Awards Season 2026: Razzies Winners

It's Oscar eve, so you know what that means. Yep, the Razzies have announced their winners. And it's perhaps no surprise to see one particularly derided Zoom-based sci-fi film getting the $4.97 statuette. 

Here are this year's "winners"

Worst Picture: War Of The Worlds

Worst Director: Rich Lee (War Of The Worlds)

Worst Actor: Ice Cube (War Of The Worlds)

Worst Actress: Rebel Wilson (Bride Hard)

Worst Supporting Actor: All Seven Artificial Dwarfs (Snow White)

Worst Supporting Actress: Scarlet Rose Stallone (Gunslingers)

Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel: War Of The Worlds

Worst Screen Combo: All Seven Dwarfs (Snow White)

Worst Screenplay: War Of The Worlds

Razzie Redeemer: Kate Hudson (for her Oscar-nominated performance in Song Sung Blue)

War Of The Worlds was the big "winner", garnering five Razzies from six nominations; the only one it didn't win (Worst Screen Combo) went to the only other film to win multiple awards - and that's the truly execrable live-action remake of Snow White. 

Hurry Up Tomorrow, Star Trek: Section 31, Alarum, The Electric State and In The Lost Lands can all count themselves lucky that War Of The Worlds sucked as much as it did. 

So there we have it. Congratulations to all the "winners". 

So, that just leaves the big one: the 98th Academy Awards. I'll be posting my predictions for who will win in six major categories tomorrow afternoon, following up with the full results once I've watched the ceremony.

Awards Season 2026: Razzies Nominations

Ah, the Razzies. The metaphorical pin to prick the self-righteousness and self-congratulatory balloon of awards season. This year's nominees for the worst cinematic crimes committed to celluloid have been announced. Here is the full list of nominees:

WORST PICTURE

The Electric State

Hurry Up Tomorrow

Snow White 

Star Trek: Section 31

War Of The Worlds 

WORST ACTOR

Dave Bautista (In The Lost Lands)

Ice Cube (War Of The Worlds)

Scott Eastwood (Alarum)

Jared Leto (Tron: Ares)

Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye (Hurry Up Tomorrow)

WORST ACTRESS

Ariana DeBose (Love Hurts)

Milla Jovovich (In The Lost Lands)

Natalie Portman (Fountain Of Youth)

Rebel Wilson (Bride Hard)

Michelle Yeoh (Star Trek: Section 31)

WORST SUPPORTING ACTOR

All Seven Artificial Dwarfs (Snow White)

Nicolas Cage (Gunslingers)

Stephen Dorff (Bride Hard)

Greg Kinnear (Off The Grid)

Sylvester Stallone (Alarum)

WORST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Anna Chlumsky (Bride Hard)

Ema Horvath (The Strangers: Chapter 2)

Scarlet Rose Stallone (Gunslingers)

Kacey Rohl (Star Trek: Section 31)

Isis Valverde (Alarum)

WORST DIRECTOR

Rich Lee (War of The Worlds)

Olatunde Osunsanmi (Star Trek: Section 31)

The Russo Brothers (The Electric State)

Trey Edward Shults (Hurry Up Tomorrow)

Marc Webb (Snow White)

WORST SCREEN COMBO

All Seven Dwarfs (Snow White)

James Corden & Rihanna (Smurfs)

Ice Cube & His Zoom Camera (War Of The Worlds)

Robert DeNiro & Robert DeNiro (as Frank & Vito) (The Alto Knights)

The Weeknd & His Colossal Ego (Hurry Up Tomorrow)

WORST PREQUEL, REMAKE, RIP-OFF OR SEQUEL

I Know What You Did Last Summer

Five Nights At Freddy's 2

Smurfs

Snow White

War Of The Worlds 

WORST SCREENPLAY

The Electric State

Hurry Up Tomorrow

Snow White

Star Trek: Section 31

War Of The Worlds

War Of The Worlds and Snow White lead the field with six nominations apiece, while Hurry Up Tomorrow and Star Trek: Section 31 have five each. 

Several of the usual suspects - Nicolas Cage, Sylvester Stallone, Jared Leto - are present and correct, although there are certain performers from at least two of the Worst Picture nominees who can breathe a sigh of relief and count themselves lucky not to be included (Chris Pratt, Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot, I'm mainly looking at you). That said, I think the Razzies would open them up to an absolute shitshow of abuse from various keyboard warriors had either (or both) of the Snow White leads ended up on the shortlisted ballot given some of the less-than-savoury stuff that went on during the film's publicity tour over their respective political views, so that's probably best avoided.

I'll be very honest with you, there are several films here that I've never heard of, and am probably glad not to have. 

Either way, the Razzies will be handed out on their traditional Oscar Eve slot - Saturday 14th March 2026. As the song from Frozen II says, some things never change...

Now we've had the palate cleanser, it's on to the main event. Tomorrow are the Oscar nominations. I've already put my predictions up so let's see how right (or wrong) I am!

Awards Season 2025: Razzies Winners

As is tradition on Oscars Eve, the (un)lucky recipients of this year's Razzies (the id to the Oscar's superego, if you like) have been announced. And there's perhaps no surprise which fairly universally derided superhero movie limps off with the top prize.

