In many ways, her life story was very different from what I expected. She faced significant personal challenges, including raising her daughter alone as a single mother while navigating a male-dominated industry. She was polarizing, fiercely opinionated, and enormously talented, which led to a remarkable career highlighted by her tenure at The New Yorker from 1968 to 1991, where she penned more than 400 reviews and essays.

Her writing style was distinctive: passionate, personal, and often provocative, blending sharp analysis with visceral emotional responses to films. She championed the “New Hollywood” era of the 1960s and 1970s, praising directors like Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, and Brian De Palma, while often taking aim at more established figures such as Stanley Kubrick. Right away, it was easy to like her as I learned more about her through this film. She was fearless, and in many ways I shared her taste in movies — especially the ones she admired.

Yet she could also be quite vicious in her criticism. While I respected that she never shied away from tearing into popular films, at times she seemed unable to appreciate genuinely great movies that simply didn’t align with her personal tastes.

Her review of “The Sound of Music” in McCall’s magazine was so scathing that it reportedly led to her firing. “The sugar-coated lie that people seem to want to eat … and this is the attitude that makes a critic feel that maybe it’s all hopeless. Why not just send the director, Robert Wise, a wire: ‘You win, I give up’?” Really? The film may not be for everyone, but as a musical, it’s undeniably brilliant.

Here’s a quote from her review of “Star Wars”: “One of the biggest box-office successes in movie history — probably because for young audiences it’s like getting a box of Cracker Jack that is all prizes. Written and directed by George Lucas, the film is enjoyable in its own terms, but it’s exhausting, too: like taking a pack of kids to the circus. There’s no breather in the picture, no lyricism; the only attempt at beauty is in the image of a double sunset. The loudness, the smash-and-grab editing, and the relentless pacing drive every idea out of your head, and even if you’ve been entertained, you may feel cheated of some dimension — a sense of wonder, perhaps. It’s an epic without a dream.”

Again, I admire her willingness to speak her mind, but she seems to have had a blind spot for anything that was simply fun for the masses. Plenty of serious critics have been able to appreciate this iconic film for what it is. It wasn’t addressed in the documentary but she hated “Raiders of the Lost Arc” as well.

Still, she loved Scorsese, Coppola, and De Palma, which made her a far more trusted voice when it came to edgier films, gritty dramas, and work that pushed boundaries.

Ultimately, her passion is what made her great. She rose to prominence during a period when film criticism was still largely polite, academic, or promotional — a tradition she had little patience for. Kael rejected detached objectivity in favor of visceral, emotional engagement. She wrote not as a scholar but as an impassioned viewer, insisting that movies should be felt as much as analyzed. Her reviews were personal, funny, combative, and often infuriating — qualities that made her both beloved and despised, sometimes at the same time.

By the end, this film made me want to seek out more of Pauline Kael’s writing — maybe even pick up a compilation of her reviews. I would recommend this documentary to anyone who loves film. Directed by Rob Garver and released in 2018, it works both as an accessible introduction for viewers unfamiliar with Kael and as a spirited reappraisal for those who understand just how profoundly she reshaped the language and purpose of film criticism in the latter half of the 20th century.

Nikki Finke will give you a vision of low-rent corruption that, for all I know, is entirely true. It sure seems to match the often bizarre-to-inexplicable nominations and awards at times. One thing is sure, few of us will ever let the Globes live down that infamous 1982 award to Pia Zadora when she won “New Star of the Year in a Motion Picture” award for a movie called “Butterfly.” People make fun of the fact that the less than superb actress won the award, but it’s a lot more shocking when you consider that her competition was probably two of the more exciting movie performances of the entire 1980s, Howard E. Rollins in “Ragtime” and, more famously, Tim Hutton in “Ordinary People.” I guess they split the pro-talent vote. The category was dead within two years.

Meanwhile back here in 2010, the dramatic “Best Picture” list is mostly in line with the movies that are generally getting a lot of awards and nominations, though I’m sure people will have the usual disagreements. (I know I do). Also, no big surprise, “The Social Network” and “The King’s Speech” did very well in the nominations. “The Fighter” and “Inception” also got a bit of a boost that might Academy voters keep them in mind as Oscar dark horses.

