The Sunset Critics Honor Dune


Here are the winners of the 2nd annual Sunset Critics Awards!

BEST FILM
Being The Ricardos
Belfast (RUNNER UP)
CODA
Cyrano
Dune (WINNER)
Don’t Look Up
The French Dispatch
King Richard
The Power Of The Dog
Spencer

BEST DIRECTOR
Kenneth Branagh – Belfast
Jane Campion – The Power Of The Dog
Pablo Larraín – Spencer (RUNNER UP)
Denis Villeneuve – Dune (WINNER)
Joe Wright – Cyrano

BEST ACTRESS
Jessica Chastain – The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Olivia Colman – The Lost Daughter
Jennifer Hudson – Respect
Nicole Kidman – Being The Ricardos (RUNNER UP)
Kristen Stewart – Spencer (WINNER)

BEST ACTOR
Leonardo DiCaprio – Don’t Look Up
Peter Dinklage – Cyrano
Adam Driver – Annette
Andrew Garfield – Tick, Tick…Boom! (WINNER)
Will Smith – King Richard (RUNNER UP)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Jon Bernthal – King Richard
Jamie Dornan – Belfast (WINNER)
Shazad Latif – Profile
Kodi Smit-McPhee – The Power Of The Dog
Jeffrey Wright – The French Dispatch (RUNNER UP)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Caitríona Balfe – Belfast (WINNER)
Haley Bennett – Cyrano
Aunjanue Ellis – King Richard
Rebecca Ferguson – Dune (RUNNER UP)
Marlee Matlin – CODA

BEST ENSEMBLE
Being The Ricardos
CODA (RUNNER UP)
Don’t Look Up
Dune (WINNER)
The French Dispatch

BEST SCENE-STEALER
Ben Affleck – The Last Duel (RUNNER UP)
Sharon Duncan-Brewster – Dune (WINNER)
Chris Evans – Don’t Look Up
Sally Hawkins – Spencer
Channing Tatum – Free Guy

BEST SCREENPLAY
Being The Ricardos (WINNER)
Belfast
Cyrano
Don’t Look Up (RUNNER UP)
Spencer

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Dune (WINNER)
The French Dispatch
The Power Of The Dog
Spencer (RUNNER UP)
The Tragedy Of Macbeth

BEST SCORE
C’mon C’mon – Aaron & Bryce Dessner
Don’t Look Up – Nicholas Britell
Dune – Hans Zimmer (WINNER)
The French Dispatch – Alexandre Desplat
Spencer – Jonny Greenwood (RUNNER UP)

BEST HORROR FILM
A Quiet Place Part II (RUNNER UP)
Candyman (WINNER)
Lamb
The Night House
Psycho Goreman

BEST FAMILY FILM
Clifford The Big Red Dog
Cruella
Free Guy (WINNER)
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
The Mitchells vs. The Machines (RUNNER UP)

FIVE FIRE DIRECTORS
David Bruckner – The Night House
Nia DaCosta – Candyman (TIE)
Joanna Hogg – The Souvenir Part II
Lin-Manuel Miranda – Tick, Tick…Boom! (TIE)
Tim Sutton – Funny Face

Here Are the 2021 Nominations of the Hollywood Critics Association!


The Hollywood Critics Association has announced their nominations for the best of 2021!  Fortunately, the winners won’t be announced until January so you’ve got a lot of time to see all of the nominees!

Best Picture
Being the Ricardos
Belfast
CODA
Dune
King Richard
Last Night In Soho
Licorice Pizza
Spencer
The Power of The Dog
Tick, Tick…Boom!

Best Actor
Andrew Garfield – Tick, Tick…Boom!
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Power of The Dog
Nicolas Cage – Pig
Peter Dinklage – Cyrano
Will Smith – King Richard

Best Actress
Emilia Jones – CODA
Jessica Chastain – The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Kristen Stewart – Spencer
Lady Gaga – House of Gucci
Nicole Kidman – Being the Ricardos

Best Supporting Actor
Ciarán Hinds – Belfast
Jamie Dornan – Belfast
Jason Isaacs – Mass
Robin de Jesús – Tick, Tick…Boom!
Troy Kotsur – CODA

Best Supporting Actress
Ariana DeBose – West Side Story
Aunjanue Ellis – King Richard
Caitriona Balfe – Belfast
Marlee Matlin – CODA
Ruth Negga – Passing

Best Animated or VSX Performance
Abbi Jacobson – The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Sylvester Stallone – The Suicide Squad
Stephanie Beatriz – Encanto
Jacob Tremblay – Luca
John Leguizamo – Encanto