Here are this year's "winners"

Worst Picture: Madame Web

Worst Director: Francis Ford Coppola (Megalopolis)

Worst Actor: Jerry Seinfeld (Unfrosted)

Worst Actress: Dakota Johnson (Madame Web)

Worst Supporting Actor: Jon Voight (Megalopolis, Reagan, Shadow Land, and Strangers)

Worst Supporting Actress: Amy Schumer (Unfrosted) 

Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel: Joker: Folie à Deux

Worst Screen Combo: Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga (Joker: Folie à Deux)

Worst Screenplay: Madame Web

Razzie Redeemer: Pamela Anderson (for her performance in The Last Showgirl)

Madame Web is the big winner of the night, with three awards; it's then a three-way tie for second with Unfrosted, Joker: Folie à Deux, and Megalopolis walking away with two apiece.

Despite multiple nominations, Borderlands, Reagan, The Crow, Argylle, and Kraven The Hunter walk away unscathed. 

No sooner did Madame Web make it onto the screens then it was being derided as one of the worst superhero films that's been made, but was even being touted as a potential Razzie winner even before it left the cinemas. Ouch. 

A little trivia for you now: Francis Ford Coppola becomes the fourth director to win both the Best Director Oscar and a Worst Director Razzie, following on from Michael Cimino (The Deer Hunter/Heaven's Gate), Kevin Costner (Dances With Wolves/The Postman), and Tom Hooper (The King's Speech/Cats) [Coppola won the Best Director Oscar for The Godfather Part II]. There have been plenty of directors that have either been nominated for one and won the other (or nominated for both but won neither), but these four stand above. 

Coppola has rather gamely accepted the win, posting the following message on Instagram: "I am thrilled to accept the Razzie award... and for the distinctive honor of being nominated as the worst director, worst screenplay, and worst picture at a time when so few have the courage to go against the prevailing trends of contemporary moviemaking! In this wreck of a world today, where ART is given scores as if it were professional wrestling, I chose to NOT follow the gutless rules laid down by an industry so terrified of risk that despite the enormous pool of young talent at its disposal, may not create pictures that will be relevant and alive 50 years from now. [...]  Let us remind ourselves us that box-office is only about money, and like war, stupidity and politics has no true place in our future."

Megalopolis has long been a passion project for Coppola; he'd been trying to get it made since the 1970s and even sold one of his wineries to fund the project. I have to admire his chutzpah; he didn't compromise, he made the film he wanted to make. No doubt he was hoping it might win awards... Maybe just not these ones. 

Congratulations (commiserations?) to the "winners". 

So, that just leaves the big one: the 97th Academy Awards. I'll be posting my predictions for who will win in six major categories tomorrow afternoon.

 

Awards Season 2025: Razzies Nominations

An unexpected little surprise awaited me this morning. The tricksy folks at the Razzies let these nominations slip out early (being announced late yesterday evening [Tuesday 21st January], rather than today) and- much like a fart at a dinner party- while the timing has caught me off guard, the stench of cinematic excrement is still very much present. 

Here is the full list of nominees:

WORST PICTURE

Borderlands

Joker: Folie à Deux

Madame Web

Megalopolis

Reagan

WORST ACTOR

Jack Black (Dear Santa)

Zachary Levi (Harold And The Purple Crayon)

Joaquin Phoenix (Joker: Folie à Deux)

Dennis Quaid (Reagan)

Jerry Seinfeld (Unfrosted)

WORST ACTRESS

Cate Blanchett (Borderlands)

Lady Gaga (Joker: Folie à Deux)

Bryce Dallas Howard (Argylle)

Dakota Johnson (Madame Web)

Jennifer Lopez (Atlas)

WORST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Jack Black (voice only) (Borderlands)

Kevin Hart (Borderlands)

Shia LaBeouf (Megalopolis)

Tahar Rahim (Madame Web)

Jon Voight (Megalopolis, Reagan, Shadow Land, and Strangers)

WORST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Ariana DeBose (Argylle and Kraven The Hunter)

Lesley-Anne Down (Reagan)

Emma Roberts (Madame Web)

Amy Schumer (Unfrosted)

FKA twigs (The Crow)

WORST DIRECTOR

S.J. Clarkson (Madame Web)

Francis Ford Coppola (Megalopolis)

Todd Phillips (Joker: Folie à Deux)

Eli Roth (Borderlands)

Jerry Seinfeld (Unfrosted)

WORST SCREEN COMBO

Any two obnoxious characters (but especially Jack Black) (Borderlands)

Any two unfunny "comedic actors" (Unfrosted)

The entire cast (Megalopolis)

Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga (Joker: Folie à Deux)

Dennis Quaid and Penelope Ann Miller (Reagan)

WORST PREQUEL, REMAKE, RIP-OFF OR SEQUEL

The Crow

Joker: Folie à Deux

Kraven The Hunter

Mufasa: The Lion King

Rebel Moon 2: The Scargiver

WORST SCREENPLAY

Joker: Folie à Deux

Kraven The Hunter

Madame Web

Megalopolis

Reagan

Joker: Folie à Deux leads the way with seven nods, with a four-way tie for second place between Borderlands (a film I'd forgotten had even been released, to be honest), Madame Web, Megalopolis, and Reagan all bagging six apiece. 

