Oscar Nominations 2020

The day is finally here! The Academy Award nominations have been announced. Did your favorite movies get nominated? Were they snubbed? What about the actors? It’s time to take a look at all of the nominees for the 2020 Oscars!

Best Picture 
1917 
Ford v Ferrari
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
The Irishman
Little Women
Marriage Story
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood 
Parasite

My Thoughts: For once in my life, I’ve seen and reviewed every Best Picture nominee before the Oscars! You can click on each movie's name to read my review. Truthfully, I think this is the best that the lineup has been in years. I’d love to see a Once Upon a Time in Hollywood win, but would be happy with the majority of these nominees winning. I’m one of the 5 people in the world who doesn’t love Parasite. I appreciate it on a technical level, but don’t find it to be the incredible cinematic masterpiece that everyone hails it to be. I also think Joker could easily be replaced with something else. While it exists as a compelling character study, I don’t see it as Best Picture material. I think this is going to be a close 3-way race between Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Parasite, and 1917 for Best Picture.

Best Director 
Bong Joon Ho, Parasite
Martin Scorsese, The Irishman 
Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood  
Sam Mendes, 1917 
Todd Phillips, Joker

Snubs: Hmmm it would be impressive if the Academy could find space to nominate one female director like Greta Gerwig (Little Women), Marielle Heller (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood), Lulu Wang (The Farewell), or Lorene Scafaria (Hustlers). I guess that would be too difficult though. Also, Noah Baumbach for Marriage story or Taika Waititi for Jojo Rabbit?! Is the Academy really saying Todd Phillips is better than them?

Best Actor 
Adam Driver, Marriage Story
Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory 
Joaquin Phoenix, Joker
Jonathan Pryce, The Two Popes
Leonardo DiCaprio, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood 

My Thoughts: This group of nominees are here so I can campaign exclusively for Adam Driver and Leonardo DiCaprio until Oscar night. They are the true and deserving winners. I hope they tie and get on stage to sing while accepting their awards since both of their characters had a musical number. Leo can sing Green Door while Adam sings Being Alive. The cold hard reality is that this scenario will never happen and Joaquin Phoenix is going to win this award and then thank the Academy for giving him plant based food.
Snubs: TARON EGERTON. He deserved this award after his incredibly performance in Rocketman. Is the Academy really trying to tell me that Rami Malek was more deserving of Best Actor after lip-synching through Bohemian Rhapsody? I cannot accept that.

Best Actress 
Charlize Theron, Bombshell
Cynthia Erivo, Harriet
Renèe Zellweger, Judy
Saoirse Ronan, Little Women
Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story

My Thoughts: This is Saoirse Ronan’s 4th Oscar nomination at age 25 (Atonement, Brooklyn, Lady Bird, Little Women) which is incredible. She can’t be stopped! This year also marks Scarlett Johansson’s first Oscar nomination ever. Pretty shocking but true. (She’s deservedly nominated twice this year). Both actresses will probably have to wait a little longer to win anything because Renee Zellweger is sweeping at every awards show for her portrayal of Judy Garland.
Snubs: It would’ve been nice to see Awkwafina get nominated for The Farewell. Especially after she just won the Golden Globe!

Best Supporting Actor 
Al Pacino, The Irishman
Anthony Hopkins, The Two Popes 
Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Joe Pesci, The Irishman 
Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood 

My Thoughts: This is Brad Pitt’s award and that’s pretty much settled. It’s great to see Tom Hanks nominated for A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood marking his first nomination in 20 years!!! (His last was for Cast Away) Whoever didn’t vote for him in Captain Phillips needs to rethink their life decisions because that was a Best Actor performance if I’ve ever seen one.

Best Supporting Actress 
Florence Pugh, Little Women
Laura Dern, Marriage Story
Kathy Bates, Richard Jewell 
Margot Robbie, Bombshell  
Scarlett Johansson, Jojo Rabbit

Snubs: The lack of a Jennifer Lopez nomination is just pathetic. Lopez has received nominations everywhere throughout awards season so I truly don’t understand what happened here. Her role in Hustlers is 10 times more demanding than what Laura Dern (who will win the award) is doing in Marriage Story. This is coming from someone who loves Marriage Story!
Surprises: Obviously, Kathy Bates is a surprise. Truly did not see that one coming. I’m really happy to see Scarlett Johansson here. I didn’t think she would make it for Jojo Rabbit because most of the buzz is in the lead actress category, but her character ties that film together in such a pivotal way.

Best Original Screenplay 
1917, Sam Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns
Knives Out, Rian Johnson
Marriage Story, Noah Baumbach
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino
Parasite, Bong Joon Ho and Han Jin Won 

Best Adapted Screenplay 
The Irishman, Steve Zaillian
Jojo Rabbit, Taika Waititi
Joker, Todd Phillips and Scott Silver
Little Women, Greta Gerwig
The Two Popes, Anthony McCarten

Best Cinematography 
1917, Roger Deakins
The Irishman, Rodrigo Prieto
Joker, Lawrence Sher
The Lighthouse, Jarin Blaschke
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Robert Richardson

Best Documentary 
American Factory 
The Cave
The Edge of Democracy
For Sama
Honeyland 

Best Foreign Language Film 
Corpus Cristi
Honeyland
Les Miserables
Pain and Glory 
Parasite

Best Costume Design 
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Little Women
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood 

Snubs: Someone please explain how Joker is nominated in costume design but Rocketman and Downton Abbey aren’t anywhere to be found. Did the Academy watch those movies? How does that make any sense?