This year’s “Comedy or Musical” Best Picture category is, however, a real doozy. It really looks like the foreign press thinks that comedies don’t really have to be good to be nominated; it’s a sort of twisted semi-reverse snobbery. I know reviews and awards are not the same, but the critically drubbed “The Tourist” got a “Fresh” rating of 07% from “Top Critics” and 20% from critics overall at Rotten Tomatoes. Could the reactions of Hollywood Foreign Press members be that different from domestic press?

I know there’s been some quibbling about whether it qualifies as a “Comedy.” That doesn’t really bother me. I’m sure it’s trying to be funny and probably has a happy ending. That makes it a comedy in my book, though not necessarily a good one. Also, I have nothing against contrarians who laud movies others deride, but the Hollywood Foreign Press isn’t some group of freethinking cinephiles in the tradition of Pauline Kael and Manny Farber.

As for the other films in the category, only “The Kids Are All Right” has been generating the kind of overall appreciation that makes it awards material. “RED” is a reasonably well-liked, successful film, but this will probably be it’s only award nomination outside of genre-specific groups. “Alice in Wonderland” did very well but got a “meh” critical reaction overall and will probably get some technical Oscar nominations. “Burlesque” is a movie that people barely liked as a sort of guilty pleasure and pretty clearly is only on the list because the Golden Globes people really want Cher and Christina Aguilera to drop by.

On the other hand, a couple of thoughts about the overall awards trends. It’s really looking like “True Grit” isn’t going to get a whole lot of Oscar love if these patterns hold, though it did do pretty well with the Critics Choice Awards. Between the past awards given to the Coen Brothers and Jeff Bridges (the Academy likes to spread the awards around) and the fact that even critics’ groups, the Coens’ natural constituency, haven’t given it that many awards, I’d say it’ll lucky to be one of the 10 films nominated for Best Picture. Not that that means I’m looking any less forward to seeing it. If anyone out really thinks that really awards make a movie necessarily better than one that doesn’t, please stop thinking that. On the other hand, it’s better when movies that win awards are, at least, considered to be good by a sizable number of people.

Not too much to say about the acting nominations except that they are generally in line with the overall starfracking and glamor obsession that is the Globes’ specialty. Therefore Lesley Manville’s highly unglamorous performance in “Another Year” was ignored. Let’s hope the Academy voters are a bit more discerning, though Manville’s character won’t be everyone’s cup of tea.

After the flip, I’ll present the complete list of awards, including for television. First, however, I’ll permit myself one TV thought, which is also a movie thought. The love for Olivier Assayas’s “Carlos” continues from the L.A. Film Critics awards, but this time it really was the 5.5 hour version, primarily intended for European television but shown on Sundance and screened in theaters here as well, that was nominated.

*****

1. BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
a. BLACK SWAN
b. THE FIGHTER
c. INCEPTION
d. THE KING’S SPEECH
e. THE SOCIAL NETWORK

2. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
a. HALLE BERRY, FRANKIE AND ALICE
b. NICOLE KIDMAN, RABBIT HOLE
c. JENNIFER LAWRENCE, WINTER’S BONE
d. NATALIE PORTMAN, BLACK SWAN
e. MICHELLE WILLIAMS, BLUE VALENTINE

3. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
a. JESSE EISENBERG, THE SOCIAL NETWORK
b. COLIN FIRTH, THE KING’S SPEECH
c. JAMES FRANCO, 127 HOURS
d. RYAN GOSLING, BLUE VALENTINE
e. MARK WAHLBERG, THE FIGHTER

4. BEST MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
a. ALICE IN WONDERLAND
b. BURLESQUE
c. THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
d. RED
e. THE TOURIST

5. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
a. ANNETTE BENING, THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
b. ANNE HATHAWAY, LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS
c. ANGELINA JOLIE, THE TOURIST
d. JULIANNE MOORE, THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
e. EMMA STONE, EASY A

6. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
a. JOHNNY DEPP, ALICE IN WONDERLAND
b. JOHNNY DEPP, THE TOURIST
c. PAUL GIAMATTI, BARNEY’S VERSION
d. JAKE GYLLENHAAL, LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS
e. KEVIN SPACEY, CASINO JACK

7. BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
a. DESPICABLE ME
b. HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
c. THE ILLUSIONIST
d. TANGLED
e. TOY STORY 3

8. BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
a. BIUTIFUL (MEXICO/SPAIN)
b. THE CONCERT (FRANCE)
c. THE EDGE (RUSSIA)
d. I AM LOVE (ITALY)
(LO SONO L’AMORE)
e. IN A BETTER WORLD (DENMARK)

9. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
a. AMY ADAMS, THE FIGHTER
b. HELENA BONHAM CARTER, THE KING’S SPEECH
c. MILA KUNIS, BLACK SWAN
d. MELISSA LEO, THE FIGHTER
e. JACKI WEAVER, ANIMAL KINGDOM

10. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
a. CHRISTIAN BALE, THE FIGHTER
b. MICHAEL DOUGLAS, WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER
SLEEPS
c. ANDREW GARFIELD, THE SOCIAL NETWORK
d. JEREMY RENNER, THE TOWN
e. GEOFFREY RUSH, THE KING’S SPEECH

11. BEST DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE
a. DARREN ARONOFSKY, BLACK SWAN
b. DAVID FINCHER, THE SOCIAL NETWORK
c. TOM HOOPER, THE KING’S SPEECH
d. CHRISTOPHER NOLAN, INCEPTION
e. DAVID O. RUSSELL, THE FIGHTER

12. BEST SCREENPLAY – MOTION PICTURE
a. DANNY BOYLE, 127 HOURS
SIMON BEAUFOY
b. LISA CHOLODENKO, THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
STUART BLUMBERG
c. CHRISTOPHER NOLAN, INCEPTION
d. DAVID SEIDLER, THE KING’S SPEECH
e. AARON SORKIN, THE SOCIAL NETWORK

13. BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – MOTION PICTURE
a. ALEXANDRE DESPLAT, THE KING’S SPEECH
b. DANNY ELFMAN, ALICE IN WONDERLAND
c. A.R. RAHMAN, 127 HOURS
d. TRENT REZNOR, THE SOCIAL NETWORK
ATTICUS ROSS
e. HANS ZIMMER, INCEPTION

14. BEST ORIGINAL SONG – MOTION PICTURE
a. “BOUND TO YOU” — BURLESQUE
Music by: Samuel Dixon
Lyrics by: Christina Aguilera, Sia Furler
b. “COMING HOME” — COUNTRY STRONG
Music & Lyrics by: Bob DiPiero, Tom Douglas, Hillary Lindsey, Troy Verges
c. “I SEE THE LIGHT” — TANGLED
Music by: Alan Menken
Lyrics by: Glenn Slater
d. “THERE’S A PLACE FOR US” — CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER
Music & Lyrics by: Carrie Underwood, David Hodges, Hillary Lindsey
e. “YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE LAST OF ME” — BURLESQUE
Music & Lyrics by: Diane Warren

15. BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
a. BOARDWALK EMPIRE (HBO)
Leverage, Closest to the Hole Productions, Sikelia Productions and Cold Front Productions, HBO Entertainment
b. DEXTER (SHOWTIME)
Showtime, John Goldwyn Productions, The Colleton Company
c. THE GOOD WIFE (CBS)
CBS Television Studios
d. MAD MEN (AMC)
Lionsgate Television
e. THE WALKING DEAD (AMC)
AMC

16. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
a. JULIANNA MARGULIES, THE GOOD WIFE
b. ELISABETH MOSS, MAD MEN
c. PIPER PERABO, COVERT AFFAIRS
d. KATEY SAGAL, SONS OF ANARCHY
e. KYRA SEDGWICK, THE CLOSER

17. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
a. STEVE BUSCEMI, BOARDWALK EMPIRE
b. BRYAN CRANSTON, BREAKING BAD
c. MICHAEL C. HALL, DEXTER
d. JON HAMM, MAD MEN
e. HUGH LAURIE, HOUSE

18. BEST TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
a. 30 ROCK
b. THE BIG BANG THEORY
c. THE BIG C
d. GLEE
e. MODERN FAMILY
f. NURSE JACKIE

19. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES –COMEDY OR MUSICAL
a. TONI COLLETTE, UNITED STATES OF TARA
b. EDIE FALCO, NURSE JACKIE
c. TINA FEY, 30 ROCK
d. LAURA LINNEY, THE BIG C
e. LEA MICHELE, GLEE

20. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
a. ALEC BALDWIN, 30 ROCK
b. STEVE CARELL, THE OFFICE
c. THOMAS JANE, HUNG
d. MATTHEW MORRISON, GLEE
e. JIM PARSONS, THE BIG BANG THEORY

21. BEST MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
a. CARLOS
b. THE PACIFIC
c. PILLARS OF THE EARTH
d. TEMPLE GRANDIN
e. YOU DON’T KNOW JACK

22. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
a. HAYLEY ATWELL, PILLARS OF THE EARTH
b. CLAIRE DANES, TEMPLE GRANDIN
c. JUDI DENCH, RETURN TO CRANFORD
d. ROMOLA GARAI, EMMA
e. JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT, THE CLIENT LIST

23. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
a. IDRIS ELBA, LUTHER
b. IAN MCSHANE, PILLARS OF THE EARTH
c. AL PACINO, YOU DON’T KNOW JACK
d. DENNIS QUAID, THE SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP
e. EDGAR RAMIREZ, CARLOS

24. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
a. HOPE DAVIS, THE SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP
b. JANE LYNCH, GLEE
c. KELLY MACDONALD, BOARDWALK EMPIRE
d. JULIA STILES, DEXTER
e. SOFIA VERGARA, MODERN FAMILY

25. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
a. SCOTT CAAN, HAWAII FIVE-O
b. CHRIS COLFER, GLEE
c. CHRIS NOTH, THE GOOD WIFE
d. ERIC STONESTREET, MODERN FAMILY
e. DAVID STRATHAIRN, TEMPLE GRANDIN

During a period I personally consider Fellini’s creative prime, De Laurentiis co-produced two of the director’s most powerful films, the classic tearjerker “La Strada” with Anthony Quinn and the great Giulietta Masina, and “Nights of Cabiria” also with Masina, a great tragicomedy and a huge personal favorite of mine. He also produced two now somewhat obscure adaptations, a version of Tolstoy’s “War and Peace” with Audrey Hepburn and “Ulysses.” Fortunately, the latter was not an adaptation of the James Joyce stream-of-consciousness meganovel, but Homer’s “The Odyssey,” and starred Kirk Douglas in the heroic title role.

No snob, De Laurentiis had a gift for commingling arthouse fare, quality middlebrow entertainment, and complete schlock — some of it fun, some it merely schlocky. Geeks cried foul when he eschewed stop-motion for an unworkable animatronic monstrosity and, mostly, Rick Baker in a monkey suit for his silly mega-blockbuster remake attempt, “King Kong,” but that movie was a classic when compared to something like the hugely regrettable killer-whale flick “Orca.”

Though “Flash Gordon,” directed by Mike Hodges (the original “Get Carter” and “Croupier”) with music by Queen, was declared DOA by audiences and most critics, it was praised by the great contrarian Pauline Kael and remains a fairly popular cult film. “The White Buffalo,” a sort of Western Moby Dick starring Charles Bronson, however, has no such cult. The potboiler, “Mandingo,” was dismissed as racially suspect garbage but also has been championed recently by more than one intelligent cinephile.

No stranger to financial problems, he even managed to produce commercial and critical disappointments with the greatest directors of his day. “The Serpent’s Egg” with David Carradine was Sweden’s Ingmar Bergman’s only Hollywood film and no one’s favorite. “Buffalo Bill and the Indians” with Paul Newman is not high on anyone’s list of the best of Robert Altman. Roman Polanski’s “Hurricane” is only remembered because of how it figured in Polanski’s rape case. The young David Lynch’s version of “Dune” has its fans today, but at the time…

On the other hand, De Laurentiis also produced some of the biggest American films of his day from top-flight directors, including Sidney Lumet’s “Serpico,” Sidney Pollack’s “Three Days of the Condor,” and David Cronenberg’s “The Dead Zone.” And then there two critically hated but immensely popular movies. One sold sex and fantasy — that would be “Barbarella” starring the very young Jane Fonda. The other sold violence and urban paranoia, “Death Wish” with Charles Bronson. Both films helped turned their leads into superstars. His involvement was more or less minimal, but De Laurentiis also was executive producer on “Army of Darkness” — I’m sure Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell are both grateful for that.