In case anyone is wondering, Unfrosted is a biographical comedy-drama about the origins of... the Pop-Tart. Well, if they can do a movie about the origins of Flaming Hot Cheetos (which they have; it's called Flamin' Hot and was directed by Eva Longoria), then why not have one about Pop-Tarts? Just don't get any silly ideas about food-based franchises, Hollywood...

I was asked if there were any surprises in the nominations, and I had to say yes. The big surprise for me was the relative lack of nominations for both Kraven The Hunter and The Crow (limping off with three and two respectively). I guess three is pretty good (bad?) going for Kraven The Hunter as it was only released in December, but I was expecting more for The Crow. It's a wholly soulless, derivative and unnecessary remake. I think Bill Skarsgård can count his lucky stars that there were five more worse performances than his. 

Quite a few expected film titles and performances included here. I was waiting to see how much Joker: Folie à Deux and Madame Web were going to have their metaphorical asses handed to them; their relative scores do not disappoint. 

However, as usual, the Razzies throws up a couple of film titles I've got no idea about: this year's clutch of unidentifiable dreck includes Atlas, Shadow Land, and Strangers, the latter two forming Jon Voight's four-headed nomination. Well, given his new "ambassadorial" role to Hollywood, he might be too busy over the next year or so to keep churning out these [what sound like] painfully by-the-numbers straight-to-TV/DVD duds. Everyone's a winner, baby. 

The winners of the coveted $4.97 spray-painted trophies will be announced in a video press release on Oscars eve (Saturday 1st March). 

And as I've already been a little premature and posted my Oscar predictions (no need to be ashamed, lads, it happens more frequently than you'd think), my next post will be tomorrow afternoon to recap the Oscar nominations. 

Awards Season 2024: Razzies Winners

Ah, Oscars Eve. A day for last-minute preparations, looking over acceptance speeches, sorting out outfits, and generally hoping your name follows the famous declaration "And the Oscar goes to..."

As is traditional, the Golden Raspberry Awards are also handed out on this day, to dishonour the worst in cinema of the previous year. And this year, as well as the undeniable stink of cinematic effluence, there's a definite whiff of both blood and honey as well... 

Here are this year's "winners"

Worst Picture: Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood And Honey 

Worst Director: Rhys Frake-Waterfield (Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood And Honey)

Worst Actor: Jon Voight (Mercy)

Worst Actress: Megan Fox (Johnny & Clyde)

Worst Supporting Actor: Sylvester Stallone (Expend4bles)

Worst Supporting Actress: Megan Fox (Expend4bles)

Worst Remake, Sequel Or Rip-Off: Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood And Honey

Worst Screen Combo: Pooh and Piglet as Blood-Thirsty Slasher/Killers (Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood And Honey)

Worst Screenplay: Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood And Honey

Razzie Redeemer: Fran Drescher

This year's Razzie Redeemer, Fran Drescher, was previously nominated for Worst Actress at the Razzies for the as-bad-as-it-sounds romantic comedy The Beautician And The Beast (1997). However, as the current president of SAG/AFTRA (the American actors' union), she has been rightly praised for her strong leadership throughout the 2023 actors' strike. 

Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood And Honey was the big winner, taking home five awards (and "winning" each category it was nominated in). Expend4bles takes home two Razzies, including another win for Sylvester Stallone. As the French say, "plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose".

Congratulations (commiserations?) to the "winners". 

So, that just leaves the big one: the 96th Academy Awards. I'll be posting my predictions for who will win in six major categories tomorrow afternoon. And, much like today, there'll be one particular movie that's going to come up a lot...

Awards Season 2024: Razzies Nominations

So, here they are. The nominees for the 44th Golden Raspberry Awards, a.k.a. the Razzies. You'll be pleased to know (possibly?) that some things never change with the Razzies voters and a couple of expected names are present and correct.

WORST PICTURE

The Exorcist: Believer

Expend4bles

Meg 2: The Trench

Shazam! Fury Of The Gods

Winnie the Pooh: Blood And Honey

WORST ACTRESS

Ana de Armas (Ghosted)

Megan Fox (Johnny & Clyde)

Salma Hayek (Magic Mike's Last Dance)

Jennifer Lopez (The Mother)

Helen Mirren (Shazam! Fury Of The Gods)

WORST ACTOR

Russell Crowe (The Pope's Exorcist)

Vin Diesel (Fast X)

Chris Evans (Ghosted)

Jason Statham (Meg 2: The Trench)

Jon Voight (Mercy)

WORST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Michael Douglas (Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania)

Mel Gibson (Confidential Informant)

Bill Murray (Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania)

Franco Nero (as "The Pope") (The Pope's Exorcist)

Sylvester Stallone (Expend4ables)

WORST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Kim Cattrall (About My Father)

Megan Fox (Expend4bles)

Bai Ling (Johnny & Clyde)

Lucy Liu (Shazam! Fury Of The Gods)

Mary Stuart Masterson (Five Nights At Freddy's)

WORST SCREEN COUPLE

Any 2 "Merciless Mercenaries" (Expend4bles)

Any 2 Money-Grubbing Investors Who Donated to the $400 Million for Remake Rights to The Exorcist

Ana de Armas and Chris Evans (Ghosted)

Salma Hayek and Channing Tatum (Magic Mike's Last Dance)