Best Film Editing
Ford v Ferrari
The Irishman 
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Parasite 

Best Makeup and Hairstyling 
1917
Bombshell 
Joker
Judy 
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil

Best Production Design 
1917 
The Irishman 
Jojo Rabbit
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Parasite 

Best Score 
1917 
Joker 
Little Women
Marriage Story 
Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker 

Best Original Song
I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away from Toy Story 4, Randy Newman
I’m Gonna Love Me Again from Rocketman, Elton John and Bernie Taupin
I’m Standing with You from Breakthrough, Dianne Warren
Into the Unknown from Frozen II, Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez
Stand Up from Harriet, Joshuah Campbell and Cynthia Erivo

Best Visual Effects 
1917
Avengers: Endgame 
The Irishman 
The Lion King 
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker 

Best Sound Editing 
1917 
Ford v Ferrari 
Joker
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker 

Best Sound Mixing 
1917 
Ad Astra
Ford v Ferrari 
Joker
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Best Animated Feature
How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World 
I Lost My Body
Klaus
Missing Link 
Toy Story 4

Snubs: Where is Frozen 2? How is it not nominated for Best Animated Feature?! I thought it was way better than Toy Story 4!

Best Animated Short 
Dcera
Hair Love
Kitbull 
Memorable
Sister

Best Documentary Short
In the Absence
Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone 
Life Overtakes Me
St. Louis Superman 
Walk Run Cha-Cha

Best Live Action Short 
A Sister
Brotherhood 
Nefta Football Club
The Neighbors’ Window 
Saria

That does it for the full list of Oscar nominees! Congrats for making it through this full list. You deserve an Oscar for reading all of the nominees. If you want a tally of who leads the pack, Joker has the most nominations with 11 total, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, 1917, and The Irishman follow closely behind with 10 nominations. What do you think will win Best Picture, Actor and Actress on Oscar night? The Oscars will air Sunday, February 9th on ABC. Get your ballots ready!

Biggest Movies At TIFF

The Toronto International Film Festival has come to an end after several major movie debuts. I may not have attended myself, but I have kept up with the big releases and audience reactions to the new films. It’s too soon to know which films will be the front runners in the award season race, but we have a little bit of insight into the ones that made a big impression.

Jojo Rabbit
Taika Waititi’s satire has made waves for its controversial subject matter. The film is about a young boy who is imaginary friends with an idiotic version of Hitler (played by Waititi, who is Jewish himself.) When the young boy’s mother takes in a Jewish girl, his worldview is changed. The film received mixed reaction from critics, some love it while others aren’t as receptive. However, it took home the People’s Choice Award which is the equivalent of Best Picture at the Festival. Previous People’s Choice Awards winners are Green Book, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, La La Land, Room, and 12 Years a Slave. Needless to say, keep an eye on Jojo Rabbit this awards season.
In theaters: October 18th

Marriage Story
The Scarlett Johansson/Adam Driver relationship drama has earned rave reviews at TIFF and Venice Film Festivals for its acting and direction by Noah Baumbach. It also earned first runner up for the People’s Choice Award at TIFF. It’s safe to say this one will be in awards conversation for awhile.
Streaming on Netflix: December 6th

Parasite
Director Bong Joon-Ho’s film won the the Palme d’Or at Cannes back in May and impressed audiences yet again at TIFF garnering praise throughout the festival. The film is all about greed and class discrimination between two very different families. Parasite received second runner up for the People’s Choice Award.
In theaters: October 11th

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Tom Hanks portrayal of Fred Rogers is apparently wonderful, to the surprise of no one. Of course it’s wonderful! It’s Mister Rogers and Tom Hanks! Eric Kohn from IndieWire wrote, “this is the role Tom Hanks was born to play.” Reactions from TIFF were overwhelmingly positive over director Marielle Heller’s take on Mister Rogers. Many critics believe this will get Tom Hanks nominated for his first Oscar since Cast Away. (How has he not been nominated in 19 years?!?!)
In Theaters: November 22nd

Knives Out
This murder mystery directed by Rian Johnson is said to be both a crowd pleaser and critical darling. The film is a mystery about a detective who travels to a family estate to investigate the murder of the patriarch. It boasts quite an impressive cast of actors including Daniel Craig, Jamie Lee Curtis, Chris Evans, Toni Collette, and Don Johnson.
In Theaters: November 27th

Dolemite Is My Name
Eddie Murphy is making a comeback. The actor is portraying the performer Rudy Ray Monroe, a 1970’s comedian who took on the persona of Dolemite, A Blaxploitation icon. Critics say this could be major for Murphy and it’s his best role in years.
Streaming on Netflix: October 25th

Those are a few of the big releases from TIFF this year. Time will tell if they have a big impact in award season, but it will be exciting to see what the next few months hold!

