• Asheville School of Film students premiere their latest round of short films Sunday, Jan. 21, 10-11 a.m. at Grail Moviehouse, 45 S. French Broad Ave. Selections include works by the Intro to Film and Intermediate/Postproduction courses, as well as Alumni Productions. The program carries a suggested PG-13 rating. Free. ashevilleschooloffilm.com
• To commemorate the 45th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision on Roe v. Wade, Grail Moviehouse teams with Planned Parenthood South Atlantic for a screening of Birthright: A War Story on Monday, Jan. 22, at 6:30 p.m. Civia Tamarkin’s 2017 documentary examines how the anti-abortion movement gained prominence and launched an aggressive campaign to take control of women’s reproductive health care in the U.S. A discussion will follow the screening, and proceeds benefit Planned Parenthood South Atlantic. Regular admission rates apply. Tickets are available online and at the Grail box office. grailmoviehouse.com
• The North Carolina Film Critics Association has named Get Out the best narrative film of 2017. Among the group’s members are Asheville-area writers Justin Souther for Xpress, Marcianne Miller for Bold Life, Jill Boniske for Chickflix, Gareth Higgins for The Film Talk and God is Not Elsewhere, Jonathan Rich for Blooperman and BleedingCool and this writer for AshevilleMovies.com.
Jordan Peele’s genre-defying satire beat out four other nominees: The Florida Project, The Post, The Shape of Water, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Peele also earned best director and best original screenplay, making him the first to person in the NCFCA’s six-year history to win awards for writing and directing in the same year.
The awards for performing honored Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water) for best actress, Laurie Metcalf (Lady Bird) for best supporting actress, Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour) for best actor and Willem Dafoe (The Florida Project) for best supporting actor. Other winners include Okja for best foreign language film; a tie between Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber (The Disaster Artist) and Aaron Sorkin (Molly’s Game) for best adapted screenplay; Roger Deakins (Blade Runner 2049) for best cinematography; War for the Planet of the Apes for best special effects; Coco for best animated film; and Kedi for best documentary film.
In 2016, the NCFCA renamed its “Tar Heel” award, which honors a film or performer with a special connection to North Carolina, in honor of the late Xpress film critic Ken Hanke. The winner of the 2017 Ken Hanke Memorial Tar Heel Award is Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, which was filmed in Sylva, Black Mountain, Weaverville, Dillsboro, Clyde, Maggie Valley and the WNC Nature Center. Other nominees were May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers, a documentary about the Concord-based musicians, and Winston-Salem native Emily V. Gordon, writer and co-producer of The Big Sick. ncfilmcritics.org
Does Justin Souther still write for Xpress?
He sure does, Mtndancer. Look for his review of The Commuter in this week’s issue, on newsstands starting this afternoon, everywhere by Wednesday. Edwin Arnaudin writes our Screen Scene section, while Justin Souther, Scott Douglas and Francis X. Friel review movies for Xpress.
I guess his reviews are only in print edition. I only see what’s online and I’ve been missing his reviews.
Here’s a link to his author page with all his reviews, most recent first: https://mountainx.com/author/jsouther/.
The most recent one, on Human Flow, was published online on Jan. 9: https://mountainx.com/movies/reviews/human-flow/
I’m glad you are a fan!