Pooh and Piglet as Blood-Thirsty Slasher/Killers (Winnie the Pooh: Blood And Honey)

WORST REMAKE, RIP-OFF or SEQUEL

Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania

The Exorcist: Believer

Expend4bles

Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny

Winnie the Pooh: Blood And Honey

WORST DIRECTOR

Rhys Frake-Waterfield (Winnie The Pooh: Blood And Honey)

David Gordon Green (The Exorcist: Believer)

Peyton Reed (Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania)

Scott Waugh (Expend4bles)

Ben Wheatley (Meg 2: The Trench)

WORST SCREENPLAY

The Exorcist: Believer

Expend4bles

Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny

Shazam! Fury Of The Gods

Winnie The Pooh: Blood And Honey 

So, with very little surprise, Expend4bles leads the pack with seven nominations, with The Exorcist: Believer and Winnie The Pooh: Blood And Honey tying for second with five each. Comicbook duds Shazam! Fury Of The Gods and Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania have four apiece. 

As is usual with the Razzies nominations, there are a couple of films I've never heard of (Johnny & Clyde, Confidential Informant, The Mother) and I certainly won't be racing to check them out.

The "winners" will be handed out in a ceremony on Saturday 9th March, the day before the Oscars. 

Having already posted my Oscar predictions earlier this morning (the world has indeed been turned upside down), my next post will be the official Oscar nominations tomorrow. 

Awards Season 2023: Razzies Winners

So, it's Oscars Eve. The great and good of Hollywood will be primping, preening, and preparing for one of the biggest nights of the year. It's also the day that the Golden Raspberry (Razzie) Awards get handed out, dishonouring the cinematic crapulence of the previous year.  

So here are this year's "winners":

Worst Picture: Blonde

Worst Director: Machine Gun Kelly and Mod Sun (Good Mourning)

Worst Actor: Jared Leto (Morbius)

Worst Actress: The Golden Raspberry Awards

Worst Supporting Actor: Tom Hanks (Elvis)

Worst Supporting Actress: Adria Arjona (Morbius)

Worst Remake, Sequel Or Rip-Off: Disney's Pinocchio

Worst Screen Combo: Tom Hanks and his latex-laden face (and ludicrous accent) (Elvis)

Worst Screenplay: Blonde

Razzie Redeemer: Colin Farrell

You may be wondering "Awards Guru Tez, why are the Golden Raspberry Awards the 'winners' of the Worst Actress award?" Well, gather round, my award fans, and I'll tell ye a tale...

When the nominations were announced on 22nd January, Ryan Kiera Armstrong was included in the Worst Actress category for her performance as Charlie in the 2022 remake of Firestarter; she is 12 years old. 

A little history lesson: the Razzies have previous in nominating child actors: at the 3rd Razzie Awards (1983), they gave the Worst Supporting Actress award to 11-year old Aileen Quinn for her performance in Annie. Other minors who have been nominated include:

• Gary Coleman (Worst Actor for On The Right Track [1981], when he was 13);
• Jake Lloyd (Worst Supporting Actor for Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace [1999] when he was 10)
• Macaulay Culkin (a Worst Actor nominee for three films- Getting Even With Dad [1994], The Pagemaster [1994], and Ri¢hie Ri¢h [1994]- all when he was 14); and 
• Olivia d'Abo (nominated for Worst Supporting Actress for her roles in Conan The Destroyer [1984] and Bolero [1984]- in which she appears nude- when she was 15). 

Unsurprisingly (and rightly so), the backlash was quick and fierce. Razzies co-founder John J.B. Wilson made a statement that said "The intent was to be funny. In this particular instance, we seem to have misstepped very badly." No shit, Sherlock. 

Armstrong was subsequently removed from the ballot, and the organisation will no longer allow actors under the age of 18 to be nominated in any category. And, as something of a public mea culpa, the Razzies have given themselves this award. 

Other nominees for the Razzie Redeemer this year- which is given to a former Razzie nominee or winner who has come back from critical and/or commercial failure-  were Val Kilmer (going from The Island Of Dr. Moreau to the subject of acclaimed documentary Val) and Mark Wahlberg (from three-time Worst Actor nominee to biopic Father Stu). 

Blonde, Elvis, and Morbius each won two Razzies apiece. Elvis has the dubious distinction of winning in each category it was nominated for. 

Congratulations to all "winners"!

So, that just leaves the big one: the 95th Academy Awards. I'll be posting my predictions for who will win in six major categories tomorrow afternoon. 

Awards Season 2023: Razzies Nominations

 

Newton's Third Law of Motion states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. We can therefore deduce from this that the Golden Raspberries (which dishonour the cinematic bilge of the previous year) are the equal and opposite reaction to the Oscars. Who says this blog can't be entertaining and educational at the same time?

So here are the full nominations for the 43rd Annual Razzie Awards, and there's a rather surprising film in the lead.