The Favourite Wins Big at the BAFTA'S

On Sunday night, the British Academy of Film and Television awarded their top picks of of 2018. The Favourite was the night’s big winner taking home 7 awards including Best British Film, Best Actress (Olivia Colman) and Best Supporting Actress (Rachel Weisz.) Roma also had a big night with 4 wins including the top award for Best Film. It looks like you can lock in your Oscar ballots for Rami Malek. He continues to sweep the award circuit with another Best Actor win for Bohemian Rhapsody. Still up in the air is the Best Suppporting Actress race. What once seemed like a lock for Regina King, now seems a little more murky after recent wins from Emily Blunt at the SAG Awards and Rachel Weisz at the BAFTAS. Soon we’ll know who will get the trophy.
Here’s a full list of the night’s winners:
Best Film: Roma  
Best British Film: The Favourite  
Best Actress in a Leading Role: Olivia Colman, The Favourite 
Best Actor in a Leading Role: Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody  
Best Supporting Actress: Rachel Weisz, The Favourite  
Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali, Green Book
Best Director: Alfonso Cuaron, Roma 
Best Original Screenplay: The Favourite 
Best Adapted Screenplay: BlackKklansman 
Best Cinematography: Roma 
Best Original Music: A Star is Born
Best Editing: Vice
Best Costume Design: The Favourite
Best Production Design: The Favourite
Best Makeup and Hair: The Favourite 
Best Sound: Bohemian Rhapsody
Best Visual Effects: Black Panther
Best British Short Animation: Roughhouse 
Best British Short Film: 73 Cows 
Outstanding Debut by a British Writer: Beast
EE Rising Star Award: Letitia Wright 

Black Panther Wins Top Honor at SAG Awards

The SAG Awards took place on Sunday night! The award show, which is voted on by actors, didn’t differ too much from the Golden Globes...except in the top category of the night where Black Panther took home the Best Ensemble Award. Much like the Golden globes, Rami Malek won Best Actor for Bohemian Rhapsody, Glenn Close took home Best Actress for The Wife, and Mahershala Ali won Best Supporting Actor for Green Book. It becomes more obvious with each ceremony that those 3 could easily be Oscar locks. One surprise of the night was the Best Supporting Actress category where Emily Blunt won for A Quiet Place. Blunt is not even nominated for an Oscar so you can be assured that the Academy results will be very different. Here is a full list of the film winners:

SAG Award Winners
Best Ensemble: Black Panther
Outstanding Male Actor: Bohemian Rhapsody
Outstanding Female Actor: Glenn Close, The Wife
Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali, Green Book
Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress: Emily Blunt, A Quiet Place
Outstanding Stunt Ensemble: Black Panther

We’re just 4 weeks away from the Oscar. It’s unclear what the frontrunner for Best Picture is at this point, but the acting categories are starting to look pretty obvious.

Oscar Nominees Announced!

The day is finally here! The announcement we’ve all been waiting for… the Oscar nominees! What films made the cut for Best Picture? Who is in the Best Actor race? And what about Best Director? Were there any snubs? (Spoiler alert: there were some major ones!) Let’s take a look at the nominees to find out!

Best Picture
Black Panther
BlackKklansman
Bohemian Rhapsody
The Favourite
Green Book
Roma
Vice
A Star is Born

Snubs: First Man, Eighth Grade
Surprises: This is essentially the same list of nominees that’s been circulating around every award show this season, so it’s not a shocking line up for Best Picture. The biggest surprise is that If Beale Street Could Talk didn’t make it on the list. I think this year is a bit more exciting than last year because of heavyweights like A Star is Born and The Favourite, but there are still some weak links weighing the category down.

Best Actor
Bradley Cooper, A Star is Born
Christian Bale, Vice
Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody
Viggo Mortensen, Green Book
Willem Dafoe, At Eternity’s Gate

Snubs: What does Ryan Gosling have to do? TELL ME WHAT THE FIRST MAN HAS TO DO? He walked on the moon. Was that not good enough? Were you not entertained, Academy? Other notable snubs include John David Washington for BlackKklansman and Ethan Hawke for First Reformed.
Surprises: Willem Dafoe, At Eternity’s Gate.

