★★ Directed by: #FraserHinch Written by: #DaveJewitt Starring: #MitchellHowie, #LaurieStanley and #RossPointon Film Review by: #AnnieVincent What opens as a Snatch/Lock-Stock/Guy Ritchie-esque British gangster film,complete with side jokes and regional accents, bodies bungled into Ford Fiestas and bosses with questionable beards, descends into boredom with a dislocated plot and performances to match in Hinch's film Liability. At the outset, it's a really likeable film. The production is clean and edgy and the story's premise promising. The bad-guys are beefy but with a marriage guidance session to get to, and the good-guy bungled into the back of a car has a loyal brother somewhere in the background to fight for him: all solid stuff for this type of film. The soundtrack is varied and relevant, timed to coincide with the humour or drama of the story: this won't take itself too seriously I thought, but I will get my jokes and I will get my gratuitous violence. But it is the story itself, or more specifically, the script which begins to let everybody down. Initially, I thought it was just the actors who were uncomfortable. Their delivery was strained, the pauses between their lines too long to convince anyone this was a natural conversation and then the more I watched, the worse it got as characters state the obvious, plot holes open up only to be filled in with an incongruous line a few minutes later, usually over-dramatic in context and only making the whole thing seem less and less believable as it progresses. We start with our brothers, Bobby and Lewis, clearly different people, being asked by their dodgy Uncle John to make a drug deal: all they have to do is pick up the stash and take it to the drop off. Easy money we're told: the boys walk out like it is any other day. Then outside the drop off rendevouz, Bobby starts laying to Lewis about how they could end up with a bullet in their heads here if he puts a foot wrong. When did the stakes become this high? Similarly, the bad-guy-boss, Miami Vice, can't believe these two likely-lads have been given the job of dropping off the drugs and immediately wants to pull a gun on them. The audience are taken from 0 to 100 miles per hour without enough exposition in between and it is pretty unsettling. It doesn't get any better as the plot thickens and Bobby, the brighter brother with the looks, the brains and the wife and kids is taken hostage but immediately tells his brother not to bother coming for him because he's 'dead already', despite only having a few bruises and a clear way out. It seems that, in this script, either the characters are over-reacting to the stakes or the stakes are too high for them to build a realistic reaction to. And it's a real shame because the cinematography is good. Yes the audio-balancing is off in places, but the shots are clean, the picture quality good, the soundtrack fitting and the aerial shots of Birmingham are awesome in places. Sadly, if anything is a liability in this film, it is the script (dodgy pun-intended).

★★ Directed by #StevenKnight Written by #StevenKnight Starring #MatthewMcConaughey #AnneHathaway #JasonClarke Film Review by #GeorgeWolf NIGHT. FISHING BOAT CABIN. DESPERATION HEAVY IN THE AIR: McConaughey takes a long, emphatic drag on a cigarette, then downs a shot of rum, his constantly wet t-shirt screaming for mercy. Hathaway vamps in from the thunderstorm, wearing a hat pulled down low and a raincoat from the "nothing underneath" collection at Victoria's Secret. "I still love you, high school sweetheart, and now you have to save me...and our child," she purrs. "Take my abusive husband Jason Clarke out on your fishing boat, feed him to the sharks, and I'll give you ten million dollars." SMOKE, DRINK, STARE, T-SHIRT SOMEHOW WETTER INSIDE. Yes, the noir is strong with Serenity, with familiar tropes laid so heavy you know something must be up. So when writer/director Steven Knight finally does make his pivot a la Gone Girl, the real eyebrow-raiser is why. Knight, whose career has shown flashes of brilliance (Eastern Promises, Locke), takes his latest in some wild directions, almost none of which make much sense. There's plenty of pretty island scenery, "fish on the hook" and "one that got away" symbolism, along with some random supporting talent (Diane Lane, Djimon Hounsou) that feels as wasted as the leads. The spoon-feeding that's waiting at the end of Serenity is well-intentioned but structurally misguided, landing so far from the mark that just embracing that early Body Heat wave and riding it out might have made for a better crash.

