'Black Panther' and 'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse' — diverse superhero Oscar winners, a recycled comment

Not only was this a victory for diversity and sexual equality, it was one for Netflix, too.  I'll get to the first topic again when I return with another recycled comment entry about the highest grossing film about politics and government, "Black Panther," and both when I write about "Roma" and the other winners after that.  Stay tuned.

That's how I finished Documentary Oscar winners avoid U.S. politics while scoring wins for diversity, a recycled comment.  I'm going to make good on that promise by being a good environmentalist and recycling the final part of the comment thread I left at Oscar Bytes on Kunstler's blog.

Finally, I wish to address our host's comment that "America is marinated in the juices of Hollywood."  Most of that marination is in fantasy, as nine of the ten highest grossing films of 2018 were  speculative fiction, including the highest grossing film about politics and government, "Black Panther."  Even the one top ten movie that wasn't about superheroes, science fiction, or fantasy, "Mission: Impossible - Fallout," had strong escapist elements.  I'll leave what Americans' taste for escapist fantasy means as an exercise for the reader.

I'll be frank; I meant that last sentence to be ambiguous.  I thought it would serve as bait for a commentariat that thinks America is too immersed in technological fantasy to confront what they see as reality while being written by someone who is a big speculative fiction fan.  In that regard, it failed; no one bit.  That written, I see it as evidence that speculative fiction films have become well-made mainstream entertainment that are also outstanding examples of the movie-making craft, if not great art.

Speaking of which, it's time for a comparison of this year's speculative fiction nominees with the past two.

I think this is a very good showing for speculative fiction films.  "The Shape of Water" earned thirteen nominations, "Blade Runner 2049" earned five, "Get Out" and "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" each earned four, "Beauty and the Beast" and "Coco" both earned two, and seven other feature films earned one each, eight if one counts "Loving Vincent" as speculative fiction simply because it's animated, for a total of 38 or 39 nominations.  Add in the Animated Short Subjects and the total increases to 41 or 44 nominations for 20 to 23 films (I'm not sure about "Basketball Dreams" or "Negative Space" being speculative fiction simply because they're animated, just as I'm not convinced about "Loving Vincent.").  That's about as many films as last year but half again as many nominations, as the 2017 ceremony had 20 films and 32 nominations for speculative fiction.  It's even better than the 2016 Oscars, which had 15 speculative fiction films nominated with 36 nominations -- and I thought that was a good year for speculative fiction, especially science fiction!

This year, 19 speculative films earned 29 nominations.  On the one hand, that's on the low side of average for the number of speculative fiction movies nominated during this decade so far, which ranges from 15 in 2014 and 2016 to 44 last year.  On the other hand, last year saw the fewest nominations for speculative fiction films this decade, the lowest being 32 nominations in 2012 and 2014.*  I still think Hollywood is in a golden age for fantasy, science fiction, horror, and especially comic-book movies, but now I wonder if this is as good a year as I thought, at least in terms of artistry, if not box office.  I'll get back to that when I evaluate the Saturn Award nominees in April and May.

Just the same, it was a very good year for superhero movies, both in their own right and in terms of recognizing diversity and represenation.  I'll let Comic Book Resources (CBR.com) tell the story.

The actual results were somewhere between the two extremes, but still reason for fans of Black Panther and of superhero movies in general to be happy. Ryan Coogler's film won three trophies, for Best Production Design, Best Costume Design and Best Original Score. This beats The Dark Knight's two awards for Best Supporting Actor and Best Sound Editing, and The Incredibles' awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Sound Editing to stand as the most successful superhero movie ever at the Oscars. These are also the first Oscars awarded to a film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Alongside Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse's well-deserved Best Animated Feature win, it was a pretty great night for superhero movies.

While many predicted the stunning but more traditionally Oscar bait-y work in The Favourite to win for Costume and Production Design, you can't argue that Black Panther's wins in those categories weren't extremely well-deserved. Even those who weren't in love with the film as a whole had to admit that the painstaking research and creativity in designing the costumes and world of Wakanda was an extraordinary accomplishment. These wins made history for both superhero movies and for African-Americans in the film industry; Ruth E. Carter became the first black woman to win Best Costume Design, while Hannah Bleachler (sharing her award with Jay Hart) was the first black person to even be nominated for Best Production Design.

Not only were the winners a victory for recognizing diversity in Hollywood, so were the presenters, including Trevor Noah, who introduced "Black Panther."

Watch Trevor Noah introduce Oscars 2019 nominee for Best Picture BLACK PANTHER.

Diversity in presenters continued with Brian Tyree Henry, who provided one of the voices for "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," standing next to Melissa McCarthy in a ridiculous outfit to present the Oscar for Costume Design.

Watch Ruth Carter accept the Oscar for Costume Design for BLACK PANTHER at Oscars 2019.

Congratulations!

Diversity on stage continued as Jennifer Lopez joined Chris Evans, Captain America himself, to present the Oscar for Production Design.

Watch Hannah Beachler and Jay Hart accept the Oscar for Production Design for BLACK PANTHER at Oscars 2019.

Congratulations!

For the final award won by "Black Panther," Marvel stars Tessa Thompson from the "Thor" movies and Michael B. Jordan, Killmonger himself from "Black Panther," presented the Oscar for Music (Original Score).

Watch Ludwig Göransson accept the Oscar for Music (Original Score) for BLACK PANTHER at Oscars 2019.

In addition to the presenters being diverse, four of them were also actors in Marvel movies.  Considering the show is on ABC, which is owned by Disney, which also owns Marvel, I should not be surprised at the level of self-promotion.  I'll pass on being cynical, as I think they were good choices in their own right.

Mercifully, the promotion of Marvel movie stars did not continue for Best Animated Feature, but diversity in presenters did, as Michelle Yeoh and Pharrell Williams presented the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.

Watch Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller accept the Oscar for Animated Feature Film for SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE at Oscars 2019.

"Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" winning Best Animated Feature is a victory for both superhero films and diversity, as the star is Miles Morales, who is Afro-Latino.  In contrast, the movie I thought would win, "The Incredibles 2," would have only been good for superhero movies, but not even for comic books, as the characters are original to Pixar, not adapted from print.

That's it for speculative fiction winners at the Oscars.  I will write about the rest of the winners about politics and diversity in the next entry, which will be the first post of next month.  Stay tuned.  Until then, Wakanda Forever!

*Here are the number of nominated speculative fiction films and nominations from 2011-2015.

2011: 19 films with 42 nominations.
2012: 21 films with 40 nominations.
2013: 18 films with 34 nominations.
2014: 15 films with 32 nominations.
2015: 21 films with 36 nominations.

Documentary Oscar winners avoid U.S. politics while scoring wins for diversity, a recycled comment

I told my readers to "stay tuned at the end of 'First Man' and 'The Favourite' surprise as Oscar winners as films about government and politics, a recycled comment.