WORST PICTURE

Blonde

Disney’s Pinocchio

Good Mourning     

The King’s Daughter

Morbius 

WORST ACTRESS

Ryan Kiera Armstrong (Firestarter)

Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic Park: Dominion)

Diane Keaton (Mack & Rita)

Kaya Scodelario (The King’s Daughter)

Alicia Silverstone (The Requin)

WORST ACTOR

Colson Baker (Good Mourning)

Pete Davidson (Voice Only) (Marmaduke)

Tom Hanks (Disney’s Pinocchio)

Jared Leto (Morbius)

Sylvester Stallone (Samaritan)

WORST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Pete Davidson (Good Mourning)

Tom Hanks (Elvis)

Xavier Samuel (Blonde)

Mod Sun (Good Mourning)

Evan Williams (Blonde)

WORST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Adria Arjona (Morbius)

Lorraine Bracco (Voice Only) (Disney’s Pinocchio)

Penélope Cruz (The 355)

Fan Bingbing (The 355 and The King’s Daughter)

Mira Sorvino (Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend) 

WORST SCREEN COUPLE

Colson Baker & Mod Sun (Good Mourning)

Both Real Life Characters in the Fallacious White House Bedroom Scene (Blonde)

Tom Hanks & His Latex-Laden Face (and Ludicrous Accent) (Elvis)

Andrew Dominik & His Issues with Women (Blonde)

The Two 365 Days Sequels 

WORST REMAKE, RIP-OFF or SEQUEL

Blonde

Both 365 Days Sequels (365 Days: This Day and The Next 365 Days)

Disney’s Pinocchio 

Firestarter

Jurassic World: Dominion

WORST DIRECTOR

Judd Apatow (The Bubble)

Colson Baker & Mod Sun (Good Mourning)

Andrew Dominik (Blonde)

Daniel Espinosa (Morbius)

Robert Zemeckis (Disney’s Pinocchio)

WORST SCREENPLAY

Blonde

Disney’s Pinocchio

Good Mourning

Jurassic World: Dominion

Morbius

Blonde leads the pack with eight nods, with stoner "comedy" Good Mourning (written by, co-directed by and starring Colson Baker [a.k.a. Machine Gun Kelly]) in second place with seven. Disney's Pinocchio gets six nominations, while Morbius gets five. I'm surprised, I was expecting Morbius to maybe get a few more. 

Blonde is the film adaptation of Joyce Carol Oates' novel based on the life of Marilyn Monroe. It's not a biopic in the strictest sense, because it's based on Oates' novel and not a biography or autobiography. It's come in for some flack- as a film which criticises the exploitation of Marilyn Monroe by... exploiting the very same persona- but Ana de Armas' performance has been widely praised. She has remained unscathed with today's announcement; director Andrew Dominik, not so much. 

There's a couple of films which can count their lucky stars not to be included on this list- Death On The Nile and Halloween Ends, I'm looking at you. 

As is tradition, the Razzies will be handed out the day before the Oscars, meaning that we'll see which of these stinkers walks away with the prizes on Saturday 11th March 2023.

As is also tradition, I'll be posting my predictions for the main six categories for the 95th Academy Awards a little later today, ahead of the announcement tomorrow afternoon.

Awards Season 2022: Razzies Winners

The 42nd Golden Raspberry Awards have been given out. Here are all the "winners" from 2021's crop of cinematic crap:

Worst Picture: Diana The Musical

Worst Director: Christopher Ashley (Diana The Musical)

Worst Actor: LeBron James (Space Jam: A New Legacy)

Worst Actress: Jeanna de Waal (Diana The Musical)

Worst Supporting Actor: Jared Leto (House Of Gucci)

Worst Supporting Actress: Judy Kaye (Diana The Musical)

Worst Remake, Sequel Or Rip-Off: Space Jam: A New Legacy

Worst Screen Combo: LeBron James & Any Warner Cartoon Character (or Time-Warner product) He Dribbles on (Space Jam: A New Legacy)

Worst Screenplay: Diana The Musical

Worst Performance By Bruce Willis In A 2021 Movie: Cosmic Sin

Razzie Redeemer: Will Smith 

Diana The Musical sweeps the field with five wins, with Space Jam: A New Legacy winning three. 

Despite multiple nominations, tone-deaf race-based "horror" Karen, Rear Window rip-off The Woman In The Window, and cringy musical adaptation Dear Evan Hansen walk away with no awards. 

Also nominated for the Razzie Redeemer Award- given to a former Razzie nominee or winner who has come back from critical and/or commercial failure- which went to Will Smith (going from a four-time Razzie winner to a potential Oscar winner for his nuanced and powerful turn in Oscar drama King Richard) were Jamie Dornan (going from the Fifty Shades... debacle to critically-acclaimed drama Belfast) and Nicolas Cage (from being an eight-time Razzie nominee to his as a truffle hunter who goes in search of his kidnapped pig in Michael Sarnoski's Pig). 

Congratulations to all "winners"!

So, that just leaves the big one: the 94th Academy Awards. I'll be posting my predictions for who will win in six major categories tomorrow afternoon. 

Awards Season 2022: Razzies Nominations

What's that I smell in the air? Could it possibly be the whiff of cinematic feculence? 

Ah yes, it's that time of year again when the Golden Raspberries seek to dishonour the worst films of the previous year. 