★★★ Directed by #ChristianFrei #MaximArbugaev Written by #ChristianFrei Film Review by #GeorgeWolf Back before I'd even seen the original Jurassic Park I read up on the premise. I'm no scientist but I clearly remember thinking, "Uh, that sounds plausible." Well, in the immortal words of Samuel L. Jackson, hold on to your butts, because Genesis 2.0 will show you how it's now shockingly closer to science than fiction. This fascinating documentary weaves footage from directors on different sides of the world. One, Maxim Arbugaev, embeds himself in Siberia with a team of hunters searching for valuable wooly mammoth tusks. The other, director and writer Christian Frei, follows Chinese and American genealogists committed to bringing an entire mammoth back to life. That project took a big leap forward six years ago, when one of the film's hunting teams discovered the first wooly mammoth carcass seen by man in 10,000 years. By the way, if you're thinking, "Does it taste like chicken?", the hunters were way ahead of you. The contrast between the lives of the hunters and those who profit from their finds is touching, and their fear of angering the spirits of the mammoths gives the film its natural shift to the moral and ethical questions of engineering life. Cue Goldblum: "Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether of not they could...." Genesis 2.o stops short of sermonizing, but with some truly amazing and insightful footage, uncovers plenty of sobering food for thought.

★★★★ Directed by: #JordanBrown Written by: #JordanBrown Documentary Film Review by: #ChrisBuick "Fingers that are glued to the screen, which are glued to the eyes, which are glued to the screen" We live in a world of screens. You only need to take a second to look around you while on the train or at work or anywhere in fact to notice that truth. Of course, most of us know this already and most of us would probably admit that we do in fact spend too much time with our faces buried in our digital worlds. And while technology has massively revolutionised the way we live, work and play in such a relatively short space of time, what effect is today's screen culture truly having on humanity and what are the consequences for future generations if we carry on like this? Stare Into The Lights My Pretties is the first feature-length #documentary from Australian #filmmaker Jordan Brown, which looks at our compulsive obsession with our devices and how screen culture can affect us all physically, psychologically and socially. How has the way we perceive the world changed? How has our capacity for empathy been diminished and how has our ability to obtain knowledge, not just information, been affected? Created and released for free "for the purposes of critical discourse, education, and for cultivating radical social and political change", the film offers opinions and insights from experts across several fields, from authors to neuroscientists, researchers, psychologists and even pioneers in technology to help explore these issues. The film also discusses our growing acceptance of surveillance, the global companies behind the platforms we use daily and how they are profiting from our device dependency, as well as how the promise of greater freedom and privacy from today's technology might just be a lie. The #indiefilm is presented extremely well and is consistently engaging throughout, which means that even with its two-hour plus running time, it successfully manages to, somewhat ironically, keep our eyes on the screen. By splitting the film into chapters, this gives the film a nice fluid pace and allows you to take a moment after each to digest, instead of becoming overwhelmed by a barrage of information. Brown compliments all this with a fine blend of visuals, footage and interviews to effectively illustrate the points raised and allow us to really understand them. The film, as stated above, aims to serve itself as an educational piece in the hopes of creating a better understanding of what truly happens every time we click or tap. Importantly, the film does what all good documentaries do which is leave you thinking long after all is said and done. Whatever your views on screen culture, there is no denying that Jordan Brown has done his homework and his passion for positive social change as well as his filmmaking shines through. Stare Into the Lights My Pretties tries to make us look deeper into the "black mirror" and open up the discussion about how screen culture is affecting our society and who is really gaining from our obsession. While it might not necessarily have all the answers, it certainly succeeds in asking the right questions.

