Hi, everyone! It’s Super Bowl Sunday and that means that, to the best of our ability, TSL will be posting all of the film and television teasers that are aired during the big game!
Fortunately, some of them have already been released on YouTube. Here’s the 31-second spot for Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves! Chris Pine certainly seems to be having fun.
It’s here!
Here’s the trailer for Wonder Woman 1984, which looks wonderful! I mean, seriously — Wonder Woman and the 80s!? How can’t you love that?
Other things I like about this trailer:
Now, just from looking online, I can see that some people are already trying to do the whole “here’s the political subtext of Wonder Woman 1984” thing but you know what? There will be time for that later. You’ve got a while to go before the movie comes out so, if you’re so obsessed with politics that you have to bring it into everything, you’ll have plenty of time to do that and bore everyone silly with your analysis. For now, let’s all just enjoy the damn trailer!
In a few hours, the 2019 Emmy nominations will be announced!
Since I love awards and I love making lists, it’s an annual tradition that I list who and what would be nominated if I had all the power. Keep in mind that what you’re seeing below are not necessarily my predictions of what or who will actually be nominated. Many of the shows listed below will probably be ignored tomorrow morning. Instead, this is a list of the nominees and winners if I was the one who was solely responsible for picking them.
Because I got off to a late start this year, I’m only listing the major categories below. I may go back and do a full, 100-category list sometime tomorrow. Who knows? I do love making lists.
Anyway, here’s what would be nominated and what would win if I had all the power! (Winners are listed in bold.)
(Want to see who and what was nominated for Emmy consideration this year? Click here!)
(Want to see my picks for last year? Click here!)
(Want to see my picks for 2012? I know, that’s kinda random. Anyway, click here!)
Programming
Outstanding Comedy Series
Barry
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
GLOW
It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
One Day At A Time
Veep
Vida
Outstanding Drama Series
Better Call Saul
Dynasty
Flack
Game of Thrones
The Magicians
My Brilliant Friend
Ozark
You
Outstanding Limited Series
Chernobyl
Fosse/Verdon
The Haunting of Hill House
I Am The Night
Maniac
Sharp Objects
True Detective
A Very English Scandal
Outstanding Television Movie
The Bad Seed
Bandersnatch (Black Mirror)
Brexit
Deadwood
King Lear
Native Son
No One Would Tell
O.G.
Performer
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Iain Armitage in Young Sheldon
Ted Danson in The Good Place
Bill Hader in Barry
Pete Holmes in Crashing
Glenn Howerton in A.P. Bio
Andy Samberg in Brooklyn Nine Nine
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Penn Badgley in You
Jason Bateman in Ozark
James Franco in The Deuce
John Krasinski in Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan
Bob Odenkirk in Better Call Saul
Dominic West in The Affair
Outstanding Lead Actor In a Limited Series
Hugh Grant in A Very English Scandal
Jared Harris in Chernobyl
Jonah Hill in Maniac
Chris Pine in I Am The Night
Sam Rockwell in Fosse/Verdon
Henry Thomas in The Haunting of Hill House
Outstanding Lead Actor In An Original Movie
Benedict Cumberbatch in Brexit
Anthony Hopkins in King Lear
Rob Lowe in The Bad Seed
Ian McShane in Deadwood
Timothy Olyphant in Deadwood
Jeffrey Wright in O.G.
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series
Melissa Barrera in Vida
Kristen Bell in The Good Place
Alison Brie in GLOW
Rachel Brosnahan in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Julia Louis-Dreyfus in Veep
Zoe Perry in Young Sheldon
Outstanding Lead Actress in A Drama Series
Emilia Clarke in Game of Thrones
Gaia Girace in My Brilliant Friend
Maggie Gyllenhaal in The Deuce
Laura Linney in Ozark
Margherita Mazzucco in My Brilliant Friend
Anna Paquin in Flack
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series
Amy Adams in Sharp Objects
India Eisley in I Am The Night
Carla Gugino in The Haunting of Hill House
Charlotte Hope in The Spanish Princess
Emma Stone in Maniac
Michelle Williams in Fosse/Verdon
Outstanding Lead Actress in an Original Movie
Shannen Doherty in No One Would Tell
Chelsea Frei in Victoria Gotti: My Father’s Daughter
McKenna Grace in The Bad Seed
Paula Malcolmson in Deadwood
Molly Parker in Deadwood
Christina Ricci in Escaping The Madhouse: The Nellie Bly Story
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
Fred Armisen in Documentary Now!