De Laurentiis last shrewd call was becoming involved with the film version of a little airport thriller called “Red Dragon.” That became the spiffy Michael Mann film, “Manhunter” and featured Brian Cox in a small role as a certain Dr. Hannibal Lecter. When a sequel to that novel became Jonathan Demme’s blockbuster, “The Silence of the Lambs.” several years later, he was well positioned to capitalize on with a Thomas Harris’s sequel adaptation, “Hannibal,” a remake/prequel, “Red Dragon,” and another prequel “Hannibal Rising.”

I can remember hearing directors who worked for him speak of him with a combination of affection, irritation, and awe, but whatever was true of Dino De Laurentiis, he sure could pick ’em.

As always, there is a lot more from David Hudson at MUBI.

I haven’t been paying quite as much attention to the cinephile end of the movie blogosphere as I should lately, so we’ll start there.

*  It’s never too late to check out the Brian DePalma blogathon that wrapped up yesterday at Tony Dayoub’s Cinema Viewfinder.  I’m actually not a member of the DePalma cult that includes everyone from the late uber-critic Pauline Kael to Quentin Tarantino and probably 70% of the male cinephile population. I dig a few of his movies a great deal and the oddball horror/suspense musical satire, “Phantom of the Paradise” has a special place in my heart. On the other hand, I have serious problems with even some of his most well-regarded films including, or perhaps especially, especially “Blow-Out.” There’s a cheapness to his films and tendency to wallow in despair that I can’t support.

Of course, that’s just me and Dayoub wrapped up yesterday in grand style with a fairly personal piece about “Scarface” (vastly overrated by many; I’ll take the Howard Hawks “Scarface” over it any day) and “Carlito’s Way” (which I think is underrated and overall just a solidly good movie). Anyhow, stroll around the site and you’ll see pieces by some of the true superstars of cinephilia.

* Speaking of great film lovers, you won’t find detailed appreciations of DePalma coming from The Self-Styled Siren — nor of Michael Mann or Sam Peckinpah.  Her bailiwick is classic era films (ending roughly around 1965) with an eye towards melodrama and comedy. Though her identity remains a secret, her fans are legion and definitely includes your humble host.

Her latest post is an attention grabber: “Ten Melos the Siren Would Watch Instead of Mad Men” which is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a fascinating list that males who want to expand their minds beyond the usual guy movie obsessions should definitely contemplate. And, yes, there’s a vigorous debate over “Mad Men” in comments, as well as an unsolicited cocktail recipe from me. If you’ve been looking for the inevitable backlash over the acclaimed series, which I personally love as much as anyone, there’ll be no more enjoyable place to find it.

Some news after the flip….

* When Oprah meets Sam (and writer Christopher Hampton of “Atonement” and “Dangerous Liaisons”) Oscars are on everyone’s mind. But will the movie they all make be any good?

* Wanna see a “futuristic robot boxing movie” from the director of “Night at the Museum“? THR says your lucky day may be coming.

* Variety also has a look at the first day of the ongoing 3-D summit. Basically, most agree that the big problem right now is that there simply aren’t enough seats to support the number of success the format has had. Today, however, we learn that keynoter Jeffrey Katzenberg wants more, more, more. Personally, I suspect there’s a limit and I’d hate for every major film to be in the format.

* Speaking of Variety and THR, aka the Hollywood Reporter, Nikki Finke has an apparent scoop that could affect the content of what I do around here. She reports that Variety will be going behind a “paid wall” next year and that THR will be scrapping its print edition later this year and then going behind a similar wall.

Finke thinks it’s a reasonable model, but the move will also make her own growing online power all the more formidable as the number of sources of hard industry news for the general public decreases substantially. Oh, and she’s also going to be name-checked on Entourage later this month. Now La Finke has really arrived.