Best Director
Denis Villeneuve – Dune
Guillermo del Toro – Nightmare Alley
Jane Campion – The Power of The Dog
Kenneth Branagh – Belfast
Lin-Manuel Miranda – Tick, Tick…Boom!
Pablo Larraín – Spencer
Rebecca Hall – Passing
Reinaldo Marcus Green – King Richard
Siân Heder – CODA
Steven Spielberg – West Side Story

Best Original Screenplay
Aaron Sorkin – Being the Ricardos
Edgar Wright and Krysty Wilson-Cairns – Last Night In Soho
Fran Kranz – Mass
Kenneth Branagh – Belfast
Zach Baylin – King Richard

Best Adapted Screenplay
Jane Campion – The Power of The Dog
Maggie Gyllenhaal – The Lost Daughter
Rebecca Hall – Passing
Siân Heder – CODA
Steven Levenson – Tick, Tick…Boom!

Best Cast Ensemble
Belfast
CODA
Don’t Look Up
King Richard
The Harder They Fall

Best First Feature
Rebecca Hall – Passing
Lin-Manuel Miranda – Tick, Tick…Boom!
Fran Kranz – Mass
Maggie Gyllenhaal – The Lost Daughter
Michael Sarnoski – Pig

Best Animated Film
Encanto
Flee
Luca
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Raya and The Last Dragon

Best International Film
A Hero
Drive My Car
Flee
Titane
The Worst Person in the World

Best Documentary
Flee
Summer of Soul
The Rescue
The Sparks Brothers
Val

Best Indie Film
CODA
Mass
Pig
Shiva Baby
Spencer

Best Comedy/Musical Film
Cyrano
Free Guy
In The Heights
Tick, Tick…Boom!
West Side Story

Best Action Film
No Time To Die
Nobody
The Harder They Fall
The Suicide Squad
Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings

Best Horror Film
A Quiet Place Part II
Fear Street
Last Night In Soho
Malignant
The Night House

Best Short Film
Blush
Far From The Tree
Nona
Robin Robin
Us Again

Best Cinematography 
Andrew Droz Palermo – TheGreenKnight
Ari Wegner – The Power Of The Dog
Claire Mathon – Spencer
Greig Fraser – Dune
Janusz Kamiński – West Side Story

Best Score
Alexandre Desplat – The French Dispatch
Hans Zimmer – Dune
Jonny Greenwood – Spencer
Jonny Greenwood – The Power Of The Dog
Steven Price – Last Night In Soho

Best Original Song
Be Alive sung by Beyonce from King Richard
No Time to Die sung by Billie Eilish from No Time To Die
Beyond the Shore sung by Emilia Jones from CODA
Down to Joy by Van Morrison from Belfast
Every Letter from Cyrano

Best Stunts
Black Widow
Dune
No Time To Die
Nobody
Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings

Best Costume Design
Bob Morgan and Jacqueline West – Dune
Jacqueline Durran – Spencer
Janty Yates – House Of Gucci
Jenny Beavan – Cruella
Odile Dicks-Mireaux – Last Night In Soho

Best Production Design
Adam Stockhausen – The French Dispatch
Guy Hendrix Dyas – Spencer
Marcus Rowland – Last Night In Soho
Patrice Vermette – Dune
Tamara Deverell – Nightmare Alley

Best Hair & Makeup
Being The Ricardos
Cruella
Dune
House Of Gucci
The Eyes Of Tammy Faye

Best Film Editing
Andrew Weisblum and Myron I. Kerstein – Tick, Tick…Boom!
Joe Walker – Dune
Pamela Martin – King Richard
Paul Machliss – Last Night In Soho
Úna Ní Dhonghaíle – Belfast

Best Visual Effects
Dune
Eternals
Free Guy
Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings
The Suicide Squad

The National Board of Review Names Licorice Pizza The Best of 2021


The National Board of Review just announced their picks for the best of 2021 and, while many thought they might go with West Side Story or The Power of the Dog, the NBR instead announced that their pick for Best Picture was Paul Thomas Anderson’s Licorice Pizza!

In fact, Power of the Dog went curiously unmentioned by the National Board of Review.  I wouldn’t read too much into that, though.  While the NBR is one of the more prominent of the precursors, they’re also not one of the most reliable.  If the Guilds ignore a film that was considered to be contender, that’s when you might want to start changing your predictions.