Andre Braugher in Brooklyn Nine Nine
Anthony Carrigan in Barry
Tony Hale in Veep
Sam Richardson in Veep
Stephen Root in Barry
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
Jonathan Banks in Better Call Saul
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in Game of Thrones
Peter Dinklage in Game of Thrones
Giancarlo Esposito in Better Call Saul
Peter Mullan in Ozark
Luca Padovan in You
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Limited Series
Stephen Dorff in True Detective
Timothy Hutton in The Haunting of Hill House
Chris Messina in Sharp Objects
Stellan Skarsgard in Chernobyl
Justin Thereoux in Maniac
Ben Whishaw in A Very English Scandal
Outstanding Supporting Actor In An Original Movie
Jim Broadbent in King Lear
Bill Camp in Native Son
Theothus Carter in O.G.
Rory Kinnear in Brexit
Gerald McRaney in Deadwood
Will Poulter in Bandersnatch (Black Mirror)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in A Comedy Series
Caroline Aaron in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Alex Borstein in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Anna Chlumsky in Veep
Sarah Goldberg in Barry
Rita Moreno in One Day At A Time
Sarah Sutherland in Veep
Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
Summer Bishil in The Magicians
Elisa Del Genio in My Brilliant Friend
Julia Garner in Ozark
Lena Headey in Game of Thrones
Elizabeth Lail in You
Shay Mitchell in You
Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Limited Series
Jessie Buckley in Chernobyl
Patricia Clarkson in Sharp Objects
Sally Field in Maniac
Patricia Hodge in A Very English Scandal
Connie Nielsen in I Am The Night
Emily Watson in Chernobyl
Outstanding Supporting Actress In An Original Movie
Kim Dickens in Deadwood
Florence Pugh in King Lear
Margaret Qualley in Favorite Son
Emma Thompson in King Lear
Emily Watson in King Lear
Robin Weigert in Deadwood
Who here has seen Braveheart?
I’m quite sure that a huge number of people have seen Mel Gibson’s second film as director which won him two Oscars: for Best Director and Best Film. While his career has seen it’s major up’s and down’s, he still has done some great work behind the camera as a director.
Now, what does this all mean to this new Netflix Original film coming out this year called Outlaw King? The answer is not much other than both film share a particular historical character in the Scottish king Robert the Bruce. In Gibson’s film he’s a supporting character whose motivations could be seen as very pragmatic and bordering on the villainous.
Outlaw King, by Scottish director David MacKenzie (who directed the great Hell or High Water), will tell the story of the legendary Scottish king Robert the Bruce who won Scotland’s independence from England where William Wallace ultimately failed to do.
I am going on a hunch that Outlaw King will treat Robert the Bruce in a more sympathetic light than how Gibson’s film portrayed him. This time around we have Chris Pine in the role of Robert the Bruce.
As seen in the trailer, it looks like Netflix’s several billion dollar spending spree has come not just luring prominent filmmakers and producers to the streaming site but also allow them the resources to make a film as lush and beautiful as any made under the remaining big studios.
Let’s hope Outlaw King is more on the level of Mudbound and less like Bright.
Wonder Woman is awesome!
I spent a while trying to think of the best way to begin this review. There’s a lot to be said about Wonder Woman, as both a film and as a character. Over the next few weeks, we’re going to be flooded with think pieces. Is Wonder Woman too feminist or not feminist enough? Does Wonder Woman herald a new direction for the DC Expanded Universe or is it destined to just be an anomaly among the ruins of crap like Man of Steel and Suicide Squad? Does it announce the arrival of new star? Is Wonder Woman pro-war or a plea for peace? Does Wonder Woman live up to the rapturous early reviews or is it destined to suffer the same fate as the initially acclaimed, later-reviled Ghostbusters reboot?
Those are all legitimate questions. They’re all worthy of debate and discussion. And I look forward to reading everyone’s thoughts on blah blah blah blah….
Yes, Wonder Woman is empowering, both as a film and as a character. It’s amazing to think that, with all the super hero adaptations that have come out over the past ten years, Wonder Woman is the first one to center around a female super hero.
Yes, Wonder Woman does finally prove that DC Expanded Universe can produce a good film, though I do have to say that two of the best things about Wonder Woman is that it had very little to do with any of the other DCEU films and it felt more like an MCU film. With the period setting (the film takes place during World War I) and it’s weary view of the wars that men fight, Wonder Woman has far more in common with the first Captain America film than it does with Man of Steel.
Yes, Gal Gadot is going to be a huge star and her performance here suggests that she has range beyond action films and comic book melodramas.
Yes, Wonder Woman is a plea for peace but it’s a sincere and honest plea and one that does not ignore the realities of human nature.
