), you’re likely to find some enticing choices at the multiplex, so read on to check out our Holiday Movie Calendar!
(Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images)
Australian pop singer Troye Sivan appears this month in Joel Edgerton’s Boy Erased, the star-studded awards contender that goes behind the scenes of the controversial and mystery-shrouded practice of conversion therapy. The film is an adaptation of Garrard Conley’s memoir of the same name, which reflects on the time that the author’s religious parents – played by Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe – forced him into conversation therapy after he came out to them. Sivan plays Gary, a teenager in therapy with Jared (the Conley character, played by Lucas Hedges), and who is one of the few kids to see through the practice and the man in charge of it.
Sivan, who came out in a YouTube video in his late teens, told Rotten Tomatoes he hopes parents see the movie – “like every parent in the world.” He added, “What’s so nice about this movie is that no one is a villain in it, and it’s a real genuine conversation and exploration of parents who love their kids and who are worried for their kids and do what they think is right for their kids – the movie explores how wrong that can go. I think the thing that’s missing is education. I’m hoping that the movie really is a part of that education for parents to kind of guide them in what I think is the right way to handle an LGBT child.”
Ahead of the film’s opening in limited release, Sivan shared his Five Favorite Films with Rotten Tomatoes.
The first film is Moulin Rouge! — weird because I’m seeing Nicole Kidman later today, not to brag. I’m pretty stoked about that. I first saw it at a family friend’s house and they put it on for me because they thought I’d like it, they knew that I liked music. But the first 10 minutes of that movie are absolute chaos, like full-fledged chaos. So, I was like, I hate this, I don’t know what this is. I gave it a second try and watched it through the first 10 minutes and then the story started to come together and it became my favorite movie.
I love that movie so much. I love the visuals, love the music in it, and just yeah, it spoke to my little gay heart when I was a kid.
For me it’s a classic, and any time that I get to kind of live a fantasy of – it sounds awful – but of Nazis getting what they deserve, I am down with it.
Are you a big Tarantino fan?
I’m not not a fan. I just haven’t seen all of his movies, but I should because I love that movie so much. It’s just one of those movies that I feel like I can watch any time and enjoy it. And it’s weird as well, because I’m Jewish and really sensitive to a lot of Holocaust [material] and World War II stuff, and so I try to steer clear of those movies. But I think maybe because it’s fantastical enough and because of the alternative ending, that movie has always been okay for me to watch and doesn’t upset me too much.
Grand Budapest Hotel is probably my favorite movie ever. I don’t know why, but it makes me feel so safe, and anytime I’m even remotely stressed, I’ll put on that movie and I feel like it transports me to another universe. It was the first Wes Anderson movie that I ever saw.
The thing that sticks out to me the most is the humor. I find the movie really, really, really funny. And then of course the set design and the way that it’s shot – everything is so gorgeous. But for me it’s just one of those movies that keeps you on your toes. You never really know [what’s going to happen]. It’s a simple, classic, good story that’s just told so beautifully, that it feels so artful and considered, and I just really appreciate that.
This list makes me realize that I really appreciate a director with real perspective, and the films are very stylized. That’s my vibe, and I think the Grand Budapest is an impeccable example of that.
That movie for me was quirky done right. I feel like a lot of the time for me quirky is cringe-y, and it’s easy to mess up; Juno felt genuinely quirky and just cute, and the soundtrack is really inspiring to me because it’s got such a vision and perspective and such a sound to it. I love that movie. I think it’s really heartwarming.
I used to be really homesick as a kid. I never had sleepovers or anything like that with my friends ever, because I would have panic attacks and wanna go home. And then I watched Up In the Air, and watching George Clooney pack his suitcase so neatly and hop on the plane and just be so organized made me wanna travel by myself and made me love hotels and stuff like that. And I just love the movie as well. It gave me the courage to travel by myself for the first time and leave home.