Anyway, here are the NBR winners:

Best Film: LICORICE PIZZA
Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson, LICORICE PIZZA
Best Actor: Will Smith, KING RICHARD
Best Actress: Rachel Zegler, WEST SIDE STORY
Best Supporting Actor: Ciarán Hinds, BELFAST
Best Supporting Actress: Aunjanue Ellis, KING RICHARD
Best Original Screenplay: Asghar Farhadi, A HERO
Best Adapted Screenplay: Joel Coen, THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH
Breakthrough Performance: Alana Haim & Cooper Hoffman, LICORICE PIZZA
Best Directorial Debut: Michael Sarnoski, PIG
Best Animated Feature: ENCANTO
Best Foreign Language Film: A HERO
Best Documentary: SUMMER OF SOUL (…OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED)
​Best Ensemble: THE HARDER THEY FALL
Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography: Bruno Delbonnel, THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: FLEE

Top Films (in alphabetical order)
Belfast
Don’t Look Up
Dune
King Richard
The Last Duel
Nightmare Alley
Red Rocket
The Tragedy of Macbeth
West Side Story

Top 5 Foreign Language Films (in alphabetical order)
Benedetta
Lamb
Lingui, The Sacred Bonds
Titane
The Worst Person in the World

Top 5 Documentaries (in alphabetical order)
Ascension
Attica
Flee
The Rescue
Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain

Top 10 Independent Films (in alphabetical order)
The Card Counter
C’mon C’mon
CODA
The Green Knight
Holler
Jockey
Old Henry
Pig
Shiva Baby
The Souvenir Part II

Here Are The 2021 Satellite Nominations!


The International Press Academy announced the nominees for the 2021 Satellite Awards earlier today!  You can find the film nominees below.

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD RECIPIENTS
Mary Pickford Award – TBA
Tesla Award – Joan Collins
Auteur Award – Lin-Manuel Miranda
Best First Feature – Halle Berry – Bruised
Stunt Performance Award – The Suicide Squad
Humanitarian Award – Val Kilmer
Ensemble: Motion Picture – The Power of the Dog
Ensemble: Television – Succession

Actress in a Motion Picture Drama
Jessica Chastain – The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Kristen Stewart – Spencer
Lady Gaga – House of Gucci
Nicole Kidman – Being the Ricardos
Olivia Colman – The Lost Daughter
Penélope Cruz – Parallel Mothers

Actor in a Motion Picture Drama
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Power of the Dog
Clifton Collins Jr. – Jockey
Denzel Washington – The Tragedy of Macbeth
Joaquin Phoenix – C’mon C’mon
Tom Skerritt – East of Mountains
Will Smith – King Richard

Actress in Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical
Alana Haim – Licorice Pizza
Jennifer Hudson – Respect
Melissa Barrera – In The Heights
Renate Reinsve – The Worst Person in the World

Actor in Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical
Andrew Garfield – tick, tick… Boom!
Anthony Ramos – In The Heights
Peter Dinklage – Cyrano

Actress in a Supporting Role
Aunjanue Ellis – King Richard
Caitriona Balfe – Belfast
Judi Dench – Belfast
Kirsten Dunst – The Power of the Dog
Marlee Matlin – CODA
Ruth Negga – Passing

Actor in a Supporting Role
Ciarán Hinds – Belfast
J.K. Simmons – Being the Ricardos
Jamie Dornan – Belfast
Jared Leto – House of Gucci
Kodi Smit-McPhee – The Power of the Dog
Robin de Jesús – tick, tick… Boom!

Motion Picture, Drama
Belfast – Focus Features
CODA – Apple Original Films
Dune – Warner Bros.
East of Mountains – Quiver Distribution
King Richard – Warner Bros.
Spencer – Neon
The Lost Daughter – Netflix
The Power of the Dog – Netflix

Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical
Cyrano – United Artists Releasing
In The Heights – Warner Bros.
Licorice Pizza – MGM
Respect – MGM/UA
The French Dispatch – Searchlight Pictures
tick, tick… Boom! – Netflix

Motion Picture, International
Iran – A Hero
Finland – Compartment No. 6
Japan – Drive My Car
Denmark – Flee
Mexico – Prayers for the Stolen
Spain – The Good Boss
Italy – The Hand of God
Norway – The Worst Person in the World
France – Titane

Motion Picture, Animated or Mixed Media
Encanto – Walt Disney
Flee – Neon
Luca – Pixar
The Mitchells vs the Machines – Netflix
Vivo – Netflix