And, finally, yes, Wonder Woman deserves those good reviews and I believe it will stand the test of time.
When all is said and done, what really matters is that Wonder Woman is freaking awesome! The teaming of director Patty Jenkins and star Gal Gadot has resulted in one of the most entertaining and exciting comic book movies of recent times. Usually, I resent it when an audience breaks into applause at the end of a movie, largely because it makes me feel as if I’m being pressured to make a snap judgment about a movie’s worth before I’ve had time to give it proper thought. However, this time, when the applause broke out at the Alamo Drafthouse, I happily joined in.
I could be wrong about this but I don’t think Wonder Woman is ever actually called “Wonder Woman” at any point during the film. If she was, I missed it and I’m sure someone will correct me in the comments. Instead, she is referred to by her proper name, Diana. When the film opens (after the obligatory modern-day prologue), Diana is a child living on the island of Themyscira, the home of the legendary Amazons. Diana is the only child among the Amazons. The daughter of Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen), Diana dreams of becoming a warrior but her mother refuses to allow it. When Diana is trained, it’s in secret by her aunt, General Antiope (Robin Wright). At one point, Antiope tells Diana that if she’s going to be warrior, she’s going to have to be prepared to fight for everything. No victory, Antiope tells her, will ever come easily. I nodded at that line and I’m sure every other woman in the audience did so as well. We understood what Antiope was saying.
In 1918, for the first time in centuries, a man reaches the island. His name is Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) and he’s an American spy. No sooner does Steve’s plane crash on the beach then a boat full of Germans arrive. After a genuinely exciting battle (perhaps the first exciting action scene to appear in any of the DCEU films), Steve reveals that the world is at war. Suspecting that it is the influence of Ares, the god of war, that is causing people to kill one another, Diana defies her mother’s orders and leaves the island with Steve. Steve’s goal is to keep the Germans from developing and deploying a lethal gas. Diana, meanwhile, plans to track down and kill Ares.
While Steve is convinced that, as a result of human nature, wars are inevitable, Diana is resolute in her belief that all the evil in the world can be linked to Ares. Their conflicting world views give Wonder Woman far more emotional depth and intellectual resonance than any of the other films that have, so far, been a part of the DC Expanded Universe. By refusing to indulge in portentous hypermasculinity, it avoids becoming a pretentious slog like Man of Steel or Batman v Superman. By refusing to treat war, death, and violence as a joke, it avoids falling into the soulless trap that imprisoned Suicide Squad. When Diana runs and leaps into battle, she’s not just fighting for good against evil. She’s fighting for the soul of humanity.
Some of the action scenes in Wonder Woman are nothing less than amazing. The scene where Diana crosses the aptly named “No-Man’s Land” is destined to be remembered as a classic moment in comic book cinema. I don’t want to spoil too much of the film but I will say that you’ll also never forget the way that Diana takes out a German sniper. It’s an amazing moment, one that is matched by the film’s final battle. Again, I don’t want to spoil anything so I’ll just say that the film’s finale brought tears to my eyes.
After providing Batman v Superman with its only good moments, Gal Gadot finally gets the film that she deserves and she gives an amazing performance. As played by Gadot, Diana is confident but never arrogant, occasionally naive but never foolish. She’s a fighter, one who refuses to surrender even when the rest of the world tells her to go home. (There’s a rather interesting throw-away line, in which Steven’s secretary says that she’s looking forward to getting to vote in her first election. Wonder Woman is saving a world that wouldn’t even allow her a voice in selecting the man who are constantly putting it in danger.) Gal Gadot gives a charismatic and star-making performance.
Also giving a good performance — perhaps a career best if you take Hell or High Water out of the equation — is Chris Pine. When Pine first appears, he seems to be doing a riff on his too-perfect Prince Charming performance in Into the Woods. But, as the film progresses, Pine brings unexpected depth to this role. Special mention should also be made of David Thewlis, who may not have a huge role but who makes the most of his limited screen time.
But, with all that in mind, the most important thing that I can tell you about Wonder Woman is that the film is an absolute blast, a fast-paced and exciting action film that is complimented by strong performances and an unexpectedly poignant subtext.
It’s empowering.
It’s entertaining.
It’s worthy of the applause that filled the Alamo Drafthouse.
In short, it’s absolutely awesome.
See it this weekend.
(Now, Marvel, where’s that Black Widow movie that y’all better be developing?)
(If you’re looking for the usual music video of the day, fear not! Val is currently having some internet issues but, as soon as their resolved, both she and the music videos should be back! Until then, I’m filling with some of my favorite cinematic musical sequences!)
For today’s musical sequence of the day, we have “Agony” from the 2014 film, Into The Woods.