★★★ Directors: #NatalyaMicic and #DylanMascis Starring: #KentIbe, #MattBlin, #NormaDixit LGBT Film Review by: #JackCameron Screwdriver tells the story of 17-year-old Michael (Kent Ibe), a gay student who has recently moved towns due to bullying. He lives alone with his Mum (Norma Dixit) and his plan is to keep his head down and finish school unnoticed. However, while at school he meets Josef (Matt Blin), the two begin to develop feelings for one another and Michael’s plan won’t be as easy as he hoped. Writer and director duo Natalya Micic and Dylan Mascis present the story in an unconventional, but nonetheless commendable form. Cut over a split screen we watch two different shots at the same time; often a shot and its reverse, two separate subjects shown in conjunction, or the same scene played out from different angles. Micic and Mascis, by telling their entire story this way, invite us to see double meaning in their images and double the information (a shot of still-unpacked boxes plays next to a shot of Michael’s bruises; his situation and its explanation shown together). It’s a form that allows for brilliant, almost silent performances (especially from Ibe) as characters are given an equal amount of personal attention if they’re speaking or being spoken to. One scene in particular we have to endure both Michael being chided by his Mum for his lack of a girlfriend and watch his reaction as he stays heartbreakingly silent about his true sexuality. Presented simultaneously, rather than in isolation, we feel an intimacy to both characters, at the same time. We endure the tension and recognise the things unsaid as though we are in the room with them. No simple task to give this to an audience who may never have experienced Michael’s situation. This uncomfortable and voyeuristic atmosphere gives Michael’s story an emotional weight. Unfortunately this is let down by a rather clunky script, especially in its dialogue and use of voice over. Michael narrates, speaking into a recorder functioning almost as a confessional; this is a tragic story after all. The problem is that it’s often used to give the same information that we can read from the screen – he tells us about the bruises and the boxes a few minutes after we’ve seen them. Similarly Josef is introduced with a cut on his lip and we immediately link the boys through their scarring but annoyingly the dialogue brings this up and then clumsily throws it away. For a film that, by its very nature, is showing us multiple sides to a character and multiple sides to that character’s story it lets itself down when it directs our attention. Instead I found myself picking out shots that I wanted to see more of. Or reminded of the work of Lynne Ramsay, a director who can expertly show you just enough to infer meaning but never to fully know; films like hers live on as we learn more with each viewing. However, lamenting a film for what it could have been will only get you so far and there are still things to be impressed with in Screwdriver, it’s just a shame the filmmakers didn’t have more confidence in their choice of direction. The writing over-labours the drama and the split screen begins to rely too heavily on effects created by the framing rather than by the content that’s in the frame. It’s a story that’s worth telling and the directors have found an original way to tell it, unfortunately it loses it edge as the film plays out.

★★★★ Directed by #PeterBogdanovich Written by #PeterBogdanovich Starring #BusterKeaton #MelBrooks #BillHeder #CarlReiner FilmReview by #BrandonThomas Physical comedy is as important to the history of cinema as the cameras themselves. Charlie Chaplin, The 3 Stooges, Jim Carrey and the cast of Jackass all kept the time-honored tradition of taking a blow for the sake of a laugh. Even everyday folk got into the act by sending their accident-filled home movies to TV's America’s Funniest Home Videos. For many fans, historians and critics, Buster Keaton was the best of them all. Keaton started in the biz by performing alongside his parents in their traveling vaudevillian show. His adept ability to sell a pratfall like no one else made their act enormously popular. A fortuitous meeting with Fatty Arbuckle introduced Buster to the art of filmmaking, and by the time Keaton reached his mid-30s, he’d directed, starred in and produced multiple feature and short films. With The Great Buster, director Peter Bogdanovich (The Last Picture Show, Paper Moon) delivers an absolute love letter to Keaton and his career. The film not only touches on Keaton’s highs in the 1920s, but also on his low points when he lost all creative and financial control of his projects. Alcoholism, infidelity, divorce and family estrangement all plagued Keaton during the downturn in his career. Bogdanovich wisely spends most of the time discussing and reveling over Keaton’s work. Bogdanovich himself narrates the film, and his adoration of Keaton is evident in his voice as he touches on everything from Keaton’s masterworks in the 1920s to his commercial work in the 1960s. Filmmakers and actors such as Mel Brooks, James Karen, Quentin Tarantino and Johnny Knoxville also share how their affinity for Keaton helped shape their careers. The film really takes hold when the more “film geek” elements are at play. Specific scenes and/or gags from Keaton’s work are broken down, analyzed and fawned over by Bogdanovich and fellow filmmakers. The film even backtracks to spend the last third pouring over the classics that Buster created in the 20s, leading right up to the invention of talkies. Like recent documentaries De Palma and Milius, the love and affection for the subject and their creations is all over The Great Buster. Bogdanovich has crafted a precise and professional movie, but, more importantly, he’s infused the film with respect and admiration.