Best Actress
Glenn Close, The Wife
Lady Gaga, A Star is Born
Melissa McCarthy, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Olivia Colman, The Favourite
Yalitza Aparicio, Roma

Snubs: Natalie Portman, Vox Lux. Carey Mulligan, Wildlife. Charlize Theron, Tully.
Surprises: Yalitza Aparicio, Roma

Best Supporting Actor
Adam Driver, BlackKklansman
Mahershala Ali, Green Book
Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Sam Elliott, A Star is Born
Sam Rockwell, Vice

Snubs: Timothée Chalamet, Beautiful Boy. First, they snub the man. Then, they snub the boy! How in the world do you not nominate Timothée Chalamet in this category? What happens when you watch the diner scene in that movie and think “No, he doesn’t deserve a nomination.” His work in Beautiful Boy is astounding acting. To think the Academy doesn’t recognize that is just pathetic.
Surprises: Sam Rockwell, Vice

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams: Vice
Emma Stone: The Favourite
Marina de Tavira: Roma
Rachel Weisz: The Favourite
Regina King: If Beale Street Could Talk

Snubs: Claire Foy, First Man
Surprises: Marina de Tavira, Roma

Best Director
Adam McKay, Vice
Alfonso Cuaron, Roma
Pawel Pawlikowski, Cold War
Spike Lee, BlackKklansman
Yorgos Lanthimos, The Favourite

Snubs: A CINEMATIC CRIME HAS BEEN COMMITTED. Bradley Cooper isn’t nominated for Best Director for his directorial efforts in A Star is Born. Yet, Adam McKay is nominated for Vice. Someone tell me how that works. Adam McKay’s direction is the worst part of Vice. Bradley Cooper put his heart and soul into A Star is Born, but the Academy just doesn’t care. They said, go ahead and let chaos reign.
Surprises: Pawel Pawilkowski

Best Original Screenplay
The Favourite
First Reformed
Green Book
Roma
Vice

Snubs: Eighth Grade
Surprises: First Reformed

Best Adapted Screenplay
A Star is Born
BlackKklansman
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
If Beale Street Could Talk

Best Cinematography
A Star is Born
Cold War
The Favourite
Never Look Away
Roma

Snubs: First Man, If Beale Street Could Talk, Wildlife
Surprises: Never Look Away

Best Documentary  
Free Solo
Hale County This Morning, This Evening
Minding the Gap
Of Fathers and Sons
RBG  

Snubs: Won’t You Be My Neighbor? How can the Academy so blatantly rip off this phenomenal documentary on Mr. Rodgers? Did they even watch it?
Surprises: Of Fathers and Sons

Best Documentary Short Subject
Black Sheep
End Game
Lifeboat
A Night at the Garden
Period. End of Sentence

Best Live Action Short Film
Detainment
Fauve
Marguerite
Mother
Skin

Best Foreign Film
Capernaum
Cold War  
Never Look Away
Roma
Shoplifters

Best Animated Film
Incredibles 2
Isle of Dogs  
Mirai  
Ralph Breaks the Internet  
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse  

Best Animated Short Film
Animal Behavior
Bao
Late Afternoon
One Small Step
Weekends

Best Production Design
Black Panther
First Man
The Favourite
Mary Poppins Returns
Roma

Best Costume Design  
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Black Panther
The Favourite
Mary Poppins Returns
Mary Queen of Scots  

Best Makeup and Hair
Border
Mary Queen of Scots
Vice 

Best Visual Effects
Avengers: Infinity War
Christopher Robin
First Man
Ready Player One
Solo: A Star Wars Story

Best Film Editing 
BlackKklansman
Bohemian Rhapsody  
Green Book
The Favourite
Vice  

Best Sound Editing
Black Panther
Bohemian Rhapsody
First Man
A Quiet Place
Roma

Best Sound Mixing
Black Panther
Bohemian Rhapsody
First Man
Roma
A Star is Born

Best Original Score 
BlackKklansman, Terrence Blanchard
Black Panther, Ludwig Goransson
If Beale Street Could Talk, Nicholas Britell
Isle of Dogs, Alexander Desplat
Mary Poppins Returns, Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman

Best Original Song  
All the Stars, Black Panther (written by Kendrick Lamar and SZA) 
I’ll Fight, RBG (written by Jennifer Hudson and Dianne Warren) 
The Place Where Lost Things Go, Mary Poppins Returns (written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman)
Shallow, A Star is Born (written by Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando, Andrew Wyatt, and Benjamin Rice) 
When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (written by David Rawlings and Gillian Welch)

That concludes this year’s list of nominees.
In total, The Favourite and Roma lead with 10 nominations each. A Star is Born and Vice follow closely behind with 8 nominations. What do you think of this year’s nominees? Did your favorites get nominated or left in the cold? The Oscars air February 24th on ABC!

BAFTA Awards Announce Nominations

Before we get to the Oscars in February, there are still a few award shows set to take place. One of these is the British Academy of Film and Television Awards. What are the BAFTAS, you may be wondering? Basically the British Oscars. The nominations for the ceremony were announced today. Check out the nominees below.