Into the Woods got some notably mixed reviews when it was first released. At the time it was released, I wrote that, while I liked it “I never loved Into the Woods like I thought I would.” In retrospect, I think the film may have been the victim of a combination of my own high expectations and my tendency to be a snob when it comes to cinematic adaptations of Broadway musicals. I recently rewatched Into The Woods and it actually holds up remarkably well.
Definitely one of the highlights of the film was Chris Pine and Billy Magnussen’s duet on “Agony.” Both Pine and Magnussen were perfectly cast as fairy tale princes and “Agony” is a beautiful satire of melodramatic excess. When I first saw the film at the Alamo Drafthouse, “Agony” was the one number that inspired people in the audience to applaud.
For your pleasure, here is “Agony!”
Enjoy!
Okay, I’ve had plenty of time to think about today’s Oscar nominations and now I’m ready to share my thoughts. Obviously, my picks were a lot different from what the Academy selected. That’s okay. That’s the way it goes every year. I don’t mind being a contrarian.
So, let’s take a look at what was nominated, category-by-category.
(If you need a refresher as to what was nominated, here’s a complete list of nominees!)
Best Live Action Short, Best Animated Short, Best Documentary Short: I’m sure that these three categories are full of wonderful nominees that were created by wonderful people but I don’t believe that I’ve seen a single one of them. So, with that in mind, I can only imagine that the Academy did a perfect job selecting all 15 of these nominees! Good work, Academy!
Best Foreign Language Film: Again, I have seen none of the nominees so I really can’t comment one way or another. Normally, this would make me feel like a failure but I imagine that 90% of the people reading this post are in the same boat. I imagine Toni Erdmann will win, just because of all the good things I’ve read about it. But, since I haven’t actually seen any of the nominees, I will refrain from making any sort of prediction.
Best Documentary Feature: I’m disappointed that my favorite documentary, The Witness, was not nominated. And, quite frankly, I’m shocked that Weiner was not nominated. That said, I can’t complain about any of the documentaries that actually were nominated. It was a good year for documentaries. In fact, it could be argued that it was a better year for documentaries than for features.
Should Win: O.J.: Made in America
Will Win: 13th
Best Original Song: Not a single song from Sing Street was nominated and that is amazingly disappointing. Original song can be surprising. Remember last year when that terrible song from SPECTRE somehow won? That said, I’m expecting that this year will see a huge sweep by La La Land and one of its nominated songs will probably win.
Should Win: Audition (The Fools Who Can Dream) from La La Land
Will Win: City of Stars from La La Land
Best Original Score: The Neon Demon deserved a nomination but I’m not surprised it was snubbed. There’s no way the Academy was going to honor Nicholas Winding Refn’s subversive masterpiece. La La Land is going to win this one easily.
Should Win: La La Land
Will Win: La La Land
Best Visual Effects: I was glad to see that Kubo and the Two Strings was nominated and I wish that Arrival had been nominated as well. I’m going to go ahead and predict that Doctor Strange will be the first MCU film to win an Oscar.
Should Win: Doctor Strange
Will Win: Doctor Strange
Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing: Let’s be honest. I couldn’t explain the difference between sound editing and sound mixing and, unless you specifically work in the sound department, neither could you. As a result, these categories are always difficult to predict. But Hacksaw Ridge has to get some love somewhere and I bet it would happen here if not for La La Land.
Should Win (Both): Hacksaw Ridge
Will Win (Both): La La Land
Best Makeup and Hairstyling: As soon as I saw that Deadpool wasn’t nominated here, I knew it wouldn’t be nominated anywhere. Can you believe that fucking Suicide Squad is now an Oscar nominee? I haven’t seen A Man Called Ove but I’m going to predict its victory because I just can’t imagine the Academy honoring either Star Trek Beyond or Suicide Squad.
Should Win: Star Trek Beyond (that had good makeup in it, right?)
Will Win: A Man Called Ove
Best Film Editing: I can’t complain about any of the films nominated here. La La Land is pretty much a guaranteed winner here.
Should Win: La La Land
Will Win: La La Land
Best Costume Design: I was shocked that Love & Friendship was not nominated. If La La Land sweeps, it’ll win here. When I made out my list of my personal picks for the Oscars, I gave the costuming Oscar to La La Land but now that I’m looking at the actual nominees, I’m remembering just how good everyone looked in Allied.
Should Win: Allied
Will Win: La La Land
Best Cinematography: My personal pick for this award was The Neon Demon but it wasn’t nominated. Out of the nominated films, I would go with Moonlight but I think La La Land is going to sweep.
