• The Film Fridays series continues at the Columbus Public Library, 1289 W. Mills St., Columbus, on Dec. 28, at 1 p.m. with Crazy Rich Asians. Complimentary popcorn will be provided. Free. polklibrary.org
• Asheville comedian Hilliary Begley may currently be seen in the Netflix original movie Dumplin’. Begley plays Lucy Dickson, aunt of and inspiration to Willowdean (Danielle Macdonald, Patty Cake$), the plus-size teenage daughter who enters the pageant run by her mother Rosie (Jennifer Aniston), a former beauty queen, as a form of protest. avl.mx/5ih
• The Southeastern Film Critics Association has named Roma the best film of 2018. Among the group’s members are Asheville writers Scott Douglas and Justin Souther for Xpress, Bruce Steele for the Asheville Citizen Times and AshevilleMovies.com, Tony Kiss, Jill Boniske for Chickflix.net, Michelle Keenan and Chip Kaufmann for Rapid River, Marcianne Miller for Bold Life and this writer for AshevilleMovies.com.
Spots No. 2-10 on the best film list went to The Favourite, A Star Is Born, BlacKkKlansman, Vice, If Beale Street Could Talk, Green Book, First Reformed, Eighth Grade and Leave No Trace. Best actor went to Ethan Hawke for First Reformed (runner-up: Christian Bale, Vice); best actress to Olivia Colman for The Favourite (runner-up: Lady Gaga, A Star Is Born); best supporting actor to Richard E. Grant for Can You Ever Forgive Me? (runner-up: Mahersahala Ali, Green Book) and best supporting actress to Regina King for If Beale Street Could Talk (runner-up: Rachel Weisz, The Favourite).
Roma director Alfonso Cuarón earned best director (runner-up: Bradley Cooper, A Star Is Born) and best cinematography (runner-up: Robbie Ryan, The Favourite), and the entry also won best foreign language film (runner-up: Shoplifters). The Favourite additionally took home best ensemble (runner-up: Vice and Black Panther) and original screenplay for its team of Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara (runner-up Paul Schrader, First Reformed).
Elsewhere, BlacKkKlansman writers Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott and Spike Lee received best adapted screenplay (runner-up: Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty, Can You Ever Forgive Me?); Won’t You Be My Neighbor? was named best documentary (runner-up: RBG); and Isle of Dogs outlasted recent release Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse for best animated film.
SEFCA’s Wyatt Award — named in memory of charter member Gene Wyatt and given annually to the film that best captures the spirit of the South — went to Green Book, Peter Farrelly’s fact-based film about African-American pianist Dr. Don Shirley’s 1962 tour of the Southeast with hard-nosed, Italian-American driver Tony “Lip” Vallelonga. Runner-up went to Blaze, Hawke’s biopic of the late outlaw Americana musician Blaze Foley. sefca.net
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