Best Film
BlackKklansman
The Favourite
Green Book
Roma
A Star is Born

Outstanding British Film
Apostasy
Beast
A Cambodian Spring
Pili
Ray & Liz

Leading Actress
Glenn Close, The Wife
Lady Gaga, A Star is Born
Melissa McCarthy, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Olivia Colman, The Favourite
Viola Davis, Widows

Leading Actor
Bradley Cooper, A Star is Born
Christian Bale, Vice
Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody
Steve Coogan, Stan & Ollie
Viggo Mortenson, Green Book

Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, Vice
Claire Foy, First Man
Emma Stone, The Favourite
Margot Robbie, Mary Queen of Scots
Rachel Weisz, The Favourite

Supporting Actor
Adam Driver, BlackKklansman
Mahershala Ali, Green Book
Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Sam Rockwell, Vice
Timothée Chalamet, Beautiful Boy

Director
Alfonso Cuaron, Roma
Bradley Cooper, A Star is Born
Pawel Pawlikowski, Cold War
Spike Lee, BlackKklansman
Yorgos Lanthimos, The Favourite

Original Screenplay
Cold War, Janusz Glowacki and Powel Pawlikowski
The Favourite, Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara
Green Book, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly, and Nick Vallelonga
Roma, Alfonso Cuarón
Vice, Adam McKay

Adapted Screenplay
BlackKklansman, Spike Lee, David Rabinowitz, Charlie Watchtel, and Kevin Willmott
Can You Ever Forgive Me? Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty
First Man, Josh Singer
If Beale Street Could Talk, Barry Jenkins
A Star is Born, Bradley Cooper, Will Fetters, and Eric Roth

Animated Film
Incredibles 2
Isle of Dogs
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Cinematography
Bohemian Rhapsody, Newton Thomas Siegel
Cold War, Łukasz Żal
The Favourite, Robbie Ryan
First Man, Linus Sandgren
Roma, Alfonso Cuarón

Film Not in the English Language
Capernaum
Cold War
Dogman
Roma
Shoplifters

Documentary
Free Solo
McQueen
RBG
They Shall Not Grow Old
Three Identical Strangers

Original Music
BlackKklansman
If Beale Street Could Talk
Isle of Dogs
Mary Poppins Returns
A Star is Born

Editing
Bohemian Rhapsody
The Favourite
First Man
Roma
Vice

Costume Design
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Bohemian Rhapsody
The Favourite
Mary Poppins Returns
Mary Queen of Scots

Make Up and Hair
Bohemian Rhapsody
The Favourite
Mary Queen of Scots
Stan & Ollie
Vice

Production Design
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Gindelwald
The Favourite
First Man
Mary Poppins Returns
Roma

Sound
Bohemian Rhapsody
First Man
Mission: Impossible-Fallout
A Quiet Place
A Star is Born

Special Visual Effects
Avengers: Infinity War
Black Panther
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
First Man
Ready Player One

British Short Animation
I’m Ok
Marfa
Roughhouse

British Short Film
73 Cows
Bachelor
The Blue Door
The Field
Wale

Rising Star Award
Barry Keoghan
Cynthia Erivo
Jessie Buckley
Lakeith Stanfield
Letitia Wright

No surprise here, the highly acclaimed British film, The Favourite leads the BAFTAS with 12 nominations total. A Star is Born, Roma, Bohemian Rhapsody, and First Man fall closely behind each gathering 7 nominations. Look at First Man go! It’s still holding on to hope (mainly in the technical categories, but don’t give up hope just yet!) The BAFTAS will take place on February 10th.

SAG Award Nominees

Awards season keeps moving along with the announcement of the SAG award nominees! These awards are voted on by the Screen Actors Guild. They’re a little different than the Golden Globes and Oscars because they are centered around acting. Instead of having a Best Picture or Best Film category, they have a Best Ensemble category as the top award. What films made the cut this year? Read on to find out!

Best Ensemble
A Star is Born
BlackKklansman
Bohemian Rhapsody
Black Panther
Crazy Rich Asians

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Christian Bale, Vice
Bradley Cooper, A Star is Born
Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody
Viggo Mortenson, Green Book
John David Washington, BlackKklansman

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Emily Blunt, Mary Poppins Returns
Glenn Close, The Wife
Olivia Colman, The Favourite
Lady Gaga, A Star is Born
Melissa McCarthy, Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Mahershala Ali, Green Book
Timothée Chalamet, Beautiful Boy
Adam Driver, BlackKklansman
Sam Elliot, A Star is Born
Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams, Vice
Emily Blunt, A Quiet Place
Margot Robbie, Mary Queen of Scots
Emma Stone, The Favourite
Rachel Weisz, The Favourite

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
Ant-Man and the Wasp
Avengers: Infinity War
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Black Panther
Mission: Impossible-Fallout

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a TV Movie or Limited Series
Antonio Banderas- Genius: Picasso
Darren Criss, The Assassination of Gianni Versace
Hugh Grant, A Very English Scandal
Anthony Hopkins, King Lear
Bill Pullman, The Sinner

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a TV Movie or Limited Series
Amy Adams, Sharp Objects
Patricia Arquette, Escape at Dannemora
Patricia Clarkson, Sharp Objects
Penélope Cruz, The Assasination of Gianni Versace
Emma Stone, Maniac

There are quite a few surprises in these SAG nominations, both good and bad. Let’s start with the bad. Nothing for First Man? Again? All I want for Christmas is for Ryan Gosling to get recognition for First Man. After last week’s very limited Golden Globe showing and nothing here, things aren’t looking great for the film’s Oscar chances. It seems the SAG awards are attempting to go in a more commercial direction for their Best Ensemble award, because I can’t think of any other explanation for leaving The Favourite out of contention. Shockingly, Regina King wasn’t nominated for Best Supporting Actress in If Beale Street Could Talk. She has been the favorite to win the category across the board for her work in the film, but she didn’t even get a nomination here. That’s puzzling.
Now for the good! The SAG’s succeeded where the Golden Globe’s failed and nominated Emma Stone for Maniac! That’s not enough for you? Well, when they saw the travesty of Sam Elliot’s Golden Globes snub, they MADE SURE he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in A Star is Born. There will be NO Sam Elliot disrespect in the Screen Actor’s Guild!