I plan on posting one two more installments featuring passages from the recycled comment at Kunstler's blog, the first about the documentary awards followed by remarks about the highest grossing film about politics and government, "Black Panther."

I begin this post about my comment on Oscar Bytes at Kunstler's blog by offering a contrast to The Academy Awards got political without mentioning Trump, a recycled comment and noting one other upset of a political film.

Just the same, the Academy voters had some chances to score political points with the winners of the documentary awards and chose not to.  It would have been easy for the members of the Motion Picture Academy to make a statement by voting for "RBG"; instead, they gave the award to "Free Solo."  In this case, they bowed to popular taste as "Free Solo" earned $2 million more at the box office than "RBG," making it the most lucrative nominated documentary ("Won't You Be My Neighbor?" was the highest earning documentary released during 2018, but wasn't nominated).

Box Office Mojo shows that "Free Solo" has earned $16,495,602 so far during its theatrical run while "RBG" ended up with $14,017,361 at the box office and "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" topped last year's documentaries with $22,835,787.

While I was rooting for "RBG" to win, I had an inkling that "Free Solo" could pull off an upset.

I think "Free Solo" is the better movie, but "Minding the Gap" has more social commentary.  If one wanted a non-political choice, "Free Solo" is the one I'd pick and the movie I expect has the best, if not good, chance against "RBG."

Therefore, I was not surprised to see FREE SOLO Accept the Oscar for Documentary (Feature).  Neither, it seems, was Jason Momoa.

Watch Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, Evan Hayes and Shannon Dill accept the Oscar for Documentary (Feature) for FREE SOLO at Oscars 2019.

In FREE SOLO Thank You Cam Speech: Documentary (Feature), Jimmy Chin made an environmental point, mentioning that the film shows the importance of protecting and preserving wild places.

Watch Oscars 2019 winner Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, Evan Hayes and Shannon Dill's Thank You Cam Oscar acceptance speech for Documentary (Feature) for FREE SOLO.

As someone who spent his youth vactioning in Yosemite National Park and praised the cinematography of the Emmy-nominated "Nature" episode "Yosemite," I agree with Chin.

On another note, Wikipedia shows that Chai Vasarhlyi and Chin "are the first married couple of Asian descent to share a nomination."  In fact, this was a very good year for Asian-Americans in the Best Documentary Feature category, as both Bing Liu, who directed "Minding the Gap" and Su Kim, director of "Hale County This Morning, This Evening," are both Asian-Americans, making for a total of three nominated documentary features helmed by Asian-Americans, a record.


Technically, so is the director of the winner of Best Documentary (Short Subject), Rayka Zehtabchi, who is Iranian-American.*  This is what I wrote about her film winning.

They could have also made an "it could happen here" point by voting for "A Night at the Garden," but instead honored "Period, End of Sentence" to make a statement about sexism.  That's much more indirect.

I really didn't have a strong opinion about who would or should win, so I was both pleased and not surprised to see PERIOD. END OF SENTENCE Accept the Oscar for Documentary (Short Subject)

Watch Rayka Zehtabchi and Melissa Berton accept the Oscar for Documentary (Short Subject) for PERIOD. END OF SENTENCE at Oscars 2019.

Not only was this a victory for diversity and sexual equality, it was one for Netflix, too.  I'll get to the first topic again when I return with another recycled comment entry about the highest grossing film about politics and government, "Black Panther," and both when I write about "Roma" and the other winners after that.  Stay tuned.

*While Iran is definitely in Asia, the Census Bureau definition of Asian-American lists people from the country as White or Middle Eastern, reserving the designation of Asian-American for those whose ancestors came from East, South, and Southeast Asia.  I'm ambivalent about applying this definition.  On the one hand, I worked for the Census Bureau, so I am strongly inclined to use their definitions.  On the other, I think that trying to distinguish between people from Iran and those from South Asia, particularly Pakistan, is an arbitrary exercise and demonstrates how much race is a social construct and how this definition of who is Asian is a particularly American one.

'First Man' and 'The Favourite' surprise as Oscar winners as films about government and politics, a recycled comment

I told my readers "I have more of that recycled comment about the Academy Awards to share, so stay tuned" at the conclusion of The Academy Awards got political without mentioning Trump, a recycled comment, so I present another installment, this time about historical films other than "BlacKkKlansman."

In response to James Howard Kunstler offering his hot negative take on the Academy Awards in Oscar Bytes, another of his readers commented "but I'd like to read others comments, who watched or have an opinion about the WINNERS."  I couldn't resist.*

I watched the entire ceremony and made predictions about most of the categories in advance.  I called most of the winners and even anticipated most of the upsets, such as "BlacKkKlansman" beating "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" for Best Adapted Screenplay and "First Man" beating "Avengers: Infinity Wars" and "Ready Player One" for Best Visual Effects, even if I didn't think they were favored, but one award surprised me, Olivia Colman winning Best Actress.  She won the equivalent category at the BAFTA Awards, but I expected Glenn Close to take home the little golden man instead.  Just the same, I enjoyed watching Colman giving her spontaneous stream-of-consciousness acceptance speech and so did the audience.

I already covered Spike Lee's acceptance speech in the previous entry, so I'm sharing the other two upsets, beginning with FIRST MAN Accepts the Oscar for Visual Effects.

Watch Paul Lambert, Ian Hunter, Tristan Myles and J.D. Schwalm accept the Oscar for Visual Effects for FIRST MAN at Oscars 2019.

Congratulations!  I have a toast for the movie at the end of the entry.  Also, this probably won't be the last time I write about "First Man,'as I fully expect it to be nominated for Best Action Film at the Saturn Awards.

Next, watch Olivia Colman’s 2019 Oscar Acceptance Speech for Best Actress to experience what I described in the comment at Kunstler's blog.

Watch Olivia Colman's Oscar 2019 acceptance speech for Actress in a Leading Role for her portrayal of Queen Anne in THE FAVOURITE.

Again, Congratulations!  Put that next to your BAFTA and Golden Globe.  Also, I might get to see the film nominated for International or Independent film at the Saturn Awards.

Now, the toast I promised to the winner of Best Visual Effects, Lillet Martini Inspired by First Man by Whitney Adams.

I'm partnering with Lillet again this year to create cocktails inspired by Oscar nominated films! I have two drinks/videos for you this week in anticipation of Sunday's Oscars. Up first is, appropriately enough, First Man. After seeing the film, I kept thinking about a martini and how a chilled and calm martini evokes a sort of lunar experience (it must have been so eerily silent and still when Neil Armstrong landed on the moon.) Inspired by his landing and the way he planted the American flag, the cocktail pick pierces through a single moon-like lychee. If you want to get a touch more galactic, add the tiniest pinch of edible silver luster dust to the shaker for a subtle moon dust effect.

Whitney A. does make a good Claire Foy as Janet Armstrong, which connects "First Man" to "The Favourite" via "The Crown" as Colman will take over the role of Queen Elizabeth II from Foy next season.  That written, cheers!