The thing that kinda sucks is that I have a feeling that if I was to rewatch it now, it would be depressing. At the time that I watched it for the first time, it was ambitious – I wanted to travel all the time like that and I thought it was so cool. And then, as you know, the movie gets kind of dark and sad and it’s like, “What are you running from?” At the time that didn’t apply to me, but now I wonder if I would watch it back and be like, “Oh god, this is really too real.”
Boy Erased is in limited release Friday November 2.
If Beale Street Could Talk (Photo by Tatum Mangus / © Annapurna Pictures)
Sometimes the movie is as good as the book, and sometimes – hear us out – it’s even better (we’re looking at you, Jaws and The Godfather), which is why we’re excited about a slew of book adaptations that are hitting theaters over the next four months; some vying for that sweet, sweet awards contention, and some just vying for that sweet, sweet box office dominance (we’re looking at you, Mary Poppins Returns). Some will win us over, some will disappoint, but all will likely provide fodder for discussion – what changes worked, what didn’t, and – yes – was it as good as the book?
With the excellent adaptation of Kevin Kwan’s novel Crazy Rich Asians still doing big business at the box office – No. 1 for a second week! – we’re in a literary state of mind. If you, like us, want to read ahead in preparation for the season’s book-to-movie adaptations, you should start here, with our list of the most anticipated book-based movies coming to theaters soon.
Religious freedom and the death of a marriage are entwined issues in this quiet courtroom melodrama. Inspired by a dinner party with several high court judges and his own acrimonious divorce, Ian McEwan’s The Children Act tells the story of a young Jehovah’s Witness whose parents won’t allow him to have a lifesaving blood transfusion. This case makes its way to the English high court where Justice Fiona Maye must preside over the ruling. Just days after her husband confides he wants to have an affair, she must wrestle with her personal strife while deciding the merits of the landmark case. Published in 2014, The Children Act was a hit in Britain. Emma Thompson plays Maye, with Stanley Tucci as her husband. Richard Eyre directs McEwan’s screenplay.
In theaters September 14 | Read the book
Director Damien Chazelle reteams with La La Land leading man Ryan Gosling for the Neil Armstrong biopic, First Man. Pulitzer Prize nominee James R. Hansen penned First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong, the only official Armstrong biography, on which the movie is based. Shot partially in IMAX 70 mm, the movie’s extended trailer, which played before Mission: Impossible – Fallout at IMAX screenings, had audiences buzzing this summer. Beginning with Armstrong’s humble upbringing and culminating in a behind-the-scenes look at the first successful mission to the moon, this is a complete departure from Chazelle’s previous work in music-centric cinema. It also stars Claire Foy and Kyle Chandler.
In theaters October 4 | Read the book
The internet is besotted with Timothée Chalamet, and don’t we all just want Steve Carell to be our dad? Let’s hope that sentiment holds true after this dark tearjerker screens. Two autobiographical works, from a father’s and son’s eyes, provide the source material for Flemish director Felix Van Groeningen’s first English-language film: Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction, by David Sheff, and Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines, by his son Nic Sheff. Both detail Nic’s battle with drug addiction and his father’s efforts to get him clean. The movie looks to switch back and forth between Nic and David’s first-person accounts.
In theaters October 12 | Read David Sheff’s book, read Nic Sheff’s book
Author Angie Thomas’s novel, The Hate U Give, is one of the first young adult books to tackle the Black Lives Matter movement and the issue of police accountability, and features Amandla Stenberg, who most will remember as Rue in The Hunger Games, in the lead role. Starr Carter (Stenberg) is a 16-year-old who lives in a predominantly black neighborhood but attends a fancy suburban prep school. Both of her worlds are shaken when she witnesses her childhood friend’s murder by the police during a traffic stop. A No. 1 New York Times bestseller, The Hate U Give is probably the most anticipated young adult adaptation of 2018. Issa Rae, Regina Hall, Russell Hornsby, and KJ Apa join Stenberg and Soul Food director George Tillman Jr.