★★★ Directed by #JonSBaird Written by #JeffPope Starring #JohnCReilly #SteveCoogan Film Review by #HopeMadden Wouldn’t it be nutty to peek behind the curtain of one of cinema’s most famous pairs—your Martin and Lewis, Abbott and Costello, Bert and Ernie—only to find that they are exactly as entertaining and likable in person as they are onscreen? That’s actually part of what makes Stan & Ollie, Jon S. Baird’s loving biopic of the famous comedy duo Laurel and Hardy, so peculiar a film. Go in expecting demons, divas and drama and you will be disappointed. If you’re looking for a tender image of partnership and friendship struggling to overcome a harsh business, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. The inexhaustible talent of John C. Reilly squeezes into a fat suit of Darkest Hour impressiveness as Oliver “Babe” Hardy. The physical transformation awes, but it’s the way the actor mines Hardy’s gentle good nature that impresses even more. Coogan’s the real surprise. Not only is his resemblance to Stan Laurel almost eerie, but the performance is easily the best dramatic turn of his career. Both actors, working from a wistful script by Coogan’s Philomena writing partner Jeff Pope, sidestep drama in favor of a kind of resigned camaraderie. Theirs is that well-worn relationship of both love and necessity that comes with decades of familiarity, unspoken grievances and love. The actors’ chemistry is a fine match for that of the iconic duo, and through the pairing, Baird explores partnership in a more meaningful and less sentimental way than what you’d normally find in a “stars in their declining years” biopic. The result is an endearing, if slightly underwhelming dramedy, enlivened by Baird’s charming direction. While the film is at its best when Coogan and Reilly quietly grapple with changes facing them, it is at its most enjoyable when art imitates life imitating art. That is, when Stan and Ollie drag a really big trunk up a big flight of stairs, only to let go of it, watch it slide back to the bottom, and do it again. Like the comedy of Laurel and Hardy, this film is sweet, clever and entirely of another time.

★★★★ Directed by #IreneLusztig Written by #IreneLusztig Film Review by #HopeMadden A conversation between generations, a glimpse into the changing and yet somehow unchanged reality of feminism—filmmaker Irene Lusztig’s unusual documentary Yours in Sisterhood bridges eras to shed some light. In Lusztig’s lyrical timeloop, modern readers share letters written to the editors of Ms. Magazine in the Seventies and early Eighties. The magazine, the first mainstream feminist periodical, began publishing in 1972 and amplified the sounds of the second wave of feminism enjoying the spotlight at the time. The letters read, in every case but one, went unpublished, so this doc is the first opportunity the original writer has had to share those decades-old thoughts with a large audience. Lusztig’s choice of reader—sometimes the writer herself, but usually a stranger making her or his first meeting with the letter—creates the film’s most poignant moments. At times, these readers have much in common with the original scribe: age, race, geographic locale or socioeconomic circumstances. One letter, penned by an incarcerated young woman on the verge of release from prison, is read and then commented upon by a woman currently behind bars in the same institution. In other instances, the reader is in one way or another at odds with the writer. This confluence and conflict creates some fascinating and fascinatingly untidy responses. In many ways, the energy of the film relies on the tension between the few people who feel well-matched and the few people who feel dissonant. What usually happens is that a wrinkle in the larger fabric of feminism shows itself. In the case of the writer, this often takes the form of a person who does not hear her voice or see her face in the pages of the magazine. In the case of the modern reader, questions about the movement’s evolution or lack thereof open up conversations and considerations worth examining in this post #MeToo, post 2016 election environment.