I plan on posting one two more installments featuring passages from the recycled comment at Kunstler's blog, the first about the documentary awards followed by remarks about the highest grossing film about politics and government, "Black Panther."  Stay tuned.

The Academy Awards got political without mentioning Trump, a recycled comment

In his hot negative take on the Academy Awards in Oscar Bytes,  Kunstler wrote "Nobody even mentioned the name of he-who-will-not-be-named-here-either (hint: occupies White House.) The word must have gone out… don’t…go…there."  I told him and his readers otherwise.*

As for the lack of the mention of Trump, that didn't stop the presenters and awardees from being political and criticizing him indirectly.  Barbra Streisand spoke about truth being under attack and Spike Lee implored the audience to "do the right thing" and go to the polls next year.  The entertainment professionals in the hall and many of the viewers at home knew exactly who they were referring to and what to do about it.

Now it's time for me to write Watch Spike Lee’s Oscars 2019 Speech for BLACKkKLANSMAN.

Watch Spike Lee’s Oscar 2019 Acceptance Speech. He joins Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz and Kevin Willmott to accept the Oscar for Writing (Adapted Screenplay) for BLACKkKLANSMAN.

Despite not mentioning Trump by name, the president reacted, as Deadline Hollywood reported.

The former Apprentice host tweeted, “Be nice if Spike Lee could read his notes, or better yet not have to use notes at all, when doing his racist hit on your President, who has done more for African Americans (Criminal Justice Reform, Lowest Unemployment numbers in History, Tax Cuts,etc.) than almost any other Pres!”

Lee, after picking up the award for Best Adapted Screenplay for BlacKkKlansman, said, “We will have love and wisdom when we regain our humanity. It will be a powerful moment. The 2020 presidential election is around the corner. Let’s all mobilize. Let’s all be on the right side of history. Make the moral choice between love versus hate. Let’s do the right thing.”
...
Trump, who was up particularly early to give his view on the Oscars, hasn’t yet commented on the other stars and presenters that made subtle digs at the Commander-in-Chief including Barbra Streisand, Javier Bardem and Maya Rudolph.

Trump certainly understood that Lee was talking about him, even if Lee never mentioned him by name.  As for Trump calling Lee racist, I think he's projecting.

I already listed Streisand as making an indirect attack on Trump, so here she is introducing BlacKkKlansman in which she said "truth is especially precious these days."

Watch two time Academy Award winner Barbra Streisand introduce Oscars 2019 nominee for Best Picture BLACKkKLANSMAN.

Now, here are Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph, and Amy Poehler's Oscars Opening 2019.  Listen for Rudolph quipping "Mexico will not be paying for the wall."

Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph, and Amy Poehler kick off the Oscars 2019 with some comedy about this year's crop of movies as they arrive to present the first award of the evening.

Javier Bardem also sniped at the border wall, saying in Spanish “There are no borders or walls that can restrain ingenuity and talent,” while introducing Best Foreign Film.

I had one other comment about Trump and awards shows.

In contrast, the movie awards show that had no problem mentioning Trump were the Razzies, which nominated "Death of a Nation" and "Fahrenheit 11/9" four times each, including two shared ones for Donald Trump.  They followed through, as "Fahrenheit 11/9" won three Razzie Awards, two for Trump and one for Kellyanne Conway, while "Death of a Nation" shared two of them, both for Trump, as Worst Actor and Worst Screen Combo with his "self-perpetuating pettiness."  Conway won for Worst Supporting Actress, beating Melania Trump.

Despite my best search efforts, I could find no mention of Trump reacting to his Razzie "wins."  I guess he thinks they're not that important.

I have more of that recycled comment about the Academy Awards to share, so stay tuned.

*I was able to write this comment thread yesterday, but had to leave the house before I could post it here and didn't return until midnight.  That's why I skipped posting yesterday.  Don't worry; everything is fine, although it's a rare day that I don't post to this blog.

How do I think the political drama nominees will fare at tonight's Oscars?

I told my readers twice to "Stay tuned for a revisiting of last year's dramatic films about government and politics, particularly "BlacKkKlansman" in preparation for the Academy Awards," so it's time to follow through before that promise turns into a pumpkin at 8 P.M. EST tonight.

I begin by reviewing the Oscar nominations for the five films that made both made the Academy's list and my cut for dramas about politics or government, even if the protagonists were on the receiving end of the justice system, not creating or enforcing the law.

"BlacKkKlansman" has the most Oscar nominations with six including Best Picture and four Golden Globes nominations, which are part of its 28 awards and 160 nominations.  On the other hand, "If Beale Street Could Talk" earned the most wins so far with 69 awards and 139 nominations, including three Oscar nominations and statues for Regina King from the Golden Globes and Critics' Choice Awards.  Next comes "Cold War," which earned three Oscar nominations among its 29 awards and 73 nominations.  "First Man" earned four Oscar nominations and a Golden Globe win as the most prestigious of its 17 awards and 136 nominations.  "Mary Queen of Scots" has relatively fewer total awards and nominations, two wins and 17 nominations, but two of them are for Oscars.

"BlacKkKlansman" earned awards at three different programs since I wrote the above passage, the BAFTA Awards, the Grammys, and the Satellite Awards.


Its BAFTA win was for a category the film also has an Oscar nomination, Best Adapted Screenplay.  Watch as BlacKkKlansman Wins Adapted Screenplay at the BAFTA Awards.

Spike Lee, David Rabinowitz, Charlie Wachtel, and Kevin Willmott accept the Adapted Screenplay award for 'BlacKkKlansman' at the EE BAFTA Film Awards 2019.

The competition for "BlacKkKlansman" for Best Adapted Screenplay consists of "A Star Is Born," "Can You Ever Forgive Me?," "If Beale Street Could Talk," and "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs."  I think it would act as a spoiler to "Can You Ever Forgive Me?," which won Adapted Screenplay at the WGA Awards and Satellite Awards and Best Screenplay at the Film Independent Spirit Awards.  All those wins make "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" the favorite.


The next Oscar-nominated category for which "BlacKkKlansman" earned an award at a different show is Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score), where the movie's competition consists of "Black Panther," "If Beale Street Could Talk" (again), "Isle of Dogs," and "Mary Poppins Returns."  Terence Blanchard's "Blut Und Boden (Blood and Soil)" won a Grammy for Best Instrumental Composition, beating music from "Avengers: Infinity War," "Solo: A Star Wars Story," and "The Shape of Water."  Listen to the song.


I think it's between "BlacKkKlansman" and "Black Panther" for this award, with "Black Panther" as the favorite and "Mary Poppins Returns" as the spoiler.

The third award "BlacKkKlansman" won was Best Motion Picture, Drama (Independent) at the Satellite Awards.  I have my doubts that foreshadows a win for Best Motion Picture at the Oscars.  I think that's between "Roma" and "Green Book."

