Welcome to Last Resort Films: The Story So Far! Chad Taylor checking in
here to take a look back at LRF’s illustrious past, five seasons at a
time. In this fifth edition, we will cover seasons 21-25.
Season 21
This next era of Last Resort Films started on a bit of a minor note. The worldwide box office total is still the third lowest in the studio’s history, though the profit margins weren’t as bad. There were also only three films that notched an 80 or higher. The highest among those, Rodeo, continued Tom Cruise’s string of dramatic headlining roles post-Splinter Cell. A debut worth noting is Gigantor’s Joshua Collins, who has become a steady presence for the studio ever since.
The Void came away as the big winner on the night of the GRAs, perhaps a bit surprising if only because of it taking home most top prizes. It marked the first solo Best Picture win for Jimmy Ellis, who really owned the season with five films and fifteen GRA nominations across those films. It also solidified Jeff Nichols as one of LRF’s definitive directors, gaining his first GRA trophy after multiple nominations and steering several major franchises (Scion, Superman). More on that later.
Best Picture: The Void
Best Director: Jeff Nichols - The Void
Best Actor: Josh Brolin - The Void
Best Actress: Kate Mara - Rodeo
Best Adaptation: Odysseus - Part One - Andrew Doster
Best Original Story: The Void - Jimmy Ellis
Season 22
Looking back, Season 22 seems defined by its four top films: Open Hearts, Broadway, Black Hole, and Caesar Part II. All four had their own lane of buzz. Open Hearts boasted one of the strongest acting foursomes in LRF history, which in any of other season could’ve won all four main acting awards. It lost Best Ensemble to my film Broadway, which likely had the edge because of its bigger cast. Black Hole felt like a tonal relative to Death Dream, with John Malone rescuing the graphic novel from development hell and pairing it with the perfect match in director David Robert Mitchell.
And then there was Caesar Part II. While an undoubtable critical and financial success, it was in uncharted territory as an original based-on-a-true-story sequel. Up until that point, no sequel had ever won Best Picture (it has happened three times since) and no actor had won multiple Best Actor/Actress trophies for the same role (Sydney Sweeney is the only other).
This season was also notable for the debut of Jack Brown. His film OZ helped give a taste of things to come, with a dark take on the classic tale that would signify Brown’s future role as one of LRF’s preeminent horror writers. Oh yeah, and there were two Batman films this season with In the Shadows and Batman Beyond.
Best Picture: Caesar Part II
Best Director: Quentin Tarantino - Broadway
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio - Caesar Part II
Best Actress: Elizabeth Olsen - Open Hearts
Best Adaptation: Black Hole - John Malone
Best Original Story: Caesar Part II - Chad Taylor & John Malone
Season 23
Another resounding success of a season for the studio. It is currently fourth all-time in Total Box Office, on the back of strong showings from Booster Gold and Spider-Man. Even the eventual Best Picture winner, Judas Iscariot, earned $357 million worldwide for a profit of $133 million. In terms of critical success, the Biblical film remains a high watermark for the studio, earning a 97 Metascore (tied with Jonestown for highest all-time).
Beyond the box office, the season also somehow topped Season 22 in terms of its critical reception. Poison Ivy: Mind Games, The Producer, and Haven all notched 85+ Metascores; four films reaching that threshold had only happened once before, when five films achieved the mark in Season 5. But then you keep going down the list and the next set of films could’ve been their own Best Picture line-up in any other year; Berserker, Blue Ridge, Carpenter, Booster Gold: Back in Time. Insane stuff.
At the GRAs, Jeff Nichols won his second Best Director trophy in three seasons while Sydney Sweeney repeated as Best Actress for the surprise Poison Ivy sequel. In all, Season 23 will go down as a legendary ten rounds for the studio.
Best Picture: Judas Iscariot
Best Director: Jeff Nichols - Judas Iscariot
Best Actor: Tom Hardy - Judas Iscariot
Best Actress: Sydney Sweeney - Poison Ivy: Mind Games
Best Adaptation: Poison Ivy: Mind Games
Best Original Story: Judas Iscariot
Season 24
After the highs of Seasons 22 and 23, Season 24 had its work cut out for it. It started out strong, with The Big One becoming just the second season opener to notch a Metascore of 80 or higher —True West was the only other film to do it. The season couldn’t quite match the deep benches of the two seasons that came before it, as only two more films reached 80+ after that point and they both hit 89: Monaco and Natural Selection. If I can self-reflect, this moment might’ve been the peak of my career at LRF (I also had my last directorial effort that season with Everything Will Be Alright). I think Monaco vs. Natural Selection really distills what I have enjoyed so much about being a writer at LRF. I see them both as big, juicy projects that I would want to see as a moviegoer. A Paul Verhoeven erotic thriller starring Warren Beatty and Angelina Jolie? A Martin Scorsese sports film with a big sprawling ensemble? I’m there on day one! And that’s what’s so great about this place; it allows us to live out our dreams, write what we want to see, and share it with others. What’s better than that?