Motion Picture, Documentary
Ascension – MTV Documentary Films
Brian Willson: Long Promised Road – Screen Media Films
Flee – Neon
Introducing Selma Blair – Strand Releasing
Julia – Sony Pictures Classics
Procession – Netflix
Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) – Searchlight Pictures
The Rescue – National Geographic
The Velvet Underground – Apple Original Films
Val – Amazon Studios

Director
Denis Villeneuve – Dune
Jane Campion – The Power of the Dog
Kenneth Branagh – Belfast
Lin-Manuel Miranda – tick, tick… Boom!
Paul Thomas Anderson – Licorice Pizza
Reinaldo Marcus Green – King Richard

Screenplay, Original
Asghar Farhadi – A Hero
Kenneth Branagh – Belfast
Mike Mills – C’mon C’mon
Paul Thomas Anderson – Licorice Pizza
Pedro Almodóvar – Parallel Mothers
Zach Baylin – King Richard

Screenplay, Adapted
Denis Villeneuve, Eric Roth & Jon Spaihts – Dune
Jane Campion – The Power of the Dog
Joel Coen – The Tragedy of Macbeth
Maggie Gyllenhaal – The Lost Daughter
Rebecca Hall & Nella Larsen – Passing
Sian Heder – CODA

Original Score
Alberto Iglesias – Parallel Mothers
Alexandre Desplat – The French Dispatch
Hans Zimmer – Dune
Harry Gregson-Williams – The Last Duel
Jeymes Samuel – The Harder They Fall
Jonny Greenwood – Spencer
Jonny Greenwood – The Power of the Dog

Original Song
Be Alive by Beyoncé Knowles-Carter & Dixson – King Richard
“Beyond the Shore”by Nicholai Baxter, Matt Dahan, Siân Heder & Marius de Vries – CODA
“Colombia, Mi Encanto”by Lin-Manuel Miranda – Encanto
“Down to Joy” by Van Morrison – Belfast
“Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)” by Jamie Alexander Hartman, Jennifer Hudson & Carole King – Respect
“No Time to Die” by Billie Eilish & Finneas O’Connell – No Time to Die

Cinematography
Alice Brookstick – tick, tick… Boom!
Ari Wegner – The Power of the Dog
Bruno Delbonnel – The Tragedy of Macbeth
Greig Fraser – Dune
Haris Zambarloukos – Belfast
Robbie Ryan – C’mon C’mon

Film Editing
Andy Jurgensen – Licorice Pizza
Joe Walker – Dune
Myron Kerstein & Andrew Weisblum – tick, tick… Boom!
Pamela Martin – King Richard
Peter Sciberras – The Power of the Dog
Úna Ní Dhonghaíle – Belfast

Sound (Editing and Mixing)
Simon Chase, James Mather, Denise Yarde & Niv Adiri – Belfast
Mac Ruth, Mark A. Mangini, Theo Green, Doug Hemphill & Ron Bartlett – Dune
Doug Hemphill, Ron Bartlett, Clint Bennett, Anthony Ortiz & Richard King – The Harder They Fall
Oliver Tarney, Paul Massey, David Giammarco, William Miller, Daniel Birch & Stéphane Bucher – The Last Duel
Robert Mackenzie, Richard Flynn, Leah Katz, Tara Webb & Dave Whitehead – The Power of the Dog
Paul Hsu & Todd A. Maitland – tick, tick… Boom!

Visual Effects
Paul Lambert, Tristan Myles, Brian Connor & Gerd Nefzer – Dune
Eternals
Adam Wingard, Kevin Smith, Dave Clayton & Kevin Sherwood – Godzilla vs. Kong
Christopher Townsend, Joe Farrell, Sean Walker & Dan Oliver – Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Kelvin McIlwain, Guy Williams, Jonathan Fawkner & Dan Sudick – The Suicide Squad
James E. Price – The Tomorrow War

Art Direction and Production Design
Jim Clay & Claire Nia Richards – Belfast
Patrice Vermette, Richard Roberts & Zsuzsanna Sipos – Dune
Guy Hendrix Dyas & Yesim Zolan – Spencer
Adam Stockhausen & Rena DeAngelo – The French Dispatch
Grant Major & Amber Richards – The Power of the Dog
Stefan Dechant – The Tragedy of Macbeth

Costume Design
Charlotte Walter – Belfast
Jacqueline Durran – Spencer
Jacqueline West – Dune
Kirsty Cameron – The Power of the Dog
Massimo Cantini Parrini – Cyrano
Ruth E. Carter – Coming 2 America

Lisa Marie’s Oscar Predictions for November


It’s time for my monthly Oscar predictions!  Awards Season is going to begin in just another two days and the Oscar picture has become a lot more clearer.  