I am not optimistic about the three other nominations for "BlacKkKlansman."  Alfonso Cuaron is the favorite for Best Director with Spike Lee as the spoiler.  Comedies and musicals will likely be the winners of other awards with Mahershala Ali as the prohibitive and deserving favorite for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, while "The Favourite" and "Bohemian Rhapsody" as the winners of the ACE Eddie Awards for Comedy and Drama film, respectively.

Follow over the jump for the rest of my predictions about the prospects of other political drama nominees.

'Fahrenheit 11/9' wins three Razzie Awards, two for Donald Trump and one for Kellyanne Conway

I summarized "Death of a Nation" and "Fahrenheit 11/9" earn four Razzie nominations each, including two shared ones for Donald Trump by correcting the record.

"Death of A Nation" earned four (not six) nominations, Donald J. Trump (As Himself) for Worst Actor, Donald J, Trump & His Self Perpetuating Pettiness for Worst Screen Combo, Worst Remake, Rip-off, or Sequel, and Worst Screenplay.  "Fahrenheit 11/9" also earned four nominations, "Death of A Nation" earned four (not six) nominations, Donald J. Trump (As Himself) for Worst Actor, Donald J, Trump & His Self Perpetuating Pettiness for Worst Screen Combo, and Kellyanne Conway and Melania Trump as themselves for Worst Supporting Actress.

As I mentioned in Gymboree closing 805 stores and selling off Janie and Jack, a tale of the Retail Apocalypse earlier today, it's time to follow through with the winners.  Take it away, Razzie Awards with the 39TH Razzie Awards Announcement!

The Results Are In. The Mystery Is Solved. The Perpetrators Will Be Awarded!

In 2018, Hollywood couldn’t stop itself from making bad choices. From trashing literary classics, sewing potty-mouths onto once beloved puppets, to taking true-life legends and turning them into trivial tripe. And that only covers the Worst Picture nominees for this year’s 39th Annual Razzie® Awards, dis-honoring the year's Worst Achievements in Film.

HAHAHAHA!  I'll get to the non-political "winners" over the jump.  Right now, I'm skipping to the political recipients.

Also taking two trophies was 1991 Worst Supporting Actor “winner" (and now a Razzie Repeat Offender) Donald J. Trump, impaled for Worst Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for his archival appearances in both Death of a Nation and Fahrenheit 11/9. Trump, combined with "His Self-Perpetuating Pettiness" were selected as Worst Screen Combo, and Trump’s White House spin-meister Kellyanne Conway was named Worst Supporting Actress for “playing herself” in Fahrenheit 11/9.

Congratulations, I suppose, to both Trump and Conway!  As for the three Razzies for "Fahrenheit 11/9," I stand by my opinion that "I'm taking his and other nominations for 'Fahrenheit 11/9' as a comment on Trump, not the movie."  After all, "Fahrenheit 11/9" has nominations at the Critics' Choice Documentary Awards, Cinema Audio Society, and Writers Guild of America in addition to its Razzie nominations for worst actor and supporting actress.  Also, my wife and I watched the movie and found it both enjoyable and informative.  On the other hand, "Death of a Nation" has only its four Razzie nominations, two of which are now wins, but for Trump, not Dinesh D'Souza.  Too bad D'Souza can't put them on the shelf next to the three out of four he won personally for "Hillary's America," although he might.  I doubt either Trump or Putin will actually accept them.

Follow over the jump for the rest of the awards announcement and the "winners."

Gymboree closing 805 stores and selling off Janie and Jack, a tale of the Retail Apocalypse

In the previous installment of Tales of the Retail Apocalypse, I wrote that Payless ShoeSource is closing all of its U.S. stores.  I also mentioned the other chains that filed for bankruptcy this year.

When I wrote, "the Retail Apocalypse continues, as...Claire's, Brookstone, NineWest, and The Walking Company...declar[ed] bankruptcy last year, [while] Shopko and Charlotte Russe filed for bankruptcy protection this year, and 2019 is still young," I was not kidding.  I expect more retail bankruptcies and liquidations in the months to come, even before the next recession begins.

As the graphic from Business Insider above shows, I missed the second largest retail bankruptcy so far this year, Gymboree.  WXYZ reported last month Gymboree expected to close most of its remaining stores.

Children's clothing retailer Gymboree, which also operates Crazy 8 and Janie and Jack, is expected to file for bankruptcy this week and close most of its remaining 900 locations this year, CNBC [reports.]

Retail Dive provided more details.

The old adage about history repeating itself isn't, ideally, supposed to apply to retailers that file for bankruptcy. Yet Gymboree — which filed for Chapter 11 in June of 2017 and exited in September that same year — is once again in court, this time with a more drastic plan: to sell Janie and Jack and the online IP of Gymboree, and to shutter Crazy 8 and Gymboree stores.
...
The fate of Gymboree, while not entirely decided, seems likely to follow lines similar to these: an online-only Gymboree and a stronger competitor for whoever lands the high-end portion of the market through Janie and Jack. There could also be wholesale opportunities for Gymboree thanks to the value of the brand, [managing director and senior equity research analyst at B. Riley Financial Susan] Anderson said, but she doesn't expect to see a future buyer open Gymboree stores any time soon.

With a primarily online presence in its future, Gymboree will be leaving the children's apparel market open for its competitors — and many of them will likely benefit from the retailer's second filing.

"Children's Place definitely has some of the best opportunity, given their core customer is really paying the same rate and they have some nice overlap," Anderson said. "They're definitely going to be a big beneficiary. But then I think it's kind of just spread everywhere — Gap, Abercrombie Kids, Target, Walmart, Old Navy, private labels at the department store. I think there's opportunity for kind of a lot of people to pick up share."

Customers will still be buying clothes for their children; they just won't be doing so at Gymboree stores, because there won't be any after this year.

As for the next installment of Tales of the Retail Apocalypse, I expect it will be Charlotte Russe, Shopko, or whichever other chain Retail Archeology or Company Man decides to cover.  That will be after I return to the Razzie Awards and dramatic films about government and politics in preparation for the Academy Awards.  Stay tuned.

Michigan Attorney General's office updates Flint Water Crisis prosecutions plus Nassar-MSU and Catholic Church abuse investigations

Two days ago, I wrote that Michigan joining a 16-state lawsuit against national emergency declaration was "one of the reasons I voted for Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel."  Another was how she would handle the Flint Water Crisis.  Yesterday, Nessel showed the kind of action I was hoping for from her about this scandal and others, as WXYZ reported Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy joins Flint water crisis investigation.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy has been added to the team investigating and prosecuting the criminal cases involved in the Flint Water Crisis. Michigan Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud made the announcement on Thursday in Lansing as Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel updated the Flint investigation, the investigation into Michigan State and Larry Nassar, and the Catholic church sex abuse investigation.

I'm glad to see both Attorney General Nessel and Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud becoming more involved in the prosecution of the people responsible for the Flint Water Crisis.  I was very cynical about how the former Attorney General Bill Schuette handled this case and think Nessel's more direct approach is a necessary improvement.  As for the two sexual abuse scandals, I mentione the one involving the Catholic Church in Failures and abuses of government and adult leadership unite Outstanding Television Movie nominees at the 2018 Primetime Emmy Awards but avoided the one involving Larry Nassar and MSU until now.  Since it has become an issue of governance instead of a sexual abuse scandal in sports, I expect I might write more about it now.