So here are the full nominations for the 42nd Annual Razzie Awards:

WORST PICTURE

Diana The Musical

Infinite

Karen

Space Jam: A New Legacy

The Woman In The Window

WORST ACTRESS

Amy Adams (The Woman In The Window)

Jeanna de Waal (Diana The Musical)

Megan Fox (Midnight In The Switchgrass)

Taryn Manning (Karen)

Ruby Rose (Vanquish)

WORST ACTOR

Scott Eastwood (Dangerous)

Roe Hartrampf (Diana The Musical)

LeBron James (Space Jam: A New Legacy)

Ben Platt (Dear Evan Hansen)

Mark Wahlberg (Infinite)

WORST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Ben Affleck (The Last Duel)

Nick Cannon (The Misfits)

Mel Gibson (Dangerous)

Gareth Keegan (Diana The Musical)

Jared Leto (House Of Gucci)

WORST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Amy Adams (Dear Evan Hansen)

Sophie Cookson (Infinite)

Erin Davie (Diana The Musical)

Judy Kaye (Diana The Musical)

Taryn Manning (Every Last One Of Them)

WORST SCREEN COUPLE

Any Klutzy Cast Member & Any Lamely Lyricized (or choreographed) Musical Number (Diana the Musical)

LeBron James & Any Warner Cartoon Character (or Time-Warner product) He Dribbles on (Space Jam: A New Legacy)

Jared Leto & Either His 17-Pound Latex Face, His Geeky Clothes or His Ridiculous Accent (House of Gucci)

Ben Platt & Any Other Character Who Acts Like Platt Singing 24-7 is Normal (Dear Evan Hansen)

Tom & Jerry (Tom & Jerry: The Movie)

WORST REMAKE, RIP-OFF or SEQUEL

Karen

Space Jam: A New Legacy

Tom & Jerry: The Movie

Twist

The Woman In The Window

WORST DIRECTOR

Christopher Ashley (Diana The Musical)

Stephen Chbosky (Dear Evan Hansen)

Coke Daniels (Karen)

Renny Harlin (The Misfits)

Joe Wright (The Woman In The Window)

WORST SCREENPLAY

Diana The Musical

Karen

The Misfits

Twist

The Woman In The Window

WORST PERFORMANCE BY BRUCE WILLIS IN A 2021 MOVIE

American Siege

Apex

Cosmic Sin

Deadlock

Fortress

Midnight In The Switchgrass

Out Of Death

Survive The Game

With a staggering nine nominations, Diana The Musical leads the pack with nine. Tone-deaf "thriller" Karen (about a hysterical racist white woman who terrorises her new Black neighbours) and Rear Window rip-off The Woman In The Window tie for second place with five apiece. 

Frankly, if any performance did belong on this list, it's Jared Leto. Whilst the whole of House Of Gucci is slightly "heightened", his performance comes from the Joe Dolce School of Acting and feels like it belongs in an entirely different film. It's jarring, annoying, and I genuinely don't understand why Ridley Scott didn't rein him in. 

There's also a very real possibility- although I really hope not- that we might be looking at Leto getting a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nod tomorrow (which will echo Glenn Close last year for her turn in Hillbilly Elegy).

A slightly dodgy claim to fame here: Infinite, which gets three nods, was partially filmed in Cardiff (with a section of Newport Road [a main road in the city centre] closed for several days in October 2019).  I have been meaning to check the film out, just for that scene, but I mightn't bother now...

Also, considering lockdowns and everything that went on, part of me is slightly impressed that Bruce Willis featured in enough cinematic crap to get his own category. 

As is tradition, the Razzies will be handed out the day before the Oscars, meaning that we'll see which of these stinkers walks away with the prizes on Saturday 26th March 2021. 

As is also tradition, I'll be posting my predictions for the main six categories for the 94th Academy Awards a little later today, ahead of the announcement tomorrow afternoon.

Awards Season 2021: Razzies Winners

In these uncertain times, some consistency is desired, nay, actively sought. Which is why you can always count on the Razzies to provide some levity against the more self-important parts of awards season, and a good ego-pricking into the bargain. 

Here are all the "winners" from 2020's crop of cinematic crap.

Worst Picture: Absolute Proof

Worst Director: Sia (Music)

Worst Actor: Mike Lindell (The "MyPillow" Guy) (Absolute Proof)

Worst Actress: Kate Hudson (Music)

Worst Supporting Actor: Rudy Giuliani (as himself) (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm)

Worst Supporting Actress: Maddie Ziegler (Music)

Worst Remake, Sequel Or Rip-Off: Dolittle

Worst Screen Combo: Rudy Giuliani & His Pants Zipper (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm)

Worst Screenplay: 365 Days

Special Governor's Award: 2020 - the Worst Calendar Year ever!

Music- a musical drama which caused a lot of controversy for various reasons, including casting a non-autistic actress (Ziegler) in the title role as an autistic child, as well as a scene showing a dangerous method of restraint- was the big "winner" of the night with three awards, with Absolute Proof and Borat Subsequent Moviefilm walking away with two apiece. 

When the final ballots went out, the Worst Screen Combo nomination for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm was amended, removing Maria Bakalova's name and replacing it with Rudy's zipper. Maybe they figured the poor woman had suffered enough?

Despite leading the nominations with six apiece, 365 Days and Dolittle did well to only win one award each, whilst the execrable re-do of Fantasy Island- which got five nods- escaped unscathed. Maybe this is one time where the phrase "it's an honour just to be nominated" doesn't apply?

