They made the worst movie of the year, and now their relationship is over.

Just as I predicted, Jennifer Lawrence and Darren Aronofsky are kaput. It’s all done. She can even burp up the baby from the movie “Mother!”

“Mother!” was the worst movie of the year, with the exception of Louis CK’s “I Love You, Daddy.” It made no money, had no fans, terrible reviews. The pair– he directed, she starred– met on the film and became a couple. But when that happens, the only way the romance will survive is if the movie is a hit. If it isn’t, they blame each other. It’s a story old as time.

I’m surprised they didn’t break up at Radio City during the premiere. But now it’s done, never to be spoken of again. Everyone moves on.

 

photo: Javier Bardem asking JLaw how in beck they got involved in this.

The 2018 Independent Spirit Award nominations are out. Most of the nominations are to be expected. But there are weird omissions. “The Big Sick” should have been in Best Picture. Instead there’s something called “The Rider.”

Also glaringly missing: “The Meyerowitz Stories” and all of its players. “The Florida Project,” which should the Indie Spirit Winner, is barely mentioned. “Mudbound” was largely ignored. A lof of the films I thought would be here are from Netflix or Amazon, so what’s that all about?

From the looks of things, “Call Me By Your Name” is set to be the big winner. They’re in all the major categories. The only person missing from that movie is Michael Stuhlbarg. Happy to see Armie Hammer in there, even if it’s for Supporting (he’s a lead).

And Best International Film: “In the Fade” starring Diane Kruger, is also missing from these lists. The movie should be nominated. Kruger is a Best Actress candidate who should not be ignored. If you’re in the Academy, ask for a screener. Wonderful performance.

BEST FEATURE

CALL ME BY YOUR NAME

THE FLORIDA PROJECT

GET OUT

LADY BIRD

THE RIDER

BEST MALE LEAD

Harris Dickinson, Beach Rats

Timothée Chalamet, Call Me by Your Name

Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out

Robert Pattinson, Good Time

James Franco, The Disaster Artist

 

BEST FEMALE LEAD

Salma Hayek, Beatriz at Dinner

Frances McDormand, Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri

Margot Robbie, I, Tonya

Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird

Regina Williams, Life and Nothing More

Shinobu Terajima, Oh Lucy!

 

BEST SUPPORTING MALE

Nnamdi Asomugha, Crown Heights

Armie Hammer, Call Me by Your Name

Barry Keoghan, The Killing of a Sacred Deer

Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri

Benny Safdie, Good Time

 

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE

Holly Hunter, The Big Sick

Allison Janney, I, Tonya

Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird

Lois Smith, Marjorie Prime

Taliah Lennice Webster, Good Time

 

BEST FIRST FEATURE

 

COLUMBUS

DIRECTOR: Kogonada

 

INGRID GOES WEST

DIRECTOR: Matt Spicer

 

MENASHE

DIRECTOR: Joshua Z. Weinstein

 

OH LUCY!

DIRECTOR: Atsuko Hirayanagi

 

PATTI CAKE$

DIRECTOR: Geremy Jasper

 

 

BEST DIRECTOR

 

Sean Baker, The Florida Project

Jonas Carpignano, A Ciambra

Luca Guadagnino, Call Me by Your Name

Jordan Peele, Get Out

Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie, Good Time

Chloé Zhao, The Rider

 

BEST SCREENPLAY

 

Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird

Azazel Jacobs, The Lovers

Martin McDonagh, Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri

Jordan Peele, Get Out

Mike White, Beatriz at Dinner

 

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY

 

Kris Avedisian, Kyle Espeleta (story by), Jesse Wakeman (story by), Donald Cried

Emily V. Gordon, Kumail Nanjiani, The Big Sick

Ingrid Jungermann, Women Who Kill

Kogonada, Columbus

David Smith, Matt Spicer, Ingrid Goes West

 

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD

 

DAYVEON

WRITER/DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Amman Abbasi

WRITER: Steven Reneau

PRODUCERS: Lachion Buckingham, Alexander Uhlmann

A GHOST STORY

WRITER/DIRECTOR: David Lowery

PRODUCERS: Adam Donaghey, Toby Halbrooks, James M. Johnston

LIFE AND NOTHING MORE

WRITER/DIRECTOR: Antonio Méndez Esparza

PRODUCERS: Amadeo Hernández Bueno, Alvaro Portanet Hernández, Pedro Hernández Santos