Best Picture: Monaco
Best Director: Martin Scorsese - Monaco
Best Actor: Warren Beatty - Natural Selection
Best Actress: Angelina Jolie - Natural Selection
Best Adaptation: Shoe Dog - Wyatt Allen
Best Original Story: Monaco - Chad Taylor
Season 25
We cap off this five-season stretch with the establishment of a new tradition for LRF: a James Bond film as the season-closer every fifth season. As if there was ever any doubt, it proved that Risico was no fluke. Christopher Nolan was replaced in the director’s chair by Denis Villeneuve, who has now signed on to make the next Bond film for Amazon-MGM.
On the whole, Season 25 feels like a grab-bag representation of LRF in the 20s. The new-look Marvel universe was fully flourishing with Nomad, The Hammer of Thor, and Scarlet. Horror continued to have a bit of a moment with films like Krueger, WE KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE, and Revival. And then you have Believe It or Not!, which I still contest is one of the bigger surprises we’ve had at the studio; a Robert Ripley biopic makes a lot of sense, but Seth MacFarlane directing and starring turned a lot of heads—and the bet paid off! Those are the kind of swings that I always enjoy.
Best Picture: Carte Blanche
Best Director: Denis Villeneuve - Carte Blanche
Best Actor: Mel Gibson - The Punisher: Last Exit
Best Actress: Emma Stone - The Long Way Home
Best Adaptation: Revival - Chad Taylor
Best Original Story: Believe It or Not! - Lon Charles
_________________________________________________________________________
Box Office Top 20 (Seasons 21-25):
20. Judas Iscariot - $367 million
19. The Fall Guy: Trouble in Tahiti - $409 million
18. Jurassic Park: Another Adventure - $495 million
17. Atlantis - $507 million
16. The Hammer of Thor - $509 million
15. The Flash #2 - $542 million
14. Pocahontas - $543 million
13. Uncharted 4 - $575 million
12. Birds of Prey - $586 million
10. (tie) Caesar Part II / Man Made Machine - $616 million
9. Task Force X: Chaos and Madness - $620 million
8. Wonder Woman - $699 million
7. Fantastic Four: Doom - $727 million
6. Supergirl - $737 million
5. X-Men: Sinister - $844 million
4. Spider-Man vs. the Sinister Six - $1.21 billion
3. Carte Blanche - $1.22 billion
2. Booster Gold: Back in Time - $1.47 billion
1. Batman: In the Shadows $ 1.49 billion
Season 21
This next era of Last Resort Films started on a bit of a minor note. The worldwide box office total is still the third lowest in the studio’s history, though the profit margins weren’t as bad. There were also only three films that notched an 80 or higher. The highest among those, Rodeo, continued Tom Cruise’s string of dramatic headlining roles post-Splinter Cell. A debut worth noting is Gigantor’s Joshua Collins, who has become a steady presence for the studio ever since.
The Void came away as the big winner on the night of the GRAs, perhaps a bit surprising if only because of it taking home most top prizes. It marked the first solo Best Picture win for Jimmy Ellis, who really owned the season with five films and fifteen GRA nominations across those films. It also solidified Jeff Nichols as one of LRF’s definitive directors, gaining his first GRA trophy after multiple nominations and steering several major franchises (Scion, Superman). More on that later.
Best Picture: The Void
Best Director: Jeff Nichols - The Void
Best Actor: Josh Brolin - The Void
Best Actress: Kate Mara - Rodeo
Best Adaptation: Odysseus - Part One - Andrew Doster
Best Original Story: The Void - Jimmy Ellis
Season 22
Looking back, Season 22 seems defined by its four top films: Open Hearts, Broadway, Black Hole, and Caesar Part II. All four had their own lane of buzz. Open Hearts boasted one of the strongest acting foursomes in LRF history, which in any of other season could’ve won all four main acting awards. It lost Best Ensemble to my film Broadway, which likely had the edge because of its bigger cast. Black Hole felt like a tonal relative to Death Dream, with John Malone rescuing the graphic novel from development hell and pairing it with the perfect match in director David Robert Mitchell.
And then there was Caesar Part II. While an undoubtable critical and financial success, it was in uncharted territory as an original based-on-a-true-story sequel. Up until that point, no sequel had ever won Best Picture (it has happened three times since) and no actor had won multiple Best Actor/Actress trophies for the same role (Sydney Sweeney is the only other).
This season was also notable for the debut of Jack Brown. His film OZ helped give a taste of things to come, with a dark take on the classic tale that would signify Brown’s future role as one of LRF’s preeminent horror writers. Oh yeah, and there were two Batman films this season with In the Shadows and Batman Beyond.