Returning to the Flint Water Crisis, WNEM TV5 added to the story yesterday with Michigan AG provides updates on Flint water crisis investigation.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is pledging to push for justice in three major investigations her office is overseeing, including the Flint water crisis.

Both reports remind me that I promised to follow the case of the Michigan state health director to standing trial for manslaughter in Flint Water Crisis deaths.  Fortunately, Fox 47 in Lansing provided an update in Former MI health officials due in court.

Two top health officials to former governor Rick Snyder are expected to be in court on charges connected to the Flint Water Crisis on Friday.

The wheels of justice are grinding slowly in this case, but I expect they will indeed grind exceedingly fine.  Stay tuned.

Bee, Noah, and Meyers examine the Green New Deal to deal with climate change, the real emergency

Two days ago I posted Noah and Meyers take closer looks at what Colbert calls 'the national emergency we didn't need'.  Today, I return to the comedy/late-night talk show host well to look at the latest version of an idea I examined only once, the Green New Deal, which Jill Stein proposed when she visited Detroit in 2016.  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is advocating for the latest version and the reaction is about what one would expect, utter horror from the fossil fools.

Samantha Bee had first crack at the proposal and its reaction last week in Green New Deal | February 13, 2019 Act 1 | Full Frontal on TBS.

The Green New Deal has sparked a second red scare among the typically Christmas-loving Fox News crowd as they race to batten down their cows and protect their private jets.

As I mentioned in Colbert, Noah, Meyers, and Bee take on the State of the Union Address, Bee has probably the most distinctive sense of humor about issues; this time I can't attribute her originality to having more time.

Trevor Noah attacked the subject next in Conservatives Slam Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal | The Daily Show.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has released the ambitious Green New Deal to curb climate change, and Fox News obviously hates it.

Noah is the most skeptical of the three comics whose videos I'm embedding today.  He raises good questions about the practicality and cost of the proposals, then notes that the Republicans aren't raising them.  Instead, they're scare-mongering.  I'm not impressed.

Finally, Seth Meyers compared climate change to the national emergency to build the border wall, in last night's Closer Look, declaring The Real National Emergency Is Climate Change in .

Seth takes a closer look at President Trump and his allies freaking out about a Democratic plan to fight climate change.

I don't think all or even most of Ocasio-Cortez's goals are achievable in ten years, but that doesn't mean that they shouldn't be tried.  I think they should.

Also, I've seen all of this panic over an environmental goal before.  Many of the same people were freaking out over Agenda 21 six years ago, when I wrote "Agenda 21 is the new black helicopter" and Green is the New Red.  It's time to be a good environmentalist and recycle the manatee.

Michigan joins 16-state lawsuit against national emergency declaration

I concluded Noah and Meyers take closer looks at what Colbert calls 'the national emergency we didn't need' with a prediction.

I'm sure I'll be writing more about the national emergency.  For starters, 16 states are suing the Trump administration over the emergency declaration including Michigan and I expect there will be a vote in Congress to overturn it.  Stay tuned.

Here the two videos I linked to, beginning with 16 states sue Trump administration over emergency declaration from CBS News.

A coalition of 16 states led by California have sued the Trump administration Monday over his decision to declare a national emergency to secure funds to build a wall along the southern border. CBS News congressional correspondent Nancy Cordes joins CBSN over the phone with the latest details.

Cordes not only reported on the 16-state lawsuit, she described the likely course of events for Congress trying to rescind the national emergency.

As I mentioned, Michigan is suing President Trump as WXYZ reports.

Michigan would be joining 15 other states in a lawsuit challenging President Trump's national emergency declaration to secure funding for a border wall.

This is one of the reasons I voted for Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.

WXYZ mentioned both the lawsuit and possible Congressional response in Trump protested in Ferndale.

Dozens of people took to the streets in Ferndale to protest President Donald Trump's declaration of a national emergency to build the border wall.

I can relate to the protesters, as I stood on the same corner that WXYZ reporter Jennifer Ann Wilson opened her report during the People's Climate March in 2017.  As for the demonstrators, I think they have the right idea.  Trump won't listen to them, but Michigan's Congressional delegation likely will.

I promise to have more on this story as it develops.  Stay tuned.

Noah and Meyers take closer looks at what Colbert calls 'the national emergency we didn't need'

It's time to do for the national emergency President Trump declared on Friday what I did for the polar vortex, Howard Schultz running for president, and the State of the Union Address, let the late-night talk show hosts explain it with jokes.

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah aired first, so I begin with Trump Admits There’s No Emergency While Declaring a National Emergency.

President Trump takes the urgency out of national emergency and turns an already bizarre press conference into a full-blown singalong.

Trump's sing-song delivery of the likely course of events was both the smartest thing he said during his speech last Friday and the funniest.  All three of the late night talk show hosts made fun of it, as well as Alec Baldwin on SNL.  However, they all made different jokes about it and I think Noah had the best take, if not the funniest.  Trump might actually understand ideas better and make more sense trying to explain them if he sings them.

Next, Stephen Colbert titled his monologue on The Late Show The National Emergency We 'Didn't Need'.

In a strange and incoherent appearance in the Rose Garden, the President declared both victory and emergency. At the same time.

Colbert's right; I couldn't tell which of his list of silly things he rattled off was real and which he made up for comic effect.  That's the kind of news environment we're in.

Speaking of the news environment, Seth Meyers on Late Night did his best to analyze the situation in Trump Undercuts His National Emergency Declaration: A Closer Look.

Seth takes a closer look at President Trump declaring a national emergency and spending a weekend lashing out at critics.

Meyers might be right about any Democrat who replaces Trump earning a Nobel Peace Prize.  I half-suspect Obama got one simply for not being George W. Bush.

I'm sure I'll be writing more about the national emergency.  For starters, 16 states are suing the Trump administration over the emergency declaration including Michigan and I expect there will be a vote in Congress to overturn it.  Stay tuned.

'The Wax and the Furious' from 'Last Week Tonight With John Oliver' for Presidents Day

Happy Presidents Day!  I foreshadowed how I would celebrate today at the end of 'Last Week Tonight With John Oliver' examines the rise of authoritarianism, when I told my readers to "stay tuned" because "I plan on posting a follow-up to 'Last Week Tonight' on the now-dead Sinclair-Tribune merger and long-dead Warren G. Harding, a double Emmy nominee for Presidents Day."  I concluded that entry by writing "I can't wait to see what he does with the other four presidents."  I got my wish in The Wax and the Furious.

Warren G. Harding and his posse of presidential wax statues team up with Armie Hammer and Russell Crowe to pull off the greatest jockstrap heist of all time.

That was even more hilarious than the original.  I hope it earns an Emmy nomination, too.