MOST BEAUTIFUL ISLAND

WRITER/DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Ana Asensio

PRODUCERS: Larry Fessenden, Noah Greenberg, Chadd Harbold, Jenn Wexler

THE TRANSFIGURATION

WRITER/DIRECTOR: Michael O’Shea

PRODUCER: Susan Leber

(Award given to the best feature made for under $500,000; given to the writer, director and producer)

 

 

 

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

 

Thimios Bakatakis, The Killing of a Sacred Deer

Elisha Christian, Columbus

Hélène Louvart, Beach Rats

Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, Call Me by Your Name

Joshua James Richards, The Rider

 

BEST EDITING

 

Ronald Bronstein, Benny Safdie, Good Time

Walter Fasano, Call Me by Your Name

Alex O’Flinn, The Rider

Gregory Plotkin, Get Out

Tatiana S. Riegel, I, Tonya

 

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM

 

BPM (BEATS PER MINUTE) (France)

DIRECTOR: Robin Campillo

A FANTASTIC WOMAN (Chile)

DIRECTOR: Sebastián Lelio

I AM NOT A WITCH (UK)

DIRECTOR: Rungano Nyoni

LADY MACBETH (UK)

DIRECTOR: William Oldroyd

LOVELESS (Russia)

DIRECTOR: Andrey Zvyagintsev

 

BEST DOCUMENTARY

 

THE DEPARTURE

DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Lana Wilson

FACES PLACES

DIRECTORS: Agnés Varda, JR

PRODUCER: Rosalie Varda

LAST MEN IN ALEPPO

DIRECTOR: Feras Fayyad

PRODUCERS: Kareem Abeed, Steen Jespersen, Stefan Kloos

MOTHERLAND

DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Ramona S. Diaz

PRODUCER: Rey Cuerdo

QUEST

DIRECTOR: Jonathan Olshefski

PRODUCER: Sabrina Schmidt Gordon

(Award given to the director and producer)

 

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD

 

MUDBOUND

DIRECTOR: Dee Rees

CASTING DIRECTORS: Billy Hopkins, Ashley Ingram

ENSEMBLE CAST: Jonathan Banks, Mary J. Blige, Jason Clarke, Garrett Hedlund, Jason Mitchell, Rob Morgan, Carey Mulligan

(Award given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast)

 

JEEP TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD

 

THE CAGE FIGHTER

DIRECTOR: Jeff Unay

DISTANT CONSTELLATION           

DIRECTOR: Shevaun Mizrahi

QUEST

DIRECTOR: Jonathan Olshefski

(The Truer Than Fiction Award, now in its 23rd year, is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant sponsored by the Jeep brand.) 

 

KIEHL’s SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD

 

DAYVEON

DIRECTOR: Amman Abbasi

GOOK          

DIRECTOR: Justin Chon

SUPER DARK TIMES  

DIRECTOR: Kevin Phillips

(The Someone to Watch Award, now in its 24th year, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant sponsored by Kiehl’s Since 1851.)

 

PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD

          

Giulia Caruso & Ki Jin Kim

Ben LeClair

Summer Shelton

(The Producers Award, now in its 21st year, honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality, independent films. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant sponsored by Piaget.)

 

AMERICAN AIRLINES BONNIE AWARD

               

So Yong Kim

Lynn Shelton

Chloé Zhao

Charlie Rose is done. His long career is over. He’s been fired by CBS, PBS, and Bloomberg. All his jobs are gone. Like that. In a split second. There will be no lifetime Emmy Awards, no big retirement dinners, no celebrations. A man who rose to the top of journalism has been destroyed. It’s an unnerving, sad ending.

Meantime, Pixar chief John Lasseter is taking a leave of absence. Pixar has a huge Oscar buzzed hit set for release this weekend, “Coco.” But Disney owns Pixar and evidently Lasseter is keeping one step ahead of fallout for whatever he’s about to be accused of as far as sexual harassment.

Who’s next? Soon, everyone will be cleared out except for Tom Hanks and Jacob Tremblay.

Lasseter’s memo to staff:

I have always wanted our animation studios to be places where creators can explore their vision with the support and collaboration of other gifted animators and storytellers. This kind of creative culture takes constant vigilance to maintain. It’s built on trust and respect, and it becomes fragile if any members of the team don’t feel valued. As a leader, it’s my responsibility to ensure that doesn’t happen; and I now believe I have been falling short in this regard.