The SAG Awards air on TBS and TNT January 27, 2019.

Golden Globes: Nominees, Surprises, and Snubs

Get your ballots ready and start making your picks because the Golden Globe nominees have just been announced by the Hollywood Foreign Press! Who are the big nominees? Who are the surprises? Who got snubbed? Let’s find out!

Best Picture- Drama
Black Panther
BlackKklansman
Bohemian Rhapsody
If Beale Street Could Talk
A Star is Born

Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga in A Star is Born

My Thoughts: I’m a little shocked to see Bohemian Rhapsody make its way on this list! While I really enjoyed the film, it seems many critics didn’t. It’s nice to see it get some attention.
Snubs: First Man! Damien Chazelle’s Neil Armstrong biopic is phenomenal filmmaking that deserves a spot here.

Best Picture- Comedy or Musical
Crazy Rich Asians
Green Book
Mary Poppins Returns
The Favourite
Vice

Michelle Yeoh, Henry Golding, and Constance Wu in Crazy Rich Asians

My Thoughts: I love the completely random nature of this list. To go from Mary Poppins to The Favourite to Vice really sums up the true chaos of this category. It’s also a bit odd to me that A Star is Born and Bohemian Rhapsody, two films with major musical elements, aren’t included here. That being said, CRAZY RICH ASIANS GOT NOMINATED! I wasn’t expecting it to happen and I’m so happy!
Snubs: Eighth Grade. The coming-of-age film is awkward, poignant, and hilarious. To leave it out of this category is just a shame.

Best Actor-Drama
Bradley Cooper, A Star is Born
Willem Dafoe, At Eternity’s Gate
Lucas Hedges, Boy Erased
Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody
John David Washington, BlackKklansman

Rami Malek in Bohemian Rhapsody

My Thoughts: A lot of big contenders here. I’m happy to see Bradley Cooper, Rami Malek, and John David Washington get nominated for their impressive work.
Snubs: Ryan Gosling in First Man and Steve Carrell in Beautiful Boy. When will they get the respect they deserve?

Best Actress-Drama
Glenn Close, The Wife
Lady Gaga, A Star is Born
Nicole Kidman, Destroyer
Melissa McCarthy, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Rosamund Pike, A Private War

Lady Gaga in A Star is Born

My Thoughts: In the words of Lady Gaga, “There can be 100 people in a room and 99 don’t believe in you, but all it takes is one who believes in you.” Bradley Cooper believed in Lady Gaga and now she could win Best Actress at the Golden Globes.
Snubs: Carey Mulligan in Wildlife. She turns in great performance after great performance and nothing!

Best Actor-Comedy/Musical
Christian Bale, Vice
Lin Manuel Miranda, Mary Poppins Returns
Viggo Mortenson, Green Book
Robert Redford, The Old Man and the Gun
John C. Reilly, Stan and Ollie

Christian Bale in Vice

Best Actress-Comedy/Musical
Emily Blunt, Mary Poppins Returns
Olivia Coleman, The Favourite
Elsie Fisher, Eighth Grade
Charlize Theron, Tully
Constance Wu, Crazy Rich Asians

Charlize Theron in Tully

My Thoughts: Charlize Theron is getting the recognition she deserves for Tully! I wouldn’t classify that movie as a comedy at all, but I’m still happy she’s nominated!

Best Supporting Actor
Mahershala Ali, Green Book
Timothée Chalamet, Beautiful Boy
Adam Driver, BlackKklansman
Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Sam Rockwell, Vice

Mahershala Ali in Green Book

​Snubs: Sam Elliot in A Star is Born. I know he wasn’t in too much of the movie, but that driving scene! Fans of the movie know what I’m talking about. That is what we call quality acting DESERVING of a Golden Globe nomination. He’s been unfairly snubbed.

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, Vice
Claire Foy, First Man
Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk
Emma Stone, The Favourite
Rachel Weisz, The Favourite

Claire Foy in First Man

My Thoughts: Well, look at that! The Golden Globes finally decided to acknowledge the existence of First Man with Claire Foy’s nomination!

Best Director
Bradley Cooper, A Star is Born
Alfonso Cuarón, Roma
Peter Farrelly, Green Book
Spike Lee, BlackKklansman
Adam McKay, Vice

My Thoughts: I’m a little surprised that Yorgos Lanthimos isn’t nominated here for The Favourite considering the film is showing up so strongly in every other category. That being said, I’d like to thank the HFPA for nominating Bradley Cooper. As a huge supporter of A Star is Born, I feel like the nomination is a victory, but it would be great if he could win.
Snubs: Damien Chazelle for First Man.