Should Win: Moonlight
Will Win: La La Land
Best Production Design: Well, it won’t be Passengers! How the Hell did that get nominated for anything? I think, of the nominees, Arrival deserves the award for making science fiction feel and look like science fact. But, again, I think La La Land is going to win here. (Are you sensing a theme in my predictions?)
Should Win: Arrival
Will Win: La La Land
Best Animated Feature: I was happy that Kubo and the Two Strings, Zootopia, and Moana were all nominated. I haven’t seen The Red Turtle or My Life as a Zucchini but, on the whole, the Academy has a record of nominating the right films for this award. I loved Kubo and I think it might win, just because it picked up that Visual Effects nomination as well. Zootopia, however, would allow the Academy to make a political point and Moana has Lin-Manuel Miranda. I’m going to go out on a limb and predict a Kubo victory but I wouldn’t be surprised if any of these five nominees won.
Should Win: Kubo and the Two Strings
Will Win: Zootopia Kubo and the Two Strings Moana Zootopia Kubo and the Two Strings
Best Adapted Screenplay: With La La Land likely to sweep the technical awards and Manchester By The Sea and Moonlight set to pick up some acting awards, this category will give the Academy a chance to acknowledge Arrival.
Should Win: Arrival
Will Win: Arrival
Best Original Screenplay: I think this is one of the few awards that La La Land will not win. This category gives the Academy a chance to honor Hell or High Water.
Should Win: Hell or High Water
Will Win: Hell or High Water
Best Supporting Actress: Viola Davis is a guaranteed winner, even though her performance was a lead role.
Should Win: Naomie Harris, Moonlight
Will Win: Viola Davis, Fences
Best Supporting Actor: I was really happy to see that Michael Shannon got a nomination because Shannon is a great actor who always seems to be taken for granted. That said, Mahershala Ali is almost as much of a lock as Viola Davis.
Should Win: Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
Will Win: Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
Best Actress: Let’s just get this out of the way. Amy Adams not only deserved a nomination, she also deserved the Oscar. Arrival works because of a twist that occurs halfway through the film. The twist works because of Amy Adams’s performance. If not for Amy Adams, Arrival would never have been nominated for best picture. The fact that she was not nominated will be remembered as one of the biggest mistakes in Academy history.
This morning, I was happy to see that a lot of people on twitter agreed with me about the Amy Adams snub. What took me by surprise was how many people also agreed with me that Meryl Streep essentially took a spot that should have been given to Amy Adams. This morning, among other things, I discovered that there’s actually a growing backlash against the annual tradition of automatically nominating Meryl Streep, regardless of whether the film was any good or not.
Could Meryl win yet again? It depends on whether or not the Academy wants to hear another Meryl Streep speech. Given the political climate, I wouldn’t discount that as a possibility. Since I’m on the subject and it’s possible that everyone stopped reading a few categories ago, I’m going to go ahead and admit my unpopular opinion. While I’m definitely not a fan of the new President, Meryl’s Golden Globe speech felt like almost a parody of upper class white liberalism. Listening to her, it was easy to imagine Meryl at a cocktail party, bragging about how she’s on a first name basis with her maid.
But, I’m in the minority as far as that opinion is concerned. The Industry loved Meryl’s speech and, after Donald Trump’s overreaction to it, giving an Oscar to Meryl and giving her a chance to repeat the speech on a much bigger stage would be the perfect way to give the finger to the current administration.
That said, I think Emma Stone will be carried along in the La La Land sweep. Whether justified or not, many members of the Academy will look at her character and see themselves.
Should Win: Amy Adams in Arrival (Yes, she wasn’t nominated but she should still win, goddammit.)
Will Win: Emma Stone in La La Land
Best Actor: Could anyone other than Casey Affleck win this one? Denzel Washington is popular and giving him an Oscar for Fences would be a nice to way to reward all of the effort that he put into bringing this acclaimed play to the screen. Affleck was sued for sexual harassment by a producer and a cinematogrpaher and ended up settling with both of them. However, I doubt if it will stop him from winning the Oscar. If the allegations were going to hurt Affleck’s chances, it would have happened long before now.
As for the nominees — well, I have no complaints. While I wasn’t as impressed with Affleck’s performance as some, I think he did well enough. I would have liked to have seen either Sully‘s Tom Hanks or Hell or High Water‘s Chris Pine nominated. I’m glad that Andrew Garfield picked up his first nomination.