'Last Week Tonight With John Oliver' examines the rise of authoritarianism

The Emmy-Award winning "Last Week Tonight With John Oliver" returns tonight for Season Six after a three-month break between seasons.  To celebrate his return, I am sharing Authoritarianism from the Season 5 finale.

John Oliver discusses the growing number of authoritarian leaders around the world, their common characteristics, and whether or not one of them is currently our president.

Yikes!  While I've written about authoritarianism before, most notably in a three-part response to Greer's series on Fascism, I haven't mentioned the term since 'Putin's Revenge' on Frontline: Looking forward to next year's Emmys 3.  It was about time I examined it again.

Speaking of examining something again, I'm not done with the season finale of "Last Week Tonight With John Oliver."  I plan on posting a follow-up to 'Last Week Tonight' on the now-dead Sinclair-Tribune merger and long-dead Warren G. Harding, a double Emmy nominee for Presidents Day.  Stay tuned.

Payless ShoeSource closing all U.S. stores, a tale of the Retail Apocalypse

Last July, I wrote Payless Shoes, a tale of the Retail Apocalypse.  Since then, things have gone from bad to worse.  In November, Company Man asked The Decline of Payless...What Happened?

Payless ShoeSource is the largest store of its kind in the United States but has recently had some tough times. Within the past few years Moody's has lowered their credit rating multiple times, they've closed 800 stores, and filed for bankruptcy. This video takes a look at their rise and fall and attempts to provide explanations for all of it.

Company Man's hope that the chain's fortunes did not come to pass, as CBS Miami reported yesterday Payless To Close 2,000 Stores.

Payless reportedly plans to close thousands of stores in what could be the largest retail liquidation.

When I wrote, "the Retail Apocalypse continues, as...Claire's, Brookstone, NineWest, and The Walking Company...declar[ed] bankruptcy last year, [while] Shopko and Charlotte Russe filed for bankruptcy protection this year, and 2019 is still young," I was not kidding.  I expect more retail bankruptcies and liquidations in the months to come, even before the next recession begins.

The highest grossing political speculative fiction films of 2018

After examining the highest grossing movie dramas, comedies, and documentaries about government and politics released during 2018, it's time to recognize the most lucrative genre films about politics and government, including action films that incorporate fantastic or futuristic elements, such as fictional government agencies and countries, in addition to speculative fiction films (science fiction, fantasy, horror, or superhero), most of which I also wrote about in The highest grossing speculative fiction films of 2018.  Here they are from the top 200 at Box Office Mojo.

  1    Black Panther    $700,059,566
  5    Aquaman    $328,547,042
  8    Mission: Impossible - Fallout    $220,159,104
 20    Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald    $159,362,631
 39    The First Purge.    $69,488,745
 55    The Predator (2018)    $51,024,708
 78    Mile 22    $36,108,758
 83    Annihilation    $32,732,301
 84    Isle Of Dogs    $32,015,231
 87    Robin Hood (2018)    $30,824,628
100    Overlord    $21,704,844
102    The Happytime Murders    $20,706,452
108    Sorry to Bother You    $17,493,096
121    The Darkest Minds    $12,695,691
143    Hotel Artemis    $6,708,147   
170    Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero    $3,782,328

The number one movie, both in terms of box office and award nominations, is Black Panther, which has seven Oscar nominations: Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score), Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song), Best Achievement in Costume Design, Best Achievement in Production Design, Best Achievement in Sound Editing, and Best Achievement in Sound Mixing.  In addition, "Black Panther" won two SAG Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture and Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture, two Grammy Awards for Best Rap Performance and Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media and two awards at the BAFTA Awards for Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects and an EE Rising Star Award for Letitia Wright.  Wow!

The only other speculative fiction film about politics or government in the top 200 to earn Academy Award nominations is Isle of Dogs with two, Best Animated Film and Best Original Score.  It's not likely to win either.  Instead, it should be happy with its Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production, its Art Directors Guild Award for Variety or Awards Show, Music Special or Documentary, its two Golden Trailer Awards for its trailer and poster, and its Satellite Award for Best Motion Picture, Animated or Mixed Media.

Those are the best films according to the awards shows, but the worst are almost certainly "The Happytime Murders" and "Robin Hood," both of which earned multiple Razzie nominations.  "The Happytime Murders" has five Razzie Nominations, Worst Picture, Worst Actress for Melissa McCarthy, Worst Supporting Actor for Joel McHale, Worst Screen Combo for any two actors or puppets, Worst Director, and Worst Screenplay.  Yikes! That's worse than "Death of a Nation!"  "Robin Hood" is a little better off with three nominations, Worst Picture, Worst Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel, and Worst Supporting Actor for Jamie Foxx.  The rest of their nominations at other awards programs testify to their awfulness.  "Robin Hood" was nominated for Sequel or Remake That Shouldn't Have Been Made by the Alliance of Women Film Journalists, who nominated Melissa McCarthy as Actress Most in Need of a New Agent for her role in "The Happytime Murders."  In addition, has nominations for Worst Movie of the Year from the Golden Schmoe Awards, Houston Film Critics Society Awards, and
St. Louis Film Critics Association.  What a stinker!

Both of these movies are down there with "Baywatch," which had four nominations at the 2018 Razzies.  When I listed it among the eligible films for the first Coffee Party Entertainment Awards for movies, the reaction was "you just put that there to see if we were paying attention."  Pretty much, and that's the reaction I am hoping for when I list them this year, too.

I conclude with a winning song from "Black Panther" that I didn't include among the nominated movie songs at the 2019 Grammy Awards, "King's Dead" by Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Future & James Blake.

Music video by Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, Future, James Blake performing King's Dead. (C) 2018 Aftermath Records

And here's Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, & Anderson .Paak Tie For Best Rap Performance.

Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Future, James Blake & Anderson .Paak tie for Best Rap Performance. Watch Jay Rock's speech for Best Rap Performance at the 61st GRAMMY Awards.

Congratulations and good luck at the Oscars, where I now think "Black Panther" is favored to win Original Dramatic Score.

PBS Eons on the evolution of the heart for Valentines Day

Happy Valentines Day!  Since the Fifty Shades film trilogy is now over, it's time to return to an earlier tradition on this blog and celebrate the holiday with science.  On that note, I am sharing The Evolution of the Heart (A Love Story) from PBS Eons.

In order to understand where hearts came from, we have to go back to the earliest common ancestor of everything that has a heart. It took hundreds of millions of years, and countless different iterations of the same basic structure to lead to the heart that you have today.

That's the kind of video I can show to my students.

That's it for Valentines Day.  Stay tuned for the political speculative fiction films of 2018.

The highest grossing and most honored political documentaries of 2018

As I promised twice, today I examine political documentaries, both good and bad.  Here are the most lucrative political documentaries of 2018 from the top 200 at Box Office Mojo.