Best Picture- Animated
Incredibles 2
Isle of Dogs
Mirai
Ralph Breaks the Internet
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Isle of Dogs

Best Picture: Foreign Language
Capernaum
Girl
Never Look Away
Roma
Shoplifters

Alfonso Cuaron directing a scene in Roma

Best Screenplay  
Alfonso Cuaron, Roma 
Deborah Davis and Tony McNarma, The Favorite  
Barry Jenkins, If Beale Street Could Talk
Adam McKay, Vice
Peter Farrelly, Nick Vallelonga, Brian Curie, Green Book

Best Original Song
All the Stars, Black Panther
Girls in the Movies, Dumplin’ 
Requiem for a Private War, A Private War 
Revelation, Boy Erased 
Shallow, A Star is Born 

Best Original Score 
Marco Beltrami- A Quiet Place 
Alexander Desplat- Isle of Dogs 
Ludwig Goransson, Black Panther 
Justin Hurowitz, First Man  
Marc Shaiman, Mary Poppins Returns  

Best Limited Series or TV Movie
The Alienist
The Assassination of Gianni Versace
Escape at Dannemora
Sharp Objects
A Very English Scandal

Sharp Objects

My Thoughts: Sharp Objects was one of my favorite shows of 2018, but I’m a little shaken up over this category because I don’t see Maniac. Where is it?! It was the most creative and thought-provoking show of the year! WHERE IS THE NOMINATION? Wow. Wrong decision.

Lead Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie
Antonio Banderas, Genius: Picasso
Daniel Brühl, The Alienist
Darren Criss, The Assassination of Gianni Versace
Benedict Cumberbatch, Patrick Melrose
Hugh Grant, A Very English Scandal

Darren Criss in The Assassination of Gianni Versace

Lead Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie
Amy Adams, Sharp Objects
Patricia Arquette, Escape at Dannemora
Connie Britton, Dirty John
Laura Dern, The Tale
Regina King, Seven Seconds

Amy Adams in Sharp Objects

My Thoughts: If anyone watched Sharp Objects over the summer, you know this is one of Amy Adams’ strongest performances.
Snubs: Miss Emily Jean Stone did not play 5 different characters in Maniac only for her name to be ABSENT from this list! What’s going on HFPA? Did you not see Maniac?

To see all of the TV nominations click here.

Overall, Vice leads this year’s Golden Globes with 6 nominations total. It’s a bit surprising considering the film is a late season release and many people haven’t even had access to see it yet. A Star is Born, Green Book, and The Favourite follow closely behind with 5 nominations each. What do you think of the nominees? Did any of your favorite movies or shows get nominated? Are there any categories that surprised you?
The Golden Globes will air on NBC January 6th, 2019!

American Film Institute Announces 2018 Honorees

The American Film Institute has named their honorees for the best of films of 2018. Who did they pick? Read on to find out!

AFI Movies of the Year
Black Panther
BlackKklansman
Eighth Grade
If Beale Street Could Talk
The Favourite
First Reformed
Green Book
Mary Poppins Returns
A Quiet Place
A Star is Born

Special Award
Roma

The major takeaway from this list is how strikingly similar it is to The National Board of Review’s Top Films list released just last week. I’m genuinely surprised A Quiet Place and Black Panther find themselves in awards contention. They’re decent films, but I can think of several others that deserve their slots. (Mission: Impossible- Fallout, Tully, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, First Man) Oh well, it’s not my list. It’s the AFI Honorees’ world and we’re just living in it.

National Board of Review 2018 Winners

Awards Season continues today as the National Board of Review picks their winners for the best of 2018! The group has a track record for picking films that go on to be major Oscar contenders. ln past years, they have picked Slumdog Millionaire, The Social Network, Zero Dark Thirty, Mad Max: Fury Road, and Manchester By The Sea as Best Film (all of these films have been in the Best Picture race and Slumdog Millionaire went on to win the top honor.) Time will tell if these winners predict this year’s Oscar race!
Let’s look at the 2018 picks:

Best Film: Green Book
Best Actor: Viggo Mortenson, Green Book
Best Actress: Lady Gaga, A Star Is Born
Best Supporting Actor: Sam Elliot, A Star is Born
Best Supporting Actress, Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk
Best Director: Bradley Cooper, A Star is Born
Best Directorial Debut: Bo Burnham, Eighth Grade
Best Original Screenplay: Paul Schrader, First Reformed
Best Adapted Screenplay: Bary Jenkins, If Beale Street Could Talk
Best Animated Feature: The Incredibles 2
Best Foreign Language Film: Cold War
Best Documentary: RBG
Breakthrough Performance: Thomasin McKenzie, Leave No Trace
Best Ensemble: Crazy Rich Asians
William K. Everson Film History Award: The Other Side of The Wind, They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: 22 July, On Her Shoulders