Should Win: Denzel Washington, Fences
Will Win: Casey Affleck, Manchester By The Sea
Best Director: I’m going to go out on a limb and predict a minor upset. I think La La Land is going to win in a lot of categories but I think that Moonlight‘s Barry Jenkins will win this Oscar. Best Picture and Director have been split fairly regularly over the past few years and, after both the #OscarsSoWhite controversy and the 2016 presidential election, it may be felt that it’s time for a black director to finally win the Oscar. Based on the skill shown in Whiplash and La La Land, Damien Chazelle will have other opportunities.
Should Win: Denis Villeneuve, Arrival
Will Win: Barry Jenkins, Moonlight
Best Picture: Though I don’t necessarily think it was one of the best films of the year, I would have loved it if Deadpool had actually scored a nomination. It would have been an unexpected surprise and it would have shaken up a race that’s gotten rather predictable.
But no. Deadpool received no nominations and the expected films were nominated. Perhaps the only thing that could be considered surprising (though not that surprising) was that Martin Scorsese’s passion project, Silence, was not only snubbed for best picture but also only picked up one nomination. Passengers picked up more nominations that Martin Scorsese’s latest film. When it comes to total number of nominations, Silence is tired with Suicide Squad.
La La Land is going to win. It’s probably going to win nearly all 14 of the Oscars it has been nominated for. My pick for the best film of 2016 was American Honey. Of the nominees, I think Arrival is the one that deserves to win. But La La Land is an exuberant valentine to both the Academy and the industry.
La La Land‘s going to win.
Should Win: Arrival
Will Win: La La Land
With the Oscar nominations due to be announced tomorrow, now is the time that the Shattered Lens indulges in a little something called, “What if Lisa had all the power.” Listed below are my personal Oscar nominations. Please note that these are not the films that I necessarily think will be nominated. The fact of the matter is that the many of them will not. Instead, these are the films that would be nominated if I was solely responsible for deciding the nominees this year. Winners are starred and listed in bold.
(You’ll also note that I’ve added four categories, all of which I believe the Academy should adopt — Best Voice-Over Performance, Best Casting, Best Stunt Work, and Best Overall Use Of Music In A Film.)
(Click on the links to see my nominations for 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, and 2010!)
Best Picture
Best Director
*Andrea Arnold for American Honey
Shane Black for The Nice Guys
Barry Jenkins for Moonlight
David MacKenzie for Hell or High Water
Nicholas Winding Refn for The Neon Demon
Denis Villeneuve for Arrival
Best Actor
Andrew Garfield in Hacksaw Ridge
Ryan Gosling in The Nice Guys
Tom Hanks in Sully
Chris Pine in Hell or High Water
Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool
*Denzel Washington in Fences
Best Actress
*Amy Adams in Arrival
Kate Beckinsale in Love & Friendship
Viola Davis in Fences
Sasha Lane in American Honey
Emma Stone in La La Land
Anya Taylor-Joy in The Witch
Best Supporting Actor
*Mahershala Ali in Moonlight
Tom Bennett in Love & Friendship
Jeff Bridges in Hell or High Water
Alden Ehrenreich in Hail Caesar!
John Goodman in 10 Cloverfield Lane
Patrick Stewart in Green Room
Best Supporting Actress
*Naomie Harris in Moonlight
Felicity Jones in A Monster Calls
Riley Keough in American Honey
Jena Malone in The Neon Demon
Helen Mirren in Eye in the Sky
Angourie Rice in The Nice Guys
Best Voice Over and/or Stop Motion Performance
Auli’i Cravalho in Moana
Ellen DeGeneres in Finding Dory
Ginnifer Goodwin in Zootopia
*Liam Neeson in A Monster Calls
Art Parkinson in Kubo and the Two Strings
Charlize Theron in Kubo and the Two Strings
Best Original Screenplay
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Animated Film
Best Documentary Feature
The Confessions of Thomas Quick
Best Casting
Best Cinematography
Best Costume Design
Best Editing
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Best Original Score
Best Original Song
*”Audition (The Fool Who Dreams)” from La La Land
“How Far I’ll Go” from Moana
“Waving Goodbye” from The Neon Demon
“I’m so Humble” from Pop Star: Never Stop Never Stopping
“Drive It Like You Stole It” from Sing Street
“Go Now” from Sing Street
Best Overall Use Of Music
Best Production Design
Best Sound Editing
Best Sound Mixing
Best Stunt Work
Best Visual Effects
Films Listed By Number of Nominations:
13 Nominations — La La Land
1o Nominations — Hell or High Water
9 Nominations — Moonlight, The Neon Demon
8 Nominations — American Honey, Arrival, Kubo and the Two Strings, A Monster Calls
6 Nominations — The Nice Guys
5 Nominations — Deadpool, Love & Friendship
4 Nominations — Captain America: Civil War, Hacksaw Ridge, Hail Caesar!, Moana, Sully
3 Nominations — Doctor Strange, Green Room, Sing Street
2 Nominations — The Conjuring 2, Everybody Wants Some!!, Fences, Finding Dory, The Jungle Book, 10 Cloverfield Lane, The Witch, Zootopia
1 Nomination — The Confessions of Thomas Quick, Don’t Breathe, Eye in the Sky, Holy Hell, Jason Bourne, The Legend of Tarzan, O.J.: Made in America, Pop Star: Never Stop Never Stopping, Rigged 2016, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Sausage Party, The Secret Life of Pets, Weiner, The Witness
Films Listed By Number of Oscars Won:
4 Oscars — American Honey
3 Oscars — La La Land
2 Oscars — Arrival, Moonlight, The Neon Demon
1 Oscar — Deadpool, Doctor Strange, Fences, Hacksaw Ridge, Hell or High Water, Kubo and the Two Strings, Love & Friendship, A Monster Calls, Sully, 10 Cloverfield Lane, The Witness
Will the Academy agree with my predictions? Probably not but we’ll find out on Tuesday!