In theaters October 19 | Read the book
Melissa McCarthy takes her first drama lead in Can You Ever Forgive Me?, adapted from Lee Israel’s true-life memoir. An eccentric and tragic character, Israel began forging letters of deceased writers and actors as a way to make money when her writing career was flailing. Born to privilege and a prestigious literary family, Israel seemed destined to for great things, but shifting trends put her out in the literary cold. Enticed into a life of forgery by her recently paroled best friend, she starts to earn ample income – until the FBI catches wind. The movie is directed by The Diary of a Teenage Girl‘s Marielle Heller.
In theaters October 19 | Read the book
If last year was the year of “wonder” – Wonder, Wonderstruck, Wonder Wheel – this year is all about a “boy.” Besides Beautiful Boy and White Boy Rick, we also have Boy Erased. The film, based on Garrard Conley’s eponymous memoir, sees Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea) return to the awards conversation in a story about a gay teenager, Jared Conlon, who is forced to attend conversion camp. The second film this year to tackle the subject, Australian director Joel Edgerton, who also stars, brings some serious Aussie star power with him for his latest effort: Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe play Jared’s ultra-conservative parents.
In theaters November 2 | Read the book
Seven years after David Fincher’s The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo, we are finally getting the next installment in the (English-language) franchise. In this soft reboot, Claire Foy replaces Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander, the protagonist computer hacker from the Stieg Larsson’s Girl series. Don’t Breathe director Fede Álvarez takes over for Fincher behind the camera, and Foy is joined by Icelandic actor Sverrir Gudnason, Lakeith Stanfield, and Sylvia Hoeks in front of it.
In theaters November 9 | Read the book
Barry Jenkins returns to theaters with this follow-up to his Best Picture Oscar winner, Moonlight, which topped our list of the best LQBTQ films of all time. The film is an adaptation of James Baldwin’s love story set in Harlem in the early 1970s, one of the writer’s most enduring and beloved works. It is the story of Tish, a 19-year-old girl, and Fonny, the young sculptor she’s in love with. In the midst of their affair, Fonny is falsely accused of rape and imprisoned, and the ever-shifting flood of emotions that envelops both characters as they strive to clear his name is part of why the novel is heralded as one the great works of modern American literature. Starring Ed Skrein, Pedro Pascal, Dave Franco, Diego Luna, Regina King, and Brian Tyree Henry, Beale Street was penciled in on just about everyone’s Oscars shortlist moments after it was announced.
In theaters November 30 | Read the book
Anglophiles rejoice! The true story about one of the most infamous monarchs in British history is getting a lavish big-screen treatment. Crowned Queen of Scotland at nine months and Queen of France at 16, Mary was imprisoned by a rival queen – her own sister – by 25. Theater director Josie Rourke makes her feature-film debut in this historical drama starring two of last year’s Best Actress Oscar nominees, Margot Robbie and Saoirse Ronan, who play Elizabeth I and Mary, respectively. Based on historian John Guy’s My Heart Is My Own: The Life of Mary Queen of Scots, the film pits two of Hollywood’s best young actresses against each other in a dramatic retelling of British history. Yassss queen, indeed.
In theaters December 7 | Read the book
Author P.L. Travers may have despised Walt Disney’s adaptation of her classic children’s book, but it remains one of the most beloved musicals ever produced. The Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke film was an instant classic and – sorry P.L. – is still Certified Fresh at 100% on the Tomatometer. This rebooted sequel takes place 20 years after the incidents of the Disney film and is based on the remaining seven books in Travers’ series. Chicago director Rob Marshall helms a star-studded cast, which includes Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Colin Firth, Meryl Streep, and Emily Blunt as Mary. The Banks children are grown up, but when trouble returns, so does their ever-faithful magical nanny.
In theaters December 19 | Read the books
Last week, you discovered under-the-radar movies Rotten Tomatoes staff enjoyed. Today, we select movies we’re looking forward to in 2018! Next week, find out which of these movies we’re looking forward to being remade in 2038.