Best Picture: Caesar Part II
Best Director: Quentin Tarantino - Broadway
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio - Caesar Part II
Best Actress: Elizabeth Olsen - Open Hearts
Best Adaptation: Black Hole - John Malone
Best Original Story: Caesar Part II - Chad Taylor & John Malone
Season 23
Another resounding success of a season for the studio. It is currently fourth all-time in Total Box Office, on the back of strong showings from Booster Gold and Spider-Man. Even the eventual Best Picture winner, Judas Iscariot, earned $357 million worldwide for a profit of $133 million. In terms of critical success, the Biblical film remains a high watermark for the studio, earning a 97 Metascore (tied with Jonestown for highest all-time).
Beyond the box office, the season also somehow topped Season 22 in terms of its critical reception. Poison Ivy: Mind Games, The Producer, and Haven all notched 85+ Metascores; four films reaching that threshold had only happened once before, when five films achieved the mark in Season 5. But then you keep going down the list and the next set of films could’ve been their own Best Picture line-up in any other year; Berserker, Blue Ridge, Carpenter, Booster Gold: Back in Time. Insane stuff.
At the GRAs, Jeff Nichols won his second Best Director trophy in three seasons while Sydney Sweeney repeated as Best Actress for the surprise Poison Ivy sequel. In all, Season 23 will go down as a legendary ten rounds for the studio.
Best Picture: Judas Iscariot
Best Director: Jeff Nichols - Judas Iscariot
Best Actor: Tom Hardy - Judas Iscariot
Best Actress: Sydney Sweeney - Poison Ivy: Mind Games
Best Adaptation: Poison Ivy: Mind Games
Best Original Story: Judas Iscariot
Season 24
After the highs of Seasons 22 and 23, Season 24 had its work cut out for it. It started out strong, with The Big One becoming just the second season opener to notch a Metascore of 80 or higher —True West was the only other film to do it. The season couldn’t quite match the deep benches of the two seasons that came before it, as only two more films reached 80+ after that point and they both hit 89: Monaco and Natural Selection. If I can self-reflect, this moment might’ve been the peak of my career at LRF (I also had my last directorial effort that season with Everything Will Be Alright). I think Monaco vs. Natural Selection really distills what I have enjoyed so much about being a writer at LRF. I see them both as big, juicy projects that I would want to see as a moviegoer. A Paul Verhoeven erotic thriller starring Warren Beatty and Angelina Jolie? A Martin Scorsese sports film with a big sprawling ensemble? I’m there on day one! And that’s what’s so great about this place; it allows us to live out our dreams, write what we want to see, and share it with others. What’s better than that?
Best Picture: Monaco
Best Director: Martin Scorsese - Monaco
Best Actor: Warren Beatty - Natural Selection
Best Actress: Angelina Jolie - Natural Selection
Best Adaptation: Shoe Dog - Wyatt Allen
Best Original Story: Monaco - Chad Taylor
Season 25
We cap off this five-season stretch with the establishment of a new tradition for LRF: a James Bond film as the season-closer every fifth season. As if there was ever any doubt, it proved that Risico was no fluke. Christopher Nolan was replaced in the director’s chair by Denis Villeneuve, who has now signed on to make the next Bond film for Amazon-MGM.
On the whole, Season 25 feels like a grab-bag representation of LRF in the 20s. The new-look Marvel universe was fully flourishing with Nomad, The Hammer of Thor, and Scarlet. Horror continued to have a bit of a moment with films like Krueger, WE KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE, and Revival. And then you have Believe It or Not!, which I still contest is one of the bigger surprises we’ve had at the studio; a Robert Ripley biopic makes a lot of sense, but Seth MacFarlane directing and starring turned a lot of heads—and the bet paid off! Those are the kind of swings that I always enjoy.
Best Picture: Carte Blanche
Best Director: Denis Villeneuve - Carte Blanche
Best Actor: Mel Gibson - The Punisher: Last Exit
Best Actress: Emma Stone - The Long Way Home
Best Adaptation: Revival - Chad Taylor
Best Original Story: Believe It or Not! - Lon Charles
_________________________________________________________________________
Box Office Top 20 (Seasons 21-25):
20. Judas Iscariot - $367 million
19. The Fall Guy: Trouble in Tahiti - $409 million
18. Jurassic Park: Another Adventure - $495 million
17. Atlantis - $507 million
16. The Hammer of Thor - $509 million
15. The Flash #2 - $542 million
14. Pocahontas - $543 million
13. Uncharted 4 - $575 million
12. Birds of Prey - $586 million
10. (tie) Caesar Part II / Man Made Machine - $616 million
9. Task Force X: Chaos and Madness - $620 million
8. Wonder Woman - $699 million
7. Fantastic Four: Doom - $727 million
6. Supergirl - $737 million
5. X-Men: Sinister - $844 million
4. Spider-Man vs. the Sinister Six - $1.21 billion
3. Carte Blanche - $1.22 billion
2. Booster Gold: Back in Time - $1.47 billion
1. Batman: In the Shadows $ 1.49 billion
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