The Texas-set film Hell or High Water features four excellent lead performances. There’s Chris Pine and Ben Foster, playing brothers and robbing banks. And then there’s Jeff Bridges and Gil Birmingham, as the two Texas Rangers who are attempting to hunt the brothers down.
But for me, my favorite character was the waitress who, during the latter half of the film, serves lunch to the two Texas Rangers. When Bridges asks her how she’s doing, she replies, “Hot and not in the good way.” When the two Rangers start to order their food, she stops them and tells them that everyone who comes in the diner orders the same thing except for one “asshole from New York” who tried to order a trout. “We ain’t got no goddamn trout!” It’s a short scene but it’s one of my favorites because, if you’ve ever spent any time in West Texas, you know that this scene is probably the most realistic in the entire film.
My second favorite character was a banker teller played by the great Dale Dickey. When the Rangers ask her if the men who robbed her bank were black, she replies, “Their skin or their souls?” You just have to hear the way that she delivers it. In theory, that should be an awkward line but Dale Dickey makes it sound totally natural.
In fact, everything about Hell or High Water seems totally natural. For a film about bank robbers, it’s actually a deceptively low-key film, one that is as memorable for its quiet moments as its shoot outs. When the violence does come, it’s all the more jarring because the movie has spent so much time focusing on the tranquil stillness of the West Texas landscape.
(That said, I should point out that the film was actually shot in New Mexico. But, quite frankly, New Mexico is pretty much just West Texas with more Democrats.)
Hell or High Water is a film that’s all about the little details. The film opens with a bank robbery and, as the camera gracefully circles the bank, we catch a glimpse of graffiti announcing that the artist did 4 tours in Iraq and that “bailouts (are) for banks, not for me.” At its heart, Hell or High Water is about the many people who have been left out of this so-called “economic recovery,” in which we’re all supposed to have such faith despite having seen little evidence of its existence. While the rich get richer, the struggle of the people in Hell or High Water is ignored by everyone but them. And so, the people do what they can to survive. For some, that means robbing banks. For others — like a wonderfully snarky group of witnesses in a diner — that means refusing to admit that they saw anything happen. If you want to see a realistic portrait of economic uncertainty and populist revoltuon, don’t waste your time with the cutesy bullshit and bourgeois Marxism of The Big Short. Watch Hell or High Water.
Of course, not everyone is willing to turn a blind eye to the bank robbing brothers. Hell or High Water is not just about economic anxiety. It’s also about the unique struggle of being a bank robber in a part of the country where literally everyone has a gun. (During one robbery, Pine asks an old customer if he has a gun on him. “Damn right I got a gun on me!” the old man snaps back.) As opposed to so many other films, Hell or High Water gets West Texas right.
(It’s probably not a coincidence that we’re told the brothers robbed a bank in Archer City, the home of legendary Texas writer, Larry McMurtry.)
As for the film’s cast, Jeff Bridges and Ben Foster get the two “showiest” roles. Jeff Bridges plays a Texas Ranger who is only a few days away from retirement and who enjoys needling his partner. (One of the main delights of the film is the comedic interaction between Bridges and Gil Birmingham.) Ben Foster is the more reckless of the two brothers, an ex-con who declares that everyone is his enemy but, at the same time, shows himself to be willing to do anything to protect his brother. Both Bridges and Foster give excellent performances and Foster, in particular, reminds us that he’s one of the most exciting actors working today.
