Award Season is in full swing and will officially begin on Sunday, January 6th with the Golden Globes! I’ve officially seen all of the films nominated so I’ve decided to make my picks early and share them with you all!
Here is the nomination list and underneath I will explain why I believe certain films and performances should win.
Best Motion Picture – Drama
“Black Panther”
“BlacKkKlansman”
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“If Beale Street Could Talk”
“A Star Is Born”
MY PICK: If Beale Street Could Talk
Barry Jenkins made a perfect drama, it reflected the current sociopolitical climate in the black community and made reference to years of systemic oppression faced by Black America. It is a representation of the world today and it’s such a well rounded film. It’s direction, cinematography, storytelling and performances elevated James Baldwin’s novel and made it a memorable piece.
Best Actress in a Motion Picture – 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”)
MY PICK: Lady Gaga – A Star is Born
This is a hard category but given the fact that A Star is Born has become an Award Season favourite that’s the only traction she has to win this award. It should go to Nicole Kidman for Destroyer but the front runner is definitely Gaga.
Best Actor in a Motion Picture – 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”)
MY PICK: Bradley Cooper – A Star is Born
Bradley Cooper completely changed himself for this role and he deserves the recognition for it. He became a musician, he became a rockstar, he became Jackson Maine. You listen to that soundtrack and tell people that’s not a seasoned professional and it would actually leave people stunned. I loved John David Washington’s performance in Blackkklansman and Rami Malek gave a spot on portrayal of Freddie Mercury so it’s really a toss up between the 3 of them, for me anyway.
Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
“Crazy Rich Asians”
“The Favourite”
“Green Book”
“Mary Poppins Returns”
“Vice”
MY PICK: The Favourite
The nominations in this category make absolutely no sense to me. I am choosing The Favourite because it a very unique original piece by Yorgos Lanthimos and he deserves recognition for his work. It was vulgar and very humorous but not many people enjoy his twisted humour. Since the category is also entitled “Musical” Mary Poppins Returns has a fair shot and it would be a travesty. Green Book was very comedic but the jokes fell flat at points, it’s still a possibility for Picture.
Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Emily Blunt (“Mary Poppins Returns”)
Olivia Colman (“The Favourite”)
Elsie Fisher (“Eighth Grade”)
Charlize Theron (“Tully”)
Constance Wu (“Crazy Rich Asians”)
MY PICK: Olivia Colman – The Favourite
Olivia Colman’s Queen Anne was one of the most lovely performances I’ve seen in a while. She was consumed with the thought of everyone loving her because everyone she had ever loved, left her. She played the role of the overdramatic, clueless, blubbering Queen and I absolutely loved her madness. Of course because it’s also a musical category Emily Blunt may take it but I don’t think it’s wise for an actress to win an award another actress has won for the playing the same character.
Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Christian Bale (“Vice”)
Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Mary Poppins Returns”)
Viggo Mortensen (“Green Book”)
Robert Redford (“The Old Man & the Gun”)
John C. Reilly (“Stan & Ollie”)
MY PICK: Christian Bale – Vice
Listen, Christian Bale is a method actor and his performance of Dick Cheney was scarily accurate. He did the work and as usual I did NOT even think for two seconds that an actor was playing Cheney, he embodied him and Bale deserves the win. He paid such close attention to detail and knocked this performance out of the park. Viggo Mortensen did a great job in Green Book and Lin Manuel Miranda stole the show in Mary Poppins Returns so it’s going to be a tough decision for the HFPA.
Best Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture
Amy Adams (“Vice”)
Claire Foy (“First Man”)
Regina King (“If Beale Street Could Talk”)
Emma Stone (“The Favourite”)
Rachel Weisz (“The Favourite”)
MY PICK: Regina King – If Beale Street Could Talk
This category is EXTREMELY difficult. Regina King gave such a loving and beautiful performance in Beale Street. Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz were fierce and manipulative in The Favourite but most likely the vote will be split. We obviously can’t forget Amy Adams because she embodied Lynne Cheney in Vice. They all had wicked performances but I feel it in my bones that Ms. Regina King is going to get her award!
