Welcome to Last Resort Films: The Story So Far! Chad Taylor checking in here with the latest installment in this series looking back at LRF’s illustrious past, five seasons at a time. In this third edition, we will cover seasons 11-15. Let's get started...
Season 11
Coming off of the high highs of landmark Season 10, LRF’s eleventh season was quieter all around. Many of the studio’s biggest franchises were absent and, for those that were present, it was typically some featuring more minor characters (like the DC Studios output of Martian Manhunter and Vixen). Dramas, some tense and some contemplative, filled the rounds between the likes of Suzanne, Beartown, and eventual Best Picture winner Buried Child.
Two highlights of this season for me were The Raven and Newbury Street. The Raven marked the completion of an LRF original series starting back in Season 1 with The Raven in the Night, continuing to Cosa Nostra in Season 5, and finishing in Season 11. The series remains one of the high points of crime storytelling at LRF. Meanwhile, Newbury Street brought a bit of a different vibe to the crime genre, with a match made in heaven between director Todd Field, writer Lon Charles, and star Matt Damon, who gives one of the best performances of his career.
Best Picture: Buried Child
Best Director: J.J. Abrams - The Stand
Best Actor: Matt Damon - Newbury Street
Best Actress: Patricia Clarkson - Suzanne
Best Adaptation: Buried Child - Chad Taylor
Best Original Story: The Raven - James Morgan
Season 12
When I think back on Season 12, I remember it fondly for being one of the most variety show-esque seasons in LRF’s storied history. LRF tends to be a little light on comedy, in part because it is hard for that genre to translate to international audiences. But Season 12 marked a high point for the genre, with Booster Gold: Lost in Time topping the box office and films like Don’t Hang Up and Doctor Love proving financial hits AND popular at the GRAs (including a rare comedy Best Picture win for the former).
In general, it was a strong time for critical hits at the box office. GRA contenders like Torso, Ypsilanti, and Cold rode positive word-of-mouth to big numbers for dark dramas. The star-studded casts certainly didn’t hurt! In general, I think all three are worth checking out as they feel a little lost in the annals of time. This why the variety sticks out so much to me, because it was a time where these “cold” crime thrillers were thriving right alongside the lighter comedic fare.
Best Picture: Don’t Hang Up
Best Director: Steven Soderbergh - Doctor Love
Best Actor: Brendan Gleeson - Our Father
Best Actress: Emma Stone - Under Pressure
Best Adaptation: Torso - John Malone
Best Original Story: Don’t Hang Up - Mo Buck & Dominic Wilkins
Season 13
This season was arguably the peak of the video game adaptation period of the studio’s history. Video game blockbusters dominated screens as many of the biggest franchises of early LRF were nearing their conclusion. Splinter Cell and Mass Effect saw their final entries this season, while Halo, God of War, and Skyrim also produced hits. Even the biggest hit of the season, Batman: Arkham, surely benefitted a bit from its associations with the popular video game franchise of the same name (in addition to featuring, you know, Batman).
One of the most notable events of the season, in retrospect, is the first collaboration between John Malone and Jimmy Ellis. Elysian was an immediate home run in their first at-bat, nabbing a rare trio of Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Actress. It marked Alden Ehrenreich’s second Best Actor win and solidified him a spot in LRF’s Hall of Fame, as if he wasn’t there already.
Best Picture: Elysian
Best Director: David Lowery - The Crucible
Best Actor: Alden Ehrenreich - Elysian
Best Actress: Shailene Woodley - Elysian
Best Adaptation: The Crucible - Lon Charles
Best Original Story: Elysian - Jimmy Ellis & John Malone
Season 14
By Season 14, LRF felt like it had fully entered a new era after those early years. Over 400 films in, the studio now had a thriving stable of writers putting out quality work. This season alone featured projects from 22 different writers!
The biggest debut from this season was Superman, with the Man of Tomorrow making his first appearance for the studio from a highly-anticipated script from John Malone. This marked a symbolic step forward for the studio with bringing in some of the biggest superhero titles into the fold; before this point, most adaptations were limited to characters who were not actively being portrayed at the movies and that meant mostly B or C-list properties outside of Batman.
The Ellis-Malone combo was back in full force this season, following up their Best Picture win with an even more lauded collaboration in Control. However, it was Born in Brooklyn that nabbed the top prize at the GRAs—marking the first Best Picture win for Dwight Gallo, a season 1 original.
Best Picture: Born in Brooklyn
Best Director: Denis Villeneuve - Control
Best Actor: Robert Pattinson - Germinal
Best Actress: Florence Pugh - A Lost Sense of Heaven
Best Adaptation: Germinal - Mo Buck
Best Original Story: Control - Jimmy Ellis & John Malone
Season 15
As with any increment of five, reaching the fifteenth season felt like a huge accomplishment for this studio of ours. That door opened by Superman the previous season was clearly on display this season, with the X-Men making their debut—a franchise still going strong to this day!
Looking back, this season also feels like the last true time that the Mo Buck Writer’s Association was working in full force. This is is marked symbolically by the season starting off with Justice League Europe, a cross-team effort that had been building up over multiple seasons. The Halo franchise saw its conclusion this season with Halo 6, the fifth film in the franchise to be penned by Mo Buck. Impressively, the MBWA proceeded to put out three films rated 83 or higher on Metacritic: A Reputation, Of Rocks and Sand, and And the Birds Rained Down.
It’s hard to overestimate the impact that Buck had on the first era of LRF. The MBWA was a prolific machine, often putting out a high number of high quality films every season with a wide variety of genres. While there were still more films from Buck and company to come, this felt like a good opportunity to toast to their accomplishments and impact on LRF history.
Best Picture: Misfit
Best Director: Taylor Sheridan - Of Rocks and Sand
Best Actor: Ben Foster - Kurt & Courtney: All Apologies
Best Actress: Christina Hendricks - Misfit
Best Adaptation: And the Birds Rained Down - Mo Buck
Best Original Story: Of Rocks and Sand - James Morgan
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Box Office Top 20 (Seasons 11-15):
20. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - $537 million
19. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - $572 million
18. Skyrim II: Dragonborn - $580 million
17. Uncharted 3 - $589 million
16. Scion 3 - $593 million
15. Hawkworld - $611 million
14. X-Men - $642 million
13. Flash Gordon - $645 million
12. Martian Manhunter - $651 million
11. Justice League Europe - $690 million
10. Halo: The Fall of Reach - $751 million
9. Silver Surfer: The Power Cosmic - $792 million
8. Mass Effect 3 - Part 1 - $809 million
7. Splinter Cell: Blacklist - $995 million
6. Halo 6 - $1.03 billion
5. Halo 5 - $1.08 billion
4. Mass Effect 3 - Part 2 - $1.197 billion
3. Superman: The Man of Tomorrow - $1.199 billion
2. Booster Gold: Lost in Time - $1.46 billion
1. Batman: Arkham $ 1.47 billion
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