I’ve recently had a number of difficult conversations that have been very painful for me. It’s never easy to face your missteps, but it’s the only way to learn from them. As a result, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to the leader I am today compared to the mentor, advocate and champion I want to be. It’s been brought to my attention that I have made some of you feel disrespected or uncomfortable. That was never my intent. Collectively, you mean the world to me, and I deeply apologize if I have let you down. I especially want to apologize to anyone who has ever been on the receiving end of an unwanted hug or any other gesture they felt crossed the line in any way, shape, or form. No matter how benign my intent, everyone has the right to set their own boundaries and have them respected.

In my conversations with Disney, we are united in our commitment to always treat any concerns you have with the seriousness they deserve, and to address them in an appropriate manner. We also share a desire to reinforce the vibrant, respectful culture that has been the foundation of our studios’ success since the beginning. And we agree the first step in that direction is for me to take some time away to reflect on how to move forward from here. As hard as it is for me to step away from a job I am so passionate about and a team I hold in the highest regard, not just as artists but as people, I know it’s the best thing for all of us right now. My hope is that a six-month sabbatical will give me the opportunity to start taking better care of myself, to recharge and be inspired, and ultimately return with the insight and perspective I need to be the leader you deserve.

I’m immensely proud of this team, and I know you will continue to wow the world in my absence. I wish you all a wonderful holiday season and look forward to working together again in the new year.

John 

Julie Christie played a woman with Alzheimer’s in the movie “Away from Her.” I’m questioning her mental faculties now. She’s signed a letter drafted by noted anti-Semite and anti-Israel proponent Roger Waters of Pink Floyd. The letter criticizes rocker Nick Cave for playing in Israel.

The letter is also signed by British directors Mike Leigh and Ken Loach, American activist Angela Davis, and minor rocker Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth as well as a bunch of Brits we’ve never heard of.

Waters has tried to intimidate other rockers including Paul McCartney and Elvis Costello, but they’ve ignored him, as have the Rolling Stones. Waters belongs to an anti-Israel group called BDS, which I believe stands for Big Dumb Shits.

I feel bad for Julie Christie, I was a fan of hers 40 years ago. That’s over. I do think it’s time to boycott Pink Floyd and Waters, no more Dark Side of the Moon or Another Brick in the Wall. This kind of behavior only advances anti-Semitism at every level. Acts of anti-Semitism are up all over the world. The perpetrators will only feel emboldened by celebrities giving their approval.

The same goes for a July 2017 letter signed by some artists over the performance of an Israeli play at Lincoln Center. Among the signers were actress/director Greta Gerwig, who’s got “Lady Bird” in the Oscar mix, and actor-playwright Tracey Letts, who’s also in “Lady Bird.” Gerwig has since renounced the letter but I suspect that had to do with fear of ruining the Oscar shot for her movie. Among the others who stupidly signed that letter were Wally Shawn, Andre Gregory, Kathleen Chalfant, Sam Gold, Lynn Nottage and former Focus Features head James Schamus. They have not retracted their signatures.

This sort of insipid, brewing anti-Semitism is just as bad as anything Mel Gibson has said or done. And that brings me to Gary Oldman, who has recently tried to apologize for a statement he made in 2014 about Gibson. Oldman said in a Playboy interview: “I don’t know about Mel. He got drunk and said a few things, but we’ve all said those things. We’re all fucking hypocrites. That’s what I think about it. The policeman who arrested him has never used the word ‘nigger’ or ‘that fucking Jew’? I’m being brutally honest here. It’s the hypocrisy of it that drives me crazy.”

Oldman added: “Mel Gibson is in a town that’s run by Jews and he said the wrong thing because he’s actually bitten the hand that I guess has fed him – and doesn’t need to feed him anymore because he’s got enough dough,” said the British actor. “He’s like an outcast, a leper, you know? But some Jewish guy in his office somewhere hasn’t turned and said, ‘That fucking kraut’ or ‘Fuck those Germans,’ whatever it is? We all hide and try to be so politically correct. That’s what gets me. It’s just the sheer hypocrisy of everyone, that we all stand on this thing going ‘Isn’t that shocking?'”

Oldman has offered an apology to the Anti-Defamation League but I suspect that, too, was because Oldman was warned of the consequences of his statement hurting his own Oscar chances.

As bad as the sexual harassment charges are over the last six weeks against various people in Hollywood, anti-semitism is its equal in every way. There are no gold statues in the offing for people who perpetuate hate.