Last month, I was ready to write off West Side Story as a contender.  However, following both the film’s recent screening and the death of Stephen Sondheim, it’s now once again very much a contender.  If nothing else, Rita Moreno seems like the clear front runner for Supporting Actress.  This would be her first nomination since she won an Oscar for appearing in the original West Side Story.  Who can resist that narrative?

I’ve also added Licorice Pizza back to my list of nominees.  At first, I thought it sounded too slight to be a contender but the enthusiasm that I’m seeing for the film would seem to indicate that I was incorrect.

As always, keep in mind that I don’t claim to be an expert.  The picture is a bit clearer but I don’t claim to have any inside information or anything like that.  These are just my guesses, for better or worse.  To see how my thinking has evolved,  check out my predictions for March and April and May and June and July and August and September and October!

Best Picture

Being the Ricardos

Belfast

Dune

House of Gucci

King Richard

Licorice Pizza

The Lost Daughter

Nightmare Alley

The Power of the Dog

West Side Story

Best Director

Paul Thomas Anderson for Licorice Pizza

Kenneth Branagh for Belfast

Jane Campion for The Power of the Dog

Guillermo del Toro for Nightmare Alley

Steven Spielberg for West Side Story

Best Actor

Benedict Cumberbatch in The Power of the Dog

Peter Dinklage in Cyrano

Jude Hill in Belfast

Will Smith in King Richard

Denzel Washington in The Tragedy of MacBeth

Best Actress

Lady Gaga in House of Gucci

Jennifer Hudson in Respect

Nicole Kidman in Being the Ricardos

Kristen Stewart in Spencer

Rachel Zegler in West Side Story

Best Supporting Actor

Ben Affleck in The Tender Bar

Bradley Cooper in Licorice Pizza

Ciaran Hinds in Belfast

Jared Leto in House of Gucci

Kodi Smit-McPhee in The Power of the Dog

Best Supporting Actress

Ann Dowd in Mass

Kirsten Dunst in The Power of the Dog

Aunjanue Ellis in King Richard

Marlee Matlin in CODA

Rita Moreno in West Side Story

 

Here Are The Gotham Winners!


The Gotham Awards were held last night and the big winners were CODA and Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Lost Daughter.  The Gothams aren’t exactly the biggest or most influential of the Oscar precursors but they were are one of the first so a victory can only help!

The winners are listed in bold:

Best Feature
“The Green Knight”
“The Lost Daughter”
“Passing”
“Pig”
“Test Pattern”

Best Documentary Feature
“Ascension”
“Faya Dayi”
Flee”
“President”
“Summer Of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)”

Best International Feature
“Azor”
“Drive My Car”
“The Souvenir Part II”
Titane
“What Do We See When We Look at the Sky?”
“The Worst Person In The World”

Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award
Maggie Gyllenhaal for “The Lost Daughter”
Edson Oda for “Nine Days”
Rebecca Hall for “Passing”
Emma Seligman for “Shiva Baby”
Shatara Michelle Ford for “Test Pattern”

Best Screenplay
“The Card Counter,” Paul Schrader
“El Planeta,” Amalia Ulman
“The Green Knight,” David Lowery
“The Lost Daughter,” Maggie Gyllenhaal
“Passing,” Rebecca Hall
“Red Rocket,” Sean Baker & Chris Bergoch

Outstanding Lead Performance
Olivia Colman in “The Lost Daughter”
Frankie Faison in “The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain”
Michael Greyeyes in “Wild Indian”
Brittany S. Hall in “Test Pattern”
Oscar Isaac in “The Card Counter”
Taylour Paige in “Zola”
Joaquin Phoenix in “C’mon C’mon”
Simon Rex in “Red Rocket”
Lili Taylor in “Paper Spiders”
Tessa Thompson in “Passing”

Outstanding Supporting Performance
Reed Birney in “Mass”
Jessie Buckley in “The Lost Daughter”
Colman Domingo in “Zola”
Gaby Hoffmann in “C’mon C’mon”
Troy Kotsur in “CODA”
Marlee Matlin in “CODA”
Ruth Negga in “Passing”

Breakthrough Performer
Emilia Jones in “CODA”
Natalie Morales in “Language Lessons”
Rachel Sennott in Shiva Baby”
Suzanna Son in “Red Rocket”
Amalia Ulman in “El Planeta”