 

Razzies voters have never really shied away from giving their opinion on contemporary American politics (see previous "wins" for Hillary's America: The Secret History Of The Democratic Party and Death Of A Nation), so it's perhaps no surprise that Mike Lindell's conspiracy-laden propaganda- claiming to have "absolute proof" that the 2020 US Election was stolen from the outgoing President (and- surprise, surprise- provides nothing of the sort)- is being treated with the utter contempt it deserves. And the less said about Giuliani and his zipper, the better...

Congratulations to all "winners"!

Keeping with the theme of consistency in the face of uncertainty, you'll be pleased to know that my predictions for who will win in six major categories at this year's Oscars will be coming tomorrow afternoon, ahead of tomorrow night's ceremony. Reassuring to know that some things never change...

For Your Consideration: Possible Contenders For Awards Season 2021

Yes- with all the sinking inevitability of a scheduled dentist's appointment (and no doubt, for some of you, just as painful)- it's time to turn our attention to awards season. 

What's this? I hear (some of) you cry. Awards season? Really? Given everything that's going on in the world? You didn't think that they'd let a little thing like a worldwide pandemic stop this annual festival of self-congratulation, did you? 

In June of last year, the Academy decided on an eight-week postponement of the 93rd Academy Awards from February to April, and the majority of awards bodies amended their schedules accordingly.  

Despite cinemas worldwide closing, films being delayed or moved to streaming, and various other issues, films have still been released, festivals have still gone on, so there's still some merit (if that's the right word) of my annual prognostication on the films you'll be hearing a lot about over the next few months. 

Winning the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, as well as the prestigious People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, Nomadland seems to be one of the frontrunners for this year's awards season. Directed by Chloé Zhao (The Rider, Eternals), the film stars Frances McDormand as a woman who embarks on a journey through the American West as a modern-day nomad after losing everything in the Great Recession of 2011. McDormand will almost certainly get nominated for her lead role and David Strathairn might get a look in for his supporting role as a fellow nomad, while Zhao is also a shoo-in for Best Director. 

Aaron Sorkin's The Trial Of The Chicago 7 is in a strong position for some awards love, being a biographical/historical drama about American history full to the brim with strong performances. Based on the infamous trial that followed the violent altercations at the 1968 Democratic Party Convention, the film feels very timely (given recent events). Whilst Best Picture and Screenplay nods are pretty secure, the issue comes with deciding on any acting awards, as the Netflix For Your Consideration page names all ten main actors in the Best Supporting Actor category! Most likely to receive a nod should be Sacha Baron Cohen, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Mark Rylance.

British actress Vanessa Kirby won the Best Actress prize at the Venice Film Festival for her lead role as Martha in Pieces Of A Woman, Kornél Mundruczó's heart-wrenching drama about a woman whose home birth ends in unbearable tragedy. Whilst the subject may be a bit raw and intense for some, expect to see Kirby's name mentioned a lot. Also in a strong position for nomination is Ellen Burstyn, whose supporting role as Martha's overbearing mother Elizabeth has also been getting a lot of praise. Fun fact: if Burstyn does get an Oscar nod for her performance, she'll become the oldest actor to be nominated for a competitive acting award (as she is a couple of months older than Christopher Plummer, who currently holds that honour). 

The big screen adaptation of August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is bound to see some awards love, especially for the late Chadwick Boseman in Best Actor categories and Viola Davis in the Best Actress races. There's a chance that Glynn Turman could get a surprise nod in the Best Supporting Actor category and I'd say it's got a good chance of featuring heavily in certain technical categories (most notably Costume, Hair & Make-Up, and Production Design). Best Picture nods wouldn't be out of the question either, neither would an Adapted Screenplay nod for Ruben Santiago-Hudson's script. 

Boseman might make Oscar history if he also gets a Supporting Actor nod for his role in Spike Lee's war drama Da 5 Bloods (he'd be the first actor to receive two posthumous acting Oscar nominations in one year). He appears in flashbacks as the squad's leader (Stormin' Norman), whilst the main story follows the four Vietnam vets on their return to the country to search for his remains. Again, Best Picture and Best Director nods can be expected, whilst it is Boseman and Delroy Lindo who are garnering a lot of the critical appreciation for their performances.  

Hollywood loves films about films, so David Fincher's Mank (despite it's fairly awful title) is bound to get some awards love. Telling the story of screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he completes the screenplay for Citizen Kane, you can expect to see Gary Oldman mentioned for his lead performance as the alcoholic screenwriter, with Best Picture and Director nods highly likely too. You may also see Amanda Seyfried getting her first Oscar nod for her supporting role as silent movie actress Marion Davies.

Oscar-winning actress Regina King might be getting a second Oscar nod this year, but it will be for Best Director. She helms One Night In Miami..., a drama which imagines the meeting between four icons. The night in question is February 25th, 1964, when Cassius Clay beat Sonny Liston to become Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World. Clay spent the evening with three of his friends: Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown. One Night In Miami... won the People's Choice Award (First Runner-Up) at the Toronto International Film Festival, and the performances of the four leads- Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, and Leslie Odom Jr.- have all been praised. 