Best Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture
Mahershala Ali (“Green Book”)
Timothee Chalamet (“Beautiful Boy”)
Adam Driver (“BlacKkKlansman”)
Richard E. Grant (“Can You Ever Forgive Me?”)
Sam Rockwell (“Vice”)
MY PICK: Mahershala Ali – Green Book
Mahershala Ali gave a very reserved and subtle performance in Green Book but it was just as effective. He slowly unravelled in front of our eyes as the movie went on and it made it so much more powerful. He’s a very talented actor and I’m very happy he took this role! Sam Rockwell is another one who completely embodied former President George W. Bush and his performance was also a favourite of mine.
Best Motion Picture – Animated
“Incredibles 2”
“Isle of Dogs”
“Mirai”
“Ralph Breaks the Internet”
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”
MY PICK: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
This is most definitely the best animated feature of the year because of how different the animation was and the storyline that came with it. This film is not only for kids but it’s also for adults AND there is so much representation in the Spider-Verse that it deserves the recognition. If Marvel takes home anything it’s going to be for this film right here.
Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language
“Capernaum”
“Girl”
“Never Look Away”
“Roma”
“Shoplifters”
MY PICK: Roma
I absolutely loved everything that Alfonso Cuarón did in this film. I loved that there were no subtitles and that the images on screen told the story. Yalitza Aparicio deserves the recognition as well for carrying this emotional piece on her shoulders for her first time out. It’s a beautiful slice of life and it’s also a heartbreaking story about a woman’s life. I adored this!
Best Director – Motion Picture
Bradley Cooper (“A Star Is Born”)
Alfonso Cuaron (“Roma”)
Peter Farrelly (“Green Book”)
Spike Lee (“BlacKkKlansman”)
Adam McKay (“Vice”)
MY PICK: Spike Lee – Blackkklansman
It’s a complete and utter travesty that Barry Jenkins is not nominated for Best Director because he truly made the MOST beautiful film of the year and NO ONE else can evoke that kind of emotion from his actors while capturing all of that in a tight frame. Blackkklansman is my second favourite movie of last year and I think Spike Lee deserves the recognition for it because he took a Ron Stallworth’s true story and made it incredibly relevant to today’s society. It was an empowering piece and it showed the anger and frustration that many people feel about America today. Both of these films are a representation of the sociopolitical climate of America, one is fuelled by love and the other is fuelled by anger.
Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
Alfonso Cuaron (“Roma”)
Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara (“The Favourite”)
Barry Jenkins (“If Beale Street Could Talk”)
Adam McKay (“Vice”)
Peter Farrelly, Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie (“Green Book”)
MY PICK: Barry Jenkins – If Beale Street Could Talk
I loved that he incorporated the forward from James Baldwins’ novel at the beginning of the film and then dedicated the film to him at the end of it. It’s always difficult to adapt a novel and I believe that Jenkins did a fantastic job in bringing everything together. The flashbacks and voiceover’s made it easier to understand everything that was happening because he also chose to show us rather than pack this film with dialogue. It was very simple and it flowed very well.
Best Original Score – Motion Picture
Marco Beltrami (“A Quiet Place”)
Alexandre Desplat (“Isle of Dogs”)
Ludwig Göransson (“Black Panther”)
Justin Hurwitz (“First Man”)
Marc Shaiman (“Mary Poppins Returns”)
MY PICK: Ludwig Göransson – Black Panther
Listen, this score was so incredibly unique to African culture and he developed a sound for Wakanda. I think he deserves the recognition for this because everything else seemed generic and in all honesty.
Best Original Song – Motion Picture
“All the Stars” (“Black Panther”)
“Girl in the Movies” (“Dumplin’”)
“Requiem For a Private War” (“A Private War”)
“Revelation’ (“Boy Erased”)
“Shallow” (“A Star Is Born”)
MY PICK: Shallow – A Star is Born
Do I even have to explain why this song is going to win? It’s literally everywhere and makes me cry every time I listen to it. The song deserves to win this year, hands down.
Don’t forget to tune into the Golden Globes this Sunday with your hosts Andy Samberg and Sandra Oh!
Candid Cinema 