Breakthrough Series – Long Format (over 40 minutes)
“The Good Lord Bird”
“It’s A Sin”
“Small Axe”
“Squid Game”
“The Underground Railroad”
“The White Lotus”

Breakthrough Series – Short Format (under 40 minutes)
“Blindspotting”
“Hacks”
“Reservation Dogs”
“Run the World”
“We Are Lady Parts”

Breakthrough Nonfiction Series
“City So Real”
“Exterminate All the Brutes”
“How To with John Wilson”
“Philly D.A.”
“Pride”

Outstanding Performance in a New Series
Jennifer Coolidge in “The White Lotus”
Michael Greyeyes in “Rutherford Falls”
Ethan Hawke in “The Good Lord Bird”
Devery Jacobs in “Reservation Dogs”
Lee Jung-jae in “Squid Game”
Thuso Mbedu in “The Underground Railroad”
Jean Smart in “Hacks”
Omar Sy in “Lupin”
Anya Taylor-Joy in “The Queen’s Gambit”
Anjana Vasan in “We Are Lady Parts”

(Incidentally, I’m probably the only person not involved with the show to have noticed the victory for Philly D.A.  I’m just going to be honest and say that is one of my least favorite results ever.  Philly D.A. was a pure propaganda, nothing more.)

Lisa Marie’s Oscar Predictions for October


It’s time to take a little break from horror so that I may once against do my list of my monthly Oscar predictions!  I guess some people would consider predicting the Oscars to be a scary thing.  Personally, I have fun doing it, even if my predictions often seem to be for naught.  That said, I did manage to predict that Thomas Vinterberg would be nominated for Best Director last year so take that, haters.

Probably the biggest development this month is that I’ve lost all faith in Spielberg’s West Side Story.  It’s just not getting the type of hype that I would expect from a Spielberg Oscar movie.  In fact, it seems like everyone involved is in kind of a hurry to move on.  So, for now, I’m dropping it from my predictions.  While West Side Story goes, Dune has definitely established itself as a probable nominee.  I think the only problem that Dune will have is the possibility of people saying, “We’ll just nominate the sequel instead.”

I’ve also added C’mon C’mon and Passing to my list of Best Picture nominees.  This is almost totally due to their popularity with the Gothams.  If the other critics groups don’t duplicate the love, they’ll probably get dropped from my predictions come January.

As always, keep in mind that I don’t claim to be an expert.  The picture is a bit clearer but I don’t claim to have any inside information or anything like that.  These are just my guesses, for better or worse.  To see how my thinking has evolved,  check out my predictions for March and April and May and June and July and August and September!

Best Picture

Belfast

C’mon C’mon

CODA

Dune

The Lost Daughter

Nightmare Alley

Passing

The Power of the Dog

Spencer

The Tragedy of MacBeth

Best Director

Kenneth Branagh for Belfast

Jane Campion for The Power of the Dog

Maggie Gyllenhaal for The Lost Daughter

Guillermo del Toro for Nightmare Alley

Denis Villeneuve for Dune

Best Actor

Benedict Cumberbatch in The Power of the Dog

Peter Dinklage in Cyrano

Jude Hill in Belfast

Will Smith in King Richard

Denzel Washington in The Tragedy of MacBeth

Best Actress

Jessica Chastain in The Eyes of Tammy Faye

Olivia Colman in The Lost Daughter

Penelope Cruz in Parallel Lives

Frances McDormand in The Tragedy of MacBeth

Kristen Stewart in Spencer

Best Supporting Actor

Willem DaFoe in Nightmare Alley

Jamie Dornan in Belfast

Ciaran Hinds in Belfast

Jason Isaacs in Mass

Kodi Smit-McPhee in The Power of the Dog

Best Supporting Actress

Jessie Buckley in The Lost Daughter

Dame Judi Dench in Belfast

Ann Dowd in Mass

Kirsten Dunst in The Power of the Dog

Marlee Matlin in CODA

What If Oscar Season Started And No One Noticed, Part 2: Here Are The Gotham Award Nominations


As a sign of how wrapped up I am in this year’s Horrorthon, consider this: the 2021 Gotham Nominations — the first precursor of Awards Season! — were announced on Thursday and I totally missed them!  This is actually not the first year that this has happened.  October is a busy month for me and sometimes, the Gotham noms get missed.