Top Films
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Black Panther
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Eighth Grade
First Reformed
If Beale Street Could Talk
Mary Poppins Returns
A Quiet Place
Roma
A Star is Born

Top 10 Independent Films
The Death of Stalin
Lean on Pete
Leave No Trace
Mid 90s
The Old Man and the Gun
The Rider
Searching
Sorry to Bother You
We the Animals
You Were Never Really Here

Top 5 Foreign Language Films
Burning
Custody
The Guilty
Happy as Lazzaro
Shoplifters

Top 5 Documentaries
Crime + Punishment
Free Solo
Minding the Gap
Three Identical Strangers
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

Green Book takes home the top honor this year winning Best Film. A Star is Born wins the most awards with Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actor. If Beale Street Could Talk follows closely behind with 2 wins in Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress. I’m not sold on the Top Films list, but I’m happy to see A Star is Born, Green Book, and Eighth Grade getting attention! I’ve yet to see Roma and If Beale Street Could Talk, but I’m hearing great things! What do you think of the winners? Did your favorite films get nominated?

Independent Spirit Award Nominees

We’re still a long way from the Oscars in February, but that doesn’t mean awards season isn’t heating up! Just this past week, the Independent Spirit Awards announced their nominees for the best of 2018! If you’re not familiar with this particular awards show, it aims to award the best in indie cinema of the year. In order to get nominated, the film must have a budget under $20 million. Who got nominated? Did any of your faves make the cut? Read on to see the nominees!

Best Feature:
Eighth Grade
First Reformed
If Beale Street Could Talk
Leave No Trace
You Were Never Really Here

Best First Feauture
Hereditary
Sorry to Bother You
The Tale
We the Animals
Wildlife

Best Female Lead
Glenn Close: The Wife
Toni Colette: Hereditary
Elsie Fisher: Eighth Grade
Regina Hall: Support the Girls
Helena Howard: Madeline’s Madeline
Carey Mulligan: Wildlife

Best Male Lead
John Cho: Searching
Daveed Diggs: Blindspotting
Ethan Hawke: First Reformed
Christian Malheiros: Socrates
Joaquin Phoenix: You Were Never Really Here

Best Director:
Debra Granik: Leave No Trace
Barry Jenkins: If Beale Street Could Talk
Tamra Jenkins: Private Life
Lynne Ramsay: You Were Never Really Here
Paul Schrader: First Reformed

Best Documentary
Hale County This Morning, This Evening
Minding the Gap
Of Fathers and Sons
On Her Shoulders
Shirkers
Won’t You Be My Neighbor

Best International Film
Burning
The Favourite
Happy as Lazarro
Roma
Shoplifters

Best Supporting Male
Raul Castillo: We the Animals
Adam Driver: BlacKkKlansman
Richard E. Grant: Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Josh Hamilton: Eighth Grade
John David Washington: Monsters and Men

Best Supporting Female
Kayli Carter: Private Life
Tyne Daly: A Bread Factory
Regina King: Support the Girls
Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie: Leave No Trace
J. Smith-Cameron: Nancy

Best Screenplay
Richard Glatzer, Rebecca Lenkiewicz and Wash Westmoreland: Colette
Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty: Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Tamara Jenkins: Private Life
Boots Riley: Sorry to Bother You
Paul Schrader: First Reformed

Best First Screenplay
Bo Burnham: Eighth Grade
Christina Choe: Nancy
Cory Finley: Thoroughbreds
Jennifer Fox: The Tale
Quinn Shephard and Laurie Shephard: Blame

Best Cinematography
Ashley Connor: Madeline’s Madeline
Diego Garcia: Wildlife
Benjamin Loeb: Mandy
Sayombhu Mukdeeprom: Suspiria
Zak Mulligan: We the Animals

Best Editing
Joe Bini, You Were Never Really Here
Keiko Deguchi, Brian A. Kates and Jeremiah Zagar: We the Animals
Luke Dunkley, Nick Fenton, Chris Gill and Julian Hart: American Animals
Anne Fabini, Alex Hall and Gary Levy: The Tale
Nick Houy: Mid 90s

Bonnie Award
Debra Granik
Tamara Jenkins
Karyn Kusama

John Cassavetes Award
A Bread Factory
En el Septimo Dia
Never Goin’ Back
Socrates
Thunder Road

Someone to Watch Award
Alex Moratto: Socrates
Iona Uricaru: Lemonade
Jeremiah Zagar: We the Animals

Truer than Fiction Award
Alexandria Bombach: On Her Shoulders
Bing Liu: Minding the Gap
Ramell Ross: Hale County This Morning, This Evening

That does it for this group of nominees! It looks like We The Animals leads with 5 nominations. Following closely behind are Eighth Grade, First Reformed, and You Were Never Really Here with 4 nominations each. Want to check out some of the nominated films before the show? I recommend seeing Eighth Grade, Won’t You Be My Neighbor, and Wildlife. The Spirit Awards don’t take place until February 23rd, the night before the Oscars. That means you’ve got plenty of time to brush up on your indie spirit!