99    Won't You Be My Neighbor?    $22,835,787
117    RBG    $14,017,361
119    They Shall Not Grow Old    $13,562,516
145    Fahrenheit 11/9    $6,352,306
151    Death of a Nation    $5,885,881

The only one nominated for an Academy Award is "RBG," which has two, Best Documentary Feature and Best Original Song, which   On the other hand, both "Fahrenheit 11/9" and "Death of a Nation" have four Razzie nominations each, making this field a combination of the best and worst among political documentaries, although that's not strictly true for "Fahrenheit 11/9."  It has nominations at the Critics' Choice Documentary Awards, Cinema Audio Society, and Writers Guild of America in addition to its Razzie nominations for worst actor and supporting actress.  On the other hand, "Death of a Nation" has only its four Razzie nominations.

Including the other two movies in the top 200 grossing films of 2018 cements the impression of the field being a combination of the best and worst in political documentaries.  "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" was not only the top grossing documentary of 2018, it was the most honored, earning 39 wins and 34 nominations, including Best Documentary Feature or its equivalent from the Alliance of Women Film Journalists, Awards Circuit Community Awards, Chlotrudis Awards, Critics' Choice Documentary Awards, Golden Trailer Awards, and PGA Awards, along with numerous local critics associations and film festivals.  While it's not explicitly political, Mr. Rogers' example of kindness and civility makes for a striking contrast to the current state of political discourse.  On the other hand, "They Shall Not Grow Old" is about the British military in World War I, so it is explicitly about a function of government.  It has four nominations, including one from BAFTA for Best Documentary ("Free Solo" won) and another from the Motion Picture Sound Editors (Golden Reel Awards).

Outside of the top 200, “Of Fathers and Sons” is the other political documentary feature nominated for an Oscar.  Joining it and "RBG" as political documentaries at the Oscars are four of the five nominated short subjects, "A Night at the Garden" about an infamous Nazi rally at Madison Square Garden, "Black Sheep" about racism in England, "Lifeboat" about rescuing refugees from Lybia, and "Period, End of Sentence" about ending the stigma of menstruation in India.  If the members of the Motion Picture Academy wanted to send a domestic political message, they could vote for "A Night at the Garden," but "Black Sheep," "Lifeboat," or "Period, End of Sentence" winning would make statements about racism, xenophobia, and sexism, respectively, so they might work nearly as well and one or all might be better movies to boot.

Since I mean this entry to be a way of compiling a list of eligible documentaries for the Coffee Party of Entertainment Awards for movies, I'm going to add the political and government movie nominees from the Critics' Choice Documentary Awards, Cinema Eye Honors Awards, and International Documentary Association not already mentioned.*  From the Critics' Choice Documentary Awards, the nominated films are "Crime + Punishment," "Dark Money," "Hitler's Hollywood," "John McCain: For Whom the Bell Tolls," "Science Fair," and "The Sentence," all of which I discussed last October.  The Cinema Eye Honors Awards add "On Her Shoulders" about Nobel Peace Prize winner Nadia Murad, "The Final Year" about the last year of the Obama Administration, and "This Is Home: A Refugee Story" about Syrian refugees in the U.S.  Finally, the International Documentary Association contributes "Sky and Ground" about Kurdish refugees, "Jane Fonda in Five Acts" including the actress's activism, and "Mercury 13" about the women who were also initially selected to fly in space.

I think that's a complete enough roster of documentaries for this year's awards, but I could be surprised.  Last year's winner was "Saving Capitalism," which would not have made a comparable list as it didn't earn a nomination at a major awards show until it was nominated at the 2018 News and Documentary Emmy Awards.  I'll see what the voters nominate.

That's it for documentaries.  Stay tuned for the political speculative fiction films of 2018 after Valentines Day.

*Including TV movies, but not series.  I'll save those for an entry about the eligible works for the television awards later this year.

Kunstler, K-Dog, and I discuss prehistoric mammals for Darwin Day plus paczki on Fat Tuesday

Happy Darwin Day on Fat Tuesday/Paczki Day!* For today's double celebration, I'm going to be a good environmentalist and recycle three comments and their replies I left at Kunstler's blog recently in response to Kunstler mentioning extinct mammals.

I begin with my comments and their responses to Forecast 2019: Ding Ding ! Margin Call USA in which extinct mammals play a central role.  I began with by expressing my appreciation for Kunstler's use of a paleontological similie.

As a paleontologist, I also have to credit our host for likening Trump to "a behemoth land mammal of the Oligocene."  The largest land mammal ever to walk the face of the planet was Paraceratherium, which lived during the Oligocene and was twice the size of an elephant.  Still, any metaphor can only go so far, as I would like to think the beast was more majestic than Trump ever could be.

Here is a reconstruction of a Paraceratherium compared to an African Elephant and a modern human.


K-Dog, my favorite commenter at Kunstler's blog who I've mentioned here and has commented on this blog, responded with "Giant ground sloth I think."  That prompted me to reply.

Happy New Year, K-Dog!  Now that you've brought up the topic, you've made me realize that I've never written about ground sloths at my blog.  Their living cousins the tree sloths have earned my attention instead.  I'll have to correct that oversight, especially since there is a PBS Eons video about them.  Maybe for Darwin Day.  If so, I'll try to remember to thank you.

On that note, I present How Sloths Went From the Seas to the Trees from PBS Eons.

The story of sloths is one of astounding ecological variability, with some foraging in the seas, others living underground, and others still hiding from predators in towering cliffs. So why are their only living relatives in the trees?

Thank you, K-Dog.  Now for the rest of my response to you.

Also that's an apt comparison, right down to size, shambling gait, and being as stupid and more dangerous than it looks.  The only problem is that the giant ground sloths are Pleistocene critters, not Oligocene.  I worked among their fossils when I did my M.S. thesis at Rancho La Brea.

Kunstler responded to both of us, much to my astonishment.

I actually wrote a novel about the giant ground sloth: “An Embarrassment of Riches,” (Doubleday, 1985). Wasn’t well received. Set in 1805. My two heroes, uncle-and-nephew botanists from Phila, are sent on a mission to the Southern wilderness by Jefferson to find Megatherium, the giant sloth. They have many peculiar adventures…. It was fun to write — JHK

Here is my favorite cover to the book out of three versions.


Now I'll actually have to read it.

Kunstler mentioned ground sloths again in State of the Union.

"[L]ocal hero rapper Big Boi’s triumphal entry in a limo, nearly lost inside what looked like the pelt of a giant ground sloth — an eight-year-old’s idea of what it means to be important" — once again, a paleontological reference!  Keep them coming, I love them!  I'll be sure to remember them for Darwin Day, which is next week!

True to my word, I'm posting them here.

That's not all.  Follow over the jump for another exchange involving Kunstler, K-Dog, and prehistoric animals.

The highest grossing comedy films about government and politics released during 2018, plus "The Favourite" cleans up at the BAFTA Awards

Yesterday, I wrote about the highest grossing dramatic films about government and politics released during 2018.  Today, as promised, is the day for the  top earning comedies about politics and government from 2018.  Following are the relevant comedy releases from Box Office Mojo.