★★★★ Directed by: #JózsefGallai Written by: #JózsefGallai Starring: #ShawnClankie, #TímeaVirga Film Review by: #DarrenTilby This short #horror #film by #Hungarian filmmaker, József Gallai, exudes an #atmosphere of unease and dread, which only grows over the film’s 22-minute runtime. But ultimately, it falls short of ever reaching its full potential due to an abstruse plot, substandard script and occasional poor dialogue delivery. A middle-aged man living in a remote cabin in the woods with his infant son goes through the usual routines of childcare: feeding, cradling and just being an attentive parent in general. And while it’s tempting to perceive this in its purest form—a single parent doing their best to care for their child—something definitely feels offish. This feeling of #apprehension only gets worse when ‘our man’ (Shawn Clankie) begins to encounter strange entities in the woods surrounding his house. Clankie stars in the lead and for the best part does a very commendable job; particularly during scenes relying on physicality. Which is fortunate, as most of the film is without dialogue and relies on the camerawork and an actor's body language to express its intent. In fact, it’s during those few scenes of dialogue where problems occur. The script is inadequate and the dialogue feels awkward and out-of-place; whilst its delivery is unconvincing, at best. The dialogue adds nothing to the film, which to be honest, would have been better without it. Thankfully, as I’ve already stated, this is such a minimal part of the film that as jarring as these moments were, they had little impact on the movie overall. On the other hand, #GergöElekes’ #cinematography and #score are hugely important and adroitly put together. The fast cutting, muted blue colour palette and lingering camerawork sow the seeds of #psychological #turmoil; whilst the #score’s repetitive low, grainy hum distorts reality and imparts an air of #melancholic #trepidation. #Psychological #horror is how Echoes can best be described. And whilst the movie’s intended message―for me at least―remains shrouded in mystery by a puzzling storyline and ill-defined conclusion, themes of #grief and mental illness can be garnered. And, in fact, the film does a bloody good job of putting to screen its own insightful and elaborate take on the loneliness of #loss and isolationist nature of #grief. Echoes has its share of problems, sure. But those problems, however incongruous they may be, are few and far between. The plot, no matter how hazy, is #contemplative and well worth revisiting; and the beauty of the film’s #morose #dreamscape-like setting, its technical wizardry and the director’s sheer audacity to tackle head-on such a difficult subject are fully deserving of adulation.

★★★★ Directed by: #TravisKnight Written by: #ChristinaHodson Starring: #HaileeSteinfeld, #JorgeLendeborgJr, #JohnCena Film Review by: #DarrenTilby You would be forgiven for letting this one pass you by. So absolute was the ruination wrought by Michael Bay’s dismal and offensive depiction of a once much-loved #childhood toy; I’d considered the franchise beyond salvation. But director Travis Knight (CEO of #LaikaStudios) has taken the helm and brings with him his knack for storytelling and experience in animation; making good use of both in this thoroughly enjoyable action flick. The film opens on war-torn #Cybertron, just as it’s about to fall to the #Decepticons. A desperate rout begins with sporadic fighting continuing. In a desperate last act to save his fellow #Autobots, Optimus Prime tasks B-127 (#Bumblebee) with establishing a base on planet Earth where they intend on seeking refuge. #Bumblebee flees in an escape pod, and, after crash landing in the middle of a Sector 7 training exercise during the 1980s, he’s tracked down by the #Decepticon Blitzwing. A brief but brutal fight ensues, leaving Blitzwing dead and #Bumblebee badly damaged; having had his voicebox torn out and his memory core damaged. As he grows weaker, his system begins to shut down. But before it does, he scans a Volkswagen Beetle and goes into hiding. Until he’s eventually discovered by Charlie. Charlie (played by the utterly charming Hailee Steinfeld) is 18-years-old and struggling to find her place in the world. The first thing you’ll notice is how much more relatable and how considerably more likeable Charlie is in comparison to any of the franchise’s other characters. The obligatory love interest/sidekick comes in the form of Memo (Jorge Lendeborg Jr), Charlie’s neighbour. And while there is a definite romance hinted at here, it’s not the ridiculously ostentatious, over-the-top rubbish we’ve been subjected to before. Memo is also not the painfully obtuse, sexualised dolt Bay’s been throwing at us for years either. Instead, he’s a well-thought-out character who contributes much to the film. The two teenagers also share a relationship which seems far more natural: it’s genuine and caring; but it’s also awkward, as the pair struggle to express their feelings—as teenagers often do. Bumblebee benefits a great deal from Knight’s experience of animation. Robot transformations—which used to be little more than a jumbled mess of movement—are now far more precise and purposeful. Paul Rubell’s editing has also seen a vast improvement. Action sequences are now considerably more controlled and refined; and much less of a ‘cluster-fruitcake’. The upshot to the long takes and slower editing is that these impressive sequences now have significantly more heft. Each punch, each crash and each gun blast feel as powerful and as consequential as they should. Great work has been done on the technical side of the film, and everything feels crisper and more meaningful for it. There are a few problems which seem to have carried over from the previous films, however. The plot is unoriginal at best and feels all too familiar at times. Although the better script and more engaging characters did prevent these moments from losing my interest entirely, they were still noticeable. The film’s biggest problem, however, is that it’s still overburdened with clichés and absurd plot conveniences. You know, those kinds of moments when the protagonist is about to be killed by the bad guy, who then decides to walk as slowly as possible towards them whilst monologuing, just to be killed at the last minute. Yeah—they’re annoying and they shouldn’t happen. To be fair though, these issues generally only occur during the final act of the movie. The first two-thirds of the movie—which deals chiefly with Charlie and #Bumblebee’s relationship—is definitely the strongest. With its Iron Giant-like quality, there’s a real warmth to this aspect of the film; and it was this which impressed me the most. #Bumblebee is a very enjoyable watch. There are still more problems here than there should be and it undoubtedly could have been better. But Travis Knight has done something here we no longer thought was possible. He’s made a #Transformers film we can thoroughly enjoy, with characters we actually give a crap about. It’s still a big stupid, robot smashing each other in the face kind of film; but there’s really nothing wrong with that. And, to be honest, compared to previous instalments, it’s a bloody work of art.