Now, some of you might be wondering if I've lost the plot somewhat by saying that Borat Subsequent Moviefilm has a shot at awards season. Well, first of all, the original 2006 film- Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan- was nominated for the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar at the 2007 Oscars (losing out to The Departed). Secondly, there's been a lot of praise for the performance of Maria Bakalova who plays Borat's daughter Tutar, so a surprise Best Supporting Actress nod for her might not be out of the question. 

Over the last couple of years, several foreign language films (such as Roma and Parasite) have also been nominated for Best Picture. So it's entirely possible that Minari, Korean-American director Lee Isaac Chung's semi-autobiographical drama about a Korean family making a new life in for themselves in 1980s Arkansas, could do the same. Praise has been given both to Chung's direction and script, as well as the performances by Steven Yeun as patriarch Jacob and Youn Yuh-Jung as grandmother Soonja. 

There are a couple of LGBTQ+ films which might get some awards attention. Firstly, Ammonite (written and directed by Francis Lee, who wrote and directed God's Own Country) which has Kate Winslet playing nineteenth-century fossil hunter Mary Anning and Saoirse Ronan as Charlotte Murchison, a young woman who Anning meets at the seaside and forms an intense relationship with. Secondly, there is Supernova, written and directed by Harry Macqueen. It features Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci as Sam and Tusker, partners of 20 years, who travel across England in an RV to visit places and people from their past, as Tusker has been diagnosed with early-onset dementia.

Below are several films that have performances that might get nods somewhere along the line:

Promising Young Woman: Carey Mulligan (An Education) plays Cassie, an avenging angel in this timely and fascinating revenge drama, written and directed by Emerald Fennell.

Hillbilly Elegy: Ron Howard directs this adaptation of J.D. Vance's best-selling but controversial memoir about the author's life growing up in an Ohio town; you may see Amy Adams and Glenn Close mentioned for their performances as J.D.'s drug-addict mother and his foul-mouthed grandmother respectively. 

The Life Ahead: Sophia Loren's performance in this drama, directed by her son Edoardo Ponti, has been getting rave reviews; she plays a Holocaust survivor who takes in a street-kid who has robbed her. Fun fact: if Loren does receive an Oscar nomination for this performance, she will become the person with the longest gap between Oscar nominations (as this would come a full 56 years after her last nod, for Marriage Italian Style in 1965)

(Finding) The Way Back: Ben Affleck has been getting rave reviews for his performance in Gavin O'Connor's sports drama, as a former basketball wunderkind (who has struggled with alcoholism) who reluctantly accepts a job coaching the team at his old school. 

Judas And The Black Messiah: Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out) and LaKeith Stanfield (Knives Out) could both get some awards love for their performances as Black Panther Chairman Fred Hampton and William O'Neal, the undercover FBI agent who betrayed him, in this biographical drama directed by Shaka King.  

News Of The World: Tom Hanks might get a nod for his performance as an American Civil War veteran who has to return a 10 year old girl to her family in this Western adventure drama directed by Paul Greengrass.

Malcolm & Marie: Zendaya (Spider-Man: Homecoming) and John David Washington (BlacKkKlansman) could both be up for awards for their performances in this neat little two-hander written and directed by Sam Levinson. Shot in June and July 2020, the production followed strict COVID-19 safety protocols to ensure the cast and crew worked in a safe environment. 

Sound Of Metal: Riz Ahmed could get nominated for his performance in this musical drama directed by Darius Marder, as a heavy metal drummer who begins to lose his hearing. Olivia Cooke could see some Supporting Actress nominations for her role as Ruben's singer girlfriend Lou, whilst Paul Raci could get a nod or two as the founder of a commune for the Deaf.

The Father: French playwright Florian Zeller directs this adaptation of his own play, with Anthony Hopkins in the title role as a man struggling with dementia, and Olivia Colman as his daughter.  

 

So what about the two big blockbusters that did get released last year: Tenet and Wonder Woman 1984? Does awards glory await for them? Almost certainly in the technical fields (Visual Effects, Sound and suchlike). Of the two, Tenet has a better chance at major nominations (Best Picture and Director) but lukewarm reviews of both might not do either any good. But in a year where a lot of big budget stuff didn't see the screen, who knows?

The timetable for the major awards in 2021 is as follows:

Film Independent Spirit Awards
Nominations announced: 26th January 2021
Awards ceremony: 22nd April 2021

Golden Globes
Nominations announced: 3rd February 2021 
Awards ceremony: 28th February 2021

Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards
Nominations announced: 4th February 2021
Awards ceremony: 14th March 2021

Critics' Choice Awards
Nominations announced: 7th February 2021
Awards ceremony: 7th March 2021

Writers' Guild Of America (WGA) Award
Nominations announced: 16th February 2021
Awards ceremony: 21st March 2021

Directors' Guild Of America (DGA) Award
Nominations announced: 9th March 2021
Awards ceremony: 10th April 2021

BAFTA Film Awards
Nominations announced: 9th March 2021
Awards ceremony: 11th April 2021

Producers' Guild Of America (PGA) Award
Nominations announced: 12th March 2021
Awards ceremony: 24th March 2021

Golden Raspberry Awards (Razzies)
Nominations announced: 14th March 2021
Awards ceremony: 24th April 2021

Academy Awards (Oscars)
Nominations announced: 15th March 2021
Awards ceremony: 25th April 2021

So spreadsheets at the ready, my friends... because...