38    Night School (2018)    $77,339,130
 46    Green Book    $61,501,776
 64    Vice    $45,215,710
 82    The Spy Who Dumped Me    $33,562,069
 88    Super Troopers 2    $30,617,396
 91    The Favourite    $30,200,041
120    Eighth Grade    $13,539,709
136    The Death of Stalin    $8,041,828
160    Gringo    $4,969,853
162    Johnny English Strikes Again    $4,412,170

While this field is more unified than the dramas — it helps that it's smaller — it still has divergent components.  "Night School," "The Spy Who Dumped Me," "Super Troopers 2," and "Johnny English Strikes Again" are all low-brow commercial comedies. "Green Book," "Vice," "The Favourite," "Eighth Grade," and "The Death of Stalin" are all humorous, relatively high-brow treatments of serious material that have earned awards and nominations.  "Gringo" sits in no-man's land in between the two — a a middle-brow farce that is a parody of a crime caper, I suppose.

Of the award-winning and nominated films, I first thought "Vice" could be the best political film of 2018, but "The Favourite" has since surpassed it, earning ten Academy Award nominations to eight for "Vice."  "Green Book" is behind both and "BlacKkKlansman" with five Oscar nominations.  All three won Golden Globe awards, "Vice" Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy for Christian Bale, "The Favourite" Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy for Olivia Colman, while "Green Book" earned three, Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, Best Screenplay - Motion Picture, and Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for Mahershala Ali.

The Oscars ignored the other award-winners and nominees, but not the Golden Globes, Critics' Choice, and BAFTA Awards.  "Eighth Grade" earned a Golden Globe nomination for Elsie Fisher, who also won a Critics' Choice Award for Best Young Actor/Actress.  "The Death of Stalin" earned two nominations at last year's BAFTA Awards as well as a nomination at this year's Critics' Choice Award.  I would not be surprised if "Eighth Grade" earned a nomination for Best Independent Film at the Saturn Awards, but I wouldn't count on it, either.  If so, Elsie Fisher might earn a nomination for Best Performance by a Younger Actor in a Film, although I expect Millicent Simmons from "A Quiet Place" would have an advantage.  I would be more surprised if "The Death of Stalin" snagged a nomination for Best International Film; I think the competition is too stiff.

"The Favourite," "Vice," and "Green Book" all earned statues at last night's BAFTA Awards.  Follow over the jump to watch videos of the acceptance of their awards.

The highest grossing dramatic films about government and politics released during 2018

Yesterday, Coffee Party USA posted their version of Winners of the first Coffee Party Entertainment Awards for movies, which reminded me that I should prepare for this year's awards.  In that vein, I am returning to Box Office Mojo to list the top earners at the box office (top 200 as of February 10, 2019) for films about politics and government, whether dramas, comedies, documentaries, or genre, including action and speculative fiction, to prepare a list of eligible movies.

Today, I begin with the dramas, which either purport to depict actual events or are at least set in the real world without fantastic or futuristic elements.

30    The Mule    $102,622,904
 31    The Equalizer 2    $102,084,362
 57    Sicario: Day of the Soldado    $50,072,235
 59    BlacKkKlansman    $48,686,605
 60    Red Sparrow    $46,874,505
 63    12 Strong    $45,819,713
 65    Den of Thieves    $44,947,622
 66    First Man    $44,936,545
 71    Widows    $42,382,894
 77    The 15:17 to Paris    $36,276,286
 93    The Hate U Give    $29,719,483
 97    White Boy Rick    $24,011,188
 98    On the Basis of Sex    $23,316,747
103    Superfly    $20,545,116
106    Operation Finale    $17,612,099   
109    Chappaquiddick    $17,395,520
110    Mary Queen of Scots    $16,468,499
114    Hunter Killer    $15,767,460
118    If Beale Street Could Talk    $13,769,884
125    The Old Man & the Gun    $11,277,120
137    Sanju    $7,909,317
159    Beirut    $5,019,226
171    Gosnell: The Trial of America's Biggest Serial Killer    $3,679,893
173    Indivisible    $3,511,417
179    7 Days in Entebbe    $3,326,885
185    Cold War (2018)    $2,882,559

First, I consider this list to be an odd combination of historical dramas and dramatized biographies alsong with the more realistic action and thriller movies that involve the military, law enforcement, intelligence services, and criminals interacting with elected officials.  Because of that, I will return to action and thriller movies after I write about the more fantastic and futuristic representatives of the genre to forecast which movies might be nominated in these categories at the Saturn Awards.  I also might pull out the action and thriller films in next year's installment.

Second, five of last year's political dramas have awards and nominations from the Oscars and Golden Globes.  "BlacKkKlansman" has the most Oscar nominations with six including Best Picture and four Golden Globes nominations, which are part of its 28 awards and 160 nominations.  On the other hand, "If Beale Street Could Talk" earned the most wins so far with 69 awards and 139 nominations, including three Oscar nominations and statues for Regina King from the Golden Globes and Critics' Choice Awards.  Next comes "Cold War," which earned three Oscar nominations among its 29 awards and 73 nominations.  "First Man" earned four Oscar nominations and a Golden Globe win as the most prestigious of its 17 awards and 136 nominations.  "Mary Queen of Scots" has relatively fewer total awards and nominations, two wins and 17 nominations, but two of them are for Oscars.

Three more movies earned Golden Globes nominations, although they were ignored for the Oscars. "The Old Man & the Gun" had one Golden Globe nomination.  Both "A Private War" and "Destroyer" did not make the top 200 ("A Private War" came in 213th with $1,633,208 and "Destroyer" came in 217th).  "A Private War" earned two Golden Globe nominations while "Destroyer" earned one.

Finally, one political movie completely missed both the top 200 and the major awards shows, "The Front Runner," which came in 205th with a domestic box office of $2,000,105.  I told my readers it would be passed by "Mary Queen of Scots" and it was.

I will return tomorrow with the political comedies tomorrow, followed by the political documentaries and genre films later this week.  Until then, I leave my readers with two reviews by Grace Randolph of Beyond The Trailer, first for "BlacKkKlansman" and then for "First Man."

Black Klansman Review today! Beyond The Trailer's reaction & movie review 2018! Spike Lee directs John David Washington & Adam Driver!
...
Beyond The Trailer host Grace Randolph's reaction & review of the 2018 movie starring John David Washington, Adam Driver and Laura Harrier for Spike Lee! Is BlackkKlansman Oscar worthy?

The answer to Grace's question ended up being yes, at least for nominations.  As for winning, that remains to be determined.

Now for "First Man."

First Man Movie Review today! Beyond The Trailer host Grace Randolph's reaction & review of the 2018 movie starring Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong, directed by Damien Chazelle! Is there really a problem with the flag on the moon scene?

I suspect "First Man" will earn an action film nomination for the Saturn Awards, just like "Hidden Figures" did two years ago, but that's a topic for later this week.  Stay tuned.