★ Directed by: #AlexanderCooper Starring: #TimoKervinen, Alexander Cooper, #OlivierMaigniez, #TiffanyEllenRobinson Indie Film Review by: #BradyClark From first-time director Alexander Cooper comes Sandow, the story of a weak boy who seeks to become tough and overcompensates by headlining a travelling strongman show. Sandow’s underlying story about a man who spends his life living for his father’s wishes, is one that has been told in lots of ways, many times before. The familiarity of that theme running throughout this movie is about the only aspect that rings true to an otherwise confused and unstable plot mixed with more issues than an indie film can get away with. Cooper, also serving as a narrator in the form of Sandow’s protégé, Launceston Elliot, has devised the making of a solid film but failed to connect the dots in the final cut. Too much of Sandow is difficult to watch – the training montage at the beginning, the unchoreographed fight scenes, Kervinen’s bland performance in the titular role, and the concentration on the rest of the cast’s faces as they try to remember their lines. The timeline is too jumbled as we are treated to the same scenes on repeat that restricts the film’s credibility as a captivating story. To listen to it is far worse – Cooper’s narration as Elliot is distracting, the dialogue forced and uninspired rather than letting the spontaneity of a real conversation develop, and the sound editing is so poor that important parts of the film are completely inaudible. The only person present who seems like they know what they are doing on a screen is Tiffany-Ellen Robinson as Sandow’s wife, Blanche, but her performance is limited by a muddled purpose. The most compelling aspect of the story is the opening credits involving real footage of a boy wrestling a lion and some nice birds eye view shots of a stadium. This gives false hope that Sandow has a compelling and invigorating tale to follow, as the film immediately falters into sloppy storytelling thereafter.