The Gothams, of course, only honor independent films and they have pretty strict rules as far as what they consider to be independent.  The budget has to come in at a certain relatively low amount, for one thing.  So, as a result, a lot of Oscar nominees are not Gotham eligible.  But, at the same time, those Gotham rules also allow some films that otherwise might get overlooked a chance to get some precursor love.  Being nominated for a Gotham is hardly a guarantee that the Academy will remember you.  But it certainly doesn’t hurt.

Better late than never, here are the 2021 Gotham Nominations!  As you’ll notice, the Gotham’s performance awards are gender neutral.  This is the first year that the Gothams have done this.  They also added categories for supporting performances and best performance in a series.

Anyway, here are the nominees:

Best Feature
“The Green Knight”
“The Lost Daughter”
“Passing”
“Pig”
“Test Pattern”

Best Documentary Feature
“Ascension”
“Faya Dayi”
“Flee”
“President”
“Summer Of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)”

Best International Feature
“Azor”
“Drive My Car”
“The Souvenir Part II”
Titane
“What Do We See When We Look at the Sky?”
“The Worst Person In The World”

Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award
Maggie Gyllenhaal for “The Lost Daughter”
Edson Oda for “Nine Days”
Rebecca Hall for “Passing”
Emma Seligman for “Shiva Baby”
Shatara Michelle Ford for “Test Pattern”

Best Screenplay
“The Card Counter,” Paul Schrader
“El Planeta,” Amalia Ulman
“The Green Knight,” David Lowery
“The Lost Daughter,” Maggie Gyllenhaal
“Passing,” Rebecca Hall
“Red Rocket,” Sean Baker & Chris Bergoch

Outstanding Lead Performance
Olivia Colman in “The Lost Daughter”
Frankie Faison in “The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain”
Michael Greyeyes in “Wild Indian”
Brittany S. Hall in “Test Pattern”
Oscar Isaac in “The Card Counter”
Taylour Paige in “Zola”
Joaquin Phoenix in “C’mon C’mon”
Simon Rex in “Red Rocket”
Lili Taylor in “Paper Spiders”
Tessa Thompson in “Passing”

Outstanding Supporting Performance
Reed Birney in “Mass”
Jessie Buckley in “The Lost Daughter”
Colman Domingo in “Zola”
Gaby Hoffmann in “C’mon C’mon”
Troy Kotsur in “CODA”
Marlee Matlin in “CODA”
Ruth Negga in “Passing”

Breakthrough Performer
Emilia Jones in “CODA”
Natalie Morales in “Language Lessons”
Rachel Sennott in Shiva Baby”
Suzanna Son in “Red Rocket”
Amalia Ulman in “El Planeta”

Breakthrough Series – Long Format (over 40 minutes)
“The Good Lord Bird”
“It’s A Sin”
“Small Axe”
“Squid Game”
“The Underground Railroad”
“The White Lotus”

Breakthrough Series – Short Format (under 40 minutes)
“Blindspotting”
“Hacks”
“Reservation Dogs”
“Run the World”
“We Are Lady Parts”

Breakthrough Nonfiction Series
“City So Real”
“Exterminate All the Brutes”
“How To with John Wilson”
“Philly D.A.”
“Pride”

Outstanding Performance in a New Series
Jennifer Coolidge in “The White Lotus”
Michael Greyeyes in “Rutherford Falls”
Ethan Hawke in “The Good Lord Bird”
Devery Jacobs in “Reservation Dogs”
Lee Jung-jae in “Squid Game”
Thuso Mbedu in “The Underground Railroad”
Jean Smart in “Hacks”
Omar Sy in “Lupin”
Anya Taylor-Joy in “The Queen’s Gambit”
Anjana Vasan in “We Are Lady Parts”

Lisa Marie’s Oscar Predictions for September


Well, it’s the time of the month again.

No, not that time!  That time ended two days ago.  I’m talking about the fact that it’s time for me to once again share my monthly Oscar predictions.  Thanks to the festival circuit, we’ve finally gotten some advance word on the big Oscar contenders that will be coming out over the next few months.

Belfast, as of right now, sounds like the prohibitive favorite to win it all.  At first, it seemed like the reaction to The Power of the Dog was a bit mixed but later reactions were almost overwhelmingly positive.  It sounds like the type of film that will be nominated even if it won’t necessarily win.  Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Lost Daughter is coming on strong, as is Spencer.  For me, the biggest surprise has been the amount of acclaim that Dune has been getting.  I was a bit dismissive of its Oscar chances earlier this year but now it definitely sounds like it will be in the hunt.