And yet, for me, the true anchor of the film is Chris Pine. Chris Pine, of course, is best known for starring in the last three Star Trek films. And while he was always an adequate lead in those films and he gave a wonderfully self-aware performance in Into The Woods, none of his past films prepared me for just how good a job he does in Hell or High Water. Pine gives a quiet and rather subtle performance and, when we first see him, we automatically assume that he’s been dragged into the criminal life by his more flamboyant brother. But as the film progresses, we start to realize that there’s more to both the character and to Chris Pine as an actor. By the end of the film, we’re forced to reconsider everything that we previously assumed about everyone.
Speaking of end of the film — let’s just say that Hell or High Water has one of the best final scenes of 2016. Like the film itself, it’s deceptively low-key but it leaves you reeling.
It took me a while to see Hell or High Water but I’m glad I did. Come Hell or high water, you should see it too.
Let’s take a gamble with the nominees of the Las Vegas Film Critics Society!
(Ha ha — I’m so cute.)
Anyway, the winners will be announced tomorrow!
Best Picture
Moonlight
La La Land
Manchester by the Sea
Nocturnal Animals
Hell or High Water
Best Actor
Chris Pine – Hell or High Water
Jake Gyllenhaal – Nocturnal Animals
Casey Affleck – Manchester by the Sea
Ryan Gosling – La La Land
Denzel Washington – Fences
Best Actress
Emma Stone – La La Land
Natalie Portman – Jackie
Taraji P. Henson – Hidden Figures
Amy Adams – Arrival
Annette Bening – 20th Century Women
Best Supporting Actor
Jeff Bridges – Hell or High Water
Mahershala Ali – Moonlight
Lucas Hedges – Manchester by the Sea
Michael Shannon – Nocturnal Animals
Ben Foster – Hell or High Water
Best Supporting Actress
Octavia Spencer – Hidden Figures
Naomie Harris – Moonlight
Viola Davis – Fences
Greta Gerwig – 20th Century Women
Michelle Williams – Manchester by the Sea
Best Director
Garth Davis – Lion
Theodore Melfi – Hidden Figures
Barry Jenkins – Moonlight
J.A. Bayona – A Monster Calls
Tom Ford – Nocturnal Animals
Best Original Screenplay
Manchester by the Sea
The Witch
Hell or High Water
Moonlight
La La Land
Best Adapted Screenplay
Hidden Figures
Lion
Nocturnal Animals
Arrival
A Monster Calls
Best Cinematography
Moonlight
Nocturnal Animals
Arrival
La La Land
Rogue One
Best Editing
La La Land
Moonlight
Nocturnal Animals
Arrival
Hacksaw Ridge
Best Score
Jackie
Nocturnal Animals
Arrival
Lion
La La Land
Best Song
“City of Stars” (La La Land)
“How Far Will I Go” (Moana)
“I See Victory” (Hidden Figures)
“The Great Beyond” (Sausage Party)
“Finest Girl (Bin Laden Song) (Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping)
Best Action Film
Deadpool
Captain America: Civil War
Rogue One
Hacksaw Ridge
Doctor Strange
Best Documentary
8 Days a Week
Weiner
OJ: Made in America
13
The Eagle Huntress
Best Costume Design
Jackie
The Witch
Fantastic Beasts
Love & Friendship
La La Land
Best Visual Effects
Jungle Book
Doctor Strange
Fantastic Beasts
Arrival
A Monster Calls
Best Art Direction
Jackie
La La Land
Arrival
A Monster Calls
Fantastic Beasts
Best Animated Film
Kubo and the Two Strings
Sausage Party
Finding Dory
Zootopia
Moana
Best Foreign Film
Elle
Neruda
The Handmaiden
Toni Erdmann
The Salesman
Best Comedy
Deadpool
Don’t Think Twice
The Edge of Seventeen
Sausage Party
The Nice Guys
Best Horror/Sci-Fi
The Witch
The Neon Demon
Arrival
10 Cloverfield Lane
Don’t Breathe
Best Family Film
The Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Moana
Zootopia
The Jungle Book
Kubo and the Two Strings
Best Ensemble
Hidden Figures
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight
Fences
Hell or High Water
Breakout Filmmaker
Barry Jenkins – Moonlight
Robert Eggers – The Witch
Kelly Fremon Craig – Edge of Seventeen
Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert – Swiss Army Man
Nate Parker – Birth of a Nation
Youth in Film
Madina Nalwanga – Queen of Katwe
Lewis MacDougall – A Monster Calls
Lucas Hedges – Manchester by the Sea
Hailee Steinfeld – Edge of Seventeen
Alex B. Hibbert – Moonlight
Through the Shattered Lens 