It's that time of year again, here are the nominees for the 91st Academy Awards. Best Picture: “Black Panther” “BlacKkKlansman” “Bohemian Rhapsody” “The Favourite” “Green Book” “Roma” “A Star Is Born” “Vice” Lead Actor: Christian Bale, “Vice” Bradley Cooper, “A Star Is Born” Willem Dafoe, “At Eternity’s Gate” Rami Malek, “Bohemian Rhapsody” Viggo Mortensen, “Green Book” Lead Actress: Yalitza Aparicio, “Roma” Glenn Close, “The Wife” Olivia Colman, “The Favourite” Lady Gaga, “A Star Is Born” Melissa McCarthy, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali, “Green Book” Adam Driver, “BlacKkKlansman” Sam Elliott, “A Star Is Born” Richard E. Grant, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” Sam Rockwell, “Vice” Supporting Actress: Amy Adams, “Vice” Marina de Tavira, “Roma” Regina King, “If Beale Street Could Talk” Emma Stone, “The Favourite” Rachel Weisz, “The Favourite” Director: Spike Lee, “BlacKkKlansman” Pawel Pawlikowski, “Cold War” Yorgos Lanthimos, “The Favourite” Alfonso Cuarón, “Roma” Adam McKay, “Vice” Animated Feature: “Incredibles 2,” Brad Bird “Isle of Dogs,” Wes Anderson “Mirai,” Mamoru Hosoda “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” Rich Moore, Phil Johnston “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman Animated Short: “Animal Behaviour,” Alison Snowden, David Fine “Bao,” Domee Shi “Late Afternoon,” Louise Bagnall “One Small Step,” Andrew Chesworth, Bobby Pontillas “Weekends,” Trevor Jimenez Adapted Screenplay: “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” Joel Coen , Ethan Coen “BlacKkKlansman,” Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott, Spike Lee “Can You Ever Forgive Me?,” Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty “If Beale Street Could Talk,” Barry Jenkins “A Star Is Born,” Eric Roth, Bradley Cooper, Will Fetters Original Screenplay: “The Favourite,” Deborah Davis, Tony McNamara “First Reformed,” Paul Schrader “Green Book,” Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly “Roma,” Alfonso Cuarón “Vice,” Adam McKay Cinematography: “Cold War,” Lukasz Zal “The Favourite,” Robbie Ryan “Never Look Away,” Caleb Deschanel “Roma,” Alfonso Cuarón “A Star Is Born,” Matthew Libatique Best Documentary Feature: “Free Solo,” Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi “Hale County This Morning, This Evening,” RaMell Ross “Minding the Gap,” Bing Liu “Of Fathers and Sons,” Talal Derki “RBG,” Betsy West, Julie Cohen Best Documentary Short Subject: “Black Sheep,” Ed Perkins “End Game,” Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman “Lifeboat,” Skye Fitzgerald “A Night at the Garden,” Marshall Curry “Period. End of Sentence.,” Rayka Zehtabchi Best Live Action Short Film: “Detainment,” Vincent Lambe “Fauve,” Jeremy Comte “Marguerite,” Marianne Farley “Mother,” Rodrigo Sorogoyen “Skin,” Guy Nattiv Best Foreign Language Film: “Capernaum” (Lebanon) “Cold War” (Poland) “Never Look Away” (Germany) “Roma” (Mexico) “Shoplifters” (Japan) Film Editing: “BlacKkKlansman,” Barry Alexander Brown “Bohemian Rhapsody,” John Ottman “Green Book,” Patrick J. Don Vito “The Favourite,” Yorgos Mavropsaridis “Vice,” Hank Corwin Sound Editing: “Black Panther,” Benjamin A. Burtt, Steve Boeddeker “Bohemian Rhapsody,” John Warhurst “First Man,” Ai-Ling Lee, Mildred Iatrou Morgan “A Quiet Place,” Ethan Van der Ryn, Erik Aadahl “Roma,” Sergio Diaz, Skip Lievsay Sound Mixing: “Black Panther” “Bohemian Rhapsody” “First Man” “Roma” “A Star Is Born” Production Design: “Black Panther,” Hannah Beachler “First Man,” Nathan Crowley, Kathy Lucas “The Favourite,” Fiona Crombie, Alice Felton “Mary Poppins Returns,” John Myhre, Gordon Sim “Roma,” Eugenio Caballero, Bárbara Enrı́quez Original Score: “BlacKkKlansman,” Terence Blanchard “Black Panther,” Ludwig Goransson “If Beale Street Could Talk,” Nicholas Britell “Isle of Dogs,” Alexandre Desplat “Mary Poppins Returns,” Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman Original Song: “All The Stars” from “Black Panther” by Kendrick Lamar, SZA “I’ll Fight” from “RBG” by Diane Warren, Jennifer Hudson “The Place Where Lost Things Go” from “Mary Poppins Returns” by Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman “Shallow” from “A Star Is Born” by Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando, Andrew Wyatt and Benjamin Rice “When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings” from “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” by David Rawlings and Gillian Welch Makeup and Hair: “Border” “Mary Queen of Scots” “Vice” Costume Design: “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” Mary Zophres “Black Panther,” Ruth E. Carter “The Favourite,” Sandy Powell “Mary Poppins Returns,” Sandy Powell “Mary Queen of Scots,” Alexandra Byrne Visual Effects: “Avengers: Infinity War” “Christopher Robin” “First Man” “Ready Player One” “Solo: A Star Wars Story”