West Side Story has been seen by no one but I continue to list it because it’s a Spielberg film and, with all the musicals that are being released this year and which have subsequently struggled with either critics or audiences or both, it still seems the most likely to pick up a nomination.  I’m a little bit skeptical on whether or not Nightmare Alley is going to be an “Oscar picture” but the trailer was nice to look at so I’m giving it the benefit of the doubt.  House of Gucci is three hours long and full of stars so it’s either going to be an Oscar nominee or a complete bomb.

You may notice a lack of predicted nominations for Licorice Pizza. Licorice Pizza is a film that I fully expect to love but the trailer definitely feels a bit more like Inherent Vice than The Phantom Thread.  I still think that the actors could get nominated but the rumor right now is that Bradley Cooper’s role is actually very small.  That’s why I no longer have him listed as a supporting actor nominee.

Again, keep in mind that I’m not an expert.  The picture is a bit clearer but I don’t claim to have any inside information or anything like that.  These are just my guesses, for better or worse.  To see how my thinking has evolved,  check out my predictions for March and April and May and June and July and August!

Best Picture

Belfast

CODA

Dune

House of Gucci

The Lost Daughter

Nightmare Alley

The Power of the Dog

Spencer

The Tragedy of MacBeth

West Side Story

Best Director

Kenneth Branagh for Belfast

Jane Campion for The Power of the Dog

Guillermo del Toro for Nightmare Alley

Steven Spielberg for West Side Story

Denis Villeneuve for Dune

Best Actor

Clifton Collins, Jr. in Jockey

Benedict Cumberbatch in The Power of the Dog

Peter Dinklage in Cyrano

Will Smith in King Richard

Denzel Washington in The Tragedy of MacBeth

Best Actress

Jessica Chastain in The Eyes of Tammy Faye

Olivia Colman in The Lost Daughter

Penelope Cruz in Parallel Lives

Frances McDormand in The Tragedy of MacBeth

Kristen Stewart in Spencer

Best Supporting Actor

David Alvarez in West Side Story

Willem DaFoe in Nightmare Alley

Ciaran Hinds in Belfast

Jason Isaac in Mass

Kodi Smit-McPhee in The Power of the Dog

Best Supporting Actress

Jessie Buckley in The Lost Daughter

Dame Judi Dench in Belfast

Ann Dowd in Mass

Kirsten Dunst in The Power of the Dog

Marlee Matlin in CODA

Lisa Marie’s Oscar Predictions for August


It’s time for me to do my monthly Oscar predictions.  Again, as I’ve said in the past, the majority of these predictions are based on a combination of instinct and wishful thinking.  However, the picture may become a bit clearer as early as the end of this week.  With the Venice and Telluride film festivals right around the corner and Toronto also swift approaching, critics are finally going to get a chance to see some of the contenders and, as the early reviews come in, it should be easier to pick the probable nominees from the also-rans.

Personally, I will curious to see how people react to Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog.  Among the other possibilities that we’ll be hearing about: Spencer, King Richard, Dune, The Lost Daughter, The Last Duel, and Belfast.

If you’re curious to see how my thinking has developed, check out my predictions for March and April and May and June and July!

Best Picture

Belfast

Blue Bayou

CODA

House of Gucci

A Journal For Jordan

Mass

The Power of the Dog

Soggy Bottom

The Tragedy of MacBeth

West Side Story

 

Best Director

Pedro Almodovar for Parallel Mothers

Jane Campion for The Power of the Dog

Joel Coen for The Tragedy of MacBeth

Ridley Scott for House of Gucci

Denzel Washington for A Journal For Jordan

 

Best Actor

Clifton Collins, Jr. in Jockey

Benedict Cumberbatch in The Power of the Dog

Udo Kier in Swan Song

Will Smith in King Richard

Denzel Washington in The Tragedy of Macbeth

 

Best Actress

Jessica Chastain in The Eyes of Tammy Faye

Penelope Cruz in Parallel Mothers

Jennifer Hudson in Respect

Lady Gaga in House of Gucci

Kristen Stewart in Spencer

 

Best Supporting Actor

David Alvarez in West Side Story

Bradley Cooper in Soggy Bottom

Andrew Garfield in The Eyes of Tammy Faye

Jason Isaacs in Mass

Jesse Plemons in The Power of the Dog

 

Best Supporting Actress

Ann Dowd in Mass

Kirsten Dunst in Power of the Dog

Marlee Matlin in CODA

Ruth Negga in Passing

Alicia Vikander in Blue Bayou